diff --git a/docs/plan_2.md b/docs/plan_2.md
index f538765..1ee77a8 100644
--- a/docs/plan_2.md
+++ b/docs/plan_2.md
@@ -198,8 +198,16 @@ Remaining:
 
 - execute the real-node validation harness against a booted self-hosted node
   and record the outcome
-- resolve the current XCP-ng live-boot blocker if the usual test VM continues to
-  halt before networking/SSH becomes available
+- finish resolving the current XCP-ng live-node validation blocker; current
+  debugging indicates two concrete harness-level constraints:
+  - for the current Shepherd PID 1 / XCP-ng path, `ifconfig_xn0=SYNCDHCP`
+    keeps the guest alive, while the broader `xn0` + `em0` + `vtnet0` set can
+    cause the guest to halt before validation completes
+  - a live-booted validation image must not hide its copied store under a
+    tmpfs-mounted `/tmp`; the harness therefore needs a root/dev-only filesystem
+    layout when it stages a guest image from a temporary host store path
+  - there is still a remaining SSH bring-up issue to finish debugging after the
+    guest reaches the network on the narrowed XCP-ng path
 - decide whether generation-local `install.scm` should keep its current
   deployment-oriented schema or move closer to the initial install-generation
   shape
diff --git a/tests/run-self-hosted-node-lifecycle-xcpng.sh b/tests/run-self-hosted-node-lifecycle-xcpng.sh
index 780dd82..3618157 100755
--- a/tests/run-self-hosted-node-lifecycle-xcpng.sh
+++ b/tests/run-self-hosted-node-lifecycle-xcpng.sh
@@ -211,6 +211,16 @@ cat > "$current_os_file" <<EOF
                   (user-group #:name "sshd" #:gid 22 #:system? #t)
                   (user-group #:name "_dhcp" #:gid 65 #:system? #t)
                   (user-group #:name "operator" #:gid 1000 #:system? #f))
+   #:file-systems (list (file-system #:device "/dev/ufs/fruix-root"
+                                     #:mount-point "/"
+                                     #:type "ufs"
+                                     #:options "rw"
+                                     #:needed-for-boot? #t)
+                        (file-system #:device "devfs"
+                                     #:mount-point "/dev"
+                                     #:type "devfs"
+                                     #:options "rw"
+                                     #:needed-for-boot? #t))
    #:users (list (user-account #:name "root"
                                #:uid 0
                                #:group "wheel"
@@ -243,9 +253,7 @@ cat > "$current_os_file" <<EOF
    #:rc-conf-entries '(("clear_tmp_enable" . "YES")
                        ("sendmail_enable" . "NONE")
                        ("sshd_enable" . "YES")
-                       ("ifconfig_xn0" . "SYNCDHCP")
-                       ("ifconfig_em0" . "SYNCDHCP")
-                       ("ifconfig_vtnet0" . "SYNCDHCP"))
+                       ("ifconfig_xn0" . "SYNCDHCP"))
    #:root-authorized-keys '($root_authorized_key_scm)
    #:development-packages %freebsd-development-profile-packages
    #:build-packages %freebsd-development-profile-packages))
@@ -262,6 +270,16 @@ cat > "$candidate_os_file" <<EOF
                   (user-group #:name "sshd" #:gid 22 #:system? #t)
                   (user-group #:name "_dhcp" #:gid 65 #:system? #t)
                   (user-group #:name "operator" #:gid 1000 #:system? #f))
+   #:file-systems (list (file-system #:device "/dev/ufs/fruix-root"
+                                     #:mount-point "/"
+                                     #:type "ufs"
+                                     #:options "rw"
+                                     #:needed-for-boot? #t)
+                        (file-system #:device "devfs"
+                                     #:mount-point "/dev"
+                                     #:type "devfs"
+                                     #:options "rw"
+                                     #:needed-for-boot? #t))
    #:users (list (user-account #:name "root"
                                #:uid 0
                                #:group "wheel"
@@ -294,9 +312,7 @@ cat > "$candidate_os_file" <<EOF
    #:rc-conf-entries '(("clear_tmp_enable" . "YES")
                        ("sendmail_enable" . "NONE")
                        ("sshd_enable" . "YES")
-                       ("ifconfig_xn0" . "SYNCDHCP")
-                       ("ifconfig_em0" . "SYNCDHCP")
-                       ("ifconfig_vtnet0" . "SYNCDHCP"))
+                       ("ifconfig_xn0" . "SYNCDHCP"))
    #:root-authorized-keys '($root_authorized_key_scm)
    #:development-packages %freebsd-development-profile-packages
    #:build-packages %freebsd-development-profile-packages))