diff --git a/packages/core/src/shell/select.ts b/packages/core/src/shell/select.ts
index 6645454c0a45..7377370ff481 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/shell/select.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/shell/select.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ export * as ShellSelect from "./select.js"
 import path from "path"
 import { readFile } from "fs/promises"
 import { statSync } from "fs"
+import { spawnSync } from "child_process"
 import { Context, Effect, Layer, Schema } from "effect"
 import { makeLocationNode } from "@opencode/util/effect/app-node"
 import { FSUtil } from "@opencode/util/fs-util"
@@ -89,9 +90,38 @@ function executable(file: string, options?: Options, bin?: string) {
     if (stat(shell)?.isFile()) return shell
     return
   }
-  return findExecutable(shell, bin) ?? undefined
+  const found = findExecutable(shell, bin)
+  if (found) return found
+  // Store/MSIX installs expose their executable as a Windows app-execution alias, an
+  // AppExecLink reparse point that stat and which cannot see even though CreateProcess
+  // resolves it by name. where.exe does see it, so it separates "installed as an alias"
+  // from "not installed" and keeps a configured shell like pwsh from silently falling back.
+  // Restricted to the known shell families so an arbitrary configured name cannot resolve
+  // to some unrelated Store app that happens to share it.
+  if (process.platform === "win32" && meta(shell)) return aliased(shell)
+  return undefined
 }
 
+const aliases = new Map<string, string | undefined>()
+
+function line(out?: string) {
+  // trim() drops the trailing CR, so splitting on the LF alone is enough
+  return out?.split("\n")[0]?.trim() || undefined
+}
+
+// Spawning where.exe costs ~300ms, and resolve() skips its own cache whenever a shell is
+// configured, so memoize both hits and misses per name.
+export function aliased(file: string) {
+  if (aliases.has(file)) return aliases.get(file)
+  const result = spawnSync("where.exe", [file], { encoding: "utf8", windowsHide: true })
+  // spawnSync reports a failed launch on .error rather than throwing, so a missing or
+  // blocked where.exe lands here as a miss.
+  const path = result.status === 0 ? line(result.stdout) : undefined
+  aliases.set(file, path)
+  return path
+}
+aliased.reset = () => aliases.clear()
+
 function win(options?: Options, bin?: string) {
   return Array.from(
     new Set(
diff --git a/packages/core/test/shell.test.ts b/packages/core/test/shell.test.ts
index 204d6e146d72..3a7b8720e5f7 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/shell.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/shell.test.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { ShellSelect } from "@opencode/core/shell/select"
 import { FSUtil } from "@opencode/util/fs-util"
 import { which } from "@opencode/core/util/which"
 import fs from "node:fs/promises"
+import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process"
 import { tmpdir } from "./fixture/tmpdir"
 
 const withShell = async (shell: string | undefined, fn: () => void | Promise<void>) => {
@@ -119,5 +120,42 @@ describe("shell", () => {
         expect(ShellSelect.resolve({ priority: "config" })).toBe(shell)
       })
     })
+
+    test("does not resolve known shells that are not installed", async () => {
+      // The app-execution-alias fallback may only resolve a shell where.exe can actually
+      // find; a known-but-absent shell must still fall back.
+      for (const name of ["zsh", "ksh"]) {
+        if (which(name)) continue
+        if (spawnSync("where.exe", [name], { stdio: "ignore", windowsHide: true }).status === 0) continue
+        expect(ShellSelect.resolve({ priority: "config" }, name)).not.toBe(name)
+      }
+    })
+
+    test("finds app-execution aliases that which cannot see", async () => {
+      // winget ships as an alias on stock Windows 11 and is not a shell, so it exercises
+      // the detection without depending on which shells happen to be installed.
+      if (which("winget")) return
+      const found = ShellSelect.aliased("winget")
+      if (!found) return
+      expect(path.win32.isAbsolute(found)).toBe(true)
+      expect(path.win32.basename(found).toLowerCase()).toBe("winget.exe")
+    })
+
+    test("returns undefined for names where.exe cannot find", async () => {
+      expect(ShellSelect.aliased("opencode-not-a-real-binary")).toBeUndefined()
+    })
+
+    test("memoizes alias lookups including misses", async () => {
+      ShellSelect.aliased.reset()
+      const name = "opencode-not-a-real-binary"
+      const cold = Date.now()
+      ShellSelect.aliased(name)
+      const coldMs = Date.now() - cold
+      const warm = Date.now()
+      ShellSelect.aliased(name)
+      const warmMs = Date.now() - warm
+      // A where.exe launch costs ~300ms here; a cached miss must not spawn again.
+      expect(warmMs).toBeLessThan(Math.max(coldMs, 10))
+    })
   }
 })