diff --git a/tests/sft/checkpoint_manager_test.py b/tests/sft/checkpoint_manager_test.py
index 63d120744..2fb209850 100644
--- a/tests/sft/checkpoint_manager_test.py
+++ b/tests/sft/checkpoint_manager_test.py
@@ -101,6 +101,34 @@ def setUp(self):
         axis_names=('fsdp', 'tp'),
     )
 
+  def test_handlers_options(self):
+    """Verifies OCDBT/Zarr3 options match active platform configuration."""
+    cp_path = f'{self.temp_path}/{self.id()}'
+    cp_manager = checkpoint_manager.CheckpointManager(cp_path)
+
+    platforms = jax.config.jax_platforms or ''
+    is_pathways_or_proxy = 'proxy' in platforms or 'pathways' in platforms
+
+    handler = cp_manager._checkpoint_manager._checkpointer._handler  # pytype: disable=attribute-error
+    registry_entries = handler._handler_registry.get_all_entries()  # pytype: disable=attribute-error
+
+    handlers = {}
+    for (item_name, _), h in registry_entries.items():
+      handlers[item_name] = h
+
+    self.assertIn('model_params', handlers)
+    self.assertIn('optimizer_state', handlers)
+
+    if is_pathways_or_proxy:
+      self.assertFalse(handlers['model_params']._use_ocdbt)  # pytype: disable=attribute-error
+      self.assertFalse(handlers['optimizer_state']._use_ocdbt)  # pytype: disable=attribute-error
+    else:
+      self.assertTrue(handlers['model_params']._use_ocdbt)  # pytype: disable=attribute-error
+      self.assertTrue(handlers['optimizer_state']._use_ocdbt)  # pytype: disable=attribute-error
+
+    self.assertFalse(handlers['model_params']._use_zarr3)  # pytype: disable=attribute-error
+    self.assertFalse(handlers['optimizer_state']._use_zarr3)  # pytype: disable=attribute-error
+
   def test_empty_root_directory(self):
     cp_manager = checkpoint_manager.CheckpointManager(root_directory=None)
     self.assertIsNone(cp_manager.latest_step())
@@ -299,6 +327,12 @@ def test_restore_with_backward_compatibility(self, ckpt_path):
     # The checkpoints in test_data is saved with StandardSave. The test is to
     # verify the checkpoint manager with PyTreeRestore can still restore the
     # checkpoints saved with StandardSave.
+    if os.getenv('ENABLE_PATHWAYS_PERSISTENCE', '') == '1':
+      self.skipTest(
+          'Pathways persistence cannot read standard backwards-compatible'
+          ' checkpoints.'
+      )
+
     ckpt_manager = checkpoint_manager.CheckpointManager(
         os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), ckpt_path)
     )
diff --git a/tunix/sft/checkpoint_manager.py b/tunix/sft/checkpoint_manager.py
index d069a7706..c4e873390 100644
--- a/tunix/sft/checkpoint_manager.py
+++ b/tunix/sft/checkpoint_manager.py
@@ -50,7 +50,11 @@ def __init__(
     if root_directory is not None:
       # When using Pathways, the checkpoint manager only supports persistence
       # APIs now.
-      if 'proxy' in os.getenv('JAX_PLATFORMS', ''):
+      platforms = jax.config.jax_platforms or ''
+      if (
+          'proxy' in platforms
+          or 'pathways' in platforms
+      ):
         item_handlers = {
             'model_params': ocp.PyTreeCheckpointHandler(
                 use_ocdbt=False,
@@ -65,6 +69,11 @@ def __init__(
           logging.info(
               'Using persistence API for checkpointing with Pathways.'
           )
+          ocp.pathways.register_type_handlers(
+              checkpointing_impl=ocp.pathways.CheckpointingImpl.from_options(
+                  use_remote_python=True,
+              )
+          )
         else:
           logging.warning(
               'Checkpointing without the persistence API, be aware of potential'