diff --git a/src/application/Doctor.test.ts b/src/application/Doctor.test.ts
index 5a1b36cb71..1c3a3adf74 100644
--- a/src/application/Doctor.test.ts
+++ b/src/application/Doctor.test.ts
@@ -495,6 +495,37 @@ describe("doctor runtime check", () => {
   );
 });
 
+it.each([undefined, "", "not-a-version", "14garbage"])(
+  "retains unknown host support for macOS probe value %s",
+  async (version) => {
+    const result = await runDoctor(
+      undefined,
+      host({ macosVersion: () => Promise.resolve(version) }),
+    );
+    expect(result.checks).toContainEqual(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        name: "host",
+        ok: false,
+        classification: "unknown",
+      }),
+    );
+  },
+);
+
+it.skipIf(process.platform !== "darwin")(
+  "reads the macOS version without PATH utilities",
+  async () => {
+    const system = systemDoctorHost({
+      environment: { PATH: "/nonexistent" },
+    });
+    try {
+      expect(await system.macosVersion()).toMatch(/^\d+(?:\.\d+)*$/u);
+    } finally {
+      await system.close?.();
+    }
+  },
+);
+
 describe("doctor", () => {
   it("returns exact recovery for every failed diagnostic", async () => {
     const result = await runDoctor(
@@ -518,22 +549,19 @@ describe("doctor", () => {
     });
   });
 
-  it.each(["11.7", undefined])(
-    "rejects unsupported macOS version %s",
-    async (version) => {
-      const result = await runDoctor(
-        undefined,
-        host({ macosVersion: () => Promise.resolve(version) }),
-      );
-      expect(result.checks).toContainEqual(
-        expect.objectContaining({
-          name: "host",
-          ok: false,
-          classification: "unsupported_host",
-        }),
-      );
-    },
-  );
+  it.each(["11.7"])("rejects unsupported macOS version %s", async (version) => {
+    const result = await runDoctor(
+      undefined,
+      host({ macosVersion: () => Promise.resolve(version) }),
+    );
+    expect(result.checks).toContainEqual(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        name: "host",
+        ok: false,
+        classification: "unsupported_host",
+      }),
+    );
+  });
 
   it("admits only the experimental Windows x64 host boundary", async () => {
     const windows = await runDoctor(
diff --git a/src/application/Doctor.ts b/src/application/Doctor.ts
index 26e0e66fd2..9b56c8190e 100644
--- a/src/application/Doctor.ts
+++ b/src/application/Doctor.ts
@@ -764,7 +764,9 @@ const readMacosVersion = async (
   options: { readonly env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv },
 ): Promise<string | undefined> => {
   try {
-    return (await run("sw_vers", ["-productVersion"], options)).stdout.trim();
+    return (
+      await run("/usr/bin/sw_vers", ["-productVersion"], options)
+    ).stdout.trim();
   } catch (cause: unknown) {
     // best-effort cleanup: optional OS version probing; failure means unknown.
     void cause;
diff --git a/src/application/DoctorDiagnostics.ts b/src/application/DoctorDiagnostics.ts
index 0713c6b602..b927c3f2a4 100644
--- a/src/application/DoctorDiagnostics.ts
+++ b/src/application/DoctorDiagnostics.ts
@@ -129,8 +129,25 @@ const hostCheck = async (host: DoctorHost): Promise<DoctorCheck> => {
     host.platform === "darwin" ? await host.macosVersion() : undefined;
   const linuxDistribution =
     host.platform === "linux" ? await host.linuxDistribution() : undefined;
+  const macosMajor =
+    macosVersion !== undefined && /^\d+(?:\.\d+)*$/u.test(macosVersion)
+      ? Number(macosVersion.split(".")[0])
+      : undefined;
+  if (host.platform === "darwin" && macosMajor === undefined)
+    return {
+      name: "host",
+      ok: false,
+      classification: "unknown",
+      detail:
+        macosVersion === undefined
+          ? "The macOS version could not be determined."
+          : `The macOS version probe returned an unrecognized value: ${JSON.stringify(macosVersion)}.`,
+      remediation: "Check /usr/bin/sw_vers -productVersion and rerun doctor.",
+    };
   const supported =
-    (host.platform === "darwin" && parseMajor(macosVersion) >= 12) ||
+    (host.platform === "darwin" &&
+      macosMajor !== undefined &&
+      macosMajor >= 12) ||
     (host.platform === "linux" && supportsReaHost(linuxDistribution)) ||
     (host.platform === "win32" && host.architecture === "x64");
   const detail =
@@ -359,8 +376,5 @@ const unsupportedHopperRemediation = (configured: boolean): string =>
     ? "Check HOPPER_LAUNCHER_PATH and its publisher verification evidence. Run rea setup to install and retain an authenticated official Hopper package for offline use."
     : "Run rea setup to install and retain an authenticated official Hopper package for offline use.";
 
-const parseMajor = (version: string | undefined): number =>
-  Number.parseInt(version?.split(".")[0] ?? "0", 10);
-
 const providerCheckName = (providerId: string, name: string): boolean =>
   name === providerId || name.startsWith(`${providerId}-`);
diff --git a/src/ghidra/GhidraInstallation.test.ts b/src/ghidra/GhidraInstallation.test.ts
index 20da7d3fb7..45ee8169c2 100644
--- a/src/ghidra/GhidraInstallation.test.ts
+++ b/src/ghidra/GhidraInstallation.test.ts
@@ -1714,7 +1714,7 @@ it("explains the macOS keg-only JDK case without probing an unselected installat
       },
     }),
   );
-  expect(probed).toEqual(["java"]);
+  expect(probed).toEqual(["/usr/bin/java"]);
   expect(inspection.checks.find(({ name }) => name === "java")).toMatchObject({
     status: "failed",
     code: "runtime_missing",
@@ -1813,8 +1813,8 @@ it.each([
       scenario === "explicit home"
         ? ["/selected-jdk/bin/java"]
         : scenario === "PATH succeeds"
-          ? ["java"]
-          : ["java", keg],
+          ? ["/usr/bin/java"]
+          : ["/usr/bin/java", keg],
     );
     expect(inspection.status).toBe(
       scenario === "PATH succeeds" || scenario === "keg succeeds"
@@ -1825,19 +1825,21 @@ it.each([
       expect(ghidraInstallationDiagnostics(inspection)).toMatchObject({
         java_discovery_failures: expect.arrayContaining([
           {
-            command: "java",
+            command: "/usr/bin/java",
             code: "runtime_missing",
             detail: expect.any(String),
           },
         ]),
       });
     }
-    if (scenario === "both fail") expect(inspection.javaCommand).toBe("java");
+    if (scenario === "both fail")
+      expect(inspection.javaCommand).toBe("/usr/bin/java");
   },
 );
 
 it.each([
-  ["darwin", undefined, "/selected-bin/java", "java"],
+  ["darwin", undefined, "/selected-bin/java", "/selected-bin/java"],
+  ["darwin", undefined, "/linked/../jdk/java", "/linked/../jdk/java"],
   ["darwin", "/selected-jdk", undefined, "/selected-jdk/bin/java"],
   ["linux", undefined, undefined, "java"],
   ["win32", undefined, undefined, "java.exe"],
@@ -1849,7 +1851,9 @@ it.each([
     const inspection = await inspectGhidraInstallation(
       {
         resourceOwner: inspectionResources.owner,
-        environment: { PATH: "/selected-bin" },
+        environment: {
+          PATH: `:relative-bin:${pathJava === undefined ? "/selected-bin" : pathJava.slice(0, -"/java".length)}`,
+        },
         installDir: INSTALL,
         platform,
         architecture: "arm64",
diff --git a/src/ghidra/GhidraInstallation.ts b/src/ghidra/GhidraInstallation.ts
index 3b7bde3d51..1866beec1a 100644
--- a/src/ghidra/GhidraInstallation.ts
+++ b/src/ghidra/GhidraInstallation.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import { ok, type Result } from "../domain/result.js";
 import { projectAnalysisError } from "../domain/analysisErrorProjection.js";
 import { readGhidraExecutableHeader } from "./GhidraExecutableHeader.js";
 import { snapshotEnvironment } from "../process/snapshotEnvironment.js";
+import { absoluteCallerPath } from "../filesystem/callerPath.js";
 import {
   readGhidraInstallationProperties,
   type GhidraInstallationFileOptions,
@@ -524,24 +525,37 @@ const installationCoordinates = async (
         ),
       )
       .filter((candidate) => host.executable(candidate));
-  let javaCommand = (() => {
+  const selectedJava: {
+    command: string;
+    source: "configured" | "path" | "homebrew" | "default";
+  } = (() => {
     if (options.javaHome !== undefined)
-      return path.join(
-        options.javaHome,
-        "bin",
-        platform === "win32" ? "java.exe" : "java",
-      );
+      return {
+        source: "configured",
+        command: path.join(
+          options.javaHome,
+          "bin",
+          platform === "win32" ? "java.exe" : "java",
+        ),
+      };
     if (platform !== "darwin")
-      return platform === "win32" ? "java.exe" : "java";
+      return {
+        source: "default",
+        command: platform === "win32" ? "java.exe" : "java",
+      };
     // Check the caller's PATH, never a file named java in the working directory.
-    const javaOnPath = options.environment.PATH?.split(":").some(
-      (directory) =>
-        path.isAbsolute(directory) &&
-        host.executable(path.join(directory, "java")),
-    );
-    if (javaOnPath) return "java";
-    return homebrewJavaCandidates()[0] ?? "java";
+    const javaOnPath = options.environment.PATH?.split(":")
+      .filter((directory) => path.isAbsolute(directory))
+      .map((directory) => absoluteCallerPath(`${directory}/java`, { platform }))
+      .find((candidate) => host.executable(candidate));
+    if (javaOnPath !== undefined)
+      return { source: "path", command: javaOnPath };
+    const homebrew = homebrewJavaCandidates()[0];
+    return homebrew === undefined
+      ? { source: "default", command: "/usr/bin/java" }
+      : { source: "homebrew", command: homebrew };
   })();
+  let javaCommand = selectedJava.command;
   // Java is a prerequisite of a selected installation. Without one, or with a
   // relative JAVA_HOME, configuration validation refuses Ghidra before Java can
   // matter, so callers such as setup and doctor must not execute a host JVM.
@@ -574,7 +588,7 @@ const installationCoordinates = async (
   if (
     platform === "darwin" &&
     options.javaHome === undefined &&
-    javaCommand === "java" &&
+    (selectedJava.source === "path" || selectedJava.source === "default") &&
     javaProbe !== undefined &&
     !javaProbe.ok &&
     !(javaProbe.error instanceof AnalysisError) &&