diff --git a/.dockerignore b/.dockerignore
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e271c3e56
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.dockerignore
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+# Default build context filter, used by every build whose Dockerfile has no
+# `<dockerfile>.dockerignore` shadow next to it — today the install smokes in
+# scripts/install-tests (`podman build -f scripts/install-tests/*.dockerfile .`).
+# The pi and robomp images shadow this file with Dockerfile.dockerignore and
+# Dockerfile.robomp.dockerignore; keep the three roughly in sync.
+#
+# Patterns are depth-agnostic (`**/`) to match .gitignore semantics: dockerignore
+# anchors a bare `target/` at the context root only, so nested build dirs
+# (go-port/*/target, packages/*/dist) otherwise ride along — gigabytes per build.
+
+# Heavy build outputs.
+**/target/
+bazel-*
+**/node_modules
+**/dist/
+runs/
+.xwin-cache/
+packages/coding-agent/binaries/
+packages/natives/npm/
+packages/natives/native/.build/
+**/.cache/
+packages/snapcompact/research/results/
+# Host-built addons: every image that needs one compiles it from source.
+**/*.node
+
+# Per-host scratch the pi codebase uses for parallel agents / worktrees.
+.fallow/
+.worktrees/
+.wt/
+.opencode/
+.pi_config/
+.omp/plugins/
+
+# VCS, editors, IDEs.
+.git/
+.npm/
+.vscode/
+.zed/
+.idea/
+
+# OS + transient noise.
+.DS_Store
+*.swp
+*.swo
+*~
+*.tmp
+
+# Logs + profiling artifacts.
+*.log
+*.cpuprofile
+*.heapprofile
+*.heapsnapshot
+CPU.*
+
+# Build / test side outputs.
+**/*.tsbuildinfo
+**/coverage/
+.nyc_output/
+**/__pycache__/
+compaction-results/
+changes/
+
+# Generated, regenerated in-image.
+packages/ai/test/.temp-images/
+python/omp-rpc/src/omp_rpc.egg-info/
+python/robomp/data/
+python/robomp/.cache/
+python/robomp/src/robomp/static/
+python/robomp/web/dist/
+
+# Scratch files the repo creates ad-hoc.
+syntax.jsonl
+out.jsonl
+out.html
+pi-*.html
+
+# Secrets. Should never be in an image regardless.
+.env
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 1699423b1..5f170d2d9 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,5 +1,18 @@
 [workspace]
-members = ["crates/pi-*", "crates/vendor/*"]
+# Explicit, not `crates/pi-*`: a glob member that resolves to a directory
+# without a Cargo.toml (a deleted crate whose dir survives `git reset --hard`
+# because an ignored file stayed behind) is a hard error that fails the whole
+# workspace, not a skipped entry.
+members = [
+   "crates/pi-ast",
+   "crates/pi-builtins",
+   "crates/pi-iso",
+   "crates/pi-natives",
+   "crates/pi-shell",
+   "crates/pi-voice",
+   "crates/pi-walker",
+   "crates/vendor/brush-core",
+]
 resolver = "3"
 
 [workspace.package]
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 3cd9f5a02..6c8d44b97 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -25,33 +25,41 @@
 ARG BUN_VERSION=1.3.14
 
 ############################
-# 1) natives-builder — Rust + Bun → pi_natives.linux-<arch>.node
+# 1) natives-builder — Rust + Bun → pi_natives.linux-<arch>.node (local cargo)
 ############################
 FROM rust:1.86-slim-bookworm AS natives-builder
 
 ARG BUN_VERSION
+
+# The addon is built with cargo/napi-rs (OMP_NATIVE_BUILD_BACKEND=cargo)
+# instead of Bazel: the image is one fixed host target, so Bazel's hermetic
+# cross toolchains and crate_universe splice buy nothing while costing a
+# bazelisk download plus a full analysis phase on every build. `ci` profile =
+# release codegen, thin LTO, stripped.
 ENV BUN_INSTALL=/opt/bun \
     PATH=/opt/bun/bin:/usr/local/cargo/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin \
-    CARGO_TERM_COLOR=never
+    CARGO_TERM_COLOR=never \
+    OMP_NATIVE_BUILD_BACKEND=cargo \
+    OMP_NATIVE_CARGO_PROFILE=ci
 
 # clang/libclang-dev: bindgen for pipewire-sys/libspa-sys (Linux desktop capture);
 # cmake/make/ninja-build: audiopus_sys builds bundled libopus via CMake.
-# bazelisk: hermetic bazel launcher for the native addon build (17.1.5+).
 RUN apt-get update \
     && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
         curl ca-certificates pkg-config libssl-dev unzip git \
         clang libclang-dev cmake make ninja-build \
-    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* \
-    && curl -fsSL -o /usr/local/bin/bazelisk \
-        "https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazelisk/releases/download/v1.25.0/bazelisk-linux-$(dpkg --print-architecture)" \
-    && chmod +x /usr/local/bin/bazelisk \
-    && ln -s /usr/local/bin/bazelisk /usr/local/bin/bazel
+    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 
 RUN curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash -s "bun-v${BUN_VERSION}" \
     && /opt/bun/bin/bun --version
 
 WORKDIR /pi
 
+# Layer 0 — the pinned nightly toolchain. Its own layer so a source or manifest
+# edit never re-downloads ~5 rustup components.
+COPY rust-toolchain.toml /pi/
+RUN rustup show
+
 # Layer 1 — manifests + lockfiles only. Source edits under packages/*/src and
 # crates/*/src won't bust `bun install` below. `--parents` preserves the
 # matched path under /pi/ (requires syntax 1.7-labs).
@@ -75,13 +83,12 @@ RUN bun install --frozen-lockfile --ignore-scripts
 COPY . /pi/
 
 # Layer 4 — compile pi-natives to a Linux N-API addon. Persistent caches keep
-# repeat builds incremental: cargo's package index + git-deps + the workspace
-# target dir.
-RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cargo/registry \
-    --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cargo/git \
+# repeat builds incremental: cargo's package index + git-deps (CARGO_HOME is
+# /usr/local/cargo in the rust image, not ~/.cargo) + the workspace target dir.
+RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/usr/local/cargo/registry \
+    --mount=type=cache,target=/usr/local/cargo/git \
     --mount=type=cache,target=/pi/target \
     set -eux; \
-    rustup show; \
     bun --cwd=packages/natives run build; \
     mkdir -p /out; \
     cp packages/natives/native/pi_natives.linux-*.node /out/
diff --git a/Dockerfile.dockerignore b/Dockerfile.dockerignore
index 7d6c0840d..05fa0925b 100644
--- a/Dockerfile.dockerignore
+++ b/Dockerfile.dockerignore
@@ -2,13 +2,21 @@
 # .dockerignore for this file only. Robomp uses Dockerfile.robomp +
 # Dockerfile.robomp.dockerignore alongside.
 
-# Heavy build outputs — must never reach the build context. `target/` alone is
-# >100 GB on a dev machine; `bazel-*` symlinks point at the bazel output base.
-target/
+# Heavy build outputs — must never reach the build context. Patterns are
+# depth-agnostic (`**/`) to match .gitignore semantics: dockerignore anchors
+# bare `target/`/`dist/` at the context root only, which leaked
+# packages/*/dist (~600 MB) and go-port/*/target (~1.4 GB) into every build.
+# `bazel-*` symlinks point at the bazel output base.
+**/target/
 bazel-*
 **/node_modules
-dist/
+**/dist/
 runs/
+.xwin-cache/
+packages/coding-agent/binaries/
+packages/natives/npm/
+**/.cache/
+packages/snapcompact/research/results/
 
 # Per-host scratch the pi codebase uses for parallel agents / worktrees.
 .fallow/
@@ -40,18 +48,20 @@ runs/
 CPU.*
 
 # Build / test side outputs.
-*.tsbuildinfo
-coverage/
+**/*.tsbuildinfo
+**/coverage/
 .nyc_output/
-__pycache__/
+**/__pycache__/
 compaction-results/
 changes/
 
 # Generated files (the in-image build regenerates them).
 packages/coding-agent/src/internal-urls/docs-index.generated.ts
 packages/natives/native/.build/
-packages/natives/native/pi_natives.darwin-*.node
-packages/natives/native/pi_natives.dev.node
+# Every host-built addon: natives-builder compiles its own, and a stale host
+# `pi_natives.linux-*.node` riding in would be copied to /out alongside it.
+# (Also drops the ~760 MB of dev addons a working checkout accumulates.)
+**/*.node
 packages/ai/test/.temp-images/
 python/omp-rpc/src/omp_rpc.egg-info/
 python/robomp/data/
diff --git a/Dockerfile.robomp.dockerignore b/Dockerfile.robomp.dockerignore
index bd5bc3e72..21ac7290d 100644
--- a/Dockerfile.robomp.dockerignore
+++ b/Dockerfile.robomp.dockerignore
@@ -5,11 +5,23 @@
 # the cost of per-Dockerfile shadows (no shared file to factor common rules
 # into). Keep them roughly in sync.
 
-# Heavy build outputs — must never reach the build context.
-target/
+# Heavy build outputs — must never reach the build context. Depth-agnostic for
+# the same reason as Dockerfile.dockerignore: bare `target/`/`dist/` only match
+# the context root, so nested build dirs (go-port/*/target, packages/*/dist)
+# were shipped on every build.
+**/target/
+bazel-*
 **/node_modules
-dist/
+**/dist/
 runs/
+.xwin-cache/
+packages/coding-agent/binaries/
+packages/natives/npm/
+packages/natives/native/
+**/.cache/
+packages/snapcompact/research/results/
+# The addon comes from PI_BASE; nothing in this context needs one.
+**/*.node
 
 # Per-host scratch the pi codebase uses for parallel agents / worktrees.
 .fallow/
diff --git a/docs/native-crates.md b/docs/native-crates.md
index 116e566c4..8f206f4f5 100644
--- a/docs/native-crates.md
+++ b/docs/native-crates.md
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 Contributor map for Rust workspace members under `crates/`. They are implementation details behind `@oh-my-pi/pi-natives` and its embedded shell; package consumers use JavaScript entrypoints, not these crate APIs.
 
-The root `Cargo.toml` includes `crates/pi-*` and `crates/vendor/*` as workspace members. It also patches crates.io `brush-core` to the vendored copy.
+The root `Cargo.toml` lists every crate under `crates/` explicitly in `workspace.members` — add new crates there. It also patches crates.io `brush-core` to the vendored copy.
 
 ## First-party crates
 
diff --git a/packages/natives/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/natives/CHANGELOG.md
index 6165a6cda..7ddd27f28 100644
--- a/packages/natives/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/natives/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,15 @@
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Changed
+
+- Docker images (`Dockerfile`, `scripts/install-tests/*.dockerfile`) build the native addon through the cargo/napi-rs backend (`OMP_NATIVE_BUILD_BACKEND=cargo`) instead of Bazel: a single fixed host target gains nothing from hermetic cross toolchains, and none of those images shipped bazelisk. `OMP_NATIVE_CARGO_PROFILE` picks the profile for that path (images use `ci`, local default stays `local`).
+
+### Fixed
+
+- Fixed the root Cargo workspace failing to load when a stale directory exists under `crates/` — e.g. a deleted crate whose directory survived `git reset --hard`. `members` no longer globs `crates/pi-*`, so a directory without a `Cargo.toml` can no longer break every cargo and Bazel build.
+- Fixed Docker build contexts shipping nested build output: `.dockerignore` patterns are anchored at the context root, so bare `target/` and `dist/` matched neither `go-port/*/target` (~1.4 GB) nor `packages/*/dist` (~600 MB).
+
 ## [17.3.1] - 2026-08-13
 
 ### Fixed
diff --git a/packages/natives/scripts/build-bindings.ts b/packages/natives/scripts/build-bindings.ts
index 2c0182294..276624441 100644
--- a/packages/natives/scripts/build-bindings.ts
+++ b/packages/natives/scripts/build-bindings.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,12 @@
 /**
- * Dev-only napi build that regenerates the TypeScript bindings
- * (native/index.d.ts) and the runtime enum exports. Shipping addons are built
- * by Bazel (`bun run build` → scripts/bazel-natives.ts); run this
- * (`bun run build:bindings`) only when the Rust API changes its exported
- * typedefs. Host target only, local cargo profile — no cross-compilation.
+ * Local napi build: regenerates the TypeScript bindings (native/index.d.ts)
+ * and the runtime enum exports, then installs the host addon. Release addons
+ * come from Bazel (`bun run build` → scripts/bazel-natives.ts); this path also
+ * serves hosts Bazel cannot run on (Windows, the Docker image) via
+ * `OMP_NATIVE_BUILD_BACKEND=cargo`. Host target only — no cross-compilation.
+ *
+ * `OMP_NATIVE_CARGO_PROFILE` selects the cargo profile (default `local`:
+ * incremental, unstripped). Image builds set `ci` for a stripped addon.
  */
 
 import * as fsSync from "node:fs";
@@ -203,6 +206,10 @@ if (!napiBinEntry) {
 }
 const napiBin = path.join(path.dirname(napiManifestPath), napiBinEntry);
 
+// Profiles live in the root Cargo.toml; `local` trades size for iteration
+// speed, `ci` strips and drops incremental state.
+const cargoProfile = Bun.env.OMP_NATIVE_CARGO_PROFILE?.trim() || "local";
+
 const napiArgs = [
 	"build",
 	"--manifest-path",
@@ -216,7 +223,7 @@ const napiArgs = [
 	"-o",
 	buildOutputDir,
 	"--profile",
-	"local",
+	cargoProfile,
 ];
 
 // napi-rs / cargo route much failure detail to stdout (e.g. `cargo metadata`
diff --git a/scripts/install-tests/binary.dockerfile b/scripts/install-tests/binary.dockerfile
index da804617a..2cf4aa05a 100644
--- a/scripts/install-tests/binary.dockerfile
+++ b/scripts/install-tests/binary.dockerfile
@@ -7,9 +7,11 @@ RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y curl ca-certificates unzip build-essent
 RUN curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash
 ENV PATH="/root/.bun/bin:$PATH"
 
-# Install Rust
+# Install Rust. The natives build defaults to Bazel; this image has no
+# bazelisk and needs only the host addon, so route it through cargo/napi-rs.
 RUN curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh -s -- -y --default-toolchain nightly
-ENV PATH="/root/.cargo/bin:$PATH"
+ENV PATH="/root/.cargo/bin:$PATH" \
+    OMP_NATIVE_BUILD_BACKEND=cargo
 
 # Copy local repo
 WORKDIR /repo
diff --git a/scripts/install-tests/source.dockerfile b/scripts/install-tests/source.dockerfile
index f4c3c0000..b0ee944ae 100644
--- a/scripts/install-tests/source.dockerfile
+++ b/scripts/install-tests/source.dockerfile
@@ -7,9 +7,12 @@ RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y curl ca-certificates unzip build-essent
 RUN curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash
 ENV PATH="/root/.bun/bin:$PATH"
 
-# Install Rust (needed to build native addon)
+# Install Rust (needed to build native addon). The natives build defaults to
+# Bazel; this image has no bazelisk and needs only the host addon, so route it
+# through the cargo/napi-rs backend.
 RUN curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh -s -- -y --default-toolchain nightly
-ENV PATH="/root/.cargo/bin:$PATH"
+ENV PATH="/root/.cargo/bin:$PATH" \
+    OMP_NATIVE_BUILD_BACKEND=cargo
 
 # Copy local repo
 WORKDIR /repo
diff --git a/scripts/install-tests/tarball.dockerfile b/scripts/install-tests/tarball.dockerfile
index a68df0196..28bf6dbb9 100644
--- a/scripts/install-tests/tarball.dockerfile
+++ b/scripts/install-tests/tarball.dockerfile
@@ -8,9 +8,12 @@ RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y curl ca-certificates unzip jq procps bu
 RUN curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash
 ENV PATH="/root/.bun/bin:$PATH"
 
-# Install Rust (needed to build native addon)
+# Install Rust (needed to build native addon). The natives build defaults to
+# Bazel; this image has no bazelisk and needs only the host addon, so route it
+# through the cargo/napi-rs backend.
 RUN curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh -s -- -y --default-toolchain nightly
-ENV PATH="/root/.cargo/bin:$PATH"
+ENV PATH="/root/.cargo/bin:$PATH" \
+    OMP_NATIVE_BUILD_BACKEND=cargo
 
 # Install Node.js (needed for verdaccio and npm)
 RUN curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | bash - \