diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/main.ts b/apps/desktop/electron/main.ts
index 06a1eb9181..51607c1397 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/electron/main.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/main.ts
@@ -3707,16 +3707,20 @@ async function handOffWindowsBootstrapRecovery(reason) {
   const venvHermes = path.join(venvBin, IS_WINDOWS ? 'hermes.exe' : 'hermes')
   const venvPython = path.join(venvBin, IS_WINDOWS ? 'python.exe' : 'python')
 
-  // Choose the gentle in-place --update when ANY real-install signal is present,
-  // not just the `hermes.exe` console-script shim. That shim is generated at the
-  // END of venv setup and is absent in exactly the interrupted/quarantined states
-  // this recovery exists to heal — gating on it alone forced the destructive
-  // --repair (full venv recreate) and drove reinstall loops. The venv interpreter
-  // and the bootstrap-complete marker are present earlier and are better signals.
-  const haveRealInstall =
-    fileExists(venvPython) || fileExists(venvHermes) || fileExists(path.join(updateRoot, '.hermes-bootstrap-complete'))
-
-  const updaterArgs = chooseUpdaterArgs(haveRealInstall, branch)
+  // The updater invokes the venv's Hermes launcher, which in turn requires the
+  // venv interpreter. A bootstrap-complete marker proves only that setup once
+  // finished; it can outlive a manually removed or quarantined venv. Sending a
+  // marker-only install through --update dead-ends at "Could not find the hermes
+  // CLI" instead of rebuilding the runtime, so only a runnable pair gets the
+  // gentle update path. Partial or missing runtimes go through full repair.
+  const updaterArgs = chooseUpdaterArgs(
+    {
+      hasBootstrapMarker: fileExists(path.join(updateRoot, '.hermes-bootstrap-complete')),
+      hasVenvHermes: fileExists(venvHermes),
+      hasVenvPython: fileExists(venvPython)
+    },
+    branch
+  )
 
   await releaseBackendLockForUpdate(updateRoot)
 
diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/windows-hermes-path.test.ts b/apps/desktop/electron/windows-hermes-path.test.ts
index 778042b278..76e4d0ac50 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/electron/windows-hermes-path.test.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/windows-hermes-path.test.ts
@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@
 //   1. buildPathExtCandidates() — PATHEXT extensions must be tried BEFORE the
 //      empty extension, or an extensionless Git-Bash `hermes` shim shadows
 //      the real hermes.cmd/hermes.exe.
-//   2. chooseUpdaterArgs() — must gate on haveRealInstall (any real-install
-//      signal), not just the hermes.exe console-script shim, or healthy
-//      installs get forced into a destructive --repair.
+//   2. chooseUpdaterArgs() — must distinguish a runnable updater from stale
+//      install provenance. The bootstrap marker can outlive the venv, and a
+//      partial venv cannot run the updater; those states require --repair.
 //   3. resolveVenvHermesCommand() — must probe the venv python via
 //      canImportHermesCli() before trusting it, or a broken venv gets
 //      re-selected forever instead of falling through to bootstrap.
@@ -45,17 +45,40 @@ test('buildPathExtCandidates: non-Windows only tries the bare name', () => {
   assert.deepEqual(buildPathExtCandidates(undefined, false), [''])
 })
 
-test('chooseUpdaterArgs: gentle --update when a real-install signal is present', () => {
-  assert.deepEqual(chooseUpdaterArgs(true, 'main'), ['--update', '--branch', 'main'])
+test('chooseUpdaterArgs: gentle --update when both updater runtime files exist', () => {
+  assert.deepEqual(
+    chooseUpdaterArgs({ hasBootstrapMarker: true, hasVenvHermes: true, hasVenvPython: true }, 'main'),
+    ['--update', '--branch', 'main']
+  )
 })
 
-test('chooseUpdaterArgs: destructive --repair only when NO real-install signal is present', () => {
-  assert.deepEqual(chooseUpdaterArgs(false, 'main'), ['--repair', '--branch', 'main'])
+test('chooseUpdaterArgs: marker-only install uses --repair when the venv is gone', () => {
+  assert.deepEqual(
+    chooseUpdaterArgs({ hasBootstrapMarker: true, hasVenvHermes: false, hasVenvPython: false }, 'main'),
+    ['--repair', '--branch', 'main']
+  )
 })
 
-test('chooseUpdaterArgs: passes the branch through unchanged in both cases', () => {
-  assert.deepEqual(chooseUpdaterArgs(true, 'release/1.2'), ['--update', '--branch', 'release/1.2'])
-  assert.deepEqual(chooseUpdaterArgs(false, 'release/1.2'), ['--repair', '--branch', 'release/1.2'])
+test('chooseUpdaterArgs: partial updater runtimes use --repair', () => {
+  assert.deepEqual(
+    chooseUpdaterArgs({ hasBootstrapMarker: true, hasVenvHermes: false, hasVenvPython: true }, 'main'),
+    ['--repair', '--branch', 'main']
+  )
+  assert.deepEqual(
+    chooseUpdaterArgs({ hasBootstrapMarker: true, hasVenvHermes: true, hasVenvPython: false }, 'main'),
+    ['--repair', '--branch', 'main']
+  )
+})
+
+test('chooseUpdaterArgs: passes the branch through unchanged in both modes', () => {
+  assert.deepEqual(
+    chooseUpdaterArgs({ hasBootstrapMarker: false, hasVenvHermes: true, hasVenvPython: true }, 'release/1.2'),
+    ['--update', '--branch', 'release/1.2']
+  )
+  assert.deepEqual(
+    chooseUpdaterArgs({ hasBootstrapMarker: false, hasVenvHermes: false, hasVenvPython: false }, 'release/1.2'),
+    ['--repair', '--branch', 'release/1.2']
+  )
 })
 
 function makeDeps(overrides: Partial<Parameters<typeof resolveVenvHermesCommand>[2]> = {}) {
diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/windows-hermes-path.ts b/apps/desktop/electron/windows-hermes-path.ts
index 6f3542853e..f94d4b2c39 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/electron/windows-hermes-path.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/windows-hermes-path.ts
@@ -11,12 +11,11 @@
  *      hermes.cmd/hermes.exe; the shim then failed the --version probe and
  *      the desktop fell through to a spurious bootstrap/repair. The fix:
  *      PATHEXT extensions first, empty extension LAST.
- *   2. chooseUpdaterArgs() — handOffWindowsBootstrapRecovery() chose
- *      --update vs the destructive --repair by checking ONLY
- *      venv\Scripts\hermes.exe (the console-script shim, written at the END
- *      of venv setup and absent in interrupted states), so it escalated to a
- *      full venv recreate even on healthy installs. The fix: gate on ANY
- *      real-install signal, not just the shim.
+ *   2. chooseUpdaterArgs() — handOffWindowsBootstrapRecovery() must separate
+ *      install provenance from updater viability. A bootstrap-complete marker
+ *      can outlive a deleted venv, while the updater needs BOTH the venv Python
+ *      and Hermes launcher. Marker-only or partial runtimes must use --repair;
+ *      only a runnable pair can use --update.
  *   3. resolveVenvHermesCommand() — unwrapWindowsVenvHermesCommand() returned
  *      the venv python with NO runtime probe (bypassing the caller's
  *      --version check too), so a venv broken mid-update (e.g. missing
@@ -61,23 +60,26 @@ export function buildPathExtCandidates(pathext: string | undefined, isWindows: b
 }
 
 /**
- * Choose the Windows bootstrap-recovery updater invocation: the gentle
- * in-place --update when ANY real-install signal is present, the
- * destructive --repair (full venv recreate) otherwise.
+ * Choose the Windows bootstrap-recovery invocation. The gentle in-place
+ * updater can only start when both pieces of its runtime contract exist: the
+ * venv Python interpreter and the Hermes launcher that drives `hermes update`.
+ * A bootstrap-complete marker proves install provenance, not current runtime
+ * usability, and may remain after the venv is removed or quarantined.
  *
- * haveRealInstall must be computed by the caller from ALL real-install
- * signals (venv python interpreter, venv hermes shim, bootstrap-complete
- * marker) — gating on just the hermes.exe console-script shim alone is the
- * regression this function's callers must avoid: that shim is written at
- * the END of venv setup and is absent in exactly the interrupted/quarantined
- * states this recovery exists to heal.
- *
- * @param {boolean} haveRealInstall
+ * @param {BootstrapRecoverySignals} signals
  * @param {string} branch
  * @returns {string[]} updater argv, e.g. ['--update', '--branch', 'main'].
  */
-export function chooseUpdaterArgs(haveRealInstall: boolean, branch: string): string[] {
-  return haveRealInstall ? ['--update', '--branch', branch] : ['--repair', '--branch', branch]
+export interface BootstrapRecoverySignals {
+  hasBootstrapMarker: boolean
+  hasVenvHermes: boolean
+  hasVenvPython: boolean
+}
+
+export function chooseUpdaterArgs(signals: BootstrapRecoverySignals, branch: string): string[] {
+  const canRunUpdater = signals.hasVenvHermes && signals.hasVenvPython
+
+  return canRunUpdater ? ['--update', '--branch', branch] : ['--repair', '--branch', branch]
 }
 
 /**