diff --git a/packages/extension/esbuild.config.mjs b/packages/extension/esbuild.config.mjs
index cc8ac6307..1cd42b19b 100644
--- a/packages/extension/esbuild.config.mjs
+++ b/packages/extension/esbuild.config.mjs
@@ -63,16 +63,27 @@ if (declaredBins.some((name) => existsSync(`${arRoot}/dist/${name}.js`))) {
 // #2001: the What's-new page's release cards (docs/releases/<version>.md) ride
 // the VSIX in dist/releases, so GET /amicode/releases works offline (and on a
 // hub runner, from the same extension tree). dist/ ships (not in .vscodeignore).
+// #2017: ALSO beside the standalone runner (bin/dist/releases) — the hub runs
+// bin/dist/amicode-service-runner.mjs on its own, and resolveReleasesDir()
+// checks <here>/releases first, so a runner deploy carries its cards with it.
 const releasesSrc = "../../docs/releases";
 if (existsSync(releasesSrc)) {
-  mkdirSync("dist/releases", { recursive: true });
-  for (const name of readdirSync(releasesSrc)) {
-    if (name.endsWith(".md")) cpSync(`${releasesSrc}/${name}`, `dist/releases/${name}`);
+  for (const out of ["dist/releases", "bin/dist/releases"]) {
+    mkdirSync(out, { recursive: true });
+    for (const name of readdirSync(releasesSrc)) {
+      if (name.endsWith(".md")) cpSync(`${releasesSrc}/${name}`, `${out}/${name}`);
+    }
   }
 } else {
   console.warn("[esbuild] docs/releases missing — the What's-new page will have no release cards");
 }
 
+// #2017: bake this build's version into the node bundles — the hub runner has
+// no package.json near it, and a 0.0.0 fallback filtered every release card.
+// Read via a typeof guard (src/build_defines.d.ts) so vitest without it works.
+const ownVersion = JSON.parse(readFileSync("package.json", "utf8")).version;
+const versionDefine = { __AMICODE_VERSION__: JSON.stringify(ownVersion) };
+
 const targets = [
   // extension host entry point
   {
@@ -83,6 +94,7 @@ const targets = [
     format: "cjs",
     outfile: "dist/extension.js",
     external: ["vscode"],
+    define: versionDefine,
     sourcemap: true,
     minify: false,
     logLevel: "info",
@@ -139,6 +151,7 @@ const targets = [
     target: "node20",
     format: "esm",
     outfile: "bin/dist/amicode-service-runner.mjs",
+    define: versionDefine,
     sourcemap: true,
     minify: false,
     logLevel: "info",
diff --git a/packages/extension/src/amicode_service/releases.ts b/packages/extension/src/amicode_service/releases.ts
index 3b60ca7bf..d1b70b903 100644
--- a/packages/extension/src/amicode_service/releases.ts
+++ b/packages/extension/src/amicode_service/releases.ts
@@ -213,15 +213,16 @@ function moduleDir(): string {
   return typeof __dirname === "string" ? __dirname : process.cwd();
 }
 
-/** The bundled releases dir: $AMICODE_RELEASES_DIR, else the build's
- *  dist/releases (from dist/ or bin/dist/), else the repo's docs/releases
- *  (a dev checkout). undefined → no cards (the route still answers). */
-export function resolveReleasesDir(env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = process.env): string | undefined {
+/** The bundled releases dir: $AMICODE_RELEASES_DIR, else <here>/releases
+ *  (dist/releases beside the extension bundle, or bin/dist/releases beside the
+ *  runner bundle — #2017: a hub deploy copies the runner + its releases/ only),
+ *  else dist/releases from bin/dist, else the repo's docs/releases (a dev
+ *  checkout). undefined → no cards (the route still answers). */
+export function resolveReleasesDir(env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = process.env, here: string = moduleDir()): string | undefined {
   const override = env.AMICODE_RELEASES_DIR;
   if (typeof override === "string" && override.trim() !== "") return override;
-  const here = moduleDir();
   const candidates = [
-    path.resolve(here, "releases"), // dist/ → dist/releases
+    path.resolve(here, "releases"), // dist/ → dist/releases; bin/dist/ → bin/dist/releases
     path.resolve(here, "..", "..", "dist", "releases"), // bin/dist/ → dist/releases
     path.resolve(here, "..", "..", "..", "docs", "releases"), // dist/ in a checkout
     path.resolve(here, "..", "..", "..", "..", "docs", "releases"), // src/amicode_service or bin/dist in a checkout
@@ -229,15 +230,42 @@ export function resolveReleasesDir(env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = process.env): string
   return candidates.find((c) => existsSync(c));
 }
 
-let cachedVersion: string | undefined;
-/** The extension's own version (its package.json, name "amicode"). */
-export function resolveOwnVersion(): string {
-  if (cachedVersion) return cachedVersion;
-  const here = moduleDir();
+/** The build-time version esbuild bakes into BOTH the extension and the runner
+ *  bundle (#2017). Guarded so vitest (no define) sees undefined, not a
+ *  ReferenceError. */
+function definedVersion(): string | undefined {
+  return typeof __AMICODE_VERSION__ === "string" ? __AMICODE_VERSION__ : undefined;
+}
+
+export interface ResolveOwnVersionOpts {
+  env?: NodeJS.ProcessEnv;
+  /** The bundle's dir (the package.json walk starts here). Default: moduleDir(). */
+  here?: string;
+  /** The build-time define. Default: __AMICODE_VERSION__ when defined. */
+  defined?: string | undefined;
+}
+
+const cachedByDir = new Map<string, string>();
+/** The extension's own version: $AMICODE_VERSION, else the build-time define,
+ *  else its package.json (name "amicode") near the bundle, else "0.0.0".
+ *  (#2017: the hub's standalone runner has no package.json near it — the
+ *  define is what keeps it from answering 0.0.0 and filtering every card.) */
+export function resolveOwnVersion(opts: ResolveOwnVersionOpts = {}): string {
+  const env = opts.env ?? process.env;
+  const fromEnv = env.AMICODE_VERSION?.trim();
+  if (fromEnv && isVersion(fromEnv)) return fromEnv.replace(/^v/, "");
+  const defined = "defined" in opts ? opts.defined : definedVersion();
+  if (defined && isVersion(defined)) return defined.replace(/^v/, "");
+  const here = opts.here ?? moduleDir();
+  const cached = cachedByDir.get(here);
+  if (cached) return cached;
   for (const rel of [[".."], ["..", ".."], ["..", "..", ".."]]) {
     try {
       const pkg = JSON.parse(readFileSync(path.resolve(here, ...rel, "package.json"), "utf8")) as { name?: unknown; version?: unknown };
-      if (pkg.name === "amicode" && isVersion(pkg.version)) return (cachedVersion = pkg.version);
+      if (pkg.name === "amicode" && isVersion(pkg.version)) {
+        cachedByDir.set(here, pkg.version);
+        return pkg.version;
+      }
     } catch {
       /* next candidate */
     }
diff --git a/packages/extension/src/build_defines.d.ts b/packages/extension/src/build_defines.d.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b8700b006
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/extension/src/build_defines.d.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+// Build-time constants injected by esbuild.config.mjs `define` (#2017).
+// Absent under vitest/tsc-only runs — always read through a `typeof` guard.
+
+/** packages/extension/package.json `version`, baked into the extension and
+ *  the standalone service-runner bundles. */
+declare const __AMICODE_VERSION__: string | undefined;
diff --git a/packages/extension/test/amicode_service_releases.test.ts b/packages/extension/test/amicode_service_releases.test.ts
index 96ba0a70b..17c8e8e6d 100644
--- a/packages/extension/test/amicode_service_releases.test.ts
+++ b/packages/extension/test/amicode_service_releases.test.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ import {
   parseReleaseFile,
   releaseBaselineMs,
   releasesResponse,
+  resolveOwnVersion,
+  resolveReleasesDir,
   selectReleaseCards,
   type ReleaseCard,
 } from "../src/amicode_service/releases";
@@ -227,6 +229,27 @@ describe("GET /amicode/releases", () => {
     }
   });
 
+  it("#2017: the version resolves from AMICODE_VERSION, then the build-time define — never 0.0.0 when no package.json is near", () => {
+    const empty = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "amc-2017-empty-"));
+    // env override wins over everything
+    expect(resolveOwnVersion({ here: empty, env: { AMICODE_VERSION: "0.4.0-lane.7" }, defined: "0.4.0-lane.1" })).toBe("0.4.0-lane.7");
+    // a malformed env value is ignored → the define
+    expect(resolveOwnVersion({ here: empty, env: { AMICODE_VERSION: "banana" }, defined: "0.4.0-lane.1" })).toBe("0.4.0-lane.1");
+    // no env → the define (the hub runner bundle: no package.json near it)
+    expect(resolveOwnVersion({ here: empty, env: {}, defined: "0.4.0-lane.1" })).toBe("0.4.0-lane.1");
+    // no env, no define (plain vitest) → the package.json lookup still works
+    const pkg = JSON.parse(readFileSync(resolve(__dirname, "../package.json"), "utf8")) as { version: string };
+    expect(resolveOwnVersion({ here: resolve(__dirname, "../src/amicode_service"), env: {}, defined: undefined })).toBe(pkg.version);
+  });
+
+  it("#2017: the releases dir is found at <here>/releases (the runner bundle's bin/dist/releases)", () => {
+    const here = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "amc-2017-bin-dist-"));
+    mkdirSync(join(here, "releases"));
+    writeFileSync(join(here, "releases", "0.4.0.md"), md("0.4.0", "2026-10-29"));
+    expect(resolveReleasesDir({}, here)).toBe(resolve(here, "releases"));
+    expect(resolveReleasesDir({ AMICODE_RELEASES_DIR: "/x/y" }, here)).toBe("/x/y");
+  });
+
   it("the default version is the extension's own package.json version", async () => {
     const pkg = JSON.parse(readFileSync(resolve(__dirname, "../package.json"), "utf8")) as { version: string };
     const body = JSON.parse(await releasesResponse({ since: pkg.version }, { dir: releasesDir(files) }));