diff --git a/internal/pkg/exec_test.go b/internal/pkg/exec_test.go
index c88ff3f4..74648c0e 100644
--- a/internal/pkg/exec_test.go
+++ b/internal/pkg/exec_test.go
@@ -86,6 +86,30 @@ func TestExec(t *testing.T) {
 					pkg.MustPath("/opt", false, testtool),
 				), ignorePathname, wantOffline, nil},
 
+				{"substitution", pkg.NewExec(
+					"exec-offline", "", new(wantOffline.hash()), 0, false, false,
+					pkg.AbsWork,
+					[]string{"HAKUREI_TEST=1"},
+					check.MustAbs("/opt/bin/testtool"),
+					[]string{"testtool"},
+
+					pkg.MustPath("/file", false, newStubFile(
+						pkg.KindHTTPGet,
+						pkg.ID{0xfe, 0},
+						nil,
+						nil, nil,
+					)),
+					// substitution miss fails in testtool due to differing idents
+					pkg.MustPath("/.hakurei", false, &stubArtifact{
+						kind:   pkg.KindTar,
+						params: []byte("empty directory (substituted)"),
+						cure: func(t *pkg.TContext) error {
+							return os.MkdirAll(t.GetWorkDir().String(), 0700)
+						},
+					}),
+					pkg.MustPath("/opt", false, testtool),
+				), ignorePathname, wantOffline, nil},
+
 				{"error passthrough", pkg.NewExec(
 					"", "", nil, 0, false, true,
 					pkg.AbsWork,
@@ -147,7 +171,7 @@ func TestExec(t *testing.T) {
 				t.Errorf("unexpected status:\n%s", string(faultStatus))
 			}
 
-			destroyStatus(t, base, 2)
+			destroyStatus(t, base, 2, 1)
 			testtoolDestroy(t, base, c)
 		}, expectsFS{
 			".": {Mode: fs.ModeDir | 0700},
@@ -159,6 +183,8 @@ func TestExec(t *testing.T) {
 			"checksum/OLBgp1GsljhM2TJ-sbHjaiH9txEUvgdDTAzHv2P24donTt6_529l-9Ua0vFImLlb": {Mode: 0400, Data: []byte{}},
 
 			"identifier": {Mode: fs.ModeDir | 0700},
+			"identifier/IY91PCtOpCYy21AaIK0c9f8-Z6fb2_2ewoHWkt4dxoLf0GOrWqS8yAGFLV84b1Dw": {Mode: fs.ModeSymlink | 0777, Data: []byte("../checksum/" + wantOfflineEncode)},
+			"identifier/QwS7SmiatdqryQYgESdGw7Yw2PcpNf0vNfpvUA0t92BTlKiUjfCrXyMW17G2X77X": {Mode: fs.ModeSymlink | 0777, Data: []byte("../checksum/MGWmEfjut2QE2xPJwTsmUzpff4BN_FEnQ7T0j7gvUCCiugJQNwqt9m151fm9D1yU")},
 			"identifier/_gAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA": {Mode: fs.ModeSymlink | 0777, Data: []byte("../checksum/OLBgp1GsljhM2TJ-sbHjaiH9txEUvgdDTAzHv2P24donTt6_529l-9Ua0vFImLlb")},
 			"identifier/" + expected.Offline:                                              {Mode: fs.ModeSymlink | 0777, Data: []byte("../checksum/" + wantOfflineEncode)},
 			"identifier/vjz1MHPcGBKV7sjcs8jQP3cqxJ1hgPTiQBMCEHP9BGXjGxd-tJmEmXKaStObo5gK": {Mode: fs.ModeSymlink | 0777, Data: []byte("../checksum/MGWmEfjut2QE2xPJwTsmUzpff4BN_FEnQ7T0j7gvUCCiugJQNwqt9m151fm9D1yU")},
@@ -202,7 +228,7 @@ func TestExec(t *testing.T) {
 				), ignorePathname, wantNet, nil},
 			})
 
-			destroyStatus(t, base, 2)
+			destroyStatus(t, base, 2, 0)
 			testtoolDestroy(t, base, c)
 		}, expectsFS{
 			".": {Mode: fs.ModeDir | 0700},
@@ -246,7 +272,7 @@ func TestExec(t *testing.T) {
 				), ignorePathname, wantOffline, nil},
 			})
 
-			destroyStatus(t, base, 2)
+			destroyStatus(t, base, 2, 0)
 			testtoolDestroy(t, base, c)
 		}, expectsFS{
 			".": {Mode: fs.ModeDir | 0700},
@@ -293,7 +319,7 @@ func TestExec(t *testing.T) {
 				), ignorePathname, wantOffline, nil},
 			})
 
-			destroyStatus(t, base, 2)
+			destroyStatus(t, base, 2, 0)
 			testtoolDestroy(t, base, c)
 		}, expectsFS{
 			".": {Mode: fs.ModeDir | 0700},
@@ -362,7 +388,7 @@ func TestExec(t *testing.T) {
 				), ignorePathname, wantOffline, nil},
 			})
 
-			destroyStatus(t, base, 2)
+			destroyStatus(t, base, 2, 0)
 			testtoolDestroy(t, base, c)
 		}, expectsFS{
 			".": {Mode: fs.ModeDir | 0700},
@@ -415,7 +441,7 @@ func TestExec(t *testing.T) {
 				), ignorePathname, wantOffline, nil},
 			})
 
-			destroyStatus(t, base, 2)
+			destroyStatus(t, base, 2, 0)
 			testtoolDestroy(t, base, c)
 		}, expectsFS{
 			".": {Mode: fs.ModeDir | 0700},
@@ -480,7 +506,7 @@ func TestExec(t *testing.T) {
 				}, nil},
 			})
 
-			destroyStatus(t, base, 2)
+			destroyStatus(t, base, 2, 0)
 		}, expectsFS{
 			".": {Mode: fs.ModeDir | 0700},
 
diff --git a/internal/pkg/pkg_test.go b/internal/pkg/pkg_test.go
index 0877e791..d5c92a6d 100644
--- a/internal/pkg/pkg_test.go
+++ b/internal/pkg/pkg_test.go
@@ -246,26 +246,37 @@ func newDestroyArtifactFunc(a pkg.Artifact) func(
 }
 
 // destroyStatus counts non-substitution status entries and destroys them.
-func destroyStatus(t *testing.T, base *check.Absolute, n int) {
+func destroyStatus(t *testing.T, base *check.Absolute, c, s int) {
 	dents, err := os.ReadDir(base.Append("status").String())
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
+	var gotC, gotS int
 	for _, dent := range dents {
-		if !dent.Type().IsRegular() {
-			t.Errorf("%s: %s", dent.Name(), dent.Type())
-		}
 		if err = os.Remove(base.Append(
 			"status",
 			dent.Name(),
 		).String()); err != nil {
 			t.Fatal(err)
 		}
+
+		if dent.Type().IsRegular() {
+			gotC++
+			continue
+		}
+		if dent.Type()&fs.ModeSymlink == fs.ModeSymlink {
+			gotS++
+			continue
+		}
+		t.Errorf("%s: %s", dent.Name(), dent.Type())
 	}
 
-	if len(dents) != n {
-		t.Errorf("ReadDir: %d entries, want %d", len(dents), n)
+	if gotC != c {
+		t.Errorf("status: c = %d, want %d", gotC, c)
+	}
+	if gotS != s {
+		t.Errorf("status: s = %d, want %d", gotS, s)
 	}
 }