diff --git a/docs/BRIEF_OLLAMA_OPERATORS.md b/docs/BRIEF_OLLAMA_OPERATORS.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..18230b3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/BRIEF_OLLAMA_OPERATORS.md
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+# MODELBEAST — ollama operators brief (Opus handover)
+
+**From:** the asset-campaign session (2026-07-13). **Decision (John + Fable):** MODELBEAST is
+THE universal queue for all local model work on the tailnet — no second queue system. Direct
+Ollama calls (:11434) stay fine for quick interactive hits, but BULK LLM/vision sweeps must
+ride the job queue so they don't fight Klein/TRELLIS for Metal.
+
+## The job: two new operators (mirror an existing operator's manifest+run.py pattern)
+
+1. **`ollama_vision`** [category: llm] — params: `{model: "gemma3:4b", prompt, temperature=0}`,
+   accepts: image (the job's asset), produces: text (a .json/.txt asset with the response).
+   Implementation = one POST to localhost:11434/api/generate with the asset base64'd into
+   `images`. Resource lane: gpu (that's the whole point — arbitration with image/mesh gen).
+
+2. **`ollama_llm`** [category: llm] — same but text-only (`/api/chat`), no input asset,
+   `{model: "qwen3:8b|qwen3:32b|qwen3:235b", prompt|messages}`.
+
+Notes:
+- Keep operators thin — Ollama does the work; the operator is just queue admission + asset IO.
+- A bulk sweep is then N jobs (one per image) — the lane serialises them gracefully and
+  `/api/jobs` gives progress/retry/cancel for free. No new batch machinery.
+- pgvector embeddings: NOT now (deferred by design). When un-deferred it's one more thin
+  operator (`ollama_embed` → /api/embed); DB writes stay client-side.
+- Test: submit 3 ollama_vision jobs while a flux_local job runs; assert FIFO within the gpu
+  lane and all 4 complete.
diff --git a/server/operators/bg_remove_local/manifest.json b/server/operators/bg_remove_local/manifest.json
index be7cabc..ba429e0 100644
--- a/server/operators/bg_remove_local/manifest.json
+++ b/server/operators/bg_remove_local/manifest.json
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
   "produces": ["image"],
   "resources": "gpu",
   "entry": "run.py",
-  "python": "/Users/m3ultra/Documents/MODELBEAST/venvs/rmbg/bin/python",
+  "python": "venvs/rmbg/bin/python",
   "params_schema": {
     "type": "object",
     "properties": {
diff --git a/server/operators/flux_local/manifest.json b/server/operators/flux_local/manifest.json
index 071babd..1cb32c5 100644
--- a/server/operators/flux_local/manifest.json
+++ b/server/operators/flux_local/manifest.json
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
   "produces": ["image"],
   "resources": "gpu",
   "entry": "run.py",
-  "python": "/Users/m3ultra/Documents/MODELBEAST/venvs/mflux/bin/python",
+  "python": "venvs/mflux/bin/python",
   "params_schema": {
     "type": "object",
     "properties": {
diff --git a/server/operators/mflux_image_edit/manifest.json b/server/operators/mflux_image_edit/manifest.json
index 8d0d8ce..918ebde 100644
--- a/server/operators/mflux_image_edit/manifest.json
+++ b/server/operators/mflux_image_edit/manifest.json
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
   "produces": ["image"],
   "resources": "gpu",
   "entry": "run.py",
-  "python": "/Users/m3ultra/Documents/MODELBEAST/venvs/mflux/bin/python",
+  "python": "venvs/mflux/bin/python",
   "params_schema": {
     "type": "object",
     "properties": {
diff --git a/server/operators/seedvr2_upscale/manifest.json b/server/operators/seedvr2_upscale/manifest.json
index d3e7e8e..cd69a74 100644
--- a/server/operators/seedvr2_upscale/manifest.json
+++ b/server/operators/seedvr2_upscale/manifest.json
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
   "produces": ["image"],
   "resources": "gpu",
   "entry": "run.py",
-  "python": "/Users/m3ultra/Documents/MODELBEAST/venvs/mflux/bin/python",
+  "python": "venvs/mflux/bin/python",
   "params_schema": {
     "type": "object",
     "properties": {
diff --git a/server/operators/sf3d/manifest.json b/server/operators/sf3d/manifest.json
index f0c12a0..0032be1 100644
--- a/server/operators/sf3d/manifest.json
+++ b/server/operators/sf3d/manifest.json
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
   "produces": ["model"],
   "resources": "gpu",
   "entry": "run.py",
-  "python": "/Users/m3ultra/Documents/MODELBEAST/venvs/sf3d/bin/python",
+  "python": "venvs/sf3d/bin/python",
   "params_schema": {
     "type": "object",
     "properties": {
diff --git a/server/operators/trellis_mac/manifest.json b/server/operators/trellis_mac/manifest.json
index d5a039d..e97356a 100644
--- a/server/operators/trellis_mac/manifest.json
+++ b/server/operators/trellis_mac/manifest.json
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
   "produces": ["model"],
   "resources": "gpu",
   "entry": "run.py",
-  "python": "/Users/m3ultra/Documents/MODELBEAST/vendor/trellis-mac/.venv/bin/python",
+  "python": "vendor/trellis-mac/.venv/bin/python",
   "params_schema": {
     "type": "object",
     "properties": {
diff --git a/server/runner.py b/server/runner.py
index c2270b8..82ef728 100644
--- a/server/runner.py
+++ b/server/runner.py
@@ -193,8 +193,13 @@ class Runner:
 
         outdir = Path(job["outdir"])
         entry = Path(op["dir"]) / op.get("entry", "run.py")
-        python = op.get("python") or sys.executable
-        if op.get("python") and not Path(python).exists():
+        # a manifest "python" may be relative to the repo root (portable across
+        # machines) or absolute (legacy); resolve relative ones against db.ROOT
+        op_py = op.get("python")
+        if op_py and not Path(op_py).is_absolute():
+            op_py = str(db.ROOT / op_py)
+        python = op_py or sys.executable
+        if op_py and not Path(python).exists():
             await self._update(con, job_id, status="error", finished_at=db.now(),
                                error=f"operator not installed — {python} missing. "
                                      f"Run its install script under scripts/.")