diff --git a/packages/app/src/index.ts b/packages/app/src/index.ts
index 9a11def8fd..969732dda6 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/index.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 export { AppBaseProviders, AppInterface } from "./app"
+export { DialogLocalServer } from "./components/dialog-local-server"
 export { ACCEPTED_FILE_EXTENSIONS, ACCEPTED_FILE_TYPES, filePickerFilters } from "./constants/file-picker"
 export { useCommand } from "./context/command"
 export { loadLocaleDict, normalizeLocale, type Locale } from "./context/language"
diff --git a/packages/desktop-electron/src/main/index.ts b/packages/desktop-electron/src/main/index.ts
index cc2b7a8e7f..aa2eee7b6f 100644
--- a/packages/desktop-electron/src/main/index.ts
+++ b/packages/desktop-electron/src/main/index.ts
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ const loadingComplete = defer<void>()
 const pendingDeepLinks: string[] = []
 
 const serverReady = defer<ServerReadyData>()
+void serverReady.promise.catch(() => undefined)
 const localServer = createLocalServerController(app.getVersion())
 const logger = initLogging()
 
@@ -164,26 +165,31 @@ async function initialize() {
   logger.log("spawning sidecar", { url })
   localServer.setRuntime(runtime)
   localServer.setStatus({ kind: "running", step: null })
-  serverReady.resolve({
+  const startupData = {
     url,
     username: "opencode",
     password,
     local: runtime,
-  })
+  }
+  let startupError: Error | null = null
   const startup = await (async () => {
     try {
       if (runtime.mode === "wsl") {
         if (!runtime.distro) throw new Error("No WSL distro selected")
-        return spawnWslLocalServer(runtime.distro, port, password)
+        return spawnWslLocalServer(runtime.distro, port, password, {
+          onLine: (line) =>
+            logger.log("wsl sidecar startup", { distro: runtime.distro, stream: line.stream, text: line.text }),
+        })
       }
       return spawnLocalServer(hostname, port, password)
     } catch (error) {
+      startupError = asError(error)
       localServer.setStatus({
         kind: "failed",
         step: null,
-        message: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error),
+        message: startupError.message,
       })
-      logger.error("local server startup failed", error)
+      logger.error("local server startup failed", startupError)
       return undefined
     }
   })()
@@ -212,15 +218,20 @@ async function initialize() {
       ])
         .then(() => {
           localServer.setStatus({ kind: "ready" })
+          serverReady.resolve(startupData)
         })
         .catch((error) => {
+          startupError = asError(error)
           localServer.setStatus({
             kind: "failed",
             step: null,
-            message: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error),
+            message: startupError.message,
           })
-          logger.error("sidecar health check failed", error)
+          logger.error("sidecar health check failed", startupError)
+          serverReady.reject(startupError)
         })
+    } else {
+      serverReady.reject(startupError ?? new Error("Local server startup failed"))
     }
 
     logger.log("loading task finished")
@@ -510,6 +521,10 @@ function delay(ms: number) {
   return new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ms))
 }
 
+function asError(error: unknown) {
+  return error instanceof Error ? error : new Error(String(error))
+}
+
 function defer<T>() {
   let resolve!: (value: T) => void
   let reject!: (error: Error) => void
diff --git a/packages/desktop-electron/src/main/server.ts b/packages/desktop-electron/src/main/server.ts
index b367de9db3..7ccb33b2f2 100644
--- a/packages/desktop-electron/src/main/server.ts
+++ b/packages/desktop-electron/src/main/server.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { app } from "electron"
 import { DEFAULT_SERVER_URL_KEY } from "./constants"
 import { getUserShell, loadShellEnv } from "./shell-env"
 import { getStore } from "./store"
-import { wslArgs } from "./wsl"
+import { type WslCommandLine, resolveWslOpencode, wslArgs } from "./wsl"
 
 export type HealthCheck = { wait: Promise<void> }
 
@@ -48,33 +48,48 @@ export async function spawnLocalServer(hostname: string, port: number, password:
   return { listener, health: { wait } }
 }
 
-export async function spawnWslLocalServer(distro: string, port: number, password: string) {
-  const script = [
-    "set -e",
-    "OPENCODE_EXPERIMENTAL_ICON_DISCOVERY=true",
-    "OPENCODE_EXPERIMENTAL_FILEWATCHER=true",
-    "OPENCODE_CLIENT=desktop",
-    `OPENCODE_SERVER_USERNAME=${shellEscape("opencode")}`,
-    `OPENCODE_SERVER_PASSWORD=${shellEscape(password)}`,
-    'XDG_STATE_HOME="$HOME/.local/state"',
-    `exec opencode --print-logs --log-level WARN serve --hostname 0.0.0.0 --port ${port}`,
-  ].join(" ")
+export async function spawnWslLocalServer(
+  distro: string,
+  port: number,
+  password: string,
+  opts: { onLine?: (line: WslCommandLine) => void } = {},
+) {
+  const opencode = await resolveWslOpencode(distro)
+  if (!opencode) throw new Error(`OpenCode is not installed in ${distro}`)
 
-  const child = spawn("wsl", wslArgs(["bash", "-lc", script], distro), {
-    stdio: ["ignore", "pipe", "pipe"],
+  const script = [
+    "set -euo pipefail",
+    "export OPENCODE_EXPERIMENTAL_ICON_DISCOVERY=true",
+    "export OPENCODE_EXPERIMENTAL_FILEWATCHER=true",
+    "export OPENCODE_CLIENT=desktop",
+    `export OPENCODE_SERVER_USERNAME=${shellEscape("opencode")}`,
+    `export OPENCODE_SERVER_PASSWORD=${shellEscape(password)}`,
+    'export XDG_STATE_HOME="$HOME/.local/state"',
+    `exec ${shellEscape(opencode)} --print-logs --log-level WARN serve --hostname 0.0.0.0 --port ${port}`,
+  ].join("\n")
+
+  const child = spawn("wsl", wslArgs(["bash", "-se"], distro), {
+    stdio: ["pipe", "pipe", "pipe"],
     windowsHide: true,
   })
-  child.stdout.setEncoding("utf8")
-  child.stderr.setEncoding("utf8")
+  child.stdin.end(script)
+
+  let settled = false
+  const recentOutput: string[] = []
+  const emit = (line: WslCommandLine) => {
+    if (settled || !line.text.trim()) return
+    recentOutput.push(`[${line.stream}] ${line.text}`)
+    if (recentOutput.length > 12) recentOutput.shift()
+    opts.onLine?.(line)
+  }
+
+  forwardLines(child.stdout, "stdout", emit)
+  forwardLines(child.stderr, "stderr", emit)
 
   const exit = new Promise<never>((_, reject) => {
     child.once("error", reject)
     child.once("exit", (code, signal) => {
-      reject(
-        new Error(
-          `WSL local server exited before becoming healthy (code=${code ?? "null"} signal=${signal ?? "null"})`,
-        ),
-      )
+      reject(new Error(startupFailure(code, signal, recentOutput)))
     })
   })
 
@@ -87,7 +102,9 @@ export async function spawnWslLocalServer(distro: string, port: number, password
       }
     })(),
     exit,
-  ])
+  ]).finally(() => {
+    settled = true
+  })
 
   return {
     listener: {
@@ -119,6 +136,29 @@ function shellEscape(value: string) {
   return `'${value.replace(/'/g, `'"'"'`)}'`
 }
 
+function forwardLines(
+  stream: NodeJS.ReadableStream,
+  source: WslCommandLine["stream"],
+  onLine: (line: WslCommandLine) => void,
+) {
+  let pending = ""
+  stream.setEncoding("utf8")
+  stream.on("data", (chunk: string) => {
+    pending += chunk
+    const lines = pending.split(/\r?\n/g)
+    pending = lines.pop() ?? ""
+    for (const line of lines) onLine({ stream: source, text: line })
+  })
+  stream.on("end", () => {
+    if (pending) onLine({ stream: source, text: pending })
+  })
+}
+
+function startupFailure(code: number | null, signal: NodeJS.Signals | null, recentOutput: string[]) {
+  const suffix = recentOutput.length ? `\n${recentOutput.join("\n")}` : ""
+  return `WSL local server exited before becoming healthy (code=${code ?? "null"} signal=${signal ?? "null"})${suffix}`
+}
+
 export async function checkHealth(url: string, password?: string | null): Promise<boolean> {
   let healthUrl: URL
   try {
diff --git a/packages/desktop-electron/src/renderer/index.tsx b/packages/desktop-electron/src/renderer/index.tsx
index 330f90ccca..df61018671 100644
--- a/packages/desktop-electron/src/renderer/index.tsx
+++ b/packages/desktop-electron/src/renderer/index.tsx
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import {
   ACCEPTED_FILE_TYPES,
   AppBaseProviders,
   AppInterface,
+  DialogLocalServer,
   handleNotificationClick,
   loadLocaleDict,
   normalizeLocale,
@@ -23,6 +24,10 @@ import { initI18n, t } from "./i18n"
 import { UPDATER_ENABLED } from "./updater"
 import { webviewZoom } from "./webview-zoom"
 import "./styles.css"
+import { Button } from "@opencode-ai/ui/button"
+import { useDialog } from "@opencode-ai/ui/context/dialog"
+import { Dialog } from "@opencode-ai/ui/dialog"
+import { Splash } from "@opencode-ai/ui/logo"
 import { useTheme } from "@opencode-ai/ui/theme"
 
 const root = document.getElementById("root")
@@ -48,6 +53,34 @@ const listenForDeepLinks = () => {
   return window.api.onDeepLink((urls) => emitDeepLinks(urls))
 }
 
+function LocalServerStartupError(props: { message: string }) {
+  const dialog = useDialog()
+
+  return (
+    <div class="h-dvh w-screen flex flex-col items-center justify-center bg-background-base gap-6 p-6">
+      <div class="flex flex-col items-center max-w-md text-center">
+        <Splash class="w-12 h-15 mb-4" />
+        <p class="text-16-medium text-text-strong">Local Server failed to start</p>
+        <p class="mt-2 text-12-regular text-text-weak whitespace-pre-wrap break-words">{props.message}</p>
+        <Button
+          variant="secondary"
+          size="large"
+          class="mt-4"
+          onClick={() =>
+            dialog.show(() => (
+              <Dialog title="Local Server" dismissOutside={false}>
+                <DialogLocalServer />
+              </Dialog>
+            ))
+          }
+        >
+          Open Local Server
+        </Button>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
 const createPlatform = (): Platform => {
   const os = (() => {
     const ua = navigator.userAgent
@@ -275,8 +308,19 @@ render(() => {
 
   const [windowCount] = createResource(() => window.api.getWindowCount())
 
-  // Fetch sidecar credentials (available immediately, before health check)
-  const [sidecar] = createResource(() => window.api.awaitInitialization(() => undefined))
+  const [startup] = createResource(async () => {
+    try {
+      return {
+        error: null,
+        sidecar: await window.api.awaitInitialization(() => undefined),
+      }
+    } catch (error) {
+      return {
+        error: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error),
+        sidecar: null,
+      }
+    }
+  })
 
   const [defaultServer] = createResource(() =>
     platform.getDefaultServer?.().then((url) => {
@@ -286,7 +330,7 @@ render(() => {
   const [locale] = createResource(loadLocale)
 
   const servers = () => {
-    const data = sidecar()
+    const data = startup.latest?.sidecar
     if (!data) return []
     const server: ServerConnection.Sidecar = {
       displayName: "Local Server",
@@ -339,12 +383,16 @@ render(() => {
   return (
     <PlatformProvider value={platform}>
       <AppBaseProviders locale={locale.latest}>
-        <Show when={!defaultServer.loading && !sidecar.loading && !windowCount.loading && !locale.loading}>
+        <Show when={!defaultServer.loading && !startup.loading && !windowCount.loading && !locale.loading}>
           {(_) => {
+            if (startup.latest?.error) {
+              return <LocalServerStartupError message={startup.latest.error} />
+            }
             return (
               <AppInterface
                 defaultServer={
-                  defaultServer.latest ?? ServerConnection.Key.make(sidecar.latest?.local.key ?? "local:windows")
+                  defaultServer.latest ??
+                  ServerConnection.Key.make(startup.latest?.sidecar?.local.key ?? "local:windows")
                 }
                 servers={servers()}
                 router={MemoryRouter}