diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/rolling-release.yml b/.gitea/workflows/rolling-release.yml
index fc7cfb8..4f19c6d 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/rolling-release.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/rolling-release.yml
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ jobs:
           mkdir -p /tmp/jarvis-ci-models
           printf '%s\n' '{"cacheDirectory":"/tmp/jarvis-ci-models"}' > "$QVAC_CONFIG_PATH"
           npm run package
+          tar -tzf dist/jarvis-qvac-bare-linux-*.tar.gz | grep -E 'node_modules/bare-runtime-linux-.*/bin/bare$'
       - name: Publish rolling prerelease to Gitea
         env:
           GITEA_SERVER_URL: ${{ gitea.server_url }}
diff --git a/docs/bare-runtime.md b/docs/bare-runtime.md
index e6f5e80..cd05ed2 100644
--- a/docs/bare-runtime.md
+++ b/docs/bare-runtime.md
@@ -40,10 +40,11 @@ npm run bare:smoke
 npm run package:bare
 ```
 
-The installer executes `node_modules/bare-runtime-linux-*/bin/bare` directly.
-The `node_modules/.bin/bare` convenience script is a Node launcher and is not
-used by the service. The generated systemd unit therefore has no Node
-executable in its `ExecStart` line.
+The installer requires `node_modules/bare-runtime-linux-*/bin/bare` inside the
+installed tree. It does not fall back to a `bare` binary on `PATH`. The user
+unit starts `%h/.local/share/jarvis-qvac/packaging/jarvisd-launch.sh`, which
+resolves that ELF relative to the install. The unit does not contain a
+machine path, and the checkout unit under `systemd/user/` is not shipped.
 
 GPU policy remains strict. The Bare QVAC engine must report a visible GPU and
 the master load path passes `device: "gpu"`, full GPU layer offload, and GPU
diff --git a/docs/operations.md b/docs/operations.md
index e703e9a..cae2a07 100644
--- a/docs/operations.md
+++ b/docs/operations.md
@@ -50,11 +50,10 @@ journalctl --user -u jarvisd.service -f
 ```
 
 The unit at `packaging/jarvisd.service` (installed to
-`~/.config/systemd/user/jarvisd.service`) starts Bare on
-`daemon/bare-entry.js` with working directory `~/.local/share/jarvis-qvac` and
-`QVAC_CONFIG_PATH=~/.config/jarvis/qvac.config.json`. The repository
-development unit uses the checkout path; use the packaged unit when testing
-installation behavior.
+`~/.config/systemd/user/jarvisd.service`) starts the bundled Bare ELF through
+`packaging/jarvisd-launch.sh`. It uses `%h` for the install directory and does
+not record a host path. The file `systemd/user/jarvisd.service` is a checkout
+helper only and is not included in the release archive.
 
 Restart after daemon code changes:
 
diff --git a/packaging/build-runtime-bundle.sh b/packaging/build-runtime-bundle.sh
index a2f1aa8..48fe008 100755
--- a/packaging/build-runtime-bundle.sh
+++ b/packaging/build-runtime-bundle.sh
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@ mkdir -p "${OUT_DIR}"
 BUNDLE_DIR="${OUT_DIR}/jarvis-qvac-bare-${PLATFORM}"
 rm -rf "${BUNDLE_DIR}" "${OUT_DIR}/jarvis-qvac-bare-${PLATFORM}.tar.gz"
 mkdir -p "${BUNDLE_DIR}"
-tar --exclude='.git' --exclude='./.agents' --exclude='./.codex' --exclude='./dist' --exclude='./vendor/agent-harness/node_modules' --exclude='*/__pycache__' --exclude='*.pyc' -cf - -C "${ROOT_DIR}" . | tar -xf - -C "${BUNDLE_DIR}"
+# The checkout unit points at a developer tree and Node. Do not ship it.
+tar --exclude='.git' --exclude='./.agents' --exclude='./.codex' --exclude='./dist' --exclude='./systemd' --exclude='./vendor/agent-harness/node_modules' --exclude='*/__pycache__' --exclude='*.pyc' -cf - -C "${ROOT_DIR}" . | tar -xf - -C "${BUNDLE_DIR}"
 cp -a "${ROOT_DIR}/node_modules" "${BUNDLE_DIR}/"
 # QVAC publishes one package containing native prebuilds for every supported
 # platform. The rolling asset is architecture-specific: retain all Linux x64
@@ -31,6 +32,18 @@ fi
 if [[ "${JARVIS_VERIFY_VOICE_MODELS:-0}" == "1" ]]; then
   (cd "${BUNDLE_DIR}" && bash packaging/bare-launch.sh packaging/bare-run.js packaging/voice-model-smoke.js)
 fi
+chmod 755 "${BUNDLE_DIR}/packaging/jarvisd-launch.sh" "${BUNDLE_DIR}/node_modules/bare-runtime-${PLATFORM}/bin/bare"
 tar -C "${OUT_DIR}" -czf "${OUT_DIR}/jarvis-qvac-bare-${PLATFORM}.tar.gz" "jarvis-qvac-bare-${PLATFORM}"
 rm -rf "${BUNDLE_DIR}"
-echo "${OUT_DIR}/jarvis-qvac-bare-${PLATFORM}.tar.gz"
+ARCHIVE="${OUT_DIR}/jarvis-qvac-bare-${PLATFORM}.tar.gz"
+MEMBER="jarvis-qvac-bare-${PLATFORM}/node_modules/bare-runtime-${PLATFORM}/bin/bare"
+if ! tar -tzf "${ARCHIVE}" | grep -qx "${MEMBER}"; then
+  echo "Release archive is missing the Bare runtime executable: ${MEMBER}" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+if tar -tzf "${ARCHIVE}" | grep -q 'systemd/user/jarvisd.service'; then
+  echo "Release archive still contains the developer systemd unit." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+echo "Packaged Bare runtime ${MEMBER}"
+echo "${ARCHIVE}"
diff --git a/packaging/install.sh b/packaging/install.sh
index 5d28aa6..02ef448 100755
--- a/packaging/install.sh
+++ b/packaging/install.sh
@@ -114,14 +114,13 @@ case "$(uname -m)" in
   aarch64|arm64) BARE_BIN="${APP_DIR}/node_modules/bare-runtime-linux-arm64/bin/bare" ;;
   *) BARE_BIN="" ;;
 esac
-if [[ ! -x "${BARE_BIN}" ]]; then BARE_BIN="$(command -v bare || true)"; fi
 if [[ -z "${BARE_BIN}" || ! -x "${BARE_BIN}" ]]; then
   log "error: no Bare runtime for $(uname -m) in the installed bundle"
-  echo "The installed bundle does not contain a Bare runtime for $(uname -m). Install the official rolling bundle or build it with npm run package:bare." >&2
+  echo "The installed bundle does not contain a Bare runtime for $(uname -m). Install the official rolling bundle. A Bare binary from PATH is not used." >&2
   exit 1
 fi
-chmod 755 "${BARE_BIN}"
-log "using Bare runtime ${BARE_BIN}"
+chmod 755 "${BARE_BIN}" "${ROOT_DIR}/packaging/jarvisd-launch.sh"
+log "using bundled Bare runtime ${BARE_BIN}"
 NODE_BIN="$(command -v node || true)"
 if [[ -z "${NODE_BIN}" || ! -x "${NODE_BIN}" ]]; then
   NODE_BIN="$(bash -lc 'command -v node' 2>/dev/null || true)"
@@ -193,7 +192,7 @@ activate_extension() {
     log "GNOME extension ${EXT_UUID} is installed but not active in this session; log out and back in, or run: gnome-extensions enable ${EXT_UUID}"
   fi
 }
-sed -e "s#__JARVIS_BARE__#${BARE_BIN}#" -e "s#__JARVIS_NODE__#${NODE_BIN}#" "${ROOT_DIR}/packaging/jarvisd.service" > "${HOME}/.config/systemd/user/jarvisd.service"
+sed -e "s#__JARVIS_NODE__#${NODE_BIN}#" "${ROOT_DIR}/packaging/jarvisd.service" > "${HOME}/.config/systemd/user/jarvisd.service"
 log "wrote ${HOME}/.config/systemd/user/jarvisd.service"
 DBUS_DIR="${XDG_DATA_HOME:-${HOME}/.local/share}/dbus-1/services"
 mkdir -p "${DBUS_DIR}"
diff --git a/packaging/jarvisd-launch.sh b/packaging/jarvisd-launch.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..d4f3baf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packaging/jarvisd-launch.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Start the Bare ELF shipped with this install. Never use a bare from PATH.
+set -euo pipefail
+ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/.." && pwd)"
+case "$(uname -m)" in
+  x86_64|amd64) BIN="${ROOT}/node_modules/bare-runtime-linux-x64/bin/bare" ;;
+  aarch64|arm64) BIN="${ROOT}/node_modules/bare-runtime-linux-arm64/bin/bare" ;;
+  *) echo "Unsupported architecture: $(uname -m)" >&2; exit 2 ;;
+esac
+if [[ ! -x "${BIN}" ]]; then
+  echo "This Jarvis install has no Bare runtime at ${BIN}." >&2
+  echo "Install the official rolling bundle. A Bare binary from PATH is not used." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+exec "${BIN}" "$@"
diff --git a/packaging/jarvisd.service b/packaging/jarvisd.service
index cc07f8b..271a77e 100644
--- a/packaging/jarvisd.service
+++ b/packaging/jarvisd.service
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ PartOf=graphical-session.target
 [Service]
 Type=simple
 WorkingDirectory=%h/.local/share/jarvis-qvac
-ExecStart=__JARVIS_BARE__ %h/.local/share/jarvis-qvac/daemon/bare-entry.js
+ExecStart=%h/.local/share/jarvis-qvac/packaging/jarvisd-launch.sh %h/.local/share/jarvis-qvac/daemon/bare-entry.js
 Environment=QVAC_CONFIG_PATH=%h/.config/jarvis/qvac.config.json
 Environment=JARVIS_GPU_REQUIRED=1
 Environment=JARVIS_QVAC_OWNER=jarvisd
diff --git a/packaging/publish-gitea-release.sh b/packaging/publish-gitea-release.sh
index ccab121..369bc5c 100755
--- a/packaging/publish-gitea-release.sh
+++ b/packaging/publish-gitea-release.sh
@@ -32,8 +32,15 @@ created="$(curl -fsS -X POST "${AUTH[@]}" "${JSON[@]}" "${API}/releases" --data
 release_id="$(jq -r '.id // empty' <<<"${created}")"
 test -n "${release_id}"
 
+shopt -s nullglob
+bare_assets=(dist/jarvis-qvac-bare-*.tar.gz)
+if (( ${#bare_assets[@]} == 0 )); then
+  echo "Refusing to publish: the Bare runtime bundle is missing." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+shopt -u nullglob
 for asset in dist/jarvis-qvac_*.deb dist/jarvis-qvac-extension.zip dist/jarvis-qvac-bare-*.tar.gz dist/SHA256SUMS; do
-  [[ -f "${asset}" ]] || continue
+  [[ -f "${asset}" ]] || { echo "Refusing to publish: missing ${asset}" >&2; exit 1; }
   curl -fsS -X POST "${AUTH[@]}" \
     "${API}/releases/${release_id}/assets?name=$(basename "${asset}")" \
     -F "attachment=@${asset}" >/dev/null
diff --git a/test/install.test.js b/test/install.test.js
index 666901a..6dcf0ae 100644
--- a/test/install.test.js
+++ b/test/install.test.js
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ test('install.sh replaces leftover files from an older version and keeps config'
     await mkdir(bin, { recursive: true });
     await cp(path.join(repo, 'packaging/install.sh'), path.join(root, 'packaging/install.sh'));
     await cp(path.join(repo, 'packaging/jarvisd.service'), path.join(root, 'packaging/jarvisd.service'));
+    await cp(path.join(repo, 'packaging/jarvisd-launch.sh'), path.join(root, 'packaging/jarvisd-launch.sh'));
     await cp(path.join(repo, 'packaging/qvac.config.template.json'), path.join(root, 'packaging/qvac.config.template.json'));
     await cp(path.join(repo, 'apps/gnome-extension/jarvis@qvac.local'), path.join(root, 'apps/gnome-extension/jarvis@qvac.local'), { recursive: true });
     await writeFile(path.join(root, 'node_modules', bareName, 'bin', 'bare'), '#!/bin/sh\nexit 0\n');
@@ -108,7 +109,9 @@ exit 0
     assert.equal(await readFile(path.join(appDir, 'daemon-marker'), 'utf8'), 'new-tree\n');
     assert.equal(await readFile(path.join(configDir, 'config.json'), 'utf8'), '{"wakePhrase":"hey jarvis","ttsEnabled":true}\n');
     const unit = await readFile(path.join(home, '.config/systemd/user/jarvisd.service'), 'utf8');
-    assert.match(unit, /bare-runtime-linux/);
+    const execStart = unit.split('\n').find((line) => line.startsWith('ExecStart='));
+    assert.match(execStart, /ExecStart=%h\/\.local\/share\/jarvis-qvac\/packaging\/jarvisd-launch\.sh/);
+    assert.doesNotMatch(execStart, /\/home\/|dev\/jarvis|__JARVIS_BARE__|\/usr\/bin\/node/);
     assert.match(unit, /WantedBy=default\.target/);
     assert.match(unit, /Restart=always/);
     assert.doesNotMatch(unit, /ExecStart=\/usr\/bin\/node/);
@@ -152,6 +155,7 @@ test('install.sh seeds default config when missing and does not require first-ru
     await mkdir(bin, { recursive: true });
     await cp(path.join(repo, 'packaging/install.sh'), path.join(root, 'packaging/install.sh'));
     await cp(path.join(repo, 'packaging/jarvisd.service'), path.join(root, 'packaging/jarvisd.service'));
+    await cp(path.join(repo, 'packaging/jarvisd-launch.sh'), path.join(root, 'packaging/jarvisd-launch.sh'));
     await cp(path.join(repo, 'packaging/qvac.config.template.json'), path.join(root, 'packaging/qvac.config.template.json'));
     await cp(path.join(repo, 'apps/gnome-extension/jarvis@qvac.local'), path.join(root, 'apps/gnome-extension/jarvis@qvac.local'), { recursive: true });
     await writeFile(path.join(root, 'node_modules', bareName, 'bin', 'bare'), '#!/bin/sh\nexit 0\n');