diff --git a/src/main/windows/windows-process-table.test.ts b/src/main/windows/windows-process-table.test.ts
index c730ffda016..0f5aabd8f33 100644
--- a/src/main/windows/windows-process-table.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/windows/windows-process-table.test.ts
@@ -144,4 +144,55 @@ describe('wedge cooldown', () => {
     await expect(readWindowsProcessTableFresh()).rejects.toThrow(/cooling down/)
     expect(getAllProcesses).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
   })
+
+  it('lets exactly one caller probe when the cooldown expires', async () => {
+    // Without claiming the recovery slot before probing, every concurrent
+    // caller passes the cooldown check at expiry and each enqueues a callback
+    // into the still-latched native queue -- so each cycle leaks another batch
+    // rather than bounding it to one probe.
+    vi.useFakeTimers()
+    const getAllProcesses = vi.fn(() => {})
+    __setWindowsProcessTreeLoaderForTests(() => ({
+      ProcessDataFlag: { None: 0, Memory: 1, CommandLine: 2 },
+      getAllProcesses
+    }))
+
+    const wedge = readWindowsProcessTableFresh()
+    const wedgeAssertion = expect(wedge).rejects.toThrow(/timed out/)
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(3_000)
+    await wedgeAssertion
+    expect(getAllProcesses).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(30_000)
+    const attempts = [
+      readWindowsProcessTableFresh().catch(() => 'rejected'),
+      readWindowsProcessTableFresh().catch(() => 'rejected'),
+      readWindowsProcessTableFresh().catch(() => 'rejected')
+    ]
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(3_000)
+    await Promise.all(attempts)
+
+    // One recovery probe, not three.
+    expect(getAllProcesses).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2)
+  })
+
+  it('clears the deadline when the reader throws synchronously', async () => {
+    // An orphaned timer would fire later and wedge a reader that had recovered.
+    vi.useFakeTimers()
+    const getAllProcesses = vi.fn(() => {
+      throw new Error('addon exploded')
+    })
+    __setWindowsProcessTreeLoaderForTests(() => ({
+      ProcessDataFlag: { None: 0, Memory: 1, CommandLine: 2 },
+      getAllProcesses
+    }))
+
+    await expect(readWindowsProcessTableFresh()).rejects.toThrow(/exploded/)
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(10_000)
+
+    // The recovered reader must answer, not report a wedge left by a dead timer.
+    getAllProcesses.mockImplementation((cb: (rows: unknown) => void) => cb(NATIVE))
+    resetWindowsProcessTableForTests()
+    await expect(readWindowsProcessTableFresh()).resolves.toHaveLength(NATIVE.length)
+  })
 })
diff --git a/src/main/windows/windows-process-table.ts b/src/main/windows/windows-process-table.ts
index 3810de9bcd5..6ad8a774ec8 100644
--- a/src/main/windows/windows-process-table.ts
+++ b/src/main/windows/windows-process-table.ts
@@ -103,6 +103,9 @@ const WINDOWS_PROCESS_QUERY_TIMEOUT_MS = 3_000
 const WINDOWS_PROCESS_QUERY_COOLDOWN_MS = 30_000
 
 let wedgedUntilMs = 0
+// Why a generation: a request that already lost its deadline must not later
+// clear or re-arm the wedge on behalf of the request that replaced it.
+let readGeneration = 0
 
 function readNativeRows(): Promise<WindowsProcessRow[]> {
   const native = moduleLoader()
@@ -112,9 +115,19 @@ function readNativeRows(): Promise<WindowsProcessRow[]> {
     // tree dead. "Unavailable" has to stay distinguishable from "empty".
     return Promise.reject(new Error('windows process table unavailable'))
   }
-  if (Date.now() < wedgedUntilMs) {
+  const startedAt = Date.now()
+  if (startedAt < wedgedUntilMs) {
     return Promise.reject(new Error('windows process table is cooling down after a timeout'))
   }
+  if (wedgedUntilMs > 0) {
+    // Coming out of a wedge: re-arm the cooldown BEFORE probing, so exactly one
+    // caller gets through. Without this every concurrent caller passes the
+    // check above at expiry, each enqueues a callback into the still-latched
+    // native queue, and each cooldown cycle leaks another batch rather than
+    // bounding it to one probe.
+    wedgedUntilMs = startedAt + WINDOWS_PROCESS_QUERY_COOLDOWN_MS
+  }
+  const generation = ++readGeneration
   // Why always both flags: each adds an OpenProcess per process (Memory a
   // GetProcessMemoryInfo, CommandLine a PEB read), so asking for less would be
   // cheaper -- 15.9ms p50 versus 30.6ms at 1050 processes. But every read shares
@@ -123,16 +136,24 @@ function readNativeRows(): Promise<WindowsProcessRow[]> {
   // would restore exactly the fan-out it exists to prevent.
   const flags = native.ProcessDataFlag.Memory | native.ProcessDataFlag.CommandLine
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    // Hoisted so a synchronous throw from getAllProcesses can clear it. An
+    // orphaned timer would otherwise fire later and wedge a reader that had
+    // already recovered.
+    let deadline: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | undefined
     try {
-      const deadline = setTimeout(() => {
-        wedgedUntilMs = Date.now() + WINDOWS_PROCESS_QUERY_COOLDOWN_MS
+      deadline = setTimeout(() => {
+        if (generation === readGeneration) {
+          wedgedUntilMs = Date.now() + WINDOWS_PROCESS_QUERY_COOLDOWN_MS
+        }
         reject(new Error('windows process table timed out'))
       }, WINDOWS_PROCESS_QUERY_TIMEOUT_MS)
       deadline.unref?.()
       native.getAllProcesses((processes) => {
         clearTimeout(deadline)
-        // A late callback proves the reader recovered, so stop refusing.
-        wedgedUntilMs = 0
+        // A callback proves the reader is answering, so stop refusing.
+        if (generation === readGeneration) {
+          wedgedUntilMs = 0
+        }
         if (!processes) {
           reject(new Error('windows process table returned no snapshot'))
           return
@@ -159,6 +180,7 @@ function readNativeRows(): Promise<WindowsProcessRow[]> {
         )
       }, flags)
     } catch (error) {
+      clearTimeout(deadline)
       reject(error instanceof Error ? error : new Error(String(error)))
     }
   })
diff --git a/src/shared/child-process/run-process.ts b/src/shared/child-process/run-process.ts
index af9a75ba01b..2c7ace74301 100644
--- a/src/shared/child-process/run-process.ts
+++ b/src/shared/child-process/run-process.ts
@@ -248,6 +248,13 @@ export function runProcess(spec: ProcessSpec): Promise<ProcessResult> {
     // Why close rather than leave open: a child that reads stdin (a hook
     // draining its payload, a CLI probing for a TTY) otherwise blocks until the
     // timeout instead of seeing EOF immediately.
+    // Why an error listener and not just end(): a child that exits without
+    // reading makes the queued write fail with EPIPE, and an unhandled error on
+    // a stream is an uncaught exception -- which takes the whole main process
+    // down. The child's own error listener does not cover this stream. The
+    // exit code already carries the outcome, so failing to deliver stdin is
+    // not separately interesting.
+    child.stdin?.on('error', () => {})
     child.stdin?.end(spec.input)
   })
 }