diff --git a/src/cook/fetch.rs b/src/cook/fetch.rs
index 0c0894a2f9..bb4e7eea2c 100644
--- a/src/cook/fetch.rs
+++ b/src/cook/fetch.rs
@@ -35,6 +35,91 @@ pub struct FetchResult {
     pub cached: bool,
 }
 
+/// Build the shortest relative path that walks from `from` (a directory) to `to`.
+///
+/// Both inputs must already be absolute and normalized (canonicalized). Returns
+/// `None` when the two paths share no common prefix (e.g. different mount roots
+/// on platforms where that is representable), in which case the caller should
+/// fall back to an absolute link.
+fn relative_path_from(from: &Path, to: &Path) -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    let mut from_parts = from.components().peekable();
+    let mut to_parts = to.components().peekable();
+
+    // Drop the shared prefix.
+    while let (Some(f), Some(t)) = (from_parts.peek(), to_parts.peek()) {
+        if f == t {
+            from_parts.next();
+            to_parts.next();
+        } else {
+            break;
+        }
+    }
+
+    let mut rel = PathBuf::new();
+    let mut climbed = false;
+    for _ in from_parts {
+        rel.push("..");
+        climbed = true;
+    }
+    let mut descended = false;
+    for part in to_parts {
+        rel.push(part);
+        descended = true;
+    }
+
+    if !climbed && !descended {
+        // `from` == `to`; a self-referential link is never what we want.
+        return None;
+    }
+    Some(rel)
+}
+
+/// Point `link` at `target`, replacing whatever currently occupies `link`.
+///
+/// This exists because `Path::exists()` follows symlinks, so the obvious
+/// `if link.exists() { remove_dir_all(link) }` guard silently fails in the two
+/// cases that matter most here:
+///
+///   * `link` is a **dangling** symlink (e.g. left behind after the repo was
+///     moved). `exists()` reports `false`, nothing is removed, and the
+///     subsequent `symlink()` fails with `EEXIST`.
+///   * `link` is a **live symlink to a directory**. `exists()` reports `true`,
+///     but `remove_dir_all()` refuses to operate on a symlink, so the removal
+///     fails and `symlink()` again fails with `EEXIST`.
+///
+/// `symlink_metadata()` does not follow the final component, so it classifies
+/// the entry itself and lets us pick the correct removal call.
+///
+/// The link is written as a **relative** path whenever the two live under a
+/// common ancestor. Recipe `source` links are committed build state that must
+/// survive the checkout being moved or cloned to a different prefix; an
+/// absolute link bakes in one machine's layout and dangles everywhere else —
+/// exactly the breakage this function had to recover from.
+pub(crate) fn force_symlink(target: &Path, link: &Path) -> std::io::Result<()> {
+    match fs::symlink_metadata(link) {
+        Ok(meta) => {
+            if meta.file_type().is_dir() {
+                fs::remove_dir_all(link)?;
+            } else {
+                // Regular file, or a symlink of any kind (including dangling
+                // ones and symlinks pointing at directories).
+                fs::remove_file(link)?;
+            }
+        }
+        Err(e) if e.kind() == std::io::ErrorKind::NotFound => {}
+        Err(e) => return Err(e),
+    }
+
+    let link_dir = link.parent().unwrap_or_else(|| Path::new("."));
+    let link_target = link_dir
+        .canonicalize()
+        .ok()
+        .and_then(|base| relative_path_from(&base, target))
+        .unwrap_or_else(|| target.to_path_buf());
+
+    std::os::unix::fs::symlink(link_target, link)
+}
+
 pub(crate) fn cleanup_workspace_pollution(recipe_dir: &Path, logger: &PtyOut) {
     let recipes_root = recipe_dir.join("../..");
     for file in &["Cargo.toml", "Cargo.lock"] {
@@ -373,10 +458,7 @@ pub fn fetch_offline(recipe: &CookRecipe, logger: &PtyOut) -> Result<FetchResult
                         path.display(),
                         source_dir.display()
                     );
-                    if source_dir.exists() {
-                        std::fs::remove_dir_all(&source_dir).ok();
-                    }
-                    std::os::unix::fs::symlink(path.canonicalize().unwrap_or(path.clone()), &source_dir).map_err(|e| {
+                    force_symlink(&path.canonicalize().unwrap_or(path.clone()), &source_dir).map_err(|e| {
                         format!("failed to symlink {:?} -> {:?}: {}", path.display(), source_dir.display(), e)
                     })?;
                 } else {
@@ -617,10 +699,7 @@ pub fn fetch(recipe: &CookRecipe, check_source: bool, logger: &PtyOut) -> Result
                         path.display(),
                         source_dir.display()
                     );
-                    if source_dir.exists() {
-                        std::fs::remove_dir_all(&source_dir).ok();
-                    }
-                    std::os::unix::fs::symlink(path.canonicalize().unwrap_or(path.clone()), &source_dir).map_err(|e| {
+                    force_symlink(&path.canonicalize().unwrap_or(path.clone()), &source_dir).map_err(|e| {
                         format!("failed to symlink {:?} -> {:?}: {}", path.display(), source_dir.display(), e)
                     })?;
                 } else {
@@ -1014,6 +1093,24 @@ fn fetch_will_build(recipe: &CookRecipe) -> bool {
 
 pub(crate) fn fetch_make_symlink(source_dir: &PathBuf, same_as: &String) -> Result<()> {
     let target_dir = Path::new(same_as).join("source");
+    // An existing symlink is only reusable if it still points where the recipe
+    // says it should. A link left over from an earlier layout (e.g. the repo was
+    // moved, so the recorded path no longer resolves) would otherwise be kept
+    // forever, and the build would fail later with a confusing missing-source
+    // error instead of being repaired here.
+    let stale_link = source_dir.is_symlink()
+        && fs::read_link(source_dir)
+            .map(|current| current != target_dir)
+            .unwrap_or(true);
+    if stale_link {
+        fs::remove_file(source_dir).map_err(|err| {
+            format!(
+                "failed to remove stale symlink '{}': {}",
+                source_dir.display(),
+                err
+            )
+        })?;
+    }
     if !source_dir.is_symlink() {
         if source_dir.is_dir() {
             bail_other_err!(