diff --git a/src/artifacts/DirectoryArtifactReader.ts b/src/artifacts/DirectoryArtifactReader.ts
index 673a84d37..a9e339be5 100644
--- a/src/artifacts/DirectoryArtifactReader.ts
+++ b/src/artifacts/DirectoryArtifactReader.ts
@@ -22,7 +22,11 @@ export class DirectoryArtifactReader implements ArtifactReader {
     this.#rootPromise = realpath(root);
   }
 
-  async *entries(signal?: AbortSignal): AsyncIterable<ArtifactEntry> {
+  /** Enumerate entries, optionally restricting descent while retaining directories. */
+  async *entries(
+    signal?: AbortSignal,
+    descendInto?: (path: string) => boolean,
+  ): AsyncIterable<ArtifactEntry> {
     const root = await this.#rootPromise.catch((cause: unknown) => {
       throw directoryIoFailure("resolve artifact root", this.#rootPath, cause);
     });
@@ -66,7 +70,8 @@ export class DirectoryArtifactReader implements ArtifactReader {
               ? "file"
               : undefined;
         if (kind === undefined) continue;
-        if (kind === "directory") directories.push(absolute);
+        if (kind === "directory" && (descendInto?.(path) ?? true))
+          directories.push(absolute);
         yield {
           path,
           kind,
diff --git a/src/artifacts/apple/KeyedArchiveReader.ts b/src/artifacts/apple/KeyedArchiveReader.ts
index fefc6d97a..ec50ab4cf 100644
--- a/src/artifacts/apple/KeyedArchiveReader.ts
+++ b/src/artifacts/apple/KeyedArchiveReader.ts
@@ -148,8 +148,20 @@ export const inspectBundleKeyedArchive = async (input: {
     // Match inventory spelling while retaining the raw path for I/O and evidence.
     const wanted = selected.path.normalize("NFC");
     const matches: ArtifactEntry[] = [];
-    for await (const entry of reader.entries(input.signal)) {
+    for await (const entry of reader.entries(input.signal, (directory) =>
+      wanted.startsWith(`${directory.normalize("NFC")}/`),
+    )) {
       if (entry.path.normalize("NFC") !== wanted) continue;
+      if (entry.kind !== "file")
+        throw archivePathError(
+          "invalid_value",
+          `Archive path selects a ${entry.kind}, not a regular file: ${selected.path}`,
+        );
+      if ((entry.declaredSize ?? 0) > MAX_BYTES)
+        throw new ArtifactReaderFailure(
+          "limit",
+          "Keyed archive exceeds 64 MiB",
+        );
       matches.push(entry);
     }
     if (matches.length > 1)
@@ -163,13 +175,6 @@ export const inspectBundleKeyedArchive = async (input: {
         "invalid_value",
         `No regular file exists at ${selected.path} in the active app bundle.`,
       );
-    if (entry.kind !== "file")
-      throw archivePathError(
-        "invalid_value",
-        `Archive path selects a ${entry.kind}, not a regular file: ${selected.path}`,
-      );
-    if ((entry.declaredSize ?? 0) > MAX_BYTES)
-      throw new ArtifactReaderFailure("limit", "Keyed archive exceeds 64 MiB");
     const stream = await reader.open(entry, input.signal);
     const chunks: Buffer[] = [];
     let size = 0;
diff --git a/tests/boundary/filesystem/keyedArchiveSelection.test.ts b/tests/boundary/filesystem/keyedArchiveSelection.test.ts
index 7b3e54292..68f24d5b3 100644
--- a/tests/boundary/filesystem/keyedArchiveSelection.test.ts
+++ b/tests/boundary/filesystem/keyedArchiveSelection.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { createHash } from "node:crypto";
-import { mkdir, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { chmod, mkdir, readdir, truncate, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { join } from "node:path";
 
 import { build } from "plist";
@@ -67,6 +67,82 @@ it.each([
   },
 );
 
+it.skipIf(process.platform === "win32" || process.getuid?.() === 0)(
+  "rejects a selected unreadable directory before descending into it",
+  async () => {
+    const root = await bundle();
+    const selected = join(root, "Contents", "Resources");
+    await chmod(selected, 0);
+    try {
+      await expect(readdir(selected)).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: "EACCES" });
+      await expect(
+        inspect(root, { path: "Contents/Resources" }),
+      ).rejects.toMatchObject({
+        issues: [
+          {
+            path: ["path"],
+            reason: "invalid_value",
+            message: expect.stringContaining("selects a directory"),
+          },
+        ],
+      });
+    } finally {
+      await chmod(selected, 0o700);
+    }
+  },
+);
+
+it.skipIf(process.platform === "win32" || process.getuid?.() === 0)(
+  "inspects an active standalone archive without opening unrelated directories",
+  async () => {
+    const root = await createTestTempDirectory("rea-keyed-standalone-scope-");
+    const path = join(root, "Model.plist");
+    const bytes = Buffer.from(archive);
+    const sha256 = createHash("sha256").update(bytes).digest("hex");
+    await writeFile(path, bytes);
+    const blocked = join(root, "unrelated");
+    await mkdir(blocked);
+    await chmod(blocked, 0);
+    try {
+      await expect(readdir(blocked)).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: "EACCES" });
+      const result = await new ArtifactProvider(process.env, "darwin")
+        .createClient({ path, sha256, kind: "artifact", format: "plist" })
+        .execute("inspect_keyed_archive", {});
+      if (!result.ok) throw result.error;
+      expect(result.value.result).toMatchObject({
+        archive_path: "Model.plist",
+        archive_sha256: sha256,
+      });
+    } finally {
+      await chmod(blocked, 0o700);
+    }
+  },
+);
+
+it.skipIf(process.platform === "win32" || process.getuid?.() === 0)(
+  "reports the selected oversized archive limit despite an unreadable sibling",
+  async () => {
+    const root = await createTestTempDirectory("rea-keyed-size-scope-");
+    const path = join(root, "Large.plist");
+    await writeFile(path, archive);
+    await truncate(path, 64 * 1024 * 1024 + 1);
+    const blocked = join(root, "unrelated");
+    await mkdir(blocked);
+    await chmod(blocked, 0);
+    try {
+      await expect(readdir(blocked)).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: "EACCES" });
+      await expect(
+        inspect(root, { path: "Large.plist" }),
+      ).rejects.toMatchObject({
+        reason: "limit",
+        message: "Keyed archive exceeds 64 MiB",
+      });
+    } finally {
+      await chmod(blocked, 0o700);
+    }
+  },
+);
+
 it("reports an absent named root with the archive's available roots", async () => {
   const root = await bundle();
   await expect(
@@ -184,6 +260,38 @@ it("selects a decomposed bundle path by its normalized spelling and reports the
   );
 });
 
+it("selects normalized intermediate directories while preserving their raw spelling", async () => {
+  const root = await createTestTempDirectory("rea-keyed-unicode-ancestors-");
+  const directory = "Cafe\u0301/Neste\u0301";
+  const rawPath = `${directory}/Model.plist`;
+  await mkdir(join(root, directory), { recursive: true });
+  await writeFile(join(root, rawPath), archive);
+  const result = await inspect(root, { path: rawPath.normalize("NFC") });
+  expect(result.archive_path).toBe(rawPath);
+});
+
+it.skipIf(process.platform === "darwin" || process.platform === "win32")(
+  "rejects equivalent archive paths beneath distinct Unicode-equivalent directories",
+  async () => {
+    const root = await createTestTempDirectory("rea-keyed-unicode-branches-");
+    for (const directory of ["Caf\u00e9", "Cafe\u0301"]) {
+      await mkdir(join(root, directory));
+      await writeFile(join(root, directory, "Model.plist"), archive);
+    }
+    await expect(
+      inspect(root, { path: "Caf\u00e9/Model.plist" }),
+    ).rejects.toMatchObject({
+      issues: [
+        {
+          path: ["path"],
+          reason: "invalid_value",
+          message: expect.stringContaining("Unicode-equivalent"),
+        },
+      ],
+    });
+  },
+);
+
 it("keeps an archive readable when a non-finite real is an explicit unknown", async () => {
   const root = await bundle();
   const bytes = Buffer.from(