diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index d18f72928..9e3103998 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -1125,6 +1125,12 @@ version = "1.2.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "75b325c5dbd37f80359721ad39aca5a29fb04c89279657cffdda8736d0c0b9d2"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "dunce"
+version = "1.0.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "92773504d58c093f6de2459af4af33faa518c13451eb8f2b5698ed3d36e7c813"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "either"
 version = "1.15.0"
@@ -4986,6 +4992,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "cow-utils",
  "cp_r",
  "ctrlc",
+ "dunce",
  "jsonc-parser",
  "libc",
  "libtest-mimic",
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index ebd5a3d14..4fe61fa87 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ ctrlc = "3.5.2"
 derive_more = "2.0.1"
 diff-struct = "0.5.3"
 directories = "6.0.0"
+dunce = "1.0.5"
 elf = { version = "0.8.0", default-features = false }
 flate2 = "1.0.35"
 fspy = { path = "crates/fspy" }
diff --git a/crates/vt_bin/Cargo.toml b/crates/vt_bin/Cargo.toml
index 1b4e4e0fc..0b39cb66a 100644
--- a/crates/vt_bin/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/vt_bin/Cargo.toml
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ nix = { workspace = true, features = ["mount", "sched", "user"] }
 cargo-platform = { workspace = true }
 cow-utils = { workspace = true }
 cp_r = { workspace = true }
+dunce = { workspace = true }
 libtest-mimic = { workspace = true }
 vt_snapshot_test = { workspace = true }
 vt_pty_terminal = { workspace = true }
diff --git a/crates/vt_bin/tests/e2e_snapshots/fixtures/pnpm_workspace_state/snapshots.toml b/crates/vt_bin/tests/e2e_snapshots/fixtures/pnpm_workspace_state/snapshots.toml
index afacfc8e5..4a8c33e08 100644
--- a/crates/vt_bin/tests/e2e_snapshots/fixtures/pnpm_workspace_state/snapshots.toml
+++ b/crates/vt_bin/tests/e2e_snapshots/fixtures/pnpm_workspace_state/snapshots.toml
@@ -6,10 +6,10 @@ A task that runs `pnpm run` reads pnpm's `node_modules/.pnpm-workspace-state-v1.
 ignore = true
 steps = [
   { argv = [
-    "vt",
-    "run",
-    "--no-cache",
-    "pnpm-install",
+    "pnpm",
+    "install",
+    "--frozen-lockfile",
+    "--silent",
   ], comment = "install, recording pnpm's dependency check" },
   { argv = [
     "vtt",
@@ -42,11 +42,11 @@ steps = [
     "vtt print hello",
   ], comment = "switch back: package.json is unchanged but newer than pnpm's last check" },
   { argv = [
-    "vt",
+    "pnpm",
+    "--silent",
     "run",
-    "--no-cache",
-    "pnpm-greet",
-  ], comment = "an uncached run: pnpm rechecks dependencies and rewrites the state file" },
+    "greet",
+  ], comment = "pnpm rechecks dependencies and rewrites the state file" },
   { argv = [
     "node",
     "compare-state.mjs",
diff --git a/crates/vt_bin/tests/e2e_snapshots/fixtures/pnpm_workspace_state/snapshots/pnpm_workspace_state_ignored.md b/crates/vt_bin/tests/e2e_snapshots/fixtures/pnpm_workspace_state/snapshots/pnpm_workspace_state_ignored.md
index f05bc686c..62159bd25 100644
--- a/crates/vt_bin/tests/e2e_snapshots/fixtures/pnpm_workspace_state/snapshots/pnpm_workspace_state_ignored.md
+++ b/crates/vt_bin/tests/e2e_snapshots/fixtures/pnpm_workspace_state/snapshots/pnpm_workspace_state_ignored.md
@@ -2,12 +2,11 @@
 
 A task that runs `pnpm run` reads pnpm's `node_modules/.pnpm-workspace-state-v1.json`, which pnpm rewrites with a new timestamp whenever it rechecks dependencies. The file is not part of the fingerprint, so the task keeps its cache hit after another pnpm command rechecks.
 
-## `vt run --no-cache pnpm-install`
+## `pnpm install --frozen-lockfile --silent`
 
 install, recording pnpm's dependency check
 
 ```
-$ pnpm install --frozen-lockfile --silent ⊘ cache disabled
 ```
 
 ## `vtt cp node_modules/.pnpm-workspace-state-v1.json state-after-install.json`
@@ -52,12 +51,11 @@ switch back: package.json is unchanged but newer than pnpm's last check
 ```
 ```
 
-## `vt run --no-cache pnpm-greet`
+## `pnpm --silent run greet`
 
-an uncached run: pnpm rechecks dependencies and rewrites the state file
+pnpm rechecks dependencies and rewrites the state file
 
 ```
-$ pnpm --silent run greet ⊘ cache disabled
 hello
 ```
 
diff --git a/crates/vt_bin/tests/e2e_snapshots/fixtures/pnpm_workspace_state/vite-task.json b/crates/vt_bin/tests/e2e_snapshots/fixtures/pnpm_workspace_state/vite-task.json
index 3f26e3c47..3d09d33f9 100644
--- a/crates/vt_bin/tests/e2e_snapshots/fixtures/pnpm_workspace_state/vite-task.json
+++ b/crates/vt_bin/tests/e2e_snapshots/fixtures/pnpm_workspace_state/vite-task.json
@@ -1,8 +1,5 @@
 {
   "tasks": {
-    "pnpm-install": {
-      "command": "pnpm install --frozen-lockfile --silent"
-    },
     "pnpm-greet": {
       "command": "pnpm --silent run greet",
       "cache": true
diff --git a/crates/vt_bin/tests/e2e_snapshots/main.rs b/crates/vt_bin/tests/e2e_snapshots/main.rs
index 345c3ee7b..0e4d1c819 100644
--- a/crates/vt_bin/tests/e2e_snapshots/main.rs
+++ b/crates/vt_bin/tests/e2e_snapshots/main.rs
@@ -464,17 +464,29 @@ fn run_case(
             let argv = step.argv();
 
             let program = argv[0].as_str();
+            let step_cwd = e2e_stage_path.join(step.cwd().unwrap_or(&e2e.cwd));
             // Resolve the locally built task binaries exactly. Other programs
             // are resolved through the prepared PATH, allowing ignored tests
             // to opt into external toolchains without weakening the default
-            // suite's self-contained execution.
-            let mut cmd = if matches!(program, "vt" | "vtt") {
+            // suite's self-contained execution. They're resolved like `vp`
+            // resolves task programs: portable-pty's own search on Windows
+            // prefers an exact name over `PATHEXT` extensions, so it would
+            // pick an extensionless shell shim such as `node_modules/.bin/pnpm`
+            // over `pnpm.cmd`, which Windows can't execute.
+            //
+            // `canonicalize` gives the staged workspace a verbatim (`\\?\`)
+            // path on Windows. `cmd.exe`, which runs npm-style `.cmd` shims
+            // such as pnpm's, rejects that as a working directory, so other
+            // programs start in its simplified form.
+            let (mut cmd, spawn_cwd) = if matches!(program, "vt" | "vtt") {
                 let exe_env = vt_str::format!("CARGO_BIN_EXE_{program}");
                 let resolved =
                     env::var_os(exe_env.as_str()).unwrap_or_else(|| panic!("{exe_env} not set"));
-                CommandBuilder::new(resolved)
+                (CommandBuilder::new(resolved), step_cwd.as_path())
             } else {
-                CommandBuilder::new(program)
+                let resolved = which::which_in(program, Some(&e2e_env_path), step_cwd.as_path())
+                    .unwrap_or_else(|err| panic!("failed to resolve {program}: {err}"));
+                (CommandBuilder::new(resolved), dunce::simplified(step_cwd.as_path()))
             };
             for arg in &argv[1..] {
                 cmd.arg(arg.as_str());
@@ -526,8 +538,7 @@ fn run_case(
                 let resolved = resolve_env_placeholder(v.as_str());
                 cmd.env(k.as_str(), AsRef::<OsStr>::as_ref(&resolved));
             }
-            let step_cwd = step.cwd().unwrap_or(&e2e.cwd);
-            cmd.cwd(e2e_stage_path.join(step_cwd).as_path());
+            cmd.cwd(spawn_cwd);
 
             let terminal = TestTerminal::spawn(SCREEN_SIZE, cmd).unwrap();
             let mut killer = terminal.child_handle.clone();