diff --git a/cmd/aima/infra.go b/cmd/aima/infra.go
index e45260e..11d154a 100644
--- a/cmd/aima/infra.go
+++ b/cmd/aima/infra.go
@@ -300,10 +300,19 @@ func buildNativeRuntime(dataDir string, engineAssets []knowledge.EngineAsset) ru
 	platform := goruntime.GOOS + "-" + goruntime.GOARCH
 	distDir := filepath.Join(dataDir, "dist", platform)
 	bm := engine.NewBinaryManager(distDir)
+	// Pre-installed engine dirs (AIMA_ENGINE_DIR) — the SAME source the engine
+	// scanner reads — so a scanned native engine binary is also launchable.
+	var engineDirs []string
+	for _, dir := range filepath.SplitList(os.Getenv("AIMA_ENGINE_DIR")) {
+		if dir = strings.TrimSpace(dir); dir != "" {
+			engineDirs = append(engineDirs, dir)
+		}
+	}
 	return runtime.NewNativeRuntime(
 		filepath.Join(dataDir, "logs"),
 		distDir,
 		filepath.Join(dataDir, "deployments"),
+		runtime.WithEngineDirs(engineDirs),
 		runtime.WithBinaryResolver(func(ctx context.Context, src *engine.BinarySource) (string, error) {
 			if !deployAutoPullAllowed(ctx) {
 				name := "engine binary"
diff --git a/internal/runtime/native.go b/internal/runtime/native.go
index 45db917..e50ad0c 100644
--- a/internal/runtime/native.go
+++ b/internal/runtime/native.go
@@ -61,8 +61,9 @@ type BinaryResolveFunc func(ctx context.Context, source *engine.BinarySource) (s
 // NativeRuntime manages inference engines as direct OS processes.
 type NativeRuntime struct {
 	logDir          string
-	distDir         string // e.g. ~/.aima/dist/windows-amd64/
-	deployDir       string // e.g. ~/.aima/deployments/ — persisted deployment metadata
+	distDir         string   // e.g. ~/.aima/dist/windows-amd64/
+	engineDirs      []string // pre-installed engine dirs (AIMA_ENGINE_DIR) — same source the engine scanner uses
+	deployDir       string   // e.g. ~/.aima/deployments/ — persisted deployment metadata
 	resolveBinary   BinaryResolveFunc
 	engineAssets    []knowledge.EngineAsset
 	processes       map[string]*nativeProcess
@@ -101,6 +102,16 @@ func WithNativeEngineAssets(assets []knowledge.EngineAsset) NativeOption {
 	}
 }
 
+// WithEngineDirs registers pre-installed engine directories (from AIMA_ENGINE_DIR).
+// The native binary resolver checks these — the SAME dirs the engine scanner uses —
+// so a bare engine name (e.g. "llama-server") that was discovered by scanning is also
+// launchable, even when it is neither in dist nor on PATH. Keeps "scanned ⇒ launchable".
+func WithEngineDirs(dirs []string) NativeOption {
+	return func(r *NativeRuntime) {
+		r.engineDirs = dirs
+	}
+}
+
 func (r *NativeRuntime) Name() string { return "native" }
 
 func (r *NativeRuntime) Deploy(ctx context.Context, req *DeployRequest) error {
@@ -177,17 +188,19 @@ func (r *NativeRuntime) Deploy(ctx context.Context, req *DeployRequest) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("create log file: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	// Resolve binary: dist/ first, then auto-download if source is available
-	if r.distDir != "" {
-		if resolved := r.findInDist(command[0]); resolved != "" {
+	// Resolve binary: dist/ first, then the pre-installed engine dirs
+	// (AIMA_ENGINE_DIR — the SAME dirs the engine scanner uses, so anything scanning
+	// found is launchable), then auto-download if a source is available.
+	if resolved := r.findInDist(command[0]); resolved != "" {
+		command[0] = resolved
+	} else if resolved := r.findInEngineDirs(command[0]); resolved != "" {
+		command[0] = resolved
+	} else if r.resolveBinary != nil && req.BinarySource != nil {
+		slog.Info("binary not in dist or engine dirs, attempting auto-download", "binary", command[0])
+		if resolved, err := r.resolveBinary(ctx, req.BinarySource); err == nil {
 			command[0] = resolved
-		} else if r.resolveBinary != nil && req.BinarySource != nil {
-			slog.Info("binary not in dist, attempting auto-download", "binary", command[0])
-			if resolved, err := r.resolveBinary(ctx, req.BinarySource); err == nil {
-				command[0] = resolved
-			} else {
-				slog.Warn("auto-download failed, will try PATH", "binary", command[0], "error", err)
-			}
+		} else {
+			slog.Warn("auto-download failed, will try PATH", "binary", command[0], "error", err)
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -852,14 +865,32 @@ func (r *NativeRuntime) loadAllMeta() []*deploymentMeta {
 // findInDist checks for a binary in the dist directory.
 // On Windows, also tries with .exe suffix.
 func (r *NativeRuntime) findInDist(name string) string {
+	return findBinaryIn([]string{r.distDir}, name)
+}
+
+// findInEngineDirs resolves a bare engine binary name against the pre-installed
+// engine dirs (AIMA_ENGINE_DIR). This mirrors how the engine scanner discovers
+// binaries, so an engine that scanning found is also the one that gets launched.
+func (r *NativeRuntime) findInEngineDirs(name string) string {
+	return findBinaryIn(r.engineDirs, name)
+}
+
+// findBinaryIn returns the absolute path of name (with .exe on Windows) in the
+// first of dirs that contains it.
+func findBinaryIn(dirs []string, name string) string {
 	candidates := []string{name}
 	if goruntime.GOOS == "windows" && !strings.HasSuffix(name, ".exe") {
 		candidates = append(candidates, name+".exe")
 	}
-	for _, c := range candidates {
-		p := filepath.Join(r.distDir, c)
-		if _, err := os.Stat(p); err == nil {
-			return p
+	for _, dir := range dirs {
+		if dir == "" {
+			continue
+		}
+		for _, c := range candidates {
+			p := filepath.Join(dir, c)
+			if _, err := os.Stat(p); err == nil {
+				return p
+			}
 		}
 	}
 	return ""
diff --git a/internal/runtime/native_test.go b/internal/runtime/native_test.go
index 5d717d0..ff74a5b 100644
--- a/internal/runtime/native_test.go
+++ b/internal/runtime/native_test.go
@@ -1132,3 +1132,31 @@ func TestDeployAppendsCustomPortFlags(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("command = %q, should not contain synthesized --port flag", argStr)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestFindInEngineDirsResolvesScannedBinary(t *testing.T) {
+	// A native engine binary discovered by scanning AIMA_ENGINE_DIR must also be
+	// launchable: the native runtime resolves the bare binary name against the same
+	// engine dirs, so "scanned ⇒ launchable" holds even when it is not in dist/PATH.
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	fileName := "llama-server"
+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+		fileName += ".exe"
+	}
+	want := filepath.Join(dir, fileName)
+	if err := os.WriteFile(want, []byte("stub"), 0o755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("write stub: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Empty dir entries are skipped; the bare name resolves to the absolute path.
+	r := &NativeRuntime{engineDirs: []string{"", dir}}
+	if got := r.findInEngineDirs("llama-server"); got != want {
+		t.Errorf("findInEngineDirs = %q, want %q", got, want)
+	}
+	// Missing binary and no configured dirs both resolve to empty.
+	if got := r.findInEngineDirs("nope"); got != "" {
+		t.Errorf("missing binary: got %q, want empty", got)
+	}
+	if got := (&NativeRuntime{}).findInEngineDirs("llama-server"); got != "" {
+		t.Errorf("no engine dirs: got %q, want empty", got)
+	}
+}