diff --git a/docker/Dockerfile.fw_final b/docker/Dockerfile.fw_final
index f029622fcc..635dcca7a2 100644
--- a/docker/Dockerfile.fw_final
+++ b/docker/Dockerfile.fw_final
@@ -57,6 +57,11 @@ RUN    pushd /opt/Export-Deploy && \
         echo "Container built with NeMo-Run commit hash: $NEMO_RUN_COMMIT" && \
     popd
 
+# cuDNN Frontend is replaced after the sync below with this ref of NVIDIA/cudnn-frontend
+# (feat/1.29.0-megatron). Docker-only: outside fw_pyproject.toml and uv.lock. Set empty to keep the
+# PyPI wheel.
+ARG CUDNN_FRONTEND_GIT_REF=8924d4b41fd678ba1b98cd7f98bb78b222637573
+
 # Sync environment
 COPY --chmod=644 docker/common/fw_pyproject.toml /opt/NeMo-FW/pyproject.toml
 COPY --chmod=644 docker/common/_version.py docker/common/print_sha.sh /opt/NeMo-FW/
@@ -69,6 +74,10 @@ RUN \
         BASE_RUNTIME_UV_ARGS="--no-install-package nvidia-cudnn-frontend --no-install-package transformer-engine --no-install-package transformer-engine-torch"; \
     fi && \
     uv sync --no-cache-dir --all-groups --inexact ${BASE_RUNTIME_UV_ARGS} && \
+    if [ -n "$CUDNN_FRONTEND_GIT_REF" ] && [ "${MBRIDGE_PRESERVE_BASE_RUNTIME:-False}" != "True" ]; then \
+        uv pip install --no-cache-dir --no-deps --reinstall \
+            "nvidia-cudnn-frontend @ git+https://github.com/NVIDIA/cudnn-frontend.git@${CUDNN_FRONTEND_GIT_REF}"; \
+    fi && \
     python /opt/preserve_base_runtime.py check /opt/base-runtime-packages.json && \
     uv pip list && \
     chmod +x print_sha.sh && \
diff --git a/docker/README.md b/docker/README.md
index 3db8399c61..f69f61bbb1 100644
--- a/docker/README.md
+++ b/docker/README.md
@@ -250,6 +250,7 @@ docker build \
 | `NEMO_EXPORT_DEPLOY_COMMIT` | NeMo Export-Deploy git commit SHA |
 | `NEMO_EVALUATOR_COMMIT` | NeMo Evaluator git commit SHA |
 | `NEMO_RUN_COMMIT` | NeMo Run git commit SHA |
+| `CUDNN_FRONTEND_GIT_REF` | Commit of [NVIDIA/cudnn-frontend](https://github.com/NVIDIA/cudnn-frontend) (`feat/1.29.0-megatron`) installed over the PyPI cuDNN frontend after the environment sync; empty keeps the PyPI wheel. Docker-only, outside `fw_pyproject.toml`; skipped when `PRESERVE_BASE_RUNTIME=True`. |
 
 ---