diff --git a/test/sanity/phases/verify-install-extended.sh b/test/sanity/phases/verify-install-extended.sh
index 749b3faf1..c32d8bb13 100755
--- a/test/sanity/phases/verify-install-extended.sh
+++ b/test/sanity/phases/verify-install-extended.sh
@@ -281,7 +281,8 @@ if ! command -v node >/dev/null 2>&1; then
   skip_test "NAPI module exports" "node not available"
 else
   NAPI_ROOT=$(npm root -g 2>/dev/null || echo "")
-  NAPI_CHECK=$(NODE_PATH="$NAPI_ROOT:$HOME/.npm-global/lib/node_modules" node -e "
+  NAPI_AC_NM="$NAPI_ROOT/altimate-code/node_modules"
+  NAPI_CHECK=$(NODE_PATH="$NAPI_ROOT:$NAPI_AC_NM" node -e "
     try {
       const m = require('@altimateai/altimate-core');
       // Verify it exports something (not just an empty module)
diff --git a/test/sanity/phases/verify-install.sh b/test/sanity/phases/verify-install.sh
index cee8e3928..0319b711b 100755
--- a/test/sanity/phases/verify-install.sh
+++ b/test/sanity/phases/verify-install.sh
@@ -32,8 +32,11 @@ assert_file_exists "$HOME/.altimate/builtin/dbt-analyze/SKILL.md" "dbt-analyze s
 # After npm install -g, dependencies live under the global prefix's node_modules.
 # Node's require() doesn't search there by default — set NODE_PATH so the
 # NAPI module (and its platform-specific optional dep) can be found.
+# npm may hoist altimate-core to the global root OR nest it under
+# altimate-code/node_modules/ — include both paths.
 GLOBAL_NM=$(npm root -g 2>/dev/null || echo "")
-assert_exit_0 "altimate-core napi binding" env NODE_PATH="$GLOBAL_NM" node -e "require('@altimateai/altimate-core')"
+AC_NM="$GLOBAL_NM/altimate-code/node_modules"
+assert_exit_0 "altimate-core napi binding" env NODE_PATH="$GLOBAL_NM:$AC_NM" node -e "require('@altimateai/altimate-core')"
 
 # 8. dbt CLI available
 if command -v dbt >/dev/null 2>&1; then
@@ -105,10 +108,11 @@ DRIVERS=(
 DRIVER_PASS=0
 DRIVER_FAIL=0
 DRIVER_NODE_PATH=$(npm root -g 2>/dev/null || echo "")
+DRIVER_AC_NM="$DRIVER_NODE_PATH/altimate-code/node_modules"
 for entry in "${DRIVERS[@]}"; do
   pkg="${entry%%:*}"
   label="${entry##*:}"
-  if NODE_PATH="$DRIVER_NODE_PATH" node -e "require.resolve('$pkg')" 2>/dev/null; then
+  if NODE_PATH="$DRIVER_NODE_PATH:$DRIVER_AC_NM" node -e "require.resolve('$pkg')" 2>/dev/null; then
     echo "  PASS: $label driver resolvable ($pkg)"
     DRIVER_PASS=$((DRIVER_PASS + 1))
   else