diff --git a/src/main/daemon/daemon-child-exit-observer.test.ts b/src/main/daemon/daemon-child-exit-observer.test.ts
index 225cbdd1d7a..af9e4c61c3f 100644
--- a/src/main/daemon/daemon-child-exit-observer.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/daemon/daemon-child-exit-observer.test.ts
@@ -46,6 +46,33 @@ describe('observeDaemonChildExit', () => {
     )
   })
 
+  it('retains only the configured bytes from an oversized stderr chunk', () => {
+    const child = createChild()
+    const onExit = vi.fn()
+    const observer = observeDaemonChildExit(child, onExit, 8)
+
+    observer.markReady()
+    child.stderr.write(Buffer.from(`${'x'.repeat(1024 * 1024)}FATAL`))
+    child.emit('exit', 134, null)
+    child.stderr.emit('end')
+
+    expect(onExit).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({ stderrTail: 'xxxFATAL' }))
+  })
+
+  it('reports once when stderr closes before the child exits', () => {
+    const child = createChild()
+    const onExit = vi.fn()
+    const observer = observeDaemonChildExit(child, onExit)
+
+    observer.markReady()
+    child.stderr.emit('close')
+    child.emit('exit', 134, null)
+    child.emit('exit', 134, null)
+
+    expect(onExit).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+    expect(onExit).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({ stderrTail: '' }))
+  })
+
   it('swallows stderr errors after process exit while awaiting drain', () => {
     const child = createChild()
     const onExit = vi.fn()
diff --git a/src/main/daemon/daemon-child-exit-observer.ts b/src/main/daemon/daemon-child-exit-observer.ts
index 60d891b72fc..593e854815a 100644
--- a/src/main/daemon/daemon-child-exit-observer.ts
+++ b/src/main/daemon/daemon-child-exit-observer.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,17 @@ export type DaemonChildExitObserver = {
   stop(options?: { destroyStderr?: boolean }): void
 }
 
+function appendStderrTail(current: Buffer, chunk: Buffer, maxBytes: number): Buffer {
+  if (maxBytes <= 0) {
+    return Buffer.alloc(0)
+  }
+  if (chunk.length >= maxBytes) {
+    return Buffer.from(chunk.subarray(-maxBytes))
+  }
+  const currentBytes = Math.min(current.length, maxBytes - chunk.length)
+  return Buffer.concat([current.subarray(-currentBytes), chunk], currentBytes + chunk.length)
+}
+
 export function observeDaemonChildExit(
   child: ObservableDaemonChild,
   recordExit: (observation: DaemonChildExitObservation) => void,
@@ -42,7 +53,7 @@ export function observeDaemonChildExit(
 
   const onStderr = (chunk: Buffer | string): void => {
     const bytes = Buffer.isBuffer(chunk) ? chunk : Buffer.from(chunk)
-    stderrTail = Buffer.concat([stderrTail, bytes]).subarray(-maxStderrBytes)
+    stderrTail = appendStderrTail(stderrTail, bytes, maxStderrBytes)
   }
   const onStderrError = (): void => {}
   const finalizeExit = (): void => {