diff --git a/bin/homelab b/bin/homelab
index d1c3a94..e2a05bc 100755
--- a/bin/homelab
+++ b/bin/homelab
@@ -1031,14 +1031,19 @@ def cmd_refresh_creds(args: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
 
 
 def cmd_sync(args: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
+    # Unlike every other mutating command here, this one had no os.geteuid()
+    # guard — always shelled out to sudo. Fails outright with "No such file
+    # or directory: 'sudo'" on minimal root-only Linux images (no sudo
+    # binary installed at all) reached via `ssh root@host`, e.g. strong.
+    needs_sudo = os.geteuid() != 0
     if sys.platform == "darwin":
-        return subprocess.call(
-            ["sudo", "launchctl", "kickstart", "-k",
-             "system/network.hubris.homelab-context-sync"]
-        )
-    return subprocess.call(
-        ["sudo", "systemctl", "start", "homelab-context-sync.service"]
-    )
+        cmd = ["launchctl", "kickstart", "-k",
+               "system/network.hubris.homelab-context-sync"]
+    else:
+        cmd = ["systemctl", "start", "homelab-context-sync.service"]
+    if needs_sudo:
+        cmd = ["sudo"] + cmd
+    return subprocess.call(cmd)
 
 
 def cmd_mcp(args: argparse.Namespace) -> int: