diff --git a/src/capability-language/structural-plan.ts b/src/capability-language/structural-plan.ts
index 6b03c5f..2ddcf44 100644
--- a/src/capability-language/structural-plan.ts
+++ b/src/capability-language/structural-plan.ts
@@ -167,11 +167,12 @@ export const planStructure = async (rootPath: string, request: StructuralRequest
           resolveResource,
         });
         if (compiled.resource.kind === "package") {
-          const configuration = JSON.parse(await fs.readFile(path.join(resourceRoot, "quixos.check.json"), "utf8"));
+          const configurationSource = await read(resourceRoot, "quixos.check.json");
+          const configuration = configurationSource === null ? undefined : JSON.parse(configurationSource);
           // Execution bindings are immutable build outputs owned by checkedArtifacts,
           // not source edits produced by a structural preview.
           const artifacts =
-            configuration.backend === "execution"
+            !configuration || configuration.backend === "execution"
               ? []
               : [
                   {
diff --git a/test/structural-plan.test.ts b/test/structural-plan.test.ts
index 8ecaedc..4cad42e 100644
--- a/test/structural-plan.test.ts
+++ b/test/structural-plan.test.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,37 @@ import {
 } from "../src/capability-language/structural-plan.js";
 const execFile = promisify(callback);
 
+test("package structural validation does not require source-generated bindings", async (context) => {
+  const root = await fs.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "qx-structural-package-test-"));
+  context.after(() => fs.rm(root, { recursive: true, force: true }));
+  await execFile("git", ["-C", root, "init"]);
+  await fs.writeFile(path.join(root, ".gitignore"), ".quixos/\n");
+  await fs.writeFile(
+    path.join(root, "quixos.lock"),
+    `quixos-lock version 1 { quixos source { repository "https://example.test/quixos.git"; commit "${"a".repeat(40)}"; } }`,
+  );
+  const before = 'package Test id "package:test" revision "package:test@1" {}';
+  await fs.writeFile(path.join(root, "package.qx"), before);
+  const request: StructuralRequest = {
+    kind: "package",
+    source: { repository: "https://example.test/package.git", commit: "b".repeat(40) },
+    files: [{ file: "package.qx", expected: before, replace: `${before}\n// updated` }],
+  };
+  const plan = await planStructure(root, request);
+  assert.deepEqual(
+    plan.changes.map((change) => change.file),
+    ["package.qx"],
+  );
+  assert.equal(plan.validation, "resource-graph");
+  await fs.writeFile(path.join(root, "quixos.check.json"), "not valid json");
+  await assert.rejects(() => planStructure(root, request), SyntaxError);
+  await fs.writeFile(path.join(root, "quixos.check.json"), '{"backend":"execution"}');
+  assert.deepEqual(
+    (await planStructure(root, request)).changes.map((change) => change.file),
+    ["package.qx"],
+  );
+});
+
 test("structural plans validate the graph, journal originals, and reject stale edits", async (context) => {
   const root = await fs.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "qx-structural-test-"));
   context.after(() => fs.rm(root, { recursive: true, force: true }));