diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 5b42043..60176df 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -72,10 +72,39 @@ That round-trip is worth running after any snapshot: it is a completeness check.
 dry-run means the file holds everything the service does, so editing one value and
 applying it changes only that value.
 
-`snapshot` also writes `SYSTEM.md` when the agent has a system prompt, refuses to
-overwrite existing files without `--force`, and warns before replacing a prompt file
-containing `{{template}}` variables — a snapshot holds rendered text and cannot recover
-a local template.
+`snapshot` also writes `SYSTEM.md` when the agent has a system prompt, and refuses to
+overwrite existing files without `--force`.
+
+A prompt file containing `{{template}}` variables is never overwritten, **not even with
+`--force`**: a snapshot holds rendered text, and a rendered prompt cannot be turned back
+into a template. Write beside it instead:
+
+```bash
+algolia-agent snapshot <agent_id> --instructions-file PROMPT.snapshot.md
+```
+
+Plain prompt files are overwritten by `--force` as normal, since a snapshot can
+reproduce them.
+
+### Cloning an agent
+
+Because `create` also accepts a native config, a snapshot is a complete clone source:
+
+```bash
+algolia-agent snapshot <source_id> -o clone/agent-config.json
+# edit the name in clone/agent-config.json
+algolia-agent create --config clone/agent-config.json
+```
+
+The copy carries everything the friendly format cannot express — extra tools, `mode`,
+`allowUnlistedIndices`, per-index `searchControls`, the full `config` block. Two
+differences by design: `status` is forced to `draft`, since creating from a snapshot of a
+live agent should not silently publish the copy, and a native config must carry
+`providerId` directly (there is no provider-name lookup on that path — use
+`algolia-agent providers` to find one).
+
+Snapshot each agent into its own directory. `PROMPT.md` is the default prompt filename,
+so two snapshots in one directory collide — `snapshot` refuses rather than overwriting.
 
 Agent Studio's own templates ship prompts containing placeholders such as
 `{{INSERT_BRAND}}` and `{{INSERT_LANGUAGE}}`. A snapshot preserves them verbatim, since
diff --git a/src/algolia_agent/cli.py b/src/algolia_agent/cli.py
index 3871c9a..0ad528e 100644
--- a/src/algolia_agent/cli.py
+++ b/src/algolia_agent/cli.py
@@ -195,10 +195,24 @@ def cmd_providers(client: AlgoliaAgentClient, args: argparse.Namespace):
         print()
 
 
+def _report_created(agent: dict, args: argparse.Namespace):
+    if args.json:
+        print(json.dumps({"id": agent["id"], "name": agent["name"], "status": agent["status"]}))
+        return
+    print(f"Created agent: {agent['name']}")
+    print(f"Agent ID:      {agent['id']}")
+    print(f"Status:        {agent['status']}")
+    print(f"\nTo publish: algolia-agent publish {agent['id']}")
+
+
 def cmd_create(client: AlgoliaAgentClient, args: argparse.Namespace):
     # Load and merge config; auto-detect agent-config.json if --config not given
     config_path = args.config or (Path("agent-config.json") if Path("agent-config.json").exists() else None)
     file_config = load_config(config_path) if config_path else {}
+    if is_native_config(file_config):
+        _create_from_native(client, args, file_config, config_path)
+        return
+
     config = merge_config(file_config, args)
 
     # Auto-detect PROMPT.md if instructions not specified
@@ -272,16 +286,7 @@ def cmd_create(client: AlgoliaAgentClient, args: argparse.Namespace):
     if config.get("config"):
         payload["config"] = config["config"]
 
-    agent = client.create_agent(payload)
-
-    if args.json:
-        print(json.dumps({"id": agent["id"], "name": agent["name"], "status": agent["status"]}))
-        return
-
-    print(f"Created agent: {agent['name']}")
-    print(f"Agent ID:      {agent['id']}")
-    print(f"Status:        {agent['status']}")
-    print(f"\nTo publish: algolia-agent publish {agent['id']}")
+    _report_created(client.create_agent(payload), args)
 
 
 _MISSING = object()
@@ -611,15 +616,25 @@ def cmd_snapshot(client: AlgoliaAgentClient, args: argparse.Namespace):
         )
 
     # A snapshot holds rendered server state, so overwriting a templated prompt would
-    # replace {{placeholders}} with the values they resolved to — an unrecoverable loss,
-    # since the template only ever existed locally.
-    for p in existing:
-        if p.suffix.lower() == ".md" and extract_variables(p.read_text()):
-            print(
-                f"WARNING: {p} contains template variables and will be replaced with "
-                f"rendered text.\n         The template exists only locally; a snapshot "
-                f"cannot recover it.",
-                file=sys.stderr,
+    # replace {{placeholders}} with the values they resolved to. That loss is
+    # unrecoverable — the template only ever existed locally and rendered text cannot be
+    # un-rendered — so --force does not cover it. Overwriting a plain prompt is fine,
+    # because a snapshot can reproduce it.
+    prompt_targets = [(instr_path, "--instructions-file")]
+    if system_path:
+        prompt_targets.append((system_path, "--system-prompt-file"))
+    for path, flag in prompt_targets:
+        if not path.exists():
+            continue
+        template_vars = extract_variables(path.read_text())
+        if template_vars:
+            listed = ", ".join("{{" + v + "}}" for v in sorted(template_vars))
+            raise SystemExit(
+                f"ERROR: {path} contains template variables ({listed}) and cannot be\n"
+                "recovered from rendered server state.\n\n"
+                "Write it elsewhere with:\n"
+                f"  {flag} {path.stem}.snapshot{path.suffix}\n"
+                f"or delete {path.name} first if you meant to replace it."
             )
 
     snapshot = build_snapshot(agent, args.instructions_file,
@@ -669,7 +684,7 @@ def _native_payload(config: dict, config_path, args) -> dict:
             "own templates ship placeholders like {{INSERT_BRAND}}, and substituting them\n"
             "on every update would overwrite them.\n\n"
             f"To fill them in, edit {config.get('instructions') or 'the prompt file'} "
-            "directly and run update again.\n"
+            "directly and run the command again.\n"
             "For templating across several agents, use the friendly config format "
             "(index/replicas)."
         )
@@ -704,6 +719,47 @@ def _read(field: str) -> str:
     return payload
 
 
+def _create_from_native(client, args, file_config: dict, config_path):
+    """Create an agent from a native config — a snapshot, usually of another agent.
+
+    Unlike update there is no prior state to lose, so no guard is needed. The payload
+    is sent as the file describes it, with one exception: status is forced to draft.
+    Creating from a snapshot of a live agent should not silently publish the copy, and
+    `create` is documented as producing a draft.
+    """
+    payload = _native_payload(file_config, config_path, args)
+
+    missing = [k for k in ("name", "providerId", "model") if not payload.get(k)]
+    if missing:
+        hint = f"Add them to {config_path}" if config_path else "Add them to the config"
+        overridable = [k for k in missing if k in ("name", "model")]
+        if overridable:
+            flags = " or ".join(f"--{k}" for k in overridable)
+            hint += f", or pass {flags}"
+        lines = [
+            f"ERROR: native config is missing required fields: {', '.join(missing)}",
+            hint + ".",
+        ]
+        if "providerId" in missing:
+            lines.append(
+                "A native config carries providerId directly rather than a provider "
+                "name — run `algolia-agent providers` to look one up."
+            )
+        raise SystemExit("\n".join(lines))
+
+    payload["status"] = "draft"
+
+    if args.dry_run:
+        print("=== CREATE DRY RUN (native config) ===")
+        print(f"  Source: {config_path}")
+        print(f"  Tools:  {', '.join(t.get('type') or '?' for t in payload.get('tools') or []) or 'none'}")
+        print("\nPayload:")
+        print(json.dumps(payload, indent=2))
+        return
+
+    _report_created(client.create_agent(payload), args)
+
+
 def _apply_update(client, args, current: dict, new_payload: dict, config_path=None,
                   native: bool = False):
     """Dry-run, guard, send. Shared by the friendly and native config paths so both
diff --git a/tests/test_cli.py b/tests/test_cli.py
index fda2d1d..0a85546 100644
--- a/tests/test_cli.py
+++ b/tests/test_cli.py
@@ -1665,21 +1665,59 @@ def test_cmd_snapshot_writes_both_files_and_refuses_to_clobber(tmp_path, capsys)
     assert "refusing to overwrite" in str(exc.value)
 
 
-def test_cmd_snapshot_warns_before_replacing_a_templated_prompt(tmp_path, capsys):
-    """A local template cannot be recovered from rendered server state."""
+def test_cmd_snapshot_refuses_to_replace_a_templated_prompt_even_with_force(tmp_path):
+    """A local template cannot be recovered from rendered server state, so --force
+    does not cover it. Overwriting a plain prompt is fine — a snapshot reproduces it."""
     from algolia_agent.cli import cmd_snapshot
 
     mock_client = MagicMock()
     mock_client.get_agent.return_value = _server_agent()
     out = tmp_path / "agent-config.json"
     out.write_text("{}")
-    (tmp_path / "PROMPT.md").write_text("Hello {{event_name}} from {{booth}}.")
+    prompt = tmp_path / "PROMPT.md"
+    prompt.write_text("Hello {{event_name}} from {{booth}}.")
+
+    with pytest.raises(SystemExit) as exc:
+        cmd_snapshot(mock_client, build_parser().parse_args(
+            ["snapshot", "agent-uuid", "-o", str(out), "--force"]))
+    msg = str(exc.value)
+    assert "contains template variables" in msg
+    assert "{{event_name}}" in msg and "{{booth}}" in msg
+    assert "--instructions-file PROMPT.snapshot.md" in msg
+    assert "--system-prompt-file" not in msg
+    # The template is still on disk, untouched.
+    assert prompt.read_text() == "Hello {{event_name}} from {{booth}}."
+
+
+def test_cmd_snapshot_force_overwrites_a_plain_prompt(tmp_path):
+    from algolia_agent.cli import cmd_snapshot
+
+    mock_client = MagicMock()
+    mock_client.get_agent.return_value = _server_agent()
+    out = tmp_path / "agent-config.json"
+    out.write_text("{}")
+    (tmp_path / "PROMPT.md").write_text("No variables here.")
 
     cmd_snapshot(mock_client, build_parser().parse_args(
         ["snapshot", "agent-uuid", "-o", str(out), "--force"]))
-    err = capsys.readouterr().err
-    assert "contains template variables" in err
-    assert "PROMPT.md" in err
+    assert (tmp_path / "PROMPT.md").read_text() == "Line one.\nLine two.\n"
+
+
+def test_cmd_snapshot_templated_prompt_can_be_routed_elsewhere(tmp_path):
+    """The suggested remedy actually works: keep the template, write beside it."""
+    from algolia_agent.cli import cmd_snapshot
+
+    mock_client = MagicMock()
+    mock_client.get_agent.return_value = _server_agent()
+    out = tmp_path / "agent-config.json"
+    (tmp_path / "PROMPT.md").write_text("Hello {{event_name}}.")
+
+    cmd_snapshot(mock_client, build_parser().parse_args(
+        ["snapshot", "agent-uuid", "-o", str(out),
+         "--instructions-file", "PROMPT.snapshot.md"]))
+    assert (tmp_path / "PROMPT.md").read_text() == "Hello {{event_name}}."
+    assert (tmp_path / "PROMPT.snapshot.md").read_text() == "Line one.\nLine two.\n"
+    assert json.loads(out.read_text())["instructions"] == "PROMPT.snapshot.md"
 
 
 def test_cmd_snapshot_no_warning_for_a_plain_prompt(tmp_path, capsys):
@@ -1866,3 +1904,169 @@ def test_snapshot_overwrite_hint_names_the_real_flags(tmp_path):
     assert "-o/--output" in msg
     assert "--instructions-file" in msg
     assert "-o/--instructions-file" not in msg
+
+
+# ── native create (#14 phase 3) ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+def _native_create_config(tmp_path, **overrides):
+    (tmp_path / "PROMPT.md").write_text("You are the {{INSERT_BRAND}} assistant.\n")
+    config = {
+        "name": "Shopping assistant", "providerId": "provider-uuid",
+        "model": "claude-fable-5", "status": "published",
+        "templateType": "shopping-assistant", "instructions": "PROMPT.md",
+        "tools": [{"name": "algolia_search_index", "type": "algolia_search_index",
+                   "mode": "dynamic", "allowUnlistedIndices": True,
+                   "indices": [{"index": "products", "description": "Catalog.",
+                                "searchControls": {"distinct": {"exposed": True, "default": False}}}]},
+                  {"name": "algolia_display_results", "type": "algolia_display_results",
+                   "isTerminal": False, "maxGroups": 3}],
+        "config": {"suggestions": {"enabled": True}, "memory": {"enabled": True}},
+    }
+    config.update(overrides)
+    path = tmp_path / "agent-config.json"
+    path.write_text(json.dumps(config))
+    return path
+
+
+def test_create_from_native_sends_everything_and_forces_draft(tmp_path):
+    from algolia_agent.cli import cmd_create
+
+    path = _native_create_config(tmp_path)
+    mock_client = MagicMock()
+    mock_client.create_agent.return_value = {"id": "new-uuid", "name": "Shopping assistant",
+                                             "status": "draft"}
+    cmd_create(mock_client, build_parser().parse_args(["create", "--config", str(path)]))
+
+    payload = mock_client.create_agent.call_args.args[0]
+    # A snapshot of a live agent must not silently publish the copy.
+    assert payload["status"] == "draft"
+    # Everything the friendly format cannot express survives.
+    assert [t["type"] for t in payload["tools"]] == ["algolia_search_index",
+                                                     "algolia_display_results"]
+    assert payload["tools"][0]["mode"] == "dynamic"
+    assert payload["tools"][0]["allowUnlistedIndices"] is True
+    assert payload["tools"][0]["indices"][0]["searchControls"] is not None
+    assert sorted(payload["config"]) == ["memory", "suggestions"]
+    assert payload["templateType"] == "shopping-assistant"
+    assert payload["providerId"] == "provider-uuid"
+    # No provider-name resolution happens on this path.
+    mock_client.resolve_provider_id.assert_not_called()
+    # Literal, not rendered.
+    assert "{{INSERT_BRAND}}" in payload["instructions"]
+
+
+def test_create_from_native_requires_provider_id(tmp_path):
+    from algolia_agent.cli import cmd_create
+
+    path = _native_create_config(tmp_path, providerId=None)
+    with pytest.raises(SystemExit) as exc:
+        cmd_create(MagicMock(), build_parser().parse_args(["create", "--config", str(path)]))
+    msg = str(exc.value)
+    assert "providerId" in msg
+    assert "algolia-agent providers" in msg
+
+
+def test_create_from_native_dry_run_needs_no_client(tmp_path, capsys):
+    """_main calls cmd_create(None, args) for --dry-run, so this path must not use it."""
+    from algolia_agent.cli import cmd_create
+
+    path = _native_create_config(tmp_path)
+    cmd_create(None, build_parser().parse_args(
+        ["create", "--config", str(path), "--dry-run"]))
+    out = capsys.readouterr().out
+    assert "CREATE DRY RUN (native config)" in out
+    assert '"status": "draft"' in out
+    assert "algolia_display_results" in out
+
+
+def test_create_from_native_rejects_friendly_flags(tmp_path):
+    from algolia_agent.cli import cmd_create
+
+    path = _native_create_config(tmp_path)
+    for extra, expected in ([["--index", "p"], "--index"], [["--var", "INSERT_BRAND=x"], "--var"]):
+        with pytest.raises(SystemExit) as exc:
+            cmd_create(MagicMock(), build_parser().parse_args(
+                ["create", "--config", str(path)] + extra))
+        assert expected in str(exc.value)
+
+
+def test_create_friendly_path_unaffected(tmp_path):
+    """The friendly format must still resolve a provider name and build one tool."""
+    from algolia_agent.cli import cmd_create
+
+    (tmp_path / "PROMPT.md").write_text("Hello.")
+    path = tmp_path / "agent-config.json"
+    path.write_text(json.dumps({
+        "name": "Friendly", "provider": "hackathon-gemini", "model": "gemini-3.5-flash",
+        "instructions": "PROMPT.md", "index": "products",
+    }))
+    mock_client = MagicMock()
+    mock_client.resolve_provider_id.return_value = "provider-uuid"
+    mock_client.create_agent.return_value = {"id": "x", "name": "Friendly", "status": "draft"}
+    cmd_create(mock_client, build_parser().parse_args(["create", "--config", str(path)]))
+
+    mock_client.resolve_provider_id.assert_called_once_with("hackathon-gemini")
+    payload = mock_client.create_agent.call_args.args[0]
+    assert payload["providerId"] == "provider-uuid"
+    assert [t["type"] for t in payload["tools"]] == ["algolia_search_index"]
+
+
+def test_snapshot_templated_system_prompt_points_at_the_right_flag(tmp_path):
+    """When the templated file is SYSTEM.md, --instructions-file is the wrong remedy."""
+    from algolia_agent.cli import cmd_snapshot
+
+    agent = _server_agent()
+    agent["systemPrompt"] = "You are terse."
+    mock_client = MagicMock()
+    mock_client.get_agent.return_value = agent
+    out = tmp_path / "agent-config.json"
+    (tmp_path / "SYSTEM.md").write_text("Act as {{persona}}.")
+
+    with pytest.raises(SystemExit) as exc:
+        cmd_snapshot(mock_client, build_parser().parse_args(
+            ["snapshot", "agent-uuid", "-o", str(out), "--force"]))
+    msg = str(exc.value)
+    assert "SYSTEM.md" in msg
+    assert "{{persona}}" in msg
+    assert "--system-prompt-file SYSTEM.snapshot.md" in msg
+    assert "--instructions-file" not in msg
+
+
+def test_snapshot_detects_a_templated_prompt_with_a_non_md_name(tmp_path):
+    """--instructions-file PROMPT.txt is legal, so keying on the .md suffix missed it."""
+    from algolia_agent.cli import cmd_snapshot
+
+    mock_client = MagicMock()
+    mock_client.get_agent.return_value = _server_agent()
+    out = tmp_path / "agent-config.json"
+    (tmp_path / "PROMPT.txt").write_text("Hello {{event_name}}.")
+
+    with pytest.raises(SystemExit) as exc:
+        cmd_snapshot(mock_client, build_parser().parse_args(
+            ["snapshot", "agent-uuid", "-o", str(out),
+             "--instructions-file", "PROMPT.txt", "--force"]))
+    assert "--instructions-file PROMPT.snapshot.txt" in str(exc.value)
+
+
+def test_native_create_missing_name_does_not_mention_providers(tmp_path):
+    from algolia_agent.cli import cmd_create
+
+    path = _native_create_config(tmp_path, name=None)
+    with pytest.raises(SystemExit) as exc:
+        cmd_create(MagicMock(), build_parser().parse_args(["create", "--config", str(path)]))
+    msg = str(exc.value)
+    assert "name" in msg
+    assert "--name" in msg                      # actionable via a flag
+    assert "algolia-agent providers" not in msg  # irrelevant remedy
+    assert "providerId" not in msg
+
+
+def test_native_create_missing_provider_id_still_mentions_providers(tmp_path):
+    from algolia_agent.cli import cmd_create
+
+    path = _native_create_config(tmp_path, providerId=None)
+    with pytest.raises(SystemExit) as exc:
+        cmd_create(MagicMock(), build_parser().parse_args(["create", "--config", str(path)]))
+    msg = str(exc.value)
+    assert "providerId" in msg
+    assert "algolia-agent providers" in msg