diff --git a/companion/src-tauri/src/lib.rs b/companion/src-tauri/src/lib.rs
index add0e72..1558a3a 100644
--- a/companion/src-tauri/src/lib.rs
+++ b/companion/src-tauri/src/lib.rs
@@ -507,13 +507,6 @@ async fn restart_claude_desktop() -> Result<setup::StepResult, String> {
         use std::path::PathBuf;
         use std::process::Command;
 
-        // Best-effort graceful close (no `/F`). If Claude is already gone
-        // taskkill returns exit code 128 — we don't surface that.
-        let _ = no_window(
-            Command::new("taskkill").args(["/IM", "Claude.exe"]),
-        )
-        .output();
-
         // Capture the path of the running Claude.exe *before* we tell it
         // to quit — that's the most reliable way to find the right binary
         // (covers MSIX/Store installs, custom install dirs, renames),
@@ -525,6 +518,14 @@ async fn restart_claude_desktop() -> Result<setup::StepResult, String> {
         // existing candidate path, which silently picks the older binary
         // when both NSIS and MSIX installs coexist (mid-upgrade), and
         // misses Store-installed Claudes entirely.
+        //
+        // History: an earlier taskkill block was duplicated *above* the
+        // sysinfo lookup at some point between v0.4.40 and v0.4.46, which
+        // defeated the whole point — by the time sysinfo ran, Claude was
+        // already gone and the fallback paths ended up being the only
+        // resolution. Codex spotted the regression in the v0.4.40→main
+        // audit. The single, post-capture taskkill below is the
+        // intended order.
         let running_exe: Option<PathBuf> = {
             use sysinfo::{ProcessRefreshKind, RefreshKind, System};
             let sys = System::new_with_specifics(