diff --git a/src/ghidra/GhidraSessionError.ts b/src/ghidra/GhidraSessionError.ts
index dedf27bd4..9f4abfb52 100644
--- a/src/ghidra/GhidraSessionError.ts
+++ b/src/ghidra/GhidraSessionError.ts
@@ -263,7 +263,6 @@ const causeLaunchOutcome = (
   redact: (value: string, incomplete?: boolean) => string,
 ): Record<string, JsonValue> => {
   if (!(cause instanceof GhidraLaunchError)) return {};
-  if (cause.cause instanceof GhidraLaunchSupportError) return {};
   const launchSupport =
     cause.launchSupport.length === 0
       ? {}
@@ -273,6 +272,9 @@ const causeLaunchOutcome = (
             stderr: redact(output.stderr),
           })),
         };
+  // A failed LaunchSupport helper reports its own command outcome in the
+  // nested cause; earlier helper warnings still belong to this launch.
+  if (cause.cause instanceof GhidraLaunchSupportError) return launchSupport;
   const output = cause.capturedOutput;
   if (output === undefined) return launchSupport;
   const stdout = boundedUtf8Text(
diff --git a/tests/boundary/providers/ghidra/ghidraJavaLaunch.test.ts b/tests/boundary/providers/ghidra/ghidraJavaLaunch.test.ts
index 9b80722e7..09ad518ab 100644
--- a/tests/boundary/providers/ghidra/ghidraJavaLaunch.test.ts
+++ b/tests/boundary/providers/ghidra/ghidraJavaLaunch.test.ts
@@ -188,9 +188,13 @@ describe.skipIf(process.platform === "win32")(
         const cause = failure.diagnostics.failure_cause;
         if (mode === "env-failure") {
           expect(cause).toMatchObject({
-            launch_outcome: {
-              exit_code: 3,
-              stderr: expect.stringContaining(`-envvars: ${warning}`),
+            cause: {
+              name: "GhidraLaunchSupportError",
+              command_outcome: {
+                killed: false,
+                stderr: expect.stringContaining(`-envvars: ${warning}`),
+              },
+              cause: { code: 3 },
             },
           });
         } else {
@@ -205,9 +209,13 @@ describe.skipIf(process.platform === "win32")(
         }
         if (mode === "vm-failure")
           expect(cause).toMatchObject({
-            launch_outcome: {
-              exit_code: 3,
-              stderr: expect.stringContaining(`-vmargs: ${warning}`),
+            cause: {
+              name: "GhidraLaunchSupportError",
+              command_outcome: {
+                killed: false,
+                stderr: expect.stringContaining(`-vmargs: ${warning}`),
+              },
+              cause: { code: 3 },
             },
           });
         if (mode === "vm-malformed")
diff --git a/tests/boundary/providers/hopper/hopperClient.startupFailures.test.ts b/tests/boundary/providers/hopper/hopperClient.startupFailures.test.ts
index 3d96ddb67..391a7a47b 100644
--- a/tests/boundary/providers/hopper/hopperClient.startupFailures.test.ts
+++ b/tests/boundary/providers/hopper/hopperClient.startupFailures.test.ts
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ class CancelThenFixtureLauncher implements BridgeLauncher {
   readonly firstLaunch = new Promise<ChildProcess>((resolve) => {
     this.#firstLaunchReady = resolve;
   });
+  retriedProcess: ChildProcess | undefined;
 
   async launch(session: BridgeSession) {
     this.#launches += 1;
@@ -49,6 +50,7 @@ class CancelThenFixtureLauncher implements BridgeLauncher {
       : new FixtureLauncher().launch(session));
     if (this.#launches === 1 && launched.ok)
       this.#firstLaunchReady?.(launched.value.process);
+    else if (launched.ok) this.retriedProcess = launched.value.process;
     return launched;
   }
 }
@@ -256,9 +258,17 @@ describe("HopperClient startup failures", () => {
     expect(
       firstProcess.exitCode !== null || firstProcess.signalCode !== null,
     ).toBe(true);
-    await expect(client.start()).resolves.toEqual({
+    const restarted = await client.start();
+    const retriedProcess = launcher.retriedProcess;
+    expect(retriedProcess).toBeDefined();
+    expect(retriedProcess).not.toBe(firstProcess);
+    expect(restarted).toEqual({
       ok: true,
-      value: { name: "REA Hopper bridge", version: "1.0.0" },
+      value: {
+        name: "REA Hopper bridge",
+        version: "1.0.0",
+        processId: retriedProcess?.pid,
+      },
     });
     await expect(
       client.callTool("echo", { value: "retried" }),
@@ -282,11 +292,16 @@ describe("HopperClient startup failures", () => {
       error: { _tag: "HopperCancelledError" },
     });
     expect(launcher.processes).toHaveLength(0);
-    await expect(client.start()).resolves.toEqual({
-      ok: true,
-      value: { name: "REA Hopper bridge", version: "1.0.0" },
-    });
+    const started = await client.start();
     expect(launcher.processes).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(started).toEqual({
+      ok: true,
+      value: {
+        name: "REA Hopper bridge",
+        version: "1.0.0",
+        processId: launcher.processes[0]?.pid,
+      },
+    });
     await expect(
       client.callTool("echo", { value: "retried" }),
     ).resolves.toEqual({