diff --git a/src/domain/apple/appleApplication.ts b/src/domain/apple/appleApplication.ts
index 8c013dc7d2..a5b06d0dd3 100644
--- a/src/domain/apple/appleApplication.ts
+++ b/src/domain/apple/appleApplication.ts
@@ -241,6 +241,14 @@ const appleRootFormat = (format: string): RootFormat => {
 const isNativeLibrary = (path: string): boolean =>
   /\.(?:dylib|so)$/iu.test(path);
 
+const launchdDomain = (path: string): "agent" | "daemon" | undefined => {
+  if (anatomyTailMatches(path, ["Contents", "Library", "LaunchAgents", "*"]))
+    return "agent";
+  if (anatomyTailMatches(path, ["Contents", "Library", "LaunchDaemons", "*"]))
+    return "daemon";
+  return undefined;
+};
+
 const classifyComponents = (
   entries: readonly ProjectedInventoryEntry[],
   all: readonly Component[],
@@ -280,29 +288,12 @@ const classifyComponents = (
     privileged_helpers: matching((path) =>
       anatomyTailMatches(path, ["Contents", "Library", "LaunchServices", "*"]),
     ),
-    launchd_plists: matching(
-      (path) =>
-        path.endsWith(".plist") &&
-        (anatomyTailMatches(path, [
-          "Contents",
-          "Library",
-          "LaunchAgents",
-          "*",
-        ]) ||
-          anatomyTailMatches(path, [
-            "Contents",
-            "Library",
-            "LaunchDaemons",
-            "*",
-          ])),
-    ).map((component) => ({
-      ...component,
-      domain: component.path
-        .split("/")
-        .some((segment) => anatomyNameIs(segment, "LaunchDaemons"))
-        ? ("daemon" as const)
-        : ("agent" as const),
-    })),
+    launchd_plists: matching((path) => path.endsWith(".plist")).flatMap(
+      (component) => {
+        const domain = launchdDomain(component.path);
+        return domain === undefined ? [] : [{ ...component, domain }];
+      },
+    ),
     helpers: matching((path) =>
       anatomyTailMatches(path, ["Contents", "Helpers", "*"]),
     ),
diff --git a/tests/acceptance/applications/appleLaunchdPlists.test.ts b/tests/acceptance/applications/appleLaunchdPlists.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c319377ef6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/acceptance/applications/appleLaunchdPlists.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+import { writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+
+import { TextReader, Uint8ArrayWriter, ZipWriter } from "@zip.js/zip.js";
+import { expect } from "vitest";
+
+import { appleApplicationProjectionResultSchema } from "../../../src/domain/apple/appleApplication.js";
+import { compareUnicodeCodePoints } from "../../../src/domain/unicodeCodePointOrder.js";
+import { parseEvidence } from "../../../src/domain/evidence.js";
+import { connectLocalToolsMcp } from "../../fixtures/localToolsMcp.js";
+import { createTestTempDirectory } from "../../fixtures/temporaryDirectory.js";
+import { cliTest } from "../../support/cli/cliFixture.js";
+
+cliTest(
+  "Apple launchd domains follow their owning directory through CLI and MCP",
+  async ({ cli }) => {
+    const root = await createTestTempDirectory("rea-apple-launchd-cli-");
+    const environment = { HOME: root, USERPROFILE: root };
+    const expected = [
+      [
+        "LaunchDaemons/Sample.app/Contents/Library/LaunchAgents/agent.plist",
+        "agent",
+      ],
+      [
+        "LaunchDaemons/Sample.app/Contents/Resources/LaunchDaemons/Nested.app/Contents/Library/LaunchAgents/nested.plist",
+        "agent",
+      ],
+      [
+        "LaunchAgents/Other.app/Contents/Library/LaunchDaemons/daemon.plist",
+        "daemon",
+      ],
+      [
+        "launchdaemons/Case.app/contents/library/launchagents/mixed.plist",
+        "agent",
+      ],
+    ] as const;
+    const writer = new ZipWriter(new Uint8ArrayWriter());
+    for (const [path] of expected)
+      await writer.add(path, new TextReader("<plist/>"));
+    for (const path of [
+      "LaunchDaemons/Sample.app/Contents/Library/LaunchAgents/nested/ignored.plist",
+      "LaunchDaemons/Sample.app/Contents/Library/LaunchAgents/not-a-plist",
+      "Contents/Library/LaunchAgents/unrooted.plist",
+      "__MACOSX/Sample.app/Contents/Library/LaunchAgents/sidecar.plist",
+    ])
+      await writer.add(path, new TextReader("<plist/>"));
+    await writer.add(
+      "LaunchDaemons/Sample.app/Contents/Library/LaunchAgents/directory.plist/",
+      undefined,
+      { directory: true },
+    );
+    const path = join(root, "Launchd.zip");
+    await writeFile(path, await writer.close());
+    const inspected = await cli.run({
+      arguments: ["inspect-artifact", path, "--json"],
+      environment,
+    });
+    expect(inspected.exitCode, inspected.stderr).toBe(0);
+    const source = parseEvidence(inspected.json);
+    const input = { inventory_evidence: [source] };
+    const projected = await cli.run({
+      arguments: [
+        "project-apple-application-graph",
+        JSON.stringify(input),
+        "--json",
+      ],
+      environment,
+    });
+    expect(projected.exitCode, projected.stderr).toBe(0);
+    const evidence = parseEvidence(projected.json);
+    const result = appleApplicationProjectionResultSchema.parse(
+      evidence.normalized_result,
+    );
+    expect(
+      result.components.launchd_plists.map(({ path, domain }) => [
+        path,
+        domain,
+      ]),
+    ).toEqual(
+      [...expected].sort(([left], [right]) =>
+        compareUnicodeCodePoints(left, right),
+      ),
+    );
+    expect(result.coverage).toEqual({
+      status: "complete-within-inventory",
+      inventory_complete: true,
+    });
+    const { call } = await connectLocalToolsMcp(environment);
+    const mcp = await call("project_apple_application_graph", input);
+    expect(mcp.isError).not.toBe(true);
+    expect(parseEvidence(mcp.structuredContent)).toEqual(evidence);
+  },
+);
diff --git a/tests/boundary/filesystem/appleApplication.test.ts b/tests/boundary/filesystem/appleApplication.test.ts
index c83dcaf589..94f4daa85c 100644
--- a/tests/boundary/filesystem/appleApplication.test.ts
+++ b/tests/boundary/filesystem/appleApplication.test.ts
@@ -318,6 +318,57 @@ it("applies application-root and sidecar rules to unread entries", async () => {
 });
 
 describe("macOS application projection", () => {
+  it("classifies launchd plists by their owning directory instead of unrelated ancestors", async () => {
+    const root = await createTestTempDirectory("rea-apple-launchd-domain-");
+    const path = join(root, "Launchd.zip");
+    const expected = [
+      [
+        "LaunchDaemons/Sample.app/Contents/Library/LaunchAgents/agent.plist",
+        "agent",
+      ],
+      [
+        "LaunchDaemons/Sample.app/Contents/Resources/LaunchDaemons/Nested.app/Contents/Library/LaunchAgents/nested.plist",
+        "agent",
+      ],
+      [
+        "LaunchAgents/Other.app/Contents/Library/LaunchDaemons/daemon.plist",
+        "daemon",
+      ],
+      [
+        "launchdaemons/Case.app/contents/library/launchagents/mixed.plist",
+        "agent",
+      ],
+    ] as const;
+    const writer = new ZipWriter(new Uint8ArrayWriter());
+    for (const [entry] of expected)
+      await writer.add(entry, new TextReader("<plist><dict/></plist>"));
+    await writer.add(
+      "LaunchDaemons/Sample.app/Contents/Library/LaunchAgents/nested/ignored.plist",
+      new TextReader("<plist><dict/></plist>"),
+    );
+    await writeFile(path, await writer.close());
+
+    const inventory = parseEvidence(
+      await runProviderAnalysis(path, "inventory_artifact", {}),
+    );
+    const projection = appleApplicationProjectionResultSchema.parse(
+      requireSuccessfulProjection(
+        projectAppleApplicationEvidence({ inventory_evidence: [inventory] }),
+      ).normalized_result,
+    );
+    expect(
+      projection.components.launchd_plists.map(({ path, domain }) => [
+        path,
+        domain,
+      ]),
+    ).toEqual(expect.arrayContaining([...expected]));
+    expect(projection.components.launchd_plists).toHaveLength(expected.length);
+    expect(projection.coverage).toEqual({
+      status: "complete-within-inventory",
+      inventory_complete: true,
+    });
+  });
+
   it("projects a macOS .app directory inventory with nested bundle roles", async () => {
     const root = await createTestTempDirectory("rea-apple-macos-");
     const app = join(root, "Fixture.app");