diff --git a/packages/cli/test/agent-extensions.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/agent-extensions.test.ts
index 49548e5d..2d3c1f0d 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/agent-extensions.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/agent-extensions.test.ts
@@ -1,14 +1,15 @@
 import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
 import { mkdtemp, rm } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
 import { buildInvocation } from "../src/util/invocation";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 
 async function runCli(
   args: string[]
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/anonymous-flag.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/anonymous-flag.test.ts
index cb48a184..32113487 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/anonymous-flag.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/anonymous-flag.test.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,14 @@
 import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
 import { mkdir, mkdtemp, rm, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import { migrateFixture } from "./support/current-project";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 
 async function runCli(
   args: string[],
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/check-gitignore.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/check-gitignore.test.ts
index 79d80283..9f9d7269 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/check-gitignore.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/check-gitignore.test.ts
@@ -13,9 +13,10 @@ import {
 } from "../src/rules/git-ignored";
 import { findValeBinary } from "../src/rules/vale/binary";
 import { migrateFixture } from "./support/current-project";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 const fixturesDirectory = resolve(
   import.meta.dirname,
   "fixtures/mixed-engines-project"
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/check-rule-filter.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/check-rule-filter.test.ts
index 4a4fbb69..620d2693 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/check-rule-filter.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/check-rule-filter.test.ts
@@ -11,9 +11,10 @@ import { splitRawArguments } from "../src/util/argv";
 import { sgFilterArgv } from "../src/rules/scan";
 import { findValeBinary } from "../src/rules/vale/binary";
 import { migrateFixture } from "./support/current-project";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 const fixturesDirectory = resolve(
   import.meta.dirname,
   "fixtures/mixed-engines-project"
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/check.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/check.test.ts
index 13efe40f..a3fca0a8 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/check.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/check.test.ts
@@ -5,9 +5,10 @@ import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { describe, expect, it, beforeEach, afterEach } from "vitest";
 import { migrateFixture } from "./support/current-project";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 const fixturesDirectory = resolve(
   import.meta.dirname,
   "fixtures/taskless-project"
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/cli.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/cli.test.ts
index 4011e563..73a6c6e7 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/cli.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/cli.test.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,14 @@
 import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
 import { readFile, mkdtemp, rm, mkdir } from "node:fs/promises";
-import { resolve, join } from "node:path";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { describe, expect, it, beforeEach, afterEach } from "vitest";
 
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
+
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 
 describe("cli", () => {
   it("has a shebang in the built output", async () => {
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/demo-command.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/demo-command.test.ts
index 6b9a182a..46daaf93 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/demo-command.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/demo-command.test.ts
@@ -1,15 +1,16 @@
 import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
 import { mkdtemp, readFile, rm, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
 import { DEMO_RULES, demoRuleFor } from "../src/rules/demo/rule";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 
 /**
  * The demonstration rules, end to end over the built CLI.
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/detect.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/detect.test.ts
index 0ec72755..7fc757d3 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/detect.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/detect.test.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,14 @@
 import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
 import { mkdir, mkdtemp, rm, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
+
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 
 interface ExecError extends Error {
   stdout?: string;
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/engine-dispatch.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/engine-dispatch.test.ts
index e8e416a3..966e703f 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/engine-dispatch.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/engine-dispatch.test.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import {
 } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { existsSync } from "node:fs";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { dirname, join, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { dirname, join } from "node:path";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
@@ -27,9 +27,10 @@ import { discoverRuntimeRules } from "../src/rules/runtime/discover";
 import type { ServedFileSet } from "../src/api/v2";
 import { CLIError } from "../src/util/cli-error";
 import { migrateFixture } from "./support/current-project";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 
 const NO_EVAL_RULE = [
   "id: no-eval",
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/error-envelope.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/error-envelope.test.ts
index a523533d..1fc2ceac 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/error-envelope.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/error-envelope.test.ts
@@ -2,15 +2,16 @@ import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
 import { mkdir, mkdtemp, rm, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { existsSync } from "node:fs";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
 import { resolveActingOrg } from "../src/auth/org";
 import { cliRejectionToResult } from "./support/spawn-cli";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 
 interface ErrorEnvelope {
   ok: false;
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/example-project.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/example-project.test.ts
index 566f8bae..3cbc3d7b 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/example-project.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/example-project.test.ts
@@ -7,9 +7,10 @@ import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
 import { findValeBinary } from "../src/rules/vale/binary";
 import { migrateFixture } from "./support/current-project";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 
 /** `<repo>/example` — the committed demo project. */
 const exampleSource = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../../../example");
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/feedback-command.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/feedback-command.test.ts
index e072f700..2a8eb8ed 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/feedback-command.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/feedback-command.test.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
 import { mkdtemp, readdir, readFile, rm, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import { readNextAsk } from "../src/survey/cadence";
 import { ANSWERED_INTERVAL_MS, SURVEY_ID } from "../src/survey/constants";
 import { CLIError } from "../src/util/cli-error";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 // Spy on telemetry by mocking the module the command imports, the same way
 // agent-telemetry.test.ts does. `enabled` is flipped per test to exercise the
@@ -242,7 +243,7 @@ describe("feedback command", () => {
 
 describe("feedback in the built CLI", () => {
   const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-  const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+  const binPath = builtCli();
 
   it("is absent from the agent index", async () => {
     const { stdout } = await execFileAsync("node", [binPath, "agent"]);
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/feedback-recipes.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/feedback-recipes.test.ts
index c82df196..bd38299c 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/feedback-recipes.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/feedback-recipes.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
-import { resolve } from "node:path";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
@@ -7,9 +6,10 @@ import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import { getRecipe } from "../src/prompts/recipes";
 import { inputSchema } from "../src/schemas/feedback";
 import { COMPLETED_CHOICES } from "../src/survey/constants";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 const invocation = "npx @taskless/cli";
 
 /** The sentence the invite puts to the user, as the design fixed it. */
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/help-flag.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/help-flag.test.ts
index 97349c1d..855ddbbb 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/help-flag.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/help-flag.test.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
 import { mkdtemp, readdir, rm } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 
@@ -10,9 +10,10 @@ import {
   joinDirectoryValues,
   splitRawArguments,
 } from "../src/util/argv";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 
 describe("--help below the root", () => {
   let temporaryDirectory: string;
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/info.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/info.test.ts
index 60e3c111..76e15fc3 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/info.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/info.test.ts
@@ -12,9 +12,10 @@ import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import { LATEST_SCHEMA_VERSION } from "../src/filesystem/migrate";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 const agentRecipeDirectory = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../src/agent");
 
 interface ExecError extends Error {
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/init-no-interactive.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/init-no-interactive.test.ts
index 2fef2d28..531b51dc 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/init-no-interactive.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/init-no-interactive.test.ts
@@ -8,13 +8,14 @@ import {
   writeFile,
 } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import { LATEST_SCHEMA_VERSION } from "../src/filesystem/migrate";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 
 async function exists(path: string): Promise<boolean> {
   try {
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/layout.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/layout.test.ts
index 3d129626..0afe7e56 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/layout.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/layout.test.ts
@@ -10,8 +10,9 @@ import {
   RULE_TESTS_DIRECTORY,
   isKnownEngine,
 } from "../src/layout/index.js";
+import { builtDirectory } from "./support/built-cli";
 
-const distributionDirectory = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist");
+const distributionDirectory = builtDirectory();
 const distributionLayoutPath = resolve(distributionDirectory, "layout.js");
 
 /**
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/migrate-round-trip.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/migrate-round-trip.test.ts
index c659fd64..8e2695cf 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/migrate-round-trip.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/migrate-round-trip.test.ts
@@ -2,15 +2,16 @@ import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
 import { createHash } from "node:crypto";
 import { mkdir, mkdtemp, readFile, rm, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
 import { findValeBinary } from "../src/rules/vale/binary";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 import { migrateFixture } from "./support/current-project";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 
 const withVale = findValeBinary().path === undefined ? describe.skip : describe;
 
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/migrated-envelope.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/migrated-envelope.test.ts
index 24dea46f..44d516f7 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/migrated-envelope.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/migrated-envelope.test.ts
@@ -8,13 +8,14 @@ import {
   writeFile,
 } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import { LATEST_SCHEMA_VERSION } from "../src/filesystem/migrate";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 
 interface MigratedField {
   from: number;
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/migration-failure.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/migration-failure.test.ts
index 38fe1bc9..96041a31 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/migration-failure.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/migration-failure.test.ts
@@ -1,14 +1,15 @@
 import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
 import { mkdir, mkdtemp, rm, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
 import { cliRejectionToResult } from "./support/spawn-cli";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 
 /**
  * These spawn the BUILT CLI rather than calling `runMigrations` directly, and
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/mixed-engine-check.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/mixed-engine-check.test.ts
index be5bbd46..26dd4932 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/mixed-engine-check.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/mixed-engine-check.test.ts
@@ -8,9 +8,10 @@ import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
 import { findValeBinary } from "../src/rules/vale/binary";
 import { migrateFixture } from "./support/current-project";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 const fixturesDirectory = resolve(
   import.meta.dirname,
   "fixtures/mixed-engines-project"
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/no-implicit-migration.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/no-implicit-migration.test.ts
index a25e96de..907b621f 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/no-implicit-migration.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/no-implicit-migration.test.ts
@@ -8,15 +8,16 @@ import {
   writeFile,
 } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
 import { LATEST_SCHEMA_VERSION } from "../src/filesystem/migrate";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 
 /**
  * A command that reports must not rewrite the repository.
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/onboard.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/onboard.test.ts
index 2b072900..9b647770 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/onboard.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/onboard.test.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,14 @@
 import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
 import { mkdir, mkdtemp, readFile, rm, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import { LATEST_SCHEMA_VERSION } from "../src/filesystem/migrate";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 
 interface ExecError extends Error {
   stdout?: string;
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/prompts.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/prompts.test.ts
index ed8c1054..f249336a 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/prompts.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/prompts.test.ts
@@ -24,11 +24,12 @@ import {
   getRecipe,
   getRenderedRecipe,
 } from "../src/prompts/recipes";
+import { builtDirectory } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
 
 const recipeDirectory = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../src/agent");
-const distributionDirectory = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist");
+const distributionDirectory = builtDirectory();
 const binPath = resolve(distributionDirectory, "index.js");
 const distributionPromptsPath = resolve(distributionDirectory, "prompts.js");
 
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/reconcile-marker.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/reconcile-marker.test.ts
index d34b3229..452a0093 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/reconcile-marker.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/reconcile-marker.test.ts
@@ -6,9 +6,10 @@ import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
 import { AST_GREP_VERSION, VALE_VERSION } from "../src/rules/capabilities";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 
 async function runCli(
   args: string[]
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/rule-from.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/rule-from.test.ts
index e4f475ea..60e50505 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/rule-from.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/rule-from.test.ts
@@ -1,15 +1,16 @@
 import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
 import { writeFile, mkdtemp, rm, mkdir } from "node:fs/promises";
-import { resolve, join } from "node:path";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { describe, expect, it, beforeEach, afterEach } from "vitest";
 
 import { outputSchema as createOutputSchema } from "../src/schemas/rules-create";
 import { outputSchema as improveOutputSchema } from "../src/schemas/rules-improve";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 
 describe("rules create --from", () => {
   let temporaryDirectory: string;
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/run-directory.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/run-directory.test.ts
index cbaed513..83e3eacf 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/run-directory.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/run-directory.test.ts
@@ -17,10 +17,11 @@ import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
 import { openRun, sweepAbandonedRuns } from "../src/rules/run-directory";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 import { migrateFixture } from "./support/current-project";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 // `--import tsx` rather than the `tsx` binary, which relays a signal death as
 // an exit code and so hides the signal a test asserts on.
 const packageRoot = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "..");
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/runtime-check.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/runtime-check.test.ts
index 473664ce..524b3fa4 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/runtime-check.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/runtime-check.test.ts
@@ -9,14 +9,15 @@ import {
   mkdir,
   writeFile,
 } from "node:fs/promises";
-import { resolve, join } from "node:path";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import { migrateFixture } from "./support/current-project";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 
 interface ReportedRule {
   ruleId: string;
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/runtime-fixture-runner.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/runtime-fixture-runner.test.ts
index 662f75fa..448ec3b7 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/runtime-fixture-runner.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/runtime-fixture-runner.test.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,13 @@
 import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
 import { chmod, mkdir, mkdtemp, rm, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
+
 /**
  * `taskless test` against a runtime rule.
  *
@@ -19,7 +21,7 @@ import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
  */
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 
 let cwd: string;
 
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/schemas-export.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/schemas-export.test.ts
index 9f5bd5ed..702bc30b 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/schemas-export.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/schemas-export.test.ts
@@ -10,10 +10,11 @@ import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import { verifyRule } from "../src/rules/verify";
 import { findValeBinary } from "../src/rules/vale/binary";
 import { verifyValeRule } from "../src/rules/vale/verify";
+import { builtDirectory } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
 
-const distributionDirectory = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist");
+const distributionDirectory = builtDirectory();
 const distributionSchemasPath = resolve(distributionDirectory, "schemas.js");
 const binPath = resolve(distributionDirectory, "index.js");
 
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/spawn-cli-support.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/spawn-cli-support.test.ts
index 79126957..32e5a21c 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/spawn-cli-support.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/spawn-cli-support.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
 import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
+import { mkdtemp, rm, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
@@ -58,6 +61,33 @@ describe("cliRejectionToResult", () => {
     ).toThrow(/taskless\/cli#262/);
   });
 
+  // taskless/cli#262: a build emptying `dist/` mid-run. Node exits with a real
+  // code 1 here, so `code` alone reads it as the CLI failing.
+  it.each([
+    ["the entry", "missing.mjs", undefined],
+    ["a chunk the entry imports", "index.mjs", 'import "./chunk.mjs";\n'],
+  ])(
+    "throws when %s is missing from the bundle, though node exits 1",
+    async (_label, entry, source) => {
+      const bundle = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), "taskless-spawn-cli-"));
+      try {
+        if (source !== undefined) await writeFile(join(bundle, entry), source);
+        const command = [join(bundle, entry), "auth", "login"];
+        try {
+          await execFileAsync("node", command);
+          expect.unreachable("node should have failed to load the bundle");
+        } catch (error) {
+          expect((error as { code?: unknown }).code).toBe(1);
+          expect(() => cliRejectionToResult(error, command)).toThrow(
+            /The CLI never ran: its built bundle is incomplete/
+          );
+        }
+      } finally {
+        await rm(bundle, { recursive: true, force: true });
+      }
+    }
+  );
+
   it("treats a process killed by a signal as never having run", () => {
     // `code` is null and `signal` is set. Reading `code` as an exit status here
     // would report `exitCode: null`, which no assertion in the suite expects.
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/support/built-cli.ts b/packages/cli/test/support/built-cli.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3b3e6619
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cli/test/support/built-cli.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+import { join } from "node:path";
+
+import { inject } from "vitest";
+
+/**
+ * This run's snapshot of `dist/`, for tests that read or import built files.
+ *
+ * Tests never read `dist/` directly: a build that starts mid-run empties it,
+ * and every spawn in that window fails as if the CLI had. The snapshot is taken
+ * once per run by ./distribution-snapshot.ts, which explains the measurement behind it.
+ */
+export function builtDirectory(): string {
+  return inject("cliDist");
+}
+
+/** The built CLI entry, for `execFile("node", [builtCli(), ...])`. */
+export function builtCli(): string {
+  return join(builtDirectory(), "index.js");
+}
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/support/distribution-snapshot.ts b/packages/cli/test/support/distribution-snapshot.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..50f3881a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cli/test/support/distribution-snapshot.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+import { existsSync } from "node:fs";
+import { cp, mkdir, mkdtemp, readdir, rm, stat } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { join, relative, resolve } from "node:path";
+import process from "node:process";
+import { setTimeout as delay } from "node:timers/promises";
+
+import type { TestProject } from "vitest/node";
+
+/**
+ * Vitest global setup: snapshot `dist/` once per run, and run every spawned CLI
+ * from the snapshot instead of from `dist/` itself.
+ *
+ * WHY THIS EXISTS. taskless/cli#262: spawning tests failed once on a full-suite
+ * run and passed on an immediate rerun. `vitest run` does not build, so every
+ * spawn reads whatever `dist/` holds at that moment, and a build that starts
+ * mid-run (`pnpm lint` builds first) empties `dist/` before rewriting it.
+ * Measured: 22 of 343 spawns of `auth login --anonymous` failed while six
+ * builds ran alongside, each with exit code 1, empty stdout, and `Cannot find
+ * module …/dist/index.js`; 0 of 414 failed with no build running. Exit code 1
+ * and empty stdout is exactly what both reported tests choke on.
+ *
+ * WHY HERE AND NOT IN `os.tmpdir()`. The bundle finds tsx, ast-grep and Vale
+ * relative to its own file, through `createRequire(import.meta.url)`, which
+ * walks up to `packages/cli/node_modules`. Outside the package that walk finds
+ * nothing (measured: both `tsx` and `@ast-grep/cli` unresolvable from a tmpdir
+ * copy), and tests would silently exercise whatever is on PATH instead. Under
+ * `packages/cli/tmp/` the walk still lands where it does from `dist/`. `tmp` is
+ * gitignored at any depth.
+ *
+ * One directory per run, named for the vitest process that owns it, so two
+ * runs in the same checkout never share or sweep each other's snapshot.
+ */
+
+const PACKAGE_ROOT = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../..");
+const DIST = join(PACKAGE_ROOT, "dist");
+const SNAPSHOT_ROOT = join(PACKAGE_ROOT, "tmp", "dist-test");
+
+/** Attempts at a copy that no build disturbed, before giving up. */
+const COPY_ATTEMPTS = 5;
+const COPY_RETRY_MS = 500;
+
+declare module "vitest" {
+  export interface ProvidedContext {
+    /** Absolute path to this run's snapshot of `dist/`. */
+    cliDist: string;
+  }
+}
+
+/** Whether a process with this id is still running. */
+function isAlive(pid: number): boolean {
+  try {
+    process.kill(pid, 0);
+    return true;
+  } catch (error) {
+    // EPERM: it exists, it just is not ours to signal.
+    return (error as NodeJS.ErrnoException).code === "EPERM";
+  }
+}
+
+/** Remove snapshots left by runs that exited without tearing down. */
+async function sweepStaleSnapshots(): Promise<void> {
+  let entries: string[];
+  try {
+    entries = await readdir(SNAPSHOT_ROOT);
+  } catch {
+    return;
+  }
+  await Promise.all(
+    entries.map(async (entry) => {
+      const pid = Number.parseInt(entry.split("-")[0] ?? "", 10);
+      if (Number.isInteger(pid) && isAlive(pid)) return;
+      await rm(join(SNAPSHOT_ROOT, entry), { recursive: true, force: true });
+    })
+  );
+}
+
+/**
+ * Every file under `dist/` with its size and mtime. Equal before and after a
+ * copy means no build wrote to `dist/` while it was being read.
+ */
+async function fingerprint(directory: string): Promise<string> {
+  const files = await readdir(directory, { recursive: true });
+  const lines = await Promise.all(
+    files.map(async (file) => {
+      const info = await stat(join(directory, file));
+      return `${file}:${info.size}:${info.mtimeMs}`;
+    })
+  );
+  return lines.toSorted().join("\n");
+}
+
+async function snapshotDistribution(target: string): Promise<void> {
+  for (let attempt = 1; attempt <= COPY_ATTEMPTS; attempt++) {
+    if (existsSync(join(DIST, "index.js"))) {
+      try {
+        const before = await fingerprint(DIST);
+        await cp(DIST, target, { recursive: true });
+        if ((await fingerprint(DIST)) === before) return;
+      } catch {
+        // A build removed a file mid-copy. Same outcome as a changed
+        // fingerprint: start again from an empty target.
+      }
+      await rm(target, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+    await delay(COPY_RETRY_MS);
+  }
+  throw new Error(
+    existsSync(join(DIST, "index.js"))
+      ? `${relative(process.cwd(), DIST)}/ kept changing while it was being ` +
+          `copied for this test run. A build is probably running; wait for it ` +
+          `to finish and rerun.`
+      : `${relative(process.cwd(), DIST)}/index.js does not exist. Most of this ` +
+          `suite spawns the built CLI: run \`pnpm build\` first.`
+  );
+}
+
+export default async function setup(project: TestProject) {
+  await sweepStaleSnapshots();
+  await mkdir(SNAPSHOT_ROOT, { recursive: true });
+  const snapshot = await mkdtemp(join(SNAPSHOT_ROOT, `${process.pid}-`));
+  await snapshotDistribution(snapshot);
+  project.provide("cliDist", snapshot);
+
+  return async () => {
+    await rm(snapshot, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  };
+}
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/support/spawn-cli.ts b/packages/cli/test/support/spawn-cli.ts
index 2558f661..69c0803b 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/support/spawn-cli.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/support/spawn-cli.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+import { realpathSync } from "node:fs";
+import { dirname } from "node:path";
+
 /**
  * Tell a CLI that ran and failed apart from a CLI that never ran.
  *
@@ -19,19 +22,42 @@
  * "expected 0 to be greater than 0" from inside a helper. Nothing in that
  * message mentions spawning.
  *
- * That matters because of taskless/cli#262: two spawning tests failed once on a
- * full-suite run and passed on an immediate rerun, with the assertion output
- * lost because it said nothing useful. The plausible cause is fork pressure
- * (`EAGAIN`) from many concurrent spawns, which takes exactly the path above.
- * The flake has not reproduced in 8 consecutive full runs, so the useful move
- * on an unreproducible failure is not to guess at a fix but to make the next
- * occurrence describe itself.
+ * taskless/cli#262 found the second shape the same rejection hides. Two
+ * spawning tests failed once on a full-suite run and passed on a rerun. The
+ * cause was a build emptying `dist/` mid-run: node exits with a NUMERIC code 1,
+ * empty stdout, and `Cannot find module …/dist/index.js` on stderr. Measured:
+ * 22 of 343 spawns failed that way with builds running alongside, 0 of 414
+ * without. That one cannot be told apart by `code`, so it is recognised by
+ * node naming a module inside the CLI's own directory as missing.
+ *
+ * Tests now run a per-run snapshot of `dist/` (./distribution-snapshot.ts), which a
+ * build cannot touch, so the second shape should not occur. If it does, it
+ * should say what it is rather than fail as a contract assertion.
  *
  * Raising a timeout was considered and rejected. Nothing shows the 20s
  * `testTimeout` was ever reached, a CLI spawn is normally sub-second, and a
  * longer ceiling makes a genuine hang slower to surface.
  */
 
+/**
+ * Whether node's stderr reports a missing module inside `directory`.
+ *
+ * The CommonJS loader names the path it was given; the ESM loader names its
+ * realpath (measured on macOS: `/var/…` given, `/private/var/…` reported). A
+ * chunk missing behind the entry is reported the ESM way, so check both.
+ */
+function namesMissingModuleIn(stderr: string, directory: string): boolean {
+  const spellings = new Set([directory]);
+  try {
+    spellings.add(realpathSync(directory));
+  } catch {
+    // The directory itself is gone; the given spelling is all there is.
+  }
+  return [...spellings].some((spelling) =>
+    stderr.includes(`Cannot find module '${spelling}`)
+  );
+}
+
 /** What a spawned CLI did, once we know it actually ran. */
 export interface SpawnedCliResult {
   stdout: string;
@@ -77,9 +103,24 @@ export function cliRejectionToResult(
       `The CLI never ran: ${cause}.\n` +
         `  command: node ${command.join(" ")}\n` +
         `  This is not a CLI contract failure. It is the process not starting, ` +
-        `most often fork pressure from many concurrent spawns under a full-suite ` +
-        `run. If you are seeing this intermittently, that is taskless/cli#262: ` +
-        `please file a fresh issue quoting this message and the full run output.`
+        `which under a full-suite run is plausibly fork pressure from many ` +
+        `concurrent spawns. taskless/cli#262 investigated spawn flakes and ` +
+        `found a different cause; if you see this one intermittently, please ` +
+        `file a fresh issue quoting this message and the full run output.`
+    );
+  }
+
+  // Node exits 1 when the entry, or a chunk it imports, is missing, so this
+  // one carries a real exit code. Node names the module in both loaders'
+  // messages, and nothing the CLI prints names a file inside its own bundle.
+  const bundle = dirname(command[0] ?? "");
+  if (bundle !== "." && namesMissingModuleIn(rejection.stderr ?? "", bundle)) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `The CLI never ran: its built bundle is incomplete.\n` +
+        `  command: node ${command.join(" ")}\n` +
+        `  ${bundle} is missing a module the CLI loads at startup. Tests read ` +
+        `a per-run snapshot of dist/ so a concurrent build cannot do this; ` +
+        `see ./support/distribution-snapshot.ts and taskless/cli#262.`
     );
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/test-fixture-findings.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/test-fixture-findings.test.ts
index ae61ebd3..39ec6478 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/test-fixture-findings.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/test-fixture-findings.test.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,14 @@
 import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
 import { mkdir, mkdtemp, readdir, rm, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
 import { findValeBinary } from "../src/rules/vale/binary";
 import { cliRejectionToResult } from "./support/spawn-cli";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 /**
  * The findings `test` reports, per rule and per fixture bucket.
@@ -27,7 +28,7 @@ import { cliRejectionToResult } from "./support/spawn-cli";
  */
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 
 const withVale = findValeBinary().path === undefined ? describe.skip : describe;
 
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/vale-orchestration.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/vale-orchestration.test.ts
index aa416c59..6b37ddf9 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/vale-orchestration.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/vale-orchestration.test.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import {
   writeFileSync,
 } from "node:fs";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 
 import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import { hasValeRules, runEngines } from "../src/rules/dispatch";
 import { assembleSgConfig, assembleValeConfig } from "../src/rules/assemble";
 import { findValeBinary } from "../src/rules/vale/binary";
 import { LATEST_SCHEMA_VERSION } from "../src/filesystem/migrate";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const withVale = findValeBinary().path === undefined ? describe.skip : describe;
 
@@ -106,7 +107,7 @@ function makeMixedProject(options?: {
 /** The committed config `makeMixedProject` writes, as `check` would resolve it. */
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 
 /** Run the built CLI, tolerating a non-zero exit. */
 async function runCli(
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/verify-test-commands.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/verify-test-commands.test.ts
index 3a9b1833..b1a9c353 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/verify-test-commands.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/verify-test-commands.test.ts
@@ -1,16 +1,17 @@
 import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
 import { mkdir, mkdtemp, rm, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
 import { findValeBinary } from "../src/rules/vale/binary";
 import { cliRejectionToResult } from "./support/spawn-cli";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 
 const withVale = findValeBinary().path === undefined ? describe.skip : describe;
 
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/verify.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/verify.test.ts
index f58b73a3..d440b072 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/verify.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/verify.test.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
 import { mkdtemp, rm, writeFile, mkdir } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 
 import { describe, expect, it, beforeEach, afterEach } from "vitest";
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import { stringify } from "yaml";
 
 import { verifyRule, getSchemaPayload } from "../src/rules/verify";
 import { cliRejectionToResult } from "./support/spawn-cli";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
 
@@ -774,7 +775,7 @@ describe("getSchemaPayload", () => {
  * `packages/cli/src/rules/inspect.ts`. `verify` never produces a refusal, so
  * it cannot exercise this split at all.
  */
-const verifyMixedRunBinPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const verifyMixedRunBinPath = builtCli();
 
 async function runVerifyMixedRunCli(args: string[]) {
   try {
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/version-flag.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/version-flag.test.ts
index 0b72e61f..ebd51e30 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/version-flag.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/version-flag.test.ts
@@ -1,14 +1,15 @@
 import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
 import { mkdtemp, readdir, rm } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 
 import { hasVersionFlag } from "../src/util/argv";
+import { builtCli } from "./support/built-cli";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const binPath = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../dist/index.js");
+const binPath = builtCli();
 
 describe("--version", () => {
   let temporaryDirectory: string;
diff --git a/packages/cli/vite.config.ts b/packages/cli/vite.config.ts
index 20000b5a..4ca0d0e8 100644
--- a/packages/cli/vite.config.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/vite.config.ts
@@ -505,6 +505,9 @@ export default defineConfig({
   test: {
     testTimeout: 20_000,
     hookTimeout: 20_000,
+    // Spawning suites run a per-run copy of `dist/`, so a build that empties
+    // `dist/` mid-run cannot fail them. See test/support/distribution-snapshot.ts.
+    globalSetup: ["./test/support/distribution-snapshot.ts"],
     // Most suites spawn the BUILT CLI, which carries the production PostHog
     // token and opts out only on these env vars. A child inherits the worker's
     // process.env, so without this every `init`/`check` a test spawns posts a