diff --git a/config/global-defaults b/config/global-defaults
index 0f4cf54..0393941 100644
--- a/config/global-defaults
+++ b/config/global-defaults
@@ -4,7 +4,9 @@
 # Per-engagement /workspace/$TARGET/.env overrides these.
 
 # ── Default Exegol container ────────────────────────────
-export EXEGOL_CONTAINER="exegol"
+# Leave unset → dotsec auto-detects the running exegol container.
+# Uncomment to force a specific one:
+# export EXEGOL_CONTAINER="exegol-myname"
 
 # ── Default Bug Bounty User-Agent ───────────────────────
 export UA="H1-yourhandle"
diff --git a/lib/core.sh b/lib/core.sh
index d188fe3..0ec5271 100644
--- a/lib/core.sh
+++ b/lib/core.sh
@@ -17,15 +17,17 @@ __dotsec_load_global() {
     if [[ -f "${DOTSEC_CONFIG}/config" ]]; then
         source "${DOTSEC_CONFIG}/config"
     fi
-    # Auto-detect Exegol container if not set
-    if [[ -z "${EXEGOL_CONTAINER:-}" ]]; then
+    # Resolve the Exegol container: detect when unset OR when the configured one
+    # no longer exists (e.g. removed/recreated) — so a stale config value never
+    # sticks. Prefer a running container, fall back to any.
+    if [[ -z "${EXEGOL_CONTAINER:-}" ]] || ! docker container inspect "${EXEGOL_CONTAINER}" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
         local detected
-        detected=$(docker ps -a --filter "name=exegol" --format '{{.Names}}' 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+        detected=$(docker ps --filter "name=exegol" --format '{{.Names}}' 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+        [[ -z "$detected" ]] && detected=$(docker ps -a --filter "name=exegol" --format '{{.Names}}' 2>/dev/null | head -1)
         [[ -n "$detected" ]] && EXEGOL_CONTAINER="$detected"
     fi
-    # Last statement must not leak a non-zero status: under `set -e` this
-    # function is called top-level and a falsy [[ -n ]] above would abort dotsec
-    # on any host without an exegol container.
+    # Last statement must not leak a non-zero status under `set -e` (this
+    # function runs top-level; a falsy [[ -n ]] above would otherwise abort dotsec).
     return 0
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/engagement.sh b/lib/engagement.sh
index d69edfc..898c762 100644
--- a/lib/engagement.sh
+++ b/lib/engagement.sh
@@ -56,7 +56,6 @@ cmd_new() {
     # Merge global config defaults (only if key not already set)
     __dotsec_load_global
     [[ -n "${UA:-}" ]] && sed -i "s|H1-yourhandle|${UA}|g" "${ws}/.env"
-    [[ -n "${EXEGOL_CONTAINER:-}" ]] && sed -i "s|exegol-default|${EXEGOL_CONTAINER}|g" "${ws}/.env"
     [[ -n "${PROXY_PORT:-}" ]] && sed -i "s|PROXY_PORT=\"9999\"|PROXY_PORT=\"${PROXY_PORT}\"|g" "${ws}/.env"
     [[ -n "${WEB_PORT:-}" ]] && sed -i "s|WEB_PORT=\"9998\"|WEB_PORT=\"${WEB_PORT}\"|g" "${ws}/.env"
 
diff --git a/templates/.env.engagement b/templates/.env.engagement
index baf73c1..c5a09ac 100644
--- a/templates/.env.engagement
+++ b/templates/.env.engagement
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ export NO_PROXY="localhost,127.0.0.1"
 export WORKSPACE="/workspace/acme-corp"
 
 # ── Exegol ──────────────────────────────────────────────
-export EXEGOL_CONTAINER="exegol"
+# EXEGOL_CONTAINER is global infra (auto-detected), not per-engagement.
 
 # ── Secrets (auto-generated, never committed) ───────────
 # Generated by `dotsec new` into .env.secrets (chmod 600):
diff --git a/tests/smoke.bats b/tests/smoke.bats
index 20f1950..3936118 100644
--- a/tests/smoke.bats
+++ b/tests/smoke.bats
@@ -34,6 +34,26 @@ load test_helper
     [[ "$output" == *REACHED* ]]
 }
 
+@test "__dotsec_load_global re-detects when the configured container is gone" {
+    run env DOTSEC_HOME="$DOTSEC_HOME" bash -euo pipefail -c '
+        DOTSEC_CONFIG=$(mktemp -d)
+        docker() {
+            case "$1" in
+                container) [[ "$2" == "inspect" ]] && return 1 ;;  # configured one gone
+                ps) echo "exegol-a" ;;                              # a running exegol exists
+            esac
+            return 0
+        }
+        source "$DOTSEC_HOME/lib/ui.sh"
+        source "$DOTSEC_HOME/lib/core.sh"
+        EXEGOL_CONTAINER="exegol-dead"
+        __dotsec_load_global
+        echo "GOT=$EXEGOL_CONTAINER"
+    '
+    [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+    [[ "$output" == *"GOT=exegol-a"* ]]
+}
+
 @test "dotsec list exits 0 when engagements exist" {
     local ws cfg
     ws="$(mktemp -d)"; cfg="$(mktemp -d)"