diff --git a/config/electron-builder.config.cjs b/config/electron-builder.config.cjs
index 61f38c081c4..ab3758fa171 100644
--- a/config/electron-builder.config.cjs
+++ b/config/electron-builder.config.cjs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 const { chmodSync, existsSync, readdirSync } = require('node:fs')
 const { execFileSync } = require('node:child_process')
 const { join, resolve } = require('node:path')
-const electronBuilderNativeRebuild = require('./scripts/electron-builder-native-rebuild.cjs')
+const electronBuilderBeforeBuild = require('./scripts/electron-builder-before-build.cjs')
 const {
   assertPackagedDaemonEntryExists,
   verifyPackagedDaemonEntryBoots
@@ -66,6 +66,10 @@ module.exports = {
     '!Casks{,/**/*}',
     '!{AGENTS.md,CLAUDE.md,DEVELOPING.md,bundle-size-progress.md}',
     '!out/**/*.test.js',
+    // Why: these Linux-host artifacts are staged as a Windows-only external
+    // resource; including either copy in app.asar would duplicate ~62 MB.
+    '!out/main/wsl-watcher-host.js',
+    '!out/wsl-watcher{,/**/*}',
     '!electron.vite.config.{js,ts,mjs,cjs}',
     '!{.eslintcache,eslint.config.mjs,.prettierignore,.prettierrc.yaml,CHANGELOG.md,README.md}',
     '!{.env,.env.*,.npmrc,pnpm-lock.yaml}',
@@ -193,6 +197,10 @@ module.exports = {
         from: 'native/computer-use-windows/runtime.ps1',
         to: 'computer-use-windows/runtime.ps1'
       },
+      {
+        from: 'out/wsl-watcher',
+        to: 'wsl-watcher'
+      },
       featureWallResources
     ]
   },
@@ -363,7 +371,7 @@ module.exports = {
     afterInstall: 'resources/linux/packaging/after-install.sh',
     afterRemove: 'resources/linux/packaging/after-remove.sh'
   },
-  beforeBuild: electronBuilderNativeRebuild,
+  beforeBuild: electronBuilderBeforeBuild,
   // Why: must be true so that electron-builder rebuilds native modules
   // (node-pty) for each target architecture when producing dual-arch macOS
   // builds (x64 + arm64). With npmRebuild disabled, CI on an arm64 runner
diff --git a/config/scripts/electron-builder-before-build.cjs b/config/scripts/electron-builder-before-build.cjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..dd34dfb19af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/scripts/electron-builder-before-build.cjs
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+const { execFileSync } = require('node:child_process')
+const { resolve } = require('node:path')
+const electronBuilderNativeRebuild = require('./electron-builder-native-rebuild.cjs')
+
+const projectDir = resolve(__dirname, '../..')
+
+function electronBuilderBeforeBuild(context, runner = execFileSync) {
+  const shouldContinue = electronBuilderNativeRebuild(context)
+  const preparationArgs = buildWslRuntimePreparationArgs(context)
+  if (preparationArgs) {
+    runner(process.execPath, preparationArgs, {
+      cwd: projectDir,
+      stdio: 'inherit'
+    })
+  }
+  return shouldContinue
+}
+
+function buildWslRuntimePreparationArgs(context) {
+  const platform =
+    typeof context?.platform === 'string' ? context.platform : context?.platform?.nodeName
+  if (platform === 'win32') {
+    // Why: Windows cannot execute Linux native addons directly, so package a
+    // verified Linux runtime that can be installed inside each WSL distro.
+    return ['config/scripts/prepare-wsl-watcher-runtime.mjs']
+  }
+  return null
+}
+
+module.exports = electronBuilderBeforeBuild
+module.exports.default = electronBuilderBeforeBuild
+module.exports.buildWslRuntimePreparationArgs = buildWslRuntimePreparationArgs
diff --git a/config/scripts/electron-builder-config.test.mjs b/config/scripts/electron-builder-config.test.mjs
index cd46c8003fa..5d669688a06 100644
--- a/config/scripts/electron-builder-config.test.mjs
+++ b/config/scripts/electron-builder-config.test.mjs
@@ -6,7 +6,8 @@ import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
 
 const require = createRequire(import.meta.url)
 const electronBuilderConfig = require('../electron-builder.config.cjs')
-const electronBuilderNativeRebuild = require('./electron-builder-native-rebuild.cjs')
+const electronBuilderBeforeBuild = require('./electron-builder-before-build.cjs')
+const { buildWslRuntimePreparationArgs } = electronBuilderBeforeBuild
 const {
   createPackagedRuntimeNodeModuleResources,
   findAsarEntry,
@@ -31,7 +32,9 @@ describe('electron-builder config', () => {
         '!tests{,/**/*}',
         '!Casks{,/**/*}',
         '!{AGENTS.md,CLAUDE.md,DEVELOPING.md,bundle-size-progress.md}',
-        '!out/**/*.test.js'
+        '!out/**/*.test.js',
+        '!out/main/wsl-watcher-host.js',
+        '!out/wsl-watcher{,/**/*}'
       ])
     )
   })
@@ -58,6 +61,10 @@ describe('electron-builder config', () => {
         expect.objectContaining({
           from: 'native/computer-use-windows/runtime.ps1',
           to: 'computer-use-windows/runtime.ps1'
+        }),
+        expect.objectContaining({
+          from: 'out/wsl-watcher',
+          to: 'wsl-watcher'
         })
       ])
     )
@@ -131,11 +138,19 @@ describe('electron-builder config', () => {
     }
   })
 
-  it('uses Orca native rebuild hook instead of electron-builder default rebuild', () => {
-    expect(electronBuilderConfig.beforeBuild).toBe(electronBuilderNativeRebuild)
+  it('uses Orca build preparation instead of electron-builder default rebuild', () => {
+    expect(electronBuilderConfig.beforeBuild).toBe(electronBuilderBeforeBuild)
     expect(electronBuilderConfig.npmRebuild).toBe(true)
   })
 
+  it('prepares the managed WSL runtime only for Windows artifacts', () => {
+    expect(buildWslRuntimePreparationArgs({ platform: { nodeName: 'win32' } })).toEqual([
+      'config/scripts/prepare-wsl-watcher-runtime.mjs'
+    ])
+    expect(buildWslRuntimePreparationArgs({ platform: { nodeName: 'darwin' } })).toBeNull()
+    expect(buildWslRuntimePreparationArgs({ platform: { nodeName: 'linux' } })).toBeNull()
+  })
+
   it('verifies packaged main runtime deps from Windows-style asar entries', async () => {
     const resourcesDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'orca-runtime-deps-'))
     try {
diff --git a/config/scripts/prepare-wsl-watcher-runtime.mjs b/config/scripts/prepare-wsl-watcher-runtime.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..8f5e9ca3350
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/scripts/prepare-wsl-watcher-runtime.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,125 @@
+import { createHash } from 'node:crypto'
+import { copyFile, mkdir, readFile, rename, rm, stat, writeFile } from 'node:fs/promises'
+import path from 'node:path'
+
+export const WSL_WATCHER_NODE_VERSION = '24.15.0'
+const WSL_WATCHER_INSTALL_LAYOUT_VERSION = 1
+
+const rootDir = path.resolve(import.meta.dirname, '../..')
+const outputDir = path.join(rootDir, 'out', 'wsl-watcher')
+const cacheDir = path.join(rootDir, 'node_modules', '.cache', 'orca-wsl-watcher')
+const runtimeArchives = {
+  x64: {
+    sha256: '472655581fb851559730c48763e0c9d3bc25975c59d518003fc0849d3e4ba0f6',
+    watcherPackage: '@parcel/watcher-linux-x64-glibc'
+  },
+  arm64: {
+    sha256: 'f3d5a797b5d210ce8e2cb265544c8e482eaedcb8aa409a8b46da7e8595d0dda0',
+    watcherPackage: '@parcel/watcher-linux-arm64-glibc'
+  }
+}
+
+function sha256(contents) {
+  return createHash('sha256').update(contents).digest('hex')
+}
+
+async function matchesHash(filename, expected) {
+  try {
+    return sha256(await readFile(filename)) === expected
+  } catch {
+    return false
+  }
+}
+
+async function downloadRuntime(arch, expectedHash) {
+  await mkdir(cacheDir, { recursive: true })
+  const filename = `node-v${WSL_WATCHER_NODE_VERSION}-linux-${arch}.tar.xz`
+  const cached = path.join(cacheDir, filename)
+  if (await matchesHash(cached, expectedHash)) {
+    return cached
+  }
+
+  const response = await fetch(`https://nodejs.org/dist/v${WSL_WATCHER_NODE_VERSION}/${filename}`, {
+    signal: AbortSignal.timeout(60_000)
+  })
+  if (!response.ok) {
+    throw new Error(`Could not download ${filename}: HTTP ${response.status}`)
+  }
+  const contents = Buffer.from(await response.arrayBuffer())
+  const actualHash = sha256(contents)
+  if (actualHash !== expectedHash) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Checksum mismatch for ${filename}: expected ${expectedHash}, got ${actualHash}`
+    )
+  }
+  const temporary = `${cached}.${process.pid}.tmp`
+  await writeFile(temporary, contents)
+  await rm(cached, { force: true })
+  await rename(temporary, cached)
+  return cached
+}
+
+async function assertBuildInput(filename, description) {
+  try {
+    const info = await stat(filename)
+    if (info.isFile()) {
+      return
+    }
+  } catch {}
+  throw new Error(`Missing ${description} at ${filename}. Run pnpm build:electron-vite first.`)
+}
+
+export async function prepareWslWatcherRuntime() {
+  const hostSource = path.join(rootDir, 'out', 'main', 'wsl-watcher-host.js')
+  await assertBuildInput(hostSource, 'compiled WSL watcher host')
+
+  const stageDir = `${outputDir}.${process.pid}.tmp`
+  await rm(stageDir, { recursive: true, force: true })
+  await mkdir(stageDir, { recursive: true })
+  const hostContents = await readFile(hostSource)
+  await writeFile(path.join(stageDir, 'host.js'), hostContents)
+  await copyFile(
+    path.join(rootDir, 'node_modules', '@parcel', 'watcher', 'LICENSE'),
+    path.join(stageDir, 'parcel-watcher-LICENSE')
+  )
+
+  const versionParts = [
+    String(WSL_WATCHER_INSTALL_LAYOUT_VERSION),
+    WSL_WATCHER_NODE_VERSION,
+    sha256(hostContents)
+  ]
+  for (const [arch, runtime] of Object.entries(runtimeArchives)) {
+    const archDir = path.join(stageDir, arch)
+    await mkdir(archDir, { recursive: true })
+    const archive = await downloadRuntime(arch, runtime.sha256)
+    const watcherSource = path.join(
+      rootDir,
+      'node_modules',
+      '@parcel',
+      runtime.watcherPackage.replace('@parcel/', ''),
+      'watcher.node'
+    )
+    const watcherContents = await readFile(watcherSource)
+    versionParts.push(arch, runtime.sha256, sha256(watcherContents))
+    await copyFile(archive, path.join(archDir, 'node.tar.xz'))
+    await writeFile(path.join(archDir, 'watcher.node'), watcherContents)
+  }
+
+  const manifest = {
+    protocol: 1,
+    installLayout: WSL_WATCHER_INSTALL_LAYOUT_VERSION,
+    nodeVersion: WSL_WATCHER_NODE_VERSION,
+    bundleVersion: sha256(versionParts.join('\n')).slice(0, 20)
+  }
+  await writeFile(path.join(stageDir, 'manifest.json'), `${JSON.stringify(manifest, null, 2)}\n`)
+  await rm(outputDir, { recursive: true, force: true })
+  await rename(stageDir, outputDir)
+  process.stdout.write(
+    `[prepare-wsl-watcher-runtime] prepared ${manifest.bundleVersion} in ${outputDir}\n`
+  )
+  return manifest
+}
+
+if (process.argv[1] === import.meta.filename) {
+  await prepareWslWatcherRuntime()
+}
diff --git a/electron.vite.config.ts b/electron.vite.config.ts
index dbe2fbc02b3..ac651e72064 100644
--- a/electron.vite.config.ts
+++ b/electron.vite.config.ts
@@ -186,6 +186,9 @@ export default defineConfig({
           // Why: forked with ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE so @parcel/watcher faults
           // can't take down the main process (issue #7547).
           'parcel-watcher-process-entry': resolve('src/main/ipc/parcel-watcher-process-entry.ts'),
+          // Why: WSL needs a Linux-native watcher process beside its filesystem;
+          // packaging stages this plain-Node entry with the managed Linux runtime.
+          'wsl-watcher-host': resolve('src/main/ipc/wsl-watcher-host-entry.ts'),
           // Why: electron-vite cleans out/main in dev. The dev CLI imports
           // this path for `orca agent hooks ...`, so it must survive rebuilds.
           'agent-hooks/managed-agent-hook-controls': resolve(
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index a24b1d1d669..94e8981a6a3 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@
     "audit:localization": "node config/scripts/audit-localization-coverage.mjs",
     "build:cli": "tsc -p config/tsconfig.cli.json --outDir out --composite false --incremental false && node config/scripts/verify-cli-bin.mjs --fix-executable --fix-package-json && node config/scripts/install-dev-cli.mjs",
     "build:electron-vite": "node config/scripts/run-electron-vite-build.mjs",
+    "prepare:wsl-watcher": "node config/scripts/prepare-wsl-watcher-runtime.mjs",
     "build:web": "node config/scripts/run-vite-web-build.mjs && node config/scripts/verify-web-build.mjs",
     "build:desktop": "pnpm run typecheck && pnpm run build:relay && pnpm run build:cli && pnpm run build:electron-vite && pnpm run build:web",
     "build": "pnpm run build:desktop && pnpm run build:native",
diff --git a/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-engine.ts b/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-engine.ts
index dcdcb74efe1..8544f63e1a6 100644
--- a/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-engine.ts
+++ b/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-engine.ts
@@ -1,14 +1,16 @@
 import { spawn } from 'node:child_process'
 import { StringDecoder } from 'node:string_decoder'
 import type { Event as WatcherEvent } from '@parcel/watcher'
-import { buildWslNativeWatcherScript } from './filesystem-watcher-wsl-native-script'
+import {
+  subscribeViaWslWatcherHost,
+  type WslHostSubscription
+} from './filesystem-watcher-wsl-host-client'
 import {
   buildSnapshotScript,
   diffSnapshots,
   parseSnapshotFrame,
   SNAPSHOT_END,
   SNAPSHOT_START,
-  toWslUncPath,
   type WslSnapshot
 } from './filesystem-watcher-wsl-snapshot'
 
@@ -27,7 +29,6 @@ export type WslEngineContext = {
   onOverflow: () => void
 }
 
-const NATIVE_STARTUP_TIMEOUT_MS = 10_000
 const SNAPSHOT_STARTUP_TIMEOUT_MS = 30_000
 const MAX_STREAM_BUFFER_CHARS = 10 * 1024 * 1024
 
@@ -128,85 +129,52 @@ function createChildEngine(
   return { ready, stopped, stop }
 }
 
-type NativeMessage =
-  | { type: 'ready' }
-  | { type: 'overflow' }
-  | { type: 'error'; message?: unknown }
-  | { type: 'events'; events?: unknown }
-
-function nativeEvents(message: NativeMessage, context: WslEngineContext): WatcherEvent[] {
-  if (message.type !== 'events' || !Array.isArray(message.events)) {
-    return []
-  }
-  const rootPrefix = context.linuxPath === '/' ? '/' : `${context.linuxPath.replace(/\/+$/, '')}/`
-  const events: WatcherEvent[] = []
-  for (const item of message.events) {
-    if (
-      Array.isArray(item) &&
-      (item[0] === 'create' || item[0] === 'update' || item[0] === 'delete') &&
-      typeof item[1] === 'string' &&
-      (item[1] === context.linuxPath || item[1].startsWith(rootPrefix))
-    ) {
-      events.push({ type: item[0], path: toWslUncPath(item[1], context.distro) })
+export function createWslNativeEngine(context: WslEngineContext): WslWatchEngine {
+  let subscription: WslHostSubscription | null = null
+  const abortController = new AbortController()
+  let disposed = false
+  let stoppedSettled = false
+  let resolveStopped!: () => void
+  const stopped = new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+    resolveStopped = resolve
+  })
+  const settleStopped = (): void => {
+    if (!stoppedSettled) {
+      stoppedSettled = true
+      resolveStopped()
     }
   }
-  return events
-}
-
-export function createWslNativeEngine(context: WslEngineContext): WslWatchEngine {
-  let streamBuffer = ''
-  const decoder = new StringDecoder('utf8')
-  const args = [
-    '-d',
-    context.distro,
-    '--',
-    'python3',
-    '-u',
-    '-',
-    context.linuxPath,
-    ...context.ignoreDirs
-  ]
-  return createChildEngine(
-    args,
-    buildWslNativeWatcherScript(),
-    NATIVE_STARTUP_TIMEOUT_MS,
-    context.worktreePath,
-    (chunk, settleReady, stop) => {
-      streamBuffer += decoder.write(chunk)
-      if (streamBuffer.length > MAX_STREAM_BUFFER_CHARS) {
-        context.onOverflow()
-        stop()
+  const ready = subscribeViaWslWatcherHost(
+    {
+      distro: context.distro,
+      linuxPath: context.linuxPath,
+      ignoreDirs: context.ignoreDirs,
+      onEvents: context.onEvents,
+      onOverflow: context.onOverflow,
+      onStopped: settleStopped
+    },
+    abortController.signal
+  ).then((created) => {
+    if (disposed) {
+      created.unsubscribe()
+    } else {
+      subscription = created
+    }
+  })
+  return {
+    ready,
+    stopped,
+    stop: () => {
+      if (disposed) {
         return
       }
-      let newline = streamBuffer.indexOf('\n')
-      while (newline !== -1) {
-        const line = streamBuffer.slice(0, newline)
-        streamBuffer = streamBuffer.slice(newline + 1)
-        try {
-          const message = JSON.parse(line) as NativeMessage
-          if (message.type === 'ready') {
-            settleReady()
-          } else if (message.type === 'overflow') {
-            context.onOverflow()
-          } else if (message.type === 'error') {
-            settleReady(new Error(String(message.message ?? 'native WSL watcher failed')))
-            stop()
-          } else {
-            const events = nativeEvents(message, context)
-            if (events.length > 0) {
-              context.onEvents(events)
-            }
-          }
-        } catch (error) {
-          context.onOverflow()
-          settleReady(error instanceof Error ? error : new Error(String(error)))
-          stop()
-          return
-        }
-        newline = streamBuffer.indexOf('\n')
-      }
+      disposed = true
+      abortController.abort()
+      subscription?.unsubscribe()
+      subscription = null
+      settleStopped()
     }
-  )
+  }
 }
 
 export function createWslSnapshotEngine(context: WslEngineContext): WslWatchEngine {
diff --git a/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-host-client.ts b/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-host-client.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..afabf5b2723
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-host-client.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,315 @@
+import { spawn, type ChildProcessWithoutNullStreams } from 'node:child_process'
+import { StringDecoder } from 'node:string_decoder'
+import type { Event as WatcherEvent } from '@parcel/watcher'
+import { wslHostMessageEvents, type WslHostMessage } from './filesystem-watcher-wsl-host-protocol'
+import { ensureWslWatcherRuntime } from './filesystem-watcher-wsl-runtime'
+
+export type WslHostSubscriptionContext = {
+  distro: string
+  linuxPath: string
+  ignoreDirs: readonly string[]
+  onEvents: (events: WatcherEvent[]) => void
+  onOverflow: () => void
+  onStopped: () => void
+}
+
+export type WslHostSubscription = {
+  unsubscribe(): void
+}
+
+type PendingResult = {
+  resolve: () => void
+  reject: (error: Error) => void
+}
+
+type SubscriptionRecord = {
+  id: number
+  context: WslHostSubscriptionContext
+  pending: PendingResult | null
+  pendingTimer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null
+}
+
+type DistroHost = {
+  distro: string
+  process: ChildProcessWithoutNullStreams | null
+  starting: Promise<void> | null
+  subscriptions: Map<number, SubscriptionRecord>
+  nextId: number
+  streamBuffer: string
+  stdoutDecoder: StringDecoder
+  stderrDecoder: StringDecoder
+  stderrTail: string
+}
+
+const hosts = new Map<string, DistroHost>()
+const STARTUP_TIMEOUT_MS = 30_000
+const SUBSCRIBE_TIMEOUT_MS = 30_000
+const MAX_STREAM_BUFFER_CHARS = 10 * 1024 * 1024
+
+function createHost(distro: string): DistroHost {
+  return {
+    distro,
+    process: null,
+    starting: null,
+    subscriptions: new Map(),
+    nextId: 1,
+    streamBuffer: '',
+    stdoutDecoder: new StringDecoder('utf8'),
+    stderrDecoder: new StringDecoder('utf8'),
+    stderrTail: ''
+  }
+}
+
+function settleRecordFailure(host: DistroHost, record: SubscriptionRecord, error: Error): void {
+  host.subscriptions.delete(record.id)
+  if (record.pendingTimer) {
+    clearTimeout(record.pendingTimer)
+    record.pendingTimer = null
+  }
+  if (record.pending) {
+    record.pending.reject(error)
+    record.pending = null
+  } else {
+    record.context.onStopped()
+  }
+  if (host.subscriptions.size === 0) {
+    hosts.delete(host.distro)
+    const child = host.process
+    host.process = null
+    child?.kill()
+  } else {
+    send(host, { op: 'unsubscribe', id: record.id })
+  }
+}
+
+function handleMessage(host: DistroHost, message: WslHostMessage, settleReady: () => void): void {
+  if (message.op === 'ready') {
+    if (message.protocol === 1) {
+      settleReady()
+    } else {
+      host.process?.kill()
+    }
+    return
+  }
+  if (message.op === 'protocol-error') {
+    host.process?.kill()
+    return
+  }
+  if (!Number.isSafeInteger(message.id)) {
+    return
+  }
+  const record = host.subscriptions.get(message.id as number)
+  if (!record) {
+    return
+  }
+  if (message.op === 'subscribed') {
+    if (record.pendingTimer) {
+      clearTimeout(record.pendingTimer)
+      record.pendingTimer = null
+    }
+    record.pending?.resolve()
+    record.pending = null
+  } else if (message.op === 'subscribe-failed') {
+    settleRecordFailure(host, record, new Error(String(message.message ?? 'subscribe failed')))
+  } else if (message.op === 'watch-error') {
+    settleRecordFailure(host, record, new Error(String(message.message ?? 'watch failed')))
+  } else if (message.op === 'events') {
+    const events = wslHostMessageEvents(message, record.context)
+    if (events.length > 0) {
+      record.context.onEvents(events)
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+function handleHostGone(host: DistroHost, child: ChildProcessWithoutNullStreams): void {
+  if (host.process !== child) {
+    return
+  }
+  host.process = null
+  hosts.delete(host.distro)
+  const error = new Error(
+    `Managed WSL watcher exited${host.stderrTail.trim() ? `: ${host.stderrTail.trim()}` : ''}`
+  )
+  for (const record of host.subscriptions.values()) {
+    if (record.pendingTimer) {
+      clearTimeout(record.pendingTimer)
+      record.pendingTimer = null
+    }
+    if (record.pending) {
+      record.pending.reject(error)
+      record.pending = null
+    } else {
+      record.context.onStopped()
+    }
+  }
+  host.subscriptions.clear()
+}
+
+function send(host: DistroHost, message: object): boolean {
+  try {
+    if (!host.process?.stdin.writable) {
+      return false
+    }
+    host.process.stdin.write(`${JSON.stringify(message)}\n`)
+    return true
+  } catch {
+    return false
+  }
+}
+
+async function startHost(host: DistroHost): Promise<void> {
+  const runtime = await ensureWslWatcherRuntime(host.distro)
+  const child = spawn(
+    'wsl.exe',
+    ['-d', host.distro, '--exec', runtime.nodePath, runtime.hostPath],
+    { stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'pipe'], windowsHide: true }
+  )
+  host.process = child
+  host.streamBuffer = ''
+  host.stderrTail = ''
+  await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
+    let settled = false
+    const settle = (error?: Error): void => {
+      if (settled) {
+        return
+      }
+      settled = true
+      clearTimeout(timer)
+      if (error) {
+        reject(error)
+      } else {
+        resolve()
+      }
+    }
+    const timer = setTimeout(() => {
+      settle(new Error(`Timed out starting managed WSL watcher for ${host.distro}`))
+      child.kill()
+    }, STARTUP_TIMEOUT_MS)
+    child.stdout.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => {
+      host.streamBuffer += host.stdoutDecoder.write(chunk)
+      if (host.streamBuffer.length > MAX_STREAM_BUFFER_CHARS) {
+        settle(new Error('Managed WSL watcher protocol buffer overflow'))
+        child.kill()
+        return
+      }
+      let newline = host.streamBuffer.indexOf('\n')
+      while (newline !== -1) {
+        const line = host.streamBuffer.slice(0, newline)
+        host.streamBuffer = host.streamBuffer.slice(newline + 1)
+        try {
+          handleMessage(host, JSON.parse(line) as WslHostMessage, () => settle())
+        } catch (error) {
+          settle(error instanceof Error ? error : new Error(String(error)))
+          child.kill()
+          return
+        }
+        newline = host.streamBuffer.indexOf('\n')
+      }
+    })
+    child.stderr.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => {
+      host.stderrTail = (host.stderrTail + host.stderrDecoder.write(chunk)).slice(-4096)
+    })
+    child.once('error', (error) => {
+      settle(error)
+      handleHostGone(host, child)
+    })
+    child.once('close', (code, signal) => {
+      settle(new Error(`Managed WSL watcher exited before ready (${code ?? signal})`))
+      handleHostGone(host, child)
+    })
+  })
+}
+
+function ensureHost(distro: string): Promise<DistroHost> {
+  let host = hosts.get(distro)
+  if (!host) {
+    host = createHost(distro)
+    hosts.set(distro, host)
+  }
+  if (!host.starting) {
+    host.starting = startHost(host)
+      .catch((error) => {
+        if (host?.process) {
+          host.process.kill()
+        }
+        hosts.delete(distro)
+        throw error
+      })
+      .finally(() => {
+        if (host) {
+          host.starting = null
+        }
+      })
+  }
+  return host.starting.then(() => host!)
+}
+
+export async function subscribeViaWslWatcherHost(
+  context: WslHostSubscriptionContext,
+  signal?: AbortSignal
+): Promise<WslHostSubscription> {
+  if (signal?.aborted) {
+    throw new Error('Managed WSL watcher subscription cancelled')
+  }
+  const host = await ensureHost(context.distro)
+  if (signal?.aborted) {
+    if (host.subscriptions.size === 0) {
+      hosts.delete(host.distro)
+      const child = host.process
+      host.process = null
+      child?.kill()
+    }
+    throw new Error('Managed WSL watcher subscription cancelled')
+  }
+  const id = host.nextId++
+  const record: SubscriptionRecord = { id, context, pending: null, pendingTimer: null }
+  const ready = new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
+    record.pending = { resolve, reject }
+  })
+  host.subscriptions.set(id, record)
+  record.pendingTimer = setTimeout(() => {
+    settleRecordFailure(host, record, new Error('Timed out subscribing managed WSL watcher'))
+  }, SUBSCRIBE_TIMEOUT_MS)
+  signal?.addEventListener(
+    'abort',
+    () => {
+      if (host.subscriptions.has(id)) {
+        settleRecordFailure(host, record, new Error('Managed WSL watcher subscription cancelled'))
+      }
+    },
+    { once: true }
+  )
+  if (
+    !send(host, {
+      op: 'subscribe',
+      id,
+      dir: context.linuxPath,
+      ignoreDirs: context.ignoreDirs
+    })
+  ) {
+    settleRecordFailure(host, record, new Error('Managed WSL watcher is unavailable'))
+  }
+  await ready
+  return {
+    unsubscribe: () => {
+      if (!host.subscriptions.delete(id)) {
+        return
+      }
+      if (host.subscriptions.size === 0) {
+        hosts.delete(host.distro)
+        const child = host.process
+        host.process = null
+        child?.kill()
+      } else {
+        send(host, { op: 'unsubscribe', id })
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+export function resetWslWatcherHostsForTest(): void {
+  for (const host of hosts.values()) {
+    host.process?.kill()
+  }
+  hosts.clear()
+}
diff --git a/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-host-protocol.ts b/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-host-protocol.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b5aaf5b30bf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-host-protocol.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+import type { Event as WatcherEvent } from '@parcel/watcher'
+import { toWslUncPath } from './filesystem-watcher-wsl-snapshot'
+
+export type WslHostMessage =
+  | { op: 'ready'; protocol?: unknown }
+  | { op: 'subscribed'; id?: unknown }
+  | { op: 'subscribe-failed'; id?: unknown; message?: unknown }
+  | { op: 'events'; id?: unknown; events?: unknown }
+  | { op: 'watch-error'; id?: unknown; message?: unknown }
+  | { op: 'unsubscribed'; id?: unknown }
+  | { op: 'protocol-error'; message?: unknown }
+
+export function wslHostMessageEvents(
+  message: WslHostMessage,
+  context: { distro: string; linuxPath: string }
+): WatcherEvent[] {
+  if (message.op !== 'events' || !Array.isArray(message.events)) {
+    return []
+  }
+  const root = context.linuxPath.replace(/\/+$/, '') || '/'
+  const prefix = root === '/' ? '/' : `${root}/`
+  const events: WatcherEvent[] = []
+  for (const event of message.events) {
+    const candidate = event as { type?: unknown; path?: unknown }
+    if (
+      (candidate.type === 'create' || candidate.type === 'update' || candidate.type === 'delete') &&
+      typeof candidate.path === 'string' &&
+      (candidate.path === root || candidate.path.startsWith(prefix))
+    ) {
+      events.push({
+        type: candidate.type,
+        path: toWslUncPath(candidate.path, context.distro)
+      })
+    }
+  }
+  return events
+}
diff --git a/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-live.test.ts b/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-live.test.ts
index 92ac849d420..1a43d887fa9 100644
--- a/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-live.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-live.test.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { execFile } from 'node:child_process'
 import { promisify } from 'node:util'
 import { afterAll, beforeAll, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
 import { createWslWatcher, type WatchedRoot } from './filesystem-watcher-wsl'
+import { ensureWslWatcherRuntime } from './filesystem-watcher-wsl-runtime'
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile)
 const runLive = process.platform === 'win32' && process.env.ORCA_WSL_WATCHER_LIVE === '1'
@@ -19,7 +20,9 @@ describe.skipIf(!runLive)('WSL watcher live integration', () => {
   beforeAll(async () => {
     distro = (await runWsl('printenv', 'WSL_DISTRO_NAME')).trim()
     await runWsl('mkdir', '-p', `${fixturePath}/docs/deep`)
+    await runWsl('mkdir', '-p', `${fixturePath}/packages/app/node_modules/pkg`)
     await runWsl('touch', `${fixturePath}/docs/deep/README.md`)
+    await runWsl('touch', `${fixturePath}/packages/app/node_modules/pkg/ignored.js`)
   })
 
   afterAll(async () => {
@@ -31,6 +34,8 @@ describe.skipIf(!runLive)('WSL watcher live integration', () => {
 
   it('reports a deep external edit without periodic polling events', async () => {
     const rootPath = `\\\\wsl.localhost\\${distro}${fixturePath.replace(/\//g, '\\')}`
+    const runtime = await ensureWslWatcherRuntime(distro)
+    await execFileAsync('wsl.exe', ['-d', distro, '--', 'test', '-x', runtime.nodePath])
     const batches: WatchedRoot[] = []
     const root = await createWslWatcher(rootPath, rootPath, {
       ignoreDirs: ['node_modules', '.git'],
@@ -48,8 +53,16 @@ describe.skipIf(!runLive)('WSL watcher live integration', () => {
             path: `${rootPath}\\docs\\deep\\README.md`
           })
         },
-        { timeout: 5_000 }
+        // Native event delivery should not need to wait for the 5-second scan fallback.
+        { timeout: 2_000 }
       )
+
+      root.batch.events = []
+      batches.length = 0
+      await runWsl('touch', `${fixturePath}/packages/app/node_modules/pkg/ignored.js`)
+      await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 750))
+      expect(batches).toHaveLength(0)
+      expect(root.batch.events).toHaveLength(0)
     } finally {
       await root.subscription.unsubscribe()
     }
diff --git a/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-native-script.ts b/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-native-script.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 2fd9d321fa3..00000000000
--- a/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-native-script.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,173 +0,0 @@
-const SAFE_IGNORE_NAME = /^[A-Za-z0-9_.-]+$/
-
-export function validateWslWatcherIgnoreDirs(ignoreDirs: readonly string[]): void {
-  for (const name of ignoreDirs) {
-    if (!SAFE_IGNORE_NAME.test(name)) {
-      throw new Error(`Unsupported WSL watcher ignore name: ${name}`)
-    }
-  }
-}
-
-/**
- * Build a third-party-package-free recursive watcher for the Linux side of WSL.
- *
- * The script uses Python's standard library to call inotify directly. It emits
- * newline-delimited JSON so arbitrary Linux path characters stay framed while
- * only change deltas cross the WSL boundary.
- */
-export function buildWslNativeWatcherScript(): string {
-  return String.raw`import ctypes
-import json
-import os
-import select
-import struct
-import sys
-
-IN_MODIFY = 0x00000002
-IN_ATTRIB = 0x00000004
-IN_CLOSE_WRITE = 0x00000008
-IN_MOVED_FROM = 0x00000040
-IN_MOVED_TO = 0x00000080
-IN_CREATE = 0x00000100
-IN_DELETE = 0x00000200
-IN_DELETE_SELF = 0x00000400
-IN_MOVE_SELF = 0x00000800
-IN_Q_OVERFLOW = 0x00004000
-IN_IGNORED = 0x00008000
-IN_ISDIR = 0x40000000
-WATCH_MASK = (IN_MODIFY | IN_ATTRIB | IN_CLOSE_WRITE | IN_MOVED_FROM |
-              IN_MOVED_TO | IN_CREATE | IN_DELETE | IN_DELETE_SELF | IN_MOVE_SELF)
-MAX_EVENTS = 5000
-EVENT = struct.Struct("iIII")
-
-root = os.path.abspath(sys.argv[1])
-ignored = set(sys.argv[2:])
-libc = ctypes.CDLL(None, use_errno=True)
-libc.inotify_init1.argtypes = [ctypes.c_int]
-libc.inotify_init1.restype = ctypes.c_int
-libc.inotify_add_watch.argtypes = [ctypes.c_int, ctypes.c_char_p, ctypes.c_uint32]
-libc.inotify_add_watch.restype = ctypes.c_int
-libc.inotify_rm_watch.argtypes = [ctypes.c_int, ctypes.c_int]
-libc.inotify_rm_watch.restype = ctypes.c_int
-
-def emit(message):
-    sys.stdout.write(json.dumps(message, ensure_ascii=True, separators=(",", ":")) + "\n")
-    sys.stdout.flush()
-
-def fail(message):
-    emit({"type": "error", "message": str(message)})
-    raise SystemExit(1)
-
-fd = libc.inotify_init1(os.O_CLOEXEC | os.O_NONBLOCK)
-if fd < 0:
-    fail(OSError(ctypes.get_errno(), os.strerror(ctypes.get_errno())))
-
-watch_paths = {}
-path_watches = {}
-
-def add_watch(path):
-    if path in path_watches:
-        return
-    wd = libc.inotify_add_watch(fd, os.fsencode(path), WATCH_MASK)
-    if wd < 0:
-        error = ctypes.get_errno()
-        raise OSError(error, os.strerror(error), path)
-    old_path = watch_paths.get(wd)
-    if old_path is not None:
-        path_watches.pop(old_path, None)
-    watch_paths[wd] = path
-    path_watches[path] = wd
-
-def add_tree(path):
-    pending = [path]
-    while pending:
-        directory = pending.pop()
-        add_watch(directory)
-        try:
-            with os.scandir(directory) as entries:
-                for entry in entries:
-                    if entry.name in ignored:
-                        continue
-                    try:
-                        if entry.is_dir(follow_symlinks=False):
-                            pending.append(entry.path)
-                    except OSError:
-                        pass
-        except FileNotFoundError:
-            pass
-
-def forget_watch(wd):
-    path = watch_paths.pop(wd, None)
-    if path is not None:
-        path_watches.pop(path, None)
-
-def remove_tree(path):
-    prefix = path + os.sep
-    for watched_path, wd in list(path_watches.items()):
-        if watched_path != path and not watched_path.startswith(prefix):
-            continue
-        libc.inotify_rm_watch(fd, wd)
-        forget_watch(wd)
-
-def event_type(mask):
-    if mask & (IN_DELETE | IN_MOVED_FROM | IN_DELETE_SELF | IN_MOVE_SELF):
-        return "delete"
-    if mask & (IN_CREATE | IN_MOVED_TO):
-        return "create"
-    if mask & (IN_MODIFY | IN_ATTRIB | IN_CLOSE_WRITE):
-        return "update"
-    return None
-
-try:
-    if not os.path.isdir(root):
-        fail("watch root is not a directory: " + root)
-    add_tree(root)
-    emit({"type": "ready"})
-    while True:
-        select.select([fd], [], [])
-        data = os.read(fd, 1024 * 1024)
-        offset = 0
-        changes = []
-        overflowed = False
-        while offset + EVENT.size <= len(data):
-            wd, mask, cookie, name_length = EVENT.unpack_from(data, offset)
-            offset += EVENT.size
-            raw_name = data[offset:offset + name_length].split(b"\0", 1)[0]
-            offset += name_length
-            if mask & IN_Q_OVERFLOW:
-                overflowed = True
-                continue
-            directory = watch_paths.get(wd)
-            if directory is None:
-                continue
-            if mask & IN_IGNORED:
-                forget_watch(wd)
-                continue
-            name = os.fsdecode(raw_name) if raw_name else ""
-            if name in ignored:
-                continue
-            path = os.path.join(directory, name) if name else directory
-            if mask & IN_ISDIR and mask & (IN_DELETE | IN_MOVED_FROM):
-                remove_tree(path)
-            if mask & IN_ISDIR and mask & (IN_CREATE | IN_MOVED_TO):
-                add_tree(path)
-            kind = event_type(mask)
-            if kind is not None:
-                changes.append([kind, path])
-                if len(changes) > MAX_EVENTS:
-                    changes = []
-                    overflowed = True
-            if path == root and mask & (IN_DELETE_SELF | IN_MOVE_SELF):
-                overflowed = True
-                emit({"type": "overflow"})
-                raise SystemExit(1)
-        if overflowed:
-            emit({"type": "overflow"})
-        elif changes:
-            emit({"type": "events", "events": changes})
-except (OSError, ValueError) as error:
-    fail(error)
-finally:
-    os.close(fd)
-`
-}
diff --git a/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-runtime.test.ts b/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-runtime.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..475ca2755b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-runtime.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+import { INSTALL_SCRIPT, parseRunningWslDistros } from './filesystem-watcher-wsl-runtime'
+
+describe('managed WSL watcher runtime', () => {
+  it('parses running distro output across WSL encodings', () => {
+    expect(parseRunningWslDistros('U\0b\0u\0n\0t\0u\0\r\0\n\0* Debian\r\n')).toEqual([
+      'Ubuntu',
+      'Debian'
+    ])
+  })
+
+  it('installs a verified architecture-specific host without a user runtime', () => {
+    expect(INSTALL_SCRIPT).toContain('case "$(uname -m)"')
+    expect(INSTALL_SCRIPT).toContain('getconf GNU_LIBC_VERSION')
+    expect(INSTALL_SCRIPT).toContain('node-v$node_version-linux-$arch/bin/node')
+    expect(INSTALL_SCRIPT).toContain('node-v$node_version-linux-$arch/LICENSE')
+    expect(INSTALL_SCRIPT).toContain('parcel-watcher-LICENSE')
+    expect(INSTALL_SCRIPT).toContain('"$stage/node" "$stage/host.js" --check')
+    expect(INSTALL_SCRIPT).not.toContain('python')
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-runtime.ts b/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-runtime.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a124b3c8de2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-runtime.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,247 @@
+import { execFile, spawn } from 'node:child_process'
+import { existsSync } from 'node:fs'
+import { readFile } from 'node:fs/promises'
+import { join, resolve } from 'node:path'
+import { promisify } from 'node:util'
+
+type WslWatcherManifest = {
+  protocol: 1
+  installLayout: 1
+  nodeVersion: string
+  bundleVersion: string
+}
+
+export type InstalledWslWatcherRuntime = {
+  nodePath: string
+  hostPath: string
+}
+
+const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile)
+const installationPromises = new Map<string, Promise<InstalledWslWatcherRuntime>>()
+const runningQueries = new Map<string, Promise<boolean>>()
+
+const INSTALL_SCRIPT = String.raw`
+set -efu
+bundle_windows=$1
+version=$2
+node_version=$3
+case "$(uname -m)" in
+  x86_64) arch=x64 ;;
+  aarch64|arm64) arch=arm64 ;;
+  *) echo "unsupported WSL architecture: $(uname -m)" >&2; exit 70 ;;
+esac
+if ! getconf GNU_LIBC_VERSION >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "managed WSL watcher requires a glibc distro" >&2
+  exit 71
+fi
+bundle_linux=$(wslpath -u "$bundle_windows")
+archive="$bundle_linux/$arch/node.tar.xz"
+watcher="$bundle_linux/$arch/watcher.node"
+host="$bundle_linux/host.js"
+watcher_license="$bundle_linux/parcel-watcher-LICENSE"
+test -f "$archive" && test -f "$watcher" && test -f "$host" && test -f "$watcher_license"
+base="$HOME/.local/share/orca/wsl-watcher"
+install="$base/$version/$arch"
+complete="$install/.complete"
+if test -x "$install/node" && test -f "$complete"; then
+  printf '%s\n%s\n' "$install/node" "$install/host.js"
+  exit 0
+fi
+mkdir -p "$base/$version"
+lock="$base/$version/.install-$arch.lock"
+attempt=0
+while ! mkdir "$lock" 2>/dev/null; do
+  if test -r "$lock/pid"; then
+    owner=$(cat "$lock/pid" 2>/dev/null || true)
+    if test -n "$owner" && ! kill -0 "$owner" 2>/dev/null; then
+      rm -rf -- "$lock"
+      continue
+    fi
+  fi
+  if test -x "$install/node" && test -f "$complete"; then
+    printf '%s\n%s\n' "$install/node" "$install/host.js"
+    exit 0
+  fi
+  attempt=$((attempt + 1))
+  test "$attempt" -lt 300 || { echo "timed out waiting for WSL watcher install" >&2; exit 72; }
+  sleep 0.1
+done
+printf '%s\n' "$$" >"$lock/pid"
+if test -x "$install/node" && test -f "$complete"; then
+  rm -rf -- "$lock"
+  printf '%s\n%s\n' "$install/node" "$install/host.js"
+  exit 0
+fi
+stage="$base/version-$version-$arch-$$.tmp"
+cleanup() { rm -rf -- "$stage" "$lock"; }
+trap cleanup EXIT HUP INT TERM
+rm -rf -- "$stage"
+mkdir -p "$stage"
+tar -xJf "$archive" -C "$stage" --strip-components=2 \
+  "node-v$node_version-linux-$arch/bin/node"
+tar -xJf "$archive" -C "$stage" --strip-components=1 \
+  "node-v$node_version-linux-$arch/LICENSE"
+cp "$host" "$stage/host.js"
+cp "$watcher" "$stage/watcher.node"
+cp "$watcher_license" "$stage/parcel-watcher-LICENSE"
+chmod 700 "$stage/node" "$stage/host.js"
+"$stage/node" "$stage/host.js" --check >/dev/null
+printf '%s\n' "$version" >"$stage/.complete"
+rm -rf -- "$install"
+mv "$stage" "$install"
+printf '%s\n%s\n' "$install/node" "$install/host.js"
+`
+
+function resolveBundlePath(): string {
+  if (process.resourcesPath) {
+    const packaged = join(process.resourcesPath, 'wsl-watcher')
+    if (existsSync(packaged)) {
+      return packaged
+    }
+  }
+  const development = resolve(process.cwd(), 'out', 'wsl-watcher')
+  if (existsSync(development)) {
+    return development
+  }
+  // In development __dirname is out/main and the prepared bundle is out/wsl-watcher.
+  return resolve(__dirname, '..', 'wsl-watcher')
+}
+
+function validateManifest(value: unknown): WslWatcherManifest {
+  const manifest = value as Partial<WslWatcherManifest>
+  if (
+    manifest?.protocol !== 1 ||
+    manifest.installLayout !== 1 ||
+    typeof manifest.nodeVersion !== 'string' ||
+    !/^\d+\.\d+\.\d+$/.test(manifest.nodeVersion) ||
+    typeof manifest.bundleVersion !== 'string' ||
+    !/^[a-f0-9]{20}$/.test(manifest.bundleVersion)
+  ) {
+    throw new Error('Invalid managed WSL watcher manifest')
+  }
+  return manifest as WslWatcherManifest
+}
+
+async function installRuntime(distro: string): Promise<InstalledWslWatcherRuntime> {
+  const bundlePath = resolveBundlePath()
+  const manifest = validateManifest(
+    JSON.parse(await readFile(join(bundlePath, 'manifest.json'), 'utf8')) as unknown
+  )
+  const stdout = await runInstaller(distro, [
+    bundlePath,
+    manifest.bundleVersion,
+    manifest.nodeVersion
+  ])
+  const [nodePath, hostPath] = stdout
+    .replaceAll(String.fromCharCode(0), '')
+    .split(/\r?\n/)
+    .map((line) => line.trim())
+    .filter(Boolean)
+  if (!nodePath?.startsWith('/') || !hostPath?.startsWith('/')) {
+    throw new Error('Managed WSL watcher installer returned invalid paths')
+  }
+  return { nodePath, hostPath }
+}
+
+function runInstaller(distro: string, args: string[]): Promise<string> {
+  return new Promise((resolvePromise, rejectPromise) => {
+    const child = spawn('wsl.exe', ['-d', distro, '--exec', 'sh', '-s', '--', ...args], {
+      stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
+      windowsHide: true
+    })
+    let stdout = ''
+    let stderr = ''
+    let settled = false
+    const settle = (error?: Error): void => {
+      if (settled) {
+        return
+      }
+      settled = true
+      clearTimeout(timer)
+      if (error) {
+        rejectPromise(error)
+      } else {
+        resolvePromise(stdout)
+      }
+    }
+    const timer = setTimeout(() => {
+      child.kill()
+      settle(new Error(`Timed out installing managed WSL watcher for ${distro}`))
+    }, 120_000)
+    child.stdout.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => {
+      stdout += chunk.toString('utf8')
+      if (stdout.length > 64 * 1024) {
+        child.kill()
+        settle(new Error('Managed WSL watcher installer produced too much output'))
+      }
+    })
+    child.stderr.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => {
+      stderr = (stderr + chunk.toString('utf8')).slice(-4096)
+    })
+    child.once('error', (error) => settle(error))
+    child.once('close', (code, signal) => {
+      if (code === 0) {
+        settle()
+      } else {
+        settle(
+          new Error(
+            `Managed WSL watcher install failed (${code ?? signal})${stderr.trim() ? `: ${stderr.trim()}` : ''}`
+          )
+        )
+      }
+    })
+    child.stdin.once('error', (error) => settle(error))
+    child.stdin.end(INSTALL_SCRIPT)
+  })
+}
+
+export function ensureWslWatcherRuntime(distro: string): Promise<InstalledWslWatcherRuntime> {
+  let pending = installationPromises.get(distro)
+  if (!pending) {
+    pending = installRuntime(distro).catch((error) => {
+      installationPromises.delete(distro)
+      throw error
+    })
+    installationPromises.set(distro, pending)
+  }
+  return pending
+}
+
+async function queryWslDistroRunning(distro: string): Promise<boolean> {
+  try {
+    const { stdout } = await execFileAsync('wsl.exe', ['--list', '--running', '--quiet'], {
+      encoding: 'utf8',
+      timeout: 5_000,
+      maxBuffer: 64 * 1024
+    })
+    return parseRunningWslDistros(stdout).some(
+      (runningDistro) => runningDistro.toLowerCase() === distro.toLowerCase()
+    )
+  } catch {
+    return false
+  }
+}
+
+export function parseRunningWslDistros(output: string): string[] {
+  return output
+    .replaceAll(String.fromCharCode(0), '')
+    .split(/\r?\n/)
+    .map((line) => line.trim().replace(/^\*\s*/, ''))
+    .filter(Boolean)
+}
+
+export function isWslDistroRunning(distro: string): Promise<boolean> {
+  let pending = runningQueries.get(distro)
+  if (!pending) {
+    pending = queryWslDistroRunning(distro).finally(() => runningQueries.delete(distro))
+    runningQueries.set(distro, pending)
+  }
+  return pending
+}
+
+export function resetWslWatcherRuntimeForTest(): void {
+  installationPromises.clear()
+  runningQueries.clear()
+}
+
+export { INSTALL_SCRIPT }
diff --git a/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-snapshot.ts b/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-snapshot.ts
index 5672274ff74..f51e9ebf0cb 100644
--- a/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-snapshot.ts
+++ b/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl-snapshot.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import type { Event as WatcherEvent } from '@parcel/watcher'
-import { validateWslWatcherIgnoreDirs } from './filesystem-watcher-wsl-native-script'
 
 const POLL_INTERVAL_SECONDS = 5
+const SAFE_IGNORE_NAME = /^[A-Za-z0-9_.-]+$/
 export const SNAPSHOT_START = '\x1e'
 export const SNAPSHOT_END = '\x1f'
 
@@ -13,6 +13,14 @@ type WslSnapshotEntry = {
 
 export type WslSnapshot = Map<string, WslSnapshotEntry>
 
+export function validateWslWatcherIgnoreDirs(ignoreDirs: readonly string[]): void {
+  for (const name of ignoreDirs) {
+    if (!SAFE_IGNORE_NAME.test(name)) {
+      throw new Error(`Unsupported WSL watcher ignore name: ${name}`)
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 export function toWslUncPath(linuxPath: string, distro: string): string {
   return `\\\\wsl.localhost\\${distro}${linuxPath.replace(/\//g, '\\')}`
 }
diff --git a/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl.test.ts b/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl.test.ts
index b7db3dc7c5e..7e08e48a53f 100644
--- a/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl.test.ts
@@ -2,27 +2,45 @@ import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events'
 import { PassThrough } from 'node:stream'
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
 
-const { spawnMock } = vi.hoisted(() => ({ spawnMock: vi.fn() }))
+const { ensureRuntimeMock, isDistroRunningMock, spawnMock } = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+  ensureRuntimeMock: vi.fn(),
+  isDistroRunningMock: vi.fn(),
+  spawnMock: vi.fn()
+}))
 
-vi.mock('child_process', () => ({ spawn: spawnMock }))
+vi.mock('node:child_process', () => ({ spawn: spawnMock }))
+vi.mock('./filesystem-watcher-wsl-runtime', () => ({
+  ensureWslWatcherRuntime: ensureRuntimeMock,
+  isWslDistroRunning: isDistroRunningMock
+}))
 
 import { createWslWatcher } from './filesystem-watcher-wsl'
 import type { WatchedRoot, WslWatcherDeps } from './filesystem-watcher-wsl'
+import { resetWslWatcherHostsForTest } from './filesystem-watcher-wsl-host-client'
 import { SNAPSHOT_END, SNAPSHOT_START } from './filesystem-watcher-wsl-snapshot'
 
 const ROOT_KEY = '\\\\wsl.localhost\\Ubuntu\\home\\me\\repo'
+const SECOND_ROOT_KEY = '\\\\wsl.localhost\\Ubuntu\\home\\me\\other'
 
 class FakeChildProcess extends EventEmitter {
   stdin = new PassThrough()
   stdout = new PassThrough()
   stderr = new PassThrough()
+  stdinData = ''
   kill = vi.fn(() => {
     this.emit('close', null, 'SIGTERM')
     return true
   })
+
+  constructor() {
+    super()
+    this.stdin.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => {
+      this.stdinData += chunk.toString('utf8')
+    })
+  }
 }
 
-function nativeMessage(message: unknown): string {
+function hostMessage(message: unknown): string {
   return `${JSON.stringify(message)}\n`
 }
 
@@ -46,38 +64,59 @@ function queueChildren(...children: FakeChildProcess[]): void {
   }
 }
 
+async function readyHost(child: FakeChildProcess, ids = [1]): Promise<void> {
+  child.stdout.write(hostMessage({ op: 'ready', protocol: 1 }))
+  await vi.waitFor(() => expect(child.stdinData).toContain('"op":"subscribe"'))
+  for (const id of ids) {
+    child.stdout.write(hostMessage({ op: 'subscribed', id }))
+  }
+}
+
 async function startNativeWatcher(
   deps = makeDeps()
 ): Promise<{ child: FakeChildProcess; root: WatchedRoot; deps: ReturnType<typeof makeDeps> }> {
   const child = new FakeChildProcess()
   queueChildren(child)
   const promise = createWslWatcher(ROOT_KEY, ROOT_KEY, deps)
-  child.stdout.write(nativeMessage({ type: 'ready' }))
+  await vi.waitFor(() => expect(spawnMock).toHaveBeenCalledOnce())
+  await readyHost(child)
   return { child, root: await promise, deps }
 }
 
 describe('createWslWatcher', () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
     spawnMock.mockReset()
+    ensureRuntimeMock.mockReset().mockResolvedValue({
+      nodePath: '/home/me/.local/share/orca/wsl-watcher/version/x64/node',
+      hostPath: '/home/me/.local/share/orca/wsl-watcher/version/x64/host.js'
+    })
+    isDistroRunningMock.mockReset().mockResolvedValue(true)
   })
 
   afterEach(() => {
+    resetWslWatcherHostsForTest()
     vi.useRealTimers()
     vi.restoreAllMocks()
   })
 
-  it('starts native Linux events without requiring an inotify utility package', async () => {
-    const { child } = await startNativeWatcher()
+  it('starts Orca managed Linux events without Python or a distro Node dependency', async () => {
+    const { child, root } = await startNativeWatcher()
 
     expect(spawnMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
       'wsl.exe',
-      ['-d', 'Ubuntu', '--', 'python3', '-u', '-', '/home/me/repo', 'node_modules', '.git'],
+      [
+        '-d',
+        'Ubuntu',
+        '--exec',
+        '/home/me/.local/share/orca/wsl-watcher/version/x64/node',
+        '/home/me/.local/share/orca/wsl-watcher/version/x64/host.js'
+      ],
       expect.objectContaining({ stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'pipe'], windowsHide: true })
     )
-    const script = child.stdin.read()?.toString('utf8') ?? ''
-    expect(script).toContain('libc.inotify_add_watch')
-    expect(script).not.toContain('inotifywait')
-    expect(script).not.toContain('while :; do')
+    expect(child.stdinData).toContain('"dir":"/home/me/repo"')
+    expect(child.stdinData).toContain('"ignoreDirs":["node_modules",".git"]')
+    expect(child.stdinData).not.toContain('python')
+    await root.subscription.unsubscribe()
   })
 
   it('streams nested native changes as UNC watcher events', async () => {
@@ -85,13 +124,14 @@ describe('createWslWatcher', () => {
     const { child, root } = await startNativeWatcher(makeDeps(scheduleBatchFlush))
 
     child.stdout.write(
-      nativeMessage({
-        type: 'events',
+      hostMessage({
+        op: 'events',
+        id: 1,
         events: [
-          ['update', '/home/me/repo/docs/deep/README.md'],
-          ['create', '/home/me/repo/new.txt'],
-          ['delete', '/home/me/repo/old.txt'],
-          ['update', '/home/me/repository/outside.txt']
+          { type: 'update', path: '/home/me/repo/docs/deep/README.md' },
+          { type: 'create', path: '/home/me/repo/new.txt' },
+          { type: 'delete', path: '/home/me/repo/old.txt' },
+          { type: 'update', path: '/home/me/repository/outside.txt' }
         ]
       })
     )
@@ -102,20 +142,40 @@ describe('createWslWatcher', () => {
       { type: 'create', path: '\\\\wsl.localhost\\Ubuntu\\home\\me\\repo\\new.txt' },
       { type: 'delete', path: '\\\\wsl.localhost\\Ubuntu\\home\\me\\repo\\old.txt' }
     ])
+    await root.subscription.unsubscribe()
   })
 
-  it('uses recursive snapshots when the native runtime is unavailable', async () => {
-    const native = new FakeChildProcess()
+  it('shares one Linux host across roots in the same distro', async () => {
+    const child = new FakeChildProcess()
+    queueChildren(child)
+    const firstPromise = createWslWatcher(ROOT_KEY, ROOT_KEY, makeDeps())
+    const secondPromise = createWslWatcher(SECOND_ROOT_KEY, SECOND_ROOT_KEY, makeDeps())
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(spawnMock).toHaveBeenCalledOnce())
+    child.stdout.write(hostMessage({ op: 'ready', protocol: 1 }))
+    await vi.waitFor(() => {
+      expect(child.stdinData).toContain('"dir":"/home/me/repo"')
+      expect(child.stdinData).toContain('"dir":"/home/me/other"')
+    })
+    child.stdout.write(hostMessage({ op: 'subscribed', id: 1 }))
+    child.stdout.write(hostMessage({ op: 'subscribed', id: 2 }))
+    const [first, second] = await Promise.all([firstPromise, secondPromise])
+
+    await first.subscription.unsubscribe()
+    expect(child.kill).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    await second.subscription.unsubscribe()
+    expect(child.kill).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+  })
+
+  it('uses recursive snapshots when the managed runtime is unavailable', async () => {
+    ensureRuntimeMock.mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error('managed runtime unavailable'))
     const snapshot = new FakeChildProcess()
-    queueChildren(native, snapshot)
+    queueChildren(snapshot)
     const promise = createWslWatcher(ROOT_KEY, ROOT_KEY, makeDeps())
-
-    native.stdout.write(nativeMessage({ type: 'error', message: 'python3: not found' }))
-    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(spawnMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2))
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(spawnMock).toHaveBeenCalledOnce())
     snapshot.stdout.write(snapshotFrame([]))
-    await promise
+    const root = await promise
 
-    expect(spawnMock.mock.calls[1]?.[1]).toEqual([
+    expect(spawnMock.mock.calls[0]?.[1]).toEqual([
       '-d',
       'Ubuntu',
       '--',
@@ -124,19 +184,18 @@ describe('createWslWatcher', () => {
       '--',
       '/home/me/repo'
     ])
-    const script = snapshot.stdin.read()?.toString('utf8') ?? ''
-    expect(script).toContain('find "$root" -mindepth 1')
-    expect(script).not.toContain('-maxdepth')
+    expect(snapshot.stdinData).toContain('find "$root" -mindepth 1')
+    expect(snapshot.stdinData).not.toContain('-maxdepth')
+    await root.subscription.unsubscribe()
   })
 
   it('diffs fallback snapshots into create, update, and delete events', async () => {
+    ensureRuntimeMock.mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error('managed runtime unavailable'))
     const scheduleBatchFlush = vi.fn<ScheduleBatchFlush>()
-    const native = new FakeChildProcess()
     const snapshot = new FakeChildProcess()
-    queueChildren(native, snapshot)
+    queueChildren(snapshot)
     const promise = createWslWatcher(ROOT_KEY, ROOT_KEY, makeDeps(scheduleBatchFlush))
-    native.emit('error', new Error('spawn failed'))
-    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(spawnMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2))
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(spawnMock).toHaveBeenCalledOnce())
     snapshot.stdout.write(
       snapshotFrame([
         ['f', '1.0', '/home/me/repo/README.md'],
@@ -156,32 +215,34 @@ describe('createWslWatcher', () => {
       { type: 'create', path: '\\\\wsl.localhost\\Ubuntu\\home\\me\\repo\\new.txt' },
       { type: 'delete', path: '\\\\wsl.localhost\\Ubuntu\\home\\me\\repo\\old.txt' }
     ])
+    await root.subscription.unsubscribe()
   })
 
-  it('refreshes and restarts an active watcher after WSL exits', async () => {
+  it('waits for an intentionally stopped distro before restarting', async () => {
     vi.useFakeTimers()
+    isDistroRunningMock.mockResolvedValueOnce(false).mockResolvedValue(true)
     const scheduleBatchFlush = vi.fn<ScheduleBatchFlush>()
     const first = new FakeChildProcess()
     const second = new FakeChildProcess()
     queueChildren(first, second)
     const promise = createWslWatcher(ROOT_KEY, ROOT_KEY, makeDeps(scheduleBatchFlush))
-    first.stdout.write(nativeMessage({ type: 'ready' }))
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(0)
+    await readyHost(first)
     const root = await promise
 
     first.emit('close', null, 'SIGTERM')
-    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(0)
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(500)
+    expect(spawnMock).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(5_000)
+    expect(spawnMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2)
+    await readyHost(second)
+
     expect(root.batch.overflowed).toBe(true)
     expect(scheduleBatchFlush).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
-    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(500)
-    expect(spawnMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2)
-    second.stdout.write(nativeMessage({ type: 'ready' }))
-    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(0)
-
     await root.subscription.unsubscribe()
-    expect(second.kill).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
   })
 
-  it('kills the WSL child on unsubscribe without emitting a refresh', async () => {
+  it('kills the shared WSL host on the last unsubscribe without emitting a refresh', async () => {
     const scheduleBatchFlush = vi.fn<ScheduleBatchFlush>()
     const { child, root } = await startNativeWatcher(makeDeps(scheduleBatchFlush))
 
@@ -191,31 +252,12 @@ describe('createWslWatcher', () => {
     expect(scheduleBatchFlush).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
   })
 
-  it('cancels a watcher that is still restarting', async () => {
-    vi.useFakeTimers()
-    const first = new FakeChildProcess()
-    const restarting = new FakeChildProcess()
-    queueChildren(first, restarting)
-    const promise = createWslWatcher(ROOT_KEY, ROOT_KEY, makeDeps())
-    first.stdout.write(nativeMessage({ type: 'ready' }))
-    const root = await promise
-    first.emit('close', null, 'SIGTERM')
-    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(500)
-
-    await root.subscription.unsubscribe()
-
-    expect(restarting.kill).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
-    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(10_000)
-    expect(spawnMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2)
-  })
-
-  it('rejects only after both native and snapshot startup fail', async () => {
-    const native = new FakeChildProcess()
+  it('rejects only after both managed native watching and snapshot startup fail', async () => {
+    ensureRuntimeMock.mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error('managed runtime unavailable'))
     const snapshot = new FakeChildProcess()
-    queueChildren(native, snapshot)
+    queueChildren(snapshot)
     const promise = createWslWatcher(ROOT_KEY, ROOT_KEY, makeDeps())
-    native.emit('error', new Error('native failed'))
-    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(spawnMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2))
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(spawnMock).toHaveBeenCalledOnce())
     snapshot.stderr.write('find failed')
     snapshot.emit('close', 1, null)
 
diff --git a/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl.ts b/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl.ts
index 677e4be450b..0f9f191f557 100644
--- a/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl.ts
+++ b/src/main/ipc/filesystem-watcher-wsl.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import {
   type WslEngineContext,
   type WslWatchEngine
 } from './filesystem-watcher-wsl-engine'
+import { isWslDistroRunning } from './filesystem-watcher-wsl-runtime'
 import { parseWslUncPath } from '../../shared/wsl-paths'
 
 export type WatcherSubscription = {
@@ -34,6 +35,7 @@ export type WslWatcherDeps = {
 
 const RESTART_DELAYS_MS = [500, 1_000, 2_000, 5_000, 10_000] as const
 const STABLE_ENGINE_MS = 30_000
+const STOPPED_DISTRO_RECHECK_MS = 5_000
 
 function markOverflow(root: WatchedRoot): void {
   if (root.batch.timer) {
@@ -117,10 +119,21 @@ export async function createWslWatcher(
   const scheduleRestart = (delay: number): void => {
     restartTimer = setTimeout(() => {
       restartTimer = null
-      void installEngine().catch(() => {
-        if (!disposed) {
-          scheduleRestart(maximumRestartDelay)
+      void isWslDistroRunning(wsl.distro).then((running) => {
+        if (disposed) {
+          return
         }
+        if (!running) {
+          // Why: restarting a watcher through `wsl.exe -d` would undo an
+          // intentional WSL shutdown; the running-distro query does not wake it.
+          scheduleRestart(STOPPED_DISTRO_RECHECK_MS)
+          return
+        }
+        void installEngine().catch(() => {
+          if (!disposed) {
+            scheduleRestart(maximumRestartDelay)
+          }
+        })
       })
     }, delay)
   }
diff --git a/src/main/ipc/wsl-watcher-host-entry.test.ts b/src/main/ipc/wsl-watcher-host-entry.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..e0a3ecdc185
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/ipc/wsl-watcher-host-entry.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+import { PassThrough } from 'node:stream'
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { buildIgnoreGlobs, startWslWatcherHost } from './wsl-watcher-host-entry'
+
+describe('WSL watcher Linux host', () => {
+  it('builds nested directory exclusions without treating names as regex', () => {
+    const [nodeModules, dotted] = buildIgnoreGlobs(['node_modules', '.cache'])
+
+    expect(nodeModules).toBe('^(?:.*/)?node_modules(?:/.*)?$')
+    expect(dotted).toBe('^(?:.*/)?\\.cache(?:/.*)?$')
+    expect(new RegExp(nodeModules!).test('/repo/packages/app/node_modules/pkg/file.js')).toBe(true)
+    expect(new RegExp(dotted!).test('/repo/.cache/item')).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it('multiplexes subscriptions and native events over JSON lines', async () => {
+    const input = new PassThrough()
+    const output = new PassThrough()
+    let outputText = ''
+    output.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => {
+      outputText += chunk.toString('utf8')
+    })
+    let callback: ((error: Error | null, events: unknown[]) => void) | undefined
+    const subscribe = vi.fn(async (_dir, createdCallback) => {
+      callback = createdCallback
+    })
+    const unsubscribe = vi.fn(async () => undefined)
+    const exit = vi.fn()
+    startWslWatcherHost({ subscribe, unsubscribe } as never, input, output, exit)
+
+    expect(outputText).toContain('"op":"ready"')
+    input.write(
+      `${JSON.stringify({
+        op: 'subscribe',
+        id: 7,
+        dir: '/home/me/repo',
+        ignoreDirs: ['node_modules']
+      })}\n`
+    )
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(outputText).toContain('"op":"subscribed","id":7'))
+    expect(subscribe).toHaveBeenCalledWith('/home/me/repo', expect.any(Function), {
+      ignoreGlobs: ['^(?:.*/)?node_modules(?:/.*)?$']
+    })
+
+    callback?.(null, [{ type: 'update', path: '/home/me/repo/README.md' }])
+    expect(outputText).toContain('"op":"events","id":7')
+    input.write(`${JSON.stringify({ op: 'unsubscribe', id: 7 })}\n`)
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(outputText).toContain('"op":"unsubscribed","id":7'))
+    expect(unsubscribe).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+
+    input.end()
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(exit).toHaveBeenCalledWith(0))
+  })
+
+  it('rejects malformed commands without invoking the native binding', async () => {
+    const input = new PassThrough()
+    const output = new PassThrough()
+    let outputText = ''
+    output.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => {
+      outputText += chunk.toString('utf8')
+    })
+    const subscribe = vi.fn()
+    startWslWatcherHost({ subscribe, unsubscribe: vi.fn() } as never, input, output, vi.fn())
+
+    input.write('{not-json}\n')
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(outputText).toContain('"op":"protocol-error"'))
+    expect(subscribe).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    input.end()
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/main/ipc/wsl-watcher-host-entry.ts b/src/main/ipc/wsl-watcher-host-entry.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..cda6a4f1cd3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/ipc/wsl-watcher-host-entry.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,213 @@
+import { mkdtempSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs'
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
+import { join } from 'node:path'
+import { createInterface, type Interface } from 'node:readline'
+import type { Readable, Writable } from 'node:stream'
+
+type WatcherEvent = {
+  type: 'create' | 'update' | 'delete'
+  path: string
+}
+
+type NativeWatcherOptions = {
+  ignoreGlobs?: string[]
+}
+
+type NativeWatcherBinding = {
+  subscribe(
+    dir: string,
+    callback: (error: Error | null, events: WatcherEvent[]) => void,
+    options: NativeWatcherOptions
+  ): Promise<void>
+  unsubscribe(
+    dir: string,
+    callback: (error: Error | null, events: WatcherEvent[]) => void,
+    options: NativeWatcherOptions
+  ): Promise<void>
+}
+
+type HostCommand =
+  | { op: 'subscribe'; id: number; dir: string; ignoreDirs: string[] }
+  | { op: 'unsubscribe'; id: number }
+
+type Subscription = {
+  dir: string
+  callback: (error: Error | null, events: WatcherEvent[]) => void
+  options: NativeWatcherOptions
+  ready: Promise<void>
+}
+
+type HostOutput = Pick<Writable, 'write'>
+
+const CANARY_INTERVAL_MS = 10_000
+const CANARY_EVENT_TIMEOUT_MS = 5_000
+const CANARY_MAX_MISSES = 2
+
+function errorMessage(error: unknown): string {
+  return error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)
+}
+
+function escapeRegex(value: string): string {
+  return value.replace(/[.*+?^${}()|[\]\\]/g, '\\$&')
+}
+
+export function buildIgnoreGlobs(ignoreDirs: readonly string[]): string[] {
+  return ignoreDirs.map((dir) => `^(?:.*/)?${escapeRegex(dir)}(?:/.*)?$`)
+}
+
+function parseCommand(line: string): HostCommand | null {
+  try {
+    const command = JSON.parse(line) as Partial<HostCommand>
+    if (!Number.isSafeInteger(command.id) || (command.id ?? 0) <= 0) {
+      return null
+    }
+    if (command.op === 'unsubscribe') {
+      return { op: 'unsubscribe', id: command.id! }
+    }
+    if (
+      command.op === 'subscribe' &&
+      typeof command.dir === 'string' &&
+      command.dir.startsWith('/') &&
+      Array.isArray(command.ignoreDirs) &&
+      command.ignoreDirs.every((dir) => typeof dir === 'string')
+    ) {
+      return {
+        op: 'subscribe',
+        id: command.id!,
+        dir: command.dir,
+        ignoreDirs: command.ignoreDirs
+      }
+    }
+  } catch {
+    return null
+  }
+  return null
+}
+
+export function startWslWatcherHost(
+  binding: NativeWatcherBinding,
+  input: Readable,
+  output: HostOutput,
+  exit: (code: number) => void = process.exit
+): { close(): Promise<void> } {
+  const subscriptions = new Map<number, Subscription>()
+  const send = (message: object): void => {
+    output.write(`${JSON.stringify(message)}\n`)
+  }
+
+  const subscribe = (command: Extract<HostCommand, { op: 'subscribe' }>): void => {
+    if (subscriptions.has(command.id)) {
+      send({ op: 'subscribe-failed', id: command.id, message: 'duplicate subscription id' })
+      return
+    }
+    const options = { ignoreGlobs: buildIgnoreGlobs(command.ignoreDirs) }
+    const callback = (error: Error | null, events: WatcherEvent[]): void => {
+      if (error) {
+        send({ op: 'watch-error', id: command.id, message: errorMessage(error) })
+      } else if (events.length > 0) {
+        send({ op: 'events', id: command.id, events })
+      }
+    }
+    const ready = binding
+      .subscribe(command.dir, callback, options)
+      .then(() => send({ op: 'subscribed', id: command.id }))
+      .catch((error: unknown) => {
+        subscriptions.delete(command.id)
+        send({ op: 'subscribe-failed', id: command.id, message: errorMessage(error) })
+      })
+    subscriptions.set(command.id, { dir: command.dir, callback, options, ready })
+  }
+
+  const unsubscribe = async (id: number): Promise<void> => {
+    const subscription = subscriptions.get(id)
+    subscriptions.delete(id)
+    try {
+      await subscription?.ready
+      if (subscription) {
+        await binding.unsubscribe(subscription.dir, subscription.callback, subscription.options)
+      }
+    } catch (error) {
+      process.stderr.write(`[wsl-watcher-host] unsubscribe ${id}: ${errorMessage(error)}\n`)
+    }
+    send({ op: 'unsubscribed', id })
+  }
+
+  let closing: Promise<void> | null = null
+  const close = (): Promise<void> => {
+    if (!closing) {
+      closing = Promise.all(Array.from(subscriptions.keys(), unsubscribe)).then(() => undefined)
+    }
+    return closing
+  }
+
+  const lines: Interface = createInterface({ input, crlfDelay: Infinity })
+  lines.on('line', (line) => {
+    const command = parseCommand(line)
+    if (!command) {
+      send({ op: 'protocol-error', message: 'invalid command' })
+    } else if (command.op === 'subscribe') {
+      subscribe(command)
+    } else {
+      void unsubscribe(command.id)
+    }
+  })
+  lines.once('close', () => {
+    void close().finally(() => exit(0))
+  })
+  send({ op: 'ready', protocol: 1 })
+  return { close }
+}
+
+async function startCanary(binding: NativeWatcherBinding): Promise<void> {
+  const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'orca-wsl-watcher-'))
+  const options: NativeWatcherOptions = {}
+  let lastEventAt = 0
+  const callback = (error: Error | null): void => {
+    if (!error) {
+      lastEventAt = Date.now()
+    }
+  }
+  await binding.subscribe(dir, callback, options)
+  process.once('exit', () => {
+    try {
+      rmSync(dir, { recursive: true, force: true })
+    } catch {
+      // Temporary canary cleanup is best-effort during process exit.
+    }
+  })
+  let misses = 0
+  setInterval(() => {
+    const probedAt = Date.now()
+    try {
+      writeFileSync(join(dir, 'canary.txt'), String(probedAt))
+    } catch {
+      return
+    }
+    setTimeout(() => {
+      if (lastEventAt >= probedAt) {
+        misses = 0
+      } else if (++misses >= CANARY_MAX_MISSES) {
+        process.stderr.write('[wsl-watcher-host] native event delivery stalled\n')
+        process.exit(2)
+      }
+    }, CANARY_EVENT_TIMEOUT_MS)
+  }, CANARY_INTERVAL_MS)
+}
+
+function main(): void {
+  const binding = require('./watcher.node') as NativeWatcherBinding
+  if (process.argv.includes('--check')) {
+    process.stdout.write('ok\n')
+    return
+  }
+  startWslWatcherHost(binding, process.stdin, process.stdout)
+  // Why: the native watcher can remain alive while its delivery thread stalls;
+  // a private canary converts that silent failure into a recoverable host exit.
+  void startCanary(binding).catch((error: unknown) => {
+    process.stderr.write(`[wsl-watcher-host] canary unavailable: ${errorMessage(error)}\n`)
+  })
+}
+
+if (require.main === module) {
+  main()
+}