diff --git a/apps/server/src/process/externalLauncher.test.ts b/apps/server/src/process/externalLauncher.test.ts
index 36ef8264328..1ab6166e92a 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/process/externalLauncher.test.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/process/externalLauncher.test.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import * as NodeServices from "@effect/platform-node/NodeServices";
 import { assert, it } from "@effect/vitest";
 import * as ConfigProvider from "effect/ConfigProvider";
 import * as Effect from "effect/Effect";
+import * as Fiber from "effect/Fiber";
 import * as FileSystem from "effect/FileSystem";
 import * as Layer from "effect/Layer";
 import * as Path from "effect/Path";
@@ -216,6 +217,70 @@ it.effect("memoizes editor discovery and refreshes after the cache window", () =
   );
 });
 
+// A client that disconnects mid-scan interrupts the shared discovery effect on
+// the connection fiber. The cache must not retain that interrupt: doing so
+// replayed it to every later connect for the whole TTL, so `server.getConfig`
+// failed and no client could reconnect until the server restarted.
+it.effect("rescans after an interrupted discovery instead of caching the interrupt", () => {
+  const fileInfo = { type: "File" } as FileSystem.File.Info;
+  let blockFirstScan = true;
+  let scans = 0;
+  const launcherLayer = ExternalLauncher.layer.pipe(
+    Layer.provide(
+      Layer.mergeAll(
+        FileSystem.layerNoop({
+          // The first scan parks inside `stat` so the interrupt lands while
+          // discovery is in flight, which is what a client disconnecting
+          // mid-connect does to the shared effect.
+          stat: () =>
+            Effect.gen(function* () {
+              scans += 1;
+              if (blockFirstScan) {
+                return yield* Effect.never;
+              }
+              return fileInfo;
+            }),
+        }),
+        Path.layer,
+        Layer.succeed(
+          ChildProcessSpawner.ChildProcessSpawner,
+          ChildProcessSpawner.make(() => Effect.sync(() => makeMockDetachedHandle())),
+        ),
+      ),
+    ),
+  );
+
+  return Effect.gen(function* () {
+    const launcher = yield* ExternalLauncher.ExternalLauncher;
+
+    const fiber = yield* Effect.forkChild(launcher.resolveAvailableEditors());
+    yield* Effect.yieldNow;
+    yield* Fiber.interrupt(fiber);
+
+    // The next connect must still get a real answer well inside the TTL.
+    blockFirstScan = false;
+    scans = 0;
+    const editors = yield* launcher.resolveAvailableEditors();
+    assert.equal(editors.includes("vscode"), true);
+    assert.isAbove(scans, 0);
+  }).pipe(
+    Effect.provide(
+      Layer.mergeAll(
+        launcherLayer,
+        Layer.succeed(HostProcessPlatform, "win32"),
+        ConfigProvider.layer(
+          ConfigProvider.fromEnv({
+            env: {
+              PATH: "C:\\t3-editor-discovery-interrupt-test",
+              PATHEXT: ".COM;.EXE;.BAT;.CMD",
+            },
+          }),
+        ),
+      ),
+    ),
+  );
+});
+
 it.effect("rejects unknown editors through the service API", () =>
   Effect.gen(function* () {
     const launcher = yield* ExternalLauncher.ExternalLauncher;
diff --git a/apps/server/src/process/externalLauncher.ts b/apps/server/src/process/externalLauncher.ts
index 2cac42f0fec..8ec928f26fc 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/process/externalLauncher.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/process/externalLauncher.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import {
 } from "@t3tools/contracts";
 import { HostProcessPlatform } from "@t3tools/shared/hostProcess";
 import { isCommandAvailable, resolveSpawnCommand } from "@t3tools/shared/shell";
+import * as Clock from "effect/Clock";
 import * as Config from "effect/Config";
 import * as Context from "effect/Context";
 import * as Effect from "effect/Effect";
@@ -27,6 +28,7 @@ import * as FileSystem from "effect/FileSystem";
 import * as Layer from "effect/Layer";
 import * as Option from "effect/Option";
 import * as Path from "effect/Path";
+import * as Ref from "effect/Ref";
 import * as ChildProcess from "effect/unstable/process/ChildProcess";
 import * as ChildProcessSpawner from "effect/unstable/process/ChildProcessSpawner";
 
@@ -302,7 +304,23 @@ const resolveAvailableEditors = Effect.fn("externalLauncher.resolveAvailableEdit
 // client connect (the server config embeds the available editors). Memoize
 // the discovered set for a bounded window so repeat connects skip even the
 // per-command cache lookups in @t3tools/shared/shell.
-const EDITOR_DISCOVERY_CACHE_TTL = "60 seconds";
+//
+// This deliberately does not use `Effect.cachedWithTTL`: that memoizes the
+// first caller's Exit whatever it is, including an interrupt. Callers run this
+// on the connection fiber under a timeout (`resolveAvailableEditorsForConfig`),
+// so one client disconnecting mid-scan would cache the interrupt and replay it
+// to every later connect for the whole TTL, breaking `server.getConfig`
+// permanently. Storing only on success means an interrupted scan leaves the
+// cache untouched and the next connect simply rescans.
+// Expiry uses the monotonic clock (Clock.currentTimeNanos), matching the
+// command-resolution cache in @t3tools/shared/shell, so a backward wall-clock
+// adjustment cannot keep an expired entry alive.
+const EDITOR_DISCOVERY_CACHE_TTL_NANOS = 60_000_000_000n;
+
+interface EditorDiscoveryCacheEntry {
+  readonly editors: ReadonlyArray<EditorId>;
+  readonly expiresAtNanos: bigint;
+}
 
 /**
  * ExternalLauncher - Service tag for browser/editor launch operations.
@@ -449,10 +467,25 @@ export const make = Effect.gen(function* () {
       Effect.provideService(Path.Path, path),
     );
 
-  const cachedAvailableEditors = yield* Effect.cachedWithTTL(
-    provideCommandResolutionServices(resolveAvailableEditors()),
-    EDITOR_DISCOVERY_CACHE_TTL,
+  const editorDiscoveryCache = yield* Ref.make<Option.Option<EditorDiscoveryCacheEntry>>(
+    Option.none(),
   );
+  const cachedAvailableEditors = Effect.gen(function* () {
+    const nowNanos = yield* Clock.currentTimeNanos;
+    const entry = yield* Ref.get(editorDiscoveryCache);
+    if (Option.isSome(entry) && entry.value.expiresAtNanos > nowNanos) {
+      return entry.value.editors;
+    }
+    const editors = yield* provideCommandResolutionServices(resolveAvailableEditors());
+    yield* Ref.set(
+      editorDiscoveryCache,
+      Option.some({
+        editors,
+        expiresAtNanos: nowNanos + EDITOR_DISCOVERY_CACHE_TTL_NANOS,
+      }),
+    );
+    return editors;
+  });
 
   return ExternalLauncher.of({
     resolveAvailableEditors: () => cachedAvailableEditors,