diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 1a53777d7..a30adcfce 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-.PHONY: help setup build-all build-frontend build-backend build-operator build-runner build-state-sync deploy clean
+.PHONY: help setup build-all build-frontend build-backend build-operator build-runner build-state-sync deploy clean check-architecture
 .PHONY: local-up local-down local-clean local-status local-rebuild local-reload-backend local-reload-frontend local-reload-operator local-sync-version
 .PHONY: local-dev-token
 .PHONY: local-logs local-logs-backend local-logs-frontend local-logs-operator local-shell local-shell-frontend
@@ -14,7 +14,28 @@
 
 # Configuration
 CONTAINER_ENGINE ?= podman
-PLATFORM ?= linux/amd64
+
+# Auto-detect host architecture for native builds
+# Override with PLATFORM=linux/amd64 or PLATFORM=linux/arm64 if needed
+HOST_OS := $(shell uname -s)
+HOST_ARCH := $(shell uname -m)
+
+# Map uname output to Docker platform names
+ifeq ($(HOST_ARCH),arm64)
+    DETECTED_PLATFORM := linux/arm64
+else ifeq ($(HOST_ARCH),aarch64)
+    DETECTED_PLATFORM := linux/arm64
+else ifeq ($(HOST_ARCH),x86_64)
+    DETECTED_PLATFORM := linux/amd64
+else ifeq ($(HOST_ARCH),amd64)
+    DETECTED_PLATFORM := linux/amd64
+else
+    DETECTED_PLATFORM := linux/amd64
+    $(warning Unknown architecture $(HOST_ARCH), defaulting to linux/amd64)
+endif
+
+# Allow manual override via PLATFORM=...
+PLATFORM ?= $(DETECTED_PLATFORM)
 BUILD_FLAGS ?=
 NAMESPACE ?= ambient-code
 REGISTRY ?= quay.io/your-org
@@ -76,7 +97,7 @@ help: ## Display this help message
 	@echo '$(COLOR_BOLD)Configuration Variables:$(COLOR_RESET)'
 	@echo '  CONTAINER_ENGINE=$(CONTAINER_ENGINE)  (docker or podman)'
 	@echo '  NAMESPACE=$(NAMESPACE)'
-	@echo '  PLATFORM=$(PLATFORM)'
+	@echo '  PLATFORM=$(PLATFORM) (detected: $(DETECTED_PLATFORM) from $(HOST_OS)/$(HOST_ARCH))'
 	@echo ''
 	@echo '$(COLOR_BOLD)Examples:$(COLOR_RESET)'
 	@echo '  make local-up CONTAINER_ENGINE=docker'
@@ -626,15 +647,32 @@ check-kubectl: ## Check if kubectl is installed
 	@command -v kubectl >/dev/null 2>&1 || \
 		(echo "$(COLOR_RED)✗$(COLOR_RESET) kubectl not found. Install: https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/tools/" && exit 1)
 
+check-architecture: ## Validate build architecture matches host
+	@echo "$(COLOR_BOLD)Architecture Check$(COLOR_RESET)"
+	@echo "  Host: $(HOST_OS) / $(HOST_ARCH)"
+	@echo "  Detected Platform: $(DETECTED_PLATFORM)"
+	@echo "  Active Platform: $(PLATFORM)"
+	@if [ "$(PLATFORM)" != "$(DETECTED_PLATFORM)" ]; then \
+		echo ""; \
+		echo "$(COLOR_YELLOW)⚠  Cross-compilation active$(COLOR_RESET)"; \
+		echo "   Building $(PLATFORM) images on $(DETECTED_PLATFORM) host"; \
+		echo "   This will be slower (QEMU emulation)"; \
+		echo ""; \
+		echo "   To use native builds:"; \
+		echo "     make build-all PLATFORM=$(DETECTED_PLATFORM)"; \
+	else \
+		echo "$(COLOR_GREEN)✓$(COLOR_RESET) Using native architecture"; \
+	fi
+
 _build-and-load: ## Internal: Build and load images
-	@echo "  Building backend..."
-	@$(CONTAINER_ENGINE) build -t $(BACKEND_IMAGE) components/backend $(QUIET_REDIRECT)
-	@echo "  Building frontend..."
-	@$(CONTAINER_ENGINE) build -t $(FRONTEND_IMAGE) components/frontend $(QUIET_REDIRECT)
-	@echo "  Building operator..."
-	@$(CONTAINER_ENGINE) build -t $(OPERATOR_IMAGE) components/operator $(QUIET_REDIRECT)
-	@echo "  Building runner..."
-	@$(CONTAINER_ENGINE) build -t $(RUNNER_IMAGE) -f components/runners/claude-code-runner/Dockerfile components/runners $(QUIET_REDIRECT)
+	@echo "  Building backend ($(PLATFORM))..."
+	@$(CONTAINER_ENGINE) build $(PLATFORM_FLAG) -t $(BACKEND_IMAGE) components/backend $(QUIET_REDIRECT)
+	@echo "  Building frontend ($(PLATFORM))..."
+	@$(CONTAINER_ENGINE) build $(PLATFORM_FLAG) -t $(FRONTEND_IMAGE) components/frontend $(QUIET_REDIRECT)
+	@echo "  Building operator ($(PLATFORM))..."
+	@$(CONTAINER_ENGINE) build $(PLATFORM_FLAG) -t $(OPERATOR_IMAGE) components/operator $(QUIET_REDIRECT)
+	@echo "  Building runner ($(PLATFORM))..."
+	@$(CONTAINER_ENGINE) build $(PLATFORM_FLAG) -t $(RUNNER_IMAGE) -f components/runners/claude-code-runner/Dockerfile components/runners $(QUIET_REDIRECT)
 	@echo "  Tagging images with localhost prefix..."
 	@$(CONTAINER_ENGINE) tag $(BACKEND_IMAGE) localhost/$(BACKEND_IMAGE) 2>/dev/null || true
 	@$(CONTAINER_ENGINE) tag $(FRONTEND_IMAGE) localhost/$(FRONTEND_IMAGE) 2>/dev/null || true
diff --git a/components/manifests/minikube/frontend-deployment.yaml b/components/manifests/minikube/frontend-deployment.yaml
index b9891ac2a..f93b09577 100644
--- a/components/manifests/minikube/frontend-deployment.yaml
+++ b/components/manifests/minikube/frontend-deployment.yaml
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ spec:
         - name: GITHUB_APP_SLUG
           value: "ambient-code"
         - name: VTEAM_VERSION
-          value: "v0.0.12-22-g5553056"
+          value: "v0.0.19-8-g6d9251e"
         - name: DISABLE_AUTH
           value: "true"
         - name: MOCK_USER
diff --git a/components/runners/claude-code-runner/README.md b/components/runners/claude-code-runner/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..dc4c88f8e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/runners/claude-code-runner/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,245 @@
+# Claude Code Runner
+
+The Claude Code Runner is a Python-based component that wraps the Claude Code SDK to provide agentic coding capabilities within the Ambient platform.
+
+## Architecture
+
+The runner consists of several key components:
+
+- **`adapter.py`** - Core adapter that wraps the Claude Code SDK and produces AG-UI protocol events
+- **`main.py`** - FastAPI server that handles run requests via SSE (Server-Sent Events)
+- **`observability.py`** - Langfuse integration for tracking usage and performance
+- **`security_utils.py`** - Security utilities for sanitizing secrets and timeouts
+- **`context.py`** - Runner context for session and workspace management
+
+## System Prompt Configuration
+
+The Claude Code Runner uses a hybrid system prompt approach that combines:
+
+1. **Base Claude Code Prompt** - The built-in `claude_code` system prompt from the Claude Agent SDK
+2. **Workspace Context** - Custom workspace-specific information appended to the base prompt
+
+### Implementation
+
+In `adapter.py` (lines 508-511), the system prompt is configured as an array:
+
+```python
+system_prompt_config = [
+    "claude_code",
+    {"type": "text", "text": workspace_prompt}
+]
+```
+
+This configuration ensures that:
+- Claude receives the standard Claude Code instructions and capabilities
+- Additional workspace context is provided, including:
+  - Repository structure and locations
+  - Active workflow information
+  - Artifacts and file upload locations
+  - Git branch and push instructions for auto-push repos
+  - MCP integration setup instructions
+  - Workflow-specific instructions from `ambient.json`
+
+### Workspace Context
+
+The workspace context prompt is built by `_build_workspace_context_prompt()` (lines 1500-1575) and includes:
+
+- **Working Directory**: Current workflow or repository location
+- **Artifacts Path**: Where to create output files
+- **Uploaded Files**: Files uploaded by the user
+- **Repositories**: List of repos available in the session
+- **Working Branch**: Feature branch for all repos (e.g., `ambient/<session-id>`)
+- **Git Push Instructions**: Auto-push configuration for specific repos
+- **MCP Integrations**: Instructions for setting up Google Drive and Jira access
+- **Workflow Instructions**: Custom system prompt from workflow's `ambient.json`
+
+## Environment Variables
+
+### Authentication
+
+- `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` - Anthropic API key for Claude access
+- `CLAUDE_CODE_USE_VERTEX` - Set to `1` to use Vertex AI instead of Anthropic API
+- `GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS` - Path to GCP service account key (for Vertex AI)
+- `ANTHROPIC_VERTEX_PROJECT_ID` - GCP project ID (for Vertex AI)
+- `CLOUD_ML_REGION` - GCP region (for Vertex AI)
+
+### Model Configuration
+
+- `LLM_MODEL` - Model to use (e.g., `claude-sonnet-4-5`)
+- `LLM_MAX_TOKENS` / `MAX_TOKENS` - Maximum tokens per response
+- `LLM_TEMPERATURE` / `TEMPERATURE` - Temperature for sampling
+
+### Session Configuration
+
+- `AGENTIC_SESSION_NAME` - Session name/ID
+- `AGENTIC_SESSION_NAMESPACE` - K8s namespace for the session
+- `IS_RESUME` - Set to `true` when resuming a session
+- `INITIAL_PROMPT` - Initial user prompt
+
+### Repository Configuration
+
+- `REPOS_JSON` - JSON array of repository configurations
+  ```json
+  [
+    {
+      "url": "https://github.com/owner/repo",
+      "name": "repo-name",
+      "branch": "ambient/session-id",
+      "autoPush": true
+    }
+  ]
+  ```
+- `MAIN_REPO_NAME` - Name of the main repository (CWD)
+- `MAIN_REPO_INDEX` - Index of main repo (if name not specified)
+
+### Workflow Configuration
+
+- `ACTIVE_WORKFLOW_GIT_URL` - URL of active workflow repository
+
+### Observability
+
+- `LANGFUSE_PUBLIC_KEY` - Langfuse public key
+- `LANGFUSE_SECRET_KEY` - Langfuse secret key
+- `LANGFUSE_HOST` - Langfuse host URL
+
+### Backend Integration
+
+- `BACKEND_API_URL` - URL of the backend API
+- `PROJECT_NAME` - Project name
+- `BOT_TOKEN` - Authentication token for backend API calls
+- `USER_ID` - User ID for observability
+- `USER_NAME` - User name for observability
+
+### MCP Configuration
+
+- `MCP_CONFIG_FILE` - Path to MCP servers config (default: `/app/claude-runner/.mcp.json`)
+
+## MCP Servers
+
+The runner supports MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers for extending Claude's capabilities:
+
+- **webfetch** - Fetch content from URLs
+- **mcp-atlassian** - Jira integration for issue management
+- **google-workspace** - Google Drive integration for file access
+- **session** - Session control tools (restart_session)
+
+MCP servers are configured in `.mcp.json` and loaded at runtime.
+
+## Development
+
+### Running Tests
+
+```bash
+# Install dependencies
+uv pip install -e ".[dev]"
+
+# Run all tests
+pytest -v
+
+# Run with coverage
+pytest --cov=. --cov-report=term-missing
+```
+
+See [tests/README.md](tests/README.md) for detailed testing documentation.
+
+### Local Development
+
+```bash
+# Install in development mode
+uv pip install -e .
+
+# Run the server
+python main.py
+```
+
+## API
+
+The runner exposes a FastAPI server with the following endpoints:
+
+- `POST /run` - Execute a run with Claude Code SDK
+  - Request: `RunAgentInput` (thread_id, run_id, messages)
+  - Response: Server-Sent Events (SSE) stream of AG-UI protocol events
+
+- `POST /interrupt` - Interrupt the active execution
+
+- `GET /health` - Health check endpoint
+
+## AG-UI Protocol Events
+
+The runner emits AG-UI protocol events via SSE:
+
+- `RUN_STARTED` - Run has started
+- `TEXT_MESSAGE_START` - Message started (user or assistant)
+- `TEXT_MESSAGE_CONTENT` - Message content chunk
+- `TEXT_MESSAGE_END` - Message completed
+- `TOOL_CALL_START` - Tool invocation started
+- `TOOL_CALL_ARGS` - Tool arguments
+- `TOOL_CALL_END` - Tool invocation completed
+- `STEP_STARTED` - Processing step started
+- `STEP_FINISHED` - Processing step completed
+- `STATE_DELTA` - State update (e.g., result payload)
+- `RAW` - Custom events (thinking blocks, system logs, etc.)
+- `RUN_FINISHED` - Run completed
+- `RUN_ERROR` - Error occurred
+
+## Workspace Structure
+
+The runner operates within a workspace at `/workspace/` with the following structure:
+
+```
+/workspace/
+├── .claude/              # Claude SDK state (conversation history)
+├── repos/                # Cloned repositories
+│   └── {repo-name}/     # Individual repository
+├── workflows/            # Workflow repositories
+│   └── {workflow-name}/ # Individual workflow
+├── artifacts/            # Output files created by Claude
+├── file-uploads/         # User-uploaded files
+└── .google_workspace_mcp/ # Google OAuth credentials
+    └── credentials/
+        └── credentials.json
+```
+
+## Security
+
+The runner implements several security measures:
+
+- **Secret Sanitization**: API keys and tokens are redacted from logs
+- **Timeout Protection**: Operations have configurable timeouts
+- **User Context Validation**: User IDs and names are sanitized
+- **Read-only Workflow Directories**: Workflows are read-only, outputs go to artifacts
+
+See `security_utils.py` for implementation details.
+
+## Recent Changes
+
+### System Prompt Configuration (2026-01-28)
+
+Changed the system prompt configuration to use a hybrid approach:
+
+**Before:**
+```python
+system_prompt_config = {"type": "text", "text": workspace_prompt}
+```
+
+**After:**
+```python
+system_prompt_config = [
+    "claude_code",
+    {"type": "text", "text": workspace_prompt}
+]
+```
+
+**Rationale:**
+- Leverages the built-in Claude Code system prompt for standard capabilities
+- Appends workspace-specific context for session-aware operation
+- Maintains separation between standard instructions and custom context
+- Ensures Claude has both general coding capabilities and workspace knowledge
+
+**Impact:**
+- Claude receives comprehensive instructions from both sources
+- No breaking changes to existing functionality
+- Better alignment with Claude Agent SDK best practices
+
+**Files Changed:**
+- `components/runners/claude-code-runner/adapter.py` (lines 508-511)
diff --git a/components/runners/claude-code-runner/adapter.py b/components/runners/claude-code-runner/adapter.py
index 61258f5f0..761769db8 100644
--- a/components/runners/claude-code-runner/adapter.py
+++ b/components/runners/claude-code-runner/adapter.py
@@ -505,7 +505,10 @@ async def restart_session_tool(args: dict) -> dict:
                 artifacts_path="artifacts",
                 ambient_config=ambient_config,
             )
-            system_prompt_config = {"type": "text", "text": workspace_prompt}
+            system_prompt_config = [
+                "claude_code",
+                {"type": "text", "text": workspace_prompt}
+            ]
 
             # Configure SDK options
             options = ClaudeAgentOptions(
diff --git a/docs/developer/local-development/kind.md b/docs/developer/local-development/kind.md
index 195388993..76ab2b7b4 100644
--- a/docs/developer/local-development/kind.md
+++ b/docs/developer/local-development/kind.md
@@ -44,6 +44,25 @@ podman ps && kind --version && kubectl version --client
 docker ps && kind --version && kubectl version --client
 ```
 
+## Architecture Support
+
+The platform auto-detects your host architecture and builds native images:
+
+- **Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3):** `linux/arm64`
+- **Intel/AMD:** `linux/amd64`
+
+**Verify native builds:**
+```bash
+make check-architecture  # Should show "✓ Using native architecture"
+```
+
+**Manual override (if needed):**
+```bash
+make build-all PLATFORM=linux/arm64  # Force specific architecture
+```
+
+⚠️ **Warning:** Cross-compiling (building non-native architecture) is 4-6x slower and may crash.
+
 ## Commands
 
 ### `make kind-up`
@@ -206,6 +225,19 @@ lsof -i:8080  # Find what's using the port
 # Kill it or edit e2e/scripts/setup-kind.sh to use different ports
 ```
 
+### Build crashes with segmentation fault
+
+**Symptom:** `qemu: uncaught target signal 11 (Segmentation fault)` during Next.js build
+
+**Fix:**
+```bash
+# Auto-detect and use native architecture
+make local-clean
+make local-up
+```
+
+**Diagnosis:** Run `make check-architecture` to verify native builds are enabled.
+
 ### MinIO errors
 
 ```bash
diff --git a/e2e/scripts/load-images.sh b/e2e/scripts/load-images.sh
index 26462bcb4..f9a9c7977 100755
--- a/e2e/scripts/load-images.sh
+++ b/e2e/scripts/load-images.sh
@@ -33,6 +33,13 @@ if ! kind get clusters 2>/dev/null | grep -q "^ambient-local$"; then
   exit 1
 fi
 
+# Detect expected architecture based on host
+case "$(uname -m)" in
+  arm64|aarch64) EXPECTED_ARCH="arm64" ;;
+  x86_64|amd64)  EXPECTED_ARCH="amd64" ;;
+  *) EXPECTED_ARCH="amd64" ;;
+esac
+
 # Images to load
 IMAGES=(
   "vteam_backend:latest"
@@ -47,7 +54,19 @@ echo "Loading ${#IMAGES[@]} images into kind cluster..."
 
 for IMAGE in "${IMAGES[@]}"; do
   echo "   Loading $IMAGE..."
-  
+
+  # Verify image exists
+  if ! $CONTAINER_ENGINE image inspect "$IMAGE" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    echo "      ❌ Image not found. Run 'make build-all' first"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+
+  # Warn if architecture mismatch (don't block)
+  IMAGE_ARCH=$($CONTAINER_ENGINE image inspect "$IMAGE" --format '{{.Architecture}}' 2>/dev/null)
+  if [ -n "$IMAGE_ARCH" ] && [ "$IMAGE_ARCH" != "$EXPECTED_ARCH" ]; then
+    echo "      ⚠️  Image is $IMAGE_ARCH, host is $EXPECTED_ARCH (may be slow)"
+  fi
+
   # Save as OCI archive
   $CONTAINER_ENGINE save --format oci-archive -o "/tmp/${IMAGE//://}.oci.tar" "$IMAGE"