diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index b20438c3..876231de 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "codenomad-workspace",
-  "version": "0.7.1",
+  "version": "0.7.2",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "codenomad-workspace",
-      "version": "0.7.1",
+      "version": "0.7.2",
       "dependencies": {
         "7zip-bin": "^5.2.0",
         "google-auth-library": "^10.5.0"
@@ -7389,7 +7389,7 @@
     },
     "packages/electron-app": {
       "name": "@neuralnomads/codenomad-electron-app",
-      "version": "0.7.1",
+      "version": "0.7.2",
       "dependencies": {
         "@codenomad/ui": "file:../ui",
         "@neuralnomads/codenomad": "file:../server"
@@ -7423,7 +7423,7 @@
     },
     "packages/server": {
       "name": "@neuralnomads/codenomad",
-      "version": "0.7.1",
+      "version": "0.7.2",
       "dependencies": {
         "@fastify/cors": "^8.5.0",
         "@fastify/reply-from": "^9.8.0",
@@ -7458,14 +7458,14 @@
     },
     "packages/tauri-app": {
       "name": "@codenomad/tauri-app",
-      "version": "0.7.1",
+      "version": "0.7.2",
       "devDependencies": {
         "@tauri-apps/cli": "^2.9.4"
       }
     },
     "packages/ui": {
       "name": "@codenomad/ui",
-      "version": "0.7.1",
+      "version": "0.7.2",
       "dependencies": {
         "@git-diff-view/solid": "^0.0.8",
         "@kobalte/core": "0.13.11",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 342ccae9..97063365 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "codenomad-workspace",
-  "version": "0.7.1",
+  "version": "0.7.2",
   "private": true,
   "description": "CodeNomad monorepo workspace",
   "workspaces": {
diff --git a/packages/electron-app/package.json b/packages/electron-app/package.json
index 0942fca2..52c08829 100644
--- a/packages/electron-app/package.json
+++ b/packages/electron-app/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@neuralnomads/codenomad-electron-app",
-  "version": "0.7.1",
+  "version": "0.7.2",
   "description": "CodeNomad - AI coding assistant",
   "author": {
     "name": "Neural Nomads",
diff --git a/packages/server/package-lock.json b/packages/server/package-lock.json
index e764af11..74a8f33e 100644
--- a/packages/server/package-lock.json
+++ b/packages/server/package-lock.json
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "@neuralnomads/codenomad",
-  "version": "0.7.1",
+  "version": "0.7.2",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "@neuralnomads/codenomad",
-      "version": "0.7.1",
+      "version": "0.7.2",
       "dependencies": {
         "@fastify/cors": "^8.5.0",
         "commander": "^12.1.0",
diff --git a/packages/server/package.json b/packages/server/package.json
index eb70730a..e6e7ca77 100644
--- a/packages/server/package.json
+++ b/packages/server/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@neuralnomads/codenomad",
-  "version": "0.7.1",
+  "version": "0.7.2",
   "description": "CodeNomad Server",
   "author": {
     "name": "Neural Nomads",
diff --git a/packages/server/src/background-processes/manager.ts b/packages/server/src/background-processes/manager.ts
index 6864f180..53fdf919 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/background-processes/manager.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/background-processes/manager.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { spawn, type ChildProcess } from "child_process"
+import { spawn, spawnSync, type ChildProcess } from "child_process"
 import { createWriteStream, existsSync, promises as fs } from "fs"
 import path from "path"
 import { randomBytes } from "crypto"
@@ -60,10 +60,13 @@ export class BackgroundProcessManager {
 
     const outputStream = createWriteStream(outputPath, { flags: "a" })
 
-    const child = spawn("bash", ["-c", command], {
+    const { shellCommand, shellArgs, spawnOptions } = this.buildShellSpawn(command)
+
+    const child = spawn(shellCommand, shellArgs, {
       cwd: workspace.path,
       stdio: ["ignore", "pipe", "pipe"],
       detached: process.platform !== "win32",
+      ...spawnOptions,
     })
 
     child.on("exit", () => {
@@ -274,7 +277,15 @@ export class BackgroundProcessManager {
     const pid = child.pid
     if (!pid) return
 
-    if (process.platform !== "win32") {
+    if (process.platform === "win32") {
+      const args = this.buildWindowsTaskkillArgs(pid, signal)
+      try {
+        spawnSync("taskkill", args, { stdio: "ignore" })
+        return
+      } catch {
+        // Fall back to killing the direct child.
+      }
+    } else {
       try {
         process.kill(-pid, signal)
         return
@@ -321,6 +332,30 @@ export class BackgroundProcessManager {
   }
 
 
+  private buildShellSpawn(command: string): { shellCommand: string; shellArgs: string[]; spawnOptions?: Record<string, unknown> } {
+    if (process.platform === "win32") {
+      const comspec = process.env.ComSpec || "cmd.exe"
+      return {
+        shellCommand: comspec,
+        shellArgs: ["/d", "/s", "/c", command],
+        spawnOptions: { windowsVerbatimArguments: true },
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Keep bash for macOS/Linux.
+    return { shellCommand: "bash", shellArgs: ["-c", command] }
+  }
+
+  private buildWindowsTaskkillArgs(pid: number, signal: NodeJS.Signals): string[] {
+    // Default to graceful termination (no /F), then force kill when we escalate.
+    const force = signal === "SIGKILL"
+    const args = ["/PID", String(pid), "/T"]
+    if (force) {
+      args.push("/F")
+    }
+    return args
+  }
+
   private statusFromExit(code: number | null): BackgroundProcessStatus {
     if (code === null) return "stopped"
     if (code === 0) return "stopped"
diff --git a/packages/server/src/config/binaries.ts b/packages/server/src/config/binaries.ts
index 7b3d4f52..56d86d50 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/config/binaries.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/config/binaries.ts
@@ -4,10 +4,12 @@ import {
   BinaryUpdateRequest,
   BinaryValidationResult,
 } from "../api-types"
+import { spawnSync } from "child_process"
 import { ConfigStore } from "./store"
 import { EventBus } from "../events/bus"
 import type { ConfigFile } from "./schema"
 import { Logger } from "../logger"
+import { buildSpawnSpec } from "../workspaces/runtime"
 
 export class BinaryRegistry {
   constructor(
@@ -135,8 +137,42 @@ export class BinaryRegistry {
   }
 
   private validateRecord(record: BinaryRecord): BinaryValidationResult {
-    // TODO: call actual binary -v check.
-    return { valid: true, version: record.version }
+    const inputPath = record.path
+    if (!inputPath) {
+      return { valid: false, error: "Missing binary path" }
+    }
+
+    const spec = buildSpawnSpec(inputPath, ["--version"])
+
+    try {
+      const result = spawnSync(spec.command, spec.args, {
+        encoding: "utf8",
+        windowsVerbatimArguments: Boolean((spec.options as { windowsVerbatimArguments?: boolean }).windowsVerbatimArguments),
+      })
+
+      if (result.error) {
+        return { valid: false, error: result.error.message }
+      }
+
+      if (result.status !== 0) {
+        const stderr = result.stderr?.trim()
+        const stdout = result.stdout?.trim()
+        const combined = stderr || stdout
+        const error = combined ? `Exited with code ${result.status}: ${combined}` : `Exited with code ${result.status}`
+        return { valid: false, error }
+      }
+
+      const stdout = (result.stdout ?? "").trim()
+      const firstLine = stdout.split(/\r?\n/).find((line) => line.trim().length > 0)
+      const normalized = firstLine?.trim()
+
+      const versionMatch = normalized?.match(/([0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9A-Za-z.-]+)/)
+      const version = versionMatch?.[1]
+
+      return { valid: true, version }
+    } catch (error) {
+      return { valid: false, error: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error) }
+    }
   }
 
   private buildFallbackRecord(path: string): BinaryRecord {
diff --git a/packages/server/src/workspaces/manager.ts b/packages/server/src/workspaces/manager.ts
index ee5a5aea..1b1d863f 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/workspaces/manager.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/workspaces/manager.ts
@@ -225,13 +225,15 @@ export class WorkspaceManager {
     try {
       const result = spawnSync(locator, [identifier], { encoding: "utf8" })
       if (result.status === 0 && result.stdout) {
-        const resolved = result.stdout
+        const candidates = result.stdout
           .split(/\r?\n/)
           .map((line) => line.trim())
-          .find((line) => line.length > 0)
+          .filter((line) => line.length > 0)
+          .filter((line) => !/^INFO:/i.test(line))
 
-        if (resolved) {
-          this.options.logger.debug({ identifier, resolved }, "Resolved binary path from system PATH")
+        if (candidates.length > 0) {
+          const resolved = this.pickBinaryCandidate(candidates)
+          this.options.logger.debug({ identifier, resolved, candidates }, "Resolved binary path from system PATH")
           return resolved
         }
       } else if (result.error) {
@@ -244,6 +246,23 @@ export class WorkspaceManager {
     return identifier
   }
 
+  private pickBinaryCandidate(candidates: string[]): string {
+    if (process.platform !== "win32") {
+      return candidates[0] ?? ""
+    }
+
+    const extensionPreference = [".exe", ".cmd", ".bat", ".ps1"]
+
+    for (const ext of extensionPreference) {
+      const match = candidates.find((candidate) => candidate.toLowerCase().endsWith(ext))
+      if (match) {
+        return match
+      }
+    }
+
+    return candidates[0] ?? ""
+  }
+
   private detectBinaryVersion(resolvedPath: string): string | undefined {
     if (!resolvedPath) {
       return undefined
diff --git a/packages/server/src/workspaces/runtime.ts b/packages/server/src/workspaces/runtime.ts
index 6861f385..203d984a 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/workspaces/runtime.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/workspaces/runtime.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,41 @@ import { EventBus } from "../events/bus"
 import { LogLevel, WorkspaceLogEntry } from "../api-types"
 import { Logger } from "../logger"
 
+export const WINDOWS_CMD_EXTENSIONS = new Set([".cmd", ".bat"])
+export const WINDOWS_POWERSHELL_EXTENSIONS = new Set([".ps1"])
+
+export function buildSpawnSpec(binaryPath: string, args: string[]) {
+  if (process.platform !== "win32") {
+    return { command: binaryPath, args, options: {} as const }
+  }
+
+  const extension = path.extname(binaryPath).toLowerCase()
+
+  if (WINDOWS_CMD_EXTENSIONS.has(extension)) {
+    const comspec = process.env.ComSpec || "cmd.exe"
+    // cmd.exe requires the full command as a single string.
+    // Using the ""<script> <args>"" pattern ensures paths with spaces are handled.
+    const commandLine = `""${binaryPath}" ${args.join(" ")}"`
+
+    return {
+      command: comspec,
+      args: ["/d", "/s", "/c", commandLine],
+      options: { windowsVerbatimArguments: true } as const,
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (WINDOWS_POWERSHELL_EXTENSIONS.has(extension)) {
+    // powershell.exe ships with Windows. (pwsh may not.)
+    return {
+      command: "powershell.exe",
+      args: ["-NoProfile", "-ExecutionPolicy", "Bypass", "-File", binaryPath, ...args],
+      options: {} as const,
+    }
+  }
+
+  return { command: binaryPath, args, options: {} as const }
+}
+
 const SENSITIVE_ENV_KEY = /(PASSWORD|TOKEN|SECRET)/i
 
 function redactEnvironment(env: Record<string, string | undefined>): Record<string, string | undefined> {
@@ -73,22 +108,25 @@ export class WorkspaceRuntime {
     }
 
     return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-      const commandLine = [options.binaryPath, ...args].join(" ")
+      const spec = buildSpawnSpec(options.binaryPath, args)
+      const commandLine = [spec.command, ...spec.args].join(" ")
       this.logger.info(
         {
           workspaceId: options.workspaceId,
           folder: options.folder,
           binary: options.binaryPath,
-          args,
+          spawnCommand: spec.command,
+          spawnArgs: spec.args,
           commandLine,
           env: redactEnvironment(env),
         },
         "Launching OpenCode process",
       )
-      const child = spawn(options.binaryPath, args, {
+      const child = spawn(spec.command, spec.args, {
         cwd: options.folder,
         env,
         stdio: ["ignore", "pipe", "pipe"],
+        ...spec.options,
       })
 
       const managed: ManagedProcess = { child, requestedStop: false }
diff --git a/packages/tauri-app/package.json b/packages/tauri-app/package.json
index 27cc54df..2bd824fb 100644
--- a/packages/tauri-app/package.json
+++ b/packages/tauri-app/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@codenomad/tauri-app",
-  "version": "0.7.1",
+  "version": "0.7.2",
   "private": true,
   "scripts": {
     "dev": "tauri dev",
diff --git a/packages/ui/package.json b/packages/ui/package.json
index f7fd71ae..0f526134 100644
--- a/packages/ui/package.json
+++ b/packages/ui/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@codenomad/ui",
-  "version": "0.7.1",
+  "version": "0.7.2",
   "private": true,
   "type": "module",
   "scripts": {