diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/actions.rs b/hive-c0re/src/actions.rs
index 16ff465e..13d6f40d 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/actions.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/actions.rs
@@ -324,8 +324,15 @@ async fn run_approval_init_config(
             crate::topology::add_child(&approval.agent, &approval.commit_ref)
                 .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("topology add_child: {e}"))?;
         }
-        lifecycle::setup_proposed(&proposed_dir, &approval.agent).await?;
+        // Create the agent's state root as a btrfs subvolume FIRST, before
+        // any dir-seed touches it. `ensure_agent_state_subvolume` is
+        // progressive ("root exists → skip"), and `setup_proposed` does a
+        // `create_dir_all` on the proposed-config path which would
+        // materialise the state root as a plain directory — after which
+        // the subvolume create is silently skipped and the agent never
+        // lands on a subvolume (no quota, no snapshot). Order matters.
         lifecycle::ensure_agent_state_subvolume(&approval.agent).await?;
+        lifecycle::setup_proposed(&proposed_dir, &approval.agent).await?;
         lifecycle::ensure_claude_dir(&claude_dir)?;
         lifecycle::ensure_state_dir(&notes_dir)?;
         Ok(())