diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-wheels-version.yml b/.github/workflows/build-wheels-version.yml
index 0a9fe12..20c466f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-wheels-version.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-wheels-version.yml
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ on:
         description: |
           Packages (comma-separated) or 'ALL' to select all available recipes:
         required: false
-        default: "pydantic-core:,numpy:,pillow:"
+        default: "lru-dict:,pydantic-core:,numpy:"
       prebuild_recipes:
         description: |
           Recipes (comma-separated; typically flet-lib*) to build FIRST and seed into 
@@ -454,6 +454,7 @@ jobs:
         env:
           PKG_NAME: ${{ steps.detect-tests.outputs.pkg_name }}
           PKG_VERSION: ${{ steps.detect-tests.outputs.pkg_version }}
+          INPUT_PYTHON_VERSION: ${{ inputs.python_version }}
         run: |
           set -euxo pipefail
 
@@ -479,7 +480,7 @@ jobs:
           ./tests/recipe-tester/stage_recipe.sh "$PKG_NAME" "$PKG_VERSION"
           cd tests/recipe-tester
           PIP_FIND_LINKS="$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/dist-test" \
-            uvx --with flet-cli flet build apk --arch x86_64 -vv --yes
+            uvx --prerelease allow --with 'flet-cli>=0.86.0.dev0' --with 'flet>=0.86.0.dev0' flet build apk -vv --yes --python-version "$(echo "$INPUT_PYTHON_VERSION" | cut -d. -f1-2)"
 
       - name: Test on Android emulator (API 28, x86_64)
         if: matrix.platform == 'android' && steps.detect-tests.outputs.has_tests == 'true'
@@ -501,6 +502,7 @@ jobs:
         env:
           PKG_NAME: ${{ steps.detect-tests.outputs.pkg_name }}
           PKG_VERSION: ${{ steps.detect-tests.outputs.pkg_version }}
+          INPUT_PYTHON_VERSION: ${{ inputs.python_version }}
         run: |
           set -euxo pipefail
 
@@ -519,7 +521,7 @@ jobs:
           ./tests/recipe-tester/stage_recipe.sh "$PKG_NAME" "$PKG_VERSION"
           cd tests/recipe-tester
           PIP_FIND_LINKS="$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/dist-test" \
-            uvx --with flet-cli flet build ios-simulator -v --yes
+            uvx --prerelease allow --with 'flet-cli>=0.86.0.dev0' --with 'flet>=0.86.0.dev0' flet build ios-simulator -vv --yes --python-version "$(echo "$INPUT_PYTHON_VERSION" | cut -d. -f1-2)"
 
       - name: Test on iOS Simulator
         if: matrix.platform == 'ios' && steps.detect-tests.outputs.has_tests == 'true'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-wheels.yml b/.github/workflows/build-wheels.yml
index e519714..620fca3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-wheels.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-wheels.yml
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ on:
       packages:
         type: string
         required: false
-        default: "pydantic-core:,numpy:,pillow:"
+        default: "lru-dict:,pydantic-core:,numpy:"
       prebuild_recipes:
         type: string
         required: false
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ env:
   # Used as the fallback recipe set when `packages` input is empty
   # (workflow_dispatch/workflow_call) or when no `recipes/**` paths
   # changed in the triggering event (push/pull_request).
-  SMOKE_TEST_PACKAGES: "pydantic-core:,numpy:,pillow:"
+  SMOKE_TEST_PACKAGES: "lru-dict:,pydantic-core:,numpy:"
 
 permissions:
   contents: read
diff --git a/tests/recipe-tester/main.py b/tests/recipe-tester/main.py
index bd05d66..092e80f 100644
--- a/tests/recipe-tester/main.py
+++ b/tests/recipe-tester/main.py
@@ -44,19 +44,28 @@ def _run_pytest() -> None:
     until the next loop iteration.
     """
     global EXIT_CODE, DONE
+    import os
     import pytest
 
+    # Anchor the tests dir to THIS module's location, not the cwd. Flet 0.86's
+    # iOS packaging runs the app with cwd = <container>/Library/Application
+    # Support/data, while `recipe_tests/` is bundled next to this file — so a
+    # relative "recipe_tests" resolves against the wrong dir and pytest reports
+    # "directory not found" (EXIT 4). An absolute __file__-relative path is
+    # correct on every platform / Flet version.
+    tests_dir = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)), "recipe_tests")
+
     EXIT_CODE = pytest.main(
         [
             "-v",
             "--rootdir",
-            "recipe_tests",  # don't walk the bundled stdlib zip looking for conftest.py
+            tests_dir,  # don't walk the bundled stdlib zip looking for conftest.py
             "-p",
             "no:cacheprovider",  # don't try to write .pytest_cache/ on a potentially read-only mobile FS
             "--capture=no",  # let test prints reach console.log too (default pytest capture hides stdout)
             "--no-header",
             "--tb=short",  # compact output for console.log
-            "recipe_tests/",
+            tests_dir,
         ]
     )
 
diff --git a/tests/recipe-tester/pyproject.toml.tpl b/tests/recipe-tester/pyproject.toml.tpl
index 796f51c..2158140 100644
--- a/tests/recipe-tester/pyproject.toml.tpl
+++ b/tests/recipe-tester/pyproject.toml.tpl
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ description = "Generic in-app pytest runner for mobile-forge recipe wheels."
 requires-python = ">=3.10"
 
 dependencies = [
-    "flet",
+    "flet>=0.86.0.dev0",
     "pytest",
     # `stage_recipe.sh` rewrites the line below to pin the recipe under test (e.g. `"numpy==2.2.2"`),
     # and replaces the token line after it with any test-only deps declared in
@@ -16,11 +16,18 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [dependency-groups]
 dev = [
-    "flet[all]",
+    "flet[all]>=0.86.0.dev0",
 ]
 
 [tool.flet]
 artifact = "recipe-tester"
 
+# Flet >=0.86 compiles the app to .pyc and strips the source by default, but pytest
+# only collects .py test files — so the bundled recipe_tests would report "0 items"
+# (EXIT 5). Keep the app source (main.py + recipe_tests/*.py) as .py. This only
+# affects the app; bundled/package dependencies still get compiled.
+[tool.flet.compile]
+app = false
+
 [tool.flet.app]
 path = "."