diff --git a/.changeset/patch-agentic-workflows-backend-ownership.md b/.changeset/patch-agentic-workflows-backend-ownership.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ffefdb0930c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/patch-agentic-workflows-backend-ownership.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"gh-aw": patch
+---
+
+Run the built-in agentic-workflows MCP backend as the runner so private downloaded logs remain readable by artifact secret redaction, without loosening file permissions or bypassing fail-closed cleanup.
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/start_mcp_gateway.cjs b/actions/setup/js/start_mcp_gateway.cjs
index 35805800e3c..d9fea7dc3e6 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/start_mcp_gateway.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/start_mcp_gateway.cjs
@@ -933,6 +933,7 @@ async function main() {
     core.setFailed("ERROR: Configuration is missing required 'gateway' section");
     return;
   }
+  applyAgenticWorkflowsRunnerIdentity(configObj);
   applyGatewayRuntimeTimeouts(configObj, process.env);
   mcpConfig = JSON.stringify(configObj);
   if (!("port" in gw) || gw.port == null) {
@@ -1480,7 +1481,40 @@ if (require.main === module) {
   });
 }
 
+/**
+ * Backend containers do not inherit the gateway container's Docker user.
+ * Keep private downloaded logs runner-owned so artifact redaction can read them.
+ * @param {Record<string, unknown>} config
+ * @param {number | undefined} [uid]
+ * @param {number | undefined} [gid]
+ */
+function applyAgenticWorkflowsRunnerIdentity(config, uid = process.getuid?.(), gid = process.getgid?.()) {
+  const servers = config.mcpServers;
+  if (!servers || typeof servers !== "object" || !("agenticworkflows" in servers)) return;
+  const server = servers.agenticworkflows;
+  if (!server || typeof server !== "object" || !("container" in server) || typeof server.container !== "string" || !server.container) return;
+  const args = "args" in server ? server.args : [];
+  if (!Array.isArray(args) || !args.every(arg => typeof arg === "string")) {
+    throw new Error("Invalid agenticworkflows container arguments");
+  }
+  // Docker parses any suffix after -u as a username or UID, including -uroot.
+  if (args.some(arg => arg === "--user" || arg === "-u" || arg.startsWith("--user=") || (arg.startsWith("-u") && !arg.startsWith("--")))) return;
+  if (!Number.isSafeInteger(uid) || !Number.isSafeInteger(gid) || uid === undefined || gid === undefined || uid < 0 || gid < 0) {
+    throw new Error("Runner identity is required for the agenticworkflows container");
+  }
+  const env = "env" in server ? server.env : {};
+  if (!env || typeof env !== "object" || Array.isArray(env)) {
+    throw new Error("Invalid agenticworkflows container environment");
+  }
+  Object.assign(server, {
+    args: [...args, "--user", `${uid}:${gid}`],
+    // /tmp is private to this backend container; /root is not writable as the runner.
+    env: { HOME: "/tmp", ...env },
+  });
+}
+
 module.exports = {
+  applyAgenticWorkflowsRunnerIdentity,
   applyOTLPIgnoreIfMissing,
   clearGatewayStartupMarker,
   createGatewayStderrPath,
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/start_mcp_gateway.test.cjs b/actions/setup/js/start_mcp_gateway.test.cjs
index 3b03f4a03ff..40b0c8fd3a4 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/start_mcp_gateway.test.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/start_mcp_gateway.test.cjs
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import path from "path";
 import http from "http";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import {
+  applyAgenticWorkflowsRunnerIdentity,
   applyOTLPIgnoreIfMissing,
   clearGatewayStartupMarker,
   createGatewayStderrPath,
@@ -35,6 +36,78 @@ import {
 } from "./start_mcp_gateway.cjs";
 import { writeMcpConfiguration } from "./mcp_configuration.cjs";
 
+describe("agenticworkflows backend ownership", () => {
+  it.each(["localhost/gh-aw:dev", "alpine:3.24"])("uses the runner identity without widening private artifact modes (%s)", container => {
+    const env = { GITHUB_TOKEN: "${GITHUB_TOKEN}", GITHUB_ACTOR: "${GITHUB_ACTOR}" };
+    const backend = { container, args: ["--network", "host", "-w", "/workspace"], env };
+    const other = { container: "example/server", args: [] };
+    const config = { mcpServers: { agenticworkflows: backend, other } };
+    applyAgenticWorkflowsRunnerIdentity(config, 1001, 123);
+    expect(backend.args).toEqual(["--network", "host", "-w", "/workspace", "--user", "1001:123"]);
+    expect(backend.env).toEqual({ HOME: "/tmp", ...env });
+    expect(other).toEqual({ container: "example/server", args: [] });
+    applyAgenticWorkflowsRunnerIdentity(config, 1001, 123);
+    expect(backend.args.filter(arg => arg === "--user")).toHaveLength(1);
+  });
+
+  it.each([["--user", "42:43"], ["--user=42:43"], ["-u", "42:43"], ["-u42:43"], ["--user", "app:staff"], ["--user=app:staff"], ["-u", "app:staff"], ["-uroot"], ["-uapp:staff"], ["-u=app:staff"]])(
+    "preserves an explicitly configured container user: %j",
+    (...args) => {
+      const backend = { container: "example/server", args, env: { HOME: "/custom" } };
+      const original = structuredClone(backend);
+      applyAgenticWorkflowsRunnerIdentity({ mcpServers: { agenticworkflows: backend } }, 1001, 123);
+      applyAgenticWorkflowsRunnerIdentity({ mcpServers: { agenticworkflows: backend } }, 1001, 123);
+      expect(backend).toEqual(original);
+    }
+  );
+
+  it.each(["-update", "-unshare"])("preserves %s as Docker's attached -u username, not an unrelated flag", arg => {
+    const backend = { container: "example/server", args: [arg], env: { HOME: "/custom" } };
+    const original = structuredClone(backend);
+    applyAgenticWorkflowsRunnerIdentity({ mcpServers: { agenticworkflows: backend } }, 1001, 123);
+    expect(backend).toEqual(original);
+  });
+
+  it("does not confuse --userns with an explicit container user", () => {
+    const backend = { container: "example/server", args: ["--userns=host"], env: { HOME: "/custom" } };
+    applyAgenticWorkflowsRunnerIdentity({ mcpServers: { agenticworkflows: backend } }, 1001, 123);
+    expect(backend).toEqual({ container: "example/server", args: ["--userns=host", "--user", "1001:123"], env: { HOME: "/custom" } });
+  });
+
+  it("preserves a configured HOME and supports default container arguments", () => {
+    const backend = { container: "alpine:3.24", env: { HOME: "/custom" } };
+    applyAgenticWorkflowsRunnerIdentity({ mcpServers: { agenticworkflows: backend } }, 1001, 123);
+    expect(backend).toEqual({ container: "alpine:3.24", args: ["--user", "1001:123"], env: { HOME: "/custom" } });
+  });
+
+  it.each([{}, { mcpServers: {} }, { mcpServers: { agenticworkflows: { url: "https://example.com/mcp" } } }])("leaves absent and HTTP backends unchanged", config => {
+    const original = structuredClone(config);
+    applyAgenticWorkflowsRunnerIdentity(config, 1001, 123);
+    expect(config).toEqual(original);
+  });
+
+  it.each([
+    [-1, 123],
+    [1001, -1],
+    [NaN, 123],
+    [1001, Infinity],
+    [1.5, 123],
+  ])("rejects invalid runner identities (%s, %s)", (uid, gid) => {
+    const backend = { container: "alpine:3.24" };
+    expect(() => applyAgenticWorkflowsRunnerIdentity({ mcpServers: { agenticworkflows: backend } }, uid, gid)).toThrow("Runner identity is required");
+    expect(backend).toEqual({ container: "alpine:3.24" });
+  });
+
+  it.each([{ args: "invalid" }, { args: [42] }, { env: [] }, { env: null }])("rejects malformed backend configuration without publishing it", fields => {
+    expect(() => applyAgenticWorkflowsRunnerIdentity({ mcpServers: { agenticworkflows: { container: "alpine:3.24", ...fields } } }, 1001, 123)).toThrow(/Invalid agenticworkflows container/);
+  });
+
+  it("applies identity before serializing the configuration sent to the gateway", () => {
+    const source = fs.readFileSync(new URL("./start_mcp_gateway.cjs", import.meta.url), "utf8");
+    expect(source.indexOf("applyAgenticWorkflowsRunnerIdentity(configObj)")).toBeLessThan(source.indexOf("mcpConfig = JSON.stringify(configObj)"));
+  });
+});
+
 describe("start_mcp_gateway logging", () => {
   it("records only a sanitized configuration snapshot before launching the gateway", () => {
     const source = fs.readFileSync(new URL("./start_mcp_gateway.cjs", import.meta.url), "utf8");
diff --git a/docs/src/content/docs/reference/tools.md b/docs/src/content/docs/reference/tools.md
index 32b42dc102f..3efbf1d2f41 100644
--- a/docs/src/content/docs/reference/tools.md
+++ b/docs/src/content/docs/reference/tools.md
@@ -200,6 +200,8 @@ tools:
 
 See [GH-AW as an MCP Server](/gh-aw/reference/gh-aw-as-mcp-server/) for available operations.
 
+The built-in container runs with the runner's UID and GID unless a container user is explicitly configured. This keeps downloaded logs runner-owned without widening their owner-only permissions, so the post-agent secret-redaction step can read them. Its default `HOME` is the backend container's ephemeral `/tmp`, not `/root`. Redaction failures still remove unsanitized sources and fail the step.
+
 Workflow-writing tools (`add`, `update`, `fix`, and `compile`, including dry-run compilation) are disabled by default. Trusted workflows can opt in at server startup:
 
 ```aw wrap