diff --git a/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/backend.rs b/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/backend.rs
index c6c96c73647..9bd2c3c8a68 100644
--- a/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/backend.rs
+++ b/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/backend.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 use super::discovery::{command_search::command_discovery_dirs, resolve_command};
+use super::process_spawn::spawn_with_busy_retry as spawn_provider;
 use sha2::{Digest, Sha256};
 use std::io::{BufReader, Read, Write};
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
@@ -88,11 +89,10 @@ pub fn invoke_provider(
         cmd.current_dir(home);
     }
     crate::util::configure_no_window(&mut cmd);
-    let mut child = cmd
-        .stdin(std::process::Stdio::piped())
+    cmd.stdin(std::process::Stdio::piped())
         .stdout(std::process::Stdio::piped())
-        .stderr(std::process::Stdio::piped())
-        .spawn()
+        .stderr(std::process::Stdio::piped());
+    let mut child = spawn_provider(&mut cmd)
         .map_err(|e| format!("failed to spawn {}: {e}", binary.display()))?;
 
     // Write request and close stdin immediately so the provider sees EOF.
diff --git a/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/backend_tests.rs b/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/backend_tests.rs
index d467f75dda1..b8af06e1c20 100644
--- a/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/backend_tests.rs
+++ b/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/backend_tests.rs
@@ -142,6 +142,59 @@ fn write_test_provider(path: &Path, body: &str) {
     std::fs::set_permissions(path, std::fs::Permissions::from_mode(0o700)).unwrap();
 }
 
+#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+#[test]
+fn provider_spawn_waits_for_a_transient_writer() {
+    let directory = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+    let provider = directory.path().join("provider");
+    write_test_provider(&provider, "exit 0");
+    let writer = std::fs::OpenOptions::new()
+        .write(true)
+        .open(&provider)
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(
+        std::process::Command::new(&provider)
+            .spawn()
+            .unwrap_err()
+            .kind(),
+        std::io::ErrorKind::ExecutableFileBusy,
+    );
+    let closer = std::thread::spawn(move || {
+        std::thread::sleep(Duration::from_millis(20));
+        drop(writer);
+    });
+
+    let mut child = spawn_provider(&mut std::process::Command::new(&provider))
+        .expect("launch after the inherited writer closes");
+    assert!(child.wait().unwrap().success());
+    closer.join().unwrap();
+}
+
+#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+#[test]
+fn provider_spawn_returns_persistent_write_conflicts() {
+    let directory = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+    let provider = directory.path().join("provider");
+    write_test_provider(&provider, "exit 0");
+    let _writer = std::fs::OpenOptions::new()
+        .write(true)
+        .open(&provider)
+        .unwrap();
+
+    let error = spawn_provider(&mut std::process::Command::new(&provider)).unwrap_err();
+    assert_eq!(error.kind(), std::io::ErrorKind::ExecutableFileBusy);
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn provider_spawn_preserves_other_launch_errors() {
+    let directory = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+    let error = spawn_provider(&mut std::process::Command::new(
+        directory.path().join("missing"),
+    ))
+    .unwrap_err();
+    assert_eq!(error.kind(), std::io::ErrorKind::NotFound);
+}
+
 #[cfg(unix)]
 #[test]
 fn provider_deploy_negotiates_and_deploys_the_same_staged_bytes() {
diff --git a/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/discovery.rs b/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/discovery.rs
index 8a5f422a25a..b9ca77d58ef 100644
--- a/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/discovery.rs
+++ b/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/discovery.rs
@@ -840,14 +840,13 @@ pub(crate) fn probe_codex_acp_version_with_path(
         command.env("PATH", path);
     }
     crate::util::configure_no_window(&mut command);
-    let mut child = command
+    let deadline = Instant::now() + VERSION_PROBE_TIMEOUT;
+    command
         .stdout(tmp.try_clone().ok()?)
-        .stderr(std::process::Stdio::null())
-        .spawn()
-        .ok()?;
+        .stderr(std::process::Stdio::null());
+    let mut child = super::process_spawn::spawn_with_busy_retry(&mut command).ok()?;
 
     // Poll until the deadline rather than blocking on stdout EOF.
-    let deadline = Instant::now() + VERSION_PROBE_TIMEOUT;
     let exit_status = loop {
         match child.try_wait() {
             Ok(Some(status)) => break status,
diff --git a/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/discovery/tests/codex_version.rs b/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/discovery/tests/codex_version.rs
index 19053865cbe..817d104041f 100644
--- a/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/discovery/tests/codex_version.rs
+++ b/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/discovery/tests/codex_version.rs
@@ -73,3 +73,56 @@ fn codex_adapter_availability_outdated_for_older_1x_binary() {
         assert!(codex_adapter_is_outdated(&bin));
     }
 }
+
+#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+#[test]
+fn probe_codex_acp_version_waits_for_a_transient_executable_writer() {
+    use std::os::unix::fs::PermissionsExt;
+    let temp = tempfile::tempdir().expect("temp dir");
+    let binary = temp.path().join("codex-acp");
+    std::fs::write(
+        &binary,
+        "#!/bin/sh\necho '@agentclientprotocol/codex-acp 1.1.2'\n",
+    )
+    .expect("write adapter");
+    std::fs::set_permissions(&binary, std::fs::Permissions::from_mode(0o755))
+        .expect("chmod adapter");
+    let writer = std::fs::OpenOptions::new()
+        .write(true)
+        .open(&binary)
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(
+        std::process::Command::new(&binary)
+            .spawn()
+            .unwrap_err()
+            .kind(),
+        std::io::ErrorKind::ExecutableFileBusy
+    );
+    let closer = std::thread::spawn(move || {
+        std::thread::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(20));
+        drop(writer);
+    });
+    let version = probe_codex_acp_version_with_path(&binary, None);
+    closer.join().unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(version, Some((1, 1, 2)));
+}
+
+#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+#[test]
+fn probe_codex_acp_version_rejects_a_persistent_executable_writer() {
+    use std::os::unix::fs::PermissionsExt;
+    let temp = tempfile::tempdir().expect("temp dir");
+    let binary = temp.path().join("codex-acp");
+    std::fs::write(
+        &binary,
+        "#!/bin/sh\necho '@agentclientprotocol/codex-acp 1.1.2'\n",
+    )
+    .expect("write adapter");
+    std::fs::set_permissions(&binary, std::fs::Permissions::from_mode(0o755))
+        .expect("chmod adapter");
+    let _writer = std::fs::OpenOptions::new()
+        .write(true)
+        .open(&binary)
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(probe_codex_acp_version_with_path(&binary, None), None);
+}
diff --git a/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/mod.rs b/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/mod.rs
index ad030769de0..7accae3b0f6 100644
--- a/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/mod.rs
+++ b/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/mod.rs
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ pub(crate) mod persona_events;
 mod personas;
 #[cfg(windows)]
 mod process_lifecycle;
+mod process_spawn;
 pub(crate) mod readiness;
 pub(crate) mod reconcile;
 mod relay_mesh;
diff --git a/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/process_spawn.rs b/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/process_spawn.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..8209b2966c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/process_spawn.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+pub(super) fn spawn_with_busy_retry(
+    cmd: &mut std::process::Command,
+) -> std::io::Result<std::process::Child> {
+    // A concurrent fork can inherit the staging writer until that child execs,
+    // even after this thread closes it. Retry only that failed exec: the command
+    // never started. Persistent writers still fail after 100 ms.
+    for _ in 0..10 {
+        match cmd.spawn() {
+            Err(error) if error.kind() == std::io::ErrorKind::ExecutableFileBusy => {
+                std::thread::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(10));
+            }
+            result => return result,
+        }
+    }
+    cmd.spawn()
+}