diff --git a/headroom/providers/opencode/_dist/entry.opencode.js b/headroom/providers/opencode/_dist/entry.opencode.js
index 56f9873e8..f2fb1fcbb 100644
--- a/headroom/providers/opencode/_dist/entry.opencode.js
+++ b/headroom/providers/opencode/_dist/entry.opencode.js
@@ -12484,6 +12484,7 @@ var http = nodeRequire("node:http");
 var https = nodeRequire("node:https");
 var http2 = nodeRequire("node:http2");
 var childProcess = nodeRequire("node:child_process");
+var fs = nodeRequire("node:fs");
 var BASE_URL_HEADER = "x-headroom-base-url";
 var ORIGINAL_PATH_HEADER = "x-headroom-original-path";
 var PROXY_ENV = "HEADROOM_OPENCODE_TRANSPORT_PROXY_URL";
@@ -12495,7 +12496,8 @@ function setState(state) {
   globalThis[STATE_KEY] = state;
 }
 function shimImportSpecifier() {
-  return new URL("../hook-shim/handler.js", import.meta.url).href;
+  const shim = new URL("../hook-shim/handler.js", import.meta.url);
+  return fs.existsSync(shim) ? shim.href : void 0;
 }
 function withNodeImportOption(existing, shim) {
   const parts = existing?.trim() ? existing.trim().split(/\s+/) : [];
@@ -12510,12 +12512,18 @@ function withNodeImportOption(existing, shim) {
 function withShimEnv(env, proxyUrl) {
   const nextEnv = { ...env ?? process.env };
   nextEnv[PROXY_ENV] = proxyUrl;
-  nextEnv.NODE_OPTIONS = withNodeImportOption(nextEnv.NODE_OPTIONS, shimImportSpecifier());
+  const shim = shimImportSpecifier();
+  if (shim) {
+    nextEnv.NODE_OPTIONS = withNodeImportOption(nextEnv.NODE_OPTIONS, shim);
+  }
   return nextEnv;
 }
 function installProcessEnv(proxyUrl) {
   process.env[PROXY_ENV] = proxyUrl;
-  process.env.NODE_OPTIONS = withNodeImportOption(process.env.NODE_OPTIONS, shimImportSpecifier());
+  const shim = shimImportSpecifier();
+  if (shim) {
+    process.env.NODE_OPTIONS = withNodeImportOption(process.env.NODE_OPTIONS, shim);
+  }
 }
 function isOptions(value) {
   return Boolean(value) && typeof value === "object" && !Array.isArray(value) && !(value instanceof URL);
diff --git a/plugins/opencode/src/transport.test.ts b/plugins/opencode/src/transport.test.ts
index 2e97e1fe5..39edd98de 100644
--- a/plugins/opencode/src/transport.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/opencode/src/transport.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import childProcess from "node:child_process";
+import fs from "node:fs";
 import http from "node:http";
 import http2 from "node:http2";
 import https from "node:https";
@@ -328,6 +329,35 @@ describe("Headroom OpenCode transport", () => {
     }
   });
 
+  it("skips the shim preload when the bundle ships without it (#2798)", () => {
+    const originalNodeOptions = process.env.NODE_OPTIONS;
+    const originalSpawn = childProcess.spawn;
+    const spawnMock = vi.fn(() => ({ on: vi.fn(), kill: vi.fn(), pid: 123 }));
+    childProcess.spawn = spawnMock as unknown as typeof childProcess.spawn;
+    vi.spyOn(fs, "existsSync").mockReturnValue(false);
+
+    try {
+      process.env.NODE_OPTIONS = "--trace-warnings";
+      installHeadroomTransport({ proxyUrl: "http://127.0.0.1:8787/v1" });
+
+      // A missing --import target aborts the child before it speaks JSON-RPC,
+      // which OpenCode reports as `MCP error -32000: Connection closed`.
+      expect(process.env.NODE_OPTIONS).toBe("--trace-warnings");
+
+      childProcess.spawn("npx", ["-y", "firecrawl-mcp"]);
+      const options = (spawnMock.mock.calls[0] as unknown[])[2] as { env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv };
+      expect(options.env.NODE_OPTIONS).not.toContain("--import");
+    } finally {
+      if (originalNodeOptions === undefined) {
+        delete process.env.NODE_OPTIONS;
+      } else {
+        process.env.NODE_OPTIONS = originalNodeOptions;
+      }
+      childProcess.spawn = originalSpawn;
+      uninstallHeadroomTransport();
+    }
+  });
+
   it("injects the Headroom shim into child processes with custom env", () => {
     const originalSpawn = childProcess.spawn;
     const spawnMock = vi.fn(() => ({
diff --git a/plugins/opencode/src/transport.ts b/plugins/opencode/src/transport.ts
index b7ced7912..b15d5f67d 100644
--- a/plugins/opencode/src/transport.ts
+++ b/plugins/opencode/src/transport.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ const http = nodeRequire("node:http") as typeof import("node:http");
 const https = nodeRequire("node:https") as typeof import("node:https");
 const http2 = nodeRequire("node:http2") as typeof import("node:http2");
 const childProcess = nodeRequire("node:child_process") as typeof import("node:child_process");
+const fs = nodeRequire("node:fs") as typeof import("node:fs");
 
 const BASE_URL_HEADER = "x-headroom-base-url";
 const ORIGINAL_PATH_HEADER = "x-headroom-original-path";
@@ -61,8 +62,15 @@ function setState(state: TransportState | undefined): void {
   (globalThis as GlobalWithHeadroomTransport)[STATE_KEY] = state;
 }
 
-function shimImportSpecifier(): string {
-  return new URL("../hook-shim/handler.js", import.meta.url).href;
+// ponytail: the shim only exists next to the checkout build
+// (plugins/opencode/dist/). The wheel ships entry.opencode.js alone, so
+// `--import=<missing file>` killed every Node child at startup — including
+// OpenCode's stdio MCP servers (issue #2798). No shim on disk, no injection:
+// children go direct instead of dying. Upgrade path is bundling the shim into
+// _dist/ so wheel installs get child-process routing back.
+function shimImportSpecifier(): string | undefined {
+  const shim = new URL("../hook-shim/handler.js", import.meta.url);
+  return fs.existsSync(shim) ? shim.href : undefined;
 }
 
 function withNodeImportOption(existing: string | undefined, shim: string): string {
@@ -79,13 +87,19 @@ function withNodeImportOption(existing: string | undefined, shim: string): strin
 function withShimEnv(env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv | Record<string, unknown> | undefined, proxyUrl: string): NodeJS.ProcessEnv {
   const nextEnv = { ...(env ?? process.env) } as NodeJS.ProcessEnv;
   nextEnv[PROXY_ENV] = proxyUrl;
-  nextEnv.NODE_OPTIONS = withNodeImportOption(nextEnv.NODE_OPTIONS, shimImportSpecifier());
+  const shim = shimImportSpecifier();
+  if (shim) {
+    nextEnv.NODE_OPTIONS = withNodeImportOption(nextEnv.NODE_OPTIONS, shim);
+  }
   return nextEnv;
 }
 
 function installProcessEnv(proxyUrl: string): void {
   process.env[PROXY_ENV] = proxyUrl;
-  process.env.NODE_OPTIONS = withNodeImportOption(process.env.NODE_OPTIONS, shimImportSpecifier());
+  const shim = shimImportSpecifier();
+  if (shim) {
+    process.env.NODE_OPTIONS = withNodeImportOption(process.env.NODE_OPTIONS, shim);
+  }
 }
 
 function isOptions(value: unknown): value is Record<string, unknown> {