diff --git a/backend/src/pi/pi-process-manager.ts b/backend/src/pi/pi-process-manager.ts
index c9701d58..5c8a8877 100644
--- a/backend/src/pi/pi-process-manager.ts
+++ b/backend/src/pi/pi-process-manager.ts
@@ -30,7 +30,10 @@ export class PiProcessManager {
           THT_AUTHOR: author,
           PATH: `${harnessVenvBin}:${process.env.PATH ?? ""}`,
         };
-        const child = nodeSpawn(cfg.piBin, ["--mode", "rpc", "--approve"], {
+        // pi 0.73 (the @mariozechner rebrand) removed the `--approve` flag: rpc mode is
+        // headless and runs tools without an approval gate, so passing it makes pi exit
+        // with "Unknown option: --approve". Args are intentionally just `--mode rpc`.
+        const child = nodeSpawn(cfg.piBin, ["--mode", "rpc"], {
           cwd: cfg.harnessDir,
           env,
         });
diff --git a/backend/test/pi-spawn-args.test.ts b/backend/test/pi-spawn-args.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2488f09d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/test/pi-spawn-args.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+import { test, expect, vi } from "vitest";
+import { EventEmitter } from "node:events";
+
+// Mock node:child_process so the PRODUCTION spawnFn (no injected spawnFn) is exercised
+// without launching a real pi. Per-file mock — kept out of pi-process-manager.test.ts,
+// which deliberately spawns the real fake_pi.
+vi.mock("node:child_process", () => ({
+  spawn: vi.fn(() => {
+    const ch: any = new EventEmitter();
+    ch.stdout = new EventEmitter();
+    ch.stderr = new EventEmitter();
+    ch.stderr.resume = () => {};
+    ch.stdin = { write: () => true };
+    ch.kill = () => {};
+    return ch;
+  }),
+}));
+import { spawn as nodeSpawn } from "node:child_process";
+import { PiProcessManager } from "../src/pi/pi-process-manager.js";
+import { loadConfig } from "../src/config.js";
+
+test("production spawnFn launches `pi --mode rpc` with no --approve (pi 0.73 dropped it)", async () => {
+  (nodeSpawn as any).mockClear();
+  // loadConfig({}) leaves provider/model/thinking unset → spawnFor skips the rpc
+  // handshake and just spawns + sends the prompt, so the mocked child never hangs.
+  const cfg = loadConfig({});
+  const mgr = new PiProcessManager(cfg); // NO injected spawnFn → uses the production spawnFn
+  await mgr.spawnFor("s1", {});
+  const [bin, args] = (nodeSpawn as any).mock.calls[0];
+  expect(bin).toBe(cfg.piBin);
+  expect(args).toEqual(["--mode", "rpc"]);
+  expect(args).not.toContain("--approve");
+  mgr.teardown("s1");
+});