diff --git a/apps/x/apps/main/src/main.ts b/apps/x/apps/main/src/main.ts
index 1e1d3874..c0f7d39f 100644
--- a/apps/x/apps/main/src/main.ts
+++ b/apps/x/apps/main/src/main.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { app, BrowserWindow, desktopCapturer, protocol, net, shell, session, safeStorage, type Session } from "electron";
+import { app, BrowserWindow, desktopCapturer, dialog, protocol, net, shell, session, safeStorage, type Session } from "electron";
 import path from "node:path";
 import {
   setupIpcHandlers,
@@ -74,6 +74,24 @@ const APP_LAUNCHED_AT = Date.now();
 const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
 const __dirname = dirname(__filename);
 
+// fs.watch failures (EMFILE fd exhaustion, ENOSPC watch limits) surface as
+// uncaught exceptions from Node's watcher internals, bypassing chokidar's
+// 'error' handlers. Watching is a degradable feature — log and keep running.
+// Everything else keeps Electron's default behavior (native error dialog),
+// which we replicate since registering any listener suppresses it.
+process.on('uncaughtException', (err) => {
+  const code = (err as NodeJS.ErrnoException | undefined)?.code;
+  if ((code === 'EMFILE' || code === 'ENOSPC') && (err?.stack ?? '').includes('FSWatcher')) {
+    console.error('[Main] file watcher error (non-fatal):', err);
+    return;
+  }
+  console.error('[Main] uncaught exception:', err);
+  dialog.showErrorBox(
+    'A JavaScript error occurred in the main process',
+    err?.stack ?? String(err),
+  );
+});
+
 // run this as early in the main process as possible
 if (started) app.quit();
 
diff --git a/apps/x/packages/core/src/apps/server.ts b/apps/x/packages/core/src/apps/server.ts
index 58565e7b..e73f26b9 100644
--- a/apps/x/packages/core/src/apps/server.ts
+++ b/apps/x/packages/core/src/apps/server.ts
@@ -719,6 +719,12 @@ async function startWatcher(): Promise<void> {
     if (watcher) return;
     const w = chokidar.watch(APPS_DIR, {
         ignoreInitial: true,
+        // Installed apps may ship .git/node_modules trees — thousands of files
+        // no consumer renders, at one watch fd per file (chokidar v4, no fsevents).
+        ignored: (watchedPath: string) => {
+            const segments = path.relative(APPS_DIR, watchedPath).split(path.sep);
+            return segments.includes('.git') || segments.includes('node_modules');
+        },
         awaitWriteFinish: { stabilityThreshold: 180, pollInterval: 50 },
     });
     w.on('all', (eventName, absolutePath) => {