diff --git a/packages/paperclip-runner/scripts/install-copilot-assets.test.mjs b/packages/paperclip-runner/scripts/install-copilot-assets.test.mjs
index 086283ec44..0c56d3c39a 100644
--- a/packages/paperclip-runner/scripts/install-copilot-assets.test.mjs
+++ b/packages/paperclip-runner/scripts/install-copilot-assets.test.mjs
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import { dirname, join } from "node:path";
 import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
 import test from "node:test";
+import { build } from "esbuild";
 import { COPILOT_DISTRIBUTIONS } from "./materialize-copilot-binary.mjs";
 
 const runnerRoot = fileURLToPath(new URL("../", import.meta.url));
@@ -41,7 +42,15 @@ for (const owner of ["runner", "server"]) {
         name: owner === "server" ? "@paperclipai/server" : "@paperclipai/paperclip-runner", type: "module",
       }));
       const runtimeRoot = owner === "server" ? join(root, "dist/vendor/paperclip-runner") : join(root, "dist");
-      await cp(join(runnerRoot, "dist"), runtimeRoot, { recursive: true });
+      // Compile the actual installation closure into a published package layout.
+      // A clean static-check checkout has no prebuilt dist directory.
+      await build({
+        entryPoints: [join(runnerRoot, "src/drivers/acpx/copilot-installation.ts"),
+          join(runnerRoot, "src/drivers/acpx/qualified-profiles.ts")],
+        outbase: join(runnerRoot, "src"), outdir: runtimeRoot,
+        bundle: true, platform: "node", format: "esm", target: "node24",
+        logLevel: "silent",
+      });
       const scriptRoot = owner === "server" ? join(root, "dist") : join(root, "scripts");
       await mkdir(scriptRoot, { recursive: true });
       for (const name of helpers) await cp(join(runnerRoot, "scripts", name), join(scriptRoot, name));
diff --git a/server/scripts/install-copilot-assets.mjs b/server/scripts/install-copilot-assets.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9960da267c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/scripts/install-copilot-assets.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+import { access } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+
+const installer = new URL("../dist/install-copilot-assets.mjs", import.meta.url);
+try {
+  await access(fileURLToPath(installer));
+} catch (error) {
+  if (error.code !== "ENOENT") throw error;
+  // Dependencies install before compilation in a source workspace. Published
+  // server packages omit src and cannot take this bootstrap exception.
+  await access(fileURLToPath(new URL("../src/services/copilot-connection-probe.ts", import.meta.url)));
+  await access(fileURLToPath(new URL("../../pnpm-workspace.yaml", import.meta.url)));
+  process.stdout.write("Copilot runtime assets: source-workspace-pending-build\n");
+  process.exit(0);
+}
+const { installCopilotAssets } = await import(installer.href);
+const result = await installCopilotAssets();
+process.stdout.write(`Copilot runtime assets: ${result.status} (${result.target})\n`);