diff --git a/agent-queue/agent-queue.sh b/agent-queue/agent-queue.sh
index 1a3ceec..c5ef925 100755
--- a/agent-queue/agent-queue.sh
+++ b/agent-queue/agent-queue.sh
@@ -643,39 +643,44 @@ build_agent_cmd() {
 _fleet_pr_prepare() {
   local repo=$1 base=${2:-main} jid=$3 logf=$4
   local reposdir="${AQ_FLEET_REPOS_DIR:-$STATE/repos}"; mkdir -p "$reposdir"
-  local safe dir url br src="" origin_url=""
-  safe=$(printf '%s' "$repo" | tr -c 'A-Za-z0-9._-' '_'); dir="$reposdir/$safe"
-  # MVP: if AQ_FLEET_REPO_BASE/<repo> is an existing local repo, use it as the clone
-  # SOURCE (fast, no network) and push/PR to its GitHub origin. Credentials embedded
-  # in the local origin URL are stripped — gh's credential helper handles auth.
+  local safe dir url br sp; safe=$(printf '%s' "$repo" | tr -c 'A-Za-z0-9._-' '_')
+  br="aq/job/$jid"
+
+  # MVP: if AQ_FLEET_REPO_BASE/<repo> is an existing local checkout, use it via a
+  # git WORKTREE — no clone. The worktree shares the repo's objects + remotes (push/
+  # PR go to its origin) and leaves the main checkout untouched. One worktree dir per
+  # repo, force-recreated each job.
   if [[ -n "${AQ_FLEET_REPO_BASE:-}" && -d "$AQ_FLEET_REPO_BASE/$repo/.git" ]]; then
-    src="$AQ_FLEET_REPO_BASE/$repo"
-    origin_url=$(git -C "$src" remote get-url origin 2>/dev/null | sed -E 's#://[^@/]*@#://#')
-  fi
-  # Resolve a clone URL: local source wins; else full URLs pass through; absolute/
-  # existing local paths used as-is; otherwise `owner/name` -> GitHub HTTPS.
-  if [[ -n "$src" ]]; then url="$src"; else
-    case "$repo" in
-      *://*|git@*) url="$repo";;
-      /*)          url="$repo";;
-      *)           [[ -e "$repo" ]] && url="$repo" || url="https://github.com/$repo.git";;
-    esac
+    local src="$AQ_FLEET_REPO_BASE/$repo" wt="$reposdir/${safe}__wt"
+    git -C "$src" fetch --quiet origin "$base" >>"$logf" 2>&1 || true
+    git -C "$src" worktree remove --force "$wt" >>"$logf" 2>&1 || true
+    git -C "$src" worktree prune >>"$logf" 2>&1 || true
+    rm -rf "$wt" 2>/dev/null || true
+    sp="origin/$base"; git -C "$src" rev-parse -q --verify "$sp" >/dev/null 2>&1 || sp="$base"
+    git -C "$src" worktree add --force -B "$br" "$wt" "$sp" >>"$logf" 2>&1 \
+      || { echo "PR: worktree add failed ($src $sp)" >>"$logf"; return 1; }
+    git -C "$wt" config user.email >/dev/null 2>&1 || git -C "$wt" config user.email "agent-queue@fleet.local"
+    git -C "$wt" config user.name  >/dev/null 2>&1 || git -C "$wt" config user.name  "agent-queue"
+    echo "$wt"; return 0
   fi
+
+  # Fallback (no local checkout): clone. Full URLs pass through; absolute/existing
+  # local paths used as-is; otherwise `owner/name` -> GitHub HTTPS.
+  dir="$reposdir/$safe"
+  case "$repo" in
+    *://*|git@*) url="$repo";;
+    /*)          url="$repo";;
+    *)           [[ -e "$repo" ]] && url="$repo" || url="https://github.com/$repo.git";;
+  esac
   if [[ -d "$dir/.git" ]]; then
-    [[ -n "$origin_url" ]] && git -C "$dir" remote set-url origin "$origin_url" >>"$logf" 2>&1 || true
     git -C "$dir" fetch --quiet origin "$base" >>"$logf" 2>&1 || { echo "PR: fetch failed for $base" >>"$logf"; return 1; }
   else
     git clone --quiet "$url" "$dir" >>"$logf" 2>&1 || { echo "PR: clone failed for $url" >>"$logf"; return 1; }
-    # Repoint to the upstream GitHub origin (when cloned from a local mirror).
-    [[ -n "$origin_url" ]] && git -C "$dir" remote set-url origin "$origin_url" >>"$logf" 2>&1 || true
     git -C "$dir" fetch --quiet origin "$base" >>"$logf" 2>&1 || true
   fi
-  br="aq/job/$jid"
   git -C "$dir" checkout --quiet -B "$br" "origin/$base" >>"$logf" 2>&1 \
     || git -C "$dir" checkout --quiet -B "$br" "$base" >>"$logf" 2>&1 \
     || { echo "PR: cannot branch $br off $base" >>"$logf"; return 1; }
-  # Ensure a commit identity exists (fall back to a bot identity if the host has
-  # no global git user configured) so the PR commit never fails.
   git -C "$dir" config user.email >/dev/null 2>&1 || git -C "$dir" config user.email "agent-queue@fleet.local"
   git -C "$dir" config user.name  >/dev/null 2>&1 || git -C "$dir" config user.name  "agent-queue"
   echo "$dir"
diff --git a/agent-queue/selftest.sh b/agent-queue/selftest.sh
index ac759f7..597ec0c 100755
--- a/agent-queue/selftest.sh
+++ b/agent-queue/selftest.sh
@@ -868,8 +868,10 @@ fi
 # 35d. PR mode: a fleet job carrying a `repo` -> agent works on aq/job/<id> in an
 # isolated checkout, PR is opened (gh stub), and the prUrl is reported on release.
 prbare="$tmp/pr-origin.git"; git init --bare -q "$prbare"
-prseed="$tmp/pr-seed"; git clone -q "$prbare" "$prseed" 2>/dev/null
-( cd "$prseed" && git config user.email t@t && git config user.name t \
+# Existing local checkout under a repo base (worktree source — no clone at job time).
+prbase="$tmp/prbase"; mkdir -p "$prbase"
+git clone -q "$prbare" "$prbase/learning_test" 2>/dev/null
+( cd "$prbase/learning_test" && git config user.email t@t && git config user.name t \
     && echo seed > README.md && git add -A && git commit -qm seed \
     && git branch -M main && git push -q origin main ) >/dev/null 2>&1
 prengine="$tmp/pr-engine"
@@ -879,10 +881,10 @@ printf '#!/usr/bin/env bash\necho "$@" >> "%s"\necho "https://github.com/test/re
 export AGENT_QUEUE_ROOT="$tmp/queue-fl-pr"; export AQ_FLEET_CWD="$work"
 "$AQ" init >/dev/null
 export AQ_FSTUB_CALLS="$tmp/fl-pr-calls.log" AQ_FSTUB_CLAIM_FLAG="$tmp/fl-pr-claimed" \
-  AQ_FSTUB_JOB_ID="fjob_pr" AQ_FSTUB_BODY="add a file" AQ_FSTUB_REPO="$prbare" AQ_FSTUB_BASE="main" \
+  AQ_FSTUB_JOB_ID="fjob_pr" AQ_FSTUB_BODY="add a file" AQ_FSTUB_REPO="learning_test" AQ_FSTUB_BASE="main" \
   AQ_FSTUB_VERIFY="true" AQ_FSTUB_AUTOMERGE="1"
 : > "$AQ_FSTUB_CALLS"; rm -f "$AQ_FSTUB_CLAIM_FLAG"
-AQ_FLEET=1 AQ_FLEET_PR=1 AQ_FLEET_AUTOSHIP=1 AGENT_QUEUE_POLL=1 \
+AQ_FLEET=1 AQ_FLEET_PR=1 AQ_FLEET_AUTOSHIP=1 AGENT_QUEUE_POLL=1 AQ_FLEET_REPO_BASE="$prbase" \
   AQ_FLEET_REPOS_DIR="$tmp/pr-repos" GH_BIN="$ghstub" DEVIN_BIN="$prengine" "$AQ" run --once >/dev/null 2>&1
 if git -C "$prbare" rev-parse --verify aq/job/fjob_pr >/dev/null 2>&1 \
    && grep -q -- '--title Add smoke marker file' "$tmp/gh-calls.log" 2>/dev/null \