diff --git a/scripts/pipeline.py b/scripts/pipeline.py
index 9f89b4cd..4a4dd066 100644
--- a/scripts/pipeline.py
+++ b/scripts/pipeline.py
@@ -622,8 +622,9 @@ def _truth_steps(args: argparse.Namespace, results: dict) -> bool:
             sys.executable,
             "scripts/export_native.py",
             "--all",
-            "--output-dir",
-            str(Path(args.output_dir) / "upstream"),
+            # exports/ is committed with the code, like README.md and
+            # install/: written under the pack directory it went stale on
+            # every green run.
             "--truth-dir",
             str(Path(args.output_dir) / "truth"),
         ]
diff --git a/tests/test_tool_messages.py b/tests/test_tool_messages.py
index 5fcd1379..9a5731df 100644
--- a/tests/test_tool_messages.py
+++ b/tests/test_tool_messages.py
@@ -172,6 +172,24 @@ class OneSpellingPerOption(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(missing, [])
 
 
+class ThePipelineRefreshesTheCommittedExport(unittest.TestCase):
+    """Step 2e wrote to <output-dir>/upstream while exports/ is the copy the
+    site and the platforms read, so a green run left it stale."""
+
+    def test_the_export_step_writes_the_default_directory(self):
+        import ast
+
+        source = (REPO_ROOT / "scripts" / "pipeline.py").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+        for node in ast.walk(ast.parse(source)):
+            if (isinstance(node, ast.Assign)
+                    and any(getattr(t, "id", "") == "export_cmd" for t in node.targets)):
+                words = [getattr(e, "value", None) for e in node.value.elts]
+                self.assertIn("scripts/export_native.py", words)
+                self.assertNotIn("--output-dir", words)
+                return
+        self.fail("no export_cmd in pipeline.py")
+
+
 class ThePipelineCountsItsRealSteps(unittest.TestCase):
     """Labels read N/8 for a run of 24 steps, and the summary used keys
     the log never printed."""