diff --git a/src/main/daemon/daemon-pty-adapter-wsl-distro-loss.test.ts b/src/main/daemon/daemon-pty-adapter-wsl-distro-loss.test.ts
index 270c8978a26..1f452f03177 100644
--- a/src/main/daemon/daemon-pty-adapter-wsl-distro-loss.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/daemon/daemon-pty-adapter-wsl-distro-loss.test.ts
@@ -168,6 +168,21 @@ describe('a WSL bridge pane exit', () => {
     expect(exits[1]).not.toHaveProperty('hostLost')
   })
 
+  // awin: a terminate exited each bridge pane with -1, never 0; a user's `exit` gives 0.
+  it('reads no boot id for a clean exit, which stays an exit even across a reboot', async () => {
+    bootIds = ['boot-1', 'boot-2']
+    const exits = collectExits()
+    const id = await spawnBridgePane()
+    await waitFor(() => readBootId.mock.calls.length === 1)
+
+    subprocesses[0]!._simulateExit(0)
+
+    await waitFor(() => exits.length > 0)
+    expect(exits[0]).toMatchObject({ id, code: 0 })
+    expect(exits[0]).not.toHaveProperty('hostLost')
+    expect(readBootId).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+  })
+
   it('stays a normal exit when the running list cannot answer', async () => {
     running = async () => ({ status: 'unavailable' })
     const exits = collectExits()
diff --git a/src/main/daemon/daemon-pty-adapter.ts b/src/main/daemon/daemon-pty-adapter.ts
index dad2fed546d..273b10d1867 100644
--- a/src/main/daemon/daemon-pty-adapter.ts
+++ b/src/main/daemon/daemon-pty-adapter.ts
@@ -250,11 +250,18 @@ export class DaemonPtyAdapter extends DaemonPtyDaemonRecovery implements IPtyPro
     wslDistro: string,
     exitAt: number
   ): Promise<void> {
-    const verdict = await classifyWslBridgeExit(wslDistro, exitAt, this.readRunningWslDistros, () =>
-      this.wslBridgeBootIdentity.rebootedSinceSpawn(sessionId, wslDistro)
+    // A terminate never exits 0 (awin: -1 for each bridge pane; `exit`/`exit 0` gave 0), so a clean
+    // exit skips the boot-id read and stays an exit.
+    const verdict = await classifyWslBridgeExit(
+      wslDistro,
+      exitAt,
+      this.readRunningWslDistros,
+      async () =>
+        exit.code !== 0 &&
+        (await this.wslBridgeBootIdentity.rebootedSinceSpawn(sessionId, wslDistro))
     )
     // Lost, or booted again since the spawn, keeps the tab; an unanswered check reads as an exit.
-    // The code lets a verify run show which codes a terminate yields (only 1 is on record).
+    // The code shows a verify run which codes a terminate yields.
     console.info(
       `[pty] WSL bridge exit: ${verdict} (distro ${wslDistro}, code ${exit.code}, probe ${Math.round(performance.now() - exitAt)}ms)`
     )