diff --git a/tools/e2e-tests/scripts/create-app.js b/tools/e2e-tests/scripts/create-app.js
index 14315eb75c..fc11504356 100644
--- a/tools/e2e-tests/scripts/create-app.js
+++ b/tools/e2e-tests/scripts/create-app.js
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 const path = require('path');
 const fs = require('fs-extra');
 const execa = require('execa');
+const { linkLocalRspack } = require('./link-rspack');
 
 const REPO_ROOT = path.resolve(__dirname, '../../..');
 const METEOR_EXECUTABLE = path.join(REPO_ROOT, 'meteor');
@@ -363,12 +364,8 @@ async function setupFromApp(appName, destDir, { isMonorepo = false, force = fals
     ...execEnv,
   });
 
-  log.step('Updating Meteor npm dependencies...');
-  await execa(METEOR_EXECUTABLE, ['update', '--npm'], {
-    cwd: meteorAppDir,
-    stdio: 'inherit',
-    ...execEnv,
-  });
+  log.step('Linking local @meteorjs/rspack...');
+  await linkLocalRspack(meteorAppDir, { env: envVars });
 
   if (isMonorepo) {
     log.step('Running meteor npm install at root level...');
@@ -430,12 +427,8 @@ async function setupFromSkeleton(skeletonName, destDir, { force = false } = {})
     ...execEnv,
   });
 
-  log.step('Updating Meteor npm dependencies...');
-  await execa(METEOR_EXECUTABLE, ['update', '--npm'], {
-    cwd: destDir,
-    stdio: 'inherit',
-    ...execEnv,
-  });
+  log.step('Linking local @meteorjs/rspack...');
+  await linkLocalRspack(destDir, { env: envVars });
 
   log.step('Running meteor npm install...');
   await execa(METEOR_EXECUTABLE, ['npm', 'install'], { cwd: destDir, stdio: 'inherit', ...execEnv });
diff --git a/tools/e2e-tests/scripts/link-rspack.js b/tools/e2e-tests/scripts/link-rspack.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5e8b6bbb97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/e2e-tests/scripts/link-rspack.js
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+
+/**
+ * Links the local npm-packages/meteor-rspack into a Meteor app so it runs
+ * against the latest dev version.
+ *
+ * Steps:
+ *   1. Run `meteor update --npm` in the app
+ *   2. Install the matching @rspack/core and @rspack/cli versions into the
+ *      local meteor-rspack package (read from packages/rspack/lib/constants.js)
+ *   3. Install `ignore-loader` in the app
+ *   4. `npm link` the local meteor-rspack into the app
+ *
+ */
+
+const path = require('path');
+const fs = require('fs');
+const execa = require('execa');
+
+const REPO_ROOT = path.resolve(__dirname, '..', '..', '..');
+const METEOR_EXECUTABLE = path.join(REPO_ROOT, 'meteor');
+const RSPACK_PACKAGE_DIR = path.join(REPO_ROOT, 'npm-packages', 'meteor-rspack');
+const CONSTANTS_PATH = path.join(REPO_ROOT, 'packages', 'rspack', 'lib', 'constants.js');
+
+async function linkLocalRspack(appDir, { env } = {}) {
+  const execOpts = env ? { env: { ...process.env, ...env } } : {};
+
+  console.log(`Running meteor update --npm in ${appDir}...`);
+  await execa(METEOR_EXECUTABLE, ['update', '--npm'], {
+    cwd: appDir,
+    stdio: 'inherit',
+    ...execOpts,
+  });
+
+  const constantsContent = fs.readFileSync(CONSTANTS_PATH, 'utf8');
+  const rspackVersionMatch = constantsContent.match(
+    /DEFAULT_RSPACK_VERSION\s*=\s*['"]([^'"]+)['"]/
+  );
+  const rspackVersion = rspackVersionMatch?.[1];
+  if (rspackVersion) {
+    console.log(`Installing @rspack/core@${rspackVersion} and @rspack/cli@${rspackVersion}...`);
+    await execa(
+      'npm',
+      [
+        'install',
+        `@rspack/core@${rspackVersion}`,
+        `@rspack/cli@${rspackVersion}`,
+        '--no-save',
+        '--no-package-lock',
+      ],
+      { cwd: RSPACK_PACKAGE_DIR }
+    );
+  }
+
+  console.log('Installing ignore-loader in the app...');
+  await execa('npm', ['install', 'ignore-loader', '--save'], { cwd: appDir });
+
+  console.log(`Linking local meteor-rspack from ${RSPACK_PACKAGE_DIR}...`);
+  await execa('npm', ['link', RSPACK_PACKAGE_DIR], { cwd: appDir });
+
+  console.log('Local meteor-rspack linked successfully.');
+}
+
+module.exports = { linkLocalRspack, REPO_ROOT, METEOR_EXECUTABLE, RSPACK_PACKAGE_DIR };
+
+// CLI mode
+if (require.main === module) {
+  const appDir = process.argv[2];
+  if (!appDir) {
+    console.error('Usage: node link-rspack.js <appDir>');
+    process.exit(1);
+  }
+  linkLocalRspack(path.resolve(appDir)).catch(err => {
+    console.error(err.message);
+    process.exit(1);
+  });
+}
diff --git a/tools/e2e-tests/test-helpers.js b/tools/e2e-tests/test-helpers.js
index 2261d0d8ab..f1728472d5 100644
--- a/tools/e2e-tests/test-helpers.js
+++ b/tools/e2e-tests/test-helpers.js
@@ -38,41 +38,11 @@ const npmLinkLocalRspack = process.env.NPM_LINK_RSPACK !== 'false';
 
 const WAIT_ON = isCI ? 2000 : 500;
 
+const { linkLocalRspack: _linkLocalRspack } = require('./scripts/link-rspack');
+
 async function linkLocalRspack(appDir) {
   if (!npmLinkLocalRspack) return;
-  const repoRoot = path.resolve(process.cwd(), '..', '..');
-
-  const meteorBin = path.join(repoRoot, "meteor");
-  console.log(`Running meteor update --npm in ${appDir}...`);
-  (await execa(meteorBin, ["update", "--npm"], {
-    cwd: appDir,
-    stdio: "inherit",
-  }));
-
-  const rspackPackageDir = path.join(repoRoot, 'npm-packages', 'meteor-rspack');
-  const constantsPath = path.join(repoRoot, 'packages', 'rspack', 'lib', 'constants.js');
-  const constantsContent = await fs.readFile(constantsPath, 'utf8');
-  const rspackVersionMatch = constantsContent.match(/DEFAULT_RSPACK_VERSION\s*=\s*['"]([^'"]+)['"]/);
-  const rspackVersion = rspackVersionMatch?.[1];
-  if (rspackVersion) {
-    console.log(`Installing @rspack/core@${rspackVersion} and @rspack/cli@${rspackVersion}...`);
-    await execa(
-      "npm",
-      [
-        "install",
-        `@rspack/core@${rspackVersion}`,
-        `@rspack/cli@${rspackVersion}`,
-        "--no-save",
-        "--no-package-lock",
-      ],
-      { cwd: rspackPackageDir }
-    );
-  }
-  console.log(`Installing ignore-loader in the app...`);
-  await execa('npm', ['install', 'ignore-loader', '--save'], { cwd: appDir });
-  console.log(`Linking local meteor-rspack from ${rspackPackageDir}...`);
-  await execa('npm', ['link', rspackPackageDir], { cwd: appDir });
-  console.log('Local meteor-rspack linked successfully.');
+  await _linkLocalRspack(appDir);
 }
 
 /**