diff --git a/flake.nix b/flake.nix
index bc8c0a51..df416758 100644
--- a/flake.nix
+++ b/flake.nix
@@ -257,6 +257,17 @@
           # only want the CLI(s) without the daemon binaries.
           hivectl = hivectlPkg;
           hive-forge = hiveForgePkg;
+          # The daemon/harness/MCP bins alone, no `hivectl` and no second
+          # `hive-forge` copy. Agent containers use this (via the
+          # `hyperhive-daemon` overlay output below) instead of `default` —
+          # they need `hive-agent{,-mcp,-wake}` /
+          # `hive-bash-{daemon,mcp}` / `hive-matrix-{daemon,mcp}`, never
+          # the operator-only `hivectl` (dials the *host* admin socket,
+          # unreachable from inside a container, and drags in
+          # `wireguard-tools` as a wrapper dep) or a redundant `hive-forge`
+          # (already on agent PATH via `hive-forge-tools.nix`) — this is
+          # the fix for the agent-derivation-bloat report.
+          daemonBins = daemonBins;
           # Bundled browser assets — see ./nix/frontend.nix. Output is
           # $out/{dashboard,agent}/ which the Rust binaries serve via
           # tower_http::ServeDir.
@@ -316,6 +327,10 @@
       overlays = {
         default = final: prev: {
           hyperhive = self.packages.${prev.stdenv.hostPlatform.system}.default;
+          # Agent-scoped subset of `hyperhive` — daemon/harness/MCP bins
+          # only, no `hivectl` / no redundant `hive-forge` copy. See
+          # `packages.<system>.daemonBins` above.
+          hyperhive-daemon = self.packages.${prev.stdenv.hostPlatform.system}.daemonBins;
           # Bundled frontend dist (see ./nix/frontend.nix). Output is
           # $out/{dashboard,agent}/; consumers pick the surface they
           # need. Exposed via the overlay so containers' nix evaluations
diff --git a/nix/templates/harness-base.nix b/nix/templates/harness-base.nix
index 10d4d242..c03311b4 100644
--- a/nix/templates/harness-base.nix
+++ b/nix/templates/harness-base.nix
@@ -1276,7 +1276,7 @@ in
     hyperhive.extraMcpServers = lib.mkMerge [
       {
         bash = lib.mkDefault {
-          command = "${pkgs.hyperhive}/bin/hive-bash-mcp";
+          command = "${pkgs.hyperhive-daemon}/bin/hive-bash-mcp";
           args = [ ];
           env.HIVE_BASH_SOCKET = "/run/hive-bash/socket";
           allowedTools = [ "*" ];
@@ -1284,7 +1284,7 @@ in
       }
       (lib.mkIf config.hyperhive.matrix.enable {
         matrix = lib.mkDefault {
-          command = "${pkgs.hyperhive}/bin/hive-matrix-mcp";
+          command = "${pkgs.hyperhive-daemon}/bin/hive-matrix-mcp";
           args = [ ];
           # Same socket path the hive-matrix-daemon service binds
           # via its `RuntimeDirectory = "hive-matrix"`. Keeps the
@@ -1636,7 +1636,17 @@ in
     environment.systemPackages =
       with pkgs;
       [
-        hyperhive
+        # Agent-scoped subset of `pkgs.hyperhive` — daemon/harness/MCP
+        # bins the harness itself execs (see the ExecStarts above) plus
+        # whatever else lands on PATH for claude's Bash tool. Deliberately
+        # NOT the full `pkgs.hyperhive` bundle: that also carries `hivectl`
+        # (a host-admin CLI that dials the *host* admin socket — useless
+        # and unreachable from inside a container — wrapped with
+        # `wireguard-tools` for `hivectl wg`) and a second, redundant
+        # `hive-forge` copy (already provided below via
+        # `hive-forge-tools.nix`) — closure bloat + dead surface with no
+        # functional upside inside a container.
+        hyperhive-daemon
         claude-code
         bashInteractive
         coreutils-full
@@ -1946,7 +1956,7 @@ in
         HIVE_ICON_PNG = "${iconPng}";
       };
       serviceConfig = {
-        ExecStart = "${pkgs.hyperhive}/bin/hive-matrix-daemon";
+        ExecStart = "${pkgs.hyperhive-daemon}/bin/hive-matrix-daemon";
         SyslogIdentifier = "hive-matrix-daemon";
         Restart = "on-failure";
         RestartSec = 5;
@@ -2002,7 +2012,7 @@ in
         # less robust if the two vars ever diverge.
       };
       serviceConfig = {
-        ExecStart = "${pkgs.hyperhive}/bin/hive-bash-daemon";
+        ExecStart = "${pkgs.hyperhive-daemon}/bin/hive-bash-daemon";
         SyslogIdentifier = "hive-bash-daemon";
         Restart = "on-failure";
         RestartSec = 3;
@@ -2036,7 +2046,7 @@ in
       before = [ "hive-ag3nt.service" ];
       environment.RUST_LOG = "info";
       serviceConfig = {
-        ExecStart = "${pkgs.hyperhive}/bin/hive-agent-mcp --http 127.0.0.1:${toString config.hyperhive.mcp.httpPort}";
+        ExecStart = "${pkgs.hyperhive-daemon}/bin/hive-agent-mcp --http 127.0.0.1:${toString config.hyperhive.mcp.httpPort}";
         SyslogIdentifier = "hive-mcp-http";
         # `always` (not `on-failure`): this endpoint is load-bearing — the
         # sole hyperhive-MCP transport, so a down window is total
@@ -2167,7 +2177,7 @@ in
           HIVE_EXTRA_WEB_PROXIES = builtins.toJSON config.hyperhive.extraWebProxies;
         };
         serviceConfig = {
-          ExecStart = "${pkgs.hyperhive}/bin/${binary}";
+          ExecStart = "${pkgs.hyperhive-daemon}/bin/${binary}";
           # Pin the journal identity to the binary name (otherwise systemd
           # derives SyslogIdentifier from the ExecStart basename).
           SyslogIdentifier = binary;