diff --git a/packages/paperclip-runner/src/drivers/acpx/driver-profile.test.ts b/packages/paperclip-runner/src/drivers/acpx/driver-profile.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..44c3ded2b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/paperclip-runner/src/drivers/acpx/driver-profile.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+
+import {
+  acpxCapabilities,
+  acpxDriverDescriptor,
+  validateAcpxDriverConfig,
+} from "./driver-profile.js";
+
+describe("ACPX driver profile", () => {
+  it.each([
+    ["codex", "available"],
+    ["claude", "available"],
+    ["pi", "unsupported"],
+  ] as const)(
+    "advertises structured plans for %s as %s",
+    (agent, availability) => {
+      const plan = acpxCapabilities(agent).typedEventFamilies?.find(
+        (family) => family.family === "plan",
+      );
+      expect(plan).toMatchObject({
+        availability,
+        detailLevel: availability === "available" ? "structured" : "summary",
+      });
+    },
+  );
+
+  it("describes only implemented ACPX capability boundaries", () => {
+    expect(acpxDriverDescriptor("claude")).toMatchObject({
+      kind: "acpx_runtime",
+      displayName: "Claude via ACPX",
+      version: "0.13.1",
+      protocolVersion: "acp/v1",
+      runtimeContextCapabilities: {
+        instructions: "native",
+        skills: "native",
+        mcp: "native",
+      },
+      capabilities: {
+        resume: true,
+        steering: false,
+        interruption: true,
+        dynamicTools: true,
+        runtimeRequestResolution: true,
+      },
+    });
+  });
+
+  it.each([
+    ["pi", "openrouter/deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash-0731"],
+    ["claude", "claude-sonnet-5"],
+    ["codex", "gpt-5.6-sol"],
+  ] as const)("accepts the exact qualified %s model", (agent, model) => {
+    expect(validateAcpxDriverConfig({ agent, model })).toEqual({
+      ok: true,
+      config: { agent, model, permissionMode: "approve-all" },
+      issues: [],
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("fails closed for unknown fields and unqualified settings", () => {
+    expect(validateAcpxDriverConfig(null)).toMatchObject({
+      ok: false,
+      issues: [{ code: "invalid_config" }],
+    });
+    expect(
+      validateAcpxDriverConfig({
+        agent: "codex",
+        model: "gpt-5.6-sol",
+        command: "/tmp/arbitrary-provider",
+      }),
+    ).toMatchObject({
+      ok: false,
+      issues: [{ path: "command", code: "unknown_field" }],
+    });
+    expect(
+      validateAcpxDriverConfig({ agent: "codex", model: "other" }),
+    ).toMatchObject({
+      ok: false,
+      issues: [{ path: "model", code: "invalid_model" }],
+    });
+    expect(
+      validateAcpxDriverConfig({
+        agent: "claude",
+        model: "claude-sonnet-5",
+        permissionMode: "unrestricted",
+      }),
+    ).toMatchObject({
+      ok: false,
+      issues: [{ path: "permissionMode", code: "invalid_permission_mode" }],
+    });
+    for (const permissionMode of ["", 42, undefined]) {
+      expect(
+        validateAcpxDriverConfig({
+          agent: "claude",
+          model: "claude-sonnet-5",
+          permissionMode,
+        }),
+      ).toMatchObject({
+        ok: false,
+        issues: [{ path: "permissionMode", code: "invalid_permission_mode" }],
+      });
+    }
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/paperclip-runner/src/drivers/acpx/driver-profile.ts b/packages/paperclip-runner/src/drivers/acpx/driver-profile.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..98abd458dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/paperclip-runner/src/drivers/acpx/driver-profile.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,165 @@
+import type {
+  HarnessDriverConfigValidation,
+  HarnessDriverDescriptor,
+} from "../../contracts/harness-driver.js";
+import type { NativeAcpxPermissionMode } from "../../contracts/native-execution.js";
+import type { NativeSessionCapabilities } from "../../contracts/types.js";
+import { providerFamilyCapabilities } from "../../provider-events.js";
+import {
+  ACPX_DRIVER_KIND,
+  QUALIFIED_ACPX_VERSION,
+  resolveQualifiedAcpxProfile,
+  type QualifiedAcpxAgent,
+} from "./qualified-profiles.js";
+
+const ACPX_AGENTS = ["pi", "claude", "codex"] as const;
+const ACPX_PERMISSION_MODES = [
+  "approve-all",
+  "approve-reads",
+  "deny-all",
+] as const;
+const ACPX_CONFIG_FIELDS = new Set(["agent", "model", "permissionMode"]);
+
+export interface ValidatedAcpxDriverConfig extends Record<string, unknown> {
+  agent: QualifiedAcpxAgent;
+  model: string;
+  permissionMode: NativeAcpxPermissionMode;
+}
+
+export function acpxCapabilities(
+  agent: QualifiedAcpxAgent,
+): NativeSessionCapabilities {
+  return {
+    resume: true,
+    typedEvents: true,
+    typedEventFamilies: providerFamilyCapabilities({
+      plan: agent === "pi" ? "unsupported" : "available",
+      tool_execution: "available",
+      model_identity: "available",
+      review: "available",
+      provider_notice: "available",
+      artifact: "policy_disabled",
+    }),
+    steering: false,
+    interruption: true,
+    structuredResult: true,
+    read: true,
+    reconciliation: true,
+    usage: true,
+    dynamicTools: true,
+    runtimeRequestResolution: true,
+    runtimeRequestHandoff: true,
+    goals: false,
+    threadLineage: false,
+    unsupported: ["steering", "goals", "threadLineage"],
+  };
+}
+
+export function acpxDriverDescriptor(
+  agent: QualifiedAcpxAgent,
+): HarnessDriverDescriptor {
+  return {
+    kind: ACPX_DRIVER_KIND,
+    displayName: `${displayAgent(agent)} via ACPX`,
+    version: QUALIFIED_ACPX_VERSION,
+    protocolVersion: "acp/v1",
+    runtimeContextCapabilities: {
+      instructions: "native",
+      skills: "native",
+      mcp: "native",
+    },
+    capabilities: acpxCapabilities(agent),
+  };
+}
+
+export function validateAcpxDriverConfig(
+  value: unknown,
+): HarnessDriverConfigValidation {
+  const config = record(value);
+  if (config === null) {
+    return invalid("", "invalid_config", "ACPX config must be an object.");
+  }
+  const unknownField = Object.keys(config).find(
+    (field) => !ACPX_CONFIG_FIELDS.has(field),
+  );
+  if (unknownField !== undefined) {
+    return invalid(
+      unknownField,
+      "unknown_field",
+      `ACPX config does not support ${unknownField}.`,
+    );
+  }
+
+  const agent = text(config.agent);
+  if (!isAcpxAgent(agent)) {
+    return invalid(
+      "agent",
+      "invalid_agent",
+      "ACPX agent must be pi, claude, or codex.",
+    );
+  }
+  const model = text(config.model);
+  try {
+    resolveQualifiedAcpxProfile(agent, model);
+  } catch (error) {
+    return invalid("model", "invalid_model", safeErrorMessage(error));
+  }
+  const permissionMode = Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(
+    config,
+    "permissionMode",
+  )
+    ? text(config.permissionMode)
+    : "approve-all";
+  if (!isPermissionMode(permissionMode)) {
+    return invalid(
+      "permissionMode",
+      "invalid_permission_mode",
+      "ACPX permission mode must be approve-all, approve-reads, or deny-all.",
+    );
+  }
+
+  const validated: ValidatedAcpxDriverConfig = {
+    agent,
+    model,
+    permissionMode,
+  };
+  return { ok: true, config: validated, issues: [] };
+}
+
+function invalid(
+  path: string,
+  code: string,
+  message: string,
+): HarnessDriverConfigValidation {
+  return { ok: false, config: null, issues: [{ path, code, message }] };
+}
+
+function isAcpxAgent(value: string): value is QualifiedAcpxAgent {
+  return (ACPX_AGENTS as readonly string[]).includes(value);
+}
+
+function isPermissionMode(value: string): value is NativeAcpxPermissionMode {
+  return (ACPX_PERMISSION_MODES as readonly string[]).includes(value);
+}
+
+function displayAgent(agent: QualifiedAcpxAgent): string {
+  if (agent === "pi") return "Pi";
+  if (agent === "claude") return "Claude";
+  return "Codex";
+}
+
+function record(value: unknown): Record<string, unknown> | null {
+  return typeof value === "object" && value !== null && !Array.isArray(value)
+    ? (value as Record<string, unknown>)
+    : null;
+}
+
+function text(value: unknown): string {
+  return typeof value === "string" ? value : "";
+}
+
+function safeErrorMessage(error: unknown): string {
+  return error instanceof Error
+    ? error.message.slice(0, 1_000)
+    : "Invalid model.";
+}