diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c4db0d5..9e8cc09 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -60,6 +60,8 @@ wp-coding-agents works in two modes with the same setup:
 
 Installs without Homeboy still use Data Machine workspaces, flows, jobs, and bridge dispatch. Installs without Kimaki use the selected bridge or terminal runtime; Kimaki-specific routing only applies when Kimaki is selected.
 
+Homeboy setup verification normally proves Homeboy is installed, linked, and advertised through `datamachine_code_homeboy_available`. To prove the full Codebox fleet-cooking path, run the explicit opt-in `scripts/verify-homeboy-codebox-canary.sh` helper from the verification skill. It can call a model, so it requires provider secret environment variable names and validates only read-only status/log/artifact evidence.
+
 ## Quick Start
 
 ### Local (macOS / Linux Desktop)
diff --git a/lib/homeboy.sh b/lib/homeboy.sh
index 83c3a11..7657373 100644
--- a/lib/homeboy.sh
+++ b/lib/homeboy.sh
@@ -364,4 +364,5 @@ print_homeboy_verification_commands() {
   echo "  homeboy extension show wordpress"
   echo "  homeboy project show <project-id>"
   echo "  homeboy project components list <project-id>"
+  echo "  ./scripts/verify-homeboy-codebox-canary.sh --workspace <repo-or-worktree> --secret-env <ENV_NAME> --agents-api <path> --agent-runtime <path> --agent-runtime-tools <path> --provider-plugin-path <path>  # opt-in model-backed Codebox canary; add --run to execute"
 }
diff --git a/lib/wp-codebox.sh b/lib/wp-codebox.sh
index c65cfc2..354b876 100644
--- a/lib/wp-codebox.sh
+++ b/lib/wp-codebox.sh
@@ -32,8 +32,8 @@ _wp_codebox_latest_tag() {
 _wp_codebox_header_version() {
   local main_file="$1"
   [ -f "$main_file" ] || return 1
-  grep -m1 -E '^\s*\*?\s*Version:' "$main_file" \
-    | sed -E 's/.*Version:\s*([0-9][0-9.]*).*/\1/'
+  grep -m1 -E '^[[:space:]]*\*?[[:space:]]*Version:' "$main_file" \
+    | sed -E 's/.*Version:[[:space:]]*([0-9][0-9.]*).*/\1/'
 }
 
 update_wp_codebox_plugin_subtree() {
diff --git a/scripts/verify-homeboy-codebox-canary.sh b/scripts/verify-homeboy-codebox-canary.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..9b36b47
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/verify-homeboy-codebox-canary.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,384 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# Opt-in Homeboy Codebox fleet canary for wp-coding-agents installs.
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+SCRIPT_NAME="$(basename "$0")"
+
+RUN=false
+WORKSPACE="${HOMEBOY_CANARY_WORKSPACE:-}"
+REPO="${HOMEBOY_CANARY_REPO:-wp-coding-agents}"
+TASK_URL="${HOMEBOY_CANARY_TASK_URL:-https://github.com/Extra-Chill/wp-coding-agents/issues/190}"
+RUN_ID="${HOMEBOY_CANARY_RUN_ID:-homeboy-codebox-canary-$(date -u +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)}"
+MODEL="${HOMEBOY_CANARY_MODEL:-}"
+PROVIDER="${HOMEBOY_CANARY_PROVIDER:-openai}"
+MAX_TURNS="${HOMEBOY_CANARY_MAX_TURNS:-4}"
+CHANNEL="${HOMEBOY_CANARY_CHANNEL:-}"
+THREAD="${HOMEBOY_CANARY_THREAD:-}"
+ARTIFACT_ROOT="${HOMEBOY_CANARY_ARTIFACT_ROOT:-}"
+EVIDENCE_DIR="${HOMEBOY_CANARY_EVIDENCE_DIR:-}"
+AGENTS_API="${HOMEBOY_CANARY_AGENTS_API:-}"
+AGENT_RUNTIME="${HOMEBOY_CANARY_AGENT_RUNTIME:-}"
+AGENT_RUNTIME_TOOLS="${HOMEBOY_CANARY_AGENT_RUNTIME_TOOLS:-}"
+HOMEBOY_EXTENSIONS="${HOMEBOY_CANARY_HOMEBOY_EXTENSIONS:-$HOME/.config/homeboy/extensions/wordpress}"
+SECRET_ENVS=()
+PROVIDER_PLUGIN_PATHS=()
+
+if [ -n "${HOMEBOY_CANARY_SECRET_ENV:-}" ]; then
+  IFS=',' read -r -a SECRET_ENVS <<< "${HOMEBOY_CANARY_SECRET_ENV}"
+fi
+
+if [ -n "${HOMEBOY_CANARY_PROVIDER_PLUGIN_PATHS:-}" ]; then
+  IFS=':' read -r -a PROVIDER_PLUGIN_PATHS <<< "${HOMEBOY_CANARY_PROVIDER_PLUGIN_PATHS}"
+fi
+
+usage() {
+  cat <<USAGE
+Usage: $SCRIPT_NAME [--run] --workspace <path> --secret-env <ENV_NAME> \\
+  --agents-api <path> --agent-runtime <path> --agent-runtime-tools <path> \\
+  --provider-plugin-path <path> [options]
+
+Prints a safe Homeboy Codebox canary command by default. Use --run to execute
+the canary and validate terminal status, logs, changed-files, and patch evidence.
+
+Options:
+  --run                         Execute the canary. Default only prints command.
+  --workspace <path>            Existing repo checkout/worktree mounted read-only at /workspace.
+  --repo <slug>                 Repo slug for Homeboy metadata. Default: wp-coding-agents.
+  --task-url <url>              Tracker URL. Default: issue #190.
+  --run-id <id>                 Durable Homeboy run id. Default: generated timestamp id.
+  --provider <id>               Provider id in Codebox config. Default: openai.
+  --model <id>                  Optional model override.
+  --max-turns <n>               Low turn cap for the read-only canary. Default: 4.
+  --secret-env <ENV_NAME>       Provider secret env var name to hydrate. Repeatable.
+  --agents-api <path>           Bundled Agents API path from Data Machine.
+  --agent-runtime <path>        Data Machine plugin path.
+  --agent-runtime-tools <path>  Data Machine Code plugin path.
+  --provider-plugin-path <path> Provider plugin path. Repeatable.
+  --homeboy-extensions <path>   Homeboy WordPress extension path.
+  --channel <id>                Optional Discord channel id for provider routing.
+  --thread <id>                 Optional Discord thread id for provider routing.
+  --artifact-root <path>        Optional artifact copy root for Homeboy.
+  --evidence-dir <path>         Optional directory for local validator JSON output.
+  --help                        Show this help.
+
+Secret values are never printed. Pass secret environment variable names only.
+USAGE
+}
+
+while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
+  case "$1" in
+    --run)
+      RUN=true
+      shift
+      ;;
+    --workspace)
+      WORKSPACE="$2"
+      shift 2
+      ;;
+    --repo)
+      REPO="$2"
+      shift 2
+      ;;
+    --task-url)
+      TASK_URL="$2"
+      shift 2
+      ;;
+    --run-id)
+      RUN_ID="$2"
+      shift 2
+      ;;
+    --provider)
+      PROVIDER="$2"
+      shift 2
+      ;;
+    --model)
+      MODEL="$2"
+      shift 2
+      ;;
+    --max-turns)
+      MAX_TURNS="$2"
+      shift 2
+      ;;
+    --secret-env)
+      SECRET_ENVS+=("$2")
+      shift 2
+      ;;
+    --agents-api)
+      AGENTS_API="$2"
+      shift 2
+      ;;
+    --agent-runtime)
+      AGENT_RUNTIME="$2"
+      shift 2
+      ;;
+    --agent-runtime-tools)
+      AGENT_RUNTIME_TOOLS="$2"
+      shift 2
+      ;;
+    --provider-plugin-path)
+      PROVIDER_PLUGIN_PATHS+=("$2")
+      shift 2
+      ;;
+    --homeboy-extensions)
+      HOMEBOY_EXTENSIONS="$2"
+      shift 2
+      ;;
+    --channel)
+      CHANNEL="$2"
+      shift 2
+      ;;
+    --thread)
+      THREAD="$2"
+      shift 2
+      ;;
+    --artifact-root)
+      ARTIFACT_ROOT="$2"
+      shift 2
+      ;;
+    --evidence-dir)
+      EVIDENCE_DIR="$2"
+      shift 2
+      ;;
+    --help|-h)
+      usage
+      exit 0
+      ;;
+    *)
+      echo "ERROR: unknown option: $1" >&2
+      usage >&2
+      exit 2
+      ;;
+  esac
+done
+
+fail() {
+  echo "ERROR: $1" >&2
+  exit 1
+}
+
+require_dir() {
+  local label="$1" path="$2"
+  [ -n "$path" ] || fail "$label is required"
+  [ -d "$path" ] || fail "$label does not exist or is not a directory: $path"
+}
+
+validate_env_name() {
+  case "$1" in
+    ''|*[!A-Za-z0-9_]*|[0-9]*)
+      fail "secret env names must be environment variable names, got: $1"
+      ;;
+  esac
+}
+
+[ -n "$WORKSPACE" ] || fail "--workspace is required"
+[ -d "$WORKSPACE" ] || fail "workspace does not exist or is not a directory: $WORKSPACE"
+[ -n "$REPO" ] || fail "--repo must not be empty"
+[ -n "$RUN_ID" ] || fail "--run-id must not be empty"
+[[ "$MAX_TURNS" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]] || fail "--max-turns must be a positive integer"
+[ "$MAX_TURNS" -gt 0 ] || fail "--max-turns must be a positive integer"
+[ ${#SECRET_ENVS[@]} -gt 0 ] || fail "at least one --secret-env name is required so provider auth is explicit"
+
+for secret_env in "${SECRET_ENVS[@]}"; do
+  validate_env_name "$secret_env"
+done
+
+require_dir "--agents-api" "$AGENTS_API"
+require_dir "--agent-runtime" "$AGENT_RUNTIME"
+require_dir "--agent-runtime-tools" "$AGENT_RUNTIME_TOOLS"
+require_dir "--homeboy-extensions" "$HOMEBOY_EXTENSIONS"
+[ ${#PROVIDER_PLUGIN_PATHS[@]} -gt 0 ] || fail "at least one --provider-plugin-path is required"
+for provider_plugin_path in "${PROVIDER_PLUGIN_PATHS[@]}"; do
+  require_dir "--provider-plugin-path" "$provider_plugin_path"
+done
+
+if [ "$RUN" = true ] && ! command -v homeboy >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  fail "homeboy command was not found"
+fi
+
+if [ -n "$EVIDENCE_DIR" ]; then
+  TMP_DIR="$EVIDENCE_DIR"
+  mkdir -p "$TMP_DIR"
+else
+  TMP_DIR="$(mktemp -d)"
+fi
+
+if [ "$RUN" != true ] && [ -z "$EVIDENCE_DIR" ]; then
+  trap 'rm -rf "$TMP_DIR"' EXIT
+fi
+
+CONFIG_FILE="$TMP_DIR/provider-config.json"
+DISPATCH_OUT="$TMP_DIR/dispatch.json"
+DISPATCH_STDOUT="$TMP_DIR/dispatch-output.json"
+STATUS_OUT="$TMP_DIR/status.json"
+LOGS_OUT="$TMP_DIR/logs.json"
+ARTIFACTS_OUT="$TMP_DIR/artifacts.json"
+
+export CANARY_WORKSPACE="$WORKSPACE"
+export CANARY_REPO="$REPO"
+export CANARY_PROVIDER="$PROVIDER"
+export CANARY_MODEL="$MODEL"
+export CANARY_MAX_TURNS="$MAX_TURNS"
+export CANARY_AGENTS_API="$AGENTS_API"
+export CANARY_AGENT_RUNTIME="$AGENT_RUNTIME"
+export CANARY_AGENT_RUNTIME_TOOLS="$AGENT_RUNTIME_TOOLS"
+export CANARY_HOMEBOY_EXTENSIONS="$HOMEBOY_EXTENSIONS"
+export CANARY_CHANNEL="$CHANNEL"
+export CANARY_THREAD="$THREAD"
+export CANARY_PROVIDER_PLUGIN_PATHS="$(printf '%s\n' "${PROVIDER_PLUGIN_PATHS[@]}")"
+export CANARY_SECRET_ENVS="$(printf '%s\n' "${SECRET_ENVS[@]}")"
+
+python3 - "$CONFIG_FILE" <<'PY'
+import json
+import os
+import sys
+
+provider_plugin_paths = [
+    path for path in os.environ["CANARY_PROVIDER_PLUGIN_PATHS"].splitlines() if path
+]
+secret_env = [name for name in os.environ["CANARY_SECRET_ENVS"].splitlines() if name]
+
+config = {
+    "agents_api": os.environ["CANARY_AGENTS_API"],
+    "homeboy_extensions": os.environ["CANARY_HOMEBOY_EXTENSIONS"],
+    "max_turns": int(os.environ["CANARY_MAX_TURNS"]),
+    "mounts": [
+        {
+            "source": os.environ["CANARY_WORKSPACE"],
+            "target": "/workspace",
+            "mode": "readonly",
+            "metadata": {"kind": "repo-workspace"},
+        }
+    ],
+    "provider": os.environ["CANARY_PROVIDER"],
+    "provider_plugin_paths": provider_plugin_paths,
+    "repo": os.environ["CANARY_REPO"],
+    "runtime_component_paths": {
+        "agent_runtime": os.environ["CANARY_AGENT_RUNTIME"],
+        "agent_runtime_tools": os.environ["CANARY_AGENT_RUNTIME_TOOLS"],
+    },
+    "task_kind": "repo-cooking-canary",
+    "secret_env": secret_env,
+    "workspace_root": os.environ["CANARY_WORKSPACE"],
+}
+
+if os.environ.get("CANARY_MODEL"):
+    config["model"] = os.environ["CANARY_MODEL"]
+
+routing = {}
+if os.environ.get("CANARY_CHANNEL"):
+    routing["channel"] = os.environ["CANARY_CHANNEL"]
+if os.environ.get("CANARY_THREAD"):
+    routing["thread"] = os.environ["CANARY_THREAD"]
+if routing:
+    routing.update({"client": "discord", "ui": "kimaki", "user_required": False})
+    config["routing"] = routing
+
+with open(sys.argv[1], "w", encoding="utf-8") as handle:
+    json.dump(config, handle, indent=2)
+    handle.write("\n")
+PY
+
+PROMPT="Read-only Homeboy Codebox canary for wp-coding-agents. Inspect /workspace only. Do not edit files, do not commit, do not push, and do not create PRs. Return current directory, git branch/status summary, one repo purpose fact, and whether any files changed."
+
+COMMAND=(
+  homeboy agent-task dispatch
+  --run-id "$RUN_ID"
+  --repo "$REPO"
+  --cwd "$WORKSPACE"
+  --backend codebox
+  --concurrency 1
+  --attempts 1
+  --task-url "$TASK_URL"
+  --provider-config "@$CONFIG_FILE"
+  --prompt "$PROMPT"
+)
+
+for secret_env in "${SECRET_ENVS[@]}"; do
+  COMMAND+=(--secret-env "$secret_env")
+done
+
+if [ -n "$CHANNEL" ]; then
+  COMMAND+=(--channel "$CHANNEL")
+fi
+
+if [ -n "$THREAD" ]; then
+  COMMAND+=(--thread "$THREAD")
+fi
+
+if [ -n "$MODEL" ]; then
+  COMMAND+=(--model "$MODEL")
+fi
+
+if [ -n "$ARTIFACT_ROOT" ]; then
+  COMMAND+=(--artifact-root "$ARTIFACT_ROOT")
+fi
+
+print_command() {
+  printf 'Provider config: %s\n' "$CONFIG_FILE"
+  printf 'Canary command:'
+  printf ' %q' "${COMMAND[@]}"
+  printf '\n'
+}
+
+if [ "$RUN" != true ]; then
+  print_command
+  echo "Dry run only. Re-run with --run to execute the model-backed Codebox canary."
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+echo "Dispatching Homeboy Codebox canary run: $RUN_ID"
+"${COMMAND[@]}" --output "$DISPATCH_OUT" > "$DISPATCH_STDOUT"
+
+homeboy agent-task status "$RUN_ID" --output "$STATUS_OUT" >/dev/null
+homeboy agent-task logs "$RUN_ID" --output "$LOGS_OUT" >/dev/null
+homeboy agent-task artifacts "$RUN_ID" --output "$ARTIFACTS_OUT" >/dev/null
+
+python3 - "$STATUS_OUT" "$LOGS_OUT" "$ARTIFACTS_OUT" <<'PY'
+import json
+import sys
+
+status_path, logs_path, artifacts_path = sys.argv[1:]
+
+with open(status_path, encoding="utf-8") as handle:
+    status_payload = json.load(handle)
+with open(logs_path, encoding="utf-8") as handle:
+    logs_payload = json.load(handle)
+with open(artifacts_path, encoding="utf-8") as handle:
+    artifacts_payload = json.load(handle)
+
+status = status_payload.get("data", {})
+if not status_payload.get("success") or status.get("state") != "succeeded":
+    raise SystemExit(f"canary did not reach succeeded state: {status.get('state')!r}")
+
+events = logs_payload.get("data", {}).get("events", [])
+if not any(event.get("state") == "succeeded" for event in events):
+    raise SystemExit("canary logs do not include a succeeded event")
+
+artifacts = artifacts_payload.get("data", {}).get("artifacts", [])
+changed = next((item for item in artifacts if item.get("kind") == "codebox-changed-files"), None)
+patch = next((item for item in artifacts if item.get("kind") == "codebox-patch"), None)
+if changed is None:
+    raise SystemExit("missing codebox-changed-files artifact")
+if patch is None:
+    raise SystemExit("missing codebox-patch artifact")
+
+changed_count = changed.get("metadata", {}).get("count")
+if changed_count != 0:
+    raise SystemExit(f"read-only canary changed files: {changed_count}")
+
+patch_bytes = patch.get("metadata", {}).get("bytes", patch.get("size_bytes"))
+if patch_bytes != 0:
+    raise SystemExit(f"read-only canary produced a non-empty patch: {patch_bytes} bytes")
+
+print("Canary validation passed")
+print(f"Run ID: {status.get('run_id')}")
+print(f"State: {status.get('state')}")
+print("Changed files: 0")
+print("Patch bytes: 0")
+PY
+
+echo "Status evidence: $STATUS_OUT"
+echo "Log evidence: $LOGS_OUT"
+echo "Artifact evidence: $ARTIFACTS_OUT"
+echo "Dispatch output: $DISPATCH_STDOUT"
diff --git a/skills/wp-coding-agents-setup-verify/SKILL.md b/skills/wp-coding-agents-setup-verify/SKILL.md
index b8c7ab0..5d39a36 100644
--- a/skills/wp-coding-agents-setup-verify/SKILL.md
+++ b/skills/wp-coding-agents-setup-verify/SKILL.md
@@ -130,6 +130,8 @@ Verify the selected runtime can be started manually in the terminal or over SSH.
 
 ### `verify-homeboy`
 
+This overlay proves Homeboy is installed, linked, and advertised to Data Machine. It does **not** prove the repo-aware Homeboy Codebox `agent-task` path can launch a sandbox, hydrate provider auth, mount the workspace at `/workspace`, and return patch/change evidence.
+
 ```bash
 homeboy --version
 homeboy extension list
@@ -156,6 +158,60 @@ DMC repo@branch worktrees = skipped by default
 
 Do not create `homeboy.json` in the WordPress site root to fix a missing Homeboy project.
 
+### `verify-homeboy-codebox-canary`
+
+Use this explicit opt-in overlay when the install should prove the advertised Homeboy fleet-cooking path actually runs through Codebox. This can call a model and requires provider secret **environment variable names**, so do not run it as part of a casual setup smoke check and never paste secret values into the command.
+
+The canary is intentionally bounded:
+
+- read-only `/workspace` mount
+- no file edits, commits, pushes, or PRs in the prompt
+- one task, one attempt, concurrency `1`
+- low `--max-turns`
+- status/log/artifact validation only
+
+Example for a WordPress Studio install with Data Machine-bundled Agents API:
+
+```bash
+./scripts/verify-homeboy-codebox-canary.sh \
+  --workspace /path/to/existing/repo-or-dmc-worktree \
+  --repo wp-coding-agents \
+  --task-url https://github.com/Extra-Chill/wp-coding-agents/issues/190 \
+  --secret-env OPENAI_API_KEY \
+  --agents-api /path/to/wp-content/plugins/data-machine/vendor/wordpress/agents-api \
+  --agent-runtime /path/to/wp-content/plugins/data-machine \
+  --agent-runtime-tools /path/to/wp-content/plugins/data-machine-code \
+  --provider-plugin-path /path/to/wp-content/plugins/ai-provider-for-openai \
+  --homeboy-extensions "$HOME/.config/homeboy/extensions/wordpress" \
+  --model gpt-4.1-mini \
+  --max-turns 4
+```
+
+The command above prints the resolved dispatch shape without executing it. Add `--run` only when the operator intentionally wants to spend a model call and has the named secret env var available to Homeboy:
+
+```bash
+./scripts/verify-homeboy-codebox-canary.sh ... --run
+```
+
+Passing criteria:
+
+- `homeboy agent-task status <run-id>` reports terminal `succeeded`
+- `homeboy agent-task logs <run-id>` includes a succeeded task event
+- `homeboy agent-task artifacts <run-id>` includes `codebox-changed-files`
+- `codebox-changed-files.metadata.count` is `0`
+- artifacts include `codebox-patch`
+- `codebox-patch` is empty (`metadata.bytes` or `size_bytes` is `0`)
+
+Actionable failure interpretation:
+
+- Missing Homeboy extension/provider: fix `homeboy extension list` / `homeboy agent-task providers` before rerunning.
+- Missing runtime component defaults: pass explicit `--agents-api`, `--agent-runtime`, and `--agent-runtime-tools` paths instead of relying on discovery.
+- Stale standalone Agents API mismatch: point `--agents-api` at Data Machine's bundled `vendor/wordpress/agents-api` path and avoid old standalone plugin paths.
+- Missing provider secret env names: pass `--secret-env NAME`; pass only env var names, never token values.
+- Missing `/workspace` mount: verify the provider config contains a read-only mount with `target: "/workspace"` and `source` set to the existing repo/worktree path.
+
+This canary is stronger than `datamachine_code_homeboy_available=1`: that option means Data Machine should advertise Homeboy guidance, while the canary proves the Codebox executor returned durable run, log, changed-files, and patch evidence for a repo-aware task.
+
 ### `verify-codex-codebox-provider`
 
 Use this only for the Codebox minion provider-auth path. Do not configure WP AI Gateway just because Codex is involved.
diff --git a/tests/homeboy-codebox-canary.sh b/tests/homeboy-codebox-canary.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..891d3ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/homeboy-codebox-canary.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,165 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# tests/homeboy-codebox-canary.sh — unit test for Homeboy Codebox canary command construction.
+set -eu
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/.." && pwd)"
+TMP="$(mktemp -d)"
+trap 'rm -rf "$TMP"' EXIT
+
+mkdir -p \
+  "$TMP/bin" \
+  "$TMP/workspace" \
+  "$TMP/agents-api" \
+  "$TMP/data-machine" \
+  "$TMP/data-machine-code" \
+  "$TMP/homeboy-wordpress" \
+  "$TMP/provider-openai"
+
+cat > "$TMP/bin/homeboy" <<'SH'
+#!/bin/sh
+set -eu
+
+write_json_output() {
+  file=""
+  while [ "$#" -gt 0 ]; do
+    if [ "$1" = "--output" ]; then
+      file="$2"
+      shift 2
+      continue
+    fi
+    shift
+  done
+  if [ -n "$file" ]; then
+    cat > "$file"
+  else
+    cat >/dev/null
+  fi
+}
+
+if [ "$1 $2" = "agent-task dispatch" ]; then
+  printf '%s\n' "$@" > "$HOMEBOY_CAPTURE_ARGS"
+  config=""
+  while [ "$#" -gt 0 ]; do
+    if [ "$1" = "--provider-config" ]; then
+      config="$2"
+      break
+    fi
+    shift
+  done
+  config="${config#@}"
+  cp "$config" "$HOMEBOY_CAPTURE_CONFIG"
+  write_json_output "$@" <<'JSON'
+{"success":true,"data":{"run_id":"canary-test-run"}}
+JSON
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+if [ "$1 $2" = "agent-task status" ]; then
+  write_json_output "$@" <<'JSON'
+{"success":true,"data":{"run_id":"canary-test-run","state":"succeeded"}}
+JSON
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+if [ "$1 $2" = "agent-task logs" ]; then
+  write_json_output "$@" <<'JSON'
+{"success":true,"data":{"events":[{"state":"succeeded","task_id":"canary"}]}}
+JSON
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+if [ "$1 $2" = "agent-task artifacts" ]; then
+  write_json_output "$@" <<'JSON'
+{"success":true,"data":{"artifacts":[{"kind":"codebox-changed-files","metadata":{"count":0}},{"kind":"codebox-patch","metadata":{"bytes":0}}]}}
+JSON
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+exit 2
+SH
+chmod +x "$TMP/bin/homeboy"
+
+HOMEBOY_CAPTURE_ARGS="$TMP/args.log"
+HOMEBOY_CAPTURE_CONFIG="$TMP/provider-config.json"
+export HOMEBOY_CAPTURE_ARGS HOMEBOY_CAPTURE_CONFIG
+PATH="$TMP/bin:$PATH"
+
+assert_contains() {
+  local needle="$1" file="$2"
+  if ! grep -qF -- "$needle" "$file"; then
+    echo "FAIL: expected '$needle' in $file"
+    cat "$file"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+}
+
+assert_json() {
+  python3 - "$HOMEBOY_CAPTURE_CONFIG" <<'PY'
+import json
+import sys
+
+with open(sys.argv[1], encoding="utf-8") as handle:
+    config = json.load(handle)
+
+assert config["agents_api"].endswith("/agents-api")
+assert config["runtime_component_paths"]["agent_runtime"].endswith("/data-machine")
+assert config["runtime_component_paths"]["agent_runtime_tools"].endswith("/data-machine-code")
+assert config["homeboy_extensions"].endswith("/homeboy-wordpress")
+assert config["provider"] == "openai"
+assert config["model"] == "gpt-4.1-mini"
+assert config["max_turns"] == 2
+assert config["secret_env"] == ["OPENAI_API_KEY"]
+assert config["mounts"] == [
+    {
+        "source": config["workspace_root"],
+        "target": "/workspace",
+        "mode": "readonly",
+        "metadata": {"kind": "repo-workspace"},
+    }
+]
+assert config["provider_plugin_paths"] and config["provider_plugin_paths"][0].endswith("/provider-openai")
+PY
+}
+
+OUTPUT="$TMP/output.log"
+"$SCRIPT_DIR/scripts/verify-homeboy-codebox-canary.sh" \
+  --run \
+  --workspace "$TMP/workspace" \
+  --repo wp-coding-agents \
+  --task-url https://github.com/Extra-Chill/wp-coding-agents/issues/190 \
+  --run-id canary-test-run \
+  --secret-env OPENAI_API_KEY \
+  --agents-api "$TMP/agents-api" \
+  --agent-runtime "$TMP/data-machine" \
+  --agent-runtime-tools "$TMP/data-machine-code" \
+  --homeboy-extensions "$TMP/homeboy-wordpress" \
+  --provider-plugin-path "$TMP/provider-openai" \
+  --model gpt-4.1-mini \
+  --max-turns 2 \
+  > "$OUTPUT"
+
+assert_contains "--secret-env" "$HOMEBOY_CAPTURE_ARGS"
+assert_contains "OPENAI_API_KEY" "$HOMEBOY_CAPTURE_ARGS"
+assert_contains "--backend" "$HOMEBOY_CAPTURE_ARGS"
+assert_contains "codebox" "$HOMEBOY_CAPTURE_ARGS"
+assert_contains "Canary validation passed" "$OUTPUT"
+assert_contains "Changed files: 0" "$OUTPUT"
+assert_json
+
+if "$SCRIPT_DIR/scripts/verify-homeboy-codebox-canary.sh" \
+  --workspace "$TMP/workspace" \
+  --repo wp-coding-agents \
+  --run-id invalid-secret-test \
+  --secret-env 'OPENAI_API_KEY=secret' \
+  --agents-api "$TMP/agents-api" \
+  --agent-runtime "$TMP/data-machine" \
+  --agent-runtime-tools "$TMP/data-machine-code" \
+  --homeboy-extensions "$TMP/homeboy-wordpress" \
+  --provider-plugin-path "$TMP/provider-openai" \
+  > "$TMP/invalid.log" 2>&1; then
+  echo "FAIL: invalid secret env value should be rejected"
+  exit 1
+fi
+assert_contains "secret env names must be environment variable names" "$TMP/invalid.log"
+
+echo "OK: Homeboy Codebox canary command construction"