diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index f8b3232b17..672f84ee04 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -6244,6 +6244,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "pnpm-workspace-state",
  "pnpr",
  "pnpr-fixtures",
+ "same-file",
  "serde_json",
  "ssri",
  "tar",
diff --git a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/_utils/mod.rs b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/_utils/mod.rs
index 742bd04623..c2d2c4b5bc 100644
--- a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/_utils/mod.rs
+++ b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/_utils/mod.rs
@@ -438,7 +438,6 @@ pub fn read_lockfile(path: &Path) -> Lockfile {
 /// lockfiles the upstream tests use to stage wanted/current divergence.
 /// `new_ref` takes any `snapshots:` dependency shape (`100.0.0`,
 /// `link:packages/foo`, ...).
-#[cfg(unix)]
 pub fn repin_snapshot_dependency(
     lockfile_path: &Path,
     snapshot_key: &str,
@@ -464,6 +463,30 @@ pub fn repin_snapshot_dependency(
     lockfile.save_to_path(lockfile_path).expect("write the rewritten lockfile");
 }
 
+/// Assert that `shim` is a bin a caller could actually invoke.
+///
+/// What that takes differs per platform: Unix has the executable bit on
+/// the extensionless shim, while Windows has no such bit and relies on the
+/// `.cmd` / `.ps1` launchers written next to it.
+pub fn assert_bin_linked(shim: &Path) {
+    assert!(shim.exists(), "the bin must be linked at {shim:?}");
+    #[cfg(unix)]
+    assert!(
+        pnpm_testing_utils::fs::is_path_executable(shim),
+        "the bin shim at {shim:?} must be executable",
+    );
+    #[cfg(windows)]
+    for extension in ["cmd", "ps1"] {
+        let launcher = shim.with_file_name(format!(
+            "{}.{extension}",
+            shim.file_name()
+                .expect("bin shim has a file name")
+                .to_string_lossy(),
+        ));
+        assert!(launcher.exists(), "the bin shim at {shim:?} needs its {extension} launcher");
+    }
+}
+
 pub fn assert_success(output: &Output) {
     assert!(
         output.status.success(),
@@ -489,7 +512,6 @@ pub fn ndjson_records(output: &Output) -> Vec<Value> {
 
 /// The `name: "pnpm" / level: "info"` log pnpm's headless installer
 /// emits when it is entered with an up-to-date lockfile.
-#[cfg(unix)]
 #[must_use]
 pub fn has_up_to_date_log(records: &[Value]) -> bool {
     records
diff --git a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/bin.rs b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/bin.rs
index 7ddd44ce3e..8d07c2d2b0 100644
--- a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/bin.rs
+++ b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/bin.rs
@@ -246,13 +246,8 @@ fn bin_walks_past_an_ecosystem_manifest() {
 
 /// Differential parity from a workspace member, whose own `package.json`
 /// makes it the local prefix `bin` prints for. pacquet must match pnpm
-/// byte-for-byte. Windows-skipped because it spawns the external `pnpm`
-/// shim (see the `ignore` reason).
+/// byte-for-byte.
 #[test]
-#[cfg_attr(
-    target_os = "windows",
-    ignore = "spawns the external `pnpm` shim (`pnpm.cmd`); std::process::Command can't resolve it via PATHEXT"
-)]
 fn bin_matches_pnpm_from_a_workspace_subdir() {
     let CommandTempCwd { root, workspace, .. } = CommandTempCwd::init();
 
diff --git a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/bundled_dependencies.rs b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/bundled_dependencies.rs
index a22b5ff9f4..7fce913d00 100644
--- a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/bundled_dependencies.rs
+++ b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/bundled_dependencies.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 //! Ports of the TypeScript `bundledDependencies` install suite
 //! (`installing/deps-installer/test/install/bundledDependencies.ts`).
 
-pub use _utils::{append_workspace_yaml_key, pacquet_in};
+pub use _utils::{append_workspace_yaml_key, assert_bin_linked, pacquet_in};
 
 use assert_cmd::prelude::*;
 use command_extra::CommandExtra;
@@ -217,29 +217,6 @@ fn bundled_dependencies_survive_a_lockfile_rewrite() {
     drop((root, npmrc_info)); // cleanup
 }
 
-/// A linked bin means something different per platform: Unix has the
-/// executable bit on the extensionless shim, while Windows has no such bit and
-/// instead relies on the `.cmd` / `.ps1` launchers written next to it. Assert
-/// whichever of the two actually makes the bin invocable on the host.
-fn assert_bin_linked(shim: &Path) {
-    assert!(shim.exists(), "the bundled dependency's bin must be linked at {shim:?}");
-    #[cfg(unix)]
-    assert!(
-        pnpm_testing_utils::fs::is_path_executable(shim),
-        "the bundled dependency's bin shim at {shim:?} must be executable",
-    );
-    #[cfg(windows)]
-    for extension in ["cmd", "ps1"] {
-        let launcher = shim.with_file_name(format!(
-            "{}.{extension}",
-            shim.file_name()
-                .expect("bin shim has a file name")
-                .to_string_lossy(),
-        ));
-        assert!(launcher.exists(), "the bin shim at {shim:?} needs its {extension} launcher");
-    }
-}
-
 fn read_wanted_lockfile(workspace: &Path) -> Lockfile {
     let text =
         fs::read_to_string(workspace.join(Lockfile::FILE_NAME)).expect("read pnpm-lock.yaml");
diff --git a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/hoist.rs b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/hoist.rs
index a0f251fb1f..5e72823345 100644
--- a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/hoist.rs
+++ b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/hoist.rs
@@ -21,8 +21,6 @@
 //!
 //! [#443]: https://github.com/pnpm/pacquet/pull/443
 
-#![cfg(unix)] // pnpm CLI: 'program not found' on Windows runners.
-
 pub use _utils::*;
 
 use crate::_utils;
@@ -923,9 +921,18 @@ fn should_add_extra_node_paths_to_command_shims() {
 
     let shim = fs::read_to_string(workspace.join("node_modules/.bin/hello-world-js-bin"))
         .expect("read the command shim");
+    // Inside a relocatable root the shim names the entry relative to its
+    // own directory; on Windows `generate_sh_shim` writes the absolute
+    // path `@zkochan/cmd-shim` writes instead.
+    let hoisted_modules_entry = if cfg!(windows) {
+        "/node_modules/.pnpm/node_modules"
+    } else {
+        "$basedir_abs/../.pnpm/node_modules"
+    };
     assert!(
-        shim.contains("$basedir_abs/../.pnpm/node_modules"),
-        "the shim must extend NODE_PATH with the hidden hoisted modules dir, relative to itself:\n{shim}",
+        shim.contains(hoisted_modules_entry),
+        "the shim must extend NODE_PATH with the hidden hoisted modules dir \
+         ({hoisted_modules_entry}):\n{shim}",
     );
 
     // The fresh install's own `packages:` rows must record `hasBin` —
diff --git a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/ignore_workspace.rs b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/ignore_workspace.rs
index 3d40bb7a6a..e76b2b2079 100644
--- a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/ignore_workspace.rs
+++ b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/ignore_workspace.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 //! `--ignore-workspace` and `--workspace-packages`: the two flags that
-//! change which workspace, if any, a command belongs to. The scripts run
-//! through pacquet's `sh -c` executor, so the file is gated to Unix.
-#![cfg(unix)]
+//! change which workspace, if any, a command belongs to.
 
 use assert_cmd::prelude::*;
 use command_extra::CommandExtra;
@@ -107,11 +105,13 @@ fn workspace_packages_overrides_the_manifest_patterns() {
         "--config.verify-deps-before-run=false",
         "-r",
         "exec",
-        "pwd",
+        "node",
+        "-e",
+        "console.log(process.cwd())",
     ]));
     let selected = stdout.lines().collect::<Vec<_>>();
     assert_eq!(selected.len(), 1, "only alfa should be selected: {stdout}");
-    assert!(selected[0].ends_with("packages/alfa"), "wrong project selected: {stdout}");
+    assert!(Path::new(selected[0]).ends_with("packages/alfa"), "wrong project selected: {stdout}");
 
     drop(root);
 }
diff --git a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/interrupt.rs b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/interrupt.rs
index 331c0be59c..35545c2f3e 100644
--- a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/interrupt.rs
+++ b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/interrupt.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+//! Signal handling under `pnpm run`: what a `SIGINT` at the terminal
+//! reaches, and what it leaves behind.
+//!
+//! Unix-only by subject, not by harness. The tests send POSIX signals to a
+//! process group of their own; Windows delivers console control events
+//! instead, which needs its own tests rather than a port of these.
 #![cfg(unix)]
 
 use command_extra::CommandExtra;
diff --git a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/multiple_importers.rs b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/multiple_importers.rs
index a1a714cbbf..77d92ebc54 100644
--- a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/multiple_importers.rs
+++ b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/multiple_importers.rs
@@ -10,13 +10,10 @@
 //! equivalent is `pnpm --filter <project> install` in a
 //! `pnpm-workspace.yaml` workspace.
 
-#![cfg(unix)] // pnpm CLI: 'program not found' on Windows runners.
-
 pub use _utils::*;
 
 use crate::_utils;
 
-use pnpm_testing_utils::fs::is_path_executable;
 use serde_json::json;
 use std::fs;
 
@@ -493,13 +490,13 @@ fn links_workspace_package_bin_into_dependent_project() {
 
     fixture.run(["install"]);
     let bin_path = main_project.join("node_modules/.bin/hello");
-    assert!(is_path_executable(&bin_path), "expected an executable bin at {bin_path:?}");
+    assert_bin_linked(&bin_path);
 
     fs::remove_dir_all(main_project.join("node_modules")).expect("remove main's node_modules");
     fs::remove_dir_all(fixture.workspace.join("node_modules")).expect("remove root node_modules");
     fixture.run(["install", "--frozen-lockfile"]);
 
-    assert!(is_path_executable(&bin_path), "the frozen reinstall must re-link the bin");
+    assert_bin_linked(&bin_path);
 }
 
 /// TS: `custom virtual store directory in a workspace with shared
@@ -695,8 +692,16 @@ fn link_bin_of_workspace_project_created_by_lifecycle_script() {
     assert!(consumer.join("created-by-prepare").exists());
 }
 
+/// A script that appends `label` and a newline to the shared order log.
+///
+/// The newline comes from `String.fromCharCode` rather than a `\n` escape:
+/// `sh -c` unescapes a backslash inside double quotes before Node sees it,
+/// while `cmd /d /s /c` passes it through, so an escape would mean two
+/// different things per platform.
 fn append_order_script(label: &str) -> String {
-    format!(r#"node -e "require('fs').appendFileSync('../../order.txt', '{label}\\n')""#)
+    format!(
+        r#"node -e "require('fs').appendFileSync('../../order.txt', '{label}' + String.fromCharCode(10))""#,
+    )
 }
 
 /// TS: `dependencies of workspace projects are built during headless
diff --git a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/pipeline_cargo_cache.rs b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/pipeline_cargo_cache.rs
index 3979e73e12..24592de82f 100644
--- a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/pipeline_cargo_cache.rs
+++ b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/pipeline_cargo_cache.rs
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
-#![cfg(unix)]
+//! The pipeline's Cargo build cache: shared between worktrees, and
+//! rebuilt after the cache directory is deleted.
 
 use assert_cmd::prelude::*;
 use command_extra::CommandExtra;
 use pnpm_testing_utils::command_env::CommandTestExt;
 use std::{
+    env::consts::EXE_SUFFIX,
     fs::{self, File, FileTimes},
     path::Path,
     process::Command,
@@ -40,12 +42,23 @@ fn pnpm(root: &Path, cache: &Path, args: &[&str]) -> String {
 }
 
 fn run_binary(root: &Path) -> String {
-    let output = Command::new(root.join("target/debug/probe")).output().unwrap();
+    let output =
+        Command::new(root.join(format!("target/debug/probe{EXE_SUFFIX}"))).output().unwrap();
     assert!(output.status.success());
     String::from_utf8(output.stdout).unwrap()
 }
 
+/// Windows-skipped on a product gap this test is not the place to fix: the
+/// second worktree recompiles instead of restoring the shared Cargo build
+/// state. The run there places the cache under the 8.3 short form of the
+/// temporary directory (`RUNNER~1`) while the worktree carries the long
+/// one, which is the first thing to check. Tracked in
+/// <https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm/issues/15105>.
 #[test]
+#[cfg_attr(
+    target_os = "windows",
+    ignore = "pnpm/pnpm#15105: the shared Cargo build state is not restored across worktrees"
+)]
 fn cargo_state_is_shared_between_worktrees_and_survives_cache_deletion() {
     let temp = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
     let root = dunce::canonicalize(temp.path()).unwrap();
diff --git a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/pipeline_watch.rs b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/pipeline_watch.rs
index 5d8b22f732..dd63bf1fa9 100644
--- a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/pipeline_watch.rs
+++ b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/pipeline_watch.rs
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 //! Watch-agent integration tests: poll a git repository, build new
 //! revisions of a branch in a persistent checkout, and skip ticks with
-//! nothing new. The build scripts run through pacquet's `sh -c`
-//! executor, so the file is gated to Unix like the other run suites.
-#![cfg(unix)]
+//! nothing new.
 
 use assert_cmd::prelude::*;
 use command_extra::CommandExtra;
@@ -42,7 +40,16 @@ fn agent_checkout(root: &Path) -> PathBuf {
     state_dir.join("checkout").join("demo")
 }
 
+/// Windows-skipped on a product gap this test is not the place to fix: the
+/// tick reports the revision built and passed, and the checkout holds no
+/// task output afterwards. Tracked in
+/// <https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm/issues/15105>. The rest of the file runs
+/// everywhere.
 #[test]
+#[cfg_attr(
+    target_os = "windows",
+    ignore = "pnpm/pnpm#15105: the agent's build reports success but leaves no output in the checkout"
+)]
 fn watch_agent_builds_new_revisions_and_skips_quiet_ticks() {
     let root = tempfile::Builder::new()
         .prefix("pacquet-test-")
@@ -56,7 +63,7 @@ fn watch_agent_builds_new_revisions_and_skips_quiet_ticks() {
     );
     fixture.write_file(
         "pkg/package.json",
-        r#"{ "name": "pkg", "version": "1.0.0", "scripts": { "build": "mkdir -p out && cp src/index.txt out/index.txt" } }"#,
+        r#"{ "name": "pkg", "version": "1.0.0", "scripts": { "build": "node -e \"const fs = require('fs'); fs.mkdirSync('out', { recursive: true }); fs.copyFileSync('src/index.txt', 'out/index.txt')\"" } }"#,
     );
     fixture.write_file("pkg/src/index.txt", "v1");
     // The lockfile the checkout's frozen install verifies against.
@@ -104,7 +111,7 @@ fn watch_agent_builds_new_revisions_and_skips_quiet_ticks() {
 
     fixture.write_file(
         "pkg/package.json",
-        r#"{"name":"pkg","version":"1.0.0","scripts":{"build":"exit 1"}}"#,
+        r#"{"name":"pkg","version":"1.0.0","scripts":{"build":"node -e \"process.exit(1)\""}}"#,
     );
     let failed = fixture.commit("failing build");
     for _ in 0..2 {
diff --git a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/pnpm_compatibility.rs b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/pnpm_compatibility.rs
index 8fd65a449a..a126084940 100644
--- a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/pnpm_compatibility.rs
+++ b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/pnpm_compatibility.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-#![cfg(unix)] // running this on windows result in 'program not found'
-
 pub use _utils::*;
 
 use crate::_utils;
diff --git a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/pnpx_alias.rs b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/pnpx_alias.rs
index 1f9a77d08c..f9a5d2abaf 100644
--- a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/pnpx_alias.rs
+++ b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/pnpx_alias.rs
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 //! Covers the `current_exe`-based `dlx` injection (`argv_with_alias_subcommand`)
-//! that pnpm relies on for the Windows `pnpx`/`pnx` hardlinks, exercised on Unix
-//! by copying the binary under the alias name — the same code runs everywhere.
-#![cfg(unix)]
+//! that pnpm relies on for the Windows `pnpx`/`pnx` hardlinks. The binary is
+//! copied under the alias name rather than linked, which reaches the same code
+//! on every platform.
 
-use std::{fs, os::unix::fs::PermissionsExt, process::Command};
+use std::{env::consts::EXE_SUFFIX, fs, process::Command};
 
 use tempfile::TempDir;
 
@@ -12,9 +12,18 @@ fn launched_as_pnpx_injects_the_dlx_subcommand() {
     let pacquet = env!("CARGO_BIN_EXE_pnpm");
 
     let dir = TempDir::new().expect("create temp dir");
-    let pnpx = dir.path().join("pnpx");
+    let pnpx = dir
+        .path()
+        .join(format!("pnpx{EXE_SUFFIX}"));
     fs::copy(pacquet, &pnpx).expect("copy the binary under the pnpx name");
-    fs::set_permissions(&pnpx, fs::Permissions::from_mode(0o755)).expect("make pnpx executable");
+    // Windows has no executable bit — the `.exe` suffix above is what
+    // makes the copy runnable there.
+    #[cfg(unix)]
+    {
+        use std::os::unix::fs::PermissionsExt;
+        fs::set_permissions(&pnpx, fs::Permissions::from_mode(0o755))
+            .expect("make pnpx executable");
+    }
 
     let via_pnpx = Command::new(&pnpx)
         .arg("--help")
diff --git a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/repeat_install.rs b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/repeat_install.rs
index 2b7502cde9..79022164de 100644
--- a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/repeat_install.rs
+++ b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/repeat_install.rs
@@ -5,8 +5,6 @@
 //! again, and asserts the second install converges without rebuilding
 //! what was still valid.
 
-#![cfg(unix)] // pnpm CLI: 'program not found' on Windows runners.
-
 pub use _utils::*;
 
 use crate::_utils;
@@ -16,8 +14,9 @@ use command_extra::CommandExtra;
 use pnpm_testing_utils::{
     bin::{AddMockedRegistry, CommandTempCwd},
     fixtures::tarball_with_manifest,
+    fs::SameFileWitness,
 };
-use std::{fs, os::unix::fs::MetadataExt, path::Path};
+use std::{fs, path::Path};
 
 /// `version` field of the `package.json` under `workspace/relative`.
 fn version_of(workspace: &Path, relative: &str) -> String {
@@ -58,9 +57,15 @@ fn reinstalls_missing_packages_during_headless_install() {
 
     let dep_location =
         workspace.join("node_modules/.pnpm/is-positive@1.0.0/node_modules/is-positive");
+    // Resolve the path while it still exists: Windows hands the tests a
+    // temporary directory under its 8.3 short name, and the reporter
+    // names the long one.
+    let resolved_dep_location = canonical_path(&dep_location);
     fs::remove_dir_all(&dep_location).expect("remove the virtual-store copy");
-    fs::remove_file(workspace.join("node_modules/is-positive"))
-        .expect("remove the direct-dep symlink");
+    // `remove_dirent` rather than `remove_file`: the direct dep is a
+    // junction on Windows, which `DeleteFileW` refuses.
+    pnpm_fs::remove_dirent(&workspace.join("node_modules/is-positive"))
+        .expect("remove the direct-dep link");
 
     let second = pacquet_in(&workspace)
         .with_args(["install", "--frozen-lockfile", "--reporter=ndjson"])
@@ -71,9 +76,14 @@ fn reinstalls_missing_packages_during_headless_install() {
         second_events.contains("pnpm:_broken_node_modules"),
         "the missing dir must be reported: {second_events}",
     );
+    // The event is NDJSON, so the path arrives with its separators
+    // escaped. Build the needle the way the reporter wrote it instead of
+    // matching the raw path, which no Windows event would contain.
+    let reported_dep_location =
+        serde_json::to_string(&resolved_dep_location).expect("serialize the missing path");
     assert!(
-        second_events.contains(dep_location.to_str().expect("utf-8 path")),
-        "the event must carry the missing path",
+        second_events.contains(reported_dep_location.trim_matches('"')),
+        "the event must carry the missing path {reported_dep_location}: {second_events}",
     );
     assert_eq!(version_of(&workspace, "node_modules/is-positive"), "1.0.0");
 
@@ -264,7 +274,7 @@ fn available_packages_used_when_node_modules_not_clean() {
 
     let foobarqar_manifest = workspace
         .join("node_modules/.pnpm/@pnpm.e2e+foobarqar@1.0.0/node_modules/@pnpm.e2e/foobarqar/package.json");
-    let inode_before = fs::metadata(&foobarqar_manifest).expect("stat foobarqar").ino();
+    let foobarqar_witness = SameFileWitness::take(&foobarqar_manifest, root.path());
 
     fs::write(
         workspace.join("package.json"),
@@ -296,9 +306,8 @@ fn available_packages_used_when_node_modules_not_clean() {
         .success();
 
     assert!(workspace.join("node_modules/@pnpm.e2e/pkg-with-1-dep").exists());
-    assert_eq!(
-        fs::metadata(&foobarqar_manifest).expect("stat foobarqar").ino(),
-        inode_before,
+    assert!(
+        foobarqar_witness.is_intact(),
         "the already-materialized package must be reused, not re-imported",
     );
     let refetched: Vec<String> = index_file_contents(&store_dir)
@@ -802,7 +811,7 @@ fn repeat_hoisted_install_with_workspace_member_deps_is_up_to_date() {
     let AddMockedRegistry { mock_instance, .. } = npmrc_info;
 
     let hoisted_manifest = install_hoisted_workspace_member(pacquet, &workspace);
-    let inode_before = fs::metadata(&hoisted_manifest).expect("stat the hoisted dep").ino();
+    let hoisted_witness = SameFileWitness::take(&hoisted_manifest, root.path());
 
     let second = pacquet_in(&workspace)
         .with_arg("install")
@@ -813,11 +822,7 @@ fn repeat_hoisted_install_with_workspace_member_deps_is_up_to_date() {
         second_output.contains("Already up to date"),
         "the repeat install must short-circuit: {second_output}",
     );
-    assert_eq!(
-        fs::metadata(&hoisted_manifest).expect("stat the hoisted dep").ino(),
-        inode_before,
-        "the second install must re-import nothing",
-    );
+    assert!(hoisted_witness.is_intact(), "the second install must re-import nothing");
 
     drop((root, mock_instance));
 }
@@ -874,7 +879,7 @@ fn repeat_hoisted_install_with_unchanged_local_tarball_is_up_to_date() {
         .success();
     let hoisted_manifest =
         workspace.join("node_modules/@pnpm.e2e/dep-of-pkg-with-1-dep/package.json");
-    let inode_before = fs::metadata(&hoisted_manifest).expect("stat the hoisted dep").ino();
+    let hoisted_witness = SameFileWitness::take(&hoisted_manifest, root.path());
 
     let second = pacquet_in(&workspace)
         .with_arg("install")
@@ -885,11 +890,7 @@ fn repeat_hoisted_install_with_unchanged_local_tarball_is_up_to_date() {
         second_output.contains("Already up to date"),
         "the unchanged tarball must leave the fast path available: {second_output}",
     );
-    assert_eq!(
-        fs::metadata(&hoisted_manifest).expect("stat the hoisted dep").ino(),
-        inode_before,
-        "the second install must re-import nothing",
-    );
+    assert!(hoisted_witness.is_intact(), "the second install must re-import nothing");
 
     drop((root, mock_instance));
 }
diff --git a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/root.rs b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/root.rs
index 051d1caa2f..299e329e99 100644
--- a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/root.rs
+++ b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/root.rs
@@ -153,17 +153,7 @@ fn root_global_writes_warnings_to_stderr_so_stdout_stays_a_clean_path() {
 /// Differential parity: from a workspace subdirectory pnpm's `root` prints the
 /// cwd's `node_modules` (its `config.dir` is the cwd, not the workspace root).
 /// pacquet must print byte-identical output.
-///
-/// Skipped on Windows, where pnpm is installed as a `pnpm.cmd` shim and
-/// `std::process::Command` does not honor `PATHEXT`, so `Command::new("pnpm")`
-/// fails with "program not found" (the same reason `pnpm_compatibility.rs` and
-/// `hoist.rs` gate their pnpm-spawning tests). The three tests above spawn only
-/// `pacquet`, so they keep running on Windows.
 #[test]
-#[cfg_attr(
-    target_os = "windows",
-    ignore = "spawns the external `pnpm` shim (`pnpm.cmd`); std::process::Command can't resolve it via PATHEXT"
-)]
 fn root_matches_pnpm_from_a_workspace_subdir() {
     let CommandTempCwd { root, workspace, .. } = CommandTempCwd::init();
 
diff --git a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/side_effects_cache.rs b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/side_effects_cache.rs
index 6bf4d4e414..e39e97e788 100644
--- a/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/side_effects_cache.rs
+++ b/pnpm/crates/cli/tests/suite/side_effects_cache.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-#![cfg(unix)]
-
 use assert_cmd::prelude::*;
 use command_extra::CommandExtra;
 use pnpm_testing_utils::{
diff --git a/pnpm/crates/testing-utils/Cargo.toml b/pnpm/crates/testing-utils/Cargo.toml
index 88487aa4c7..cdfcbf1ae9 100644
--- a/pnpm/crates/testing-utils/Cargo.toml
+++ b/pnpm/crates/testing-utils/Cargo.toml
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ dunce = { workspace = true }
 flate2 = { workspace = true }
 pipe-trait = { workspace = true }
 pnpr = { workspace = true }
+same-file = { workspace = true }
 serde_json = { workspace = true }
 ssri = { workspace = true }
 tar = { workspace = true }
diff --git a/pnpm/crates/testing-utils/src/fs.rs b/pnpm/crates/testing-utils/src/fs.rs
index 03b434d658..560c003db6 100644
--- a/pnpm/crates/testing-utils/src/fs.rs
+++ b/pnpm/crates/testing-utils/src/fs.rs
@@ -2,9 +2,10 @@ use pipe_trait::Pipe;
 use pnpm_workspace_state::load_workspace_state;
 use std::{
     fs, io,
-    path::Path,
+    path::{Path, PathBuf},
     time::{Duration, SystemTime},
 };
+use tempfile::TempDir;
 use walkdir::WalkDir;
 
 #[must_use]
@@ -73,6 +74,41 @@ pub fn is_path_executable(path: &Path) -> bool {
     mode & 0b001_001_001 != 0
 }
 
+/// A record of which on-disk file a path named at one point in time, so a
+/// later check can tell a file an install reused from one it replaced.
+///
+/// The record is a hard link, taken in a directory outside the tree under
+/// test, and [`Self::is_intact`] compares the two paths with `same_file`.
+/// Unix could keep the inode number instead, but `std` exposes the Windows
+/// equivalent only behind an unstable feature.
+pub struct SameFileWitness {
+    path: PathBuf,
+    /// Owns the directory the link lives in, so the link goes away with
+    /// the witness.
+    dir: TempDir,
+}
+
+impl SameFileWitness {
+    /// Link `path` from a directory of its own under `witness_dir`, which
+    /// has to be on the same filesystem as `path` and outside whatever the
+    /// step under test rewrites.
+    #[must_use]
+    pub fn take(path: &Path, witness_dir: &Path) -> Self {
+        let dir = TempDir::new_in(witness_dir).expect("create the witness directory");
+        let link = dir.path().join("link");
+        fs::hard_link(path, &link)
+            .unwrap_or_else(|error| panic!("link {path:?} from {link:?}: {error}"));
+        SameFileWitness { path: path.to_path_buf(), dir }
+    }
+
+    /// Whether the path still names the file it named when the witness was
+    /// taken.
+    #[must_use]
+    pub fn is_intact(&self) -> bool {
+        same_file::is_same_file(&self.path, self.dir.path().join("link")).unwrap_or(false)
+    }
+}
+
 /// The gap that separates two mtimes on every filesystem the tests run on.
 ///
 /// A full second, because the coarsest supported filesystems (HFS+, ext4