diff --git a/native/llvm-codegen/src/target.cpp b/native/llvm-codegen/src/target.cpp
index 2695d478f..a4c442935 100644
--- a/native/llvm-codegen/src/target.cpp
+++ b/native/llvm-codegen/src/target.cpp
@@ -127,6 +127,9 @@ TargetOptions targetOptions(const Triple &TargetTriple) {
   // The Android API 26 runtime pack uses the NDK's emulated TLS ABI.
   // Program globals and runtime thread instances must use the same ABI.
   Options.EmulatedTLS = TargetTriple.isAndroid();
+  // Program constructors go in .init_array, which the C runtime's startup
+  // files run on ELF, as runtime units' constructors do (runtime-unit.cpp).
+  Options.UseInitArray = TargetTriple.isOSBinFormatELF();
   if (ProfileLayout && TargetTriple.isOSBinFormatELF()) {
     Options.FunctionSections = true;
     Options.EnableMachineFunctionSplitter = true;
diff --git a/packages/compiler/test/native-constructors.test.ts b/packages/compiler/test/native-constructors.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1aada9b0e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/compiler/test/native-constructors.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
+import { createRequire } from "node:module";
+import { mkdtemp, rm, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+import { dirname, join } from "node:path";
+import { promisify } from "node:util";
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, test } from "vitest";
+import { nativeCodegenTarget, nativeHelperForTarget } from "../src/backend/targets.js";
+
+const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
+const target = nativeCodegenTarget();
+const helperSpec = target === null ? null : nativeHelperForTarget(target);
+const helper = (() => {
+  if (helperSpec === null || process.platform === "win32") return null;
+  try {
+    const packageJson = createRequire(import.meta.url).resolve(
+      `${helperSpec.packageName}/package.json`,
+    );
+    return join(dirname(packageJson), "bin", "scriptc-llvm-codegen");
+  } catch {
+    return null;
+  }
+})();
+const dirs: string[] = [];
+
+afterEach(async () => {
+  await Promise.all(dirs.splice(0).map((dir) => rm(dir, { recursive: true, force: true })));
+});
+
+/** A module whose constructor sets the value main returns. Functions after
+ * the constructor give split code generation and partitions something to
+ * divide. */
+function program(): string {
+  const lines = [
+    "@value = internal global i32 0",
+    "@llvm.global_ctors = appending global [1 x { i32, ptr, ptr }] [{ i32, ptr, ptr } { i32 65535, ptr @init, ptr null }]",
+    "define internal void @init() {",
+    // Volatile, so the optimizer cannot evaluate the constructor at compile time.
+    "  store volatile i32 42, ptr @value",
+    "  ret void",
+    "}",
+  ];
+  for (let index = 0; index < 8; index++)
+    lines.push(
+      `define internal i32 @step${index}(i32 %v) noinline {`,
+      `  %r = add i32 %v, ${index}`,
+      "  ret i32 %r",
+      "}",
+    );
+  lines.push(
+    "define i32 @main() {",
+    "  %value = load i32, ptr @value",
+    ...Array.from({ length: 8 }, (_, index) => `  %s${index} = call i32 @step${index}(i32 0)`),
+    "  ret i32 %value",
+    "}",
+  );
+  return lines.join("\n") + "\n";
+}
+
+/** The objects' section names, on ELF targets (null elsewhere). */
+async function sectionNames(objects: string[]): Promise<string[] | null> {
+  if (process.platform !== "linux") return null;
+  const names: string[] = [];
+  for (const object of objects) {
+    const { stdout } = await execFileAsync("readelf", ["-S", "-W", object]);
+    for (const match of stdout.matchAll(/^\s*\[\s*\d+\]\s+(\S+)/gm)) names.push(match[1]!);
+  }
+  return names;
+}
+
+/** Links with lld when the C compiler driver can use it, as scriptc's Linux
+ * links do: unlike the BFD linker's default script, lld does not run .ctors
+ * entries from .init_array. */
+async function link(objects: string[], executable: string): Promise<void> {
+  const cc = process.env["CC"] ?? "cc";
+  try {
+    await execFileAsync(cc, ["-fuse-ld=lld", ...objects, "-o", executable]);
+  } catch {
+    await execFileAsync(cc, [...objects, "-o", executable]);
+  }
+}
+
+async function exitCode(options: {
+  outputs: number;
+  split?: boolean;
+  name: string;
+}): Promise<{ code: number; sections: string[] | null }> {
+  const dir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), "scriptc-constructors-"));
+  dirs.push(dir);
+  const input = join(dir, `${options.name}.ll`);
+  await writeFile(input, program());
+  const outputs = Array.from({ length: options.outputs }, (_, index) =>
+    join(dir, `${options.name}.${index}.o`),
+  );
+  await execFileAsync(helper!, [
+    "emit",
+    "--input",
+    input,
+    ...outputs.flatMap((output) => ["--output", output]),
+    "--filetype",
+    "obj",
+    "--target",
+    target!.llvmTriple,
+    "--opt-level",
+    "2",
+    "--relocation-model",
+    "pic",
+    "--diagnostic-format",
+    "json",
+    "--source-path",
+    "/src/program.ts",
+    ...(options.split === true ? ["--split", "codegen"] : []),
+  ]);
+  const sections = await sectionNames(outputs);
+  const executable = join(dir, options.name);
+  await link(outputs, executable);
+  try {
+    await execFileAsync(executable, []);
+    return { code: 0, sections };
+  } catch (error) {
+    return { code: (error as { code: number }).code, sections };
+  }
+}
+
+/** The constructor ran, and on ELF it is in .init_array, never .ctors. */
+function expectConstructorRan(result: { code: number; sections: string[] | null }): void {
+  expect(result.code).toBe(42);
+  if (result.sections === null) return;
+  expect(result.sections).toContain(".init_array");
+  expect(result.sections).not.toContain(".ctors");
+}
+
+describe.runIf(helper !== null)("program constructors", () => {
+  test("a constructor runs before main in a single object", async () => {
+    expectConstructorRan(await exitCode({ outputs: 1, name: "single" }));
+  });
+
+  test("a constructor runs before main with split code generation", async () => {
+    expectConstructorRan(await exitCode({ outputs: 3, split: true, name: "split" }));
+  });
+
+  test("a constructor runs before main across program partitions", async () => {
+    expectConstructorRan(await exitCode({ outputs: 3, name: "partitions" }));
+  });
+});