diff --git a/src/main/app-relaunch.test.ts b/src/main/app-relaunch.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..26c98c98bb3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/app-relaunch.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+
+const { appRelaunchMock, recordDurableCrashBreadcrumbMock } = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+  appRelaunchMock: vi.fn(),
+  recordDurableCrashBreadcrumbMock: vi.fn()
+}))
+
+vi.mock('electron', () => ({ app: { relaunch: appRelaunchMock } }))
+vi.mock('./crash-reporting/durable-crash-breadcrumb', () => ({
+  recordDurableCrashBreadcrumb: recordDurableCrashBreadcrumbMock
+}))
+
+import { relaunchApp } from './app-relaunch'
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  appRelaunchMock.mockReset()
+  recordDurableCrashBreadcrumbMock.mockReset()
+})
+
+describe('relaunchApp', () => {
+  it('durably records the reason before scheduling the replacement process', () => {
+    relaunchApp('gpu-fallback', { processReason: 'crashed', exitCode: 5 })
+
+    expect(recordDurableCrashBreadcrumbMock).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+    expect(recordDurableCrashBreadcrumbMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith('app_relaunch_requested', {
+      processReason: 'crashed',
+      exitCode: 5,
+      reason: 'gpu-fallback'
+    })
+    expect(appRelaunchMock).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+    expect(recordDurableCrashBreadcrumbMock.mock.invocationCallOrder[0]).toBeLessThan(
+      appRelaunchMock.mock.invocationCallOrder[0]
+    )
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/main/app-relaunch.ts b/src/main/app-relaunch.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ab7a725c847
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/app-relaunch.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+import { app } from 'electron'
+import type { CrashReportBreadcrumbData } from '../shared/crash-reporting'
+import { recordDurableCrashBreadcrumb } from './crash-reporting/durable-crash-breadcrumb'
+
+export type AppRelaunchReason =
+  | 'admin-restart'
+  | 'gpu-fallback'
+  | 'profile-switch'
+  | 'profile-transfer'
+  | 'renderer-request'
+
+export function relaunchApp(reason: AppRelaunchReason, data?: CrashReportBreadcrumbData): void {
+  // Why: the current process can exit immediately after app.relaunch(), so
+  // persist the cause before Electron schedules the replacement process.
+  recordDurableCrashBreadcrumb('app_relaunch_requested', { ...data, reason })
+  app.relaunch()
+}
diff --git a/src/main/index.ts b/src/main/index.ts
index 58e472aa578..d69013e5689 100644
--- a/src/main/index.ts
+++ b/src/main/index.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import { ensureActiveOrcaProfile, initOrcaProfilePaths } from './orca-profiles/p
 import { getOrcaCloudAuthConfig } from './orca-profiles/profile-cloud-auth-config'
 import { getProfileUserDataPath } from './orca-profiles/profile-storage-paths'
 import { applyAppIcon } from './app-icon'
+import { relaunchApp } from './app-relaunch'
 import { StatsCollector, initStatsPath } from './stats/collector'
 import { ClaudeUsageStore, initClaudeUsagePath } from './claude-usage/store'
 import { CodexUsageStore, initCodexUsagePath } from './codex-usage/store'
@@ -1319,7 +1320,11 @@ function handleGpuChildCrash(reason: string, exitCode: number | null): void {
     return
   }
   isQuitting = true
-  app.relaunch()
+  relaunchApp('gpu-fallback', {
+    processReason: reason,
+    exitCode,
+    crashesInWindow: result.crashesInWindow
+  })
   app.exit(0)
 }
 
diff --git a/src/main/ipc/app.test.ts b/src/main/ipc/app.test.ts
index 1eb9bbb17a2..de9a13753db 100644
--- a/src/main/ipc/app.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/ipc/app.test.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ const {
   appRelaunchMock,
   spawnMock,
   destroySystemTrayMock,
+  relaunchAppMock,
   showOpenDialogMock,
   grantFloatingWorkspaceDirectoryMock
 } = vi.hoisted(() => ({
@@ -17,6 +18,7 @@ const {
   appRelaunchMock: vi.fn(),
   spawnMock: vi.fn(),
   destroySystemTrayMock: vi.fn(),
+  relaunchAppMock: vi.fn(),
   showOpenDialogMock: vi.fn(),
   grantFloatingWorkspaceDirectoryMock: vi.fn()
 }))
@@ -91,6 +93,10 @@ vi.mock('../tray/system-tray', () => ({
   destroySystemTray: destroySystemTrayMock
 }))
 
+vi.mock('../app-relaunch', () => ({
+  relaunchApp: relaunchAppMock
+}))
+
 vi.mock('./floating-workspace-directory', () => ({
   ensureDefaultFloatingWorkspacePath: vi.fn(),
   grantFloatingWorkspaceDirectory: grantFloatingWorkspaceDirectoryMock,
@@ -113,6 +119,8 @@ describe('registerAppHandlers', () => {
     appRelaunchMock.mockReset()
     spawnMock.mockReset()
     destroySystemTrayMock.mockReset()
+    relaunchAppMock.mockReset()
+    relaunchAppMock.mockImplementation(() => appRelaunchMock())
     showOpenDialogMock.mockReset()
     grantFloatingWorkspaceDirectoryMock.mockReset()
     processKillSpy = vi.spyOn(process, 'kill').mockReturnValue(true)
@@ -139,6 +147,7 @@ describe('registerAppHandlers', () => {
     await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(150)
 
     expect(destroySystemTrayMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+    expect(relaunchAppMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith('renderer-request')
     expect(appRelaunchMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
     expect(appExitMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith(0)
     expect(destroySystemTrayMock.mock.invocationCallOrder[0]).toBeLessThan(
@@ -187,6 +196,7 @@ describe('registerAppHandlers', () => {
     await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(150)
 
     expect(appRelaunchMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+    expect(relaunchAppMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith('admin-restart')
     expect(appQuitMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
     expect(appExitMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
   })
diff --git a/src/main/ipc/app.ts b/src/main/ipc/app.ts
index 2dc3c81f91b..f97ae1e2c24 100644
--- a/src/main/ipc/app.ts
+++ b/src/main/ipc/app.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import { app, BrowserWindow, dialog, ipcMain, type IpcMainInvokeEvent } from 'el
 import { is } from '@electron-toolkit/utils'
 import type { AppIdentity } from '../../shared/app-identity'
 import type { FloatingTerminalCwdRequest, MarkdownDocument } from '../../shared/types'
+import { relaunchApp } from '../app-relaunch'
 import type { Store } from '../persistence'
 import { getDevInstanceIdentity } from '../startup/dev-instance-identity'
 import { isPwshAvailable } from '../pwsh'
@@ -314,7 +315,7 @@ export function registerAppHandlers(store: Store, options: RegisterAppHandlersOp
       // Why: app.exit(0) skips before-quit/will-quit, so clean the Windows tray
       // explicitly before relaunching to avoid a stale notification-area icon.
       destroySystemTray()
-      app.relaunch()
+      relaunchApp('renderer-request')
       app.exit(0)
     }, 150)
   })
@@ -325,7 +326,7 @@ export function registerAppHandlers(store: Store, options: RegisterAppHandlersOp
     // checkpoints, runtime metadata, and telemetry flush before exit.
     await runBeforeRelaunchCleanup(options.onBeforeRelaunch)
     setTimeout(() => {
-      app.relaunch()
+      relaunchApp('admin-restart')
       app.quit()
     }, 150)
   })
diff --git a/src/main/ipc/orca-profiles.test.ts b/src/main/ipc/orca-profiles.test.ts
index 291a3dfe2f2..3cad49f00ff 100644
--- a/src/main/ipc/orca-profiles.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/ipc/orca-profiles.test.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ const {
   appExitMock,
   appQuitMock,
   appRelaunchMock,
+  relaunchAppMock,
   destroySystemTrayMock,
   createLocalOrcaProfileMock,
   getOrcaProfileListStateMock,
@@ -16,6 +17,7 @@ const {
   appExitMock: vi.fn(),
   appQuitMock: vi.fn(),
   appRelaunchMock: vi.fn(),
+  relaunchAppMock: vi.fn(),
   destroySystemTrayMock: vi.fn(),
   createLocalOrcaProfileMock: vi.fn(),
   getOrcaProfileListStateMock: vi.fn(),
@@ -42,6 +44,10 @@ vi.mock('../tray/system-tray', () => ({
   destroySystemTray: destroySystemTrayMock
 }))
 
+vi.mock('../app-relaunch', () => ({
+  relaunchApp: relaunchAppMock
+}))
+
 vi.mock('../orca-profiles/profile-index-store', () => ({
   createLocalOrcaProfile: createLocalOrcaProfileMock,
   getOrcaProfileListState: getOrcaProfileListStateMock,
@@ -70,6 +76,8 @@ describe('registerOrcaProfileHandlers', () => {
     appExitMock.mockReset()
     appQuitMock.mockReset()
     appRelaunchMock.mockReset()
+    relaunchAppMock.mockReset()
+    relaunchAppMock.mockImplementation(() => appRelaunchMock())
     destroySystemTrayMock.mockReset()
     createLocalOrcaProfileMock.mockReset()
     getOrcaProfileListStateMock.mockReset()
@@ -159,6 +167,7 @@ describe('registerOrcaProfileHandlers', () => {
     await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(150)
 
     expect(appRelaunchMock).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+    expect(relaunchAppMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith('profile-switch')
     // Why quit, not exit: before-quit/will-quit teardown (scrollback capture,
     // PTY kill, daemon checkpoints) must run on a profile switch.
     expect(appQuitMock).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
@@ -294,6 +303,7 @@ describe('registerOrcaProfileHandlers', () => {
     await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(150)
 
     expect(appRelaunchMock).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+    expect(relaunchAppMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith('profile-transfer')
     expect(appQuitMock).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
     expect(appExitMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
   })
diff --git a/src/main/ipc/orca-profiles.ts b/src/main/ipc/orca-profiles.ts
index 6fbd877552f..b11478bdf89 100644
--- a/src/main/ipc/orca-profiles.ts
+++ b/src/main/ipc/orca-profiles.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { app, ipcMain } from 'electron'
 import type { Store } from '../persistence'
+import { relaunchApp, type AppRelaunchReason } from '../app-relaunch'
 import type {
   CreateLocalOrcaProfileArgs,
   CreateLocalOrcaProfileResult,
@@ -153,9 +154,9 @@ async function runBeforeProfileRelaunch(
   }
 }
 
-function scheduleProfileRelaunch(): void {
+function scheduleProfileRelaunch(reason: Extract<AppRelaunchReason, `profile-${string}`>): void {
   setTimeout(() => {
-    app.relaunch()
+    relaunchApp(reason)
     // Why: app.quit() (not app.exit) so before-quit/will-quit still run —
     // renderer scrollback capture, PTY kill, stats flush, and daemon final
     // checkpoints must not be skipped on a profile switch.
@@ -215,7 +216,7 @@ export function registerOrcaProfileHandlers(
       store.flush()
       setActiveOrcaProfile(profileId)
 
-      scheduleProfileRelaunch()
+      scheduleProfileRelaunch('profile-switch')
 
       return { status: 'relaunching' }
     }
@@ -244,7 +245,7 @@ export function registerOrcaProfileHandlers(
           store.freezeWrites()
           await runBeforeProfileRelaunch(options.onBeforeRelaunch)
           setActiveOrcaProfile(args.targetProfileId)
-          scheduleProfileRelaunch()
+          scheduleProfileRelaunch('profile-transfer')
           return { ...result, willRelaunch: true }
         }
         return result