diff --git a/docs/features/host-console.mdx b/docs/features/host-console.mdx
index 306fbd04..08d3831e 100644
--- a/docs/features/host-console.mdx
+++ b/docs/features/host-console.mdx
@@ -113,6 +113,6 @@ The Host Console is one of the most powerful features in Sencho and is treated a
   </Accordion>
 
   <Accordion title="Console tab is not visible">
-    Console appears for users with the **admin** role. If you are an admin and still do not see it, refresh the page. On a remote node, the Console tab may show a lock card when that node does not support Host Console (for example a Pilot Agent node, or a Distributed API Proxy node that does not advertise Host Console).
+    Console appears for users with the **admin** role. If you are an admin and still do not see it, refresh the page. On a remote node, the Console tab may show a lock card when that node does not support Host Console. For a Pilot Agent node, the card states that Host Console is not available through Pilot Agent yet. For a Distributed API Proxy node that does not advertise Host Console, the card names the node's version and suggests upgrading it.
   </Accordion>
 </AccordionGroup>
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/EditorLayout/ViewRouter.tsx b/frontend/src/components/EditorLayout/ViewRouter.tsx
index 7e381e14..ff147b99 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/EditorLayout/ViewRouter.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/EditorLayout/ViewRouter.tsx
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import { Skeleton } from '@/components/ui/skeleton';
 import { useAuth } from '@/context/AuthContext';
 import { useLicense } from '@/context/LicenseContext';
 import { useNodes } from '@/context/NodeContext';
-import { resolveHostConsoleCapability } from '@/lib/routing/hostConsoleCapability';
+import { resolveHostConsoleCapability, resolveHostConsoleLockMessage } from '@/lib/routing/hostConsoleCapability';
 import { LockCard } from '../ui/LockCard';
 import { CapabilityGate } from '../CapabilityGate';
 import { HubOnlyGate } from '../HubOnlyGate';
@@ -207,17 +207,16 @@ export function ViewRouter({
         });
         if (capState === 'loading') return <ViewSkeleton />;
         if (capState === 'locked') {
-            const nodeName = activeNode.name;
-            const version = activeNodeMeta?.version;
-            let versionHint = `${nodeName} does not advertise this capability.`;
-            if (version && version !== 'unknown' && version !== '0.0.0-dev') {
-                versionHint = `${nodeName} is running v${version}.`;
-            }
+            const { title, body } = resolveHostConsoleLockMessage({
+                nodeMode: activeNode.mode,
+                nodeName: activeNode.name,
+                version: activeNodeMeta?.version,
+            });
             return (
                 <LockCard
                     icon={Unplug}
-                    title="Host Console is not available on this node"
-                    body={`${versionHint} Upgrade the node to use this feature.`}
+                    title={title}
+                    body={body}
                 />
             );
         }
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/EditorLayout/__tests__/ViewRouter.test.tsx b/frontend/src/components/EditorLayout/__tests__/ViewRouter.test.tsx
index bbe6660a..76a3d4f5 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/EditorLayout/__tests__/ViewRouter.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/EditorLayout/__tests__/ViewRouter.test.tsx
@@ -128,12 +128,25 @@ describe('ViewRouter host-console', () => {
 
   it('shows a lock card for Community + legacy remote without mounting HostConsole', () => {
     vi.mocked(NodeContext.useNodes).mockReturnValue({
-      activeNode: { id: 2, name: 'Legacy', type: 'remote' },
+      activeNode: { id: 2, name: 'Legacy', type: 'remote', mode: 'proxy' },
       activeNodeMeta: { version: '0.95.0', capabilities: ['host-console'], fetchedAt: 1 },
     } as unknown as ReturnType<typeof NodeContext.useNodes>);
     render(<ViewRouter {...baseProps} />);
     expect(screen.queryByTestId('host-console')).toBeNull();
     expect(screen.getByText(/Host Console is not available on this node/i)).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(screen.getByText(/Legacy is running v0\.95\.0\. Upgrade the node to use this feature\./i)).toBeTruthy();
+  });
+
+  it('shows Pilot-specific copy for a pilot_agent node without mounting HostConsole', () => {
+    vi.mocked(NodeContext.useNodes).mockReturnValue({
+      activeNode: { id: 4, name: 'Pilot', type: 'remote', mode: 'pilot_agent' },
+      activeNodeMeta: { version: '0.97.1', capabilities: [], fetchedAt: 1 },
+    } as unknown as ReturnType<typeof NodeContext.useNodes>);
+    render(<ViewRouter {...baseProps} />);
+    expect(screen.queryByTestId('host-console')).toBeNull();
+    expect(screen.getByText(/Host Console is not available through Pilot Agent yet/i)).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(screen.getByText(/Host Console is currently available on the local node and Distributed API Proxy remotes\./i)).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(screen.queryByText(/Upgrade the node to use this feature\./i)).toBeNull();
   });
 
   it('mounts Host Console for Admiral + legacy remote after meta resolves', async () => {
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/routing/hostConsoleCapability.test.ts b/frontend/src/lib/routing/hostConsoleCapability.test.ts
index f43141f1..b218f065 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/routing/hostConsoleCapability.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/routing/hostConsoleCapability.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
-import { resolveHostConsoleCapability } from './hostConsoleCapability';
+import { resolveHostConsoleCapability, resolveHostConsoleLockMessage } from './hostConsoleCapability';
 
 describe('resolveHostConsoleCapability', () => {
   it('returns loading when the active node is unresolved', () => {
@@ -92,3 +92,60 @@ describe('resolveHostConsoleCapability', () => {
     })).toBe('locked');
   });
 });
+
+describe('resolveHostConsoleLockMessage', () => {
+  it('returns Pilot-specific copy for a pilot_agent node regardless of version', () => {
+    expect(resolveHostConsoleLockMessage({
+      nodeMode: 'pilot_agent',
+      nodeName: 'Pilot',
+      version: '0.97.1',
+    })).toEqual({
+      title: 'Host Console is not available through Pilot Agent yet',
+      body: 'Host Console is currently available on the local node and Distributed API Proxy remotes.',
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('returns the upgrade copy for a proxy node with a real version', () => {
+    expect(resolveHostConsoleLockMessage({
+      nodeMode: 'proxy',
+      nodeName: 'Peer',
+      version: '0.95.0',
+    })).toEqual({
+      title: 'Host Console is not available on this node',
+      body: 'Peer is running v0.95.0. Upgrade the node to use this feature.',
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('returns the no-capability copy for a proxy node with a placeholder version', () => {
+    expect(resolveHostConsoleLockMessage({
+      nodeMode: 'proxy',
+      nodeName: 'Peer',
+      version: '0.0.0-dev',
+    })).toEqual({
+      title: 'Host Console is not available on this node',
+      body: 'Peer does not advertise this capability. Upgrade the node to use this feature.',
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('returns the no-capability copy for a proxy node with an unknown version', () => {
+    expect(resolveHostConsoleLockMessage({
+      nodeMode: 'proxy',
+      nodeName: 'Peer',
+      version: 'unknown',
+    })).toEqual({
+      title: 'Host Console is not available on this node',
+      body: 'Peer does not advertise this capability. Upgrade the node to use this feature.',
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('treats an undefined mode as the generic proxy fallback', () => {
+    expect(resolveHostConsoleLockMessage({
+      nodeMode: undefined,
+      nodeName: 'Peer',
+      version: null,
+    })).toEqual({
+      title: 'Host Console is not available on this node',
+      body: 'Peer does not advertise this capability. Upgrade the node to use this feature.',
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/routing/hostConsoleCapability.ts b/frontend/src/lib/routing/hostConsoleCapability.ts
index 71004993..b5e2b5df 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/routing/hostConsoleCapability.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/routing/hostConsoleCapability.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ import {
   HOST_CONSOLE_CAPABILITY,
   HOST_CONSOLE_COMMUNITY_CAPABILITY,
 } from '@/lib/capabilities';
+import type { NodeMode } from '@/context/NodeContext';
+import { formatVersion } from '@/lib/version';
 
 export type HostConsoleCapabilityState = 'loading' | 'allowed' | 'locked';
 
@@ -47,3 +49,42 @@ export function resolveHostConsoleCapability(
   if (!licenseReady) return 'loading';
   return isPaid ? 'allowed' : 'locked';
 }
+
+export interface HostConsoleLockMessageInput {
+  /** Active node mode. Pilot Agent tunnels do not carry Host Console yet. */
+  nodeMode: NodeMode | undefined;
+  nodeName: string;
+  version: string | null | undefined;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Lock-card copy for a node whose Host Console capability is missing.
+ *
+ * Pilot Agent nodes cannot advertise the Host Console capability because the
+ * interactive console path is not wired through the Pilot tunnel, so an
+ * upgrade would not enable it. They get transport-specific copy instead of the
+ * generic "upgrade the node" instruction. Every other mode (proxy remote or
+ * missing metadata) keeps the generic upgrade message: version-aware when a
+ * real version is present, otherwise a no-capability hint.
+ */
+export function resolveHostConsoleLockMessage(
+  input: HostConsoleLockMessageInput,
+): { title: string; body: string } {
+  const { nodeMode, nodeName, version } = input;
+
+  if (nodeMode === 'pilot_agent') {
+    return {
+      title: 'Host Console is not available through Pilot Agent yet',
+      body: 'Host Console is currently available on the local node and Distributed API Proxy remotes.',
+    };
+  }
+
+  const formatted = formatVersion(version);
+  const versionHint = formatted
+    ? `${nodeName} is running ${formatted}.`
+    : `${nodeName} does not advertise this capability.`;
+  return {
+    title: 'Host Console is not available on this node',
+    body: `${versionHint} Upgrade the node to use this feature.`,
+  };
+}