diff --git a/test/docs-config-keys.test.ts b/test/docs-config-keys.test.ts
index 2ced29d6e..9fcfc787b 100644
--- a/test/docs-config-keys.test.ts
+++ b/test/docs-config-keys.test.ts
@@ -61,7 +61,11 @@ describe('docs ↔ gstack-config key drift guard', () => {
     expect(stale).toEqual([]);
   });
 
-  test('`gstack-config get artifacts_sync_mode` returns a value (the rename landed)', () => {
+  // gstack-config is a bash script; Windows can't exec it via spawnSync
+  // without a Git Bash interpreter shim. Skip on Windows — the deprecated-key
+  // denylist test above already pins the v1.27.0.0 rename behavior at the
+  // doc layer, which is the actual invariant this wave defends.
+  test.skipIf(process.platform === 'win32')('`gstack-config get artifacts_sync_mode` returns a value (the rename landed)', () => {
     // Run from a clean HOME so the user's local config doesn't pollute.
     const tmpHome = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(require('os').tmpdir(), 'gstack-cfg-'));
     try {
diff --git a/test/setup-windows-fallback.test.ts b/test/setup-windows-fallback.test.ts
index 6c3735860..cc04fbbd7 100644
--- a/test/setup-windows-fallback.test.ts
+++ b/test/setup-windows-fallback.test.ts
@@ -57,7 +57,13 @@ describe('setup: _link_or_copy invariant (D7)', () => {
   });
 });
 
-describe('setup: _link_or_copy helper — behavior matrix', () => {
+// Behavior matrix uses Unix `ln -snf` semantics in the IS_WINDOWS=0 cells.
+// On Windows-without-Developer-Mode (e.g. GitHub's free `windows-latest`
+// runner), `ln -snf` silently produces a file copy rather than a symlink —
+// that's literally the bug this helper exists to work around. Skip the whole
+// matrix on Windows; the static-invariant tests above already pin the helper
+// shape that the Windows install relies on.
+describe.skipIf(process.platform === 'win32')('setup: _link_or_copy helper — behavior matrix', () => {
   // Source the helper into a temp shell with IS_WINDOWS set and exercise
   // each cell of the file/dir × Windows/Unix matrix.
   function runHelper(