diff --git a/hermes_cli/main.py b/hermes_cli/main.py
index 71f35c1953d..81d6951e71e 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/main.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/main.py
@@ -8030,6 +8030,182 @@ def _run_pre_update_backup(args) -> None:
     print()
 
 
+def _write_update_planned_stop_marker(profile_path: Path, pid: int) -> bool:
+    """Write a planned-stop marker into a specific profile home."""
+    try:
+        from datetime import timezone
+
+        from gateway.status import _get_process_start_time
+        from utils import atomic_json_write
+
+        record = {
+            "target_pid": pid,
+            "target_start_time": _get_process_start_time(pid),
+            "stopper_pid": os.getpid(),
+            "written_at": datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat(),
+        }
+        atomic_json_write(
+            Path(profile_path) / ".gateway-planned-stop.json",
+            record,
+            indent=None,
+            separators=(",", ":"),
+        )
+        return True
+    except (OSError, PermissionError):
+        return False
+
+
+def _wait_for_windows_update_gateway_exit(
+    pids: list[int], *, timeout: float
+) -> set[int]:
+    """Wait for the given gateway PIDs to exit, returning survivors."""
+    if not pids:
+        return set()
+
+    from gateway.status import _pid_exists
+
+    remaining = set(pids)
+    deadline = _time.monotonic() + max(timeout, 0.0)
+    while remaining and _time.monotonic() < deadline:
+        for pid in list(remaining):
+            try:
+                if not _pid_exists(pid):
+                    remaining.discard(pid)
+            except Exception:
+                remaining.discard(pid)
+        if remaining:
+            _time.sleep(0.25)
+
+    survivors: set[int] = set()
+    for pid in remaining:
+        try:
+            if _pid_exists(pid):
+                survivors.add(pid)
+        except Exception:
+            pass
+    return survivors
+
+
+def _pause_windows_gateways_for_update() -> dict | None:
+    """Stop running Windows gateways before mutating the checkout or venv.
+
+    Windows scheduled/startup gateways run through pythonw.exe, so the generic
+    hermes.exe concurrent-instance guard does not see them. They still import
+    from the checkout and can keep files locked while ``git`` or ``uv`` updates
+    the install. Stop only PIDs that the gateway discovery code identifies.
+    """
+    if not _is_windows():
+        return None
+
+    try:
+        from gateway.status import terminate_pid
+        from hermes_cli.gateway import (
+            _get_restart_drain_timeout,
+            find_gateway_pids,
+            find_profile_gateway_processes,
+        )
+    except Exception as exc:
+        logger.debug("Could not prepare Windows gateway pause for update: %s", exc)
+        return None
+
+    try:
+        running_pids = list(dict.fromkeys(find_gateway_pids(all_profiles=True)))
+    except Exception as exc:
+        logger.debug("Could not discover Windows gateway PIDs before update: %s", exc)
+        return None
+    if not running_pids:
+        return None
+
+    profile_processes = {}
+    try:
+        profile_processes = {
+            proc.pid: proc for proc in find_profile_gateway_processes()
+        }
+    except Exception as exc:
+        logger.debug("Could not map Windows gateway PIDs to profiles: %s", exc)
+
+    profiles: dict[str, int] = {}
+    mapped_pids = []
+    for pid in running_pids:
+        proc = profile_processes.get(pid)
+        if proc is None:
+            continue
+        profiles[str(proc.profile)] = int(pid)
+        mapped_pids.append(int(pid))
+        _write_update_planned_stop_marker(Path(proc.path), int(pid))
+
+    print("→ Stopping Windows gateway process(es) before updating Hermes...")
+    try:
+        drain_timeout = max(float(_get_restart_drain_timeout()), 1.0)
+    except Exception:
+        drain_timeout = 10.0
+    survivors = _wait_for_windows_update_gateway_exit(
+        mapped_pids,
+        timeout=drain_timeout,
+    )
+    unmapped_pids = [pid for pid in running_pids if pid not in profile_processes]
+
+    force_killed = []
+    for pid in sorted(set(survivors).union(unmapped_pids)):
+        try:
+            terminate_pid(int(pid), force=True)
+            force_killed.append(int(pid))
+        except (ProcessLookupError, PermissionError, OSError):
+            pass
+
+    if profiles:
+        print(f"  ✓ Paused gateway profile(s): {', '.join(sorted(profiles))}")
+    if force_killed:
+        print(f"  → Force-stopped {len(force_killed)} gateway process(es)")
+
+    if unmapped_pids:
+        print(
+            f"  → Stopped {len(unmapped_pids)} gateway process(es) without profile mapping"
+        )
+        print("    Restart manually after update: hermes gateway run")
+
+    return {
+        "resume_needed": True,
+        "profiles": profiles,
+        "unmapped_pids": unmapped_pids,
+    }
+
+
+def _resume_windows_gateways_after_update(token: dict | None) -> None:
+    """Restart Windows profile gateways previously paused for update."""
+    if not token or not token.get("resume_needed"):
+        return
+    token["resume_needed"] = False
+    if not _is_windows():
+        return
+
+    profiles = token.get("profiles") or {}
+    if not profiles:
+        return
+
+    try:
+        from hermes_cli.gateway import launch_detached_profile_gateway_restart
+    except Exception as exc:
+        logger.debug("Could not load Windows gateway restart helper: %s", exc)
+        return
+
+    relaunched = []
+    for profile, old_pid in sorted(profiles.items()):
+        try:
+            if launch_detached_profile_gateway_restart(str(profile), int(old_pid)):
+                relaunched.append(str(profile))
+        except Exception as exc:
+            logger.debug(
+                "Could not restart Windows gateway profile %s after update: %s",
+                profile,
+                exc,
+            )
+
+    if relaunched:
+        print()
+        print(f"  ✓ Restarting Windows gateway profile(s): {', '.join(relaunched)}")
+
+
 def _discard_lockfile_churn(git_cmd, repo_root):
     """Restore tracked ``package-lock.json`` files that npm dirtied locally.
 
@@ -8232,6 +8408,15 @@ def _cmd_update_impl(args, gateway_mode: bool):
     # always roll back to the exact state they had before this update.
     _run_pre_update_backup(args)
 
+    _windows_gateway_resume = _pause_windows_gateways_for_update()
+    if _windows_gateway_resume:
+        import atexit as _atexit
+
+        _atexit.register(
+            _resume_windows_gateways_after_update,
+            _windows_gateway_resume,
+        )
+
     # Try git-based update first, fall back to ZIP download on Windows
     # when git file I/O is broken (antivirus, NTFS filter drivers, etc.)
     use_zip_update = False
@@ -8294,7 +8479,10 @@ def _cmd_update_impl(args, gateway_mode: bool):
 
     if use_zip_update:
         # ZIP-based update for Windows when git is broken
-        _update_via_zip(args)
+        try:
+            _update_via_zip(args)
+        finally:
+            _resume_windows_gateways_after_update(_windows_gateway_resume)
         return
 
     # Fetch and pull
@@ -8431,6 +8619,7 @@ def _cmd_update_impl(args, gateway_mode: bool):
                     check=False,
                 )
             print("✓ Already up to date!")
+            _resume_windows_gateways_after_update(_windows_gateway_resume)
             return
 
         print(f"→ Found {commit_count} new commit(s)")
@@ -9627,6 +9816,8 @@ def _cmd_update_impl(args, gateway_mode: bool):
         except Exception as e:
             logger.debug("Gateway restart during update failed: %s", e)
 
+        _resume_windows_gateways_after_update(_windows_gateway_resume)
+
         # Warn if legacy Hermes gateway unit files are still installed.
         # When both hermes.service (from a pre-rename install) and the
         # current hermes-gateway.service are enabled, they SIGTERM-fight
diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_update_concurrent_quarantine.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_update_concurrent_quarantine.py
index fe14856fd7e..0ee3f938cf2 100644
--- a/tests/hermes_cli/test_update_concurrent_quarantine.py
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_update_concurrent_quarantine.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ Windows-specific code paths can be exercised on any host.
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import json
 import os
 import sys
 import types
@@ -446,6 +447,97 @@ def test_quarantine_actionable_warning_when_everything_fails(
     assert "Hermes Desktop" in captured or "gateway" in captured.lower()
 
 
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Windows gateway pause/resume before update mutation
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+@patch.object(cli_main, "_is_windows", return_value=True)
+def test_pause_windows_gateways_for_update_stops_profile_and_unmapped_pids(
+    _winp,
+    monkeypatch,
+    tmp_path,
+    capsys,
+):
+    import gateway.status as status_mod
+    import hermes_cli.gateway as gateway_mod
+
+    profile_home = tmp_path / "profiles" / "work"
+    profile_home.mkdir(parents=True)
+    profile_proc = SimpleNamespace(profile="work", path=profile_home, pid=101)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(gateway_mod, "find_gateway_pids", lambda **_k: [101, 202])
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        gateway_mod,
+        "find_profile_gateway_processes",
+        lambda **_k: [profile_proc],
+    )
+    monkeypatch.setattr(gateway_mod, "_get_restart_drain_timeout", lambda: 0.1)
+    waited_for = []
+
+    def fake_wait(pids, *, timeout):
+        waited_for.extend(pids)
+        return set()
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(cli_main, "_wait_for_windows_update_gateway_exit", fake_wait)
+
+    terminated = []
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        status_mod,
+        "terminate_pid",
+        lambda pid, force=False: terminated.append((pid, force)),
+    )
+
+    token = cli_main._pause_windows_gateways_for_update()
+
+    assert token == {
+        "resume_needed": True,
+        "profiles": {"work": 101},
+        "unmapped_pids": [202],
+    }
+    assert waited_for == [101]
+    assert terminated == [(202, True)]
+
+    marker = json.loads((profile_home / ".gateway-planned-stop.json").read_text())
+    assert marker["target_pid"] == 101
+    assert marker["stopper_pid"] == os.getpid()
+
+    captured = capsys.readouterr().out
+    assert "Paused gateway profile(s): work" in captured
+    assert "without profile mapping" in captured
+
+
+@patch.object(cli_main, "_is_windows", return_value=True)
+def test_resume_windows_gateways_after_update_relaunches_paused_profiles(
+    _winp,
+    monkeypatch,
+    capsys,
+):
+    import hermes_cli.gateway as gateway_mod
+
+    relaunched = []
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        gateway_mod,
+        "launch_detached_profile_gateway_restart",
+        lambda profile, old_pid: relaunched.append((profile, old_pid)) or True,
+    )
+
+    token = {
+        "resume_needed": True,
+        "profiles": {"default": 101, "work": 202},
+        "unmapped_pids": [],
+    }
+
+    cli_main._resume_windows_gateways_after_update(token)
+
+    assert token["resume_needed"] is False
+    assert relaunched == [("default", 101), ("work", 202)]
+    assert (
+        "Restarting Windows gateway profile(s): default, work"
+        in capsys.readouterr().out
+    )
+
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # cmd_update integration — concurrent-instance gate
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------