diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/main/__tests__/runtime-host-session-observer.test.ts b/apps/desktop/src/main/__tests__/runtime-host-session-observer.test.ts
index b022782d46..18cabd68ee 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/main/__tests__/runtime-host-session-observer.test.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/main/__tests__/runtime-host-session-observer.test.ts
@@ -1134,7 +1134,7 @@ test('does not let one backpressured transcript consumer block another', async (
   await observer.close();
 });
 
-test('releases an idle session when transcript delivery fails', async () => {
+test('keeps a transcript consumer available after a delivery fails', async () => {
   const events = new AsyncFrameQueue();
   let closeCount = 0;
   const observer = new RuntimeHostSessionObserver({
@@ -1176,12 +1176,18 @@ test('releases an idle session when transcript delivery fails', async () => {
     },
     emitSessionsChanged() {},
   });
-  let opened = false;
+  let failDelivery = false;
+  let failedDeliveries = 0;
+  let successfulDeliveries = 0;
   const consumerId = 'consumer-failing';
-  await observer.openTranscript('session-1', consumerId, {
+  const opened = await observer.openTranscript('session-1', consumerId, {
     id: 25,
     send(_channel, batch) {
-      if (opened) throw new Error('renderer unavailable');
+      if (failDelivery) {
+        failedDeliveries += 1;
+        throw new Error('renderer unavailable');
+      }
+      successfulDeliveries += 1;
       queueMicrotask(() =>
         observer.acknowledgeTranscript(
           consumerId,
@@ -1194,7 +1200,7 @@ test('releases an idle session when transcript delivery fails', async () => {
     once() {},
     off() {},
   });
-  opened = true;
+  failDelivery = true;
   events.push({
     kind: 'subscription.transcript_advanced',
     hostEpoch: 'host-1',
@@ -1204,6 +1210,22 @@ test('releases an idle session when transcript delivery fails', async () => {
     throughSequence: 0,
   });
 
+  await waitFor(() => failedDeliveries === 1);
+  failDelivery = false;
+  await assert.doesNotReject(
+    observer.loadTranscriptAround(
+      {
+        consumerId,
+        generation: opened.generation,
+        anchorSequence: 0,
+        maxBytes: DESKTOP_TRANSCRIPT_FRAGMENT_MAX_BYTES,
+      },
+      25,
+    ),
+  );
+  assert.ok(successfulDeliveries > 1);
+  assert.equal(closeCount, 0);
+  await observer.closeTranscript(consumerId, 25);
   await waitFor(() => closeCount === 1);
   await observer.close();
 });
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/main/runtime-host-session-observer.ts b/apps/desktop/src/main/runtime-host-session-observer.ts
index 815b960a5a..390ee5f34e 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/main/runtime-host-session-observer.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/main/runtime-host-session-observer.ts
@@ -124,7 +124,6 @@ interface ObservedSessionState {
 interface TranscriptConsumer {
   readonly consumerId: string;
   readonly target: RuntimeHostTranscriptTarget;
-  readonly destroyedListener: () => void;
   generation: string;
   deliverySequence: number;
   deliveryBytes: number;
@@ -281,13 +280,9 @@ export class RuntimeHostSessionObserver {
         void this.#closeIfIdle(state);
       }
     }
-    const destroyedListener = () => {
-      void this.closeTranscript(consumerId);
-    };
     const consumer: TranscriptConsumer = {
       consumerId,
       target,
-      destroyedListener,
       generation: replica.generation,
       deliverySequence: 0,
       deliveryBytes: 0,
@@ -296,7 +291,6 @@ export class RuntimeHostSessionObserver {
     };
     state.transcriptConsumers.set(consumerId, consumer);
     this.#transcriptConsumers.set(consumerId, state);
-    target.once('destroyed', destroyedListener);
     try {
       consumer.resetRequested = true;
       await this.#scheduleTranscriptDelivery(state, consumer);
@@ -1081,8 +1075,7 @@ export class RuntimeHostSessionObserver {
       if (consumer.generation !== replica.generation) {
         this.#requestTranscriptReset(state, consumer);
       } else if (!this.#mergeTranscriptChange(consumer, change)) {
-        this.#detachTranscriptConsumer(state, consumer);
-        void this.#closeIfIdle(state);
+        this.#requestTranscriptReset(state, consumer);
       } else {
         void this.#scheduleTranscriptDelivery(state, consumer).catch(() => undefined);
       }
@@ -1156,8 +1149,9 @@ export class RuntimeHostSessionObserver {
           }
         }
       } catch (error) {
-        this.#detachTranscriptConsumer(state, consumer);
-        void this.#closeIfIdle(state);
+        if (state.transcriptConsumers.get(consumer.consumerId) === consumer) {
+          consumer.resetRequested = true;
+        }
         throw error;
       }
     })().finally(() => {
@@ -1362,7 +1356,6 @@ export class RuntimeHostSessionObserver {
       pending.reject(new Error('Desktop transcript consumer was closed'));
     }
     consumer.pendingDeliveries.clear();
-    consumer.target.off('destroyed', consumer.destroyedListener);
   }
 
   #touchReplica(state: ObservedSessionState, protectedState?: ObservedSessionState): boolean {