diff --git a/BUILD-CONSOLE.md b/BUILD-CONSOLE.md
index f74942a..f28f352 100644
--- a/BUILD-CONSOLE.md
+++ b/BUILD-CONSOLE.md
@@ -2,58 +2,106 @@
 
 Custom recipe: `recipes/bc250-console-gnome.yml` (Bazzite GNOME + cyan-skillfish
 governor + SSH/RDP remote admin + BC-250 ttm kargs). Build path is **local**
-(no CI, no registry, no cosign needed).
+(no CI, no registry push, no cosign needed).
 
-## 1. Build the OCI image (any Fedora/bootc box, VM OK)
+Two working paths: **podman** (BlueBuild's native path, use on a Fedora box)
+or **docker** (what was actually used for the first successful build,
+2026-07-06, on Ubuntu 24.04 with a native dockerd). The docker path needs a
+few workarounds, all captured below.
+
+## Path A: podman (Fedora/bootc box)
 
 ```bash
-# prereqs: podman + bluebuild CLI
-sudo dnf install -y podman
-# bluebuild CLI: https://blue-build.org/how-to/setup/#installation
-podman run --rm ghcr.io/blue-build/cli --version   # or install natively
-
 bluebuild build ./recipes/bc250-console-gnome.yml
-```
 
-Result lands in local podman storage as `localhost/bc250-console-gnome`.
-
-### Kernel sanity check (before making the ISO)
-
-Avoid kernels 6.15.0–6.15.6 and 6.17.8–6.17.10; prefer 6.18.x LTS or 6.17.11+.
-The kernel comes from the Bazzite `stable` base — verify what you got:
-
-```bash
-podman run --rm localhost/bc250-console-gnome:latest rpm -q kernel
-```
-
-If it lands in a bad range, wait for the next Bazzite stable or pin an older
-`image-version` in the recipe.
-
-## 2. Generate the installer ISO
-
-```bash
 mkdir -p output
 sudo podman run --rm -it --privileged \
   --security-opt label=type:unconfined_t \
   -v ./output:/output \
   -v /var/lib/containers/storage:/var/lib/containers/storage \
   quay.io/centos-bootc/bootc-image-builder:latest \
-  --type iso \
+  --type iso --rootfs btrfs \
   localhost/bc250-console-gnome:latest
 ```
 
-ISO appears under `output/bootiso/`.
+Note: mount the image's GPG keys as in Path A step 4 if depsolve fails on
+`terra-mesa` (see below) — the same failure mode applies under podman.
 
-## 3. Smoke test + install
+## Path B: docker (verified working)
 
-1. **VM test**: boot the ISO in a VM, install, reach GNOME. This validates
-   composition/installer only — not the BC-250 GPU/governor/Mesa path.
+**Use a native dockerd, not Docker Desktop.** Under Docker Desktop's VM,
+podman-in-docker cannot exec anything ("Invalid argument") and bind mounts
+outside the file-sharing allowlist are denied. A stock `docker-ce` daemon on
+the host kernel works. (Plain `docker` may point at the Desktop context —
+force the native daemon with `docker -H unix:///var/run/docker.sock` or
+`docker context use default`.)
+
+```bash
+# 1. Generate the Containerfile from the recipe (note: 'bluebuild' must be
+#    given explicitly — the image entrypoint is dumb-init)
+docker run --rm -v "$PWD":/bluebuild -w /bluebuild \
+  ghcr.io/blue-build/cli:latest \
+  bluebuild generate -o Containerfile ./recipes/bc250-console-gnome.yml
+
+# 2. Build the image
+docker buildx build -f Containerfile -t localhost/bc250-console-gnome:latest .
+
+# 3. bootc-image-builder reads podman containers-storage, not the docker
+#    store — copy the image over with skopeo via a throwaway local registry:
+docker network create bibnet
+docker run -d --name registry --network bibnet -p 127.0.0.1:5000:5000 registry:2
+docker tag localhost/bc250-console-gnome:latest localhost:5000/bc250-console-gnome:latest
+docker push localhost:5000/bc250-console-gnome:latest
+docker volume create bib-storage
+docker run --rm --privileged --network host \
+  -v bib-storage:/var/lib/containers/storage \
+  quay.io/skopeo/stable:latest \
+  copy --src-tls-verify=false \
+  docker://127.0.0.1:5000/bc250-console-gnome:latest \
+  containers-storage:localhost/bc250-console-gnome:latest
+
+# 4. Bazzite's terra repos reference GPG keys by file:// path; the depsolve
+#    runs inside the bib container, so those keys must be mounted in:
+cid=$(docker create localhost/bc250-console-gnome:latest true)
+docker cp "$cid":/etc/pki/rpm-gpg ./rpm-gpg-keys
+docker rm "$cid"
+
+# 5. Build the ISO (--rootfs required: the image sets no root-fs-type)
+mkdir -p iso-output
+docker run --rm --privileged --security-opt label=type:unconfined_t \
+  -v "$PWD"/iso-output:/output \
+  -v "$PWD"/rpm-gpg-keys:/etc/pki/rpm-gpg:ro \
+  -v bib-storage:/var/lib/containers/storage \
+  quay.io/centos-bootc/bootc-image-builder:latest \
+  --type iso --rootfs btrfs \
+  localhost/bc250-console-gnome:latest
+```
+
+ISO lands at `iso-output/bootiso/install.iso` (~5 GB), owned by root — fix
+with `docker run --rm -v "$PWD"/iso-output:/o alpine chown -R 1000:1000 /o`.
+
+### Kernel sanity check (before flashing)
+
+Avoid kernels 6.15.0–6.15.6 and 6.17.8–6.17.10; prefer 6.18.x LTS / 6.17.11+.
+
+```bash
+docker run --rm localhost/bc250-console-gnome:latest rpm -q kernel
+```
+
+First successful build shipped `kernel-7.0.9-ogc3.2.fc44` — fine.
+
+## Smoke test + install
+
+1. **VM test**: boot the ISO in a VM (KVM works headless:
+   `qemu-system-x86_64 -enable-kvm -m 8192 -drive file=vm.qcow2,if=virtio -cdrom <iso> -boot once=d`).
+   The embedded kickstart installs unattended. Validates composition and the
+   installer only — not the BC-250 GPU/governor/Mesa path.
 2. Flash to USB (Fedora Media Writer / Impression / `dd`), install on the
    board. Black screen at install → "Install in Basic Graphics Mode".
 3. First boot, in the child's desktop session: run `bc250-remote-setup`,
    log into Steam, set Steam Family View, `sudo tailscale up` if using it.
 
-## 4. On-hardware validation (board, not VM)
+## On-hardware validation (board, not VM)
 
 ```bash
 vulkaninfo | grep deviceName            # RADV GFX1013, NOT llvmpipe