diff --git a/crates/bashkit-coreutils-port/src/args.rs b/crates/bashkit-coreutils-port/src/args.rs
index 165bf358..6eaeb02d 100644
--- a/crates/bashkit-coreutils-port/src/args.rs
+++ b/crates/bashkit-coreutils-port/src/args.rs
@@ -645,28 +645,128 @@ fn collect_option_constants(file: &syn::File) -> Vec<Item> {
 // THREAT[TM-INF-025]: args-mode consumes third-party Rust from uutils.
 // Only a single clap builder expression may become executable bashkit
 // code; prefix statements would run during CI/parser construction.
+//
+// Two body shapes are accepted:
+//
+// 1. A single tail expression — the original shape:
+//        Command::new("foo").arg(...).arg(...)
+//
+// 2. A `let cmd = <Command::new chain>;` binding followed by a tail
+//    expression that resumes the chain at that binder:
+//        let cmd = Command::new("foo").about(...);
+//        cmd.arg(...).arg(...)
+//
+//    Upstream uutils introduces shape (2) for utilities (e.g.
+//    `truncate`) that route the Command through
+//    `uucore::clap_localization::configure_localized_command(cmd)`.
+//    The rewriter elides that call (the wrapper is unused by bashkit),
+//    leaving the body in the 2-stmt let-binding form which is still
+//    semantically a pure builder chain. The validator must accept it
+//    without weakening the per-expression safety checks.
 fn validate_uu_app_body(uu_app: &ItemFn) -> Result<()> {
-    let command_expr = match uu_app.block.stmts.as_slice() {
-        [Stmt::Expr(expr, None)] => expr,
+    match uu_app.block.stmts.as_slice() {
+        [Stmt::Expr(expr, None)] => validate_uu_app_expr_command_root(expr),
+        [Stmt::Local(local), Stmt::Expr(tail, None)] => validate_uu_app_let_binding(local, tail),
         stmts => bail!(
-            "unsafe uu_app body: expected a single clap Command builder expression, found {} statements",
+            "unsafe uu_app body: expected either a single clap Command builder \
+             expression or a `let cmd = …;` binding followed by a builder \
+             tail, found {} statements",
             stmts.len()
         ),
-    };
+    }
+}
+
+/// Run the expression-level safety checks (no closures, loops, match,
+/// blocks, unsafe, async; only allowlisted macros; only allowlisted
+/// method names) AND assert that the receiver chain bottoms out at
+/// `Command::new(...)`. Used for the single-stmt body and for the
+/// `let` initializer in the 2-stmt body.
+fn validate_uu_app_expr_command_root(expr: &Expr) -> Result<()> {
+    validate_uu_app_expr_no_root_check(expr)?;
+    if !chain_roots_at_command_new(expr) {
+        bail!(
+            "unsafe uu_app body: tail expression must be a clap::Command::new(...) builder chain"
+        );
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}
 
+fn validate_uu_app_expr_no_root_check(expr: &Expr) -> Result<()> {
     let mut validator = UuAppExprValidator { errors: vec![] };
-    syn::visit::Visit::visit_expr(&mut validator, command_expr);
+    syn::visit::Visit::visit_expr(&mut validator, expr);
     if !validator.errors.is_empty() {
         bail!("unsafe uu_app body: {}", validator.errors.join("; "));
     }
-    if !chain_roots_at_command_new(command_expr) {
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+/// Validate the 2-stmt `let cmd = …; cmd.arg(...).arg(...)` shape.
+///
+/// Constraints:
+/// - The local must be `let <ident> = <init>;` — no `mut`, no `ref`,
+///   no type annotation, no `else` branch, no subpattern. Anything
+///   richer (tuple patterns, type ascription, refutable matches) opens
+///   a hole the validator was designed to close.
+/// - The initializer must itself pass the single-expression checks and
+///   root at `Command::new(...)`.
+/// - The tail must pass the expression-level checks AND its receiver
+///   chain must bottom out at exactly the binder identifier — not at
+///   another Command::new, not at a function call, not at a different
+///   variable. This proves the tail is just continuing the builder
+///   chain begun on the previous line.
+fn validate_uu_app_let_binding(local: &syn::Local, tail: &Expr) -> Result<()> {
+    if local.attrs.iter().any(|a| !a.path().is_ident("doc")) {
+        bail!("unsafe uu_app body: `let` binding must not carry non-doc attributes");
+    }
+    let Some(init) = &local.init else {
+        bail!("unsafe uu_app body: `let` binding must have an initializer");
+    };
+    if init.diverge.is_some() {
+        bail!("unsafe uu_app body: `let … else …` is not allowed");
+    }
+    let binder_ident = match &local.pat {
+        syn::Pat::Ident(pat) => {
+            if pat.by_ref.is_some() || pat.mutability.is_some() || pat.subpat.is_some() {
+                bail!(
+                    "unsafe uu_app body: `let` binding must be a plain `let <ident> = …;` \
+                     (no `mut`, no `ref`, no subpattern)"
+                );
+            }
+            &pat.ident
+        }
+        _ => bail!(
+            "unsafe uu_app body: `let` binding must bind a single identifier, \
+             not a destructuring pattern"
+        ),
+    };
+    validate_uu_app_expr_command_root(&init.expr)?;
+    validate_uu_app_expr_no_root_check(tail)?;
+    if !chain_roots_at_ident(tail, binder_ident) {
         bail!(
-            "unsafe uu_app body: tail expression must be a clap::Command::new(...) builder chain"
+            "unsafe uu_app body: tail expression must continue the chain from \
+             the `let` binder `{}` (e.g. `{}.arg(…).arg(…)`)",
+            binder_ident,
+            binder_ident,
         );
     }
     Ok(())
 }
 
+/// Like `chain_roots_at_command_new`, but bottoms out at an `Expr::Path`
+/// that names a single identifier matching `expected`. Used by the
+/// 2-stmt validator to prove the tail's receiver chain begins at the
+/// `let` binder rather than at some arbitrary expression.
+fn chain_roots_at_ident(mut expr: &Expr, expected: &syn::Ident) -> bool {
+    while let Expr::MethodCall(mc) = expr {
+        expr = &mc.receiver;
+    }
+    let Expr::Path(p) = expr else {
+        return false;
+    };
+    let segs = path_segments(&p.path);
+    matches!(segs.as_slice(), [single] if single == &expected.to_string())
+}
+
 struct UuAppExprValidator {
     errors: Vec<String>,
 }
@@ -1203,4 +1303,158 @@ pub fn uu_app() -> clap::Command {
         let msg = format!("{err:#}");
         assert!(msg.contains("Command::new"), "got: {msg}");
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn accepts_localized_command_let_binding() {
+        // Mirrors the upstream `truncate` shape: a `let cmd = Command::new(...)…`
+        // binding wrapped by `uucore::clap_localization::configure_localized_command(cmd)`.
+        // The rewriter unwraps the helper to bare `cmd`, leaving a 2-stmt
+        // body the validator must accept.
+        let (_tmp, uutils) = fixture(&[
+            (
+                "src/uu/cat/src/cat.rs",
+                r#"
+mod options {
+    pub static FILE: &str = "file";
+}
+
+pub fn uu_app() -> clap::Command {
+    let cmd = Command::new("cat")
+        .version(uucore::crate_version!())
+        .about("concat")
+        .infer_long_args(true);
+    uucore::clap_localization::configure_localized_command(cmd)
+        .arg(Arg::new(options::FILE))
+}
+"#,
+            ),
+            ("src/uu/cat/locales/en-US.ftl", ""),
+        ]);
+
+        let body = run(&uutils, "cat", "poc").unwrap();
+        assert!(
+            body.contains("pub fn cat_command() -> clap::Command"),
+            "got: {body}"
+        );
+        assert!(body.contains("Command::new(\"cat\")"), "got: {body}");
+        assert!(
+            body.contains("cmd.arg(Arg::new(options::FILE))"),
+            "got: {body}"
+        );
+        // The localization wrapper must have been elided — the emitted
+        // tail starts at the `cmd` binder, not at the helper call.
+        assert!(
+            !body.contains("configure_localized_command"),
+            "wrapper must be elided, got: {body}"
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rejects_let_mut_binding_in_uu_app() {
+        // `let mut cmd = …;` opens room for reassignment in the body;
+        // the validator's no-mutation guarantee rests on the binding
+        // being immutable.
+        let (_tmp, uutils) = fixture(&[
+            (
+                "src/uu/cat/src/cat.rs",
+                r#"
+mod options {
+    pub static FILE: &str = "file";
+}
+
+pub fn uu_app() -> clap::Command {
+    let mut cmd = Command::new("cat");
+    cmd.arg(Arg::new(options::FILE))
+}
+"#,
+            ),
+            ("src/uu/cat/locales/en-US.ftl", ""),
+        ]);
+
+        let err = run(&uutils, "cat", "poc").unwrap_err();
+        let msg = format!("{err:#}");
+        assert!(msg.contains("no `mut`"), "got: {msg}");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rejects_three_statement_uu_app() {
+        let (_tmp, uutils) = fixture(&[
+            (
+                "src/uu/cat/src/cat.rs",
+                r#"
+mod options {
+    pub static FILE: &str = "file";
+}
+
+pub fn uu_app() -> clap::Command {
+    let cmd = Command::new("cat");
+    let _ = std::fs::write("poc", b"owned");
+    cmd.arg(Arg::new(options::FILE))
+}
+"#,
+            ),
+            ("src/uu/cat/locales/en-US.ftl", ""),
+        ]);
+
+        let err = run(&uutils, "cat", "poc").unwrap_err();
+        let msg = format!("{err:#}");
+        assert!(msg.contains("found 3 statements"), "got: {msg}");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rejects_tail_rooted_at_other_ident() {
+        // Tail must continue from the `let` binder; rooting at a
+        // different ident (here `other`) would let attacker code
+        // smuggle in a Command from any in-scope identifier.
+        let (_tmp, uutils) = fixture(&[
+            (
+                "src/uu/cat/src/cat.rs",
+                r#"
+mod options {
+    pub static FILE: &str = "file";
+}
+
+pub fn uu_app() -> clap::Command {
+    let cmd = Command::new("cat");
+    other.arg(Arg::new(options::FILE))
+}
+"#,
+            ),
+            ("src/uu/cat/locales/en-US.ftl", ""),
+        ]);
+
+        let err = run(&uutils, "cat", "poc").unwrap_err();
+        let msg = format!("{err:#}");
+        assert!(
+            msg.contains("continue the chain from the `let` binder"),
+            "got: {msg}"
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rejects_let_init_not_rooted_at_command_new() {
+        // Initializer of the `let` must itself bottom out at
+        // `Command::new(...)`. Otherwise an attacker could bind
+        // anything (e.g. `some::call()`) and chain `.arg(…)` on it.
+        let (_tmp, uutils) = fixture(&[
+            (
+                "src/uu/cat/src/cat.rs",
+                r#"
+mod options {
+    pub static FILE: &str = "file";
+}
+
+pub fn uu_app() -> clap::Command {
+    let cmd = some::factory();
+    cmd.arg(Arg::new(options::FILE))
+}
+"#,
+            ),
+            ("src/uu/cat/locales/en-US.ftl", ""),
+        ]);
+
+        let err = run(&uutils, "cat", "poc").unwrap_err();
+        let msg = format!("{err:#}");
+        assert!(msg.contains("Command::new"), "got: {msg}");
+    }
 }