diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index c66d50e..559ab8d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ jobs:
   lint:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
-      - uses: actions/setup-go@v6
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v7
+      - uses: actions/setup-go@v7
         with:
           go-version: "1.25"
           cache: true
@@ -35,8 +35,8 @@ jobs:
       matrix:
         go: ["1.25", "1.26"]
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
-      - uses: actions/setup-go@v6
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v7
+      - uses: actions/setup-go@v7
         with:
           go-version: ${{ matrix.go }}
           cache: true
@@ -52,8 +52,8 @@ jobs:
         go: ["1.25", "1.26"]
         shard: [1, 2, 3]
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
-      - uses: actions/setup-go@v6
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v7
+      - uses: actions/setup-go@v7
         with:
           go-version: ${{ matrix.go }}
           cache: true
diff --git a/.github/workflows/devcontainer-cache.yml b/.github/workflows/devcontainer-cache.yml
index e5e543c..57ef60e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/devcontainer-cache.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/devcontainer-cache.yml
@@ -37,13 +37,13 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ${{ matrix.runner }}
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v7
 
       - name: Set up Docker Buildx
-        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
+        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v4
 
       - name: Log in to GitHub Container Registry
-        uses: docker/login-action@v3
+        uses: docker/login-action@v4
         with:
           registry: ghcr.io
           username: ${{ github.actor }}
@@ -67,10 +67,10 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - name: Set up Docker Buildx
-        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
+        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v4
 
       - name: Log in to GitHub Container Registry
-        uses: docker/login-action@v3
+        uses: docker/login-action@v4
         with:
           registry: ghcr.io
           username: ${{ github.actor }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/devcontainer-release.yml b/.github/workflows/devcontainer-release.yml
index 16ff972..33a0446 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/devcontainer-release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/devcontainer-release.yml
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ jobs:
       pull-requests: write
       packages: write
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v7
 
       - name: Publish Features
         uses: devcontainers/action@v1
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index bba9aef..9c5dce2 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -87,6 +87,31 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ### Changed
 
+- **compose (native)** — the compose lifecycle hooks `pre_start`, `post_start` and
+  `pre_stop` are now refused with `*compose.UnsupportedFieldError` instead of being
+  parsed and dropped. The native orchestrator creates the service container directly
+  and has no ephemeral init-container step to run a hook in, so accepting one lost
+  the hook's work — and the hooks are part of the `ServiceConfig` that
+  `compose.ConfigHash` is computed over, so editing a hook that never ran read as a
+  config change and stopped and removed the running container, destroying its
+  writable layer. `Plan.Validate` refuses before any infrastructure side effect, and
+  `stripForHash` also drops the three fields so unexecuted hook metadata cannot drive
+  a recreation even if a caller reaches `ConfigHash` directly — the one place the hash
+  deliberately strips more than docker/compose does. The shell-out compose backend is
+  unaffected: it delegates to `docker compose`, which implements the hooks itself.
+  `pre_start` only became reachable with the `compose-go` 2.14 bump in this release
+  (2.11 rejected it at schema validation); `post_start` and `pre_stop` parsed cleanly
+  before it and had the same defect.
+- **compose (native)** — §2.2 unsupported-field refusals now land immediately after
+  the project loads, via `Engine.refuseUnsupportedComposeProject`, instead of only
+  inside `Orchestrator.Up`. `Plan.Validate` was already documented as
+  side-effect-free and safe to call before any backend interaction, but the only
+  caller ran after primary-image preparation, feature layering and
+  `buildComposeSidecarImages`, so a project the engine was never going to start
+  still paid for those builds and left the tagged images behind. The orchestrator's
+  own validation stays as the authoritative call. Native backend only — the
+  shell-out path hands the project to `docker compose`, which implements fields the
+  native orchestrator refuses.
 - **compose (native)** — the `service_healthy` gate no longer passes when the backend
   reports no health status for a service that declares an explicit healthcheck test.
   `runtime.HealthStatus` documents `HealthNone` as ambiguous — the image declared no
@@ -103,6 +128,13 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
   compose's inline `test: ["NONE"]`, and an empty test (where the image's own
   `HEALTHCHECK` applies) all keep the permissive fallback, so no valid project blocks
   on its own gate.
+- **deps** — bump `github.com/compose-spec/compose-go/v2` 2.11.0 → 2.14.0;
+  `github.com/google/go-containerregistry` 0.21.7 → 0.22.0;
+  `github.com/moby/moby/api` 1.54.2 → 1.55.0 and `github.com/moby/moby/client`
+  0.4.1 → 0.5.1; `golang.org/x/term` 0.43.0 → 0.45.0;
+  `google.golang.org/protobuf` 1.36.11 → 1.36.12. (#129)
+- **ci** — bump `actions/checkout` 4/6 → 7, `actions/setup-go` 6 → 7,
+  `docker/login-action` 3 → 4, `docker/setup-buildx-action` 3 → 4. (#129)
 
 ## [0.4.2] - 2026-08-23
 
diff --git a/compose/hash.go b/compose/hash.go
index ca85389..9092695 100644
--- a/compose/hash.go
+++ b/compose/hash.go
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ import (
 //   - Scale / Deploy.Replicas (we only run a single replica)
 //   - DependsOn (graph ordering, not container identity)
 //   - Profiles (filter, not config)
+//   - PreStart / PostStart / PreStop (lifecycle hooks this
+//     orchestrator does not execute; refused by Plan.Validate)
 //
 // Inputs that DO NOT affect the hash (incidental differences):
 //   - map iteration order of Environment / Labels / Networks
@@ -73,5 +75,17 @@ func stripForHash(svc composetypes.ServiceConfig) composetypes.ServiceConfig {
 	out.Deploy = nil
 	out.DependsOn = nil
 	out.Profiles = nil
+	// Lifecycle hooks (pre_start / post_start / pre_stop) are
+	// refused outright by Plan.Validate, which runs before any hash
+	// is computed, so in practice these are already empty here.
+	// Stripped anyway: a recreation destroys the container's
+	// writable layer, and a field the orchestrator does not execute
+	// must not be able to trigger that if the refusal is ever moved
+	// or a future caller reaches ConfigHash directly. This is the
+	// one place we deliberately strip more than docker/compose does
+	// — it executes the hooks, we don't.
+	out.PreStart = nil
+	out.PostStart = nil
+	out.PreStop = nil
 	return out
 }
diff --git a/compose/hash_test.go b/compose/hash_test.go
index e2d9f0c..23a29a6 100644
--- a/compose/hash_test.go
+++ b/compose/hash_test.go
@@ -173,3 +173,38 @@ func TestConfigHash_StripsNonRuntimeFields(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	})
 }
+
+// TestConfigHash_StripsLifecycleHooks pins the second half of the
+// hook defence. Plan.Validate refuses these fields before any hash
+// is computed, so this is belt-and-braces: a recreation destroys the
+// container's writable layer, and a field the orchestrator never
+// executes must not be able to trigger that even if the refusal is
+// moved or a caller reaches ConfigHash directly. Deliberately
+// stricter than docker/compose, which executes the hooks.
+func TestConfigHash_StripsLifecycleHooks(t *testing.T) {
+	base := baseService()
+	wantHash := ConfigHash("img", base)
+	hook := []composetypes.ServiceHook{{Command: composetypes.ShellCommand{"migrate"}}}
+
+	t.Run("PreStart", func(t *testing.T) {
+		svc := baseService()
+		svc.PreStart = hook
+		if got := ConfigHash("img", svc); got != wantHash {
+			t.Errorf("PreStart edit changed hash: %q vs %q", got, wantHash)
+		}
+	})
+	t.Run("PostStart", func(t *testing.T) {
+		svc := baseService()
+		svc.PostStart = hook
+		if got := ConfigHash("img", svc); got != wantHash {
+			t.Errorf("PostStart edit changed hash: %q vs %q", got, wantHash)
+		}
+	})
+	t.Run("PreStop", func(t *testing.T) {
+		svc := baseService()
+		svc.PreStop = hook
+		if got := ConfigHash("img", svc); got != wantHash {
+			t.Errorf("PreStop edit changed hash: %q vs %q", got, wantHash)
+		}
+	})
+}
diff --git a/compose/orchestrator_test.go b/compose/orchestrator_test.go
index 01515d4..3a1e382 100644
--- a/compose/orchestrator_test.go
+++ b/compose/orchestrator_test.go
@@ -1302,3 +1302,38 @@ func TestUp_PatchesHostsWithoutServiceNameDNS(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("docker baseline must not patch /etc/hosts, got %v", patched2)
 	}
 }
+
+// TestUp_HookEditCannotRemoveExistingContainer is the regression for
+// the destructive path the compose-go bump opened up: pre_start
+// became a legal field, the native orchestrator does not execute it,
+// and it is covered by the recreation hash — so adding or editing a
+// hook on an already-running project would have stopped and removed
+// the container, destroying its writable layer, for a hook that
+// never ran. Up must refuse instead, and touch nothing.
+func TestUp_HookEditCannotRemoveExistingContainer(t *testing.T) {
+	rt := newMockRuntime()
+	orch := NewOrchestrator(rt)
+	proj := newProject(t, map[string][]string{"app": nil})
+
+	if _, err := orch.Up(context.Background(), &Plan{Project: proj, ProjectName: "dc-x"}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("first Up: %v", err)
+	}
+	runsBefore, removesBefore := rt.runCalls, rt.removeCalls
+
+	svc := proj.Services["app"]
+	svc.PreStart = []composetypes.ServiceHook{{Command: composetypes.ShellCommand{"migrate"}}}
+	proj.Services["app"] = svc
+
+	_, err := orch.Up(context.Background(), &Plan{Project: proj, ProjectName: "dc-x"})
+	var unsup *UnsupportedFieldError
+	if !errors.As(err, &unsup) {
+		t.Fatalf("want *UnsupportedFieldError, got %T: %v", err, err)
+	}
+	if rt.removeCalls != removesBefore {
+		t.Errorf("removeCalls=%d, want %d: the existing container must survive a refused hook edit",
+			rt.removeCalls, removesBefore)
+	}
+	if rt.runCalls != runsBefore {
+		t.Errorf("runCalls=%d, want %d: nothing should be recreated", rt.runCalls, runsBefore)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/compose/plan.go b/compose/plan.go
index 6faf91e..e4cf77a 100644
--- a/compose/plan.go
+++ b/compose/plan.go
@@ -184,6 +184,7 @@ func refuseUnsupportedFields(proj *composetypes.Project) error {
 				Reason: "multi-replica services not supported",
 			})
 		}
+		found = append(found, unsupportedHooks(name, svc)...)
 	}
 
 	if len(found) == 0 {
@@ -192,6 +193,40 @@ func refuseUnsupportedFields(proj *composetypes.Project) error {
 	return &UnsupportedFieldError{Fields: sortFields(found)}
 }
 
+// unsupportedHooks refuses the compose lifecycle hooks. compose-go
+// parses pre_start, post_start and pre_stop, but this orchestrator
+// creates the service container directly and has no ephemeral
+// init-container step to run them in, so it would drop them
+// silently. Accepting them loses the hook's work — and worse: the
+// hooks are part of the ServiceConfig that ConfigHash is computed
+// over, so editing a hook that never runs reads as a config change
+// and stops and removes the existing container, destroying its
+// writable layer for work the backend never performed. Refused in
+// Validate, before any infrastructure side effect.
+//
+// Only the native orchestrator reaches this. The shell-out backend
+// delegates to `docker compose`, which implements the hooks itself.
+func unsupportedHooks(service string, svc composetypes.ServiceConfig) []UnsupportedField {
+	var out []UnsupportedField
+	for _, h := range []struct {
+		field string
+		hooks []composetypes.ServiceHook
+	}{
+		{"pre_start", svc.PreStart},
+		{"post_start", svc.PostStart},
+		{"pre_stop", svc.PreStop},
+	} {
+		if len(h.hooks) == 0 {
+			continue
+		}
+		out = append(out, UnsupportedField{
+			Service: service, Field: h.field,
+			Reason: "lifecycle hooks are not executed by the native orchestrator",
+		})
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
 // deployUnsupported collects refusals for sub-fields of deploy: that
 // this orchestrator can't honor. We accept deploy when it only carries
 // resources.limits with memory/cpus — that's how compose v3+ users
diff --git a/compose/plan_test.go b/compose/plan_test.go
index f05cd20..ff99ed3 100644
--- a/compose/plan_test.go
+++ b/compose/plan_test.go
@@ -190,3 +190,56 @@ func TestValidate_RefusesHealthyWithoutHealthchecks(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("want accepted on a backend with Healthchecks: %v", err)
 	}
 }
+
+// TestValidate_RefusesLifecycleHooks pins the refusal of the three
+// compose lifecycle hooks. The native orchestrator has no ephemeral
+// init-container step, so it would drop them silently; because the
+// hooks are part of the ServiceConfig the recreation hash covers,
+// editing one would also stop and remove the running container for
+// work that never happened.
+func TestValidate_RefusesLifecycleHooks(t *testing.T) {
+	hook := []composetypes.ServiceHook{{Command: composetypes.ShellCommand{"migrate"}}}
+
+	for _, tc := range []struct {
+		field string
+		set   func(*composetypes.ServiceConfig)
+	}{
+		{"pre_start", func(s *composetypes.ServiceConfig) { s.PreStart = hook }},
+		{"post_start", func(s *composetypes.ServiceConfig) { s.PostStart = hook }},
+		{"pre_stop", func(s *composetypes.ServiceConfig) { s.PreStop = hook }},
+	} {
+		t.Run(tc.field, func(t *testing.T) {
+			svc := composetypes.ServiceConfig{Name: "app", Image: "alpine"}
+			tc.set(&svc)
+			proj := &composetypes.Project{
+				Services: composetypes.Services{"app": svc},
+			}
+			p := &Plan{Project: proj, ProjectName: "dc-x"}
+			err := p.Validate(dockerCaps())
+			var unsup *UnsupportedFieldError
+			if !errors.As(err, &unsup) {
+				t.Fatalf("want *UnsupportedFieldError, got %T: %v", err, err)
+			}
+			if len(unsup.Fields) != 1 || unsup.Fields[0].Field != tc.field {
+				t.Errorf("want a single %q refusal, got %+v", tc.field, unsup.Fields)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestValidate_AcceptsAbsentLifecycleHooks(t *testing.T) {
+	proj := &composetypes.Project{
+		Services: composetypes.Services{
+			"app": composetypes.ServiceConfig{
+				Name:      "app",
+				Image:     "alpine",
+				PreStart:  []composetypes.ServiceHook{},
+				PostStart: nil,
+			},
+		},
+	}
+	p := &Plan{Project: proj, ProjectName: "dc-x"}
+	if err := p.Validate(dockerCaps()); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("empty hook slices must not be refused: %v", err)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/design/compose-native.md b/design/compose-native.md
index c1a964e..df103b0 100644
--- a/design/compose-native.md
+++ b/design/compose-native.md
@@ -121,6 +121,15 @@ have to cross-reference:
 - `links:` (legacy, replaced by network DNS in compose v2)
 - `external: true` networks / volumes (user-managed shared resources)
 - `services.<name>.scale` > 1 (multiple replicas of the same service)
+- `services.<name>.pre_start` / `post_start` / `pre_stop` (lifecycle
+  hooks — the orchestrator creates the service container directly and
+  has no ephemeral init-container step to run them in). Refused rather
+  than quietly ignored (§2.3) because the hooks are part of the
+  `ServiceConfig` that `ConfigHash` covers: silently dropping them
+  would make editing a hook that never runs read as a config change
+  and recreate the container, destroying its writable layer. The
+  shell-out backend is unaffected — it delegates to `docker compose`,
+  which implements the hooks.
 
 Mechanism: `compose.Plan` walks the parsed `*types.Project`, returns a
 typed `*compose.UnsupportedFieldError` listing exactly which fields on
@@ -128,6 +137,14 @@ which services tripped the refusal. Wired through to `EngineEvent`
 warnings so the user gets a clear "your compose file uses X which our
 engine does not implement" rather than a silent partial run.
 
+`Orchestrator.Up` runs the walk at the top of its own flow, and the
+engine runs the same side-effect-free check immediately after
+`compose.Load` (`Engine.refuseUnsupportedComposeProject`, native
+backend only) so the refusal lands before primary-image preparation,
+feature layering and sidecar builds — otherwise a project we were
+never going to start still costs a build and leaves the tagged images
+behind.
+
 ### 2.3 Out of scope — quietly ignored (documented)
 
 These are spec fields that compose-go parses but the orchestrator does not
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 649cbcd..e3cfd8b 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -3,14 +3,14 @@ module github.com/crunchloop/devcontainer
 go 1.25.0
 
 require (
-	github.com/compose-spec/compose-go/v2 v2.11.0
-	github.com/google/go-containerregistry v0.21.7
-	github.com/moby/moby/api v1.54.2
-	github.com/moby/moby/client v0.4.1
+	github.com/compose-spec/compose-go/v2 v2.14.0
+	github.com/google/go-containerregistry v0.22.0
+	github.com/moby/moby/api v1.55.0
+	github.com/moby/moby/client v0.5.1
 	github.com/spf13/cobra v1.10.2
 	github.com/tidwall/jsonc v0.3.3
-	golang.org/x/term v0.43.0
-	google.golang.org/protobuf v1.36.11
+	golang.org/x/term v0.45.0
+	google.golang.org/protobuf v1.36.12
 	gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.1
 )
 
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/containerd/errdefs v1.0.0 // indirect
 	github.com/containerd/errdefs/pkg v0.3.0 // indirect
 	github.com/distribution/reference v0.6.0 // indirect
-	github.com/docker/cli v29.5.3+incompatible // indirect
+	github.com/docker/cli v29.7.2+incompatible // indirect
 	github.com/docker/docker-credential-helpers v0.9.3 // indirect
 	github.com/docker/go-connections v0.7.0 // indirect
 	github.com/docker/go-units v0.5.0 // indirect
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/go-logr/stdr v1.2.2 // indirect
 	github.com/go-viper/mapstructure/v2 v2.4.0 // indirect
 	github.com/inconshreveable/mousetrap v1.1.0 // indirect
-	github.com/klauspost/compress v1.18.6 // indirect
+	github.com/klauspost/compress v1.19.2 // indirect
 	github.com/mattn/go-shellwords v1.0.12 // indirect
 	github.com/moby/docker-image-spec v1.3.1 // indirect
 	github.com/opencontainers/go-digest v1.0.0 // indirect
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ require (
 	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/metric v1.41.0 // indirect
 	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace v1.41.0 // indirect
 	go.yaml.in/yaml/v4 v4.0.0-rc.4 // indirect
-	golang.org/x/sync v0.21.0 // indirect
-	golang.org/x/sys v0.46.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/sync v0.22.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/sys v0.47.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/text v0.14.0 // indirect
 )
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index dc29147..5731957 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@ github.com/Microsoft/go-winio v0.6.2 h1:F2VQgta7ecxGYO8k3ZZz3RS8fVIXVxONVUPlNERo
 github.com/Microsoft/go-winio v0.6.2/go.mod h1:yd8OoFMLzJbo9gZq8j5qaps8bJ9aShtEA8Ipt1oGCvU=
 github.com/cespare/xxhash/v2 v2.3.0 h1:UL815xU9SqsFlibzuggzjXhog7bL6oX9BbNZnL2UFvs=
 github.com/cespare/xxhash/v2 v2.3.0/go.mod h1:VGX0DQ3Q6kWi7AoAeZDth3/j3BFtOZR5XLFGgcrjCOs=
-github.com/compose-spec/compose-go/v2 v2.11.0 h1:xoq/ootgIL6TsHmbJHrkuh7+bzjhPV3NHftHRPPyVXM=
-github.com/compose-spec/compose-go/v2 v2.11.0/go.mod h1:ZU6zlcweCZKyiB7BVfCizQT9XmkEIMFE+PRZydVcsZg=
+github.com/compose-spec/compose-go/v2 v2.14.0 h1:uaJeo5B3+OVlu+Rx2qLBcAdXPEUUzm5nQrRiGJafRAQ=
+github.com/compose-spec/compose-go/v2 v2.14.0/go.mod h1:ZU6zlcweCZKyiB7BVfCizQT9XmkEIMFE+PRZydVcsZg=
 github.com/containerd/errdefs v1.0.0 h1:tg5yIfIlQIrxYtu9ajqY42W3lpS19XqdxRQeEwYG8PI=
 github.com/containerd/errdefs v1.0.0/go.mod h1:+YBYIdtsnF4Iw6nWZhJcqGSg/dwvV7tyJ/kCkyJ2k+M=
 github.com/containerd/errdefs/pkg v0.3.0 h1:9IKJ06FvyNlexW690DXuQNx2KA2cUJXx151Xdx3ZPPE=
@@ -15,8 +15,8 @@ github.com/distribution/reference v0.6.0 h1:0IXCQ5g4/QMHHkarYzh5l+u8T3t73zM5Qvfr
 github.com/distribution/reference v0.6.0/go.mod h1:BbU0aIcezP1/5jX/8MP0YiH4SdvB5Y4f/wlDRiLyi3E=
 github.com/dlclark/regexp2 v1.11.0 h1:G/nrcoOa7ZXlpoa/91N3X7mM3r8eIlMBBJZvsz/mxKI=
 github.com/dlclark/regexp2 v1.11.0/go.mod h1:DHkYz0B9wPfa6wondMfaivmHpzrQ3v9q8cnmRbL6yW8=
-github.com/docker/cli v29.5.3+incompatible h1:nbEFfz774vBwQ5KRYv7c/AghjReqnGISvrRhzjV0evs=
-github.com/docker/cli v29.5.3+incompatible/go.mod h1:JLrzqnKDaYBop7H2jaqPtU4hHvMKP+vjCwu2uszcLI8=
+github.com/docker/cli v29.7.2+incompatible h1:dlkwallR8XqfeVnA2ELEhdwvb4lsSwuB4IgsG8Q9cLY=
+github.com/docker/cli v29.7.2+incompatible/go.mod h1:JLrzqnKDaYBop7H2jaqPtU4hHvMKP+vjCwu2uszcLI8=
 github.com/docker/docker-credential-helpers v0.9.3 h1:gAm/VtF9wgqJMoxzT3Gj5p4AqIjCBS4wrsOh9yRqcz8=
 github.com/docker/docker-credential-helpers v0.9.3/go.mod h1:x+4Gbw9aGmChi3qTLZj8Dfn0TD20M/fuWy0E5+WDeCo=
 github.com/docker/go-connections v0.7.0 h1:6SsRfJddP22WMrCkj19x9WKjEDTB+ahsdiGYf0mN39c=
@@ -34,14 +34,14 @@ github.com/go-viper/mapstructure/v2 v2.4.0 h1:EBsztssimR/CONLSZZ04E8qAkxNYq4Qp9L
 github.com/go-viper/mapstructure/v2 v2.4.0/go.mod h1:oJDH3BJKyqBA2TXFhDsKDGDTlndYOZ6rGS0BRZIxGhM=
 github.com/google/go-cmp v0.7.0 h1:wk8382ETsv4JYUZwIsn6YpYiWiBsYLSJiTsyBybVuN8=
 github.com/google/go-cmp v0.7.0/go.mod h1:pXiqmnSA92OHEEa9HXL2W4E7lf9JzCmGVUdgjX3N/iU=
-github.com/google/go-containerregistry v0.21.7 h1:/vPFuVXDjtFREsVArW+0h1CIl5urnOhzei4X2DMW9IU=
-github.com/google/go-containerregistry v0.21.7/go.mod h1:kjSbt7/zMsKLWfnHrIvKvhXHUw91jbe9DNjPPJ32gXE=
+github.com/google/go-containerregistry v0.22.0 h1:eGbCiPeYxAH/7WLLq6zTBALP0tUIFsoyRauhxXDJ53I=
+github.com/google/go-containerregistry v0.22.0/go.mod h1:bJR35SK8XgisYmhg/FMQ/5RK0S/XrOAqLBV5/LR2XE0=
 github.com/google/uuid v1.6.0 h1:NIvaJDMOsjHA8n1jAhLSgzrAzy1Hgr+hNrb57e+94F0=
 github.com/google/uuid v1.6.0/go.mod h1:TIyPZe4MgqvfeYDBFedMoGGpEw/LqOeaOT+nhxU+yHo=
 github.com/inconshreveable/mousetrap v1.1.0 h1:wN+x4NVGpMsO7ErUn/mUI3vEoE6Jt13X2s0bqwp9tc8=
 github.com/inconshreveable/mousetrap v1.1.0/go.mod h1:vpF70FUmC8bwa3OWnCshd2FqLfsEA9PFc4w1p2J65bw=
-github.com/klauspost/compress v1.18.6 h1:2jupLlAwFm95+YDR+NwD2MEfFO9d4z4Prjl1XXDjuao=
-github.com/klauspost/compress v1.18.6/go.mod h1:cwPg85FWrGar70rWktvGQj8/hthj3wpl0PGDogxkrSQ=
+github.com/klauspost/compress v1.19.2 h1:hMRETovs/pu/dVWN7zIT1PGG8t509MwT6bO7XSi26R8=
+github.com/klauspost/compress v1.19.2/go.mod h1:cwPg85FWrGar70rWktvGQj8/hthj3wpl0PGDogxkrSQ=
 github.com/kr/pretty v0.3.1 h1:flRD4NNwYAUpkphVc1HcthR4KEIFJ65n8Mw5qdRn3LE=
 github.com/kr/pretty v0.3.1/go.mod h1:hoEshYVHaxMs3cyo3Yncou5ZscifuDolrwPKZanG3xk=
 github.com/kr/text v0.2.0 h1:5Nx0Ya0ZqY2ygV366QzturHI13Jq95ApcVaJBhpS+AY=
@@ -50,10 +50,10 @@ github.com/mattn/go-shellwords v1.0.12 h1:M2zGm7EW6UQJvDeQxo4T51eKPurbeFbe8WtebG
 github.com/mattn/go-shellwords v1.0.12/go.mod h1:EZzvwXDESEeg03EKmM+RmDnNOPKG4lLtQsUlTZDWQ8Y=
 github.com/moby/docker-image-spec v1.3.1 h1:jMKff3w6PgbfSa69GfNg+zN/XLhfXJGnEx3Nl2EsFP0=
 github.com/moby/docker-image-spec v1.3.1/go.mod h1:eKmb5VW8vQEh/BAr2yvVNvuiJuY6UIocYsFu/DxxRpo=
-github.com/moby/moby/api v1.54.2 h1:wiat9QAhnDQjA7wk1kh/TqHz2I1uUA7M7t9SAl/JNXg=
-github.com/moby/moby/api v1.54.2/go.mod h1:+RQ6wluLwtYaTd1WnPLykIDPekkuyD/ROWQClE83pzs=
-github.com/moby/moby/client v0.4.1 h1:DMQgisVoMkmMs7fp3ROSdiBnoAu8+vo3GggFl06M/wY=
-github.com/moby/moby/client v0.4.1/go.mod h1:z52C9O2POPOsnxZAy//WtKcQ32P+jT/NGeXu/7nfjGQ=
+github.com/moby/moby/api v1.55.0 h1:2/sexvQyqIWS8pRSCFddBfpW2qE7vR7FCL+vN8pxwMc=
+github.com/moby/moby/api v1.55.0/go.mod h1:+RQ6wluLwtYaTd1WnPLykIDPekkuyD/ROWQClE83pzs=
+github.com/moby/moby/client v0.5.1 h1:tYNaJno4c0HXz12y5BiqEDy0rVTYkWzI26lGvnTMiJw=
+github.com/moby/moby/client v0.5.1/go.mod h1:odLstlZ6uSnfvAgVxMpvgmb8SUdd+siH2T0GBuxVAlM=
 github.com/opencontainers/go-digest v1.0.0 h1:apOUWs51W5PlhuyGyz9FCeeBIOUDA/6nW8Oi/yOhh5U=
 github.com/opencontainers/go-digest v1.0.0/go.mod h1:0JzlMkj0TRzQZfJkVvzbP0HBR3IKzErnv2BNG4W4MAM=
 github.com/opencontainers/image-spec v1.1.1 h1:y0fUlFfIZhPF1W537XOLg0/fcx6zcHCJwooC2xJA040=
@@ -95,16 +95,16 @@ go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace v1.41.0/go.mod h1:U1NU4ULCoxeDKc09yCWdWe+3QoyweJc
 go.yaml.in/yaml/v3 v3.0.4/go.mod h1:DhzuOOF2ATzADvBadXxruRBLzYTpT36CKvDb3+aBEFg=
 go.yaml.in/yaml/v4 v4.0.0-rc.4 h1:UP4+v6fFrBIb1l934bDl//mmnoIZEDK0idg1+AIvX5U=
 go.yaml.in/yaml/v4 v4.0.0-rc.4/go.mod h1:aZqd9kCMsGL7AuUv/m/PvWLdg5sjJsZ4oHDEnfPPfY0=
-golang.org/x/sync v0.21.0 h1:HLII4xRRTtCRkxYp4HNFF0Js/Og6q2i++KXbg0gHCwM=
-golang.org/x/sync v0.21.0/go.mod h1:9xrNwdLfx4jkKbNva9FpL6vEN7evnE43NNNJQ2LF3+0=
-golang.org/x/sys v0.46.0 h1:noSf2Fq6F8DBgS+LysIkx7rIExoNHJsxOAtPp4rthXw=
-golang.org/x/sys v0.46.0/go.mod h1:4GL1E5IUh+htKOUEOaiffhrAeqysfVGipDYzABqnCmw=
-golang.org/x/term v0.43.0 h1:S4RLU2sB31O/NCl+zFN9Aru9A/Cq2aqKpTZJ6B+DwT4=
-golang.org/x/term v0.43.0/go.mod h1:lrhlHNdQJHO+1qVYiHfFKVuVioJIheAc3fBSMFYEIsk=
+golang.org/x/sync v0.22.0 h1:SZjpbeLmrCk4xhRSZFNZW5gFUeCeFgjekvI/+gfScek=
+golang.org/x/sync v0.22.0/go.mod h1:9xrNwdLfx4jkKbNva9FpL6vEN7evnE43NNNJQ2LF3+0=
+golang.org/x/sys v0.47.0 h1:o7XGOvZQCADBQQ4Y7VNq2dRWQR7JmOUW8Kxx4ZsNgWs=
+golang.org/x/sys v0.47.0/go.mod h1:4GL1E5IUh+htKOUEOaiffhrAeqysfVGipDYzABqnCmw=
+golang.org/x/term v0.45.0 h1:NwWyBmoJCbfTHpxrWoZ9C6/VxOf7ic219I8xZZFdrf0=
+golang.org/x/term v0.45.0/go.mod h1:9aqxs0blBcrm/n0L9QW0aRVD+ktan8ssZromtqJC43w=
 golang.org/x/text v0.14.0 h1:ScX5w1eTa3QqT8oi6+ziP7dTV1S2+ALU0bI+0zXKWiQ=
 golang.org/x/text v0.14.0/go.mod h1:18ZOQIKpY8NJVqYksKHtTdi31H5itFRjB5/qKTNYzSU=
-google.golang.org/protobuf v1.36.11 h1:fV6ZwhNocDyBLK0dj+fg8ektcVegBBuEolpbTQyBNVE=
-google.golang.org/protobuf v1.36.11/go.mod h1:HTf+CrKn2C3g5S8VImy6tdcUvCska2kB7j23XfzDpco=
+google.golang.org/protobuf v1.36.12 h1:pJOKDDOyeXErUroCihFAd5LQuwXBSpVnKGrj5o/fwxc=
+google.golang.org/protobuf v1.36.12/go.mod h1:HTf+CrKn2C3g5S8VImy6tdcUvCska2kB7j23XfzDpco=
 gopkg.in/check.v1 v0.0.0-20161208181325-20d25e280405/go.mod h1:Co6ibVJAznAaIkqp8huTwlJQCZ016jof/cbN4VW5Yz0=
 gopkg.in/check.v1 v1.0.0-20201130134442-10cb98267c6c h1:Hei/4ADfdWqJk1ZMxUNpqntNwaWcugrBjAiHlqqRiVk=
 gopkg.in/check.v1 v1.0.0-20201130134442-10cb98267c6c/go.mod h1:JHkPIbrfpd72SG/EVd6muEfDQjcINNoR0C8j2r3qZ4Q=
diff --git a/up.go b/up.go
index 03bcec0..44523b8 100644
--- a/up.go
+++ b/up.go
@@ -538,6 +538,10 @@ func (e *Engine) createFreshCompose(ctx context.Context, cfg *config.ResolvedCon
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
+	if err := e.refuseUnsupportedComposeProject(project, projectName); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
 	primary, err := compose.PrimaryService(project, src.Service)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -702,6 +706,28 @@ func (e *Engine) upComposeShellout(
 	return e.buildWorkspace(ctx, containerID, cfg, opts.LocalEnv)
 }
 
+// refuseUnsupportedComposeProject rejects a project the native
+// orchestrator will not run, before anything is built or pulled.
+//
+// Orchestrator.Up validates again at the top of its own flow; that
+// call stays as the authoritative one, and this is the same
+// side-effect-free check hoisted ahead of the work. Without it the
+// refusal lands only after primary-image preparation, feature
+// layering and sidecar builds have already run, so a project we were
+// never going to start still costs the user a build and leaves the
+// tagged images behind.
+//
+// Native backend only. The shell-out backend hands the project to
+// `docker compose`, which implements fields we refuse — validating
+// there would reject projects that work today.
+func (e *Engine) refuseUnsupportedComposeProject(project *composetypes.Project, projectName string) error {
+	if e.opts.ComposeBackend != ComposeBackendNative {
+		return nil
+	}
+	plan := &compose.Plan{Project: project, ProjectName: projectName}
+	return plan.Validate(e.runtime.Capabilities())
+}
+
 // upComposeNative is the new path: mutate the project in-memory via
 // the Apply* override helpers, then drive compose.Orchestrator.Up
 // against the runtime's primitive surface. No tmpfile, no docker
diff --git a/up_compose_sidecar_test.go b/up_compose_sidecar_test.go
index a5755be..cd2e228 100644
--- a/up_compose_sidecar_test.go
+++ b/up_compose_sidecar_test.go
@@ -2,11 +2,13 @@ package devcontainer
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"errors"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"testing"
 
 	composetypes "github.com/compose-spec/compose-go/v2/types"
 
+	"github.com/crunchloop/devcontainer/compose"
 	"github.com/crunchloop/devcontainer/config"
 	"github.com/crunchloop/devcontainer/events"
 	"github.com/crunchloop/devcontainer/runtime"
@@ -152,3 +154,48 @@ func TestBuildComposeSidecarImages_BuildsDependenciesOfSelection(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("builds = %+v, want app's dependency db and nothing else", rt.builds)
 	}
 }
+
+// TestRefuseUnsupportedComposeProject_NativeRefusesBeforeAnyBuild pins
+// the ordering: the native path refuses a §2.2 field straight after
+// the project loads, before primary-image preparation, feature
+// layering or sidecar builds. Refusing only inside Orchestrator.Up
+// left those images built and tagged for a project that never starts.
+func TestRefuseUnsupportedComposeProject_NativeRefusesBeforeAnyBuild(t *testing.T) {
+	eng, rt := sidecarEngine(t)
+	project := sidecarProject(map[string]composetypes.ServiceConfig{
+		"app": {
+			Image:    "alpine",
+			PreStart: []composetypes.ServiceHook{{Command: composetypes.ShellCommand{"migrate"}}},
+		},
+	})
+
+	err := eng.refuseUnsupportedComposeProject(project, "dc-x")
+	var unsup *compose.UnsupportedFieldError
+	if !errors.As(err, &unsup) {
+		t.Fatalf("want *compose.UnsupportedFieldError, got %T: %v", err, err)
+	}
+	if len(rt.builds) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("builds=%v, want none before the refusal", rt.builds)
+	}
+}
+
+// The shell-out backend delegates to `docker compose`, which
+// implements hooks and other fields the native orchestrator refuses.
+// Validating there would reject projects that work today.
+func TestRefuseUnsupportedComposeProject_ShelloutDoesNotRefuse(t *testing.T) {
+	rt := &buildRecorder{fakeRuntime: newFakeRuntime()}
+	eng, err := New(EngineOptions{Runtime: rt, ComposeBackend: ComposeBackendShellout})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("New: %v", err)
+	}
+	project := sidecarProject(map[string]composetypes.ServiceConfig{
+		"app": {
+			Image:    "alpine",
+			PreStart: []composetypes.ServiceHook{{Command: composetypes.ShellCommand{"migrate"}}},
+		},
+	})
+
+	if err := eng.refuseUnsupportedComposeProject(project, "dc-x"); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("shellout must not refuse: %v", err)
+	}
+}