diff --git a/bench/uv.lock b/bench/uv.lock
index ce263c6..75713a2 100644
--- a/bench/uv.lock
+++ b/bench/uv.lock
@@ -848,7 +848,7 @@ wheels = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "docpull"
-version = "6.5.1"
+version = "6.5.2"
 source = { editable = "../" }
 dependencies = [
     { name = "aiohttp" },
diff --git a/docs/CHANGELOG.md b/docs/CHANGELOG.md
index 37695e3..daa3c08 100644
--- a/docs/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/docs/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,6 +7,12 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+## [6.5.2] - 2026-09-04
+
+### Fixed
+- Add a dependency-free plugin launcher that reports the exact `pipx` setup
+  command when the `docpull` executable is unavailable.
+
 ## [6.5.1] - 2026-09-04
 
 ### Fixed
diff --git a/plugin/.claude-plugin/plugin.json b/plugin/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
index 0ff39e3..ad670a8 100644
--- a/plugin/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
+++ b/plugin/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "docpull",
-  "version": "6.5.1",
+  "version": "6.5.2",
   "description": "Pull public web sources into Claude Code. Indexes static and server-rendered sites as local Markdown with conditional-GET caching, then exposes them as MCP tools. Local, browser-free, no API keys.",
   "author": {
     "name": "Raintree Technology",
diff --git a/plugin/.codex-plugin/plugin.json b/plugin/.codex-plugin/plugin.json
index 6afc67b..9df5e27 100644
--- a/plugin/.codex-plugin/plugin.json
+++ b/plugin/.codex-plugin/plugin.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "id": "docpull",
   "name": "docpull",
-  "version": "6.5.1",
+  "version": "6.5.2",
   "description": "Pull public web sources into Codex as local, searchable Markdown through docpull's MCP server.",
   "skills": "./skills/",
   "mcpServers": "./.mcp.json",
diff --git a/plugin/.mcp.json b/plugin/.mcp.json
index 68cf2b3..56586ae 100644
--- a/plugin/.mcp.json
+++ b/plugin/.mcp.json
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 {
   "mcpServers": {
     "docpull": {
-      "command": "docpull",
-      "args": ["mcp"]
+      "command": "node",
+      "args": ["./scripts/launch-docpull-mcp.mjs"],
+      "cwd": "."
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/plugin/README.md b/plugin/README.md
index 08ebe1d..8dedf3c 100644
--- a/plugin/README.md
+++ b/plugin/README.md
@@ -20,12 +20,13 @@ for the boundary between the plugin's MCP tools and the broader CLI/SDK.
 The plugin wraps the `docpull` CLI. Install the MCP extra first:
 
 ```bash
-pip install 'docpull[mcp]'          # or: pipx install 'docpull[mcp]'
-docpull --version                   # should print 6.5.1 or newer
+pipx install 'docpull[mcp]==6.5.2'
+docpull --version                   # should print 6.5.2 or newer
 docpull mcp --help
 ```
 
-The plain `pip install docpull` does not include the MCP dependency.
+The plain `pip install docpull` does not include the MCP dependency. If the
+executable is missing, the plugin exits with the exact `pipx` setup command.
 
 In Claude Code:
 
diff --git a/plugin/scripts/launch-docpull-mcp.mjs b/plugin/scripts/launch-docpull-mcp.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0fa8b30
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugin/scripts/launch-docpull-mcp.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+
+import { spawn } from "node:child_process";
+
+const child = spawn("docpull", ["mcp", ...process.argv.slice(2)], {
+  stdio: "inherit",
+});
+
+child.on("error", (error) => {
+  if (error.code === "ENOENT") {
+    console.error(
+      "DocPull is not installed. Run: pipx install 'docpull[mcp]==6.5.2'",
+    );
+    process.exitCode = 127;
+    return;
+  }
+
+  console.error(`DocPull could not start: ${error.message}`);
+  process.exitCode = 1;
+});
+
+child.on("exit", (code, signal) => {
+  if (signal) {
+    process.kill(process.pid, signal);
+    return;
+  }
+
+  process.exitCode = code ?? 1;
+});
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 51e1e9b..1a78ae4 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
 
 [project]
 name = "docpull"
-version = "6.5.1"
+version = "6.5.2"
 dynamic = []
 description = "Declare, sync, diff, and lock context dependencies for AI agents"
 readme = {file = "README.md", content-type = "text/markdown"}
diff --git a/sdk/js/package.json b/sdk/js/package.json
index 3dd4571..d52128b 100644
--- a/sdk/js/package.json
+++ b/sdk/js/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@raintree-technology/docpull-sdk",
-  "version": "6.5.1",
+  "version": "6.5.2",
   "description": "TypeScript SDK for reading docpull context packs and running the docpull CLI",
   "license": "MIT",
   "type": "module",
diff --git a/server.json b/server.json
index 2d563c3..bf96ac3 100644
--- a/server.json
+++ b/server.json
@@ -8,12 +8,12 @@
     "source": "github"
   },
   "websiteUrl": "https://github.com/raintree-technology/docpull",
-  "version": "6.5.1",
+  "version": "6.5.2",
   "packages": [
     {
       "registryType": "pypi",
       "identifier": "docpull",
-      "version": "6.5.1",
+      "version": "6.5.2",
       "transport": {
         "type": "stdio"
       }
diff --git a/src/docpull/__init__.py b/src/docpull/__init__.py
index f5bd8ac..d307651 100644
--- a/src/docpull/__init__.py
+++ b/src/docpull/__init__.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 
 from .surface import PUBLIC_SDK_EXPORTS
 
-__version__ = "6.5.1"
+__version__ = "6.5.2"
 
 _LAZY_EXPORTS: dict[str, tuple[str, str]] = {
     **{
diff --git a/tests/test_ci_policy.py b/tests/test_ci_policy.py
index 49fb641..12005ee 100644
--- a/tests/test_ci_policy.py
+++ b/tests/test_ci_policy.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 import json
 import re
+import shutil
 import subprocess  # nosec B404
 import sys
 from pathlib import Path
@@ -309,6 +310,22 @@ def test_plugin_manifest_versions_match_project_version() -> None:
         assert manifest["version"] == project_version()
 
 
+def test_plugin_launcher_reports_actionable_setup_when_docpull_is_missing() -> None:
+    launcher = REPO_ROOT / "plugin" / "scripts" / "launch-docpull-mcp.mjs"
+    node = shutil.which("node")
+    assert node is not None
+    proc = subprocess.run(  # nosec B603
+        [node, str(launcher)],
+        check=False,
+        text=True,
+        env={"PATH": ""},
+        capture_output=True,
+    )
+
+    assert proc.returncode == 127
+    assert "pipx install 'docpull[mcp]==6.5.2'" in proc.stderr
+
+
 def test_mcp_registry_manifest_versions_match_project_version() -> None:
     manifest = json.loads((REPO_ROOT / "server.json").read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
 
diff --git a/uv.lock b/uv.lock
index b36d9c9..e60bca5 100644
--- a/uv.lock
+++ b/uv.lock
@@ -1305,7 +1305,7 @@ wheels = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "docpull"
-version = "6.5.1"
+version = "6.5.2"
 source = { editable = "." }
 dependencies = [
     { name = "aiohttp" },