diff --git a/hermes_cli/dep_ensure.py b/hermes_cli/dep_ensure.py
index 848e402396c..6f0bc950664 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/dep_ensure.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/dep_ensure.py
@@ -22,12 +22,14 @@ import subprocess
 import sys
 from pathlib import Path
 
+from hermes_constants import agent_browser_runnable
+
 _IS_WINDOWS = platform.system() == "Windows"
 
 _DEP_CHECKS = {
     "node": lambda: shutil.which("node") is not None,
     "browser": lambda: (
-        shutil.which("agent-browser") is not None
+        agent_browser_runnable(shutil.which("agent-browser"))
         or _has_system_browser()
         or _has_hermes_agent_browser()
     ),
diff --git a/hermes_cli/doctor.py b/hermes_cli/doctor.py
index 7aadc58f5f2..7377e2959a2 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/doctor.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/doctor.py
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ from pathlib import Path
 from hermes_cli.config import get_project_root, get_hermes_home, get_env_path
 from hermes_cli.env_loader import load_hermes_dotenv
 from hermes_constants import display_hermes_home
+from hermes_constants import agent_browser_runnable
 
 PROJECT_ROOT = get_project_root()
 HERMES_HOME = get_hermes_home()
@@ -1483,12 +1484,21 @@ def run_doctor(args):
         # Check if agent-browser is installed
         agent_browser_path = PROJECT_ROOT / "node_modules" / "agent-browser"
         agent_browser_ok = False
+        _which_ab = shutil.which("agent-browser")
         if agent_browser_path.exists():
             check_ok("agent-browser (Node.js)", "(browser automation)")
             agent_browser_ok = True
-        elif shutil.which("agent-browser"):
+        elif _which_ab and agent_browser_runnable(_which_ab):
             check_ok("agent-browser", "(browser automation)")
             agent_browser_ok = True
+        elif _which_ab:
+            # Found on PATH but won't run — almost always a dangling global
+            # symlink left behind by agent-browser's npm postinstall after a
+            # `hermes update` wiped node_modules (issue #48521).
+            check_warn(
+                "agent-browser found but not runnable",
+                f"(broken symlink at {_which_ab}? run: npm install)",
+            )
         elif _is_termux():
             check_info("agent-browser is not installed (expected in the tested Termux path)")
             check_info("Install it manually later with: npm install -g agent-browser && agent-browser install")
diff --git a/hermes_cli/nous_subscription.py b/hermes_cli/nous_subscription.py
index 50dfb97ba2a..f2775e3bbe8 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/nous_subscription.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/nous_subscription.py
@@ -159,11 +159,17 @@ def _toolset_enabled(config: Dict[str, object], toolset_key: str) -> bool:
 def _has_agent_browser() -> bool:
     import shutil
 
-    agent_browser_bin = shutil.which("agent-browser")
+    from hermes_constants import agent_browser_runnable
+
+    # Validate the resolved binary actually runs — a dangling global symlink
+    # (issue #48521) is reported by ``which`` but fails at exec. Fall through to
+    # the local node_modules copy, which the validator also checks.
+    if agent_browser_runnable(shutil.which("agent-browser")):
+        return True
     local_bin = (
         Path(__file__).parent.parent / "node_modules" / ".bin" / "agent-browser"
     )
-    return bool(agent_browser_bin or local_bin.exists())
+    return agent_browser_runnable(str(local_bin)) if local_bin.exists() else False
 
 
 def _local_browser_runnable() -> bool:
diff --git a/hermes_constants.py b/hermes_constants.py
index 9f131f30489..3b37e671e7d 100644
--- a/hermes_constants.py
+++ b/hermes_constants.py
@@ -340,6 +340,51 @@ def with_hermes_node_path(env: dict[str, str] | None = None) -> dict[str, str]:
     return merged
 
 
+def agent_browser_runnable(path: str | None) -> bool:
+    """Return True only when *path* is an agent-browser CLI that actually runs.
+
+    A bare presence check (``shutil.which`` / ``Path.exists``) is not enough:
+    agent-browser's npm ``postinstall`` re-points a *global* install symlink
+    (e.g. ``/opt/homebrew/bin/agent-browser``) at our local
+    ``node_modules/agent-browser/bin/...`` binary, which then disappears on the
+    next ``hermes update`` — leaving a **dangling symlink** that ``which`` still
+    reports but exec fails on with exit 127 (issue #48521). Callers that trust
+    such a path silently break every browser tool.
+
+    This validates the candidate by resolving it to a real, executable file and
+    running ``--version`` with a short timeout. Returns True only on a clean
+    (exit 0) run, so a dead/wrong-arch/hung binary is rejected and the caller
+    can fall through to the next resolution candidate.
+
+    Special cases:
+      * ``None`` / empty → False.
+      * The ``"npx agent-browser"`` fallback form (contains a space, not a real
+        file) → True; npx resolves and validates the package at run time, so
+        there is nothing to stat here.
+    """
+    if not path:
+        return False
+    # The npx fallback is a two-token command string, not a filesystem path.
+    if " " in path and path.split()[0].endswith("npx"):
+        return True
+    # exists() follows symlinks — a dangling link returns False here, so we
+    # never even spawn a subprocess for the broken-link case.
+    if not os.path.exists(path) or not os.access(path, os.X_OK):
+        return False
+    import subprocess
+
+    try:
+        result = subprocess.run(
+            [path, "--version"],
+            capture_output=True,
+            timeout=10,
+            env=with_hermes_node_path(),
+        )
+    except (OSError, subprocess.TimeoutExpired, ValueError):
+        return False
+    return result.returncode == 0
+
+
 def display_hermes_home() -> str:
     """Return a user-friendly display string for the current HERMES_HOME.
 
diff --git a/tests/test_hermes_constants.py b/tests/test_hermes_constants.py
index d6b67cd3348..3d8c95e6085 100644
--- a/tests/test_hermes_constants.py
+++ b/tests/test_hermes_constants.py
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import pytest
 import hermes_constants
 from hermes_constants import (
     VALID_REASONING_EFFORTS,
+    agent_browser_runnable,
     find_hermes_node_executable,
     find_node_executable,
     find_node_executable_on_path,
@@ -424,3 +425,48 @@ class TestSecureParentDir:
         secure_parent_dir(link_target)
         assert len(called_with) == 1
         assert called_with[0] == (str(real_dir), 0o700)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.skipif(os.name == "nt", reason="POSIX shell stubs; Windows uses .cmd shims")
+class TestAgentBrowserRunnable:
+    """agent_browser_runnable() validates the resolved CLI actually runs.
+
+    Regression coverage for issue #48521: a dangling global symlink left by
+    agent-browser's npm postinstall is reported by ``which`` but fails at exec
+    with exit 127, silently breaking every browser tool. The validator must
+    reject it (and other non-runnable candidates) so callers fall through.
+    """
+
+    def _stub(self, tmp_path, name, body, mode=0o755):
+        p = tmp_path / name
+        p.write_text(body)
+        p.chmod(mode)
+        return p
+
+    def test_none_and_empty_rejected(self):
+        assert agent_browser_runnable(None) is False
+        assert agent_browser_runnable("") is False
+
+    def test_dangling_symlink_rejected(self, tmp_path):
+        link = tmp_path / "agent-browser"
+        link.symlink_to(tmp_path / "does-not-exist")
+        # exists() follows the link → False, so it's rejected without exec.
+        assert agent_browser_runnable(str(link)) is False
+
+    def test_runnable_binary_accepted(self, tmp_path):
+        good = self._stub(tmp_path, "agent-browser", "#!/bin/sh\necho 'agent-browser 0.27.1'\nexit 0\n")
+        assert agent_browser_runnable(str(good)) is True
+
+    def test_nonzero_exit_rejected(self, tmp_path):
+        bad = self._stub(tmp_path, "agent-browser", "#!/bin/sh\nexit 127\n")
+        assert agent_browser_runnable(str(bad)) is False
+
+    def test_not_executable_rejected(self, tmp_path):
+        noexec = self._stub(tmp_path, "agent-browser", "#!/bin/sh\necho hi\n", mode=0o644)
+        assert agent_browser_runnable(str(noexec)) is False
+
+    def test_npx_fallback_form_accepted(self):
+        # The "npx agent-browser" command form is not a real file; npx resolves
+        # the package at run time, so the validator trusts it without stat.
+        assert agent_browser_runnable("npx agent-browser") is True
+        assert agent_browser_runnable("/usr/local/bin/npx agent-browser") is True
diff --git a/tests/tools/test_browser_hardening.py b/tests/tools/test_browser_hardening.py
index cf1197eae63..d004fd84316 100644
--- a/tests/tools/test_browser_hardening.py
+++ b/tests/tools/test_browser_hardening.py
@@ -54,7 +54,8 @@ class TestFindAgentBrowserCache:
 
     def test_cached_after_first_call(self):
         import tools.browser_tool as bt
-        with patch("shutil.which", return_value="/usr/bin/agent-browser"):
+        with patch("shutil.which", return_value="/usr/bin/agent-browser"), \
+             patch("tools.browser_tool.agent_browser_runnable", return_value=True):
             result1 = bt._find_agent_browser()
             result2 = bt._find_agent_browser()
         assert result1 == result2 == "/usr/bin/agent-browser"
diff --git a/tests/tools/test_browser_homebrew_paths.py b/tests/tools/test_browser_homebrew_paths.py
index 16b7f5607ba..fbb1749d4d6 100644
--- a/tests/tools/test_browser_homebrew_paths.py
+++ b/tests/tools/test_browser_homebrew_paths.py
@@ -101,7 +101,8 @@ class TestFindAgentBrowser:
 
     def test_finds_in_current_path(self):
         """Should return result from shutil.which if available on current PATH."""
-        with patch("shutil.which", return_value="/usr/local/bin/agent-browser"):
+        with patch("shutil.which", return_value="/usr/local/bin/agent-browser"), \
+             patch("tools.browser_tool.agent_browser_runnable", return_value=True):
             assert _find_agent_browser() == "/usr/local/bin/agent-browser"
 
     def test_finds_in_homebrew_bin(self):
@@ -112,6 +113,7 @@ class TestFindAgentBrowser:
             return None
 
         with patch("shutil.which", side_effect=mock_which), \
+             patch("tools.browser_tool.agent_browser_runnable", return_value=True), \
              patch("os.path.isdir", return_value=True), \
              patch(
                  "tools.browser_tool._discover_homebrew_node_dirs",
diff --git a/tools/browser_tool.py b/tools/browser_tool.py
index 3332d3a740d..9770bcd459f 100644
--- a/tools/browser_tool.py
+++ b/tools/browser_tool.py
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ import requests
 from typing import Dict, Any, Optional, List, Tuple, Union
 from pathlib import Path
 from agent.auxiliary_client import call_llm
-from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
+from hermes_constants import agent_browser_runnable, get_hermes_home
 from utils import env_int, is_truthy_value
 from hermes_cli.config import DEFAULT_CONFIG, cfg_get
 
@@ -1904,10 +1904,19 @@ def _find_agent_browser() -> str:
     # Note: _agent_browser_resolved is set at each return site below
     # (not before the search) to prevent a race where a concurrent thread
     # sees resolved=True but _cached_agent_browser is still None.
+    #
+    # Every candidate below is validated with ``agent_browser_runnable`` before
+    # it is cached. A bare ``shutil.which`` hit is NOT trusted: agent-browser's
+    # npm postinstall re-points a global install symlink at our local
+    # node_modules binary, which disappears on the next ``hermes update`` and
+    # leaves a dangling link that ``which`` still reports but exec fails on with
+    # exit 127 (issue #48521). Validating lets a dead candidate fall through to
+    # the next working resolution (extended PATH → local .bin → npx) instead of
+    # caching the broken one and silently killing every browser tool.
 
     # Check if it's in PATH (global install)
     which_result = shutil.which("agent-browser")
-    if which_result:
+    if which_result and agent_browser_runnable(which_result):
         _cached_agent_browser = which_result
         _agent_browser_resolved = True
         return which_result
@@ -1917,7 +1926,7 @@ def _find_agent_browser() -> str:
     extended_path = _merge_browser_path("")
     if extended_path:
         which_result = shutil.which("agent-browser", path=extended_path)
-        if which_result:
+        if which_result and agent_browser_runnable(which_result):
             _cached_agent_browser = which_result
             _agent_browser_resolved = True
             return which_result
@@ -1934,7 +1943,7 @@ def _find_agent_browser() -> str:
     local_bin_dir = repo_root / "node_modules" / ".bin"
     if local_bin_dir.is_dir():
         local_which = shutil.which("agent-browser", path=str(local_bin_dir))
-        if local_which:
+        if local_which and agent_browser_runnable(local_which):
             _cached_agent_browser = local_which
             _agent_browser_resolved = True
             return _cached_agent_browser
@@ -1952,22 +1961,18 @@ def _find_agent_browser() -> str:
     try:
         from hermes_cli.dep_ensure import ensure_dependency
         if ensure_dependency("browser"):
-            recheck = shutil.which("agent-browser")
-            if not recheck and extended_path:
-                recheck = shutil.which("agent-browser", path=extended_path)
-            if not recheck:
-                hermes_nm = str(get_hermes_home() / "node_modules" / ".bin")
-                recheck = shutil.which("agent-browser", path=hermes_nm)
-            if not recheck:
-                hermes_node_bin = str(get_hermes_home() / "node" / "bin")
-                recheck = shutil.which("agent-browser", path=hermes_node_bin)
-            if not recheck:
-                hermes_node_root = str(get_hermes_home() / "node")
-                recheck = shutil.which("agent-browser", path=hermes_node_root)
-            if recheck:
-                _cached_agent_browser = recheck
-                _agent_browser_resolved = True
-                return recheck
+            candidates = [
+                shutil.which("agent-browser"),
+                shutil.which("agent-browser", path=extended_path) if extended_path else None,
+                shutil.which("agent-browser", path=str(get_hermes_home() / "node_modules" / ".bin")),
+                shutil.which("agent-browser", path=str(get_hermes_home() / "node" / "bin")),
+                shutil.which("agent-browser", path=str(get_hermes_home() / "node")),
+            ]
+            for recheck in candidates:
+                if recheck and agent_browser_runnable(recheck):
+                    _cached_agent_browser = recheck
+                    _agent_browser_resolved = True
+                    return recheck
     except Exception:
         pass