diff --git a/.github/workflows/deploy-image.yml b/.github/workflows/deploy-image.yml
index f12638f9e..94384965a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/deploy-image.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/deploy-image.yml
@@ -63,10 +63,13 @@ jobs:
           docker run --rm "$IMAGE" weightwatcher --version
           docker run --rm "$IMAGE" psfex --version
 
-      - name: Test runtime — shapepipe entry point
+      - name: Test runtime — shapepipe entry point (read-only fs)
         run: |
           IMAGE=$(echo "${{ steps.meta-runtime.outputs.tags }}" | head -n1)
-          docker run --rm "$IMAGE" shapepipe_run -c /app/example/config.ini
+          # --read-only + tmpfs /tmp emulates apptainer/SIF semantics: only
+          # /tmp is writable. shapepipe_run_example wraps shapepipe_run so
+          # the example tree gets copied into a mktemp workdir before running.
+          docker run --rm --read-only --tmpfs /tmp:rw "$IMAGE" shapepipe_run_example
 
       # Build dev (reuses cached `base` layer)
       - name: Build dev (load)
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index b08fc3c54..f5a0056db 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ dmypy.json
 # Pyre type checker
 .pyre/
 
-# Ignore example output
-*shapepipe_run_*
-*shapepipe_runs*
+# Ignore example output (generated under example/output/ by shapepipe_run)
+example/output/shapepipe_run_*
+example/output/shapepipe_runs*
 code
diff --git a/scripts/sh/shapepipe_run_example.sh b/scripts/sh/shapepipe_run_example.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..fb61a63d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/sh/shapepipe_run_example.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Run the bundled example pipeline against a writable copy of /app/example.
+#
+# Works under both docker (writable /app) and apptainer/SIF (read-only /app):
+# the example tree is copied into a fresh tmp workdir so the config's
+# relative paths (INPUT_DIR=./example/data/..., OUTPUT_DIR=./example/output)
+# resolve to writable locations.
+#
+# Extra args are forwarded to shapepipe_run, e.g.:
+#   shapepipe_run_example -v
+set -euo pipefail
+
+WORK="$(mktemp -d -t shapepipe-example-XXXXXX)"
+cp -r /app/example "$WORK/"
+cd "$WORK"
+exec shapepipe_run -c example/config.ini "$@"