diff --git a/cmd/gateway_github_installer.go b/cmd/gateway_github_installer.go
index 2be97534..41b2fc14 100644
--- a/cmd/gateway_github_installer.go
+++ b/cmd/gateway_github_installer.go
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ import (
 //	GOCLAW_PACKAGES_GITHUB_TOKEN          optional PAT (boosts rate limit, enables private repos)
 //	GOCLAW_PACKAGES_MAX_ASSET_SIZE_MB     default 200
 //	GOCLAW_PACKAGES_GITHUB_ALLOWED_ORGS   comma-separated allowlist (empty = all allowed)
-//	GOCLAW_PACKAGES_GITHUB_BIN_DIR        default /app/data/.runtime/bin
+//	GOCLAW_PACKAGES_GITHUB_BIN_DIR        default {runtimeDir}/bin
 //	GOCLAW_PACKAGES_GITHUB_MANIFEST       default {BIN_DIR}/../github-packages.json
 func initGitHubInstaller() {
 	cfg := &skills.GitHubPackagesConfig{
diff --git a/docs/14-skills-runtime.md b/docs/14-skills-runtime.md
index c41f4c44..ac8fe740 100644
--- a/docs/14-skills-runtime.md
+++ b/docs/14-skills-runtime.md
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ github:owner/repo[@tag]
 ```
 
 Admin-only, SHA256-verified, ELF-validated, with a release-picker UI. Binaries
-land in `/app/data/.runtime/bin/` (on `$PATH`). See
+land in `{runtimeDir}/bin/` (on `$PATH`). See
 [`docs/packages-github.md`](./packages-github.md) for syntax, configuration,
 security posture, and troubleshooting (especially musl/glibc compatibility).
 
diff --git a/docs/packages-github.md b/docs/packages-github.md
index d8e6fbb7..9749fd67 100644
--- a/docs/packages-github.md
+++ b/docs/packages-github.md
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ Examples:
 4. Verifies SHA256 if the publisher ships `checksums.txt` / `SHA256SUMS`
 5. Validates ELF magic bytes + 64-bit class + machine matches runtime arch
 6. Extracts archive safely (tar.gz / zip / raw binary) with path-traversal + zip-bomb guards
-7. Installs to `/app/data/.runtime/bin/` (prepended to `$PATH`)
+7. Installs to `{runtimeDir}/bin/` (prepended to `$PATH`)
 8. Persists a manifest for later listing + uninstall
 
 ## Usage
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ token in `config.json`.
 | `GOCLAW_PACKAGES_GITHUB_TOKEN` | `""` | Optional PAT: rate 60/hr → 5000/hr + private repo access |
 | `GOCLAW_PACKAGES_MAX_ASSET_SIZE_MB` | `200` | Applies to both download cap and 2× uncompressed cap |
 | `GOCLAW_PACKAGES_GITHUB_ALLOWED_ORGS` | `""` | Comma-separated allowlist (empty = all orgs allowed) |
-| `GOCLAW_PACKAGES_GITHUB_BIN_DIR` | `/app/data/.runtime/bin` | Where extracted binaries land |
+| `GOCLAW_PACKAGES_GITHUB_BIN_DIR` | `{runtimeDir}/bin` | Where extracted binaries land |
 | `GOCLAW_PACKAGES_GITHUB_MANIFEST` | `{bin_dir}/../github-packages.json` | Manifest path |
 
 Token scopes:
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ the release. Do not force-install; report upstream.
 ## Limitations (Phase 1)
 
 - Linux-only (Lite/Desktop editions not yet supported)
-- Docker edition only (runtime dir `/app/data/.runtime/bin`)
+- Docker and bare-metal gateway editions (default runtime dir resolves to `/app/data/.runtime/bin` in Docker or `/var/lib/goclaw/data/.runtime/bin` on bare-metal Linux)
 - Installs all top-level executables in an archive (no interactive picker if
   archive contains multiple binaries)
 - No version history / rollback — re-installing replaces in place
diff --git a/docs/project-changelog.md b/docs/project-changelog.md
index 4a307bcb..73b65f85 100644
--- a/docs/project-changelog.md
+++ b/docs/project-changelog.md
@@ -6,6 +6,19 @@ Significant changes, features, and fixes in reverse chronological order.
 
 ## 2026-05-18
 
+### Packages: GitHub installer runtime path
+
+**Fixes**
+
+- Fixed GitHub Releases package installs on bare-metal gateways by defaulting the GitHub binary directory to `{runtimeDir}/bin` instead of Docker-only `/app/data/.runtime/bin`.
+- The fix covers installs such as `github:nextlevelbuilder/goclaw-cli@v0.4.1` on the VPS, where `/app` is not writable or present.
+
+**Tests**
+
+- Added default-path regression coverage and made Unix-socket apk helper tests skip cleanly on Windows environments that cannot bind Unix sockets.
+
+---
+
 ### Providers: ChatGPT OAuth GPT-5.5 default
 
 **Changed**
diff --git a/internal/skills/apk_helper_call_test.go b/internal/skills/apk_helper_call_test.go
index 382bb40e..67da4eab 100644
--- a/internal/skills/apk_helper_call_test.go
+++ b/internal/skills/apk_helper_call_test.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"net"
+	"runtime"
 	"strings"
 	"sync/atomic"
 	"testing"
@@ -42,6 +43,9 @@ func servePkgHelper(t *testing.T, sockPath, respJSON string) func() {
 
 	ln, err := net.Listen("unix", sockPath)
 	if err != nil {
+		if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+			t.Skipf("unix sockets are not available in this Windows test environment: %v", err)
+		}
 		t.Fatalf("servePkgHelper: listen %q: %v", sockPath, err)
 	}
 
diff --git a/internal/skills/github_installer.go b/internal/skills/github_installer.go
index 504f92e2..f44bdad3 100644
--- a/internal/skills/github_installer.go
+++ b/internal/skills/github_installer.go
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ func ParseGitHubSpec(s string) (*GitHubSpec, error) {
 // Token is sourced from env var only (never config.json plaintext).
 type GitHubPackagesConfig struct {
 	Token          string   // optional GitHub personal access token
-	BinDir         string   // where to install binaries (default /app/data/.runtime/bin)
+	BinDir         string   // where to install binaries (default {runtimeDir}/bin)
 	ManifestPath   string   // manifest file path (default {BinDir}/../github-packages.json)
 	AllowedOrgs    []string // lowercase list; empty = all allowed
 	MaxAssetSizeMB int      // default 200
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ type GitHubPackagesConfig struct {
 // Defaults fills in zero-valued fields.
 func (c *GitHubPackagesConfig) Defaults() {
 	if c.BinDir == "" {
-		c.BinDir = "/app/data/.runtime/bin"
+		c.BinDir = filepath.Join(packageRuntimeDir(), "bin")
 	}
 	if c.ManifestPath == "" {
 		c.ManifestPath = filepath.Join(filepath.Dir(c.BinDir), "github-packages.json")
diff --git a/internal/skills/github_installer_test.go b/internal/skills/github_installer_test.go
index 3d226fce..aec3874b 100644
--- a/internal/skills/github_installer_test.go
+++ b/internal/skills/github_installer_test.go
@@ -2,17 +2,18 @@ package skills
 
 import (
 	"errors"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 )
 
 func TestParseGitHubSpec(t *testing.T) {
 	cases := []struct {
-		in     string
-		ok     bool
-		owner  string
-		repo   string
-		tag    string
+		in    string
+		ok    bool
+		owner string
+		repo  string
+		tag   string
 	}{
 		{"github:cli/cli@v2.45.0", true, "cli", "cli", "v2.45.0"},
 		{"github:cli/cli", true, "cli", "cli", ""},
@@ -123,11 +124,20 @@ func TestAllowedOrg(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestConfigDefaults(t *testing.T) {
+	runtimeDir := t.TempDir()
+	t.Setenv("RUNTIME_DIR", runtimeDir)
+
 	c := &GitHubPackagesConfig{}
 	c.Defaults()
 	if c.BinDir == "" || c.ManifestPath == "" || c.MaxAssetSizeMB != 200 {
 		t.Errorf("unexpected defaults: %+v", c)
 	}
+	if want := filepath.Join(runtimeDir, "bin"); c.BinDir != want {
+		t.Errorf("BinDir = %q, want %q", c.BinDir, want)
+	}
+	if want := filepath.Join(runtimeDir, "github-packages.json"); c.ManifestPath != want {
+		t.Errorf("ManifestPath = %q, want %q", c.ManifestPath, want)
+	}
 	if c.MaxAssetBytes() != 200*1024*1024 {
 		t.Errorf("MaxAssetBytes wrong: %d", c.MaxAssetBytes())
 	}
diff --git a/internal/skills/runtime_check.go b/internal/skills/runtime_check.go
index b39298ca..56b5e70f 100644
--- a/internal/skills/runtime_check.go
+++ b/internal/skills/runtime_check.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"os"
 	"os/exec"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
 )
@@ -65,7 +66,7 @@ func CheckRuntimes() *RuntimeStatus {
 
 	// Check github-bin runtime directory (where GitHub-installed binaries live).
 	ghInfo := RuntimeInfo{Name: "github-bin"}
-	binDir := "/app/data/.runtime/bin"
+	binDir := filepath.Join(packageRuntimeDir(), "bin")
 	if gh := DefaultGitHubInstaller(); gh != nil && gh.Config != nil && gh.Config.BinDir != "" {
 		binDir = gh.Config.BinDir
 	}