diff --git a/pj_plugins/include/pj_plugins/host/plugin_catalog.hpp b/pj_plugins/include/pj_plugins/host/plugin_catalog.hpp
index 098a873..cd9fbbc 100644
--- a/pj_plugins/include/pj_plugins/host/plugin_catalog.hpp
+++ b/pj_plugins/include/pj_plugins/host/plugin_catalog.hpp
@@ -98,8 +98,9 @@ struct PluginScanResult {
 namespace detail {
 
 /// Return the plugin families whose getter symbols are defined by @p dso_path
-/// itself. Missing getters and getters supplied only by dependencies are omitted.
-[[nodiscard]] std::vector<PluginFamily> exportedPluginFamilies(
+/// itself. Missing getters are omitted; provenance and path-identity failures
+/// are returned to the caller instead of being mistaken for absent families.
+[[nodiscard]] Expected<std::vector<PluginFamily>> exportedPluginFamilies(
     const std::shared_ptr<void>& handle, const std::filesystem::path& dso_path);
 
 }  // namespace detail
diff --git a/pj_plugins/src/plugin_catalog.cpp b/pj_plugins/src/plugin_catalog.cpp
index 6beb978..dbde92e 100644
--- a/pj_plugins/src/plugin_catalog.cpp
+++ b/pj_plugins/src/plugin_catalog.cpp
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 #include <fmt/format.h>
 
 #include <algorithm>
+#include <array>
 #include <filesystem>
 #include <memory>
 #include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
@@ -13,6 +14,7 @@
 #include <string>
 #include <string_view>
 #include <system_error>
+#include <utility>
 
 #include "detail/library_loader.hpp"
 #include "detail/vtable_validation.hpp"
@@ -43,6 +45,16 @@ bool hasDsoSuffix(const std::filesystem::path& path) {
   return path.extension().string() == kDsoSuffix;
 }
 
+bool nativeSymbolPresent(void* handle, const char* symbol) noexcept {
+#if defined(_WIN32)
+  return GetProcAddress(reinterpret_cast<HMODULE>(handle), symbol) != nullptr;
+#else
+  dlerror();
+  void* resolved = dlsym(handle, symbol);
+  return dlerror() == nullptr && resolved != nullptr;
+#endif
+}
+
 // Direct-vtable families share the exact same probe sequence: resolve symbol,
 // call entry, check protocol_version, check struct_size, read manifest_json.
 // Only the family-specific types and constants vary.
@@ -348,26 +360,38 @@ Expected<PluginDescriptor> inspectPluginDso(
 
 namespace detail {
 
-std::vector<PluginFamily> exportedPluginFamilies(
+Expected<std::vector<PluginFamily>> exportedPluginFamilies(
     const std::shared_ptr<void>& handle, const std::filesystem::path& dso_path) {
   std::vector<PluginFamily> families;
   if (handle == nullptr) {
-    return families;
+    return unexpected("library not loaded");
   }
   auto recorded_path = recordLibraryPathIdentity(dso_path);
   if (!recorded_path) {
-    return families;
+    return unexpected(recorded_path.error());
   }
 
-  auto append_if_owned = [&](const char* symbol, PluginFamily family) {
-    if (resolveSymbol(handle.get(), symbol, *recorded_path)) {
-      families.push_back(family);
+  auto append_if_owned = [&](const char* symbol, PluginFamily family) -> Expected<void> {
+    if (!nativeSymbolPresent(handle.get(), symbol)) {
+      return {};
+    }
+    auto resolved = resolveSymbol(handle.get(), symbol, *recorded_path);
+    if (!resolved) {
+      return unexpected(resolved.error());
     }
+    families.push_back(family);
+    return {};
   };
-  append_if_owned("PJ_get_data_source_vtable", PluginFamily::kDataSource);
-  append_if_owned("PJ_get_message_parser_vtable", PluginFamily::kMessageParser);
-  append_if_owned("PJ_get_toolbox_vtable", PluginFamily::kToolbox);
-  append_if_owned("PJ_get_dialog_vtable", PluginFamily::kDialog);
+  for (const auto& [symbol, family] : std::array<std::pair<const char*, PluginFamily>, 4>{
+           std::pair{"PJ_get_data_source_vtable", PluginFamily::kDataSource},
+           {"PJ_get_message_parser_vtable", PluginFamily::kMessageParser},
+           {"PJ_get_toolbox_vtable", PluginFamily::kToolbox},
+           {"PJ_get_dialog_vtable", PluginFamily::kDialog},
+       }) {
+    if (auto status = append_if_owned(symbol, family); !status) {
+      return unexpected(status.error());
+    }
+  }
   return families;
 }
 
diff --git a/pj_plugins/tests/plugin_catalog_test.cpp b/pj_plugins/tests/plugin_catalog_test.cpp
index a9e8091..89d4fb2 100644
--- a/pj_plugins/tests/plugin_catalog_test.cpp
+++ b/pj_plugins/tests/plugin_catalog_test.cpp
@@ -148,6 +148,20 @@ TEST_F(PluginCatalogTest, EntryPointSymbolResolvedFromDependencyIsRejected) {
   auto dependency_descriptor = inspectPluginDso(PJ_ENTRY_POINT_VIA_DEPENDENCY_PLUGIN_PATH);
   ASSERT_FALSE(dependency_descriptor.has_value());
   EXPECT_TRUE(is_provenance_error(dependency_descriptor.error())) << dependency_descriptor.error();
+
+  auto raw_handle = detail::loadLibraryHandle(PJ_ENTRY_POINT_VIA_DEPENDENCY_PLUGIN_PATH);
+  ASSERT_TRUE(raw_handle.has_value()) << raw_handle.error();
+  auto family_query = detail::exportedPluginFamilies(
+      detail::adoptLibraryHandle(*raw_handle), PJ_ENTRY_POINT_VIA_DEPENDENCY_PLUGIN_PATH);
+#if defined(__APPLE__)
+  // RTLD_FIRST hides dependency symbols from dlsym outright, so the getter is
+  // cleanly absent on macOS rather than a provenance violation.
+  ASSERT_TRUE(family_query.has_value()) << family_query.error();
+  EXPECT_TRUE(family_query->empty());
+#else
+  ASSERT_FALSE(family_query.has_value());
+  EXPECT_TRUE(is_provenance_error(family_query.error())) << family_query.error();
+#endif
 #endif
 
   auto library = DataSourceLibrary::load(PJ_ENTRY_POINT_WITH_OWN_EXPORTS_PLUGIN_PATH);
@@ -193,7 +207,8 @@ TEST_F(PluginCatalogTest, AlreadyOpenHandleSupportsInspectionLoadingAndFamilyQue
   auto shared_handle = detail::adoptLibraryHandleNonOwning(owner.get());
 
   const auto families = detail::exportedPluginFamilies(shared_handle, plugin_path);
-  EXPECT_EQ(families, std::vector<PluginFamily>{PluginFamily::kDataSource});
+  ASSERT_TRUE(families.has_value()) << families.error();
+  EXPECT_EQ(*families, std::vector<PluginFamily>{PluginFamily::kDataSource});
 
   auto descriptor = inspectPluginDso(shared_handle, plugin_path);
   ASSERT_TRUE(descriptor.has_value()) << descriptor.error();