diff --git a/crates/scout/src/register.rs b/crates/scout/src/register.rs
index 7474663244..ea2aefe5b6 100644
--- a/crates/scout/src/register.rs
+++ b/crates/scout/src/register.rs
@@ -51,7 +51,17 @@ pub async fn run(
     let mut att_key_handle_opt: Option<KeyHandle> = None;
     let mut tss_ctx_opt: Option<Context> = None;
 
-    if !is_dpu {
+    // A host with no TPM cannot attest, so gate on actual TPM presence (not just is_dpu) and skip
+    // the flow rather than hard failing in create_context_from_path.
+    let do_attestation = !is_dpu && tpm::tpm_present(tpm_path);
+    if !is_dpu && !do_attestation {
+        tracing::warn!(
+            tpm_path = ?tpm_path,
+            "Host has no TPM device; skipping attestation key setup"
+        );
+    }
+
+    if do_attestation {
         // set the max auth fail to 256 as a stop gap measure to prevent machines from failing during
         // repeated reingestion cycle
         crate::tpm::set_tpm_max_auth_fail()?;
@@ -100,7 +110,7 @@ pub async fn run(
 
     // If we are not on a DPU and have some post-registration things to do,
     // we do them here.
-    if !is_dpu {
+    if do_attestation {
         // If we have received back an attestation key challenge, this means
         // that Carbide has requested an attestation, so do it!
         //
diff --git a/crates/scout/src/tpm.rs b/crates/scout/src/tpm.rs
index 2d23bcf0db..d74e9664cb 100644
--- a/crates/scout/src/tpm.rs
+++ b/crates/scout/src/tpm.rs
@@ -62,6 +62,33 @@ pub(crate) fn set_tpm_max_auth_fail() -> Result<(), CarbideClientError> {
     Ok(())
 }
 
+/// Kernel device paths to probe for `tpm_path`. An explicit `/dev/` path (optionally written with a
+/// `device` TCTI prefix) resolves to just itself, anything else falls back to the standard nodes.
+fn tpm_device_candidates(tpm_path: &str) -> Vec<&str> {
+    let conf = tpm_path.strip_prefix("device:").unwrap_or(tpm_path);
+    if conf.starts_with("/dev/") {
+        vec![conf]
+    } else {
+        vec!["/dev/tpmrm0", "/dev/tpm0"]
+    }
+}
+
+/// True when a kernel TPM device exists for `tpm_path`. Socket TCTIs such as swtpm and mssim are not
+/// detected because the lab does not use them.
+pub(crate) fn tpm_present(tpm_path: &str) -> bool {
+    // try_exists tells a clean absent (Ok(false)) apart from an IO error. On error we assume the
+    // device is present rather than silently treating the host as having no TPM.
+    let dev_exists = |path: &str| {
+        Path::new(path).try_exists().unwrap_or_else(|e| {
+            tracing::warn!(path = %path, error = %e, "tpm_present: cannot stat TPM device; assuming present");
+            true
+        })
+    };
+    tpm_device_candidates(tpm_path)
+        .iter()
+        .any(|&p| dev_exists(p))
+}
+
 /// Clears the TPM storage hierarchies via TPM2_Clear (lockout authorization), after dictionary
 /// lockout setup.
 pub(crate) fn clear_tpm(tpm_path: &str) -> Result<(), CarbideClientError> {
@@ -164,4 +191,35 @@ mod tests {
             );
         }
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn tpm_device_candidates_cases() {
+        let cases: &[(&str, &[&str])] = &[
+            // explicit device file, with and without the device prefix
+            ("device:/dev/tpmrm0", &["/dev/tpmrm0"]),
+            ("device:/dev/tpm0", &["/dev/tpm0"]),
+            ("/dev/tpmrm0", &["/dev/tpmrm0"]),
+            // socket and default TCTIs fall back to the standard nodes
+            (
+                "mssim:host=localhost,port=2321",
+                &["/dev/tpmrm0", "/dev/tpm0"],
+            ),
+            ("swtpm:path=/tmp/swtpm-sock", &["/dev/tpmrm0", "/dev/tpm0"]),
+            ("device:", &["/dev/tpmrm0", "/dev/tpm0"]),
+            ("", &["/dev/tpmrm0", "/dev/tpm0"]),
+        ];
+        for (input, want) in cases {
+            assert_eq!(tpm_device_candidates(input), *want, "input={input:?}");
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn tpm_present_probes_explicit_device_path() {
+        // /dev/null always exists on the Linux hosts scout runs on, so an explicit path pointing at
+        // it reports present, and a bogus /dev path reports absent.
+        assert!(tpm_present("device:/dev/null"));
+        assert!(tpm_present("/dev/null"));
+        assert!(!tpm_present("device:/dev/forge_scout_nonexistent_tpm"));
+        assert!(!tpm_present("/dev/forge_scout_nonexistent_tpm"));
+    }
 }