diff --git a/apps/cli/src/client-env.ts b/apps/cli/src/client-env.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..73dc4b0f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/cli/src/client-env.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+// Stamp the surface client for this process so the integrations User-Agent is
+// always `cli` or `desktop`, never guessed. The desktop app sets
+// EXECUTOR_CLIENT=desktop before spawning the CLI as its sidecar/daemon, so
+// `??=` preserves that; every other invocation is the CLI itself.
+//
+// This MUST run before the `@executor-js/local` import graph loads: apps/local
+// builds its User-Agent from EXECUTOR_CLIENT at module init (installation.ts),
+// so setting the env in main.ts's body would run too late. Imported as an early
+// side effect in main.ts, right after native-bindings.
+process.env.EXECUTOR_CLIENT ??= "cli";
diff --git a/apps/cli/src/main.ts b/apps/cli/src/main.ts
index c6e4df0e0..1ab045bf7 100644
--- a/apps/cli/src/main.ts
+++ b/apps/cli/src/main.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 // before any import (e.g. `@executor-js/local` → libSQL) eagerly loads them.
 import "./native-bindings";
 
+// Stamp EXECUTOR_CLIENT=cli (unless the desktop app already set `desktop`)
+// before `@executor-js/local` builds its integrations User-Agent from it.
+import "./client-env";
+
 import { randomUUID } from "node:crypto";
 import { existsSync, realpathSync } from "node:fs";
 import { dirname, join, resolve } from "node:path";
diff --git a/apps/local/src/installation.ts b/apps/local/src/installation.ts
index 90f7ea50c..67fde2658 100644
--- a/apps/local/src/installation.ts
+++ b/apps/local/src/installation.ts
@@ -15,11 +15,19 @@ const resolveChannel = (version: string): InstallationChannel => {
   return "stable";
 };
 
-// The desktop main process sets `EXECUTOR_CLIENT=desktop` when it spawns the
-// sidecar so PostHog can slice desktop installs from headless apps/local
-// (CLI `executor web`, `daemon run --foreground`, etc.).
-const resolveClient = (): SurfaceClient =>
-  process.env.EXECUTOR_CLIENT === "desktop" ? "desktop" : "local";
+// EXECUTOR_CLIENT identifies which product launched this headless apps/local
+// server: the desktop app sets `desktop` before spawning it, and the executor
+// CLI sets `cli` (apps/cli stamps it at startup, see src/client-env.ts). It is
+// therefore always set to a valid surface in a real launch, so we pass it
+// through rather than guess. The `cli` floor only covers direct library/test
+// imports that boot the server without going through a launcher.
+const SURFACE_CLIENTS = ["cli", "desktop"] as const;
+const resolveClient = (): SurfaceClient => {
+  const client = process.env.EXECUTOR_CLIENT;
+  return (SURFACE_CLIENTS as readonly string[]).includes(client ?? "")
+    ? (client as SurfaceClient)
+    : "cli";
+};
 
 export const CHANNEL: InstallationChannel = resolveChannel(LOCAL_VERSION);
 export const VERSION: string = LOCAL_VERSION;
diff --git a/packages/core/integrations-registry/src/registry.test.ts b/packages/core/integrations-registry/src/registry.test.ts
index c4ec2a420..20da742fb 100644
--- a/packages/core/integrations-registry/src/registry.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/integrations-registry/src/registry.test.ts
@@ -49,8 +49,8 @@ describe("buildUserAgent", () => {
     expect(buildUserAgent({ channel: "stable", version: "1.2.3", client: "cli" })).toBe(
       "executor/stable/1.2.3/cli",
     );
-    expect(buildUserAgent({ channel: "beta", version: "1.2.3-beta.0", client: "local" })).toBe(
-      "executor/beta/1.2.3-beta.0/local",
+    expect(buildUserAgent({ channel: "beta", version: "1.2.3-beta.0", client: "desktop" })).toBe(
+      "executor/beta/1.2.3-beta.0/desktop",
     );
   });
 
diff --git a/packages/core/integrations-registry/src/registry.ts b/packages/core/integrations-registry/src/registry.ts
index b203f5444..86957d483 100644
--- a/packages/core/integrations-registry/src/registry.ts
+++ b/packages/core/integrations-registry/src/registry.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,10 @@ import { NodeFileSystem } from "@effect/platform-node";
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 export type InstallationChannel = "stable" | "beta" | "dev";
-export type SurfaceClient = "cli" | "local" | "desktop";
+// Only two surfaces: the desktop app (sets EXECUTOR_CLIENT=desktop) or the
+// `executor` CLI (everything else, including the headless apps/local daemon,
+// `executor mcp`, and the installed background service).
+export type SurfaceClient = "cli" | "desktop";
 
 export const DEFAULT_INTEGRATIONS_URL = "https://integrations.sh/api.json";