diff --git a/packages/ptc-runtime/ptc-runtime-node/src/persistent-process.ts b/packages/ptc-runtime/ptc-runtime-node/src/persistent-process.ts
index a1fb8e1fde..ab9a8d6f4b 100644
--- a/packages/ptc-runtime/ptc-runtime-node/src/persistent-process.ts
+++ b/packages/ptc-runtime/ptc-runtime-node/src/persistent-process.ts
@@ -78,7 +78,6 @@ export async function runPersistentMain(stream: Duplex, maxMessageBytes: number,
     const evaluation: Evaluation = {
       id, logs, active: true,
       finish(result) {
-        if (!evaluation.active) return
         evaluation.active = false
         for (const call of pending.values()) call.reject(new Error('PTC evaluation ended before the binding completed'))
         pending.clear()
@@ -109,8 +108,10 @@ export async function runPersistentMain(stream: Duplex, maxMessageBytes: number,
     })
   }, () => { channel.close(); closed.resolve() })
   stream.once('close', () => { closed.resolve() })
-  await channel.send({ type: 'ready' })
-  try { await closed.promise } finally {
+  try {
+    await channel.send({ type: 'ready' })
+    await closed.promise
+  } finally {
     if (current) current.active = false
     repl.close()
     input.destroy()
diff --git a/packages/ptc-runtime/ptc-runtime-node/src/persistent.ts b/packages/ptc-runtime/ptc-runtime-node/src/persistent.ts
index 1bfebba520..9b5ea72850 100644
--- a/packages/ptc-runtime/ptc-runtime-node/src/persistent.ts
+++ b/packages/ptc-runtime/ptc-runtime-node/src/persistent.ts
@@ -52,7 +52,6 @@ class Kernel {
     const output = new OutputLedger(this.config.maxOutputBytes)
     const logs: string[] = []
     const result = Promise.withResolvers<PtcRunResult>()
-    let settled = false
     const timer = spec.timeoutMs === null ? undefined : setTimeout(() => {
       evaluation.finish({ kind: 'timeout', message: `execution deadline reached (${spec.timeoutMs}ms); retained variables were cleared` }, undefined, true)
     }, spec.timeoutMs)
@@ -70,8 +69,6 @@ class Kernel {
         }
       },
       finish: (error, value, discard = false) => {
-        if (settled) return
-        settled = true
         clearTimeout(timer)
         spec.signal?.removeEventListener('abort', onAbort)
         this.active = undefined
@@ -139,7 +136,7 @@ class Kernel {
       stream.on('error', (error: Error) => this.fail('worker-exit', error.message))
     }
     this.channel = new JsonChannel(handle.control, this.config.maxMessageBytes, (raw, bytes) => this.receive(raw, bytes), (error, kind) => {
-      if (!this.closed) this.fail(kind === 'protocol' ? 'protocol' : 'worker-exit', kind === 'protocol' ? error.message : 'persistent Node process stopped')
+      this.fail(kind === 'protocol' ? 'protocol' : 'worker-exit', kind === 'protocol' ? error.message : 'persistent Node process stopped')
     })
     void handle.done.then(() => {
       setImmediate(() => { if (!this.closed) this.fail('worker-exit', 'persistent Node process stopped') })
@@ -147,16 +144,16 @@ class Kernel {
   }
 
   private receive(raw: unknown, bytes: number): void {
-    if (this.closed) return
     if (!record(raw)) { this.fail('protocol', 'invalid persistent PTC frame'); return }
+    const evaluation = this.active
+    if (!evaluation) { this.fail('protocol', 'frame arrived without an active PTC evaluation'); return }
     if (!this.ready) {
       if (raw.type !== 'ready') { this.fail('protocol', 'expected persistent PTC readiness'); return }
       this.ready = true
-      if (this.active) this.dispatch(this.active)
+      this.dispatch(evaluation)
       return
     }
-    const evaluation = this.active
-    if (!evaluation || raw.id !== evaluation.id || !record(raw.payload)) { this.fail('protocol', 'frame does not belong to the active PTC evaluation'); return }
+    if (raw.id !== evaluation.id || !record(raw.payload)) { this.fail('protocol', 'frame does not belong to the active PTC evaluation'); return }
     const payload = raw.payload
     switch (payload.type) {
       case 'log':
diff --git a/packages/ptc-runtime/ptc-runtime-node/tests/persistent-host.spec.ts b/packages/ptc-runtime/ptc-runtime-node/tests/persistent-host.spec.ts
index 29a2a61f50..3da4c4ee6a 100644
--- a/packages/ptc-runtime/ptc-runtime-node/tests/persistent-host.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/ptc-runtime/ptc-runtime-node/tests/persistent-host.spec.ts
@@ -138,7 +138,10 @@ describe('persistent PTC host protocol', () => {
   })
 
   it('returns current binding successes, exceptions and unavailable bindings', async () => {
-    const cases: Record<string, PtcBindingFunction>[] = [{ test: async () => 42 }, { test: async () => { throw new Error('denied') } }, {}]
+    const cases: Record<string, PtcBindingFunction>[] = [
+      { test: async () => 42 }, { test: async () => { throw new Error('denied') } },
+      { test: () => Promise.reject('denied') }, {},
+    ]
     for (const functions of cases) {
       const h = await setup()
       h.receive((raw) => {
@@ -167,7 +170,7 @@ describe('persistent PTC host protocol', () => {
 
   it('cleans up after launch failure and cancellation during executable resolution', async () => {
     const h = await setup()
-    h.resolveExecutable.mockRejectedValue(new Error('missing executable'))
+    h.resolveExecutable.mockRejectedValue('missing executable')
     expect((await h.start(request, NO_INITIAL_FRAME)).error?.message).toContain('missing executable')
     const waiting = await setup()
     const ready = Promise.withResolvers<string>()
@@ -204,6 +207,7 @@ describe('persistent PTC host protocol', () => {
 
   it('rejects invalid resolved inputs and deployment bounds', async () => {
     const h = await setup()
+    expect(h.runtime.executionInstructions).toContain('Variables, functions, and imported modules remain in memory')
     await expect(h.runtime.run({ ...request, cwd: '.', timeoutMs: null })).rejects.toThrow('resolved inputs')
     await expect(h.runtime.run({ ...request, cwd: process.cwd(), timeoutMs: Infinity })).rejects.toThrow('resolved inputs')
     for (const config of [
@@ -214,3 +218,18 @@ describe('persistent PTC host protocol', () => {
     }
   })
 })
+
+it('rejects corrupt framed traffic before it reaches the evaluator', async () => {
+  const h = await setup()
+  h.onBoot(() => { h.control.emit('data', Buffer.from([0, 0, 0, 1, 255])) })
+  expect((await h.start()).error?.kind).toBe('protocol')
+})
+
+it('discards unsolicited idle traffic and awaits the retained process exit', async () => {
+  const h = await setup()
+  h.onBoot(() => { h.emit(frame({ type: 'done' })) })
+  expect((await h.start()).error).toBeUndefined()
+  h.emit(frame({ type: 'log', text: 'late' }))
+  await h.direct.promise
+  expect(h.terminate).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+})
diff --git a/packages/ptc-runtime/ptc-runtime-node/tests/persistent-process.spec.ts b/packages/ptc-runtime/ptc-runtime-node/tests/persistent-process.spec.ts
index 208e2254a6..271bf3c5c1 100644
--- a/packages/ptc-runtime/ptc-runtime-node/tests/persistent-process.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/ptc-runtime/ptc-runtime-node/tests/persistent-process.spec.ts
@@ -103,3 +103,9 @@ it.each([0, 1.5, 4294967296])('rejects an invalid control limit %s', async (limi
     await expect(runPersistentMain(stream, limit, { env: {}, stdout: { write: () => true }, stderr: { write: () => true }, chdir: () => {} })).rejects.toThrow('invalid control message limit')
   } finally { stream.destroy() }
 })
+
+it('shuts down an idle REPL without creating an evaluation', async () => {
+  const h = await setup()
+  await h.close()
+  expect(h.seen).toEqual([])
+})
diff --git a/packages/ptc-runtime/ptc-runtime-node/tsdown.config.ts b/packages/ptc-runtime/ptc-runtime-node/tsdown.config.ts
index ccc1a429e5..8e14e6a141 100644
--- a/packages/ptc-runtime/ptc-runtime-node/tsdown.config.ts
+++ b/packages/ptc-runtime/ptc-runtime-node/tsdown.config.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 import { defineConfig } from 'tsdown'
 
-/** Separate entry bundles keep the private process bootstrap self-contained. */
+/** Each public provider and private bootstrap is a self-contained published bundle. */
 export default defineConfig([
-  { entry: ['lib/types/index.js', 'lib/types/persistent.js'], outDir: 'lib', format: ['esm'], platform: 'node', target: 'es2024', fixedExtension: false, outputOptions: { codeSplitting: false }, dts: false, clean: false },
-  { entry: { process: 'lib/types/process-entry.js', 'persistent-process': 'lib/types/persistent-process-entry.js' }, outDir: 'lib', format: ['esm'], platform: 'node', target: 'es2024', fixedExtension: false, outputOptions: { codeSplitting: false }, dts: false, clean: false, noExternal: ['@deepseek-ai/dsh-subprocess/control'] },
+  { entry: ['lib/types/index.js'], outDir: 'lib', format: ['esm'], platform: 'node', target: 'es2024', fixedExtension: false, dts: false, clean: false },
+  { entry: ['lib/types/persistent.js'], outDir: 'lib', format: ['esm'], platform: 'node', target: 'es2024', fixedExtension: false, dts: false, clean: false },
+  { entry: { process: 'lib/types/process-entry.js' }, outDir: 'lib', format: ['esm'], platform: 'node', target: 'es2024', fixedExtension: false, dts: false, clean: false, noExternal: ['@deepseek-ai/dsh-subprocess/control'] },
+  { entry: { 'persistent-process': 'lib/types/persistent-process-entry.js' }, outDir: 'lib', format: ['esm'], platform: 'node', target: 'es2024', fixedExtension: false, dts: false, clean: false, noExternal: ['@deepseek-ai/dsh-subprocess/control'] },
 ])