diff --git a/linux/build/scripts/build-inner.sh b/linux/build/scripts/build-inner.sh
index 257c231..4e9ab6d 100755
--- a/linux/build/scripts/build-inner.sh
+++ b/linux/build/scripts/build-inner.sh
@@ -69,6 +69,21 @@ if [ -d /usr/share/keyrings ]; then
     done
 fi
 
+# Bridge the upstream-blessed checkout path.
+# 1500_local-deps installs the in-repo `developer-meta-files.deb` system-
+# wide. That deb ships /usr/bin/dm-reprepro-wrapper, which begins with
+#     source "${0%/*}/../../help-steps/pre"
+# resolved against the install location (/usr/bin) and a user_name-relative
+# layout that lands at /home/user/derivative-maker/help-steps/pre.
+# When 2100_create-debian-packages calls `dm-reprepro-wrapper` via PATH
+# (e.g. through `genmkfile reprepro-remove`), the system copy wins over
+# the in-repo one, and the source fails:
+#     /usr/bin/dm-reprepro-wrapper: line 28:
+#       /home/user/derivative-maker/help-steps/pre: No such file or directory
+# Make /home/user/derivative-maker resolve to our actual checkout so both
+# the in-repo and system-installed wrappers find the same support files.
+ln -sfn "${REPO_ROOT}/linux/build/derivative-maker" /home/user/derivative-maker
+
 # shellcheck disable=SC1091
 source "${REPO_ROOT}/linux/build/config/silvermetal-base.conf"