diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index fe1f57b83..09518b74b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -87,6 +87,22 @@ jobs:
           make ex_access 2>/dev/null || true
           ls -l libdb-*.a 2>/dev/null || ls -l .libs/libdb-*.* 2>/dev/null || true
 
+      # The test/db/ regression runners guard specific fixed bugs (the #139 hash
+      # comparator, recd compact/handler recovery, and the on-disk upgrade path).
+      # They were previously orphaned: no CI job and no make target invoked them,
+      # so a regression would have gone unnoticed. They all follow the same
+      # BUILD=${BUILD:-.} convention and expect to run from the build directory.
+      - name: Regression runners (test/db)
+        if: matrix.config == 'default'
+        working-directory: build_unix
+        run: |
+          set -e
+          for r in run_hash_unsorted_cmp run_recd_compact run_recd_handlers run_upgrade; do
+            echo "::group::$r"
+            bash "../test/db/$r.sh"
+            echo "::endgroup::"
+          done
+
   # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
   # 32-bit build on Linux (pointer-size / portability coverage).
   # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/test/db/run_hash_unsorted_cmp.sh b/test/db/run_hash_unsorted_cmp.sh
index 2103b988a..3ebbf8403 100644
--- a/test/db/run_hash_unsorted_cmp.sh
+++ b/test/db/run_hash_unsorted_cmp.sh
@@ -32,22 +32,58 @@ SRC=${SRC:-../test/db/hash_unsorted_cmp.c}
 HOME_DIR=${HOME_DIR:-HASH_UNSORTED_TESTDIR}
 TIMEOUT=${TIMEOUT:-180}
 
-LIB="$BUILD/.libs/libdb-5.3.so"
-if [ ! -f "$LIB" ]; then
-	LIB=$(ls "$BUILD"/.libs/libdb-*.so 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+# Prefer the STATIC library: on macOS the .dylib carries a baked-in install name
+# (/usr/local/BerkeleyDB.5.3/lib/...) which takes precedence over -rpath, so a
+# shared link runs against an uninstalled path and dyld aborts.  Static linking
+# avoids the dynamic loader entirely, which is what the other CI-wired suites
+# (e.g. test/fuzz) already do.  Fall back to the shared library if no static one
+# was built.
+LIB=""
+LIBRPATH=""
+for cand in "$BUILD"/libdb.a "$BUILD"/.libs/libdb-5.3.a "$BUILD"/.libs/libdb-*.a; do
+	if [ -f "$cand" ]; then LIB="$cand"; break; fi
+done
+if [ -z "$LIB" ]; then
+	for cand in "$BUILD"/.libs/libdb-5.3.so "$BUILD"/.libs/libdb-5.3.dylib \
+	    "$BUILD"/.libs/libdb-*.so "$BUILD"/.libs/libdb-*.dylib; do
+		if [ -f "$cand" ]; then LIB="$cand"; break; fi
+	done
+	[ -n "$LIB" ] && LIBRPATH="-Wl,-rpath,$(cd "$BUILD/.libs" && pwd)"
 fi
-[ -n "$LIB" ] || { echo "FAIL: libdb .so not found in $BUILD/.libs"; exit 1; }
+[ -n "$LIB" ] || { echo "FAIL: no libdb library (static or shared) found under $BUILD"; exit 1; }
+
+# A static libdb needs its transitive deps named explicitly.
+EXTRALIBS=""
+for l in $(pkg-config --libs liburing 2>/dev/null); do EXTRALIBS="$EXTRALIBS $l"; done
 
 echo "Compiling hash_unsorted_cmp against $LIB"
-gcc -g -O1 ${CFLAGS:-} -I"$BUILD" "$SRC" "$LIB" \
-    -lpthread -Wl,-rpath,"$(cd "$BUILD/.libs" && pwd)" \
+"${CC:-cc}" -g -O1 ${CFLAGS:-} -I"$BUILD" "$SRC" "$LIB" \
+    -lpthread $LIBRPATH $EXTRALIBS \
     -o "$BUILD/hash_unsorted_cmp"
 
 rm -f "$HOME_DIR"/*.db 2>/dev/null || true
 mkdir -p "$HOME_DIR"
 
+# `timeout` is GNU coreutils: present on Linux, absent on stock macOS (where it
+# is `gtimeout` if coreutils is installed).  Resolve it once; if neither exists,
+# run without a timeout rather than failing with rc=127.
+if command -v timeout >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+	TIMEOUT_CMD="timeout"
+elif command -v gtimeout >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+	TIMEOUT_CMD="gtimeout"
+else
+	TIMEOUT_CMD=""
+fi
+run_with_timeout() {
+	if [ -n "$TIMEOUT_CMD" ]; then
+		"$TIMEOUT_CMD" "$@"
+	else
+		shift	# drop the seconds argument
+		"$@"
+	fi
+}
 echo "Running hash_unsorted_cmp (timeout ${TIMEOUT}s)"
-if timeout "$TIMEOUT" "$BUILD/hash_unsorted_cmp"; then
+if run_with_timeout "$TIMEOUT" "$BUILD/hash_unsorted_cmp"; then
 	echo "run_hash_unsorted_cmp.sh: PASS"
 	exit 0
 else
diff --git a/test/db/run_recd_compact.sh b/test/db/run_recd_compact.sh
index 8a930ff7e..26ed92888 100644
--- a/test/db/run_recd_compact.sh
+++ b/test/db/run_recd_compact.sh
@@ -23,23 +23,59 @@ SRC=${SRC:-../test/db/recd_compact.c}
 HOME_DIR=${HOME_DIR:-RECD_COMPACT_TESTDIR}
 TIMEOUT=${TIMEOUT:-180}
 
-LIB="$BUILD/.libs/libdb-5.3.so"
-if [ ! -f "$LIB" ]; then
-	LIB=$(ls "$BUILD"/.libs/libdb-*.so 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+# Prefer the STATIC library: on macOS the .dylib carries a baked-in install name
+# (/usr/local/BerkeleyDB.5.3/lib/...) which takes precedence over -rpath, so a
+# shared link runs against an uninstalled path and dyld aborts.  Static linking
+# avoids the dynamic loader entirely, which is what the other CI-wired suites
+# (e.g. test/fuzz) already do.  Fall back to the shared library if no static one
+# was built.
+LIB=""
+LIBRPATH=""
+for cand in "$BUILD"/libdb.a "$BUILD"/.libs/libdb-5.3.a "$BUILD"/.libs/libdb-*.a; do
+	if [ -f "$cand" ]; then LIB="$cand"; break; fi
+done
+if [ -z "$LIB" ]; then
+	for cand in "$BUILD"/.libs/libdb-5.3.so "$BUILD"/.libs/libdb-5.3.dylib \
+	    "$BUILD"/.libs/libdb-*.so "$BUILD"/.libs/libdb-*.dylib; do
+		if [ -f "$cand" ]; then LIB="$cand"; break; fi
+	done
+	[ -n "$LIB" ] && LIBRPATH="-Wl,-rpath,$(cd "$BUILD/.libs" && pwd)"
 fi
-[ -n "$LIB" ] || { echo "FAIL: libdb .so not found in $BUILD/.libs"; exit 1; }
+[ -n "$LIB" ] || { echo "FAIL: no libdb library (static or shared) found under $BUILD"; exit 1; }
+
+# A static libdb needs its transitive deps named explicitly.
+EXTRALIBS=""
+for l in $(pkg-config --libs liburing 2>/dev/null); do EXTRALIBS="$EXTRALIBS $l"; done
 
 echo "Compiling recd_compact against $LIB"
-gcc -g -O1 ${CFLAGS:-} -I"$BUILD" "$SRC" "$LIB" \
-    -lpthread -Wl,-rpath,"$(cd "$BUILD/.libs" && pwd)" \
+"${CC:-cc}" -g -O1 ${CFLAGS:-} -I"$BUILD" "$SRC" "$LIB" \
+    -lpthread $LIBRPATH $EXTRALIBS \
     -o "$BUILD/recd_compact"
 
 rm -f "$HOME_DIR"/__db.* "$HOME_DIR"/log.* "$HOME_DIR"/*.db \
     "$HOME_DIR"/DB_CONFIG 2>/dev/null || true
 mkdir -p "$HOME_DIR"
 
+# `timeout` is GNU coreutils: present on Linux, absent on stock macOS (where it
+# is `gtimeout` if coreutils is installed).  Resolve it once; if neither exists,
+# run without a timeout rather than failing with rc=127.
+if command -v timeout >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+	TIMEOUT_CMD="timeout"
+elif command -v gtimeout >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+	TIMEOUT_CMD="gtimeout"
+else
+	TIMEOUT_CMD=""
+fi
+run_with_timeout() {
+	if [ -n "$TIMEOUT_CMD" ]; then
+		"$TIMEOUT_CMD" "$@"
+	else
+		shift	# drop the seconds argument
+		"$@"
+	fi
+}
 echo "Running recd_compact (timeout ${TIMEOUT}s)"
-if timeout "$TIMEOUT" "$BUILD/recd_compact"; then
+if run_with_timeout "$TIMEOUT" "$BUILD/recd_compact"; then
 	echo "run_recd_compact.sh: PASS"
 	exit 0
 else
diff --git a/test/db/run_recd_handlers.sh b/test/db/run_recd_handlers.sh
index e305ab8e6..7dfa5d26e 100644
--- a/test/db/run_recd_handlers.sh
+++ b/test/db/run_recd_handlers.sh
@@ -26,23 +26,59 @@ SRC=${SRC:-../test/db/recd_handlers.c}
 HOME_DIR=${HOME_DIR:-RECD_HANDLERS_TESTDIR}
 TIMEOUT=${TIMEOUT:-300}
 
-LIB="$BUILD/.libs/libdb-5.3.so"
-if [ ! -f "$LIB" ]; then
-	LIB=$(ls "$BUILD"/.libs/libdb-*.so 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+# Prefer the STATIC library: on macOS the .dylib carries a baked-in install name
+# (/usr/local/BerkeleyDB.5.3/lib/...) which takes precedence over -rpath, so a
+# shared link runs against an uninstalled path and dyld aborts.  Static linking
+# avoids the dynamic loader entirely, which is what the other CI-wired suites
+# (e.g. test/fuzz) already do.  Fall back to the shared library if no static one
+# was built.
+LIB=""
+LIBRPATH=""
+for cand in "$BUILD"/libdb.a "$BUILD"/.libs/libdb-5.3.a "$BUILD"/.libs/libdb-*.a; do
+	if [ -f "$cand" ]; then LIB="$cand"; break; fi
+done
+if [ -z "$LIB" ]; then
+	for cand in "$BUILD"/.libs/libdb-5.3.so "$BUILD"/.libs/libdb-5.3.dylib \
+	    "$BUILD"/.libs/libdb-*.so "$BUILD"/.libs/libdb-*.dylib; do
+		if [ -f "$cand" ]; then LIB="$cand"; break; fi
+	done
+	[ -n "$LIB" ] && LIBRPATH="-Wl,-rpath,$(cd "$BUILD/.libs" && pwd)"
 fi
-[ -n "$LIB" ] || { echo "FAIL: libdb .so not found in $BUILD/.libs"; exit 1; }
+[ -n "$LIB" ] || { echo "FAIL: no libdb library (static or shared) found under $BUILD"; exit 1; }
+
+# A static libdb needs its transitive deps named explicitly.
+EXTRALIBS=""
+for l in $(pkg-config --libs liburing 2>/dev/null); do EXTRALIBS="$EXTRALIBS $l"; done
 
 echo "Compiling recd_handlers against $LIB"
-gcc -g -O1 ${CFLAGS:-} -I"$BUILD" "$SRC" "$LIB" \
-    -lpthread -Wl,-rpath,"$(cd "$BUILD/.libs" && pwd)" \
+"${CC:-cc}" -g -O1 ${CFLAGS:-} -I"$BUILD" "$SRC" "$LIB" \
+    -lpthread $LIBRPATH $EXTRALIBS \
     -o "$BUILD/recd_handlers"
 
 rm -f "$HOME_DIR"/__db.* "$HOME_DIR"/log.* "$HOME_DIR"/*.db \
     "$HOME_DIR"/DB_CONFIG 2>/dev/null || true
 mkdir -p "$HOME_DIR"
 
+# `timeout` is GNU coreutils: present on Linux, absent on stock macOS (where it
+# is `gtimeout` if coreutils is installed).  Resolve it once; if neither exists,
+# run without a timeout rather than failing with rc=127.
+if command -v timeout >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+	TIMEOUT_CMD="timeout"
+elif command -v gtimeout >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+	TIMEOUT_CMD="gtimeout"
+else
+	TIMEOUT_CMD=""
+fi
+run_with_timeout() {
+	if [ -n "$TIMEOUT_CMD" ]; then
+		"$TIMEOUT_CMD" "$@"
+	else
+		shift	# drop the seconds argument
+		"$@"
+	fi
+}
 echo "Running recd_handlers (timeout ${TIMEOUT}s)"
-if timeout "$TIMEOUT" "$BUILD/recd_handlers"; then
+if run_with_timeout "$TIMEOUT" "$BUILD/recd_handlers"; then
 	echo "run_recd_handlers.sh: PASS"
 	rm -f "$HOME_DIR"/__db.* "$HOME_DIR"/log.* "$HOME_DIR"/*.db \
 	    "$HOME_DIR"/DB_CONFIG 2>/dev/null || true
diff --git a/test/db/run_upgrade.sh b/test/db/run_upgrade.sh
index ec82b04d6..8b9616a2e 100644
--- a/test/db/run_upgrade.sh
+++ b/test/db/run_upgrade.sh
@@ -85,13 +85,31 @@ ABS_VERIFY=$(cd "$BUILD" && pwd)/db_verify
 rm -f "$WORK"/__db.* "$WORK"/log.* "$WORK"/*.db 2>/dev/null || true
 mkdir -p "$WORK"
 
+# `timeout` is GNU coreutils: present on Linux, absent on stock macOS (where it
+# is `gtimeout` if coreutils is installed).  Resolve it once; if neither exists,
+# run without a timeout rather than failing with rc=127.
+if command -v timeout >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+	TIMEOUT_CMD="timeout"
+elif command -v gtimeout >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+	TIMEOUT_CMD="gtimeout"
+else
+	TIMEOUT_CMD=""
+fi
+run_with_timeout() {
+	if [ -n "$TIMEOUT_CMD" ]; then
+		"$TIMEOUT_CMD" "$@"
+	else
+		shift	# drop the seconds argument
+		"$@"
+	fi
+}
 # upgrade_verify FILE [extra db_upgrade flags...] -- run db_upgrade then
 # db_verify (both under a timeout).  Used for paths that must verify clean.
 upgrade_verify() {
 	f=$1; shift
 	echo "db_upgrade $* + verify: $f"
-	( cd "$WORK" && timeout "$TIMEOUT" "$ABS_UPGRADE" -h . "$@" "$f" )
-	( cd "$WORK" && timeout "$TIMEOUT" "$ABS_VERIFY" "$f" >/dev/null )
+	( cd "$WORK" && run_with_timeout "$TIMEOUT" "$ABS_UPGRADE" -h . "$@" "$f" )
+	( cd "$WORK" && run_with_timeout "$TIMEOUT" "$ABS_VERIFY" "$f" >/dev/null )
 	echo "  CLEAN $f"
 }
 
@@ -102,7 +120,7 @@ upgrade_verify() {
 upgrade_only() {
 	f=$1; exp=$2
 	echo "db_upgrade (no verify): $f"
-	( cd "$WORK" && timeout "$TIMEOUT" "$ABS_UPGRADE" -h . "$f" )
+	( cd "$WORK" && run_with_timeout "$TIMEOUT" "$ABS_UPGRADE" -h . "$f" )
 	got=$( cd "$WORK" && "$PYTHON" -c "import struct,sys;print(struct.unpack_from('<I',open(sys.argv[1],'rb').read(20),16)[0])" "$f" )
 	[ "$got" = "$exp" ] || { echo "FAIL: $f upgraded to version $got, expected $exp"; exit 1; }
 	echo "  UPG-OK $f (version->$got; verify skipped: __db_set_lastpgno off-by-one)"
@@ -173,7 +191,7 @@ done
 # btree-with-dups: also drive the -s (DB_DUPSORT) flag path + salvage.
 upgrade_verify cur_btdup.db -s
 echo "salvage-verify cur_btdup.db"
-( cd "$WORK" && timeout "$TIMEOUT" "$ABS_VERIFY" -o cur_btdup.db >/dev/null )
+( cd "$WORK" && run_with_timeout "$TIMEOUT" "$ABS_VERIFY" -o cur_btdup.db >/dev/null )
 echo "  CLEAN cur_btdup.db (salvage)"
 
 # 2b. rewrite metadata pages into old on-disk layouts (see header).