diff --git a/.devcontainer/Dockerfile b/.devcontainer/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9e6adb2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.devcontainer/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+# =============================================================================
+# Stage 1: venv-builder
+# Minimal image whose only job is to populate the venv. Uses the same Python
+# source as the runtime stage (deadsnakes) so the symlinks inside the venv
+# (e.g. venv/bin/python -> /usr/bin/python3.13) stay valid after COPY --from.
+# Everything in this stage except the venv itself is discarded.
+# =============================================================================
+FROM ubuntu:24.04 AS venv-builder
+
+RUN apt-get update \
+    && export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive \
+    && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+        build-essential \
+        curl \
+        ca-certificates \
+        git \
+        libpq-dev \
+        pkg-config \
+        software-properties-common \
+    && add-apt-repository -y ppa:deadsnakes/ppa \
+    && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+        python3.13 \
+        python3.13-venv \
+        python3.13-dev \
+    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+COPY --from=ghcr.io/astral-sh/uv:latest /uv /uvx /usr/local/bin/
+
+# Build the venv at the path it will live at in the final image, so shebangs
+# and console-scripts inside the venv reference the correct runtime location
+# once the seed step rsyncs them into the named volume.
+ENV VIRTUAL_ENV=/workspaces/dograh/venv \
+    PATH=/workspaces/dograh/venv/bin:$PATH
+RUN mkdir -p /workspaces/dograh && python3.13 -m venv "$VIRTUAL_ENV"
+
+# Layer 1: API deps. Cache invalidates only when these two files change.
+RUN --mount=type=bind,source=api/requirements.txt,target=/tmp/req.txt \
+    --mount=type=bind,source=api/requirements.dev.txt,target=/tmp/req.dev.txt \
+    --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/uv \
+    uv pip install -r /tmp/req.txt -r /tmp/req.dev.txt
+
+# Layer 2: pipecat deps. Cache invalidates when pipecat source changes.
+# After installing pipecat, two hardening tweaks (mirrored from api/Dockerfile):
+#   1. Swap opencv-python (pulled by pipecat[webrtc]) for opencv-python-headless.
+#      The non-headless build links against X11/Qt (libxcb*); without those
+#      shared libs in the image, `import cv2` fails at runtime.
+#   2. Pre-download NLTK's punkt_tab tokenizer so pipecat's text processing
+#      doesn't hit the network on first agent run. NLTK auto-finds it under
+#      sys.prefix/nltk_data, so it travels with the venv on COPY/rsync.
+RUN --mount=type=bind,source=pipecat,target=/tmp/pipecat,rw \
+    --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/uv \
+    uv pip install '/tmp/pipecat[cartesia,deepgram,openai,elevenlabs,groq,google,azure,sarvam,soundfile,silero,webrtc,speechmatics,openrouter,camb,mcp]' \
+ && uv pip install --group /tmp/pipecat/pyproject.toml:dev \
+ && uv pip uninstall opencv-python \
+ && uv pip install opencv-python-headless \
+ && python -c "import nltk; nltk.download('punkt_tab', download_dir='/workspaces/dograh/venv/nltk_data', quiet=True)"
+
+
+# =============================================================================
+# Stage 2: runtime devcontainer image
+# Inherits the devcontainer base (vscode user, sudo, etc.) and brings only the
+# populated venv across from the builder stage.
+# =============================================================================
+FROM mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/base:ubuntu-24.04
+
+RUN apt-get update \
+    && export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive \
+    && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+        build-essential \
+        curl \
+        ffmpeg \
+        git \
+        jq \
+        libpq-dev \
+        pkg-config \
+        postgresql-client \
+        procps \
+        redis-tools \
+        rsync \
+        software-properties-common \
+    && add-apt-repository -y ppa:deadsnakes/ppa \
+    && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+        python3.13 \
+        python3.13-venv \
+        python3.13-dev \
+    && apt-get clean \
+    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+# uv is still needed at runtime so post-create.sh can do the editable
+# pipecat install (and any ad-hoc `uv pip install` users might run).
+COPY --from=ghcr.io/astral-sh/uv:latest /uv /uvx /usr/local/bin/
+
+# Bring the populated venv across. At runtime, the named volume in
+# docker-compose.yml shadows /workspaces/dograh/venv; post-create.sh
+# rsyncs from /opt/venv-template into the (initially empty) volume,
+# comparing build-stamps so an image rebuild that changed deps re-seeds.
+COPY --from=venv-builder --chown=vscode:vscode /workspaces/dograh/venv /opt/venv-template
+RUN date -u +%s > /opt/venv-template/.build-stamp \
+ && chown vscode:vscode /opt/venv-template/.build-stamp
+
+ENV VIRTUAL_ENV=/workspaces/dograh/venv \
+    PATH=/workspaces/dograh/venv/bin:$PATH
diff --git a/.devcontainer/devcontainer-lock.json b/.devcontainer/devcontainer-lock.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..96d8688
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.devcontainer/devcontainer-lock.json
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+{
+  "features": {
+    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/node:1": {
+      "version": "1.7.1",
+      "resolved": "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/node@sha256:8c0de46939b61958041700ee89e3493f3b2e4131a06dc46b4d9423427d06e5f6",
+      "integrity": "sha256:8c0de46939b61958041700ee89e3493f3b2e4131a06dc46b4d9423427d06e5f6"
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json b/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f029d73
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+{
+  "name": "Dograh",
+  "dockerComposeFile": [
+    "../docker-compose-local.yaml",
+    "docker-compose.yml"
+  ],
+  "service": "workspace",
+  "runServices": [
+    "workspace",
+    "postgres",
+    "redis",
+    "minio"
+  ],
+  "workspaceFolder": "/workspaces/dograh",
+  "shutdownAction": "stopCompose",
+  "overrideCommand": false,
+  "remoteUser": "vscode",
+  "features": {
+    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/node:1": {
+      "version": "24"
+    }
+  },
+  "initializeCommand": "git submodule update --init --recursive",
+  "postCreateCommand": "bash .devcontainer/scripts/post-create.sh",
+  "postStartCommand": "bash .devcontainer/scripts/post-start.sh",
+  "forwardPorts": [
+    5432,
+    6379,
+    9000,
+    9001
+  ],
+  "portsAttributes": {
+    "3000": {
+      "label": "Dograh UI",
+      "onAutoForward": "ignore"
+    },
+    "8000": {
+      "label": "Dograh API",
+      "onAutoForward": "ignore"
+    },
+    "5432": {
+      "label": "Postgres"
+    },
+    "6379": {
+      "label": "Redis"
+    },
+    "9000": {
+      "label": "MinIO API"
+    },
+    "9001": {
+      "label": "MinIO Console"
+    }
+  },
+  "customizations": {
+    "vscode": {
+      "settings": {
+        "python.defaultInterpreterPath": "/workspaces/dograh/venv/bin/python",
+        "terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.linux": "bash"
+      },
+      "extensions": [
+        "ms-python.python",
+        "ms-python.vscode-pylance",
+        "ms-python.debugpy",
+        "ms-azuretools.vscode-docker",
+        "dbaeumer.vscode-eslint",
+        "esbenp.prettier-vscode",
+        "bradlc.vscode-tailwindcss"
+      ]
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/.devcontainer/docker-compose.yml b/.devcontainer/docker-compose.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bf4d756
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.devcontainer/docker-compose.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+services:
+  workspace:
+    build:
+      context: .
+      dockerfile: .devcontainer/Dockerfile
+    command: sleep infinity
+    depends_on:
+      postgres:
+        condition: service_healthy
+      redis:
+        condition: service_healthy
+      minio:
+        condition: service_healthy
+    environment:
+      PIP_DISABLE_PIP_VERSION_CHECK: "1"
+      PYTHONUNBUFFERED: "1"
+    extra_hosts:
+      - "host.docker.internal:host-gateway"
+    init: true
+    networks:
+      - app-network
+    volumes:
+      - .:/workspaces/dograh:cached
+      - dograh-venv:/workspaces/dograh/venv
+      - dograh-ui-node_modules:/workspaces/dograh/ui/node_modules
+      - dograh-ts-validator-node_modules:/workspaces/dograh/api/mcp_server/ts_validator/node_modules
+
+volumes:
+  dograh-venv:
+  dograh-ui-node_modules:
+  dograh-ts-validator-node_modules:
diff --git a/.devcontainer/scripts/post-create.sh b/.devcontainer/scripts/post-create.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..835fce4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.devcontainer/scripts/post-create.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+ROOT_DIR="/workspaces/dograh"
+UI_ENV_EXAMPLE="$ROOT_DIR/ui/.env.example"
+UI_ENV_FILE="$ROOT_DIR/ui/.env"
+VENV_PATH="$ROOT_DIR/venv"
+VENV_TEMPLATE="/opt/venv-template"
+
+TOTAL_STEPS=5
+STEP=0
+STEP_START=$SECONDS
+SCRIPT_START=$SECONDS
+
+step() {
+  STEP=$((STEP + 1))
+  STEP_START=$SECONDS
+  printf '\n==> [%d/%d] %s\n' "$STEP" "$TOTAL_STEPS" "$1"
+}
+
+step_done() {
+  printf '    done in %ds\n' "$((SECONDS - STEP_START))"
+}
+
+fail() {
+  printf '\n!! FAILED at step %d/%d (%s) after %ds\n' \
+    "$STEP" "$TOTAL_STEPS" "${1:-unknown}" "$((SECONDS - SCRIPT_START))" >&2
+  exit 1
+}
+trap 'fail "exit $?"' ERR
+
+copy_if_missing() {
+  local src=$1
+  local dst=$2
+  if [[ -f "$dst" ]]; then
+    echo "Keeping existing $dst"
+    return
+  fi
+  cp "$src" "$dst"
+  echo "Created $dst from $src"
+}
+
+# Copy an api/.env*.example template to its target, rewriting infra hostnames
+# from `localhost` to the docker service names defined in
+# docker-compose-local.yaml. MINIO_PUBLIC_ENDPOINT stays on localhost — that
+# URL ends up in UI responses and is loaded by the host browser via the
+# forwarded port. No-op if the target already exists.
+copy_env_with_docker_hostnames() {
+  local src=$1
+  local dst=$2
+  if [[ -f "$dst" ]]; then
+    echo "Keeping existing $dst"
+    return
+  fi
+  cp "$src" "$dst"
+  sed -i \
+    -e 's|@localhost:5432|@postgres:5432|g' \
+    -e 's|@localhost:6379|@redis:6379|g' \
+    -e 's|^MINIO_ENDPOINT=localhost:9000|MINIO_ENDPOINT=minio:9000|' \
+    "$dst"
+  echo "Created $dst from $src (rewrote service hostnames for docker network)"
+}
+
+# Seed the venv named volume from the image-baked template, but only when
+# the template's build-stamp differs from what's currently in the volume
+# (first start, or any rebuild that changed requirements.txt / pipecat).
+seed_venv() {
+  local image_stamp venv_stamp
+  image_stamp=$(cat "$VENV_TEMPLATE/.build-stamp" 2>/dev/null || echo missing)
+  venv_stamp=$(cat "$VENV_PATH/.build-stamp" 2>/dev/null || echo none)
+
+  if [[ "$image_stamp" == "$venv_stamp" ]]; then
+    echo "Venv already in sync with image template (stamp=$venv_stamp)"
+    return
+  fi
+
+  echo "Re-seeding venv: image=$image_stamp, volume=$venv_stamp"
+  rsync -a --delete "$VENV_TEMPLATE/" "$VENV_PATH/"
+}
+
+cd "$ROOT_DIR"
+
+step "Fixing ownership of named volume mountpoints"
+# Named volumes are created owned by root; postCreateCommand runs as the
+# remote user. Chown the mountpoint roots so the steps below can write.
+sudo chown "$(id -u):$(id -g)" \
+  "$VENV_PATH" \
+  "$ROOT_DIR/ui/node_modules" \
+  "$ROOT_DIR/api/mcp_server/ts_validator/node_modules"
+step_done
+
+step "Seeding venv from image template"
+seed_venv
+step_done
+
+step "Copying example env files into place"
+copy_env_with_docker_hostnames "$ROOT_DIR/api/.env.example"      "$ROOT_DIR/api/.env"
+copy_env_with_docker_hostnames "$ROOT_DIR/api/.env.test.example" "$ROOT_DIR/api/.env.test"
+copy_if_missing "$UI_ENV_EXAMPLE" "$UI_ENV_FILE"
+step_done
+
+step "Switching pipecat to editable install from workspace"
+# pipecat's deps are already in the seeded venv as a frozen snapshot from
+# the build context. Re-register editable from the bind-mounted workspace
+# so source edits take effect. --no-deps skips re-resolving transitive
+# dependencies (already present from the seeded image template).
+uv pip install -e "$ROOT_DIR/pipecat" --no-deps
+step_done
+
+step "Installing npm dependencies (ui + ts_validator in parallel)"
+npm ci --prefix ui &
+ui_pid=$!
+npm ci --prefix api/mcp_server/ts_validator &
+ts_pid=$!
+wait "$ui_pid" || fail "npm ci ui"
+wait "$ts_pid" || fail "npm ci ts_validator"
+step_done
+
+printf '\nDevcontainer bootstrap complete in %ds.\n' "$((SECONDS - SCRIPT_START))"
diff --git a/.devcontainer/scripts/post-start.sh b/.devcontainer/scripts/post-start.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..90602bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.devcontainer/scripts/post-start.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+# Intentionally no `http://localhost:PORT` URLs below — VS Code's terminal
+# URL detector adds any printed URL to its auto-forwarded-ports list and
+# then polls it, which produces ECONNREFUSED log spam every ~20s for ports
+# that aren't bound yet. The Ports panel auto-detects bound ports anyway.
+cat <<'EOF'
+Dograh devcontainer ready.
+
+Start the backend:
+  bash scripts/start_services_dev.sh
+
+Start the UI in another terminal:
+  cd ui && npm run dev -- --hostname 0.0.0.0
+
+URLs and other workflow notes: docs/contribution/setup.mdx
+EOF
diff --git a/.github/workflows/api-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/api-tests.yml
index 21d22ff..52883a4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/api-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/api-tests.yml
@@ -65,10 +65,10 @@ jobs:
         with:
           submodules: recursive
 
-      - name: Set up Python 3.12
+      - name: Set up Python 3.13
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
         with:
-          python-version: "3.12"
+          python-version: "3.13"
           cache: pip
           cache-dependency-path: |
             api/requirements.txt
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pre-pr-drift-check.yml b/.github/workflows/pre-pr-drift-check.yml
index d3b2ad0..fe45131 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pre-pr-drift-check.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pre-pr-drift-check.yml
@@ -27,10 +27,10 @@ jobs:
         with:
           submodules: recursive
 
-      - name: Set up Python 3.12
+      - name: Set up Python 3.13
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
         with:
-          python-version: "3.12"
+          python-version: "3.13"
           cache: pip
           cache-dependency-path: |
             api/requirements.txt
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index d45b824..4dedc77 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ infrastructure/
 prd/
 .vercel
 
+api/.env.devcontainer
 venv/
 .venv/
 .playwright-mcp
@@ -18,4 +19,3 @@ coturn/
 *.wav
 dograh_pcm_cache/
 node_modules/
-.vscode
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.python-version b/.python-version
index 7acdc73..976544c 100644
--- a/.python-version
+++ b/.python-version
@@ -1 +1 @@
-3.13.7
\ No newline at end of file
+3.13.7
diff --git a/.vscode/launch.json b/.vscode/launch.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..24b2291
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.vscode/launch.json
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+// Debug configurations for Dograh contributors.
+//
+// Prerequisites:
+//   - Python interpreter selected in VS Code (devcontainer sets this
+//     automatically; otherwise pick `./venv/bin/python` via the
+//     "Python: Select Interpreter" command).
+//   - api/.env exists (copy from api/.env.example, or api/.env.devcontainer
+//     is created automatically by the devcontainer post-create script).
+//   - api/.env.test exists for the test configurations (copy from
+//     api/.env.example and point at a throwaway database).
+//
+// All Python configs set justMyCode=false so the debugger steps into
+// library code (useful for tracing through pipecat/fastapi/etc.).
+{
+    "version": "0.2.0",
+    "configurations": [
+        {
+            "name": "API: Uvicorn (reload)",
+            "type": "debugpy",
+            "request": "launch",
+            "module": "uvicorn",
+            "args": [
+                "api.app:app",
+                "--reload",
+                "--host", "0.0.0.0",
+                "--port", "8000"
+            ],
+            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
+            "envFile": "${workspaceFolder}/api/.env",
+            "env": {
+                "PYTHONPATH": "${workspaceFolder}"
+            },
+            "justMyCode": false
+        },
+        {
+            "name": "API: Arq worker (watch)",
+            "type": "debugpy",
+            "request": "launch",
+            "module": "arq",
+            "args": [
+                "api.tasks.arq.WorkerSettings",
+                "--watch", "${workspaceFolder}/api",
+                "--custom-log-dict", "api.tasks.arq.LOG_CONFIG"
+            ],
+            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
+            "envFile": "${workspaceFolder}/api/.env",
+            "env": {
+                "PYTHONPATH": "${workspaceFolder}"
+            },
+            "justMyCode": false
+        },
+        {
+            "name": "Tests: API (pytest, full suite)",
+            "type": "debugpy",
+            "request": "launch",
+            "module": "pytest",
+            "args": ["tests", "-xvs"],
+            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}/api",
+            "envFile": "${workspaceFolder}/api/.env.test",
+            "env": {
+                "PYTHONPATH": "${workspaceFolder}"
+            },
+            "justMyCode": false
+        },
+        {
+            "name": "Tests: API (pytest, current file)",
+            "type": "debugpy",
+            "request": "launch",
+            "module": "pytest",
+            "args": ["${file}", "-xvs"],
+            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}/api",
+            "envFile": "${workspaceFolder}/api/.env.test",
+            "env": {
+                "PYTHONPATH": "${workspaceFolder}"
+            },
+            "justMyCode": false
+        },
+        {
+            "name": "Tests: Pipecat (pytest, current file)",
+            "type": "debugpy",
+            "request": "launch",
+            "module": "pytest",
+            "args": ["${file}", "-xvs"],
+            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}/pipecat",
+            "envFile": "${workspaceFolder}/api/.env",
+            "env": {
+                "PYTHONPATH": "${workspaceFolder}/pipecat/src"
+            },
+            "justMyCode": false
+        },
+        {
+            "name": "Python: Current file",
+            "type": "debugpy",
+            "request": "launch",
+            "program": "${file}",
+            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
+            "envFile": "${workspaceFolder}/api/.env",
+            "env": {
+                "PYTHONPATH": "${workspaceFolder}"
+            },
+            "justMyCode": false
+        }
+    ]
+}
diff --git a/.vscode/settings.json b/.vscode/settings.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f1daa35
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.vscode/settings.json
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+    "python.defaultInterpreterPath": "${workspaceFolder}/venv/bin/python"
+}
diff --git a/api/.env.test.example b/api/.env.test.example
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3953e65
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/.env.test.example
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+# Test environment. Read by pytest runs and the "Tests: API" launch
+# configurations in .vscode/launch.json.
+#
+# Tests target a separate database (`test_db`) so they don't clobber dev
+# data. Create it once after the postgres container is up:
+#   docker compose -f docker-compose-local.yaml exec postgres \
+#       createdb -U postgres test_db
+
+ENVIRONMENT="test"
+LOG_LEVEL="DEBUG"
+
+UI_APP_URL=http://localhost:3000
+
+DATABASE_URL="postgresql+asyncpg://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/test_db"
+REDIS_URL="redis://:redissecret@localhost:6379/0"
+
+MINIO_PUBLIC_ENDPOINT=http://localhost:9000
diff --git a/api/Dockerfile b/api/Dockerfile
index b871000..20dc393 100644
--- a/api/Dockerfile
+++ b/api/Dockerfile
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Multi-stage Dockerfile
 # Stage 1: Builder - Install Python dependencies
-FROM python:3.12-slim AS builder
+FROM python:3.13-slim AS builder
 
 WORKDIR /app
 
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
     && chmod +x /usr/local/bin/ffmpeg /usr/local/bin/ffprobe
 
 # Stage 4: Runtime - Minimal image with only runtime dependencies
-FROM python:3.12-slim AS runner
+FROM python:3.13-slim AS runner
 
 WORKDIR /app
 
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ COPY --from=ffmpeg-static /usr/local/bin/ffmpeg /usr/local/bin/ffmpeg
 COPY --from=ffmpeg-static /usr/local/bin/ffprobe /usr/local/bin/ffprobe
 
 # Node.js 22 binary only (ts_validator subprocess needs node >=22.6 for
-# native TypeScript stripping; see api/mcp_server/ts_bridge.py). python:3.12-slim
+# native TypeScript stripping; see api/mcp_server/ts_bridge.py). python:3.13-slim
 # already provides libstdc++6, libgcc-s1, and ca-certificates that node needs.
 COPY --from=node:22-slim /usr/local/bin/node /usr/local/bin/node
 
@@ -104,4 +104,4 @@ ENV LOG_TO_FILE=false
 EXPOSE 8000
 
 # Run the FastAPI app with uvicorn
-CMD ["./scripts/start_services_docker.sh"]
\ No newline at end of file
+CMD ["./scripts/start_services_docker.sh"]
diff --git a/api/pyproject.toml b/api/pyproject.toml
index b937d41..71d886e 100644
--- a/api/pyproject.toml
+++ b/api/pyproject.toml
@@ -2,4 +2,4 @@
 name = "dograh-api"
 version = "1.31.0"
 description = "Backend API for Dograh voice AI platform"
-requires-python = ">=3.12"
+requires-python = ">=3.13,<3.14"
diff --git a/api/requirements.dev.txt b/api/requirements.dev.txt
index b5bd106..2ea8a2e 100644
--- a/api/requirements.dev.txt
+++ b/api/requirements.dev.txt
@@ -2,4 +2,3 @@ mypy==2.0.0
 watchfiles==1.1.1
 datamodel-code-generator==0.56.1
 twine==6.2.0
--e ./sdk/python
diff --git a/docs/contribution/introduction.mdx b/docs/contribution/introduction.mdx
index 0c8b45b..023f239 100644
--- a/docs/contribution/introduction.mdx
+++ b/docs/contribution/introduction.mdx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 ---
 title: Contribution
-description: If you would like to set up the development environment and use a coding agent like Claude to make changes to the codebase, you can follow this document to help setup the right development environment for yourself.
+description: If you would like to set up Dograh development environment in your IDE and use a coding agent like Claude/ Codex to make changes to the codebase, you can follow this document to help setup the right development environment for yourself.
 ---
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docs/contribution/setup.mdx b/docs/contribution/setup.mdx
index b2fc9b7..8e8a21e 100644
--- a/docs/contribution/setup.mdx
+++ b/docs/contribution/setup.mdx
@@ -1,29 +1,83 @@
 ---
 title: Setup
-description: You can use this document to setup the dev environment for yourself. 
+description: Use this page to set up the Dograh contributor environment, with a devcontainer-first workflow.
 ---
 <Note>
-If the below steps do not work out for you, it would be great if you can open an issue on [Github](https://github.com/dograh-hq/dograh/issues). 
+If the steps below do not work for you, please open an issue on [GitHub](https://github.com/dograh-hq/dograh/issues).
 </Note>
 
-### System Requirements
-- git to clone the forked repository
-- Node.js 24 to run the UI (we recommend using [NVM](https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm) on macOS/Linux or [NVM for Windows](https://github.com/coreybutler/nvm-windows) on Windows to manage your node versions locally)
-- Python 3.13 to run the backend
-- Docker to run the database and redis cache locally
+### Recommended: Devcontainer setup
+
+#### System Requirements
+- Git
+- Docker Desktop or another local Docker engine
+- A Dev Container-compatible editor. The most tested path is VS Code with the [Dev Containers extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode-remote.remote-containers).
 
 <Note>
-All commands below are shown for **macOS / Linux**. Expand the **Windows** tab for the PowerShell equivalent where it differs.
+The checked-in `.devcontainer/` follows the Dev Containers specification. VS Code is the default recommendation because its support is the most mature and best documented, but the same setup should also work in tools like Cursor and JetBrains IDEs that support Dev Containers.
 </Note>
 
-### Steps
-1. Fork the Dograh repository by going to https://github.com/dograh-hq/dograh
-2. Clone **your fork** on your machine. You can skip `--recurse-submodules` here — the bootstrap script in the next step will initialize submodules for you.
-```
+1. Fork the Dograh repository at https://github.com/dograh-hq/dograh
+2. Clone **your fork**:
+```bash
 git clone https://github.com/<GITHUB_HANDLE>/dograh
 cd dograh
 ```
-3. Run the contributor bootstrap. It configures `origin` (your fork) and `upstream` (`dograh-hq/dograh`), initializes the pipecat submodule, creates the Python venv, and copies the `.env` templates. Re-running it is safe — already-configured pieces are skipped.
+If you cloned `dograh-hq/dograh` directly instead of your fork, run `bash scripts/setup_fork.sh` once inside the container after it boots to reset `origin` and `upstream`.
+
+3. Open the repository in your Dev Container-compatible editor and start the devcontainer.
+If you are using VS Code, run **Dev Containers: Reopen in Container**.
+4. Wait for the first container boot to finish. The post-create bootstrap will:
+- initialize the `pipecat` submodule
+- create `venv/` with Python 3.13
+- install backend dependencies with `scripts/setup_requirements.sh --dev`
+- install `ui/` dependencies and `api/mcp_server/ts_validator` dependencies
+- create `api/.env` and `ui/.env` if they do not already exist (rewriting docker network hostnames in `api/.env`)
+- start `postgres`, `redis`, and `minio` via Docker Compose
+5. Start the backend from a terminal inside the container:
+```bash
+bash scripts/start_services_dev.sh
+```
+6. Start the UI from another terminal inside the container:
+```bash
+cd ui
+npm run dev -- --hostname 0.0.0.0
+```
+7. Verify that the backend is healthy:
+```bash
+curl -X GET localhost:8000/api/v1/health
+```
+8. Open the app at `http://localhost:3000`.
+
+You can tail backend logs from inside the container with:
+
+```bash
+tail -f logs/latest/*.log
+```
+
+The backend reads `api/.env` both on the host and inside the devcontainer. The post-create bootstrap rewrites `DATABASE_URL`, `REDIS_URL`, and `MINIO_ENDPOINT` to docker network aliases (`postgres`, `redis`, `minio`) when it creates the file. If you already had an `api/.env` from host development with `localhost` hosts for those, edit it before starting the backend inside the devcontainer.
+
+#### Restarting the backend
+Re-run the same start script to restart. It reads the PID files under `run/`, terminates the previous services along with their descendants, and starts fresh ones.
+
+```bash
+bash scripts/start_services_dev.sh
+```
+
+<Note>
+`uvicorn` runs with `--reload --reload-dir api`, so edits under `api/` are picked up automatically. The other services (`ari_manager`, `campaign_orchestrator`, `arq`) do not auto-reload; re-run the start script after changing code they execute.
+</Note>
+
+### Fallback: host-managed setup
+Use this only if you do not want to use the devcontainer.
+
+#### System Requirements
+- Git
+- Node.js 24 to run the UI
+- Python 3.13 to run the backend
+- Docker to run Postgres, Redis, and MinIO locally
+
+1. Run the contributor bootstrap. It configures `origin` (your fork) and `upstream` (`dograh-hq/dograh`), initializes the pipecat submodule, creates the Python venv, and copies the `.env` templates.
 <CodeGroup>
 ```bash macOS/Linux
 bash scripts/setup_fork.sh
@@ -32,7 +86,7 @@ bash scripts/setup_fork.sh
 .\scripts\setup_fork.ps1
 ```
 </CodeGroup>
-Activate the venv (the bootstrap script created it but won't activate it for you):
+2. Activate the virtual environment:
 <CodeGroup>
 ```bash macOS/Linux
 source venv/bin/activate
@@ -41,45 +95,28 @@ source venv/bin/activate
 .\venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
 ```
 </CodeGroup>
-4. Ensure you are on right version of Node.js using `node --version`
-```
+3. Ensure your local Node version is 24:
+```bash
 nvm use 24
 ```
-5. Install UI dependencies
-```
+4. Install UI dependencies:
+```bash
 cd ui && npm install && cd ..
 ```
-6. Start local docker services 
-<Note>Please ensure you dont have any other instance of conflicting services running by checking `docker ps`</Note>
-```
+5. Start the local Docker services:
+```bash
 docker compose -f docker-compose-local.yaml up -d
 ```
-Verify that the processes have started by running `docker ps`
-```
-abhishek$ docker ps
-CONTAINER ID   IMAGE         COMMAND                  CREATED          STATUS                    PORTS                                         NAMES
-9066b7244b2f   postgres:17   "docker-entrypoint.s…"   18 seconds ago   Up 18 seconds (healthy)   0.0.0.0:5432->5432/tcp, [::]:5432->5432/tcp   dograh-postgres-1
-6c7cb8afdf18   redis:7       "docker-entrypoint.s…"   18 seconds ago   Up 18 seconds (healthy)   0.0.0.0:6379->6379/tcp, [::]:6379->6379/tcp   dograh-redis-1
-a57e3e92b02c   minio/minio   "/usr/bin/docker-ent…"   18 seconds ago   Up 18 seconds (healthy)   127.0.0.1:9000-9001->9000-9001/tcp            dograh-minio-1
-```
-7. Install Python requirements. The script installs `api/requirements.txt` and pipecat with the required extras. Add the dev flag if you also want the pipecat dev dependency group (pytest, ruff, pre-commit, etc.).
+6. Install Python requirements:
 <CodeGroup>
 ```bash macOS/Linux
-# Default (runtime only)
-bash scripts/setup_requirements.sh
-
-# Include pipecat dev dependencies
 bash scripts/setup_requirements.sh --dev
 ```
 ```powershell Windows
-# Default (runtime only)
-.\scripts\setup_requirements.ps1
-
-# Include pipecat dev dependencies
 .\scripts\setup_requirements.ps1 -Dev
 ```
 </CodeGroup>
-8. Start backend services 
+7. Start the backend services:
 <CodeGroup>
 ```bash macOS/Linux
 bash scripts/start_services_dev.sh
@@ -88,44 +125,11 @@ bash scripts/start_services_dev.sh
 .\scripts\start_services_dev.ps1
 ```
 </CodeGroup>
-Verify that your backend server is running
-<CodeGroup>
-```bash macOS/Linux
-curl -X GET localhost:8000/api/v1/health
-```
-```powershell Windows
-curl.exe http://localhost:8000/api/v1/health
-```
-</CodeGroup>
-You would be able to see the logs in logs/ directory.
-<CodeGroup>
-```bash macOS/Linux
-tail -f logs/latest/*.log
-```
-```powershell Windows
-Get-Content logs/latest/*.log -Wait
-```
-</CodeGroup>
-
-#### Restarting the backend
-Re-run the same start script to restart. It reads the PID files under `run/`, terminates the previous services along with their descendants, and starts fresh ones.
-<CodeGroup>
-```bash macOS/Linux
-bash scripts/start_services_dev.sh
-```
-```powershell Windows
-.\scripts\start_services_dev.ps1
-```
-</CodeGroup>
-
-<Note>
-`uvicorn` runs with `--reload --reload-dir api`, so edits under `api/` are picked up automatically — no restart needed. The other services (`ari_manager`, `campaign_orchestrator`, `arq`) do **not** auto-reload; re-run the start script after changing code they execute.
-</Note>
-9. Start the UI
-```
+8. Start the UI:
+```bash
 cd ui && npm run dev
 ```
-10. You should be able to open the application on `localhost:3000` now
+9. Open the application on `http://localhost:3000`.
 
 ### Keeping your fork in sync with upstream
 The bootstrap script configures two remotes: `origin` (your fork, where you push) and `upstream` (`dograh-hq/dograh`, where new commits land). To pull in upstream changes:
@@ -133,12 +137,13 @@ The bootstrap script configures two remotes: `origin` (your fork, where you push
 ```bash
 git fetch upstream
 git checkout main
-git merge upstream/main          # or: git rebase upstream/main
+git merge upstream/main
 git push origin main
 ```
 
 Check your remotes any time with `git remote -v`. You should see:
-```
+
+```bash
 origin    https://github.com/<YOUR_HANDLE>/dograh.git (fetch/push)
 upstream  https://github.com/dograh-hq/dograh.git    (fetch/push)
 ```
@@ -148,4 +153,4 @@ Always push feature branches to **`origin`** (your fork), then open a pull reque
 </Note>
 
 ### Next Steps
-We ship with AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md which will help the Coding Agents get started quickly with the codebase. This should help your favourite coding agents to be able to navigate the codebase quickly and you can make changes to it and suit your specification better. 
+The repository ships with `AGENTS.md` and `CLAUDE.md` so coding agents can navigate the codebase quickly. Adjust them locally if you need agent-specific guidance for your workflow.
diff --git a/docs/docs.json b/docs/docs.json
index e5711fb..446adf6 100644
--- a/docs/docs.json
+++ b/docs/docs.json
@@ -125,6 +125,13 @@
         "tab": "Developer",
         "icon": "code",
         "groups": [
+          {
+            "group": "Contribution",
+            "pages": [
+              "contribution/introduction",
+              "contribution/setup"
+            ]
+          },
           {
             "group": "Guides",
             "pages": [
@@ -152,13 +159,6 @@
               "deployment/update",
               "deployment/heroku"
             ]
-          },
-          {
-            "group": "Contribution",
-            "pages": [
-              "contribution/introduction",
-              "contribution/setup"
-            ]
           }
         ]
       },
diff --git a/scripts/setup_fork.ps1 b/scripts/setup_fork.ps1
index 5844acf..5a5d0e8 100644
--- a/scripts/setup_fork.ps1
+++ b/scripts/setup_fork.ps1
@@ -102,18 +102,33 @@ Write-Host '[3/4] Python virtual environment' -ForegroundColor Blue
 $VenvPath = Join-Path $BaseDir 'venv'
 $VenvActivate = Join-Path $VenvPath 'Scripts/Activate.ps1'
 
-if (Test-Path $VenvActivate) {
-    Write-Host "OK venv already exists at $VenvPath" -ForegroundColor Green
-} else {
-    $py = $null
-    foreach ($candidate in @('python3.13', 'python', 'python3')) {
-        if (Get-Command $candidate -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
-            $py = $candidate
-            break
+function Get-Python313Command {
+    foreach ($candidate in @('python3.13', 'python3', 'python')) {
+        if (-not (Get-Command $candidate -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+            continue
+        }
+
+        $version = & $candidate -c "import sys; print(f'{sys.version_info.major}.{sys.version_info.minor}')" 2>$null
+        if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0 -and $version -eq '3.13') {
+            return $candidate
         }
     }
+
+    return $null
+}
+
+if (Test-Path $VenvActivate) {
+    $venvPython = Join-Path $VenvPath 'Scripts/python.exe'
+    $venvVersion = & $venvPython -c "import sys; print(f'{sys.version_info.major}.{sys.version_info.minor}')" 2>$null
+    if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0 -or $venvVersion -ne '3.13') {
+        Write-Host "Error: existing venv uses Python $venvVersion. Remove $VenvPath and re-run with Python 3.13." -ForegroundColor Red
+        exit 1
+    }
+    Write-Host "OK venv already exists at $VenvPath (Python $venvVersion)" -ForegroundColor Green
+} else {
+    $py = Get-Python313Command
     if (-not $py) {
-        Write-Host 'Error: no python interpreter found on PATH. Install Python 3.13.' -ForegroundColor Red
+        Write-Host 'Error: no Python 3.13 interpreter found on PATH. Install Python 3.13.' -ForegroundColor Red
         exit 1
     }
     & $py -m venv $VenvPath
@@ -128,8 +143,9 @@ Write-Host ''
 
 Write-Host '[4/4] Environment files' -ForegroundColor Blue
 $pairs = @(
-    @{ Src = 'api/.env.example'; Dst = 'api/.env' },
-    @{ Src = 'ui/.env.example';  Dst = 'ui/.env'  }
+    @{ Src = 'api/.env.example';      Dst = 'api/.env'      },
+    @{ Src = 'api/.env.test.example'; Dst = 'api/.env.test' },
+    @{ Src = 'ui/.env.example';       Dst = 'ui/.env'       }
 )
 foreach ($p in $pairs) {
     if (Test-Path $p.Dst) {
diff --git a/scripts/setup_fork.sh b/scripts/setup_fork.sh
index f7cfe47..502bac5 100755
--- a/scripts/setup_fork.sh
+++ b/scripts/setup_fork.sh
@@ -102,18 +102,36 @@ echo ""
 echo -e "${BLUE}[3/4] Python virtual environment${NC}"
 VENV_PATH="$BASE_DIR/venv"
 
-if [[ -d "$VENV_PATH" && -f "$VENV_PATH/bin/activate" ]]; then
-    echo -e "${GREEN}✓ venv already exists at $VENV_PATH${NC}"
-else
-    PY=""
+find_python_313() {
+    local candidate=""
+    local version=""
+
     for candidate in python3.13 python3 python; do
-        if command -v "$candidate" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-            PY="$candidate"
-            break
+        if ! command -v "$candidate" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+            continue
+        fi
+
+        version=$("$candidate" -c "import sys; print(f'{sys.version_info.major}.{sys.version_info.minor}')" 2>/dev/null || true)
+        if [[ "$version" == "3.13" ]]; then
+            echo "$candidate"
+            return 0
         fi
     done
+
+    return 1
+}
+
+if [[ -d "$VENV_PATH" && -f "$VENV_PATH/bin/activate" ]]; then
+    VENV_VERSION=$("$VENV_PATH/bin/python" -c "import sys; print(f'{sys.version_info.major}.{sys.version_info.minor}')" 2>/dev/null || true)
+    if [[ "$VENV_VERSION" != "3.13" ]]; then
+        echo -e "${RED}Error: existing venv uses Python ${VENV_VERSION:-unknown}. Remove $VENV_PATH and re-run with Python 3.13.${NC}"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+    echo -e "${GREEN}✓ venv already exists at $VENV_PATH (Python $VENV_VERSION)${NC}"
+else
+    PY="$(find_python_313 || true)"
     if [[ -z "$PY" ]]; then
-        echo -e "${RED}Error: no python interpreter found on PATH. Install Python 3.13.${NC}"
+        echo -e "${RED}Error: no Python 3.13 interpreter found on PATH. Install Python 3.13.${NC}"
         exit 1
     fi
     "$PY" -m venv "$VENV_PATH"
@@ -126,7 +144,7 @@ echo ""
 ###############################################################################
 
 echo -e "${BLUE}[4/4] Environment files${NC}"
-for pair in "api/.env.example|api/.env" "ui/.env.example|ui/.env"; do
+for pair in "api/.env.example|api/.env" "api/.env.test.example|api/.env.test" "ui/.env.example|ui/.env"; do
     src="${pair%|*}"
     dst="${pair#*|}"
     if [[ -f "$dst" ]]; then
diff --git a/scripts/setup_local.devcontainer.md b/scripts/setup_local.devcontainer.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0f7af1f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/setup_local.devcontainer.md
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+# Devcontainer contributor setup
+
+`setup_local.sh` and `setup_local.ps1` provision the OSS Docker stack for local
+deployments. They are not the recommended contributor workflow for this
+repository.
+
+For day-to-day development, use the checked-in devcontainer under
+`.devcontainer/`. The full contributor instructions live in
+`../docs/contribution/setup.mdx`.
+
+The devcontainer flow pins Python 3.13, installs backend and frontend
+dependencies in-container, creates a container-specific API env file, and
+starts Postgres, Redis, and MinIO automatically.
diff --git a/scripts/setup_requirements.ps1 b/scripts/setup_requirements.ps1
index c71dba6..6c80542 100644
--- a/scripts/setup_requirements.ps1
+++ b/scripts/setup_requirements.ps1
@@ -25,24 +25,30 @@ if (-not $Dev) {
     git submodule update --init --recursive
 }
 
+# Use uv (https://github.com/astral-sh/uv) for ~5-10x faster installs.
+if (-not (Get-Command uv -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+    Write-Host "Installing uv..."
+    Invoke-RestMethod https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | Invoke-Expression
+    $env:Path = "$env:USERPROFILE\.local\bin;$env:Path"
+}
+
 # Install dograh API requirements first so pipecat's extras win on any
 # shared transitive dependencies (matches api/Dockerfile and CI workflow).
 Write-Host "Installing dograh API requirements..."
-pip install -r api/requirements.txt
+uv pip install -r api/requirements.txt
 
 if ($Dev) {
     Write-Host "Installing dograh API dev requirements..."
-    pip install -r api/requirements.dev.txt
+    uv pip install -r api/requirements.dev.txt
 }
 
 # Install pipecat in editable mode with all extras
 Write-Host "Installing pipecat dependencies..."
-pip install -e './pipecat[cartesia,deepgram,openai,elevenlabs,groq,google,azure,sarvam,soundfile,silero,webrtc,speechmatics,openrouter,camb]'
+uv pip install -e './pipecat[cartesia,deepgram,openai,elevenlabs,groq,google,azure,sarvam,soundfile,silero,webrtc,speechmatics,openrouter,camb]'
 
 if ($Dev) {
     Write-Host "Installing pipecat dev dependencies..."
-    pip install --upgrade pip
-    pip install --group pipecat/pyproject.toml:dev
+    uv pip install --group pipecat/pyproject.toml:dev
 }
 
 Write-Host "Setup complete! Requirements are installed."
diff --git a/scripts/setup_requirements.sh b/scripts/setup_requirements.sh
index 201b952..1bd905b 100755
--- a/scripts/setup_requirements.sh
+++ b/scripts/setup_requirements.sh
@@ -39,24 +39,32 @@ if [ "$DEV_MODE" -eq 0 ]; then
     git submodule update --init --recursive
 fi
 
+# Use uv (https://github.com/astral-sh/uv) for ~5-10x faster installs.
+# The devcontainer Dockerfile pre-installs uv; this fallback handles CI runners
+# and contributor laptops that don't have it yet.
+if ! command -v uv >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    echo "Installing uv..."
+    curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
+    export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
+fi
+
 # Install dograh API requirements first so pipecat's extras win on any
 # shared transitive dependencies (matches api/Dockerfile and CI workflow).
 echo "Installing dograh API requirements..."
-pip install -r api/requirements.txt
+uv pip install -r api/requirements.txt
 
 if [ "$DEV_MODE" -eq 1 ]; then
     echo "Installing dograh API dev requirements..."
-    pip install -r api/requirements.dev.txt
+    uv pip install -r api/requirements.dev.txt
 fi
 
 # Install pipecat in editable mode with all extras
 echo "Installing pipecat dependencies..."
-pip install -e ./pipecat[cartesia,deepgram,openai,elevenlabs,groq,google,azure,sarvam,soundfile,silero,webrtc,speechmatics,openrouter,camb,mcp]
+uv pip install -e ./pipecat[cartesia,deepgram,openai,elevenlabs,groq,google,azure,sarvam,soundfile,silero,webrtc,speechmatics,openrouter,camb,mcp]
 
 if [ "$DEV_MODE" -eq 1 ]; then
     echo "Installing pipecat dev dependencies..."
-    pip install --upgrade pip
-    pip install --group pipecat/pyproject.toml:dev
+    uv pip install --group pipecat/pyproject.toml:dev
 fi
 
 echo "Setup complete! Requirements are installed."
diff --git a/scripts/start_services_dev.ps1 b/scripts/start_services_dev.ps1
index 27967e5..6a6c78b 100644
--- a/scripts/start_services_dev.ps1
+++ b/scripts/start_services_dev.ps1
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ $ScriptDir = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path
 $BaseDir   = Split-Path -Parent $ScriptDir
 Set-Location $BaseDir
 
-$EnvFile    = Join-Path $BaseDir 'api/.env'
+$EnvFile    = if ($env:DOGRAH_ENV_FILE) { $env:DOGRAH_ENV_FILE } else { Join-Path $BaseDir 'api/.env' }
 $RunDir     = Join-Path $BaseDir 'run'
 $LogsRoot   = Join-Path $BaseDir 'logs'
 $LatestDir  = Join-Path $LogsRoot 'latest'
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ $VenvPath   = Join-Path $BaseDir 'venv'
 
 Write-Host "Starting Dograh Services (DEV MODE) in BASE_DIR: $BaseDir"
 Write-Host "Auto-reload enabled for api/ directory changes"
+Write-Host "Environment file: $EnvFile"
 
 ###############################################################################
 ### 1) Load environment variables
diff --git a/scripts/start_services_dev.sh b/scripts/start_services_dev.sh
index 7fe8de2..2a608e8 100755
--- a/scripts/start_services_dev.sh
+++ b/scripts/start_services_dev.sh
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ set -e  # Exit on error
 # Determine BASE_DIR as parent of the scripts directory
 BASE_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")")" && pwd)"
 
-ENV_FILE="$BASE_DIR/api/.env"
+ENV_FILE="${DOGRAH_ENV_FILE:-$BASE_DIR/api/.env}"
 RUN_DIR="$BASE_DIR/run"                 # Where we keep *.pid
 BASE_LOG_DIR="$BASE_DIR/logs"           # Base logs directory
 
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ HEALTH_INTERVAL=${HEALTH_INTERVAL:-2}
 cd "$BASE_DIR"
 echo "Starting Dograh Services (DEV MODE) at $(date) in BASE_DIR: ${BASE_DIR}"
 echo "Auto-reload enabled for api/ directory changes"
+echo "Environment file: $ENV_FILE"
 
 ###############################################################################
 ### 1) Load environment variables