diff --git a/config/scripts/electron-platform-path.mjs b/config/scripts/electron-platform-path.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..8c6e0f965f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/scripts/electron-platform-path.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+/** Where the Electron executable sits inside a `dist` tree, relative to it. */
+export function getElectronPlatformPath(targetPlatform) {
+  switch (targetPlatform) {
+    case 'mas':
+    case 'darwin':
+      return 'Electron.app/Contents/MacOS/Electron'
+    case 'freebsd':
+    case 'openbsd':
+    case 'linux':
+      return 'electron'
+    case 'win32':
+      return 'electron.exe'
+    default:
+      throw new Error(`Electron builds are not available on platform: ${targetPlatform}`)
+  }
+}
diff --git a/config/scripts/install-electron-package-binary-test-fixtures.mjs b/config/scripts/install-electron-package-binary-test-fixtures.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..43af71328ff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/scripts/install-electron-package-binary-test-fixtures.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,210 @@
+import { execFileSync, spawnSync } from 'node:child_process'
+import { mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, readFileSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs'
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
+import { join } from 'node:path'
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url'
+import { copyScriptWithLocalModules } from './script-module-dependencies.mjs'
+
+const sourceScriptPath = fileURLToPath(
+  new URL('./install-electron-package-binary.mjs', import.meta.url)
+)
+/** Matches the fake package version and the platform/arch runInstallScript installs for. */
+export const sharedEntryName = '41.5.0-linux-x64'
+export const sharedEntryNameFor = (version) => `${version}-linux-x64`
+
+export function mkTempProject() {
+  const projectDir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'orca-install-electron-'))
+  copyScriptWithLocalModules(sourceScriptPath, join(projectDir, 'config', 'scripts'))
+  return projectDir
+}
+
+export function runInstallScript(projectDir, extraEnv = {}) {
+  return spawnSync(process.execPath, ['config/scripts/install-electron-package-binary.mjs'], {
+    cwd: projectDir,
+    encoding: 'utf8',
+    env: {
+      ...process.env,
+      ELECTRON_CACHE: undefined,
+      ORCA_ELECTRON_PACKAGE_CACHE_ROOT: undefined,
+      npm_config_platform: 'linux',
+      npm_config_arch: 'x64',
+      ORCA_ELECTRON_PACKAGE_EXTRACTOR: join(projectDir, 'fake-extractor.cjs'),
+      ...extraEnv
+    }
+  })
+}
+
+export function writeFakeElectronPackage(
+  projectDir,
+  { lazyRequireMarker = null, version = '41.5.0' } = {}
+) {
+  const electronDir = join(projectDir, 'node_modules', 'electron')
+  mkdirSync(electronDir, { recursive: true })
+  writeFileSync(join(electronDir, 'package.json'), JSON.stringify({ name: 'electron', version }))
+  writeFileSync(join(electronDir, 'checksums.json'), '{}')
+  writeFileSync(
+    join(electronDir, 'index.js'),
+    `
+const fs = require('node:fs')
+const path = require('node:path')
+${lazyRequireMarker ? `fs.writeFileSync(${JSON.stringify(lazyRequireMarker)}, 'required')` : ''}
+const pathFile = path.join(__dirname, 'path.txt')
+if (!fs.existsSync(pathFile)) {
+  throw new Error('Electron failed to install correctly, please delete node_modules/electron and try installing again')
+}
+module.exports = path.join(__dirname, 'dist', fs.readFileSync(pathFile, 'utf8'))
+`
+  )
+}
+
+export function writeFakeElectronDist(
+  projectDir,
+  { version = 'v41.5.0', executableContents = '', pathContents } = {}
+) {
+  const electronDir = join(projectDir, 'node_modules', 'electron')
+  mkdirSync(join(electronDir, 'dist'), { recursive: true })
+  writeFileSync(join(electronDir, 'dist/version'), version)
+  writeFileSync(join(electronDir, 'dist/electron'), executableContents)
+  if (pathContents !== undefined) {
+    writeFileSync(join(electronDir, 'path.txt'), pathContents)
+  }
+}
+
+export function writeFakeElectronGet(
+  projectDir,
+  {
+    downloadNeverSettles = false,
+    downloadFailures = 0,
+    downloadErrorCode = 'ECONNRESET',
+    downloadHttpStatus = null
+  } = {}
+) {
+  const getDir = join(projectDir, 'node_modules', 'electron', 'node_modules', '@electron', 'get')
+  mkdirSync(getDir, { recursive: true })
+  writeFileSync(
+    join(getDir, 'index.js'),
+    `
+const { mkdirSync, writeFileSync, appendFileSync } = require('node:fs')
+const { join } = require('node:path')
+let downloadAttempt = 0
+exports.downloadArtifact = async function downloadArtifact(details) {
+  downloadAttempt += 1
+  appendFileSync(
+    'electron-get.log',
+    'cacheRoot=' + details.cacheRoot + ' platform=' + details.platform + ' arch=' + details.arch + ' force=' + details.force + '\\n'
+  )
+  if (${JSON.stringify(downloadNeverSettles)}) {
+    return new Promise(() => {})
+  }
+  if (downloadAttempt <= ${JSON.stringify(downloadFailures)}) {
+    if (${JSON.stringify(downloadHttpStatus)} != null) {
+      const error = new Error('Response code ' + ${JSON.stringify(downloadHttpStatus)})
+      error.response = { status: ${JSON.stringify(downloadHttpStatus)} }
+      throw error
+    }
+    const cause = Object.assign(new Error('download failed'), {
+      code: ${JSON.stringify(downloadErrorCode)}
+    })
+    throw Object.assign(new TypeError('fetch failed'), { cause })
+  }
+  mkdirSync(details.cacheRoot, { recursive: true })
+  const artifactPath = join(details.cacheRoot, 'electron.zip')
+  writeFileSync(artifactPath, 'fake zip')
+  return artifactPath
+}
+`
+  )
+}
+
+export function writeFakeExtractor(projectDir, { createExecutable, version = '41.5.0' }) {
+  writeFileSync(
+    join(projectDir, 'fake-extractor.cjs'),
+    `
+const { appendFileSync, mkdirSync, symlinkSync, writeFileSync } = require('node:fs')
+const { join } = require('node:path')
+const extractDir = process.argv[3]
+appendFileSync(join(__dirname, 'fake-extractor.log'), extractDir + '\\n')
+mkdirSync(join(extractDir, 'locales'), { recursive: true })
+if (${JSON.stringify(createExecutable)}) {
+  writeFileSync(join(extractDir, 'electron'), '')
+  writeFileSync(join(extractDir, 'electron.exe'), '')
+  writeFileSync(join(extractDir, 'electron.d.ts'), 'replacement types')
+  writeFileSync(join(extractDir, 'version'), ${JSON.stringify(`v${version}`)})
+  if (process.platform !== 'win32') {
+    symlinkSync('version', join(extractDir, 'version-link'))
+  }
+}
+`
+  )
+}
+
+export function writeTypeDefPublishFailurePreload(projectDir) {
+  const preloadPath = join(projectDir, 'type-def-publish-failure.cjs')
+  writeFileSync(
+    preloadPath,
+    `
+const fs = require('node:fs')
+const { syncBuiltinESMExports } = require('node:module')
+const { basename, dirname } = require('node:path')
+const renameSync = fs.renameSync
+fs.renameSync = (source, target) => {
+  if (basename(source) === 'electron.d.ts' && basename(dirname(source)) === 'dist') {
+    const error = new Error('injected Electron type definition publish failure')
+    error.code = 'EACCES'
+    throw error
+  }
+  return renameSync(source, target)
+}
+syncBuiltinESMExports()
+`
+  )
+  return preloadPath
+}
+
+export function initGitRepo(projectDir) {
+  runGit(projectDir, ['init', '--quiet', '--initial-branch=main'])
+  runGit(projectDir, ['config', 'user.email', 'orca-test@example.com'])
+  runGit(projectDir, ['config', 'user.name', 'Orca Test'])
+  runGit(projectDir, ['commit', '--quiet', '--allow-empty', '-m', 'init'])
+}
+
+export function addSiblingWorktree(projectDir, siblingDir) {
+  runGit(projectDir, ['worktree', 'add', '--quiet', '-b', 'sibling', siblingDir])
+  copyScriptWithLocalModules(sourceScriptPath, join(siblingDir, 'config', 'scripts'))
+  return siblingDir
+}
+
+function runGit(projectDir, args) {
+  execFileSync('git', ['-C', projectDir, ...args], { stdio: 'ignore' })
+}
+
+export function sharedCacheRoot(repoDir) {
+  return join(repoDir, '.git', 'orca-cache', 'electron')
+}
+
+export function readSharedDistMarker(projectDir) {
+  try {
+    return readFileSync(join(projectDir, 'node_modules/electron/.orca-shared-dist'), 'utf8')
+  } catch {
+    return null
+  }
+}
+
+export function readExtractorCallCount(projectDir) {
+  try {
+    return readFileSync(join(projectDir, 'fake-extractor.log'), 'utf8').trim().split('\n').length
+  } catch {
+    return 0
+  }
+}
+
+export function writeNonDarwinPlatformPreload(projectDir) {
+  const preloadPath = join(projectDir, 'non-darwin-platform.cjs')
+  writeFileSync(
+    preloadPath,
+    `
+Object.defineProperty(process, 'platform', { value: 'linux', configurable: true })
+`
+  )
+  return preloadPath
+}
diff --git a/config/scripts/install-electron-package-binary.mjs b/config/scripts/install-electron-package-binary.mjs
index e8bc208f9b6..63f575f1d9a 100644
--- a/config/scripts/install-electron-package-binary.mjs
+++ b/config/scripts/install-electron-package-binary.mjs
@@ -15,6 +15,14 @@ import { spawnSync } from 'node:child_process'
 import { createRequire } from 'node:module'
 import { platform as osPlatform, tmpdir } from 'node:os'
 import { join, resolve } from 'node:path'
+import { getElectronPlatformPath } from './electron-platform-path.mjs'
+import {
+  shareElectronDistFromCache,
+  hasAdoptedSharedElectronDist,
+  publishSharedElectronDist,
+  recordAdoptedSharedElectronDist,
+  resolveSharedElectronDistEntry
+} from './shared-electron-dist-cache.mjs'
 
 const projectDir = resolve(import.meta.dirname, '../..')
 const electronPackageDir = resolve(projectDir, 'node_modules/electron')
@@ -54,7 +62,18 @@ try {
 
 async function main() {
   repairElectronPathFile()
+  const sharedEntry = resolveSharedElectronDistEntry({
+    repoRoot: projectDir,
+    electronPackageDir,
+    version: electronVersion,
+    targetPlatform,
+    targetArch
+  })
+
   if (electronPackageIsUsable()) {
+    if (sharedEntry !== null && !hasAdoptedSharedElectronDist(sharedEntry)) {
+      shareExistingElectronDist(sharedEntry)
+    }
     return
   }
 
@@ -62,7 +81,7 @@ async function main() {
   // Node. Install only Electron's npm package binary here; do not run the full
   // Electron native-module rebuild path, which would undo the Node ABI rebuild.
   console.log('[electron-package] Electron package binary is missing; running Electron install.')
-  await installElectronPackageBinary()
+  await installElectronPackageBinary(sharedEntry)
 
   repairElectronPathFile()
 
@@ -122,8 +141,11 @@ function repairElectronPathFile() {
   }
 }
 
-async function installElectronPackageBinary() {
+async function installElectronPackageBinary(sharedEntry) {
   const electronDistDir = resolve(electronPackageDir, 'dist')
+  if (sharedEntry !== null && adoptSharedElectronDist(sharedEntry, electronDistDir)) {
+    return
+  }
   const tempDir = mkdtempSync(resolve(tmpdir(), 'orca-electron-'))
   const persistentCacheRoot =
     process.env.ORCA_ELECTRON_PACKAGE_CACHE_ROOT || process.env.ELECTRON_CACHE || null
@@ -158,11 +180,73 @@ async function installElectronPackageBinary() {
     }
 
     moveExtractedElectronDist(extractDir, electronDistDir)
+    if (sharedEntry !== null) {
+      publishElectronDistForSiblingWorktrees(sharedEntry, electronDistDir)
+    }
   } finally {
     rmSync(tempDir, { recursive: true, force: true })
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Point this worktree's dist at the copy its siblings already share, so the ~295MB tree costs one
+ * allocation per repository instead of one per worktree.
+ *
+ * Staged inside node_modules/electron on purpose: clonefile only shares blocks within a volume, and
+ * staging elsewhere would silently downgrade the publish rename to a cross-device byte copy.
+ */
+function adoptSharedElectronDist(sharedEntry, electronDistDir) {
+  const stageRoot = mkdtempSync(resolve(electronPackageDir, '.dist-clone-'))
+  try {
+    const stagePath = join(stageRoot, 'dist')
+    if (
+      !shareElectronDistFromCache(sharedEntry, stagePath, {
+        version: electronVersion,
+        platformPath
+      })
+    ) {
+      return false
+    }
+    moveExtractedElectronDist(stagePath, electronDistDir)
+    recordAdoptedSharedElectronDist(sharedEntry, writeFileSync)
+    console.log(
+      `[electron-package] Shared Electron ${electronVersion} from ${sharedEntry.entryPath}`
+    )
+    return true
+  } catch (error) {
+    // The download path below is always a correct fallback, so sharing never fails an install.
+    console.warn(`[electron-package] Shared Electron dist unavailable: ${formatShareError(error)}`)
+    return false
+  } finally {
+    rmSync(stageRoot, { recursive: true, force: true })
+  }
+}
+
+/** An already-installed dist joins the cache: clone from it if it exists, seed it otherwise. */
+function shareExistingElectronDist(sharedEntry) {
+  const electronDistDir = resolve(electronPackageDir, 'dist')
+  if (!adoptSharedElectronDist(sharedEntry, electronDistDir)) {
+    publishElectronDistForSiblingWorktrees(sharedEntry, electronDistDir)
+  }
+}
+
+function publishElectronDistForSiblingWorktrees(sharedEntry, electronDistDir) {
+  const published = publishSharedElectronDist(electronDistDir, sharedEntry, {
+    version: electronVersion,
+    platformPath
+  })
+  if (published) {
+    console.log(
+      `[electron-package] Published Electron ${electronVersion} to ${sharedEntry.entryPath}`
+    )
+    recordAdoptedSharedElectronDist(sharedEntry, writeFileSync)
+  }
+}
+
+function formatShareError(error) {
+  return error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)
+}
+
 async function downloadElectronArtifactWithRetry(downloadOptions, { cacheRootIsPersistent }) {
   const retryDelays = getDownloadRetryDelays()
 
@@ -438,19 +522,3 @@ function getElectronTargetPlatform() {
 function getElectronTargetArch() {
   return process.env.ELECTRON_INSTALL_ARCH || process.env.npm_config_arch || process.arch
 }
-
-function getElectronPlatformPath(targetPlatform) {
-  switch (targetPlatform) {
-    case 'mas':
-    case 'darwin':
-      return 'Electron.app/Contents/MacOS/Electron'
-    case 'freebsd':
-    case 'openbsd':
-    case 'linux':
-      return 'electron'
-    case 'win32':
-      return 'electron.exe'
-    default:
-      throw new Error(`Electron builds are not available on platform: ${targetPlatform}`)
-  }
-}
diff --git a/config/scripts/install-electron-package-binary.test.mjs b/config/scripts/install-electron-package-binary.test.mjs
index 0bfd90d612b..155668b534a 100644
--- a/config/scripts/install-electron-package-binary.test.mjs
+++ b/config/scripts/install-electron-package-binary.test.mjs
@@ -1,22 +1,32 @@
 import {
-  copyFileSync,
   existsSync,
   lstatSync,
   mkdirSync,
-  mkdtempSync,
+  readdirSync,
   readFileSync,
   rmSync,
+  statSync,
   writeFileSync
 } from 'node:fs'
-import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
 import { join } from 'node:path'
-import { spawnSync } from 'node:child_process'
-import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url'
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
-
-const sourceScriptPath = fileURLToPath(
-  new URL('./install-electron-package-binary.mjs', import.meta.url)
-)
+import {
+  addSiblingWorktree,
+  initGitRepo,
+  mkTempProject,
+  readExtractorCallCount,
+  readSharedDistMarker,
+  runInstallScript,
+  sharedCacheRoot,
+  sharedEntryName,
+  sharedEntryNameFor,
+  writeFakeElectronDist,
+  writeFakeElectronGet,
+  writeFakeElectronPackage,
+  writeFakeExtractor,
+  writeNonDarwinPlatformPreload,
+  writeTypeDefPublishFailurePreload
+} from './install-electron-package-binary-test-fixtures.mjs'
 
 describe('install-electron-package-binary', () => {
   it('installs Electron from an isolated cache and repairs path.txt', () => {
@@ -403,6 +413,199 @@ describe('install-electron-package-binary', () => {
     }
   })
 
+  // The shared cache is macOS-only: it exists to avoid a second copy via APFS clonefile.
+  it('publishes a shared Electron dist entry after a fresh download', () => {
+    const projectDir = mkTempProject()
+
+    try {
+      initGitRepo(projectDir)
+      writeFakeElectronPackage(projectDir)
+      writeFakeElectronGet(projectDir)
+      writeFakeExtractor(projectDir, { createExecutable: true })
+
+      const result = runInstallScript(projectDir, { CI: '' })
+      const entryPath = join(sharedCacheRoot(projectDir), sharedEntryName)
+
+      expect(result.status, result.stderr).toBe(0)
+      expect(lstatSync(entryPath).isDirectory()).toBe(true)
+      expect(lstatSync(entryPath).isSymbolicLink()).toBe(false)
+      expect(readFileSync(join(entryPath, 'version'), 'utf8')).toBe('v41.5.0')
+      expect(existsSync(join(entryPath, 'electron'))).toBe(true)
+      expect(readSharedDistMarker(projectDir)).toBe(sharedEntryName)
+      expect(result.stdout).toMatch(/Published Electron 41\.5\.0 to .*41\.5\.0-linux-x64$/m)
+    } finally {
+      rmSync(projectDir, { recursive: true, force: true })
+    }
+  })
+
+  it('shares the Electron dist into a sibling worktree without downloading', () => {
+    const projectDir = mkTempProject()
+    const siblingDir = `${projectDir}-sibling`
+
+    try {
+      initGitRepo(projectDir)
+      writeFakeElectronPackage(projectDir)
+      writeFakeElectronGet(projectDir)
+      writeFakeExtractor(projectDir, { createExecutable: true })
+      expect(runInstallScript(projectDir, { CI: '' }).status).toBe(0)
+
+      addSiblingWorktree(projectDir, siblingDir)
+      writeFakeElectronPackage(siblingDir)
+      writeFakeElectronGet(siblingDir)
+      writeFakeExtractor(siblingDir, { createExecutable: true })
+
+      const result = runInstallScript(siblingDir, { CI: '' })
+      const siblingDistDir = join(siblingDir, 'node_modules/electron/dist')
+
+      expect(result.status, result.stderr).toBe(0)
+      expect(readExtractorCallCount(siblingDir)).toBe(0)
+      expect(existsSync(join(siblingDir, 'electron-get.log'))).toBe(false)
+      expect(lstatSync(siblingDistDir).isDirectory()).toBe(true)
+      expect(lstatSync(siblingDistDir).isSymbolicLink()).toBe(false)
+      expect(readFileSync(join(siblingDistDir, 'version'), 'utf8')).toBe('v41.5.0')
+      expect(existsSync(join(siblingDistDir, 'electron'))).toBe(true)
+      expect(readFileSync(join(siblingDir, 'node_modules/electron/path.txt'), 'utf8')).toBe(
+        'electron'
+      )
+      expect(readSharedDistMarker(siblingDir)).toBe(sharedEntryName)
+      expect(result.stdout).toContain('Shared Electron 41.5.0 from')
+    } finally {
+      rmSync(siblingDir, { recursive: true, force: true })
+      rmSync(projectDir, { recursive: true, force: true })
+    }
+  })
+
+  it('publishes an already installed Electron dist that predates the shared cache', () => {
+    const projectDir = mkTempProject()
+
+    try {
+      initGitRepo(projectDir)
+      writeFakeElectronPackage(projectDir)
+      writeFakeElectronGet(projectDir)
+      writeFakeExtractor(projectDir, { createExecutable: true })
+      writeFakeElectronDist(projectDir, {
+        executableContents: 'existing executable',
+        pathContents: 'electron'
+      })
+
+      const result = runInstallScript(projectDir, { CI: '' })
+      const entryPath = join(sharedCacheRoot(projectDir), sharedEntryName)
+      const distDir = join(projectDir, 'node_modules/electron/dist')
+
+      expect(result.status, result.stderr).toBe(0)
+      expect(readExtractorCallCount(projectDir)).toBe(0)
+      expect(existsSync(join(projectDir, 'electron-get.log'))).toBe(false)
+      expect(readFileSync(join(entryPath, 'version'), 'utf8')).toBe('v41.5.0')
+      expect(readFileSync(join(entryPath, 'electron'), 'utf8')).toBe('existing executable')
+      expect(readSharedDistMarker(projectDir)).toBe(sharedEntryName)
+      expect(readFileSync(join(distDir, 'electron'), 'utf8')).toBe('existing executable')
+      expect(readFileSync(join(distDir, 'version'), 'utf8')).toBe('v41.5.0')
+    } finally {
+      rmSync(projectDir, { recursive: true, force: true })
+    }
+  })
+
+  it('replaces a corrupt shared Electron dist entry instead of re-downloading forever', () => {
+    const projectDir = mkTempProject()
+
+    try {
+      initGitRepo(projectDir)
+      writeFakeElectronPackage(projectDir)
+      writeFakeElectronGet(projectDir)
+      writeFakeExtractor(projectDir, { createExecutable: true })
+      const entryPath = join(sharedCacheRoot(projectDir), sharedEntryName)
+      mkdirSync(entryPath, { recursive: true })
+      writeFileSync(join(entryPath, 'version'), 'v40.0.0')
+      writeFileSync(join(entryPath, 'electron'), 'stale executable')
+
+      const result = runInstallScript(projectDir, { CI: '' })
+      const distDir = join(projectDir, 'node_modules/electron/dist')
+
+      expect(result.status, result.stderr).toBe(0)
+      expect(result.stderr).not.toContain('Failed to install Electron package binary')
+      expect(readExtractorCallCount(projectDir)).toBe(1)
+      expect(readFileSync(join(distDir, 'version'), 'utf8')).toBe('v41.5.0')
+      expect(readFileSync(join(projectDir, 'node_modules/electron/path.txt'), 'utf8')).toBe(
+        'electron'
+      )
+      // Why not just fall back: an entry left corrupt makes every sibling worktree download again.
+      expect(readFileSync(join(entryPath, 'version'), 'utf8')).toBe('v41.5.0')
+      expect(readSharedDistMarker(projectDir)).toBe(sharedEntryName)
+      expect(readdirSync(sharedCacheRoot(projectDir))).toEqual([sharedEntryName])
+    } finally {
+      rmSync(projectDir, { recursive: true, force: true })
+    }
+  })
+
+  it('hardlinks the shared Electron dist on a host without copy-on-write', () => {
+    const projectDir = mkTempProject()
+
+    try {
+      initGitRepo(projectDir)
+      writeFakeElectronPackage(projectDir)
+      writeFakeElectronGet(projectDir)
+      writeFakeExtractor(projectDir, { createExecutable: true })
+      const preloadPath = writeNonDarwinPlatformPreload(projectDir)
+      const nonDarwinEnv = {
+        CI: '',
+        NODE_OPTIONS: [process.env.NODE_OPTIONS, `--require=${preloadPath}`]
+          .filter(Boolean)
+          .join(' ')
+      }
+
+      const result = runInstallScript(projectDir, nonDarwinEnv)
+      const entryPath = join(sharedCacheRoot(projectDir), sharedEntryName)
+      const distDir = join(projectDir, 'node_modules/electron/dist')
+
+      expect(result.status, result.stderr).toBe(0)
+      expect(readFileSync(join(distDir, 'version'), 'utf8')).toBe('v41.5.0')
+      expect(readFileSync(join(entryPath, 'version'), 'utf8')).toBe('v41.5.0')
+      // Why read-only: these are the same inodes, so an extract over dist would otherwise rewrite
+      // the cache and every sibling worktree at once.
+      expect(statSync(join(entryPath, 'electron')).mode & 0o222).toBe(0)
+      expect(statSync(join(entryPath, 'electron')).ino).toBe(
+        statSync(join(distDir, 'electron')).ino
+      )
+    } finally {
+      rmSync(projectDir, { recursive: true, force: true })
+    }
+  })
+
+  it('gives an Electron upgrade its own cache entry and leaves the old one for other branches', () => {
+    const projectDir = mkTempProject()
+
+    try {
+      initGitRepo(projectDir)
+      writeFakeElectronPackage(projectDir)
+      writeFakeElectronGet(projectDir)
+      writeFakeExtractor(projectDir, { createExecutable: true })
+      expect(runInstallScript(projectDir, { CI: '' }).status).toBe(0)
+      expect(readSharedDistMarker(projectDir)).toBe(sharedEntryNameFor('41.5.0'))
+
+      // Upgrade the pinned Electron, exactly as a branch bumping the dependency would.
+      writeFakeElectronPackage(projectDir, { version: '42.0.0' })
+      writeFakeExtractor(projectDir, { createExecutable: true, version: '42.0.0' })
+      const upgraded = runInstallScript(projectDir, { CI: '' })
+      const cacheRoot = sharedCacheRoot(projectDir)
+
+      expect(upgraded.status, upgraded.stderr).toBe(0)
+      expect(readFileSync(join(projectDir, 'node_modules/electron/dist/version'), 'utf8')).toBe(
+        'v42.0.0'
+      )
+      expect(readSharedDistMarker(projectDir)).toBe(sharedEntryNameFor('42.0.0'))
+      // Why the old entry stays: sibling worktrees on the previous branch still share it.
+      expect(readdirSync(cacheRoot).sort()).toEqual([
+        sharedEntryNameFor('41.5.0'),
+        sharedEntryNameFor('42.0.0')
+      ])
+      expect(readFileSync(join(cacheRoot, sharedEntryNameFor('41.5.0'), 'version'), 'utf8')).toBe(
+        'v41.5.0'
+      )
+    } finally {
+      rmSync(projectDir, { recursive: true, force: true })
+    }
+  })
+
   it('does not exit successfully when Electron download never settles', () => {
     const projectDir = mkTempProject()
 
@@ -421,155 +624,3 @@ describe('install-electron-package-binary', () => {
     }
   })
 })
-
-function mkTempProject() {
-  const projectDir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'orca-install-electron-'))
-  mkdirSync(join(projectDir, 'config', 'scripts'), { recursive: true })
-  copyFileSync(
-    sourceScriptPath,
-    join(projectDir, 'config', 'scripts', 'install-electron-package-binary.mjs')
-  )
-  return projectDir
-}
-
-function runInstallScript(projectDir, extraEnv = {}) {
-  return spawnSync(process.execPath, ['config/scripts/install-electron-package-binary.mjs'], {
-    cwd: projectDir,
-    encoding: 'utf8',
-    env: {
-      ...process.env,
-      ELECTRON_CACHE: undefined,
-      ORCA_ELECTRON_PACKAGE_CACHE_ROOT: undefined,
-      npm_config_platform: 'linux',
-      npm_config_arch: 'x64',
-      ORCA_ELECTRON_PACKAGE_EXTRACTOR: join(projectDir, 'fake-extractor.cjs'),
-      ...extraEnv
-    }
-  })
-}
-
-function writeFakeElectronPackage(projectDir, { lazyRequireMarker = null } = {}) {
-  const electronDir = join(projectDir, 'node_modules', 'electron')
-  mkdirSync(electronDir, { recursive: true })
-  writeFileSync(
-    join(electronDir, 'package.json'),
-    JSON.stringify({ name: 'electron', version: '41.5.0' })
-  )
-  writeFileSync(join(electronDir, 'checksums.json'), '{}')
-  writeFileSync(
-    join(electronDir, 'index.js'),
-    `
-const fs = require('node:fs')
-const path = require('node:path')
-${lazyRequireMarker ? `fs.writeFileSync(${JSON.stringify(lazyRequireMarker)}, 'required')` : ''}
-const pathFile = path.join(__dirname, 'path.txt')
-if (!fs.existsSync(pathFile)) {
-  throw new Error('Electron failed to install correctly, please delete node_modules/electron and try installing again')
-}
-module.exports = path.join(__dirname, 'dist', fs.readFileSync(pathFile, 'utf8'))
-`
-  )
-}
-
-function writeFakeElectronDist(
-  projectDir,
-  { version = 'v41.5.0', executableContents = '', pathContents } = {}
-) {
-  const electronDir = join(projectDir, 'node_modules', 'electron')
-  mkdirSync(join(electronDir, 'dist'), { recursive: true })
-  writeFileSync(join(electronDir, 'dist/version'), version)
-  writeFileSync(join(electronDir, 'dist/electron'), executableContents)
-  if (pathContents !== undefined) {
-    writeFileSync(join(electronDir, 'path.txt'), pathContents)
-  }
-}
-
-function writeFakeElectronGet(
-  projectDir,
-  {
-    downloadNeverSettles = false,
-    downloadFailures = 0,
-    downloadErrorCode = 'ECONNRESET',
-    downloadHttpStatus = null
-  } = {}
-) {
-  const getDir = join(projectDir, 'node_modules', 'electron', 'node_modules', '@electron', 'get')
-  mkdirSync(getDir, { recursive: true })
-  writeFileSync(
-    join(getDir, 'index.js'),
-    `
-const { mkdirSync, writeFileSync, appendFileSync } = require('node:fs')
-const { join } = require('node:path')
-let downloadAttempt = 0
-exports.downloadArtifact = async function downloadArtifact(details) {
-  downloadAttempt += 1
-  appendFileSync(
-    'electron-get.log',
-    'cacheRoot=' + details.cacheRoot + ' platform=' + details.platform + ' arch=' + details.arch + ' force=' + details.force + '\\n'
-  )
-  if (${JSON.stringify(downloadNeverSettles)}) {
-    return new Promise(() => {})
-  }
-  if (downloadAttempt <= ${JSON.stringify(downloadFailures)}) {
-    if (${JSON.stringify(downloadHttpStatus)} != null) {
-      const error = new Error('Response code ' + ${JSON.stringify(downloadHttpStatus)})
-      error.response = { status: ${JSON.stringify(downloadHttpStatus)} }
-      throw error
-    }
-    const cause = Object.assign(new Error('download failed'), {
-      code: ${JSON.stringify(downloadErrorCode)}
-    })
-    throw Object.assign(new TypeError('fetch failed'), { cause })
-  }
-  mkdirSync(details.cacheRoot, { recursive: true })
-  const artifactPath = join(details.cacheRoot, 'electron.zip')
-  writeFileSync(artifactPath, 'fake zip')
-  return artifactPath
-}
-`
-  )
-}
-
-function writeFakeExtractor(projectDir, { createExecutable }) {
-  writeFileSync(
-    join(projectDir, 'fake-extractor.cjs'),
-    `
-const { mkdirSync, symlinkSync, writeFileSync } = require('node:fs')
-const { join } = require('node:path')
-const extractDir = process.argv[3]
-mkdirSync(join(extractDir, 'locales'), { recursive: true })
-if (${JSON.stringify(createExecutable)}) {
-  writeFileSync(join(extractDir, 'electron'), '')
-  writeFileSync(join(extractDir, 'electron.exe'), '')
-  writeFileSync(join(extractDir, 'electron.d.ts'), 'replacement types')
-  writeFileSync(join(extractDir, 'version'), 'v41.5.0')
-  if (process.platform !== 'win32') {
-    symlinkSync('version', join(extractDir, 'version-link'))
-  }
-}
-`
-  )
-}
-
-function writeTypeDefPublishFailurePreload(projectDir) {
-  const preloadPath = join(projectDir, 'type-def-publish-failure.cjs')
-  writeFileSync(
-    preloadPath,
-    `
-const fs = require('node:fs')
-const { syncBuiltinESMExports } = require('node:module')
-const { basename, dirname } = require('node:path')
-const renameSync = fs.renameSync
-fs.renameSync = (source, target) => {
-  if (basename(source) === 'electron.d.ts' && basename(dirname(source)) === 'dist') {
-    const error = new Error('injected Electron type definition publish failure')
-    error.code = 'EACCES'
-    throw error
-  }
-  return renameSync(source, target)
-}
-syncBuiltinESMExports()
-`
-  )
-  return preloadPath
-}
diff --git a/config/scripts/rebuild-native-deps-test-fixtures.mjs b/config/scripts/rebuild-native-deps-test-fixtures.mjs
index 43e3db7b810..585e7a58ef2 100644
--- a/config/scripts/rebuild-native-deps-test-fixtures.mjs
+++ b/config/scripts/rebuild-native-deps-test-fixtures.mjs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { chmodSync, copyFileSync, mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, writeFileSync } from '
 import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
 import { join } from 'node:path'
 import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url'
+import { copyScriptWithLocalModules } from './script-module-dependencies.mjs'
 
 const sourceScriptPath = fileURLToPath(new URL('./rebuild-native-deps.mjs', import.meta.url))
 const sourceInstallScriptPath = fileURLToPath(
@@ -19,10 +20,7 @@ export function mkTempProject() {
   const projectDir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'orca-rebuild-native-deps-'))
   mkdirSync(join(projectDir, 'config', 'scripts'), { recursive: true })
   copyFileSync(sourceScriptPath, join(projectDir, 'config', 'scripts', 'rebuild-native-deps.mjs'))
-  copyFileSync(
-    sourceInstallScriptPath,
-    join(projectDir, 'config', 'scripts', 'install-electron-package-binary.mjs')
-  )
+  copyScriptWithLocalModules(sourceInstallScriptPath, join(projectDir, 'config', 'scripts'))
   copyFileSync(
     sourceNodePtyJobOwnershipPath,
     join(projectDir, 'config', 'scripts', 'node-pty-job-ownership.cjs')
diff --git a/config/scripts/reclaim-electron-dists.mjs b/config/scripts/reclaim-electron-dists.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c0a0b178172
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/scripts/reclaim-electron-dists.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,151 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+
+// Converts worktrees that already have their own Electron dist over to the shared cache.
+// A normal install only shares when Electron is (re)installed, and an existing healthy worktree
+// never reaches that path -- so without this, sharing only arrives at the next Electron upgrade.
+
+import { execFileSync } from 'node:child_process'
+import { randomUUID } from 'node:crypto'
+import { existsSync, readFileSync, renameSync, rmSync, statSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs'
+import path from 'node:path'
+import {
+  hasAdoptedSharedElectronDist,
+  isUsableElectronDist,
+  publishSharedElectronDist,
+  recordAdoptedSharedElectronDist,
+  resolveSharedElectronDistEntry,
+  shareElectronDistFromCache
+} from './shared-electron-dist-cache.mjs'
+import { getElectronPlatformPath } from './electron-platform-path.mjs'
+
+const apply = process.argv.includes('--apply')
+const repoRoot = process.argv.includes('--repo')
+  ? path.resolve(process.argv[process.argv.indexOf('--repo') + 1])
+  : process.cwd()
+
+function listWorktrees(root) {
+  const raw = execFileSync('git', ['-C', root, 'worktree', 'list', '--porcelain'], {
+    encoding: 'utf8'
+  })
+  return raw
+    .split('\n')
+    .filter((line) => line.startsWith('worktree '))
+    .map((line) => line.slice('worktree '.length).trim())
+}
+
+function measure(distPath) {
+  try {
+    return (
+      Number(execFileSync('du', ['-sk', distPath], { encoding: 'utf8' }).split(/\s+/)[0]) * 1024
+    )
+  } catch {
+    return 0
+  }
+}
+
+/** Swap in a shared copy behind a rename, so an interrupted run never leaves a partial dist. */
+function adoptInto(distPath, entry, identity) {
+  const stagePath = `${distPath}.reclaim-${process.pid}-${randomUUID()}`
+  if (!shareElectronDistFromCache(entry, stagePath, identity)) {
+    rmSync(stagePath, { recursive: true, force: true })
+    return false
+  }
+  const previousPath = `${distPath}.previous-${process.pid}-${randomUUID()}`
+  renameSync(distPath, previousPath)
+  try {
+    renameSync(stagePath, distPath)
+  } catch (error) {
+    renameSync(previousPath, distPath)
+    rmSync(stagePath, { recursive: true, force: true })
+    throw error
+  }
+  rmSync(previousPath, { recursive: true, force: true })
+  return true
+}
+
+let reclaimed = 0
+let converted = 0
+let skipped = 0
+
+for (const worktree of listWorktrees(repoRoot)) {
+  const electronPackageDir = path.join(worktree, 'node_modules', 'electron')
+  const distPath = path.join(electronPackageDir, 'dist')
+  if (!existsSync(path.join(electronPackageDir, 'package.json')) || !existsSync(distPath)) {
+    continue
+  }
+  if (statSync(distPath, { throwIfNoEntry: false })?.isDirectory() !== true) {
+    continue
+  }
+
+  let version
+  try {
+    version = JSON.parse(
+      readFileSync(path.join(electronPackageDir, 'package.json'), 'utf8')
+    ).version
+  } catch {
+    continue
+  }
+  const targetPlatform = process.platform
+  const targetArch = process.arch
+  let platformPath
+  try {
+    platformPath = getElectronPlatformPath(targetPlatform)
+  } catch {
+    continue
+  }
+  if (!isUsableElectronDist(distPath, version, platformPath)) {
+    console.log(`skip  ${worktree}  (dist is not a complete Electron ${version})`)
+    skipped += 1
+    continue
+  }
+
+  const entry = resolveSharedElectronDistEntry({
+    repoRoot: worktree,
+    electronPackageDir,
+    version,
+    targetPlatform,
+    targetArch
+  })
+  if (entry === null) {
+    continue
+  }
+  if (hasAdoptedSharedElectronDist(entry)) {
+    continue
+  }
+
+  const size = measure(distPath)
+  if (!apply) {
+    console.log(`would share  ${worktree}  ${(size / 1024 ** 3).toFixed(2)} GiB  (${version})`)
+    reclaimed += size
+    converted += 1
+    continue
+  }
+
+  try {
+    if (!existsSync(entry.entryPath)) {
+      if (publishSharedElectronDist(distPath, entry, { version, platformPath })) {
+        recordAdoptedSharedElectronDist(entry, writeFileSync)
+        console.log(`seeded  ${worktree}  -> ${entry.entryPath}`)
+        converted += 1
+      }
+      continue
+    }
+    if (adoptInto(distPath, entry, { version, platformPath })) {
+      recordAdoptedSharedElectronDist(entry, writeFileSync)
+      reclaimed += size
+      converted += 1
+      console.log(`shared  ${worktree}  reclaimed ${(size / 1024 ** 3).toFixed(2)} GiB`)
+    }
+  } catch (error) {
+    // A worktree that fails is left exactly as it was; it still has its own working dist.
+    console.warn(`skip  ${worktree}  (${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)})`)
+    skipped += 1
+  }
+}
+
+console.log(
+  `\n${apply ? 'Shared' : 'Would share'} ${converted} worktree(s); ` +
+    `${apply ? 'reclaimed' : 'reclaimable'} ~${(reclaimed / 1024 ** 3).toFixed(2)} GiB` +
+    `${skipped > 0 ? `; skipped ${skipped}` : ''}` +
+    `${apply ? '' : '\nRe-run with --apply to do it.'}`
+)
diff --git a/config/scripts/run-electron-vite-dev.mjs b/config/scripts/run-electron-vite-dev.mjs
index 65bcf069016..b7914943701 100644
--- a/config/scripts/run-electron-vite-dev.mjs
+++ b/config/scripts/run-electron-vite-dev.mjs
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import { execFileSync, spawn } from 'node:child_process'
 import { createHash } from 'node:crypto'
 import {
-  cpSync,
   existsSync,
   lstatSync,
   mkdirSync,
@@ -16,8 +15,10 @@ import {
 import net from 'node:net'
 import { createRequire } from 'node:module'
 import path from 'node:path'
+
 import { prepareDevCliTerminalWrappers } from './dev-cli-terminal-wrapper.mjs'
 import { isDevBundleInUse, selectStaleDevBundleDirs } from './dev-electron-bundle-cache.mjs'
+import { copyPrivateTree } from './space-sharing-copy.mjs'
 import {
   DEV_BUNDLE_ID,
   getDevBundlePlistPatches,
@@ -298,9 +299,9 @@ function prepareMacDevElectronApp() {
 
   rmSync(distDir, { recursive: true, force: true })
   mkdirSync(distDir, { recursive: true })
-  // Why: Electron.framework uses relative symlinks for its bundle resources;
-  // resolving them to pnpm-store absolutes breaks Chromium's bundle lookup.
-  cpSync(sourceAppPath, appPath, { recursive: true, verbatimSymlinks: true })
+  // Why clone-first: this ~280MB copy is made per branch title x Electron version, and only the
+  // plist/helper/codesign bytes patched below ever diverge from the source.
+  copyPrivateTree(sourceAppPath, appPath)
   restoreElectronFrameworkSymlinks(appPath)
 
   const plistPath = path.join(appPath, 'Contents', 'Info.plist')
diff --git a/config/scripts/script-module-dependencies.mjs b/config/scripts/script-module-dependencies.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..02e9e174283
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/scripts/script-module-dependencies.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+import { copyFileSync, mkdirSync, readFileSync } from 'node:fs'
+import { basename, dirname, join } from 'node:path'
+
+/**
+ * Copy a script and every co-located module it imports into a fixture's `config/scripts`.
+ *
+ * Walked rather than listed: a module the script needs but the fixture never copied fails every
+ * test in the suite with a module-resolution error that looks nothing like the defect it hides.
+ */
+export function copyScriptWithLocalModules(sourceScriptPath, destinationScriptsDir) {
+  mkdirSync(destinationScriptsDir, { recursive: true })
+  for (const modulePath of collectScriptModules(sourceScriptPath)) {
+    copyFileSync(modulePath, join(destinationScriptsDir, basename(modulePath)))
+  }
+}
+
+function collectScriptModules(scriptPath, seen = new Set()) {
+  if (seen.has(scriptPath)) {
+    return seen
+  }
+  seen.add(scriptPath)
+  for (const [, specifier] of readFileSync(scriptPath, 'utf8').matchAll(/from '(\.\/[^']+)'/g)) {
+    collectScriptModules(join(dirname(scriptPath), specifier), seen)
+  }
+  return seen
+}
diff --git a/config/scripts/shared-electron-dist-cache.mjs b/config/scripts/shared-electron-dist-cache.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..0562e926b95
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/scripts/shared-electron-dist-cache.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,189 @@
+import { execFileSync } from 'node:child_process'
+import { randomUUID } from 'node:crypto'
+import { existsSync, lstatSync, mkdirSync, readFileSync, renameSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs'
+import path from 'node:path'
+import { makeTreeReadOnly, shareTree } from './space-sharing-copy.mjs'
+
+const IDENTITY_PATTERN = /^[A-Za-z0-9][A-Za-z0-9._-]*$/
+// Sibling of path.txt, never inside dist: an install replaces dist wholesale.
+const MARKER_FILENAME = '.orca-shared-dist'
+
+/**
+ * Where sibling worktrees of one repository keep their shared extracted Electron.
+ *
+ * Null means "install normally" -- every caller treats a missing entry as "do what you did before".
+ */
+export function resolveSharedElectronDistEntry(options) {
+  const { repoRoot, version, targetPlatform, targetArch } = options
+  const env = options.env ?? process.env
+  // Packaging jobs get a fresh checkout per run, so a cache only adds a failure mode.
+  if (env.CI === '1' || env.CI === 'true') {
+    return null
+  }
+  if (![version, targetPlatform, targetArch].every((part) => IDENTITY_PATTERN.test(part ?? ''))) {
+    return null
+  }
+  let gitCommonDir
+  try {
+    gitCommonDir = resolveGitCommonDir(repoRoot, options.execFile ?? execFileSync)
+  } catch {
+    return null // Folder workspace, or no Git on PATH.
+  }
+  const cacheRoot = path.join(gitCommonDir, 'orca-cache', 'electron')
+  return {
+    cacheRoot,
+    entryPath: path.join(cacheRoot, `${version}-${targetPlatform}-${targetArch}`),
+    markerPath: path.join(options.electronPackageDir, MARKER_FILENAME)
+  }
+}
+
+export function resolveGitCommonDir(repoRoot, execFile = execFileSync) {
+  const rawPath = execFile('git', ['-C', repoRoot, 'rev-parse', '--git-common-dir'], {
+    encoding: 'utf8',
+    stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'ignore']
+  }).trim()
+  if (!rawPath) {
+    throw new Error('Git returned an empty common directory')
+  }
+  return path.resolve(repoRoot, rawPath)
+}
+
+/** True once this worktree's dist is already a clone of the current cache entry. */
+export function hasAdoptedSharedElectronDist(entry) {
+  try {
+    return readFileSync(entry.markerPath, 'utf8') === path.basename(entry.entryPath)
+  } catch {
+    return false
+  }
+}
+
+export function recordAdoptedSharedElectronDist(entry, write) {
+  try {
+    write(entry.markerPath, path.basename(entry.entryPath))
+  } catch {
+    // The marker is only an optimization: a missing one costs one extra clone.
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Share a validated cache entry into `stagePath`. Deliberately never falls back to a byte copy --
+ * with no storage to share the caller is better off with its normal install, which this must not
+ * slow down.
+ */
+export function shareElectronDistFromCache(entry, stagePath, options) {
+  const { version, platformPath } = options
+  if (!isUsableElectronDist(entry.entryPath, version, platformPath)) {
+    return false
+  }
+  try {
+    ;(options.share ?? shareTree)(entry.entryPath, stagePath)
+  } catch {
+    return false
+  }
+  return isUsableElectronDist(stagePath, version, platformPath)
+}
+
+/**
+ * Publish this worktree's dist as the shared entry, best effort.
+ *
+ * No lock: staging names are unique and `rename` onto a populated directory fails with ENOTEMPTY,
+ * so a concurrent publisher either wins the rename or cleans up its own staging tree. Neither can
+ * observe a half-written entry, and a usable entry already in place is never overwritten.
+ */
+export function publishSharedElectronDist(distPath, entry, options = {}) {
+  const { version, platformPath } = options
+  const uuid = options.uuid ?? randomUUID
+  const canValidate = Boolean(version) && Boolean(platformPath)
+  // Without an identity to check against, "unusable" is unknowable -- never discard on a guess.
+  if (existsSync(entry.entryPath) && (!canValidate || isUsable(entry, version, platformPath))) {
+    return false
+  }
+
+  const stagePath = `${entry.entryPath}.staging-${process.pid}-${uuid()}`
+  try {
+    mkdirSync(entry.cacheRoot, { recursive: true })
+    ;(options.share ?? shareTree)(distPath, stagePath)
+    // Before publishing, not after: an entry is visible the instant the rename lands, and under
+    // hardlink sharing this is the only thing standing between a stray write and every worktree.
+    ;(options.protect ?? makeTreeReadOnly)(stagePath)
+  } catch {
+    rmSync(stagePath, { recursive: true, force: true })
+    return false
+  }
+
+  return swapInElectronDistEntry(entry, stagePath, {
+    canValidate,
+    version,
+    platformPath,
+    uuid,
+    rename: options.rename ?? renameSync
+  })
+}
+
+/**
+ * Replace the entry with a staged tree, re-checking first.
+ *
+ * Sharing the tree above takes seconds, and a sibling worktree can publish a perfectly good entry
+ * in that time. Re-validating here, immediately before the destructive rename, keeps us from
+ * discarding that entry -- and restoring the quarantine on a failed swap keeps a losing publisher
+ * from leaving the cache empty.
+ */
+function swapInElectronDistEntry(entry, stagePath, options) {
+  const { canValidate, version, platformPath, uuid, rename } = options
+  let quarantinePath = null
+  if (existsSync(entry.entryPath)) {
+    // Same rule as before staging: an entry we cannot judge, or one that is good, is never
+    // displaced. Both mean another worktree got there first, so keep theirs.
+    if (!canValidate || isUsable(entry, version, platformPath)) {
+      rmSync(stagePath, { recursive: true, force: true })
+      return false
+    }
+    quarantinePath = `${entry.entryPath}.unusable-${process.pid}-${uuid()}`
+    try {
+      renameSync(entry.entryPath, quarantinePath)
+    } catch {
+      rmSync(stagePath, { recursive: true, force: true })
+      return false // Another worktree is already replacing it.
+    }
+  }
+
+  try {
+    rename(stagePath, entry.entryPath)
+  } catch {
+    rmSync(stagePath, { recursive: true, force: true })
+    if (quarantinePath !== null) {
+      // Put it back rather than leave no entry at all; a bad entry still beats an empty cache,
+      // because the next publisher re-validates and replaces it.
+      try {
+        renameSync(quarantinePath, entry.entryPath)
+        return false
+      } catch {
+        rmSync(quarantinePath, { recursive: true, force: true })
+      }
+    }
+    return false
+  }
+
+  if (quarantinePath !== null) {
+    rmSync(quarantinePath, { recursive: true, force: true })
+  }
+  return true
+}
+
+function isUsable(entry, version, platformPath) {
+  return isUsableElectronDist(entry.entryPath, version, platformPath)
+}
+
+export function isUsableElectronDist(distPath, version, platformPath) {
+  try {
+    if (!lstatSync(distPath).isDirectory()) {
+      return false
+    }
+    const installedVersion = readFileSync(path.join(distPath, 'version'), 'utf8')
+      .trim()
+      .replace(/^v/, '')
+    return installedVersion === version && existsSync(path.join(distPath, platformPath))
+  } catch {
+    return false
+  }
+}
diff --git a/config/scripts/shared-electron-dist-cache.test.ts b/config/scripts/shared-electron-dist-cache.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f53c68b7c9a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/scripts/shared-electron-dist-cache.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,358 @@
+import type { execFileSync } from 'node:child_process'
+import {
+  existsSync,
+  mkdirSync,
+  mkdtempSync,
+  readdirSync,
+  rmSync,
+  statSync,
+  symlinkSync,
+  writeFileSync
+} from 'node:fs'
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
+import path from 'node:path'
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import {
+  shareElectronDistFromCache,
+  hasAdoptedSharedElectronDist,
+  isUsableElectronDist,
+  publishSharedElectronDist,
+  recordAdoptedSharedElectronDist,
+  resolveSharedElectronDistEntry
+} from './shared-electron-dist-cache.mjs'
+import { makeTreeReadOnly } from './space-sharing-copy.mjs'
+
+const VERSION = '43.4.1'
+const PLATFORM_PATH = path.join('Electron.app', 'Contents', 'MacOS', 'Electron')
+const identity = { version: VERSION, platformPath: PLATFORM_PATH }
+const roots: string[] = []
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  while (roots.length > 0) {
+    rmSync(roots.pop()!, { recursive: true, force: true })
+  }
+})
+
+function makeRoot(): string {
+  const root = mkdtempSync(path.join(tmpdir(), 'orca-shared-electron-'))
+  roots.push(root)
+  return root
+}
+
+function writeDist(distPath: string, version = VERSION): string {
+  mkdirSync(path.join(distPath, path.dirname(PLATFORM_PATH)), { recursive: true })
+  writeFileSync(path.join(distPath, 'version'), `v${version}\n`)
+  writeFileSync(path.join(distPath, PLATFORM_PATH), 'electron')
+  return distPath
+}
+
+function makeEntry(root: string, entryName = `${VERSION}-darwin-arm64`) {
+  const cacheRoot = path.join(root, 'cache')
+  return {
+    cacheRoot,
+    entryPath: path.join(cacheRoot, entryName),
+    markerPath: path.join(root, '.orca-shared-dist')
+  }
+}
+
+const baseOptions = {
+  repoRoot: '/repo',
+  electronPackageDir: '/repo/node_modules/electron',
+  version: VERSION,
+  targetPlatform: 'darwin',
+  targetArch: 'arm64',
+  hostPlatform: 'darwin' as const,
+  env: {} as NodeJS.ProcessEnv,
+  execFile: (() => '/repo/.git\n') as unknown as typeof execFileSync
+}
+
+describe('resolveSharedElectronDistEntry', () => {
+  it('keys the entry by version, platform, and arch under the git common dir', () => {
+    const entry = resolveSharedElectronDistEntry(baseOptions)
+    expect(entry?.cacheRoot).toBe(path.join('/repo/.git', 'orca-cache', 'electron'))
+    expect(entry?.entryPath).toBe(
+      path.join('/repo/.git', 'orca-cache', 'electron', '43.4.1-darwin-arm64')
+    )
+    expect(entry?.markerPath).toBe(path.join('/repo/node_modules/electron', '.orca-shared-dist'))
+  })
+
+  it('offers an entry on every platform a worktree is developed on', () => {
+    for (const hostPlatform of ['darwin', 'linux', 'win32']) {
+      expect(resolveSharedElectronDistEntry({ ...baseOptions, hostPlatform })).not.toBeNull()
+    }
+  })
+
+  it('declines on CI, where every job gets a fresh checkout', () => {
+    expect(resolveSharedElectronDistEntry({ ...baseOptions, env: { CI: '1' } })).toBeNull()
+    expect(resolveSharedElectronDistEntry({ ...baseOptions, env: { CI: 'true' } })).toBeNull()
+    expect(resolveSharedElectronDistEntry({ ...baseOptions, env: { CI: 'false' } })).not.toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  it('declines outside a Git worktree so folder workspaces install normally', () => {
+    const execFile = (() => {
+      throw new Error('not a git repository')
+    }) as unknown as typeof execFileSync
+    expect(resolveSharedElectronDistEntry({ ...baseOptions, execFile })).toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  it('declines an identity that would not be a single safe path segment', () => {
+    expect(resolveSharedElectronDistEntry({ ...baseOptions, targetArch: '../escape' })).toBeNull()
+    expect(resolveSharedElectronDistEntry({ ...baseOptions, targetPlatform: 'dar/win' })).toBeNull()
+    expect(resolveSharedElectronDistEntry({ ...baseOptions, version: '' })).toBeNull()
+  })
+})
+
+describe('isUsableElectronDist', () => {
+  it('accepts a complete dist and tolerates the leading v in the version file', () => {
+    const root = makeRoot()
+    expect(isUsableElectronDist(writeDist(path.join(root, 'dist')), VERSION, PLATFORM_PATH)).toBe(
+      true
+    )
+  })
+
+  it('rejects a version mismatch, a missing executable, and a missing directory', () => {
+    const root = makeRoot()
+    expect(
+      isUsableElectronDist(writeDist(path.join(root, 'a'), '40.0.0'), VERSION, PLATFORM_PATH)
+    ).toBe(false)
+    const partial = path.join(root, 'b')
+    mkdirSync(partial, { recursive: true })
+    writeFileSync(path.join(partial, 'version'), `v${VERSION}`)
+    expect(isUsableElectronDist(partial, VERSION, PLATFORM_PATH)).toBe(false)
+    expect(isUsableElectronDist(path.join(root, 'missing'), VERSION, PLATFORM_PATH)).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  it('rejects a symlink so a redirected entry is never treated as cache content', () => {
+    const root = makeRoot()
+    writeDist(path.join(root, 'real'))
+    symlinkSync(path.join(root, 'real'), path.join(root, 'link'), 'dir')
+    expect(isUsableElectronDist(path.join(root, 'link'), VERSION, PLATFORM_PATH)).toBe(false)
+  })
+})
+
+describe('publishSharedElectronDist', () => {
+  it('publishes through a staging directory and an atomic rename', () => {
+    const root = makeRoot()
+    const entry = makeEntry(root)
+    const dist = writeDist(path.join(root, 'dist'))
+    const share = vi.fn((source: string, destination: string) => {
+      expect(path.basename(destination)).toMatch(/^43\.4\.1-darwin-arm64\.staging-/)
+      writeDist(destination)
+      expect(source).toBe(dist)
+    })
+    expect(publishSharedElectronDist(dist, entry, { share, ...identity })).toBe(true)
+    expect(isUsableElectronDist(entry.entryPath, VERSION, PLATFORM_PATH)).toBe(true)
+    expect(readdirSync(entry.cacheRoot)).toEqual([path.basename(entry.entryPath)])
+  })
+
+  it('publishes the entry read-only, before it is reachable under its final name', () => {
+    const root = makeRoot()
+    const entry = makeEntry(root)
+    const dist = writeDist(path.join(root, 'dist'))
+    const protectedPaths: string[] = []
+    const share = (source: string, destination: string) => {
+      writeDist(destination)
+      expect(source).toBe(dist)
+    }
+    const protect = (target: string) => {
+      // Why order matters: a reader can clone the entry the instant the rename lands.
+      expect(existsSync(entry.entryPath)).toBe(false)
+      protectedPaths.push(target)
+      makeTreeReadOnly(target)
+    }
+    expect(publishSharedElectronDist(dist, entry, { share, protect, ...identity })).toBe(true)
+    expect(protectedPaths).toHaveLength(1)
+    expect(statSync(path.join(entry.entryPath, 'version')).mode & 0o222).toBe(0)
+    // Entry directories stay removable, which is what the install transaction actually needs.
+    expect(() => rmSync(entry.entryPath, { recursive: true })).not.toThrow()
+  })
+
+  it('never overwrites an entry another worktree already published', () => {
+    const root = makeRoot()
+    const entry = makeEntry(root)
+    mkdirSync(entry.cacheRoot, { recursive: true })
+    writeDist(entry.entryPath)
+    writeFileSync(path.join(entry.entryPath, 'marker'), 'first-writer')
+    const share = vi.fn()
+    expect(publishSharedElectronDist(writeDist(path.join(root, 'dist')), entry, { share })).toBe(
+      false
+    )
+    expect(share).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    expect(existsSync(path.join(entry.entryPath, 'marker'))).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it('loses a publish race without clobbering the winner or leaking staging', () => {
+    const root = makeRoot()
+    const entry = makeEntry(root)
+    const share = (_source: string, destination: string) => {
+      writeDist(destination)
+      // The winner lands between our existence check and our rename.
+      writeDist(entry.entryPath)
+      writeFileSync(path.join(entry.entryPath, 'marker'), 'winner')
+    }
+    expect(publishSharedElectronDist(writeDist(path.join(root, 'dist')), entry, { share })).toBe(
+      false
+    )
+    expect(existsSync(path.join(entry.entryPath, 'marker'))).toBe(true)
+    expect(readdirSync(entry.cacheRoot)).toEqual([path.basename(entry.entryPath)])
+  })
+
+  it('keeps a good entry a sibling published while this one was still sharing', () => {
+    const root = makeRoot()
+    const entry = makeEntry(root)
+    mkdirSync(entry.cacheRoot, { recursive: true })
+    writeDist(entry.entryPath, '40.0.0') // Unusable, so this worktree intends to replace it.
+    const share = (_source: string, destination: string) => {
+      writeDist(destination)
+      // A sibling replaces the bad entry with a good one while this share is still running.
+      rmSync(entry.entryPath, { recursive: true, force: true })
+      writeDist(entry.entryPath)
+      writeFileSync(path.join(entry.entryPath, 'marker'), 'sibling')
+    }
+    expect(
+      publishSharedElectronDist(writeDist(path.join(root, 'dist')), entry, { share, ...identity })
+    ).toBe(false)
+    expect(existsSync(path.join(entry.entryPath, 'marker'))).toBe(true)
+    expect(readdirSync(entry.cacheRoot)).toEqual([path.basename(entry.entryPath)])
+  })
+
+  it('restores the quarantined entry rather than leaving the cache empty', () => {
+    const root = makeRoot()
+    const entry = makeEntry(root)
+    mkdirSync(entry.cacheRoot, { recursive: true })
+    writeDist(entry.entryPath, '40.0.0')
+    writeFileSync(path.join(entry.entryPath, 'marker'), 'stale')
+    const share = (_source: string, destination: string) => writeDist(destination)
+    // The swap itself fails; a bad entry still beats no entry, since the next publisher replaces it.
+    const failingRename = () => {
+      throw new Error('rename failed')
+    }
+    expect(
+      publishSharedElectronDist(writeDist(path.join(root, 'dist')), entry, {
+        share,
+        rename: failingRename,
+        ...identity
+      })
+    ).toBe(false)
+    expect(existsSync(path.join(entry.entryPath, 'marker'))).toBe(true)
+    expect(readdirSync(entry.cacheRoot)).toEqual([path.basename(entry.entryPath)])
+  })
+
+  it('replaces an entry that fails validation instead of stranding every worktree', () => {
+    const root = makeRoot()
+    const entry = makeEntry(root)
+    mkdirSync(entry.cacheRoot, { recursive: true })
+    writeDist(entry.entryPath, '40.0.0')
+    const share = (_source: string, destination: string) => writeDist(destination)
+    expect(
+      publishSharedElectronDist(writeDist(path.join(root, 'dist')), entry, { share, ...identity })
+    ).toBe(true)
+    expect(isUsableElectronDist(entry.entryPath, VERSION, PLATFORM_PATH)).toBe(true)
+    expect(readdirSync(entry.cacheRoot)).toEqual([path.basename(entry.entryPath)])
+  })
+
+  it('never discards an entry it was given no identity to check', () => {
+    const root = makeRoot()
+    const entry = makeEntry(root)
+    mkdirSync(entry.cacheRoot, { recursive: true })
+    writeDist(entry.entryPath, '40.0.0')
+    const share = vi.fn()
+    expect(publishSharedElectronDist(writeDist(path.join(root, 'dist')), entry, { share })).toBe(
+      false
+    )
+    expect(share).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    expect(existsSync(path.join(entry.entryPath, 'version'))).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it('leaves no entry and no staging tree when sharing fails', () => {
+    const root = makeRoot()
+    const entry = makeEntry(root)
+    const share = (_source: string, destination: string) => {
+      writeDist(destination)
+      throw new Error('no shareable storage')
+    }
+    expect(publishSharedElectronDist(writeDist(path.join(root, 'dist')), entry, { share })).toBe(
+      false
+    )
+    expect(existsSync(entry.entryPath)).toBe(false)
+    expect(readdirSync(entry.cacheRoot)).toEqual([])
+  })
+})
+
+describe('shareElectronDistFromCache', () => {
+  it('shares a validated entry with real filesystem semantics', () => {
+    const root = makeRoot()
+    const entry = makeEntry(root)
+    mkdirSync(entry.cacheRoot, { recursive: true })
+    writeDist(entry.entryPath)
+    const stagePath = path.join(root, 'stage')
+    expect(
+      shareElectronDistFromCache(entry, stagePath, {
+        version: VERSION,
+        platformPath: PLATFORM_PATH
+      })
+    ).toBe(true)
+    expect(isUsableElectronDist(stagePath, VERSION, PLATFORM_PATH)).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it('refuses an entry that fails validation instead of installing it', () => {
+    const root = makeRoot()
+    const entry = makeEntry(root)
+    mkdirSync(entry.cacheRoot, { recursive: true })
+    writeDist(entry.entryPath, '40.0.0')
+    const stagePath = path.join(root, 'stage')
+    expect(
+      shareElectronDistFromCache(entry, stagePath, {
+        version: VERSION,
+        platformPath: PLATFORM_PATH
+      })
+    ).toBe(false)
+    expect(existsSync(stagePath)).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  it('reports failure rather than falling back to a full copy', () => {
+    const root = makeRoot()
+    const entry = makeEntry(root)
+    mkdirSync(entry.cacheRoot, { recursive: true })
+    writeDist(entry.entryPath)
+    // Injected rather than provoked: what counts as an unshareable destination differs per
+    // mechanism, and a byte-copy fallback here would defeat the point of the cache.
+    const stagePath = path.join(root, 'stage')
+    const share = () => {
+      throw new Error('no shareable storage')
+    }
+    expect(
+      shareElectronDistFromCache(entry, stagePath, {
+        version: VERSION,
+        platformPath: PLATFORM_PATH,
+        share
+      })
+    ).toBe(false)
+    expect(existsSync(stagePath)).toBe(false)
+  })
+})
+
+describe('shared dist marker', () => {
+  it('reports adoption only for the entry the marker names', () => {
+    const root = makeRoot()
+    const entry = makeEntry(root)
+    expect(hasAdoptedSharedElectronDist(entry)).toBe(false)
+    recordAdoptedSharedElectronDist(entry, writeFileSync)
+    expect(hasAdoptedSharedElectronDist(entry)).toBe(true)
+    expect(
+      hasAdoptedSharedElectronDist({
+        ...entry,
+        entryPath: path.join(entry.cacheRoot, '44.0.0-darwin-arm64')
+      })
+    ).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  it('swallows a marker write failure, which only costs one extra share', () => {
+    const entry = makeEntry(makeRoot())
+    expect(() =>
+      recordAdoptedSharedElectronDist(entry, () => {
+        throw new Error('read-only node_modules')
+      })
+    ).not.toThrow()
+  })
+})
diff --git a/config/scripts/space-sharing-copy.mjs b/config/scripts/space-sharing-copy.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d9c80d36ba8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/scripts/space-sharing-copy.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,143 @@
+import { execFileSync } from 'node:child_process'
+import {
+  chmodSync,
+  cpSync,
+  linkSync,
+  mkdirSync,
+  readdirSync,
+  readlinkSync,
+  rmSync,
+  symlinkSync
+} from 'node:fs'
+import { join } from 'node:path'
+
+// -c asks for clonefile(2). -P keeps Electron.framework's relative symlinks as symlinks; resolving
+// them breaks Chromium's bundle lookup.
+export const MACOS_CLONE_ARGS = Object.freeze(['-c', '-R', '-P'])
+// -a implies -d (no symlink following) and preserves mode. --reflink=always fails loudly on a
+// filesystem without reflinks rather than silently writing a second full copy.
+export const LINUX_REFLINK_ARGS = Object.freeze(['--reflink=always', '-a'])
+
+/**
+ * Copy a directory tree so the destination costs no new storage.
+ *
+ * Three mechanisms, strongest isolation first. Clone and reflink are copy-on-write, so the
+ * destination is genuinely private. Hardlinks are not: the two trees share inodes, and a write
+ * through either mutates both. That is only sound for a tree nothing writes to, which is why
+ * `makeTreeReadOnly` exists and why the caller must apply it.
+ *
+ * Throws when no mechanism is available, so a caller can fall back to installing normally rather
+ * than silently paying for a second full copy.
+ */
+export function shareTree(sourcePath, destinationPath, options = {}) {
+  const platform = options.platform ?? process.platform
+  const errors = []
+  for (const mechanism of getShareMechanisms(platform)) {
+    try {
+      ;(options[mechanism] ?? shareMechanisms[mechanism])(sourcePath, destinationPath)
+      return mechanism
+    } catch (error) {
+      errors.push(error)
+      // A mechanism can fail part-way through a tree; the next one needs a clean destination.
+      rmSync(destinationPath, { recursive: true, force: true })
+    }
+  }
+  throw new AggregateError(errors, `Could not share storage for ${destinationPath}`)
+}
+
+function getShareMechanisms(platform) {
+  switch (platform) {
+    case 'darwin':
+      // APFS only. HFS+ has no clonefile, and hardlinking a 585-entry bundle buys little.
+      return ['clone']
+    case 'linux':
+      // reflink covers btrfs/XFS/bcachefs/ZFS; ext4 has none, which is most developers.
+      return ['reflink', 'hardlink']
+    case 'win32':
+      // Block cloning is ReFS-only, so NTFS gets hardlinks or nothing.
+      return ['hardlink']
+    default:
+      return []
+  }
+}
+
+const shareMechanisms = {
+  clone: (sourcePath, destinationPath) =>
+    execFileSync('/bin/cp', [...MACOS_CLONE_ARGS, sourcePath, destinationPath], {
+      stdio: 'ignore'
+    }),
+  reflink: (sourcePath, destinationPath) =>
+    execFileSync('cp', [...LINUX_REFLINK_ARGS, sourcePath, destinationPath], { stdio: 'ignore' }),
+  hardlink: hardlinkTree
+}
+
+export function hardlinkTree(sourcePath, destinationPath) {
+  mkdirSync(destinationPath, { recursive: true })
+  for (const entry of readdirSync(sourcePath, { withFileTypes: true })) {
+    const from = join(sourcePath, entry.name)
+    const to = join(destinationPath, entry.name)
+    if (entry.isDirectory()) {
+      hardlinkTree(from, to)
+    } else if (entry.isSymbolicLink()) {
+      symlinkSync(readlinkSync(from), to)
+    } else {
+      linkSync(from, to)
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Drop write permission across a tree.
+ *
+ * This is what makes hardlink sharing safe: Electron's own install.js extracts over an existing
+ * dist with O_TRUNC, which through a hardlink would rewrite every sibling worktree and the cache at
+ * once. Read-only turns that into EPERM. Directories stay writable because unlink needs a writable
+ * parent, not a writable file, so the install transaction's renames still work.
+ */
+export function makeTreeReadOnly(targetPath, chmod = chmodSync) {
+  for (const entry of readdirSync(targetPath, { withFileTypes: true })) {
+    const entryPath = join(targetPath, entry.name)
+    if (entry.isDirectory()) {
+      makeTreeReadOnly(entryPath, chmod)
+    } else if (!entry.isSymbolicLink()) {
+      chmod(entryPath, 0o555)
+    }
+  }
+  chmod(targetPath, 0o755)
+}
+
+/**
+ * Share storage when possible, otherwise copy the bytes.
+ *
+ * Never hardlinks: this is for trees the caller goes on to patch, where shared inodes would write
+ * through into the source.
+ */
+export function copyPrivateTree(sourcePath, destinationPath, options = {}) {
+  const platform = options.platform ?? process.platform
+  const copy = options.copy ?? copyTreeVerbatim
+  const privateMechanisms = new Set(['clone', 'reflink'])
+  if (getShareMechanisms(platform).some((mechanism) => privateMechanisms.has(mechanism))) {
+    try {
+      const mechanism = shareTree(sourcePath, destinationPath, {
+        ...options,
+        hardlink: () => {
+          throw new Error('hardlinks would not be private')
+        }
+      })
+      return { mechanism, copyError: null }
+    } catch (copyError) {
+      copy(sourcePath, destinationPath)
+      return { mechanism: null, copyError }
+    }
+  }
+  copy(sourcePath, destinationPath)
+  return { mechanism: null, copyError: null }
+}
+
+function copyTreeVerbatim(sourcePath, destinationPath) {
+  cpSync(sourcePath, destinationPath, {
+    recursive: true,
+    dereference: false,
+    verbatimSymlinks: true
+  })
+}
diff --git a/config/scripts/space-sharing-copy.test.ts b/config/scripts/space-sharing-copy.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..90840dd3ed6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/scripts/space-sharing-copy.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,210 @@
+import {
+  existsSync,
+  mkdirSync,
+  mkdtempSync,
+  readFileSync,
+  readlinkSync,
+  rmSync,
+  statSync,
+  symlinkSync,
+  writeFileSync
+} from 'node:fs'
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
+import path from 'node:path'
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import {
+  LINUX_REFLINK_ARGS,
+  MACOS_CLONE_ARGS,
+  copyPrivateTree,
+  hardlinkTree,
+  makeTreeReadOnly,
+  shareTree
+} from './space-sharing-copy.mjs'
+
+const roots: string[] = []
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  while (roots.length > 0) {
+    rmSync(roots.pop()!, { recursive: true, force: true })
+  }
+})
+
+function makeTree(): { root: string; source: string } {
+  const root = mkdtempSync(path.join(tmpdir(), 'orca-share-'))
+  roots.push(root)
+  const source = path.join(root, 'source')
+  mkdirSync(path.join(source, 'nested'), { recursive: true })
+  writeFileSync(path.join(source, 'nested', 'file'), 'contents')
+  symlinkSync(path.join('nested', 'file'), path.join(source, 'relative-link'))
+  return { root, source }
+}
+
+describe('shareTree', () => {
+  // Mechanism selection is asserted with stubs, because the real mechanisms only exist on the host
+  // that owns them: /bin/cp -c is macOS-only and `cp --reflink` is GNU-only.
+  it('prefers the strongest isolation each platform offers', () => {
+    const stub = () =>
+      vi.fn((_source: string, target: string) => mkdirSync(target, { recursive: true }))
+    const stubs = { clone: stub(), reflink: stub(), hardlink: stub() }
+    const { root, source } = makeTree()
+    expect(shareTree(source, path.join(root, 'a'), { platform: 'darwin', ...stubs })).toBe('clone')
+    expect(shareTree(source, path.join(root, 'b'), { platform: 'linux', ...stubs })).toBe('reflink')
+    expect(shareTree(source, path.join(root, 'c'), { platform: 'win32', ...stubs })).toBe(
+      'hardlink'
+    )
+  })
+
+  it('keeps relative symlinks unresolved on whatever this host supports', () => {
+    const { root, source } = makeTree()
+    const destination = path.join(root, 'shared')
+    expect(shareTree(source, destination)).toBeTruthy()
+    expect(readFileSync(path.join(destination, 'nested', 'file'), 'utf8')).toBe('contents')
+    expect(readlinkSync(path.join(destination, 'relative-link'))).toBe(path.join('nested', 'file'))
+  })
+
+  it('falls from reflink to hardlink on Linux, where ext4 has no reflinks', () => {
+    const { root, source } = makeTree()
+    const destination = path.join(root, 'shared')
+    const reflink = vi.fn(() => {
+      throw new Error('failed to clone: Invalid cross-device link')
+    })
+    expect(shareTree(source, destination, { platform: 'linux', reflink })).toBe('hardlink')
+    expect(reflink).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+    expect(statSync(path.join(destination, 'nested', 'file')).ino).toBe(
+      statSync(path.join(source, 'nested', 'file')).ino
+    )
+  })
+
+  it('hardlinks on Windows, the only mechanism NTFS offers', () => {
+    const { root, source } = makeTree()
+    expect(shareTree(source, path.join(root, 'shared'), { platform: 'win32' })).toBe('hardlink')
+  })
+
+  it('clears a part-way tree before trying the next mechanism', () => {
+    const { root, source } = makeTree()
+    const destination = path.join(root, 'shared')
+    const reflink = (_source: string, target: string) => {
+      mkdirSync(target, { recursive: true })
+      writeFileSync(path.join(target, 'half-written'), 'partial')
+      throw new Error('reflink failed midway')
+    }
+    expect(shareTree(source, destination, { platform: 'linux', reflink })).toBe('hardlink')
+    expect(existsSync(path.join(destination, 'half-written'))).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  it('throws rather than silently paying for a second full copy', () => {
+    const { root, source } = makeTree()
+    expect(() => shareTree(source, path.join(root, 'shared'), { platform: 'freebsd' })).toThrow(
+      /Could not share storage/
+    )
+  })
+
+  it('fails loudly instead of degrading, on both copy-out mechanisms', () => {
+    expect(MACOS_CLONE_ARGS).toContain('-P')
+    expect(LINUX_REFLINK_ARGS).toContain('--reflink=always')
+  })
+})
+
+describe('hardlinkTree', () => {
+  it('shares inodes for files but recreates symlinks as their own entries', () => {
+    const { root, source } = makeTree()
+    const destination = path.join(root, 'linked')
+    hardlinkTree(source, destination)
+    expect(statSync(path.join(destination, 'nested', 'file')).ino).toBe(
+      statSync(path.join(source, 'nested', 'file')).ino
+    )
+    expect(readlinkSync(path.join(destination, 'relative-link'))).toBe(path.join('nested', 'file'))
+  })
+
+  it('propagates a write through the shared inode, which is why callers must protect it', () => {
+    const { root, source } = makeTree()
+    const destination = path.join(root, 'linked')
+    hardlinkTree(source, destination)
+    writeFileSync(path.join(destination, 'nested', 'file'), 'mutated')
+    expect(readFileSync(path.join(source, 'nested', 'file'), 'utf8')).toBe('mutated')
+  })
+})
+
+describe('makeTreeReadOnly', () => {
+  it('drops write permission on files while leaving directories traversable and unlinkable', () => {
+    const { source } = makeTree()
+    makeTreeReadOnly(source)
+    expect(statSync(path.join(source, 'nested', 'file')).mode & 0o222).toBe(0)
+    // Asserted as behavior, not mode bits: Windows maps chmod onto the read-only attribute alone,
+    // so a directory there never reports 0o755. What has to hold everywhere is that the install
+    // transaction can still rename dist aside and remove it.
+    expect(() => rmSync(path.join(source, 'nested'), { recursive: true })).not.toThrow()
+  })
+
+  it('turns an extract-over-dist write into an error instead of silent shared corruption', () => {
+    const { root, source } = makeTree()
+    const destination = path.join(root, 'linked')
+    hardlinkTree(source, destination)
+    makeTreeReadOnly(destination)
+    expect(() => writeFileSync(path.join(destination, 'nested', 'file'), 'mutated')).toThrow()
+    expect(readFileSync(path.join(source, 'nested', 'file'), 'utf8')).toBe('contents')
+  })
+
+  it.runIf(process.platform !== 'win32')(
+    'keeps the executable bit, which Electron needs to launch',
+    () => {
+      const { source } = makeTree()
+      const executable = path.join(source, 'electron')
+      writeFileSync(executable, 'binary', { mode: 0o755 })
+      makeTreeReadOnly(source)
+      // Verified on real ext4: 0o555. Windows has no execute bit -- the read-only attribute does
+      // not gate execution there, confirmed by running a read-only hardlinked .exe on NTFS.
+      expect(statSync(executable).mode & 0o111).toBe(0o111)
+    }
+  )
+})
+
+describe('copyPrivateTree', () => {
+  it('never hardlinks, because the caller patches what it gets back', () => {
+    const { root, source } = makeTree()
+    const destination = path.join(root, 'private')
+    const hardlink = vi.fn()
+    const result = copyPrivateTree(source, destination, { platform: 'linux', hardlink })
+    expect(hardlink).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    expect(statSync(path.join(destination, 'nested', 'file')).ino).not.toBe(
+      statSync(path.join(source, 'nested', 'file')).ino
+    )
+    expect(result.mechanism === 'reflink' || result.mechanism === null).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it('copies bytes on a platform with no private mechanism at all', () => {
+    const { root, source } = makeTree()
+    const destination = path.join(root, 'private')
+    const hardlink = vi.fn()
+    expect(copyPrivateTree(source, destination, { platform: 'win32', hardlink })).toEqual({
+      mechanism: null,
+      copyError: null
+    })
+    expect(hardlink).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    expect(readFileSync(path.join(destination, 'nested', 'file'), 'utf8')).toBe('contents')
+    expect(readlinkSync(path.join(destination, 'relative-link'))).toBe(path.join('nested', 'file'))
+  })
+
+  it('reports the private mechanism it used', () => {
+    const { root, source } = makeTree()
+    const clone = vi.fn((_source: string, target: string) => mkdirSync(target, { recursive: true }))
+    expect(
+      copyPrivateTree(source, path.join(root, 'private'), { platform: 'darwin', clone })
+    ).toEqual({
+      mechanism: 'clone',
+      copyError: null
+    })
+  })
+
+  it('falls back to a byte copy when the private mechanism fails', () => {
+    const { root, source } = makeTree()
+    const destination = path.join(root, 'private')
+    const clone = () => {
+      throw new Error('clonefile unsupported')
+    }
+    const result = copyPrivateTree(source, destination, { platform: 'darwin', clone })
+    expect(result.mechanism).toBeNull()
+    expect(result.copyError).toBeInstanceOf(Error)
+    expect(readFileSync(path.join(destination, 'nested', 'file'), 'utf8')).toBe('contents')
+  })
+})
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index ebdcb44221d..04128b67922 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@
     "build:release:parallel": "pnpm run build:relay && pnpm run build:native && pnpm run verify:computer-native && pnpm run build:cli && pnpm run build:electron-vite:parallel && pnpm run verify:built-skills-cli && pnpm run build:web-from-renderer",
     "postinstall": "node config/scripts/rebuild-native-deps.mjs",
     "rebuild:electron": "node config/scripts/rebuild-native-deps.mjs",
+    "reclaim:electron-dists": "node config/scripts/reclaim-electron-dists.mjs",
     "rebuild:node": "pnpm rebuild node-pty",
     "build:unpack": "pnpm run build && pnpm run ensure:electron-runtime && electron-builder --config config/electron-builder.config.cjs --dir",
     "build:win": "pnpm run build:desktop && pnpm run ensure:electron-runtime && electron-builder --config config/electron-builder.config.cjs --win",