diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 44bce59..975bb66 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -605,6 +605,54 @@ Print the data directory path (`${XDG_DATA_HOME}/dv`).
 dv data
 ```
 
+### dv serve
+
+Run a bearer-token-protected HTTP API for integrations such as desktop apps.
+
+```bash
+dv serve [--host 127.0.0.1] [--port 7373] [--token TOKEN]
+```
+
+The first run generates a token and saves it in the dv config. Send it with every
+request as `Authorization: Bearer TOKEN`. Commands that take time use Server-Sent
+Events: `output` events contain `stream` and `text`, and the final `done` event
+contains `exit_code`.
+
+Create and fully provision a new agent with `POST /containers/new`. The JSON body
+supports all non-interactive `dv new` options:
+
+```json
+{
+  "name": "core-pr-12345",
+  "image": "discourse",
+  "template": "/path/to/template.yml",
+  "keep_on_failure": false,
+  "verbose": false,
+  "pr": "12345",
+  "branch": "",
+  "plugins": ["discourse-solved"],
+  "local_plugins": ["/path/to/local-plugin"],
+  "themes": ["discourse-air"],
+  "without_test_db": false
+}
+```
+
+All fields are optional. If `name` is omitted, `dv new` generates one using its
+normal naming rules. On success, the stream emits `result` with the final agent
+name and its browser-facing hostname, followed by `done` with an exit code of
+zero. The hostname is `localhost` when the local proxy is not active:
+
+```text
+event: result
+data: {"hostname":"core-pr-12345.dv.localhost","name":"core-pr-12345"}
+
+event: done
+data: {"exit_code":0}
+```
+
+Explicit names must be Rails hostname-safe because API requests cannot respond to
+the interactive confirmation used by the CLI for unsafe names.
+
 ### dv config completion
 Generate shell completion scripts (rarely needed). For zsh:
 
diff --git a/internal/cli/serve.go b/internal/cli/serve.go
index ec05a38..aba1121 100644
--- a/internal/cli/serve.go
+++ b/internal/cli/serve.go
@@ -158,6 +158,9 @@ func handleServeRequest(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, configDir string
 	case path == "containers":
 		handleContainers(w, r, configDir)
 		return
+	case path == "containers/new":
+		handleContainerNew(w, r, configDir)
+		return
 	case strings.HasPrefix(path, "containers/"):
 		handleContainer(w, r, configDir, strings.Split(path, "/"))
 		return
@@ -175,6 +178,118 @@ func handleServeRequest(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, configDir string
 	}
 }
 
+type newAgentRequest struct {
+	Name          string   `json:"name"`
+	Image         string   `json:"image"`
+	Template      string   `json:"template"`
+	KeepOnFailure bool     `json:"keep_on_failure"`
+	Verbose       bool     `json:"verbose"`
+	PR            string   `json:"pr"`
+	Branch        string   `json:"branch"`
+	Plugins       []string `json:"plugins"`
+	LocalPlugins  []string `json:"local_plugins"`
+	Themes        []string `json:"themes"`
+	WithoutTestDB bool     `json:"without_test_db"`
+}
+
+func (req newAgentRequest) args() []string {
+	args := []string{"new"}
+	if req.Image != "" {
+		args = append(args, "--image", req.Image)
+	}
+	if req.Template != "" {
+		args = append(args, "--template", req.Template)
+	}
+	if req.KeepOnFailure {
+		args = append(args, "--keep-on-failure")
+	}
+	if req.Verbose {
+		args = append(args, "--verbose")
+	}
+	if req.PR != "" {
+		args = append(args, "--pr", req.PR)
+	}
+	if req.Branch != "" {
+		args = append(args, "--branch", req.Branch)
+	}
+	for _, plugin := range req.Plugins {
+		args = append(args, "--plugin", plugin)
+	}
+	for _, plugin := range req.LocalPlugins {
+		args = append(args, "--plugin-local", plugin)
+	}
+	for _, theme := range req.Themes {
+		args = append(args, "--theme", theme)
+	}
+	if req.WithoutTestDB {
+		args = append(args, "--without-test-db")
+	}
+	if req.Name != "" {
+		args = append(args, req.Name)
+	}
+	return args
+}
+
+func handleContainerNew(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, configDir string) {
+	if r.Method != http.MethodPost {
+		writeJSON(w, http.StatusMethodNotAllowed, "method not allowed")
+		return
+	}
+
+	var req newAgentRequest
+	if err := decodeJSON(r, &req); err != nil {
+		writeJSON(w, http.StatusBadRequest, err.Error())
+		return
+	}
+	req.Name = strings.TrimSpace(req.Name)
+	if req.Name != "" && !isRailsHostnameSafe(req.Name) {
+		writeJSON(w, http.StatusBadRequest, "name must contain only numbers, letters, dashes, and dots")
+		return
+	}
+
+	exe, err := os.Executable()
+	if err != nil {
+		writeJSON(w, http.StatusInternalServerError, err.Error())
+		return
+	}
+	args := req.args()
+	streamSequence(w, func(sse *sseWriter) error {
+		err := runExecWithSSE(sse, func(stdout, stderr io.Writer) error {
+			cmd := exec.CommandContext(r.Context(), exe, args...)
+			cmd.Stdout = stdout
+			cmd.Stderr = stderr
+			return cmd.Run()
+		})
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		cfg, err := config.LoadOrCreate(configDir)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		name := strings.TrimSpace(cfg.SelectedAgent)
+		if name == "" {
+			name = cfg.DefaultContainer
+		}
+		hostname := "localhost"
+		if labels, err := labelsWithOverrides(name, cfg); err == nil {
+			hostname = containerResultHostname(labels)
+		}
+		sse.writeEvent("result", map[string]string{
+			"name":     name,
+			"hostname": hostname,
+		})
+		return nil
+	}, true)
+}
+
+func containerResultHostname(labels map[string]string) string {
+	if proxyHost, _, _, _, ok := localproxy.RouteFromLabels(labels); ok {
+		return proxyHost
+	}
+	return "localhost"
+}
+
 func handleStatus(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, configDir string) {
 	cfg, err := config.LoadOrCreate(configDir)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/internal/cli/serve_test.go b/internal/cli/serve_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1b2df83
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/cli/serve_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+package cli
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"reflect"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"dv/internal/localproxy"
+)
+
+func TestNewAgentRequestArgs(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	req := newAgentRequest{
+		Name:          "core-pr-123",
+		Image:         "discourse",
+		Template:      "/tmp/site.yml",
+		KeepOnFailure: true,
+		Verbose:       true,
+		PR:            "123",
+		Branch:        "feature/test",
+		Plugins:       []string{"discourse-solved", "owner/plugin"},
+		LocalPlugins:  []string{"/tmp/local-plugin"},
+		Themes:        []string{"discourse-air"},
+		WithoutTestDB: true,
+	}
+
+	want := []string{
+		"new",
+		"--image", "discourse",
+		"--template", "/tmp/site.yml",
+		"--keep-on-failure",
+		"--verbose",
+		"--pr", "123",
+		"--branch", "feature/test",
+		"--plugin", "discourse-solved",
+		"--plugin", "owner/plugin",
+		"--plugin-local", "/tmp/local-plugin",
+		"--theme", "discourse-air",
+		"--without-test-db",
+		"core-pr-123",
+	}
+	if got := req.args(); !reflect.DeepEqual(got, want) {
+		t.Fatalf("args() = %#v, want %#v", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestNewAgentRequestArgsMinimal(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	if got, want := (newAgentRequest{}).args(), []string{"new"}; !reflect.DeepEqual(got, want) {
+		t.Fatalf("args() = %#v, want %#v", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestHandleContainerNewRejectsUnsupportedMethod(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	recorder := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	request := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, "/containers/new", nil)
+	handleContainerNew(recorder, request, t.TempDir())
+
+	if recorder.Code != http.StatusMethodNotAllowed {
+		t.Fatalf("status = %d, want %d", recorder.Code, http.StatusMethodNotAllowed)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestHandleContainerNewRejectsUnknownFields(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	recorder := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	request := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodPost, "/containers/new", bytes.NewBufferString(`{"unknown":true}`))
+	handleContainerNew(recorder, request, t.TempDir())
+
+	if recorder.Code != http.StatusBadRequest {
+		t.Fatalf("status = %d, want %d", recorder.Code, http.StatusBadRequest)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(recorder.Body.String(), "unknown field") {
+		t.Fatalf("body = %q, want unknown-field error", recorder.Body.String())
+	}
+}
+
+func TestHandleContainerNewRejectsUnsafeExplicitName(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	recorder := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	request := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodPost, "/containers/new", bytes.NewBufferString(`{"name":"not_safe"}`))
+	handleContainerNew(recorder, request, t.TempDir())
+
+	if recorder.Code != http.StatusBadRequest {
+		t.Fatalf("status = %d, want %d", recorder.Code, http.StatusBadRequest)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(recorder.Body.String(), "numbers, letters, dashes, and dots") {
+		t.Fatalf("body = %q, want hostname-safety error", recorder.Body.String())
+	}
+}
+
+func TestContainerResultHostname(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name   string
+		labels map[string]string
+		want   string
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "local proxy hostname",
+			labels: map[string]string{
+				localproxy.LabelHost:          "core-pr-41785.dv.localhost",
+				localproxy.LabelTargetPort:    "3001",
+				localproxy.LabelContainerPort: "3000",
+			},
+			want: "core-pr-41785.dv.localhost",
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "no local proxy metadata",
+			labels: map[string]string{},
+			want:   "localhost",
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, test := range tests {
+		t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Parallel()
+			if got := containerResultHostname(test.labels); got != test.want {
+				t.Fatalf("containerResultHostname() = %q, want %q", got, test.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}