diff --git a/.github/actions/ecr-build-push-pull/README.md b/.github/actions/ecr-build-push-pull/README.md
index 2e306c978b8e..2dea04797126 100644
--- a/.github/actions/ecr-build-push-pull/README.md
+++ b/.github/actions/ecr-build-push-pull/README.md
@@ -16,6 +16,19 @@ ECR is also used as the BuildKit layer cache.
     ecr-url: (optional, complete url for ECR storage)
 ```
 
+## Verifying a freshly built image
+
+Pass `verify-test-path` to assert against the image before it is published:
+
+```yaml
+    verify-test-path: docker/test/test_image_invariants.py
+```
+
+The tests run only on a full build, with `IMAGE_TAG` set, so the caller's job needs `uv`
+(`astral-sh/setup-uv`). A failure fails the action with nothing pushed, so the next run
+rebuilds rather than serving the bad image from the deps cache. Exact-tag and deps-cache hits skip
+them: that image passed when it was built.
+
 ## ECR URL resolution order
 
 1. `ecr-url` input
diff --git a/.github/actions/ecr-build-push-pull/action.yml b/.github/actions/ecr-build-push-pull/action.yml
index b289b4ebb7d8..7c595e7d3407 100644
--- a/.github/actions/ecr-build-push-pull/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/ecr-build-push-pull/action.yml
@@ -37,6 +37,16 @@ inputs:
     description: Tag used for the ECR layer cache image (e.g. "cache-base", "cache-curobo").
     required: false
     default: 'cache'
+  verify-test-path:
+    description: >
+      Path to a test file or directory asserted against a freshly built image, before it is
+      tagged or pushed. Tests run with IMAGE_TAG set; a failure fails the action with nothing
+      published, so the next run rebuilds instead of inheriting the bad image from the cache.
+
+      Not run on an exact-tag or deps-cache hit: those serve an image that already passed when it
+      was built.
+    required: false
+    default: ''
   pull-on-deps-hit:
     description: >
       Pull the image locally after a deps-cache hit. Needed by jobs that run
@@ -242,6 +252,23 @@ runs:
         cache-to: ${{ steps.resolve-ecr.outputs.available == 'true' && format('type=registry,ref={0},mode=max', env.CACHE_IMAGE) || '' }}
         deps-hash: ${{ steps.deps-hash.outputs.hash }}
 
+    # Assert against the image while it is only local: the push steps below publish under both
+    # the commit tag and the deps tag, and a deps-cache hit later serves that image without
+    # rebuilding it, so anything published unverified stays unverified.
+    - name: Verify freshly built image
+      if: >
+        inputs.verify-test-path != '' &&
+        steps.pull-exact.outputs.hit != 'true' &&
+        steps.deps-cache.outputs.deps-cache-hit != 'true'
+      shell: bash
+      env:
+        IMAGE_TAG: ${{ inputs.image-tag }}
+        TEST_PATH: ${{ inputs.verify-test-path }}
+      run: |
+        set -euo pipefail
+        uv run --no-project --with pytest \
+          python -m pytest -q "${TEST_PATH}"
+
     - name: Tag built image with ECR-prefixed name
       if: >
         steps.resolve-ecr.outputs.available == 'true' &&
diff --git a/.github/actions/run-tests/run_tests.sh b/.github/actions/run-tests/run_tests.sh
index d831101c9239..07d93c98d7eb 100755
--- a/.github/actions/run-tests/run_tests.sh
+++ b/.github/actions/run-tests/run_tests.sh
@@ -320,8 +320,11 @@ run_tests() {
       set -e
       cd /workspace/isaaclab
       mkdir -p tests
-      rm _isaac_sim || true
-      ln -s /isaac-sim _isaac_sim
+      # The runtime mounts above create /isaac-sim in every image. Link it only where Kit
+      # lives there: in the kit-less image the link would read as a downloaded Isaac Sim,
+      # which isaaclab.sh refuses to combine with the image's VIRTUAL_ENV.
+      rm -f _isaac_sim
+      if [ -x /isaac-sim/python.sh ]; then ln -s /isaac-sim _isaac_sim; fi
       if [ -n \"\${WARP_CACHE_PATH:-}\" ]; then
         ./isaaclab.sh -p tools/verify_warp_cache.py
       fi
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yaml b/.github/workflows/build.yaml
index 554f9989ed00..b1f33e545325 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yaml
@@ -207,6 +207,9 @@ jobs:
       with:
         enable-cache: true
 
+    # #6329 aborts the pip install when it strands a prebundled package's __init__.py
+    # (nvbugs 6343978: 14 Isaac Sim extensions fail to load). The images install with
+    # ``uv sync``, which never runs that guard, so assert the same invariant on the image.
     - name: Build and push to ECR
       uses: ./.github/actions/ecr-build-push-pull
       with:
@@ -215,20 +218,7 @@ jobs:
         isaacsim-version: ${{ needs.config.outputs.isaacsim_image_tag }}
         dockerfile-path: docker/Dockerfile.base
         cache-tag: cache-base
-
-    # #6329 aborts the pip install when it strands a prebundled package's __init__.py
-    # (nvbugs 6343978: 14 Isaac Sim extensions fail to load). The images install with
-    # ``uv sync``, which never runs that guard, so assert the same invariant on the image.
-    - name: Verify image invariants
-      shell: bash
-      env:
-        IMAGE_TAG: ${{ needs.config.outputs.ci_image_tag }}
-      run: |
-        set -euo pipefail
-        IMAGE_DIGEST="$(docker image inspect --format '{{.Id}}' "${IMAGE_TAG}")"
-        export IMAGE_DIGEST
-        uv run --no-project --with pytest \
-          python -m pytest -q docker/test/test_image_invariants.py
+        verify-test-path: docker/test/test_image_invariants.py
 
   build-curobo:
     name: Build cuRobo Docker Image
diff --git a/docker/test/test_container_profiles.py b/docker/test/test_container_profiles.py
index 39d39c974829..9a17fc87aab7 100644
--- a/docker/test/test_container_profiles.py
+++ b/docker/test/test_container_profiles.py
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 from docker.utils import ContainerInterface, volume_mounts
 
 DOCKER_DIR = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1]
+REPO_ROOT = DOCKER_DIR.parent
 
 
 @pytest.fixture
@@ -288,6 +289,41 @@ def test_kitless_compose_service_has_no_isaac_sim_mounts():
     assert all("/kit/" not in mount["target"].lower() for mount in mounts)
 
 
+def test_image_is_verified_before_it_is_published():
+    """A published image must be a verified one.
+
+    The push steps publish under both the commit tag and the deps tag, and a later deps-cache hit
+    serves that image without rebuilding it, so anything published unverified stays unverified.
+    """
+    action = yaml.safe_load(
+        (REPO_ROOT / ".github" / "actions" / "ecr-build-push-pull" / "action.yml").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    )
+    names = [step["name"] for step in action["runs"]["steps"] if "name" in step]
+
+    assert names.index("Verify freshly built image") < names.index("Push to ECR") < names.index("Push deps tag")
+
+    build = yaml.safe_load((REPO_ROOT / ".github" / "workflows" / "build.yaml").read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    (base_build,) = [
+        step for step in build["jobs"]["build"]["steps"] if step.get("uses") == "./.github/actions/ecr-build-push-pull"
+    ]
+
+    assert base_build["with"]["verify-test-path"] == "docker/test/test_image_invariants.py"
+
+
+def test_run_tests_links_isaac_sim_only_where_kit_is_installed():
+    """The kit-less image has no Kit under ``/isaac-sim``, which the runtime mounts create anyway.
+
+    Linking it as ``_isaac_sim`` there reads as a downloaded Isaac Sim, which ``isaaclab.sh``
+    refuses to combine with the image's ``VIRTUAL_ENV``.
+    """
+    script = (REPO_ROOT / ".github" / "actions" / "run-tests" / "run_tests.sh").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+
+    link_lines = [line.strip() for line in script.splitlines() if "ln -s /isaac-sim _isaac_sim" in line]
+
+    assert link_lines
+    assert all("/isaac-sim/python.sh" in line for line in link_lines), link_lines
+
+
 def test_kitless_volume_key_resolves_owned_image_paths(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch):
     """The explicit kit-less volume key resolves the paths prepared by its Dockerfile."""
     monkeypatch.setenv("DOCKER_ISAACLAB_PATH", "/workspace/isaaclab")
diff --git a/docker/test/test_image_invariants.py b/docker/test/test_image_invariants.py
index ffab8edf5781..74aea9920244 100644
--- a/docker/test/test_image_invariants.py
+++ b/docker/test/test_image_invariants.py
@@ -38,20 +38,6 @@ def _require_image():
         pytest.skip("IMAGE_TAG is unset; no built image to assert against")
 
 
-def test_image_under_test_is_the_one_that_was_built():
-    """Fail loudly rather than assert against whatever a stale tag happens to point at."""
-    expected = os.environ.get("IMAGE_DIGEST", "")
-    if not expected:
-        pytest.skip("IMAGE_DIGEST is unset; cannot bind the tag to a specific image")
-    actual = subprocess.run(
-        ["docker", "image", "inspect", "--format", "{{.Id}}", IMAGE_TAG],
-        capture_output=True,
-        text=True,
-        check=True,
-    ).stdout.strip()
-    assert actual == expected, f"{IMAGE_TAG} is {actual}, expected {expected}"
-
-
 def test_no_prebundled_package_lost_its_entry_point():
     """A dangling ``__init__.py`` in a prebundle stops Isaac Sim extensions loading.