diff --git a/src/Discovery/BundleDiscovery.php b/src/Discovery/BundleDiscovery.php
index 1cf8c9c..5c77e5d 100644
--- a/src/Discovery/BundleDiscovery.php
+++ b/src/Discovery/BundleDiscovery.php
@@ -42,12 +42,16 @@ final class BundleDiscovery
     /** @var array<string, string> */
     private array $metadataHashes = [];
 
-    /** @param list<string>|array<string> $packagePrefixes Optional package-name prefixes used to narrow discovery. */
+    /**
+     * @param list<string>|array<string> $packagePrefixes Optional package-name prefixes used to narrow discovery.
+     * @param string|null $cacheDir Resolved kernel cache directory; resolved again from the project when omitted.
+     */
     public function __construct(
         private readonly ActivePackageResolver $resolver,
         array $packagePrefixes = [],
         private readonly ?string $projectDir = null,
         private readonly ?string $environment = null,
+        private readonly ?string $cacheDir = null,
     ) {
 
         $this->packagePrefixes = $this->normalizePackagePrefixes($packagePrefixes);
@@ -548,7 +552,7 @@ private function packageNames(): array
             return $this->packageNames;
         }
 
-        $cache = new KernelPackageManifestCache($this->projectDir, $this->environment, $this->packagePrefixes);
+        $cache = new KernelPackageManifestCache($this->projectDir, $this->environment, $this->packagePrefixes, $this->cacheDir);
         $cachedPackages = $cache->read();
 
         if ($cachedPackages !== null) {
diff --git a/src/Discovery/KernelPackageManifestCache.php b/src/Discovery/KernelPackageManifestCache.php
index 6a36acc..635cd30 100644
--- a/src/Discovery/KernelPackageManifestCache.php
+++ b/src/Discovery/KernelPackageManifestCache.php
@@ -23,11 +23,13 @@ public function metadata(): array
 
     /**
      * @param list<string> $packagePrefixes
+     * @param string|null $cacheDir Resolved kernel cache directory; resolved from the project when omitted.
      */
     public function __construct(
         private readonly ?string $projectDir,
         private readonly ?string $environment,
         private readonly array $packagePrefixes,
+        private readonly ?string $cacheDir = null,
     ) {
     }
 
@@ -151,6 +153,10 @@ private function cacheFile(): ?string
             return null;
         }
 
+        if ($this->cacheDir !== null && $this->cacheDir !== '') {
+            return rtrim($this->cacheDir, '/') . '/discovery-packages.json';
+        }
+
         $environment = $this->environment;
 
         if ($environment === null || $environment === '') {
diff --git a/src/Kernel/AbstractKernel.php b/src/Kernel/AbstractKernel.php
index 45c52c9..7ab9481 100644
--- a/src/Kernel/AbstractKernel.php
+++ b/src/Kernel/AbstractKernel.php
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 use Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Response;
 use Symfony\Component\HttpKernel\HttpKernelInterface;
 
+// phpcs:ignore SymPress.Classes.PropertyLimit.TooManyProperties -- The resolver is kept for one boot so the cache path is resolved once per request.
 abstract class AbstractKernel implements KernelInterface
 {
     protected readonly SiteConfig $config;
@@ -44,6 +45,7 @@ abstract class AbstractKernel implements KernelInterface
     protected array $bundles = [];
 
     private ?CoreServiceRegistrar $coreServiceRegistrar = null;
+    private ?KernelConfigurationResolver $configuration = null;
 
     public function __construct(
         protected readonly string $projectDir,
@@ -76,6 +78,7 @@ public function __clone()
         $this->bundleRegistry = null;
         $this->bundles = [];
         $this->coreServiceRegistrar = null;
+        $this->configuration = null;
     }
 
     /** @return array{project_dir: string, environment: string, debug: bool} */
@@ -265,6 +268,7 @@ public function discoverBundles(): BundleRegistry
             $this->configuration()->packagePrefixes(),
             $this->projectDir,
             $this->environment,
+            $this->getCacheDir(),
         ))->discover();
         $this->bundles = $this->bundleMap($this->bundleRegistry);
 
@@ -373,7 +377,7 @@ private function containerCacheManager(): ContainerCacheManager
 
     private function configuration(): KernelConfigurationResolver
     {
-        return new KernelConfigurationResolver(
+        return $this->configuration ??= new KernelConfigurationResolver(
             $this->projectDir,
             $this->environment,
             $this->config,
@@ -433,6 +437,7 @@ public function shutdown(): void
         $this->container = null;
         $this->bundleRegistry = null;
         $this->bundles = [];
+        $this->configuration = null;
     }
 
     /** @return array<string, BundleInterface> */
diff --git a/src/Kernel/KernelConfigurationResolver.php b/src/Kernel/KernelConfigurationResolver.php
index fd67fd1..acf2a38 100644
--- a/src/Kernel/KernelConfigurationResolver.php
+++ b/src/Kernel/KernelConfigurationResolver.php
@@ -7,18 +7,23 @@
 use SymPress\Kernel\Bundle\BundleRegistry;
 use SymPress\Kernel\SiteConfig;
 
-final readonly class KernelConfigurationResolver
+final class KernelConfigurationResolver
 {
+    /** @var list<string>|null */
+    private ?array $packagePrefixes = null;
+    private ?string $cacheDir = null;
+
     public function __construct(
-        private string $projectDir,
-        private string $environment,
-        private SiteConfig $config,
+        private readonly string $projectDir,
+        private readonly string $environment,
+        private readonly SiteConfig $config,
     ) {
     }
 
     public function cacheDir(): string
     {
-        return CachePath::resolve($this->projectDir, $this->environment, $this->serverString('APP_CACHE_DIR'));
+        // Resolving the path walks realpath() and permission checks; a resolver lives for one boot.
+        return $this->cacheDir ??= CachePath::resolve($this->projectDir, $this->environment, $this->serverString('APP_CACHE_DIR'));
     }
 
     public function buildDir(): string
@@ -65,13 +70,20 @@ public function logDir(): ?string
     /** @return list<string> */
     public function packagePrefixes(): array
     {
+        if ($this->packagePrefixes !== null) {
+            return $this->packagePrefixes;
+        }
+
         $configured = $this->config->get('KERNEL_PACKAGE_PREFIXES', null);
 
         if ($configured === null) {
+            // The root composer.json is parsed once per resolver, not once per request phase.
             $configured = $this->composerKernelPackagePrefixes();
         }
 
-        return $this->normalizePackagePrefixes($configured);
+        $this->packagePrefixes = $this->normalizePackagePrefixes($configured);
+
+        return $this->packagePrefixes;
     }
 
     /** @return list<string> */
diff --git a/tests/Discovery/KernelPackageManifestCacheTest.php b/tests/Discovery/KernelPackageManifestCacheTest.php
index 8d9cf57..51013c0 100644
--- a/tests/Discovery/KernelPackageManifestCacheTest.php
+++ b/tests/Discovery/KernelPackageManifestCacheTest.php
@@ -42,6 +42,20 @@ public function testManifestRoundTripsUntilComposerMetadataChanges(): void
         self::assertNull($cache->read());
     }
 
+    public function testExplicitCacheDirectorySkipsResolvingTheProjectCachePath(): void
+    {
+        $projectDir = $this->tmpPath('discovery-cache-explicit');
+        file_put_contents("{$projectDir}/composer.json", '{}');
+        $cacheDir = "{$projectDir}/resolved/kernel";
+
+        $cache = new KernelPackageManifestCache($projectDir, 'production', ['sympress/'], $cacheDir);
+        $cache->write(['sympress/kernel']);
+
+        self::assertFileExists("{$cacheDir}/discovery-packages.json");
+        self::assertFileDoesNotExist("{$projectDir}/var/cache/production/kernel/discovery-packages.json");
+        self::assertSame(['sympress/kernel'], $cache->read());
+    }
+
     public function testUnchangedManifestReadersDoNotInvalidateOpcache(): void
     {
         $project = $this->tmpPath('discovery-reader-cost');
diff --git a/tests/Kernel/RuntimeCacheCompatibilityTest.php b/tests/Kernel/RuntimeCacheCompatibilityTest.php
index 8086406..a83d78b 100644
--- a/tests/Kernel/RuntimeCacheCompatibilityTest.php
+++ b/tests/Kernel/RuntimeCacheCompatibilityTest.php
@@ -414,12 +414,13 @@ public function testCacheDirectoryReadsRealEnvironmentWithServerAndEnvPrecedence
         $previous = getenv('APP_CACHE_DIR');
         putenv('APP_CACHE_DIR=' . $project . '/external');
         try {
-            $resolver = new KernelConfigurationResolver($project, 'test', new TestSiteConfig('test'));
-            self::assertSame($project . '/external/test/kernel', $resolver->cacheDir());
+            // A resolver fixes its cache path for one boot; each precedence step uses a fresh one.
+            $resolver = static fn (): KernelConfigurationResolver => new KernelConfigurationResolver($project, 'test', new TestSiteConfig('test'));
+            self::assertSame($project . '/external/test/kernel', $resolver()->cacheDir());
             $_ENV['APP_CACHE_DIR'] = $project . '/env';
-            self::assertSame($project . '/env/test/kernel', $resolver->cacheDir());
+            self::assertSame($project . '/env/test/kernel', $resolver()->cacheDir());
             $_SERVER['APP_CACHE_DIR'] = $project . '/server';
-            self::assertSame($project . '/server/test/kernel', $resolver->cacheDir());
+            self::assertSame($project . '/server/test/kernel', $resolver()->cacheDir());
         } finally {
             unset($_SERVER['APP_CACHE_DIR'], $_ENV['APP_CACHE_DIR']);
             putenv($previous === false ? 'APP_CACHE_DIR' : 'APP_CACHE_DIR=' . $previous);