diff --git a/agents/langchain-deepagents-code/Dockerfile b/agents/langchain-deepagents-code/Dockerfile
index 2106063048b..ede9bcd0b73 100644
--- a/agents/langchain-deepagents-code/Dockerfile
+++ b/agents/langchain-deepagents-code/Dockerfile
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ RUN chmod 444 /opt/nemoclaw-deepagents-code/generate-config.ts /opt/nemoclaw-dee
     && chmod 755 /usr/local/bin/nemoclaw-start /usr/local/lib/nemoclaw/dcode-wrapper.sh \
     && chmod -R a+rX /opt/nemoclaw-blueprint /src/lib/messaging \
     && python3 /opt/nemoclaw-deepagents-code/patch-managed-deepagents-code.py \
-    && rm -f /usr/local/bin/dcode /usr/local/bin/deepagents-code \
+    && rm -f /usr/local/bin/dcode /usr/local/bin/deepagents-code /opt/venv/bin/dcode /opt/venv/bin/deepagents-code \
     && install -m 0755 /usr/local/lib/nemoclaw/dcode-wrapper.sh /usr/local/bin/dcode \
     && install -m 0755 /usr/local/lib/nemoclaw/dcode-wrapper.sh /usr/local/bin/dcode.real \
     && install -m 0755 /usr/local/lib/nemoclaw/dcode-wrapper.sh /usr/local/bin/deepagents-code \
@@ -48,7 +48,8 @@ ARG NEMOCLAW_MESSAGING_PLAN_B64=
 ARG NEMOCLAW_DARWIN_VM_COMPAT=0
 
 ENV HOME=/sandbox \
-    PATH="/usr/local/bin:${PATH}" \
+    VIRTUAL_ENV=/opt/venv \
+    PATH="/usr/local/bin:/opt/venv/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin" \
     NEMOCLAW_MODEL=${NEMOCLAW_MODEL} \
     NEMOCLAW_PROVIDER_KEY=${NEMOCLAW_PROVIDER_KEY} \
     NEMOCLAW_UPSTREAM_PROVIDER=${NEMOCLAW_UPSTREAM_PROVIDER} \
diff --git a/agents/langchain-deepagents-code/Dockerfile.base b/agents/langchain-deepagents-code/Dockerfile.base
index 2e234261ca9..bc9d9883e28 100644
--- a/agents/langchain-deepagents-code/Dockerfile.base
+++ b/agents/langchain-deepagents-code/Dockerfile.base
@@ -9,7 +9,9 @@
 
 FROM node:22-trixie-slim@sha256:2d9f5c76c8f4dd36e8f253bee5d828a83a6c09f36188f0b0414325232e0b175d
 
-ENV DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive
+ENV DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive \
+    VIRTUAL_ENV=/opt/venv \
+    PATH="/usr/local/bin:/opt/venv/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin"
 
 RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
         python3=3.13.5-1 \
@@ -46,26 +48,29 @@ RUN printf '%s\n' \
         '# Source runtime proxy + Deep Agents Code config' \
         '[ -f /tmp/nemoclaw-proxy-env.sh ] && . /tmp/nemoclaw-proxy-env.sh' \
         'export HOME=/sandbox' \
-        'export PATH="/usr/local/bin:${PATH}"' \
+        'export PATH="/usr/local/bin:/opt/venv/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin"' \
         > /sandbox/.bashrc \
     && printf '%s\n' \
         '# Source runtime proxy + Deep Agents Code config' \
         '[ -f /tmp/nemoclaw-proxy-env.sh ] && . /tmp/nemoclaw-proxy-env.sh' \
         'export HOME=/sandbox' \
-        'export PATH="/usr/local/bin:${PATH}"' \
+        'export PATH="/usr/local/bin:/opt/venv/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin"' \
         > /sandbox/.profile \
     && chown root:root /sandbox/.bashrc /sandbox/.profile \
     && chmod 444 /sandbox/.bashrc /sandbox/.profile
 
 COPY agents/langchain-deepagents-code/requirements.lock /tmp/deepagents-code-requirements.lock
 
-RUN pip3 install --no-cache-dir --break-system-packages --ignore-installed --require-hashes \
+RUN python3 -m venv --copies "$VIRTUAL_ENV" \
+    && "$VIRTUAL_ENV/bin/pip3" install --no-cache-dir --require-hashes \
         -r /tmp/deepagents-code-requirements.lock \
+    && ln -sf "$VIRTUAL_ENV/bin/dcode" /usr/local/bin/dcode \
+    && ln -sf "$VIRTUAL_ENV/bin/deepagents-code" /usr/local/bin/deepagents-code \
     && rm -f /tmp/deepagents-code-requirements.lock \
     && /usr/local/bin/dcode --version
 
 ENV HOME=/sandbox \
-    PATH="/usr/local/bin:${PATH}" \
+    PATH="/usr/local/bin:/opt/venv/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin" \
     DEEPAGENTS_CODE_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1
 
 WORKDIR /sandbox
diff --git a/agents/langchain-deepagents-code/dcode-wrapper.sh b/agents/langchain-deepagents-code/dcode-wrapper.sh
index 06f64e5e0a3..643c925bbbf 100755
--- a/agents/langchain-deepagents-code/dcode-wrapper.sh
+++ b/agents/langchain-deepagents-code/dcode-wrapper.sh
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 set -euo pipefail
 
 export HOME=/sandbox
-export PATH="/usr/local/bin:${PATH}"
+export PATH="/usr/local/bin:/opt/venv/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin"
 export DEEPAGENTS_CODE_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1
 export DEEPAGENTS_CODE_AUTO_UPDATE=0
 export DEEPAGENTS_CODE_OPENAI_API_KEY="${DEEPAGENTS_CODE_OPENAI_API_KEY:-nemoclaw-managed-inference}"
diff --git a/agents/langchain-deepagents-code/manifest.yaml b/agents/langchain-deepagents-code/manifest.yaml
index 2501656537d..f151cd9acc9 100644
--- a/agents/langchain-deepagents-code/manifest.yaml
+++ b/agents/langchain-deepagents-code/manifest.yaml
@@ -72,4 +72,4 @@ package_registry:
   hosts:
     - pypi.org
     - files.pythonhosted.org
-  binary: /usr/local/bin/pip3
+  binary: /opt/venv/bin/pip3
diff --git a/agents/langchain-deepagents-code/policy-additions.yaml b/agents/langchain-deepagents-code/policy-additions.yaml
index ae0a5a59851..129f4501e16 100644
--- a/agents/langchain-deepagents-code/policy-additions.yaml
+++ b/agents/langchain-deepagents-code/policy-additions.yaml
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ filesystem_policy:
   include_workdir: true
   read_only:
     - /usr
+    - /opt/venv
     - /lib
     - /proc
     - /dev/urandom
@@ -52,8 +53,8 @@ network_policies:
           - allow: { method: GET, path: "/v1/models/**" }
     binaries:
       - { path: /usr/local/bin/dcode }
-      - { path: /usr/bin/python3* }
-      - { path: /usr/local/lib/python3.13/** }
+      - { path: /opt/venv/bin/python3* }
+      - { path: /opt/venv/lib/python3.13/** }
 
   github:
     name: github
@@ -71,7 +72,7 @@ network_policies:
       # interpreter, not only as the /usr/local/bin/dcode shell wrapper. Keep
       # this broad Python boundary limited to approved GitHub hosts; optional
       # Tavily, LangSmith, MCP, and arbitrary hosts are intentionally absent.
-      - { path: /usr/bin/python3* }
+      - { path: /opt/venv/bin/python3* }
 
   pypi:
     name: pypi
@@ -89,9 +90,12 @@ network_policies:
         rules:
           - allow: { method: GET, path: "/**" }
     binaries:
-      - { path: /usr/local/bin/pip3 }
+      - { path: /opt/venv/bin/pip3 }
       # pip and dcode package-install traffic execute through Python. This is
       # intentionally process-wide only for the read-only PyPI hosts listed
-      # above; optional service egress must be added explicitly by policy.
-      - { path: /usr/bin/python3* }
+      # above, including project venvs under /sandbox; optional service egress
+      # must be added explicitly by policy.
+      - { path: /sandbox/**/bin/pip3 }
+      - { path: /opt/venv/bin/python3* }
+      - { path: /sandbox/**/bin/python3* }
       - { path: /usr/local/bin/dcode }
diff --git a/agents/langchain-deepagents-code/start.sh b/agents/langchain-deepagents-code/start.sh
index 822501e0322..1a74f57c3ba 100755
--- a/agents/langchain-deepagents-code/start.sh
+++ b/agents/langchain-deepagents-code/start.sh
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 set -euo pipefail
 
 export HOME=/sandbox
-export PATH="/usr/local/bin:${PATH}"
+export PATH="/usr/local/bin:/opt/venv/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin"
 export DEEPAGENTS_CODE_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1
 export DEEPAGENTS_CODE_AUTO_UPDATE=0
 export DEEPAGENTS_CODE_OPENAI_API_KEY="${DEEPAGENTS_CODE_OPENAI_API_KEY:-nemoclaw-managed-inference}"
@@ -84,8 +84,7 @@ prepare_runtime_env() {
   tmp="$(mktemp /tmp/nemoclaw-proxy-env.XXXXXX)"
   {
     printf '%s\n' 'export HOME=/sandbox'
-    # shellcheck disable=SC2016
-    printf '%s\n' 'export PATH="/usr/local/bin:${PATH}"'
+    printf '%s\n' 'export PATH="/usr/local/bin:/opt/venv/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin"'
     printf '%s\n' 'export DEEPAGENTS_CODE_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1'
     printf '%s\n' 'export DEEPAGENTS_CODE_AUTO_UPDATE=0'
     # shellcheck disable=SC2016
diff --git a/docs/get-started/quickstart-langchain-deepagents-code.mdx b/docs/get-started/quickstart-langchain-deepagents-code.mdx
index 63835007024..e5cc2fb9a3a 100644
--- a/docs/get-started/quickstart-langchain-deepagents-code.mdx
+++ b/docs/get-started/quickstart-langchain-deepagents-code.mdx
@@ -47,6 +47,13 @@ dcode -n "Summarize this repository"
 
 The managed wrapper launches Deep Agents Code with `HOME=/sandbox`, update checks disabled, remote Deep Agents sandbox providers disabled, MCP auto-loading disabled, and shell allow-list overrides blocked.
 
+## Python Environment
+
+Deep Agents Code runs from a NemoClaw-managed Python virtual environment at `/opt/venv`.
+The sandbox puts `/opt/venv/bin` on `PATH` before the system Python directories, so `python3` and `pip3` resolve to that managed environment.
+NemoClaw keeps `/opt/venv` read-only to protect the installed harness.
+For project-specific Python dependencies, create a separate virtual environment under `/sandbox` and activate it before installing packages.
+
 ## State and Backup
 
 Deep Agents Code state lives under `/sandbox/.deepagents`.
diff --git a/docs/security/best-practices.mdx b/docs/security/best-practices.mdx
index bab83df3776..64f37ebc4ef 100644
--- a/docs/security/best-practices.mdx
+++ b/docs/security/best-practices.mdx
@@ -381,7 +381,7 @@ The entrypoint locks the `PATH` environment variable to system directories, prev
 
 | Aspect | Detail |
 |---|---|
-| Default | The entrypoint sets `PATH` to `/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin` at startup. |
+| Default | The default sandbox entrypoint sets `PATH` to `/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin` at startup. Agent-specific images may add locked read-only runtime directories, such as `/opt/venv/bin` for LangChain Deep Agents Code. |
 | What you can change | This is not a user-facing knob. The entrypoint enforces it. |
 | Risk if relaxed | Without PATH hardening, the agent could create an executable named `curl` or `git` in a writable directory earlier in the PATH, intercepting commands run by the entrypoint or other processes. |
 | Recommendation | No action needed. The entrypoint handles this automatically. |
diff --git a/test/e2e/e2e-cloud-experimental/checks/05-deepagents-code-landlock-readonly.sh b/test/e2e/e2e-cloud-experimental/checks/05-deepagents-code-landlock-readonly.sh
index 069ce7cd8be..11e016937a6 100755
--- a/test/e2e/e2e-cloud-experimental/checks/05-deepagents-code-landlock-readonly.sh
+++ b/test/e2e/e2e-cloud-experimental/checks/05-deepagents-code-landlock-readonly.sh
@@ -52,6 +52,13 @@ else
   fail_test "/usr is writable under the Deep Agents Code policy: $OUT"
 fi
 
+OUT=$(sandbox_exec "touch /opt/venv/deepagents-landlock-test 2>&1 || echo BLOCKED" || true)
+if echo "$OUT" | grep -qi "BLOCKED\|Permission denied\|Read-only\|EACCES"; then
+  pass "/opt/venv is Landlock read-only for Deep Agents Code"
+else
+  fail_test "/opt/venv is writable under the Deep Agents Code policy: $OUT"
+fi
+
 OUT=$(sandbox_exec "touch /etc/deepagents-landlock-test 2>&1 || echo BLOCKED" || true)
 if echo "$OUT" | grep -qi "BLOCKED\|Permission denied\|Read-only\|EACCES"; then
   pass "/etc is Landlock read-only for Deep Agents Code"
@@ -66,7 +73,7 @@ else
   fail_test "/tmp is NOT writable under Landlock: $OUT"
 fi
 
-sandbox_exec "rm -f /sandbox/.deepagents/deepagents-landlock-test /usr/deepagents-landlock-test /etc/deepagents-landlock-test /tmp/deepagents-landlock-test 2>/dev/null || true" || true
+sandbox_exec "rm -f /sandbox/.deepagents/deepagents-landlock-test /usr/deepagents-landlock-test /opt/venv/deepagents-landlock-test /etc/deepagents-landlock-test /tmp/deepagents-landlock-test 2>/dev/null || true" || true
 
 printf '%s\n' "${PREFIX}: $PASSED passed, $FAILED failed"
 [ "$FAILED" -eq 0 ] || exit 1
diff --git a/test/e2e/e2e-cloud-experimental/checks/06-deepagents-code-python-egress.sh b/test/e2e/e2e-cloud-experimental/checks/06-deepagents-code-python-egress.sh
index 1495004f890..970e1090d10 100755
--- a/test/e2e/e2e-cloud-experimental/checks/06-deepagents-code-python-egress.sh
+++ b/test/e2e/e2e-cloud-experimental/checks/06-deepagents-code-python-egress.sh
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@ set -euo pipefail
 
 SANDBOX_NAME="${SANDBOX_NAME:-${NEMOCLAW_SANDBOX_NAME:-e2e-cloud-onboard}}"
 PREFIX="06-deepagents-code-python-egress"
+DCODE_CANONICAL_PATH="/usr/local/bin:/opt/venv/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin"
+PROJECT_VENV="/sandbox/.nemoclaw-e2e-project-venv"
+PROJECT_PYTHON="${PROJECT_VENV}/bin/python3"
+PROJECT_PIP="${PROJECT_VENV}/bin/pip3"
 
 ok() { printf '%s\n' "${PREFIX}: OK ($*)"; }
 info() { printf '%s\n' "${PREFIX}: $*"; }
@@ -31,14 +35,18 @@ sandbox_exec() {
 }
 
 python_probe() {
-  local url="$1"
-  sandbox_exec "python3 - ${url@Q} <<'PY'
+  local python_bin="$1"
+  local url="$2"
+  sandbox_exec "${python_bin@Q} - ${url@Q} <<'PY'
 import sys
+import urllib.error
 import urllib.request
 url = sys.argv[1]
 try:
     with urllib.request.urlopen(url, timeout=8) as response:
         print(f'REACHED:{response.status}')
+except urllib.error.HTTPError as exc:
+    print(f'REACHED:{exc.code}')
 except Exception as exc:
     print(f'BLOCKED:{type(exc).__name__}:{exc}')
 PY
@@ -46,29 +54,37 @@ PY
 }
 
 expect_reached() {
-  local label="$1"
-  local url="$2"
+  local actor="$1"
+  local label="$2"
+  local url="$3"
+  local python_bin="${4:-python3}"
   local output
-  output="$(python_probe "$url")"
+  output="$(python_probe "$python_bin" "$url")"
   if echo "$output" | grep -q "REACHED:"; then
-    pass "arbitrary Python can reach approved ${label} host"
+    pass "${actor} can reach approved ${label} host"
   else
-    fail_test "arbitrary Python could not reach approved ${label} host: $output"
+    fail_test "${actor} could not reach approved ${label} host: $output"
   fi
 }
 
 expect_blocked() {
-  local label="$1"
-  local url="$2"
+  local actor="$1"
+  local label="$2"
+  local url="$3"
+  local python_bin="${4:-python3}"
   local output
-  output="$(python_probe "$url")"
+  output="$(python_probe "$python_bin" "$url")"
   if echo "$output" | grep -q "BLOCKED:" && ! echo "$output" | grep -q "REACHED:"; then
-    pass "arbitrary Python cannot reach ${label} without explicit policy"
+    pass "${actor} cannot reach ${label} without explicit policy"
   else
-    fail_test "arbitrary Python reached ${label} unexpectedly: $output"
+    fail_test "${actor} reached ${label} unexpectedly: $output"
   fi
 }
 
+cleanup_project_venv() {
+  sandbox_exec "rm -rf ${PROJECT_VENV@Q}" >/dev/null || true
+}
+
 PASSED=0
 FAILED=0
 
@@ -76,15 +92,47 @@ if ! sandbox_exec "test -d /sandbox/.deepagents && command -v dcode >/dev/null 2
   info "SKIP: sandbox '${SANDBOX_NAME}' is not a Deep Agents Code sandbox"
   exit 0
 fi
+trap cleanup_project_venv EXIT
 
 info "Running Deep Agents Code arbitrary-Python egress checks in sandbox: $SANDBOX_NAME"
 
-expect_reached "GitHub" "https://api.github.com/"
-expect_reached "PyPI" "https://pypi.org/"
-expect_blocked "Tavily" "https://api.tavily.com/"
-expect_blocked "LangSmith" "https://api.smith.langchain.com/"
-expect_blocked "MCP hosts" "https://modelcontextprotocol.io/"
-expect_blocked "unapproved hosts" "https://example.com/"
+# shellcheck disable=SC2016
+OUT=$(sandbox_exec 'printf "PATH=%s\n" "$PATH"; printf "PYTHON=%s\n" "$(command -v python3)"; printf "PIP=%s\n" "$(command -v pip3)"; printf "PYTHON_REAL=%s\n" "$(readlink -f "$(command -v python3)")"; printf "PIP_REAL=%s\n" "$(readlink -f "$(command -v pip3)")"; printf "USRLOCAL_COUNT=%s\n" "$(printf "%s" "$PATH" | tr ":" "\n" | grep -cx "/usr/local/bin")"' || true)
+if echo "$OUT" | grep -Fxq "PATH=${DCODE_CANONICAL_PATH}" \
+  && echo "$OUT" | grep -q '^PYTHON=/opt/venv/bin/python3$' \
+  && echo "$OUT" | grep -q '^PIP=/opt/venv/bin/pip3$' \
+  && echo "$OUT" | grep -q '^PYTHON_REAL=/opt/venv/' \
+  && echo "$OUT" | grep -q '^PIP_REAL=/opt/venv/' \
+  && echo "$OUT" | grep -q '^USRLOCAL_COUNT=1$'; then
+  pass "sandbox Python and pip resolve to the managed venv before system paths"
+else
+  fail_test "sandbox Python PATH does not resolve through the managed venv: $OUT"
+fi
+
+expect_reached "arbitrary Python" "GitHub" "https://api.github.com/"
+expect_reached "arbitrary Python" "PyPI" "https://pypi.org/"
+expect_blocked "arbitrary Python" "Tavily" "https://api.tavily.com/"
+expect_blocked "arbitrary Python" "LangSmith" "https://api.smith.langchain.com/"
+expect_blocked "arbitrary Python" "MCP hosts" "https://modelcontextprotocol.io/"
+expect_blocked "arbitrary Python" "unapproved hosts" "https://example.com/"
+
+# Exercise the writable-project-venv allowlist entries directly. The managed
+# /opt/venv Python creates the project venv, then the probes run through the
+# /sandbox/.../bin/python3 executable path that policy-additions.yaml allows
+# for PyPI only.
+PROJECT_OUT="$(sandbox_exec "rm -rf ${PROJECT_VENV@Q} && python3 -m venv --copies ${PROJECT_VENV@Q} && test -x ${PROJECT_PYTHON@Q} && test -x ${PROJECT_PIP@Q} && printf 'PROJECT_PYTHON=%s\n' \"\$(readlink -f ${PROJECT_PYTHON@Q})\" && printf 'PROJECT_PIP=%s\n' \"\$(readlink -f ${PROJECT_PIP@Q})\"" || true)"
+if echo "$PROJECT_OUT" | grep -Fxq "PROJECT_PYTHON=${PROJECT_PYTHON}" \
+  && echo "$PROJECT_OUT" | grep -Fxq "PROJECT_PIP=${PROJECT_PIP}"; then
+  pass "project venv under /sandbox exposes python3 and pip3 executables"
+  expect_reached "project venv Python under /sandbox" "PyPI" "https://pypi.org/" "$PROJECT_PYTHON"
+  expect_reached "project venv Python under /sandbox" "files.pythonhosted.org" "https://files.pythonhosted.org/" "$PROJECT_PYTHON"
+  expect_blocked "project venv Python under /sandbox" "Tavily" "https://api.tavily.com/" "$PROJECT_PYTHON"
+  expect_blocked "project venv Python under /sandbox" "LangSmith" "https://api.smith.langchain.com/" "$PROJECT_PYTHON"
+  expect_blocked "project venv Python under /sandbox" "MCP hosts" "https://modelcontextprotocol.io/" "$PROJECT_PYTHON"
+  expect_blocked "project venv Python under /sandbox" "unapproved hosts" "https://example.com/" "$PROJECT_PYTHON"
+else
+  fail_test "project venv under /sandbox did not create usable python3/pip3 executables: $PROJECT_OUT"
+fi
 
 printf '%s\n' "${PREFIX}: $PASSED passed, $FAILED failed"
 [ "$FAILED" -eq 0 ] || exit 1
diff --git a/test/langchain-deepagents-code-image.test.ts b/test/langchain-deepagents-code-image.test.ts
index d1d1184c6b8..0ff2add83f5 100644
--- a/test/langchain-deepagents-code-image.test.ts
+++ b/test/langchain-deepagents-code-image.test.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ import path from "node:path";
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
 const agentDir = path.join(process.cwd(), "agents", "langchain-deepagents-code");
+const DCODE_CANONICAL_PATH =
+  "/usr/local/bin:/opt/venv/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin";
 
 function readAgentFile(name: string): string {
   return fs.readFileSync(path.join(agentDir, name), "utf8");
@@ -86,6 +88,8 @@ describe("LangChain Deep Agents Code image contracts", () => {
     });
 
     const envFileText = fs.readFileSync(envFile, "utf8");
+    expect(envFileText).toContain(`export PATH="${DCODE_CANONICAL_PATH}"`);
+    expect(envFileText.match(/\/usr\/local\/bin/g)).toHaveLength(1);
     expect(envFileText).toContain("export HTTP_PROXY=http://proxy.example:8080");
     expect(envFileText).toContain("export https_proxy=https://safe-proxy.example:8443");
   });
@@ -186,7 +190,9 @@ describe("LangChain Deep Agents Code image contracts", () => {
     const wrapper = readAgentFile("dcode-wrapper.sh");
     const policy = readAgentFile("policy-additions.yaml");
 
-    expect(dockerfile).toContain("rm -f /usr/local/bin/dcode /usr/local/bin/deepagents-code");
+    expect(dockerfile).toContain(
+      "rm -f /usr/local/bin/dcode /usr/local/bin/deepagents-code /opt/venv/bin/dcode /opt/venv/bin/deepagents-code",
+    );
     expect(dockerfile).toContain("patch-managed-deepagents-code.py");
     expect(dockerfile).not.toContain("NEMOCLAW_WEB_SEARCH_ENABLED");
     expect(wrapper).toContain("unset DEEPAGENTS_CODE_SHELL_ALLOW_LIST");
@@ -207,12 +213,30 @@ describe("LangChain Deep Agents Code image contracts", () => {
     expect(policy).not.toContain("dcode.upstream");
   });
 
+  it("puts the managed Python venv before system Python in every dcode entry path", () => {
+    const baseDockerfile = readAgentFile("Dockerfile.base");
+    const dockerfile = readAgentFile("Dockerfile");
+    const startScript = readAgentFile("start.sh");
+    const wrapper = readAgentFile("dcode-wrapper.sh");
+    const pathContractFiles = [baseDockerfile, dockerfile, startScript, wrapper].join("\n");
+
+    expect(baseDockerfile).toContain("VIRTUAL_ENV=/opt/venv");
+    expect(dockerfile).toContain("VIRTUAL_ENV=/opt/venv");
+    expect(baseDockerfile).toContain(`PATH="${DCODE_CANONICAL_PATH}"`);
+    expect(dockerfile).toContain(`PATH="${DCODE_CANONICAL_PATH}"`);
+    expect(startScript).toContain(`export PATH="${DCODE_CANONICAL_PATH}"`);
+    expect(startScript).toContain(`printf '%s\\n' 'export PATH="${DCODE_CANONICAL_PATH}"'`);
+    expect(wrapper).toContain(`export PATH="${DCODE_CANONICAL_PATH}"`);
+    expect(pathContractFiles).not.toContain('PATH="/usr/local/bin:${PATH}"');
+  });
+
   it("keeps optional service egress out of the default policy and requires Landlock", () => {
     const policy = readAgentFile("policy-additions.yaml");
 
     expect(policy).not.toContain("api.tavily.com");
     expect(policy).not.toContain("api.smith.langchain.com");
     expect(policy).toContain("    - /usr\n");
+    expect(policy).toContain("    - /opt/venv\n");
     expect(policy).toContain("    - /etc\n");
     expect(policy).toContain("compatibility: strict");
     expect(policy).not.toContain("compatibility: best_effort");
@@ -223,6 +247,12 @@ describe("LangChain Deep Agents Code image contracts", () => {
     expect(policy).toContain(
       "Tavily, LangSmith, MCP, and arbitrary hosts are intentionally absent",
     );
+    expect(policy).toContain("- { path: /opt/venv/bin/python3* }");
+    expect(policy).toContain("- { path: /opt/venv/bin/pip3 }");
+    expect(policy).toContain("- { path: /sandbox/**/bin/python3* }");
+    expect(policy).toContain("- { path: /sandbox/**/bin/pip3 }");
+    expect(policy).not.toContain("- { path: /usr/bin/python3* }");
+    expect(policy).not.toContain("- { path: /usr/local/bin/pip3 }");
   });
 
   it("ships live policy behavior checks for Deep Agents Code", () => {
@@ -252,30 +282,61 @@ describe("LangChain Deep Agents Code image contracts", () => {
     expect(landlockCheck).toContain("test -d /sandbox/.deepagents && command -v dcode");
     expect(landlockCheck).toContain("touch /sandbox/.deepagents/deepagents-landlock-test");
     expect(landlockCheck).toContain("touch /usr/deepagents-landlock-test");
+    expect(landlockCheck).toContain("touch /opt/venv/deepagents-landlock-test");
     expect(landlockCheck).toContain("touch /etc/deepagents-landlock-test");
     expect(landlockCheck).toContain("touch /tmp/deepagents-landlock-test");
     expect(landlockCheck).toContain("/usr is Landlock read-only for Deep Agents Code");
+    expect(landlockCheck).toContain("/opt/venv is Landlock read-only for Deep Agents Code");
     expect(landlockCheck).toContain("/etc is Landlock read-only for Deep Agents Code");
-    expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain("python3 - ${url@Q} <<'PY'");
-    expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain('expect_reached "GitHub" "https://api.github.com/"');
-    expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain('expect_reached "PyPI" "https://pypi.org/"');
+    expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain(`DCODE_CANONICAL_PATH="${DCODE_CANONICAL_PATH}"`);
+    expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain('grep -Fxq "PATH=${DCODE_CANONICAL_PATH}"');
+    expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain('printf "PYTHON_REAL=%s\\n"');
+    expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain("^PYTHON=/opt/venv/bin/python3$");
+    expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain("^PIP=/opt/venv/bin/pip3$");
+    expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain("^USRLOCAL_COUNT=1$");
+    expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain("import urllib.error");
+    expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain("except urllib.error.HTTPError as exc:");
+    expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain("${python_bin@Q} - ${url@Q} <<'PY'");
+    expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain(
+      'expect_reached "arbitrary Python" "GitHub" "https://api.github.com/"',
+    );
+    expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain(
+      'expect_reached "arbitrary Python" "PyPI" "https://pypi.org/"',
+    );
+    expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain('PROJECT_VENV="/sandbox/.nemoclaw-e2e-project-venv"');
+    expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain("python3 -m venv --copies");
+    expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain(
+      'expect_reached "project venv Python under /sandbox" "PyPI" "https://pypi.org/" "$PROJECT_PYTHON"',
+    );
+    expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain(
+      'expect_reached "project venv Python under /sandbox" "files.pythonhosted.org" "https://files.pythonhosted.org/" "$PROJECT_PYTHON"',
+    );
+    expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain(
+      'expect_blocked "project venv Python under /sandbox" "Tavily" "https://api.tavily.com/" "$PROJECT_PYTHON"',
+    );
     expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain("https://api.tavily.com/");
     expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain("https://api.smith.langchain.com/");
     expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain("https://modelcontextprotocol.io/");
     expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain("https://example.com/");
-    expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain(
-      "arbitrary Python cannot reach ${label} without explicit policy",
-    );
+    expect(pythonEgressCheck).toContain("${actor} cannot reach ${label} without explicit policy");
   });
 
   it("hash-locks Deep Agents Code base image PyPI installs", () => {
     const baseDockerfile = readAgentFile("Dockerfile.base");
+    const manifest = readAgentFile("manifest.yaml");
     const requirementsLock = readAgentFile("requirements.lock");
 
     expect(baseDockerfile).toContain("COPY agents/langchain-deepagents-code/requirements.lock");
+    expect(baseDockerfile).toContain('python3 -m venv --copies "$VIRTUAL_ENV"');
+    expect(baseDockerfile).toContain(
+      '"$VIRTUAL_ENV/bin/pip3" install --no-cache-dir --require-hashes',
+    );
     expect(baseDockerfile).toContain("--require-hashes");
-    expect(baseDockerfile).toContain("--ignore-installed");
     expect(baseDockerfile).toContain("-r /tmp/deepagents-code-requirements.lock");
+    expect(baseDockerfile).not.toContain("--break-system-packages");
+    expect(baseDockerfile).not.toContain("--ignore-installed");
+    expect(manifest).toContain("binary: /opt/venv/bin/pip3");
+    expect(manifest).not.toContain("binary: /usr/local/bin/pip3");
     expect(baseDockerfile).not.toContain(
       'pip3 install --no-cache-dir --break-system-packages \\"uv==',
     );