diff --git a/src/bootstrap/src/utils/mod.rs b/src/bootstrap/src/utils/mod.rs
index 53b41f1578060..b5f5e2ba6dc8b 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/src/utils/mod.rs
+++ b/src/bootstrap/src/utils/mod.rs
@@ -14,3 +14,5 @@ pub(crate) mod metrics;
 pub(crate) mod render_tests;
 pub(crate) mod shared_helpers;
 pub(crate) mod tarball;
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests;
diff --git a/src/bootstrap/src/utils/shared_helpers.rs b/src/bootstrap/src/utils/shared_helpers.rs
index 6d3c276cc056d..7b206c3ffe826 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/src/utils/shared_helpers.rs
+++ b/src/bootstrap/src/utils/shared_helpers.rs
@@ -13,8 +13,9 @@ use std::io::Write;
 use std::process::Command;
 use std::str::FromStr;
 
-#[cfg(test)]
-mod tests;
+// If we were to declare a tests submodule here, the shim binaries that include this
+// module via `#[path]` would fail to find it, which breaks `./x check bootstrap`.
+// So instead the unit tests for this module are in `super::tests::shared_helpers_tests`.
 
 /// Returns the environment variable which the dynamic library lookup path
 /// resides in for this platform.
diff --git a/src/bootstrap/src/utils/tests/mod.rs b/src/bootstrap/src/utils/tests/mod.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..0791f7a6e2074
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/bootstrap/src/utils/tests/mod.rs
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+mod shared_helpers_tests;
diff --git a/src/bootstrap/src/utils/shared_helpers/tests.rs b/src/bootstrap/src/utils/tests/shared_helpers_tests.rs
similarity index 69%
rename from src/bootstrap/src/utils/shared_helpers/tests.rs
rename to src/bootstrap/src/utils/tests/shared_helpers_tests.rs
index da7924276f7c8..6c47e7f24387e 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/src/utils/shared_helpers/tests.rs
+++ b/src/bootstrap/src/utils/tests/shared_helpers_tests.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,11 @@
-use super::parse_value_from_args;
+//! The `shared_helpers` module can't have its own tests submodule, because
+//! that would cause problems for the shim binaries that include it via
+//! `#[path]`, so instead those unit tests live here.
+//!
+//! To prevent tidy from complaining about this file not being named `tests.rs`,
+//! it lives inside a submodule directory named `tests`.
+
+use crate::utils::shared_helpers::parse_value_from_args;
 
 #[test]
 fn test_parse_value_from_args() {