diff --git a/ansible/roles/developer-rust/tasks/rust.yml b/ansible/roles/developer-rust/tasks/rust.yml
index a890559..089fb35 100644
--- a/ansible/roles/developer-rust/tasks/rust.yml
+++ b/ansible/roles/developer-rust/tasks/rust.yml
@@ -359,10 +359,13 @@
 # ============================================================
 # Build dependencies for cargo tools that compile from source
 # ============================================================
+# rustc links through `cc`, and a clean cloud image ships without one: the
+# first `cargo install` on a fresh Fedora fails at `linker cc not found`.
 
 - name: Install cargo build dependencies (Ubuntu)
   ansible.builtin.apt:
     name:
+      - build-essential
       - libssl-dev
       - pkg-config
     state: present
@@ -371,6 +374,7 @@
 - name: Install cargo build dependencies (Fedora)
   ansible.builtin.dnf:
     name:
+      - gcc
       - openssl-devel
       - pkg-config
     state: present
diff --git a/ansible/tests/proxmox/create.yml b/ansible/tests/proxmox/create.yml
index f7eb189..2822069 100644
--- a/ansible/tests/proxmox/create.yml
+++ b/ansible/tests/proxmox/create.yml
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 - name: Clone a base template into the test range
   hosts: localhost
   connection: local
+  become: false
   gather_facts: false
   vars:
     snapshot: clean
@@ -215,6 +216,7 @@
 - name: Stop and snapshot the clean state
   hosts: localhost
   connection: local
+  become: false
   gather_facts: false
   # Play vars do not cross plays; -e still overrides both.
   vars:
diff --git a/ansible/tests/proxmox/delete.yml b/ansible/tests/proxmox/delete.yml
index e3cd842..1527add 100644
--- a/ansible/tests/proxmox/delete.yml
+++ b/ansible/tests/proxmox/delete.yml
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 - name: Delete a test VM
   hosts: localhost
   connection: local
+  become: false
   gather_facts: false
   module_defaults:
     community.proxmox.proxmox_vm_info: &api
diff --git a/ansible/tests/proxmox/reset.yml b/ansible/tests/proxmox/reset.yml
index f98865a..45f1f4c 100644
--- a/ansible/tests/proxmox/reset.yml
+++ b/ansible/tests/proxmox/reset.yml
@@ -20,6 +20,9 @@
   hosts: localhost
   connection: local
   gather_facts: false
+  # ansible.cfg turns become on for every play; here it would write the
+  # inventory as root, 0600, unreadable by the user about to run against it.
+  become: false
   vars:
     start: true
   module_defaults: