diff --git a/apps/server/src/process/agentScope.test.ts b/apps/server/src/process/agentScope.test.ts
index 44e9d6dbf4c2a..94ca314ac1f33 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/process/agentScope.test.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/process/agentScope.test.ts
@@ -227,6 +227,24 @@ describe("AgentScope service", () => {
     ),
   );
 
+  it.effect("delegates every agent scope so rootless containers can manage their cgroups", () =>
+    withFakeSystemd(({ scope }) =>
+      Effect.gen(function* () {
+        const agent = yield* scope.wrap({ command: "agent", args: [], name: "t", threadId: "a" });
+        const codex = yield* launchCodex(scope, "a");
+        const terminal = yield* scope.wrap({
+          command: "agent",
+          args: [],
+          name: "terminal",
+          survivesRestart: true,
+        });
+        for (const launch of [agent, codex, terminal]) {
+          expect(launch.args).toContain("--property=Delegate=yes");
+        }
+      }),
+    ),
+  );
+
   it.effect("stops agents a killed server left before the first launch", () =>
     withFakeSystemd(({ scope, units, calls, stateDir }) =>
       Effect.gen(function* () {
diff --git a/apps/server/src/process/agentScope.ts b/apps/server/src/process/agentScope.ts
index 1e54691161ae4..cc6d3a04121f6 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/process/agentScope.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/process/agentScope.ts
@@ -83,7 +83,8 @@ function parseCgroupCounter(text: string, key: string): number | undefined {
 }
 
 // systemd's default 90 s stop timeout would outlast our leftover-agent wait.
-const STOP_TIMEOUT_OPTION = "--property=TimeoutStopSec=10s";
+// Delegation lets rootless containers (Podman, kind) manage their own cgroups.
+const SCOPE_OPTIONS = ["--property=TimeoutStopSec=10s", "--property=Delegate=yes"];
 const STOPPING_POLL_INTERVAL = "100 millis";
 const STOPPING_POLL_ATTEMPTS = 20;
 const CLEAR_FAILED_INTERVAL = "1 second";
@@ -167,8 +168,8 @@ export const make = Effect.gen(function* () {
           "true",
         ]).pipe(Effect.map((result) => result._tag === "Some" && result.value.code === 0));
       // Scopes take OOMPolicy from systemd 253; older managers still get scopes.
-      const supportsOomPolicy = yield* probe([STOP_TIMEOUT_OPTION, "--property=OOMPolicy=stop"]);
-      if (!supportsOomPolicy && !(yield* probe([STOP_TIMEOUT_OPTION]))) {
+      const supportsOomPolicy = yield* probe([...SCOPE_OPTIONS, "--property=OOMPolicy=stop"]);
+      if (!supportsOomPolicy && !(yield* probe(SCOPE_OPTIONS))) {
         yield* Effect.logInfo("Agent scopes are off: no systemd user manager");
         return undefined;
       }
@@ -359,7 +360,7 @@ export const make = Effect.gen(function* () {
         // Without an owning thread nothing reads the result, so let systemd
         // unload the unit even when it fails.
         options: [
-          STOP_TIMEOUT_OPTION,
+          ...SCOPE_OPTIONS,
           ...(scope.supportsOomPolicy
             ? [`--property=OOMPolicy=${continuing ? "continue" : "stop"}`]
             : []),