diff --git a/internal/catalogue/placed_paths_test.go b/internal/catalogue/placed_paths_test.go
index 2852546..779c151 100644
--- a/internal/catalogue/placed_paths_test.go
+++ b/internal/catalogue/placed_paths_test.go
@@ -60,6 +60,11 @@ func TestPlacedDirectoriesKeepTheirPaths(t *testing.T) {
 		// (issue 119's conversion), and what must not move is the path a machine sees.
 		was = resolvedTree(was, dirsFor(earlier, Rendering{}), module, t)
 		resolved := resolvedTree(is, dirsFor(m, Rendering{}), module, t)
+		// An access named by id resolves to the path the definition still carries as its default
+		// (issue 153) — the same rule as a placed directory: an assignment that says nothing moves
+		// nothing.
+		was = accessesResolved(was, earlier)
+		resolved = accessesResolved(resolved, m)
 		if !reflect.DeepEqual(was, resolved) {
 			wasJSON, _ := json.MarshalIndent(was, "", "  ")
 			isJSON, _ := json.MarshalIndent(resolved, "", "  ")
@@ -128,3 +133,48 @@ func firstDifference(a, b string) string {
 	}
 	return "(the difference is beyond the shorter document)"
 }
+
+// accessesResolved fills every ${access:<id>} with the default path the definition carries for that
+// access, and drops the id, so a manifest that names its accesses is compared by the paths a machine
+// with no placement receives.
+func accessesResolved(node any, m Manifest) any {
+	defaults := map[string]string{}
+	for _, a := range m.Accesses {
+		if a.ID != "" && a.Path != "" {
+			defaults[a.ID] = a.Path
+		}
+	}
+	var walk func(any) any
+	walk = func(n any) any {
+		switch v := n.(type) {
+		case map[string]any:
+			out := map[string]any{}
+			for k, child := range v {
+				if k == "id" {
+					if _, isAccess := v["mode"]; isAccess && v["type"] == nil {
+						if _, hasPath := v["path"]; hasPath {
+							continue
+						}
+					}
+				}
+				out[k] = walk(child)
+			}
+			return out
+		case []any:
+			out := make([]any, len(v))
+			for i, child := range v {
+				out[i] = walk(child)
+			}
+			return out
+		case string:
+			return accessRef.ReplaceAllStringFunc(v, func(ref string) string {
+				if p, ok := defaults[accessRef.FindStringSubmatch(ref)[1]]; ok {
+					return p
+				}
+				return ref
+			})
+		}
+		return n
+	}
+	return walk(node)
+}