diff --git a/local/scripts/integrate-redbear.sh b/local/scripts/integrate-redbear.sh
index 7b37b5108b..83ed07eae0 100755
--- a/local/scripts/integrate-redbear.sh
+++ b/local/scripts/integrate-redbear.sh
@@ -72,6 +72,12 @@ symlink() {
     local link="$2"
     local current=""
 
+    # Safety: never operate on recipe.toml files (they are tracked, not symlinks)
+    if [[ "$link" == *recipe.toml ]]; then
+        warn "Refusing to symlink recipe.toml: $link"
+        return 1
+    fi
+
     require_real_parent_dirs "$link"
 
     mkdir -p "$(dirname "$link")"