diff --git a/src/main/ipc/ssh-browse.test.ts b/src/main/ipc/ssh-browse.test.ts
index 2b6b1529ed7..5c3775bb168 100644
--- a/src/main/ipc/ssh-browse.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/ipc/ssh-browse.test.ts
@@ -80,6 +80,61 @@ describe('registerSshBrowseHandler', () => {
     expect(channel.stderr.listenerCount('error')).toBe(0)
   })
 
+  it('reads the status from close when exit fired before the channel was returned', async () => {
+    const channel = createMockChannel()
+    // ssh2 can parse exit-status in the same chunk as the exec ack, before listeners attach.
+    const exec = vi
+      .fn()
+      .mockImplementationOnce(async () => {
+        channel.emit('exit', 0)
+        return channel
+      })
+      .mockRejectedValue(new Error('unexpected PowerShell fallback'))
+    const getConnectionManager = () => ({
+      getConnection: () => ({ exec })
+    })
+    registerSshBrowseHandler(getConnectionManager as never)
+
+    const resultPromise = handler(null, { targetId: 'ssh-1', dirPath: '~' })
+    await Promise.resolve()
+    channel.emit('data', Buffer.from('/home/user\nsrc/\n'))
+    channel.emit('close', 0)
+
+    await expect(resultPromise).resolves.toEqual({
+      resolvedPath: '/home/user',
+      pathFlavor: 'posix',
+      entries: [{ name: 'src', isDirectory: true }]
+    })
+    expect(exec).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+  })
+
+  it('keeps an observed exit status over the close status', async () => {
+    const channel = createMockChannel()
+    const fallback = createMockChannel()
+    const exec = vi
+      .fn()
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce(channel)
+      .mockImplementationOnce(async () => {
+        fallback.emit('exit', 127)
+        return fallback
+      })
+    const getConnectionManager = () => ({
+      getConnection: () => ({ exec })
+    })
+    registerSshBrowseHandler(getConnectionManager as never)
+
+    const resultPromise = handler(null, { targetId: 'ssh-1', dirPath: '~' })
+    const rejected = expect(resultPromise).rejects.toThrow('Remote listing failed (exit 7)')
+    await Promise.resolve()
+    channel.emit('data', Buffer.from('/home/user\n'))
+    channel.emit('exit', 7)
+    channel.emit('close', 0)
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(fallback.listenerCount('close')).toBe(1))
+    fallback.emit('close', 127)
+
+    await rejected
+  })
+
   it('escapes remote browse paths and reads the listing past rc-file stdout', async () => {
     const channel = createMockChannel()
     const exec = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(channel)
diff --git a/src/main/ssh/ssh-remote-directory-browse.ts b/src/main/ssh/ssh-remote-directory-browse.ts
index b1fd912abbb..08e16ffe1a4 100644
--- a/src/main/ssh/ssh-remote-directory-browse.ts
+++ b/src/main/ssh/ssh-remote-directory-browse.ts
@@ -118,6 +118,7 @@ async function runBrowseCommand(
     let stdout = ''
     let stderr = ''
     let exitCode: number | null = null
+    let exitObserved = false
     let settled = false
     let timeout: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null
 
@@ -175,12 +176,17 @@ async function runBrowseCommand(
     }
     // `exit` fires before `close`; capture the code to tell a failed `ls` (that still printed `pwd`) from an empty listing.
     const onExit = (code: number | null): void => {
+      exitObserved = true
       exitCode = code
     }
     const onError = (error: Error): void => {
       rejectOnce(error)
     }
-    const onClose = (): void => {
+    const onClose = (code?: number | null): void => {
+      // Why: ssh2 can emit `exit` before `exec` resolves; `close` repeats the status.
+      if (!exitObserved && typeof code === 'number') {
+        exitCode = code
+      }
       stdout = fence?.readStdout(stdout) ?? stdout
       // Why: a null exitCode (channel closed without exit status) isn't success; don't treat empty stdout as an empty dir.
       if (exitCode !== 0) {