diff --git a/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/Security/CodeburnCLI.swift b/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/Security/CodeburnCLI.swift
index bdcaca84..afa4ef1b 100644
--- a/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/Security/CodeburnCLI.swift
+++ b/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/Security/CodeburnCLI.swift
@@ -131,16 +131,20 @@ enum CodeburnCLI {
     ) -> Process {
         let process = Process()
         process.executableURL = URL(fileURLWithPath: "/usr/bin/env")
+        // Resolved once so the PATH we build and the argv we run can never disagree
+        // about which install of the CLI this launch is talking about.
+        let argv = baseArgv()
         var environment = ProcessInfo.processInfo.environment
         environment["PATH"] = augmentedPath(
             environment["PATH"] ?? "",
             homeDirectory: FileManager.default.homeDirectoryForCurrentUser.path,
-            environment: environment
+            environment: environment,
+            resolvedCLI: argv.first
         )
         process.environment = environment
         // `env --` treats everything following as argv, not VAR=val pairs -- guards against an
         // argument accidentally resembling an env assignment.
-        process.arguments = ["--"] + baseArgv() + subcommand
+        process.arguments = ["--"] + argv + subcommand
         // The menubar runs as an accessory app with no foreground window, and macOS
         // background-throttles accessory apps and their children. Without this lift the
         // codeburn subprocess parses 5-10x slower than the same command run from a
@@ -154,12 +158,27 @@ enum CodeburnCLI {
         return safeArgPattern.firstMatch(in: s, range: range) != nil
     }
 
+    /// `resolvedCLI` defaults to the CLI this app would actually launch; tests pass
+    /// a fixture path so PATH ordering can be asserted without a real install.
     static func augmentedPath(
         _ existing: String,
         homeDirectory: String,
-        environment: [String: String]
+        environment: [String: String],
+        resolvedCLI: String? = nil
     ) -> String {
         var parts = existing.split(separator: ":", omittingEmptySubsequences: true).map(String.init)
+        // The CLI's shebang resolves `node` through PATH, so whichever node comes
+        // first wins — and a version manager's default can easily be older than
+        // the 22.13 the CLI requires, which surfaces as "Could not load Today"
+        // rather than anything pointing at Node. The interpreter that sits beside
+        // the CLI we are about to run is known to satisfy it, so it goes first.
+        if let cli = resolvedCLI ?? baseArgv().first, cli.hasPrefix("/") {
+            let binDir = (cli as NSString).deletingLastPathComponent
+            if FileManager.default.isExecutableFile(atPath: "\(binDir)/node") {
+                parts.removeAll { $0 == binDir }
+                parts.insert(binDir, at: 0)
+            }
+        }
         let userPaths = userNodePaths(homeDirectory: homeDirectory, environment: environment)
         for extra in additionalPathEntries + userPaths where !parts.contains(extra) {
             parts.append(extra)
diff --git a/mac/Tests/CodeBurnMenubarTests/CodeburnCLIPathTests.swift b/mac/Tests/CodeBurnMenubarTests/CodeburnCLIPathTests.swift
index 8568b179..8165ecea 100644
--- a/mac/Tests/CodeBurnMenubarTests/CodeburnCLIPathTests.swift
+++ b/mac/Tests/CodeBurnMenubarTests/CodeburnCLIPathTests.swift
@@ -139,4 +139,88 @@ struct CodeburnCLIPathTests {
         #expect(entries.contains("/etc/profiles/per-user/test/bin"))
         #expect(entries.contains("/run/current-system/sw/bin"))
     }
+
+    /// Regression: the app picked up whichever `node` came first on the inherited
+    /// PATH, so an nvm default of v20 shadowed the v24 that installed the CLI and
+    /// every refresh failed with "codeburn requires Node.js >= 22.13.0".
+    @Test("interpreter beside the CLI wins over an older node on PATH")
+    func siblingNodeIsPreferredOverInheritedPath() throws {
+        let root = FileManager.default.temporaryDirectory
+            .appendingPathComponent("CodeburnCLIPathTests-\(UUID().uuidString)", isDirectory: true)
+        defer { try? FileManager.default.removeItem(at: root) }
+
+        let newBin = root.appendingPathComponent("node/v24/bin", isDirectory: true)
+        let oldBin = root.appendingPathComponent("node/v20/bin", isDirectory: true)
+        try FileManager.default.createDirectory(at: newBin, withIntermediateDirectories: true)
+        try FileManager.default.createDirectory(at: oldBin, withIntermediateDirectories: true)
+        for bin in [newBin, oldBin] {
+            let node = bin.appendingPathComponent("node")
+            try "#!/bin/sh\n".write(to: node, atomically: true, encoding: .utf8)
+            try FileManager.default.setAttributes([.posixPermissions: 0o755], ofItemAtPath: node.path)
+        }
+
+        let path = CodeburnCLI.augmentedPath(
+            "\(oldBin.path):/usr/bin:/bin",
+            homeDirectory: root.appendingPathComponent("home").path,
+            environment: [:],
+            resolvedCLI: newBin.appendingPathComponent("codeburn").path
+        )
+        let entries = path.split(separator: ":").map(String.init)
+
+        #expect(entries.first == newBin.path)
+        #expect(entries.firstIndex(of: newBin.path)! < entries.firstIndex(of: oldBin.path)!)
+        // The stale entry still has to survive: it is where the rest of that
+        // toolchain lives, it just no longer decides which node runs.
+        #expect(entries.contains(oldBin.path))
+    }
+
+    @Test("a CLI directory already on PATH is promoted, not duplicated")
+    func siblingNodeDirectoryIsNotDuplicated() throws {
+        let root = FileManager.default.temporaryDirectory
+            .appendingPathComponent("CodeburnCLIPathTests-\(UUID().uuidString)", isDirectory: true)
+        defer { try? FileManager.default.removeItem(at: root) }
+
+        let bin = root.appendingPathComponent("bin", isDirectory: true)
+        try FileManager.default.createDirectory(at: bin, withIntermediateDirectories: true)
+        let node = bin.appendingPathComponent("node")
+        try "#!/bin/sh\n".write(to: node, atomically: true, encoding: .utf8)
+        try FileManager.default.setAttributes([.posixPermissions: 0o755], ofItemAtPath: node.path)
+
+        let path = CodeburnCLI.augmentedPath(
+            "/usr/bin:\(bin.path):/bin",
+            homeDirectory: root.appendingPathComponent("home").path,
+            environment: [:],
+            resolvedCLI: bin.appendingPathComponent("codeburn").path
+        )
+        let entries = path.split(separator: ":").map(String.init)
+
+        #expect(entries.first == bin.path)
+        #expect(entries.filter { $0 == bin.path }.count == 1)
+    }
+
+    /// A bare `codeburn` (PATH lookup) or a directory with no interpreter beside it
+    /// must leave the inherited order untouched -- reordering PATH on a guess would
+    /// change which tools every other lookup resolves to.
+    @Test("PATH order is untouched when there is no sibling interpreter")
+    func inheritedOrderSurvivesWithoutSiblingNode() throws {
+        let root = FileManager.default.temporaryDirectory
+            .appendingPathComponent("CodeburnCLIPathTests-\(UUID().uuidString)", isDirectory: true)
+        defer { try? FileManager.default.removeItem(at: root) }
+
+        let bin = root.appendingPathComponent("bin", isDirectory: true)
+        try FileManager.default.createDirectory(at: bin, withIntermediateDirectories: true)
+
+        for cli in [bin.appendingPathComponent("codeburn").path, "codeburn"] {
+            let path = CodeburnCLI.augmentedPath(
+                "/usr/bin:/bin",
+                homeDirectory: root.appendingPathComponent("home").path,
+                environment: [:],
+                resolvedCLI: cli
+            )
+            let entries = path.split(separator: ":").map(String.init)
+            #expect(entries.first == "/usr/bin")
+            #expect(entries.dropFirst().first == "/bin")
+            #expect(!entries.contains(bin.path))
+        }
+    }
 }