diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/pool-stop.ts b/apps/desktop/electron/pool-stop.ts
index 80f994f501..7215d11c1a 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/electron/pool-stop.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/pool-stop.ts
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ export interface PoolStopperDeps {
    * Extra per-key work that must finish before a replacement may spawn.
    * Held on the same in-flight promise as child exit (SSH teardown, etc.).
    */
-  afterStop?: (key: string, entry: PoolStopEntry) => Promise<void>
+  afterStop?: (key: string) => Promise<void>
 }
 
 export interface PoolStopper {
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ export function createPoolStopper(deps: PoolStopperDeps): PoolStopper {
       deps.stopChild(entry.process)
       await deps.waitForExit(entry.process)
       if (deps.afterStop) {
-        await deps.afterStop(key, entry)
+        await deps.afterStop(key)
       }
     })().finally(() => {
       stops.delete(key)
diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/ssh-isolated-keepalive.test.ts b/apps/desktop/electron/ssh-isolated-keepalive.test.ts
index 0b21331941..dd2aa9a3e9 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/electron/ssh-isolated-keepalive.test.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/ssh-isolated-keepalive.test.ts
@@ -66,16 +66,29 @@ describe('ssh-isolated keep-alive registry (#106935)', () => {
     instances[0].emit('open')
     expect(registry.openUrl('conn:office::work')).toBe('ws://127.0.0.1:53101/api/ws?token=sess-work')
 
+    // A dropped socket is redialled with backoff (25 → 50 ms), so a dead tunnel is not
+    // hammered every interval until the scope is torn down.
+    vi.useFakeTimers()
+    instances[1].emit('close', { code: 1006 })
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(25)
+    expect(instances).toHaveLength(3)
+    instances[2].emit('close', { code: 1006 })
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(25)
+    expect(instances).toHaveLength(3)
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(25)
+    expect(instances).toHaveLength(4)
+    vi.useRealTimers()
+
     registry.stop('conn:office::work')
     expect(instances[0].closed).toBe(true)
     expect(registry.isArmed('conn:office::work')).toBe(false)
     // Tearing down one sibling must not drop the other owned scope.
-    expect(instances[1].closed).toBe(false)
+    expect(instances[3].closed).toBe(false)
     expect(registry.isArmed('conn:office::less')).toBe(true)
 
     instances[0].emit('close', { code: 1006 })
     await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 50))
-    expect(instances).toHaveLength(2)
+    expect(instances).toHaveLength(4)
     expect(registry.openUrl('conn:office::work')).toBeNull()
   })
 
diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/ssh-isolated-keepalive.ts b/apps/desktop/electron/ssh-isolated-keepalive.ts
index 43b8f61f04..59677db4fc 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/electron/ssh-isolated-keepalive.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/ssh-isolated-keepalive.ts
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@
  * `sshConnections`. Sticky spawn artifacts (owner-nonce, token file, lockfile)
  * are NOT liveness and must not suppress idle-exit.
  *
- * If the socket drops the registry reconnects after a delay; while it is down
- * the backend may idle-exit as before. This module never consults
+ * If the socket drops the registry reconnects with capped exponential backoff;
+ * while it is down the backend may idle-exit as before. This module never consults
  * nonce/lock/token files.
  */
 import { buildGatewayWsUrl } from './connection-config'
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ export type SshIsolatedKeepaliveOptions = {
 }
 
 type KeepaliveEntry = {
-  generation: number
+  failures: number
   reconnectTimer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null
   scope: string
   socket: { close?: () => void; url?: string } | null
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ type KeepaliveEntry = {
 }
 
 const DEFAULT_RECONNECT_DELAY_MS = 2_000
+const MAX_RECONNECT_DELAY_MS = 30_000
 
 function addListener(socket: any, type: string, handler: (event?: any) => void) {
   if (typeof socket?.addEventListener === 'function') {
@@ -84,10 +85,13 @@ export function createSshIsolatedKeepaliveRegistry(options: SshIsolatedKeepalive
       return
     }
 
+    // A dead tunnel would otherwise be redialled every 2 s until the scope is torn down.
+    const delay = Math.min(reconnectDelayMs * 2 ** entry.failures, MAX_RECONNECT_DELAY_MS)
+    entry.failures += 1
     entry.reconnectTimer = setTimeout(() => {
       entry.reconnectTimer = null
       connect(entry)
-    }, reconnectDelayMs)
+    }, delay)
   }
 
   function connect(entry: KeepaliveEntry) {
@@ -95,8 +99,6 @@ export function createSshIsolatedKeepaliveRegistry(options: SshIsolatedKeepalive
       return
     }
 
-    entry.generation += 1
-    const generation = entry.generation
     clearTimer(entry)
     closeSocket(entry)
 
@@ -114,18 +116,21 @@ export function createSshIsolatedKeepaliveRegistry(options: SshIsolatedKeepalive
 
     entry.socket = socket
 
+    // Staleness is derivable: stop() removes the entry, connect() replaces entry.socket.
     const abandonIfStale = () => {
-      if (entries.get(entry.scope) !== entry || entry.generation !== generation) {
+      if (entries.get(entry.scope) !== entry || entry.socket !== socket) {
         return
       }
 
-      if (entry.socket === socket) {
-        entry.socket = null
-      }
-
+      entry.socket = null
       scheduleReconnect(entry)
     }
 
+    addListener(socket, 'open', () => {
+      if (entry.socket === socket) {
+        entry.failures = 0
+      }
+    })
     addListener(socket, 'close', abandonIfStale)
     addListener(socket, 'error', abandonIfStale)
   }
@@ -146,7 +151,7 @@ export function createSshIsolatedKeepaliveRegistry(options: SshIsolatedKeepalive
     stop(scope)
 
     const entry: KeepaliveEntry = {
-      generation: 0,
+      failures: 0,
       reconnectTimer: null,
       scope,
       socket: null,
@@ -164,7 +169,6 @@ export function createSshIsolatedKeepaliveRegistry(options: SshIsolatedKeepalive
     }
 
     entries.delete(scope)
-    entry.generation += 1
     clearTimer(entry)
     closeSocket(entry)
   }