diff --git a/browse/src/cli.ts b/browse/src/cli.ts
index 4df950190..59327b792 100644
--- a/browse/src/cli.ts
+++ b/browse/src/cli.ts
@@ -211,6 +211,86 @@ function cleanupLegacyState(): void {
   }
 }
 
+// ─── Chromium profile lock helpers (#1781) ─────────────────────
+/** Profile dir used by headed/connect Chromium sessions. */
+function chromiumProfileDir(): string {
+  return path.join(process.env.HOME || '/tmp', '.gstack', 'chromium-profile');
+}
+
+/** Remove Chromium SingletonLock/Socket/Cookie so a relaunch can acquire the
+ * profile. Safe to call when absent. */
+function cleanChromiumProfileLocks(profileDir: string = chromiumProfileDir()): void {
+  for (const lockFile of ['SingletonLock', 'SingletonSocket', 'SingletonCookie']) {
+    safeUnlinkQuiet(path.join(profileDir, lockFile));
+  }
+}
+
+/** Kill an orphaned Chromium that still holds the profile's SingletonLock. The
+ * lock symlink target is "hostname-PID"; killing that PID tears down its
+ * renderer tree so the next launch starts clean. No-op when absent/stale. */
+async function killOrphanChromium(profileDir: string = chromiumProfileDir()): Promise<void> {
+  try {
+    const lockTarget = fs.readlinkSync(path.join(profileDir, 'SingletonLock')); // "hostname-12345"
+    const orphanPid = parseInt(lockTarget.split('-').pop() || '', 10);
+    if (orphanPid && isProcessAlive(orphanPid)) {
+      safeKill(orphanPid, 'SIGTERM');
+      await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 1000));
+      if (isProcessAlive(orphanPid)) {
+        safeKill(orphanPid, 'SIGKILL');
+        await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 500));
+      }
+    }
+  } catch (err: any) {
+    if (err?.code !== 'ENOENT' && err?.code !== 'EINVAL') throw err;
+  }
+}
+
+/** Bounded /health probe. Returns true if the server answers within `attempts`
+ * tries spaced `backoffMs` apart — distinguishes a busy-but-alive daemon from a
+ * dead one (#1781) so a slow server isn't killed and restarted into a crash-loop. */
+async function probeHealthWithBackoff(port: number, attempts = 3, backoffMs = 250): Promise<boolean> {
+  for (let i = 0; i < attempts; i++) {
+    if (await isServerHealthy(port)) return true;
+    if (i < attempts - 1) await Bun.sleep(backoffMs);
+  }
+  return false;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Build the env for an auto-restart after a crash. headed/proxy/configHash are
+ * reapplied from THIS invocation OR the persisted server state, so a restart
+ * triggered by a plain command (goto/status, no --headed flag) never silently
+ * downgrades a headed session to headless (#1781). Pure + exported for tests.
+ */
+export function buildRestartEnv(
+  globalFlags: GlobalFlags | null | undefined,
+  oldState: ServerState | null,
+): Record<string, string> {
+  const env: Record<string, string> = {};
+  if (globalFlags?.proxyUrl) env.BROWSE_PROXY_URL = globalFlags.proxyUrl;
+  if (globalFlags?.headed || oldState?.mode === 'headed') env.BROWSE_HEADED = '1';
+  const configHash = globalFlags?.configHash || oldState?.configHash;
+  if (configHash) env.BROWSE_CONFIG_HASH = configHash;
+  return env;
+}
+
+/** macOS only: pull the headed Chromium window to the user's current Space.
+ * "Google Chrome for Testing" frequently opens behind the active window or on
+ * another Space — the first thing users read as "I can't see the browser"
+ * (#1781). Best-effort, fire-and-forget, never throws. The app name is a fixed
+ * literal (no interpolation). */
+function raiseHeadedWindowMacOS(): void {
+  if (process.platform !== 'darwin') return;
+  try {
+    nodeSpawn('osascript', ['-e', 'tell application "Google Chrome for Testing" to activate'], {
+      stdio: 'ignore',
+      detached: true,
+    }).unref();
+  } catch {
+    // osascript missing or app not present — non-fatal
+  }
+}
+
 // ─── Server Lifecycle ──────────────────────────────────────────
 async function startServer(extraEnv?: Record<string, string>): Promise<ServerState> {
   ensureStateDir(config);
@@ -219,6 +299,13 @@ async function startServer(extraEnv?: Record<string, string>): Promise<ServerSta
   safeUnlink(config.stateFile);
   safeUnlink(path.join(config.stateDir, 'browse-startup-error.log'));
 
+  // #1781: clear a stale Chromium profile lock (and kill the orphan still
+  // holding it) before launch, so an auto-restart after an abrupt kill isn't
+  // blocked by the previous Chromium's SingletonLock — the self-inflicted
+  // crash-loop. Previously only the manual connect preamble did this.
+  await killOrphanChromium();
+  cleanChromiumProfileLocks();
+
   // Allow the caller to opt out of the parent-process watchdog by setting
   // BROWSE_PARENT_PID=0 in the environment. Useful for CI, non-interactive
   // shells, and short-lived Bash invocations that need the server to outlive
@@ -486,26 +573,42 @@ async function sendCommand(state: ServerState, command: string, args: string[],
     }
   } catch (err: any) {
     if (err.name === 'AbortError') {
-      console.error('[browse] Command timed out after 30s');
+      // #1781: a 30s timeout on a heavy page usually means busy, not dead.
+      // Don't kill a live server (that's what triggered the crash-loop) — report
+      // and exit so the user can retry rather than losing their (headed) window.
+      const ts = readState();
+      const alive = ts?.pid ? isProcessAlive(ts.pid) : false;
+      console.error(alive
+        ? '[browse] Command timed out after 30s (server still alive — busy, not restarting). Retry, or raise load.'
+        : '[browse] Command timed out after 30s');
       process.exit(1);
     }
-    // Connection error — server may have crashed
+    // Connection error — server may have crashed, OR may just be busy.
     if (err.code === 'ECONNREFUSED' || err.code === 'ECONNRESET' || err.message?.includes('fetch failed')) {
+      const oldState = readState();
+      // #1781 busy-vs-dead: a single-threaded daemon under beacon/extension load
+      // can briefly stop answering HTTP while still alive. Before declaring a
+      // crash, if the process is alive give /health a bounded chance to recover
+      // and just retry the command — never kill+restart a live-but-busy server.
+      if (oldState?.pid && isProcessAlive(oldState.pid) && await probeHealthWithBackoff(oldState.port)) {
+        if (retries >= 1) throw new Error('[browse] Server unresponsive after retry — aborting');
+        console.error('[browse] Server was briefly unresponsive (busy); retrying command...');
+        return sendCommand(oldState, command, args, retries + 1);
+      }
+      // Truly dead (or health never recovered) → restart.
       if (retries >= 1) throw new Error('[browse] Server crashed twice in a row — aborting');
       console.error('[browse] Server connection lost. Restarting...');
-      // Kill the old server to avoid orphaned chromium processes
-      const oldState = readState();
       if (oldState && oldState.pid) {
         await killServer(oldState.pid);
       }
-      // Reapply --proxy / --headed flags from this invocation when restarting
-      // after a crash. Without this, a proxied daemon that dies mid-command
-      // would silently restart in default direct/headless mode and bypass
-      // the SOCKS bridge.
-      const restartEnv: Record<string, string> = {};
-      if (_globalFlags?.proxyUrl) restartEnv.BROWSE_PROXY_URL = _globalFlags.proxyUrl;
-      if (_globalFlags?.headed) restartEnv.BROWSE_HEADED = '1';
-      if (_globalFlags?.configHash) restartEnv.BROWSE_CONFIG_HASH = _globalFlags.configHash;
+      // startServer() now clears the Chromium SingletonLock + reaps the orphan,
+      // so the relaunch isn't blocked by the dead Chromium's profile lock (#1781).
+      //
+      // Reapply --proxy / --headed when restarting. headed comes from THIS
+      // invocation OR the persisted server mode, so a restart triggered by a
+      // plain command (goto/status, no --headed) never silently downgrades a
+      // headed session to headless (#1781). Same for proxy/configHash.
+      const restartEnv = buildRestartEnv(_globalFlags, oldState);
       const newState = await startServer(Object.keys(restartEnv).length ? restartEnv : undefined);
       return sendCommand(newState, command, args, retries + 1);
     }
@@ -966,30 +1069,11 @@ Refs:           After 'snapshot', use @e1, @e2... as selectors:
       }
     }
 
-    // Kill orphaned Chromium processes that may still hold the profile lock.
-    // The server PID is the Bun process; Chromium is a child that can outlive it
-    // if the server is killed abruptly (SIGKILL, crash, manual rm of state file).
-    const profileDir = path.join(process.env.HOME || '/tmp', '.gstack', 'chromium-profile');
-    try {
-      const singletonLock = path.join(profileDir, 'SingletonLock');
-      const lockTarget = fs.readlinkSync(singletonLock); // e.g. "hostname-12345"
-      const orphanPid = parseInt(lockTarget.split('-').pop() || '', 10);
-      if (orphanPid && isProcessAlive(orphanPid)) {
-        safeKill(orphanPid, 'SIGTERM');
-        await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 1000));
-        if (isProcessAlive(orphanPid)) {
-          safeKill(orphanPid, 'SIGKILL');
-          await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 500));
-        }
-      }
-    } catch (err: any) {
-      if (err?.code !== 'ENOENT' && err?.code !== 'EINVAL') throw err;
-    }
-
-    // Clean up Chromium profile locks (can persist after crashes)
-    for (const lockFile of ['SingletonLock', 'SingletonSocket', 'SingletonCookie']) {
-      safeUnlinkQuiet(path.join(profileDir, lockFile));
-    }
+    // Kill an orphaned Chromium still holding the profile lock (the Bun server
+    // PID's Chromium child can outlive an abrupt kill/crash), then clear the
+    // lock files so the launch is clean. Shared with the auto-restart path (#1781).
+    await killOrphanChromium();
+    cleanChromiumProfileLocks();
 
     // Delete stale state file
     safeUnlinkQuiet(config.stateFile);
@@ -1027,6 +1111,11 @@ Refs:           After 'snapshot', use @e1, @e2... as selectors:
       });
       const status = await resp.text();
       console.log(`Connected to real Chrome\n${status}`);
+      // #1781: surface the window — it often opens behind/on another Space.
+      raiseHeadedWindowMacOS();
+      if (process.platform === 'darwin') {
+        console.log('(If you still don\'t see it, check Mission Control / other Spaces.)');
+      }
 
       // sidebar-agent.ts spawn was here. Ripped alongside the chat queue —
       // the Terminal pane runs an interactive PTY now, no more one-shot
@@ -1194,11 +1283,11 @@ Refs:           After 'snapshot', use @e1, @e2... as selectors:
         safeKill(existingState.pid, 'SIGKILL');
       }
     }
-    // Clean profile locks and state file
-    const profileDir = path.join(process.env.HOME || '/tmp', '.gstack', 'chromium-profile');
-    for (const lockFile of ['SingletonLock', 'SingletonSocket', 'SingletonCookie']) {
-      safeUnlinkQuiet(path.join(profileDir, lockFile));
-    }
+    // #1781: killing the daemon can orphan its Chromium child tree, which keeps
+    // holding the SingletonLock and makes the next `connect` fail to launch.
+    // Reap the orphan via the lock, then clear the lock files + state.
+    await killOrphanChromium();
+    cleanChromiumProfileLocks();
     // Xvfb orphan cleanup: if the recorded PID still matches our Xvfb (by
     // cmdline AND start-time), kill it. PID-only would risk killing a
     // recycled PID belonging to an unrelated process.
@@ -1258,6 +1347,11 @@ Refs:           After 'snapshot', use @e1, @e2... as selectors:
   }
 
   await sendCommand(state, command, commandArgs);
+
+  // #1781: `focus` means "show me the window". The server-side focus activates
+  // the page via CDP, but on macOS the app can still sit on another Space — pull
+  // it to the user's current Space too.
+  if (command === 'focus') raiseHeadedWindowMacOS();
 }
 
 if (import.meta.main) {
diff --git a/browse/test/restart-env.test.ts b/browse/test/restart-env.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5cf7502e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/browse/test/restart-env.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+import { describe, test, expect } from "bun:test";
+import { buildRestartEnv } from "../src/cli";
+
+// #1781: an auto-restart triggered by a plain command (no --headed flag) must
+// NOT silently downgrade a headed session to headless. buildRestartEnv reapplies
+// headed/proxy/configHash from this invocation OR the persisted server state.
+describe("buildRestartEnv (#1781 headed persistence)", () => {
+  const headedState = { pid: 1, port: 9, token: "t", startedAt: "", serverPath: "", mode: "headed" as const };
+  const launchedState = { pid: 1, port: 9, token: "t", startedAt: "", serverPath: "", mode: "launched" as const };
+
+  test("headed flag on this invocation → BROWSE_HEADED=1", () => {
+    expect(buildRestartEnv({ headed: true } as any, null).BROWSE_HEADED).toBe("1");
+  });
+
+  test("plain command + persisted headed state → still BROWSE_HEADED=1 (the regression)", () => {
+    const env = buildRestartEnv({} as any, headedState as any);
+    expect(env.BROWSE_HEADED).toBe("1");
+  });
+
+  test("plain command + headless state → no BROWSE_HEADED (no spurious headed)", () => {
+    const env = buildRestartEnv({} as any, launchedState as any);
+    expect(env.BROWSE_HEADED).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  test("nothing set → empty env", () => {
+    expect(buildRestartEnv(null, null)).toEqual({});
+  });
+
+  test("proxy + configHash reapplied from flags", () => {
+    const env = buildRestartEnv({ proxyUrl: "socks5://x", configHash: "abc" } as any, null);
+    expect(env.BROWSE_PROXY_URL).toBe("socks5://x");
+    expect(env.BROWSE_CONFIG_HASH).toBe("abc");
+  });
+
+  test("configHash falls back to persisted state", () => {
+    const env = buildRestartEnv({} as any, { ...launchedState, configHash: "fromstate" } as any);
+    expect(env.BROWSE_CONFIG_HASH).toBe("fromstate");
+  });
+});