diff --git a/packages/ssh/src/tunnel.test.ts b/packages/ssh/src/tunnel.test.ts
index f7f46926ddf913f8da86ff165b169b283a8f4f23..001852f98da13f4b2e0ffa7915170fb631432524 100644
--- a/packages/ssh/src/tunnel.test.ts
+++ b/packages/ssh/src/tunnel.test.ts
@@ -232,6 +232,12 @@ describe("ssh tunnel scripts", () => {
     assert.notInclude(script, "npx");
   });
 
+  it("embeds the runner in the launch script byte for byte", () => {
+    const runner = buildRemoteT3RunnerScript(ARCHIVE);
+    assert.include(runner, 'printf \'%s\\n\' "$$" > "$T3_LOCK/pid.tmp"');
+    assert.include(buildRemoteLaunchScript(ARCHIVE), runner);
+  });
+
   it("uses the remote t3 runner for launch and pairing scripts", () => {
     const stateKey = "711bc738002d72fd";
     const launch = SshTunnel.buildRemoteLaunchScript(ARCHIVE);
diff --git a/packages/ssh/src/tunnel.ts b/packages/ssh/src/tunnel.ts
index 6d70e381c04a46a8b024bb0f1bf7d9d244c5e235..c13e8d3768fa0d64744bff785fd670ccf524ed5a 100644
--- a/packages/ssh/src/tunnel.ts
+++ b/packages/ssh/src/tunnel.ts
@@ -240,7 +240,8 @@ function applyScriptPlaceholders(
 ): string {
   let result = template;
   for (const [token, value] of Object.entries(replacements)) {
-    result = result.replaceAll(`@@${token}@@`, value);
+    // A replacer function keeps `$$` and other `$` patterns in the value literal.
+    result = result.replaceAll(`@@${token}@@`, () => value);
   }
   return result;
 }