diff --git a/tests/python/test_unsloth_pip_shim.py b/tests/python/test_unsloth_pip_shim.py
index 0573efcf31..dd993898f3 100644
--- a/tests/python/test_unsloth_pip_shim.py
+++ b/tests/python/test_unsloth_pip_shim.py
@@ -511,9 +511,36 @@ def _raw_execd(shim, tool, args):
             return exc.argv[exc.argv.index("install") + 1 :]
 
 
-def test_forwarded_install_carries_protected_constraints(shim):
+class _FakeDist:
+    """Minimal stand-in for an importlib.metadata Distribution."""
+
+    def __init__(self, name, version):
+        self.metadata = {"Name": name}
+        self.version = version
+
+
+def _fake_distributions(monkeypatch, *pairs):
+    """Pin what _protected_constraints_file sees as INSTALLED.
+
+    It reads the ambient environment via importlib.metadata.distributions, so
+    without this the outcome depends on whatever happens to be in the venv:
+    with no protected package installed it correctly returns None (see its
+    docstring) and no --constraint pair is appended. That made the assertion
+    below environment-dependent, and it surfaced as an IndexError on execd[-2]
+    rather than a readable failure. The shim imports the symbol inside the
+    function, so patch it at its source.
+    """
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        "importlib.metadata.distributions",
+        lambda: [_FakeDist(n, v) for n, v in pairs],
+    )
+
+
+def test_forwarded_install_carries_protected_constraints(shim, monkeypatch):
+    _fake_distributions(monkeypatch, ("transformers", "5.14.1"), ("trl", "0.24.0"))
     execd = _raw_execd(shim, "pip", ["snac"])
-    assert execd is not None and execd[-2] == "--constraint", execd
+    assert execd is not None, "an unprotected target must still be forwarded"
+    assert len(execd) >= 2 and execd[-2] == "--constraint", execd
     pins = Path(execd[-1]).read_text(encoding = "utf-8").strip().splitlines()
     assert pins, "constraints file must pin the installed protected packages"
     assert all("==" in pin for pin in pins), pins
@@ -524,6 +551,16 @@ def test_forwarded_install_carries_protected_constraints(shim):
     ), names
 
 
+def test_forwarded_install_without_protected_packages_has_no_constraints(shim, monkeypatch):
+    # The other half of the contract: with nothing protected installed there is
+    # nothing to pin, so the install must still be forwarded, just bare. This is
+    # the case a bare venv actually hits.
+    _fake_distributions(monkeypatch, ("snac", "1.2.1"))
+    execd = _raw_execd(shim, "pip", ["snac"])
+    assert execd is not None, "the install must still be forwarded"
+    assert "--constraint" not in execd, execd
+
+
 def test_noop_install_gets_no_constraints(shim):
     # A cell whose only target is protected still no-ops (no exec at all).
     execd = _raw_execd(shim, "pip", ["torch"])
diff --git a/tests/sh/test_select_cuda_jit_tools.sh b/tests/sh/test_select_cuda_jit_tools.sh
index c72d3d1a41..acd7716103 100755
--- a/tests/sh/test_select_cuda_jit_tools.sh
+++ b/tests/sh/test_select_cuda_jit_tools.sh
@@ -14,6 +14,24 @@ ENTRYPOINT_SH="$SCRIPT_DIR/../../docker/entrypoint.sh"
 PASS=0
 FAIL=0
 
+# The fixtures below stage libnvrtc as symlinks and assert through readlink,
+# because retargeting that symlink is exactly what the function under test does.
+# git-bash copies instead of symlinking unless MSYS=winsymlinks:nativestrict and
+# the user is elevated, so readlink comes back empty and all 14 assertions fail
+# for reasons that have nothing to do with the code. That code only ever runs
+# inside a Linux container, so skip rather than pretend: an unconditional run
+# breaks tests/run_all.sh for every Windows contributor.
+_probe=$(mktemp -d)
+: > "$_probe/target"
+if ! ln -s target "$_probe/link" 2>/dev/null || [ "$(readlink "$_probe/link")" != "target" ]; then
+    rm -rf "$_probe"
+    echo "=== test_select_cuda_jit_tools ==="
+    echo "  SKIP: this filesystem does not honour symlinks (readlink cannot observe them)"
+    echo "PASS=0 FAIL=0 SKIPPED"
+    exit 0
+fi
+rm -rf "$_probe"
+
 # Extract just the helper function (same sed range as the other function tests).
 _FUNC_FILE=$(mktemp)
 sed -n '/^select_cuda_jit_tools()/,/^}/p' "$ENTRYPOINT_SH" > "$_FUNC_FILE"