diff --git a/.agents/docs/gotchas.md b/.agents/docs/gotchas.md
index b5d3434..c2e91a1 100644
--- a/.agents/docs/gotchas.md
+++ b/.agents/docs/gotchas.md
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ An explicit cwd must be absolute only when the operation needs it. An absolute r
 
 ## The cached current directory is process-lifetime state
 
-With `cached_current_dir`, the first operation that actually needs the ordinary process cwd initializes a `OnceLock`, and later operations reuse that path. Absolute inputs and cwd-independent relative pairs do not initialize the cache. A later `std::env::set_current_dir` after initialization is invisible to this provider. Enable the feature only when the process treats cwd as stable, or use `absolutize_with` and `relative_with` for changing or externally managed cwd state.
+With `cached_current_dir`, the first operation that actually needs the ordinary process cwd initializes a `OnceLock`, and later operations reuse that path. Absolute inputs and cwd-independent relative pairs do not initialize the cache. A later `std::env::set_current_dir`, directory removal, or permission change after initialization is invisible to this provider; it continues lexical resolution from the successful snapshot without revalidating that path. Enable the feature only when the process treats cwd as stable, or use `absolutize_with` and `relative_with` for changing or externally managed cwd state.
 
 Windows drive-relative ambient resolution is a separate case: `C:foo` needs drive C's remembered cwd, not merely the process's single cached cwd. It goes through `std::path::absolute`, so the `cached_current_dir` feature must not substitute an unrelated drive context.
 
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ There is no public fused relative-to-string method. The strict owned-string pipe
 - [Exact normalization identity tests](../../tests/path_identity.rs)
 - [Explicit-cwd absolutization tests](../../tests/absolutize_with.rs)
 - [Ambient cwd avoidance tests](../../tests/absolutize_without_cwd.rs)
+- [Unavailable cwd after a successful lookup](../../tests/cwd_unavailable_after_cache.rs)
 - [Slash-conversion tests](../../tests/to_slash.rs)
 - [Consuming ownership tests](../../tests/owned_api.rs)
 - [Relative-to-slash composition tests](../../tests/relative_to_slash.rs)
diff --git a/.agents/docs/testing-strategy.md b/.agents/docs/testing-strategy.md
index 0f9f2c7..4054257 100644
--- a/.agents/docs/testing-strategy.md
+++ b/.agents/docs/testing-strategy.md
@@ -41,7 +41,8 @@ The matrix is interaction-aware. A platform root kind must be crossed with encod
 - On macOS and Linux, all 224,676 pairs from the bounded short absolute spelling set plus the multibyte set are checked through the production `relative_str` dispatch and the suffix-validation helper against the slow component oracle.
 - Absolute paths with native-invalid normal components prove that equal raw encoding cancels and distinct encoding with the same lossy rendering does not, through `relative`, `try_relative`, and `relative_with` on Unix and Windows. Unix explicit-cwd rows also prove that relative resolution preserves native-invalid cwd components for borrowed and owned context arguments.
 - Windows drive-relative rows apply the same exact comparison before shared-context cancellation and preserve invalid-wide components while resolving against explicit borrowed and owned cwd arguments.
-- Unavailable Unix cwd coverage pins exact successful output and `Cow` variants for cwd-independent fallible calls, preserves the ambient error and panic checks for dependent `Path`, `str`, and `String` calls, and proves that a valid explicit cwd still succeeds.
+- Unavailable Unix cwd coverage pins exact successful output and `Cow` variants for cwd-independent fallible calls, compares dependent fallible calls with the direct `current_dir` error, preserves strict panic checks for `Path`, `str`, and `String` calls, and proves that a valid explicit cwd still succeeds.
+- A Unix child process successfully reads cwd before removing that directory, then requires default mode to expose the subsequent ambient error while `cached_current_dir` continues producing exact owned results from the successful process-lifetime snapshot.
 - Known-UTF-8 `str` and `String` receivers prove exact clean-trailing and dirty normalization contracts, receiver-only borrowing, explicit and ambient relative context forwarding, and cached-cwd behavior on Unix and Windows. Unix deleted-cwd rows also prove cwd-independent success and strict cwd-dependent panics for string receivers.
 - A Linux child process starts in a real cwd containing an invalid native byte and requires `absolutize`, `try_absolutize`, `relative`, and `try_relative` to preserve that byte exactly under both cwd policies. Linux supplies this executable filesystem case because macOS rejects the invalid-byte directory name; explicit-cwd tests continue to cover native-invalid Unix composition independently of the host filesystem.
 
@@ -71,6 +72,7 @@ Any change to a public contract, platform branch, native-encoding comparison, cl
 - [Independent bounded public normalization model](../../tests/public_normalize_model.rs)
 - [Relative ownership and lifetime contracts](../../tests/relative_borrowing.rs)
 - [Unavailable-cwd relative behavior](../../tests/relative_without_cwd.rs)
+- [Unavailable cwd after a successful lookup](../../tests/cwd_unavailable_after_cache.rs)
 - [Known-UTF-8 string receiver ownership](../../tests/string_receiver_contracts.rs)
 - [Native-invalid ambient cwd preservation](../../tests/non_utf8_ambient_cwd.rs)
 - [Native-invalid exact comparison](../../tests/invalid_encoding.rs)
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yaml b/.github/workflows/test.yaml
index 1b9db81..5b09716 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yaml
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ jobs:
               current_directory_is_cached_only_when_requested
               pure_relative_calls_initialize_and_observe_cwd_policy
               failed_cwd_lookup_does_not_poison_later_relative_calls
+              cwd_unavailable_after_successful_lookup_observes_cache_policy
               non_utf8_ambient_cwd_is_preserved
               requested_cached_current_dir_configuration_is_active
           - os: windows-latest
@@ -108,6 +109,7 @@ jobs:
               current_directory_is_cached_only_when_requested
               pure_relative_calls_initialize_and_observe_cwd_policy
               failed_cwd_lookup_does_not_poison_later_relative_calls
+              cwd_unavailable_after_successful_lookup_observes_cache_policy
               requested_cached_current_dir_configuration_is_active
     runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
     steps:
diff --git a/tests/absolutize_without_cwd.rs b/tests/absolutize_without_cwd.rs
index 163ba0f..9b901aa 100644
--- a/tests/absolutize_without_cwd.rs
+++ b/tests/absolutize_without_cwd.rs
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 use std::{
   borrow::Cow,
-  env, fs,
+  env, fs, io,
   path::Path,
   process::Command,
   time::{SystemTime, UNIX_EPOCH},
@@ -12,11 +12,16 @@ use sugar_path::SugarPath;
 
 const CHILD_ENV: &str = "SUGAR_PATH_TEST_WITHOUT_CWD";
 
+fn assert_same_error(actual: &io::Error, expected: &io::Error, context: &str) {
+  assert_eq!(actual.kind(), expected.kind(), "{context} error kind");
+  assert_eq!(actual.raw_os_error(), expected.raw_os_error(), "{context} raw OS error");
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn absolute_paths_do_not_require_current_directory() {
   if let Some(doomed) = env::var_os(CHILD_ENV) {
     fs::remove_dir(&doomed).expect("remove the child's current directory");
-    assert!(env::current_dir().is_err());
+    let cwd_error = env::current_dir().expect_err("the process cwd is unavailable");
 
     let clean = Path::new("/sugar-path/file.js");
     let clean_output = clean.absolutize();
@@ -34,9 +39,21 @@ fn absolute_paths_do_not_require_current_directory() {
     assert!(matches!(dirty_try, Cow::Owned(_)));
     assert_eq!(dirty_try.as_os_str(), Path::new("/file.js").as_os_str());
 
-    assert!(Path::new("relative.js").try_absolutize().is_err());
-    assert!("relative.js".try_absolutize().is_err());
-    assert!(String::from("relative.js").try_absolutize().is_err());
+    assert_same_error(
+      &Path::new("relative.js").try_absolutize().expect_err("relative Path should need cwd"),
+      &cwd_error,
+      "relative Path try_absolutize",
+    );
+    assert_same_error(
+      &"relative.js".try_absolutize().expect_err("relative str should need cwd"),
+      &cwd_error,
+      "relative str try_absolutize",
+    );
+    assert_same_error(
+      &String::from("relative.js").try_absolutize().expect_err("relative String should need cwd"),
+      &cwd_error,
+      "relative String try_absolutize",
+    );
     assert!(std::panic::catch_unwind(|| Path::new("relative.js").absolutize()).is_err());
     assert!(
       std::panic::catch_unwind(|| {
@@ -46,6 +63,10 @@ fn absolute_paths_do_not_require_current_directory() {
       .is_err(),
     );
 
+    let explicit = Path::new("relative.js").absolutize_with(Path::new("/explicit-cwd"));
+    assert_eq!(explicit.as_ref(), Path::new("/explicit-cwd/relative.js"));
+    assert!(matches!(explicit, Cow::Owned(_)));
+
     let clean_string = String::from("/sugar-path/string.js");
     let clean_string_output =
       clean_string.try_absolutize().expect("clean absolute String should not read cwd");
diff --git a/tests/cwd_unavailable_after_cache.rs b/tests/cwd_unavailable_after_cache.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c4c3277
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/cwd_unavailable_after_cache.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+#![cfg(unix)]
+
+use std::{
+  borrow::Cow,
+  env, fs, io,
+  panic::{AssertUnwindSafe, catch_unwind},
+  path::{Path, PathBuf},
+  process::Command,
+  time::{SystemTime, UNIX_EPOCH},
+};
+
+use sugar_path::SugarPath;
+
+const CHILD_ENV: &str = "SUGAR_PATH_CWD_UNAVAILABLE_AFTER_CACHE";
+
+fn assert_same_error(actual: &io::Error, expected: &io::Error, context: &str) {
+  assert_eq!(actual.kind(), expected.kind(), "{context} error kind");
+  assert_eq!(actual.raw_os_error(), expected.raw_os_error(), "{context} raw OS error");
+}
+
+fn assert_owned(output: Cow<'_, Path>, expected: &Path, context: &str) {
+  assert_eq!(output.as_ref(), expected, "{context} value");
+  assert!(matches!(output, Cow::Owned(_)), "{context} should own");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn cwd_unavailable_after_successful_lookup_observes_cache_policy() {
+  if let Some(root) = env::var_os(CHILD_ENV) {
+    let root = PathBuf::from(root);
+    let doomed = root.join("doomed");
+    assert_eq!(env::current_dir().expect("read the child's initial cwd"), doomed);
+    let anchor = root.join("anchor");
+
+    assert_owned(
+      Path::new("initial.js").try_absolutize().expect("initialize cwd state"),
+      &doomed.join("initial.js"),
+      "initial cwd lookup",
+    );
+    fs::remove_dir(&doomed).expect("remove the child's current directory");
+    let cwd_error = env::current_dir().expect_err("the process cwd is unavailable");
+
+    let absolute = Path::new("later.js").try_absolutize();
+    let relative = Path::new("later.js").try_relative(&anchor);
+    if cfg!(feature = "cached_current_dir") {
+      assert_owned(
+        absolute.expect("cached absolutize should succeed"),
+        &doomed.join("later.js"),
+        "cached try_absolutize",
+      );
+      assert_owned(
+        relative.expect("cached relative should succeed"),
+        Path::new("../doomed/later.js"),
+        "cached try_relative",
+      );
+      assert_owned(
+        Path::new("later.js").absolutize(),
+        &doomed.join("later.js"),
+        "cached absolutize",
+      );
+      assert_owned(
+        Path::new("later.js").relative(&anchor),
+        Path::new("../doomed/later.js"),
+        "cached relative",
+      );
+    } else {
+      assert_same_error(
+        &absolute.expect_err("default absolutize should fail"),
+        &cwd_error,
+        "default try_absolutize",
+      );
+      assert_same_error(
+        &relative.expect_err("default relative should fail"),
+        &cwd_error,
+        "default try_relative",
+      );
+      assert!(
+        catch_unwind(|| Path::new("later.js").absolutize()).is_err(),
+        "default absolutize should panic",
+      );
+      assert!(
+        catch_unwind(AssertUnwindSafe(|| Path::new("later.js").relative(&anchor))).is_err(),
+        "default relative should panic",
+      );
+    }
+    return;
+  }
+
+  let unique = SystemTime::now()
+    .duration_since(UNIX_EPOCH)
+    .expect("system clock is after the Unix epoch")
+    .as_nanos();
+  let root =
+    env::temp_dir().join(format!("sugar-path-cwd-unavailable-{}-{unique}", std::process::id()));
+  fs::create_dir_all(root.join("doomed")).expect("create the child cwd");
+  let root = fs::canonicalize(root).expect("resolve the temporary root spelling");
+  let doomed = root.join("doomed");
+
+  let output = Command::new(env::current_exe().expect("find the integration-test executable"))
+    .args([
+      "--exact",
+      "cwd_unavailable_after_successful_lookup_observes_cache_policy",
+      "--nocapture",
+    ])
+    .env(CHILD_ENV, &root)
+    .current_dir(&doomed)
+    .output()
+    .expect("run the integration test in a child process");
+
+  if root.exists() {
+    fs::remove_dir_all(&root).expect("clean up the temporary root");
+  }
+  assert!(
+    output.status.success(),
+    "child test failed\nstdout:\n{}\nstderr:\n{}",
+    String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stdout),
+    String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr),
+  );
+}
diff --git a/tests/relative_without_cwd.rs b/tests/relative_without_cwd.rs
index ea675bc..8185447 100644
--- a/tests/relative_without_cwd.rs
+++ b/tests/relative_without_cwd.rs
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 use std::{
   borrow::Cow,
-  env, fs,
+  env, fs, io,
   panic::{AssertUnwindSafe, catch_unwind},
   path::Path,
   process::Command,
@@ -13,11 +13,16 @@ use sugar_path::SugarPath;
 
 const CHILD_ENV: &str = "SUGAR_PATH_RELATIVE_WITHOUT_CWD";
 
+fn assert_same_error(actual: &io::Error, expected: &io::Error, context: &str) {
+  assert_eq!(actual.kind(), expected.kind(), "{context} error kind");
+  assert_eq!(actual.raw_os_error(), expected.raw_os_error(), "{context} raw OS error");
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn cwd_independent_relative_inputs_do_not_read_the_current_directory() {
   if let Some(doomed) = env::var_os(CHILD_ENV) {
     fs::remove_dir(&doomed).expect("remove the child's current directory");
-    assert!(env::current_dir().is_err());
+    let cwd_error = env::current_dir().expect_err("the process cwd is unavailable");
 
     let dirty =
       Path::new("./dist/assets/./temp/../index.js").relative(Path::new("dist/./chunks/../chunks"));
@@ -34,11 +39,27 @@ fn cwd_independent_relative_inputs_do_not_read_the_current_directory() {
     assert_eq!(fallible.as_os_str(), Path::new("../assets/index.js").as_os_str());
     assert!(matches!(fallible, Cow::Owned(_)));
 
-    assert!(
-      Path::new("../../dist/assets/index.js").try_relative(Path::new("../dist/chunks")).is_err(),
+    assert_same_error(
+      &Path::new("../../dist/assets/index.js")
+        .try_relative(Path::new("../dist/chunks"))
+        .expect_err("unequal leading parents should need cwd"),
+      &cwd_error,
+      "relative Path try_relative",
+    );
+    assert_same_error(
+      &"../../dist/assets/index.js"
+        .try_relative("../dist/chunks")
+        .expect_err("unequal leading parents should need cwd for str"),
+      &cwd_error,
+      "relative str try_relative",
+    );
+    assert_same_error(
+      &String::from("../../dist/assets/index.js")
+        .try_relative("../dist/chunks")
+        .expect_err("unequal leading parents should need cwd for String"),
+      &cwd_error,
+      "relative String try_relative",
     );
-    assert!("../../dist/assets/index.js".try_relative("../dist/chunks").is_err());
-    assert!(String::from("../../dist/assets/index.js").try_relative("../dist/chunks").is_err(),);
 
     let absolute_string = String::from("/workspace/src");
     let absolute_relative =