diff --git a/cmd/mesh-host/move_out_test.go b/cmd/mesh-host/move_out_test.go
index 579c936..53dc445 100644
--- a/cmd/mesh-host/move_out_test.go
+++ b/cmd/mesh-host/move_out_test.go
@@ -43,9 +43,16 @@ func TestAMoveOutDirectoryKeepsOnlyWhatItKnows(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 	t.Cleanup(apply.UseAccountsFileForTest(passwd))
-	was := builtFor
+	// Independent of the machine: an arch host with a pacman on PATH that answers and holds nothing, as
+	// TestReplay233 puts one there (it answers with an error); nothing here declares a package.
+	bin := t.TempDir()
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(bin, "pacman"), []byte("#!/bin/sh\nexit 0\n"), 0o755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	t.Setenv("PATH", bin+string(os.PathListSeparator)+os.Getenv("PATH"))
+	wasBuilt := builtFor
 	builtFor = "arch"
-	t.Cleanup(func() { builtFor = was })
+	t.Cleanup(func() { builtFor = wasBuilt })
 
 	stray := filepath.Join(dir, "id_stray")
 	if err := os.WriteFile(stray, []byte("somebody else's key"), 0o600); err != nil {