diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index fda249cd0..7adf2e334 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Changelog
 
-## 0.1.63-beta.2 - 2026-04-26
+## 0.1.63-beta.3 - 2026-04-26
 
 ### Added
 
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 15a0bb725..713ae22a6 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -38420,8 +38420,8 @@
         "@dnd-kit/sortable": "^10.0.0",
         "@dnd-kit/utilities": "^3.2.2",
         "@floating-ui/react-native": "^0.10.7",
-        "@getpaseo/expo-two-way-audio": "0.1.63-beta.2",
-        "@getpaseo/highlight": "0.1.63-beta.2",
+        "@getpaseo/expo-two-way-audio": "*",
+        "@getpaseo/highlight": "*",
         "@gorhom/bottom-sheet": "^5.2.6",
         "@gorhom/portal": "^1.0.14",
         "@react-native-async-storage/async-storage": "2.2.0",
@@ -38588,7 +38588,8 @@
       "version": "0.1.63-beta.2",
       "license": "AGPL-3.0-or-later",
       "dependencies": {
-        "@getpaseo/server": "0.1.63-beta.2",
+        "@getpaseo/cli": "*",
+        "@getpaseo/server": "*",
         "electron-log": "^5.4.3",
         "electron-updater": "^6.6.2",
         "ws": "^8.14.2"
diff --git a/packages/app/package.json b/packages/app/package.json
index f68fea0a3..d89223396 100644
--- a/packages/app/package.json
+++ b/packages/app/package.json
@@ -31,8 +31,8 @@
     "@dnd-kit/sortable": "^10.0.0",
     "@dnd-kit/utilities": "^3.2.2",
     "@floating-ui/react-native": "^0.10.7",
-    "@getpaseo/expo-two-way-audio": "0.1.63-beta.2",
-    "@getpaseo/highlight": "0.1.63-beta.2",
+    "@getpaseo/expo-two-way-audio": "*",
+    "@getpaseo/highlight": "*",
     "@gorhom/bottom-sheet": "^5.2.6",
     "@gorhom/portal": "^1.0.14",
     "@react-native-async-storage/async-storage": "2.2.0",
diff --git a/packages/desktop/package.json b/packages/desktop/package.json
index 93ea041c1..7c2173561 100644
--- a/packages/desktop/package.json
+++ b/packages/desktop/package.json
@@ -23,7 +23,8 @@
     "typecheck": "tsgo --noEmit -p tsconfig.json"
   },
   "dependencies": {
-    "@getpaseo/server": "0.1.63-beta.2",
+    "@getpaseo/cli": "*",
+    "@getpaseo/server": "*",
     "electron-log": "^5.4.3",
     "electron-updater": "^6.6.2",
     "ws": "^8.14.2"
diff --git a/packages/desktop/src/daemon/desktop-packaging.test.ts b/packages/desktop/src/daemon/desktop-packaging.test.ts
index 0057c2395..fee69ae5e 100644
--- a/packages/desktop/src/daemon/desktop-packaging.test.ts
+++ b/packages/desktop/src/daemon/desktop-packaging.test.ts
@@ -16,4 +16,21 @@ describe("desktop packaging", () => {
       "node_modules/@getpaseo/server/dist/src/terminal/shell-integration/**/*",
     );
   });
+
+  // electron-builder packs production dependencies declared in package.json into
+  // app.asar. Runtime code in runtime-paths.ts and bin/paseo dynamically resolves
+  // these workspace packages by string, so static analysis (TypeScript, Knip) cannot
+  // see the link. If a runtime-required workspace dep is dropped from
+  // dependencies, the build still succeeds but ships a broken bundle. This
+  // assertion is the safety net.
+  it("declares all workspace packages required at runtime", () => {
+    const pkg = JSON.parse(readFileSync(join(packageRoot, "package.json"), "utf8")) as {
+      dependencies?: Record<string, string>;
+    };
+    const deps = pkg.dependencies ?? {};
+
+    for (const required of ["@getpaseo/cli", "@getpaseo/server"]) {
+      expect(deps[required], `${required} must be declared in dependencies`).toBe("*");
+    }
+  });
 });
diff --git a/scripts/sync-workspace-versions.mjs b/scripts/sync-workspace-versions.mjs
index 1d24a7145..5dbdbc53a 100644
--- a/scripts/sync-workspace-versions.mjs
+++ b/scripts/sync-workspace-versions.mjs
@@ -54,6 +54,11 @@ for (const workspacePath of workspacePaths) {
     }
   }
 
+  // Private workspaces (app, desktop) keep "*" for internal deps so npm always
+  // resolves the local sibling, never a registry artifact. Publishable workspaces
+  // get the root version so their published tarballs reference real npm versions.
+  const internalDepRange = pkg.private === true ? "*" : rootVersion;
+
   for (const section of dependencySections) {
     const deps = pkg[section];
     if (!deps || typeof deps !== "object") {
@@ -67,8 +72,8 @@ for (const workspacePath of workspacePaths) {
       if (name === pkg.name) {
         continue;
       }
-      if (deps[name] !== rootVersion) {
-        deps[name] = rootVersion;
+      if (deps[name] !== internalDepRange) {
+        deps[name] = internalDepRange;
         changed = true;
       }
     }