diff --git a/docs/01_vfs.md b/docs/01_vfs.md
index b230d5d..f62e5f1 100644
--- a/docs/01_vfs.md
+++ b/docs/01_vfs.md
@@ -41,8 +41,9 @@ facade — sandbox wiring lives behind a `WorkspaceBackend`.
 Set `useThink: true` when assigning the Workspace to
 `Think.workspace`. This adds Think's string-oriented filesystem
 compatibility methods (`readFile`, `readFileBytes`, `writeFile`,
-`readDir`, `rm`, `glob`, `mkdir`, and `stat`) directly to that
-Workspace instance while leaving the primary API on `workspace.fs`.
+`readDir`, `rm`, `glob`, `mkdir`, and `stat`) to that Workspace and to
+clients returned by `getWorkspace()`, while leaving the primary API on
+`workspace.fs`.
 
 Illustrative layout (nothing below `/` is auto-created beyond
 `ROOT_INODE` itself):
diff --git a/packages/computer/README.md b/packages/computer/README.md
index 5ee035f..0b86472 100644
--- a/packages/computer/README.md
+++ b/packages/computer/README.md
@@ -138,9 +138,10 @@ const body = await ws.fs.readFile("/notes.md", "utf8");
 // ws.shell throws — there's no backend wired up.
 ```
 
-Pass `useThink: true` when assigning the same instance to
-`Think.workspace`. That adds Think's compatibility methods directly
-on the instance while keeping the primary file API on `workspace.fs`.
+Pass `useThink: true` when assigning a workspace to `Think.workspace`.
+That adds Think's compatibility methods directly to the local instance
+and to clients returned by `getWorkspace()`, while keeping the primary
+file API on `workspace.fs`.
 
 Git, also without a backend:
 
diff --git a/packages/computer/src/client.test.ts b/packages/computer/src/client.test.ts
index dffae8c..4b47a29 100644
--- a/packages/computer/src/client.test.ts
+++ b/packages/computer/src/client.test.ts
@@ -10,9 +10,9 @@
 import { SQLiteTestStorage } from "@cloudflare/dofs/testing";
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
-import { getWorkspace } from "./client.js";
+import { getWorkspace, type WorkspaceClient } from "./client.js";
 import { WORKSPACE, type WorkspaceStubHost } from "./with-workspace.js";
-import { Workspace } from "./workspace.js";
+import { type ThinkWorkspaceCompatibility, Workspace } from "./workspace.js";
 
 interface ExecCall {
   command: string;
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ function fakeRemote(): {
   let disposed = false;
   const stub = {
     fs: { marker: "fs" },
+    useThink: false,
     git: { marker: "git" },
     assets: undefined,
     artifacts: { marker: "artifacts" },
@@ -91,6 +92,25 @@ function fakeRemote(): {
   };
 }
 
+function fakeBrokenRemote(): {
+  host: WorkspaceStubHost;
+  disposed: () => boolean;
+} {
+  let disposed = false;
+  const stub = {
+    get useThink(): boolean {
+      throw new Error("compatibility lookup failed");
+    },
+    [Symbol.dispose]() {
+      disposed = true;
+    },
+  };
+  return {
+    disposed: () => disposed,
+    host: { __getWorkspaceStub: () => Promise.resolve(stub as never) },
+  };
+}
+
 // Local path fake: an object carrying a real Workspace under the
 // stash symbol, but with its shell swapped for a recording fake so we
 // can assert on exec without a backend.
@@ -108,6 +128,7 @@ describe("getWorkspace — remote dispatch", () => {
     expect(ws.fs).toEqual({ marker: "fs" });
     expect(ws.git).toEqual({ marker: "git" });
     expect(ws.artifacts).toEqual({ marker: "artifacts" });
+    expect(ws).not.toHaveProperty("readFile");
   });
 
   it("disposing the client disposes the remote stub", async () => {
@@ -116,6 +137,30 @@ describe("getWorkspace — remote dispatch", () => {
     ws[Symbol.dispose]();
     expect(disposed()).toBe(true);
   });
+
+  it("disposes the remote stub when client initialization fails", async () => {
+    const { host, disposed } = fakeBrokenRemote();
+
+    await expect(getWorkspace(host)).rejects.toThrow("compatibility lookup failed");
+    expect(disposed()).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("adds Think compatibility when the remote Workspace enables it", async () => {
+    const workspace = new Workspace({
+      storage: new SQLiteTestStorage(),
+      useThink: true,
+    });
+    await workspace.fs.writeFile("/notes.txt", "hello");
+    const host: WorkspaceStubHost = {
+      __getWorkspaceStub: () => Promise.resolve(workspace.stub()),
+    };
+
+    const client = (await getWorkspace(host)) as WorkspaceClient & ThinkWorkspaceCompatibility;
+
+    expect(client).toHaveProperty("readFile");
+    await expect(client.readFile("/notes.txt")).resolves.toBe("hello");
+    await expect(client.readFile("/missing.txt")).resolves.toBeNull();
+  });
 });
 
 describe("getWorkspace — local dispatch", () => {
@@ -124,6 +169,7 @@ describe("getWorkspace — local dispatch", () => {
     const ws = await getWorkspace(host);
     await ws.shell.exec`cat ${"my file.txt"}`;
     expect(calls[0].command).toBe("cat 'my file.txt'");
+    expect(ws).not.toHaveProperty("readFile");
   });
 
   it("does not throw on dispose (the durable object owns the lifecycle)", async () => {
@@ -131,6 +177,20 @@ describe("getWorkspace — local dispatch", () => {
     const ws = await getWorkspace(host);
     expect(() => ws[Symbol.dispose]()).not.toThrow();
   });
+
+  it("adds Think compatibility when the local Workspace enables it", async () => {
+    const workspace = new Workspace({
+      storage: new SQLiteTestStorage(),
+      useThink: true,
+    });
+    const host = { [WORKSPACE]: workspace };
+    const { shell } = fakeShell();
+    Object.defineProperty(workspace, "shell", { get: () => shell });
+
+    const client = (await getWorkspace(host)) as WorkspaceClient & ThinkWorkspaceCompatibility;
+
+    expect(client).toHaveProperty("readFile");
+  });
 });
 
 describe("client shell.exec — tagged template form", () => {
diff --git a/packages/computer/src/client.ts b/packages/computer/src/client.ts
index 03f9d29..6895076 100644
--- a/packages/computer/src/client.ts
+++ b/packages/computer/src/client.ts
@@ -30,11 +30,17 @@
 // a `TemplateStringsArray`'s `.raw` does not survive structured clone
 // over RPC.
 
+import type { WorkspaceFilesystem } from "@cloudflare/dofs";
+
 import { decodeExecEvents } from "./exec-wire.js";
 import { type ShellValue, sh } from "./sh.js";
 import type { ExecEncoding, WorkspaceExecEvent } from "./shell.js";
 import { WORKSPACE, type WorkspaceStubHost } from "./with-workspace.js";
-import { Workspace } from "./workspace.js";
+import {
+  createThinkCompatibility,
+  type ThinkWorkspaceCompatibility,
+  Workspace,
+} from "./workspace.js";
 
 // The remote shell handle stub: a result / stream / kill surface
 // carried across Workers RPC.
@@ -198,12 +204,10 @@ function makeShellClient(
 
 // The canonical client surface. `shell.exec` is the adapted member;
 // `fs`, `git`, `artifacts`, and `assets` are the underlying surface's
-// members, passed through. Their concrete types differ between the
-// local Workspace and the remote stub, so they're surfaced loosely
-// here and narrowed by the caller when needed.
-export interface WorkspaceClient {
-  // biome-ignore lint/suspicious/noExplicitAny: fs type differs local vs remote
-  readonly fs: any;
+// members, passed through. The filesystem stub mirrors the local
+// filesystem, so it also serves as the common client type.
+export interface WorkspaceClient extends Partial<ThinkWorkspaceCompatibility> {
+  readonly fs: WorkspaceFilesystem;
   // biome-ignore lint/suspicious/noExplicitAny: handle types differ per path
   readonly shell: WorkspaceShellClient<any, any, any>;
   // biome-ignore lint/suspicious/noExplicitAny: git type differs local vs remote
@@ -220,9 +224,10 @@ function makeClient(
   surface: any,
   rehydrate: (handle: unknown) => unknown,
   dispose: () => void,
+  useThink: boolean,
 ): WorkspaceClient {
   const shell = makeShellClient(surface.shell as UnderlyingShell, rehydrate);
-  return {
+  const client: WorkspaceClient = {
     get fs() {
       return surface.fs;
     },
@@ -238,6 +243,8 @@ function makeClient(
     },
     [Symbol.dispose]: dispose,
   };
+  if (useThink) Object.assign(client, createThinkCompatibility(client.fs));
+  return client;
 }
 
 // What `getWorkspace` accepts: a local host carrying the symbol stash
@@ -263,17 +270,24 @@ export async function getWorkspace(handle: WorkspaceHandle): Promise<WorkspaceCl
       // Local handle is already a host ExecHandle — pass it through.
       (h) => h,
       () => {},
+      local.useThink,
     );
   }
   // Remote path: fetch the stub over RPC and delegate to it. Handle
   // stubs need inflating from their JSONL stream into a host-shaped
   // ExecHandle.
   const stub = await (handle as WorkspaceStubHost).__getWorkspaceStub();
-  return makeClient(
-    stub,
-    (h) => rebuildExecHandle(h as RemoteExecHandle),
-    () => {
-      (stub as { [Symbol.dispose]?: () => void })[Symbol.dispose]?.();
-    },
-  );
+  try {
+    return makeClient(
+      stub,
+      (h) => rebuildExecHandle(h as RemoteExecHandle),
+      () => {
+        (stub as { [Symbol.dispose]?: () => void })[Symbol.dispose]?.();
+      },
+      await stub.useThink,
+    );
+  } catch (error) {
+    (stub as { [Symbol.dispose]?: () => void })[Symbol.dispose]?.();
+    throw error;
+  }
 }
diff --git a/packages/computer/src/stub.ts b/packages/computer/src/stub.ts
index 7d5893c..8e11744 100644
--- a/packages/computer/src/stub.ts
+++ b/packages/computer/src/stub.ts
@@ -678,6 +678,7 @@ export class WorkspaceStub extends RpcTarget {
   readonly #git: WorkspaceGitStub;
   readonly #assets: WorkspaceAssetsStub | undefined;
   readonly #artifacts: WorkspaceArtifactsStub;
+  readonly #useThink: boolean;
 
   constructor(ws: Workspace) {
     super();
@@ -686,6 +687,7 @@ export class WorkspaceStub extends RpcTarget {
     this.#git = new WorkspaceGitStub(ws);
     this.#assets = ws.assets === undefined ? undefined : new WorkspaceAssetsStub(ws);
     this.#artifacts = new WorkspaceArtifactsStub(ws.artifacts);
+    this.#useThink = ws.useThink;
     trackStub(this);
   }
 
@@ -708,6 +710,10 @@ export class WorkspaceStub extends RpcTarget {
     return this.#fs;
   }
 
+  get useThink(): boolean {
+    return this.#useThink;
+  }
+
   get shell(): WorkspaceShellStub {
     return this.#shell;
   }
diff --git a/packages/computer/src/workspace.ts b/packages/computer/src/workspace.ts
index 302e22f..c2b5091 100644
--- a/packages/computer/src/workspace.ts
+++ b/packages/computer/src/workspace.ts
@@ -165,6 +165,11 @@ export interface ThinkWorkspaceCompatibility {
   stat(path: string): Promise<ThinkFileInfo | null>;
 }
 
+export type ThinkWorkspaceFilesystem = Pick<
+  WorkspaceFilesystem,
+  "find" | "mkdir" | "readFile" | "readdir" | "rm" | "stat" | "writeFile"
+>;
+
 export class Workspace {
   readonly #db: Database;
   readonly #fs: WorkspaceFilesystem;
@@ -184,6 +189,7 @@ export class Workspace {
   readonly #retryMaxAttempts: number;
   readonly #sessionId: string;
   readonly #defaultGitIdentity: GitIdentity | undefined;
+  readonly #useThink: boolean;
   readonly #assets: AssetsClient | undefined;
   readonly #artifacts: ArtifactClient;
   // Lazily-constructed git client, cached so the dynamic
@@ -240,6 +246,7 @@ export class Workspace {
     );
     this.#sessionId = options.sessionId ?? "";
     this.#defaultGitIdentity = options.defaultGitIdentity;
+    this.#useThink = options.useThink ?? false;
     this.#artifacts = options.artifacts
       ? createArtifact(
           options.artifacts.binding,
@@ -278,8 +285,8 @@ export class Workspace {
       mounts: this.#mounts,
     });
     this.#assets = typeof options.assets === "function" ? options.assets(this) : options.assets;
-    if (options.useThink) {
-      const think = createThinkCompatibility(this);
+    if (this.#useThink) {
+      const think = createThinkCompatibility(this.fs);
       Object.assign(this, think);
     }
   }
@@ -326,6 +333,10 @@ export class Workspace {
     return this.#fs;
   }
 
+  get useThink(): boolean {
+    return this.#useThink;
+  }
+
   // Identifier for this workspace / session, as passed to the
   // constructor. Empty string when the caller did not supply one.
   // Forwarded to mount factories and used by the assets module to
@@ -945,11 +956,13 @@ class WorkspaceShellRouter {
   }
 }
 
-function createThinkCompatibility(ws: Workspace): ThinkWorkspaceCompatibility {
+export function createThinkCompatibility(
+  fs: ThinkWorkspaceFilesystem,
+): ThinkWorkspaceCompatibility {
   return {
     async readFile(path) {
       try {
-        return await ws.fs.readFile(path, "utf8");
+        return await fs.readFile(path, "utf8");
       } catch (err) {
         if (isEnoent(err)) return null;
         throw err;
@@ -957,17 +970,17 @@ function createThinkCompatibility(ws: Workspace): ThinkWorkspaceCompatibility {
     },
     async readFileBytes(path) {
       try {
-        return await drainBytes(await ws.fs.readFile(path));
+        return await drainBytes(await fs.readFile(path));
       } catch (err) {
         if (isEnoent(err)) return null;
         throw err;
       }
     },
     async writeFile(path, content) {
-      await ws.fs.writeFile(path, content);
+      await fs.writeFile(path, content);
     },
     async readDir(dir, opts) {
-      const entries = await ws.fs.readdir(dir);
+      const entries = await fs.readdir(dir);
       const offset = opts?.offset ?? 0;
       const limit = opts?.limit ?? entries.length;
       return entries.slice(offset, offset + limit).map((entry) =>
@@ -982,11 +995,11 @@ function createThinkCompatibility(ws: Workspace): ThinkWorkspaceCompatibility {
       );
     },
     async rm(path, opts) {
-      await ws.fs.rm(path, opts);
+      await fs.rm(path, opts);
     },
     async glob(pattern) {
       const { directory, relativePattern } = splitGlobPattern(pattern);
-      const matches = await ws.fs.find(directory, relativePattern);
+      const matches = await fs.find(directory, relativePattern);
       return matches.map((match) =>
         toThinkFileInfo({
           path: match.path,
@@ -999,11 +1012,11 @@ function createThinkCompatibility(ws: Workspace): ThinkWorkspaceCompatibility {
       );
     },
     async mkdir(path, opts) {
-      await ws.fs.mkdir(path, opts);
+      await fs.mkdir(path, opts);
     },
     async stat(path) {
       try {
-        const stat = await ws.fs.stat(path);
+        const stat = await fs.stat(path);
         return toThinkFileInfo({ ...stat, path, name: basename(path) });
       } catch (err) {
         if (isEnoent(err)) return null;