diff --git a/docker/Dockerfile b/docker/Dockerfile
index f91936fc..3647baea 100644
--- a/docker/Dockerfile
+++ b/docker/Dockerfile
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ RUN apt-get update -qq \
         mold \
         numactl \
         openjdk-17-jre-headless \
+        perl \
         python3 \
         python3-pip \
         python3-venv \
diff --git a/docs/development-environment.md b/docs/development-environment.md
index e89c53ab..72130c8c 100644
--- a/docs/development-environment.md
+++ b/docs/development-environment.md
@@ -11,7 +11,8 @@ remote-bitbang debug acceptance flow. Docker, Nix, and manual Ubuntu installs
 provide Java 17 for SBT. Docker and Nix use Python 3.10 to match the
 hash-pinned Ubuntu 22.04 requirement sets. The environment also installs the
 locked Python build and quality dependencies, clang-format-14, GNU Make,
-C/C++ build tools, and runtime libraries required by those binaries.
+C/C++ build tools, Perl for Verilator, and runtime libraries required by those
+binaries.
 
 The environment intentionally does not include PDK repositories, managed RTL,
 application archives, build output, or compiler caches. These inputs are
@@ -33,6 +34,9 @@ Python requirements, and writes:
 
 Bootstrap is idempotent. It reinstalls tools or Python packages when the
 dependency lock, selected tool set, or Python requirement hashes change.
+Installed public tool archives are made readable and their directories
+traversable by all users. This is required when Docker builds the image as root
+and runs regressions with the caller's user ID.
 
 ~~~sh
 python3 scripts/development_environment.py bootstrap
diff --git a/flake.nix b/flake.nix
index c122e22a..3585a23d 100644
--- a/flake.nix
+++ b/flake.nix
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@
           ncurses5
           numactl
           jdk17_headless
+          perl
           python310Full
           unzip
           which
diff --git a/scripts/development_environment.py b/scripts/development_environment.py
index e9d0e525..dfdca436 100644
--- a/scripts/development_environment.py
+++ b/scripts/development_environment.py
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ SYSTEM_EXECUTABLES = (
     "make",
     "mold",
     "numactl",
+    "perl",
 )
 STAMP_NAME = "development-environment.json"
 ACTIVATE_NAME = "activate.sh"
diff --git a/scripts/install_toolchain.py b/scripts/install_toolchain.py
index a9090469..d3a3bf53 100644
--- a/scripts/install_toolchain.py
+++ b/scripts/install_toolchain.py
@@ -6,9 +6,11 @@ import argparse
 import os
 import posixpath
 import shutil
+import stat
 import sys
 import tarfile
 import tempfile
+from itertools import chain
 from pathlib import Path, PurePosixPath
 from typing import Any
 
@@ -38,6 +40,22 @@ def safe_extract(archive: Path, destination: Path) -> None:
         bundle.extractall(destination)
 
 
+def make_tree_world_readable(root: Path) -> None:
+    """Make a public tool archive usable by accounts other than its installer."""
+
+    for path in chain((root,), root.rglob("*")):
+        if path.is_symlink():
+            continue
+        mode = stat.S_IMODE(path.stat().st_mode)
+        if path.is_dir():
+            path.chmod(mode | 0o555)
+        elif path.is_file():
+            shared_mode = mode | 0o444
+            if mode & 0o111:
+                shared_mode |= 0o111
+            path.chmod(shared_mode)
+
+
 def install(name: str, spec: dict[str, Any], cache: Path, update: bool) -> Path:
     downloads = cache / "downloads"
     archive = downloads / spec["archive"]
@@ -53,6 +71,7 @@ def install(name: str, spec: dict[str, Any], cache: Path, update: bool) -> Path:
     destination = cache / "toolchains" / f"{name}-{spec['version']}"
     marker = destination / ".complete"
     if marker.is_file() and marker.read_text(encoding="utf-8").strip() == spec["sha256"]:
+        make_tree_world_readable(destination)
         return destination / spec["path"]
 
     destination.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
@@ -61,6 +80,7 @@ def install(name: str, spec: dict[str, Any], cache: Path, update: bool) -> Path:
         extracted.mkdir()
         safe_extract(archive, extracted)
         atomic_write(extracted / ".complete", spec["sha256"] + "\n")
+        make_tree_world_readable(extracted)
         if destination.exists():
             shutil.rmtree(destination)
         os.replace(extracted, destination)
diff --git a/tests/test_script_tools.py b/tests/test_script_tools.py
index 42e96fcc..18795d93 100644
--- a/tests/test_script_tools.py
+++ b/tests/test_script_tools.py
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ from scripts.development_environment import (  # noqa: E402
     write_activation,
 )
 from scripts.generate_mpw import render_active_manifest, validate_extension_bindings  # noqa: E402
-from scripts.install_toolchain import safe_extract  # noqa: E402
+from scripts.install_toolchain import make_tree_world_readable, safe_extract  # noqa: E402
 from scripts.package import make_sbom  # noqa: E402
 from scripts.prepare_mpw import patch_serv  # noqa: E402
 from scripts import regress  # noqa: E402
@@ -1193,10 +1193,12 @@ def test_container_and_nix_environment_files_use_locked_inputs() -> None:
 
     assert f"ubuntu@{lock['container_images']['ubuntu_22_04']['digest']}" in dockerfile
     assert "openjdk-17-jre-headless" in dockerfile
+    assert "        perl \\\n" in dockerfile
     assert "scripts/development_environment.py" in dockerfile
     assert "scripts/development_environment.py" in flake
     assert "buildFHSEnv" in flake
     assert "jdk17_headless" in flake
+    assert "          perl\n" in flake
     assert "python310Full" in flake
     assert "python3Full" not in flake
     assert "retrosoc-development retrosoc-dev" in flake
@@ -2317,6 +2319,34 @@ def test_safe_extract_rejects_parent_traversal(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     assert not (tmp_path / "outside").exists()
 
 
+def test_toolchain_tree_is_accessible_to_runtime_users(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    toolchain = tmp_path / "toolchain"
+    binary_directory = toolchain / "bundle/bin"
+    binary_directory.mkdir(parents=True)
+    executable = binary_directory / "tool"
+    executable.write_text("#!/bin/sh\n", encoding="utf-8")
+    data = toolchain / "bundle/data"
+    data.write_text("public tool data\n", encoding="utf-8")
+    marker = toolchain / ".complete"
+    marker.write_text("digest\n", encoding="utf-8")
+
+    toolchain.chmod(0o700)
+    (toolchain / "bundle").chmod(0o700)
+    binary_directory.chmod(0o700)
+    executable.chmod(0o700)
+    data.chmod(0o600)
+    marker.chmod(0o600)
+
+    make_tree_world_readable(toolchain)
+
+    assert toolchain.stat().st_mode & 0o777 == 0o755
+    assert (toolchain / "bundle").stat().st_mode & 0o777 == 0o755
+    assert binary_directory.stat().st_mode & 0o777 == 0o755
+    assert executable.stat().st_mode & 0o777 == 0o755
+    assert data.stat().st_mode & 0o777 == 0o644
+    assert marker.stat().st_mode & 0o777 == 0o644
+
+
 def test_fatfs_update_reextracts_downloaded_archive(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     module_path = ROOT / "app/setup.py"
     spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location("retrosoc_app_setup", module_path)