diff --git a/.github/workflows/package-release.yaml b/.github/workflows/package-release.yaml
index fc81a8fc7..d927b1f7e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/package-release.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/package-release.yaml
@@ -6,12 +6,14 @@ on:
 jobs:
   release:
     # Bumps + publishes the rainlang crates to crates.io as a lockstep set, in
-    # dependency order (bindings, dispair, parser, eval, then test_fixtures):
-    # changing any member republishes the others with matching version pins, via
-    # the PUBLISH_PRIVATE_KEY deploy key. test_fixtures depends on none of the
-    # others but is released in lockstep so its embedded bytecode stays in sync.
+    # dependency order (bindings, dispair, parser, eval): changing any member
+    # republishes the others with matching version pins, via the
+    # PUBLISH_PRIVATE_KEY deploy key. test_fixtures is excluded — it is a path
+    # dev-dependency (cli/eval tests only), never resolved from crates.io, and
+    # its sol! macros read ABI JSON from the sibling bindings crate so it cannot
+    # build standalone in a published tarball.
     uses: rainlanguage/rainix/.github/workflows/rainix-autopublish.yaml@main
     with:
-      crates: rainlang_bindings rainlang_dispair rainlang_parser rainlang-eval rainlang_test_fixtures
+      crates: rainlang_bindings rainlang_dispair rainlang_parser rainlang-eval
       soldeer-package: rainlang
     secrets: inherit
diff --git a/crates/test_fixtures/Cargo.toml b/crates/test_fixtures/Cargo.toml
index 6a81bd5ea..aa28d9a85 100644
--- a/crates/test_fixtures/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/test_fixtures/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 [package]
 name = "rainlang_test_fixtures"
 version = "0.1.2"
+# Path dev-dependency of `cli`/`eval` tests only; never resolved from crates.io,
+# and its `sol!` macros read ABI JSON from the sibling `bindings` crate so it
+# cannot build standalone in a published tarball. Not a published crate.
+publish = false
 edition.workspace = true
 license.workspace = true
 description = "Local EVM test fixtures (deployer, interpreter, parser, store, and ERC20 helpers) for testing against the Rainlang interpreter."