diff --git a/src/main/startup/configure-process.test.ts b/src/main/startup/configure-process.test.ts
index 54ecdc61424..6dfa78733ec 100644
--- a/src/main/startup/configure-process.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/startup/configure-process.test.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,10 @@ import { homedir, tmpdir } from 'node:os'
 import { join } from 'node:path'
 import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
 
+vi.mock('./hydrate-shell-path', () => ({
+  recordLaunchPath: vi.fn()
+}))
+
 vi.mock('electron', () => {
   const paths = new Map<string, string>([['appData', '/tmp/app-data']])
   return {
@@ -56,6 +60,25 @@ describe('patchPackagedProcessPath', () => {
     }
   })
 
+  it('records the pre-seed PATH so the login-shell probe cannot inherit a seeded nvm version dir', async () => {
+    const { app } = await import('electron')
+    const { patchPackagedProcessPath } = await import('./configure-process')
+    const { recordLaunchPath } = await import('./hydrate-shell-path')
+    const recorded = vi.mocked(recordLaunchPath)
+
+    setPlatform('darwin')
+    Object.defineProperty(app, 'isPackaged', { configurable: true, value: true })
+    process.env.HOME = '/Users/tester'
+    process.env.PATH = '/usr/bin:/bin'
+    recorded.mockClear()
+
+    patchPackagedProcessPath()
+
+    expect(recorded).toHaveBeenCalledWith('/usr/bin:/bin')
+    // Why: recording must happen before the seeds land, or the probe sees them anyway.
+    expect(process.env.PATH).not.toBe('/usr/bin:/bin')
+  })
+
   it('prepends agent-CLI install dirs (~/.opencode/bin, ~/.vite-plus/bin) for packaged darwin runs', async () => {
     const { app } = await import('electron')
     const { patchPackagedProcessPath } = await import('./configure-process')
diff --git a/src/main/startup/configure-process.ts b/src/main/startup/configure-process.ts
index e39963bc9f2..cad51caec75 100644
--- a/src/main/startup/configure-process.ts
+++ b/src/main/startup/configure-process.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { homedir } from 'node:os'
 import { join, resolve } from 'node:path'
 import { getVersionManagerBinPaths } from '../codex-cli/command'
 import { getMainE2EConfig } from '../e2e-config'
+import { recordLaunchPath } from './hydrate-shell-path'
 
 const DEV_PARENT_SHUTDOWN_GRACE_MS = 3000
 const HTTP1_COMPATIBILITY_ENV_VAR = 'ORCA_DISABLE_HTTP2'
@@ -139,6 +140,11 @@ export function patchPackagedProcessPath(): void {
 
   const pathKey = process.platform === 'win32' && process.env.Path !== undefined ? 'Path' : 'PATH'
   const currentPath = process.env[pathKey] ?? ''
+  // Why: the login-shell probe must not see the seeds below. nvm's startup
+  // `use` keeps whatever node is already on PATH instead of the user's
+  // `default` alias, so a seeded version dir would pin every terminal to the
+  // newest install and hide global CLIs installed under `default`.
+  recordLaunchPath(currentPath)
   const pathDelimiter = getProcessPathDelimiter()
   const existing = new Set(currentPath.split(pathDelimiter))
   const missing = extraPaths.filter((path) => !existing.has(path))
diff --git a/src/main/startup/hydrate-shell-path.test.ts b/src/main/startup/hydrate-shell-path.test.ts
index f096dd03ed3..9fc3c96581a 100644
--- a/src/main/startup/hydrate-shell-path.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/startup/hydrate-shell-path.test.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import {
   _resetHydrateShellPathCache,
   hydrateShellPath,
   mergePathSegments,
+  recordLaunchPath,
   type HydrationResult
 } from './hydrate-shell-path'
 
@@ -177,6 +178,33 @@ describe('hydrateShellPath', () => {
       vi.useRealTimers()
     }
   })
+
+  it('probes with the recorded launch PATH so seeded fallbacks cannot pin nvm', async () => {
+    const proc = createMockShellProcess()
+    spawnMock.mockReturnValue(proc)
+    process.env.PATH = `/home/u/.nvm/versions/node/v26.7.0/bin${delimiter}/usr/bin`
+    recordLaunchPath('/usr/bin')
+
+    const resultPromise = hydrateShellPath({ shellOverride: '/bin/bash', force: true })
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(spawnMock).toHaveBeenCalled())
+    proc.emit('close', 0)
+    await resultPromise
+
+    expect(spawnMock.mock.calls[0][2].env.PATH).toBe('/usr/bin')
+  })
+
+  it('falls back to process.env when no launch PATH was recorded', async () => {
+    const proc = createMockShellProcess()
+    spawnMock.mockReturnValue(proc)
+    process.env.PATH = '/seeded/bin'
+
+    const resultPromise = hydrateShellPath({ shellOverride: '/bin/bash', force: true })
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(spawnMock).toHaveBeenCalled())
+    proc.emit('close', 0)
+    await resultPromise
+
+    expect(spawnMock.mock.calls[0][2].env.PATH).toBe('/seeded/bin')
+  })
 })
 
 describe('mergePathSegments', () => {
diff --git a/src/main/startup/hydrate-shell-path.ts b/src/main/startup/hydrate-shell-path.ts
index db41fe3f462..f674d3a49ef 100644
--- a/src/main/startup/hydrate-shell-path.ts
+++ b/src/main/startup/hydrate-shell-path.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,13 @@ export type HydrationResult =
 
 let cached: Promise<HydrationResult> | null = null
 let probeQueue = Promise.resolve()
+// Why: patchPackagedProcessPath seeds a version manager's newest install dir
+// ahead of PATH before we probe. nvm's startup `use` honors whatever node is
+// already on PATH over the user's `default` alias, so a probe that inherits the
+// seed comes back pinned to that version and every terminal loses the global
+// CLIs installed under `default`. Probe with the launch PATH; Windows gets the
+// same protection from WindowsShellPathOwnership.
+let launchPath: string | null = null
 let configuredWindowsShell = 'powershell.exe'
 let configuredWindowsGitBashPath: string | null = null
 let configuredWindowsFallbackShell: string | null = null
@@ -42,6 +49,7 @@ const windowsPathOwnership = new WindowsShellPathOwnership()
 export function _resetHydrateShellPathCache(): void {
   cached = null
   probeQueue = Promise.resolve()
+  launchPath = null
   configuredWindowsShell = 'powershell.exe'
   configuredWindowsGitBashPath = null
   configuredWindowsFallbackShell = null
@@ -94,6 +102,18 @@ function parseCapturedPath(stdout: string, pathDelimiter: string = delimiter): s
   ]
 }
 
+/** Records PATH as the process was launched with, before Orca seeds fallbacks onto it. */
+export function recordLaunchPath(pathValue: string): void {
+  launchPath = pathValue
+}
+
+function shellProbeEnv(): NodeJS.ProcessEnv {
+  if (process.platform === 'win32' || launchPath === null) {
+    return process.env
+  }
+  return { ...process.env, PATH: launchPath }
+}
+
 function shellPathProbe(shell: string): { args: string[]; pathDelimiter: string } {
   if (process.platform !== 'win32') {
     const command = `printf '%s' '${DELIMITER}'; printf '%s' "$PATH"; printf '%s' '${DELIMITER}'`
@@ -125,7 +145,7 @@ function spawnShellAndReadPath(shell: string): Promise<HydrationResult> {
       // it layer its own rc files on top. Do NOT forward stdio — some shells
       // (oh-my-zsh setups, powerlevel10k) print a lot to stderr on startup,
       // and we don't want that in Orca's console.
-      env: process.env,
+      env: shellProbeEnv(),
       stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'ignore'],
       detached: false,
       windowsHide: true