diff --git a/internal/apply/placement_guard.go b/internal/apply/placement_guard.go
index 248dda54..09662a6e 100644
--- a/internal/apply/placement_guard.go
+++ b/internal/apply/placement_guard.go
@@ -386,11 +386,15 @@ func below(path, dir string) bool {
 // atOrBelow says whether path is dir or below it.
 func atOrBelow(path, dir string) bool { return path == dir || below(path, dir) }
 
+// evalSymlinks follows the links of an existing path; a variable so a test judges paths whose machine it does not touch (a mount
+// of the machine it runs on may not answer).
+var evalSymlinks = filepath.EvalSymlinks
+
 // resolved is a path with every link in it followed, as far as the path exists, and the rest as declared.
 func resolved(path string) string {
 	rest := ""
 	for p := path; ; p = filepath.Dir(p) {
-		if real, err := filepath.EvalSymlinks(p); err == nil {
+		if real, err := evalSymlinks(p); err == nil {
 			return filepath.Clean(filepath.Join(real, rest))
 		}
 		if filepath.Dir(p) == p {
diff --git a/internal/apply/placement_guard_test.go b/internal/apply/placement_guard_test.go
index 8bff411d..869dddd9 100644
--- a/internal/apply/placement_guard_test.go
+++ b/internal/apply/placement_guard_test.go
@@ -178,6 +178,11 @@ func TestAFoundDirectoryIsUsedAsFound(t *testing.T) {
 // The module's own directories keep being placed: below /var/lib, below /etc as root's, a container's mount of
 // the machine's docker socket.
 func TestAModulesOwnPlacesAreStillPlaced(t *testing.T) {
+	// The paths below are judged as written: no link of them is followed on the machine the test runs on, whose mounts of them
+	// (a share that does not answer) it does not depend on.
+	was := evalSymlinks
+	evalSymlinks = func(p string) (string, error) { return p, nil }
+	t.Cleanup(func() { evalSymlinks = was })
 	for _, path := range []string{"/var/lib/notes/data", "/etc/systemd/logind.conf.d", "/var/run/fail2ban",
 		"/srv/notes", "/mnt/plex/config", "/storage/media", "/var/lib/mesh/registry"} {
 		if err := refusePath(path, placingDirectory, "notes", ""); err != nil {