diff --git a/packages/io/src/io-util.ts b/packages/io/src/io-util.ts
index 67bae805..31391e36 100644
--- a/packages/io/src/io-util.ts
+++ b/packages/io/src/io-util.ts
@@ -19,22 +19,23 @@ export const {
 export const IS_WINDOWS = process.platform === 'win32'
 
 /**
- * Custom implementation of readlink to ensure Windows directory symlinks
+ * Custom implementation of readlink to ensure Windows junctions
  * maintain trailing backslash for backward compatibility with Node.js < 24
+ * 
+ * In Node.js 20, Windows junctions (directory symlinks) always returned paths
+ * with trailing backslashes. Node.js 24 removed this behavior, which breaks
+ * code that relied on this format for path operations.
+ * 
+ * This implementation restores the Node 20 behavior by adding a trailing
+ * backslash to all junction results on Windows.
  */
 export async function readlink(fsPath: string): Promise<string> {
   const result = await fs.promises.readlink(fsPath)
 
-  // Only on Windows, ensure directory symlinks end with a backslash
-  if (IS_WINDOWS) {
-    try {
-      const stats = await fs.promises.lstat(result)
-      if (stats.isDirectory() && !result.endsWith('\\')) {
-        return `${result}\\`
-      }
-    } catch (err) {
-      // If we can't access the target, just return the original result
-    }
+  // On Windows, restore Node 20 behavior: add trailing backslash to all results
+  // since junctions on Windows are always directory links
+  if (IS_WINDOWS && !result.endsWith('\\')) {
+    return `${result}\\`
   }
 
   return result