diff --git a/e2e/tests/up/provider_podman.go b/e2e/tests/up/provider_podman.go
index 598b1bb21..b38c7c37f 100644
--- a/e2e/tests/up/provider_podman.go
+++ b/e2e/tests/up/provider_podman.go
@@ -47,6 +47,38 @@ var _ = ginkgo.Describe(
 					},
 					ginkgo.SpecTimeout(framework.TimeoutShort()),
 				)
+
+				// Regression: rootless podman bind-mounts the workspace folder
+				// root-owned, so a non-root remoteUser couldn't chdir into it
+				// and the in-container SSH server failed with "fork/exec
+				// /usr/bin/bash: permission denied".
+				ginkgo.It(
+					"should ssh into a workspace with a non-root remoteUser",
+					func(ctx context.Context) {
+						tempDir, err := setupWorkspace(
+							"tests/up/testdata/docker-nonroot-user",
+							initialDir,
+							f,
+						)
+						framework.ExpectNoError(err)
+
+						err = f.DevsyUp(ctx, tempDir)
+						framework.ExpectNoError(err)
+
+						whoami, err := f.DevsySSH(ctx, tempDir, "whoami")
+						framework.ExpectNoError(err)
+						gomega.Expect(strings.TrimSpace(whoami)).To(gomega.Equal("devsyuser"))
+
+						// Assert ownership, not just chdir success: a
+						// world-searchable bind source would let chdir pass even
+						// without the chown.
+						owner, err := f.DevsySSH(ctx, tempDir, `stat -c %U "$PWD"`)
+						framework.ExpectNoError(err)
+						gomega.Expect(strings.TrimSpace(owner)).To(gomega.Equal("devsyuser"),
+							"workspace folder should be chowned to the remote user")
+					},
+					ginkgo.SpecTimeout(framework.TimeoutLong()),
+				)
 			})
 
 			ginkgo.Context("build", func() {
diff --git a/e2e/tests/up/testdata/docker-nonroot-user/.devcontainer.json b/e2e/tests/up/testdata/docker-nonroot-user/.devcontainer.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3703fc592
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e/tests/up/testdata/docker-nonroot-user/.devcontainer.json
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+{
+  "name": "Non-root user",
+  "build": {
+    "dockerfile": "Dockerfile"
+  },
+  "remoteUser": "devsyuser"
+}
diff --git a/e2e/tests/up/testdata/docker-nonroot-user/Dockerfile b/e2e/tests/up/testdata/docker-nonroot-user/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3b0568e4e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e/tests/up/testdata/docker-nonroot-user/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+FROM ghcr.io/devsy-org/test-images/base:ubuntu
+
+# Non-root user, used as remoteUser to exercise the podman workspace-chown path.
+RUN useradd --create-home --shell /bin/bash devsyuser
diff --git a/pkg/devcontainer/run.go b/pkg/devcontainer/run.go
index 2f9c56fa6..1ace5901e 100644
--- a/pkg/devcontainer/run.go
+++ b/pkg/devcontainer/run.go
@@ -350,7 +350,7 @@ func mountSetConsistency(mount, value string) string {
 }
 
 func needsDefaultConsistency() bool {
-	return runtime.GOOS != "linux"
+	return runtime.GOOS != goosLinux
 }
 
 func getWorkspace(
diff --git a/pkg/devcontainer/setup.go b/pkg/devcontainer/setup.go
index f42207f16..974a097a0 100644
--- a/pkg/devcontainer/setup.go
+++ b/pkg/devcontainer/setup.go
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/devsy-org/devsy/pkg/devcontainer/config"
 	"github.com/devsy-org/devsy/pkg/devcontainer/crane"
 	"github.com/devsy-org/devsy/pkg/devcontainer/sshtunnel"
+	"github.com/devsy-org/devsy/pkg/docker"
 	"github.com/devsy-org/devsy/pkg/driver"
 	"github.com/devsy-org/devsy/pkg/ide"
 	"github.com/devsy-org/devsy/pkg/log"
@@ -31,6 +32,10 @@ const (
 	stringTrue        = "true"
 	stringFalse       = "false"
 	containerRootUser = "root"
+
+	goosLinux   = "linux"
+	goosDarwin  = "darwin"
+	goosWindows = "windows"
 )
 
 // resolvePullFromInsideContainer: explicit override > crane+git > "".
@@ -331,11 +336,25 @@ func (r *runner) addSetupFlags(args *[]string) {
 }
 
 func (r *runner) addChownFlag(args *[]string, isDockerDriver bool) {
-	if runtime.GOOS == "linux" || !isDockerDriver {
+	if shouldChownWorkspace(runtime.GOOS, isDockerDriver, r.isPodmanRuntime()) {
 		*args = append(*args, "--chown-workspace")
 	}
 }
 
+// shouldChownWorkspace reports whether the agent should chown the workspace
+// folder to the remote user during setup. Podman needs it on any host OS:
+// its `podman machine` bind mounts are root-owned inside the container, so a
+// non-root remote user can't enter the workspace folder otherwise.
+func shouldChownWorkspace(goos string, isDockerDriver, isPodman bool) bool {
+	return goos == goosLinux || !isDockerDriver || isPodman
+}
+
+// isPodmanRuntime reports whether the docker driver is backed by the Podman
+// runtime (agent.docker.runtime: podman).
+func (r *runner) isPodmanRuntime() bool {
+	return strings.EqualFold(r.WorkspaceConfig.Agent.Docker.Runtime, string(docker.RuntimePodman))
+}
+
 func (r *runner) addDriverFlags(args *[]string, isDockerDriver bool) {
 	if !isDockerDriver {
 		*args = append(*args, "--stream-mounts")
diff --git a/pkg/devcontainer/setup_test.go b/pkg/devcontainer/setup_test.go
index 963d6e8a3..be9821a25 100644
--- a/pkg/devcontainer/setup_test.go
+++ b/pkg/devcontainer/setup_test.go
@@ -4,12 +4,91 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/devsy-org/devsy/pkg/devcontainer/config"
+	"github.com/devsy-org/devsy/pkg/docker"
 	provider2 "github.com/devsy-org/devsy/pkg/provider"
 	"github.com/devsy-org/devsy/pkg/types"
 )
 
 func boolPtr(v bool) *bool { return &v }
 
+func TestShouldChownWorkspace(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		name           string
+		goos           string
+		isDockerDriver bool
+		isPodman       bool
+		want           bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "linux docker host always chowns",
+			goos: goosLinux, isDockerDriver: true, isPodman: false, want: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "non-docker driver always chowns (stream mounts)",
+			goos: goosDarwin, isDockerDriver: false, isPodman: false, want: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "docker desktop on macOS skips chown",
+			goos: goosDarwin, isDockerDriver: true, isPodman: false, want: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "docker desktop on windows skips chown",
+			goos: goosWindows, isDockerDriver: true, isPodman: false, want: false,
+		},
+		{
+			// Regression: previously skipped because podman uses the docker
+			// driver, breaking non-root remoteUser on macOS/Windows.
+			name: "podman on macOS chowns despite docker driver",
+			goos: goosDarwin, isDockerDriver: true, isPodman: true, want: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "podman on windows chowns despite docker driver",
+			goos: goosWindows, isDockerDriver: true, isPodman: true, want: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "podman on linux chowns",
+			goos: goosLinux, isDockerDriver: true, isPodman: true, want: true,
+		},
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		t.Run(c.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got := shouldChownWorkspace(c.goos, c.isDockerDriver, c.isPodman)
+			if got != c.want {
+				t.Errorf("shouldChownWorkspace(%q, %v, %v) = %v, want %v",
+					c.goos, c.isDockerDriver, c.isPodman, got, c.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRunnerIsPodmanRuntime(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		name    string
+		runtime string
+		want    bool
+	}{
+		{name: "podman", runtime: string(docker.RuntimePodman), want: true},
+		{name: "podman mixed case", runtime: "Podman", want: true},
+		{name: "docker runtime", runtime: string(docker.RuntimeDocker), want: false},
+		{name: "empty defaults to non-podman", runtime: "", want: false},
+		{name: "nerdctl", runtime: string(docker.RuntimeNerdctl), want: false},
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		t.Run(c.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			r := &runner{
+				WorkspaceConfig: &provider2.AgentWorkspaceInfo{
+					Agent: provider2.ProviderAgentConfig{
+						Docker: provider2.ProviderDockerDriverConfig{Runtime: c.runtime},
+					},
+				},
+			}
+			if got := r.isPodmanRuntime(); got != c.want {
+				t.Errorf("isPodmanRuntime() with runtime=%q = %v, want %v", c.runtime, got, c.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestResolvePullFromInsideContainer(t *testing.T) {
 	cases := []struct {
 		name string