diff --git a/shell/devconfig.sh b/shell/devconfig.sh
index e562be03..f90126ae 100755
--- a/shell/devconfig.sh
+++ b/shell/devconfig.sh
@@ -14,7 +14,8 @@ source "$DIR/lib/yq.sh"
 # Resolve the yq binary once, up front: each yq_wrapper call below runs
 # as its own pipeline stage (a forked subshell), so without this each of
 # the 3 pipelines further down would independently redo yq_resolve_bin's
-# own resolution work.
+# own resolution work. Without Go, this resolves nothing and yq_wrapper
+# runs gojq instead.
 yq_resolve_bin
 
 # shellcheck source=./lib/box.sh
diff --git a/shell/lib/box.sh b/shell/lib/box.sh
index 1190fea8..2a70cf59 100755
--- a/shell/lib/box.sh
+++ b/shell/lib/box.sh
@@ -52,7 +52,8 @@ download_box() {
   # Resolve the yq binary once, in this shell, before the 3 calls
   # below: each runs in its own forked subshell (pipe/process
   # substitution), so without this they'd each independently redo
-  # yq_resolve_bin's own resolution work.
+  # yq_resolve_bin's own resolution work. Without Go, this resolves
+  # nothing and yq_wrapper runs gojq instead.
   yq_resolve_bin
   # Avoid reading and writing to the same file
   newBox="$(yq_wrapper . "${BOXPATH}" |
diff --git a/shell/lib/yq.sh b/shell/lib/yq.sh
index 9d3e61e8..c1d5afc4 100644
--- a/shell/lib/yq.sh
+++ b/shell/lib/yq.sh
@@ -25,12 +25,16 @@ DEVBASE_YQ_BIN=""
 # yq_resolve_bin resolves and caches in DEVBASE_YQ_BIN the binary
 # yq_wrapper() should run: built-from-source for "local"/dev (see
 # yq_build_from_source), or devbase_cli's own tagged-release resolution
-# otherwise.
+# otherwise. It resolves nothing when yq_wrapper will run gojq instead.
 yq_resolve_bin() {
   if [[ -n $DEVBASE_YQ_BIN ]]; then
     return
   fi
 
+  if yq_use_gojq; then
+    return
+  fi
+
   local version
   version="$(devbase_cli_version)"
 
diff --git a/shell/lib/yq_test.bats b/shell/lib/yq_test.bats
index deafcb5f..0835e3ff 100644
--- a/shell/lib/yq_test.bats
+++ b/shell/lib/yq_test.bats
@@ -129,6 +129,8 @@ stub_go_git() {
 @test "yq_resolve_bin uses yq_build_from_source for a local/dev version" {
   # shellcheck disable=SC2329 # Why: called indirectly as a stub.
   devbase_cli_version() { echo "local"; }
+  # shellcheck disable=SC2329 # Why: called indirectly as a stub.
+  find_tool() { echo "/fake/go"; }
   local build_count_file="$DEVBASE_CACHED_BINARY_STORAGE_PATH/count"
   stub_go_git "$build_count_file"
   # shellcheck disable=SC2329 # Why: called indirectly as a stub.
@@ -253,3 +255,25 @@ stub_gojq_env() {
   assert_success
   assert_output "gojq fallback .a"
 }
+
+@test "yq_resolve_bin does not build devbase when go is missing" {
+  stub_gojq_env local ""
+  yq_build_from_source() {
+    echo "unexpected build" >&2
+    return 1
+  }
+
+  yq_resolve_bin
+  # shellcheck disable=SC2031 # Why: yq_resolve_bin runs in this shell, not a subshell.
+  assert_equal "$DEVBASE_YQ_BIN" ""
+}
+
+@test "yq_resolve_bin still resolves a tagged version when go is missing" {
+  stub_gojq_env v2.40.0 ""
+  # shellcheck disable=SC2317,SC2329 # Why: called indirectly as a stub.
+  devbase_cli_binary() { echo "/fake/devbase-v2.40.0"; }
+
+  yq_resolve_bin
+  # shellcheck disable=SC2031 # Why: yq_resolve_bin runs in this shell, not a subshell.
+  assert_equal "$DEVBASE_YQ_BIN" "/fake/devbase-v2.40.0"
+}