diff --git a/scripts/install.ps1 b/scripts/install.ps1
index 691f7b912a4..c17d9993906 100644
--- a/scripts/install.ps1
+++ b/scripts/install.ps1
@@ -1562,16 +1562,54 @@ function Install-Venv {
     
     if (Test-Path "venv") {
         Write-Info "Virtual environment already exists, recreating..."
-        # On Windows, native Python extensions (e.g. _bcrypt.pyd) are loaded as
-        # DLLs by any running hermes process. Windows denies deletion of loaded
-        # DLLs, so kill any hermes.exe tree before removing the venv.
+        # On Windows, native Python extensions (e.g. _bcrypt.pyd, tornado's
+        # speedups.pyd) are loaded as DLLs by any running hermes process.
+        # Windows denies deletion of loaded DLLs, so every process running out
+        # of this venv must be stopped before removing it -- otherwise
+        # Remove-Item fails with "Access to the path '...' is denied" and the
+        # whole install/update aborts at this stage.
         if ($env:OS -eq "Windows_NT") {
             $myPid = $PID
             Write-Info "Stopping any running hermes processes before recreating venv..."
+            # The launcher CLI (hermes.exe) plus its child tree.
             & taskkill /F /T /IM hermes.exe /FI "PID ne $myPid" 2>$null | Out-Null
+            # taskkill /IM hermes.exe is NOT enough: the gateway/agent that a
+            # scheduled task or watchdog autostarts runs as
+            # `pythonw.exe -m hermes_cli.main gateway run` straight out of
+            # venv\Scripts\, so its image name is python/pythonw, not hermes.exe.
+            # That process holds the venv's .pyd files open and re-triggers the
+            # access-denied failure. Stop anything whose executable lives under
+            # this venv, matched by path prefix so the image name does not matter
+            # and a global/system python outside the venv is never touched.
+            #
+            # The gateway autostart task registers with /RL LIMITED as the current
+            # user (see hermes_cli/gateway_windows.py), so the installer always
+            # runs at equal-or-higher integrity and can read its executable path.
+            # Get-CimInstance is used over Get-Process because it returns a null
+            # ExecutablePath for a process it cannot inspect (a different session)
+            # instead of throwing, so an unreadable process is skipped rather than
+            # aborting the whole sweep.
+            $venvPrefix = [System.IO.Path]::GetFullPath((Join-Path $InstallDir "venv")).TrimEnd('\') + '\'
+            try {
+                Get-CimInstance Win32_Process -ErrorAction Stop |
+                    Where-Object { $_.ProcessId -ne $myPid -and $_.ExecutablePath -and $_.ExecutablePath.StartsWith($venvPrefix, [System.StringComparison]::OrdinalIgnoreCase) } |
+                    ForEach-Object {
+                        Write-Info "  stopping PID $($_.ProcessId) ($($_.Name)) running from venv"
+                        Stop-Process -Id $_.ProcessId -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+                    }
+            } catch {
+                Write-Warn "Could not enumerate venv processes: $($_.Exception.Message)"
+            }
             Start-Sleep -Milliseconds 800
         }
-        Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "venv"
+        Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "venv" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+        # A killed process can take a moment to release its file handles, so a
+        # first Remove-Item may still hit a locked .pyd. Retry once after a short
+        # pause before giving up and letting the stage fail loudly.
+        if (Test-Path "venv") {
+            Start-Sleep -Seconds 2
+            Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "venv"
+        }
     }
     
     # uv creates the venv and pins the Python version in one step.  uv emits
diff --git a/scripts/release.py b/scripts/release.py
index 86a88a4a7c8..d0ee8bf0cf9 100755
--- a/scripts/release.py
+++ b/scripts/release.py
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ ACP_REGISTRY_MANIFEST = REPO_ROOT / "acp_registry" / "agent.json"
 
 # Auto-extracted from noreply emails + manual overrides
 AUTHOR_MAP = {
+    "dana@added-value.co.il": "Danamove",  # PR #46726 salvage (kill venv-resident pythonw gateway before recreating venv on Windows; #47036/#47557/#47910)
     "145739220+wgu9@users.noreply.github.com": "wgu9",  # PR #51468 salvage (WSL/no-systemd orphan gateway tracking, #51325)
     "165020384+uperLu@users.noreply.github.com": "uperLu",  # PR #50958 salvage (rename plugins/cron → plugins/cron_providers; #50872)
     "277269729+yusekiotacode@users.noreply.github.com": "yusekiotacode",  # PR #48706 salvage (anthropic OAuth login token endpoint → platform.claude.com; #45250/#49821)
diff --git a/tests/test_install_unmerged_index.py b/tests/test_install_unmerged_index.py
index 9b19cbcd2a6..b2d81a78205 100644
--- a/tests/test_install_unmerged_index.py
+++ b/tests/test_install_unmerged_index.py
@@ -141,3 +141,37 @@ def test_install_sh_clears_unmerged_index_before_stash_source_order() -> None:
     idx_unmerged = text.index("ls-files --unmerged")
     idx_stash = text.index("stash push --include-untracked")
     assert idx_unmerged < idx_stash
+
+
+def test_install_ps1_stops_venv_resident_processes_before_removing_venv() -> None:
+    """The Windows venv-recreate path must stop every process running out of the
+    old venv before deleting it.
+
+    A gateway autostarted by a scheduled task runs as
+    ``venv\\Scripts\\pythonw.exe -m hermes_cli.main gateway run`` — image name
+    ``pythonw``, not ``hermes.exe`` — so the ``taskkill /IM hermes.exe`` guard
+    misses it, the loaded ``.pyd`` stays locked, and ``Remove-Item venv`` fails
+    mid-recursion (issues #47036/#47557/#47910). The recreate branch must also
+    sweep by venv path prefix, and that sweep must run before the delete.
+    """
+    text = INSTALL_PS1.read_text()
+
+    # The hermes.exe tree-kill is preserved (kills spawned child processes too).
+    assert 'taskkill /F /T /IM hermes.exe' in text
+
+    # The venv path-prefix sweep exists. It must match by case-insensitive
+    # StartsWith, NOT PowerShell -like: a venv path containing wildcard
+    # metacharacters ('[', ']') — legal in a Windows user name — silently fails
+    # to match under -like, reintroducing the exact miss this fix closes.
+    idx_recreate = text.index("Virtual environment already exists, recreating")
+    idx_sweep = text.index("StartsWith($venvPrefix", idx_recreate)
+    assert "[System.StringComparison]::OrdinalIgnoreCase" in text[idx_sweep:idx_sweep + 200]
+    assert 'ExecutablePath -like "$venvRoot' not in text, (
+        "the -like wildcard match must not be used for venv path scoping"
+    )
+
+    # The process sweep must run before the venv is removed, or it is a no-op.
+    idx_remove = text.index('Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "venv"', idx_recreate)
+    assert idx_sweep < idx_remove, (
+        "venv-resident processes must be stopped before Remove-Item deletes the venv"
+    )