diff --git a/knip.jsonc b/knip.jsonc
index 4c66d4e7..c6d1d6f3 100644
--- a/knip.jsonc
+++ b/knip.jsonc
@@ -156,6 +156,24 @@
         "src/{client,node,rpc,inject,engine,registry}/index.ts"
       ]
     },
+    "plugins/inspect": {
+      // The lockstep assets package is referenced only as a runtime string
+      // (`${pkg.name}--assets` in `cli.distDir`), never imported, so knip
+      // can't see the dev-only workspace link that makes it resolvable in
+      // the monorepo. Repeat the `plugins/*` entry glob (a workspace config
+      // replaces, not merges, it).
+      "entry": [
+        "src/{index,cli,vite,constants,types}.ts",
+        "src/{client,node,rpc,inject,engine,registry}/index.ts"
+      ],
+      "ignoreDependencies": ["@devframes/plugin-inspect--assets"]
+    },
+    "plugins/inspect/assets-pkg": {
+      // Assets-only package: no source, just a prebuilt `dist` produced by
+      // the sibling plugin's Vite build.
+      "entry": [],
+      "project": []
+    },
     "plugins/a11y": {
       // `storybook-solidjs-vite` (not an official `@storybook/*` framework
       // package) doesn't match knip's Storybook plugin trigger, so it never
diff --git a/plugins/inspect/assets-pkg/package.json b/plugins/inspect/assets-pkg/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e66f551a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inspect/assets-pkg/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+{
+  "name": "@devframes/plugin-inspect--assets",
+  "type": "module",
+  "version": "0.9.0-beta.4",
+  "description": "Prebuilt browser assets (SPA) for @devframes/plugin-inspect, served on demand through devframe's remote-assets back-proxy.",
+  "author": "Anthony Fu <anthonyfu117@hotmail.com>",
+  "license": "MIT",
+  "homepage": "https://github.com/devframes/devframe#readme",
+  "repository": {
+    "directory": "plugins/inspect/assets-pkg",
+    "type": "git",
+    "url": "git+https://github.com/devframes/devframe.git"
+  },
+  "bugs": "https://github.com/devframes/devframe/issues",
+  "keywords": [
+    "devframe",
+    "devframe-plugin",
+    "devtools",
+    "client-assets"
+  ],
+  "exports": {
+    "./package.json": "./package.json"
+  },
+  "files": [
+    "dist"
+  ],
+  "scripts": {
+    "prepack": "pnpm --filter @devframes/plugin-inspect run build"
+  }
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inspect/package.json b/plugins/inspect/package.json
index 89075325..9269a4d3 100644
--- a/plugins/inspect/package.json
+++ b/plugins/inspect/package.json
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@
   "devDependencies": {
     "@antfu/design": "catalog:frontend",
     "@devframes/hub": "workspace:*",
+    "@devframes/plugin-inspect--assets": "workspace:*",
     "@iconify-json/ph": "catalog:frontend",
     "@standard-schema/spec": "catalog:deps",
     "@storybook/addon-docs": "catalog:storybook",
diff --git a/plugins/inspect/src/index.ts b/plugins/inspect/src/index.ts
index 78553b7c..c8afcda1 100644
--- a/plugins/inspect/src/index.ts
+++ b/plugins/inspect/src/index.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
-import type { DevframeDefinition } from 'devframe'
-import { existsSync } from 'node:fs'
-import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url'
+import type { DevframeDefinition, RemoteAssets } from 'devframe'
 import { defineDevframe } from 'devframe'
 import pkg from '../package.json' with { type: 'json' }
 import { setupInspect } from './node/index'
@@ -8,10 +6,16 @@ import { setupInspect } from './node/index'
 /** Default devframe id — drives the hosted mount path `/__<id>/`. */
 const DEFAULT_ID = 'devframes_plugin_inspect'
 
-// The Vue SPA is built (by Vite) into `dist/spa`. From both the source
-// entry (`src/index.ts`, via the workspace alias) and the published
-// entry (`dist/index.mjs`), `../dist/spa` resolves to `<pkg>/dist/spa`.
-const distDir = fileURLToPath(new URL('../dist/spa', import.meta.url))
+// The Vue SPA ships in the lockstep-versioned `@devframes/plugin-inspect--assets`
+// package rather than inside this (slim) node package. `resolveFrom` lets a
+// locally installed copy (a workspace link in this monorepo, or an explicit
+// `npm install` for air-gapped setups) be served with zero network; otherwise
+// the assets stream on demand through devframe's caching CDN back-proxy.
+const distDir: RemoteAssets = {
+  package: `${pkg.name}--assets`,
+  version: pkg.version,
+  resolveFrom: import.meta.url,
+}
 
 export interface InspectDevframeOptions {
   /** Override the devframe id (and default CLI command / mount path). */
@@ -58,7 +62,7 @@ export function createInspectDevframe(options: InspectDevframeOptions = {}): Dev
     cli: {
       command: id,
       port: options.port ?? 9012,
-      distDir: existsSync(distDir) ? distDir : undefined,
+      distDir,
       // Gate the standalone server by default; `maybeOpenBrowser` folds the
       // current OTP into the `--open` URL so the tab lands already trusted.
       // Hosted adapters (Vite/hub) supply their own auth layer and ignore this.
diff --git a/plugins/inspect/src/spa/vite.config.ts b/plugins/inspect/src/spa/vite.config.ts
index d83059b1..061f32ca 100644
--- a/plugins/inspect/src/spa/vite.config.ts
+++ b/plugins/inspect/src/spa/vite.config.ts
@@ -22,7 +22,10 @@ export default defineConfig({
   // SFCs instead of esbuild pre-bundling them.
   optimizeDeps: { exclude: ['@antfu/design'] },
   build: {
-    outDir: fileURLToPath(new URL('../../dist/spa', import.meta.url)),
+    // Emit into the sibling `@devframes/plugin-inspect--assets` package, which
+    // ships these assets to npm; the node package stays slim and serves them
+    // on demand through devframe's remote-assets back-proxy.
+    outDir: fileURLToPath(new URL('../../assets-pkg/dist', import.meta.url)),
     emptyOutDir: true,
   },
 })
diff --git a/plugins/inspect/test/_utils.ts b/plugins/inspect/test/_utils.ts
index 04f01cd9..db5cbd3d 100644
--- a/plugins/inspect/test/_utils.ts
+++ b/plugins/inspect/test/_utils.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import type { DevframeHubContext } from '@devframes/hub/node'
 import type { DevframeNodeContext } from 'devframe'
 import type { StartedServer } from 'devframe/internal'
 import { existsSync } from 'node:fs'
+import os from 'node:os'
 import path from 'node:path'
 import process from 'node:process'
 import { createHubContext } from '@devframes/hub/node'
@@ -10,22 +11,38 @@ import { DEVFRAME_CONNECTION_META_FILENAME } from 'devframe/constants'
 import { createH3DevframeHost } from 'devframe/internal'
 import { createHostContext } from 'devframe/node'
 import { resolveBasePath } from 'devframe/node/hub-internals'
+import { resolveStaticAssetsSource } from 'devframe/utils/remote-assets'
 import { mountStaticHandler } from 'devframe/utils/serve-static'
 import { getPort } from 'get-port-please'
 import { H3 } from 'h3'
 import { serveTestContext } from '../../../tests/helpers/serve-test-context'
 
-const SPA_DIST = inspectDevframe.cli!.distDir!
+/**
+ * Resolve the inspector's SPA to a local directory. Its `distDir` is a
+ * remote-assets declaration; in this monorepo the lockstep
+ * `@devframes/plugin-inspect--assets` package is workspace-linked, so
+ * resolution short-circuits to its built `dist`. A store (rather than a
+ * string) means that build hasn't run.
+ */
+function localSpaDir(): string {
+  const resolved = resolveStaticAssetsSource(inspectDevframe.cli!.distDir!, path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'devframes_plugin_inspect-test'))
+  if (typeof resolved !== 'string') {
+    throw new TypeError(
+      '[devframes_plugin_inspect] client SPA missing — run `pnpm -C plugins/inspect run build` first.',
+    )
+  }
+  return resolved
+}
 
 /**
  * Assert the Vue SPA has been built. The dev-server and static-build
- * tests mount / copy `dist/spa`; a missing build produces a loud, fixable
- * failure rather than an opaque 404.
+ * tests mount / copy the client SPA; a missing build produces a loud,
+ * fixable failure rather than an opaque 404.
  */
 export function assertSpaBuilt(): void {
-  if (!existsSync(path.join(SPA_DIST, 'index.html'))) {
+  if (!existsSync(path.join(localSpaDir(), 'index.html'))) {
     throw new Error(
-      '[devframes_plugin_inspect] dist/spa missing — run `pnpm -C plugins/inspect run build` first.',
+      '[devframes_plugin_inspect] client SPA missing — run `pnpm -C plugins/inspect run build` first.',
     )
   }
 }
@@ -51,7 +68,7 @@ interface BootOptions {
  * context exercises the no-hub path (empty list, thrown diagnostic).
  */
 async function boot(options: BootOptions): Promise<InspectorServer> {
-  const distDir = inspectDevframe.cli!.distDir!
+  const distDir = localSpaDir()
   const basePath = resolveBasePath(inspectDevframe, 'standalone')
   const host = '127.0.0.1'
   const port = await getPort({ host, random: true })
diff --git a/pnpm-lock.yaml b/pnpm-lock.yaml
index 2cdba12c..0d4e6586 100644
--- a/pnpm-lock.yaml
+++ b/pnpm-lock.yaml
@@ -1883,6 +1883,9 @@ importers:
       '@devframes/hub':
         specifier: workspace:*
         version: link:../../packages/hub
+      '@devframes/plugin-inspect--assets':
+        specifier: workspace:*
+        version: link:assets-pkg
       '@iconify-json/ph':
         specifier: catalog:frontend
         version: 1.2.2
@@ -1941,6 +1944,8 @@ importers:
         specifier: catalog:deps
         version: 8.21.3
 
+  plugins/inspect/assets-pkg: {}
+
   plugins/messages:
     dependencies:
       '@devframes/vite':
diff --git a/pnpm-workspace.yaml b/pnpm-workspace.yaml
index 0c3e3496..92b92c6f 100644
--- a/pnpm-workspace.yaml
+++ b/pnpm-workspace.yaml
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ trustPolicyExclude:
 packages:
   - packages/*
   - plugins/*
+  - plugins/*/assets-pkg
   - examples/*
   - storybook
   - docs
diff --git a/turbo.json b/turbo.json
index aac4ed6b..908e87f9 100644
--- a/turbo.json
+++ b/turbo.json
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@
     "@devframes/plugin-inspect#build": {
       "outputLogs": "new-only",
       "dependsOn": ["devframe#build", "@devframes/vite#build"],
-      "outputs": ["dist/**"]
+      "outputs": ["dist/**", "assets-pkg/dist/**"]
     },
     "@devframes/plugin-og#build": {
       "outputLogs": "new-only",