diff --git a/manage_runner.sh b/manage_runner.sh
index 89f7c79..8974abb 100755
--- a/manage_runner.sh
+++ b/manage_runner.sh
@@ -75,30 +75,36 @@ parse_runner_entry() {
   RUNNER_BOOT=$(ini_get "$RUNNERS_CONF" "$target_name" "boot" "false")
 
   # --- Host resolution ---
+  # Also resolves RUNNER_COMPOSE_DIR: centralized compose dir on unraid/fedora,
+  # falls back to data_path for custom/local hosts.
   case "$RUNNER_HOST" in
     unraid)
       RUNNER_SSH_HOST="${UNRAID_IP:-}"
       RUNNER_SSH_USER="${UNRAID_SSH_USER:-}"
       RUNNER_SSH_PORT="${UNRAID_SSH_PORT:-22}"
       RUNNER_SSH_KEY="${UNRAID_SSH_KEY:-}"
+      RUNNER_COMPOSE_DIR="${UNRAID_COMPOSE_DIR:-}/${RUNNER_NAME}"
       ;;
     fedora)
       RUNNER_SSH_HOST="${FEDORA_IP:-}"
       RUNNER_SSH_USER="${FEDORA_SSH_USER:-}"
       RUNNER_SSH_PORT="${FEDORA_SSH_PORT:-22}"
       RUNNER_SSH_KEY="${FEDORA_SSH_KEY:-}"
+      RUNNER_COMPOSE_DIR="${FEDORA_COMPOSE_DIR:-}/${RUNNER_NAME}"
       ;;
     local)
       RUNNER_SSH_HOST="local"
       RUNNER_SSH_USER=""
       RUNNER_SSH_PORT=""
       RUNNER_SSH_KEY=""
+      RUNNER_COMPOSE_DIR=""
       ;;
     custom)
       RUNNER_SSH_HOST=$(ini_get "$RUNNERS_CONF" "$target_name" "ssh_host" "")
       RUNNER_SSH_USER=$(ini_get "$RUNNERS_CONF" "$target_name" "ssh_user" "")
       RUNNER_SSH_PORT=$(ini_get "$RUNNERS_CONF" "$target_name" "ssh_port" "22")
       RUNNER_SSH_KEY=$(ini_get "$RUNNERS_CONF" "$target_name" "ssh_key" "")
+      RUNNER_COMPOSE_DIR="${RUNNER_DATA_PATH}"
       ;;
     *)
       log_error "Runner '$target_name': unknown host '$RUNNER_HOST' (must be unraid, fedora, local, or custom)"
@@ -331,19 +337,19 @@ add_docker_runner() {
     return 0
   fi
 
-  # Create data directory on remote host
-  runner_ssh "mkdir -p '${RUNNER_DATA_PATH}'"
+  # Create data + compose directories on remote host
+  runner_ssh "mkdir -p '${RUNNER_DATA_PATH}' '${RUNNER_COMPOSE_DIR}'"
 
-  # Render docker-compose template
+  # Render docker-compose template into the centralized compose dir
   local tmpfile
   tmpfile=$(mktemp)
   export RUNNER_NAME RUNNER_DATA_PATH RUNNER_LABELS_CSV RUNNER_REG_TOKEN RUNNER_DEPLOY_RESOURCES
   render_template "${SCRIPT_DIR}/templates/docker-compose-runner.yml.tpl" "$tmpfile" \
     "\${ACT_RUNNER_VERSION} \${RUNNER_NAME} \${GITEA_INTERNAL_URL} \${RUNNER_REG_TOKEN} \${RUNNER_LABELS_CSV} \${RUNNER_DATA_PATH} \${RUNNER_DEPLOY_RESOURCES}"
-  runner_scp "$tmpfile" "${RUNNER_DATA_PATH}/docker-compose.yml"
+  runner_scp "$tmpfile" "${RUNNER_COMPOSE_DIR}/docker-compose.yml"
   rm -f "$tmpfile"
 
-  # Render runner config
+  # Render runner config into the data dir (runner reads config from here)
   tmpfile=$(mktemp)
   # shellcheck disable=SC2090  # intentional — RUNNER_LABELS_YAML rendered via envsubst
   export RUNNER_LABELS_YAML
@@ -353,8 +359,8 @@ add_docker_runner() {
   runner_scp "$tmpfile" "${RUNNER_DATA_PATH}/config.yaml"
   rm -f "$tmpfile"
 
-  # Start the container
-  runner_ssh "cd '${RUNNER_DATA_PATH}' && docker compose up -d 2>/dev/null || docker-compose up -d"
+  # Start the container from the compose dir
+  runner_ssh "cd '${RUNNER_COMPOSE_DIR}' && docker compose up -d 2>/dev/null || docker-compose up -d"
   log_success "Docker runner '${RUNNER_NAME}' started on ${RUNNER_HOST} (${RUNNER_SSH_HOST})"
 }
 
@@ -489,11 +495,11 @@ add_native_runner() {
 remove_docker_runner() {
   log_info "Removing Docker runner '${RUNNER_NAME}' from ${RUNNER_HOST} (${RUNNER_SSH_HOST})..."
 
-  if runner_ssh "test -f '${RUNNER_DATA_PATH}/docker-compose.yml'" 2>/dev/null; then
-    if runner_ssh "cd '${RUNNER_DATA_PATH}' && docker compose down 2>/dev/null || docker-compose down"; then
+  if runner_ssh "test -f '${RUNNER_COMPOSE_DIR}/docker-compose.yml'" 2>/dev/null; then
+    if runner_ssh "cd '${RUNNER_COMPOSE_DIR}' && docker compose down 2>/dev/null || docker-compose down"; then
       # Remove docker-compose.yml only after successful stop.
       # It contains the registration token in plaintext.
-      runner_ssh "rm -f '${RUNNER_DATA_PATH}/docker-compose.yml'" 2>/dev/null || true
+      runner_ssh "rm -f '${RUNNER_COMPOSE_DIR}/docker-compose.yml'" 2>/dev/null || true
       log_success "Docker runner '${RUNNER_NAME}' stopped and compose file removed"
     else
       log_error "Failed to stop Docker runner '${RUNNER_NAME}' — preserving compose file for retry"