diff --git a/scripts/install.sh b/scripts/install.sh
index 1a15964b7080..df8739d62cd5 100755
--- a/scripts/install.sh
+++ b/scripts/install.sh
@@ -1620,7 +1620,8 @@ setup_path() {
     log_info "Setting up hermes command..."
 
     if [ "$USE_VENV" = true ]; then
-        HERMES_BIN="$INSTALL_DIR/venv/bin/hermes"
+        HERMES_BIN="$INSTALL_DIR/venv/bin/python"
+        HERMES_ENTRYPOINT="$INSTALL_DIR/hermes"
     else
         HERMES_BIN="$(which hermes 2>/dev/null || echo "")"
         if [ -z "$HERMES_BIN" ]; then
@@ -1629,10 +1630,10 @@ setup_path() {
         fi
     fi
 
-    # Verify the entry point script was actually generated
-    if [ ! -x "$HERMES_BIN" ]; then
-        log_warn "hermes entry point not found at $HERMES_BIN"
-        log_info "This usually means the pip install didn't complete successfully."
+    # Verify the interpreter and the checked-in entrypoint needed by the launcher.
+    if [ ! -x "$HERMES_BIN" ] || { [ "$USE_VENV" = true ] && [ ! -f "$HERMES_ENTRYPOINT" ]; }; then
+        log_warn "Hermes launcher prerequisites not found"
+        log_info "This usually means the Python package install didn't complete successfully."
         if [ "$DISTRO" = "termux" ]; then
             log_info "Try: cd $INSTALL_DIR && python -m pip install -e '.[termux-all]' -c constraints-termux.txt"
         else
@@ -1654,12 +1655,25 @@ setup_path() {
     # the rm, `cat >` follows the symlink and overwrites the venv pip entry
     # point with this shim — making `exec "$HERMES_BIN"` self-recurse. (#21454)
     rm -f "$command_link_dir/hermes"
-    cat > "$command_link_dir/hermes" <<EOF
+    if [ "$USE_VENV" = true ]; then
+        # uv-generated console scripts resolve themselves through `realpath`,
+        # which stock macOS does not provide. Run the checked-in entrypoint
+        # with the venv interpreter instead, so the public launcher remains
+        # independent of non-standard shell utilities.
+        cat > "$command_link_dir/hermes" <<EOF
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+unset PYTHONPATH
+unset PYTHONHOME
+exec "$HERMES_BIN" "$HERMES_ENTRYPOINT" "\$@"
+EOF
+    else
+        cat > "$command_link_dir/hermes" <<EOF
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 unset PYTHONPATH
 unset PYTHONHOME
 exec "$HERMES_BIN" "\$@"
 EOF
+    fi
     chmod +x "$command_link_dir/hermes"
     log_success "Installed hermes launcher → $command_link_display_dir/hermes"
 
diff --git a/tests/test_install_macos_launcher.py b/tests/test_install_macos_launcher.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..fd46c347a7a3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_install_macos_launcher.py
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+"""Regression coverage for the user-facing macOS Hermes launcher."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import os
+import re
+import shutil
+import stat
+import subprocess
+from pathlib import Path
+
+
+REPO_ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent
+INSTALL_SH = REPO_ROOT / "scripts" / "install.sh"
+
+
+def _make_executable(path: Path, content: str) -> None:
+    path.write_text(content, encoding="utf-8")
+    path.chmod(path.stat().st_mode | stat.S_IXUSR)
+
+
+def _setup_path_function() -> str:
+    match = re.search(
+        r"^setup_path\(\) \{\n.*?^}\n",
+        INSTALL_SH.read_text(encoding="utf-8"),
+        re.MULTILINE | re.DOTALL,
+    )
+    assert match is not None, "setup_path function not found in scripts/install.sh"
+    return match.group(0)
+
+
+def test_venv_launcher_bypasses_uv_console_script_that_requires_realpath(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    """Stock macOS must start Hermes even when its uv console script needs realpath."""
+    install_dir = tmp_path / "install"
+    venv_bin = install_dir / "venv" / "bin"
+    command_dir = tmp_path / "command"
+    minimal_path = tmp_path / "minimal-path"
+    result = tmp_path / "launch-result"
+    venv_bin.mkdir(parents=True)
+    minimal_path.mkdir()
+
+    dirname = shutil.which("dirname")
+    assert dirname is not None
+    (minimal_path / "dirname").symlink_to(dirname)
+
+    _make_executable(
+        venv_bin / "python",
+        '#!/bin/sh\nprintf "%s\\n" "$@" > "$LAUNCH_RESULT"\n',
+    )
+    (install_dir / "hermes").write_text("# source entrypoint\n", encoding="utf-8")
+    _make_executable(
+        venv_bin / "hermes",
+        "#!/bin/sh\n"
+        f'PATH="{minimal_path}"\n'
+        "'''exec' \"$(dirname -- \"$(realpath -- \"$0\")\")\"/'python3' \"$0\" \"$@\"\n"
+        "' '''\n",
+    )
+
+    harness = "\n".join(
+        [
+            "set -e",
+            'get_command_link_dir() { printf "%s" "$COMMAND_LINK_DIR"; }',
+            'get_command_link_display_dir() { printf "%s" "$COMMAND_LINK_DIR"; }',
+            "log_info() { :; }",
+            "log_success() { :; }",
+            _setup_path_function(),
+            "setup_path",
+        ]
+    )
+    env = os.environ | {
+        "USE_VENV": "true",
+        "INSTALL_DIR": str(install_dir),
+        "DISTRO": "macos",
+        "COMMAND_LINK_DIR": str(command_dir),
+    }
+    subprocess.run(["/bin/bash", "-c", harness], env=env, check=True)
+
+    completed = subprocess.run(
+        [command_dir / "hermes", "--version"],
+        env=os.environ | {"LAUNCH_RESULT": str(result)},
+        text=True,
+        capture_output=True,
+    )
+
+    assert completed.returncode == 0, completed.stderr
+    assert result.read_text(encoding="utf-8").splitlines() == [
+        str(install_dir / "hermes"),
+        "--version",
+    ]