diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 13a4495..bc59464 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -6,7 +6,12 @@ adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
-## [1.18.1] - 2026-06-03
+## [1.18.2] - 2026-06-03
+
+### Fixed
+- **Pipe listener no longer fire-and-forgets via `async void`.** `App.StartPipeListener` was an async-void method, meaning any exception escaping the loop would crash the process via the AppDomain handler. Renamed to `StartPipeListenerAsync` returning `Task`; `OnStartup` calls it as `_ = StartPipeListenerAsync()` so a stray exception flows through `TaskScheduler.UnobservedTaskException` (logged) instead of terminating the app.
+- **StartupService — removed sync wrapper over async.** `SetEnabled` (sync) was a thin wrapper around `SetEnabledAsync` using `.GetAwaiter().GetResult()`. The wrapper is gone; tests now call `SetEnabledAsync` directly via xUnit `Task` test methods.
+- **Schtasks stderr read** — replaced `stderrTask.Wait(timeout) ? .GetAwaiter().GetResult() : ""` with `await stderrTask.WaitAsync(timeout)` so the read is fully async with a clean timeout fallback.
 
 ### Fixed
 - **Privacy Toggles no longer write to the registry on every click.** Toggling a switch now updates local state only; the user must press **Apply** to write pending changes. A live counter shows how many changes are pending, and **Discard** reverts them without touching the registry. Prevents accidental system changes when scrolling through the toggle list.
diff --git a/SysManager/SysManager.Tests/StartupToggleTests.cs b/SysManager/SysManager.Tests/StartupToggleTests.cs
index 76a4021..4b159a8 100644
--- a/SysManager/SysManager.Tests/StartupToggleTests.cs
+++ b/SysManager/SysManager.Tests/StartupToggleTests.cs
@@ -8,13 +8,13 @@
 namespace SysManager.Tests;
 
 /// <summary>
-/// Tests for <see cref="StartupService.SetEnabled"/> covering registry-based
+/// Tests for <see cref="StartupService.SetEnabledAsync"/> covering registry-based
 /// and Task Scheduler entries, plus specific error messages (#159, #160).
 /// </summary>
 public class StartupToggleTests
 {
     [Fact]
-    public void SetEnabled_TaskScheduler_EmptyPath_ReturnsFalseWithMessage()
+    public async Task SetEnabledAsync_TaskScheduler_EmptyPath_ReturnsFalseWithMessage()
     {
         var entry = new StartupEntry
         {
@@ -26,14 +26,14 @@ public void SetEnabled_TaskScheduler_EmptyPath_ReturnsFalseWithMessage()
             StatusText = "Enabled"
         };
 
-        var result = StartupService.SetEnabled(entry, false);
+        var result = await StartupService.SetEnabledAsync(entry, false);
 
         Assert.False(result);
         Assert.Contains("task path unknown", entry.StatusText, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public void SetEnabled_TaskScheduler_NullPath_ReturnsFalseWithMessage()
+    public async Task SetEnabledAsync_TaskScheduler_NullPath_ReturnsFalseWithMessage()
     {
         var entry = new StartupEntry
         {
@@ -45,14 +45,14 @@ public void SetEnabled_TaskScheduler_NullPath_ReturnsFalseWithMessage()
             StatusText = "Enabled"
         };
 
-        var result = StartupService.SetEnabled(entry, false);
+        var result = await StartupService.SetEnabledAsync(entry, false);
 
         Assert.False(result);
         Assert.Contains("task path unknown", entry.StatusText, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public void SetEnabled_RegistryEntry_NeverShowsGenericAdminMessage()
+    public async Task SetEnabledAsync_RegistryEntry_NeverShowsGenericAdminMessage()
     {
         var entry = new StartupEntry
         {
@@ -65,13 +65,13 @@ public void SetEnabled_RegistryEntry_NeverShowsGenericAdminMessage()
             StatusText = "Enabled"
         };
 
-        var result = StartupService.SetEnabled(entry, false);
+        var result = await StartupService.SetEnabledAsync(entry, false);
 
         Assert.DoesNotContain("may need admin", entry.StatusText, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public void SetEnabled_TaskScheduler_WithBogusPath_ReturnsFalseWithSpecificError()
+    public async Task SetEnabledAsync_TaskScheduler_WithBogusPath_ReturnsFalseWithSpecificError()
     {
         var entry = new StartupEntry
         {
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ public void SetEnabled_TaskScheduler_WithBogusPath_ReturnsFalseWithSpecificError
             StatusText = "Enabled"
         };
 
-        var result = StartupService.SetEnabled(entry, false);
+        var result = await StartupService.SetEnabledAsync(entry, false);
 
         Assert.False(result);
         Assert.StartsWith("Error", entry.StatusText, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ public void SetEnabled_TaskScheduler_WithBogusPath_ReturnsFalseWithSpecificError
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public void SetEnabled_PreservesEntryState_OnFailure()
+    public async Task SetEnabledAsync_PreservesEntryState_OnFailure()
     {
         var entry = new StartupEntry
         {
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ public void SetEnabled_PreservesEntryState_OnFailure()
             StatusText = "Enabled"
         };
 
-        StartupService.SetEnabled(entry, false);
+        await StartupService.SetEnabledAsync(entry, false);
 
         Assert.True(entry.IsEnabled);
     }
diff --git a/SysManager/SysManager/App.xaml.cs b/SysManager/SysManager/App.xaml.cs
index aac93c2..b1d83e2 100644
--- a/SysManager/SysManager/App.xaml.cs
+++ b/SysManager/SysManager/App.xaml.cs
@@ -78,8 +78,10 @@ protected override void OnStartup(StartupEventArgs e)
 
         ThemeService.Instance.Initialize();
 
-        // Start listening for activation requests from subsequent instances
-        StartPipeListener();
+        // Start listening for activation requests from subsequent instances.
+        // Fire-and-forget is intentional — the listener loop runs for the app
+        // lifetime and is cancelled via _pipeCts on OnExit.
+        _ = StartPipeListenerAsync();
     }
 
     protected override void OnExit(ExitEventArgs e)
@@ -127,9 +129,11 @@ private static void ActivateExistingInstance()
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Listens for named pipe connections from subsequent instances and
-    /// activates the main window when one connects.
+    /// activates the main window when one connects. Returns a Task so the
+    /// caller can fire-and-forget without using the async-void anti-pattern;
+    /// any exception escaping the loop is logged via OnTask (UnobservedTaskException).
     /// </summary>
-    private async void StartPipeListener()
+    private async Task StartPipeListenerAsync()
     {
         _pipeCts = new CancellationTokenSource();
         var ct = _pipeCts.Token;
diff --git a/SysManager/SysManager/Services/StartupService.cs b/SysManager/SysManager/Services/StartupService.cs
index 9223194..dac6434 100644
--- a/SysManager/SysManager/Services/StartupService.cs
+++ b/SysManager/SysManager/Services/StartupService.cs
@@ -305,13 +305,6 @@ private static void ApplyApprovedState(List<StartupEntry> entries)
         catch (System.IO.IOException) { return null; /* I/O error reading key */ }
     }
 
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Synchronous overload — delegates to <see cref="SetEnabledAsync"/> for
-    /// backward compatibility with existing callers and tests.
-    /// </summary>
-    public static bool SetEnabled(StartupEntry entry, bool enabled)
-        => SetEnabledAsync(entry, enabled).GetAwaiter().GetResult();
-
     /// <summary>
     /// Toggle a startup entry on or off by writing to the StartupApproved
     /// registry key. This is the same mechanism Task Manager uses.
@@ -444,9 +437,15 @@ private static async Task<bool> SetTaskSchedulerEnabledAsync(StartupEntry entry,
                 return false;
             }
 
-            var stderr = stderrTask.Wait(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(5))
-                ? stderrTask.GetAwaiter().GetResult().Trim()
-                : string.Empty;
+            string stderr;
+            try
+            {
+                stderr = (await stderrTask.WaitAsync(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(5)).ConfigureAwait(false)).Trim();
+            }
+            catch (TimeoutException)
+            {
+                stderr = string.Empty;
+            }
 
             if (proc.ExitCode == 0)
             {
diff --git a/SysManager/SysManager/SysManager.csproj b/SysManager/SysManager/SysManager.csproj
index bb9162b..4d3b0fa 100644
--- a/SysManager/SysManager/SysManager.csproj
+++ b/SysManager/SysManager/SysManager.csproj
@@ -10,9 +10,9 @@
     <RootNamespace>SysManager</RootNamespace>
     <AllowUnsafeBlocks>true</AllowUnsafeBlocks>
     <NoWarn>NU1603;NU1701</NoWarn>
-    <Version>1.18.1</Version>
-    <FileVersion>1.18.1.0</FileVersion>
-    <AssemblyVersion>1.18.1.0</AssemblyVersion>
+    <Version>1.18.2</Version>
+    <FileVersion>1.18.2.0</FileVersion>
+    <AssemblyVersion>1.18.2.0</AssemblyVersion>
     <Product>SysManager</Product>
     <Description>SysManager — Windows system monitoring toolkit by laurentiu021. Network, updates, health, logs, safe deep cleanup.</Description>
     <PackageProjectUrl>https://github.com/laurentiu021/SystemManager</PackageProjectUrl>