diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/main.cjs b/apps/desktop/electron/main.cjs
index b394e115c47..615c9512754 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/electron/main.cjs
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/main.cjs
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ const {
 } = require('./update-relaunch.cjs')
 const { registerGitIpc } = require('./git-ipc.cjs')
 const { registerFsIpc } = require('./fs-ipc.cjs')
+const { registerTerminalIpc } = require('./terminal-ipc.cjs')
 const { OFFICIAL_REPO_HTTPS_URL, isOfficialSshRemote } = require('./update-remote.cjs')
 const { resolveBehindCount, shouldCountCommits } = require('./update-count.cjs')
 const { runRebuildWithRetry } = require('./update-rebuild.cjs')
@@ -6904,74 +6905,20 @@ registerFsIpc({ ipcMain, directoryExists, expandUserPath })
 // stay here (Windows PATH discovery) and are injected into the registrar.
 registerGitIpc({ ipcMain, resolveGitBinary, resolveGhBinary })
 
-ipcMain.handle('hermes:terminal:start', async (event, payload = {}) => {
-  if (!nodePty) {
-    throw new Error('PTY support is unavailable. Reinstall desktop dependencies and restart Hermes.')
-  }
-
-  ensureSpawnHelperExecutable()
-
-  const id = crypto.randomUUID()
-  const { args, command, name } = terminalShellCommand()
-  const cwd = safeTerminalCwd(payload?.cwd)
-  const cols = Math.max(2, Number.parseInt(String(payload?.cols || 80), 10) || 80)
-  const rows = Math.max(2, Number.parseInt(String(payload?.rows || 24), 10) || 24)
-  const ptyProcess = nodePty.spawn(command, args, {
-    cols,
-    cwd,
-    env: terminalShellEnv(),
-    name: 'xterm-256color',
-    rows
-  })
-
-  terminalSessions.set(id, { pty: ptyProcess, webContentsId: event.sender.id })
-
-  const send = (suffix, payload) => {
-    if (event.sender.isDestroyed()) {
-      return
-    }
-
-    event.sender.send(terminalChannel(id, suffix), payload)
-  }
-
-  ptyProcess.onData(data => send('data', data))
-  ptyProcess.onExit(({ exitCode, signal }) => {
-    terminalSessions.delete(id)
-    send('exit', { code: exitCode, signal: signal || null })
-  })
-  event.sender.once('destroyed', () => disposeTerminalSession(id))
-
-  return { cwd, id, shell: name }
+// Terminal/PTY IPC lives in terminal-ipc.cjs; the PTY runtime, session
+// registry, and shell helpers stay in the main process and are injected.
+registerTerminalIpc({
+  disposeTerminalSession,
+  ensureSpawnHelperExecutable,
+  ipcMain,
+  nodePty,
+  safeTerminalCwd,
+  terminalChannel,
+  terminalSessions,
+  terminalShellCommand,
+  terminalShellEnv
 })
 
-ipcMain.handle('hermes:terminal:write', (_event, id, data) => {
-  const sessionInfo = terminalSessions.get(String(id || ''))
-
-  if (!sessionInfo) {
-    return false
-  }
-
-  sessionInfo.pty.write(String(data || ''))
-
-  return true
-})
-
-ipcMain.handle('hermes:terminal:resize', (_event, id, size = {}) => {
-  const sessionInfo = terminalSessions.get(String(id || ''))
-
-  if (!sessionInfo) {
-    return false
-  }
-
-  const cols = Math.max(2, Number.parseInt(String(size?.cols || 80), 10) || 80)
-  const rows = Math.max(2, Number.parseInt(String(size?.rows || 24), 10) || 24)
-
-  sessionInfo.pty.resize(cols, rows)
-
-  return true
-})
-ipcMain.handle('hermes:terminal:dispose', (_event, id) => disposeTerminalSession(String(id || '')))
-
 ipcMain.handle('hermes:updates:check', async () =>
   checkUpdates().catch(error => ({
     supported: true,
diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/terminal-ipc.cjs b/apps/desktop/electron/terminal-ipc.cjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..8c9e687eaa2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/terminal-ipc.cjs
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+'use strict'
+
+const crypto = require('crypto')
+
+// Terminal (PTY) IPC: start / write / resize / dispose. The PTY runtime, the
+// shared session registry, and the shell-spec/env/cwd helpers all live in the
+// main process (deep Windows-PATH + app-path coupling) and are injected, so this
+// module only owns the request wiring.
+function registerTerminalIpc({
+  disposeTerminalSession,
+  ensureSpawnHelperExecutable,
+  ipcMain,
+  nodePty,
+  safeTerminalCwd,
+  terminalChannel,
+  terminalSessions,
+  terminalShellCommand,
+  terminalShellEnv
+}) {
+  ipcMain.handle('hermes:terminal:start', async (event, payload = {}) => {
+    if (!nodePty) {
+      throw new Error('PTY support is unavailable. Reinstall desktop dependencies and restart Hermes.')
+    }
+
+    ensureSpawnHelperExecutable()
+
+    const id = crypto.randomUUID()
+    const { args, command, name } = terminalShellCommand()
+    const cwd = safeTerminalCwd(payload?.cwd)
+    const cols = Math.max(2, Number.parseInt(String(payload?.cols || 80), 10) || 80)
+    const rows = Math.max(2, Number.parseInt(String(payload?.rows || 24), 10) || 24)
+    const ptyProcess = nodePty.spawn(command, args, {
+      cols,
+      cwd,
+      env: terminalShellEnv(),
+      name: 'xterm-256color',
+      rows
+    })
+
+    terminalSessions.set(id, { pty: ptyProcess, webContentsId: event.sender.id })
+
+    const send = (suffix, payload) => {
+      if (event.sender.isDestroyed()) {
+        return
+      }
+
+      event.sender.send(terminalChannel(id, suffix), payload)
+    }
+
+    ptyProcess.onData(data => send('data', data))
+    ptyProcess.onExit(({ exitCode, signal }) => {
+      terminalSessions.delete(id)
+      send('exit', { code: exitCode, signal: signal || null })
+    })
+    event.sender.once('destroyed', () => disposeTerminalSession(id))
+
+    return { cwd, id, shell: name }
+  })
+
+  ipcMain.handle('hermes:terminal:write', (_event, id, data) => {
+    const sessionInfo = terminalSessions.get(String(id || ''))
+
+    if (!sessionInfo) {
+      return false
+    }
+
+    sessionInfo.pty.write(String(data || ''))
+
+    return true
+  })
+
+  ipcMain.handle('hermes:terminal:resize', (_event, id, size = {}) => {
+    const sessionInfo = terminalSessions.get(String(id || ''))
+
+    if (!sessionInfo) {
+      return false
+    }
+
+    const cols = Math.max(2, Number.parseInt(String(size?.cols || 80), 10) || 80)
+    const rows = Math.max(2, Number.parseInt(String(size?.rows || 24), 10) || 24)
+
+    sessionInfo.pty.resize(cols, rows)
+
+    return true
+  })
+  ipcMain.handle('hermes:terminal:dispose', (_event, id) => disposeTerminalSession(String(id || '')))
+}
+
+module.exports = { registerTerminalIpc }
diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/terminal-ipc.test.cjs b/apps/desktop/electron/terminal-ipc.test.cjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..129db73dfa6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/terminal-ipc.test.cjs
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+'use strict'
+
+const assert = require('node:assert/strict')
+const test = require('node:test')
+
+const { registerTerminalIpc } = require('./terminal-ipc.cjs')
+
+function fakeIpcMain() {
+  const handlers = new Map()
+
+  return {
+    handlers,
+    handle(channel, handler) {
+      assert.ok(!handlers.has(channel), `duplicate registration for ${channel}`)
+      handlers.set(channel, handler)
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+function deps(overrides = {}) {
+  return {
+    disposeTerminalSession: () => true,
+    ensureSpawnHelperExecutable: () => {},
+    nodePty: { spawn: () => ({ onData() {}, onExit() {} }) },
+    safeTerminalCwd: c => c || '/',
+    terminalChannel: (id, suffix) => `hermes:terminal:${id}:${suffix}`,
+    terminalSessions: new Map(),
+    terminalShellCommand: () => ({ args: [], command: 'sh', name: 'sh' }),
+    terminalShellEnv: () => ({}),
+    ...overrides
+  }
+}
+
+test('registerTerminalIpc wires only hermes:terminal:* channels, each to a handler fn', () => {
+  const ipcMain = fakeIpcMain()
+
+  registerTerminalIpc({ ipcMain, ...deps() })
+
+  assert.ok(ipcMain.handlers.size >= 4, `expected the full terminal surface, got ${ipcMain.handlers.size}`)
+
+  for (const [channel, handler] of ipcMain.handlers) {
+    assert.match(channel, /^hermes:terminal:/, `${channel} is not a terminal channel`)
+    assert.equal(typeof handler, 'function', `${channel} should register a handler`)
+  }
+
+  for (const channel of ['hermes:terminal:start', 'hermes:terminal:write', 'hermes:terminal:resize']) {
+    assert.ok(ipcMain.handlers.has(channel), `missing ${channel}`)
+  }
+})
+
+test('write / resize on an unknown session id return false instead of throwing', async () => {
+  const ipcMain = fakeIpcMain()
+
+  registerTerminalIpc({ ipcMain, ...deps() })
+
+  assert.equal(await ipcMain.handlers.get('hermes:terminal:write')({}, 'nope', 'x'), false)
+  assert.equal(await ipcMain.handlers.get('hermes:terminal:resize')({}, 'nope', {}), false)
+})
+
+test('start surfaces a clear error when the PTY runtime is unavailable', async () => {
+  const ipcMain = fakeIpcMain()
+
+  registerTerminalIpc({ ipcMain, ...deps({ nodePty: null }) })
+
+  await assert.rejects(
+    () => ipcMain.handlers.get('hermes:terminal:start')({ sender: {} }, {}),
+    /PTY support is unavailable/
+  )
+})