diff --git a/tests/tools/test_local_env_windows_msys.py b/tests/tools/test_local_env_windows_msys.py
index 938cd8783f18..f5eba3f252a8 100644
--- a/tests/tools/test_local_env_windows_msys.py
+++ b/tests/tools/test_local_env_windows_msys.py
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ and ``os.path.isdir`` so the MSYS path tests as "missing" exactly like
 on the real OS.
 """
 
+import os
 from unittest.mock import patch
 
 from tools.environments.base import BaseEnvironment
@@ -25,8 +26,10 @@ from tools.environments import local as local_mod
 from tools.environments.local import (
     LocalEnvironment,
     _bash_safe_path,
+    _git_bash_bin_dirs,
     _make_run_env,
     _msys_to_windows_path,
+    _prepend_git_bash_dirs,
     _quote_bash_path,
     _resolve_safe_cwd,
     _sanitize_subprocess_env,
@@ -325,6 +328,88 @@ class TestWindowsMsysPathconvDefaults:
         assert run_env.get("MSYS2_ARG_CONV_EXCL") == "/custom"
 
 
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Git Bash coreutils on PATH — non-login ``bash -c`` fallback (empty
+# write_file error / terminal exit 127 when login bash is broken)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+class TestGitBashCoreutilsOnPath:
+    def _fake_isdir(self, existing):
+        existing = {e.replace("\\", "/") for e in existing}
+        return lambda p: p.replace("\\", "/") in existing
+
+    def test_derives_dirs_from_portablegit_layout(self, monkeypatch):
+        monkeypatch.setattr(local_mod, "_IS_WINDOWS", True)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(local_mod, "_git_bash_bin_dirs_cache", None)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(local_mod, "_find_bash", lambda: "/pg/bin/bash.exe")
+        existing = {"/pg/mingw64/bin", "/pg/usr/bin", "/pg/bin"}
+        monkeypatch.setattr(local_mod.os.path, "isdir", self._fake_isdir(existing))
+
+        dirs = _git_bash_bin_dirs()
+
+        # usr/bin is the load-bearing coreutils dir; mingw64 precedes it.
+        assert "/pg/usr/bin" in dirs
+        assert dirs.index("/pg/mingw64/bin") < dirs.index("/pg/usr/bin")
+        # Non-existent dirs (mingw32, usr/local/bin) are excluded.
+        assert "/pg/mingw32/bin" not in dirs
+
+    def test_derives_dirs_from_mingit_usr_bin_layout(self, monkeypatch):
+        monkeypatch.setattr(local_mod, "_IS_WINDOWS", True)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(local_mod, "_git_bash_bin_dirs_cache", None)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(local_mod, "_find_bash", lambda: "/mg/usr/bin/bash.exe")
+        existing = {"/mg/usr/bin", "/mg/mingw64/bin"}
+        monkeypatch.setattr(local_mod.os.path, "isdir", self._fake_isdir(existing))
+
+        dirs = _git_bash_bin_dirs()
+
+        # MinGit ships bash under usr\bin; root must still resolve to /mg.
+        assert "/mg/usr/bin" in dirs
+        assert "/mg/mingw64/bin" in dirs
+
+    def test_empty_off_windows(self, monkeypatch):
+        monkeypatch.setattr(local_mod, "_IS_WINDOWS", False)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(local_mod, "_git_bash_bin_dirs_cache", None)
+        assert _git_bash_bin_dirs() == []
+
+    def test_empty_when_bash_unresolvable(self, monkeypatch):
+        monkeypatch.setattr(local_mod, "_IS_WINDOWS", True)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(local_mod, "_git_bash_bin_dirs_cache", None)
+
+        def boom():
+            raise RuntimeError("Git Bash not found")
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(local_mod, "_find_bash", boom)
+        assert _git_bash_bin_dirs() == []
+
+    def test_prepend_is_idempotent(self, monkeypatch):
+        # Simulate Windows' ``;`` separator so drive-letter colons in fake
+        # paths don't collide with the POSIX ``:`` pathsep on the test host.
+        monkeypatch.setattr(os, "pathsep", ";")
+        monkeypatch.setattr(local_mod, "_IS_WINDOWS", True)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(local_mod, "_git_bash_bin_dirs_cache", ["/pg/usr/bin", "/pg/bin"])
+        already = r"/pg/usr/bin;C:\Windows\System32;/pg/bin"
+        assert _prepend_git_bash_dirs(already) == already
+
+    def test_make_run_env_prepends_coreutils_on_windows(self, monkeypatch):
+        monkeypatch.setattr(os, "pathsep", ";")
+        monkeypatch.setattr(local_mod, "_IS_WINDOWS", True)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(local_mod, "_git_bash_bin_dirs_cache", ["/pg/mingw64/bin", "/pg/usr/bin"])
+        run_env = _make_run_env({"PATH": r"C:\Windows\System32"})
+        path = run_env.get("PATH") or run_env.get("Path")
+        entries = path.split(";")
+        # Coreutils dirs land before System32 so bash resolves cat/find/sort
+        # to the GNU tools, not the same-named Windows executables.
+        assert "/pg/usr/bin" in entries
+        assert entries.index("/pg/usr/bin") < entries.index(r"C:\Windows\System32")
+
+    def test_make_run_env_noop_on_posix(self, monkeypatch):
+        monkeypatch.setattr(local_mod, "_IS_WINDOWS", False)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(local_mod, "_git_bash_bin_dirs_cache", None)
+        run_env = _make_run_env({"PATH": "/usr/bin:/bin"})
+        # No Windows git dirs injected on POSIX.
+        assert "mingw64" not in run_env["PATH"]
+
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Command wrapping — native Windows cwd must be Git Bash-friendly for cd
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/tools/environments/local.py b/tools/environments/local.py
index e5f6c6c2b262..0a867fa984bd 100644
--- a/tools/environments/local.py
+++ b/tools/environments/local.py
@@ -658,6 +658,82 @@ def _bash_starts(bash: str) -> bool:
     return ok
 
 
+_git_bash_bin_dirs_cache: "list[str] | None" = None
+
+
+def _git_bash_bin_dirs() -> list[str]:
+    """Git Bash's coreutils/binary dirs, in ``/etc/profile`` precedence order.
+
+    A non-login ``bash -c`` (the fallback used when ``bash -l`` is broken —
+    the classic Windows ``Directory \\drivers\\etc does not exist`` failure)
+    never sources ``/etc/profile``, so it never gets ``…\\usr\\bin`` on PATH.
+    That directory holds every coreutil the file/terminal tools shell out to
+    (``cat``, ``mktemp``, ``mv``, ``wc``, ``head``, ``stat``, ``chmod``,
+    ``mkdir``, ``find`` …).  Without it, ``write_file`` fails with an empty
+    error (the failure text went to a missing binary's stderr) and terminal
+    commands exit 127.  We derive these dirs from the resolved ``bash.exe`` so
+    the fallback shell can find coreutils regardless of the login shell.
+
+    Returns ``[]`` off Windows or when bash can't be located.  Dirs are
+    returned in the order Git Bash's own ``/etc/profile`` prepends them
+    (mingw first, then usr/bin, then bin) and only if they exist on disk.
+    """
+    global _git_bash_bin_dirs_cache
+    if _git_bash_bin_dirs_cache is not None:
+        return _git_bash_bin_dirs_cache
+
+    if not _IS_WINDOWS:
+        _git_bash_bin_dirs_cache = []
+        return _git_bash_bin_dirs_cache
+
+    dirs: list[str] = []
+    try:
+        bash = _find_bash()
+    except Exception:
+        _git_bash_bin_dirs_cache = []
+        return _git_bash_bin_dirs_cache
+
+    bin_dir = os.path.dirname(bash)          # <root>\bin  or  <root>\usr\bin
+    parent = os.path.dirname(bin_dir)
+    # MinGit ships bash under usr\bin; PortableGit/system Git under bin.
+    root = os.path.dirname(parent) if os.path.basename(parent).lower() == "usr" else parent
+
+    # Order mirrors Git-for-Windows /etc/profile so coreutils win over the
+    # same-named Windows System32 tools (find.exe, sort.exe) inside the shell.
+    for candidate in (
+        os.path.join(root, "mingw64", "bin"),
+        os.path.join(root, "mingw32", "bin"),
+        os.path.join(root, "usr", "local", "bin"),
+        os.path.join(root, "usr", "bin"),
+        os.path.join(root, "bin"),
+    ):
+        if os.path.isdir(candidate) and candidate not in dirs:
+            dirs.append(candidate)
+
+    _git_bash_bin_dirs_cache = dirs
+    return dirs
+
+
+def _prepend_git_bash_dirs(existing_path: str) -> str:
+    """Prepend Git Bash's binary dirs to ``existing_path`` if missing.
+
+    No-op off Windows or when the dirs can't be resolved.  First-occurrence
+    wins, so a PATH that already lists a dir keeps its position.  This is what
+    lets the non-login ``bash -c`` fallback find coreutils; in the healthy
+    case the session snapshot re-exports the full login PATH inside the shell,
+    so this only matters when that snapshot is absent.
+    """
+    git_dirs = _git_bash_bin_dirs()
+    if not git_dirs:
+        return existing_path
+    sep = os.pathsep
+    entries = [e for e in existing_path.split(sep) if e] if existing_path else []
+    missing = [d for d in git_dirs if d not in entries]
+    if not missing:
+        return existing_path
+    return sep.join([*missing, *entries])
+
+
 # POSIX-sh-family shells that understand the ``[shell, "-lic", "set +m; …"]``
 # invocation spawn_local uses. $SHELL values outside this set (fish, csh/tcsh,
 # nushell, elvish, xonsh, …) would error on that syntax, so _find_shell falls
@@ -904,6 +980,13 @@ def _make_run_env(env: dict) -> dict:
     path_key = _path_env_key(run_env)
     if path_key is not None:
         new_path = _append_missing_sane_path_entries(run_env.get(path_key, ""))
+        # On Windows, ensure Git Bash's coreutils dirs (…\usr\bin etc.) are on
+        # PATH.  A non-login ``bash -c`` fallback (used when ``bash -l`` is
+        # broken) never sources /etc/profile, so without this cat/mktemp/mv and
+        # friends are missing and every write_file/terminal call fails (empty
+        # error / exit 127).  No-op off Windows and when a login snapshot is
+        # healthy (the snapshot re-exports the full PATH inside the shell).
+        new_path = _prepend_git_bash_dirs(new_path)
         # Ensure the hermes install dir is reachable so plugins can shell out
         # to bare ``hermes`` via the terminal tool even when the gateway was
         # launched without it on PATH (systemd, service managers, cron, etc.).