diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index b44aeb4..6576369 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ FROM ${BASE_IMAGE}
 LABEL com.wodby.ci.cache="uv"
 
 ARG PYTHON_DEV
+LABEL com.wodby.workspace.contract="${PYTHON_DEV:+1}"
 
 ARG WODBY_USER_ID=1000
 ARG WODBY_GROUP_ID=1000
@@ -128,7 +129,7 @@ RUN set -xe; \
     cp /home/wodby/.shrc /home/wodby/.bashrc; \
     cp /home/wodby/.shrc /home/wodby/.bash_profile; \
     \
-    curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | su-exec wodby sh; \
+    curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | UV_INSTALL_DIR=/usr/local/bin UV_NO_MODIFY_PATH=1 sh; \
     \
     # Configure sudoers \
     { \
@@ -186,3 +187,5 @@ COPY bin /usr/local/bin/
 
 ENTRYPOINT ["/docker-entrypoint.sh"]
 CMD ["/etc/init.d/gunicorn"]
+
+COPY workspace-profile.sh /etc/profile.d/workspace.sh
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 4a4d57f..c35f161 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@ buildx-imagetools-create:
 .PHONY: buildx-imagetools-create 
 
 test:
+	cd ./tests && IMAGE=$(REPO):$(TAG) bash ./workspace-contract.sh
 ifneq ($(PYTHON_DEV),)
 	cd ./tests && IMAGE=$(REPO):$(TAG) ./run.sh
 else
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index cc465ab..cdd89dd 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -171,3 +171,29 @@ image. A version without a pin fails before the build starts.
 When adding a supported base version or variant, add its image index digest to
 `base-images.mk`. For a custom build, override `BASE_IMAGE` with a complete
 `repository:tag@sha256:...` reference.
+
+### Development workspace contract
+
+Development variants declare `com.wodby.workspace.contract=1`. Configuration-only
+startup (`/docker-entrypoint.sh --configure-runtime`) does not rewrite developer
+SSH/Git settings, initialize shared storage, or run application hooks. Normal
+startup retains its existing behavior. `WODBY_WORKSPACE=1` selects the workspace
+startup command. Login-shell tools remain available when the developer home is mounted.
+
+`workspace-python prepare` runs `uv sync --locked` when `uv.lock` exists, or installs
+`requirements.txt` into a virtual environment. `workspace-python start` activates it
+and runs Gunicorn with its polling reloader against `GUNICORN_APP`. Override
+`WORKSPACE_PYTHON_COMMAND` for another server; `HOST` and `PORT` default to
+`0.0.0.0` and `8080`. Uvicorn commands receive `WATCHFILES_FORCE_POLLING=true` unless
+explicitly configured otherwise. Custom commands must implement their own reload
+behavior. Dependency changes require preparation again.
+
+Dependencies/build output use `.wodby-workspace/` in the shared checkout, excluded
+through `.git/info/exclude` without editing `.gitignore`. A tracked directory or
+symlink at that reserved path is refused. The runner's private home is not required
+by application pods. Package lifecycle scripts remain application-owned and may
+modify files; review Git changes after preparation.
+
+CI checks labels for all image variants and runs configuration, developer-state,
+reserved-path and runtime tests for development variants. Publish a new image
+revision before enabling this contract in a consuming service.
diff --git a/bin/workspace-path b/bin/workspace-path
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..618c22a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/workspace-path
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# Reserve dependency/build storage without changing tracked ignore rules.
+set -eu
+cd "${APP_ROOT:-/usr/src/app}"
+root=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)
+[ "$(pwd -P)" = "$root" ] || { echo 'Workspace commands require the checkout root' >&2; exit 1; }
+[ ! -L .wodby-workspace ] || { echo '.wodby-workspace must not be a symlink' >&2; exit 1; }
+[ -z "$(git ls-files -- .wodby-workspace)" ] || { echo '.wodby-workspace is reserved; remove tracked files there' >&2; exit 1; }
+exclude=$(git rev-parse --git-path info/exclude)
+mkdir -p "$(dirname "$exclude")"
+grep -qxF '/.wodby-workspace/' "$exclude" 2>/dev/null || printf '\n/.wodby-workspace/\n' >> "$exclude"
+mkdir -p .wodby-workspace
+printf '%s/.wodby-workspace\n' "$root"
diff --git a/bin/workspace-python b/bin/workspace-python
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..b9dea27
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/workspace-python
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# Dependencies live on the shared checkout; the runner home stays private.
+set -eu
+cd "${APP_ROOT:-/usr/src/app}"
+state=$(workspace-path)
+export VIRTUAL_ENV="$state/venv" UV_PROJECT_ENVIRONMENT="$state/venv" PIP_USER=0
+export PATH="$VIRTUAL_ENV/bin:$PATH"
+export HOST="${HOST:-0.0.0.0}" PORT="${PORT:-8080}"
+export WATCHFILES_FORCE_POLLING="${WATCHFILES_FORCE_POLLING:-true}"
+case "${1:-}" in
+ prepare)
+  if [ -f uv.lock ]; then uv sync --locked
+  elif [ -f requirements.txt ]; then
+   python -m venv "$VIRTUAL_ENV"
+   "$VIRTUAL_ENV/bin/python" -m pip install -r requirements.txt
+  else echo 'Provide uv.lock with pyproject.toml or requirements.txt' >&2; exit 1; fi ;;
+ start)
+  [ -x "$VIRTUAL_ENV/bin/python" ] || { echo 'Run workspace preparation first' >&2; exit 1; }
+  if [ -n "${WORKSPACE_PYTHON_COMMAND:-}" ]; then exec sh -ec "$WORKSPACE_PYTHON_COMMAND"; fi
+  exec python -m gunicorn --bind "$HOST:$PORT" --reload --reload-engine poll "${GUNICORN_APP:-myapp.wsgi:application}" ;;
+ *) echo 'Usage: workspace-python prepare|start' >&2; exit 1 ;;
+esac
diff --git a/docker-entrypoint.sh b/docker-entrypoint.sh
index 90d3241..c7ecf33 100755
--- a/docker-entrypoint.sh
+++ b/docker-entrypoint.sh
@@ -41,6 +41,15 @@ process_templates() {
     _gotpl "gunicorn.py.tmpl" "/usr/local/etc/gunicorn/config.py"
 }
 
+# Configuration-only startup never changes SSH/Git state or runs application hooks.
+if [[ "${1:-}" == --configure-runtime ]]; then
+    _gotpl "gunicorn.py.tmpl" "/usr/local/etc/gunicorn/config.py"
+    exit 0
+fi
+if [[ "${WODBY_WORKSPACE:-}" == 1 ]]; then
+    exec workspace-python start
+fi
+
 sudo init_container
 
 init_git
diff --git a/tests/run.sh b/tests/run.sh
index 4eb352e..bf7d69f 100755
--- a/tests/run.sh
+++ b/tests/run.sh
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 
 set -e
 
+bash "$PWD/workspace-reload.sh"
+
+docker run --rm --network none --entrypoint /bin/bash -v "$PWD/workspace-runtime.sh:/tmp/workspace-runtime.sh:ro" "${IMAGE}" /tmp/workspace-runtime.sh
+
 # Validate the development tool contract before application integration tests.
 docker run --rm --network none --entrypoint /bin/sh -v "$PWD/development-tools.sh:/tmp/development-tools.sh:ro" "${IMAGE}" /tmp/development-tools.sh
 
diff --git a/tests/workspace-contract.sh b/tests/workspace-contract.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..26cd640
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/workspace-contract.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Ensure ordinary images do not advertise the development-only contract.
+set -euo pipefail
+label=$(docker image inspect --format '{{index .Config.Labels "com.wodby.workspace.contract"}}' "$IMAGE")
+if docker image inspect --format '{{range .Config.Env}}{{println .}}{{end}}' "$IMAGE" | grep -Eq '^PYTHON_DEV=.+$'; then
+    test "$label" = 1
+else
+    test -z "$label"
+fi
diff --git a/tests/workspace-reload.sh b/tests/workspace-reload.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3fcd8d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/workspace-reload.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -euo pipefail
+image="${IMAGE:?Set IMAGE to the candidate development image}"
+volume=workspace-python-reload-$$
+server=workspace-python-reload-$$
+cleanup() { docker rm -f "$server" >/dev/null 2>&1 || true; docker volume rm "$volume" >/dev/null; }
+trap cleanup EXIT
+docker volume create "$volume" >/dev/null
+docker run --rm --user 0 --entrypoint sh -v "$volume:/fixture" "$image" -ec 'chown wodby:wodby /fixture'
+docker run --rm --entrypoint sh -e APP_ROOT=/fixture -v "$volume:/fixture" "$image" -ec '
+cd /fixture
+git init -q
+printf "[project]\nname = \"workspace-test\"\nversion = \"0.1.0\"\nrequires-python = \">=3.10\"\ndependencies = [\"gunicorn==23.0.0\"]\n" > pyproject.toml
+uv lock
+cp uv.lock /tmp/expected.lock
+workspace-python prepare
+cmp uv.lock /tmp/expected.lock
+printf "def app(environ, start_response):\n    start_response(\"200 OK\", [(\"Content-Type\", \"text/plain\")])\n    return [b\"before\"]\n" > app.py
+'
+docker run -d --name "$server" --network none -e WODBY_WORKSPACE=1 -e GUNICORN_APP=app:app -e APP_ROOT=/fixture -v "$volume:/fixture" "$image" >/dev/null
+before=0
+for i in $(seq 1 30); do if docker exec "$server" curl -fs http://localhost:8080/ | grep -q before; then before=1;break;fi;sleep 1;done
+[ "$before" = 1 ] || { docker logs "$server";exit 1; }
+docker run --rm --network none --entrypoint sh -v "$volume:/fixture" "$image" -ec "sed -i 's/before/after-edit/' /fixture/app.py"
+after=0
+for i in $(seq 1 30); do if docker exec "$server" curl -fs http://localhost:8080/ | grep -q after-edit; then after=1;break;fi;sleep 1;done
+[ "$after" = 1 ] || { docker logs "$server";exit 1; }
+echo 'Locked uv preparation and second-container Gunicorn polling reload passed'
diff --git a/tests/workspace-runtime.sh b/tests/workspace-runtime.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..45e5501
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/workspace-runtime.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Run inside the image with the normal entrypoint bypassed.
+set -euo pipefail
+fixture=$(mktemp -d)
+fixture=$(cd "$fixture" && pwd -P)
+trap 'rm -rf "$fixture"' EXIT
+mkdir -p "$fixture/repo" "$fixture/home/.ssh" "$fixture/tools"
+export APP_ROOT="$fixture/repo" HOME="$fixture/home"
+printf 'Host saved\n' > "$HOME/.ssh/config"
+printf '[user]\n  name = Developer\n' > "$HOME/.gitconfig"
+cp "$HOME/.ssh/config" "$fixture/ssh.expected"
+cp "$HOME/.gitconfig" "$fixture/git.expected"
+# Configuration succeeds repeatedly without running storage/init or identity setup.
+/docker-entrypoint.sh --configure-runtime
+/docker-entrypoint.sh --configure-runtime
+cmp "$HOME/.ssh/config" "$fixture/ssh.expected"
+cmp "$HOME/.gitconfig" "$fixture/git.expected"
+test "$(bash -lc 'command -v uv')" = /usr/local/bin/uv
+cd "$APP_ROOT"
+git init -q
+printf 'tracked\n' > source.txt
+git add source.txt
+workspace-path > "$fixture/path"
+test "$(cat "$fixture/path")" = "$APP_ROOT/.wodby-workspace"
+test -z "$(git ls-files --others --exclude-standard)"
+# A tracked collision is refused, even when local exclude rules hide new files.
+printf collision > .wodby-workspace/collision
+git add -f .wodby-workspace/collision
+if workspace-path; then echo 'accepted tracked runtime storage' >&2; exit 1; fi
+git rm -q --cached .wodby-workspace/collision
+rm .wodby-workspace/collision
+export PATH="$fixture/tools:$PATH"
+# Locked uv preparation keeps the lock unchanged and targets shared storage.
+printf lock > uv.lock
+cat > "$fixture/tools/uv" <<'SH'
+#!/bin/sh
+[ "$*" = 'sync --locked' ]
+[ "$UV_PROJECT_ENVIRONMENT" = "$APP_ROOT/.wodby-workspace/venv" ]
+mkdir -p "$UV_PROJECT_ENVIRONMENT/bin"
+printf '#!/bin/sh\nexit 0\n' > "$UV_PROJECT_ENVIRONMENT/bin/python"
+chmod +x "$UV_PROJECT_ENVIRONMENT/bin/python"
+SH
+chmod +x "$fixture/tools/uv"
+workspace-python prepare
+test "$(cat uv.lock)" = lock
+WORKSPACE_PYTHON_COMMAND='test "$PIP_USER" = 0; test "$WATCHFILES_FORCE_POLLING" = true; test "$PORT" = 8080' WODBY_WORKSPACE=1 /docker-entrypoint.sh ignored
+cmp "$HOME/.ssh/config" "$fixture/ssh.expected"
+cmp "$HOME/.gitconfig" "$fixture/git.expected"
+echo 'Workspace runtime checks passed'
diff --git a/workspace-profile.sh b/workspace-profile.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0a0fca8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/workspace-profile.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+# Preserve image tool paths when the developer home is mounted.
+export PATH="/home/wodby/.local/bin:/usr/local/bin:$PATH"