diff --git a/conf.d/paru-wrapper.fish b/conf.d/paru-wrapper.fish
index a3d2a01..13e3159 100644
--- a/conf.d/paru-wrapper.fish
+++ b/conf.d/paru-wrapper.fish
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
 #
 # Generates ~/.local/bin/paru on first run (and on version bump) when
-# /usr/bin/paru is installed. The wrapper runs paru in a PTY so progress
+# paru is installed. The wrapper runs paru in a PTY so progress
 # bars are preserved, renders the captured animation to a clean static log
 # (via scripts/clean_progress_log.py), and prunes old logs.
 
@@ -19,12 +19,13 @@ if not __fish_config_op_enabled __fish_config_op_logging
     return
 end
 
-set -l _paru_real /usr/bin/paru
+# Resolve the real paru binary, skipping our own shim (never /usr/bin-assumed).
+set -l _paru_real (__fish_real_command paru)
 set -l _paru_wrapper "$HOME/.local/bin/paru"
-set -l _paru_wrapper_version 5
+set -l _paru_wrapper_version 6
 
 # Skip entirely if the real paru binary isn't present
-test -x $_paru_real; or return
+test -x "$_paru_real"; or return
 
 # Check if wrapper already exists at the expected version
 if test -f $_paru_wrapper
@@ -48,7 +49,7 @@ printf '%s\n' \
     '' \
     '# Build a safely-quoted command string for script(1).' \
     '# script(1) allocates a PTY so paru detects a real terminal and shows progress.' \
-    'cmd_str="/usr/bin/paru"' \
+    "cmd_str=\"$_paru_real\"" \
     'for arg in "$@"; do' \
     '    cmd_str+=" $(printf '"'"'%q'"'"' "$arg")"' \
     'done' \
diff --git a/conf.d/yay-wrapper.fish b/conf.d/yay-wrapper.fish
index 1a42a6b..203f306 100644
--- a/conf.d/yay-wrapper.fish
+++ b/conf.d/yay-wrapper.fish
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
 #
 # Generates ~/.local/bin/yay on first run (and on version bump) when
-# /usr/bin/yay is installed. The wrapper runs yay in a PTY so progress
+# yay is installed. The wrapper runs yay in a PTY so progress
 # bars are preserved, renders the captured animation to a clean static log
 # (via scripts/clean_progress_log.py), and prunes old logs.
 
@@ -19,12 +19,13 @@ if not __fish_config_op_enabled __fish_config_op_logging
     return
 end
 
-set -l _yay_real /usr/bin/yay
+# Resolve the real yay binary, skipping our own shim (never /usr/bin-assumed).
+set -l _yay_real (__fish_real_command yay)
 set -l _yay_wrapper "$HOME/.local/bin/yay"
-set -l _yay_wrapper_version 5
+set -l _yay_wrapper_version 6
 
 # Skip entirely if the real yay binary isn't present
-test -x $_yay_real; or return
+test -x "$_yay_real"; or return
 
 # Check if wrapper already exists at the expected version
 if test -f $_yay_wrapper
@@ -48,7 +49,7 @@ printf '%s\n' \
     '' \
     '# Build a safely-quoted command string for script(1).' \
     '# script(1) allocates a PTY so yay detects a real terminal and shows progress.' \
-    'cmd_str="/usr/bin/yay"' \
+    "cmd_str=\"$_yay_real\"" \
     'for arg in "$@"; do' \
     '    cmd_str+=" $(printf '"'"'%q'"'"' "$arg")"' \
     'done' \
diff --git a/functions/__fish_real_command.fish b/functions/__fish_real_command.fish
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..743c7b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/functions/__fish_real_command.fish
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+# Copyright (C) 2026 Rootiest
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+
+# SYNOPSIS
+#   __fish_real_command <name>
+#
+# DESCRIPTION
+#   Resolves the real on-disk binary for <name>, skipping any of this
+#   config's own generated wrapper shims. The PTY-logging wrappers we drop
+#   in ~/.local/bin (paru, yay) shadow the real binary on PATH; this walks
+#   every PATH match in order and returns the first one that is NOT one of
+#   our wrappers, identified by the "# <name>-wrapper-version:" marker line.
+#
+#   This intentionally never returns one of our own wrappers, so callers
+#   that embed the result in a generated wrapper cannot create a shim that
+#   recurses into itself.
+#
+# ARGUMENTS
+#   name  Command name to resolve (e.g. paru, yay)
+#
+# RETURNS
+#   0  Real binary path printed to stdout
+#   1  No non-wrapper binary found on PATH (nothing printed)
+#
+# EXAMPLE
+#   set -l real (__fish_real_command paru)   # -> /usr/bin/paru, not the shim
+function __fish_real_command --argument-names name
+    for p in (command -sa $name)
+        # -I: binary files (real ELF binaries) count as no-match and are
+        # returned; only our text wrapper scripts carry the marker and skip.
+        grep -qsIF -- "# $name-wrapper-version:" $p; and continue
+        echo $p
+        return 0
+    end
+    return 1
+end
diff --git a/functions/_fish_deps_status.fish b/functions/_fish_deps_status.fish
index 4ed2882..20532cd 100644
--- a/functions/_fish_deps_status.fish
+++ b/functions/_fish_deps_status.fish
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ function _fish_deps_status
             end
             set_color green; echo -n " ✓ "; set_color normal
             echo -n "$bin "
-            set_color brblack; echo "(Found at "(command -s $bin)")"; set_color normal
+            set_color brblack; echo "(Found at "(__fish_real_command $bin)")"; set_color normal
         else if test "$tier" = rec
             set_color yellow; echo -n " ⚠ "; set_color normal
             echo -n "$bin "