It looks like this is a problem with the distribution-build process. As you say, it pulls all packages from the package server instead of using the packages available in the pkgs directory of the checkout.

The solution might be to adjust the raco catalog-copy on line 798 of .makefile to put racket/share/pkgs-catalog before $(SRC_CATALOG). A $(MAKE) pkgs-catalog will be needed before that.

The comment around the pkgs-catalog target explicitly notes that it’s not used for an installer build. Maybe there was a good reason to not use it for the server side, but I think the comment was probably meant to be about the client side of making an installer.

After modifying .makefile, use make makemake to get Makefile.

I am not sure whether any distribution build intentionally uses packages from a catalog instead of from pkgs. Probably not, but it’s difficult to be sure.