diff --git a/bin/clide.dart b/bin/clide.dart
index 57969921..e4a1426f 100644
--- a/bin/clide.dart
+++ b/bin/clide.dart
@@ -142,9 +142,10 @@ Future<void> _runDaemon(List<String> args) async {
     socketPath: socketPath,
     dispatch: dispatcher.dispatch,
   );
+  final ptycPath = _resolvePtycPath();
   final events = _ServerEventSink(server);
   final registry = PaneRegistry(events: events);
-  registerPaneCommands(dispatcher, registry);
+  registerPaneCommands(dispatcher, registry, defaultPtycPath: ptycPath);
 
   final files = FilesService.atCwd(events: events);
   registerFilesCommands(dispatcher, files);
@@ -423,6 +424,20 @@ void _emitError({
   stderr.writeln(jsonEncode(err.toJson()));
 }
 
+String _resolvePtycPath() {
+  final self = Platform.resolvedExecutable;
+  final binDir = File(self).parent.path;
+  final candidates = [
+    '$binDir/../ptyc/bin/ptyc',
+    '$binDir/ptyc',
+    'ptyc',
+  ];
+  for (final c in candidates) {
+    if (File(c).existsSync()) return c;
+  }
+  return 'ptyc';
+}
+
 Never _die(String msg) {
   _emitError(
     code: IpcExitCode.userError,
diff --git a/lib/src/daemon/pane_commands.dart b/lib/src/daemon/pane_commands.dart
index 4e451573..3d157852 100644
--- a/lib/src/daemon/pane_commands.dart
+++ b/lib/src/daemon/pane_commands.dart
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ import '../panes/pane.dart';
 import '../panes/registry.dart';
 import 'dispatcher.dart';
 
-void registerPaneCommands(DaemonDispatcher d, PaneRegistry registry) {
-  d.register('pane.spawn', (req) => _spawn(req, registry));
+void registerPaneCommands(DaemonDispatcher d, PaneRegistry registry, {String defaultPtycPath = 'ptyc'}) {
+  d.register('pane.spawn', (req) => _spawn(req, registry, defaultPtycPath));
   d.register('pane.list', (req) => _list(req, registry));
   d.register('pane.close', (req) => _close(req, registry));
   d.register('pane.write', (req) => _write(req, registry));
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ IpcResponse _notFound(String id, String message) => IpcResponse.err(
       ),
     );
 
-Future<IpcResponse> _spawn(IpcRequest req, PaneRegistry registry) async {
+Future<IpcResponse> _spawn(IpcRequest req, PaneRegistry registry, String defaultPtycPath) async {
   final args = req.args;
   final rawArgv = args['argv'];
   if (rawArgv is! List || rawArgv.isEmpty) {
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ Future<IpcResponse> _spawn(IpcRequest req, PaneRegistry registry) async {
       cols: (args['cols'] as num?)?.toInt() ?? 80,
       rows: (args['rows'] as num?)?.toInt() ?? 24,
       title: args['title'] as String?,
-      ptycPath: (args['ptyc_path'] as String?) ?? 'ptyc',
+      ptycPath: (args['ptyc_path'] as String?) ?? defaultPtycPath,
     );
     return IpcResponse.ok(id: req.id, data: pane.toJson());
   } catch (e) {