diff --git a/agent/anthropic_adapter.py b/agent/anthropic_adapter.py
index 38431a8c1f..6d6be638fc 100644
--- a/agent/anthropic_adapter.py
+++ b/agent/anthropic_adapter.py
@@ -368,7 +368,7 @@ def _detect_claude_code_version() -> str:
         try:
             result = _sp.run(
                 [cmd, "--version"],
-                capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5,
+                capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=5,
             )
             if result.returncode == 0 and result.stdout.strip():
                 # Output is like "2.1.74 (Claude Code)" or just "2.1.74"
@@ -914,7 +914,7 @@ def _read_claude_code_credentials_from_keychain() -> Optional[Dict[str, Any]]:
              "-s", "Claude Code-credentials",
              "-w"],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=5,
             stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
         )
diff --git a/agent/context_references.py b/agent/context_references.py
index eea16ae52b..dea5fd4c3a 100644
--- a/agent/context_references.py
+++ b/agent/context_references.py
@@ -308,7 +308,7 @@ def _expand_git_reference(
             ["git", *args],
             cwd=cwd,
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=30,
             stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
             **_popen_kwargs,
@@ -534,7 +534,7 @@ def _rg_files(path: Path, cwd: Path, limit: int) -> list[Path] | None:
             ["rg", "--files", str(path.relative_to(cwd))],
             cwd=cwd,
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=10,
             stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
             **_popen_kwargs,
diff --git a/agent/copilot_acp_client.py b/agent/copilot_acp_client.py
index 662facc2df..e4990fdf5e 100644
--- a/agent/copilot_acp_client.py
+++ b/agent/copilot_acp_client.py
@@ -512,7 +512,7 @@ class CopilotACPClient:
                 stdin=subprocess.PIPE,
                 stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
                 stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
-                text=True,
+                text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                 bufsize=1,
                 cwd=self._acp_cwd,
                 env=_build_subprocess_env(),
diff --git a/agent/secret_sources/bitwarden.py b/agent/secret_sources/bitwarden.py
index 8b047880be..2d993f396c 100644
--- a/agent/secret_sources/bitwarden.py
+++ b/agent/secret_sources/bitwarden.py
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ def _platform_asset_name() -> str:
             res = subprocess.run(
                 ["ldd", "--version"],
                 capture_output=True,
-                text=True,
+                text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                 timeout=2,
                 stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
             )
@@ -684,7 +684,7 @@ def _run_bws_list(
             cmd,
             env=env,
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=_BWS_RUN_TIMEOUT,
             stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
         )
diff --git a/agent/shell_hooks.py b/agent/shell_hooks.py
index c1cec81df3..45772d0578 100644
--- a/agent/shell_hooks.py
+++ b/agent/shell_hooks.py
@@ -464,7 +464,7 @@ def _spawn(spec: ShellHookSpec, stdin_json: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
             input=stdin_json,
             capture_output=True,
             timeout=spec.timeout,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             shell=False,
             **_popen_kwargs,
         )
diff --git a/agent/skill_preprocessing.py b/agent/skill_preprocessing.py
index bd0386d580..19c6eeb80f 100644
--- a/agent/skill_preprocessing.py
+++ b/agent/skill_preprocessing.py
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ def run_inline_shell(command: str, cwd: Path | None, timeout: int) -> str:
             ["bash", "-c", command],
             cwd=str(cwd) if cwd else None,
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=max(1, int(timeout)),
             check=False,
             stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
diff --git a/agent/transports/codex_app_server.py b/agent/transports/codex_app_server.py
index 7f5831f2a3..c23ff836ed 100644
--- a/agent/transports/codex_app_server.py
+++ b/agent/transports/codex_app_server.py
@@ -394,7 +394,7 @@ def check_codex_binary(
         proc = subprocess.run(
             [codex_bin, "--version"],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=10,
             stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
         )
diff --git a/batch_runner.py b/batch_runner.py
index f7fc28d7a5..9e8883275a 100644
--- a/batch_runner.py
+++ b/batch_runner.py
@@ -282,7 +282,7 @@ def _process_single_prompt(
                         print(f"   Prompt {prompt_index}: Pulling docker image {container_image}...", flush=True)
                     pull = _sp.run(
                         ["docker", "pull", container_image],
-                        capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=600,
+                        capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=600,
                     )
                     if pull.returncode != 0:
                         return {
diff --git a/cron/scheduler.py b/cron/scheduler.py
index c309c59c4e..40937cf597 100644
--- a/cron/scheduler.py
+++ b/cron/scheduler.py
@@ -2301,7 +2301,7 @@ def _run_job_script(script_path: str) -> tuple[bool, str]:
         result = subprocess.run(
             argv,
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=script_timeout,
             cwd=str(path.parent),
             env=env,
diff --git a/gateway/platforms/base.py b/gateway/platforms/base.py
index 51c9f42405..e5a5da5776 100644
--- a/gateway/platforms/base.py
+++ b/gateway/platforms/base.py
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ def _detect_macos_system_proxy() -> str | None:
         return None
     try:
         out = subprocess.check_output(
-            ["scutil", "--proxy"], timeout=3, text=True, stderr=subprocess.DEVNULL,
+            ["scutil", "--proxy"], timeout=3, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', stderr=subprocess.DEVNULL,
         )
     except Exception:
         return None
diff --git a/gateway/platforms/webhook.py b/gateway/platforms/webhook.py
index 315f2e7cd3..3cf306e858 100644
--- a/gateway/platforms/webhook.py
+++ b/gateway/platforms/webhook.py
@@ -1259,7 +1259,7 @@ class WebhookAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
                     content,
                 ],
                 capture_output=True,
-                text=True,
+                text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                 timeout=30,
             )
             if result.returncode == 0:
diff --git a/gateway/shutdown_forensics.py b/gateway/shutdown_forensics.py
index 0a52ce14f0..34836cc6fb 100644
--- a/gateway/shutdown_forensics.py
+++ b/gateway/shutdown_forensics.py
@@ -368,7 +368,7 @@ def check_systemd_timing_alignment(drain_timeout: float) -> Optional[Dict[str, A
         try:
             result = subprocess.run(
                 ["systemctl", *flag, "show", unit_name, "--property=TimeoutStopUSec"],
-                capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=2.0,
+                capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=2.0,
             )
         except (FileNotFoundError, subprocess.TimeoutExpired, OSError):
             continue
diff --git a/gateway/status.py b/gateway/status.py
index 93be87ed67..d2d3c15091 100644
--- a/gateway/status.py
+++ b/gateway/status.py
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ def terminate_pid(pid: int, *, force: bool = False) -> None:
             result = subprocess.run(
                 ["taskkill", "/PID", str(pid), "/T", "/F"],
                 capture_output=True,
-                text=True,
+                text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                 timeout=10,
                 creationflags=windows_hide_flags(),
             )
@@ -344,7 +344,7 @@ def _read_process_cmdline(pid: int) -> Optional[str]:
             result = subprocess.run(
                 ["ps", "-p", str(pid), "-o", "command="],
                 capture_output=True,
-                text=True,
+                text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                 timeout=5,
             )
             if result.returncode == 0 and result.stdout.strip():
@@ -827,7 +827,7 @@ def _pid_exists(pid: int) -> bool:
                 r = subprocess.run(
                     ["ps", "-o", "state=", "-p", str(int(pid))],
                     capture_output=True,
-                    text=True,
+                    text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                     timeout=5,
                 )
                 if r.returncode == 0 and r.stdout.strip().startswith("Z"):
diff --git a/hermes_cli/claw.py b/hermes_cli/claw.py
index 792e35c168..8f58d9520e 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/claw.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/claw.py
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ def _detect_openclaw_processes() -> list[str]:
         try:
             result = subprocess.run(
                 ["systemctl", "--user", "is-active", "openclaw-gateway.service"],
-                capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5,
+                capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=5,
             )
             if result.stdout.strip() == "active":
                 found.append("systemd service: openclaw-gateway.service")
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ def _detect_openclaw_processes() -> list[str]:
             for exe in ("openclaw.exe", "clawd.exe"):
                 result = subprocess.run(
                     ["tasklist", "/FI", f"IMAGENAME eq {exe}"],
-                    capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5,
+                    capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=5,
                 )
                 if exe in result.stdout.lower():
                     found.append(f"process: {exe}")
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ def _detect_openclaw_processes() -> list[str]:
             )
             result = subprocess.run(
                 ["powershell", "-NoProfile", "-Command", ps_cmd],
-                capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5,
+                capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=5,
             )
             if result.stdout.strip():
                 found.append(f"node.exe process with openclaw in command line (PID {result.stdout.strip()})")
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ def _detect_openclaw_processes() -> list[str]:
         try:
             result = subprocess.run(
                 ["pgrep", "-f", "openclaw"],
-                capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=3,
+                capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=3,
             )
             if result.returncode == 0:
                 pids = result.stdout.strip().split()
diff --git a/hermes_cli/clipboard.py b/hermes_cli/clipboard.py
index a6b6da7c06..78a9a43c3d 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/clipboard.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/clipboard.py
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ def _macos_has_image() -> bool:
     try:
         info = subprocess.run(
             ["osascript", "-e", "clipboard info"],
-            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=3,
+            capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=3,
         )
         return "«class PNGf»" in info.stdout or "«class TIFF»" in info.stdout
     except Exception:
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ def _macos_osascript(dest: Path) -> bool:
     try:
         r = subprocess.run(
             ["osascript", "-e", script],
-            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5,
+            capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=5,
         )
         if r.returncode == 0 and "fail" not in r.stdout and dest.exists() and dest.stat().st_size > 0:
             return True
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ _POWERSHELL_EXTRACT_IMAGE_SCRIPTS = (
 def _run_powershell(exe: str, script: str, timeout: int) -> subprocess.CompletedProcess:
     return subprocess.run(
         [exe, "-NoProfile", "-NonInteractive", "-Command", script],
-        capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=timeout,
+        capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=timeout,
     )
 
 
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ def _find_powershell() -> str | None:
         try:
             r = subprocess.run(
                 [name, "-NoProfile", "-NonInteractive", "-Command", "echo ok"],
-                capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5,
+                capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=5,
             )
             if r.returncode == 0 and "ok" in r.stdout:
                 return name
@@ -333,7 +333,7 @@ def _wayland_has_image() -> bool:
     try:
         r = subprocess.run(
             ["wl-paste", "--list-types"],
-            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=3,
+            capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=3,
         )
         return r.returncode == 0 and any(
             t.startswith("image/") for t in r.stdout.splitlines()
@@ -351,7 +351,7 @@ def _wayland_save(dest: Path) -> bool:
         # Check available MIME types
         types_r = subprocess.run(
             ["wl-paste", "--list-types"],
-            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=3,
+            capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=3,
         )
         if types_r.returncode != 0:
             return False
@@ -453,7 +453,7 @@ def _xclip_has_image() -> bool:
     try:
         r = subprocess.run(
             ["xclip", "-selection", "clipboard", "-t", "TARGETS", "-o"],
-            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=3,
+            capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=3,
         )
         return r.returncode == 0 and "image/png" in r.stdout
     except FileNotFoundError:
@@ -469,7 +469,7 @@ def _xclip_save(dest: Path) -> bool:
     try:
         targets = subprocess.run(
             ["xclip", "-selection", "clipboard", "-t", "TARGETS", "-o"],
-            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=3,
+            capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=3,
         )
         if "image/png" not in targets.stdout:
             return False
diff --git a/hermes_cli/commands.py b/hermes_cli/commands.py
index bad2250da0..d78bbbf5fa 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/commands.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/commands.py
@@ -1669,7 +1669,7 @@ class SlashCommandCompleter(Completer):
                 continue
             try:
                 proc = subprocess.run(
-                    cmd, capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=2,
+                    cmd, capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=2,
                     cwd=cwd, encoding="utf-8", errors="replace",
                 )
                 if proc.returncode == 0 and proc.stdout and proc.stdout.strip():
diff --git a/hermes_cli/copilot_auth.py b/hermes_cli/copilot_auth.py
index 1216254fea..d193c7cf74 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/copilot_auth.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/copilot_auth.py
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ def _try_gh_cli_token() -> Optional[str]:
             result = subprocess.run(
                 cmd,
                 capture_output=True,
-                text=True,
+                text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                 timeout=5,
                 env=clean_env,
                 **_popen_kwargs,
diff --git a/hermes_cli/doctor.py b/hermes_cli/doctor.py
index 7d585176ef..6ada680d27 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/doctor.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/doctor.py
@@ -1672,7 +1672,7 @@ def run_doctor(args):
                 result = subprocess.run(
                     cmd,
                     capture_output=True,
-                    text=True,
+                    text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                     timeout=15
                 )
             except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
@@ -1836,7 +1836,7 @@ def run_doctor(args):
                 audit_result = subprocess.run(
                     [_npm_bin, "audit", "--json", *audit_extra],
                     cwd=str(npm_dir),
-                    capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=30,
+                    capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=30,
                 )
                 import json as _json
                 audit_data = _json.loads(audit_result.stdout) if audit_result.stdout.strip() else {}
diff --git a/hermes_cli/dump.py b/hermes_cli/dump.py
index 139be0b592..9b6685ae5e 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/dump.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/dump.py
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ def _get_git_commit(project_root: Path) -> str:
     try:
         result = subprocess.run(
             ["git", "rev-parse", "--short=8", "HEAD"],
-            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5,
+            capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=5,
             cwd=str(project_root),
         )
         if result.returncode == 0:
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ def _get_git_commit_date(project_root: Path) -> str:
     try:
         result = subprocess.run(
             ["git", "log", "-1", "--format=%cd", "--date=short", "HEAD"],
-            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5,
+            capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=5,
             cwd=str(project_root),
         )
         if result.returncode == 0:
diff --git a/hermes_cli/gateway.py b/hermes_cli/gateway.py
index ac95fac06d..29cc802f86 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/gateway.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/gateway.py
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ def _get_service_pids() -> set:
                         "--no-pager",
                     ],
                     capture_output=True,
-                    text=True,
+                    text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                     timeout=5,
                 )
                 for line in result.stdout.strip().splitlines():
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ def _get_service_pids() -> set:
                         show = subprocess.run(
                             scope_args + ["show", svc, "--property=MainPID", "--value"],
                             capture_output=True,
-                            text=True,
+                            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                             timeout=5,
                         )
                         pid = int(show.stdout.strip())
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ def _get_service_pids() -> set:
             result = subprocess.run(
                 ["launchctl", "list", label],
                 capture_output=True,
-                text=True,
+                text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                 timeout=5,
             )
             if result.returncode == 0:
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ def _get_parent_pid(pid: int) -> int | None:
         result = subprocess.run(
             ["ps", "-o", "ppid=", "-p", str(pid)],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=5,
         )
     except (FileNotFoundError, subprocess.TimeoutExpired):
@@ -421,7 +421,7 @@ def _scan_gateway_pids(
                             "/FORMAT:LIST",
                         ],
                         capture_output=True,
-                        text=True,
+                        text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                         encoding="utf-8",
                         errors="ignore",
                         timeout=10,
@@ -447,7 +447,7 @@ def _scan_gateway_pids(
                     result = subprocess.run(
                         [powershell, "-NoProfile", "-Command", ps_cmd],
                         capture_output=True,
-                        text=True,
+                        text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                         encoding="utf-8",
                         errors="ignore",
                         timeout=15,
@@ -504,7 +504,7 @@ def _scan_gateway_pids(
                 result = subprocess.run(
                     ["ps", "-A", "eww", "-o", "pid=,command="],
                     capture_output=True,
-                    text=True,
+                    text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                     timeout=10,
                 )
                 if result.returncode != 0:
@@ -911,7 +911,7 @@ def _probe_systemd_service_running(system: bool = False) -> tuple[bool, bool]:
             ["is-active", get_service_name()],
             system=selected_system,
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=10,
         )
     except (RuntimeError, subprocess.TimeoutExpired):
@@ -938,7 +938,7 @@ def _read_systemd_unit_environment(system: bool = False) -> dict[str, str]:
             ],
             system=selected_system,
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=10,
         )
     except (RuntimeError, subprocess.TimeoutExpired, OSError):
@@ -1031,7 +1031,7 @@ def _read_systemd_unit_properties(
             ],
             system=selected_system,
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=10,
         )
     except (RuntimeError, subprocess.TimeoutExpired, OSError):
@@ -1288,7 +1288,7 @@ def _probe_launchd_service_running() -> bool:
         result = subprocess.run(
             ["launchctl", "list", get_launchd_label()],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=10,
         )
     except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
@@ -1646,7 +1646,7 @@ def _systemd_operational(system: bool = False) -> bool:
             ["is-system-running"],
             system=system,
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=5,
         )
         # "running", "degraded", "starting" all mean systemd is PID 1
@@ -1955,7 +1955,7 @@ def _preflight_user_systemd(*, auto_enable_linger: bool = True) -> None:
             result = subprocess.run(
                 ["loginctl", "enable-linger", username],
                 capture_output=True,
-                text=True,
+                text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                 check=False,
                 timeout=30,
             )
@@ -2432,7 +2432,7 @@ def get_systemd_linger_status() -> tuple[bool | None, str]:
         result = subprocess.run(
             ["loginctl", "show-user", username, "--property=Linger", "--value"],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             check=False,
             timeout=10,
         )
@@ -3115,7 +3115,7 @@ def _ensure_linger_enabled() -> None:
         result = subprocess.run(
             ["loginctl", "enable-linger", username],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             check=False,
             timeout=30,
         )
@@ -3498,7 +3498,7 @@ def systemd_status(deep: bool = False, system: bool = False, full: bool = False)
         ["is-active", get_service_name()],
         system=system,
         capture_output=True,
-        text=True,
+        text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
         timeout=10,
     )
 
@@ -3646,7 +3646,7 @@ def _launchd_domain() -> str:
         result = subprocess.run(
             ["launchctl", "managername"],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=5,
         )
         if "Aqua" in (result.stdout or ""):
@@ -4479,7 +4479,7 @@ def launchd_status(deep: bool = False):
         result = subprocess.run(
             ["launchctl", "list", label],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=10,
         )
         service_listed = result.returncode == 0
@@ -5650,7 +5650,7 @@ def _is_service_running() -> bool:
                     ["is-active", get_service_name()],
                     system=False,
                     capture_output=True,
-                    text=True,
+                    text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                     timeout=10,
                 )
                 if result.stdout.strip() == "active":
@@ -5664,7 +5664,7 @@ def _is_service_running() -> bool:
                     ["is-active", get_service_name()],
                     system=True,
                     capture_output=True,
-                    text=True,
+                    text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                     timeout=10,
                 )
                 if result.stdout.strip() == "active":
@@ -5678,7 +5678,7 @@ def _is_service_running() -> bool:
             result = subprocess.run(
                 ["launchctl", "list", get_launchd_label()],
                 capture_output=True,
-                text=True,
+                text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                 timeout=10,
             )
             return result.returncode == 0
diff --git a/hermes_cli/gateway_windows.py b/hermes_cli/gateway_windows.py
index a55200a15d..0a0b2041a6 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/gateway_windows.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/gateway_windows.py
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ def _exec_schtasks(args: list[str]) -> tuple[int, str, str]:
         proc = subprocess.run(
             [schtasks, *args],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             # Localized Windows emits schtasks output in the console code page,
             # not UTF-8. Decode with the locale encoding and replace undecodable
             # bytes so a non-UTF-8 status line never surfaces a UnicodeDecodeError
diff --git a/hermes_cli/kanban_db.py b/hermes_cli/kanban_db.py
index 9ab82318dc..69c9a4992f 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/kanban_db.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/kanban_db.py
@@ -5212,7 +5212,7 @@ def _cleanup_worker_tmux(conn: sqlite3.Connection, task_id: str) -> None:
         # Check if session exists and pane is dead before killing
         out = subprocess.run(
             ["tmux", "list-panes", "-t", session, "-F", "#{pane_dead}"],
-            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5,
+            capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=5,
         )
         if out.stdout.strip() == "1":
             subprocess.run(
@@ -6138,7 +6138,7 @@ def _git_toplevel(path: Path) -> Optional[Path]:
         result = subprocess.run(
             ["git", "-C", str(path), "rev-parse", "--show-toplevel"],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=30,
             check=False,
         )
@@ -6160,7 +6160,7 @@ def _git_branch_exists(repo_root: Path, branch_name: str) -> bool:
         result = subprocess.run(
             ["git", "-C", str(repo_root), "show-ref", "--verify", f"refs/heads/{branch_name}"],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=30,
             check=False,
         )
@@ -6174,7 +6174,7 @@ def _git_common_dir(path: Path) -> Optional[Path]:
         result = subprocess.run(
             ["git", "-C", str(path), "rev-parse", "--path-format=absolute", "--git-common-dir"],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=30,
             check=False,
         )
@@ -6193,7 +6193,7 @@ def _git_dir(path: Path) -> Optional[Path]:
         result = subprocess.run(
             ["git", "-C", str(path), "rev-parse", "--path-format=absolute", "--git-dir"],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=30,
             check=False,
         )
@@ -6212,7 +6212,7 @@ def _git_current_branch(path: Path) -> Optional[str]:
         result = subprocess.run(
             ["git", "-C", str(path), "branch", "--show-current"],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=30,
             check=False,
         )
@@ -6269,7 +6269,7 @@ def _ensure_git_worktree(repo_root: Path, target: Path, branch_name: str) -> Non
     result = subprocess.run(
         cmd,
         capture_output=True,
-        text=True,
+        text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
         timeout=60,
         check=False,
     )
@@ -6765,7 +6765,7 @@ def _pid_alive(pid: Optional[int]) -> bool:
                 ["ps", "-o", "stat=", "-p", str(int(pid))],
                 stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
                 stderr=subprocess.DEVNULL,
-                text=True,
+                text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                 timeout=1,
                 check=False,
             )
diff --git a/hermes_cli/managed_uv.py b/hermes_cli/managed_uv.py
index 78c8f46900..c66494864c 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/managed_uv.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/managed_uv.py
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ def _ensure_uv_path() -> Optional[str]:
         version = subprocess.run(
             [result, "--version"],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             check=False,
         ).stdout.strip()
         print(f"  ✓ Managed uv installed ({version})")
@@ -170,14 +170,14 @@ def update_managed_uv() -> Optional[str]:
     result = subprocess.run(
         [existing, "self", "update"],
         capture_output=True,
-        text=True,
+        text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
         check=False,
     )
     if result.returncode == 0:
         version = subprocess.run(
             [existing, "--version"],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             check=False,
         ).stdout.strip()
         print(f"  ✓ Managed uv updated ({version})")
diff --git a/hermes_cli/plugins_cmd.py b/hermes_cli/plugins_cmd.py
index f5c57bb88f..07f2f3198a 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/plugins_cmd.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/plugins_cmd.py
@@ -472,7 +472,7 @@ def _install_plugin_core(identifier: str, *, force: bool) -> tuple[Path, dict, s
             result = subprocess.run(
                 [git_exe, "clone", "--depth", "1", git_url, str(tmp_clone)],
                 capture_output=True,
-                text=True,
+                text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                 timeout=60,
             )
         except FileNotFoundError as e:
@@ -1969,7 +1969,7 @@ def _git_pull_plugin_dir(target: Path) -> tuple[bool, str]:
         result = subprocess.run(
             [git_exe, "pull", "--ff-only"],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=60,
             cwd=str(target),
         )
diff --git a/hermes_cli/profiles.py b/hermes_cli/profiles.py
index 55231104fa..1b99eca392 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/profiles.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/profiles.py
@@ -406,7 +406,7 @@ def check_alias_collision(name: str) -> Optional[str]:
     try:
         result = subprocess.run(
             ["where" if is_windows else "which", canon],
-            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5,
+            capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=5,
         )
         if result.returncode == 0:
             existing_path = result.stdout.strip().splitlines()[0]
@@ -1206,7 +1206,7 @@ def seed_profile_skills(profile_dir: Path, quiet: bool = False) -> Optional[dict
              "r = sync_skills(quiet=True); print(json.dumps(r))"],
             env={**os.environ, "HERMES_HOME": str(profile_dir)},
             cwd=str(project_root),
-            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=60,
+            capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=60,
         )
         if result.returncode == 0 and result.stdout.strip():
             return json.loads(result.stdout.strip())
diff --git a/hermes_cli/secrets_cli.py b/hermes_cli/secrets_cli.py
index 12710a5ca3..53f5d5b4d1 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/secrets_cli.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/secrets_cli.py
@@ -562,7 +562,7 @@ def _bws_version(binary: Path) -> str:
         res = subprocess.run(
             [str(binary), "--version"],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=5,
         )
         if res.returncode == 0:
@@ -618,7 +618,7 @@ def _list_projects(
             [str(binary), "project", "list", "--output", "json"],
             env=env,
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=15,
         )
     except (OSError, subprocess.TimeoutExpired) as exc:
diff --git a/hermes_cli/service_manager.py b/hermes_cli/service_manager.py
index 3cfa673098..198166f473 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/service_manager.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/service_manager.py
@@ -838,7 +838,7 @@ class S6ServiceManager:
         try:
             subprocess.run(
                 [f"{_S6_BIN_DIR}/s6-svc", action_flag, str(service_dir)],
-                check=True, capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5,
+                check=True, capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=5,
             )
         except subprocess.CalledProcessError as exc:
             raise S6CommandError(
@@ -873,7 +873,7 @@ class S6ServiceManager:
         try:
             result = subprocess.run(
                 [f"{_S6_BIN_DIR}/s6-svstat", str(self.scandir / name)],
-                capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5,
+                capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=5,
             )
         except (OSError, subprocess.SubprocessError):
             return None
@@ -926,7 +926,7 @@ class S6ServiceManager:
         import subprocess
         result = subprocess.run(
             [f"{_S6_BIN_DIR}/s6-svstat", str(self.scandir / name)],
-            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5,
+            capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=5,
         )
         return result.returncode == 0 and "up " in result.stdout
 
@@ -1029,7 +1029,7 @@ class S6ServiceManager:
         # Trigger rescan so s6-svscan picks up the new service.
         result = subprocess.run(
             [f"{_S6_BIN_DIR}/s6-svscanctl", "-a", str(self.scandir)],
-            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5,
+            capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=5,
         )
         if result.returncode != 0:
             # Clean up: rescan failed, leave the directory in place would
@@ -1066,13 +1066,13 @@ class S6ServiceManager:
         # Stop the service (best effort — service may already be down).
         subprocess.run(
             [f"{_S6_BIN_DIR}/s6-svc", "-d", str(svc_dir)],
-            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5,
+            capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=5,
             check=False,
         )
         # Wait for it to actually go down (up to 10s).
         subprocess.run(
             [f"{_S6_BIN_DIR}/s6-svwait", "-D", "-t", "10000", str(svc_dir)],
-            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=15,
+            capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=15,
             check=False,
         )
 
@@ -1084,7 +1084,7 @@ class S6ServiceManager:
         # files inside the slot, so the upcoming rmtree doesn't race.
         subprocess.run(
             [f"{_S6_BIN_DIR}/s6-svscanctl", "-an", str(self.scandir)],
-            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5,
+            capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=5,
             check=False,
         )
         # Give s6-svscan a moment to reap. There's no synchronous
diff --git a/hermes_cli/uninstall.py b/hermes_cli/uninstall.py
index 6832d3d560..4e883f3e2b 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/uninstall.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/uninstall.py
@@ -465,7 +465,7 @@ def _uninstall_profile(profile) -> None:
             subprocess.run(
                 hermes_invocation + ["gateway", subcmd],
                 capture_output=True,
-                text=True,
+                text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                 timeout=60,
                 check=False,
             )
diff --git a/hermes_cli/web_git.py b/hermes_cli/web_git.py
index 0af1210674..0a00c0246c 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/web_git.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/web_git.py
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ def _git(cwd: str, args: list[str], *, timeout: int = _GIT_TIMEOUT) -> tuple[int
             ["git", *args],
             cwd=cwd,
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=timeout,
         )
     except (OSError, subprocess.SubprocessError):
@@ -421,7 +421,7 @@ def _gh(cwd: str, args: list[str]) -> tuple[bool, str]:
         return False, ""
     try:
         proc = subprocess.run(
-            ["gh", *args], cwd=cwd, capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=_GH_TIMEOUT
+            ["gh", *args], cwd=cwd, capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=_GH_TIMEOUT
         )
     except (OSError, subprocess.SubprocessError):
         return False, ""
diff --git a/hermes_cli/webhook.py b/hermes_cli/webhook.py
index 9b9de6cd5a..823347f6e1 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/webhook.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/webhook.py
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ def _save_subscriptions(subs: Dict[str, dict]) -> None:
         prefix=f".{path.name}.",
         suffix=".tmp",
         dir=path.parent,
-        text=True,
+        text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
     )
     tmp_path = Path(tmp_name)
     try:
diff --git a/optional-skills/creative/kanban-video-orchestrator/scripts/monitor.py b/optional-skills/creative/kanban-video-orchestrator/scripts/monitor.py
index fb6fddc5bf..dc3c11845b 100755
--- a/optional-skills/creative/kanban-video-orchestrator/scripts/monitor.py
+++ b/optional-skills/creative/kanban-video-orchestrator/scripts/monitor.py
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ def kanban_list(tenant: str) -> list[dict]:
     try:
         out = subprocess.run(
             ["hermes", "kanban", "list", "--tenant", tenant, "--json"],
-            capture_output=True, text=True, check=False,
+            capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', check=False,
         )
         if out.returncode == 0 and out.stdout.strip().startswith("["):
             return json.loads(out.stdout)
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ def kanban_list(tenant: str) -> list[dict]:
     # Fallback: textual parse of `hermes kanban list`
     out = subprocess.run(
         ["hermes", "kanban", "list", "--tenant", tenant],
-        capture_output=True, text=True, check=False,
+        capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', check=False,
     )
     rows = []
     for line in out.stdout.splitlines():
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ def kanban_list(tenant: str) -> list[dict]:
 def kanban_show(task_id: str) -> dict | None:
     out = subprocess.run(
         ["hermes", "kanban", "show", task_id, "--json"],
-        capture_output=True, text=True, check=False,
+        capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', check=False,
     )
     if out.returncode != 0:
         return None
diff --git a/plugins/google_meet/audio_bridge.py b/plugins/google_meet/audio_bridge.py
index 7650c54f57..8159c21c17 100644
--- a/plugins/google_meet/audio_bridge.py
+++ b/plugins/google_meet/audio_bridge.py
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ class AudioBridge:
                 ],
                 check=True,
                 capture_output=True,
-                text=True,
+                text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                 stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
             )
         except FileNotFoundError as exc:
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ class AudioBridge:
                 ],
                 check=True,
                 capture_output=True,
-                text=True,
+                text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                 stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
             )
         except subprocess.CalledProcessError as exc:
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ class AudioBridge:
         try:
             out = subprocess.check_output(
                 ["system_profiler", "SPAudioDataType"],
-                text=True,
+                text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                 stderr=subprocess.STDOUT,
             )
         except FileNotFoundError as exc:
diff --git a/plugins/google_meet/cli.py b/plugins/google_meet/cli.py
index 1ab0c0fd73..45fede0381 100644
--- a/plugins/google_meet/cli.py
+++ b/plugins/google_meet/cli.py
@@ -293,7 +293,7 @@ def _cmd_install(*, realtime: bool, assume_yes: bool) -> int:
         elif system == "Darwin":
             have_bh = False
             try:
-                out = _sp.check_output(["system_profiler", "SPAudioDataType"], text=True)
+                out = _sp.check_output(["system_profiler", "SPAudioDataType"], text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace')
                 have_bh = "BlackHole" in out
             except Exception:
                 pass
diff --git a/plugins/google_meet/meet_bot.py b/plugins/google_meet/meet_bot.py
index 211e08d4c6..0396d03949 100644
--- a/plugins/google_meet/meet_bot.py
+++ b/plugins/google_meet/meet_bot.py
@@ -425,7 +425,7 @@ def _mac_audio_device_index(device_name: str) -> str:
         out = _sp.run(
             ["ffmpeg", "-f", "avfoundation", "-list_devices", "true", "-i", ""],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=10,
         )
     except Exception:
diff --git a/plugins/memory/byterover/__init__.py b/plugins/memory/byterover/__init__.py
index 5161bacf41..dd5cf3b2b8 100644
--- a/plugins/memory/byterover/__init__.py
+++ b/plugins/memory/byterover/__init__.py
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ def _run_brv(args: List[str], timeout: int = _QUERY_TIMEOUT,
 
     try:
         result = subprocess.run(
-            cmd, capture_output=True, text=True,
+            cmd, capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=timeout, cwd=effective_cwd, env=env,
             stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
         )
diff --git a/plugins/memory/honcho/client.py b/plugins/memory/honcho/client.py
index a1b6552aba..cc1da55ffa 100644
--- a/plugins/memory/honcho/client.py
+++ b/plugins/memory/honcho/client.py
@@ -742,7 +742,7 @@ class HonchoClientConfig:
         try:
             root = subprocess.run(
                 ["git", "rev-parse", "--show-toplevel"],
-                capture_output=True, text=True, cwd=cwd, timeout=5,
+                capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', cwd=cwd, timeout=5,
                 stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
             )
             if root.returncode == 0:
diff --git a/plugins/memory/mem0/_setup.py b/plugins/memory/mem0/_setup.py
index 9883d8f2c1..e84308a5fb 100644
--- a/plugins/memory/mem0/_setup.py
+++ b/plugins/memory/mem0/_setup.py
@@ -525,7 +525,7 @@ def _ensure_pgvector(host: str = "localhost", port: int = 5432) -> dict | None:
         try:
             result = subprocess.run(
                 ["docker", "inspect", _PGVECTOR_CONTAINER, "--format", "{{.State.Status}}"],
-                capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=10, stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
+                capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=10, stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
             )
             if result.returncode == 0 and "exited" in result.stdout:
                 print(f"  Found stopped container '{_PGVECTOR_CONTAINER}', restarting...")
diff --git a/plugins/platforms/photon/adapter.py b/plugins/platforms/photon/adapter.py
index 29f4902904..2f8cae3563 100644
--- a/plugins/platforms/photon/adapter.py
+++ b/plugins/platforms/photon/adapter.py
@@ -834,7 +834,7 @@ class PhotonAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         try:
             out = subprocess.run(  # noqa: S603, S607
                 ["lsof", "-ti", f"tcp:{port}", "-sTCP:LISTEN"],
-                capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5.0, check=False,
+                capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=5.0, check=False,
             )
         except (OSError, subprocess.TimeoutExpired):
             return []
@@ -846,7 +846,7 @@ class PhotonAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         try:
             out = subprocess.run(  # noqa: S603, S607
                 ["ps", "-p", str(pid), "-o", "command="],
-                capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5.0, check=False,
+                capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=5.0, check=False,
             )
         except (OSError, subprocess.TimeoutExpired):
             return False
@@ -962,7 +962,7 @@ class PhotonAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
                     str(_SIDECAR_DIR),
                 ],
                 capture_output=True,
-                text=True,
+                text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                 timeout=10,
                 check=False,
                 # Windows: suppress the brief console flash this short-lived
diff --git a/plugins/platforms/whatsapp/adapter.py b/plugins/platforms/whatsapp/adapter.py
index df351f4863..8736274a76 100644
--- a/plugins/platforms/whatsapp/adapter.py
+++ b/plugins/platforms/whatsapp/adapter.py
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ def _listener_pids_on_port(port: int) -> list:
     try:
         result = subprocess.run(
             ["lsof", "-ti", f"tcp:{port}", "-sTCP:LISTEN"],
-            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5,
+            capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=5,
         )
         for line in result.stdout.strip().splitlines():
             try:
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ def _listener_pids_on_port(port: int) -> list:
     try:
         result = subprocess.run(
             ["ss", "-ltnHp", f"sport = :{port}"],
-            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5,
+            capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=5,
         )
         for m in re.finditer(r"pid=(\d+)", result.stdout):
             pids.append(int(m.group(1)))
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ def _kill_port_process(port: int) -> None:
             # Use netstat to find the PID bound to this port, then taskkill
             result = subprocess.run(
                 ["netstat", "-ano", "-p", "TCP"],
-                capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5,
+                capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=5,
                 creationflags=windows_hide_flags(),
             )
             for line in result.stdout.splitlines():
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ def _terminate_bridge_process(proc, *, force: bool = False) -> None:
             result = subprocess.run(
                 cmd,
                 capture_output=True,
-                text=True,
+                text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                 timeout=10,
             )
         except FileNotFoundError:
@@ -349,7 +349,7 @@ def check_whatsapp_requirements() -> bool:
         result = subprocess.run(
             [_node, "--version"],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=5
         )
         return result.returncode == 0
@@ -547,7 +547,7 @@ class WhatsAppAdapter(WhatsAppBehaviorMixin, BasePlatformAdapter):
                         [_npm_bin, "install", "--silent"],
                         cwd=str(bridge_dir),
                         capture_output=True,
-                        text=True,
+                        text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                         timeout=npm_install_timeout,
                         env=with_hermes_node_path(),
                     )
diff --git a/plugins/web/exa/provider.py b/plugins/web/exa/provider.py
index 17ce665dc1..60e73a3f35 100644
--- a/plugins/web/exa/provider.py
+++ b/plugins/web/exa/provider.py
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ class ExaWebSearchProvider(WebSearchProvider):
                 ]
 
             logger.info("Exa extract: %d URL(s)", len(urls))
-            response = _get_exa_client().get_contents(urls, text=True)
+            response = _get_exa_client().get_contents(urls, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace')
 
             results: List[Dict[str, Any]] = []
             for result in response.results or []:
diff --git a/scripts/check-windows-footguns.py b/scripts/check-windows-footguns.py
index c0ca6622ec..031c7648b4 100644
--- a/scripts/check-windows-footguns.py
+++ b/scripts/check-windows-footguns.py
@@ -492,7 +492,7 @@ def get_staged_files() -> list[Path]:
             ["git", "diff", "--cached", "--name-only", "--diff-filter=ACMR"],
             cwd=REPO_ROOT,
             stderr=subprocess.DEVNULL,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
         )
     except (subprocess.CalledProcessError, FileNotFoundError):
         return []
@@ -506,7 +506,7 @@ def get_diff_files(ref: str) -> list[Path]:
             ["git", "diff", f"{ref}...HEAD", "--name-only", "--diff-filter=ACMR"],
             cwd=REPO_ROOT,
             stderr=subprocess.DEVNULL,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
         )
     except (subprocess.CalledProcessError, FileNotFoundError):
         return []
diff --git a/scripts/contributor_audit.py b/scripts/contributor_audit.py
index 460bb1ca89..6bd5795672 100644
--- a/scripts/contributor_audit.py
+++ b/scripts/contributor_audit.py
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ def git(*args, cwd=None):
     result = subprocess.run(
         ["git"] + list(args),
         capture_output=True,
-        text=True,
+        text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
         cwd=cwd or str(REPO_ROOT),
     )
     if result.returncode != 0:
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ def gh_pr_list():
                 "--limit", "300",
             ],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=60,
         )
         if result.returncode != 0:
diff --git a/scripts/profile-tui.py b/scripts/profile-tui.py
index 788fd464bc..a85573a6f7 100755
--- a/scripts/profile-tui.py
+++ b/scripts/profile-tui.py
@@ -572,7 +572,7 @@ def loop_mode(args: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
                     ["npm", "run", "build"],
                     cwd=tui_dir,
                     capture_output=True,
-                    text=True,
+                    text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                 )
                 if result.returncode != 0:
                     print("✗ build failed:")
diff --git a/skills/creative/comfyui/scripts/auto_fix_deps.py b/skills/creative/comfyui/scripts/auto_fix_deps.py
index 788bf8e9e3..79689972b0 100755
--- a/skills/creative/comfyui/scripts/auto_fix_deps.py
+++ b/skills/creative/comfyui/scripts/auto_fix_deps.py
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ def run_cmd(cmd: list[str], *, dry_run: bool = False) -> tuple[int, str]:
     if dry_run:
         return 0, "[dry-run]"
     log(f"$ {' '.join(cmd)}")
-    proc = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True, check=False)
+    proc = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', check=False)
     out = (proc.stdout or "") + (proc.stderr or "")
     return proc.returncode, out
 
diff --git a/skills/creative/comfyui/scripts/hardware_check.py b/skills/creative/comfyui/scripts/hardware_check.py
index 083d018acc..a89b66dc68 100755
--- a/skills/creative/comfyui/scripts/hardware_check.py
+++ b/skills/creative/comfyui/scripts/hardware_check.py
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ _COMFY_CLI_FLAG = {
 def _run(cmd: list[str], timeout: int = 8) -> str:
     try:
         out = subprocess.run(
-            cmd, capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=timeout, check=False
+            cmd, capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=timeout, check=False
         )
         return (out.stdout or "") + (out.stderr or "")
     except (FileNotFoundError, subprocess.TimeoutExpired, OSError):
diff --git a/skills/productivity/google-workspace/scripts/google_api.py b/skills/productivity/google-workspace/scripts/google_api.py
index 27855a5158..a4b0451b6a 100644
--- a/skills/productivity/google-workspace/scripts/google_api.py
+++ b/skills/productivity/google-workspace/scripts/google_api.py
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ def _run_gws(parts: list[str], *, params: dict | None = None, body: dict | None
     result = subprocess.run(
         cmd,
         capture_output=True,
-        text=True,
+        text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
         env=_gws_env(),
     )
     if result.returncode != 0:
diff --git a/tools/browser_tool.py b/tools/browser_tool.py
index bcc1455d78..c8cf751570 100644
--- a/tools/browser_tool.py
+++ b/tools/browser_tool.py
@@ -4687,7 +4687,7 @@ def _maybe_autoinstall_chromium() -> bool:
         proc = subprocess.run(
             install_cmd,
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=600,
             env=_build_browser_env(),
         )
diff --git a/tools/checkpoint_manager.py b/tools/checkpoint_manager.py
index b5ce04c6a6..cf5c1d726e 100644
--- a/tools/checkpoint_manager.py
+++ b/tools/checkpoint_manager.py
@@ -327,7 +327,7 @@ def _run_git(
         result = subprocess.run(
             cmd,
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=timeout,
             env=env,
             cwd=str(normalized_working_dir),
@@ -453,7 +453,7 @@ def _init_store(store: Path, working_dir: str) -> Optional[str]:
     try:
         result = subprocess.run(
             ["git", "init", "--bare", str(store)],
-            capture_output=True, text=True,
+            capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             env=init_env, timeout=_GIT_TIMEOUT,
             stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
             creationflags=windows_hide_flags(),
diff --git a/tools/computer_use/doctor.py b/tools/computer_use/doctor.py
index 54fad06668..5e5cdf45e8 100644
--- a/tools/computer_use/doctor.py
+++ b/tools/computer_use/doctor.py
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ def _drive_health_report(
         stdin=subprocess.PIPE,
         stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
         stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
-        text=True,
+        text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
         encoding="utf-8",
         errors="replace",
         bufsize=1,
diff --git a/tools/computer_use/permissions.py b/tools/computer_use/permissions.py
index 4cccf2d683..541fd284c0 100644
--- a/tools/computer_use/permissions.py
+++ b/tools/computer_use/permissions.py
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ def _run(binary: str, *args: str, timeout: float) -> subprocess.CompletedProcess
     return subprocess.run(
         [binary, *args],
         capture_output=True,
-        text=True,
+        text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
         timeout=timeout,
         env=_child_env(),
         stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
diff --git a/tools/environments/docker.py b/tools/environments/docker.py
index f1470e3285..ea436f5023 100644
--- a/tools/environments/docker.py
+++ b/tools/environments/docker.py
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ def reap_orphan_containers(
     try:
         listing = subprocess.run(
             [docker, "ps", "-a", *filters, "--format", "{{.ID}}"],
-            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=15, check=False,
+            capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=15, check=False,
             stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
         )
     except (subprocess.TimeoutExpired, OSError) as e:
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ def reap_orphan_containers(
         try:
             result = subprocess.run(
                 [docker, "rm", "-f", cid],
-                capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=30,
+                capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=30,
                 stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
             )
             if result.returncode == 0:
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@ def _container_finished_at(docker_exe: str, container_id: str):
     try:
         result = subprocess.run(
             [docker_exe, "inspect", "--format", "{{.State.FinishedAt}}", container_id],
-            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=10, check=False,
+            capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=10, check=False,
             stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
         )
     except (subprocess.TimeoutExpired, OSError) as e:
@@ -637,7 +637,7 @@ def _image_uses_init_entrypoint(docker_exe: str, image: str) -> bool:
             [docker_exe, "image", "inspect", image,
              "--format", "{{json .Config.Entrypoint}}"],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=15,
             stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
         )
@@ -720,7 +720,7 @@ def _cgroup_limits_available(image: str) -> bool:
              "--cpus", "0.5", "--memory", "64m", "--pids-limit", "32",
              image, "sleep", "0"],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=60,
             stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
         )
@@ -763,7 +763,7 @@ def _ensure_docker_available() -> None:
         result = subprocess.run(
             [docker_exe, "version"],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=5,
             stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
         )
@@ -1393,7 +1393,7 @@ class DockerEnvironment(BaseEnvironment):
                         subprocess.run(
                             [self._docker_exe, "start", container_id],
                             capture_output=True,
-                            text=True,
+                            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                             timeout=30,
                             check=True,
                             stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
@@ -1432,7 +1432,7 @@ class DockerEnvironment(BaseEnvironment):
                 result = subprocess.run(
                     run_cmd,
                     capture_output=True,
-                    text=True,
+                    text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                     timeout=120,  # image pull may take a while
                     check=True,
                     stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
@@ -1569,7 +1569,7 @@ class DockerEnvironment(BaseEnvironment):
                 try:
                     subprocess.run(
                         [self._docker_exe, "start", cid],
-                        capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=30, check=True,
+                        capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=30, check=True,
                         stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
                     )
                     self._container_id = cid
@@ -1600,7 +1600,7 @@ class DockerEnvironment(BaseEnvironment):
                     "sleep", "infinity",
                 ]
                 result = subprocess.run(
-                    run_cmd, capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=120, check=True,
+                    run_cmd, capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=120, check=True,
                     stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
                 )
                 self._container_id = result.stdout.strip()
@@ -1655,7 +1655,7 @@ class DockerEnvironment(BaseEnvironment):
             docker = find_docker() or "docker"
             result = subprocess.run(
                 [docker, "info", "--format", "{{.Driver}}"],
-                capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=10,
+                capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=10,
                 stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
             )
             driver = result.stdout.strip().lower()
@@ -1666,7 +1666,7 @@ class DockerEnvironment(BaseEnvironment):
             # Probe by attempting a dry-ish run — the fastest reliable check.
             probe = subprocess.run(
                 [docker, "create", "--storage-opt", "size=1m", "hello-world"],
-                capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=15,
+                capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=15,
                 stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
             )
             if probe.returncode == 0:
@@ -1761,7 +1761,7 @@ class DockerEnvironment(BaseEnvironment):
                     "--format", fmt,
                 ],
                 capture_output=True,
-                text=True,
+                text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                 timeout=10,
                 check=False,
                 stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
diff --git a/tools/environments/local.py b/tools/environments/local.py
index cce93c20b6..fe83ae2a61 100644
--- a/tools/environments/local.py
+++ b/tools/environments/local.py
@@ -1403,7 +1403,7 @@ class LocalEnvironment(BaseEnvironment):
 
         proc = subprocess.Popen(
             args,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             env=run_env,
             encoding="utf-8",
             errors="replace",
diff --git a/tools/environments/singularity.py b/tools/environments/singularity.py
index 666d908b25..169937096b 100644
--- a/tools/environments/singularity.py
+++ b/tools/environments/singularity.py
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ def _ensure_singularity_available() -> str:
     exe = _find_singularity_executable()
     try:
         result = subprocess.run(
-            [exe, "version"], capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=10,
+            [exe, "version"], capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=10,
             stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
         )
     except FileNotFoundError:
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ def _get_or_build_sif(image: str, executable: str = "apptainer") -> str:
         try:
             result = subprocess.run(
                 [executable, "build", str(sif_path), image],
-                capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=600, env=env,
+                capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=600, env=env,
                 stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
             )
             if result.returncode != 0:
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ class SingularityEnvironment(BaseEnvironment):
         cmd.extend([str(self.image), self.instance_id])
 
         try:
-            result = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=120, stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL)
+            result = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=120, stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL)
             if result.returncode != 0:
                 raise RuntimeError(f"Failed to start instance: {result.stderr}")
             self._instance_started = True
@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ class SingularityEnvironment(BaseEnvironment):
             try:
                 subprocess.run(
                     [self.executable, "instance", "stop", self.instance_id],
-                    capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=30,
+                    capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=30,
                     stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
                 )
                 logger.info("Singularity instance %s stopped", self.instance_id)
diff --git a/tools/environments/ssh.py b/tools/environments/ssh.py
index 1a06ad9b82..f3e4d5561d 100644
--- a/tools/environments/ssh.py
+++ b/tools/environments/ssh.py
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ class SSHEnvironment(BaseEnvironment):
             result = subprocess.run(
                 cmd,
                 capture_output=True,
-                text=True,
+                text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                 timeout=15,
                 stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
             )
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ class SSHEnvironment(BaseEnvironment):
             result = subprocess.run(
                 cmd,
                 capture_output=True,
-                text=True,
+                text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                 timeout=10,
                 stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
             )
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ class SSHEnvironment(BaseEnvironment):
         subprocess.run(
             cmd,
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=10,
             stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
         )
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ class SSHEnvironment(BaseEnvironment):
         subprocess.run(
             mkdir_cmd,
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=10,
             stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
         )
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ class SSHEnvironment(BaseEnvironment):
         result = subprocess.run(
             scp_cmd,
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=30,
             stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
         )
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ class SSHEnvironment(BaseEnvironment):
             result = subprocess.run(
                 cmd,
                 capture_output=True,
-                text=True,
+                text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                 timeout=30,
                 stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
             )
@@ -325,7 +325,7 @@ class SSHEnvironment(BaseEnvironment):
         result = subprocess.run(
             cmd,
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=10,
             stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
         )
diff --git a/tools/lazy_deps.py b/tools/lazy_deps.py
index 9d04e13503..1c119aabca 100644
--- a/tools/lazy_deps.py
+++ b/tools/lazy_deps.py
@@ -668,7 +668,7 @@ def _venv_pip_install(specs: tuple[str, ...], *, timeout: int = 300) -> _Install
             try:
                 r = subprocess.run(
                     [uv_bin, "pip", "install", *target_args, *constraint_args, *specs],
-                    capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=timeout, env=uv_env,
+                    capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=timeout, env=uv_env,
                     stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
                     creationflags=windows_hide_flags(),
                 )
@@ -685,7 +685,7 @@ def _venv_pip_install(specs: tuple[str, ...], *, timeout: int = 300) -> _Install
         try:
             probe = subprocess.run(
                 pip_cmd + ["--version"],
-                capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=15,
+                capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=15,
                 stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
                 creationflags=windows_hide_flags(),
             )
@@ -695,7 +695,7 @@ def _venv_pip_install(specs: tuple[str, ...], *, timeout: int = 300) -> _Install
             try:
                 subprocess.run(
                     [sys.executable, "-m", "ensurepip", "--upgrade", "--default-pip"],
-                    capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=120, check=True,
+                    capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=120, check=True,
                     stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
                     creationflags=windows_hide_flags(),
                 )
@@ -706,7 +706,7 @@ def _venv_pip_install(specs: tuple[str, ...], *, timeout: int = 300) -> _Install
         try:
             r = subprocess.run(
                 pip_cmd + ["install", *target_args, *constraint_args, *specs],
-                capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=timeout,
+                capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=timeout,
                 stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
                 creationflags=windows_hide_flags(),
             )
diff --git a/tools/process_registry.py b/tools/process_registry.py
index d7ae33d0a1..aed6be8933 100644
--- a/tools/process_registry.py
+++ b/tools/process_registry.py
@@ -600,7 +600,7 @@ class ProcessRegistry:
                 subprocess.run(
                     ["taskkill", "/PID", str(pid), "/T", "/F"],
                     capture_output=True,
-                    text=True,
+                    text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
                     timeout=10,
                     creationflags=windows_hide_flags(),
                     stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
diff --git a/tools/skills_hub.py b/tools/skills_hub.py
index aa1bcc5c01..928c212a4b 100644
--- a/tools/skills_hub.py
+++ b/tools/skills_hub.py
@@ -412,7 +412,7 @@ class GitHubAuth:
         try:
             result = subprocess.run(
                 ["gh", "auth", "token"],
-                capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5,
+                capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=5,
                 stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
                 creationflags=windows_hide_flags(),
             )
diff --git a/tools/tirith_security.py b/tools/tirith_security.py
index 9350960413..a07d3f817d 100644
--- a/tools/tirith_security.py
+++ b/tools/tirith_security.py
@@ -315,7 +315,7 @@ def _verify_cosign(checksums_path: str, sig_path: str, cert_path: str) -> bool |
              "--certificate-oidc-issuer", _COSIGN_ISSUER,
              checksums_path],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=15,
             stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
         )
@@ -776,7 +776,7 @@ def check_command_security(command: str) -> dict:
             [tirith_path, "check", "--json", "--non-interactive",
              "--shell", "posix", "--", command],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=timeout,
             stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
         )
diff --git a/tools/transcription_tools.py b/tools/transcription_tools.py
index 6c34e714cd..1198f53d13 100644
--- a/tools/transcription_tools.py
+++ b/tools/transcription_tools.py
@@ -1210,7 +1210,7 @@ def _prepare_local_audio(file_path: str, work_dir: str) -> tuple[Optional[str],
     command = [ffmpeg, "-y", "-i", file_path, converted_path]
 
     try:
-        subprocess.run(command, check=True, capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=300, stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL, creationflags=windows_hide_flags())
+        subprocess.run(command, check=True, capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=300, stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL, creationflags=windows_hide_flags())
         return converted_path, None
     except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
         logger.error("ffmpeg conversion timed out for %s", file_path)
@@ -1256,9 +1256,9 @@ def _transcribe_local_command(file_path: str, model_name: str) -> Dict[str, Any]
             # User-provided templates (env var) may contain shell syntax; auto-detected commands are safe for list mode.
             use_shell = bool(os.getenv(LOCAL_STT_COMMAND_ENV, "").strip())
             if use_shell:
-                subprocess.run(command, shell=True, check=True, capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=300, stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL, creationflags=windows_hide_flags())
+                subprocess.run(command, shell=True, check=True, capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=300, stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL, creationflags=windows_hide_flags())
             else:
-                subprocess.run(shlex.split(command), check=True, capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=300, stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL, creationflags=windows_hide_flags())
+                subprocess.run(shlex.split(command), check=True, capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=300, stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL, creationflags=windows_hide_flags())
             
 
             txt_files = sorted(Path(output_dir).glob("*.txt"))
diff --git a/tools/tts_tool.py b/tools/tts_tool.py
index 16320974ae..27c761e17c 100644
--- a/tools/tts_tool.py
+++ b/tools/tts_tool.py
@@ -2015,7 +2015,7 @@ def _generate_neutts(text: str, output_path: str, tts_config: Dict[str, Any]) ->
         "--device", device,
     ]
 
-    result = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=120, stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL)
+    result = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=120, stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL)
     if result.returncode != 0:
         stderr = result.stderr.strip()
         # Filter out the "OK:" line from stderr
@@ -2097,7 +2097,7 @@ def _resolve_piper_voice_path(voice: str, download_dir: Path) -> str:
         result = subprocess.run(
             [_sys.executable, "-m", "piper.download_voices", voice,
              "--download-dir", str(download_dir)],
-            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=300,
+            capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=300,
             stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
         )
     except subprocess.TimeoutExpired as exc:
diff --git a/tools/voice_mode.py b/tools/voice_mode.py
index e3162e06e5..ca35a2b2e7 100644
--- a/tools/voice_mode.py
+++ b/tools/voice_mode.py
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ def _termux_api_app_installed() -> bool:
         result = subprocess.run(
             ["pm", "list", "packages", "com.termux.api"],
             capture_output=True,
-            text=True,
+            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace',
             timeout=5,
             check=False,
             stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL,
@@ -389,7 +389,7 @@ class TermuxAudioRecorder:
             "-c", str(CHANNELS),
         ]
         try:
-            subprocess.run(command, capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=15, check=True, stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL)
+            subprocess.run(command, capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=15, check=True, stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL)
         except subprocess.CalledProcessError as e:
             details = (e.stderr or e.stdout or str(e)).strip()
             raise RuntimeError(f"Termux microphone start failed: {details}") from e
@@ -406,7 +406,7 @@ class TermuxAudioRecorder:
         mic_cmd = _termux_microphone_command()
         if not mic_cmd:
             return
-        subprocess.run([mic_cmd, "-q"], capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=15, check=False, stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL)
+        subprocess.run([mic_cmd, "-q"], capture_output=True, text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', timeout=15, check=False, stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL)
 
     def stop(self) -> Optional[str]:
         with self._lock: