diff --git a/scripts/check b/scripts/check
index e96c0689b7..b252bc6edd 100755
--- a/scripts/check
+++ b/scripts/check
@@ -28,6 +28,13 @@ from contextlib import contextmanager
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from pathlib import Path
 
+# Before the engine imports: they need 3.11 (tomllib), and an older python3 first on PATH would
+# otherwise die in a traceback on every hooked commit or push.
+if sys.version_info < (3, 11):
+    print(f"scripts/check needs Python 3.11+, this is {'.'.join(map(str, sys.version_info[:3]))};"
+          " run it with the repo's virtualenv (.venv/bin/python scripts/check)", file=sys.stderr)
+    raise SystemExit(2)
+
 REPO = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent
 sys.path.insert(0, str(REPO))
 
@@ -40,8 +47,17 @@ _HOOK_HEAD = f"""#!/usr/bin/env bash
 repo="$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)"
 # Hooks are shared by every worktree; a branch that predates scripts/check is not checked.
 [ -f "$repo/scripts/check" ] || exit 0
-py=python3
-command -v python3 >/dev/null 2>&1 || py=python
+# The repo's virtualenv first (this worktree's, then the main checkout's): a bare python3 on
+# PATH may predate the 3.11 that scripts/check needs.
+common="$(cd "$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)/.." && pwd)"
+py=
+for root in "$repo" "$common"; do
+  for rel in .venv/bin/python venv/bin/python .venv/Scripts/python.exe venv/Scripts/python.exe; do
+    if [ -z "$py" ] && [ -x "$root/$rel" ]; then py="$root/$rel"; fi
+  done
+done
+[ -n "$py" ] || py="$(command -v python3 || command -v python)" || {{
+  echo "scripts/check hook: no python3 or python on PATH" >&2; exit 1; }}
 """
 # pre-push reads "<local ref> <local sha> <remote ref> <remote sha>" per pushed ref; an all-zero
 # local sha is a branch deletion. Each pushed commit is judged as CI will judge the PR.
diff --git a/tests/scripts/test_code_health_cli.py b/tests/scripts/test_code_health_cli.py
index bff1390a22..0455b7643e 100644
--- a/tests/scripts/test_code_health_cli.py
+++ b/tests/scripts/test_code_health_cli.py
@@ -81,20 +81,22 @@ def _init(path: Path) -> Path:
 
 
 def _add_engine(repo: Path) -> list[str]:
+    """The checker and everything its jobs read; returns the top-level paths to stage."""
     for rel in _ENGINE:
         (repo / rel).parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
         shutil.copy2(REPO / rel, repo / rel)
     shutil.copytree(REPO / "scripts/code_health", repo / "scripts/code_health",
                     ignore=shutil.ignore_patterns("__pycache__"), dirs_exist_ok=True)
-    return ["scripts"]
+    _write(repo, {"tests/README.md": "os-marker-fakes scans tests/\n"})
+    return ["scripts", "tests"]
 
 
 def _engine_repo(tmp_path: Path) -> Path:
     """A repo whose first commit already carries the checker, with one clean module."""
     repo = _init(tmp_path / "repo")
     _write(repo, {"pkg/a.py": "def a():\n    return 1\n"})
-    _add_engine(repo)
-    _git(repo, "add", "--all", "--", ".gitignore", "pyproject.toml", "pkg", "scripts")
+    staged = _add_engine(repo)
+    _git(repo, "add", "--all", "--", ".gitignore", "pyproject.toml", "pkg", *staged)
     _git(repo, "commit", "-q", "-m", "base")
     return repo
 
@@ -186,6 +188,43 @@ def test_json_stdout_is_json_on_every_path(tmp_path, capsys, case, switch, files
         assert "code health:" in err  # the human explanation moves to stderr
 
 
+# --- M5: interpreter choice and the version guard ---------------------------------------------
+
+
+def test_hooks_prefer_the_repo_virtualenv_over_path_python(tmp_path):
+    repo = _engine_repo(tmp_path)
+    assert _check(repo, "--install-hook", "pre-commit").returncode == 0
+    fake = tmp_path / "fakebin"
+    fake.mkdir()
+    for name in ("python3", "python"):
+        (fake / name).write_text("#!/bin/sh\necho 'wrong interpreter' >&2\nexit 97\n", encoding="utf-8")
+        (fake / name).chmod(0o755)
+    env = _env()
+    env["PATH"] = f"{fake}{os.pathsep}{env['PATH']}"
+    (repo / ".venv").symlink_to(Path(sys.prefix), target_is_directory=True)
+    _write(repo, {"pkg/b.py": "def b():\n    return 2\n"})
+    _git(repo, "add", "--", "pkg/b.py")
+    proc = _sh(repo, "git", "commit", "-q", "-m", "venv", env=env)
+    assert proc.returncode == 0, proc.stdout + proc.stderr
+    # control: without a virtualenv the hook falls back to PATH's python3
+    (repo / ".venv").unlink()
+    _write(repo, {"pkg/b.py": "def b():\n    return 3\n"})
+    _git(repo, "add", "--", "pkg/b.py")
+    proc = _sh(repo, "git", "commit", "-q", "-m", "path", env=env)
+    assert proc.returncode != 0 and "wrong interpreter" in proc.stderr
+
+
+def test_check_refuses_old_python_before_importing_anything():
+    # The guard reads sys.version_info; a 3.10 interpreter is emulated by overriding it before
+    # scripts/check runs (tomllib, imported via ruff_runner, would otherwise crash it).
+    code = ("import runpy, sys; sys.version_info = (3, 10, 12, 'final', 0); "
+            f"sys.argv = ['scripts/check', '--only', 'shebangs']; "
+            f"runpy.run_path({str(REPO / 'scripts/check')!r}, run_name='__main__')")
+    proc = _sh(REPO, sys.executable, "-c", code)
+    assert proc.returncode == 2, proc.stdout + proc.stderr
+    assert "3.11" in proc.stderr and "Traceback" not in proc.stderr
+
+
 # --- m3: the ENFORCEMENT switch ---------------------------------------------------------------