diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 2becc04..d882066 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 __pycache__/
 .idea
 *.dist-info/
+*.egg-info/
 build/
 logs/
 .DS_Store
diff --git a/pth-tester/README.md b/pth-tester/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..15beb0a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pth-tester/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+# pth-tester
+
+This is a package that tests whether `.pth` files are correctly processed on
+import. It is not designed to be published; it is only useful in the context of
+the testbed app.
+
+When installed, it includes a `.pth` file that invokes the `pth_tester.init()` method.
+This sets the `initialized` attribute of the module to `True`. In this way, it is
+possible to tell if `.pth` handling has occurred on app startup.
+
+This project has been compiled into a wheel, stored in the `wheels` directory
+of the top-level directory. The wheel can be rebuilt using:
+
+    $ pip install build
+    $ python -m build --wheel --outdir ../wheels
+
+If you make any modifications to the code for this project, you will need to
+rebuild the wheel.
diff --git a/pth-tester/pth_tester.py b/pth-tester/pth_tester.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a052e9a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pth-tester/pth_tester.py
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+initialized = False
+has_socket = False
+
+
+# The pth_tester module should be initalized by processing the `.pth` file
+# created on installation.
+def init():
+    global initialized
+    global has_socket
+
+    initialized = True
+
+    # At the time that the module is initialized, it *should* have access
+    # to all of the standard library. This might not be true, depending on
+    # the initialization order of the site module and sys.path.
+    try:
+        import socket  # NOQA: F401
+
+        has_socket = True
+    except ImportError:
+        pass
diff --git a/pth-tester/pyproject.toml b/pth-tester/pyproject.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..66559c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pth-tester/pyproject.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+[build-system]
+requires = ["setuptools==78.0.2", "wheel"]
+build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
+
+[project]
+name = "x-pth-tester"
+version = "2025.3.26"
+classifiers = ["Private :: Do Not Upload"]
diff --git a/pth-tester/setup.py b/pth-tester/setup.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b1ace4a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pth-tester/setup.py
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+import os
+
+import setuptools
+from setuptools.command.install import install
+
+
+# Copied from setuptools:
+# (https://github.com/pypa/setuptools/blob/7c859e017368360ba66c8cc591279d8964c031bc/setup.py#L40C6-L82)
+class install_with_pth(install):
+    """
+    Custom install command to install a .pth file.
+
+    This hack is necessary because there's no standard way to install behavior
+    on startup (and it's debatable if there should be one). This hack (ab)uses
+    the `extra_path` behavior in Setuptools to install a `.pth` file with
+    implicit behavior on startup.
+
+    The original source strongly recommends against using this behavior.
+    """
+
+    _pth_name = "_pth_tester"
+    _pth_contents = "import pth_tester; pth_tester.init()"
+
+    def initialize_options(self):
+        install.initialize_options(self)
+        self.extra_path = self._pth_name, self._pth_contents
+
+    def finalize_options(self):
+        install.finalize_options(self)
+        self._restore_install_lib()
+
+    def _restore_install_lib(self):
+        """
+        Undo secondary effect of `extra_path` adding to `install_lib`
+        """
+        suffix = os.path.relpath(self.install_lib, self.install_libbase)
+
+        if suffix.strip() == self._pth_contents.strip():
+            self.install_lib = self.install_libbase
+
+
+setuptools.setup(
+    cmdclass={"install": install_with_pth},
+)
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 8fda42a..47dcfcf 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ sources = ["src/testbed"]
 test_sources = ["tests"]
 
 requires = [
+    "x-pth-tester",
+
     # Cryptography provides an ABI3 wheel for all desktop platforms, but requires cffi which doesn't.
     """cryptography; \
         (platform_system != 'iOS' and platform_system != 'Android' and python_version < '3.14') \
diff --git a/tests/test_common.py b/tests/test_common.py
index a987c7a..ee6040a 100644
--- a/tests/test_common.py
+++ b/tests/test_common.py
@@ -444,3 +444,28 @@ def test_zoneinfo():
 
     dt = datetime(2022, 5, 4, 13, 40, 42, tzinfo=ZoneInfo("Australia/Perth"))
     assert str(dt) == "2022-05-04 13:40:42+08:00"
+
+
+def test_pth_handling():
+    ".pth files installed by a package are processed"
+    import pth_tester
+
+    # The pth_tester module should be "initialized" as a result of
+    # processing the .pth file created when the package is installed.
+    assert pth_tester.initialized
+
+    # When the .pth file is processed, the full standard library should be
+    # available. Check if the initialization process could import socket.
+    if sys.platform == "android" or hasattr(sys, "getandroidapilevel"):
+        # Android is known to have an issue with .pth/sys.path ordering that
+        # causes this test to fail. For now, accept this as an XFAIL; if it
+        # passes, fail as an indicator that the bug has been resolved, and we
+        # can simplify the test.
+        if pth_tester.has_socket:
+            pytest.fail("Android .pth handling bug has been resolved.")
+        else:
+            pytest.xfail(
+                "On Android, .pth files are processed before sys.path is finalized."
+            )
+    else:
+        assert pth_tester.has_socket
diff --git a/wheels/x_pth_tester-2025.3.26-py3-none-any.whl b/wheels/x_pth_tester-2025.3.26-py3-none-any.whl
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6f95bdc
Binary files /dev/null and b/wheels/x_pth_tester-2025.3.26-py3-none-any.whl differ