diff --git a/internal/sandbox/loader_bind_test.go b/internal/sandbox/loader_bind_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..dbac8b63
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/sandbox/loader_bind_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+//go:build linux
+
+package sandbox
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"debug/elf"
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"runtime"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// readInterp returns the ELF program interpreter of bin, or "" when the
+// file is not an ELF or is statically linked.
+func readInterp(t *testing.T, bin string) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	f, err := elf.Open(bin)
+	if err != nil {
+		return ""
+	}
+	defer func() { _ = f.Close() }()
+	sec := f.Section(".interp")
+	if sec == nil {
+		return ""
+	}
+	data, err := sec.Data()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("%s: read .interp: %v", bin, err)
+	}
+	return strings.TrimRight(string(data), "\x00")
+}
+
+// buildLoaderHelper compiles the dynamically-linked loaderhelper test
+// program and returns its path.
+func buildLoaderHelper(t *testing.T) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	_, thisFile, _, ok := runtime.Caller(0)
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatal("runtime.Caller failed")
+	}
+	bin := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "loaderhelper")
+	build := exec.Command("go", "build", "-o", bin, "./testdata/loaderhelper")
+	build.Dir = filepath.Dir(thisFile)
+	if out, berr := build.CombinedOutput(); berr != nil {
+		t.Skipf("go build unavailable: %v\n%s", berr, out)
+	}
+	return bin
+}
+
+// uniqueSocketDir returns a fresh dir with a process-unique basename:
+// stage1 names its staging root from the socket dir's basename and
+// refuses to reuse a leftover root, so a plain t.TempDir() (".../001")
+// collides across tests.
+func uniqueSocketDir(t *testing.T) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	d, err := os.MkdirTemp("", "cp-sandboxtest-")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("mkdtemp: %v", err)
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(func() { _ = os.RemoveAll(d) })
+	return d
+}
+
+// TestBindPlanIncludesLoader pins that bindPlan mirrors the directory
+// of a dynamically-linked plugin binary's dynamic loader into the
+// sandbox. The FHS bind list already covers /lib* loaders; on non-FHS
+// distros (NixOS, Guix) the loader lives elsewhere and without this
+// bind the exec of the plugin fails with ENOENT while the probe still
+// reports the namespaces backend as available.
+func TestBindPlanIncludesLoader(t *testing.T) {
+	exe := buildLoaderHelper(t)
+	interp := readInterp(t, exe)
+	if interp == "" {
+		t.Skip("helper built statically; loader discovery not exercisable")
+	}
+	if !filepath.IsAbs(interp) {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected relative interpreter %q", interp)
+	}
+	spec := Spec{PluginName: "probe", BinaryPath: exe}
+	for _, b := range bindPlan(spec) {
+		if b.src == filepath.Dir(interp) {
+			return // the loader's directory is mirrored
+		}
+	}
+	t.Fatalf("bindPlan(%s) does not mirror the dynamic loader directory %q", exe, filepath.Dir(interp))
+}
+
+// TestDynamicBinaryRunsInNamespacesSandbox spawns a real
+// dynamically-linked binary through the namespaces sandbox. On
+// non-FHS distros this is the end-to-end failure the loader binds
+// fix: exec of the plugin fails with ENOENT because the interpreter
+// lives outside the FHS dirs.
+func TestDynamicBinaryRunsInNamespacesSandbox(t *testing.T) {
+	av, err := Probe()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Skipf("no sandbox backend: %v", err)
+	}
+	if av.Mode != ModeNamespaces {
+		t.Skipf("namespaces backend unavailable (%s); loader binds only matter there", av.Mode)
+	}
+
+	// Build a small dynamically-linked helper (cgo on by default). A
+	// static build would exercise nothing.
+	bin := buildLoaderHelper(t)
+	if interp := readInterp(t, bin); interp == "" {
+		t.Skip("helper built statically; loader discovery not exercisable")
+	}
+
+	cmd, err := Command(Spec{
+		PluginName: "loaderhelper",
+		BinaryPath: bin,
+		SocketDir:  uniqueSocketDir(t),
+	}, ModeNamespaces)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("sandbox command: %v", err)
+	}
+	var out, errb bytes.Buffer
+	cmd.Stdout = &out
+	cmd.Stderr = &errb
+	if err := cmd.Run(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("dynamically-linked binary failed in namespaces sandbox: %v\nstderr: %s", err, errb.String())
+	}
+	if got := strings.TrimSpace(out.String()); got != "ok" {
+		t.Fatalf("helper stdout = %q, want %q", got, "ok")
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/sandbox/stage1_linux.go b/internal/sandbox/stage1_linux.go
index bd53027f..2d5fd611 100644
--- a/internal/sandbox/stage1_linux.go
+++ b/internal/sandbox/stage1_linux.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package sandbox
 
 import (
+	"debug/elf"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
@@ -261,6 +262,11 @@ func bindPlan(spec Spec) []bind {
 		{src: "/etc/ld.so.conf", ro: true, optional: true},
 		{src: "/etc/ld.so.conf.d", ro: true, optional: true},
 	}
+	// Non-FHS distros (NixOS, Guix) keep the dynamic loader outside
+	// the FHS dirs above; without it exec of a dynamically-linked
+	// plugin fails with ENOENT. Mirror the loader from the binary's
+	// own ELF .interp section instead of assuming a location.
+	plan = append(plan, loaderBinds(spec.BinaryPath)...)
 	if spec.Network == NetworkOutbound {
 		plan = append(plan,
 			bind{src: "/etc/resolv.conf", ro: true, optional: true},
@@ -276,7 +282,54 @@ func bindPlan(spec Spec) []bind {
 		plan = append(plan, bind{src: p, ro: true})
 	}
 	plan = append(plan, bind{src: spec.SocketDir, ro: false})
-	return plan
+	return dedupeBinds(plan)
+}
+
+// loaderBinds returns the bind needed to exec a dynamically-linked ELF
+// binary: the directory holding its program interpreter (.interp).
+// glibc keeps libc.so.6 and friends next to the loader, so mirroring
+// the directory brings everything the binary needs at exec time. On
+// FHS distros the loader's directory is already in bindPlan (the /lib*
+// entries) and dedupeBinds drops this one; on non-FHS distros (NixOS,
+// Guix) this is the bind that makes the plugin executable at all.
+// Best-effort: static, non-ELF, or unreadable binaries yield no bind
+// and keep the previous behavior.
+func loaderBinds(binPath string) []bind {
+	f, err := elf.Open(binPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	defer func() { _ = f.Close() }()
+	sec := f.Section(".interp")
+	if sec == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	data, err := sec.Data()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	interp := strings.TrimRight(string(data), "\x00")
+	if interp == "" || !filepath.IsAbs(interp) {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return []bind{{src: filepath.Dir(interp), ro: true}}
+}
+
+// dedupeBinds keeps the first bind for each source path. The loader
+// binds can overlap the FHS list (on standard distros the loader
+// lives under /lib64 or /usr/lib, which are already mirrored), so a
+// duplicate would mount the same tree twice.
+func dedupeBinds(plan []bind) []bind {
+	seen := make(map[string]bool, len(plan))
+	out := plan[:0]
+	for _, b := range plan {
+		if seen[b.src] {
+			continue
+		}
+		seen[b.src] = true
+		out = append(out, b)
+	}
+	return out
 }
 
 // bindIntoRoot bind-mounts b.src at root+b.src, then remounts
diff --git a/internal/sandbox/testdata/loaderhelper/main.go b/internal/sandbox/testdata/loaderhelper/main.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..050fcac1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/sandbox/testdata/loaderhelper/main.go
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+// loaderhelper is a tiny dynamically-linked program the sandbox tests
+// exec through the namespaces sandbox. It exists only to prove that
+// the sandbox can run a binary whose dynamic loader lives outside the
+// FHS /lib* dirs.
+package main
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"net"
+)
+
+func main() {
+	// net pulls the cgo resolver into the link, which links libc and
+	// gives the binary a dynamic loader (.interp) — the condition the
+	// loader binds address.
+	if net.ParseIP("127.0.0.1") == nil {
+		panic("unreachable")
+	}
+	fmt.Println("ok")
+}