diff --git a/browse/src/xvfb.ts b/browse/src/xvfb.ts
index 3e0dad8a6..17269c78d 100644
--- a/browse/src/xvfb.ts
+++ b/browse/src/xvfb.ts
@@ -58,11 +58,18 @@ export function shouldSpawnXvfb(env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv, platform: NodeJS.Platfor
  */
 export function isDisplayFree(displayNum: number): boolean {
   // xdpyinfo exits 0 if a display is reachable. Exit non-zero means no
-  // server, which is what we want.
-  const result = Bun.spawnSync(['xdpyinfo', '-display', `:${displayNum}`], {
-    stdout: 'ignore', stderr: 'ignore', timeout: 2000,
-  });
-  return result.exitCode !== 0;
+  // server, which is what we want. xdpyinfo ships in x11-utils, which some
+  // images with Xvfb still lack (first Linux CI run: ENOENT) — fall back to
+  // the X socket/lock files, the same signal X servers themselves use.
+  try {
+    const result = Bun.spawnSync(['xdpyinfo', '-display', `:${displayNum}`], {
+      stdout: 'ignore', stderr: 'ignore', timeout: 2000,
+    });
+    return result.exitCode !== 0;
+  } catch {
+    return !fs.existsSync(`/tmp/.X11-unix/X${displayNum}`)
+      && !fs.existsSync(`/tmp/.X${displayNum}-lock`);
+  }
 }
 
 /**
@@ -106,16 +113,34 @@ export function readPidCmdline(pid: number): string {
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Read argv[0] of a PID via /proc/<pid>/cmdline (NUL-separated). Returns
+ * empty string if the process is gone or the cmdline isn't readable.
+ */
+export function readPidArgv0(pid: number): string {
+  try {
+    const raw = fs.readFileSync(`/proc/${pid}/cmdline`, 'utf-8');
+    return raw.split('\0', 1)[0] ?? '';
+  } catch {
+    return '';
+  }
+}
+
 /**
  * Validate that PID is still our Xvfb child. Both checks must pass:
- *   1. /proc/<pid>/cmdline contains 'Xvfb' (string match — Xvfb's argv[0] is
- *      always 'Xvfb' or a full path ending in /Xvfb)
+ *   1. argv[0]'s basename IS the Xvfb binary. A substring match over the
+ *      whole cmdline is identity-kill poison: any process whose ARGUMENTS
+ *      mention xvfb (the test runner executing xvfb.test.ts, an editor with
+ *      the file open) would pass and become killable. First Linux CI run
+ *      caught exactly that — the suite identified itself as our Xvfb.
  *   2. Start time matches the recorded value (PID reuse defense)
  */
 export function isOurXvfb(pid: number, recordedStartTime: string): boolean {
   if (!pid || !recordedStartTime) return false;
-  const cmdline = readPidCmdline(pid);
-  if (!cmdline.toLowerCase().includes('xvfb')) return false;
+  const argv0 = readPidArgv0(pid);
+  if (!argv0) return false;
+  const base = argv0.split('/').pop() ?? '';
+  if (base.toLowerCase() !== 'xvfb') return false;
   const currentStart = readPidStartTime(pid);
   if (!currentStart) return false;
   return currentStart === recordedStartTime;
diff --git a/browse/test/xvfb.test.ts b/browse/test/xvfb.test.ts
index 8fe9d4c30..dab242a8d 100644
--- a/browse/test/xvfb.test.ts
+++ b/browse/test/xvfb.test.ts
@@ -63,10 +63,28 @@ describe('isOurXvfb (PID validation)', () => {
 
   test('returns false when cmdline does not contain Xvfb', () => {
     // Current bun process is not Xvfb. PID-correct, cmdline-wrong → reject.
+    // NOTE: this very suite's argv CONTAINS "xvfb.test.ts" — a substring
+    // match over the whole cmdline identified the test runner as our Xvfb
+    // on the first Linux CI run. Identity rests on argv[0]'s basename.
     const myStart = readPidStartTime(process.pid);
     expect(isOurXvfb(process.pid, myStart)).toBe(false);
   });
 
+  test('a process whose ARGUMENTS mention xvfb is not ours (argv0 identity)', async () => {
+    // sh's $0 trick plants "xvfb" in the child's args while argv[0] stays sh.
+    // Killing this process because its arguments mention xvfb is the exact
+    // sibling-kill class the identity check exists to prevent.
+    const child = Bun.spawn(['/bin/sh', '-c', 'sleep 2', 'xvfb-lookalike-arg']);
+    try {
+      const start = readPidStartTime(child.pid);
+      // On non-Linux, /proc is absent and both reads return '' → false either way.
+      expect(isOurXvfb(child.pid, start || 'recorded')).toBe(false);
+    } finally {
+      child.kill();
+      await child.exited;
+    }
+  });
+
   test('returns false when start-time differs (PID reuse defense)', () => {
     // Even if we somehow had the right PID, a stale start-time means it's a
     // different process. We never fake the cmdline test, so this assertion