diff --git a/cmd/pulse-agent/main.go b/cmd/pulse-agent/main.go
index 2e694476f..969d290cb 100644
--- a/cmd/pulse-agent/main.go
+++ b/cmd/pulse-agent/main.go
@@ -1526,6 +1526,16 @@ func (b *lateBoundDockerUpdater) TypedContainerUpdate(ctx context.Context, runti
 	return updater.TypedContainerUpdate(ctx, runtime, containerID, expectedImageDigest, progress)
 }
 
+func (b *lateBoundDockerUpdater) TypedContainerUpdatePreflight(ctx context.Context, runtime, containerID, expectedImageDigest string) error {
+	b.mu.RLock()
+	updater := b.updater
+	b.mu.RUnlock()
+	if updater == nil {
+		return agentexec.NewActionPreflightError(agentexec.ActionRefusalCapabilityUnavailable, fmt.Errorf("docker module is not running on this agent"))
+	}
+	return updater.TypedContainerUpdatePreflight(ctx, runtime, containerID, expectedImageDigest)
+}
+
 func initDockerWithRetry(ctx context.Context, cfg dockeragent.Config, logger *zerolog.Logger) RunnableCloser {
 	return initModuleWithRetry(ctx, logger, "docker_agent", "Docker", "Docker not available, will retry", func() (RunnableCloser, error) {
 		return newDockerAgent(cfg)
diff --git a/cmd/pulse-agent/main_test.go b/cmd/pulse-agent/main_test.go
index daa0f628a..28c62c92c 100644
--- a/cmd/pulse-agent/main_test.go
+++ b/cmd/pulse-agent/main_test.go
@@ -2301,10 +2301,16 @@ func TestSecureAgentStateDir(t *testing.T) {
 
 type stubTypedContainerUpdater struct {
 	calls              int
+	preflightCalls     int
 	lifecycleInspects  int
 	lifecycleMutations int
 }
 
+func (s *stubTypedContainerUpdater) TypedContainerUpdatePreflight(context.Context, string, string, string) error {
+	s.preflightCalls++
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (s *stubTypedContainerUpdater) TypedContainerUpdate(context.Context, string, string, string, func(string)) (agentexec.DockerContainerUpdateOutcome, error) {
 	s.calls++
 	return agentexec.DockerContainerUpdateOutcome{Success: true}, nil
@@ -2322,19 +2328,35 @@ func (s *stubTypedContainerUpdater) MutateDockerContainerLifecycle(context.Conte
 
 func TestLateBoundDockerUpdaterBridgesModuleWhenItComesUp(t *testing.T) {
 	bridge := &lateBoundDockerUpdater{}
+	containerID := strings.Repeat("a", 12)
+	expectedImageDigest := "sha256:" + strings.Repeat("1", 64)
 
-	if _, err := bridge.TypedContainerUpdate(context.Background(), "docker", strings.Repeat("a", 12), "sha256:"+strings.Repeat("1", 64), nil); err == nil {
+	if err := bridge.TypedContainerUpdatePreflight(context.Background(), "docker", containerID, expectedImageDigest); err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("bridge without a docker module accepted a preflight")
+	} else if got := agentexec.ActionPreflightReasonCode(err, agentexec.ActionRefusalTargetPreconditionFailed); got != agentexec.ActionRefusalCapabilityUnavailable {
+		t.Fatalf("bridge without a docker module refusal = %q, want %q", got, agentexec.ActionRefusalCapabilityUnavailable)
+	}
+	if _, err := bridge.TypedContainerUpdate(context.Background(), "docker", containerID, expectedImageDigest, nil); err == nil {
 		t.Fatal("bridge without a docker module accepted an update")
 	}
 
 	bridge.set(struct{}{}) // non-implementing candidates must not install
-	if _, err := bridge.TypedContainerUpdate(context.Background(), "docker", strings.Repeat("a", 12), "sha256:"+strings.Repeat("1", 64), nil); err == nil {
+	if err := bridge.TypedContainerUpdatePreflight(context.Background(), "docker", containerID, expectedImageDigest); err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("bridge accepted a preflight after a non-implementing candidate was offered")
+	}
+	if _, err := bridge.TypedContainerUpdate(context.Background(), "docker", containerID, expectedImageDigest, nil); err == nil {
 		t.Fatal("bridge accepted an update after a non-implementing candidate was offered")
 	}
 
 	stub := &stubTypedContainerUpdater{}
 	bridge.set(stub)
-	if _, err := bridge.TypedContainerUpdate(context.Background(), "docker", strings.Repeat("a", 12), "sha256:"+strings.Repeat("1", 64), nil); err != nil {
+	if err := bridge.TypedContainerUpdatePreflight(context.Background(), "docker", containerID, expectedImageDigest); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("bridge preflight with an installed module refused: %v", err)
+	}
+	if stub.preflightCalls != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected one delegated preflight call, got %d", stub.preflightCalls)
+	}
+	if _, err := bridge.TypedContainerUpdate(context.Background(), "docker", containerID, expectedImageDigest, nil); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("bridge with an installed module refused: %v", err)
 	}
 	if stub.calls != 1 {
diff --git a/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/agent-lifecycle.md b/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/agent-lifecycle.md
index 94ef5cc03..b925bec97 100644
--- a/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/agent-lifecycle.md
+++ b/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/agent-lifecycle.md
@@ -2623,6 +2623,18 @@ Agent` secondary handoff against the live setup wizard instead of relying
 
 ## Current State
 
+### Docker update preflight and execution share one late-bound capability
+
+The unified agent's late-bound Docker updater now carries the read-only typed
+container-update preflight and the corresponding execution method in one
+required interface. The bridge delegates both methods to the running Docker /
+Podman module and fails closed while that module is unavailable. This prevents
+the command client from advertising a false `agent_capability_unavailable`
+refusal merely because the process-lifetime bridge omitted the preflight
+method, and makes future bridge drift a compile-time failure. The bridge proof
+in `cmd/pulse-agent/main_test.go` covers unavailable, invalid-candidate, and
+connected-module states for both preflight and execution.
+
 ### Monitoring task limits do not change lifecycle authority
 
 The monitoring-owned process-wide scheduled-task limiter may bound host and
diff --git a/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/security-privacy.md b/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/security-privacy.md
index 39cff48fb..4e3d317f6 100644
--- a/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/security-privacy.md
+++ b/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/security-privacy.md
@@ -690,6 +690,16 @@ tokens, and path-normalization variants.
 
 ## Current State
 
+### Docker update preflight remains read-only across the unified-agent bridge
+
+The `pulse-agent` late-bound Docker updater delegates the typed, read-only
+container-update preflight through the same required capability as execution.
+The preflight checks runtime identity, container identity, and expected image
+digest without mutating the workload; adding it to the bridge restores the
+existing approval boundary and grants no new command, inventory, environment,
+mount, file, process, or guest-inspection authority. An unavailable Docker /
+Podman module continues to fail closed.
+
 ### Historical credential containment is prerelease-blocking
 
 The `historical-credential-containment` release gate now owns the cross-repo
diff --git a/internal/hostagent/commands.go b/internal/hostagent/commands.go
index 82ec72306..0e4f9191a 100644
--- a/internal/hostagent/commands.go
+++ b/internal/hostagent/commands.go
@@ -751,11 +751,10 @@ func (c *CommandClient) preflightDockerLifecycle(ctx context.Context, payload ag
 }
 
 func (c *CommandClient) preflightDockerUpdate(ctx context.Context, payload agentexec.DockerContainerUpdatePayload) (bool, string) {
-	preflighter, ok := c.dockerUpdater.(DockerContainerUpdatePreflighter)
-	if !ok || preflighter == nil {
+	if c.dockerUpdater == nil {
 		return false, agentexec.ActionRefusalCapabilityUnavailable
 	}
-	if err := preflighter.TypedContainerUpdatePreflight(ctx, payload.Runtime, payload.ContainerID, payload.ExpectedImageDigest); err != nil {
+	if err := c.dockerUpdater.TypedContainerUpdatePreflight(ctx, payload.Runtime, payload.ContainerID, payload.ExpectedImageDigest); err != nil {
 		return false, agentexec.ActionPreflightReasonCode(err, agentexec.ActionRefusalTargetPreconditionFailed)
 	}
 	return true, ""
diff --git a/internal/hostagent/docker_lifecycle_test.go b/internal/hostagent/docker_lifecycle_test.go
index 21bfe3988..f38aab4fd 100644
--- a/internal/hostagent/docker_lifecycle_test.go
+++ b/internal/hostagent/docker_lifecycle_test.go
@@ -160,6 +160,10 @@ type stubDockerUpdater struct {
 	calls   *int
 }
 
+func (stubDockerUpdater) TypedContainerUpdatePreflight(context.Context, string, string, string) error {
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (s stubDockerUpdater) TypedContainerUpdate(_ context.Context, _, _, _ string, _ func(string)) (agentexec.DockerContainerUpdateOutcome, error) {
 	if s.calls != nil {
 		*s.calls++
diff --git a/internal/hostagent/docker_update.go b/internal/hostagent/docker_update.go
index 01b85e8f3..cd72f2443 100644
--- a/internal/hostagent/docker_update.go
+++ b/internal/hostagent/docker_update.go
@@ -18,11 +18,8 @@ import (
 // missing, runtime mismatch, preflight drift) as opposed to update failures,
 // which arrive inside the outcome.
 type DockerContainerUpdater interface {
-	TypedContainerUpdate(ctx context.Context, runtime, containerID, expectedImageDigest string, progress func(string)) (agentexec.DockerContainerUpdateOutcome, error)
-}
-
-type DockerContainerUpdatePreflighter interface {
 	TypedContainerUpdatePreflight(ctx context.Context, runtime, containerID, expectedImageDigest string) error
+	TypedContainerUpdate(ctx context.Context, runtime, containerID, expectedImageDigest string, progress func(string)) (agentexec.DockerContainerUpdateOutcome, error)
 }
 
 func (c *CommandClient) handleDockerContainerUpdate(ctx context.Context, conn *websocket.Conn, payload agentexec.DockerContainerUpdatePayload) {