diff --git a/packages/devframe/src/adapters/__tests__/dev-transports.test.ts b/packages/devframe/src/adapters/__tests__/dev-transports.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..98daa42a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/devframe/src/adapters/__tests__/dev-transports.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,163 @@
+import type { CreateDevServerOptions } from '../dev'
+import { mkdtemp, rm } from 'node:fs/promises'
+import { createServer } from 'node:net'
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
+import { join } from 'node:path'
+import { defineDevframe, defineRpcFunction } from 'devframe'
+import { getDevframeRpcClient, resolveClientTransport } from 'devframe/client'
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { readDevframeInstances } from '../../node/instance-registry'
+import { createDevServer } from '../dev'
+
+const definition = defineDevframe({
+  id: 'dev-transports-test',
+  name: 'Dev transports test',
+  version: '0.0.0',
+  packageName: 'devframe-test',
+  homepage: 'https://example.test',
+  description: 'Test devframe.',
+  setup(ctx) {
+    ctx.rpc.register(defineRpcFunction({
+      name: 'test:probe',
+      type: 'query',
+      handler: () => 'connected',
+    }))
+    ctx.rpc.register(defineRpcFunction({
+      name: 'test:json',
+      type: 'query',
+      jsonSerializable: true,
+      handler: (value: unknown) => value,
+    }))
+  },
+})
+
+const options = {
+  host: '127.0.0.1',
+  port: 0,
+  auth: false,
+  mcp: false,
+  openBrowser: false,
+} as const
+
+async function expectPortReleased(port: number) {
+  const listener = createServer()
+  await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
+    listener.once('error', reject)
+    listener.listen(port, options.host, resolve)
+  })
+  await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => listener.close(error => error
+    ? reject(error)
+    : resolve()))
+}
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  vi.unstubAllGlobals()
+  vi.unstubAllEnvs()
+})
+
+describe('dev server transport handle', () => {
+  it('returns and disposes an SSE-only handle and its registry entry', async () => {
+    const registryDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'dev-transports-'))
+    vi.stubEnv('DEVFRAME_INSTANCES_DIR', registryDir)
+    vi.stubEnv('DEVFRAME_DISABLE_INSTANCE_REGISTRY', '0')
+    try {
+      const handle = await createDevServer(definition, { ...options, ws: false })
+      try {
+        expect(handle.ws).toBeUndefined()
+        expect(handle.rpcGroup).toBeDefined()
+        expect(handle.connectionMeta()).toMatchObject({
+          backend: 'sse',
+          sse: { path: '__sse' },
+        })
+        await vi.waitFor(() => expect(readDevframeInstances({ instancesDir: registryDir })).toHaveLength(1))
+        await callThroughHandle(handle, '/', 'sse')
+      }
+      finally {
+        await handle.close()
+      }
+      expect(readDevframeInstances({ instancesDir: registryDir })).toEqual([])
+      await expectPortReleased(handle.port)
+    }
+    finally {
+      await rm(registryDir, { recursive: true, force: true })
+    }
+  })
+
+  it.each([
+    { basePath: '/', sse: true },
+    {
+      basePath: '/nested/tool/',
+      sse: { route: '__events' },
+    },
+  ] satisfies CreateDevServerOptions[])('advertises and connects both transports at $basePath', async ({ basePath, sse }) => {
+    const handle = await createDevServer(definition, { ...options, basePath, sse })
+    try {
+      const httpMeta = await fetch(`${handle.origin}${basePath}__connection.json`).then(response => response.json())
+      expect(handle.connectionMeta()).toMatchObject(httpMeta)
+      expect(handle.connectionMeta().jsonSerializableMethods).toContain('test:json')
+      expect(resolveClientTransport('auto', handle.connectionMeta())).toBe('websocket')
+      await callThroughHandle(handle, basePath, 'sse')
+      await callThroughHandle(handle, basePath, 'websocket')
+    }
+    finally {
+      await handle.close()
+    }
+    await expectPortReleased(handle.port)
+  })
+
+  it('preserves WebSocket-only operation', async () => {
+    const handle = await createDevServer(definition, { ...options, sse: false })
+    try {
+      expect(handle.connectionMeta().sse).toBeUndefined()
+      await callThroughHandle(handle, '/', 'websocket')
+    }
+    finally {
+      await handle.close()
+    }
+  })
+
+  it('returns a closable HTTP handle with both RPC transports disabled', async () => {
+    const handle = await createDevServer(definition, { ...options, ws: false, sse: false })
+    try {
+      expect(handle.ws).toBeUndefined()
+      expect(handle.rpcGroup).toBeDefined()
+      expect(handle.connectionMeta()).toMatchObject({ backend: 'none' })
+      expect(handle.connectionMeta().websocket).toBeUndefined()
+      expect(handle.connectionMeta().sse).toBeUndefined()
+      expect((await fetch(`${handle.origin}/__connection.json`)).status).toBe(200)
+    }
+    finally {
+      await handle.close()
+    }
+    await expectPortReleased(handle.port)
+  })
+})
+
+async function callThroughHandle(handle: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof createDevServer>>, basePath: string, transport: 'sse' | 'websocket') {
+  vi.stubGlobal('location', new URL(`${handle.origin}${basePath}`))
+  vi.stubGlobal('navigator', { userAgent: 'vitest' })
+  const client = await getDevframeRpcClient({
+    connection: {
+      connectionMeta: handle.connectionMeta(),
+      metaBaseUrl: `${handle.origin}${basePath}__connection.json`,
+    },
+    transport,
+    otpParam: false,
+    simpleAuth: false,
+  })
+  try {
+    await client.ensureTrusted(2000)
+    expect(client.transport).toBe(transport)
+    await expect((client.call as any)('test:probe')).resolves.toBe('connected')
+    expect(handle.rpcGroup.clients.length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
+    if (handle.connectionMeta().jsonSerializableMethods?.includes('test:json')) {
+      await expect((client.call as any)('test:json', { value: 42 })).resolves.toEqual({ value: 42 })
+      await expect((client.call as any)('test:json', new Map([
+        ['key', 42],
+      ]))).rejects.toThrow()
+    }
+  }
+  finally {
+    client.close?.()
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/devframe/src/adapters/dev.ts b/packages/devframe/src/adapters/dev.ts
index 7fedfc79..ece0775a 100644
--- a/packages/devframe/src/adapters/dev.ts
+++ b/packages/devframe/src/adapters/dev.ts
@@ -219,8 +219,7 @@ export async function createDevServer(
   }
 
   const internals = getInstanceInternals(devframe)
-  // Every dev-server configuration binds a local transport (`server` is
-  // always passed), so the bound-transport handle is always present.
+  // The supplied HTTP server has a handle even when WS is disabled.
   const transport = internals.started!
 
   await options.onReady?.({ origin, port, app })
@@ -232,7 +231,10 @@ export async function createDevServer(
     app,
     ws: transport.ws,
     rpcGroup: transport.rpcGroup,
-    connectionMeta: transport.connectionMeta,
+    connectionMeta: () => ({
+      ...transport.connectionMeta(),
+      ...devframe.connectionMeta(),
+    }),
     async close() {
       // Instance teardown removes the registry record, detaches the WS
       // transport (and closes any dedicated-port socket server), and disposes
diff --git a/packages/devframe/src/node/instance-shell.ts b/packages/devframe/src/node/instance-shell.ts
index 434ea339..5502141e 100644
--- a/packages/devframe/src/node/instance-shell.ts
+++ b/packages/devframe/src/node/instance-shell.ts
@@ -807,11 +807,10 @@ export function createInstanceShell<TContext extends DevframeNodeContext>(
     throw lastError
   }
 
-  // Shared-server tier: bind the WS upgrade on the host's own server, or
-  // (when a native runtime can't re-host that foreign `node:http` server) fall
-  // back to a WS-less `StartedServer` and let SSE carry the transport.
+  // Shared HTTP servers retain a handle and RPC group even when WS is
+  // disabled or a native runtime cannot bind upgrades on the supplied server.
   async function startServerTier(): Promise<TierBinding> {
-    if (nativeRuntime && !ws.url) {
+    if (wsDisabled || (nativeRuntime && !ws.url)) {
       const core = await ensureCore()
       started = {
         origin: currentOrigin() ?? '',
@@ -850,7 +849,7 @@ export function createInstanceShell<TContext extends DevframeNodeContext>(
         wsAvailable: !wsDisabled,
       }
     }
-    if (tier === 'server')
+    if (tier === 'server' || (tier === 'disabled' && options.server))
       return startServerTier()
     if (tier === 'external')
       return { websocketMeta: ws.url!, wsAvailable: !wsDisabled }