diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/bin/hivectl.rs b/hive-c0re/src/bin/hivectl.rs
index 65d1f6c8..e2b7a029 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/bin/hivectl.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/bin/hivectl.rs
@@ -650,6 +650,26 @@ enum SnapshotCmd {
         /// Snapshot label passed to `subvol snapshot create --label`.
         label: String,
     },
+    /// Export a snapshot to a local file via `btrfs send` (the local-file
+    /// half of inter-hive migration transport; the cross-hive `ssh ...
+    /// btrfs receive` leg isn't wired up yet). Also useful standalone as a
+    /// point-in-time backup: a full send with no `--parent` produces a
+    /// self-contained archive of the snapshot.
+    Send {
+        /// Agent name the snapshot belongs to.
+        name: String,
+        /// Snapshot label passed to `subvol snapshot create --label`.
+        label: String,
+        /// Optional parent snapshot label for an incremental send
+        /// (`btrfs send -p`) — must be an existing, older snapshot of the
+        /// same agent. Omit for a full send.
+        #[arg(long)]
+        parent: Option<String>,
+        /// Destination filename (not a path) under the migrate-staging
+        /// dir. Refused if it already exists.
+        #[arg(long)]
+        dest: String,
+    },
 }
 
 #[tokio::main]
@@ -726,6 +746,12 @@ async fn main() -> Result<()> {
             SubvolCmd::Snapshot { cmd } => match cmd {
                 SnapshotCmd::Create { name, label } => subvol_snapshot_create(&name, label).await,
                 SnapshotCmd::Delete { name, label } => subvol_snapshot_delete(&name, &label).await,
+                SnapshotCmd::Send {
+                    name,
+                    label,
+                    parent,
+                    dest,
+                } => subvol_snapshot_send(&name, &label, parent.as_deref(), &dest).await,
             },
         },
         Cmd::Choom {
@@ -1777,6 +1803,24 @@ async fn subvol_snapshot_delete(name: &str, label: &str) -> Result<()> {
     Ok(())
 }
 
+/// `subvol snapshot send <agent> <label> [--parent <label>] --dest <file>` —
+/// export a snapshot to a local file via `btrfs send`. `dest` must be a
+/// bare filename (hive-priv rejects anything else via the credential-name
+/// charset check, which excludes `/`), written under the migrate-staging
+/// dir. Prints the resulting file's host path.
+async fn subvol_snapshot_send(
+    name: &str,
+    label: &str,
+    parent: Option<&str>,
+    dest: &str,
+) -> Result<()> {
+    let path = hive_c0re::priv_client::send_agent_snapshot_to_file(name, label, parent, dest)
+        .await
+        .with_context(|| format!("send {name} snapshot (label {label:?}) to file {dest:?}"))?;
+    println!("{path}");
+    Ok(())
+}
+
 /// Render a hive-wide stop/start response: one `<verb>: <name>` line per
 /// touched container, then surface any aggregated per-target failure as a
 /// non-zero exit. `verb` is the past-tense word printed per item
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/priv_client.rs b/hive-c0re/src/priv_client.rs
index 893acb1b..5cd5f29d 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/priv_client.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/priv_client.rs
@@ -474,6 +474,32 @@ pub async fn delete_agent_snapshot(agent_name: &str, snapshot_name: &str) -> Res
     .await?)
 }
 
+/// Stream a read-only agent snapshot to a local file via `btrfs send`
+/// (optionally incremental against `parent_snapshot_name`). Returns the
+/// full path of the written file under `MIGRATE_STAGING_ROOT`. Via
+/// hive-priv as root. See [`PrivRequest::SendAgentSnapshotToFile`].
+///
+/// # Errors
+/// Returns an error if the hive-priv call fails, the snapshot (or parent)
+/// doesn't exist, or the destination file already exists.
+pub async fn send_agent_snapshot_to_file(
+    agent_name: &str,
+    snapshot_name: &str,
+    parent_snapshot_name: Option<&str>,
+    dest_file_name: &str,
+) -> Result<String> {
+    let (stdout, _) = check(
+        call(&PrivRequest::SendAgentSnapshotToFile {
+            agent_name: agent_name.to_owned(),
+            snapshot_name: snapshot_name.to_owned(),
+            parent_snapshot_name: parent_snapshot_name.map(str::to_owned),
+            dest_file_name: dest_file_name.to_owned(),
+        })
+        .await?,
+    )?;
+    Ok(stdout)
+}
+
 /// Write `/etc/tmpfiles.d/hyperhive-agents.conf` for `agents` (logical names,
 /// e.g. `"atlas"`) and immediately apply it with `systemd-tmpfiles --create`.
 /// See [`PrivRequest::SyncAgentTmpfiles`] for the full semantics.
diff --git a/hive-priv/src/main.rs b/hive-priv/src/main.rs
index 8c1901a1..ba7e256f 100644
--- a/hive-priv/src/main.rs
+++ b/hive-priv/src/main.rs
@@ -22,8 +22,8 @@ use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 use anyhow::{Context as _, Result, bail};
 use hive_sh4re::priv_proto::{
     AGENT_PREFIX, AGENT_RUNTIME_ROOT, AGENT_STATE_ROOT, BindMount, CredentialMount, InfraAction,
-    InfraContainer, JournalQuery, META_DIR, NetworkIsolation, PRIV_SOCK, PrivEvent, PrivRequest,
-    PrivResponse, PrivStream, PrivStreamLine, SIBLING_CONTAINERS,
+    InfraContainer, JournalQuery, META_DIR, MIGRATE_STAGING_ROOT, NetworkIsolation, PRIV_SOCK,
+    PrivEvent, PrivRequest, PrivResponse, PrivStream, PrivStreamLine, SIBLING_CONTAINERS,
 };
 use tokio::io::{AsyncBufReadExt, AsyncWriteExt, BufReader};
 use tokio::net::unix::OwnedWriteHalf;
@@ -383,6 +383,27 @@ async fn exec(req: PrivRequest, writer: &mut OwnedWriteHalf) -> Result<(String,
             delete_agent_snapshot(agent_name, snapshot_name).await
         }
 
+        PrivRequest::SendAgentSnapshotToFile {
+            ref agent_name,
+            ref snapshot_name,
+            ref parent_snapshot_name,
+            ref dest_file_name,
+        } => {
+            validate_agent_name(agent_name)?;
+            validate_snapshot_name(snapshot_name)?;
+            if let Some(parent) = parent_snapshot_name {
+                validate_snapshot_name(parent)?;
+            }
+            validate_credential_name(dest_file_name)?;
+            send_agent_snapshot_to_file(
+                agent_name,
+                snapshot_name,
+                parent_snapshot_name.as_deref(),
+                dest_file_name,
+            )
+            .await
+        }
+
         PrivRequest::SyncAgentTmpfiles { ref agents } => sync_agent_tmpfiles(agents).await,
     }
 }
@@ -1177,6 +1198,77 @@ async fn delete_agent_snapshot(agent_name: &str, snapshot_name: &str) -> Result<
     Ok((String::new(), String::new()))
 }
 
+/// `SendAgentSnapshotToFile` — stream a read-only snapshot (optionally
+/// incremental against `parent_name`) to a file under
+/// `MIGRATE_STAGING_ROOT` via `btrfs send`. Local-file half of the
+/// inter-hive migration transport; see `PrivRequest::SendAgentSnapshotToFile`
+/// for the cross-hive follow-up.
+async fn send_agent_snapshot_to_file(
+    agent_name: &str,
+    snapshot_name: &str,
+    parent_name: Option<&str>,
+    dest_file_name: &str,
+) -> Result<(String, String)> {
+    let snap = snapshot_path(agent_name, snapshot_name);
+    if !snap.exists() {
+        bail!(
+            "snapshot {} does not exist — create it with `subvol snapshot create` first",
+            snap.display()
+        );
+    }
+
+    std::fs::create_dir_all(MIGRATE_STAGING_ROOT)
+        .with_context(|| format!("create {MIGRATE_STAGING_ROOT}"))?;
+    let dest = Path::new(MIGRATE_STAGING_ROOT).join(dest_file_name);
+    if dest.exists() {
+        bail!(
+            "{} already exists — pick a different destination or remove it first \
+             (send never overwrites an existing export)",
+            dest.display()
+        );
+    }
+    let dest_file =
+        std::fs::File::create(&dest).with_context(|| format!("create {}", dest.display()))?;
+
+    let mut cmd = Command::new("btrfs");
+    cmd.arg("send");
+    if let Some(parent) = parent_name {
+        let parent_path = snapshot_path(agent_name, parent);
+        if !parent_path.exists() {
+            bail!(
+                "parent snapshot {} does not exist — pick an existing parent or omit it for a full send",
+                parent_path.display()
+            );
+        }
+        cmd.arg("-p").arg(&parent_path);
+    }
+    cmd.arg(&snap);
+    cmd.stdout(std::process::Stdio::from(dest_file));
+    cmd.stderr(std::process::Stdio::piped());
+
+    let out = cmd
+        .spawn()
+        .with_context(|| format!("spawn btrfs send {}", snap.display()))?
+        .wait_with_output()
+        .await
+        .with_context(|| format!("wait on btrfs send {}", snap.display()))?;
+    if !out.status.success() {
+        // Clean up a partial/failed export so a retry doesn't trip the
+        // "already exists" guard on garbage.
+        let _ = std::fs::remove_file(&dest);
+        bail!(
+            "btrfs send {} failed: {}",
+            snap.display(),
+            String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr).trim()
+        );
+    }
+    tracing::info!(
+        agent = %agent_name, snapshot = %snap.display(), dest = %dest.display(),
+        parent = ?parent_name, "exported agent snapshot to file"
+    );
+    Ok((dest.display().to_string(), String::new()))
+}
+
 /// `SetSubvolumeQuota` — set or clear a qgroup size limit on an agent
 /// subvolume (`btrfs qgroup limit <bytes|none> <…/agent_name>`). See the
 /// wire doc.
diff --git a/hive-sh4re/src/priv_proto.rs b/hive-sh4re/src/priv_proto.rs
index d33ca802..21de9467 100644
--- a/hive-sh4re/src/priv_proto.rs
+++ b/hive-sh4re/src/priv_proto.rs
@@ -121,6 +121,13 @@ pub const AGENT_STATE_ROOT: &str = "/var/lib/hyperhive/agents";
 /// across the crate.
 pub const AGENT_RUNTIME_ROOT: &str = "/run/hyperhive/agents";
 
+/// Root of the local staging area for `btrfs send` archives
+/// (`SendAgentSnapshotToFile`). A sibling of `AGENT_STATE_ROOT`, not inside
+/// it — these are exported streams, not live/subvolume state, and don't
+/// belong in the tree btrfs quota accounting or the subvolume-per-agent
+/// layout cares about. Root-owned; hive-priv creates it on first use.
+pub const MIGRATE_STAGING_ROOT: &str = "/var/lib/hyperhive/migrate-staging";
+
 /// Output format for `ReadContainerJournal`. Maps to journalctl
 /// `--output=<...>`. Restricted to the two formats hive callers use so
 /// the wire type can't smuggle an arbitrary `--output` value.
@@ -616,6 +623,36 @@ pub enum PrivRequest {
         snapshot_name: String,
     },
 
+    /// Stream a previously-created read-only snapshot to a local file via
+    /// `btrfs send [-p <parent>] <snapshot> > <MIGRATE_STAGING_ROOT>/<dest_file_name>`.
+    /// The local-file half of the inter-hive migration transport: the
+    /// cross-hive leg (piping into `ssh <peer> btrfs receive`) is a later,
+    /// separate piece pending the auth/trust design — this variant is
+    /// useful standalone today as a point-in-time export/backup of a
+    /// snapshot (full send, no parent) or to validate the incremental
+    /// (`-p`) path locally before wiring up the network leg.
+    ///
+    /// `dest_file_name` is a bare filename (not a path) under
+    /// `MIGRATE_STAGING_ROOT`, which hive-priv creates on first use.
+    /// Fails if the snapshot doesn't exist, `parent_snapshot_name` is given
+    /// but doesn't exist, or `dest_file_name` already exists (never
+    /// silently overwrites an export). Requires root.
+    SendAgentSnapshotToFile {
+        /// Logical agent name (validated by `validate_agent_name`).
+        agent_name: String,
+        /// Snapshot label to send, same validation as `SnapshotAgentSubvolume`.
+        snapshot_name: String,
+        /// Optional parent snapshot label for an incremental
+        /// (`btrfs send -p`) send — must be an older read-only snapshot of
+        /// the same agent, still present on disk. `None` sends the full
+        /// snapshot.
+        parent_snapshot_name: Option<String>,
+        /// Bare filename (no path separators) for the exported stream,
+        /// written under `MIGRATE_STAGING_ROOT`. Same charset as a
+        /// credential name (`[A-Za-z0-9_-]`).
+        dest_file_name: String,
+    },
+
     /// Write `/etc/tmpfiles.d/hyperhive-agents.conf` for the given agent set
     /// and immediately apply it with `systemd-tmpfiles --create`. Each entry
     /// declares the per-agent runtime dirs (`/run/hyperhive/agents/<name>` and