diff --git a/changelog.d/fixes/7279-cli-detector-windows-drift.md b/changelog.d/fixes/7279-cli-detector-windows-drift.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e6a8fd53df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/fixes/7279-cli-detector-windows-drift.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+- fix(cli): reuse cliRuntime's win32-aware `locateCommand`/`shell:true` probe in tool-detector so installed CLIs (npm `.cmd` shims) are no longer reported as absent on native Windows (#7279)
diff --git a/src/lib/cli-helper/tool-detector.ts b/src/lib/cli-helper/tool-detector.ts
index b6463132ca..48b03bb555 100644
--- a/src/lib/cli-helper/tool-detector.ts
+++ b/src/lib/cli-helper/tool-detector.ts
@@ -3,24 +3,24 @@ import path from "node:path";
 import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { getCurrentHermesAgentRoles } from "./config-generator/hermes-agent";
-import { getCachedLoginShellPath, mergeShellPath } from "../../shared/services/loginShellPath";
+import {
+  getLookupEnv,
+  locateCommand,
+  shouldUseShellForCommand,
+} from "../../shared/services/cliRuntime";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
 let execFileImpl = execFileAsync;
-
-// #3321: macOS GUI/Electron truncates PATH, so `which`/`--version` probes miss Homebrew/
-// nvm/volta CLIs and the doctor reports them "not installed". Build a lookup env enriched
-// with the login-shell PATH (darwin-only, cached, fail-safe → returns process.env elsewhere).
-function detectorEnv(): NodeJS.ProcessEnv {
-  const loginShellPath = getCachedLoginShellPath();
-  if (!loginShellPath) return process.env;
-  return { ...process.env, PATH: mergeShellPath(process.env.PATH || "", loginShellPath) };
-}
+let locateCommandImpl = locateCommand;
 
 export function __setExecFileImpl(fn: typeof execFileAsync): void {
   execFileImpl = fn;
 }
 
+export function __setLocateCommandImpl(fn: typeof locateCommand): void {
+  locateCommandImpl = fn;
+}
+
 export interface DetectedTool {
   id: string;
   name: string;
@@ -79,17 +79,52 @@ function isConfigured(content: string, baseUrl: string): boolean {
   );
 }
 
+// #968/#7279: on native Windows, npm installs CLI wrappers (claude/codex/opencode/…)
+// as .cmd/.bat shims. Node's CVE-2024-27980 hardening makes execFile()/spawn() reject
+// those without `shell: true`, and the `which` fallback below doesn't exist natively
+// on Windows (no WSL/git-bash) — so both probes threw, both were swallowed, and an
+// installed CLI was reported as absent. Reuse cliRuntime.ts's `locateCommand`
+// (already win32-aware since #968: `where.exe` + `.cmd`/`.exe`/`.bat`/`.com`
+// preference) for existence/path, then probe `--version` with `shell: true` when the
+// resolved binary needs it. If this drifts again, check cliRuntime.ts first.
+async function detectBinaryWindows(
+  binary: string,
+  env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv
+): Promise<{ installed: boolean; version?: string }> {
+  const located = await locateCommandImpl(binary, env);
+  if (!located.installed || !located.commandPath) return { installed: false };
+
+  try {
+    const useShell = shouldUseShellForCommand(located.commandPath);
+    const { stdout } = await execFileImpl(located.commandPath, ["--version"], {
+      timeout: 5000,
+      env,
+      ...(useShell ? { shell: true } : {}),
+    });
+    return { installed: true, version: stdout.trim().replace(/^v/, "") };
+  } catch {
+    // Binary exists on PATH but the --version probe failed (unusual flag, slow
+    // startup, etc.) — still report it as installed since locateCommand confirmed it.
+    return { installed: true };
+  }
+}
+
 async function detectBinary(name: string): Promise<{ installed: boolean; version?: string }> {
   const binary = BINARY_NAMES[name] || name;
-  const env = detectorEnv();
+  const env = getLookupEnv();
+
+  if (process.platform === "win32") {
+    return detectBinaryWindows(binary, env);
+  }
+
   try {
     const { stdout } = await execFileImpl(binary, ["--version"], { timeout: 5000, env });
     const version = stdout.trim().replace(/^v/, "");
     return { installed: true, version };
   } catch {
     try {
-      // Try `which` as fallback
-      const { stdout } = await execFileAsync("which", [binary], { timeout: 5000, env });
+      // Try `which` as fallback (routed through execFileImpl so it stays mockable)
+      const { stdout } = await execFileImpl("which", [binary], { timeout: 5000, env });
       if (stdout.trim()) {
         return { installed: true };
       }
diff --git a/src/shared/services/cliRuntime.ts b/src/shared/services/cliRuntime.ts
index c7e778a9a0..e6c8e437fc 100644
--- a/src/shared/services/cliRuntime.ts
+++ b/src/shared/services/cliRuntime.ts
@@ -742,7 +742,7 @@ const checkExplicitPath = async (commandPath: string) => {
   }
 };
 
-const locateCommand = async (command: string, env: Record<string, string | undefined>) => {
+export const locateCommand = async (command: string, env: Record<string, string | undefined>) => {
   if (!command) {
     return { installed: false, commandPath: null, reason: "missing_command" };
   }
diff --git a/tests/unit/cli-helper/tool-detector-win32-7279.test.ts b/tests/unit/cli-helper/tool-detector-win32-7279.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f43833607f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/cli-helper/tool-detector-win32-7279.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+import { describe, it, before, after } from "node:test";
+import assert from "node:assert";
+import * as toolDetector from "../../../src/lib/cli-helper/tool-detector.ts";
+
+// #7279 (re-drift of #968) — detectBinary() in tool-detector.ts never checked
+// process.platform and never passed shell:true, so on native Windows an
+// installed CLI (npm installs claude/codex/opencode as .cmd shims) was reported
+// as NOT installed:
+//   1. execFileImpl(binary, ["--version"]) fails without shell:true for .cmd shims
+//      (Node's CVE-2024-27980 hardening).
+//   2. the `which` fallback doesn't exist on native Windows (no WSL/git-bash).
+// Both throw, both are swallowed by empty catches, detectBinary returns
+// { installed: false }. cliRuntime.ts::locateCommand already solved this for
+// the runtime-spawn path (#968); this fix reuses it here.
+//
+// Methodological note (see plan-file): the `which` fallback previously called
+// the RAW execFileAsync, not the injected __setExecFileImpl hook, so it wasn't
+// mockable and could silently "pass" using the real system `which`. Uses
+// `hermes` (confirmed absent from PATH) to avoid that trap; also uses a
+// dedicated __setLocateCommandImpl hook (mirrors __setExecFileImpl) so the
+// win32 existence probe is deterministic here instead of depending on a real
+// `where.exe`.
+
+describe("tool-detector — win32 (#7279)", () => {
+  const originalPlatformDescriptor = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(process, "platform");
+
+  function setPlatform(value: string) {
+    Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", { configurable: true, value });
+  }
+
+  before(() => {
+    setPlatform("win32");
+
+    toolDetector.__setLocateCommandImpl(async (command: string) => {
+      if (command === "hermes") {
+        return {
+          installed: true,
+          commandPath: "C:\\Users\\dev\\AppData\\Roaming\\npm\\hermes.cmd",
+          reason: null,
+        };
+      }
+      return { installed: false, commandPath: null, reason: "not_found" };
+    });
+
+    // @ts-expect-error - internal test hook
+    toolDetector.__setExecFileImpl(async (_cmd: string, _args: string[], opts?: { shell?: boolean }) => {
+      // Reproduces the real-world failure: without shell:true, spawning the
+      // .cmd shim throws (Node's CVE-2024-27980 hardening on Windows).
+      if (opts?.shell === true) {
+        return { stdout: "v0.75.3\n" };
+      }
+      throw new Error("spawn hermes.cmd ENOENT (shell:true required on win32 for .cmd shims)");
+    });
+  });
+
+  after(() => {
+    // This is the only test file exercising these hooks — node:test isolates
+    // each file's module cache, so no further reset is needed for other suites.
+    if (originalPlatformDescriptor) {
+      Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", originalPlatformDescriptor);
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("reports an installed CLI as installed on native Windows (.cmd shim probed with shell:true)", async () => {
+    const result = await toolDetector.detectTool("hermes");
+    assert.ok(result !== null);
+    assert.strictEqual(
+      result!.installed,
+      true,
+      "expected hermes to be detected as installed via locateCommand + shell:true probe on win32"
+    );
+    assert.strictEqual(result!.version, "0.75.3");
+  });
+
+  it("reports a genuinely absent CLI as not installed on native Windows", async () => {
+    const result = await toolDetector.detectTool("openclaw");
+    assert.ok(result !== null);
+    assert.strictEqual(result!.installed, false);
+  });
+});