diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/entitlements.mac.inherit.plist b/apps/desktop/electron/entitlements.mac.inherit.plist
index f2eb2ecb0ad..53fdf0fc437 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/electron/entitlements.mac.inherit.plist
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/entitlements.mac.inherit.plist
@@ -8,5 +8,7 @@
   <true/>
   <key>com.apple.security.cs.disable-library-validation</key>
   <true/>
+  <key>com.apple.security.device.audio-input</key>
+  <true/>
 </dict>
 </plist>
diff --git a/tests/test_desktop_mac_entitlements.py b/tests/test_desktop_mac_entitlements.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..5877d5b257c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_desktop_mac_entitlements.py
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+"""Regression for #37718: macOS microphone entitlement must be inherited.
+
+Hermes Desktop signs with ``hardenedRuntime: true`` and points electron-builder
+at two entitlement files (see ``apps/desktop/package.json``):
+
+* ``entitlements`` → ``electron/entitlements.mac.plist`` (the main app), and
+* ``entitlementsInherit`` → ``electron/entitlements.mac.inherit.plist`` (the
+  Electron Helper / Setup processes).
+
+Under the hardened runtime, the process that actually opens the microphone is a
+Helper, which inherits the *inherit* plist. ``com.apple.security.device.audio-input``
+lived only in the main plist, so macOS' TCC layer refused the microphone with::
+
+    Prompting policy for hardened runtime; service: kTCCServiceMicrophone
+    requires entitlement com.apple.security.device.audio-input but it is missing
+
+and never showed the permission prompt. These tests pin that every device
+entitlement granted to the main app is also granted to the inherited helpers.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import plistlib
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+
+
+REPO_ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent
+ELECTRON_DIR = REPO_ROOT / "apps" / "desktop" / "electron"
+MAIN_PLIST = ELECTRON_DIR / "entitlements.mac.plist"
+INHERIT_PLIST = ELECTRON_DIR / "entitlements.mac.inherit.plist"
+
+DEVICE_PREFIX = "com.apple.security.device."
+
+
+def _load(plist: Path) -> dict:
+    assert plist.is_file(), f"missing entitlements file: {plist}"
+    with plist.open("rb") as fh:
+        return plistlib.load(fh)
+
+
+def test_inherit_plist_grants_microphone() -> None:
+    """The helper-inherited plist must grant audio-input (regression #37718)."""
+    inherit = _load(INHERIT_PLIST)
+    assert inherit.get("com.apple.security.device.audio-input") is True, (
+        "entitlements.mac.inherit.plist must grant "
+        "`com.apple.security.device.audio-input`; without it the hardened-runtime "
+        "Helper process is denied the microphone and no TCC prompt appears (#37718)."
+    )
+
+
+def test_device_entitlements_are_inherited() -> None:
+    """Every device.* entitlement on the main app must also be inherited."""
+    main = _load(MAIN_PLIST)
+    inherit = _load(INHERIT_PLIST)
+
+    main_device = {
+        key: val
+        for key, val in main.items()
+        if key.startswith(DEVICE_PREFIX) and val is True
+    }
+    missing = [key for key in main_device if inherit.get(key) is not True]
+    assert not missing, (
+        "Device entitlements present in entitlements.mac.plist but missing from "
+        f"entitlements.mac.inherit.plist: {missing}. Helper/Setup processes inherit "
+        "the latter under hardenedRuntime, so any device access the app needs must "
+        "be listed in both (#37718)."
+    )
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("plist", [MAIN_PLIST, INHERIT_PLIST])
+def test_entitlement_files_are_valid_plists(plist: Path) -> None:
+    """Both entitlement files must remain well-formed plist dictionaries."""
+    data = _load(plist)
+    assert isinstance(data, dict) and data, f"{plist.name} should be a non-empty dict"