diff --git a/packages/client/src/api/coding-agents.ts b/packages/client/src/api/coding-agents.ts
index acb41a5..5d9614c 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/api/coding-agents.ts
+++ b/packages/client/src/api/coding-agents.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ export interface CodingAgentMutationResult extends CodingAgentsStatus {
   success: boolean
   tool: CodingAgentToolStatus
   message?: string
+  code?: string
 }
 
 export interface CodingAgentConfigFileContent {
diff --git a/packages/client/src/api/hermes/system.ts b/packages/client/src/api/hermes/system.ts
index d16c4d1..b2a9837 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/api/hermes/system.ts
+++ b/packages/client/src/api/hermes/system.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ export interface PreviewStatus {
 export interface PreviewActionResponse extends PreviewStatus {
   success: boolean
   message?: string
+  code?: string
 }
 
 // Config-based model types
diff --git a/packages/client/src/components/hermes/settings/GithubPreviewSettings.vue b/packages/client/src/components/hermes/settings/GithubPreviewSettings.vue
index a16ae85..dfbeb8f 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/components/hermes/settings/GithubPreviewSettings.vue
+++ b/packages/client/src/components/hermes/settings/GithubPreviewSettings.vue
@@ -42,6 +42,23 @@ function applyErrorStatus(err: any) {
   } catch {}
 }
 
+function errorCodeMessage(code?: string, fallback?: string): string {
+  if (code === 'node_environment_missing') return t('githubPreview.nodeEnvironmentMissing')
+  return fallback || t('githubPreview.actionFailed')
+}
+
+function parseErrorPayload(err: any): { message?: string; code?: string } | null {
+  const messageText = String(err?.message || '')
+  const jsonStart = messageText.indexOf('{')
+  if (jsonStart < 0) return null
+  try {
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(messageText.slice(jsonStart))
+    return parsed && typeof parsed === 'object' ? parsed : null
+  } catch {
+    return null
+  }
+}
+
 async function loadStatus() {
   status.value = await fetchPreviewStatus()
   if (!selectedTag.value && status.value.current_tag) {
@@ -71,19 +88,20 @@ async function handleRefresh() {
   }
 }
 
-async function runAction(action: string, fn: () => Promise<PreviewStatus & { success?: boolean; message?: string }>, successKey: string) {
+async function runAction(action: string, fn: () => Promise<PreviewStatus & { success?: boolean; message?: string; code?: string }>, successKey: string) {
   actionLoading.value = action
   try {
     const res = await fn()
     status.value = res
     if (res.success === false) {
-      message.warning(res.message || t('githubPreview.actionFailed'))
+      message.warning(errorCodeMessage(res.code, res.message))
       return
     }
     message.success(t(successKey))
   } catch (err: any) {
     applyErrorStatus(err)
-    message.error(err?.message || t('githubPreview.actionFailed'))
+    const payload = parseErrorPayload(err)
+    message.error(errorCodeMessage(payload?.code, payload?.message || err?.message))
   } finally {
     actionLoading.value = ''
   }
diff --git a/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/de.ts b/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/de.ts
index f652ebf..46048aa 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/de.ts
+++ b/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/de.ts
@@ -1015,6 +1015,7 @@ jobTriggered: 'Job ausgelost',
     yes: "Ja",
     no: "Nein",
     actionFailed: "Aktion fehlgeschlagen",
+    nodeEnvironmentMissing: "Node/npm wurde nicht erkannt. Bitte installiere Node.js und versuche es erneut.",
     prepareSuccess: "Vorschaucode ist bereit",
     installSuccess: "Abhängigkeiten installiert",
     startSuccess: "Vorschau gestartet",
@@ -1038,6 +1039,7 @@ jobTriggered: 'Job ausgelost',
     installing: "Installiere",
     installSuccess: "Installiert",
     installFailed: "Installation fehlgeschlagen",
+    nodeEnvironmentMissing: "Node/npm wurde nicht erkannt. Bitte installiere Node.js und versuche es erneut.",
     deleteNow: "Loschen",
     deleting: "Losche",
     deleteSuccess: "Gelöscht",
diff --git a/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/en.ts b/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/en.ts
index bef3bad..f09328c 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/en.ts
+++ b/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/en.ts
@@ -1117,6 +1117,7 @@ export default {
     yes: "Yes",
     no: "No",
     actionFailed: "Action failed",
+    nodeEnvironmentMissing: "Node/npm was not detected. Please install Node.js and try again.",
     prepareSuccess: "Preview code is ready",
     installSuccess: "Dependencies installed",
     startSuccess: "Preview started",
@@ -1140,6 +1141,7 @@ export default {
     installing: "Installing",
     installSuccess: "Installed",
     installFailed: "Install failed",
+    nodeEnvironmentMissing: "Node/npm was not detected. Please install Node.js and try again.",
     deleteNow: "Delete",
     deleting: "Deleting",
     deleteSuccess: "Deleted",
diff --git a/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/es.ts b/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/es.ts
index eb8f341..17bd928 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/es.ts
+++ b/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/es.ts
@@ -1015,6 +1015,7 @@ jobTriggered: 'Job ejecutado',
     yes: "Sí",
     no: "No",
     actionFailed: "Acción fallida",
+    nodeEnvironmentMissing: "No se detectó Node/npm. Instala Node.js y vuelve a intentarlo.",
     prepareSuccess: "Código de vista previa listo",
     installSuccess: "Dependencias instaladas",
     startSuccess: "Vista previa iniciada",
@@ -1038,6 +1039,7 @@ jobTriggered: 'Job ejecutado',
     installing: "Instalando",
     installSuccess: "Instalado",
     installFailed: "Error de instalación",
+    nodeEnvironmentMissing: "No se detectó Node/npm. Instala Node.js y vuelve a intentarlo.",
     deleteNow: "Eliminar",
     deleting: "Eliminando",
     deleteSuccess: "Eliminado",
diff --git a/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/fr.ts b/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/fr.ts
index 6cfddf3..34b52de 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/fr.ts
+++ b/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/fr.ts
@@ -1015,6 +1015,7 @@ jobTriggered: 'Job declenche',
     yes: "Oui",
     no: "Non",
     actionFailed: "Échec de l’action",
+    nodeEnvironmentMissing: "Node/npm n’a pas été détecté. Installez Node.js puis réessayez.",
     prepareSuccess: "Code de prévisualisation prêt",
     installSuccess: "Dépendances installées",
     startSuccess: "Prévisualisation démarrée",
@@ -1038,6 +1039,7 @@ jobTriggered: 'Job declenche',
     installing: "Installation",
     installSuccess: "Installé",
     installFailed: "Échec de l’installation",
+    nodeEnvironmentMissing: "Node/npm n’a pas été détecté. Installez Node.js puis réessayez.",
     deleteNow: "Supprimer",
     deleting: "Suppression",
     deleteSuccess: "Supprimé",
diff --git a/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/ja.ts b/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/ja.ts
index ad57f09..008423b 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/ja.ts
+++ b/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/ja.ts
@@ -1015,6 +1015,7 @@ export default {
     yes: "はい",
     no: "いいえ",
     actionFailed: "操作に失敗しました",
+    nodeEnvironmentMissing: "Node/npm が検出されませんでした。Node.js をインストールしてから再試行してください。",
     prepareSuccess: "プレビューコードの準備が完了しました",
     installSuccess: "依存関係をインストールしました",
     startSuccess: "プレビューを起動しました",
@@ -1038,6 +1039,7 @@ export default {
     installing: "インストール中",
     installSuccess: "インストールしました",
     installFailed: "インストールに失敗しました",
+    nodeEnvironmentMissing: "Node/npm が検出されませんでした。Node.js をインストールしてから再試行してください。",
     deleteNow: "削除",
     deleting: "削除中",
     deleteSuccess: "削除しました",
diff --git a/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/ko.ts b/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/ko.ts
index 02603a0..2af9e63 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/ko.ts
+++ b/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/ko.ts
@@ -1015,6 +1015,7 @@ export default {
     yes: "예",
     no: "아니요",
     actionFailed: "작업 실패",
+    nodeEnvironmentMissing: "Node/npm 환경을 찾을 수 없습니다. Node.js를 설치한 뒤 다시 시도하세요.",
     prepareSuccess: "미리보기 코드가 준비되었습니다",
     installSuccess: "의존성이 설치되었습니다",
     startSuccess: "미리보기가 시작되었습니다",
@@ -1038,6 +1039,7 @@ export default {
     installing: "설치 중",
     installSuccess: "설치됨",
     installFailed: "설치 실패",
+    nodeEnvironmentMissing: "Node/npm 환경을 찾을 수 없습니다. Node.js를 설치한 뒤 다시 시도하세요.",
     deleteNow: "삭제",
     deleting: "삭제 중",
     deleteSuccess: "삭제됨",
diff --git a/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/pt.ts b/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/pt.ts
index 6664df3..47d91b6 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/pt.ts
+++ b/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/pt.ts
@@ -1015,6 +1015,7 @@ jobTriggered: 'Job acionado',
     yes: "Sim",
     no: "Não",
     actionFailed: "Ação falhou",
+    nodeEnvironmentMissing: "Node/npm não foi detectado. Instale o Node.js e tente novamente.",
     prepareSuccess: "Código de prévia pronto",
     installSuccess: "Dependências instaladas",
     startSuccess: "Prévia iniciada",
@@ -1038,6 +1039,7 @@ jobTriggered: 'Job acionado',
     installing: "Instalando",
     installSuccess: "Instalado",
     installFailed: "Falha na instalação",
+    nodeEnvironmentMissing: "Node/npm não foi detectado. Instale o Node.js e tente novamente.",
     deleteNow: "Excluir",
     deleting: "Excluindo",
     deleteSuccess: "Excluído",
diff --git a/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/zh-TW.ts b/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/zh-TW.ts
index b39d8b3..b94741d 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/zh-TW.ts
+++ b/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/zh-TW.ts
@@ -1109,6 +1109,7 @@ export default {
     yes: "是",
     no: "否",
     actionFailed: "操作失敗",
+    nodeEnvironmentMissing: "未偵測到可用的 Node/npm 環境，請先安裝 Node.js 後重試。",
     prepareSuccess: "預覽程式碼已準備好",
     installSuccess: "依賴安裝完成",
     startSuccess: "預覽已啟動",
@@ -1132,6 +1133,7 @@ export default {
     installing: "安裝中",
     installSuccess: "安裝完成",
     installFailed: "安裝失敗",
+    nodeEnvironmentMissing: "未偵測到可用的 Node/npm 環境，請先安裝 Node.js 後重試。",
     deleteNow: "刪除",
     deleting: "刪除中",
     deleteSuccess: "刪除完成",
diff --git a/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/zh.ts b/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/zh.ts
index 3b4935b..e7fc373 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/zh.ts
+++ b/packages/client/src/i18n/locales/zh.ts
@@ -1109,6 +1109,7 @@ export default {
     yes: "是",
     no: "否",
     actionFailed: "操作失败",
+    nodeEnvironmentMissing: "未检测到可用的 Node/npm 环境，请先安装 Node.js 后重试。",
     prepareSuccess: "预览代码已准备好",
     installSuccess: "依赖安装完成",
     startSuccess: "预览已启动",
@@ -1132,6 +1133,7 @@ export default {
     installing: "安装中",
     installSuccess: "安装完成",
     installFailed: "安装失败",
+    nodeEnvironmentMissing: "未检测到可用的 Node/npm 环境，请先安装 Node.js 后重试。",
     deleteNow: "删除",
     deleting: "删除中",
     deleteSuccess: "删除完成",
diff --git a/packages/client/src/views/hermes/CodingAgentsView.vue b/packages/client/src/views/hermes/CodingAgentsView.vue
index a2237ab..3ab0c90 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/views/hermes/CodingAgentsView.vue
+++ b/packages/client/src/views/hermes/CodingAgentsView.vue
@@ -307,6 +307,23 @@ function currentLaunchRequest() {
   }
 }
 
+function codingAgentMessage(code?: string, fallback?: string, fallbackKey = 'codingAgents.installFailed'): string {
+  if (code === 'node_environment_missing') return t('codingAgents.nodeEnvironmentMissing')
+  return fallback || t(fallbackKey)
+}
+
+function parseErrorPayload(err: any): { message?: string; code?: string } | null {
+  const messageText = String(err?.message || '')
+  const jsonStart = messageText.indexOf('{')
+  if (jsonStart < 0) return null
+  try {
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(messageText.slice(jsonStart))
+    return parsed && typeof parsed === 'object' ? parsed : null
+  } catch {
+    return null
+  }
+}
+
 async function launchBuiltInTerminal() {
   if (!useGlobalLaunchConfig.value && (!launchProvider.value || !launchModel.value)) {
     message.error(t('codingAgents.selectProviderModel'))
@@ -352,10 +369,11 @@ async function handleInstall(id: CodingAgentId) {
     if (result.success) {
       message.success(t('codingAgents.installSuccess'))
     } else {
-      message.error(result.message || t('codingAgents.installFailed'))
+      message.error(codingAgentMessage(result.code, result.message, 'codingAgents.installFailed'))
     }
   } catch (err: any) {
-    message.error(err?.message || t('codingAgents.installFailed'))
+    const payload = parseErrorPayload(err)
+    message.error(codingAgentMessage(payload?.code, payload?.message || err?.message, 'codingAgents.installFailed'))
   } finally {
     installing.value[id] = false
   }
@@ -369,10 +387,11 @@ async function handleDelete(id: CodingAgentId) {
     if (result.success) {
       message.success(t('codingAgents.deleteSuccess'))
     } else {
-      message.error(result.message || t('codingAgents.deleteFailed'))
+      message.error(codingAgentMessage(result.code, result.message, 'codingAgents.deleteFailed'))
     }
   } catch (err: any) {
-    message.error(err?.message || t('codingAgents.deleteFailed'))
+    const payload = parseErrorPayload(err)
+    message.error(codingAgentMessage(payload?.code, payload?.message || err?.message, 'codingAgents.deleteFailed'))
   } finally {
     deleting.value[id] = false
   }
diff --git a/packages/client/src/views/hermes/SkillsView.vue b/packages/client/src/views/hermes/SkillsView.vue
index 132bb7a..07178b0 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/views/hermes/SkillsView.vue
+++ b/packages/client/src/views/hermes/SkillsView.vue
@@ -77,6 +77,9 @@ async function loadRecommendations() {
     const response = await fetch(recommendationsPath.value)
     if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`HTTP ${response.status}`)
     const text = await response.text()
+    if (/^\s*<!doctype html/i.test(text) || /^\s*<html[\s>]/i.test(text)) {
+      throw new Error('Skill recommendations file was not found')
+    }
     if (requestSeq === recommendationsRequestSeq) {
       recommendations.value = text
     }
diff --git a/packages/desktop/electron-builder.yml b/packages/desktop/electron-builder.yml
index 86313d3..d0d227d 100644
--- a/packages/desktop/electron-builder.yml
+++ b/packages/desktop/electron-builder.yml
@@ -35,7 +35,8 @@ extraResources:
       - "!node_modules/node-pty/prebuilds/!(${platform}-${arch})/**"
       - "!node_modules/node-pty/build/**"
       - "!packages/desktop/**"
-      - "!**/{.git,.github,docs,tests,playwright.config.ts,*.md,README*,scripts,*.map}"
+      - "!**/{.git,.github,docs,tests,playwright.config.ts,README*,scripts,*.map}"
+      - "!node_modules/**/*.md"
   - from: "resources/python/${os}-${arch}"
     to: "python"
     filter:
diff --git a/packages/desktop/src/main/webui-server.ts b/packages/desktop/src/main/webui-server.ts
index 93b8a1c..39abb30 100644
--- a/packages/desktop/src/main/webui-server.ts
+++ b/packages/desktop/src/main/webui-server.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,16 @@
-import { ChildProcess, spawn } from 'node:child_process'
-import { mkdirSync, readFileSync, writeFileSync, chmodSync, existsSync } from 'node:fs'
+import { ChildProcess, execFile, spawn } from 'node:child_process'
+import { mkdirSync, readFileSync, writeFileSync, chmodSync, existsSync, readdirSync } from 'node:fs'
 import { createServer } from 'node:net'
+import { homedir } from 'node:os'
 import { dirname, delimiter, join } from 'node:path'
 import { randomBytes } from 'node:crypto'
+import { promisify } from 'node:util'
 import { app } from 'electron'
 import { webuiServerEntry, webuiDir, hermesBin, webUiHome, hermesHome, tokenFile, pythonDir } from './paths'
 
 const DEFAULT_PORT = 8748
 const READY_TIMEOUT_MS = 30_000
+const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile)
 
 let serverProc: ChildProcess | null = null
 let cachedToken: string | null = null
@@ -43,6 +46,93 @@ function ensureNativeModules() {
   }
 }
 
+const COMMON_USER_BIN_DIRS = process.platform === 'win32'
+  ? []
+  : [
+      '/opt/homebrew/bin',
+      '/usr/local/bin',
+      '/usr/bin',
+      '/bin',
+      '/usr/sbin',
+      '/sbin',
+    ]
+const PATH_MARKER_START = '__HERMES_DESKTOP_PATH_START__'
+const PATH_MARKER_END = '__HERMES_DESKTOP_PATH_END__'
+
+function mergePathEntries(...paths: Array<string | undefined | null>): string {
+  const seen = new Set<string>()
+  const entries: string[] = []
+  for (const rawPath of paths) {
+    if (!rawPath) continue
+    for (const entry of rawPath.split(delimiter)) {
+      const trimmed = entry.trim()
+      if (!trimmed) continue
+      const key = process.platform === 'win32' ? trimmed.toLowerCase() : trimmed
+      if (seen.has(key)) continue
+      seen.add(key)
+      entries.push(trimmed)
+    }
+  }
+  return entries.join(delimiter)
+}
+
+function extractMarkedPath(output: string): string | null {
+  const start = output.lastIndexOf(PATH_MARKER_START)
+  const end = output.lastIndexOf(PATH_MARKER_END)
+  if (start < 0 || end <= start) return null
+  const value = output.slice(start + PATH_MARKER_START.length, end).trim()
+  return value || null
+}
+
+function compareNodeVersionDesc(left: string, right: string): number {
+  const leftParts = left.replace(/^v/, '').split('.').map(part => Number.parseInt(part, 10) || 0)
+  const rightParts = right.replace(/^v/, '').split('.').map(part => Number.parseInt(part, 10) || 0)
+  for (let index = 0; index < Math.max(leftParts.length, rightParts.length); index += 1) {
+    const diff = (rightParts[index] || 0) - (leftParts[index] || 0)
+    if (diff !== 0) return diff
+  }
+  return right.localeCompare(left)
+}
+
+function getNvmNodeBinPaths(): string {
+  if (process.platform === 'win32') return ''
+
+  const nvmDir = process.env.NVM_DIR?.trim() || join(homedir(), '.nvm')
+  const versionsDir = join(nvmDir, 'versions', 'node')
+  if (!existsSync(versionsDir)) return ''
+
+  try {
+    return readdirSync(versionsDir, { withFileTypes: true })
+      .filter(entry => entry.isDirectory())
+      .map(entry => entry.name)
+      .sort(compareNodeVersionDesc)
+      .map(version => join(versionsDir, version, 'bin'))
+      .filter(binDir => existsSync(binDir))
+      .join(delimiter)
+  } catch {
+    return ''
+  }
+}
+
+async function getLoginShellPath(): Promise<string | null> {
+  if (process.platform === 'win32') return null
+
+  const shell = process.env.SHELL?.trim() || (process.platform === 'darwin' ? '/bin/zsh' : '/bin/sh')
+  if (!existsSync(shell)) return null
+
+  try {
+    const { stdout } = await execFileAsync(shell, ['-l', '-c', `printf '\\n${PATH_MARKER_START}%s${PATH_MARKER_END}\\n' "$PATH"`], {
+      encoding: 'utf-8',
+      timeout: 1500,
+      windowsHide: true,
+      env: process.env,
+    })
+    return extractMarkedPath(stdout) || stdout.trim() || null
+  } catch {
+    return null
+  }
+}
+
 export function getToken(): string {
   return ensureToken()
 }
@@ -111,6 +201,15 @@ export async function startWebUiServer(port = DEFAULT_PORT): Promise<string> {
     : join(pythonDir(), 'bin', 'python3')
   const bridgePort = await getFreeTcpPort()
   const workerPortBase = await getFreeTcpPortInRange(20000, 59000)
+  const loginShellPath = await getLoginShellPath()
+  const nvmNodeBinPaths = getNvmNodeBinPaths()
+  const runtimePath = mergePathEntries(
+    dirname(hermesBin()),
+    loginShellPath,
+    nvmNodeBinPaths,
+    process.env.PATH,
+    COMMON_USER_BIN_DIRS.join(delimiter),
+  )
 
   // Run via Electron's "run as Node" mode — Electron binary doubles as Node.
   const env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = {
@@ -151,7 +250,7 @@ export async function startWebUiServer(port = DEFAULT_PORT): Promise<string> {
     AUTH_TOKEN: token,
     PORT: String(port),
     // Prepend bundled Python's bin to PATH so any incidental `python` resolution lands on ours
-    PATH: [dirname(hermesBin()), process.env.PATH].filter(Boolean).join(delimiter),
+    PATH: runtimePath,
   }
 
   serverProc = spawn(process.execPath, [entry], {
diff --git a/packages/server/src/controllers/update.ts b/packages/server/src/controllers/update.ts
index 1ca3e18..dd7b47b 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/controllers/update.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/controllers/update.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
 import { execFileSync, spawn, type ChildProcess } from 'child_process'
 import { appendFileSync, closeSync, existsSync, mkdirSync, openSync, readFileSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from 'fs'
 import { createServer } from 'net'
-import { delimiter, dirname, join, resolve } from 'path'
+import { delimiter, dirname, extname, join, resolve } from 'path'
 import { getWebUiHome } from '../config'
 
 let updateInProgress = false
 let previewProcess: ChildProcess | null = null
+const NODE_ENVIRONMENT_MISSING_CODE = 'node_environment_missing'
 
 const PREVIEW_DIR_NAME = 'hermes-web-ui-pereview'
 const PREVIEW_HOME_DIR_NAME = 'hermes-web-ui-pereview-home'
@@ -144,6 +145,96 @@ function getNpmBin() {
   return process.platform === 'win32' ? 'npm.cmd' : 'npm'
 }
 
+function windowsCommandNeedsShell(command: string): boolean {
+  const extension = extname(command).toLowerCase()
+  return extension === '.cmd' || extension === '.bat'
+}
+
+function commandExecution(command: string, args: string[]): { command: string; args: string[] } {
+  if (process.platform === 'win32' && windowsCommandNeedsShell(command)) {
+    const commandArg = / /.test(command) ? `"${command}"` : command
+    const argsString = args.map(arg => / /.test(arg) ? `"${arg}"` : arg).join(' ')
+    return {
+      command: 'cmd.exe',
+      args: ['/d', '/s', '/c', `${commandArg} ${argsString}`],
+    }
+  }
+  return { command, args }
+}
+
+function nodeEnvironmentMissingError(): Error {
+  const err = new Error('Node/npm environment was not detected. Please install Node.js and try again.')
+  ;(err as any).code = NODE_ENVIRONMENT_MISSING_CODE
+  return err
+}
+
+function isNodeEnvironmentMissingError(err: any): boolean {
+  const text = [
+    err?.code,
+    err?.message,
+    err?.stderr?.toString?.(),
+    err?.stdout?.toString?.(),
+  ].filter(Boolean).join('\n').toLowerCase()
+  return text.includes('enoent') ||
+    text.includes('spawn npm') ||
+    text.includes('npm: command not found') ||
+    text.includes('npm not found') ||
+    text.includes('node: command not found') ||
+    text.includes('node not found')
+}
+
+function normalizeNodeToolError(err: any): { message: string; code?: string } {
+  if (isNodeEnvironmentMissingError(err)) {
+    return { message: nodeEnvironmentMissingError().message, code: NODE_ENVIRONMENT_MISSING_CODE }
+  }
+  return { message: err?.stderr?.toString() || err?.message || String(err) }
+}
+
+function findCommandPath(command: string, env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv): string | null {
+  try {
+    const lookupCommand = process.platform === 'win32' ? 'where' : 'which'
+    const stdout = execFileSync(lookupCommand, [command], {
+      encoding: 'utf-8',
+      timeout: 3000,
+      stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
+      env,
+      windowsHide: true,
+    })
+    return stdout.split(/\r?\n/).map((line: string) => line.trim()).find(Boolean) || null
+  } catch {
+    return null
+  }
+}
+
+function npmCliFromNpmBin(npmBin: string): { node: string; npmCli: string } | null {
+  const binDir = dirname(npmBin)
+  if (process.platform === 'win32') {
+    const node = join(binDir, 'node.exe')
+    const npmCli = join(binDir, 'node_modules', 'npm', 'bin', 'npm-cli.js')
+    return existsSync(node) && existsSync(npmCli) ? { node, npmCli } : null
+  }
+
+  const node = join(binDir, 'node')
+  const npmCli = join(dirname(binDir), 'lib', 'node_modules', 'npm', 'bin', 'npm-cli.js')
+  return existsSync(node) && existsSync(npmCli) ? { node, npmCli } : null
+}
+
+function npmExecution(args: string[], env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv): { command: string; args: string[] } {
+  const bundledNpmCli = getNpmCliPath()
+  if (bundledNpmCli) return { command: process.execPath, args: [bundledNpmCli, ...args] }
+
+  const npmBin = findCommandPath(getNpmBin(), env) || findCommandPath('npm', env)
+  if (!npmBin) throw nodeEnvironmentMissingError()
+
+  const npmCli = npmCliFromNpmBin(npmBin)
+  if (npmCli) return { command: npmCli.node, args: [npmCli.npmCli, ...args] }
+
+  const nodeBin = findCommandPath(process.platform === 'win32' ? 'node.exe' : 'node', env) || findCommandPath('node', env)
+  if (!nodeBin) throw nodeEnvironmentMissingError()
+
+  return commandExecution(npmBin, args)
+}
+
 function isTermuxRuntime() {
   const prefix = process.env.PREFIX || ''
   return prefix.includes('/com.termux/') ||
@@ -167,21 +258,20 @@ function getCurrentNodeEnv() {
 }
 
 function runNpm(args: string[], options: { timeout?: number; cwd?: string; logLabel?: string; env?: NodeJS.ProcessEnv } = {}) {
-  const npmCli = getNpmCliPath()
-  const command = npmCli ? process.execPath : getNpmBin()
-  const commandArgs = npmCli ? [npmCli, ...args] : args
+  const env = {
+    ...getCurrentNodeEnv(),
+    ...options.env,
+  }
+  const execution = npmExecution(args, env)
   const label = options.logLabel || ''
 
-  if (label) appendPreviewActionLog(`${label}: ${command} ${commandArgs.join(' ')}${options.cwd ? `\ncwd: ${options.cwd}` : ''}`)
+  if (label) appendPreviewActionLog(`${label}: ${execution.command} ${execution.args.join(' ')}${options.cwd ? `\ncwd: ${options.cwd}` : ''}`)
   try {
-    const output = execFileSync(command, commandArgs, {
+    const output = execFileSync(execution.command, execution.args, {
       encoding: 'utf-8',
       timeout: options.timeout,
       stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
-      env: {
-        ...getCurrentNodeEnv(),
-        ...options.env,
-      },
+      env,
       cwd: options.cwd,
       windowsHide: true,
     }).trim()
@@ -931,9 +1021,10 @@ export async function installPreview(ctx: any) {
     }
     ctx.body = previewPayload({ success: true, message: output })
   } catch (err: any) {
-    appendPreviewActionLog(`npm install failed: ${err.stderr?.toString() || err.message || String(err)}`)
+    const normalized = normalizeNodeToolError(err)
+    appendPreviewActionLog(`npm install failed: ${normalized.message}`)
     ctx.status = 500
-    ctx.body = previewPayload({ success: false, message: err.stderr?.toString() || err.message || String(err) })
+    ctx.body = previewPayload({ success: false, message: normalized.message, code: normalized.code })
   }
 }
 
@@ -973,29 +1064,28 @@ export async function startPreview(ctx: any) {
 
     await assertPreviewPortsAvailable()
 
-    const npmCli = getNpmCliPath()
-    const command = npmCli ? process.execPath : getNpmBin()
-    const commandArgs = npmCli ? [npmCli, 'run', 'dev'] : ['run', 'dev']
+    const env = {
+      ...getCurrentNodeEnv(),
+      NODE_ENV: 'development',
+      PORT: String(PREVIEW_BACKEND_PORT),
+      HERMES_WEB_UI_HOME: getPreviewHomeDir(),
+      HERMES_WEBUI_STATE_DIR: getPreviewHomeDir(),
+      HERMES_AGENT_BRIDGE_ENDPOINT: getPreviewAgentBridgeEndpoint(),
+      HERMES_AGENT_BRIDGE_WORKER_PORT_BASE: String(PREVIEW_AGENT_BRIDGE_WORKER_PORT_BASE),
+      AUTH_TOKEN: '',
+      HERMES_WEB_UI_BACKEND_PORT: String(PREVIEW_BACKEND_PORT),
+      HERMES_WEB_UI_FRONTEND_PORT: String(PREVIEW_FRONTEND_PORT),
+      VITE_HERMES_PREVIEW: '1',
+    }
+    const execution = npmExecution(['run', 'dev'], env)
     const logFd = openPreviewLogFile()
-    appendPreviewActionLog(`spawn preview process: ${command} ${commandArgs.join(' ')}`)
-    previewProcess = spawn(command, commandArgs, {
+    appendPreviewActionLog(`spawn preview process: ${execution.command} ${execution.args.join(' ')}`)
+    previewProcess = spawn(execution.command, execution.args, {
       cwd: getPreviewDir(),
       detached: true,
       stdio: ['ignore', logFd, logFd],
       windowsHide: true,
-      env: {
-        ...getCurrentNodeEnv(),
-        NODE_ENV: 'development',
-        PORT: String(PREVIEW_BACKEND_PORT),
-        HERMES_WEB_UI_HOME: getPreviewHomeDir(),
-        HERMES_WEBUI_STATE_DIR: getPreviewHomeDir(),
-        HERMES_AGENT_BRIDGE_ENDPOINT: getPreviewAgentBridgeEndpoint(),
-        HERMES_AGENT_BRIDGE_WORKER_PORT_BASE: String(PREVIEW_AGENT_BRIDGE_WORKER_PORT_BASE),
-        AUTH_TOKEN: '',
-        HERMES_WEB_UI_BACKEND_PORT: String(PREVIEW_BACKEND_PORT),
-        HERMES_WEB_UI_FRONTEND_PORT: String(PREVIEW_FRONTEND_PORT),
-        VITE_HERMES_PREVIEW: '1',
-      },
+      env,
     })
     closeSync(logFd)
     previewProcess.on('exit', () => {
@@ -1013,10 +1103,11 @@ export async function startPreview(ctx: any) {
     appendPreviewActionLog(`preview ready: ${PREVIEW_FRONTEND_URL}`)
     ctx.body = previewPayload({ success: true, message: 'Preview started' })
   } catch (err: any) {
-    appendPreviewActionLog(`npm run dev failed: ${err.stderr?.toString() || err.message || String(err)}`)
+    const normalized = normalizeNodeToolError(err)
+    appendPreviewActionLog(`npm run dev failed: ${normalized.message}`)
     await stopPreviewProcess()
     ctx.status = 500
-    ctx.body = previewPayload({ success: false, message: err.message || String(err) })
+    ctx.body = previewPayload({ success: false, message: normalized.message, code: normalized.code })
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/server/src/services/coding-agents.ts b/packages/server/src/services/coding-agents.ts
index a250c6e..1f18a31 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/services/coding-agents.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/services/coding-agents.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { execFile } from 'child_process'
-import { existsSync, realpathSync } from 'fs'
+import { existsSync, readdirSync, realpathSync } from 'fs'
 import { mkdir, readFile, stat, writeFile } from 'fs/promises'
 import { homedir } from 'os'
 import { delimiter, dirname, extname, join } from 'path'
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ const LAUNCH_API_MODES = new Set<ApiMode>(['chat_completions', 'codex_responses'
 const CODING_AGENT_HOME_DIR = 'coding-agent'
 const CODEX_MODEL_CATALOG_FILE = 'codex-model-catalog.json'
 const CODEX_CATALOG_BASE_INSTRUCTIONS = 'You are Codex, a coding agent. Be precise, safe, and helpful.'
+const NODE_ENVIRONMENT_MISSING_CODE = 'node_environment_missing'
 
 export type CodingAgentId = 'claude-code' | 'codex'
 
@@ -41,6 +42,7 @@ export interface CodingAgentMutationResult extends CodingAgentsStatus {
   success: boolean
   tool: CodingAgentToolStatus
   message?: string
+  code?: string
 }
 
 export interface CodingAgentConfigFileDefinition {
@@ -163,6 +165,70 @@ function getNpmBin() {
   return process.platform === 'win32' ? 'npm.cmd' : 'npm'
 }
 
+function compareNodeVersionDesc(left: string, right: string): number {
+  const leftParts = left.replace(/^v/, '').split('.').map(part => Number.parseInt(part, 10) || 0)
+  const rightParts = right.replace(/^v/, '').split('.').map(part => Number.parseInt(part, 10) || 0)
+  for (let index = 0; index < Math.max(leftParts.length, rightParts.length); index += 1) {
+    const diff = (rightParts[index] || 0) - (leftParts[index] || 0)
+    if (diff !== 0) return diff
+  }
+  return right.localeCompare(left)
+}
+
+function getNvmNodeBinPaths(): string {
+  if (process.env.HERMES_DESKTOP !== 'true' || process.platform === 'win32') return ''
+
+  const nvmDir = process.env.NVM_DIR?.trim() || join(homedir(), '.nvm')
+  const versionsDir = join(nvmDir, 'versions', 'node')
+  if (!existsSync(versionsDir)) return ''
+
+  try {
+    return readdirSync(versionsDir, { withFileTypes: true })
+      .filter(entry => entry.isDirectory())
+      .map(entry => entry.name)
+      .sort(compareNodeVersionDesc)
+      .map(version => join(versionsDir, version, 'bin'))
+      .filter(binDir => existsSync(binDir))
+      .join(delimiter)
+  } catch {
+    return ''
+  }
+}
+
+function nodeEnvironmentMissingError(): Error {
+  const err = new Error('Node/npm environment was not detected. Please install Node.js and try again.')
+  ;(err as any).code = NODE_ENVIRONMENT_MISSING_CODE
+  return err
+}
+
+function isNodeEnvironmentMissingError(err: any): boolean {
+  const text = [
+    err?.code,
+    err?.message,
+    typeof err?.stderr === 'string' ? err.stderr : '',
+    typeof err?.stdout === 'string' ? err.stdout : '',
+  ].filter(Boolean).join('\n').toLowerCase()
+  return text.includes('enoent') ||
+    text.includes('spawn npm') ||
+    text.includes('npm: command not found') ||
+    text.includes('npm not found') ||
+    text.includes('node: command not found') ||
+    text.includes('node not found')
+}
+
+function npmCliFromNpmBin(npmBin: string): { node: string; npmCli: string } | null {
+  const binDir = dirname(npmBin)
+  if (process.platform === 'win32') {
+    const node = join(binDir, 'node.exe')
+    const npmCli = join(binDir, 'node_modules', 'npm', 'bin', 'npm-cli.js')
+    return existsSync(node) && existsSync(npmCli) ? { node, npmCli } : null
+  }
+
+  const node = join(binDir, 'node')
+  const npmCli = join(dirname(binDir), 'lib', 'node_modules', 'npm', 'bin', 'npm-cli.js')
+  return existsSync(node) && existsSync(npmCli) ? { node, npmCli } : null
+}
+
 function normalizeScopeSegment(value: string | undefined, fallback: string, label: string): string {
   // Replace invalid filename characters with underscores
   // Windows invalid chars: < > : " / \ | ? *
@@ -468,34 +534,68 @@ function getScopedConfigFileDefinition(id: string, key: string, scopeInput: Codi
 function getCurrentNodeEnv(): NodeJS.ProcessEnv {
   return {
     ...process.env,
-    PATH: [getNodeBinDir(), process.env.PATH].filter(Boolean).join(delimiter),
+    PATH: [getNodeBinDir(), getNvmNodeBinPaths(), process.env.PATH].filter(Boolean).join(delimiter),
     npm_node_execpath: process.execPath,
   }
 }
 
+async function npmExecution(args: string[], env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv): Promise<{ command: string; args: string[] }> {
+  const bundledNpmCli = getNpmCliPath()
+  if (bundledNpmCli) return { command: process.execPath, args: [bundledNpmCli, ...args] }
+
+  let npmBin: string | null = null
+  for (const command of [...new Set([getNpmBin(), 'npm'])]) {
+    const paths = await findCommandPaths(command, env)
+    if (paths[0]) {
+      npmBin = paths[0]
+      break
+    }
+  }
+  if (!npmBin) throw nodeEnvironmentMissingError()
+
+  const npmCli = npmCliFromNpmBin(npmBin)
+  if (npmCli) return { command: npmCli.node, args: [npmCli.npmCli, ...args] }
+
+  let nodeBin: string | null = null
+  for (const command of [...new Set([process.platform === 'win32' ? 'node.exe' : 'node', 'node'])]) {
+    const paths = await findCommandPaths(command, env)
+    if (paths[0]) {
+      nodeBin = paths[0]
+      break
+    }
+  }
+  if (!nodeBin) throw nodeEnvironmentMissingError()
+
+  return commandExecution(npmBin, args)
+}
+
 async function runNpm(args: string[], options: { timeout?: number; env?: NodeJS.ProcessEnv } = {}) {
-  const npmCli = getNpmCliPath()
-  const command = npmCli ? process.execPath : getNpmBin()
-  const commandArgs = npmCli ? [npmCli, ...args] : args
-  return execFileAsync(command, commandArgs, {
+  const env = {
+    ...getCurrentNodeEnv(),
+    ...options.env,
+  }
+  const execution = await npmExecution(args, env)
+  return execFileAsync(execution.command, execution.args, {
     encoding: 'utf-8',
     timeout: options.timeout,
     windowsHide: true,
     maxBuffer: 10 * 1024 * 1024,
-    env: {
-      ...getCurrentNodeEnv(),
-      ...options.env,
-    },
+    env,
   })
 }
 
 function normalizeError(err: any): string {
+  if (isNodeEnvironmentMissingError(err)) return nodeEnvironmentMissingError().message
   const stderr = typeof err?.stderr === 'string' ? err.stderr.trim() : ''
   const stdout = typeof err?.stdout === 'string' ? err.stdout.trim() : ''
   const message = stderr || stdout || err?.message || String(err)
   return message.split(/\r?\n/).filter(Boolean).slice(0, 4).join('\n')
 }
 
+function normalizeErrorCode(err: any): string | undefined {
+  return isNodeEnvironmentMissingError(err) ? NODE_ENVIRONMENT_MISSING_CODE : undefined
+}
+
 async function findCommandPaths(command: string, env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv): Promise<string[]> {
   try {
     const lookupCommand = process.platform === 'win32' ? 'where' : 'which'
@@ -703,6 +803,7 @@ export async function installCodingAgent(id: string): Promise<CodingAgentMutatio
       tool: status,
       tools: allStatus.tools,
       message: normalizeError(err),
+      code: normalizeErrorCode(err),
     }
   } finally {
     installingTools.delete(tool.id)
@@ -752,6 +853,7 @@ export async function deleteCodingAgent(id: string): Promise<CodingAgentMutation
       tool: status,
       tools: allStatus.tools,
       message: normalizeError(err),
+      code: normalizeErrorCode(err),
     }
   } finally {
     deletingTools.delete(tool.id)