diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 57810c00587..ebafe4afa24 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ jobs:
               - 'Cargo.lock'
             gpui:
               - '.gitattributes'
+              - 'scripts/setup.js'
               - 'apps/desktop-gpui/**'
               - 'apps/desktop/src/assets/**'
               - 'apps/desktop/src-tauri/src/recording_start_sound.rs'
@@ -340,6 +341,18 @@ jobs:
         env:
           RUST_TARGET_TRIPLE: ${{ matrix.settings.target }}
 
+      # setup.js strips the local symbols from Microsoft's ONNX Runtime dylib
+      # before Cap bundles it; the C API ort loads through must still resolve
+      # and run a real inference.
+      - name: Test the prepared ONNX Runtime
+        if: ${{ runner.os == 'macOS' }}
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          dylib=target/native-deps/onnxruntime/lib/libonnxruntime.dylib
+          nm -gU "$dylib" | grep -q OrtGetApiBase
+          cargo test --locked -p cap-camera-effects --lib segmentation::tests::inference_runs_from_a_caller_with_a_tiny_stack -- --ignored --exact
+
       # The test build compiles every line the binary build does (the app has
       # no cfg(not(test)) code), so a separate binary build only repeated the
       # app crate's compile and link. Release builds still produce the binary.
diff --git a/scripts/setup.js b/scripts/setup.js
index d61d0898c32..278e30a588e 100644
--- a/scripts/setup.js
+++ b/scripts/setup.js
@@ -434,6 +434,9 @@ async function setupMacOSOnnxRuntime() {
 	const outputDir = path.join(targetDir, "native-deps", "onnxruntime", "lib");
 	const outputPath = path.join(outputDir, "libonnxruntime.dylib");
 	const markerPath = path.join(outputDir, "asset.txt");
+	// Microsoft's dylib keeps ~12 MB of local symbols nothing in Cap reads; the
+	// marker changes with the preparation so a cached unstripped copy is redone.
+	const preparedMarker = `${asset.name}:stripped`;
 	const marker = await fs
 		.readFile(markerPath, "utf-8")
 		.then((value) => value.trim())
@@ -448,7 +451,7 @@ async function setupMacOSOnnxRuntime() {
 		console.log(`Downloaded ${asset.name}`);
 	} else console.log(`Using cached ${asset.name}`);
 
-	if (!(await fileExists(outputPath)) || marker !== asset.name) {
+	if (!(await fileExists(outputPath)) || marker !== preparedMarker) {
 		await fs.rm(extractDir, { recursive: true, force: true }).catch(() => {});
 		await execFile("tar", ["xf", archivePath, "-C", targetDir]);
 		await fs.mkdir(outputDir, { recursive: true });
@@ -456,8 +459,11 @@ async function setupMacOSOnnxRuntime() {
 			path.join(extractDir, "lib", "libonnxruntime.dylib"),
 			outputPath,
 		);
+		// Local symbols only: the exported C API (OrtGetApiBase) that ort loads
+		// through is unchanged.
+		await execFile("strip", ["-x", outputPath]);
 		await signMacOSDylib(outputPath);
-		await fs.writeFile(markerPath, asset.name);
+		await fs.writeFile(markerPath, preparedMarker);
 		console.log("Prepared ONNX Runtime dylib");
 	} else {
 		console.log("Using cached ONNX Runtime dylib");