diff --git a/.github/workflows/publish-npm.yml b/.github/workflows/publish-npm.yml
index 7a62c6278..5461a336b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/publish-npm.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/publish-npm.yml
@@ -22,6 +22,14 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
+      # The unified `hanzo` front door (hanzo-js/hanzo) ships beside @hanzo/cli:
+      # it depends on it, so the two go out together. A plain `git clone` on the
+      # runner prompts for credentials even for a public repo; checkout does not.
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          repository: hanzo-js/hanzo
+          path: .hanzo-pkg
+
       - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
         with:
           node-version: '22'
@@ -41,8 +49,7 @@ jobs:
             echo "publishing @hanzo/cli@$NEW (current on npm: $OLD)"
             echo "cli=true" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
           fi
-          git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/hanzo-js/hanzo.git "$RUNNER_TEMP/hanzo-pkg"
-          HNEW=$(node -p 'require(process.argv[1]).version' "$RUNNER_TEMP/hanzo-pkg/package.json")
+          HNEW=$(node -p 'require(process.argv[1]).version' "$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/.hanzo-pkg/package.json")
           HOLD=$(npm view hanzo version --registry https://registry.npmjs.org 2>/dev/null || echo 0.0.0)
           if curl -fsSL "https://registry.npmjs.org/hanzo/$HNEW" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
             echo "npm already serves hanzo@$HNEW"
@@ -77,7 +84,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Publish hanzo
         if: steps.ahead.outputs.hanzo == 'true'
-        working-directory: ${{ runner.temp }}/hanzo-pkg
+        working-directory: .hanzo-pkg
         env:
           NPM_CONFIG_USERCONFIG: ${{ runner.temp }}/.npmrc
         run: npm publish --access public --ignore-scripts --no-provenance --registry https://registry.npmjs.org
diff --git a/npm/bin/hanzo.js b/npm/bin/hanzo.js
index 074ab025b..8a2b7828f 100755
--- a/npm/bin/hanzo.js
+++ b/npm/bin/hanzo.js
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 // `hanzo-vm`, `zt`, `hanzod`) are always discoverable, and lazily fetches any
 // missing companion binary on first invocation via `../install.js`.
 const { spawnSync } = require("node:child_process");
-const { existsSync } = require("node:fs");
+const { existsSync, realpathSync } = require("node:fs");
 const { basename, delimiter, join } = require("node:path");
 
 const ext = process.platform === "win32" ? ".exe" : "";
@@ -29,10 +29,28 @@ const TOOL_BINS = {
   node: "hanzod",
 };
 
+// A tool counts as present when its native binary sits beside this launcher,
+// or anywhere on PATH as a REAL binary. npm's own global shims (`hanzo-mcp`,
+// `hanzo-dev`, … all symlinks to this very file) are on PATH too, and must not
+// count: treating one as the tool skips the download and then execs nothing.
+function realBinary(p) {
+  try {
+    return !realpathSync(p).endsWith(".js");
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
+function hasLocal(tool) {
+  return existsSync(join(__dirname, (TOOL_BINS[tool] || tool) + ext));
+}
+
 function hasTool(tool) {
+  if (hasLocal(tool)) return true;
   const binName = (TOOL_BINS[tool] || tool) + ext;
   for (const dir of (env[pathKey] || "").split(delimiter)) {
-    if (dir && existsSync(join(dir, binName))) return true;
+    const p = dir && join(dir, binName);
+    if (p && existsSync(p) && realBinary(p)) return true;
   }
   return false;
 }
@@ -92,7 +110,9 @@ if (rawName === "hanzo-dev" || rawName === "dev") {
   }
 }
 
-const missing = required.filter((t) => !hasTool(t));
+// The binary this launcher execs must be HERE (it is run by absolute path);
+// companions only need to be findable on PATH, which starts here.
+const missing = required.filter((t) => (t === targetTool ? !hasLocal(t) : !hasTool(t)));
 if (missing.length > 0 && existsSync(installScript) && env.HANZO_NO_LAZY_INSTALL !== "1") {
   spawnSync(process.execPath, [installScript, ...missing], {
     stdio: "inherit",
diff --git a/npm/install.js b/npm/install.js
index 40a5a91af..1348b5aa5 100644
--- a/npm/install.js
+++ b/npm/install.js
@@ -193,6 +193,7 @@ async function fetchVm({ key, dest, ext }) {
 async function installOne(name, { key, target, dest, ext, optional }) {
   const tool = TOOLS[name];
   if (!tool) return;
+  let fellBack = false;
   try {
     if (tool.kind === "engine") {
       await fetchEngine({ key, dest, ext });
@@ -213,6 +214,7 @@ async function installOne(name, { key, target, dest, ext, optional }) {
         });
       } catch (err) {
         if (tool.versioned && String(err.message || err).startsWith("404 ")) {
+          fellBack = true;
           await fetchStandardTool({
             base: `https://github.com/${tool.repo}/releases/latest/download`,
             bin: tool.bin,
@@ -226,7 +228,7 @@ async function installOne(name, { key, target, dest, ext, optional }) {
         }
       }
     }
-    const label = tool.versioned ? `${tool.bin} ${VERSION}` : tool.bin;
+    const label = tool.versioned && !fellBack ? `${tool.bin} ${VERSION}` : `${tool.bin} (latest release)`;
     console.error(`@hanzo/cli: installed ${label} (${target})`);
   } catch (err) {
     if (!optional || String(err.message || err).includes("checksum mismatch")) throw err;