diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 9ff9796e..00199489 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -296,36 +296,8 @@ electron-run: setup-onnx build-go electron-build ## Run Electron app (builds Go
 
 electron: electron-run ## Alias for electron-run
 
-electron-dev: ## Run Electron app in development mode (starts webpack dev server + Electron; assumes Go backend running separately)
-	@echo "$(BLUE)Starting Electron development environment...$(NC)"
-	@echo "$(YELLOW)Note: Assumes Go backend is running separately (e.g., 'make go-backend-dev' or VSCode debugger)$(NC)"
-	@DEV_PID=""; \
-	trap 'if [ -n "$$DEV_PID" ]; then kill $$DEV_PID 2>/dev/null || true; fi' EXIT INT TERM; \
-	if curl -sf http://localhost:3000 >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
-		echo "$(GREEN)✅ Frontend dev server already running on http://localhost:3000$(NC)"; \
-	else \
-		echo "$(BLUE)Starting webpack dev server (logs: /tmp/kiji-dev-server.log)...$(NC)"; \
-		( cd src/frontend && npm run dev ) > /tmp/kiji-dev-server.log 2>&1 & \
-		DEV_PID=$$!; \
-		echo "$(YELLOW)Waiting for dev server on http://localhost:3000...$(NC)"; \
-		for i in $$(seq 1 60); do \
-			if curl -sf http://localhost:3000 >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
-				echo "$(GREEN)✅ Dev server ready (pid $$DEV_PID)$(NC)"; \
-				break; \
-			fi; \
-			if ! kill -0 $$DEV_PID 2>/dev/null; then \
-				echo "$(YELLOW)⚠️  Dev server exited unexpectedly — see /tmp/kiji-dev-server.log$(NC)"; \
-				exit 1; \
-			fi; \
-			if [ $$i -eq 60 ]; then \
-				echo "$(YELLOW)⚠️  Dev server didn't respond after 60s — see /tmp/kiji-dev-server.log$(NC)"; \
-				exit 1; \
-			fi; \
-			sleep 1; \
-		done; \
-	fi; \
-	echo "$(BLUE)Starting Electron in development mode...$(NC)"; \
-	cd src/frontend && EXTERNAL_BACKEND=true npm run electron:dev
+electron-dev: ## Run Electron app in development mode (webpack dev server + Electron; Go backend separate; FORCE_RESTART=1 restarts a server on :3000)
+	@node src/scripts/electron-dev.js
 
 electron-dev-external: electron-dev ## Alias for electron-dev (for backwards compatibility)
 
diff --git a/src/scripts/electron-dev.js b/src/scripts/electron-dev.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7a84e6f6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/scripts/electron-dev.js
@@ -0,0 +1,273 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+
+/**
+ * Dev orchestration for `make electron-dev`.
+ *
+ * Ensures a frontend webpack dev server is running on PORT, then launches
+ * Electron against it. The dev server is only reused when it actually belongs
+ * to this worktree — a bare HTTP 200 is not treated as proof, because a stale
+ * server from a deleted git worktree keeps serving its last in-memory bundle
+ * and would otherwise be silently adopted.
+ *
+ * Behaviour when something already listens on PORT:
+ *   - cwd matches this worktree -> reuse it (announce pid + cwd)
+ *   - cwd differs               -> refuse with guidance (exit 1)
+ *   - cwd cannot be determined  -> reuse with a warning
+ *   - FORCE_RESTART=1           -> kill the holder, wait, then start fresh
+ *
+ * Lifecycle: this process supervises both children. A dev server it spawned is
+ * torn down when Electron exits or on Ctrl-C; a reused server is left running.
+ */
+
+"use strict";
+
+const { spawn, execFileSync } = require("node:child_process");
+const fs = require("node:fs");
+const http = require("node:http");
+const path = require("node:path");
+
+const PORT = 3000;
+const LOG = "/tmp/kiji-dev-server.log";
+const repoRoot = path.resolve(__dirname, "..", "..");
+const frontendDir = path.join(repoRoot, "src", "frontend");
+const expectedCwd = frontendDir;
+const force = process.env.FORCE_RESTART === "1";
+
+const useColor = process.stdout.isTTY && !process.env.NO_COLOR;
+const paint = (code, s) => (useColor ? `[${code}m${s}` : s);
+const blue = (s) => paint("34", s);
+const green = (s) => paint("32", s);
+const yellow = (s) => paint("33", s);
+
+const sleep = (ms) => new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, ms));
+
+/**
+ * Identify the process listening on `port`.
+ * @returns {{pid: number, cwd: string|null}|null} null when nothing listens.
+ */
+function portHolder(port) {
+  let out;
+  try {
+    out = execFileSync(
+      "lsof",
+      ["-nP", `-iTCP:${port}`, "-sTCP:LISTEN", "-t"],
+      { encoding: "utf8" }
+    );
+  } catch {
+    return null; // lsof exits non-zero when nothing matches
+  }
+  const pid = Number(out.split("\n").find((l) => l.trim())); // first listener
+  if (!pid) return null;
+
+  let cwd = null;
+  try {
+    const fields = execFileSync(
+      "lsof",
+      ["-a", "-p", String(pid), "-d", "cwd", "-Fn"],
+      { encoding: "utf8" }
+    );
+    const nLine = fields.split("\n").find((l) => l.startsWith("n"));
+    if (nLine) cwd = nLine.slice(1);
+  } catch {
+    cwd = null; // permissions, etc. — caller treats as unverifiable
+  }
+  return { pid, cwd };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Decide what to do about whatever holds the port.
+ * Pure function so the policy can be unit-tested in isolation.
+ * @returns {'start'|'reuse'|'refuse'|'unverifiable'}
+ */
+function classifyHolder(holder, wantedCwd) {
+  if (!holder) return "start";
+  if (!holder.cwd) return "unverifiable";
+  if (holder.cwd === wantedCwd) return "reuse";
+  return "refuse";
+}
+
+/** Resolve true once the dev server answers HTTP on `port`. */
+function probe(port) {
+  return new Promise((resolve) => {
+    const req = http.get(
+      { host: "localhost", port, path: "/", timeout: 2000 },
+      (res) => {
+        res.resume();
+        resolve(true);
+      }
+    );
+    req.on("error", () => resolve(false));
+    req.on("timeout", () => {
+      req.destroy();
+      resolve(false);
+    });
+  });
+}
+
+async function waitForExit(pid, timeoutMs) {
+  const deadline = Date.now() + timeoutMs;
+  while (Date.now() < deadline) {
+    try {
+      process.kill(pid, 0); // still alive
+    } catch {
+      return true; // gone
+    }
+    await sleep(500);
+  }
+  return false;
+}
+
+async function main() {
+  console.log(blue("Starting Electron development environment..."));
+  console.log(
+    yellow(
+      "Note: Assumes Go backend is running separately (e.g., 'make go-backend-dev' or VSCode debugger)"
+    )
+  );
+
+  let holder = portHolder(PORT);
+
+  if (holder && force) {
+    console.log(
+      yellow(`FORCE_RESTART=1 — stopping server on :${PORT} (pid ${holder.pid})...`)
+    );
+    try {
+      process.kill(holder.pid, "SIGTERM");
+    } catch {
+      /* already gone */
+    }
+    await waitForExit(holder.pid, 30000);
+    holder = portHolder(PORT);
+  }
+
+  // `server` stays null when we reuse — we never tear down something we didn't start.
+  let server = null;
+
+  switch (classifyHolder(holder, expectedCwd)) {
+    case "reuse":
+      console.log(
+        green(`✅ Reusing dev server (pid ${holder.pid}, cwd ${holder.cwd})`)
+      );
+      break;
+
+    case "unverifiable":
+      console.log(
+        yellow(
+          `⚠️  Reusing dev server on :${PORT} (pid ${holder.pid}); could not verify its working directory`
+        )
+      );
+      break;
+
+    case "refuse":
+      console.error(
+        yellow(`❌ Port ${PORT} is held by a server from another directory:`)
+      );
+      console.error(yellow(`     pid ${holder.pid}, cwd ${holder.cwd}`));
+      console.error(yellow(`     expected:  ${expectedCwd}`));
+      console.error(
+        yellow(
+          `   Run 'kill ${holder.pid}', or rerun with 'FORCE_RESTART=1 make electron-dev'.`
+        )
+      );
+      process.exit(1);
+      break;
+
+    case "start":
+      server = await startDevServer();
+      break;
+  }
+
+  launchElectron(server);
+}
+
+/** Spawn the webpack dev server (its own process group) and wait until ready. */
+async function startDevServer() {
+  console.log(blue(`Starting webpack dev server (logs: ${LOG})...`));
+  const logFd = fs.openSync(LOG, "a");
+  const server = spawn("npm", ["run", "dev"], {
+    cwd: frontendDir,
+    stdio: ["ignore", logFd, logFd],
+    detached: true, // own group, so we can kill the whole tree later
+  });
+
+  console.log(yellow(`Waiting for dev server on http://localhost:${PORT}...`));
+  const deadline = Date.now() + 60000;
+  while (Date.now() < deadline) {
+    if (await probe(PORT)) {
+      console.log(green(`✅ Dev server ready (pid ${server.pid})`));
+      return server;
+    }
+    if (server.exitCode !== null) {
+      console.error(
+        yellow(`⚠️  Dev server exited unexpectedly — see ${LOG}`)
+      );
+      process.exit(1);
+    }
+    await sleep(1000);
+  }
+  console.error(yellow(`⚠️  Dev server didn't respond after 60s — see ${LOG}`));
+  try {
+    process.kill(-server.pid, "SIGTERM");
+  } catch {
+    /* ignore */
+  }
+  process.exit(1);
+}
+
+/** Run Electron in the foreground; tear down a spawned dev server on exit. */
+function launchElectron(server) {
+  console.log(blue("Starting Electron in development mode..."));
+  const electron = spawn("npm", ["run", "electron:dev"], {
+    cwd: frontendDir,
+    stdio: "inherit",
+    env: { ...process.env, EXTERNAL_BACKEND: "true" },
+  });
+
+  let toreDown = false;
+  const teardown = () => {
+    if (toreDown) return;
+    toreDown = true;
+    if (server && server.pid) {
+      try {
+        process.kill(-server.pid, "SIGTERM"); // kill the dev server's group
+      } catch {
+        /* already gone */
+      }
+    }
+  };
+
+  electron.on("exit", (code, signal) => {
+    teardown();
+    process.exit(code === null ? (signal ? 1 : 0) : code);
+  });
+  electron.on("error", (err) => {
+    console.error(yellow(`Failed to launch Electron: ${err.message}`));
+    teardown();
+    process.exit(1);
+  });
+
+  // Forward interrupts to Electron and let its exit handler drive teardown.
+  for (const sig of ["SIGINT", "SIGTERM"]) {
+    process.on(sig, () => {
+      if (electron.exitCode === null) {
+        try {
+          electron.kill(sig);
+        } catch {
+          /* ignore */
+        }
+      } else {
+        teardown();
+        process.exit(0);
+      }
+    });
+  }
+}
+
+if (require.main === module) {
+  main().catch((err) => {
+    console.error(err);
+    process.exit(1);
+  });
+}
+
+module.exports = { classifyHolder, portHolder };