diff --git a/scripts/dev-host.sh b/scripts/dev-host.sh
index 7d37777..a6916ff 100755
--- a/scripts/dev-host.sh
+++ b/scripts/dev-host.sh
@@ -34,7 +34,10 @@ port_owner() {
 }
 
 require_environment() {
-	[ -d "$HOST_DIR/.git" ] || { echo "cloudcli/ is not initialised — run ./scripts/bootstrap.sh" >&2; exit 1; }
+	# -e, not -d: in a submodule checkout .git is a *file* pointing at
+	# ../.git/modules/cloudcli. It is only a directory when the fork was cloned
+	# into place by hand.
+	[ -e "$HOST_DIR/.git" ] || { echo "cloudcli/ is not initialised — run ./scripts/bootstrap.sh" >&2; exit 1; }
 	[ -d "$HOST_DIR/node_modules" ] || { echo "cloudcli/node_modules is missing — run ./scripts/bootstrap.sh" >&2; exit 1; }
 
 	# The server needs these three compiled; npm >= 12 blocks install scripts by
diff --git a/scripts/export-patches.sh b/scripts/export-patches.sh
index 270bc86..cf60d99 100755
--- a/scripts/export-patches.sh
+++ b/scripts/export-patches.sh
@@ -20,7 +20,8 @@ BRANCHES=(
 	"feat/plugin-sidebar-surface:0003-feat-plugin-sidebar-surface.patch"
 )
 
-[ -d "$SRC/.git" ] || { echo "cloudcli/ submodule is not initialised — run ./scripts/bootstrap.sh" >&2; exit 1; }
+# -e, not -d: in a submodule checkout .git is a file, not a directory.
+[ -e "$SRC/.git" ] || { echo "cloudcli/ submodule is not initialised — run ./scripts/bootstrap.sh" >&2; exit 1; }
 [ -d "$OUT" ] || { echo "plugin-taskwork/patches/ is missing — run ./scripts/bootstrap.sh" >&2; exit 1; }
 
 git -C "$SRC" rev-parse --verify --quiet "$BASE_TAG^{commit}" >/dev/null \