diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/local-read-path.test.ts b/apps/desktop/electron/local-read-path.test.ts
index 5e8dec9aaf..e79a1151a6 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/electron/local-read-path.test.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/local-read-path.test.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,11 @@ const { bridge } = vi.hoisted(() => ({ bridge: vi.fn() }))
 
 vi.mock('./wsl-path-bridge', () => ({ resolveLocalReadPath: bridge }))
 
-import { resolveIpcFileReadPath, resolveMediaRequestPath, resolvePreviewTargetPath } from './local-read-path'
+import {
+  resolveIpcFileReadPath,
+  resolveMediaStreamFile,
+  resolvePreviewTargetPath
+} from './local-read-path'
 
 const BRIDGED = '\\\\wsl.localhost\\Ubuntu\\home\\alex\\file'
 
@@ -19,26 +23,44 @@ beforeEach(() => {
   bridge.mockImplementation(() => BRIDGED)
 })
 
-test('resolveMediaRequestPath (hermes-media:// handler) bridges the decoded request pathname', () => {
-  // Mirror how the renderer builds the URL: hermes-media://stream/<encoded path>.
-  const url = new URL(`hermes-media://stream/${encodeURIComponent('/home/alex/My Clips/clip.mp4')}`)
-
-  const result = resolveMediaRequestPath(url.pathname)
+// Regression for hermes-agent 123823: the media protocol handler decodes the
+// request pathname itself (parseMediaProtocolTarget in media-protocol.ts), so
+// the resolveLocalFile boundary must NOT decode or strip leading slashes again.
+// The pre-fix wiring ran decodeURIComponent + strip on the already-decoded
+// path, turning `/home/...` into a cwd-relative `home/...` that ENOENTs into
+// the handler's silent 404, and threw URIError on filenames with a literal `%`.
+test('resolveMediaStreamFile (hermes-media:// resolveLocalFile) bridges the already-decoded path unchanged', () => {
+  const result = resolveMediaStreamFile('/home/alex/My Clips/clip.mp4')
 
   assert.equal(bridge.mock.calls.length, 1)
   assert.equal(bridge.mock.calls[0][0], '/home/alex/My Clips/clip.mp4')
   assert.equal(result, BRIDGED)
 })
 
-test('resolveMediaRequestPath strips leading slashes before decoding and bridging', () => {
-  resolveMediaRequestPath(`///${encodeURIComponent('/mnt/c/Users/alex/clip.mp4')}`)
+test('resolveMediaStreamFile preserves a leading slash so absolute POSIX paths stay absolute', () => {
+  // What the protocol handler hands over for hermes-media://stream/%2Fhome%2F...:
+  // already decoded, still absolute. Stripping the leading slash here is the
+  // 123823 regression (cwd-relative ENOENT -> silent 404 on Linux/macOS).
+  const url = new URL(`hermes-media://stream/${encodeURIComponent('/home/alex/clip.mp4')}`)
+  const filePath = decodeURIComponent(url.pathname.replace(/^\/+/, ''))
+
+  resolveMediaStreamFile(filePath)
 
   assert.equal(bridge.mock.calls.length, 1)
-  assert.equal(bridge.mock.calls[0][0], '/mnt/c/Users/alex/clip.mp4')
+  assert.equal(bridge.mock.calls[0][0], '/home/alex/clip.mp4')
 })
 
-test('resolveMediaRequestPath tolerates nullish pathname', () => {
-  const result = resolveMediaRequestPath(undefined as unknown as string)
+test('resolveMediaStreamFile keeps percent-sign bytes in filenames intact', () => {
+  // A filename containing a literal `%` (e.g. "100% clip.mp4") arrives
+  // decoded; a second decodeURIComponent would throw URIError.
+  resolveMediaStreamFile('/home/alex/100% clip.mp4')
+
+  assert.equal(bridge.mock.calls.length, 1)
+  assert.equal(bridge.mock.calls[0][0], '/home/alex/100% clip.mp4')
+})
+
+test('resolveMediaStreamFile tolerates nullish input', () => {
+  const result = resolveMediaStreamFile(undefined as unknown as string)
 
   assert.equal(bridge.mock.calls.length, 1)
   assert.equal(bridge.mock.calls[0][0], '')
diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/local-read-path.ts b/apps/desktop/electron/local-read-path.ts
index d3d7c76145..7c5c0c53ab 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/electron/local-read-path.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/local-read-path.ts
@@ -9,11 +9,16 @@ import { resolveLocalReadPath } from './wsl-path-bridge'
 // so the wiring is exercised in isolation instead of buried in main.ts.
 
 /**
- * hermes-media:// stream handler: the request `pathname` (leading slashes plus
- * percent-encoding) → a bridged fs path.
+ * hermes-media:// stream handler's `resolveLocalFile` dependency: the protocol
+ * handler already percent-decoded the request pathname into `filePath`
+ * (`parseMediaProtocolTarget` in media-protocol.ts), so this boundary only
+ * bridges. Decoding or stripping leading slashes again would turn an absolute
+ * POSIX path (`/home/...`) into a cwd-relative one that ENOENTs into the
+ * handler's silent 404, and a second `decodeURIComponent` throws on filenames
+ * containing a literal `%`.
  */
-export function resolveMediaRequestPath(pathname: string): string {
-  return resolveLocalReadPath(decodeURIComponent(String(pathname ?? '').replace(/^\/+/, '')))
+export function resolveMediaStreamFile(filePath: unknown): string {
+  return resolveLocalReadPath(String(filePath ?? ''))
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/main.ts b/apps/desktop/electron/main.ts
index d2d333e670..da2e5b9976 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/electron/main.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/main.ts
@@ -315,7 +315,7 @@ import { CHROMIUM_LOG_FILENAME, enableLinuxCrashDiagnostics, linuxCrashDiagnosti
 import { notifyLauncherWindowRevealed } from './linux-launcher-ready'
 import { decideNvidiaEglFallback, parseNvidiaDriverMajor } from './linux-nvidia-egl-fallback'
 import { createLocalBackendLifecycle, waitForTeardown } from './local-backend-lifecycle'
-import { resolveIpcFileReadPath, resolveMediaRequestPath, resolvePreviewTargetPath } from './local-read-path'
+import { resolveIpcFileReadPath, resolveMediaStreamFile, resolvePreviewTargetPath } from './local-read-path'
 import { localSkinProfileKey, readLocalSkinPayload } from './local-skin'
 import { ACTIVE_LOG_POLL_MS, planLogRotation, reclaimActiveLogIfOversized } from './log-rotation'
 import { registerMachineProfile } from './machine-profile'
@@ -1543,7 +1543,9 @@ function registerMediaProtocol(): void {
       // On a Windows host with a WSL backend the media path arrives as a
       // WSL/POSIX path (`/home/...`, `/mnt/c/...`) the Windows fs can't open
       // as-is; bridge it to a UNC/drive form first, same as directory reads.
-      const { resolvedPath } = await resolveReadableFileForIpc(resolveMediaRequestPath(filePath), {
+      // The protocol handler already percent-decoded the pathname, so this
+      // boundary bridges only — re-decoding/stripping would corrupt the path.
+      const { resolvedPath } = await resolveReadableFileForIpc(resolveMediaStreamFile(filePath), {
         purpose: 'Media stream'
       })