diff --git a/src/main/providers/local-pty-provider.test.ts b/src/main/providers/local-pty-provider.test.ts
index e1c62e9f3cb..bba4658aa69 100644
--- a/src/main/providers/local-pty-provider.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/providers/local-pty-provider.test.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@ const {
   prepareMacosTccLoginShellMock,
   resolveAgentForegroundProcessMock,
   readWindowsConptyProcessIdsMock,
-  killWithDescendantSweepMock
+  killWithDescendantSweepMock,
+  isWslAvailableAsyncMock
 } = vi.hoisted(() => ({
   existsSyncMock: vi.fn(),
   statSyncMock: vi.fn(),
@@ -24,7 +25,8 @@ const {
   prepareMacosTccLoginShellMock: vi.fn(),
   resolveAgentForegroundProcessMock: vi.fn(),
   readWindowsConptyProcessIdsMock: vi.fn(),
-  killWithDescendantSweepMock: vi.fn()
+  killWithDescendantSweepMock: vi.fn(),
+  isWslAvailableAsyncMock: vi.fn()
 }))
 
 vi.mock('fs', () => ({
@@ -97,7 +99,7 @@ vi.mock('../wsl', () => ({
   toWindowsWslPath: (path: string, distro: string) =>
     `\\\\wsl.localhost\\${distro}${path.replace(/\//g, '\\')}`,
   getDefaultWslDistro: () => 'Ubuntu',
-  isWslAvailable: () => true,
+  isWslAvailableAsync: () => isWslAvailableAsyncMock(),
   // Why: WSL worktree validation now asks the distro; these tests use WSL UNC
   // cwds that are meant to exist, so report them present without spawning wsl.exe.
   wslUncDirectoryExists: () => true
@@ -166,6 +168,8 @@ describe('LocalPtyProvider', () => {
     )
     readWindowsConptyProcessIdsMock.mockReset()
     readWindowsConptyProcessIdsMock.mockResolvedValue(null)
+    isWslAvailableAsyncMock.mockReset()
+    isWslAvailableAsyncMock.mockResolvedValue(true)
 
     exitCb = undefined
     mockProc = {
@@ -2008,6 +2012,30 @@ describe('LocalPtyProvider', () => {
     })
   })
 
+  describe('getProfiles', () => {
+    it('awaits asynchronous WSL availability on Windows', async () => {
+      Object.defineProperty(process, 'platform', { configurable: true, value: 'win32' })
+      let resolveAvailability!: (available: boolean) => void
+      isWslAvailableAsyncMock.mockReturnValue(
+        new Promise((resolve) => {
+          resolveAvailability = resolve
+        })
+      )
+
+      const profiles = provider.getProfiles()
+      let settled = false
+      void profiles.then(() => {
+        settled = true
+      })
+      await Promise.resolve()
+      expect(settled).toBe(false)
+
+      resolveAvailability(true)
+      await expect(profiles).resolves.toContainEqual({ name: 'WSL', path: 'wsl.exe' })
+      expect(isWslAvailableAsyncMock).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+    })
+  })
+
   describe('killAll', () => {
     it('kills all PTY processes', async () => {
       // Why: each spawn needs its own proc so the onExit-triggered POSIX kill
diff --git a/src/main/providers/local-pty-provider.ts b/src/main/providers/local-pty-provider.ts
index 64dd9850930..48272a5bcf6 100644
--- a/src/main/providers/local-pty-provider.ts
+++ b/src/main/providers/local-pty-provider.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import { buildWindowsPowerShellSpawnAttempts } from './windows-shell-fallback-ch
 import { resolveProcessCwd } from './process-cwd'
 import { existsSync } from 'node:fs'
 import * as pty from 'node-pty'
-import { getDefaultWslDistro, parseWslPath, isWslAvailable } from '../wsl'
+import { getDefaultWslDistro, parseWslPath, isWslAvailableAsync } from '../wsl'
 import { splitWorktreeIdForFilesystem } from '../../shared/worktree-id'
 import {
   injectHistoryEnv,
@@ -1394,7 +1394,7 @@ export class LocalPtyProvider implements IPtyProvider {
       if (gitBashPath) {
         profiles.push({ name: 'Git Bash', path: gitBashPath })
       }
-      if (isWslAvailable()) {
+      if (await isWslAvailableAsync()) {
         profiles.push({ name: 'WSL', path: 'wsl.exe' })
       }
       return profiles
diff --git a/src/main/pwsh.test.ts b/src/main/pwsh.test.ts
index dbb4d47bd46..9c5538b5ea4 100644
--- a/src/main/pwsh.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/pwsh.test.ts
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ describe('isPwshAvailable', () => {
       expect(execFileMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
         'pwsh.exe',
         ['-Version'],
-        { timeout: 30_000 },
+        { timeout: 30_000, windowsHide: true },
         expect.any(Function)
       )
       expect(isPwshAvailable()).toBe(true)
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ describe('isPwshAvailable', () => {
       expect(execFileMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
         'pwsh.exe',
         ['-Version'],
-        { timeout: 5000 },
+        { timeout: 5000, windowsHide: true },
         expect.any(Function)
       )
       expect(execFileSyncMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
@@ -177,6 +177,29 @@ describe('isPwshAvailable', () => {
     }
   })
 
+  it('does not let an older async failure overwrite a newer sync success', async () => {
+    const restorePlatform = setPlatform('win32')
+    let finishAsyncProbe!: (error: Error | null) => void
+    execFileMock.mockImplementation((_file, _args, _options, callback) => {
+      finishAsyncProbe = (error) => callback(error, '', '')
+    })
+    execFileSyncMock.mockReturnValue('PowerShell 7.5.0')
+
+    try {
+      const { isPwshAvailable, isPwshAvailableAsync } = await import('./pwsh')
+      const staleProbe = isPwshAvailableAsync()
+      expect(isPwshAvailable()).toBe(true)
+
+      finishAsyncProbe(new Error('older failure'))
+
+      await expect(staleProbe).resolves.toBe(true)
+      expect(isPwshAvailable()).toBe(true)
+      expect(execFileSyncMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+    } finally {
+      restorePlatform()
+    }
+  })
+
   // Why: execFile reports a timeout as a SIGTERM kill, not ETIMEDOUT, so caching it as a
   // failure would disable the user's PowerShell 7 preference for 30s on every slow cold start.
   it('does not cache a cold-start timeout from the async probe', async () => {
diff --git a/src/main/pwsh.ts b/src/main/pwsh.ts
index acba99ab933..a2abc382ee1 100644
--- a/src/main/pwsh.ts
+++ b/src/main/pwsh.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ type PwshAvailabilityCache =
 let pwshAvailableCache: PwshAvailabilityCache | null = null
 let pwshWarmupInFlight: Promise<boolean> | null = null
 let pwshProbeInFlight: Promise<boolean> | null = null
+let pwshAvailabilityCacheGeneration = 0
 
 function isCacheFresh(cache: PwshAvailabilityCache): boolean {
   return (
@@ -29,14 +30,23 @@ function isTimeoutError(error: unknown): boolean {
   return failure.code === 'ETIMEDOUT' || (failure.killed === true && failure.signal === 'SIGTERM')
 }
 
-function cachePwshProbeFailure(error: unknown): void {
+function writePwshAvailabilityCache(cache: PwshAvailabilityCache | null): void {
+  pwshAvailableCache = cache
+  pwshAvailabilityCacheGeneration += 1
+}
+
+function cachePwshProbeFailure(error: unknown, startedAtGeneration: number): boolean {
+  if (startedAtGeneration !== pwshAvailabilityCacheGeneration) {
+    return pwshAvailableCache?.available ?? false
+  }
   // Why: pwsh.exe cold starts can exceed the sync timeout; do not let one slow
   // .NET startup disable the user's PowerShell 7 preference for the daemon.
   if (isTimeoutError(error)) {
-    pwshAvailableCache = null
-    return
+    writePwshAvailabilityCache(null)
+    return false
   }
-  pwshAvailableCache = { available: false, cachedAt: Date.now(), retryable: true }
+  writePwshAvailabilityCache({ available: false, cachedAt: Date.now(), retryable: true })
+  return false
 }
 
 /**
@@ -50,18 +60,19 @@ export function isPwshAvailable(): boolean {
   }
 
   if (process.platform !== 'win32') {
-    pwshAvailableCache = { available: false, cachedAt: Date.now(), retryable: false }
+    writePwshAvailabilityCache({ available: false, cachedAt: Date.now(), retryable: false })
     return false
   }
 
+  const startedAtGeneration = pwshAvailabilityCacheGeneration
   try {
     execFileSync('pwsh.exe', ['-Version'], {
       stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
       timeout: PWSH_SYNC_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS
     })
-    pwshAvailableCache = { available: true }
+    writePwshAvailabilityCache({ available: true })
   } catch (error) {
-    cachePwshProbeFailure(error)
+    return cachePwshProbeFailure(error, startedAtGeneration)
   }
 
   return pwshAvailableCache?.available ?? false
@@ -79,7 +90,7 @@ export function isPwshAvailableAsync(): Promise<boolean> {
   }
 
   if (process.platform !== 'win32') {
-    pwshAvailableCache = { available: false, cachedAt: Date.now(), retryable: false }
+    writePwshAvailabilityCache({ available: false, cachedAt: Date.now(), retryable: false })
     return Promise.resolve(false)
   }
 
@@ -87,16 +98,22 @@ export function isPwshAvailableAsync(): Promise<boolean> {
     return pwshProbeInFlight
   }
 
+  const startedAtGeneration = pwshAvailabilityCacheGeneration
   pwshProbeInFlight = new Promise((resolve) => {
-    execFile('pwsh.exe', ['-Version'], { timeout: PWSH_SYNC_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS }, (error) => {
-      pwshProbeInFlight = null
-      if (error) {
-        cachePwshProbeFailure(error)
-      } else {
-        pwshAvailableCache = { available: true }
+    execFile(
+      'pwsh.exe',
+      ['-Version'],
+      { timeout: PWSH_SYNC_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS, windowsHide: true },
+      (error) => {
+        pwshProbeInFlight = null
+        if (error) {
+          resolve(cachePwshProbeFailure(error, startedAtGeneration))
+        } else {
+          writePwshAvailabilityCache({ available: true })
+          resolve(true)
+        }
       }
-      resolve(pwshAvailableCache?.available ?? false)
-    })
+    )
   })
   return pwshProbeInFlight
 }
@@ -106,24 +123,29 @@ export function warmPwshAvailabilityCache(): Promise<boolean> {
     return Promise.resolve(true)
   }
   if (process.platform !== 'win32') {
-    pwshAvailableCache = { available: false, cachedAt: Date.now(), retryable: false }
+    writePwshAvailabilityCache({ available: false, cachedAt: Date.now(), retryable: false })
     return Promise.resolve(false)
   }
   if (pwshWarmupInFlight) {
     return pwshWarmupInFlight
   }
 
+  const startedAtGeneration = pwshAvailabilityCacheGeneration
   pwshWarmupInFlight = new Promise((resolve) => {
-    execFile('pwsh.exe', ['-Version'], { timeout: PWSH_WARMUP_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS }, (error) => {
-      pwshWarmupInFlight = null
-      if (!error) {
-        pwshAvailableCache = { available: true }
-        resolve(true)
-        return
+    execFile(
+      'pwsh.exe',
+      ['-Version'],
+      { timeout: PWSH_WARMUP_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS, windowsHide: true },
+      (error) => {
+        pwshWarmupInFlight = null
+        if (!error) {
+          writePwshAvailabilityCache({ available: true })
+          resolve(true)
+          return
+        }
+        resolve(cachePwshProbeFailure(error, startedAtGeneration))
       }
-      cachePwshProbeFailure(error)
-      resolve(false)
-    })
+    )
   })
   return pwshWarmupInFlight
 }
diff --git a/src/main/wsl-availability.ts b/src/main/wsl-availability.ts
index 7ba5aa7181f..c44476c9d60 100644
--- a/src/main/wsl-availability.ts
+++ b/src/main/wsl-availability.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ type WslAvailabilityCache =
 
 let wslAvailableCache: WslAvailabilityCache | null = null
 let wslAvailabilityProbeInFlight: Promise<boolean> | null = null
+let wslAvailabilityCacheGeneration = 0
 
 const WSL_AVAILABILITY_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS = 5000
 // Why: availability is a separate, blocking probe. Deliberately not a multiple of the
@@ -67,16 +68,26 @@ function previousWslAvailabilityFailures(): number {
   return wslAvailableCache && 'failures' in wslAvailableCache ? wslAvailableCache.failures : 0
 }
 
-function cacheWslAvailabilityProbeResult(error: unknown, previousFailures: number): boolean {
-  wslAvailableCache = error
-    ? {
-        available: false,
-        cachedAt: Date.now(),
-        retryable: isRetryableWslProbeFailure(error),
-        failures: previousFailures + 1
-      }
-    : { available: true }
-  return wslAvailableCache.available
+function writeWslAvailabilityCache(cache: WslAvailabilityCache | null): void {
+  wslAvailableCache = cache
+  wslAvailabilityCacheGeneration += 1
+}
+
+function cacheWslAvailabilityProbeResult(error: unknown, startedAtGeneration: number): boolean {
+  if (error && startedAtGeneration !== wslAvailabilityCacheGeneration) {
+    return wslAvailableCache?.available ?? false
+  }
+  writeWslAvailabilityCache(
+    error
+      ? {
+          available: false,
+          cachedAt: Date.now(),
+          retryable: isRetryableWslProbeFailure(error),
+          failures: previousWslAvailabilityFailures() + 1
+        }
+      : { available: true }
+  )
+  return !error
 }
 
 function probeWslStatus(): Promise<void> {
@@ -84,7 +95,7 @@ function probeWslStatus(): Promise<void> {
     execFile(
       'wsl.exe',
       ['--status'],
-      { timeout: WSL_AVAILABILITY_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS },
+      { timeout: WSL_AVAILABILITY_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS, windowsHide: true },
       (error: unknown) => {
         if (error) {
           reject(error)
@@ -108,10 +119,10 @@ export function isWslAvailable(): boolean {
     return cached
   }
 
-  const previousFailures = previousWslAvailabilityFailures()
+  const startedAtGeneration = wslAvailabilityCacheGeneration
 
   if (process.platform !== 'win32') {
-    wslAvailableCache = { available: false, unsupported: true }
+    writeWslAvailabilityCache({ available: false, unsupported: true })
     return false
   }
 
@@ -120,9 +131,9 @@ export function isWslAvailable(): boolean {
       stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
       timeout: WSL_AVAILABILITY_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS
     })
-    return cacheWslAvailabilityProbeResult(null, previousFailures)
+    return cacheWslAvailabilityProbeResult(null, startedAtGeneration)
   } catch (error) {
-    return cacheWslAvailabilityProbeResult(error, previousFailures)
+    return cacheWslAvailabilityProbeResult(error, startedAtGeneration)
   }
 }
 
@@ -140,7 +151,7 @@ export function isWslAvailableAsync(): Promise<boolean> {
   }
 
   if (process.platform !== 'win32') {
-    wslAvailableCache = { available: false, unsupported: true }
+    writeWslAvailabilityCache({ available: false, unsupported: true })
     return Promise.resolve(false)
   }
 
@@ -148,10 +159,10 @@ export function isWslAvailableAsync(): Promise<boolean> {
     return wslAvailabilityProbeInFlight
   }
 
-  const previousFailures = previousWslAvailabilityFailures()
+  const startedAtGeneration = wslAvailabilityCacheGeneration
   wslAvailabilityProbeInFlight = probeWslStatus()
-    .then(() => cacheWslAvailabilityProbeResult(null, previousFailures))
-    .catch((error: unknown) => cacheWslAvailabilityProbeResult(error, previousFailures))
+    .then(() => cacheWslAvailabilityProbeResult(null, startedAtGeneration))
+    .catch((error: unknown) => cacheWslAvailabilityProbeResult(error, startedAtGeneration))
     .finally(() => {
       wslAvailabilityProbeInFlight = null
     })
@@ -176,6 +187,7 @@ export function getCachedWslAvailability(): boolean | null {
 // stale failure and let the next call re-probe. Non-empty lists are cached for the process
 // lifetime, so this cannot re-spawn the blocking probe more than once.
 export function dropStaleWslAvailabilityFailure(): void {
+  wslAvailabilityCacheGeneration += 1
   if (wslAvailableCache && !wslAvailableCache.available && !('unsupported' in wslAvailableCache)) {
     wslAvailableCache = null
   }
@@ -184,16 +196,18 @@ export function dropStaleWslAvailabilityFailure(): void {
 export function _resetWslAvailabilityCacheForTests(): void {
   wslAvailableCache = null
   wslAvailabilityProbeInFlight = null
+  wslAvailabilityCacheGeneration = 0
 }
 
 export function _setWslAvailabilityCacheForTests(
   available: boolean | null | undefined,
   retryable: boolean
 ): void {
-  wslAvailableCache =
+  writeWslAvailabilityCache(
     available === true
       ? { available: true }
       : available === false
         ? { available: false, cachedAt: Date.now(), retryable, failures: 1 }
         : null
+  )
 }
diff --git a/src/main/wsl.test.ts b/src/main/wsl.test.ts
index ac165a78786..cd77d761caf 100644
--- a/src/main/wsl.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/wsl.test.ts
@@ -509,7 +509,7 @@ describe('WSL availability cache', () => {
       expect(execFileMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
         'wsl.exe',
         ['--status'],
-        expect.anything(),
+        expect.objectContaining({ timeout: 5000, windowsHide: true }),
         expect.any(Function)
       )
       expect(execFileSyncMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
@@ -528,6 +528,46 @@ describe('WSL availability cache', () => {
     })
   })
 
+  it('does not let an older async failure overwrite a newer sync success', async () => {
+    let finishAsyncProbe: ((error: Error | null) => void) | null = null
+    execFileMock.mockImplementation((_command, _args, _options, callback) => {
+      finishAsyncProbe = (error) => callback(error, '', '')
+    })
+    execFileSyncMock.mockReturnValue('')
+
+    await withPlatformAsync('win32', async () => {
+      const staleProbe = isWslAvailableAsync()
+      expect(isWslAvailable()).toBe(true)
+
+      finishAsyncProbe?.(Object.assign(new Error('older failure'), { code: 1 }))
+
+      await expect(staleProbe).resolves.toBe(true)
+      expect(getCachedWslAvailability()).toBe(true)
+    })
+  })
+
+  it('does not restore a failure after distro discovery disproves it mid-probe', async () => {
+    const callbacks = new Map<string, (error: Error | null, stdout: string) => void>()
+    execFileMock.mockImplementation((_command, args, _options, callback) => {
+      callbacks.set(args.join(' '), callback)
+    })
+
+    await withPlatformAsync('win32', async () => {
+      const staleAvailability = isWslAvailableAsync()
+      const distroProbe = listWslDistrosAsync()
+      callbacks.get('--list --quiet')?.(null, 'Ubuntu\n')
+      await expect(distroProbe).resolves.toEqual(['Ubuntu'])
+
+      callbacks.get('--status')?.(Object.assign(new Error('older failure'), { code: 1 }), '')
+      await expect(staleAvailability).resolves.toBe(false)
+      expect(getCachedWslAvailability()).toBeNull()
+
+      const retry = isWslAvailableAsync()
+      callbacks.get('--status')?.(null, '')
+      await expect(retry).resolves.toBe(true)
+    })
+  })
+
   it('shares the failure backoff between the async and sync probes', async () => {
     execFileMock.mockImplementation((_command, _args, _options, callback) => {
       callback(Object.assign(new Error('not installed'), { code: 'ENOENT' }), '', '')
diff --git a/src/main/wsl.ts b/src/main/wsl.ts
index 6a8436a9a1f..e415a3c937f 100644
--- a/src/main/wsl.ts
+++ b/src/main/wsl.ts
@@ -320,12 +320,17 @@ export function _setWslCachesForTests(args: {
 
 function execFileUtf8(command: string, args: string[]): Promise<string> {
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-    execFile(command, args, { encoding: 'utf-8', timeout: 5000 }, (error, stdout) => {
-      if (error) {
-        reject(error)
-        return
+    execFile(
+      command,
+      args,
+      { encoding: 'utf-8', timeout: 5000, windowsHide: true },
+      (error, stdout) => {
+        if (error) {
+          reject(error)
+          return
+        }
+        resolve(stdout)
       }
-      resolve(stdout)
-    })
+    )
   })
 }
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/lib/windows-terminal-capabilities.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/lib/windows-terminal-capabilities.test.ts
index 2f033f39cc1..1f1a83dec9e 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/lib/windows-terminal-capabilities.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/lib/windows-terminal-capabilities.test.ts
@@ -621,7 +621,7 @@ describe('windows terminal capabilities', () => {
     }
   })
 
-  it('stops re-probing a Windows host that keeps answering "no WSL"', async () => {
+  it('bounds re-probes for a Windows host that keeps answering "no WSL"', async () => {
     vi.useFakeTimers()
     const { wslIsAvailable, pwshIsAvailable } = stubTerminalCapabilityApi({
       wslAvailable: false,
@@ -650,10 +650,9 @@ describe('windows terminal capabilities', () => {
         await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(30 * 60_000)
       })
 
-      // Each read spawns a blocking wsl.exe/pwsh.exe on the main process, so the backoff
-      // must park rather than keep firing every 30s for the lifetime of the app.
-      expect(wslIsAvailable.mock.calls.length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(4)
-      expect(pwshIsAvailable.mock.calls.length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(4)
+      // The ceiling poll preserves install discovery while cutting the old 30s spawn rate.
+      expect(wslIsAvailable.mock.calls.length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(10)
+      expect(pwshIsAvailable.mock.calls.length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(10)
     } finally {
       vi.useRealTimers()
     }
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/lib/windows-terminal-capabilities.ts b/src/renderer/src/lib/windows-terminal-capabilities.ts
index eef3f974234..c759567df15 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/lib/windows-terminal-capabilities.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/lib/windows-terminal-capabilities.ts
@@ -251,8 +251,7 @@ export function useWindowsTerminalCapabilities(
         return
       }
       setState({ ownerKey: resolvedOwnerKey, capabilities: nextCapabilities })
-      // Why: each re-probe is a blocking wsl.exe/pwsh.exe spawn on the main process, so only a
-      // local host is watched, only once it has answered, and only on a backoff that parks itself.
+      // Why: each re-probe spawns wsl.exe/pwsh.exe, so local consumers share a bounded backoff.
       if (resolvedTarget.kind === 'local' && !sshConnectionIdKey) {
         reprobe.stop = startWindowsTerminalCapabilityReprobe({
           ownerKey: resolvedOwnerKey,
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/lib/windows-terminal-capability-reprobe.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/lib/windows-terminal-capability-reprobe.test.ts
index 45cf119a76b..ad35839ba3d 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/lib/windows-terminal-capability-reprobe.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/lib/windows-terminal-capability-reprobe.test.ts
@@ -40,17 +40,17 @@ afterEach(() => {
 })
 
 describe('windows terminal capability re-probe', () => {
-  it('backs off and parks on a stable answer instead of probing forever', async () => {
+  it('backs off to a five-minute ceiling on a stable answer', async () => {
     vi.useFakeTimers()
     const { probe, readCached } = createWatcher()
     startWindowsTerminalCapabilityReprobe({ ownerKey: 'local', probe, readCached })
 
-    // 30s, then +60s, then +120s: three unchanged answers settle the watcher.
+    // 30s, then +60s, then +120s: three unchanged answers reach the ceiling.
     await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(210_000)
     expect(probe).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(3)
 
     await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(30 * 60_000)
-    expect(probe).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(3)
+    expect(probe).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(9)
   })
 
   it('still re-checks a transient absent answer, then stops once WSL answers', async () => {
@@ -110,16 +110,33 @@ describe('windows terminal capability re-probe', () => {
     expect(probe).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2)
   })
 
-  it('re-arms a parked watcher when the window regains focus', async () => {
+  it('keeps the earned backoff when another consumer joins', async () => {
     vi.useFakeTimers()
     const { probe, readCached } = createWatcher()
     startWindowsTerminalCapabilityReprobe({ ownerKey: 'local', probe, readCached })
 
-    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(210_000 + 30 * 60_000)
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(30_000)
+    expect(probe).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(10_000)
+    startWindowsTerminalCapabilityReprobe({ ownerKey: 'local', probe, readCached })
+
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(49_999)
+    expect(probe).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(1)
+    expect(probe).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2)
+  })
+
+  it('accelerates a ceiling poll when the window regains focus', async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers()
+    const { probe, readCached } = createWatcher()
+    startWindowsTerminalCapabilityReprobe({ ownerKey: 'local', probe, readCached })
+
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(210_000)
     expect(probe).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(3)
 
-    globalThis.dispatchEvent(new Event('focus'))
     await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(30_000)
+    globalThis.dispatchEvent(new Event('focus'))
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(0)
     expect(probe).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(4)
   })
 
@@ -137,6 +154,39 @@ describe('windows terminal capability re-probe', () => {
     expect(probe).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
   })
 
+  it('does not let focus churn starve an already-backed-off probe', async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers()
+    const { probe, readCached } = createWatcher()
+    startWindowsTerminalCapabilityReprobe({ ownerKey: 'local', probe, readCached })
+
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(30_000)
+    for (let elapsed = 0; elapsed < 10 * 60_000; elapsed += 25_000) {
+      await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(25_000)
+      globalThis.dispatchEvent(new Event('focus'))
+    }
+
+    expect(probe.mock.calls.length).toBeGreaterThan(1)
+    expect(probe.mock.calls.length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(21)
+  })
+
+  it('defers a parked watcher demand signal to the base-delay deadline', async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers()
+    const { probe, readCached } = createWatcher()
+    startWindowsTerminalCapabilityReprobe({ ownerKey: 'local', probe, readCached })
+
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(210_000)
+    expect(probe).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(3)
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(1_000)
+    globalThis.dispatchEvent(new Event('focus'))
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(9_000)
+    globalThis.dispatchEvent(new Event('focus'))
+
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(19_999)
+    expect(probe).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(3)
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(1)
+    expect(probe).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(4)
+  })
+
   it('drops the focus listener when no owner is watched', () => {
     const addEventListener = vi.spyOn(globalThis, 'addEventListener')
     const removeEventListener = vi.spyOn(globalThis, 'removeEventListener')
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/lib/windows-terminal-capability-reprobe.ts b/src/renderer/src/lib/windows-terminal-capability-reprobe.ts
index 5829f602791..674adc565d7 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/lib/windows-terminal-capability-reprobe.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/lib/windows-terminal-capability-reprobe.ts
@@ -1,20 +1,23 @@
 import type { WindowsTerminalCapabilities } from './windows-terminal-capabilities'
 
 // Why: an absent WSL must stay re-checkable (a distro can finish provisioning while Orca runs),
-// but every re-check spawns wsl.exe/pwsh.exe on the Electron main process, so the re-check backs
-// off and parks on a stable answer instead of running on a fixed interval for the app's lifetime.
+// but every re-check spawns wsl.exe/pwsh.exe, so stable answers fall back to a low-frequency poll.
 const REPROBE_BASE_DELAY_MS = 30_000
 const REPROBE_MAX_DELAY_MS = 5 * 60_000
-/** Consecutive identical answers that count as settled; window focus re-arms afterwards. */
+/** Consecutive identical answers before switching to the five-minute ceiling. */
 const REPROBE_SETTLE_STREAK = 3
 
+type CapabilityReprobeTimerKind = 'backoff' | 'ceiling'
+
 type CapabilityReprobeRunner = {
   consumers: number
   timer: ReturnType<typeof globalThis.setTimeout> | null
-  attempt: number
+  timerDeadline: number
+  timerKind: CapabilityReprobeTimerKind | null
   unchangedStreak: number
   signature: string
   lastProbeAt: number
+  probeInFlight: boolean
   probe: () => Promise<WindowsTerminalCapabilities>
   readCached: () => WindowsTerminalCapabilities
 }
@@ -42,58 +45,84 @@ function clearRunnerTimer(runner: CapabilityReprobeRunner): void {
     globalThis.clearTimeout(runner.timer)
     runner.timer = null
   }
+  runner.timerDeadline = 0
+  runner.timerKind = null
+}
+
+function scheduleProbe(
+  runner: CapabilityReprobeRunner,
+  kind: CapabilityReprobeTimerKind,
+  deadline: number
+): void {
+  clearRunnerTimer(runner)
+  runner.timerKind = kind
+  runner.timerDeadline = deadline
+  runner.timer = globalThis.setTimeout(
+    () => {
+      runner.timer = null
+      runner.timerDeadline = 0
+      runner.timerKind = null
+      void runProbe(runner)
+    },
+    Math.max(0, deadline - Date.now())
+  )
 }
 
 function scheduleNextProbe(runner: CapabilityReprobeRunner): void {
-  clearRunnerTimer(runner)
-  const delay = Math.min(REPROBE_BASE_DELAY_MS * 2 ** runner.attempt, REPROBE_MAX_DELAY_MS)
-  runner.timer = globalThis.setTimeout(() => {
-    runner.timer = null
-    void runProbe(runner)
-  }, delay)
+  if (runner.unchangedStreak >= REPROBE_SETTLE_STREAK) {
+    scheduleProbe(runner, 'ceiling', Date.now() + REPROBE_MAX_DELAY_MS)
+    return
+  }
+  const delay = REPROBE_BASE_DELAY_MS * 2 ** runner.unchangedStreak
+  scheduleProbe(runner, 'backoff', Date.now() + delay)
 }
 
 async function runProbe(runner: CapabilityReprobeRunner): Promise<void> {
-  if (runner.consumers <= 0 || isSettled(runner.readCached())) {
+  if (runner.consumers <= 0 || runner.probeInFlight || isSettled(runner.readCached())) {
     return
   }
+  runner.probeInFlight = true
   runner.lastProbeAt = Date.now()
-  const capabilities = await runner.probe().catch(() => runner.readCached())
+  let capabilities: WindowsTerminalCapabilities
+  try {
+    capabilities = await runner.probe().catch(() => runner.readCached())
+  } finally {
+    runner.probeInFlight = false
+  }
   if (runner.consumers <= 0) {
     return
   }
   if (capabilitySignature(capabilities) === runner.signature) {
     runner.unchangedStreak += 1
-    runner.attempt += 1
   } else {
     // A moving answer means the host is still changing; watch it closely again.
     runner.signature = capabilitySignature(capabilities)
     runner.unchangedStreak = 0
-    runner.attempt = 0
   }
-  if (isSettled(capabilities) || runner.unchangedStreak >= REPROBE_SETTLE_STREAK) {
+  if (isSettled(capabilities)) {
     return
   }
   scheduleNextProbe(runner)
 }
 
-function armRunner(runner: CapabilityReprobeRunner): void {
+function armNewRunner(runner: CapabilityReprobeRunner): void {
   if (isSettled(runner.readCached())) {
     clearRunnerTimer(runner)
     return
   }
-  runner.attempt = 0
-  runner.unchangedStreak = 0
   scheduleNextProbe(runner)
 }
 
 function handleWindowFocus(): void {
   const now = Date.now()
   for (const runner of runnersByOwnerKey.values()) {
-    if (now - runner.lastProbeAt < REPROBE_BASE_DELAY_MS) {
+    if (runner.probeInFlight || runner.timerKind !== 'ceiling') {
       continue
     }
-    armRunner(runner)
+    const demandDeadline = Math.max(now, runner.lastProbeAt + REPROBE_BASE_DELAY_MS)
+    if (demandDeadline < runner.timerDeadline) {
+      scheduleProbe(runner, 'ceiling', demandDeadline)
+    }
   }
 }
 
@@ -125,12 +154,12 @@ export function startWindowsTerminalCapabilityReprobe(options: {
   const runner: CapabilityReprobeRunner = runnersByOwnerKey.get(options.ownerKey) ?? {
     consumers: 0,
     timer: null,
-    attempt: 0,
+    timerDeadline: 0,
+    timerKind: null,
     unchangedStreak: 0,
     signature: capabilitySignature(options.readCached()),
-    // Why: seed from now, or the focus guard has nothing to compare against and repeated
-    // alt-tabbing right after mount re-arms every time, pushing the first probe out forever.
     lastProbeAt: Date.now(),
+    probeInFlight: false,
     probe: options.probe,
     readCached: options.readCached
   }
@@ -138,8 +167,9 @@ export function startWindowsTerminalCapabilityReprobe(options: {
   runner.readCached = options.readCached
   runner.consumers += 1
   runnersByOwnerKey.set(options.ownerKey, runner)
-  // A newly mounted surface is a demand signal, so restart the backoff window.
-  armRunner(runner)
+  if (runner.consumers === 1) {
+    armNewRunner(runner)
+  }
   attachFocusListener()
 
   let released = false