diff --git a/scripts/dev-runner.cjs b/scripts/dev-runner.cjs
index e73d44b..10a991a 100644
--- a/scripts/dev-runner.cjs
+++ b/scripts/dev-runner.cjs
@@ -6,19 +6,97 @@ const chokidar = require('chokidar');
 const root = path.resolve(__dirname, '..');
 const electron = require('electron');
 const lockPath = path.join(root, '.dev-runner.lock');
-const watched = [
-  'main.js',
-  'preload.js',
-  'preload-drop-target.js',
-  path.join(root, 'lib'),
-  path.join(root, 'renderer')
-].map(target => path.isAbsolute(target) ? target : path.join(root, target));
-
-let child = null;
-let restartTimer = null;
-let stopping = false;
 let lockHandle = null;
 
+function createWatchedPaths(projectRoot) {
+  return [
+    'main.js',
+    'preload.js',
+    'preload-drop-target.js',
+    'lib',
+    'renderer'
+  ].map(target => path.join(projectRoot, target));
+}
+
+function createRestartController({ startChild, stopChild, onUnexpectedExit = () => {} }) {
+  let child = null;
+  let terminatingChild = null;
+  let restartScheduled = false;
+  let restartWaiters = [];
+  let cycleDone = Promise.resolve();
+  let stopping = false;
+  let shutdownPromise = null;
+
+  function start() {
+    if (stopping || child) return child;
+    const startedChild = startChild();
+    child = startedChild;
+    startedChild.once('exit', (code, signal) => {
+      if (child !== startedChild) return;
+      const expectedExit = stopping || terminatingChild === startedChild;
+      child = null;
+      if (!expectedExit && code !== 0 && signal !== 'SIGTERM') onUnexpectedExit(code, signal);
+    });
+    return startedChild;
+  }
+
+  async function stopCurrentChild() {
+    const target = child;
+    if (!target || !target.pid) return;
+    terminatingChild = target;
+    try {
+      await stopChild(target);
+    } catch (error) {
+      if (child === target) throw error;
+    } finally {
+      if (terminatingChild === target) terminatingChild = null;
+    }
+    if (child === target) child = null;
+  }
+
+  async function runRestartCycle() {
+    const waiters = restartWaiters;
+    restartWaiters = [];
+    try {
+      await stopCurrentChild();
+      waiters.push(...restartWaiters);
+      restartWaiters = [];
+      if (!stopping) start();
+      for (const waiter of waiters) waiter.resolve();
+    } catch (error) {
+      waiters.push(...restartWaiters);
+      restartWaiters = [];
+      for (const waiter of waiters) waiter.reject(error);
+    } finally {
+      restartScheduled = false;
+      if (restartWaiters.length > 0 && !stopping) beginRestartCycle();
+    }
+  }
+
+  function beginRestartCycle() {
+    restartScheduled = true;
+    cycleDone = runRestartCycle();
+  }
+
+  function restart() {
+    if (stopping) return shutdownPromise || Promise.resolve();
+    const requested = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+      restartWaiters.push({ resolve, reject });
+    });
+    if (!restartScheduled) beginRestartCycle();
+    return requested;
+  }
+
+  function shutdown() {
+    if (shutdownPromise) return shutdownPromise;
+    stopping = true;
+    shutdownPromise = cycleDone.then(stopCurrentChild);
+    return shutdownPromise;
+  }
+
+  return { restart, shutdown, start };
+}
+
 function processExists(pid) {
   if (!Number.isInteger(pid) || pid <= 0) return false;
   try {
@@ -56,71 +134,115 @@ function releaseLock() {
   } catch {}
 }
 
-function startApp() {
-  const startedChild = spawn(electron, ['.', '--dev'], {
+function startElectron() {
+  return spawn(electron, ['.', '--dev'], {
     cwd: root,
     stdio: 'inherit',
     windowsHide: false
   });
-  child = startedChild;
-  startedChild.once('exit', (code, signal) => {
-    if (child !== startedChild) return;
-    child = null;
-    if (!stopping && code !== 0 && signal !== 'SIGTERM') process.exitCode = code || 1;
+}
+
+function stopProcessTree(child) {
+  if (process.platform === 'win32') {
+    return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+      const killer = spawn('taskkill', ['/pid', String(child.pid), '/t', '/f'], {
+        stdio: 'ignore',
+        windowsHide: true
+      });
+      killer.once('error', reject);
+      killer.once('close', (code, signal) => {
+        if (code === 0) {
+          resolve();
+          return;
+        }
+        reject(new Error(`taskkill failed for Electron PID ${child.pid}: ${code ?? signal ?? 'unknown'}`));
+      });
+    });
+  }
+  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    const handleExit = () => resolve();
+    child.once('exit', handleExit);
+    try {
+      process.kill(child.pid, 'SIGTERM');
+    } catch (error) {
+      child.removeListener('exit', handleExit);
+      reject(error);
+    }
   });
 }
 
-function stopApp(done) {
-  if (!child || !child.pid) {
-    done();
+function runDevRunner() {
+  if (!acquireLock()) {
+    process.stderr.write('A Multi-Hoster hot-dev runner is already active.\n');
+    process.exit(0);
     return;
   }
-  const pid = child.pid;
-  child = null;
-  if (process.platform === 'win32') {
-    const killer = spawn('taskkill', ['/pid', String(pid), '/t', '/f'], { stdio: 'ignore', windowsHide: true });
-    killer.once('close', done);
-    return;
+
+  const controller = createRestartController({
+    startChild: startElectron,
+    stopChild: stopProcessTree,
+    onUnexpectedExit(code) {
+      process.exitCode = code || 1;
+    }
+  });
+  const watcher = chokidar.watch(createWatchedPaths(root), {
+    ignoreInitial: true,
+    usePolling: true,
+    interval: 100,
+    awaitWriteFinish: { stabilityThreshold: 250, pollInterval: 50 }
+  });
+  let restartTimer = null;
+  let shutdownPromise = null;
+
+  function reportRestartFailure(error) {
+    process.stderr.write(`[hotdev] restart failed: ${error.message}\n`);
+    process.exitCode = 1;
   }
-  process.kill(pid, 'SIGTERM');
-  done();
+
+  function scheduleRestart() {
+    clearTimeout(restartTimer);
+    restartTimer = setTimeout(() => {
+      restartTimer = null;
+      controller.restart().catch(reportRestartFailure);
+    }, 180);
+  }
+
+  watcher.on('all', (_event, file) => {
+    process.stdout.write(`[hotdev] renderer change detected: ${file}\n`);
+    scheduleRestart();
+  });
+
+  function shutdown() {
+    if (shutdownPromise) return shutdownPromise;
+    clearTimeout(restartTimer);
+    const appShutdown = controller.shutdown();
+    shutdownPromise = Promise.allSettled([
+      Promise.resolve().then(() => watcher.close()),
+      appShutdown
+    ]).then(results => {
+      const failure = results.find(result => result.status === 'rejected');
+      releaseLock();
+      if (failure) {
+        process.stderr.write(`[hotdev] shutdown failed: ${failure.reason.message}\n`);
+        process.exit(1);
+        return;
+      }
+      process.exit(0);
+    });
+    return shutdownPromise;
+  }
+
+  process.once('SIGINT', shutdown);
+  process.once('SIGTERM', shutdown);
+  process.once('exit', () => {
+    clearTimeout(restartTimer);
+    controller.shutdown().catch(() => {});
+    releaseLock();
+  });
+
+  controller.start();
 }
 
-function restartApp() {
-  if (stopping) return;
-  stopApp(startApp);
-}
+module.exports = { createRestartController, createWatchedPaths };
 
-function scheduleRestart() {
-  clearTimeout(restartTimer);
-  restartTimer = setTimeout(restartApp, 180);
-}
-
-if (!acquireLock()) {
-  process.stderr.write('A Multi-Hoster hot-dev runner is already active.\n');
-  process.exit(0);
-}
-
-const watcher = chokidar.watch(watched, {
-  ignoreInitial: true,
-  usePolling: true,
-  interval: 100,
-  awaitWriteFinish: { stabilityThreshold: 250, pollInterval: 50 }
-});
-watcher.on('all', (_event, file) => {
-  process.stdout.write(`[hotdev] renderer change detected: ${file}\n`);
-  scheduleRestart();
-});
-
-function shutdown() {
-  if (stopping) return;
-  stopping = true;
-  clearTimeout(restartTimer);
-  watcher.close().finally(() => stopApp(() => { releaseLock(); process.exit(0); }));
-}
-
-process.once('SIGINT', shutdown);
-process.once('SIGTERM', shutdown);
-process.once('exit', () => { stopping = true; releaseLock(); });
-
-startApp();
+if (require.main === module) runDevRunner();
diff --git a/tests/dev-runner.test.js b/tests/dev-runner.test.js
index d92f660..2b888cf 100644
--- a/tests/dev-runner.test.js
+++ b/tests/dev-runner.test.js
@@ -1,11 +1,120 @@
 const test = require('node:test');
 const assert = require('node:assert/strict');
-const fs = require('node:fs');
+const { EventEmitter } = require('node:events');
 const path = require('node:path');
+const { createRestartController, createWatchedPaths } = require('../scripts/dev-runner.cjs');
 
-test('dev runner cannot let an old child exit clear the current Electron process', () => {
-  const source = fs.readFileSync(path.join(__dirname, '..', 'scripts', 'dev-runner.cjs'), 'utf8');
+function createDeferred() {
+  let resolve;
+  let reject;
+  const promise = new Promise((resolvePromise, rejectPromise) => {
+    resolve = resolvePromise;
+    reject = rejectPromise;
+  });
+  return { promise, resolve, reject };
+}
 
-  assert.match(source, /const startedChild = spawn\(electron/u);
-  assert.match(source, /if \(child !== startedChild\) return;\s*child = null;/u);
+function createHarness(stopChild) {
+  const started = [];
+  const stopped = [];
+  const unexpectedExits = [];
+  let nextPid = 1;
+  const controller = createRestartController({
+    startChild() {
+      const child = new EventEmitter();
+      child.pid = nextPid;
+      nextPid += 1;
+      started.push(child);
+      return child;
+    },
+    stopChild(child) {
+      stopped.push(child);
+      return stopChild(child);
+    },
+    onUnexpectedExit(code, signal) {
+      unexpectedExits.push({ code, signal });
+    }
+  });
+  return { controller, started, stopped, unexpectedExits };
+}
+
+test('three changes during an open kill produce exactly one replacement Electron tree', async () => {
+  const kill = createDeferred();
+  const harness = createHarness(() => kill.promise);
+  const original = harness.controller.start();
+  const firstRestart = harness.controller.restart();
+
+  const pendingChanges = [
+    harness.controller.restart(),
+    harness.controller.restart(),
+    harness.controller.restart()
+  ];
+
+  assert.equal(harness.stopped.length, 1);
+  assert.strictEqual(harness.stopped[0], original);
+  assert.strictEqual(harness.controller.start(), original);
+  assert.equal(harness.started.length, 1);
+
+  kill.resolve();
+  await Promise.all([firstRestart, ...pendingChanges]);
+
+  assert.equal(harness.stopped.length, 1);
+  assert.equal(harness.started.length, 2);
+  assert.notStrictEqual(harness.started[1], original);
+});
+
+test('a failed kill cannot start Electron over the still-running tree', async () => {
+  const harness = createHarness(async () => {
+    throw new Error('taskkill failed');
+  });
+  const original = harness.controller.start();
+
+  await assert.rejects(harness.controller.restart(), /taskkill failed/u);
+
+  assert.equal(harness.stopped.length, 1);
+  assert.equal(harness.started.length, 1);
+  assert.strictEqual(harness.controller.start(), original);
+});
+
+test('shutdown during an open restart kill prevents its completion from starting Electron', async () => {
+  const kill = createDeferred();
+  const harness = createHarness(() => kill.promise);
+  harness.controller.start();
+  const restart = harness.controller.restart();
+  const shutdown = harness.controller.shutdown();
+
+  assert.equal(harness.stopped.length, 1);
+  assert.equal(harness.started.length, 1);
+
+  kill.resolve();
+  await Promise.all([restart, shutdown]);
+
+  assert.equal(harness.stopped.length, 1);
+  assert.equal(harness.started.length, 1);
+  assert.equal(harness.controller.start(), null);
+});
+
+test('an old child exit cannot clear the replacement Electron child', async () => {
+  const harness = createHarness(async () => {});
+  const original = harness.controller.start();
+
+  await harness.controller.restart();
+  const replacement = harness.started[1];
+  original.emit('exit', 0, 'SIGTERM');
+
+  assert.equal(harness.started.length, 2);
+  assert.strictEqual(harness.controller.start(), replacement);
+  assert.deepEqual(harness.unexpectedExits, []);
+});
+
+test('watch paths still cover main, preloads, lib and renderer', () => {
+  const projectRoot = path.resolve('C:\\project');
+
+  assert.deepEqual([...createWatchedPaths(projectRoot)], [
+    path.join(projectRoot, 'main.js'),
+    path.join(projectRoot, 'preload.js'),
+    path.join(projectRoot, 'preload-drop-target.js'),
+    path.join(projectRoot, 'lib'),
+    path.join(projectRoot, 'renderer')
+  ]);
 });