diff --git a/__tests__/bundle/bundle.test.ts b/__tests__/bundle/bundle.test.ts
index c633ac85..aa6a0126 100644
--- a/__tests__/bundle/bundle.test.ts
+++ b/__tests__/bundle/bundle.test.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import pullReqOpenedEvent from '../fixtures/pullReq/pullReqOpenedEvent.json'
 import pullReqReviewSubmittedEvent from '../fixtures/pullReq/pullReqReviewSubmittedEvent.json'
 import { blobSha, prCommentEvent, pullBody } from '../utils/ownersFixtures'
 import { start } from './fakeGithub'
-import { comment, configReads, helpersFor, membershipReads, ownersProbe, ownersReads, queueRead, repo, token } from './helpers'
+import { comment, configReads, helpersFor, membershipReads, ownersProbe, ownersReads, queueRead, repo, repoLabels, token } from './helpers'
 import { bundlePath, runBundle } from './runBundle'
 
 vi.setConfig({ testTimeout: 30_000 })
@@ -26,10 +26,6 @@ function openPr(labels: string[], overrides: Record<string, unknown> = {}) {
   return { ...pr, labels: labels.map(name => ({ name })), ...overrides }
 }
 
-function repoLabels(...names: string[]) {
-  return { status: 200, body: names.map(name => ({ name })) }
-}
-
 function yamlFile(text: string) {
   const file = structuredClone(labelFileContents)
   file.content = Buffer.from(text).toString('base64')
diff --git a/__tests__/bundle/helpers.ts b/__tests__/bundle/helpers.ts
index 78d61e38..9c88a553 100644
--- a/__tests__/bundle/helpers.ts
+++ b/__tests__/bundle/helpers.ts
@@ -60,6 +60,11 @@ export function membershipReads(login: string) {
   return [`GET /orgs/Codertocat/members/${login}`, `GET ${repo}/collaborators/${login}`]
 }
 
+// the repository's label list, as the label commands read it before applying a label
+export function repoLabels(...names: string[]) {
+  return { status: 200, body: names.map(name => ({ name })) }
+}
+
 // the helpers that route or inspect a suite's fake GitHub; the suite starts it in beforeAll, after binding these,
 // so `fake` is called on each use
 export function helpersFor(fake: () => FakeGithub) {
diff --git a/__tests__/bundle/labelCommands.test.ts b/__tests__/bundle/labelCommands.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..70c42dde
--- /dev/null
+++ b/__tests__/bundle/labelCommands.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+import type { FakeGithub } from './fakeGithub'
+import { afterAll, afterEach, beforeAll, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+
+import labelFileContents from '../fixtures/labels/labelFileContentsResp.json'
+import { start } from './fakeGithub'
+import { comment, configReads, helpersFor, repo, repoLabels, token } from './helpers'
+import { runBundle } from './runBundle'
+
+vi.setConfig({ testTimeout: 30_000 })
+
+const labelsRead = `GET ${repo}/labels?per_page=100`
+const issueRead = `GET ${repo}/issues/1`
+
+function issueLabels(...names: string[]) {
+  return { status: 200, body: { labels: names.map(name => ({ name })) } }
+}
+
+function deleteRoute(label: string) {
+  return `DELETE ${repo}/issues/1/labels/${encodeURIComponent(label)}`
+}
+
+// the label-command paths dist/index.js is not otherwise driven through: a fixed-label removal, a prefixed
+// command served by Prow's built-in defaults, and the no-configuration failure docs/labeling.md promises
+describe('dist/index.js fixed and built-in prefixed label commands', () => {
+  let gh: FakeGithub
+  const { expectCommandThenConfig, expectRequests } = helpersFor(() => gh)
+
+  beforeAll(async () => {
+    gh = await start()
+  })
+  afterEach(() => gh.reset())
+  afterAll(() => gh.close())
+
+  function run(body: string, command: string) {
+    return runBundle({ eventName: 'issue_comment', payload: comment(body), inputs: { ...token, 'prow-commands': command }, apiUrl: gh.url })
+  }
+
+  it('/remove-help removes help wanted and good first issue, matching label case-insensitively', async () => {
+    gh.route('GET', `${repo}/issues/1`, issueLabels('Help Wanted', 'good first issue', 'kind/bug'))
+    gh.route('DELETE', `${repo}/issues/1/labels/Help%20Wanted`, { status: 200, body: [] })
+    gh.route('DELETE', `${repo}/issues/1/labels/good%20first%20issue`, { status: 200, body: [] })
+
+    const result = await run('/remove-help', '/help')
+
+    expect(result.status, result.stdout).toBe(0)
+    expect(result.errors).toEqual([])
+    expect(gh.requestsMatching('POST', /./)).toEqual([])
+    expectCommandThenConfig([issueRead, deleteRoute('Help Wanted'), deleteRoute('good first issue')])
+  })
+
+  // .prowlabels.yaml has no lifecycle key, so the command falls back to Prow's built-in values
+  it('/lifecycle stale from the built-in defaults is exclusive: removes lifecycle/frozen, then adds lifecycle/stale', async () => {
+    gh.route('GET', `${repo}/contents/.prowlabels.yaml`, { status: 200, body: labelFileContents })
+    gh.route('GET', `${repo}/issues/1`, issueLabels('lifecycle/frozen', 'kind/bug'))
+    gh.route('DELETE', `${repo}/issues/1/labels/lifecycle%2Ffrozen`, { status: 200, body: [] })
+    gh.route('GET', `${repo}/labels`, repoLabels('lifecycle/frozen', 'lifecycle/stale', 'lifecycle/rotten'))
+    gh.route('POST', `${repo}/issues/1/labels`, { status: 200, body: [] })
+
+    const result = await run('/lifecycle stale', '/lifecycle')
+
+    expect(result.status, result.stdout).toBe(0)
+    expect(result.errors).toEqual([])
+    expect(gh.requestsMatching('POST', /\/issues\/1\/labels$/).map(r => r.body)).toEqual([{ labels: ['lifecycle/stale'] }])
+    expectRequests(configReads({ repo: '.prowlabels.yaml' }), [issueRead, deleteRoute('lifecycle/frozen'), labelsRead, `POST ${repo}/issues/1/labels`])
+  })
+
+  it('/lifecycle stale with no configuration file in any tier fails the run, as docs/labeling.md says it must', async () => {
+    const result = await run('/lifecycle stale', '/lifecycle')
+
+    expect(result.status, result.stdout).toBe(1)
+    expect(result.errors.some(e => e.includes('no prow configuration found'))).toBe(true)
+    expectRequests(configReads(), [])
+  })
+})