diff --git a/.github/scripts/tests/test_release_artifacts.py b/.github/scripts/tests/test_release_artifacts.py
index e88cc138..15740a7c 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/tests/test_release_artifacts.py
+++ b/.github/scripts/tests/test_release_artifacts.py
@@ -2580,6 +2580,60 @@ def render_release_template(
     return sc_compose.compose_file(request).rendered_text
 
 
+def assert_homebrew_formula_install_executes(formula: str) -> None:
+    """Parse and execute a rendered formula against the Homebrew path helper shape."""
+    ruby = subprocess.run(
+        ["ruby", "-c"], input=formula, text=True, capture_output=True, check=False
+    )
+    assert ruby.returncode == 0, ruby.stderr
+
+    harness = """
+class InstallPath
+  def /(component)
+    self
+  end
+
+  def install(paths)
+  end
+end
+
+class Formula
+  def self.test(&block)
+  end
+
+  def self.method_missing(name, *args, &block)
+    class_eval(&block) if block
+  end
+
+  def bin
+    InstallPath.new
+  end
+
+  def pkgshare
+    InstallPath.new
+  end
+
+  def shell_output(*args)
+    ""
+  end
+
+  def assert_match(*args)
+  end
+end
+
+eval(STDIN.read, TOPLEVEL_BINDING)
+ScCompose.new.install
+"""
+    execution = subprocess.run(
+        ["ruby", "-e", harness],
+        input=formula,
+        text=True,
+        capture_output=True,
+        check=False,
+    )
+    assert execution.returncode == 0, execution.stderr
+
+
 def test_release_channel_templates_render_to_valid_ruby_and_json(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     formula = render_release_template(
         tmp_path,
@@ -2602,20 +2656,17 @@ def test_release_channel_templates_render_to_valid_ruby_and_json(tmp_path: Path)
             "binary_paths": ["bin/sc-compose", "bin/sc-compose-daemon"],
             "bundled_paths": [
                 {
-                    "destination_components": ["pkgshare", "examples"],
+                    "destination_components": ["pkgshare", "examples", "nested"],
                     "source_glob": "share/sc-compose/examples/*",
                 }
             ],
         },
     )
-    ruby = subprocess.run(
-        ["ruby", "-c"], input=formula, text=True, capture_output=True, check=False
-    )
-    assert ruby.returncode == 0, ruby.stderr
+    assert_homebrew_formula_install_executes(formula)
     assert 'bin.install "bin/sc-compose"' in formula
     assert 'bin.install "bin/sc-compose-daemon"' in formula
     assert 'shell_output("#{bin}/" + "sc-compose-daemon"' in formula
-    assert '("pkgshare"/"examples").install Dir["share/sc-compose/examples/*"]' in formula
+    assert '(pkgshare/"examples"/"nested").install' in formula
 
     scoop = render_release_template(
         tmp_path,
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 2faa145b..b15bfd1d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -100,6 +100,29 @@ jobs:
           python3 -m pytest .github/scripts/tests
           python3 -m pytest plugins/sc-publish/.github/scripts/tests
 
+      - name: Verify vendored Homebrew template tracks sc-publish
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          # PR #85 contains this already-validated template fix. Until it
+          # merges, accept only its exact template as the authorized ahead-of-
+          # upstream state; after merge, the develop comparison wins again.
+          git fetch --depth=1 https://github.com/randlee/sc-publish.git \
+            refs/heads/develop:refs/remotes/sc-publish-upstream/develop
+          git fetch --depth=1 https://github.com/randlee/sc-publish.git \
+            refs/pull/85/head:refs/remotes/sc-publish-upstream/pr-85
+          template=plugins/sc-publish/release/homebrew/formula.rb.j2
+          if git diff --quiet sc-publish-upstream/develop -- "${template}"; then
+            exit 0
+          fi
+          if git diff --quiet sc-publish-upstream/pr-85 -- "${template}"; then
+            echo "vendored Homebrew template matches the authorized sc-publish PR #85 fix"
+            exit 0
+          fi
+          echo "vendored Homebrew template diverges from both sc-publish develop and PR #85" >&2
+          git diff sc-publish-upstream/develop -- "${template}" >&2
+          exit 1
+
       - name: Validate publish-order dependency graph
         run: |
           python3 .github/scripts/release_artifacts.py validate-publish-order \
diff --git a/crates/sc-compose/tests/cli/render.rs b/crates/sc-compose/tests/cli/render.rs
index 636150da..4470c3fb 100644
--- a/crates/sc-compose/tests/cli/render.rs
+++ b/crates/sc-compose/tests/cli/render.rs
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ fn render_homebrew_formula_escapes_manifest_values_as_ruby_strings() {
   "linux_sha256": "linux-hash",
   "binary_paths": ["bin/sc-compose"],
   "bundled_paths": [{
-    "destination_components": ["share", "quoted\"component", "examples"],
+    "destination_components": ["pkgshare", "quoted\"component", "examples"],
     "source_glob": "share/quoted\"component/examples/*"
   }],
   "binary": "sc-compose",
@@ -163,7 +163,10 @@ fn render_homebrew_formula_escapes_manifest_values_as_ruby_strings() {
     assert!(formula.contains("desc \"A \\\"quoted\\\" description\""));
     assert!(formula.contains("assert_match \"A \\\"quoted\\\" result\""));
     assert!(formula.contains("bin.install \"bin/sc-compose\""));
-    assert!(formula.contains("(\"share\"/\"quoted\\\"component\"/\"examples\").install Dir[\"share/quoted\\\"component/examples/*\"]"));
+    // Windows-latest currently includes Ruby, but this cross-platform Rust
+    // suite does not declare it as a toolchain dependency. The top-level
+    // Python regression owns execution of this multi-component expression.
+    assert!(formula.contains("(pkgshare/\"quoted\\\"component\"/\"examples\").install Dir[\"share/quoted\\\"component/examples/*\"]"));
     assert!(!formula.contains("{{"));
 }
 
diff --git a/docs/sprints/fix-homebrew-formula-bundled-paths-tojson.md b/docs/sprints/fix-homebrew-formula-bundled-paths-tojson.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b7a1f8fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/sprints/fix-homebrew-formula-bundled-paths-tojson.md
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+---
+status: pending-upstream
+branch: fix/homebrew-formula-bundled-paths-tojson
+pr: 603
+upstream_pr: https://github.com/randlee/sc-publish/pull/85
+---
+
+# Fix: render Homebrew bundled-path helpers as Ruby methods
+
+## Scope
+
+Render the first `bundled_paths.destination_components` entry as a Homebrew
+path helper and quote only later path segments. This produces, for example,
+`(pkgshare/"examples").install ...`, not `("pkgshare"/"examples").install ...`.
+
+## Closeout
+
+- **Load-bearing template:** `release/homebrew/formula.rb.j2`. The release
+  manifest selects that exact path at
+  `release/publish-artifacts.toml` → `channels.homebrew.formulas[0].template`;
+  `.github/workflows/homebrew-publish.yml` reads the manifest and passes the
+  selected template to the published renderer.
+- **Vendored copy:** `plugins/sc-publish/release/homebrew/formula.rb.j2` is a
+  consumer-local mirror and must not be hand-edited. It temporarily matches the
+  validated fix in [sc-publish PR #85](https://github.com/randlee/sc-publish/pull/85)
+  at `8f858ed`, while upstream `develop` remains unfixed. CI fetches both
+  upstream `develop` and PR #85: it accepts byte parity with either source and
+  rejects every other divergence. Once PR #85 merges, `develop` becomes the
+  required byte-parity source automatically.
+- **Prior test gap:** the earlier regression only asserted that the rendered
+  text contained `("pkgshare"/"examples").install ...` and ran `ruby -c`.
+  Quoted and bare helper forms are both valid Ruby syntax, so neither check
+  exercised Homebrew's runtime path-helper API. The regression now executes
+  a multi-component rendered `install` block against a minimal
+  Homebrew-compatible helper harness; the old quoted receiver fails because a
+  Ruby `String` has no `install` method. The Rust CLI test keeps its
+  cross-platform rendering assertion only: GitHub's `windows-latest` image
+  currently includes Ruby, but the Rust test does not declare Ruby as a
+  toolchain dependency. Ruby execution is therefore intentionally owned by
+  this Ubuntu Python regression rather than a runner-provided executable.
+- **Validation evidence (QA6 correction after `ed6471c`):** both the
+  load-bearing top-level `.github/scripts/tests` suite and the vendored
+  `plugins/sc-publish/.github/scripts/tests` suite pass genuinely with the
+  fixed template; no xfail or skip is used. The CI guard permits this single,
+  tracked, exact PR #85 divergence while that PR is open, while still failing
+  any divergence from both upstream sources.
+
+## QA7 coverage and follow-up
+
+At `d942f7b`, the CI guard began accepting only byte parity with upstream
+`develop` or the exact [sc-publish PR #85](https://github.com/randlee/sc-publish/pull/85)
+head; every other vendored divergence fails. The vendored three-component
+fixture was added later, at `c48b046`.
+
+The top-level and vendored Ruby-execution fixtures both use
+`["pkgshare", "examples", "nested"]`. They therefore execute the bare helper
+and the subsequently JSON-quoted path components, and fail against the
+pre-fix template. QA7 re-runs both focused tests as genuine passes.
+
+- **Tracked follow-up:** when PR #85 merges upstream and this repository
+  synchronizes its vendored copy, remove the PR #85 fetch-and-diff branch from
+  `.github/workflows/ci.yml` and require `sc-publish/develop` byte parity only.
diff --git a/plugins/sc-publish/.github/scripts/tests/test_release_artifacts.py b/plugins/sc-publish/.github/scripts/tests/test_release_artifacts.py
index 5b87fd3e..17cd549c 100644
--- a/plugins/sc-publish/.github/scripts/tests/test_release_artifacts.py
+++ b/plugins/sc-publish/.github/scripts/tests/test_release_artifacts.py
@@ -2459,6 +2459,60 @@ def render_release_template(
     return sc_compose.compose_file(request).rendered_text
 
 
+def assert_homebrew_formula_install_executes(formula: str) -> None:
+    """Parse and execute a rendered formula against the Homebrew path helper shape."""
+    ruby = subprocess.run(
+        ["ruby", "-c"], input=formula, text=True, capture_output=True, check=False
+    )
+    assert ruby.returncode == 0, ruby.stderr
+
+    harness = """
+class InstallPath
+  def /(component)
+    self
+  end
+
+  def install(paths)
+  end
+end
+
+class Formula
+  def self.test(&block)
+  end
+
+  def self.method_missing(name, *args, &block)
+    class_eval(&block) if block
+  end
+
+  def bin
+    InstallPath.new
+  end
+
+  def pkgshare
+    InstallPath.new
+  end
+
+  def shell_output(*args)
+    ""
+  end
+
+  def assert_match(*args)
+  end
+end
+
+eval(STDIN.read, TOPLEVEL_BINDING)
+ScCompose.new.install
+"""
+    execution = subprocess.run(
+        ["ruby", "-e", harness],
+        input=formula,
+        text=True,
+        capture_output=True,
+        check=False,
+    )
+    assert execution.returncode == 0, execution.stderr
+
+
 def test_release_channel_templates_render_to_valid_ruby_and_json(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     formula = render_release_template(
         tmp_path,
@@ -2481,20 +2535,17 @@ def test_release_channel_templates_render_to_valid_ruby_and_json(tmp_path: Path)
             "binary_paths": ["bin/sc-compose", "bin/sc-compose-daemon"],
             "bundled_paths": [
                 {
-                    "destination_components": ["pkgshare", "examples"],
+                    "destination_components": ["pkgshare", "examples", "nested"],
                     "source_glob": "share/sc-compose/examples/*",
                 }
             ],
         },
     )
-    ruby = subprocess.run(
-        ["ruby", "-c"], input=formula, text=True, capture_output=True, check=False
-    )
-    assert ruby.returncode == 0, ruby.stderr
+    assert_homebrew_formula_install_executes(formula)
     assert 'bin.install "bin/sc-compose"' in formula
     assert 'bin.install "bin/sc-compose-daemon"' in formula
     assert 'shell_output("#{bin}/" + "sc-compose-daemon"' in formula
-    assert '("pkgshare"/"examples").install Dir["share/sc-compose/examples/*"]' in formula
+    assert '(pkgshare/"examples"/"nested").install' in formula
 
     scoop = render_release_template(
         tmp_path,
diff --git a/plugins/sc-publish/release/homebrew/formula.rb.j2 b/plugins/sc-publish/release/homebrew/formula.rb.j2
index ebbd17e0..e731fea4 100644
--- a/plugins/sc-publish/release/homebrew/formula.rb.j2
+++ b/plugins/sc-publish/release/homebrew/formula.rb.j2
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ class {{ formula_class }} < Formula
     bin.install {{ binary_path | tojson }}
 {% endfor %}
 {% for bundle in bundled_paths %}
-    ({% for component in bundle.destination_components %}{{ component | tojson }}{% if not loop.last %}/{% endif %}{% endfor %}).install Dir[{{ bundle.source_glob | tojson }}]
+    ({% for component in bundle.destination_components %}{% if loop.first %}{{ component }}{% else %}/{{ component | tojson }}{% endif %}{% endfor %}).install Dir[{{ bundle.source_glob | tojson }}]
 {% endfor %}
   end
 
diff --git a/release/homebrew/formula.rb.j2 b/release/homebrew/formula.rb.j2
index ebbd17e0..e731fea4 100644
--- a/release/homebrew/formula.rb.j2
+++ b/release/homebrew/formula.rb.j2
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ class {{ formula_class }} < Formula
     bin.install {{ binary_path | tojson }}
 {% endfor %}
 {% for bundle in bundled_paths %}
-    ({% for component in bundle.destination_components %}{{ component | tojson }}{% if not loop.last %}/{% endif %}{% endfor %}).install Dir[{{ bundle.source_glob | tojson }}]
+    ({% for component in bundle.destination_components %}{% if loop.first %}{{ component }}{% else %}/{{ component | tojson }}{% endif %}{% endfor %}).install Dir[{{ bundle.source_glob | tojson }}]
 {% endfor %}
   end