diff --git a/packages/desktop-electron/src/main/index.ts b/packages/desktop-electron/src/main/index.ts
index 56c9c943fd..d3b617f863 100644
--- a/packages/desktop-electron/src/main/index.ts
+++ b/packages/desktop-electron/src/main/index.ts
@@ -142,7 +142,16 @@ async function initialize() {
   const password = randomUUID()
 
   logger.log("spawning sidecar", { url })
-  const { listener, health } = await spawnLocalServer(hostname, port, password)
+  localServer.setRuntime({ key: "local:windows", mode: "windows", distro: null })
+  localServer.setStatus({ kind: "running", step: null })
+  const { listener, health } = await spawnLocalServer(hostname, port, password).catch((error) => {
+    localServer.setStatus({
+      kind: "failed",
+      step: null,
+      message: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error),
+    })
+    throw error
+  })
   server = listener
   serverReady.resolve({
     url,
@@ -169,9 +178,18 @@ async function initialize() {
       delay(30_000).then(() => {
         throw new Error("Sidecar health check timed out")
       }),
-    ]).catch((error) => {
-      logger.error("sidecar health check failed", error)
-    })
+    ])
+      .then(() => {
+        localServer.setStatus({ kind: "ready" })
+      })
+      .catch((error) => {
+        localServer.setStatus({
+          kind: "failed",
+          step: null,
+          message: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error),
+        })
+        logger.error("sidecar health check failed", error)
+      })
 
     logger.log("loading task finished")
   })()
diff --git a/packages/desktop-electron/src/main/local-server.ts b/packages/desktop-electron/src/main/local-server.ts
index ee48a6656a..843eb1deab 100644
--- a/packages/desktop-electron/src/main/local-server.ts
+++ b/packages/desktop-electron/src/main/local-server.ts
@@ -26,6 +26,11 @@ export function createLocalServerController() {
     for (const listener of listeners) listener(event)
   }
 
+  const update = (next: LocalServerState) => {
+    state = next
+    emit({ type: "state", state })
+  }
+
   return {
     getState() {
       return state
@@ -33,13 +38,27 @@ export function createLocalServerController() {
     setConfig(config: LocalServerConfig) {
       const next = normalizeLocalServerConfig(config)
       store.set(LOCAL_SERVER_KEY, next)
-      state = toState(next, state)
-      emit({ type: "state", state })
+      update({
+        ...state,
+        config: next,
+      })
     },
     subscribe(listener: (event: LocalServerEvent) => void) {
       listeners.add(listener)
       return () => listeners.delete(listener)
     },
+    setRuntime(runtime: LocalServerState["runtime"]) {
+      update({
+        ...state,
+        runtime,
+      })
+    },
+    setStatus(status: LocalServerState["status"]) {
+      update({
+        ...state,
+        status,
+      })
+    },
   }
 }
 
@@ -50,11 +69,7 @@ function readLocalServerConfig() {
 function toState(config: LocalServerConfig, current?: LocalServerState): LocalServerState {
   return {
     config,
-    runtime: {
-      key: localServerKey(config),
-      mode: config.mode,
-      distro: config.distro,
-    },
+    runtime: current?.runtime ?? windowsRuntime(),
     status: current?.status ?? { kind: "idle" },
     job: current?.job ?? null,
   }
@@ -114,3 +129,14 @@ function localServerKey(config: LocalServerConfig) {
   if (!config.distro) return "local:wsl"
   return `local:wsl:${config.distro}`
 }
+
+function windowsRuntime(): LocalServerState["runtime"] {
+  return {
+    key: localServerKey({
+      ...defaultLocalServerConfig(),
+      mode: "windows",
+    }),
+    mode: "windows",
+    distro: null,
+  }
+}