diff --git a/lib/src/env/supporter_binaries.dart b/lib/src/env/supporter_binaries.dart
index 7909ca70..cfd44cc1 100644
--- a/lib/src/env/supporter_binaries.dart
+++ b/lib/src/env/supporter_binaries.dart
@@ -91,3 +91,35 @@ class SupporterBinaries {
 }
 
 bool _fileExists(String p) => File(p).existsSync();
+
+/// The user-scope SettingsStore key (app layer, `~/.clide`, per-machine) holding
+/// the tool→absolute-path override map.
+const supporterToolsKey = 'app.tools';
+
+/// The external supporter binaries clide auto-detects (pql/git are bundled per
+/// D-58/D-59 and excluded).
+const knownSupporterTools = ['claude', 'd2'];
+
+/// Build a [SupporterBinaries] from persisted overrides, auto-detecting on first
+/// run (D-104). [readOverrides] returns the stored map (or null if unset);
+/// [writeOverrides] persists a freshly-detected one. Injected (not the
+/// SettingsStore directly) so this stays Flutter-free and `dart test`-able;
+/// [detect] is the prober (defaults to a real [SupporterBinaries]).
+Future<SupporterBinaries> loadSupporterBinaries({
+  required Map<dynamic, dynamic>? Function() readOverrides,
+  required Future<void> Function(Map<String, String>) writeOverrides,
+  List<String> tools = knownSupporterTools,
+  SupporterBinaries Function()? detect,
+}) async {
+  final raw = readOverrides();
+  if (raw != null) return SupporterBinaries(overrides: _asStringMap(raw));
+  // First run: probe once, persist (pinned), and use the result.
+  final detected = (detect?.call() ?? SupporterBinaries()).detect(tools);
+  await writeOverrides(detected);
+  return SupporterBinaries(overrides: detected);
+}
+
+Map<String, String> _asStringMap(Map<dynamic, dynamic> raw) => {
+  for (final e in raw.entries)
+    if (e.key is String && e.value is String) e.key as String: e.value as String,
+};
diff --git a/test/src/env/supporter_binaries_test.dart b/test/src/env/supporter_binaries_test.dart
index 9faece8d..b1b7275f 100644
--- a/test/src/env/supporter_binaries_test.dart
+++ b/test/src/env/supporter_binaries_test.dart
@@ -59,4 +59,39 @@ void main() {
       expect(r.detect(['d2'])['d2'], '/usr/bin/d2');
     });
   });
+
+  group('loadSupporterBinaries', () {
+    test('first run detects the tools and persists the result', () async {
+      Map<String, String>? written;
+      final probe = SupporterBinaries(exists: {'/usr/bin/claude'}.contains, searchPath: () => '/usr/bin', home: '/h');
+      await loadSupporterBinaries(readOverrides: () => null, writeOverrides: (m) async => written = m, tools: ['claude', 'd2'], detect: () => probe);
+      expect(written, {'claude': '/usr/bin/claude'});
+    });
+
+    test('first run with nothing found still persists (marks first-run done)', () async {
+      Map<String, String>? written;
+      await loadSupporterBinaries(
+        readOverrides: () => null,
+        writeOverrides: (m) async => written = m,
+        detect: () => SupporterBinaries(exists: (_) => false, searchPath: () => '/usr/bin'),
+      );
+      expect(written, isEmpty);
+    });
+
+    test('a subsequent run uses stored overrides without detecting or writing', () async {
+      var wrote = false, detected = false;
+      final r = await loadSupporterBinaries(
+        readOverrides: () => {'d2': '/pin/d2'},
+        writeOverrides: (m) async => wrote = true,
+        detect: () {
+          detected = true;
+          return SupporterBinaries();
+        },
+      );
+      expect(wrote, isFalse);
+      expect(detected, isFalse);
+      // The stored override loaded — /pin/d2 isn't a real file, so it reads stale.
+      expect(r.isStalePin('d2'), isTrue);
+    });
+  });
 }