diff --git a/recipe/meta.json b/recipe/meta.json
index 4818b42d5..4cf069980 100644
--- a/recipe/meta.json
+++ b/recipe/meta.json
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
       "coverage =7.4.*",
       "docformatter =1.7.*",
       "f90nml =1.4.*",
-      "iotaa =0.8.*",
+      "iotaa =0.7.*",
       "isort =5.13.*",
       "jinja2 =3.1.*",
       "jq =1.7.*",
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
     ],
     "run": [
       "f90nml =1.4.*",
-      "iotaa =0.8.*",
+      "iotaa =0.7.*",
       "jinja2 =3.1.*",
       "jsonschema =4.21.*",
       "lxml =5.1.*",
diff --git a/recipe/meta.yaml b/recipe/meta.yaml
index a1e530a2a..cdf4234e0 100644
--- a/recipe/meta.yaml
+++ b/recipe/meta.yaml
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ requirements:
     - pip
   run:
     - f90nml 1.4.*
-    - iotaa 0.8.*
+    - iotaa 0.7.*
     - jinja2 3.1.*
     - jsonschema 4.21.*
     - lxml 5.1.*
diff --git a/src/uwtools/drivers/driver.py b/src/uwtools/drivers/driver.py
index 48098c44e..3dde13ce0 100644
--- a/src/uwtools/drivers/driver.py
+++ b/src/uwtools/drivers/driver.py
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@
 from uwtools.logging import log
 from uwtools.scheduler import JobScheduler
 from uwtools.utils.processing import execute
-from uwtools.utils.tasks import file
 
 
 class Driver(ABC):
@@ -85,10 +84,7 @@ def _run_via_batch_submission(self):
         yield self._taskname("run via batch submission")
         path = Path("%s.submit" % self._runscript_path)
         yield asset(path, path.is_file)
-        yield [
-            self.provisioned_run_directory(),
-            file(Path(self._driver_config["execution"]["executable"])),
-        ]
+        yield self.provisioned_run_directory()
         self._scheduler.submit_job(runscript=self._runscript_path, submit_file=path)
 
     @task
@@ -99,10 +95,7 @@ def _run_via_local_execution(self):
         yield self._taskname("run via local execution")
         path = self._rundir / f"done.{self._driver_name}"
         yield asset(path, path.is_file)
-        yield [
-            self.provisioned_run_directory(),
-            file(Path(self._driver_config["execution"]["executable"])),
-        ]
+        yield self.provisioned_run_directory()
         cmd = "{x} >{x}.out 2>&1".format(x=self._runscript_path)
         execute(cmd=cmd, cwd=self._rundir, log_output=True)
 
diff --git a/src/uwtools/tests/utils/test_tasks.py b/src/uwtools/tests/utils/test_tasks.py
index f9c552a78..84fab86b6 100644
--- a/src/uwtools/tests/utils/test_tasks.py
+++ b/src/uwtools/tests/utils/test_tasks.py
@@ -1,42 +1,67 @@
 # pylint: disable=missing-function-docstring
 
 import os
+import stat
+from unittest.mock import patch
 
 from uwtools.utils import tasks
 
+# Helpers
+
+
+def ready(taskval):
+    return taskval.ready()
+
+
+# Tests
+
+
+def test_tasks_executable(tmp_path):
+    p = tmp_path / "program"
+    # Ensure that only our temp directory is on the path:
+    with patch.dict(os.environ, {"PATH": str(tmp_path)}, clear=True):
+        # Program does not exist:
+        assert not ready(tasks.executable(program=p))
+        # Program exists but is not executable:
+        p.touch()
+        assert not ready(tasks.executable(program=p))
+        # Program exists and is executable:
+        os.chmod(p, os.stat(p).st_mode | stat.S_IEXEC)  # set executable bits
+        assert ready(tasks.executable(program=p))
+
 
 def test_tasks_existing_missing(tmp_path):
     path = tmp_path / "x"
-    assert not tasks.existing(path=path).ready()  # type: ignore # pylint: disable=no-member
+    assert not ready(tasks.existing(path=path))
 
 
 def test_tasks_existing_present_directory(tmp_path):
     path = tmp_path / "directory"
     path.mkdir()
-    assert tasks.existing(path=path).ready()  # type: ignore # pylint: disable=no-member
+    assert ready(tasks.existing(path=path))
 
 
 def test_tasks_existing_present_file(tmp_path):
     path = tmp_path / "file"
     path.touch()
-    assert tasks.existing(path=path).ready()  # type: ignore # pylint: disable=no-member
+    assert ready(tasks.existing(path=path))
 
 
 def test_tasks_existing_present_symlink(tmp_path):
     path = tmp_path / "symlink"
     path.symlink_to(os.devnull)
-    assert tasks.existing(path=path).ready()  # type: ignore # pylint: disable=no-member
+    assert ready(tasks.existing(path=path))
 
 
 def test_tasks_file_missing(tmp_path):
     path = tmp_path / "file"
-    assert not tasks.file(path=path).ready()  # type: ignore # pylint: disable=no-member
+    assert not ready(tasks.file(path=path))
 
 
 def test_tasks_file_present(tmp_path):
     path = tmp_path / "file"
     path.touch()
-    assert tasks.file(path=path).ready()  # type: ignore # pylint: disable=no-member
+    assert ready(tasks.file(path=path))
 
 
 def test_tasks_filecopy(tmp_path):
diff --git a/src/uwtools/utils/tasks.py b/src/uwtools/utils/tasks.py
index 9f716933d..07fbb586f 100644
--- a/src/uwtools/utils/tasks.py
+++ b/src/uwtools/utils/tasks.py
@@ -4,11 +4,23 @@
 
 import os
 from pathlib import Path
-from shutil import copy
+from shutil import copy, which
+from typing import Union
 
 from iotaa import asset, external, task
 
 
+@external
+def executable(program: Union[Path, str]):
+    """
+    An executable program located on the current path.
+
+    :param program: Name of or path to the program.
+    """
+    yield "Executable program %s" % program
+    yield asset(program, lambda: bool(which(program)))
+
+
 @external
 def existing(path: Path):
     """