diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/gitlock.test.ts b/apps/desktop/electron/gitlock.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..bfaa067157
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/gitlock.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict'
+import fs from 'node:fs'
+import os from 'node:os'
+import path from 'node:path'
+
+import { test } from 'vitest'
+
+import { clearStaleGitLocks, LOCK_NAMES, STALE_LOCK_MIN_AGE_MS } from './gitlock'
+
+function makeRepo(): string {
+  const root = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'gitlock-test-'))
+  fs.mkdirSync(path.join(root, '.git'))
+  return root
+}
+
+function writeLock(root: string, name: string, ageMs: number): string {
+  const p = path.join(root, '.git', name)
+  fs.writeFileSync(p, '')
+  const t = new Date(Date.now() - ageMs)
+  fs.utimesSync(p, t, t)
+  return p
+}
+
+const noGit = async () => false
+const gitRunning = async () => true
+
+test('stale shallow.lock older than min age is removed', async () => {
+  const root = makeRepo()
+  const lock = writeLock(root, 'shallow.lock', STALE_LOCK_MIN_AGE_MS + 60_000)
+  const removed = await clearStaleGitLocks(root, { isGitRunning: noGit })
+  assert.deepEqual(removed, [lock])
+  assert.equal(fs.existsSync(lock), false)
+})
+
+test('fresh lock is presumed live and never removed', async () => {
+  const root = makeRepo()
+  const lock = writeLock(root, 'shallow.lock', 1_000)
+  const removed = await clearStaleGitLocks(root, { isGitRunning: noGit })
+  assert.deepEqual(removed, [])
+  assert.equal(fs.existsSync(lock), true)
+})
+
+test('running git process protects even ancient locks', async () => {
+  const root = makeRepo()
+  const lock = writeLock(root, 'shallow.lock', STALE_LOCK_MIN_AGE_MS * 10)
+  const removed = await clearStaleGitLocks(root, { isGitRunning: gitRunning })
+  assert.deepEqual(removed, [])
+  assert.equal(fs.existsSync(lock), true)
+})
+
+test('all known lock names are cleared when stale', async () => {
+  const root = makeRepo()
+  const locks = LOCK_NAMES.map(name => writeLock(root, name, STALE_LOCK_MIN_AGE_MS + 60_000))
+  const removed = await clearStaleGitLocks(root, { isGitRunning: noGit })
+  assert.deepEqual(removed.sort(), locks.sort())
+})
+
+test('unknown lock-like files are left alone', async () => {
+  const root = makeRepo()
+  const stray = writeLock(root, 'config.lock', STALE_LOCK_MIN_AGE_MS * 10)
+  await clearStaleGitLocks(root, { isGitRunning: noGit })
+  assert.equal(fs.existsSync(stray), true)
+})
+
+test('missing .git dir is a silent no-op', async () => {
+  const root = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'gitlock-nogit-'))
+  const removed = await clearStaleGitLocks(root, { isGitRunning: noGit })
+  assert.deepEqual(removed, [])
+})
diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/gitlock.ts b/apps/desktop/electron/gitlock.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..09677e6f8b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/gitlock.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+// Stale git lock-file recovery for the desktop update-check path.
+//
+// A crashed or killed `git fetch` on a shallow clone can leave
+// `.git/shallow.lock` behind. Every later fetch then fails with
+// "fatal: Unable to create '.git/shallow.lock': File exists", so the desktop
+// update check reports 'fetch-failed' forever — git never self-heals these
+// lock files. Mirrors hermes_cli/gitlock.py: a lock is removed only when it
+// is older than the min age AND no git process is currently running.
+
+import { execFile } from 'node:child_process'
+import fs from 'node:fs'
+import path from 'node:path'
+
+// Lock files younger than this are presumed live (a fetch is in flight) and
+// are never removed. git lock files live for seconds under normal operation;
+// anything older than 10 minutes is abandoned.
+export const STALE_LOCK_MIN_AGE_MS = 10 * 60 * 1000
+
+// Same self-healable lock set as hermes_cli/gitlock.py.
+export const LOCK_NAMES = ['shallow.lock', 'index.lock', 'HEAD.lock', 'MERGE_HEAD.lock']
+
+function gitProcessRunning(): Promise<boolean> {
+  return new Promise(resolve => {
+    const [cmd, args] =
+      process.platform === 'win32'
+        ? ['tasklist', ['/FI', 'IMAGENAME eq git.exe', '/FO', 'CSV']]
+        : ['pgrep', ['-x', 'git']]
+    execFile(cmd, args, { timeout: 10_000 }, (error, stdout) => {
+      if (process.platform === 'win32') {
+        // tasklist exits 0 either way; presence is signaled in stdout.
+        resolve(Boolean(stdout && stdout.toLowerCase().includes('git.exe')))
+        return
+      }
+      // pgrep: exit 0 = at least one match; 1 = none; other = probe failure.
+      // On probe failure stay conservative: report "running" so no lock is
+      // touched when we cannot tell.
+      if (error && (error as any).code === 1) {
+        resolve(false)
+        return
+      }
+      resolve(true)
+    })
+  })
+}
+
+// Remove abandoned .git lock files under repoRoot. Returns removed paths.
+// Never throws: a lock we cannot stat or unlink is skipped.
+export async function clearStaleGitLocks(
+  repoRoot: string,
+  { minAgeMs = STALE_LOCK_MIN_AGE_MS, isGitRunning = gitProcessRunning }: {
+    minAgeMs?: number
+    isGitRunning?: () => Promise<boolean>
+  } = {}
+): Promise<string[]> {
+  const gitDir = path.join(repoRoot, '.git')
+  const removed: string[] = []
+  try {
+    if (!fs.statSync(gitDir).isDirectory()) return removed
+  } catch {
+    return removed
+  }
+
+  if (await isGitRunning()) return removed
+
+  const cutoff = Date.now() - minAgeMs
+  for (const name of LOCK_NAMES) {
+    const lockPath = path.join(gitDir, name)
+    try {
+      const st = fs.statSync(lockPath)
+      if (st.isFile() && st.mtimeMs < cutoff) {
+        fs.unlinkSync(lockPath)
+        removed.push(lockPath)
+      }
+    } catch {
+      // Missing or concurrently removed — skipping is always safe.
+    }
+  }
+  return removed
+}
diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/main.ts b/apps/desktop/electron/main.ts
index c56f4112ac..3bcc28ad53 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/electron/main.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/main.ts
@@ -253,6 +253,7 @@ import {
   resolveCommitLogSelection,
   shouldCountCommits
 } from './update-count'
+import { clearStaleGitLocks } from './gitlock'
 import { waitForUpdateClearance } from './update-gate'
 import { readLiveUpdateMarker, updateHandoffConflict, writeUpdateMarker } from './update-marker'
 import { isOfficialSshRemote, OFFICIAL_REPO_HTTPS_URL } from './update-remote'
@@ -2661,6 +2662,12 @@ async function checkUpdates() {
     }
   }
 
+  // Self-heal abandoned git lock files before fetching. A stale
+  // .git/shallow.lock from a crashed/interrupted fetch otherwise fails every
+  // later fetch ("Unable to create '.git/shallow.lock': File exists") and this
+  // check reports 'fetch-failed' forever — git never removes these itself.
+  await clearStaleGitLocks(updateRoot)
+
   const fetched = await runGit(['fetch', '--quiet', 'origin', branch], { cwd: updateRoot })
 
   if (fetched.code !== 0) {
diff --git a/hermes_cli/banner.py b/hermes_cli/banner.py
index 0b15493a39..a1cd4748f6 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/banner.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/banner.py
@@ -319,6 +319,15 @@ def _check_via_local_git(repo_dir: Path) -> Optional[int]:
     is_shallow = shallow == "true"
 
     try:
+        # Self-heal abandoned git lock files before fetching. A stale
+        # .git/shallow.lock from a crashed fetch makes the fetch fail, the
+        # exception below is swallowed, and stale refs get compared against
+        # HEAD — silently degrading the passive check until a human removes
+        # the lock (git never self-heals these).
+        from hermes_cli.gitlock import clear_stale_git_locks
+
+        clear_stale_git_locks(repo_dir)
+
         # Scope the fetch to the one branch the behind-count compares against.
         # An unscoped ``git fetch origin`` transfers every remote head (~1,400
         # on this repo — measured 3.0 s vs 0.55 s scoped) and can burn the full