diff --git a/.pre-commit-config.yaml b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
index 794ddf2..d461956 100644
--- a/.pre-commit-config.yaml
+++ b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ repos:
       - id: dart-check
         name: dart format (autofix) + check-fast (parallel)
         language: system
-        entry: bash -c 'cd "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)" && nix develop --command dagger call --progress=plain -q -m ci --source=. check-fast'
+        entry: bash -c 'cd "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)" && scripts/precommit_dart_check.sh'
         pass_filenames: false
         always_run: true
       - id: ci-no-direct-dagger
diff --git a/scripts/precommit_dart_check.sh b/scripts/precommit_dart_check.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..d9e5162
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/precommit_dart_check.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Pre-commit wrapper for the `dart-check` hook.
+#
+# `dagger call ... check-fast` needs a Dagger engine. On a dev machine or in
+# CI that engine is provisioned from a local container runtime (docker/podman)
+# or reached through _EXPERIMENTAL_DAGGER_RUNNER_HOST. In engine-less sandboxes
+# (e.g. the agentloop agent pods that commit on our behalf) none of those
+# exist, so dagger falls back to its default engine image reference and aborts
+# with:
+#   start engine: driver for scheme "image" was not available
+# which blocked every commit the agent tried to make.
+#
+# Codeberg CI still runs check-fast on every push, so skipping here is safe:
+# warn loudly and let the commit through when no engine can be reached.
+set -euo pipefail
+
+cd "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)"
+
+# True when dagger has some way to reach/provision an engine.
+engine_available() {
+	# A shared engine reached over the wire wins outright.
+	[ -n "${_EXPERIMENTAL_DAGGER_RUNNER_HOST:-}" ] && return 0
+	# Otherwise dagger provisions the engine from a local container runtime.
+	# `info` (not `version`) confirms the daemon is actually reachable; cap it
+	# with a timeout so a stale docker context cannot hang the commit.
+	if command -v docker >/dev/null 2>&1 && timeout 10 docker info >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+		return 0
+	fi
+	if command -v podman >/dev/null 2>&1 && timeout 10 podman info >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+		return 0
+	fi
+	return 1
+}
+
+if ! engine_available; then
+	echo "WARNING: no Dagger engine available (no container runtime, and" \
+		"_EXPERIMENTAL_DAGGER_RUNNER_HOST is unset); skipping dart-check." \
+		"Codeberg CI still runs check-fast on push." >&2
+	exit 0
+fi
+
+exec nix develop --command dagger call --progress=plain -q -m ci --source=. check-fast