diff --git a/compose2pod/emit.py b/compose2pod/emit.py
index 837d44e..2392caa 100644
--- a/compose2pod/emit.py
+++ b/compose2pod/emit.py
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ def _collect_vars(tokens: list[Token], names: set[str]) -> None:
             names.update(variable_names(token.value))
 
 
-def _run_tokens(name: str, services: dict[str, Any], options: EmitOptions) -> list[Token]:
+def run_tokens(name: str, services: dict[str, Any], options: EmitOptions) -> list[Token]:
     svc = services[name]
     tokens = run_flags(name, svc, options.pod, options.project_dir)
     entrypoint = entrypoint_tokens(svc)
@@ -195,10 +195,10 @@ def _run_tokens(name: str, services: dict[str, Any], options: EmitOptions) -> li
     return tokens
 
 
-def _emit_target(lines: list[str], run_tokens: list[Token], options: EmitOptions) -> None:
+def _emit_target(lines: list[str], tokens: list[Token], options: EmitOptions) -> None:
     target_ctr = shlex.quote(f"{options.pod}-{options.target}")
     lines.append("rc=0")
-    lines.append(f"podman run {_render(run_tokens)} || rc=$?")
+    lines.append(f"podman run {_render(tokens)} || rc=$?")
     for artifact in options.artifacts:
         source, destination = artifact.split(":", 1)
         lines.append(f"podman cp {target_ctr}:{shlex.quote(source)} {shlex.quote(destination)} || true")
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@ def _plan(compose: dict[str, Any], options: EmitOptions) -> PlannedScript:
     """Walk the target's dependency closure once, building the script and its variables.
 
     Every token source is visited a single time and feeds both outputs: each
-    service's `_run_tokens` and the `pod_create_flags` render into lines *and*
+    service's `run_tokens` and the `pod_create_flags` render into lines *and*
     have their `Expand` variables collected, so the script and the variable
     list cannot disagree about what the script expands at run time.
     """
@@ -256,14 +256,14 @@ def _plan(compose: dict[str, Any], options: EmitOptions) -> PlannedScript:
                 attempts = max(HEALTHY_WAIT_BUDGET_SECONDS // interval, 1)
                 lines.append(f"wait_healthy {shlex.quote(f'{options.pod}-{dep}')} {attempts} {interval}")
                 waited.add(dep)
-        run_tokens = _run_tokens(name, services, options)
-        _collect_vars(run_tokens, names)
+        tokens = run_tokens(name, services, options)
+        _collect_vars(tokens, names)
         if name == options.target:
-            _emit_target(lines, run_tokens, options)
+            _emit_target(lines, tokens, options)
         elif name in completion_gated:
-            lines.append(f"podman run --rm {_render(run_tokens)}")
+            lines.append(f"podman run --rm {_render(tokens)}")
         else:
-            lines.append(f"podman run -d {_render(run_tokens)}")
+            lines.append(f"podman run -d {_render(tokens)}")
     return PlannedScript(script="\n".join(lines) + "\n", variables=sorted(names))
 
 
diff --git a/planning/changes/2026-07-13.08-public-run-tokens.md b/planning/changes/2026-07-13.08-public-run-tokens.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4a3ec9f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/planning/changes/2026-07-13.08-public-run-tokens.md
@@ -0,0 +1,124 @@
+---
+summary: Rename emit.py's _run_tokens to run_tokens (matching the referenced_variables/command_tokens precedent of package-internal-but-testable names) and add direct tests against its returned token list, replacing four of five full-script string-search ordering tests with one end-to-end smoke test.
+---
+
+# Design: give run_tokens a direct test seam
+
+## Summary
+
+`compose2pod/emit.py`'s `_run_tokens` holds the real subtlety of composing a
+service's run command — how `entrypoint` and `command` interact, and in what
+order their tokens land — but it is private and has no test importing it
+directly. Every ordering assertion today goes through `emit_script()`'s full
+pipeline and searches the rendered, shell-quoted script string for substrings
+and their relative `.index()` positions. This change renames `_run_tokens` to
+`run_tokens` (dropping the underscore, matching the exact precedent already
+set by `referenced_variables`/`command_tokens`/`entrypoint_tokens` in this
+same file — package-internal, not in `__all__`, but directly testable) and
+adds tests that assert on its returned `list[Token]` directly. No return-type
+change, no new production consumer, no behavior change.
+
+## Motivation
+
+`image_for`, `command_tokens`, and `entrypoint_tokens` are each under 8 lines
+and individually unit-tested (`tests/test_emit.py`'s `TestImageAndCommand`,
+`TestEntrypoint`). The actual composition logic — string-form entrypoint runs
+via `sh -c` and drops the service command (matching Docker semantics),
+list-form entrypoint prepends only its first token as `--entrypoint` and
+appends the rest positionally after the image, a `--command` override lands
+*after* the entrypoint's own tokens rather than replacing them — lives
+entirely in `_run_tokens` (13 lines), which no test addresses directly. It is
+only reachable by rendering a full script via `TestEmitScript._single()` and
+then asserting on substrings and index-ordering in the shell-quoted output
+(`test_list_entrypoint_prepends_to_command`,
+`test_string_entrypoint_ignores_service_command`,
+`test_command_override_still_applies_with_entrypoint`,
+`test_list_entrypoint_composes_with_command_override`,
+`test_empty_list_entrypoint_is_a_noop`).
+
+This is a genuine testability gap, not organizational preference: a bug in
+`_run_tokens`'s ordering would surface as a failed string-position assertion
+on a shell-quoted line, not a clear "wrong token at position N," and writing
+a new ordering test requires understanding `shlex.quote`'s escaping alongside
+the actual logic under test.
+
+The originally considered fix — restructuring `_run_tokens` to return
+structured pieces (a dataclass: entrypoint flag, image, argv) before final
+flattening — was evaluated and rejected as over-scoped: `_run_tokens` has
+exactly one caller (`_plan`), so a structured return type would exist only to
+serve tests, not a second real consumer ("two adapters = a real seam" does
+not hold here). `_run_tokens` already returns `list[Token]`, a directly
+comparable value — the only reason today's tests use string search is that
+they go through `emit_script()`, the wrong entry point, not because the
+return type itself is inadequate.
+
+## Design
+
+**Rename.** `_run_tokens` → `run_tokens` in `compose2pod/emit.py`. Same
+signature (`name: str, services: dict[str, Any], options: EmitOptions) ->
+list[Token]`), same body, same single caller (`_plan`, updated to call
+`run_tokens(...)`). Not added to `compose2pod/__init__.py`'s `__all__` —
+matches `referenced_variables`'s existing precedent (package-internal,
+name-public, test-importable).
+
+**New direct tests** in `tests/test_emit.py`, a new `TestRunTokens` class,
+importing `run_tokens` and asserting on the returned `list[Token]` (no
+`_render`/shell-quoting involved). One test per ordering rule, replacing the
+logic currently pinned only through `TestEmitScript`'s string search:
+
+- List entrypoint prepends its first token as `--entrypoint`, appends the
+  rest after the image, before the service's own `command_tokens`.
+- String entrypoint routes through `/bin/sh -c <Expand>`, and the service's
+  own `command` key is dropped entirely (not appended).
+- A target-service `command` override lands *after* the entrypoint's tokens
+  (proving it's positional to `sh -c`, not concatenated as a new command).
+- A target-service `command` override composes with a list-form entrypoint
+  (override tokens land after the entrypoint's remaining tokens).
+- An empty-list entrypoint (`entrypoint: []`) is a no-op — no `--entrypoint`
+  flag is added, and the service's own `command` still applies.
+
+**Existing `TestEmitScript` tests thinned to one smoke test.** Four of the
+five string-search tests
+(`test_list_entrypoint_prepends_to_command`,
+`test_string_entrypoint_ignores_service_command`,
+`test_empty_list_entrypoint_is_a_noop`,
+`test_list_entrypoint_composes_with_command_override`) are removed — their
+ordering-rule coverage moves to `TestRunTokens`, which asserts the same
+behavior more precisely. `test_command_override_still_applies_with_entrypoint`
+stays, unchanged, as the one remaining end-to-end test proving the full
+pipeline (`run_tokens` → `_render` → `shlex` quoting) still assembles a
+correct, properly-quoted script — the composed case (entrypoint + command
+override) it covers is the most demanding of the five, so it carries the most
+end-to-end confidence per test kept.
+
+## Non-goals
+
+- Changing `run_tokens`'s return type or signature — the existing
+  `list[Token]` is already a fine test surface; only its visibility and test
+  coverage change.
+- Adding `run_tokens` to `compose2pod/__init__.py`'s `__all__` — no evidence
+  any external caller needs it; matches `referenced_variables`'s existing
+  scope.
+- Touching `image_for`/`command_tokens`/`entrypoint_tokens` — already public,
+  already directly tested, not part of this friction.
+- A glossary entry for `run_tokens` — it's a single-file internal seam, not
+  vocabulary shared across modules (unlike `Token`/`Expand`, which candidate
+  #1 added to the glossary because five modules import them).
+
+## Testing
+
+`just test-ci` at 100% line coverage: the new `TestRunTokens` tests cover
+every ordering rule directly; the one retained `TestEmitScript` test confirms
+end-to-end rendering is unaffected. `just lint-ci` clean, `just
+check-planning`.
+
+## Risk
+
+- **Coverage gap from removing four tests before the replacements land**
+  (low x low): mitigated by writing `TestRunTokens` first and confirming it
+  covers every branch the removed tests exercised, before deleting them —
+  `just test-ci`'s 100% gate would fail if any branch lost coverage in the
+  gap.
+- **`run_tokens` renamed but a stale `_run_tokens` reference survives
+  somewhere** (low x low): `_plan` is the only call site; a `git grep` sweep
+  after the rename confirms zero remaining references.
diff --git a/tests/test_emit.py b/tests/test_emit.py
index 9677dea..ecd68c3 100644
--- a/tests/test_emit.py
+++ b/tests/test_emit.py
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
     image_for,
     referenced_variables,
     run_flags,
+    run_tokens,
 )
 from compose2pod.exceptions import UnsupportedComposeError
 from compose2pod.parsing import validate
@@ -289,6 +290,78 @@ def test_string_form_becomes_shell(self) -> None:
     def test_missing_entrypoint_is_empty(self) -> None:
         assert entrypoint_tokens({"image": "x"}) == []
 
+    def test_empty_list_is_empty(self) -> None:
+        # An empty list means "no override", not "an entrypoint of zero tokens" --
+        # the same convention `command: []` follows.
+        assert entrypoint_tokens({"entrypoint": []}) == []
+
+
+class TestRunTokens:
+    def _options(self, command: str = "") -> EmitOptions:
+        return EmitOptions(
+            target="app",
+            ci_image="ci",
+            command=command,
+            pod="p",
+            project_dir="/proj",
+            artifacts=[],
+            allow_exit_codes=[],
+        )
+
+    def test_list_entrypoint_prepends_to_command(self) -> None:
+        svc = {"image": "x", "entrypoint": ["prog", "--flag"], "command": ["run"]}
+        tokens = run_tokens("app", {"app": svc}, self._options())
+        assert tokens[-5:] == [
+            "--entrypoint",
+            Expand(value="prog"),
+            Expand(value="x"),
+            Expand(value="--flag"),
+            Expand(value="run"),
+        ]
+
+    def test_string_entrypoint_ignores_service_command(self) -> None:
+        svc = {"image": "x", "entrypoint": "serve now", "command": ["dropped"]}
+        tokens = run_tokens("app", {"app": svc}, self._options())
+        assert tokens[-5:] == [
+            "--entrypoint",
+            "/bin/sh",
+            Expand(value="x"),
+            "-c",
+            Expand(value="serve now"),
+        ]
+        assert Expand(value="dropped") not in tokens
+
+    def test_command_override_lands_after_entrypoint(self) -> None:
+        svc = {"image": "x", "entrypoint": "serve"}
+        tokens = run_tokens("app", {"app": svc}, self._options(command="pytest tests"))
+        assert tokens[-7:] == [
+            "--entrypoint",
+            "/bin/sh",
+            Expand(value="x"),
+            "-c",
+            Expand(value="serve"),
+            "pytest",
+            "tests",
+        ]
+
+    def test_list_entrypoint_composes_with_command_override(self) -> None:
+        svc = {"image": "x", "entrypoint": ["prog", "--flag"]}
+        tokens = run_tokens("app", {"app": svc}, self._options(command="run me"))
+        assert tokens[-6:] == [
+            "--entrypoint",
+            Expand(value="prog"),
+            Expand(value="x"),
+            Expand(value="--flag"),
+            "run",
+            "me",
+        ]
+
+    def test_empty_list_entrypoint_is_a_noop(self) -> None:
+        svc = {"image": "x", "entrypoint": [], "command": ["run"]}
+        tokens = run_tokens("app", {"app": svc}, self._options())
+        assert "--entrypoint" not in tokens
+        assert tokens[-2:] == [Expand(value="x"), Expand(value="run")]
+
 
 class TestSecretsLifecycle:
     def _script(self, doc: dict) -> str:
@@ -507,17 +580,6 @@ def _single(self, svc: dict, command: str = "") -> str:
         )
         return emit_script(compose={"services": {"app": svc}}, options=options)
 
-    def test_list_entrypoint_prepends_to_command(self) -> None:
-        script = self._single({"image": "x", "entrypoint": ["prog", "--flag"], "command": ["run"]})
-        assert '--entrypoint "prog"' in script
-        assert '"x" "--flag" "run"' in script
-
-    def test_string_entrypoint_ignores_service_command(self) -> None:
-        script = self._single({"image": "x", "entrypoint": "serve now", "command": ["dropped"]})
-        assert "--entrypoint /bin/sh" in script
-        assert '-c "serve now"' in script
-        assert "dropped" not in script
-
     def test_command_override_still_applies_with_entrypoint(self) -> None:
         script = self._single({"image": "x", "entrypoint": "serve"}, command="pytest tests")
         assert "--entrypoint /bin/sh" in script
@@ -528,21 +590,6 @@ def test_command_override_still_applies_with_entrypoint(self) -> None:
         # a string entrypoint still runs only `serve`, never `pytest tests`.
         assert target_line.index('-c "serve"') < target_line.index("pytest")
 
-    def test_empty_list_entrypoint_is_a_noop(self) -> None:
-        # Mirrors the existing `command: []` convention: an empty list means
-        # "no override", not "an entrypoint of zero tokens".
-        assert entrypoint_tokens({"entrypoint": []}) == []
-        script = self._single({"image": "x", "entrypoint": [], "command": ["run"]})
-        assert "--entrypoint" not in script
-        assert '"x" "run"' in script
-
-    def test_list_entrypoint_composes_with_command_override(self) -> None:
-        script = self._single({"image": "x", "entrypoint": ["prog", "--flag"]}, command="run me")
-        target_line = next(line for line in script.splitlines() if "--entrypoint" in line)
-        assert target_line.index('--entrypoint "prog"') < target_line.index('"x"')
-        assert target_line.index('"x"') < target_line.index('"--flag"')
-        assert target_line.index('"--flag"') < target_line.index("run me")
-
     def test_all_process_identity_keys_compose_on_one_service(self) -> None:
         svc = {
             "image": "x",