diff --git a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/startup/login-shell-path.spec.ts b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/startup/login-shell-path.spec.ts
index 6ac78d8a6..d08d89c8b 100644
--- a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/startup/login-shell-path.spec.ts
+++ b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/startup/login-shell-path.spec.ts
@@ -90,6 +90,23 @@ describe('login shell PATH', () => {
         await expect(stuck.waitForLoginShellPath(60_000)).resolves.toBe(false);
     });
 
+    it('lets waits before the lookup is scheduled share one deadline', async () => {
+        jest.useFakeTimers();
+        try {
+            const module = loadModule();
+            const first = module.waitForLoginShellPath();
+            await jest.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(6_000);
+            const retry = module.waitForLoginShellPath();
+            await jest.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(4_000);
+            // Both end at the first wait's deadline, not 10 s after the retry.
+            await expect(first).resolves.toBe(false);
+            await expect(retry).resolves.toBe(false);
+            await expect(module.waitForLoginShellPath()).resolves.toBe(false);
+        } finally {
+            jest.useRealTimers();
+        }
+    });
+
     it('lets a launch retried within the budget wait for the PATH again', async () => {
         let resolveShell: (path: string) => void = () => undefined;
         const module = loadModule();
diff --git a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/startup/login-shell-path.ts b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/startup/login-shell-path.ts
index 910d60b21..7cc796eb4 100644
--- a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/startup/login-shell-path.ts
+++ b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/startup/login-shell-path.ts
@@ -48,7 +48,8 @@ const settledOutcome = loginShellPathSettled.then(() => {
 /**
  * Resolves once the login shell PATH lookup has finished (successfully or
  * not), or when its budget is spent; immediately on Windows. Before the
- * lookup is scheduled, a wait lasts at most `limitMs`. Resolves to whether
+ * lookup is scheduled, waits end at a deadline shared from the first of
+ * them. `limitMs` caps a single wait. Resolves to whether
  * the lookup had finished: false means the caller runs on the inherited
  * PATH and should not keep a negative result.
  */
@@ -58,10 +59,10 @@ export function waitForLoginShellPath(
     if (loginShellPathHasSettled) {
         return Promise.resolve(true);
     }
-    const remainingMs =
-        loginShellPathDeadline === null
-            ? limitMs
-            : Math.min(limitMs, loginShellPathDeadline - Date.now());
+    // Waits before the lookup is scheduled share one deadline too, set by
+    // the first of them; scheduling the lookup replaces it with its budget.
+    loginShellPathDeadline ??= Date.now() + LOGIN_SHELL_PATH_WAIT_LIMIT_MS;
+    const remainingMs = Math.min(limitMs, loginShellPathDeadline - Date.now());
     if (remainingMs <= 0) {
         return Promise.resolve(false);
     }