diff --git a/app/src-tauri/src/commands/project_commands.rs b/app/src-tauri/src/commands/project_commands.rs
index e1ba914..46ecbf9 100644
--- a/app/src-tauri/src/commands/project_commands.rs
+++ b/app/src-tauri/src/commands/project_commands.rs
@@ -81,12 +81,19 @@ pub async fn remove_project(
     state: State<'_, AppState>,
 ) -> Result<(), String> {
     // Stop and remove container if it exists
-    if let Some(project) = state.projects_store.get(&project_id) {
+    if let Some(ref project) = state.projects_store.get(&project_id) {
         if let Some(ref container_id) = project.container_id {
             state.exec_manager.close_sessions_for_container(container_id).await;
             let _ = docker::stop_container(container_id).await;
             let _ = docker::remove_container(container_id).await;
         }
+        // Clean up the snapshot image + volumes
+        if let Err(e) = docker::remove_snapshot_image(project).await {
+            log::warn!("Failed to remove snapshot image for project {}: {}", project_id, e);
+        }
+        if let Err(e) = docker::remove_project_volumes(project).await {
+            log::warn!("Failed to remove project volumes for project {}: {}", project_id, e);
+        }
     }
 
     // Clean up keychain secrets for this project
@@ -153,25 +160,37 @@ pub async fn start_project_container(
         // AWS config path from global settings
         let aws_config_path = settings.global_aws.aws_config_path.clone();
 
-        // Check for existing container
         let container_id = if let Some(existing_id) = docker::find_existing_container(&project).await? {
-            let needs_recreation = docker::container_needs_recreation(
-                    &existing_id,
-                    &project,
-                    settings.global_claude_instructions.as_deref(),
-                    &settings.global_custom_env_vars,
-                    settings.timezone.as_deref(),
-                )
-                .await
-                .unwrap_or(false);
-            if needs_recreation {
-                log::info!("Container config changed, recreating container for project {}", project.id);
+            // Check if config changed — if so, snapshot + recreate
+            let needs_recreate = docker::container_needs_recreation(
+                &existing_id,
+                &project,
+                settings.global_claude_instructions.as_deref(),
+                &settings.global_custom_env_vars,
+                settings.timezone.as_deref(),
+            ).await.unwrap_or(false);
+
+            if needs_recreate {
+                log::info!("Container config changed for project {} — committing snapshot and recreating", project.id);
+                // Snapshot the filesystem before destroying
+                if let Err(e) = docker::commit_container_snapshot(&existing_id, &project).await {
+                    log::warn!("Failed to snapshot container before recreation: {}", e);
+                }
                 let _ = docker::stop_container(&existing_id).await;
                 docker::remove_container(&existing_id).await?;
+
+                // Create from snapshot image (preserves system-level changes)
+                let snapshot_image = docker::get_snapshot_image_name(&project);
+                let create_image = if docker::image_exists(&snapshot_image).await.unwrap_or(false) {
+                    snapshot_image
+                } else {
+                    image_name.clone()
+                };
+
                 let new_id = docker::create_container(
                     &project,
                     &docker_socket,
-                    &image_name,
+                    &create_image,
                     aws_config_path.as_deref(),
                     &settings.global_aws,
                     settings.global_claude_instructions.as_deref(),
@@ -185,10 +204,21 @@ pub async fn start_project_container(
                 existing_id
             }
         } else {
+            // Container doesn't exist (first start, or Docker pruned it).
+            // Check for a snapshot image first — it preserves system-level
+            // changes (apt/pip/npm installs) from the previous session.
+            let snapshot_image = docker::get_snapshot_image_name(&project);
+            let create_image = if docker::image_exists(&snapshot_image).await.unwrap_or(false) {
+                log::info!("Creating container from snapshot image for project {}", project.id);
+                snapshot_image
+            } else {
+                image_name.clone()
+            };
+
             let new_id = docker::create_container(
                 &project,
                 &docker_socket,
-                &image_name,
+                &create_image,
                 aws_config_path.as_deref(),
                 &settings.global_aws,
                 settings.global_claude_instructions.as_deref(),
@@ -260,6 +290,14 @@ pub async fn rebuild_project_container(
         state.projects_store.set_container_id(&project_id, None)?;
     }
 
+    // Remove snapshot image + volumes so Reset creates from the clean base image
+    if let Err(e) = docker::remove_snapshot_image(&project).await {
+        log::warn!("Failed to remove snapshot image for project {}: {}", project_id, e);
+    }
+    if let Err(e) = docker::remove_project_volumes(&project).await {
+        log::warn!("Failed to remove project volumes for project {}: {}", project_id, e);
+    }
+
     // Start fresh
     start_project_container(project_id, state).await
 }
diff --git a/app/src-tauri/src/docker/container.rs b/app/src-tauri/src/docker/container.rs
index 02a850a..e9a108a 100644
--- a/app/src-tauri/src/docker/container.rs
+++ b/app/src-tauri/src/docker/container.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ use bollard::container::{
     Config, CreateContainerOptions, ListContainersOptions, RemoveContainerOptions,
     StartContainerOptions, StopContainerOptions,
 };
+use bollard::image::{CommitContainerOptions, RemoveImageOptions};
 use bollard::models::{ContainerSummary, HostConfig, Mount, MountTypeEnum, PortBinding};
 use std::collections::HashMap;
 use std::collections::hash_map::DefaultHasher;
@@ -367,7 +368,19 @@ pub async fn create_container(
         });
     }
 
-    // Named volume for claude config persistence
+    // Named volume for the entire home directory — preserves ~/.claude.json,
+    // ~/.local (pip/npm globals), and any other user-level state across
+    // container stop/start cycles.
+    mounts.push(Mount {
+        target: Some("/home/claude".to_string()),
+        source: Some(format!("triple-c-home-{}", project.id)),
+        typ: Some(MountTypeEnum::VOLUME),
+        read_only: Some(false),
+        ..Default::default()
+    });
+
+    // Named volume for claude config persistence — mounted as a nested volume
+    // inside the home volume; Docker gives the more-specific mount precedence.
     mounts.push(Mount {
         target: Some("/home/claude/.claude".to_string()),
         source: Some(format!("triple-c-claude-config-{}", project.id)),
@@ -538,6 +551,83 @@ pub async fn remove_container(container_id: &str) -> Result<(), String> {
         .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to remove container: {}", e))
 }
 
+/// Return the snapshot image name for a project.
+pub fn get_snapshot_image_name(project: &Project) -> String {
+    format!("triple-c-snapshot-{}:latest", project.id)
+}
+
+/// Commit the container's filesystem to a snapshot image so that system-level
+/// changes (apt/pip/npm installs, ~/.claude.json, etc.) survive container
+/// removal. The Config is left empty so that secrets injected as env vars are
+/// NOT baked into the image.
+pub async fn commit_container_snapshot(container_id: &str, project: &Project) -> Result<(), String> {
+    let docker = get_docker()?;
+    let image_name = get_snapshot_image_name(project);
+
+    // Parse repo:tag
+    let (repo, tag) = match image_name.rsplit_once(':') {
+        Some((r, t)) => (r.to_string(), t.to_string()),
+        None => (image_name.clone(), "latest".to_string()),
+    };
+
+    let options = CommitContainerOptions {
+        container: container_id.to_string(),
+        repo: repo.clone(),
+        tag: tag.clone(),
+        pause: true,
+        ..Default::default()
+    };
+
+    // Empty config — no env vars / cmd baked in
+    let config = Config::<String> {
+        ..Default::default()
+    };
+
+    docker
+        .commit_container(options, config)
+        .await
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to commit container snapshot: {}", e))?;
+
+    log::info!("Committed container {} as snapshot {}:{}", container_id, repo, tag);
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+/// Remove the snapshot image for a project (used on Reset / project removal).
+pub async fn remove_snapshot_image(project: &Project) -> Result<(), String> {
+    let docker = get_docker()?;
+    let image_name = get_snapshot_image_name(project);
+
+    docker
+        .remove_image(
+            &image_name,
+            Some(RemoveImageOptions {
+                force: true,
+                noprune: false,
+            }),
+            None,
+        )
+        .await
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to remove snapshot image {}: {}", image_name, e))?;
+
+    log::info!("Removed snapshot image {}", image_name);
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+/// Remove both named volumes for a project (used on Reset / project removal).
+pub async fn remove_project_volumes(project: &Project) -> Result<(), String> {
+    let docker = get_docker()?;
+    for vol in [
+        format!("triple-c-home-{}", project.id),
+        format!("triple-c-claude-config-{}", project.id),
+    ] {
+        match docker.remove_volume(&vol, None).await {
+            Ok(_) => log::info!("Removed volume {}", vol),
+            Err(e) => log::warn!("Failed to remove volume {} (may not exist): {}", vol, e),
+        }
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}
+
 /// Check whether the existing container's configuration still matches the
 /// current project settings.  Returns `true` when the container must be
 /// recreated (mounts or env vars differ).