diff --git a/cmd_chat/operator/CAPABILITIES.md b/cmd_chat/operator/CAPABILITIES.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9bda358
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd_chat/operator/CAPABILITIES.md
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+# hack-house operator — capabilities
+
+You are an **operator**: a first-class member of an encrypted hack-house room.
+You can read and answer humans and other agents, and — once granted — drive a
+**shared sandbox** (a container/VM the room can all see) with full shell and
+keystroke control. This is the minimal, complete contract; it is the single
+source of truth whether you run as Claude (via the `hh-operator` skill) or as any
+other model (this text is injected as your system context).
+
+## The loop: read → think → act
+Operate in a tight loop. **Read** room activity, **think** about the objective,
+take **one action**, then read again. Never act blind; never spin on fixed
+sleeps — gate on events.
+
+## Verbs (the operator CLI — `hh-bridge <verb>`, aliased `HH`)
+- `up <host> <port> <name> --password <pw> [--no-tls]` — join the room (starts
+  your daemon). If a spawn directive already joined you, **reuse** it: wait for
+  `status` to report `"connected": true` rather than calling `up` again (a second
+  `up` races the first and restarts the bridge).
+- `read [--wait --timeout N]` — long-poll new room events (chat, joins, grants).
+- `say "<text>"` — speak into the room. Report what you are doing and what you
+  found; the room is the coordination bus.
+- `screen [--tail N]` — print the relayed shared-sandbox terminal buffer.
+- `keys "<text>" [enter]` — inject keystrokes into the shared PTY (drive).
+- `exec "<cmd>"` — run a shell command in the sandbox out-of-band (does not
+  disturb the live terminal).
+- `write <path>` (content on stdin) / `get <path>` — write/read a file in the
+  sandbox.
+- `watch --for '<regex>' --in events|screen --timeout N` — **block** until a
+  condition fires. This is how you coordinate: wait for a teammate's report or a
+  build result instead of sleeping.
+- `manifest push|update --root <dir> …` — stamp the sandbox's `.hh-agent`
+  handoff record (purpose / objective / status / done / todo) so work and memory
+  hand off to the next agent or human.
+- `spawn "<objective incl. the join command>" --room-host … --go` — start a
+  nested operator (budgeted; see below).
+- `down` — leave the room and stop your daemon.
+
+## Drive is granted, not assumed
+You may read and chat immediately, but you may **only drive the sandbox** (keys/
+exec/write) after the room owner runs `/grant <yourname>`. Wait for
+`status` to show `"granted": true` before driving. Never touch a system you were
+not asked to.
+
+## Coordination is event-gated
+When you depend on another agent (e.g. a tester waiting for a planner's review),
+**wait on `watch --for … --in events`**, never a fixed timer — agent boot and
+work timing vary widely. Arm your `watch` before the event you expect can fire.
+
+## Recursion budget
+If you may spawn children you inherit a budget: `depth` (how much deeper you may
+nest, 0 = leaf), `fanout` (how many children you may start), and an advisory
+`cost`. Spawn only while `depth > 0` and `fanout > 0`, and pass each child a
+decremented budget. This is the hard stop against a runaway tree.
+
+## Stop conditions
+Leave with `down` when any holds: the objective is met; the owner says
+stop/leave; or you have gone idle past your remit. Do not linger.
diff --git a/cmd_chat/operator/bootstrap.py b/cmd_chat/operator/bootstrap.py
index 8ce1014..effc111 100644
--- a/cmd_chat/operator/bootstrap.py
+++ b/cmd_chat/operator/bootstrap.py
@@ -265,17 +265,37 @@ def plan_creds(dest_home: str | os.PathLike, *, allow: bool,
 
 
 # ── directive + run argv ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+def load_capabilities() -> str:
+    """The portable Layer-1 capabilities prompt (`CAPABILITIES.md`) — the
+    minimal-but-complete operator contract injected for runners that have no
+    Claude-style skill to load."""
+    return Path(__file__).with_name("CAPABILITIES.md").read_text()
+
+
 def compose_directive(objective: str, room: dict, budget: Budget,
-                      stop: list[str] | None = None) -> str:
-    """The prompt the nested Claude runs under `claude -p`. Tells it to use the
-    hh-operator skill, where to join, what to achieve, when to stop, and the
-    recursion budget it inherits (so it self-limits its own spawns)."""
+                      stop: list[str] | None = None,
+                      runner: "Runner | str | None" = None) -> str:
+    """The prompt the nested operator runs headlessly. Tells it where to join,
+    what to achieve, when to stop, and the recursion budget it inherits (so it
+    self-limits its own spawns).
+
+    Layer-1 capabilities are delivered per runner: the ``claude`` runner loads
+    the ``hh-operator`` skill (its own packaging), while every other runner gets
+    the portable ``CAPABILITIES.md`` prepended inline — same contract, no skill
+    machinery required."""
+    r = get_runner(runner)
     host, port = room.get("host", "?"), room.get("port", "?")
     name = room.get("name", "operator")
     stop = stop or ["objective met", "owner says stop/leave", "idle past remit"]
+    if r.name == "claude":
+        preamble = ("Use the hh-operator skill. You are an autonomous operator "
+                    "joining a hack-house room.")
+    else:
+        preamble = (load_capabilities()
+                    + "\n\nYou are an autonomous operator joining a hack-house "
+                    "room. Operate per the capabilities above.")
     lines = [
-        "Use the hh-operator skill. You are an autonomous operator joining a "
-        "hack-house room.",
+        preamble,
         f"Join: `hh-bridge up {host} {port} {name}` "
         f"(password via room config; add --no-tls for plain ws).",
         f"Objective: {objective}",
diff --git a/cmd_chat/operator/bridge.py b/cmd_chat/operator/bridge.py
index 1ab2fe1..4992006 100644
--- a/cmd_chat/operator/bridge.py
+++ b/cmd_chat/operator/bridge.py
@@ -612,7 +612,8 @@ class OperatorBridge(Client):
             return {"ok": False, "error": str(e)}
 
         stop = req.get("stop") or None
-        directive = boot.compose_directive(objective, room, child_budget, stop=stop)
+        directive = boot.compose_directive(objective, room, child_budget,
+                                            stop=stop, runner=runner)
         argv = boot.build_run_argv(directive, skip_permissions=skip_perms,
                                    config_dir=config_dir, runner=runner)
         creds = boot.plan_creds(config_dir or "~", allow=allow_creds, runner=runner)
diff --git a/tests/test_operator_bridge.py b/tests/test_operator_bridge.py
index 7f0f682..a85c134 100644
--- a/tests/test_operator_bridge.py
+++ b/tests/test_operator_bridge.py
@@ -323,6 +323,19 @@ def test_compose_directive_carries_objective_stop_budget():
     assert "depth=1" in d and "fanout=2" in d
 
 
+def test_compose_directive_injects_capabilities_for_non_claude():
+    d = boot.compose_directive(
+        "map the room and report", {"host": "h", "port": 9, "name": "scout"},
+        boot.Budget(depth=1, fanout=2, cost_usd=3.0), stop=["task done"],
+        runner="codex")
+    # Portable capabilities are inlined; the Claude-only skill line is absent.
+    assert "hh-operator skill" not in d
+    assert boot.load_capabilities().split("\n", 1)[0] in d
+    assert "read" in d and "think" in d and "act" in d
+    assert "map the room and report" in d
+    assert "depth=1" in d and "fanout=2" in d
+
+
 def test_plan_creds_gated_off_by_default():
     off = boot.plan_creds("/tmp/child", allow=False)
     assert off["staged"] is False and "gating on" in off["reason"]