diff --git a/src/cmd/go/internal/bug/bug.go b/src/cmd/go/internal/bug/bug.go
index 9c9e9dd68a..f1c6b41328 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/internal/bug/bug.go
+++ b/src/cmd/go/internal/bug/bug.go
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import (
 	"cmd/go/internal/cfg"
 	"cmd/go/internal/envcmd"
 	"cmd/go/internal/web"
+	"cmd/go/internal/work"
 )
 
 var CmdBug = &base.Command{
@@ -42,6 +43,8 @@ func runBug(ctx context.Context, cmd *base.Command, args []string) {
 	if len(args) > 0 {
 		base.Fatalf("go: bug takes no arguments")
 	}
+	work.BuildInit()
+
 	var buf bytes.Buffer
 	buf.WriteString(bugHeader)
 	printGoVersion(&buf)
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/internal/envcmd/env.go b/src/cmd/go/internal/envcmd/env.go
index bbd3318d26..6dd8657bfc 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/internal/envcmd/env.go
+++ b/src/cmd/go/internal/envcmd/env.go
@@ -175,6 +175,11 @@ func ExtraEnvVars() []cfg.EnvVar {
 // but are costly to evaluate.
 func ExtraEnvVarsCostly() []cfg.EnvVar {
 	b := work.NewBuilder("")
+	defer func() {
+		if err := b.Close(); err != nil {
+			base.Fatalf("go: %v", err)
+		}
+	}()
 
 	cppflags, cflags, cxxflags, fflags, ldflags, err := b.CFlags(&load.Package{})
 	if err != nil {
@@ -272,6 +277,7 @@ func runEnv(ctx context.Context, cmd *base.Command, args []string) {
 		}
 	}
 	if needCostly {
+		work.BuildInit()
 		env = append(env, ExtraEnvVarsCostly()...)
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/internal/list/list.go b/src/cmd/go/internal/list/list.go
index 0b928d27e6..66c33d9ade 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/internal/list/list.go
+++ b/src/cmd/go/internal/list/list.go
@@ -690,6 +690,12 @@ func runList(ctx context.Context, cmd *base.Command, args []string) {
 	needStale := (listJson && listJsonFields.needAny("Stale", "StaleReason")) || strings.Contains(*listFmt, ".Stale")
 	if needStale || *listExport || *listCompiled {
 		b := work.NewBuilder("")
+		defer func() {
+			if err := b.Close(); err != nil {
+				base.Fatalf("go: %v", err)
+			}
+		}()
+
 		b.IsCmdList = true
 		b.NeedExport = *listExport
 		b.NeedCompiledGoFiles = *listCompiled
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/internal/run/run.go b/src/cmd/go/internal/run/run.go
index 6b253a2c9e..2804db2296 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/internal/run/run.go
+++ b/src/cmd/go/internal/run/run.go
@@ -92,6 +92,11 @@ func runRun(ctx context.Context, cmd *base.Command, args []string) {
 
 	work.BuildInit()
 	b := work.NewBuilder("")
+	defer func() {
+		if err := b.Close(); err != nil {
+			base.Fatalf("go: %v", err)
+		}
+	}()
 	b.Print = printStderr
 
 	i := 0
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go b/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go
index 028db84cc4..7e6747055e 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go
+++ b/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go
@@ -745,6 +745,11 @@ func runTest(ctx context.Context, cmd *base.Command, args []string) {
 	}
 
 	b := work.NewBuilder("")
+	defer func() {
+		if err := b.Close(); err != nil {
+			base.Fatalf("go: %v", err)
+		}
+	}()
 
 	if cfg.BuildI {
 		fmt.Fprint(os.Stderr, "go: -i flag is deprecated\n")
@@ -808,6 +813,9 @@ func runTest(ctx context.Context, cmd *base.Command, args []string) {
 		//
 		// Maybe this has the effect of removing actions that were registered by the
 		// call to CompileAction above?
+		if err := b.Close(); err != nil {
+			base.Fatalf("go: %v", err)
+		}
 		b = work.NewBuilder("")
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/internal/vet/vet.go b/src/cmd/go/internal/vet/vet.go
index 085c7d23b2..ee672d1a30 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/internal/vet/vet.go
+++ b/src/cmd/go/internal/vet/vet.go
@@ -95,6 +95,11 @@ func runVet(ctx context.Context, cmd *base.Command, args []string) {
 	}
 
 	b := work.NewBuilder("")
+	defer func() {
+		if err := b.Close(); err != nil {
+			base.Fatalf("go: %v", err)
+		}
+	}()
 
 	root := &work.Action{Mode: "go vet"}
 	for _, p := range pkgs {
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go b/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go
index 4bbd23ab8e..ae9afd2f12 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go
+++ b/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
-	"runtime"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"time"
@@ -25,6 +24,7 @@ import (
 	"cmd/go/internal/cache"
 	"cmd/go/internal/cfg"
 	"cmd/go/internal/load"
+	"cmd/go/internal/robustio"
 	"cmd/go/internal/trace"
 	"cmd/internal/buildid"
 )
@@ -244,6 +244,8 @@ const (
 //
 // If workDir is the empty string, NewBuilder creates a WorkDir if needed
 // and arranges for it to be removed in case of an unclean exit.
+// The caller must Close the builder explicitly to clean up the WorkDir
+// before a clean exit.
 func NewBuilder(workDir string) *Builder {
 	b := new(Builder)
 
@@ -260,6 +262,9 @@ func NewBuilder(workDir string) *Builder {
 	} else if cfg.BuildN {
 		b.WorkDir = "$WORK"
 	} else {
+		if !buildInitStarted {
+			panic("internal error: NewBuilder called before BuildInit")
+		}
 		tmp, err := os.MkdirTemp(cfg.Getenv("GOTMPDIR"), "go-build")
 		if err != nil {
 			base.Fatalf("go: creating work dir: %v", err)
@@ -273,32 +278,10 @@ func NewBuilder(workDir string) *Builder {
 			tmp = abs
 		}
 		b.WorkDir = tmp
+		builderWorkDirs.Store(b, b.WorkDir)
 		if cfg.BuildX || cfg.BuildWork {
 			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "WORK=%s\n", b.WorkDir)
 		}
-		if !cfg.BuildWork {
-			workdir := b.WorkDir
-			base.AtExit(func() {
-				start := time.Now()
-				for {
-					err := os.RemoveAll(workdir)
-					if err == nil {
-						return
-					}
-
-					// On some configurations of Windows, directories containing executable
-					// files may be locked for a while after the executable exits (perhaps
-					// due to antivirus scans?). It's probably worth a little extra latency
-					// on exit to avoid filling up the user's temporary directory with leaked
-					// files. (See golang.org/issue/30789.)
-					if runtime.GOOS != "windows" || time.Since(start) >= 500*time.Millisecond {
-						fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "go: failed to remove work dir: %s\n", err)
-						return
-					}
-					time.Sleep(5 * time.Millisecond)
-				}
-			})
-		}
 	}
 
 	if err := CheckGOOSARCHPair(cfg.Goos, cfg.Goarch); err != nil {
@@ -318,6 +301,44 @@ func NewBuilder(workDir string) *Builder {
 	return b
 }
 
+var builderWorkDirs sync.Map // *Builder → WorkDir
+
+func (b *Builder) Close() error {
+	wd, ok := builderWorkDirs.Load(b)
+	if !ok {
+		return nil
+	}
+	defer builderWorkDirs.Delete(b)
+
+	if b.WorkDir != wd.(string) {
+		base.Errorf("go: internal error: Builder WorkDir unexpectedly changed from %s to %s", wd, b.WorkDir)
+	}
+
+	if !cfg.BuildWork {
+		if err := robustio.RemoveAll(b.WorkDir); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+	b.WorkDir = ""
+	return nil
+}
+
+func closeBuilders() {
+	leakedBuilders := 0
+	builderWorkDirs.Range(func(bi, _ any) bool {
+		leakedBuilders++
+		if err := bi.(*Builder).Close(); err != nil {
+			base.Errorf("go: %v", err)
+		}
+		return true
+	})
+
+	if leakedBuilders > 0 && base.GetExitStatus() == 0 {
+		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "go: internal error: Builder leaked on successful exit\n")
+		base.SetExitStatus(1)
+	}
+}
+
 func CheckGOOSARCHPair(goos, goarch string) error {
 	if _, ok := cfg.OSArchSupportsCgo[goos+"/"+goarch]; !ok && cfg.BuildContext.Compiler == "gc" {
 		return fmt.Errorf("unsupported GOOS/GOARCH pair %s/%s", goos, goarch)
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go b/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go
index e34cacca03..bce923a459 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go
+++ b/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go
@@ -404,6 +404,11 @@ func runBuild(ctx context.Context, cmd *base.Command, args []string) {
 	modload.InitWorkfile()
 	BuildInit()
 	b := NewBuilder("")
+	defer func() {
+		if err := b.Close(); err != nil {
+			base.Fatalf("go: %v", err)
+		}
+	}()
 
 	pkgs := load.PackagesAndErrors(ctx, load.PackageOpts{AutoVCS: true}, args)
 	load.CheckPackageErrors(pkgs)
@@ -728,6 +733,11 @@ func InstallPackages(ctx context.Context, patterns []string, pkgs []*load.Packag
 	base.ExitIfErrors()
 
 	b := NewBuilder("")
+	defer func() {
+		if err := b.Close(); err != nil {
+			base.Fatalf("go: %v", err)
+		}
+	}()
 
 	depMode := ModeBuild
 	if cfg.BuildI {
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/internal/work/init.go b/src/cmd/go/internal/work/init.go
index 255ff3a0c5..67bd6a4c67 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/internal/work/init.go
+++ b/src/cmd/go/internal/work/init.go
@@ -24,7 +24,15 @@ import (
 	"sync"
 )
 
+var buildInitStarted = false
+
 func BuildInit() {
+	if buildInitStarted {
+		base.Fatalf("go: internal error: work.BuildInit called more than once")
+	}
+	buildInitStarted = true
+	base.AtExit(closeBuilders)
+
 	modload.Init()
 	instrumentInit()
 	buildModeInit()
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/script_test.go b/src/cmd/go/script_test.go
index ca76ab5ab8..b2f68b67f9 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/script_test.go
+++ b/src/cmd/go/script_test.go
@@ -577,6 +577,11 @@ func (ts *testScript) cmdCc(want simpleStatus, args []string) {
 	}
 
 	b := work.NewBuilder(ts.workdir)
+	defer func() {
+		if err := b.Close(); err != nil {
+			ts.fatalf("%v", err)
+		}
+	}()
 	ts.cmdExec(want, append(b.GccCmd(".", ""), args...))
 }