diff --git a/packages/cli/test/native-install.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/native-install.test.ts
index 7a6d3ef16..369bc392b 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/native-install.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/native-install.test.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import {
   mkdtempSync,
   mkdirSync,
   readFileSync,
+  realpathSync,
   renameSync,
   rmSync,
   statSync,
@@ -22,8 +23,10 @@ afterEach(() => {
 });
 
 function fixture() {
-  const root = mkdtempSync(
-    join(process.platform === "win32" ? tmpdir() : "/tmp", "scriptc-install-"),
+  // installNativeCli resolves the installation directory, and on macOS /tmp
+  // is a link to /private/tmp, so the fixture's paths start resolved.
+  const root = realpathSync(
+    mkdtempSync(join(process.platform === "win32" ? tmpdir() : "/tmp", "scriptc-install-")),
   );
   roots.push(root);
   const directory = join(root, "installation");
diff --git a/packages/compiler/test/counted-loop-emission.test.ts b/packages/compiler/test/counted-loop-emission.test.ts
index 41f96e006..30a139a81 100644
--- a/packages/compiler/test/counted-loop-emission.test.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler/test/counted-loop-emission.test.ts
@@ -85,7 +85,11 @@ test("worker programs poll counted loops over typed arrays between blocks of ite
       const outPath = join(dir, `${workers ? "worker" : "plain"}.ir.json`);
       const result = await compile(entry, { outPath, outDir: dir, outputKind: "ir" });
       if (!result.ok) throw new Error(result.diagnostics.map((d) => d.message).join("\n"));
-      return emitLlvmModule(deserializeModule(await readFile(outPath, "utf8")));
+      // ELF executables poll the thread's pending word (@scr_exc_flag);
+      // other targets read the process-wide alert word.
+      return emitLlvmModule(deserializeModule(await readFile(outPath, "utf8")), {
+        targetTriple: "x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu",
+      });
     };
     // Every emitted version of a function (the number and int32 entries).
     const bodies = (ll: string, name: string): string =>
@@ -254,7 +258,10 @@ test("worker programs poll no loop whose proven ranges bound its runs inside ano
     const outPath = join(dir, "bounded.ir.json");
     const result = await compile(entry, { outPath, outDir: dir, outputKind: "ir" });
     if (!result.ok) throw new Error(result.diagnostics.map((d) => d.message).join("\n"));
-    const ll = emitLlvmModule(deserializeModule(await readFile(outPath, "utf8")));
+    // The polls counted below read the thread's pending word of ELF executables.
+    const ll = emitLlvmModule(deserializeModule(await readFile(outPath, "utf8")), {
+      targetTriple: "x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu",
+    });
     const body = (name: string): string =>
       [
         ...ll.matchAll(
diff --git a/packages/compiler/test/native-partitions.test.ts b/packages/compiler/test/native-partitions.test.ts
index ea906eea7..52c6b42f1 100644
--- a/packages/compiler/test/native-partitions.test.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler/test/native-partitions.test.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,9 @@ import { afterEach, describe, expect, test } from "vitest";
 import { nativeCodegenTarget, nativeHelperForTarget } from "../src/backend/targets.js";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
+// Mach-O objects define a local label (ltmp0, ltmp1, ...) at the start of
+// each section; it names no function.
+const machoSectionLabel = /^ltmp\d+$/;
 const target = nativeCodegenTarget();
 const helperSpec = target === null ? null : nativeHelperForTarget(target);
 const helper = (() => {
@@ -264,7 +267,7 @@ describe.runIf(helper !== null)("LLVM program partitions", () => {
       return stdout
         .split("\n")
         .map((line) => /^[0-9a-fA-F]+ [Tt] _?(\w+)$/.exec(line.trim())?.[1])
-        .filter((name): name is string => name !== undefined);
+        .filter((name): name is string => name !== undefined && !machoSectionLabel.test(name));
     };
     const whole = await defined(
       (await emit(dir, program(), { outputs: 1, optLevel: "2", name: "whole" }))[0]!,
@@ -390,7 +393,12 @@ describe.runIf(helper !== null)("LLVM program partitions", () => {
     expect(stdout).toMatch(/ t _?heavy$/m);
     for (const part of parts.slice(1)) {
       const listed = await execFileAsync("nm", ["--defined-only", part]);
-      expect(listed.stdout.trim()).toBe("");
+      const symbols = listed.stdout
+        .split("\n")
+        .filter(
+          (line) => line.trim() !== "" && !machoSectionLabel.test(line.trim().split(" ").at(-1)!),
+        );
+      expect(symbols).toEqual([]);
     }
     // The first output is the object that a single output produces.
     const first = await readFile(parts[0]!);
diff --git a/packages/compiler/test/native-profile.test.ts b/packages/compiler/test/native-profile.test.ts
index e860d4010..7ef9034cb 100644
--- a/packages/compiler/test/native-profile.test.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler/test/native-profile.test.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import { afterEach, describe, expect, test } from "vitest";
 import { nativeCodegenTarget, nativeHelperForTarget } from "../src/backend/targets.js";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
+const isElf = (object: Buffer) => object.subarray(0, 4).equals(Buffer.from("\x7fELF", "latin1"));
 const target = nativeCodegenTarget();
 const helperSpec = target === null ? null : nativeHelperForTarget(target);
 const helper = (() => {
@@ -327,7 +328,9 @@ describe.runIf(helper !== null)("LLVM profile-guided optimization", () => {
         use: merged,
       });
       const bytes = Buffer.concat(await Promise.all(objects.map((object) => readFile(object))));
-      expect(bytes.includes(".text.hot.main")).toBe(true);
+      // ELF objects name each function's section by its profile temperature;
+      // Mach-O sections carry no such prefix.
+      if (isElf(bytes)) expect(bytes.includes(".text.hot.main")).toBe(true);
       const optimized = await link(dir, objects, "laidout");
       expect(await run(optimized, 1)).toBe(inlinedExit(1));
       expect(await run(optimized, 3)).toBe(inlinedExit(3));
@@ -497,8 +500,12 @@ describe.runIf(helper !== null)("LLVM profile-guided optimization", () => {
         recovered: 1,
       });
       expect(await run(await link(dir, recovered.outputs, "recovered"), 2)).toBe(expectedExit(2));
+      // The recovered counts move f4 into the hot section. ELF objects name
+      // it (.text.hot.); Mach-O sections carry no such prefix, so there the
+      // two builds are the same.
       const bytes = (paths: string[]) => Promise.all(paths.map((path) => readFile(path)));
-      expect(await bytes(recovered.outputs)).not.toEqual(await bytes(stale.outputs));
+      const recoveredBytes = await bytes(recovered.outputs);
+      if (isElf(recoveredBytes[0]!)) expect(recoveredBytes).not.toEqual(await bytes(stale.outputs));
 
       // The block counts key the partition cache.
       const before = await cacheEntries(cache);