diff --git a/scripts/checks/vitest-project-overlap.mts b/scripts/checks/vitest-project-overlap.mts
index ddb30a5cf66..ecc6abd57d1 100644
--- a/scripts/checks/vitest-project-overlap.mts
+++ b/scripts/checks/vitest-project-overlap.mts
@@ -47,7 +47,9 @@ const INSTALLER_INTEGRATION_TESTS = new Set([
   "test/install-preflight-docker-bootstrap.test.ts",
   "test/install-preflight.test.ts",
   "test/install-station-dgx-os.test.ts",
+  "test/install-station-docker-repository.test.ts",
   "test/install-station-host-preparation.test.ts",
+  "test/install-station-package-transaction.test.ts",
 ]);
 
 function normalizeRepoPath(file: string): string {
diff --git a/scripts/install.sh b/scripts/install.sh
index fc1194739f9..4d2876550bd 100755
--- a/scripts/install.sh
+++ b/scripts/install.sh
@@ -3499,7 +3499,25 @@ run_station_host_preparation() {
   if [ "${FORCE_STATION_INSTALL:-}" = "1" ]; then
     helper_args+=(--force-station-install)
   fi
-  bash "$helper" "${helper_args[@]}"
+  bash "$helper" "${helper_args[@]}" 2>&1 | filter_station_host_preparation_output
+}
+
+filter_station_host_preparation_output() {
+  local line detail
+  while IFS= read -r line; do
+    case "$line" in
+      *" version="*" log="*)
+        info "DGX Station host preparation log: ${line##* log=}"
+        ;;
+      *" WARNING: "*)
+        detail="${line#* WARNING: }"
+        warn "$detail"
+        ;;
+      *" ERROR: "*)
+        printf '%s\n' "$line" >&2
+        ;;
+    esac
+  done
 }
 
 ensure_station_express_host() {
diff --git a/scripts/prepare-dgx-station-host.sh b/scripts/prepare-dgx-station-host.sh
index e37820de92a..60e7e11b3ab 100755
--- a/scripts/prepare-dgx-station-host.sh
+++ b/scripts/prepare-dgx-station-host.sh
@@ -254,6 +254,9 @@ LOG_FILE=""
 DOCKER_GROUP_ADDED=0
 CDI_LIFECYCLE_READY=0
 NETWORK_VALIDATED=0
+PACKAGE_TRANSACTION_SPECS=()
+APT_TRANSACTION_GUARD_DIR=""
+APT_TRANSACTION_HOOK=""
 GPU_ROWS_ERROR=""
 
 info() {
@@ -320,19 +323,39 @@ is_station_gb300_product() {
     "$product" =~ (^|[^[:alnum:]])[Gg][Bb]300([^[:alnum:]]|$) ]]
 }
 
+normalize_nvidia_pci_bus_id() {
+  local bus_id domain rest
+  bus_id="$(printf '%s' "$1" | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')"
+  bus_id="${bus_id//[[:space:]]/}"
+  [[ "$bus_id" =~ ^([0-9a-f]{4}|[0-9a-f]{8}):[0-9a-f]{2}:[0-9a-f]{2}\.[0-7]$ ]] || return 1
+  domain="${bus_id%%:*}"
+  rest="${bus_id#*:}"
+  if ((${#domain} == 8)); then
+    domain="${domain:4}"
+  fi
+  printf '%s:%s' "$domain" "$rest"
+}
+
+station_pci_device_is_gb300() {
+  local bus_id=$1 pci_root=${2:-/sys/bus/pci/devices} pci_path vendor device class
+  bus_id="$(normalize_nvidia_pci_bus_id "$bus_id")" || return 1
+  pci_path="${pci_root}/${bus_id}"
+  [[ -d "$pci_path" &&
+    -r "$pci_path/vendor" &&
+    -r "$pci_path/device" &&
+    -r "$pci_path/class" ]] || return 1
+  IFS= read -r vendor <"$pci_path/vendor" || return 1
+  IFS= read -r device <"$pci_path/device" || return 1
+  IFS= read -r class <"$pci_path/class" || return 1
+  [[ "$vendor" == "$GB300_PCI_VENDOR" &&
+    "$device" == "$GB300_PCI_DEVICE" &&
+    "$class" == "${GB300_PCI_CLASS_PREFIX}"* ]]
+}
+
 station_has_exact_gb300_pci_gpu() {
-  local pci_root=${1:-/sys/bus/pci/devices} pci_path vendor device class
+  local pci_root=${1:-/sys/bus/pci/devices} pci_path
   for pci_path in "$pci_root"/*; do
-    [[ -d "$pci_path" &&
-      -r "$pci_path/vendor" &&
-      -r "$pci_path/device" &&
-      -r "$pci_path/class" ]] || continue
-    IFS= read -r vendor <"$pci_path/vendor" || continue
-    IFS= read -r device <"$pci_path/device" || continue
-    IFS= read -r class <"$pci_path/class" || continue
-    [[ "$vendor" == "$GB300_PCI_VENDOR" &&
-      "$device" == "$GB300_PCI_DEVICE" &&
-      "$class" == "${GB300_PCI_CLASS_PREFIX}"* ]] && return 0
+    station_pci_device_is_gb300 "${pci_path##*/}" "$pci_root" && return 0
   done
   return 1
 }
@@ -930,11 +953,19 @@ exit_reboot_required() {
 }
 
 loaded_driver_version() {
-  local loaded
+  local rows row bus_id driver pci_root
   command -v nvidia-smi >/dev/null 2>&1 || return 0
-  loaded="$(nvidia-smi --query-gpu=driver_version --format=csv,noheader 2>/dev/null | head -n1 | tr -d '[:space:]')" \
+  rows="$(nvidia-smi --query-gpu=pci.bus_id,driver_version --format=csv,noheader 2>/dev/null)" \
     || return 0
-  printf '%s' "$loaded"
+  pci_root="$(station_pci_devices_path)"
+  while IFS= read -r row; do
+    [[ -n "${row//[[:space:]]/}" ]] || continue
+    IFS=',' read -r bus_id driver <<<"$row"
+    bus_id="$(normalize_nvidia_pci_bus_id "$bus_id")" || continue
+    station_pci_device_is_gb300 "$bus_id" "$pci_root" || continue
+    printf '%s' "${driver//[[:space:]]/}"
+    return 0
+  done <<<"$rows"
 }
 
 driver_is_loaded() {
@@ -1149,13 +1180,48 @@ install_exact_file_or_reuse() {
   info "${label}=installed path=${target}"
 }
 
+ensure_docker_repository_source() {
+  local docker_asc=$1 docker_gpg=$2 docker_gpg_list=$3 docker_asc_list=$4
+  local source_target=/etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list
+  local gpg_key_target=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
+  local asc_key_target=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
+
+  sudo test ! -L "$source_target" \
+    || fatal "Docker repository source must not be a symbolic link: ${source_target}"
+  if ! sudo test -e "$source_target"; then
+    install_exact_file_or_reuse "$docker_gpg" "$gpg_key_target" 0644 docker_repository_key
+    install_exact_file_or_reuse "$docker_gpg_list" "$source_target" 0644 docker_repository_source
+    return 0
+  fi
+
+  assert_root_regular_file_safe "$source_target" 0644 "Docker repository source"
+  if sudo cmp -s "$docker_gpg_list" "$source_target"; then
+    assert_root_regular_file_safe "$gpg_key_target" 0644 "Docker repository key"
+    sudo cmp -s "$docker_gpg" "$gpg_key_target" \
+      || fatal "Existing Docker repository key differs from the verified dearmored key: ${gpg_key_target}"
+    info "docker_repository_source=exact path=${source_target}"
+    return 0
+  fi
+
+  if sudo cmp -s "$docker_asc_list" "$source_target"; then
+    assert_root_regular_file_safe "$asc_key_target" 0644 "Docker repository ASCII key"
+    sudo cmp -s "$docker_asc" "$asc_key_target" \
+      || fatal "Existing Docker repository ASCII key differs from the verified key: ${asc_key_target}"
+    info "docker_repository_source=verified_compatible path=${source_target}"
+    return 0
+  fi
+
+  fatal "Existing Docker repository source differs from the validated .gpg and .asc forms; refusing to overwrite ${source_target}"
+}
+
 configure_repositories() {
-  local tmp cuda_deb docker_asc docker_gpg docker_list
+  local tmp cuda_deb docker_asc docker_gpg docker_gpg_list docker_asc_list
   tmp="$(mktemp -d)"
   cuda_deb="${tmp}/cuda-keyring.deb"
   docker_asc="${tmp}/docker.asc"
   docker_gpg="${tmp}/docker.gpg"
-  docker_list="${tmp}/docker.list"
+  docker_gpg_list="${tmp}/docker-gpg.list"
+  docker_asc_list="${tmp}/docker-asc.list"
 
   info "Downloading and verifying official repository keys"
   ensure_cuda_keyring "$cuda_deb"
@@ -1166,45 +1232,299 @@ configure_repositories() {
   gpg --batch --yes --dearmor --output "$docker_gpg" "$docker_asc"
   ensure_root_directory_safe /etc/apt/keyrings /etc/apt 0755 "Docker repository key directory"
   assert_root_directory_safe /etc/apt/sources.list.d "Docker repository source directory"
-  install_exact_file_or_reuse "$docker_gpg" /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg 0644 docker_repository_key
   printf '%s\n' \
     'deb [arch=arm64 signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu noble stable' \
-    >"$docker_list"
-  install_exact_file_or_reuse "$docker_list" /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list 0644 docker_repository_source
+    >"$docker_gpg_list"
+  printf '%s\n' \
+    'deb [arch=arm64 signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu noble stable' \
+    >"$docker_asc_list"
+  ensure_docker_repository_source "$docker_asc" "$docker_gpg" "$docker_gpg_list" "$docker_asc_list"
 
   rm -rf "$tmp"
   info "repository_keys=verified"
 }
 
+collect_package_transaction_specs() {
+  local spec state
+  PACKAGE_TRANSACTION_SPECS=()
+  for spec in "${PACKAGE_SPECS[@]}"; do
+    state="$(package_state "$spec")"
+    case "$state" in
+      missing | approved-transition) PACKAGE_TRANSACTION_SPECS+=("$spec") ;;
+      exact) ;;
+      *) fatal "Package transaction contains an unapproved prerequisite state: ${spec} (${state})" ;;
+    esac
+  done
+  ((${#PACKAGE_TRANSACTION_SPECS[@]} > 0)) \
+    || fatal "Package transaction has no missing or approved-transition prerequisites"
+}
+
 validate_package_availability() {
   local spec
-  for spec in "${PACKAGE_SPECS[@]}"; do
+  for spec in "$@"; do
     apt-cache show "$spec" >/dev/null 2>&1 || fatal "Exact package version is unavailable: ${spec}"
   done
   info "exact_package_versions=available"
 }
 
+apt_guard_fatal() {
+  printf 'APT transaction guard: %s\n' "$*" >&2
+  return 1
+}
+
+validate_apt_preinstall_plan() {
+  local targets_file=$1 line package old_version old_arch old_multiarch direction
+  local new_version new_arch new_multiarch action extra record_key
+  local target expected allowed_old native_arch target_line target_expected target_allowed_old target_native_arch
+  local manifest_native_arch=""
+  local configured='|' changed='|' seen_targets='|' target_names='|'
+  [[ -r "$targets_file" && -f "$targets_file" && ! -L "$targets_file" ]] \
+    || apt_guard_fatal "target manifest is unavailable or unsafe: ${targets_file}" || return
+
+  while IFS='|' read -r target expected allowed_old native_arch extra; do
+    [[ -n "$target" && -n "$expected" && -n "$native_arch" && -z "$extra" ]] \
+      || apt_guard_fatal "target manifest contains an invalid record" || return
+    [[ "$target" =~ ^[a-z0-9][a-z0-9+.-]+$ ]] \
+      || apt_guard_fatal "target manifest contains an invalid package name: ${target}" || return
+    [[ "$expected" != *[[:space:]]* && "$expected" != *"|"* &&
+      "$allowed_old" != *[[:space:]]* && "$allowed_old" != *"|"* &&
+      "$native_arch" =~ ^[a-z0-9][a-z0-9-]*$ ]] \
+      || apt_guard_fatal "target manifest contains an invalid version for ${target}" || return
+    [[ "$target_names" != *"|${target}|"* ]] \
+      || apt_guard_fatal "target manifest repeats package ${target}" || return
+    if [[ -z "$manifest_native_arch" ]]; then
+      manifest_native_arch=$native_arch
+    else
+      [[ "$native_arch" == "$manifest_native_arch" ]] \
+        || apt_guard_fatal "target manifest mixes native architectures" || return
+    fi
+    target_names="${target_names}${target}|"
+  done <"$targets_file"
+  [[ "$target_names" != "|" ]] || apt_guard_fatal "target manifest is empty" || return
+
+  IFS= read -r line || apt_guard_fatal "APT omitted the pre-install protocol header" || return
+  [[ "$line" == "VERSION 3" ]] \
+    || apt_guard_fatal "APT pre-install protocol must be VERSION 3, found: ${line}" || return
+  while IFS= read -r line; do
+    [[ -n "$line" ]] || break
+  done
+  [[ -z "$line" ]] || apt_guard_fatal "APT pre-install protocol omitted its record separator" || return
+
+  while read -r package old_version old_arch old_multiarch direction new_version new_arch new_multiarch action extra; do
+    [[ -n "$package" && -n "$old_version" && -n "$old_arch" && -n "$old_multiarch" &&
+      -n "$direction" && -n "$new_version" && -n "$new_arch" && -n "$new_multiarch" &&
+      -n "$action" && -z "$extra" ]] \
+      || apt_guard_fatal "APT emitted a malformed package action" || return
+    [[ "$package" =~ ^[a-z0-9][a-z0-9+.-]+$ ]] \
+      || apt_guard_fatal "APT emitted an invalid package name: ${package}" || return
+    [[ "$old_arch" == "-" || "$old_arch" =~ ^[a-z0-9][a-z0-9-]*$ ]] \
+      || apt_guard_fatal "APT emitted an invalid old architecture for ${package}: ${old_arch}" || return
+    [[ "$new_arch" == "-" || "$new_arch" =~ ^[a-z0-9][a-z0-9-]*$ ]] \
+      || apt_guard_fatal "APT emitted an invalid new architecture for ${package}: ${new_arch}" || return
+    [[ "$old_multiarch" =~ ^(same|foreign|allowed|none|no|-)$ &&
+      "$new_multiarch" =~ ^(same|foreign|allowed|none|no|-)$ ]] \
+      || apt_guard_fatal "APT emitted an invalid Multi-Arch field for ${package}" || return
+    record_key="${package}@${new_arch}"
+    case "$action" in
+      "**REMOVE**") apt_guard_fatal "APT proposed removing ${package}" || return ;;
+      "**CONFIGURE**")
+        configured="${configured}${record_key}|"
+        ;;
+      /*)
+        [[ "$changed" != *"|${record_key}|"* ]] \
+          || apt_guard_fatal "APT proposed duplicate archive actions for ${record_key}" || return
+        changed="${changed}${record_key}|"
+        target=""
+        expected=""
+        allowed_old=""
+        native_arch=""
+        while IFS='|' read -r target_line target_expected target_allowed_old target_native_arch; do
+          if [[ "$target_line" == "$package" ]]; then
+            target=$target_line
+            expected=$target_expected
+            allowed_old=$target_allowed_old
+            native_arch=$target_native_arch
+            break
+          fi
+        done <"$targets_file"
+        if [[ -z "$native_arch" ]]; then
+          native_arch=$manifest_native_arch
+        fi
+        [[ "$new_arch" == "$native_arch" || "$new_arch" == "all" ]] \
+          || apt_guard_fatal "APT selected foreign architecture ${new_arch} for ${package}; expected ${native_arch} or all" || return
+        if [[ -n "$target" ]]; then
+          [[ "$new_version" == "$expected" ]] \
+            || apt_guard_fatal "APT selected ${package}=${new_version}; expected ${expected}" || return
+          if [[ -n "$allowed_old" ]]; then
+            [[ "$old_version" == "$allowed_old" && "$direction" == "<" &&
+              ("$old_arch" == "$native_arch" || "$old_arch" == "all") ]] \
+              || apt_guard_fatal "APT changed approved transition ${package} from ${old_version}; expected ${allowed_old}" || return
+          else
+            [[ "$old_version" == "-" && "$old_arch" == "-" && "$direction" == "<" ]] \
+              || apt_guard_fatal "APT proposed changing retained target ${package}=${old_version}" || return
+          fi
+          seen_targets="${seen_targets}${package}|"
+        else
+          [[ "$old_version" == "-" && "$old_arch" == "-" && "$direction" == "<" ]] \
+            || apt_guard_fatal "APT proposed changing retained package ${package}=${old_version}" || return
+        fi
+        ;;
+      *) apt_guard_fatal "APT emitted an unsupported action for ${package}: ${action}" || return ;;
+    esac
+  done
+
+  while IFS='|' read -r target expected allowed_old native_arch; do
+    [[ "$seen_targets" == *"|${target}|"* ]] \
+      || apt_guard_fatal "APT omitted required target ${target}=${expected}" || return
+  done <"$targets_file"
+  while [[ "$configured" != "|" ]]; do
+    configured="${configured#|}"
+    package="${configured%%|*}"
+    configured="|${configured#*|}"
+    [[ "$changed" == *"|${package}|"* ]] \
+      || apt_guard_fatal "APT proposed configuring retained package ${package} without an archive action" || return
+  done
+}
+
+cleanup_apt_transaction_guard() {
+  local guard_dir=${APT_TRANSACTION_GUARD_DIR:-}
+  APT_TRANSACTION_GUARD_DIR=""
+  APT_TRANSACTION_HOOK=""
+  [[ -n "$guard_dir" ]] || return 0
+  if [[ ! "$guard_dir" =~ ^/run/nemoclaw-apt-transaction\.[A-Za-z0-9]+$ ]]; then
+    warn "refusing to clean unexpected APT transaction guard path: ${guard_dir}"
+    return 0
+  fi
+  sudo rm -rf -- "$guard_dir" \
+    || warn "could not remove APT transaction guard directory: ${guard_dir}"
+}
+
+create_apt_transaction_guard() {
+  local spec state name expected allowed_old native_arch targets="" hook_path targets_path
+  native_arch="$(sudo dpkg --print-architecture)"
+  [[ "$native_arch" =~ ^[a-z0-9][a-z0-9-]*$ ]] \
+    || fatal "Could not determine the native package architecture"
+  for spec in "${PACKAGE_TRANSACTION_SPECS[@]}"; do
+    state="$(package_state "$spec")"
+    name="$(package_name "$spec")"
+    expected="$(package_expected_version "$spec")"
+    case "$state" in
+      missing) allowed_old="" ;;
+      approved-transition) allowed_old="$(installed_version "$name")" ;;
+      *) fatal "Cannot authorize APT target ${spec} from state ${state}" ;;
+    esac
+    targets="${targets}${name}|${expected}|${allowed_old}|${native_arch}"$'\n'
+  done
+
+  APT_TRANSACTION_GUARD_DIR="$(sudo mktemp -d /run/nemoclaw-apt-transaction.XXXXXXXXXX)" \
+    || fatal "Could not create the root-owned APT transaction guard directory"
+  [[ "$APT_TRANSACTION_GUARD_DIR" =~ ^/run/nemoclaw-apt-transaction\.[A-Za-z0-9]+$ ]] \
+    || fatal "APT transaction guard returned an unexpected path: ${APT_TRANSACTION_GUARD_DIR}"
+  hook_path="${APT_TRANSACTION_GUARD_DIR}/verify-plan"
+  targets_path="${APT_TRANSACTION_GUARD_DIR}/targets"
+  {
+    printf '%s\n' '#!/usr/bin/env bash' 'set -euo pipefail'
+    declare -f apt_guard_fatal
+    declare -f validate_apt_preinstall_plan
+    # The generated hook expands its own path at execution time.
+    # shellcheck disable=SC2016
+    printf '%s\n' 'validate_apt_preinstall_plan "${0%/*}/targets"'
+  } | sudo tee "$hook_path" >/dev/null
+  printf '%s' "$targets" | sudo tee "$targets_path" >/dev/null
+  sudo chmod 0700 "$hook_path"
+  sudo chmod 0600 "$targets_path"
+  assert_root_directory_safe "$APT_TRANSACTION_GUARD_DIR" "APT transaction guard directory"
+  assert_root_regular_file_safe "$hook_path" 0700 "APT transaction guard"
+  assert_root_regular_file_safe "$targets_path" 0600 "APT transaction target manifest"
+  APT_TRANSACTION_HOOK=$hook_path
+}
+
+validate_apt_simulation() {
+  local simulation=$1
+  shift
+  local spec target_spec name expected actual line action version before_version
+  local simulated_targets='|' simulated_changes='|'
+
+  while IFS= read -r line; do
+    [[ "$line" =~ ^(Inst|Conf|Remv|Purg)[[:space:]] ]] || continue
+    read -r action name _ <<<"$line"
+    case "$action" in
+      Remv | Purg) fatal "APT simulation proposed a package removal: ${line}" ;;
+      Conf)
+        [[ "$simulated_changes" == *"|${name}|"* ]] \
+          || fatal "APT simulation proposed configuration without an approved install: ${line}"
+        ;;
+      Inst)
+        [[ "$simulated_changes" != *"|${name}|"* ]] \
+          || fatal "APT simulation proposed a duplicate package change: ${line}"
+        simulated_changes="${simulated_changes}${name}|"
+        target_spec=""
+        for spec in "$@"; do
+          if [[ "$(package_name "$spec")" == "$name" ]]; then
+            target_spec=$spec
+            break
+          fi
+        done
+        if [[ -n "$target_spec" ]]; then
+          [[ "$line" == *"("* ]] || fatal "APT simulation omitted the target version: ${line}"
+          version="${line#*(}"
+          version="${version%%[[:space:]]*}"
+          version="${version%)}"
+          expected="$(package_expected_version "$target_spec")"
+          [[ "$version" == "$expected" ]] \
+            || fatal "APT simulation selected ${name}=${version}; expected ${expected}"
+          simulated_targets="${simulated_targets}${name}|"
+          continue
+        fi
+
+        # A target package may require a new dependency, but APT must not
+        # upgrade, downgrade, or reinstall any package retained from the host.
+        actual="$(installed_version "$name")"
+        before_version="${line%%(*}"
+        [[ -z "$actual" && "$before_version" != *"["* ]] \
+          || fatal "APT simulation proposed changing retained package ${name}=${actual}: ${line}"
+        ;;
+    esac
+  done <<<"$simulation"
+
+  for spec in "$@"; do
+    name="$(package_name "$spec")"
+    [[ "$simulated_targets" == *"|${name}|"* ]] \
+      || fatal "APT simulation did not include required package ${spec}"
+  done
+}
+
 simulate_install() {
   local simulation
-  simulation="$(apt-get -s install --no-install-recommends "${PACKAGE_SPECS[@]}")" \
+  [[ "$APT_TRANSACTION_HOOK" =~ ^/run/nemoclaw-apt-transaction\.[A-Za-z0-9]+/verify-plan$ ]] \
+    || fatal "APT transaction guard is not ready"
+  simulation="$(sudo env DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive LC_ALL=C \
+    apt-get -s install --no-install-recommends --no-remove \
+    -o "DPkg::Pre-Install-Pkgs::=${APT_TRANSACTION_HOOK}" \
+    -o "DPkg::Tools::options::${APT_TRANSACTION_HOOK}::Version=3" "$@")" \
     || fatal "APT simulation failed"
   printf '%s\n' "$simulation"
-  if grep -Eq '^(Remv |Purg )' <<<"$simulation"; then
-    fatal "APT simulation proposed a package removal"
-  fi
-  info "apt_simulation=no_removals"
+  validate_apt_simulation "$simulation" "$@"
+  info "apt_simulation=missing_only retained_packages=unchanged"
 }
 
 install_packages() {
+  collect_package_transaction_specs
   configure_repositories
   info "Refreshing package metadata"
   sudo apt-get update
-  validate_package_availability
-  simulate_install
+  validate_package_availability "${PACKAGE_TRANSACTION_SPECS[@]}"
+  create_apt_transaction_guard
+  simulate_install "${PACKAGE_TRANSACTION_SPECS[@]}"
+  check_no_workloads
   require_docker_restart_quiescence "Station prerequisite package installation"
-  info "Installing pinned Station prerequisites"
-  sudo env DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
-    "${PACKAGE_SPECS[@]}"
+  info "Installing missing pinned Station prerequisites"
+  sudo env DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive LC_ALL=C \
+    apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends --no-remove \
+    -o "DPkg::Pre-Install-Pkgs::=${APT_TRANSACTION_HOOK}" \
+    -o "DPkg::Tools::options::${APT_TRANSACTION_HOOK}::Version=3" \
+    "${PACKAGE_TRANSACTION_SPECS[@]}"
+  cleanup_apt_transaction_guard
 
   local spec
   for spec in "${PACKAGE_SPECS[@]}"; do
@@ -1274,7 +1594,7 @@ ensure_acceptance_image() {
 run_cdi_test_sudo() {
   local rows
   rows="$(sudo docker run --rm --device nvidia.com/gpu=all "$ACCEPTANCE_IMAGE" nvidia-smi \
-    --query-gpu=name,driver_version,ecc.errors.corrected.volatile.total,ecc.errors.uncorrected.volatile.total \
+    --query-gpu=pci.bus_id,name,driver_version,ecc.errors.corrected.volatile.total,ecc.errors.uncorrected.volatile.total \
     --format=csv,noheader,nounits)" || return 1
   gpu_rows_are_valid "$rows" || {
     warn "CDI container probe did not expose the qualified GB300: ${GPU_ROWS_ERROR}"
@@ -1285,7 +1605,7 @@ run_cdi_test_sudo() {
 run_gpus_test_sudo() {
   local rows
   rows="$(sudo docker run --rm --gpus all "$ACCEPTANCE_IMAGE" nvidia-smi \
-    --query-gpu=name,driver_version,ecc.errors.corrected.volatile.total,ecc.errors.uncorrected.volatile.total \
+    --query-gpu=pci.bus_id,name,driver_version,ecc.errors.corrected.volatile.total,ecc.errors.uncorrected.volatile.total \
     --format=csv,noheader,nounits)" || return 1
   gpu_rows_are_valid "$rows" || {
     warn "Docker --gpus container probe did not expose the qualified GB300: ${GPU_ROWS_ERROR}"
@@ -1296,7 +1616,7 @@ run_gpus_test_sudo() {
 run_cdi_test_user() {
   local rows
   rows="$(docker run --rm --device nvidia.com/gpu=all "$ACCEPTANCE_IMAGE" nvidia-smi \
-    --query-gpu=name,driver_version,ecc.errors.corrected.volatile.total,ecc.errors.uncorrected.volatile.total \
+    --query-gpu=pci.bus_id,name,driver_version,ecc.errors.corrected.volatile.total,ecc.errors.uncorrected.volatile.total \
     --format=csv,noheader,nounits)" || return 1
   gpu_rows_are_valid "$rows"
 }
@@ -1304,7 +1624,7 @@ run_cdi_test_user() {
 run_gpus_test_user() {
   local rows
   rows="$(docker run --rm --gpus all "$ACCEPTANCE_IMAGE" nvidia-smi \
-    --query-gpu=name,driver_version,ecc.errors.corrected.volatile.total,ecc.errors.uncorrected.volatile.total \
+    --query-gpu=pci.bus_id,name,driver_version,ecc.errors.corrected.volatile.total,ecc.errors.uncorrected.volatile.total \
     --format=csv,noheader,nounits)" || return 1
   gpu_rows_are_valid "$rows"
 }
@@ -1319,7 +1639,7 @@ ensure_dgx_os_acceptance_image() {
 run_dgx_os_cdi_test_sudo() {
   local rows
   rows="$(station_sudo_local_default_docker run --rm --device nvidia.com/gpu=all "$ACCEPTANCE_IMAGE" nvidia-smi \
-    --query-gpu=name,driver_version,ecc.errors.corrected.volatile.total,ecc.errors.uncorrected.volatile.total \
+    --query-gpu=pci.bus_id,name,driver_version,ecc.errors.corrected.volatile.total,ecc.errors.uncorrected.volatile.total \
     --format=csv,noheader,nounits)" || return 1
   gpu_rows_are_valid "$rows" || {
     warn "Factory-runtime CDI probe did not expose the qualified GB300: ${GPU_ROWS_ERROR}"
@@ -1330,7 +1650,7 @@ run_dgx_os_cdi_test_sudo() {
 run_dgx_os_gpus_test_sudo() {
   local rows
   rows="$(station_sudo_local_default_docker run --rm --gpus all "$ACCEPTANCE_IMAGE" nvidia-smi \
-    --query-gpu=name,driver_version,ecc.errors.corrected.volatile.total,ecc.errors.uncorrected.volatile.total \
+    --query-gpu=pci.bus_id,name,driver_version,ecc.errors.corrected.volatile.total,ecc.errors.uncorrected.volatile.total \
     --format=csv,noheader,nounits)" || return 1
   gpu_rows_are_valid "$rows" || {
     warn "Factory-runtime Docker --gpus probe did not expose the qualified GB300: ${GPU_ROWS_ERROR}"
@@ -1341,7 +1661,7 @@ run_dgx_os_gpus_test_sudo() {
 run_dgx_os_cdi_test_user() {
   local rows
   rows="$(station_local_default_docker run --rm --device nvidia.com/gpu=all "$ACCEPTANCE_IMAGE" nvidia-smi \
-    --query-gpu=name,driver_version,ecc.errors.corrected.volatile.total,ecc.errors.uncorrected.volatile.total \
+    --query-gpu=pci.bus_id,name,driver_version,ecc.errors.corrected.volatile.total,ecc.errors.uncorrected.volatile.total \
     --format=csv,noheader,nounits)" || return 1
   gpu_rows_are_valid "$rows"
 }
@@ -1349,7 +1669,7 @@ run_dgx_os_cdi_test_user() {
 run_dgx_os_gpus_test_user() {
   local rows
   rows="$(station_local_default_docker run --rm --gpus all "$ACCEPTANCE_IMAGE" nvidia-smi \
-    --query-gpu=name,driver_version,ecc.errors.corrected.volatile.total,ecc.errors.uncorrected.volatile.total \
+    --query-gpu=pci.bus_id,name,driver_version,ecc.errors.corrected.volatile.total,ecc.errors.uncorrected.volatile.total \
     --format=csv,noheader,nounits)" || return 1
   gpu_rows_are_valid "$rows"
 }
@@ -1554,22 +1874,26 @@ verify_apply_state() {
 }
 
 gpu_rows_are_valid() {
-  local rows=$1 row name driver corrected uncorrected row_index=0 gb300_count=0 expected_driver=""
+  local rows=$1 row bus_id name driver corrected uncorrected gb300_count=0 expected_driver="" pci_root
   GPU_ROWS_ERROR=""
   case "$STATION_HOST_PROFILE" in
     generic-ubuntu) expected_driver="$DRIVER_VERSION" ;;
     colossus-baseos) expected_driver="$BASEOS_DRIVER_VERSION" ;;
   esac
+  pci_root="$(station_pci_devices_path)"
   while IFS= read -r row; do
     [[ -n "${row//[[:space:]]/}" ]] || continue
-    IFS=',' read -r name driver corrected uncorrected <<<"$row"
+    IFS=',' read -r bus_id name driver corrected uncorrected <<<"$row"
+    if ! bus_id="$(normalize_nvidia_pci_bus_id "$bus_id")"; then
+      GPU_ROWS_ERROR="nvidia-smi returned an invalid PCI bus ID: ${bus_id}"
+      return 1
+    fi
     name="${name#"${name%%[![:space:]]*}"}"
     driver="${driver//[[:space:]]/}"
     corrected="${corrected//[[:space:]]/}"
     uncorrected="${uncorrected//[[:space:]]/}"
-    if [[ "$name" != *"GB300"* ]]; then
-      info "gpu_index=${row_index} gpu=${name} role=auxiliary validation=skipped"
-      ((row_index += 1))
+    if ! station_pci_device_is_gb300 "$bus_id" "$pci_root"; then
+      info "gpu_bdf=${bus_id} gpu=${name} role=auxiliary validation=skipped"
       continue
     fi
     if [[ -z "$driver" ]]; then
@@ -1585,11 +1909,10 @@ gpu_rows_are_valid() {
       return 1
     fi
     ((gb300_count += 1))
-    info "gpu_index=${row_index} gpu=${name} role=inference driver=${driver} ecc_corrected=${corrected} ecc_uncorrected=${uncorrected}"
-    ((row_index += 1))
+    info "gpu_bdf=${bus_id} gpu=${name} role=inference driver=${driver} ecc_corrected=${corrected} ecc_uncorrected=${uncorrected}"
   done <<<"$rows"
   if ((gb300_count != 1)); then
-    GPU_ROWS_ERROR="Expected exactly one NVIDIA GB300, found ${gb300_count}"
+    GPU_ROWS_ERROR="Expected exactly one NVIDIA GB300 PCI device, found ${gb300_count}"
     return 1
   fi
 }
@@ -1597,7 +1920,7 @@ gpu_rows_are_valid() {
 verify_gpu() {
   local rows
   rows="$(nvidia-smi \
-    --query-gpu=name,driver_version,ecc.errors.corrected.volatile.total,ecc.errors.uncorrected.volatile.total \
+    --query-gpu=pci.bus_id,name,driver_version,ecc.errors.corrected.volatile.total,ecc.errors.uncorrected.volatile.total \
     --format=csv,noheader,nounits)" || fatal "nvidia-smi failed"
   gpu_rows_are_valid "$rows" || fatal "$GPU_ROWS_ERROR"
 }
@@ -1752,6 +2075,7 @@ main() {
     info "version=${SCRIPT_VERSION} mode=${MODE} log=disabled_read_only"
   fi
   trap 'on_error "$LINENO"' ERR
+  trap 'cleanup_apt_transaction_guard' EXIT
   case "$MODE" in
     --check) run_check ;;
     --apply) run_apply ;;
diff --git a/test/install-express-prompt.test.ts b/test/install-express-prompt.test.ts
index b41e78e5fa3..41bd9aa9020 100644
--- a/test/install-express-prompt.test.ts
+++ b/test/install-express-prompt.test.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,24 @@ import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import { INSTALLER_PAYLOAD, TEST_SYSTEM_PATH } from "./helpers/installer-sourced-env";
 
 describe("installer express install prompt (sourced)", () => {
+  function runInstallerSourced(body: string) {
+    const home = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "nemoclaw-express-sourced-"));
+    const result = spawnSync(
+      "bash",
+      ["--noprofile", "--norc", "-c", `source "$INSTALLER_UNDER_TEST" >/dev/null\n${body}`],
+      {
+        cwd: path.resolve(import.meta.dirname, ".."),
+        encoding: "utf-8",
+        env: {
+          HOME: home,
+          PATH: TEST_SYSTEM_PATH,
+          INSTALLER_UNDER_TEST: INSTALLER_PAYLOAD,
+        },
+      },
+    );
+    return { result, output: `${result.stdout}${result.stderr}` };
+  }
+
   function runExpressPromptWithTty(
     answer: string,
     stdinMode: "pipe" | "tty",
@@ -361,6 +379,45 @@ detect_express_platform
     expect(output).toMatch(/STATION_EXPRESS=1/);
   });
 
+  it("keeps Station preparation details in the log while showing warnings and errors", () => {
+    const { result, output } = runInstallerSourced(`
+printf '%s\n' \
+  '[station-prepare] 2026-07-17T07:59:07Z version=2026-07-17.4 mode=--apply log=/tmp/station-prepare.log' \
+  '[station-prepare] 2026-07-17T07:59:07Z platform=Dell Pro Max with Station GB300 profile=generic-ubuntu' \
+  '[station-prepare] 2026-07-17T07:59:08Z WARNING: condition-qualified generic-image failed unit: cloud-init.service' \
+  'NVIDIA-SMI 610.43.02' \
+  '[station-prepare] 2026-07-17T07:59:20Z ERROR: example failure' \
+  | filter_station_host_preparation_output
+`);
+
+    expect(result.status, output).toBe(0);
+    expect(output).toContain("DGX Station host preparation log: /tmp/station-prepare.log");
+    expect(output).toContain("condition-qualified generic-image failed unit: cloud-init.service");
+    expect(output).toContain("ERROR: example failure");
+    expect(output).not.toMatch(/platform=Dell Pro Max|NVIDIA-SMI/);
+  });
+
+  it("preserves the Station helper exit status while filtering installer output", () => {
+    const { result, output } = runInstallerSourced(`
+bash() {
+  printf '%s\n' \
+    '[station-prepare] 2026-07-17T07:59:07Z version=2026-07-17.4 mode=--apply log=/tmp/station-prepare.log' \
+    '[station-prepare] 2026-07-17T07:59:08Z runtime_setup=complete'
+  return 10
+}
+if run_station_host_preparation; then
+  printf 'STATUS=0\n'
+else
+  printf 'STATUS=%s\n' "$?"
+fi
+`);
+
+    expect(result.status, output).toBe(0);
+    expect(output).toContain("STATUS=10");
+    expect(output).toContain("DGX Station host preparation log: /tmp/station-prepare.log");
+    expect(output).not.toContain("runtime_setup=complete");
+  });
+
   it.each([
     [
       "supported-colossus-baseos",
diff --git a/test/install-station-dgx-os.test.ts b/test/install-station-dgx-os.test.ts
index 3174cb33a2e..dd3e5fcd458 100644
--- a/test/install-station-dgx-os.test.ts
+++ b/test/install-station-dgx-os.test.ts
@@ -522,16 +522,17 @@ describe("DGX Station forced metadata installer handoff", () => {
       INSTALLER_PAYLOAD,
       `
 SCRIPT_DIR="$HOME"
-touch "$SCRIPT_DIR/prepare-dgx-station-host.sh"
-bash() { printf 'HELPER_ARGS=%s\n' "$*"; }
+cat >"$SCRIPT_DIR/prepare-dgx-station-host.sh" <<'HELPER'
+printf '%s\n' "$*" >"$HOME/helper-args"
+HELPER
 FORCE_STATION_INSTALL=1
 run_station_host_preparation
 `,
     );
 
     expect(result.status, output).toBe(0);
-    expect(output).toContain(
-      `HELPER_ARGS=${path.join(home, "prepare-dgx-station-host.sh")} --apply --force-station-install`,
+    expect(fs.readFileSync(path.join(home, "helper-args"), "utf8")).toBe(
+      "--apply --force-station-install\n",
     );
   });
 
@@ -1029,7 +1030,8 @@ run_apply
       STATION_PREPARE,
       `
 STATION_HOST_PROFILE=stock-dgx-os
-nvidia-smi() { printf 'NVIDIA GB300, 595.71.05, 0, 0\n'; }
+station_pci_device_is_gb300() { return 0; }
+nvidia-smi() { printf '00000000:01:00.0, NVIDIA GB300, 595.71.05, 0, 0\n'; }
 verify_gpu
 `,
     );
@@ -1040,7 +1042,8 @@ verify_gpu
       STATION_PREPARE,
       `
 STATION_HOST_PROFILE=generic-ubuntu
-nvidia-smi() { printf 'NVIDIA GB300, 595.71.05, 0, 0\n'; }
+station_pci_device_is_gb300() { return 0; }
+nvidia-smi() { printf '00000000:01:00.0, NVIDIA GB300, 595.71.05, 0, 0\n'; }
 verify_gpu
 `,
     );
@@ -1053,18 +1056,19 @@ verify_gpu
       STATION_PREPARE,
       `
 STATION_HOST_PROFILE=ai-developer-tools
+station_pci_device_is_gb300() { [[ "$1" == "0000:01:00.0" ]]; }
 nvidia-smi() {
-  printf 'NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q Workstation Edition, 610.43.03, [N/A], [N/A]\n'
-  printf 'NVIDIA GB300, 610.43.03, 0, 0\n'
+  printf '00000000:02:00.0, NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q Workstation Edition, 610.43.03, [N/A], [N/A]\n'
+  printf '00000000:01:00.0, NVIDIA GB300, 610.43.03, 0, 0\n'
 }
 verify_gpu
 `,
     );
 
     expect(result.status, output).toBe(0);
-    expect(output).toContain("gpu_index=0 gpu=NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000");
+    expect(output).toContain("gpu_bdf=0000:02:00.0 gpu=NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000");
     expect(output).toContain("role=auxiliary validation=skipped");
-    expect(output).toContain("gpu_index=1 gpu=NVIDIA GB300 role=inference");
+    expect(output).toContain("gpu_bdf=0000:01:00.0 gpu=NVIDIA GB300 role=inference");
   });
 
   it("requires both factory container probes to expose the GB300 on a mixed-GPU host", () => {
@@ -1072,29 +1076,31 @@ verify_gpu
       STATION_PREPARE,
       `
 STATION_HOST_PROFILE=ai-developer-tools
+station_pci_device_is_gb300() { [[ "$1" == "0000:01:00.0" ]]; }
 station_sudo_local_default_docker() {
-  printf 'NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q Workstation Edition, 610.43.03, [N/A], [N/A]\n'
-  printf 'NVIDIA GB300, 610.43.03, 0, 0\n'
+  printf '00000000:02:00.0, NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q Workstation Edition, 610.43.03, [N/A], [N/A]\n'
+  printf '00000000:01:00.0, NVIDIA GB300, 610.43.03, 0, 0\n'
 }
 run_dgx_os_cdi_test_sudo
 run_dgx_os_gpus_test_sudo
 `,
     );
     expect(mixed.result.status, mixed.output).toBe(0);
-    expect(mixed.output).toContain("gpu_index=1 gpu=NVIDIA GB300 role=inference");
+    expect(mixed.output).toContain("gpu_bdf=0000:01:00.0 gpu=NVIDIA GB300 role=inference");
 
     const rtxOnly = runSourced(
       STATION_PREPARE,
       `
 STATION_HOST_PROFILE=ai-developer-tools
+station_pci_device_is_gb300() { [[ "$1" == "0000:01:00.0" ]]; }
 station_sudo_local_default_docker() {
-  printf 'NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q Workstation Edition, 610.43.03, [N/A], [N/A]\n'
+  printf '00000000:02:00.0, NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q Workstation Edition, 610.43.03, [N/A], [N/A]\n'
 }
 run_dgx_os_cdi_test_sudo
 `,
     );
     expect(rtxOnly.result.status, rtxOnly.output).not.toBe(0);
-    expect(rtxOnly.output).toContain("Expected exactly one NVIDIA GB300, found 0");
+    expect(rtxOnly.output).toContain("Expected exactly one NVIDIA GB300 PCI device, found 0");
   });
 
   it("requires the qualified BaseOS driver to be loaded", () => {
@@ -1102,7 +1108,8 @@ run_dgx_os_cdi_test_sudo
       STATION_PREPARE,
       `
 STATION_HOST_PROFILE=colossus-baseos
-nvidia-smi() { printf 'NVIDIA GB300, 595.71.05, 0, 0\n'; }
+station_pci_device_is_gb300() { return 0; }
+nvidia-smi() { printf '00000000:01:00.0, NVIDIA GB300, 595.71.05, 0, 0\n'; }
 verify_gpu
 `,
     );
@@ -1202,18 +1209,30 @@ verify_dgx_os_runtime_sudo
   });
 
   it.each([
-    ["wrong GPU", "NVIDIA GB200, 595.71.05, 0, 0", /Expected exactly one NVIDIA GB300, found 0/],
-    ["non-zero volatile ECC", "NVIDIA GB300, 595.71.05, 1, 0", /ECC must be 0\/0/],
+    [
+      "a missing GB300 PCI identity",
+      "00000000:01:00.0, NVIDIA GB300, 595.71.05, 0, 0",
+      "return 1",
+      /Expected exactly one NVIDIA GB300 PCI device, found 0/,
+    ],
+    [
+      "non-zero volatile ECC",
+      "00000000:01:00.0, NVIDIA GB300, 595.71.05, 1, 0",
+      "return 0",
+      /ECC must be 0\/0/,
+    ],
     [
       "a failing second GPU row",
-      "NVIDIA GB300, 595.71.05, 0, 0\nNVIDIA GB300, 595.71.05, 0, 1",
+      "00000000:01:00.0, NVIDIA GB300, 595.71.05, 0, 0\n00000000:02:00.0, NVIDIA GB300, 595.71.05, 0, 1",
+      "return 0",
       /ECC must be 0\/0/,
     ],
-  ])("fails stock validation for %s", (_scenario, row, message) => {
+  ])("fails stock validation for %s", (_scenario, row, pciResult, message) => {
     const { result, output } = runSourced(
       STATION_PREPARE,
       `
 STATION_HOST_PROFILE=stock-dgx-os
+station_pci_device_is_gb300() { ${pciResult}; }
 nvidia-smi() { printf '%s\n' "$GPU_ROW"; }
 verify_gpu
 `,
diff --git a/test/install-station-docker-repository.test.ts b/test/install-station-docker-repository.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..31a98abce14
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/install-station-docker-repository.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,182 @@
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2026 NVIDIA CORPORATION & AFFILIATES. All rights reserved.
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
+import fs from "node:fs";
+import os from "node:os";
+import path from "node:path";
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { TEST_SYSTEM_PATH } from "./helpers/installer-sourced-env";
+
+const REPO_ROOT = path.resolve(import.meta.dirname, "..");
+const STATION_PREPARE = path.join(REPO_ROOT, "scripts", "prepare-dgx-station-host.sh");
+
+function runSourced(body: string, extraEnv: Record<string, string> = {}) {
+  const home = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "nemoclaw-station-docker-repository-"));
+  const result = spawnSync(
+    "bash",
+    ["--noprofile", "--norc", "-c", `source "$SCRIPT_UNDER_TEST" >/dev/null\n${body}`],
+    {
+      cwd: REPO_ROOT,
+      encoding: "utf-8",
+      env: {
+        HOME: home,
+        PATH: TEST_SYSTEM_PATH,
+        SCRIPT_UNDER_TEST: STATION_PREPARE,
+        ...extraEnv,
+      },
+      timeout: 15_000,
+      killSignal: "SIGKILL",
+    },
+  );
+  return { result, output: `${result.stdout}${result.stderr}` };
+}
+
+const DOCKER_REPOSITORY_FIXTURE = `
+prepare_docker_repository_fixture() {
+  mkdir -p "$HOME/root/etc/apt/keyrings" "$HOME/root/etc/apt/sources.list.d"
+  printf 'verified ascii key\n' >"$HOME/docker.asc"
+  printf 'verified dearmored key\n' >"$HOME/docker.gpg"
+  printf '%s\n' \\
+    'deb [arch=arm64 signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu noble stable' \\
+    >"$HOME/docker-gpg.list"
+  printf '%s\n' \\
+    'deb [arch=arm64 signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu noble stable' \\
+    >"$HOME/docker-asc.list"
+}
+assert_root_regular_file_safe() { printf 'ASSERT_SAFE %s\n' "$1"; }
+sudo() {
+  if [[ "$*" == 'test ! -L /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list' ]]; then
+    test ! -L "$HOME/root/etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list"
+    return
+  fi
+  if [[ "$*" == 'test -e /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list' ]]; then
+    test -e "$HOME/root/etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list"
+    return
+  fi
+  if [[ "$1" == 'cmp' && "$2" == '-s' ]]; then
+    case "$4" in
+      /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list)
+        cmp -s "$3" "$HOME/root/etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list"
+        ;;
+      /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg)
+        cmp -s "$3" "$HOME/root/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg"
+        ;;
+      /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc)
+        cmp -s "$3" "$HOME/root/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc"
+        ;;
+      *) return 1 ;;
+    esac
+    return
+  fi
+  return 1
+}
+`;
+
+const VERIFY_REPOSITORY = `
+ensure_docker_repository_source \
+  "$HOME/docker.asc" \
+  "$HOME/docker.gpg" \
+  "$HOME/docker-gpg.list" \
+  "$HOME/docker-asc.list"
+`;
+
+describe("DGX Station Docker repository compatibility", () => {
+  it("reuses the exact .gpg source with its verified key", () => {
+    const { result, output } = runSourced(`
+${DOCKER_REPOSITORY_FIXTURE}
+prepare_docker_repository_fixture
+cp "$HOME/docker.gpg" "$HOME/root/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg"
+cp "$HOME/docker-gpg.list" "$HOME/root/etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list"
+${VERIFY_REPOSITORY}
+`);
+
+    expect(result.status, output).toBe(0);
+    expect(output).toContain("ASSERT_SAFE /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list");
+    expect(output).toContain("ASSERT_SAFE /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg");
+    expect(output).toContain("docker_repository_source=exact");
+  });
+
+  it("reuses the equivalent .asc source with its verified key", () => {
+    const { result, output } = runSourced(`
+${DOCKER_REPOSITORY_FIXTURE}
+prepare_docker_repository_fixture
+cp "$HOME/docker.asc" "$HOME/root/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc"
+cp "$HOME/docker-asc.list" "$HOME/root/etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list"
+${VERIFY_REPOSITORY}
+`);
+
+    expect(result.status, output).toBe(0);
+    expect(output).toContain("ASSERT_SAFE /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list");
+    expect(output).toContain("ASSERT_SAFE /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc");
+    expect(output).toContain("docker_repository_source=verified_compatible");
+  });
+
+  it("rejects an .asc source when its installed key differs", () => {
+    const { result, output } = runSourced(`
+${DOCKER_REPOSITORY_FIXTURE}
+prepare_docker_repository_fixture
+printf 'different ascii key\n' >"$HOME/root/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc"
+cp "$HOME/docker-asc.list" "$HOME/root/etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list"
+${VERIFY_REPOSITORY}
+`);
+
+    expect(result.status, output).not.toBe(0);
+    expect(output).toMatch(/ASCII key differs from the verified key/);
+    expect(output).not.toContain("docker_repository_source=verified_compatible");
+  });
+
+  it.each([
+    [
+      "a changed URL",
+      "deb [arch=arm64 signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc] https://mirror.invalid/linux/ubuntu noble stable\n",
+    ],
+    [
+      "an extra source line",
+      "deb [arch=arm64 signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu noble stable\ndeb https://mirror.invalid/linux/ubuntu noble stable\n",
+    ],
+  ])("rejects a source with %s", (_case, sourceContent) => {
+    const { result, output } = runSourced(
+      `
+${DOCKER_REPOSITORY_FIXTURE}
+prepare_docker_repository_fixture
+cp "$HOME/docker.asc" "$HOME/root/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc"
+printf '%s' "$SOURCE_CONTENT" >"$HOME/root/etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list"
+${VERIFY_REPOSITORY}
+`,
+      { SOURCE_CONTENT: sourceContent },
+    );
+
+    expect(result.status, output).not.toBe(0);
+    expect(output).toMatch(/differs from the validated \.gpg and \.asc forms/);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a symlinked source", () => {
+    const { result, output } = runSourced(`
+${DOCKER_REPOSITORY_FIXTURE}
+prepare_docker_repository_fixture
+cp "$HOME/docker.asc" "$HOME/root/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc"
+ln -s "$HOME/docker-asc.list" "$HOME/root/etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list"
+${VERIFY_REPOSITORY}
+`);
+
+    expect(result.status, output).not.toBe(0);
+    expect(output).toMatch(/Docker repository source must not be a symbolic link/);
+  });
+
+  it("uses the dearmored key for a new source", () => {
+    const { result, output } = runSourced(`
+${DOCKER_REPOSITORY_FIXTURE}
+prepare_docker_repository_fixture
+install_exact_file_or_reuse() { printf 'INSTALL %s -> %s\n' "$1" "$2"; }
+${VERIFY_REPOSITORY}
+`);
+
+    expect(result.status, output).toBe(0);
+    expect(output).toMatch(/INSTALL .+\/docker\.gpg -> \/etc\/apt\/keyrings\/docker\.gpg/);
+    expect(output).toMatch(
+      /INSTALL .+\/docker-gpg\.list -> \/etc\/apt\/sources\.list\.d\/docker\.list/,
+    );
+    expect(output).not.toContain("docker.asc -> /etc/apt/keyrings");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/test/install-station-host-preparation.test.ts b/test/install-station-host-preparation.test.ts
index 4e62cee188b..525650b2f33 100644
--- a/test/install-station-host-preparation.test.ts
+++ b/test/install-station-host-preparation.test.ts
@@ -79,9 +79,10 @@ describe("DGX Station host preparation", () => {
       STATION_PREPARE,
       `
 STATION_HOST_PROFILE=generic-ubuntu
+station_pci_device_is_gb300() { return 0; }
 sudo() {
   printf 'SUDO %s\\n' "$*" >&2
-  printf 'NVIDIA GB300, 610.43.02, 0, 0\\n'
+  printf '00000000:01:00.0, NVIDIA GB300, 610.43.02, 0, 0\\n'
 }
 run_cdi_test_sudo
 run_gpus_test_sudo
@@ -95,7 +96,7 @@ run_gpus_test_sudo
       `SUDO docker run --rm --device nvidia.com/gpu=all ${image} nvidia-smi --query-gpu=`,
     );
     expect(output).toContain(`SUDO docker run --rm --gpus all ${image} nvidia-smi --query-gpu=`);
-    expect(output).toContain("gpu=NVIDIA GB300 role=inference");
+    expect(output).toContain("gpu_bdf=0000:01:00.0 gpu=NVIDIA GB300 role=inference");
   });
 
   it.each([
@@ -415,8 +416,15 @@ run_apply
 configure_repositories() { printf 'CONFIGURE_REPOSITORIES\n'; }
 validate_package_availability() { printf 'VALIDATE_PACKAGES\n'; }
 simulate_install() { printf 'SIMULATE_INSTALL\n'; }
+check_no_workloads() { printf 'RECHECK_ALL_WORKLOADS\n'; }
 require_docker_restart_quiescence() { printf 'RECHECK_RESTART_QUIESCENCE\n'; }
+package_state() { printf 'missing\n'; }
 package_is_exact() { return 0; }
+create_apt_transaction_guard() {
+  APT_TRANSACTION_GUARD_DIR=/run/nemoclaw-apt-transaction.TEST
+  APT_TRANSACTION_HOOK="$APT_TRANSACTION_GUARD_DIR/verify-plan"
+}
+cleanup_apt_transaction_guard() { :; }
 sudo() { printf 'SUDO %s\n' "$*"; }
 install_packages
 `,
@@ -436,7 +444,6 @@ install_packages
     }
     expect(output).toContain("pinned_packages=installed");
   });
-
   it("does not refresh CDI when the GPU launch probe already passes", () => {
     const { result, output } = runSourced(
       STATION_PREPARE,
@@ -961,7 +968,10 @@ PAYLOAD
 set -euo pipefail
 case "\${1:-}" in
   --classify-dgx-release) printf 'CLASSIFY_STATION\\n' >&2; printf 'generic-ubuntu' ;;
-  --apply) printf 'PREPARE_STATION\\n' ;;
+  --apply)
+    printf '[station-prepare] 2026-07-17T07:59:07Z version=2026-07-17.4 mode=--apply log=/tmp/station-prepare.log\\n'
+    printf 'PREPARE_STATION\\n'
+    ;;
   *) exit 2 ;;
 esac
 HELPER
@@ -992,12 +1002,14 @@ exit 0
       killSignal: "SIGKILL",
     });
     const output = `${result.stdout}${result.stderr}`;
+    const preparationLogIndex = output.indexOf("DGX Station host preparation log");
 
     expect(result.status, output).toBe(0);
     expect(output).toContain("CLASSIFY_STATION");
     expect(output).toContain("DGX Station host prerequisites are ready");
-    expect(output.indexOf("PREPARE_STATION")).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(0);
-    expect(output.indexOf("PREPARE_STATION")).toBeLessThan(output.indexOf("ENSURE_DOCKER"));
+    expect(preparationLogIndex).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(0);
+    expect(preparationLogIndex).toBeLessThan(output.indexOf("ENSURE_DOCKER"));
+    expect(output).not.toContain("PREPARE_STATION");
     expect(output.indexOf("ENSURE_DOCKER")).toBeLessThan(output.indexOf("ENSURE_BUILD_DEPS"));
   });
 
diff --git a/test/install-station-package-transaction.test.ts b/test/install-station-package-transaction.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1cfc13ae06e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/install-station-package-transaction.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,415 @@
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2026 NVIDIA CORPORATION & AFFILIATES. All rights reserved.
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
+import fs from "node:fs";
+import os from "node:os";
+import path from "node:path";
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { TEST_SYSTEM_PATH } from "./helpers/installer-sourced-env";
+
+const REPO_ROOT = path.resolve(import.meta.dirname, "..");
+const STATION_PREPARE = path.join(REPO_ROOT, "scripts", "prepare-dgx-station-host.sh");
+const EXPECTED_PACKAGE_SPECS = [
+  "dkms=1:3.4.0-1ubuntu1",
+  "nvidia-driver-pinning-610=610-2ubuntu1",
+  "nvidia-driver-open=610.43.02-1ubuntu1",
+  "containerd.io=2.2.6-1~ubuntu.24.04~noble",
+  "docker-buildx-plugin=0.35.0-1~ubuntu.24.04~noble",
+  "docker-ce=5:29.6.1-1~ubuntu.24.04~noble",
+  "docker-ce-cli=5:29.6.1-1~ubuntu.24.04~noble",
+  "libnvidia-container-tools=1.19.1-1",
+  "libnvidia-container1=1.19.1-1",
+  "nvidia-container-toolkit=1.19.1-1",
+  "nvidia-container-toolkit-base=1.19.1-1",
+];
+const DOCKER_CE_SPEC = "docker-ce=5:29.6.1-1~ubuntu.24.04~noble";
+const DKMS_SPEC = "dkms=1:3.4.0-1ubuntu1";
+
+function runSourced(body: string, extraEnv: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = {}) {
+  const home = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "nemoclaw-station-package-transaction-"));
+  const result = spawnSync(
+    "bash",
+    ["--noprofile", "--norc", "-c", `source "$SCRIPT_UNDER_TEST" >/dev/null\n${body}`],
+    {
+      cwd: REPO_ROOT,
+      encoding: "utf-8",
+      env: {
+        HOME: home,
+        PATH: TEST_SYSTEM_PATH,
+        SCRIPT_UNDER_TEST: STATION_PREPARE,
+        ...extraEnv,
+      },
+      timeout: 15_000,
+      killSignal: "SIGKILL",
+    },
+  );
+  return { result, output: `${result.stdout}${result.stderr}` };
+}
+
+function validateSimulation(plan: string, specs = [DOCKER_CE_SPEC]) {
+  return runSourced(
+    `
+installed_version() { :; }
+validate_apt_simulation "$APT_PLAN" ${specs.map((spec) => `'${spec}'`).join(" ")}
+`,
+    { APT_PLAN: plan },
+  );
+}
+
+function aptProtocol(...actions: string[]) {
+  return ["VERSION 3", "APT::Architecture=arm64", "", ...actions].join("\n");
+}
+
+function validatePreinstallPlan(targets: string, plan: string) {
+  return runSourced(
+    `
+printf '%s' "$APT_TARGETS" >"$HOME/targets"
+validate_apt_preinstall_plan "$HOME/targets" <<<"$APT_PLAN"
+`,
+    { APT_PLAN: plan, APT_TARGETS: targets },
+  );
+}
+
+describe("DGX Station package transaction", () => {
+  it("passes the complete pinned tuple when every package is missing", () => {
+    const { result, output } = runSourced(`
+configure_repositories() { printf 'CONFIGURE_REPOSITORIES\n'; }
+apt-cache() { printf 'APT_CACHE %s\n' "$*" >>"$HOME/apt-cache-calls"; }
+apt-get() {
+  printf 'APT_GET %s\n' "$*"
+  if [[ "$1" == "-s" ]]; then
+    local spec name version
+    for spec in "$@"; do
+      [[ "$spec" == [a-z0-9]*=* ]] || continue
+      name="\${spec%%=*}"
+      version="\${spec#*=}"
+      printf 'Inst %s (%s fixture [arm64])\n' "$name" "$version"
+      printf 'Conf %s (%s fixture [arm64])\n' "$name" "$version"
+    done
+  fi
+}
+check_no_workloads() { printf 'RECHECK_ALL_WORKLOADS\n'; }
+require_docker_restart_quiescence() { printf 'RECHECK_DOCKER_RESTART\n'; }
+package_state() { printf 'missing\n'; }
+package_is_exact() { return 0; }
+create_apt_transaction_guard() {
+  APT_TRANSACTION_GUARD_DIR=/run/nemoclaw-apt-transaction.TEST
+  APT_TRANSACTION_HOOK="$APT_TRANSACTION_GUARD_DIR/verify-plan"
+}
+cleanup_apt_transaction_guard() {
+  printf 'CLEANUP_GUARD\n'
+  APT_TRANSACTION_GUARD_DIR=""
+  APT_TRANSACTION_HOOK=""
+}
+sudo() {
+  printf 'SUDO %s\n' "$*"
+  if [[ "$1" == "env" && "$*" == *" apt-get -s install "* ]]; then
+    while [[ "$1" != "apt-get" ]]; do shift; done
+    "$@"
+  fi
+}
+install_packages
+cat "$HOME/apt-cache-calls"
+`);
+
+    expect(result.status, output).toBe(0);
+    const expectedTuple = EXPECTED_PACKAGE_SPECS.join(" ");
+    const aptCommands = output
+      .split("\n")
+      .filter((line) =>
+        /^(APT_CACHE show |APT_GET -s install |SUDO env .* apt-get install )/.test(line),
+      )
+      .sort();
+    expect(aptCommands).toEqual(
+      [
+        ...EXPECTED_PACKAGE_SPECS.map((spec) => `APT_CACHE show ${spec}`),
+        `APT_GET -s install --no-install-recommends --no-remove -o DPkg::Pre-Install-Pkgs::=/run/nemoclaw-apt-transaction.TEST/verify-plan -o DPkg::Tools::options::/run/nemoclaw-apt-transaction.TEST/verify-plan::Version=3 ${expectedTuple}`,
+        `SUDO env DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive LC_ALL=C apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends --no-remove -o DPkg::Pre-Install-Pkgs::=/run/nemoclaw-apt-transaction.TEST/verify-plan -o DPkg::Tools::options::/run/nemoclaw-apt-transaction.TEST/verify-plan::Version=3 ${expectedTuple}`,
+      ].sort(),
+    );
+    expect(output).toContain(
+      "SUDO env DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive LC_ALL=C apt-get -s install --no-install-recommends --no-remove",
+    );
+    expect(output).toContain("RECHECK_ALL_WORKLOADS");
+    expect(output).toContain("CLEANUP_GUARD");
+    expect(output).toContain("pinned_packages=installed");
+  });
+
+  it("excludes retained exact packages from every APT transaction command", () => {
+    const retainedSpec = "docker-ce=5:29.6.1-1~ubuntu.24.04~noble";
+    const missingSpecs = EXPECTED_PACKAGE_SPECS.filter((spec) => spec !== retainedSpec);
+    const { result, output } = runSourced(`
+configure_repositories() { :; }
+apt-cache() { printf 'APT_CACHE %s\n' "$*" >>"$HOME/apt-cache-calls"; }
+apt-get() {
+  printf 'APT_GET %s\n' "$*"
+  if [[ "$1" == "-s" ]]; then
+    local spec name version
+    for spec in "$@"; do
+      [[ "$spec" == [a-z0-9]*=* ]] || continue
+      name="\${spec%%=*}"
+      version="\${spec#*=}"
+      printf 'Inst %s (%s fixture [arm64])\n' "$name" "$version"
+      printf 'Conf %s (%s fixture [arm64])\n' "$name" "$version"
+    done
+  fi
+}
+check_no_workloads() { :; }
+require_docker_restart_quiescence() { :; }
+package_state() {
+  if [[ "$1" == '${retainedSpec}' ]]; then printf 'exact\n'; else printf 'missing\n'; fi
+}
+package_is_exact() { return 0; }
+create_apt_transaction_guard() {
+  APT_TRANSACTION_GUARD_DIR=/run/nemoclaw-apt-transaction.TEST
+  APT_TRANSACTION_HOOK="$APT_TRANSACTION_GUARD_DIR/verify-plan"
+}
+cleanup_apt_transaction_guard() {
+  APT_TRANSACTION_GUARD_DIR=""
+  APT_TRANSACTION_HOOK=""
+}
+sudo() {
+  printf 'SUDO %s\n' "$*"
+  if [[ "$1" == "env" && "$*" == *" apt-get -s install "* ]]; then
+    while [[ "$1" != "apt-get" ]]; do shift; done
+    "$@"
+  fi
+}
+install_packages
+cat "$HOME/apt-cache-calls"
+`);
+
+    expect(result.status, output).toBe(0);
+    const expectedTuple = missingSpecs.join(" ");
+    const aptCommands = output
+      .split("\n")
+      .filter((line) =>
+        /^(APT_CACHE show |APT_GET -s install |SUDO env .* apt-get install )/.test(line),
+      )
+      .sort();
+    expect(aptCommands).toEqual(
+      [
+        ...missingSpecs.map((spec) => `APT_CACHE show ${spec}`),
+        `APT_GET -s install --no-install-recommends --no-remove -o DPkg::Pre-Install-Pkgs::=/run/nemoclaw-apt-transaction.TEST/verify-plan -o DPkg::Tools::options::/run/nemoclaw-apt-transaction.TEST/verify-plan::Version=3 ${expectedTuple}`,
+        `SUDO env DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive LC_ALL=C apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends --no-remove -o DPkg::Pre-Install-Pkgs::=/run/nemoclaw-apt-transaction.TEST/verify-plan -o DPkg::Tools::options::/run/nemoclaw-apt-transaction.TEST/verify-plan::Version=3 ${expectedTuple}`,
+      ].sort(),
+    );
+    expect(aptCommands.join("\n")).not.toContain(retainedSpec);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a simulated change to a retained dependency", () => {
+    const { result, output } = runSourced(`
+configure_repositories() { :; }
+apt-cache() { :; }
+apt-get() {
+  if [[ "$1" == "-s" ]]; then
+    printf '%s\n' \
+      'Inst docker-ce (5:29.6.1-1~ubuntu.24.04~noble fixture [arm64])' \
+      'Inst libc6 [2.39-0ubuntu8] (2.39-0ubuntu9 fixture [arm64])'
+  fi
+}
+package_state() {
+  if [[ "$1" == docker-ce=* ]]; then printf 'missing\n'; else printf 'exact\n'; fi
+}
+installed_version() { if [[ "$1" == "libc6" ]]; then printf '2.39-0ubuntu8'; fi; }
+package_is_exact() { return 0; }
+create_apt_transaction_guard() {
+  APT_TRANSACTION_GUARD_DIR=/run/nemoclaw-apt-transaction.TEST
+  APT_TRANSACTION_HOOK="$APT_TRANSACTION_GUARD_DIR/verify-plan"
+}
+sudo() {
+  printf 'SUDO %s\n' "$*"
+  if [[ "$1" == "env" && "$*" == *" apt-get -s install "* ]]; then
+    while [[ "$1" != "apt-get" ]]; do shift; done
+    "$@"
+  fi
+}
+install_packages
+`);
+
+    expect(result.status, output).not.toBe(0);
+    expect(output).toContain(
+      "APT simulation proposed changing retained package libc6=2.39-0ubuntu8",
+    );
+    expect(output).not.toContain("apt-get install -y");
+  });
+
+  it("rejects unsafe simulation actions before the privileged install", () => {
+    const expected = "5:29.6.1-1~ubuntu.24.04~noble";
+    const scenarios = [
+      {
+        plan: `Inst docker-ce (${expected} fixture [arm64])\nRemv libc6 [2.39-0ubuntu8]`,
+        message: "APT simulation proposed a package removal",
+      },
+      {
+        plan: "Inst docker-ce (5:29.5.0-1~ubuntu.24.04~noble fixture [arm64])",
+        message: "APT simulation selected docker-ce=5:29.5.0-1~ubuntu.24.04~noble",
+      },
+      {
+        plan: "Inst pigz (2.8-1 fixture [arm64])",
+        message: `APT simulation did not include required package ${DOCKER_CE_SPEC}`,
+      },
+      {
+        plan: `Inst docker-ce (${expected} fixture [arm64])\nConf libc6 (2.39-0ubuntu8 fixture [arm64])`,
+        message: "APT simulation proposed configuration without an approved install",
+      },
+    ];
+
+    for (const scenario of scenarios) {
+      const { result, output } = validateSimulation(scenario.plan);
+      expect(result.status, `${scenario.plan}\n${output}`).not.toBe(0);
+      expect(output).toContain(scenario.message);
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("allows the approved DKMS transition and genuinely new dependencies in simulation", () => {
+    const transition = validateSimulation(
+      [
+        "Inst dkms [3.0.11-1ubuntu13] (1:3.4.0-1ubuntu1 fixture [all])",
+        "Conf dkms (1:3.4.0-1ubuntu1 fixture [all])",
+      ].join("\n"),
+      [DKMS_SPEC],
+    );
+    expect(transition.result.status, transition.output).toBe(0);
+
+    const dependency = validateSimulation(
+      [
+        "Inst docker-ce (5:29.6.1-1~ubuntu.24.04~noble fixture [arm64])",
+        "Inst pigz (2.8-1 fixture [arm64])",
+        "Conf docker-ce (5:29.6.1-1~ubuntu.24.04~noble fixture [arm64])",
+        "Conf pigz (2.8-1 fixture [arm64])",
+      ].join("\n"),
+    );
+    expect(dependency.result.status, dependency.output).toBe(0);
+  });
+
+  it("accepts only missing packages, new dependencies, and the approved transition in the actual plan", () => {
+    const missingWithDependency = validatePreinstallPlan(
+      "docker-ce|5:29.6.1-1~ubuntu.24.04~noble||arm64\n",
+      aptProtocol(
+        "docker-ce - - none < 5:29.6.1-1~ubuntu.24.04~noble arm64 no /var/cache/apt/archives/docker-ce.deb",
+        "pigz - - none < 2.8-1 arm64 no /var/cache/apt/archives/pigz.deb",
+        "docker-ce - - none < 5:29.6.1-1~ubuntu.24.04~noble arm64 no **CONFIGURE**",
+        "pigz - - none < 2.8-1 arm64 no **CONFIGURE**",
+      ),
+    );
+    expect(missingWithDependency.result.status, missingWithDependency.output).toBe(0);
+
+    const transition = validatePreinstallPlan(
+      "dkms|1:3.4.0-1ubuntu1|3.0.11-1ubuntu13|arm64\n",
+      aptProtocol(
+        "dkms 3.0.11-1ubuntu13 all foreign < 1:3.4.0-1ubuntu1 all foreign /var/cache/apt/archives/dkms.deb",
+        "dkms 3.0.11-1ubuntu13 all foreign < 1:3.4.0-1ubuntu1 all foreign **CONFIGURE**",
+      ),
+    );
+    expect(transition.result.status, transition.output).toBe(0);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects unsafe VERSION 3 actions in the actual pre-install plan", () => {
+    const targets = "docker-ce|5:29.6.1-1~ubuntu.24.04~noble||arm64\n";
+    const targetAction =
+      "docker-ce - - none < 5:29.6.1-1~ubuntu.24.04~noble arm64 no /var/cache/apt/archives/docker-ce.deb";
+    const scenarios = [
+      {
+        plan: aptProtocol(targetAction).replace("VERSION 3", "VERSION 2"),
+        message: "APT pre-install protocol must be VERSION 3",
+      },
+      {
+        plan: aptProtocol(
+          targetAction,
+          "libc6 2.39-0ubuntu8 arm64 same < 2.39-0ubuntu9 arm64 same /var/cache/apt/archives/libc6.deb",
+        ),
+        message: "APT proposed changing retained package libc6=2.39-0ubuntu8",
+      },
+      {
+        plan: aptProtocol(targetAction, "obsolete 1.0 arm64 no > - - none **REMOVE**"),
+        message: "APT proposed removing obsolete",
+      },
+      {
+        plan: aptProtocol(
+          "docker-ce - - none < 5:29.5.0-1~ubuntu.24.04~noble arm64 no /var/cache/apt/archives/docker-ce.deb",
+        ),
+        message: "APT selected docker-ce=5:29.5.0-1~ubuntu.24.04~noble",
+      },
+      {
+        plan: aptProtocol("pigz - - none < 2.8-1 arm64 no /var/cache/apt/archives/pigz.deb"),
+        message: "APT omitted required target docker-ce=5:29.6.1-1~ubuntu.24.04~noble",
+      },
+      {
+        plan: aptProtocol(
+          targetAction,
+          "libc6 2.39-0ubuntu8 arm64 same = 2.39-0ubuntu8 arm64 same **CONFIGURE**",
+        ),
+        message: "APT proposed configuring retained package libc6@arm64 without an archive action",
+      },
+      {
+        plan: aptProtocol(
+          "docker-ce - - none < 5:29.6.1-1~ubuntu.24.04~noble amd64 no /var/cache/apt/archives/docker-ce.deb",
+        ),
+        message: "APT selected foreign architecture amd64 for docker-ce; expected arm64 or all",
+      },
+    ];
+
+    for (const scenario of scenarios) {
+      const { result, output } = validatePreinstallPlan(targets, scenario.plan);
+      expect(result.status, `${scenario.plan}\n${output}`).not.toBe(0);
+      expect(output).toContain(scenario.message);
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("emits an executable root-hook payload bound to its target manifest", () => {
+    const { result, output } = runSourced(
+      `
+PACKAGE_TRANSACTION_SPECS=('${DOCKER_CE_SPEC}')
+package_state() { printf 'missing\n'; }
+assert_root_directory_safe() { :; }
+assert_root_regular_file_safe() { :; }
+sudo() {
+  case "$1" in
+    dpkg)
+      printf 'arm64\n'
+      ;;
+    mktemp)
+      mkdir -p "$HOME/generated-guard"
+      printf '/run/nemoclaw-apt-transaction.GENERATED\n'
+      ;;
+    tee)
+      cat >"$HOME/generated-guard/\${2##*/}"
+      ;;
+    chmod)
+      command chmod "$2" "$HOME/generated-guard/\${3##*/}"
+      ;;
+  esac
+}
+create_apt_transaction_guard
+"$HOME/generated-guard/verify-plan" <<<"$APT_PLAN"
+printf 'GENERATED_HOOK_ACCEPTED\n'
+`,
+      {
+        APT_PLAN: aptProtocol(
+          "docker-ce - - none < 5:29.6.1-1~ubuntu.24.04~noble arm64 no /var/cache/apt/archives/docker-ce.deb",
+          "pigz - - none < 2.8-1 arm64 no /var/cache/apt/archives/pigz.deb",
+        ),
+      },
+    );
+
+    expect(result.status, output).toBe(0);
+    expect(output).toContain("GENERATED_HOOK_ACCEPTED");
+  });
+
+  it("cleans the root-owned transaction guard when the caller exits", () => {
+    const { result, output } = runSourced(`
+sudo() { printf 'SUDO %s\n' "$*"; }
+setup_log() { :; }
+run_apply() {
+  APT_TRANSACTION_GUARD_DIR=/run/nemoclaw-apt-transaction.EXITTEST
+  APT_TRANSACTION_HOOK="$APT_TRANSACTION_GUARD_DIR/verify-plan"
+}
+main --apply
+`);
+
+    expect(result.status, output).toBe(0);
+    expect(output).toContain("SUDO rm -rf -- /run/nemoclaw-apt-transaction.EXITTEST");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/test/install-station-platform-identity.test.ts b/test/install-station-platform-identity.test.ts
index fb46862f011..0f62f7e7ed2 100644
--- a/test/install-station-platform-identity.test.ts
+++ b/test/install-station-platform-identity.test.ts
@@ -32,9 +32,14 @@ function runStationPrepare(body: string, extraEnv: Record<string, string> = {})
   return { result, output: `${result.stdout}${result.stderr}` };
 }
 
-function writePciIdentityFixture(vendor = "0x10de", device = "0x31c2", pciClass = "0x030200") {
+function writePciIdentityFixture(
+  vendor = "0x10de",
+  device = "0x31c2",
+  pciClass = "0x030200",
+  busId = "0000:01:00.0",
+) {
   const root = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "nemoclaw-station-pci-"));
-  const pciDevice = path.join(root, "0000:01:00.0");
+  const pciDevice = path.join(root, busId);
   fs.mkdirSync(pciDevice);
   fs.writeFileSync(path.join(pciDevice, "vendor"), `${vendor}\n`);
   fs.writeFileSync(path.join(pciDevice, "device"), `${device}\n`);
@@ -77,6 +82,49 @@ describe("DGX Station platform identity", () => {
     expect(result.status, output).toBe(0);
   });
 
+  it("selects the GB300 by PCI identity when an auxiliary GPU has the same name", () => {
+    const pciRoot = writePciIdentityFixture();
+    const { result, output } = runStationPrepare(
+      `
+station_pci_devices_path() { printf '%s' "$PCI_ROOT"; }
+nvidia-smi() {
+  printf '%s\n' \
+    '00000000:02:00.0, NVIDIA GB300, 595.71.05, 1, 0' \
+    '00000000:01:00.0, NVIDIA GB300, 595.71.05, 0, 0'
+}
+STATION_HOST_PROFILE=stock-dgx-os
+verify_gpu
+`,
+      { PCI_ROOT: pciRoot },
+    );
+
+    expect(result.status, output).toBe(0);
+    expect(output).toContain(
+      "gpu_bdf=0000:02:00.0 gpu=NVIDIA GB300 role=auxiliary validation=skipped",
+    );
+    expect(output).toContain(
+      "gpu_bdf=0000:01:00.0 gpu=NVIDIA GB300 role=inference driver=595.71.05 ecc_corrected=0 ecc_uncorrected=0",
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("qualifies the loaded driver from the PCI-identified GB300 instead of GPU index zero", () => {
+    const pciRoot = writePciIdentityFixture();
+    const { result, output } = runStationPrepare(
+      `
+station_pci_devices_path() { printf '%s' "$PCI_ROOT"; }
+nvidia-smi() {
+  printf '%s\n' \
+    '00000000:02:00.0, 620.1' \
+    '00000000:01:00.0, 610.43.02'
+}
+driver_loaded_exact
+`,
+      { PCI_ROOT: pciRoot },
+    );
+
+    expect(result.status, output).toBe(0);
+  });
+
   it.each([
     ["wrong vendor", writePciIdentityFixture("0x1234")],
     ["wrong device", writePciIdentityFixture("0x10de", "0x31c1")],
diff --git a/test/test-boundary-guards.test.ts b/test/test-boundary-guards.test.ts
index 3268bac69c9..35f10961f3f 100644
--- a/test/test-boundary-guards.test.ts
+++ b/test/test-boundary-guards.test.ts
@@ -754,7 +754,9 @@ describe("Vitest project membership boundary", () => {
       ["test/install-preflight-docker-bootstrap.test.ts", "installer-integration"],
       ["test/install-preflight.test.ts", "installer-integration"],
       ["test/install-station-dgx-os.test.ts", "installer-integration"],
+      ["test/install-station-docker-repository.test.ts", "installer-integration"],
       ["test/install-station-host-preparation.test.ts", "installer-integration"],
+      ["test/install-station-package-transaction.test.ts", "installer-integration"],
       ["test/package-contract/example.test.js", "package-contract"],
       ["test/e2e/support/example.test.js", "e2e-support"],
       ["test/e2e/live/example.spec.ts", "e2e-live"],
diff --git a/vitest.config.ts b/vitest.config.ts
index ef042778a24..64474df7ee0 100644
--- a/vitest.config.ts
+++ b/vitest.config.ts
@@ -125,7 +125,9 @@ export default defineConfig({
             "test/install-preflight.test.ts",
             "test/install-preflight-docker-bootstrap.test.ts",
             "test/install-station-dgx-os.test.ts",
+            "test/install-station-docker-repository.test.ts",
             "test/install-station-host-preparation.test.ts",
+            "test/install-station-package-transaction.test.ts",
             "test/install-openshell-version-check.test.ts",
           ],
         },
@@ -145,7 +147,9 @@ export default defineConfig({
             "test/install-preflight.test.ts",
             "test/install-preflight-docker-bootstrap.test.ts",
             "test/install-station-dgx-os.test.ts",
+            "test/install-station-docker-repository.test.ts",
             "test/install-station-host-preparation.test.ts",
+            "test/install-station-package-transaction.test.ts",
             "test/install-openshell-version-check.test.ts",
           ],
           // Slow tests that spawn real bash install.sh processes. Explicit