diff --git a/src/main/wsl-background-distro-gate.test.ts b/src/main/wsl-background-distro-gate.test.ts
index 3da5b338c21..75b226a9034 100644
--- a/src/main/wsl-background-distro-gate.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/wsl-background-distro-gate.test.ts
@@ -12,7 +12,9 @@ import {
   deferUntilWslDistroRunning,
   isWslDistroRunning,
   isWslDistroRunningForBackgroundWork,
-  noteWslDistrosRunning
+  noteWslDistroMayHaveStopped,
+  noteWslDistrosRunning,
+  WSL_STOP_SETTLE_MS
 } from './wsl-background-distro-gate'
 import {
   _resetRunningWslDistroCacheForTests,
@@ -57,6 +59,29 @@ describe('isWslDistroRunning', () => {
   })
 })
 
+describe('the stop settle window', () => {
+  it('starts no running read inside the window, even when a timer fires early', async () => {
+    // Node timers can wake ~2ms short; firing far earlier makes a single sleep fail every time.
+    const realSetTimeout = globalThis.setTimeout
+    vi.spyOn(globalThis, 'setTimeout').mockImplementation((handler, ms, ...args) =>
+      realSetTimeout(handler, Math.max(0, (ms ?? 0) - 100), ...args)
+    )
+    const probeStarts: number[] = []
+    wslMocks.listRunningWslDistrosAsync.mockImplementation((options) =>
+      resolveRunningWslDistros(async () => {
+        probeStarts.push(performance.now())
+        return []
+      }, options)
+    )
+    const settledAt = performance.now() + WSL_STOP_SETTLE_MS
+    noteWslDistroMayHaveStopped('Ubuntu')
+
+    await expect(isWslDistroRunning('Ubuntu')).resolves.toBe(false)
+    expect(probeStarts).toHaveLength(1)
+    expect(probeStarts[0]).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(settledAt)
+  })
+})
+
 describe('resolveRunningWslDistros startedAfter', () => {
   it('answers from a confirmed read that started after the anchor, and reads again for a later one', async () => {
     const probe = vi.fn(async () => ['Ubuntu'])
diff --git a/src/main/wsl-background-distro-gate.ts b/src/main/wsl-background-distro-gate.ts
index be3dc9b70bd..457f9b6cf3e 100644
--- a/src/main/wsl-background-distro-gate.ts
+++ b/src/main/wsl-background-distro-gate.ts
@@ -83,9 +83,10 @@ async function settledStartedAfter(
     woken ?? -Infinity
   )
   const anchor = floor === -Infinity ? startedAfter : Math.max(startedAfter ?? -Infinity, floor)
-  const waitMs = (anchor ?? -Infinity) - performance.now()
-  if (waitMs > 0) {
-    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, waitMs))
+  // Timers truncate to whole ms on a ms clock and can wake ~2ms short; sleep until the anchor has passed.
+  const settled = anchor ?? -Infinity
+  while (performance.now() < settled) {
+    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, Math.ceil(settled - performance.now())))
   }
   return anchor
 }