diff --git a/services/node-agent/index.js b/services/node-agent/index.js
index a00ef1e..57bbb9f 100644
--- a/services/node-agent/index.js
+++ b/services/node-agent/index.js
@@ -7,7 +7,8 @@ const NODE_TOKEN   =  process.env.NODE_TOKEN   || '';
 const NODE_ROLE    =  process.env.NODE_ROLE    || 'worker';
 const AGENT_PORT   = parseInt(process.env.AGENT_PORT   || '7436', 10);
 const HEARTBEAT_MS = parseInt(process.env.HEARTBEAT_MS || '30000', 10);
-const VERSION      = '1.1.0';
+const LIVE_DIR     = process.env.LIVE_DIR || '/mnt/NVME/MAM/wild-dragon-live';
+const VERSION      = '1.2.0';
 
 // Pick the host's LAN IP. Inside a bridge-mode container,
 // os.networkInterfaces() returns the container's docker-bridge IP (172.x),
@@ -37,22 +38,128 @@ function getIp() {
   return candidates.length ? candidates[0].address : null;
 }
 
-const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
-  if (req.method === 'GET' && req.url === '/health') {
-    res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' });
-    res.end(JSON.stringify({
-      ok:       true,
-      hostname: os.hostname(),
-      uptime:   Math.round(process.uptime()),
-      version:  VERSION,
-      role:     NODE_ROLE,
-      ip:       getIp(),
-    }));
-  } else {
-    res.writeHead(404);
-    res.end();
+// ── Docker API helper (talks to local /var/run/docker.sock) ───────────────
+function dockerApi(method, path, body = null) {
+  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    const options = {
+      socketPath: '/var/run/docker.sock',
+      path: `/v1.43${path}`,
+      method,
+      headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+    };
+    const req = http.request(options, (res) => {
+      let data = '';
+      res.on('data', chunk => data += chunk);
+      res.on('end', () => {
+        try { resolve({ status: res.statusCode, data: data ? JSON.parse(data) : {} }); }
+        catch { resolve({ status: res.statusCode, data }); }
+      });
+    });
+    req.on('error', reject);
+    if (body) req.write(JSON.stringify(body));
+    req.end();
+  });
+}
+
+function readBody(req) {
+  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    let data = '';
+    req.on('data', chunk => data += chunk);
+    req.on('end', () => {
+      try { resolve(JSON.parse(data || '{}')); }
+      catch { reject(new Error('Invalid JSON')); }
+    });
+    req.on('error', reject);
+  });
+}
+
+function jsonResponse(res, status, body) {
+  res.writeHead(status, { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' });
+  res.end(JSON.stringify(body));
+}
+
+// ── Sidecar: spawn a capture container on this node ───────────────────────
+
+async function handleSidecarStart(body, res) {
+  try {
+    const {
+      image = 'wild-dragon-capture:latest',
+      env = [],
+      capturePort = 3001,
+      sourceType = 'sdi',
+    } = body;
+
+    const binds = [`${LIVE_DIR}:/live`];
+    if (sourceType === 'sdi') binds.unshift('/dev/blackmagic:/dev/blackmagic');
+
+    const spec = {
+      Image: image,
+      Env: [...env, `PORT=${capturePort}`],
+      HostConfig: {
+        NetworkMode: 'host',
+        Privileged: true,
+        Binds: binds,
+      },
+    };
+
+    const createRes = await dockerApi('POST', '/containers/create', spec);
+    if (createRes.status !== 201) {
+      return jsonResponse(res, 502, { error: 'Failed to create container', details: createRes.data });
+    }
+
+    const containerId = createRes.data.Id;
+    const startRes = await dockerApi('POST', `/containers/${containerId}/start`);
+    if (startRes.status !== 204) {
+      await dockerApi('DELETE', `/containers/${containerId}?force=true`).catch(() => {});
+      return jsonResponse(res, 502, { error: 'Failed to start container', details: startRes.data });
+    }
+
+    jsonResponse(res, 201, { containerId, capturePort });
+  } catch (err) {
+    jsonResponse(res, 500, { error: err.message });
   }
-});
+}
+
+async function handleSidecarStop(containerId, res) {
+  try {
+    await dockerApi('POST', `/containers/${containerId}/stop`).catch(() => {});
+    await dockerApi('DELETE', `/containers/${containerId}?force=true`).catch(() => {});
+    jsonResponse(res, 200, { ok: true });
+  } catch (err) {
+    jsonResponse(res, 500, { error: err.message });
+  }
+}
+
+async function handleSidecarStatus(containerId, res) {
+  try {
+    const inspectRes = await dockerApi('GET', `/containers/${containerId}/json`);
+    if (inspectRes.status !== 200) {
+      return jsonResponse(res, 200, { running: false });
+    }
+
+    const container = inspectRes.data;
+    const running = container.State?.Running || false;
+    const startedAt = container.State?.StartedAt;
+
+    // Derive capturePort from the container's env so we know where to poll.
+    const portEnv = (container.Config?.Env || []).find(e => e.startsWith('PORT='));
+    const capturePort = portEnv ? parseInt(portEnv.split('=')[1], 10) : 3001;
+
+    let live = null;
+    if (running) {
+      try {
+        const captureRes = await fetch(`http://127.0.0.1:${capturePort}/capture/status`, {
+          signal: AbortSignal.timeout(2000),
+        });
+        if (captureRes.ok) live = await captureRes.json();
+      } catch (_) {}
+    }
+
+    jsonResponse(res, 200, { running, startedAt, live });
+  } catch (err) {
+    jsonResponse(res, 500, { error: err.message });
+  }
+}
 
 // ── CPU sampling (500ms window) ───────────────────────────────────────────
 function sampleCpu() {
@@ -160,6 +267,41 @@ async function heartbeat() {
 heartbeat();
 setInterval(heartbeat, HEARTBEAT_MS);
 
+// ── HTTP server ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
+  const { pathname } = new URL(req.url, 'http://localhost');
+
+  if (req.method === 'GET' && pathname === '/health') {
+    res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' });
+    res.end(JSON.stringify({
+      ok:       true,
+      hostname: os.hostname(),
+      uptime:   Math.round(process.uptime()),
+      version:  VERSION,
+      role:     NODE_ROLE,
+      ip:       getIp(),
+    }));
+
+  } else if (req.method === 'POST' && pathname === '/sidecar/start') {
+    readBody(req)
+      .then(body => handleSidecarStart(body, res))
+      .catch(() => jsonResponse(res, 400, { error: 'Invalid request body' }));
+
+  } else if (req.method === 'DELETE' && pathname.startsWith('/sidecar/')) {
+    const id = pathname.slice('/sidecar/'.length);
+    if (!id || id.includes('/')) { res.writeHead(404); return res.end(); }
+    handleSidecarStop(id, res);
+
+  } else if (req.method === 'GET' && /^\/sidecar\/[^/]+\/status$/.test(pathname)) {
+    const id = pathname.slice('/sidecar/'.length, -'/status'.length);
+    handleSidecarStatus(id, res);
+
+  } else {
+    res.writeHead(404);
+    res.end();
+  }
+});
+
 server.listen(AGENT_PORT, () => {
   console.log(`wild-dragon-node-agent v${VERSION}`);
   console.log(`  Listening  :${AGENT_PORT}`);