diff --git a/oci/remote/install_oci.sh b/oci/remote/install_oci.sh
index 002ac21a..2df44088 100755
--- a/oci/remote/install_oci.sh
+++ b/oci/remote/install_oci.sh
@@ -1011,6 +1011,37 @@ apply_runtime_user() {
   set_lxc_directive lxc.init.gid "$gid"
 }
 
+set_runtime_environment() {
+  local name=$1 value=$2 temporary
+  [[ $name =~ ^[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*$ ]] || die "$(translate "Invalid variable name:") $name"
+  [[ $value != *$'\n'* && $value != *$'\r'* ]] || die "$(translate "The variable contains line breaks:") $name"
+  if LC_ALL=C grep -q '[[:cntrl:]]' <<<"$value"; then
+    die "$(translate "The variable contains control characters:") $name"
+  fi
+  temporary=$(mktemp)
+  awk -v prefix="lxc.environment.runtime: ${name}=" 'index($0, prefix) != 1' "$CONF" >"$temporary"
+  printf 'lxc.environment.runtime: %s=%s\n' "$name" "$value" >>"$temporary"
+  cat "$temporary" >"$CONF"
+  rm -f "$temporary"
+}
+
+ensure_runtime_home() {
+  local uid home rootfs passwd_file
+  grep -q '^lxc.environment.runtime: HOME=' "$CONF" && return 0
+  uid=$(awk -F': ' '$1 == "lxc.init.uid" {print $2; exit}' "$CONF" 2>/dev/null || true)
+  uid=${uid:-0}
+  [[ $uid =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]] || return 0
+  rootfs="/var/lib/lxc/${VMID}/rootfs"
+  passwd_file="${rootfs}/etc/passwd"
+  mount_ct_rootfs
+  if ! home=$(python3 "$OCI_RUNTIME_RESOLVER" --home "$passwd_file" "$uid" 2>>"${OCI_LOG:-/dev/stderr}"); then
+    oci_quiet pct unmount "$VMID" || true
+    return 0
+  fi
+  oci_quiet pct unmount "$VMID" || die "$(translate "Could not unmount the container filesystem")"
+  set_runtime_environment HOME "$home"
+}
+
 apply_runtime_groups() {
   local groups_csv=$1 rootfs="/var/lib/lxc/${VMID}/rootfs"
   local group_file="${rootfs}/etc/group" existing resolved group failed=0
@@ -1883,21 +1914,13 @@ apply_native_device_permissions
 # PVE represents the public env property as repeated native LXC runtime lines.
 # Merge only Compose overrides while the newly-created CT is stopped.
 while IFS=$'\t' read -r NAME ENCODED; do
-  [[ $NAME =~ ^[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*$ ]] || die "$(translate "Invalid variable name:") $NAME"
   VALUE=$(printf '%s' "$ENCODED" | base64 -d)
-  [[ $VALUE != *$'\n'* && $VALUE != *$'\r'* ]] || die "$(translate "The variable contains line breaks:") $NAME"
-  if LC_ALL=C grep -q '[[:cntrl:]]' <<<"$VALUE"; then
-    die "$(translate "The variable contains control characters:") $NAME"
-  fi
-  TEMP_CONF=$(mktemp)
-  awk -v prefix="lxc.environment.runtime: ${NAME}=" 'index($0, prefix) != 1' "$CONF" >"$TEMP_CONF"
-  printf 'lxc.environment.runtime: %s=%s\n' "$NAME" "$VALUE" >>"$TEMP_CONF"
-  cat "$TEMP_CONF" >"$CONF"
-  rm -f "$TEMP_CONF"
+  set_runtime_environment "$NAME" "$VALUE"
 done < <(jq -r '.environment[] | [.name, (.value | @base64)] | @tsv' "$DEPLOYMENT_FILE")
 
 apply_extra_hosts
 apply_installer_profile
+ensure_runtime_home
 apply_rlimits
 apply_host_monitor
 apply_kept_settings
diff --git a/oci/remote/oci_runtime.py b/oci/remote/oci_runtime.py
index 630795f2..ee3b9d56 100644
--- a/oci/remote/oci_runtime.py
+++ b/oci/remote/oci_runtime.py
@@ -89,7 +89,29 @@ def effective_entrypoint(
     return " ".join(shlex.quote(item) for item in process)
 
 
+def home_directory(passwd_path: Path, uid: int) -> str | None:
+    """Return the safe home directory recorded for a container UID."""
+    for line in passwd_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8").splitlines():
+        fields = line.split(":")
+        if len(fields) < 7 or fields[2] != str(uid):
+            continue
+        home = fields[5]
+        return home if home.startswith("/") else None
+    return None
+
+
 def main() -> int:
+    if len(sys.argv) == 4 and sys.argv[1] == "--home":
+        try:
+            uid = int(sys.argv[3])
+            home = home_directory(Path(sys.argv[2]), uid)
+        except (OSError, ValueError) as exc:
+            print(f"{translate('Cannot resolve the container home directory:')} {exc}", file=sys.stderr)
+            return 1
+        if home is None:
+            return 1
+        print(home)
+        return 0
     if len(sys.argv) not in (3, 4):
         print(
             f"{translate('Usage:')} {sys.argv[0]} OCI_ARCHIVE COMMAND_JSON [ENTRYPOINT_JSON]",
diff --git a/oci/tests/test_runtime_home_contract.py b/oci/tests/test_runtime_home_contract.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c14e8e26
--- /dev/null
+++ b/oci/tests/test_runtime_home_contract.py
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+"""Regression tests for the native OCI PID 1 HOME fallback."""
+
+from pathlib import Path
+import sys
+import tempfile
+import unittest
+
+
+ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1]
+sys.path.insert(0, str(ROOT / "remote"))
+
+import oci_runtime  # noqa: E402
+
+
+class RuntimeHomeResolutionTests(unittest.TestCase):
+    def passwd(self, content: str) -> Path:
+        directory = tempfile.TemporaryDirectory()
+        self.addCleanup(directory.cleanup)
+        path = Path(directory.name) / "passwd"
+        path.write_text(content, encoding="utf-8")
+        return path
+
+    def test_root_home_is_resolved_from_passwd(self):
+        passwd = self.passwd("root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/sh\n")
+        self.assertEqual(oci_runtime.home_directory(passwd, 0), "/root")
+
+    def test_non_root_home_is_resolved_from_passwd(self):
+        passwd = self.passwd(
+            "root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/sh\n"
+            "app:x:1001:1001:App user:/srv/app:/sbin/nologin\n"
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(oci_runtime.home_directory(passwd, 1001), "/srv/app")
+
+    def test_unknown_or_unsafe_home_is_not_invented(self):
+        passwd = self.passwd(
+            "root:x:0:0:root:relative-home:/bin/sh\n"
+            "app:x:1001:1001:App user::/sbin/nologin\n"
+        )
+        self.assertIsNone(oci_runtime.home_directory(passwd, 0))
+        self.assertIsNone(oci_runtime.home_directory(passwd, 1001))
+        self.assertIsNone(oci_runtime.home_directory(passwd, 1234))
+
+
+class RuntimeHomeInstallerContractTests(unittest.TestCase):
+    def setUp(self):
+        self.source = (ROOT / "remote" / "install_oci.sh").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+
+    def test_explicit_home_is_preserved_and_fallback_uses_effective_uid(self):
+        self.assertIn("ensure_runtime_home()", self.source)
+        self.assertIn("lxc.environment.runtime: HOME=", self.source)
+        self.assertIn('uid=${uid:-0}', self.source)
+        self.assertIn('home=$(python3 "$OCI_RUNTIME_RESOLVER" --home', self.source)
+        self.assertIn('set_runtime_environment HOME "$home"', self.source)
+
+    def test_home_fallback_runs_after_runtime_user_is_applied(self):
+        self.assertIn(
+            "apply_extra_hosts\napply_installer_profile\nensure_runtime_home\napply_rlimits",
+            self.source,
+        )
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    unittest.main()