diff --git a/scripts/desktop-update/marker.ps1 b/scripts/desktop-update/marker.ps1
index 6c8e67b876..0db9e255a2 100644
--- a/scripts/desktop-update/marker.ps1
+++ b/scripts/desktop-update/marker.ps1
@@ -387,15 +387,18 @@ function Test-CheckoutLockHeld {
     # could not bind also locks one of the 16 lease bytes just past it (R5b): a leased
     # child outlives a killed owner and keeps the checkout busy. Probe all 1+16 bytes
     # in one LockFile (it fails if ANY of them is held) and give them straight back.
+    # A lock file that exists but cannot be opened or probed (denied, opened without
+    # sharing) counts as held, like marker.sh and the Desktop's own probe: reclaim
+    # needs a provably free checkout.
     $path = Get-CheckoutLockPath
     if (-not $path -or -not [System.IO.File]::Exists($path)) { return $false }
     $fs = $null
     try {
         $fs = [System.IO.File]::Open($path, [System.IO.FileMode]::Open, [System.IO.FileAccess]::Read,
             ([System.IO.FileShare]::ReadWrite -bor [System.IO.FileShare]::Delete))
-    } catch { return $false }
+    } catch [System.IO.FileNotFoundException], [System.IO.DirectoryNotFoundException] { return $false } catch { return $true }
     try {
-        try { $fs.Lock(1048576, 17) } catch [System.IO.IOException] { return $true }
+        try { $fs.Lock(1048576, 17) } catch { return $true }
         try { $fs.Unlock(1048576, 17) } catch {}
         return $false
     } finally {
diff --git a/scripts/desktop-update/marker.sh b/scripts/desktop-update/marker.sh
index 52e3bc2011..2157f52ae8 100644
--- a/scripts/desktop-update/marker.sh
+++ b/scripts/desktop-update/marker.sh
@@ -531,7 +531,9 @@ checkout_lock_held() { # 0 iff some process holds the checkout kernel lock right
   # take and the drop are two consecutive syscalls in one process that opened
   # the file itself -- no process exit, wait or shell work in between. flock(1)
   # can only take it on a shell fd, so there the hold spans flock(1)'s exit and
-  # our close. No tool: held (fail closed, the release waits).
+  # our close. No tool, or a lock file that exists but cannot be opened (root-
+  # owned after `sudo hermes update`): held -- fail closed like the Desktop's
+  # own probe (checkout_held): reclaim needs a provably free checkout.
   local path rc tool="$MARKER_LOCK_TOOL_FORCED"
   path="$(checkout_lock_path)"
   [ -f "$path" ] || return 1
@@ -545,7 +547,7 @@ checkout_lock_held() { # 0 iff some process holds the checkout kernel lock right
   case "$tool" in
     perl)
       perl -MFcntl=:flock -e '
-        open(my $f, "<", $ARGV[0]) or exit 2;
+        open(my $f, "<", $ARGV[0]) or exit($!{ENOENT} ? 3 : 2);
         flock($f, LOCK_EX | LOCK_NB) or exit 1;
         flock($f, LOCK_UN); exit 0' "$path"; rc=$? ;;
     python3)
@@ -553,6 +555,8 @@ checkout_lock_held() { # 0 iff some process holds the checkout kernel lock right
 import fcntl, os, sys
 try:
     fd = os.open(sys.argv[1], os.O_RDONLY)
+except FileNotFoundError:
+    sys.exit(3)
 except OSError:
     sys.exit(2)
 try:
@@ -561,12 +565,12 @@ except OSError:
     sys.exit(1)
 fcntl.flock(fd, fcntl.LOCK_UN)' "$path"; rc=$? ;;
     flock)
-      { exec 8<"$path"; } 2>/dev/null || return 1
+      { exec 8<"$path"; } 2>/dev/null || { [ -e "$path" ]; return $?; }
       flock -x -n 8; rc=$?
       exec 8<&- ;;  # closing our probe fd releases it when we did get it
     *) rc=1 ;;
   esac
-  [ "$rc" -eq 1 ]
+  [ "$rc" -ne 0 ] && [ "$rc" -ne 3 ]  # 3: it vanished since the -f look
 }
 
 # ── helper ops for the Desktop (it never mutates the marker itself) ──────────
diff --git a/tests/scripts/desktop_update/test_desktop_update_posix_handoff_protocol.py b/tests/scripts/desktop_update/test_desktop_update_posix_handoff_protocol.py
index c44c8f227d..1f181d8508 100644
--- a/tests/scripts/desktop_update/test_desktop_update_posix_handoff_protocol.py
+++ b/tests/scripts/desktop_update/test_desktop_update_posix_handoff_protocol.py
@@ -337,6 +337,32 @@ def test_reclaim_without_a_marker_reports_held_while_the_checkout_lock_is_held(t
     assert _helper(tmp_path, home, install, "reclaim") == "absent"
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(os.geteuid() == 0, reason="root opens a mode-000 file")
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("tool", ["perl", "python3", "flock"])
+def test_an_unreadable_checkout_lock_counts_as_held(tmp_path, tool):
+    """kshitij P2: a lock file that exists but cannot be opened (root-owned after `sudo hermes
+    update`) read `not held`, while the Desktop's own probe (checkout_held) reads `held` -- so the
+    local reclaim deleted a dead marker the remote helper kept. Fail closed, every probe tool."""
+    if shutil.which(tool) is None:
+        pytest.skip(f"{tool} is not installed")
+    home, install = _install(tmp_path, legacy=True)
+    lock = install / ".hermes-update.lock"
+    probe = (f"log() {{ :; }}; MARKER=/dev/null INSTALL_ROOT={shlex.quote(str(install))} MARKER_LOCK_TOOL={tool}; "
+             f". {shlex.quote(str(MARKER_SH))}; checkout_lock_held && echo held || echo free")
+    def held() -> str:
+        return subprocess.run(["bash", "-c", probe], capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=30).stdout.strip()
+    assert held() == "free"  # absent
+    lock.touch(); lock.chmod(0)
+    try:
+        assert held() == "held"
+        if tool == "perl":  # end to end: the Desktop's reclaim keeps the dead marker
+            (home / ".hermes-update-in-progress").write_text(f"999999\n{int(time.time())}\nct:1.000\n", encoding="utf-8")
+            assert _helper(tmp_path, home, install, "reclaim") == "held"
+    finally:
+        lock.chmod(0o644)
+    assert held() == "free"
+
+
 def test_release_waits_for_the_survivor_then_removes_the_marker(tmp_path):
     home, install = _install(tmp_path, legacy=True)
     completion = tmp_path / "release-completion"
diff --git a/tests/scripts/desktop_update/test_desktop_update_windows_marker_ops.py b/tests/scripts/desktop_update/test_desktop_update_windows_marker_ops.py
index df4fdd3347..0f570aba0f 100644
--- a/tests/scripts/desktop_update/test_desktop_update_windows_marker_ops.py
+++ b/tests/scripts/desktop_update/test_desktop_update_windows_marker_ops.py
@@ -224,6 +224,31 @@ def test_marker_op_reclaim_without_a_marker_reports_held_while_the_checkout_lock
     assert _op(tmp_path, '-MarkerOp', 'reclaim')[:2] == (0, 'absent\n')
 
 
+@pytest.mark.platforms('windows')
+def test_marker_op_reclaim_reports_held_while_the_checkout_lock_cannot_be_opened(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    """kshitij P2 (parity with marker.sh and the Desktop's probe): a lock file that exists but
+    cannot be opened -- here another process holds it with no sharing -- read `not held`, so the
+    reclaim deleted a dead marker the Desktop's own probe kept. It counts as held."""
+    import ctypes
+
+    install = tmp_path / 'hermes-agent'
+    install.mkdir()
+    lock = install / '.hermes-update.lock'
+    lock.touch()
+    dead = f'{_dead_pid()}\n{int(time.time())}\nct:5.000\n'.encode()
+    (tmp_path / MARKER).write_bytes(dead)
+    k32 = ctypes.WinDLL('kernel32', use_last_error=True)
+    k32.CreateFileW.restype = ctypes.c_void_p
+    handle = k32.CreateFileW(str(lock), 0x80000000, 0, None, 3, 0x80, None)   # GENERIC_READ, no sharing
+    assert handle not in (None, ctypes.c_void_p(-1).value), ctypes.get_last_error()
+    try:
+        assert _op(tmp_path, '-MarkerOp', 'reclaim')[:2] == (0, 'held\n')
+        assert (tmp_path / MARKER).read_bytes() == dead
+    finally:
+        k32.CloseHandle(ctypes.c_void_p(handle))
+    assert _op(tmp_path, '-MarkerOp', 'reclaim')[:2] == (0, 'reclaimed\n')
+
+
 @pytest.mark.platforms('windows')
 @pytest.mark.parametrize('lease', [1, 16])
 def test_marker_op_reclaim_reports_held_while_a_leased_child_outlives_its_owner(tmp_path: Path, lease: int) -> None: