diff --git a/scripts/mkramdisk.sh b/scripts/mkramdisk.sh
index a02c962..62fc9be 100755
--- a/scripts/mkramdisk.sh
+++ b/scripts/mkramdisk.sh
@@ -14,7 +14,18 @@ if [ ! -d "$INPUT_DIR" ]; then
     echo "MontaukOS ramdisk" > "$INPUT_DIR/readme.txt"
 fi
 
-# Create USTAR tar archive
-tar --format=ustar -cf "$OUTPUT_PATH" -C "$INPUT_DIR" .
+# Create USTAR tar archive.
+#
+# -h (dereference) is NOT optional: Fs/Ramdisk.cpp only recognises typeflag
+# '5' (directory), so a symlink entry unpacks as a zero-length regular file --
+# silently, with no error anywhere. A staged tree containing symlinks would
+# ship empty files. Copying the target in is the only faithful representation.
+tar --format=ustar -h -cf "$OUTPUT_PATH" -C "$INPUT_DIR" .
+
+if tar -tvf "$OUTPUT_PATH" | grep -q '^l'; then
+    echo "mkramdisk: ERROR: symlink survived into $OUTPUT_PATH (would unpack as an empty file)" >&2
+    tar -tvf "$OUTPUT_PATH" | grep '^l' >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
 
 echo "mkramdisk: created $OUTPUT_PATH from $INPUT_DIR ($(wc -c < "$OUTPUT_PATH") bytes)"