diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/main/index.mjs b/apps/desktop/src/main/index.mjs
index d32f35b2..1499d00e 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/main/index.mjs
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/main/index.mjs
@@ -819,34 +819,56 @@ app.whenReady().then(async () => {
     if (requestedUserDataDirectory) throw new Error("Local data reset is unavailable with a custom user-data directory");
     if (localDataResetScheduled) return { scheduled: true };
 
-    localDataResetScheduled = true;
-    isQuitting = true;
-    shutdownCleanupStarted = true;
-    if (sidecarRestartTimer) {
-      clearTimeout(sidecarRestartTimer);
-      sidecarRestartTimer = null;
-    }
-    tray?.destroy();
-
     try {
-      await stopSidecar();
-      await Promise.allSettled([
-        session.defaultSession.clearStorageData(),
-        session.defaultSession.clearCache(),
-      ]);
-      scheduleMacLocalDataReset({
+      await scheduleMacLocalDataReset({
         appDataDirectory: app.getPath("appData"),
-        executablePath: process.execPath,
+        executablePath: app.getPath("exe"),
         parentPid: process.pid,
         userDataDirectory: app.getPath("userData"),
       });
     } catch (error) {
-      localDataResetScheduled = false;
-      isQuitting = false;
-      shutdownCleanupStarted = false;
+      await writeDiagnostic("local-data-reset.schedule-failed", {
+        message: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error),
+      });
       throw error;
     }
 
+    // Only begin shutting down once the detached reset helper has definitely
+    // started. From this point on, exiting lets that helper remove userData and
+    // relaunch the app, so non-critical cleanup failures must not strand the
+    // application in a half-stopped state.
+    localDataResetScheduled = true;
+    isQuitting = true;
+    shutdownCleanupStarted = true;
+    const forcedExitTimer = setTimeout(() => app.exit(0), 5000);
+    forcedExitTimer.unref();
+    if (sidecarRestartTimer) {
+      clearTimeout(sidecarRestartTimer);
+      sidecarRestartTimer = null;
+    }
+    try {
+      tray?.destroy();
+      tray = null;
+    } catch (error) {
+      void writeDiagnostic("local-data-reset.tray-cleanup-failed", {
+        message: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error),
+      });
+    }
+    await stopSidecar().catch((error) => writeDiagnostic("local-data-reset.sidecar-stop-failed", {
+      message: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error),
+    }));
+    const storageResults = await Promise.allSettled([
+      Promise.resolve().then(() => session.defaultSession.clearStorageData()),
+      Promise.resolve().then(() => session.defaultSession.clearCache()),
+    ]);
+    const storageFailure = storageResults.find((result) => result.status === "rejected");
+    if (storageFailure) {
+      void writeDiagnostic("local-data-reset.storage-cleanup-failed", {
+        message: storageFailure.reason instanceof Error ? storageFailure.reason.message : String(storageFailure.reason),
+      });
+    }
+
+    clearTimeout(forcedExitTimer);
     setTimeout(() => app.exit(0), 50).unref();
     return { scheduled: true };
   });
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/main/local-data-reset.mjs b/apps/desktop/src/main/local-data-reset.mjs
index 4a809835..1dc689d5 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/main/local-data-reset.mjs
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/main/local-data-reset.mjs
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ parent_pid="$1"
 user_data_dir="$2"
 application_path="$3"
 attempt=0
-while /bin/kill -0 "$parent_pid" 2>/dev/null && [ "$attempt" -lt 300 ]; do
+while /bin/kill -0 "$parent_pid" 2>/dev/null && [ "$attempt" -lt 3000 ]; do
   /bin/sleep 0.1
   attempt=$((attempt + 1))
 done
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ export const macApplicationBundlePath = (executablePath) => {
   throw new Error("EdgeEver must be running from a macOS application bundle");
 };
 
-export const scheduleMacLocalDataReset = ({
+export const scheduleMacLocalDataReset = async ({
   appDataDirectory,
   executablePath,
   parentPid,
@@ -73,6 +73,10 @@ export const scheduleMacLocalDataReset = ({
       stdio: "ignore",
     },
   );
+  await new Promise((resolveSpawn, rejectSpawn) => {
+    helper.once("spawn", resolveSpawn);
+    helper.once("error", rejectSpawn);
+  });
   helper.unref();
   return { applicationPath, target };
 };
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/main/local-data-reset.test.mjs b/apps/desktop/src/main/local-data-reset.test.mjs
index 9427a568..07e15de6 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/main/local-data-reset.test.mjs
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/main/local-data-reset.test.mjs
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test";
+import { EventEmitter } from "node:events";
 import {
   macApplicationBundlePath,
   managedUserDataDirectory,
@@ -32,16 +33,19 @@ describe("desktop local data reset", () => {
     expect(() => macApplicationBundlePath("/usr/local/bin/edgeever")).toThrow();
   });
 
-  test("passes paths as shell arguments instead of interpolating them", () => {
+  test("passes paths as shell arguments instead of interpolating them", async () => {
     let invocation;
     let unrefCalled = false;
-    const result = scheduleMacLocalDataReset({
+    const resultPromise = scheduleMacLocalDataReset({
       appDataDirectory: "/Users/example/Library/Application Support",
       executablePath: "/Applications/EdgeEver.app/Contents/MacOS/EdgeEver",
       parentPid: 42,
       spawnProcess: (...args) => {
         invocation = args;
-        return { unref: () => { unrefCalled = true; } };
+        const helper = new EventEmitter();
+        helper.unref = () => { unrefCalled = true; };
+        queueMicrotask(() => helper.emit("spawn"));
+        return helper;
       },
       userDataDirectory: "/Users/example/Library/Application Support/EdgeEver data",
     });
@@ -55,10 +59,28 @@ describe("desktop local data reset", () => {
     expect(invocation[1][1]).not.toContain("/Applications/EdgeEver.app");
     expect(invocation[1][1]).not.toContain("EdgeEver data");
     expect(invocation[2]).toEqual({ detached: true, stdio: "ignore" });
+    const result = await resultPromise;
     expect(unrefCalled).toBe(true);
     expect(result).toEqual({
       applicationPath: "/Applications/EdgeEver.app",
       target: "/Users/example/Library/Application Support/EdgeEver data",
     });
   });
+
+  test("rejects when the reset helper cannot be started", async () => {
+    const resultPromise = scheduleMacLocalDataReset({
+      appDataDirectory: "/Users/example/Library/Application Support",
+      executablePath: "/Applications/EdgeEver.app/Contents/MacOS/EdgeEver",
+      parentPid: 42,
+      spawnProcess: () => {
+        const helper = new EventEmitter();
+        helper.unref = () => {};
+        queueMicrotask(() => helper.emit("error", new Error("spawn failed")));
+        return helper;
+      },
+      userDataDirectory: "/Users/example/Library/Application Support/EdgeEver",
+    });
+
+    await expect(resultPromise).rejects.toThrow("spawn failed");
+  });
 });