diff --git a/hermes_cli/gateway_windows.py b/hermes_cli/gateway_windows.py
index a7f4b983dcbf..d6905052d5e8 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/gateway_windows.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/gateway_windows.py
@@ -112,6 +112,16 @@ def _exec_schtasks(args: list[str]) -> tuple[int, str, str]:
             [schtasks, *args],
             capture_output=True,
             text=True,
+            # schtasks emits text in the console's localized code page (e.g.
+            # cp936/GBK on Chinese Windows). When the ambient locale resolves
+            # to UTF-8 — common under git-bash/MSYS — the default strict decode
+            # raises UnicodeDecodeError inside subprocess's reader thread and
+            # spams a traceback even though the command succeeded (issue
+            # #34083). Decode defensively, matching find_gateway_pids() in
+            # gateway.py. The ASCII keys we parse (status, last run result)
+            # survive; only localized free-text becomes U+FFFD.
+            encoding="utf-8",
+            errors="replace",
             timeout=_SCHTASKS_TIMEOUT_S,
             # CREATE_NO_WINDOW avoids a flashing console window when the CLI
             # is itself hosted in a TUI. See tools/browser_tool.py for the
diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway_windows.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway_windows.py
index e61302198282..ec407f97c277 100644
--- a/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway_windows.py
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway_windows.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 """Tests for hermes_cli.gateway_windows."""
 
 from pathlib import Path
+from types import SimpleNamespace
 
 import pytest
 
@@ -698,4 +699,34 @@ def fake_write(target_pid):
     monkeypatch.setattr(status_mod, "_pid_exists", lambda check_pid: False)
 
     # Returns True because _pid_exists immediately says "gone".
-    assert gateway_windows._drain_gateway_pid(pid, drain_timeout=5.0) is True
\ No newline at end of file
+    assert gateway_windows._drain_gateway_pid(pid, drain_timeout=5.0) is True
+
+
+def test_exec_schtasks_decodes_defensively(monkeypatch):
+    """schtasks output must decode without raising on non-UTF-8 console bytes.
+
+    On Chinese Windows the schtasks code page is cp936/GBK; under a UTF-8
+    ambient locale (git-bash/MSYS) the default strict decode raises
+    UnicodeDecodeError inside subprocess's reader thread, spamming a
+    traceback on an otherwise-successful ``hermes gateway status`` (#34083).
+    Pin the decode to errors="replace" so the call stays quiet.
+    """
+    captured = {}
+
+    def fake_run(cmd, **kwargs):
+        captured.update(kwargs)
+        return SimpleNamespace(returncode=0, stdout="Status: Running", stderr="")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(gateway_windows, "_assert_windows", lambda: None)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        gateway_windows.shutil, "which",
+        lambda name: r"C:\Windows\System32\schtasks.exe",
+    )
+    monkeypatch.setattr(gateway_windows.subprocess, "run", fake_run)
+
+    code, out, err = gateway_windows._exec_schtasks(["/Query", "/TN", "Hermes_Gateway"])
+
+    assert code == 0
+    assert out == "Status: Running"
+    assert captured.get("encoding") == "utf-8"
+    assert captured.get("errors") == "replace"