diff --git a/interp/builtins/break/break.go b/interp/builtins/break/break.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ec7a070a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/interp/builtins/break/break.go
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+// Unless explicitly stated otherwise all files in this repository are licensed
+// under the Apache License Version 2.0.
+// This product includes software developed at Datadog (https://www.datadoghq.com/).
+// Copyright 2026-present Datadog, Inc.
+
+package breakcmd
+
+import (
+	"context"
+
+	"github.com/DataDog/rshell/interp/builtins"
+	"github.com/DataDog/rshell/interp/builtins/internal/loopctl"
+)
+
+func init() {
+	builtins.Register("break", run)
+}
+
+func run(_ context.Context, callCtx *builtins.CallContext, args []string) builtins.Result {
+	return loopctl.LoopControl(callCtx, "break", args)
+}
diff --git a/interp/builtins/builtins.go b/interp/builtins/builtins.go
index 6daf4897..05c92e1f 100644
--- a/interp/builtins/builtins.go
+++ b/interp/builtins/builtins.go
@@ -67,9 +67,9 @@ type Result struct {
 
 var registry = map[string]HandlerFunc{}
 
-// register adds a builtin command to the registry.
+// Register adds a builtin command to the registry.
 // It panics if name is already registered, catching duplicate registrations at startup.
-func register(name string, fn HandlerFunc) {
+func Register(name string, fn HandlerFunc) {
 	if _, exists := registry[name]; exists {
 		panic("builtin already registered: " + name)
 	}
diff --git a/interp/builtins/cat.go b/interp/builtins/cat/cat.go
similarity index 72%
rename from interp/builtins/cat.go
rename to interp/builtins/cat/cat.go
index 9cfe4552..5d6d7c24 100644
--- a/interp/builtins/cat.go
+++ b/interp/builtins/cat/cat.go
@@ -3,19 +3,21 @@
 // This product includes software developed at Datadog (https://www.datadoghq.com/).
 // Copyright 2026-present Datadog, Inc.
 
-package builtins
+package cat
 
 import (
 	"context"
 	"io"
 	"os"
+
+	"github.com/DataDog/rshell/interp/builtins"
 )
 
 func init() {
-	register("cat", builtinCat)
+	builtins.Register("cat", run)
 }
 
-func builtinCat(ctx context.Context, callCtx *CallContext, args []string) Result {
+func run(ctx context.Context, callCtx *builtins.CallContext, args []string) builtins.Result {
 	if len(args) == 0 {
 		args = []string{"-"}
 	}
@@ -27,12 +29,12 @@ func builtinCat(ctx context.Context, callCtx *CallContext, args []string) Result
 		}
 	}
 	if failed {
-		return Result{Code: 1}
+		return builtins.Result{Code: 1}
 	}
-	return Result{}
+	return builtins.Result{}
 }
 
-func catFile(ctx context.Context, callCtx *CallContext, path string) error {
+func catFile(ctx context.Context, callCtx *builtins.CallContext, path string) error {
 	var rc io.ReadCloser
 	if path == "-" {
 		if callCtx.Stdin == nil {
diff --git a/interp/builtins/continue/continue.go b/interp/builtins/continue/continue.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..863f645c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/interp/builtins/continue/continue.go
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+// Unless explicitly stated otherwise all files in this repository are licensed
+// under the Apache License Version 2.0.
+// This product includes software developed at Datadog (https://www.datadoghq.com/).
+// Copyright 2026-present Datadog, Inc.
+
+package continuecmd
+
+import (
+	"context"
+
+	"github.com/DataDog/rshell/interp/builtins"
+	"github.com/DataDog/rshell/interp/builtins/internal/loopctl"
+)
+
+func init() {
+	builtins.Register("continue", run)
+}
+
+func run(_ context.Context, callCtx *builtins.CallContext, args []string) builtins.Result {
+	return loopctl.LoopControl(callCtx, "continue", args)
+}
diff --git a/interp/builtins/echo.go b/interp/builtins/echo/echo.go
similarity index 61%
rename from interp/builtins/echo.go
rename to interp/builtins/echo/echo.go
index 7f2211c7..183e08fc 100644
--- a/interp/builtins/echo.go
+++ b/interp/builtins/echo/echo.go
@@ -3,15 +3,19 @@
 // This product includes software developed at Datadog (https://www.datadoghq.com/).
 // Copyright 2026-present Datadog, Inc.
 
-package builtins
+package echo
 
-import "context"
+import (
+	"context"
+
+	"github.com/DataDog/rshell/interp/builtins"
+)
 
 func init() {
-	register("echo", builtinEcho)
+	builtins.Register("echo", run)
 }
 
-func builtinEcho(_ context.Context, callCtx *CallContext, args []string) Result {
+func run(_ context.Context, callCtx *builtins.CallContext, args []string) builtins.Result {
 	for i, arg := range args {
 		if i > 0 {
 			callCtx.Out(" ")
@@ -19,5 +23,5 @@ func builtinEcho(_ context.Context, callCtx *CallContext, args []string) Result
 		callCtx.Out(arg)
 	}
 	callCtx.Out("\n")
-	return Result{}
+	return builtins.Result{}
 }
diff --git a/interp/builtins/exit.go b/interp/builtins/exit/exit.go
similarity index 81%
rename from interp/builtins/exit.go
rename to interp/builtins/exit/exit.go
index c36d233b..980a7b69 100644
--- a/interp/builtins/exit.go
+++ b/interp/builtins/exit/exit.go
@@ -3,19 +3,21 @@
 // This product includes software developed at Datadog (https://www.datadoghq.com/).
 // Copyright 2026-present Datadog, Inc.
 
-package builtins
+package exit
 
 import (
 	"context"
 	"strconv"
+
+	"github.com/DataDog/rshell/interp/builtins"
 )
 
 func init() {
-	register("exit", builtinExit)
+	builtins.Register("exit", run)
 }
 
-func builtinExit(_ context.Context, callCtx *CallContext, args []string) Result {
-	var r Result
+func run(_ context.Context, callCtx *builtins.CallContext, args []string) builtins.Result {
+	var r builtins.Result
 	if len(args) > 0 && args[0] == "--" {
 		args = args[1:]
 	}
diff --git a/interp/builtins/false/false.go b/interp/builtins/false/false.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f43b12e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/interp/builtins/false/false.go
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+// Unless explicitly stated otherwise all files in this repository are licensed
+// under the Apache License Version 2.0.
+// This product includes software developed at Datadog (https://www.datadoghq.com/).
+// Copyright 2026-present Datadog, Inc.
+
+package falsecmd
+
+import (
+	"context"
+
+	"github.com/DataDog/rshell/interp/builtins"
+)
+
+func init() {
+	builtins.Register("false", run)
+}
+
+func run(_ context.Context, _ *builtins.CallContext, _ []string) builtins.Result {
+	return builtins.Result{Code: 1}
+}
diff --git a/interp/builtins/head.go b/interp/builtins/head/head.go
similarity index 78%
rename from interp/builtins/head.go
rename to interp/builtins/head/head.go
index badaaaa2..97de7ac8 100644
--- a/interp/builtins/head.go
+++ b/interp/builtins/head/head.go
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 // This product includes software developed at Datadog (https://www.datadoghq.com/).
 // Copyright 2026-present Datadog, Inc.
 
-// Package builtins implements safe shell builtin commands.
+// Package head implements the head builtin command.
 //
 // head — output the first part of files
 //
@@ -40,14 +40,13 @@
 //
 // Memory safety:
 //
-//	Line mode uses a streaming scanner with a per-line cap of maxHeadLineBytes
+//	Line mode uses a streaming scanner with a per-line cap of MaxLineBytes
 //	(1 MiB). Lines that exceed this cap cause an error rather than an
 //	unbounded allocation. Byte mode reads in fixed-size chunks; it never
 //	allocates proportionally to user-supplied N. All loops check ctx.Err()
 //	at each iteration to honour the shell's execution timeout and to support
 //	graceful cancellation.
-
-package builtins
+package head
 
 import (
 	"bufio"
@@ -58,22 +57,24 @@ import (
 	"strconv"
 
 	"github.com/spf13/pflag"
+
+	"github.com/DataDog/rshell/interp/builtins"
 )
 
 func init() {
-	register("head", builtinHead)
+	builtins.Register("head", run)
 }
 
-// maxHeadCount is the maximum accepted line or byte count. Values above this
+// MaxCount is the maximum accepted line or byte count. Values above this
 // are clamped. This prevents huge theoretical allocations while remaining
 // larger than any practical file.
-const maxHeadCount = 1<<31 - 1 // 2 147 483 647
+const MaxCount = 1<<31 - 1 // 2 147 483 647
 
-// maxHeadLineBytes is the per-line buffer cap for the line scanner. Lines
+// MaxLineBytes is the per-line buffer cap for the line scanner. Lines
 // longer than this are reported as an error instead of being buffered.
-const maxHeadLineBytes = 1 << 20 // 1 MiB
+const MaxLineBytes = 1 << 20 // 1 MiB
 
-func builtinHead(ctx context.Context, callCtx *CallContext, args []string) Result {
+func run(ctx context.Context, callCtx *builtins.CallContext, args []string) builtins.Result {
 	fs := pflag.NewFlagSet("head", pflag.ContinueOnError)
 	fs.SetOutput(io.Discard)
 
@@ -87,14 +88,14 @@ func builtinHead(ctx context.Context, callCtx *CallContext, args []string) Resul
 	// command line. pflag calls Set() in parse order, so the last flag Set
 	// gets the highest pos value — no raw arg scanning required.
 	var modeSeq int
-	linesFlag := newHeadModeFlag(&modeSeq, "10")
-	bytesFlag := newHeadModeFlag(&modeSeq, "")
+	linesFlag := newModeFlag(&modeSeq, "10")
+	bytesFlag := newModeFlag(&modeSeq, "")
 	fs.VarP(linesFlag, "lines", "n", "print the first N lines instead of the first 10")
 	fs.VarP(bytesFlag, "bytes", "c", "print the first N bytes instead of lines")
 
 	if err := fs.Parse(args); err != nil {
 		callCtx.Errf("head: %v\n", err)
-		return Result{Code: 1}
+		return builtins.Result{Code: 1}
 	}
 
 	if *help {
@@ -103,7 +104,7 @@ func builtinHead(ctx context.Context, callCtx *CallContext, args []string) Resul
 		callCtx.Out("With no FILE, or when FILE is -, read standard input.\n\n")
 		fs.SetOutput(callCtx.Stdout)
 		fs.PrintDefaults()
-		return Result{}
+		return builtins.Result{}
 	}
 
 	// --silent is an alias for --quiet.
@@ -124,10 +125,10 @@ func builtinHead(ctx context.Context, callCtx *CallContext, args []string) Resul
 		modeLabel = "bytes"
 	}
 
-	count, ok := headParseCount(countStr)
+	count, ok := parseCount(countStr)
 	if !ok {
 		callCtx.Errf("head: invalid number of %s: %q\n", modeLabel, countStr)
-		return Result{Code: 1}
+		return builtins.Result{Code: 1}
 	}
 
 	// Collect file arguments; default to stdin.
@@ -148,7 +149,7 @@ func builtinHead(ctx context.Context, callCtx *CallContext, args []string) Resul
 		if ctx.Err() != nil {
 			break
 		}
-		if err := headProcessFile(ctx, callCtx, file, i, printHeaders, useBytesMode, count); err != nil {
+		if err := processFile(ctx, callCtx, file, i, printHeaders, useBytesMode, count); err != nil {
 			name := file
 			if file == "-" {
 				name = "standard input"
@@ -159,13 +160,13 @@ func builtinHead(ctx context.Context, callCtx *CallContext, args []string) Resul
 	}
 
 	if failed {
-		return Result{Code: 1}
+		return builtins.Result{Code: 1}
 	}
-	return Result{}
+	return builtins.Result{}
 }
 
-// headProcessFile opens and processes one file (or stdin for "-").
-func headProcessFile(ctx context.Context, callCtx *CallContext, file string, idx int, printHeaders, useBytesMode bool, count int64) error {
+// processFile opens and processes one file (or stdin for "-").
+func processFile(ctx context.Context, callCtx *builtins.CallContext, file string, idx int, printHeaders, useBytesMode bool, count int64) error {
 	var rc io.ReadCloser
 	name := file
 	if file == "-" {
@@ -200,17 +201,17 @@ func headProcessFile(ctx context.Context, callCtx *CallContext, file string, idx
 	}
 
 	if useBytesMode {
-		return headBytes(ctx, callCtx, rc, count)
+		return readBytes(ctx, callCtx, rc, count)
 	}
-	return headLines(ctx, callCtx, rc, count)
+	return readLines(ctx, callCtx, rc, count)
 }
 
-// headLines writes the first count lines of r to callCtx.Stdout, preserving
+// readLines writes the first count lines of r to callCtx.Stdout, preserving
 // line endings exactly (including a missing final newline).
-func headLines(ctx context.Context, callCtx *CallContext, r io.Reader, count int64) error {
+func readLines(ctx context.Context, callCtx *builtins.CallContext, r io.Reader, count int64) error {
 	sc := bufio.NewScanner(r)
 	buf := make([]byte, 4096)
-	sc.Buffer(buf, maxHeadLineBytes)
+	sc.Buffer(buf, MaxLineBytes)
 	sc.Split(scanLinesPreservingNewline)
 
 	var emitted int64
@@ -226,11 +227,11 @@ func headLines(ctx context.Context, callCtx *CallContext, r io.Reader, count int
 	return sc.Err()
 }
 
-// headBytes writes the first count bytes of r to callCtx.Stdout. It reads
+// readBytes writes the first count bytes of r to callCtx.Stdout. It reads
 // in fixed-size chunks; the buffer is capped at chunkSize but shrunk to
 // count when count is smaller, avoiding unnecessary allocation for small
 // byte requests (e.g. head -c 5).
-func headBytes(ctx context.Context, callCtx *CallContext, r io.Reader, count int64) error {
+func readBytes(ctx context.Context, callCtx *builtins.CallContext, r io.Reader, count int64) error {
 	if count == 0 {
 		return nil
 	}
@@ -259,10 +260,10 @@ func headBytes(ctx context.Context, callCtx *CallContext, r io.Reader, count int
 	return nil
 }
 
-// headParseCount parses a line or byte count string. A leading '+' is
+// parseCount parses a line or byte count string. A leading '+' is
 // accepted (treated as a positive sign by strconv.ParseInt, matching GNU
 // head behavior). Returns (count, true) on success, (0, false) on failure.
-func headParseCount(s string) (int64, bool) {
+func parseCount(s string) (int64, bool) {
 	if s == "" {
 		return 0, false
 	}
@@ -270,35 +271,35 @@ func headParseCount(s string) (int64, bool) {
 	if err != nil || n < 0 {
 		return 0, false
 	}
-	if n > maxHeadCount {
-		n = maxHeadCount
+	if n > MaxCount {
+		n = MaxCount
 	}
 	return n, true
 }
 
-// headModeFlag is a pflag.Value implementation for -n/--lines and -c/--bytes.
-// Two headModeFlag values share a *seq counter; each call to Set increments
+// modeFlag is a pflag.Value implementation for -n/--lines and -c/--bytes.
+// Two modeFlag values share a *seq counter; each call to Set increments
 // the counter and records the new value in pos. After pflag.Parse, comparing
 // pos fields reveals which flag appeared last on the command line — without
 // scanning raw args or inspecting individual characters of flag tokens.
-type headModeFlag struct {
+type modeFlag struct {
 	val string
 	seq *int // shared per-invocation counter; incremented on every Set call
 	pos int  // counter value when Set was last called; 0 means never set
 }
 
-func newHeadModeFlag(seq *int, defaultVal string) *headModeFlag {
-	return &headModeFlag{val: defaultVal, seq: seq}
+func newModeFlag(seq *int, defaultVal string) *modeFlag {
+	return &modeFlag{val: defaultVal, seq: seq}
 }
 
-func (f *headModeFlag) String() string { return f.val }
-func (f *headModeFlag) Set(s string) error {
+func (f *modeFlag) String() string { return f.val }
+func (f *modeFlag) Set(s string) error {
 	f.val = s
 	*f.seq++
 	f.pos = *f.seq
 	return nil
 }
-func (f *headModeFlag) Type() string { return "string" }
+func (f *modeFlag) Type() string { return "string" }
 
 // scanLinesPreservingNewline is a bufio.SplitFunc that includes the line
 // terminator (\n) in the returned token. Unlike bufio.ScanLines, it does not
diff --git a/interp/builtins/tests/head/head_test.go b/interp/builtins/head/head_test.go
similarity index 100%
rename from interp/builtins/tests/head/head_test.go
rename to interp/builtins/head/head_test.go
diff --git a/interp/builtins/tests/head/head_unix_test.go b/interp/builtins/head/head_unix_test.go
similarity index 100%
rename from interp/builtins/tests/head/head_unix_test.go
rename to interp/builtins/head/head_unix_test.go
diff --git a/interp/builtins/tests/head/head_windows_test.go b/interp/builtins/head/head_windows_test.go
similarity index 100%
rename from interp/builtins/tests/head/head_windows_test.go
rename to interp/builtins/head/head_windows_test.go
diff --git a/interp/builtins/break_continue.go b/interp/builtins/internal/loopctl/loopctl.go
similarity index 56%
rename from interp/builtins/break_continue.go
rename to interp/builtins/internal/loopctl/loopctl.go
index 586cdb7d..05b2fc97 100644
--- a/interp/builtins/break_continue.go
+++ b/interp/builtins/internal/loopctl/loopctl.go
@@ -3,30 +3,19 @@
 // This product includes software developed at Datadog (https://www.datadoghq.com/).
 // Copyright 2026-present Datadog, Inc.
 
-package builtins
+package loopctl
 
 import (
-	"context"
 	"strconv"
-)
-
-func init() {
-	register("break", builtinBreak)
-	register("continue", builtinContinue)
-}
 
-func builtinBreak(_ context.Context, callCtx *CallContext, args []string) Result {
-	return loopControl(callCtx, "break", args)
-}
-
-func builtinContinue(_ context.Context, callCtx *CallContext, args []string) Result {
-	return loopControl(callCtx, "continue", args)
-}
+	"github.com/DataDog/rshell/interp/builtins"
+)
 
-func loopControl(callCtx *CallContext, name string, args []string) Result {
+// LoopControl implements the shared logic for the break and continue builtins.
+func LoopControl(callCtx *builtins.CallContext, name string, args []string) builtins.Result {
 	if !callCtx.InLoop {
 		callCtx.Errf("%s is only useful in a loop\n", name)
-		return Result{}
+		return builtins.Result{}
 	}
 
 	n := 1
@@ -36,19 +25,19 @@ func loopControl(callCtx *CallContext, name string, args []string) Result {
 		parsed, err := strconv.Atoi(args[0])
 		if err != nil {
 			callCtx.Errf("%s: %s: numeric argument required\n", name, args[0])
-			return Result{Code: 128, Exiting: true}
+			return builtins.Result{Code: 128, Exiting: true}
 		}
 		if parsed < 1 {
 			callCtx.Errf("%s: %s: loop count out of range\n", name, args[0])
-			return Result{Code: 1, BreakN: 1}
+			return builtins.Result{Code: 1, BreakN: 1}
 		}
 		n = parsed
 	default:
 		callCtx.Errf("%s: too many arguments\n", name)
-		return Result{Code: 1, BreakN: 1}
+		return builtins.Result{Code: 1, BreakN: 1}
 	}
 
-	var r Result
+	var r builtins.Result
 	if name == "break" {
 		r.BreakN = n
 	} else {
diff --git a/interp/builtins/true/true.go b/interp/builtins/true/true.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9c8832b3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/interp/builtins/true/true.go
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+// Unless explicitly stated otherwise all files in this repository are licensed
+// under the Apache License Version 2.0.
+// This product includes software developed at Datadog (https://www.datadoghq.com/).
+// Copyright 2026-present Datadog, Inc.
+
+package truecmd
+
+import (
+	"context"
+
+	"github.com/DataDog/rshell/interp/builtins"
+)
+
+func init() {
+	builtins.Register("true", run)
+}
+
+func run(_ context.Context, _ *builtins.CallContext, _ []string) builtins.Result {
+	return builtins.Result{}
+}
diff --git a/interp/builtins/true_false.go b/interp/builtins/true_false.go
deleted file mode 100644
index c27ae736..00000000
--- a/interp/builtins/true_false.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,21 +0,0 @@
-// Unless explicitly stated otherwise all files in this repository are licensed
-// under the Apache License Version 2.0.
-// This product includes software developed at Datadog (https://www.datadoghq.com/).
-// Copyright 2026-present Datadog, Inc.
-
-package builtins
-
-import "context"
-
-func init() {
-	register("true", builtinTrue)
-	register("false", builtinFalse)
-}
-
-func builtinTrue(_ context.Context, _ *CallContext, _ []string) Result {
-	return Result{}
-}
-
-func builtinFalse(_ context.Context, _ *CallContext, _ []string) Result {
-	return Result{Code: 1}
-}
diff --git a/interp/runner_exec.go b/interp/runner_exec.go
index 4c3b4870..e767ec5e 100644
--- a/interp/runner_exec.go
+++ b/interp/runner_exec.go
@@ -16,6 +16,14 @@ import (
 	"mvdan.cc/sh/v3/syntax"
 
 	"github.com/DataDog/rshell/interp/builtins"
+	_ "github.com/DataDog/rshell/interp/builtins/break"
+	_ "github.com/DataDog/rshell/interp/builtins/cat"
+	_ "github.com/DataDog/rshell/interp/builtins/continue"
+	_ "github.com/DataDog/rshell/interp/builtins/echo"
+	_ "github.com/DataDog/rshell/interp/builtins/exit"
+	_ "github.com/DataDog/rshell/interp/builtins/false"
+	_ "github.com/DataDog/rshell/interp/builtins/head"
+	_ "github.com/DataDog/rshell/interp/builtins/true"
 )
 
 func (r *Runner) stmt(ctx context.Context, st *syntax.Stmt) {
diff --git a/tests/import_allowlist_test.go b/tests/import_allowlist_test.go
index f05cbbb7..4df9afd3 100644
--- a/tests/import_allowlist_test.go
+++ b/tests/import_allowlist_test.go
@@ -71,26 +71,46 @@ func TestBuiltinImportAllowlist(t *testing.T) {
 	root := repoRoot(t)
 	builtinsDir := filepath.Join(root, "interp", "builtins")
 
-	entries, err := os.ReadDir(builtinsDir)
+	// Collect all .go files in builtin sub-packages (each builtin lives
+	// in its own subdirectory, e.g. cat/cat.go, head/head.go). Internal
+	// shared packages (internal/) are also checked.
+	var goFiles []string
+	err := filepath.Walk(builtinsDir, func(path string, info os.FileInfo, err error) error {
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		if info.IsDir() {
+			return nil
+		}
+		if !strings.HasSuffix(info.Name(), ".go") || strings.HasSuffix(info.Name(), "_test.go") {
+			return nil
+		}
+		rel, _ := filepath.Rel(builtinsDir, path)
+		// builtins.go is the package framework (CallContext, Result, Register,
+		// Lookup) and is exempt. Only command implementation files are checked.
+		if rel == "builtins.go" {
+			return nil
+		}
+		// Only check files inside subdirectories (the per-builtin packages).
+		if !strings.Contains(rel, string(filepath.Separator)) {
+			return nil
+		}
+		goFiles = append(goFiles, path)
+		return nil
+	})
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
 	fset := token.NewFileSet()
 	checked := 0
-	for _, entry := range entries {
-		name := entry.Name()
-		// builtins.go is the package framework (CallContext, Result, register,
-		// Lookup) and is exempt. Only command implementation files are checked.
-		if !strings.HasSuffix(name, ".go") || strings.HasSuffix(name, "_test.go") || name == "builtins.go" {
-			continue
-		}
+	for _, path := range goFiles {
+		rel, _ := filepath.Rel(builtinsDir, path)
 		checked++
 
-		path := filepath.Join(builtinsDir, name)
 		f, err := parser.ParseFile(fset, path, nil, 0)
 		if err != nil {
-			t.Errorf("%s: parse error: %v", name, err)
+			t.Errorf("%s: parse error: %v", rel, err)
 			continue
 		}
 
@@ -100,7 +120,14 @@ func TestBuiltinImportAllowlist(t *testing.T) {
 			importPath := strings.Trim(imp.Path.Value, `"`)
 
 			if reason, banned := permanentlyBanned[importPath]; banned {
-				t.Errorf("%s: import of %q is permanently banned (%s)", name, importPath, reason)
+				t.Errorf("%s: import of %q is permanently banned (%s)", rel, importPath, reason)
+				continue
+			}
+
+			// The parent builtins package and sibling internal packages are
+			// always allowed — they are part of the builtins module.
+			if importPath == "github.com/DataDog/rshell/interp/builtins" ||
+				strings.HasPrefix(importPath, "github.com/DataDog/rshell/interp/builtins/internal/") {
 				continue
 			}
 
@@ -114,12 +141,12 @@ func TestBuiltinImportAllowlist(t *testing.T) {
 			}
 
 			if localName == "_" || localName == "." {
-				t.Errorf("%s: blank/dot import of %q is not allowed", name, importPath)
+				t.Errorf("%s: blank/dot import of %q is not allowed", rel, importPath)
 				continue
 			}
 
 			if !allowedPackages[importPath] {
-				t.Errorf("%s: import of %q is not in the allowlist", name, importPath)
+				t.Errorf("%s: import of %q is not in the allowlist", rel, importPath)
 				continue
 			}
 
@@ -143,12 +170,12 @@ func TestBuiltinImportAllowlist(t *testing.T) {
 			key := importPath + "." + sel.Sel.Name
 			if !allowedSymbols[key] {
 				pos := fset.Position(sel.Pos())
-				t.Errorf("%s:%d: %s is not in the allowlist", name, pos.Line, key)
+				t.Errorf("%s:%d: %s is not in the allowlist", rel, pos.Line, key)
 			}
 			return true
 		})
 	}
 	if checked == 0 {
-		t.Fatal("no command implementation files found in interp/builtins/ — builtins.go may have been moved or the directory is empty")
+		t.Fatal("no command implementation files found in interp/builtins/ sub-packages")
 	}
 }