diff --git a/packages/simplex-chat-mcp/src/client.ts b/packages/simplex-chat-mcp/src/client.ts
index 5b39fad437..4460aa5f5d 100644
--- a/packages/simplex-chat-mcp/src/client.ts
+++ b/packages/simplex-chat-mcp/src/client.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import {spawn} from "child_process"
+import {ChildProcess, spawn} from "child_process"
 import {closeSync} from "fs"
 import {join} from "path"
 import {Readable} from "stream"
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ export class DaemonClient {
   async ensureDaemon(version: string, spawnIt: SpawnDaemon = root => spawnDaemon(root)): Promise<StatusReply> {
     let status = await this.status()
     if (status !== undefined && compareVersions(status.version, version) < 0) {
-      await this.request("POST", "/stop")
+      await this.stopDaemon()
       status = undefined
     }
     if (status === undefined) {
@@ -43,6 +43,14 @@ export class DaemonClient {
     return status
   }
 
+  private async stopDaemon(): Promise<void> {
+    try {
+      await this.request("POST", "/stop")
+    } catch (error) {
+      if (!isNotRunning(error)) throw error
+    }
+  }
+
   private async status(): Promise<StatusReply | undefined> {
     try {
       return await this.request<StatusReply>("GET", "/status")
@@ -68,7 +76,7 @@ export async function spawnDaemon(root: string, [command, args]: [string, string
     })
     const channel = child.stdio[readyFd] as Readable
     try {
-      const line = await firstLine(channel)
+      const line = await firstLine(channel, child)
       if (line === "ready" || line === "running") return
       throw new ExitError(line.startsWith(errorPrefix) ? line.slice(errorPrefix.length) : `The SimpleX daemon exited; see ${logFile(root)}`, 1)
     } finally {
@@ -80,13 +88,14 @@ export async function spawnDaemon(root: string, [command, args]: [string, string
   }
 }
 
-function firstLine(stream: Readable): Promise<string> {
+function firstLine(stream: Readable, child: ChildProcess): Promise<string> {
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
     let text = ""
     const finish = (settle: () => void): void => {
       clearTimeout(timer)
       stream.off("data", onData)
       stream.off("end", onEnd)
+      child.off("error", onSpawnError)
       settle()
     }
     const onData = (chunk: string): void => {
@@ -95,11 +104,13 @@ function firstLine(stream: Readable): Promise<string> {
       if (i >= 0) finish(() => resolve(text.slice(0, i)))
     }
     const onEnd = (): void => finish(() => resolve(text.trim()))
+    const onSpawnError = (error: Error): void => finish(() => reject(new ExitError(error.message, 1)))
     const timer = setTimeout(() => finish(() => reject(new ExitError("The SimpleX daemon did not start in 5 minutes.", 1))), daemonStartTimeout)
     stream.setEncoding("utf8")
     stream.on("data", onData)
     stream.on("end", onEnd)
     stream.on("error", onEnd)
+    child.once("error", onSpawnError)
   })
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/simplex-chat-mcp/src/files.ts b/packages/simplex-chat-mcp/src/files.ts
index bec7d53875..6b8a093045 100644
--- a/packages/simplex-chat-mcp/src/files.ts
+++ b/packages/simplex-chat-mcp/src/files.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import {createHash, randomBytes} from "crypto"
-import {chmodSync, existsSync, fchmodSync, mkdirSync, linkSync, openSync, readFileSync, readdirSync, statSync, truncateSync, unlinkSync, writeFileSync} from "fs"
+import {chmodSync, existsSync, fchmodSync, mkdirSync, linkSync, openSync, readFileSync, readdirSync, rmSync, statSync, truncateSync, unlinkSync, writeFileSync} from "fs"
 import {homedir, tmpdir} from "os"
 import {join, resolve} from "path"
 import {ExitError} from "./log"
@@ -99,8 +99,8 @@ export function serverToken(dir: string): string {
   const file = join(dir, "token")
   const token = randomBytes(32).toString("base64url")
   const temp = join(dir, `token.${process.pid}.${randomBytes(6).toString("hex")}.tmp`)
-  writePrivateFile(temp, `${token}\n`)
   try {
+    writePrivateFile(temp, `${token}\n`)
     linkSync(temp, file)
     return token
   } catch (error) {
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ export function serverToken(dir: string): string {
     if (process.platform !== "win32") chmodSync(file, 0o600)
     return readFileSync(file, "utf8").trim()
   } finally {
-    unlinkSync(temp)
+    rmSync(temp, {force: true})
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/simplex-chat-mcp/test/unit/client.test.ts b/packages/simplex-chat-mcp/test/unit/client.test.ts
index 059e69e70d..9424349d8e 100644
--- a/packages/simplex-chat-mcp/test/unit/client.test.ts
+++ b/packages/simplex-chat-mcp/test/unit/client.test.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,11 @@ describe("spawning the daemon", () => {
     expect(readFileSync(logFile(root), "utf8")).toContain("boom")
   })
 
+  it("reports a command that cannot start", async () => {
+    const missing = join(root, "no-such-command")
+    await expect(spawnDaemon(root, [missing, []])).rejects.toEqual(new ExitError(`spawn ${missing} ENOENT`, 1))
+  })
+
   it("gives the daemon the data root", async () => {
     await spawnDaemon(root, script(`require("fs").writeFileSync(process.env.SIMPLEX_MCP_HOME + "/seen", process.env.SIMPLEX_MCP_HOME); require("fs").writeSync(3, "ready\\n")`))
     expect(readFileSync(join(root, "seen"), "utf8")).toBe(root)
@@ -75,6 +80,22 @@ describe("ensureDaemon", () => {
     await closeServer(server)
   })
 
+  it("tolerates an older daemon that another client already stopped", async () => {
+    const client = DaemonClient.forRoot(root)
+    let server = await listen(socketPath(root), serverToken(root), {
+      "GET /status": async (_b, res) => {
+        sendJson(res, 200, status("0.1.9"))
+        setImmediate(() => closeServer(server))
+      },
+    })
+    const spawned = jest.fn(async () => {
+      server = await listen(socketPath(root), serverToken(root), {"GET /status": async (_b, res) => sendJson(res, 200, status("0.2.0"))})
+    })
+    expect(await client.ensureDaemon("0.2.0", spawned)).toMatchObject({version: "0.2.0"})
+    expect(spawned).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+    await closeServer(server)
+  })
+
   it("compares versions numerically", () => {
     expect(compareVersions("0.2.0", "0.10.0")).toBeLessThan(0)
     expect(compareVersions("1.0.0", "0.9.9")).toBeGreaterThan(0)