diff --git a/.gemini/skills/offload/scripts/setup.ts b/.gemini/skills/offload/scripts/setup.ts
index 13f3c87de0..4c2b18fda0 100644
--- a/.gemini/skills/offload/scripts/setup.ts
+++ b/.gemini/skills/offload/scripts/setup.ts
@@ -40,39 +40,54 @@ export async function runSetup(env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = process.env) {
   const remoteWorkDir = await prompt('Remote Work Directory', `${OFFLOAD_BASE}/workspace`);
 
   console.log(`🔍 Checking state of ${remoteHost}...`);
+  const envLoader = 'export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"; [ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \\. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"';
+  
+  // Probe remote for existing installations
+  const ghCheck = spawnSync('ssh', [remoteHost, 'sh -lc "command -v gh"'], { stdio: 'pipe' });
+  const tmuxCheck = spawnSync('ssh', [remoteHost, 'sh -lc "command -v tmux"'], { stdio: 'pipe' });
+  const geminiCheck = spawnSync('ssh', [remoteHost, `sh -lc "${envLoader} && command -v gemini"`], { stdio: 'pipe' });
+
+  const hasGH = ghCheck.status === 0;
+  const hasTmux = tmuxCheck.status === 0;
+  const hasGemini = geminiCheck.status === 0;
 
   // 1. Gemini CLI Isolation Choice
-  const geminiChoice = await prompt('\nGemini CLI Setup: Use [p]re-existing instance or [i]solated sandbox instance? (Isolated is recommended)', 'i');
-  const geminiSetup = geminiChoice.toLowerCase() === 'p' ? 'preexisting' : 'isolated';
+  let geminiSetup = 'isolated';
+  if (hasGemini) {
+    const geminiChoice = await prompt(`\nGemini CLI found on remote. Use [p]re-existing instance or [i]solated sandbox instance? (Isolated is recommended)`, 'i');
+    geminiSetup = geminiChoice.toLowerCase() === 'p' ? 'preexisting' : 'isolated';
+  } else {
+    console.log('\n💡 Gemini CLI not found on remote. Defaulting to isolated sandbox instance.');
+  }
 
   // 2. GitHub CLI Isolation Choice
-  const ghChoice = await prompt('GitHub CLI Setup: Use [p]re-existing instance or [i]solated sandbox instance? (Isolated is recommended)', 'i');
-  const ghSetup = ghChoice.toLowerCase() === 'p' ? 'preexisting' : 'isolated';
+  let ghSetup = 'isolated';
+  if (hasGH) {
+    const ghChoice = await prompt(`GitHub CLI found on remote. Use [p]re-existing instance or [i]solated sandbox instance? (Isolated is recommended)`, 'i');
+    ghSetup = ghChoice.toLowerCase() === 'p' ? 'preexisting' : 'isolated';
+  } else {
+    console.log('💡 GitHub CLI not found on remote. Defaulting to isolated sandbox instance.');
+  }
 
   const ISOLATED_GEMINI_CONFIG = `${OFFLOAD_BASE}/gemini-cli-config`;
   const ISOLATED_GH_CONFIG = `${OFFLOAD_BASE}/gh-cli-config`;
 
-  console.log(`🔍 Checking state of ${remoteHost}...`);
-  // Use a login shell to ensure the same PATH as the interactive user
-  const ghCheck = spawnSync('ssh', [remoteHost, 'sh -lc "command -v gh"'], { stdio: 'pipe' });
-  const tmuxCheck = spawnSync('ssh', [remoteHost, 'sh -lc "command -v tmux"'], { stdio: 'pipe' });
-
-  if (ghCheck.status !== 0 || tmuxCheck.status !== 0) {
+  if (!hasGH || !hasTmux) {
     console.log('\n📥 System Requirements Check:');
-    if (ghCheck.status !== 0) console.log('  ❌ GitHub CLI (gh) is not installed on remote.');
-    if (tmuxCheck.status !== 0) console.log('  ❌ tmux is not installed on remote.');
-
+    if (!hasGH) console.log('  ❌ GitHub CLI (gh) is not installed on remote.');
+    if (!hasTmux) console.log('  ❌ tmux is not installed on remote.');
+    
     const shouldProvision = await confirm('\nWould you like Gemini to automatically provision missing requirements?');
     if (shouldProvision) {
       console.log(`🚀 Attempting to provision dependencies on ${remoteHost}...`);
       const osCheck = spawnSync('ssh', [remoteHost, 'uname -s'], { stdio: 'pipe' });
       const os = osCheck.stdout.toString().trim();
-
+      
       let installCmd = '';
       if (os === 'Linux') {
-        installCmd = 'sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y ' + [ghCheck.status !== 0 ? 'gh' : '', tmuxCheck.status !== 0 ? 'tmux' : ''].filter(Boolean).join(' ');
+        installCmd = 'sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y ' + [!hasGH ? 'gh' : '', !hasTmux ? 'tmux' : ''].filter(Boolean).join(' ');
       } else if (os === 'Darwin') {
-        installCmd = 'brew install ' + [ghCheck.status !== 0 ? 'gh' : '', tmuxCheck.status !== 0 ? 'tmux' : ''].filter(Boolean).join(' ');
+        installCmd = 'brew install ' + [!hasGH ? 'gh' : '', !hasTmux ? 'tmux' : ''].filter(Boolean).join(' ');
       }
 
       if (installCmd) {
@@ -141,8 +156,6 @@ export async function runSetup(env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = process.env) {
   const terminalType = await prompt('\nTerminal Automation (iterm2 / terminal / none)', 'iterm2');
 
   // Local Dependencies Install (Isolated)
-  const envLoader = 'export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"; [ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \\. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"';
-  
   console.log(`\n📦 Checking isolated dependencies in ${remoteWorkDir}...`);
   const checkCmd = `ssh ${remoteHost} ${q(`${envLoader} && [ -x ${remoteWorkDir}/node_modules/.bin/tsx ] && [ -x ${remoteWorkDir}/node_modules/.bin/gemini ]`)}`;
   const depCheck = spawnSync(checkCmd, { shell: true });
diff --git a/.gemini/skills/offload/tests/matrix.test.ts b/.gemini/skills/offload/tests/matrix.test.ts
index 2c8c021da0..bf9e3e2686 100644
--- a/.gemini/skills/offload/tests/matrix.test.ts
+++ b/.gemini/skills/offload/tests/matrix.test.ts
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ describe('Offload Tooling Matrix', () => {
     vi.spyOn(process, 'chdir').mockImplementation(() => {});
 
     vi.mocked(spawnSync).mockImplementation((cmd: any, args: any) => {
+      if (cmd === 'ssh' && args?.[1]?.includes('command -v')) return { status: 0 } as any;
       return { status: 0, stdout: Buffer.from('test-meta\n'), stderr: Buffer.from('') } as any;
     });
 
diff --git a/.gemini/skills/offload/tests/orchestration.test.ts b/.gemini/skills/offload/tests/orchestration.test.ts
index 4c385c4d41..b1ac60228a 100644
--- a/.gemini/skills/offload/tests/orchestration.test.ts
+++ b/.gemini/skills/offload/tests/orchestration.test.ts
@@ -116,11 +116,11 @@ describe('Offload Orchestration', () => {
       vi.mocked(readline.createInterface).mockReturnValue(mockInterface as any);
     });
 
-    it('should correctly detect pre-existing setup', async () => {
+    it('should correctly detect pre-existing setup when everything is present', async () => {
       vi.mocked(spawnSync).mockImplementation((cmd: any, args: any) => {
         if (cmd === 'ssh') {
           const remoteCmd = args[1];
-          if (remoteCmd.includes('[ -d ~/test-dir/.git ]')) return { status: 0 } as any;
+          // Mock dependencies present (gh, tmux, gemini)
           if (remoteCmd.includes('command -v')) return { status: 0 } as any;
           if (remoteCmd.includes('gh auth status')) return { status: 0 } as any;
           if (remoteCmd.includes('google_accounts.json')) return { status: 0 } as any;
@@ -131,15 +131,44 @@ describe('Offload Orchestration', () => {
       mockInterface.question
         .mockImplementationOnce((q, cb) => cb('test-host'))
         .mockImplementationOnce((q, cb) => cb('~/test-dir'))
-        .mockImplementationOnce((q, cb) => cb('p'))
-        .mockImplementationOnce((q, cb) => cb('p'))
+        .mockImplementationOnce((q, cb) => cb('p')) // gemini preexisting
+        .mockImplementationOnce((q, cb) => cb('p')) // gh preexisting
         .mockImplementationOnce((q, cb) => cb('none'));
 
       await runSetup({ HOME: '/test-home' });
 
-      const writeCall = vi.mocked(fs.writeFileSync).mock.calls.find(call => call[0].toString().includes('.gemini/settings.json'));
+      const writeCall = vi.mocked(fs.writeFileSync).mock.calls.find(call => 
+        call[0].toString().includes('.gemini/settings.json')
+      );
       expect(writeCall).toBeDefined();
     });
+
+    it('should default to isolated when dependencies are missing', async () => {
+        vi.mocked(spawnSync).mockImplementation((cmd: any, args: any) => {
+          if (cmd === 'ssh') {
+            const remoteCmd = args[1];
+            // Mock dependencies missing
+            if (remoteCmd.includes('command -v')) return { status: 1 } as any;
+          }
+          return { status: 0, stdout: Buffer.from(''), stderr: Buffer.from('') } as any;
+        });
+  
+        // Only 3 questions now: host, dir, terminal (gemini/gh choice skipped)
+        mockInterface.question
+          .mockImplementationOnce((q, cb) => cb('test-host'))
+          .mockImplementationOnce((q, cb) => cb('~/test-dir'))
+          .mockImplementationOnce((q, cb) => cb('y')) // provision requirements
+          .mockImplementationOnce((q, cb) => cb('none'));
+  
+        await runSetup({ HOME: '/test-home' });
+  
+        const writeCall = vi.mocked(fs.writeFileSync).mock.calls.find(call => 
+          call[0].toString().includes('.gemini/settings.json')
+        );
+        const savedSettings = JSON.parse(writeCall![1] as string);
+        expect(savedSettings.maintainer.deepReview.geminiSetup).toBe('isolated');
+        expect(savedSettings.maintainer.deepReview.ghSetup).toBe('isolated');
+    });
   });
 
   describe('worker.ts (playbooks)', () => {