diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index cb1f0341fc..6dc6c96fde 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -2087,6 +2087,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "pacquet-package-manifest",
  "pacquet-registry",
  "pacquet-reporter",
+ "pacquet-resolving-parse-wanted-dependency",
  "pacquet-store-dir",
  "pacquet-tarball",
  "pacquet-testing-utils",
diff --git a/pacquet/crates/cli/Cargo.toml b/pacquet/crates/cli/Cargo.toml
index 3eb6672e37..69ad404cc4 100644
--- a/pacquet/crates/cli/Cargo.toml
+++ b/pacquet/crates/cli/Cargo.toml
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ pacquet-package-manager        = { workspace = true }
 pacquet-package-is-installable = { workspace = true }
 pacquet-registry               = { workspace = true }
 pacquet-reporter               = { workspace = true }
+pacquet-resolving-parse-wanted-dependency = { workspace = true }
 pacquet-tarball                = { workspace = true }
 pacquet-diagnostics            = { workspace = true }
 
diff --git a/pacquet/crates/cli/src/cli_args/dlx.rs b/pacquet/crates/cli/src/cli_args/dlx.rs
index e377e12e25..32439d298c 100644
--- a/pacquet/crates/cli/src/cli_args/dlx.rs
+++ b/pacquet/crates/cli/src/cli_args/dlx.rs
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ use pacquet_crypto_hash::create_short_hash;
 use pacquet_fs::force_symlink_dir;
 use pacquet_package_manifest::DependencyGroup;
 use pacquet_reporter::Reporter;
+use pacquet_resolving_parse_wanted_dependency::parse_wanted_dependency;
 use serde_json::{Value, json};
 use std::{
     collections::BTreeMap,
@@ -163,7 +164,16 @@ impl DlxArgs {
             None => {
                 let prepare_dir =
                     get_prepare_dir(&dlx_command_cache_dir, SystemTime::now(), std::process::id());
-                install_into_cache::<Reporter>(&prepare_dir, &pkgs, &allow_build, config).await?;
+                if let Err(error) =
+                    install_into_cache::<Reporter>(&prepare_dir, &pkgs, &allow_build, config).await
+                {
+                    // Don't leave a half-installed prepare dir behind to
+                    // accumulate across failed runs. Mirrors pnpm's
+                    // `fs.rm(cachedDir, { recursive: true, force: true })`
+                    // on install failure (dlx.ts). Best-effort cleanup.
+                    let _ = fs::remove_dir_all(&prepare_dir);
+                    return Err(error);
+                }
                 // Best-effort: a parallel dlx process may have raced
                 // us to the link. Either link is equally fresh, so
                 // ignore the failure and run from our own prepare dir.
@@ -210,8 +220,22 @@ async fn install_into_cache<Reporter: self::Reporter + 'static>(
     // The cache install is always fresh, so no lockfile is loaded from
     // the process working directory.
     config.lockfile = false;
-    // Allow requested packages to run build scripts during the install,
-    // mirroring pnpm's dlx `allowBuilds` handling.
+    // Build a *fresh* allow-list for the throwaway install — the dlx
+    // packages themselves plus the CLI `--allow-build` entries — rather
+    // than inheriting the caller project's `allow_builds` /
+    // `dangerously_allow_all_builds`. Mirrors pnpm's
+    // `allowBuilds = Object.fromEntries([...resolvedPkgAliases, ...allowBuild])`
+    // (dlx.ts:168). Inheriting the caller's policy would run build
+    // scripts the dlx invocation never opted into, and would also leave
+    // the cache key (which hashes only pkgs + CLI allow_build) unable to
+    // distinguish two callers with different policies.
+    config.dangerously_allow_all_builds = false;
+    config.allow_builds.clear();
+    for spec in pkgs {
+        if let Some(alias) = parse_wanted_dependency(spec).alias {
+            config.allow_builds.insert(alias, true);
+        }
+    }
     for name in allow_build {
         config.allow_builds.insert(name.clone(), true);
     }
@@ -359,8 +383,14 @@ fn get_bin_name(cached_dir: &Path) -> Result<String, DlxError> {
         [] => Err(DlxError::NoBin { package: pkg_name }),
         [bin] => Ok(bin.name.clone()),
         bins => {
-            let scopeless = scopeless(&pkg_name);
-            if let Some(bin) = bins.iter().find(|bin| bin.name == scopeless) {
+            // The default bin is the one named after the installed
+            // package's own `name` field (scopeless), not the dependency
+            // alias it was installed under. Mirrors `scopeless(manifest.name)`
+            // at dlx.ts:286 — they differ for aliased specs such as
+            // `foo@npm:@scope/realtool`.
+            let manifest_name = manifest.get("name").and_then(Value::as_str).unwrap_or(&pkg_name);
+            let scopeless_name = scopeless(manifest_name);
+            if let Some(bin) = bins.iter().find(|bin| bin.name == scopeless_name) {
                 return Ok(bin.name.clone());
             }
             let names = bins.iter().map(|bin| bin.name.as_str()).collect::<Vec<_>>().join(", ");
diff --git a/pacquet/crates/cli/src/cli_args/dlx/tests.rs b/pacquet/crates/cli/src/cli_args/dlx/tests.rs
index 04b192f41f..eec58dd585 100644
--- a/pacquet/crates/cli/src/cli_args/dlx/tests.rs
+++ b/pacquet/crates/cli/src/cli_args/dlx/tests.rs
@@ -143,6 +143,22 @@ fn get_bin_name_picks_the_scopeless_match_among_many() {
     assert_eq!(get_bin_name(dir.path()).expect("bin name"), "tool");
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn get_bin_name_uses_installed_manifest_name_not_alias() {
+    // The dependency key (`alias`) differs from the installed package's
+    // own `name`. The default bin among many is selected by the manifest
+    // name (`scopeless("@scope/realtool")` == "realtool"), not the alias.
+    let dir = cached_dir_with(
+        "alias",
+        serde_json::json!({
+            "name": "@scope/realtool",
+            "version": "1.0.0",
+            "bin": { "realtool": "r.js", "other": "o.js" },
+        }),
+    );
+    assert_eq!(get_bin_name(dir.path()).expect("bin name"), "realtool");
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn get_bin_name_errors_when_no_dependency() {
     let dir = tempdir().expect("temp dir");
diff --git a/pacquet/crates/cli/src/cli_args/run.rs b/pacquet/crates/cli/src/cli_args/run.rs
index 822e9b6530..cd047219db 100644
--- a/pacquet/crates/cli/src/cli_args/run.rs
+++ b/pacquet/crates/cli/src/cli_args/run.rs
@@ -200,6 +200,13 @@ fn run_stage(
     if args.is_empty() && script == "npx only-allow pnpm" {
         return Ok(());
     }
+    // An empty script body is a no-op under pnpm, which skips any stage
+    // whose (post-arg) command is falsy (runLifecycleHook.ts:100). pnpm
+    // also gates pre/post on the body being truthy (run.ts:403,411), so
+    // an empty `pre<name>`/`post<name>` never runs.
+    if script.is_empty() {
+        return Ok(());
+    }
 
     let status = run_script(RunScript {
         manifest: ctx.manifest.value(),
@@ -223,7 +230,14 @@ fn run_stage(
 
     if !status.success() {
         let code = status.code().unwrap_or(1);
-        eprintln!("[ELIFECYCLE] Command failed with exit code {code}.");
+        // pnpm's reportLifecycleError special-cases the `test` stage
+        // (reportError.ts:371-378): "Test failed. See above for more
+        // details." rather than the exit-code line.
+        if stage == "test" {
+            eprintln!("[ELIFECYCLE] Test failed. See above for more details.");
+        } else {
+            eprintln!("[ELIFECYCLE] Command failed with exit code {code}.");
+        }
         std::process::exit(code);
     }
     Ok(())
diff --git a/pacquet/crates/cli/tests/run.rs b/pacquet/crates/cli/tests/run.rs
index 025b370587..493059fa76 100644
--- a/pacquet/crates/cli/tests/run.rs
+++ b/pacquet/crates/cli/tests/run.rs
@@ -228,6 +228,32 @@ fn run_propagates_failing_script_exit_code() {
     drop(root);
 }
 
+/// A failing `test` script prints pnpm's stage-specific lifecycle error
+/// (`Test failed. See above for more details.`) rather than the generic
+/// exit-code line, matching reportLifecycleError's `test` special case.
+#[cfg_attr(target_os = "windows", ignore = "uses a POSIX shell `exit` builtin")]
+#[test]
+fn run_failing_test_script_prints_test_failed_message() {
+    let CommandTempCwd { pacquet, root, workspace, .. } = CommandTempCwd::init();
+    let manifest = json!({
+        "name": "test",
+        "version": "0.0.0",
+        "scripts": { "test": "exit 1" },
+    })
+    .to_string();
+    fs::write(workspace.join("package.json"), manifest).expect("write package.json");
+
+    let output = pacquet.with_arg("run").with_arg("test").output().expect("spawn pacquet run");
+    assert_eq!(output.status.code(), Some(1), "the script's exit code must propagate");
+    let stderr = String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr);
+    assert!(
+        stderr.contains("Test failed. See above for more details."),
+        "test-stage failure should print pnpm's test message:\n{stderr}",
+    );
+
+    drop(root);
+}
+
 /// A script that invokes a locally-installed binary resolves it through
 /// `node_modules/.bin`, which `pnpm run` prepends to `PATH`.
 #[cfg(unix)]