diff --git a/.agents/scripts/commands/pulse.md b/.agents/scripts/commands/pulse.md
index a5d5787e0e..3f74da2b40 100644
--- a/.agents/scripts/commands/pulse.md
+++ b/.agents/scripts/commands/pulse.md
@@ -541,15 +541,20 @@ For each dispatchable issue:
 RUNNER_USER=$(gh api user --jq '.login' 2>/dev/null || whoami)
 gh issue edit <number> --repo <slug> --add-assignee "$RUNNER_USER" --add-label "status:queued" --remove-label "status:available" 2>/dev/null || true
 
-opencode run --dir <path> --title "Issue #<number>: <title>" \
-  "/full-loop Implement issue #<number> (<url>) -- <brief description>" &
+~/.aidevops/agents/scripts/headless-runtime-helper.sh run \
+  --role worker \
+  --session-key "issue-<number>" \
+  --dir <path> \
+  --title "Issue #<number>: <title>" \
+  --prompt "/full-loop Implement issue #<number> (<url>) -- <brief description>" &
 sleep 2
 ```
 
 **Dispatch rules:**
-- ALWAYS use `opencode run` — NEVER `claude` or `claude -p`
+- ALWAYS use `~/.aidevops/agents/scripts/headless-runtime-helper.sh run` for headless dispatches — NEVER `claude`, `claude -p`, or raw `opencode run`
 - Background with `&`, sleep 2 between dispatches
-- Do NOT add `--model` for first attempts — let `/full-loop` use its default. Bundle presets (t1364.6) handle per-project model defaults automatically. **Exception:** when escalating after 2+ failed attempts on the same issue, add `--model anthropic/claude-opus-4-6` (see "Model escalation after repeated failures" above).
+- The helper alternates the default headless providers/models (`anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6`, `openai/gpt-5.3-codex`), persists session IDs per provider + session key, honors provider backoff, and rejects `opencode/*` gateway models (no Zen fallback for headless runs)
+- Do NOT add `--model` for first attempts — let the helper choose the alternating default. **Exception:** when escalating after 2+ failed attempts on the same issue, pass `--model anthropic/claude-opus-4-6` to the helper (see "Model escalation after repeated failures" above).
 - Use `--dir <path>` from repos.json
 - Route non-code tasks with `--agent`: SEO, Content, Marketing, Business, Research (see AGENTS.md "Agent Routing")
 - **Bundle-aware agent routing (t1364.6):** Before dispatching, check if the target repo has a bundle with `agent_routing` overrides. Run `bundle-helper.sh get agent_routing <repo-path>` — if the task domain (code, seo, content, marketing) has a non-default agent, use `--agent <name>`. Example: a content-site bundle routes `marketing` tasks to the Marketing agent instead of Build+. Explicit `--agent` flags in the issue body always override bundle defaults.
@@ -567,8 +572,12 @@ sleep 2
   # Build lineage block (see headless-dispatch.md for full assembly)
   # Or use: LINEAGE_BLOCK=$(task-decompose-helper.sh format-lineage "$TASK_ID")
 
-  opencode run --dir <path> --title "Issue #<number>: <title>" \
-    "/full-loop Implement issue #<number> (<url>) -- <brief description>
+  ~/.aidevops/agents/scripts/headless-runtime-helper.sh run \
+    --role worker \
+    --session-key "issue-<number>" \
+    --dir <path> \
+    --title "Issue #<number>: <title>" \
+    --prompt "/full-loop Implement issue #<number> (<url>) -- <brief description>
 
   TASK LINEAGE:
     0. [parent] ${PARENT_DESC} (${PARENT_ID})
@@ -615,8 +624,12 @@ NEXT_BATCH=$(batch-strategy-helper.sh next-batch \
 echo "$NEXT_BATCH" | jq -r '.[]' | while read -r task_id; do
   # Look up the issue number and repo for this task_id
   # Then dispatch as normal (see dispatch rules above)
-  opencode run --dir <path> --title "Issue #<number>: <title>" \
-    "/full-loop Implement issue #<number> (<url>) -- <brief description>" &
+  ~/.aidevops/agents/scripts/headless-runtime-helper.sh run \
+    --role worker \
+    --session-key "task-${task_id}" \
+    --dir <path> \
+    --title "Issue #<number>: <title>" \
+    --prompt "/full-loop Implement issue #<number> (<url>) -- <brief description>" &
   sleep 2
 done
 ```
@@ -894,15 +907,23 @@ For each feature in the current milestone with status `pending`:
 
 ```bash
 # Full mode — standard worktree + PR workflow
-opencode run --dir <repo_path> --title "Mission <mission_id> - <feature_title>" \
-  "/full-loop Implement <task_id> -- <feature_description>. Mission context: <mission_goal>. Milestone: <milestone_name>." &
+~/.aidevops/agents/scripts/headless-runtime-helper.sh run \
+  --role worker \
+  --session-key "mission-<mission_id>-<task_id>" \
+  --dir <repo_path> \
+  --title "Mission <mission_id> - <feature_title>" \
+  --prompt "/full-loop Implement <task_id> -- <feature_description>. Mission context: <mission_goal>. Milestone: <milestone_name>." &
 sleep 2
 ```
 
 ```bash
 # POC mode — commit directly, skip ceremony
-opencode run --dir <repo_path> --title "Mission <mission_id> - <feature_title>" \
-  "/full-loop --poc <feature_description>. Mission context: <mission_goal>." &
+~/.aidevops/agents/scripts/headless-runtime-helper.sh run \
+  --role worker \
+  --session-key "mission-<mission_id>-<feature_title>" \
+  --dir <repo_path> \
+  --title "Mission <mission_id> - <feature_title>" \
+  --prompt "/full-loop --poc <feature_description>. Mission context: <mission_goal>." &
 sleep 2
 ```
 
@@ -910,8 +931,12 @@ sleep 2
 
   ```bash
   # Mission dispatch with lineage — milestone as parent, features as siblings
-  opencode run --dir <repo_path> --title "Mission <mission_id> - <feature_title>" \
-    "/full-loop Implement <task_id> -- <feature_description>. Mission context: <mission_goal>.
+  ~/.aidevops/agents/scripts/headless-runtime-helper.sh run \
+    --role worker \
+    --session-key "mission-<mission_id>-<task_id>" \
+    --dir <repo_path> \
+    --title "Mission <mission_id> - <feature_title>" \
+    --prompt "/full-loop Implement <task_id> -- <feature_description>. Mission context: <mission_goal>.
 
   TASK LINEAGE:
     0. [milestone] <milestone_name>: <milestone_description> (mission:<mission_id>)
@@ -940,8 +965,12 @@ If ALL features in the current milestone have status `completed` (merged PRs exi
 - Dispatch a validation worker using the milestone's validation criteria:
 
 ```bash
-opencode run --dir <repo_path> --title "Mission <mission_id> - Validate Milestone <N>" \
-  "/full-loop Validate milestone <N> of mission <mission_id>. Validation criteria: <criteria>. Run tests, check build, verify integration. Update mission state file at <path> with pass/fail result." &
+~/.aidevops/agents/scripts/headless-runtime-helper.sh run \
+  --role worker \
+  --session-key "mission-<mission_id>-validate-<N>" \
+  --dir <repo_path> \
+  --title "Mission <mission_id> - Validate Milestone <N>" \
+  --prompt "/full-loop Validate milestone <N> of mission <mission_id>. Validation criteria: <criteria>. Run tests, check build, verify integration. Update mission state file at <path> with pass/fail result." &
 sleep 2
 ```
 
diff --git a/.agents/scripts/headless-runtime-helper.sh b/.agents/scripts/headless-runtime-helper.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..39d46ec422
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.agents/scripts/headless-runtime-helper.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,769 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+# headless-runtime-helper.sh - Provider-aware OpenCode wrapper for pulse/workers
+#
+# Features:
+#   - Alternates between configured headless providers/models
+#   - Persists OpenCode session IDs per provider + session key
+#   - Records provider backoff state on auth/rate-limit/runtime failures
+#   - Clears backoff automatically when auth changes or retry windows expire
+#   - Rejects opencode/* gateway models for headless runs (no Zen fallback)
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]:-$0}")" && pwd)" || exit
+# shellcheck source=shared-constants.sh
+source "${SCRIPT_DIR}/shared-constants.sh"
+
+readonly DEFAULT_HEADLESS_MODELS="anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6,openai/gpt-5.3-codex"
+readonly STATE_DIR="${AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_RUNTIME_DIR:-${HOME}/.aidevops/.agent-workspace/headless-runtime}"
+readonly STATE_DB="${STATE_DIR}/state.db"
+readonly OPENCODE_BIN_DEFAULT="${OPENCODE_BIN:-opencode}"
+
+init_state_db() {
+	mkdir -p "$STATE_DIR" 2>/dev/null || true
+	sqlite3 "$STATE_DB" <<'SQL' >/dev/null 2>&1
+PRAGMA journal_mode=WAL;
+PRAGMA busy_timeout=5000;
+
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS provider_backoff (
+    provider       TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
+    reason         TEXT NOT NULL,
+    retry_after    TEXT DEFAULT '',
+    auth_signature TEXT DEFAULT '',
+    details        TEXT DEFAULT '',
+    updated_at     TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT (strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ', 'now'))
+);
+
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS provider_sessions (
+    provider     TEXT NOT NULL,
+    session_key  TEXT NOT NULL,
+    session_id   TEXT NOT NULL,
+    model        TEXT NOT NULL,
+    updated_at   TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT (strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ', 'now')),
+    PRIMARY KEY (provider, session_key)
+);
+
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS provider_rotation (
+    role         TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
+    last_provider TEXT NOT NULL,
+    updated_at   TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT (strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ', 'now'))
+);
+SQL
+	return 0
+}
+
+db_query() {
+	local query="$1"
+	sqlite3 -cmd ".timeout 5000" "$STATE_DB" "$query" 2>/dev/null
+	return $?
+}
+
+sql_escape() {
+	local value="$1"
+	printf '%s' "${value//\'/\'\'}"
+	return 0
+}
+
+trim_spaces() {
+	local value="$1"
+	value="${value#"${value%%[![:space:]]*}"}"
+	value="${value%"${value##*[![:space:]]}"}"
+	printf '%s' "$value"
+	return 0
+}
+
+extract_provider() {
+	local model="$1"
+	if [[ "$model" == */* ]]; then
+		printf '%s' "${model%%/*}"
+		return 0
+	fi
+	return 1
+}
+
+provider_signature_override_var() {
+	local provider="$1"
+	case "$provider" in
+	anthropic) printf '%s' "AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_AUTH_SIGNATURE_ANTHROPIC" ;;
+	openai) printf '%s' "AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_AUTH_SIGNATURE_OPENAI" ;;
+	*) printf '%s' "" ;;
+	esac
+	return 0
+}
+
+sha256_text() {
+	local value="$1"
+	if command -v shasum >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+		printf '%s' "$value" | shasum -a 256 | awk '{print $1}'
+		return 0
+	fi
+	if command -v sha256sum >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+		printf '%s' "$value" | sha256sum | awk '{print $1}'
+		return 0
+	fi
+	printf '%s' "$value"
+	return 0
+}
+
+file_mtime() {
+	local path="$1"
+	if [[ ! -e "$path" ]]; then
+		printf '%s' "missing"
+		return 0
+	fi
+	stat -f '%m' "$path" 2>/dev/null || stat -c '%Y' "$path" 2>/dev/null || printf '%s' "unknown"
+	return 0
+}
+
+get_auth_signature() {
+	local provider="$1"
+	local override_var
+	override_var=$(provider_signature_override_var "$provider")
+	if [[ -n "$override_var" && -n "${!override_var:-}" ]]; then
+		printf '%s' "${!override_var}"
+		return 0
+	fi
+
+	local auth_material="provider=${provider}"
+	case "$provider" in
+	anthropic)
+		local auth_status auth_file auth_mtime
+		auth_status=$(timeout_sec 10 "$OPENCODE_BIN_DEFAULT" auth status 2>/dev/null || true)
+		auth_file="${HOME}/.local/share/opencode/auth.json"
+		auth_mtime=$(file_mtime "$auth_file")
+		auth_material="${auth_material}|status=${auth_status}|mtime=${auth_mtime}"
+		;;
+	openai)
+		if [[ -n "${OPENAI_API_KEY:-}" ]]; then
+			auth_material="${auth_material}|env=$(sha256_text "$OPENAI_API_KEY")"
+		else
+			local auth_status
+			auth_status=$(timeout_sec 10 "$OPENCODE_BIN_DEFAULT" auth status 2>/dev/null || true)
+			auth_material="${auth_material}|status=${auth_status}|env=missing"
+		fi
+		;;
+	*)
+		auth_material="${auth_material}|unknown=true"
+		;;
+	esac
+
+	sha256_text "$auth_material"
+	return 0
+}
+
+get_configured_models() {
+	local configured="${AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_MODELS:-$DEFAULT_HEADLESS_MODELS}"
+	local allowlist_raw="${AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_PROVIDER_ALLOWLIST:-}"
+	local -a allowlist=()
+	local -a raw_models=()
+	local -a models=()
+	local item provider
+
+	if [[ -n "$allowlist_raw" ]]; then
+		IFS=',' read -r -a allowlist <<<"$allowlist_raw"
+	fi
+
+	IFS=',' read -r -a raw_models <<<"$configured"
+	for item in "${raw_models[@]}"; do
+		item=$(trim_spaces "$item")
+		[[ -z "$item" ]] && continue
+		if [[ "$item" == opencode/* ]]; then
+			continue
+		fi
+		provider=$(extract_provider "$item" 2>/dev/null || printf '%s' "")
+		[[ -z "$provider" ]] && continue
+		if [[ ${#allowlist[@]} -gt 0 ]]; then
+			local allowed=false
+			local allowed_provider
+			for allowed_provider in "${allowlist[@]}"; do
+				allowed_provider=$(trim_spaces "$allowed_provider")
+				if [[ "$allowed_provider" == "$provider" ]]; then
+					allowed=true
+					break
+				fi
+			done
+			[[ "$allowed" == "true" ]] || continue
+		fi
+		models+=("$item")
+	done
+
+	if [[ ${#models[@]} -eq 0 ]]; then
+		return 1
+	fi
+
+	printf '%s\n' "${models[@]}"
+	return 0
+}
+
+get_last_provider() {
+	local role="$1"
+	db_query "SELECT last_provider FROM provider_rotation WHERE role = '$(sql_escape "$role")';"
+	return 0
+}
+
+set_last_provider() {
+	local role="$1"
+	local provider="$2"
+	db_query "
+INSERT INTO provider_rotation (role, last_provider, updated_at)
+VALUES ('$(sql_escape "$role")', '$(sql_escape "$provider")', strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ', 'now'))
+ON CONFLICT(role) DO UPDATE SET
+    last_provider = excluded.last_provider,
+    updated_at = excluded.updated_at;
+" >/dev/null
+	return 0
+}
+
+get_session_id() {
+	local provider="$1"
+	local session_key="$2"
+	db_query "SELECT session_id FROM provider_sessions WHERE provider = '$(sql_escape "$provider")' AND session_key = '$(sql_escape "$session_key")';"
+	return 0
+}
+
+store_session_id() {
+	local provider="$1"
+	local session_key="$2"
+	local session_id="$3"
+	local model="$4"
+	db_query "
+INSERT INTO provider_sessions (provider, session_key, session_id, model, updated_at)
+VALUES (
+    '$(sql_escape "$provider")',
+    '$(sql_escape "$session_key")',
+    '$(sql_escape "$session_id")',
+    '$(sql_escape "$model")',
+    strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ', 'now')
+)
+ON CONFLICT(provider, session_key) DO UPDATE SET
+    session_id = excluded.session_id,
+    model = excluded.model,
+    updated_at = excluded.updated_at;
+" >/dev/null
+	return 0
+}
+
+clear_provider_backoff() {
+	local provider="$1"
+	db_query "DELETE FROM provider_backoff WHERE provider = '$(sql_escape "$provider")';" >/dev/null
+	return 0
+}
+
+parse_retry_after_seconds() {
+	local file_path="$1"
+	python3 - "$file_path" <<'PY'
+import re
+import sys
+from pathlib import Path
+
+text = Path(sys.argv[1]).read_text(errors="ignore").lower()
+patterns = [
+    (r"retry after\s+(\d+)\s*(second|seconds|sec|secs|s)\b", 1),
+    (r"retry after\s+(\d+)\s*(minute|minutes|min|mins|m)\b", 60),
+    (r"retry after\s+(\d+)\s*(hour|hours|hr|hrs|h)\b", 3600),
+    (r"retry after\s+(\d+)\s*(day|days|d)\b", 86400),
+    (r"try again in\s+(\d+)\s*(second|seconds|sec|secs|s)\b", 1),
+    (r"try again in\s+(\d+)\s*(minute|minutes|min|mins|m)\b", 60),
+    (r"try again in\s+(\d+)\s*(hour|hours|hr|hrs|h)\b", 3600),
+    (r"try again in\s+(\d+)\s*(day|days|d)\b", 86400),
+]
+for pattern, multiplier in patterns:
+    match = re.search(pattern, text)
+    if match:
+        print(int(match.group(1)) * multiplier)
+        sys.exit(0)
+
+numeric = re.search(r"\b429\b", text)
+if numeric:
+    print(900)
+    sys.exit(0)
+
+print(0)
+PY
+	return 0
+}
+
+record_provider_backoff() {
+	local provider="$1"
+	local reason="$2"
+	local details_file="$3"
+	local details retry_seconds auth_signature retry_after
+	details=$(
+		python3 - "$details_file" <<'PY'
+from pathlib import Path
+import sys
+text = Path(sys.argv[1]).read_text(errors="ignore")
+text = " ".join(text.split())
+print(text[:400])
+PY
+	)
+	auth_signature=$(get_auth_signature "$provider")
+	retry_seconds=$(parse_retry_after_seconds "$details_file")
+	if [[ "$retry_seconds" -le 0 ]]; then
+		case "$reason" in
+		rate_limit) retry_seconds=900 ;;
+		auth_error) retry_seconds=3600 ;;
+		*) retry_seconds=300 ;;
+		esac
+	fi
+	retry_after=$(date -u -v+"${retry_seconds}"S '+%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ' 2>/dev/null || date -u -d "+${retry_seconds} seconds" '+%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ' 2>/dev/null || printf '%s' "")
+	db_query "
+INSERT INTO provider_backoff (provider, reason, retry_after, auth_signature, details, updated_at)
+VALUES (
+    '$(sql_escape "$provider")',
+    '$(sql_escape "$reason")',
+    '$(sql_escape "$retry_after")',
+    '$(sql_escape "$auth_signature")',
+    '$(sql_escape "$details")',
+    strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ', 'now')
+)
+ON CONFLICT(provider) DO UPDATE SET
+    reason = excluded.reason,
+    retry_after = excluded.retry_after,
+    auth_signature = excluded.auth_signature,
+    details = excluded.details,
+    updated_at = excluded.updated_at;
+" >/dev/null
+	return 0
+}
+
+provider_backoff_active() {
+	local provider="$1"
+	local row stored_retry_after stored_signature current_signature
+	row=$(db_query "SELECT reason || '|' || retry_after || '|' || auth_signature FROM provider_backoff WHERE provider = '$(sql_escape "$provider")';")
+	if [[ -z "$row" ]]; then
+		return 1
+	fi
+
+	IFS='|' read -r stored_reason stored_retry_after stored_signature <<<"$row"
+	current_signature=$(get_auth_signature "$provider")
+	if [[ -n "$stored_signature" && -n "$current_signature" && "$stored_signature" != "$current_signature" ]]; then
+		clear_provider_backoff "$provider"
+		return 1
+	fi
+
+	if [[ -n "$stored_retry_after" ]]; then
+		local now_epoch retry_epoch
+		now_epoch=$(date -u '+%s')
+		retry_epoch=$(date -j -u -f '%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ' "$stored_retry_after" '+%s' 2>/dev/null || date -u -d "$stored_retry_after" '+%s' 2>/dev/null || printf '%s' "0")
+		if [[ "$retry_epoch" -le "$now_epoch" ]]; then
+			clear_provider_backoff "$provider"
+			return 1
+		fi
+	fi
+
+	return 0
+}
+
+classify_failure_reason() {
+	local file_path="$1"
+	local lowered
+	lowered=$(
+		python3 - "$file_path" <<'PY'
+from pathlib import Path
+import sys
+print(Path(sys.argv[1]).read_text(errors="ignore").lower())
+PY
+	)
+	if [[ "$lowered" == *"rate limit"* ]] || [[ "$lowered" == *"429"* ]] || [[ "$lowered" == *"too many requests"* ]]; then
+		printf '%s' "rate_limit"
+		return 0
+	fi
+	if [[ "$lowered" == *"unauthorized"* ]] || [[ "$lowered" == *"401"* ]] || [[ "$lowered" == *"invalid api key"* ]] || [[ "$lowered" == *"authentication"* ]] || [[ "$lowered" == *"auth"* && "$lowered" == *"failed"* ]]; then
+		printf '%s' "auth_error"
+		return 0
+	fi
+	printf '%s' "provider_error"
+	return 0
+}
+
+extract_session_id_from_output() {
+	local file_path="$1"
+	python3 - "$file_path" <<'PY'
+import json
+import sys
+from pathlib import Path
+
+session_id = ""
+for line in Path(sys.argv[1]).read_text(errors="ignore").splitlines():
+    line = line.strip()
+    if not line or not line.startswith("{"):
+        continue
+    try:
+        obj = json.loads(line)
+    except Exception:
+        continue
+    if obj.get("sessionID"):
+        session_id = obj["sessionID"]
+        break
+    part = obj.get("part") or {}
+    if part.get("sessionID"):
+        session_id = part["sessionID"]
+        break
+print(session_id)
+PY
+	return 0
+}
+
+output_has_activity() {
+	local file_path="$1"
+	python3 - "$file_path" <<'PY'
+import json
+import sys
+from pathlib import Path
+
+activity = False
+for line in Path(sys.argv[1]).read_text(errors="ignore").splitlines():
+    line = line.strip()
+    if not line or not line.startswith("{"):
+        continue
+    try:
+        obj = json.loads(line)
+    except Exception:
+        continue
+    event_type = obj.get("type", "")
+    if event_type in {"text", "tool", "tool-invocation", "tool-result", "step-start", "step_finish", "step-finish", "reasoning"}:
+        activity = True
+        break
+
+print("1" if activity else "0")
+PY
+	return 0
+}
+
+choose_model() {
+	local role="$1"
+	local explicit_model="${2:-}"
+	local -a models=()
+	local provider last_provider start_index i idx current_model current_provider
+
+	if [[ -n "$explicit_model" ]]; then
+		if [[ "$explicit_model" == opencode/* ]]; then
+			print_error "Headless runtime rejects gateway model: $explicit_model"
+			return 1
+		fi
+		provider=$(extract_provider "$explicit_model" 2>/dev/null || printf '%s' "")
+		if [[ -z "$provider" ]]; then
+			print_error "Model must use provider/model format: $explicit_model"
+			return 1
+		fi
+		if provider_backoff_active "$provider"; then
+			print_warning "$provider is currently backed off — refusing explicit model $explicit_model"
+			return 75
+		fi
+		printf '%s' "$explicit_model"
+		return 0
+	fi
+
+	while IFS= read -r current_model; do
+		models+=("$current_model")
+	done < <(get_configured_models)
+	if [[ ${#models[@]} -eq 0 ]]; then
+		print_error "No direct provider models configured for headless runtime"
+		return 1
+	fi
+
+	last_provider=$(get_last_provider "$role")
+	start_index=0
+	if [[ -n "$last_provider" ]]; then
+		for i in "${!models[@]}"; do
+			current_provider=$(extract_provider "${models[$i]}")
+			if [[ "$current_provider" == "$last_provider" ]]; then
+				start_index=$(((i + 1) % ${#models[@]}))
+				break
+			fi
+		done
+	fi
+
+	for ((i = 0; i < ${#models[@]}; i++)); do
+		idx=$(((start_index + i) % ${#models[@]}))
+		current_model="${models[$idx]}"
+		current_provider=$(extract_provider "$current_model")
+		if provider_backoff_active "$current_provider"; then
+			continue
+		fi
+		set_last_provider "$role" "$current_provider"
+		printf '%s' "$current_model"
+		return 0
+	done
+
+	print_warning "All configured providers are currently backed off"
+	return 75
+}
+
+cmd_select() {
+	local role="worker"
+	local model_override=""
+	while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
+		case "$1" in
+		--role)
+			role="${2:-}"
+			shift 2
+			;;
+		--model)
+			model_override="${2:-}"
+			shift 2
+			;;
+		*)
+			print_error "Unknown option for select: $1"
+			return 1
+			;;
+		esac
+	done
+
+	local selected
+	selected=$(choose_model "$role" "$model_override") || return $?
+	printf '%s\n' "$selected"
+	return 0
+}
+
+cmd_backoff() {
+	local action="${1:-status}"
+	shift || true
+	case "$action" in
+	status)
+		db_query "SELECT provider || '|' || reason || '|' || retry_after || '|' || updated_at FROM provider_backoff ORDER BY provider;"
+		return 0
+		;;
+	clear)
+		local provider="${1:-}"
+		[[ -n "$provider" ]] || {
+			print_error "Usage: backoff clear <provider>"
+			return 1
+		}
+		clear_provider_backoff "$provider"
+		return 0
+		;;
+	set)
+		local provider="${1:-}"
+		local reason="${2:-provider_error}"
+		local retry_seconds="${3:-300}"
+		[[ -n "$provider" ]] || {
+			print_error "Usage: backoff set <provider> <reason> [retry_seconds]"
+			return 1
+		}
+		local tmp_file
+		tmp_file=$(mktemp)
+		printf 'manual backoff %s %s %s\n' "$provider" "$reason" "$retry_seconds" >"$tmp_file"
+		record_provider_backoff "$provider" "$reason" "$tmp_file"
+		if [[ "$retry_seconds" != "300" ]]; then
+			local retry_after
+			retry_after=$(date -u -v+"${retry_seconds}"S '+%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ' 2>/dev/null || date -u -d "+${retry_seconds} seconds" '+%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ' 2>/dev/null || printf '%s' "")
+			db_query "UPDATE provider_backoff SET retry_after = '$(sql_escape "$retry_after")' WHERE provider = '$(sql_escape "$provider")';" >/dev/null
+		fi
+		rm -f "$tmp_file"
+		return 0
+		;;
+	*)
+		print_error "Unknown backoff action: $action"
+		return 1
+		;;
+	esac
+}
+
+cmd_session() {
+	local action="${1:-status}"
+	shift || true
+	case "$action" in
+	status)
+		db_query "SELECT provider || '|' || session_key || '|' || session_id || '|' || model || '|' || updated_at FROM provider_sessions ORDER BY provider, session_key;"
+		return 0
+		;;
+	clear)
+		local provider="${1:-}"
+		local session_key="${2:-}"
+		[[ -n "$provider" && -n "$session_key" ]] || {
+			print_error "Usage: session clear <provider> <session_key>"
+			return 1
+		}
+		db_query "DELETE FROM provider_sessions WHERE provider = '$(sql_escape "$provider")' AND session_key = '$(sql_escape "$session_key")';" >/dev/null
+		return 0
+		;;
+	*)
+		print_error "Unknown session action: $action"
+		return 1
+		;;
+	esac
+}
+
+cmd_run() {
+	local role="worker"
+	local session_key=""
+	local work_dir=""
+	local title=""
+	local prompt=""
+	local prompt_file=""
+	local model_override=""
+	local agent_name=""
+	local -a extra_args=()
+
+	while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
+		case "$1" in
+		--role)
+			role="${2:-}"
+			shift 2
+			;;
+		--session-key)
+			session_key="${2:-}"
+			shift 2
+			;;
+		--dir)
+			work_dir="${2:-}"
+			shift 2
+			;;
+		--title)
+			title="${2:-}"
+			shift 2
+			;;
+		--prompt)
+			prompt="${2:-}"
+			shift 2
+			;;
+		--prompt-file)
+			prompt_file="${2:-}"
+			shift 2
+			;;
+		--model)
+			model_override="${2:-}"
+			shift 2
+			;;
+		--agent)
+			agent_name="${2:-}"
+			shift 2
+			;;
+		--opencode-arg)
+			extra_args+=("${2:-}")
+			shift 2
+			;;
+		*)
+			print_error "Unknown option for run: $1"
+			return 1
+			;;
+		esac
+	done
+
+	[[ -n "$session_key" ]] || {
+		print_error "run requires --session-key"
+		return 1
+	}
+	[[ -n "$work_dir" ]] || {
+		print_error "run requires --dir"
+		return 1
+	}
+	[[ -n "$title" ]] || {
+		print_error "run requires --title"
+		return 1
+	}
+	if [[ -z "$prompt" && -n "$prompt_file" ]]; then
+		[[ -f "$prompt_file" ]] || {
+			print_error "Prompt file not found: $prompt_file"
+			return 1
+		}
+		prompt=$(<"$prompt_file")
+	fi
+	[[ -n "$prompt" ]] || {
+		print_error "run requires --prompt or --prompt-file"
+		return 1
+	}
+
+	local selected_model provider persisted_session
+	selected_model=$(choose_model "$role" "$model_override") || return $?
+	provider=$(extract_provider "$selected_model")
+	persisted_session=$(get_session_id "$provider" "$session_key")
+
+	local -a cmd=("$OPENCODE_BIN_DEFAULT" run "$prompt" --dir "$work_dir" -m "$selected_model" --title "$title" --format json)
+	if [[ -n "$agent_name" ]]; then
+		cmd+=(--agent "$agent_name")
+	fi
+	if [[ -n "$persisted_session" ]]; then
+		cmd+=(--session "$persisted_session" --continue)
+	fi
+	if [[ ${#extra_args[@]} -gt 0 ]]; then
+		cmd+=("${extra_args[@]}")
+	fi
+
+	local output_file
+	output_file=$(mktemp)
+	local exit_code=0
+	"${cmd[@]}" 2>&1 | tee "$output_file"
+	exit_code=${PIPESTATUS[0]}
+
+	local discovered_session
+	discovered_session=$(extract_session_id_from_output "$output_file")
+	local activity_detected
+	activity_detected=$(output_has_activity "$output_file")
+	if [[ "$exit_code" -eq 0 ]]; then
+		if [[ "$activity_detected" != "1" ]]; then
+			record_provider_backoff "$provider" "provider_error" "$output_file"
+			rm -f "$output_file"
+			print_warning "$provider returned exit 0 without any model activity; backing off provider"
+			return 75
+		fi
+		if [[ -n "$discovered_session" ]]; then
+			store_session_id "$provider" "$session_key" "$discovered_session" "$selected_model"
+		fi
+		rm -f "$output_file"
+		return 0
+	fi
+
+	local failure_reason
+	failure_reason=$(classify_failure_reason "$output_file")
+	record_provider_backoff "$provider" "$failure_reason" "$output_file"
+	rm -f "$output_file"
+	return "$exit_code"
+}
+
+show_help() {
+	cat <<'EOF'
+headless-runtime-helper.sh - Provider-aware headless OpenCode runtime
+
+Usage:
+  headless-runtime-helper.sh select [--role pulse|worker] [--model provider/model]
+  headless-runtime-helper.sh run --role pulse|worker --session-key KEY --dir PATH --title TITLE (--prompt TEXT | --prompt-file FILE) [--model provider/model] [--agent NAME] [--opencode-arg ARG]
+  headless-runtime-helper.sh backoff [status|set PROVIDER REASON [SECONDS]|clear PROVIDER]
+  headless-runtime-helper.sh session [status|clear PROVIDER SESSION_KEY]
+  headless-runtime-helper.sh help
+
+Defaults:
+  AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_MODELS defaults to anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6,openai/gpt-5.3-codex
+  AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_PROVIDER_ALLOWLIST can restrict selection to providers like: openai
+  Gateway models (opencode/*) are rejected for headless runs.
+EOF
+	return 0
+}
+
+main() {
+	local command="${1:-help}"
+	shift || true
+	init_state_db
+	case "$command" in
+	select)
+		cmd_select "$@"
+		return $?
+		;;
+	run)
+		cmd_run "$@"
+		return $?
+		;;
+	backoff)
+		cmd_backoff "$@"
+		return $?
+		;;
+	session)
+		cmd_session "$@"
+		return $?
+		;;
+	help | --help | -h)
+		show_help
+		return 0
+		;;
+	*)
+		print_error "Unknown command: $command"
+		show_help
+		return 1
+		;;
+	esac
+}
+
+main "$@"
diff --git a/.agents/scripts/pulse-wrapper.sh b/.agents/scripts/pulse-wrapper.sh
index d053ddd876..112c160ee8 100755
--- a/.agents/scripts/pulse-wrapper.sh
+++ b/.agents/scripts/pulse-wrapper.sh
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 #   5. Internal watchdog kills stuck pulses after PULSE_STALE_THRESHOLD (t1397)
 #   6. Self-watchdog: idle detection kills pulse when CPU drops to zero (t1398.3)
 #   7. Progress-based watchdog: kills if log output stalls for PULSE_PROGRESS_TIMEOUT (GH#2958)
+#   8. Provider-aware pulse sessions via headless-runtime-helper.sh
 #
 # Lifecycle: launchd fires every 120s. If a pulse is still running, the
 # dedup check skips. run_pulse() has an internal watchdog that polls every
@@ -96,10 +97,16 @@ SESSION_FLAG="${HOME}/.aidevops/logs/pulse-session.flag"
 STOP_FLAG="${HOME}/.aidevops/logs/pulse-session.stop"
 OPENCODE_BIN="${OPENCODE_BIN:-$(command -v opencode 2>/dev/null || echo "opencode")}"
 PULSE_DIR="${PULSE_DIR:-${HOME}/Git/aidevops}"
-PULSE_MODEL="${PULSE_MODEL:-anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6}"
+PULSE_MODEL="${PULSE_MODEL:-}"
+HEADLESS_RUNTIME_HELPER="${HEADLESS_RUNTIME_HELPER:-${SCRIPT_DIR}/headless-runtime-helper.sh}"
 REPOS_JSON="${REPOS_JSON:-${HOME}/.config/aidevops/repos.json}"
 STATE_FILE="${HOME}/.aidevops/logs/pulse-state.txt"
 
+if [[ ! -x "$HEADLESS_RUNTIME_HELPER" ]]; then
+	printf '[pulse-wrapper] ERROR: headless runtime helper is missing or not executable: %s (SCRIPT_DIR=%s)\n' "$HEADLESS_RUNTIME_HELPER" "$SCRIPT_DIR" >&2
+	exit 1
+fi
+
 #######################################
 # Ensure log directory exists
 #######################################
@@ -1260,12 +1267,14 @@ ${state_content}
 --- END PRE-FETCHED STATE ---"
 	fi
 
-	# Run opencode in background
-	"$OPENCODE_BIN" run "$prompt" \
-		--dir "$PULSE_DIR" \
-		-m "$PULSE_MODEL" \
-		--title "Supervisor Pulse" \
-		>>"$LOGFILE" 2>&1 &
+	# Run the provider-aware headless wrapper in background.
+	# It alternates direct Anthropic/OpenAI models, persists pulse sessions per
+	# provider, and avoids opencode/* gateway models for headless runs.
+	local -a pulse_cmd=("$HEADLESS_RUNTIME_HELPER" run --role pulse --session-key supervisor-pulse --dir "$PULSE_DIR" --title "Supervisor Pulse" --prompt "$prompt")
+	if [[ -n "$PULSE_MODEL" ]]; then
+		pulse_cmd+=(--model "$PULSE_MODEL")
+	fi
+	"${pulse_cmd[@]}" >>"$LOGFILE" 2>&1 &
 
 	local opencode_pid=$!
 	echo "$opencode_pid" >"$PIDFILE"
diff --git a/setup.sh b/setup.sh
index 7678ffd744..fc1a45b24b 100755
--- a/setup.sh
+++ b/setup.sh
@@ -953,11 +953,28 @@ main() {
 			# XML-escape paths for safe plist embedding (prevents injection
 			# if $HOME or paths contain &, <, > characters)
 			local _xml_wrapper_script _xml_home _xml_opencode_bin _xml_aidevops_dir _xml_path
+			local _headless_xml_env=""
 			_xml_wrapper_script=$(_xml_escape "$wrapper_script")
 			_xml_home=$(_xml_escape "$HOME")
 			_xml_opencode_bin=$(_xml_escape "$opencode_bin")
 			_xml_aidevops_dir=$(_xml_escape "$_aidevops_dir")
 			_xml_path=$(_xml_escape "$PATH")
+			if [[ -n "${AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_MODELS:-}" ]]; then
+				local _xml_headless_models
+				_xml_headless_models=$(_xml_escape "$AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_MODELS")
+				_headless_xml_env+=$'\n'
+				_headless_xml_env+=$'\t\t<key>AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_MODELS</key>'
+				_headless_xml_env+=$'\n'
+				_headless_xml_env+="\t\t<string>${_xml_headless_models}</string>"
+			fi
+			if [[ -n "${AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_PROVIDER_ALLOWLIST:-}" ]]; then
+				local _xml_headless_allowlist
+				_xml_headless_allowlist=$(_xml_escape "$AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_PROVIDER_ALLOWLIST")
+				_headless_xml_env+=$'\n'
+				_headless_xml_env+=$'\t\t<key>AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_PROVIDER_ALLOWLIST</key>'
+				_headless_xml_env+=$'\n'
+				_headless_xml_env+="\t\t<string>${_xml_headless_allowlist}</string>"
+			fi
 
 			# Write the plist (always regenerated to pick up config changes)
 			cat >"$pulse_plist" <<PLIST
@@ -990,6 +1007,7 @@ main() {
 		<string>${_xml_aidevops_dir}</string>
 		<key>PULSE_STALE_THRESHOLD</key>
 		<string>1800</string>
+		${_headless_xml_env}
 	</dict>
 	<key>RunAtLoad</key>
 	<true/>
@@ -1013,12 +1031,23 @@ PLIST
 			# Remove old-style cron entries (direct opencode invocation)
 			# Shell-escape all interpolated paths to prevent command injection
 			# via $(…) or backticks if paths contain shell metacharacters
-			local _cron_aidevops_dir _cron_wrapper_script
+			local _cron_opencode_bin _cron_aidevops_dir _cron_wrapper_script _cron_headless_env=""
+			_cron_opencode_bin=$(_cron_escape "$opencode_bin")
 			_cron_aidevops_dir=$(_cron_escape "$_aidevops_dir")
 			_cron_wrapper_script=$(_cron_escape "$wrapper_script")
+			if [[ -n "${AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_MODELS:-}" ]]; then
+				local _cron_headless_models
+				_cron_headless_models=$(_cron_escape "$AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_MODELS")
+				_cron_headless_env+=" AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_MODELS=${_cron_headless_models}"
+			fi
+			if [[ -n "${AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_PROVIDER_ALLOWLIST:-}" ]]; then
+				local _cron_headless_allowlist
+				_cron_headless_allowlist=$(_cron_escape "$AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_PROVIDER_ALLOWLIST")
+				_cron_headless_env+=" AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_PROVIDER_ALLOWLIST=${_cron_headless_allowlist}"
+			fi
 			(
 				crontab -l 2>/dev/null | grep -v 'aidevops: supervisor-pulse'
-				echo "*/2 * * * * PULSE_DIR=${_cron_aidevops_dir} /bin/bash ${_cron_wrapper_script} >> \"\$HOME/.aidevops/logs/pulse-wrapper.log\" 2>&1 # aidevops: supervisor-pulse"
+				echo "*/2 * * * * PATH=\"/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin\" OPENCODE_BIN=${_cron_opencode_bin} PULSE_DIR=${_cron_aidevops_dir}${_cron_headless_env} /bin/bash ${_cron_wrapper_script} >> \"\$HOME/.aidevops/logs/pulse-wrapper.log\" 2>&1 # aidevops: supervisor-pulse"
 			) | crontab - || true
 			if crontab -l 2>/dev/null | grep -qF "aidevops: supervisor-pulse"; then
 				print_info "Supervisor pulse enabled (cron, every 2 min). Disable: crontab -e and remove the supervisor-pulse line"
diff --git a/tests/test-headless-runtime-helper.sh b/tests/test-headless-runtime-helper.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..00710ac4e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test-headless-runtime-helper.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,170 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+REPO_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/.." && pwd)"
+HELPER="$REPO_DIR/.agents/scripts/headless-runtime-helper.sh"
+VERBOSE="${1:-}"
+
+PASS_COUNT=0
+FAIL_COUNT=0
+TOTAL_COUNT=0
+
+pass() {
+	local message="$1"
+	PASS_COUNT=$((PASS_COUNT + 1))
+	TOTAL_COUNT=$((TOTAL_COUNT + 1))
+	if [[ "$VERBOSE" == "--verbose" ]]; then
+		printf "  PASS %s\n" "$message"
+	fi
+	return 0
+}
+
+fail() {
+	local message="$1"
+	local detail="${2:-}"
+	FAIL_COUNT=$((FAIL_COUNT + 1))
+	TOTAL_COUNT=$((TOTAL_COUNT + 1))
+	printf "  FAIL %s\n" "$message"
+	if [[ -n "$detail" ]]; then
+		printf "       %s\n" "$detail"
+	fi
+	return 0
+}
+
+section() {
+	local title="$1"
+	echo ""
+	printf "=== %s ===\n" "$title"
+	return 0
+}
+
+TEST_TMP_DIR=$(mktemp -d)
+export AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_RUNTIME_DIR="$TEST_TMP_DIR/runtime"
+export STUB_LOG_FILE="$TEST_TMP_DIR/opencode-args.log"
+
+cleanup() {
+	rm -rf "$TEST_TMP_DIR"
+	return 0
+}
+trap cleanup EXIT
+
+cat >"$TEST_TMP_DIR/opencode-stub.sh" <<'STUB'
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+printf '%s\n' "$*" >>"${STUB_LOG_FILE}"
+session_id="${STUB_SESSION_ID:-ses_stub_default}"
+text="${STUB_TEXT:-OK}"
+emit_activity="${STUB_EMIT_ACTIVITY:-1}"
+if [[ "$emit_activity" != "1" ]]; then
+	exit 0
+fi
+cat <<JSON
+{"type":"step_start","sessionID":"${session_id}","part":{"sessionID":"${session_id}"}}
+{"type":"text","sessionID":"${session_id}","part":{"sessionID":"${session_id}","text":"${text}"}}
+JSON
+exit 0
+STUB
+chmod +x "$TEST_TMP_DIR/opencode-stub.sh"
+export OPENCODE_BIN="$TEST_TMP_DIR/opencode-stub.sh"
+
+section "Syntax"
+if bash -n "$HELPER"; then
+	pass "bash -n"
+else
+	fail "bash -n" "syntax error"
+fi
+
+section "Selection Defaults"
+first_model=$(bash "$HELPER" select --role worker 2>/dev/null || true)
+second_model=$(bash "$HELPER" select --role worker 2>/dev/null || true)
+if [[ "$first_model" == "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6" ]]; then
+	pass "first selection uses anthropic default"
+else
+	fail "first selection uses anthropic default" "got: $first_model"
+fi
+if [[ "$second_model" == "openai/gpt-5.3-codex" ]]; then
+	pass "second selection alternates to openai"
+else
+	fail "second selection alternates to openai" "got: $second_model"
+fi
+
+section "Allowlist"
+allowlisted_model=$(AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_PROVIDER_ALLOWLIST=openai bash "$HELPER" select --role worker 2>/dev/null || true)
+if [[ "$allowlisted_model" == "openai/gpt-5.3-codex" ]]; then
+	pass "openai allowlist restricts selection"
+else
+	fail "openai allowlist restricts selection" "got: $allowlisted_model"
+fi
+
+section "Backoff"
+bash "$HELPER" backoff set anthropic rate_limit 3600 >/dev/null
+post_backoff_model=$(bash "$HELPER" select --role pulse 2>/dev/null || true)
+if [[ "$post_backoff_model" == "openai/gpt-5.3-codex" ]]; then
+	pass "backed off anthropic is skipped"
+else
+	fail "backed off anthropic is skipped" "got: $post_backoff_model"
+fi
+
+section "Auth Change Clears Backoff"
+export AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_AUTH_SIGNATURE_OPENAI="sig-old"
+bash "$HELPER" backoff set openai auth_error 3600 >/dev/null
+export AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_PROVIDER_ALLOWLIST=openai
+export AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_AUTH_SIGNATURE_OPENAI="sig-new"
+recovered_model=$(bash "$HELPER" select --role pulse 2>/dev/null || true)
+if [[ "$recovered_model" == "openai/gpt-5.3-codex" ]]; then
+	pass "auth signature change clears backoff"
+else
+	fail "auth signature change clears backoff" "got: $recovered_model"
+fi
+unset AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_PROVIDER_ALLOWLIST
+
+section "Session Persistence"
+export STUB_SESSION_ID="ses_openai_one"
+rm -f "$STUB_LOG_FILE"
+AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_PROVIDER_ALLOWLIST=openai bash "$HELPER" run \
+	--role worker \
+	--session-key issue-101 \
+	--dir "$REPO_DIR" \
+	--title "Issue #101" \
+	--prompt "Reply with exactly OK" >/dev/null
+export STUB_SESSION_ID="ses_openai_two"
+AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_PROVIDER_ALLOWLIST=openai bash "$HELPER" run \
+	--role worker \
+	--session-key issue-101 \
+	--dir "$REPO_DIR" \
+	--title "Issue #101" \
+	--prompt "Reply with exactly OK" >/dev/null
+
+if grep -q -- '--session ses_openai_one --continue' "$STUB_LOG_FILE"; then
+	pass "second run reuses persisted provider session"
+else
+	fail "second run reuses persisted provider session" "logged args: $(tr '\n' ' ' <"$STUB_LOG_FILE")"
+fi
+
+section "Zero Activity Success Is Rejected"
+export STUB_EMIT_ACTIVITY="0"
+if AIDEVOPS_HEADLESS_PROVIDER_ALLOWLIST=openai bash "$HELPER" run \
+	--role worker \
+	--session-key issue-202 \
+	--dir "$REPO_DIR" \
+	--title "Issue #202" \
+	--prompt "Reply with exactly OK" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+	fail "zero-activity success is rejected" "helper accepted a run with no model activity"
+else
+	backoff_state=$(bash "$HELPER" backoff status 2>/dev/null || true)
+	if [[ "$backoff_state" == *"openai|provider_error|"* ]]; then
+		pass "zero-activity success is rejected"
+	else
+		fail "zero-activity success is rejected" "missing provider_error backoff state: $backoff_state"
+	fi
+fi
+unset STUB_EMIT_ACTIVITY
+
+echo ""
+printf "Total: %d, Passed: %d, Failed: %d\n" "$TOTAL_COUNT" "$PASS_COUNT" "$FAIL_COUNT"
+
+if [[ "$FAIL_COUNT" -eq 0 ]]; then
+	exit 0
+fi
+exit 1