diff --git a/src/main/ipc/pty-daemon-spawn-agent-home-env.test.ts b/src/main/ipc/pty-daemon-spawn-agent-home-env.test.ts
index 8895666706e..273f08580f3 100644
--- a/src/main/ipc/pty-daemon-spawn-agent-home-env.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/ipc/pty-daemon-spawn-agent-home-env.test.ts
@@ -462,7 +462,8 @@ describe('registerPtyHandlers', () => {
           // Why: bare `orca` must resolve to the Orca CLI before /usr/bin/orca (the GNOME screen reader) in Orca terminals (#7904).
           expect(entries.indexOf(shimDir)).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(0)
           expect(entries.indexOf(shimDir)).toBeLessThan(entries.indexOf('/usr/bin'))
-          expect(env.ORCA_CLI_COMMAND).toBeUndefined()
+          // The same absolute spelling a structured session gets, so a terminal view keeps it too.
+          expect(env.ORCA_CLI_COMMAND).toBe(join(shimDir, 'orca'))
         } finally {
           Object.defineProperty(process, 'platform', {
             configurable: true,
@@ -479,6 +480,7 @@ describe('registerPtyHandlers', () => {
         try {
           const env = await daemonSpawnAndGetEnv({ PATH: '/usr/bin' })
           expect(env.PATH.split(delimiter)[0]).toBe(join('/tmp/orca-resources', 'bin'))
+          expect(env.ORCA_CLI_COMMAND?.startsWith(join('/tmp/orca-resources', 'bin'))).toBe(true)
         } finally {
           if (resourcesPathDescriptor) {
             Object.defineProperty(process, 'resourcesPath', resourcesPathDescriptor)
diff --git a/src/main/ipc/pty/host-env/assembly.ts b/src/main/ipc/pty/host-env/assembly.ts
index dedd44e70e3..80826e3f29c 100644
--- a/src/main/ipc/pty/host-env/assembly.ts
+++ b/src/main/ipc/pty/host-env/assembly.ts
@@ -274,19 +274,24 @@ export function buildPtyHostEnv(
   // Why: WSL shells need the managed userData root for shell-ready wrappers; dev-mode terminals need the same export so `orca` targets the live dev instance.
   if (opts.isWsl) {
     baseEnv.ORCA_USER_DATA_PATH = opts.userDataPath
-    // Why: managed WSL registration uses `orca-ide`; exposing that literal scopes agent guidance to WSL without a bare-orca shim.
-    baseEnv.ORCA_CLI_COMMAND = opts.isPackaged ? 'orca-ide' : 'orca-dev'
-  } else {
-    if (!opts.isPackaged) {
-      baseEnv.ORCA_USER_DATA_PATH ??= opts.userDataPath
-    }
-    delete baseEnv.ORCA_CLI_COMMAND
+  } else if (!opts.isPackaged) {
+    baseEnv.ORCA_USER_DATA_PATH ??= opts.userDataPath
   }
-  prependOrcaCliDirToChildPath(baseEnv, {
+  const launcher = prependOrcaCliDirToChildPath(baseEnv, {
     isPackaged: opts.isPackaged,
     userDataPath: opts.userDataPath,
     resourcesPath: opts.resourcesPath
   })
+  if (opts.isWsl) {
+    // Why: managed WSL registration uses `orca-ide`; a guest cannot run the host launcher's path.
+    baseEnv.ORCA_CLI_COMMAND = opts.isPackaged ? 'orca-ide' : 'orca-dev'
+  } else if (launcher) {
+    // Why the absolute launcher, the same spelling a structured session gets: a login shell can
+    // reorder PATH behind a global install, and a current CLI re-runs itself as this one.
+    baseEnv.ORCA_CLI_COMMAND = launcher
+  } else {
+    delete baseEnv.ORCA_CLI_COMMAND
+  }
 
   if (
     opts.routeBrowserOpensToClient === true &&