diff --git a/packages/natives/native/loader-state.d.ts b/packages/natives/native/loader-state.d.ts
index d6fe483be..f62553855 100644
--- a/packages/natives/native/loader-state.d.ts
+++ b/packages/natives/native/loader-state.d.ts
@@ -55,6 +55,31 @@ export interface ResolveLoaderCandidatesInput {
 
 export function resolveLoaderCandidates(input: ResolveLoaderCandidatesInput): string[];
 
+export interface InitLoaderContextOverrides {
+	nativeDir?: string;
+	isCompiledBinary?: boolean;
+	leafPackageDir?: string | null;
+}
+
+export interface NativeLoaderContext {
+	platformTag: string;
+	packageVersion: string;
+	nativeDir: string;
+	leafPackageDir: string | null;
+	versionedDir: string;
+	isCompiledBinary: boolean;
+	stageFromNodeModules: boolean;
+	selectedVariant: "modern" | "baseline" | null;
+	addonFilenames: string[];
+	addonLabel: string;
+	candidates: string[];
+	versionSentinelExport: string;
+	isWorkspaceLoad: boolean;
+	nativesDir: string;
+}
+
+export function initLoaderContext(overrides?: InitLoaderContextOverrides): NativeLoaderContext;
+
 export interface CleanupStaleNativeVersionsInput {
 	nativesDir: string;
 	currentVersion: string;
diff --git a/packages/natives/native/loader-state.js b/packages/natives/native/loader-state.js
index 1ce76b984..9ae2efdd9 100644
--- a/packages/natives/native/loader-state.js
+++ b/packages/natives/native/loader-state.js
@@ -698,10 +698,13 @@ function buildHelpMessage(ctx) {
  * Called from `loadNative()` rather than at module scope so importing pure
  * helpers from this file doesn't trigger AVX2 detection or filesystem probes.
  */
-function initLoaderContext() {
+/**
+ * @param {{ nativeDir?: string; isCompiledBinary?: boolean; leafPackageDir?: string | null }} [overrides]
+ */
+export function initLoaderContext(overrides = {}) {
 	const platformTag = `${process.platform}-${process.arch}`;
 	const packageVersion = packageJson.version;
-	const nativeDir = path.join(import.meta.dir, "..", "native");
+	const nativeDir = overrides.nativeDir ?? path.join(import.meta.dir, "..", "native");
 	const execDir = path.dirname(process.execPath);
 	const nativesDir = getNativesDir();
 	const versionedDir = path.join(nativesDir, packageVersion);
@@ -710,14 +713,21 @@ function initLoaderContext() {
 			? path.join(process.env.LOCALAPPDATA || path.join(os.homedir(), "AppData", "Local"), "omp")
 			: path.join(os.homedir(), ".local", "bin");
 
-	const isCompiledBinary = detectCompiledBinary({
-		embeddedAddon,
-		env: process.env,
-		importMetaUrl: import.meta.url,
-	});
+	const isCompiledBinary =
+		overrides.isCompiledBinary ??
+		detectCompiledBinary({
+			embeddedAddon,
+			env: process.env,
+			importMetaUrl: import.meta.url,
+		});
 	const isWorkspaceLoad =
 		!isCompiledBinary && !nativeDir.includes("\\node_modules\\") && !nativeDir.includes("/node_modules/");
-	const leafPackageDir = isCompiledBinary || isWorkspaceLoad ? null : resolveLeafPackageDir(platformTag);
+	const leafPackageDir =
+		isCompiledBinary || isWorkspaceLoad
+			? null
+			: overrides.leafPackageDir === undefined
+				? resolveLeafPackageDir(platformTag)
+				: overrides.leafPackageDir;
 	const stageFromNodeModules = shouldStageNodeModulesAddon({
 		platform: process.platform,
 		isCompiledBinary,
diff --git a/packages/natives/test/windows-staging.test.ts b/packages/natives/test/windows-staging.test.ts
index fbb577e1b..d30757507 100644
--- a/packages/natives/test/windows-staging.test.ts
+++ b/packages/natives/test/windows-staging.test.ts
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import * as path from "node:path";
 import {
 	cleanupStaleNativeVersions,
 	getAddonFilenames,
+	initLoaderContext,
 	resolveLoaderCandidates,
 	shouldStageNodeModulesAddon,
 } from "../native/loader-state.js";
@@ -114,6 +115,28 @@ describe("windows native addon staging", () => {
 		expect(candidates).not.toContain(userDataBaseline);
 	});
 
+	it("omits leaf-package candidates only for workspace loads", () => {
+		const leafPackageDir = "/tmp/node_modules/@oh-my-pi/pi-natives-darwin-arm64";
+		const workspace = initLoaderContext({
+			isCompiledBinary: false,
+			nativeDir: "/tmp/oh-my-pi/packages/natives/native",
+			leafPackageDir,
+		});
+		const installed = initLoaderContext({
+			isCompiledBinary: false,
+			nativeDir: "/tmp/node_modules/@oh-my-pi/pi-natives/native",
+			leafPackageDir,
+		});
+		const leafCandidate = path.join(leafPackageDir, workspace.addonFilenames[0]);
+
+		expect(workspace.isWorkspaceLoad).toBe(true);
+		expect(workspace.leafPackageDir).toBeNull();
+		expect(workspace.candidates).not.toContain(leafCandidate);
+		expect(installed.isWorkspaceLoad).toBe(false);
+		expect(installed.leafPackageDir).toBe(leafPackageDir);
+		expect(installed.candidates).toContain(leafCandidate);
+	});
+
 	it("falls back to the node_modules-only candidate list when staging is off", () => {
 		// Mirrors the non-Windows / workspace-dev path: same behavior as before
 		// the staging feature was introduced.