diff --git a/.changeset/619-define-prebuilt.md b/.changeset/619-define-prebuilt.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..860ed43a9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/619-define-prebuilt.md
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+---
+"agent-bundle": minor
+---
+
+Add `definePrebuilt` to `agent-bundle` and `agent-bundle/config`, with a
+`runtimeDependencies` field for the bare package names a prebuilt payload
+loads. Report a malformed list as `AB4740`, and as `AB4751` a name npm does
+not read as a bare package name or one `package.json` does not install for a
+consumer (`dependencies`, `optionalDependencies`, or a peer not marked
+optional); count declared runtime dependencies as used for `AB7014` and expose
+them as `NormalizedPayload.runtimeDependencies`. (#630)
diff --git a/docs/diagnostics.md b/docs/diagnostics.md
index 8beadb9cb..6becc7620 100644
--- a/docs/diagnostics.md
+++ b/docs/diagnostics.md
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ even when no error diagnostic was reported.
 | `AB471x` | Package build `lib` configuration (`AB4710`–`AB4715`) and declaration generation (`AB4716`); see below. |
 | `AB472x` | The `tools.rsbuild` / `tools.rspack` escape hatch (`AB4720`–`AB4723`: shape; `AB4724`: a framework-owned Rsbuild plugin re-added through `tools.rsbuild.plugins`; `AB4725`: `tools` externalizes a non-built-in; see below). |
 | `AB473x` | Migration nudges (informational; see below). |
-| `AB474x`/`AB4750` | Prebuilt payloads and prebuilt entries (see below). |
+| `AB4740`–`AB4751` | Prebuilt payloads and prebuilt entries (see below). |
 | `AB4760` | The published `agent-bundle/meta` identity module evaluated outside every compiled surface and outside the Rstest presets (see below). |
 | `AB4765`–`AB4766` | Artifact-hosted routed CLI: a target without the `cli` capability omits `bin/<name>.mjs`; a host-emitted file collides with it (see below). |
 | `AB477x` | MCP App view compilation (`AB4770`: compile error with file, line, column and the bundler message; `AB4771`: compile warning; `AB4772`: emitted-size advisory; see below). |
@@ -426,7 +426,7 @@ Validation happens at three moments, all fail-closed:
 | `AB7011` | An on-disk artifact file no longer matches its manifest SHA-256. Rebuild and do not modify generated host packs. |
 | `AB7012` | A `package.json` bin points outside the packed `dist` output (including `src/`) or names a file npm omitted. Point it at the generated `dist/bin` file. |
 | `AB7013` | `package.json`, normalized plugin metadata, a host manifest, or artifact provenance reports a different release version. Make every release identity agree. |
-| `AB7014` | A `package.json` `dependencies`, `optionalDependencies`, or `peerDependencies` field names packages nothing in the pack uses: no packed JavaScript imports, requires, or resolves them, or runs one of their `bin` commands, no packed declaration file references them, no `#subpath` import reaches them through the manifest's `imports` map, and no consumer-side install script (or script it delegates to) runs them (one diagnostic per field; the full evidence list follows this table). Peers `peerDependenciesMeta` marks optional are never installed and are not inspected here (their specifier is still checked by `AB7015`), and a name under both `dependencies` and `optionalDependencies` is judged by its optional entry, which npm lets override. The build inlines every dependency into `dist` and the host packs, and `AB6005` fails a compiled bundle that imports a bare specifier other than a Node built-in (`prepack` runs that build before this inventory), so a compiled bundle can never supply `import` evidence here and such an entry only makes every consumer's `npm install` fetch build-time packages; the packed-JavaScript `import` evidence class is for modules the framework copied rather than compiled — prebuilt payload modules and other packed scripts — while `require`, `createRequire`, and `import.meta.resolve` calls, which `AB6005` does not walk, count from any packed file. Move build-only packages to `devDependencies`; keep a runtime dependency only for what a prebuilt payload module imports, a packed file requires or resolves, a packed declaration references, a `#subpath` import reaches, or an install script or packed file runs. For `peerDependencies` the diagnostic is a warning: a required peer nothing imports may be a deliberate compatibility contract with the host that loads the package, though npm 7+ still installs it for every consumer — keep it, mark it optional in `peerDependenciesMeta`, or move a build-only package to `devDependencies`. |
+| `AB7014` | A `package.json` `dependencies`, `optionalDependencies`, or `peerDependencies` field names packages nothing in the pack uses: no packed JavaScript imports, requires, or resolves them, or runs one of their `bin` commands, no packed declaration file references them, no `#subpath` import reaches them through the manifest's `imports` map, and no consumer-side install script (or script it delegates to) runs them, and no prebuilt payload names them in `runtimeDependencies` (one diagnostic per field; the full evidence list follows this table). Peers `peerDependenciesMeta` marks optional are never installed and are not inspected here (their specifier is still checked by `AB7015`), and a name under both `dependencies` and `optionalDependencies` is judged by its optional entry, which npm lets override. The build inlines every dependency into `dist` and the host packs, and `AB6005` fails a compiled bundle that imports a bare specifier other than a Node built-in (`prepack` runs that build before this inventory), so a compiled bundle can never supply `import` evidence here and such an entry only makes every consumer's `npm install` fetch build-time packages; the packed-JavaScript `import` evidence class is for modules the framework copied rather than compiled — prebuilt payload modules and other packed scripts — while `require`, `createRequire`, and `import.meta.resolve` calls, which `AB6005` does not walk, count from any packed file. Move build-only packages to `devDependencies`; keep a runtime dependency only for what a prebuilt payload module imports, a packed file requires or resolves, a packed declaration references, a `#subpath` import reaches, an install script or packed file runs, or a prebuilt payload names in `runtimeDependencies` (`definePrebuilt`). For `peerDependencies` the diagnostic is a warning: a required peer nothing imports may be a deliberate compatibility contract with the host that loads the package, though npm 7+ still installs it for every consumer — keep it, mark it optional in `peerDependenciesMeta`, or move a build-only package to `devDependencies`. |
 | `AB7015` | A `package.json` `dependencies`, `optionalDependencies`, or `peerDependencies` entry that a consumer's npm cannot resolve through a registry. Each entry — name and specifier together, the value exactly as written (a leading space makes `" npm:bar@1"` an invalid dist-tag, not an alias) — is read with `npm-package-arg`, the parser npm, Arborist, and pacote share, so the verdict is npm's own rather than an imitation of its grammar: **registry** (a version, range, or dist-tag, or an `npm:` alias of one — the only kind a published package can rely on), **fetched** (parseable, but a `git`/`github:`/`gitlab:`/`bitbucket:`/`gist:` source or `owner/repo` shorthand, an `http(s):` tarball, or a `file:`/relative/bare path or tarball filename — npm 12 refuses git and remote fetches by default (`allow-git=none`, `allow-remote=none`) and a path never exists on the consumer's disk), or **unparseable** (npm rejects the manifest before fetching anything: `EINVALIDPACKAGENAME` for a name such as `bad name`, `.hidden`, or `node_modules`; `EUNSUPPORTEDPROTOCOL` for `link:`, `portal:`, `jsr:`, a `git+` transport npm lacks, or a typo; `EINVALIDTAGNAME` for a selector that is neither a range nor a URL-safe dist-tag, such as `"not a valid spec"`; an `npm:` alias without a name or with a non-registry target, since aliases only work for registry dependencies; or an invalid URL such as `http:%zz`). A fetched specifier is reported on installed entries only; an unparseable one is reported on every entry, even an optional peer npm would never install, because the manifest read itself fails. A peer that `dependencies` or `optionalDependencies` also names is judged by that concrete entry alone: npm resolves the concrete declaration and never reads the duplicate peer's selector. For an `optionalDependencies` entry that is fetched, the diagnostic is a warning, not an error (`agent-bundle prepack` prints it and exits 0): npm continues an install without such a dependency, but every consumer still tries and fails to fetch it. It stays an error when the entry is unparseable, or when a consumer-side install script needs the skipped package — runs one of its `bin` commands in command position (`setup-tool --init`, `npx setup-tool`, `cross-env CI=1 setup-tool`, `./node_modules/.bin/setup-tool`; a mention elsewhere, `echo setup-tool`, proves nothing), runs one of its files (`node node_modules/setup-tool/install.js`), loads it from an inline program (`node -e "require('setup-tool')"`, `node --input-type=module -e "await import('setup-tool')"`, also `-p`, `-pe`, `--eval=…`, `--print=…`; the program is read as a packed file is — `require`, `createRequire`, and `import()` — and a computed load there, or a program the lexer rejects, may need any declared package), preloads it (`node -r setup-tool/register install.js`; `-r`/`--require`, `--import`, `--loader`/`--experimental-loader`, with a space or `=` before the module — read as Node does, `node [options] script [arguments]`: options end at the first positional (the script, or an argument when `-e`/`-p` supply the program) or a `--`, valued options such as `--conditions x` or `--env-file x` taking their word with them, so `node install.js --require x` passes `--require x` to `install.js` and preloads nothing; a `NODE_OPTIONS` assignment on the same command — `NODE_OPTIONS=--require=setup-tool/register node install.js`, `cross-env NODE_OPTIONS="-r setup-tool/register" node .` — supplies options Node applies before the command line's, while one `export`ed by an earlier command is not read), or runs a packed file (`node install.cjs`, `node scripts/install` resolving `scripts/install.js`, `node "scripts/my install.cjs"`, `node install.js&&echo done`, `node .` or `node ./` running the root `main`, `node --import ./setup.mjs .` running a packed preload) that imports it — every word of the script that names a packed JavaScript file counts as run, deliberately, so that runners this gate does not model (`tsx`, `ts-node`, `zx`, `bun`, `deno run`, `npx <runner>`) still have the dependencies their file loads traced; the cost is a rare escalation for a word that names a packed file without running it (`echo install.js`), which the diagnostic makes visible by naming the file — directly, through relative imports inside the tarball (`require("./lib")` following `lib/package.json`'s `main` before `lib/index.js`, as Node does), or through the `imports` map resolved as Node does (`"#setup": "./setup.js"`; `#setup/foo` through `"#setup/*": "./scripts/*.js"`, a preloaded `#setup` included): npm continues past the failed fetch, then the script fails on the missing command or module. Each command of a script is read on its own: after a shell operator (`&&`, `;`, and the rest) or a newline — the second line of a script, and each lifecycle script after the first, starts a new command — and Node's options belong to `node` alone (`rm -r dist` preloads nothing, `npm --prefix . run setup` runs no `main`). Depend on a published registry version, or bundle the package and declare it under `devDependencies`. Entries the tarball itself carries are never reported, since a consumer does not fetch them: `bundleDependencies` (by name or `true`; never a peer, which npm cannot bundle; only when the pack inventory contains `node_modules/<name>/package.json`, since npm silently packs nothing for a bundled name absent from `node_modules`), and a `file:` or bare path inside the package (`file:vendor/foo`, `file:vendor/foo.tgz`) whose packed source npm can install from — a directory whose packed `package.json` parses to an object, or a packed tarball (gzipped or plain tar, ustar headers with valid checksums and payloads inside the archive) whose `<dir>/package.json` entry parses to an object — since npm installs it from the consumer's own copy. A path that escapes the package (`file:../sibling`), whose source is not packed, or whose packed source is not installable (a `.tgz` that is not an archive, or is malformed or truncated, fails the consumer's install with `TAR_BAD_ARCHIVE`; a manifest that does not parse, on disk or inside the archive, fails it with `EJSONPARSE`) is reported. `workspace:` and `catalog:` count as registry specifiers only when the `prepack` lifecycle runs under pnpm, Yarn, or Bun (`npm_config_user_agent`), which rewrite them in the tarball they pack; `npm publish` publishes them verbatim and consumers fail with `EUNSUPPORTEDPROTOCOL`, so under npm — or when `agent-bundle prepack` runs outside any package-manager lifecycle — they are reported. The `npm pack --dry-run` that `prepack` itself spawns is only the file inventory; the tarball consumers receive is the lifecycle's packer's, which is what the user agent identifies. |
 
 Compiled bundles reach this gate without bare imports: `prepack` builds before it packs, and the compiler
@@ -435,7 +435,9 @@ reports `AB6005` when a `dist` bundle or host-pack module keeps anything other t
 at all. The emitted-module walk remains behind that compile-time check, so the lexed `import` evidence below describes prebuilt payload modules and other packed scripts the
 framework did not compile. A `require`, `createRequire(…)(…)`, or `import.meta.resolve(…)` call the compiler
 does not resolve is not a module dependency; its evidence is read from every packed file, compiled bundles
-included. The dependency evidence is read from the packed bytes themselves: every `.js`/`.mjs`/`.cjs` file
+included. Because the compiler never opens a payload file, its
+`runtimeDependencies` declaration also counts as dependency evidence. The
+dependency evidence is read from the packed bytes themselves: every `.js`/`.mjs`/`.cjs` file
 `npm pack --dry-run` lists is lexed for static and dynamic `import` specifiers and scanned for
 literal `require("…")` and `.resolve("…")` calls (`require.resolve`, `createRequire(…).resolve`,
 `import.meta.resolve`: a package located only to find an asset is still a runtime dependency; a
@@ -763,7 +765,7 @@ make the module self-executing (drop the default export and run at top
 level); or prefix a path segment with `_` (`src/scripts/_name.ts`) to keep
 the module out of script discovery and bin-only.
 
-## Prebuilt payloads (`AB4740`–`AB4750`)
+## Prebuilt payloads (`AB4740`–`AB4751`)
 
 The `payload` block and `{ prebuilt: ... }` entries (see
 `docs/entry-conventions.md`) package files the framework did not compile.
@@ -774,7 +776,7 @@ simply not been built yet is a validation **warning** that only
 
 | Code | Severity | Trigger |
 | --- | --- | --- |
-| `AB4740` | error | The `payload` block, one entry, or its `targets` list is malformed, or a payload selects an unknown target. |
+| `AB4740` | error | The `payload` block, one entry, or its `targets` list is malformed, or a payload selects an unknown target. A `runtimeDependencies` list that is not an array of nonempty strings is also `AB4740`. |
 | `AB4741` | error | A payload destination is not a safe directory name, or shadows a compiler-owned artifact namespace (`assets`, `hooks`, `mcp`, `mcp-apps`, `scripts`, `skills`, root documents). |
 | `AB4742` | error | A payload source escapes the project root, is not a directory, or contains another payload's source. |
 | `AB4743` | warning | A declared payload directory does not exist yet or contains no files. Run the project's own build first. |
@@ -785,6 +787,7 @@ simply not been built yet is a validation **warning** that only
 | `AB4748` | error (build) | `agent-bundle build` refuses a prebuilt entry file absent from its payload. |
 | `AB4749` | error (build) | A payload directory overlaps the artifact `--output` root. |
 | `AB4750` | info | A payload is older than the newest project source file and may be stale; rerun the project's own build if so. |
+| `AB4751` | error | A `runtimeDependencies` entry is not a bare package name as npm reads one (a subpath such as `sharp/lib`, a selector such as `sharp@1`, a path, or a URL scheme), or `package.json` does not declare it as a dependency a consumer installs — `dependencies`, `optionalDependencies`, or a peer not marked optional in `peerDependenciesMeta` (the set `AB7014` judges). The declaration check is skipped when `package.json` is missing (silent) or unparsable or outside the root (`AB4011`). |
 
 ## Build-time identity outside the compiler (`AB4760`)
 
diff --git a/docs/entry-conventions.md b/docs/entry-conventions.md
index bb7b74d77..715da7dae 100644
--- a/docs/entry-conventions.md
+++ b/docs/entry-conventions.md
@@ -1139,11 +1139,17 @@ declares already-built directory trees the build packages **as-is**, and the
 inside them:
 
 ```ts
+import { defineConfig, definePrebuilt } from 'agent-bundle';
+
 export default defineConfig({
   payload: {
     // key = artifact-root destination directory, value = the built tree
     app: './dist/app',
-    runtime: { source: './dist/runtime', targets: ['claude', 'codex'] },
+    runtime: definePrebuilt({
+      source: './dist/runtime',
+      targets: ['claude', 'codex'],
+      runtimeDependencies: ['sharp'],
+    }),
   },
   mcp: {
     servers: {
@@ -1191,6 +1197,14 @@ export default defineConfig({
   simulatable hook index. MCP Apps declared on a prebuilt server stay a
   development surface (the Workbench compiles them live); the build assumes
   the payload already serves the resource.
+- **Declare what the payload loads.** Because payload trees are opaque,
+  `runtimeDependencies` on a `definePrebuilt` entry lists the bare package
+  names its files load. A name npm would not read as a bare package name,
+  or one `package.json` does not install for a consumer (`dependencies`,
+  `optionalDependencies`, or a peer not marked optional), is `AB4751`; a
+  malformed list is `AB4740`. The declaration check is skipped when
+  `package.json` is missing (silent), unparsable, or outside the root
+  (`AB4011`), and declared names count as used for `AB7014`.
 - **Ordering.** Run your own build before `agent-bundle build`: a missing or
   empty payload is a validation warning (`AB4743`/`AB4745`) so `dev` works
   from a clean checkout, but `agent-bundle build` refuses it
diff --git a/packages/agent-bundle/src/build/pack-dependencies.ts b/packages/agent-bundle/src/build/pack-dependencies.ts
index ebab0b70c..3a9d07205 100644
--- a/packages/agent-bundle/src/build/pack-dependencies.ts
+++ b/packages/agent-bundle/src/build/pack-dependencies.ts
@@ -28,95 +28,6 @@ import { readModuleImports, type ModuleImport } from './module-imports.ts';
  * import).
  */
 
-/**
- * The `package.json` fields npm installs alongside the published package.
- * `peerDependencies` counts because npm 7+ installs peers automatically;
- * `devDependencies` never reach a consumer and are not inspected.
- */
-export const installedDependencyFields = Object.freeze([
-  'dependencies',
-  'optionalDependencies',
-  'peerDependencies',
-] as const);
-
-export type InstalledDependencyField = (typeof installedDependencyFields)[number];
-
-export interface DeclaredDependency {
-  readonly field: InstalledDependencyField;
-  readonly name: string;
-  readonly specifier: string;
-  /** Embedded in the tarball by npm (`bundleDependencies`), so a consumer never fetches its specifier. */
-  readonly bundled: boolean;
-  /**
-   * Fetched for a consumer. `false` for a peer `peerDependenciesMeta` marks
-   * optional: npm parses its specifier — an unsupported protocol still fails
-   * the install — but never installs it, so no packed file has to use it.
-   */
-  readonly installed: boolean;
-}
-
-/** Peers `peerDependenciesMeta` marks optional: npm parses but never installs them. */
-const optionalPeers = (packageDocument: Readonly<Record<string, unknown>>): ReadonlySet<string> => {
-  const meta = packageDocument.peerDependenciesMeta;
-  return new Set(isRecord(meta)
-    ? Object.entries(meta).filter(([, entry]) => isRecord(entry) && entry.optional === true).map(([name]) => name)
-    : []);
-};
-
-/**
- * Which dependencies npm embeds under `node_modules` in the published tarball:
- * `bundleDependencies` (or the `bundledDependencies` spelling) as a name list,
- * or `true` for every entry of `dependencies`. Peers are never bundled, whatever
- * the list says: npm packs no `node_modules` entry for a peer-only name, so a
- * consumer still resolves the peer's own specifier.
- */
-const bundledDependencies = (
-  packageDocument: Readonly<Record<string, unknown>>,
-): ((field: InstalledDependencyField, name: string) => boolean) => {
-  const value = packageDocument.bundleDependencies ?? packageDocument.bundledDependencies;
-  const names = new Set(Array.isArray(value) ? value.filter((entry): entry is string => typeof entry === 'string') : []);
-  return (field, name) => field !== 'peerDependencies' && (value === true ? field === 'dependencies' : names.has(name));
-};
-
-/**
- * The entries a consumer's npm reads, one per name and field. A name in both
- * `dependencies` and `optionalDependencies` is the optional entry (npm lets
- * the optional declaration override), and a peer that `dependencies` or
- * `optionalDependencies` also names is that concrete entry — npm resolves
- * the concrete declaration and never reads the duplicate peer's selector; an
- * optional peer is kept, not `installed`.
- */
-export const declaredDependencies = (packageDocument: Readonly<Record<string, unknown>>): readonly DeclaredDependency[] => {
-  const skippedPeers = optionalPeers(packageDocument);
-  const bundled = bundledDependencies(packageDocument);
-  const entries = (field: InstalledDependencyField): readonly (readonly [string, string])[] => {
-    const value = packageDocument[field];
-    return isRecord(value) ? Object.entries(value).filter((entry): entry is [string, string] => typeof entry[1] === 'string') : [];
-  };
-  const optional = new Set(entries('optionalDependencies').map(([name]) => name));
-  const concrete = new Set([...entries('dependencies').map(([name]) => name), ...optional]);
-  const shadowed = (field: InstalledDependencyField, name: string): boolean => {
-    switch (field) {
-      case 'dependencies': return optional.has(name);
-      case 'peerDependencies': return concrete.has(name);
-      case 'optionalDependencies': return false;
-      default: {
-        const exhaustive: never = field;
-        return exhaustive;
-      }
-    }
-  };
-  return installedDependencyFields.flatMap((field) => entries(field)
-    .filter(([name]) => !shadowed(field, name))
-    .map(([name, specifier]) => ({
-      field,
-      name,
-      specifier,
-      bundled: bundled(field, name),
-      installed: !(field === 'peerDependencies' && skippedPeers.has(name)),
-    })));
-};
-
 /** Relative, package-imports (`#`), absolute, and URL-scheme specifiers (`node:`, `data:`, `file:`, `C:\`) name no package. */
 const nonPackageSpecifier = /^(?:[.#/]|[a-z][a-z0-9+.-]*:)/iu;
 /** `@scope/name` or `name`; a subpath after it is dropped. */
diff --git a/packages/agent-bundle/src/build/pack-inventory.ts b/packages/agent-bundle/src/build/pack-inventory.ts
index b358ac88a..b535222a9 100644
--- a/packages/agent-bundle/src/build/pack-inventory.ts
+++ b/packages/agent-bundle/src/build/pack-inventory.ts
@@ -10,16 +10,14 @@ import { isRecord } from '../core/strict-json.ts';
 import { readFileBytes, readFileString, runWithPlatform } from '../effect/platform.ts';
 import { artifactManifestName } from './emit.ts';
 import { parseArtifactManifest } from './manifest.ts';
+import { declaredDependencies, type DeclaredDependency, type InstalledDependencyField } from '../core/package-dependencies.ts';
 import {
   classifyDependency,
-  declaredDependencies,
   importedPackageNames,
   isWorkspaceProtocol,
   packagedSourceInstallable,
   packagedSourcePath,
-  type DeclaredDependency,
   type DependencyKind,
-  type InstalledDependencyField,
 } from './pack-dependencies.ts';
 import type { PackageBuildResult } from './package-build.ts';
 
@@ -152,7 +150,9 @@ const perField = (
  * never from a `dist` bundle or a host-pack module. A `require`,
  * `createRequire(…)(…)`, or `import.meta.resolve(…)` call is not an import
  * and `AB6005` does not walk it, so that evidence is read from every packed
- * file, compiled bundles included.
+ * file, compiled bundles included. A prebuilt payload's `runtimeDependencies`
+ * declaration is evidence of the same standing: the compiler never opens a
+ * payload file, so the author states what it loads.
  */
 const unresolvableMessage = (field: InstalledDependencyField, own: readonly DeclaredDependency[]): string =>
   `package.json ${field} names packages a consumer's npm cannot resolve through a registry (an invalid name or a non-registry specifier): ${own.map((dependency) =>
@@ -163,6 +163,7 @@ const unresolvableRecovery = 'Depend on a published registry version, or bundle
   + 'which only pnpm, Yarn, or Bun rewrite while packing.';
 
 const dependencyDiagnostics = async (options: {
+  readonly declaredRuntimeDependencies: ReadonlySet<string>;
   readonly packageDocument: Readonly<Record<string, unknown>>;
   readonly packedPaths: readonly string[];
   readonly packerRewritesWorkspaceProtocols: boolean;
@@ -212,20 +213,22 @@ const dependencyDiagnostics = async (options: {
     && !imported.installScripts.has(dependency.name);
   // A computed import() may load any declared package; nothing can then be called unused.
   const unused = imported.complete
-    ? declared.filter((dependency) => dependency.installed && !imported.names.has(dependency.name))
+    ? declared.filter((dependency) => dependency.installed
+      && !imported.names.has(dependency.name)
+      && !options.declaredRuntimeDependencies.has(dependency.name))
     : [];
   return [
     // A peer nothing imports may be a deliberate compatibility contract with the host that loads the package;
     // npm 7+ still installs it for every consumer, so it is worth a look, not a refusal.
     ...perField(unused, (field, own) => diagnostic(
       'AB7014',
-      `package.json ${field} names packages no packed JavaScript or declaration file references, runs, or install script needs: ${quoteAll(own.map((dependency) => dependency.name))}. `
+      `package.json ${field} names packages no packed JavaScript or declaration file references, runs, or install script needs, and no prebuilt payload declares: ${quoteAll(own.map((dependency) => dependency.name))}. `
         + (field === 'peerDependencies'
           ? 'If they only constrain the host version, that is a compatibility contract; npm 7+ still installs them for every consumer.'
           : 'Every consumer installs them for nothing; the emitted outputs already inline what they use.'),
       field === 'peerDependencies'
         ? 'Keep a deliberate compatibility peer, mark it optional in peerDependenciesMeta so npm stops installing it, or move a build-only package to devDependencies.'
-        : 'Move build-only packages to devDependencies; compiled bundles inline their imports (AB6005), so keep a runtime dependency only for what a prebuilt payload or other uncompiled packed module imports, a packed file requires or resolves (createRequire, import.meta.resolve), a packed declaration file references, a #subpath import reaches through the imports map, or an install script or packed JavaScript runs; a computed import() or require() in packed code withholds this check.',
+        : 'Move build-only packages to devDependencies; compiled bundles inline their imports (AB6005), so keep a runtime dependency only for what a prebuilt payload or other uncompiled packed module imports, a packed file requires or resolves (createRequire, import.meta.resolve), a packed declaration file references, a #subpath import reaches through the imports map, an install script or packed JavaScript runs, or a prebuilt payload names in runtimeDependencies (definePrebuilt); a computed import() or require() in packed code withholds this check.',
       field === 'peerDependencies' ? 'warning' : 'error',
     )),
     // npm skips an optional dependency it cannot fetch, so the install survives — but only once the specifier parsed
@@ -336,6 +339,7 @@ export const packInventoryDiagnostics = async (options: {
   }
 
   diagnostics.push(...await dependencyDiagnostics({
+    declaredRuntimeDependencies: new Set((options.model.payloads ?? []).flatMap((payload) => payload.runtimeDependencies)),
     packageDocument,
     packedPaths: [...packed],
     packerRewritesWorkspaceProtocols: options.packerRewritesWorkspaceProtocols,
diff --git a/packages/agent-bundle/src/config/index.ts b/packages/agent-bundle/src/config/index.ts
index 68c0575ed..45537d140 100644
--- a/packages/agent-bundle/src/config/index.ts
+++ b/packages/agent-bundle/src/config/index.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import type { PortableConfigExtension } from '../adapters/portable.ts';
 import type { AgentBundleConfig as CoreAgentBundleConfig } from '../core/types.ts';
 
 export { discoverProject } from './discover.ts';
-export { defineConfig } from '../core/types.ts';
+export { defineConfig, definePrebuilt } from '../core/types.ts';
 export type {
   AgentProviderContext,
   AgentProviderFactory,
diff --git a/packages/agent-bundle/src/config/normalize.ts b/packages/agent-bundle/src/config/normalize.ts
index 23368c08b..4461eda25 100644
--- a/packages/agent-bundle/src/config/normalize.ts
+++ b/packages/agent-bundle/src/config/normalize.ts
@@ -372,13 +372,15 @@ const normalizePayloads = (
   for (const [name, declaration] of Object.entries(configured).sort(([left], [right]) => left.localeCompare(right))) {
     const source = payloadDeclarationSource(loaded.context.projectRoot, declaration);
     if (source === undefined) continue;
+    const entry = typeof declaration === 'string' ? undefined : declaration;
     payloads.push({
       files: (discoveredByName.get(name)?.files ?? []).map((file) => ({ ...file })),
       id: `payload:${name}`,
       name,
       provenance: { kind: 'prebuilt', sourcePath: loaded.configPath },
+      runtimeDependencies: sortedUnique(entry?.runtimeDependencies ?? []),
       source,
-      targets: sortedUnique(typeof declaration === 'string' ? targetNames : (declaration.targets ?? targetNames)),
+      targets: sortedUnique(entry?.targets ?? targetNames),
     });
   }
   return payloads;
diff --git a/packages/agent-bundle/src/config/validate.ts b/packages/agent-bundle/src/config/validate.ts
index da8927ca6..f441c094e 100644
--- a/packages/agent-bundle/src/config/validate.ts
+++ b/packages/agent-bundle/src/config/validate.ts
@@ -12,8 +12,10 @@ import { isPlainRecord, isRecord } from '../core/strict-json.ts';
 import type { Diagnostic } from '../core/diagnostics.ts';
 import { stableJson } from '../core/digest.ts';
 import { unsupportedMcpTransportDiagnostic } from '../core/mcp-transport.ts';
+import { declaredDependencies, isBarePackageName } from '../core/package-dependencies.ts';
 import {
   developmentFallbackVersion,
+  readPackageDocument,
   snapshotPackageIdentity,
   type PackageIdentityIssueKind,
 } from '../core/project-context.ts';
@@ -1658,11 +1660,66 @@ const payloadTargetDiagnostics = (
 };
 
 /**
- * AB4740-AB4743 and the AB4750 freshness nudge: shape, destination-name,
- * source-path, and existence checks for the prebuilt `payload` block.
- * Missing or empty payloads warn here (development flows never require the
- * consumer's own build to have run); `agent-bundle build` refuses them with
- * AB4747/AB4748.
+ * The names a consumer's npm installs — `dependencies`, `optionalDependencies`,
+ * and peers not marked optional — the same set `AB7014` judges; undefined when
+ * the package document is absent or is one AB4011 already reports
+ * (unparsable, outside the root).
+ */
+const installedDependencyNames = (projectRoot: string): ReadonlySet<string> | undefined => {
+  const read = readPackageDocument(projectRoot);
+  if (read.kind !== 'document') return undefined;
+  return new Set(declaredDependencies(read.document)
+    .filter((dependency) => dependency.installed)
+    .map((dependency) => dependency.name));
+};
+
+/**
+ * AB4740/AB4751: one payload declaration's optional `runtimeDependencies`.
+ * The compiler never opens a payload file, so this list is the payload's
+ * only dependency evidence (`AB7014`); every name must be a bare package
+ * name (npm's own grammar) a consumer's npm installs.
+ */
+const payloadRuntimeDependencyDiagnostics = (
+  name: string,
+  runtimeDependencies: unknown,
+  loaded: LoadedConfig,
+  installed: ReadonlySet<string> | undefined,
+): Diagnostic[] => {
+  if (runtimeDependencies === undefined) return [];
+  if (!Array.isArray(runtimeDependencies) || !runtimeDependencies.every(nonemptyString)) {
+    return [sourceDiagnostic(
+      'AB4740',
+      `Payload ${JSON.stringify(name)} runtimeDependencies must be an array of package names.`,
+      loaded.configPath,
+    )];
+  }
+  return runtimeDependencies.flatMap((dependency: string) => {
+    if (!isBarePackageName(dependency)) {
+      return [sourceDiagnostic(
+        'AB4751',
+        `Payload ${JSON.stringify(name)} runtimeDependencies entry ${JSON.stringify(dependency)} is not a bare package name.`,
+        loaded.configPath,
+        'Name the package (e.g. "sharp" or "@scope/name"), not a subpath or a specifier.',
+      )];
+    }
+    if (installed !== undefined && !installed.has(dependency)) {
+      return [sourceDiagnostic(
+        'AB4751',
+        `Payload ${JSON.stringify(name)} runtimeDependencies names ${JSON.stringify(dependency)}, which package.json does not declare as a dependency a consumer installs (dependencies, optionalDependencies, or a peer not marked optional).`,
+        loaded.configPath,
+        'Declare the package under dependencies, optionalDependencies, or peerDependencies (not marked optional) so a consumer installs it, or remove it from runtimeDependencies.',
+      )];
+    }
+    return [];
+  });
+};
+
+/**
+ * AB4740-AB4743, AB4751, and the AB4750 freshness nudge: shape,
+ * destination-name, source-path, runtime-dependency, and existence checks
+ * for the prebuilt `payload` block. Missing or empty payloads warn here
+ * (development flows never require the consumer's own build to have run);
+ * `agent-bundle build` refuses them with AB4747/AB4748.
  */
 const validatePayload = (
   loaded: LoadedConfig,
@@ -1676,6 +1733,7 @@ const validatePayload = (
   }
   const diagnostics: Diagnostic[] = [];
   const sources: { name: string; source: string }[] = [];
+  const installed = installedDependencyNames(loaded.context.projectRoot);
   for (const [name, declaration] of Object.entries(configured)) {
     if (!isSafeOutputName(name) || reservedPayloadDestinations.has(name)) {
       const diagnostic = sourceDiagnostic(
@@ -1700,7 +1758,10 @@ const validatePayload = (
       continue;
     }
     if (typeof declaration !== 'string') {
-      diagnostics.push(...payloadTargetDiagnostics(name, declaration.targets, loaded, registry));
+      diagnostics.push(
+        ...payloadTargetDiagnostics(name, declaration.targets, loaded, registry),
+        ...payloadRuntimeDependencyDiagnostics(name, declaration.runtimeDependencies, loaded, installed),
+      );
     }
     const source = payloadDeclarationSource(loaded.context.projectRoot, declaration);
     if (source === undefined) {
diff --git a/packages/agent-bundle/src/core/package-dependencies.ts b/packages/agent-bundle/src/core/package-dependencies.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1d7ff8421
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/agent-bundle/src/core/package-dependencies.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
+import npa from 'npm-package-arg';
+
+import { isRecord } from './strict-json.ts';
+
+/**
+ * The `package.json` dependency grammar as a consumer's npm reads it, shared by
+ * the prepack gate (`build/pack-dependencies.ts`, `AB7014`/`AB7015`) and
+ * config validation (`AB4751`). A leaf so `agent-bundle/config` never loads the
+ * packed-file scanners.
+ */
+
+/**
+ * The `package.json` fields npm installs alongside the published package.
+ * `peerDependencies` counts because npm 7+ installs peers automatically;
+ * `devDependencies` never reach a consumer and are not inspected.
+ */
+const installedDependencyFields = Object.freeze([
+  'dependencies',
+  'optionalDependencies',
+  'peerDependencies',
+] as const);
+
+export type InstalledDependencyField = (typeof installedDependencyFields)[number];
+
+export interface DeclaredDependency {
+  readonly field: InstalledDependencyField;
+  readonly name: string;
+  readonly specifier: string;
+  /** Embedded in the tarball by npm (`bundleDependencies`), so a consumer never fetches its specifier. */
+  readonly bundled: boolean;
+  /**
+   * Fetched for a consumer. `false` for a peer `peerDependenciesMeta` marks
+   * optional: npm parses its specifier — an unsupported protocol still fails
+   * the install — but never installs it, so no packed file has to use it.
+   */
+  readonly installed: boolean;
+}
+
+/** Peers `peerDependenciesMeta` marks optional: npm parses but never installs them. */
+const optionalPeers = (packageDocument: Readonly<Record<string, unknown>>): ReadonlySet<string> => {
+  const meta = packageDocument.peerDependenciesMeta;
+  return new Set(isRecord(meta)
+    ? Object.entries(meta).filter(([, entry]) => isRecord(entry) && entry.optional === true).map(([name]) => name)
+    : []);
+};
+
+/**
+ * Which dependencies npm embeds under `node_modules` in the published tarball:
+ * `bundleDependencies` (or the `bundledDependencies` spelling) as a name list,
+ * or `true` for every entry of `dependencies`. Peers are never bundled, whatever
+ * the list says: npm packs no `node_modules` entry for a peer-only name, so a
+ * consumer still resolves the peer's own specifier.
+ */
+const bundledDependencies = (
+  packageDocument: Readonly<Record<string, unknown>>,
+): ((field: InstalledDependencyField, name: string) => boolean) => {
+  const value = packageDocument.bundleDependencies ?? packageDocument.bundledDependencies;
+  const names = new Set(Array.isArray(value) ? value.filter((entry): entry is string => typeof entry === 'string') : []);
+  return (field, name) => field !== 'peerDependencies' && (value === true ? field === 'dependencies' : names.has(name));
+};
+
+/**
+ * The entries a consumer's npm reads, one per name and field. A name in both
+ * `dependencies` and `optionalDependencies` is the optional entry (npm lets
+ * the optional declaration override), and a peer that `dependencies` or
+ * `optionalDependencies` also names is that concrete entry — npm resolves
+ * the concrete declaration and never reads the duplicate peer's selector; an
+ * optional peer is kept, not `installed`.
+ */
+export const declaredDependencies = (packageDocument: Readonly<Record<string, unknown>>): readonly DeclaredDependency[] => {
+  const skippedPeers = optionalPeers(packageDocument);
+  const bundled = bundledDependencies(packageDocument);
+  const entries = (field: InstalledDependencyField): readonly (readonly [string, string])[] => {
+    const value = packageDocument[field];
+    return isRecord(value) ? Object.entries(value).filter((entry): entry is [string, string] => typeof entry[1] === 'string') : [];
+  };
+  const optional = new Set(entries('optionalDependencies').map(([name]) => name));
+  const concrete = new Set([...entries('dependencies').map(([name]) => name), ...optional]);
+  const shadowed = (field: InstalledDependencyField, name: string): boolean => {
+    switch (field) {
+      case 'dependencies': return optional.has(name);
+      case 'peerDependencies': return concrete.has(name);
+      case 'optionalDependencies': return false;
+      default: {
+        const exhaustive: never = field;
+        return exhaustive;
+      }
+    }
+  };
+  return installedDependencyFields.flatMap((field) => entries(field)
+    .filter(([name]) => !shadowed(field, name))
+    .map(([name, specifier]) => ({
+      field,
+      name,
+      specifier,
+      bundled: bundled(field, name),
+      installed: !(field === 'peerDependencies' && skippedPeers.has(name)),
+    })));
+};
+
+/**
+ * True when npm reads the text as exactly one package name with no selector:
+ * `sharp`, `@scope/name`, and legacy-cased names such as `JSONStream`; not a
+ * subpath (`sharp/lib`), a selector (`sharp@1`), a path, or a URL scheme.
+ */
+export const isBarePackageName = (text: string): boolean => {
+  let parsed;
+  try {
+    parsed = npa(text);
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+  return parsed.type === 'range' && parsed.rawSpec === '*' && parsed.name === text;
+};
diff --git a/packages/agent-bundle/src/core/project-context.ts b/packages/agent-bundle/src/core/project-context.ts
index 22a8bbe85..b6a72781b 100644
--- a/packages/agent-bundle/src/core/project-context.ts
+++ b/packages/agent-bundle/src/core/project-context.ts
@@ -72,46 +72,74 @@ export const isValidPackageName = (value: string): boolean =>
 /** True for a strict semver 2.0.0 version. */
 export const isValidPackageVersion = (value: string): boolean => packageVersionPattern.test(value);
 
+/** The outcome of reading `<root>/package.json` for any project-identity purpose. */
+export type PackageDocumentRead =
+  /** No package.json, or one that cannot be read: a normal development state. */
+  | { readonly kind: 'absent' }
+  | { readonly document: Readonly<Record<string, unknown>>; readonly kind: 'document' }
+  | { readonly issue: PackageIdentityIssue; readonly kind: 'issue' };
+
 /**
- * Derives the release-identity axes from `<root>/package.json`. A missing
- * package.json (or missing name/version fields) is a normal development
- * state: no identity and no issues. An invalid name or version becomes an
- * issue for the caller to surface as a diagnostic, never a crash, and the
- * invalid value is withheld from the derived identity.
+ * Reads `<root>/package.json` the one way every identity-derived judgement
+ * shares. A package.json symlinked outside the project cannot join the
+ * identity: its bytes are invisible to the source snapshot, so anything
+ * derived from it could drift without a revision change.
  */
-export const snapshotPackageIdentity = (root: string): PackageIdentitySnapshot => {
+export const readPackageDocument = (root: string): PackageDocumentRead => {
   let packageJsonPath: string;
   let canonicalRoot: string;
   try {
     canonicalRoot = realpathSync(resolve(root));
     packageJsonPath = realpathSync(join(resolve(root), 'package.json'));
   } catch {
-    return deepFreeze({ issues: [] });
+    return { kind: 'absent' };
   }
-  // A package.json symlinked outside the project cannot join the identity:
-  // its bytes are invisible to the source snapshot, so deriving release
-  // identity from it would let identity drift without a revision change.
   if (!isInsideOrEqual(canonicalRoot, packageJsonPath)) {
-    return deepFreeze({
-      issues: [{ kind: 'outside-root', message: 'package.json resolves outside the project root; package identity is ignored.' }],
-    });
+    return {
+      issue: { kind: 'outside-root', message: 'package.json resolves outside the project root; package identity is ignored.' },
+      kind: 'issue',
+    };
   }
   let bytes: string;
   try {
     bytes = readFileSync(packageJsonPath, 'utf8');
   } catch {
-    return deepFreeze({ issues: [] });
+    return { kind: 'absent' };
   }
   let parsed: unknown;
   try {
     parsed = JSON.parse(bytes);
   } catch {
-    return deepFreeze({ issues: [{ kind: 'unparsable', message: 'package.json is not valid JSON.' }] });
+    return { issue: { kind: 'unparsable', message: 'package.json is not valid JSON.' }, kind: 'issue' };
   }
   if (typeof parsed !== 'object' || parsed === null || Array.isArray(parsed)) {
-    return deepFreeze({ issues: [{ kind: 'unparsable', message: 'package.json must contain a JSON object.' }] });
+    return { issue: { kind: 'unparsable', message: 'package.json must contain a JSON object.' }, kind: 'issue' };
+  }
+  return { document: parsed as Readonly<Record<string, unknown>>, kind: 'document' };
+};
+
+/**
+ * Derives the release-identity axes from `<root>/package.json`. A missing
+ * package.json (or missing name/version fields) is a normal development
+ * state: no identity and no issues. An invalid name or version becomes an
+ * issue for the caller to surface as a diagnostic, never a crash, and the
+ * invalid value is withheld from the derived identity.
+ */
+export const snapshotPackageIdentity = (root: string): PackageIdentitySnapshot => {
+  const read = readPackageDocument(root);
+  switch (read.kind) {
+    case 'absent':
+      return deepFreeze({ issues: [] });
+    case 'issue':
+      return deepFreeze({ issues: [read.issue] });
+    case 'document':
+      break;
+    default: {
+      const exhaustive: never = read;
+      throw new TypeError(`Unknown package document read ${String(exhaustive)}.`);
+    }
   }
-  const record = parsed as Readonly<Record<string, unknown>>;
+  const record = read.document;
   const issues: PackageIdentityIssue[] = [];
   let packageName: string | undefined;
   if (record.name !== undefined) {
diff --git a/packages/agent-bundle/src/core/types.ts b/packages/agent-bundle/src/core/types.ts
index 359e3dfc1..b402492b6 100644
--- a/packages/agent-bundle/src/core/types.ts
+++ b/packages/agent-bundle/src/core/types.ts
@@ -204,6 +204,14 @@ export interface AgentBundleScriptEntry {
 
 /** One declared prebuilt payload directory with an optional target restriction. */
 export interface AgentBundlePayloadEntry {
+  /**
+   * Bare package names the payload's files load at run time. The compiler
+   * never opens a payload file, so this declaration is the only evidence
+   * that a `package.json` dependency is used by the payload (`AB7014`);
+   * each name must be one a consumer's npm installs — `dependencies`,
+   * `optionalDependencies`, or a peer not marked optional (`AB4751`).
+   */
+  runtimeDependencies?: readonly string[];
   source: string;
   targets?: readonly string[];
 }
@@ -602,6 +610,8 @@ export interface NormalizedPayload {
   /** The artifact-root destination directory name. */
   readonly name: string;
   readonly provenance: SourceProvenance;
+  /** Declared bare package names the payload loads at run time, sorted and unique. */
+  readonly runtimeDependencies: readonly string[];
   /** Absolute payload source directory. */
   readonly source: string;
   readonly targets: readonly string[];
@@ -868,6 +878,14 @@ export const defineConfig = (
   config: AgentBundleConfig | ConfigFactory,
 ): AgentBundleConfig | ConfigFactory => config;
 
+/**
+ * Declares one prebuilt payload directory for the `payload` block: a tree the
+ * project compiled itself, packaged byte-for-byte, with the package names its
+ * files load at run time. The compiler treats the tree as opaque, so
+ * `runtimeDependencies` is what keeps those packages out of `AB7014`.
+ */
+export const definePrebuilt = (entry: AgentBundlePayloadEntry): AgentBundlePayloadEntry => entry;
+
 export const pathTokens = Object.freeze({
   pluginRoot: 'agent-bundle:path:plugin-root',
   pluginData: 'agent-bundle:path:plugin-data',
diff --git a/packages/agent-bundle/src/index.ts b/packages/agent-bundle/src/index.ts
index 9904f8cf1..9d619253d 100644
--- a/packages/agent-bundle/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/agent-bundle/src/index.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import type { CursorConfigExtension } from './adapters/cursor.ts';
 import type { PortableConfigExtension } from './adapters/portable.ts';
 import type { AgentBundleConfig as CoreAgentBundleConfig } from './core/types.ts';
 
-export { defineConfig, pathTokens, pluginRootEnvAnchor } from './core/types.ts';
+export { defineConfig, definePrebuilt, pathTokens, pluginRootEnvAnchor } from './core/types.ts';
 export { defineSkill, Skill } from './skills/define.ts';
 export {
   classifySkillToken,
diff --git a/packages/agent-bundle/tests/pack-dependencies.test.ts b/packages/agent-bundle/tests/pack-dependencies.test.ts
index bb1966e82..f801c1871 100644
--- a/packages/agent-bundle/tests/pack-dependencies.test.ts
+++ b/packages/agent-bundle/tests/pack-dependencies.test.ts
@@ -2,13 +2,13 @@ import { expect, it } from '@rstest/core';
 
 import {
   classifyDependency,
-  declaredDependencies,
   isWorkspaceProtocol,
   declarationSpecifiers,
   packageNameOf,
   rewritesWorkspaceProtocols,
   shellWords,
 } from '../src/build/pack-dependencies.ts';
+import { declaredDependencies, isBarePackageName } from '../src/core/package-dependencies.ts';
 
 it.each([
   // Registry: versions, ranges (npm's loose grammar included), and dist-tags.
@@ -246,3 +246,8 @@ it('marks bundleDependencies entries, by name list or wholesale, as bundled', ()
   }).map((d) => [d.name, d.bundled])).toEqual([['optional', true], ['peer', false]]);
   expect(declaredDependencies({ bundleDependencies: true, optionalDependencies: { optional: '^1' } })[0]?.bundled).toBe(false);
 });
+
+it('reads a bare package name as npm does: a name with no selector, subpath, path, or scheme', () => {
+  expect(['sharp', '@scope/name', 'JSONStream'].filter(isBarePackageName)).toEqual(['sharp', '@scope/name', 'JSONStream']);
+  expect(['sharp/lib', '@scope/name/sub', 'sharp@1', './x', 'node:fs', 'npm:foo', 'bad name', '@scope/', ''].filter(isBarePackageName)).toEqual([]);
+});
diff --git a/packages/agent-bundle/tests/prebuilt-payload.test.ts b/packages/agent-bundle/tests/prebuilt-payload.test.ts
index cd16da82c..fa4707fa0 100644
--- a/packages/agent-bundle/tests/prebuilt-payload.test.ts
+++ b/packages/agent-bundle/tests/prebuilt-payload.test.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,9 @@ import { join } from 'node:path';
 import { expect, it } from '@rstest/core';
 
 import { build, validate } from '../src/api.ts';
+import { definePrebuilt as definePrebuiltFromConfig } from '../src/config/index.ts';
 import { DiagnosticError } from '../src/core/diagnostics.ts';
+import { definePrebuilt as definePrebuiltFromIndex } from '../src/index.ts';
 import { parseArtifactManifest } from '../src/build/manifest.ts';
 import { createProjectFixture, removeProjectFixture } from './helpers/project-fixture.ts';
 
@@ -64,6 +66,117 @@ const createProject = async (options: {
 const readJson = async <Document>(path: string): Promise<Document> =>
   JSON.parse(await readFile(path, 'utf8')) as Document;
 
+it('exports definePrebuilt from the package and config entry points as an identity helper', () => {
+  const entry = { runtimeDependencies: ['sharp'], source: './built/runtime' } as const;
+  expect(definePrebuiltFromIndex(entry)).toBe(entry);
+  expect(definePrebuiltFromConfig(entry)).toBe(entry);
+});
+
+it('validates declared payload runtime dependencies and normalizes them sorted and unique', async () => {
+  const root = await createProject({
+    files: {
+      'package.json': `${JSON.stringify({
+        dependencies: { sharp: '^0.33.0', zod: '^4.0.0' },
+        name: 'prebuilt-fixture',
+        version: '1.0.0',
+      }, null, 2)}\n`,
+    },
+    payload: "  payload: { runtime: { source: './built/runtime', runtimeDependencies: ['zod', 'sharp', 'sharp'] } },",
+  });
+  try {
+    const validated = await validate({ root });
+    expect(validated.diagnostics.filter((diagnostic) => /^AB474\d$|^AB4751$/u.test(diagnostic.code))).toEqual([]);
+
+    const built = await build({ output: join(root, 'out'), root });
+    expect(built.model.payloads).toMatchObject([
+      { name: 'runtime', runtimeDependencies: ['sharp', 'zod'] },
+    ]);
+  } finally {
+    await removeProjectFixture(root);
+  }
+});
+
+it('reports a payload runtime dependency that is not a bare package name', async () => {
+  const root = await createProject({
+    payload: "  payload: { runtime: { source: './built/runtime', runtimeDependencies: ['sharp/lib'] } },",
+  });
+  try {
+    expect((await validate({ root })).diagnostics).toContainEqual(expect.objectContaining({
+      code: 'AB4751',
+      message: 'Payload "runtime" runtimeDependencies entry "sharp/lib" is not a bare package name.',
+    }));
+  } finally {
+    await removeProjectFixture(root);
+  }
+});
+
+const undeclaredMessage = 'Payload "runtime" runtimeDependencies names "sharp", which package.json does not declare as a dependency a consumer installs (dependencies, optionalDependencies, or a peer not marked optional).';
+
+it.each([
+  ['nothing', '{"name":"prebuilt-fixture","version":"1.0.0"}'],
+  // npm never installs an optional peer, so no packed file can rely on it.
+  ['an optional peer', '{"name":"prebuilt-fixture","version":"1.0.0","peerDependencies":{"sharp":"^0.33.0"},"peerDependenciesMeta":{"sharp":{"optional":true}}}'],
+])('reports a payload runtime dependency package.json installs as %s', async (_declared, packageJson) => {
+  const root = await createProject({
+    files: { 'package.json': `${packageJson}\n` },
+    payload: "  payload: { runtime: { source: './built/runtime', runtimeDependencies: ['sharp'] } },",
+  });
+  try {
+    expect((await validate({ root })).diagnostics).toContainEqual(expect.objectContaining({ code: 'AB4751', message: undeclaredMessage }));
+  } finally {
+    await removeProjectFixture(root);
+  }
+});
+
+it.each([
+  ['optionalDependencies', '{"name":"prebuilt-fixture","version":"1.0.0","optionalDependencies":{"sharp":"^0.33.0"}}'],
+  // npm 7+ installs a required peer for every consumer, the same reading AB7014 applies.
+  ['a required peer', '{"name":"prebuilt-fixture","version":"1.0.0","peerDependencies":{"sharp":"^0.33.0"}}'],
+])('accepts a payload runtime dependency package.json installs through %s', async (_declared, packageJson) => {
+  const root = await createProject({
+    files: { 'package.json': `${packageJson}\n` },
+    payload: "  payload: { runtime: { source: './built/runtime', runtimeDependencies: ['sharp'] } },",
+  });
+  try {
+    // No payload error at all: an earlier AB474x would have skipped the runtime-dependency check
+    // (the AB4750 freshness nudge depends on fixture mtimes and is not a verdict).
+    expect((await validate({ root })).diagnostics.filter((diagnostic) => /^AB474\d$|^AB4751$/u.test(diagnostic.code))).toEqual([]);
+  } finally {
+    await removeProjectFixture(root);
+  }
+});
+
+it.each([
+  "'sharp'",
+  "['']",
+])('reports runtimeDependencies with %s as AB4740', async (runtimeDependencies) => {
+  const root = await createProject({
+    payload: `  payload: { runtime: { source: './built/runtime', runtimeDependencies: ${runtimeDependencies} } },`,
+  });
+  try {
+    expect((await validate({ root })).diagnostics).toContainEqual(expect.objectContaining({
+      code: 'AB4740',
+      message: 'Payload "runtime" runtimeDependencies must be an array of package names.',
+    }));
+  } finally {
+    await removeProjectFixture(root);
+  }
+});
+
+it('normalizes string-form payload declarations with no runtime dependencies', async () => {
+  const root = await createProject({
+    payload: "  payload: { app: './built/app' },",
+  });
+  try {
+    const built = await build({ output: join(root, 'out'), root });
+    expect(built.model.payloads).toMatchObject([
+      { name: 'app', runtimeDependencies: [] },
+    ]);
+  } finally {
+    await removeProjectFixture(root);
+  }
+});
+
 it('packages prebuilt payloads at stable paths and lowers prebuilt entries through every adapter', async () => {
   const root = await createProject({
     hooks: standardHooksBlock,
diff --git a/packages/agent-bundle/tests/prepack.test.ts b/packages/agent-bundle/tests/prepack.test.ts
index 7fc021fb6..c9cc3fdb7 100644
--- a/packages/agent-bundle/tests/prepack.test.ts
+++ b/packages/agent-bundle/tests/prepack.test.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import { afterAll, beforeAll, expect, it } from '@rstest/core';
 import { prepack } from '../src/api.ts';
 import { runCli } from '../src/cli.ts';
 import { type Diagnostic, DiagnosticError } from '../src/core/diagnostics.ts';
+import type { NormalizedPayload } from '../src/core/types.ts';
 import { captureCliTerminal } from './support/cli-terminal.ts';
 import {
   packInventoryDiagnostics,
@@ -244,6 +245,37 @@ it('reports installed dependencies no packed JavaScript imports as AB7014, per f
   },
 ));
 
+it('accepts a dependency declared by a prebuilt payload runtimeDependencies list', () => withPackageDocument(
+  (document) => {
+    document.dependencies = { sharp: '^0.33.0', 'never-loaded': '^1.0.0' };
+  },
+  async () => {
+    const payload: NormalizedPayload = {
+      files: [],
+      id: 'payload:tools',
+      name: 'tools',
+      provenance: { kind: 'prebuilt', sourcePath: join(projectRoot, 'agent-bundle.config.ts') },
+      runtimeDependencies: ['sharp'],
+      source: join(projectRoot, 'built', 'tools'),
+      targets: ['claude'],
+    };
+    const reported = withCode(await packInventoryDiagnostics({
+      artifactRoot: result.build.build.outputRoot,
+      model: { ...result.build.model, payloads: [payload] },
+      packageBuild: result.build.packageBuild!,
+      packOutput: result.pack,
+      packerRewritesWorkspaceProtocols: false,
+      projectRoot,
+    }), 'AB7014');
+
+    expect(reported).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(reported[0]?.message).toContain('"never-loaded"');
+    expect(reported[0]?.message).not.toContain('"sharp"');
+    expect(reported[0]?.message).toContain('no prebuilt payload declares');
+    expect(reported[0]?.recovery).toContain('runtimeDependencies');
+  },
+));
+
 it('reports an optional peer only for a protocol npm cannot parse, which fails the install before any fetch', () => withPackageDocument(
   (document) => {
     document.peerDependencies = { 'git-peer': 'github:owner/git-peer', 'workspace-peer': 'workspace:*', 'typo-peer': 'foo:bar' };
diff --git a/website/docs/en/guide/authoring/index.mdx b/website/docs/en/guide/authoring/index.mdx
index d946d6aca..71b7e41b7 100644
--- a/website/docs/en/guide/authoring/index.mdx
+++ b/website/docs/en/guide/authoring/index.mdx
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ standard only through CLI translation, which is why its dedicated target remains
 | `routes` | Power-tier route-graph policy: `routes.servers` per-server modes, `routes.cli`, and `routes.mcpCommands` projection. |
 | `output` | `distPath` — where the artifact root lives. |
 | `runtime` | `node` — the minimum Node.js version for generated executables. |
-| `payload` | Prebuilt directory trees packaged byte-for-byte. |
+| `payload` | Prebuilt directory trees packaged byte-for-byte (`definePrebuilt`). |
 | `state` | `false` to disable the `src/state.ts` convention. |
 | `marketplace` | `true` adds Cursor's optional `.cursor-plugin/marketplace.json`. Claude Code and Codex always emit their local marketplace manifests regardless. |
 | `evals` | Eval suite discovery (`include`), the run directory (`runsDir`), and the optional `semanticGrader`. See [Evaluations](../development/evaluations.mdx). |
diff --git a/website/docs/en/guide/authoring/package-entries.mdx b/website/docs/en/guide/authoring/package-entries.mdx
index e04fc4453..e038ef111 100644
--- a/website/docs/en/guide/authoring/package-entries.mdx
+++ b/website/docs/en/guide/authoring/package-entries.mdx
@@ -310,6 +310,27 @@ each payload file lands in the artifact manifest with its SHA-256 and the `prebu
 and hashes into the project revision. Run your own build first — a missing or empty payload is a
 warning under `dev` so a clean checkout works, but `agent-bundle build` refuses it.
 
+Because the compiler never opens payload files, use `definePrebuilt` and
+`runtimeDependencies` to list the bare package names they load. A name npm would not read
+as a bare package name, or one `package.json` does not install for a consumer
+(`dependencies`, `optionalDependencies`, or a peer not marked optional), is `AB4751`; the
+declaration check is skipped when `package.json` is missing (silent), unparsable, or outside
+the root (`AB4011`). Declared names count as used for `AB7014`.
+
+```ts
+import { defineConfig, definePrebuilt } from 'agent-bundle';
+
+export default defineConfig({
+  payload: {
+    tools: definePrebuilt({
+      source: './built/tools',
+      targets: ['claude'],
+      runtimeDependencies: ['sharp'],
+    }),
+  },
+});
+```
+
 ## The bundler escape hatch
 
 `tools.rsbuild` (an Rsbuild environment-config fragment) and `tools.rspack` (an Rspack config
diff --git a/website/docs/en/guide/distribution/validation.mdx b/website/docs/en/guide/distribution/validation.mdx
index 08cce7ceb..c825227fc 100644
--- a/website/docs/en/guide/distribution/validation.mdx
+++ b/website/docs/en/guide/distribution/validation.mdx
@@ -235,7 +235,8 @@ are opaque to `AB6005`, and `AB7014` scans only those extensions, so an extensio
 module counts for nothing), one a packed file loads through a `require`, `createRequire`, or
 `import.meta.resolve` call that the compiler does not resolve as a module dependency, one a
 consumer-side install script runs, one whose `bin` a packed file executes, or one a
-packed declaration file references (`.d.ts` outputs are not walked by `AB6005`) — and `AB7014`
+packed declaration file references (`.d.ts` outputs are not walked by `AB6005`), or one a
+prebuilt payload names in `runtimeDependencies` — and `AB7014`
 reports a declared dependency with none of that evidence, while `AB7015` reports one a consumer's
 npm cannot install.
 
@@ -245,10 +246,11 @@ npm cannot install.
 | `AB7011` | An on-disk artifact file no longer matches its manifest SHA-256. Rebuild, and do not modify generated host packs. |
 | `AB7012` | A `package.json` bin points outside the packed `dist` output (including `src/`) or names a file npm omitted. Point it at the generated `dist/bin` file. |
 | `AB7013` | `package.json`, normalized plugin metadata, a host manifest, or artifact provenance reports a different release version. Make every release identity agree. |
-| `AB7014` | A `dependencies`, `optionalDependencies`, or `peerDependencies` field names packages nothing in the pack uses — no packed JavaScript imports, requires, or resolves them (compiled bundles inline their imports and `AB6005` fails one they kept external, so `import` evidence comes from prebuilt payload modules and other scripts the framework did not compile, while `require`, `createRequire`, and `import.meta.resolve` calls count from any packed file), no packed declaration references them, no `imports` mapping or consumer install script reaches them (one diagnostic per field; optional peers are skipped here but their specifier is still checked by `AB7015`, and an `optionalDependencies` entry supersedes the same name under `dependencies`). Every consumer would install them for nothing. Move build-only packages to `devDependencies`. For `peerDependencies` this is a warning, since a required peer nothing imports may be a deliberate host-compatibility contract; mark it optional in `peerDependenciesMeta` if npm should stop installing it. |
+| `AB7014` | A `dependencies`, `optionalDependencies`, or `peerDependencies` field names packages nothing in the pack uses — no packed JavaScript imports, requires, or resolves them (compiled bundles inline their imports and `AB6005` fails one they kept external, so `import` evidence comes from prebuilt payload modules and other scripts the framework did not compile, while `require`, `createRequire`, and `import.meta.resolve` calls count from any packed file), no packed declaration references them, no `imports` mapping or consumer install script reaches them, and no prebuilt payload names them in `runtimeDependencies` (one diagnostic per field; optional peers are skipped here but their specifier is still checked by `AB7015`, and an `optionalDependencies` entry supersedes the same name under `dependencies`). Every consumer would install them for nothing. Move build-only packages to `devDependencies`. For `peerDependencies` this is a warning, since a required peer nothing imports may be a deliberate host-compatibility contract; mark it optional in `peerDependenciesMeta` if npm should stop installing it. |
 | `AB7015` | A `dependencies`, `optionalDependencies`, or `peerDependencies` entry a consumer's npm cannot resolve through a registry. Name and specifier are read with `npm-package-arg`, npm's own parser, and come out as one of three kinds: registry (a version, range, dist-tag, or `npm:` alias of one), fetched (a git, GitHub-shorthand, remote-tarball, or path source — npm 12 refuses git and remote fetches by default (`allow-git`, `allow-remote`), and a path never exists on the consumer's disk), or unparseable (a name npm rejects, a scheme it lacks such as `link:`, `portal:`, or a typo, a selector that is neither a range nor a URL-safe dist-tag, an alias of a non-registry target, or an invalid URL — the manifest read itself fails, so this is reported even on an optional peer). A fetched `optionalDependencies` entry warns instead of failing, since npm continues without it; it stays an error when unparseable, or when a consumer install script needs the skipped package (runs its command — not merely mentions it — loads it from an inline `node -e` program — scanned for `require`, `createRequire`, and `import()` like a packed file — preloads it with `node -r`/`--require`/`--import`/`--loader`, or runs a packed file that imports it, `node .` running the root `main` included; each command after `&&`, `;`, or a newline is read on its own, shell quotes and backslash escapes resolved, and `node`'s options belong to `node` alone and end at the program — `node install.js --require x` preloads nothing, while a `NODE_OPTIONS=--require=x` assignment on the same `node` command does; every script word naming a packed JavaScript file counts as run, deliberately, so that runners the gate does not model — `tsx`, `zx`, `bun`, `deno run` — still have their file's dependencies traced, at the cost of a rare escalation for a word such as `echo install.js`, which the diagnostic makes visible by naming the file). A peer that `dependencies` or `optionalDependencies` also names is judged by that concrete entry; npm never reads the duplicate peer's selector. `workspace:`/`catalog:` are reported too unless the `prepack` lifecycle runs under pnpm, Yarn, or Bun, which rewrite them at pack time — `npm publish` does not, so under npm `AB7015` fires; entries the tarball itself carries — `bundleDependencies` npm actually packed (never peers), and a `file:` path inside the package whose packed source is installable (a directory with a parseable `package.json`, or a well-formed tarball whose `package.json` parses) — are not reported. Depend on a published version, or bundle the package and declare it under `devDependencies`. |
 
-The dependency evidence is read from the packed bytes: every `.js`/`.mjs`/`.cjs` file npm would
+A prebuilt payload's `runtimeDependencies` declaration counts as use, since the compiler never opens a
+payload file. The remaining dependency evidence is read from the packed bytes: every `.js`/`.mjs`/`.cjs` file npm would
 publish is lexed for `import` specifiers and scanned for literal `require("…")`, `require.resolve("…")`, and
 `import.meta.resolve("…")` calls (a `createRequire(…)` binding counts as `require`, even with the factory
 renamed on import, as do direct `Module.createRequire(…)("…")` and `require("node:module").createRequire(…)("…")` calls; `path.resolve("…")` does not count), and every
diff --git a/website/docs/zh/guide/authoring/index.mdx b/website/docs/zh/guide/authoring/index.mdx
index 866a7411d..9195d7ece 100644
--- a/website/docs/zh/guide/authoring/index.mdx
+++ b/website/docs/zh/guide/authoring/index.mdx
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ export default defineConfig({
 | `routes` | 进阶的路由图策略：`routes.servers` 逐服务器模式、`routes.cli`，以及 `routes.mcpCommands` 投影。 |
 | `output` | `distPath` —— 产物根目录的位置。 |
 | `runtime` | `node` —— 生成可执行文件的最低 Node.js 版本。 |
-| `payload` | 按字节打包的预构建目录树。 |
+| `payload` | 按字节打包的预构建目录树（`definePrebuilt`）。 |
 | `state` | 设为 `false` 可禁用 `src/state.ts` 约定。 |
 | `marketplace` | 设为 `true` 时额外输出 Cursor 可选的 `.cursor-plugin/marketplace.json`。Claude Code 与 Codex 无论如何都会输出各自的本地 marketplace 清单。 |
 | `evals` | Eval 套件发现（`include`）、运行目录（`runsDir`）与可选的 `semanticGrader`。见[评估](../development/evaluations.mdx)。 |
diff --git a/website/docs/zh/guide/authoring/package-entries.mdx b/website/docs/zh/guide/authoring/package-entries.mdx
index eeecfd0c5..735744b82 100644
--- a/website/docs/zh/guide/authoring/package-entries.mdx
+++ b/website/docs/zh/guide/authoring/package-entries.mdx
@@ -275,6 +275,25 @@ npx agent-bundle prepack --root . --output artifact --json
 并参与项目 revision 的哈希。请先运行你自己的构建——缺失或为空的 payload 在 `dev` 下只是警告，以便
 干净检出也能工作，但 `agent-bundle build` 会拒绝它。
 
+编译器不会打开 payload 文件，因此请用 `definePrebuilt` 和 `runtimeDependencies` 列出它们加载的裸包名。
+npm 不会将其读作裸包名的条目，或 `package.json` 未为消费者安装的包名（`dependencies`、
+`optionalDependencies`，或未标记为可选的 peer），会报 `AB4751`；`package.json` 缺失（静默）、
+无法解析或位于项目根之外（`AB4011`）时跳过声明检查。已声明的包名在 `AB7014` 中视为已使用。
+
+```ts
+import { defineConfig, definePrebuilt } from 'agent-bundle';
+
+export default defineConfig({
+  payload: {
+    tools: definePrebuilt({
+      source: './built/tools',
+      targets: ['claude'],
+      runtimeDependencies: ['sharp'],
+    }),
+  },
+});
+```
+
 ## 打包器逃生舱
 
 `tools.rsbuild`（一个 Rsbuild 环境配置片段）与 `tools.rspack`（一个 Rspack 配置对象、mutator 函数或
diff --git a/website/docs/zh/guide/distribution/validation.mdx b/website/docs/zh/guide/distribution/validation.mdx
index 31fee23bd..6817da30a 100644
--- a/website/docs/zh/guide/distribution/validation.mdx
+++ b/website/docs/zh/guide/distribution/validation.mdx
@@ -200,8 +200,8 @@ CLI、MCP 入口、钩子包装层以及包构建的 JavaScript bundle——都
 有据可证地需要从已编译 bundle 之外获取的内容——预构建的 `.js`/`.mjs`/`.cjs` payload 模块导入的包（预构建
 文件对 `AB6005` 不透明，而 `AB7014` 只扫描这些扩展名，因此无扩展名的预构建模块不算任何证据），打包后的
 文件通过未被编译器解析为模块依赖的 `require`、`createRequire` 或 `import.meta.resolve` 调用加载的包，
-消费者侧安装脚本运行的包，打包后的文件执行其 `bin` 的包，或打包后的声明文件引用的包
-（`.d.ts` 输出不会被 `AB6005` 遍历）——`AB7014` 会报告不具备上述任何一种证据的已声明依赖，而 `AB7015` 会报告
+消费者侧安装脚本运行的包，打包后的文件执行其 `bin` 的包，打包后的声明文件引用的包
+（`.d.ts` 输出不会被 `AB6005` 遍历），或预构建 payload 在 `runtimeDependencies` 中声明的包——`AB7014` 会报告不具备上述任何一种证据的已声明依赖，而 `AB7015` 会报告
 消费者的 npm 无法安装的依赖。
 
 | 代码 | 含义 |
@@ -210,10 +210,10 @@ CLI、MCP 入口、钩子包装层以及包构建的 JavaScript bundle——都
 | `AB7011` | 磁盘上的某个产物文件与其清单 SHA-256 不再匹配。请重新构建，且不要修改生成的宿主包。 |
 | `AB7012` | 某个 `package.json` bin 指向了打包后的 `dist` 输出之外（包括 `src/`），或指名了一个被 npm 忽略的文件。请把它指向生成的 `dist/bin` 文件。 |
 | `AB7013` | `package.json`、规范化后的插件元数据、某份宿主清单或产物 provenance 报告了不同的发布版本。请让每处发布标识一致。 |
-| `AB7014` | `dependencies`、`optionalDependencies` 或 `peerDependencies` 字段里列出的包在整个包里无人使用——没有打包后的 JavaScript 导入、require 或解析它（已编译的 bundle 会内联自己的导入，被保持外部化的导入会被 `AB6005` 判为失败，因此 `import` 证据只来自预构建 payload 模块以及其他框架没有编译的脚本，而 `require`、`createRequire` 与 `import.meta.resolve` 调用则可来自任何打包后的文件），没有打包后的声明文件引用它，也没有 `imports` 映射或消费者侧安装脚本触及它（每个字段一条诊断；可选 peer 在此被跳过，但其说明符仍由 `AB7015` 检查，`optionalDependencies` 中的同名项优先于 `dependencies`）。每位消费者都会白白安装它们。请把仅构建期需要的包移到 `devDependencies`。对 `peerDependencies` 而言这是警告：无人导入的必需 peer 可能是有意的宿主兼容性约束；若希望 npm 不再安装它，请在 `peerDependenciesMeta` 中标记为可选。 |
+| `AB7014` | `dependencies`、`optionalDependencies` 或 `peerDependencies` 字段里列出的包在整个包里无人使用——没有打包后的 JavaScript 导入、require 或解析它（已编译的 bundle 会内联自己的导入，被保持外部化的导入会被 `AB6005` 判为失败，因此 `import` 证据只来自预构建 payload 模块以及其他框架没有编译的脚本，而 `require`、`createRequire` 与 `import.meta.resolve` 调用则可来自任何打包后的文件），没有打包后的声明文件引用它，也没有 `imports` 映射或消费者侧安装脚本触及它，也没有任何预构建 payload 在 `runtimeDependencies` 中声明它（每个字段一条诊断；可选 peer 在此被跳过，但其说明符仍由 `AB7015` 检查，`optionalDependencies` 中的同名项优先于 `dependencies`）。每位消费者都会白白安装它们。请把仅构建期需要的包移到 `devDependencies`。对 `peerDependencies` 而言这是警告：无人导入的必需 peer 可能是有意的宿主兼容性约束；若希望 npm 不再安装它，请在 `peerDependenciesMeta` 中标记为可选。 |
 | `AB7015` | `dependencies`、`optionalDependencies` 或 `peerDependencies` 中的某一项无法被消费者的 npm 经由注册表解析。包名与说明符一并交给 npm 自己的解析器 `npm-package-arg` 读取，结果分为三类：注册表类（版本、范围、dist-tag，或指向它们的 `npm:` 别名）、抓取类（git、GitHub 简写、远程 tarball 或路径来源——npm 12 默认拒绝 git 与远程抓取（`allow-git`、`allow-remote`），而路径在消费者磁盘上并不存在），以及不可解析类（npm 不接受的包名、它不支持的协议如 `link:`、`portal:` 或拼写错误、既非范围也非 URL 安全 dist-tag 的选择器、指向非注册表目标的别名，或非法 URL——清单本身就读不下去，因此即使出现在可选 peer 上也会被报告）。`optionalDependencies` 中的抓取类项只发出警告而不会失败，因为 npm 会继续安装；不可解析的项，或消费者安装脚本需要的项（运行其命令——而非仅仅提及它——在内联的 `node -e` 程序中加载它——该程序像已打包文件一样被扫描 `require`、`createRequire` 与 `import()`——用 `node -r`/`--require`/`--import`/`--loader` 预加载它，或运行某个导入它的已打包文件，包括通过根 `main` 运行的 `node .`；`&&`、`;` 或换行之后的每条命令单独判读，shell 引号与反斜杠转义均已解析，`node` 的选项只属于 `node` 且到程序为止——`node install.js --require x` 不会预加载任何东西，而同一条 `node` 命令上的 `NODE_OPTIONS=--require=x` 赋值会；脚本中每个点名已打包 JavaScript 文件的词都视为被运行，这是有意为之，使本闸门未建模的运行器——`tsx`、`zx`、`bun`、`deno run`——所运行文件的依赖仍被追踪，代价是像 `echo install.js` 这样的词偶有误升级，诊断会点名该文件使之可见），仍是错误。若 `dependencies` 或 `optionalDependencies` 也声明了同名 peer，则只按该具体条目判断；npm 从不读取重复 peer 的选择器。`workspace:`/`catalog:` 同样会被报告，除非 `prepack` 生命周期运行在 pnpm、Yarn 或 Bun 之下——它们会在打包时重写这些协议；`npm publish` 不会重写，因此在 npm 下 `AB7015` 会触发；tarball 自身携带的项——`bundleDependencies` 中 npm 实际打包进去的项（peer 除外），以及已打包来源可供安装的包内 `file:` 路径（带有可解析 `package.json` 的目录，或格式正确且其 `package.json` 可解析的 tarball）——不会被报告。请依赖已发布的版本，或把该包打包进产物并声明在 `devDependencies` 下。 |
 
-依赖证据直接读取自打包后的字节：npm 将发布的每个 `.js`/`.mjs`/`.cjs` 文件都会被词法分析出 `import`
+预构建 payload 的 `runtimeDependencies` 声明视为已使用，因为编译器从不打开 payload 文件。其余依赖证据直接读取自打包后的字节：npm 将发布的每个 `.js`/`.mjs`/`.cjs` 文件都会被词法分析出 `import`
 说明符，并扫描字面量 `require("…")`、`require.resolve("…")` 与 `import.meta.resolve("…")` 调用（`createRequire(…)` 的绑定视同 `require`，即使导入时重命名了该工厂，直接调用的 `Module.createRequire(…)("…")` 与 `require("node:module").createRequire(…)("…")` 亦然；`path.resolve("…")` 不计入）；每个打包后的 `.d.ts` 会被扫描其类型所引用的模块（`/// <reference types>` 指令同时计入该包及其
 `@types/*` 对应包）。说明符先解码字符串转义再归约为包名，忽略 Node 内建模块。打包代码作为可执行文件运行的依赖——字符串字面量正是其已安装清单所声明的某个 `bin` 命令，如 `spawnSync("tsc", ["--version"])`——视为已使用；`#子路径` 导入计入 `imports` 映射所指向的每个包；消费者侧 `preinstall`/`install`/`postinstall` 脚本（不含 `prepare`——npm 从不为已发布的 tarball 运行它）或其通过 `npm run`（取 `run` 之后的第一个位置参数；`run` 前后的选项，带值与否均被跳过，其后的词如 `npm run setup -- dormant` 中的 `dormant` 是该脚本的参数）或直接的 `npm test`/`start`/`stop`/`restart`（没有 `restart` 脚本时，`npm restart` 依次运行 `stop` 与 `start`）委托的任何脚本点名（或运行其 `bin` 命令；字符串形式的 `bin` 以已安装清单的名字命名——清单按 npm 的方式读取，重复键以最后一个为准——依赖未在本地安装或其清单不是 JSON 时以去掉作用域的包名代替）的依赖
 同样视为已使用。打包代码中的计算型 `import(表达式)` 或 `require(表达式)`（同样包括 `require.resolve`、`import.meta.resolve`、直接的 `createRequire(…)(…)` 或 `createRequire` 绑定）可能加载任何已声明的包，因此会整体撤回 `AB7014`；被 ESM 词法分析器拒绝的打包源码亦然，因为其中的 `import()` 调用无法被报告；把 `require` 当作值传递而非调用（`const load = require`、`fn(require)`）亦然，因为此后包可能以扫描看不到的名字被加载。注释中的提及只会保留某个依赖，绝不会报告它；`devDependencies` 永不检查，