diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 6eddf76..a13b971 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ RuDS uses no JavaScript application runtime and loads no CSS or JavaScript from
 
 The packaged Apple Silicon application requires macOS 26 or newer.
 
-Packaged executables share native `bds-core` and `bds-server` dynamic libraries. Release archives also carry the matching ONNX Runtime library; Windows archives include Microsoft's DirectML redistributable and its license for GPU-accelerated local embeddings. The **Install CLI** action replaces `~/.local/bin/bds-cli` with a symbolic link to the packaged CLI, so the command executes beside the same runtime libraries and always follows the package selected by the latest installation.
+Packaged executables share native `bds-core` and `bds-server` dynamic libraries. macOS and Linux link ONNX Runtime statically into `bds-core`; Windows archives carry the matching ONNX Runtime DLL plus Microsoft's DirectML redistributable and license for GPU-accelerated local embeddings. The **Install CLI** action replaces `~/.local/bin/bds-cli` with a symbolic link to the packaged CLI, so the command executes beside the same runtime libraries and always follows the package selected by the latest installation.
 
 Local macOS packages are ad-hoc signed without hardened runtime. A Developer ID and notarization remain optional release-channel steps for downloads that should pass Gatekeeper without a user override.
 
diff --git a/crates/bds-release/src/packaging.rs b/crates/bds-release/src/packaging.rs
index e34d592..24f7a86 100644
--- a/crates/bds-release/src/packaging.rs
+++ b/crates/bds-release/src/packaging.rs
@@ -277,13 +277,6 @@ fn runtime_files(
             .collect(),
     };
     external_names.sort();
-    if external_names.is_empty() {
-        return Err(format!(
-            "ONNX Runtime is missing from release directory: {}",
-            release_dir.display()
-        )
-        .into());
-    }
     for name in external_names {
         let path = release_dir.join(&name);
         require_file(&path)?;
@@ -694,7 +687,6 @@ mod tests {
             "bds-mcp",
             "libbds_core.so",
             "libbds_server.so",
-            "libonnxruntime.so.1",
         ] {
             fs::write(release.join(file), file).unwrap();
         }
@@ -718,9 +710,10 @@ mod tests {
             .map(|entry| entry.unwrap().path().unwrap().into_owned())
             .collect::<Vec<_>>();
         assert!(
-            names
+            !names
                 .iter()
-                .any(|name| name.ends_with("libonnxruntime.so.1"))
+                .any(|name| name.to_string_lossy().contains("onnxruntime")),
+            "the statically linked Linux runtime must not require an external ORT library"
         );
         assert!(names.iter().any(|name| name.ends_with("bds-ui")));
         assert!(names.iter().any(|name| name.ends_with("libbds_core.so")));