diff --git a/__tests__/bundle/catApiPreload.cjs b/__tests__/bundle/catApiPreload.cjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5dbb79eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/__tests__/bundle/catApiPreload.cjs
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+// Preloaded into the bundle child with `NODE_OPTIONS=--require` by the /meow e2e tests.
+// Rewrites requests for the cat api origin to the stub server named by CAT_API_URL and
+// leaves every other fetch (and every option: headers, redirect, signal) untouched.
+// Fails closed: without CAT_API_URL a cat api request throws instead of leaving the test.
+'use strict'
+
+const catApiOrigin = 'https://api.thecatapi.com'
+const stubUrl = process.env.CAT_API_URL
+const realFetch = globalThis.fetch
+
+globalThis.fetch = (input, init) => {
+  const url = typeof input === 'string' ? input : input instanceof URL ? input.href : input.url
+  if (url.startsWith(catApiOrigin)) {
+    if (!stubUrl)
+      throw new Error(`catApiPreload: CAT_API_URL is unset, refusing to call ${url}`)
+    return realFetch(stubUrl + url.slice(catApiOrigin.length), init)
+  }
+  return realFetch(input, init)
+}
diff --git a/__tests__/bundle/meow.test.ts b/__tests__/bundle/meow.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b70e0280
--- /dev/null
+++ b/__tests__/bundle/meow.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,196 @@
+import type { AddressInfo } from 'node:net'
+import type { FakeGithub } from './fakeGithub'
+import http from 'node:http'
+import path from 'node:path'
+import { afterAll, afterEach, beforeAll, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+
+import { start } from './fakeGithub'
+import { comment, helpersFor, repo, token } from './helpers'
+import { runBundle } from './runBundle'
+
+vi.setConfig({ testTimeout: 30_000 })
+
+const preload = path.resolve(__dirname, 'catApiPreload.cjs')
+const image = 'https://cdn2.thecatapi.com/images/MTY3ODIyMQ.jpg'
+const fallback = 'The cat API is unavailable right now.'
+
+interface CatRequest {
+  path: string
+  headers: http.IncomingHttpHeaders
+}
+
+interface CatResponse {
+  status: number
+  body?: unknown
+  headers?: Record<string, string>
+}
+
+// a stand-in for api.thecatapi.com: answers one queued response per request, repeating the last
+async function startCatApi() {
+  const requests: CatRequest[] = []
+  let queue: CatResponse[] = []
+  const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
+    requests.push({ path: req.url ?? '', headers: req.headers })
+    const next = queue.length > 1 ? queue.shift()! : queue[0] ?? { status: 500 }
+    res.writeHead(next.status, { 'content-type': 'application/json', ...next.headers })
+    res.end(next.body === undefined ? '' : JSON.stringify(next.body))
+  })
+  await new Promise<void>(resolve => server.listen(0, '127.0.0.1', resolve))
+  const { port } = server.address() as AddressInfo
+  return {
+    url: `http://127.0.0.1:${port}`,
+    requests,
+    answer(...responses: CatResponse[]) {
+      queue = responses
+    },
+    reset() {
+      requests.length = 0
+      queue = []
+    },
+    close: () => new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => server.close(e => (e ? reject(e) : resolve()))),
+  }
+}
+
+describe('dist/index.js issue_comment /meow', () => {
+  let gh: FakeGithub
+  let cat: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof startCatApi>>
+  const { calls } = helpersFor(() => gh)
+
+  beforeAll(async () => {
+    gh = await start()
+    cat = await startCatApi()
+  })
+  afterEach(() => {
+    gh.reset()
+    cat.reset()
+  })
+  afterAll(async () => {
+    await gh.close()
+    await cat.close()
+  })
+
+  function meow(body: string, inputs: Record<string, string> = {}) {
+    return runBundle({
+      eventName: 'issue_comment',
+      payload: comment(body),
+      inputs: { ...token, 'prow-commands': '/meow', ...inputs },
+      apiUrl: gh.url,
+      env: { NODE_OPTIONS: `--require "${preload}"`, CAT_API_URL: cat.url },
+    })
+  }
+
+  function postedComments() {
+    return gh.requestsMatching('POST', /\/issues\/1\/comments$/).map(r => (r.body as { body: string }).body)
+  }
+
+  it('posts the image the cat api returns, with no authorization read and no sweep', async () => {
+    cat.answer({ status: 200, body: [{ url: image }] })
+    gh.route('POST', `${repo}/issues/1/comments`, { status: 201, body: {} })
+
+    const result = await meow('/meow')
+
+    expect(result.status, result.stdout).toBe(0)
+    expect(result.errors).toEqual([])
+    expect(result.stdout).not.toMatch(/::warning::/)
+    expect(calls()).toEqual([`POST ${repo}/issues/1/comments`])
+    expect(postedComments()).toEqual([`![cat](<${image}>)`])
+    expect(cat.requests).toHaveLength(1)
+    expect(cat.requests[0].path).toBe('/v1/images/search?limit=1&size=med')
+    expect(cat.requests[0].headers.accept).toBe('application/json')
+    expect(cat.requests[0].headers['x-api-key']).toBeUndefined()
+  })
+
+  it('sends the cat-api-key input as x-api-key and masks it in the log', async () => {
+    cat.answer({ status: 200, body: [{ url: image }] })
+    gh.route('POST', `${repo}/issues/1/comments`, { status: 201, body: {} })
+
+    const result = await meow('/meow', { 'cat-api-key': 'live_secret' })
+
+    expect(result.status, result.stdout).toBe(0)
+    expect(cat.requests[0].headers['x-api-key']).toBe('live_secret')
+    expect(result.stdout).toMatch(/^::add-mask::live_secret$/m)
+    expect(postedComments()).toEqual([`![cat](<${image}>)`])
+  })
+
+  it('retries a 5xx from the cat api and posts the image once it answers', async () => {
+    cat.answer({ status: 503, body: { message: 'overloaded' } }, { status: 200, body: [{ url: image }] })
+    gh.route('POST', `${repo}/issues/1/comments`, { status: 201, body: {} })
+
+    const result = await meow('/meow')
+
+    expect(result.status, result.stdout).toBe(0)
+    expect(result.stdout).not.toMatch(/::warning::/)
+    expect(cat.requests).toHaveLength(2)
+    expect(postedComments()).toEqual([`![cat](<${image}>)`])
+  })
+
+  it('gives up after three 5xx answers and posts the unavailable note; the run still succeeds', async () => {
+    cat.answer({ status: 500 })
+    gh.route('POST', `${repo}/issues/1/comments`, { status: 201, body: {} })
+
+    const result = await meow('/meow')
+
+    expect(result.status, result.stdout).toBe(0)
+    expect(result.errors).toEqual([])
+    expect(cat.requests).toHaveLength(3)
+    expect(result.stdout).toMatch(/::warning::Could not fetch a cat image: Error: cat api responded with 500/)
+    expect(postedComments()).toEqual([fallback])
+  })
+
+  it('does not retry a 4xx: one cat api call, then the unavailable note', async () => {
+    cat.answer({ status: 429, body: { message: 'slow down' } })
+    gh.route('POST', `${repo}/issues/1/comments`, { status: 201, body: {} })
+
+    const result = await meow('/meow')
+
+    expect(result.status, result.stdout).toBe(0)
+    expect(cat.requests).toHaveLength(1)
+    expect(result.stdout).toMatch(/::warning::Could not fetch a cat image: Error: cat api responded with 429/)
+    expect(postedComments()).toEqual([fallback])
+  })
+
+  it('never follows a redirect from the cat api, so the key cannot travel cross-origin', async () => {
+    cat.answer({ status: 302, headers: { location: `${cat.url}/elsewhere` } })
+    gh.route('POST', `${repo}/issues/1/comments`, { status: 201, body: {} })
+
+    const result = await meow('/meow', { 'cat-api-key': 'live_secret' })
+
+    expect(result.status, result.stdout).toBe(0)
+    expect(cat.requests.map(r => r.path)).toEqual(['/v1/images/search?limit=1&size=med'])
+    expect(result.stdout).toMatch(/::warning::Could not fetch a cat image: Error: cat api responded with (302|a redirect)/)
+    expect(postedComments()).toEqual([fallback])
+  })
+
+  // the url checks are unit-tested in __tests__/issueCommentTest/meow.test.ts; one row proves the bundle applies them
+  it('falls back to the note when the cat api returns a url on another host', async () => {
+    cat.answer({ status: 200, body: [{ url: 'https://evil.example/cat.jpg' }] })
+    gh.route('POST', `${repo}/issues/1/comments`, { status: 201, body: {} })
+
+    const result = await meow('/meow')
+
+    expect(result.status, result.stdout).toBe(0)
+    expect(cat.requests).toHaveLength(1)
+    expect(result.stdout).toContain('::warning::Could not fetch a cat image: Error: cat api returned an image from an unexpected host')
+    expect(postedComments()).toEqual([fallback])
+  })
+
+  it('ignores /meow inside a fenced code block without calling either api', async () => {
+    const result = await meow('```\n/meow\n```')
+
+    expect(result.status, result.stdout).toBe(0)
+    expect(result.errors).toEqual([])
+    expect(cat.requests).toEqual([])
+    expect(calls()).toEqual([])
+  })
+
+  it('fails the run when github refuses the comment', async () => {
+    cat.answer({ status: 200, body: [{ url: image }] })
+    gh.route('POST', `${repo}/issues/1/comments`, { status: 500, body: { message: 'boom' } })
+
+    const result = await meow('/meow')
+
+    expect(result.status, result.stdout).toBe(1)
+    expect(result.errors.some(e => e.includes('could not add comment'))).toBe(true)
+    expect(calls()).toEqual([`POST ${repo}/issues/1/comments`])
+  })
+})