diff --git a/apps/x/apps/main/src/ipc.ts b/apps/x/apps/main/src/ipc.ts
index ef530ff0..2ada48a9 100644
--- a/apps/x/apps/main/src/ipc.ts
+++ b/apps/x/apps/main/src/ipc.ts
@@ -583,11 +583,12 @@ function handleWorkspaceChange(event: z.infer<typeof workspaceShared.WorkspaceCh
 
 /**
  * Start workspace watcher
- * Watches the configured workspace root recursively and emits change events to renderer
+ * Watches the user-facing workspace roots recursively and emits change events to renderer
  * 
  * This should be called once when the app starts (from main.ts).
- * The watcher runs as a main-process service and catches ALL filesystem changes
- * (both from IPC handlers and external changes like terminal/git).
+ * The watcher runs as a main-process service and catches all filesystem changes
+ * under the watched roots (both from IPC handlers and external changes like
+ * terminal/git).
  * 
  * Safe to call multiple times - guards against duplicate watchers.
  */
diff --git a/apps/x/packages/core/src/workspace/watcher.ts b/apps/x/packages/core/src/workspace/watcher.ts
index 0b3e983b..be7344c4 100644
--- a/apps/x/packages/core/src/workspace/watcher.ts
+++ b/apps/x/packages/core/src/workspace/watcher.ts
@@ -9,10 +9,28 @@ import { Stats } from 'node:fs';
 
 export type WorkspaceChangeCallback = (event: z.infer<typeof WorkspaceChangeEvent>) => void;
 
+// The only WorkDir paths whose change events have a consumer (knowledge index
+// invalidation in main, and the tree/editor, live-notes, email, sidebar and
+// meetings views in the renderer). Everything else under WorkDir — runs-archive,
+// storage/turns, engines, logs, code-mode, ... — is internal state that grows
+// unboundedly with usage; chokidar v4 holds one OS watch handle per file, so
+// watching all of WorkDir exhausts the process fd limit (EMFILE crash) once
+// the workdir gets big enough.
+const WATCHED_ROOTS = [
+  'knowledge',
+  'bases',
+  'inbox_lists',
+  'gmail_sync',
+  'calendar_sync',
+  'bg-tasks',
+  'config/agent-schedule.json',
+];
+
 /**
  * Create a workspace watcher
- * Watches the configured workspace root recursively and emits change events via callback
- * 
+ * Watches the user-facing workspace roots (WATCHED_ROOTS) recursively and
+ * emits WorkDir-relative change events via callback.
+ *
  * Returns a watcher instance that can be closed.
  * The watcher emits events immediately without debouncing.
  * Debouncing and lifecycle management should be handled by the caller.
@@ -22,15 +40,13 @@ export async function createWorkspaceWatcher(
 ): Promise<FSWatcher> {
   await ensureWorkspaceRoot();
 
-  // Code-section session worktrees are full repo checkouts (thousands of files,
-  // possibly node_modules) living under WorkDir — watching them would flood the
-  // event stream and burn file handles, and nothing in the app renders them
-  // from workspace events.
-  const codeModeDir = path.join(WorkDir, 'code-mode');
-  const watcher = chokidar.watch(WorkDir, {
+  const roots = WATCHED_ROOTS.map((rel) => path.join(WorkDir, rel));
+  const watcher = chokidar.watch(roots, {
     ignoreInitial: true,
+    // knowledge/ is a git repo (version history) — its .git object store is
+    // thousands of files nothing renders, so keep it out of the watch set.
     ignored: (watchedPath: string) =>
-      watchedPath === codeModeDir || watchedPath.startsWith(codeModeDir + path.sep),
+      path.relative(WorkDir, watchedPath).split(path.sep).includes('.git'),
     awaitWriteFinish: {
       stabilityThreshold: 150,
       pollInterval: 50,