diff --git a/raven/cli/tui_commands.py b/raven/cli/tui_commands.py
index 34126da..c72d30c 100644
--- a/raven/cli/tui_commands.py
+++ b/raven/cli/tui_commands.py
@@ -68,6 +68,13 @@ def _stdout_isatty() -> bool:
     return sys.stdout.isatty()
 
 
+def _is_windows() -> bool:
+    """Whether the host is Windows. A seam so tests can exercise the Windows
+    runtime-layout branch by patching this, instead of patching os.name — the
+    latter makes pathlib instantiate an unusable WindowsPath on POSIX hosts."""
+    return os.name == "nt"
+
+
 def find_node() -> Tuple[Optional[str], Optional[Tuple[int, int, int]]]:
     """Find a usable node executable (>= 22).
 
@@ -83,14 +90,25 @@ def find_node() -> Tuple[Optional[str], Optional[Tuple[int, int, int]]]:
     else:
         # Priority 2: active venv
         if venv := os.environ.get("VIRTUAL_ENV"):
-            if os.name == "nt":
+            if _is_windows():
                 candidates.append(str(Path(venv) / "Scripts" / "node.exe"))
             else:
                 candidates.append(str(Path(venv) / "bin" / "node"))
 
-        # Priority 3: PATH
-        if path_node := shutil.which("node"):
-            candidates.append(path_node)
+        # Priority 3: PATH — enumerate EVERY node on PATH, not just the first.
+        # shutil.which returns only the first hit, so a stale < 22 node earlier
+        # on PATH (e.g. an old /usr/local/bin/node or a version-manager shim)
+        # would otherwise shadow a newer one later on PATH (e.g. a Homebrew
+        # node 26). The version filter below then picks the first usable one.
+        exe = "node.exe" if _is_windows() else "node"
+        seen_path: set[str] = set()
+        for path_dir in os.environ.get("PATH", "").split(os.pathsep):
+            if not path_dir:
+                continue
+            cand = os.path.join(path_dir, exe)
+            if cand not in seen_path and os.path.isfile(cand):
+                seen_path.add(cand)
+                candidates.append(cand)
 
         # Priority 4: Raven-managed private runtime installed by the one-line
         # installer into ~/.raven/runtime/. This is the zero-config fallback so
@@ -102,7 +120,7 @@ def find_node() -> Tuple[Optional[str], Optional[Tuple[int, int, int]]]:
         # (node-v22.x.y-win-x64/node.exe) — install.ps1 provisions the latter.
         runtime_root = Path(os.environ.get("RAVEN_HOME", Path.home() / ".raven")) / "runtime"
         if runtime_root.is_dir():
-            if os.name == "nt":
+            if _is_windows():
                 direct = runtime_root / "node" / "node.exe"
                 if direct.exists():
                     candidates.append(str(direct))
@@ -113,6 +131,11 @@ def find_node() -> Tuple[Optional[str], Optional[Tuple[int, int, int]]]:
                     candidates.append(str(direct))
                 candidates.extend(str(p) for p in sorted(runtime_root.glob("node-*/bin/node")))
 
+    # Return the first candidate that meets the minimum, in priority order.
+    # Track the highest below-minimum candidate seen so that when nothing
+    # qualifies the caller can still report the real version ("found 20.20.1,
+    # need >= 22") instead of a bare "not found".
+    best_below_min: Optional[Tuple[str, Tuple[int, int, int]]] = None
     for node_path in candidates:
         if not Path(node_path).exists():
             continue
@@ -128,11 +151,14 @@ def find_node() -> Tuple[Optional[str], Optional[Tuple[int, int, int]]]:
             if not match:
                 continue
             version = (int(match.group(1)), int(match.group(2)), int(match.group(3)))
-            return (node_path, version)
         except (subprocess.SubprocessError, FileNotFoundError, OSError):
             continue
+        if version >= _MIN_NODE_VERSION:
+            return (node_path, version)
+        if best_below_min is None or version > best_below_min[1]:
+            best_below_min = (node_path, version)
 
-    return (None, None)
+    return best_below_min if best_below_min is not None else (None, None)
 
 
 def run_subprocess(
diff --git a/tests/test_cli_tui_bootstrap.py b/tests/test_cli_tui_bootstrap.py
index 427d0f6..5aab259 100644
--- a/tests/test_cli_tui_bootstrap.py
+++ b/tests/test_cli_tui_bootstrap.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import os
 import stat
 import sys
 from pathlib import Path
@@ -175,7 +176,7 @@ def test_find_node_discovers_windows_private_runtime(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
     node.write_text("#!/bin/sh\necho v22.20.0\n", encoding="utf-8")
     node.chmod(node.stat().st_mode | stat.S_IXUSR)
 
-    monkeypatch.setattr(tui_commands.sys, "platform", "win32")
+    monkeypatch.setattr(tui_commands, "_is_windows", lambda: True)
     monkeypatch.setenv("RAVEN_HOME", str(tmp_path))
     monkeypatch.delenv("RAVEN_NODE", raising=False)
     monkeypatch.delenv("VIRTUAL_ENV", raising=False)
@@ -187,6 +188,62 @@ def test_find_node_discovers_windows_private_runtime(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
     assert version == (22, 20, 0)
 
 
+def test_find_node_skips_below_min_and_scans_all_path(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
+    """A stale < 22 node earlier on PATH must not shadow a newer node later on
+    PATH: find_node enumerates every PATH entry and returns the first that
+    meets the minimum, rather than shutil.which's single first hit."""
+    if sys.platform == "win32":
+        pytest.skip("uses POSIX fake node executables")
+
+    from raven.cli import tui_commands
+
+    def make_node(d: Path, ver: str) -> Path:
+        d.mkdir(parents=True)
+        p = d / "node"
+        p.write_text(f"#!/bin/sh\necho v{ver}\n", encoding="utf-8")
+        p.chmod(p.stat().st_mode | stat.S_IXUSR)
+        return p
+
+    old = make_node(tmp_path / "old", "20.20.1")  # earlier on PATH
+    new = make_node(tmp_path / "new", "26.5.0")  # later on PATH
+
+    monkeypatch.delenv("RAVEN_NODE", raising=False)
+    monkeypatch.delenv("VIRTUAL_ENV", raising=False)
+    monkeypatch.setenv("RAVEN_HOME", str(tmp_path / "no-runtime"))
+    monkeypatch.setenv("PATH", f"{old.parent}{os.pathsep}{new.parent}")
+
+    node_path, version = tui_commands.find_node()
+
+    assert node_path == str(new)
+    assert version == (26, 5, 0)
+
+
+def test_find_node_reports_below_min_when_nothing_qualifies(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
+    """When only a < 22 node exists, find_node returns it (not None) so the
+    caller can report the real version ('found 20.20.1, need >= 22') instead
+    of a bare 'not found'."""
+    if sys.platform == "win32":
+        pytest.skip("uses a POSIX fake node executable")
+
+    from raven.cli import tui_commands
+
+    old_dir = tmp_path / "old"
+    old_dir.mkdir()
+    old = old_dir / "node"
+    old.write_text("#!/bin/sh\necho v20.20.1\n", encoding="utf-8")
+    old.chmod(old.stat().st_mode | stat.S_IXUSR)
+
+    monkeypatch.delenv("RAVEN_NODE", raising=False)
+    monkeypatch.delenv("VIRTUAL_ENV", raising=False)
+    monkeypatch.setenv("RAVEN_HOME", str(tmp_path / "no-runtime"))
+    monkeypatch.setenv("PATH", str(old_dir))
+
+    node_path, version = tui_commands.find_node()
+
+    assert node_path == str(old)
+    assert version == (20, 20, 1)
+
+
 def test_dev_npx_derived_from_node_path(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
     """`--dev` mode must derive npx from the validated node_path,
     not from PATH — so RAVEN_NODE's version-pin semantics are honored."""