diff --git a/app/electron/cli.test.ts b/app/electron/cli.test.ts
index b179551..94bcda0 100644
--- a/app/electron/cli.test.ts
+++ b/app/electron/cli.test.ts
@@ -47,6 +47,25 @@ describe('resolveCodeburnPath (Vite development)', () => {
     expect(resolveCodeburnPath()).toMatch(/dist\/cli\.js$/)
   })
 
+  it('prefers the repo dev CLI over a persisted-path file (stale global) in dev', () => {
+    // A persisted global (e.g. an older Homebrew codeburn) must NOT shadow the
+    // repo build in dev, or newly-added commands break. Regression: 0.9.15
+    // lacked `sessions`, so the persisted path produced a CLI error.
+    delete process.env.CODEBURN_BIN
+    process.env.CODEBURN_PATH_DIRS = ''
+    const persistedTarget = join(dir, 'stale-codeburn')
+    writeFileSync(persistedTarget, '#!/usr/bin/env node\n', { mode: 0o755 })
+    chmodSync(persistedTarget, 0o755)
+    const persistedFile = join(dir, 'cli-path.v1')
+    writeFileSync(persistedFile, persistedTarget)
+    process.env.CODEBURN_CLI_PATH_FILE = persistedFile
+    process.env.VITE_DEV_SERVER_URL = 'http://localhost:5173'
+
+    const resolved = resolveCodeburnPath()
+    expect(resolved).toMatch(/dist\/cli\.js$/)
+    expect(resolved).not.toBe(persistedTarget)
+  })
+
   it('does not return the repo dev CLI outside the Vite dev server', () => {
     delete process.env.CODEBURN_BIN
     process.env.CODEBURN_PATH_DIRS = ''
diff --git a/app/electron/cli.ts b/app/electron/cli.ts
index 49651a7..aa054f2 100644
--- a/app/electron/cli.ts
+++ b/app/electron/cli.ts
@@ -97,19 +97,23 @@ function readPersistedPath(): string | null {
 
 /**
  * Resolve the absolute path to the `codeburn` binary, or null if not found.
- * Order: dev override (`CODEBURN_BIN`) → persisted-path file → repo CLI in
- * Vite development → PATH / brew / nvm / volta / asdf → null.
+ * Order: dev override (`CODEBURN_BIN`) → repo CLI in Vite development →
+ * persisted-path file → PATH / brew / nvm / volta / asdf → null.
+ *
+ * The dev repo CLI intentionally beats the persisted-path file: in `npm run
+ * dev` the developer is iterating on this repo, so its freshly-built
+ * `dist/cli.js` must win over a stale globally-installed/persisted binary
+ * (which may lack newly-added commands). Setting `CODEBURN_BIN` still overrides
+ * everything. In production `VITE_DEV_SERVER_URL` is unset, so the persisted
+ * path behaves exactly as before.
  */
 export function resolveCodeburnPath(): string | null {
   const override = process.env.CODEBURN_BIN
   if (override && override.startsWith('/') && isExecutableFile(override)) return override
 
-  const persisted = readPersistedPath()
-  if (persisted) return persisted
-
   // Dev convenience: when launched by the Vite dev server, prefer the repo's own
-  // freshly-built CLI over a stale globally-installed one, so newly-added
-  // commands (sessions/compare/act JSON) work without setting CODEBURN_BIN.
+  // freshly-built CLI over a stale globally-installed/persisted one, so
+  // newly-added commands (sessions/compare/act JSON) work without CODEBURN_BIN.
   if (process.env.VITE_DEV_SERVER_URL) {
     const devBin = join(__dirname, '..', '..', '..', 'dist', 'cli.js')
     if (isExecutableFile(devBin)) return devBin
@@ -119,6 +123,9 @@ export function resolveCodeburnPath(): string | null {
     if (isExecutableFile(sourceDevBin)) return sourceDevBin
   }
 
+  const persisted = readPersistedPath()
+  if (persisted) return persisted
+
   for (const bin of searchDirs().map(dir => join(dir, 'codeburn'))) {
     if (isExecutableFile(bin)) return bin
   }