diff --git a/internal/cli/pivot.go b/internal/cli/pivot.go
index 250942c..94df135 100644
--- a/internal/cli/pivot.go
+++ b/internal/cli/pivot.go
@@ -251,6 +251,28 @@ func runPivot(ctx context.Context, cfg *config.Config, stdout interface {
 		slog.Info("systemd-mode: skipping init coordination + process termination")
 	}
 
+	// Arm the watchdog now, right before the pivot, so the window until the
+	// supervisor adopts it (just the mount sequence + exec) is tiny. It's
+	// opened here on the host /dev; the fd is inherited across pivot_root and
+	// the exec, and pet post-pivot via WatchdogFDEnv. pivot_root keeps the
+	// running kernel, so it's the same live watchdog throughout — no softdog,
+	// no reopen by path in the pivoted rootfs. (EnsureWatchdogAvailable above
+	// already validated it while the old OS was fully alive.)
+	var watchdogFile *os.File
+	if cfg.WatchdogTimeout > 0 {
+		wf, err := postpivot.ArmWatchdogPrePivot(cfg.WatchdogTimeout)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("arm watchdog: %w", err)
+		}
+		watchdogFile = wf
+		// Runs only on an abort before exec (unix.Exec never returns on
+		// success): disarm so a box that's staying on the old OS isn't reset.
+		defer func() {
+			_, _ = watchdogFile.Write([]byte{'V'}) // magic close = disarm
+			_ = watchdogFile.Close()
+		}()
+	}
+
 	// All goroutines below this point share a single OS thread so the
 	// new mount namespace is consistent across what we do.
 	runtime.LockOSThread()
@@ -300,9 +322,15 @@ func runPivot(ctx context.Context, cfg *config.Config, stdout interface {
 	}
 
 	// Exec the post-pivot supervisor: /usr/local/bin/xmorph --init <argv>.
+	// Hand the pre-armed watchdog fd across the exec so the supervisor pets
+	// the same live device instead of reopening it in the pivoted /dev.
+	env := os.Environ()
+	if watchdogFile != nil {
+		env = append(env, fmt.Sprintf("%s=%d", postpivot.WatchdogFDEnv, watchdogFile.Fd()))
+	}
 	slog.Info("exec post-pivot supervisor", "binary", postpivot.BinaryPath, "entrypoint", entrypoint)
 	supervisorArgv := append([]string{postpivot.BinaryPath, "--init", entrypoint}, entryArgs...)
-	if err := unix.Exec(postpivot.BinaryPath, supervisorArgv, os.Environ()); err != nil {
+	if err := unix.Exec(postpivot.BinaryPath, supervisorArgv, env); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("exec post-pivot supervisor: %w", err)
 	}
 	return nil // unreachable
diff --git a/internal/postpivot/run.go b/internal/postpivot/run.go
index 2f939d3..aff0d79 100644
--- a/internal/postpivot/run.go
+++ b/internal/postpivot/run.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"log/slog"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"strconv"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/ananthb/xmorph/internal/tsnetauth"
@@ -65,11 +66,18 @@ func Run(argv []string) int {
 	}
 
 	if cfg != nil && cfg.WatchdogTimeoutSeconds > 0 {
-		wd, err := StartWatchdog(time.Duration(cfg.WatchdogTimeoutSeconds) * time.Second)
-		if err != nil {
-			slog.Error("watchdog: cannot arm post-pivot", "err", err)
+		timeout := time.Duration(cfg.WatchdogTimeoutSeconds) * time.Second
+		// The watchdog was opened and armed pre-pivot; its fd is inherited
+		// here via WatchdogFDEnv. Adopt and pet it — don't reopen
+		// /dev/watchdog by path, which the pivoted /dev may not expose.
+		if s := os.Getenv(WatchdogFDEnv); s != "" {
+			if fd, err := strconv.Atoi(s); err == nil {
+				defer AdoptWatchdog(fd, timeout).Close()
+			} else {
+				slog.Error("watchdog: invalid inherited fd", "value", s, "err", err)
+			}
 		} else {
-			defer wd.Close()
+			slog.Warn("watchdog: no inherited fd from pre-pivot; not armed post-pivot")
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/internal/postpivot/watchdog_linux.go b/internal/postpivot/watchdog_linux.go
index 276e968..60402be 100644
--- a/internal/postpivot/watchdog_linux.go
+++ b/internal/postpivot/watchdog_linux.go
@@ -16,9 +16,11 @@ import (
 	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
 )
 
-// Watchdog holds /dev/watchdog open and pets it from a goroutine.
-// Kernel-only — no userspace fallback. If /dev/watchdog is missing,
-// StartWatchdog auto-loads softdog and errors out if that fails.
+// Watchdog holds a kernel watchdog fd open and pets it from a goroutine.
+// The fd is normally armed pre-pivot (ArmWatchdogPrePivot) and inherited
+// across the pivot, then adopted here (AdoptWatchdog). StartWatchdog is the
+// standalone path that opens /dev/watchdog directly (loading softdog if it's
+// missing) — usable only where the device node is reachable by path.
 type Watchdog struct {
 	timeout time.Duration
 	fd      *os.File
@@ -37,6 +39,13 @@ const wdMagicClose byte = 'V'
 // watchdogDev is the kernel watchdog device path. var so tests can swap it.
 var watchdogDev = "/dev/watchdog"
 
+// WatchdogFDEnv carries the pre-pivot watchdog fd number across the exec
+// into the post-pivot supervisor. pivot_root keeps the running kernel, so a
+// watchdog opened before the pivot keeps ticking after it — we inherit the
+// open fd rather than reopening /dev/watchdog by path in the pivoted rootfs,
+// whose /dev may not expose the node.
+const WatchdogFDEnv = "XMORPH_WATCHDOG_FD"
+
 // modprobeCmd auto-loads softdog when /dev/watchdog is absent. var
 // so tests can swap it for a fake.
 var modprobeCmd = func() error {
@@ -152,6 +161,60 @@ func StartWatchdog(timeout time.Duration) (*Watchdog, error) {
 	return w, nil
 }
 
+// ArmWatchdogPrePivot opens and arms the kernel watchdog BEFORE pivot_root,
+// while the host /dev still exposes it, and clears FD_CLOEXEC so the open fd
+// survives the exec into the post-pivot supervisor. The caller passes the fd
+// number to the supervisor via WatchdogFDEnv; the supervisor pets it with
+// AdoptWatchdog. Because pivot_root keeps the running kernel, this is the
+// same live watchdog throughout — no reopen by path in the pivoted rootfs
+// (where the node may be absent) and no softdog (which can't load for the
+// running kernel from an in-RAM rootfs). Non-positive timeout is a no-op.
+//
+// The returned *os.File must stay referenced until the exec so its finalizer
+// doesn't close the fd; on any abort before exec the caller must disarm it
+// (write wdMagicClose) and close it, else the box resets while staying on the
+// old OS.
+func ArmWatchdogPrePivot(timeout time.Duration) (*os.File, error) {
+	if timeout <= 0 {
+		return nil, nil
+	}
+	f, err := openWatchdog()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	secs := int(timeout / time.Second)
+	if secs < 1 {
+		secs = 1
+	}
+	if err := unix.IoctlSetPointerInt(int(f.Fd()), _WDIOC_SETTIMEOUT, secs); err != nil {
+		slog.Warn("watchdog: set timeout failed; using kernel default", "err", err)
+	}
+	// Clear FD_CLOEXEC (Go sets it on every fd it opens) so the fd is
+	// inherited across unix.Exec into the supervisor.
+	if _, err := unix.FcntlInt(f.Fd(), unix.F_SETFD, 0); err != nil {
+		_, _ = f.Write([]byte{wdMagicClose})
+		_ = f.Close()
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("clear FD_CLOEXEC on watchdog fd: %w", err)
+	}
+	slog.Info("watchdog: armed pre-pivot (fd inherits across pivot)", "timeout", timeout, "fd", int(f.Fd()))
+	return f, nil
+}
+
+// AdoptWatchdog takes over an already-open, already-armed watchdog fd
+// inherited (via WatchdogFDEnv) from the pre-pivot ArmWatchdogPrePivot call
+// and pets it from a goroutine. Use this post-pivot instead of StartWatchdog,
+// which would try to reopen /dev/watchdog by path.
+func AdoptWatchdog(fd int, timeout time.Duration) *Watchdog {
+	w := &Watchdog{
+		timeout: timeout,
+		fd:      os.NewFile(uintptr(fd), watchdogDev),
+		done:    make(chan struct{}),
+	}
+	slog.Info("watchdog: adopted inherited fd", "fd", fd, "timeout", timeout)
+	go w.pet()
+	return w
+}
+
 func (w *Watchdog) pet() {
 	tick := time.NewTicker(w.timeout / 3)
 	defer tick.Stop()
diff --git a/internal/postpivot/watchdog_other.go b/internal/postpivot/watchdog_other.go
index c2308e5..d0dc438 100644
--- a/internal/postpivot/watchdog_other.go
+++ b/internal/postpivot/watchdog_other.go
@@ -4,9 +4,13 @@ package postpivot
 
 import (
 	"errors"
+	"os"
 	"time"
 )
 
+// WatchdogFDEnv mirrors the linux constant so cross-platform callers compile.
+const WatchdogFDEnv = "XMORPH_WATCHDOG_FD"
+
 // Watchdog is a no-op on non-Linux platforms.
 type Watchdog struct{}
 
@@ -20,5 +24,15 @@ func StartWatchdog(_ time.Duration) (*Watchdog, error) {
 	return nil, errors.New("watchdog: not supported on this platform")
 }
 
+// ArmWatchdogPrePivot always fails — no watchdog on this platform.
+func ArmWatchdogPrePivot(_ time.Duration) (*os.File, error) {
+	return nil, errors.New("watchdog: not supported on this platform")
+}
+
+// AdoptWatchdog is a no-op stub on non-Linux platforms.
+func AdoptWatchdog(_ int, _ time.Duration) *Watchdog {
+	return &Watchdog{}
+}
+
 // Close is a no-op.
 func (*Watchdog) Close() {}