diff --git a/browse/src/bun-polyfill.cjs b/browse/src/bun-polyfill.cjs
index 9bc1bb453..89e16c4fd 100644
--- a/browse/src/bun-polyfill.cjs
+++ b/browse/src/bun-polyfill.cjs
@@ -75,9 +75,11 @@ globalThis.Bun = {
       timeout: options.timeout,
       env: options.env,
       cwd: options.cwd,
-      // Bun never shows a console window; node's spawn defaults windowsHide to
-      // false, so without this every console child pops a window on Windows.
-      windowsHide: true,
+      // Node defaults windowsHide to false; Bun.spawn hides the console
+      // window. Without this the shim silently inverts the behavior on the
+      // one platform it exists to serve — every console child pops a window.
+      // Forwarded (not hardcoded) so an explicit windowsHide:false survives.
+      windowsHide: options.windowsHide !== false,
     });
 
     return {
@@ -94,10 +96,12 @@ globalThis.Bun = {
       stdio,
       env: options.env,
       cwd: options.cwd,
-      // See spawnSync. This is the one users notice: spawnTerminalAgent() launches
-      // `bun run terminal-agent.ts` through here and the daemon respawns it on a
-      // watchdog, so an empty console window reappears every few minutes.
-      windowsHide: true,
+      // stdio:'ignore' silences a child's output but does not suppress its
+      // console window on Windows. The terminal-agent respawn (server.ts
+      // watchdog, 60s ticker) popped a visible bun.exe window on every
+      // respawn until this was forwarded. Forwarded, not hardcoded, so an
+      // explicit windowsHide:false survives.
+      windowsHide: options.windowsHide !== false,
     });
 
     return {
diff --git a/browse/src/terminal-agent-control.ts b/browse/src/terminal-agent-control.ts
index 094ba668f..9d96a73a6 100644
--- a/browse/src/terminal-agent-control.ts
+++ b/browse/src/terminal-agent-control.ts
@@ -77,6 +77,10 @@ export function spawnTerminalAgent(opts: {
       ...(opts.extraEnv || {}),
     },
     stdio: ['ignore', 'ignore', 'ignore'],
+    // Explicit for the Node fallback path (dist/bun-polyfill.cjs), where the
+    // host default is the opposite of Bun's. A visible console window on every
+    // watchdog respawn is the symptom when this is missing.
+    windowsHide: true,
   });
   proc.unref?.();
   return proc.pid ?? null;
diff --git a/browse/test/bun-polyfill.test.ts b/browse/test/bun-polyfill.test.ts
index f0bb05286..152ed3181 100644
--- a/browse/test/bun-polyfill.test.ts
+++ b/browse/test/bun-polyfill.test.ts
@@ -70,24 +70,47 @@ describe('bun-polyfill', () => {
     expect(lines[1]).toBe('HAS_PORT');
   });
 
-  // Regression: node defaults windowsHide to false, so a console child spawned
-  // through this shim pops a visible window on Windows — bun never does. Asserted
-  // by stubbing child_process before the polyfill destructures it, so the check is
-  // deterministic and runs on every platform.
-  test('spawn and spawnSync pass windowsHide so Windows shows no console window', () => {
+  // windowsHide is the one option where Node's default is the opposite of
+  // Bun's: Node shows the child's console window, Bun hides it. Dropping it
+  // in translation makes every spawned child pop a window on Windows, which
+  // is the platform this whole file exists for. Both shims are covered, and
+  // an explicit windowsHide:false must survive forwarding (#2523 + #2539).
+  test('Bun.spawn defaults windowsHide to true', () => {
     const result = Bun.spawnSync(['node', '-e', `
       const cp = require('child_process');
-      const seen = [];
-      cp.spawn = (c, a, o) => { seen.push(o); return { pid: 1, stdout: null, stderr: null, stdin: null, unref() {}, kill() {} }; };
-      cp.spawnSync = (c, a, o) => { seen.push(o); return { status: 0, stdout: Buffer.from(''), stderr: Buffer.from('') }; };
+      const orig = cp.spawn;
+      let seen;
+      cp.spawn = (c, a, o) => { seen = o; return orig(c, a, o); };
       require(${JSON.stringify(polyfillPath)});
-      Bun.spawn(['echo', 'x'], { stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'pipe'] });
-      Bun.spawnSync(['echo', 'x'], { stdout: 'pipe' });
-      console.log(seen.length === 2 ? 'BOTH' : 'GOT_' + seen.length);
-      console.log(seen.every((o) => o && o.windowsHide === true) ? 'HIDDEN' : 'VISIBLE');
+      Bun.spawn(['node', '-e', ''], { stdio: ['ignore', 'ignore', 'ignore'] });
+      console.log('windowsHide:' + seen.windowsHide);
     `], { stdout: 'pipe', stderr: 'pipe' });
-    const lines = result.stdout.toString().trim().split('\n');
-    expect(lines[0]).toBe('BOTH');
-    expect(lines[1]).toBe('HIDDEN');
+    expect(result.stdout.toString().trim()).toBe('windowsHide:true');
+  });
+
+  test('Bun.spawnSync defaults windowsHide to true', () => {
+    const result = Bun.spawnSync(['node', '-e', `
+      const cp = require('child_process');
+      const orig = cp.spawnSync;
+      let seen;
+      cp.spawnSync = (c, a, o) => { seen = o; return orig(c, a, o); };
+      require(${JSON.stringify(polyfillPath)});
+      Bun.spawnSync(['node', '-e', '']);
+      console.log('windowsHide:' + seen.windowsHide);
+    `], { stdout: 'pipe', stderr: 'pipe' });
+    expect(result.stdout.toString().trim()).toBe('windowsHide:true');
+  });
+
+  test('an explicit windowsHide:false is honored', () => {
+    const result = Bun.spawnSync(['node', '-e', `
+      const cp = require('child_process');
+      const orig = cp.spawn;
+      let seen;
+      cp.spawn = (c, a, o) => { seen = o; return orig(c, a, o); };
+      require(${JSON.stringify(polyfillPath)});
+      Bun.spawn(['node', '-e', ''], { stdio: ['ignore', 'ignore', 'ignore'], windowsHide: false });
+      console.log('windowsHide:' + seen.windowsHide);
+    `], { stdout: 'pipe', stderr: 'pipe' });
+    expect(result.stdout.toString().trim()).toBe('windowsHide:false');
   });
 });