diff --git a/src/update/job.ts b/src/update/job.ts
index abea4ee12..d507061b8 100644
--- a/src/update/job.ts
+++ b/src/update/job.ts
@@ -1134,8 +1134,16 @@ async function restartAfterUpdate(
         `Port ${port} still busy after ${Math.trunc(RESTART_PORT_RECLAIM_MS / 1000)}s; refusing to hop — reinstall may fail until the port is free.`
           + ` ${formatPortHolders(port, listPids, verifyOcx, preServiceAllow)}`,
       );
-      const liveAfter = listPids(port).filter(pid => pid !== process.pid && aliveFn(pid));
-      if (liveAfter.length === 0) {
+      const liveScan: ListenPidScan = io.scanListenPidsFn
+        ? io.scanListenPidsFn(port)
+        : io.listListenPidsFn
+          // Test seam: an injected list represents a successful scan.
+          ? { ok: true, pids: io.listListenPidsFn(port) }
+          : scanListenPids(port);
+      const liveAfter = liveScan.ok
+        ? liveScan.pids.filter(pid => pid !== process.pid && aliveFn(pid))
+        : null;
+      if (liveAfter !== null && liveAfter.length === 0) {
         // Non-elevated `service install` will UAC-fail anyway; skip straight to
         // the direct-start fallthrough instead of burning another minute on it.
         updateJob(job, {}, "Skipping service reinstall after reclaim timeout with no live holders; falling back to a direct proxy start.");
diff --git a/tests/update-job.test.ts b/tests/update-job.test.ts
index c8ae64de4..318a77742 100644
--- a/tests/update-job.test.ts
+++ b/tests/update-job.test.ts
@@ -446,6 +446,45 @@ describe("GUI update execution decisions", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  test("service restart is not skipped when the listener scan fails", async () => {
+    let serviceRuns = 0;
+    const serviceArgs: string[][] = [];
+    const job: UpdateJobState = {
+      id: "svc-scan-failure",
+      status: "restarting",
+      startedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
+      updatedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
+      currentVersion: "2.10.2",
+      latestVersion: "2.10.3",
+      channel: "latest",
+      installer: "npm",
+      restart: true,
+      command: "",
+      log: [],
+      releaseNotesUrl: "",
+    };
+    writeFileSync(updateJobPath(), JSON.stringify(job));
+    await restartAfterUpdateForTests(job, { port: 19997, hostname: "127.0.0.1" }, {
+      serviceInstalledFn: () => true,
+      serviceViableFn: () => true,
+      waitForPort: async () => false,
+      listListenPidsFn: () => [],
+      scanListenPidsFn: () => ({ ok: false, error: "listener tools unavailable" }),
+      runService: (_job, _bin, args) => {
+        serviceRuns += 1;
+        serviceArgs.push(args);
+        return { status: 0 };
+      },
+      spawnStart: () => {},
+      probeProxy: async () => true,
+    });
+    expect(serviceRuns).toBe(1);
+    expect(serviceArgs[0]).toContain("repair");
+    expect(readUpdateJob(job.id)?.log.some(line =>
+      line.includes("Skipping service reinstall after reclaim timeout"),
+    )).toBe(false);
+  });
+
   test("proxy restart pins --port so post-update start does not hop to an ephemeral port", () => {
     const proxy = restartCommand(false, "npm", "/pkg/bin/ocx.mjs", 10100);
     expect(proxy.mode).toBe("proxy");