diff --git a/.pre-commit-config.yaml b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
index 0b2f7a7c..42fa2707 100644
--- a/.pre-commit-config.yaml
+++ b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
@@ -11,9 +11,12 @@ repos:
     hooks:
       - id: trailing-whitespace
         # Skip generated trees and paths often checked in read-only (0444); mutating hooks must not touch them.
-        exclude: (cdk/cdk\.out/|node_modules/|^docs/src/content/docs/.*\.md$|(^|/)LICENSE$|(^|/)\.gitattributes$|(^|/)\.npmignore$|(^|/)\.gitignore$|^cli/header\.js$|^docs/astro\.config\.mjs$|^docs/tsconfig\.json$|^docs/src/content\.config\.ts$|\.(snap|lock)$)
+        # `\.mdx?$` covers the .mdx mirrors too (Quick-start.mdx) — with a bare
+        # `\.md$` these fixers could reformat a generated file, which the next
+        # sync-starlight.mjs run then reverts, i.e. permanent CI self-mutation.
+        exclude: (cdk/cdk\.out/|node_modules/|^docs/src/content/docs/.*\.mdx?$|(^|/)LICENSE$|(^|/)\.gitattributes$|(^|/)\.npmignore$|(^|/)\.gitignore$|^cli/header\.js$|^docs/astro\.config\.mjs$|^docs/tsconfig\.json$|^docs/src/content\.config\.ts$|\.(snap|lock)$)
       - id: end-of-file-fixer
-        exclude: (cdk/cdk\.out/|node_modules/|^docs/src/content/docs/.*\.md$|(^|/)LICENSE$|(^|/)\.gitattributes$|(^|/)\.npmignore$|(^|/)\.gitignore$|^cli/header\.js$|^docs/astro\.config\.mjs$|^docs/tsconfig\.json$|^docs/src/content\.config\.ts$)
+        exclude: (cdk/cdk\.out/|node_modules/|^docs/src/content/docs/.*\.mdx?$|(^|/)LICENSE$|(^|/)\.gitattributes$|(^|/)\.npmignore$|(^|/)\.gitignore$|^cli/header\.js$|^docs/astro\.config\.mjs$|^docs/tsconfig\.json$|^docs/src/content\.config\.ts$)
       - id: check-merge-conflict
       - id: check-yaml
         exclude: ^(cdk/cdk\.out/|cdk\.out/|node_modules/|agent/\.venv/)
@@ -59,7 +62,12 @@ repos:
         entry: bash -lc 'cd "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)/docs" && node scripts/sync-starlight.mjs && git add src/content/docs/'
         language: system
         pass_filenames: false
-        files: ^(docs/(design|guides)/.*\.md$|CONTRIBUTING\.md$)
+        # `.mdx?$`, not `.md$`: QUICK_START.mdx is an .mdx source that
+        # sync-starlight.mjs mirrors to getting-started/Quick-start.mdx, but the
+        # `$` after `\.md` meant this hook never selected it — so edits to it
+        # skipped mirror regeneration locally and could only fail in CI's
+        # "Files were changed during build" check (PR #780).
+        files: ^(docs/(design|guides)/.*\.mdx?$|CONTRIBUTING\.md$)
         stages: [pre-commit]
 
       - id: docs-astro-check
diff --git a/docs/guides/QUICK_START.mdx b/docs/guides/QUICK_START.mdx
index f6abf09d..9eed85b1 100644
--- a/docs/guides/QUICK_START.mdx
+++ b/docs/guides/QUICK_START.mdx
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ Install these before you begin:
 - **Docker** - for building the agent container image. On an **x86_64** host you also need QEMU/binfmt to build the arm64 (Graviton) image — see the caution in Step 3.
 - **Node.js** v20 or later (Node 24 is the supported maximum — see CI matrix)
 - **mise** - task runner ([install guide](https://mise.jdx.dev/getting-started.html))
-- **AWS CDK CLI** - `npm install -g aws-cdk` (after mise is active)
+- **AWS CDK CLI** — **no global install needed.** Step 1's `mise run install` provisions the version pinned in `cdk/package.json` into the `cdk/` workspace, and every command in this guide reaches it through `mise //cdk:*` (which runs `npx cdk`). A global `npm install -g aws-cdk` can drift from the pinned version and shadow it on `PATH`.
 - **GitHub account** — You need a [GitHub profile](https://github.com/join) to fork the sample repository and create a **fine-grained personal access token (PAT)** the agent uses to push branches and open pull requests. A free github.com account is sufficient.
 
 :::note[mise provisions Node, Yarn, and the CDK CLI for you]
@@ -41,6 +41,8 @@ git clone https://github.com/aws-samples/sample-autonomous-cloud-coding-agents.g
 cd sample-autonomous-cloud-coding-agents
 
 # Trust mise config and install tools
+command -v mise >/dev/null || curl https://mise.run | sh
+eval "$(mise activate bash)"
 mise trust
 mise install
 
diff --git a/docs/src/content/docs/getting-started/Quick-start.mdx b/docs/src/content/docs/getting-started/Quick-start.mdx
index bd14eaf4..112a46d6 100644
--- a/docs/src/content/docs/getting-started/Quick-start.mdx
+++ b/docs/src/content/docs/getting-started/Quick-start.mdx
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ Install these before you begin:
 - **Docker** - for building the agent container image. On an **x86_64** host you also need QEMU/binfmt to build the arm64 (Graviton) image — see the caution in Step 3.
 - **Node.js** v20 or later (Node 24 is the supported maximum — see CI matrix)
 - **mise** - task runner ([install guide](https://mise.jdx.dev/getting-started.html))
-- **AWS CDK CLI** - `npm install -g aws-cdk` (after mise is active)
+- **AWS CDK CLI** — **no global install needed.** Step 1's `mise run install` provisions the version pinned in `cdk/package.json` into the `cdk/` workspace, and every command in this guide reaches it through `mise //cdk:*` (which runs `npx cdk`). A global `npm install -g aws-cdk` can drift from the pinned version and shadow it on `PATH`.
 - **GitHub account** — You need a [GitHub profile](https://github.com/join) to fork the sample repository and create a **fine-grained personal access token (PAT)** the agent uses to push branches and open pull requests. A free github.com account is sufficient.
 
 :::note[mise provisions Node, Yarn, and the CDK CLI for you]
@@ -41,6 +41,8 @@ git clone https://github.com/aws-samples/sample-autonomous-cloud-coding-agents.g
 cd sample-autonomous-cloud-coding-agents
 
 # Trust mise config and install tools
+command -v mise >/dev/null || curl https://mise.run | sh
+eval "$(mise activate bash)"
 mise trust
 mise install