diff --git a/crates/pi-natives/src/lib.rs b/crates/pi-natives/src/lib.rs
index db6deb58f..5ef602144 100644
--- a/crates/pi-natives/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/pi-natives/src/lib.rs
@@ -51,3 +51,4 @@ pub mod task;
 pub mod text;
 pub mod tokens;
 pub(crate) mod utils;
+pub mod workspace;
diff --git a/crates/pi-natives/src/workspace.rs b/crates/pi-natives/src/workspace.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..174d2fb3d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/pi-natives/src/workspace.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,386 @@
+//! Workspace discovery for startup context.
+//!
+//! Walks a project tree once and returns the bounded entries needed to render
+//! the workspace tree plus directory-scoped AGENTS.md files. AGENTS.md files
+//! are checked directly in every traversed directory so a file-level gitignore
+//! rule cannot hide them, while ignored directories are still pruned by the
+//! walker.
+
+use std::{
+	collections::HashSet,
+	path::{Path, PathBuf},
+	sync::{Arc, LazyLock},
+};
+
+use ignore::{DirEntry, ParallelVisitor, ParallelVisitorBuilder, WalkBuilder, WalkState};
+use napi::bindgen_prelude::*;
+use napi_derive::napi;
+use parking_lot::Mutex;
+
+use crate::{
+	fs_cache::{self, FileType, GlobMatch},
+	task,
+};
+
+const AGENTS_MD_FILENAME: &str = "AGENTS.md";
+const AGENTS_MD_MIN_DEPTH: usize = 1;
+const AGENTS_MD_MAX_DEPTH: usize = 4;
+const AGENTS_MD_LIMIT: usize = 200;
+const MAX_ENTRIES: usize = 100_000;
+
+/// Directory names pruned during traversal. The TypeScript caller no longer has
+/// to plumb this list through; it lives here so a single source of truth
+/// governs what counts as a non-source directory in startup scans.
+const EXCLUDED_DIRS: &[&str] = &[
+	"node_modules",
+	".git",
+	".next",
+	"dist",
+	"build",
+	"target",
+	".venv",
+	".cache",
+	".turbo",
+	".parcel-cache",
+	"coverage",
+];
+
+static EXCLUDED_DIR_SET: LazyLock<HashSet<&'static str>> =
+	LazyLock::new(|| EXCLUDED_DIRS.iter().copied().collect());
+
+/// Input options for `listWorkspace`, the single-pass workspace startup scan.
+#[napi(object)]
+pub struct ListWorkspaceOptions<'env> {
+	/// Directory to scan.
+	pub path:              String,
+	/// Maximum depth for returned tree entries. Root children are depth 1.
+	pub max_depth:         u32,
+	/// Include hidden files and directories. Default: false.
+	pub hidden:            Option<bool>,
+	/// Respect .gitignore files. Default: true.
+	pub gitignore:         Option<bool>,
+	/// Also surface AGENTS.md files in directories at depth 1..=4, even when
+	/// gitignore would otherwise hide the file. Walks deeper than `maxDepth`
+	/// to find them. Default: false.
+	pub collect_agents_md: Option<bool>,
+	/// Timeout in milliseconds for the operation.
+	pub timeout_ms:        Option<u32>,
+	/// Abort signal for cancelling the operation.
+	pub signal:            Option<Unknown<'env>>,
+}
+
+/// Result payload returned by a workspace scan.
+#[napi(object)]
+pub struct ListWorkspaceResult {
+	/// Entries within `maxDepth`, with mtime and regular-file size metadata.
+	pub entries:         Vec<GlobMatch>,
+	/// Directory-scoped AGENTS.md files within depth 1..=4 (capped at 200).
+	/// Always empty when `collectAgentsMd` is false.
+	pub agents_md_files: Vec<String>,
+	/// True when any output cap was hit.
+	pub truncated:       bool,
+}
+
+struct WorkspaceConfig {
+	root:              PathBuf,
+	max_depth:         usize,
+	walk_max_depth:    usize,
+	include_hidden:    bool,
+	use_gitignore:     bool,
+	collect_agents_md: bool,
+}
+
+fn build_workspace_walker(config: &WorkspaceConfig) -> WalkBuilder {
+	let mut builder = WalkBuilder::new(&config.root);
+	builder
+		.hidden(!config.include_hidden)
+		.follow_links(false)
+		.sort_by_file_path(|a, b| a.cmp(b))
+		.max_depth(Some(config.walk_max_depth))
+		.filter_entry(|entry| {
+			let name = entry.file_name().to_str().unwrap_or_default();
+			if name == ".DS_Store" {
+				return false;
+			}
+			if entry
+				.file_type()
+				.is_some_and(|file_type| file_type.is_dir())
+				&& EXCLUDED_DIR_SET.contains(name)
+			{
+				return false;
+			}
+			true
+		});
+
+	if config.use_gitignore {
+		builder
+			.git_ignore(true)
+			.git_exclude(true)
+			.git_global(true)
+			.ignore(true)
+			.parents(true)
+			// Honor .gitignore even when the directory isn't a git repo,
+			// matching what users expect from a plain directory listing.
+			.require_git(false);
+	} else {
+		builder
+			.git_ignore(false)
+			.git_exclude(false)
+			.git_global(false)
+			.ignore(false)
+			.parents(false);
+	}
+
+	builder
+}
+
+fn glob_match_from_path(root: &Path, path: &Path) -> Option<GlobMatch> {
+	let relative = fs_cache::normalize_relative_path(root, path);
+	if relative.is_empty() {
+		return None;
+	}
+	let (file_type, mtime, size) = fs_cache::classify_file_type(path)?;
+	Some(GlobMatch {
+		path: relative.into_owned(),
+		file_type,
+		mtime,
+		size: size.map(|value| value as f64),
+	})
+}
+
+fn glob_match_from_entry(root: &Path, entry: &DirEntry) -> Option<GlobMatch> {
+	glob_match_from_path(root, entry.path())
+}
+
+fn is_file_or_file_symlink(path: &Path, file_type: FileType) -> bool {
+	match file_type {
+		FileType::File => true,
+		FileType::Symlink => std::fs::metadata(path).is_ok_and(|metadata| metadata.is_file()),
+		FileType::Dir => false,
+	}
+}
+
+fn collect_agents_md_in_directory(
+	config: &WorkspaceConfig,
+	directory: &Path,
+	directory_depth: usize,
+	entries: &mut Vec<GlobMatch>,
+	agents_md_files: &mut Vec<String>,
+) {
+	if !config.collect_agents_md {
+		return;
+	}
+	let candidate = directory.join(AGENTS_MD_FILENAME);
+	let Some(entry) = glob_match_from_path(&config.root, &candidate) else {
+		return;
+	};
+	if !is_file_or_file_symlink(&candidate, entry.file_type) {
+		return;
+	}
+	let tree_depth = directory_depth + 1;
+	if tree_depth <= config.max_depth {
+		entries.push(entry.clone());
+	}
+	// AGENTS.md directory depth: root AGENTS.md is depth 0, child dir AGENTS.md
+	// is depth 1, and so on. We only surface files in depth 1..=4.
+	if (AGENTS_MD_MIN_DEPTH..=AGENTS_MD_MAX_DEPTH).contains(&directory_depth) {
+		agents_md_files.push(entry.path);
+	}
+}
+
+struct WorkspaceVisitor<'a> {
+	config:                 &'a WorkspaceConfig,
+	ct:                     &'a task::CancelToken,
+	entries:                Vec<GlobMatch>,
+	agents_md_files:        Vec<String>,
+	shared_entries:         Arc<Mutex<Vec<Vec<GlobMatch>>>>,
+	shared_agents_md_files: Arc<Mutex<Vec<Vec<String>>>>,
+	error:                  Arc<Mutex<Option<String>>>,
+	visited:                usize,
+}
+
+impl Drop for WorkspaceVisitor<'_> {
+	fn drop(&mut self) {
+		if !self.entries.is_empty() {
+			let entries = std::mem::take(&mut self.entries);
+			self.shared_entries.lock().push(entries);
+		}
+		if !self.agents_md_files.is_empty() {
+			let agents_md_files = std::mem::take(&mut self.agents_md_files);
+			self.shared_agents_md_files.lock().push(agents_md_files);
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+impl ParallelVisitor for WorkspaceVisitor<'_> {
+	fn visit(&mut self, entry: std::result::Result<DirEntry, ignore::Error>) -> WalkState {
+		if self.visited == 0 || self.visited >= 128 {
+			self.visited = 0;
+			if let Err(err) = self.ct.heartbeat() {
+				*self.error.lock() = Some(err.to_string());
+				return WalkState::Quit;
+			}
+		}
+		self.visited += 1;
+
+		let Ok(entry) = entry else {
+			return WalkState::Continue;
+		};
+		let entry_depth = entry.depth();
+		if entry
+			.file_type()
+			.is_some_and(|file_type| file_type.is_dir())
+		{
+			collect_agents_md_in_directory(
+				self.config,
+				entry.path(),
+				entry_depth,
+				&mut self.entries,
+				&mut self.agents_md_files,
+			);
+		}
+		if entry_depth <= self.config.max_depth
+			&& let Some(entry) = glob_match_from_entry(&self.config.root, &entry)
+		{
+			self.entries.push(entry);
+		}
+		WalkState::Continue
+	}
+}
+
+struct WorkspaceVisitorBuilder<'a> {
+	config:                 &'a WorkspaceConfig,
+	ct:                     &'a task::CancelToken,
+	shared_entries:         Arc<Mutex<Vec<Vec<GlobMatch>>>>,
+	shared_agents_md_files: Arc<Mutex<Vec<Vec<String>>>>,
+	error:                  Arc<Mutex<Option<String>>>,
+}
+
+impl<'a> ParallelVisitorBuilder<'a> for WorkspaceVisitorBuilder<'a> {
+	fn build(&mut self) -> Box<dyn ParallelVisitor + 'a> {
+		Box::new(WorkspaceVisitor {
+			config:                 self.config,
+			ct:                     self.ct,
+			entries:                Vec::new(),
+			agents_md_files:        Vec::new(),
+			shared_entries:         Arc::clone(&self.shared_entries),
+			shared_agents_md_files: Arc::clone(&self.shared_agents_md_files),
+			error:                  Arc::clone(&self.error),
+			visited:                0,
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+fn sort_dedup_entries(entries: &mut Vec<GlobMatch>) {
+	entries.sort_unstable_by(|a, b| a.path.cmp(&b.path));
+	entries.dedup_by(|a, b| a.path == b.path);
+}
+
+fn sort_dedup_paths(paths: &mut Vec<String>) {
+	paths.sort_unstable();
+	paths.dedup();
+}
+
+fn run_list_workspace(
+	config: WorkspaceConfig,
+	ct: task::CancelToken,
+) -> Result<ListWorkspaceResult> {
+	let mut root_entries = Vec::new();
+	let mut root_agents_md_files = Vec::new();
+	collect_agents_md_in_directory(
+		&config,
+		&config.root,
+		0,
+		&mut root_entries,
+		&mut root_agents_md_files,
+	);
+
+	let mut builder = build_workspace_walker(&config);
+	let workers = fs_cache::grep_workers();
+	if workers > 0 {
+		builder.threads(workers);
+	}
+
+	let shared_entries = Arc::new(Mutex::new(Vec::new()));
+	let shared_agents_md_files = Arc::new(Mutex::new(Vec::new()));
+	let error = Arc::new(Mutex::new(None));
+	let mut visitor_builder = WorkspaceVisitorBuilder {
+		config:                 &config,
+		ct:                     &ct,
+		shared_entries:         Arc::clone(&shared_entries),
+		shared_agents_md_files: Arc::clone(&shared_agents_md_files),
+		error:                  Arc::clone(&error),
+	};
+
+	ct.heartbeat()?;
+	builder.build_parallel().visit(&mut visitor_builder);
+
+	let walk_error = error.lock().take();
+	if let Some(error) = walk_error {
+		return Err(Error::from_reason(error));
+	}
+
+	let mut entries: Vec<GlobMatch> = shared_entries.lock().drain(..).flatten().collect();
+	entries.extend(root_entries);
+	sort_dedup_entries(&mut entries);
+
+	let mut agents_md_files: Vec<String> =
+		shared_agents_md_files.lock().drain(..).flatten().collect();
+	agents_md_files.extend(root_agents_md_files);
+	sort_dedup_paths(&mut agents_md_files);
+
+	let entries_truncated = entries.len() > MAX_ENTRIES;
+	if entries_truncated {
+		entries.truncate(MAX_ENTRIES);
+	}
+	let agents_md_truncated = agents_md_files.len() > AGENTS_MD_LIMIT;
+	if agents_md_truncated {
+		agents_md_files.truncate(AGENTS_MD_LIMIT);
+	}
+
+	Ok(ListWorkspaceResult {
+		entries,
+		agents_md_files,
+		truncated: entries_truncated || agents_md_truncated,
+	})
+}
+
+/// Walk the workspace once and return tree entries plus AGENTS.md candidates.
+///
+/// File-level ignore rules for AGENTS.md are bypassed by checking each
+/// traversed directory directly when `collectAgentsMd` is enabled, but ignored
+/// directories are still pruned by the walker and are not searched.
+#[napi(js_name = "listWorkspace")]
+pub fn list_workspace(options: ListWorkspaceOptions<'_>) -> task::Promise<ListWorkspaceResult> {
+	let ListWorkspaceOptions {
+		path,
+		max_depth,
+		hidden,
+		gitignore,
+		collect_agents_md,
+		timeout_ms,
+		signal,
+	} = options;
+
+	let ct = task::CancelToken::new(timeout_ms, signal);
+	task::blocking("listWorkspace", ct, move |ct| {
+		let max_depth = max_depth as usize;
+		let collect_agents_md = collect_agents_md.unwrap_or(false);
+		let walk_max_depth = if collect_agents_md {
+			max_depth.max(AGENTS_MD_MAX_DEPTH)
+		} else {
+			max_depth
+		};
+		run_list_workspace(
+			WorkspaceConfig {
+				root: fs_cache::resolve_search_path(&path)?,
+				max_depth,
+				walk_max_depth,
+				include_hidden: hidden.unwrap_or(false),
+				use_gitignore: gitignore.unwrap_or(true),
+				collect_agents_md,
+			},
+			ct,
+		)
+	})
+}
diff --git a/packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md
index d72f2dd38..f5e1a5fdf 100644
--- a/packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,9 +1,17 @@
 # Changelog
 
 ## [Unreleased]
+### Added
+
+- Added `agentsMdFiles` to `WorkspaceTree` so AGENTS.md discovery results are returned with the workspace scan output
+
+### Changed
+
+- Changed startup workspace discovery to use one native `listWorkspace` walk for both the rendered tree and AGENTS.md directory-context candidates, removing the layered `git ls-files` orchestration and secondary AGENTS.md glob.
 
 ### Fixed
 
+- Fixed AGENTS.md context discovery to include AGENTS.md files that are explicitly gitignored while still excluding AGENTS.md files under ignored directories
 - Fixed task tool renderer spamming `Tool renderer failed: undefined is not an object (evaluating 'args.tasks.length')` warnings while a `task` call was streaming in (the `tasks` array is undefined until the partial JSON parser closes it); the renderer now tolerates an absent `tasks` field and shows `0 agents` until the array arrives ([#985](https://github.com/can1357/oh-my-pi/issues/985)).
 - Fixed MCP HTTP streamable transport spamming `HTTP SSE stream error: ReadableStream already has a controller` after every JSON-RPC request whose response was returned as `text/event-stream`. The transport used to break out of the SSE iterator once the matching response was captured and then re-open `response.body` for a background drain, but the body had already been piped through a `TransformStream` and could not be re-read. The drain now runs from a single iterator that resolves the response promise inline and continues to dispatch piggybacked notifications on the same stream.
 
diff --git a/packages/coding-agent/src/sdk.ts b/packages/coding-agent/src/sdk.ts
index be1874c4e..7d1c1476b 100644
--- a/packages/coding-agent/src/sdk.ts
+++ b/packages/coding-agent/src/sdk.ts
@@ -100,9 +100,7 @@ import { SessionManager } from "./session/session-manager";
 import { closeAllConnections } from "./ssh/connection-manager";
 import { unmountAll } from "./ssh/sshfs-mount";
 import {
-	type AgentsMdSearch,
 	type BuildSystemPromptResult,
-	buildAgentsMdSearch,
 	buildSystemPrompt as buildSystemPromptInternal,
 	buildSystemPromptToolMetadata,
 	loadProjectContextFiles as loadContextFilesInternal,
@@ -201,8 +199,6 @@ export interface CreateAgentSessionOptions {
 	rules?: Rule[];
 	/** Context files (AGENTS.md content). Default: discovered walking up from cwd */
 	contextFiles?: Array<{ path: string; content: string }>;
-	/** Pre-built AGENTS.md search (skips re-scanning the workspace; passed by parents to subagents). */
-	agentsMdSearch?: AgentsMdSearch;
 	/** Pre-built workspace tree (skips re-scanning; passed by parents to subagents). */
 	workspaceTree?: WorkspaceTree;
 	/** Prompt templates. Default: discovered from cwd/.omp/prompts/ + agentDir/prompts/ */
@@ -691,16 +687,14 @@ export async function createAgentSession(options: CreateAgentSessionOptions = {}
 	if (!options.modelRegistry) {
 		modelRegistry.refreshInBackground();
 	}
-	// Kick off AGENTS.md filesystem search and workspace tree in parallel — they are the slowest pieces of
-	// buildSystemPrompt (can be many seconds on large repos) and only need `cwd`, so they overlap with
-	// everything that follows. Subagents inherit the parent's resolved values via options.
-	const agentsMdSearchPromise: Promise<AgentsMdSearch> = options.agentsMdSearch
-		? Promise.resolve(options.agentsMdSearch)
-		: logger.time("buildAgentsMdSearch", buildAgentsMdSearch, cwd);
-	agentsMdSearchPromise.catch(() => {});
+	// Kick off workspace tree discovery early. The native workspace scan returns
+	// both the rendered-tree input and the AGENTS.md directory-context index, so
+	// startup does not perform a second recursive filesystem search. Subagents
+	// inherit the parent's resolved values via options.
+	const STARTUP_SCAN_DEADLINE_MS = 5000;
 	const workspaceTreePromise: Promise<WorkspaceTree> = options.workspaceTree
 		? Promise.resolve(options.workspaceTree)
-		: logger.time("buildWorkspaceTree", buildWorkspaceTree, cwd);
+		: logger.time("buildWorkspaceTree", () => buildWorkspaceTree(cwd, { timeoutMs: STARTUP_SCAN_DEADLINE_MS }));
 	workspaceTreePromise.catch(() => {});
 
 	// Independent discoveries that depend only on cwd/agentDir — kicked off in parallel and awaited
@@ -898,12 +892,11 @@ export async function createAgentSession(options: CreateAgentSessionOptions = {}
 		return { ttsrManager, rulebookRules, alwaysApplyRules };
 	});
 
-	// Resolve contextFiles up-front (it's needed before tool creation). The agentsMd / workspace tree
-	// scans are slowest on large repos and we MUST NOT block startup on them — race them against a
-	// short deadline. On timeout we forward `undefined` to ToolSession; buildSystemPromptInternal will
-	// re-race them through its own withDeadline path, and subagents will scan independently (still
-	// cheaper than an unbounded parent hang). Background work continues so caches still warm.
-	const STARTUP_SCAN_DEADLINE_MS = 5000;
+	// Resolve contextFiles up-front (it's needed before tool creation). The
+	// workspace tree scan is slow on large repos and we MUST NOT block startup on
+	// it. On timeout we forward `undefined` to ToolSession; buildSystemPromptInternal
+	// will re-race the same promise through its own withDeadline path. Background
+	// work continues so caches still warm.
 	const raceWithDeadline = <T>(name: string, work: Promise<T>): Promise<T | undefined> =>
 		Promise.race([
 			work,
@@ -916,9 +909,8 @@ export async function createAgentSession(options: CreateAgentSessionOptions = {}
 				return undefined;
 			}),
 		]);
-	const [contextFiles, resolvedAgentsMdSearch, resolvedWorkspaceTree] = await Promise.all([
+	const [contextFiles, resolvedWorkspaceTree] = await Promise.all([
 		contextFilesPromise,
-		raceWithDeadline("buildAgentsMdSearch", agentsMdSearchPromise),
 		raceWithDeadline("buildWorkspaceTree", workspaceTreePromise),
 	]);
 
@@ -1004,7 +996,6 @@ export async function createAgentSession(options: CreateAgentSessionOptions = {}
 			},
 			skipPythonPreflight: options.skipPythonPreflight,
 			contextFiles,
-			agentsMdSearch: resolvedAgentsMdSearch,
 			workspaceTree: resolvedWorkspaceTree,
 			skills,
 			eventBus,
@@ -1456,7 +1447,6 @@ export async function createAgentSession(options: CreateAgentSessionOptions = {}
 				mcpDiscoveryServerSummaries: discoverableToolSummary.servers.map(formatDiscoverableMCPToolServerSummary),
 				eagerTasks,
 				secretsEnabled,
-				agentsMdSearch: agentsMdSearchPromise,
 				workspaceTree: workspaceTreePromise,
 			});
 
diff --git a/packages/coding-agent/src/system-prompt.ts b/packages/coding-agent/src/system-prompt.ts
index 17a3e3590..e55e0d5f9 100644
--- a/packages/coding-agent/src/system-prompt.ts
+++ b/packages/coding-agent/src/system-prompt.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 
 import * as os from "node:os";
 import type { AgentTool } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-agent-core";
-import { FileType, glob } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-natives";
 import { $env, getGpuCachePath, getProjectDir, hasFsCode, isEnoent, logger, prompt } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-utils";
 import { $ } from "bun";
 import { contextFileCapability } from "./capability/context-file";
@@ -15,7 +14,7 @@ import { loadSkills, type Skill } from "./extensibility/skills";
 import customSystemPromptTemplate from "./prompts/system/custom-system-prompt.md" with { type: "text" };
 import projectPromptTemplate from "./prompts/system/project-prompt.md" with { type: "text" };
 import systemPromptTemplate from "./prompts/system/system-prompt.md" with { type: "text" };
-import { buildWorkspaceTree, type WorkspaceTree } from "./workspace-tree";
+import { AGENTS_MD_LIMIT, buildWorkspaceTree, type WorkspaceTree } from "./workspace-tree";
 
 interface AlwaysApplyRule {
 	name: string;
@@ -84,58 +83,7 @@ function parseWmicTable(output: string, header: string): string | null {
 	return filtered[0] ?? null;
 }
 
-const AGENTS_MD_MIN_DEPTH = 1;
-const AGENTS_MD_MAX_DEPTH = 4;
-const AGENTS_MD_LIMIT = 200;
 const SYSTEM_PROMPT_PREP_TIMEOUT_MS = 5000;
-const AGENTS_MD_EXCLUDED_DIRS = new Set(["node_modules", ".git"]);
-
-export interface AgentsMdSearch {
-	scopePath: string;
-	limit: number;
-	pattern: string;
-	files: string[];
-}
-
-async function listAgentsMdFiles(root: string, limit: number): Promise<string[]> {
-	try {
-		const result = await glob({
-			pattern: "**/AGENTS.md",
-			path: root,
-			fileType: FileType.File,
-			recursive: true,
-			hidden: false,
-			gitignore: true,
-			maxResults: limit * 4,
-			cache: true,
-		});
-		const files: string[] = [];
-		for (const m of result.matches) {
-			const rel = m.path.replace(/\\/g, "/");
-			if (!rel?.endsWith("AGENTS.md")) continue;
-			const segments = rel.split("/");
-			const depth = segments.length - 1;
-			if (depth < AGENTS_MD_MIN_DEPTH || depth > AGENTS_MD_MAX_DEPTH) continue;
-			const dirSegments = segments.slice(0, -1);
-			if (dirSegments.some(seg => AGENTS_MD_EXCLUDED_DIRS.has(seg) || seg.startsWith("."))) continue;
-			files.push(rel);
-			if (files.length >= limit) break;
-		}
-		return Array.from(new Set(files)).sort().slice(0, limit);
-	} catch {
-		return [];
-	}
-}
-
-export async function buildAgentsMdSearch(cwd: string): Promise<AgentsMdSearch> {
-	const files = await listAgentsMdFiles(cwd, AGENTS_MD_LIMIT);
-	return {
-		scopePath: ".",
-		limit: AGENTS_MD_LIMIT,
-		pattern: `AGENTS.md depth ${AGENTS_MD_MIN_DEPTH}-${AGENTS_MD_MAX_DEPTH}`,
-		files,
-	};
-}
 
 async function getGpuModel(): Promise<string | null> {
 	switch (process.platform) {
@@ -409,8 +357,6 @@ export interface BuildSystemPromptOptions {
 	alwaysApplyRules?: AlwaysApplyRule[];
 	/** Whether secret obfuscation is active. When true, explains the redaction format in the prompt. */
 	secretsEnabled?: boolean;
-	/** Pre-loaded AGENTS.md search (skips discovery if provided). May be a Promise to allow early kick-off. */
-	agentsMdSearch?: AgentsMdSearch | Promise<AgentsMdSearch>;
 	/** Pre-loaded workspace tree (skips discovery if provided). May be a Promise to allow early kick-off. */
 	workspaceTree?: WorkspaceTree | Promise<WorkspaceTree>;
 }
@@ -444,7 +390,6 @@ export async function buildSystemPrompt(options: BuildSystemPromptOptions = {}):
 		mcpDiscoveryServerSummaries = [],
 		eagerTasks = false,
 		secretsEnabled = false,
-		agentsMdSearch: providedAgentsMdSearch,
 		workspaceTree: providedWorkspaceTree,
 	} = options;
 	const resolvedCwd = cwd ?? getProjectDir();
@@ -454,18 +399,13 @@ export async function buildSystemPrompt(options: BuildSystemPromptOptions = {}):
 		resolvedAppendPrompt: undefined as string | undefined,
 		systemPromptCustomization: null as string | null,
 		contextFiles: dedupeExactContextFiles(providedContextFiles ?? []),
-		agentsMdSearch: {
-			scopePath: ".",
-			limit: AGENTS_MD_LIMIT,
-			pattern: `AGENTS.md depth ${AGENTS_MD_MIN_DEPTH}-${AGENTS_MD_MAX_DEPTH}`,
-			files: [] as string[],
-		} satisfies AgentsMdSearch,
 		skills: providedSkills ?? ([] as Skill[]),
 		workspaceTree: {
 			rootPath: resolvedCwd,
 			rendered: "",
 			truncated: false,
 			totalLines: 0,
+			agentsMdFiles: [],
 		} satisfies WorkspaceTree,
 	};
 
@@ -503,14 +443,12 @@ export async function buildSystemPrompt(options: BuildSystemPromptOptions = {}):
 	const contextFilesPromise = providedContextFiles
 		? Promise.resolve(providedContextFiles)
 		: logger.time("loadProjectContextFiles", loadProjectContextFiles, { cwd: resolvedCwd });
-	const agentsMdSearchPromise =
-		providedAgentsMdSearch !== undefined
-			? Promise.resolve(providedAgentsMdSearch)
-			: logger.time("buildAgentsMdSearch", buildAgentsMdSearch, resolvedCwd);
 	const workspaceTreePromise =
 		providedWorkspaceTree !== undefined
 			? Promise.resolve(providedWorkspaceTree)
-			: logger.time("buildWorkspaceTree", buildWorkspaceTree, resolvedCwd);
+			: logger.time("buildWorkspaceTree", () =>
+					buildWorkspaceTree(resolvedCwd, { timeoutMs: SYSTEM_PROMPT_PREP_TIMEOUT_MS }),
+				);
 	const skillsPromise: Promise<Skill[]> =
 		providedSkills !== undefined
 			? Promise.resolve(providedSkills)
@@ -518,33 +456,30 @@ export async function buildSystemPrompt(options: BuildSystemPromptOptions = {}):
 				? loadSkills({ ...skillsSettings, cwd: resolvedCwd }).then(result => result.skills)
 				: Promise.resolve([]);
 
-	const [
-		resolvedCustomPrompt,
-		resolvedAppendPrompt,
-		systemPromptCustomization,
-		contextFiles,
-		agentsMdSearch,
-		skills,
-		workspaceTree,
-	] = await Promise.all([
-		withDeadline(
-			"customPrompt",
-			resolvePromptInput(customPrompt, "system prompt"),
-			prepDefaults.resolvedCustomPrompt,
-		),
-		withDeadline(
-			"appendSystemPrompt",
-			resolvePromptInput(appendSystemPrompt, "append system prompt"),
-			prepDefaults.resolvedAppendPrompt,
-		),
-		withDeadline("loadSystemPromptFiles", systemPromptCustomizationPromise, prepDefaults.systemPromptCustomization),
-		withDeadline("loadProjectContextFiles", contextFilesPromise, prepDefaults.contextFiles).then(
-			dedupeExactContextFiles,
-		),
-		withDeadline("buildAgentsMdSearch", agentsMdSearchPromise, prepDefaults.agentsMdSearch),
-		withDeadline("loadSkills", skillsPromise, prepDefaults.skills),
-		withDeadline("buildWorkspaceTree", workspaceTreePromise, prepDefaults.workspaceTree),
-	]);
+	const [resolvedCustomPrompt, resolvedAppendPrompt, systemPromptCustomization, contextFiles, skills, workspaceTree] =
+		await Promise.all([
+			withDeadline(
+				"customPrompt",
+				resolvePromptInput(customPrompt, "system prompt"),
+				prepDefaults.resolvedCustomPrompt,
+			),
+			withDeadline(
+				"appendSystemPrompt",
+				resolvePromptInput(appendSystemPrompt, "append system prompt"),
+				prepDefaults.resolvedAppendPrompt,
+			),
+			withDeadline(
+				"loadSystemPromptFiles",
+				systemPromptCustomizationPromise,
+				prepDefaults.systemPromptCustomization,
+			),
+			withDeadline("loadProjectContextFiles", contextFilesPromise, prepDefaults.contextFiles).then(
+				dedupeExactContextFiles,
+			),
+			withDeadline("loadSkills", skillsPromise, prepDefaults.skills),
+			withDeadline("buildWorkspaceTree", workspaceTreePromise, prepDefaults.workspaceTree),
+		]);
+	const agentsMdFiles = Array.from(new Set(workspaceTree.agentsMdFiles)).sort().slice(0, AGENTS_MD_LIMIT);
 
 	if (timedOut.length > 0) {
 		logger.warn("System prompt preparation steps timed out; using minimal fallback for those steps", {
@@ -617,7 +552,7 @@ export async function buildSystemPrompt(options: BuildSystemPromptOptions = {}):
 		toolRefs,
 		environment,
 		contextFiles,
-		agentsMdSearch,
+		agentsMdSearch: { files: agentsMdFiles },
 		workspaceTree,
 		skills: filteredSkills,
 		rules: rules ?? [],
diff --git a/packages/coding-agent/src/task/executor.ts b/packages/coding-agent/src/task/executor.ts
index 7659542a1..762033205 100644
--- a/packages/coding-agent/src/task/executor.ts
+++ b/packages/coding-agent/src/task/executor.ts
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ import { createAgentSession, discoverAuthStorage } from "../sdk";
 import type { AgentSession, AgentSessionEvent } from "../session/agent-session";
 import type { AuthStorage } from "../session/auth-storage";
 import { SessionManager } from "../session/session-manager";
-import type { AgentsMdSearch } from "../system-prompt";
 import { type ContextFileEntry, truncateTail } from "../tools";
 import { jtdToJsonSchema, normalizeSchema } from "../tools/jtd-to-json-schema";
 import { ToolAbortError } from "../tools/tool-errors";
@@ -165,7 +164,6 @@ export interface ExecutorOptions {
 	contextFiles?: ContextFileEntry[];
 	skills?: Skill[];
 	promptTemplates?: PromptTemplate[];
-	agentsMdSearch?: AgentsMdSearch;
 	workspaceTree?: WorkspaceTree;
 	mcpManager?: MCPManager;
 	authStorage?: AuthStorage;
@@ -995,7 +993,6 @@ export async function runSubprocess(options: ExecutorOptions): Promise<SingleRes
 				contextFiles: options.contextFiles,
 				skills: options.skills,
 				promptTemplates: options.promptTemplates,
-				agentsMdSearch: options.agentsMdSearch,
 				workspaceTree: options.workspaceTree,
 				systemPrompt: defaultPrompt => [
 					prompt.render(subagentSystemPromptTemplate, {
diff --git a/packages/coding-agent/src/task/index.ts b/packages/coding-agent/src/task/index.ts
index 73058adf3..9d8cdf76e 100644
--- a/packages/coding-agent/src/task/index.ts
+++ b/packages/coding-agent/src/task/index.ts
@@ -866,7 +866,6 @@ export class TaskTool implements AgentTool<TSchema, TaskToolDetails, Theme> {
 						mcpManager: this.session.mcpManager,
 						contextFiles,
 						skills: availableSkills,
-						agentsMdSearch: this.session.agentsMdSearch,
 						workspaceTree: this.session.workspaceTree,
 						promptTemplates,
 						localProtocolOptions,
@@ -924,7 +923,6 @@ export class TaskTool implements AgentTool<TSchema, TaskToolDetails, Theme> {
 						mcpManager: this.session.mcpManager,
 						contextFiles,
 						skills: availableSkills,
-						agentsMdSearch: this.session.agentsMdSearch,
 						workspaceTree: this.session.workspaceTree,
 						promptTemplates,
 						localProtocolOptions,
diff --git a/packages/coding-agent/src/tools/index.ts b/packages/coding-agent/src/tools/index.ts
index 294f1dd20..2a29c605c 100644
--- a/packages/coding-agent/src/tools/index.ts
+++ b/packages/coding-agent/src/tools/index.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ import type { PlanModeState } from "../plan-mode/state";
 import type { AgentRegistry } from "../registry/agent-registry";
 import type { CustomMessage } from "../session/messages";
 import type { ToolChoiceQueue } from "../session/tool-choice-queue";
-import type { AgentsMdSearch } from "../system-prompt";
 import { TaskTool } from "../task";
 import type { AgentOutputManager } from "../task/output-manager";
 import type { DiscoverableTool, DiscoverableToolSearchIndex } from "../tool-discovery/tool-index";
@@ -122,8 +121,6 @@ export interface ToolSession {
 	skipPythonPreflight?: boolean;
 	/** Pre-loaded context files (AGENTS.md, etc) */
 	contextFiles?: ContextFileEntry[];
-	/** Pre-loaded AGENTS.md search (forwarded to subagents to skip re-scanning) */
-	agentsMdSearch?: AgentsMdSearch;
 	/** Pre-loaded workspace tree (forwarded to subagents to skip re-scanning) */
 	workspaceTree?: WorkspaceTree;
 	/** Pre-loaded skills */
diff --git a/packages/coding-agent/src/tools/read.ts b/packages/coding-agent/src/tools/read.ts
index 4ca020140..b3c6e1199 100644
--- a/packages/coding-agent/src/tools/read.ts
+++ b/packages/coding-agent/src/tools/read.ts
@@ -73,20 +73,6 @@ const PROSE_SUMMARY_EXTENSIONS = new Set([".md", ".txt"]);
 // Remote mount path prefix (sshfs mounts) - skip fuzzy matching to avoid hangs
 const REMOTE_MOUNT_PREFIX = getRemoteDir() + path.sep;
 
-const READ_DIRECTORY_EXCLUDED_DIRS = new Set([
-	"node_modules",
-	".git",
-	".next",
-	"dist",
-	"build",
-	"target",
-	".venv",
-	".cache",
-	".turbo",
-	".parcel-cache",
-	"coverage",
-]);
-
 function isRemoteMountPath(absolutePath: string): boolean {
 	return absolutePath.startsWith(REMOTE_MOUNT_PREFIX);
 }
@@ -1581,15 +1567,9 @@ export class ReadTool implements AgentTool<typeof readSchema, ReadToolDetails> {
 		try {
 			tree = await buildDirectoryTree(absolutePath, {
 				maxDepth: READ_DIRECTORY_MAX_DEPTH,
-				directoryEntryLimit: READ_DIRECTORY_CHILD_LIMIT,
-				rootEntryLimit: null,
+				perDirLimit: READ_DIRECTORY_CHILD_LIMIT,
+				rootLimit: null,
 				lineCap: limit ?? null,
-				lineCapProtectedDepth: 1,
-				hidden: true,
-				gitignore: false,
-				cache: true,
-				excludedDirectoryNames: READ_DIRECTORY_EXCLUDED_DIRS,
-				rootLabel: ".",
 			});
 		} catch (error) {
 			const message = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error);
diff --git a/packages/coding-agent/src/workspace-tree.ts b/packages/coding-agent/src/workspace-tree.ts
index 3a5333036..0bd890019 100644
--- a/packages/coding-agent/src/workspace-tree.ts
+++ b/packages/coding-agent/src/workspace-tree.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,19 @@
-import * as fs from "node:fs/promises";
 import * as path from "node:path";
-import { glob } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-natives";
-import { $which, formatAge, formatBytes, logger } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-utils";
+import { FileType, type GlobMatch, listWorkspace } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-natives";
+import { formatAge, formatBytes } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-utils";
+
+/** Defaults for the workspace tree shown in the system prompt. */
+const WORKSPACE_DEFAULTS = {
+	maxDepth: 3,
+	perDirLimit: 12,
+	lineCap: 120,
+} as const;
+
+/**
+ * Hard cap on AGENTS.md files surfaced by `buildWorkspaceTree`. Mirrors the
+ * native cap so the system-prompt builder does not need a second pass.
+ */
+export const AGENTS_MD_LIMIT = 200;
 
 export interface DirectoryTree {
 	rootPath: string;
@@ -10,360 +22,250 @@ export interface DirectoryTree {
 	totalLines: number;
 }
 
-export interface WorkspaceTree extends DirectoryTree {}
-
-export interface DirectoryTreeOptions {
-	/** Directory depth below the root to include. Root itself is depth 0. */
-	maxDepth?: number;
-	/** Per-directory child cap. Use null to disable per-directory truncation. */
-	directoryEntryLimit?: number | null;
-	/** Optional root child cap. Defaults to directoryEntryLimit; use null to keep all root children. */
-	rootEntryLimit?: number | null;
-	/** Hard rendered line cap. Use null to disable line-cap pruning. */
-	lineCap?: number | null;
-	/** Depth at or above which line-cap pruning is forbidden. Root is 0, root children are 1. */
-	lineCapProtectedDepth?: number;
-	/** Entry names to skip before stat/render. */
-	excludedNames?: ReadonlySet<string> | readonly string[];
-	/** Directory names to skip before traversal. */
-	excludedDirectoryNames?: ReadonlySet<string> | readonly string[];
-	/** Include hidden files and directories. */
-	hidden?: boolean;
-	/** Respect .gitignore while listing children. */
-	gitignore?: boolean;
-	/** Use native glob shared cache. */
-	cache?: boolean;
-	/** Rendered label for the root line. */
-	rootLabel?: string;
-	/**
-	 * Pre-built map of `parentRelativePath` → child name set used in place of
-	 * native directory listing. When provided, the tree builder consults this
-	 * map for child enumeration instead of `glob` / `readdir`. Stat calls per
-	 * displayed node are still performed for mtime/size/dir-ness.
-	 */
-	childIndex?: ReadonlyMap<string, ReadonlySet<string>>;
+export interface WorkspaceTree extends DirectoryTree {
+	/** AGENTS.md files beneath the root whose rules may apply to subdirectories. */
+	agentsMdFiles: string[];
 }
 
-const WORKSPACE_TREE_MAX_DEPTH = 3;
-const WORKSPACE_TREE_DIR_LIMIT = 12;
-const WORKSPACE_TREE_LINE_CAP = 120;
-const WORKSPACE_TREE_EXCLUDED_DIRS = new Set([
-	"node_modules",
-	".git",
-	".next",
-	"dist",
-	"build",
-	"target",
-	".venv",
-	".cache",
-	".turbo",
-	".parcel-cache",
-	"coverage",
-]);
+export interface BuildDirectoryTreeOptions {
+	/** Directory depth below the root to include. Root itself is depth 0. Default: 1. */
+	maxDepth?: number;
+	/** Per-directory child cap. `null` disables the cap. Default: `null`. */
+	perDirLimit?: number | null;
+	/** Optional override for the root level. Defaults to `perDirLimit`. */
+	rootLimit?: number | null;
+	/** Hard rendered line cap. `null` disables. Default: `null`. */
+	lineCap?: number | null;
+}
 
-const DIRECTORY_TREE_EXCLUDED_NAMES = new Set([".DS_Store"]);
+export interface BuildWorkspaceTreeOptions {
+	/** Abort the native workspace scan after this many milliseconds. */
+	timeoutMs?: number;
+}
 
-const GLOB_SPECIAL_CHARS = new Set(["!", "(", ")", "*", "?", "[", "]", "{", "}", "\\"]);
+/**
+ * Build a generic directory tree using a single native scan. Hidden files are
+ * shown, .gitignore is not consulted, and the standard non-source directories
+ * (`node_modules`, `.git`, build outputs, caches…) are pruned by the native
+ * walker. Used by the read tool's directory-listing path.
+ */
+export async function buildDirectoryTree(cwd: string, options: BuildDirectoryTreeOptions = {}): Promise<DirectoryTree> {
+	const rootPath = path.resolve(cwd);
+	const maxDepth = options.maxDepth ?? 1;
+	const perDirLimit = options.perDirLimit === undefined ? null : options.perDirLimit;
+	const rootLimit = options.rootLimit === undefined ? perDirLimit : options.rootLimit;
 
-interface DirectoryTreeNode {
+	let entries: readonly GlobMatch[];
+	let nativeTruncated: boolean;
+	try {
+		const result = await listWorkspace({
+			path: rootPath,
+			maxDepth,
+			hidden: true,
+			gitignore: false,
+		});
+		entries = result.entries;
+		nativeTruncated = result.truncated;
+	} catch {
+		return emptyTree(rootPath);
+	}
+
+	return assembleTree(rootPath, entries, {
+		perDirLimit,
+		rootLimit,
+		lineCap: options.lineCap === undefined ? null : options.lineCap,
+		nativeTruncated,
+	});
+}
+
+/**
+ * Build the workspace tree shown in the system prompt. Returns the rendered
+ * tree plus the AGENTS.md files surfaced by the same native walk so callers
+ * never need to do a second filesystem scan.
+ */
+export async function buildWorkspaceTree(cwd: string, options: BuildWorkspaceTreeOptions = {}): Promise<WorkspaceTree> {
+	const rootPath = path.resolve(cwd);
+	try {
+		const result = await listWorkspace({
+			path: rootPath,
+			maxDepth: WORKSPACE_DEFAULTS.maxDepth,
+			hidden: false,
+			gitignore: true,
+			collectAgentsMd: true,
+			timeoutMs: options.timeoutMs,
+		});
+		const tree = assembleTree(rootPath, result.entries, {
+			perDirLimit: WORKSPACE_DEFAULTS.perDirLimit,
+			rootLimit: WORKSPACE_DEFAULTS.perDirLimit,
+			lineCap: WORKSPACE_DEFAULTS.lineCap,
+			nativeTruncated: result.truncated,
+		});
+		return { ...tree, agentsMdFiles: result.agentsMdFiles };
+	} catch {
+		return { ...emptyTree(rootPath), agentsMdFiles: [] };
+	}
+}
+
+// ─── internals ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+interface Node {
 	name: string;
-	relativePath: string;
-	depth: number;
-	isDirectory: boolean;
+	isDir: boolean;
 	mtimeMs: number;
 	size: number;
-	children: DirectoryTreeNode[];
-	droppedChildCount: number;
+	depth: number;
+	children: Node[];
+	/** When > 0, `children` is laid out as `[recent…, oldest]`. */
+	droppedCount: number;
 }
 
-interface ResolvedDirectoryTreeOptions {
-	maxDepth: number;
-	directoryEntryLimit: number | null;
-	rootEntryLimit: number | null;
-	lineCap: number | null;
-	lineCapProtectedDepth: number;
-	excludedDirectoryNames: ReadonlySet<string>;
-	excludedNames: ReadonlySet<string>;
-	hidden: boolean;
-	gitignore: boolean;
-	cache: boolean;
-	rootLabel: string;
-	childIndex: ReadonlyMap<string, ReadonlySet<string>> | null;
-}
-
-interface RenderLine {
+interface RenderedLine {
 	label: string;
 	depth: number;
+	isRoot: boolean;
 	size?: string;
 	age?: string;
-	isRoot?: boolean;
 }
 
-function emptyWorkspaceTree(rootPath: string): WorkspaceTree {
-	return {
-		rootPath,
-		rendered: "",
-		truncated: false,
-		totalLines: 0,
-	};
+interface AssembleOptions {
+	perDirLimit: number | null;
+	rootLimit: number | null;
+	lineCap: number | null;
+	nativeTruncated: boolean;
 }
 
-function resolveDirectoryTreeOptions(options: DirectoryTreeOptions): ResolvedDirectoryTreeOptions {
-	const directoryEntryLimit = options.directoryEntryLimit === undefined ? null : options.directoryEntryLimit;
-	const rootEntryLimit = options.rootEntryLimit === undefined ? directoryEntryLimit : options.rootEntryLimit;
-	const excludedDirectoryNames =
-		options.excludedDirectoryNames instanceof Set
-			? options.excludedDirectoryNames
-			: new Set(options.excludedDirectoryNames ?? []);
-	const providedExcludedNames =
-		options.excludedNames instanceof Set ? options.excludedNames : new Set(options.excludedNames ?? []);
-	const excludedNames = new Set([...DIRECTORY_TREE_EXCLUDED_NAMES, ...providedExcludedNames]);
-	return {
-		maxDepth: options.maxDepth ?? 1,
-		directoryEntryLimit,
-		rootEntryLimit,
-		lineCap: options.lineCap === undefined ? null : options.lineCap,
-		lineCapProtectedDepth: options.lineCapProtectedDepth ?? 0,
-		excludedDirectoryNames,
-		excludedNames,
-		hidden: options.hidden ?? true,
-		gitignore: options.gitignore ?? false,
-		cache: options.cache ?? true,
-		rootLabel: options.rootLabel ?? ".",
-		childIndex: options.childIndex ?? null,
-	};
-}
-
-function compareByRecency(a: DirectoryTreeNode, b: DirectoryTreeNode): number {
-	const mtimeCompare = b.mtimeMs - a.mtimeMs;
-	if (mtimeCompare !== 0) return mtimeCompare;
-	return a.name.localeCompare(b.name);
-}
-
-function childRelativePath(parentRelativePath: string, name: string): string {
-	return parentRelativePath ? `${parentRelativePath}/${name}` : name;
-}
-
-function escapeGlobSegment(segment: string): string {
-	return Array.from(segment, char => (GLOB_SPECIAL_CHARS.has(char) ? `\\${char}` : char)).join("");
-}
-
-function directChildPattern(parentRelativePath: string): string {
-	if (!parentRelativePath) return "*";
-	return `${parentRelativePath.split("/").map(escapeGlobSegment).join("/")}/*`;
-}
-
-function matchChildName(parentRelativePath: string, matchPath: string): string | null {
-	if (!parentRelativePath) return matchPath.includes("/") ? null : matchPath;
-	const prefix = `${parentRelativePath}/`;
-	if (!matchPath.startsWith(prefix)) return null;
-	const name = matchPath.slice(prefix.length);
-	return name.includes("/") ? null : name;
-}
-
-async function listDirectChildNames(
-	rootPath: string,
-	parent: DirectoryTreeNode,
-	options: ResolvedDirectoryTreeOptions,
-): Promise<string[]> {
-	if (options.childIndex) {
-		const names = options.childIndex.get(parent.relativePath);
-		return names ? Array.from(names) : [];
-	}
-	if (!options.gitignore) {
-		const directoryPath = parent.relativePath ? path.join(rootPath, parent.relativePath) : rootPath;
-		return await fs.readdir(directoryPath);
-	}
-
-	const result = await glob({
-		pattern: directChildPattern(parent.relativePath),
-		path: rootPath,
-		recursive: false,
-		hidden: options.hidden,
-		gitignore: true,
-		cache: options.cache,
-	});
-
-	return result.matches
-		.map(match => matchChildName(parent.relativePath, match.path))
-		.filter((name): name is string => name !== null);
-}
-
-async function listDirectoryTreeChildren(
-	rootPath: string,
-	parent: DirectoryTreeNode,
-	options: ResolvedDirectoryTreeOptions,
-): Promise<DirectoryTreeNode[]> {
-	const childNames = await listDirectChildNames(rootPath, parent, options);
-
-	const children = await Promise.all(
-		childNames.map(async (name): Promise<DirectoryTreeNode | null> => {
-			if (options.excludedNames.has(name)) return null;
-			if (!options.hidden && name.startsWith(".")) return null;
-			const relativePath = childRelativePath(parent.relativePath, name);
-			const absolutePath = path.join(rootPath, relativePath);
-			try {
-				const stat = await Bun.file(absolutePath).stat();
-				const isDirectory = stat.isDirectory();
-				if (isDirectory && options.excludedDirectoryNames.has(name)) return null;
-				return {
-					name,
-					relativePath,
-					depth: parent.depth + 1,
-					isDirectory,
-					mtimeMs: stat.mtimeMs,
-					size: stat.size,
-					children: [],
-					droppedChildCount: 0,
-				} satisfies DirectoryTreeNode;
-			} catch {
-				return null;
-			}
-		}),
-	);
-
-	return children.filter((child): child is DirectoryTreeNode => child !== null).sort(compareByRecency);
-}
-
-function entryLimitForNode(node: DirectoryTreeNode, options: ResolvedDirectoryTreeOptions): number | null {
-	return node.depth === 0 ? options.rootEntryLimit : options.directoryEntryLimit;
-}
-
-function applyDirectoryLimit(
-	node: DirectoryTreeNode,
-	children: DirectoryTreeNode[],
-	options: ResolvedDirectoryTreeOptions,
-): { visibleChildren: DirectoryTreeNode[]; droppedCount: number } {
-	const entryLimit = entryLimitForNode(node, options);
-	if (entryLimit === null || children.length <= entryLimit) {
-		return { visibleChildren: children, droppedCount: 0 };
-	}
-	if (entryLimit <= 1) {
-		return {
-			visibleChildren: children.slice(0, Math.max(0, entryLimit)),
-			droppedCount: children.length - entryLimit,
+function assembleTree(rootPath: string, entries: readonly GlobMatch[], opts: AssembleOptions): DirectoryTree {
+	// Bucket entries by parent path. The native walker may yield siblings in
+	// any order across worker threads, so we group by string key and sort once
+	// per directory below.
+	const byParent = new Map<string, Node[]>();
+	for (const entry of entries) {
+		const slash = entry.path.lastIndexOf("/");
+		const name = slash === -1 ? entry.path : entry.path.slice(slash + 1);
+		const parentPath = slash === -1 ? "" : entry.path.slice(0, slash);
+		const node: Node = {
+			name,
+			isDir: entry.fileType === FileType.Dir,
+			mtimeMs: entry.mtime ?? 0,
+			size: entry.size ?? 0,
+			depth: parentPath ? parentPath.split("/").length + 1 : 1,
+			children: [],
+			droppedCount: 0,
 		};
+		const bucket = byParent.get(parentPath);
+		if (bucket) bucket.push(node);
+		else byParent.set(parentPath, [node]);
 	}
 
-	const recentChildren = children.slice(0, entryLimit - 1);
-	const oldestChild = children[children.length - 1];
-	return {
-		visibleChildren: oldestChild ? [...recentChildren, oldestChild] : recentChildren,
-		droppedCount: children.length - entryLimit,
-	};
-}
-
-async function collectDirectoryTree(
-	rootPath: string,
-	options: ResolvedDirectoryTreeOptions,
-): Promise<{ root: DirectoryTreeNode; truncated: boolean }> {
-	const rootStat = await Bun.file(rootPath).stat();
-	const root: DirectoryTreeNode = {
-		name: options.rootLabel,
-		relativePath: "",
+	const root: Node = {
+		name: ".",
+		isDir: true,
+		mtimeMs: 0,
+		size: 0,
 		depth: 0,
-		isDirectory: true,
-		mtimeMs: rootStat.mtimeMs,
-		size: rootStat.size,
 		children: [],
-		droppedChildCount: 0,
+		droppedCount: 0,
 	};
 
-	let truncated = false;
-	const queue: DirectoryTreeNode[] = [root];
-	let cursor = 0;
-
-	while (cursor < queue.length) {
-		const parent = queue[cursor];
-		cursor += 1;
-		if (!parent || parent.depth >= options.maxDepth) continue;
-
-		const children = await listDirectoryTreeChildren(rootPath, parent, options);
-		const limited = applyDirectoryLimit(parent, children, options);
-		parent.children = limited.visibleChildren;
-		parent.droppedChildCount = limited.droppedCount;
-		if (limited.droppedCount > 0) truncated = true;
-
-		for (const child of parent.children) {
-			if (child.isDirectory) queue.push(child);
+	let truncated = opts.nativeTruncated;
+	const stack: Array<{ node: Node; relPath: string }> = [{ node: root, relPath: "" }];
+	while (stack.length > 0) {
+		const { node, relPath } = stack.pop()!;
+		const all = (byParent.get(relPath) ?? []).slice().sort(byRecency);
+		const limit = node.depth === 0 ? opts.rootLimit : opts.perDirLimit;
+		if (limit !== null && all.length > limit) {
+			node.children = limit <= 1 ? all.slice(0, Math.max(0, limit)) : [...all.slice(0, limit - 1), all.at(-1)!];
+			node.droppedCount = all.length - limit;
+			truncated = true;
+		} else {
+			node.children = all;
+		}
+		for (const child of node.children) {
+			if (!child.isDir) continue;
+			stack.push({ node: child, relPath: relPath ? `${relPath}/${child.name}` : child.name });
 		}
 	}
 
-	return { root, truncated };
+	const rawLines: RenderedLine[] = [];
+	renderNode(root, Date.now(), rawLines);
+	const { lines, elidedCount } = applyLineCap(rawLines, opts.lineCap);
+
+	return {
+		rootPath,
+		rendered: formatLines(lines),
+		truncated: truncated || elidedCount > 0,
+		totalLines: lines.length,
+	};
 }
 
-function formatNodeAge(nowMs: number, mtimeMs: number): string {
-	const ageSeconds = Math.max(0, Math.floor((nowMs - mtimeMs) / 1000));
-	return formatAge(ageSeconds);
+function byRecency(a: Node, b: Node): number {
+	return b.mtimeMs - a.mtimeMs || a.name.localeCompare(b.name);
 }
 
-function pushNodeLine(lines: RenderLine[], node: DirectoryTreeNode, nowMs: number): void {
+function renderNode(node: Node, nowMs: number, out: RenderedLine[]): void {
 	if (node.depth === 0) {
-		lines.push({ label: node.name, depth: 0, isRoot: true });
+		out.push({ label: node.name, depth: 0, isRoot: true });
+	} else {
+		const indent = "  ".repeat(node.depth);
+		const suffix = node.isDir ? "/" : "";
+		out.push({
+			label: `${indent}- ${node.name}${suffix}`,
+			depth: node.depth,
+			isRoot: false,
+			size: node.isDir ? undefined : formatBytes(node.size),
+			age: formatAge(Math.max(0, Math.floor((nowMs - node.mtimeMs) / 1000))),
+		});
+	}
+
+	if (node.droppedCount === 0) {
+		for (const child of node.children) renderNode(child, nowMs, out);
 		return;
 	}
 
-	const indent = "  ".repeat(node.depth);
-	const suffix = node.isDirectory ? "/" : "";
-	lines.push({
-		label: `${indent}- ${node.name}${suffix}`,
-		depth: node.depth,
-		size: node.isDirectory ? undefined : formatBytes(node.size),
-		age: formatNodeAge(nowMs, node.mtimeMs),
-	});
-}
-
-function pushDroppedChildrenLine(lines: RenderLine[], parent: DirectoryTreeNode): void {
-	if (parent.droppedChildCount <= 0) return;
-	const childDepth = parent.depth + 1;
-	const indent = "  ".repeat(childDepth);
-	lines.push({
-		label: `${indent}- … ${parent.droppedChildCount} more`,
+	// Layout: recent children, then "… N more" marker, then the oldest child.
+	const recent = node.children.slice(0, -1);
+	const oldest = node.children.at(-1);
+	for (const child of recent) renderNode(child, nowMs, out);
+	const childDepth = node.depth + 1;
+	out.push({
+		label: `${"  ".repeat(childDepth)}- … ${node.droppedCount} more`,
 		depth: childDepth,
+		isRoot: false,
 	});
+	if (oldest) renderNode(oldest, nowMs, out);
 }
 
-function collectRenderLines(node: DirectoryTreeNode, nowMs: number, lines: RenderLine[]): void {
-	pushNodeLine(lines, node, nowMs);
-
-	if (node.droppedChildCount > 0) {
-		const recentChildren = node.children.slice(0, -1);
-		const oldestChild = node.children[node.children.length - 1];
-		for (const child of recentChildren) collectRenderLines(child, nowMs, lines);
-		pushDroppedChildrenLine(lines, node);
-		if (oldestChild && !recentChildren.includes(oldestChild)) collectRenderLines(oldestChild, nowMs, lines);
-		return;
-	}
-
-	for (const child of node.children) collectRenderLines(child, nowMs, lines);
-}
-
+/**
+ * Cap the rendered tree at `lineCap` lines by removing the deepest trailing
+ * entries first. Root and root children (depth ≤ 1) are always preserved so
+ * the structural overview stays intact.
+ */
 function applyLineCap(
-	lines: RenderLine[],
-	options: ResolvedDirectoryTreeOptions,
-): { lines: RenderLine[]; elidedCount: number } {
-	if (options.lineCap === null || lines.length <= options.lineCap) return { lines, elidedCount: 0 };
+	lines: readonly RenderedLine[],
+	lineCap: number | null,
+): { lines: RenderedLine[]; elidedCount: number } {
+	if (lineCap === null || lines.length <= lineCap) return { lines: [...lines], elidedCount: 0 };
 
-	const targetLineCount = Math.max(1, options.lineCap - 1);
-	const removeCount = lines.length - targetLineCount;
+	const PROTECTED_DEPTH = 1;
+	const target = Math.max(1, lineCap - 1);
 	const removable = lines
 		.map((line, index) => ({ line, index }))
-		.filter(item => !item.line.isRoot && item.line.depth > options.lineCapProtectedDepth)
+		.filter(({ line }) => !line.isRoot && line.depth > PROTECTED_DEPTH)
 		.sort((a, b) => b.line.depth - a.line.depth || b.index - a.index)
-		.slice(0, removeCount);
-	if (removable.length === 0) return { lines, elidedCount: 0 };
+		.slice(0, lines.length - target);
+	if (removable.length === 0) return { lines: [...lines], elidedCount: 0 };
 
-	const removedIndexes = new Set(removable.map(item => item.index));
-	const cappedLines = lines.filter((_, index) => !removedIndexes.has(index));
-	cappedLines.push({
+	const removed = new Set(removable.map(item => item.index));
+	const kept = lines.filter((_, index) => !removed.has(index));
+	kept.push({
 		label: `… (${removable.length} lines elided beyond depth/cap)`,
 		depth: 0,
+		isRoot: false,
 	});
-
-	return { lines: cappedLines, elidedCount: removable.length };
+	return { lines: kept, elidedCount: removable.length };
 }
 
-function renderLines(lines: RenderLine[]): string {
+function formatLines(lines: readonly RenderedLine[]): string {
 	const maxLabelLength = lines.reduce((max, line) => Math.max(max, line.label.length), 0);
 	return lines
 		.map(line => {
@@ -374,113 +276,11 @@ function renderLines(lines: RenderLine[]): string {
 		.join("\n");
 }
 
-export async function buildDirectoryTree(rootPath: string, options: DirectoryTreeOptions = {}): Promise<DirectoryTree> {
-	const resolvedRootPath = path.resolve(rootPath);
-	const resolvedOptions = resolveDirectoryTreeOptions(options);
-	const nowMs = Date.now();
-	const { root, truncated: directoryTruncated } = await collectDirectoryTree(resolvedRootPath, resolvedOptions);
-	const lines: RenderLine[] = [];
-	collectRenderLines(root, nowMs, lines);
-	const { lines: cappedLines, elidedCount } = applyLineCap(lines, resolvedOptions);
+function emptyTree(rootPath: string): DirectoryTree {
 	return {
-		rootPath: resolvedRootPath,
-		rendered: renderLines(cappedLines),
-		truncated: directoryTruncated || elidedCount > 0,
-		totalLines: cappedLines.length,
+		rootPath,
+		rendered: "",
+		truncated: false,
+		totalLines: 0,
 	};
 }
-
-/**
- * Build a `parentRelativePath` → child name index from a flat list of POSIX
- * paths. Intermediate directory components are inferred from path segments;
- * the index covers every ancestor directory implied by the input.
- */
-function buildChildIndexFromPaths(paths: readonly string[]): Map<string, Set<string>> {
-	const index = new Map<string, Set<string>>();
-	const ensure = (parent: string): Set<string> => {
-		let bucket = index.get(parent);
-		if (!bucket) {
-			bucket = new Set<string>();
-			index.set(parent, bucket);
-		}
-		return bucket;
-	};
-	for (const raw of paths) {
-		if (!raw) continue;
-		const normalized = raw.replace(/\\/g, "/");
-		const parts = normalized.split("/").filter(segment => segment.length > 0);
-		if (parts.length === 0) continue;
-		for (let i = 0; i < parts.length; i += 1) {
-			const parent = parts.slice(0, i).join("/");
-			const segment = parts[i];
-			if (segment !== undefined) ensure(parent).add(segment);
-		}
-	}
-	return index;
-}
-
-const GIT_LS_FILES_TIMEOUT_MS = 3000;
-
-/**
- * List tracked + untracked-not-ignored files at `rootPath` via `git ls-files`.
- * Returns `null` when git is unavailable, the directory is not inside a
- * worktree, or the call fails / times out — caller falls back to native
- * directory listing.
- */
-async function tryListGitFiles(rootPath: string): Promise<string[] | null> {
-	const gitPath = $which("git");
-	if (!gitPath) return null;
-	const signal = AbortSignal.timeout(GIT_LS_FILES_TIMEOUT_MS);
-	try {
-		const child = Bun.spawn([gitPath, "ls-files", "--cached", "--others", "--exclude-standard", "-z"], {
-			cwd: rootPath,
-			stdout: "pipe",
-			stderr: "pipe",
-			stdin: "ignore",
-			signal,
-		});
-		const [stdout, exitCode] = await Promise.all([
-			new Response(child.stdout as ReadableStream<Uint8Array>).text(),
-			child.exited,
-		]);
-		if (exitCode !== 0) return null;
-		if (!stdout) return [];
-		// `-z` separates entries with NUL; trailing NUL after final entry.
-		return stdout.split("\0").filter(entry => entry.length > 0);
-	} catch (error) {
-		logger.debug("git ls-files failed; falling back to native directory listing", {
-			rootPath,
-			error: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error),
-		});
-		return null;
-	}
-}
-
-export async function buildWorkspaceTree(cwd: string): Promise<WorkspaceTree> {
-	const rootPath = path.resolve(cwd);
-	const baseOptions = {
-		maxDepth: WORKSPACE_TREE_MAX_DEPTH,
-		directoryEntryLimit: WORKSPACE_TREE_DIR_LIMIT,
-		lineCap: WORKSPACE_TREE_LINE_CAP,
-		excludedDirectoryNames: WORKSPACE_TREE_EXCLUDED_DIRS,
-		hidden: false,
-		cache: true,
-		rootLabel: ".",
-	} satisfies DirectoryTreeOptions;
-
-	try {
-		const gitFiles = await tryListGitFiles(rootPath);
-		if (gitFiles !== null) {
-			// Git already applied gitignore + tracking semantics: bypass native
-			// recursive scan and feed the index directly to the tree builder.
-			return await buildDirectoryTree(rootPath, {
-				...baseOptions,
-				gitignore: false,
-				childIndex: buildChildIndexFromPaths(gitFiles),
-			});
-		}
-		return await buildDirectoryTree(rootPath, { ...baseOptions, gitignore: true });
-	} catch {
-		return emptyWorkspaceTree(rootPath);
-	}
-}
diff --git a/packages/coding-agent/test/system-prompt-templates.test.ts b/packages/coding-agent/test/system-prompt-templates.test.ts
index 8cb046ff2..e999d59f3 100644
--- a/packages/coding-agent/test/system-prompt-templates.test.ts
+++ b/packages/coding-agent/test/system-prompt-templates.test.ts
@@ -211,17 +211,12 @@ describe("system Handlebars prompt templates", () => {
 				skills: [],
 				rules: [],
 				toolNames: ["read"],
-				agentsMdSearch: {
-					scopePath: ".",
-					limit: 200,
-					pattern: "AGENTS.md depth 1-4",
-					files: ["packages/coding-agent/AGENTS.md"],
-				},
 				workspaceTree: {
 					rootPath: dir,
 					rendered: ".\n  - src/        1m",
 					truncated: true,
 					totalLines: 2,
+					agentsMdFiles: ["packages/coding-agent/AGENTS.md"],
 				},
 			});
 
diff --git a/packages/coding-agent/test/workspace-tree.test.ts b/packages/coding-agent/test/workspace-tree.test.ts
index 8b07997a2..861f47603 100644
--- a/packages/coding-agent/test/workspace-tree.test.ts
+++ b/packages/coding-agent/test/workspace-tree.test.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ import * as fs from "node:fs/promises";
 import * as os from "node:os";
 import * as path from "node:path";
 import { buildDirectoryTree, buildWorkspaceTree } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-coding-agent/workspace-tree";
-import { $ } from "bun";
 
 const tempDirs: string[] = [];
 
@@ -141,10 +140,8 @@ describe("buildWorkspaceTree", () => {
 
 		const tree = await buildDirectoryTree(cwd, {
 			maxDepth: 2,
-			directoryEntryLimit: 12,
-			rootEntryLimit: null,
-			hidden: true,
-			gitignore: false,
+			perDirLimit: 12,
+			rootLimit: null,
 		});
 
 		expect(tree.truncated).toBe(true);
@@ -156,36 +153,45 @@ describe("buildWorkspaceTree", () => {
 		expect(tree.rendered).toContain("child-00.txt");
 		expect(tree.rendered).toContain("… 1 more");
 	});
-});
 
-describe("buildWorkspaceTree (git-backed listing)", () => {
-	afterEach(async () => {
-		await Promise.all(tempDirs.splice(0).map(dir => fs.rm(dir, { recursive: true, force: true })));
-	});
-
-	it("derives the tree from `git ls-files` and skips gitignored entries even without explicit excludes", async () => {
+	it("returns AGENTS.md files at directory depths one through four", async () => {
 		const cwd = await makeTempDir();
-		// `git init` produces a real worktree so tryListGitFiles activates.
-		await $`git init -q --initial-branch=main`.cwd(cwd).quiet().nothrow();
-		await $`git config user.email test@example.com`.cwd(cwd).quiet().nothrow();
-		await $`git config user.name test`.cwd(cwd).quiet().nothrow();
 
-		const base = Date.now() - 60_000;
-		await Bun.write(path.join(cwd, ".gitignore"), "secret.txt\nbuild-output/\n");
-		await writeFileWithMtime(path.join(cwd, "kept.txt"), "kept", base + 5_000);
-		await writeFileWithMtime(path.join(cwd, "secret.txt"), "secret", base + 4_000);
-		await touchDirWithMtime(path.join(cwd, "build-output"), base + 3_000);
-		await writeFileWithMtime(path.join(cwd, "build-output", "artifact.bin"), "x", base + 3_000);
-		await touchDirWithMtime(path.join(cwd, "src"), base + 2_000);
-		await writeFileWithMtime(path.join(cwd, "src", "main.ts"), "main", base + 2_000);
+		await Bun.write(path.join(cwd, "AGENTS.md"), "root rules");
+		await Bun.write(path.join(cwd, "one", "AGENTS.md"), "depth one rules");
+		await Bun.write(path.join(cwd, "one", "two", "AGENTS.md"), "depth two rules");
+		await Bun.write(path.join(cwd, "one", "two", "three", "AGENTS.md"), "depth three rules");
+		await Bun.write(path.join(cwd, "one", "two", "three", "four", "AGENTS.md"), "depth four rules");
+		await Bun.write(path.join(cwd, "one", "two", "three", "four", "five", "AGENTS.md"), "too deep");
+
+		const tree = await buildWorkspaceTree(cwd);
+
+		expect(tree.agentsMdFiles).toEqual([
+			"one/AGENTS.md",
+			"one/two/AGENTS.md",
+			"one/two/three/AGENTS.md",
+			"one/two/three/four/AGENTS.md",
+		]);
+	});
+
+	it("surfaces gitignored AGENTS.md files but not AGENTS.md under ignored directories", async () => {
+		const cwd = await makeTempDir();
+		await Bun.write(path.join(cwd, ".gitignore"), "src/AGENTS.md\nignored-dir/\nnode_modules/\n.git/\n.hidden/\n");
+		await Bun.write(path.join(cwd, "src", "AGENTS.md"), "src rules");
+		await Bun.write(path.join(cwd, "src", "main.ts"), "source");
+		await Bun.write(path.join(cwd, "ignored-dir", "AGENTS.md"), "ignored dir rules");
+		await Bun.write(path.join(cwd, "node_modules", "pkg", "AGENTS.md"), "ignored dependency rules");
+		await Bun.write(path.join(cwd, ".git", "AGENTS.md"), "ignored git rules");
+		await Bun.write(path.join(cwd, ".hidden", "AGENTS.md"), "ignored hidden rules");
 
 		const tree = await buildWorkspaceTree(cwd);
 
-		expect(tree.rendered).toContain("kept.txt");
 		expect(tree.rendered).toContain("src/");
+		expect(tree.rendered).toContain("AGENTS.md");
 		expect(tree.rendered).toContain("main.ts");
-		expect(tree.rendered).not.toContain("secret.txt");
-		expect(tree.rendered).not.toContain("build-output");
-		expect(tree.rendered).not.toContain("artifact.bin");
+		expect(tree.rendered).not.toContain("ignored-dir");
+		expect(tree.rendered).not.toContain("node_modules");
+		expect(tree.rendered).not.toContain(".hidden");
+		expect(tree.agentsMdFiles).toEqual(["src/AGENTS.md"]);
 	});
 });
diff --git a/packages/natives/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/natives/CHANGELOG.md
index 9113c4ad9..1f50712fe 100644
--- a/packages/natives/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/natives/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Added
+
+- Added `listWorkspace`, a native single-pass workspace walker that returns bounded tree entries and AGENTS.md directory-context candidates together.
+
 ## [14.7.1] - 2026-05-06
 
 ### Added
diff --git a/packages/natives/native/index.d.ts b/packages/natives/native/index.d.ts
index ce22cd71c..839b98f39 100644
--- a/packages/natives/native/index.d.ts
+++ b/packages/natives/native/index.d.ts
@@ -768,6 +768,50 @@ export declare enum KeyEventType {
   Release = 3
 }
 
+/**
+ * Walk the workspace once and return tree entries plus AGENTS.md candidates.
+ *
+ * File-level ignore rules for AGENTS.md are bypassed by checking each
+ * traversed directory directly when `collectAgentsMd` is enabled, but ignored
+ * directories are still pruned by the walker and are not searched.
+ */
+export declare function listWorkspace(options: ListWorkspaceOptions): Promise<ListWorkspaceResult>
+
+/** Input options for `listWorkspace`, the single-pass workspace startup scan. */
+export interface ListWorkspaceOptions {
+  /** Directory to scan. */
+  path: string
+  /** Maximum depth for returned tree entries. Root children are depth 1. */
+  maxDepth: number
+  /** Include hidden files and directories. Default: false. */
+  hidden?: boolean
+  /** Respect .gitignore files. Default: true. */
+  gitignore?: boolean
+  /**
+   * Also surface AGENTS.md files in directories at depth 1..=4, even when
+   * gitignore would otherwise hide the file. Walks deeper than `maxDepth`
+   * to find them. Default: false.
+   */
+  collectAgentsMd?: boolean
+  /** Timeout in milliseconds for the operation. */
+  timeoutMs?: number
+  /** Abort signal for cancelling the operation. */
+  signal?: unknown
+}
+
+/** Result payload returned by a workspace scan. */
+export interface ListWorkspaceResult {
+  /** Entries within `maxDepth`, with mtime and regular-file size metadata. */
+  entries: Array<GlobMatch>
+  /**
+   * Directory-scoped AGENTS.md files within depth 1..=4 (capped at 200).
+   * Always empty when `collectAgentsMd` is false.
+   */
+  agentsMdFiles: Array<string>
+  /** True when any output cap was hit. */
+  truncated: boolean
+}
+
 /**
  * System UI appearance reported by native macOS APIs (`detectMacOSAppearance`
  * and observer).
diff --git a/packages/natives/native/index.js b/packages/natives/native/index.js
index 271fc96b2..5edea39c3 100644
--- a/packages/natives/native/index.js
+++ b/packages/natives/native/index.js
@@ -231,6 +231,7 @@ export const hasMatch = nativeBindings.hasMatch;
 export const highlightCode = nativeBindings.highlightCode;
 export const htmlToMarkdown = nativeBindings.htmlToMarkdown;
 export const invalidateFsScanCache = nativeBindings.invalidateFsScanCache;
+export const listWorkspace = nativeBindings.listWorkspace;
 export const matchesKey = nativeBindings.matchesKey;
 export const matchesKittySequence = nativeBindings.matchesKittySequence;
 export const matchesLegacySequence = nativeBindings.matchesLegacySequence;
diff --git a/packages/natives/test/native.test.ts b/packages/natives/test/native.test.ts
index 523980532..b67bf3325 100644
--- a/packages/natives/test/native.test.ts
+++ b/packages/natives/test/native.test.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
 	grep,
 	htmlToMarkdown,
 	invalidateFsScanCache,
+	listWorkspace,
 	MacOSPowerAssertion,
 	PtySession,
 	sanitizeText,
@@ -421,6 +422,43 @@ describe("pi-natives", () => {
 		});
 	});
 
+	describe("listWorkspace", () => {
+		it("returns tree entries and gitignored AGENTS.md files outside ignored directories", async () => {
+			const workspaceDir = await fs.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "natives-workspace-"));
+			try {
+				await fs.writeFile(path.join(workspaceDir, ".gitignore"), "ignored.txt\nsrc/AGENTS.md\nignored-dir/\n");
+				await fs.writeFile(path.join(workspaceDir, "kept.ts"), "export const kept = true;\n");
+				await fs.writeFile(path.join(workspaceDir, "ignored.txt"), "ignored\n");
+				await fs.mkdir(path.join(workspaceDir, "src"), { recursive: true });
+				await fs.writeFile(path.join(workspaceDir, "src", "AGENTS.md"), "src rules\n");
+				await fs.writeFile(path.join(workspaceDir, "src", "main.ts"), "export const main = true;\n");
+				await fs.mkdir(path.join(workspaceDir, "ignored-dir"), { recursive: true });
+				await fs.writeFile(path.join(workspaceDir, "ignored-dir", "AGENTS.md"), "ignored rules\n");
+
+				const result = await listWorkspace({
+					path: workspaceDir,
+					maxDepth: 3,
+					gitignore: true,
+					hidden: false,
+					collectAgentsMd: true,
+				});
+				const entryPaths = result.entries.map(entry => entry.path);
+
+				expect(result.truncated).toBe(false);
+				expect(entryPaths).toContain("kept.ts");
+				expect(entryPaths).toContain("src");
+				expect(entryPaths).toContain("src/AGENTS.md");
+				expect(entryPaths).toContain("src/main.ts");
+				expect(entryPaths).not.toContain("ignored.txt");
+				expect(entryPaths).not.toContain("ignored-dir");
+				expect(entryPaths).not.toContain("ignored-dir/AGENTS.md");
+				expect(result.agentsMdFiles).toEqual(["src/AGENTS.md"]);
+			} finally {
+				await fs.rm(workspaceDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+			}
+		});
+	});
+
 	describe("text tab width", () => {
 		it("uses default tab width and supports explicit overrides", () => {
 			expect(visibleWidth("a\tb", 3)).toBe(5);