diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 1310d09c..8576f663 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -33,6 +33,16 @@ endif()
 set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 26)
 set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED ON)
 
+# Every string the build bakes in (asserts, log prefixes, __FILE__) has to name a path that exists in
+# the package, not on the machine that built it: the shipped binaries are gated on it
+# (scripts/pack-elf.sh, pack_artifact_hygiene). -ffile-prefix-map covers -fmacro-prefix-map and
+# -fdebug-prefix-map on GCC and clang alike; ONEBIT_PATH_MAPS is also handed to the externals below.
+set(ONEBIT_PATH_MAP_FLAGS
+    "-ffile-prefix-map=${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}=."
+    "-ffile-prefix-map=${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}=build"
+    CACHE STRING "Compiler flags that rewrite build-machine paths out of embedded strings")
+add_compile_options(${ONEBIT_PATH_MAP_FLAGS})
+
 # The public binary drop (docs/releases.md): prebuilt proprietary parts for a source build outside
 # the org. Sets ONEBIT_BINARY_DROP_* and verifies the drop; a no-op when ONEBIT_BINARY_DROP is unset.
 include(cmake/binary_drop.cmake)
diff --git a/cmake/hrx.cmake b/cmake/hrx.cmake
index 3d399bf6..3e559d68 100644
--- a/cmake/hrx.cmake
+++ b/cmake/hrx.cmake
@@ -34,6 +34,14 @@ include(ExternalProject)
 
 set(ONEBIT_HRX_TOOLCHAIN "/opt/rocm-therock" CACHE PATH "ROCm/TheRock root: its amdclang builds llama.cpp and HRX")
 
+# The HRX binaries carry strings from this tree and, with -DONEBIT_GPU_PRIVATE, from the add-on
+# checkout; both are rewritten so the shipped libraries name no build-machine path.
+set(ONEBIT_HRX_PATH_MAP_FLAGS "-ffile-prefix-map=${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}=."
+    CACHE STRING "Path mapping for the HRX llama.cpp build")
+if(ONEBIT_GPU_PRIVATE)
+    string(APPEND ONEBIT_HRX_PATH_MAP_FLAGS " -ffile-prefix-map=${ONEBIT_GPU_PRIVATE}=addon")
+endif()
+
 # A source build outside the org has no private HIP kernels to compile, so it links the prebuilt
 # HRX tree from the public binary drop instead (docs/releases.md, "The public binary drop"): the
 # pinned llama-server and its libraries, libggml-hrx.so with those kernels compiled in. Nothing is
@@ -132,6 +140,8 @@ ExternalProject_Add(llama_hrx
         -DHRX_SOURCE_DIR=${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/third_party/hrx-system
         -DGGML_HRX=ON -DGGML_VULKAN=OFF -DGGML_CUDA=OFF -DGGML_HIP=OFF -DGGML_NATIVE=ON -DGGML_CPU=ON
         -DLLAMA_BUILD_SERVER=ON -DLLAMA_CURL=OFF
+        "-DCMAKE_C_FLAGS=${ONEBIT_HRX_PATH_MAP_FLAGS}"
+        "-DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS=${ONEBIT_HRX_PATH_MAP_FLAGS}"
         ${_hrx_gpu_private_args}
     BUILD_COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} --build <BINARY_DIR> --target llama-server llama-bench
     INSTALL_COMMAND ""
diff --git a/scripts/pack-elf.sh b/scripts/pack-elf.sh
index 0a0ceab0..f067212e 100644
--- a/scripts/pack-elf.sh
+++ b/scripts/pack-elf.sh
@@ -89,10 +89,36 @@ pack_localize() {
 pack_strip() {
     local f
     while IFS= read -r -d '' f; do
-        if pack_is_elf "$f"; then strip --strip-unneeded "$f"; fi
+        if pack_is_elf "$f"; then
+            strip --strip-unneeded "$f"
+            # .comment names the compiler and its version; it is not needed to load or link
+            objcopy --remove-section=.comment --remove-section=.note.gnu.gold-version "$f" 2>/dev/null || true
+        fi
     done < <(find "$1" -type f -print0)
 }
 
+# Everything a shipped program and library may not carry: a compiler identification section, a path
+# into a build machine, or an absolute RUNPATH. Prints one line per violation, empty when clean.
+pack_artifact_hygiene() {
+    local f out=""
+    while IFS= read -r -d '' f; do
+        pack_is_elf "$f" || continue
+        readelf -p .comment "$f" 2>/dev/null | grep -qE "clang version|GCC:" && out="$out
+$f: .comment names the compiler"
+        strings -a "$f" 2>/dev/null | grep -qE "^/(home|Users|root)/[A-Za-z0-9_./-]+" &&
+            out="$out
+$f: embedded build-machine path"
+        # An absolute RUNPATH is only acceptable under the toolchain root: some shipped programs link the
+        # SDK's own libraries (whose closure is far larger than the package), and the release needs that
+        # toolchain to run anyway.
+        readelf -d "$f" 2>/dev/null | grep -E 'R(UN)?PATH' |
+            sed -n 's/.*Library \(runpath\|rpath\): \[\(.*\)\]/\2/p' | tr ':' '\n' |
+            grep -E "^/" | grep -vE "^(${ONEBIT_TOOLCHAIN_ROOT:-/opt/rocm-therock})/" | grep -q . &&
+            out="$out\n$f: absolute RUNPATH outside the toolchain root"
+    done < <(find "$1" -type f -print0)
+    [ -z "$out" ] || printf "%b\n" "$out"
+}
+
 pack_build_rpaths() {
     local f
     find "$1" -type f -print0 | while IFS= read -r -d '' f; do
diff --git a/scripts/package-linux.sh b/scripts/package-linux.sh
index 0279ecbb..d66923cb 100755
--- a/scripts/package-linux.sh
+++ b/scripts/package-linux.sh
@@ -93,15 +93,20 @@ fi
 # (libomp.so, which ggml's CPU code links when TheRock's amdclang builds llama.cpp) is copied beside
 # it; RUNPATH entries outside the build tree (TheRock in /opt) stay, since HRX needs TheRock anyway.
 pack_localize "$stage" "$build"
+# pack_localize gives every program and library $ORIGIN plus whatever SDK entries its link needed; the
+# engine binary at the top of the tree is the one it does not visit (depth 1), so drop its rpath here.
 patchelf --remove-rpath "$stage/1bit"
 
 # symbol tables and debug info out of every program and library: the release ships compiled code
 # only (docs/releases.md, "Private components"); the dynamic symbols they link by stay
 pack_strip "$stage"
 
-# nothing may still point into the build machine's home
+# nothing may still point into the build machine's home, carry the compiler's identification, or load
+# through an absolute RUNPATH
 bad=$(pack_build_rpaths "$stage" "$build")
 [ -z "$bad" ] || { echo "RPATH into the build machine left:"; echo "$bad"; exit 1; }
+hygiene=$(pack_artifact_hygiene "$stage")
+[ -z "$hygiene" ] || { echo "artifact hygiene:"; echo "$hygiene"; exit 1; }
 
 cp "$src/LICENSE" "$src/NOTICE" "$src/LICENSE-BINARY" "$src/NOTICE-BINARY" "$stage/"
 # the stock Lemonade PPA's lemond (Ubuntu 26.04) runs our HRX llama-server through lemonade-hrx