diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-pr-distribution-acceptance.yml b/.github/workflows/release-pr-distribution-acceptance.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d0ab026152
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-pr-distribution-acceptance.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+# Run the Linux release battery on the release PR itself.
+#
+# Twelve beta tags in a row published with zero assets because the first run
+# of `scripts/check-distribution-acceptance.sh` happened after release-please
+# had already tagged and published the prerelease. PR CI never exercises the
+# release-only steps, so a green PR said nothing about whether the tree could
+# ship. This workflow runs the same x86_64-linux steps as
+# `.github/workflows/release-beta.yml` and `release.yml` on the
+# `chore(release)` PR, so a tree that cannot ship never gets a tag.
+
+name: Release PR distribution acceptance
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    branches:
+      - master
+      - codex/tracedecay-total-redesign-plan-reopened
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+concurrency:
+  group: release-pr-distribution-acceptance-${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}
+  cancel-in-progress: true
+
+jobs:
+  distribution-acceptance:
+    name: Release PR distribution acceptance (x86_64-linux)
+    if: >-
+      startsWith(github.head_ref, 'release-please--') &&
+      github.event.pull_request.head.repo.full_name == github.repository
+    runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
+    timeout-minutes: 180
+    env:
+      TARGET: x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7.0.1
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.sha }}
+          persist-credentials: false
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7.0.0
+        with:
+          node-version: "22.23.2"
+          cache: npm
+          cache-dependency-path: dashboard/package-lock.json
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-python@5fda3b95a4ea91299a34e894583c3862153e4b97 # v7.0.0
+        with:
+          python-version: "3.12.10"
+
+      - name: Build dashboard
+        working-directory: dashboard
+        run: |
+          npm ci
+          npm run build
+
+      - name: Validate portable distribution harnesses
+        run: |
+          python3 scripts/test-check-packaged-lsp-bridge.py
+          python3 scripts/test-build-mcpb.py
+          python3 scripts/test-resolve-installed-binary.py
+          python3 scripts/test-check-packaged-mcp-stdio.py
+          python3 scripts/test-check-distribution-feature-wiring.py
+          python3 scripts/test-resolve-release-source-profile.py
+          python3 scripts/test-package-release-archive.py
+          bash scripts/test-check-distribution-clean-source.sh
+          bash scripts/test-check-distribution-snapshot.sh
+
+      - uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@4cda84d5c5c54efe2404f9d843567869ab1699d4 # stable
+        with:
+          targets: ${{ env.TARGET }}
+
+      - name: Install cargo-nextest
+        uses: taiki-e/install-action@acdba816b0980ba6b63f1109f89a046e15fc301a # nextest
+
+      - name: Install mold
+        uses: rui314/setup-mold@9c9c13bf4c3f1adef0cc596abc155580bcb04444 # v1
+        with:
+          mold-version: 2.41.0
+          make-default: true
+
+      - name: Cache Rust build
+        uses: Swatinem/rust-cache@e18b497796c12c097a38f9edb9d0641fb99eee32 # v2
+        with:
+          shared-key: release-beta-${{ env.TARGET }}
+          cache-on-failure: true
+
+      - name: Test release distribution
+        run: |
+          python3 scripts/build-controlled-workload-hotpath-helpers.py \
+            --source . \
+            --profile release \
+            --target ${{ env.TARGET }}
+          cargo nextest run -p tracedecay-search-eval --release --target ${{ env.TARGET }} \
+            --all-features --locked \
+            --run-ignored only \
+            -E 'test(=controlled_workloads::tests::hotpath_off_vs_on_durable_results_are_identical)' \
+            --no-tests=fail
+          cargo build --workspace --bins --release --target ${{ env.TARGET }} --all-features --locked
+          cargo test --workspace --release --target ${{ env.TARGET }} --all-features --locked
+
+      - name: Verify all-feature release build compiles
+        run: cargo build --package tracedecay-cli --bin tracedecay --release --target ${{ env.TARGET }} --all-features --locked
+
+      - name: Run distribution acceptance
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          cargo fetch --locked --target ${{ env.TARGET }}
+          lockfile_sha="$(python3 -c 'import hashlib; print(hashlib.sha256(open("Cargo.lock", "rb").read()).hexdigest())')"
+          CARGO_NET_OFFLINE=true bash scripts/check-distribution-acceptance.sh
+          actual_lockfile_sha="$(python3 -c 'import hashlib; print(hashlib.sha256(open("Cargo.lock", "rb").read()).hexdigest())')"
+          test "$actual_lockfile_sha" = "$lockfile_sha"
diff --git a/scripts/check-distribution-acceptance.sh b/scripts/check-distribution-acceptance.sh
index 51b5a42e79..47088f96f9 100755
--- a/scripts/check-distribution-acceptance.sh
+++ b/scripts/check-distribution-acceptance.sh
@@ -567,17 +567,28 @@ for package in sorted(metadata["packages"], key=lambda value: value["name"]):
     path = packages / f'{package["name"]}-{package["version"]}'
     print(f'{json.dumps(package["name"])} = {{ path = {json.dumps(str(path))} }}')
 # Packaged crates resolve outside the workspace, so the workspace manifest's
-# git patches (e.g. the pinned tree-sitter-rust fork) must be re-applied here
-# for the extracted trees to see the same patched dependencies.
+# patches must be re-applied here for the extracted trees to see the same
+# patched dependencies: git patches (e.g. the pinned tree-sitter-rust fork)
+# verbatim, and path patches (e.g. the vendored hotpath-macros) against the
+# staged workspace root, which carries the same `vendor` tree.
+staged_root = pathlib.Path(sys.argv[3]).parent
 for name, spec in workspace_manifest.get("patch", {}).get("crates-io", {}).items():
-    if not isinstance(spec, dict) or "git" not in spec:
+    if not isinstance(spec, dict):
         continue
-    entry = f'{json.dumps(name)} = {{ git = {json.dumps(spec["git"])}'
-    for key in ("rev", "branch", "tag"):
-        if key in spec:
-            entry += f", {key} = {json.dumps(spec[key])}"
-    entry += " }"
-    print(entry)
+    if "git" in spec:
+        entry = f'{json.dumps(name)} = {{ git = {json.dumps(spec["git"])}'
+        for key in ("rev", "branch", "tag"):
+            if key in spec:
+                entry += f", {key} = {json.dumps(spec[key])}"
+        entry += " }"
+        print(entry)
+    elif "path" in spec:
+        patched = staged_root / spec["path"]
+        if not (patched / "Cargo.toml").is_file():
+            raise SystemExit(
+                f"distribution acceptance: workspace path patch {name} is not staged at {patched}"
+            )
+        print(f'{json.dumps(name)} = {{ path = {json.dumps(str(patched))} }}')
 PY
 
 verify_feature_wiring \