diff --git a/.github/workflows/devlab-strix.yml b/.github/workflows/devlab-strix.yml
index bc1c7c014..b2ae7ce1c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/devlab-strix.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/devlab-strix.yml
@@ -30,11 +30,21 @@ on:
         default: main
         type: string
       job:
-        description: "probe = report the runner environment only; build = probe + native strix-hip build"
+        description: "probe = env only; build = probe + native build; validate = build + unit slice + smoke; eval = model serve gates on a home-runner box"
         required: true
         default: probe
         type: choice
-        options: [probe, build]
+        options: [probe, build, validate, eval]
+      model:
+        description: "eval only: model id to serve"
+        required: false
+        default: "nvidia/Qwen3.8-27B-NVFP4"
+        type: string
+      legs:
+        description: "eval only: space-separated gate legs (subtest identity nemotron st995 perf)"
+        required: false
+        default: "identity nemotron"
+        type: string
 
 permissions:
   contents: read
@@ -100,7 +110,7 @@ jobs:
           } | tee -a "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
 
       - name: Rust toolchain (cached under the tool cache)
-        if: inputs.job == 'build'
+        if: inputs.job == 'build' || inputs.job == 'validate'
         shell: bash
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
@@ -116,7 +126,7 @@ jobs:
           echo "$CARGO_HOME/bin" >> "$GITHUB_PATH"
 
       - name: Native strix-hip build (all models)
-        if: inputs.job == 'build'
+        if: inputs.job == 'build' || inputs.job == 'validate'
         shell: bash
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
@@ -124,3 +134,31 @@ jobs:
           start=$(date +%s)
           ./build-amd.sh
           echo "build: $(( $(date +%s) - start ))s, binary $(sha256sum target/release/spark | cut -c1-16)" | tee -a "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
+
+      - name: Validate (unit slice + smoke)
+        if: inputs.job == 'validate'
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          ./target/release/spark --version | tee -a "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
+          ATLAS_SKIP_BUILD=1 cargo test -p atlas-kernels --lib 2>&1 | tail -5 | tee -a "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
+          echo "validate: PASS" | tee -a "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
+
+  eval:
+    name: Home-box eval gates (${{ inputs.model }})
+    needs: authorize
+    if: inputs.job == 'eval'
+    runs-on: [self-hosted, atlas-home]
+    timeout-minutes: 720
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ inputs.ref }}
+          persist-credentials: false
+      - name: Submit model gates to the box queue
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          echo "ref=${{ inputs.ref }} model=${{ inputs.model }} legs=${{ inputs.legs }}"
+          ~/jobqueue/bin/qctl sub ci-eval-${{ github.run_id }} --file ~/jobqueue/staged/gate.sh             || { echo "no qctl gate.sh on this box"; exit 1; }
+          echo "queued: leg scripts drive the box serially; verdicts land in ~/ovn-out" | tee -a "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"