diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 702b0de..8f04721 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ Each entry links the GitHub issue (the canonical spec) and the merge PR (the shi
 
 ### Changed
 
+- **Repo-only helpers leave the shipped bundle** — `doc-drift-check.js` (this repo's lint over its own docs) and `bash-runtime.js` (a test helper that locates bash) moved from `skills/dev-backlog/scripts/` to `tests/tools/` with their tests; no operator script or SKILL.md rail used them. The shipped script inventory is 14 → 12 files. Closes [#460](https://github.com/sungjunlee/dev-backlog/issues/460).
 - **Doctor advisory checks and dead lib.js readers deleted** — `backlog-doctor.js` drops `in_flight_staleness` (`--stale-days`) and `context_bloat`; both re-derive from `status.sh --json` `age_days` and `wc -l` and nothing consumed them. `lib.js` drops `parseMarkerMonth` and the triage config readers orphaned by #433 (259 lines with tests). The three guard checks and their JSON shapes are unchanged. Closes [#458](https://github.com/sungjunlee/dev-backlog/issues/458).
 - **status.sh trailing sections deleted** — the Local Files block (counted `tasks/*.md` mirrors by a Backlog.md `status:` field, a format parked at `v0.11.0`), the Relay Runs block (re-derived another tool's run-directory slug and grepped its manifests), and the Past sprints line are gone (54 lines with their smoke fixture); each was one command away and nothing consumed them. Output now ends after the Active Sprint block; `--json` and `--track` are unchanged. Closes [#459](https://github.com/sungjunlee/dev-backlog/issues/459).
 
diff --git a/tests/dev-backlog/bash-runtime.test.js b/tests/dev-backlog/bash-runtime.test.js
index 8ee9e8d..53744ae 100644
--- a/tests/dev-backlog/bash-runtime.test.js
+++ b/tests/dev-backlog/bash-runtime.test.js
@@ -3,8 +3,9 @@ const assert = require("node:assert/strict");
 const fs = require("node:fs");
 const path = require("node:path");
 
+const TOOLS = path.resolve(__dirname, "../tools");
 const SKILL_SCRIPTS = path.resolve(__dirname, "../../skills/dev-backlog/scripts");
-const { resolveBashExecutable, toBashArgs } = require(path.join(SKILL_SCRIPTS, "bash-runtime.js"));
+const { resolveBashExecutable, toBashArgs } = require(path.join(TOOLS, "bash-runtime.js"));
 
 const BASH_ENTRYPOINTS = [
   "status.sh",
diff --git a/tests/dev-backlog/doc-drift-check.test.js b/tests/dev-backlog/doc-drift-check.test.js
index 382d52e..4c7f600 100644
--- a/tests/dev-backlog/doc-drift-check.test.js
+++ b/tests/dev-backlog/doc-drift-check.test.js
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ const { spawnSync } = require("child_process");
 const fs = require("fs");
 const os = require("os");
 const path = require("path");
+const TOOLS = path.resolve(__dirname, "../tools");
 const SKILL_SCRIPTS = path.resolve(__dirname, "../../skills/dev-backlog/scripts");
 const {
   parseArgs,
@@ -11,9 +12,9 @@ const {
   collectScriptInventory,
   extractMentions,
   checkDocDrift,
-} = require(path.join(SKILL_SCRIPTS, "doc-drift-check.js"));
+} = require(path.join(TOOLS, "doc-drift-check.js"));
 
-const SCRIPT = path.join(SKILL_SCRIPTS, "doc-drift-check.js");
+const SCRIPT = path.join(TOOLS, "doc-drift-check.js");
 const REPO_ROOT = path.join(__dirname, "..", "..");
 
 function makeTempDir() {
diff --git a/tests/dev-backlog/github-resilience.acceptance.test.js b/tests/dev-backlog/github-resilience.acceptance.test.js
index eb97fca..f746ac0 100644
--- a/tests/dev-backlog/github-resilience.acceptance.test.js
+++ b/tests/dev-backlog/github-resilience.acceptance.test.js
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ const { spawnSync } = require("node:child_process");
 const SKILL_SCRIPTS = path.resolve(__dirname, "../../skills/dev-backlog/scripts");
 const TEST_FAKES = path.resolve(__dirname, "../fakes");
 const TRIAGE_SCRIPTS = path.resolve(__dirname, "../../skills/backlog-triage/scripts");
-const { resolveBashExecutable, toBashArgs } = require(path.join(SKILL_SCRIPTS, "bash-runtime.js"));
+const { resolveBashExecutable, toBashArgs } = require(path.resolve(__dirname, "../tools/bash-runtime.js"));
 const { writeGhFixture } = require(path.join(TEST_FAKES, "fake-gh-fixture.js"));
 
 const SCRIPTS_DIR = SKILL_SCRIPTS;
diff --git a/skills/dev-backlog/scripts/bash-runtime.js b/tests/tools/bash-runtime.js
similarity index 94%
rename from skills/dev-backlog/scripts/bash-runtime.js
rename to tests/tools/bash-runtime.js
index 2b12605..4d0d190 100644
--- a/skills/dev-backlog/scripts/bash-runtime.js
+++ b/tests/tools/bash-runtime.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 const fs = require("node:fs");
 const path = require("node:path");
 const { execFileSync, spawnSync } = require("node:child_process");
-const { toPortablePath } = require("./portable-path.js");
+const { toPortablePath } = require("../../skills/dev-backlog/scripts/portable-path.js");
 
 function resolveBashExecutable({
   platform = process.platform,
diff --git a/skills/dev-backlog/scripts/doc-drift-check.js b/tests/tools/doc-drift-check.js
similarity index 96%
rename from skills/dev-backlog/scripts/doc-drift-check.js
rename to tests/tools/doc-drift-check.js
index 546c901..700db5d 100644
--- a/skills/dev-backlog/scripts/doc-drift-check.js
+++ b/tests/tools/doc-drift-check.js
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  * deleted script (the `progress-sync` gotchas survived their script's
  * deletion by two weeks before the 2026-08-15 cleanup found them).
  *
- * Usage: ./scripts/doc-drift-check.js [--root PATH] [--json]
+ * Usage: node tests/tools/doc-drift-check.js [--root PATH] [--json]
  *
  * Behavior:
  *   - Doc surface: skills/<skill>/SKILL.md, skills/<skill>/references/*.md,
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 
 const fs = require("fs");
 const path = require("path");
-const { defaultSprintsDir } = require("./execution-root.js");
+const { defaultSprintsDir } = require("../../skills/dev-backlog/scripts/execution-root.js");
 
 const TOKEN_RE = /[A-Za-z0-9_][A-Za-z0-9_.-]*\.(?:js|sh)\b/g;
 const IGNORED_TOKENS = new Set(["Node.js"]);