diff --git a/skills/pragmatic-orchestration/scripts/lib/backend_run.sh b/skills/pragmatic-orchestration/scripts/lib/backend_run.sh
index 57808c2..897c9f9 100755
--- a/skills/pragmatic-orchestration/scripts/lib/backend_run.sh
+++ b/skills/pragmatic-orchestration/scripts/lib/backend_run.sh
@@ -293,9 +293,28 @@ if [[ -z "$BIN" ]]; then
     echo "Error: unknown backend '$BACKEND' for agent $AGENT_ID" >&2
     exit $EXIT_CONFIG_ERROR
 fi
-if ! command -v "$BIN" &>/dev/null && [[ ! -x "$BIN" ]]; then
-    echo "Error: backend CLI not found: $BIN (backend=$BACKEND)" >&2
-    exit $EXIT_CONFIG_ERROR
+bin_usable() {
+    command -v "$1" &>/dev/null || [[ -x "$1" ]]
+}
+if ! bin_usable "$BIN"; then
+    # Native Windows Python can resolve an npm .CMD shim that MSYS bash cannot
+    # execute. Use its extensionless sibling, keeping the resolved directory
+    # (and any explicit binary override) authoritative.
+    _bin_fallback=""
+    if [[ "$BIN" == *[/\\]* && "$BIN" == *.[cC][mM][dD] ]]; then
+        _bin_fallback="${BIN%.*}"
+        _bin_fallback="${_bin_fallback//\\//}"
+        if command -v cygpath &>/dev/null; then
+            _bin_fallback="$(cygpath -u "$_bin_fallback" 2>/dev/null)" || _bin_fallback=""
+        fi
+    fi
+    if [[ -n "$_bin_fallback" && -x "$_bin_fallback" ]]; then
+        BIN="$_bin_fallback"
+    else
+        echo "Error: backend CLI not found: $BIN (backend=$BACKEND)" >&2
+        exit $EXIT_CONFIG_ERROR
+    fi
+    unset _bin_fallback
 fi
 
 # Codex model alias + default efforts are already applied by backend_contract
diff --git a/skills/pragmatic-orchestration/scripts/tests/run.sh b/skills/pragmatic-orchestration/scripts/tests/run.sh
index 9aed364..84905ae 100755
--- a/skills/pragmatic-orchestration/scripts/tests/run.sh
+++ b/skills/pragmatic-orchestration/scripts/tests/run.sh
@@ -915,6 +915,65 @@ xml=$(CLAUDE_MODEL="claude-runtime" CLAUDE_EFFORT="max" \
 assert_contains "ask XML uses resolved model" "$xml" 'model="claude-runtime"'
 assert_contains "ask XML uses resolved effort" "$xml" 'effort="max"'
 
+echo "=== Windows .cmd shim binary resolution ==="
+# On Windows the contract resolves binaries with Python's shutil.which, which
+# walks PATHEXT and returns the `foo.CMD` sibling spelled with backslashes. npm
+# writes that shim without the executable bit, so bash can neither `command -v`
+# the path nor exec-test it, and every npm-installed backend was rejected with a
+# false "backend CLI not found". Reproduced here on any platform by pointing the
+# override at such a path; the extensionless launcher is the usable one.
+SHIM_DIR="$TMP/cmd-shim"
+mkdir -p "$SHIM_DIR"
+cp "$FAKES/fake-codex" "$SHIM_DIR/shimcodex"
+chmod +x "$SHIM_DIR/shimcodex"
+printf '@echo off\r\n' > "$SHIM_DIR/shimcodex.cmd"
+chmod 644 "$SHIM_DIR/shimcodex.cmd"
+
+export PORCH_RUN_DIR="$TMP/run-ask-cmd-shim"
+mkdir -p "$PORCH_RUN_DIR"
+set +e
+out=$(PATH="$SHIM_DIR:$PATH" PORCH_BIN_CODEX="$SHIM_DIR\\shimcodex.CMD" \
+  "$PORCH" review ask --progress none -a codex "review this" \
+  2>"$TMP/ask-cmd-shim.err")
+set -e
+assert_contains "windows .cmd path falls back to extensionless launcher" "$out" "FAKE_CODEX_OK"
+assert_not_contains "windows .cmd path is not reported missing" \
+  "$(cat "$TMP/ask-cmd-shim.err")" "backend CLI not found"
+
+# A bare name that resolves to nothing must still fail; the fallback only
+# applies to values that look like a resolved path.
+set +e
+PATH="$SHIM_DIR:$PATH" PORCH_BIN_CODEX="definitely-absent-cli" \
+  "$PORCH" review ask --progress none -a codex "review this" \
+  >"$TMP/ask-absent-bin.out" 2>"$TMP/ask-absent-bin.err"
+absent_bin_rc=$?
+set -e
+assert_eq "missing bare binary still fails" "$absent_bin_rc" "3"
+
+# A missing .CMD path must not pick a different installation from PATH.
+set +e
+PATH="$SHIM_DIR:$PATH" PORCH_BIN_CODEX="$TMP/missing/shimcodex.CMD" \
+  PORCH_RUN_DIR="$TMP/run-ask-missing-cmd" \
+  "$PORCH" review ask --progress none -a codex "review this" \
+  >"$TMP/ask-missing-cmd.out" 2>"$TMP/ask-missing-cmd.err"
+missing_cmd_rc=$?
+set -e
+assert_eq "missing .CMD sibling fails instead of searching PATH" "$missing_cmd_rc" "3"
+assert_not_contains "missing .CMD sibling does not run another CLI" \
+  "$(cat "$TMP/ask-missing-cmd.out")" "FAKE_CODEX_OK"
+
+# Other extensions do not imply an npm shim, even when a sibling exists.
+set +e
+PATH="$SHIM_DIR:$PATH" PORCH_BIN_CODEX="$SHIM_DIR/shimcodex.exe" \
+  PORCH_RUN_DIR="$TMP/run-ask-missing-exe" \
+  "$PORCH" review ask --progress none -a codex "review this" \
+  >"$TMP/ask-missing-exe.out" 2>"$TMP/ask-missing-exe.err"
+missing_exe_rc=$?
+set -e
+assert_eq "missing non-.CMD binary still fails" "$missing_exe_rc" "3"
+assert_not_contains "missing non-.CMD binary does not run sibling" \
+  "$(cat "$TMP/ask-missing-exe.out")" "FAKE_CODEX_OK"
+
 echo "=== Delegate with fake ==="
 export PORCH_RUN_DIR="$TMP/run-del"
 mkdir -p "$PORCH_RUN_DIR"