diff --git a/docs/dogfooding-pull-requests.md b/docs/dogfooding-pull-requests.md
index dafd90fe7d1..12cf09188fd 100644
--- a/docs/dogfooding-pull-requests.md
+++ b/docs/dogfooding-pull-requests.md
@@ -329,9 +329,9 @@ The file is scoped to the solution directory and only affects projects under it.
 
 The Homebrew cask (`eng/homebrew/aspire.rb.template`) installs Aspire entirely
 inside the Caskroom version directory — `brew uninstall aspire` removes
-the binary and the route sidecar end-to-end. The cask intentionally carries
-no `zap` stanza, because `~/.aspire/` is a shared prefix with the script-route
-and PR-route installers and a brew-driven recursive delete would clobber state
+the binary and the source sidecar end-to-end. The cask intentionally carries
+no `zap` stanza, because `~/.aspire/` is a shared prefix with the script-source
+and PR-source installers and a brew-driven recursive delete would clobber state
 those installers still own.
 
 If you installed via the Homebrew cask before this change, you may have a
@@ -343,7 +343,7 @@ Clean it up manually once after upgrading the cask:
 rm -rf ~/.aspire/installs/brew-stable
 ```
 
-NuGet hives under `~/.aspire/hives/` and any script-route or PR-route
+NuGet hives under `~/.aspire/hives/` and any script-source or PR-source
 binaries under `~/.aspire/bin/` and `~/.aspire/dogfood/` are not touched by
 the cask in either direction; manage those with the steps above.
 
diff --git a/docs/specs/cli-output-formats.md b/docs/specs/cli-output-formats.md
index bbe2393303a..121517bb0fa 100644
--- a/docs/specs/cli-output-formats.md
+++ b/docs/specs/cli-output-formats.md
@@ -474,6 +474,74 @@ The JSON form includes secret values. Do not redirect it to logs or files unless
 
 `status` is one of `pass`, `warning`, or `fail`. Individual checks can include `details`, `fix`, `link`, or command-specific `metadata`.
 
+### `aspire --info`
+
+`aspire --info --format json` emits a JSON object combining the running CLI's version, its identity channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs and orphan package hives that the running CLI can discover:
+
+```json
+{
+  "version": "13.2.0",
+  "channel": "stable",
+  "installs": [
+    {
+      "id": "script",
+      "kind": "script",
+      "path": "/home/user/.aspire/bin/aspire",
+      "canonicalPath": "/home/user/.aspire/bin/aspire",
+      "version": "13.2.0",
+      "channel": "stable",
+      "source": "script",
+      "hive": "/home/user/.aspire/hives/stable",
+      "pathStatus": "active",
+      "status": "ok"
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "pr-17400",
+      "kind": "orphan-hive",
+      "channel": "pr-17400",
+      "hive": "/home/user/.aspire/hives/pr-17400",
+      "pathStatus": "notOnPath",
+      "status": "no install found",
+      "statusReason": "No discovered install reports this hive's channel."
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "stable-2",
+      "kind": "homebrew",
+      "path": "/opt/homebrew/Caskroom/aspire/13.2.0/aspire",
+      "canonicalPath": "/opt/homebrew/Caskroom/aspire/13.2.0/aspire",
+      "version": "13.2.0",
+      "channel": "stable",
+      "source": "brew",
+      "pathStatus": "shadowed",
+      "status": "ok",
+      "managedBy": "homebrew"
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "pr-17500",
+      "kind": "pr",
+      "path": "/home/user/.aspire/dogfood/pr-17500/bin/aspire",
+      "canonicalPath": "/home/user/.aspire/dogfood/pr-17500/bin/aspire",
+      "channel": "pr-17500",
+      "source": "pr",
+      "pathStatus": "notOnPath",
+      "status": "failed",
+      "statusReason": "Peer probe exited with code 137 (SIGKILL)."
+    }
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+Each entry in `installs[*]` is an `InstallationInfo` row — the same record shape used by `aspire --info --self --format json` (described below). The two status axes are orthogonal:
+
+- `status` is the lifecycle: `ok` (usable), `failed` (probe attempted but did not return usable data), `notProbed` (listed but not executed because required install metadata was missing or invalid), or `no install found` (orphan-hive directories with no matching binary).
+- `pathStatus` is the PATH-axis: `active` (first `aspire` resolved from `$PATH`), `shadowed` (on `$PATH` but masked by an earlier entry), or `notOnPath` (not discovered via `$PATH`).
+
+Programmatic consumers should `switch` on each axis independently. The `statusReason` field carries a human-readable explanation for non-`ok` rows; the `status` value itself stays enum-shaped. Nullable fields are omitted from JSON when absent (e.g., orphan-hive rows omit `path`, `canonicalPath`, `version`, `source`, `managedBy`).
+
+The top-level `channel` is the running CLI's identity (`local`, `stable`, `staging`, `daily`, or `pr-<N>`). It is omitted from the JSON output when the running binary has missing or invalid `AspireCliChannel` assembly metadata; the command still exits 0 so users can use `aspire --info` to diagnose a broken binary. The `installs` array is always present, possibly empty.
+
+`aspire --info --self --format json` is a hidden modifier used by the install-discovery peer-probe path so a newer CLI can ask a peer CLI to describe itself. Its output is a single-element bare array whose element is an `InstallationInfo` row — the same record shape as `installs[*]` above. The `--self` row populates per-binary fields (`path`, `canonicalPath`, `version`, `channel`, `source`, `pathStatus`, `status`) for the running binary; the aggregate-only fields (`id`, `kind`, `hive`, `managedBy`) are omitted from a `--self` response because they are properties of the enumeration, not of the binary. This is the internal cross-version contract between Aspire CLI builds and is not a stable surface for external tooling; it may change without notice.
+
 ### `aspire config info`
 
 `aspire config info --json` is a hidden tooling command that emits configuration paths, feature metadata, settings schemas, and advertised CLI capabilities:
diff --git a/docs/specs/install-routes.md b/docs/specs/install-sources.md
similarity index 56%
rename from docs/specs/install-routes.md
rename to docs/specs/install-sources.md
index d2b8f2c8c72..690327b7cd3 100644
--- a/docs/specs/install-routes.md
+++ b/docs/specs/install-sources.md
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
-# Aspire CLI install-route sidecar
+# Aspire CLI install-source sidecar
 
 > Pairs with `docs/specs/bundle.md` (bundle extraction layout) and `docs/ci/native-cli-packaging.md` (how archives are produced).
 
-The CLI binary identifies its install route by reading a single
+The CLI binary identifies its install source by reading a single
 `.aspire-install.json` sidecar that lives next to the binary. The sidecar's
 `source` field selects the extract-dir shape used by `BundleService` and, for
 portable installs, the Aspire home used for hives and local state.
@@ -13,10 +13,10 @@ portable installs, the Aspire home used for hives and local state.
 (`<binaryDir>/.aspire-install.json`) and contains exactly one field:
 
 ```json
-{ "source": "<route>" }
+{ "source": "<source>" }
 ```
 
-| `source` value | Install route                                          |
+| `source` value | Install source                                          |
 |----------------|--------------------------------------------------------|
 | `brew`         | Homebrew cask                                          |
 | `winget`       | WinGet portable manifest                               |
@@ -37,26 +37,26 @@ install. `script` and `localhive` use the parent of `bin`; `pr` uses the parent
 of `dogfood/pr-<N>/bin`. Package-manager installs and sidecar-less binaries keep
 the default Aspire home (`ASPIRE_HOME` when set, otherwise `$HOME/.aspire`).
 
-## Per-route authorship
+## Per-source authorship
 
-**The shared per-RID CLI archives (`aspire-cli-<rid>-*.zip` / `.tar.gz`) ship sidecar-free.** Those archives are reused across brew, winget, the release script, and the PR script — none of them owns the route label. Each route writes its own sidecar at install time.
+**The shared per-RID CLI archives (`aspire-cli-<rid>-*.zip` / `.tar.gz`) ship sidecar-free.** Those archives are reused across Homebrew, WinGet, the release script, and the PR script — none of them owns the source label. Each source writes its own sidecar at install time.
 
-| Route       | Archive shape                          | Sidecar writer                                                      |
+| Source       | Archive shape                          | Sidecar writer                                                      |
 |-------------|----------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
-| brew        | shared per-RID tarball                 | cask `postflight` block in `eng/homebrew/aspire.rb.template`        |
-| winget      | shared per-RID zip                     | CLI first-run probe (`WingetFirstRunProbe`) — uses the WinGet portable ARP registry entry to confirm the running binary was placed by winget, then stamps the sidecar |
+| Homebrew    | shared per-RID tarball                 | cask `postflight` block in `eng/homebrew/aspire.rb.template`        |
+| winget      | shared per-RID zip                     | CLI sidecar back-fill (`WingetSidecarBackfill`) — uses the WinGet portable ARP registry entry to confirm the running binary was placed by winget, then stamps the sidecar |
 | script      | shared per-RID archive                 | `eng/scripts/get-aspire-cli.{sh,ps1}` (post-extraction)             |
 | PR script   | shared per-RID archive                 | `eng/scripts/get-aspire-cli-pr.{sh,ps1}` (post-extraction)          |
-| dotnet-tool | route-exclusive nupkg                  | payload-embedded (staged by `Aspire.Cli.csproj` `_PreparePreBuiltCliBinaryForPackTool`) |
-| localhive   | local-only (no shared archive)         | `localhive.{sh,ps1}` writes the sidecar after copying the CLI binary into `<prefix>/bin/`. When `--output PATH` is used, the sidecar is written inside the output dir, which is appropriate because localhive archives are route-exclusive (only consumed as localhive installs). |
+| dotnet-tool | source-exclusive nupkg                  | payload-embedded (staged by `Aspire.Cli.csproj` `_PreparePreBuiltCliBinaryForPackTool`) |
+| localhive   | local-only (no shared archive)         | `localhive.{sh,ps1}` writes the sidecar after copying the CLI binary into `<prefix>/bin/`. When `--output PATH` is used, the sidecar is written inside the output dir, which is appropriate because localhive archives are source-exclusive (only consumed as localhive installs). |
 
-The dotnet-tool nupkg is the one exception that payload-embeds the sidecar: the nupkg is route-exclusive (only `dotnet tool install` consumes it), so the embedded sidecar cannot leak into another route's prefix.
+The dotnet-tool nupkg is the one exception that payload-embeds the sidecar: the nupkg is source-exclusive (only `dotnet tool install` consumes it), so the embedded sidecar cannot leak into another source's prefix.
 
 ## Why no payload-embed in shared archives
 
-Until PR 16817 the per-RID archives baked `{"source":"brew"}` (osx-*) and `{"source":"winget"}` (win-*) into the archive root via an MSBuild target. Because the osx-* tarball is also consumed by `get-aspire-cli-pr.sh`, the smuggled `brew` sidecar landed in the script-route prefix at `<prefix>/dogfood/pr-<N>/bin/.aspire-install.json`, and `BundleService` then selected `binaryDir` (the `brew` flat-layout case) as the extract dir — producing `<prefix>/dogfood/pr-<N>/bin/versions/<v>/` instead of `<prefix>/dogfood/pr-<N>/versions/<v>/`.
+Until PR 16817 the per-RID archives baked source sidecars (`osx-*` as Homebrew, `win-*` as WinGet) into the archive root via an MSBuild target. Because the `osx-*` tarball is also consumed by `get-aspire-cli-pr.sh`, the smuggled `brew` sidecar landed in the script-source prefix at `<prefix>/dogfood/pr-<N>/bin/.aspire-install.json`, and `BundleService` then selected `binaryDir` (the `brew` flat-layout case) as the extract dir — producing `<prefix>/dogfood/pr-<N>/bin/versions/<v>/` instead of `<prefix>/dogfood/pr-<N>/versions/<v>/`.
 
-Removing the MSBuild target and moving each route to author its own sidecar at install time makes the per-RID archive route-agnostic and prevents the leak by construction.
+Removing the MSBuild target and moving each source to author its own sidecar at install time makes the per-RID archive source-agnostic and prevents the leak by construction.
 
 ## Producer-side invariants (build / CI)
 
@@ -67,10 +67,10 @@ Two mechanical checks guard the contract:
 
 ## Reader-side invariants (runtime)
 
-`BundleService.ComputeDefaultExtractDir` is the single point of truth for layout selection. It performs no path-shape detection: layout is a pure function of the sidecar `source` value (or the fallback when the sidecar is absent, unreadable, malformed, or has an unknown `source`). Unknown `source` values fall back to the default Aspire home so unrecognized installs do not try to write next to the CLI binary. Coverage lives in `tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Bundles/BundleServiceCrossRouteExtractionTests.cs` as a theory over (source × prefix-shape) rows, including the cross-route case where a `brew` sidecar lands under a script-style prefix.
+`BundleService.ComputeDefaultExtractDir` is the single point of truth for layout selection. It performs no path-shape detection: layout is a pure function of the sidecar `source` value (or the fallback when the sidecar is absent, unreadable, malformed, or has an unknown `source`). Unknown `source` values fall back to the default Aspire home so unrecognized installs do not try to write next to the CLI binary. Coverage lives in `tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Bundles/BundleServiceCrossSourceExtractionTests.cs` as a theory over (source × prefix-shape) rows, including the cross-source case where a `brew` sidecar lands under a script-style prefix.
 
-`CliPathHelper.GetAspireHomeDirectory` is the single point of truth for Aspire-home selection. It reads the same sidecar but only changes home for Aspire-owned portable routes (`script`, `pr`, and `localhive`); package-manager routes use the user-profile home because their install roots are package-manager-owned. Coverage lives in `tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Utils/CliPathHelperTests.cs`.
+`CliPathHelper.GetAspireHomeDirectory` is the single point of truth for Aspire-home selection. It reads the same sidecar but only changes home for Aspire-owned portable sources (`script`, `pr`, and `localhive`); package-manager sources use the user-profile home because their install roots are package-manager-owned. Coverage lives in `tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Utils/CliPathHelperTests.cs`.
 
-> **Discovery scope (dotnet-tool route).** Install discovery walks the default `dotnet tool install -g` location at `~/.dotnet/tools/.store/aspire.cli` only. Custom `--tool-path` installs are not discovered today: the dotnet CLI has no machine-wide registry of arbitrary `--tool-path` installs to enumerate, and walking the filesystem would balloon the cost of `aspire doctor`. Users with a custom-`--tool-path` install can confirm it directly with `<tool-path>/aspire doctor --self`.
+> **Discovery scope (dotnet-tool source).** Install discovery walks the default `dotnet tool install -g` location at `~/.dotnet/tools/.store/aspire.cli` only. Custom `--tool-path` installs are not discovered today: the dotnet CLI has no machine-wide registry of arbitrary `--tool-path` installs to enumerate, and walking the filesystem would balloon the cost of `aspire --info`. Users with a custom-`--tool-path` install can confirm it directly with `<tool-path>/aspire --info --self`.
 
-For read-only install discovery (`aspire doctor --format json`), sidecar existence is the trust signal for peer probing. A candidate with any readable sidecar is probed even when `source` is not in the known route table; the raw `source` string is surfaced as the installation `route` so future package-manager routes can appear before this consumer updates. Sidecar-less, unreadable, or malformed candidates are listed without executing the binary.
+For read-only install discovery (`aspire --info --format json`), sidecar existence is the trust signal for peer probing. A candidate with any readable sidecar is probed even when `source` is not in the known source table; the raw `source` string is surfaced as the installation `source` so future package-manager sources can appear before this consumer updates. Sidecar-less, unreadable, or malformed candidates are listed without executing the binary.
diff --git a/eng/clipack/Common.projitems b/eng/clipack/Common.projitems
index d9bfc4e9dab..049c8403def 100644
--- a/eng/clipack/Common.projitems
+++ b/eng/clipack/Common.projitems
@@ -42,12 +42,12 @@
   </Target>
 
   <!--
-    No install-route sidecar is staged into the per-RID CLI archive. The
-    shared archives are sidecar-free by contract; each route writes its own
+    No install-source sidecar is staged into the per-RID CLI archive. The
+    shared archives are sidecar-free by contract; each source writes its own
     .aspire-install.json at install time. The dotnet-tool nupkg is the
-    exception (route-exclusive, payload-embedded by
+    exception (source-exclusive, payload-embedded by
     src/Aspire.Cli/Aspire.Cli.csproj _PreparePreBuiltCliBinaryForPackTool).
-    See docs/specs/install-routes.md for the full authorship table.
+    See docs/specs/install-sources.md for the full authorship table.
 
     _AssertNoSidecarInArchiveStaging below is the build-time guard that
     fails the build if a regression starts staging the sidecar back in.
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@
       <_ArchiveSidecarPath>$([MSBuild]::NormalizePath($(OutputPath), '.aspire-install.json'))</_ArchiveSidecarPath>
     </PropertyGroup>
     <Error Condition="Exists('$(_ArchiveSidecarPath)')"
-           Text="Per-RID CLI archives must not contain '.aspire-install.json' — shared across install routes. See docs/specs/install-routes.md. Found smuggled sidecar at $(_ArchiveSidecarPath)." />
+           Text="Per-RID CLI archives must not contain '.aspire-install.json' — shared across install sources. See docs/specs/install-sources.md. Found smuggled sidecar at $(_ArchiveSidecarPath)." />
   </Target>
 
   <Target Name="_PublishProject">
diff --git a/eng/scripts/get-aspire-cli-pr.ps1 b/eng/scripts/get-aspire-cli-pr.ps1
index 1394a1a6d02..82cdb3c6d3a 100755
--- a/eng/scripts/get-aspire-cli-pr.ps1
+++ b/eng/scripts/get-aspire-cli-pr.ps1
@@ -1539,11 +1539,11 @@ function Test-InstallerModeEnvironment {
     }
 }
 
-# Writes the PR-route install-source sidecar (.aspire-install.json) next to
+# Writes the PR-source install-source sidecar (.aspire-install.json) next to
 # the installed binary. Under -WhatIf, prints the target path and skips the
 # write so a real user's sidecar is never overwritten by a describe pass.
-# Authorship contract: docs/specs/install-routes.md.
-function Write-PRRouteSidecar {
+# Authorship contract: docs/specs/install-sources.md.
+function Write-PRSourceSidecar {
     [CmdletBinding(SupportsShouldProcess)]
     param(
         [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
@@ -1557,12 +1557,12 @@ function Write-PRRouteSidecar {
     $sidecarPath = Join-Path $sidecarDir '.aspire-install.json'
     $sidecarContent = "{""source"":""pr""}`n"
 
-    if ($PSCmdlet.ShouldProcess($sidecarPath, "Write route sidecar")) {
+    if ($PSCmdlet.ShouldProcess($sidecarPath, "Write source sidecar")) {
         [System.IO.Directory]::CreateDirectory($sidecarDir) | Out-Null
         [System.IO.File]::WriteAllText($sidecarPath, $sidecarContent)
     }
     else {
-        Write-Host "What if: Route sidecar would be written to: $sidecarPath"
+        Write-Host "What if: Source sidecar would be written to: $sidecarPath"
     }
 }
 
@@ -1701,8 +1701,8 @@ function Start-InstallFromLocalDir {
     Write-Message "Installing from local directory: $LocalDirPath" -Level Info
 
     # Set installation paths.
-    # PR-route installs are isolated under <prefix>/dogfood/pr-<N>/bin so they don't
-    # collide with the script-route prefix or with other PR installs. Hives remain shared
+    # PR-source installs are isolated under <prefix>/dogfood/pr-<N>/bin so they don't
+    # collide with the script-source prefix or with other PR installs. Hives remain shared
     # under <prefix>/hives/<label>/packages.
     $cliBinDir = if ($PRNumber -gt 0) {
         Join-Path (Join-Path (Join-Path $resolvedInstallPrefix "dogfood") "pr-$PRNumber") "bin"
@@ -1791,7 +1791,7 @@ function Start-InstallFromLocalDir {
     # PR installs from archives get a sidecar; --local-dir installs are unmanaged,
     # and dotnet-tool packages embed their own source=dotnet-tool sidecar.
     if (-not $HiveOnly -and $InstallMode -eq 'Archive' -and $PRNumber -gt 0) {
-        Write-PRRouteSidecar -InstallPrefix $resolvedInstallPrefix -PRNumber $PRNumber
+        Write-PRSourceSidecar -InstallPrefix $resolvedInstallPrefix -PRNumber $PRNumber
     }
 
     # Update PATH environment variables
@@ -1837,8 +1837,8 @@ function Start-DownloadAndInstall {
     Write-Message "Using workflow run https://github.com/$Script:Repository/actions/runs/$runId" -Level Info
 
     # Set installation paths.
-    # PR-route installs are isolated under <prefix>/dogfood/pr-<N>/bin so they don't
-    # collide with the script-route prefix or with other PR installs. Hives remain shared
+    # PR-source installs are isolated under <prefix>/dogfood/pr-<N>/bin so they don't
+    # collide with the script-source prefix or with other PR installs. Hives remain shared
     # under <prefix>/hives/<label>/packages.
     $cliBinDir = if ($PRNumber -gt 0) {
         Join-Path (Join-Path (Join-Path $resolvedInstallPrefix "dogfood") "pr-$PRNumber") "bin"
@@ -1927,7 +1927,7 @@ function Start-DownloadAndInstall {
     }
 
     if (-not $HiveOnly -and $InstallMode -eq 'Archive' -and $PRNumber -gt 0) {
-        Write-PRRouteSidecar -InstallPrefix $resolvedInstallPrefix -PRNumber $PRNumber
+        Write-PRSourceSidecar -InstallPrefix $resolvedInstallPrefix -PRNumber $PRNumber
     }
 
     # Update PATH environment variables
diff --git a/eng/scripts/get-aspire-cli-pr.sh b/eng/scripts/get-aspire-cli-pr.sh
index d7350ca3558..b1b004486b0 100755
--- a/eng/scripts/get-aspire-cli-pr.sh
+++ b/eng/scripts/get-aspire-cli-pr.sh
@@ -1436,7 +1436,7 @@ install_aspire_cli_from_binary() {
 
 # Computes the CLI install directory. PR installs are isolated under
 # <prefix>/dogfood/pr-<N>/bin; without PR_NUMBER, falls back to the shared
-# script-route bin dir.
+# script-source bin dir.
 compute_cli_install_dir() {
     if [[ -n "$PR_NUMBER" ]]; then
         printf '%s' "$INSTALL_PREFIX/dogfood/pr-$PR_NUMBER/bin"
@@ -1449,13 +1449,13 @@ compute_cli_install_dir() {
 # <install_prefix>/dogfood/pr-<N>/bin/.aspire-install.json. The sidecar marks
 # the install as PR-sourced so downstream consumers (e.g. 'aspire update')
 # know not to assume the stable script source. Per-RID archives produced
-# by eng/clipack are shared across routes and ship without a baked sidecar;
-# this write is the PR-route's authoritative author. If a future or
+# by eng/clipack are shared across sources and ship without a baked sidecar;
+# this write is the PR-source's authoritative author. If a future or
 # external archive ever smuggles a sidecar at the same path, this write
 # overwrites it by design. Under --dry-run the script is describe-but-do-
 # not-do: print the path it would write to and skip the filesystem mutation
 # so a real user's sidecar is never overwritten.
-write_pr_route_sidecar() {
+write_pr_source_sidecar() {
     local install_prefix="$1"
     local pr_number="$2"
 
@@ -1464,7 +1464,7 @@ write_pr_route_sidecar() {
     local sidecar_content='{"source":"pr"}'
 
     if [[ "$DRY_RUN" == true ]]; then
-        printf 'DRYRUN: would write route sidecar to: %s\n' "$sidecar_path"
+        printf 'DRYRUN: would write source sidecar to: %s\n' "$sidecar_path"
     else
         mkdir -p "$sidecar_dir"
         printf '%s\n' "$sidecar_content" > "$sidecar_path"
@@ -1513,8 +1513,8 @@ install_from_local_dir() {
 
     say_info "Installing from local directory: $local_dir"
 
-    # PR-route installs are isolated under <prefix>/dogfood/pr-<N>/bin so they
-    # don't collide with the script-route prefix or with other PR installs.
+    # PR-source installs are isolated under <prefix>/dogfood/pr-<N>/bin so they
+    # don't collide with the script-source prefix or with other PR installs.
     # Hives remain shared under <prefix>/hives/<label>/packages.
     local cli_install_dir
     cli_install_dir="$(compute_cli_install_dir)"
@@ -1620,7 +1620,7 @@ install_from_local_dir() {
     # PR installs from archives get a sidecar. --local-dir installs are unmanaged, and
     # dotnet-tool packages embed their own source=dotnet-tool sidecar.
     if [[ "$HIVE_ONLY" != true && "$INSTALL_MODE" == "archive" && -n "$PR_NUMBER" ]]; then
-        write_pr_route_sidecar "$INSTALL_PREFIX" "$PR_NUMBER"
+        write_pr_source_sidecar "$INSTALL_PREFIX" "$PR_NUMBER"
     fi
 
 }
@@ -1661,8 +1661,8 @@ download_and_install_from_pr() {
 
     say_info "Using workflow run https://github.com/${REPO}/actions/runs/$workflow_run_id"
 
-    # PR-route installs are isolated under <prefix>/dogfood/pr-<N>/bin so they
-    # don't collide with the script-route prefix or with other PR installs.
+    # PR-source installs are isolated under <prefix>/dogfood/pr-<N>/bin so they
+    # don't collide with the script-source prefix or with other PR installs.
     # Hives remain shared under <prefix>/hives/<label>/packages.
     local cli_install_dir
     cli_install_dir="$(compute_cli_install_dir)"
@@ -1781,10 +1781,10 @@ download_and_install_from_pr() {
         fi
     fi
 
-    # Write the PR-route sidecar only for installs from archives. Tool-mode packages
+    # Write the PR-source sidecar only for installs from archives. Tool-mode packages
     # carry their own source=dotnet-tool sidecar.
     if [[ "$HIVE_ONLY" != true && "$INSTALL_MODE" == "archive" && -n "$PR_NUMBER" ]]; then
-        write_pr_route_sidecar "$INSTALL_PREFIX" "$PR_NUMBER"
+        write_pr_source_sidecar "$INSTALL_PREFIX" "$PR_NUMBER"
     fi
 
 }
@@ -1856,8 +1856,8 @@ main() {
     fi
 
     # Set paths based on install prefix.
-    # PR-route installs go under $INSTALL_PREFIX/dogfood/pr-<N>/bin to isolate them from
-    # the script-route prefix and from other PR installs.
+    # PR-source installs go under $INSTALL_PREFIX/dogfood/pr-<N>/bin to isolate them from
+    # the script-source prefix and from other PR installs.
     if [[ -n "$PR_NUMBER" ]]; then
         cli_install_dir="$INSTALL_PREFIX/dogfood/pr-$PR_NUMBER/bin"
         INSTALL_PATH_UNEXPANDED="$INSTALL_PREFIX_UNEXPANDED/dogfood/pr-$PR_NUMBER/bin"
diff --git a/eng/scripts/get-aspire-cli.ps1 b/eng/scripts/get-aspire-cli.ps1
index a775936479e..af5cda8afb5 100755
--- a/eng/scripts/get-aspire-cli.ps1
+++ b/eng/scripts/get-aspire-cli.ps1
@@ -1220,16 +1220,16 @@ function Install-AspireCli {
             Write-Message "Aspire CLI successfully installed to: $cliPath" -Level Success
         }
 
-        # Write the script-route install-source sidecar next to the binary.
+        # Write the script-source install-source sidecar next to the binary.
         # Under -WhatIf, print the target path and skip the write.
-        # Authorship contract: docs/specs/install-routes.md.
+        # Authorship contract: docs/specs/install-sources.md.
         $sidecarPath = Join-Path $InstallPath '.aspire-install.json'
-        if ($PSCmdlet.ShouldProcess($sidecarPath, "Write route sidecar")) {
+        if ($PSCmdlet.ShouldProcess($sidecarPath, "Write source sidecar")) {
             [System.IO.Directory]::CreateDirectory($InstallPath) | Out-Null
             [System.IO.File]::WriteAllText($sidecarPath, "{""source"":""script""}`n")
         }
         else {
-            Write-Host "What if: Route sidecar would be written to: $sidecarPath"
+            Write-Host "What if: Source sidecar would be written to: $sidecarPath"
         }
 
         # Download and install VS Code extension if requested
diff --git a/eng/scripts/get-aspire-cli.sh b/eng/scripts/get-aspire-cli.sh
index ed584d869e5..e3056a57200 100755
--- a/eng/scripts/get-aspire-cli.sh
+++ b/eng/scripts/get-aspire-cli.sh
@@ -1094,13 +1094,13 @@ main() {
         exit 1
     fi
 
-    # Write the script-route install-source sidecar next to the binary.
+    # Write the script-source install-source sidecar next to the binary.
     # Under --dry-run, print the target path and skip the write.
-    # Authorship contract: docs/specs/install-routes.md.
+    # Authorship contract: docs/specs/install-sources.md.
     local sidecar_path
     sidecar_path="$INSTALL_PATH/.aspire-install.json"
     if [[ "$DRY_RUN" == true ]]; then
-        printf 'DRYRUN: would write route sidecar to: %s\n' "$sidecar_path"
+        printf 'DRYRUN: would write source sidecar to: %s\n' "$sidecar_path"
     else
         mkdir -p "$INSTALL_PATH"
         printf '{"source":"script"}\n' > "$sidecar_path"
diff --git a/eng/scripts/verify-cli-archive.ps1 b/eng/scripts/verify-cli-archive.ps1
index 321e1cb555f..bf9a50fbffc 100644
--- a/eng/scripts/verify-cli-archive.ps1
+++ b/eng/scripts/verify-cli-archive.ps1
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
     This script:
     1. Cleans ~/.aspire to ensure no stale state
     2. Extracts the CLI archive to a temp location
-    3. Verifies the archive shape contains the native CLI payload and no install-route sidecar
+    3. Verifies the archive shape contains the native CLI payload and no install-source sidecar
     4. Runs 'aspire --version' to validate the binary executes
     5. Runs 'aspire new aspire-starter' to test C# starter creation
     6. Cleans up temp directories
@@ -96,8 +96,8 @@ function Get-ArchiveRoot {
 }
 
 function Test-ArchiveSidecar {
-    # Per-RID CLI archives must ship sidecar-free; each install route writes
-    # its own .aspire-install.json. See docs/specs/install-routes.md.
+    # Per-RID CLI archives must ship sidecar-free; each install source writes
+    # its own .aspire-install.json. See docs/specs/install-sources.md.
     param(
         [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$ExtractDir,
         [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$ArchiveFileName
@@ -112,9 +112,9 @@ function Test-ArchiveSidecar {
     $strays = Get-ChildItem -Path $ExtractDir -Recurse -File -Filter '.aspire-install.json' -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
     if ($strays) {
         $strayPaths = $strays | ForEach-Object { $_.FullName.Substring($ExtractDir.Length + 1).Replace('\', '/') }
-        throw "$ridFamily-* archive '$ArchiveFileName' must not contain '.aspire-install.json' (per-RID archives are shared across install routes; each route authors its own sidecar after extraction). Found: $($strayPaths -join ', ')"
+        throw "$ridFamily-* archive '$ArchiveFileName' must not contain '.aspire-install.json' (per-RID archives are shared across install sources; each source authors its own sidecar after extraction). Found: $($strayPaths -join ', ')"
     }
-    Write-Step "$ridFamily-* archive correctly omits the install-route sidecar."
+    Write-Step "$ridFamily-* archive correctly omits the install-source sidecar."
 }
 
 function Test-CSharpStarterProject {
diff --git a/localhive.ps1 b/localhive.ps1
index bdea8c63a36..cd4ba8ec2fb 100644
--- a/localhive.ps1
+++ b/localhive.ps1
@@ -490,10 +490,10 @@ if (-not $SkipCli) {
       throw
     }
 
-    # Stamp the install-route sidecar so `aspire info` / `aspire uninstall`
+    # Stamp the install-source sidecar so install discovery
     # can identify this binary as a locally-built (`localhive`) install.
-    # The format matches docs/specs/install-routes.md exactly; localhive
-    # shares the script-route layout (binary under <prefix>/bin/, bundle
+    # The format matches docs/specs/install-sources.md exactly; localhive
+    # shares the script-source layout (binary under <prefix>/bin/, bundle
     # extracted at parent-of-bin).
     $sidecarPath = Join-Path $cliBinDir ".aspire-install.json"
     Set-Content -LiteralPath $sidecarPath -Value '{"source":"localhive"}' -Encoding UTF8 -NoNewline
@@ -526,9 +526,9 @@ if ($Archive) {
     # Compress-Archive. Compress-Archive enumerates inputs via the PowerShell
     # provider, which on non-Windows hosts treats files whose name starts with
     # '.' as hidden and excludes them from `<dir>/*` wildcard expansion. The
-    # portable layout includes bin/.aspire-install.json — the localhive route
-    # sidecar that `aspire doctor` and route-aware Aspire-home selection rely
-    # on (see docs/specs/install-routes.md) — and silently dropping it from
+    # portable layout includes bin/.aspire-install.json — the localhive source
+    # sidecar that install discovery and source-aware Aspire-home selection rely
+    # on (see docs/specs/install-sources.md) — and silently dropping it from
     # win-* zips built on Linux/macOS would produce sidecar-less installs on
     # the target machine. ZipFile walks the filesystem directly and includes
     # dotfiles unconditionally.
@@ -559,7 +559,7 @@ if ($Archive) {
         $zip.Dispose()
       }
       if (-not $hasSidecar) {
-        throw "Archive '$archivePath' is missing the install-route sidecar entry '$sidecarEntryName'. The zip creation path is dropping hidden files."
+        throw "Archive '$archivePath' is missing the install-source sidecar entry '$sidecarEntryName'. The zip creation path is dropping hidden files."
       }
     }
   } else {
diff --git a/localhive.sh b/localhive.sh
index 7f0dcff390c..ff8b5faa3f6 100755
--- a/localhive.sh
+++ b/localhive.sh
@@ -466,10 +466,10 @@ if [[ $SKIP_CLI -eq 0 ]]; then
       exit 1
     fi
 
-    # Stamp the install-route sidecar so `aspire info` / `aspire uninstall`
+    # Stamp the install-source sidecar so install discovery
     # can identify this binary as a locally-built (`localhive`) install.
-    # The format matches docs/specs/install-routes.md exactly; localhive
-    # shares the script-route layout (binary under <prefix>/bin/, bundle
+    # The format matches docs/specs/install-sources.md exactly; localhive
+    # shares the script-source layout (binary under <prefix>/bin/, bundle
     # extracted at parent-of-bin).
     printf '%s' '{"source":"localhive"}' > "$CLI_BIN_DIR/.aspire-install.json"
 
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/HiveEnumerator.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/HiveEnumerator.cs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..4401175e23e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/HiveEnumerator.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+// Licensed to the .NET Foundation under one or more agreements.
+// The .NET Foundation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
+
+namespace Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Read-only enumeration of Aspire CLI package hives under
+/// <c>$HOME/.aspire/hives/&lt;channel&gt;</c>. Hives are populated by install
+/// scripts and read by <c>aspire --info</c> to surface orphan hives.
+/// </summary>
+/// <remarks>
+/// Channel-keyed lookups (<see cref="HasHive"/>, <see cref="GetHivePath"/>)
+/// only accept the channel shapes that the build pipeline ever bakes — see
+/// <see cref="IdentityChannelReader.IsValidChannel(string)"/>. Channels can
+/// reach this type via peer <c>--info --self</c> output (untrusted JSON
+/// from a sibling CLI binary), so any value outside that allow-list is
+/// treated as "no hive": it prevents directory-separator / <c>..</c> /
+/// invalid-character inputs from being fed to <c>Path.Combine</c> +
+/// <see cref="DirectoryInfo"/>, which would otherwise either escape the
+/// hives root in the displayed path or throw on the <see cref="DirectoryInfo"/>
+/// constructor.
+/// </remarks>
+internal sealed class HiveEnumerator(CliExecutionContext executionContext)
+{
+    public IReadOnlyList<HiveInfo> GetHives()
+    {
+        if (!executionContext.HivesDirectory.Exists)
+        {
+            return [];
+        }
+
+        return executionContext.HivesDirectory
+            .EnumerateDirectories()
+            .OrderBy(d => d.Name, StringComparer.Ordinal)
+            .Select(d => new HiveInfo(d.Name, d.FullName))
+            .ToList();
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Returns the on-disk path of the hive for <paramref name="channel"/>,
+    /// or <see langword="null"/> when <paramref name="channel"/> is not a
+    /// recognized channel shape. Returning a path here makes no claim about
+    /// whether the directory exists — use <see cref="HasHive"/> for that.
+    /// </summary>
+    public string? GetHivePath(string channel)
+        => TryGetHiveDirectory(channel) is { } dir ? dir.FullName : null;
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Returns <see langword="true"/> when <paramref name="channel"/> is a
+    /// recognized channel shape and the corresponding hive directory exists.
+    /// Unrecognized channel shapes always return <see langword="false"/>.
+    /// </summary>
+    public bool HasHive(string channel)
+        => TryGetHiveDirectory(channel) is { Exists: true };
+
+    private DirectoryInfo? TryGetHiveDirectory(string channel)
+    {
+        if (!IdentityChannelReader.IsValidChannel(channel))
+        {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        return new DirectoryInfo(Path.Combine(executionContext.HivesDirectory.FullName, channel));
+    }
+}
+
+internal sealed record HiveInfo(string Name, string Path);
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/IInstallSidecarReader.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/IInstallSidecarReader.cs
index 17f03aa5b43..98b6bea4012 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/IInstallSidecarReader.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/IInstallSidecarReader.cs
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 namespace Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
 
 /// <summary>
-/// Result of reading an install-route sidecar from a binary directory.
+/// Result of reading an install-source sidecar from a binary directory.
 /// </summary>
 /// <param name="SidecarPath">
 /// Absolute path of the sidecar file that was read. Always populated for
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@ namespace Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
 /// resolved sidecar path.
 /// </param>
 /// <param name="Source">
-/// Parsed install route. <see cref="InstallSource.Unknown"/> when the sidecar
-/// exists but its <c>source</c> field does not match a known route.
+/// Parsed install source. <see cref="InstallSource.Unknown"/> when the sidecar
+/// exists but its <c>source</c> field does not match a known source.
 /// </param>
 /// <param name="RawSource">
 /// The literal <c>source</c> string from the sidecar (may be a value not yet
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ namespace Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
 internal sealed record InstallSidecarInfo(string SidecarPath, InstallSource Source, string RawSource);
 
 /// <summary>
-/// Result of attempting to read an install-route sidecar.
+/// Result of attempting to read an install-source sidecar.
 /// </summary>
 /// <param name="SidecarPath">
 /// Path of the sidecar file that was considered. Absolute when the binary
@@ -46,14 +46,13 @@ public sealed record Invalid(string Path, string Reason) : InstallSidecarReadRes
 }
 
 /// <summary>
-/// Reads the install-route sidecar (<c>.aspire-install.json</c>) that an
-/// install route writes next to the CLI binary. The sidecar identifies the
-/// installation route so callers (e.g. <c>BundleService</c>,
-/// <c>aspire doctor</c>, <c>aspire uninstall</c>) can branch behavior without
-/// path-shape heuristics.
+/// Reads the install-source sidecar (<c>.aspire-install.json</c>) that an
+/// install source writes next to the CLI binary. The sidecar identifies the
+/// installation source so callers (e.g. <c>BundleService</c>,
+/// <c>aspire --info</c>) can branch behavior without path-shape heuristics.
 /// </summary>
 /// <remarks>
-/// See <c>docs/specs/install-routes.md</c> for the file contract. The reader
+/// See <c>docs/specs/install-sources.md</c> for the file contract. The reader
 /// is AOT-safe: parsing uses <c>JsonDocument</c> instead of reflection-based
 /// deserialization.
 /// </remarks>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/IInstallationDiscovery.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/IInstallationDiscovery.cs
index 99e86a18295..eea627ff8c8 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/IInstallationDiscovery.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/IInstallationDiscovery.cs
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 namespace Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
 
 /// <summary>
-/// Discovers Aspire CLI installations on this machine for <c>aspire doctor</c>.
+/// Discovers Aspire CLI installations on this machine for <c>aspire --info</c>.
 /// </summary>
 /// <remarks>
 /// Two modes:
@@ -12,13 +12,13 @@ namespace Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
 ///   <item>
 ///     <description><see cref="DescribeSelf"/> — cheap path that describes
 ///     only the currently running CLI. No process spawning, no filesystem
-///     walks. Used by the hidden <c>aspire doctor --self</c> peer-probe path.</description>
+///     walks. Used by the hidden <c>aspire --info --self</c> peer-probe path.</description>
 ///   </item>
 ///   <item>
 ///     <description><see cref="DiscoverAllAsync"/> — walks <c>$PATH</c> plus
 ///     well-known install prefixes and asks each peer with required install
-///     metadata to self-describe via a child <c>aspire doctor --self --format json</c>
-///     call. Used by the default <c>aspire doctor</c> path.</description>
+///     metadata to self-describe via a child <c>aspire --info --self --format json</c>
+///     call. Used by <c>aspire --info</c>.</description>
 ///   </item>
 /// </list>
 /// </remarks>
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ internal interface IInstallationDiscovery
     /// <summary>
     /// Describes the currently running CLI. The result always has
     /// <see cref="InstallationInfo.Status"/> = <c>ok</c> with version /
-    /// channel / route populated from in-process readers.
+    /// channel / source populated from in-process readers.
     /// </summary>
     InstallationInfo DescribeSelf();
 
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/IPeerInstallProbe.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/IPeerInstallProbe.cs
index 4f851472f41..d04b3080d79 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/IPeerInstallProbe.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/IPeerInstallProbe.cs
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ namespace Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
 
 /// <summary>
 /// Result of asking a peer Aspire CLI binary to self-describe via
-/// <c>&lt;peer&gt; doctor --self --format json</c>.
+/// <c>&lt;peer&gt; --info --self --format json</c>.
 /// </summary>
 internal abstract record PeerProbeResult
 {
@@ -20,12 +20,12 @@ public sealed record Failed(string Reason) : PeerProbeResult;
 /// Spawns a peer Aspire CLI binary to ask it to describe itself.
 /// Implementations MUST enforce a process-wide timeout, a stdout byte cap,
 /// and kill the entire process tree on timeout so a hung or runaway peer
-/// can't survive past <c>aspire doctor</c>'s lifetime.
+/// can't survive past <c>aspire --info</c>'s lifetime.
 /// </summary>
 internal interface IPeerInstallProbe
 {
     /// <summary>
-    /// Runs <c><paramref name="binaryPath"/> doctor --self --format json</c> and
+    /// Runs <c><paramref name="binaryPath"/> --info --self --format json</c> and
     /// returns either the parsed <see cref="InstallationInfo"/> or a failure
     /// reason. <c>--self</c> bounds the peer to describing only itself so the
     /// probe does not recursively trigger a discovery walk inside the peer.
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/IWindowsRegistryReader.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/IWindowsRegistryReader.cs
index a287433f76c..358c0d2fcb9 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/IWindowsRegistryReader.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/IWindowsRegistryReader.cs
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ namespace Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
 /// <summary>
 /// Probes Windows-specific facts that identify whether the currently running
 /// CLI binary was placed by a winget portable install. Used by
-/// <see cref="WingetFirstRunProbe"/>; abstracted for testability.
+/// <see cref="WingetSidecarBackfill"/>; abstracted for testability.
 /// </summary>
 internal interface IWindowsRegistryReader
 {
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/InstallSidecarReader.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/InstallSidecarReader.cs
index 990c747f996..ead38ec0eee 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/InstallSidecarReader.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/InstallSidecarReader.cs
@@ -24,9 +24,9 @@ public InstallSidecarReader(ILogger<InstallSidecarReader>? logger = null)
     }
 
     /// <summary>
-    /// Well-known file name of the sidecar that each install route writes
+    /// Well-known file name of the sidecar that each install source writes
     /// next to the CLI binary. Matches the contract in
-    /// <c>docs/specs/install-routes.md</c>.
+    /// <c>docs/specs/install-sources.md</c>.
     /// </summary>
     public const string SidecarFileName = ".aspire-install.json";
 
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/InstallSource.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/InstallSource.cs
index f6f10830b53..605c8306acd 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/InstallSource.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/InstallSource.cs
@@ -4,16 +4,16 @@
 namespace Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
 
 /// <summary>
-/// Identifies the installation route that placed the running CLI binary.
+/// Identifies the installation source that placed the running CLI binary.
 /// The value is read from the <c>source</c> field of the
 /// <c>.aspire-install.json</c> sidecar that sits next to the binary.
-/// See <c>docs/specs/install-routes.md</c>.
+/// See <c>docs/specs/install-sources.md</c>.
 /// </summary>
 internal enum InstallSource
 {
     /// <summary>
     /// No sidecar was found, or the sidecar contained a value that does not
-    /// match any known route. Treated as legacy / pre-sidecar by callers.
+    /// match any known source. Treated as legacy / pre-sidecar by callers.
     /// </summary>
     Unknown = 0,
 
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ internal enum InstallSource
     Winget,
 
     /// <summary>Homebrew cask.</summary>
-    Brew,
+    Homebrew,
 
     /// <summary>.NET global tool (<c>dotnet tool install -g Aspire.Cli</c>).</summary>
     DotnetTool,
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ internal enum InstallSource
 /// </summary>
 internal static class InstallSourceExtensions
 {
-    // Wire strings — these match the contract in docs/specs/install-routes.md
+    // Wire strings — these match the contract in docs/specs/install-sources.md
     // exactly. They are kebab-case strings consumed by both the installer
     // scripts and BundleService.ComputeDefaultExtractDir.
     internal const string ScriptWire = "script";
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ public static InstallSource ParseInstallSource(string? raw)
             ScriptWire => InstallSource.Script,
             PrWire => InstallSource.Pr,
             WingetWire => InstallSource.Winget,
-            BrewWire => InstallSource.Brew,
+            BrewWire => InstallSource.Homebrew,
             DotnetToolWire => InstallSource.DotnetTool,
             LocalHiveWire => InstallSource.LocalHive,
             _ => InstallSource.Unknown,
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ public static InstallSource ParseInstallSource(string? raw)
             InstallSource.Script => ScriptWire,
             InstallSource.Pr => PrWire,
             InstallSource.Winget => WingetWire,
-            InstallSource.Brew => BrewWire,
+            InstallSource.Homebrew => BrewWire,
             InstallSource.DotnetTool => DotnetToolWire,
             InstallSource.LocalHive => LocalHiveWire,
             _ => null,
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/InstallationCandidateSources.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/InstallationCandidateSources.cs
index d9a573a778b..191ba990ac3 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/InstallationCandidateSources.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/InstallationCandidateSources.cs
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ internal sealed class DotnetToolStoreInstallationCandidateSource : IInstallation
     // Reparse points (symlinks / junctions) are skipped so a symlink cycle anywhere
     // under the store cannot make `Directory.EnumerateFiles` walk indefinitely. The
     // legitimate tool-store layout contains no symlinks, so this loses nothing real
-    // and removes a self-DoS surface from `aspire doctor` discovery.
+    // and removes a self-DoS surface from `aspire --info` discovery.
     private static readonly EnumerationOptions s_enumerationOptions = new()
     {
         RecurseSubdirectories = true,
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/InstallationDiscovery.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/InstallationDiscovery.cs
index 49f2f6cca3e..9f961e904ef 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/InstallationDiscovery.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/InstallationDiscovery.cs
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ namespace Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
 /// Default <see cref="IInstallationDiscovery"/>. The self-describe path
 /// composes data already available in-process (channel from
 /// <see cref="IIdentityChannelReader"/>, version from
-/// <see cref="VersionHelper.GetDefaultTemplateVersion"/>, route from the
+/// <see cref="VersionHelper.GetDefaultTemplateVersion"/>, source from the
 /// running binary's sidecar) so it is cheap and side-effect-free.
 /// </summary>
 /// <remarks>
@@ -78,10 +78,10 @@ private InstallationInfo DescribeSelf(string? processPath, IReadOnlyList<Install
         // Use the wire string from the parsed source so callers see the same
         // identifier the install scripts wrote, not the C# enum name. For
         // sidecars with an unrecognized source value we surface the raw
-        // string so users see "(unknown: future-route)" rather than nothing.
-        // Route through the shared helper so an empty RawSource collapses to
+        // string so users see "(unknown: future-source)" rather than nothing.
+        // Funnel through the shared helper so an empty RawSource collapses to
         // null and the JSON shape of `--self` matches the full discovery walk.
-        var route = sidecar is not null ? GetRouteFromSidecar(sidecar) : null;
+        var source = sidecar is not null ? GetSourceFromSidecar(sidecar) : null;
 
         return new InstallationInfo
         {
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ private InstallationInfo DescribeSelf(string? processPath, IReadOnlyList<Install
             CanonicalPath = canonicalPath,
             Version = VersionHelper.GetDefaultTemplateVersion(),
             Channel = TryReadChannel(),
-            Route = route,
+            Source = source,
             PathStatus = pathStatus,
             Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
         };
@@ -218,10 +218,10 @@ internal async Task<IReadOnlyList<InstallationInfo>> DiscoverAllAsync(string? pr
             {
                 case PeerProbeResult.Ok ok:
                     // Preserve the original discovered path for display and
-                    // canonical path for identity. Overlay the route from
+                    // canonical path for identity. Overlay the source from
                     // the LOCAL sidecar so older peers using the
-                    // --version fallback (which can't report route) still
-                    // surface the install route we already know about.
+                    // --version fallback (which can't report source) still
+                    // surface the install source we already know about.
                     // Also derive the channel for PR builds — the channel
                     // is structurally `pr-<N>` for a PR install, and we
                     // can recover it from the install path layout
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ internal async Task<IReadOnlyList<InstallationInfo>> DiscoverAllAsync(string? pr
                     // version string (<x.y.z>-pr.<N>.<hash>) baked at
                     // build time, so we surface it even when the peer
                     // didn't report it.
-                    var route = ok.Info.Route ?? GetRouteFromSidecar(sidecar);
+                    var source = ok.Info.Source ?? GetSourceFromSidecar(sidecar);
                     var channel = ok.Info.Channel;
                     if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(channel) && sidecar.Source == InstallSource.Pr)
                     {
@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@ internal async Task<IReadOnlyList<InstallationInfo>> DiscoverAllAsync(string? pr
                         // Final attempt: derive the channel from the peer's
                         // reported version. This is the only signal we have
                         // for older peers that don't recognize the
-                        // `doctor --self` self-describe contract — they
+                        // `--info --self` self-describe contract — they
                         // fall through to the `--version` floor in the
                         // probe and can't report their channel directly,
                         // but the assembly's InformationalVersion has it
@@ -252,20 +252,20 @@ internal async Task<IReadOnlyList<InstallationInfo>> DiscoverAllAsync(string? pr
                     {
                         Path = candidate.BinaryPath,
                         CanonicalPath = canonical,
-                        Route = route,
+                        Source = source,
                         Channel = channel,
                         PathStatus = pathStatus,
                     });
                     break;
                 case PeerProbeResult.Failed failed:
                     _logger.LogDebug(
-                        "Discovery: candidate '{Canonical}' (origin: {Origin}, route: {Route}) failed peer probe: {Reason}.",
-                        canonical, candidate.Origin, GetRouteFromSidecar(sidecar), failed.Reason);
+                        "Discovery: candidate '{Canonical}' (origin: {Origin}, source: {Source}) failed peer probe: {Reason}.",
+                        canonical, candidate.Origin, GetSourceFromSidecar(sidecar), failed.Reason);
                     results.Add(new InstallationInfo
                     {
                         Path = candidate.BinaryPath,
                         CanonicalPath = canonical,
-                        Route = GetRouteFromSidecar(sidecar),
+                        Source = GetSourceFromSidecar(sidecar),
                         PathStatus = pathStatus,
                         Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Failed,
                         StatusReason = failed.Reason,
@@ -284,7 +284,7 @@ internal async Task<IReadOnlyList<InstallationInfo>> DiscoverAllAsync(string? pr
     }
 
     /// <summary>
-    /// Derives the <c>pr-&lt;N&gt;</c> identity channel for a PR-route install
+    /// Derives the <c>pr-&lt;N&gt;</c> identity channel for a PR-source install
     /// from its on-disk path. The PR install layout is, by convention,
     /// <c>&lt;root&gt;/dogfood/pr-&lt;N&gt;/bin/aspire</c> (or with a
     /// <c>.exe</c>); this method walks up two directories from the binary
@@ -360,10 +360,10 @@ internal async Task<IReadOnlyList<InstallationInfo>> DiscoverAllAsync(string? pr
     /// Like <see cref="TryDerivePrChannel(string)"/>, this is a purely
     /// cosmetic enrichment for the user-facing table. It rescues the
     /// channel column for peers that don't recognize the
-    /// <c>doctor --self</c> self-describe contract: those fall through to
+    /// <c>--info --self</c> self-describe contract: those fall through to
     /// the <c>--version</c> floor in the probe and can't report their
     /// channel directly, but their assembly's InformationalVersion has
-    /// the PR number baked in regardless of route.
+    /// the PR number baked in regardless of source.
     /// </remarks>
     internal static string? TryDerivePrChannelFromVersion(string? version)
     {
@@ -402,9 +402,9 @@ internal async Task<IReadOnlyList<InstallationInfo>> DiscoverAllAsync(string? pr
         }
         catch (Exception ex) when (ex is not OperationCanceledException)
         {
-            // Same defensive posture as doctor: a misconfigured dev build
+            // Same defensive posture as discovery: a misconfigured dev build
             // with no AspireCliChannel assembly metadata must not break
-            // aspire doctor.
+            // `aspire --info`.
             _logger.LogDebug(ex, "Could not read identity channel for InstallationDiscovery.");
             return null;
         }
@@ -413,12 +413,12 @@ internal async Task<IReadOnlyList<InstallationInfo>> DiscoverAllAsync(string? pr
     private static string GetNotProbedReason(InstallSidecarReadResult result)
         => result switch
         {
-            InstallSidecarReadResult.NotFound => $"No install-route sidecar found at {result.SidecarPath}; peer was not probed.",
-            InstallSidecarReadResult.Invalid => $"Install-route sidecar at {result.SidecarPath} could not be read or parsed; peer was not probed.",
-            _ => $"No install-route sidecar found at {result.SidecarPath}; peer was not probed.",
+            InstallSidecarReadResult.NotFound => $"No install-source sidecar found at {result.SidecarPath}; peer was not probed.",
+            InstallSidecarReadResult.Invalid => $"Install-source sidecar at {result.SidecarPath} could not be read or parsed; peer was not probed.",
+            _ => $"No install-source sidecar found at {result.SidecarPath}; peer was not probed.",
         };
 
-    private static string? GetRouteFromSidecar(InstallSidecarInfo sidecar)
+    private static string? GetSourceFromSidecar(InstallSidecarInfo sidecar)
         => sidecar.Source.ToWireString() ?? (string.IsNullOrEmpty(sidecar.RawSource) ? null : sidecar.RawSource);
 
     /// <summary>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/InstallationInfo.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/InstallationInfo.cs
index ad021bf0771..fdd48fe823a 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/InstallationInfo.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/InstallationInfo.cs
@@ -7,36 +7,75 @@
 namespace Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
 
 /// <summary>
-/// Describes one Aspire CLI installation, as surfaced by
-/// <c>aspire doctor --format json</c>. Each entry corresponds to a single
-/// binary either running this process or discovered on the system.
+/// Describes one row in the Aspire CLI install table, as surfaced by
+/// <c>aspire --info --format json</c> and <c>aspire --info --self --format json</c>.
 /// </summary>
 /// <remarks>
 /// <para>
-/// The JSON shape is part of the <c>installations</c> property in the
-/// <c>aspire doctor --format json</c> contract. Fields use camelCase wire names via
-/// <see cref="JsonPropertyNameAttribute"/> applied explicitly here so the
-/// schema stays decoupled from the project-wide camelCase policy: another
-/// process may parse this output across CLI versions and we don't want to
-/// rename fields by changing a global option.
+/// The same record shape is used by both surfaces:
 /// </para>
+/// <list type="bullet">
+///   <item><c>aspire --info --format json</c> emits an <c>InfoOutput</c>
+///     whose <c>installs</c> array contains <see cref="InstallationInfo"/>
+///     rows that may include both real CLI installs and orphan-hive rows.</item>
+///   <item><c>aspire --info --self --format json</c> emits a bare array with exactly
+///     one element describing the running binary.</item>
+/// </list>
 /// <para>
-/// Nullable fields may be <see langword="null"/> for any row, including
-/// rows with <see cref="InstallationInfoStatus.Ok"/>. For example, a legacy
-/// peer may respond through the <c>--version</c> fallback and leave
-/// <see cref="Channel"/> unknown. Consumers should treat null fields as
-/// "unknown for this row" regardless of <see cref="Status"/>.
+/// Fields use camelCase wire names via <see cref="JsonPropertyNameAttribute"/>
+/// applied explicitly here so the schema stays decoupled from the project-wide
+/// camelCase policy: another process may parse this output across CLI versions
+/// and we don't want to rename fields by changing a global option.
+/// </para>
+/// <para>
+/// The two status axes — <see cref="Status"/> (lifecycle) and
+/// <see cref="PathStatus"/> (PATH-axis) — are always orthogonal on the wire.
+/// Human renderings may collapse them; programmatic consumers should switch
+/// on each axis independently.
+/// </para>
+/// <para>
+/// Nullable fields may be <see langword="null"/> for any row, including rows
+/// with <see cref="InstallationInfoStatus.Ok"/>. For example, a peer probed via
+/// the <c>--version</c> fallback may leave <see cref="Channel"/> unknown.
+/// Consumers should treat null fields as "unknown for this row" regardless of
+/// <see cref="Status"/>. Orphan-hive rows (<see cref="Kind"/> equals
+/// <c>"orphan-hive"</c>) have a <see langword="null"/> <see cref="Path"/> by
+/// design — they represent a hive directory on disk with no matching CLI binary.
 /// </para>
 /// </remarks>
 internal sealed record InstallationInfo
 {
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Stable identifier for this row within an aggregate <c>aspire --info</c>
+    /// payload. Typically the channel (<c>stable</c>, <c>pr-17461</c>, ...) or
+    /// the install source (<c>script</c>) for ordinary installs, and the hive
+    /// directory name for orphan-hive rows. Duplicates are disambiguated by a
+    /// <c>-N</c> suffix. Not populated by the <c>--self</c> surface (a single
+    /// row needs no identifier).
+    /// </summary>
+    [JsonPropertyName("id")]
+    public string? Id { get; init; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Row kind discriminator. For real installs this mirrors the install
+    /// source (<c>script</c>, <c>pr</c>, <c>winget</c>, <c>homebrew</c>,
+    /// <c>dotnet-tool</c>, <c>localhive</c>, ...). For hive directories on
+    /// disk that no discovered install claims, the kind is <c>orphan-hive</c>.
+    /// Not populated by the <c>--self</c> surface.
+    /// </summary>
+    [JsonPropertyName("kind")]
+    public string? Kind { get; init; }
+
     /// <summary>
     /// Absolute path of the CLI binary as discovered (i.e., the path that
     /// appeared in <c>$PATH</c> or a well-known location). May be a symlink;
     /// resolved canonical form is in <see cref="CanonicalPath"/>.
+    /// <see langword="null"/> only for orphan-hive rows
+    /// (<see cref="Kind"/> equals <c>"orphan-hive"</c>), which describe a hive
+    /// directory with no matching binary.
     /// </summary>
     [JsonPropertyName("path")]
-    public required string Path { get; init; }
+    public string? Path { get; init; }
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Symlink-resolved absolute path of the binary. Used for identity /
@@ -59,23 +98,35 @@ internal sealed record InstallationInfo
     /// <c>stable</c>, <c>staging</c>, <c>daily</c>, <c>local</c>, or
     /// <c>pr-&lt;N&gt;</c>. Always populated for the running row; for peer
     /// rows it is populated only when the peer was successfully probed.
+    /// Orphan-hive rows carry the hive's channel name here.
     /// </summary>
     [JsonPropertyName("channel")]
     public string? Channel { get; init; }
 
     /// <summary>
-    /// Install route as recorded by the route's own sidecar
+    /// Install source as recorded by the source's own sidecar
     /// (<c>.aspire-install.json</c>). Wire string from
     /// <see cref="InstallSourceExtensions.ToWireString"/>. May be
     /// <see langword="null"/> for PATH discoveries whose install metadata
     /// sidecar is missing or invalid — see <see cref="Status"/>.
     /// </summary>
-    [JsonPropertyName("route")]
-    public string? Route { get; init; }
+    [JsonPropertyName("source")]
+    public string? Source { get; init; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Hive directory under <c>~/.aspire/hives/&lt;channel&gt;</c> when the
+    /// row corresponds to a hive on disk; <see langword="null"/> when the
+    /// install has no matching hive. For orphan-hive rows this is the hive
+    /// directory itself.
+    /// </summary>
+    [JsonPropertyName("hive")]
+    public string? Hive { get; init; }
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Relationship between this binary and the user's <c>$PATH</c>.
-    /// See <see cref="InstallationPathStatus"/>.
+    /// See <see cref="InstallationPathStatus"/>. Orthogonal to
+    /// <see cref="Status"/>. Defaults to <see cref="InstallationPathStatus.NotOnPath"/>
+    /// for orphan-hive rows.
     /// </summary>
     [JsonPropertyName("pathStatus")]
     public string PathStatus { get; init; } = InstallationPathStatus.NotOnPath;
@@ -86,8 +137,9 @@ internal sealed record InstallationInfo
     /// may still be absent. <c>notProbed</c> means the binary was listed but
     /// intentionally not executed because required install metadata was
     /// missing or invalid. <c>failed</c> means a probe was attempted but the
-    /// peer did not return usable data. Wire values are kept lowercase for
-    /// stability.
+    /// peer did not return usable data. <c>no install found</c> is reserved
+    /// for orphan-hive rows. Wire values are kept lowercase for stability.
+    /// Orthogonal to <see cref="PathStatus"/>.
     /// </summary>
     [JsonPropertyName("status")]
     public required string Status { get; init; }
@@ -98,6 +150,15 @@ internal sealed record InstallationInfo
     /// </summary>
     [JsonPropertyName("statusReason")]
     public string? StatusReason { get; init; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Package manager that owns this install, when applicable. Typically
+    /// <c>winget</c>, <c>homebrew</c>, or <c>dotnet-tool</c> — derived from
+    /// <see cref="Source"/>. <see langword="null"/> for installs not managed
+    /// by a recognised package manager.
+    /// </summary>
+    [JsonPropertyName("managedBy")]
+    public string? ManagedBy { get; init; }
 }
 
 /// <summary>
@@ -113,6 +174,9 @@ internal static class InstallationInfoStatus
 
     /// <summary>Probe was attempted, but the peer did not cooperate (timeout, non-zero exit, malformed JSON, etc.).</summary>
     public const string Failed = "failed";
+
+    /// <summary>Row describes an orphan hive directory on disk that no discovered install claims.</summary>
+    public const string NoInstallFound = "no install found";
 }
 
 /// <summary>
@@ -131,7 +195,7 @@ internal static class InstallationPathStatus
 }
 
 /// <summary>
-/// Parses rows from the doctor installation discovery wire contract.
+/// Parses rows from the install discovery wire contract.
 /// </summary>
 internal static class InstallationInfoParser
 {
@@ -157,14 +221,18 @@ string GetStringOr(string property, string fallback)
 
         return new InstallationInfo
         {
-            Path = GetStringOr("path", string.Empty),
+            Id = GetOptionalString("id"),
+            Kind = GetOptionalString("kind"),
+            Path = GetOptionalString("path"),
             CanonicalPath = GetOptionalString("canonicalPath"),
             Version = GetOptionalString("version"),
             Channel = GetOptionalString("channel"),
-            Route = GetOptionalString("route"),
+            Source = GetOptionalString("source"),
+            Hive = GetOptionalString("hive"),
             PathStatus = pathStatus,
             Status = GetStringOr("status", InstallationInfoStatus.Ok),
             StatusReason = GetOptionalString("statusReason"),
+            ManagedBy = GetOptionalString("managedBy"),
         };
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/PeerInstallProbe.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/PeerInstallProbe.cs
index c242e100cbc..ce25d159a2d 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/PeerInstallProbe.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/PeerInstallProbe.cs
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ namespace Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
 
 /// <summary>
 /// Default <see cref="IPeerInstallProbe"/>. Spawns the peer with
-/// <c>doctor --self --format json</c>, enforces a hard timeout, captures stdout
+/// <c>--info --self --format json</c>, enforces a hard timeout, captures stdout
 /// up to a byte cap, and kills the entire process tree on timeout so a
 /// hung peer cannot survive past the parent's lifetime.
 /// </summary>
@@ -71,14 +71,14 @@ public async Task<PeerProbeResult> ProbeAsync(string binaryPath, CancellationTok
             return new PeerProbeResult.Failed("Binary not found.");
         }
 
-        // Primary path: ask the peer to self-describe via `doctor --self --format json`.
+        // Primary path: ask the peer to self-describe via `--info --self --format json`.
         // `--self` is required: without it the peer would run a full discovery
         // walk and probe back into us (and into every other peer it finds),
         // turning a single discovery invocation into a recursive fan-out
         // bounded only by the per-level timeout. `--format json` is
         // required so the peer emits a machine-readable row (the human
         // table layout is the default when `--format` is omitted).
-        var primary = await SpawnAndCaptureAsync(binaryPath, ["doctor", "--self", "--format", "json"], cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        var primary = await SpawnAndCaptureAsync(binaryPath, ["--info", "--self", "--format", "json"], cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
         if (primary.Cancelled)
         {
             cancellationToken.ThrowIfCancellationRequested();
@@ -95,11 +95,11 @@ public async Task<PeerProbeResult> ProbeAsync(string binaryPath, CancellationTok
         }
 
         // Fallback path. We reach here for:
-        //   - peer exited non-zero (common: peer predates `doctor --self`
+        //   - peer exited non-zero (common: peer predates `--info --self`
         //     and System.CommandLine rejected the unknown option),
         //   - peer emitted blank/whitespace-only stdout,
         //   - peer emitted JSON we couldn't parse as the expected rich shape.
-        // Older peers without `doctor --self` can't report their channel
+        // Older peers without `--info --self` can't report their channel
         // here, but `InstallationDiscovery` recovers `pr-<N>` from the
         // reported informational version string so the user-facing table
         // still shows the channel for PR builds.
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ public async Task<PeerProbeResult> ProbeAsync(string binaryPath, CancellationTok
             return new PeerProbeResult.Failed(DescribePrimaryFailure(primary, alsoTriedVersion: true));
         }
 
-        // Partial install details: version only. Route is overlaid by InstallationDiscovery
+        // Partial install details: version only. Source is overlaid by InstallationDiscovery
         // from the locally-readable sidecar. Channel intentionally null — we can't
         // read assembly metadata
         // from outside an AOT binary, and the older peer has no surface that
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/WingetFirstRunProbe.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/WingetFirstRunProbe.cs
deleted file mode 100644
index e8a91cdf270..00000000000
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/WingetFirstRunProbe.cs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,107 +0,0 @@
-// Licensed to the .NET Foundation under one or more agreements.
-// The .NET Foundation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
-
-using System.Text;
-using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
-
-namespace Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
-
-/// <summary>
-/// First-run self-stamp for winget-installed CLI binaries. Writes the
-/// install-route sidecar when the OS reports the running binary as a winget
-/// portable install. See <c>docs/specs/install-routes.md</c>.
-/// </summary>
-internal sealed class WingetFirstRunProbe
-{
-    private static readonly byte[] s_wingetSidecarContent = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("{\"source\":\"winget\"}");
-
-    private readonly IWindowsRegistryReader _registry;
-    private readonly ILogger<WingetFirstRunProbe> _logger;
-
-    public WingetFirstRunProbe(IWindowsRegistryReader registry, ILogger<WingetFirstRunProbe> logger)
-    {
-        ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(registry);
-        ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(logger);
-        _registry = registry;
-        _logger = logger;
-    }
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Writes <c>&lt;binaryDir&gt;/.aspire-install.json</c> when the running
-    /// process is a winget portable install AND no sidecar exists yet.
-    /// Idempotent: any second call is a no-op.
-    /// </summary>
-    public void Run(string binaryDir)
-    {
-        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(binaryDir))
-        {
-            return;
-        }
-
-        var sidecarPath = Path.Combine(binaryDir, InstallSidecarReader.SidecarFileName);
-        if (File.Exists(sidecarPath))
-        {
-            return;
-        }
-
-        var processPath = Environment.ProcessPath;
-        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(processPath))
-        {
-            return;
-        }
-
-        if (!_registry.HasWingetAspireUninstallEntry(processPath))
-        {
-            return;
-        }
-
-        TryWriteSidecarAtomically(binaryDir, sidecarPath);
-    }
-
-    private void TryWriteSidecarAtomically(string binaryDir, string sidecarPath)
-    {
-        var tempPath = Path.Combine(binaryDir, $"{InstallSidecarReader.SidecarFileName}.{Guid.NewGuid():N}.tmp");
-
-        try
-        {
-            File.WriteAllBytes(tempPath, s_wingetSidecarContent);
-        }
-        catch (Exception ex) when (ex is IOException or UnauthorizedAccessException)
-        {
-            _logger.LogDebug(ex, "Winget first-run probe could not write temp sidecar at {Path}.", tempPath);
-            return;
-        }
-
-        try
-        {
-            File.Move(tempPath, sidecarPath, overwrite: false);
-            _logger.LogDebug("Winget first-run probe wrote sidecar at {Path}.", sidecarPath);
-        }
-        catch (Exception ex)
-        {
-            // Either a concurrent winner already stamped the same literal bytes
-            // (IOException from overwrite:false), a permission failure, or any
-            // other unexpected error. The probe is best-effort startup code, so
-            // swallow the failure and always clean up the temp file we just
-            // created so a partial install doesn't leave litter behind.
-            _logger.LogDebug(ex, "Winget first-run probe could not rename temp sidecar to {Path}.", sidecarPath);
-            TryDeleteTemp(tempPath);
-        }
-    }
-
-    private void TryDeleteTemp(string tempPath)
-    {
-        try
-        {
-            File.Delete(tempPath);
-        }
-        catch (IOException ex)
-        {
-            _logger.LogDebug(ex, "Winget first-run probe could not delete temp sidecar at {Path}.", tempPath);
-        }
-        catch (UnauthorizedAccessException ex)
-        {
-            _logger.LogDebug(ex, "Winget first-run probe could not delete temp sidecar at {Path}.", tempPath);
-        }
-    }
-}
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/WingetSidecarBackfill.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/WingetSidecarBackfill.cs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..61f1e5627de
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Acquisition/WingetSidecarBackfill.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,177 @@
+// Licensed to the .NET Foundation under one or more agreements.
+// The .NET Foundation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
+
+using System.Text;
+using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
+
+namespace Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Back-fills the install-source sidecar (<c>.aspire-install.json</c>) next to
+/// the running CLI binary. The winget portable manifest has no post-install
+/// hook, so unlike the other install routes (which stamp the sidecar from the
+/// installer script), winget installs rely on the CLI itself to write the
+/// sidecar on a subsequent startup. See <c>docs/specs/install-sources.md</c>.
+/// </summary>
+/// <remarks>
+/// <para>
+/// Called from the <see cref="CliExecutionContext"/> DI factory on every CLI
+/// startup (see <c>Program.TryEnsureWingetSidecar</c>). Two write paths:
+/// </para>
+/// <list type="bullet">
+///   <item>
+///     <description>
+///     <c>{"source":"winget"}</c> when the Windows Uninstall registry hive
+///     reports the running binary as a winget portable install. Promotes the
+///     row to a recognized winget install in <c>aspire --info</c>.
+///     </description>
+///   </item>
+///   <item>
+///     <description>
+///     <c>{"backfilled":true}</c> when the running binary is on Windows but
+///     not a winget install. This sentinel has no <c>source</c> field, so
+///     <see cref="InstallSidecarReader"/> parses it as <see cref="InstallSource.Unknown"/>
+///     and downstream consumers see the row exactly as they would for a
+///     missing sidecar — except the next startup hits the <c>File.Exists</c>
+///     fast path at the top of <see cref="EnsureSidecar(string)"/> and skips
+///     the registry walk. Without this negative marker, every non-winget
+///     Windows startup paid two full Uninstall-hive enumerations forever.
+///     </description>
+///   </item>
+/// </list>
+/// <para>
+/// Idempotent and atomic: an existing sidecar (real or backfilled sentinel)
+/// is never overwritten, so a later upgrade to a real install route that
+/// stamps its own sidecar wins on first run and the backfill never touches it.
+/// Concurrent invocations race the temp+move; the loser cleans up its temp
+/// file. Failures are logged but never thrown — back-fill is best-effort
+/// startup hygiene, not a CLI prerequisite.
+/// </para>
+/// </remarks>
+internal sealed class WingetSidecarBackfill
+{
+    // Positive write: the running binary IS a winget portable install. Promotes
+    // the row to a recognized winget install in `aspire --info`.
+    private static readonly byte[] s_wingetSidecarContent = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("{\"source\":\"winget\"}");
+
+    // Negative-result sentinel: the running binary is NOT a winget portable
+    // install on this host. Wire-identical to "no sidecar" because
+    // InstallSidecarReader.TryRead reports Unknown / null source when the
+    // `source` field is absent. Its only job is to make the `File.Exists`
+    // fast path at the top of EnsureSidecar fire on subsequent startups, so we
+    // walk the HKCU + HKLM Uninstall hives at most once per install location.
+    private static readonly byte[] s_backfilledSentinelContent = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("{\"backfilled\":true}");
+
+    private readonly IWindowsRegistryReader _registry;
+    private readonly ILogger<WingetSidecarBackfill> _logger;
+
+    public WingetSidecarBackfill(IWindowsRegistryReader registry, ILogger<WingetSidecarBackfill> logger)
+    {
+        ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(registry);
+        ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(logger);
+        _registry = registry;
+        _logger = logger;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Ensures that <c>&lt;binaryDir&gt;/.aspire-install.json</c> exists. On a
+    /// winget portable install writes <c>{"source":"winget"}</c>; on any other
+    /// Windows install writes a <c>{"backfilled":true}</c> sentinel so this
+    /// method's registry walk runs at most once per install location.
+    /// Idempotent: an existing sidecar is never overwritten.
+    /// </summary>
+    public void EnsureSidecar(string binaryDir)
+        => EnsureSidecar(binaryDir, Environment.ProcessPath);
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Test seam for <see cref="EnsureSidecar(string)"/>: takes the running
+    /// binary path as an explicit parameter rather than reading
+    /// <see cref="Environment.ProcessPath"/>, so tests can pin both the write
+    /// target and the registry-probe argument to a controlled value. Production
+    /// callers go through the single-arg overload.
+    /// </summary>
+    internal void EnsureSidecar(string binaryDir, string? processPath)
+    {
+        // The back-fill exists solely to amortize a HKCU + HKLM Uninstall hive walk
+        // that only makes sense on Windows; on Linux/macOS there is no registry to
+        // probe and IWindowsRegistryReader resolves to a no-op stub. Writing a
+        // negative-result sentinel on non-Windows would still drop a stray
+        // .aspire-install.json next to the running binary (e.g. under the dotnet
+        // global-tools store) with no corresponding benefit, so exit before any IO.
+        if (!OperatingSystem.IsWindows())
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(binaryDir))
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        var sidecarPath = Path.Combine(binaryDir, InstallSidecarReader.SidecarFileName);
+        if (File.Exists(sidecarPath))
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(processPath))
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        // Pick the payload up front so the atomic-write helper is content-agnostic
+        // and both positive and negative paths share the same temp+move semantics.
+        var content = _registry.HasWingetAspireUninstallEntry(processPath)
+            ? s_wingetSidecarContent
+            : s_backfilledSentinelContent;
+
+        TryWriteSidecarAtomically(binaryDir, sidecarPath, content);
+    }
+
+    private void TryWriteSidecarAtomically(string binaryDir, string sidecarPath, byte[] content)
+    {
+        var tempPath = Path.Combine(binaryDir, $"{InstallSidecarReader.SidecarFileName}.{Guid.NewGuid():N}.tmp");
+
+        try
+        {
+            File.WriteAllBytes(tempPath, content);
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex) when (ex is IOException or UnauthorizedAccessException)
+        {
+            _logger.LogDebug(ex, "Winget sidecar back-fill could not write temp sidecar at {Path}.", tempPath);
+            return;
+        }
+
+        try
+        {
+            File.Move(tempPath, sidecarPath, overwrite: false);
+            _logger.LogDebug("Winget sidecar back-fill wrote sidecar at {Path}.", sidecarPath);
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            // Either a concurrent winner already stamped the same literal bytes
+            // (IOException from overwrite:false), a permission failure, or any
+            // other unexpected error. Back-fill is best-effort startup code, so
+            // swallow the failure and always clean up the temp file we just
+            // created so a partial install doesn't leave litter behind.
+            _logger.LogDebug(ex, "Winget sidecar back-fill could not rename temp sidecar to {Path}.", sidecarPath);
+            TryDeleteTemp(tempPath);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private void TryDeleteTemp(string tempPath)
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            File.Delete(tempPath);
+        }
+        catch (IOException ex)
+        {
+            _logger.LogDebug(ex, "Winget sidecar back-fill could not delete temp sidecar at {Path}.", tempPath);
+        }
+        catch (UnauthorizedAccessException ex)
+        {
+            _logger.LogDebug(ex, "Winget sidecar back-fill could not delete temp sidecar at {Path}.", tempPath);
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Bundles/BundleService.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Bundles/BundleService.cs
index 08464297689..6ec80751c37 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Bundles/BundleService.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Bundles/BundleService.cs
@@ -21,8 +21,7 @@ namespace Aspire.Cli.Bundles;
 internal sealed class BundleService(
     IBundlePayloadProvider payloadProvider,
     ILayoutDiscovery layoutDiscovery,
-    ILogger<BundleService> logger,
-    WingetFirstRunProbe? wingetFirstRunProbe = null) : IBundleService
+    ILogger<BundleService> logger) : IBundleService
 {
     /// <summary>
     /// Name of the marker file written after successful extraction.
@@ -192,19 +191,6 @@ private async Task<BundleExtractResult> ExtractAsyncCore(string destinationPath,
             return null;
         }
 
-        // The winget portable installer has no post-install hook, so the CLI
-        // self-stamps the install-route sidecar on first run. No-op on
-        // non-Windows and once the sidecar already exists.
-        if (wingetFirstRunProbe is not null && OperatingSystem.IsWindows())
-        {
-            var realBinaryPath = CliPathHelper.ResolveSymlinkOrOriginalPath(processPath, logger);
-            var binaryDir = Path.GetDirectoryName(realBinaryPath);
-            if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(binaryDir))
-            {
-                wingetFirstRunProbe.Run(binaryDir);
-            }
-        }
-
         var extractDir = GetDefaultExtractDir(processPath);
         if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(extractDir))
         {
@@ -382,7 +368,7 @@ private async Task<bool> ExtractVersionedLayoutAsync(
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Computes the bundle extract directory from the sidecar source value.
-    /// See <c>docs/specs/install-routes.md</c> for the contract.
+    /// See <c>docs/specs/install-sources.md</c> for the contract.
     /// </summary>
     internal static string? ComputeDefaultExtractDir(string processPath)
         => ComputeDefaultExtractDir(processPath, logger: null);
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/CliExecutionContext.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/CliExecutionContext.cs
index 05585b040f9..1050dc3117a 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/CliExecutionContext.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/CliExecutionContext.cs
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 // The .NET Foundation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
 
 using System.CommandLine;
+using Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
 
 namespace Aspire.Cli;
 
@@ -35,8 +36,28 @@ internal sealed class CliExecutionContext(DirectoryInfo workingDirectory, Direct
     /// CI bakes <c>pr-&lt;PR_NUMBER&gt;</c> directly for PR builds, so no
     /// runtime "<c>pr</c> + parsed PrNumber" join is required.
     /// </para>
+    /// <para>
+    /// When <see cref="IdentityChannelLazy"/> is set (the production path), the
+    /// underlying <see cref="IIdentityChannelReader.ReadChannel"/> call is
+    /// deferred to first access of this property. That keeps the
+    /// <see cref="CliExecutionContext"/> DI factory resilient: a CLI binary
+    /// with missing/invalid <c>AspireCliChannel</c> assembly metadata can still
+    /// resolve the context (so diagnostic paths like <c>aspire --info</c> can
+    /// render), and only consumers that actually need the channel pay the
+    /// throw cost. Direct callers that pass the constructor-supplied
+    /// identity-channel string keep the eager string semantics.
+    /// </para>
     /// </remarks>
-    public string IdentityChannel { get; } = identityChannel;
+    public string IdentityChannel => IdentityChannelLazy is { } lazy ? lazy.Value : identityChannel;
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Optional lazy source for <see cref="IdentityChannel"/>. When non-null,
+    /// the <see cref="IdentityChannel"/> getter forwards to <c>lazy.Value</c>
+    /// instead of returning the constructor-supplied identity-channel string.
+    /// Set by the production DI factory in <c>Program.cs</c> to defer
+    /// <see cref="IIdentityChannelReader.ReadChannel"/> until first use.
+    /// </summary>
+    internal Lazy<string>? IdentityChannelLazy { get; init; }
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Gets the directory where restored NuGet packages are cached for apphost server sessions.
@@ -63,17 +84,17 @@ internal sealed class CliExecutionContext(DirectoryInfo workingDirectory, Direct
     public DirectoryInfo HomeDirectory { get; } = homeDirectory ?? new DirectoryInfo(Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.UserProfile));
 
     /// <summary>
-    /// Gets the Aspire state root used for route-specific install layouts.
+    /// Gets the Aspire state root used for source-specific install layouts.
     /// </summary>
     /// <remarks>
-    /// Production wires this explicitly via <see cref="Program.BuildCliExecutionContext"/>
+    /// Production wires this explicitly via <see cref="Program.BuildCliExecutionContext(bool, string, string, string, string?)"/>
     /// using <see cref="Utils.CliPathHelper.GetAspireHomeDirectory(string?, Microsoft.Extensions.Logging.ILogger?)"/>
-    /// so the install-route sidecar lookup runs. When neither <c>aspireHomeDirectory</c>
+    /// so the install-source sidecar lookup runs. When neither <c>aspireHomeDirectory</c>
     /// nor <c>homeDirectory</c> are supplied (direct construction in tests), the same
-    /// install-route lookup is performed here so route-aware code paths see a
+    /// install-source lookup is performed here so source-aware code paths see a
     /// consistent value. When <c>homeDirectory</c> is supplied without
     /// <c>aspireHomeDirectory</c>, the home stays contained within the test directory
-    /// at <c>&lt;homeDirectory&gt;/.aspire</c> — the install-route lookup is
+    /// at <c>&lt;homeDirectory&gt;/.aspire</c> — the install-source lookup is
     /// intentionally skipped because tests passing an explicit <c>homeDirectory</c>
     /// are declaring their own filesystem sandbox.
     /// </remarks>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/DoctorCommand.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/DoctorCommand.cs
index aa546e943ff..9c61088a95e 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/DoctorCommand.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/DoctorCommand.cs
@@ -3,14 +3,12 @@
 
 using System.CommandLine;
 using System.Globalization;
-using Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
 using Aspire.Cli.Configuration;
 using Aspire.Cli.Interaction;
 using Aspire.Cli.Resources;
 using Aspire.Cli.Utils;
 using Aspire.Cli.Telemetry;
 using Aspire.Cli.Utils.EnvironmentChecker;
-using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
 using Spectre.Console;
 
 namespace Aspire.Cli.Commands;
@@ -26,76 +24,44 @@ internal sealed class DoctorCommand : BaseCommand
     // already used by other --format json commands (ApiGet, ApiList, DocsSearch, DocsList).
 
     private readonly IEnvironmentChecker _environmentChecker;
-    private readonly IInstallationDiscovery _installationDiscovery;
-    private readonly WingetFirstRunProbe _wingetFirstRunProbe;
     private readonly IAnsiConsole _ansiConsole;
-    private readonly ILogger<DoctorCommand> _logger;
     private static readonly Option<OutputFormat> s_formatOption = new("--format")
     {
         Description = DoctorCommandStrings.JsonOptionDescription
     };
-    private static readonly Option<bool> s_selfOption = new("--self")
-    {
-        Hidden = true,
-    };
 
     public DoctorCommand(
         IEnvironmentChecker environmentChecker,
-        IInstallationDiscovery installationDiscovery,
-        WingetFirstRunProbe wingetFirstRunProbe,
         IFeatures features,
         ICliUpdateNotifier updateNotifier,
         CliExecutionContext executionContext,
         IInteractionService interactionService,
         IAnsiConsole ansiConsole,
-        ILogger<DoctorCommand> logger,
         AspireCliTelemetry telemetry)
         : base("doctor", DoctorCommandStrings.Description, features, updateNotifier, executionContext, interactionService, telemetry)
     {
         _environmentChecker = environmentChecker;
-        _installationDiscovery = installationDiscovery;
-        _wingetFirstRunProbe = wingetFirstRunProbe;
         _ansiConsole = ansiConsole;
-        _logger = logger;
 
         Options.Add(s_formatOption);
-        Options.Add(s_selfOption);
     }
 
     protected override async Task<CommandResult> ExecuteAsync(ParseResult parseResult, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
     {
         var format = parseResult.GetValue(s_formatOption);
-        var selfOnly = parseResult.GetValue(s_selfOption);
-
-        if (selfOnly)
-        {
-            var self = InstallationInfoOutput.DescribeSelfSafely(_installationDiscovery, _logger);
-            if (format == OutputFormat.Json)
-            {
-                OutputJson([], self);
-            }
-            else
-            {
-                InstallationInfoOutput.OutputTable(_ansiConsole, self);
-            }
-            return CommandResult.Success();
-        }
-
-        var installationsTask = InstallationInfoOutput.DiscoverAllSafelyAsync(_installationDiscovery, _wingetFirstRunProbe, _logger, cancellationToken);
 
         // Run all prerequisite checks
         var results = await InteractionService.ShowStatusAsync(
             DoctorCommandStrings.CheckingPrerequisites,
             async () => await _environmentChecker.CheckAllAsync(cancellationToken));
-        var installations = await installationsTask;
 
         if (format == OutputFormat.Json)
         {
-            OutputJson(results, installations);
+            OutputJson(results);
         }
         else
         {
-            OutputHumanReadable(results, installations);
+            OutputHumanReadable(results);
         }
 
         // Exit code: 0 if no failures (warnings are OK), 1 (InvalidCommand) if any failures
@@ -103,7 +69,7 @@ protected override async Task<CommandResult> ExecuteAsync(ParseResult parseResul
         return CommandResult.FromExitCode(hasFailures ? CliExitCodes.InvalidCommand : CliExitCodes.Success);
     }
 
-    private void OutputJson(IReadOnlyList<EnvironmentCheckResult> results, IReadOnlyList<InstallationInfo> installations)
+    private void OutputJson(IReadOnlyList<EnvironmentCheckResult> results)
     {
         var passed = results.Count(r => r.Status == EnvironmentCheckStatus.Pass);
         var warnings = results.Count(r => r.Status == EnvironmentCheckStatus.Warning);
@@ -117,8 +83,7 @@ private void OutputJson(IReadOnlyList<EnvironmentCheckResult> results, IReadOnly
                 Passed = passed,
                 Warnings = warnings,
                 Failed = failed
-            },
-            Installations = installations.ToList()
+            }
         };
 
         var json = System.Text.Json.JsonSerializer.Serialize(response, JsonSourceGenerationContext.RelaxedEscaping.DoctorCheckResponse);
@@ -127,7 +92,7 @@ private void OutputJson(IReadOnlyList<EnvironmentCheckResult> results, IReadOnly
         InteractionService.DisplayRawText(json, ConsoleOutput.Standard);
     }
 
-    private void OutputHumanReadable(IReadOnlyList<EnvironmentCheckResult> results, IReadOnlyList<InstallationInfo> installations)
+    private void OutputHumanReadable(IReadOnlyList<EnvironmentCheckResult> results)
     {
         _ansiConsole.WriteLine();
         _ansiConsole.MarkupLine($"[bold]{DoctorCommandStrings.EnvironmentCheckHeader}[/]");
@@ -165,8 +130,6 @@ private void OutputHumanReadable(IReadOnlyList<EnvironmentCheckResult> results,
             const string prerequisitesUrl = "https://aka.ms/aspire-prerequisites";
             _ansiConsole.MarkupLine(string.Format(CultureInfo.CurrentCulture, DoctorCommandStrings.DetailedPrerequisitesLink, MarkupHelpers.SafeLink(InteractionService, prerequisitesUrl)));
         }
-
-        InstallationInfoOutput.OutputTable(_ansiConsole, installations);
     }
 
     private void OutputCheckResult(EnvironmentCheckResult result)
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/InfoOptionAction.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/InfoOptionAction.cs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c487fe5d5f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/InfoOptionAction.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,271 @@
+// Licensed to the .NET Foundation under one or more agreements.
+// The .NET Foundation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
+
+using System.CommandLine;
+using System.CommandLine.Invocation;
+using System.Text;
+using System.Text.Json;
+using Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
+using Aspire.Cli.Interaction;
+using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
+
+namespace Aspire.Cli.Commands;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Handles the root <c>--info</c> option:
+/// <list type="bullet">
+///   <item><c>aspire --info</c> — text: version + channel + install table.</item>
+///   <item><c>aspire --info --format json</c> — JSON object: <c>{ version, channel, installs[] }</c>.</item>
+///   <item><c>aspire --info --self</c> — text: just the running CLI's row.</item>
+///   <item><c>aspire --info --self --format json</c> — single-element <see cref="InstallationInfo"/>
+///     array. This shape is the cross-version peer-probe contract consumed by
+///     <see cref="PeerInstallProbe"/>; it intentionally omits the version/channel
+///     summary that the human form shows.</item>
+/// </list>
+/// </summary>
+/// <remarks>
+/// <para>
+/// Wired as the <see cref="Option.Action"/> on <see cref="RootCommand.InfoOption"/>
+/// so it short-circuits normal subcommand routing the same way <c>--help</c> and
+/// <c>--version</c> do.
+/// </para>
+/// <para>
+/// The action injects <see cref="IIdentityChannelReader"/> directly instead of
+/// reading <see cref="CliExecutionContext.IdentityChannel"/> so a CLI binary with
+/// missing/invalid <c>AspireCliChannel</c> assembly metadata can still render
+/// <c>--info</c> output. The factory in <c>Program.cs</c> wraps the eager
+/// <see cref="IIdentityChannelReader.ReadChannel"/> call in a <see cref="Lazy{T}"/>
+/// so <see cref="CliExecutionContext"/> resolves even when channel metadata is broken;
+/// this action then catches the <see cref="InvalidOperationException"/> from
+/// <see cref="IIdentityChannelReader.ReadChannel"/> and emits the row with the
+/// <c>channel</c> field omitted (JSON convention — null fields are dropped) or the
+/// <c>Channel</c> text row skipped, while still exiting 0.
+/// </para>
+/// </remarks>
+internal sealed class InfoOptionAction : AsynchronousCommandLineAction
+{
+    private readonly IInteractionService _interactionService;
+    private readonly IInstallationDiscovery _installationDiscovery;
+    private readonly HiveEnumerator _hiveEnumerator;
+    private readonly IIdentityChannelReader _identityChannelReader;
+    private readonly ILogger<InfoOptionAction> _logger;
+    private Option<bool>? _selfOption;
+    private Option<InfoOutputFormat>? _formatOption;
+
+    public InfoOptionAction(
+        IInteractionService interactionService,
+        IInstallationDiscovery installationDiscovery,
+        HiveEnumerator hiveEnumerator,
+        IIdentityChannelReader identityChannelReader,
+        ILogger<InfoOptionAction> logger)
+    {
+        ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(interactionService);
+        ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(installationDiscovery);
+        ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(hiveEnumerator);
+        ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(identityChannelReader);
+        ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(logger);
+        _interactionService = interactionService;
+        _installationDiscovery = installationDiscovery;
+        _hiveEnumerator = hiveEnumerator;
+        _identityChannelReader = identityChannelReader;
+        _logger = logger;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Binds the <c>--self</c> and <c>--format</c> option instances that the
+    /// action will read from <see cref="ParseResult"/>. Called by
+    /// <see cref="RootCommand"/> at construction time after the options are
+    /// created. The options are per-RootCommand instance so that concurrent
+    /// tests building their own <see cref="RootCommand"/> instances don't
+    /// race on the action wiring.
+    /// </summary>
+    public void BindOptions(Option<bool> selfOption, Option<InfoOutputFormat> formatOption)
+    {
+        ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(selfOption);
+        ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(formatOption);
+        _selfOption = selfOption;
+        _formatOption = formatOption;
+    }
+
+    public override async Task<int> InvokeAsync(ParseResult parseResult, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        if (_selfOption is null || _formatOption is null)
+        {
+            throw new InvalidOperationException($"{nameof(InfoOptionAction)} was invoked before {nameof(BindOptions)} was called.");
+        }
+
+        var format = parseResult.GetValue(_formatOption);
+        var self = parseResult.GetValue(_selfOption);
+
+        if (self)
+        {
+            return WriteSelf(format);
+        }
+
+        return await WriteFullInfoAsync(format, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+    }
+
+    private int WriteSelf(InfoOutputFormat format)
+    {
+        var rows = InstallationInfoOutput.DescribeSelfSafely(_installationDiscovery, _logger);
+        if (format == InfoOutputFormat.Json)
+        {
+            // Single-element array. Bit-for-bit identical to the previous
+            // `aspire --info --self --format json` contract so the
+            // PeerInstallProbe.TryParseRichProbeResult parser keeps working
+            // across CLI versions without a fallback.
+            var json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(rows.ToArray(), JsonSourceGenerationContext.RelaxedEscaping.InstallationInfoArray);
+            _interactionService.DisplayRawText(json, ConsoleOutput.Standard);
+            return CliExitCodes.Success;
+        }
+
+        foreach (var install in rows)
+        {
+            _interactionService.DisplayMarkdown("**self**");
+            DisplayField("Status", install.Status);
+            DisplayField("Channel", install.Channel);
+            DisplayField("Source", install.Source);
+            DisplayField("Version", install.Version);
+            DisplayField("Path", install.Path);
+            DisplayField("On PATH", install.PathStatus);
+        }
+
+        return CliExitCodes.Success;
+    }
+
+    private async Task<int> WriteFullInfoAsync(InfoOutputFormat format, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        var version = TryDescribeSelfVersion();
+        var channel = TryReadChannel();
+        var rows = await InstallationInfoOutput.BuildRowsSafelyAsync(_hiveEnumerator, _installationDiscovery, _logger, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+
+        if (format == InfoOutputFormat.Json)
+        {
+            var payload = new InfoOutput(version, channel, rows);
+            var json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(payload, JsonSourceGenerationContext.RelaxedEscaping.InfoOutput);
+            _interactionService.DisplayRawText(json, ConsoleOutput.Standard);
+            return CliExitCodes.Success;
+        }
+
+        DisplayField("Version", version);
+        DisplayField("Channel", channel);
+        _interactionService.DisplayEmptyLine();
+
+        foreach (var row in rows)
+        {
+            // row.Id and row.Kind are derived from install metadata that can
+            // include user/environment paths. For sidecar-less installs, row.Id
+            // falls back to install.Path (see InstallationInfoOutput.GetInstallId),
+            // which on Windows looks like `C:\Users\<user>\.aspire\bin\aspire.exe`.
+            // CommonMark treats `\` followed by ASCII punctuation as an escape
+            // and drops the backslash, so an unescaped path renders as
+            // `C:\Users\<user>.aspire\bin\aspire.exe`. Escape Markdown special
+            // characters in both fields before they reach the renderer.
+            _interactionService.DisplayMarkdown($"**{EscapeMarkdown(row.Id)}**  {EscapeMarkdown(row.Kind)}");
+            DisplayField("Status", row.Status);
+            DisplayField("Channel", row.Channel);
+            DisplayField("Version", row.Version);
+            DisplayField("Path", row.Path);
+            DisplayField("Hive", row.Hive);
+            DisplayField("On PATH", row.PathStatus);
+            if (row.StatusReason is { Length: > 0 })
+            {
+                DisplayField("Reason", row.StatusReason);
+            }
+            _interactionService.DisplayEmptyLine();
+        }
+
+        return CliExitCodes.Success;
+    }
+
+    private string? TryDescribeSelfVersion()
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            return _installationDiscovery.DescribeSelf().Version;
+        }
+        catch (OperationCanceledException)
+        {
+            throw;
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            // Match the tolerant posture of the channel-read path: a broken
+            // discovery shouldn't take the diagnostic command down with it.
+            _logger.LogWarning(ex, "Could not read the running Aspire CLI version for `aspire --info`.");
+            return null;
+        }
+    }
+
+    private string? TryReadChannel()
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            return _identityChannelReader.ReadChannel();
+        }
+        catch (OperationCanceledException)
+        {
+            throw;
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            // Identity channel comes from AssemblyMetadata that the build system
+            // bakes; a missing/invalid value is a broken-binary signal but
+            // `aspire --info` is the surface a user reaches for to *find out*
+            // their binary is broken, so we must not crash here. The channel is
+            // dropped from JSON via DefaultIgnoreCondition.WhenWritingNull and
+            // omitted from the text rendering by `DisplayField`.
+            _logger.LogWarning(ex, "Could not read the running Aspire CLI identity channel for `aspire --info`.");
+            return null;
+        }
+    }
+
+    private void DisplayField(string name, string? value)
+    {
+        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(value))
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        _interactionService.DisplayPlainText($"  {name,-8} {value}");
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Escapes a value so it can be safely embedded in the Markdown text
+    /// passed to <see cref="IInteractionService.DisplayMarkdown"/> without
+    /// being interpreted as formatting or a CommonMark escape sequence.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <remarks>
+    /// CommonMark allows any ASCII punctuation character to be backslash-escaped
+    /// (<see href="https://spec.commonmark.org/0.31.2/#backslash-escapes"/>),
+    /// and the renderer silently drops the backslash. Without this, a value like
+    /// <c>C:\Users\dapine\.aspire\bin\aspire.exe</c> renders as
+    /// <c>C:\Users\dapine.aspire\bin\aspire.exe</c> because the renderer treats
+    /// each <c>\</c> followed by punctuation as an escape. Prefix each ASCII
+    /// punctuation character with <c>\</c> so the renderer emits the literal
+    /// character.
+    /// </remarks>
+    internal static string EscapeMarkdown(string? value)
+    {
+        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(value))
+        {
+            return value ?? string.Empty;
+        }
+
+        var sb = new StringBuilder(value.Length + 8);
+        foreach (var c in value)
+        {
+            if (c is >= '!' and <= '/'
+                or >= ':' and <= '@'
+                or >= '[' and <= '`'
+                or >= '{' and <= '~')
+            {
+                sb.Append('\\');
+            }
+
+            sb.Append(c);
+        }
+
+        return sb.ToString();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/InstallationInfoOutput.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/InstallationInfoOutput.cs
index f7e1e1e30cb..2e1109a5cb4 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/InstallationInfoOutput.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/InstallationInfoOutput.cs
@@ -1,36 +1,56 @@
 // Licensed to the .NET Foundation under one or more agreements.
 // The .NET Foundation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
 
+using System.Text.Json.Serialization;
 using Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
 using Aspire.Cli.Resources;
 using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
-using Spectre.Console;
 
 namespace Aspire.Cli.Commands;
 
+/// <summary>
+/// Shared helpers consumed by <see cref="InfoOptionAction"/>:
+/// <list type="bullet">
+///   <item><see cref="DescribeSelfSafely"/> — wraps <see cref="IInstallationDiscovery.DescribeSelf"/>
+///   with the failure-tolerant shape consumed by the peer-probe contract.</item>
+///   <item><see cref="BuildRowsAsync"/> and friends — classify a discovery walk into
+///   the <see cref="InstallationInfo"/> rows surfaced by <c>aspire --info</c>.</item>
+/// </list>
+/// </summary>
+/// <remarks>
+/// Behavior of the row-builder and the JSON shape it produces is the
+/// cross-version peer-probe contract consumed by
+/// <see cref="Aspire.Cli.Acquisition.PeerInstallProbe"/> (and by external
+/// tooling reading <c>aspire --info --format json</c>); changes here must
+/// stay backwards-compatible with the parser in
+/// <c>PeerInstallProbe.TryParseRichProbeResult</c>.
+/// </remarks>
 internal static class InstallationInfoOutput
 {
-    public static async Task<IReadOnlyList<InstallationInfo>> DiscoverAllSafelyAsync(
-        IInstallationDiscovery discovery,
-        WingetFirstRunProbe wingetFirstRunProbe,
-        ILogger logger,
-        CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    public static IReadOnlyList<InstallationInfo> DescribeSelfSafely(IInstallationDiscovery discovery, ILogger logger)
     {
         try
         {
-            RunWingetFirstRunProbe(wingetFirstRunProbe);
+            return [discovery.DescribeSelf()];
         }
-        catch (Exception ex) when (ex is not OperationCanceledException)
+        catch (OperationCanceledException)
+        {
+            // Cancellation must propagate so the caller can honor the cancellation token
+            // even if DescribeSelf ever becomes cancellable.
+            throw;
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
         {
-            logger.LogWarning(ex, "Could not run the winget first-run install sidecar probe before doctor installation discovery.");
+            logger.LogWarning(ex, "Could not describe the running Aspire CLI installation for `aspire --info --self` output.");
+            return CreateFailedDiscoveryRow();
         }
+    }
 
+    public static async Task<List<InstallationInfo>> BuildRowsSafelyAsync(HiveEnumerator hiveEnumerator, IInstallationDiscovery installationDiscovery, ILogger logger, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
         try
         {
-            logger.LogDebug("Discovering Aspire CLI installations for doctor output.");
-            var installations = await discovery.DiscoverAllAsync(cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
-            logger.LogDebug("Discovered {InstallationCount} Aspire CLI installation(s) for doctor output.", installations.Count);
-            return installations;
+            return await BuildRowsAsync(hiveEnumerator, installationDiscovery, logger, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
         }
         catch (OperationCanceledException)
         {
@@ -38,125 +58,232 @@ public static async Task<IReadOnlyList<InstallationInfo>> DiscoverAllSafelyAsync
         }
         catch (Exception ex)
         {
-            logger.LogWarning(ex, "Could not discover Aspire CLI installations for doctor output.");
-            return CreateFailedDiscoveryRow();
+            // Match the tolerant posture of the channel-read and self-version paths:
+            // a broken discovery walk (filesystem ACL, IO hiccup on
+            // ~/.aspire/hives, ...) shouldn't take the diagnostic command down
+            // with it. Surface a single failure row so the user sees that
+            // discovery ran but didn't produce data, plus the underlying reason.
+            logger.LogWarning(ex, "Install discovery walk failed for `aspire --info`.");
+            return
+            [
+                new InstallationInfo
+                {
+                    Id = "discovery",
+                    Kind = "discovery-failed",
+                    Path = null,
+                    PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.NotOnPath,
+                    Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Failed,
+                    StatusReason = ex.Message,
+                }
+            ];
         }
     }
 
-    public static IReadOnlyList<InstallationInfo> DescribeSelfSafely(IInstallationDiscovery discovery, ILogger logger)
+    public static async Task<List<InstallationInfo>> BuildRowsAsync(HiveEnumerator hiveEnumerator, IInstallationDiscovery installationDiscovery, ILogger logger, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
     {
-        try
+        var discoveredInstalls = (await installationDiscovery.DiscoverAllAsync(cancellationToken))
+            .Where(i => IsDisplayableInstall(i, logger))
+            .ToList();
+        var installChannels = discoveredInstalls
+            .Select(i => i.Channel)
+            .Where(c => !string.IsNullOrEmpty(c))
+            .ToHashSet(StringComparer.Ordinal);
+        var ids = new Dictionary<string, int>(StringComparer.Ordinal);
+        var rows = new List<InstallationInfo>();
+
+        foreach (var install in discoveredInstalls)
         {
-            return [discovery.DescribeSelf()];
+            var baseId = GetInstallId(install);
+            var id = GetUniqueId(baseId, ids, logger);
+            var kind = GetInstallKind(install);
+            var hive = install.Channel is { Length: > 0 } && hiveEnumerator.HasHive(install.Channel)
+                ? hiveEnumerator.GetHivePath(install.Channel)
+                : null;
+            var managedBy = GetManagedBy(install);
+            logger.LogDebug(
+                "Classified install path '{Path}' as id '{Id}', kind '{Kind}', channel '{Channel}', status '{Status}', pathStatus '{PathStatus}', hive '{Hive}', managedBy '{ManagedBy}'. Source='{Source}', reason='{Reason}'.",
+                install.Path,
+                id,
+                kind,
+                install.Channel ?? "(none)",
+                install.Status,
+                install.PathStatus,
+                hive ?? "(none)",
+                managedBy ?? "(none)",
+                install.Source ?? "(none)",
+                install.StatusReason ?? "(none)");
+            // The aggregate row carries the same field set as InstallationInfo;
+            // we keep `Status` and `PathStatus` orthogonal so consumers can
+            // switch on each axis independently. Display-side collapsing
+            // happens in the text renderer (see InfoOptionAction.WriteFullInfoAsync).
+            rows.Add(install with
+            {
+                Id = id,
+                Kind = kind,
+                Hive = hive,
+                ManagedBy = managedBy,
+            });
         }
-        catch (OperationCanceledException)
+
+        foreach (var hive in hiveEnumerator.GetHives().Where(h => !installChannels.Contains(h.Name)))
         {
-            // Symmetric with DiscoverAllSafelyAsync: cancellation must propagate
-            // so the caller can honor the cancellation token even if DescribeSelf
-            // ever becomes cancellable.
-            throw;
+            var id = GetUniqueId(hive.Name, ids, logger);
+            logger.LogDebug(
+                "Classified hive '{Hive}' as orphan install row id '{Id}' because no discovered install reports channel '{Channel}'.",
+                hive.Path,
+                id,
+                hive.Name);
+            // Orphan-hive rows have no installation binary, so `Path` and most
+            // per-binary fields are null. The hive directory itself is in `Hive`.
+            rows.Add(new InstallationInfo
+            {
+                Id = id,
+                Kind = "orphan-hive",
+                Path = null,
+                Channel = hive.Name,
+                Hive = hive.Path,
+                PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.NotOnPath,
+                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.NoInstallFound,
+                StatusReason = "No discovered install reports this hive's channel.",
+            });
         }
-        catch (Exception ex)
+
+        return rows
+            .OrderBy(GetSortRank)
+            .ThenBy(row => row.Id, StringComparer.Ordinal)
+            .ToList();
+    }
+
+    // Sort order: active installs first, then shadowed, then not-on-PATH ok,
+    // then failed / notProbed, then orphan-hives last. Status and PathStatus
+    // are orthogonal on the wire, so the rank function combines both axes.
+    private static int GetSortRank(InstallationInfo row)
+    {
+        if (row.Status is InstallationInfoStatus.NoInstallFound)
         {
-            logger.LogWarning(ex, "Could not describe the running Aspire CLI installation for doctor self-probe output.");
-            return CreateFailedDiscoveryRow();
+            return 4;
         }
+
+        if (row.Status is not InstallationInfoStatus.Ok)
+        {
+            // failed / notProbed / unknown
+            return 3;
+        }
+
+        return row.PathStatus switch
+        {
+            InstallationPathStatus.Active => 0,
+            InstallationPathStatus.Shadowed => 1,
+            InstallationPathStatus.NotOnPath => 2,
+            _ => 3,
+        };
     }
 
-    public static void RunWingetFirstRunProbe(WingetFirstRunProbe wingetFirstRunProbe)
+    private static string GetInstallId(InstallationInfo install)
     {
-        // Give a never-run winget install a chance to stamp its sidecar before
-        // we read it. The probe writes nothing on non-Windows hosts or when the
-        // running binary isn't a winget portable install, so this is a cheap
-        // no-op in the common case.
-        var processPath = Environment.ProcessPath;
-        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(processPath))
+        if (install.Source is "script")
         {
-            return;
+            return "script";
         }
 
-        var binaryDir = Path.GetDirectoryName(processPath);
-        if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(binaryDir))
+        if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(install.Channel))
         {
-            wingetFirstRunProbe.Run(binaryDir);
+            return install.Channel;
         }
+
+        return install.Source ?? install.Path ?? "unknown";
     }
 
-    public static void OutputTable(IAnsiConsole ansiConsole, IReadOnlyList<InstallationInfo> installs)
+    private static bool IsDisplayableInstall(InstallationInfo install, ILogger logger)
     {
-        ansiConsole.WriteLine();
-        ansiConsole.MarkupLine($"[bold]{DoctorCommandStrings.HeaderInstallations.EscapeMarkup()}[/]");
-        ansiConsole.WriteLine(new string('=', DoctorCommandStrings.HeaderInstallations.Length));
-        ansiConsole.WriteLine();
-
-        var table = new Table()
-            .Border(TableBorder.Rounded)
-            .AddColumn(DoctorCommandStrings.ColumnPath)
-            .AddColumn(DoctorCommandStrings.ColumnVersion)
-            .AddColumn(DoctorCommandStrings.ColumnChannel)
-            .AddColumn(DoctorCommandStrings.ColumnRoute)
-            .AddColumn(DoctorCommandStrings.ColumnPathStatus);
-
-        // The first row is, by contract, the running CLI (enforced by
-        // InstallationDiscovery, not by ordering here). Tag installs[0]
-        // directly rather than re-resolving Environment.ProcessPath and
-        // matching CanonicalPath: that re-derivation can disagree with
-        // the discovery layer's notion of self (e.g. when ProcessPath is
-        // unresolvable at render time but was resolvable when DescribeSelf
-        // ran, or when a peer happens to share a canonical path with the
-        // running CLI).
-        for (var i = 0; i < installs.Count; i++)
-        {
-            var install = installs[i];
-            var isSelf = i == 0;
-            var pathDisplay = string.IsNullOrEmpty(install.Path)
-                ? DoctorCommandStrings.ValueUnknown
-                : install.Path;
-            pathDisplay = pathDisplay.EscapeMarkup();
-            if (isSelf)
-            {
-                pathDisplay = $"{pathDisplay} [grey]{DoctorCommandStrings.ValueCurrentMarker.EscapeMarkup()}[/]";
-            }
+        if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(install.Source))
+        {
+            logger.LogDebug("Including install path '{Path}' because it has source '{Source}'.", install.Path, install.Source);
+            return true;
+        }
 
-            table.AddRow(
-                pathDisplay,
-                ValueOrPlaceholder(install.Version, install.Status),
-                ValueOrPlaceholder(install.Channel, install.Status),
-                ValueOrPlaceholder(install.Route, install.Status),
-                PathStatusDisplay(install.PathStatus));
+        var fileName = Path.GetFileName(install.CanonicalPath ?? install.Path ?? string.Empty);
+        // Windows command lookup is case-insensitive and PathLookupHelper preserves
+        // whatever spelling the filesystem records (e.g. `Aspire.exe`, `ASPIRE.EXE`).
+        // Using a case-sensitive match here would silently hide sidecar-less Windows
+        // installs whose on-disk filename is not lowercase. POSIX paths stay
+        // case-sensitive so a deliberately-named `Aspire` script on Linux is still
+        // excluded.
+        var comparison = OperatingSystem.IsWindows() ? StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase : StringComparison.Ordinal;
+        var isAspireBinary =
+            string.Equals(fileName, "aspire", comparison) ||
+            string.Equals(fileName, "aspire.exe", comparison);
+        if (!isAspireBinary)
+        {
+            logger.LogDebug("Ignoring discovery row path '{Path}' because it has no install source and the resolved filename '{FileName}' is not an Aspire CLI binary.", install.Path, fileName);
         }
 
-        ansiConsole.Write(table);
+        return isAspireBinary;
     }
 
-    private static string PathStatusDisplay(string pathStatus)
+    private static string GetUniqueId(string id, Dictionary<string, int> ids, ILogger logger)
     {
-        return pathStatus switch
+        var originalId = id;
+        var uniqueId = GetUniqueIdCore(id, ids);
+        if (!string.Equals(originalId, uniqueId, StringComparison.Ordinal))
         {
-            InstallationPathStatus.Active => DoctorCommandStrings.ValuePathActive,
-            InstallationPathStatus.Shadowed => DoctorCommandStrings.ValuePathShadowed,
-            InstallationPathStatus.NotOnPath => DoctorCommandStrings.ValuePathNotOnPath,
-            _ => pathStatus.EscapeMarkup(),
-        };
+            logger.LogDebug("Disambiguated duplicate install id '{OriginalId}' as '{UniqueId}'.", originalId, uniqueId);
+        }
+
+        return uniqueId;
     }
 
-    private static string ValueOrPlaceholder(string? value, string status)
+    private static string GetUniqueIdCore(string id, Dictionary<string, int> ids)
     {
-        if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(value))
+        if (!ids.TryGetValue(id, out var count))
         {
-            return value.EscapeMarkup();
+            ids[id] = 1;
+            return id;
         }
 
-        // Missing fields mean different things for skipped rows, failed
-        // probes, and rows that responded but did not populate this value.
-        return status switch
+        // Increment the per-base counter and verify the suffixed candidate is
+        // not itself already taken. Without this loop, two rows can collide
+        // when one row's natural base id happens to match another row's
+        // disambiguation suffix — e.g. two installs reporting channel "stable"
+        // produce ids "stable" and "stable-2", and an orphan-hive directory
+        // literally named "stable-2" (hive names are arbitrary user-controlled
+        // directory names under ~/.aspire/hives/) would otherwise mint a
+        // second "stable-2" because the suffix was never recorded in `ids`.
+        // We record both the bumped per-base counter and the candidate itself
+        // so future bases can't recreate the suffix.
+        string candidate;
+        do
         {
-            InstallationInfoStatus.NotProbed => DoctorCommandStrings.ValueNotProbed,
-            InstallationInfoStatus.Failed => DoctorCommandStrings.ValueProbeFailed,
-            _ => DoctorCommandStrings.ValueUnknown,
-        };
+            count++;
+            candidate = $"{id}-{count}";
+        }
+        while (ids.ContainsKey(candidate));
+
+        ids[id] = count;
+        ids[candidate] = 1;
+        return candidate;
     }
 
+    private static string GetInstallKind(InstallationInfo install)
+        => install.Source switch
+        {
+            // The sidecar wire string is "brew" but everywhere we surface this to
+            // a human (or tool reading our JSON output) we use the friendlier
+            // "homebrew" label so the displayed `kind` and `managedBy` agree.
+            "brew" => "homebrew",
+            null => "unknown",
+            _ => install.Source,
+        };
+
+    private static string? GetManagedBy(InstallationInfo install)
+        => install.Source switch
+        {
+            "dotnet-tool" => "dotnet-tool",
+            "winget" => "winget",
+            "brew" => "homebrew",
+            _ => null
+        };
+
     private static IReadOnlyList<InstallationInfo> CreateFailedDiscoveryRow()
     {
         return
@@ -172,3 +299,22 @@ private static IReadOnlyList<InstallationInfo> CreateFailedDiscoveryRow()
         ];
     }
 }
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Combined object emitted by <c>aspire --info --format json</c>. The
+/// per-install rows are produced by <see cref="InstallationInfoOutput.BuildRowsAsync"/>.
+/// </summary>
+internal sealed record InfoOutput(
+    [property: JsonPropertyName("version")] string? Version,
+    [property: JsonPropertyName("channel")] string? Channel,
+    [property: JsonPropertyName("installs")] IReadOnlyList<InstallationInfo> Installs);
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Output format for <c>aspire --info</c>. <c>List</c> is the default text
+/// rendering; <c>Json</c> is the machine-readable shape.
+/// </summary>
+internal enum InfoOutputFormat
+{
+    List,
+    Json,
+}
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/NewCommand.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/NewCommand.cs
index f7bbfeeb0cc..4bc4e88894c 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/NewCommand.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/NewCommand.cs
@@ -101,9 +101,15 @@ public NewCommand(
         Options.Add(s_versionOption);
         Options.Add(s_suppressAgentInitOption);
 
-        // Customize description based on whether staging channel is enabled
+        // Customize description based on whether staging channel is enabled.
+        // Read ExecutionContext.IdentityChannel defensively: a binary with broken
+        // AspireCliChannel metadata throws here, and NewCommand is constructed as
+        // part of the RootCommand DI graph on every invocation — including the
+        // diagnostic surfaces (`aspire --info`, `aspire --help`) where we must
+        // not crash. Falling back to the non-staging description is acceptable
+        // because the option still works either way; only the help text differs.
         var isStagingEnabled = KnownFeatures.IsStagingChannelEnabled(_features, configuration)
-            || string.Equals(ExecutionContext.IdentityChannel, PackageChannelNames.Staging, StringComparisons.ChannelName);
+            || TryIsIdentityChannelStaging(executionContext);
         _channelOption = new Option<string?>("--channel")
         {
             Description = isStagingEnabled
@@ -481,6 +487,32 @@ private static bool ShouldResolveCliTemplateVersion(ITemplate template)
         return template.Runtime is TemplateRuntime.Cli;
     }
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Returns <see langword="true"/> when the running CLI's identity channel
+    /// is the staging channel. Wraps the <see cref="CliExecutionContext.IdentityChannel"/>
+    /// read in a tolerant try/catch so a binary with broken
+    /// <c>AspireCliChannel</c> assembly metadata does not crash
+    /// <see cref="NewCommand"/> construction — and through it the
+    /// <c>RootCommand</c> DI graph that <c>aspire --info</c> and
+    /// <c>aspire --help</c> resolve. Mirrors the posture of
+    /// <see cref="InfoOptionAction"/>'s channel-read helper. The fallback
+    /// (<see langword="false"/>) is benign: only the <c>--channel</c> option's
+    /// help text loses its staging-channel mention; the option itself still
+    /// works.
+    /// </summary>
+    private static bool TryIsIdentityChannelStaging(CliExecutionContext executionContext)
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            return string.Equals(executionContext.IdentityChannel, PackageChannelNames.Staging, StringComparisons.ChannelName);
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex) when (ex is not OperationCanceledException)
+        {
+            _ = ex;
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+
 }
 
 internal interface INewCommandPrompter
@@ -639,6 +671,7 @@ public virtual async Task<ITemplate> PromptForTemplateAsync(ITemplate[] validTem
             cancellationToken: cancellationToken
         );
     }
+
 }
 
 internal static partial class ProjectNameValidator
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/RootCommand.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/RootCommand.cs
index 4272341fddf..e9415f3dd78 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/RootCommand.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/RootCommand.cs
@@ -3,11 +3,12 @@
 
 using System.CommandLine;
 using System.CommandLine.Help;
+using System.CommandLine.Parsing;
+using System.Globalization;
 using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
 using Spectre.Console;
 
 #if DEBUG
-using System.Globalization;
 using System.Diagnostics;
 #endif
 
@@ -49,6 +50,64 @@ internal sealed class RootCommand : BaseRootCommand
         Recursive = true
     };
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Root-level <c>--info</c> flag that prints the running CLI's version,
+    /// channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine.
+    /// Root-only (non-recursive): <c>aspire --info</c> fires the install-info
+    /// surface, while <c>aspire &lt;subcommand&gt; --info</c> is a separate
+    /// operation — the unmatched <c>--info</c> token does not bind at
+    /// subcommand scope, the action does not fire, and the subcommand runs
+    /// normally. Keeping install enumeration root-only avoids the recursive-option
+    /// / subcommand-local <c>--format</c> shadowing trap, where a recursive
+    /// root <c>--format</c> would be quietly swallowed by a subcommand's own
+    /// <c>--format</c> option. Wired to <see cref="InfoOptionAction"/> in the
+    /// constructor so it short-circuits subcommand routing when set on root
+    /// (the same way <c>--help</c> and <c>--version</c> do). Per-instance (not
+    /// static): the option carries the <see cref="InfoOptionAction"/> bound to
+    /// *this* <see cref="RootCommand"/>'s service provider, so concurrent tests
+    /// that each build their own <see cref="RootCommand"/> don't fight over
+    /// the <see cref="Option.Action"/> mutation.
+    /// </summary>
+    public readonly Option<bool> InfoOption = new(CommonOptionNames.Info)
+    {
+        Description = RootCommandStrings.InfoArgumentDescription,
+    };
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Hidden modifier for <see cref="InfoOption"/>. When set, the action
+    /// emits only the running CLI's row instead of the full install table.
+    /// Reused as the cross-version peer-probe contract: in JSON mode the
+    /// output is a single-element <see cref="Acquisition.InstallationInfo"/> array
+    /// (see <see cref="Acquisition.PeerInstallProbe"/>). Root-only to match
+    /// <see cref="InfoOption"/>. Per-instance for the same reason as
+    /// <see cref="InfoOption"/>: the "requires <c>--info</c>" validator added
+    /// in the constructor would otherwise accumulate across concurrent
+    /// <see cref="RootCommand"/> constructions.
+    /// </summary>
+    public readonly Option<bool> InfoSelfOption = new("--self")
+    {
+        Hidden = true
+    };
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Hidden output-format modifier for <see cref="InfoOption"/>. Accepts
+    /// <c>list</c> (the default text rendering) or <c>json</c>. Hidden because
+    /// it is only meaningful when paired with <c>--info</c>. Root-only to
+    /// match <see cref="InfoOption"/>: keeping <c>--format</c> non-recursive
+    /// here avoids shadowing subcommand-local <c>--format</c> options (e.g.
+    /// <c>aspire doctor --format json</c>, <c>aspire run --format json</c>),
+    /// which both define their own <c>--format</c> with a different value set.
+    /// Per-instance for the same reason as <see cref="InfoOption"/>: the
+    /// "requires <c>--info</c>" validator added in the constructor would
+    /// otherwise accumulate across concurrent <see cref="RootCommand"/>
+    /// constructions.
+    /// </summary>
+    public readonly Option<InfoOutputFormat> InfoFormatOption = new("--format")
+    {
+        Description = RootCommandStrings.InfoFormatArgumentDescription,
+        Hidden = true
+    };
+
     public static readonly Option<bool> BannerOption = new(CommonOptionNames.Banner)
     {
         Description = RootCommandStrings.BannerArgumentDescription,
@@ -174,7 +233,8 @@ public RootCommand(
         ExtensionInternalCommand extensionInternalCommand,
         IBundleService bundleService,
         IInteractionService interactionService,
-        IAnsiConsole ansiConsole)
+        IAnsiConsole ansiConsole,
+        InfoOptionAction infoOptionAction)
         : base(RootCommandStrings.Description)
     {
         _interactionService = interactionService;
@@ -210,6 +270,9 @@ public RootCommand(
         Options.Add(BannerOption);
         Options.Add(WaitForDebuggerOption);
         Options.Add(CliWaitForDebuggerOption);
+        Options.Add(InfoOption);
+        Options.Add(InfoSelfOption);
+        Options.Add(InfoFormatOption);
         if (ExtensionHelper.IsExtensionHost(interactionService, out _, out _))
         {
             Options.Add(StartDebugSessionOption);
@@ -218,6 +281,18 @@ public RootCommand(
         Options.Add(CaptureProfileOutputOption);
         Options.Add(CaptureProfileDelayOption);
 
+        // Wire the --info action so it short-circuits subcommand routing the
+        // same way --help / --version do. Also gate --self and --format on
+        // --info via validators so `aspire --self` and `aspire --format json`
+        // (the only shapes that can reach these root-only options without
+        // also setting --info) fail parse loudly instead of falling through
+        // to grouped help.
+        infoOptionAction.BindOptions(InfoSelfOption, InfoFormatOption);
+        InfoOption.Action = infoOptionAction;
+        var infoOption = InfoOption;
+        InfoSelfOption.Validators.Add(result => ValidateRequiresInfo(result, InfoSelfOption, infoOption));
+        InfoFormatOption.Validators.Add(result => ValidateRequiresInfo(result, InfoFormatOption, infoOption));
+
         // Handle standalone 'aspire' or 'aspire --banner' (no subcommand)
         this.SetAction((Func<ParseResult, CancellationToken, Task<int>>)((context, cancellationToken) =>
         {
@@ -293,4 +368,27 @@ public RootCommand(
         }
 
     }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Fails parse when <paramref name="option"/> is supplied without
+    /// <paramref name="infoOption"/>. <see cref="InfoSelfOption"/> and
+    /// <see cref="InfoFormatOption"/> are only meaningful as modifiers on
+    /// <c>--info</c>; without this validator <c>aspire --self</c> or
+    /// <c>aspire --format json</c> would parse cleanly and either fall
+    /// through to grouped help or — worse, for <c>--format</c> — swallow
+    /// values intended for a subcommand option.
+    /// </summary>
+    private static void ValidateRequiresInfo(OptionResult result, Option option, Option<bool> infoOption)
+    {
+        if (result.Implicit)
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        var info = result.Parent?.GetResult(infoOption);
+        if (info is null || info.Implicit)
+        {
+            result.AddError(string.Format(CultureInfo.CurrentCulture, RootCommandStrings.InfoOptionRequiresInfo, option.Name));
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/SetupCommand.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/SetupCommand.cs
index abdfa442a2a..f0014358ad0 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/SetupCommand.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/SetupCommand.cs
@@ -57,9 +57,9 @@ protected override async Task<CommandResult> ExecuteAsync(ParseResult parseResul
             return CommandResult.Failure(CliExitCodes.FailedToBuildArtifacts, "Could not determine the CLI executable path.");
         }
 
-        // `aspire setup` uses a route-independent default (parent of the binary's dir).
-        // Do not switch to `_bundleService.GetDefaultExtractDir` — that path is route-aware
-        // and reserved for auto-extract, where managed-route layouts must stay package-owned.
+        // `aspire setup` uses a source-independent default (parent of the binary's dir).
+        // Do not switch to `_bundleService.GetDefaultExtractDir` — that path is source-aware
+        // and reserved for auto-extract, where managed-source layouts must stay package-owned.
         if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(installPath))
         {
             installPath = GetDefaultInstallPath(processPath);
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ protected override async Task<CommandResult> ExecuteAsync(ParseResult parseResul
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Returns the parent of <paramref name="processPath"/>'s directory, or <c>null</c> if
-    /// none. Route-independent counterpart to the route-aware <see cref="IBundleService.GetDefaultExtractDir"/>.
+    /// none. Source-independent counterpart to the source-aware <see cref="IBundleService.GetDefaultExtractDir"/>.
     /// </summary>
     internal static string? GetDefaultInstallPath(string? processPath)
     {
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/UpdateCommand.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/UpdateCommand.cs
index 6103472f6c3..4b220e63bdd 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/UpdateCommand.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/UpdateCommand.cs
@@ -461,8 +461,27 @@ protected override async Task<CommandResult> ExecuteAsync(ParseResult parseResul
 
     private bool IsStagingChannelAvailable()
     {
-        return KnownFeatures.IsStagingChannelEnabled(_features, _configuration)
-            || string.Equals(ExecutionContext.IdentityChannel, PackageChannelNames.Staging, StringComparisons.ChannelName);
+        if (KnownFeatures.IsStagingChannelEnabled(_features, _configuration))
+        {
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        // Read ExecutionContext.IdentityChannel defensively: a binary with broken
+        // AspireCliChannel metadata throws here, and UpdateCommand is constructed
+        // as part of the RootCommand DI graph on every invocation — including the
+        // diagnostic surfaces (`aspire --info`, `aspire --help`) where we must
+        // not crash. The runtime call site at the bottom of ExecuteSelfUpdateAsync
+        // also tolerates the false fallback: staging-channel offering is dropped
+        // from the channel prompt but the rest of update still works.
+        try
+        {
+            return string.Equals(ExecutionContext.IdentityChannel, PackageChannelNames.Staging, StringComparisons.ChannelName);
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex) when (ex is not OperationCanceledException)
+        {
+            _logger.LogDebug(ex, "Could not read identity channel for staging-channel detection; falling back to non-staging behavior.");
+            return false;
+        }
     }
 
     private async Task<CommandResult> ExecuteSelfUpdateAsync(ParseResult parseResult, CancellationToken cancellationToken, string? selectedChannel = null)
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/CommonOptionNames.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/CommonOptionNames.cs
index 846b5ff2598..9a2275d9ffa 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/CommonOptionNames.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/CommonOptionNames.cs
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ internal static class CommonOptionNames
     public const string Help = "--help";
     public const string HelpShort = "-h";
     public const string HelpAlt = "-?";
+    public const string Info = "--info";
     public const string NoLogo = "--nologo";
     public const string Banner = "--banner";
     public const string Debug = "--debug";
@@ -23,8 +24,134 @@ internal static class CommonOptionNames
     public const string StartDebugSession = "--start-debug-session";
 
     /// <summary>
-    /// Options that represent informational commands (e.g. --version, --help) which should
-    /// opt out of telemetry and suppress first-run experience.
+    /// Returns <c>true</c> when <paramref name="args"/> represents an informational invocation
+    /// (an invocation whose primary effect is to print diagnostic / version / help / install
+    /// information rather than run a user command) and which should therefore opt out of
+    /// telemetry, suppress the first-run banner, and skip consuming the one-shot first-run
+    /// sentinel.
     /// </summary>
-    public static readonly string[] InformationalOptionNames = [Version, Help, HelpShort, HelpAlt];
+    /// <remarks>
+    /// <para>
+    /// Three positional rules, in priority order:
+    /// </para>
+    /// <list type="number">
+    ///   <item>
+    ///     <description>
+    ///     A POSIX <c>--</c> end-of-options marker terminates the scan. Tokens after
+    ///     <c>--</c> are positional / forwarded args (e.g. <c>aspire run -- --info</c>
+    ///     forwards <c>--info</c> to the AppHost) and never bind to a CLI option, so
+    ///     <c>--info</c> / <c>--help</c> / <c>--version</c> after <c>--</c> are not
+    ///     informational from the CLI's perspective.
+    ///     </description>
+    ///   </item>
+    ///   <item>
+    ///     <description>
+    ///     <c>--version</c>, <c>--help</c>, <c>-h</c>, and <c>-?</c> are recursive in
+    ///     System.CommandLine — they bind at any depth — so they really are
+    ///     informational at any position before <c>--</c> (e.g. <c>aspire run --help</c>
+    ///     is a help invocation, not a <c>run</c> invocation).
+    ///     </description>
+    ///   </item>
+    ///   <item>
+    ///     <description>
+    ///     <c>--info</c> is intentionally bound as a root-only non-recursive option on
+    ///     <c>RootCommand</c>. <c>aspire --info</c> fires the info action; <c>aspire run
+    ///     --info</c> runs the <c>run</c> subcommand with an unmatched <c>--info</c>
+    ///     token. The scan mirrors that binding: <c>--info</c> is treated as
+    ///     informational only when it appears <em>before</em> the first subcommand token
+    ///     (and before <c>--</c>).
+    ///     </description>
+    ///   </item>
+    /// </list>
+    /// <para>
+    /// The "first non-option token = subcommand" heuristic has to handle one subtlety:
+    /// root-level options that <em>take a value</em> (<c>--log-level Debug</c>,
+    /// <c>--format json</c>, <c>--capture-profile-output path</c>, ...) put their value
+    /// in the next token, which doesn't start with <c>-</c>. Without special handling,
+    /// the scan would mistake the value for a subcommand and miss a trailing
+    /// <c>--info</c>. <see cref="s_rootOptionsTakingAValue"/> lists the affected option
+    /// names so the scan skips their value token. The <c>=</c>-form
+    /// (<c>--log-level=Debug</c>) is a single token and needs no special handling.
+    /// </para>
+    /// </remarks>
+    public static bool IsInformationalInvocation(string[]? args)
+    {
+        if (args is null)
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        var sawSubcommand = false;
+        var skipNext = false;
+        foreach (var arg in args)
+        {
+            if (skipNext)
+            {
+                // Previous token was a root value-taking option (e.g. --log-level);
+                // this token is its value, not a subcommand.
+                skipNext = false;
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            // POSIX end-of-options marker. Anything after this is forwarded /
+            // positional and cannot trigger a CLI informational action — including
+            // a literal `--info` or `--help` (rule 1).
+            if (arg == "--")
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            // Rule 3: --info is root-only / non-recursive, so it only counts as
+            // informational before any subcommand boundary.
+            if (!sawSubcommand && arg == Info)
+            {
+                return true;
+            }
+
+            // Rule 2: --version / --help / -h / -? are recursive and remain
+            // informational at any position before --.
+            if (arg is Version or Help or HelpShort or HelpAlt)
+            {
+                return true;
+            }
+
+            if (arg.Length > 0 && arg[0] == '-')
+            {
+                // Root value-taking option in space-separated form: skip the
+                // value token so e.g. `aspire --log-level Debug --info` doesn't
+                // treat "Debug" as the subcommand boundary.
+                if (!sawSubcommand && s_rootOptionsTakingAValue.Contains(arg))
+                {
+                    skipNext = true;
+                }
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            // First bare token (and not consumed as an option's value) is the
+            // subcommand. After this point, root-only `--info` no longer applies.
+            sawSubcommand = true;
+        }
+
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Root-level options that take a value in space-separated form. Used by
+    /// <see cref="IsInformationalInvocation"/> to skip the value token so a value
+    /// that happens not to start with <c>-</c> (e.g. <c>Debug</c>, <c>json</c>) is
+    /// not mistaken for a subcommand boundary. Keep in sync with the non-bool
+    /// options declared on <see cref="Commands.RootCommand"/>: bool options
+    /// (<c>--debug</c>, <c>--non-interactive</c>, <c>--nologo</c>, <c>--banner</c>,
+    /// <c>--wait-for-debugger</c>, <c>--cli-wait-for-debugger</c>,
+    /// <c>--start-debug-session</c>, <c>--capture-profile</c>, <c>--info</c>,
+    /// <c>--self</c>) don't take a separate value token and don't appear here.
+    /// </summary>
+    private static readonly HashSet<string> s_rootOptionsTakingAValue = new(StringComparer.Ordinal)
+    {
+        "--log-level",
+        "-l",
+        "--format",
+        "--capture-profile-output",
+        "--capture-profile-delay",
+    };
 }
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/JsonSourceGenerationContext.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/JsonSourceGenerationContext.cs
index 1418074f283..86e873f3ee6 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/JsonSourceGenerationContext.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/JsonSourceGenerationContext.cs
@@ -54,6 +54,9 @@ namespace Aspire.Cli;
 [JsonSerializable(typeof(CandidateAppHostDisplayInfo))]
 [JsonSerializable(typeof(List<CandidateAppHostDisplayInfo>))]
 [JsonSerializable(typeof(InstallationInfo))]
+[JsonSerializable(typeof(InstallationInfo[]))]
+[JsonSerializable(typeof(List<InstallationInfo>))]
+[JsonSerializable(typeof(InfoOutput))]
 [JsonSerializable(typeof(AppHostInfoCacheEntry))]
 [JsonSerializable(typeof(AppHostProjectInspectionOutput))]
 internal partial class JsonSourceGenerationContext : JsonSerializerContext
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Program.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Program.cs
index 8d6cc53c443..d0469e79c91 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Program.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Program.cs
@@ -346,12 +346,36 @@ internal static async Task<IHost> BuildApplicationAsync(string[] args, CliStartu
         {
             builder.Services.AddSingleton<IWindowsRegistryReader, NullWindowsRegistryReader>();
         }
-        builder.Services.AddSingleton<WingetFirstRunProbe>();
+        builder.Services.AddSingleton<WingetSidecarBackfill>();
         builder.Services.AddSingleton(sp =>
         {
             var channelReader = sp.GetRequiredService<IIdentityChannelReader>();
-            var channel = channelReader.ReadChannel();
-            return BuildCliExecutionContext(startupContext.LoggingOptions.DebugMode, startupContext.LoggingOptions.LogsDirectory, startupContext.LoggingOptions.LogFilePath, channel);
+            // Defer channelReader.ReadChannel() so a CLI binary with missing
+            // or invalid AspireCliChannel assembly metadata can still resolve
+            // CliExecutionContext. Without the Lazy<>, this factory would
+            // throw before any subcommand or root-option action runs, and the
+            // diagnostic path (`aspire --info`, `aspire --help`) would crash
+            // along with everything else. Consumers that genuinely need the
+            // channel (PackagingService, UpdateCommand, NewCommand,
+            // InitCommand, ...) still see the original throwing semantics on
+            // first access of CliExecutionContext.IdentityChannel — only the
+            // resolution point moves. InfoOptionAction bypasses this entirely
+            // by injecting IIdentityChannelReader and handling failure itself.
+            var lazyChannel = new Lazy<string>(channelReader.ReadChannel, LazyThreadSafetyMode.ExecutionAndPublication);
+            // Back-fill the install-source sidecar before anything reads it.
+            // WingetSidecarBackfill writes {"source":"winget"} when the running
+            // binary is a winget portable install, and a {"backfilled":true}
+            // sentinel otherwise so the registry walk runs at most once per
+            // install location. Either write guarantees the sidecar is present
+            // before BuildCliExecutionContext below resolves the install-aware
+            // Aspire home, before BundleService computes its extract dir, and
+            // before `aspire --info --self` reads `Source`. Without this,
+            // the first invocation from a fresh winget install would fall back
+            // to the legacy user-profile home and miss the source row even
+            // though the sidecar would appear on subsequent runs. The back-fill
+            // is idempotent and skips the registry walk on every later startup.
+            TryEnsureWingetSidecar(sp);
+            return BuildCliExecutionContext(startupContext.LoggingOptions.DebugMode, startupContext.LoggingOptions.LogsDirectory, startupContext.LoggingOptions.LogFilePath, lazyChannel);
         });
         builder.Services.AddSingleton(s => new ConsoleEnvironment(
             BuildAnsiConsole(s, Console.Out),
@@ -581,6 +605,8 @@ internal static async Task<IHost> BuildApplicationAsync(string[] args, CliStartu
 #endif
         builder.Services.AddTransient<RootCommand>();
         builder.Services.AddTransient<ExtensionInternalCommand>();
+        builder.Services.AddTransient<Acquisition.HiveEnumerator>();
+        builder.Services.AddTransient<InfoOptionAction>();
 
         var app = builder.Build();
         return app;
@@ -601,6 +627,12 @@ private static DirectoryInfo GetSdksDirectory(string? processPath = null)
     }
 
     internal static CliExecutionContext BuildCliExecutionContext(bool debugMode, string logsDirectory, string logFilePath, string channel, string? processPath = null)
+        => BuildCliExecutionContextCore(debugMode, logsDirectory, logFilePath, channel, identityChannelLazy: null, processPath);
+
+    internal static CliExecutionContext BuildCliExecutionContext(bool debugMode, string logsDirectory, string logFilePath, Lazy<string> identityChannelLazy, string? processPath = null)
+        => BuildCliExecutionContextCore(debugMode, logsDirectory, logFilePath, channel: "local", identityChannelLazy, processPath);
+
+    private static CliExecutionContext BuildCliExecutionContextCore(bool debugMode, string logsDirectory, string logFilePath, string channel, Lazy<string>? identityChannelLazy, string? processPath)
     {
         var workingDirectory = new DirectoryInfo(Environment.CurrentDirectory);
         var hivesDirectory = GetHivesDirectory(processPath);
@@ -608,7 +640,56 @@ internal static CliExecutionContext BuildCliExecutionContext(bool debugMode, str
         var sdksDirectory = GetSdksDirectory(processPath);
         var packagesDirectory = GetPackagesDirectory(processPath);
         var aspireHomeDirectory = new DirectoryInfo(GetUsersAspirePath(processPath));
-        return new CliExecutionContext(workingDirectory, hivesDirectory, cacheDirectory, sdksDirectory, new DirectoryInfo(logsDirectory), logFilePath, debugMode, packagesDirectory: packagesDirectory, identityChannel: channel, aspireHomeDirectory: aspireHomeDirectory);
+        return new CliExecutionContext(workingDirectory, hivesDirectory, cacheDirectory, sdksDirectory, new DirectoryInfo(logsDirectory), logFilePath, debugMode, packagesDirectory: packagesDirectory, identityChannel: channel, aspireHomeDirectory: aspireHomeDirectory)
+        {
+            IdentityChannelLazy = identityChannelLazy,
+        };
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Invokes <see cref="WingetSidecarBackfill.EnsureSidecar(string)"/> for the
+    /// running binary's directory, swallowing any failure so a misbehaving
+    /// back-fill can never block CLI startup. Called from the
+    /// <see cref="CliExecutionContext"/> DI factory so the sidecar is present
+    /// before any code reads it.
+    /// </summary>
+    internal static void TryEnsureWingetSidecar(IServiceProvider sp)
+        => TryEnsureWingetSidecar(sp, Environment.ProcessPath);
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Test seam for <see cref="TryEnsureWingetSidecar(IServiceProvider)"/>:
+    /// takes the running binary path as an explicit parameter so tests can
+    /// target a temp directory instead of <see cref="Environment.ProcessPath"/>,
+    /// which would otherwise land the sidecar in the testhost binary directory
+    /// and silently bias parallel tests that read from the same location.
+    /// Production callers go through the single-arg overload.
+    /// </summary>
+    internal static void TryEnsureWingetSidecar(IServiceProvider sp, string? processPath)
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(processPath))
+            {
+                return;
+            }
+
+            var binaryDir = Path.GetDirectoryName(processPath);
+            if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(binaryDir))
+            {
+                return;
+            }
+
+            sp.GetRequiredService<WingetSidecarBackfill>().EnsureSidecar(binaryDir, processPath);
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex) when (ex is not OperationCanceledException)
+        {
+            // Back-fill is best-effort startup hygiene: a write failure must
+            // never block the rest of the CLI from starting. Log and continue —
+            // the worst case is that an unstamped install surfaces as an
+            // unknown source until the next invocation retries.
+            var logger = sp.GetService<ILogger<WingetSidecarBackfill>>();
+            logger?.LogWarning(ex, "Winget install-source sidecar back-fill failed during CLI startup.");
+        }
     }
 
     private static DirectoryInfo GetCacheDirectory(string? processPath = null)
@@ -663,7 +744,10 @@ private static IConfigurationService BuildConfigurationService(IServiceProvider
     internal static async Task DisplayFirstTimeUseNoticeIfNeededAsync(IServiceProvider serviceProvider, string[] args, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
     {
         var configuration = serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<IConfiguration>();
-        var isInformationalCommand = args.Any(a => CommonOptionNames.InformationalOptionNames.Contains(a));
+        // Position-aware: --info is root-only (non-recursive), so `aspire run --info` does
+        // not bind to RootCommand.InfoOption and is a real `run` invocation. It must still
+        // create the first-run sentinel and show the banner.
+        var isInformationalCommand = CommonOptionNames.IsInformationalInvocation(args);
         var isMachineReadableOutput = HasMachineReadableOutputFormat(args);
         var noLogo = args.Any(a => a == CommonOptionNames.NoLogo)
             || configuration.GetBool(CliConfigNames.NoLogo, defaultValue: false)
@@ -701,9 +785,9 @@ internal static async Task DisplayFirstTimeUseNoticeIfNeededAsync(IServiceProvid
                 consoleEnvironment.Error.WriteLine();
             }
 
-            // Don't persist the sentinel for informational commands (--version, --help, etc.)
+            // Don't persist the sentinel for informational commands (--version, --help, --info, etc.)
             // or for machine-readable invocations (--format json, including the hidden
-            // `doctor --self --format json` peer probe). Otherwise an automation invocation
+            // `--info --self --format json` peer probe). Otherwise an automation invocation
             // or peer probe — which deliberately suppressed the user-facing notice — would
             // silently consume the first-run slot, and the next interactive invocation by
             // the same user would never see the telemetry notice.
@@ -716,8 +800,8 @@ internal static async Task DisplayFirstTimeUseNoticeIfNeededAsync(IServiceProvid
 
     // Machine-readable output flags should never have welcome/telemetry text
     // interleaved with the structured payload. Today the only such flag is
-    // `--format json` (consumed by `aspire doctor`); extend this scan if new
-    // options are added.
+    // `--format json` (consumed by `aspire doctor` and `aspire --info`); extend
+    // this scan if new options are added.
     private static bool HasMachineReadableOutputFormat(string[] args)
     {
         for (var i = 0; i < args.Length; i++)
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/DoctorCommandStrings.Designer.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/DoctorCommandStrings.Designer.cs
index 6da919dceb0..20559bfa13e 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/DoctorCommandStrings.Designer.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/DoctorCommandStrings.Designer.cs
@@ -401,123 +401,6 @@ public static string DevCertsTrustLabelPartial {
             }
         }
 
-        /// <summary>
-        ///   Looks up a localized string similar to Aspire CLI Installations.
-        /// </summary>
-        public static string HeaderInstallations {
-            get {
-                return ResourceManager.GetString("HeaderInstallations", resourceCulture);
-            }
-        }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        ///   Looks up a localized string similar to Path.
-        /// </summary>
-        public static string ColumnPath {
-            get {
-                return ResourceManager.GetString("ColumnPath", resourceCulture);
-            }
-        }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        ///   Looks up a localized string similar to Version.
-        /// </summary>
-        public static string ColumnVersion {
-            get {
-                return ResourceManager.GetString("ColumnVersion", resourceCulture);
-            }
-        }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        ///   Looks up a localized string similar to Channel.
-        /// </summary>
-        public static string ColumnChannel {
-            get {
-                return ResourceManager.GetString("ColumnChannel", resourceCulture);
-            }
-        }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        ///   Looks up a localized string similar to Route.
-        /// </summary>
-        public static string ColumnRoute {
-            get {
-                return ResourceManager.GetString("ColumnRoute", resourceCulture);
-            }
-        }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        ///   Looks up a localized string similar to PATH status.
-        /// </summary>
-        public static string ColumnPathStatus {
-            get {
-                return ResourceManager.GetString("ColumnPathStatus", resourceCulture);
-            }
-        }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        ///   Looks up a localized string similar to (current).
-        /// </summary>
-        public static string ValueCurrentMarker {
-            get {
-                return ResourceManager.GetString("ValueCurrentMarker", resourceCulture);
-            }
-        }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        ///   Looks up a localized string similar to (unknown).
-        /// </summary>
-        public static string ValueUnknown {
-            get {
-                return ResourceManager.GetString("ValueUnknown", resourceCulture);
-            }
-        }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        ///   Looks up a localized string similar to (not probed).
-        /// </summary>
-        public static string ValueNotProbed {
-            get {
-                return ResourceManager.GetString("ValueNotProbed", resourceCulture);
-            }
-        }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        ///   Looks up a localized string similar to (probe failed).
-        /// </summary>
-        public static string ValueProbeFailed {
-            get {
-                return ResourceManager.GetString("ValueProbeFailed", resourceCulture);
-            }
-        }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        ///   Looks up a localized string similar to active.
-        /// </summary>
-        public static string ValuePathActive {
-            get {
-                return ResourceManager.GetString("ValuePathActive", resourceCulture);
-            }
-        }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        ///   Looks up a localized string similar to shadowed.
-        /// </summary>
-        public static string ValuePathShadowed {
-            get {
-                return ResourceManager.GetString("ValuePathShadowed", resourceCulture);
-            }
-        }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        ///   Looks up a localized string similar to not on PATH.
-        /// </summary>
-        public static string ValuePathNotOnPath {
-            get {
-                return ResourceManager.GetString("ValuePathNotOnPath", resourceCulture);
-            }
-        }
-
         /// <summary>
         ///   Looks up a localized string similar to Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details..
         /// </summary>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/DoctorCommandStrings.resx b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/DoctorCommandStrings.resx
index 815d879d300..9f7ff7a9d1e 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/DoctorCommandStrings.resx
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/DoctorCommandStrings.resx
@@ -181,52 +181,6 @@
   <data name="DevCertsTrustLabelPartial" xml:space="preserve">
     <value>[partial]</value>
   </data>
-  <data name="HeaderInstallations" xml:space="preserve">
-    <value>Aspire CLI Installations</value>
-  </data>
-  <data name="ColumnPath" xml:space="preserve">
-    <value>Path</value>
-  </data>
-  <data name="ColumnVersion" xml:space="preserve">
-    <value>Version</value>
-  </data>
-  <data name="ColumnChannel" xml:space="preserve">
-    <value>Channel</value>
-  </data>
-  <data name="ColumnRoute" xml:space="preserve">
-    <value>Route</value>
-  </data>
-  <data name="ColumnPathStatus" xml:space="preserve">
-    <value>PATH status</value>
-  </data>
-  <data name="ValueCurrentMarker" xml:space="preserve">
-    <value>(current)</value>
-    <comment>Suffix appended to the running CLI's path so the user can identify which install is themselves.</comment>
-  </data>
-  <data name="ValueUnknown" xml:space="preserve">
-    <value>(unknown)</value>
-    <comment>Placeholder shown in the table when a field could not be determined for a discovered install.</comment>
-  </data>
-  <data name="ValueNotProbed" xml:space="preserve">
-    <value>(not probed)</value>
-    <comment>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was found but not asked to self-describe (e.g., trust gate).</comment>
-  </data>
-  <data name="ValueProbeFailed" xml:space="preserve">
-    <value>(probe failed)</value>
-    <comment>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was probed but did not return usable data.</comment>
-  </data>
-  <data name="ValuePathActive" xml:space="preserve">
-    <value>active</value>
-    <comment>Shown when an install is the first Aspire CLI resolved from PATH.</comment>
-  </data>
-  <data name="ValuePathShadowed" xml:space="preserve">
-    <value>shadowed</value>
-    <comment>Shown when an install is on PATH but an earlier Aspire CLI entry shadows it.</comment>
-  </data>
-  <data name="ValuePathNotOnPath" xml:space="preserve">
-    <value>not on PATH</value>
-    <comment>Shown when an install was not discovered from PATH.</comment>
-  </data>
   <data name="InstallationDiscoveryFailedReason" xml:space="preserve">
     <value>Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</value>
   </data>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/RootCommandStrings.Designer.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/RootCommandStrings.Designer.cs
index dcccd1190f0..65dc2ec7d62 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/RootCommandStrings.Designer.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/RootCommandStrings.Designer.cs
@@ -155,6 +155,33 @@ public static string NonInteractiveArgumentDescription {
             }
         }
 
+        /// <summary>
+        ///   Looks up a localized string similar to Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine.
+        /// </summary>
+        public static string InfoArgumentDescription {
+            get {
+                return ResourceManager.GetString("InfoArgumentDescription", resourceCulture);
+            }
+        }
+
+        /// <summary>
+        ///   Looks up a localized string similar to Output format for `--info`.
+        /// </summary>
+        public static string InfoFormatArgumentDescription {
+            get {
+                return ResourceManager.GetString("InfoFormatArgumentDescription", resourceCulture);
+            }
+        }
+
+        /// <summary>
+        ///   Looks up a localized string similar to Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified..
+        /// </summary>
+        public static string InfoOptionRequiresInfo {
+            get {
+                return ResourceManager.GetString("InfoOptionRequiresInfo", resourceCulture);
+            }
+        }
+
         /// <summary>
         ///   Looks up a localized string similar to Wait for a debugger to attach before executing the command..
         /// </summary>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/RootCommandStrings.resx b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/RootCommandStrings.resx
index 23d1429b35d..c9cae39da55 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/RootCommandStrings.resx
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/RootCommandStrings.resx
@@ -150,6 +150,15 @@
   <data name="NonInteractiveArgumentDescription" xml:space="preserve">
     <value>Run the command in non-interactive mode, disabling all interactive prompts and spinners</value>
   </data>
+  <data name="InfoArgumentDescription" xml:space="preserve">
+    <value>Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</value>
+  </data>
+  <data name="InfoFormatArgumentDescription" xml:space="preserve">
+    <value>Output format for `--info`</value>
+  </data>
+  <data name="InfoOptionRequiresInfo" xml:space="preserve">
+    <value>Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</value>
+  </data>
   <data name="FirstTimeUseTelemetryNotice" xml:space="preserve">
     <value>Telemetry
 ---------
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.cs.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.cs.xlf
index 7ace9ee9b0e..5d3573e97b9 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.cs.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.cs.xlf
@@ -57,31 +57,6 @@
         <target state="new">Could not check for Aspire CLI updates</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnChannel">
-        <source>Channel</source>
-        <target state="new">Channel</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPath">
-        <source>Path</source>
-        <target state="new">Path</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPathStatus">
-        <source>PATH status</source>
-        <target state="new">PATH status</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnRoute">
-        <source>Route</source>
-        <target state="new">Route</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnVersion">
-        <source>Version</source>
-        <target state="new">Version</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="ContainerCategoryHeader">
         <source>Container Runtime</source>
         <target state="translated">Modul runtime kontejneru</target>
@@ -197,11 +172,6 @@
         <target state="translated">Kontrola prostředí Aspire</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="HeaderInstallations">
-        <source>Aspire CLI Installations</source>
-        <target state="new">Aspire CLI Installations</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="InstallationDiscoveryFailedReason">
         <source>Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</source>
         <target state="new">Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</target>
@@ -222,41 +192,6 @@
         <target state="translated">Shrnutí – úspěšné: {0}, upozornění: {1}, selhalo: {2}</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueCurrentMarker">
-        <source>(current)</source>
-        <target state="new">(current)</target>
-        <note>Suffix appended to the running CLI's path so the user can identify which install is themselves.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueNotProbed">
-        <source>(not probed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(not probed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was found but not asked to self-describe (e.g., trust gate).</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathActive">
-        <source>active</source>
-        <target state="new">active</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is the first Aspire CLI resolved from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathNotOnPath">
-        <source>not on PATH</source>
-        <target state="new">not on PATH</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install was not discovered from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathShadowed">
-        <source>shadowed</source>
-        <target state="new">shadowed</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is on PATH but an earlier Aspire CLI entry shadows it.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueProbeFailed">
-        <source>(probe failed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(probe failed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was probed but did not return usable data.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueUnknown">
-        <source>(unknown)</source>
-        <target state="new">(unknown)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when a field could not be determined for a discovered install.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="VersionUnknown">
         <source>unknown</source>
         <target state="new">unknown</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.de.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.de.xlf
index b1ee92460c2..1cd2aade788 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.de.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.de.xlf
@@ -57,31 +57,6 @@
         <target state="new">Could not check for Aspire CLI updates</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnChannel">
-        <source>Channel</source>
-        <target state="new">Channel</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPath">
-        <source>Path</source>
-        <target state="new">Path</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPathStatus">
-        <source>PATH status</source>
-        <target state="new">PATH status</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnRoute">
-        <source>Route</source>
-        <target state="new">Route</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnVersion">
-        <source>Version</source>
-        <target state="new">Version</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="ContainerCategoryHeader">
         <source>Container Runtime</source>
         <target state="translated">Containerruntime</target>
@@ -197,11 +172,6 @@
         <target state="translated">Überprüfung der Aspire-Umgebung</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="HeaderInstallations">
-        <source>Aspire CLI Installations</source>
-        <target state="new">Aspire CLI Installations</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="InstallationDiscoveryFailedReason">
         <source>Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</source>
         <target state="new">Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</target>
@@ -222,41 +192,6 @@
         <target state="translated">Zusammenfassung: {0} erfolgreich, {1} Warnungen, {2} fehlgeschlagen</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueCurrentMarker">
-        <source>(current)</source>
-        <target state="new">(current)</target>
-        <note>Suffix appended to the running CLI's path so the user can identify which install is themselves.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueNotProbed">
-        <source>(not probed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(not probed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was found but not asked to self-describe (e.g., trust gate).</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathActive">
-        <source>active</source>
-        <target state="new">active</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is the first Aspire CLI resolved from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathNotOnPath">
-        <source>not on PATH</source>
-        <target state="new">not on PATH</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install was not discovered from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathShadowed">
-        <source>shadowed</source>
-        <target state="new">shadowed</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is on PATH but an earlier Aspire CLI entry shadows it.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueProbeFailed">
-        <source>(probe failed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(probe failed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was probed but did not return usable data.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueUnknown">
-        <source>(unknown)</source>
-        <target state="new">(unknown)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when a field could not be determined for a discovered install.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="VersionUnknown">
         <source>unknown</source>
         <target state="new">unknown</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.es.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.es.xlf
index c460c528f4d..ff2edca38c1 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.es.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.es.xlf
@@ -57,31 +57,6 @@
         <target state="new">Could not check for Aspire CLI updates</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnChannel">
-        <source>Channel</source>
-        <target state="new">Channel</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPath">
-        <source>Path</source>
-        <target state="new">Path</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPathStatus">
-        <source>PATH status</source>
-        <target state="new">PATH status</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnRoute">
-        <source>Route</source>
-        <target state="new">Route</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnVersion">
-        <source>Version</source>
-        <target state="new">Version</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="ContainerCategoryHeader">
         <source>Container Runtime</source>
         <target state="translated">Tiempo de ejecución del contenedor</target>
@@ -197,11 +172,6 @@
         <target state="translated">Comprobación del entorno de Aspire</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="HeaderInstallations">
-        <source>Aspire CLI Installations</source>
-        <target state="new">Aspire CLI Installations</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="InstallationDiscoveryFailedReason">
         <source>Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</source>
         <target state="new">Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</target>
@@ -222,41 +192,6 @@
         <target state="translated">Resumen: {0} correctos, {1} advertencias, {2} fallos</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueCurrentMarker">
-        <source>(current)</source>
-        <target state="new">(current)</target>
-        <note>Suffix appended to the running CLI's path so the user can identify which install is themselves.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueNotProbed">
-        <source>(not probed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(not probed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was found but not asked to self-describe (e.g., trust gate).</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathActive">
-        <source>active</source>
-        <target state="new">active</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is the first Aspire CLI resolved from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathNotOnPath">
-        <source>not on PATH</source>
-        <target state="new">not on PATH</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install was not discovered from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathShadowed">
-        <source>shadowed</source>
-        <target state="new">shadowed</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is on PATH but an earlier Aspire CLI entry shadows it.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueProbeFailed">
-        <source>(probe failed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(probe failed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was probed but did not return usable data.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueUnknown">
-        <source>(unknown)</source>
-        <target state="new">(unknown)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when a field could not be determined for a discovered install.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="VersionUnknown">
         <source>unknown</source>
         <target state="new">unknown</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.fr.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.fr.xlf
index da57cb33781..8e7392f34a2 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.fr.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.fr.xlf
@@ -57,31 +57,6 @@
         <target state="new">Could not check for Aspire CLI updates</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnChannel">
-        <source>Channel</source>
-        <target state="new">Channel</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPath">
-        <source>Path</source>
-        <target state="new">Path</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPathStatus">
-        <source>PATH status</source>
-        <target state="new">PATH status</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnRoute">
-        <source>Route</source>
-        <target state="new">Route</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnVersion">
-        <source>Version</source>
-        <target state="new">Version</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="ContainerCategoryHeader">
         <source>Container Runtime</source>
         <target state="translated">Runtime de conteneur</target>
@@ -197,11 +172,6 @@
         <target state="translated">Vérification de l’environnement Aspire</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="HeaderInstallations">
-        <source>Aspire CLI Installations</source>
-        <target state="new">Aspire CLI Installations</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="InstallationDiscoveryFailedReason">
         <source>Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</source>
         <target state="new">Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</target>
@@ -222,41 +192,6 @@
         <target state="translated">Résumé : {0} réussis, {1} avertissements, {2} échoués</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueCurrentMarker">
-        <source>(current)</source>
-        <target state="new">(current)</target>
-        <note>Suffix appended to the running CLI's path so the user can identify which install is themselves.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueNotProbed">
-        <source>(not probed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(not probed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was found but not asked to self-describe (e.g., trust gate).</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathActive">
-        <source>active</source>
-        <target state="new">active</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is the first Aspire CLI resolved from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathNotOnPath">
-        <source>not on PATH</source>
-        <target state="new">not on PATH</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install was not discovered from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathShadowed">
-        <source>shadowed</source>
-        <target state="new">shadowed</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is on PATH but an earlier Aspire CLI entry shadows it.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueProbeFailed">
-        <source>(probe failed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(probe failed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was probed but did not return usable data.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueUnknown">
-        <source>(unknown)</source>
-        <target state="new">(unknown)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when a field could not be determined for a discovered install.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="VersionUnknown">
         <source>unknown</source>
         <target state="new">unknown</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.it.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.it.xlf
index 84288f06ea6..d47b8903e5e 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.it.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.it.xlf
@@ -57,31 +57,6 @@
         <target state="new">Could not check for Aspire CLI updates</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnChannel">
-        <source>Channel</source>
-        <target state="new">Channel</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPath">
-        <source>Path</source>
-        <target state="new">Path</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPathStatus">
-        <source>PATH status</source>
-        <target state="new">PATH status</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnRoute">
-        <source>Route</source>
-        <target state="new">Route</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnVersion">
-        <source>Version</source>
-        <target state="new">Version</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="ContainerCategoryHeader">
         <source>Container Runtime</source>
         <target state="translated">Runtime del contenitore</target>
@@ -197,11 +172,6 @@
         <target state="translated">Verifica ambiente Aspire</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="HeaderInstallations">
-        <source>Aspire CLI Installations</source>
-        <target state="new">Aspire CLI Installations</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="InstallationDiscoveryFailedReason">
         <source>Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</source>
         <target state="new">Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</target>
@@ -222,41 +192,6 @@
         <target state="translated">Riepilogo: {0} superati, {1} avvisi, {2} non superati</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueCurrentMarker">
-        <source>(current)</source>
-        <target state="new">(current)</target>
-        <note>Suffix appended to the running CLI's path so the user can identify which install is themselves.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueNotProbed">
-        <source>(not probed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(not probed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was found but not asked to self-describe (e.g., trust gate).</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathActive">
-        <source>active</source>
-        <target state="new">active</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is the first Aspire CLI resolved from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathNotOnPath">
-        <source>not on PATH</source>
-        <target state="new">not on PATH</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install was not discovered from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathShadowed">
-        <source>shadowed</source>
-        <target state="new">shadowed</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is on PATH but an earlier Aspire CLI entry shadows it.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueProbeFailed">
-        <source>(probe failed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(probe failed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was probed but did not return usable data.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueUnknown">
-        <source>(unknown)</source>
-        <target state="new">(unknown)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when a field could not be determined for a discovered install.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="VersionUnknown">
         <source>unknown</source>
         <target state="new">unknown</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.ja.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.ja.xlf
index 86467014737..7effce74f2c 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.ja.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.ja.xlf
@@ -57,31 +57,6 @@
         <target state="new">Could not check for Aspire CLI updates</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnChannel">
-        <source>Channel</source>
-        <target state="new">Channel</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPath">
-        <source>Path</source>
-        <target state="new">Path</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPathStatus">
-        <source>PATH status</source>
-        <target state="new">PATH status</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnRoute">
-        <source>Route</source>
-        <target state="new">Route</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnVersion">
-        <source>Version</source>
-        <target state="new">Version</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="ContainerCategoryHeader">
         <source>Container Runtime</source>
         <target state="translated">コンテナー ランタイム</target>
@@ -197,11 +172,6 @@
         <target state="translated">Aspire 環境確認</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="HeaderInstallations">
-        <source>Aspire CLI Installations</source>
-        <target state="new">Aspire CLI Installations</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="InstallationDiscoveryFailedReason">
         <source>Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</source>
         <target state="new">Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</target>
@@ -222,41 +192,6 @@
         <target state="translated">概要: {0} 成功、{1} 警告、{2} 失敗</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueCurrentMarker">
-        <source>(current)</source>
-        <target state="new">(current)</target>
-        <note>Suffix appended to the running CLI's path so the user can identify which install is themselves.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueNotProbed">
-        <source>(not probed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(not probed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was found but not asked to self-describe (e.g., trust gate).</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathActive">
-        <source>active</source>
-        <target state="new">active</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is the first Aspire CLI resolved from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathNotOnPath">
-        <source>not on PATH</source>
-        <target state="new">not on PATH</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install was not discovered from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathShadowed">
-        <source>shadowed</source>
-        <target state="new">shadowed</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is on PATH but an earlier Aspire CLI entry shadows it.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueProbeFailed">
-        <source>(probe failed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(probe failed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was probed but did not return usable data.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueUnknown">
-        <source>(unknown)</source>
-        <target state="new">(unknown)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when a field could not be determined for a discovered install.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="VersionUnknown">
         <source>unknown</source>
         <target state="new">unknown</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.ko.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.ko.xlf
index 374618a94c3..7b63ef03995 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.ko.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.ko.xlf
@@ -57,31 +57,6 @@
         <target state="new">Could not check for Aspire CLI updates</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnChannel">
-        <source>Channel</source>
-        <target state="new">Channel</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPath">
-        <source>Path</source>
-        <target state="new">Path</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPathStatus">
-        <source>PATH status</source>
-        <target state="new">PATH status</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnRoute">
-        <source>Route</source>
-        <target state="new">Route</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnVersion">
-        <source>Version</source>
-        <target state="new">Version</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="ContainerCategoryHeader">
         <source>Container Runtime</source>
         <target state="translated">컨테이너 런타임</target>
@@ -197,11 +172,6 @@
         <target state="translated">Aspire 환경 검사</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="HeaderInstallations">
-        <source>Aspire CLI Installations</source>
-        <target state="new">Aspire CLI Installations</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="InstallationDiscoveryFailedReason">
         <source>Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</source>
         <target state="new">Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</target>
@@ -222,41 +192,6 @@
         <target state="translated">요약: {0}개 통과, {1}개 경고, {2}개 실패</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueCurrentMarker">
-        <source>(current)</source>
-        <target state="new">(current)</target>
-        <note>Suffix appended to the running CLI's path so the user can identify which install is themselves.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueNotProbed">
-        <source>(not probed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(not probed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was found but not asked to self-describe (e.g., trust gate).</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathActive">
-        <source>active</source>
-        <target state="new">active</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is the first Aspire CLI resolved from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathNotOnPath">
-        <source>not on PATH</source>
-        <target state="new">not on PATH</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install was not discovered from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathShadowed">
-        <source>shadowed</source>
-        <target state="new">shadowed</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is on PATH but an earlier Aspire CLI entry shadows it.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueProbeFailed">
-        <source>(probe failed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(probe failed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was probed but did not return usable data.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueUnknown">
-        <source>(unknown)</source>
-        <target state="new">(unknown)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when a field could not be determined for a discovered install.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="VersionUnknown">
         <source>unknown</source>
         <target state="new">unknown</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.pl.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.pl.xlf
index c6059837b7a..beef71a3f5e 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.pl.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.pl.xlf
@@ -57,31 +57,6 @@
         <target state="new">Could not check for Aspire CLI updates</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnChannel">
-        <source>Channel</source>
-        <target state="new">Channel</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPath">
-        <source>Path</source>
-        <target state="new">Path</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPathStatus">
-        <source>PATH status</source>
-        <target state="new">PATH status</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnRoute">
-        <source>Route</source>
-        <target state="new">Route</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnVersion">
-        <source>Version</source>
-        <target state="new">Version</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="ContainerCategoryHeader">
         <source>Container Runtime</source>
         <target state="translated">Środowisko uruchomieniowe kontenera</target>
@@ -197,11 +172,6 @@
         <target state="translated">Sprawdzanie środowiska Aspire</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="HeaderInstallations">
-        <source>Aspire CLI Installations</source>
-        <target state="new">Aspire CLI Installations</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="InstallationDiscoveryFailedReason">
         <source>Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</source>
         <target state="new">Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</target>
@@ -222,41 +192,6 @@
         <target state="translated">Podsumowanie: zaliczone {0}, ostrzeżenia {1}, niezaliczone {2}</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueCurrentMarker">
-        <source>(current)</source>
-        <target state="new">(current)</target>
-        <note>Suffix appended to the running CLI's path so the user can identify which install is themselves.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueNotProbed">
-        <source>(not probed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(not probed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was found but not asked to self-describe (e.g., trust gate).</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathActive">
-        <source>active</source>
-        <target state="new">active</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is the first Aspire CLI resolved from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathNotOnPath">
-        <source>not on PATH</source>
-        <target state="new">not on PATH</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install was not discovered from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathShadowed">
-        <source>shadowed</source>
-        <target state="new">shadowed</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is on PATH but an earlier Aspire CLI entry shadows it.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueProbeFailed">
-        <source>(probe failed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(probe failed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was probed but did not return usable data.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueUnknown">
-        <source>(unknown)</source>
-        <target state="new">(unknown)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when a field could not be determined for a discovered install.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="VersionUnknown">
         <source>unknown</source>
         <target state="new">unknown</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.pt-BR.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.pt-BR.xlf
index 0fbc55e2649..57cc37fb6e2 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.pt-BR.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.pt-BR.xlf
@@ -57,31 +57,6 @@
         <target state="new">Could not check for Aspire CLI updates</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnChannel">
-        <source>Channel</source>
-        <target state="new">Channel</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPath">
-        <source>Path</source>
-        <target state="new">Path</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPathStatus">
-        <source>PATH status</source>
-        <target state="new">PATH status</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnRoute">
-        <source>Route</source>
-        <target state="new">Route</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnVersion">
-        <source>Version</source>
-        <target state="new">Version</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="ContainerCategoryHeader">
         <source>Container Runtime</source>
         <target state="translated">Runtime do Contêiner</target>
@@ -197,11 +172,6 @@
         <target state="translated">Verificação de Ambiente do Aspire</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="HeaderInstallations">
-        <source>Aspire CLI Installations</source>
-        <target state="new">Aspire CLI Installations</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="InstallationDiscoveryFailedReason">
         <source>Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</source>
         <target state="new">Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</target>
@@ -222,41 +192,6 @@
         <target state="translated">Resumo: {0} aprovado, {1} avisos, {2} falha</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueCurrentMarker">
-        <source>(current)</source>
-        <target state="new">(current)</target>
-        <note>Suffix appended to the running CLI's path so the user can identify which install is themselves.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueNotProbed">
-        <source>(not probed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(not probed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was found but not asked to self-describe (e.g., trust gate).</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathActive">
-        <source>active</source>
-        <target state="new">active</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is the first Aspire CLI resolved from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathNotOnPath">
-        <source>not on PATH</source>
-        <target state="new">not on PATH</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install was not discovered from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathShadowed">
-        <source>shadowed</source>
-        <target state="new">shadowed</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is on PATH but an earlier Aspire CLI entry shadows it.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueProbeFailed">
-        <source>(probe failed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(probe failed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was probed but did not return usable data.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueUnknown">
-        <source>(unknown)</source>
-        <target state="new">(unknown)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when a field could not be determined for a discovered install.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="VersionUnknown">
         <source>unknown</source>
         <target state="new">unknown</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.ru.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.ru.xlf
index c7c56da3860..97a056dea2a 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.ru.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.ru.xlf
@@ -57,31 +57,6 @@
         <target state="new">Could not check for Aspire CLI updates</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnChannel">
-        <source>Channel</source>
-        <target state="new">Channel</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPath">
-        <source>Path</source>
-        <target state="new">Path</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPathStatus">
-        <source>PATH status</source>
-        <target state="new">PATH status</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnRoute">
-        <source>Route</source>
-        <target state="new">Route</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnVersion">
-        <source>Version</source>
-        <target state="new">Version</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="ContainerCategoryHeader">
         <source>Container Runtime</source>
         <target state="translated">Среда выполнения контейнера</target>
@@ -197,11 +172,6 @@
         <target state="translated">Проверка среды Aspire</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="HeaderInstallations">
-        <source>Aspire CLI Installations</source>
-        <target state="new">Aspire CLI Installations</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="InstallationDiscoveryFailedReason">
         <source>Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</source>
         <target state="new">Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</target>
@@ -222,41 +192,6 @@
         <target state="translated">Сводка: {0} успешно, предупреждений: {1}, {2} с ошибками</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueCurrentMarker">
-        <source>(current)</source>
-        <target state="new">(current)</target>
-        <note>Suffix appended to the running CLI's path so the user can identify which install is themselves.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueNotProbed">
-        <source>(not probed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(not probed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was found but not asked to self-describe (e.g., trust gate).</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathActive">
-        <source>active</source>
-        <target state="new">active</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is the first Aspire CLI resolved from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathNotOnPath">
-        <source>not on PATH</source>
-        <target state="new">not on PATH</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install was not discovered from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathShadowed">
-        <source>shadowed</source>
-        <target state="new">shadowed</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is on PATH but an earlier Aspire CLI entry shadows it.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueProbeFailed">
-        <source>(probe failed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(probe failed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was probed but did not return usable data.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueUnknown">
-        <source>(unknown)</source>
-        <target state="new">(unknown)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when a field could not be determined for a discovered install.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="VersionUnknown">
         <source>unknown</source>
         <target state="new">unknown</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.tr.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.tr.xlf
index 684b71ccfb7..c26f0f88b04 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.tr.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.tr.xlf
@@ -57,31 +57,6 @@
         <target state="new">Could not check for Aspire CLI updates</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnChannel">
-        <source>Channel</source>
-        <target state="new">Channel</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPath">
-        <source>Path</source>
-        <target state="new">Path</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPathStatus">
-        <source>PATH status</source>
-        <target state="new">PATH status</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnRoute">
-        <source>Route</source>
-        <target state="new">Route</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnVersion">
-        <source>Version</source>
-        <target state="new">Version</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="ContainerCategoryHeader">
         <source>Container Runtime</source>
         <target state="translated">Kapsayıcı Çalışma Zamanı</target>
@@ -197,11 +172,6 @@
         <target state="translated">Aspire Ortamı Kontrolü</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="HeaderInstallations">
-        <source>Aspire CLI Installations</source>
-        <target state="new">Aspire CLI Installations</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="InstallationDiscoveryFailedReason">
         <source>Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</source>
         <target state="new">Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</target>
@@ -222,41 +192,6 @@
         <target state="translated">Özet: {0} başarılı, {1} uyarı, {2} başarısız</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueCurrentMarker">
-        <source>(current)</source>
-        <target state="new">(current)</target>
-        <note>Suffix appended to the running CLI's path so the user can identify which install is themselves.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueNotProbed">
-        <source>(not probed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(not probed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was found but not asked to self-describe (e.g., trust gate).</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathActive">
-        <source>active</source>
-        <target state="new">active</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is the first Aspire CLI resolved from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathNotOnPath">
-        <source>not on PATH</source>
-        <target state="new">not on PATH</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install was not discovered from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathShadowed">
-        <source>shadowed</source>
-        <target state="new">shadowed</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is on PATH but an earlier Aspire CLI entry shadows it.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueProbeFailed">
-        <source>(probe failed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(probe failed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was probed but did not return usable data.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueUnknown">
-        <source>(unknown)</source>
-        <target state="new">(unknown)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when a field could not be determined for a discovered install.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="VersionUnknown">
         <source>unknown</source>
         <target state="new">unknown</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.zh-Hans.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.zh-Hans.xlf
index fc2a1cf2c0b..55406a45d0f 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.zh-Hans.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.zh-Hans.xlf
@@ -57,31 +57,6 @@
         <target state="new">Could not check for Aspire CLI updates</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnChannel">
-        <source>Channel</source>
-        <target state="new">Channel</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPath">
-        <source>Path</source>
-        <target state="new">Path</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPathStatus">
-        <source>PATH status</source>
-        <target state="new">PATH status</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnRoute">
-        <source>Route</source>
-        <target state="new">Route</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnVersion">
-        <source>Version</source>
-        <target state="new">Version</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="ContainerCategoryHeader">
         <source>Container Runtime</source>
         <target state="translated">容器运行时</target>
@@ -197,11 +172,6 @@
         <target state="translated">Aspire 环境检查</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="HeaderInstallations">
-        <source>Aspire CLI Installations</source>
-        <target state="new">Aspire CLI Installations</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="InstallationDiscoveryFailedReason">
         <source>Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</source>
         <target state="new">Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</target>
@@ -222,41 +192,6 @@
         <target state="translated">摘要: {0} 通过,{1} 警告， {2} 失败</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueCurrentMarker">
-        <source>(current)</source>
-        <target state="new">(current)</target>
-        <note>Suffix appended to the running CLI's path so the user can identify which install is themselves.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueNotProbed">
-        <source>(not probed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(not probed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was found but not asked to self-describe (e.g., trust gate).</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathActive">
-        <source>active</source>
-        <target state="new">active</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is the first Aspire CLI resolved from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathNotOnPath">
-        <source>not on PATH</source>
-        <target state="new">not on PATH</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install was not discovered from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathShadowed">
-        <source>shadowed</source>
-        <target state="new">shadowed</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is on PATH but an earlier Aspire CLI entry shadows it.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueProbeFailed">
-        <source>(probe failed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(probe failed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was probed but did not return usable data.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueUnknown">
-        <source>(unknown)</source>
-        <target state="new">(unknown)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when a field could not be determined for a discovered install.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="VersionUnknown">
         <source>unknown</source>
         <target state="new">unknown</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.zh-Hant.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.zh-Hant.xlf
index 7b50606a224..17ae0025436 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.zh-Hant.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/DoctorCommandStrings.zh-Hant.xlf
@@ -57,31 +57,6 @@
         <target state="new">Could not check for Aspire CLI updates</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnChannel">
-        <source>Channel</source>
-        <target state="new">Channel</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPath">
-        <source>Path</source>
-        <target state="new">Path</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnPathStatus">
-        <source>PATH status</source>
-        <target state="new">PATH status</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnRoute">
-        <source>Route</source>
-        <target state="new">Route</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ColumnVersion">
-        <source>Version</source>
-        <target state="new">Version</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="ContainerCategoryHeader">
         <source>Container Runtime</source>
         <target state="translated">容器執行階段</target>
@@ -197,11 +172,6 @@
         <target state="translated">Aspire 環境檢查</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="HeaderInstallations">
-        <source>Aspire CLI Installations</source>
-        <target state="new">Aspire CLI Installations</target>
-        <note />
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="InstallationDiscoveryFailedReason">
         <source>Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</source>
         <target state="new">Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.</target>
@@ -222,41 +192,6 @@
         <target state="translated">摘要: {0} 個通過、{1} 個警告、{2} 個已失敗</target>
         <note />
       </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueCurrentMarker">
-        <source>(current)</source>
-        <target state="new">(current)</target>
-        <note>Suffix appended to the running CLI's path so the user can identify which install is themselves.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueNotProbed">
-        <source>(not probed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(not probed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was found but not asked to self-describe (e.g., trust gate).</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathActive">
-        <source>active</source>
-        <target state="new">active</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is the first Aspire CLI resolved from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathNotOnPath">
-        <source>not on PATH</source>
-        <target state="new">not on PATH</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install was not discovered from PATH.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValuePathShadowed">
-        <source>shadowed</source>
-        <target state="new">shadowed</target>
-        <note>Shown when an install is on PATH but an earlier Aspire CLI entry shadows it.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueProbeFailed">
-        <source>(probe failed)</source>
-        <target state="new">(probe failed)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when an install was probed but did not return usable data.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
-      <trans-unit id="ValueUnknown">
-        <source>(unknown)</source>
-        <target state="new">(unknown)</target>
-        <note>Placeholder shown in the table when a field could not be determined for a discovered install.</note>
-      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="VersionUnknown">
         <source>unknown</source>
         <target state="new">unknown</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.cs.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.cs.xlf
index 91c3eac67ef..887179ece3f 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.cs.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.cs.xlf
@@ -52,6 +52,21 @@ The Aspire CLI collects usage data. It is collected by Microsoft and is used to
 Read more about Aspire CLI telemetry: {0}</target>
         <note>{0} is a clickable URL</note>
       </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</source>
+        <target state="new">Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoFormatArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Output format for `--info`</source>
+        <target state="new">Output format for `--info`</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoOptionRequiresInfo">
+        <source>Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</source>
+        <target state="new">Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="NoLogoArgumentDescription">
         <source>Suppress the startup banner and telemetry notice</source>
         <target state="needs-review-translation">Umožňuje potlačit banner spuštění a oznámení o telemetrii.</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.de.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.de.xlf
index cd809a8985c..9e7a13c84ea 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.de.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.de.xlf
@@ -52,6 +52,21 @@ The Aspire CLI collects usage data. It is collected by Microsoft and is used to
 Read more about Aspire CLI telemetry: {0}</target>
         <note>{0} is a clickable URL</note>
       </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</source>
+        <target state="new">Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoFormatArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Output format for `--info`</source>
+        <target state="new">Output format for `--info`</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoOptionRequiresInfo">
+        <source>Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</source>
+        <target state="new">Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="NoLogoArgumentDescription">
         <source>Suppress the startup banner and telemetry notice</source>
         <target state="needs-review-translation">Unterdrücken Sie das Startupbanner und den Telemetriehinweis.</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.es.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.es.xlf
index 66b77a6fe83..ebeb53250c1 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.es.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.es.xlf
@@ -52,6 +52,21 @@ The Aspire CLI collects usage data. It is collected by Microsoft and is used to
 Read more about Aspire CLI telemetry: {0}</target>
         <note>{0} is a clickable URL</note>
       </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</source>
+        <target state="new">Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoFormatArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Output format for `--info`</source>
+        <target state="new">Output format for `--info`</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoOptionRequiresInfo">
+        <source>Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</source>
+        <target state="new">Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="NoLogoArgumentDescription">
         <source>Suppress the startup banner and telemetry notice</source>
         <target state="needs-review-translation">Suprima el banner de inicio y el aviso de telemetría.</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.fr.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.fr.xlf
index c843c706ff1..47abc53b6cc 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.fr.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.fr.xlf
@@ -52,6 +52,21 @@ The Aspire CLI collects usage data. It is collected by Microsoft and is used to
 Read more about Aspire CLI telemetry: {0}</target>
         <note>{0} is a clickable URL</note>
       </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</source>
+        <target state="new">Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoFormatArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Output format for `--info`</source>
+        <target state="new">Output format for `--info`</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoOptionRequiresInfo">
+        <source>Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</source>
+        <target state="new">Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="NoLogoArgumentDescription">
         <source>Suppress the startup banner and telemetry notice</source>
         <target state="needs-review-translation">Supprimer la bannière de démarrage et la notification de télémétrie.</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.it.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.it.xlf
index 40f3242c783..08d80ef7a1e 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.it.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.it.xlf
@@ -52,6 +52,21 @@ The Aspire CLI collects usage data. It is collected by Microsoft and is used to
 Read more about Aspire CLI telemetry: {0}</target>
         <note>{0} is a clickable URL</note>
       </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</source>
+        <target state="new">Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoFormatArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Output format for `--info`</source>
+        <target state="new">Output format for `--info`</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoOptionRequiresInfo">
+        <source>Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</source>
+        <target state="new">Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="NoLogoArgumentDescription">
         <source>Suppress the startup banner and telemetry notice</source>
         <target state="needs-review-translation">Consente di disabilitare il banner di avvio e l'avviso di telemetria.</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.ja.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.ja.xlf
index 1208fe7df5b..023214cec16 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.ja.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.ja.xlf
@@ -52,6 +52,21 @@ The Aspire CLI collects usage data. It is collected by Microsoft and is used to
 Read more about Aspire CLI telemetry: {0}</target>
         <note>{0} is a clickable URL</note>
       </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</source>
+        <target state="new">Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoFormatArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Output format for `--info`</source>
+        <target state="new">Output format for `--info`</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoOptionRequiresInfo">
+        <source>Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</source>
+        <target state="new">Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="NoLogoArgumentDescription">
         <source>Suppress the startup banner and telemetry notice</source>
         <target state="needs-review-translation">スタートアップ バナーとテレメトリ通知を非表示にします。</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.ko.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.ko.xlf
index e44b436e681..f953764c842 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.ko.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.ko.xlf
@@ -52,6 +52,21 @@ The Aspire CLI collects usage data. It is collected by Microsoft and is used to
 Read more about Aspire CLI telemetry: {0}</target>
         <note>{0} is a clickable URL</note>
       </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</source>
+        <target state="new">Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoFormatArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Output format for `--info`</source>
+        <target state="new">Output format for `--info`</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoOptionRequiresInfo">
+        <source>Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</source>
+        <target state="new">Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="NoLogoArgumentDescription">
         <source>Suppress the startup banner and telemetry notice</source>
         <target state="needs-review-translation">시작 배너 및 원격 분석 알림을 표시하지 않습니다.</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.pl.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.pl.xlf
index fc53d7dbd71..d3afd616a7c 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.pl.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.pl.xlf
@@ -52,6 +52,21 @@ The Aspire CLI collects usage data. It is collected by Microsoft and is used to
 Read more about Aspire CLI telemetry: {0}</target>
         <note>{0} is a clickable URL</note>
       </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</source>
+        <target state="new">Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoFormatArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Output format for `--info`</source>
+        <target state="new">Output format for `--info`</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoOptionRequiresInfo">
+        <source>Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</source>
+        <target state="new">Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="NoLogoArgumentDescription">
         <source>Suppress the startup banner and telemetry notice</source>
         <target state="needs-review-translation">Wstrzymaj baner startowy i powiadomienie o telemetrii.</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.pt-BR.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.pt-BR.xlf
index 2eb0d6ffdfb..bbdb2d02cad 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.pt-BR.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.pt-BR.xlf
@@ -52,6 +52,21 @@ The Aspire CLI collects usage data. It is collected by Microsoft and is used to
 Read more about Aspire CLI telemetry: {0}</target>
         <note>{0} is a clickable URL</note>
       </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</source>
+        <target state="new">Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoFormatArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Output format for `--info`</source>
+        <target state="new">Output format for `--info`</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoOptionRequiresInfo">
+        <source>Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</source>
+        <target state="new">Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="NoLogoArgumentDescription">
         <source>Suppress the startup banner and telemetry notice</source>
         <target state="needs-review-translation">Suprima a faixa de inicialização e o aviso de telemetria.</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.ru.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.ru.xlf
index 4f79109bcb1..4222643c1a9 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.ru.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.ru.xlf
@@ -52,6 +52,21 @@ The Aspire CLI collects usage data. It is collected by Microsoft and is used to
 Read more about Aspire CLI telemetry: {0}</target>
         <note>{0} is a clickable URL</note>
       </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</source>
+        <target state="new">Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoFormatArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Output format for `--info`</source>
+        <target state="new">Output format for `--info`</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoOptionRequiresInfo">
+        <source>Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</source>
+        <target state="new">Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="NoLogoArgumentDescription">
         <source>Suppress the startup banner and telemetry notice</source>
         <target state="needs-review-translation">Отключить баннер запуска и уведомление о телеметрии.</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.tr.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.tr.xlf
index bfd7770297e..309050e1cde 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.tr.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.tr.xlf
@@ -52,6 +52,21 @@ The Aspire CLI collects usage data. It is collected by Microsoft and is used to
 Read more about Aspire CLI telemetry: {0}</target>
         <note>{0} is a clickable URL</note>
       </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</source>
+        <target state="new">Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoFormatArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Output format for `--info`</source>
+        <target state="new">Output format for `--info`</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoOptionRequiresInfo">
+        <source>Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</source>
+        <target state="new">Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="NoLogoArgumentDescription">
         <source>Suppress the startup banner and telemetry notice</source>
         <target state="needs-review-translation">Başlangıç başlığını ve telemetri bildirimini gizle.</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.zh-Hans.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.zh-Hans.xlf
index 5730a5874f3..e7a1988ae7c 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.zh-Hans.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.zh-Hans.xlf
@@ -52,6 +52,21 @@ The Aspire CLI collects usage data. It is collected by Microsoft and is used to
 Read more about Aspire CLI telemetry: {0}</target>
         <note>{0} is a clickable URL</note>
       </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</source>
+        <target state="new">Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoFormatArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Output format for `--info`</source>
+        <target state="new">Output format for `--info`</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoOptionRequiresInfo">
+        <source>Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</source>
+        <target state="new">Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="NoLogoArgumentDescription">
         <source>Suppress the startup banner and telemetry notice</source>
         <target state="needs-review-translation">抑制显示启动横幅和遥测通知。</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.zh-Hant.xlf b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.zh-Hant.xlf
index 7fac4df8fa5..ca8ccbc984c 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.zh-Hant.xlf
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Resources/xlf/RootCommandStrings.zh-Hant.xlf
@@ -52,6 +52,21 @@ The Aspire CLI collects usage data. It is collected by Microsoft and is used to
 Read more about Aspire CLI telemetry: {0}</target>
         <note>{0} is a clickable URL</note>
       </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</source>
+        <target state="new">Print the running CLI's version, channel, and the list of Aspire CLI installs discovered on this machine</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoFormatArgumentDescription">
+        <source>Output format for `--info`</source>
+        <target state="new">Output format for `--info`</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="InfoOptionRequiresInfo">
+        <source>Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</source>
+        <target state="new">Option `{0}` is only valid when `--info` is also specified.</target>
+        <note />
+      </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="NoLogoArgumentDescription">
         <source>Suppress the startup banner and telemetry notice</source>
         <target state="needs-review-translation">抑制啟動橫幅與遙測通知。</target>
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Telemetry/TelemetryManager.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Telemetry/TelemetryManager.cs
index f23e33396f1..89afa74d563 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Telemetry/TelemetryManager.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Telemetry/TelemetryManager.cs
@@ -59,7 +59,9 @@ internal sealed class TelemetryManager : IDisposable
     public TelemetryManager(IConfiguration configuration, string[]? args = null)
     {
         // Don't send telemetry for informational commands or if the user has opted out.
-        var hasOptOutArg = args?.Any(a => CommonOptionNames.InformationalOptionNames.Contains(a)) ?? false;
+        // Position-aware so `aspire run --info` (a real `run` invocation; --info is root-only
+        // non-recursive) stays subject to telemetry instead of being silently opted out.
+        var hasOptOutArg = CommonOptionNames.IsInformationalInvocation(args);
         var telemetryOptOut = hasOptOutArg || configuration.GetBool(AspireCliTelemetry.TelemetryOptOutConfigKey, defaultValue: false);
 
         var profilingEnabled =
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Utils/CliPathHelper.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Utils/CliPathHelper.cs
index fdb2114f17a..aa76a52ab41 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Utils/CliPathHelper.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Utils/CliPathHelper.cs
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ internal static string GetAspireHomeDirectory(string? processPath = null, ILogge
     {
         var effectiveProcessPath = processPath ?? Environment.ProcessPath;
 
-        return TryGetAspireHomeDirectoryFromInstallRoute(effectiveProcessPath, logger)
+        return TryGetAspireHomeDirectoryFromInstallSource(effectiveProcessPath, logger)
             ?? GetDefaultAspireHomeDirectory();
     }
 
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ internal static string GetDefaultAspireHomeDirectory(string? configuredAspireHom
             : configuredAspireHome;
     }
 
-    internal static string? TryGetAspireHomeDirectoryFromInstallRoute(string? processPath, ILogger? logger = null)
+    internal static string? TryGetAspireHomeDirectoryFromInstallSource(string? processPath, ILogger? logger = null)
     {
         if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(processPath))
         {
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Cli/Utils/EnvironmentChecker/EnvironmentCheckResult.cs b/src/Aspire.Cli/Utils/EnvironmentChecker/EnvironmentCheckResult.cs
index f699dbceff5..4fdd2920919 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Cli/Utils/EnvironmentChecker/EnvironmentCheckResult.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Cli/Utils/EnvironmentChecker/EnvironmentCheckResult.cs
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 using System.Text.Json;
 using System.Text.Json.Nodes;
 using System.Text.Json.Serialization;
-using Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
 
 namespace Aspire.Cli.Utils.EnvironmentChecker;
 
@@ -133,12 +132,6 @@ internal sealed class DoctorCheckResponse
     /// </summary>
     [JsonPropertyName("summary")]
     public required DoctorCheckSummary Summary { get; set; }
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Gets or sets the discovered Aspire CLI installations.
-    /// </summary>
-    [JsonPropertyName("installations")]
-    public List<InstallationInfo>? Installations { get; set; }
 }
 
 /// <summary>
diff --git a/src/Shared/PathLookupHelper.cs b/src/Shared/PathLookupHelper.cs
index bbcb10cc1f2..9036f1114ee 100644
--- a/src/Shared/PathLookupHelper.cs
+++ b/src/Shared/PathLookupHelper.cs
@@ -139,9 +139,9 @@ private static IEnumerable<string> FindAllFullPaths(string command, string? path
                 foreach (var extension in pathExtensions)
                 {
                     if (TryCombine(directory, command + extension, out var fullPathWithExt) &&
-                        FileExistsSafe(fileExists, fullPathWithExt))
+                        TryResolveExistingPath(fileExists, fullPathWithExt, out var existingPathWithExt))
                     {
-                        yield return fullPathWithExt;
+                        yield return existingPathWithExt;
                         foundExtensionMatch = true;
                         break;
                     }
@@ -155,9 +155,9 @@ private static IEnumerable<string> FindAllFullPaths(string command, string? path
 
             // Try exact match (for non-Windows, or as fallback on Windows if no extension match found in this directory).
             if (TryCombine(directory, command, out var fullPath) &&
-                FileExistsSafe(fileExists, fullPath))
+                TryResolveExistingPath(fileExists, fullPath, out var existingPath))
             {
-                yield return fullPath;
+                yield return existingPath;
             }
         }
     }
@@ -192,6 +192,53 @@ private static bool FileExistsSafe(Func<string, bool> fileExists, string path)
         }
     }
 
+    private static bool TryResolveExistingPath(Func<string, bool> fileExists, string path, [System.Diagnostics.CodeAnalysis.NotNullWhen(true)] out string? existingPath)
+    {
+        existingPath = null;
+        if (!FileExistsSafe(fileExists, path))
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        // Windows PATH probing appends PATHEXT entries such as ".EXE" even when
+        // the file is named "aspire.exe"; return the filesystem spelling so
+        // user-facing output doesn't inherit PATHEXT casing.
+        existingPath = TryGetActualPathCasing(path) ?? path;
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    private static string? TryGetActualPathCasing(string path)
+    {
+        if (!OperatingSystem.IsWindows())
+        {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        var directory = Path.GetDirectoryName(path);
+        var fileName = Path.GetFileName(path);
+        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(directory) || string.IsNullOrEmpty(fileName))
+        {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        try
+        {
+            foreach (var entry in Directory.EnumerateFileSystemEntries(directory, fileName))
+            {
+                if (string.Equals(Path.GetFileName(entry), fileName, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+                {
+                    return entry;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex) when (ex is ArgumentException or DirectoryNotFoundException or IOException or NotSupportedException or PathTooLongException or UnauthorizedAccessException or System.Security.SecurityException)
+        {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        return null;
+    }
+
     private static bool IsExplicitExecutablePath(string executablePath)
     {
         return !string.Equals(Path.GetFileName(executablePath), executablePath, StringComparison.Ordinal)
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/Common/FakeArchiveHelper.cs b/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/Common/FakeArchiveHelper.cs
index 9d571c4238f..5ccdbc2414b 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/Common/FakeArchiveHelper.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/Common/FakeArchiveHelper.cs
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ public static async Task<FakeArchive> CreateFakeArchiveWithBadChecksumAsync(stri
     /// </summary>
     /// <param name="includeStraySidecar">When true, adds a <c>.aspire-install.json</c>
     /// at the archive root so the verifier's sidecar-rejection contract can be
-    /// asserted; see <c>docs/specs/install-routes.md</c>.</param>
+    /// asserted; see <c>docs/specs/install-sources.md</c>.</param>
     /// <param name="nestAspireUnderSubdir">When true, places the <c>aspire</c> binary
     /// under a single subdirectory inside the archive rather than at the root. This
     /// exercises <c>Get-ArchiveRoot</c>'s single-subdirectory branch and confirms the
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ public static async Task<FakeArchive> CreateFakeVerifyArchiveAsync(
 
             if (includeStraySidecar)
             {
-                // Per docs/specs/install-routes.md, per-RID archives must ship
+                // Per docs/specs/install-sources.md, per-RID archives must ship
                 // sidecar-free. The verifier rejects archives that contain a
                 // .aspire-install.json at the archive root.
                 var sidecarPath = Path.Combine(contentDir, ".aspire-install.json");
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/LocalHiveScriptFunctionTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/LocalHiveScriptFunctionTests.cs
index 2d6c59b8878..3e13b9c2fc0 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/LocalHiveScriptFunctionTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/LocalHiveScriptFunctionTests.cs
@@ -72,12 +72,22 @@ public void Source_DoesNotWriteGlobalChannel(string scriptPathName)
         Assert.DoesNotContain("aspire config set", source, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
     }
 
+    [Theory]
+    [InlineData(nameof(ScriptPaths.LocalHiveShell))]
+    [InlineData(nameof(ScriptPaths.LocalHivePowerShell))]
+    public void Source_DoesNotReferenceInfoCommand(string scriptPathName)
+    {
+        var source = File.ReadAllText(GetRepoPath(GetScriptPath(scriptPathName)));
+
+        Assert.DoesNotContain("aspire info", source, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
+    }
+
     [Fact]
     public void PowerShellSource_WindowsArchivePathDoesNotUseCompressArchive()
     {
         // Compress-Archive enumerates inputs via the PowerShell provider, which on
         // non-Windows hosts hides dotfiles from `<dir>/*` wildcard expansion. The
-        // portable layout includes bin/.aspire-install.json — the localhive route
+        // portable layout includes bin/.aspire-install.json — the localhive source
         // sidecar — and silently dropping it from a win-* zip built on Linux/macOS
         // would produce sidecar-less installs on the target. Use
         // [System.IO.Compression.ZipFile]::CreateFromDirectory instead.
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/PRScriptInstallE2ETests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/PRScriptInstallE2ETests.cs
index b69318b4d85..29ef9822a74 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/PRScriptInstallE2ETests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/PRScriptInstallE2ETests.cs
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ public class PRScriptInstallE2ETests(ITestOutputHelper testOutput)
     private readonly ITestOutputHelper _testOutput = testOutput;
 
     [Fact]
-    public async Task PRScript_InstallsCliAndWritesRouteSidecar()
+    public async Task PRScript_InstallsCliAndWritesSourceSidecar()
     {
         using var env = new TestEnvironment();
         var cancellationToken = TestContext.Current.CancellationToken;
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ public async Task PRScript_InstallsCliAndWritesRouteSidecar()
         Assert.True(File.Exists(Path.Combine(binDir, "aspire")), $"CLI binary missing under {binDir}");
 
         var sidecarPath = Path.Combine(binDir, ".aspire-install.json");
-        Assert.True(File.Exists(sidecarPath), $"Route sidecar missing at {sidecarPath}");
+        Assert.True(File.Exists(sidecarPath), $"Source sidecar missing at {sidecarPath}");
 
         var sidecarContent = await File.ReadAllTextAsync(sidecarPath, cancellationToken);
         _testOutput.WriteLine($"Sidecar content after install: {sidecarContent}");
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/PRScriptInstallerModeTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/PRScriptInstallerModeTests.cs
index dbef75656fb..ba7aa890cd1 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/PRScriptInstallerModeTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/PRScriptInstallerModeTests.cs
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ exit 0
                 ;;
             esac
 
-            echo "unexpected brew command: $*" >&2
+            echo "unexpected Homebrew command: $*" >&2
             exit 1
             """);
         FileHelper.MakeExecutable(brewPath);
@@ -474,7 +474,7 @@ public async Task Bash_WinGetMode_PrDryRun_DownloadsManifestAndNativeArchives()
         Assert.Contains("-Force", result.Output);
         Assert.Contains("built-nugets", result.Output);
         Assert.DoesNotContain("Add to your shell profile", result.Output);
-        Assert.DoesNotContain("route sidecar", result.Output, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
+        Assert.DoesNotContain("source sidecar", result.Output, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
         Assert.DoesNotContain("dogfood/pr-12345/bin", result.Output);
     }
 
@@ -499,7 +499,7 @@ public async Task Bash_HomebrewMode_PrDryRun_DownloadsCaskAndNativeArchives()
         Assert.Contains("--archive-root", result.Output);
         Assert.Contains("built-nugets", result.Output);
         Assert.DoesNotContain("Add to your shell profile", result.Output);
-        Assert.DoesNotContain("route sidecar", result.Output, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
+        Assert.DoesNotContain("source sidecar", result.Output, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
         Assert.DoesNotContain("dogfood/pr-12345/bin", result.Output);
     }
 
@@ -651,7 +651,7 @@ public async Task PowerShell_WinGetMode_WhatIf_DownloadsManifestAndNativeArchive
         Assert.Contains("-Force", result.Output);
         Assert.Contains("built-nugets", result.Output);
         Assert.DoesNotContain("Add to your shell profile", result.Output);
-        Assert.DoesNotContain("Route sidecar", result.Output);
+        Assert.DoesNotContain("Source sidecar", result.Output);
         Assert.DoesNotContain($"dogfood{Path.DirectorySeparatorChar}pr-12345{Path.DirectorySeparatorChar}bin", result.Output);
     }
 
@@ -676,7 +676,7 @@ public async Task PowerShell_HomebrewMode_WhatIf_DownloadsCaskAndNativeArchives(
         Assert.Contains("--archive-root", result.Output);
         Assert.Contains("built-nugets", result.Output);
         Assert.DoesNotContain("Add to your shell profile", result.Output);
-        Assert.DoesNotContain("Route sidecar", result.Output);
+        Assert.DoesNotContain("Source sidecar", result.Output);
         Assert.DoesNotContain($"dogfood{Path.DirectorySeparatorChar}pr-12345{Path.DirectorySeparatorChar}bin", result.Output);
     }
 
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/PRScriptPowerShellTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/PRScriptPowerShellTests.cs
index 769f442d673..59da52d6f2d 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/PRScriptPowerShellTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/PRScriptPowerShellTests.cs
@@ -435,14 +435,14 @@ public async Task LocalDir_WhatIf_WithGitHubRunIdEnvSet_UsesLocalHiveLabel()
         Assert.DoesNotContain("run-99999", result.Output, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
     }
 
-    // PR-route CLI binary lands at <prefix>/dogfood/pr-<N>/bin so PR installs
-    // do not collide with the script-route prefix or with other PR installs.
+    // PR-source CLI binary lands at <prefix>/dogfood/pr-<N>/bin so PR installs
+    // do not collide with the script-source prefix or with other PR installs.
     // Under -WhatIf the script emits the absolute install path via a
     // "What if: Aspire CLI binary would be installed to: <path>" message on stdout
     // (PS-native WhatIf style); this test parses that message to verify the
     // resolved install path.
     [Fact]
-    public async Task WhatIf_PRRoute_CliInstallPath_IsUnderDogfoodPrN()
+    public async Task WhatIf_PRSource_CliInstallPath_IsUnderDogfoodPrN()
     {
         using var env = new TestEnvironment();
         using var cmd = await CreateCommandWithMockGhAsync(env);
@@ -455,14 +455,14 @@ public async Task WhatIf_PRRoute_CliInstallPath_IsUnderDogfoodPrN()
         Assert.Contains($"What if: Aspire CLI binary would be installed to: {expectedBinaryPath}", result.Output);
     }
 
-    // Under -WhatIf the PR-route script must NOT write the source=pr sidecar
+    // Under -WhatIf the PR-source script must NOT write the source=pr sidecar
     // at <prefix>/dogfood/pr-<N>/.aspire-install.json. The describe-but-do-not-do
     // contract requires the script to print a "What if:" message naming the path
     // it would write, then return without touching the filesystem. Positive
-    // sidecar content (the source field) for the PR route is covered by
+    // sidecar content (the source field) for the PR source is covered by
     // end-to-end install runs, not at this unit-test layer.
     [Fact]
-    public async Task WhatIf_PRRoute_DoesNotWriteSidecar_AndAnnouncesPath()
+    public async Task WhatIf_PRSource_DoesNotWriteSidecar_AndAnnouncesPath()
     {
         using var env = new TestEnvironment();
         using var cmd = await CreateCommandWithMockGhAsync(env);
@@ -472,13 +472,13 @@ public async Task WhatIf_PRRoute_DoesNotWriteSidecar_AndAnnouncesPath()
         result.EnsureSuccessful();
 
         var sidecarPath = Path.Combine(env.MockHome, ".aspire", "dogfood", "pr-99999", "bin", ".aspire-install.json");
-        Assert.Contains($"What if: Route sidecar would be written to: {sidecarPath}", result.Output);
+        Assert.Contains($"What if: Source sidecar would be written to: {sidecarPath}", result.Output);
         Assert.False(
             File.Exists(sidecarPath),
             $"Expected no sidecar to be written under -WhatIf, but found one at {sidecarPath}");
     }
 
-    // PR-route install prints the PATH-activation hint via Write-Host. The
+    // PR-source install prints the PATH-activation hint via Write-Host. The
     // OS path separator keeps the line valid on both Windows (;) and Unix (:).
     // The new-PATH expression must be double-quoted so PowerShell expands
     // `$env:PATH` when the user pastes the line into their profile — single
@@ -487,7 +487,7 @@ public async Task WhatIf_PRRoute_DoesNotWriteSidecar_AndAnnouncesPath()
     // Separator before `$env:PATH` must be [System.IO.Path]::PathSeparator — a
     // hard-coded ":" or ";" breaks the hint on the opposite platform.
     [Fact]
-    public async Task WhatIf_PRRoute_PrintsPathHintToStdout()
+    public async Task WhatIf_PRSource_PrintsPathHintToStdout()
     {
         using var env = new TestEnvironment();
         using var cmd = await CreateCommandWithMockGhAsync(env);
@@ -510,7 +510,7 @@ public async Task WhatIf_PRRoute_PrintsPathHintToStdout()
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public async Task WhatIf_PRRoute_PrintsPathHintWithAbsoluteInstallPath()
+    public async Task WhatIf_PRSource_PrintsPathHintWithAbsoluteInstallPath()
     {
         using var env = new TestEnvironment();
         var customPath = Path.Combine(env.TempDirectory, "custom-prefix");
@@ -541,9 +541,9 @@ private static string ExtractShellProfileHintLine(string output)
         return string.Empty;
     }
 
-    // PR-route hive location is unchanged at <prefix>/hives/pr-<N>/packages.
+    // PR-source hive location is unchanged at <prefix>/hives/pr-<N>/packages.
     [Fact]
-    public async Task WhatIf_PRRoute_HiveLocation_IsUnchanged()
+    public async Task WhatIf_PRSource_HiveLocation_IsUnchanged()
     {
         using var env = new TestEnvironment();
         using var cmd = await CreateCommandWithMockGhAsync(env);
@@ -555,12 +555,12 @@ public async Task WhatIf_PRRoute_HiveLocation_IsUnchanged()
         Assert.Contains(expectedHive, result.Output);
     }
 
-    // The PR-route script must not mutate route sidecars under -WhatIf.
-    // Companion to WhatIf_PRRoute_DoesNotWriteSidecar_AndAnnouncesPath; kept as a
+    // The PR-source script must not mutate source sidecars under -WhatIf.
+    // Companion to WhatIf_PRSource_DoesNotWriteSidecar_AndAnnouncesPath; kept as a
     // separate test method to keep -WhatIf sidecar-absence coverage visible in
     // test inventories alongside the other -WhatIf guards.
     [Fact]
-    public async Task WhatIf_PRRoute_DoesNotWriteSidecar_AnyContentRegression()
+    public async Task WhatIf_PRSource_DoesNotWriteSidecar_AnyContentRegression()
     {
         using var env = new TestEnvironment();
         using var cmd = await CreateCommandWithMockGhAsync(env);
@@ -576,7 +576,7 @@ public async Task WhatIf_PRRoute_DoesNotWriteSidecar_AnyContentRegression()
 
     // Under -WhatIf no global aspire.config.json is created.
     [Fact]
-    public async Task WhatIf_PRRoute_DoesNotCreateGlobalAspireConfigJson()
+    public async Task WhatIf_PRSource_DoesNotCreateGlobalAspireConfigJson()
     {
         using var env = new TestEnvironment();
         using var cmd = await CreateCommandWithMockGhAsync(env);
@@ -618,7 +618,7 @@ public async Task WhatIf_LocalDir_DoesNotWriteSidecar()
         // -LocalDir without a PR number is an unmanaged install, so the script must
         // not write a sidecar; the resolver should return Unknown for these installs.
         var binSidecar = Path.Combine(env.MockHome, ".aspire", "bin", ".aspire-install.json");
-        Assert.False(File.Exists(binSidecar), $"--local-dir install must not write sidecar at {binSidecar} (unmanaged route).");
+        Assert.False(File.Exists(binSidecar), $"--local-dir install must not write sidecar at {binSidecar} (unmanaged source).");
 
         // Defensive: assert no .aspire-install.json anywhere under the install root.
         var aspireRoot = Path.Combine(env.MockHome, ".aspire");
@@ -659,7 +659,7 @@ public async Task VeryLargePRNumber_AboveIntMax_Rejected_AndCreatesNoFiles()
 
     // Non-numeric / special-char PR_NUMBER is rejected at parameter
     // binding ([int] cast or ValidateRange). This guards against path injection / command
-    // injection routes via the PR_NUMBER value.
+    // injection sources via the PR_NUMBER value.
     [Theory]
     [InlineData("../etc")]
     [InlineData("..")]
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/PRScriptShellTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/PRScriptShellTests.cs
index 6b778a298d2..59b3c0e1647 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/PRScriptShellTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/PRScriptShellTests.cs
@@ -510,13 +510,13 @@ public async Task LocalDir_DryRun_WithGitHubRunIdEnvSet_UsesLocalHiveLabel()
         Assert.DoesNotContain("run-99999", result.Output, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
     }
 
-    // PR-route CLI binary lands at <prefix>/dogfood/pr-<N>/bin so PR installs
-    // do not collide with the script-route prefix (<prefix>/bin) or with other PR installs.
+    // PR-source CLI binary lands at <prefix>/dogfood/pr-<N>/bin so PR installs
+    // do not collide with the script-source prefix (<prefix>/bin) or with other PR installs.
     // Under --dry-run the script emits the absolute install path via a
     // "DRYRUN: would install Aspire CLI binary to: <path>" message on stdout;
     // this test parses that message to verify the resolved install path.
     [Fact]
-    public async Task DryRun_PRRoute_CliInstallPath_IsUnderDogfoodPrN()
+    public async Task DryRun_PRSource_CliInstallPath_IsUnderDogfoodPrN()
     {
         using var env = new TestEnvironment();
         using var cmd = await CreateCommandWithMockGhAsync(env);
@@ -526,18 +526,18 @@ public async Task DryRun_PRRoute_CliInstallPath_IsUnderDogfoodPrN()
         result.EnsureSuccessful();
         var expectedBinaryPath = Path.Combine(env.MockHome, ".aspire", "dogfood", "pr-99999", "bin", "aspire");
         Assert.Contains($"DRYRUN: would install Aspire CLI binary to: {expectedBinaryPath}", result.Output);
-        var scriptRouteBin = Path.Combine(env.MockHome, ".aspire", "bin", "aspire");
-        Assert.DoesNotContain($"DRYRUN: would install Aspire CLI binary to: {scriptRouteBin}", result.Output);
+        var scriptSourceBin = Path.Combine(env.MockHome, ".aspire", "bin", "aspire");
+        Assert.DoesNotContain($"DRYRUN: would install Aspire CLI binary to: {scriptSourceBin}", result.Output);
     }
 
-    // Under --dry-run the PR-route script must NOT write the source=pr sidecar
+    // Under --dry-run the PR-source script must NOT write the source=pr sidecar
     // at <prefix>/dogfood/pr-<N>/.aspire-install.json. The describe-but-do-not-do
     // contract requires the script to print a DRYRUN message naming the path it
     // would write, then return without touching the filesystem. Positive sidecar
-    // content (the source field) for the PR route is covered by end-to-end
+    // content (the source field) for the PR source is covered by end-to-end
     // install runs, not at this unit-test layer.
     [Fact]
-    public async Task DryRun_PRRoute_DoesNotWriteSidecar_AndAnnouncesPath()
+    public async Task DryRun_PRSource_DoesNotWriteSidecar_AndAnnouncesPath()
     {
         using var env = new TestEnvironment();
         using var cmd = await CreateCommandWithMockGhAsync(env);
@@ -547,19 +547,19 @@ public async Task DryRun_PRRoute_DoesNotWriteSidecar_AndAnnouncesPath()
         result.EnsureSuccessful();
 
         var sidecarPath = Path.Combine(env.MockHome, ".aspire", "dogfood", "pr-99999", "bin", ".aspire-install.json");
-        Assert.Contains($"DRYRUN: would write route sidecar to: {sidecarPath}", result.Output);
+        Assert.Contains($"DRYRUN: would write source sidecar to: {sidecarPath}", result.Output);
         Assert.False(
             File.Exists(sidecarPath),
             $"Expected no sidecar to be written under --dry-run, but found one at {sidecarPath}");
     }
 
-    // PR-route install prints the PATH-activation hint to stdout so users
+    // PR-source install prints the PATH-activation hint to stdout so users
     // know how to add <prefix>/dogfood/pr-<N>/bin to their shell profile.
     //
     // Hint must carry the literal "$HOME" form, not the pre-expanded absolute path,
     // so the profile line is portable across users.
     [Fact]
-    public async Task DryRun_PRRoute_PrintsPathHintToStdout()
+    public async Task DryRun_PRSource_PrintsPathHintToStdout()
     {
         using var env = new TestEnvironment();
         using var cmd = await CreateCommandWithMockGhAsync(env);
@@ -575,7 +575,7 @@ public async Task DryRun_PRRoute_PrintsPathHintToStdout()
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public async Task DryRun_PRRoute_PrintsPathHintWithAbsoluteInstallPath()
+    public async Task DryRun_PRSource_PrintsPathHintWithAbsoluteInstallPath()
     {
         using var env = new TestEnvironment();
         var customPath = Path.Combine(env.TempDirectory, "custom-prefix");
@@ -604,9 +604,9 @@ private static string ExtractShellProfileHintLine(string output)
         return string.Empty;
     }
 
-    // PR-route hive location is unchanged at <prefix>/hives/pr-<N>/packages.
+    // PR-source hive location is unchanged at <prefix>/hives/pr-<N>/packages.
     [Fact]
-    public async Task DryRun_PRRoute_HiveLocation_IsUnchanged()
+    public async Task DryRun_PRSource_HiveLocation_IsUnchanged()
     {
         using var env = new TestEnvironment();
         using var cmd = await CreateCommandWithMockGhAsync(env);
@@ -618,12 +618,12 @@ public async Task DryRun_PRRoute_HiveLocation_IsUnchanged()
         Assert.Contains(expectedHive, result.Output);
     }
 
-    // The PR-route script must not mutate route sidecars under --dry-run.
-    // Companion to DryRun_PRRoute_DoesNotWriteSidecar_AndAnnouncesPath; kept as a
+    // The PR-source script must not mutate source sidecars under --dry-run.
+    // Companion to DryRun_PRSource_DoesNotWriteSidecar_AndAnnouncesPath; kept as a
     // separate test method to keep dry-run sidecar-absence coverage visible in
     // test inventories alongside the other dry-run guards.
     [Fact]
-    public async Task DryRun_PRRoute_DoesNotWriteSidecar_AnyContentRegression()
+    public async Task DryRun_PRSource_DoesNotWriteSidecar_AnyContentRegression()
     {
         using var env = new TestEnvironment();
         using var cmd = await CreateCommandWithMockGhAsync(env);
@@ -639,7 +639,7 @@ public async Task DryRun_PRRoute_DoesNotWriteSidecar_AnyContentRegression()
 
     // Under --dry-run no global aspire.config.json is materialized.
     [Fact]
-    public async Task DryRun_PRRoute_DoesNotCreateGlobalAspireConfigJson()
+    public async Task DryRun_PRSource_DoesNotCreateGlobalAspireConfigJson()
     {
         using var env = new TestEnvironment();
         using var cmd = await CreateCommandWithMockGhAsync(env);
@@ -683,7 +683,7 @@ public async Task DryRun_LocalDir_DoesNotWriteSidecar()
         // --local-dir without a PR number is an unmanaged install, so the script must
         // not write a sidecar; the resolver should return Unknown for these installs.
         var binSidecar = Path.Combine(env.MockHome, ".aspire", "bin", ".aspire-install.json");
-        Assert.False(File.Exists(binSidecar), $"--local-dir install must not write sidecar at {binSidecar} (unmanaged route).");
+        Assert.False(File.Exists(binSidecar), $"--local-dir install must not write sidecar at {binSidecar} (unmanaged source).");
 
         // Defensive: walk the .aspire root and assert no sidecar landed at any depth.
         var aspireRoot = Path.Combine(env.MockHome, ".aspire");
@@ -723,7 +723,7 @@ public async Task VeryLargePRNumber_AcceptedByScript_DryRunAnnouncesSidecarPath(
 
         result.EnsureSuccessful();
         var sidecarPath = Path.Combine(env.MockHome, ".aspire", "dogfood", "pr-99999999999", "bin", ".aspire-install.json");
-        Assert.Contains($"DRYRUN: would write route sidecar to: {sidecarPath}", result.Output);
+        Assert.Contains($"DRYRUN: would write source sidecar to: {sidecarPath}", result.Output);
         Assert.False(
             File.Exists(sidecarPath),
             $"Expected no sidecar to be written under --dry-run, but found one at {sidecarPath}");
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/PRScriptToolModeTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/PRScriptToolModeTests.cs
index f329ac83d2e..f55b0188869 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/PRScriptToolModeTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/PRScriptToolModeTests.cs
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ public async Task Bash_ToolMode_PrDryRun_SkipsCliNativeArchivesDownload()
         Assert.Contains("built-nugets-for-", result.Output);
         Assert.Contains("dotnet tool install --global Aspire.Cli", result.Output);
         Assert.DoesNotContain("config set channel", result.Output);
-        Assert.DoesNotContain("route sidecar", result.Output, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
+        Assert.DoesNotContain("source sidecar", result.Output, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
         Assert.DoesNotContain("dogfood/pr-12345/bin", result.Output);
         Assert.DoesNotContain(".dotnet/tools", result.Output);
     }
@@ -481,7 +481,7 @@ public async Task Bash_ToolMode_ForceUpdateFailureReportsUpdate()
 
     [Fact]
     [SkipOnPlatform(TestPlatforms.Windows, "Bash script tests require bash shell")]
-    public async Task Bash_ToolMode_PrInstall_DoesNotWritePRRouteSidecar()
+    public async Task Bash_ToolMode_PrInstall_DoesNotWritePRSourceSidecar()
     {
         using var env = new TestEnvironment();
         var mockGhPath = await env.CreateMockGhScriptAsync(_testOutput);
@@ -504,7 +504,7 @@ public async Task Bash_ToolMode_PrInstall_DoesNotWritePRRouteSidecar()
         result.EnsureSuccessful();
 
         var sidecarPath = Path.Combine(env.MockHome, ".aspire", "dogfood", "pr-12345", "bin", ".aspire-install.json");
-        Assert.False(File.Exists(sidecarPath), $"Tool mode must not write the PR-route sidecar at {sidecarPath}.");
+        Assert.False(File.Exists(sidecarPath), $"Tool mode must not write the PR-source sidecar at {sidecarPath}.");
         // Tool mode now populates the PR hive so `aspire new`/`aspire run` can
         // resolve the PR version of Aspire.AppHost.Sdk and friends.
         var prHive = Path.Combine(env.MockHome, ".aspire", "hives", "pr-12345", "packages");
@@ -829,7 +829,7 @@ public async Task Ps_ToolMode_PrWhatIf_SkipsCliNativeArchivesDownload()
         Assert.Contains("built-nugets-for-", result.Output);
         Assert.Contains("dotnet tool install --global Aspire.Cli", result.Output);
         Assert.DoesNotContain("config set channel", result.Output);
-        Assert.DoesNotContain("route sidecar", result.Output, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
+        Assert.DoesNotContain("source sidecar", result.Output, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
         Assert.DoesNotContain("dogfood", result.Output);
         Assert.DoesNotContain(".dotnet", result.Output);
     }
@@ -1025,7 +1025,7 @@ public async Task Ps_ToolMode_ForceUpdatesExistingToolWithAllowDowngrade()
 
     [Fact]
     [RequiresTools(["pwsh"])]
-    public async Task Ps_ToolMode_PrInstall_DoesNotWritePRRouteSidecar()
+    public async Task Ps_ToolMode_PrInstall_DoesNotWritePRSourceSidecar()
     {
         using var env = new TestEnvironment();
         var mockGhPath = await env.CreateMockGhScriptAsync(_testOutput);
@@ -1048,7 +1048,7 @@ public async Task Ps_ToolMode_PrInstall_DoesNotWritePRRouteSidecar()
         result.EnsureSuccessful();
 
         var sidecarPath = Path.Combine(env.MockHome, ".aspire", "dogfood", "pr-12345", "bin", ".aspire-install.json");
-        Assert.False(File.Exists(sidecarPath), $"Tool mode must not write the PR-route sidecar at {sidecarPath}.");
+        Assert.False(File.Exists(sidecarPath), $"Tool mode must not write the PR-source sidecar at {sidecarPath}.");
         // Tool mode now populates the PR hive so `aspire new`/`aspire run` can
         // resolve the PR version of Aspire.AppHost.Sdk and friends.
         var prHive = Path.Combine(env.MockHome, ".aspire", "hives", "pr-12345", "packages");
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/ReleaseScriptPowerShellTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/ReleaseScriptPowerShellTests.cs
index cc56384473b..cb9c5579d72 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/ReleaseScriptPowerShellTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/ReleaseScriptPowerShellTests.cs
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@ public async Task Install_DryRun_DoesNotWriteGlobalChannelField()
             $"install.ps1 must not create global aspire.config.json; found at {configPath}.");
     }
 
-    // Under -WhatIf the release-route script must NOT write the script-route
+    // Under -WhatIf the release-source script must NOT write the script-source
     // sidecar at <prefix>/.aspire-install.json. The describe-but-do-not-do
     // contract requires the script to print a "What if:" message naming the path
     // it would write, then return without touching the filesystem. A previous
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@ public async Task Install_DryRun_DoesNotWriteGlobalChannelField()
     // can leave a stale source=script marker visible to BundleService when
     // the install was never actually performed.
     [Fact]
-    public async Task WhatIf_DoesNotWriteScriptRouteSidecar_AndAnnouncesPath()
+    public async Task WhatIf_DoesNotWriteScriptSourceSidecar_AndAnnouncesPath()
     {
         using var env = new TestEnvironment();
         using var cmd = new ScriptToolCommand(s_scriptPath, env, _testOutput);
@@ -280,16 +280,16 @@ public async Task WhatIf_DoesNotWriteScriptRouteSidecar_AndAnnouncesPath()
         result.EnsureSuccessful();
 
         var sidecarPath = Path.Combine(env.MockHome, ".aspire", "bin", ".aspire-install.json");
-        Assert.Contains($"What if: Route sidecar would be written to: {sidecarPath}", result.Output);
+        Assert.Contains($"What if: Source sidecar would be written to: {sidecarPath}", result.Output);
         Assert.False(
             File.Exists(sidecarPath),
             $"Expected no sidecar to be written under -WhatIf, but found one at {sidecarPath}");
     }
 
-    // The release-route script must not mutate route sidecars under -WhatIf,
+    // The release-source script must not mutate source sidecars under -WhatIf,
     // regardless of the configured quality.
     [Fact]
-    public async Task WhatIf_DevQuality_DoesNotWriteScriptRouteSidecar()
+    public async Task WhatIf_DevQuality_DoesNotWriteScriptSourceSidecar()
     {
         using var env = new TestEnvironment();
         using var cmd = new ScriptToolCommand(s_scriptPath, env, _testOutput);
@@ -298,7 +298,7 @@ public async Task WhatIf_DevQuality_DoesNotWriteScriptRouteSidecar()
         result.EnsureSuccessful();
 
         var sidecarPath = Path.Combine(env.MockHome, ".aspire", "bin", ".aspire-install.json");
-        Assert.Contains($"What if: Route sidecar would be written to: {sidecarPath}", result.Output);
+        Assert.Contains($"What if: Source sidecar would be written to: {sidecarPath}", result.Output);
         Assert.False(
             File.Exists(sidecarPath),
             $"Expected no sidecar to be written under -WhatIf, but found one at {sidecarPath}");
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/ReleaseScriptShellTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/ReleaseScriptShellTests.cs
index 60afa22b126..3b8ad6a3ba8 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/ReleaseScriptShellTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/ReleaseScriptShellTests.cs
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ public async Task Install_DryRun_DoesNotWriteGlobalChannelField()
             $"install.sh must not create global aspire.config.json; found at {configPath}.");
     }
 
-    // Under --dry-run the release-route script must NOT write the script-route
+    // Under --dry-run the release-source script must NOT write the script-source
     // sidecar at <prefix>/.aspire-install.json. The describe-but-do-not-do
     // contract requires the script to print a DRYRUN message naming the path it
     // would write, then return without touching the filesystem. A previous
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ public async Task Install_DryRun_DoesNotWriteGlobalChannelField()
     // stale source=script marker visible to BundleService when the install
     // was never actually performed.
     [Fact]
-    public async Task DryRun_DoesNotWriteScriptRouteSidecar_AndAnnouncesPath()
+    public async Task DryRun_DoesNotWriteScriptSourceSidecar_AndAnnouncesPath()
     {
         using var env = new TestEnvironment();
         using var cmd = new ScriptToolCommand(s_scriptPath, env, _testOutput);
@@ -231,18 +231,18 @@ public async Task DryRun_DoesNotWriteScriptRouteSidecar_AndAnnouncesPath()
         result.EnsureSuccessful();
 
         var sidecarPath = Path.Combine(env.MockHome, ".aspire", "bin", ".aspire-install.json");
-        Assert.Contains($"DRYRUN: would write route sidecar to: {sidecarPath}", result.Output);
+        Assert.Contains($"DRYRUN: would write source sidecar to: {sidecarPath}", result.Output);
         Assert.False(
             File.Exists(sidecarPath),
             $"Expected no sidecar to be written under --dry-run, but found one at {sidecarPath}");
     }
 
-    // The release-route script must not mutate route sidecars under --dry-run,
+    // The release-source script must not mutate source sidecars under --dry-run,
     // regardless of the configured quality. This guards the dry-run contract on
     // the 'dev' quality path, which historically took a slightly different
     // code branch in the script body.
     [Fact]
-    public async Task DryRun_DevQuality_DoesNotWriteScriptRouteSidecar()
+    public async Task DryRun_DevQuality_DoesNotWriteScriptSourceSidecar()
     {
         using var env = new TestEnvironment();
         using var cmd = new ScriptToolCommand(s_scriptPath, env, _testOutput);
@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ public async Task DryRun_DevQuality_DoesNotWriteScriptRouteSidecar()
         result.EnsureSuccessful();
 
         var sidecarPath = Path.Combine(env.MockHome, ".aspire", "bin", ".aspire-install.json");
-        Assert.Contains($"DRYRUN: would write route sidecar to: {sidecarPath}", result.Output);
+        Assert.Contains($"DRYRUN: would write source sidecar to: {sidecarPath}", result.Output);
         Assert.False(
             File.Exists(sidecarPath),
             $"Expected no sidecar to be written under --dry-run, but found one at {sidecarPath}");
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/VerifyCliArchivePowerShellTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/VerifyCliArchivePowerShellTests.cs
index e83ba1aeaed..db5f4c56c46 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/VerifyCliArchivePowerShellTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Acquisition.Tests/Scripts/VerifyCliArchivePowerShellTests.cs
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ public async Task VerifyCliArchive_AcceptsCleanPerRidArchive()
         result.EnsureSuccessful();
         Assert.Contains("aspire mock v1.0", result.Output);
         Assert.Contains("'aspire new aspire-starter' created project successfully", result.Output);
-        Assert.Contains("linux-* archive correctly omits the install-route sidecar", result.Output);
+        Assert.Contains("linux-* archive correctly omits the install-source sidecar", result.Output);
         Assert.Contains("All verification checks passed", result.Output);
     }
 
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ public async Task VerifyCliArchive_RejectsArchiveWithStraySidecar()
         // The exact error wording is part of the verifier's user-facing contract; see
         // eng/scripts/verify-cli-archive.ps1 Test-ArchiveSidecar.
         Assert.Contains(".aspire-install.json", result.Output);
-        Assert.Contains("per-RID archives are shared across install routes", result.Output);
+        Assert.Contains("per-RID archives are shared across install sources", result.Output);
     }
 
     [Fact]
@@ -80,6 +80,6 @@ public async Task VerifyCliArchive_RejectsStraySidecarWhenBinaryIsNestedUnderSub
 
         Assert.NotEqual(0, result.ExitCode);
         Assert.Contains(".aspire-install.json", result.Output);
-        Assert.Contains("per-RID archives are shared across install routes", result.Output);
+        Assert.Contains("per-RID archives are shared across install sources", result.Output);
     }
 }
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/HiveEnumeratorTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/HiveEnumeratorTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..9ee37aede6a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/HiveEnumeratorTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+// Licensed to the .NET Foundation under one or more agreements.
+// The .NET Foundation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
+
+using Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
+using Aspire.Cli.Tests.Utils;
+
+namespace Aspire.Cli.Tests.Acquisition;
+
+public class HiveEnumeratorTests(ITestOutputHelper outputHelper)
+{
+    [Fact]
+    public void HasHive_ReturnsTrueForExistingValidChannel()
+    {
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var context = workspace.CreateExecutionContext();
+        Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.Combine(context.HivesDirectory.FullName, "stable"));
+        Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.Combine(context.HivesDirectory.FullName, "pr-17400"));
+        var enumerator = new HiveEnumerator(context);
+
+        Assert.True(enumerator.HasHive("stable"));
+        Assert.True(enumerator.HasHive("pr-17400"));
+        Assert.False(enumerator.HasHive("daily"));
+    }
+
+    [Theory]
+    [InlineData("..")]
+    [InlineData("../escape")]
+    [InlineData("pr-17400/../../etc")]
+    [InlineData("/etc/passwd")]
+    [InlineData("C:\\Windows")]
+    [InlineData("pr-")]
+    [InlineData("pr-abc")]
+    [InlineData("Pr-17400")]
+    [InlineData("preview")]
+    [InlineData("")]
+    [InlineData("\0invalid")]
+    public void HasHive_RejectsChannelsOutsideIdentitySchema(string channel)
+    {
+        // HiveEnumerator must never feed a path-traversing, absolute, or
+        // otherwise malformed channel string into Path.Combine — channels can
+        // reach this surface via peer `--info --self` JSON, which is not
+        // shape-validated at the JSON layer. Anything outside the build-time
+        // identity-channel allow-list must be treated as "no hive".
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var context = workspace.CreateExecutionContext();
+        var enumerator = new HiveEnumerator(context);
+
+        Assert.False(enumerator.HasHive(channel));
+        Assert.Null(enumerator.GetHivePath(channel));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void GetHivePath_ReturnsPathInsideHivesRootForValidChannel()
+    {
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var context = workspace.CreateExecutionContext();
+        var enumerator = new HiveEnumerator(context);
+
+        var path = enumerator.GetHivePath("pr-17400");
+
+        Assert.NotNull(path);
+        Assert.StartsWith(context.HivesDirectory.FullName, path, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+        Assert.EndsWith("pr-17400", path, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void GetHives_ReturnsEmptyWhenHivesRootMissing()
+    {
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var context = workspace.CreateExecutionContext();
+        var enumerator = new HiveEnumerator(context);
+
+        Assert.False(context.HivesDirectory.Exists);
+        Assert.Empty(enumerator.GetHives());
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void GetHives_EnumeratesUnvalidatedDirectoryNamesUnderHivesRoot()
+    {
+        // GetHives() walks the on-disk directory itself and only reports what's
+        // there — no channel-schema filtering. That's intentional: an orphan
+        // hive directory left behind by an older install script or a future
+        // channel name should still surface to the user via `aspire --info`.
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var context = workspace.CreateExecutionContext();
+        Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.Combine(context.HivesDirectory.FullName, "pr-17400"));
+        Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.Combine(context.HivesDirectory.FullName, "future-channel"));
+        var enumerator = new HiveEnumerator(context);
+
+        var names = enumerator.GetHives().Select(h => h.Name).ToArray();
+
+        Assert.Contains("pr-17400", names);
+        Assert.Contains("future-channel", names);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/InstallSidecarReaderTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/InstallSidecarReaderTests.cs
index e8bc04232ae..e04ae6667ab 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/InstallSidecarReaderTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/InstallSidecarReaderTests.cs
@@ -9,9 +9,9 @@ namespace Aspire.Cli.Tests.Acquisition;
 
 /// <summary>
 /// Behavior tests for <see cref="InstallSidecarReader"/>. The sidecar contract
-/// is documented in <c>docs/specs/install-routes.md</c>: a single-field JSON
+/// is documented in <c>docs/specs/install-sources.md</c>: a single-field JSON
 /// file named <c>.aspire-install.json</c> with shape
-/// <c>{ "source": "&lt;route&gt;" }</c> living next to the CLI binary.
+/// <c>{ "source": "&lt;source&gt;" }</c> living next to the CLI binary.
 /// </summary>
 public class InstallSidecarReaderTests(ITestOutputHelper outputHelper)
 {
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ public class InstallSidecarReaderTests(ITestOutputHelper outputHelper)
     [InlineData("script", "Script")]
     [InlineData("pr", "Pr")]
     [InlineData("winget", "Winget")]
-    [InlineData("brew", "Brew")]
+    [InlineData("brew", "Homebrew")]
     [InlineData("dotnet-tool", "DotnetTool")]
     [InlineData("localhive", "LocalHive")]
     public void TryRead_ParsesEachKnownSource(string wireValue, string expectedEnumName)
@@ -108,13 +108,13 @@ public void TryRead_MalformedJson_ReturnsInvalidWithParseReason()
 
     [Theory]
     [InlineData("{\"source\":\"\"}",          "",             "empty source string")]
-    [InlineData("{\"source\":\"future-route\"}", "future-route", "unknown but well-formed source")]
+    [InlineData("{\"source\":\"future-source\"}", "future-source", "unknown but well-formed source")]
     [InlineData("[\"script\"]",               "",             "non-object root element")]
     [InlineData("{\"source\": 42}",           "",             "non-string source field")]
     public void TryRead_UnknownOrMalformedSource_ReturnsUnknownEnumWithRawSourcePreserved(string sidecarBody, string expectedRawSource, string scenario)
     {
         // All four shapes round-trip via the parser as InstallSource.Unknown so
-        // a future-route or otherwise-unrecognized sidecar never blocks the
+        // a future-source or otherwise-unrecognized sidecar never blocks the
         // discovery walk. RawSource preserves the literal wire value so a
         // future client can re-interpret it without re-reading the file.
         _ = scenario; // surfaced in test name for debuggability
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ public void ReadSourceField_UnreadableSidecar_ReturnsNull()
     [InlineData("Script", "script")]
     [InlineData("Pr", "pr")]
     [InlineData("Winget", "winget")]
-    [InlineData("Brew", "brew")]
+    [InlineData("Homebrew", "brew")]
     [InlineData("DotnetTool", "dotnet-tool")]
     [InlineData("LocalHive", "localhive")]
     public void ToWireString_RoundTripsWithParseInstallSource(string enumName, string expectedWire)
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/InstallationDiscoveryDiscoverAllTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/InstallationDiscoveryDiscoverAllTests.cs
index 01a0a6f3052..9ba3d7f0550 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/InstallationDiscoveryDiscoverAllTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/InstallationDiscoveryDiscoverAllTests.cs
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_PathHit_WithoutSidecar_IsListedAsNotProbed_An
     {
         // A binary on $PATH with no .aspire-install.json next to it must not be
         // spawned. The user-installed binary on PATH is the most dangerous case:
-        // if a user runs `aspire doctor`, we cannot execute arbitrary
+        // if a user runs `aspire --info`, we cannot execute arbitrary
         // same-named binaries we happened to find.
         using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
         var pathDir = Path.Combine(workspace.WorkspaceRoot.FullName, "no-sidecar-bin");
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_PathHit_WithoutSidecar_IsListedAsNotProbed_An
             string.Equals(r.CanonicalPath, noSidecarBinary, OperatingSystem.IsWindows() ? StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase : StringComparison.Ordinal));
         Assert.Equal(InstallationInfoStatus.NotProbed, noSidecarRow.Status);
         var expectedSidecarPath = Path.Combine(pathDir, InstallSidecarReader.SidecarFileName);
-        Assert.Equal($"No install-route sidecar found at {expectedSidecarPath}; peer was not probed.", noSidecarRow.StatusReason);
+        Assert.Equal($"No install-source sidecar found at {expectedSidecarPath}; peer was not probed.", noSidecarRow.StatusReason);
     }
 
     [Fact]
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_PathHit_WithUnreadableSidecar_IsListedAsNotPr
             Assert.DoesNotContain(probe.ProbedPaths, p => string.Equals(p, binary, StringComparison.Ordinal));
             var row = Assert.Single(results, r => string.Equals(r.CanonicalPath, binary, StringComparison.Ordinal));
             Assert.Equal(InstallationInfoStatus.NotProbed, row.Status);
-            Assert.Equal($"Install-route sidecar at {sidecarPath} could not be read or parsed; peer was not probed.", row.StatusReason);
+            Assert.Equal($"Install-source sidecar at {sidecarPath} could not be read or parsed; peer was not probed.", row.StatusReason);
         }
         finally
         {
@@ -114,13 +114,13 @@ public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_PathHit_WithMalformedSidecar_IsListedAsNotPro
         var row = Assert.Single(results, r =>
             string.Equals(r.CanonicalPath, binary, OperatingSystem.IsWindows() ? StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase : StringComparison.Ordinal));
         Assert.Equal(InstallationInfoStatus.NotProbed, row.Status);
-        Assert.Equal($"Install-route sidecar at {sidecarPath} could not be read or parsed; peer was not probed.", row.StatusReason);
+        Assert.Equal($"Install-source sidecar at {sidecarPath} could not be read or parsed; peer was not probed.", row.StatusReason);
     }
 
     [Fact]
     public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_TrustedSidecar_IsSpawnedAndDecoratedWithDiscoveredPath()
     {
-        // A binary with a script-route sidecar in its directory has enough
+        // A binary with a script-source sidecar in its directory has enough
         // install metadata to be probed. The peer probe is called, and its returned
         // InstallationInfo is merged with the discovered path so the row
         // displayed to the user matches what `which` would show.
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_TrustedSidecar_IsSpawnedAndDecoratedWithDisco
                 Path = "/peer-says/aspire",
                 Version = "12.5.0",
                 Channel = "stable",
-                Route = "script",
+                Source = "script",
                 Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
             }),
         });
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_PathStatusTracksActiveShadowedAndOffPathInsta
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_UnknownSidecarSource_WithSuccessfulProbe_ProbesAndSurfacesRawRoute()
+    public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_UnknownSidecarSource_WithSuccessfulProbe_ProbesAndSurfacesRawSource()
     {
         using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
         var binDir = Path.Combine(workspace.WorkspaceRoot.FullName, ".aspire", "bin");
@@ -237,13 +237,13 @@ public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_UnknownSidecarSource_WithSuccessfulProbe_Prob
         var row = results.Single(r =>
             string.Equals(r.CanonicalPath, binary, OperatingSystem.IsWindows() ? StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase : StringComparison.Ordinal));
         Assert.Equal(InstallationInfoStatus.Ok, row.Status);
-        Assert.Equal("apt", row.Route);
+        Assert.Equal("apt", row.Source);
         Assert.Equal("13.1.0", row.Version);
         Assert.Equal("daily", row.Channel);
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_UnknownSidecarSource_WithFailedProbe_ProbesAndSurfacesFailedWithRawRoute()
+    public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_UnknownSidecarSource_WithFailedProbe_ProbesAndSurfacesFailedWithRawSource()
     {
         using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
         var binDir = Path.Combine(workspace.WorkspaceRoot.FullName, ".aspire", "bin");
@@ -262,15 +262,15 @@ public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_UnknownSidecarSource_WithFailedProbe_ProbesAn
         var row = results.Single(r =>
             string.Equals(r.CanonicalPath, binary, OperatingSystem.IsWindows() ? StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase : StringComparison.Ordinal));
         Assert.Equal(InstallationInfoStatus.Failed, row.Status);
-        Assert.Equal("apt", row.Route);
+        Assert.Equal("apt", row.Source);
         Assert.Equal("simulated probe failure", row.StatusReason);
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_PeerProbeFails_RowSurvivesAsFailed_WithRouteIntact()
+    public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_PeerProbeFails_RowSurvivesAsFailed_WithSourceIntact()
     {
         // A peer that fails (timeout / non-zero exit / invalid JSON) is per-row,
-        // not whole-command. The route from the sidecar is still surfaced so the
+        // not whole-command. The source from the sidecar is still surfaced so the
         // user sees "this is a PR install but it wouldn't talk to me", not nothing.
         using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
         var prDir = Path.Combine(workspace.WorkspaceRoot.FullName, ".aspire", "dogfood", "pr-9999", "bin");
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_PeerProbeFails_RowSurvivesAsFailed_WithRouteI
         var row = results.Single(r =>
             string.Equals(r.CanonicalPath, binary, OperatingSystem.IsWindows() ? StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase : StringComparison.Ordinal));
         Assert.Equal(InstallationInfoStatus.Failed, row.Status);
-        Assert.Equal("pr", row.Route);
+        Assert.Equal("pr", row.Source);
         Assert.Contains("simulated peer hang", row.StatusReason!);
     }
 
@@ -345,7 +345,7 @@ public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_ProbeFailureAndMissingInstallMetadata_Surface
         if (hasInstallMetadata)
         {
             Assert.Contains(probe.ProbedPaths, p => string.Equals(p, binary, OperatingSystem.IsWindows() ? StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase : StringComparison.Ordinal));
-            Assert.Equal("script", row.Route);
+            Assert.Equal("script", row.Source);
             Assert.Contains("peer returned malformed JSON", row.StatusReason!);
         }
         else
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_ProbeFailureAndMissingInstallMetadata_Surface
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_PrRoute_DerivesChannelFromDogfoodPathWhenPeerOmits()
+    public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_PrSource_DerivesChannelFromDogfoodPathWhenPeerOmits()
     {
         // The structural channel for a PR install is `pr-<N>` regardless
         // of whether the older peer's --version output includes channel
@@ -385,12 +385,12 @@ public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_PrRoute_DerivesChannelFromDogfoodPathWhenPeer
         var prRow = results.Single(r =>
             string.Equals(r.CanonicalPath, binary, OperatingSystem.IsWindows() ? StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase : StringComparison.Ordinal));
         Assert.Equal("pr-12345", prRow.Channel);
-        Assert.Equal("pr", prRow.Route);
+        Assert.Equal("pr", prRow.Source);
         Assert.Equal("13.4.0-pr.12345.gabcdef", prRow.Version);
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_PrRoute_DoesNotOverwritePeerReportedChannel()
+    public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_PrSource_DoesNotOverwritePeerReportedChannel()
     {
         // When the peer DOES report a channel, the discovery layer must not overwrite it
         // with the path-derived value, even if they happen to match.
@@ -422,14 +422,14 @@ public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_PrRoute_DoesNotOverwritePeerReportedChannel()
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_BrewRoute_DerivesPrChannelFromVersionWhenPeerOmits()
+    public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_BrewSource_DerivesPrChannelFromVersionWhenPeerOmits()
     {
-        // Brew-installed PR builds (e.g. from `brew install aspire@pr-N`) live
+        // Homebrew-installed PR builds (e.g. from `homebrew install aspire@pr-N`) live
         // under a path that doesn't carry the `dogfood/pr-<N>/bin` shape, so
         // the path-based derivation can't help. The version string, on the
         // other hand, IS baked at build time as `<x.y.z>-pr.<N>.<hash>` —
-        // discovery should fall back to that signal so older brew peers,
-        // which don't recognize the `doctor --self` self-describe contract,
+        // discovery should fall back to that signal so older homebrew peers,
+        // which don't recognize the `--info --self` self-describe contract,
         // still surface their channel instead of "(unknown)".
         using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
         var brewDir = Path.Combine(workspace.WorkspaceRoot.FullName, "Caskroom", "aspire", "13.4.0-pr.17115.gcd700928");
@@ -439,7 +439,7 @@ public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_BrewRoute_DerivesPrChannelFromVersionWhenPeer
 
         var probe = new FakePeerInstallProbe(new Dictionary<string, PeerProbeResult>
         {
-            // Older brew peer: doctor --self unsupported, so the probe
+            // Older homebrew peer: --info --self unsupported, so the probe
             // took the --version fallback path and reported version only.
             [binary] = new PeerProbeResult.Ok(new InstallationInfo
             {
@@ -456,12 +456,12 @@ public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_BrewRoute_DerivesPrChannelFromVersionWhenPeer
         var brewRow = results.Single(r =>
             string.Equals(r.CanonicalPath, binary, OperatingSystem.IsWindows() ? StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase : StringComparison.Ordinal));
         Assert.Equal("pr-17115", brewRow.Channel);
-        Assert.Equal("brew", brewRow.Route);
+        Assert.Equal("brew", brewRow.Source);
         Assert.Equal("13.4.0-pr.17115.gcd700928", brewRow.Version);
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_BrewRoute_LeavesChannelNullForStableVersion()
+    public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_BrewSource_LeavesChannelNullForStableVersion()
     {
         // Same shape as the previous test, but with a non-PR version. The
         // version-based derivation must return null (we can't recover the
@@ -490,7 +490,7 @@ public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_BrewRoute_LeavesChannelNullForStableVersion()
         var brewRow = results.Single(r =>
             string.Equals(r.CanonicalPath, binary, OperatingSystem.IsWindows() ? StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase : StringComparison.Ordinal));
         Assert.Null(brewRow.Channel);
-        Assert.Equal("brew", brewRow.Route);
+        Assert.Equal("brew", brewRow.Source);
     }
 
     [Theory]
@@ -568,7 +568,7 @@ public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_LogsInstallMetadataRejection_AtDebugLevel()
     {
         // When the install metadata check rejects a candidate (no sidecar), the user
         // should see why in --log-level debug output. Without this, an
-        // install that "doesn't show up correctly" in `aspire doctor`
+        // install that "doesn't show up correctly" in `aspire --info`
         // is hard to diagnose.
         using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
         var pathDir = Path.Combine(workspace.WorkspaceRoot.FullName, "no-sidecar-bin");
@@ -700,7 +700,7 @@ public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_UnreadableDotnetToolStore_DoesNotFailDiscover
             Assert.NotEmpty(results);
             Assert.Equal(InstallationInfoStatus.Ok, results[0].Status);
             Assert.DoesNotContain(results, info =>
-                info.Path.StartsWith(toolStore, StringComparison.Ordinal) ||
+                (info.Path?.StartsWith(toolStore, StringComparison.Ordinal) ?? false) ||
                 (info.CanonicalPath?.StartsWith(toolStore, StringComparison.Ordinal) ?? false));
         }
         finally
@@ -763,7 +763,7 @@ public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_HonorsExecutionContextHomeDirectory_WithoutEn
                 Path = binary,
                 Version = "13.4.0",
                 Channel = "stable",
-                Route = "script",
+                Source = "script",
                 Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
             }),
         });
@@ -793,7 +793,7 @@ public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_UsesAspireHomeDirectoryForPortableInstallPref
                 Path = binary,
                 Version = "13.4.0",
                 Channel = "local",
-                Route = "localhive",
+                Source = "localhive",
                 Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
             }),
         });
@@ -861,7 +861,7 @@ public async Task DiscoverAllAsync_OnMacOS_DedupsSelfAgainstPathHit_AcrossFirmli
                 CanonicalPath = binary,
                 Version = "test-version",
                 Channel = "pr-99999",
-                Route = "pr",
+                Source = "pr",
                 Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
             }),
         });
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/PeerInstallProbeTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/PeerInstallProbeTests.cs
index 8929dae096a..d41d54c8b62 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/PeerInstallProbeTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/PeerInstallProbeTests.cs
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ namespace Aspire.Cli.Tests.Acquisition;
 /// </summary>
 public class PeerInstallProbeTests(ITestOutputHelper outputHelper) : IDisposable
 {
-    // Route internal probe diagnostics (LogDebug for "JSON without an
+    // Forward internal probe diagnostics (LogDebug for "JSON without an
     // installation row", "invalid JSON", etc.) into the xunit test output
     // so a failure log tells us why the probe took whichever code path it
     // took. Keep the factory alive for the lifetime of the test class so
@@ -74,10 +74,10 @@ public async Task ProbeAsync_BinaryNotFound_ReturnsFailed()
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public async Task ProbeAsync_InvokesPeerWithDoctorSelfFormatJson()
+    public async Task ProbeAsync_InvokesPeerWithInfoSelfFormatJson()
     {
         // The peer must be asked to describe ONLY itself. Without --self,
-        // `aspire doctor` would run full installation discovery and the peer would
+        // `aspire --info` would run full installation discovery and the peer would
         // recursively probe back into us — and into every other peer it
         // finds — turning a single discovery invocation into a fan-out bounded
         // only by the per-level timeout. `--format json` selects the
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ public async Task ProbeAsync_InvokesPeerWithDoctorSelfFormatJson()
         Assert.NotNull(fakePeer.ArgvFile);
         Assert.True(File.Exists(fakePeer.ArgvFile), $"Expected argv recorder file at {fakePeer.ArgvFile} to exist.");
         var argv = await File.ReadAllLinesAsync(fakePeer.ArgvFile, TestContext.Current.CancellationToken);
-        Assert.Equal(["doctor", "--self", "--format", "json"], argv);
+        Assert.Equal(["--info", "--self", "--format", "json"], argv);
     }
 
     [Fact]
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ public async Task ProbeAsync_PeerEmitsValidJsonArray_ReturnsOk()
                           "path": "/peer/aspire",
                           "version": "12.5.0",
                           "channel": "stable",
-                          "route": "script",
+                          "source": "script",
                           "pathStatus": "shadowed",
                           "status": "ok"
                         }
@@ -124,10 +124,43 @@ public async Task ProbeAsync_PeerEmitsValidJsonArray_ReturnsOk()
         var ok = AssertProbeOk(result);
         Assert.Equal("12.5.0", ok.Info.Version);
         Assert.Equal("stable", ok.Info.Channel);
-        Assert.Equal("script", ok.Info.Route);
+        Assert.Equal("script", ok.Info.Source);
         Assert.Equal(InstallationPathStatus.Shadowed, ok.Info.PathStatus);
     }
 
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task ProbeAsync_PeerEmitsBareInstallationArray_ReturnsOk()
+    {
+        // `aspire --info --self --format json` writes a bare array of
+        // InstallationInfo rows (see src/Aspire.Cli/Commands/InfoOptionAction.cs).
+        // The probe must accept that shape — not only the wrapped object form —
+        // so it stays compatible with new peers.
+        using var fakePeer = FakePeerScript.Build(
+            outputHelper,
+            stdout: """
+                    [
+                      {
+                        "path": "/peer/aspire",
+                        "version": "13.0.0",
+                        "channel": "pr-17400",
+                        "source": "pr",
+                        "pathStatus": "active",
+                        "status": "ok"
+                      }
+                    ]
+                    """,
+            exitCode: 0);
+
+        var probe = CreateProbeWithGenerousTimeout();
+        var result = await probe.ProbeAsync(fakePeer.Path, TestContext.Current.CancellationToken);
+
+        var ok = AssertProbeOk(result);
+        Assert.Equal("13.0.0", ok.Info.Version);
+        Assert.Equal("pr-17400", ok.Info.Channel);
+        Assert.Equal("pr", ok.Info.Source);
+        Assert.Equal(InstallationPathStatus.Active, ok.Info.PathStatus);
+    }
+
     [Fact]
     public async Task ProbeAsync_PeerOmitsPathStatus_DefaultsToNotOnPath()
     {
@@ -178,7 +211,7 @@ public async Task ProbeAsync_PeerEmitsInvalidPathStatus_DefaultsToNotOnPath()
     [Fact]
     public async Task ProbeAsync_PeerExitsNonZero_ReturnsFailedWhenVersionAlsoFails()
     {
-        // doctor path scripted to exit 7; --version not supported by this
+        // --info path scripted to exit 7; --version not supported by this
         // script (the default EmitExit body) → fallback path also fails
         // and the user sees the failure.
         using var fakePeer = FakePeerScript.Build(outputHelper, stdout: "{}", exitCode: 7);
@@ -262,8 +295,8 @@ public async Task ProbeAsync_PeerExitsNonZero_FallsBackToVersionAndReturnsPartia
 
         var ok = AssertProbeOk(result);
         Assert.Equal("13.4.0-pr.16817.g790d6fa3", ok.Info.Version);
-        // Fallback can't read route or channel from the older peer; the
-        // discovery layer overlays the route from the local sidecar.
+        // Fallback can't read source or channel from the older peer; the
+        // discovery layer overlays the source from the local sidecar.
         Assert.Null(ok.Info.Channel);
     }
 
@@ -290,7 +323,7 @@ public async Task ProbeAsync_BothInfoAndVersionFail_ReturnsFailed()
     [Fact]
     public async Task ProbeAsync_PeerEmitsEmptyArray_FallsBackToVersion()
     {
-        // Empty rich output is treated as "doctor didn't tell us anything useful"
+        // Empty rich output is treated as "--info didn't tell us anything useful"
         // and triggers the --version fallback. With no version response
         // scripted either, the overall probe fails.
         using var fakePeer = FakePeerScript.BuildDoctorOrVersion(
@@ -309,7 +342,7 @@ public async Task ProbeAsync_PeerEmitsEmptyArray_FallsBackToVersion()
     [Fact]
     public async Task ProbeAsync_PeerEmitsInvalidJson_FallsBackToVersion()
     {
-        // Invalid JSON on the doctor path is treated as a peer failure mode
+        // Invalid JSON on the --info path is treated as a peer failure mode
         // where the command emits help / error text, and triggers the
         // --version fallback.
         using var fakePeer = FakePeerScript.BuildDoctorOrVersion(
@@ -464,7 +497,7 @@ internal static class FakePeerScript
     /// Produces a script that writes <paramref name="stdout"/> verbatim
     /// and exits with <paramref name="exitCode"/>. The script dispatches on
     /// its first argument, so it works with both the probe's
-    /// <c>doctor --self --format json</c> invocation and the <c>--version</c>
+    /// <c>--info --self --format json</c> invocation and the <c>--version</c>
     /// fallback.
     /// </summary>
     internal static FakeScriptResult Build(ITestOutputHelper outputHelper, string stdout, int exitCode)
@@ -478,7 +511,7 @@ internal static FakeScriptResult Build(ITestOutputHelper outputHelper, string st
     }
 
     /// <summary>
-    /// Builds a script that responds differently to <c>doctor</c> vs
+    /// Builds a script that responds differently to <c>--info</c> vs
     /// <c>--version</c> arguments so PeerInstallProbeTests can exercise
     /// the rich-probe → version fallback path.
     /// </summary>
@@ -598,14 +631,14 @@ private sealed record EmitExit(string Stdout, string Stderr, int ExitCode) : Scr
         public override string RenderShell()
         {
             // The script behaves differently based on its first arg:
-            // - "doctor" → emit the scripted stdout and exit with the scripted code
+            // - "--info" → emit the scripted stdout and exit with the scripted code
             // - anything else (e.g. "--version") → emit nothing and exit 127
             // This lets PeerInstallProbeTests isolate the "rich probe failed"
             // case without the fallback `--version` accidentally succeeding
             // by virtue of the script ignoring its args.
             return $"""
                     #!/bin/sh
-                    if [ "$1" != "doctor" ]; then
+                    if [ "$1" != "--info" ]; then
                       exit 127
                     fi
                     cat <<'__ASPIRE_PEER_EOF__'
@@ -621,7 +654,7 @@ public override string RenderBatch()
             var lines = Stdout.Split('\n');
             var sb = new System.Text.StringBuilder();
             sb.AppendLine("@echo off");
-            sb.AppendLine("if not \"%~1\" == \"doctor\" exit /b 127");
+            sb.AppendLine("if not \"%~1\" == \"--info\" exit /b 127");
             foreach (var line in lines)
             {
                 sb.Append("echo ").AppendLine(line.TrimEnd('\r'));
@@ -637,7 +670,7 @@ private sealed record StderrRepeatScript(int ByteCount, int ExitCode) : ScriptBo
         public override string RenderShell() =>
             $"""
              #!/bin/sh
-             if [ "$1" != "doctor" ]; then
+             if [ "$1" != "--info" ]; then
                exit 127
              fi
              dd if=/dev/zero bs={ByteCount} count=1 2>/dev/null | LC_ALL=C tr '\000' 'x' 1>&2
@@ -648,7 +681,7 @@ public override string RenderBatch()
         {
             var sb = new StringBuilder();
             sb.AppendLine("@echo off");
-            sb.AppendLine("if not \"%~1\" == \"doctor\" exit /b 127");
+            sb.AppendLine("if not \"%~1\" == \"--info\" exit /b 127");
             sb.AppendLine($"powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command \"[Console]::Error.Write(('x' * {ByteCount}))\"");
             sb.AppendLine($"exit /b {ExitCode}");
             return sb.ToString();
@@ -691,7 +724,7 @@ public override string RenderShell()
         {
             return $"""
                     #!/bin/sh
-                    if [ "$1" = "doctor" ]; then
+                    if [ "$1" = "--info" ]; then
                       cat <<'__ASPIRE_DOCTOR_EOF__'
                     {DoctorStdout}
                     __ASPIRE_DOCTOR_EOF__
@@ -711,7 +744,7 @@ public override string RenderBatch()
         {
             var sb = new System.Text.StringBuilder();
             sb.AppendLine("@echo off");
-            sb.AppendLine("if \"%~1\" == \"doctor\" goto :doctor");
+            sb.AppendLine("if \"%~1\" == \"--info\" goto :doctor");
             sb.AppendLine("if \"%~1\" == \"--version\" goto :version");
             sb.AppendLine("exit /b 127");
             sb.AppendLine(":doctor");
@@ -732,7 +765,7 @@ public override string RenderBatch()
 
     private sealed record ArgvRecorderScript(string ArgvFile) : ScriptBody
     {
-        // Minimal valid doctor JSON: enough for the probe to take the primary
+        // Minimal valid --info JSON: enough for the probe to take the primary
         // path (no fallback to --version), so the recorded argv reflects the
         // first invocation only.
         private const string DoctorJson = """{"checks":[],"summary":{"passed":0,"warnings":0,"failed":0},"installations":[{"path":"/peer/aspire","version":"1.0.0","status":"ok"}]}""";
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/WindowsRegistryReaderTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/WindowsRegistryReaderTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..2196249fca1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/WindowsRegistryReaderTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,264 @@
+// Licensed to the .NET Foundation under one or more agreements.
+// The .NET Foundation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
+
+using System.Runtime.Versioning;
+using Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
+using Microsoft.Win32;
+
+namespace Aspire.Cli.Tests.Acquisition;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Round-trip tests for <see cref="WindowsRegistryReader"/> against a real
+/// <c>HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall</c> hive. Each
+/// test writes a uniquely-named subkey, exercises the reader, and deletes the
+/// subkey in a <c>finally</c>. Crashed leftover subkeys are swept on next run
+/// by <see cref="TestUninstallEntry.SweepStaleEntries"/>.
+/// </summary>
+/// <remarks>
+/// All tests skip on non-Windows hosts via <see cref="Assert.SkipUnless(bool, string?)"/>.
+/// <see cref="SupportedOSPlatformAttribute"/> on each method also keeps the
+/// platform-compat analyzer (CA1416) happy for the <c>Microsoft.Win32</c> calls.
+/// </remarks>
+public class WindowsRegistryReaderTests
+{
+    static WindowsRegistryReaderTests()
+    {
+        // Defense in depth: if a previous test run was killed mid-test (CI
+        // timeout, OS reboot, etc.) the uninstall subkey will still be in HKCU.
+        // Sweep any "Microsoft.Aspire.Tests.*" leftovers before running so a
+        // stray entry can't cause an unrelated test to flake.
+        if (OperatingSystem.IsWindows())
+        {
+            TestUninstallEntry.SweepStaleEntries();
+        }
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    [SupportedOSPlatform("windows")]
+    public void HasWingetAspireUninstallEntry_ReturnsTrue_WhenHkcuEntryMatches()
+    {
+        Assert.SkipUnless(OperatingSystem.IsWindows(), "WindowsRegistryReader is Windows-only.");
+
+        using var binary = new TestTempDirectory();
+        var portableTarget = Path.Combine(binary.Path, "aspire.exe");
+        File.WriteAllBytes(portableTarget, []);
+
+        using var entry = TestUninstallEntry.Create(
+            packageIdentifier: "Microsoft.Aspire",
+            portableTarget: portableTarget);
+
+        var reader = new WindowsRegistryReader();
+        Assert.True(reader.HasWingetAspireUninstallEntry(portableTarget));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    [SupportedOSPlatform("windows")]
+    public void HasWingetAspireUninstallEntry_ReturnsFalse_WhenIdentifierDoesNotMatch()
+    {
+        Assert.SkipUnless(OperatingSystem.IsWindows(), "WindowsRegistryReader is Windows-only.");
+
+        using var binary = new TestTempDirectory();
+        var portableTarget = Path.Combine(binary.Path, "aspire.exe");
+        File.WriteAllBytes(portableTarget, []);
+
+        // Same shape as a real winget Aspire entry except the identifier is wrong.
+        // The reader must not match: it's specifically checking for "Microsoft.Aspire".
+        using var entry = TestUninstallEntry.Create(
+            packageIdentifier: "Microsoft.NotAspire",
+            portableTarget: portableTarget);
+
+        var reader = new WindowsRegistryReader();
+        Assert.False(reader.HasWingetAspireUninstallEntry(portableTarget));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    [SupportedOSPlatform("windows")]
+    public void HasWingetAspireUninstallEntry_ReturnsFalse_WhenPortableTargetMissing()
+    {
+        Assert.SkipUnless(OperatingSystem.IsWindows(), "WindowsRegistryReader is Windows-only.");
+
+        // A real Aspire winget portable install always writes PortableTargetFullPath;
+        // an entry that omits it is malformed and the reader must skip it rather
+        // than match on identifier alone.
+        using var entry = TestUninstallEntry.Create(
+            packageIdentifier: "Microsoft.Aspire",
+            portableTarget: null);
+
+        var reader = new WindowsRegistryReader();
+        Assert.False(reader.HasWingetAspireUninstallEntry(@"C:\anything\aspire.exe"));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    [SupportedOSPlatform("windows")]
+    public void HasWingetAspireUninstallEntry_ReturnsFalse_WhenPortableTargetPointsElsewhere()
+    {
+        Assert.SkipUnless(OperatingSystem.IsWindows(), "WindowsRegistryReader is Windows-only.");
+
+        using var binary = new TestTempDirectory();
+        var registeredTarget = Path.Combine(binary.Path, "aspire.exe");
+        var queriedTarget = Path.Combine(binary.Path, "different.exe");
+
+        using var entry = TestUninstallEntry.Create(
+            packageIdentifier: "Microsoft.Aspire",
+            portableTarget: registeredTarget);
+
+        var reader = new WindowsRegistryReader();
+        Assert.False(reader.HasWingetAspireUninstallEntry(queriedTarget));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    [SupportedOSPlatform("windows")]
+    public void HasWingetAspireUninstallEntry_MatchesPathCaseInsensitively()
+    {
+        Assert.SkipUnless(OperatingSystem.IsWindows(), "WindowsRegistryReader is Windows-only.");
+
+        // Windows filesystem paths are case-insensitive on NTFS by default. The
+        // reader documents OrdinalIgnoreCase comparison; this test pins that.
+        using var binary = new TestTempDirectory();
+        var registeredTarget = Path.Combine(binary.Path, "aspire.exe").ToLowerInvariant();
+        var queriedTarget = registeredTarget.ToUpperInvariant();
+
+        using var entry = TestUninstallEntry.Create(
+            packageIdentifier: "Microsoft.Aspire",
+            portableTarget: registeredTarget);
+
+        var reader = new WindowsRegistryReader();
+        Assert.True(reader.HasWingetAspireUninstallEntry(queriedTarget));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    [SupportedOSPlatform("windows")]
+    public void HasWingetAspireUninstallEntry_ReturnsFalse_ForEmptyProcessPath()
+    {
+        Assert.SkipUnless(OperatingSystem.IsWindows(), "WindowsRegistryReader is Windows-only.");
+
+        var reader = new WindowsRegistryReader();
+        Assert.False(reader.HasWingetAspireUninstallEntry(string.Empty));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    [SupportedOSPlatform("windows")]
+    public void HasWingetAspireUninstallEntry_IgnoresUnrelatedEntries()
+    {
+        Assert.SkipUnless(OperatingSystem.IsWindows(), "WindowsRegistryReader is Windows-only.");
+
+        // Surrounding the matching entry with unrelated identifier+target rows
+        // (mimicking the noisy real-world Uninstall hive) must not change the
+        // result. Both arms of the iterator are exercised: skip-on-identifier
+        // and skip-on-missing-target.
+        using var binary = new TestTempDirectory();
+        var portableTarget = Path.Combine(binary.Path, "aspire.exe");
+        File.WriteAllBytes(portableTarget, []);
+
+        using var unrelated1 = TestUninstallEntry.Create(
+            packageIdentifier: "Some.Other.Package",
+            portableTarget: portableTarget);
+        using var unrelated2 = TestUninstallEntry.Create(
+            packageIdentifier: "Microsoft.Aspire",
+            portableTarget: null);
+        using var matching = TestUninstallEntry.Create(
+            packageIdentifier: "Microsoft.Aspire",
+            portableTarget: portableTarget);
+
+        var reader = new WindowsRegistryReader();
+        Assert.True(reader.HasWingetAspireUninstallEntry(portableTarget));
+    }
+}
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Creates a fake winget portable uninstall entry under
+/// <c>HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall</c> with a
+/// unique <c>Microsoft.Aspire.Tests.&lt;guid&gt;</c> subkey name, and deletes
+/// it on dispose. Static <see cref="SweepStaleEntries"/> removes any leftovers
+/// from crashed test runs so a stale entry can never affect a fresh run.
+/// </summary>
+file sealed class TestUninstallEntry : IDisposable
+{
+    private const string UninstallPath = @"Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall";
+    // Distinctive prefix so leftover entries can be swept without affecting
+    // unrelated keys under Uninstall.
+    private const string TestSubKeyPrefix = "Microsoft.Aspire.Tests.";
+
+    private readonly string _subKeyName;
+
+    private TestUninstallEntry(string subKeyName)
+    {
+        _subKeyName = subKeyName;
+    }
+
+    [SupportedOSPlatform("windows")]
+    public static TestUninstallEntry Create(string packageIdentifier, string? portableTarget)
+    {
+        var subKeyName = TestSubKeyPrefix + Guid.NewGuid().ToString("N");
+
+        using var uninstall = Registry.CurrentUser.CreateSubKey(UninstallPath, writable: true)
+            ?? throw new InvalidOperationException($"Could not open or create HKCU\\{UninstallPath}.");
+        using var entry = uninstall.CreateSubKey(subKeyName, writable: true)
+            ?? throw new InvalidOperationException($"Could not create HKCU\\{UninstallPath}\\{subKeyName}.");
+
+        entry.SetValue("WinGetPackageIdentifier", packageIdentifier, RegistryValueKind.String);
+        if (portableTarget is not null)
+        {
+            entry.SetValue("PortableTargetFullPath", portableTarget, RegistryValueKind.String);
+        }
+
+        return new TestUninstallEntry(subKeyName);
+    }
+
+    public void Dispose()
+    {
+        if (!OperatingSystem.IsWindows())
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        TryDeleteSubKey(_subKeyName);
+    }
+
+    [SupportedOSPlatform("windows")]
+    public static void SweepStaleEntries()
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            using var uninstall = Registry.CurrentUser.OpenSubKey(UninstallPath, writable: true);
+            if (uninstall is null)
+            {
+                return;
+            }
+
+            foreach (var name in uninstall.GetSubKeyNames())
+            {
+                if (name.StartsWith(TestSubKeyPrefix, StringComparison.Ordinal))
+                {
+                    try
+                    {
+                        uninstall.DeleteSubKeyTree(name, throwOnMissingSubKey: false);
+                    }
+                    catch
+                    {
+                        // Best-effort sweep; tolerate per-entry deletion failure.
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        catch
+        {
+            // Best-effort sweep; tolerate the open failing entirely.
+        }
+    }
+
+    [SupportedOSPlatform("windows")]
+    private static void TryDeleteSubKey(string subKeyName)
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            using var uninstall = Registry.CurrentUser.OpenSubKey(UninstallPath, writable: true);
+            uninstall?.DeleteSubKeyTree(subKeyName, throwOnMissingSubKey: false);
+        }
+        catch
+        {
+            // Best-effort cleanup; stale entries are swept by the static
+            // constructor on the next run.
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/WingetRegistryProbeTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/WingetRegistryProbeTests.cs
deleted file mode 100644
index 1960adcb42b..00000000000
--- a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/WingetRegistryProbeTests.cs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,105 +0,0 @@
-// Licensed to the .NET Foundation under one or more agreements.
-// The .NET Foundation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
-
-using System.Collections.Concurrent;
-using System.Text.Json;
-using Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
-using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging.Abstractions;
-
-namespace Aspire.Cli.Tests.Acquisition;
-
-public class WingetRegistryProbeTests
-{
-    private const string SidecarFileName = ".aspire-install.json";
-
-    [Theory]
-    [InlineData(true, true)]
-    [InlineData(false, false)]
-    public void Run_WritesSidecarOnlyWhenRegistryClaimsAspire(bool registryClaim, bool expectSidecar)
-    {
-        using var workspace = new TestTempDirectory();
-        var probe = new WingetFirstRunProbe(new FakeWindowsRegistryReader(claim: registryClaim), NullLogger<WingetFirstRunProbe>.Instance);
-
-        probe.Run(workspace.Path);
-
-        var sidecarPath = Path.Combine(workspace.Path, SidecarFileName);
-        Assert.Equal(expectSidecar, File.Exists(sidecarPath));
-
-        if (expectSidecar)
-        {
-            using var doc = JsonDocument.Parse(File.ReadAllBytes(sidecarPath));
-            Assert.Equal(JsonValueKind.Object, doc.RootElement.ValueKind);
-            Assert.Equal("winget", doc.RootElement.GetProperty("source").GetString());
-        }
-        else
-        {
-            Assert.Empty(Directory.GetFiles(workspace.Path));
-        }
-    }
-
-    [Fact]
-    public void Run_IsIdempotent_OnSecondRun()
-    {
-        using var workspace = new TestTempDirectory();
-        var sidecarPath = Path.Combine(workspace.Path, SidecarFileName);
-        // Pre-seed with a distinctive payload no real producer would write.
-        // The probe's contract is "do not touch an existing sidecar"; if it
-        // ever rewrites unconditionally, this distinctive payload would be
-        // overwritten with the probe's canonical {"source":"winget"} content
-        // and the assertion below would fail — independent of any filesystem
-        // timestamp resolution.
-        const string preSeededContent = "{\"source\":\"winget-pre-seeded\"}";
-        File.WriteAllText(sidecarPath, preSeededContent);
-
-        // Even with the registry asserting winget, an existing sidecar must
-        // not be touched.
-        var probe = new WingetFirstRunProbe(new FakeWindowsRegistryReader(claim: true), NullLogger<WingetFirstRunProbe>.Instance);
-        probe.Run(workspace.Path);
-
-        Assert.Equal(preSeededContent, File.ReadAllText(sidecarPath));
-    }
-
-    [Fact]
-    public async Task Run_ConcurrentInvocations_ProduceSingleValidSidecar()
-    {
-        using var workspace = new TestTempDirectory();
-        var probe = new WingetFirstRunProbe(new FakeWindowsRegistryReader(claim: true), NullLogger<WingetFirstRunProbe>.Instance);
-        var errors = new ConcurrentBag<Exception>();
-
-        var tasks = new Task[16];
-        for (var i = 0; i < tasks.Length; i++)
-        {
-            tasks[i] = Task.Run(() =>
-            {
-                try
-                {
-                    probe.Run(workspace.Path);
-                }
-                catch (Exception ex)
-                {
-                    errors.Add(ex);
-                }
-            });
-        }
-
-        await Task.WhenAll(tasks);
-
-        Assert.Empty(errors);
-
-        var sidecarPath = Path.Combine(workspace.Path, SidecarFileName);
-        Assert.True(File.Exists(sidecarPath));
-
-        // Race losers must clean up their temp files.
-        var leftovers = Directory.GetFiles(workspace.Path, $"{SidecarFileName}.*.tmp");
-        Assert.Empty(leftovers);
-
-        using var doc = JsonDocument.Parse(File.ReadAllBytes(sidecarPath));
-        Assert.Equal(JsonValueKind.Object, doc.RootElement.ValueKind);
-        Assert.Equal("winget", doc.RootElement.GetProperty("source").GetString());
-    }
-}
-
-file sealed class FakeWindowsRegistryReader(bool claim) : IWindowsRegistryReader
-{
-    public bool HasWingetAspireUninstallEntry(string processPath) => claim;
-}
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/WingetSidecarBackfillStartupTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/WingetSidecarBackfillStartupTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c9c60ace96c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/WingetSidecarBackfillStartupTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+// Licensed to the .NET Foundation under one or more agreements.
+// The .NET Foundation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
+
+using Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
+using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
+using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
+using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging.Abstractions;
+
+namespace Aspire.Cli.Tests.Acquisition;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Tests the startup-time invocation contract for <see cref="WingetSidecarBackfill"/>.
+/// </summary>
+/// <remarks>
+/// <para>
+/// The back-fill is fired exactly once from <see cref="Program.TryEnsureWingetSidecar(IServiceProvider)"/>,
+/// which is itself called from the <c>CliExecutionContext</c> DI singleton factory in
+/// <c>Program.BuildApplicationAsync</c>. The "factory invokes this helper" claim is a one-line
+/// code-review check at the factory body; the helper's own contract (resolves the back-fill from
+/// DI, derives the binary directory from the supplied process path, swallows failures, and threads
+/// the same process path through to the registry probe) is what is pinned here.
+/// </para>
+/// <para>
+/// Tests use the two-arg test-seam overload (<see cref="Program.TryEnsureWingetSidecar(IServiceProvider, string?)"/>)
+/// with a fake binary under a per-test temp directory so the sidecar write never touches the
+/// testhost binary directory. That keeps these tests race-free against any other test in the
+/// suite that resolves <c>CliExecutionContext</c> via <c>Program.BuildApplicationAsync</c> on
+/// Windows (e.g. <c>CliBootstrapTests</c>), which would otherwise pre-populate the testhost
+/// binary directory's sidecar via the production singleton factory.
+/// </para>
+/// </remarks>
+public class WingetSidecarBackfillStartupTests
+{
+    [Fact]
+    public void TryEnsureWingetSidecar_InvokesBackfillAgainstSuppliedProcessPath()
+    {
+        Assert.SkipUnless(OperatingSystem.IsWindows(), "WingetSidecarBackfill is a Windows-only back-fill; off Windows it early-returns before resolving DI.");
+
+        using var workspace = new TestTempDirectory();
+        var fakeBinaryPath = Path.Combine(workspace.Path, "aspire.exe");
+
+        var registry = new CapturingWindowsRegistryReader();
+        using var provider = BuildMinimalProvider(registry);
+
+        Program.TryEnsureWingetSidecar(provider, fakeBinaryPath);
+
+        // The back-fill reached the registry-check arm exactly once, which means it
+        // resolved WingetSidecarBackfill from DI, derived the binary directory from
+        // the supplied process path, found no pre-existing sidecar, and queried our
+        // capturing reader for ARP membership using the same process path. Returning
+        // false from the reader means the back-fill wrote the negative-result
+        // sentinel (`{"backfilled":true}`) into the temp workspace; TestTempDirectory
+        // cleans it up on dispose so nothing leaks into the testhost binary directory.
+        Assert.Equal(1, registry.CallCount);
+        Assert.Equal(fakeBinaryPath, registry.LastProcessPath);
+
+        var sidecarPath = Path.Combine(workspace.Path, InstallSidecarReader.SidecarFileName);
+        Assert.True(File.Exists(sidecarPath), $"Expected sidecar at '{sidecarPath}' after back-fill.");
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void TryEnsureWingetSidecar_SwallowsRegistryReaderException()
+    {
+        Assert.SkipUnless(OperatingSystem.IsWindows(), "WingetSidecarBackfill is a Windows-only back-fill; off Windows it early-returns before consulting the registry reader, so a throwing reader is unreachable.");
+
+        using var workspace = new TestTempDirectory();
+        var fakeBinaryPath = Path.Combine(workspace.Path, "aspire.exe");
+
+        using var provider = BuildMinimalProvider(new ThrowingWindowsRegistryReader());
+
+        // No exception must escape: a registry probe failure during CLI startup
+        // is logged and treated as "not a winget install for this run", not a
+        // fatal error that prevents the CLI from launching.
+        var ex = Record.Exception(() => Program.TryEnsureWingetSidecar(provider, fakeBinaryPath));
+        Assert.Null(ex);
+    }
+
+    private static ServiceProvider BuildMinimalProvider(IWindowsRegistryReader registry)
+    {
+        var services = new ServiceCollection();
+        services.AddSingleton(registry);
+        // WingetSidecarBackfill's constructor takes ILogger<WingetSidecarBackfill>, so the
+        // registration must be against the interface — registering the concrete
+        // NullLogger<T> alone would leave DI unable to resolve the ctor parameter,
+        // and the outer try/catch in TryEnsureWingetSidecar would silently swallow
+        // the resolution failure instead of reaching the registry probe.
+        services.AddSingleton<ILogger<WingetSidecarBackfill>>(NullLogger<WingetSidecarBackfill>.Instance);
+        services.AddSingleton<WingetSidecarBackfill>();
+        return services.BuildServiceProvider();
+    }
+}
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Captures every <see cref="HasWingetAspireUninstallEntry"/> call and always
+/// reports the WinGet Add/Remove Programs entry is missing. Returning
+/// <see langword="false"/> drives the back-fill down the negative-result arm,
+/// which writes the <c>{"backfilled":true}</c> sentinel to the supplied
+/// binary directory.
+/// </summary>
+file sealed class CapturingWindowsRegistryReader : IWindowsRegistryReader
+{
+    private int _callCount;
+    public int CallCount => Volatile.Read(ref _callCount);
+    public string? LastProcessPath { get; private set; }
+
+    public bool HasWingetAspireUninstallEntry(string processPath)
+    {
+        Interlocked.Increment(ref _callCount);
+        LastProcessPath = processPath;
+        return false;
+    }
+}
+
+file sealed class ThrowingWindowsRegistryReader : IWindowsRegistryReader
+{
+    public bool HasWingetAspireUninstallEntry(string processPath)
+        => throw new InvalidOperationException("Simulated registry probe failure for test.");
+}
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/WingetSidecarBackfillTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/WingetSidecarBackfillTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..957c3de7230
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Acquisition/WingetSidecarBackfillTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,216 @@
+// Licensed to the .NET Foundation under one or more agreements.
+// The .NET Foundation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
+
+using System.Collections.Concurrent;
+using System.Text.Json;
+using Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
+using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging.Abstractions;
+
+namespace Aspire.Cli.Tests.Acquisition;
+
+public class WingetSidecarBackfillTests
+{
+    private const string SidecarFileName = ".aspire-install.json";
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void EnsureSidecar_WritesWingetSidecar_WhenRegistryClaimsWinget()
+    {
+        Assert.SkipUnless(OperatingSystem.IsWindows(), "WingetSidecarBackfill is Windows-only.");
+
+        using var workspace = new TestTempDirectory();
+        var backfill = new WingetSidecarBackfill(new FakeWindowsRegistryReader(claim: true), NullLogger<WingetSidecarBackfill>.Instance);
+
+        backfill.EnsureSidecar(workspace.Path);
+
+        var sidecarPath = Path.Combine(workspace.Path, SidecarFileName);
+        Assert.True(File.Exists(sidecarPath));
+        using var doc = JsonDocument.Parse(File.ReadAllBytes(sidecarPath));
+        Assert.Equal(JsonValueKind.Object, doc.RootElement.ValueKind);
+        Assert.Equal("winget", doc.RootElement.GetProperty("source").GetString());
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void EnsureSidecar_WritesBackfilledSentinel_WhenRegistryDoesNotClaimWinget()
+    {
+        Assert.SkipUnless(OperatingSystem.IsWindows(), "WingetSidecarBackfill is Windows-only.");
+
+        using var workspace = new TestTempDirectory();
+        var backfill = new WingetSidecarBackfill(new FakeWindowsRegistryReader(claim: false), NullLogger<WingetSidecarBackfill>.Instance);
+
+        backfill.EnsureSidecar(workspace.Path);
+
+        // The sentinel is the cost-reduction half of the back-fill: writing it
+        // is what makes the next EnsureSidecar call short-circuit instead of
+        // walking HKCU and HKLM Uninstall hives again.
+        var sidecarPath = Path.Combine(workspace.Path, SidecarFileName);
+        Assert.True(File.Exists(sidecarPath));
+        using var doc = JsonDocument.Parse(File.ReadAllBytes(sidecarPath));
+        Assert.Equal(JsonValueKind.Object, doc.RootElement.ValueKind);
+        Assert.True(doc.RootElement.GetProperty("backfilled").GetBoolean());
+        // Intentionally no "source" field — InstallSidecarReader treats the
+        // sentinel as Unknown source, wire-identical to a missing sidecar from
+        // downstream consumers' perspective.
+        Assert.False(doc.RootElement.TryGetProperty("source", out _));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void EnsureSidecar_SkipsRegistryWalk_WhenSidecarExists()
+    {
+        Assert.SkipUnless(OperatingSystem.IsWindows(), "WingetSidecarBackfill is Windows-only.");
+
+        // This is the central cost-reduction guarantee: once the sidecar exists
+        // (real or backfilled sentinel), EnsureSidecar must NOT consult the
+        // registry reader. The counting fake fails the test if it's invoked.
+        using var workspace = new TestTempDirectory();
+        var sidecarPath = Path.Combine(workspace.Path, SidecarFileName);
+        File.WriteAllText(sidecarPath, "{\"backfilled\":true}");
+
+        var registry = new CountingFakeWindowsRegistryReader(claim: true);
+        var backfill = new WingetSidecarBackfill(registry, NullLogger<WingetSidecarBackfill>.Instance);
+
+        backfill.EnsureSidecar(workspace.Path);
+
+        Assert.Equal(0, registry.CallCount);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void EnsureSidecar_DoesNotOverwriteExistingSidecar()
+    {
+        Assert.SkipUnless(OperatingSystem.IsWindows(), "WingetSidecarBackfill is Windows-only.");
+
+        using var workspace = new TestTempDirectory();
+        var sidecarPath = Path.Combine(workspace.Path, SidecarFileName);
+        // Pre-seed with a distinctive payload no real producer would write.
+        // The back-fill's contract is "do not touch an existing sidecar"; if it
+        // ever rewrites unconditionally, this distinctive payload would be
+        // overwritten with the canonical {"source":"winget"} content and the
+        // assertion below would fail — independent of any filesystem timestamp
+        // resolution.
+        const string preSeededContent = "{\"source\":\"winget-pre-seeded\"}";
+        File.WriteAllText(sidecarPath, preSeededContent);
+
+        // Even with the registry asserting winget, an existing sidecar must
+        // not be touched.
+        var backfill = new WingetSidecarBackfill(new FakeWindowsRegistryReader(claim: true), NullLogger<WingetSidecarBackfill>.Instance);
+        backfill.EnsureSidecar(workspace.Path);
+
+        Assert.Equal(preSeededContent, File.ReadAllText(sidecarPath));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void EnsureSidecar_DoesNotPromoteBackfilledSentinel_OnLaterWingetRun()
+    {
+        Assert.SkipUnless(OperatingSystem.IsWindows(), "WingetSidecarBackfill is Windows-only.");
+
+        // Specific aspect of the "never overwrite" rule: a later run that
+        // would have written the positive payload still respects the sentinel
+        // from an earlier negative run. If a user really did install via winget
+        // after a prior probed-negative run, they pay one row of `source:null`
+        // in `aspire --info` until they reinstall or delete the sentinel — a
+        // bounded UX cost in exchange for not re-walking the registry every
+        // startup.
+        using var workspace = new TestTempDirectory();
+        var sidecarPath = Path.Combine(workspace.Path, SidecarFileName);
+        const string sentinelContent = "{\"backfilled\":true}";
+        File.WriteAllText(sidecarPath, sentinelContent);
+
+        var backfill = new WingetSidecarBackfill(new FakeWindowsRegistryReader(claim: true), NullLogger<WingetSidecarBackfill>.Instance);
+        backfill.EnsureSidecar(workspace.Path);
+
+        Assert.Equal(sentinelContent, File.ReadAllText(sidecarPath));
+    }
+
+    [Theory]
+    [InlineData(true, "winget")]
+    [InlineData(false, null)]
+    public async Task EnsureSidecar_ConcurrentInvocations_ProduceSingleValidSidecar(bool registryClaim, string? expectedSource)
+    {
+        Assert.SkipUnless(OperatingSystem.IsWindows(), "WingetSidecarBackfill is Windows-only.");
+
+        using var workspace = new TestTempDirectory();
+        var backfill = new WingetSidecarBackfill(new FakeWindowsRegistryReader(claim: registryClaim), NullLogger<WingetSidecarBackfill>.Instance);
+        var errors = new ConcurrentBag<Exception>();
+
+        var tasks = new Task[16];
+        for (var i = 0; i < tasks.Length; i++)
+        {
+            tasks[i] = Task.Run(() =>
+            {
+                try
+                {
+                    backfill.EnsureSidecar(workspace.Path);
+                }
+                catch (Exception ex)
+                {
+                    errors.Add(ex);
+                }
+            });
+        }
+
+        await Task.WhenAll(tasks);
+
+        Assert.Empty(errors);
+
+        var sidecarPath = Path.Combine(workspace.Path, SidecarFileName);
+        Assert.True(File.Exists(sidecarPath));
+
+        // Race losers must clean up their temp files.
+        var leftovers = Directory.GetFiles(workspace.Path, $"{SidecarFileName}.*.tmp");
+        Assert.Empty(leftovers);
+
+        using var doc = JsonDocument.Parse(File.ReadAllBytes(sidecarPath));
+        Assert.Equal(JsonValueKind.Object, doc.RootElement.ValueKind);
+        if (expectedSource is null)
+        {
+            Assert.True(doc.RootElement.GetProperty("backfilled").GetBoolean());
+            Assert.False(doc.RootElement.TryGetProperty("source", out _));
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            Assert.Equal(expectedSource, doc.RootElement.GetProperty("source").GetString());
+        }
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void EnsureSidecar_IsNoOp_OnNonWindows()
+    {
+        Assert.SkipWhen(OperatingSystem.IsWindows(), "Test pins the non-Windows no-op contract; on Windows the back-fill writes a sentinel.");
+
+        // The amortization the back-fill exists for (HKCU + HKLM Uninstall hive walk)
+        // is meaningless off Windows, where IWindowsRegistryReader resolves to a
+        // no-op stub. Writing a sentinel anyway would litter the dotnet global-tools
+        // store and other Unix install layouts. The contract pinned here is the
+        // direct counterpart of the IsWindows guard in EnsureSidecar.
+        using var workspace = new TestTempDirectory();
+        var registry = new CountingFakeWindowsRegistryReader(claim: false);
+        var backfill = new WingetSidecarBackfill(registry, NullLogger<WingetSidecarBackfill>.Instance);
+
+        backfill.EnsureSidecar(workspace.Path);
+
+        // No sidecar written and no registry probe attempted: the early-return
+        // must precede both the IO and the registry call.
+        var sidecarPath = Path.Combine(workspace.Path, SidecarFileName);
+        Assert.False(File.Exists(sidecarPath));
+        Assert.Empty(Directory.GetFiles(workspace.Path));
+        Assert.Equal(0, registry.CallCount);
+    }
+}
+
+file sealed class FakeWindowsRegistryReader(bool claim) : IWindowsRegistryReader
+{
+    public bool HasWingetAspireUninstallEntry(string processPath) => claim;
+}
+
+// Counting variant used to assert that the fast path in EnsureSidecar skips
+// the registry walk entirely when a sidecar already exists.
+file sealed class CountingFakeWindowsRegistryReader(bool claim) : IWindowsRegistryReader
+{
+    private int _callCount;
+    public int CallCount => Volatile.Read(ref _callCount);
+
+    public bool HasWingetAspireUninstallEntry(string processPath)
+    {
+        Interlocked.Increment(ref _callCount);
+        return claim;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/BundleServiceComputeDefaultExtractDirTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/BundleServiceComputeDefaultExtractDirTests.cs
index 8c8a7de28b8..be1448c0e0a 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/BundleServiceComputeDefaultExtractDirTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/BundleServiceComputeDefaultExtractDirTests.cs
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ namespace Aspire.Cli.Tests;
 // distribution shape that ships an .aspire-install.json sidecar must land
 // extraction at the install prefix the packager owns so versions/<id>/ stays
 // inside the directory the packager actually manages. These tests construct the
-// real on-disk layout each route produces, then assert the helper picks the
+// real on-disk layout each source produces, then assert the helper picks the
 // directory whose versions/ subdirectory the bundle should populate. They are
 // the regression net against a packager moving the sidecar or the bundle
 // pipeline changing its switch on the sidecar's source field.
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ public class BundleServiceComputeDefaultExtractDirTests
     [InlineData("localhive")] // localhive.{sh,ps1}
     public void ComputeDefaultExtractDir_SharedPrefixSource_ReturnsParentOfBinaryDir(string source)
     {
-        // Both the get-aspire-cli script route and the localhive route lay the
+        // Both the get-aspire-cli script source and the localhive source lay the
         // CLI out at <prefix>/bin/aspire with a colocated .aspire-install.json,
         // so extraction must land at <prefix>/ (parent of the binary's dir) so
         // the eventual versions/<id>/ tree sits next to the bin/ directory
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ public void ComputeDefaultExtractDir_PRSource_ReturnsPRSubprefix()
         // dogfood/pr-<N>/bin subdirectory with its own colocated sidecar. The
         // sidecar value is always source=pr; the per-PR namespace lives in the
         // directory layout. Extraction must land at the dogfood/pr-<N>/ directory
-        // — not the outer install root — to keep stable and PR-route versions/
+        // — not the outer install root — to keep stable and PR-source versions/
         // trees from colliding.
         using var temp = new TestTempDirectory();
         var prDir = Path.Combine(temp.Path, "dogfood", "pr-12345");
@@ -88,13 +88,13 @@ public void ComputeDefaultExtractDir_WingetSource_ReturnsInstallDirectory()
     [Fact]
     public void ComputeDefaultExtractDir_BrewSymlinkSource_ReturnsCellarPrefix_NotSymlinkParent()
     {
-        // Regression net for the brew bug: /opt/homebrew/bin/aspire is a symlink into
+        // Regression net for the homebrew bug: /opt/homebrew/bin/aspire is a symlink into
         // the cellar (e.g. /opt/homebrew/Caskroom/aspire/<version>/aspire) where the
-        // brew cask writes the binary AND .aspire-install.json side-by-side. The helper
+        // homebrew cask writes the binary AND .aspire-install.json side-by-side. The helper
         // follows the symlink before sidecar lookup; extraction must land at the cellar
         // prefix so `brew uninstall aspire` (which wipes that prefix per the cask
         // template) cleans the versions/<id>/ tree too. Using the symlink's parent
-        // (/opt/homebrew/) would leak versions/ outside brew's ownership.
+        // (/opt/homebrew/) would leak versions/ outside homebrew's ownership.
         Assert.SkipUnless(OperatingSystem.IsLinux() || OperatingSystem.IsMacOS(),
             "Symlink resolution test only runs on Linux/macOS where unprivileged symlink creation is reliable.");
 
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Bundles/BundleServiceCrossRouteExtractionTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Bundles/BundleServiceCrossSourceExtractionTests.cs
similarity index 93%
rename from tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Bundles/BundleServiceCrossRouteExtractionTests.cs
rename to tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Bundles/BundleServiceCrossSourceExtractionTests.cs
index 6e039eb43ab..39bfc306038 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Bundles/BundleServiceCrossRouteExtractionTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Bundles/BundleServiceCrossSourceExtractionTests.cs
@@ -8,14 +8,14 @@ namespace Aspire.Cli.Tests.Bundles;
 
 /// <summary>
 /// Verifies <see cref="BundleService.ComputeDefaultExtractDir(string)"/> against
-/// every (source × prefix shape) combination the supported install routes produce.
+/// every (source × prefix shape) combination the supported install sources produce.
 /// The matrix locks in the contract: the reader walks the sidecar's
 /// <c>source</c> field — and nothing else — to decide between
-/// <c>binaryDir</c> (winget / brew / dotnet-tool) and the parent of
+/// <c>binaryDir</c> (winget / homebrew / dotnet-tool) and the parent of
 /// <c>binaryDir</c> (script / pr / localhive). Missing, invalid, or unknown sidecars fall
 /// through to the default Aspire home.
 /// </summary>
-public class BundleServiceCrossRouteExtractionTests
+public class BundleServiceCrossSourceExtractionTests
 {
     private const string DefaultAspireHome = "<default-aspire-home>";
 
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ public class BundleServiceCrossRouteExtractionTests
     // 1) winget canonical: WinGet places the portable binary in a per-package
     //    versioned directory; the bundle payload lives in that same directory.
     [InlineData("winget", "WinGet/Packages/Microsoft.Aspire_Microsoft.Winget.Source_8wekyb3d8bbwe/aspire.exe", "WinGet/Packages/Microsoft.Aspire_Microsoft.Winget.Source_8wekyb3d8bbwe")]
-    // 2) brew canonical: Homebrew cellar with versioned cask directory.
+    // 2) homebrew canonical: Homebrew cellar with versioned cask directory.
     [InlineData("brew", "Caskroom/aspire/13.2.0/aspire", "Caskroom/aspire/13.2.0")]
     // 3) dotnet-tool canonical: dotnet's global-tools shim at ~/.dotnet/tools/aspire
     //    delegates (apphost launch on Windows; symlink follow on Unix) to the
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ public class BundleServiceCrossRouteExtractionTests
     [InlineData("pr", ".aspire/dogfood/pr-16817/bin/aspire", ".aspire/dogfood/pr-16817")]
     // 6) localhive canonical: local dev hive with the same bin layout as script.
     [InlineData("localhive", ".aspire/local/bin/aspire", ".aspire/local")]
-    // 7) Cross-route smuggle case: a brew-source sidecar dropped into a
+    // 7) Cross-source smuggle case: a homebrew-source sidecar dropped into a
     //    script-layout prefix MUST resolve to binaryDir per the switch — the
     //    reader is honest about whatever the producer put on disk. When the
     //    producer side correctly suppresses the smuggled sidecar, this row's
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ public class BundleServiceCrossRouteExtractionTests
     // 11) Sidecar with an unknown source value: switch default arm, same as
     //     missing sidecar — default Aspire home.
     [InlineData("github-actions", ".aspire/bin/aspire", DefaultAspireHome)]
-    public void ComputeDefaultExtractDir_RouteAndPrefixCombinations_ProduceExpectedExtractDir(
+    public void ComputeDefaultExtractDir_SourceAndPrefixCombinations_ProduceExpectedExtractDir(
         string? sourceField,
         string relativeProcessPath,
         string relativeExpectedExtractDir)
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/CliBootstrapTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/CliBootstrapTests.cs
index fee54f57f68..7013e57e18e 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/CliBootstrapTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/CliBootstrapTests.cs
@@ -24,6 +24,13 @@ public class CliBootstrapTests(ITestOutputHelper outputHelper)
 
     private static async Task<IHost> BuildHostAsync()
     {
+        // On Windows, resolving CliExecutionContext through the host built here
+        // fires WingetSidecarBackfill via the singleton factory at Program.cs:350-379,
+        // which writes a `.aspire-install.json` sentinel into the testhost binary
+        // directory. The write is idempotent and harmless to these tests, but any
+        // future test that reads sidecars from `Environment.ProcessPath`'s directory
+        // should expect this side effect — or use a per-test temp directory and the
+        // two-arg test-seam overload of `TryEnsureWingetSidecar`/`EnsureSidecar`.
         var loggingOptions = Program.ParseLoggingOptions([]);
         var errorWriter = new TestStartupErrorWriter();
         var logBufferContext = new ConsoleLogBufferContext();
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Commands/DoctorCommandTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Commands/DoctorCommandTests.cs
index b91cda7c8b5..cf3fdae0289 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Commands/DoctorCommandTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Commands/DoctorCommandTests.cs
@@ -567,7 +567,7 @@ public async Task DoctorCommand_Json_CliVersion_IncludesLatestVersionChannel_Whe
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public async Task DoctorCommand_Json_IncludesDiscoveredInstallations()
+    public async Task DoctorCommand_Json_DoesNotIncludeDiscoveredInstallations()
     {
         using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
         using var doc = await RunDoctorJsonAsync(workspace,
@@ -583,7 +583,7 @@ public async Task DoctorCommand_Json_IncludesDiscoveredInstallations()
                     CanonicalPath = "/home/test/.aspire/bin/aspire",
                     Version = "13.0.0",
                     Channel = "stable",
-                    Route = "script",
+                    Source = "script",
                     PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Active,
                     Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
                 },
@@ -595,99 +595,17 @@ public async Task DoctorCommand_Json_IncludesDiscoveredInstallations()
                         CanonicalPath = "/home/test/.aspire/dogfood/pr-1234/bin/aspire",
                         Version = "13.1.0-preview",
                         Channel = "pr-1234",
-                        Route = "pr",
+                        Source = "pr",
                         PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Shadowed,
                         Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
-                    },
-                ]));
-
-        var installations = doc.RootElement.GetProperty("installations").EnumerateArray().ToArray();
-        Assert.Equal(2, installations.Length);
-
-        var self = installations[0];
-        Assert.Equal("/home/test/.aspire/bin/aspire", self.GetProperty("path").GetString());
-        Assert.Equal("stable", self.GetProperty("channel").GetString());
-        Assert.Equal("script", self.GetProperty("route").GetString());
-        Assert.Equal(InstallationPathStatus.Active, self.GetProperty("pathStatus").GetString());
-
-        var peer = installations[1];
-        Assert.Equal("/home/test/.aspire/dogfood/pr-1234/bin/aspire", peer.GetProperty("path").GetString());
-        Assert.Equal("pr-1234", peer.GetProperty("channel").GetString());
-        Assert.Equal("pr", peer.GetProperty("route").GetString());
-        Assert.Equal(InstallationPathStatus.Shadowed, peer.GetProperty("pathStatus").GetString());
-    }
+                     },
+                 ]));
 
-    [Fact]
-    public async Task DoctorCommand_HumanReadable_Self_RendersOnlyRunningInstallationAndSkipsChecks()
-    {
-        // `doctor --self` is the peer-probe surface. Without --format the
-        // human-readable table is the default; with --format json the
-        // probe gets a machine-readable row. Either way, no environment
-        // checks run and only the running CLI's row is rendered.
-        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
-        var output = new StringWriter();
-        var console = AnsiConsole.Create(new AnsiConsoleSettings
-        {
-            Ansi = AnsiSupport.No,
-            ColorSystem = ColorSystemSupport.NoColors,
-            Interactive = InteractionSupport.No,
-            Out = new AnsiConsoleOutput(output),
-            Enrichment = new ProfileEnrichment { UseDefaultEnrichers = false },
-        });
-        console.Profile.Width = int.MaxValue;
-
-        var services = CreateDoctorVersionServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
-        {
-            options.CliUpdateNotifierFactory = _ => new TestCliUpdateNotifier();
-        });
-        services.RemoveAll<IAnsiConsole>();
-        services.AddSingleton<IAnsiConsole>(console);
-        UseFakeInstallationDiscovery(
-            services,
-            self: new InstallationInfo
-            {
-                Path = "/home/test/.aspire/bin/aspire",
-                CanonicalPath = "/home/test/.aspire/bin/aspire",
-                Version = "13.4.0-pr.17115.gcd700928",
-                Channel = "pr-17115",
-                Route = "brew",
-                PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Active,
-                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
-            },
-            others:
-            [
-                new InstallationInfo
-                {
-                    Path = "/peer/aspire",
-                    CanonicalPath = "/peer/aspire",
-                    Version = "13.1.0-preview",
-                    Channel = "pr-1234",
-                    Route = "pr",
-                    PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Shadowed,
-                    Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
-                },
-            ]);
-
-        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
-        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<Aspire.Cli.Commands.RootCommand>();
-        var result = command.Parse("doctor --self");
-
-        var exitCode = await result.InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
-
-        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, exitCode);
-        var rendered = output.ToString();
-        Assert.Contains("Aspire CLI Installations", rendered, StringComparison.Ordinal);
-        Assert.Contains("13.4.0-pr.17115.gcd700928", rendered, StringComparison.Ordinal);
-        Assert.Contains("pr-17115", rendered, StringComparison.Ordinal);
-        // No environment checks ran, so no Summary line.
-        Assert.DoesNotContain("Summary:", rendered, StringComparison.Ordinal);
-        // No peer rows — --self bounds the output to the running CLI only.
-        Assert.DoesNotContain("/peer/aspire", rendered, StringComparison.Ordinal);
-        Assert.DoesNotContain("pr-1234", rendered, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+        Assert.False(doc.RootElement.TryGetProperty("installations", out _));
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public async Task DoctorCommand_HumanReadable_AppendsInstallationsAfterSummary()
+    public async Task DoctorCommand_HumanReadable_DoesNotAppendInstallationsAfterSummary()
     {
         using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
         var output = new StringWriter();
@@ -715,7 +633,7 @@ public async Task DoctorCommand_HumanReadable_AppendsInstallationsAfterSummary()
                 CanonicalPath = "/home/test/.aspire/bin/aspire",
                 Version = "13.0.0",
                 Channel = "stable",
-                Route = "script",
+                Source = "script",
                 PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Active,
                 Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
             },
@@ -727,7 +645,7 @@ public async Task DoctorCommand_HumanReadable_AppendsInstallationsAfterSummary()
                     CanonicalPath = "/peer/aspire",
                     Version = "13.1.0-preview",
                     Channel = "pr-1234",
-                    Route = "pr",
+                    Source = "pr",
                     PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Shadowed,
                     Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
                 },
@@ -741,107 +659,35 @@ public async Task DoctorCommand_HumanReadable_AppendsInstallationsAfterSummary()
 
         Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, exitCode);
         var rendered = output.ToString();
-        var summaryIndex = rendered.IndexOf("Summary:", StringComparison.Ordinal);
-        var installationsIndex = rendered.IndexOf("Aspire CLI Installations", StringComparison.Ordinal);
-        Assert.True(summaryIndex >= 0, $"Expected doctor summary in output:{Environment.NewLine}{rendered}");
-        Assert.True(installationsIndex > summaryIndex, $"Expected installations after summary in output:{Environment.NewLine}{rendered}");
-        Assert.Contains("/peer/aspire", rendered, StringComparison.Ordinal);
-        Assert.Contains("pr-1234", rendered, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+        Assert.Contains("Summary:", rendered, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+        Assert.DoesNotContain("Aspire CLI Installations", rendered, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+        Assert.DoesNotContain("/peer/aspire", rendered, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+        Assert.DoesNotContain("pr-1234", rendered, StringComparison.Ordinal);
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public async Task DoctorCommand_HumanReadable_EscapesUnknownPathStatus()
+    public void DoctorCommand_InfoCommandIsNotRegistered()
     {
         using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
-        var output = new StringWriter();
-        var console = AnsiConsole.Create(new AnsiConsoleSettings
-        {
-            Ansi = AnsiSupport.No,
-            ColorSystem = ColorSystemSupport.NoColors,
-            Interactive = InteractionSupport.No,
-            Out = new AnsiConsoleOutput(output),
-            Enrichment = new ProfileEnrichment { UseDefaultEnrichers = false },
-        });
-        console.Profile.Width = int.MaxValue;
-
-        // pathStatus is parsed from untrusted peer-probe stdout. A peer
-        // that emits an unrecognized string must not be able to inject
-        // Spectre markup into the parent's rendered table; the default
-        // branch of PathStatusDisplay must EscapeMarkup() the value.
-        var services = CreateDoctorVersionServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
-        {
-            options.CliUpdateNotifierFactory = _ => new TestCliUpdateNotifier();
-        });
-        services.RemoveAll<IAnsiConsole>();
-        services.AddSingleton<IAnsiConsole>(console);
-        UseFakeInstallationDiscovery(
-            services,
-            self: new InstallationInfo
-            {
-                Path = "/home/test/.aspire/bin/aspire",
-                CanonicalPath = "/home/test/.aspire/bin/aspire",
-                Version = "13.0.0",
-                Channel = "stable",
-                Route = "script",
-                PathStatus = "custom[red]status[/]",
-                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
-            });
-
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper);
         using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
-        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<Aspire.Cli.Commands.RootCommand>();
-        var result = command.Parse("doctor");
 
-        var exitCode = await result.InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<Aspire.Cli.Commands.RootCommand>();
 
-        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, exitCode);
-        var rendered = output.ToString();
-        Assert.Contains("custom[red]status[/]", rendered, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+        Assert.DoesNotContain(command.Subcommands, subcommand => subcommand.Name == "info");
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public void DoctorCommand_InfoCommandIsNotRegistered()
+    public void DoctorCommand_Self_IsNotRegistered()
     {
         using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
         var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper);
         using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
 
         var command = provider.GetRequiredService<Aspire.Cli.Commands.RootCommand>();
+        var result = command.Parse("doctor --self --format json");
 
-        Assert.DoesNotContain(command.Subcommands, subcommand => subcommand.Name == "info");
-    }
-
-    [Fact]
-    public async Task DoctorCommand_Json_Self_ReturnsOnlyRunningInstallation()
-    {
-        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
-        using var doc = await RunDoctorJsonAsync(workspace,
-            commandLine: "doctor --self --format json",
-            configureOptions: options =>
-            {
-                options.CliUpdateNotifierFactory = _ => new TestCliUpdateNotifier();
-            },
-            configureServices: services => UseFakeInstallationDiscovery(
-                services,
-                self: new InstallationInfo
-                {
-                    Path = "/usr/local/bin/aspire",
-                    CanonicalPath = "/usr/local/bin/aspire",
-                    Version = "13.0.0",
-                    Channel = "stable",
-                    Route = "script",
-                    PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Active,
-                    Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
-                }));
-
-        Assert.Empty(doc.RootElement.GetProperty("checks").EnumerateArray());
-        var installations = doc.RootElement.GetProperty("installations").EnumerateArray().ToArray();
-        var row = Assert.Single(installations);
-        Assert.Equal("/usr/local/bin/aspire", row.GetProperty("path").GetString());
-        Assert.Equal("13.0.0", row.GetProperty("version").GetString());
-        Assert.Equal("stable", row.GetProperty("channel").GetString());
-        Assert.Equal("script", row.GetProperty("route").GetString());
-        Assert.Equal(InstallationPathStatus.Active, row.GetProperty("pathStatus").GetString());
-        Assert.Equal(InstallationInfoStatus.Ok, row.GetProperty("status").GetString());
+        Assert.NotEmpty(result.Errors);
     }
 
     [Fact]
@@ -863,72 +709,7 @@ public async Task DoctorCommand_Json_WhenInstallDiscoveryFails_StillReturnsDocto
                 discoverAllException: new IOException("PATH lookup failed")));
 
         Assert.NotEmpty(doc.RootElement.GetProperty("checks").EnumerateArray());
-        var row = Assert.Single(doc.RootElement.GetProperty("installations").EnumerateArray());
-        Assert.Equal(InstallationInfoStatus.Failed, row.GetProperty("status").GetString());
-        Assert.Equal("Install discovery failed. See the Aspire CLI logs for details.", row.GetProperty("statusReason").GetString());
-    }
-
-    [Theory]
-    [InlineData(InstallationInfoStatus.Failed, "(probe failed)")]
-    [InlineData(InstallationInfoStatus.NotProbed, "(not probed)")]
-    [InlineData(InstallationInfoStatus.Ok, "(unknown)")]
-    public async Task DoctorCommand_HumanReadable_RendersMissingInstallationValuesBasedOnStatus(string status, string expectedPlaceholder)
-    {
-        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
-        var output = new StringWriter();
-        var console = AnsiConsole.Create(new AnsiConsoleSettings
-        {
-            Ansi = AnsiSupport.No,
-            ColorSystem = ColorSystemSupport.NoColors,
-            Interactive = InteractionSupport.No,
-            Out = new AnsiConsoleOutput(output),
-            Enrichment = new ProfileEnrichment { UseDefaultEnrichers = false },
-        });
-        console.Profile.Width = int.MaxValue;
-
-        var services = CreateDoctorVersionServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
-        {
-            options.CliUpdateNotifierFactory = _ => new TestCliUpdateNotifier();
-        });
-        services.RemoveAll<IAnsiConsole>();
-        services.AddSingleton<IAnsiConsole>(console);
-        UseFakeInstallationDiscovery(
-            services,
-            self: new InstallationInfo
-            {
-                Path = "/home/test/.aspire/bin/aspire",
-                CanonicalPath = "/home/test/.aspire/bin/aspire",
-                Version = "13.0.0",
-                Channel = "stable",
-                Route = "script",
-                PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Active,
-                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
-            },
-            others:
-            [
-                new InstallationInfo
-                {
-                    Path = $"/peer/{status}/aspire",
-                    CanonicalPath = $"/peer/{status}/aspire",
-                    Status = status,
-                },
-            ]);
-        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
-
-        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<Aspire.Cli.Commands.RootCommand>();
-        var result = command.Parse("doctor");
-
-        var exitCode = await result.InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
-        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, exitCode);
-
-        var rendered = output.ToString();
-        Assert.Contains($"/peer/{status}/aspire", rendered, StringComparison.Ordinal);
-        Assert.Contains(expectedPlaceholder, rendered, StringComparison.Ordinal);
-
-        foreach (var otherPlaceholder in new[] { "(probe failed)", "(not probed)", "(unknown)" }.Where(p => p != expectedPlaceholder))
-        {
-            Assert.DoesNotContain(otherPlaceholder, rendered, StringComparison.Ordinal);
-        }
+        Assert.False(doc.RootElement.TryGetProperty("installations", out _));
     }
 
     // Centralizes the scaffolding shared by `doctor --format json` tests:
@@ -992,7 +773,7 @@ private static IServiceCollection CreateDoctorVersionServiceCollection(
                 CanonicalPath = "/test/aspire",
                 Version = "13.0.0",
                 Channel = "stable",
-                Route = "script",
+                Source = "script",
                 PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Active,
                 Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
             });
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Commands/InfoOptionTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Commands/InfoOptionTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..cd8797a37fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Commands/InfoOptionTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,1457 @@
+// Licensed to the .NET Foundation under one or more agreements.
+// The .NET Foundation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
+
+using Aspire.Cli.Acquisition;
+using Aspire.Cli.Commands;
+using Aspire.Cli.Tests.TestServices;
+using Aspire.Cli.Tests.Utils;
+using Microsoft.AspNetCore.InternalTesting;
+using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
+using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection.Extensions;
+using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
+using System.Text.Json.Nodes;
+
+namespace Aspire.Cli.Tests.Commands;
+
+public class InfoOptionTests(ITestOutputHelper outputHelper)
+{
+    [Fact]
+    public void Info_IsInformationalInvocation_SoFirstRunNoticeAndTelemetryAreSuppressed()
+    {
+        // Wired via CommonOptionNames.IsInformationalInvocation so
+        // DisplayFirstTimeUseNoticeIfNeededAsync does not print the banner or
+        // consume the one-shot sentinel and the telemetry manager opts out for
+        // `aspire --info` (the text form is the path not covered by
+        // HasMachineReadableOutputFormat).
+        Assert.True(CommonOptionNames.IsInformationalInvocation([CommonOptionNames.Info]));
+        Assert.True(CommonOptionNames.IsInformationalInvocation(["--info", "--self"]));
+        Assert.True(CommonOptionNames.IsInformationalInvocation(["--info", "--format", "json"]));
+    }
+
+    [Theory]
+    [InlineData("run", "--info")]
+    [InlineData("run", "apphost.csproj", "--info")]
+    [InlineData("new", "--info")]
+    [InlineData("publish", "--info", "--format", "json")]
+    public void Info_OnSubcommand_IsNotInformationalInvocation(params string[] args)
+    {
+        // --info is wired as a root-only non-recursive option on RootCommand
+        // (see Info_OnSubcommand_DoesNotFireInfoAction). A subcommand
+        // invocation that happens to carry `--info` is a real subcommand
+        // invocation, not an info invocation, and must not silently opt out
+        // of telemetry or skip the one-shot first-run sentinel.
+        Assert.False(CommonOptionNames.IsInformationalInvocation(args));
+    }
+
+    [Theory]
+    [InlineData("run", "--help")]
+    [InlineData("run", "-h")]
+    [InlineData("run", "-?")]
+    [InlineData("run", "--version")]
+    [InlineData("publish", "manifest", "--help")]
+    public void RecursiveInformationalFlags_OnSubcommand_RemainInformational(params string[] args)
+    {
+        // Companion to Info_OnSubcommand_IsNotInformationalInvocation: unlike
+        // --info, --help / --version / -h / -? are recursive in
+        // System.CommandLine — they bind at any depth and genuinely turn the
+        // invocation into a help/version action. The gate must keep treating
+        // them as informational anywhere they appear, otherwise we'd start
+        // creating the first-run sentinel for `aspire run --help`.
+        Assert.True(CommonOptionNames.IsInformationalInvocation(args));
+    }
+
+    [Theory]
+    // Each value-taking root option must skip its value token so the value
+    // doesn't get mistaken for a subcommand boundary. Without the skip, the
+    // gate misclassifies `aspire --log-level Debug --info` as a real `Debug`
+    // (subcommand) invocation and sends telemetry + shows the first-run banner
+    // for what is actually a diagnostic dump.
+    [InlineData("--log-level", "Debug", "--info")]
+    [InlineData("-l", "Debug", "--info")]
+    [InlineData("--format", "json", "--info")]
+    [InlineData("--format", "list", "--info")]
+    [InlineData("--capture-profile-output", "/tmp/profile.json", "--info")]
+    [InlineData("--capture-profile-delay", "10", "--info")]
+    // Mixed value-taking options before --info.
+    [InlineData("--log-level", "Debug", "--format", "json", "--info")]
+    // `=`-form values are a single token and don't need the skip. The token
+    // starts with `-` so the scan continues past it without flipping
+    // sawSubcommand; the next `--info` is still detected.
+    [InlineData("--log-level=Debug", "--info")]
+    [InlineData("--format=json", "--info")]
+    public void IsInformationalInvocation_ReturnsTrue_ForInfoAfterRootValueTakingOption(params string[] args)
+    {
+        Assert.True(CommonOptionNames.IsInformationalInvocation(args));
+    }
+
+    [Theory]
+    // Bool root options don't take a value token, so the scan just continues
+    // past them and finds the trailing --info. Sanity coverage so a future
+    // refactor that accidentally promotes a bool option into the
+    // value-taking set (or vice versa) regresses one of these.
+    [InlineData("--debug", "--info")]
+    [InlineData("-d", "--info")]
+    [InlineData("--non-interactive", "--info")]
+    [InlineData("--nologo", "--info")]
+    [InlineData("--banner", "--info")]
+    [InlineData("--debug", "--non-interactive", "--info")]
+    public void IsInformationalInvocation_ReturnsTrue_ForInfoAfterRootBoolOption(params string[] args)
+    {
+        Assert.True(CommonOptionNames.IsInformationalInvocation(args));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void IsInformationalInvocation_ReturnsTrue_ForInfoBeforeSubcommandToken()
+    {
+        // `aspire --info run` still binds --info at root (subcommand routing is
+        // skipped when a root option's action short-circuits, the same way
+        // `aspire --version run` works). The pre-parse gate must mirror that:
+        // --info before the first subcommand token is informational.
+        Assert.True(CommonOptionNames.IsInformationalInvocation(["--info", "run"]));
+    }
+
+    [Theory]
+    // POSIX end-of-options marker: tokens after `--` are positional / forwarded
+    // and cannot trigger CLI actions. Forwarding examples:
+    //   aspire run -- --info     → AppHost receives --info as an arg
+    //   aspire run -- --help     → AppHost receives --help as an arg
+    // Plus the degenerate `aspire -- --info` where there is no subcommand to
+    // own the forwarded args — still not an informational invocation from the
+    // CLI's perspective.
+    [InlineData("--", "--info")]
+    [InlineData("--", "--help")]
+    [InlineData("--", "-h")]
+    [InlineData("--", "--version")]
+    [InlineData("run", "--", "--info")]
+    [InlineData("run", "--", "--help")]
+    [InlineData("run", "apphost.csproj", "--", "--info")]
+    [InlineData("publish", "--", "--info", "--format", "json")]
+    public void IsInformationalInvocation_ReturnsFalse_AfterEndOfOptionsMarker(params string[] args)
+    {
+        Assert.False(CommonOptionNames.IsInformationalInvocation(args));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void IsInformationalInvocation_ReturnsTrue_WhenInfoIsBeforeEndOfOptionsMarker()
+    {
+        // --info comes before `--`, so it still binds at root. The forwarded
+        // tokens that follow don't change the informational classification.
+        Assert.True(CommonOptionNames.IsInformationalInvocation(["--info", "--", "forwarded-arg"]));
+    }
+
+    [Theory]
+    // After the subcommand boundary the value-skipping doesn't matter; --info
+    // is no longer informational regardless of what root options preceded it.
+    [InlineData("--log-level", "Debug", "run", "--info")]
+    [InlineData("--format", "json", "publish", "--info")]
+    [InlineData("--log-level=Debug", "run", "--info")]
+    public void IsInformationalInvocation_ReturnsFalse_WhenInfoFollowsSubcommandEvenAfterRootValueTakingOption(params string[] args)
+    {
+        Assert.False(CommonOptionNames.IsInformationalInvocation(args));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void IsInformationalInvocation_ReturnsFalse_ForEmptyArgs()
+    {
+        // No args means "no command" — System.CommandLine renders grouped help
+        // through a separate code path, and there's nothing here to opt out of
+        // telemetry / banner / sentinel for.
+        Assert.False(CommonOptionNames.IsInformationalInvocation([]));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void IsInformationalInvocation_ReturnsFalse_ForNullArgs()
+    {
+        Assert.False(CommonOptionNames.IsInformationalInvocation(null));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void IsInformationalInvocation_ReturnsFalse_ForValueTakingOptionAtEndOfArgsWithNoInfo()
+    {
+        // `aspire --log-level` is a malformed parse (missing value), but the
+        // gate must still return cleanly: the scan reads "--log-level", sets
+        // skipNext, the loop exits, and we return false because no --info /
+        // --help / --version ever appeared.
+        Assert.False(CommonOptionNames.IsInformationalInvocation(["--log-level"]));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void IsInformationalInvocation_ReturnsFalse_ForBareSubcommand()
+    {
+        Assert.False(CommonOptionNames.IsInformationalInvocation(["run"]));
+        Assert.False(CommonOptionNames.IsInformationalInvocation(["run", "apphost.csproj"]));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void IsInformationalInvocation_ReturnsFalse_WhenValueLooksLikeInfo()
+    {
+        // Pathological: a value-taking option whose value literally is the
+        // string "--info". `aspire --log-level --info` (where --info is the
+        // VALUE for --log-level, not a real option request) — the scan must
+        // not treat the value token as a root --info because skipNext is set.
+        // System.CommandLine would later reject this parse (--info isn't a
+        // valid LogLevel), but the gate has already correctly returned false.
+        Assert.False(CommonOptionNames.IsInformationalInvocation(["--log-level", "--info"]));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void IsInformationalInvocation_ReturnsTrue_ForVersionAtAnyPosition()
+    {
+        // --version is recursive and informational at any depth (before --).
+        Assert.True(CommonOptionNames.IsInformationalInvocation(["--version"]));
+        Assert.True(CommonOptionNames.IsInformationalInvocation(["run", "--version"]));
+        Assert.True(CommonOptionNames.IsInformationalInvocation(["--log-level", "Debug", "--version"]));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Info_Self_Json_ReturnsOnlyRunningInstallationAsArray()
+    {
+        // Cross-version peer-probe contract: PeerInstallProbe.TryParseRichProbeResult
+        // expects a bare array of InstallationInfo, not the wrapped object form.
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var outputWriter = new TestOutputTextWriter(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
+        {
+            options.OutputTextWriter = outputWriter;
+            options.DisableAnsi = true;
+        });
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IInstallationDiscovery>(_ => new FakeInstallationDiscovery(
+            new InstallationInfo
+            {
+                Path = "/usr/local/bin/aspire",
+                CanonicalPath = "/usr/local/bin/aspire",
+                Version = "13.0.0",
+                Channel = "stable",
+                Source = "script",
+                PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Active,
+                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
+            },
+            [
+                new InstallationInfo
+                {
+                    Path = "/peer/aspire",
+                    CanonicalPath = "/peer/aspire",
+                    Version = "13.1.0-preview",
+                    Channel = "pr-1234",
+                    Source = "pr",
+                    PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Shadowed,
+                    Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
+                }
+            ])));
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+        var result = command.Parse("--info --self --format json");
+
+        var exitCode = await result.InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
+
+        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, exitCode);
+        var installations = JsonNode.Parse(string.Join(Environment.NewLine, outputWriter.Logs))!.AsArray();
+        var row = Assert.Single(installations);
+        Assert.Equal("/usr/local/bin/aspire", row!["path"]!.GetValue<string>());
+        Assert.Equal("13.0.0", row["version"]!.GetValue<string>());
+        Assert.Equal("stable", row["channel"]!.GetValue<string>());
+        Assert.Equal("script", row["source"]!.GetValue<string>());
+        Assert.Equal(InstallationPathStatus.Active, row["pathStatus"]!.GetValue<string>());
+        Assert.Equal(InstallationInfoStatus.Ok, row["status"]!.GetValue<string>());
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Info_Self_Text_ReturnsOnlyRunningInstallationWithoutChecks()
+    {
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var outputWriter = new TestOutputTextWriter(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
+        {
+            options.OutputTextWriter = outputWriter;
+            options.DisableAnsi = true;
+        });
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IInstallationDiscovery>(_ => new FakeInstallationDiscovery(
+            new InstallationInfo
+            {
+                Path = "/usr/local/bin/aspire",
+                Version = "13.0.0",
+                Channel = "stable",
+                Source = "script",
+                PathStatus = "custom[red]status[/]",
+                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
+            },
+            [
+                new InstallationInfo
+                {
+                    Path = "/peer/aspire",
+                    Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
+                }
+            ])));
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+        var result = command.Parse("--info --self");
+
+        var exitCode = await result.InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
+
+        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, exitCode);
+        var output = string.Join(Environment.NewLine, outputWriter.Logs);
+        Assert.Contains("/usr/local/bin/aspire", output, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+        Assert.Contains("custom[red]status[/]", output, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+        Assert.DoesNotContain("/peer/aspire", output, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Info_Text_ShowsDiscoveredInstallsAndOrphanHives()
+    {
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var aspireHome = Path.Combine(workspace.WorkspaceRoot.FullName, ".aspire");
+        Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.Combine(aspireHome, "hives", "pr-17400", "packages"));
+
+        var outputWriter = new TestOutputTextWriter(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
+        {
+            options.OutputTextWriter = outputWriter;
+            options.DisableAnsi = true;
+        });
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IInstallationDiscovery>(_ => new FakeInstallationDiscovery(
+            new InstallationInfo
+            {
+                Path = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "bin", "aspire"),
+                CanonicalPath = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "bin", "aspire"),
+                Version = "13.2.0",
+                Channel = "stable",
+                Source = "script",
+                PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Active,
+                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok
+            })));
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+        var result = command.Parse("--info");
+
+        var exitCode = await result.InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
+
+        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, exitCode);
+        var output = string.Join(Environment.NewLine, outputWriter.Logs);
+        Assert.Contains("script", output);
+        Assert.Contains("stable", output);
+        Assert.Contains("orphan-hive", output);
+        Assert.Contains("pr-17400", output);
+        Assert.Contains("no install found", output);
+        Assert.DoesNotContain("│", output);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Info_FormatList_IsAcceptedAndUsesVerticalOutput()
+    {
+        // `--format list` is the explicit spelling of the default text rendering.
+        // Carried from the previous installs surface so existing automation that
+        // sets `--format list` doesn't break, and to anchor the enum so arbitrary
+        // values like `table` are rejected by the System.CommandLine value parser.
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var aspireHome = Path.Combine(workspace.WorkspaceRoot.FullName, ".aspire");
+
+        var outputWriter = new TestOutputTextWriter(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
+        {
+            options.OutputTextWriter = outputWriter;
+            options.DisableAnsi = true;
+        });
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IInstallationDiscovery>(_ => new FakeInstallationDiscovery(
+            new InstallationInfo
+            {
+                Path = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "bin", "aspire"),
+                CanonicalPath = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "bin", "aspire"),
+                Version = "13.2.0",
+                Channel = "stable",
+                Source = "script",
+                PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Active,
+                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok
+            })));
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+        var result = command.Parse("--info --format list");
+
+        var exitCode = await result.InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
+
+        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, exitCode);
+        var output = string.Join(Environment.NewLine, outputWriter.Logs);
+        Assert.DoesNotContain("│", output);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void Info_FormatTable_IsRejected()
+    {
+        // Anchor the enum: `table` is not a valid value, so the parser must
+        // reject it rather than silently fall through.
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper);
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+        var result = command.Parse("--info --format table");
+
+        Assert.NotEmpty(result.Errors);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Info_FailedRow_DoesNotDuplicateReasonAcrossStatusAndReasonFields()
+    {
+        // The structured `status` field must stay enum-shaped ("failed",
+        // "notProbed", "active", ...) — the human-readable message rides on
+        // `statusReason` alone. Concatenating the two would (a) force JSON
+        // consumers to split on ": " before they can `switch` on status and
+        // (b) make the human surface print the reason twice (once in the
+        // Status line, once in the Reason line). Guarded for both the JSON
+        // and the human surfaces.
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var outputWriter = new TestOutputTextWriter(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
+        {
+            options.OutputTextWriter = outputWriter;
+            options.DisableAnsi = true;
+        });
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IInstallationDiscovery>(_ => new FakeInstallationDiscovery(
+            new InstallationInfo
+            {
+                Path = "/peer/aspire",
+                CanonicalPath = "/peer/aspire",
+                Channel = "stable",
+                Source = "script",
+                PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Shadowed,
+                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Failed,
+                StatusReason = "timed out after 5s"
+            })));
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+
+        var listExitCode = await command.Parse("--info").InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
+        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, listExitCode);
+        var listOutput = string.Join(Environment.NewLine, outputWriter.Logs);
+        Assert.Contains("Status   failed", listOutput);
+        Assert.DoesNotContain("Status   failed:", listOutput);
+        Assert.Contains("Reason   timed out after 5s", listOutput);
+
+        outputWriter.Logs.Clear();
+
+        var jsonExitCode = await command.Parse("--info --format json").InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
+        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, jsonExitCode);
+        var payload = JsonNode.Parse(string.Join(Environment.NewLine, outputWriter.Logs))!.AsObject();
+        var row = payload["installs"]!.AsArray()[0]!;
+        Assert.Equal("failed", row["status"]!.GetValue<string>());
+        Assert.Equal("timed out after 5s", row["statusReason"]!.GetValue<string>());
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Info_Json_IncludesDiscoveredInstallsBrokenRowsAndOrphanHives()
+    {
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var aspireHome = Path.Combine(workspace.WorkspaceRoot.FullName, ".aspire");
+        Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.Combine(aspireHome, "hives", "pr-17400", "packages"));
+
+        var outputWriter = new TestOutputTextWriter(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
+        {
+            options.OutputTextWriter = outputWriter;
+            options.DisableAnsi = true;
+        });
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IInstallationDiscovery>(_ => new FakeInstallationDiscovery(
+            new InstallationInfo
+            {
+                Path = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "bin", "aspire"),
+                CanonicalPath = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "bin", "aspire"),
+                Version = "13.2.0",
+                Channel = "stable",
+                Source = "script",
+                PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Active,
+                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok
+            },
+            [
+                new InstallationInfo
+                {
+                    Path = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "broken", "aspire"),
+                    CanonicalPath = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "broken", "aspire"),
+                    Channel = "daily",
+                    Source = "script",
+                    PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Shadowed,
+                    Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Failed,
+                    StatusReason = "peer probe failed"
+                }
+            ])));
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+        var result = command.Parse("--info --format json");
+
+        var exitCode = await result.InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
+
+        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, exitCode);
+        var payload = JsonNode.Parse(string.Join(Environment.NewLine, outputWriter.Logs))!.AsObject();
+        Assert.NotNull(payload["version"]);
+        Assert.Equal("13.2.0", payload["version"]!.GetValue<string>());
+        var installs = payload["installs"]!.AsArray();
+        Assert.Collection(
+            installs,
+            row =>
+            {
+                Assert.Equal("script", row!["id"]!.GetValue<string>());
+                Assert.Equal("script", row["kind"]!.GetValue<string>());
+                Assert.Equal("stable", row["channel"]!.GetValue<string>());
+                // Status (lifecycle) and pathStatus (PATH-axis) are orthogonal on the wire.
+                // The aggregate previously projected pathStatus into status for OK rows;
+                // unifying the shape with --self drops that projection.
+                Assert.Equal("ok", row["status"]!.GetValue<string>());
+                Assert.Equal("active", row["pathStatus"]!.GetValue<string>());
+            },
+            row =>
+            {
+                Assert.Equal("script-2", row!["id"]!.GetValue<string>());
+                Assert.Equal("failed", row["status"]!.GetValue<string>());
+                Assert.Equal("shadowed", row["pathStatus"]!.GetValue<string>());
+                Assert.Equal("peer probe failed", row["statusReason"]!.GetValue<string>());
+            },
+            row =>
+            {
+                Assert.Equal("pr-17400", row!["id"]!.GetValue<string>());
+                Assert.Equal("orphan-hive", row["kind"]!.GetValue<string>());
+                Assert.Equal("no install found", row["status"]!.GetValue<string>());
+                // Orphan-hive rows have no installation binary: path is absent (omitted
+                // by WhenWritingNull), hive points at the directory on disk.
+                Assert.Null(row["path"]);
+                Assert.NotNull(row["hive"]);
+            });
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Info_Json_DisambiguatorReservesSuffixedIdsToAvoidCollisionWithNaturalIds()
+    {
+        // Regression guard: previously the unique-id minter only counted
+        // collisions on the base id and never reserved the suffixed name.
+        // Two installs sharing channel "stable" produced ids "stable" and
+        // "stable-2", and an orphan-hive directory literally named "stable-2"
+        // (hive directory names are arbitrary, not constrained to the
+        // IdentityChannelReader allowlist on the enumeration path) silently
+        // got the same id "stable-2", violating the uniqueness invariant of
+        // the `id` field that JSON consumers use as a key.
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var aspireHome = Path.Combine(workspace.WorkspaceRoot.FullName, ".aspire");
+        Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.Combine(aspireHome, "hives", "stable-2", "packages"));
+
+        var outputWriter = new TestOutputTextWriter(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
+        {
+            options.OutputTextWriter = outputWriter;
+            options.DisableAnsi = true;
+        });
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IInstallationDiscovery>(_ => new FakeInstallationDiscovery(
+            new InstallationInfo
+            {
+                Path = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "bin", "aspire"),
+                CanonicalPath = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "bin", "aspire"),
+                Version = "13.2.0",
+                Channel = "stable",
+                // Source is intentionally not "script": GetInstallId short-circuits
+                // to the literal "script" for script-sourced installs, which would
+                // hide the channel-keyed disambiguation path this test exercises.
+                Source = "winget",
+                PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Active,
+                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok
+            },
+            [
+                new InstallationInfo
+                {
+                    Path = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "other", "aspire"),
+                    CanonicalPath = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "other", "aspire"),
+                    Version = "13.2.0",
+                    Channel = "stable",
+                    Source = "winget",
+                    PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Shadowed,
+                    Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok
+                }
+            ])));
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+        var result = command.Parse("--info --format json");
+
+        var exitCode = await result.InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
+
+        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, exitCode);
+        var payload = JsonNode.Parse(string.Join(Environment.NewLine, outputWriter.Logs))!.AsObject();
+        var installs = payload["installs"]!.AsArray();
+        var ids = installs.Select(row => row!["id"]!.GetValue<string>()).ToList();
+        Assert.Equal(3, ids.Count);
+        Assert.Equal(ids.Count, ids.Distinct(StringComparer.Ordinal).Count());
+        // The orphan-hive row whose natural id collides with the disambiguation
+        // suffix must receive its own disambiguated id rather than silently
+        // sharing "stable-2" with the second install.
+        Assert.Contains("stable", ids);
+        Assert.Contains("stable-2", ids);
+        Assert.Contains(ids, id => id.StartsWith("stable-2-", StringComparison.Ordinal));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Info_DiscoveryWalkFails_StillExitsZero_AndEmitsFailureRow()
+    {
+        // Matches the tolerant posture of the channel-read and self-version
+        // paths: `aspire --info` is the surface a user reaches for to
+        // diagnose a flaky environment, so a discovery walk that throws
+        // (filesystem ACL, IO error on ~/.aspire/hives, ...) must not crash
+        // the command. Exit 0, surface a single failure row with the
+        // underlying reason in statusReason, keep channel/version intact.
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var outputWriter = new TestOutputTextWriter(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
+        {
+            options.OutputTextWriter = outputWriter;
+            options.DisableAnsi = true;
+        });
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IInstallationDiscovery>(_ => new FakeInstallationDiscovery(
+            new InstallationInfo
+            {
+                Path = "/usr/local/bin/aspire",
+                Channel = "stable",
+                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
+            },
+            discoverAllException: new IOException("PATH lookup failed"))));
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+        var result = command.Parse("--info --format json");
+
+        var exitCode = await result.InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
+
+        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, exitCode);
+        var payload = JsonNode.Parse(string.Join(Environment.NewLine, outputWriter.Logs))!.AsObject();
+        var installs = payload["installs"]!.AsArray();
+        var row = Assert.Single(installs);
+        Assert.Equal("discovery", row!["id"]!.GetValue<string>());
+        Assert.Equal("discovery-failed", row["kind"]!.GetValue<string>());
+        Assert.Equal(InstallationInfoStatus.Failed, row["status"]!.GetValue<string>());
+        Assert.Equal("PATH lookup failed", row["statusReason"]!.GetValue<string>());
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Info_Json_EmptyInstalls_StillEmitsArray()
+    {
+        // When discovery returns nothing, the installs field must still appear
+        // (as an empty array) so consumers don't need a "missing or empty"
+        // branch.
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var outputWriter = new TestOutputTextWriter(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
+        {
+            options.OutputTextWriter = outputWriter;
+            options.DisableAnsi = true;
+        });
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IInstallationDiscovery>(_ => new FakeInstallationDiscovery(
+            new InstallationInfo
+            {
+                // The self row carries a non-aspire filename and no source, so
+                // IsDisplayableInstall filters it out.
+                Path = "/opt/homebrew/Cellar/dotnet/10.0.0/libexec/dotnet",
+                CanonicalPath = "/opt/homebrew/Cellar/dotnet/10.0.0/libexec/dotnet",
+                Channel = "local",
+                Source = null,
+                PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.NotOnPath,
+                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
+            })));
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+        var result = command.Parse("--info --format json");
+
+        var exitCode = await result.InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
+
+        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, exitCode);
+        var payload = JsonNode.Parse(string.Join(Environment.NewLine, outputWriter.Logs))!.AsObject();
+        var installs = payload["installs"]!.AsArray();
+        Assert.Empty(installs);
+    }
+
+    [Theory]
+    [InlineData("ASPIRE.EXE")]
+    [InlineData("Aspire.exe")]
+    [InlineData("aspire.EXE")]
+    public async Task Info_Json_IncludesSidecarLessWindowsInstall_WithNonLowercaseFilename(string fileName)
+    {
+        // PathLookupHelper preserves the filesystem's recorded casing on Windows,
+        // and Windows command lookup is case-insensitive — installs whose on-disk
+        // executable is e.g. `Aspire.exe` or `ASPIRE.EXE` are real and must not be
+        // filtered out as "not an Aspire binary" just because IsDisplayableInstall
+        // is comparing strings.
+        Assert.SkipUnless(OperatingSystem.IsWindows(), "Windows command lookup is the only path where case-insensitive filename matching applies.");
+
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var outputWriter = new TestOutputTextWriter(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
+        {
+            options.OutputTextWriter = outputWriter;
+            options.DisableAnsi = true;
+        });
+        var installPath = $@"C:\Tools\Aspire\{fileName}";
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IInstallationDiscovery>(_ => new FakeInstallationDiscovery(
+            new InstallationInfo
+            {
+                Path = installPath,
+                CanonicalPath = installPath,
+                Version = "13.2.0",
+                Channel = "10.0",
+                // Source = null — exercises the IsDisplayableInstall fallback that
+                // examines the resolved filename rather than the sidecar.
+                Source = null,
+                PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Active,
+                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
+            })));
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+        var result = command.Parse("--info --format json");
+
+        var exitCode = await result.InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
+
+        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, exitCode);
+        var payload = JsonNode.Parse(string.Join(Environment.NewLine, outputWriter.Logs))!.AsObject();
+        var installs = payload["installs"]!.AsArray();
+        Assert.Single(installs);
+        Assert.Equal(installPath, installs[0]!["path"]!.GetValue<string>());
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Info_ChannelLocal_IsNotTreatedAsFailure()
+    {
+        // "local" is the developer-build default. It must serialize as
+        // "channel": "local", not be dropped or mapped to null.
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var outputWriter = new TestOutputTextWriter(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
+        {
+            options.OutputTextWriter = outputWriter;
+            options.DisableAnsi = true;
+        });
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IIdentityChannelReader>(_ => new ConstantChannelReader("local")));
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IInstallationDiscovery>(_ => new FakeInstallationDiscovery(
+            new InstallationInfo
+            {
+                Path = "/local/aspire",
+                CanonicalPath = "/local/aspire",
+                Version = "13.2.0",
+                Channel = "local",
+                Source = "localhive",
+                PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Active,
+                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
+            })));
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+        var result = command.Parse("--info --format json");
+
+        var exitCode = await result.InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
+
+        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, exitCode);
+        var payload = JsonNode.Parse(string.Join(Environment.NewLine, outputWriter.Logs))!.AsObject();
+        Assert.Equal("local", payload["channel"]!.GetValue<string>());
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Info_ChannelReadFailure_ExitsZero_AndOmitsChannel()
+    {
+        // A binary with missing/invalid AspireCliChannel assembly metadata must
+        // not take `aspire --info` down with it — that's the surface a user
+        // reaches for to *find out* their binary is broken. The channel field
+        // is omitted from JSON (via DefaultIgnoreCondition.WhenWritingNull)
+        // and the text row is skipped, but the command still exits 0.
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var outputWriter = new TestOutputTextWriter(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
+        {
+            options.OutputTextWriter = outputWriter;
+            options.DisableAnsi = true;
+        });
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IIdentityChannelReader>(_ => new ThrowingChannelReader()));
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IInstallationDiscovery>(_ => new FakeInstallationDiscovery(
+            new InstallationInfo
+            {
+                Path = "/broken/aspire",
+                CanonicalPath = "/broken/aspire",
+                Version = "13.2.0",
+                Channel = null,
+                Source = "script",
+                PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.NotOnPath,
+                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
+            })));
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        // CliExecutionContext must still resolve even though the channel
+        // reader throws — the production DI factory defers the read via
+        // Lazy<string> and InfoOptionAction injects IIdentityChannelReader
+        // directly with its own try/catch. Locks the lazy-channel refactor in.
+        _ = provider.GetRequiredService<CliExecutionContext>();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+        var result = command.Parse("--info --format json");
+
+        var exitCode = await result.InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
+
+        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, exitCode);
+        var payload = JsonNode.Parse(string.Join(Environment.NewLine, outputWriter.Logs))!.AsObject();
+        Assert.False(payload.ContainsKey("channel"));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Info_ChannelReadFailure_Text_OmitsChannelLine()
+    {
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var outputWriter = new TestOutputTextWriter(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
+        {
+            options.OutputTextWriter = outputWriter;
+            options.DisableAnsi = true;
+        });
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IIdentityChannelReader>(_ => new ThrowingChannelReader()));
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IInstallationDiscovery>(_ => new FakeInstallationDiscovery(
+            new InstallationInfo
+            {
+                Path = "/broken/aspire",
+                CanonicalPath = "/broken/aspire",
+                Version = "13.2.0",
+                Channel = null,
+                Source = "script",
+                PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.NotOnPath,
+                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
+            })));
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+        var result = command.Parse("--info");
+
+        var exitCode = await result.InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
+
+        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, exitCode);
+        var output = string.Join(Environment.NewLine, outputWriter.Logs);
+        Assert.Contains("Version  13.2.0", output);
+        Assert.DoesNotContain("Channel  ", output);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Info_ChannelLazyThrows_RootCommandStillResolves_AndInfoExitsZero()
+    {
+        // Production wiring: the CliExecutionContext DI factory in Program.cs wraps
+        // IIdentityChannelReader.ReadChannel() in a Lazy<string> on the context's
+        // IdentityChannelLazy property. The Lazy<>'s Value throws on first access
+        // when AspireCliChannel assembly metadata is missing or invalid. Any
+        // consumer that reads CliExecutionContext.IdentityChannel during DI graph
+        // construction therefore propagates the exception up the RootCommand
+        // resolution chain — which is the exact failure mode `aspire --info` must
+        // survive. NewCommand and UpdateCommand constructors both read the channel
+        // to pick a help-text variant; this test pins their tolerant fallback so
+        // a future refactor that re-introduces an eager read regresses the test.
+        // The sibling Info_ChannelReadFailure_* tests pin InfoOptionAction's own
+        // direct-injection read; together they cover both paths the production
+        // wiring exposes.
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var outputWriter = new TestOutputTextWriter(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
+        {
+            options.OutputTextWriter = outputWriter;
+            options.DisableAnsi = true;
+            options.CliExecutionContextFactory = _ => CreateExecutionContextWithThrowingChannelLazy(workspace);
+        });
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IIdentityChannelReader>(_ => new ThrowingChannelReader()));
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IInstallationDiscovery>(_ => new FakeInstallationDiscovery(
+            new InstallationInfo
+            {
+                Path = "/broken/aspire",
+                CanonicalPath = "/broken/aspire",
+                Version = "13.2.0",
+                Channel = null,
+                Source = "script",
+                PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.NotOnPath,
+                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
+            })));
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        // The central assertion: resolving RootCommand pulls every subcommand
+        // into existence (NewCommand, UpdateCommand, ...). If any ctor reads
+        // CliExecutionContext.IdentityChannel without tolerating a throw, this
+        // line surfaces the bug — exactly as `aspire --info` would on a binary
+        // with broken AspireCliChannel metadata in production.
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+
+        var result = command.Parse("--info --format json");
+        var exitCode = await result.InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
+
+        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, exitCode);
+        var payload = JsonNode.Parse(string.Join(Environment.NewLine, outputWriter.Logs))!.AsObject();
+        Assert.False(payload.ContainsKey("channel"));
+    }
+
+    private static CliExecutionContext CreateExecutionContextWithThrowingChannelLazy(TemporaryWorkspace workspace)
+    {
+        // Mirrors Program.BuildCliExecutionContext: the production factory sets
+        // IdentityChannelLazy to wrap IIdentityChannelReader.ReadChannel(), and
+        // CliExecutionContext.IdentityChannel forwards to lazy.Value when the
+        // lazy is non-null. A Lazy that throws inside its factory delegate
+        // throws the same exception on every Value access (ExecutionAndPublication
+        // caches the failure), which matches the production behavior of a
+        // binary with persistently broken channel metadata.
+        var root = workspace.WorkspaceRoot.FullName;
+        var hivesDirectory = new DirectoryInfo(Path.Combine(root, ".aspire", "hives"));
+        var homeDirectory = new DirectoryInfo(Path.Combine(root, ".home"));
+        var cacheDirectory = new DirectoryInfo(Path.Combine(root, ".aspire", "cache"));
+        var sdksDirectory = new DirectoryInfo(Path.Combine(root, ".aspire", "sdks"));
+        var logsDirectory = new DirectoryInfo(Path.Combine(root, ".aspire", "logs"));
+        var logFilePath = Path.Combine(logsDirectory.FullName, "test.log");
+
+        return new CliExecutionContext(
+            workspace.WorkspaceRoot,
+            hivesDirectory,
+            cacheDirectory,
+            sdksDirectory,
+            logsDirectory,
+            logFilePath,
+            debugMode: false,
+            homeDirectory: homeDirectory)
+        {
+            IdentityChannelLazy = new Lazy<string>(
+                () => throw new InvalidOperationException("AspireCliChannel assembly metadata is missing."),
+                LazyThreadSafetyMode.ExecutionAndPublication),
+        };
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Info_LogsClassificationReasons()
+    {
+        // Operational logs from the row-builder are operationally important
+        // for diagnosing why a peer is missing or extra. Carried from the
+        // previous installs surface.
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var aspireHome = Path.Combine(workspace.WorkspaceRoot.FullName, ".aspire");
+        Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.Combine(aspireHome, "hives", "pr-17400", "packages"));
+        var logger = new CapturingLogger<InfoOptionAction>();
+
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper);
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<ILogger<InfoOptionAction>>(logger));
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IInstallationDiscovery>(_ => new FakeInstallationDiscovery(
+            new InstallationInfo
+            {
+                Path = "/opt/homebrew/Cellar/dotnet/10.0.107/libexec/dotnet",
+                CanonicalPath = "/opt/homebrew/Cellar/dotnet/10.0.107/libexec/dotnet",
+                Version = "13.2.0",
+                Channel = "local",
+                Source = null,
+                PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.NotOnPath,
+                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok
+            },
+            [
+                new InstallationInfo
+                {
+                    Path = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "bin", "aspire"),
+                    CanonicalPath = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "bin", "aspire"),
+                    Version = "13.2.0",
+                    Channel = "local",
+                    Source = "localhive",
+                    PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Active,
+                    Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok
+                }
+            ])));
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+        var result = command.Parse("--info");
+
+        var exitCode = await result.InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
+
+        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, exitCode);
+        Assert.Contains(logger.Entries, e => e.Level == LogLevel.Debug && e.Message.Contains("Ignoring discovery row path", StringComparison.Ordinal));
+        Assert.Contains(logger.Entries, e => e.Level == LogLevel.Debug && e.Message.Contains("Classified install path", StringComparison.Ordinal) && e.Message.Contains("localhive", StringComparison.Ordinal));
+        Assert.Contains(logger.Entries, e => e.Level == LogLevel.Debug && e.Message.Contains("Classified hive", StringComparison.Ordinal) && e.Message.Contains("orphan", StringComparison.Ordinal));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void Info_SelfWithoutInfo_FailsParse()
+    {
+        // The --self modifier is only meaningful when --info is also set.
+        // Without the validator, `aspire --self` would silently fall through
+        // to grouped help with InvalidCommand and look like a no-op.
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper);
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+        var result = command.Parse("--self");
+
+        Assert.NotEmpty(result.Errors);
+        // The validator formats the offending option using `option.Name`,
+        // which System.CommandLine returns including the leading `--` (e.g.
+        // `--self`). Pin the rendered text so a future System.CommandLine
+        // upgrade that changed Name semantics to strip the dashes — and
+        // therefore produced the ungrammatical message "Option `self` is
+        // only valid when ..." — would surface here.
+        Assert.Contains(result.Errors, e => e.Message.Contains("`--self`", StringComparison.Ordinal));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void Info_FormatWithoutInfo_FailsParse()
+    {
+        // The --format modifier is only meaningful when --info is also set.
+        // Without the validator, the root-level --format could swallow a
+        // value intended for a subcommand option (e.g. `--format json doctor`
+        // would parse as a root-level --format=json followed by an unrelated
+        // doctor subcommand).
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper);
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+        var result = command.Parse("--format json");
+
+        Assert.NotEmpty(result.Errors);
+        // See the matching assertion in Info_SelfWithoutInfo_FailsParse: pin
+        // the rendered text so an SCL `Name`-semantics change can't silently
+        // strip the leading `--` from the displayed option token.
+        Assert.Contains(result.Errors, e => e.Message.Contains("`--format`", StringComparison.Ordinal));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void Doctor_FormatJson_StillParsesAsSubcommandOption()
+    {
+        // Regression guard: the new root-level --format must not break
+        // existing `doctor --format json` invocations. Doctor declares its
+        // own --format option; the validator on the root-level --format
+        // gates that to require --info, so this token is consumed by the
+        // doctor subcommand instead.
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper);
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+        var result = command.Parse("doctor --format json");
+
+        Assert.Empty(result.Errors);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void Info_OnSubcommand_DoesNotFireInfoAction()
+    {
+        // `aspire run --info` is *separate from* `aspire --info`: --info is
+        // root-only (not recursive), so when supplied on a subcommand it does
+        // not bind to the root option, the InfoOptionAction does not fire,
+        // and the subcommand's normal parse runs. This keeps install
+        // enumeration a deliberate top-level operation and avoids the
+        // recursive-option / subcommand-local --format shadowing trap, where
+        // `aspire run --info --format json` would otherwise silently emit
+        // install text because run's own --format swallows the token.
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper);
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+        var result = command.Parse("run --info");
+
+        // --info supplied on the subcommand does not bind to the root option.
+        // GetValue returns the option default (false), proving the
+        // InfoOptionAction wouldn't fire for this parse.
+        Assert.False(result.GetValue(command.InfoOption));
+        // The parse selects the `run` subcommand instead of the root.
+        Assert.NotNull(result.CommandResult);
+        Assert.NotSame(command, result.CommandResult.Command);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void Info_OnSubcommand_WithFormat_BindsFormatToSubcommand()
+    {
+        // Companion to Info_OnSubcommand_DoesNotFireInfoAction: with --info
+        // non-recursive, the trailing `--format json` after a subcommand
+        // also doesn't bind to root's InfoFormatOption, so there's no
+        // root-level --format value lingering after parse. Run's own
+        // --format option still owns the token; this test pins that
+        // routing so a future change to InfoFormatOption recursion can't
+        // silently resurrect the shadowing bug where `aspire run --info
+        // --format json` looked like it should emit info JSON but actually
+        // ran the subcommand with `--format=json`.
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper);
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+        var result = command.Parse("run --info --format json");
+
+        Assert.False(result.GetValue(command.InfoOption));
+        // Root-level InfoFormatOption sees its default (List), confirming
+        // the `--format json` token did not bind here.
+        Assert.Equal(InfoOutputFormat.List, result.GetValue(command.InfoFormatOption));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Info_Self_Json_IsParseableByInstallationInfoParser_PeerProbeContract()
+    {
+        // End-to-end self-loop on the cross-version peer-probe contract:
+        // drive the action with `--info --self --format json`, capture
+        // stdout, and feed it through InstallationInfoParser.Parse — the
+        // same code path PeerInstallProbe.TryParseRichProbeResult uses to
+        // shape a peer's response. Without this test, a future refactor
+        // of InstallationInfoOutput.DescribeSelfSafely or the JSON source
+        // generation context could silently drift the wire shape away from
+        // what the parser expects, and the existing PeerInstallProbeTests
+        // script fakes wouldn't catch it because they hard-code the JSON
+        // shape in the script.
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var outputWriter = new TestOutputTextWriter(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
+        {
+            options.OutputTextWriter = outputWriter;
+            options.DisableAnsi = true;
+        });
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IInstallationDiscovery>(_ => new FakeInstallationDiscovery(
+            new InstallationInfo
+            {
+                Path = "/peer/aspire",
+                CanonicalPath = "/peer/aspire",
+                Version = "13.7.0-pr.17999.gabc12345",
+                Channel = "pr-17999",
+                Source = "pr",
+                PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Active,
+                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
+            })));
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+        var result = command.Parse("--info --self --format json");
+
+        var exitCode = await result.InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
+        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, exitCode);
+
+        var stdout = string.Join(Environment.NewLine, outputWriter.Logs);
+        using var doc = System.Text.Json.JsonDocument.Parse(stdout);
+        Assert.Equal(System.Text.Json.JsonValueKind.Array, doc.RootElement.ValueKind);
+        Assert.Equal(1, doc.RootElement.GetArrayLength());
+
+        // Feed through the production peer-probe parser. Any drift in
+        // property names, casing, or shape will fail here.
+        var parsed = InstallationInfoParser.Parse(doc.RootElement[0]);
+        Assert.Equal("/peer/aspire", parsed.Path);
+        Assert.Equal("/peer/aspire", parsed.CanonicalPath);
+        Assert.Equal("13.7.0-pr.17999.gabc12345", parsed.Version);
+        Assert.Equal("pr-17999", parsed.Channel);
+        Assert.Equal("pr", parsed.Source);
+        Assert.Equal(InstallationPathStatus.Active, parsed.PathStatus);
+        Assert.Equal(InstallationInfoStatus.Ok, parsed.Status);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Info_UnifiedShape_AggregateRowAndSelfRowHaveSameKeys()
+    {
+        // Contract pin: `--info --format json` (installs[*]) and
+        // `--info --self --format json` (bare array element) are the SAME wire
+        // shape — InstallationInfo. A consumer parsing one can use the same
+        // parser for the other. This catches a future drift where someone
+        // introduces a per-surface record type and silently splits the wire
+        // contract again.
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var aspireHome = Path.Combine(workspace.WorkspaceRoot.FullName, ".aspire");
+        var outputWriter = new TestOutputTextWriter(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
+        {
+            options.OutputTextWriter = outputWriter;
+            options.DisableAnsi = true;
+        });
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IInstallationDiscovery>(_ => new FakeInstallationDiscovery(
+            new InstallationInfo
+            {
+                Path = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "bin", "aspire"),
+                CanonicalPath = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "bin", "aspire"),
+                Version = "13.2.0",
+                Channel = "stable",
+                Source = "script",
+                PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Active,
+                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
+            })));
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+
+        var aggregateExitCode = await command.Parse("--info --format json").InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
+        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, aggregateExitCode);
+        var aggregateRow = JsonNode.Parse(string.Join(Environment.NewLine, outputWriter.Logs))!.AsObject()["installs"]!.AsArray()[0]!.AsObject();
+        var aggregateKeys = aggregateRow.Select(kvp => kvp.Key).OrderBy(k => k, StringComparer.Ordinal).ToArray();
+
+        outputWriter.Logs.Clear();
+
+        var selfExitCode = await command.Parse("--info --self --format json").InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
+        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, selfExitCode);
+        var selfRow = JsonNode.Parse(string.Join(Environment.NewLine, outputWriter.Logs))!.AsArray()[0]!.AsObject();
+        var selfKeys = selfRow.Select(kvp => kvp.Key).OrderBy(k => k, StringComparer.Ordinal).ToArray();
+
+        // The aggregate carries `id`/`kind`/`hive`/`managedBy` always (even if
+        // some are absent from a particular row via WhenWritingNull). The
+        // --self surface populates `path`/`canonicalPath`/`version`/`source`/
+        // `pathStatus`/`status` for the running binary. Both row shapes are
+        // drawn from the same record, so any key present on one MUST be a
+        // valid key on the other; the unified shape is the union of fields
+        // the record exposes.
+        var aggregateKeySet = aggregateKeys.ToHashSet(StringComparer.Ordinal);
+        var selfKeySet = selfKeys.ToHashSet(StringComparer.Ordinal);
+        var allowedKeys = new HashSet<string>(StringComparer.Ordinal)
+        {
+            "id", "kind", "path", "canonicalPath", "version", "channel",
+            "source", "hive", "pathStatus", "status", "statusReason", "managedBy",
+        };
+        Assert.Subset(allowedKeys, aggregateKeySet);
+        Assert.Subset(allowedKeys, selfKeySet);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Info_Json_StatusAndPathStatusAreOrthogonalForOkInstalls()
+    {
+        // Contract pin: the aggregate previously projected pathStatus
+        // ("active"/"shadowed"/"notOnPath") into the `status` field for OK rows,
+        // which forced JSON consumers to disambiguate two axes from one field
+        // (and made it impossible to distinguish "ok and not on PATH" from
+        // "failed and not probed"). The unified shape exposes both axes
+        // independently: `status` is lifecycle (ok/failed/notProbed/no install
+        // found), `pathStatus` is the PATH-axis. Catches accidental
+        // re-introduction of the projection.
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var aspireHome = Path.Combine(workspace.WorkspaceRoot.FullName, ".aspire");
+        var outputWriter = new TestOutputTextWriter(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
+        {
+            options.OutputTextWriter = outputWriter;
+            options.DisableAnsi = true;
+        });
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IInstallationDiscovery>(_ => new FakeInstallationDiscovery(
+            new InstallationInfo
+            {
+                Path = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "bin", "aspire"),
+                CanonicalPath = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "bin", "aspire"),
+                Channel = "stable",
+                Source = "script",
+                PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.NotOnPath,
+                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
+            })));
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+        var exitCode = await command.Parse("--info --format json").InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
+
+        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, exitCode);
+        var row = JsonNode.Parse(string.Join(Environment.NewLine, outputWriter.Logs))!.AsObject()["installs"]!.AsArray()[0]!;
+        // An OK install that is not on PATH must report status="ok" and pathStatus="notOnPath"
+        // — never status="notOnPath".
+        Assert.Equal("ok", row["status"]!.GetValue<string>());
+        Assert.Equal("notOnPath", row["pathStatus"]!.GetValue<string>());
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Info_Json_OrphanHiveRow_HasNullPathAndPopulatedHive()
+    {
+        // Contract pin: an orphan-hive row describes a hive directory on disk
+        // with no matching CLI binary, so `path` is absent (omitted via
+        // WhenWritingNull). The `hive` field carries the directory; `kind`
+        // is the discriminator. Catches accidental regressions that would
+        // populate a synthetic path.
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var aspireHome = Path.Combine(workspace.WorkspaceRoot.FullName, ".aspire");
+        Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.Combine(aspireHome, "hives", "pr-17400", "packages"));
+        var outputWriter = new TestOutputTextWriter(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
+        {
+            options.OutputTextWriter = outputWriter;
+            options.DisableAnsi = true;
+        });
+        // No discovered installs — the hive directory is truly orphan.
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IInstallationDiscovery>(_ => new FakeInstallationDiscovery(
+            new InstallationInfo
+            {
+                Path = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "bin", "aspire"),
+                CanonicalPath = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "bin", "aspire"),
+                Channel = "stable",
+                Source = "script",
+                PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Active,
+                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
+            })));
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+        var exitCode = await command.Parse("--info --format json").InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
+
+        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, exitCode);
+        var installs = JsonNode.Parse(string.Join(Environment.NewLine, outputWriter.Logs))!.AsObject()["installs"]!.AsArray();
+        var orphan = Assert.Single(installs, row => row!["kind"]!.GetValue<string>() == "orphan-hive");
+        Assert.Null(orphan!["path"]);
+        Assert.NotNull(orphan["hive"]);
+        Assert.Equal("pr-17400", orphan["channel"]!.GetValue<string>());
+        Assert.Equal("no install found", orphan["status"]!.GetValue<string>());
+        Assert.Equal("notOnPath", orphan["pathStatus"]!.GetValue<string>());
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Info_Json_SortOrder_ActiveThenShadowedThenNotOnPathThenFailedThenOrphanHive()
+    {
+        // Behavior pin: deterministic row order regardless of discovery yield.
+        // Active installs first (the one a user invokes), then shadowed
+        // (visible but masked), then not-on-PATH-but-ok (probed and usable),
+        // then failed/notProbed (anomalies), then orphan-hives (purely
+        // disk-side, no install). Stable across versions so a scripted
+        // consumer iterating `installs[]` sees the same prioritisation.
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var aspireHome = Path.Combine(workspace.WorkspaceRoot.FullName, ".aspire");
+        Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.Combine(aspireHome, "hives", "pr-17400", "packages"));
+        var outputWriter = new TestOutputTextWriter(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
+        {
+            options.OutputTextWriter = outputWriter;
+            options.DisableAnsi = true;
+        });
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IInstallationDiscovery>(_ => new FakeInstallationDiscovery(
+            new InstallationInfo
+            {
+                Path = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "bin", "aspire"),
+                CanonicalPath = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "bin", "aspire"),
+                Channel = "stable",
+                Source = "script",
+                PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Active,
+                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
+            },
+            [
+                new InstallationInfo
+                {
+                    Path = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "shadowed", "aspire"),
+                    CanonicalPath = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "shadowed", "aspire"),
+                    Channel = "daily",
+                    Source = "script",
+                    PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Shadowed,
+                    Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
+                },
+                new InstallationInfo
+                {
+                    Path = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "offpath", "aspire"),
+                    CanonicalPath = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "offpath", "aspire"),
+                    Channel = "staging",
+                    Source = "script",
+                    PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.NotOnPath,
+                    Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
+                },
+                new InstallationInfo
+                {
+                    Path = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "broken", "aspire"),
+                    CanonicalPath = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "broken", "aspire"),
+                    Channel = "local",
+                    Source = "script",
+                    PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.NotOnPath,
+                    Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Failed,
+                    StatusReason = "peer probe failed",
+                },
+            ])));
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+        var exitCode = await command.Parse("--info --format json").InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
+
+        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, exitCode);
+        var installs = JsonNode.Parse(string.Join(Environment.NewLine, outputWriter.Logs))!.AsObject()["installs"]!.AsArray();
+        Assert.Collection(installs,
+            row =>
+            {
+                Assert.Equal("ok", row!["status"]!.GetValue<string>());
+                Assert.Equal("active", row["pathStatus"]!.GetValue<string>());
+            },
+            row =>
+            {
+                Assert.Equal("ok", row!["status"]!.GetValue<string>());
+                Assert.Equal("shadowed", row["pathStatus"]!.GetValue<string>());
+            },
+            row =>
+            {
+                Assert.Equal("ok", row!["status"]!.GetValue<string>());
+                Assert.Equal("notOnPath", row["pathStatus"]!.GetValue<string>());
+            },
+            row =>
+            {
+                Assert.Equal("failed", row!["status"]!.GetValue<string>());
+            },
+            row =>
+            {
+                Assert.Equal("orphan-hive", row!["kind"]!.GetValue<string>());
+                Assert.Equal("no install found", row["status"]!.GetValue<string>());
+            });
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Info_TextRendering_DisplaysStatusAndOnPathSeparately()
+    {
+        // Behavior pin: the human text rendering surfaces both lifecycle and
+        // PATH axes independently (`Status   ok` / `On PATH  active`) rather
+        // than collapsing the two into a single ambiguous Status line. This
+        // mirrors what `--self` has always done; unification extends it to the
+        // aggregate. Catches a future regression where a renderer change drops
+        // one of the two lines.
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var aspireHome = Path.Combine(workspace.WorkspaceRoot.FullName, ".aspire");
+        var outputWriter = new TestOutputTextWriter(outputHelper);
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
+        {
+            options.OutputTextWriter = outputWriter;
+            options.DisableAnsi = true;
+        });
+        services.Replace(ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<IInstallationDiscovery>(_ => new FakeInstallationDiscovery(
+            new InstallationInfo
+            {
+                Path = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "bin", "aspire"),
+                CanonicalPath = Path.Combine(aspireHome, "bin", "aspire"),
+                Version = "13.2.0",
+                Channel = "stable",
+                Source = "script",
+                PathStatus = InstallationPathStatus.Active,
+                Status = InstallationInfoStatus.Ok,
+            })));
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        var command = provider.GetRequiredService<RootCommand>();
+        var exitCode = await command.Parse("--info").InvokeAsync().DefaultTimeout();
+
+        Assert.Equal(CliExitCodes.Success, exitCode);
+        var output = string.Join(Environment.NewLine, outputWriter.Logs);
+        Assert.Contains("Status   ok", output);
+        Assert.Contains("On PATH  active", output);
+    }
+
+    [Theory]
+    [InlineData(@"C:\Users\dapine\.aspire\bin\aspire.exe")]
+    [InlineData(@"D:\Tools\Aspire\Aspire.exe")]
+    [InlineData(@"path*with*asterisks")]
+    [InlineData(@"path_with_underscores")]
+    [InlineData(@"path[with]brackets")]
+    public void EscapeMarkdown_RoundTrip_PreservesLiteralText(string raw)
+    {
+        // row.Id falls back to install.Path when an install has no source and no
+        // channel (see InstallationInfoOutput.GetInstallId), so the heading
+        // `**{row.Id}**  {row.Kind}` is rendering arbitrary user-derived strings
+        // through the Markdown pipeline. CommonMark drops the leading `\` from
+        // backslash-escape sequences (`\.` → `.`, `\_` → `_`, etc.), which on a
+        // Windows path mangles `C:\Users\dapine\.aspire\bin\aspire.exe` into
+        // `C:\Users\dapine.aspire\bin\aspire.exe` in the human `--info` output.
+        // The escape helper must produce Markdown whose plain-text rendering
+        // round-trips back to the original literal value.
+        var escaped = InfoOptionAction.EscapeMarkdown(raw);
+        var rendered = Aspire.Cli.Utils.Markdown.MarkdownToSpectreConverter.ConvertToPlainText(escaped).TrimEnd();
+        Assert.Equal(raw, rendered);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void EscapeMarkdown_NullOrEmpty_ReturnsEmpty()
+    {
+        Assert.Equal(string.Empty, InfoOptionAction.EscapeMarkdown(null));
+        Assert.Equal(string.Empty, InfoOptionAction.EscapeMarkdown(string.Empty));
+    }
+
+    private sealed class ConstantChannelReader(string channel) : IIdentityChannelReader
+    {
+        public string ReadChannel() => channel;
+    }
+
+    private sealed class ThrowingChannelReader : IIdentityChannelReader
+    {
+        public string ReadChannel() => throw new InvalidOperationException("AspireCliChannel assembly metadata is missing.");
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Commands/RootCommandTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Commands/RootCommandTests.cs
index 58dd58b444c..764281a6495 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Commands/RootCommandTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Commands/RootCommandTests.cs
@@ -365,6 +365,7 @@ public async Task Banner_TelemetryNoticeNotShownOnSubsequentRuns()
     [InlineData("--help")]
     [InlineData("-h")]
     [InlineData("-?")]
+    [InlineData("--info")]
     public async Task InformationalFlag_SuppressesBannerAndDoesNotCreateSentinel(string flag)
     {
         using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
@@ -413,6 +414,66 @@ public async Task InformationalFlag_DoesNotCreateSentinel_OnSubsequentFirstRun()
         Assert.True(sentinel.WasCreated);
     }
 
+    [Theory]
+    [InlineData("run", "--info")]
+    [InlineData("new", "--info")]
+    [InlineData("publish", "--info")]
+    public async Task InfoFlagOnSubcommand_CreatesSentinelAndShowsBanner_OnFirstRun(params string[] args)
+    {
+        // Companion to InformationalFlag_SuppressesBannerAndDoesNotCreateSentinel:
+        // --info is root-only / non-recursive (see InfoOptionTests'
+        // Info_OnSubcommand_DoesNotFireInfoAction), so `aspire run --info` is a
+        // real `run` invocation. The first-run gate must therefore create the
+        // sentinel and show the banner instead of silently consuming the
+        // one-shot first-run slot for what looks like an informational invocation.
+        // (Machine-readable invocations like `publish --info --format json` still
+        // suppress banner+sentinel via the separate HasMachineReadableOutputFormat
+        // gate; that's not the path this test pins.)
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var sentinel = new TestFirstTimeUseNoticeSentinel { SentinelExists = false };
+        var bannerService = new TestBannerService();
+
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
+        {
+            options.FirstTimeUseNoticeSentinelFactory = _ => sentinel;
+            options.BannerServiceFactory = _ => bannerService;
+            options.CliHostEnvironmentFactory = _ => TestHelpers.CreateInteractiveHostEnvironment();
+        });
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        await Program.DisplayFirstTimeUseNoticeIfNeededAsync(provider, args);
+
+        Assert.True(bannerService.WasBannerDisplayed);
+        Assert.True(sentinel.WasCreated);
+    }
+
+    [Theory]
+    [InlineData("run", "--help")]
+    [InlineData("run", "--version")]
+    [InlineData("publish", "manifest", "--help")]
+    public async Task RecursiveInformationalFlag_OnSubcommand_DoesNotCreateSentinel(params string[] args)
+    {
+        // Recursive informational options (--help / --version / -h / -?) bind at
+        // any depth in System.CommandLine. The first-run gate must keep treating
+        // them as informational at any position to avoid `aspire run --help`
+        // silently consuming the one-shot first-run slot.
+        using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
+        var sentinel = new TestFirstTimeUseNoticeSentinel { SentinelExists = false };
+        var bannerService = new TestBannerService();
+
+        var services = CliTestHelper.CreateServiceCollection(workspace, outputHelper, options =>
+        {
+            options.FirstTimeUseNoticeSentinelFactory = _ => sentinel;
+            options.BannerServiceFactory = _ => bannerService;
+        });
+        using var provider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+
+        await Program.DisplayFirstTimeUseNoticeIfNeededAsync(provider, args);
+
+        Assert.False(bannerService.WasBannerDisplayed);
+        Assert.False(sentinel.WasCreated);
+    }
+
     [Fact]
     public async Task FirstTimeUseNotice_BannerNotDisplayedInNonInteractiveEnvironment()
     {
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Commands/SetupCommandTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Commands/SetupCommandTests.cs
index e5c2e481254..62fddff99a0 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Commands/SetupCommandTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Commands/SetupCommandTests.cs
@@ -6,12 +6,12 @@
 namespace Aspire.Cli.Tests.Commands;
 
 // `SetupCommand.GetDefaultInstallPath` returns parent-of-binary regardless of
-// install route — distinct from the route-aware `BundleService.GetDefaultExtractDir`
-// used by auto-extract. These tests pin the route-independent contract.
+// install source — distinct from the source-aware `BundleService.GetDefaultExtractDir`
+// used by auto-extract. These tests pin the source-independent contract.
 public class SetupCommandTests
 {
     [Fact]
-    public void GetDefaultInstallPath_ScriptRouteLayout_ReturnsParentOfBinaryDirectory()
+    public void GetDefaultInstallPath_ScriptSourceLayout_ReturnsParentOfBinaryDirectory()
     {
         var processPath = Path.Combine("home", ".aspire", "bin", "aspire");
 
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ public void GetDefaultInstallPath_ScriptRouteLayout_ReturnsParentOfBinaryDirecto
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public void GetDefaultInstallPath_PRRouteLayout_ReturnsParentOfBinaryDirectory()
+    public void GetDefaultInstallPath_PRSourceLayout_ReturnsParentOfBinaryDirectory()
     {
         var processPath = Path.Combine("home", ".aspire", "dogfood", "pr-12345", "bin", "aspire");
 
@@ -31,9 +31,9 @@ public void GetDefaultInstallPath_PRRouteLayout_ReturnsParentOfBinaryDirectory()
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public void GetDefaultInstallPath_ManagedRouteFlatLayout_ReturnsParentOfBinaryDirectory()
+    public void GetDefaultInstallPath_ManagedSourceFlatLayout_ReturnsParentOfBinaryDirectory()
     {
-        // Managed-route layout is flat (no bin/ subdir). `BundleService.GetDefaultExtractDir`
+        // Managed-source layout is flat (no bin/ subdir). `BundleService.GetDefaultExtractDir`
         // diverges here and keeps the payload inside the binary's dir so package-manager uninstall reaches it.
         var processPath = Path.Combine("Program Files", "WindowsApps", "Microsoft.Aspire_xyz", "aspire.exe");
 
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Configuration/DotNetBasedAppHostServerChannelResolutionTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Configuration/DotNetBasedAppHostServerChannelResolutionTests.cs
index f9365c651b8..e0801887199 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Configuration/DotNetBasedAppHostServerChannelResolutionTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Configuration/DotNetBasedAppHostServerChannelResolutionTests.cs
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ namespace Aspire.Cli.Tests.Configuration;
 /// per-project channel is set. A global-channel read fallback (previously
 /// <c>IConfigurationService.GetConfigurationAsync("channel", ...)</c>) was removed in
 /// PR1; these tests pin the post-fix contract so a regression can't quietly re-introduce
-/// cross-route channel contamination.
+/// cross-source channel contamination.
 /// </summary>
 public class DotNetBasedAppHostServerChannelResolutionTests(ITestOutputHelper outputHelper)
 {
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Packaging/TemporaryNuGetConfigTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Packaging/TemporaryNuGetConfigTests.cs
index dcf8d9305fa..e9230348024 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Packaging/TemporaryNuGetConfigTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Packaging/TemporaryNuGetConfigTests.cs
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ public async Task CreateAsync_PackageSourceAddKeyMatchesPackageSourceMappingKey(
         // will accept after its own internal canonicalization (e.g. on macOS the
         // upstream caller must strip /private/var → /var before constructing the
         // PackageMapping — see CliPathHelper.StripMacOSFirmlinkPrefix and the
-        // GetAspireHomeDirectory_OnMacOS_PrRouteWithFirmlinkedProcessPath test).
+        // GetAspireHomeDirectory_OnMacOS_PrSourceWithFirmlinkedProcessPath test).
         // This test only pins the writer's symmetry contract.
         var mappings = new PackageMapping[]
         {
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Telemetry/TelemetryConfigurationTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Telemetry/TelemetryConfigurationTests.cs
index 6d9d74fbd8c..58ce5fe5ff0 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Telemetry/TelemetryConfigurationTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Telemetry/TelemetryConfigurationTests.cs
@@ -34,14 +34,14 @@ public class TelemetryConfigurationTests
         return result;
     }
 
-    private static async Task<IHost> BuildHostAsync(Dictionary<string, string?>? config = null)
+    private static async Task<IHost> BuildHostAsync(Dictionary<string, string?>? config = null, string[]? args = null)
     {
         var loggingOptions = Program.ParseLoggingOptions([]);
         var errorWriter = new TestStartupErrorWriter();
         var logBufferContext = new ConsoleLogBufferContext();
         var (loggerFactory, fileLoggerProvider) = Program.CreateLoggerFactory([], loggingOptions, errorWriter, logBufferContext);
         var startupContext = new Program.CliStartupContext(loggingOptions, errorWriter, loggerFactory, fileLoggerProvider, logBufferContext, loggerFactory.CreateLogger(Program.RootLoggerName));
-        return await Program.BuildApplicationAsync([], startupContext, config);
+        return await Program.BuildApplicationAsync(args ?? [], startupContext, config);
     }
 
     [Fact]
@@ -205,6 +205,63 @@ public void AzureMonitor_Disabled_ForAllHelpFlags(string flag)
         Assert.False(manager.HasAzureMonitor);
     }
 
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task AzureMonitor_Disabled_WhenInfoFlagProvided()
+    {
+        // No args other than --info: the informational gate opts out, so no
+        // Azure Monitor TracerProvider is built and no ActivityListener is
+        // registered — safe to construct directly even without a host.
+        var configuration = new ConfigurationBuilder().Build();
+
+        var manager = new TelemetryManager(configuration, ["--info"]);
+
+        Assert.False(manager.HasAzureMonitor);
+    }
+
+    [Theory]
+    [InlineData("run", "--info")]
+    [InlineData("new", "--info")]
+    [InlineData("publish", "--info", "--format", "json")]
+    public async Task AzureMonitor_Enabled_WhenInfoFlagOnSubcommand(params string[] args)
+    {
+        // --info is intentionally root-only / non-recursive (see InfoOptionTests'
+        // Info_OnSubcommand_DoesNotFireInfoAction). A subcommand invocation that
+        // carries --info is a real subcommand invocation, so reported telemetry
+        // must not be silently opted out for it.
+        //
+        // This branch actually builds an Azure Monitor TracerProvider, which
+        // registers a process-wide ActivityListener on `Aspire.Cli.Reported`.
+        // Routing through BuildHostAsync(+ WithTelemetryOptIn to undo the
+        // process-wide test opt-out from TestTelemetryDefaults) ensures the
+        // TelemetryManager goes through DI disposal when the host is disposed,
+        // matching the lifecycle of AzureMonitor_Enabled_ByDefault. Direct
+        // construction with `new TelemetryManager(...)` would not be disposed
+        // by `using` either — TelemetryManager.Dispose only Shutdown(0)s the
+        // providers — but accumulating bare instances across parallel test
+        // classes can surface microsoft/aspire#17450's sample_rate race.
+        using var host = await BuildHostAsync(WithTelemetryOptIn(), args);
+
+        var telemetryManager = host.Services.GetRequiredService<TelemetryManager>();
+        Assert.True(telemetryManager.HasAzureMonitor);
+    }
+
+    [Theory]
+    [InlineData("run", "--help")]
+    [InlineData("run", "--version")]
+    [InlineData("publish", "manifest", "--help")]
+    public void AzureMonitor_Disabled_WhenRecursiveInformationalFlagOnSubcommand(params string[] args)
+    {
+        // --help / --version are recursive in System.CommandLine, so e.g.
+        // `aspire run --help` is genuinely a help invocation. The gate must
+        // keep opting out of telemetry for them at any depth. Opted out =>
+        // no TracerProvider built, so direct construction is safe here too.
+        var configuration = new ConfigurationBuilder().Build();
+
+        var manager = new TelemetryManager(configuration, args);
+
+        Assert.False(manager.HasAzureMonitor);
+    }
+
     private static ActivityListener CreateActivityListener(string sourceName)
     {
         var listener = new ActivityListener
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Utils/CliPathHelperTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Utils/CliPathHelperTests.cs
index b25d247fc27..e86fb0af28c 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Utils/CliPathHelperTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Utils/CliPathHelperTests.cs
@@ -57,27 +57,27 @@ public void CreateUnixDomainSocketPath_UsesRandomizedIdentifier()
     [Theory]
     [InlineData("script")]
     [InlineData("localhive")]
-    public void TryGetAspireHomeDirectoryFromInstallRoute_SharedPrefixRoute_ReturnsInstallPrefix(string source)
+    public void TryGetAspireHomeDirectoryFromInstallSource_SharedPrefixSource_ReturnsInstallPrefix(string source)
     {
         using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
         var installPrefix = Path.Combine(workspace.WorkspaceRoot.FullName, "aspire");
         var binDir = Path.Combine(installPrefix, "bin");
         var binaryPath = WriteBinaryWithSidecar(binDir, source);
 
-        var result = CliPathHelper.TryGetAspireHomeDirectoryFromInstallRoute(binaryPath);
+        var result = CliPathHelper.TryGetAspireHomeDirectoryFromInstallSource(binaryPath);
 
         Assert.Equal(installPrefix, result);
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public void TryGetAspireHomeDirectoryFromInstallRoute_PrRoute_ReturnsOuterInstallPrefix()
+    public void TryGetAspireHomeDirectoryFromInstallSource_PrSource_ReturnsOuterInstallPrefix()
     {
         using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
         var installPrefix = Path.Combine(workspace.WorkspaceRoot.FullName, "aspire-pr-test");
         var binDir = Path.Combine(installPrefix, "dogfood", "pr-17159", "bin");
         var binaryPath = WriteBinaryWithSidecar(binDir, "pr");
 
-        var result = CliPathHelper.TryGetAspireHomeDirectoryFromInstallRoute(binaryPath);
+        var result = CliPathHelper.TryGetAspireHomeDirectoryFromInstallSource(binaryPath);
 
         Assert.Equal(installPrefix, result);
     }
@@ -87,18 +87,18 @@ public void TryGetAspireHomeDirectoryFromInstallRoute_PrRoute_ReturnsOuterInstal
     [InlineData("winget")]
     [InlineData("dotnet-tool")]
     [InlineData("unknown")]
-    public void TryGetAspireHomeDirectoryFromInstallRoute_PackageManagerOrUnknownRoute_ReturnsNull(string source)
+    public void TryGetAspireHomeDirectoryFromInstallSource_PackageManagerOrUnknownSource_ReturnsNull(string source)
     {
         using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
         var binaryPath = WriteBinaryWithSidecar(workspace.WorkspaceRoot.FullName, source);
 
-        var result = CliPathHelper.TryGetAspireHomeDirectoryFromInstallRoute(binaryPath);
+        var result = CliPathHelper.TryGetAspireHomeDirectoryFromInstallSource(binaryPath);
 
         Assert.Null(result);
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public void GetAspireHomeDirectory_PrRoute_UsesOuterInstallPrefix()
+    public void GetAspireHomeDirectory_PrSource_UsesOuterInstallPrefix()
     {
         using var workspace = TemporaryWorkspace.Create(outputHelper);
         var installPrefix = Path.Combine(workspace.WorkspaceRoot.FullName, "portable");
@@ -265,7 +265,7 @@ public void ResolveSymlinkOrOriginalPath_OnMacOS_StripsFirmlinkPrefix()
 
     [Fact]
     [SkipOnPlatform(TestPlatforms.Windows | TestPlatforms.Linux, "Firmlink propagation only applies on macOS.")]
-    public void GetAspireHomeDirectory_OnMacOS_PrRouteWithFirmlinkedProcessPath_ReturnsUnfirmlinkedPrefix()
+    public void GetAspireHomeDirectory_OnMacOS_PrSourceWithFirmlinkedProcessPath_ReturnsUnfirmlinkedPrefix()
     {
         // Bug B regression: when Environment.ProcessPath comes back firmlinked (/private/var/...),
         // every derivation hanging off it (AspireHome → HivesDirectory → PackagingService source path)
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Utils/CliTestHelper.cs b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Utils/CliTestHelper.cs
index 628238e9f0e..f397e340b0f 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Utils/CliTestHelper.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Cli.Tests/Utils/CliTestHelper.cs
@@ -169,9 +169,9 @@ public static IServiceCollection CreateServiceCollection(TemporaryWorkspace work
         services.AddSingleton<IInstallSidecarReader, InstallSidecarReader>();
         services.AddSingleton<IPeerInstallProbe, PeerInstallProbe>();
         services.AddSingleton<IInstallationDiscovery, InstallationDiscovery>();
-        services.AddSingleton<WingetFirstRunProbe>();
+        services.AddSingleton<WingetSidecarBackfill>();
         // Always register the null reader by default so unit tests don't reach into the
-        // actual user registry through WingetFirstRunProbe on Windows. Tests that need
+        // actual user registry through WingetSidecarBackfill on Windows. Tests that need
         // the real reader (or a fake) should replace the registration explicitly.
         services.AddSingleton<IWindowsRegistryReader, NullWindowsRegistryReader>();
         // IdentityChannelReader for AspireVersionCheck (doctor) — uses the same
@@ -256,6 +256,7 @@ public static IServiceCollection CreateServiceCollection(TemporaryWorkspace work
         services.AddTransient<TelemetryTracesCommand>();
         services.AddTransient<ExportCommand>();
         services.AddTransient<ExtensionInternalCommand>();
+        services.AddTransient<InfoOptionAction>();
         services.AddTransient<WaitCommand>();
         services.AddTransient<RestoreCommand>();
         services.AddTransient<SdkCommand>();
@@ -280,6 +281,7 @@ public static IServiceCollection CreateServiceCollection(TemporaryWorkspace work
         services.AddTransient<RenderCommand>();
 #endif
         services.AddTransient(options.AppHostBackchannelFactory);
+        services.AddTransient<HiveEnumerator>();
 
         return services;
     }
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Hosting.Tests/PathLookupHelperTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Hosting.Tests/PathLookupHelperTests.cs
index a9bf07567a6..1c9944fed77 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Hosting.Tests/PathLookupHelperTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Hosting.Tests/PathLookupHelperTests.cs
@@ -268,6 +268,31 @@ public void FindAllFullPathsFromPath_WithPathExtensions_ReturnsOneMatchPerDirect
         Assert.Equal([firstExePath, secondCmdPath], result);
     }
 
+    [Fact]
+    public void FindAllFullPathsFromPath_WithPathExtensions_ReturnsFilesystemCasingOnWindows()
+    {
+        if (!OperatingSystem.IsWindows())
+        {
+            Assert.Skip("Windows filesystem casing is only observable on Windows.");
+            return;
+        }
+
+        using var tempDirectory = new TestTempDirectory();
+        var binPath = Path.Combine(tempDirectory.Path, "bin");
+        Directory.CreateDirectory(binPath);
+        var actualPath = Path.Combine(binPath, "aspire.exe");
+        File.WriteAllText(actualPath, string.Empty);
+
+        var result = PathLookupHelper.FindAllFullPathsFromPath(
+            "aspire",
+            binPath,
+            Path.PathSeparator,
+            File.Exists,
+            [".EXE"]);
+
+        Assert.Equal([actualPath], result);
+    }
+
     [Fact]
     public void FindFullPathFromPath_UsesCorrectPathSeparator()
     {