diff --git a/build.zig b/build.zig
index c474769..be36e5e 100644
--- a/build.zig
+++ b/build.zig
@@ -96,6 +96,47 @@ fn addKernel(
     return exe;
 }
 
+/// One row of the production ship table: which package, which of its
+/// artifacts, and the FHS boot path. For most binaries all three share one
+/// name; the helpers below make a row from just that name.
+const ShipRow = struct { path: []const u8, package: []const u8, artifact: []const u8 };
+
+fn service(comptime name: []const u8) ShipRow {
+    return .{ .path = "system/services/" ++ name, .package = name, .artifact = name };
+}
+fn driver(comptime name: []const u8) ShipRow {
+    return .{ .path = "system/drivers/" ++ name, .package = name, .artifact = name };
+}
+/// An extra artifact of a multi-binary driver package (ps2-bus, usb-hid),
+/// bundled at its own flattened /system/drivers path.
+fn driverArtifact(comptime package: []const u8, comptime artifact: []const u8) ShipRow {
+    return .{ .path = "system/drivers/" ++ artifact, .package = package, .artifact = artifact };
+}
+
+/// The production ship table — what a plain `zig build` image contains,
+/// beyond the specials the build fn adds around it (init, discovery, the
+/// /etc data files; the /test fixtures join only under -Dtest-case).
+/// Selecting what goes into a build = selecting rows: a package in no row is
+/// not just unshipped, its build file is never even loaded
+/// (docs/build-packages-plan.md).
+const production_ship = [_]ShipRow{
+    service("fat"),
+    service("display"),
+    service("display-demo"),
+    service("device-manager"),
+    service("input"),
+    service("logger"),
+    driver("pci-bus"),
+    driver("ps2-bus"),
+    driverArtifact("ps2-bus", "ps2-keyboard"),
+    driverArtifact("ps2-bus", "ps2-mouse"),
+    driver("usb-xhci-bus"),
+    driverArtifact("usb-hid", "usb-hid-keyboard"),
+    driverArtifact("usb-hid", "usb-hid-mouse"),
+    driver("usb-storage"),
+    driver("virtio-gpu"),
+};
+
 pub fn build(b: *std.Build) void {
     ensureZigVersion();
 
@@ -211,48 +252,27 @@ pub fn build(b: *std.Build) void {
     const exe = addKernel(b, kernel_target, optimize, kernel_modules, test_case, serial);
     const exe_serial = addKernel(b, kernel_target, optimize, kernel_modules, test_case, true);
 
-    // --- the user-space binaries, every one of them a package ---
-    // Binary packages (docs/build-packages-plan.md, phase 2): each binary
-    // builds itself against the domain packages via build-support's shared
-    // recipe, started in ring 3 by the kernel's user-ELF loader like always;
-    // the root build just takes artifacts for the boot image. init receives
-    // the root's -Dserial as a dependency option (its liveness heartbeat is a
-    // serial/test-build diagnostic the QEMU harness asserts on; a flashable
-    // image leaves it out).
-    const init_exe = b.dependency("init", .{ .serial = serial }).artifact("init");
-
-    // --- the rest of the boot tree: /system services and drivers ---
-    // Each is built by the same user-binary recipe and laid out at its FHS path on
-    // the boot volume (see `bundled` below). The EFI loader walks the tree at boot
-    // and hands the kernel an in-RAM initial_ramdisk of it (system/initial-ramdisk.zig).
-    // (The /test fixtures are lazy dependencies, resolved further down only
-    // for a -Dtest-case build.)
-    // The drivers, each directory its own package: the PS/2 bus family (bus +
-    // keyboard + mouse from one package), the xHCI bus driver, the USB HID
-    // class drivers, and USB mass storage. Their unit tests ride along.
-    const ps2_bus_package = b.dependency("ps2-bus", .{});
-    const ps2_bus_exe = ps2_bus_package.artifact("ps2-bus");
-    const ps2_keyboard_exe = ps2_bus_package.artifact("ps2-keyboard");
-    const ps2_mouse_exe = ps2_bus_package.artifact("ps2-mouse");
-    const usb_xhci_bus_exe = b.dependency("usb-xhci-bus", .{}).artifact("usb-xhci-bus");
-    const usb_hid_package = b.dependency("usb-hid", .{});
-    const usb_hid_keyboard_exe = usb_hid_package.artifact("usb-hid-keyboard");
-    const usb_hid_mouse_exe = usb_hid_package.artifact("usb-hid-mouse");
-    const usb_storage_package = b.dependency("usb-storage", .{});
-    const usb_storage_exe = usb_storage_package.artifact("usb-storage");
-    // The FAT filesystem server and the display stack, each its own package
-    // (fat's and display's unit tests ride along in their packages).
-    const fat_package = b.dependency("fat", .{});
-    const fat_exe = fat_package.artifact("fat");
-    const display_package = b.dependency("display", .{});
-    const display_exe = display_package.artifact("display");
-    const display_demo_exe = b.dependency("display-demo", .{}).artifact("display-demo");
-    const virtio_gpu_package = b.dependency("virtio-gpu", .{});
-    const virtio_gpu_exe = virtio_gpu_package.artifact("virtio-gpu");
-    // The first binary package (docs/build-packages-plan.md, phase 2): pci-bus
-    // builds itself against the domain packages; the root build just takes the
-    // artifact for the boot image.
-    const pci_bus_exe = b.dependency("pci-bus", .{}).artifact("pci-bus");
+    // --- what ships: the boot tree ---
+    // Every user binary and its FHS home on the boot volume. There is no packed
+    // ramdisk artifact any more: make-fat-image.py lays each binary out at its
+    // path on the image, and the EFI loader walks /system and /test at boot and
+    // builds the in-RAM initial_ramdisk table from the trees — the volume's file
+    // structure is the single source of truth. Entry names (and hence argv[0] and
+    // task names) are these paths with a leading slash.
+    //
+    // The uniform rows live in `production_ship` (the table above `build`);
+    // spelled out here are only the genuinely non-uniform entries: init
+    // (receives the root's -Dserial as a dependency option — its liveness
+    // heartbeat is a serial/test-build diagnostic the QEMU harness asserts
+    // on; a flashable image leaves it out), discovery (the -Ddiscovery pick),
+    // and the /etc data files. Each binary builds itself against the domain
+    // packages via build-support's shared recipe; the root just takes
+    // artifacts (docs/build-packages-plan.md).
+    var bundled_list: std.ArrayListUnmanaged(images.BundledBinary) = .empty;
+    bundled_list.append(b.allocator, .{
+        .path = "system/services/init",
+        .binary = b.dependency("init", .{ .serial = serial }).artifact("init").getEmittedBin(),
+    }) catch @panic("OOM");
     // The discovery service: one swappable process per firmware
     // (docs/discovery.md), bundled under the neutral ramdisk name
     // "discovery" so the device manager never learns which firmware it is on.
@@ -269,59 +289,33 @@ pub fn build(b: *std.Build) void {
         .acpi => (b.lazyDependency("acpi", .{}) orelse @panic("system/services/acpi is missing")).artifact("discovery"),
         .fdt => (b.lazyDependency("fdt", .{}) orelse @panic("system/services/fdt is missing")).artifact("discovery"),
     };
-    const device_manager_exe = b.dependency("device-manager", .{}).artifact("device-manager");
-    // The input service and its exercisers: the fan-out server, a hardware-free synthetic
-    // source, and a subscriber that doubles as the `input` test's oracle. See docs/input.md.
-    const input_exe = b.dependency("input", .{}).artifact("input");
-    const logger_exe = b.dependency("logger", .{}).artifact("logger");
-
-    // Every user binary and its FHS home on the boot volume. There is no packed
-    // ramdisk artifact any more: make-fat-image.py lays each binary out at this
-    // path on the image, and the EFI loader walks /system and /test at boot and
-    // builds the in-RAM initial_ramdisk table from the trees — the volume's file
-    // structure is the single source of truth. Entry names (and hence argv[0] and
-    // task names) are these paths with a leading slash. Test fixtures mirror their
-    // repo home: test/system/services/<name> in the source tree IS the boot path.
-    // init's boot service list is data (/etc/init.csv). -Ddiagnose selects the
-    // variant that omits the display stack (so the kernel's boot transcript stays
-    // on screen); both are bundled at the same /etc/init.csv path.
+    bundled_list.append(b.allocator, .{
+        .path = "system/services/discovery",
+        .binary = discovery_exe.getEmittedBin(),
+    }) catch @panic("OOM");
+    // The ship table: every uniform row, one line each.
+    for (production_ship) |row| {
+        bundled_list.append(b.allocator, .{
+            .path = row.path,
+            .binary = b.dependency(row.package, .{}).artifact(row.artifact).getEmittedBin(),
+        }) catch @panic("OOM");
+    }
+    // Data files, not binaries: packing them under /etc makes the kernel
+    // auto-mount /etc as a read-only initrd tree (system/kernel/vfs.zig
+    // setInitialRamdisk) — the device manager reads its registry and init its
+    // service list with no filesystem service running. -Ddiagnose selects the
+    // init.csv variant that omits the display stack (so the kernel's boot
+    // transcript stays on screen); both bundle at the same /etc/init.csv path.
     const init_csv_source = if (diagnose) "etc/init-diagnose.csv" else "etc/init.csv";
-    const production_bundled = [_]images.BundledBinary{
-        .{ .path = "system/services/init", .binary = init_exe.getEmittedBin() },
-        .{ .path = "system/services/fat", .binary = fat_exe.getEmittedBin() },
-        .{ .path = "system/services/display", .binary = display_exe.getEmittedBin() },
-        .{ .path = "system/services/display-demo", .binary = display_demo_exe.getEmittedBin() },
-        .{ .path = "system/services/device-manager", .binary = device_manager_exe.getEmittedBin() },
-        .{ .path = "system/services/input", .binary = input_exe.getEmittedBin() },
-        .{ .path = "system/services/discovery", .binary = discovery_exe.getEmittedBin() },
-        .{ .path = "system/services/logger", .binary = logger_exe.getEmittedBin() },
-        // A data file, not a binary: the device registry the manager reads at boot.
-        // Packing it under /etc makes the kernel auto-mount /etc as a read-only
-        // initrd tree (system/kernel/vfs.zig setInitialRamdisk), so the manager can
-        // fs.open("/etc/devices.csv") with no filesystem service running.
-        .{ .path = "etc/devices.csv", .binary = b.path("etc/devices.csv") },
-        // init's service list, likewise read from the kernel-served initrd /etc.
-        .{ .path = "etc/init.csv", .binary = b.path(init_csv_source) },
-        .{ .path = "system/drivers/ps2-bus", .binary = ps2_bus_exe.getEmittedBin() },
-        .{ .path = "system/drivers/ps2-keyboard", .binary = ps2_keyboard_exe.getEmittedBin() },
-        .{ .path = "system/drivers/ps2-mouse", .binary = ps2_mouse_exe.getEmittedBin() },
-        .{ .path = "system/drivers/usb-xhci-bus", .binary = usb_xhci_bus_exe.getEmittedBin() },
-        .{ .path = "system/drivers/usb-hid-keyboard", .binary = usb_hid_keyboard_exe.getEmittedBin() },
-        .{ .path = "system/drivers/usb-hid-mouse", .binary = usb_hid_mouse_exe.getEmittedBin() },
-        .{ .path = "system/drivers/usb-storage", .binary = usb_storage_exe.getEmittedBin() },
-        .{ .path = "system/drivers/virtio-gpu", .binary = virtio_gpu_exe.getEmittedBin() },
-        .{ .path = "system/drivers/pci-bus", .binary = pci_bus_exe.getEmittedBin() },
-    };
+    bundled_list.append(b.allocator, .{ .path = "etc/devices.csv", .binary = b.path("etc/devices.csv") }) catch @panic("OOM");
+    bundled_list.append(b.allocator, .{ .path = "etc/init.csv", .binary = b.path(init_csv_source) }) catch @panic("OOM");
     // A no-option build assumes neither -Dtest-case nor -Ddiagnose: it ships the
     // production set only. The userspace test fixtures under /test join in only
     // for a test build — which the QEMU harness signals by passing
     // -Dtest-case=<name> for every scenario, exactly when they must be on the
-    // boot volume. They are LAZY dependencies: a plain build neither compiles
-    // them nor loads their build files (docs/build-packages-plan.md). Fixture
-    // packages are uniform — the dependency name, the artifact name, and the
-    // boot path's leaf all match the directory — so a name is a whole entry.
-    var bundled_list: std.ArrayListUnmanaged(images.BundledBinary) = .empty;
-    bundled_list.appendSlice(b.allocator, &production_bundled) catch @panic("OOM");
+    // boot volume. They are LAZY dependencies too. Fixture packages are
+    // uniform — the dependency name, the artifact name, and the boot path's
+    // leaf all match the directory — so a name is a whole entry.
     if (test_case != null) for ([_][]const u8{
         "vfs-test", // the user-space VFS round-trip client
         "fat-test",
@@ -419,12 +413,12 @@ pub fn build(b: *std.Build) void {
         protocol_library,
         csv_library,
         xkeyboard_config_library,
-        fat_package,
-        display_package,
-        ps2_bus_package,
-        usb_hid_package,
-        usb_storage_package,
-        virtio_gpu_package,
+        b.dependency("fat", .{}),
+        b.dependency("display", .{}),
+        b.dependency("ps2-bus", .{}),
+        b.dependency("usb-hid", .{}),
+        b.dependency("usb-storage", .{}),
+        b.dependency("virtio-gpu", .{}),
     }) |package| {
         test_step.dependOn(&package.builder.top_level_steps.get("test").?.step);
     }