[iLevyTate]

Summary

• scripts/stability/compare-baseline.js (run by npm run test:critical-path:twice and npm run preflight:release[:quick]) links the main repo's node_modules into each stability worktree with fs.symlinkSync(target, dest, 'junction') and detaches it before removing the worktree with fs.rmdirSync. The 'junction' type only applies on Windows; elsewhere the link is a plain symlink, which rmdirSync rejects with ENOTDIR. Preparing 5.1.0 on Linux, preflight:release:quick crashed in that cleanup after both smoke runs, skipped check-release-thresholds.js, and left both worktrees behind.
• removeNodeModulesLink now uses rmdirSync for the Windows junction and unlinkSync elsewhere. Both remove only the link, never the main repo's node_modules (the hazard the function's comment documents).
• main() now runs only when the script is executed directly, so the function can be exported and unit-tested.

Scope

• Area(s): release tooling (scripts/stability)
• Risk Level: low (dev/release script only; nothing that ships)
• Breaking Changes: none

Type of Change

• Bug fix
• Enhancement
• New feature
• Refactor
• Documentation update
• Breaking change

Test Plan

Automated

• npm run format:check
• npm run lint
• npm test (new suite; CI runs the full set)
• Additional tests added/updated when behavior changed: test/compareBaseline.removeNodeModulesLink.test.js checks that a linked node_modules is removed with its target intact (fails on the old code with the same ENOTDIR), a real node_modules is left alone, and a missing one is a no-op.

End to end on Linux: npm run test:critical-path:twice now completes. All three required journeys pass on v5.0.0 and HEAD, OK: Release thresholds satisfied., both worktrees are removed, and the main repo's node_modules is intact.

Manual QA

• Manual checklist completed (see docs/TESTING.md)
• Not applicable (explain below)

Manual QA notes:

• Script-only change; the Windows junction path is unchanged.

Checklist

• I scoped this PR to one logical change
• I self-reviewed code and naming for clarity
• I updated docs/config references where needed
• I called out follow-up work or known limitations

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