diff --git a/docs/deployment.md b/docs/deployment.md
index 70276e0..9c6b9d9 100644
--- a/docs/deployment.md
+++ b/docs/deployment.md
@@ -100,6 +100,12 @@ The wrapper downloads the pinned public-link sidecar, verifies its digest,
 builds the target App and available capture process, executes every packaged
 runtime from the extracted ZIP, and emits one `.zip` plus its SHA-256 file.
 
+App ZIPs use ordinary Store/Deflate compression and relative entry names without
+`.` or `..` path segments; include hidden files and preserve executable modes on
+Unix. Windows packaging also checks every entry through Windows Explorer's ZIP
+reader. A successful extraction by the writer's own library does not establish
+compatibility with the user's default archive tool.
+
 Retain the descriptor and successful deployment output as release metadata. Do
 not create a follow-up source commit solely to duplicate their revision, asset,
 or hashes.
diff --git a/docs/todo.md b/docs/todo.md
index 2816fee..4853e73 100644
--- a/docs/todo.md
+++ b/docs/todo.md
@@ -14,6 +14,11 @@ deployments remain separate. Physical limits are owned by
 
 ## Awaiting Device Or Reporter Evidence
 
+- [ ] **Brief connection followed by repeated Viewer loss on v1.5.0.** One
+  Viewer reportedly drops just after connection details appear, while other
+  Viewers work; App public-link mode is suspected. Check signaling, first-frame
+  admission and current-edge recovery separately. The affected environment and
+  paired diagnostics are unavailable; no network or product cause is established.
 - [ ] **App source-discovery field acceptance.** Retest the missing-window report
   with the current App and page. Obtain OS/browser, version and paired Debug
   reports to distinguish discovery, capture capability and enumeration failures.
diff --git a/scripts/archive-tool.mjs b/scripts/archive-tool.mjs
index ddfc3e9..358b2c1 100644
--- a/scripts/archive-tool.mjs
+++ b/scripts/archive-tool.mjs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { execFileSync } from "node:child_process";
-import { existsSync } from "node:fs";
+import { existsSync, readdirSync } from "node:fs";
 import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
 
 export function tarExecutable() {
@@ -15,10 +15,30 @@ export function createZip(source, archive) {
   if (process.platform === "linux") {
     execFileSync("zip", ["-qry", archive, "."], { cwd: source, stdio: "pipe" });
   } else {
-    execFileSync(tarExecutable(), ["--format=zip", "-cf", archive, "."], {
+    // Archiving "." adds ./ members that Windows Explorer treats as an empty ZIP.
+    execFileSync(tarExecutable(), ["--format=zip", "-cf", archive, "--", ...readdirSync(source).sort()], {
       cwd: source, stdio: "pipe", windowsHide: true,
     });
   }
+  if (process.platform === "win32") {
+    // The writer can read its own incompatible ZIPs. Check Explorer separately,
+    // including nested helpers and hidden files, before publishing the archive.
+    execFileSync("powershell.exe", ["-NoProfile", "-NonInteractive", "-Command", `
+$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
+$shell = New-Object -ComObject Shell.Application
+function Check-Folder($folder, [string]$source) {
+  if ($null -eq $folder) { throw 'Windows Explorer cannot open the ZIP folder' }
+  foreach ($entry in Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $source -Force) {
+    $item = $folder.ParseName($entry.Name)
+    if ($null -eq $item) { throw "Windows Explorer cannot read ZIP entry: $($entry.Name)" }
+    if ($entry.PSIsContainer) { Check-Folder $item.GetFolder $entry.FullName }
+  }
+}
+Check-Folder $shell.NameSpace($env:PIIK_ZIP_ARCHIVE) $env:PIIK_ZIP_SOURCE
+`], { stdio: "pipe", windowsHide: true, timeout: 30_000,
+      env: { ...process.env, PIIK_ZIP_ARCHIVE: archive, PIIK_ZIP_SOURCE: resolve(source) },
+    });
+  }
 }
 
 export function extractZip(archive, destination) {
diff --git a/tests/archive-tool.test.ts b/tests/archive-tool.test.ts
index 62dfd42..05d4582 100644
--- a/tests/archive-tool.test.ts
+++ b/tests/archive-tool.test.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import { dirname, join } from "node:path";
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
-import { createZip, extractZip } from "../scripts/archive-tool.mjs";
+import { createZip, extractZip, tarExecutable } from "../scripts/archive-tool.mjs";
 
 describe("App ZIP distribution", () => {
   it("round-trips hidden files, spaced paths and executable permissions", () => {
@@ -28,6 +28,11 @@ describe("App ZIP distribution", () => {
       for (const name of executables) chmodSync(join(source, name), 0o755);
       createZip(source, archive);
       expect(readFileSync(archive).subarray(0, 4)).toEqual(Buffer.from([0x50, 0x4b, 0x03, 0x04]));
+      const entries = execFileSync(process.platform === "linux" ? "unzip" : tarExecutable(),
+        process.platform === "linux" ? ["-Z", "-1", archive] : ["-tf", archive],
+        { encoding: "utf8", windowsHide: true }).trim().split(/\r?\n/);
+      expect(entries).toHaveLength(readdirSync(source, { recursive: true }).length);
+      for (const name of entries) expect(name).not.toMatch(/(^|\/)\.\.?($|\/)/);
       mkdirSync(extracted);
       extractZip(archive, extracted);
       expect(readdirSync(extracted, { recursive: true }).sort()).toEqual(