diff --git a/src/internal/testenv/exec.go b/src/internal/testenv/exec.go
index 9f21b323ab..7b251b6022 100644
--- a/src/internal/testenv/exec.go
+++ b/src/internal/testenv/exec.go
@@ -32,8 +32,12 @@ import (
 // for the resulting error.
 func MustHaveExec(t testing.TB) {
 	if err := tryExec(); err != nil {
+		msg := fmt.Sprintf("cannot exec subprocess on %s/%s: %v", runtime.GOOS, runtime.GOARCH, err)
+		if t == nil {
+			panic(msg)
+		}
 		t.Helper()
-		t.Skipf("skipping test: cannot exec subprocess on %s/%s: %v", runtime.GOOS, runtime.GOARCH, err)
+		t.Skip("skipping test:", msg)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -81,7 +85,11 @@ func Executable(t testing.TB) string {
 
 	exe, err := exePath()
 	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("os.Executable error: %v", err)
+		msg := fmt.Sprintf("os.Executable error: %v", err)
+		if t == nil {
+			panic(msg)
+		}
+		t.Fatal(msg)
 	}
 	return exe
 }
diff --git a/src/math/rand/default_test.go b/src/math/rand/default_test.go
index 19fd75dfd1..b42cd165c8 100644
--- a/src/math/rand/default_test.go
+++ b/src/math/rand/default_test.go
@@ -37,11 +37,7 @@ func TestDefaultRace(t *testing.T) {
 		i := i
 		t.Run(strconv.Itoa(i), func(t *testing.T) {
 			t.Parallel()
-			exe, err := os.Executable()
-			if err != nil {
-				exe = os.Args[0]
-			}
-			cmd := testenv.Command(t, exe, "-test.run=TestDefaultRace")
+			cmd := testenv.Command(t, testenv.Executable(t), "-test.run=TestDefaultRace")
 			cmd = testenv.CleanCmdEnv(cmd)
 			cmd.Env = append(cmd.Env, fmt.Sprintf("GO_RAND_TEST_HELPER_CODE=%d", i/2))
 			if i%2 != 0 {
diff --git a/src/os/exec/exec_test.go b/src/os/exec/exec_test.go
index a0bb89e203..fd185cadcf 100644
--- a/src/os/exec/exec_test.go
+++ b/src/os/exec/exec_test.go
@@ -159,42 +159,16 @@ func helperCommandContext(t *testing.T, ctx context.Context, name string, args .
 	helperCommandUsed.LoadOrStore(name, true)
 
 	t.Helper()
-	testenv.MustHaveExec(t)
-
+	exe := testenv.Executable(t)
 	cs := append([]string{name}, args...)
 	if ctx != nil {
-		cmd = exec.CommandContext(ctx, exePath(t), cs...)
+		cmd = exec.CommandContext(ctx, exe, cs...)
 	} else {
-		cmd = exec.Command(exePath(t), cs...)
+		cmd = exec.Command(exe, cs...)
 	}
 	return cmd
 }
 
-// exePath returns the path to the running executable.
-func exePath(t testing.TB) string {
-	exeOnce.Do(func() {
-		// Use os.Executable instead of os.Args[0] in case the caller modifies
-		// cmd.Dir: if the test binary is invoked like "./exec.test", it should
-		// not fail spuriously.
-		exeOnce.path, exeOnce.err = os.Executable()
-	})
-
-	if exeOnce.err != nil {
-		if t == nil {
-			panic(exeOnce.err)
-		}
-		t.Fatal(exeOnce.err)
-	}
-
-	return exeOnce.path
-}
-
-var exeOnce struct {
-	path string
-	err  error
-	sync.Once
-}
-
 func chdir(t *testing.T, dir string) {
 	t.Helper()
 
@@ -1201,7 +1175,7 @@ func cmdHang(args ...string) {
 	pid := os.Getpid()
 
 	if *subsleep != 0 {
-		cmd := exec.Command(exePath(nil), "hang", subsleep.String(), "-read=true", "-probe="+probe.String())
+		cmd := exec.Command(testenv.Executable(nil), "hang", subsleep.String(), "-read=true", "-probe="+probe.String())
 		cmd.Stdin = os.Stdin
 		cmd.Stderr = os.Stderr
 		out, err := cmd.StdoutPipe()
diff --git a/src/os/exec/lp_windows_test.go b/src/os/exec/lp_windows_test.go
index a92a29799f..15b2a0032f 100644
--- a/src/os/exec/lp_windows_test.go
+++ b/src/os/exec/lp_windows_test.go
@@ -25,13 +25,8 @@ func init() {
 	registerHelperCommand("printpath", cmdPrintPath)
 }
 
-func cmdPrintPath(args ...string) {
-	exe, err := os.Executable()
-	if err != nil {
-		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Executable: %v\n", err)
-		os.Exit(1)
-	}
-	fmt.Println(exe)
+func cmdPrintPath(_ ...string) {
+	fmt.Println(testenv.Executable(nil))
 }
 
 // makePATH returns a PATH variable referring to the
@@ -82,7 +77,7 @@ func installProgs(t *testing.T, root string, files []string) {
 // (We use a copy instead of just a symlink to ensure that os.Executable
 // always reports an unambiguous path, regardless of how it is implemented.)
 func installExe(t *testing.T, dstPath string) {
-	src, err := os.Open(exePath(t))
+	src, err := os.Open(testenv.Executable(t))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
diff --git a/src/os/executable_test.go b/src/os/executable_test.go
index 98b72d7d5e..be3c1dc72d 100644
--- a/src/os/executable_test.go
+++ b/src/os/executable_test.go
@@ -16,13 +16,9 @@ import (
 const executable_EnvVar = "OSTEST_OUTPUT_EXECPATH"
 
 func TestExecutable(t *testing.T) {
-	testenv.MustHaveExec(t)
 	t.Parallel()
 
-	ep, err := os.Executable()
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("Executable failed: %v", err)
-	}
+	ep := testenv.Executable(t)
 	// we want fn to be of the form "dir/prog"
 	dir := filepath.Dir(filepath.Dir(ep))
 	fn, err := filepath.Rel(dir, ep)
diff --git a/src/os/fifo_test.go b/src/os/fifo_test.go
index 3b7e5eac19..111dd2aaeb 100644
--- a/src/os/fifo_test.go
+++ b/src/os/fifo_test.go
@@ -161,10 +161,7 @@ func TestNonPollable(t *testing.T) {
 
 // Issue 60211.
 func TestOpenFileNonBlocking(t *testing.T) {
-	exe, err := os.Executable()
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Skipf("can't find executable: %v", err)
-	}
+	exe := testenv.Executable(t)
 	f, err := os.OpenFile(exe, os.O_RDONLY|syscall.O_NONBLOCK, 0666)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
diff --git a/src/os/os_test.go b/src/os/os_test.go
index 70f6aa1173..4e89f9ac0e 100644
--- a/src/os/os_test.go
+++ b/src/os/os_test.go
@@ -2336,13 +2336,8 @@ func TestStatStdin(t *testing.T) {
 		Exit(0)
 	}
 
-	exe, err := Executable()
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Skipf("can't find executable: %v", err)
-	}
-
-	testenv.MustHaveExec(t)
 	t.Parallel()
+	exe := testenv.Executable(t)
 
 	fi, err := Stdin.Stat()
 	if err != nil {
@@ -2508,11 +2503,10 @@ func TestLongPath(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func testKillProcess(t *testing.T, processKiller func(p *Process)) {
-	testenv.MustHaveExec(t)
 	t.Parallel()
 
 	// Re-exec the test binary to start a process that hangs until stdin is closed.
-	cmd := testenv.Command(t, Args[0])
+	cmd := testenv.Command(t, testenv.Executable(t))
 	cmd.Env = append(cmd.Environ(), "GO_OS_TEST_DRAIN_STDIN=1")
 	stdout, err := cmd.StdoutPipe()
 	if err != nil {
@@ -2561,10 +2555,9 @@ func TestGetppid(t *testing.T) {
 		Exit(0)
 	}
 
-	testenv.MustHaveExec(t)
 	t.Parallel()
 
-	cmd := testenv.Command(t, Args[0], "-test.run=^TestGetppid$")
+	cmd := testenv.Command(t, testenv.Executable(t), "-test.run=^TestGetppid$")
 	cmd.Env = append(Environ(), "GO_WANT_HELPER_PROCESS=1")
 
 	// verify that Getppid() from the forked process reports our process id
diff --git a/src/os/os_windows_test.go b/src/os/os_windows_test.go
index 4a8d0d07ef..dd247cf885 100644
--- a/src/os/os_windows_test.go
+++ b/src/os/os_windows_test.go
@@ -1221,10 +1221,7 @@ func TestRootDirAsTemp(t *testing.T) {
 	testenv.MustHaveExec(t)
 	t.Parallel()
 
-	exe, err := os.Executable()
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatal(err)
-	}
+	exe := testenv.Executable(t)
 
 	newtmp, err := findUnusedDriveLetter()
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/src/os/user/user_windows_test.go b/src/os/user/user_windows_test.go
index deb3db6a87..f025af802c 100644
--- a/src/os/user/user_windows_test.go
+++ b/src/os/user/user_windows_test.go
@@ -170,10 +170,7 @@ func TestCurrentNetapi32(t *testing.T) {
 		os.Exit(0)
 		return
 	}
-	exe, err := os.Executable()
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatal(err)
-	}
+	exe := testenv.Executable(t)
 	cmd := testenv.CleanCmdEnv(exec.Command(exe, "-test.run=^TestCurrentNetapi32$"))
 	cmd.Env = append(cmd.Env, "GO_WANT_HELPER_PROCESS=1")
 	out, err := cmd.CombinedOutput()