diff --git a/nix/modules/hive-ci.nix b/nix/modules/hive-ci.nix
index b509aad8..abe82b3b 100644
--- a/nix/modules/hive-ci.nix
+++ b/nix/modules/hive-ci.nix
@@ -406,7 +406,43 @@ in
             pkgs.nix
           ];
 
-          systemd.services."gitea-runner-hive".path = [ pkgs.nix ];
+          systemd.services."gitea-runner-hive" = {
+            path = [ pkgs.nix ];
+            # Gate runner start (and therefore job registration/claiming) on
+            # the in-container nix daemon being reachable. After a hive-ci
+            # restart the runner re-registers and immediately claims any
+            # queued jobs — which can beat the nix daemon coming up: its
+            # `nix-daemon.socket` carries
+            # `ConditionPathIsReadWrite=/nix/var/nix/daemon-socket` and is
+            # skipped until /nix/var is read-write, so the first
+            # nix-dependent build dispatches into a cold daemon and
+            # hangs/retries (observed: a 55m48s `nix flake check` vs the
+            # normal ~30s, a build-offload stall, not a code failure).
+            #
+            # Ordering `after`/`wants` the socket unit does NOT fix this — a
+            # condition-skipped unit satisfies systemd ordering immediately,
+            # so the runner would still start before the daemon is live.
+            # Instead block in ExecStartPre by polling the daemon until it
+            # actually answers; this is topology-agnostic (works whether the
+            # daemon is in-container or a shared host socket). `mkBefore` so
+            # this runs ahead of any pre-steps the upstream module adds.
+            serviceConfig.ExecStartPre = lib.mkBefore [
+              (pkgs.writeShellScript "wait-nix-daemon" ''
+                # Up to ~180s; the daemon is normally up within seconds, this
+                # only bites in the post-restart cold window. Non-fatal shape:
+                # if it never comes up the unit fails cleanly (recoverable)
+                # rather than the runner claiming jobs into a dead daemon.
+                for _ in $(seq 1 90); do
+                  if ${pkgs.nix}/bin/nix store ping >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+                    exit 0
+                  fi
+                  sleep 2
+                done
+                echo "nix daemon not reachable after 180s" >&2
+                exit 1
+              '')
+            ];
+          };
         };
     };
   };