diff --git a/packages/runtime/src/args.ts b/packages/runtime/src/args.ts
index bca2fb701..2c391ca2a 100644
--- a/packages/runtime/src/args.ts
+++ b/packages/runtime/src/args.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import type { FlagsDef, ParsedFlags } from "bailian-cli-core";
-import { UsageError } from "bailian-cli-core";
+import { GLOBAL_FLAGS, UsageError } from "bailian-cli-core";
 
 function kebabToCamel(str: string): string {
   return str.replace(/-([a-z])/g, (_, c: string) => c.toUpperCase());
@@ -11,26 +11,82 @@ export function camelToKebab(str: string): string {
 }
 
 export interface ParsePathResult {
-  /** Command path: the leading run of bare tokens, e.g. ["speech", "recognize"]. */
+  /** Command path: consecutive bare tokens after any leading global flags. */
   path: string[];
-  /** Everything from the first flag onward — handed to parseFlags later. */
+  /**
+   * Flag region handed to parseFlags later.
+   * Includes peeled leading GLOBAL_FLAGS plus everything after the command path.
+   */
   rest: string[];
   hasHelpFlag: boolean;
   hasVersionFlag: boolean;
 }
 
 /**
- * First pass — routing only. The command path is the leading run of bare
- * (non-`-`) tokens; the first flag ends it ("command path first, then flags",
- * oclif-style). There are no positionals, so nothing bare can legitimately
- * follow a flag — and no flags precede the path, so this needs no schema.
+ * First-pass routing parse.
+ * - Known GLOBAL_FLAGS may appear before the command path (git/docker style).
+ * - Bare tokens form the command path; everything after the path goes into rest.
+ * - Unknown flags before the path throw UsageError (no silent root-help fallback).
  */
 export function parsePath(argv: string[]): ParsePathResult {
-  let i = 0;
-  while (i < argv.length && !argv[i]!.startsWith("-")) i++;
-  const rest = argv.slice(i);
+  const leadingRest: string[] = [];
+  let index = 0;
+
+  while (index < argv.length) {
+    const argument = argv[index]!;
+    if (!argument.startsWith("-")) break;
+
+    if (!argument.startsWith("--")) {
+      throw new UsageError(`Unknown flag "${argument}". Use the --long form.`);
+    }
+
+    const equalsIndex = argument.indexOf("=");
+    const rawKey = equalsIndex !== -1 ? argument.slice(2, equalsIndex) : argument.slice(2);
+    if (rawKey === "") {
+      throw new UsageError(`Unknown flag "${argument}".`);
+    }
+
+    const flagKey = kebabToCamel(rawKey);
+    const flagDef =
+      flagKey in GLOBAL_FLAGS ? GLOBAL_FLAGS[flagKey as keyof typeof GLOBAL_FLAGS] : undefined;
+    if (!flagDef) {
+      throw new UsageError(
+        `Unknown flag "--${rawKey}" before the command path. Only global flags may appear before the command; put command-specific flags after it.`,
+      );
+    }
+
+    if (flagDef.type === "switch") {
+      leadingRest.push(argument);
+      index += 1;
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    // Value-taking global flags: support --flag=value and --flag value.
+    if (equalsIndex !== -1) {
+      leadingRest.push(argument);
+      index += 1;
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    const value = argv[index + 1];
+    if (value === undefined || value.startsWith("--")) {
+      // Leave a missing value for parseFlags so trailing form keeps the same error path.
+      leadingRest.push(argument);
+      index += 1;
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    leadingRest.push(argument, value);
+    index += 2;
+  }
+
+  const pathStart = index;
+  while (index < argv.length && !argv[index]!.startsWith("-")) index += 1;
+  const path = argv.slice(pathStart, index);
+  const rest = leadingRest.concat(argv.slice(index));
+
   return {
-    path: argv.slice(0, i),
+    path,
     rest,
     hasHelpFlag: rest.includes("--help"),
     hasVersionFlag: rest.includes("--version"),
diff --git a/packages/runtime/src/resolve.ts b/packages/runtime/src/resolve.ts
index b04377313..4416ee337 100644
--- a/packages/runtime/src/resolve.ts
+++ b/packages/runtime/src/resolve.ts
@@ -20,8 +20,10 @@ export type Resolution =
 
 /**
  * Classify argv into a {@link Resolution}. Pure over (argv, registry): one
- * `parsePath` scan for the command path + flag region, one `registry.locate`
- * for the routing decision. Never throws. Trivially unit-testable.
+ * `parsePath` scan for the command path + flag region (leading GLOBAL_FLAGS
+ * allowed), one `registry.locate` for the routing decision. `parsePath` may
+ * throw UsageError for unknown flags before the command path; otherwise this
+ * function itself does not throw. Trivially unit-testable.
  */
 export function resolve(argv: string[], registry: CommandRegistry): Resolution {
   const { path, rest, hasHelpFlag, hasVersionFlag } = parsePath(argv);
diff --git a/packages/runtime/tests/args.test.ts b/packages/runtime/tests/args.test.ts
index 845d98c04..99850b69d 100644
--- a/packages/runtime/tests/args.test.ts
+++ b/packages/runtime/tests/args.test.ts
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ const IMAGE_GENERATE_FLAGS = {
 } satisfies FlagsDef;
 const OPTS = { ...GLOBAL_FLAGS, ...IMAGE_GENERATE_FLAGS };
 
-// ---- parsePath: routing only (command path first, then flags) ----
+// ---- parsePath: routing (leading GLOBAL_FLAGS + command path + trailing flags) ----
 
 test("parsePath splits leading bare tokens as the command path", () => {
   const r = parsePath(["image", "generate", "--prompt", "cat"]);
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ test("parsePath splits leading bare tokens as the command path", () => {
   expect(r.rest).toEqual(["--prompt", "cat"]);
 });
 
-test("parsePath stops the path at the first flag", () => {
+test("parsePath stops the path at the first trailing flag", () => {
   const r = parsePath(["speech"]);
   expect(r.path).toEqual(["speech"]);
   expect(r.rest).toEqual([]);
@@ -31,6 +31,50 @@ test("parsePath detects --help and --version in the flag region", () => {
   const v = parsePath(["--version"]);
   expect(v.hasVersionFlag).toBe(true);
   expect(v.path).toEqual([]);
+  expect(v.rest).toEqual(["--version"]);
+});
+
+test("parsePath peels leading --config before the command path", () => {
+  const r = parsePath(["--config", "token-plan", "config", "show"]);
+  expect(r.path).toEqual(["config", "show"]);
+  expect(r.rest).toEqual(["--config", "token-plan"]);
+});
+
+test("parsePath peels leading --config=value before the command path", () => {
+  const r = parsePath(["--config=token-plan", "auth", "status"]);
+  expect(r.path).toEqual(["auth", "status"]);
+  expect(r.rest).toEqual(["--config=token-plan"]);
+});
+
+test("parsePath peels multiple leading global flags and keeps trailing flags", () => {
+  const r = parsePath(["--verbose", "--config", "token-plan", "text", "chat", "--prompt", "hi"]);
+  expect(r.path).toEqual(["text", "chat"]);
+  expect(r.rest).toEqual(["--verbose", "--config", "token-plan", "--prompt", "hi"]);
+});
+
+test("parsePath still accepts global flags after the command path", () => {
+  const r = parsePath(["config", "show", "--config", "token-plan", "--quiet"]);
+  expect(r.path).toEqual(["config", "show"]);
+  expect(r.rest).toEqual(["--config", "token-plan", "--quiet"]);
+});
+
+test("parsePath rejects unknown flags before the command path", () => {
+  expect(() => parsePath(["--prompt", "hi", "text", "chat"])).toThrowError(
+    expect.objectContaining({
+      name: "UsageError",
+      exitCode: ExitCode.USAGE,
+      message: expect.stringContaining('Unknown flag "--prompt" before the command path'),
+    }),
+  );
+});
+
+test("parsePath rejects short flags before the command path", () => {
+  expect(() => parsePath(["-h", "config", "show"])).toThrowError(
+    expect.objectContaining({
+      name: "UsageError",
+      message: expect.stringContaining("Use the --long form"),
+    }),
+  );
 });
 
 // ---- parseFlags: typed parsing ----