diff --git a/tests/fixtures/fake-secret-provider.mjs b/tests/fixtures/fake-secret-provider.mjs
index 06c4855f..2500f5c0 100755
--- a/tests/fixtures/fake-secret-provider.mjs
+++ b/tests/fixtures/fake-secret-provider.mjs
@@ -2,14 +2,43 @@
 import { spawn } from "node:child_process";
 import { writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
 import { appendFile, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { connect } from "node:net";
 
 const mode = process.env.MIFTAH_FAKE_MODE ?? "success";
 const recordPath = process.env.MIFTAH_FAKE_RECORD_PATH;
 const countPath = process.env.MIFTAH_FAKE_COUNT_PATH;
 const providerReadyPath = process.env.MIFTAH_FAKE_PROVIDER_READY_PATH;
+const providerBarrierPort = process.env.MIFTAH_FAKE_PROVIDER_BARRIER_PORT;
 
 if (providerReadyPath) writeFileSync(providerReadyPath, "provider-entered");
 
+async function waitForProviderBarrier() {
+  if (providerBarrierPort === undefined) return;
+  const port = Number(providerBarrierPort);
+  if (!Number.isSafeInteger(port) || port < 1 || port > 65_535) {
+    throw new Error("Fake provider received an invalid readiness barrier port");
+  }
+
+  await new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    const socket = connect({ host: "127.0.0.1", port });
+    let released = false;
+    const release = () => {
+      if (released) return;
+      released = true;
+      socket.end();
+      resolve();
+    };
+    socket.once("error", reject);
+    socket.once("data", release);
+    socket.once("end", release);
+    socket.once("close", () => {
+      if (!released) reject(new Error("Readiness barrier closed before release"));
+    });
+  });
+}
+
+await waitForProviderBarrier();
+
 async function writeRecord(descendantPid) {
   if (!recordPath) return;
   await writeFile(
diff --git a/tests/secret-providers.test.ts b/tests/secret-providers.test.ts
index e452a586..ee108055 100644
--- a/tests/secret-providers.test.ts
+++ b/tests/secret-providers.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { randomUUID } from "node:crypto";
 import { spawn } from "node:child_process";
 import { chmod, copyFile, mkdir, readFile, rm, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { createServer, type Server, type Socket } from "node:net";
 import { delimiter, join, win32 } from "node:path";
 import { gzipSync } from "node:zlib";
 import { afterAll, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
@@ -118,6 +119,59 @@ async function waitForProviderEntered(providerReadyPath: string, description: st
   );
 }
 
+async function createProviderReadinessBarrier(): Promise<{
+  server: Server;
+  port: number;
+  reached: Promise<void>;
+  release: () => void;
+  close: () => Promise<void>;
+}> {
+  let resolveReached!: () => void;
+  const reached = new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+    resolveReached = resolve;
+  });
+  let fixtureSocket: Socket | undefined;
+  const server = createServer((socket) => {
+    if (fixtureSocket !== undefined) {
+      socket.destroy();
+      return;
+    }
+    fixtureSocket = socket;
+    socket.once("error", () => undefined);
+    resolveReached();
+  });
+
+  await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
+    server.once("error", reject);
+    server.listen(0, "127.0.0.1", () => {
+      server.off("error", reject);
+      server.on("error", () => undefined);
+      resolve();
+    });
+  });
+
+  const address = server.address();
+  if (address === null || typeof address === "string") {
+    await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
+      server.close((error) => (error ? reject(error) : resolve()));
+    });
+    throw new Error("Expected readiness barrier to listen on a TCP port");
+  }
+
+  return {
+    server,
+    port: address.port,
+    reached,
+    release: () => fixtureSocket?.end("release"),
+    close: async () => {
+      fixtureSocket?.destroy();
+      await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
+        server.close((error) => (error ? reject(error) : resolve()));
+      });
+    }
+  };
+}
+
 async function readDescendantPid(directory: string): Promise<number> {
   let descendantPid: number | undefined;
   await waitForCondition(async () => {
@@ -392,30 +446,57 @@ describe("external secret-reference grammar", () => {
 });
 
 describe("secret command runner", () => {
+  it("keeps provider readiness-barrier server errors handled after startup", async () => {
+    const barrier = await createProviderReadinessBarrier();
+    try {
+      expect(() => barrier.server.emit("error", new Error("test readiness barrier error"))).not.toThrow();
+    } finally {
+      await barrier.close();
+    }
+  });
+
   it.runIf(process.platform === "win32")(
-    "preserves a cold Node provider entry marker through Windows helper settlement",
+    "keeps a cold Node provider pending at a readiness barrier through its Windows helper",
     async () => {
       await inSandbox(async (directory) => {
         const controller = new AbortController();
-        const providerReadyPath = join(directory, "provider-ready");
-        const result = await runSecretCommand(
+        const barrier = await createProviderReadinessBarrier();
+        const pending = runSecretCommand(
           {
             executable: process.execPath,
-            args: [fakeProviderPath],
+            args: [fakeProviderPath, "readiness-barrier-argument"],
             environment: {
               ...fakeProviderEnvironment(directory, "success"),
-              MIFTAH_FAKE_PROVIDER_READY_PATH: providerReadyPath
+              MIFTAH_FAKE_PROVIDER_BARRIER_PORT: `${barrier.port}`
             }
           },
           { signal: controller.signal }
         );
+        let settled = false;
+        const settlement = pending.then(
+          () => {
+            settled = true;
+            return "settled" as const;
+          },
+          () => {
+            settled = true;
+            return "settled" as const;
+          }
+        );
 
-        // The fixture writes this marker synchronously before stdout and exit;
-        // runSecretCommand settles only after the contained helper has waited
-        // for that provider process. This proves the intended ordering without
-        // asserting a cold-start latency that the production contract does not promise.
-        expect(result.stdout.toString("utf8")).toBe("fixture-provider-secret");
-        await expect(readFile(providerReadyPath, "utf8")).resolves.toBe("provider-entered");
+        try {
+          expect(await Promise.race([barrier.reached.then(() => "barrier" as const), settlement])).toBe("barrier");
+          expect(settled).toBe(false);
+
+          barrier.release();
+          const result = await pending;
+          expect(result.stdout.toString("utf8")).toBe("fixture-provider-secret");
+          await expect(readFakeRecord(directory)).resolves.toMatchObject({
+            argv: ["readiness-barrier-argument"]
+          });
+        } finally {
+          await barrier.close();
+        }
       });
     }
   );