diff --git a/tests/windows-symlink-capability.js b/tests/windows-symlink-capability.js
index b9470c41..0b2d3a27 100644
--- a/tests/windows-symlink-capability.js
+++ b/tests/windows-symlink-capability.js
@@ -3,7 +3,9 @@ import fs from "node:fs";
 /**
  * Only symbolic-link fixture creation is optional on non-admin Windows
  * workstations without Developer Mode. Production link rejection is unchanged.
- * Our Windows CI must exercise the real symlink case, never waive it.
+ * Audited GitHub Actions Windows CI must exercise the real symlink case, never
+ * waive it. The local job runner also sets CI=true but is a workstation, so only
+ * GITHUB_ACTIONS (never an arbitrary CI flag) makes the privilege mandatory.
  */
 export function tryFileSymlink(t, target, link) {
   try {
@@ -16,7 +18,7 @@ export function tryFileSymlink(t, target, link) {
     ) {
       throw error;
     }
-    if (process.env.CI === "true") {
+    if (process.env.GITHUB_ACTIONS === "true") {
       throw new Error("WINDOWS_CI_SYMLINK_PRIVILEGE_REQUIRED", {
         cause: error,
       });
diff --git a/tests/windows-symlink-capability.test.js b/tests/windows-symlink-capability.test.js
index c2ee7ce6..9a403c6f 100644
--- a/tests/windows-symlink-capability.test.js
+++ b/tests/windows-symlink-capability.test.js
@@ -12,18 +12,24 @@ test("Windows symlink fixtures diagnose non-admin privilege without weakening CI
     error.code = "EPERM";
     throw error;
   });
-  const prior = process.env.CI;
+  const prior = process.env.GITHUB_ACTIONS;
+  const priorCi = process.env.CI;
   try {
-    delete process.env.CI;
-    assert.equal(tryFileSymlink(t, "target.txt", "link.txt"), false);
+    delete process.env.GITHUB_ACTIONS;
+    // The local job runner exports CI=true; that alone must not make a
+    // non-admin workstation fail, it is not the audited CI.
     process.env.CI = "true";
+    assert.equal(tryFileSymlink(t, "target.txt", "link.txt"), false);
+    process.env.GITHUB_ACTIONS = "true";
     assert.throws(
       () => tryFileSymlink(t, "target.txt", "link.txt"),
       /WINDOWS_CI_SYMLINK_PRIVILEGE_REQUIRED/,
     );
   } finally {
-    if (prior === undefined) delete process.env.CI;
-    else process.env.CI = prior;
+    if (prior === undefined) delete process.env.GITHUB_ACTIONS;
+    else process.env.GITHUB_ACTIONS = prior;
+    if (priorCi === undefined) delete process.env.CI;
+    else process.env.CI = priorCi;
   }
 });