diff --git a/.agents/codebase-insights.txt b/.agents/codebase-insights.txt
index eddcaad05..406da9a61 100644
--- a/.agents/codebase-insights.txt
+++ b/.agents/codebase-insights.txt
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
   `get_message()`, so callers need to drain messages until `None` after feeding
   new bytes.
 
-
 - The db-backend DAP server now responds to the `configurationDone` request.
 
 - Electron lifecycle: the backend-manager process is spawned in
@@ -20,3 +19,5 @@
   and hook it to `app.on('before-quit')`, `app.on('window-all-closed')`, and
   Node process signals (`SIGINT`, `SIGTERM`, `SIGHUP`) to ensure the process
   is always terminated when the app exits.
+- The CodeTracer frontend and tooling now invoke the legacy CLI via the
+  `ct-legacy` binary; avoid calling the `ct` binary because it is a different tool.
diff --git a/appimage-scripts/build_appimage.sh b/appimage-scripts/build_appimage.sh
index dbe4ace1a..88a1c3b09 100755
--- a/appimage-scripts/build_appimage.sh
+++ b/appimage-scripts/build_appimage.sh
@@ -104,14 +104,14 @@ bash "${ROOT_PATH}"/appimage-scripts/build_css.sh
 # Build/setup nim-based files
 bash "${ROOT_PATH}"/appimage-scripts/build_with_nim.sh
 
-cat << 'EOF' > "${APP_DIR}/bin/ct"
+cat << 'EOF' > "${APP_DIR}/bin/ct-legacy"
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 
 HERE=${HERE:-$(dirname "$(readlink -f "${0}")")}
 
 # TODO: This includes references to x86_64. What about aarch64?
 
-exec "${HERE}"/bin/ct_unwrapped "$@"
+exec "${HERE}"/bin/ct-legacy_unwrapped "$@"
 
 EOF
 
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ export LINKS_PATH_DIR=$HERE
 export PATH="${HERE}/bin:${PATH}"
 export CODETRACER_RUBY_RECORDER_PATH="${HERE}/codetracer-ruby-recorder/gems/codetracer-pure-ruby-recorder/bin/codetracer-pure-ruby-recorder"
 
-exec ${HERE}/bin/ct "$@"
+exec ${HERE}/bin/ct-legacy "$@"
 EOF
 
 chmod +x "${APP_DIR}/AppRun"
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ else
 fi
 
 # Patchelf the executable's interpreter
-patchelf --set-interpreter "${INTERPRETER_PATH}" "${APP_DIR}"/bin/ct_unwrapped
+patchelf --set-interpreter "${INTERPRETER_PATH}" "${APP_DIR}"/bin/ct-legacy_unwrapped
 patchelf --set-interpreter "${INTERPRETER_PATH}" "${APP_DIR}"/bin/db-backend
 patchelf --set-interpreter "${INTERPRETER_PATH}" "${APP_DIR}"/bin/db-backend-record
 patchelf --set-interpreter "${INTERPRETER_PATH}" "${APP_DIR}"/bin/backend-manager
@@ -265,7 +265,7 @@ patchelf --set-interpreter "${INTERPRETER_PATH}" "${APP_DIR}"/bin/node
 patchelf --set-interpreter "${INTERPRETER_PATH}" "${APP_DIR}"/ruby/bin/ruby
 
 # Clear up the executable's rpath
-patchelf --remove-rpath "${APP_DIR}"/bin/ct_unwrapped
+patchelf --remove-rpath "${APP_DIR}"/bin/ct-legacy_unwrapped
 patchelf --remove-rpath "${APP_DIR}"/bin/db-backend
 patchelf --remove-rpath "${APP_DIR}"/bin/db-backend-record
 patchelf --remove-rpath "${APP_DIR}"/bin/backend-manager
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ patchelf --remove-rpath "${APP_DIR}"/bin/node
 patchelf --remove-rpath "${APP_DIR}"/ruby/bin/ruby
 
 patchelf --set-rpath "\$ORIGIN/../lib" "${APP_DIR}"/bin/node
-patchelf --set-rpath "\$ORIGIN/../lib" "${APP_DIR}"/bin/ct_unwrapped
+patchelf --set-rpath "\$ORIGIN/../lib" "${APP_DIR}"/bin/ct-legacy_unwrapped
 patchelf --set-rpath "\$ORIGIN/../lib" "${APP_DIR}"/bin/db-backend
 patchelf --set-rpath "\$ORIGIN/../lib" "${APP_DIR}"/bin/db-backend-record
 patchelf --set-rpath "\$ORIGIN/../lib" "${APP_DIR}"/bin/backend-manager
diff --git a/appimage-scripts/build_with_nim.sh b/appimage-scripts/build_with_nim.sh
index 19ca8e22d..693ec1ade 100755
--- a/appimage-scripts/build_with_nim.sh
+++ b/appimage-scripts/build_with_nim.sh
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ nim -d:release \
     -d:libcPath=libc \
     -d:pathToNodeModules=../node_modules \
     --nimcache:nimcache \
-    --out:"${APP_DIR}/bin/ct_unwrapped" c ./src/ct/codetracer.nim
+    --out:"${APP_DIR}/bin/ct-legacy_unwrapped" c ./src/ct-legacy/codetracer.nim
 
 
 nim \
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ nim \
     --passL:"${APP_DIR}/lib/libpcre.so.1" \
     --passL:"${APP_DIR}/lib/libzip.so.5" \
     --nimcache:nimcache \
-    --out:"${APP_DIR}/bin/db-backend-record" c ./src/ct/db_backend_record.nim
+    --out:"${APP_DIR}/bin/db-backend-record" c ./src/ct-legacy/db_backend_record.nim
 
     # --passL:"-lsqlite3" \
     #--passL:"${APPDIR}/lib/libcrypto.so.3" \
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ nim \
 
     # TODO conditional for nixos?--passL:$LIBSQLITE3_PATH
     #
-# patchelf --set-rpath ${APP_DIR}/lib ${APP_DIR}/bin/ct
+# patchelf --set-rpath ${APP_DIR}/lib ${APP_DIR}/bin/ct-legacy
 
 
 # index.js
diff --git a/docs/book/src/installation.md b/docs/book/src/installation.md
index c754990f9..8fd51fa03 100644
--- a/docs/book/src/installation.md
+++ b/docs/book/src/installation.md
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ Direnv should be set up in your shell, as shown [here](https://direnv.net/docs/h
    ```
 4. Run `nix develop`
 5. Run `direnv allow`
-6. To build codetracer simply run `just build`. The location of the resulting binary will be `./src/build-debug/bin/ct`
+6. To build codetracer simply run `just build`. The location of the resulting binary will be `./src/build-debug/bin/ct-legacy`
 7. Now every time you enter the `codetracer` directory your environment should be updated
 
 > [!TIP]
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ The only dependencies for the macOS build are `git`, `bash` and `homebrew`.
 1. Clone the repository with submodules: `git clone https://github.com/metacraft-labs/codetracer.git --recursive`
 2. Enter the created directory
 3. Run `./non-nix-build/build.sh` from the root of the cloned repository. This will install all prerequisites like Rust, Nim and others using homebrew
-4. The resulting binary can be found at `./non-nix-build/CodeTracer.app/Contents/MacOS/bin/ct`, and a DMG installer is created at `./non-nix-build/CodeTracer.dmg`.
+4. The resulting binary can be found at `./non-nix-build/CodeTracer.app/Contents/MacOS/bin/ct-legacy`, and a DMG installer is created at `./non-nix-build/CodeTracer.dmg`.
 
 
 ### Building and running the tests
diff --git a/nix/packages/default.nix b/nix/packages/default.nix
index 08c98c651..87a7e6f69 100644
--- a/nix/packages/default.nix
+++ b/nix/packages/default.nix
@@ -623,7 +623,7 @@
             mkdir -p $out/frontend/styles
 
 
-            cp ./ct $out/bin/
+            cp ./ct-legacy $out/bin/
 
             # Codetracer web
             cp -L ${codetracer-electron}/views/server_index.ejs $out/views
@@ -660,7 +660,7 @@
             cp -L ${codetracer-electron}/src/helpers.js $out/src/helpers.js
             # ln -sf ${codetracer-electron}/src/public/ $out/public
 
-            cp ./ct $out/bin
+            cp ./ct-legacy $out/bin
             cp ./db-backend-record $out/bin
 
             cp -r src/frontend/index.html $out/
@@ -668,10 +668,10 @@
 
           '';
 
-          meta.mainProgram = "ct";
+          meta.mainProgram = "ct-legacy";
 
           postFixup = ''
-            wrapProgram $out/bin/ct \
+            wrapProgram $out/bin/ct-legacy \
               --prefix PATH : ${pkgs.lib.makeBinPath [ cargo-stylus ]}
           '';
 
diff --git a/non-nix-build/build_in_simple_env.sh b/non-nix-build/build_in_simple_env.sh
index 6eb7a2e27..db1542f06 100755
--- a/non-nix-build/build_in_simple_env.sh
+++ b/non-nix-build/build_in_simple_env.sh
@@ -56,19 +56,19 @@ cp -r "$ROOT_DIR"/src/config "$DIST_DIR"/config
 cp -r "$ROOT_DIR"/src/public "$DIST_DIR"/public
 cp -r "$BIN_DIR"/* "$DIST_DIR"/bin/
 
-mv "$DIST_DIR"/bin/ct "$DIST_DIR"/bin/ct_unwrapped
+mv "$DIST_DIR"/bin/ct-legacy "$DIST_DIR"/bin/ct-legacy_unwrapped
 
-cat << 'EOF' > "${DIST_DIR}"/bin/ct
+cat << 'EOF' > "${DIST_DIR}"/bin/ct-legacy
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 
 export HERE=$(dirname $(dirname "$0"))
 
 export CODETRACER_RUBY_RECORDER_PATH="${HERE}/codetracer-ruby-recorder/gems/codetracer-pure-ruby-recorder/bin/codetracer-pure-ruby-recorder"
 
-exec ${HERE}/bin/ct_unwrapped "$@"
+exec ${HERE}/bin/ct-legacy_unwrapped "$@"
 EOF
 
-chmod +x "${DIST_DIR}"/bin/ct
+chmod +x "${DIST_DIR}"/bin/ct-legacy
 
 # Enable the installation prompt. Extra argument to be compatible with FreeBSD coreutils
 sed -i "" "s/skipInstall.*/skipInstall: false/g" "$DIST_DIR/config/default_config.yaml"
diff --git a/non-nix-build/build_mac_app.sh b/non-nix-build/build_mac_app.sh
index 05b0e9ef7..b398135e8 100755
--- a/non-nix-build/build_mac_app.sh
+++ b/non-nix-build/build_mac_app.sh
@@ -27,6 +27,6 @@ cp "$DIST_DIR"/../Resources/CodeTracer.icns "$(realpath MacOS/node_modules)"/ele
 # macOS uses core utils from FreeBSD so the additional "" is needed to execute this sed call.
 #
 # This sed call is needed because even though we replaced the entire plist file, the CodeTracer icon will not be displayed correctly
-# in the auto-generated about menu, if the correct executable isn't listed here. If it was left as "bin/ct" a big disabled icon would
+# in the auto-generated about menu, if the correct executable isn't listed here. If it was left as "bin/ct-legacy" a big disabled icon would
 # be overlayed on top of the app icon
-sed -i "" "s/\<string\>bin\/ct/\<string\>Electron/g" "$(realpath MacOS/node_modules)"/electron/dist/Electron.app/Contents/Info.plist
+sed -i "" "s/\<string\>bin\/ct-legacy/\<string\>Electron/g" "$(realpath MacOS/node_modules)"/electron/dist/Electron.app/Contents/Info.plist
diff --git a/non-nix-build/build_with_nim.sh b/non-nix-build/build_with_nim.sh
index f5923c8ac..13f423fd2 100755
--- a/non-nix-build/build_with_nim.sh
+++ b/non-nix-build/build_with_nim.sh
@@ -35,15 +35,15 @@ nim -d:release \
     -d:ctEntrypoint \
     --nimcache:nimcache \
     -d:ctmacos \
-    --out:"$DIST_DIR/bin/ct" c ./src/ct/codetracer.nim
+    --out:"$DIST_DIR/bin/ct-legacy" c ./src/ct-legacy/codetracer.nim
 
 install_name_tool \
   -add_rpath "@executable_path/../../Frameworks" \
-  "${DIST_DIR}/bin/ct"
+  "${DIST_DIR}/bin/ct-legacy"
 
-install_name_tool -add_rpath "@loader_path" "${DIST_DIR}/bin/ct"
+install_name_tool -add_rpath "@loader_path" "${DIST_DIR}/bin/ct-legacy"
 
-codesign -s - --force --deep "${DIST_DIR}/bin/ct"
+codesign -s - --force --deep "${DIST_DIR}/bin/ct-legacy"
 
 nim -d:release \
     -d:asyncBackend=asyncdispatch \
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ nim -d:release \
     -d:ctEntrypoint \
     --nimcache:nimcache \
     -d:ctmacos \
-    --out:"$DIST_DIR/bin/db-backend-record" c ./src/ct/db_backend_record.nim
+    --out:"$DIST_DIR/bin/db-backend-record" c ./src/ct-legacy/db_backend_record.nim
 
 install_name_tool \
   -add_rpath "@executable_path/../../Frameworks" \
diff --git a/resources/Info.plist b/resources/Info.plist
index 3e93ad006..f61fd8cd5 100644
--- a/resources/Info.plist
+++ b/resources/Info.plist
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
     <string>CodeTracer</string>
 
     <key>CFBundleExecutable</key>
-    <string>bin/ct</string>
+    <string>bin/ct-legacy</string>
 
     <key>CFBundleIconFile</key>
     <string>CodeTracer.icns</string>
@@ -83,4 +83,3 @@
     <string>Copyright (c) 2025 Metacraft Labs Ltd.</string>
   </dict>
 </plist>
-
diff --git a/resources/codetracer.desktop b/resources/codetracer.desktop
index 47289aa50..da3484c22 100644
--- a/resources/codetracer.desktop
+++ b/resources/codetracer.desktop
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 [Desktop Entry]
 Version=1.0
 Type=Application
-Exec=ct
+Exec=ct-legacy
 Name=CodeTracer
 Name[ja]=コードトレーサ始める
 Comment=A user-friendly time-travelling debugger designed to support a wide range of programming languages.
@@ -9,4 +9,3 @@ Icon=codetracer
 Categories=Development
 Keywords=codetracer;time-travelling;debugger;omniscient;noir;nargo;tracing
 StartupWMClass=CodeTracer
-
diff --git a/src/Tuprules.tup b/src/Tuprules.tup
index 64e9b9523..a83f736c4 100644
--- a/src/Tuprules.tup
+++ b/src/Tuprules.tup
@@ -155,6 +155,10 @@ export RUSTUP_HOME
   CARGO_TARGET_DIR=/tmp/codetracer/backend_manager_target \
     cargo build --release && \
     cp /tmp/codetracer/backend_manager_target/release/backend-manager %o |> %o
+!rust_cargo_ct = |> \
+  CARGO_TARGET_DIR=/tmp/codetracer/ct_target \
+    cargo build --release && \
+    cp /tmp/codetracer/ct_target/release/ct %o |> %o
 !debug_rust_cargo_db_backend = |> \
   CARGO_TARGET_DIR=/tmp/codetracer/db_backend_target \
     cargo build && \
diff --git a/src/common/install_utils.nim b/src/common/install_utils.nim
index 435c74d13..3e12720f8 100644
--- a/src/common/install_utils.nim
+++ b/src/common/install_utils.nim
@@ -103,16 +103,16 @@ proc installCodetracerOnPath*(codetracerExe: string): Result[void, string] {.rai
       execPath = getEnv("APPIMAGE")
 
     try:
-      if not fileExists(binDir / "ct"):
+      if not fileExists(binDir / "ct-legacy"):
         echo fmt2"Creating symlink to {execPath} in {binDir}"
-        createSymlink(execPath, binDir / "ct")
+        createSymlink(execPath, binDir / "ct-legacy")
 
-      elif isSymlinkDangling(binDir / "ct"):
+      elif isSymlinkDangling(binDir / "ct-legacy"):
         # Try and clean up the installation
-        removeFile(binDir / "ct")
-        createSymlink(execPath, binDir / "ct")
+        removeFile(binDir / "ct-legacy")
+        createSymlink(execPath, binDir / "ct-legacy")
       else:
-        echo fmt2"{binDir}/ct already exists and is not dangling"
+        echo fmt2"{binDir}/ct-legacy already exists and is not dangling"
     except OSError as e:
       return err "Failed to put CodeTracer on the PATH: " & e.msg
 
@@ -126,13 +126,13 @@ proc installCodetracerOnPath*(codetracerExe: string): Result[void, string] {.rai
 
     try:
       createDir(shellLaunchersDir)
-      let ctLauncherPath = shellLaunchersDir / "ct"
-      writeFile(ctLauncherPath, slurpShellIntegrationFile "shell-launchers/ct")
+      let ctLauncherPath = shellLaunchersDir / "ct-legacy"
+      writeFile(ctLauncherPath, slurpShellIntegrationFile "shell-launchers/ct-legacy")
       setFilePermissions(ctLauncherPath, {fpUserExec, fpGroupExec, fpOthersExec,
                                           fpUserRead, fpGroupRead, fpOthersRead,
                                           fpUserWrite})
     except CatchableError as err:
-      return err "Failed to create the ct shell launcher: " & err.msg
+      return err "Failed to create the ct-legacy shell launcher: " & err.msg
 
     let shellPath = getEnv("SHELL", "/bin/bash")
 
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ when defined(linux):
       # ran the `install` command
 
       echo fmt"Replacing exec field with {execPath}"
-      contents = contents.replace("Exec=ct", fmt"Exec={execPath}")
+      contents = contents.replace("Exec=ct-legacy", fmt"Exec={execPath}")
 
       let desktopFile = desktopFileDir / "codetracer.desktop"
 
diff --git a/src/common/paths.nim b/src/common/paths.nim
index dc18f56e5..8b3d0e3e2 100644
--- a/src/common/paths.nim
+++ b/src/common/paths.nim
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ let
   cTraceSourcePath* = linksPath / "src" / "trace.c"
   consoleExe* = linksPath / "bin" / "console"
   # (additional note: it is a workaround for dev/some cases: TODO think more)
-  codetracerExe* = codetracerExeDir / "bin" / "ct"
+  codetracerExe* = codetracerExeDir / "bin" / "ct-legacy"
   bashExe* = linksPath / "bin" / "bash"
   taskProcessExe* = linksPath / "bin" / "task_process"
   python3Path* = linksPath / "bin" / "python3"
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ let
   nodeModulesPath* = linksPath / "node_modules"
 
   codetracerTestDir* = codetracerInstallDir / "src" / "tests"
-  codetracerNixResultExe* = codetracerInstallDir / "result" / "bin" / "ct"
+  codetracerNixResultExe* = codetracerInstallDir / "result" / "bin" / "ct-legacy"
   codetracerTestBuildDir* = codetracerExeDir / "tests"
   programDir* = codetracerTestDir / "programs"
   recordDir* = codetracerTestDir / "records"
diff --git a/src/ct/version.nim b/src/common/version.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/version.nim
rename to src/common/version.nim
diff --git a/src/ct-legacy/Tupfile b/src/ct-legacy/Tupfile
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4ac4aef51
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ct-legacy/Tupfile
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+include_rules
+
+: codetracer.nim |> !codetracer |> ../bin/codetracer_depending_on_env_vars_in_tup
+: ct_wrapper.nim |> !nim_c |> ../bin/ct-legacy
+# TODO think if we want explicitly both
+# : ct_wrapper.nim |> !nim_c |> ../bin/codetracer
+: db_backend_record.nim |> !codetracer |> ../bin/db-backend-record
diff --git a/src/ct/cli/build.nim b/src/ct-legacy/cli/build.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/cli/build.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/cli/build.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/cli/help.nim b/src/ct-legacy/cli/help.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/cli/help.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/cli/help.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/cli/interactive_replay.nim b/src/ct-legacy/cli/interactive_replay.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/cli/interactive_replay.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/cli/interactive_replay.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/cli/list.nim b/src/ct-legacy/cli/list.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/cli/list.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/cli/list.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/cli/logging.nim b/src/ct-legacy/cli/logging.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/cli/logging.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/cli/logging.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/codetracer.nim b/src/ct-legacy/codetracer.nim
similarity index 97%
rename from src/ct/codetracer.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/codetracer.nim
index 209f022d8..5dafaa9eb 100644
--- a/src/ct/codetracer.nim
+++ b/src/ct-legacy/codetracer.nim
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 import
   launch/[ launch ],
   codetracerconf, confutils,
-  version
+  ../common/version
 
 try:
   if not eventuallyWrapElectron():
diff --git a/src/ct/codetracerconf.nim b/src/ct-legacy/codetracerconf.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/codetracerconf.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/codetracerconf.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/ct_wrapper.nim b/src/ct-legacy/ct_wrapper.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/ct_wrapper.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/ct_wrapper.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/db_backend_record.nim b/src/ct-legacy/db_backend_record.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/db_backend_record.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/db_backend_record.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/globals.nim b/src/ct-legacy/globals.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/globals.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/globals.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/launch/backends.nim b/src/ct-legacy/launch/backends.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/launch/backends.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/launch/backends.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/launch/cleanup.nim b/src/ct-legacy/launch/cleanup.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/launch/cleanup.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/launch/cleanup.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/launch/electron.nim b/src/ct-legacy/launch/electron.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/launch/electron.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/launch/electron.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/launch/launch.nim b/src/ct-legacy/launch/launch.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/launch/launch.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/launch/launch.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/online_sharing/delete.nim b/src/ct-legacy/online_sharing/delete.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/online_sharing/delete.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/online_sharing/delete.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/online_sharing/download.nim b/src/ct-legacy/online_sharing/download.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/online_sharing/download.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/online_sharing/download.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/online_sharing/online_sharing_test.nim b/src/ct-legacy/online_sharing/online_sharing_test.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/online_sharing/online_sharing_test.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/online_sharing/online_sharing_test.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/online_sharing/upload.nim b/src/ct-legacy/online_sharing/upload.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/online_sharing/upload.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/online_sharing/upload.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/sourcemap.nim b/src/ct-legacy/sourcemap.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/sourcemap.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/sourcemap.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/stylus/arb_node_utils.nim b/src/ct-legacy/stylus/arb_node_utils.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/stylus/arb_node_utils.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/stylus/arb_node_utils.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/stylus/deploy.nim b/src/ct-legacy/stylus/deploy.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/stylus/deploy.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/stylus/deploy.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/stylus/record.nim b/src/ct-legacy/stylus/record.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/stylus/record.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/stylus/record.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/thread_affinities.nim b/src/ct-legacy/thread_affinities.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/thread_affinities.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/thread_affinities.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/trace/host.nim b/src/ct-legacy/trace/host.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/trace/host.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/trace/host.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/trace/import_command.nim b/src/ct-legacy/trace/import_command.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/trace/import_command.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/trace/import_command.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/trace/metadata.nim b/src/ct-legacy/trace/metadata.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/trace/metadata.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/trace/metadata.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/trace/multitrace.nim b/src/ct-legacy/trace/multitrace.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/trace/multitrace.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/trace/multitrace.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/trace/record.nim b/src/ct-legacy/trace/record.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/trace/record.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/trace/record.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/trace/replay.nim b/src/ct-legacy/trace/replay.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/trace/replay.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/trace/replay.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/trace/run.nim b/src/ct-legacy/trace/run.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/trace/run.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/trace/run.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/trace/shell.nim b/src/ct-legacy/trace/shell.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/trace/shell.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/trace/shell.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/trace/storage_and_import.nim b/src/ct-legacy/trace/storage_and_import.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/trace/storage_and_import.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/trace/storage_and_import.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/utilities/encryption.nim b/src/ct-legacy/utilities/encryption.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/utilities/encryption.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/utilities/encryption.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/utilities/encryption_test.nim b/src/ct-legacy/utilities/encryption_test.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/utilities/encryption_test.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/utilities/encryption_test.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/utilities/env.nim b/src/ct-legacy/utilities/env.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/utilities/env.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/utilities/env.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/utilities/git.nim b/src/ct-legacy/utilities/git.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/utilities/git.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/utilities/git.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/utilities/language_detection.nim b/src/ct-legacy/utilities/language_detection.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/utilities/language_detection.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/utilities/language_detection.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/utilities/progress_update.nim b/src/ct-legacy/utilities/progress_update.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/utilities/progress_update.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/utilities/progress_update.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/utilities/types.nim b/src/ct-legacy/utilities/types.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/utilities/types.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/utilities/types.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/utilities/zip.nim b/src/ct-legacy/utilities/zip.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/utilities/zip.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/utilities/zip.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/utilities/zip_test.nim b/src/ct-legacy/utilities/zip_test.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from src/ct/utilities/zip_test.nim
rename to src/ct-legacy/utilities/zip_test.nim
diff --git a/src/ct/Cargo.lock b/src/ct/Cargo.lock
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c8c556b60
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ct/Cargo.lock
@@ -0,0 +1,359 @@
+# This file is automatically @generated by Cargo.
+# It is not intended for manual editing.
+version = 4
+
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+dependencies = [
+ "anstyle",
+ "anstyle-parse",
+ "anstyle-query",
+ "anstyle-wincon",
+ "colorchoice",
+ "is_terminal_polyfill",
+ "utf8parse",
+]
+
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+ "fallible-streaming-iterator",
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+ "libsqlite3-sys",
+ "smallvec",
+]
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+dependencies = [
+ "windows-link",
+ "windows_aarch64_gnullvm",
+ "windows_aarch64_msvc",
+ "windows_i686_gnu",
+ "windows_i686_gnullvm",
+ "windows_i686_msvc",
+ "windows_x86_64_gnu",
+ "windows_x86_64_gnullvm",
+ "windows_x86_64_msvc",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "windows_aarch64_gnullvm"
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+
+[[package]]
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diff --git a/src/ct/Cargo.toml b/src/ct/Cargo.toml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..210ac8d8c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ct/Cargo.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+[package]
+name = "ct"
+version = "0.1.0"
+edition = "2024"
+
+[dependencies]
+clap = { version = "4.5.49", features = ["derive"] }
+# bundled feature statically links libsql
+rusqlite = { version = "0.37.0", features = ["bundled"] }
diff --git a/src/ct/Tupfile b/src/ct/Tupfile
index 01fc81991..50beeaa42 100644
--- a/src/ct/Tupfile
+++ b/src/ct/Tupfile
@@ -1,7 +1,3 @@
 include_rules
 
-: codetracer.nim |> !codetracer |> ../bin/codetracer_depending_on_env_vars_in_tup
-: ct_wrapper.nim |> !nim_c |> ../bin/ct
-# TODO think if we want explicitly both
-# : ct_wrapper.nim |> !nim_c |> ../bin/codetracer
-: db_backend_record.nim |> !codetracer |> ../bin/db-backend-record
+: |> !rust_cargo_ct |> ../bin/ct
diff --git a/src/ct/src/db.rs b/src/ct/src/db.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d172cb46f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ct/src/db.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+use std::sync::{LazyLock, Mutex};
+
+use rusqlite::Connection;
+
+use crate::paths::CODETRACER_PATHS;
+
+pub static CONNECTION_MUTEX: LazyLock<Mutex<Connection>> = LazyLock::new(|| {
+    // TODO: better error handling maybe? (this is sufficient, but the errors aren't exactly user friendly)
+    // TODO: implement migrations
+
+    let res = Mutex::new(
+        Connection::open(
+            CODETRACER_PATHS
+                .lock()
+                .unwrap()
+                .data_path
+                .join("trace_index.db"),
+        )
+        .unwrap(),
+    );
+
+    {
+        let conn = res.lock().unwrap();
+        conn.execute(
+            "
+            CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS traces (
+            id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
+            program text,
+            args text,
+            compileCommand text,
+            env text,
+            workdir text,
+            output text,
+            sourceFolders text,
+            lowLevelFolder text,
+            outputFolder text,
+            lang integer,
+            imported integer,
+            shellID integer,
+            rrPid integer,
+            exitCode integer,
+            calltrace integer,
+            calltraceMode string,
+            date text,
+            );
+            ",
+            (),
+        )
+        .unwrap();
+    }
+
+    res
+});
diff --git a/src/ct/src/lang.rs b/src/ct/src/lang.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9fd7e4139
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ct/src/lang.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+use clap::ValueEnum;
+
+#[derive(ValueEnum, Clone, Debug)]
+pub enum Lang {
+    Python,
+    Ruby,
+    Noir,
+    Wasm,
+    Small,
+}
+
+impl ToString for Lang {
+    fn to_string(&self) -> String {
+        match self {
+            Lang::Python => String::from("python"),
+            Lang::Ruby => String::from("ruby"),
+            Lang::Noir => String::from("noir"),
+            Lang::Wasm => String::from("wasm"),
+            Lang::Small => String::from("small"),
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/ct/src/main.rs b/src/ct/src/main.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1bb6f0eb1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ct/src/main.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+mod db;
+mod lang;
+mod paths;
+mod subcommands;
+
+use clap::{Parser, Subcommand};
+
+use crate::lang::Lang;
+
+#[derive(Debug, Parser)]
+#[command(
+    name = "ct",
+    about = "TODO: write description",
+    version,
+    propagate_version = true
+)]
+pub struct Args {
+    /// Selects which operation to perform.
+    #[command(subcommand)]
+    pub command: Command,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, clap::Args)]
+pub struct RecordOptions {
+    /// Override the language of the project. Used to determine which recorder is used.
+    #[arg(short, long)]
+    pub lang: Option<Lang>,
+
+    /// Where to save the trace.
+    #[arg(short, long)]
+    pub output_folder: Option<String>,
+
+    /// Path to the program to record.
+    pub program: String,
+
+    /// Arguments to pass to the program.
+    pub args: Vec<String>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Subcommand)]
+pub enum Command {
+    /// Record the execution of a program
+    Record(RecordOptions),
+
+    /// Lists all available external subcommands.
+    List,
+
+    /// Defer execution to an external `ct-*` binary.
+    #[command(external_subcommand)]
+    External(Vec<String>),
+}
+
+fn main() {
+    let args = Args::parse();
+
+    match args.command {
+        Command::List => subcommands::run_list::<Args>(),
+        Command::External(args) => subcommands::run_external(&args),
+        Command::Record(options) => subcommands::run_record(options),
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/ct/src/paths.rs b/src/ct/src/paths.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9a6732842
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ct/src/paths.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+use std::env;
+use std::path::PathBuf;
+use std::sync::{LazyLock, Mutex};
+
+pub struct Paths {
+    pub tmp_path: PathBuf,
+    pub client_socket_path: PathBuf,
+    pub socket_path: PathBuf,
+    pub data_path: PathBuf,
+}
+
+impl Default for Paths {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        let tmpdir: PathBuf = if cfg!(target_os = "macos") {
+            PathBuf::from(env::var("HOME").unwrap_or("/".to_string()))
+                .join("Library/Caches/com.codetracer.CodeTracer/")
+        } else {
+            env::temp_dir().join("codetracer/")
+        };
+
+        Self {
+            tmp_path: PathBuf::from(&tmpdir),
+            client_socket_path: PathBuf::from(&tmpdir).join("ct_client_socket"),
+            socket_path: PathBuf::from(&tmpdir).join("ct_socket"),
+            data_path: env::home_dir()
+                .unwrap_or(PathBuf::from("~"))
+                .join(".local/share/codetracer"), // TODO: handle non-UNIX stuff
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+pub static CODETRACER_PATHS: LazyLock<Mutex<Paths>> =
+    LazyLock::new(|| Mutex::new(Paths::default()));
diff --git a/src/ct/src/subcommands/external.rs b/src/ct/src/subcommands/external.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..58eb774b3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ct/src/subcommands/external.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+use std::{
+    env,
+    path::PathBuf,
+    process::{self, exit},
+};
+
+pub fn run_external(args: &[String]) {
+    let name = &args[0];
+    let exe_name = String::from("ct-") + name;
+    let args = &args[1..];
+
+    let exe = match resolve_executable(&exe_name) {
+        Some(exe) => exe,
+        None => {
+            println!(
+                "\"{name}\" subcommand not recognised (maybe you didn't install this module?)"
+            );
+            exit(1)
+        }
+    };
+
+    let mut command = process::Command::new(exe);
+    command.args(args);
+
+    let mut child = command.spawn().unwrap(); // TODO: handle error
+    exit(child.wait().unwrap().code().unwrap()) // TODO: handle errors
+}
+
+fn resolve_executable(name: &str) -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    // Check if this executable is present in the directory of the tool binary
+    let exe_dir = std::env::current_exe()
+        .ok()
+        .and_then(|x| x.parent().map(|x| x.to_path_buf()));
+
+    if let Some(exe_dir) = exe_dir {
+        let subcommand_exe = exe_dir.join(name);
+        if subcommand_exe.is_file() {
+            return Some(subcommand_exe);
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Try to resolve through PATH
+    if let Some(paths) = env::var_os("PATH") {
+        for dir in env::split_paths(&paths) {
+            let candidate = dir.join(name);
+            if candidate.is_file() {
+                return Some(candidate);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    None
+}
diff --git a/src/ct/src/subcommands/list.rs b/src/ct/src/subcommands/list.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..28bb7ef3d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ct/src/subcommands/list.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+use std::{collections::BTreeMap, env, fs, path::PathBuf};
+
+pub fn run_list<T: clap::CommandFactory>() {
+    let mut subcommands = get_external_subcommands();
+    for subcommand in T::command().get_subcommands() {
+        subcommands.insert(subcommand.get_name().to_string(), "(internal)".to_string());
+    }
+    subcommands.insert("help".to_string(), "(internal)".to_string());
+    for (name, path) in subcommands {
+        println!("{name} => {path}");
+    }
+}
+
+fn get_external_subcommands() -> BTreeMap<String, String> {
+    let mut res = BTreeMap::new();
+
+    // The priority of the path is proportional to its index in this vec
+    let mut dirs: Vec<PathBuf> = vec![];
+
+    if let Some(paths) = env::var_os("PATH") {
+        dirs.extend(env::split_paths(&paths));
+        dirs.reverse();
+    }
+
+    if let Some(exe_dir) = std::env::current_exe()
+        .ok()
+        .and_then(|x| x.parent().map(|x| x.to_path_buf()))
+    {
+        dirs.push(exe_dir);
+    }
+
+    for dir in dirs {
+        if let Ok(dir_entries) = fs::read_dir(dir) {
+            for entry in dir_entries {
+                if let Ok(entry) = entry
+                    && entry.path().is_file()
+                    && let Some(name) = entry.path().file_name()
+                    && let Some(name) = name.to_str()
+                    && name.starts_with("ct-")
+                {
+                    res.insert(String::from(&name[3..]), entry.path().display().to_string());
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    res
+}
diff --git a/src/ct/src/subcommands/mod.rs b/src/ct/src/subcommands/mod.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..301f5bb84
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ct/src/subcommands/mod.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+mod external;
+pub use external::run_external;
+
+mod list;
+pub use list::run_list;
+
+mod record;
+pub use record::run_record;
diff --git a/src/ct/src/subcommands/record.rs b/src/ct/src/subcommands/record.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..09e50881f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ct/src/subcommands/record.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+use std::{path::PathBuf, str::FromStr};
+
+use crate::{db, subcommands::run_external, Lang, RecordOptions};
+
+pub fn run_record(options: RecordOptions) {
+    println!("{:#?}", options);
+
+    let lang = options.lang.or_else(|| detect_language(&options.program));
+    if lang.is_none() {
+        panic!("Can't determine language"); // TODO: better error and what to do?
+    }
+
+    let lang = lang.unwrap();
+    let recorder_program = format!("codetracer-{}-recorder", lang.to_string());
+
+    run_external(&vec![recorder_program, options.program]);
+
+    let db = db::CONNECTION_MUTEX.lock();
+}
+
+fn detect_language(program: &str) -> Option<Lang> {
+    let path = match PathBuf::from_str(program) {
+        Ok(x) => x,
+        _ => return None,
+    };
+
+    if path.is_dir() {
+        if let Some(x) = detect_language_folder(&path) {
+            return Some(x);
+        }
+    } else {
+        if let Some(x) = detect_language_file(&path) {
+            return Some(x);
+        }
+    };
+
+    None
+}
+
+fn detect_language_folder(path: &PathBuf) -> Option<Lang> {
+    let nargo_path = path.join("Nargo.toml");
+
+    if nargo_path.is_file() {
+        Some(Lang::Noir)
+    } else {
+        None
+    }
+}
+
+fn detect_language_file(path: &PathBuf) -> Option<Lang> {
+    let extension = if let Some(ext_raw) = path.extension()
+        && let Some(ext) = ext_raw.to_str()
+    {
+        ext.to_string().to_lowercase()
+    } else {
+        return None;
+    };
+
+    match extension.as_str() {
+        "py" => Some(Lang::Python),
+        "rb" => Some(Lang::Ruby),
+        "nr" => Some(Lang::Noir),
+        "small" => Some(Lang::Small),
+        "wasm" => Some(Lang::Wasm),
+        _ => None,
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/frontend/index/install.nim b/src/frontend/index/install.nim
index 677600e7f..e5bd30338 100644
--- a/src/frontend/index/install.nim
+++ b/src/frontend/index/install.nim
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ proc isCtInstalled*(config: Config): bool =
   else:
     if not config.skipInstall:
       if process.platform == "darwin".toJs:
-        let ctLaunchersPath = cstring($paths.home / ".local" / "share" / "codetracer" / "shell-launchers" / "ct")
+        let ctLaunchersPath = cstring($paths.home / ".local" / "share" / "codetracer" / "shell-launchers" / "ct-legacy")
         return fs.existsSync(ctLaunchersPath)
       else:
         let dataHome = getEnv("XDG_DATA_HOME", getEnv("HOME") / ".local/share")
diff --git a/src/frontend/ui/welcome_screen.nim b/src/frontend/ui/welcome_screen.nim
index ae896e1aa..e3e69aabd 100644
--- a/src/frontend/ui/welcome_screen.nim
+++ b/src/frontend/ui/welcome_screen.nim
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import
   std/[ options, jsffi, enumerate ],
   ui_imports,
   ../[ types ],
-  ../../ct/version
+  ../../common/version
 import std/times except now
 
 const
@@ -682,7 +682,7 @@ proc loadInitialOptions(self: WelcomeScreenComponent) =
     WelcomeScreenOption(
       name: "Open online trace",
       inactive: false,
-      command: proc = 
+      command: proc =
         self.openOnlineTrace = true
         self.welcomeScreen = false
         self.newDownload = NewDownloadRecord(
diff --git a/src/shell-integrations/shell-launchers/ct b/src/shell-integrations/shell-launchers/ct-legacy
similarity index 95%
rename from src/shell-integrations/shell-launchers/ct
rename to src/shell-integrations/shell-launchers/ct-legacy
index 23450c917..b8d95ed02 100644
--- a/src/shell-integrations/shell-launchers/ct
+++ b/src/shell-integrations/shell-launchers/ct-legacy
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ if [[ -s ~/.local/share/codetracer/app-install-fs-location ]]; then
       if [[ $1 == "" || $1 == "run" ]]; then
         open "$app_location" --args "$@"
       else
-        "$app_location/Contents/MacOS/bin/ct" "$@"
+        "$app_location/Contents/MacOS/bin/ct-legacy" "$@"
       fi
     elif [ -f "$app_location" ]; then
       # The app binary has been linked directry. This is used sometimes during development.
diff --git a/tsc-ui-tests/lib/ct_helpers.ts b/tsc-ui-tests/lib/ct_helpers.ts
index 5873437e3..819063e6f 100644
--- a/tsc-ui-tests/lib/ct_helpers.ts
+++ b/tsc-ui-tests/lib/ct_helpers.ts
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ export const codetracerPath =
   // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-magic-numbers
   envCodetracerPath.length > 0
     ? envCodetracerPath
-    : path.join(linksPath, "bin", "ct");
+    : path.join(linksPath, "bin", "ct-legacy");
 
 const OK_EXIT_CODE = 0;
 const ERROR_EXIT_CODE = 1;
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ export function wait(ms: number): Promise<void> {
 function setupLdLibraryPath(): void {
   // originally in src/tester/tester.nim
   // required so <path to>/codetracer can be called internally
-  // (it is called from ct itself)
+  // (it is called from ct-legacy itself)
   // we need the correct ld library paths
   // for more info, please read the comment for `setupLdLibraryPath`
   // in src/tester/tester.nim;
@@ -293,7 +293,7 @@ function recordTestProgram(recordArg: string): number {
   const lines = ctProcess.stdout.trim().split("\n");
   const lastLine = lines[lines.length - 1]; // eslint-disable-line @typescript-eslint/no-magic-numbers
   if (!lastLine.startsWith("traceId:")) {
-    console.log("ERROR: unexpected last line of ct record:");
+    console.log("ERROR: unexpected last line of ct-legacy record:");
     console.log(lastLine);
     process.exit(ERROR_EXIT_CODE);
   }
@@ -334,7 +334,7 @@ async function recordAndReplayTestProgram(
   const outputBinary = `${name}_${langExtension}`;
   const outputBinaryPath = path.join(testBinariesPath, outputBinary);
 
-  // uses ct record <path>;
+  // uses ct-legacy record <path>;
   //   stores it in the shared central local db as all the normal records
   //   maybe by an user, not in a separate test one!
   const traceId = buildAndRecordTestProgram(sourcePath, outputBinaryPath);
diff --git a/ui-tests/Helpers/CodetracerLauncher.cs b/ui-tests/Helpers/CodetracerLauncher.cs
index 6e6a971a8..f55d48a28 100644
--- a/ui-tests/Helpers/CodetracerLauncher.cs
+++ b/ui-tests/Helpers/CodetracerLauncher.cs
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ internal static class CodetracerLauncher
         Path.Combine(
             Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("NIX_CODETRACER_EXE_DIR") ??
             Path.Combine(RepoRoot, "src", "build-debug"),
-            "bin", "ct");
+            "bin", "ct-legacy");
 
     public static string CtInstallDir { get; } = Path.GetDirectoryName(CtPath)!;
 
@@ -60,4 +60,3 @@ public static void StartCore(int traceId, int runPid)
         Thread.Sleep(5000);
     }
 }
-
diff --git a/ui-tests/Helpers/PlayrwightLauncher.cs b/ui-tests/Helpers/PlayrwightLauncher.cs
index ca24a9e66..b23f415a1 100644
--- a/ui-tests/Helpers/PlayrwightLauncher.cs
+++ b/ui-tests/Helpers/PlayrwightLauncher.cs
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ private static async Task WaitForCdpAsync(int port, TimeSpan timeout)
     public static async Task<IBrowser> LaunchAsync(string programRelativePath)
     {
         if (!IsCtAvailable)
-            throw new FileNotFoundException($"ct executable not found at {CtPath}");
+            throw new FileNotFoundException($"ct-legacy executable not found at {CtPath}");
 
         int traceId = CodetracerLauncher.RecordProgram(programRelativePath);
         int port = await GetFreeTcpPortAsync();
@@ -103,4 +103,4 @@ public static async Task<IPage> GetAppPageAsync(IBrowser browser, string? titleC
             throw new TimeoutException("Could not find app page (non-DevTools) after connecting playwright.");
         }
     }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/ui-tests/Helpers/SeleniumLauncher.cs b/ui-tests/Helpers/SeleniumLauncher.cs
index 88e641eb8..1eea8f551 100644
--- a/ui-tests/Helpers/SeleniumLauncher.cs
+++ b/ui-tests/Helpers/SeleniumLauncher.cs
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ public static class SeleniumLauncher
     public static IWebDriver Launch(string programRelativePath)
     {
         if (!CodetracerLauncher.IsCtAvailable)
-            throw new FileNotFoundException($"ct executable not found at {CodetracerLauncher.CtPath}");
+            throw new FileNotFoundException($"ct-legacy executable not found at {CodetracerLauncher.CtPath}");
 
         int traceId = CodetracerLauncher.RecordProgram(programRelativePath);
         // CodetracerLauncher.StartCore(traceId, 1);
@@ -33,4 +33,4 @@ public static IWebDriver Launch(string programRelativePath)
 
         return new ChromeDriver(driverDir, options);
     }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/ui-tests/Tests/TestRunner.cs b/ui-tests/Tests/TestRunner.cs
index d115b27e0..c8cd05dee 100644
--- a/ui-tests/Tests/TestRunner.cs
+++ b/ui-tests/Tests/TestRunner.cs
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ public static async Task RunAsync()
     {
         if (!PlaywrightLauncher.IsCtAvailable)
         {
-            Console.WriteLine($"ct executable not found at {PlaywrightLauncher.CtPath}. Build CodeTracer or set CODETRACER_E2E_CT_PATH.");
+            Console.WriteLine($"ct-legacy executable not found at {PlaywrightLauncher.CtPath}. Build CodeTracer or set CODETRACER_E2E_CT_PATH.");
             return;
         }