diff --git a/packages/adapters/pi-local/src/server/test.ts b/packages/adapters/pi-local/src/server/test.ts
index 25ef6d3e..3ea8dff2 100644
--- a/packages/adapters/pi-local/src/server/test.ts
+++ b/packages/adapters/pi-local/src/server/test.ts
@@ -248,6 +248,17 @@ export async function testEnvironment(
     args.push("--tools", "read");
     if (extraArgs.length > 0) args.push(...extraArgs);
 
+    // For remote targets, do NOT spread the host process.env into the probe
+    // env: it leaks macOS-only PATH, HOME, TMPDIR, etc. into the remote shell.
+    // In particular the Mac PATH overrides the nvm-sourced PATH that
+    // buildSshSpawnTarget sets up, which on Linux SSH targets resolves `node`
+    // to /usr/bin/node (Node 18) instead of nvm's Node 22, causing pi-tui to
+    // crash with `Invalid regular expression flags` on its /v unicode regex.
+    // Match the pattern used by claude_local / codex_local / gemini_local /
+    // opencode_local probes: send only the user-configured adapter env across
+    // SSH. Local probes still get the full runtimeEnv.
+    const probeEnv = targetIsRemote ? normalizeEnv(env) : runtimeEnv;
+
     try {
       const probe = await runAdapterExecutionTargetProcess(
         runId,
@@ -256,7 +267,7 @@ export async function testEnvironment(
         args,
         {
           cwd,
-          env: runtimeEnv,
+          env: probeEnv,
           timeoutSec: 60,
           graceSec: 5,
           onLog: async () => {},