diff --git a/Sources/HelperManager.swift b/Sources/HelperManager.swift
index 93707bf..c4c6cc7 100644
--- a/Sources/HelperManager.swift
+++ b/Sources/HelperManager.swift
@@ -259,6 +259,7 @@ final class HelperManager: ObservableObject {
         // binary. For updates we must always go through the legacy path which does
         // the actual file copy. Only use SMAppService for first-time installs.
         let helperPath = "/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/\(kHelperToolMachServiceName)"
+        let plistPath = "/Library/LaunchDaemons/\(kHelperToolMachServiceName).plist"
         if FileManager.default.fileExists(atPath: helperPath) {
             print("🔐 Helper exists on disk, using legacy path for update...")
             return installHelperLegacy()
@@ -268,12 +269,22 @@ final class HelperManager: ObservableObject {
             let service = SMAppService.daemon(plistName: "\(kHelperToolMachServiceName).plist")
             try await service.register()
 
-            installationError = nil
             print("✅ Helper registered successfully via SMAppService")
+
+            // SMAppService.register() can report success without actually placing the
+            // binary/plist on disk (observed with enterprise security tools like Zscaler).
+            // Verify both files exist before trusting the registration.
+            if !FileManager.default.fileExists(atPath: helperPath) ||
+               !FileManager.default.fileExists(atPath: plistPath) {
+                print("⚠️ SMAppService reported success but helper files missing on disk, falling back to legacy install...")
+                return installHelperLegacy()
+            }
+
+            installationError = nil
             return true
         } catch {
             print("⚠️ SMAppService failed: \(error.localizedDescription)")
-            print("🔐 Falling back to legacy SMJobBless...")
+            print("🔐 Falling back to legacy install...")
             return installHelperLegacy()
         }
     }