diff --git a/src/keyring/linux.ts b/src/keyring/linux.ts
index 34024715..2cde4f25 100644
--- a/src/keyring/linux.ts
+++ b/src/keyring/linux.ts
@@ -45,40 +45,23 @@ async function secretTool(
   return {
     success: result.success,
     code: result.code,
-    stdout: new TextDecoder().decode(result.stdout).trim(),
+    // secret-tool writes the stored secret verbatim when stdout is piped. It
+    // only appends a newline when writing to a terminal.
+    stdout: new TextDecoder().decode(result.stdout),
     stderr: new TextDecoder().decode(result.stderr).trim(),
   }
 }
 
 export const linuxBackend: KeyringBackend = {
   async isAvailable() {
-    // Probe the keyring with a lookup that's expected to miss. We can't
-    // gate on `secret-tool --version` — that flag has never existed in
-    // libsecret, so the probe always fails and we'd report "no keyring"
-    // even on systems where the keyring works fine.
-    let probe
     try {
-      probe = await secretTool([
-        "lookup",
-        "service",
-        SERVICE,
-        "account",
-        "__linear_cli_probe__",
-      ])
+      // With no arguments secret-tool exits 2 after printing usage. A
+      // completed process is enough to prove the executable is on PATH.
+      await secretTool([])
+      return true
     } catch {
-      // secret-tool binary missing (libsecret-tools not installed).
-      return false
-    }
-
-    // libsecret-tools installed, but no Secret Service is registered on
-    // the session bus (e.g. headless Linux without gnome-keyring-daemon).
-    if (probe.stderr.includes("was not provided by any .service files")) {
       return false
     }
-
-    // Either the probe key happens to exist (success) or the lookup
-    // ran cleanly and just didn't find anything (exit 1, empty stderr).
-    return probe.success || (probe.code === 1 && probe.stderr === "")
   },
 
   async get(account) {
@@ -90,8 +73,9 @@ export const linuxBackend: KeyringBackend = {
       account,
     ])
     if (!result.success) {
-      // secret-tool lookup returns exit 1 when no matching items are found
-      if (result.code === 1) return null
+      // secret-tool returns exit 1 both when no items match and when the
+      // lookup fails. Operational failures write to stderr; a miss does not.
+      if (result.code === 1 && result.stderr === "") return null
       throw new Error(
         `secret-tool lookup failed (exit ${result.code}): ${result.stderr}`,
       )
@@ -129,8 +113,7 @@ export const linuxBackend: KeyringBackend = {
       "account",
       account,
     ])
-    // secret-tool clear returns exit 1 when no matching items are found
-    if (!result.success && result.code !== 1) {
+    if (!result.success) {
       throw new Error(
         `secret-tool clear failed (exit ${result.code}): ${result.stderr}`,
       )
diff --git a/test/keyring.integration.test.ts b/test/keyring.integration.test.ts
index 5af8339a..b70b434d 100644
--- a/test/keyring.integration.test.ts
+++ b/test/keyring.integration.test.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
-import { assertEquals } from "@std/assert"
+import { assertEquals, assertRejects } from "@std/assert"
 import {
   deletePassword,
   getPassword,
+  isAvailable,
   setPassword,
 } from "../src/keyring/index.ts"
 
@@ -63,6 +64,45 @@ Deno.test({
 
       await deletePassword(TEST_ACCOUNT)
       assertEquals(await getPassword(TEST_ACCOUNT), null)
+
+      if (Deno.build.os === "linux") {
+        const dbusAddress = Deno.env.get("DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS")
+        Deno.env.set(
+          "DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS",
+          `unix:path=/tmp/linear-cli-missing-dbus-${Date.now()}`,
+        )
+        try {
+          assertEquals(await isAvailable(), true)
+          await assertRejects(
+            () => getPassword(TEST_ACCOUNT),
+            Error,
+            "secret-tool lookup failed",
+          )
+          await assertRejects(
+            () => deletePassword(TEST_ACCOUNT),
+            Error,
+            "secret-tool clear failed",
+          )
+        } finally {
+          if (dbusAddress == null) {
+            Deno.env.delete("DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS")
+          } else {
+            Deno.env.set("DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS", dbusAddress)
+          }
+        }
+
+        const path = Deno.env.get("PATH")
+        Deno.env.set("PATH", "/nonexistent")
+        try {
+          assertEquals(await isAvailable(), false)
+        } finally {
+          if (path == null) {
+            Deno.env.delete("PATH")
+          } else {
+            Deno.env.set("PATH", path)
+          }
+        }
+      }
     } finally {
       // Ensure cleanup even if assertions fail
       try {