diff --git a/scripts/templates/ql3-local-alpha-upgrade-cutover-rehearsal.sh b/scripts/templates/ql3-local-alpha-upgrade-cutover-rehearsal.sh
index 6c0b3d2c..1a7ac024 100644
--- a/scripts/templates/ql3-local-alpha-upgrade-cutover-rehearsal.sh
+++ b/scripts/templates/ql3-local-alpha-upgrade-cutover-rehearsal.sh
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ gid=$(id -g)
 socket_gid=$(stat -c %g /var/run/docker.sock)
 old_umask=$(umask)
 umask 077
-for directory in owner-peppers owner-pepper-backup owner-delivery receipts artifacts plugin-staging plugin-activation service service/cutovers service/cutovers/alpha-upgrade-cutover data-directory/transformation; do
+for directory in owner-peppers owner-pepper-backup owner-delivery receipts artifacts plugin-staging plugin-activation service service/cutovers service/cutovers/alpha-upgrade-cutover; do
   [ -d "$rehearsal_root/$directory" ] || mkdir -m 0700 "$rehearsal_root/$directory"
 done
 
diff --git a/test/back/ql3LocalAlphaTrialKitBundle.test.cjs b/test/back/ql3LocalAlphaTrialKitBundle.test.cjs
index 3bb4aba9..6c6159ad 100644
--- a/test/back/ql3LocalAlphaTrialKitBundle.test.cjs
+++ b/test/back/ql3LocalAlphaTrialKitBundle.test.cjs
@@ -198,7 +198,16 @@ test('materializes and offline-audits one closed two-image trial kit', (t) => {
     encoding: 'utf8',
   });
   assert.equal(cutoverSyntax.status, 0, cutoverSyntax.stderr);
-  assert.match(fs.readFileSync(cutoverRehearsal, 'utf8'), /VARIANT='headless'/);
+  const cutoverRehearsalContents = fs.readFileSync(cutoverRehearsal, 'utf8');
+  assert.match(cutoverRehearsalContents, /VARIANT='headless'/);
+  assert.match(
+    cutoverRehearsalContents,
+    /"transformationRoot":"\$rehearsal_root\/data-directory\/transformation"/,
+  );
+  assert.doesNotMatch(
+    cutoverRehearsalContents,
+    /mkdir[^\n]*data-directory\/transformation|for directory in[^\n]*data-directory\/transformation/,
+  );
   const report = auditLocalAlphaTrialKit({ bundleRoot: paths.outputRoot });
   assert.equal(report.compatible, true);
   assert.equal(report.sourceRevision, revision);