diff --git a/shannon b/shannon
index 0a96eba3..962e0d8e 100755
--- a/shannon
+++ b/shannon
@@ -246,9 +246,11 @@ cmd_start() {
     export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="shannon-router-key"
   fi
 
-  # Ensure audit-logs directory exists with write permissions for container user (UID 1001)
+  # Ensure host-mounted directories are readable by container user (UID 1001)
+  # On Linux, bind mounts preserve host permissions — configs may be root-owned
   mkdir -p ./audit-logs ./credentials
   chmod 777 ./audit-logs
+  chmod -R a+r ./configs 2>/dev/null || true
 
   # Ensure repo deliverables directory is writable by container user (UID 1001)
   if [ -d "./repos/$REPO" ]; then