diff --git a/packages/builder/src/vector/safety.ts b/packages/builder/src/vector/safety.ts
index b06cfb9..179072e 100644
--- a/packages/builder/src/vector/safety.ts
+++ b/packages/builder/src/vector/safety.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,10 @@ const VECTOR_SPEND_LIMIT_DAILY = parseInt(process.env.VECTOR_SPEND_LIMIT_DAILY |
 
 const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
 const __dirname = dirname(__filename);
-const projectRoot = resolve(__dirname, '../..');
+// From the bundled entrypoint's directory (packages/builder/build), three levels
+// up lands on the repo root, which is where .env.example and the README document
+// the default audit log path (./vector-audit-log.json) as living.
+const projectRoot = resolve(__dirname, '../../..');
 
 export class SafetyLayer {
   private dailySpent: number = 0;
diff --git a/packages/builder/src/vector/vector.ts b/packages/builder/src/vector/vector.ts
index 5bef9e9..0b79e35 100644
--- a/packages/builder/src/vector/vector.ts
+++ b/packages/builder/src/vector/vector.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,9 @@ import type {
 
 // Direct .env loading
 const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
-const projectRoot = resolve(__filename, '../../../../..');
+// From the bundled entrypoint at packages/builder/build/index.js, four levels
+// up from the file lands on the repo root (build -> builder -> packages -> root).
+const projectRoot = resolve(__filename, '../../../..');
 const envPath = resolve(projectRoot, '.env');
 
 if (existsSync(envPath)) {