diff --git a/.changeset/patch-clean-tmp-gh-aw.md b/.changeset/patch-clean-tmp-gh-aw.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..54ca6a9f6f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/patch-clean-tmp-gh-aw.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"gh-aw": patch
+---
+
+Ensure `actions/setup` removes `/tmp/gh-aw` before recreating it so each setup run starts from a clean temporary directory.
diff --git a/actions/setup/setup.sh b/actions/setup/setup.sh
index 5dd540c45f4..7861b67893f 100755
--- a/actions/setup/setup.sh
+++ b/actions/setup/setup.sh
@@ -37,7 +37,8 @@ echo "Safe-output-projects support: ${SAFE_OUTPUT_PROJECTS_ENABLED}"
 create_dir "${DESTINATION}"
 echo "Created directory: ${DESTINATION}"
 
-# Create /tmp/gh-aw directory so it exists before any activation scripts run
+# Remove and recreate /tmp/gh-aw directory to ensure a clean state
+rm -rf /tmp/gh-aw
 mkdir -p /tmp/gh-aw
 echo "Created /tmp/gh-aw directory"