diff --git a/codex-rs/exec-server/src/client.rs b/codex-rs/exec-server/src/client.rs
index b6c56e9f5e..458693743f 100644
--- a/codex-rs/exec-server/src/client.rs
+++ b/codex-rs/exec-server/src/client.rs
@@ -214,6 +214,10 @@ impl LazyRemoteExecServerClient {
         }
     }
 
+    pub(crate) fn new_connection_client(&self) -> Self {
+        Self::new(self.transport_params.clone())
+    }
+
     pub(crate) async fn get(&self) -> Result<ExecServerClient, ExecServerError> {
         if let Some(client) = self.connected_client() {
             return Ok(client);
diff --git a/codex-rs/exec-server/src/remote_file_system.rs b/codex-rs/exec-server/src/remote_file_system.rs
index 8c3a9ebbe8..b0b39aea37 100644
--- a/codex-rs/exec-server/src/remote_file_system.rs
+++ b/codex-rs/exec-server/src/remote_file_system.rs
@@ -4,8 +4,11 @@ use base64::engine::general_purpose::STANDARD;
 use codex_utils_absolute_path::AbsolutePathBuf;
 use std::future::Future;
 use std::path::Path;
+use std::sync::OnceLock;
 use std::thread;
 use tokio::io;
+use tokio::runtime::Builder;
+use tokio::runtime::Runtime;
 use tracing::trace;
 
 use crate::CopyOptions;
@@ -33,15 +36,20 @@ use crate::protocol::FsWriteFileParams;
 const INVALID_REQUEST_ERROR_CODE: i64 = -32600;
 const NOT_FOUND_ERROR_CODE: i64 = -32004;
 
-#[derive(Clone)]
 pub(crate) struct RemoteFileSystem {
-    client: LazyRemoteExecServerClient,
+    async_client: LazyRemoteExecServerClient,
+    sync_client: LazyRemoteExecServerClient,
+    sync_call_runtime: SyncCallRuntime,
 }
 
 impl RemoteFileSystem {
     pub(crate) fn new(client: LazyRemoteExecServerClient) -> Self {
         trace!("remote fs new");
-        Self { client }
+        Self {
+            async_client: client,
+            sync_client: client.new_connection_client(),
+            sync_call_runtime: SyncCallRuntime::default(),
+        }
     }
 
     fn run_sync_remote_call<T, F, Fut>(
@@ -54,24 +62,55 @@ impl RemoteFileSystem {
         F: FnOnce(ExecServerClient) -> Fut + Send + 'static,
         Fut: Future<Output = FileSystemResult<T>> + Send + 'static,
     {
-        let runtime = tokio::runtime::Handle::try_current().map_err(|err| {
-            io::Error::other(format!("remote fs {operation} requires runtime: {err}"))
-        })?;
-        let client = self.client.clone();
+        let runtime = self.sync_call_runtime.get()?;
+        let client = self.sync_client.clone();
         // ExecutorFileSystem exposes synchronous path operations, so remote callers have to hop
-        // through the active runtime from a helper thread to reach the JSON-RPC filesystem
-        // surface without blocking the runtime worker.
-        thread::spawn(move || {
-            runtime.block_on(async move {
-                let client = client.get().await.map_err(map_remote_error)?;
-                call(client).await
-            })
+        // through a dedicated exec-server client/runtime from a helper thread. Reusing the caller
+        // runtime can deadlock current-thread runtimes because the JSON-RPC reader also needs that
+        // runtime to make progress.
+        thread::scope(|scope| {
+            scope
+                .spawn(move || {
+                    runtime.block_on(async move {
+                        let client = client.get().await.map_err(map_remote_error)?;
+                        call(client).await
+                    })
+                })
+                .join()
         })
-        .join()
         .map_err(|_| io::Error::other(format!("remote fs {operation} thread panicked")))?
     }
 }
 
+#[derive(Default)]
+struct SyncCallRuntime {
+    runtime: OnceLock<Result<Runtime, String>>,
+}
+
+impl SyncCallRuntime {
+    fn get(&self) -> FileSystemResult<&Runtime> {
+        self.runtime
+            .get_or_init(|| {
+                Builder::new_multi_thread()
+                    .worker_threads(1)
+                    .thread_name("codex-remote-fs")
+                    .enable_all()
+                    .build()
+                    .map_err(|err| err.to_string())
+            })
+            .as_ref()
+            .map_err(|err| io::Error::other(format!("failed to start remote fs runtime: {err}")))
+    }
+}
+
+impl Drop for SyncCallRuntime {
+    fn drop(&mut self) {
+        if let Some(Ok(runtime)) = self.runtime.take() {
+            runtime.shutdown_background();
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 #[async_trait]
 impl ExecutorFileSystem for RemoteFileSystem {
     fn canonicalize(&self, path: &AbsolutePathBuf) -> FileSystemResult<AbsolutePathBuf> {
@@ -124,7 +163,7 @@ impl ExecutorFileSystem for RemoteFileSystem {
         sandbox: Option<&FileSystemSandboxContext>,
     ) -> FileSystemResult<Vec<u8>> {
         trace!("remote fs read_file");
-        let client = self.client.get().await.map_err(map_remote_error)?;
+        let client = self.async_client.get().await.map_err(map_remote_error)?;
         let response = client
             .fs_read_file(FsReadFileParams {
                 path: path.clone(),
@@ -147,7 +186,7 @@ impl ExecutorFileSystem for RemoteFileSystem {
         sandbox: Option<&FileSystemSandboxContext>,
     ) -> FileSystemResult<()> {
         trace!("remote fs write_file");
-        let client = self.client.get().await.map_err(map_remote_error)?;
+        let client = self.async_client.get().await.map_err(map_remote_error)?;
         client
             .fs_write_file(FsWriteFileParams {
                 path: path.clone(),
@@ -166,7 +205,7 @@ impl ExecutorFileSystem for RemoteFileSystem {
         sandbox: Option<&FileSystemSandboxContext>,
     ) -> FileSystemResult<()> {
         trace!("remote fs create_directory");
-        let client = self.client.get().await.map_err(map_remote_error)?;
+        let client = self.async_client.get().await.map_err(map_remote_error)?;
         client
             .fs_create_directory(FsCreateDirectoryParams {
                 path: path.clone(),
@@ -184,7 +223,7 @@ impl ExecutorFileSystem for RemoteFileSystem {
         sandbox: Option<&FileSystemSandboxContext>,
     ) -> FileSystemResult<FileMetadata> {
         trace!("remote fs get_metadata");
-        let client = self.client.get().await.map_err(map_remote_error)?;
+        let client = self.async_client.get().await.map_err(map_remote_error)?;
         let response = client
             .fs_get_metadata(FsGetMetadataParams {
                 path: path.clone(),
@@ -207,7 +246,7 @@ impl ExecutorFileSystem for RemoteFileSystem {
         sandbox: Option<&FileSystemSandboxContext>,
     ) -> FileSystemResult<Vec<ReadDirectoryEntry>> {
         trace!("remote fs read_directory");
-        let client = self.client.get().await.map_err(map_remote_error)?;
+        let client = self.async_client.get().await.map_err(map_remote_error)?;
         let response = client
             .fs_read_directory(FsReadDirectoryParams {
                 path: path.clone(),
@@ -233,7 +272,7 @@ impl ExecutorFileSystem for RemoteFileSystem {
         sandbox: Option<&FileSystemSandboxContext>,
     ) -> FileSystemResult<()> {
         trace!("remote fs remove");
-        let client = self.client.get().await.map_err(map_remote_error)?;
+        let client = self.async_client.get().await.map_err(map_remote_error)?;
         client
             .fs_remove(FsRemoveParams {
                 path: path.clone(),
@@ -254,7 +293,7 @@ impl ExecutorFileSystem for RemoteFileSystem {
         sandbox: Option<&FileSystemSandboxContext>,
     ) -> FileSystemResult<()> {
         trace!("remote fs copy");
-        let client = self.client.get().await.map_err(map_remote_error)?;
+        let client = self.async_client.get().await.map_err(map_remote_error)?;
         client
             .fs_copy(FsCopyParams {
                 source_path: source_path.clone(),