diff --git a/apps/server/src/process/externalLauncher.ts b/apps/server/src/process/externalLauncher.ts
index 29c25e790c61..ab287e4d78ee 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/process/externalLauncher.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/process/externalLauncher.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,11 @@ import {
 } from "@t3tools/contracts";
 import { resolveEditorCommand } from "@t3tools/shared/editor";
 import { HostProcessPlatform } from "@t3tools/shared/hostProcess";
-import { isCommandAvailable, resolveSpawnCommand } from "@t3tools/shared/shell";
+import {
+  isCommandAvailable,
+  resolveSpawnCommand,
+  withPathDirectoryListings,
+} from "@t3tools/shared/shell";
 import * as Clock from "effect/Clock";
 import * as Config from "effect/Config";
 import * as Context from "effect/Context";
@@ -442,7 +446,7 @@ const resolveBrowserLaunch = Effect.fn("externalLauncher.resolveBrowserLaunch")(
 const resolveAvailableEditors = Effect.fn("externalLauncher.resolveAvailableEditors")(function* () {
   const platform = yield* HostProcessPlatform;
   const env = { ...(yield* readBrowserLaunchEnv), ...(yield* readCommandLookupEnv) };
-  return yield* buildAvailableEditors(platform, env);
+  return yield* buildAvailableEditors(platform, env).pipe(withPathDirectoryListings);
 });
 
 const resolveFileManagerRevealKind = Effect.fn("externalLauncher.resolveFileManagerRevealKind")(
diff --git a/packages/shared/src/shell.test.ts b/packages/shared/src/shell.test.ts
index 621fe49b3087..6c89e49d017f 100644
--- a/packages/shared/src/shell.test.ts
+++ b/packages/shared/src/shell.test.ts
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import {
   resolveWindowsEnvironment,
   SpawnExecutableResolution,
   WindowsShellEnvironment,
+  withPathDirectoryListings,
   type WindowsShellEnvironmentReader,
 } from "./shell.ts";
 
@@ -473,6 +474,40 @@ effectIt.layer(NodeServices.layer)("resolveCommandPath", (it) => {
       expect(probed.filter((filePath) => /\.(com|exe|bat|cmd)$/.test(filePath))).toHaveLength(4);
     }),
   );
+
+  it.effect("probes only listed PATH names and relists a directory that changes", () =>
+    Effect.gen(function* () {
+      const fs = yield* FileSystem.FileSystem;
+      const path = yield* Path.Path;
+      const first = yield* fs.makeTempDirectoryScoped();
+      const second = yield* fs.makeTempDirectoryScoped();
+      yield* fs.writeFileString(path.join(first, "cursor.CMD"), "");
+      yield* fs.writeFileString(path.join(second, "cursor.EXE"), "");
+      const env = { PATH: `${first};${second}`, PATHEXT: ".EXE;.CMD" };
+      const probed: Array<string> = [];
+      yield* Effect.gen(function* () {
+        expect(yield* resolveCommandPath("cursor", { env })).toBe(path.join(first, "cursor.CMD"));
+        expect(yield* isCommandAvailable("absent", { env })).toBe(false);
+        yield* fs.writeFileString(path.join(second, "late.EXE"), "");
+        yield* fs.utimes(second, 4_102_444_800, 4_102_444_800); // seconds: 2100-01-01
+        expect(yield* resolveCommandPath("late", { env })).toBe(path.join(second, "late.EXE"));
+      }).pipe(
+        withPathDirectoryListings,
+        Effect.provideService(FileSystem.FileSystem, {
+          ...fs,
+          stat: (file) => {
+            // Record candidate probes, not the per-lookup directory mtime checks.
+            if (file !== first && file !== second) probed.push(file);
+            return fs.stat(file);
+          },
+        }),
+      );
+      expect(probed).toEqual([path.join(first, "cursor.CMD"), path.join(second, "late.EXE")]);
+    }).pipe(
+      Effect.provideService(HostProcessPlatform, "win32"),
+      Effect.provideService(CommandResolutionCache, new Map()),
+    ),
+  );
 });
 
 effectIt.layer(NodeServices.layer)("resolveSpawnCommand", (it) => {
diff --git a/packages/shared/src/shell.ts b/packages/shared/src/shell.ts
index 11a45907cc1d..0a25785d916d 100644
--- a/packages/shared/src/shell.ts
+++ b/packages/shared/src/shell.ts
@@ -3,10 +3,12 @@ import * as NodeOS from "node:os";
 import * as NodePath from "node:path";
 import * as NodeChildProcess from "node:child_process";
 import * as NodeFS from "node:fs";
+import * as Cache from "effect/Cache";
 import * as Clock from "effect/Clock";
 import * as Data from "effect/Data";
 import * as Effect from "effect/Effect";
 import * as FileSystem from "effect/FileSystem";
+import * as Option from "effect/Option";
 import * as Path from "effect/Path";
 
 import { HostProcessEnvironment, HostProcessPlatform } from "./hostProcess.ts";
@@ -511,6 +513,52 @@ export const CommandResolutionCache = Context.Reference<Map<string, CommandResol
   },
 );
 
+interface PathDirectoryListing {
+  readonly modified: number | null | undefined;
+  readonly names: ReadonlySet<string> | undefined;
+}
+
+// mtime of a PATH directory; null when missing, undefined when unreadable.
+const directoryMtime = (directory: string) =>
+  FileSystem.FileSystem.use((fileSystem) => fileSystem.stat(directory)).pipe(
+    Effect.map((info) =>
+      info.type === "Directory" ? Option.getOrUndefined(info.mtime)?.getTime() : undefined,
+    ),
+    Effect.catch((error) => Effect.succeed(error.reason._tag === "NotFound" ? null : undefined)),
+  );
+
+// Dated before it is read, so an entry added in between changes the mtime seen
+// on the next check. Without names, lookups probe candidates directly.
+const listPathDirectory = Effect.fnUntraced(function* (
+  directory: string,
+): Effect.fn.Return<PathDirectoryListing, never, FileSystem.FileSystem> {
+  const modified = yield* directoryMtime(directory);
+  if (modified == null) return { modified, names: modified === null ? new Set() : undefined };
+  const entries = yield* FileSystem.FileSystem.use((fileSystem) =>
+    fileSystem.readDirectory(directory),
+  ).pipe(Effect.orElseSucceed(() => undefined));
+  return { modified, names: entries && new Set(entries.map((entry) => entry.toLowerCase())) };
+});
+
+const PathDirectoryListings = Context.Reference<
+  Cache.Cache<string, PathDirectoryListing, never, FileSystem.FileSystem> | undefined
+>("@t3tools/shared/shell/PathDirectoryListings", { defaultValue: () => undefined });
+
+/**
+ * Run a batch of command lookups (e.g. editor discovery) that lists each PATH
+ * directory once, relisting it if its mtime changes, and probes only listed
+ * names instead of every PATH x PATHEXT candidate per command.
+ */
+export const withPathDirectoryListings = <A, E, R>(effect: Effect.Effect<A, E, R>) =>
+  Effect.gen(function* () {
+    const listings = yield* Cache.make({
+      capacity: 1024,
+      lookup: listPathDirectory,
+      requireServicesAt: "lookup",
+    });
+    return yield* effect.pipe(Effect.provideService(PathDirectoryListings, listings));
+  });
+
 function cacheCommandResolution(
   cache: Map<string, CommandResolutionCacheEntry>,
   cacheKey: string,
@@ -602,8 +650,16 @@ const resolveCommandPathForPlatform = Effect.fn("shell.resolveCommandPathForPlat
     pathEntries.push(pathEntry);
   }
 
+  const listings = yield* PathDirectoryListings;
   for (const pathEntry of pathEntries) {
+    let listing = listings && (yield* Cache.get(listings, pathEntry));
+    if (listings && listing?.names && listing.modified !== (yield* directoryMtime(pathEntry))) {
+      yield* Cache.invalidate(listings, pathEntry);
+      listing = yield* Cache.get(listings, pathEntry);
+    }
     for (const candidate of commandCandidates) {
+      // The stat below still checks exact case and rejects non-files.
+      if (listing?.names && !listing.names.has(candidate.toLowerCase())) continue;
       const candidatePath = path.join(pathEntry, candidate);
       if (yield* isExecutableFile(candidatePath, platform, windowsPathExtensions)) {
         cacheCommandResolution(cache, cacheKey, candidatePath, nowNanos);