diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 887ffe4e94..262a6de436 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,6 +7,11 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Fixed
+
+- **Compiled archon binaries no longer crash at startup when the Pi provider is bundled.** `@mariozechner/pi-coding-agent/dist/config.js` runs `readFileSync(getPackageJsonPath(), 'utf-8')` at module top-level, which inside a compiled binary resolves to `dirname(process.execPath) + '/package.json'` — a path that doesn't exist next to `/usr/local/bin/archon`, making every archon command (including `archon version`) crash with ENOENT before it ran. The Pi SDK and all Pi-dependent helper modules are now dynamically imported inside `PiProvider.sendQuery()`; registering Pi and instantiating the provider no longer touches Pi's module-init side effects. A regression test (`provider-lazy-load.test.ts`) walks the same `registerCommunityProviders()` + `getAgentProvider('pi')` path the CLI and server take and asserts neither SDK package was resolved. Claude and Codex providers keep their static import style — their SDKs have no equivalent module-init side effect. Unblocks the v0.3.7 release binaries that could not ship because of this bug. (#1355)
+- **Release binary compile no longer silently produces broken bytecode.** `scripts/build-binaries.sh` dropped the `--bytecode` flag: Bun 1.3.11's bytecode step failed with `Failed to generate bytecode for ./cli.js` against the 0.3.7 module graph and fell through to producing a binary that crashed at module instantiation with "Expected CommonJS module to have a function wrapper". Windows was already excluded; this removes the flag everywhere. Release parity preserved via `--minify`. (#1354)
+
 ## [0.3.7] - 2026-04-22
 
 Pi community provider, home-scoped workflows/commands/scripts, worktree policy, Web UI approval-gate auto-resume, three-path env model, and a breaking change to Claude Code binary resolution for compiled binary users.
diff --git a/packages/providers/package.json b/packages/providers/package.json
index 5937d54658..25227c7a7b 100644
--- a/packages/providers/package.json
+++ b/packages/providers/package.json
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
     "./registry": "./src/registry.ts"
   },
   "scripts": {
-    "test": "bun test src/claude/provider.test.ts && bun test src/codex/provider.test.ts && bun test src/registry.test.ts && bun test src/codex/binary-guard.test.ts && bun test src/codex/binary-resolver.test.ts && bun test src/codex/binary-resolver-dev.test.ts && bun test src/claude/binary-resolver.test.ts && bun test src/claude/binary-resolver-dev.test.ts && bun test src/community/pi/model-ref.test.ts && bun test src/community/pi/config.test.ts && bun test src/community/pi/event-bridge.test.ts && bun test src/community/pi/options-translator.test.ts && bun test src/community/pi/session-resolver.test.ts && bun test src/community/pi/provider.test.ts",
+    "test": "bun test src/claude/provider.test.ts && bun test src/codex/provider.test.ts && bun test src/registry.test.ts && bun test src/codex/binary-guard.test.ts && bun test src/codex/binary-resolver.test.ts && bun test src/codex/binary-resolver-dev.test.ts && bun test src/claude/binary-resolver.test.ts && bun test src/claude/binary-resolver-dev.test.ts && bun test src/community/pi/model-ref.test.ts && bun test src/community/pi/config.test.ts && bun test src/community/pi/event-bridge.test.ts && bun test src/community/pi/options-translator.test.ts && bun test src/community/pi/session-resolver.test.ts && bun test src/community/pi/provider.test.ts && bun test src/community/pi/provider-lazy-load.test.ts",
     "type-check": "bun x tsc --noEmit"
   },
   "dependencies": {
diff --git a/packages/providers/src/community/pi/provider-lazy-load.test.ts b/packages/providers/src/community/pi/provider-lazy-load.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..04ee0d1919
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/providers/src/community/pi/provider-lazy-load.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+/**
+ * Regression test: Pi SDK must not load at module-import time.
+ *
+ * Pi's `@mariozechner/pi-coding-agent/dist/config.js` runs
+ * `readFileSync(getPackageJsonPath(), 'utf-8')` at module top-level. Inside
+ * a compiled Archon binary `getPackageJsonPath()` resolves to
+ * `dirname(process.execPath) + '/package.json'`, which doesn't exist — so
+ * any static import chain from `@archon/providers` into the Pi SDK crashes
+ * archon at startup with ENOENT before any command runs (v0.3.7 symptom).
+ *
+ * Detection strategy: replace both Pi SDK packages with `mock.module`
+ * factories that flip a boolean the first time something resolves them.
+ * Walk the same registration path the CLI and server take and assert
+ * neither flag tipped. A throwing factory would abort the failing import
+ * before the `expect` calls run, producing a crash at resolution time with
+ * no assertion context — counters keep failures actionable.
+ *
+ * Runs in its own `bun test` invocation because Bun's `mock.module` is
+ * process-wide and would poison `provider.test.ts`, which installs benign
+ * stubs for the same modules (see CLAUDE.md on test isolation).
+ */
+import { expect, mock, test } from 'bun:test';
+
+// Counter-based detection — see the file header for why not `throw`.
+let piCodingAgentLoaded = false;
+let piAiLoaded = false;
+
+mock.module('@mariozechner/pi-coding-agent', () => {
+  piCodingAgentLoaded = true;
+  return {};
+});
+mock.module('@mariozechner/pi-ai', () => {
+  piAiLoaded = true;
+  return {};
+});
+
+test('registering and instantiating the Pi provider does not eagerly load the Pi SDK', async () => {
+  // Go through the same public entrypoint the CLI and server call.
+  // `registerCommunityProviders()` pulls in the full registration path
+  // (registry.ts → registration.ts → provider.ts → provider's helpers).
+  const { clearRegistry, getAgentProvider, registerCommunityProviders } =
+    await import('../../registry');
+
+  clearRegistry();
+  registerCommunityProviders();
+
+  const provider = getAgentProvider('pi');
+  expect(provider.getType()).toBe('pi');
+  expect(provider.getCapabilities()).toBeDefined();
+
+  // If either of these fails, someone reintroduced a static (non-type)
+  // `import { ... }` from a Pi SDK package somewhere in the module chain
+  // reachable from `registerCommunityProviders()`. Fix by moving that value
+  // import inside `PiProvider.sendQuery()`'s dynamic-import block.
+  expect(piCodingAgentLoaded).toBe(false);
+  expect(piAiLoaded).toBe(false);
+});
diff --git a/packages/providers/src/community/pi/provider.ts b/packages/providers/src/community/pi/provider.ts
index f0171df202..e4b6804762 100644
--- a/packages/providers/src/community/pi/provider.ts
+++ b/packages/providers/src/community/pi/provider.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,5 @@
 import { createLogger } from '@archon/paths';
-import {
-  AuthStorage,
-  ModelRegistry,
-  SettingsManager,
-  createAgentSession,
-} from '@mariozechner/pi-coding-agent';
-import { getModel, type Api, type Model } from '@mariozechner/pi-ai';
+import type { Api, Model } from '@mariozechner/pi-ai';
 
 import type {
   IAgentProvider,
@@ -16,12 +10,20 @@ import type {
 
 import { PI_CAPABILITIES } from './capabilities';
 import { parsePiConfig } from './config';
-import { bridgeSession } from './event-bridge';
 import { parsePiModelRef } from './model-ref';
-import { resolvePiSkills, resolvePiThinkingLevel, resolvePiTools } from './options-translator';
-import { createNoopResourceLoader } from './resource-loader';
-import { resolvePiSession } from './session-resolver';
-import { createArchonUIBridge, createArchonUIContext } from './ui-context-stub';
+
+// IMPORTANT: Do NOT add static `import { ... } from '@mariozechner/*'` here,
+// and do NOT statically import sibling modules that themselves import runtime
+// values from Pi (options-translator, resource-loader, session-resolver,
+// ui-context-stub, event-bridge). Pi's `@mariozechner/pi-coding-agent/dist/config.js`
+// runs `readFileSync(getPackageJsonPath(), "utf-8")` at module load; inside a
+// compiled Archon binary `getPackageJsonPath()` resolves to
+// `dirname(process.execPath) + "/package.json"` — a path that doesn't exist —
+// and archon crashes at startup before any command runs (v0.3.7 symptom).
+//
+// All Pi SDK value bindings and Pi-dependent helper modules are dynamically
+// imported inside `sendQuery()` below, which runs only when a Pi workflow is
+// actually invoked. Type-only imports above are fine — TS erases them.
 
 /**
  * Map Pi provider id → env var name used by pi-ai's getEnvApiKey().
@@ -55,14 +57,18 @@ function getLog(): ReturnType<typeof createLogger> {
  * Typed wrapper around Pi's `getModel` for a runtime-string provider/model
  * pair. Pi's getModel signature constrains `TModelId` to
  * `keyof MODELS[TProvider]`, which isn't knowable from a runtime string —
- * the cast through `unknown` is the only way to bypass it. Isolating that
- * escape hatch behind one searchable name keeps it auditable.
+ * the local `GetModelFn` alias is the narrowest shape that still lets us
+ * bypass that constraint. Isolating the escape hatch behind one searchable
+ * name keeps it auditable. Takes `getModel` as a parameter because the Pi
+ * SDK is loaded dynamically (see the header comment on this file for why).
  */
-function lookupPiModel(provider: string, modelId: string): Model<Api> | undefined {
-  return (getModel as unknown as (p: string, m: string) => Model<Api> | undefined)(
-    provider,
-    modelId
-  );
+type GetModelFn = (provider: string, modelId: string) => Model<Api> | undefined;
+function lookupPiModel(
+  getModel: GetModelFn,
+  provider: string,
+  modelId: string
+): Model<Api> | undefined {
+  return getModel(provider, modelId);
 }
 
 /**
@@ -95,11 +101,12 @@ ${JSON.stringify(schema, null, 2)}`;
  * (no reuse) with in-memory auth/session/settings, so the server never
  * touches `~/.pi/` and concurrent calls don't collide.
  *
- * v1 capabilities are all false (see `capabilities.ts`): sessionResume,
- * thinkingControl, skills, mcp, etc. map to Pi features but require
- * intentional wiring before they can be declared. Under-declaring is
- * honest; the dag-executor emits warnings for any nodeConfig field not
- * supported.
+ * Capabilities (see `capabilities.ts` for the canonical list): Pi declares
+ * `sessionResume`, `skills`, `toolRestrictions`, `structuredOutput`,
+ * `envInjection`, `effortControl`, and `thinkingControl`. Features Pi does
+ * not currently support through Archon (`mcp`, `hooks`, `agents`,
+ * `costControl`, `fallbackModel`, `sandbox`) stay off; the dag-executor
+ * surfaces a warning for any unsupported nodeConfig field.
  */
 export class PiProvider implements IAgentProvider {
   async *sendQuery(
@@ -108,6 +115,33 @@ export class PiProvider implements IAgentProvider {
     resumeSessionId?: string,
     requestOptions?: SendQueryOptions
   ): AsyncGenerator<MessageChunk> {
+    // Lazy-load Pi SDK and all Pi-dependent helper modules here. Must not move
+    // these imports to module scope — see the header comment for the failure
+    // mode (archon compiled binary crashes at startup when Pi's config.js
+    // reads a package.json that doesn't exist next to the executable).
+    //
+    // Class constructors (AuthStorage, ModelRegistry, SettingsManager) are
+    // accessed via `piCodingAgent.X` rather than destructured, because
+    // destructured PascalCase bindings trip eslint's naming-convention rule.
+    const [
+      piCodingAgent,
+      piAi,
+      { bridgeSession },
+      { resolvePiSkills, resolvePiThinkingLevel, resolvePiTools },
+      { createNoopResourceLoader },
+      { resolvePiSession },
+      { createArchonUIBridge, createArchonUIContext },
+    ] = await Promise.all([
+      import('@mariozechner/pi-coding-agent'),
+      import('@mariozechner/pi-ai'),
+      import('./event-bridge'),
+      import('./options-translator'),
+      import('./resource-loader'),
+      import('./session-resolver'),
+      import('./ui-context-stub'),
+    ]);
+    const { createAgentSession } = piCodingAgent;
+
     const assistantConfig = requestOptions?.assistantConfig ?? {};
     const piConfig = parsePiConfig(assistantConfig);
 
@@ -146,7 +180,8 @@ export class PiProvider implements IAgentProvider {
 
     // 2. Look up the Model via Pi's static catalog. `lookupPiModel` returns
     //    undefined when not found; we guard explicitly below.
-    const model = lookupPiModel(parsed.provider, parsed.modelId);
+    // Cast to the runtime-string-friendly shape — see `lookupPiModel`'s docblock.
+    const model = lookupPiModel(piAi.getModel as GetModelFn, parsed.provider, parsed.modelId);
     if (!model) {
       throw new Error(
         `Pi model not found: provider='${parsed.provider}' model='${parsed.modelId}'. ` +
@@ -174,7 +209,7 @@ export class PiProvider implements IAgentProvider {
     //    OAuth refresh note: Pi refreshes expired access tokens against the
     //    provider's OAuth server and rewrites ~/.pi/agent/auth.json under a
     //    file lock (same mechanism pi CLI uses — safe for concurrent access).
-    const authStorage = AuthStorage.create();
+    const authStorage = piCodingAgent.AuthStorage.create();
 
     const envVarName = PI_PROVIDER_ENV_VARS[parsed.provider];
     const envOverride = envVarName
@@ -265,8 +300,8 @@ export class PiProvider implements IAgentProvider {
     // when piConfig.enableExtensions is true — Pi's community extension
     // ecosystem (tools + lifecycle hooks from ~/.pi/agent/extensions/ and
     // packages installed via `pi install npm:<pkg>`).
-    const modelRegistry = ModelRegistry.inMemory(authStorage);
-    const settingsManager = SettingsManager.inMemory();
+    const modelRegistry = piCodingAgent.ModelRegistry.inMemory(authStorage);
+    const settingsManager = piCodingAgent.SettingsManager.inMemory();
     // Default ON: extensions (community packages like @plannotator/pi-extension
     // or your own local ones) are a core reason users run Pi. Opt out with
     // `assistants.pi.enableExtensions: false` (or `interactive: false`) in
diff --git a/packages/providers/src/community/pi/ui-context-stub.ts b/packages/providers/src/community/pi/ui-context-stub.ts
index 99f18c63c5..70917a0068 100644
--- a/packages/providers/src/community/pi/ui-context-stub.ts
+++ b/packages/providers/src/community/pi/ui-context-stub.ts
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ import type {
   ExtensionUIDialogOptions,
   ExtensionWidgetOptions,
   TerminalInputHandler,
+  Theme,
 } from '@mariozechner/pi-coding-agent';
-import { Theme } from '@mariozechner/pi-coding-agent';
 
 import type { MessageChunk } from '../../types';