diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/app/DesktopPreReadyPlatform.test.ts b/apps/desktop/src/app/DesktopPreReadyPlatform.test.ts
index a29e0fd3baf..6e8d597c692 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/app/DesktopPreReadyPlatform.test.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/app/DesktopPreReadyPlatform.test.ts
@@ -78,6 +78,37 @@ describe("DesktopPreReadyPlatform", () => {
     assert.isNull(value);
   });
 
+  it("detects --version and -V as whole-token version requests", () => {
+    assert.isTrue(DesktopPreReadyPlatform.isVersionRequest(["--version"]));
+    assert.isTrue(DesktopPreReadyPlatform.isVersionRequest(["-V"]));
+    assert.isFalse(DesktopPreReadyPlatform.isVersionRequest(["--no-sandbox"]));
+    assert.isFalse(DesktopPreReadyPlatform.isVersionRequest(["--version=1"]));
+    assert.isFalse(DesktopPreReadyPlatform.isVersionRequest(["--version-foo"]));
+    assert.isFalse(DesktopPreReadyPlatform.isVersionRequest(["-v"]));
+    assert.isFalse(DesktopPreReadyPlatform.isVersionRequest([]));
+  });
+
+  it("writes a version line to stdout synchronously and swallows EPIPE", () => {
+    const writes: Array<{ fd: number; data: string }> = [];
+    DesktopPreReadyPlatform.writeStdoutLineSync("1.2.3", (fd, data) => {
+      writes.push({ fd, data });
+    });
+    assert.deepEqual(writes, [{ fd: 1, data: "1.2.3\n" }]);
+
+    DesktopPreReadyPlatform.writeStdoutLineSync("1.2.3", () => {
+      throw Object.assign(new Error("broken pipe"), { code: "EPIPE" });
+    });
+
+    try {
+      DesktopPreReadyPlatform.writeStdoutLineSync("1.2.3", () => {
+        throw Object.assign(new Error("bad fd"), { code: "EBADF" });
+      });
+      assert.fail("expected EBADF to propagate");
+    } catch (error) {
+      assert.equal((error as NodeJS.ErrnoException).code, "EBADF");
+    }
+  });
+
   it.effect(
     "acquires a synchronous pre-ready layer before an asynchronous Clerk-shaped layer",
     () =>
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/app/DesktopPreReadyPlatform.ts b/apps/desktop/src/app/DesktopPreReadyPlatform.ts
index 7d145632d0b..f4014b38b4b 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/app/DesktopPreReadyPlatform.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/app/DesktopPreReadyPlatform.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,24 @@ export function readCommandLineSwitchValue(
   return value.length > 0 ? value : null;
 }
 
+export function isVersionRequest(argv: ReadonlyArray<string>): boolean {
+  return argv.includes("--version") || argv.includes("-V");
+}
+
+export function writeStdoutLineSync(
+  line: string,
+  writeSync: (fd: number, data: string) => void = (fd, data) => {
+    NodeFS.writeSync(fd, data);
+  },
+): void {
+  try {
+    writeSync(1, `${line}\n`);
+  } catch (error) {
+    const err = error as NodeJS.ErrnoException;
+    if (err.code !== "EPIPE") throw error;
+  }
+}
+
 export const resolveEarlyLinuxElectronOptionsFromProcess =
   (): DesktopEarlyElectronStartup.EarlyLinuxElectronOptions =>
     DesktopEarlyElectronStartup.resolveEarlyLinuxElectronOptions({
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/main.ts b/apps/desktop/src/main.ts
index 14caeed8a9a..9fb08388384 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/main.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/main.ts
@@ -216,4 +216,9 @@ const desktopRuntimeLayer = desktopClerkLayer.pipe(
   Layer.provideMerge(DesktopPreReadyPlatform.layer),
 );
 
+if (DesktopPreReadyPlatform.isVersionRequest(process.argv)) {
+  DesktopPreReadyPlatform.writeStdoutLineSync(Electron.app.getVersion());
+  process.exit(0);
+}
+
 DesktopApp.program.pipe(Effect.provide(desktopRuntimeLayer), NodeRuntime.runMain);