diff --git a/packages/gambit-core/src/runtime.ts b/packages/gambit-core/src/runtime.ts
index b0fb8f22..64028000 100644
--- a/packages/gambit-core/src/runtime.ts
+++ b/packages/gambit-core/src/runtime.ts
@@ -3022,19 +3022,22 @@ function collectLocalImportGraph(entryPath: string): Set<string> {
   return visited;
 }
 
-const moduleBaseFilePath = (() => {
+const moduleBaseUrl = (() => {
   try {
-    return path.fromFileUrl(import.meta.url);
+    return new URL(import.meta.url);
   } catch {
     return undefined;
   }
 })();
+const moduleBaseFilePath = moduleBaseUrl?.protocol === "file:"
+  ? path.fromFileUrl(moduleBaseUrl)
+  : undefined;
 
 const WORKER_ENTRY_PATHS = moduleBaseFilePath
   ? [
     "./runtime_worker.ts",
     "./runtime_orchestration_worker.ts",
-  ].map((relative) => path.fromFileUrl(new URL(relative, import.meta.url)))
+  ].map((relative) => path.fromFileUrl(new URL(relative, moduleBaseUrl)))
   : [];
 const BUILTIN_SCHEMAS_DIR = moduleBaseFilePath
   ? path.resolve(path.dirname(moduleBaseFilePath), "../schemas")
diff --git a/src/cli_args.ts b/src/cli_args.ts
index 4f9cf3d7..a19dc1af 100644
--- a/src/cli_args.ts
+++ b/src/cli_args.ts
@@ -308,8 +308,8 @@ type CommandDoc = {
 
 function resolveBundledPath(specifier: string): string | null {
   try {
-    const resolved = import.meta.resolve(specifier);
-    if (resolved.startsWith("file:")) {
+    const resolved = new URL(specifier, import.meta.url);
+    if (resolved.protocol === "file:") {
       return path.fromFileUrl(resolved);
     }
   } catch {
diff --git a/src/commands/scaffold_utils.ts b/src/commands/scaffold_utils.ts
index 07ea77ac..b21c6ea4 100644
--- a/src/commands/scaffold_utils.ts
+++ b/src/commands/scaffold_utils.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,18 @@ const logger = console;
 export type ScaffoldKind = "demo";
 
 function resolveCandidate(specifier: string): string | undefined {
-  const url = new URL(import.meta.resolve(specifier));
+  let resolvedSpecifier: string;
+  try {
+    resolvedSpecifier = import.meta.resolve(specifier);
+  } catch {
+    try {
+      resolvedSpecifier = new URL(specifier, import.meta.url).href;
+    } catch {
+      return undefined;
+    }
+  }
+
+  const url = new URL(resolvedSpecifier);
   if (url.protocol !== "file:") return undefined;
   const candidatePath = path.fromFileUrl(url);
   try {
diff --git a/src/providers/codex.ts b/src/providers/codex.ts
index dab1bdba..b510c215 100644
--- a/src/providers/codex.ts
+++ b/src/providers/codex.ts
@@ -21,10 +21,18 @@ const CODEX_REASONING_SUMMARY_ENV = "GAMBIT_CODEX_REASONING_SUMMARY";
 const CODEX_VERBOSITY_ENV = "GAMBIT_CODEX_VERBOSITY";
 const CODEX_BIN_ENV = "GAMBIT_CODEX_BIN";
 const MCP_ROOT_DECK_PATH_ENV = "GAMBIT_MCP_ROOT_DECK_PATH";
-const MCP_SERVER_PATH = path.resolve(
-  path.dirname(path.fromFileUrl(import.meta.url)),
-  "../mcp_server.ts",
-);
+const MCP_SERVER_PATH = (() => {
+  try {
+    const moduleUrl = new URL(import.meta.url);
+    if (moduleUrl.protocol !== "file:") return null;
+    return path.resolve(
+      path.dirname(path.fromFileUrl(moduleUrl)),
+      "../mcp_server.ts",
+    );
+  } catch {
+    return null;
+  }
+})();
 
 type CodexTurnUsage = {
   input_tokens?: unknown;
@@ -147,7 +155,7 @@ function codexConfigArgs(input: {
     args.push("-c", `model_verbosity=${tomlString(verbosity.trim())}`);
   }
 
-  if (shouldEnableMcpBridge()) {
+  if (shouldEnableMcpBridge() && MCP_SERVER_PATH) {
     args.push("-c", `mcp_servers.gambit.command=${tomlString("deno")}`);
     args.push(
       "-c",
diff --git a/src/server.ts b/src/server.ts
index ba9d7430..272d00f5 100644
--- a/src/server.ts
+++ b/src/server.ts
@@ -419,14 +419,14 @@ function cloneValue<T>(value: T): T {
 }
 
 function resolveDeckPath(p: string): string {
-  const absolutePath = path.isAbsolute(p) ? p : path.resolve(p);
-  try {
-    const url = import.meta.resolve(path.toFileUrl(absolutePath).href);
-    if (url.startsWith("file:")) return path.fromFileUrl(url);
-    return url;
-  } catch {
-    return absolutePath;
+  if (p.startsWith("file:")) {
+    try {
+      return path.fromFileUrl(p);
+    } catch {
+      return p;
+    }
   }
+  return path.isAbsolute(p) ? p : path.resolve(p);
 }
 
 function materializeDefaults(schema?: NormalizedSchema): unknown {