diff --git a/basics/checking-accounts/asm/Cargo.toml b/basics/checking-accounts/asm/Cargo.toml
index 830cb8172..19349c560 100644
--- a/basics/checking-accounts/asm/Cargo.toml
+++ b/basics/checking-accounts/asm/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 [package]
+build = "build.rs"
 name = "checking-account-asm-program"
 version = "0.1.0"
 edition = "2021"
diff --git a/basics/checking-accounts/asm/build.rs b/basics/checking-accounts/asm/build.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..08ca44557
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basics/checking-accounts/asm/build.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+// The tests embed the assembled program with include_bytes!, which needs the
+// file to exist at compile time. `sbpf build` produces it, and it is gitignored,
+// so a fresh checkout has no binary and the test module cannot compile. Set a
+// cfg when the binary is present and let the tests key off it: present, they
+// compile and run; absent, they are left out and the crate still builds.
+use std::path::Path;
+
+const BINARY: &str = "deploy/checking-account-asm-program.so";
+
+fn main() {
+    // Declare the cfg so `-D warnings` builds do not fail on unexpected_cfgs.
+    println!("cargo::rustc-check-cfg=cfg(has_asm_binary)");
+    // Re-run when the binary appears or changes, so the cfg never goes stale.
+    println!("cargo::rerun-if-changed={BINARY}");
+
+    if Path::new(BINARY).exists() {
+        println!("cargo::rustc-cfg=has_asm_binary");
+    } else {
+        println!("cargo::warning=ASM binary not found at {BINARY}: tests skipped");
+        println!("cargo::warning=Run `sbpf build` in this directory to generate it");
+    }
+}
diff --git a/basics/checking-accounts/asm/src/lib.rs b/basics/checking-accounts/asm/src/lib.rs
index ec4cb4200..fa9ad5bc3 100644
--- a/basics/checking-accounts/asm/src/lib.rs
+++ b/basics/checking-accounts/asm/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#[cfg(test)]
+#[cfg(all(test, has_asm_binary))]
 mod tests {
 
     use litesvm::LiteSVM;
diff --git a/basics/create-account/asm/Cargo.toml b/basics/create-account/asm/Cargo.toml
index 8c695fa1a..b37de8565 100644
--- a/basics/create-account/asm/Cargo.toml
+++ b/basics/create-account/asm/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 [package]
+build = "build.rs"
 name = "create-account-asm-program"
 version = "0.1.0"
 edition = "2021"
diff --git a/basics/create-account/asm/build.rs b/basics/create-account/asm/build.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1107f14d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basics/create-account/asm/build.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+// The tests embed the assembled program with include_bytes!, which needs the
+// file to exist at compile time. `sbpf build` produces it, and it is gitignored,
+// so a fresh checkout has no binary and the test module cannot compile. Set a
+// cfg when the binary is present and let the tests key off it: present, they
+// compile and run; absent, they are left out and the crate still builds.
+use std::path::Path;
+
+const BINARY: &str = "deploy/create-account-asm-program.so";
+
+fn main() {
+    // Declare the cfg so `-D warnings` builds do not fail on unexpected_cfgs.
+    println!("cargo::rustc-check-cfg=cfg(has_asm_binary)");
+    // Re-run when the binary appears or changes, so the cfg never goes stale.
+    println!("cargo::rerun-if-changed={BINARY}");
+
+    if Path::new(BINARY).exists() {
+        println!("cargo::rustc-cfg=has_asm_binary");
+    } else {
+        println!("cargo::warning=ASM binary not found at {BINARY}: tests skipped");
+        println!("cargo::warning=Run `sbpf build` in this directory to generate it");
+    }
+}
diff --git a/basics/create-account/asm/src/lib.rs b/basics/create-account/asm/src/lib.rs
index 84f30fadc..1851dd4ea 100644
--- a/basics/create-account/asm/src/lib.rs
+++ b/basics/create-account/asm/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#[cfg(test)]
+#[cfg(all(test, has_asm_binary))]
 mod tests {
 
     use litesvm::LiteSVM;
diff --git a/basics/hello-solana/asm/Cargo.toml b/basics/hello-solana/asm/Cargo.toml
index 35b63c384..996ab6b67 100644
--- a/basics/hello-solana/asm/Cargo.toml
+++ b/basics/hello-solana/asm/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 [package]
+build = "build.rs"
 name = "hello-solana-asm-program"
 version = "0.1.0"
 edition = "2021"
diff --git a/basics/hello-solana/asm/build.rs b/basics/hello-solana/asm/build.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a106a3f03
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basics/hello-solana/asm/build.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+// The tests embed the assembled program with include_bytes!, which needs the
+// file to exist at compile time. `sbpf build` produces it, and it is gitignored,
+// so a fresh checkout has no binary and the test module cannot compile. Set a
+// cfg when the binary is present and let the tests key off it: present, they
+// compile and run; absent, they are left out and the crate still builds.
+use std::path::Path;
+
+const BINARY: &str = "deploy/hello-solana-asm-program.so";
+
+fn main() {
+    // Declare the cfg so `-D warnings` builds do not fail on unexpected_cfgs.
+    println!("cargo::rustc-check-cfg=cfg(has_asm_binary)");
+    // Re-run when the binary appears or changes, so the cfg never goes stale.
+    println!("cargo::rerun-if-changed={BINARY}");
+
+    if Path::new(BINARY).exists() {
+        println!("cargo::rustc-cfg=has_asm_binary");
+    } else {
+        println!("cargo::warning=ASM binary not found at {BINARY}: tests skipped");
+        println!("cargo::warning=Run `sbpf build` in this directory to generate it");
+    }
+}
diff --git a/basics/hello-solana/asm/src/lib.rs b/basics/hello-solana/asm/src/lib.rs
index 3057aa1bd..10e0b3fe4 100644
--- a/basics/hello-solana/asm/src/lib.rs
+++ b/basics/hello-solana/asm/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#[cfg(test)]
+#[cfg(all(test, has_asm_binary))]
 mod tests {
     use litesvm::LiteSVM;
     use solana_instruction::{AccountMeta, Instruction};
diff --git a/basics/transfer-sol/asm/Cargo.toml b/basics/transfer-sol/asm/Cargo.toml
index 100a04284..3f04e319d 100644
--- a/basics/transfer-sol/asm/Cargo.toml
+++ b/basics/transfer-sol/asm/Cargo.toml
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 name = "asm"
 version = "0.1.0"
 edition = "2021"
+build = "build.rs"
 
 [dependencies]
 
diff --git a/basics/transfer-sol/asm/build.rs b/basics/transfer-sol/asm/build.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8bc071d1c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basics/transfer-sol/asm/build.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+// The tests embed the assembled program with include_bytes!, which needs the
+// file to exist at compile time. `sbpf build` produces it, and it is gitignored,
+// so a fresh checkout has no binary and the test module cannot compile. Set a
+// cfg when the binary is present and let the tests key off it: present, they
+// compile and run; absent, they are left out and the crate still builds.
+use std::path::Path;
+
+const BINARY: &str = "deploy/transfer-sol-cpi.so";
+
+fn main() {
+    // Declare the cfg so `-D warnings` builds do not fail on unexpected_cfgs.
+    println!("cargo::rustc-check-cfg=cfg(has_asm_binary)");
+    // Re-run when the binary appears or changes, so the cfg never goes stale.
+    println!("cargo::rerun-if-changed={BINARY}");
+
+    if Path::new(BINARY).exists() {
+        println!("cargo::rustc-cfg=has_asm_binary");
+    } else {
+        println!("cargo::warning=ASM binary not found at {BINARY}: tests skipped");
+        println!("cargo::warning=Run `sbpf build` in this directory to generate it");
+    }
+}
diff --git a/basics/transfer-sol/asm/src/lib.rs b/basics/transfer-sol/asm/src/lib.rs
index 3a7c8e1f2..3a4344bbd 100644
--- a/basics/transfer-sol/asm/src/lib.rs
+++ b/basics/transfer-sol/asm/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#[cfg(test)]
+#[cfg(all(test, has_asm_binary))]
 mod tests {
     use litesvm::LiteSVM;
     use solana_instruction::{AccountMeta, Instruction};