diff --git a/nemoclaw-blueprint/blueprint.yaml b/nemoclaw-blueprint/blueprint.yaml
index 0e495aa360a..adda03360bf 100644
--- a/nemoclaw-blueprint/blueprint.yaml
+++ b/nemoclaw-blueprint/blueprint.yaml
@@ -4,7 +4,13 @@
 version: "0.1.0"
 min_openshell_version: "0.0.24"
 min_openclaw_version: "2026.3.0"
-digest: ""  # Computed at release time
+# Mirrors the components.sandbox.image manifest digest below. Lets a
+# downstream consumer (or release tooling) verify the blueprint declares
+# a specific sandbox image without parsing the components tree, and
+# blocks the trivially-bypassable case where someone bumps the pinned
+# image but forgets the top-level field. Release tooling should rewrite
+# both fields together. See #1438.
+digest: "sha256:b3d832b596ab6b7184a9dcb4ae93337ca32851a4f93b00765cc12de26baa3a9a"
 
 profiles:
   - default
@@ -18,7 +24,12 @@ description: |
 
 components:
   sandbox:
-    image: "ghcr.io/nvidia/openshell-community/sandboxes/openclaw:latest"
+    # Pinned to a specific image digest so a future registry compromise or an
+    # accidental :latest force-push cannot silently swap the sandbox image.
+    # Ref: #1438. The digest below was the resolved sha256 of the :latest tag
+    # at the time of this commit; release tooling should bump it together with
+    # the top-level `digest:` field on every release.
+    image: "ghcr.io/nvidia/openshell-community/sandboxes/openclaw@sha256:b3d832b596ab6b7184a9dcb4ae93337ca32851a4f93b00765cc12de26baa3a9a"
     name: "openclaw"
     forward_ports:
       - 18789
diff --git a/test/validate-blueprint.test.ts b/test/validate-blueprint.test.ts
index 921c59733c7..7fe9a4cccbc 100644
--- a/test/validate-blueprint.test.ts
+++ b/test/validate-blueprint.test.ts
@@ -41,6 +41,51 @@ describe("blueprint.yaml", () => {
     expect(Object.keys(defined!).length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
   });
 
+  it("regression #1438: sandbox image is pinned by digest, not by mutable tag", () => {
+    // The blueprint MUST NOT pull a sandbox image by a mutable tag like
+    // ":latest" — a registry compromise or accidental force-push could
+    // silently swap the image. Pin via @sha256:... so the image cannot
+    // change without a corresponding blueprint update.
+    const sandbox = (bp.components as Record<string, unknown> | undefined)?.sandbox as
+      | { image?: unknown }
+      | undefined;
+    const image = typeof sandbox?.image === "string" ? sandbox.image : "";
+    expect(image.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    expect(image).toContain("@sha256:");
+    // Belt and braces: explicitly forbid the ":latest" tag form even if the
+    // image string has been rearranged.
+    expect(image).not.toMatch(/:latest$/);
+    expect(image).not.toMatch(/:latest@/);
+    // The digest itself must be a 64-hex sha256.
+    const digestMatch = image.match(/@sha256:([0-9a-f]{64})$/);
+    expect(digestMatch).not.toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("regression #1438: top-level digest field is populated and matches the image digest", () => {
+    // The top-level `digest:` field at the top of blueprint.yaml is
+    // documented as "Computed at release time" and was empty on main,
+    // which left blueprint-level integrity unverifiable. Mirror the
+    // sandbox image manifest digest into the top-level field so any
+    // consumer can read a single field to know what's pinned, and so
+    // a future contributor can't bump one without bumping the other.
+    const topLevelDigest = typeof bp.digest === "string" ? bp.digest : "";
+    expect(topLevelDigest.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    // Must be a sha256:<64-hex> string.
+    expect(topLevelDigest).toMatch(/^sha256:[0-9a-f]{64}$/);
+
+    const sandbox = (bp.components as Record<string, unknown> | undefined)?.sandbox as
+      | { image?: unknown }
+      | undefined;
+    const image = typeof sandbox?.image === "string" ? sandbox.image : "";
+    const imageDigestMatch = image.match(/@sha256:([0-9a-f]{64})$/);
+    expect(imageDigestMatch).not.toBeNull();
+    const imageDigest = `sha256:${imageDigestMatch?.[1] ?? ""}`;
+
+    // The two digests must agree. If a future bump touches one but not
+    // the other, this assertion catches it before merge.
+    expect(topLevelDigest).toBe(imageDigest);
+  });
+
   for (const name of declared) {
     describe(`profile '${name}'`, () => {
       it("has a definition", () => {