diff --git a/src/cmd/go/go_test.go b/src/cmd/go/go_test.go
index 9d9d898ae3..56c8a74748 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/go_test.go
+++ b/src/cmd/go/go_test.go
@@ -388,24 +388,6 @@ func (tg *testgoData) pwd() string {
 	return wd
 }
 
-// cd changes the current directory to the named directory. Note that
-// using this means that the test must not be run in parallel with any
-// other tests.
-func (tg *testgoData) cd(dir string) {
-	tg.t.Helper()
-	if tg.inParallel {
-		tg.t.Fatal("internal testsuite error: changing directory when running in parallel")
-	}
-	if tg.wd == "" {
-		tg.wd = tg.pwd()
-	}
-	abs, err := filepath.Abs(dir)
-	tg.must(os.Chdir(dir))
-	if err == nil {
-		tg.setenv("PWD", abs)
-	}
-}
-
 // sleep sleeps for one tick, where a tick is a conservative estimate
 // of how long it takes for a file modification to get a different
 // mtime.
@@ -2872,40 +2854,6 @@ func TestLinkerTmpDirIsDeleted(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func testCDAndGOPATHAreDifferent(tg *testgoData, cd, gopath string) {
-	skipIfGccgo(tg.t, "gccgo does not support -ldflags -X")
-	tg.setenv("GOPATH", gopath)
-
-	tg.tempDir("dir")
-	exe := tg.path("dir/a.exe")
-
-	tg.cd(cd)
-
-	tg.run("build", "-o", exe, "-ldflags", "-X=my.pkg.Text=linkXworked")
-	out, err := exec.Command(exe).CombinedOutput()
-	if err != nil {
-		tg.t.Fatal(err)
-	}
-	if string(out) != "linkXworked\n" {
-		tg.t.Errorf(`incorrect output with GOPATH=%q and CD=%q: expected "linkXworked\n", but have %q`, gopath, cd, string(out))
-	}
-}
-
-func TestCDAndGOPATHAreDifferent(t *testing.T) {
-	tg := testgo(t)
-	defer tg.cleanup()
-
-	gopath := filepath.Join(tg.pwd(), "testdata")
-	cd := filepath.Join(gopath, "src/my.pkg/main")
-
-	testCDAndGOPATHAreDifferent(tg, cd, gopath)
-	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
-		testCDAndGOPATHAreDifferent(tg, cd, strings.ReplaceAll(gopath, `\`, `/`))
-		testCDAndGOPATHAreDifferent(tg, cd, strings.ToUpper(gopath))
-		testCDAndGOPATHAreDifferent(tg, cd, strings.ToLower(gopath))
-	}
-}
-
 // Issue 25093.
 func TestCoverpkgTestOnly(t *testing.T) {
 	skipIfGccgo(t, "gccgo has no cover tool")
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/build_cd_gopath_different.txt b/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/build_cd_gopath_different.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..698b3d70f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/build_cd_gopath_different.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+[gccgo] skip 'gccgo does not support -ldflags -X'
+go build run_go.go
+
+# Apply identity function to GOPATH
+exec ./run_go$GOEXE $GOPATH/src/my.pkg/main $GOPATH IDENTITY build -o $WORK/tmp/a.exe -ldflags -X=my.pkg.Text=linkXworked
+exec $WORK/tmp/a.exe
+stderr 'linkXworked'
+rm $WORK/tmp/a.exe
+
+[!windows] stop 'rest of the tests only apply to Windows'
+
+# Replace '\' with '/' in GOPATH
+exec ./run_go$GOEXE $GOPATH/src/my.pkg/main $GOPATH REPLACE_SLASH build -o $WORK/tmp/a.exe -ldflags -X=my.pkg.Text=linkXworked
+exec $WORK/tmp/a.exe
+stderr 'linkXworked'
+rm $WORK/tmp/a.exe
+
+# Apply identity function to GOPATH
+exec ./run_go$GOEXE $GOPATH/src/my.pkg/main $GOPATH UPPER build -o $WORK/tmp/a.exe -ldflags -X=my.pkg.Text=linkXworked
+exec $WORK/tmp/a.exe
+stderr 'linkXworked'
+rm $WORK/tmp/a.exe
+
+# Apply identity function to GOPATH
+exec ./run_go$GOEXE $GOPATH/src/my.pkg/main $GOPATH LOWER build -o $WORK/tmp/a.exe -ldflags -X=my.pkg.Text=linkXworked
+exec $WORK/tmp/a.exe
+stderr 'linkXworked'
+rm $WORK/tmp/a.exe
+
+-- run_go.go --
+package main
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+func main() {
+	dir := os.Args[1]
+	gopath := os.Args[2]
+	switch os.Args[3] {
+		case "IDENTITY":
+		case "REPLACE_SLASH": gopath = strings.ReplaceAll(gopath, `\`, `/`)
+		case "UPPER": gopath = strings.ToUpper(gopath)
+		case "LOWER": gopath = strings.ToLower(gopath)
+		default: fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "bad op"); os.Exit(1)
+	}
+	cmd := exec.Command("go", os.Args[4:]...)
+	cmd.Dir = dir
+	cmd.Env = append(os.Environ(), "GOPATH="+gopath)
+	cmd.Stdout = os.Stdout
+	cmd.Stderr = os.Stderr
+	if err := cmd.Run(); err != nil {
+		fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, err)
+		os.Exit(1)
+	}
+}
+
+-- my.pkg/main/main.go --
+package main
+
+import "my.pkg"
+
+func main() {
+	println(pkg.Text)
+}
+-- my.pkg/pkg.go --
+package pkg
+
+var Text = "unset"