diff --git a/Packages/macOS/CmuxCloud/Sources/CmuxCloud/Link/CloudMachineLink+StderrDrain.swift b/Packages/macOS/CmuxCloud/Sources/CmuxCloud/Link/CloudMachineLink+StderrDrain.swift
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..61eaf9e9cec5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Packages/macOS/CmuxCloud/Sources/CmuxCloud/Link/CloudMachineLink+StderrDrain.swift
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+import Foundation
+
+extension CloudMachineLink {
+    /// Waits for the link client's stderr reader to reach EOF, so an exit error
+    /// reads its last lines: they can still be in flight when the process
+    /// exits. A child the client started can hold the pipe open, so the wait
+    /// is bounded.
+    nonisolated static func awaitStderrDrain(_ drain: Task<Void, Never>, upTo limit: Duration = .seconds(1)) async {
+        let drained = CloudLinkFirstValue<Bool>()
+        Task.detached {
+            await drain.value
+            drained.resolve(true)
+        }
+        Task.detached {
+            try? await Task.sleep(for: limit)
+            drained.resolve(false)
+        }
+        _ = await drained.result
+    }
+}
diff --git a/Packages/macOS/CmuxCloud/Sources/CmuxCloud/Link/CloudMachineLink.swift b/Packages/macOS/CmuxCloud/Sources/CmuxCloud/Link/CloudMachineLink.swift
index 86270efbcb5a..a8264dc67ef4 100644
--- a/Packages/macOS/CmuxCloud/Sources/CmuxCloud/Link/CloudMachineLink.swift
+++ b/Packages/macOS/CmuxCloud/Sources/CmuxCloud/Link/CloudMachineLink.swift
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ public actor CloudMachineLink {
         }
         self.process = process
         self.processExit = processExit
-        drainStderr(stderr.fileHandleForReading)
+        let stderrDrain = drainStderr(stderr.fileHandleForReading)
 
         // The first connection-snapshot line names the socket; later lines only update
         // transport topology and are ignored — but stdout keeps draining for the
@@ -271,15 +271,14 @@ public actor CloudMachineLink {
                     // client rejecting a flag, a refused dial). Report that exit and its
                     // stderr, not the deadline it never reached.
                     await Self.terminateAndWait(process, exit: processExit)
-                    throw LinkError.exited(
-                        status: process.terminationStatus,
-                        output: stderrTail.joined(separator: "\n")
-                    )
+                    await Self.awaitStderrDrain(stderrDrain)
+                    throw LinkError.exited(status: process.terminationStatus, output: stderrTail.joined(separator: "\n"))
                 case .timedOut?, nil:
                     throw LinkError.timedOut
                 }
             }
             guard process.isRunning else {
+                await Self.awaitStderrDrain(stderrDrain)
                 throw LinkError.exited(status: process.terminationStatus, output: stderrTail.joined(separator: "\n"))
             }
         } catch {
@@ -625,9 +624,9 @@ public actor CloudMachineLink {
         eventsRecoveryPhase = .healthy
     }
 
-    private func drainStderr(_ handle: FileHandle) {
+    private func drainStderr(_ handle: FileHandle) -> Task<Void, Never> {
         let lines = CloudLinkPipe.lines(from: handle)
-        Task.detached { [weak self] in
+        return Task.detached { [weak self] in
             for await line in lines {
                 await self?.recordStderr(line)
             }
diff --git a/Packages/macOS/CmuxCloud/Tests/CmuxCloudTests/CloudMachineLinkExitDiagnosticsTests.swift b/Packages/macOS/CmuxCloud/Tests/CmuxCloudTests/CloudMachineLinkExitDiagnosticsTests.swift
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..8634ca1dfdac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Packages/macOS/CmuxCloud/Tests/CmuxCloudTests/CloudMachineLinkExitDiagnosticsTests.swift
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+@testable import CmuxCloud
+import CmuxCloudTui
+import Foundation
+import Testing
+
+/// A link client that exits before naming its socket fails the connect with its
+/// own exit status and stderr. The stderr reader runs in its own task, so the
+/// last lines can still be in flight when the process exits.
+@Suite("Cloud machine link exit diagnostics")
+struct CloudMachineLinkExitDiagnosticsTests {
+    @Test("An exit error carries stderr written until the pipe closes")
+    func exitErrorWaitsForStderrToClose() async throws {
+        let root = FileManager.default.temporaryDirectory
+            .appendingPathComponent("cmux-link-exit-stderr-\(UUID().uuidString.lowercased())", isDirectory: true)
+        try FileManager.default.createDirectory(at: root, withIntermediateDirectories: true)
+        defer { try? FileManager.default.removeItem(at: root) }
+        let client = root.appendingPathComponent("fake-cmux-tui")
+        // The client exits at once. Once it is reaped, a child it started closes
+        // stdout and writes the last stderr line a moment later. Closing stdout
+        // earlier would let connect terminate the unreaped client's process
+        // group, child included, before the line is written. Without the wait,
+        // connect builds the error within milliseconds of stdout closing.
+        try """
+        #!/bin/sh
+        (while kill -0 $$ 2>/dev/null; do sleep 0.01; done
+         exec >/dev/null; sleep 0.1; echo 'cmux-tui: route refused' >&2) &
+        exit 2
+        """.write(to: client, atomically: true, encoding: .utf8)
+        try FileManager.default.setAttributes([.posixPermissions: 0o755], ofItemAtPath: client.path)
+        let link = CloudMachineLink(machineID: "test-machine", clientURL: client, paths: CloudTuiClientPaths(home: root))
+
+        do {
+            _ = try await link.connect(route: "ws://10.0.0.1:1337/v1/link", session: "main", carrier: true)
+            Issue.record("a client that exits before its socket line must fail the connect")
+        } catch CloudMachineLink.LinkError.exited(let status, let output) {
+            #expect(status == 2)
+            #expect(output.contains("route refused"), "stderr written before the pipe closed must reach the error: \(output)")
+        } catch {
+            Issue.record("expected LinkError.exited, got \(error)")
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test("An exit after the socket line carries stderr written until the pipe closes")
+    func exitAfterSocketLineWaitsForStderrToClose() async throws {
+        let root = FileManager.default.temporaryDirectory
+            .appendingPathComponent("cmux-link-exit-after-socket-\(UUID().uuidString.lowercased())", isDirectory: true)
+        try FileManager.default.createDirectory(at: root, withIntermediateDirectories: true)
+        defer { try? FileManager.default.removeItem(at: root) }
+        let client = root.appendingPathComponent("fake-cmux-tui")
+        // The client exits at once. Once it is reaped, a child it started names
+        // the socket, closes stdout and writes the last stderr line a moment later.
+        try """
+        #!/bin/sh
+        (while kill -0 $$ 2>/dev/null; do sleep 0.01; done
+         printf '%s\\n' '{"event":"connection-snapshot","local_socket":"/tmp/cmux-link-exit-test.sock"}'
+         exec >/dev/null; sleep 0.1; echo 'cmux-tui: route refused' >&2) &
+        exit 2
+        """.write(to: client, atomically: true, encoding: .utf8)
+        try FileManager.default.setAttributes([.posixPermissions: 0o755], ofItemAtPath: client.path)
+        let link = CloudMachineLink(machineID: "test-machine", clientURL: client, paths: CloudTuiClientPaths(home: root))
+
+        do {
+            _ = try await link.connect(route: "ws://10.0.0.1:1337/v1/link", session: "main", carrier: true)
+            Issue.record("a client that exits after its socket line must fail the connect")
+        } catch CloudMachineLink.LinkError.exited(let status, let output) {
+            #expect(status == 2)
+            #expect(output.contains("route refused"), "stderr written before the pipe closed must reach the error: \(output)")
+        } catch {
+            Issue.record("expected LinkError.exited, got \(error)")
+        }
+    }
+}