diff --git a/src/main/daemon/daemon-pty-adapter-wsl-distro-loss.test.ts b/src/main/daemon/daemon-pty-adapter-wsl-distro-loss.test.ts
index 63f767c3766..21e3765da48 100644
--- a/src/main/daemon/daemon-pty-adapter-wsl-distro-loss.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/daemon/daemon-pty-adapter-wsl-distro-loss.test.ts
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ describe('a WSL bridge pane exit', () => {
     subprocesses[0]!._simulateExit(1)
 
     await waitFor(() => exits.length > 0)
-    expect(exits).toEqual([{ id, code: -1, incarnationId: expect.any(String) }])
+    expect(exits).toEqual([{ id, code: -1, incarnationId: expect.any(String), hostLost: true }])
     // Ending its history would refuse the cold restore the kept tab needs.
     expect(clear).toHaveBeenCalledWith(id, -1, expect.any(String), { closeHistory: false })
   })
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ describe('a WSL bridge pane exit', () => {
 
     await waitFor(() => exits.length > 0)
     expect(exits[0]).toMatchObject({ id, code: 1, cause: { kind: 'exited', exitCode: 1 } })
+    expect(exits[0]).not.toHaveProperty('hostLost')
   })
 
   it('stays a normal exit when the running list cannot answer', async () => {
diff --git a/src/main/daemon/daemon-pty-adapter.ts b/src/main/daemon/daemon-pty-adapter.ts
index 31e741c921e..f626f3b538e 100644
--- a/src/main/daemon/daemon-pty-adapter.ts
+++ b/src/main/daemon/daemon-pty-adapter.ts
@@ -253,7 +253,11 @@ export class DaemonPtyAdapter extends DaemonPtyDaemonRecovery implements IPtyPro
       this.finishExit(sessionId, exit)
       return
     }
-    const hostLoss = { code: WSL_DISTRO_LOSS_EXIT_CODE, incarnationId: exit.incarnationId }
+    const hostLoss = {
+      code: WSL_DISTRO_LOSS_EXIT_CODE,
+      incarnationId: exit.incarnationId,
+      hostLost: true as const
+    }
     this.hostLossSessionIds.add(sessionId)
     this.clearExitedSessionState(sessionId, hostLoss.code, hostLoss.incarnationId, {
       closeHistory: false
diff --git a/src/main/daemon/daemon-pty-listener-emission.ts b/src/main/daemon/daemon-pty-listener-emission.ts
index a40eda35b74..1a0db224be8 100644
--- a/src/main/daemon/daemon-pty-listener-emission.ts
+++ b/src/main/daemon/daemon-pty-listener-emission.ts
@@ -7,13 +7,14 @@ export function emitPtyListeners<T>(listeners: readonly T[], emit: (listener: T)
 
 export function createPtyExitPayload(
   id: string,
-  { code, incarnationId, cause, replacedByRestart }: Omit<DaemonPtyRouterExitEvent, 'id'>
+  { code, incarnationId, cause, replacedByRestart, hostLost }: Omit<DaemonPtyRouterExitEvent, 'id'>
 ): DaemonPtyRouterExitEvent {
   return {
     id,
     code,
     ...(incarnationId ? { incarnationId } : {}),
     ...(cause ? { cause } : {}),
-    ...(replacedByRestart ? { replacedByRestart } : {})
+    ...(replacedByRestart ? { replacedByRestart } : {}),
+    ...(hostLost ? { hostLost } : {})
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/main/daemon/daemon-pty-router-events.ts b/src/main/daemon/daemon-pty-router-events.ts
index eb12c2d7cfe..e454f22fc3a 100644
--- a/src/main/daemon/daemon-pty-router-events.ts
+++ b/src/main/daemon/daemon-pty-router-events.ts
@@ -17,4 +17,6 @@ export type DaemonPtyRouterExitEvent = {
   cause?: TerminalExitCause
   /** Main ended the session to restart the daemon; the pane stays for its next process. */
   replacedByRestart?: true
+  /** The session's host went away (a WSL bridge pane's distro stopped); its pane and history stay to cold-restore. */
+  hostLost?: true
 }
diff --git a/src/main/ipc/pty/provider/bind-listeners.ts b/src/main/ipc/pty/provider/bind-listeners.ts
index 0323d6995ea..e217a40c970 100644
--- a/src/main/ipc/pty/provider/bind-listeners.ts
+++ b/src/main/ipc/pty/provider/bind-listeners.ts
@@ -106,7 +106,8 @@ export function bindProviderListeners(session: PtyIpcSession): void {
           session.runtime?.onPtyExit(payload.id, payload.code, payload.incarnationId, {
             providerExitObserved: true,
             ...(viewShown ? { viewShown } : {}),
-            ...(payload.cause ? { cause: payload.cause } : {})
+            ...(payload.cause ? { cause: payload.cause } : {}),
+            ...(payload.hostLost ? { hostLost: true } : {})
           })
         }
         // Control replies may overtake stream data; physical exit must still retire late output.
diff --git a/src/main/ipc/pty/pty-host-lost-exit.test.ts b/src/main/ipc/pty/pty-host-lost-exit.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..aa7f5bf0cbd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/ipc/pty/pty-host-lost-exit.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+import { expect, it, vi, type MockInstance } from 'vitest'
+import { setupPtyIpcSuite } from '../pty-ipc-test-harness'
+import { registerPtyHandlers } from './register-handlers'
+import { getLocalPtyProvider } from './provider/registry'
+import { OrcaRuntimeService } from '../../runtime/orca-runtime'
+
+vi.mock('electron', () => import('../pty-ipc-mock-registry').then((m) => m.electronModuleMock()))
+vi.mock('fs', () => import('../pty-ipc-mock-registry').then((m) => m.fsModuleMock()))
+vi.mock('node-pty', () => import('../pty-ipc-mock-registry').then((m) => m.nodePtyModuleMock()))
+vi.mock('node:child_process', async (importOriginal) =>
+  (await import('../pty-ipc-mock-registry')).childProcessModuleMock(await importOriginal())
+)
+vi.mock('../../opencode/hook-service', () =>
+  import('../pty-ipc-mock-registry').then((m) => m.openCodeHookServiceModuleMock())
+)
+vi.mock('../../mimo/hook-service', () =>
+  import('../pty-ipc-mock-registry').then((m) => m.mimoHookServiceModuleMock())
+)
+vi.mock('../../agent-hooks/server', () =>
+  import('../pty-ipc-mock-registry').then((m) => m.agentHookServerModuleMock())
+)
+vi.mock('../../pi/titlebar-extension-service', () =>
+  import('../pty-ipc-mock-registry').then((m) => m.piTitlebarExtensionModuleMock())
+)
+vi.mock('../../pwsh', () => import('../pty-ipc-mock-registry').then((m) => m.pwshModuleMock()))
+vi.mock('../../wsl', async (importOriginal) =>
+  (await import('../pty-ipc-mock-registry')).wslModuleMock(await importOriginal())
+)
+vi.mock('../../telemetry/client', () =>
+  import('../pty-ipc-mock-registry').then((m) => m.telemetryClientModuleMock())
+)
+vi.mock('../../telemetry/classify-error', () =>
+  import('../pty-ipc-mock-registry').then((m) => m.classifyErrorModuleMock())
+)
+vi.mock('../../cli/linux-terminal-orca-cli-shim', () =>
+  import('../pty-ipc-mock-registry').then((m) => m.linuxCliShimModuleMock())
+)
+vi.mock('../../memory/pty-registry', () =>
+  import('../pty-ipc-mock-registry').then((m) => m.ptyRegistryModuleMock())
+)
+vi.mock('../../agent-hooks/migration-unsupported-pty-state', () =>
+  import('../pty-ipc-mock-registry').then((m) => m.migrationUnsupportedPtyModuleMock())
+)
+vi.mock('../../codex/codex-pane-account-registry', () =>
+  import('../pty-ipc-mock-registry').then((m) => m.codexPaneAccountRegistryModuleMock())
+)
+vi.mock('../../codex/codex-state-db-backfill-recovery', () =>
+  import('../pty-ipc-mock-registry').then((m) => m.codexBackfillRecoveryModuleMock())
+)
+
+const { handlers, mainWindow } = setupPtyIpcSuite()
+
+type Exit = { id: string; code: number; hostLost?: true }
+
+function registerWithProviderExits(): {
+  onPtyExit: MockInstance<OrcaRuntimeService['onPtyExit']>
+  emitExit: (exit: Exit) => void
+} {
+  const exitListeners = new Set<(payload: Exit) => void>()
+  vi.spyOn(getLocalPtyProvider(), 'onExit').mockImplementation((listener) => {
+    exitListeners.add(listener)
+    return () => exitListeners.delete(listener)
+  })
+  const runtime = new OrcaRuntimeService()
+  const onPtyExit = vi.spyOn(runtime, 'onPtyExit').mockImplementation(() => {})
+  handlers.clear()
+  registerPtyHandlers(mainWindow, runtime)
+  return {
+    onPtyExit,
+    emitExit: (exit) => exitListeners.forEach((listener) => listener(exit))
+  }
+}
+
+// The runtime keeps a lost-host pane's binding only if the provider's label reaches it.
+it('tells the runtime a WSL bridge pane lost its distro', () => {
+  const { onPtyExit, emitExit } = registerWithProviderExits()
+  emitExit({ id: 'bridge-pty', code: -1, hostLost: true })
+  expect(onPtyExit).toHaveBeenCalledWith('bridge-pty', -1, undefined, {
+    providerExitObserved: true,
+    hostLost: true
+  })
+})
+
+it('never labels an ordinary exit as host loss', () => {
+  const { onPtyExit, emitExit } = registerWithProviderExits()
+  emitExit({ id: 'bridge-pty', code: 1 })
+  expect(onPtyExit).toHaveBeenCalledWith('bridge-pty', 1, undefined, {
+    providerExitObserved: true
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/main/providers/pty-provider-contract.ts b/src/main/providers/pty-provider-contract.ts
index 930636c9461..ebf8dd13237 100644
--- a/src/main/providers/pty-provider-contract.ts
+++ b/src/main/providers/pty-provider-contract.ts
@@ -221,6 +221,8 @@ export type IPtyProvider = {
       cause?: TerminalExitCause
       /** Main ended the session to restart the daemon; the pane stays for its next process. */
       replacedByRestart?: true
+      /** The session's host went away; its pane and history stay to cold-restore. */
+      hostLost?: true
       /** The emitting provider already reported this exit to the runtime through configure().onExit. */
       runtimeFed?: true
     }) => void
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/terminal/lifecycle/pty-exit-lifecycle.ts b/src/main/runtime/terminal/lifecycle/pty-exit-lifecycle.ts
index 475bf22b81b..d6011d9cb73 100644
--- a/src/main/runtime/terminal/lifecycle/pty-exit-lifecycle.ts
+++ b/src/main/runtime/terminal/lifecycle/pty-exit-lifecycle.ts
@@ -65,6 +65,8 @@ export abstract class OrcaRuntimeWithOnPtyExit extends OrcaRuntimeWithOnClientDi
       providerExitObserved?: boolean
       /** A window's view of the pane was showing when it ended (layout-owner build). */
       viewShown?: boolean
+      /** Its host went away (a WSL bridge pane's distro stopped): keep the pane to cold-restore, as after a daemon crash. */
+      hostLost?: boolean
     } = {}
   ): void | Promise<void> {
     const pty = this.ptysById.get(ptyId)
@@ -242,7 +244,11 @@ export abstract class OrcaRuntimeWithOnPtyExit extends OrcaRuntimeWithOnClientDi
         this.resolvePtyExitWaiters(pty, ptyId)
         this.pruneDisconnectedPtyTranscript(pty)
       }
-      if (preservesIntentionallyStoppedSurface || preservesAbnormalSshSurface) {
+      if (
+        preservesIntentionallyStoppedSurface ||
+        preservesAbnormalSshSurface ||
+        options.hostLost === true
+      ) {
         // Why: relay loss is recoverable; keep the HUB-owned pane addressable through the bounded reconnect grace.
         this.touchMobileSessionSnapshotsForPty(ptyId, { immediate: true })
       } else {
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/wsl-distro-loss-exit-retention.test.ts b/src/main/runtime/wsl-distro-loss-exit-retention.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..5fa290d23aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/runtime/wsl-distro-loss-exit-retention.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+import { afterEach, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+import {
+  ACK_INCARNATION,
+  ACK_LEAF,
+  ACK_SECOND_LEAF,
+  ACK_TAB,
+  createAcknowledgedTabRetirementFixture
+} from './acknowledged-terminal-tab-retirement-fixture'
+
+const fixtures: ReturnType<typeof createAcknowledgedTabRetirementFixture>[] = []
+afterEach(async () => {
+  for (const fixture of fixtures.splice(0)) {
+    await fixture.dispose()
+  }
+})
+
+async function boundFixture() {
+  const f = createAcknowledgedTabRetirementFixture(true)
+  fixtures.push(f)
+  await f.store.flushPendingOrThrowAsync()
+  return f
+}
+
+// verify-15b 5e: after `wsl --terminate` the kept tabs opened fresh sessions on relaunch.
+it('keeps a pane whose WSL distro went away bound to its session across a relaunch', async () => {
+  const f = await boundFixture()
+  await f.runtime.onPtyExit('pty-a', -1, ACK_INCARNATION, {
+    providerExitObserved: true,
+    hostLost: true
+  })
+  await f.quit()
+  const saved = f.readDisk().workspaceSession
+  expect(saved.terminalLayoutsByTabId[ACK_TAB]?.ptyIdsByLeafId).toEqual({
+    [ACK_LEAF]: 'pty-a',
+    [ACK_SECOND_LEAF]: 'pty-b'
+  })
+  expect(saved.terminalPtyIncarnationsByPaneKey?.[`${ACK_TAB}:${ACK_LEAF}`]).toBe(ACK_INCARNATION)
+})
+
+it('still retires the pane of a shell that exited on its own', async () => {
+  const f = await boundFixture()
+  await f.runtime.onPtyExit('pty-a', 1, ACK_INCARNATION, { providerExitObserved: true })
+  await f.quit()
+  expect(f.readDisk().workspaceSession.terminalLayoutsByTabId[ACK_TAB]?.ptyIdsByLeafId).toEqual({
+    [ACK_SECOND_LEAF]: 'pty-b'
+  })
+})