diff --git a/apps/desktop/scripts/assert-dist-built.mjs b/apps/desktop/scripts/assert-dist-built.mjs
index e089ec73e7..63d838d0d8 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/scripts/assert-dist-built.mjs
+++ b/apps/desktop/scripts/assert-dist-built.mjs
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 // See issues #39484 (renderer blank page) and #41327 / #39472 (dashboard 404).
 
 import { existsSync, readFileSync, statSync, readdirSync } from "fs"
+import { spawnSync } from "child_process"
 import { join, resolve } from "path"
 import { isMain } from "./utils.mjs"
 
@@ -77,6 +78,52 @@ export function checkDistBuilt(distDir) {
     }
   }
 
+  // Parse-validate every emitted chunk as an ES module. Corrupted-silent-fail
+  // bundles (a dropped identifier token mid-file) produce invalid syntax that
+  // only explodes at module-evaluation time in Electron's renderer.
+  const chunkParse = verifyChunksParse(assetsDir)
+  if (!chunkParse.ok) {
+    return chunkParse
+  }
+
+  return { ok: true }
+}
+
+// Renderer chunks are emitted as ESM (`<script type="module">` in index.html).
+// A silent bundler failure can emit syntactically invalid chunks that parse fine
+// as CJS-ish text but throw on module evaluation in Electron — the app then
+// white-screens with `Uncaught SyntaxError` in the renderer console (observed
+// 2026-09: the update-produced bundle was missing a 10-byte identifier token,
+// `{$:n,}` vs `{categories:n,}`, leaving an invalid destructuring pattern).
+// Parse each emitted chunk as an ES module before packaging so a corrupted
+// build fails loudly and the update retry rebuilds instead of shipping it.
+function verifyChunksParse(assetsDir) {
+  const nodeBin = process.env.NODE ||
+    (process.execPath && process.execPath.endsWith("node") ? process.execPath : "node")
+  const chunks = readdirSync(assetsDir).filter(name => name.endsWith(".js"))
+  for (const name of chunks) {
+    const file = join(assetsDir, name)
+    const probe = spawnSync(nodeBin, ["--input-type=module", "--check"], {
+      input: readFileSync(file),
+      maxBuffer: 64 * 1024 * 1024,
+      timeout: 60_000,
+    })
+    if (probe.error) {
+      return {
+        ok: false,
+        error: `could not run node to syntax-check ${name}: ${probe.error.message}`,
+      }
+    }
+    if (probe.status !== 0) {
+      const detail = String(probe.stderr || "").trim().split("\n").slice(0, 4).join(" / ")
+      return {
+        ok: false,
+        error: `built chunk is not valid ES module syntax: ${name} — ${detail}. ` +
+          `A renderer chunk failed to parse, so packaging would ship an app that ` +
+          `white-screens with "Uncaught SyntaxError" on launch. Re-run the build.`,
+      }
+    }
+  }
   return { ok: true }
 }
 
diff --git a/apps/desktop/scripts/assert-dist-built.test.mjs b/apps/desktop/scripts/assert-dist-built.test.mjs
index d1da5111eb..e7ddd38372 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/scripts/assert-dist-built.test.mjs
+++ b/apps/desktop/scripts/assert-dist-built.test.mjs
@@ -162,3 +162,36 @@ test('checkDistBuilt fails when the QueryClient context invariant is in multiple
     fs.rmSync(tempRoot, { recursive: true, force: true })
   }
 })
+
+test('checkDistBuilt fails when a chunk is not valid ES module syntax', () => {
+  const { tempRoot, distDir } = makeDist(d => {
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(d, 'index.html'), '<!doctype html>', 'utf8')
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.join(d, 'assets'))
+    // Invalid: destructuring pattern with a hole, like a bundle that lost an
+    // identifier token mid-minification (`{categories:n}` minus `categories`).
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(d, 'assets', 'index-abc123.js'), 'let {,:n}=x', 'utf8')
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(d, 'assets', 'vendor-def456.js'), 'export const ok = 1', 'utf8')
+  })
+  try {
+    const result = checkDistBuilt(distDir)
+    assert.equal(result.ok, false)
+    assert.match(result.error, /not valid ES module syntax/)
+    assert.match(result.error, /index-abc123\.js/)
+  } finally {
+    fs.rmSync(tempRoot, { recursive: true, force: true })
+  }
+})
+
+test('checkDistBuilt passes when every chunk parses as an ES module', () => {
+  const { tempRoot, distDir } = makeDist(d => {
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(d, 'index.html'), '<!doctype html>', 'utf8')
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.join(d, 'assets'))
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(d, 'assets', 'index-abc123.js'), 'export const a = `x`', 'utf8')
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(d, 'assets', 'vendor-def456.js'), 'import.meta.url', 'utf8')
+  })
+  try {
+    assert.deepEqual(checkDistBuilt(distDir), { ok: true })
+  } finally {
+    fs.rmSync(tempRoot, { recursive: true, force: true })
+  }
+})
