diff --git a/docker/local-emulator/qemu/build-image.sh b/docker/local-emulator/qemu/build-image.sh
index 26f476516..36f76d99f 100755
--- a/docker/local-emulator/qemu/build-image.sh
+++ b/docker/local-emulator/qemu/build-image.sh
@@ -333,19 +333,25 @@ build_one() {
   local monitor_sock="$tmp_dir/monitor.sock"
   local qga_sock="$tmp_dir/qga.sock"
   local snapshot_args=()
+  local runtime_disk_args=()
   local virtfs_args=(-virtfs "local,path=$tmp_dir,mount_tag=hostfs,security_model=none")
   if [ "$EMULATOR_BUILD_SNAPSHOT" = "1" ]; then
+    # STACKCFG runtime ISO lets stack.service start during the build — same
+    # disk shape render-stack-env expects at runtime. Placed before netdev
+    # so its virtio-blk PCI slot precedes virtio-net-pci, matching the
+    # resume argv order in run-emulator.sh (slots must line up or
+    # migrate-incoming fails the device-tree check).
+    runtime_disk_args=(
+      -drive "file=$runtime_iso,format=raw,if=virtio,readonly=on"
+    )
     # QMP for stop/migrate/quit; virtio-serial + QGA channel so we can exec
     # inside the guest post-resume (only needed at runtime but harmless here).
-    # STACKCFG runtime ISO lets stack.service start during the build — same
-    # disk shape render-stack-env expects at runtime.
     snapshot_args=(
       -chardev "socket,id=monitor,path=$monitor_sock,server=on,wait=off"
       -mon "chardev=monitor,mode=control"
       -chardev "socket,path=$qga_sock,server=on,wait=off,id=qga0"
       -device virtio-serial
       -device "virtserialport,chardev=qga0,name=org.qemu.guest_agent.0"
-      -drive "file=$runtime_iso,format=raw,if=virtio,readonly=on"
       # Empty PCIe root port reserved for runtime hot-plug of virtio-9p.
       # The integrated pcie.0 bus on q35 / arm64-virt is static — hotplug
       # only works through a root port. Must be present at snapshot capture
@@ -367,6 +373,7 @@ build_one() {
     -drive "file=$tmp_img,format=qcow2,if=virtio,discard=on,detect-zeroes=unmap" \
     -drive "file=$seed_iso,format=raw,if=virtio,readonly=on" \
     -drive "file=$bundle_iso,format=raw,if=virtio,readonly=on" \
+    ${runtime_disk_args[@]+"${runtime_disk_args[@]}"} \
     -netdev user,id=net0 \
     -device virtio-net-pci,netdev=net0 \
     ${virtfs_args[@]+"${virtfs_args[@]}"} \
diff --git a/docker/local-emulator/qemu/common.sh b/docker/local-emulator/qemu/common.sh
index 38385e308..f5d3392d9 100755
--- a/docker/local-emulator/qemu/common.sh
+++ b/docker/local-emulator/qemu/common.sh
@@ -193,8 +193,8 @@ capture_vm_state() {
   if [ "$waited" -ge "$migrate_timeout" ]; then
     err "QMP migrate timed out after ${migrate_timeout}s"
     err "Last query-migrate response: $({
-      printf '%s\n' '{\"execute\":\"qmp_capabilities\"}'
-      printf '%s\n' '{\"execute\":\"query-migrate\"}'
+      printf '%s\n' '{"execute":"qmp_capabilities"}'
+      printf '%s\n' '{"execute":"query-migrate"}'
     } | qmp_session "$sock" 2>/dev/null || true)"
     return 1
   fi
diff --git a/docker/local-emulator/qemu/run-emulator.sh b/docker/local-emulator/qemu/run-emulator.sh
index aba9311b0..0845ff153 100755
--- a/docker/local-emulator/qemu/run-emulator.sh
+++ b/docker/local-emulator/qemu/run-emulator.sh
@@ -168,16 +168,12 @@ runtime_fingerprint() {
 }
 
 ensure_runtime_config_iso() {
-  local cfg_iso
-  cfg_iso="$(runtime_iso_path)"
-  if [ -s "$cfg_iso" ]; then
-    return 0
-  fi
-
-  # Fallback used when this script is invoked directly (e.g. `pnpm
-  # emulator:start`) rather than through the stack-cli, which generates the
-  # ISO via packages/stack-cli/src/lib/iso.ts. Mirrors the field set + volume
-  # label so the guest's render-stack-env mounts it the same way.
+  # Regenerate unconditionally: port env vars (PORT_PREFIX, EMULATOR_*_PORT)
+  # may have changed since the last run, and an ISO cached from a prior
+  # invocation would silently override them. The stack-cli path writes the
+  # ISO first via packages/stack-cli/src/lib/iso.ts; this re-write produces
+  # the same content for that flow (same field set + volume label) and is
+  # cheap enough (~ms) to run on every start.
   write_runtime_config_iso "$VM_DIR"
 }
 
@@ -740,10 +736,9 @@ stop_vm() {
     fi
   fi
   rm -f "$VM_DIR/qemu.pid" "$VM_DIR/monitor.sock" "$VM_DIR/qga.sock" "$VM_DIR/serial.log"
-  # Do NOT remove runtime-config.iso: the CLI owns its lifecycle and run-emulator.sh
-  # cannot regenerate it. Removing here breaks the snapshot → cold-boot fallback
-  # (which calls stop_vm before recursing into cmd_start → ensure_runtime_config_iso).
-  # `cmd_reset` wipes $RUN_DIR entirely when a full reset is wanted.
+  # runtime-config.iso is left in place; ensure_runtime_config_iso regenerates
+  # it on the next start. `cmd_reset` wipes $RUN_DIR entirely when a full reset
+  # is wanted.
 }
 
 cmd_start() {
@@ -854,7 +849,7 @@ snapshot_fallback_to_cold_boot() {
   warn "Retrying with cold boot (EMULATOR_NO_SNAPSHOT=1)..."
   stop_vm
   # Wipe the overlay + fingerprint so build_qemu_cmd re-creates a fresh one.
-  # runtime-config.iso is preserved by stop_vm (the CLI owns it).
+  # runtime-config.iso is regenerated by ensure_runtime_config_iso on recursion.
   rm -f "$VM_DIR/disk.qcow2" "$VM_DIR/base-image.fingerprint" \
         "$VM_DIR/seed.phantom" "$VM_DIR/bundle.phantom"
   EMULATOR_NO_SNAPSHOT=1