diff --git a/packages/runtime/src/scr_dyn.h b/packages/runtime/src/scr_dyn.h
index 47f9046b6b..839e654f04 100644
--- a/packages/runtime/src/scr_dyn.h
+++ b/packages/runtime/src/scr_dyn.h
@@ -770,6 +770,17 @@ static inline __attribute__((always_inline)) ScrDynProp scr_dyn_obj_prop_at(cons
                       e->accessor, e->writable, e->enumerable, e->configurable};
 }
 
+/* Stores `value` (moved) as the value of data property i and returns the
+ * previous value (owned by the caller). Reads no keys and does not follow
+ * the layout pointer, so exit-time teardown can use it after the layouts
+ * are freed. */
+static inline ScrDyn *scr_dyn_obj_exchange_value_at(ScrDyn *o, size_t i, ScrDyn *value) {
+  ScrDyn **slot = o->v.obj.layout ? &o->v.obj.slots[i] : &o->v.obj.entries[i].value;
+  ScrDyn *previous = *slot;
+  *slot = value;
+  return previous;
+}
+
 /* The index of own property `key`, or SIZE_MAX. A linear scan in
  * dictionary mode: for code that looks up options and headers, not for hot
  * property reads. */
diff --git a/packages/runtime/src/scr_node_builtin.c b/packages/runtime/src/scr_node_builtin.c
index 71b523742c..d312a6e805 100644
--- a/packages/runtime/src/scr_node_builtin.c
+++ b/packages/runtime/src/scr_node_builtin.c
@@ -368,18 +368,14 @@ static void scr_builtin_release(void *handle) {
 static void scr_builtin_cleanup(void) {
   /* An exports object can hold itself and the other path family
    * (path.posix.posix, path.posix.win32): its member values are released
-   * first, so the objects are freed. The values are swapped out of the
-   * object's own storage, without reading its keys: the exit-time layout
+   * first, so the objects are freed. The values are swapped out without
+   * reading the keys (scr_dyn_obj_exchange_value_at): the exit-time layout
    * reset can run before this and free the layout the keys live in. */
   for (ScrBuiltinModule *module = scr_builtin_modules; module; module = module->next) {
     if (!module->object) continue;
     ScrDyn *exports = module->exports;
-    for (size_t i = 0; i < exports->v.obj.len; i++) {
-      ScrDyn **slot = exports->v.obj.layout ? &exports->v.obj.slots[i] : &exports->v.obj.entries[i].value;
-      ScrDyn *value = *slot;
-      *slot = scr_dyn_retain(scr_dyn_undefined());
-      scr_dyn_release(value);
-    }
+    for (size_t i = 0; i < scr_dyn_obj_count(exports); i++)
+      scr_dyn_release(scr_dyn_obj_exchange_value_at(exports, i, scr_dyn_retain(scr_dyn_undefined())));
   }
   while (scr_builtin_modules) {
     ScrBuiltinModule *module = scr_builtin_modules;