diff --git a/server/operators/trellis2_mlx/manifest.json b/server/operators/trellis2_mlx/manifest.json
index d316fa8..01c590b 100644
--- a/server/operators/trellis2_mlx/manifest.json
+++ b/server/operators/trellis2_mlx/manifest.json
@@ -3,21 +3,77 @@
   "name": "TRELLIS.2 MLX (local, fastest)",
   "category": "mesh-gen",
   "description": "Image → PBR GLB via the MRP MLX fork of TRELLIS.2 (monster/trellis-2-mrp-mlx): pure-MLX sampler, Metal PBR bake with RAM-sized face cap + forced-opaque alpha (2026-07-22 quality fixes — fal-parity detail), kdtree/vertex fallbacks. ~72s vertex / ~2min metal-PBR on m3ultra — still the fastest local TRELLIS.2. baker=vertex for the 1s clean-albedo bake (no MR maps). Weights: TRELLIS.2-4B + gated DINOv3/RMBG (rsync from m3 HF cache to workers; no HF login needed).",
-  "accepts": ["image"],
-  "produces": ["model"],
+  "accepts": [
+    "image"
+  ],
+  "produces": [
+    "model"
+  ],
   "resources": "gpu",
   "entry": "run.py",
-  "python": "vendor/trellis2-mlx/.venv/bin/python",
   "params_schema": {
     "type": "object",
     "properties": {
-      "pipeline_type": {"type": "string", "enum": ["512", "1024", "1024_cascade"], "default": "1024_cascade", "description": "Resolution tier"},
-      "seed": {"type": "integer", "default": 0, "description": "Random seed"},
-      "steps": {"type": "integer", "default": 12, "description": "Sampler steps per stage (12 = upstream default)"},
-      "baker": {"type": "string", "enum": ["metal", "vertex", "kdtree"], "default": "metal", "description": "metal = UV PBR textures (meshgod-grade; minor dark-patch texels remain); vertex = 1s bake, cleanest colors, no MR maps"},
-      "texture_size": {"type": "integer", "enum": [512, 1024, 2048, 4096], "default": 2048, "description": "Baked texture resolution (metal/kdtree bakers)"},
-      "max_bake_faces": {"type": "integer", "enum": [200000, 500000, 1000000], "default": 500000, "description": "Pre-bake face cap. 500k ≈ fal parity (M3 Ultra verified); node RAM sizes the default when unset — laptops get 200k"},
-      "alpha_mode": {"type": "string", "enum": ["opaque", "auto"], "default": "opaque", "description": "opaque = force alphaMode OPAQUE (fixes speckle-veil hair); auto = keep baked alpha for glassy subjects"}
+      "pipeline_type": {
+        "type": "string",
+        "enum": [
+          "512",
+          "1024",
+          "1024_cascade"
+        ],
+        "default": "1024_cascade",
+        "description": "Resolution tier"
+      },
+      "seed": {
+        "type": "integer",
+        "default": 0,
+        "description": "Random seed"
+      },
+      "steps": {
+        "type": "integer",
+        "default": 12,
+        "description": "Sampler steps per stage (12 = upstream default)"
+      },
+      "baker": {
+        "type": "string",
+        "enum": [
+          "metal",
+          "vertex",
+          "kdtree"
+        ],
+        "default": "metal",
+        "description": "metal = UV PBR textures (meshgod-grade; minor dark-patch texels remain); vertex = 1s bake, cleanest colors, no MR maps"
+      },
+      "texture_size": {
+        "type": "integer",
+        "enum": [
+          512,
+          1024,
+          2048,
+          4096
+        ],
+        "default": 2048,
+        "description": "Baked texture resolution (metal/kdtree bakers)"
+      },
+      "max_bake_faces": {
+        "type": "integer",
+        "enum": [
+          200000,
+          500000,
+          1000000
+        ],
+        "default": 500000,
+        "description": "Pre-bake face cap. 500k ≈ fal parity (M3 Ultra verified); node RAM sizes the default when unset — laptops get 200k"
+      },
+      "alpha_mode": {
+        "type": "string",
+        "enum": [
+          "opaque",
+          "auto"
+        ],
+        "default": "opaque",
+        "description": "opaque = force alphaMode OPAQUE (fixes speckle-veil hair); auto = keep baked alpha for glassy subjects"
+      }
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/server/operators/trellis_mac/manifest.json b/server/operators/trellis_mac/manifest.json
index 99ed0bc..12544e2 100644
--- a/server/operators/trellis_mac/manifest.json
+++ b/server/operators/trellis_mac/manifest.json
@@ -3,22 +3,80 @@
   "name": "TRELLIS.2 (local, SOTA)",
   "category": "mesh-gen",
   "description": "Image → GLB + baked PBR locally via the TRELLIS.2 MPS/Metal port (best open-weights quality on Apple Silicon, ~3-5 min/gen). Weights need a one-time HuggingFace login (facebook/dinov3-vitl16, briaai/RMBG-2.0). Note: 1536 is upstream-only; Mac port maxes at 1024_cascade.",
-  "accepts": ["image"],
-  "produces": ["model"],
+  "accepts": [
+    "image"
+  ],
+  "produces": [
+    "model"
+  ],
   "resources": "gpu",
   "entry": "run.py",
-  "python": "vendor/trellis-mac/.venv/bin/python",
   "params_schema": {
     "type": "object",
     "properties": {
-      "pipeline_type": {"type": "string", "enum": ["512", "1024", "1024_cascade"], "default": "1024", "description": "Resolution tier (1024_cascade = highest quality on Mac)"},
-      "texture_size": {"type": "integer", "enum": [512, 1024, 2048], "default": 2048, "description": "Baked texture resolution"},
-      "seed": {"type": "integer", "default": 0, "description": "Random seed"},
-      "no_texture": {"type": "boolean", "default": false, "description": "Geometry only (skip texture stage, much faster)"},
-      "max_bake_faces": {"type": "integer", "enum": [200000, 500000, 1000000], "default": 500000, "description": "Pre-bake simplify cap. 500k ≈ fal parity, verified crash-free on the M3 Ultra (2026-07-22); drop to 200k on laptops (mtlbvh guard)"},
-      "steps": {"type": "integer", "default": 0, "description": "Sampler steps override for all 3 flow phases (0 = pipeline default, 12)"},
-      "baker": {"type": "string", "enum": ["", "vertex"], "default": "", "description": "'vertex' = KDTree vertex-color bake (dark-patch workaround, no PBR maps)"},
-      "alpha_mode": {"type": "string", "enum": ["opaque", "auto"], "default": "opaque", "description": "opaque = force alphaMode OPAQUE in the GLB (fixes speckle-veil hair from noisy baked alpha); auto = keep o_voxel's BLEND detection for glassy subjects"}
+      "pipeline_type": {
+        "type": "string",
+        "enum": [
+          "512",
+          "1024",
+          "1024_cascade"
+        ],
+        "default": "1024",
+        "description": "Resolution tier (1024_cascade = highest quality on Mac)"
+      },
+      "texture_size": {
+        "type": "integer",
+        "enum": [
+          512,
+          1024,
+          2048
+        ],
+        "default": 2048,
+        "description": "Baked texture resolution"
+      },
+      "seed": {
+        "type": "integer",
+        "default": 0,
+        "description": "Random seed"
+      },
+      "no_texture": {
+        "type": "boolean",
+        "default": false,
+        "description": "Geometry only (skip texture stage, much faster)"
+      },
+      "max_bake_faces": {
+        "type": "integer",
+        "enum": [
+          200000,
+          500000,
+          1000000
+        ],
+        "default": 500000,
+        "description": "Pre-bake simplify cap. 500k ≈ fal parity, verified crash-free on the M3 Ultra (2026-07-22); drop to 200k on laptops (mtlbvh guard)"
+      },
+      "steps": {
+        "type": "integer",
+        "default": 0,
+        "description": "Sampler steps override for all 3 flow phases (0 = pipeline default, 12)"
+      },
+      "baker": {
+        "type": "string",
+        "enum": [
+          "",
+          "vertex"
+        ],
+        "default": "",
+        "description": "'vertex' = KDTree vertex-color bake (dark-patch workaround, no PBR maps)"
+      },
+      "alpha_mode": {
+        "type": "string",
+        "enum": [
+          "opaque",
+          "auto"
+        ],
+        "default": "opaque",
+        "description": "opaque = force alphaMode OPAQUE in the GLB (fixes speckle-veil hair from noisy baked alpha); auto = keep o_voxel's BLEND detection for glassy subjects"
+      }
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/server/operators/trellis_mac/run.py b/server/operators/trellis_mac/run.py
index 7b083f4..23a2494 100644
--- a/server/operators/trellis_mac/run.py
+++ b/server/operators/trellis_mac/run.py
@@ -21,12 +21,18 @@ if not a.input:
 if not (VENDOR / "generate.py").exists():
     print(f"ERROR: trellis-mac not installed at {VENDOR}. Run scripts/install_trellis_mac.sh")
     sys.exit(1)
+# manifest no longer pins "python" (broke remote dispatch when the venv path
+# didn't exist on the worker) — resolve the vendor venv here instead.
+VENV_PY = VENDOR / ".venv" / "bin" / "python"
+if not VENV_PY.exists():
+    print(f"ERROR: no venv at {VENV_PY} — run scripts/install_trellis_mac.sh")
+    sys.exit(1)
 
 outdir = Path(a.outdir)
 out_stem = outdir / f"trellis2_{Path(a.input[0]).stem}"
 
 cmd = [
-    sys.executable, "generate.py", str(Path(a.input[0]).resolve()),
+    str(VENV_PY), "generate.py", str(Path(a.input[0]).resolve()),
     "--pipeline-type", str(p.get("pipeline_type", "1024")),
     "--texture-size", str(p.get("texture_size", 2048)),
     "--seed", str(p.get("seed", 0)),