diff --git a/src/domains/runtimeEnv/execSubpathImports.test.ts b/src/domains/runtimeEnv/execSubpathImports.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6d6daf8ff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/domains/runtimeEnv/execSubpathImports.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it } from "bun:test";
+import { realpathSync } from "node:fs";
+import { mkdtemp, readFile, rm, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+
+import { type Fs, makeDefaultFs } from "~/shell/fs.js";
+
+import { writeExecSubpathImports } from "./execSubpathImports.js";
+
+const tmpDirs: string[] = [];
+
+afterEach(async () => {
+  await Promise.all(
+    tmpDirs.map((d) => rm(d, { recursive: true, force: true })),
+  );
+  tmpDirs.length = 0;
+});
+
+async function makeExecDir(): Promise<string> {
+  const d = realpathSync(
+    await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), "qawolf-subpath-imports-test-")),
+  );
+  tmpDirs.push(d);
+  return d;
+}
+
+type PackageJson = {
+  name?: string;
+  type?: string;
+  dependencies?: Record<string, string>;
+  imports?: Record<string, unknown>;
+};
+
+async function readPackageJson(execDir: string): Promise<PackageJson> {
+  const content = await readFile(join(execDir, "package.json"), "utf-8");
+  return JSON.parse(content) as PackageJson;
+}
+
+describe("writeExecSubpathImports", () => {
+  it("adds the #playwright alias while preserving existing fields", async () => {
+    const execDir = await makeExecDir();
+    await writeFile(
+      join(execDir, "package.json"),
+      JSON.stringify({
+        name: "@qawolf/demo",
+        type: "module",
+        dependencies: { dotenv: "^16.4.5" },
+      }),
+    );
+
+    await writeExecSubpathImports({ execDir, fs: makeDefaultFs() });
+
+    const pkg = await readPackageJson(execDir);
+    expect(pkg.imports).toEqual({ "#playwright": "playwright" });
+    expect(pkg.name).toBe("@qawolf/demo");
+    expect(pkg.type).toBe("module");
+    expect(pkg.dependencies).toEqual({ dotenv: "^16.4.5" });
+  });
+
+  it("overrides a conflicting #playwright entry but keeps other imports", async () => {
+    const execDir = await makeExecDir();
+    await writeFile(
+      join(execDir, "package.json"),
+      JSON.stringify({
+        imports: { "#playwright": "patchright", "#utils": "./src/utils.js" },
+      }),
+    );
+
+    await writeExecSubpathImports({ execDir, fs: makeDefaultFs() });
+
+    const pkg = await readPackageJson(execDir);
+    expect(pkg.imports).toEqual({
+      "#utils": "./src/utils.js",
+      "#playwright": "playwright",
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("creates package.json with imports when none exists", async () => {
+    const execDir = await makeExecDir();
+
+    await writeExecSubpathImports({ execDir, fs: makeDefaultFs() });
+
+    const pkg = await readPackageJson(execDir);
+    expect(pkg.imports).toEqual({ "#playwright": "playwright" });
+  });
+
+  it("recovers from an invalid package.json by writing a fresh imports map", async () => {
+    const execDir = await makeExecDir();
+    await writeFile(join(execDir, "package.json"), "{ not valid json");
+
+    await writeExecSubpathImports({ execDir, fs: makeDefaultFs() });
+
+    const pkg = await readPackageJson(execDir);
+    expect(pkg.imports).toEqual({ "#playwright": "playwright" });
+  });
+
+  it("propagates a non-ENOENT read error instead of clobbering package.json", async () => {
+    const execDir = await makeExecDir();
+    const ioError = Object.assign(Error("EACCES: permission denied"), {
+      code: "EACCES",
+    });
+    const fs: Fs = {
+      ...makeDefaultFs(),
+      readFile: () => Promise.reject(ioError),
+    };
+
+    let caught: unknown;
+    try {
+      await writeExecSubpathImports({ execDir, fs });
+    } catch (e) {
+      caught = e;
+    }
+    expect(caught).toBeInstanceOf(Error);
+    expect((caught as Error).message).toContain("permission denied");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/domains/runtimeEnv/execSubpathImports.ts b/src/domains/runtimeEnv/execSubpathImports.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c6f5324cd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/domains/runtimeEnv/execSubpathImports.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+import { join } from "node:path";
+
+import { z } from "zod";
+
+import { isNoEntError } from "~/core/errors.js";
+import { type Fs } from "~/shell/fs.js";
+
+/**
+ * qawolf's `#playwright` driver alias, which the platform omits from bundle
+ * package.json — pointed at the pinned playwright the inner hop symlinks in.
+ */
+const flowSubpathImports = { "#playwright": "playwright" } as const;
+
+// looseObject keeps all fields; imports is coerced to a record ({} if missing or malformed).
+const packageJsonSchema = z
+  .looseObject({ imports: z.record(z.string(), z.unknown()).catch({}) })
+  .catch({ imports: {} });
+
+export type WriteExecSubpathImportsArgs = {
+  execDir: string;
+  fs: Fs;
+};
+
+/** Adds the flow subpath-import aliases to exec/package.json's imports map. */
+export async function writeExecSubpathImports(
+  args: WriteExecSubpathImportsArgs,
+): Promise<void> {
+  const { execDir, fs } = args;
+  const pkgPath = join(execDir, "package.json");
+  const pkg = packageJsonSchema.parse(await readPackageJson(pkgPath, fs));
+
+  const merged = { ...pkg, imports: { ...pkg.imports, ...flowSubpathImports } };
+  await fs.writeFile(pkgPath, JSON.stringify(merged, undefined, 2));
+}
+
+/**
+ * Reads and parses pkgPath. A missing file or malformed JSON yields {}; other
+ * read errors propagate so a transient failure never clobbers a staged file.
+ */
+async function readPackageJson(pkgPath: string, fs: Fs): Promise<unknown> {
+  let content: string;
+  try {
+    content = await fs.readFile(pkgPath);
+  } catch (err) {
+    if (isNoEntError(err)) return {};
+    throw err;
+  }
+  try {
+    return JSON.parse(content);
+  } catch {
+    return {};
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/domains/runtimeEnv/prepareRunDir.ts b/src/domains/runtimeEnv/prepareRunDir.ts
index 6930488c6..9729cd678 100644
--- a/src/domains/runtimeEnv/prepareRunDir.ts
+++ b/src/domains/runtimeEnv/prepareRunDir.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { basename, dirname, join, resolve, sep } from "node:path";
 import { copyDirExcluding } from "~/shell/copyDir.js";
 import { type Fs, makeDefaultFs } from "~/shell/fs.js";
 
+import { writeExecSubpathImports } from "./execSubpathImports.js";
 import { populateInnerHop } from "./innerHop.js";
 import { populateOuterHop } from "./outerHop.js";
 
@@ -50,6 +51,12 @@ export async function prepareRunDir(
 
   const stagedFiles = await stageFlowFiles({ files, projectDir, execDir, fs });
 
+  // Only the projectDir path copies a package.json into exec; standalone runs
+  // stage bare files that never use the "#playwright" alias.
+  if (projectDir !== undefined) {
+    await writeExecSubpathImports({ execDir, fs });
+  }
+
   await populateOuterHop({ projectDir, runDir, fs });
 
   return {