diff --git a/src/ContainerClient/DockerContainerClient.php b/src/ContainerClient/DockerContainerClient.php
index e308a68..a908244 100644
--- a/src/ContainerClient/DockerContainerClient.php
+++ b/src/ContainerClient/DockerContainerClient.php
@@ -91,12 +91,14 @@ private static function createHttpClient(): ClientInterface
 
     /**
      * Builds the DockerClient from the given HTTP client, using the injected factory if set.
+     * The server plugins are applied only to an injected HTTP client: the client from
+     * DockerClientFactory already adds the daemon address and the negotiated API path.
      */
     private static function createDockerClient(ClientInterface $httpClient): DockerClient
     {
         return self::$dockerClientFactory !== null
             ? (self::$dockerClientFactory)($httpClient)
-            : DockerClient::create($httpClient);
+            : DockerClient::create($httpClient, [], [], self::$httpClientFactory !== null);
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/tests/Unit/ContainerClient/DockerContainerClientTest.php b/tests/Unit/ContainerClient/DockerContainerClientTest.php
index be9a3c5..43d100c 100644
--- a/tests/Unit/ContainerClient/DockerContainerClientTest.php
+++ b/tests/Unit/ContainerClient/DockerContainerClientTest.php
@@ -7,8 +7,13 @@
 use Docker\Docker as DockerClient;
 use Http\Client\Common\Plugin\HeaderDefaultsPlugin;
 use Http\Client\Common\PluginClient;
+use Http\Client\Common\PluginClientFactory;
+use Http\Client\HttpAsyncClient;
+use Http\Discovery\Psr17FactoryDiscovery;
 use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;
 use Psr\Http\Client\ClientInterface;
+use Psr\Http\Message\RequestInterface;
+use Psr\Http\Message\ResponseInterface;
 use Testcontainers\ContainerClient\DockerContainerClient;
 
 /**
@@ -247,6 +252,48 @@ public function testHeaderDefaultsPluginIsConfiguredWithUserAgentHeader(): void
         );
     }
 
+    // -------------------------------------------------------------------------
+    // API version path of the default client
+    // -------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    public function testDefaultClientUsesNegotiatedApiVersionPathOnce(): void
+    {
+        // A daemon whose maximum API version is below the installed docker-php-api line,
+        // as Podman reports. Requests must carry only the negotiated version path.
+        $paths = [];
+        $daemon = $this->createMock(ClientInterface::class);
+        $daemon->method('sendRequest')->willReturnCallback(
+            static function (RequestInterface $request) use (&$paths): ResponseInterface {
+                $path = $request->getUri()->getPath();
+                $paths[] = $path;
+                $responses = Psr17FactoryDiscovery::findResponseFactory();
+                $streams = Psr17FactoryDiscovery::findStreamFactory();
+
+                return match ($path) {
+                    '/_ping' => $responses->createResponse(200)->withHeader('API-Version', '1.41')->withBody($streams->createStream('OK')),
+                    '/v1.41/info' => $responses->createResponse(200)->withBody($streams->createStream('{}')),
+                    default => $responses->createResponse(404)->withBody($streams->createStream('404 page not found')),
+                };
+            }
+        );
+
+        $apiVersion = getenv('DOCKER_API_VERSION');
+        putenv('DOCKER_API_VERSION');
+        PluginClientFactory::setFactory(
+            static fn (ClientInterface|HttpAsyncClient $socketClient, array $plugins): PluginClient => new PluginClient($daemon, $plugins)
+        );
+        try {
+            DockerContainerClient::getDockerClient();
+        } finally {
+            PluginClientFactory::setFactory(
+                static fn (ClientInterface|HttpAsyncClient $client, array $plugins): PluginClient => new PluginClient($client, $plugins)
+            );
+            putenv($apiVersion === false ? 'DOCKER_API_VERSION' : 'DOCKER_API_VERSION=' . $apiVersion);
+        }
+
+        $this->assertSame(['/_ping', '/v1.41/info'], $paths);
+    }
+
     public function testUserAgentHeaderContainsUnknownWhenVersionResolutionFails(): void
     {
         // Injects no-socket factories (same pattern as above), then calls