diff --git a/extensions/imessage/src/setup-surface.ts b/extensions/imessage/src/setup-surface.ts
index 2f0d4d59bd5..8e128850328 100644
--- a/extensions/imessage/src/setup-surface.ts
+++ b/extensions/imessage/src/setup-surface.ts
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ export const imessageSetupWizard: ChannelSetupWizard = {
     unconfiguredScore: imessageSetupStatusBase.unconfiguredScore,
     resolveConfigured: imessageSetupStatusBase.resolveConfigured,
     resolveBinaryPath: ({ cfg, accountId }) =>
-      resolveIMessageAccount({ cfg, accountId: accountId ?? "default" }).config.cliPath ?? "imsg",
+      resolveIMessageAccount({ cfg, accountId }).config.cliPath ?? "imsg",
     detectBinary,
   }),
   credentials: [],
diff --git a/extensions/imessage/src/targets.test.ts b/extensions/imessage/src/targets.test.ts
index fd46786e15e..a1968484f29 100644
--- a/extensions/imessage/src/targets.test.ts
+++ b/extensions/imessage/src/targets.test.ts
@@ -292,6 +292,27 @@ describe("imessage setup status", () => {
     expect(result.configured).toBe(false);
     expect(result.statusLines).toContain("iMessage: needs setup");
   });
+
+  it("uses configured defaultAccount for omitted setup status cliPath", async () => {
+    const status = await getIMessageSetupStatus({
+      cfg: {
+        channels: {
+          imessage: {
+            cliPath: "/tmp/root-imsg",
+            defaultAccount: "work",
+            accounts: {
+              work: {
+                cliPath: "/tmp/work-imsg",
+              },
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      } as never,
+      accountOverrides: {},
+    });
+
+    expect(status.statusLines).toContain("imsg: missing (/tmp/work-imsg)");
+  });
 });
 
 describe("probeIMessage", () => {