diff --git a/browse/src/server.ts b/browse/src/server.ts
index 8d5a49e0..00e4393a 100644
--- a/browse/src/server.ts
+++ b/browse/src/server.ts
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import { emitActivity, subscribe, getActivityAfter, getActivityHistory, getSubsc
 // Bun.spawn used instead of child_process.spawn (compiled bun binaries
 // fail posix_spawn on all executables including /bin/bash)
 import * as fs from 'fs';
+import * as net from 'net';
 import * as path from 'path';
 import * as crypto from 'crypto';
 
@@ -547,17 +548,28 @@ export { READ_COMMANDS, WRITE_COMMANDS, META_COMMANDS };
 const browserManager = new BrowserManager();
 let isShuttingDown = false;
 
+// Test if a port is available by binding and immediately releasing.
+// Uses net.createServer instead of Bun.serve to avoid a race condition
+// in the Node.js polyfill where listen/close are async but the caller
+// expects synchronous bind semantics. See: #486
+function isPortAvailable(port: number, hostname: string = '127.0.0.1'): Promise<boolean> {
+  return new Promise((resolve) => {
+    const srv = net.createServer();
+    srv.once('error', () => resolve(false));
+    srv.listen(port, hostname, () => {
+      srv.close(() => resolve(true));
+    });
+  });
+}
+
 // Find port: explicit BROWSE_PORT, or random in 10000-60000
 async function findPort(): Promise<number> {
   // Explicit port override (for debugging)
   if (BROWSE_PORT) {
-    try {
-      const testServer = Bun.serve({ port: BROWSE_PORT, fetch: () => new Response('ok') });
-      testServer.stop();
+    if (await isPortAvailable(BROWSE_PORT)) {
       return BROWSE_PORT;
-    } catch {
-      throw new Error(`[browse] Port ${BROWSE_PORT} (from BROWSE_PORT env) is in use`);
     }
+    throw new Error(`[browse] Port ${BROWSE_PORT} (from BROWSE_PORT env) is in use`);
   }
 
   // Random port with retry
@@ -566,12 +578,8 @@ async function findPort(): Promise<number> {
   const MAX_RETRIES = 5;
   for (let attempt = 0; attempt < MAX_RETRIES; attempt++) {
     const port = MIN_PORT + Math.floor(Math.random() * (MAX_PORT - MIN_PORT));
-    try {
-      const testServer = Bun.serve({ port, fetch: () => new Response('ok') });
-      testServer.stop();
+    if (await isPortAvailable(port)) {
       return port;
-    } catch {
-      continue;
     }
   }
   throw new Error(`[browse] No available port after ${MAX_RETRIES} attempts in range ${MIN_PORT}-${MAX_PORT}`);
diff --git a/browse/test/findport.test.ts b/browse/test/findport.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fb3a9cb0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/browse/test/findport.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,191 @@
+import { describe, test, expect } from 'bun:test';
+import * as net from 'net';
+import * as path from 'path';
+
+const polyfillPath = path.resolve(import.meta.dir, '../src/bun-polyfill.cjs');
+
+// Helper: bind a port and hold it open, returning a cleanup function
+function occupyPort(port: number): Promise<() => Promise<void>> {
+  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    const srv = net.createServer();
+    srv.once('error', reject);
+    srv.listen(port, '127.0.0.1', () => {
+      resolve(() => new Promise<void>((r) => srv.close(() => r())));
+    });
+  });
+}
+
+// Helper: find a known-free port by binding to 0
+function getFreePort(): Promise<number> {
+  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    const srv = net.createServer();
+    srv.once('error', reject);
+    srv.listen(0, '127.0.0.1', () => {
+      const port = (srv.address() as net.AddressInfo).port;
+      srv.close(() => resolve(port));
+    });
+  });
+}
+
+describe('findPort / isPortAvailable', () => {
+
+  test('isPortAvailable returns true for a free port', async () => {
+    // Use the same isPortAvailable logic from server.ts
+    const port = await getFreePort();
+
+    const available = await new Promise<boolean>((resolve) => {
+      const srv = net.createServer();
+      srv.once('error', () => resolve(false));
+      srv.listen(port, '127.0.0.1', () => {
+        srv.close(() => resolve(true));
+      });
+    });
+
+    expect(available).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  test('isPortAvailable returns false for an occupied port', async () => {
+    const port = await getFreePort();
+    const release = await occupyPort(port);
+
+    try {
+      const available = await new Promise<boolean>((resolve) => {
+        const srv = net.createServer();
+        srv.once('error', () => resolve(false));
+        srv.listen(port, '127.0.0.1', () => {
+          srv.close(() => resolve(true));
+        });
+      });
+
+      expect(available).toBe(false);
+    } finally {
+      await release();
+    }
+  });
+
+  test('port is actually free after isPortAvailable returns true', async () => {
+    // This is the core race condition test: after isPortAvailable says
+    // a port is free, can we IMMEDIATELY bind to it?
+    const port = await getFreePort();
+
+    // Simulate isPortAvailable
+    const isFree = await new Promise<boolean>((resolve) => {
+      const srv = net.createServer();
+      srv.once('error', () => resolve(false));
+      srv.listen(port, '127.0.0.1', () => {
+        srv.close(() => resolve(true));
+      });
+    });
+
+    expect(isFree).toBe(true);
+
+    // Now immediately try to bind — this would fail with the old
+    // Bun.serve() polyfill approach because the test server's
+    // listen() would still be pending
+    const canBind = await new Promise<boolean>((resolve) => {
+      const srv = net.createServer();
+      srv.once('error', () => resolve(false));
+      srv.listen(port, '127.0.0.1', () => {
+        srv.close(() => resolve(true));
+      });
+    });
+
+    expect(canBind).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  test('polyfill Bun.serve stop() is fire-and-forget (async)', async () => {
+    // Verify that the polyfill's stop() does NOT wait for the socket
+    // to actually close — this is the root cause of the race condition.
+    // On macOS/Linux the OS reclaims the port fast enough that the race
+    // rarely manifests, but on Windows TIME_WAIT makes it 100% repro.
+    const result = Bun.spawnSync(['node', '-e', `
+      require('${polyfillPath}');
+      const net = require('net');
+
+      async function test() {
+        const port = 10000 + Math.floor(Math.random() * 50000);
+
+        const testServer = Bun.serve({
+          port,
+          hostname: '127.0.0.1',
+          fetch: () => new Response('ok'),
+        });
+
+        // stop() returns undefined — it does NOT return a Promise,
+        // so callers cannot await socket teardown
+        const retval = testServer.stop();
+        console.log(typeof retval === 'undefined' ? 'FIRE_AND_FORGET' : 'AWAITABLE');
+      }
+
+      test();
+    `], { stdout: 'pipe', stderr: 'pipe' });
+
+    const output = result.stdout.toString().trim();
+    // Confirms the polyfill's stop() is fire-and-forget — callers
+    // cannot wait for the port to be released, hence the race
+    expect(output).toBe('FIRE_AND_FORGET');
+  });
+
+  test('net.createServer approach does not have the race condition', async () => {
+    // Prove the fix: net.createServer with proper async bind/close
+    // releases the port cleanly
+    const result = Bun.spawnSync(['node', '-e', `
+      const net = require('net');
+
+      async function testFix() {
+        const port = 10000 + Math.floor(Math.random() * 50000);
+
+        // Simulate the NEW isPortAvailable: proper async bind/close
+        const isFree = await new Promise((resolve) => {
+          const srv = net.createServer();
+          srv.once('error', () => resolve(false));
+          srv.listen(port, '127.0.0.1', () => {
+            srv.close(() => resolve(true));
+          });
+        });
+
+        if (!isFree) {
+          console.log('PORT_BUSY');
+          return;
+        }
+
+        // Immediately try to bind — should succeed because close()
+        // completed before the Promise resolved
+        const canBind = await new Promise((resolve) => {
+          const srv = net.createServer();
+          srv.once('error', () => resolve(false));
+          srv.listen(port, '127.0.0.1', () => {
+            srv.close(() => resolve(true));
+          });
+        });
+
+        console.log(canBind ? 'FIX_WORKS' : 'FIX_BROKEN');
+      }
+
+      testFix();
+    `], { stdout: 'pipe', stderr: 'pipe' });
+
+    const output = result.stdout.toString().trim();
+    expect(output).toBe('FIX_WORKS');
+  });
+
+  test('isPortAvailable handles rapid sequential checks', async () => {
+    // Stress test: check the same port multiple times in sequence
+    const port = await getFreePort();
+    const results: boolean[] = [];
+
+    for (let i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
+      const available = await new Promise<boolean>((resolve) => {
+        const srv = net.createServer();
+        srv.once('error', () => resolve(false));
+        srv.listen(port, '127.0.0.1', () => {
+          srv.close(() => resolve(true));
+        });
+      });
+      results.push(available);
+    }
+
+    // All 5 checks should succeed — no leaked sockets
+    expect(results).toEqual([true, true, true, true, true]);
+  });
+});