diff --git a/lib/auth/browser.ts b/lib/auth/browser.ts
index 1024c28..651bc22 100644
--- a/lib/auth/browser.ts
+++ b/lib/auth/browser.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
  * Handles platform-specific browser opening
  */
 
-import { spawn } from "node:child_process";
+import { spawn, spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
 import { PLATFORM_OPENERS } from "../constants.js";
 
 /**
@@ -17,6 +17,24 @@ export function getBrowserOpener(): string {
 	return PLATFORM_OPENERS.linux;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Checks if a command exists in PATH
+ * @param command - Command name to check
+ * @returns true if command exists, false otherwise
+ */
+function commandExists(command: string): boolean {
+	try {
+		const result = spawnSync(
+			process.platform === "win32" ? "where" : "which",
+			[command],
+			{ stdio: "ignore" },
+		);
+		return result.status === 0;
+	} catch {
+		return false;
+	}
+}
+
 /**
  * Opens a URL in the default browser
  * Silently fails if browser cannot be opened (user can copy URL manually)
@@ -25,6 +43,13 @@ export function getBrowserOpener(): string {
 export function openBrowserUrl(url: string): void {
 	try {
 		const opener = getBrowserOpener();
+
+		// Check if the opener command exists before attempting to spawn
+		// This prevents crashes in headless environments (Docker, WSL, CI, etc.)
+		if (!commandExists(opener)) {
+			return;
+		}
+
 		spawn(opener, [url], {
 			stdio: "ignore",
 			shell: process.platform === "win32",
diff --git a/test/browser.test.ts b/test/browser.test.ts
index 6fceab3..a0afb22 100644
--- a/test/browser.test.ts
+++ b/test/browser.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
-import { getBrowserOpener } from '../lib/auth/browser.js';
+import { getBrowserOpener, openBrowserUrl } from '../lib/auth/browser.js';
 import { PLATFORM_OPENERS } from '../lib/constants.js';
 
 describe('Browser Module', () => {
@@ -32,4 +32,29 @@ describe('Browser Module', () => {
 			Object.defineProperty(process, 'platform', { value: originalPlatform });
 		});
 	});
+
+	describe('openBrowserUrl', () => {
+		it('should not throw when browser opener command does not exist', () => {
+			// Temporarily set platform to use a non-existent command
+			const originalPlatform = process.platform;
+			const originalPath = process.env.PATH;
+
+			// Clear PATH to ensure no opener command is found
+			process.env.PATH = '';
+			Object.defineProperty(process, 'platform', { value: 'linux' });
+
+			// Should not throw even when xdg-open doesn't exist
+			expect(() => openBrowserUrl('https://example.com')).not.toThrow();
+
+			// Restore
+			process.env.PATH = originalPath;
+			Object.defineProperty(process, 'platform', { value: originalPlatform });
+		});
+
+		it('should handle valid URL without throwing', () => {
+			// This test verifies the function doesn't throw for valid input
+			// The actual browser opening is not tested as it would open a real browser
+			expect(() => openBrowserUrl('https://example.com')).not.toThrow();
+		});
+	});
 });