diff --git a/scripts/windows-smoke.mjs b/scripts/windows-smoke.mjs
index 2f08e1a..2f5d0b4 100644
--- a/scripts/windows-smoke.mjs
+++ b/scripts/windows-smoke.mjs
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@
 import { writeFileSync, mkdirSync } from 'node:fs';
 import { execSync } from 'node:child_process';
 import { createServer } from 'node:http';
+import { connect } from 'node:net';
+import { networkInterfaces } from 'node:os';
 import { chromium } from 'playwright-core';
 
 const OUT = process.argv[2] || 'smoke-out';
@@ -38,6 +40,19 @@ const until = async (fn, ms, step = 500) => {
   }
 };
 
+// TCP connect probe: 'open', 'refused', 'timeout' or the socket error code.
+const probe = (host, port, ms = 2000) =>
+  new Promise((resolve) => {
+    const socket = connect({ host, port });
+    const done = (result) => {
+      socket.destroy();
+      resolve(result);
+    };
+    socket.setTimeout(ms, () => done('timeout'));
+    socket.once('connect', () => done('open'));
+    socket.once('error', (e) => done(e.code === 'ECONNREFUSED' ? 'refused' : e.code || 'error'));
+  });
+
 // 1. Connect to the running app's WebView2.
 const browser = await until(() => chromium.connectOverCDP('http://127.0.0.1:9222'), 60_000, 1000);
 if (!browser) {
@@ -61,15 +76,40 @@ record('boots to the login screen', booted ? 'pass' : 'fail');
 await page.screenshot({ path: `${OUT}/01-login.png` });
 
 // 3. The local server's address (cinny #43 binds 127.0.0.1 explicitly).
+let listen = '';
 try {
-  const listen = execSync(
+  listen = execSync(
     'powershell -NoProfile -Command "(Get-NetTCPConnection -LocalPort 44548 -State Listen).LocalAddress -join \',\'"',
+    { stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'ignore'] },
   )
     .toString()
     .trim();
-  record('local server listening', listen ? 'pass' : 'fail', listen);
-} catch (e) {
-  record('local server listening', 'fail', String(e).slice(0, 120));
+} catch {
+  listen = '';
+}
+if (listen) {
+  record('local server listening', 'pass', listen);
+} else {
+  // Some runner sessions can't list sockets at all (Get-NetTCPConnection and
+  // netstat both come back empty, even for the DevTools port this script is
+  // connected to). Check what #43 is about directly instead: the server
+  // answers on loopback and is not reachable on the machine's LAN addresses.
+  const loopback = await probe('127.0.0.1', 44548);
+  const lan = Object.values(networkInterfaces())
+    .flat()
+    .filter((a) => a && a.family === 'IPv4' && !a.internal)
+    .map((a) => a.address);
+  const exposed = [];
+  for (const ip of lan) {
+    if ((await probe(ip, 44548)) === 'open') exposed.push(ip);
+  }
+  record(
+    'local server listening',
+    loopback === 'open' && exposed.length === 0 ? 'pass' : 'fail',
+    `socket list unavailable; 127.0.0.1: ${loopback}; LAN ${lan.join(', ') || 'none'}: ${
+      exposed.length ? `OPEN on ${exposed.join(', ')}` : 'not reachable'
+    }`,
+  );
 }
 
 const cfg = await page.evaluate(() => fetch('/config.json').then((r) => r.json()));