diff --git a/browse/test/cdp-e2e.test.ts b/browse/test/cdp-e2e.test.ts
index c6b2c8a8a..c2d731350 100644
--- a/browse/test/cdp-e2e.test.ts
+++ b/browse/test/cdp-e2e.test.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@ import { startTestServer } from './test-server';
 import { BrowserManager } from '../src/browser-manager';
 
 const TMP_HOME = path.join(os.tmpdir(), `gstack-cdp-e2e-${process.pid}-${Date.now()}`);
+// Shard runs execute many test files in ONE bun process: a module-scope env
+// mutation without restore leaks into every LATER file in the shard. This
+// exact leak once pointed a sibling test's GSTACK_HOME at our temp dir,
+// which then got baked into artifacts that outlived it (dangling symlinks
+// into a deleted render dir). Save + restore in afterAll.
+const ORIGINAL_GSTACK_HOME = process.env.GSTACK_HOME;
 process.env.GSTACK_HOME = TMP_HOME;
 process.env.GSTACK_TELEMETRY_OFF = '1'; // don't pollute analytics during tests
 
@@ -36,6 +42,8 @@ beforeAll(async () => {
 });
 
 afterAll(async () => {
+  if (ORIGINAL_GSTACK_HOME === undefined) delete process.env.GSTACK_HOME;
+  else process.env.GSTACK_HOME = ORIGINAL_GSTACK_HOME;
   try { await bm.cleanup?.(); } catch {}
   try { testServer.server.stop(); } catch {}
   await fs.rm(TMP_HOME, { recursive: true, force: true });
diff --git a/test/branch-slug-hygiene.test.ts b/test/branch-slug-hygiene.test.ts
index 2b51460c0..58c7cccaf 100644
--- a/test/branch-slug-hygiene.test.ts
+++ b/test/branch-slug-hygiene.test.ts
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ const FILENAME_PREFIX = /\$\{?_BRANCH\}?[A-Za-z0-9._-]*\.(?:jsonl|json|md|txt|lo
 
 function renderedSkillFiles(): string[] {
   const out = execSync(
-    `find "${ROOT}" -name 'SKILL.md' -not -path '*/node_modules/*' ; find "${ROOT}" -path '*/sections/*.md' -not -path '*/node_modules/*'`,
+    `find "${ROOT}" -name 'SKILL.md' -not -path '*/node_modules/*' -not -path '*/.claude/*' ; find "${ROOT}" -path '*/sections/*.md' -not -path '*/node_modules/*' -not -path '*/.claude/*'`,
     { encoding: 'utf-8' },
   );
   return out.split('\n').filter(Boolean);
diff --git a/test/codex-web-search-flag.test.ts b/test/codex-web-search-flag.test.ts
index ad4ec3dc6..7e13ea607 100644
--- a/test/codex-web-search-flag.test.ts
+++ b/test/codex-web-search-flag.test.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,9 @@ function grepRepo(pattern: string, includes: string[]): string[] {
     .split('\n')
     .filter(Boolean)
     .filter((f) => !f.includes('node_modules'))
+    // The workspace-local .claude/ install is not generated output and can
+    // carry dangling symlinks from unrelated sessions.
+    .filter((f) => !f.includes('/.claude/'))
     .filter((f) => !f.endsWith('test/codex-web-search-flag.test.ts'));
 }
 
diff --git a/test/empty-find-fallthrough.test.ts b/test/empty-find-fallthrough.test.ts
index 363ba4743..10782ae9d 100644
--- a/test/empty-find-fallthrough.test.ts
+++ b/test/empty-find-fallthrough.test.ts
@@ -86,7 +86,10 @@ describe('empty find must not fall through to cwd (#2483)', () => {
     const hits = out
       .split('\n')
       .filter(Boolean)
-      .filter((f) => !f.includes('node_modules'));
+      .filter((f) => !f.includes('node_modules'))
+    // The workspace-local .claude/ install is not generated output and can
+    // carry dangling symlinks from unrelated sessions.
+    .filter((f) => !f.includes('/.claude/'));
     expect(hits).toEqual([]);
   });
 });