diff --git a/contributors/emails/adrian.soto6@gmail.com b/contributors/emails/adrian.soto6@gmail.com
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..4f3d6b503411
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contributors/emails/adrian.soto6@gmail.com
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+adriansotomora
+# PR #58831 salvage
diff --git a/contributors/emails/yuntianqing@yahoo.com b/contributors/emails/yuntianqing@yahoo.com
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..cedb9d102bae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contributors/emails/yuntianqing@yahoo.com
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+zengzheqing
+# PR #55631 salvage
diff --git a/hermes_cli/main.py b/hermes_cli/main.py
index 9bdb87691df1..01eb6a758a57 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/main.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/main.py
@@ -14456,14 +14456,14 @@ def main():
             install_cua_driver(upgrade=bool(getattr(args, "upgrade", False)))
             return
         if action == "status":
-            import shutil
             import subprocess
-            from hermes_cli.tools_config import _cua_driver_cmd
-            # Honor HERMES_CUA_DRIVER_CMD for local-build testing — same
-            # resolver `install_cua_driver` and the runtime backend use,
-            # so `status` reports what `computer_use` will actually invoke.
-            driver_cmd = _cua_driver_cmd()
-            path = shutil.which(driver_cmd)
+            from tools.computer_use.cua_backend import (
+                cua_driver_update_check,
+                resolve_cua_driver_cmd,
+            )
+            # Must match the runtime resolver: Desktop/TUI processes can omit
+            # ~/.local/bin even though the official installer put the driver there.
+            path = resolve_cua_driver_cmd()
             if path:
                 version = ""
                 try:
@@ -14480,7 +14480,6 @@ def main():
                 else:
                     print(f"cua-driver: installed at {path}")
                 try:
-                    from tools.computer_use.cua_backend import cua_driver_update_check
                     st = cua_driver_update_check()
                     if st and st.get("update_available"):
                         latest = st.get("latest_version") or "?"
diff --git a/hermes_cli/tools_config.py b/hermes_cli/tools_config.py
index 9c82d5a17257..f3abfb4d9a94 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/tools_config.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/tools_config.py
@@ -649,10 +649,17 @@ TOOLSET_ENV_REQUIREMENTS = {
 
 
 def _cua_driver_cmd() -> str:
-    """Return the cua-driver executable name/path, honoring non-empty overrides."""
+    """Return the configured cua-driver override, or the bare default name."""
     return os.environ.get("HERMES_CUA_DRIVER_CMD", "").strip() or "cua-driver"
 
 
+def _resolved_cua_driver_cmd() -> Optional[str]:
+    """Resolve cua-driver exactly as the runtime and Desktop status do."""
+    from tools.computer_use.cua_backend import resolve_cua_driver_cmd
+
+    return resolve_cua_driver_cmd()
+
+
 def _cua_driver_env() -> dict:
     """cua-driver child env with the Hermes telemetry policy applied.
 
@@ -824,7 +831,7 @@ def install_cua_driver(upgrade: bool = False) -> bool:
     fetch_tool = "powershell" if is_windows else "curl"
 
     driver_cmd = _cua_driver_cmd()
-    binary = shutil.which(driver_cmd)
+    binary = _resolved_cua_driver_cmd()
 
     # Not installed → fresh install path (only when caller asked for it).
     if not binary and not upgrade:
@@ -849,7 +856,7 @@ def install_cua_driver(upgrade: bool = False) -> bool:
     if binary and not upgrade:
         try:
             version = subprocess.run(
-                [driver_cmd, "--version"],
+                [binary, "--version"],
                 capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5, env=_cua_driver_env(),
                 creationflags=_post_setup_no_window_flags(),
             ).stdout.strip()
@@ -907,7 +914,7 @@ def install_cua_driver(upgrade: bool = False) -> bool:
         # Show before/after version when we have a baseline. Best-effort.
         try:
             before = subprocess.run(
-                [driver_cmd, "--version"],
+                [binary, "--version"],
                 capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5, env=_cua_driver_env(),
                 creationflags=_post_setup_no_window_flags(),
             ).stdout.strip()
@@ -920,7 +927,7 @@ def install_cua_driver(upgrade: bool = False) -> bool:
     if ok and before:
         try:
             after = subprocess.run(
-                [driver_cmd, "--version"],
+                [binary, "--version"],
                 capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5, env=_cua_driver_env(),
                 creationflags=_post_setup_no_window_flags(),
             ).stdout.strip()
@@ -2672,7 +2679,7 @@ _POST_SETUP_INSTALLED: dict = {
     # entry when (a) the post_setup is the ONLY install side-effect for
     # a no-key provider, and (b) an installed-state check is cheap and
     # doesn't trigger a heavy import.
-    "cua_driver": lambda: bool(shutil.which(_cua_driver_cmd())),
+    "cua_driver": lambda: _resolved_cua_driver_cmd() is not None,
 }
 
 
@@ -2730,7 +2737,7 @@ _POST_SETUP_READY: dict = {
     "agent_browser": lambda: _agent_browser_installed(),
     "browserbase": lambda: _cloud_agent_browser_installed(),
     "camofox": lambda: _camofox_installed(),
-    "cua_driver": lambda: bool(shutil.which(_cua_driver_cmd())),
+    "cua_driver": lambda: _resolved_cua_driver_cmd() is not None,
 }
 
 
diff --git a/tests/computer_use/test_cua_cli_fallback_env.py b/tests/computer_use/test_cua_cli_fallback_env.py
index 1f3180dfe4fc..5a4b04fdda32 100644
--- a/tests/computer_use/test_cua_cli_fallback_env.py
+++ b/tests/computer_use/test_cua_cli_fallback_env.py
@@ -31,8 +31,12 @@ def _fake_completed_process(stdout: str) -> MagicMock:
 
 
 def test_cli_fallback_strips_provider_secret_from_subprocess_env(monkeypatch):
-    monkeypatch.setenv("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY", "sk-super-secret-should-not-leak")
+    monkeypatch.setenv("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY", "«redacted:sk-…»")
     monkeypatch.setenv("PATH", "/usr/bin:/bin")
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        "tools.computer_use.cua_backend.resolve_cua_driver_cmd",
+        lambda: "/resolved/cua-driver",
+    )
 
     captured = {}
 
@@ -56,6 +60,10 @@ def test_cli_fallback_applies_telemetry_policy(monkeypatch):
     """The env should also go through cua_driver_child_env(), like every
     other cua-driver spawn site, not just _sanitize_subprocess_env alone."""
     monkeypatch.delenv("HERMES_CUA_TELEMETRY", raising=False)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        "tools.computer_use.cua_backend.resolve_cua_driver_cmd",
+        lambda: "/resolved/cua-driver",
+    )
     captured = {}
 
     def fake_run(cmd, **kwargs):
diff --git a/tests/computer_use/test_cua_spawn_env_sanitization.py b/tests/computer_use/test_cua_spawn_env_sanitization.py
index 98be4176bf5c..2d69e0f1a53f 100644
--- a/tests/computer_use/test_cua_spawn_env_sanitization.py
+++ b/tests/computer_use/test_cua_spawn_env_sanitization.py
@@ -76,6 +76,11 @@ def test_update_check_sanitizes_env(monkeypatch):
         "latest_version": "1.0.0",
         "update_available": False,
     })
+    # PATH is pinned to /usr/bin:/bin above, so the driver won't resolve;
+    # pin it so the check reaches the (sanitized) subprocess spawn.
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        cua_backend, "resolve_cua_driver_cmd", lambda *a, **k: "cua-driver"
+    )
     monkeypatch.setattr(
         cua_backend.subprocess, "run", _capture_run(captured, stdout=payload)
     )
diff --git a/tests/computer_use/test_doctor.py b/tests/computer_use/test_doctor.py
index edd2b24b20db..a912176138e7 100644
--- a/tests/computer_use/test_doctor.py
+++ b/tests/computer_use/test_doctor.py
@@ -20,9 +20,12 @@ shape.
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import json
+import sys
 from io import StringIO
 from unittest.mock import MagicMock, patch
 
+import pytest
+
 
 # ── helpers ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
@@ -323,3 +326,23 @@ class TestDriverCmdResolution:
             doctor.run_doctor()
         # First (and only) which call should have used the env var.
         which_mock.assert_called_with("/env/path/cua-driver")
+
+    @pytest.mark.skipif(sys.platform == "win32", reason="POSIX user-local path regression")
+    def test_user_local_driver_is_found_when_path_omits_it(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+        """Doctor must inspect the same user-local driver as the runtime."""
+        from tools.computer_use import doctor
+
+        driver = tmp_path / ".local" / "bin" / "cua-driver"
+        driver.parent.mkdir(parents=True)
+        driver.write_text("#!/bin/sh\nexit 0\n")
+        driver.chmod(0o755)
+
+        monkeypatch.delenv("HERMES_CUA_DRIVER_CMD", raising=False)
+        monkeypatch.setenv("HOME", str(tmp_path))
+        monkeypatch.setenv("PATH", "/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin")
+
+        with patch("tools.computer_use.doctor._drive_health_report", return_value=_ok_report()) as health, \
+             patch("sys.stdout", new_callable=StringIO):
+            assert doctor.run_doctor() == 0
+
+        health.assert_called_once_with(str(driver), include=(), skip=())
diff --git a/tests/computer_use/test_permissions_resolution.py b/tests/computer_use/test_permissions_resolution.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..c51fc9987f2c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/computer_use/test_permissions_resolution.py
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+"""Regression tests for Computer Use readiness under a thin GUI PATH."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import sys
+from unittest.mock import MagicMock, patch
+
+import pytest
+
+
+@pytest.mark.skipif(sys.platform == "win32", reason="POSIX user-local path regression")
+def test_status_finds_user_local_driver_when_path_omits_it(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    """Desktop status must agree with the runtime resolver, not bare PATH."""
+    from tools.computer_use import permissions
+
+    driver = tmp_path / ".local" / "bin" / "cua-driver"
+    driver.parent.mkdir(parents=True)
+    driver.write_text("#!/bin/sh\nexit 0\n")
+    driver.chmod(0o755)
+
+    monkeypatch.delenv("HERMES_CUA_DRIVER_CMD", raising=False)
+    monkeypatch.setenv("HOME", str(tmp_path))
+    monkeypatch.setenv("PATH", "/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin")
+
+    with patch("tools.computer_use.permissions.sys.platform", "darwin"), \
+         patch("tools.computer_use.cua_backend.sys.platform", "darwin"), \
+         patch.object(permissions, "_run", return_value=MagicMock(stdout="0.0.0")), \
+         patch.object(permissions, "_doctor", return_value={"ok": True, "checks": []}), \
+         patch.object(permissions, "_mac_permissions"):
+        status = permissions.computer_use_status()
+
+    assert status["installed"] is True
diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_tools_config.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_tools_config.py
index 23d4a0956a52..0b3e84251185 100644
--- a/tests/hermes_cli/test_tools_config.py
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_tools_config.py
@@ -1228,7 +1228,7 @@ def test_computer_use_blank_custom_driver_command_falls_back_to_default():
 
 
 def test_computer_use_post_setup_respects_custom_driver_command_when_installed():
-    """post_setup already-installed checks should version-probe the override."""
+    """post_setup already-installed checks should version-probe the resolved override."""
     def fake_which(name: str):
         return "/opt/bin/custom-cua" if name == "custom-cua" else None
 
@@ -1241,7 +1241,9 @@ def test_computer_use_post_setup_respects_custom_driver_command_when_installed()
         _run_post_setup("cua_driver")
 
     run.assert_called_once()
-    assert run.call_args.args[0] == ["custom-cua", "--version"]
+    # Probe the resolved absolute path so thin GUI PATHs cannot reintroduce a
+    # bare-command miss after HERMES_CUA_DRIVER_CMD was looked up via which().
+    assert run.call_args.args[0] == ["/opt/bin/custom-cua", "--version"]
 
 
 def test_computer_use_post_setup_missing_override_does_not_accept_default_binary():
diff --git a/tests/tools/test_computer_use.py b/tests/tools/test_computer_use.py
index 44b5f1a5dbd1..a22d325a10e4 100644
--- a/tests/tools/test_computer_use.py
+++ b/tests/tools/test_computer_use.py
@@ -148,6 +148,41 @@ class TestRegistration:
              patch("tools.computer_use.cua_backend.cua_driver_binary_available", return_value=False):
             assert cu_tool.check_computer_use_requirements() is False
 
+    @pytest.mark.skipif(sys.platform == "win32", reason="POSIX user-local path regression")
+    def test_check_fn_finds_user_local_cua_driver_when_path_omits_it(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+        """Desktop/TUI launched from Finder/Dock can omit ~/.local/bin from PATH.
+
+        The cua-driver installer commonly places the binary there, so the
+        registry check must still expose the computer_use tool schema.
+        """
+        from tools.computer_use import tool as cu_tool
+
+        driver = tmp_path / ".local" / "bin" / "cua-driver"
+        driver.parent.mkdir(parents=True)
+        driver.write_text("#!/bin/sh\nexit 0\n")
+        driver.chmod(0o755)
+
+        monkeypatch.delenv("HERMES_CUA_DRIVER_CMD", raising=False)
+        monkeypatch.setenv("HOME", str(tmp_path))
+        monkeypatch.setenv("PATH", "/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin")
+
+        with patch("tools.computer_use.tool.sys.platform", "darwin"), \
+             patch("tools.computer_use.cua_backend.sys.platform", "darwin"):
+            assert cu_tool.check_computer_use_requirements() is True
+
+    def test_cua_driver_cmd_env_override_is_resolved_dynamically(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+        from tools.computer_use import cua_backend
+
+        driver = tmp_path / "custom-cua-driver"
+        driver.write_text("#!/bin/sh\nexit 0\n")
+        driver.chmod(0o755)
+
+        monkeypatch.setenv("HERMES_CUA_DRIVER_CMD", str(driver))
+        monkeypatch.setenv("PATH", "/usr/bin:/bin")
+
+        assert cua_backend.resolve_cua_driver_cmd() == str(driver)
+        assert cua_backend.cua_driver_binary_available() is True
+
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Dispatch & action routing
@@ -1198,6 +1233,16 @@ class TestUpdateCheck:
     no `check-update` verb, offline, an `error` payload, or unparseable output.
     """
 
+    @pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+    def _driver_resolves(self):
+        # The update check now short-circuits to None when no driver
+        # resolves; CI has none installed, so pin a resolved path.
+        with patch(
+            "tools.computer_use.cua_backend.resolve_cua_driver_cmd",
+            return_value="/usr/local/bin/cua-driver",
+        ):
+            yield
+
     @staticmethod
     def _run_returning(stdout: str):
         fake = MagicMock()
@@ -1619,13 +1664,18 @@ class TestCuaDriverSessionReconnect:
         assert cli_calls == [("get_window_state", {"pid": 1, "window_id": 2})]
         assert result["images"] == ["B64PNG"]
 
-    def test_cli_fallback_reads_screenshot_from_file(self, tmp_path):
+    def test_cli_fallback_reads_screenshot_from_file(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
         """_call_tool_via_cli must base64-read a screenshot written to disk
         (screenshot_out_file path) when no inline base64 is present."""
         import base64 as _b64
         from typing import Any, cast
         from tools.computer_use.cua_backend import _CuaDriverSession
 
+        monkeypatch.setattr(
+            "tools.computer_use.cua_backend.resolve_cua_driver_cmd",
+            lambda: "/resolved/cua-driver",
+        )
+
         png_bytes = b"\x89PNG\r\n\x1a\nFAKEDATA"
         shot = tmp_path / "shot.png"
         shot.write_bytes(png_bytes)
@@ -1666,6 +1716,10 @@ class TestCuaDriverSessionReconnect:
         from tools.computer_use.cua_backend import _CuaDriverSession
 
         session = cast(Any, _CuaDriverSession.__new__(_CuaDriverSession))
+        monkeypatch.setattr(
+            "tools.computer_use.cua_backend.resolve_cua_driver_cmd",
+            lambda: "/resolved/cua-driver",
+        )
 
         class FakeProc:
             stdout = '{"isError": true, "message": "bad target"}'
@@ -2331,8 +2385,8 @@ class TestCuaEnvironmentScrubbing:
                 return MagicMock()
 
             with patch.dict(os.environ, test_env, clear=True), \
-                 patch("tools.computer_use.cua_backend.cua_driver_binary_available",
-                       return_value=True), \
+                 patch("tools.computer_use.cua_backend.resolve_cua_driver_cmd",
+                       return_value="cua-driver"), \
                  patch("tools.computer_use.cua_backend._resolve_mcp_invocation",
                        return_value=("cua-driver", ["mcp"])), \
                  patch("mcp.StdioServerParameters", side_effect=capture_env), \
@@ -2390,6 +2444,30 @@ class TestCuaEnvironmentScrubbing:
             "At least one safe environment variable should be preserved"
 
 
+class TestCuaCliFallbackResolution:
+    def test_cli_fallback_uses_resolved_driver_under_thin_path(self):
+        """CLI transport must use the same resolved path as MCP startup.
+
+        The CLI fallback runs after an MCP bridge error, precisely when a
+        Finder/Dock-launched Desktop process may have a PATH without
+        ``~/.local/bin``. Falling back to the bare ``cua-driver`` command
+        would reintroduce the original bug at runtime.
+        """
+        from tools.computer_use.cua_backend import _AsyncBridge, _CuaDriverSession
+
+        proc = MagicMock(stdout="{}", stderr="", returncode=0)
+        session = _CuaDriverSession(_AsyncBridge())
+        with patch(
+            "tools.computer_use.cua_backend.resolve_cua_driver_cmd",
+            return_value="/Users/example/.local/bin/cua-driver",
+        ), patch("subprocess.run", return_value=proc) as run:
+            session._call_tool_via_cli("click", {"x": 1, "y": 2}, timeout=0.1)
+
+        assert run.call_args.args[0][:3] == [
+            "/Users/example/.local/bin/cua-driver", "call", "click"
+        ]
+
+
 class TestClickButtonPassthrough:
     """Surface 5 (NousResearch/hermes-agent#47072) — `middle_click` must
     actually reach cua-driver as a middle button, not silently degrade to
@@ -2821,6 +2899,21 @@ class TestMcpInvocationResolution:
         assert cmd == "/opt/cua-driver"
         assert args == ["mcp"]
 
+    def test_manifest_bare_command_keeps_resolved_driver_path(self):
+        """A bare manifest command must not reintroduce the narrow-PATH bug."""
+        from unittest.mock import patch
+        from tools.computer_use.cua_backend import _resolve_mcp_invocation
+
+        manifest = (
+            '{"mcp_invocation":'
+            '{"command":"cua-driver","args":["mcp-stdio","--strict"]}}'
+        )
+        driver = "/Users/example/.local/bin/cua-driver"
+        with patch("subprocess.run", new=self._fake_run(stdout=manifest)):
+            cmd, args = _resolve_mcp_invocation(driver)
+        assert cmd == driver
+        assert args == ["mcp-stdio", "--strict"]
+
     def test_future_renamed_subcommand_is_honored(self):
         """The whole point: a future cua-driver that exposes `mcp-stdio`
         instead of `mcp` keeps working without a Hermes patch."""
diff --git a/tools/computer_use/cua_backend.py b/tools/computer_use/cua_backend.py
index 8c9b4a8ddb9f..6f75f15922ef 100644
--- a/tools/computer_use/cua_backend.py
+++ b/tools/computer_use/cua_backend.py
@@ -137,7 +137,8 @@ def _action_result_from(
 # only have *looked* like it pinned. For a reproducible version, point
 # `HERMES_CUA_DRIVER_CMD` at a specific binary instead.
 
-_CUA_DRIVER_CMD = os.environ.get("HERMES_CUA_DRIVER_CMD", "cua-driver")
+_CUA_DRIVER_CMD_ENV = "HERMES_CUA_DRIVER_CMD"
+_CUA_DRIVER_DEFAULT_CMD = "cua-driver"
 _CUA_DRIVER_ARGS = ["mcp"]  # stdio MCP transport (fallback when the
                             # driver doesn't expose `manifest` — see
                             # `_resolve_mcp_invocation` below)
@@ -334,6 +335,11 @@ def _resolve_mcp_invocation(
         # The driver knows the subcommand but didn't surface its own path.
         # Keep our resolved driver_cmd; the args are still authoritative.
         return driver_cmd, args
+    if not _has_path_separator(command):
+        # A manifest may legitimately retain the generic ``cua-driver`` name.
+        # Under a GUI's thin PATH that would lose the resolved user-local path
+        # and fail at MCP spawn, so preserve the concrete command we verified.
+        return driver_cmd, args
     return command, args
 
 # Regex to parse element lines from get_window_state AX tree markdown.
@@ -375,9 +381,68 @@ def _is_macos() -> bool:
     return sys.platform == "darwin"
 
 
+def _has_path_separator(value: str) -> bool:
+    return os.sep in value or (os.altsep is not None and os.altsep in value)
+
+
+def _candidate_cua_driver_commands(override: Optional[str] = None) -> List[str]:
+    """Return candidate cua-driver commands in resolution order.
+
+    ``override`` is authoritative when supplied. Otherwise a non-empty
+    ``HERMES_CUA_DRIVER_CMD`` is authoritative; only when neither is set do we
+    use PATH and canonical install locations.
+
+    Desktop apps launched from Finder/Dock often inherit a narrow PATH that
+    omits user-local install directories. The upstream cua-driver installer
+    commonly places the binary under ``~/.local/bin`` on POSIX systems, so a
+    Hermes Desktop/TUI session can otherwise filter out the `computer_use`
+    tool even though `hermes computer-use doctor` succeeds from a login shell.
+    """
+    configured = (override if override is not None else os.environ.get(_CUA_DRIVER_CMD_ENV, "")).strip()
+    if configured:
+        # An explicit override is authoritative: if it is wrong, report the
+        # driver missing instead of silently picking a different binary.
+        return [configured]
+
+    candidates = [_CUA_DRIVER_DEFAULT_CMD]
+    home = os.path.expanduser("~")
+    if sys.platform == "win32":
+        candidates.extend([
+            os.path.join(home, ".local", "bin", "cua-driver.exe"),
+            os.path.join(home, ".local", "bin", "cua-driver"),
+        ])
+    else:
+        candidates.extend([
+            os.path.join(home, ".local", "bin", "cua-driver"),
+            os.path.join(home, ".cargo", "bin", "cua-driver"),
+            "/opt/homebrew/bin/cua-driver",
+            "/usr/local/bin/cua-driver",
+        ])
+    return candidates
+
+
+def resolve_cua_driver_cmd(override: Optional[str] = None) -> Optional[str]:
+    """Resolve the cua-driver executable for every runtime/status surface.
+
+    A supplied override (or ``HERMES_CUA_DRIVER_CMD``) is never silently
+    replaced by another binary. Otherwise resolve PATH first, then canonical
+    user-local installation locations used by the official installer.
+    """
+    for candidate in _candidate_cua_driver_commands(override):
+        expanded = os.path.expanduser(candidate)
+        if _has_path_separator(expanded):
+            if shutil.which(expanded):
+                return expanded
+        else:
+            resolved = shutil.which(expanded)
+            if resolved:
+                return resolved
+    return None
+
+
 def cua_driver_binary_available() -> bool:
-    """True if `cua-driver` is on $PATH or HERMES_CUA_DRIVER_CMD resolves."""
-    return bool(shutil.which(_CUA_DRIVER_CMD))
+    """True if `cua-driver` resolves via env, PATH, or known install paths."""
+    return resolve_cua_driver_cmd() is not None
 
 
 def cua_driver_update_check(*, timeout: float = 8.0) -> Optional[Dict[str, Any]]:
@@ -392,10 +457,13 @@ def cua_driver_update_check(*, timeout: float = 8.0) -> Optional[Dict[str, Any]]
     ``error`` field is set), or the output didn't parse. Best-effort; never
     raises.
     """
+    driver_cmd = resolve_cua_driver_cmd()
+    if not driver_cmd:
+        return None
     try:
         from tools.environments.local import _sanitize_subprocess_env
         proc = subprocess.run(
-            [_CUA_DRIVER_CMD, "check-update", "--json"],
+            [driver_cmd, "check-update", "--json"],
             capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=timeout,
             # Some older drivers don't have the verb and fall through to a
             # stdin-reading mode rather than erroring — DEVNULL gives them EOF
@@ -749,14 +817,15 @@ class _CuaDriverSession:
         self._startup_phase = "binary-check"
 
         try:
-            if not cua_driver_binary_available():
+            driver_cmd = resolve_cua_driver_cmd()
+            if not driver_cmd:
                 raise RuntimeError(cua_driver_install_hint())
 
             # Surface 8: ask cua-driver itself which subcommand spawns
             # the MCP server, instead of hardcoding ["mcp"]. Falls back
             # transparently for older drivers / any discovery failure.
             self._startup_phase = "manifest-discovery"
-            command, args = _resolve_mcp_invocation(_CUA_DRIVER_CMD)
+            command, args = _resolve_mcp_invocation(driver_cmd)
             _t_manifest = _time.monotonic()
             params = StdioServerParameters(
                 command=command,
@@ -1063,7 +1132,10 @@ class _CuaDriverSession:
             os.close(fd)
             call_args["screenshot_out_file"] = shot_file
 
-        cmd = [_CUA_DRIVER_CMD, "call", name, json.dumps(call_args)]
+        driver_cmd = resolve_cua_driver_cmd()
+        if not driver_cmd:
+            raise RuntimeError(cua_driver_install_hint())
+        cmd = [driver_cmd, "call", name, json.dumps(call_args)]
         attempts = 4
         backoff = 0.5
         parsed: Any = None
diff --git a/tools/computer_use/doctor.py b/tools/computer_use/doctor.py
index 38c1b43e91d8..54fad0666844 100644
--- a/tools/computer_use/doctor.py
+++ b/tools/computer_use/doctor.py
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 
 import json
 import os
-import shutil
 import subprocess
 import sys
 from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional, Sequence
@@ -240,9 +239,8 @@ def run_doctor(
 ) -> int:
     """Resolve the cua-driver binary, call `health_report`, render the result.
 
-    Honors `HERMES_CUA_DRIVER_CMD` via the same `_cua_driver_cmd()` resolver
-    that `install_cua_driver` + the runtime backend use, so the doctor
-    diagnoses what your `computer_use` toolset will actually invoke.
+    Honors `HERMES_CUA_DRIVER_CMD` via the shared runtime resolver, so the
+    doctor diagnoses what your `computer_use` toolset will actually invoke.
     """
     # Windows ships stdout/stderr wrapped with the system ANSI codec
     # (`cp1252` on a US locale, `cp936` on zh-CN, etc.). The check-matrix
@@ -255,16 +253,12 @@ def run_doctor(
             stream.reconfigure(encoding="utf-8", errors="replace")  # type: ignore[union-attr]
         except (AttributeError, OSError):
             pass
-    if driver_cmd is None:
-        try:
-            from hermes_cli.tools_config import _cua_driver_cmd
-            driver_cmd = _cua_driver_cmd()
-        except Exception:
-            driver_cmd = os.environ.get("HERMES_CUA_DRIVER_CMD") or "cua-driver"
+    from tools.computer_use.cua_backend import resolve_cua_driver_cmd
 
-    binary = shutil.which(driver_cmd)
+    binary = resolve_cua_driver_cmd(driver_cmd)
     if not binary:
-        print(f"cua-driver: not installed (looked for {driver_cmd!r}).")
+        looked_for = driver_cmd or "cua-driver (PATH and canonical install paths)"
+        print(f"cua-driver: not installed (looked for {looked_for!r}).")
         print("  Run: hermes computer-use install")
         return 2
 
diff --git a/tools/computer_use/permissions.py b/tools/computer_use/permissions.py
index d6fd0f3f91fd..4cccf2d683d5 100644
--- a/tools/computer_use/permissions.py
+++ b/tools/computer_use/permissions.py
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 
 import json
 import os
-import shutil
 import subprocess
 import sys
 from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
@@ -35,15 +34,11 @@ _RUNTIME_PLATFORMS = frozenset({"darwin", "win32", "linux"})
 _BOOLS = ("accessibility", "screen_recording", "screen_recording_capturable")
 
 
-def _driver_cmd(override: Optional[str]) -> str:
-    if override:
-        return override
-    try:
-        from hermes_cli.tools_config import _cua_driver_cmd
+def _resolve_driver_cmd(override: Optional[str]) -> Optional[str]:
+    """Use the runtime resolver for UI status and permission commands too."""
+    from tools.computer_use.cua_backend import resolve_cua_driver_cmd
 
-        return _cua_driver_cmd()
-    except Exception:
-        return os.environ.get("HERMES_CUA_DRIVER_CMD", "").strip() or "cua-driver"
+    return resolve_cua_driver_cmd(override)
 
 
 def _child_env() -> Dict[str, str]:
@@ -128,7 +123,7 @@ def computer_use_status(driver_cmd: Optional[str] = None) -> Dict[str, Any]:
     unknown (binary missing / probe failed). ``can_grant`` is macOS-only.
     """
     plat = sys.platform
-    binary = shutil.which(_driver_cmd(driver_cmd))
+    binary = _resolve_driver_cmd(driver_cmd)
     out: Dict[str, Any] = {
         "platform": plat,
         "platform_supported": plat in _RUNTIME_PLATFORMS,
@@ -175,7 +170,7 @@ def request_permissions_grant(driver_cmd: Optional[str] = None) -> int:
         print("Computer Use permissions are a macOS concept; nothing to grant here.")
         return 64
 
-    binary = shutil.which(_driver_cmd(driver_cmd))
+    binary = _resolve_driver_cmd(driver_cmd)
     if not binary:
         print("cua-driver: not installed. Run: hermes computer-use install")
         return 2