diff --git a/.buildkite/pipeline.poll-issues.yml b/.buildkite/pipeline.poll-issues.yml
index 65255b8..ce2d8c5 100644
--- a/.buildkite/pipeline.poll-issues.yml
+++ b/.buildkite/pipeline.poll-issues.yml
@@ -1,18 +1,13 @@
-# Optional scheduled pipeline: poll for new Radicle issues every 5 minutes.
-# Enable in Buildkite UI → Pipeline → Settings → Schedules, or upload this file
-# from a separate Buildkite pipeline pointed at the same Radicle Garden repo.
-#
-# Secrets / env:
-#   BUILDKITE_API_TOKEN — API token with build create permission
-#   BUILDKITE_ORG       — default nandi (set in trigger-issue-build.sh)
-#   BUILDKITE_PIPELINE  — default sleek
-#
-# Manual trigger for one issue:
-#   BUILDKITE_API_TOKEN=… ./scripts/buildkite/trigger-issue-build.sh <issue-id>
+# Optional standalone upload target for issue polling.
+# Prefer scheduling the main pipeline with env RADICLE_TRIGGER=poll instead
+# (see create_pipeline_schedule / Buildkite UI → Schedules).
 
 agents:
   queue: auto
 
+env:
+  RADICLE_TRIGGER: poll
+
 steps:
   - label: ":radicle: Poll for new issues"
     command: bash scripts/buildkite/poll-issues.sh
@@ -20,3 +15,4 @@ steps:
       BUILDKITE_API_TOKEN: ${BUILDKITE_API_TOKEN}
       BUILDKITE_ORG: ${BUILDKITE_ORG}
       BUILDKITE_PIPELINE: ${BUILDKITE_PIPELINE}
+      CURSOR_API_KEY: ${CURSOR_API_KEY}
diff --git a/.buildkite/pipeline.yml b/.buildkite/pipeline.yml
index fc75ea3..393565d 100644
--- a/.buildkite/pipeline.yml
+++ b/.buildkite/pipeline.yml
@@ -29,10 +29,12 @@
 # shell vars at pipeline-upload time.
 #
 # Radicle issue → cursor-agent → patch:
-#   Garden adapter skips issue COB commits (no pipeline.yml there). Trigger on
-#   main with RADICLE_ISSUE_ID / RADICLE_TRIGGER=issue instead:
-#     ./scripts/buildkite/trigger-issue-build.sh <issue-id>
-#   Optional schedule: .buildkite/pipeline.poll-issues.yml
+#   Garden adapter skips issue COB commits (no pipeline.yml there). Auto path:
+#     Buildkite schedule every 5m with RADICLE_TRIGGER=poll
+#     → scripts/buildkite/poll-issues.sh lists issue COBs via git ls-remote
+#     → dispatches run-issue-agent.sh (pipeline upload or API trigger)
+#   Manual: ./scripts/buildkite/trigger-issue-build.sh <issue-id>
+#   Requires cluster secret CURSOR_API_KEY (and rad identity on the agent to push patches).
 
 agents:
   queue: auto
@@ -44,8 +46,8 @@ env:
 steps:
   - label: ":rust: Check"
     key: check
-    # Issue-triggered builds only need the agent step (see below).
-    if: build.env("RADICLE_TRIGGER") != "issue"
+    # Issue/poll builds only need the agent / poll steps.
+    if: build.env("RADICLE_TRIGGER") != "issue" && build.env("RADICLE_TRIGGER") != "poll"
     timeout_in_minutes: 120
     command: |
       set -euo pipefail
@@ -109,7 +111,7 @@ steps:
 
   - label: ":android: APK (nixbuild.net)"
     key: apk
-    if: build.env("RADICLE_TRIGGER") != "issue"
+    if: build.env("RADICLE_TRIGGER") != "issue" && build.env("RADICLE_TRIGGER") != "poll"
     depends_on: check
     allow_dependency_failure: true
     timeout_in_minutes: 120
@@ -150,7 +152,7 @@ steps:
 
   - label: ":package: Flatpak (nixbuild.net)"
     key: flatpak
-    if: build.env("RADICLE_TRIGGER") != "issue"
+    if: build.env("RADICLE_TRIGGER") != "issue" && build.env("RADICLE_TRIGGER") != "poll"
     depends_on: check
     allow_dependency_failure: true
     timeout_in_minutes: 180
@@ -194,6 +196,13 @@ steps:
         || cp --reflink=auto "$$bundle" uk.nandi.sleek.flatpak
       buildkite-agent artifact upload uk.nandi.sleek.flatpak
 
+  # --- Radicle issue poll (Buildkite schedule: RADICLE_TRIGGER=poll) ---
+  - label: ":radicle: Poll issues → dispatch agent"
+    key: radicle-issue-poll
+    if: build.env("RADICLE_TRIGGER") == "poll"
+    command: bash scripts/buildkite/poll-issues.sh
+    timeout_in_minutes: 15
+
   # --- Radicle issue agent (triggered via RADICLE_ISSUE_ID on main) ---
   - label: ":radicle: Issue → :cursor: agent → patch"
     key: radicle-issue-agent
diff --git a/scripts/buildkite/bootstrap.sh b/scripts/buildkite/bootstrap.sh
index af983aa..1309c20 100755
--- a/scripts/buildkite/bootstrap.sh
+++ b/scripts/buildkite/bootstrap.sh
@@ -56,8 +56,13 @@ build_radicle_mcp() {
 verify_auth() {
   local cmd
   cmd="$(cursor_agent_cmd)"
+  if [[ -z "${CURSOR_API_KEY:-}" ]] && command -v buildkite-agent >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    if key="$(buildkite-agent secret get CURSOR_API_KEY 2>/dev/null || true)"; then
+      [[ -n "$key" ]] && export CURSOR_API_KEY="$key"
+    fi
+  fi
   if [[ -z "${CURSOR_API_KEY:-}" ]]; then
-    bk_die "CURSOR_API_KEY is not set — add it as a Buildkite secret"
+    bk_die "CURSOR_API_KEY is not set — add it as a Buildkite cluster secret"
   fi
   if ! "$cmd" status >/dev/null 2>&1; then
     bk_die "Cursor CLI auth failed — check CURSOR_API_KEY"
diff --git a/scripts/buildkite/detect-issue.sh b/scripts/buildkite/detect-issue.sh
index 91b5d63..d8773b6 100755
--- a/scripts/buildkite/detect-issue.sh
+++ b/scripts/buildkite/detect-issue.sh
@@ -18,17 +18,21 @@ if [[ -z "$COMMIT" ]]; then
   exit 1
 fi
 
-bk_require_cmd rad
-bk_require_rad_repo
+# rad is optional when RADICLE_ISSUE_ID is provided (Garden HTTPS checkouts).
+if [[ -z "${RADICLE_ISSUE_ID:-}" ]]; then
+  bk_require_cmd rad
+  bk_require_rad_repo
+fi
 
 # Issue opens create a COB root commit that does not contain .buildkite/pipeline.yml,
 # so the Radicle Buildkite adapter skips them. Trigger builds on main instead and
-# pass the issue id explicitly (see scripts/buildkite/trigger-issue-build.sh).
+# pass the issue id explicitly (see scripts/buildkite/trigger-issue-build.sh / poll).
 if [[ -n "${RADICLE_ISSUE_ID:-}" ]]; then
   ISSUE_ID="$RADICLE_ISSUE_ID"
-  if ! rad issue show "$ISSUE_ID" --header >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-    echo "RADICLE_ISSUE_ID=$ISSUE_ID is not a valid issue" >&2
-    exit 1
+  if command -v rad >/dev/null 2>&1 && rad issue show "$ISSUE_ID" --header >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    :
+  else
+    echo "warn: rad issue show unavailable — using RADICLE_ISSUE_ID only" >&2
   fi
 elif bk_commit_is_new_issue "$COMMIT"; then
   ISSUE_ID="$COMMIT"
@@ -36,12 +40,18 @@ else
   echo "commit $COMMIT is not a new issue COB root (set RADICLE_ISSUE_ID to trigger from main)" >&2
   exit 2
 fi
-mapfile -t _details < <(bk_issue_details "$ISSUE_ID")
-TITLE="${_details[0]:-}"
-BODY="${_details[1]:-}"
+
+TITLE=""
+BODY=""
+if command -v rad >/dev/null 2>&1 && command -v python3 >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  if mapfile -t _details < <(bk_issue_details "$ISSUE_ID" 2>/dev/null); then
+    TITLE="${_details[0]:-}"
+    BODY="${_details[1]:-}"
+  fi
+fi
 
 if [[ -z "$TITLE" ]]; then
-  TITLE="(no title)"
+  TITLE="Radicle issue $(bk_short_id "$ISSUE_ID")"
 fi
 
 SHORT="$(bk_short_id "$ISSUE_ID")"
diff --git a/scripts/buildkite/poll-issues.sh b/scripts/buildkite/poll-issues.sh
index 46183f7..2d0188f 100755
--- a/scripts/buildkite/poll-issues.sh
+++ b/scripts/buildkite/poll-issues.sh
@@ -1,11 +1,16 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
-# Poll for new open Radicle issues and trigger Buildkite agent builds.
-# Run from a scheduled Buildkite pipeline on main (e.g. every 5 minutes).
+# Poll for Radicle issue COBs and dispatch cursor-agent steps.
 #
-# Requires:
-#   BUILDKITE_ORG, BUILDKITE_PIPELINE, BUILDKITE_API_TOKEN
-# Optional:
-#   RADICLE_ISSUE_POLL_STATE_FILE — path to last-seen issue ids (default: .buildkite/.issue-poll-state)
+# Intended for a Buildkite schedule with RADICLE_TRIGGER=poll (every few minutes).
+# Garden HTTPS clones expose issue COBs as:
+#   refs/namespaces/*/refs/cobs/xyz.radicle.issue/<id>
+# so this does not require a local `rad` install on agents.
+#
+# Dispatch strategy (first match):
+#   1. If BUILDKITE_API_TOKEN is available → trigger-issue-build.sh (separate builds)
+#   2. Else if buildkite-agent is available → pipeline-upload agent steps into this build
+#
+# Idempotency: skip issues that already have a remote branch issue/<short7>.
 set -euo pipefail
 
 SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
@@ -15,43 +20,133 @@ cd "$REPO_ROOT"
 # shellcheck source=lib.sh
 source "$SCRIPT_DIR/lib.sh"
 
-bk_require_cmd rad
-bk_require_rad_repo
-
-STATE_FILE="${RADICLE_ISSUE_POLL_STATE_FILE:-$REPO_ROOT/.buildkite/.issue-poll-state}"
-mkdir -p "$(dirname "$STATE_FILE")"
-touch "$STATE_FILE"
-
-mapfile -t known < "$STATE_FILE"
+bk_require_cmd git
 
-current=()
-while IFS= read -r line; do
-  [[ -n "$line" ]] && current+=("$line")
-done < <(rad cob list --type xyz.radicle.issue 2>/dev/null || true)
+# Soft-load API token from cluster secrets when running on an agent.
+if [[ -z "${BUILDKITE_API_TOKEN:-}" ]] && command -v buildkite-agent >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  if tok="$(buildkite-agent secret get BUILDKITE_API_TOKEN 2>/dev/null || true)"; then
+    [[ -n "$tok" ]] && export BUILDKITE_API_TOKEN="$tok"
+  fi
+fi
 
-new_ids=()
-for id in "${current[@]}"; do
-  found=0
-  for old in "${known[@]}"; do
-    if [[ "$id" == "$old" ]]; then
-      found=1
-      break
+# Prefer a Git remote that advertises COB refs (Garden HTTPS). Plain `rad://`
+# ls-remote often omits namespaces/*/refs/cobs/*.
+poll_remote() {
+  if [[ -n "${RADICLE_POLL_REMOTE:-}" ]]; then
+    echo "$RADICLE_POLL_REMOTE"
+    return 0
+  fi
+  local url
+  for candidate in origin rad; do
+    url="$(git remote get-url "$candidate" 2>/dev/null || true)"
+    [[ -n "$url" ]] || continue
+    if [[ "$url" == *radicle.garden* || "$url" == https://* || "$url" == http://* ]]; then
+      echo "$candidate"
+      return 0
     fi
   done
-  if [[ "$found" -eq 0 ]]; then
-    new_ids+=("$id")
+  # Derive Garden URL from rad RID when only rad:// is configured (local nodes).
+  if url="$(git remote get-url rad 2>/dev/null || true)"; then
+    if [[ "$url" =~ rad://([A-Za-z0-9]+) ]]; then
+      echo "https://nandi.radicle.garden/${BASH_REMATCH[1]}.git"
+      return 0
+    fi
   fi
-done
+  if git remote get-url origin >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    echo origin
+    return 0
+  fi
+  return 1
+}
+
+REMOTE="$(poll_remote)" || bk_die "no git remote to poll for issue COBs"
+echo "poll: listing issue COBs via git ls-remote ($REMOTE)"
 
-printf '%s\n' "${current[@]}" >"$STATE_FILE"
+list_issue_ids() {
+  git ls-remote "$REMOTE" 2>/dev/null \
+    | awk '{print $2}' \
+    | grep -E 'refs/cobs/xyz\.radicle\.issue/[0-9a-f]{40}$' \
+    | sed -E 's|.*/||' \
+    | sort -u
+}
+
+# Fallback: rad cob list when ls-remote sees no COBs (some remotes hide them).
+mapfile -t issue_ids < <(list_issue_ids || true)
+if [[ "${#issue_ids[@]}" -eq 0 ]] && command -v rad >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "poll: ls-remote found no COBs — trying rad cob list"
+  rid="$(git remote get-url rad 2>/dev/null || true)"
+  if [[ -n "$rid" ]]; then
+    mapfile -t issue_ids < <(rad cob list --repo "$rid" --type xyz.radicle.issue 2>/dev/null || true)
+  fi
+fi
 
-if [[ "${#new_ids[@]}" -eq 0 ]]; then
-  echo "poll: no new issues"
+if [[ "${#issue_ids[@]}" -eq 0 ]]; then
+  echo "poll: no issue COBs found"
   exit 0
 fi
 
-echo "poll: ${#new_ids[@]} new issue(s)"
-for id in "${new_ids[@]}"; do
-  echo "  triggering build for $id"
-  "$SCRIPT_DIR/trigger-issue-build.sh" "$id"
+echo "poll: ${#issue_ids[@]} issue COB(s)"
+
+branch_exists() {
+  local short=$1
+  git ls-remote "$REMOTE" 2>/dev/null | grep -E "/refs/heads/issue/${short}$|refs/heads/issue/${short}$" >/dev/null
+}
+
+pending=()
+for id in "${issue_ids[@]}"; do
+  short="$(bk_short_id "$id")"
+  if branch_exists "$short"; then
+    echo "poll: skip $short — remote branch issue/${short} exists"
+    continue
+  fi
+  pending+=("$id")
 done
+
+if [[ "${#pending[@]}" -eq 0 ]]; then
+  echo "poll: nothing to dispatch"
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+echo "poll: ${#pending[@]} issue(s) to dispatch"
+
+dispatch_via_api() {
+  local id=$1
+  BUILDKITE_ORG="${BUILDKITE_ORG:-nandi}" \
+  BUILDKITE_PIPELINE="${BUILDKITE_PIPELINE:-sleek}" \
+    "$SCRIPT_DIR/trigger-issue-build.sh" "$id"
+}
+
+dispatch_via_upload() {
+  local id=$1
+  local short
+  short="$(bk_short_id "$id")"
+  local yaml
+  yaml="$(cat <<EOF
+steps:
+  - label: ":radicle: Issue ${short} → :cursor: agent"
+    key: "radicle-issue-agent-${short}"
+    command: bash scripts/buildkite/run-issue-agent.sh
+    timeout_in_minutes: 90
+    env:
+      RADICLE_ISSUE_ID: "${id}"
+      RADICLE_TRIGGER: "issue"
+      CURSOR_API_KEY: "\${CURSOR_API_KEY}"
+EOF
+)"
+  echo "poll: pipeline-upload agent step for $short"
+  echo "$yaml" | buildkite-agent pipeline upload
+}
+
+for id in "${pending[@]}"; do
+  short="$(bk_short_id "$id")"
+  echo "poll: dispatch $short ($id)"
+  if [[ -n "${BUILDKITE_API_TOKEN:-}" ]]; then
+    dispatch_via_api "$id"
+  elif command -v buildkite-agent >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    dispatch_via_upload "$id"
+  else
+    echo "poll: would dispatch $short (no BUILDKITE_API_TOKEN / buildkite-agent here)"
+  fi
+done
+
+echo "poll: done"
diff --git a/scripts/buildkite/trigger-issue-build.sh b/scripts/buildkite/trigger-issue-build.sh
index 3412cbd..af77f6d 100755
--- a/scripts/buildkite/trigger-issue-build.sh
+++ b/scripts/buildkite/trigger-issue-build.sh
@@ -35,13 +35,15 @@ SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
 source "$SCRIPT_DIR/lib.sh"
 
 bk_require_cmd git
-bk_require_cmd rad
 bk_require_cmd curl
 bk_require_cmd jq
-bk_require_rad_repo
 
-if ! rad issue show "$ISSUE_ID" --header >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-  bk_die "not a valid issue: $ISSUE_ID"
+# Prefer validating via rad when available; otherwise accept the id (poll already
+# filtered to xyz.radicle.issue COB refs).
+if command -v rad >/dev/null 2>&1 && git remote get-url rad >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  if ! rad issue show "$ISSUE_ID" --header >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    bk_die "not a valid issue: $ISSUE_ID"
+  fi
 fi
 
 COMMIT="$(git rev-parse "$BRANCH")"