diff --git a/hermes_cli/gateway.py b/hermes_cli/gateway.py
index 5a3b4fbcf57..92feb96a948 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/gateway.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/gateway.py
@@ -1201,6 +1201,27 @@ def is_windows() -> bool:
     return sys.platform == 'win32'
 
 
+def _windows_gateway_should_absorb_console_controls() -> bool:
+    """Return True for detached Windows gateway runs that should ignore Ctrl+C.
+
+    Foreground ``hermes gateway run`` must remain interruptible from
+    PowerShell/CMD. Detached service-style launches opt in via
+    ``HERMES_GATEWAY_DETACHED=1``; older wrappers without the env marker are
+    treated as detached when no interactive stdin is attached.
+    """
+    if not is_windows():
+        return False
+
+    detached = os.getenv("HERMES_GATEWAY_DETACHED", "").strip().lower()
+    if detached in {"1", "true", "yes", "on"}:
+        return True
+
+    try:
+        return not bool(sys.stdin and sys.stdin.isatty())
+    except (ValueError, OSError):
+        return True
+
+
 # =============================================================================
 # Service Configuration
 # =============================================================================
@@ -3042,34 +3063,17 @@ def run_gateway(verbose: int = 0, quiet: bool = False, replace: bool = False):
     _guard_official_docker_root_gateway()
     sys.path.insert(0, str(PROJECT_ROOT))
 
-    # On Windows, when the gateway is launched as a detached background
-    # process (via ``hermes gateway install`` → Scheduled Task / Startup
-    # folder / direct pythonw.exe spawn) there is no console attached. In
-    # that case Windows can still deliver CTRL_C_EVENT / CTRL_BREAK_EVENT
-    # to the process group under some circumstances (e.g. when *another*
-    # process in the same group sends one), which Python 3.11 translates
-    # into KeyboardInterrupt inside asyncio.run(). The outer handler below
-    # catches that and exits cleanly — silently killing the gateway. On
-    # detached boots we must absorb those spurious signals so the gateway
-    # stays alive; real user Ctrl+C still comes through prompt_toolkit /
-    # the asyncio signal handler when running in a real console.
-    #
-    # IMPORTANT lesson (May 2026): we originally gated this on "stdin is
-    # NOT a TTY" assuming only detached pythonw runs would be vulnerable.
-    # Wrong. When the user runs `hermes gateway start` from a PowerShell
-    # console, the gateway inherits that console and stdin IS a TTY —
-    # but it's STILL vulnerable to CTRL_C_EVENT broadcast by any sibling
-    # `hermes` invocation (like `hermes gateway status` 30 seconds later)
-    # because Windows routes console events to all processes sharing the
-    # console. Every hermes CLI process after that sibling fires is a
-    # potential drive-by killer. So on Windows, for `gateway run`
-    # specifically (never interactive by design), always install the
-    # SIGINT absorber regardless of TTY state.
+    # Detached Windows gateway runs must ignore console-control broadcasts
+    # from sibling CLI processes, but foreground `hermes gateway run` still
+    # needs to obey the banner's "Press Ctrl+C to stop" contract.
+    # Service-style launchers set HERMES_GATEWAY_DETACHED=1; older wrappers
+    # without the marker are handled by the non-TTY fallback.
     try:
         _stdin_is_tty = bool(sys.stdin and sys.stdin.isatty())
     except (ValueError, OSError):
         _stdin_is_tty = False
-    if is_windows():
+    _absorb_windows_console_controls = _windows_gateway_should_absorb_console_controls()
+    if _absorb_windows_console_controls:
         try:
             signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, signal.SIG_IGN)
             if hasattr(signal, "SIGBREAK"):
@@ -3167,6 +3171,7 @@ def run_gateway(verbose: int = 0, quiet: bool = False, replace: bool = False):
         replace=replace,
         argv=sys.argv,
         stdin_is_tty=_stdin_is_tty,
+        absorb_windows_console_controls=_absorb_windows_console_controls,
     )
 
     def _atexit_hook() -> None:
diff --git a/hermes_cli/gateway_windows.py b/hermes_cli/gateway_windows.py
index b4820ab311f..4a3059223c4 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/gateway_windows.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/gateway_windows.py
@@ -216,6 +216,7 @@ def _build_gateway_cmd_script(
     lines.append(f"cd /d {_quote_cmd_script_arg(working_dir)}")
     lines.append(f'set "HERMES_HOME={hermes_home}"')
     lines.append('set "PYTHONIOENCODING=utf-8"')
+    lines.append('set "HERMES_GATEWAY_DETACHED=1"')
     # VIRTUAL_ENV lets the gateway's own python detection find the venv
     # if someone imports hermes_constants-based logic during startup.
     venv_dir = str(Path(python_path).resolve().parent.parent)
@@ -371,6 +372,7 @@ def _build_gateway_argv() -> tuple[list[str], str, dict[str, str]]:
     env_overlay = {
         "HERMES_HOME": hermes_home,
         "PYTHONIOENCODING": "utf-8",
+        "HERMES_GATEWAY_DETACHED": "1",
         "VIRTUAL_ENV": str(Path(python_exe).resolve().parent.parent),
     }
     return argv, working_dir, env_overlay
diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway.py
index c213c99c8d2..cfeb25a463f 100644
--- a/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway.py
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway.py
@@ -90,6 +90,66 @@ def test_run_gateway_root_guard_has_escape_hatch(monkeypatch):
     assert calls == [(True, 2)]
 
 
+def test_run_gateway_windows_foreground_keeps_ctrl_c_enabled(monkeypatch):
+    calls = []
+
+    def fake_start_gateway(*, replace, verbosity):
+        calls.append((replace, verbosity))
+        return object()
+
+    class _TTY:
+        def isatty(self):
+            return True
+
+    signal_calls = []
+
+    def fake_signal(sig, handler):
+        signal_calls.append((sig, handler))
+
+    _install_fake_gateway_run(monkeypatch, fake_start_gateway)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(gateway, "is_windows", lambda: True)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(gateway, "supports_systemd_services", lambda: False)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(gateway.sys, "stdin", _TTY())
+    monkeypatch.delenv("HERMES_GATEWAY_DETACHED", raising=False)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(gateway.signal, "signal", fake_signal)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(gateway.asyncio, "run", lambda coro: True)
+
+    gateway.run_gateway()
+
+    assert calls == [(False, 0)]
+    assert (gateway.signal.SIGINT, gateway.signal.SIG_IGN) not in signal_calls
+
+
+def test_run_gateway_windows_detached_absorbs_console_controls(monkeypatch):
+    calls = []
+
+    def fake_start_gateway(*, replace, verbosity):
+        calls.append((replace, verbosity))
+        return object()
+
+    class _TTY:
+        def isatty(self):
+            return True
+
+    signal_calls = []
+
+    def fake_signal(sig, handler):
+        signal_calls.append((sig, handler))
+
+    _install_fake_gateway_run(monkeypatch, fake_start_gateway)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(gateway, "is_windows", lambda: True)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(gateway, "supports_systemd_services", lambda: False)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(gateway.sys, "stdin", _TTY())
+    monkeypatch.setenv("HERMES_GATEWAY_DETACHED", "1")
+    monkeypatch.setattr(gateway.signal, "signal", fake_signal)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(gateway.asyncio, "run", lambda coro: True)
+
+    gateway.run_gateway()
+
+    assert calls == [(False, 0)]
+    assert (gateway.signal.SIGINT, gateway.signal.SIG_IGN) in signal_calls
+
+
 class TestSystemdLingerStatus:
     def test_reports_enabled(self, monkeypatch):
         monkeypatch.setattr(gateway, "is_linux", lambda: True)