diff --git a/lib/vim-editor-adapter.ts b/lib/vim-editor-adapter.ts
index 6d99f0ccd..cacdece6a 100644
--- a/lib/vim-editor-adapter.ts
+++ b/lib/vim-editor-adapter.ts
@@ -41,7 +41,12 @@ interface PrivateEditor {
 }
 
 const SUPPORTED_VERSIONS = new Set(["0.99.1"]);
-const importedTuiMetadata: unknown = createRequire(import.meta.url)("@earendil-works/pi-tui/package.json");
+// Pi aliases only ES imports of host packages. This raw require walks
+// node_modules from the extension, which a git install lacks (#1586), so an
+// unresolved host leaves the version unknown and the identity gate closed.
+const importedTuiMetadata: unknown = (() => {
+  try { return createRequire(import.meta.url)("@earendil-works/pi-tui/package.json"); } catch { return undefined; }
+})();
 const IMPORTED_TUI_VERSION = typeof importedTuiMetadata === "object" && importedTuiMetadata !== null &&
   "version" in importedTuiMetadata ? importedTuiMetadata.version : undefined;
 
diff --git a/tests/vim-editor-adapter-host-resolution.test.ts b/tests/vim-editor-adapter-host-resolution.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ac9eb44aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/vim-editor-adapter-host-resolution.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import test from "node:test";
+import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
+import { copyFileSync, mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import { fileURLToPath, pathToFileURL } from "node:url";
+
+// A git install (`pi install git:...`) has no node_modules next to the
+// extension: Pi aliases ES imports of host packages, but nothing else
+// resolves them (#1586). Reproduce that layout with an ESM-only alias.
+test("vim adapter loads without an extension-local pi-tui and fails closed without a verified version", (t) => {
+  const root = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "gentle-vim-host-resolution-"));
+  t.after(() => rmSync(root, { recursive: true, force: true }));
+  mkdirSync(join(root, "lib"));
+  copyFileSync(fileURLToPath(new URL("../lib/vim-editor-adapter.ts", import.meta.url)), join(root, "lib", "vim-editor-adapter.ts"));
+  const tuiUrl = import.meta.resolve("@earendil-works/pi-tui");
+  writeFileSync(join(root, "alias-hooks.mjs"), `export async function resolve(specifier, context, next) {
+  if (specifier === "@earendil-works/pi-tui") return { url: ${JSON.stringify(tuiUrl)}, shortCircuit: true };
+  return next(specifier, context);
+}
+`);
+  writeFileSync(join(root, "register.mjs"), `import { register } from "node:module";
+register("./alias-hooks.mjs", import.meta.url);
+`);
+  writeFileSync(join(root, "probe.mjs"), `import { Editor } from "@earendil-works/pi-tui";
+const { createVimEditorAdapter } = await import("./lib/vim-editor-adapter.ts");
+const editor = new Editor({ terminal: { rows: 24 }, requestRender() {} }, { borderColor: (s) => s });
+let unverified = "admitted";
+try { createVimEditorAdapter(editor, "0.99.1"); } catch (error) { unverified = error.message; }
+const verified = typeof createVimEditorAdapter(editor, "0.99.1", Editor, "0.99.1").move;
+process.stdout.write(JSON.stringify({ unverified, verified }));
+`);
+  const result = spawnSync(process.execPath, ["--experimental-strip-types", "--import", pathToFileURL(join(root, "register.mjs")).href, join(root, "probe.mjs")], { cwd: root, encoding: "utf8" });
+  assert.equal(result.status, 0, result.stderr);
+  assert.deepEqual(JSON.parse(result.stdout), { unverified: "Unsupported Pi editor layout/version", verified: "function" });
+});