diff --git a/codex-rs/app-server-transport/Cargo.toml b/codex-rs/app-server-transport/Cargo.toml
index af1f0e9603..b6c3241307 100644
--- a/codex-rs/app-server-transport/Cargo.toml
+++ b/codex-rs/app-server-transport/Cargo.toml
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ time = { workspace = true }
 tokio = { workspace = true, features = [
     "io-std",
     "macros",
+    "process",
     "rt-multi-thread",
 ] }
 tokio-tungstenite = { workspace = true }
diff --git a/codex-rs/app-server-transport/src/transport/remote_control/host_device.rs b/codex-rs/app-server-transport/src/transport/remote_control/host_device.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..02f9d9fd43
--- /dev/null
+++ b/codex-rs/app-server-transport/src/transport/remote_control/host_device.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+#[cfg(any(target_os = "macos", test))]
+use serde::Deserialize;
+
+pub(super) const REMOTE_CONTROL_HOST_DEVICE_KIND_HEADER: &str = "x-codex-host-device-kind";
+#[cfg(any(target_os = "macos", test))]
+const MAC_MINI_HOST_DEVICE_KIND: &str = "mac_mini";
+
+#[cfg(any(target_os = "macos", test))]
+#[derive(Deserialize)]
+struct MacHardwareProfile {
+    #[serde(rename = "SPHardwareDataType")]
+    hardware: Vec<MacHardware>,
+}
+
+#[cfg(any(target_os = "macos", test))]
+#[derive(Deserialize)]
+struct MacHardware {
+    machine_name: String,
+}
+
+#[cfg(any(target_os = "macos", test))]
+fn host_device_kind_from_profile(profile: &[u8]) -> serde_json::Result<Option<&'static str>> {
+    let profile: MacHardwareProfile = serde_json::from_slice(profile)?;
+    Ok(profile
+        .hardware
+        .first()
+        .is_some_and(|hardware| hardware.machine_name == "Mac mini")
+        .then_some(MAC_MINI_HOST_DEVICE_KIND))
+}
+
+#[cfg(target_os = "macos")]
+pub(super) async fn host_device_kind() -> Option<&'static str> {
+    use std::process::Stdio;
+    use std::time::Duration;
+    use tokio::process::Command;
+    use tokio::sync::OnceCell;
+
+    static HOST_DEVICE_KIND: OnceCell<Option<&'static str>> = OnceCell::const_new();
+
+    HOST_DEVICE_KIND
+        .get_or_try_init(|| async {
+            let output = tokio::time::timeout(
+                Duration::from_secs(2),
+                Command::new("/usr/sbin/system_profiler")
+                    .args(["-detailLevel", "mini", "SPHardwareDataType", "-json"])
+                    .stdin(Stdio::null())
+                    .stderr(Stdio::null())
+                    .kill_on_drop(true)
+                    .output(),
+            )
+            .await
+            .map_err(|_| ())?
+            .map_err(|_| ())?;
+
+            if !output.status.success() {
+                return Err(());
+            }
+
+            host_device_kind_from_profile(&output.stdout).map_err(|_| ())
+        })
+        .await
+        .ok()
+        .copied()
+        .flatten()
+}
+
+#[cfg(not(target_os = "macos"))]
+pub(super) async fn host_device_kind() -> Option<&'static str> {
+    None
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+#[path = "host_device_tests.rs"]
+mod tests;
diff --git a/codex-rs/app-server-transport/src/transport/remote_control/host_device_tests.rs b/codex-rs/app-server-transport/src/transport/remote_control/host_device_tests.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4c02b2111c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/codex-rs/app-server-transport/src/transport/remote_control/host_device_tests.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+use super::host_device_kind_from_profile;
+use pretty_assertions::assert_eq;
+
+#[test]
+fn recognizes_only_the_exact_mac_mini_hardware_name() {
+    let mac_mini_profile = br#"{"SPHardwareDataType":[{"machine_name":"Mac mini"}]}"#;
+    let macbook_profile = br#"{"SPHardwareDataType":[{"machine_name":"MacBook Pro"}]}"#;
+    let misleading_profile = br#"{"SPHardwareDataType":[{"machine_name":"Not a Mac mini"}]}"#;
+
+    assert_eq!(
+        host_device_kind_from_profile(mac_mini_profile).expect("valid Mac mini hardware profile"),
+        Some("mac_mini")
+    );
+    assert_eq!(
+        host_device_kind_from_profile(macbook_profile).expect("valid MacBook hardware profile"),
+        None
+    );
+    assert_eq!(
+        host_device_kind_from_profile(misleading_profile)
+            .expect("valid non-Mac-mini hardware profile"),
+        None
+    );
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn ignores_missing_hardware_profiles() {
+    assert_eq!(
+        host_device_kind_from_profile(br#"{"SPHardwareDataType":[]}"#)
+            .expect("valid empty hardware profile"),
+        None
+    );
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn rejects_malformed_hardware_profiles_so_they_remain_retryable() {
+    assert!(host_device_kind_from_profile(br#"{"machine_name":"Mac mini"}"#).is_err());
+    assert!(host_device_kind_from_profile(b"not json").is_err());
+}
diff --git a/codex-rs/app-server-transport/src/transport/remote_control/mod.rs b/codex-rs/app-server-transport/src/transport/remote_control/mod.rs
index 7422c92c42..a9a7814f4f 100644
--- a/codex-rs/app-server-transport/src/transport/remote_control/mod.rs
+++ b/codex-rs/app-server-transport/src/transport/remote_control/mod.rs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ mod client_tracker;
 mod clients;
 mod desired_state;
 mod enroll;
+mod host_device;
 mod protocol;
 mod segment;
 mod server_api;
diff --git a/codex-rs/app-server-transport/src/transport/remote_control/websocket.rs b/codex-rs/app-server-transport/src/transport/remote_control/websocket.rs
index 84f5affe6d..e8e30e9139 100644
--- a/codex-rs/app-server-transport/src/transport/remote_control/websocket.rs
+++ b/codex-rs/app-server-transport/src/transport/remote_control/websocket.rs
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ use crate::transport::remote_control::enroll::format_headers;
 use crate::transport::remote_control::enroll::load_persisted_remote_control_enrollment;
 use crate::transport::remote_control::enroll::preview_remote_control_response_body;
 use crate::transport::remote_control::enroll::update_persisted_remote_control_enrollment;
+use crate::transport::remote_control::host_device::REMOTE_CONTROL_HOST_DEVICE_KIND_HEADER;
+use crate::transport::remote_control::host_device::host_device_kind;
 use crate::transport::remote_control::server_api::enroll_remote_control_server;
 use crate::transport::remote_control::server_api::refresh_remote_control_server;
 use axum::http::HeaderValue;
@@ -1250,7 +1252,7 @@ fn set_remote_control_header(
     Ok(())
 }
 
-fn build_remote_control_websocket_request(
+async fn build_remote_control_websocket_request(
     websocket_url: &str,
     enrollment: &RemoteControlEnrollment,
     installation_id: &str,
@@ -1290,6 +1292,13 @@ fn build_remote_control_websocket_request(
         REMOTE_CONTROL_INSTALLATION_ID_HEADER,
         installation_id,
     )?;
+    if let Some(host_device_kind) = host_device_kind().await {
+        set_remote_control_header(
+            headers,
+            REMOTE_CONTROL_HOST_DEVICE_KIND_HEADER,
+            host_device_kind,
+        )?;
+    }
     if let Some(subscribe_cursor) = subscribe_cursor {
         set_remote_control_header(
             headers,
@@ -1345,7 +1354,8 @@ pub(super) async fn connect_remote_control_websocket(
         &enrollment,
         connect_options.installation_id,
         connect_options.subscribe_cursor,
-    )?;
+    )
+    .await?;
 
     let websocket_connect_result = tokio::time::timeout(
         REMOTE_CONTROL_WEBSOCKET_CONNECT_TIMEOUT,