diff --git a/arduino-ide-extension/src/node/arduino-cli.ts b/arduino-ide-extension/src/node/arduino-cli.ts
index dac000d3..8b67e44c 100644
--- a/arduino-ide-extension/src/node/arduino-cli.ts
+++ b/arduino-ide-extension/src/node/arduino-cli.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,8 @@
-import * as os from 'os';
-import * as which from 'which';
-import * as semver from 'semver';
-import { spawn } from 'child_process';
-import { join } from 'path';
 import { injectable, inject } from 'inversify';
 import { ILogger } from '@theia/core';
 import { FileUri } from '@theia/core/lib/node/file-uri';
 import { Config } from '../common/protocol/config-service';
+import { spawnCommand, getExecPath } from './exec-util';
 
 @injectable()
 export class ArduinoCli {
@@ -20,33 +16,19 @@ export class ArduinoCli {
         if (this.execPath) {
             return this.execPath;
         }
-        const version = /\d+\.\d+\.\d+/;
-        const cli = `arduino-cli${os.platform() === 'win32' ? '.exe' : ''}`;
-        const buildCli = join(__dirname, '..', '..', 'build', cli);
-        const buildVersion = await this.spawn(`"${buildCli}"`, ['version']);
-        const buildShortVersion = (buildVersion.match(version) || [])[0];
-        this.execPath = buildCli;
-        const pathCli = await new Promise<string | undefined>(resolve => which(cli, (error, path) => resolve(error ? undefined : path)));
-        if (!pathCli) {
-            return buildCli;
-        }
-        const pathVersion = await this.spawn(`"${pathCli}"`, ['version']);
-        const pathShortVersion = (pathVersion.match(version) || [])[0];
-        if (semver.gt(pathShortVersion, buildShortVersion)) {
-            this.execPath = pathCli;
-            return pathCli;
-        }
-        return buildCli;
+        const path = await getExecPath('arduino-cli', this.logger, 'version');
+        this.execPath = path;
+        return path;
     }
 
     async getVersion(): Promise<string> {
         const execPath = await this.getExecPath();
-        return this.spawn(`"${execPath}"`, ['version']);
+        return spawnCommand(`"${execPath}"`, ['version'], this.logger);
     }
 
     async getDefaultConfig(): Promise<Config> {
         const execPath = await this.getExecPath();
-        const result = await this.spawn(`"${execPath}"`, ['config', 'dump', '--format', 'json']);
+        const result = await spawnCommand(`"${execPath}"`, ['config', 'dump', '--format', 'json'], this.logger);
         const { directories } = JSON.parse(result);
         if (!directories) {
             throw new Error(`Could not parse config. 'directories' was missing from: ${result}`);
@@ -64,33 +46,4 @@ export class ArduinoCli {
         };
     }
 
-    private spawn(command: string, args?: string[]): Promise<string> {
-        return new Promise<string>((resolve, reject) => {
-            const buffers: Buffer[] = [];
-            const cp = spawn(command, args, { windowsHide: true, shell: true });
-            cp.stdout.on('data', (b: Buffer) => buffers.push(b));
-            cp.on('error', error => {
-                this.logger.error(`Error executing ${command} with args: ${JSON.stringify(args)}.`, error);
-                reject(error);
-            });
-            cp.on('exit', (code, signal) => {
-                if (code === 0) {
-                    const result = Buffer.concat(buffers).toString('utf8').trim()
-                    resolve(result);
-                    return;
-                }
-                if (signal) {
-                    this.logger.error(`Unexpected signal '${signal}' when executing ${command} with args: ${JSON.stringify(args)}.`);
-                    reject(new Error(`Process exited with signal: ${signal}`));
-                    return;
-                }
-                if (code) {
-                    this.logger.error(`Unexpected exit code '${code}' when executing ${command} with args: ${JSON.stringify(args)}.`);
-                    reject(new Error(`Process exited with exit code: ${code}`));
-                    return;
-                }
-            });
-        });
-    }
-
 }
diff --git a/arduino-ide-extension/src/node/exec-util.ts b/arduino-ide-extension/src/node/exec-util.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..cb865602
--- /dev/null
+++ b/arduino-ide-extension/src/node/exec-util.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+import * as os from 'os';
+import * as which from 'which';
+import * as semver from 'semver';
+import { spawn } from 'child_process';
+import { join } from 'path';
+import { ILogger } from '@theia/core';
+
+export async function getExecPath(commandName: string, logger: ILogger, versionArg?: string, inBinDir?: boolean): Promise<string> {
+    const execName = `${commandName}${os.platform() === 'win32' ? '.exe' : ''}`;
+    const relativePath = ['..', '..', 'build'];
+    if (inBinDir) {
+        relativePath.push('bin');
+    }
+    const buildCommand = join(__dirname, ...relativePath, execName);
+    if (!versionArg) {
+        return buildCommand;
+    }
+    const versionRegexp = /\d+\.\d+\.\d+/;
+    const buildVersion = await spawnCommand(`"${buildCommand}"`, [versionArg], logger);
+    const buildShortVersion = (buildVersion.match(versionRegexp) || [])[0];
+    const pathCommand = await new Promise<string | undefined>(resolve => which(execName, (error, path) => resolve(error ? undefined : path)));
+    if (!pathCommand) {
+        return buildCommand;
+    }
+    const pathVersion = await spawnCommand(`"${pathCommand}"`, [versionArg], logger);
+    const pathShortVersion = (pathVersion.match(versionRegexp) || [])[0];
+    if (semver.gt(pathShortVersion, buildShortVersion)) {
+        return pathCommand;
+    }
+    return buildCommand;
+}
+
+export function spawnCommand(command: string, args: string[], logger: ILogger): Promise<string> {
+    return new Promise<string>((resolve, reject) => {
+        const cp = spawn(command, args, { windowsHide: true, shell: true });
+        const buffers: Buffer[] = [];
+        cp.stdout.on('data', (b: Buffer) => buffers.push(b));
+        cp.on('error', error => {
+            logger.error(`Error executing ${command} with args: ${JSON.stringify(args)}.`, error);
+            reject(error);
+        });
+        cp.on('exit', (code, signal) => {
+            if (code === 0) {
+                const result = Buffer.concat(buffers).toString('utf8').trim()
+                resolve(result);
+                return;
+            }
+            if (signal) {
+                logger.error(`Unexpected signal '${signal}' when executing ${command} with args: ${JSON.stringify(args)}.`);
+                reject(new Error(`Process exited with signal: ${signal}`));
+                return;
+            }
+            if (code) {
+                logger.error(`Unexpected exit code '${code}' when executing ${command} with args: ${JSON.stringify(args)}.`);
+                reject(new Error(`Process exited with exit code: ${code}`));
+                return;
+            }
+        });
+    });
+}
diff --git a/arduino-ide-extension/src/node/language/arduino-language-server-contribution.ts b/arduino-ide-extension/src/node/language/arduino-language-server-contribution.ts
index 24de4ef2..00620c49 100644
--- a/arduino-ide-extension/src/node/language/arduino-language-server-contribution.ts
+++ b/arduino-ide-extension/src/node/language/arduino-language-server-contribution.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
-import * as which from 'which';
 import * as os from 'os';
-import { join, delimiter } from 'path';
-import { injectable } from 'inversify';
+import { injectable, inject } from 'inversify';
+import { ILogger } from '@theia/core';
 import { BaseLanguageServerContribution, IConnection, LanguageServerStartOptions } from '@theia/languages/lib/node';
 import { Board } from '../../common/protocol/boards-service';
+import { getExecPath } from '../exec-util';
 
 @injectable()
 export class ArduinoLanguageServerContribution extends BaseLanguageServerContribution {
@@ -23,10 +23,13 @@ export class ArduinoLanguageServerContribution extends BaseLanguageServerContrib
         return this.description.name;
     }
 
+    @inject(ILogger)
+    protected logger: ILogger;
+
     async start(clientConnection: IConnection, options: LanguageServerStartOptions): Promise<void> {
-        const languageServer = await this.resolveExecutable('arduino-language-server');
-        const clangd = await this.resolveExecutable('clangd');
-        const cli = await this.resolveExecutable('arduino-cli');
+        const languageServer = await getExecPath('arduino-language-server', this.logger);
+        const clangd = await getExecPath('clangd', this.logger, '--version', os.platform() !== 'win32');
+        const cli = await getExecPath('arduino-cli', this.logger, 'version');
         // Add '-log' argument to enable logging to files
         const args: string[] = ['-clangd', clangd, '-cli', cli];
         if (options.parameters && options.parameters.selectedBoard) {
@@ -45,21 +48,4 @@ export class ArduinoLanguageServerContribution extends BaseLanguageServerContrib
         serverConnection.onClose(() => (clientConnection as any).reader.socket.close());
     }
 
-    protected resolveExecutable(name: string): Promise<string> {
-        return new Promise<string>((resolve, reject) => {
-            const segments = ['..', '..', '..', 'build'];
-            if (name === 'clangd' && os.platform() !== 'win32') {
-                segments.push('bin');
-            }
-            const path = `${process.env.PATH}${delimiter}${join(__dirname, ...segments)}`;
-            const suffix = os.platform() === 'win32' ? '.exe' : '';
-            which(name + suffix, { path }, (err, execPath) => {
-                if (err) {
-                    reject(err);
-                } else {
-                    resolve(execPath);
-                }
-            });
-        });
-    }
 }