[shader_recompiler] Fix guest image byte count calculation for Vulkan video presenter

* GUI: verify updater releases by commit and SHA-256

* GUI: add updater rollback and version safeguards

.github/pull_request_template.md

@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+## Before submitting
+
+Please read our contribution guidelines before opening a pull request:
+
+➡️ [**CONTRIBUTING.md**](https://github.com/sharpemu/sharpemu/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md)
+
+By opening this pull request, you confirm that you have read and agree to follow the contribution guidelines.
+
+## Testing
+
+If applicable, list the game(s) you tested and briefly describe the results.
+
+Example:
+
+- Demon's Souls (PPSA01341) – Boots to splash screen.
+- Dreaming Sarah – Save/load works correctly.
+
+If your changes do not affect runtime behavior (e.g. documentation, tooling, CI), write `N/A`.
+
+## Checklist
+
+By submitting this pull request, you confirm that:
+
+- [ ] I have read and followed `CONTRIBUTING.md`.
+- [ ] I tested my changes or marked the testing section as `N/A`.
+- [ ] I wrote this pull request description myself and did not paste AI-generated explanations.
+- [ ] I listed the game(s) I tested (or marked the testing section as `N/A`).

.github/workflows/notify-site.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+# Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+# Tells the website repo to rebuild when a release is published, so
+# sharpemu.app/downloads lists the new build within a minute.
+name: Notify website
+
+on:
+  release:
+    types: [published, released, edited, deleted]
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+jobs:
+  dispatch:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Trigger sharpemu-site rebuild
+        env:
+          TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SITE_DISPATCH_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          if [ -z "$TOKEN" ]; then
+            echo "SITE_DISPATCH_TOKEN is not set — skipping website rebuild."
+            exit 0
+          fi
+          curl -fsS -X POST \
+            -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
+            -H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
+            -H "X-GitHub-Api-Version: 2022-11-28" \
+            https://api.github.com/repos/sharpemu/sharpemu-site/dispatches \
+            -d '{"event_type":"release-published"}'
+          echo "Website rebuild requested."

.github/workflows/workflow.yml

@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ on:
   push:
     branches:
       - "**"
+    tags:
+      - "v*"
     paths-ignore:
       - "**/*.md"
       - "**/*.png"
@@ -53,6 +55,11 @@ jobs:
           release_tag="v${version}"
           release_name="SharpEmu v${version}"
 
+          if [ "${GITHUB_REF_TYPE}" = "tag" ] && [ "${GITHUB_REF_NAME}" != "${release_tag}" ]; then
+            echo "Release tag ${GITHUB_REF_NAME} does not match project version ${release_tag}." >&2
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
           {
             echo "short-sha=${short_sha}"
             echo "safe-ref=${safe_ref}"
@@ -152,6 +159,11 @@ jobs:
       NUGET_PACKAGES: ${{ github.workspace }}/.nuget/packages
       PUBLISH_DIR: ${{ github.workspace }}/artifacts/publish/${{ matrix.rid }}
       RELEASE_DIR: ${{ github.workspace }}/artifacts/release
+      SPIRV_HEADERS_COMMIT: ad9184e76a66b1001c29db9b0a3e87f646c64de0
+      # SpirvModuleBuilder emits SPIR-V 1.5 and VulkanVideoPresenter requests Vulkan 1.2.
+      SPIRV_TARGET_ENV: vulkan1.2
+      SPIRV_TOOLS_COMMIT: 0539c81f69a3daeb706fd3477dca61435b475156
+      SPIRV_TOOLS_VERSION: v2026.2
     steps:
       - name: Checkout repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v6
@@ -176,6 +188,34 @@ jobs:
       - name: Run tests
         run: dotnet test SharpEmu.slnx -c Release --no-build --verbosity normal
 
+      - name: Build pinned SPIRV-Tools
+        if: matrix.rid == 'linux-x64'
+        run: |
+          git clone --no-checkout --filter=blob:none https://github.com/KhronosGroup/SPIRV-Tools.git "$RUNNER_TEMP/spirv-tools"
+          git -C "$RUNNER_TEMP/spirv-tools" checkout --detach "$SPIRV_TOOLS_COMMIT"
+          test "$(git -C "$RUNNER_TEMP/spirv-tools" rev-parse HEAD)" = "$SPIRV_TOOLS_COMMIT"
+
+          git clone --no-checkout --filter=blob:none https://github.com/KhronosGroup/SPIRV-Headers.git "$RUNNER_TEMP/spirv-tools/external/spirv-headers"
+          git -C "$RUNNER_TEMP/spirv-tools/external/spirv-headers" checkout --detach "$SPIRV_HEADERS_COMMIT"
+          test "$(git -C "$RUNNER_TEMP/spirv-tools/external/spirv-headers" rev-parse HEAD)" = "$SPIRV_HEADERS_COMMIT"
+
+          cmake -S "$RUNNER_TEMP/spirv-tools" -B "$RUNNER_TEMP/spirv-tools-build" \
+            -G Ninja \
+            -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
+            -DSPIRV_SKIP_TESTS=ON \
+            -DSPIRV_WERROR=OFF
+          cmake --build "$RUNNER_TEMP/spirv-tools-build" --target spirv-val
+
+      - name: Generate and validate synthetic SPIR-V
+        if: matrix.rid == 'linux-x64'
+        run: |
+          dotnet run --project tools/SharpEmu.Tools.ShaderDump/SharpEmu.Tools.ShaderDump.csproj -c Release -- artifacts/shader-dump
+          scripts/validate-synthetic-spirv.sh \
+            "$RUNNER_TEMP/spirv-tools-build/tools/spirv-val" \
+            "$SPIRV_TOOLS_VERSION" \
+            "$SPIRV_TARGET_ENV" \
+            artifacts/shader-dump
+
       - name: Publish ${{ matrix.rid }} CLI
         run: dotnet publish src/SharpEmu.CLI/SharpEmu.CLI.csproj -c Release -r ${{ matrix.rid }} --self-contained true --no-restore -p:PublishDir="$PUBLISH_DIR"
 
@@ -203,7 +243,9 @@ jobs:
       - init
       - build
       - build-posix
-    if: github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' || (github.event_name == 'push' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/main')
+    # Versioned releases are immutable and tag-driven. Branch and manual runs
+    # still produce Actions artifacts without modifying a published release.
+    if: github.event_name == 'push' && startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/v')
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     permissions:
       contents: write
@@ -213,7 +255,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           path: release
 
-      - name: Create or update release
+      - name: Create release
         shell: bash
         env:
           GH_REPO: ${{ github.repository }}
@@ -231,26 +273,11 @@ jobs:
           notes="Automated SharpEmu v${VERSION} build for commit ${GITHUB_SHA}."
 
           if gh release view "${RELEASE_TAG}" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-            gh release upload "${RELEASE_TAG}" "${assets[@]}" --clobber
-            gh release edit "${RELEASE_TAG}" --title "${RELEASE_NAME}" --notes "${notes}"
-          else
-            gh release create "${RELEASE_TAG}" "${assets[@]}" \
-              --title "${RELEASE_NAME}" \
-              --notes "${notes}" \
-              --target "${GITHUB_SHA}"
+            echo "Release ${RELEASE_TAG} already exists and will not be modified." >&2
+            exit 1
           fi
 
-          keep=()
-          for asset_path in "${assets[@]}"; do
-            keep+=("$(basename "${asset_path}")")
-          done
-          mapfile -t release_assets < <(gh release view "${RELEASE_TAG}" --json assets --jq '.assets[].name' | sort)
-          for asset in "${release_assets[@]}"; do
-            case "${asset}" in
-              sharpemu-${VERSION}-*.zip|sharpemu-${VERSION}-*.tar.gz)
-                if ! printf '%s\n' "${keep[@]}" | grep -Fxq "${asset}"; then
-                  gh release delete-asset "${RELEASE_TAG}" "${asset}" --yes
-                fi
-                ;;
-            esac
-          done
+          gh release create "${RELEASE_TAG}" "${assets[@]}" \
+            --verify-tag \
+            --title "${RELEASE_NAME}" \
+            --notes "${notes}"

.gitignore

@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@ packages/
 .nuget/
 .dotnet-home/
 .cache/
+__pycache__/
+*.py[cod]
 
 .DS_Store
 Thumbs.db

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -5,6 +5,11 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
 
 # Contributing
 
+> [!IMPORTANT]
+> The pull request template is mandatory.
+>
+> Pull requests that do not follow the template or leave the required checklist incomplete will be closed without review, even if the proposed code is technically correct or beneficial. Please review these contribution guidelines before submitting a pull request.
+
 Contributions are always welcome!
 
 Before opening a pull request, please keep the following in mind:

Directory.Build.props

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
     <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
     <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
     <GenerateDocumentationFile>true</GenerateDocumentationFile>
-    <SharpEmuVersion>0.0.1</SharpEmuVersion>
+    <SharpEmuVersion>0.0.2-beta.3</SharpEmuVersion>
     <Version>$(SharpEmuVersion)</Version>
 
     <RepoRoot>$([MSBuild]::NormalizeDirectory('$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)'))</RepoRoot>

README.md

@@ -23,11 +23,13 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
   <strong>Join our Discord for development updates, compatibility discussions, support, and community chat.</strong>
 </p>
 
----
-
-> [!NOTE]  
-> SharpEmu supports Windows x64, Linux x64, and macOS x64. Apple Silicon Macs
-> can run the macOS x64 build through Rosetta 2.
+---
+
+> [!NOTE]  
+> SharpEmu supports Windows x64, Linux x64, and macOS x64. Apple Silicon Macs
+> can run the macOS x64 build through Rosetta 2, and Windows on ARM devices
+> (e.g. Snapdragon) can run the Windows x64 build through Windows' built-in
+> x64 emulation.
 
 > [!WARNING]  
 > SharpEmu is an experimental PS5 emulator developed from scratch in C#. The current focus is on accuracy and infrastructure setup rather than game-specific compatibility.
@@ -41,6 +43,16 @@ This project is developed purely for research and educational purposes. There ar
 SharpEmu focuses exclusively on the PlayStation 5.  
 Our goal is **not** to emulate PS4 games, as there is already an excellent emulator dedicated to that platform: **ShadPS4**.
 
+## Games Tested
+
+|               Demons Souls Remake                   |                     Dreaming Sarah                         |
+| :-----------------------------------------------------------: | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: |
+| ![Bloodborne screenshot](./.github/images/demons-souls.jpg) | ![Dreaming Sarah](./.github/images/dreaming-sarah.jpg) |
+
+|                  Void Terrarium                     |                 Dead Cells                    |
+| :------------------------------------------------------------------------: | :------------------------------------------------------------------: |
+| ![Void Terrarium](./.github/images/void-terrarium.jpg) | ![Dead Cells](./.github/images/dead-cells.jpg) |
+
 ## Status
 
 The emulator can currently load the `eboot.bin` of real games, execute native CPU instructions, and partially handle kernel-related functionality. However, several critical components are still missing.
@@ -60,52 +72,33 @@ Current capabilities include:
 
 Some games have reached like `sceVideoOut` and AGC stages.
 
-SharpEmu supports Windows, Linux, and macOS hosts. Video output uses Vulkan on
-Windows and Linux, and MoltenVK on macOS. Platform support is still experimental,
-so compatibility and performance vary by game, operating system, and GPU driver.
-
-## Using
-
-Download the release archive for your operating system, extract it, and launch
-SharpEmu with the path to a legally obtained game's `eboot.bin`.
-
-Windows PowerShell:
-
-```powershell
-.\SharpEmu.exe "C:\path\to\game\eboot.bin" 2>&1 |
-  Tee-Object -FilePath "SharpEmu.log"
-```
-
-Linux and macOS:
-
-```bash
-chmod +x ./SharpEmu
-
-./SharpEmu "/path/to/game/eboot.bin" 2>&1 |
-  tee SharpEmu.log
-```
-
-A Vulkan-capable GPU and current graphics driver are required. The macOS
-release includes the MoltenVK Vulkan implementation.
+SharpEmu supports Windows, Linux, and macOS hosts. Video output uses Vulkan on
+Windows and Linux, and MoltenVK on macOS. Platform support is still experimental,
+so compatibility and performance vary by game, operating system, and GPU driver.
 
-## Games Tested
+## Using
 
-* **Demon's Souls Remake**
-  * [Demon's Souls [PPSA01341]](https://github.com/sharpemu/sharpemu/issues/2)
-  * Demon's Souls is now video loop. Shaders are ready to be converted to SPIR-V/Vulkan. We are continuing our work on this.
-  ![DeS videoOut submit first frame](./.github/images/des-videoout-shaders.jpg)
+Download the release archive for your operating system, extract it, and launch
+SharpEmu with the path to a legally obtained game's `eboot.bin`.
 
-* **Poppy Playtime Chapter 1**
-  * [Poppy Playtime Chapter 1 [PPSA20591]](https://github.com/sharpemu/sharpemu/issues/3)
+Windows PowerShell:
 
-* **SILENT HILL: The Short Message**
-  * [SILENT HILL: The Short Message [PPSA10112]](https://github.com/sharpemu/sharpemu/issues/4)
+```powershell
+.\SharpEmu.exe "C:\path\to\game\eboot.bin" 2>&1 |
+  Tee-Object -FilePath "SharpEmu.log"
+```
 
-* **Dreaming Sarah**
-  * [Dreaming Sarah [PPSA02929]](https://github.com/sharpemu/sharpemu/issues/9)
-  * Real texture rendering for this game;
-  ![Splash texture](./.github/images/dreaming-sarah.jpg)
+Linux and macOS:
 
+```bash
+chmod +x ./SharpEmu
+
+./SharpEmu "/path/to/game/eboot.bin" 2>&1 |
+  tee SharpEmu.log
+```
+
+A Vulkan-capable GPU and current graphics driver are required. The macOS
+release includes the MoltenVK Vulkan implementation.
 
 > [!IMPORTANT]  
 > This project does **not** support or condone piracy.  
@@ -114,7 +107,7 @@ release includes the MoltenVK Vulkan implementation.
 
 ## Build
 
-1. Install the .NET SDK version specified in [`global.json`](./global.json).
+1. Install the .NET SDK version specified in [`global.json`](./global.json).
 2. Clone the repository: `git clone https://github.com/sharpemu/sharpemu.git`
 3. Open the solution file (`SharpEmu.slnx`) in **VSCode**.
 4. Build the project: `dotnet build` or `dotnet publish`

REUSE.toml

@@ -5,10 +5,12 @@ path = [
     "REUSE.toml",
     "nuget.config",
     "global.json",
+    "**/packages.lock.json",
     "scripts/ps5_names.txt",
     "src/SharpEmu.GUI/Languages/**",
     "_logs/**",
     ".github/images/**",
+    ".github/pull_request_template.md",
     "assets/images/**"
 ]
 precedence = "aggregate"

SharpEmu.slnx

@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
   <Folder Name="/src/">
     <Project Path="src/SharpEmu.CLI/SharpEmu.CLI.csproj" />
     <Project Path="src/SharpEmu.Core/SharpEmu.Core.csproj" />
+    <Project Path="src/SharpEmu.DebugClient/SharpEmu.DebugClient.csproj" />
+    <Project Path="src/SharpEmu.Debugger/SharpEmu.Debugger.csproj" />
     <Project Path="src/SharpEmu.GUI/SharpEmu.GUI.csproj" />
     <Project Path="src/SharpEmu.HLE/SharpEmu.HLE.csproj" />
     <Project Path="src/SharpEmu.Libs/SharpEmu.Libs.csproj" />

docs/debugger-server.md

@@ -0,0 +1,177 @@
+<!--
+Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+-->
+
+# Live debug server
+
+SharpEmu can expose a **live debug server** so an external process can inspect
+and control a running guest over TCP. The server lives in the emulator; the
+companion `SharpEmu.DebugClient` executable is one client, and the wire protocol
+is simple enough to script against directly.
+
+This document describes the moving parts and the wire protocol. For day-to-day
+client usage, see
+[`src/SharpEmu.DebugClient/DEVELOPER_READ.md`](../src/SharpEmu.DebugClient/DEVELOPER_READ.md).
+
+## Layering
+
+| Assembly | Role |
+| -------- | ---- |
+| `SharpEmu.Core` | Defines the dispatcher seam `ICpuDebugHook` / `ICpuDebugFrame` (namespace `SharpEmu.Core.Cpu.Debug`) and the `CpuExecutionOptions.DebugHook` slot. Core has **no** reference to the debugger. |
+| `SharpEmu.Debugger` | The debugger: `DebuggerSession` (implements the hook), `BreakpointStore`, the TCP `DebuggerServer`, the pluggable `IDebugProtocol` with a JSON-lines implementation, and the `DebuggerServerHost` one-call wiring. |
+| `SharpEmu.CLI` | Parses `--debug-server`, builds a `DebuggerServerHost`, hands its `Hook` to `SharpEmuRuntimeOptions.DebugHook`, and manages its lifetime. |
+| `SharpEmu.DebugClient` | A standalone client executable. Depends only on the BCL. |
+
+The dependency direction is important: Core stays debugger-agnostic and only
+publishes the seam. Anything that observes execution implements
+`ICpuDebugHook` and is injected through the options, so the debugger can evolve
+without touching the CPU core.
+
+## Execution model
+
+`CpuDispatcher` enters a fresh frame for the process entry point and for each
+module initializer. When a `DebugHook` is attached it is notified at those
+boundaries:
+
+- `OnFrameEnter(frame)` — before the native backend runs the frame. The
+  `DebuggerSession` decides whether to stop (pause request, breakpoint on the
+  entry address, single-step, or stop-at-entry). To stop, it **parks the
+  emulation thread** inside this call on a gate; the frame stays live, so a
+  client can read and write registers and memory while parked. `continue` /
+  `step` release the gate.
+- `OnFrameExit(frame, result)` — after the frame completes.
+
+Because pausing parks the one thread that owns the guest context, register and
+memory accessors are only served while the session reports `Paused`; otherwise
+they return "not paused" so a client never observes torn state.
+
+### What is and isn't live yet
+
+- **Live:** attach/handshake, run-state tracking, register read/write, memory
+  read/write, breakpoint management, execution breakpoints at frame entry,
+  pause, frame-level step, continue, and stop/resume/terminate events.
+- **Surface only (armed as the backend grows hooks):** per-instruction
+  stepping and data watchpoints (`readwatch` / `writewatch` / `accesswatch`).
+  The verbs and types exist so clients and tooling can be written now.
+
+## Enabling the server
+
+```bash
+SharpEmu --debug-server "/path/to/eboot.bin"            # 127.0.0.1:5714
+SharpEmu --debug-server=0.0.0.0:5714 "/path/to/eboot.bin"
+```
+
+The bind address defaults to loopback; a routable address must be given
+explicitly. With stop-at-entry (the default `DebuggerSessionOptions.StopAtEntry`),
+the guest parks at its first frame until a client connects and issues
+`continue`, giving you a window to set breakpoints before any guest code runs.
+
+## Browser frontend
+
+The dependency-free Python frontend can choose and launch an `eboot.bin`, attach
+to its debugger automatically, and provides execution controls, registers,
+memory inspection, breakpoint management, process output, and a live protocol
+activity stream:
+
+```bash
+./tools/SharpEmu.DebuggerFrontend/run.sh
+```
+
+It connects to `127.0.0.1:5714` and opens `http://127.0.0.1:8765/` by default.
+See [`tools/SharpEmu.DebuggerFrontend/README.md`](../tools/SharpEmu.DebuggerFrontend/README.md)
+for configuration and testing options.
+
+## Wire protocol (json-lines/1)
+
+One JSON object per line, UTF-8, `\n`-terminated, in both directions.
+
+### Requests
+
+A `command` string plus command-specific fields. Numeric fields accept a JSON
+number or a `0x`-prefixed hex string.
+
+| `command` | Fields | Reply `data` |
+| --------- | ------ | ------------ |
+| `ping` | — | — |
+| `status` (`info`) | — | `state`, `breakpoints`, `lastStop?` |
+| `state` | — | `state` |
+| `registers` (`regs`) | — | `registers` (rax..r15, rip, rflags, fs_base, gs_base) |
+| `set-register` | `register`, `value` | — |
+| `read-memory` | `address`, `length` (≤ 65536) | `address`, `length`, `bytes` (hex) |
+| `write-memory` | `address`, `bytes` (hex) | `written` |
+| `list-breakpoints` (`breakpoints`) | — | `breakpoints[]` |
+| `add-breakpoint` (`break`) | `address`, `kind?`, `length?` | `breakpoint` |
+| `remove-breakpoint` (`delete-breakpoint`) | `id` | — |
+| `enable-breakpoint` | `id`, `enabled?` (default true) | — |
+| `continue` (`cont`, `c`) | — | — |
+| `step` (`s`) | — | — |
+| `pause` | — | — |
+
+### Replies
+
+```json
+{"ok":true,"command":"registers","data":{ "registers": { "rax":"0x…", … } }}
+{"ok":false,"command":"read-memory","error":"Target is not paused."}
+```
+
+### Events (unsolicited)
+
+```json
+{"event":"hello","protocol":"json-lines/1","state":"Paused"}
+{"event":"stopped","reason":"Breakpoint","address":"0x…","frameKind":"ProcessEntry","frameLabel":"eboot.bin","registers":{…},"breakpoint":{…}}
+{"event":"resumed"}
+{"event":"terminated"}
+```
+
+`reason` is one of `EntryPoint`, `Breakpoint`, `Watchpoint`, `Step`, `Pause`,
+`Fault`, or `Stall`.
+
+Stall stops include structured evidence in addition to the human-readable
+detail. Import-loop evidence identifies the NID, resolved HLE export, repeating
+guest return site, dispatch count, and first two ABI arguments:
+
+```json
+{
+  "event": "stopped",
+  "reason": "Stall",
+  "stall": {
+    "kind": "ImportLoop",
+    "nid": "9UK1vLZQft4",
+    "instructionPointer": "0x0000000801CE2418",
+    "dispatchIndex": 40667904,
+    "argument0": "0x0000000812345000",
+    "argument1": "0x0000000000000000",
+    "resolved": true,
+    "library": "libKernel",
+    "function": "scePthreadMutexLock"
+  }
+}
+```
+
+The Python frontend uses this evidence to explain the likely failure class and
+rank concrete checks/fixes. Its diagnosis is intentionally labelled heuristic:
+it helps locate the responsible HLE/scheduler path but does not replace tracing.
+
+## Swapping the protocol
+
+`DebuggerServer` takes an `IDebugProtocol` factory. The default is
+`JsonLineDebugProtocol`; a GDB remote serial stub (or any other framing) can be
+dropped in without changing the session or command semantics, which live in
+`DebugCommandDispatcher`.
+
+## Embedding the server
+
+```csharp
+using SharpEmu.Debugger;
+using SharpEmu.Core.Runtime;
+
+await using var host = new DebuggerServerHost();
+host.Start();
+
+var options = new SharpEmuRuntimeOptions { DebugHook = host.Hook };
+using var runtime = SharpEmuRuntime.CreateDefault(options);
+var result = runtime.Run(ebootPath);
+
+host.NotifyRunCompleted();
+```

native/bink2-bridge/sharpemu_bink2_bridge.c

@@ -5,47 +5,62 @@
  * Build this small adapter with a licensed RAD Bink 2 SDK. The SDK and its
  * headers are not distributed by SharpEmu. See docs/bink2-bridge.md.
  */
-
 #include <stdint.h>
 #include "bink.h"
 
 typedef struct sharpemu_bink2_info {
-  uint32_t width;
-  uint32_t height;
-  uint32_t frames_per_second_numerator;
-  uint32_t frames_per_second_denominator;
+   uint32_t width;
+   uint32_t height;
+   uint32_t frames_per_second_numerator;
+   uint32_t frames_per_second_denominator;
 } sharpemu_bink2_info;
 
 int sharpemu_bink2_open_utf8(const char *path, HBINK *movie, sharpemu_bink2_info *info) {
-  HBINK bink;
-  if (!path || !movie || !info) return 0;
+    HBINK bink;
+    if (!path || !movie || !info) return 0;
 
-  bink = BinkOpen(path, 0);
-  if (!bink) return 0;
+    *movie = NULL;
 
-  *movie = bink;
-  info->width = bink->Width;
-  info->height = bink->Height;
-  info->frames_per_second_numerator = bink->FrameRate;
-  info->frames_per_second_denominator = bink->FrameRateDiv;
-  return 1;
+    bink = BinkOpen(path, 0);
+    if (!bink) return 0;
+
+    if (bink->Width == 0 || bink->Height == 0) {
+        BinkClose(bink);
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    *movie = bink;
+    info->width = bink->Width;
+    info->height = bink->Height;
+    info->frames_per_second_numerator = bink->FrameRate;
+    info->frames_per_second_denominator = bink->FrameRateDiv;
+    return 1;
 }
 
 int sharpemu_bink2_decode_next_bgra(HBINK movie, uint8_t *destination,
                                     uint32_t stride, uint32_t destination_bytes) {
-  uint64_t needed;
-  if (!movie || !destination || stride < movie->Width * 4) return 0;
-  needed = (uint64_t)stride * movie->Height;
-  if (needed > destination_bytes) return 0;
+    uint64_t needed;
+    uint64_t min_stride;
 
-  /* Async Bink I/O has not filled the next frame yet; retry on the next host present. */
-  if (BinkWait(movie)) return 0;
-  BinkDoFrame(movie);
-  BinkCopyToBuffer(movie, destination, stride, movie->Height, 0, 0, BINKSURFACE32RA);
-  BinkNextFrame(movie);
-  return 1;
+    if (!movie || !destination) return 0;
+
+    min_stride = (uint64_t)movie->Width * 4;
+    if ((uint64_t)stride < min_stride) return 0;
+
+    needed = (uint64_t)stride * movie->Height;
+    if (needed > destination_bytes) return 0;
+
+    /* Async Bink I/O has not filled the next frame yet; retry on the next host present. */
+    if (BinkWait(movie)) return 0;
+
+    if (!BinkDoFrame(movie)) return 0;
+
+    if (!BinkCopyToBuffer(movie, destination, stride, movie->Height, 0, 0, BINKSURFACE32RA)) return 0;
+
+    BinkNextFrame(movie);
+    return 1;
 }
 
 void sharpemu_bink2_close(HBINK movie) {
-  if (movie) BinkClose(movie);
+   if (movie) BinkClose(movie);
 }

scripts/RELEASE-USE.md

@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+<!--
+Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+-->
+
+## Release Script
+
+SharpEmu releases are prepared and published using `scripts/release.py`.
+
+The release process consists of two steps:
+
+1. Prepare the version bump through a pull request.
+2. Create and push the release tag after the pull request has been merged.
+
+### Preparing a Release
+
+Run:
+
+```bash
+python scripts/release.py prepare 0.0.2-beta.2
+```
+
+This command will:
+
+- Verify that the working tree is clean.
+- Update the local `main` branch.
+- Create a new branch named `release/0.0.2-beta.2`.
+- Update `SharpEmuVersion` in `Directory.Build.props`.
+- Create a version bump commit.
+- Push the release branch to the remote repository.
+
+Afterwards, open a pull request from:
+
+```text
+release/0.0.2-beta.2
+```
+
+into:
+
+```text
+main
+```
+
+### Publishing a Release
+
+Once the pull request has been merged, update your local repository:
+
+```bash
+git switch main
+git pull --ff-only
+```
+
+Then create and push the release tag:
+
+```bash
+python scripts/release.py tag 0.0.2-beta.2
+```
+
+This command will:
+
+- Verify that the working tree is clean.
+- Confirm that `Directory.Build.props` contains the requested version.
+- Create an annotated Git tag (`v0.0.2-beta.2`).
+- Push the tag to the remote repository.
+
+Pushing the tag automatically triggers the GitHub Release workflow.
+
+### Version Format
+
+Specify the version **without** the `v` prefix.
+
+Examples:
+
+```text
+0.0.2
+0.0.2-alpha.1
+0.0.2-beta.1
+0.0.2-beta.2
+0.0.2-rc.1
+```
+
+The script automatically prefixes the Git tag with `v`.
+
+### Notes
+
+- Run `prepare` only from the `main` branch.
+- Run `tag` only after the version bump pull request has been merged.
+- Do not create release tags manually before merging the version bump.
+- Both commands require a clean working tree.
+- The version in `Directory.Build.props` must exactly match the version passed to the `tag` command.

scripts/release.py

@@ -0,0 +1,408 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+
+# Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import argparse
+import re
+import subprocess
+import sys
+from pathlib import Path
+
+
+VERSION_PATTERN = re.compile(r"^\d+\.\d+\.\d+(?:-[0-9A-Za-z.-]+)?$")
+VERSION_ELEMENT_PATTERN = re.compile(
+    r"(<SharpEmuVersion>)([^<]+)(</SharpEmuVersion>)"
+)
+
+
+class ReleaseError(RuntimeError):
+    pass
+
+
+def run_git(
+    *args: str,
+    cwd: Path,
+    capture_output: bool = False,
+) -> str:
+    command = ["git", *args]
+
+    try:
+        result = subprocess.run(
+            command,
+            cwd=cwd,
+            check=True,
+            text=True,
+            capture_output=capture_output,
+        )
+    except FileNotFoundError:
+        raise ReleaseError("Git was not found in PATH.") from None
+    except subprocess.CalledProcessError as error:
+        stderr = error.stderr.strip() if error.stderr else ""
+        detail = f"\n{stderr}" if stderr else ""
+
+        raise ReleaseError(
+            f"Git command failed: {' '.join(command)}{detail}"
+        ) from error
+
+    return result.stdout.strip() if capture_output else ""
+
+
+def find_repository_root(script_path: Path) -> Path:
+    root = run_git(
+        "rev-parse",
+        "--show-toplevel",
+        cwd=script_path.resolve().parent,
+        capture_output=True,
+    )
+
+    return Path(root)
+
+
+def get_status(repository_root: Path) -> str:
+    return run_git(
+        "status",
+        "--porcelain",
+        cwd=repository_root,
+        capture_output=True,
+    )
+
+
+def ensure_clean_worktree(repository_root: Path) -> None:
+    status = get_status(repository_root)
+
+    if status:
+        raise ReleaseError(
+            "The working tree is not clean.\n\n"
+            f"{status}\n\n"
+            "Commit, stash, or remove these changes first."
+        )
+
+
+def get_current_branch(repository_root: Path) -> str:
+    branch = run_git(
+        "branch",
+        "--show-current",
+        cwd=repository_root,
+        capture_output=True,
+    )
+
+    if not branch:
+        raise ReleaseError(
+            "HEAD is detached. Switch to a branch before continuing."
+        )
+
+    return branch
+
+
+def ensure_branch_does_not_exist(
+    repository_root: Path,
+    branch: str,
+    remote: str,
+) -> None:
+    local_branch = run_git(
+        "branch",
+        "--list",
+        branch,
+        cwd=repository_root,
+        capture_output=True,
+    )
+
+    if local_branch:
+        raise ReleaseError(f"Branch {branch} already exists locally.")
+
+    remote_branch = run_git(
+        "ls-remote",
+        "--heads",
+        remote,
+        branch,
+        cwd=repository_root,
+        capture_output=True,
+    )
+
+    if remote_branch:
+        raise ReleaseError(
+            f"Branch {branch} already exists on {remote}."
+        )
+
+
+def ensure_tag_does_not_exist(
+    repository_root: Path,
+    tag: str,
+    remote: str,
+) -> None:
+    local_tag = run_git(
+        "tag",
+        "--list",
+        tag,
+        cwd=repository_root,
+        capture_output=True,
+    )
+
+    if local_tag:
+        raise ReleaseError(f"Tag {tag} already exists locally.")
+
+    remote_tag = run_git(
+        "ls-remote",
+        "--tags",
+        remote,
+        f"refs/tags/{tag}",
+        cwd=repository_root,
+        capture_output=True,
+    )
+
+    if remote_tag:
+        raise ReleaseError(f"Tag {tag} already exists on {remote}.")
+
+
+def read_version(props_path: Path) -> str:
+    if not props_path.exists():
+        raise ReleaseError(f"Version file not found: {props_path}")
+
+    content = props_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    match = VERSION_ELEMENT_PATTERN.search(content)
+
+    if match is None:
+        raise ReleaseError(
+            f"SharpEmuVersion was not found in {props_path.name}."
+        )
+
+    return match.group(2).strip()
+
+
+def update_version(props_path: Path, version: str) -> str:
+    content = props_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    current_version = read_version(props_path)
+
+    if current_version == version:
+        raise ReleaseError(
+            f"SharpEmuVersion is already set to {version}."
+        )
+
+    updated_content, replacement_count = VERSION_ELEMENT_PATTERN.subn(
+        rf"\g<1>{version}\g<3>",
+        content,
+        count=1,
+    )
+
+    if replacement_count != 1:
+        raise ReleaseError(
+            "Expected exactly one SharpEmuVersion element."
+        )
+
+    props_path.write_text(
+        updated_content,
+        encoding="utf-8",
+        newline="\n",
+    )
+
+    return current_version
+
+
+def prepare_release(
+    repository_root: Path,
+    props_path: Path,
+    version: str,
+    remote: str,
+) -> None:
+    ensure_clean_worktree(repository_root)
+
+    current_branch = get_current_branch(repository_root)
+
+    if current_branch != "main":
+        raise ReleaseError(
+            f"Prepare must be run from main, not {current_branch}."
+        )
+
+    run_git(
+        "pull",
+        "--ff-only",
+        remote,
+        "main",
+        cwd=repository_root,
+    )
+
+    branch = f"release/{version}"
+    ensure_branch_does_not_exist(
+        repository_root,
+        branch,
+        remote,
+    )
+
+    previous_version = read_version(props_path)
+
+    run_git(
+        "switch",
+        "-c",
+        branch,
+        cwd=repository_root,
+    )
+
+    try:
+        update_version(props_path, version)
+
+        relative_props_path = props_path.relative_to(repository_root)
+
+        run_git(
+            "add",
+            relative_props_path.as_posix(),
+            cwd=repository_root,
+        )
+        run_git(
+            "commit",
+            "-m",
+            f"chore: bump version to {version}",
+            cwd=repository_root,
+        )
+        run_git(
+            "push",
+            "-u",
+            remote,
+            branch,
+            cwd=repository_root,
+        )
+    except Exception:
+        print(
+            "\nPrepare failed. The release branch may still exist locally.",
+            file=sys.stderr,
+        )
+        raise
+
+    print()
+    print(f"Prepared release {previous_version} -> {version}")
+    print(f"Branch pushed: {branch}")
+    print()
+    print("Open a pull request from:")
+    print(f"  {branch}")
+    print("into:")
+    print("  main")
+    print()
+    print("After merging the PR, run:")
+    print(f"  python scripts/release.py tag {version}")
+
+
+def create_release_tag(
+    repository_root: Path,
+    props_path: Path,
+    version: str,
+    remote: str,
+) -> None:
+    ensure_clean_worktree(repository_root)
+
+    current_branch = get_current_branch(repository_root)
+
+    if current_branch != "main":
+        raise ReleaseError(
+            f"Tagging must be run from main, not {current_branch}."
+        )
+
+    run_git(
+        "pull",
+        "--ff-only",
+        remote,
+        "main",
+        cwd=repository_root,
+    )
+
+    current_version = read_version(props_path)
+
+    if current_version != version:
+        raise ReleaseError(
+            "Version mismatch:\n"
+            f"  Directory.Build.props: {current_version}\n"
+            f"  Requested tag:         {version}"
+        )
+
+    tag = f"v{version}"
+
+    ensure_tag_does_not_exist(
+        repository_root,
+        tag,
+        remote,
+    )
+
+    run_git(
+        "tag",
+        "-a",
+        tag,
+        "-m",
+        f"SharpEmu {version}",
+        cwd=repository_root,
+    )
+    run_git(
+        "push",
+        remote,
+        tag,
+        cwd=repository_root,
+    )
+
+    print()
+    print(f"Successfully pushed tag {tag}.")
+    print("The release workflow should start automatically.")
+
+
+def parse_arguments() -> argparse.Namespace:
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
+        description="Prepare or tag a SharpEmu release."
+    )
+
+    subparsers = parser.add_subparsers(
+        dest="command",
+        required=True,
+    )
+
+    for command in ("prepare", "tag"):
+        subparser = subparsers.add_parser(command)
+        subparser.add_argument(
+            "version",
+            help="Version without the v prefix, e.g. 0.0.2-beta.2.",
+        )
+        subparser.add_argument(
+            "--remote",
+            default="origin",
+            help="Git remote. Default: origin.",
+        )
+
+    arguments = parser.parse_args()
+
+    if not VERSION_PATTERN.fullmatch(arguments.version):
+        parser.error(
+            "Version must look like 0.0.2, "
+            "0.0.2-beta.2, or 0.0.2-rc.1."
+        )
+
+    return arguments
+
+
+def main() -> int:
+    arguments = parse_arguments()
+
+    try:
+        repository_root = find_repository_root(Path(__file__))
+        props_path = repository_root / "Directory.Build.props"
+
+        if arguments.command == "prepare":
+            prepare_release(
+                repository_root,
+                props_path,
+                arguments.version,
+                arguments.remote,
+            )
+        else:
+            create_release_tag(
+                repository_root,
+                props_path,
+                arguments.version,
+                arguments.remote,
+            )
+    except ReleaseError as error:
+        print(f"Error: {error}", file=sys.stderr)
+        return 1
+
+    return 0
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    raise SystemExit(main())

scripts/validate-synthetic-spirv.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+if [ "$#" -ne 4 ]; then
+  echo "usage: $0 <spirv-val> <expected-version> <target-env> <module-directory>" >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+validator=$1
+expected_version=$2
+target_env=$3
+module_directory=$4
+
+if [ ! -x "$validator" ]; then
+  echo "SPIR-V validator is not executable: $validator" >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+if [ ! -d "$module_directory" ]; then
+  echo "SPIR-V module directory does not exist: $module_directory" >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+validator_version="$("$validator" --version | head -n 1)"
+if [[ "$validator_version" != *"SPIRV-Tools $expected_version"* ]]; then
+  echo "unexpected SPIRV-Tools version: $validator_version (expected $expected_version)" >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+echo "Validator: $validator_version"
+echo "Target environment: $target_env"
+
+mapfile -d '' modules < <(find "$module_directory" -type f -name '*.spv' -print0 | sort -z)
+if [ "${#modules[@]}" -eq 0 ]; then
+  echo "no SPIR-V modules found in $module_directory" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+failures=0
+for module in "${modules[@]}"; do
+  echo "Validating module: $module"
+  if ! "$validator" --target-env "$target_env" "$module"; then
+    echo "SPIR-V validation failed: $module" >&2
+    failures=1
+  fi
+done
+
+if [ "$failures" -ne 0 ]; then
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "Validated ${#modules[@]} synthetic SPIR-V modules."

src/SharpEmu.CLI/Program.cs

@@ -63,11 +63,15 @@ internal static partial class Program
 
     private static int Run(string[] args)
     {
-        args = NormalizeInternalArguments(args, out var isMitigatedChild);
-        if (args.Length == 0 && !isMitigatedChild)
+        if (Updater.TryApply(args, out var updateExitCode))
+        {
+            return updateExitCode;
+        }
+
+        args = NormalizeInternalArguments(args, out var isMitigatedChild);
+
+        if (args.Length == 0)
         {
-            // No arguments: open the desktop frontend. Any argument selects
-            // the classic CLI behavior below.
             return GuiLauncher.Run();
         }
 
@@ -223,7 +227,17 @@ internal static partial class Program
             return childExitCode;
         }
 
-        if (!TryParseArguments(args, out var ebootPath, out var runtimeOptions, out var logLevel, out var logFilePath))
+        if (!TryExtractHostSurfaceArgument(args, out var emulatorArgs, out var hostSurface, out var hostSurfaceError))
+        {
+            Console.Error.WriteLine($"[LOADER][ERROR] {hostSurfaceError}");
+            return 1;
+        }
+
+        HostSessionControl.SetEmbeddedHostSurface(
+            hostSurface?.WindowHandle ?? 0,
+            hostSurface?.DisplayHandle ?? 0);
+
+        if (!TryParseArguments(emulatorArgs, out var ebootPath, out var runtimeOptions, out var logLevel, out var logFilePath))
         {
             PrintUsage();
             return 1;
@@ -248,68 +262,156 @@ internal static partial class Program
             return 2;
         }
 
-        Console.Error.WriteLine("[DEBUG] Creating runtime...");
-
-        using var runtime = SharpEmuRuntime.CreateDefault(runtimeOptions);
-
-        OrbisGen2Result result;
-        ConsoleCancelEventHandler? cancelHandler = null;
-        try
+        if (!TryGetDebugServerOptions(args, out var debugServerEnabled, out var debugServerOptions, out var debugServerError))
         {
-            cancelHandler = (_, eventArgs) =>
-            {
-                eventArgs.Cancel = true;
-                VideoOutExports.NotifyHostInterrupt();
-            };
-            Console.CancelKeyPress += cancelHandler;
-
-            Console.Error.WriteLine($"[DEBUG] Running: {ebootPath}");
-            result = runtime.Run(ebootPath);
-            Console.Error.WriteLine($"[DEBUG] Result: {result}");
+            Log.Error($"Invalid --debug-server endpoint: {debugServerError}");
+            return 1;
         }
-        catch (Exception ex)
+
+        SharpEmu.Debugger.DebuggerServerHost? debugHost = null;
+        if (debugServerEnabled)
         {
-            Console.Error.WriteLine($"[DEBUG] Exception: {ex}");
-            Log.Error("SharpEmu failed to run.", ex);
-            return 3;
-        }
-        finally
-        {
-            if (cancelHandler is not null)
+            debugHost = new SharpEmu.Debugger.DebuggerServerHost(debugServerOptions);
+            try
             {
-                Console.CancelKeyPress -= cancelHandler;
+                debugHost.Start();
+                Log.Info($"Live debug server listening on {debugHost.Endpoint}. Attach with SharpEmu.DebugClient.");
+                // With StopAtEntry, the guest parks at its first frame until a
+                // client connects and continues.
+                runtimeOptions = runtimeOptions with { DebugHook = debugHost.Hook };
+            }
+            catch (Exception ex)
+            {
+                Log.Error("Failed to start the debug server.", ex);
+                debugHost.DisposeAsync().AsTask().GetAwaiter().GetResult();
+                return 6;
             }
         }
 
-        Log.Info($"SharpEmu execution completed. Result={result} (0x{(int)result:X8})");
-        if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(runtime.LastSessionSummary))
+        Console.Error.WriteLine("[DEBUG] Creating runtime...");
+
+        try
         {
-            Log.Info(runtime.LastSessionSummary);
+            if (hostSurface is not null && !VulkanVideoHost.TryAttachSurface(hostSurface))
+            {
+                Console.Error.WriteLine("[LOADER][ERROR] The requested GUI host surface is already active.");
+                return 3;
+            }
+
+            using var runtime = SharpEmuRuntime.CreateDefault(runtimeOptions);
+
+            OrbisGen2Result result;
+            ConsoleCancelEventHandler? cancelHandler = null;
+            try
+            {
+                cancelHandler = (_, eventArgs) =>
+                {
+                    eventArgs.Cancel = true;
+                    VideoOutExports.NotifyHostInterrupt();
+                };
+                Console.CancelKeyPress += cancelHandler;
+
+                Console.Error.WriteLine($"[DEBUG] Running: {ebootPath}");
+                result = runtime.Run(ebootPath);
+                Console.Error.WriteLine($"[DEBUG] Result: {result}");
+            }
+            catch (Exception ex)
+            {
+                Console.Error.WriteLine($"[DEBUG] Exception: {ex}");
+                Log.Error("SharpEmu failed to run.", ex);
+                return 3;
+            }
+            finally
+            {
+                if (cancelHandler is not null)
+                {
+                    Console.CancelKeyPress -= cancelHandler;
+                }
+            }
+
+            Log.Info($"SharpEmu execution completed. Result={result} (0x{(int)result:X8})");
+            if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(runtime.LastSessionSummary))
+            {
+                Log.Info(runtime.LastSessionSummary);
+            }
+
+            if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(runtime.LastBasicBlockTrace))
+            {
+                Log.Info("BB trace:");
+                Log.Info(runtime.LastBasicBlockTrace);
+            }
+
+            if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(runtime.LastMilestoneLog))
+            {
+                Log.Info(runtime.LastMilestoneLog);
+            }
+
+            if (result != OrbisGen2Result.ORBIS_GEN2_OK && !string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(runtime.LastExecutionDiagnostics))
+            {
+                Log.Warn(runtime.LastExecutionDiagnostics);
+            }
+
+            if (runtimeOptions.ImportTraceLimit > 0 && !string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(runtime.LastExecutionTrace))
+            {
+                Log.Info("Import trace:");
+                Log.Info(runtime.LastExecutionTrace);
+            }
+
+            return result == OrbisGen2Result.ORBIS_GEN2_OK ? 0 : 4;
+        }
+        finally
+        {
+            if (debugHost is not null)
+            {
+                debugHost.NotifyRunCompleted();
+                debugHost.DisposeAsync().AsTask().GetAwaiter().GetResult();
+            }
+
+            HostSessionControl.SetEmbeddedHostSurface(0);
+            if (hostSurface is not null)
+            {
+                VulkanVideoHost.RequestClose();
+                VulkanVideoHost.DetachSurface(hostSurface);
+                hostSurface.Dispose();
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static bool TryExtractHostSurfaceArgument(
+        IReadOnlyList<string> args,
+        out string[] emulatorArgs,
+        out VulkanHostSurface? hostSurface,
+        out string? error)
+    {
+        const string hostSurfacePrefix = "--host-surface=";
+        var remaining = new List<string>(args.Count);
+        hostSurface = null;
+        error = null;
+        foreach (var argument in args)
+        {
+            if (!argument.StartsWith(hostSurfacePrefix, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+            {
+                remaining.Add(argument);
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            if (hostSurface is not null)
+            {
+                emulatorArgs = [];
+                error = "more than one GUI host surface was specified";
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            var descriptor = argument[hostSurfacePrefix.Length..];
+            if (!VulkanHostSurface.TryCreateChildProcessSurface(descriptor, out hostSurface, out error))
+            {
+                emulatorArgs = [];
+                return false;
+            }
         }
 
-        if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(runtime.LastBasicBlockTrace))
-        {
-            Log.Info("BB trace:");
-            Log.Info(runtime.LastBasicBlockTrace);
-        }
-
-        if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(runtime.LastMilestoneLog))
-        {
-            Log.Info(runtime.LastMilestoneLog);
-        }
-
-        if (result != OrbisGen2Result.ORBIS_GEN2_OK && !string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(runtime.LastExecutionDiagnostics))
-        {
-            Log.Warn(runtime.LastExecutionDiagnostics);
-        }
-
-        if (runtimeOptions.ImportTraceLimit > 0 && !string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(runtime.LastExecutionTrace))
-        {
-            Log.Info("Import trace:");
-            Log.Info(runtime.LastExecutionTrace);
-        }
-
-        return result == OrbisGen2Result.ORBIS_GEN2_OK ? 0 : 4;
+        emulatorArgs = remaining.ToArray();
+        return true;
     }
 
     private static void EnsureCliConsole()
@@ -406,7 +508,9 @@ internal static partial class Program
         return handle != 0 && handle != -1;
     }
 
-    private static string[] NormalizeInternalArguments(string[] args, out bool isMitigatedChild)
+    private static string[] NormalizeInternalArguments(
+        string[] args,
+        out bool isMitigatedChild)
     {
         isMitigatedChild = false;
         var trustedMitigatedChild = string.Equals(
@@ -926,8 +1030,45 @@ internal static partial class Program
 
     private static void PrintUsage()
     {
-        Log.Info("Usage: SharpEmu.CLI [--strict] [--trace-imports[=N]] [--cpu-engine=<native>] [--log-level=<level>] [--log-file[=<path>]] <path-to-eboot.bin>");
+        Log.Info("Usage: SharpEmu.CLI [--strict] [--trace-imports[=N]] [--cpu-engine=<native>] [--log-level=<level>] [--log-file[=<path>]] [--debug-server[=host:port]] <path-to-eboot.bin>");
         Log.Info(@"Example: SharpEmu.CLI --cpu-engine=native --trace-imports=64 --log-level=debug --log-file ""E:\Games\...\eboot.bin""");
+        Log.Info("Debug server: --debug-server starts a live debug listener (default 127.0.0.1:5714); connect with SharpEmu.DebugClient.");
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Detects the <c>--debug-server</c> flag and parses its optional
+    /// <c>host:port</c> endpoint. Returns false only when the flag is present but
+    /// its endpoint is malformed, so the caller can abort with a clear error.
+    /// </summary>
+    private static bool TryGetDebugServerOptions(
+        string[] args,
+        out bool enabled,
+        out SharpEmu.Debugger.Server.DebuggerServerOptions options,
+        out string error)
+    {
+        enabled = false;
+        options = new SharpEmu.Debugger.Server.DebuggerServerOptions();
+        error = string.Empty;
+        foreach (var argument in args)
+        {
+            if (string.Equals(argument, "--debug-server", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+            {
+                enabled = true;
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            const string prefix = "--debug-server=";
+            if (argument.StartsWith(prefix, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+            {
+                enabled = true;
+                if (!SharpEmu.Debugger.Server.DebuggerServerOptions.TryParseEndpoint(argument[prefix.Length..], out options, out error))
+                {
+                    return false;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        return true;
     }
 
     private static bool TryParseArguments(
@@ -961,6 +1102,15 @@ internal static partial class Program
                 continue;
             }
 
+            // The debug-server endpoint is parsed separately (see
+            // TryGetDebugServerOptions); accept the flag here so it is not
+            // rejected as an unknown option or mistaken for the eboot path.
+            if (string.Equals(argument, "--debug-server", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) ||
+                argument.StartsWith("--debug-server=", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+            {
+                continue;
+            }
+
             if (string.Equals(argument, "--trace-imports", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
             {
                 importTraceLimit = DefaultImportTraceLimit;

src/SharpEmu.CLI/SharpEmu.CLI.csproj

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
 
   <ItemGroup>
     <ProjectReference Include="..\SharpEmu.Core\SharpEmu.Core.csproj" />
+    <ProjectReference Include="..\SharpEmu.Debugger\SharpEmu.Debugger.csproj" />
     <ProjectReference Include="..\SharpEmu.GUI\SharpEmu.GUI.csproj" />
     <ProjectReference Include="..\SharpEmu.Logging\SharpEmu.Logging.csproj" />
   </ItemGroup>
@@ -54,6 +55,7 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
   <PropertyGroup Condition="'$(RuntimeIdentifier)' == 'win-x64' Or '$(RuntimeIdentifier)' == ''">
     <ApplicationIcon>..\..\assets\images\SharpEmu.ico</ApplicationIcon>
     <Win32Icon>..\..\assets\images\SharpEmu.ico</Win32Icon>
+    <ApplicationManifest>app.manifest</ApplicationManifest>
   </PropertyGroup>
 
   <PropertyGroup>

src/SharpEmu.CLI/app.manifest

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
+
+<!--
+Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+-->
+
+<assembly manifestVersion="1.0" xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1">
+  <assemblyIdentity version="1.0.0.0" name="SharpEmu" />
+  <compatibility xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:compatibility.v1">
+    <application>
+      <!-- Required by Avalonia NativeControlHost on Windows 10 and 11. -->
+      <supportedOS Id="{8e0f7a12-bfb3-4fe8-b9a5-48fd50a15a9a}" />
+    </application>
+  </compatibility>
+</assembly>

src/SharpEmu.CLI/packages.lock.json

@@ -0,0 +1,596 @@
+{
+  "version": 2,
+  "dependencies": {
+    "net10.0": {
+      "Microsoft.NET.ILLink.Tasks": {
+        "type": "Direct",
+        "requested": "[10.0.3, )",
+        "resolved": "10.0.3",
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+      },
+      "Avalonia.Angle.Windows.Natives": {
+        "type": "Transitive",
+        "resolved": "2.1.25547.20250602",
+        "contentHash": "ZL0VLc4s9rvNNFt19Pxm5UNAkmKNylugAwJPX9ulXZ6JWs/l6XZihPWWTyezaoNOVyEPU8YbURtW7XMAtqXH5A=="
+      },
+      "Avalonia.BuildServices": {
+        "type": "Transitive",
+        "resolved": "11.3.2",
+        "contentHash": "qHDToxto1e3hci5YqbG9n0Ty8mlp3zBUN5wT66wKqaDVzXyQ0do3EnRILd4Ke9jpvsktaPpgE0YjEk7hornryQ=="
+      },
+      "Avalonia.FreeDesktop": {
+        "type": "Transitive",
+        "resolved": "11.3.18",
+        "contentHash": "aUwv8BNruRUOaUfMu4U3uibIUS60/rSHgGOhd8zBkLkpxY3JFJvgRbeq5ZzHIyKXCuKi18PO00YHAgCarp3wdw==",
+        "dependencies": {
+          "Avalonia": "11.3.18",
+          "Tmds.DBus.Protocol": "0.21.3"
+        }
+      },
+      "Avalonia.Native": {
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+        "resolved": "11.3.18",
+        "contentHash": "8g53DROFW6wVJAnTsE1Iu5bdZO5r0oqxbdbMQODs1QDYCK2IU/y/x/vQVKCYOvqxl4tXkzU9tExv8XqSGPWthQ==",
+        "dependencies": {
+          "Avalonia": "11.3.18"
+        }
+      },
+      "Avalonia.Remote.Protocol": {
+        "type": "Transitive",
+        "resolved": "11.3.18",
+        "contentHash": "vw+6ZfgTuu72dA9aVWn6u56t2nrBd5MoMU0wo/qI9XJAl/c0oYYphIvwLvJP1JorubQY4UE3d0ac8ULBhrGBiA=="
+      },
+      "Avalonia.Skia": {
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+        "dependencies": {
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+        }
+      },
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+        "dependencies": {
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+        }
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+        "dependencies": {
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+        }
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+        "dependencies": {
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+        }
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+      }
+    },
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+      "Avalonia.Angle.Windows.Natives": {
+        "type": "Transitive",
+        "resolved": "2.1.25547.20250602",
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+        "dependencies": {
+          "Avalonia": "11.3.18"
+        }
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+      "HarfBuzzSharp.NativeAssets.Linux": {
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+      },
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+      }
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+      "Avalonia.Angle.Windows.Natives": {
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+        "dependencies": {
+          "Avalonia": "11.3.18"
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+        "type": "Transitive",
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+        "type": "Transitive",
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+        "type": "Transitive",
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+        "contentHash": "UsJtQsfAJoFDZrXc4hCUfRPMqccfKZ0iumJ/upcUjz/cmsTgVFGNEL5yaJWmkqsuFYdMWbj/En5/kS4PFl9hBA=="
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+      "SkiaSharp.NativeAssets.Linux": {
+        "type": "Transitive",
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+        "contentHash": "cWSaJKVPWAaT/WIn9c8T5uT/l4ETwHxNJTkEOtNKjphNo8AW6TF9O32aRkxqw3l8GUdUo66Bu7EiqtFh/XG0Zg==",
+        "dependencies": {
+          "SkiaSharp": "2.88.9"
+        }
+      },
+      "SkiaSharp.NativeAssets.macOS": {
+        "type": "Transitive",
+        "resolved": "2.88.9",
+        "contentHash": "Nv5spmKc4505Ep7oUoJ5vp3KweFpeNqxpyGDWyeEPTX2uR6S6syXIm3gj75dM0YJz7NPvcix48mR5laqs8dPuA=="
+      },
+      "SkiaSharp.NativeAssets.Win32": {
+        "type": "Transitive",
+        "resolved": "2.88.9",
+        "contentHash": "wb2kYgU7iy84nQLYZwMeJXixvK++GoIuECjU4ECaUKNuflyRlJKyiRhN1MAHswvlvzuvkrjRWlK0Za6+kYQK7w=="
+      },
+      "Ultz.Native.GLFW": {
+        "type": "Transitive",
+        "resolved": "3.4.0",
+        "contentHash": "Iy22JopynbOJ32vA0lBhFEzGi65GQJBuJHYBYRBpydrDpNoTiHnjIXfA65Gu+8qsOr/ZEoIF8r9aHCgAXuO6DA=="
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}

src/SharpEmu.Core/Cpu/CpuDispatcher.cs

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 
 using System.Buffers.Binary;
 using System.Text;
+using SharpEmu.Core.Cpu.Debugging;
 using SharpEmu.Core.Cpu.Native;
 using SharpEmu.Core.Loader;
 using SharpEmu.Core.Memory;
@@ -272,7 +273,23 @@ public sealed class CpuDispatcher : ICpuDispatcher, IDisposable
             entryFrameDiagnostic,
             Environment.NewLine,
             "CpuEngine: native-only");
+        // Frame boundaries an attached debugger observes; null hook = a branch.
+        var debugHook = executionOptions.DebugHook;
+        var debugFrame = debugHook is null
+            ? null
+            : new CpuContextDebugFrame(
+                frameKind == EntryFrameKind.ProcessEntry
+                    ? CpuDebugFrameKind.ProcessEntry
+                    : CpuDebugFrameKind.ModuleInitializer,
+                entryPoint,
+                processImageName,
+                context,
+                effectiveImportStubs);
+        debugHook?.OnFrameEnter(debugFrame!);
+
         _nativeCpuBackend ??= new DirectExecutionBackend(_moduleManager);
+        // Let backend stall reports reference the same frame as entry.
+        (_nativeCpuBackend as DirectExecutionBackend)?.SetActiveDebugFrame(debugFrame);
         if (_nativeCpuBackend.TryExecute(
                 context,
                 entryPoint,
@@ -282,6 +299,7 @@ public sealed class CpuDispatcher : ICpuDispatcher, IDisposable
                 executionOptions,
                 out var nativeResult))
         {
+            debugHook?.OnFrameExit(debugFrame!, nativeResult);
             LastSessionSummary = new CpuSessionSummary(
                 nativeResult,
                 nativeResult == OrbisGen2Result.ORBIS_GEN2_OK
@@ -296,6 +314,8 @@ public sealed class CpuDispatcher : ICpuDispatcher, IDisposable
             return nativeResult;
         }
 
+        debugHook?.OnFrameExit(debugFrame!, OrbisGen2Result.ORBIS_GEN2_ERROR_NOT_IMPLEMENTED);
+
         var backendName = string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(_nativeCpuBackend.BackendName)
             ? "native-backend"
             : _nativeCpuBackend.BackendName;
@@ -693,6 +713,13 @@ public sealed class CpuDispatcher : ICpuDispatcher, IDisposable
         return _virtualMemory.TryWrite(address, buffer);
     }
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// True when the disposed native backend left its session state alive
+    /// because guest workers were still executing guest code. The guest
+    /// address space must then stay mapped as well.
+    /// </summary>
+    internal bool NativeSessionLeaked { get; private set; }
+
     public void Dispose()
     {
         if (_nativeCpuBackend is IDisposable disposableBackend)
@@ -700,6 +727,7 @@ public sealed class CpuDispatcher : ICpuDispatcher, IDisposable
             disposableBackend.Dispose();
         }
 
+        NativeSessionLeaked = _nativeCpuBackend is DirectExecutionBackend { GuestSessionLeaked: true };
         _nativeCpuBackend = null;
     }
 }

src/SharpEmu.Core/Cpu/CpuExecutionOptions.cs

@@ -1,15 +1,26 @@
 // Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
 
+using SharpEmu.Core.Cpu.Debugging;
+
 namespace SharpEmu.Core.Cpu;
 
 public readonly struct CpuExecutionOptions
 {
     public bool EnableDisasmDiagnostics { get; init; }
-    
+
     public CpuExecutionEngine CpuEngine { get; init; }
 
     public bool StrictDynlibResolution { get; init; }
 
     public int ImportTraceLimit { get; init; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// An optional debugger attached to this execution session. When set, the
+    /// dispatcher notifies it at each frame boundary via
+    /// <see cref="ICpuDebugHook.OnFrameEnter"/> / <see cref="ICpuDebugHook.OnFrameExit"/>.
+    /// Null when no debugger is attached, which is the default and imposes no
+    /// runtime cost.
+    /// </summary>
+    public ICpuDebugHook? DebugHook { get; init; }
 }

src/SharpEmu.Core/Cpu/Debugging/CpuContextDebugFrame.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using SharpEmu.HLE;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Core.Cpu.Debugging;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Adapts a live <see cref="CpuContext"/> to <see cref="ICpuDebugFrame"/>. The
+/// dispatcher creates one of these around the guest context it is about to run
+/// and passes it to the attached <see cref="ICpuDebugHook"/>; every accessor
+/// forwards directly to the underlying context.
+/// </summary>
+internal sealed class CpuContextDebugFrame : ICpuDebugFrame
+{
+    private readonly CpuContext _context;
+
+    internal CpuContextDebugFrame(
+        CpuDebugFrameKind kind,
+        ulong entryPoint,
+        string label,
+        CpuContext context,
+        IReadOnlyDictionary<ulong, string> importStubs)
+    {
+        Kind = kind;
+        EntryPoint = entryPoint;
+        Label = label ?? string.Empty;
+        _context = context ?? throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(context));
+        ImportStubs = importStubs ?? new Dictionary<ulong, string>();
+    }
+
+    public CpuDebugFrameKind Kind { get; }
+
+    public Generation Generation => _context.TargetGeneration;
+
+    public ulong EntryPoint { get; }
+
+    public string Label { get; }
+
+    public ICpuMemory Memory => _context.Memory;
+
+    public ulong GetRegister(CpuRegister register) => _context[register];
+
+    public void SetRegister(CpuRegister register, ulong value) => _context[register] = value;
+
+    public ulong Rip
+    {
+        get => _context.Rip;
+        set => _context.Rip = value;
+    }
+
+    public ulong Rflags
+    {
+        get => _context.Rflags;
+        set => _context.Rflags = value;
+    }
+
+    public ulong FsBase => _context.FsBase;
+
+    public ulong GsBase => _context.GsBase;
+
+    public void GetXmm(int registerIndex, out ulong low, out ulong high)
+        => _context.GetXmmRegister(registerIndex, out low, out high);
+
+    public IReadOnlyDictionary<ulong, string> ImportStubs { get; }
+}

src/SharpEmu.Core/Cpu/Debugging/CpuDebugFrameKind.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Core.Cpu.Debugging;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Identifies the kind of guest entry frame a debugger is observing. The
+/// dispatcher enters a fresh frame for the process entry point and for every
+/// module initializer, so the debug layer can label stops accordingly.
+/// </summary>
+public enum CpuDebugFrameKind
+{
+    /// <summary>The guest process entry point (<c>eboot.bin</c> start).</summary>
+    ProcessEntry,
+
+    /// <summary>A module DT_INIT / initializer routine.</summary>
+    ModuleInitializer,
+}

src/SharpEmu.Core/Cpu/Debugging/CpuStallInfo.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Core.Cpu.Debugging;
+
+/// <summary>The kind of execution stall the backend detected.</summary>
+public enum CpuStallKind
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// The guest is repeatedly re-dispatching the same import with no forward
+    /// progress — most commonly a spin on a mutex lock/unlock pair.
+    /// </summary>
+    ImportLoop,
+}
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Details of a detected stall handed to <see cref="ICpuDebugHook.OnStall"/>.
+/// Reported from the emulation thread at the point the backend recognises the
+/// livelock, before it forces the guest out of the loop.
+/// </summary>
+public readonly struct CpuStallInfo
+{
+    public CpuStallInfo(
+        CpuStallKind kind,
+        string? nid,
+        ulong instructionPointer,
+        long dispatchIndex,
+        ulong argument0,
+        ulong argument1,
+        string detail,
+        string? libraryName = null,
+        string? functionName = null)
+    {
+        Kind = kind;
+        Nid = nid;
+        InstructionPointer = instructionPointer;
+        DispatchIndex = dispatchIndex;
+        Argument0 = argument0;
+        Argument1 = argument1;
+        Detail = detail ?? string.Empty;
+        LibraryName = libraryName;
+        FunctionName = functionName;
+    }
+
+    public CpuStallKind Kind { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>The NID of the import being spun on, when known.</summary>
+    public string? Nid { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>The guest return address of the looping import dispatch.</summary>
+    public ulong InstructionPointer { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>The import dispatch counter at detection time.</summary>
+    public long DispatchIndex { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>The first two guest ABI arguments at stall detection.</summary>
+    public ulong Argument0 { get; }
+
+    public ulong Argument1 { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>The resolved HLE export, when the NID is registered.</summary>
+    public string? LibraryName { get; }
+
+    public string? FunctionName { get; }
+
+    public bool IsResolved => !string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(FunctionName);
+
+    /// <summary>A human-readable one-line summary of the stall.</summary>
+    public string Detail { get; }
+}

src/SharpEmu.Core/Cpu/Debugging/ICpuDebugFrame.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using SharpEmu.HLE;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Core.Cpu.Debugging;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// A live view of the guest CPU state at a dispatch boundary, handed to an
+/// <see cref="ICpuDebugHook"/> so a debugger can read and mutate registers and
+/// guest memory without taking a dependency on the concrete
+/// <c>CpuContext</c>/<c>CpuDispatcher</c> types.
+/// </summary>
+/// <remarks>
+/// The frame instance is only valid for the duration of the hook call that
+/// receives it (between <see cref="ICpuDebugHook.OnFrameEnter"/> and the
+/// matching <see cref="ICpuDebugHook.OnFrameExit"/>). Reads and writes are
+/// forwarded straight to the underlying guest context, so mutations made from
+/// a hook are observed by the CPU backend when it resumes the frame.
+/// </remarks>
+public interface ICpuDebugFrame
+{
+    /// <summary>The kind of frame being executed.</summary>
+    CpuDebugFrameKind Kind { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>The guest ABI generation this frame targets.</summary>
+    Generation Generation { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>The guest virtual address the frame begins executing at.</summary>
+    ulong EntryPoint { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// A human-readable label for the frame (process image name or module name).
+    /// </summary>
+    string Label { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>Guest-addressable memory for this frame.</summary>
+    ICpuMemory Memory { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>Reads a general-purpose register.</summary>
+    ulong GetRegister(CpuRegister register);
+
+    /// <summary>Overwrites a general-purpose register.</summary>
+    void SetRegister(CpuRegister register, ulong value);
+
+    /// <summary>The instruction pointer.</summary>
+    ulong Rip { get; set; }
+
+    /// <summary>The flags register.</summary>
+    ulong Rflags { get; set; }
+
+    /// <summary>The FS segment base (guest TLS pointer).</summary>
+    ulong FsBase { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>The GS segment base.</summary>
+    ulong GsBase { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>Reads the 128-bit value of an XMM register.</summary>
+    void GetXmm(int registerIndex, out ulong low, out ulong high);
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// The import stubs (guest address to NID) resolved for this frame, so a
+    /// debugger can annotate calls into HLE exports.
+    /// </summary>
+    IReadOnlyDictionary<ulong, string> ImportStubs { get; }
+}

src/SharpEmu.Core/Cpu/Debugging/ICpuDebugHook.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using SharpEmu.HLE;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Core.Cpu.Debugging;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// The seam the CPU dispatcher uses to notify an attached debugger when guest
+/// execution crosses a frame boundary. Implemented outside of Core (for
+/// example by <c>SharpEmu.Debugger</c>) and supplied through
+/// <see cref="CpuExecutionOptions.DebugHook"/>.
+/// </summary>
+/// <remarks>
+/// This is intentionally coarse-grained: it exposes the entry and exit of each
+/// dispatched frame rather than per-instruction stepping. Per-instruction
+/// control requires cooperation from the native execution backend and is layered
+/// on top of this seam as the backend gains support; keeping the dispatcher-level
+/// contract stable lets the debugger infrastructure exist independently of that
+/// work. Implementations must be thread-safe: frames may be dispatched from the
+/// dedicated emulation thread while a debug server services clients on its own
+/// threads.
+/// </remarks>
+public interface ICpuDebugHook
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Invoked immediately before the native backend begins executing a frame.
+    /// The debugger may inspect or mutate <paramref name="frame"/> and may block
+    /// the calling thread (for example, to honour a pause request) before
+    /// returning to allow execution to proceed.
+    /// </summary>
+    void OnFrameEnter(ICpuDebugFrame frame);
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Invoked after a frame completes, whether it returned to the host or
+    /// terminated with an error. <paramref name="frame"/> reflects the final
+    /// guest state.
+    /// </summary>
+    void OnFrameExit(ICpuDebugFrame frame, OrbisGen2Result result);
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Invoked from the emulation thread when the backend detects an execution
+    /// stall (for example a mutex spin loop) in the running frame, before it
+    /// forces the guest out of the loop. As with <see cref="OnFrameEnter"/>, the
+    /// implementation may inspect <paramref name="frame"/> and block to honour a
+    /// break before returning to let the backend proceed.
+    /// </summary>
+    void OnStall(ICpuDebugFrame frame, CpuStallInfo info);
+}

src/SharpEmu.Core/Cpu/Emulation/BmiInstructionEmulator.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,305 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using System.Numerics;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Core.Cpu.Emulation;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Pure software implementations of the BMI1, BMI2 and ABM general-purpose-register
+/// bit-manipulation instructions.
+///
+/// The direct-execution backend runs guest PS5 code natively on the host CPU. The PS5's
+/// Zen 2 cores implement BMI1/BMI2/ABM, but a host CPU that predates those extensions raises
+/// #UD (STATUS_ILLEGAL_INSTRUCTION) when it meets one of these opcodes. This class provides the
+/// register-only arithmetic so the exception handler can finish the instruction in software and
+/// resume, instead of aborting the title.
+///
+/// The methods deliberately operate on plain integers rather than on the OS CONTEXT record so the
+/// semantics can be unit-tested in isolation; the unsafe register/memory plumbing lives in the
+/// backend adapter. Each method returns the result already masked to the operand width and, where
+/// the instruction is defined to touch flags, updates <paramref name="eflags"/> in place. Flags
+/// documented as "undefined" by the vendor manuals are left untouched so behaviour stays
+/// deterministic across hosts.
+/// </summary>
+public static class BmiInstructionEmulator
+{
+    private const uint FlagCarry = 1u << 0;
+    private const uint FlagZero = 1u << 6;
+    private const uint FlagSign = 1u << 7;
+    private const uint FlagOverflow = 1u << 11;
+
+    private static ulong WidthMask(GprOperandSize size) =>
+        size == GprOperandSize.Bits64 ? ulong.MaxValue : 0xFFFF_FFFFUL;
+
+    private static int WidthBits(GprOperandSize size) => (int)size;
+
+    private static bool SignSet(ulong value, GprOperandSize size) =>
+        size == GprOperandSize.Bits64 ? (value >> 63) != 0 : (value & 0x8000_0000UL) != 0;
+
+    private static uint WithFlag(uint eflags, uint flag, bool set) =>
+        set ? eflags | flag : eflags & ~flag;
+
+    // Applies the CF/ZF/SF/OF set shared by ANDN/BLS*/BZHI: OF is always cleared, ZF and SF follow
+    // the result, and the caller supplies CF because each instruction defines it differently.
+    private static uint ApplyLogicFlags(uint eflags, ulong result, GprOperandSize size, bool carry)
+    {
+        eflags = WithFlag(eflags, FlagCarry, carry);
+        eflags = WithFlag(eflags, FlagZero, result == 0);
+        eflags = WithFlag(eflags, FlagSign, SignSet(result, size));
+        eflags = WithFlag(eflags, FlagOverflow, false);
+        return eflags;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>ANDN: <c>dest = (~src1) &amp; src2</c>. CF and OF are cleared.</summary>
+    public static ulong Andn(ulong src1, ulong src2, GprOperandSize size, ref uint eflags)
+    {
+        var result = (~src1 & src2) & WidthMask(size);
+        eflags = ApplyLogicFlags(eflags, result, size, carry: false);
+        return result;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>BLSI: isolate the lowest set bit, <c>dest = (-src) &amp; src</c>. CF = (src != 0).</summary>
+    public static ulong Blsi(ulong src, GprOperandSize size, ref uint eflags)
+    {
+        var mask = WidthMask(size);
+        var s = src & mask;
+        var result = ((0UL - s) & s) & mask;
+        eflags = ApplyLogicFlags(eflags, result, size, carry: s != 0);
+        return result;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>BLSMSK: mask up to and including the lowest set bit, <c>dest = (src - 1) ^ src</c>. CF = (src == 0).</summary>
+    public static ulong Blsmsk(ulong src, GprOperandSize size, ref uint eflags)
+    {
+        var mask = WidthMask(size);
+        var s = src & mask;
+        var result = ((s - 1) ^ s) & mask;
+        eflags = ApplyLogicFlags(eflags, result, size, carry: s == 0);
+        return result;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>BLSR: reset the lowest set bit, <c>dest = (src - 1) &amp; src</c>. CF = (src == 0).</summary>
+    public static ulong Blsr(ulong src, GprOperandSize size, ref uint eflags)
+    {
+        var mask = WidthMask(size);
+        var s = src & mask;
+        var result = ((s - 1) & s) & mask;
+        eflags = ApplyLogicFlags(eflags, result, size, carry: s == 0);
+        return result;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// BEXTR: extract <c>len</c> bits of <paramref name="src"/> starting at bit <c>start</c>, where
+    /// start = control[7:0] and len = control[15:8]. Only ZF (per result) and cleared CF/OF are defined.
+    /// </summary>
+    public static ulong Bextr(ulong src, ulong control, GprOperandSize size, ref uint eflags)
+    {
+        var bits = WidthBits(size);
+        var start = (int)(control & 0xFF);
+        var length = (int)((control >> 8) & 0xFF);
+
+        ulong result;
+        if (start >= bits)
+        {
+            result = 0;
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            var shifted = (src & WidthMask(size)) >> start;
+            if (length == 0)
+            {
+                result = 0;
+            }
+            else if (length >= bits)
+            {
+                result = shifted;
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                result = shifted & ((1UL << length) - 1);
+            }
+        }
+
+        result &= WidthMask(size);
+        eflags = WithFlag(eflags, FlagZero, result == 0);
+        eflags = WithFlag(eflags, FlagCarry, false);
+        eflags = WithFlag(eflags, FlagOverflow, false);
+        return result;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// BZHI: zero the bits of <paramref name="src"/> from bit position <c>index[7:0]</c> upward.
+    /// CF is set when the requested position is at or beyond the operand width.
+    /// </summary>
+    public static ulong Bzhi(ulong src, ulong index, GprOperandSize size, ref uint eflags)
+    {
+        var bits = WidthBits(size);
+        var mask = WidthMask(size);
+        var s = src & mask;
+        var n = (int)(index & 0xFF);
+
+        ulong result;
+        bool carry;
+        if (n >= bits)
+        {
+            result = s;
+            carry = true;
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            result = s & ((1UL << n) - 1);
+            carry = false;
+        }
+
+        eflags = ApplyLogicFlags(eflags, result, size, carry);
+        return result;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>TZCNT: count trailing zero bits. If src == 0 the result is the operand width and CF is set.</summary>
+    public static ulong Tzcnt(ulong src, GprOperandSize size, ref uint eflags)
+    {
+        var bits = WidthBits(size);
+        var s = src & WidthMask(size);
+
+        ulong result;
+        bool carry;
+        if (s == 0)
+        {
+            result = (ulong)bits;
+            carry = true;
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            result = (ulong)(size == GprOperandSize.Bits64
+                ? BitOperations.TrailingZeroCount(s)
+                : BitOperations.TrailingZeroCount((uint)s));
+            carry = false;
+        }
+
+        eflags = WithFlag(eflags, FlagCarry, carry);
+        eflags = WithFlag(eflags, FlagZero, result == 0);
+        return result;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>LZCNT: count leading zero bits. If src == 0 the result is the operand width and CF is set.</summary>
+    public static ulong Lzcnt(ulong src, GprOperandSize size, ref uint eflags)
+    {
+        var bits = WidthBits(size);
+        var s = src & WidthMask(size);
+
+        ulong result;
+        bool carry;
+        if (s == 0)
+        {
+            result = (ulong)bits;
+            carry = true;
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            result = (ulong)(size == GprOperandSize.Bits64
+                ? BitOperations.LeadingZeroCount(s)
+                : BitOperations.LeadingZeroCount((uint)s));
+            carry = false;
+        }
+
+        eflags = WithFlag(eflags, FlagCarry, carry);
+        eflags = WithFlag(eflags, FlagZero, result == 0);
+        return result;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>RORX: rotate <paramref name="src"/> right by <paramref name="count"/> (masked to the operand width). No flags.</summary>
+    public static ulong Rorx(ulong src, int count, GprOperandSize size)
+    {
+        var bits = WidthBits(size);
+        var mask = WidthMask(size);
+        var s = src & mask;
+        var rotate = count & (bits - 1);
+        if (rotate == 0)
+        {
+            return s;
+        }
+
+        return ((s >> rotate) | (s << (bits - rotate))) & mask;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>SARX: arithmetic shift right by <paramref name="count"/> (masked to the operand width). No flags.</summary>
+    public static ulong Sarx(ulong src, int count, GprOperandSize size)
+    {
+        var bits = WidthBits(size);
+        var mask = WidthMask(size);
+        var shift = count & (bits - 1);
+        if (size == GprOperandSize.Bits64)
+        {
+            return (ulong)((long)src >> shift);
+        }
+
+        return (ulong)(uint)((int)(uint)src >> shift) & mask;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>SHLX: logical shift left by <paramref name="count"/> (masked to the operand width). No flags.</summary>
+    public static ulong Shlx(ulong src, int count, GprOperandSize size)
+    {
+        var bits = WidthBits(size);
+        var mask = WidthMask(size);
+        var shift = count & (bits - 1);
+        return (src << shift) & mask;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>SHRX: logical shift right by <paramref name="count"/> (masked to the operand width). No flags.</summary>
+    public static ulong Shrx(ulong src, int count, GprOperandSize size)
+    {
+        var bits = WidthBits(size);
+        var mask = WidthMask(size);
+        var s = src & mask;
+        var shift = count & (bits - 1);
+        return s >> shift;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>PDEP: deposit contiguous low bits of <paramref name="src"/> into the positions selected by <paramref name="mask"/>. No flags.</summary>
+    public static ulong Pdep(ulong src, ulong mask, GprOperandSize size)
+    {
+        var bits = WidthBits(size);
+        var selector = mask & WidthMask(size);
+        ulong result = 0;
+        var bit = 0;
+        for (var i = 0; i < bits; i++)
+        {
+            var position = 1UL << i;
+            if ((selector & position) != 0)
+            {
+                if (((src >> bit) & 1UL) != 0)
+                {
+                    result |= position;
+                }
+
+                bit++;
+            }
+        }
+
+        return result & WidthMask(size);
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>PEXT: gather the bits of <paramref name="src"/> selected by <paramref name="mask"/> into contiguous low bits. No flags.</summary>
+    public static ulong Pext(ulong src, ulong mask, GprOperandSize size)
+    {
+        var bits = WidthBits(size);
+        var selector = mask & WidthMask(size);
+        ulong result = 0;
+        var bit = 0;
+        for (var i = 0; i < bits; i++)
+        {
+            if ((selector & (1UL << i)) != 0)
+            {
+                if (((src >> i) & 1UL) != 0)
+                {
+                    result |= 1UL << bit;
+                }
+
+                bit++;
+            }
+        }
+
+        return result & WidthMask(size);
+    }
+}

src/SharpEmu.Core/Cpu/Emulation/GprOperandSize.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Core.Cpu.Emulation;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Operand width for the emulated general-purpose-register instructions. The numeric value is the
+/// bit width, so it can double as the "count leading/trailing zeros of an all-zero source" result.
+/// </summary>
+public enum GprOperandSize
+{
+    Bits32 = 32,
+    Bits64 = 64,
+}

src/SharpEmu.Core/Cpu/Native/DirectExecutionBackend.Exceptions.cs

@@ -128,6 +128,11 @@ public sealed partial class DirectExecutionBackend
 			{
 				return -1;
 			}
+			if (exceptionCode == StatusIllegalInstruction &&
+				TryRecoverIllegalInstruction(contextRecord, rip))
+			{
+				return -1;
+			}
 			if (IsBenignHostDebugException(exceptionCode))
 			{
 				return -1;

src/SharpEmu.Core/Cpu/Native/DirectExecutionBackend.IllegalInstruction.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,362 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using System.Buffers.Binary;
+using System.Threading;
+using Iced.Intel;
+using SharpEmu.Core.Cpu.Emulation;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Core.Cpu.Native;
+
+// Software fallback for the BMI1/BMI2/ABM general-purpose-register instructions.
+//
+// Guest code runs natively, so the guest and host share the same virtual address space and the
+// same registers (the OS delivers them in the CONTEXT record on a fault). When the host CPU lacks
+// one of these extensions it raises #UD instead of executing the opcode; without this the title
+// simply aborts. Here we decode the faulting instruction, evaluate it against the trapped register
+// and memory state, write the result back into the CONTEXT, step RIP past the instruction and ask
+// the OS to continue. Only the register-only BMI/ABM forms are handled; anything else returns false
+// and falls through to the existing diagnostics unchanged, so this can never mis-handle an opcode it
+// does not fully model.
+public sealed partial class DirectExecutionBackend
+{
+    // Windows x64 CONTEXT.EFlags lives just past the segment selectors. The GPR offsets it shares
+    // with the rest of the backend are the CTX_* constants declared in DirectExecutionBackend.cs.
+    private const int CTX_EFLAGS = 68;
+
+    // STATUS_ILLEGAL_INSTRUCTION (#UD surfaced by the Windows vectored handler).
+    private const uint StatusIllegalInstruction = 0xC000001Du;
+
+    private const int MaxInstructionBytes = 15;
+
+    // Instruction-window sizes tried in turn so a fault near a page boundary still decodes.
+    private static readonly int[] DecodeWindowSizes = { MaxInstructionBytes, 11, 8, 4, 2 };
+
+    private static int _bmiSoftwareFallbackAnnounced;
+    private static long _bmiInstructionsEmulated;
+
+    private unsafe bool TryRecoverIllegalInstruction(void* contextRecord, ulong rip)
+    {
+        if (!TryReadFaultingInstruction(rip, out var instruction))
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        if (instruction.Op0Kind != OpKind.Register ||
+            !TryGetGprSlot(instruction.Op0Register, out var destOffset, out var size))
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        if (!TryEvaluate(contextRecord, in instruction, size, out var result, out var flagsChanged, out var eflags))
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        WriteCtxU64(contextRecord, destOffset, result);
+        if (flagsChanged)
+        {
+            WriteCtxU32(contextRecord, CTX_EFLAGS, eflags);
+        }
+
+        WriteCtxU64(contextRecord, CTX_RIP, rip + (ulong)instruction.Length);
+
+        Interlocked.Increment(ref _bmiInstructionsEmulated);
+        if (Interlocked.Exchange(ref _bmiSoftwareFallbackAnnounced, 1) == 0)
+        {
+            Console.Error.WriteLine(
+                "[LOADER][INFO] Host lacks a BMI/ABM extension used by the guest; " +
+                "emulating those instructions in software.");
+        }
+
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    private unsafe bool TryEvaluate(
+        void* contextRecord,
+        in Instruction instruction,
+        GprOperandSize size,
+        out ulong result,
+        out bool flagsChanged,
+        out uint eflags)
+    {
+        result = 0;
+        flagsChanged = false;
+        eflags = ReadCtxU32(contextRecord, CTX_EFLAGS);
+
+        switch (instruction.Mnemonic)
+        {
+            case Mnemonic.Andn:
+                if (!TryReadOperand(contextRecord, in instruction, 1, size, out var andnSrc1) ||
+                    !TryReadOperand(contextRecord, in instruction, 2, size, out var andnSrc2))
+                {
+                    return false;
+                }
+
+                result = BmiInstructionEmulator.Andn(andnSrc1, andnSrc2, size, ref eflags);
+                flagsChanged = true;
+                return true;
+
+            case Mnemonic.Blsi:
+            case Mnemonic.Blsmsk:
+            case Mnemonic.Blsr:
+                if (!TryReadOperand(contextRecord, in instruction, 1, size, out var blsSrc))
+                {
+                    return false;
+                }
+
+                result = instruction.Mnemonic switch
+                {
+                    Mnemonic.Blsi => BmiInstructionEmulator.Blsi(blsSrc, size, ref eflags),
+                    Mnemonic.Blsmsk => BmiInstructionEmulator.Blsmsk(blsSrc, size, ref eflags),
+                    _ => BmiInstructionEmulator.Blsr(blsSrc, size, ref eflags),
+                };
+                flagsChanged = true;
+                return true;
+
+            case Mnemonic.Bextr:
+                if (!TryReadOperand(contextRecord, in instruction, 1, size, out var bextrSrc) ||
+                    !TryReadOperand(contextRecord, in instruction, 2, size, out var bextrControl))
+                {
+                    return false;
+                }
+
+                result = BmiInstructionEmulator.Bextr(bextrSrc, bextrControl, size, ref eflags);
+                flagsChanged = true;
+                return true;
+
+            case Mnemonic.Bzhi:
+                if (!TryReadOperand(contextRecord, in instruction, 1, size, out var bzhiSrc) ||
+                    !TryReadOperand(contextRecord, in instruction, 2, size, out var bzhiIndex))
+                {
+                    return false;
+                }
+
+                result = BmiInstructionEmulator.Bzhi(bzhiSrc, bzhiIndex, size, ref eflags);
+                flagsChanged = true;
+                return true;
+
+            case Mnemonic.Tzcnt:
+            case Mnemonic.Lzcnt:
+                if (!TryReadOperand(contextRecord, in instruction, 1, size, out var cntSrc))
+                {
+                    return false;
+                }
+
+                result = instruction.Mnemonic == Mnemonic.Tzcnt
+                    ? BmiInstructionEmulator.Tzcnt(cntSrc, size, ref eflags)
+                    : BmiInstructionEmulator.Lzcnt(cntSrc, size, ref eflags);
+                flagsChanged = true;
+                return true;
+
+            case Mnemonic.Rorx:
+                if (instruction.Op2Kind != OpKind.Immediate8 ||
+                    !TryReadOperand(contextRecord, in instruction, 1, size, out var rorxSrc))
+                {
+                    return false;
+                }
+
+                result = BmiInstructionEmulator.Rorx(rorxSrc, instruction.Immediate8, size);
+                return true;
+
+            case Mnemonic.Sarx:
+            case Mnemonic.Shlx:
+            case Mnemonic.Shrx:
+                if (!TryReadOperand(contextRecord, in instruction, 1, size, out var shiftSrc) ||
+                    !TryReadOperand(contextRecord, in instruction, 2, size, out var shiftCount))
+                {
+                    return false;
+                }
+
+                result = instruction.Mnemonic switch
+                {
+                    Mnemonic.Sarx => BmiInstructionEmulator.Sarx(shiftSrc, (int)shiftCount, size),
+                    Mnemonic.Shlx => BmiInstructionEmulator.Shlx(shiftSrc, (int)shiftCount, size),
+                    _ => BmiInstructionEmulator.Shrx(shiftSrc, (int)shiftCount, size),
+                };
+                return true;
+
+            case Mnemonic.Pdep:
+            case Mnemonic.Pext:
+                if (!TryReadOperand(contextRecord, in instruction, 1, size, out var packSrc) ||
+                    !TryReadOperand(contextRecord, in instruction, 2, size, out var packMask))
+                {
+                    return false;
+                }
+
+                result = instruction.Mnemonic == Mnemonic.Pdep
+                    ? BmiInstructionEmulator.Pdep(packSrc, packMask, size)
+                    : BmiInstructionEmulator.Pext(packSrc, packMask, size);
+                return true;
+
+            default:
+                return false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    private unsafe bool TryReadFaultingInstruction(ulong rip, out Instruction instruction)
+    {
+        // Try the full instruction window first, then shrink so a fault near the end of a mapped
+        // page (where fewer than 15 bytes are readable) still decodes.
+        foreach (var attempt in DecodeWindowSizes)
+        {
+            var buffer = new byte[attempt];
+            if (!TryReadHostBytes(rip, buffer))
+            {
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            var decoder = Decoder.Create(64, new ByteArrayCodeReader(buffer));
+            decoder.IP = rip;
+            decoder.Decode(out instruction);
+            if (instruction.Code != Code.INVALID && instruction.Length > 0 && instruction.Length <= attempt)
+            {
+                return true;
+            }
+        }
+
+        instruction = default;
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    private unsafe bool TryReadOperand(
+        void* contextRecord,
+        in Instruction instruction,
+        int operandIndex,
+        GprOperandSize size,
+        out ulong value)
+    {
+        value = 0;
+        switch (instruction.GetOpKind(operandIndex))
+        {
+            case OpKind.Register:
+                if (!TryGetGprSlot(instruction.GetOpRegister(operandIndex), out var offset, out _))
+                {
+                    return false;
+                }
+
+                var raw = ReadCtxU64(contextRecord, offset);
+                value = size == GprOperandSize.Bits64 ? raw : raw & 0xFFFF_FFFFUL;
+                return true;
+
+            case OpKind.Memory:
+                if (!TryComputeMemoryAddress(contextRecord, in instruction, out var address))
+                {
+                    return false;
+                }
+
+                var byteCount = size == GprOperandSize.Bits64 ? 8 : 4;
+                var buffer = new byte[byteCount];
+                if (!TryReadHostBytes(address, buffer))
+                {
+                    return false;
+                }
+
+                value = byteCount == 8
+                    ? BinaryPrimitives.ReadUInt64LittleEndian(buffer)
+                    : BinaryPrimitives.ReadUInt32LittleEndian(buffer);
+                return true;
+
+            default:
+                return false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    private unsafe bool TryComputeMemoryAddress(void* contextRecord, in Instruction instruction, out ulong address)
+    {
+        address = 0;
+
+        // FS/GS-relative operands need the guest segment base, which is not modelled here.
+        if (instruction.SegmentPrefix != Register.None)
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        if (instruction.IsIPRelativeMemoryOperand)
+        {
+            address = instruction.IPRelativeMemoryAddress;
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        var effective = instruction.MemoryDisplacement64;
+        if (instruction.MemoryBase != Register.None)
+        {
+            if (!TryGetGpr64Offset(instruction.MemoryBase, out var baseOffset))
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            effective += ReadCtxU64(contextRecord, baseOffset);
+        }
+
+        if (instruction.MemoryIndex != Register.None)
+        {
+            if (!TryGetGpr64Offset(instruction.MemoryIndex, out var indexOffset))
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            effective += ReadCtxU64(contextRecord, indexOffset) * (ulong)instruction.MemoryIndexScale;
+        }
+
+        address = effective;
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    // Maps a 32- or 64-bit GPR to its CONTEXT offset and reports the operand width it implies.
+    private static bool TryGetGprSlot(Register register, out int offset, out GprOperandSize size)
+    {
+        switch (register)
+        {
+            case Register.EAX: offset = CTX_RAX; size = GprOperandSize.Bits32; return true;
+            case Register.ECX: offset = CTX_RCX; size = GprOperandSize.Bits32; return true;
+            case Register.EDX: offset = CTX_RDX; size = GprOperandSize.Bits32; return true;
+            case Register.EBX: offset = CTX_RBX; size = GprOperandSize.Bits32; return true;
+            case Register.ESP: offset = CTX_RSP; size = GprOperandSize.Bits32; return true;
+            case Register.EBP: offset = CTX_RBP; size = GprOperandSize.Bits32; return true;
+            case Register.ESI: offset = CTX_RSI; size = GprOperandSize.Bits32; return true;
+            case Register.EDI: offset = CTX_RDI; size = GprOperandSize.Bits32; return true;
+            case Register.R8D: offset = CTX_R8; size = GprOperandSize.Bits32; return true;
+            case Register.R9D: offset = CTX_R9; size = GprOperandSize.Bits32; return true;
+            case Register.R10D: offset = CTX_R10; size = GprOperandSize.Bits32; return true;
+            case Register.R11D: offset = CTX_R11; size = GprOperandSize.Bits32; return true;
+            case Register.R12D: offset = CTX_R12; size = GprOperandSize.Bits32; return true;
+            case Register.R13D: offset = CTX_R13; size = GprOperandSize.Bits32; return true;
+            case Register.R14D: offset = CTX_R14; size = GprOperandSize.Bits32; return true;
+            case Register.R15D: offset = CTX_R15; size = GprOperandSize.Bits32; return true;
+            default:
+                if (TryGetGpr64Offset(register, out offset))
+                {
+                    size = GprOperandSize.Bits64;
+                    return true;
+                }
+
+                size = GprOperandSize.Bits32;
+                return false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static bool TryGetGpr64Offset(Register register, out int offset)
+    {
+        switch (register)
+        {
+            case Register.RAX: offset = CTX_RAX; return true;
+            case Register.RCX: offset = CTX_RCX; return true;
+            case Register.RDX: offset = CTX_RDX; return true;
+            case Register.RBX: offset = CTX_RBX; return true;
+            case Register.RSP: offset = CTX_RSP; return true;
+            case Register.RBP: offset = CTX_RBP; return true;
+            case Register.RSI: offset = CTX_RSI; return true;
+            case Register.RDI: offset = CTX_RDI; return true;
+            case Register.R8: offset = CTX_R8; return true;
+            case Register.R9: offset = CTX_R9; return true;
+            case Register.R10: offset = CTX_R10; return true;
+            case Register.R11: offset = CTX_R11; return true;
+            case Register.R12: offset = CTX_R12; return true;
+            case Register.R13: offset = CTX_R13; return true;
+            case Register.R14: offset = CTX_R14; return true;
+            case Register.R15: offset = CTX_R15; return true;
+            default: offset = 0; return false;
+        }
+    }
+}

src/SharpEmu.Core/Cpu/Native/DirectExecutionBackend.Imports.cs

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
 using System.Security.Cryptography;
 using System.Text;
 using System.Threading;
+using SharpEmu.Core.Cpu.Debugging;
 using SharpEmu.Core.Cpu;
 using SharpEmu.HLE;
 using SharpEmu.Libs.Kernel;
@@ -316,11 +317,15 @@ public sealed partial class DirectExecutionBackend
 		}
 		if (!isGuestWorker &&
 			!ActiveForcedGuestExit &&
-			ShouldForceGuestExitOnImportLoop(in importStubEntry, num7, num, value, value2) &&
-			TryForceGuestExitToHostStub(argPackPtr, num, num7, importStubEntry.Nid))
+			ShouldForceGuestExitOnImportLoop(in importStubEntry, num7, num, value, value2))
 		{
-			cpuContext[CpuRegister.Rax] = 1uL;
-			return 1uL;
+			// Break before the forced exit so the loop state is still live.
+			NotifyDebuggerStall(CpuStallKind.ImportLoop, in importStubEntry, num7, num, value, value2);
+			if (TryForceGuestExitToHostStub(argPackPtr, num, num7, importStubEntry.Nid))
+			{
+				cpuContext[CpuRegister.Rax] = 1uL;
+				return 1uL;
+			}
 		}
 		bool flag0 = importStubEntry.SuppressStrlenTrace;
 		bool flag = num7 >= 2156221920u && num7 <= 2156225024u;
@@ -598,7 +603,7 @@ public sealed partial class DirectExecutionBackend
 				}
 
 				*(ulong*)(argPackPtr + 96) = unchecked((ulong)transferStub);
-				if (string.Equals(Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SHARPEMU_LOG_FIBER"), "1", StringComparison.Ordinal))
+				if (_logFiber)
 				{
 					Console.Error.WriteLine(
 						$"[LOADER][TRACE] fiber.context-transfer rip=0x{transferTarget.Rip:X16} " +
@@ -1292,7 +1297,7 @@ public sealed partial class DirectExecutionBackend
 		}
 
 		int returnValue;
-		if (IsNoBlockLeafImport(importStubEntry.Nid))
+		if (importStubEntry.IsNoBlockLeaf)
 		{
 			cpuContext.ClearRaxWriteFlag();
 			returnValue = export.Function(cpuContext);
@@ -1345,8 +1350,7 @@ public sealed partial class DirectExecutionBackend
 				out var blockContinuation,
 				out var hasBlockContinuation,
 				out var blockWakeKey,
-				out var blockResumeHandler,
-				out var blockWakeHandler,
+				out var blockWaiter,
 				out var blockDeadlineTimestamp);
 		if (consumedThreadBlock &&
 			TryYieldGuestThreadToHostStub(argPackPtr, dispatchIndex, returnRip, importStubEntry.Nid, blockReason))
@@ -1357,8 +1361,7 @@ public sealed partial class DirectExecutionBackend
 					GuestThreadExecution.CurrentGuestThreadHandle,
 					blockContinuation,
 					blockWakeKey,
-					blockResumeHandler,
-					blockWakeHandler,
+					blockWaiter,
 					blockDeadlineTimestamp);
 			}
 

src/SharpEmu.Core/Cpu/Native/DirectExecutionBackend.cs

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ using System.Linq;
 using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
 using System.Threading;
 using SharpEmu.Core.Cpu;
+using SharpEmu.Core.Cpu.Debugging;
 using SharpEmu.Core.Loader;
 using SharpEmu.Core.Memory;
 using SharpEmu.HLE;
@@ -48,6 +49,8 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 		// hashing are hoisted to stub-setup time.
 		public bool IsLeaf { get; }
 
+		public bool IsNoBlockLeaf { get; }
+
 		public bool SuppressStrlenTrace { get; }
 
 		public bool IsLoopGuardBoundary { get; }
@@ -59,6 +62,7 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 			string nid,
 			ExportedFunction? export,
 			bool isLeaf,
+			bool isNoBlockLeaf,
 			bool suppressStrlenTrace,
 			bool isLoopGuardBoundary,
 			ulong nidHash)
@@ -67,6 +71,7 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 			Nid = nid;
 			Export = export;
 			IsLeaf = isLeaf;
+			IsNoBlockLeaf = isNoBlockLeaf;
 			SuppressStrlenTrace = suppressStrlenTrace;
 			IsLoopGuardBoundary = isLoopGuardBoundary;
 			NidHash = nidHash;
@@ -231,6 +236,11 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 
 	private CpuContext? _cpuContext;
 
+	// Debugger seam; both null when no debugger is attached.
+	private ICpuDebugHook? _debugHook;
+
+	private ICpuDebugFrame? _activeDebugFrame;
+
 	[ThreadStatic]
 	private static DirectExecutionBackend? _activeExecutionBackend;
 
@@ -318,6 +328,8 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 
 	private bool _logUsleep;
 
+	private bool _logFiber;
+
 	private bool _logBootstrap;
 
 	private bool _logAllImports;
@@ -437,10 +449,6 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 		// Stays set through the wake transition; Resume() consumes it when the thread pumps.
 		public IGuestThreadBlockWaiter? BlockWaiter { get; set; }
 
-		public Func<int>? BlockResumeHandler { get; set; }
-
-		public Func<bool>? BlockWakeHandler { get; set; }
-
 		public long BlockDeadlineTimestamp { get; set; }
 
 		public long ImportCount;
@@ -712,7 +720,7 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 
 	private string? _guestThreadYieldReason;
 
-	private bool _forcedGuestExit;
+	private volatile bool _forcedGuestExit;
 
 	private ulong _lastAvTraceRip;
 
@@ -888,6 +896,49 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 
 	private bool HasActiveExecutionThread => ReferenceEquals(_activeExecutionBackend, this);
 
+	/// <summary>
+	/// Binds the debug frame view the dispatcher created for the frame about to
+	/// run, so stall notifications reference the same frame the debugger saw at
+	/// entry. Set to null when no debugger is attached.
+	/// </summary>
+	internal void SetActiveDebugFrame(ICpuDebugFrame? frame) => _activeDebugFrame = frame;
+
+	/// <summary>
+	/// Notifies an attached debugger of a detected execution stall. No-op when no
+	/// debugger is attached or no frame is bound. The debugger may block here to
+	/// present a break before the backend forces the guest out of the loop.
+	/// </summary>
+	private void NotifyDebuggerStall(
+		CpuStallKind kind,
+		in ImportStubEntry import,
+		ulong instructionPointer,
+		long dispatchIndex,
+		ulong argument0,
+		ulong argument1)
+	{
+		var hook = _debugHook;
+		var frame = _activeDebugFrame;
+		if (hook is null || frame is null)
+		{
+			return;
+		}
+
+		var export = import.Export;
+		var exportDescription = export is null ? "unresolved" : $"{export.LibraryName}:{export.Name}";
+		var detail = $"kind={kind}, nid={import.Nid}, export={exportDescription}, dispatch#{dispatchIndex}, " +
+			$"rip=0x{instructionPointer:X16}, arg0=0x{argument0:X16}, arg1=0x{argument1:X16}";
+		hook.OnStall(frame, new CpuStallInfo(
+			kind,
+			import.Nid,
+			instructionPointer,
+			dispatchIndex,
+			argument0,
+			argument1,
+			detail,
+			export?.LibraryName,
+			export?.Name));
+	}
+
 	private CpuContext? ActiveCpuContext => HasActiveExecutionThread ? _activeCpuContext : _cpuContext;
 
 	private ulong ActiveEntryReturnSentinelRip
@@ -911,7 +962,10 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 
 	private bool ActiveForcedGuestExit
 	{
-		get => HasActiveExecutionThread ? _activeForcedGuestExit : _forcedGuestExit;
+		// Host shutdown is requested from a UI or VideoOut thread. Native guest
+		// workers have their own thread-local execution state, so they must also
+		// observe the backend-wide shutdown flag.
+		get => _forcedGuestExit || (HasActiveExecutionThread && _activeForcedGuestExit);
 		set
 		{
 			if (HasActiveExecutionThread)
@@ -1046,6 +1100,7 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 		Console.Error.WriteLine(_moduleManager.TryGetExport("L-Q3LEjIbgA", out ExportedFunction export2) ? ("[LOADER][INFO] ExportCheck map_direct: " + export2.LibraryName + ":" + export2.Name) : "[LOADER][INFO] ExportCheck map_direct: MISSING");
 		_entryPoint = entryPoint;
 		_cpuContext = context;
+		_debugHook = executionOptions.DebugHook;
 		_returnFallbackTarget = context[CpuRegister.Rsi];
 		Volatile.Write(ref _globalFallbackTarget, _returnFallbackTarget);
 		Volatile.Write(ref _globalUnresolvedReturnStub, (ulong)_unresolvedReturnStub);
@@ -1067,6 +1122,7 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 		_ignoredGuestInt41Count = 0;
 		_logGuestThreads = string.Equals(Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SHARPEMU_LOG_GUEST_THREADS"), "1", StringComparison.Ordinal);
 		_logUsleep = string.Equals(Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SHARPEMU_LOG_USLEEP"), "1", StringComparison.Ordinal);
+		_logFiber = string.Equals(Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SHARPEMU_LOG_FIBER"), "1", StringComparison.Ordinal);
 		_logBootstrap = string.Equals(Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SHARPEMU_LOG_BOOTSTRAP"), "1", StringComparison.Ordinal);
 		_logAllImports = string.Equals(Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SHARPEMU_LOG_ALL_IMPORTS"), "1", StringComparison.Ordinal);
 		_logImportFrames = string.Equals(Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SHARPEMU_LOG_IMPORT_FRAMES"), "1", StringComparison.Ordinal);
@@ -1164,6 +1220,7 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 				text2,
 				resolvedExport,
 				IsLeafImport(text2),
+				IsNoBlockLeafImport(text2),
 				ShouldSuppressStrlenTrace(text2),
 				IsImportLoopGuardBoundary(text2),
 				StableHash64(text2));
@@ -1760,14 +1817,16 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 		frameAddress = 0;
 		transferStub = 0;
 		error = null;
-		if (target.Rip < 65536 || target.Rsp == 0)
+		if (ActiveCpuContext is not { } activeContext)
 		{
-			error = $"invalid guest context transfer target rip=0x{target.Rip:X16} rsp=0x{target.Rsp:X16}";
+			error = "guest context transfer without an active CPU context";
 			return false;
 		}
-		if (target.Rsp < sizeof(ulong) ||
-			ActiveCpuContext is not { } activeContext ||
-			!activeContext.TryWriteUInt64(target.Rsp - sizeof(ulong), target.Rip))
+		if (!TryValidateGuestContextTransferTarget(activeContext.Memory, target, out error))
+		{
+			return false;
+		}
+		if (!activeContext.TryWriteUInt64(target.Rsp - sizeof(ulong), target.Rip))
 		{
 			error = $"guest context transfer slot is not writable at 0x{target.Rsp - sizeof(ulong):X16}";
 			return false;
@@ -1811,6 +1870,30 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 		return true;
 	}
 
+	internal static bool TryValidateGuestContextTransferTarget(
+		ICpuMemory memory,
+		in GuestCpuContinuation target,
+		out string? error)
+	{
+		if (target.Rip < 65536 || target.Rsp < sizeof(ulong))
+		{
+			error = $"invalid guest context transfer target rip=0x{target.Rip:X16} rsp=0x{target.Rsp:X16}";
+			return false;
+		}
+
+		Span<byte> ripProbe = stackalloc byte[1];
+		if (!memory.TryRead(target.Rip, ripProbe))
+		{
+			error =
+				$"guest context transfer target rip=0x{target.Rip:X16} is not mapped guest memory " +
+				$"(rsp=0x{target.Rsp:X16})";
+			return false;
+		}
+
+		error = null;
+		return true;
+	}
+
 	private unsafe nint GetOrCreateGuestContextTransferStub()
 	{
 		if (Volatile.Read(ref _guestContextTransferStub) != 0)
@@ -3178,43 +3261,6 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 			thread.HasBlockedContinuation = true;
 			thread.BlockWakeKey = wakeKey;
 			thread.BlockWaiter = waiter;
-			thread.BlockResumeHandler = null;
-			thread.BlockWakeHandler = null;
-			thread.BlockDeadlineTimestamp = blockDeadlineTimestamp;
-			TraceFocusedContinuation(
-				"register",
-				guestThreadHandle,
-				continuation,
-				wakeKey);
-		}
-	}
-
-	private void RegisterBlockedGuestThreadContinuation(
-		ulong guestThreadHandle,
-		GuestCpuContinuation continuation,
-		string wakeKey,
-		Func<int>? resumeHandler,
-		Func<bool>? wakeHandler,
-		long blockDeadlineTimestamp)
-	{
-		if (guestThreadHandle == 0 || continuation.Rip < 65536 || continuation.Rsp == 0)
-		{
-			return;
-		}
-
-		using (LockGate("RegisterBlockedContinuation"))
-		{
-			if (!_guestThreads.TryGetValue(guestThreadHandle, out var thread))
-			{
-				return;
-			}
-
-			thread.BlockedContinuation = continuation;
-			thread.HasBlockedContinuation = true;
-			thread.BlockWakeKey = wakeKey;
-			thread.BlockWaiter = null;
-			thread.BlockResumeHandler = resumeHandler;
-			thread.BlockWakeHandler = wakeHandler;
 			thread.BlockDeadlineTimestamp = blockDeadlineTimestamp;
 			TraceFocusedContinuation(
 				"register",
@@ -3264,31 +3310,15 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 		{
 			Pump(callerContext, reason);
 
-			var threads = SnapshotGuestThreads();
-			if (threads.Length == 0)
+			// Tally run states under the lock without allocating a snapshot every
+			// spin (this loop can iterate rapidly); the full snapshot is only
+			// materialized for the gated diagnostic dump below.
+			GetGuestThreadActivity(out var threadCount, out var hasReadyThread, out var hasRunningThread, out var hasBlockedThread);
+			if (threadCount == 0)
 			{
 				return;
 			}
 
-			var hasReadyThread = false;
-			var hasRunningThread = false;
-			var hasBlockedThread = false;
-			foreach (var thread in threads)
-			{
-				switch (thread.State)
-				{
-					case GuestThreadRunState.Ready:
-						hasReadyThread = true;
-						break;
-					case GuestThreadRunState.Running:
-						hasRunningThread = true;
-						break;
-					case GuestThreadRunState.Blocked:
-						hasBlockedThread = true;
-						break;
-				}
-			}
-
 			if (hasReadyThread)
 			{
 				continue;
@@ -3301,7 +3331,7 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 
 			if (_logGuestThreads && Stopwatch.GetTimestamp() >= nextSnapshotTimestamp)
 			{
-				foreach (var thread in threads)
+				foreach (var thread in SnapshotGuestThreads())
 				{
 					Console.Error.WriteLine(
 						$"[LOADER][TRACE] guest_thread.idle_wait reason={reason} handle=0x{thread.ThreadHandle:X16} " +
@@ -3321,7 +3351,36 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 	{
 		using (LockGate("SnapshotGuestThreads"))
 		{
-			return _guestThreads.Values.ToArray();
+			var snapshot = new GuestThreadState[_guestThreads.Count];
+			_guestThreads.Values.CopyTo(snapshot, 0);
+			return snapshot;
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Allocation-free run-state tally for the idle spin loop.
+	private void GetGuestThreadActivity(out int count, out bool hasReady, out bool hasRunning, out bool hasBlocked)
+	{
+		hasReady = false;
+		hasRunning = false;
+		hasBlocked = false;
+		using (LockGate("GetGuestThreadActivity"))
+		{
+			count = _guestThreads.Count;
+			foreach (var thread in _guestThreads.Values)
+			{
+				switch (thread.State)
+				{
+					case GuestThreadRunState.Ready:
+						hasReady = true;
+						break;
+					case GuestThreadRunState.Running:
+						hasRunning = true;
+						break;
+					case GuestThreadRunState.Blocked:
+						hasBlocked = true;
+						break;
+				}
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -3362,6 +3421,11 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 	{
 		returnValue = 0;
 		error = null;
+		if (_forcedGuestExit)
+		{
+			error = "guest execution is shutting down";
+			return false;
+		}
 		if (entryPoint < 65536)
 		{
 			error = $"invalid guest callback entry=0x{entryPoint:X16}";
@@ -3512,11 +3576,10 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 
 				owner.State = GuestThreadRunState.Blocked;
 				owner.BlockReason = callbackReason ?? reason;
-				if (owner.BlockWakeHandler is not null && owner.BlockWakeHandler())
+				if (owner.BlockWaiter is not null && owner.BlockWaiter.TryWake())
 				{
 					owner.State = GuestThreadRunState.Ready;
 					owner.BlockReason = null;
-					owner.BlockWakeHandler = null;
 					owner.BlockDeadlineTimestamp = 0;
 				}
 			}
@@ -3528,7 +3591,7 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 			}
 
 			GuestCpuContinuation continuation = default;
-			Func<int>? resumeHandler = null;
+			IGuestThreadBlockWaiter? blockWaiter = null;
 			while (!ActiveForcedGuestExit)
 			{
 				WakeExpiredBlockedGuestThreads();
@@ -3549,9 +3612,8 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 						owner.BlockedContinuation = default;
 						owner.HasBlockedContinuation = false;
 						owner.BlockWakeKey = null;
-						resumeHandler = owner.BlockResumeHandler;
-						owner.BlockResumeHandler = null;
-						owner.BlockWakeHandler = null;
+						blockWaiter = owner.BlockWaiter;
+						owner.BlockWaiter = null;
 						owner.BlockDeadlineTimestamp = 0;
 						owner.BlockReason = null;
 						owner.State = GuestThreadRunState.Running;
@@ -3574,9 +3636,9 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 				return false;
 			}
 
-			if (resumeHandler is not null)
+			if (blockWaiter is not null)
 			{
-				continuation = continuation with { Rax = unchecked((ulong)(long)resumeHandler()) };
+				continuation = continuation with { Rax = unchecked((ulong)(long)blockWaiter.Resume()) };
 			}
 			if (_logGuestThreads)
 			{
@@ -3608,6 +3670,11 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 		out string? error)
 	{
 		error = null;
+		if (_forcedGuestExit)
+		{
+			error = "guest execution is shutting down";
+			return false;
+		}
 		if (continuation.Rip < 65536 || continuation.Rsp == 0)
 		{
 			error = $"invalid guest continuation rip=0x{continuation.Rip:X16} rsp=0x{continuation.Rsp:X16}";
@@ -3784,8 +3851,7 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 		bool savedHasBlockedContinuation;
 		GuestCpuContinuation savedBlockedContinuation;
 		string? savedBlockWakeKey;
-		Func<int>? savedBlockResumeHandler;
-		Func<bool>? savedBlockWakeHandler;
+		IGuestThreadBlockWaiter? savedBlockWaiter;
 		long savedBlockDeadlineTimestamp;
 		ulong exceptionStackBase;
 		lock (_guestThreadGate)
@@ -3921,8 +3987,7 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 			savedHasBlockedContinuation = target.HasBlockedContinuation;
 			savedBlockedContinuation = target.BlockedContinuation;
 			savedBlockWakeKey = target.BlockWakeKey;
-			savedBlockResumeHandler = target.BlockResumeHandler;
-			savedBlockWakeHandler = target.BlockWakeHandler;
+			savedBlockWaiter = target.BlockWaiter;
 			savedBlockDeadlineTimestamp = target.BlockDeadlineTimestamp;
 
 			target.State = GuestThreadRunState.Running;
@@ -3932,8 +3997,7 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 			target.HasBlockedContinuation = false;
 			target.BlockedContinuation = default;
 			target.BlockWakeKey = null;
-			target.BlockResumeHandler = null;
-			target.BlockWakeHandler = null;
+			target.BlockWaiter = null;
 			target.BlockDeadlineTimestamp = 0;
 		}
 
@@ -3981,8 +4045,7 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 			target.HasBlockedContinuation = savedHasBlockedContinuation;
 			target.BlockedContinuation = savedBlockedContinuation;
 			target.BlockWakeKey = savedBlockWakeKey;
-			target.BlockResumeHandler = savedBlockResumeHandler;
-			target.BlockWakeHandler = savedBlockWakeHandler;
+			target.BlockWaiter = savedBlockWaiter;
 			target.BlockDeadlineTimestamp = savedBlockDeadlineTimestamp;
 
 			// A condition/event wake can arrive while the parked thread is
@@ -3992,12 +4055,11 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 			// pthread wait remains parked forever after a GC suspension races it.
 			if (target.State == GuestThreadRunState.Blocked &&
 				target.HasBlockedContinuation &&
-				target.BlockWakeHandler is not null &&
-				target.BlockWakeHandler())
+				target.BlockWaiter is not null &&
+				target.BlockWaiter.TryWake())
 			{
 				target.State = GuestThreadRunState.Ready;
 				target.BlockReason = null;
-				target.BlockWakeHandler = null;
 				target.BlockDeadlineTimestamp = 0;
 				_readyGuestThreads.Enqueue(target);
 				Interlocked.Increment(ref _readyGuestThreadCount);
@@ -4638,6 +4700,21 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 
 	private void RunGuestThread(GuestThreadState thread, string reason)
 	{
+		if (_forcedGuestExit)
+		{
+			// Host shutdown: never enter guest code again. Teardown is about to
+			// free trampolines and the guest address space, and it only waits
+			// for executors that are already inside a slice.
+			lock (_guestThreadGate)
+			{
+				thread.State = GuestThreadRunState.Faulted;
+				thread.BlockReason = "host shutdown";
+				thread.HostThread = null;
+				thread.ExecutorActive = false;
+			}
+			return;
+		}
+
 		lock (_guestThreadGate)
 		{
 			if (!thread.ExecutorActive)
@@ -5080,64 +5157,51 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 			BindTlsBase(context);
 			byte* ptr2 = (byte*)ptr;
 			ulong hostRspSlot = (ulong)hostRspStorage;
-			int offset = 0;
+			var emitter = new NativeCodeEmitter(ptr2);
 
-			void Emit(byte value) => ptr2[offset++] = value;
-			void EmitU64(ulong value)
-			{
-				*(ulong*)(ptr2 + offset) = value;
-				offset += sizeof(ulong);
-			}
-			void EmitMovR64Imm(byte rex, byte opcode, ulong value)
-			{
-				Emit(rex);
-				Emit(opcode);
-				EmitU64(value);
-			}
-
-			Emit(0x53); // push rbx
-			Emit(0x55); // push rbp
-			Emit(0x57); // push rdi
-			Emit(0x56); // push rsi
-			Emit(0x41); Emit(0x54); // push r12
-			Emit(0x41); Emit(0x55); // push r13
-			Emit(0x41); Emit(0x56); // push r14
-			Emit(0x41); Emit(0x57); // push r15
-			EmitHostNonvolatileXmmSave(ptr2, ref offset);
+			emitter.Emit(0x53); // push rbx
+			emitter.Emit(0x55); // push rbp
+			emitter.Emit(0x57); // push rdi
+			emitter.Emit(0x56); // push rsi
+			emitter.Emit(0x41); emitter.Emit(0x54); // push r12
+			emitter.Emit(0x41); emitter.Emit(0x55); // push r13
+			emitter.Emit(0x41); emitter.Emit(0x56); // push r14
+			emitter.Emit(0x41); emitter.Emit(0x57); // push r15
+			EmitHostNonvolatileXmmSave(ptr2, ref emitter.Offset);
 			// Restore the fiber's floating-point control environment before
 			// abandoning the host stack. This path is used when a blocked guest
 			// continuation migrates to another managed worker.
-			Emit(0x48); Emit(0x83); Emit(0xEC); Emit(0x08); // sub rsp,8
-			Emit(0xC7); Emit(0x04); Emit(0x24);             // mov dword [rsp],imm32
-			*(uint*)(ptr2 + offset) = context.Mxcsr; offset += sizeof(uint);
-			Emit(0x0F); Emit(0xAE); Emit(0x14); Emit(0x24); // ldmxcsr [rsp]
-			Emit(0x66); Emit(0xC7); Emit(0x04); Emit(0x24); // mov word [rsp],imm16
-			*(ushort*)(ptr2 + offset) = context.FpuControlWord; offset += sizeof(ushort);
-			Emit(0xD9); Emit(0x2C); Emit(0x24);             // fldcw [rsp]
-			Emit(0x48); Emit(0x83); Emit(0xC4); Emit(0x08); // add rsp,8
-			EmitMovR64Imm(0x49, 0xBA, hostRspSlot); // mov r10, hostRspSlot
-			Emit(0x49); Emit(0x89); Emit(0x22); // mov [r10], rsp
-			EmitMovR64Imm(0x48, 0xB8, context[CpuRegister.Rsp]); // mov rax, guest rsp
-			Emit(0x48); Emit(0x89); Emit(0xC4); // mov rsp, rax
-			Emit(0x48); Emit(0x83); Emit(0xEC); Emit(0x08); // reserve transfer slot
-			EmitMovR64Imm(0x48, 0xB8, entryPoint); // mov rax, entryPoint
-			Emit(0x48); Emit(0x89); Emit(0x04); Emit(0x24); // mov [rsp],rax
-			EmitMovR64Imm(0x48, 0xBB, context[CpuRegister.Rbx]); // mov rbx, imm64
-			EmitMovR64Imm(0x48, 0xBD, context[CpuRegister.Rbp]); // mov rbp, imm64
-			EmitMovR64Imm(0x48, 0xBF, context[CpuRegister.Rdi]); // mov rdi, imm64
-			EmitMovR64Imm(0x48, 0xBE, context[CpuRegister.Rsi]); // mov rsi, imm64
-			EmitMovR64Imm(0x48, 0xBA, context[CpuRegister.Rdx]); // mov rdx, imm64
-			EmitMovR64Imm(0x48, 0xB9, context[CpuRegister.Rcx]); // mov rcx, imm64
-			EmitMovR64Imm(0x49, 0xB8, context[CpuRegister.R8]); // mov r8, imm64
-			EmitMovR64Imm(0x49, 0xB9, context[CpuRegister.R9]); // mov r9, imm64
-			EmitMovR64Imm(0x49, 0xBA, context[CpuRegister.R10]); // mov r10, imm64
-			EmitMovR64Imm(0x49, 0xBC, context[CpuRegister.R12]); // mov r12, imm64
-			EmitMovR64Imm(0x49, 0xBD, context[CpuRegister.R13]); // mov r13, imm64
-			EmitMovR64Imm(0x49, 0xBE, context[CpuRegister.R14]); // mov r14, imm64
-			EmitMovR64Imm(0x49, 0xBF, context[CpuRegister.R15]); // mov r15, imm64
-			EmitMovR64Imm(0x49, 0xBB, context[CpuRegister.R11]); // mov r11, imm64
-			EmitMovR64Imm(0x48, 0xB8, context[CpuRegister.Rax]); // mov rax, imm64
-			Emit(0xC3); // ret through the synthetic transfer slot
+			emitter.Emit(0x48); emitter.Emit(0x83); emitter.Emit(0xEC); emitter.Emit(0x08); // sub rsp,8
+			emitter.Emit(0xC7); emitter.Emit(0x04); emitter.Emit(0x24); // mov dword [rsp],imm32
+			emitter.Emit(context.Mxcsr);
+			emitter.Emit(0x0F); emitter.Emit(0xAE); emitter.Emit(0x14); emitter.Emit(0x24); // ldmxcsr [rsp]
+			emitter.Emit(0x66); emitter.Emit(0xC7); emitter.Emit(0x04); emitter.Emit(0x24); // mov word [rsp],imm16
+			emitter.Emit(context.FpuControlWord);
+			emitter.Emit(0xD9); emitter.Emit(0x2C); emitter.Emit(0x24); // fldcw [rsp]
+			emitter.Emit(0x48); emitter.Emit(0x83); emitter.Emit(0xC4); emitter.Emit(0x08); // add rsp,8
+			emitter.EmitMovR64Immediate(0x49, 0xBA, hostRspSlot); // mov r10, hostRspSlot
+			emitter.Emit(0x49); emitter.Emit(0x89); emitter.Emit(0x22); // mov [r10], rsp
+			emitter.EmitMovR64Immediate(0x48, 0xB8, context[CpuRegister.Rsp]); // mov rax, guest rsp
+			emitter.Emit(0x48); emitter.Emit(0x89); emitter.Emit(0xC4); // mov rsp, rax
+			emitter.Emit(0x48); emitter.Emit(0x83); emitter.Emit(0xEC); emitter.Emit(0x08); // reserve transfer slot
+			emitter.EmitMovR64Immediate(0x48, 0xB8, entryPoint); // mov rax, entryPoint
+			emitter.Emit(0x48); emitter.Emit(0x89); emitter.Emit(0x04); emitter.Emit(0x24); // mov [rsp],rax
+			emitter.EmitMovR64Immediate(0x48, 0xBB, context[CpuRegister.Rbx]); // mov rbx, imm64
+			emitter.EmitMovR64Immediate(0x48, 0xBD, context[CpuRegister.Rbp]); // mov rbp, imm64
+			emitter.EmitMovR64Immediate(0x48, 0xBF, context[CpuRegister.Rdi]); // mov rdi, imm64
+			emitter.EmitMovR64Immediate(0x48, 0xBE, context[CpuRegister.Rsi]); // mov rsi, imm64
+			emitter.EmitMovR64Immediate(0x48, 0xBA, context[CpuRegister.Rdx]); // mov rdx, imm64
+			emitter.EmitMovR64Immediate(0x48, 0xB9, context[CpuRegister.Rcx]); // mov rcx, imm64
+			emitter.EmitMovR64Immediate(0x49, 0xB8, context[CpuRegister.R8]); // mov r8, imm64
+			emitter.EmitMovR64Immediate(0x49, 0xB9, context[CpuRegister.R9]); // mov r9, imm64
+			emitter.EmitMovR64Immediate(0x49, 0xBA, context[CpuRegister.R10]); // mov r10, imm64
+			emitter.EmitMovR64Immediate(0x49, 0xBC, context[CpuRegister.R12]); // mov r12, imm64
+			emitter.EmitMovR64Immediate(0x49, 0xBD, context[CpuRegister.R13]); // mov r13, imm64
+			emitter.EmitMovR64Immediate(0x49, 0xBE, context[CpuRegister.R14]); // mov r14, imm64
+			emitter.EmitMovR64Immediate(0x49, 0xBF, context[CpuRegister.R15]); // mov r15, imm64
+			emitter.EmitMovR64Immediate(0x49, 0xBB, context[CpuRegister.R11]); // mov r11, imm64
+			emitter.EmitMovR64Immediate(0x48, 0xB8, context[CpuRegister.Rax]); // mov rax, imm64
+			emitter.Emit(0xC3); // ret through the synthetic transfer slot
 			ActiveEntryReturnSentinelRip = (ulong)_guestReturnStub;
 			if (returnSlotAddress == 0 || !context.TryWriteUInt64(returnSlotAddress, (ulong)_guestReturnStub))
 			{
@@ -5201,6 +5265,45 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 		}
 	}
 
+	// The continuation trampoline is rebuilt on every blocked-thread resume.
+	// Keep its tiny writer on the stack: capturing local emit functions create a
+	// managed display-class allocation on this extremely hot path.
+	private unsafe ref struct NativeCodeEmitter(byte* code)
+	{
+		private readonly byte* _code = code;
+		public int Offset;
+
+		public void Emit(byte value)
+		{
+			_code[Offset++] = value;
+		}
+
+		public void Emit(ushort value)
+		{
+			*(ushort*)(_code + Offset) = value;
+			Offset += sizeof(ushort);
+		}
+
+		public void Emit(uint value)
+		{
+			*(uint*)(_code + Offset) = value;
+			Offset += sizeof(uint);
+		}
+
+		private void Emit(ulong value)
+		{
+			*(ulong*)(_code + Offset) = value;
+			Offset += sizeof(ulong);
+		}
+
+		public void EmitMovR64Immediate(byte rex, byte opcode, ulong value)
+		{
+			Emit(rex);
+			Emit(opcode);
+			Emit(value);
+		}
+	}
+
 	private static ulong AlignDown(ulong value, ulong alignment)
 	{
 		if (alignment == 0)
@@ -5453,7 +5556,14 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 			{
 				num6 = CallNativeEntry(ptr);
 				Console.Error.WriteLine($"[LOADER][INFO] Guest returned: {num6}");
-				PumpUntilGuestThreadsIdle(context, "entry_return");
+				// A host stop has already invalidated the session. Draining guest
+				// continuations here can re-enter a blocked HLE call after its owner
+				// has exited, preventing the embedded GUI from receiving its exit
+				// callback.
+				if (!ActiveForcedGuestExit)
+				{
+					PumpUntilGuestThreadsIdle(context, "entry_return");
+				}
 			}
 			catch (AccessViolationException ex)
 			{
@@ -6106,8 +6216,68 @@ public sealed unsafe partial class DirectExecutionBackend : INativeCpuBackend, I
 	[return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
 	private static extern bool Win32CloseHandle(nint hObject);
 
+	/// <summary>
+	/// Set when <see cref="Dispose"/> intentionally left the native session
+	/// state (import trampolines, TLS, exception handlers) alive because guest
+	/// worker threads were still executing guest code. The owning runtime must
+	/// then keep the guest address space mapped as well; freeing either under a
+	/// running worker faults the whole process, which hosts the GUI launcher.
+	/// </summary>
+	internal bool GuestSessionLeaked { get; private set; }
+
+	private bool WaitForGuestThreadQuiescence(TimeSpan timeout)
+	{
+		var deadline = Stopwatch.GetTimestamp() + (long)(timeout.TotalSeconds * Stopwatch.Frequency);
+		while (true)
+		{
+			var busyCount = 0;
+			string? busyName = null;
+			var now = Stopwatch.GetTimestamp();
+			using (LockGate("WaitForGuestThreadQuiescence"))
+			{
+				foreach (var thread in _guestThreads.Values)
+				{
+					if (thread.ExecutorActive)
+					{
+						busyCount++;
+						busyName ??= thread.Name;
+					}
+				}
+			}
+
+			if (busyCount == 0)
+			{
+				return true;
+			}
+
+			if (now >= deadline)
+			{
+				Console.Error.WriteLine(
+					$"[LOADER][WARN] {busyCount} guest worker(s) (first: '{busyName}') did not leave guest code " +
+					"during shutdown; the native session state stays alive to avoid faulting them.");
+				return false;
+			}
+
+			Thread.Sleep(5);
+		}
+	}
+
 	public unsafe void Dispose()
 	{
+		// Guest workers unwind cooperatively at their next import or block
+		// boundary once the forced-exit flag is set. Everything freed below is
+		// still reachable from a worker inside guest code, so drain the
+		// scheduler first and leak the session rather than fault a straggler.
+		_forcedGuestExit = true;
+		StopReadyThreadDispatcher();
+		StopStallWatchdog();
+		if (!WaitForGuestThreadQuiescence(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(5)))
+		{
+			GuestSessionLeaked = true;
+			return;
+		}
+
+		ClearGuestThreads();
 		if (ReferenceEquals(_posixSignalBackend, this))
 		{
 			// The signal handlers stay installed (they chain to the previous

src/SharpEmu.Core/Loader/SelfLoader.cs

@@ -16,7 +16,9 @@ namespace SharpEmu.Core.Loader;
 
 public sealed class SelfLoader : ISelfLoader
 {
-    private const uint SelfMagic = 0x4F153D1D;
+    private const uint ElfMagic = 0x7F454C46;
+    private const uint Ps4SelfMagic = 0x4F153D1D;
+    private const uint Ps5SelfMagic = 0x5414F5EE;
     private const ulong SelfSegmentFlag = 0x800;
     private const int PageSize = 0x1000;
     private const ulong ImportStubBaseAddress = 0x0000_7000_0000_0000UL;
@@ -197,8 +199,9 @@ public sealed class SelfLoader : ISelfLoader
             {
                 if (!physicalVm.TryAllocateAtExact(imageBase, totalImageSize, executable: true, out var allocatedBase))
                 {
+                    var reason = physicalVm.DescribeAddressForDiagnostics(imageBase);
                     throw new InvalidOperationException(
-                        $"Could not allocate main image at required base 0x{imageBase:X16} (size=0x{totalImageSize:X}).");
+                        $"Could not allocate main image at required base 0x{imageBase:X16} (size=0x{totalImageSize:X}): {reason}.");
                 }
 
                 imageBase = allocatedBase;
@@ -354,10 +357,11 @@ public sealed class SelfLoader : ISelfLoader
             throw new InvalidDataException("Input image is too small to contain an ELF header.");
         }
 
-        if (imageData.Length >= sizeof(uint) && BinaryPrimitives.ReadUInt32BigEndian(imageData[..sizeof(uint)]) == SelfMagic)
+        var magic = BinaryPrimitives.ReadUInt32BigEndian(imageData[..sizeof(uint)]);
+        if (magic is Ps4SelfMagic or Ps5SelfMagic)
         {
             var selfHeader = ReadUnmanaged<SelfHeader>(imageData, 0);
-            if (!selfHeader.HasKnownLayout || selfHeader.Unknown != 0x22)
+            if (!selfHeader.HasKnownLayout)
             {
                 throw new InvalidDataException("SELF header signature is not recognized.");
             }
@@ -380,13 +384,11 @@ public sealed class SelfLoader : ISelfLoader
         // acceptable here; anything else — most commonly a still-encrypted
         // retail eboot — must be reported clearly rather than failing later
         // with an opaque "not a valid ELF header" message.
-        const uint ElfMagicBigEndian = 0x7F454C46; // "\x7fELF"
-        var leadingWord = BinaryPrimitives.ReadUInt32BigEndian(imageData[..sizeof(uint)]);
-        if (leadingWord != ElfMagicBigEndian)
+        if (magic != ElfMagic)
         {
             throw new InvalidDataException(
                 $"Image is neither a decrypted ELF nor a recognized fake-signed SELF " +
-                $"(leading bytes 0x{leadingWord:X8}). This is almost certainly a still-encrypted " +
+                $"(leading bytes 0x{magic:X8}). This is almost certainly a still-encrypted " +
                 $"retail eboot — SharpEmu has no decryption keys and requires a decrypted / " +
                 $"fake-signed (fSELF) image.");
         }
@@ -2788,28 +2790,27 @@ public sealed class SelfLoader : ISelfLoader
         private readonly ushort _size2;
         private readonly ulong _fileSize;
         private readonly ushort _segmentCount;
-        private readonly ushort _unknown;
+        private readonly ushort _flags;
         private readonly uint _padding;
 
         public ushort SegmentCount => _segmentCount;
 
-        public ushort Unknown => _unknown;
-
         public ulong FileSize => _fileSize;
 
+        // Version, key type, and flags are signing metadata and vary across
+        // valid SELF images. They do not change the fixed header layout.
         public bool HasKnownLayout =>
-            _ident0 == 0x4F &&
-            _ident1 == 0x15 &&
-            _ident2 == 0x3D &&
-            _ident3 == 0x1D &&
-            _ident4 == 0x00 &&
+            ((_ident0 == 0x4F &&
+              _ident1 == 0x15 &&
+              _ident2 == 0x3D &&
+              _ident3 == 0x1D) ||
+             (_ident0 == 0x54 &&
+              _ident1 == 0x14 &&
+              _ident2 == 0xF5 &&
+              _ident3 == 0xEE)) &&
             _ident5 == 0x01 &&
             _ident6 == 0x01 &&
-            _ident7 == 0x12 &&
-            _ident8 == 0x01 &&
-            _ident9 == 0x01 &&
-            _ident10 == 0x00 &&
-            _ident11 == 0x00;
+            _ident7 == 0x12;
     }
 
     [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential, Pack = 1)]

src/SharpEmu.Core/Memory/PhysicalVirtualMemory.cs

@@ -198,6 +198,24 @@ public sealed unsafe class PhysicalVirtualMemory : IVirtualMemory, IGuestMemoryA
         return true;
     }
 
+    public string DescribeAddressForDiagnostics(ulong address)
+    {
+        if (!_hostMemory.Query(address, out var info))
+        {
+            return "unable to query host memory at this address";
+        }
+
+        return info.State switch
+        {
+            HostRegionState.Free => "address reports free, but the exact-address reservation still failed",
+            HostRegionState.Reserved =>
+                $"already reserved by another host allocation (base=0x{info.AllocationBase:X16}, size=0x{info.RegionSize:X})",
+            HostRegionState.Committed =>
+                $"already committed by another host allocation (base=0x{info.AllocationBase:X16}, size=0x{info.RegionSize:X}, protect=0x{info.RawProtection:X})",
+            _ => $"in an unexpected host state (raw=0x{info.RawState:X})",
+        };
+    }
+
     public ulong AllocateAt(ulong desiredAddress, ulong size, bool executable = true, bool allowAlternative = true)
     {
         if (size == 0)
@@ -349,10 +367,8 @@ public sealed unsafe class PhysicalVirtualMemory : IVirtualMemory, IGuestMemoryA
         var requestedCursor = AlignUp(desiredAddress, effectiveAlignment);
         var cursor = GetAllocationSearchCursor(desiredAddress, requestedCursor, effectiveAlignment, executable);
 
-        // POSIX treats the requested address as a hint, and Rosetta may
-        // relocate whole guest windows. Over-allocate once so the returned
-        // host range always contains an aligned guest-visible start.
-        if (!OperatingSystem.IsWindows())
+        // macOS needs alignment over-allocation; Linux uses exact-address search.
+        if (OperatingSystem.IsMacOS())
         {
             var reserveSize = effectiveAlignment > PageSize
                 ? alignedSize + effectiveAlignment

src/SharpEmu.Core/Runtime/SharpEmuRuntime.cs

@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ using SharpEmu.Libs.Kernel;
 using SharpEmu.Libs.AppContent;
 using SharpEmu.Libs.SaveData;
 using SharpEmu.Libs.Fiber;
+using SharpEmu.Libs.SystemService;
 using System.Buffers.Binary;
 using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.Linq;
@@ -67,6 +68,7 @@ public sealed class SharpEmuRuntime : ISharpEmuRuntime
             CpuEngine = cpuExecutionOptions.CpuEngine,
             StrictDynlibResolution = cpuExecutionOptions.StrictDynlibResolution,
             ImportTraceLimit = Math.Max(0, cpuExecutionOptions.ImportTraceLimit),
+            DebugHook = cpuExecutionOptions.DebugHook,
         };
         _fileSystem = fileSystem ?? new PhysicalFileSystem();
     }
@@ -78,6 +80,7 @@ public sealed class SharpEmuRuntime : ISharpEmuRuntime
             CpuEngine = options.CpuEngine,
             StrictDynlibResolution = options.StrictDynlibResolution,
             ImportTraceLimit = Math.Max(0, options.ImportTraceLimit),
+            DebugHook = options.DebugHook,
         };
         var moduleManager = new ModuleManager();
         // The compile-time generated registry (SharpEmu.SourceGenerators) is the sole
@@ -141,6 +144,7 @@ public sealed class SharpEmuRuntime : ISharpEmuRuntime
         var image = LoadImage(normalizedEbootPath);
         VideoOutExports.ConfigureApplicationInfo(image.Title, image.TitleId, image.Version);
         SaveDataExports.ConfigureApplicationInfo(image.TitleId);
+        SystemServiceExports.ConfigureApplicationInfo(image.TitleId);
         _ = RegisterLoadedModule(normalizedEbootPath, image, isMain: true, isSystemModule: false);
         KernelRuntimeCompatExports.ConfigureProcessProcParamAddress(image.ProcParamAddress);
         Console.Error.WriteLine($"[RUNTIME] Entry: 0x{image.EntryPoint:X16}");
@@ -187,6 +191,16 @@ public sealed class SharpEmuRuntime : ISharpEmuRuntime
 
         Console.Error.WriteLine($"[RUNTIME] DispatchEntry returned: {result}");
         Console.Error.WriteLine($"[RUNTIME] Dispatch result: {result}");
+
+        // Stop is a host operation, not an emulation failure. The detailed
+        // trace and session-summary builders can traverse a partially torn
+        // down native backend, delaying the GUI exit callback indefinitely.
+        if (HostSessionControl.IsShutdownRequested)
+        {
+            Console.Error.WriteLine("[RUNTIME] Skipping post-exit diagnostics for host shutdown.");
+            return result;
+        }
+
         LastExecutionTrace = _cpuDispatcher.LastImportResolutionTrace;
         LastMilestoneLog = _cpuDispatcher.LastMilestoneLog;
         LastSessionSummary = BuildSessionSummary(_cpuDispatcher.LastSessionSummary);
@@ -1150,6 +1164,16 @@ public sealed class SharpEmuRuntime : ISharpEmuRuntime
             disposableDispatcher.Dispose();
         }
 
+        if (_cpuDispatcher is CpuDispatcher { NativeSessionLeaked: true })
+        {
+            // A guest worker is still inside guest code; unmapping the guest
+            // address space under it would fault the whole process, which
+            // hosts the GUI launcher in embedded sessions.
+            Console.Error.WriteLine(
+                "[RUNTIME] Guest workers were still active at teardown; keeping the guest address space mapped.");
+            return;
+        }
+
         if (_virtualMemory is IDisposable disposableMemory)
         {
             disposableMemory.Dispose();

src/SharpEmu.Core/Runtime/SharpEmuRuntimeOptions.cs

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 namespace SharpEmu.Core.Runtime;
 
 using SharpEmu.Core.Cpu;
+using SharpEmu.Core.Cpu.Debugging;
 
 public readonly struct SharpEmuRuntimeOptions
 {
@@ -12,4 +13,11 @@ public readonly struct SharpEmuRuntimeOptions
     public bool StrictDynlibResolution { get; init; }
 
     public int ImportTraceLimit { get; init; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// An optional debugger to attach to guest execution. Flows through to
+    /// <see cref="CpuExecutionOptions.DebugHook"/>. Null (the default) runs with
+    /// no debugger attached.
+    /// </summary>
+    public ICpuDebugHook? DebugHook { get; init; }
 }

src/SharpEmu.Core/SharpEmu.Core.csproj

@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
     <PackageReference Include="Iced" />
   </ItemGroup>
 
+  <ItemGroup>
+    <InternalsVisibleTo Include="SharpEmu.Libs.Tests" />
+  </ItemGroup>
+
   <PropertyGroup>
     <NoWarn>$(NoWarn);1591</NoWarn>
   </PropertyGroup>

src/SharpEmu.DebugClient/ClientEndpoint.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using System.Net;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.DebugClient;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Parses the <c>host:port</c> the client connects to. Mirrors the server's
+/// defaults (loopback, port 5714) so a bare invocation attaches to a local
+/// emulator with no arguments.
+/// </summary>
+internal static class ClientEndpoint
+{
+    public const int DefaultPort = 5714;
+
+    public static bool TryParse(string? text, out string host, out int port, out string error)
+    {
+        host = "127.0.0.1";
+        port = DefaultPort;
+        error = string.Empty;
+        if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(text))
+        {
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        var value = text.Trim();
+        var separator = value.LastIndexOf(':');
+        if (separator >= 0)
+        {
+            var portText = value[(separator + 1)..];
+            if (portText.Length > 0 && (!int.TryParse(portText, out port) || port is <= 0 or > 65535))
+            {
+                error = $"Invalid port '{portText}'.";
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            value = value[..separator];
+        }
+
+        if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(value))
+        {
+            host = string.Equals(value, "localhost", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) ? "127.0.0.1" : value;
+        }
+
+        if (!IPAddress.TryParse(host, out _) && !Uri.CheckHostName(host).Equals(UriHostNameType.Dns))
+        {
+            error = $"Invalid host '{host}'.";
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        return true;
+    }
+}

src/SharpEmu.DebugClient/CommandTranslator.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,160 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using System.Text.Json;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.DebugClient;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Turns a friendly REPL line (<c>mem 0x1000 64</c>) into the JSON request the
+/// server understands. Local-only verbs (help, quit) are reported back to the
+/// caller instead of producing a request.
+/// </summary>
+internal static class CommandTranslator
+{
+    public enum ActionKind
+    {
+        SendRequest,
+        ShowHelp,
+        Quit,
+        Ignore,
+        Error,
+    }
+
+    public readonly record struct Result(ActionKind Kind, string? Payload = null, string? Error = null);
+
+    public static Result Translate(string line)
+    {
+        var trimmed = line.Trim();
+        if (trimmed.Length == 0)
+        {
+            return new Result(ActionKind.Ignore);
+        }
+
+        var parts = trimmed.Split((char[]?)null, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries);
+        var verb = parts[0].ToLowerInvariant();
+        switch (verb)
+        {
+            case "help" or "?":
+                return new Result(ActionKind.ShowHelp);
+            case "quit" or "exit" or "q":
+                return new Result(ActionKind.Quit);
+            case "raw":
+                var json = trimmed[verb.Length..].Trim();
+                return json.Length == 0
+                    ? Error("raw requires a JSON object argument.")
+                    : Send(json);
+
+            case "ping":
+                return Request("ping");
+            case "status" or "info":
+                return Request("status");
+            case "state":
+                return Request("state");
+            case "regs" or "registers":
+                return Request("registers");
+            case "continue" or "cont" or "c":
+                return Request("continue");
+            case "step" or "s":
+                return Request("step");
+            case "pause" or "p":
+                return Request("pause");
+            case "bp" or "breakpoints" or "bl":
+                return Request("list-breakpoints");
+
+            case "setreg":
+                return parts.Length >= 3
+                    ? Request("set-register", ("register", parts[1]), ("value", parts[2]))
+                    : Error("Usage: setreg <register> <value>");
+            case "mem" or "read":
+                return parts.Length >= 3
+                    ? Request("read-memory", ("address", parts[1]), ("length", parts[2]))
+                    : Error("Usage: mem <address> <length>");
+            case "write":
+                return parts.Length >= 3
+                    ? Request("write-memory", ("address", parts[1]), ("bytes", parts[2]))
+                    : Error("Usage: write <address> <hex-bytes>");
+            case "break" or "b":
+                if (parts.Length < 2)
+                {
+                    return Error("Usage: break <address> [kind] [length]");
+                }
+
+                var breakArgs = new List<(string, string)> { ("address", parts[1]) };
+                if (parts.Length >= 3)
+                {
+                    breakArgs.Add(("kind", parts[2]));
+                }
+
+                if (parts.Length >= 4)
+                {
+                    breakArgs.Add(("length", parts[3]));
+                }
+
+                return Request("add-breakpoint", breakArgs.ToArray());
+            case "del" or "rm" or "delete":
+                return parts.Length >= 2
+                    ? Request("remove-breakpoint", ("id", parts[1]))
+                    : Error("Usage: del <id>");
+            case "enable":
+                return parts.Length >= 2
+                    ? Request("enable-breakpoint", ("id", parts[1]), ("enabled", "true"))
+                    : Error("Usage: enable <id>");
+            case "disable":
+                return parts.Length >= 2
+                    ? RequestWithBool("enable-breakpoint", ("id", parts[1]), enabledName: "enabled", enabled: false)
+                    : Error("Usage: disable <id>");
+
+            default:
+                return Error($"Unknown command '{verb}'. Type 'help' for the command list.");
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static Result Request(string command, params (string Name, string Value)[] args)
+    {
+        var payload = new Dictionary<string, object?> { ["command"] = command };
+        foreach (var (name, value) in args)
+        {
+            payload[name] = value;
+        }
+
+        return Send(JsonSerializer.Serialize(payload));
+    }
+
+    private static Result RequestWithBool(string command, (string Name, string Value) idArg, string enabledName, bool enabled)
+    {
+        var payload = new Dictionary<string, object?>
+        {
+            ["command"] = command,
+            [idArg.Name] = idArg.Value,
+            [enabledName] = enabled,
+        };
+        return Send(JsonSerializer.Serialize(payload));
+    }
+
+    private static Result Send(string json) => new(ActionKind.SendRequest, json);
+
+    private static Result Error(string message) => new(ActionKind.Error, Error: message);
+
+    public const string HelpText = """
+        SharpEmu debug client commands:
+          status | info            Show target state and last stop
+          state                    Show run state only
+          regs | registers         Dump integer registers (paused only)
+          setreg <reg> <value>     Set a register (rip/rflags/gp, paused only)
+          mem <addr> <len>         Read guest memory as hex (paused only)
+          write <addr> <hex>       Write guest memory from hex (paused only)
+          break <addr> [kind] [len]  Add a breakpoint (kind: execute/readwatch/writewatch/accesswatch)
+          bp | breakpoints         List breakpoints
+          del <id>                 Remove a breakpoint
+          enable <id> / disable <id>  Toggle a breakpoint
+          continue | c             Resume the target
+          step | s                 Resume and stop at the next frame
+          pause                    Ask a running target to stop
+          ping                     Round-trip check
+          raw <json>               Send a literal JSON request
+          help | ?                 Show this help
+          quit | exit              Disconnect and exit
+        Addresses and values accept decimal or 0x-prefixed hex.
+        """;
+}

src/SharpEmu.DebugClient/DEVELOPER_READ.md

@@ -0,0 +1,153 @@
+<!--
+Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+-->
+
+# SharpEmu.DebugClient
+
+A small, standalone command-line client that connects to the SharpEmu
+emulator's **live debug server** and drives it interactively. It ships as its
+own executable (`SharpEmu.DebugClient`) and takes no dependency on the emulator
+assemblies — it speaks the server's line-delimited JSON protocol directly over
+TCP, so you can also drive the server from `nc`, a script, or your own tool.
+
+> **Status:** infrastructure. The transport, protocol, session model, and
+> breakpoint store are in place. Stops are delivered at **frame boundaries**
+> (process entry and each module initializer); per-instruction stepping and data
+> watchpoints are part of the surface and become live as the CPU backend grows
+> the corresponding hooks. See [`docs/debugger-server.md`](../../docs/debugger-server.md)
+> for the architecture and protocol reference.
+
+## How it fits together
+
+```
++-------------------------+           TCP (JSON lines)         +----------------------+
+|  SharpEmu (emulator)    |  <------------------------------>  |  SharpEmu.DebugClient |
+|  --debug-server         |                                    |  (this executable)    |
+|                         |                                    |                       |
+|  DebuggerServerHost     |                                    |  REPL / --exec        |
+|   +- DebuggerServer     |  frame boundaries via ICpuDebugHook|                       |
+|   +- DebuggerSession  <-+------ CPU dispatcher ------------  |                       |
++-------------------------+                                    +----------------------+
+```
+
+The emulator is the **server**; this client is a separate process that connects
+to it and issues commands. The two never share memory — everything crosses the
+socket as JSON.
+
+## Building
+
+```bash
+dotnet build src/SharpEmu.DebugClient/SharpEmu.DebugClient.csproj
+```
+
+## Quick start
+
+1. Launch the emulator with the debug server enabled. It listens on
+   `127.0.0.1:5714` by default and, with stop-at-entry on, parks the guest at
+   its first frame until you continue:
+
+   ```bash
+   SharpEmu --debug-server "/path/to/game/eboot.bin"
+   # or choose an endpoint:
+   SharpEmu --debug-server=127.0.0.1:5714 "/path/to/game/eboot.bin"
+   ```
+
+2. In another terminal, attach the client:
+
+   ```bash
+   SharpEmu.DebugClient                 # defaults to 127.0.0.1:5714
+   SharpEmu.DebugClient 127.0.0.1:5714  # explicit endpoint
+   ```
+
+3. Drive the target:
+
+   ```
+   status
+   regs
+   break 0x00000008801234a0
+   continue
+   mem 0x00000008802000000 64
+   ```
+
+## Invocation
+
+```
+SharpEmu.DebugClient [host:port] [--exec "<command>"]... [--quiet]
+```
+
+| Option        | Meaning                                                        |
+| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| `host:port`   | Server endpoint. Default `127.0.0.1:5714`. `localhost` is fine. |
+| `--exec, -e`  | Run one command non-interactively, then exit. Repeatable.     |
+| `--quiet`     | Suppress the connection banner.                               |
+| `--help, -h`  | Show usage and the command list.                              |
+
+Non-interactive example (scriptable):
+
+```bash
+SharpEmu.DebugClient --exec "break 0x8801234a0" --exec "continue"
+```
+
+## Commands
+
+Addresses and values accept decimal or `0x`-prefixed hex. Register and memory
+commands only succeed while the target is **paused**.
+
+| Command | Server verb | Description |
+| ------- | ----------- | ----------- |
+| `status` \| `info` | `status` | Target state plus the last stop. |
+| `state` | `state` | Run state only (`Running`/`Paused`/…). |
+| `regs` \| `registers` | `registers` | Dump the integer registers. |
+| `setreg <reg> <value>` | `set-register` | Set `rip`, `rflags`, or a GP register. |
+| `mem <addr> <len>` \| `read <addr> <len>` | `read-memory` | Read guest memory as hex. |
+| `write <addr> <hex>` | `write-memory` | Write guest memory from a hex string. |
+| `break <addr> [kind] [len]` \| `b …` | `add-breakpoint` | Add a breakpoint. `kind`: `execute` (default), `readwatch`, `writewatch`, `accesswatch`. |
+| `bp` \| `breakpoints` | `list-breakpoints` | List breakpoints. |
+| `del <id>` \| `rm <id>` | `remove-breakpoint` | Remove a breakpoint. |
+| `enable <id>` / `disable <id>` | `enable-breakpoint` | Toggle a breakpoint. |
+| `continue` \| `c` | `continue` | Resume a paused target. |
+| `step` \| `s` | `step` | Resume and stop at the next frame boundary. |
+| `pause` | `pause` | Ask a running target to stop at the next boundary. |
+| `ping` | `ping` | Round-trip liveness check. |
+| `raw <json>` | *(passthrough)* | Send a literal JSON request. |
+| `help` \| `?` | — | Show the command list (local). |
+| `quit` \| `exit` | — | Disconnect and exit (local). |
+
+## Output
+
+The client prints two kinds of lines as they arrive:
+
+- `reply>` — the response to a command you sent (`ok`, plus `data` or `error`).
+- `event>` — an unsolicited notification: `hello` on connect, `stopped` when the
+  target hits a breakpoint / entry / step / pause, `resumed` on continue, and
+  `terminated` when the run ends.
+
+Because replies and events share one stream, the client prints everything it
+receives rather than pairing replies to requests — a `stopped` event may arrive
+between your command and its reply.
+
+## Protocol (for building your own client)
+
+One JSON object per line, UTF-8, `\n`-terminated, in both directions.
+
+Request:
+
+```json
+{"command":"read-memory","address":"0x8802000000","length":64}
+```
+
+Reply:
+
+```json
+{"ok":true,"command":"read-memory","data":{"address":"0x0000000880200000","length":64,"bytes":"48894C24.."}}
+```
+
+Event:
+
+```json
+{"event":"stopped","reason":"Breakpoint","address":"0x00000008801234A0","frameKind":"ProcessEntry","frameLabel":"eboot.bin","registers":{ ... }}
+```
+
+The full verb list and payload fields live in
+[`docs/debugger-server.md`](../../docs/debugger-server.md).

src/SharpEmu.DebugClient/DebugClientConnection.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using System.Net.Sockets;
+using System.Text;
+using System.Text.Json;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.DebugClient;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// A thin TCP wrapper around the server's line-delimited JSON protocol: it
+/// writes request lines and runs a background loop that prints incoming
+/// responses and events as they arrive. Because the stream interleaves replies
+/// with asynchronous stop/resume events, a single reader printing everything is
+/// simpler and more robust than correlating request/response pairs.
+/// </summary>
+internal sealed class DebugClientConnection : IAsyncDisposable
+{
+    private static readonly UTF8Encoding Utf8NoBom = new(encoderShouldEmitUTF8Identifier: false);
+    private static readonly JsonSerializerOptions PrettyOptions = new() { WriteIndented = true };
+
+    private readonly TcpClient _client;
+    private readonly StreamReader _reader;
+    private readonly StreamWriter _writer;
+    private readonly SemaphoreSlim _writeLock = new(1, 1);
+
+    private DebugClientConnection(TcpClient client, NetworkStream stream)
+    {
+        _client = client;
+        _reader = new StreamReader(stream, Utf8NoBom);
+        _writer = new StreamWriter(stream, Utf8NoBom) { AutoFlush = false };
+    }
+
+    public static async Task<DebugClientConnection> ConnectAsync(string host, int port, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        var client = new TcpClient();
+        await client.ConnectAsync(host, port, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        return new DebugClientConnection(client, client.GetStream());
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>Continuously prints incoming lines until the stream closes.</summary>
+    public async Task ReceiveLoopAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            while (!cancellationToken.IsCancellationRequested)
+            {
+                var line = await _reader.ReadLineAsync(cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+                if (line is null)
+                {
+                    Console.WriteLine();
+                    Console.WriteLine("[connection closed by server]");
+                    return;
+                }
+
+                Print(line);
+            }
+        }
+        catch (OperationCanceledException)
+        {
+        }
+        catch (IOException)
+        {
+            Console.WriteLine();
+            Console.WriteLine("[connection lost]");
+        }
+    }
+
+    public async Task SendAsync(string json, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        await _writeLock.WaitAsync(cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        try
+        {
+            await _writer.WriteLineAsync(json.AsMemory(), cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+            await _writer.FlushAsync(cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        }
+        finally
+        {
+            _writeLock.Release();
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static void Print(string line)
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            using var document = JsonDocument.Parse(line);
+            var root = document.RootElement;
+            var isEvent = root.TryGetProperty("event", out _);
+            var prefix = isEvent ? "event>" : "reply>";
+            var pretty = JsonSerializer.Serialize(root, PrettyOptions);
+            Console.WriteLine();
+            Console.WriteLine($"{prefix}\n{pretty}");
+        }
+        catch (JsonException)
+        {
+            Console.WriteLine();
+            Console.WriteLine(line);
+        }
+    }
+
+    public async ValueTask DisposeAsync()
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            await _writer.FlushAsync().ConfigureAwait(false);
+        }
+        catch (IOException)
+        {
+        }
+        catch (ObjectDisposedException)
+        {
+        }
+
+        _writeLock.Dispose();
+        _reader.Dispose();
+        await _writer.DisposeAsync().ConfigureAwait(false);
+        _client.Dispose();
+    }
+}

src/SharpEmu.DebugClient/Program.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,193 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using System.Net.Sockets;
+using SharpEmu.DebugClient;
+
+return await ClientProgram.RunAsync(args).ConfigureAwait(false);
+
+internal static class ClientProgram
+{
+    public static async Task<int> RunAsync(string[] args)
+    {
+        if (args.Any(a => a is "--help" or "-h"))
+        {
+            PrintUsage();
+            return 0;
+        }
+
+        string? endpointArg = null;
+        var execCommands = new List<string>();
+        var quiet = false;
+        for (var i = 0; i < args.Length; i++)
+        {
+            var arg = args[i];
+            if (string.Equals(arg, "--exec", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) || string.Equals(arg, "-e", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+            {
+                if (i + 1 >= args.Length)
+                {
+                    Console.Error.WriteLine("--exec requires a command argument.");
+                    return 2;
+                }
+
+                execCommands.Add(args[++i]);
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            if (string.Equals(arg, "--quiet", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+            {
+                quiet = true;
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            if (arg.StartsWith('-'))
+            {
+                Console.Error.WriteLine($"Unknown option '{arg}'.");
+                PrintUsage();
+                return 2;
+            }
+
+            endpointArg ??= arg;
+        }
+
+        if (!ClientEndpoint.TryParse(endpointArg, out var host, out var port, out var endpointError))
+        {
+            Console.Error.WriteLine(endpointError);
+            return 2;
+        }
+
+        using var shutdown = new CancellationTokenSource();
+        Console.CancelKeyPress += (_, eventArgs) =>
+        {
+            eventArgs.Cancel = true;
+            shutdown.Cancel();
+        };
+
+        DebugClientConnection connection;
+        try
+        {
+            connection = await DebugClientConnection.ConnectAsync(host, port, shutdown.Token).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex) when (ex is SocketException or OperationCanceledException)
+        {
+            Console.Error.WriteLine($"Could not connect to {host}:{port}: {ex.Message}");
+            Console.Error.WriteLine("Start the emulator with --debug-server first.");
+            return 3;
+        }
+
+        await using (connection)
+        {
+            var receiveTask = connection.ReceiveLoopAsync(shutdown.Token);
+
+            if (execCommands.Count > 0)
+            {
+                await RunOneShotAsync(connection, execCommands, shutdown.Token).ConfigureAwait(false);
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                if (!quiet)
+                {
+                    Console.WriteLine($"Connected to SharpEmu debug server at {host}:{port}.");
+                    Console.WriteLine("Type 'help' for commands, 'quit' to exit.");
+                }
+
+                await RunReplAsync(connection, shutdown).ConfigureAwait(false);
+            }
+
+            shutdown.Cancel();
+            try
+            {
+                await receiveTask.ConfigureAwait(false);
+            }
+            catch (OperationCanceledException)
+            {
+            }
+        }
+
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    private static async Task RunOneShotAsync(
+        DebugClientConnection connection,
+        IReadOnlyList<string> commands,
+        CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        foreach (var command in commands)
+        {
+            var result = CommandTranslator.Translate(command);
+            switch (result.Kind)
+            {
+                case CommandTranslator.ActionKind.SendRequest:
+                    await connection.SendAsync(result.Payload!, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+                    break;
+                case CommandTranslator.ActionKind.Error:
+                    Console.Error.WriteLine(result.Error);
+                    break;
+                case CommandTranslator.ActionKind.ShowHelp:
+                    Console.WriteLine(CommandTranslator.HelpText);
+                    break;
+            }
+        }
+
+        // Give the server a moment to answer before the client exits.
+        try
+        {
+            await Task.Delay(TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(500), cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        }
+        catch (OperationCanceledException)
+        {
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static async Task RunReplAsync(DebugClientConnection connection, CancellationTokenSource shutdown)
+    {
+        while (!shutdown.IsCancellationRequested)
+        {
+            var line = await Console.In.ReadLineAsync(shutdown.Token).ConfigureAwait(false);
+            if (line is null)
+            {
+                break;
+            }
+
+            var result = CommandTranslator.Translate(line);
+            switch (result.Kind)
+            {
+                case CommandTranslator.ActionKind.Quit:
+                    return;
+                case CommandTranslator.ActionKind.ShowHelp:
+                    Console.WriteLine(CommandTranslator.HelpText);
+                    break;
+                case CommandTranslator.ActionKind.Error:
+                    Console.Error.WriteLine(result.Error);
+                    break;
+                case CommandTranslator.ActionKind.Ignore:
+                    break;
+                case CommandTranslator.ActionKind.SendRequest:
+                    try
+                    {
+                        await connection.SendAsync(result.Payload!, shutdown.Token).ConfigureAwait(false);
+                    }
+                    catch (Exception ex) when (ex is IOException or ObjectDisposedException)
+                    {
+                        Console.Error.WriteLine("Send failed; the connection is closed.");
+                        return;
+                    }
+
+                    break;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static void PrintUsage()
+    {
+        Console.WriteLine("SharpEmu.DebugClient — live debugger client for the SharpEmu debug server.");
+        Console.WriteLine();
+        Console.WriteLine("Usage: SharpEmu.DebugClient [host:port] [--exec \"<command>\"]... [--quiet]");
+        Console.WriteLine("  host:port   Server endpoint (default 127.0.0.1:5714).");
+        Console.WriteLine("  --exec, -e  Run a command non-interactively (repeatable), then exit.");
+        Console.WriteLine("  --quiet     Suppress the connection banner.");
+        Console.WriteLine("  --help, -h  Show this help.");
+        Console.WriteLine();
+        Console.WriteLine(CommandTranslator.HelpText);
+    }
+}

src/SharpEmu.DebugClient/SharpEmu.DebugClient.csproj

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+<!--
+Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+-->
+
+<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
+  <PropertyGroup>
+    <!-- A small, standalone console tool: it speaks the debug server's
+         line-delimited JSON protocol directly over TCP and takes no dependency
+         on the emulator assemblies, so it builds and ships independently. -->
+    <OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
+    <AssemblyName>SharpEmu.DebugClient</AssemblyName>
+    <RootNamespace>SharpEmu.DebugClient</RootNamespace>
+    <NoWarn>$(NoWarn);1591</NoWarn>
+  </PropertyGroup>
+</Project>

src/SharpEmu.Debugger/Breakpoints/Breakpoint.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Debugger.Breakpoints;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// A single breakpoint or watchpoint. Instances are immutable; the owning
+/// <see cref="BreakpointStore"/> replaces an entry to change its enabled state.
+/// </summary>
+public sealed class Breakpoint
+{
+    public Breakpoint(int id, BreakpointKind kind, ulong address, ulong length = 1, bool enabled = true)
+    {
+        if (length == 0)
+        {
+            throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException(nameof(length), "Breakpoint length must be at least one byte.");
+        }
+
+        Id = id;
+        Kind = kind;
+        Address = address;
+        Length = length;
+        Enabled = enabled;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>The store-assigned identifier used by clients to reference it.</summary>
+    public int Id { get; }
+
+    public BreakpointKind Kind { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>The first guest address the breakpoint covers.</summary>
+    public ulong Address { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// The number of bytes the breakpoint covers. Always one for
+    /// <see cref="BreakpointKind.Execute"/>; the watch kinds may span a range.
+    /// </summary>
+    public ulong Length { get; }
+
+    public bool Enabled { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>True when <paramref name="address"/> falls within this breakpoint.</summary>
+    public bool Covers(ulong address) => address >= Address && address < Address + Length;
+
+    /// <summary>Returns a copy with a different enabled state.</summary>
+    public Breakpoint WithEnabled(bool enabled)
+        => enabled == Enabled ? this : new Breakpoint(Id, Kind, Address, Length, enabled);
+}

src/SharpEmu.Debugger/Breakpoints/BreakpointKind.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Debugger.Breakpoints;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// The kind of stop a breakpoint requests. Execution breakpoints are honoured
+/// at the frame-boundary seam that exists today; the data-watch kinds are part
+/// of the surface so client protocols and tooling can be built against them,
+/// and are armed once the execution backend can report the corresponding
+/// accesses.
+/// </summary>
+public enum BreakpointKind
+{
+    /// <summary>Stop when the instruction pointer reaches the address.</summary>
+    Execute,
+
+    /// <summary>Stop when the guest reads from the address range.</summary>
+    ReadWatch,
+
+    /// <summary>Stop when the guest writes to the address range.</summary>
+    WriteWatch,
+
+    /// <summary>Stop when the guest reads from or writes to the address range.</summary>
+    AccessWatch,
+}

src/SharpEmu.Debugger/Breakpoints/BreakpointStore.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Debugger.Breakpoints;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// A thread-safe registry of breakpoints. The debug server mutates it from
+/// client-servicing threads while the emulation thread queries it at frame
+/// boundaries, so every operation takes the same lock.
+/// </summary>
+public sealed class BreakpointStore
+{
+    private readonly object _sync = new();
+    private readonly Dictionary<int, Breakpoint> _breakpoints = new();
+    private int _nextId = 1;
+
+    /// <summary>Adds a breakpoint and returns the created entry with its id.</summary>
+    public Breakpoint Add(BreakpointKind kind, ulong address, ulong length = 1)
+    {
+        lock (_sync)
+        {
+            var effectiveLength = kind == BreakpointKind.Execute ? 1UL : Math.Max(1UL, length);
+            var breakpoint = new Breakpoint(_nextId++, kind, address, effectiveLength);
+            _breakpoints[breakpoint.Id] = breakpoint;
+            return breakpoint;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>Removes a breakpoint by id. Returns false when it did not exist.</summary>
+    public bool Remove(int id)
+    {
+        lock (_sync)
+        {
+            return _breakpoints.Remove(id);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>Enables or disables a breakpoint by id.</summary>
+    public bool SetEnabled(int id, bool enabled)
+    {
+        lock (_sync)
+        {
+            if (!_breakpoints.TryGetValue(id, out var breakpoint))
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            _breakpoints[id] = breakpoint.WithEnabled(enabled);
+            return true;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>Removes every breakpoint.</summary>
+    public void Clear()
+    {
+        lock (_sync)
+        {
+            _breakpoints.Clear();
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>Returns a point-in-time copy of all breakpoints.</summary>
+    public IReadOnlyList<Breakpoint> Snapshot()
+    {
+        lock (_sync)
+        {
+            return _breakpoints.Values.ToArray();
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Finds the first enabled execution breakpoint covering <paramref name="address"/>,
+    /// or null when none applies.
+    /// </summary>
+    public Breakpoint? FindExecuteHit(ulong address)
+    {
+        lock (_sync)
+        {
+            foreach (var breakpoint in _breakpoints.Values)
+            {
+                if (breakpoint.Enabled && breakpoint.Kind == BreakpointKind.Execute && breakpoint.Covers(address))
+                {
+                    return breakpoint;
+                }
+            }
+
+            return null;
+        }
+    }
+}

src/SharpEmu.Debugger/DebugRegisterFile.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using SharpEmu.Core.Cpu.Debugging;
+using SharpEmu.HLE;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Debugger;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// An immutable snapshot of the guest integer register state at a stop. XMM/YMM
+/// state is intentionally omitted here and read on demand through the target to
+/// keep the common register-dump path cheap.
+/// </summary>
+public readonly struct DebugRegisterFile
+{
+    private readonly ulong[] _generalPurpose;
+
+    public DebugRegisterFile(
+        ulong[] generalPurpose,
+        ulong rip,
+        ulong rflags,
+        ulong fsBase,
+        ulong gsBase)
+    {
+        ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(generalPurpose);
+        if (generalPurpose.Length != 16)
+        {
+            throw new ArgumentException("Expected 16 general-purpose registers.", nameof(generalPurpose));
+        }
+
+        _generalPurpose = generalPurpose;
+        Rip = rip;
+        Rflags = rflags;
+        FsBase = fsBase;
+        GsBase = gsBase;
+    }
+
+    public ulong Rip { get; }
+
+    public ulong Rflags { get; }
+
+    public ulong FsBase { get; }
+
+    public ulong GsBase { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>Reads a register by identifier.</summary>
+    public ulong this[DebugRegisterId id] => id switch
+    {
+        DebugRegisterId.Rip => Rip,
+        DebugRegisterId.Rflags => Rflags,
+        DebugRegisterId.FsBase => FsBase,
+        DebugRegisterId.GsBase => GsBase,
+        _ when id.IsGeneralPurpose() => _generalPurpose[(int)id],
+        _ => throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException(nameof(id), id, null),
+    };
+
+    /// <summary>Reads a general-purpose register.</summary>
+    public ulong this[CpuRegister register] => _generalPurpose[(int)register];
+
+    /// <summary>Captures the integer register state of a live debug frame.</summary>
+    public static DebugRegisterFile Capture(ICpuDebugFrame frame)
+    {
+        ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(frame);
+
+        var gpr = new ulong[16];
+        for (var i = 0; i < gpr.Length; i++)
+        {
+            gpr[i] = frame.GetRegister((CpuRegister)i);
+        }
+
+        return new DebugRegisterFile(gpr, frame.Rip, frame.Rflags, frame.FsBase, frame.GsBase);
+    }
+}

src/SharpEmu.Debugger/DebugRegisterId.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using SharpEmu.HLE;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Debugger;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// The registers a debugger can name. The first sixteen values line up with
+/// <see cref="CpuRegister"/> so a general-purpose register can be converted
+/// between the two enums by casting; the remaining values cover the special
+/// registers a debug frame exposes.
+/// </summary>
+public enum DebugRegisterId
+{
+    Rax = 0,
+    Rcx = 1,
+    Rdx = 2,
+    Rbx = 3,
+    Rsp = 4,
+    Rbp = 5,
+    Rsi = 6,
+    Rdi = 7,
+    R8 = 8,
+    R9 = 9,
+    R10 = 10,
+    R11 = 11,
+    R12 = 12,
+    R13 = 13,
+    R14 = 14,
+    R15 = 15,
+
+    Rip = 16,
+    Rflags = 17,
+    FsBase = 18,
+    GsBase = 19,
+}
+
+/// <summary>Helpers for mapping between debug and CPU register identifiers.</summary>
+public static class DebugRegisterIdExtensions
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// True when the identifier names one of the sixteen general-purpose
+    /// registers and can be cast to <see cref="CpuRegister"/>.
+    /// </summary>
+    public static bool IsGeneralPurpose(this DebugRegisterId id)
+        => id is >= DebugRegisterId.Rax and <= DebugRegisterId.R15;
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Converts a general-purpose identifier to its <see cref="CpuRegister"/>.
+    /// Throws when <paramref name="id"/> is a special register.
+    /// </summary>
+    public static CpuRegister ToCpuRegister(this DebugRegisterId id)
+    {
+        if (!id.IsGeneralPurpose())
+        {
+            throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException(nameof(id), id, "Not a general-purpose register.");
+        }
+
+        return (CpuRegister)(int)id;
+    }
+}

src/SharpEmu.Debugger/DebuggerServerHost.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using System.Net;
+using SharpEmu.Core.Cpu.Debugging;
+using SharpEmu.Debugger.Server;
+using SharpEmu.Debugger.Session;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Debugger;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// One-call wiring of the live debugger: it owns a <see cref="DebuggerSession"/>
+/// and a <see cref="DebuggerServer"/>, exposes the <see cref="Hook"/> to attach
+/// to <c>SharpEmuRuntimeOptions.DebugHook</c>, and starts/stops the network
+/// front-end. A host constructs one, hands <see cref="Hook"/> to the runtime,
+/// calls <see cref="Start"/>, and calls <see cref="NotifyRunCompleted"/> once the
+/// runtime returns.
+/// </summary>
+public sealed class DebuggerServerHost : IAsyncDisposable
+{
+    private readonly DebuggerSession _session;
+    private readonly DebuggerServer _server;
+
+    public DebuggerServerHost(
+        DebuggerServerOptions? serverOptions = null,
+        DebuggerSessionOptions? sessionOptions = null)
+    {
+        _session = new DebuggerSession(sessionOptions);
+        _server = new DebuggerServer(_session, serverOptions);
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>The session driving the target.</summary>
+    public IDebuggerSession Session => _session;
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// The dispatcher hook to hand to the runtime so guest frames route through
+    /// the debugger.
+    /// </summary>
+    public ICpuDebugHook Hook => _session.Hook;
+
+    /// <summary>The endpoint the server bound to, or null before <see cref="Start"/>.</summary>
+    public IPEndPoint? Endpoint => _server.Endpoint;
+
+    /// <summary>Begins accepting debugger clients.</summary>
+    public void Start() => _server.Start();
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Releases a parked emulation thread and marks the target terminated. Call
+    /// after the runtime's run returns so any attached client is notified and the
+    /// guest thread is never left blocked in the debugger.
+    /// </summary>
+    public void NotifyRunCompleted() => _session.NotifyTerminated();
+
+    public async ValueTask DisposeAsync()
+    {
+        _session.NotifyTerminated();
+        await _server.DisposeAsync().ConfigureAwait(false);
+    }
+}

src/SharpEmu.Debugger/Protocol/DebugCommandDispatcher.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,340 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using SharpEmu.Debugger.Breakpoints;
+using SharpEmu.Debugger.Session;
+using SharpEmu.HLE;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Debugger.Protocol;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Translates parsed <see cref="DebugRequest"/> verbs into operations on an
+/// <see cref="IDebuggerSession"/> and packages the outcome as a
+/// <see cref="DebugResponse"/>. This is the single place command semantics live,
+/// so it is shared by every connection and independent of the wire format.
+/// </summary>
+public sealed class DebugCommandDispatcher
+{
+    private readonly IDebuggerSession _session;
+
+    public DebugCommandDispatcher(IDebuggerSession session)
+    {
+        _session = session ?? throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(session));
+    }
+
+    public DebugResponse Dispatch(DebugRequest request)
+    {
+        return request.Command switch
+        {
+            JsonLineDebugProtocol.ParseErrorCommand => ParseError(request),
+            "ping" => DebugResponse.Success(request.Command),
+            "status" or "info" => Status(request),
+            "state" => DebugResponse.Success(request.Command, new Dictionary<string, object?>
+            {
+                ["state"] = _session.State.ToString(),
+            }),
+            "registers" or "regs" => Registers(request),
+            "set-register" or "set-reg" => SetRegister(request),
+            "read-memory" or "read-mem" => ReadMemory(request),
+            "write-memory" or "write-mem" => WriteMemory(request),
+            "list-breakpoints" or "breakpoints" => ListBreakpoints(request),
+            "add-breakpoint" or "break" => AddBreakpoint(request),
+            "remove-breakpoint" or "delete-breakpoint" => RemoveBreakpoint(request),
+            "enable-breakpoint" => EnableBreakpoint(request),
+            "continue" or "cont" or "c" => Simple(request, _session.Continue(), "Target is not paused."),
+            "step" or "s" => Simple(request, _session.StepFrame(), "Target is not paused."),
+            "pause" => Pause(request),
+            _ => DebugResponse.Failure(request.Command, $"Unknown command '{request.Command}'."),
+        };
+    }
+
+    private static DebugResponse ParseError(DebugRequest request)
+    {
+        var message = request.TryGetString("message", out var text) ? text : "Malformed request.";
+        return DebugResponse.Failure(request.Command, message);
+    }
+
+    private DebugResponse Status(DebugRequest request)
+    {
+        var data = new Dictionary<string, object?>
+        {
+            ["state"] = _session.State.ToString(),
+            ["breakpoints"] = _session.Breakpoints.Snapshot().Count,
+        };
+
+        if (_session.LastStop is { } stop)
+        {
+            data["lastStop"] = DescribeStop(stop);
+        }
+
+        return DebugResponse.Success(request.Command, data);
+    }
+
+    private DebugResponse Registers(DebugRequest request)
+    {
+        if (!_session.TryGetRegisters(out var registers))
+        {
+            return NotPaused(request);
+        }
+
+        return DebugResponse.Success(request.Command, new Dictionary<string, object?>
+        {
+            ["registers"] = DescribeRegisters(registers),
+        });
+    }
+
+    private DebugResponse SetRegister(DebugRequest request)
+    {
+        if (!request.TryGetString("register", out var name) || !TryParseRegister(name, out var id))
+        {
+            return DebugResponse.Failure(request.Command, "Expected a valid 'register' name.");
+        }
+
+        if (!request.TryGetUInt64("value", out var value))
+        {
+            return DebugResponse.Failure(request.Command, "Expected a 'value'.");
+        }
+
+        return _session.TrySetRegister(id, value)
+            ? DebugResponse.Success(request.Command)
+            : DebugResponse.Failure(request.Command, "Register is not writable or target is not paused.");
+    }
+
+    private DebugResponse ReadMemory(DebugRequest request)
+    {
+        if (!request.TryGetUInt64("address", out var address))
+        {
+            return DebugResponse.Failure(request.Command, "Expected an 'address'.");
+        }
+
+        if (!request.TryGetInt32("length", out var length) || length <= 0 || length > MaxMemoryChunk)
+        {
+            return DebugResponse.Failure(request.Command, $"Expected a 'length' between 1 and {MaxMemoryChunk}.");
+        }
+
+        var buffer = new byte[length];
+        if (!_session.TryReadMemory(address, buffer))
+        {
+            return DebugResponse.Failure(request.Command, "Memory is unreadable or target is not paused.");
+        }
+
+        return DebugResponse.Success(request.Command, new Dictionary<string, object?>
+        {
+            ["address"] = FormatAddress(address),
+            ["length"] = length,
+            ["bytes"] = Convert.ToHexString(buffer),
+        });
+    }
+
+    private DebugResponse WriteMemory(DebugRequest request)
+    {
+        if (!request.TryGetUInt64("address", out var address))
+        {
+            return DebugResponse.Failure(request.Command, "Expected an 'address'.");
+        }
+
+        if (!request.TryGetString("bytes", out var hex) || hex.Length == 0 || (hex.Length & 1) != 0)
+        {
+            return DebugResponse.Failure(request.Command, "Expected 'bytes' as an even-length hex string.");
+        }
+
+        byte[] data;
+        try
+        {
+            data = Convert.FromHexString(hex);
+        }
+        catch (FormatException)
+        {
+            return DebugResponse.Failure(request.Command, "'bytes' is not valid hex.");
+        }
+
+        if (data.Length > MaxMemoryChunk)
+        {
+            return DebugResponse.Failure(request.Command, $"Cannot write more than {MaxMemoryChunk} bytes at once.");
+        }
+
+        return _session.TryWriteMemory(address, data)
+            ? DebugResponse.Success(request.Command, new Dictionary<string, object?> { ["written"] = data.Length })
+            : DebugResponse.Failure(request.Command, "Memory is unwritable or target is not paused.");
+    }
+
+    private DebugResponse ListBreakpoints(DebugRequest request)
+    {
+        var breakpoints = _session.Breakpoints.Snapshot()
+            .OrderBy(breakpoint => breakpoint.Id)
+            .Select(DescribeBreakpoint)
+            .ToArray();
+
+        return DebugResponse.Success(request.Command, new Dictionary<string, object?>
+        {
+            ["breakpoints"] = breakpoints,
+        });
+    }
+
+    private DebugResponse AddBreakpoint(DebugRequest request)
+    {
+        if (!request.TryGetUInt64("address", out var address))
+        {
+            return DebugResponse.Failure(request.Command, "Expected an 'address'.");
+        }
+
+        var kind = BreakpointKind.Execute;
+        if (request.TryGetString("kind", out var kindText) && !TryParseBreakpointKind(kindText, out kind))
+        {
+            return DebugResponse.Failure(request.Command, $"Unknown breakpoint kind '{kindText}'.");
+        }
+
+        var length = 1UL;
+        if (request.TryGetUInt64("length", out var requestedLength) && requestedLength > 0)
+        {
+            length = requestedLength;
+        }
+
+        var breakpoint = _session.Breakpoints.Add(kind, address, length);
+        return DebugResponse.Success(request.Command, new Dictionary<string, object?>
+        {
+            ["breakpoint"] = DescribeBreakpoint(breakpoint),
+        });
+    }
+
+    private DebugResponse RemoveBreakpoint(DebugRequest request)
+    {
+        if (!request.TryGetInt32("id", out var id))
+        {
+            return DebugResponse.Failure(request.Command, "Expected an 'id'.");
+        }
+
+        return _session.Breakpoints.Remove(id)
+            ? DebugResponse.Success(request.Command)
+            : DebugResponse.Failure(request.Command, $"No breakpoint with id {id}.");
+    }
+
+    private DebugResponse EnableBreakpoint(DebugRequest request)
+    {
+        if (!request.TryGetInt32("id", out var id))
+        {
+            return DebugResponse.Failure(request.Command, "Expected an 'id'.");
+        }
+
+        var enabled = !request.TryGetBool("enabled", out var requested) || requested;
+        return _session.Breakpoints.SetEnabled(id, enabled)
+            ? DebugResponse.Success(request.Command)
+            : DebugResponse.Failure(request.Command, $"No breakpoint with id {id}.");
+    }
+
+    private DebugResponse Pause(DebugRequest request)
+    {
+        _session.RequestPause();
+        return DebugResponse.Success(request.Command);
+    }
+
+    private static DebugResponse Simple(DebugRequest request, bool succeeded, string failureMessage)
+        => succeeded ? DebugResponse.Success(request.Command) : DebugResponse.Failure(request.Command, failureMessage);
+
+    private static DebugResponse NotPaused(DebugRequest request)
+        => DebugResponse.Failure(request.Command, "Target is not paused.");
+
+    internal static IReadOnlyDictionary<string, object?> DescribeStop(DebugStopEvent stop)
+    {
+        var data = new Dictionary<string, object?>
+        {
+            ["reason"] = stop.Reason.ToString(),
+            ["address"] = FormatAddress(stop.Address),
+            ["frameKind"] = stop.FrameKind.ToString(),
+            ["frameLabel"] = stop.FrameLabel,
+            ["registers"] = DescribeRegisters(stop.Registers),
+        };
+
+        if (stop.Breakpoint is { } breakpoint)
+        {
+            data["breakpoint"] = DescribeBreakpoint(breakpoint);
+        }
+
+        if (stop.Result is { } result)
+        {
+            data["result"] = result.ToString();
+        }
+
+        if (stop.Detail is { } detail)
+        {
+            data["detail"] = detail;
+        }
+
+        if (stop.OpcodeBytes is { } opcodeBytes)
+        {
+            data["opcodeBytes"] = opcodeBytes;
+        }
+
+        if (stop.StallInfo is { } stall)
+        {
+            data["stall"] = new Dictionary<string, object?>
+            {
+                ["kind"] = stall.Kind.ToString(),
+                ["nid"] = stall.Nid,
+                ["instructionPointer"] = FormatAddress(stall.InstructionPointer),
+                ["dispatchIndex"] = stall.DispatchIndex,
+                ["argument0"] = FormatAddress(stall.Argument0),
+                ["argument1"] = FormatAddress(stall.Argument1),
+                ["resolved"] = stall.IsResolved,
+                ["library"] = stall.LibraryName,
+                ["function"] = stall.FunctionName,
+            };
+        }
+
+        return data;
+    }
+
+    private static IReadOnlyDictionary<string, object?> DescribeRegisters(DebugRegisterFile registers)
+    {
+        var result = new Dictionary<string, object?>(20);
+        for (var i = 0; i < 16; i++)
+        {
+            result[((CpuRegister)i).ToString().ToLowerInvariant()] = FormatAddress(registers[(CpuRegister)i]);
+        }
+
+        result["rip"] = FormatAddress(registers.Rip);
+        result["rflags"] = FormatAddress(registers.Rflags);
+        result["fs_base"] = FormatAddress(registers.FsBase);
+        result["gs_base"] = FormatAddress(registers.GsBase);
+        return result;
+    }
+
+    private static IReadOnlyDictionary<string, object?> DescribeBreakpoint(Breakpoint breakpoint)
+        => new Dictionary<string, object?>
+        {
+            ["id"] = breakpoint.Id,
+            ["kind"] = breakpoint.Kind.ToString(),
+            ["address"] = FormatAddress(breakpoint.Address),
+            ["length"] = breakpoint.Length,
+            ["enabled"] = breakpoint.Enabled,
+        };
+
+    private static string FormatAddress(ulong value) => $"0x{value:X16}";
+
+    private static bool TryParseRegister(string name, out DebugRegisterId id)
+    {
+        var normalized = name.Trim().ToLowerInvariant();
+        switch (normalized)
+        {
+            case "rip":
+                id = DebugRegisterId.Rip;
+                return true;
+            case "rflags":
+                id = DebugRegisterId.Rflags;
+                return true;
+            case "fs_base" or "fsbase":
+                id = DebugRegisterId.FsBase;
+                return true;
+            case "gs_base" or "gsbase":
+                id = DebugRegisterId.GsBase;
+                return true;
+        }
+
+        return Enum.TryParse(normalized, ignoreCase: true, out id) && Enum.IsDefined(id);
+    }
+
+    private static bool TryParseBreakpointKind(string text, out BreakpointKind kind)
+        => Enum.TryParse(text.Trim(), ignoreCase: true, out kind) && Enum.IsDefined(kind);
+
+    private const int MaxMemoryChunk = 64 * 1024;
+}

src/SharpEmu.Debugger/Protocol/DebugRequest.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,152 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using System.Globalization;
+using System.Text.Json;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Debugger.Protocol;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// A parsed client request: a <see cref="Command"/> verb plus a bag of named
+/// arguments backed by the original JSON. Numeric arguments accept either JSON
+/// numbers or <c>"0x"</c>-prefixed hex strings so addresses read naturally on
+/// the wire.
+/// </summary>
+public sealed class DebugRequest
+{
+    private readonly JsonElement _root;
+
+    private DebugRequest(string command, JsonElement root)
+    {
+        Command = command;
+        _root = root;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>The lower-cased command verb.</summary>
+    public string Command { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Parses a single JSON object into a request. Returns false when the text is
+    /// not a JSON object or is missing a string <c>command</c> field.
+    /// </summary>
+    public static bool TryParse(string json, out DebugRequest request, out string error)
+    {
+        request = null!;
+        error = string.Empty;
+        try
+        {
+            using var document = JsonDocument.Parse(json);
+            var root = document.RootElement.Clone();
+            if (root.ValueKind != JsonValueKind.Object)
+            {
+                error = "Request must be a JSON object.";
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            if (!root.TryGetProperty("command", out var commandElement) ||
+                commandElement.ValueKind != JsonValueKind.String)
+            {
+                error = "Request is missing a string 'command'.";
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            var command = commandElement.GetString() ?? string.Empty;
+            request = new DebugRequest(command.Trim().ToLowerInvariant(), root);
+            return true;
+        }
+        catch (JsonException ex)
+        {
+            error = $"Malformed JSON: {ex.Message}";
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    public bool TryGetString(string name, out string value)
+    {
+        if (_root.TryGetProperty(name, out var element) && element.ValueKind == JsonValueKind.String)
+        {
+            value = element.GetString() ?? string.Empty;
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        value = string.Empty;
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    public bool TryGetUInt64(string name, out ulong value)
+    {
+        value = 0;
+        if (!_root.TryGetProperty(name, out var element))
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        switch (element.ValueKind)
+        {
+            case JsonValueKind.Number:
+                return element.TryGetUInt64(out value);
+            case JsonValueKind.String:
+                return TryParseNumber(element.GetString(), out value);
+            default:
+                return false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    public bool TryGetInt32(string name, out int value)
+    {
+        value = 0;
+        if (!_root.TryGetProperty(name, out var element))
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        switch (element.ValueKind)
+        {
+            case JsonValueKind.Number:
+                return element.TryGetInt32(out value);
+            case JsonValueKind.String when TryParseNumber(element.GetString(), out var parsed) && parsed <= int.MaxValue:
+                value = (int)parsed;
+                return true;
+            default:
+                return false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    public bool TryGetBool(string name, out bool value)
+    {
+        value = false;
+        if (!_root.TryGetProperty(name, out var element))
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        switch (element.ValueKind)
+        {
+            case JsonValueKind.True:
+                value = true;
+                return true;
+            case JsonValueKind.False:
+                value = false;
+                return true;
+            default:
+                return false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static bool TryParseNumber(string? text, out ulong value)
+    {
+        value = 0;
+        if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(text))
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        text = text.Trim();
+        if (text.StartsWith("0x", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+        {
+            return ulong.TryParse(text.AsSpan(2), NumberStyles.HexNumber, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, out value);
+        }
+
+        return ulong.TryParse(text, NumberStyles.Integer, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, out value);
+    }
+}

src/SharpEmu.Debugger/Protocol/DebugResponse.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Debugger.Protocol;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// The reply to a <see cref="DebugRequest"/>: either success with an optional
+/// data payload, or a failure with a human-readable message.
+/// </summary>
+public sealed class DebugResponse
+{
+    private DebugResponse(bool ok, string? command, IReadOnlyDictionary<string, object?>? data, string? error)
+    {
+        Ok = ok;
+        Command = command;
+        Data = data;
+        Error = error;
+    }
+
+    public bool Ok { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>Echoes the command the reply answers, when known.</summary>
+    public string? Command { get; }
+
+    public IReadOnlyDictionary<string, object?>? Data { get; }
+
+    public string? Error { get; }
+
+    public static DebugResponse Success(string command, IReadOnlyDictionary<string, object?>? data = null)
+        => new(ok: true, command, data, error: null);
+
+    public static DebugResponse Failure(string command, string error)
+        => new(ok: false, command, data: null, error);
+}

src/SharpEmu.Debugger/Protocol/IDebugProtocol.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Debugger.Protocol;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Frames debugger traffic on a connection. A protocol turns bytes into
+/// <see cref="DebugRequest"/> objects and serialises <see cref="DebugResponse"/>
+/// replies plus asynchronous events (stops, resumes, termination) back to the
+/// client. Swapping the implementation (line-delimited JSON today, a GDB remote
+/// serial stub later) leaves the session and server untouched.
+/// </summary>
+public interface IDebugProtocol
+{
+    /// <summary>A short protocol name reported in the handshake.</summary>
+    string Name { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Reads the next request, or null at end of stream. Parse failures are
+    /// surfaced as a request with a reserved error command rather than throwing.
+    /// </summary>
+    Task<DebugRequest?> ReadRequestAsync(TextReader reader, CancellationToken cancellationToken);
+
+    /// <summary>Writes a reply to a request.</summary>
+    Task WriteResponseAsync(TextWriter writer, DebugResponse response, CancellationToken cancellationToken);
+
+    /// <summary>Writes an unsolicited event (for example a stop notification).</summary>
+    Task WriteEventAsync(
+        TextWriter writer,
+        string eventName,
+        IReadOnlyDictionary<string, object?> data,
+        CancellationToken cancellationToken);
+}

src/SharpEmu.Debugger/Protocol/JsonLineDebugProtocol.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using System.Text.Json;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Debugger.Protocol;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// A newline-delimited JSON protocol: one JSON object per line in each
+/// direction. Requests carry a <c>command</c>; replies carry <c>ok</c> plus
+/// <c>data</c>/<c>error</c>; events carry an <c>event</c> name. It is trivial to
+/// drive from a socket, <c>nc</c>, or a small script, which suits bring-up and
+/// tooling while a richer protocol is layered on later.
+/// </summary>
+public sealed class JsonLineDebugProtocol : IDebugProtocol
+{
+    /// <summary>The command assigned to a request that failed to parse.</summary>
+    public const string ParseErrorCommand = "$parse-error";
+
+    private static readonly JsonSerializerOptions SerializerOptions = new()
+    {
+        WriteIndented = false,
+    };
+
+    public string Name => "json-lines/1";
+
+    public async Task<DebugRequest?> ReadRequestAsync(TextReader reader, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        while (true)
+        {
+            cancellationToken.ThrowIfCancellationRequested();
+            var line = await reader.ReadLineAsync(cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+            if (line is null)
+            {
+                return null;
+            }
+
+            if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(line))
+            {
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            if (DebugRequest.TryParse(line, out var request, out var error))
+            {
+                return request;
+            }
+
+            // Surface the parse failure as a synthetic request so the connection
+            // loop can reply with an error rather than dropping the client.
+            var envelope = $"{{\"command\":\"{ParseErrorCommand}\",\"message\":{JsonSerializer.Serialize(error)}}}";
+            if (DebugRequest.TryParse(envelope, out var errorRequest, out _))
+            {
+                return errorRequest;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    public async Task WriteResponseAsync(TextWriter writer, DebugResponse response, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        var payload = new Dictionary<string, object?>
+        {
+            ["ok"] = response.Ok,
+        };
+
+        if (response.Command is not null)
+        {
+            payload["command"] = response.Command;
+        }
+
+        if (response.Data is not null)
+        {
+            payload["data"] = response.Data;
+        }
+
+        if (response.Error is not null)
+        {
+            payload["error"] = response.Error;
+        }
+
+        await WriteLineAsync(writer, payload, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+    }
+
+    public async Task WriteEventAsync(
+        TextWriter writer,
+        string eventName,
+        IReadOnlyDictionary<string, object?> data,
+        CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        var payload = new Dictionary<string, object?>(data.Count + 1)
+        {
+            ["event"] = eventName,
+        };
+
+        foreach (var (key, value) in data)
+        {
+            payload[key] = value;
+        }
+
+        await WriteLineAsync(writer, payload, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+    }
+
+    private static async Task WriteLineAsync(
+        TextWriter writer,
+        IReadOnlyDictionary<string, object?> payload,
+        CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        cancellationToken.ThrowIfCancellationRequested();
+        var json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(payload, SerializerOptions);
+        await writer.WriteLineAsync(json.AsMemory(), cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        await writer.FlushAsync(cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+    }
+}

src/SharpEmu.Debugger/Server/DebuggerClientConnection.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,158 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using System.Net.Sockets;
+using System.Text;
+using SharpEmu.Debugger.Protocol;
+using SharpEmu.Debugger.Session;
+using SharpEmu.Logging;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Debugger.Server;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Services a single connected client: reads requests, dispatches them against
+/// the shared session, and pushes session lifecycle events. Writes from the
+/// request loop and from event callbacks are serialised through one lock so the
+/// two never interleave a half-written line.
+/// </summary>
+internal sealed class DebuggerClientConnection : IAsyncDisposable
+{
+    private static readonly SharpEmuLogger Log = SharpEmuLog.For("SharpEmu.Debugger");
+    private static readonly UTF8Encoding Utf8NoBom = new(encoderShouldEmitUTF8Identifier: false);
+
+    private readonly TcpClient _client;
+    private readonly IDebuggerSession _session;
+    private readonly IDebugProtocol _protocol;
+    private readonly DebugCommandDispatcher _dispatcher;
+    private readonly SemaphoreSlim _writeLock = new(1, 1);
+
+    private TextWriter? _writer;
+    private CancellationToken _cancellationToken;
+
+    public DebuggerClientConnection(TcpClient client, IDebuggerSession session, IDebugProtocol protocol)
+    {
+        _client = client;
+        _session = session;
+        _protocol = protocol;
+        _dispatcher = new DebugCommandDispatcher(session);
+    }
+
+    public async Task RunAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        _cancellationToken = cancellationToken;
+        var endpoint = _client.Client.RemoteEndPoint?.ToString() ?? "unknown";
+        Log.Info($"Debugger client connected: {endpoint}");
+
+        using var stream = _client.GetStream();
+        using var reader = new StreamReader(stream, Utf8NoBom);
+        await using var writer = new StreamWriter(stream, Utf8NoBom) { AutoFlush = false };
+        _writer = writer;
+
+        _session.Stopped += OnStopped;
+        _session.Resumed += OnResumed;
+        _session.Terminated += OnTerminated;
+        try
+        {
+            await SendEventAsync("hello", new Dictionary<string, object?>
+            {
+                ["protocol"] = _protocol.Name,
+                ["state"] = _session.State.ToString(),
+            }).ConfigureAwait(false);
+
+            while (!cancellationToken.IsCancellationRequested)
+            {
+                var request = await _protocol.ReadRequestAsync(reader, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+                if (request is null)
+                {
+                    break;
+                }
+
+                var response = _dispatcher.Dispatch(request);
+                await WriteResponseAsync(response).ConfigureAwait(false);
+            }
+        }
+        catch (OperationCanceledException)
+        {
+            // Server shutting down.
+        }
+        catch (IOException)
+        {
+            // Client dropped the connection.
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            Log.Warn($"Debugger client error ({endpoint}): {ex.Message}");
+        }
+        finally
+        {
+            _session.Stopped -= OnStopped;
+            _session.Resumed -= OnResumed;
+            _session.Terminated -= OnTerminated;
+            _writer = null;
+            Log.Info($"Debugger client disconnected: {endpoint}");
+        }
+    }
+
+    private void OnStopped(object? sender, DebugStopEvent stop)
+        => _ = SendEventAsync("stopped", DebugCommandDispatcher.DescribeStop(stop));
+
+    private void OnResumed(object? sender, EventArgs e)
+        => _ = SendEventAsync("resumed", EmptyData);
+
+    private void OnTerminated(object? sender, EventArgs e)
+        => _ = SendEventAsync("terminated", EmptyData);
+
+    private async Task WriteResponseAsync(DebugResponse response)
+    {
+        var writer = _writer;
+        if (writer is null)
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        await _writeLock.WaitAsync(_cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        try
+        {
+            await _protocol.WriteResponseAsync(writer, response, _cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        }
+        finally
+        {
+            _writeLock.Release();
+        }
+    }
+
+    private async Task SendEventAsync(string name, IReadOnlyDictionary<string, object?> data)
+    {
+        var writer = _writer;
+        if (writer is null)
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        try
+        {
+            await _writeLock.WaitAsync(_cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+            try
+            {
+                await _protocol.WriteEventAsync(writer, name, data, _cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+            }
+            finally
+            {
+                _writeLock.Release();
+            }
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex) when (ex is IOException or OperationCanceledException or ObjectDisposedException)
+        {
+            // The client went away between the event firing and the write.
+        }
+    }
+
+    public ValueTask DisposeAsync()
+    {
+        _writeLock.Dispose();
+        _client.Dispose();
+        return ValueTask.CompletedTask;
+    }
+
+    private static readonly IReadOnlyDictionary<string, object?> EmptyData = new Dictionary<string, object?>();
+}

src/SharpEmu.Debugger/Server/DebuggerServer.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using System.Collections.Concurrent;
+using System.Net;
+using System.Net.Sockets;
+using SharpEmu.Debugger.Protocol;
+using SharpEmu.Debugger.Session;
+using SharpEmu.Logging;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Debugger.Server;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// A TCP server that exposes an <see cref="IDebuggerSession"/> to remote
+/// clients over a pluggable <see cref="IDebugProtocol"/>. Every connection sees
+/// the same session, so multiple clients (for example a UI and a scripted
+/// probe) observe a consistent view of the target.
+/// </summary>
+public sealed class DebuggerServer : IDebuggerServer
+{
+    private static readonly SharpEmuLogger Log = SharpEmuLog.For("SharpEmu.Debugger");
+
+    private readonly IDebuggerSession _session;
+    private readonly DebuggerServerOptions _options;
+    private readonly Func<IDebugProtocol> _protocolFactory;
+    private readonly ConcurrentDictionary<DebuggerClientConnection, Task> _connections = new();
+    private readonly CancellationTokenSource _shutdown = new();
+
+    private TcpListener? _listener;
+    private Task? _acceptLoop;
+
+    public DebuggerServer(
+        IDebuggerSession session,
+        DebuggerServerOptions? options = null,
+        Func<IDebugProtocol>? protocolFactory = null)
+    {
+        _session = session ?? throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(session));
+        _options = options ?? new DebuggerServerOptions();
+        _protocolFactory = protocolFactory ?? (static () => new JsonLineDebugProtocol());
+    }
+
+    public bool IsListening => _listener is not null;
+
+    public IPEndPoint? Endpoint { get; private set; }
+
+    public void Start()
+    {
+        if (_listener is not null)
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        var listener = new TcpListener(_options.BindAddress, _options.Port);
+        listener.Start(_options.MaxClients);
+        _listener = listener;
+        Endpoint = (IPEndPoint?)listener.LocalEndpoint;
+        Log.Info($"Debug server listening on {Endpoint} (protocol {_protocolFactory().Name})");
+        _acceptLoop = Task.Run(() => AcceptLoopAsync(listener, _shutdown.Token));
+    }
+
+    private async Task AcceptLoopAsync(TcpListener listener, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        while (!cancellationToken.IsCancellationRequested)
+        {
+            TcpClient client;
+            try
+            {
+                client = await listener.AcceptTcpClientAsync(cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+            }
+            catch (OperationCanceledException)
+            {
+                break;
+            }
+            catch (SocketException) when (cancellationToken.IsCancellationRequested)
+            {
+                break;
+            }
+            catch (ObjectDisposedException)
+            {
+                break;
+            }
+
+            var connection = new DebuggerClientConnection(client, _session, _protocolFactory());
+            var task = Task.Run(() => ServeAsync(connection, cancellationToken), cancellationToken);
+            _connections[connection] = task;
+        }
+    }
+
+    private async Task ServeAsync(DebuggerClientConnection connection, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            await connection.RunAsync(cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        }
+        finally
+        {
+            _connections.TryRemove(connection, out _);
+            await connection.DisposeAsync().ConfigureAwait(false);
+        }
+    }
+
+    public async Task StopAsync()
+    {
+        if (_listener is null)
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        await _shutdown.CancelAsync().ConfigureAwait(false);
+        _listener.Stop();
+        _listener = null;
+
+        try
+        {
+            if (_acceptLoop is not null)
+            {
+                await _acceptLoop.ConfigureAwait(false);
+            }
+
+            await Task.WhenAll(_connections.Values).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex) when (ex is OperationCanceledException or SocketException or ObjectDisposedException)
+        {
+            // Expected while tearing connections down.
+        }
+
+        _connections.Clear();
+        Log.Info("Debug server stopped.");
+    }
+
+    public async ValueTask DisposeAsync()
+    {
+        await StopAsync().ConfigureAwait(false);
+        _shutdown.Dispose();
+    }
+}

src/SharpEmu.Debugger/Server/DebuggerServerOptions.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using System.Net;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Debugger.Server;
+
+/// <summary>Network configuration for a <see cref="DebuggerServer"/>.</summary>
+public sealed class DebuggerServerOptions
+{
+    /// <summary>The default TCP port the debug server listens on.</summary>
+    public const int DefaultPort = 5714;
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// The address to bind. Defaults to loopback so the debug surface is not
+    /// exposed off-box; a caller must opt in to a routable address explicitly.
+    /// </summary>
+    public IPAddress BindAddress { get; init; } = IPAddress.Loopback;
+
+    /// <summary>The TCP port to listen on.</summary>
+    public int Port { get; init; } = DefaultPort;
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// The maximum number of simultaneous client connections. Additional
+    /// connections wait in the accept backlog.
+    /// </summary>
+    public int MaxClients { get; init; } = 4;
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Parses a <c>host:port</c>, bare <c>port</c>, or bare host into options.
+    /// Returns false when the text cannot be interpreted.
+    /// </summary>
+    public static bool TryParseEndpoint(string? text, out DebuggerServerOptions options, out string error)
+    {
+        options = new DebuggerServerOptions();
+        error = string.Empty;
+        if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(text))
+        {
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        var value = text.Trim();
+        var host = value;
+        var port = DefaultPort;
+
+        var separator = value.LastIndexOf(':');
+        if (separator >= 0)
+        {
+            var portText = value[(separator + 1)..];
+            if (portText.Length > 0)
+            {
+                if (!int.TryParse(portText, out port) || port is <= 0 or > 65535)
+                {
+                    error = $"Invalid port '{portText}'.";
+                    return false;
+                }
+            }
+
+            host = value[..separator];
+        }
+
+        var address = IPAddress.Loopback;
+        if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(host) &&
+            !string.Equals(host, "localhost", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) &&
+            !IPAddress.TryParse(host, out address!))
+        {
+            error = $"Invalid bind address '{host}'.";
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        options = new DebuggerServerOptions
+        {
+            BindAddress = address ?? IPAddress.Loopback,
+            Port = port,
+        };
+        return true;
+    }
+}

src/SharpEmu.Debugger/Server/IDebuggerServer.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using System.Net;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Debugger.Server;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// A network front-end that exposes a debugger session to remote clients.
+/// </summary>
+public interface IDebuggerServer : IAsyncDisposable
+{
+    /// <summary>True once the listener is accepting connections.</summary>
+    bool IsListening { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>The endpoint the server is bound to, or null before start.</summary>
+    IPEndPoint? Endpoint { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>Binds and begins accepting client connections.</summary>
+    void Start();
+
+    /// <summary>Stops accepting connections and closes active clients.</summary>
+    Task StopAsync();
+}

src/SharpEmu.Debugger/Session/DebugStopEvent.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using SharpEmu.Core.Cpu.Debugging;
+using SharpEmu.Debugger.Breakpoints;
+using SharpEmu.HLE;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Debugger.Session;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Describes a stop delivered to debugger clients: why the target stopped,
+/// where, and the register snapshot at that point.
+/// </summary>
+public sealed class DebugStopEvent
+{
+    public DebugStopEvent(
+        DebugStopReason reason,
+        DebugRegisterFile registers,
+        CpuDebugFrameKind frameKind,
+        string frameLabel,
+        Breakpoint? breakpoint = null,
+        OrbisGen2Result? result = null,
+        string? detail = null,
+        string? opcodeBytes = null,
+        CpuStallInfo? stallInfo = null)
+    {
+        Reason = reason;
+        Registers = registers;
+        FrameKind = frameKind;
+        FrameLabel = frameLabel ?? string.Empty;
+        Breakpoint = breakpoint;
+        Result = result;
+        Detail = detail;
+        OpcodeBytes = opcodeBytes;
+        StallInfo = stallInfo;
+    }
+
+    public DebugStopReason Reason { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>The instruction pointer where the target stopped.</summary>
+    public ulong Address => Registers.Rip;
+
+    public DebugRegisterFile Registers { get; }
+
+    public CpuDebugFrameKind FrameKind { get; }
+
+    public string FrameLabel { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>The breakpoint responsible for the stop, when applicable.</summary>
+    public Breakpoint? Breakpoint { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// The frame result for a <see cref="DebugStopReason.Fault"/> stop; null for
+    /// non-fault stops.
+    /// </summary>
+    public OrbisGen2Result? Result { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>A human-readable summary of a fault, when applicable.</summary>
+    public string? Detail { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// A hex preview of the bytes at <see cref="Address"/> (the faulting
+    /// instruction), when the stop is a fault and the bytes were readable.
+    /// </summary>
+    public string? OpcodeBytes { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>Structured backend evidence for a stall stop.</summary>
+    public CpuStallInfo? StallInfo { get; }
+}

src/SharpEmu.Debugger/Session/DebugStopReason.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Debugger.Session;
+
+/// <summary>Why the target stopped and handed control to the debugger.</summary>
+public enum DebugStopReason
+{
+    /// <summary>Stopped at the configured entry point before running any frame.</summary>
+    EntryPoint,
+
+    /// <summary>An execution breakpoint was hit.</summary>
+    Breakpoint,
+
+    /// <summary>A data watchpoint was hit.</summary>
+    Watchpoint,
+
+    /// <summary>A single-step (frame step) request completed.</summary>
+    Step,
+
+    /// <summary>A client-requested pause took effect.</summary>
+    Pause,
+
+    /// <summary>The guest raised a fault or trap.</summary>
+    Fault,
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// The backend detected an execution stall (for example a mutex spin loop /
+    /// livelock) with no forward progress.
+    /// </summary>
+    Stall,
+}

src/SharpEmu.Debugger/Session/DebuggerRunState.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Debugger.Session;
+
+/// <summary>The execution state of a debugged target as seen by the debugger.</summary>
+public enum DebuggerRunState
+{
+    /// <summary>No guest frame has entered the debugger yet.</summary>
+    Detached,
+
+    /// <summary>The guest is executing and cannot be inspected safely.</summary>
+    Running,
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// The guest is parked at a frame boundary. Registers and memory can be
+    /// read and written, and breakpoints can be edited.
+    /// </summary>
+    Paused,
+
+    /// <summary>The guest has finished; no further frames will run.</summary>
+    Terminated,
+}

src/SharpEmu.Debugger/Session/DebuggerSession.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,425 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using SharpEmu.Core.Cpu.Debugging;
+using SharpEmu.Debugger.Breakpoints;
+using SharpEmu.HLE;
+using SharpEmu.Logging;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Debugger.Session;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// The default <see cref="IDebuggerSession"/>. It plugs into the CPU dispatcher
+/// as an <see cref="ICpuDebugHook"/>: when a frame boundary warrants a stop it
+/// parks the emulation thread inside <see cref="ICpuDebugHook.OnFrameEnter"/>
+/// while a debug client inspects and edits state, then releases it on
+/// continue/step.
+/// </summary>
+/// <remarks>
+/// Pausing works by blocking the emulation thread on <see cref="_resumeGate"/>
+/// from within the hook call. Because that thread is the one that owns the guest
+/// context, register and memory accessors are safe to serve from other threads
+/// only while it is parked — which is exactly the <see cref="DebuggerRunState.Paused"/>
+/// window the accessors gate on.
+/// </remarks>
+public sealed class DebuggerSession : IDebuggerSession, ICpuDebugHook
+{
+    private static readonly SharpEmuLogger Log = SharpEmuLog.For("SharpEmu.Debugger");
+
+    private readonly object _sync = new();
+    private readonly ManualResetEventSlim _resumeGate = new(initialState: false);
+    private readonly DebuggerSessionOptions _options;
+
+    private ICpuDebugFrame? _currentFrame;
+    private DebuggerRunState _state = DebuggerRunState.Detached;
+    private DebugStopEvent? _lastStop;
+    private bool _seenFirstFrame;
+    private bool _pausePending;
+    private bool _stepPending;
+
+    public DebuggerSession(DebuggerSessionOptions? options = null)
+    {
+        _options = options ?? new DebuggerSessionOptions();
+        Breakpoints = new BreakpointStore();
+    }
+
+    public BreakpointStore Breakpoints { get; }
+
+    public ICpuDebugHook Hook => this;
+
+    public event EventHandler<DebugStopEvent>? Stopped;
+
+    public event EventHandler? Resumed;
+
+    public event EventHandler? Terminated;
+
+    public DebuggerRunState State
+    {
+        get
+        {
+            lock (_sync)
+            {
+                return _state;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    public DebugStopEvent? LastStop
+    {
+        get
+        {
+            lock (_sync)
+            {
+                return _lastStop;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    void ICpuDebugHook.OnFrameEnter(ICpuDebugFrame frame)
+    {
+        DebugStopEvent? stop;
+        lock (_sync)
+        {
+            _currentFrame = frame;
+            var firstFrame = !_seenFirstFrame;
+            _seenFirstFrame = true;
+
+            var reason = ResolveStopReason(frame, firstFrame, out var breakpoint);
+            if (reason is null)
+            {
+                _state = DebuggerRunState.Running;
+                return;
+            }
+
+            _state = DebuggerRunState.Paused;
+            _lastStop = new DebugStopEvent(
+                reason.Value,
+                DebugRegisterFile.Capture(frame),
+                frame.Kind,
+                frame.Label,
+                breakpoint);
+            stop = _lastStop;
+            _resumeGate.Reset();
+        }
+
+        Log.Debug($"Debugger stop: {stop!.Reason} at 0x{stop.Address:X16} ({stop.FrameLabel})");
+        Stopped?.Invoke(this, stop);
+
+        // Park the emulation thread until a client resumes the target. The frame
+        // stays live and inspectable for the whole wait.
+        _resumeGate.Wait();
+
+        lock (_sync)
+        {
+            if (_state != DebuggerRunState.Terminated)
+            {
+                _state = DebuggerRunState.Running;
+            }
+        }
+
+        Resumed?.Invoke(this, EventArgs.Empty);
+    }
+
+    void ICpuDebugHook.OnFrameExit(ICpuDebugFrame frame, OrbisGen2Result result)
+    {
+        DebugStopEvent? stop = null;
+        lock (_sync)
+        {
+            if (_options.BreakOnFault &&
+                result != OrbisGen2Result.ORBIS_GEN2_OK &&
+                _state != DebuggerRunState.Terminated)
+            {
+                // Parking here keeps the post-fault frame inspectable.
+                _currentFrame = frame;
+                _state = DebuggerRunState.Paused;
+                _lastStop = BuildFaultStop(frame, result);
+                stop = _lastStop;
+                _resumeGate.Reset();
+            }
+        }
+
+        if (stop is not null)
+        {
+            Log.Debug($"Debugger fault stop: {stop.Result} at 0x{stop.Address:X16} ({stop.FrameLabel})");
+            Stopped?.Invoke(this, stop);
+            _resumeGate.Wait();
+            Resumed?.Invoke(this, EventArgs.Empty);
+        }
+
+        lock (_sync)
+        {
+            if (ReferenceEquals(_currentFrame, frame))
+            {
+                _currentFrame = null;
+            }
+
+            if (_state != DebuggerRunState.Terminated)
+            {
+                _state = DebuggerRunState.Running;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    void ICpuDebugHook.OnStall(ICpuDebugFrame frame, CpuStallInfo info)
+    {
+        if (!_options.BreakOnStall)
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        DebugStopEvent? stop = null;
+        lock (_sync)
+        {
+            if (_state == DebuggerRunState.Terminated)
+            {
+                return;
+            }
+
+            _currentFrame = frame;
+            _state = DebuggerRunState.Paused;
+            _lastStop = new DebugStopEvent(
+                DebugStopReason.Stall,
+                DebugRegisterFile.Capture(frame),
+                frame.Kind,
+                frame.Label,
+                breakpoint: null,
+                result: null,
+                detail: info.Detail,
+                opcodeBytes: ReadOpcodePreview(frame, info.InstructionPointer, 16),
+                stallInfo: info);
+            stop = _lastStop;
+            _resumeGate.Reset();
+        }
+
+        Log.Debug($"Debugger stall stop: {info.Kind} nid={info.Nid} at 0x{info.InstructionPointer:X16}");
+        Stopped?.Invoke(this, stop);
+        _resumeGate.Wait();
+
+        lock (_sync)
+        {
+            if (ReferenceEquals(_currentFrame, frame))
+            {
+                _currentFrame = null;
+            }
+
+            if (_state != DebuggerRunState.Terminated)
+            {
+                _state = DebuggerRunState.Running;
+            }
+        }
+
+        Resumed?.Invoke(this, EventArgs.Empty);
+    }
+
+    private static DebugStopEvent BuildFaultStop(ICpuDebugFrame frame, OrbisGen2Result result)
+    {
+        var opcodeBytes = ReadOpcodePreview(frame, frame.Rip, 16);
+        var detail = $"result={result}";
+        if (opcodeBytes is not null)
+        {
+            detail += $", bytes={opcodeBytes}";
+        }
+
+        return new DebugStopEvent(
+            DebugStopReason.Fault,
+            DebugRegisterFile.Capture(frame),
+            frame.Kind,
+            frame.Label,
+            breakpoint: null,
+            result: result,
+            detail: detail,
+            opcodeBytes: opcodeBytes);
+    }
+
+    private static string? ReadOpcodePreview(ICpuDebugFrame frame, ulong address, int maxBytes)
+    {
+        Span<byte> buffer = stackalloc byte[maxBytes];
+        var count = 0;
+        for (; count < maxBytes; count++)
+        {
+            if (!frame.Memory.TryRead(address + (ulong)count, buffer.Slice(count, 1)))
+            {
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+
+        return count == 0 ? null : Convert.ToHexString(buffer[..count]);
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Signals that the whole guest run has finished. Releases any parked
+    /// emulation thread and moves the session to
+    /// <see cref="DebuggerRunState.Terminated"/>.
+    /// </summary>
+    public void NotifyTerminated()
+    {
+        lock (_sync)
+        {
+            _state = DebuggerRunState.Terminated;
+            _currentFrame = null;
+        }
+
+        _resumeGate.Set();
+        Terminated?.Invoke(this, EventArgs.Empty);
+    }
+
+    private DebugStopReason? ResolveStopReason(ICpuDebugFrame frame, bool firstFrame, out Breakpoint? breakpoint)
+    {
+        breakpoint = null;
+        if (_pausePending)
+        {
+            _pausePending = false;
+            return DebugStopReason.Pause;
+        }
+
+        if (_stepPending)
+        {
+            _stepPending = false;
+            return DebugStopReason.Step;
+        }
+
+        var hit = Breakpoints.FindExecuteHit(frame.EntryPoint);
+        if (hit is not null)
+        {
+            breakpoint = hit;
+            return DebugStopReason.Breakpoint;
+        }
+
+        if (_options.StopAtEntry && firstFrame)
+        {
+            return DebugStopReason.EntryPoint;
+        }
+
+        return null;
+    }
+
+    public bool TryGetRegisters(out DebugRegisterFile registers)
+    {
+        lock (_sync)
+        {
+            if (!IsPausedWithFrame(out var frame))
+            {
+                registers = default;
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            registers = DebugRegisterFile.Capture(frame);
+            return true;
+        }
+    }
+
+    public bool TrySetRegister(DebugRegisterId id, ulong value)
+    {
+        lock (_sync)
+        {
+            if (!IsPausedWithFrame(out var frame))
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            if (id.IsGeneralPurpose())
+            {
+                frame.SetRegister(id.ToCpuRegister(), value);
+                return true;
+            }
+
+            switch (id)
+            {
+                case DebugRegisterId.Rip:
+                    frame.Rip = value;
+                    return true;
+                case DebugRegisterId.Rflags:
+                    frame.Rflags = value;
+                    return true;
+                default:
+                    // FS/GS bases are owned by the TLS setup and are read-only here.
+                    return false;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    public bool TryReadMemory(ulong address, Span<byte> destination)
+    {
+        lock (_sync)
+        {
+            return IsPausedWithFrame(out var frame) && frame.Memory.TryRead(address, destination);
+        }
+    }
+
+    public bool TryWriteMemory(ulong address, ReadOnlySpan<byte> source)
+    {
+        lock (_sync)
+        {
+            return IsPausedWithFrame(out var frame) && frame.Memory.TryWrite(address, source);
+        }
+    }
+
+    public bool TryReadXmm(int registerIndex, out ulong low, out ulong high)
+    {
+        lock (_sync)
+        {
+            if (!IsPausedWithFrame(out var frame) || (uint)registerIndex >= 16)
+            {
+                low = 0;
+                high = 0;
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            frame.GetXmm(registerIndex, out low, out high);
+            return true;
+        }
+    }
+
+    public bool Continue()
+    {
+        lock (_sync)
+        {
+            if (_state != DebuggerRunState.Paused)
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            _resumeGate.Set();
+            return true;
+        }
+    }
+
+    public bool StepFrame()
+    {
+        lock (_sync)
+        {
+            if (_state != DebuggerRunState.Paused)
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            _stepPending = true;
+            _resumeGate.Set();
+            return true;
+        }
+    }
+
+    public void RequestPause()
+    {
+        lock (_sync)
+        {
+            if (_state == DebuggerRunState.Running)
+            {
+                _pausePending = true;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    private bool IsPausedWithFrame(out ICpuDebugFrame frame)
+    {
+        // Callers must hold _sync.
+        if (_state == DebuggerRunState.Paused && _currentFrame is not null)
+        {
+            frame = _currentFrame;
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        frame = null!;
+        return false;
+    }
+}

src/SharpEmu.Debugger/Session/DebuggerSessionOptions.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Debugger.Session;
+
+/// <summary>Configuration for a <see cref="DebuggerSession"/>.</summary>
+public sealed class DebuggerSessionOptions
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// When true, the session pauses at the first frame it observes so a client
+    /// can attach breakpoints before the guest runs. Defaults to true, matching
+    /// the "stop at entry" behaviour most debuggers expose.
+    /// </summary>
+    public bool StopAtEntry { get; init; } = true;
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// When true, the session pauses when a frame ends with a non-OK result (a
+    /// CPU trap, memory fault, or unimplemented path) so a client can inspect the
+    /// post-fault register/memory state before the frame is torn down. Defaults
+    /// to true. The stop reports <see cref="DebugStopReason.Fault"/>.
+    /// </summary>
+    public bool BreakOnFault { get; init; } = true;
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// When true, the session pauses when the backend detects an execution stall
+    /// (a mutex spin loop / livelock) before the guest is forced out of the loop,
+    /// so a client can inspect the stalled state. Defaults to true. The stop
+    /// reports <see cref="DebugStopReason.Stall"/>.
+    /// </summary>
+    public bool BreakOnStall { get; init; } = true;
+}

src/SharpEmu.Debugger/Session/IDebugTarget.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Debugger.Session;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// The inspection and control surface a debugger front-end (for example a
+/// network server) drives. Register and memory accessors succeed only while the
+/// target is <see cref="DebuggerRunState.Paused"/>; they return <c>false</c>
+/// otherwise so callers never read torn state from a running guest.
+/// </summary>
+public interface IDebugTarget
+{
+    /// <summary>The current execution state.</summary>
+    DebuggerRunState State { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>The most recent stop, or null if the target has not stopped yet.</summary>
+    DebugStopEvent? LastStop { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>Reads the integer register file. Fails unless paused.</summary>
+    bool TryGetRegisters(out DebugRegisterFile registers);
+
+    /// <summary>Writes a single register. Fails unless paused.</summary>
+    bool TrySetRegister(DebugRegisterId id, ulong value);
+
+    /// <summary>Reads guest memory into <paramref name="destination"/>. Fails unless paused.</summary>
+    bool TryReadMemory(ulong address, Span<byte> destination);
+
+    /// <summary>Writes guest memory from <paramref name="source"/>. Fails unless paused.</summary>
+    bool TryWriteMemory(ulong address, ReadOnlySpan<byte> source);
+
+    /// <summary>Reads a 128-bit XMM register. Fails unless paused.</summary>
+    bool TryReadXmm(int registerIndex, out ulong low, out ulong high);
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Resumes a paused target. Returns false when the target was not paused.
+    /// </summary>
+    bool Continue();
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Resumes a paused target and stops again at the next frame boundary.
+    /// Returns false when the target was not paused.
+    /// </summary>
+    bool StepFrame();
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Requests that a running target stop at the next frame boundary. Has no
+    /// effect if the target is already paused or terminated.
+    /// </summary>
+    void RequestPause();
+}

src/SharpEmu.Debugger/Session/IDebuggerSession.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using SharpEmu.Core.Cpu.Debugging;
+using SharpEmu.Debugger.Breakpoints;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Debugger.Session;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// The debugger's coordination point. It bridges the CPU dispatcher seam
+/// (<see cref="Hook"/>) to the inspection surface (<see cref="IDebugTarget"/>),
+/// owns breakpoint state, and raises lifecycle events that a server relays to
+/// connected clients.
+/// </summary>
+public interface IDebuggerSession : IDebugTarget
+{
+    /// <summary>The breakpoints armed for this session.</summary>
+    BreakpointStore Breakpoints { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// The dispatcher-facing hook. Assign this to
+    /// <c>SharpEmuRuntimeOptions.DebugHook</c> so guest frames are routed through
+    /// the session.
+    /// </summary>
+    ICpuDebugHook Hook { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>Raised on the emulation thread each time the target stops.</summary>
+    event EventHandler<DebugStopEvent>? Stopped;
+
+    /// <summary>Raised when a paused target resumes.</summary>
+    event EventHandler? Resumed;
+
+    /// <summary>Raised once the target has terminated.</summary>
+    event EventHandler? Terminated;
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Signals that the guest run has finished. Releases any parked emulation
+    /// thread and transitions the session to
+    /// <see cref="DebuggerRunState.Terminated"/>. Hosts call this after the
+    /// runtime returns.
+    /// </summary>
+    void NotifyTerminated();
+}

src/SharpEmu.Debugger/SharpEmu.Debugger.csproj

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+<!--
+Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+-->
+
+<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
+  <ItemGroup>
+    <ProjectReference Include="..\SharpEmu.Core\SharpEmu.Core.csproj" />
+    <ProjectReference Include="..\SharpEmu.HLE\SharpEmu.HLE.csproj" />
+    <ProjectReference Include="..\SharpEmu.Logging\SharpEmu.Logging.csproj" />
+  </ItemGroup>
+
+  <PropertyGroup>
+    <NoWarn>$(NoWarn);1591</NoWarn>
+  </PropertyGroup>
+</Project>

src/SharpEmu.GUI/App.axaml

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
 
 <Application xmlns="https://github.com/avaloniaui"
              xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
+             xmlns:local="clr-namespace:SharpEmu.GUI"
              x:Class="SharpEmu.GUI.App"
              RequestedThemeVariant="Dark">
 
@@ -29,8 +30,32 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
     <SolidColorBrush x:Key="DangerBrush" Color="#E5484D" />
     <SolidColorBrush x:Key="DangerHoverBrush" Color="#F2555A" />
     <SolidColorBrush x:Key="SuccessBrush" Color="#46C46B" />
+    <SolidColorBrush x:Key="InfoBrush" Color="#58A6FF" />
     <SolidColorBrush x:Key="TileHoverBrush" Color="#1A2130" />
     <SolidColorBrush x:Key="TileSelectedBrush" Color="#212A3F" />
+
+    <ControlTheme x:Key="{x:Type local:SettingRow}" TargetType="local:SettingRow">
+      <Setter Property="Template">
+        <ControlTemplate>
+          <Grid ColumnDefinitions="*,Auto">
+            <StackPanel VerticalAlignment="Center" Spacing="2" Margin="0,0,16,0">
+              <TextBlock x:Name="PART_Label" Text="{TemplateBinding Label}" FontSize="13" />
+              <TextBlock Text="{TemplateBinding Description}" FontSize="11"
+                         Foreground="{StaticResource MutedBrush}" TextWrapping="Wrap"
+                         IsVisible="{Binding Description, RelativeSource={RelativeSource TemplatedParent},
+                                     Converter={x:Static StringConverters.IsNotNullOrEmpty}}" />
+            </StackPanel>
+            <StackPanel Grid.Column="1" Orientation="Horizontal" Spacing="10" VerticalAlignment="Center">
+              <ToggleSwitch OnContent="Override" OffContent="Override" MinWidth="0"
+                            VerticalAlignment="Center"
+                            IsVisible="{TemplateBinding ShowOverride}"
+                            IsChecked="{Binding IsOverridden, RelativeSource={RelativeSource TemplatedParent}, Mode=TwoWay}" />
+              <ContentPresenter x:Name="PART_Slot" Content="{TemplateBinding Content}" VerticalAlignment="Center" />
+            </StackPanel>
+          </Grid>
+        </ControlTemplate>
+      </Setter>
+    </ControlTheme>
   </Application.Resources>
 
   <Application.Styles>
@@ -55,6 +80,22 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
       <Setter Property="Padding" Value="10,3" />
     </Style>
 
+    <!-- Session status/hotkey badges: the title-id pill geometry with a
+         tinted fill so state (RUNNING) and keys (F11) read at a glance. -->
+    <Style Selector="Border.badge">
+      <Setter Property="CornerRadius" Value="999" />
+      <Setter Property="Padding" Value="8,2" />
+      <Setter Property="BorderThickness" Value="1" />
+    </Style>
+    <Style Selector="Border.badge.running">
+      <Setter Property="Background" Value="#1E46C46B" />
+      <Setter Property="BorderBrush" Value="#5546C46B" />
+    </Style>
+    <Style Selector="Border.badge.key">
+      <Setter Property="Background" Value="#1E58A6FF" />
+      <Setter Property="BorderBrush" Value="#5558A6FF" />
+    </Style>
+
     <Style Selector="TextBlock.sectionTitle">
       <Setter Property="FontSize" Value="11" />
       <Setter Property="FontWeight" Value="SemiBold" />

src/SharpEmu.GUI/EmulatorProcess.cs

@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 // Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
 
-using System.ComponentModel;
 using System.Diagnostics;
 using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
 using System.Text;
@@ -10,32 +9,36 @@ using Microsoft.Win32.SafeHandles;
 namespace SharpEmu.GUI;
 
 /// <summary>
-/// Launches the SharpEmu CLI as a child process with the same CET/CFG mitigation
-/// opt-outs the CLI would apply to its own relaunched child, while capturing
-/// stdout/stderr through pipes. The CLI's internal relaunch is suppressed via
-/// SHARPEMU_DISABLE_MITIGATION_RELAUNCH so output is not lost to a detached
-/// console. A kill-on-close job object ties the emulator's lifetime to the GUI.
+/// Owns an isolated emulator process. Guest virtual memory is fixed-address and
+/// cannot be reliably reused while guest-created host threads are still alive,
+/// so the GUI must never execute a game in its own process.
 /// </summary>
 internal sealed class EmulatorProcess : IDisposable
 {
-    private const uint EXTENDED_STARTUPINFO_PRESENT = 0x00080000;
-    private const uint CREATE_NO_WINDOW = 0x08000000;
-    private const int STARTF_USESTDHANDLES = 0x00000100;
-    private const uint HANDLE_FLAG_INHERIT = 0x00000001;
-    private const uint INFINITE = 0xFFFFFFFF;
-    private const int PROC_THREAD_ATTRIBUTE_MITIGATION_POLICY = 0x00020007;
-    private const uint JOB_OBJECT_LIMIT_KILL_ON_JOB_CLOSE = 0x00002000;
-    private const int JobObjectExtendedLimitInformation = 9;
-    private const ulong PROCESS_CREATION_MITIGATION_POLICY_CONTROL_FLOW_GUARD_ALWAYS_OFF = 0x00000002UL << 40;
-    private const ulong PROCESS_CREATION_MITIGATION_POLICY2_CET_USER_SHADOW_STACKS_ALWAYS_OFF = 0x00000002UL << 28;
-    private const ulong PROCESS_CREATION_MITIGATION_POLICY2_USER_CET_SET_CONTEXT_IP_VALIDATION_ALWAYS_OFF = 0x00000002UL << 32;
-    private const ulong PROCESS_CREATION_MITIGATION_POLICY2_XTENDED_CONTROL_FLOW_GUARD_ALWAYS_OFF = 0x00000002UL << 40;
+    public const int HostStopExitCode = -2;
+
+    private const uint ExtendedStartupInfoPresent = 0x00080000;
+    private const uint CreateNoWindow = 0x08000000;
+    private const int StartfUseStdHandles = 0x00000100;
+    private const uint HandleFlagInherit = 0x00000001;
+    private const uint Infinite = 0xFFFFFFFF;
+    private const int ProcThreadAttributeMitigationPolicy = 0x00020007;
+    private const uint JobObjectLimitKillOnJobClose = 0x00002000;
+    private const int JobObjectExtendedLimitInformationClass = 9;
+    private const string MitigatedChildFlag = "--sharpemu-mitigated-child";
+    private const string MitigatedChildEnvironment = "SHARPEMU_MITIGATED_CHILD";
+    private const ulong ControlFlowGuardAlwaysOff = 0x00000002UL << 40;
+    private const ulong CetUserShadowStacksAlwaysOff = 0x00000002UL << 28;
+    private const ulong UserCetSetContextIpValidationAlwaysOff = 0x00000002UL << 32;
+
+    private static readonly object EnvironmentGate = new();
 
     private readonly object _sync = new();
     private nint _processHandle;
     private nint _jobHandle;
     private Process? _fallbackProcess;
     private bool _running;
+    private bool _stopRequested;
     private bool _disposed;
 
     public event Action<string, bool>? OutputReceived;
@@ -55,29 +58,34 @@ internal sealed class EmulatorProcess : IDisposable
 
     public void Start(string exePath, IReadOnlyList<string> arguments, string? workingDirectory)
     {
+        ArgumentException.ThrowIfNullOrWhiteSpace(exePath);
+        ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(arguments);
+
         lock (_sync)
         {
-            ObjectDisposedException.ThrowIf(_disposed, this);
+            ThrowIfDisposed();
             if (_running)
             {
                 throw new InvalidOperationException("The emulator process is already running.");
             }
 
-            if (OperatingSystem.IsWindows())
-            {
-                StartWindows(exePath, arguments, workingDirectory);
-            }
-            else
-            {
-                StartFallback(exePath, arguments, workingDirectory);
-            }
-
-            _running = true;
+            _stopRequested = false;
         }
+
+        if (OperatingSystem.IsWindows())
+        {
+            StartWindows(exePath, arguments, workingDirectory);
+            return;
+        }
+
+        StartFallback(exePath, arguments, workingDirectory);
     }
 
     public void Stop()
     {
+        nint processHandle;
+        nint jobHandle;
+        Process? fallbackProcess;
         lock (_sync)
         {
             if (!_running)
@@ -85,28 +93,35 @@ internal sealed class EmulatorProcess : IDisposable
                 return;
             }
 
-            // Prefer terminating the job: it kills the whole tree, including
-            // any children the emulator spawned, even when the main process
-            // is wedged in a GPU driver call.
-            if (_jobHandle != 0)
-            {
-                _ = TerminateJobObject(_jobHandle, 1);
-            }
+            _stopRequested = true;
+            processHandle = _processHandle;
+            jobHandle = _jobHandle;
+            fallbackProcess = _fallbackProcess;
+        }
 
-            if (_processHandle != 0)
-            {
-                _ = TerminateProcess(_processHandle, 1);
-            }
+        if (jobHandle != 0)
+        {
+            _ = TerminateJobObject(jobHandle, unchecked((uint)HostStopExitCode));
+            return;
+        }
 
-            try
+        if (processHandle != 0)
+        {
+            _ = TerminateProcess(processHandle, unchecked((uint)HostStopExitCode));
+            return;
+        }
+
+        try
+        {
+            if (fallbackProcess is { HasExited: false })
             {
-                _fallbackProcess?.Kill(entireProcessTree: true);
-            }
-            catch (InvalidOperationException)
-            {
-                // Already exited.
+                fallbackProcess.Kill(entireProcessTree: true);
             }
         }
+        catch (InvalidOperationException)
+        {
+            // The process exited while Stop was handling the request.
+        }
     }
 
     public void Dispose()
@@ -124,121 +139,206 @@ internal sealed class EmulatorProcess : IDisposable
         Stop();
     }
 
-    private void StartWindows(string exePath, IReadOnlyList<string> arguments, string? workingDirectory)
+    private void StartFallback(string exePath, IReadOnlyList<string> arguments, string? workingDirectory)
     {
-        // The CLI would otherwise relaunch itself into a mitigated child whose
-        // console output cannot flow through our pipes.
-        Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable("SHARPEMU_DISABLE_MITIGATION_RELAUNCH", "1");
-
-        var securityAttributes = new SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES
+        var startInfo = new ProcessStartInfo(exePath)
         {
-            nLength = Marshal.SizeOf<SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES>(),
-            bInheritHandle = 1,
+            WorkingDirectory = string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(workingDirectory)
+                ? Path.GetDirectoryName(exePath) ?? Environment.CurrentDirectory
+                : workingDirectory,
+            UseShellExecute = false,
+            CreateNoWindow = true,
+            RedirectStandardOutput = true,
+            RedirectStandardError = true,
+            StandardOutputEncoding = Encoding.UTF8,
+            StandardErrorEncoding = Encoding.UTF8,
         };
-
-        if (!CreatePipe(out var stdoutRead, out var stdoutWrite, ref securityAttributes, 0) ||
-            !CreatePipe(out var stderrRead, out var stderrWrite, ref securityAttributes, 0))
+        foreach (var argument in arguments)
         {
-            throw new Win32Exception(Marshal.GetLastWin32Error(), "Failed to create output pipes.");
+            startInfo.ArgumentList.Add(argument);
         }
 
-        _ = SetHandleInformation(stdoutRead, HANDLE_FLAG_INHERIT, 0);
-        _ = SetHandleInformation(stderrRead, HANDLE_FLAG_INHERIT, 0);
+        var process = Process.Start(startInfo)
+            ?? throw new InvalidOperationException("Could not start the emulator process.");
+        process.EnableRaisingEvents = true;
+        process.OutputDataReceived += (_, eventArgs) => ForwardOutput(eventArgs.Data, isError: false);
+        process.ErrorDataReceived += (_, eventArgs) => ForwardOutput(eventArgs.Data, isError: true);
+        process.Exited += (_, _) => OnExited(process.ExitCode);
 
-        var startupInfoEx = new STARTUPINFOEX();
-        startupInfoEx.StartupInfo.cb = Marshal.SizeOf<STARTUPINFOEX>();
-        startupInfoEx.StartupInfo.dwFlags = STARTF_USESTDHANDLES;
-        startupInfoEx.StartupInfo.hStdOutput = stdoutWrite;
-        startupInfoEx.StartupInfo.hStdError = stderrWrite;
+        lock (_sync)
+        {
+            _fallbackProcess = process;
+            _running = true;
+        }
 
+        process.BeginOutputReadLine();
+        process.BeginErrorReadLine();
+    }
+
+    private unsafe void StartWindows(string exePath, IReadOnlyList<string> arguments, string? workingDirectory)
+    {
+        nint stdoutRead = 0;
+        nint stdoutWrite = 0;
+        nint stderrRead = 0;
+        nint stderrWrite = 0;
         nint attributeList = 0;
         nint mitigationPolicies = 0;
+        nint processHandle = 0;
+        nint threadHandle = 0;
+
         try
         {
+            var security = new SecurityAttributes
+            {
+                Size = Marshal.SizeOf<SecurityAttributes>(),
+                InheritHandle = 1,
+            };
+            if (!CreatePipe(out stdoutRead, out stdoutWrite, ref security, 0) ||
+                !CreatePipe(out stderrRead, out stderrWrite, ref security, 0))
+            {
+                throw new InvalidOperationException($"Could not create emulator output pipes (Win32 error {Marshal.GetLastWin32Error()}).");
+            }
+
+            if (!SetHandleInformation(stdoutRead, HandleFlagInherit, 0) ||
+                !SetHandleInformation(stderrRead, HandleFlagInherit, 0))
+            {
+                throw new InvalidOperationException($"Could not configure emulator output pipes (Win32 error {Marshal.GetLastWin32Error()}).");
+            }
+
             nuint attributeListSize = 0;
             _ = InitializeProcThreadAttributeList(0, 1, 0, ref attributeListSize);
             attributeList = Marshal.AllocHGlobal((nint)attributeListSize);
             if (!InitializeProcThreadAttributeList(attributeList, 1, 0, ref attributeListSize))
             {
-                throw new Win32Exception(Marshal.GetLastWin32Error(), "Failed to initialize the process attribute list.");
+                throw new InvalidOperationException($"Could not initialize process mitigation attributes (Win32 error {Marshal.GetLastWin32Error()}).");
             }
 
-            startupInfoEx.lpAttributeList = attributeList;
-
-            var policy1 = PROCESS_CREATION_MITIGATION_POLICY_CONTROL_FLOW_GUARD_ALWAYS_OFF;
-            var policy2 =
-                PROCESS_CREATION_MITIGATION_POLICY2_CET_USER_SHADOW_STACKS_ALWAYS_OFF |
-                PROCESS_CREATION_MITIGATION_POLICY2_USER_CET_SET_CONTEXT_IP_VALIDATION_ALWAYS_OFF;
-
             mitigationPolicies = Marshal.AllocHGlobal(sizeof(ulong) * 2);
-            Marshal.WriteInt64(mitigationPolicies, unchecked((long)policy1));
-            Marshal.WriteInt64(nint.Add(mitigationPolicies, sizeof(long)), unchecked((long)policy2));
-
+            Marshal.WriteInt64(mitigationPolicies, unchecked((long)ControlFlowGuardAlwaysOff));
+            Marshal.WriteInt64(
+                nint.Add(mitigationPolicies, sizeof(long)),
+                unchecked((long)(CetUserShadowStacksAlwaysOff | UserCetSetContextIpValidationAlwaysOff)));
             if (!UpdateProcThreadAttribute(
-                attributeList,
-                0,
-                PROC_THREAD_ATTRIBUTE_MITIGATION_POLICY,
-                mitigationPolicies,
-                (nuint)(sizeof(ulong) * 2),
-                0,
-                0))
+                    attributeList,
+                    0,
+                    (nint)ProcThreadAttributeMitigationPolicy,
+                    mitigationPolicies,
+                    (nuint)(sizeof(ulong) * 2),
+                    0,
+                    0))
             {
-                throw new Win32Exception(Marshal.GetLastWin32Error(), "Failed to apply the mitigation policy.");
+                throw new InvalidOperationException($"Could not apply process mitigations (Win32 error {Marshal.GetLastWin32Error()}).");
             }
 
-            var currentDirectory = workingDirectory ?? Environment.CurrentDirectory;
-            var created = CreateProcessW(
-                exePath,
-                new StringBuilder(BuildCommandLine(exePath, arguments)),
-                0,
-                0,
-                true,
-                EXTENDED_STARTUPINFO_PRESENT | CREATE_NO_WINDOW,
-                0,
-                currentDirectory,
-                ref startupInfoEx,
-                out var processInfo);
+            var startup = new StartupInfoEx();
+            startup.StartupInfo.Size = Marshal.SizeOf<StartupInfoEx>();
+            startup.StartupInfo.Flags = StartfUseStdHandles;
+            startup.StartupInfo.StdOutput = stdoutWrite;
+            startup.StartupInfo.StdError = stderrWrite;
+            startup.AttributeList = attributeList;
 
-            if (!created)
+            var childArguments = new List<string>(arguments.Count + 1) { MitigatedChildFlag };
+            childArguments.AddRange(arguments);
+            var commandLine = new StringBuilder(BuildCommandLine(exePath, childArguments));
+            ProcessInformation processInfo;
+            lock (EnvironmentGate)
             {
-                var error = Marshal.GetLastWin32Error();
-                throw new Win32Exception(error, $"Failed to start '{exePath}' with CET/CFG mitigation disabled (Win32 error {error}: {new Win32Exception(error).Message}).");
+                var previousValue = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable(MitigatedChildEnvironment);
+                try
+                {
+                    Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(MitigatedChildEnvironment, "1");
+                    if (!CreateProcessW(
+                            exePath,
+                            commandLine,
+                            0,
+                            0,
+                            true,
+                            ExtendedStartupInfoPresent | CreateNoWindow,
+                            0,
+                            string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(workingDirectory)
+                                ? Path.GetDirectoryName(exePath) ?? Environment.CurrentDirectory
+                                : workingDirectory,
+                            ref startup,
+                            out processInfo))
+                    {
+                        throw new InvalidOperationException($"Could not start the emulator process (Win32 error {Marshal.GetLastWin32Error()}).");
+                    }
+                }
+                finally
+                {
+                    Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(MitigatedChildEnvironment, previousValue);
+                }
             }
 
-            CloseHandle(processInfo.hThread);
-            _processHandle = processInfo.hProcess;
+            processHandle = processInfo.Process;
+            threadHandle = processInfo.Thread;
+            CloseHandle(stdoutWrite);
+            stdoutWrite = 0;
+            CloseHandle(stderrWrite);
+            stderrWrite = 0;
 
-            _jobHandle = CreateJobObjectW(0, null);
-            if (_jobHandle != 0 &&
-                (!TryEnableKillOnJobClose(_jobHandle) || !AssignProcessToJobObject(_jobHandle, processInfo.hProcess)))
+            var jobHandle = CreateJobObjectW(0, null);
+            if (jobHandle != 0 &&
+                (!TryEnableKillOnJobClose(jobHandle) || !AssignProcessToJobObject(jobHandle, processHandle)))
             {
-                CloseHandle(_jobHandle);
-                _jobHandle = 0;
+                CloseHandle(jobHandle);
+                jobHandle = 0;
             }
 
-            StartReaderThread(stdoutRead, isError: false);
-            StartReaderThread(stderrRead, isError: true);
-            StartExitWatcherThread();
+            lock (_sync)
+            {
+                _processHandle = processHandle;
+                _jobHandle = jobHandle;
+                _running = true;
+            }
+            processHandle = 0;
+
+            StartPipeReader(stdoutRead, isError: false);
+            stdoutRead = 0;
+            StartPipeReader(stderrRead, isError: true);
+            stderrRead = 0;
+            StartWindowsExitWatcher(_processHandle);
         }
         catch
         {
-            CloseHandle(stdoutRead);
-            CloseHandle(stderrRead);
+            if (processHandle != 0)
+            {
+                _ = TerminateProcess(processHandle, 1);
+            }
+
             throw;
         }
         finally
         {
-            // The child owns duplicated pipe write ends; closing ours lets the
-            // readers observe EOF when the child exits.
-            CloseHandle(stdoutWrite);
-            CloseHandle(stderrWrite);
-
+            if (threadHandle != 0)
+            {
+                CloseHandle(threadHandle);
+            }
+            if (processHandle != 0)
+            {
+                CloseHandle(processHandle);
+            }
+            if (stdoutRead != 0)
+            {
+                CloseHandle(stdoutRead);
+            }
+            if (stdoutWrite != 0)
+            {
+                CloseHandle(stdoutWrite);
+            }
+            if (stderrRead != 0)
+            {
+                CloseHandle(stderrRead);
+            }
+            if (stderrWrite != 0)
+            {
+                CloseHandle(stderrWrite);
+            }
             if (attributeList != 0)
             {
                 DeleteProcThreadAttributeList(attributeList);
                 Marshal.FreeHGlobal(attributeList);
             }
-
             if (mitigationPolicies != 0)
             {
                 Marshal.FreeHGlobal(mitigationPolicies);
@@ -246,103 +346,56 @@ internal sealed class EmulatorProcess : IDisposable
         }
     }
 
-    private void StartFallback(string exePath, IReadOnlyList<string> arguments, string? workingDirectory)
+    private void StartPipeReader(nint handle, bool isError)
     {
-        var startInfo = new ProcessStartInfo
+        var readerThread = new Thread(() =>
         {
-            FileName = exePath,
-            WorkingDirectory = workingDirectory ?? Environment.CurrentDirectory,
-            UseShellExecute = false,
-            CreateNoWindow = true,
-            RedirectStandardOutput = true,
-            RedirectStandardError = true,
-        };
-        foreach (var argument in arguments)
-        {
-            startInfo.ArgumentList.Add(argument);
-        }
-
-        var process = new Process { StartInfo = startInfo, EnableRaisingEvents = true };
-        process.OutputDataReceived += (_, e) =>
-        {
-            if (e.Data is not null)
+            using var safeHandle = new SafeFileHandle(handle, ownsHandle: true);
+            using var stream = new FileStream(safeHandle, FileAccess.Read, 4096, isAsync: false);
+            using var reader = new StreamReader(stream, Encoding.UTF8, detectEncodingFromByteOrderMarks: true);
+            while (reader.ReadLine() is { } line)
             {
-                OutputReceived?.Invoke(e.Data, false);
+                ForwardOutput(line, isError);
             }
-        };
-        process.ErrorDataReceived += (_, e) =>
-        {
-            if (e.Data is not null)
-            {
-                OutputReceived?.Invoke(e.Data, true);
-            }
-        };
-        process.Exited += (_, _) =>
-        {
-            int exitCode;
-            try
-            {
-                exitCode = process.ExitCode;
-            }
-            catch (InvalidOperationException)
-            {
-                exitCode = -1;
-            }
-
-            OnExited(exitCode);
-        };
-
-        process.Start();
-        process.BeginOutputReadLine();
-        process.BeginErrorReadLine();
-        _fallbackProcess = process;
-    }
-
-    private void StartReaderThread(nint readHandle, bool isError)
-    {
-        var thread = new Thread(() =>
-        {
-            using var stream = new FileStream(new SafeFileHandle(readHandle, ownsHandle: true), FileAccess.Read);
-            using var reader = new StreamReader(stream, Encoding.UTF8);
-            try
-            {
-                while (reader.ReadLine() is { } line)
-                {
-                    OutputReceived?.Invoke(line, isError);
-                }
-            }
-            catch (IOException)
-            {
-                // Pipe broken on process teardown.
-            }
-        })
+        }, 256 * 1024)
         {
             IsBackground = true,
             Name = isError ? "SharpEmu stderr reader" : "SharpEmu stdout reader",
         };
-        thread.Start();
+        readerThread.Start();
     }
 
-    private void StartExitWatcherThread()
+    private void StartWindowsExitWatcher(nint processHandle)
     {
-        var processHandle = _processHandle;
-        var thread = new Thread(() =>
+        var watcher = new Thread(() =>
         {
-            _ = WaitForSingleObject(processHandle, INFINITE);
-            var exitCode = GetExitCodeProcess(processHandle, out var rawExitCode)
-                ? unchecked((int)rawExitCode)
-                : -1;
+            _ = WaitForSingleObject(processHandle, Infinite);
+            var exitCode = 1;
+            if (GetExitCodeProcess(processHandle, out var nativeExitCode))
+            {
+                exitCode = unchecked((int)nativeExitCode);
+            }
+
             OnExited(exitCode);
-        })
+        }, 128 * 1024)
         {
             IsBackground = true,
             Name = "SharpEmu exit watcher",
         };
-        thread.Start();
+        watcher.Start();
     }
 
-    private void OnExited(int exitCode)
+    private void ForwardOutput(string? line, bool isError)
     {
+        if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(line))
+        {
+            OutputReceived?.Invoke(line, isError);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private void OnExited(int nativeExitCode)
+    {
+        int exitCode;
         lock (_sync)
         {
             if (!_running)
@@ -350,13 +403,13 @@ internal sealed class EmulatorProcess : IDisposable
                 return;
             }
 
+            exitCode = _stopRequested ? HostStopExitCode : nativeExitCode;
             _running = false;
             if (_processHandle != 0)
             {
                 CloseHandle(_processHandle);
                 _processHandle = 0;
             }
-
             if (_jobHandle != 0)
             {
                 CloseHandle(_jobHandle);
@@ -372,24 +425,19 @@ internal sealed class EmulatorProcess : IDisposable
 
     private static bool TryEnableKillOnJobClose(nint jobHandle)
     {
-        var extendedLimitInfo = new JOBOBJECT_EXTENDED_LIMIT_INFORMATION
+        var info = new JobObjectExtendedLimitInformation
         {
-            BasicLimitInformation = new JOBOBJECT_BASIC_LIMIT_INFORMATION
+            BasicLimitInformation = new JobObjectBasicLimitInformation
             {
-                LimitFlags = JOB_OBJECT_LIMIT_KILL_ON_JOB_CLOSE,
+                LimitFlags = JobObjectLimitKillOnJobClose,
             },
         };
-
-        var size = Marshal.SizeOf<JOBOBJECT_EXTENDED_LIMIT_INFORMATION>();
+        var size = Marshal.SizeOf<JobObjectExtendedLimitInformation>();
         var memory = Marshal.AllocHGlobal(size);
         try
         {
-            Marshal.StructureToPtr(extendedLimitInfo, memory, false);
-            return SetInformationJobObject(
-                jobHandle,
-                JobObjectExtendedLimitInformation,
-                memory,
-                unchecked((uint)size));
+            Marshal.StructureToPtr(info, memory, false);
+            return SetInformationJobObject(jobHandle, JobObjectExtendedLimitInformationClass, memory, unchecked((uint)size));
         }
         finally
         {
@@ -397,128 +445,124 @@ internal sealed class EmulatorProcess : IDisposable
         }
     }
 
-    private static string BuildCommandLine(string processPath, IReadOnlyList<string> args)
+    private static string BuildCommandLine(string processPath, IReadOnlyList<string> arguments)
     {
-        var builder = new StringBuilder();
-        builder.Append(QuoteArgument(processPath));
-        for (var i = 0; i < args.Count; i++)
+        var builder = new StringBuilder(QuoteArgument(processPath));
+        foreach (var argument in arguments)
         {
             builder.Append(' ');
-            builder.Append(QuoteArgument(args[i]));
+            builder.Append(QuoteArgument(argument));
         }
 
         return builder.ToString();
     }
 
-    private static string QuoteArgument(string argument)
+    private static string QuoteArgument(string value)
     {
-        if (argument.Length == 0)
+        if (value.Length == 0)
         {
             return "\"\"";
         }
 
-        var needsQuotes = false;
-        foreach (var c in argument)
+        if (!value.Any(static c => char.IsWhiteSpace(c) || c == '"'))
         {
-            if (char.IsWhiteSpace(c) || c == '"')
-            {
-                needsQuotes = true;
-                break;
-            }
+            return value;
         }
 
-        if (!needsQuotes)
-        {
-            return argument;
-        }
-
-        var builder = new StringBuilder(argument.Length + 2);
+        var builder = new StringBuilder(value.Length + 2);
         builder.Append('"');
-
-        var backslashCount = 0;
-        foreach (var c in argument)
+        var slashCount = 0;
+        foreach (var character in value)
         {
-            if (c == '\\')
+            if (character == '\\')
             {
-                backslashCount++;
+                slashCount++;
                 continue;
             }
 
-            if (c == '"')
+            if (character == '"')
             {
-                builder.Append('\\', (backslashCount * 2) + 1);
-                builder.Append('"');
-                backslashCount = 0;
+                builder.Append('\\', (slashCount * 2) + 1);
+                builder.Append(character);
+                slashCount = 0;
                 continue;
             }
 
-            if (backslashCount > 0)
+            if (slashCount > 0)
             {
-                builder.Append('\\', backslashCount);
-                backslashCount = 0;
+                builder.Append('\\', slashCount);
+                slashCount = 0;
             }
 
-            builder.Append(c);
+            builder.Append(character);
         }
 
-        if (backslashCount > 0)
+        if (slashCount > 0)
         {
-            builder.Append('\\', backslashCount * 2);
+            builder.Append('\\', slashCount * 2);
         }
 
         builder.Append('"');
         return builder.ToString();
     }
 
-    [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
-    private struct SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES
+    private void ThrowIfDisposed()
     {
-        public int nLength;
-        public nint lpSecurityDescriptor;
-        public int bInheritHandle;
+        if (_disposed)
+        {
+            throw new ObjectDisposedException(nameof(EmulatorProcess));
+        }
+    }
+
+    [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
+    private struct SecurityAttributes
+    {
+        public int Size;
+        public nint SecurityDescriptor;
+        public int InheritHandle;
     }
 
     [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential, CharSet = CharSet.Unicode)]
-    private struct STARTUPINFO
+    private struct StartupInfo
     {
-        public int cb;
-        public nint lpReserved;
-        public nint lpDesktop;
-        public nint lpTitle;
-        public int dwX;
-        public int dwY;
-        public int dwXSize;
-        public int dwYSize;
-        public int dwXCountChars;
-        public int dwYCountChars;
-        public int dwFillAttribute;
-        public int dwFlags;
-        public short wShowWindow;
-        public short cbReserved2;
-        public nint lpReserved2;
-        public nint hStdInput;
-        public nint hStdOutput;
-        public nint hStdError;
+        public int Size;
+        public nint Reserved;
+        public nint Desktop;
+        public nint Title;
+        public int X;
+        public int Y;
+        public int XSize;
+        public int YSize;
+        public int XCountChars;
+        public int YCountChars;
+        public int FillAttribute;
+        public int Flags;
+        public short ShowWindow;
+        public short Reserved2Count;
+        public nint Reserved2;
+        public nint StdInput;
+        public nint StdOutput;
+        public nint StdError;
     }
 
     [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
-    private struct STARTUPINFOEX
+    private struct StartupInfoEx
     {
-        public STARTUPINFO StartupInfo;
-        public nint lpAttributeList;
+        public StartupInfo StartupInfo;
+        public nint AttributeList;
     }
 
     [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
-    private struct PROCESS_INFORMATION
+    private struct ProcessInformation
     {
-        public nint hProcess;
-        public nint hThread;
-        public int dwProcessId;
-        public int dwThreadId;
+        public nint Process;
+        public nint Thread;
+        public int ProcessId;
+        public int ThreadId;
     }
 
     [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
-    private struct JOBOBJECT_BASIC_LIMIT_INFORMATION
+    private struct JobObjectBasicLimitInformation
     {
         public long PerProcessUserTimeLimit;
         public long PerJobUserTimeLimit;
@@ -532,7 +576,7 @@ internal sealed class EmulatorProcess : IDisposable
     }
 
     [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
-    private struct IO_COUNTERS
+    private struct IoCounters
     {
         public ulong ReadOperationCount;
         public ulong WriteOperationCount;
@@ -543,10 +587,10 @@ internal sealed class EmulatorProcess : IDisposable
     }
 
     [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
-    private struct JOBOBJECT_EXTENDED_LIMIT_INFORMATION
+    private struct JobObjectExtendedLimitInformation
     {
-        public JOBOBJECT_BASIC_LIMIT_INFORMATION BasicLimitInformation;
-        public IO_COUNTERS IoInfo;
+        public JobObjectBasicLimitInformation BasicLimitInformation;
+        public IoCounters IoInfo;
         public nuint ProcessMemoryLimit;
         public nuint JobMemoryLimit;
         public nuint PeakProcessMemoryUsed;
@@ -555,66 +599,37 @@ internal sealed class EmulatorProcess : IDisposable
 
     [DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
     [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
-    private static extern bool CreatePipe(
-        out nint hReadPipe,
-        out nint hWritePipe,
-        ref SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES lpPipeAttributes,
-        uint nSize);
+    private static extern bool CreatePipe(out nint readPipe, out nint writePipe, ref SecurityAttributes attributes, uint size);
 
     [DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
     [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
-    private static extern bool SetHandleInformation(nint hObject, uint dwMask, uint dwFlags);
+    private static extern bool SetHandleInformation(nint handle, uint mask, uint flags);
 
     [DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
     [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
-    private static extern bool InitializeProcThreadAttributeList(
-        nint lpAttributeList,
-        int dwAttributeCount,
-        int dwFlags,
-        ref nuint lpSize);
+    private static extern bool InitializeProcThreadAttributeList(nint list, int count, int flags, ref nuint size);
 
     [DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
     [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
-    private static extern bool UpdateProcThreadAttribute(
-        nint lpAttributeList,
-        uint dwFlags,
-        nint attribute,
-        nint lpValue,
-        nuint cbSize,
-        nint lpPreviousValue,
-        nint lpReturnSize);
+    private static extern bool UpdateProcThreadAttribute(nint list, uint flags, nint attribute, nint value, nuint size, nint previousValue, nint returnSize);
 
     [DllImport("kernel32.dll")]
-    private static extern void DeleteProcThreadAttributeList(nint lpAttributeList);
+    private static extern void DeleteProcThreadAttributeList(nint list);
 
     [DllImport("kernel32.dll", EntryPoint = "CreateJobObjectW", SetLastError = true, CharSet = CharSet.Unicode)]
-    private static extern nint CreateJobObjectW(nint lpJobAttributes, string? lpName);
+    private static extern nint CreateJobObjectW(nint attributes, string? name);
 
     [DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
     [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
-    private static extern bool SetInformationJobObject(
-        nint hJob,
-        int jobObjectInfoClass,
-        nint lpJobObjectInfo,
-        uint cbJobObjectInfoLength);
+    private static extern bool SetInformationJobObject(nint job, int infoClass, nint info, uint size);
 
     [DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
     [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
-    private static extern bool AssignProcessToJobObject(nint hJob, nint hProcess);
+    private static extern bool AssignProcessToJobObject(nint job, nint process);
 
     [DllImport("kernel32.dll", EntryPoint = "CreateProcessW", SetLastError = true, CharSet = CharSet.Unicode)]
     [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
-    private static extern bool CreateProcessW(
-        string applicationName,
-        StringBuilder commandLine,
-        nint processAttributes,
-        nint threadAttributes,
-        [MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)] bool inheritHandles,
-        uint creationFlags,
-        nint environment,
-        string currentDirectory,
-        ref STARTUPINFOEX startupInfo,
-        out PROCESS_INFORMATION processInformation);
+    private static extern bool CreateProcessW(string applicationName, StringBuilder commandLine, nint processAttributes, nint threadAttributes, [MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)] bool inheritHandles, uint flags, nint environment, string currentDirectory, ref StartupInfoEx startupInfo, out ProcessInformation processInformation);
 
     [DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
     private static extern uint WaitForSingleObject(nint handle, uint milliseconds);

src/SharpEmu.GUI/GameSurfaceHost.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,613 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using Avalonia;
+using Avalonia.Controls;
+using Avalonia.Platform;
+using Avalonia.Threading;
+using SharpEmu.Libs.VideoOut;
+using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.GUI;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Native child surface owned by Avalonia. The isolated emulator process uses
+/// its platform handle to create the Vulkan presentation surface, keeping the
+/// guest address space out of the GUI process.
+/// </summary>
+public sealed class GameSurfaceHost : NativeControlHost
+{
+    private const uint SwpNoSize = 0x0001;
+    private const uint SwpNoMove = 0x0002;
+    private const uint SwpNoZOrder = 0x0004;
+    private const uint SwpNoActivate = 0x0010;
+    private const uint SwpShowWindow = 0x0040;
+    private const uint SwpHideWindow = 0x0080;
+    private const uint WsChild = 0x40000000;
+    private const uint WsVisible = 0x10000000;
+    private const uint WsClipSiblings = 0x04000000;
+    private const uint WsClipChildren = 0x02000000;
+    private const uint CsOwnDc = 0x0020;
+    private const uint WmSetCursor = 0x0020;
+    private const uint WmMouseMove = 0x0200;
+    private const int IdcArrow = 32512;
+    private const int CursorHideDelayMs = 2500;
+
+    private VulkanHostSurface? _surface;
+    private nint _windowHandle;
+    private nint _x11Display;
+    private string? _win32ClassName;
+    private WindowProcedure? _windowProcedure;
+    private nint _metalLayer;
+    private bool _presentationVisible = true;
+    private DispatcherTimer? _cursorIdleTimer;
+    private bool _cursorAutoHide;
+    private bool _cursorHidden;
+    private long _lastPointerActivity;
+
+    public GameSurfaceHost()
+    {
+        PropertyChanged += (_, change) =>
+        {
+            if (change.Property == BoundsProperty)
+            {
+                UpdateSurfaceSize();
+            }
+        };
+        LayoutUpdated += (_, _) =>
+        {
+            // Fullscreen can change a monitor's DPI scale without changing
+            // the logical Bounds. Refresh the native child from physical size.
+            UpdateSurfaceSize();
+
+            // NativeControlHost may make its HWND visible again as part of a
+            // later arrange pass. Keep a loading surface hidden until its
+            // child process reports a real first frame.
+            if (!_presentationVisible)
+            {
+                ApplyPresentationVisibility();
+            }
+        };
+    }
+
+    public event EventHandler<VulkanHostSurface>? SurfaceAvailable;
+
+    public event EventHandler<VulkanHostSurface>? SurfaceDestroyed;
+
+    public VulkanHostSurface? Surface => _surface;
+
+    public void RefreshSurfaceSize() => UpdateSurfaceSize();
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Hides the platform child without detaching the Vulkan surface. This
+    /// allows the launcher to return to its library while guest teardown is
+    /// still finishing on the render thread.
+    /// </summary>
+    public void SetPresentationVisible(bool visible)
+    {
+        _presentationVisible = visible;
+        ApplyPresentationVisibility();
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Auto-hides the mouse cursor over the game surface after a short idle
+    /// period; any pointer movement brings it back. Enabling (again) restarts
+    /// the idle countdown, so both "first frame presented" and "entered
+    /// fullscreen" can arm it. Windows-only; a no-op elsewhere.
+    /// </summary>
+    public void SetCursorAutoHide(bool enabled)
+    {
+        if (!OperatingSystem.IsWindows())
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        _cursorAutoHide = enabled;
+        _lastPointerActivity = System.Diagnostics.Stopwatch.GetTimestamp();
+        if (enabled)
+        {
+            _cursorIdleTimer ??= CreateCursorIdleTimer();
+            _cursorIdleTimer.Start();
+            return;
+        }
+
+        _cursorIdleTimer?.Stop();
+        ShowCursorNow();
+    }
+
+    private DispatcherTimer CreateCursorIdleTimer()
+    {
+        var timer = new DispatcherTimer
+        {
+            Interval = TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(250),
+        };
+        timer.Tick += (_, _) => HideCursorWhenIdle();
+        return timer;
+    }
+
+    private void HideCursorWhenIdle()
+    {
+        if (!_cursorAutoHide || _cursorHidden || _windowHandle == 0)
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        var idleMs = (System.Diagnostics.Stopwatch.GetTimestamp() - _lastPointerActivity) *
+            1000 / System.Diagnostics.Stopwatch.Frequency;
+        if (idleMs < CursorHideDelayMs)
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        // Only swallow the cursor while it is actually over the game surface;
+        // hovering launcher chrome (console, toolbar) must keep the arrow.
+        if (!GetCursorPos(out var point) || WindowFromPoint(point) != _windowHandle)
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        _cursorHidden = true;
+        _ = SetCursor(0);
+    }
+
+    private void ShowCursorNow()
+    {
+        if (!_cursorHidden)
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        _cursorHidden = false;
+        _ = SetCursor(LoadCursorW(0, IdcArrow));
+    }
+
+    private void ApplyPresentationVisibility()
+    {
+        if (_windowHandle == 0)
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        var visible = _presentationVisible;
+        if (OperatingSystem.IsWindows())
+        {
+            // SW_HIDE can be ignored for a window's initial show state. Force
+            // the state through SetWindowPos so an old child swapchain cannot
+            // remain composed while the next game is loading.
+            var flags = SwpNoSize | SwpNoMove | SwpNoZOrder | SwpNoActivate |
+                (visible ? SwpShowWindow : SwpHideWindow);
+            _ = SetWindowPos(_windowHandle, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, flags);
+        }
+        else if (OperatingSystem.IsLinux() && _x11Display != 0)
+        {
+            _ = visible
+                ? XMapWindow(_x11Display, _windowHandle)
+                : XUnmapWindow(_x11Display, _windowHandle);
+            _ = XFlush(_x11Display);
+        }
+        else if (OperatingSystem.IsMacOS())
+        {
+            SendBool(_windowHandle, "setHidden:", !visible);
+        }
+    }
+
+    protected override IPlatformHandle CreateNativeControlCore(IPlatformHandle control)
+    {
+        PlatformHandle handle;
+        if (OperatingSystem.IsWindows())
+        {
+            handle = CreateWin32(control);
+        }
+        else if (OperatingSystem.IsLinux())
+        {
+            handle = CreateX11(control);
+        }
+        else if (OperatingSystem.IsMacOS())
+        {
+            handle = CreateMacOS();
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            throw new PlatformNotSupportedException("SharpEmu's embedded Vulkan surface is unsupported on this platform.");
+        }
+
+        UpdateSurfaceSize();
+        if (_surface is { } surface)
+        {
+            SurfaceAvailable?.Invoke(this, surface);
+        }
+
+        return handle;
+    }
+
+    protected override void DestroyNativeControlCore(IPlatformHandle control)
+    {
+        if (OperatingSystem.IsWindows())
+        {
+            SetCursorAutoHide(false);
+        }
+
+        var surface = _surface;
+        _surface = null;
+
+        if (OperatingSystem.IsWindows())
+        {
+            DestroyWin32();
+        }
+        else if (OperatingSystem.IsLinux())
+        {
+            DestroyX11();
+        }
+        else if (OperatingSystem.IsMacOS())
+        {
+            DestroyMacOS();
+        }
+
+        if (surface is not null)
+        {
+            SurfaceDestroyed?.Invoke(this, surface);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private PlatformHandle CreateWin32(IPlatformHandle control)
+    {
+        _win32ClassName = $"SharpEmuGameSurface-{Guid.NewGuid():N}";
+        _windowProcedure = WindowProcedureImpl;
+        var classInfo = new WndClassEx
+        {
+            Size = (uint)Marshal.SizeOf<WndClassEx>(),
+            Style = CsOwnDc,
+            WindowProcedure = Marshal.GetFunctionPointerForDelegate(_windowProcedure),
+            Instance = GetModuleHandleW(null),
+            ClassName = _win32ClassName,
+        };
+
+        if (RegisterClassExW(ref classInfo) == 0)
+        {
+            throw new InvalidOperationException($"Could not register the embedded game window class (Win32 error {Marshal.GetLastWin32Error()}).");
+        }
+
+        _windowHandle = CreateWindowExW(
+            0,
+            _win32ClassName,
+            "SharpEmu Game Surface",
+            WsChild | (_presentationVisible ? WsVisible : 0) | WsClipSiblings | WsClipChildren,
+            0,
+            0,
+            1,
+            1,
+            control.Handle,
+            0,
+            classInfo.Instance,
+            0);
+        if (_windowHandle == 0)
+        {
+            var error = Marshal.GetLastWin32Error();
+            _ = UnregisterClassW(_win32ClassName, classInfo.Instance);
+            throw new InvalidOperationException($"Could not create the embedded game window (Win32 error {error}).");
+        }
+
+        _surface = new VulkanHostSurface(
+            VulkanHostSurfaceKind.Win32,
+            _windowHandle,
+            classInfo.Instance);
+        return new PlatformHandle(_windowHandle, "HWND");
+    }
+
+    private PlatformHandle CreateX11(IPlatformHandle control)
+    {
+        _x11Display = XOpenDisplay(0);
+        if (_x11Display == 0)
+        {
+            throw new InvalidOperationException("Could not connect to the X11 server for the embedded game surface.");
+        }
+
+        _windowHandle = XCreateSimpleWindow(
+            _x11Display,
+            control.Handle,
+            0,
+            0,
+            1,
+            1,
+            0,
+            0,
+            0);
+        if (_windowHandle == 0)
+        {
+            XCloseDisplay(_x11Display);
+            _x11Display = 0;
+            throw new InvalidOperationException("Could not create the X11 embedded game surface.");
+        }
+
+        if (_presentationVisible)
+        {
+            _ = XMapWindow(_x11Display, _windowHandle);
+        }
+        _ = XFlush(_x11Display);
+        _surface = new VulkanHostSurface(VulkanHostSurfaceKind.Xlib, _windowHandle, _x11Display);
+        return new PlatformHandle(_windowHandle, "X11");
+    }
+
+    private PlatformHandle CreateMacOS()
+    {
+        _metalLayer = CreateObjectiveCObject("CAMetalLayer");
+        _windowHandle = CreateObjectiveCObject("NSView");
+        SendBool(_windowHandle, "setWantsLayer:", true);
+        SendPointer(_windowHandle, "setLayer:", _metalLayer);
+        SendBool(_windowHandle, "setHidden:", !_presentationVisible);
+
+        _surface = new VulkanHostSurface(VulkanHostSurfaceKind.Metal, _windowHandle, metalLayerHandle: _metalLayer);
+        return new PlatformHandle(_windowHandle, "NSView");
+    }
+
+    private void UpdateSurfaceSize()
+    {
+        if (_surface is null)
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        var renderScale = (VisualRoot as TopLevel)?.RenderScaling ?? 1.0;
+        var width = Math.Max(1, (int)Math.Round(Bounds.Width * renderScale));
+        var height = Math.Max(1, (int)Math.Round(Bounds.Height * renderScale));
+        var sizeChanged = _surface.PixelWidth != width || _surface.PixelHeight != height;
+        _surface.UpdatePixelSize(width, height);
+
+        if (!sizeChanged)
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        if (OperatingSystem.IsWindows() && _windowHandle != 0)
+        {
+            _ = SetWindowPos(
+                _windowHandle,
+                0,
+                0,
+                0,
+                width,
+                height,
+                SwpNoMove | SwpNoZOrder | SwpNoActivate);
+        }
+        else if (OperatingSystem.IsLinux() && _x11Display != 0 && _windowHandle != 0)
+        {
+            _ = XResizeWindow(_x11Display, _windowHandle, (uint)width, (uint)height);
+            _ = XFlush(_x11Display);
+        }
+        else if (OperatingSystem.IsMacOS() && _metalLayer != 0)
+        {
+            SendDouble(_metalLayer, "setContentsScale:", renderScale);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private void DestroyWin32()
+    {
+        if (_windowHandle != 0)
+        {
+            _ = DestroyWindow(_windowHandle);
+            _windowHandle = 0;
+        }
+
+        if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(_win32ClassName))
+        {
+            _ = UnregisterClassW(_win32ClassName, GetModuleHandleW(null));
+            _win32ClassName = null;
+        }
+
+        _windowProcedure = null;
+    }
+
+    private void DestroyX11()
+    {
+        if (_x11Display != 0 && _windowHandle != 0)
+        {
+            _ = XDestroyWindow(_x11Display, _windowHandle);
+        }
+        if (_x11Display != 0)
+        {
+            _ = XCloseDisplay(_x11Display);
+        }
+
+        _windowHandle = 0;
+        _x11Display = 0;
+    }
+
+    private void DestroyMacOS()
+    {
+        if (_windowHandle != 0)
+        {
+            SendVoid(_windowHandle, "release");
+        }
+        if (_metalLayer != 0)
+        {
+            SendVoid(_metalLayer, "release");
+        }
+
+        _windowHandle = 0;
+        _metalLayer = 0;
+    }
+
+    private nint WindowProcedureImpl(nint window, uint message, nint wParam, nint lParam)
+    {
+        if (message == WmMouseMove)
+        {
+            _lastPointerActivity = System.Diagnostics.Stopwatch.GetTimestamp();
+            ShowCursorNow();
+        }
+        else if (message == WmSetCursor && _cursorHidden)
+        {
+            // Win32 re-resolves the cursor on every mouse message; returning
+            // TRUE here keeps the parent chain from restoring the arrow.
+            _ = SetCursor(0);
+            return 1;
+        }
+
+        return DefWindowProcW(window, message, wParam, lParam);
+    }
+
+    private static nint CreateObjectiveCObject(string className)
+    {
+        var classHandle = objc_getClass(className);
+        if (classHandle == 0)
+        {
+            throw new InvalidOperationException($"Objective-C class '{className}' is unavailable.");
+        }
+
+        var instance = objc_msgSend_id(classHandle, sel_registerName("alloc"));
+        instance = objc_msgSend_id(instance, sel_registerName("init"));
+        if (instance == 0)
+        {
+            throw new InvalidOperationException($"Could not create Objective-C '{className}'.");
+        }
+
+        return instance;
+    }
+
+    private static void SendVoid(nint receiver, string selector) =>
+        objc_msgSend_void(receiver, sel_registerName(selector));
+
+    private static void SendBool(nint receiver, string selector, bool value) =>
+        objc_msgSend_bool(receiver, sel_registerName(selector), value ? (byte)1 : (byte)0);
+
+    private static void SendPointer(nint receiver, string selector, nint value) =>
+        objc_msgSend_pointer(receiver, sel_registerName(selector), value);
+
+    private static void SendDouble(nint receiver, string selector, double value) =>
+        objc_msgSend_double(receiver, sel_registerName(selector), value);
+
+    private delegate nint WindowProcedure(nint window, uint message, nint wParam, nint lParam);
+
+    [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential, CharSet = CharSet.Unicode)]
+    private struct WndClassEx
+    {
+        public uint Size;
+        public uint Style;
+        public nint WindowProcedure;
+        public int ClassExtra;
+        public int WindowExtra;
+        public nint Instance;
+        public nint Icon;
+        public nint Cursor;
+        public nint Background;
+        public string? MenuName;
+        public string? ClassName;
+        public nint IconSmall;
+    }
+
+    [DllImport("kernel32.dll", EntryPoint = "GetModuleHandleW", CharSet = CharSet.Unicode)]
+    private static extern nint GetModuleHandleW(string? moduleName);
+
+    [DllImport("user32.dll", EntryPoint = "RegisterClassExW", SetLastError = true, CharSet = CharSet.Unicode)]
+    private static extern ushort RegisterClassExW(ref WndClassEx classInfo);
+
+    [DllImport("user32.dll", EntryPoint = "UnregisterClassW", SetLastError = true, CharSet = CharSet.Unicode)]
+    [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
+    private static extern bool UnregisterClassW(string className, nint instance);
+
+    [DllImport("user32.dll", EntryPoint = "CreateWindowExW", SetLastError = true, CharSet = CharSet.Unicode)]
+    private static extern nint CreateWindowExW(
+        uint extendedStyle,
+        string className,
+        string windowName,
+        uint style,
+        int x,
+        int y,
+        int width,
+        int height,
+        nint parent,
+        nint menu,
+        nint instance,
+        nint parameter);
+
+    [DllImport("user32.dll", EntryPoint = "DestroyWindow", SetLastError = true)]
+    [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
+    private static extern bool DestroyWindow(nint window);
+
+    [DllImport("user32.dll", EntryPoint = "SetWindowPos", SetLastError = true)]
+    [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
+    private static extern bool SetWindowPos(
+        nint window,
+        nint insertAfter,
+        int x,
+        int y,
+        int width,
+        int height,
+        uint flags);
+
+    [DllImport("user32.dll", EntryPoint = "DefWindowProcW", CharSet = CharSet.Unicode)]
+    private static extern nint DefWindowProcW(nint window, uint message, nint wParam, nint lParam);
+
+    [DllImport("user32.dll", EntryPoint = "SetCursor")]
+    private static extern nint SetCursor(nint cursor);
+
+    [DllImport("user32.dll", EntryPoint = "LoadCursorW", CharSet = CharSet.Unicode)]
+    private static extern nint LoadCursorW(nint instance, nint cursorName);
+
+    [DllImport("user32.dll", EntryPoint = "GetCursorPos")]
+    [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
+    private static extern bool GetCursorPos(out NativePoint point);
+
+    [DllImport("user32.dll", EntryPoint = "WindowFromPoint")]
+    private static extern nint WindowFromPoint(NativePoint point);
+
+    [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
+    private struct NativePoint
+    {
+        public int X;
+        public int Y;
+    }
+
+    [DllImport("libX11.so.6", EntryPoint = "XOpenDisplay")]
+    private static extern nint XOpenDisplay(nint displayName);
+
+    [DllImport("libX11.so.6", EntryPoint = "XCreateSimpleWindow")]
+    private static extern nint XCreateSimpleWindow(
+        nint display,
+        nint parent,
+        int x,
+        int y,
+        uint width,
+        uint height,
+        uint borderWidth,
+        ulong border,
+        ulong background);
+
+    [DllImport("libX11.so.6", EntryPoint = "XMapWindow")]
+    private static extern int XMapWindow(nint display, nint window);
+
+    [DllImport("libX11.so.6", EntryPoint = "XUnmapWindow")]
+    private static extern int XUnmapWindow(nint display, nint window);
+
+    [DllImport("libX11.so.6", EntryPoint = "XResizeWindow")]
+    private static extern int XResizeWindow(nint display, nint window, uint width, uint height);
+
+    [DllImport("libX11.so.6", EntryPoint = "XDestroyWindow")]
+    private static extern int XDestroyWindow(nint display, nint window);
+
+    [DllImport("libX11.so.6", EntryPoint = "XCloseDisplay")]
+    private static extern int XCloseDisplay(nint display);
+
+    [DllImport("libX11.so.6", EntryPoint = "XFlush")]
+    private static extern int XFlush(nint display);
+
+    [DllImport("/usr/lib/libobjc.A.dylib")]
+    private static extern nint objc_getClass(string name);
+
+    [DllImport("/usr/lib/libobjc.A.dylib")]
+    private static extern nint sel_registerName(string name);
+
+    [DllImport("/usr/lib/libobjc.A.dylib", EntryPoint = "objc_msgSend")]
+    private static extern nint objc_msgSend_id(nint receiver, nint selector);
+
+    [DllImport("/usr/lib/libobjc.A.dylib", EntryPoint = "objc_msgSend")]
+    private static extern void objc_msgSend_void(nint receiver, nint selector);
+
+    [DllImport("/usr/lib/libobjc.A.dylib", EntryPoint = "objc_msgSend")]
+    private static extern void objc_msgSend_bool(nint receiver, nint selector, byte value);
+
+    [DllImport("/usr/lib/libobjc.A.dylib", EntryPoint = "objc_msgSend")]
+    private static extern void objc_msgSend_pointer(nint receiver, nint selector, nint value);
+
+    [DllImport("/usr/lib/libobjc.A.dylib", EntryPoint = "objc_msgSend")]
+    private static extern void objc_msgSend_double(nint receiver, nint selector, double value);
+}

src/SharpEmu.GUI/GuiConsoleMirror.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using System.Text;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.GUI;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Mirrors process-wide console output into the launcher console while
+/// retaining the original streams for shell users and file logging.
+/// </summary>
+internal sealed class GuiConsoleMirror : IDisposable
+{
+    private readonly TextWriter _originalOut;
+    private readonly TextWriter _originalError;
+    private int _disposed;
+
+    private GuiConsoleMirror(Action<string, bool> writeLine)
+    {
+        _originalOut = Console.Out;
+        _originalError = Console.Error;
+        Console.SetOut(new MirroringWriter(_originalOut, line => writeLine(line, false)));
+        Console.SetError(new MirroringWriter(_originalError, line => writeLine(line, true)));
+    }
+
+    public static GuiConsoleMirror Install(Action<string, bool> writeLine) => new(writeLine);
+
+    public void Dispose()
+    {
+        if (Interlocked.Exchange(ref _disposed, 1) != 0)
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        Console.SetOut(_originalOut);
+        Console.SetError(_originalError);
+    }
+
+    private sealed class MirroringWriter : TextWriter
+    {
+        private readonly TextWriter _inner;
+        private readonly Action<string> _writeLine;
+        private readonly StringBuilder _line = new();
+        private readonly object _gate = new();
+
+        public MirroringWriter(TextWriter inner, Action<string> writeLine)
+        {
+            _inner = inner;
+            _writeLine = writeLine;
+        }
+
+        public override Encoding Encoding => _inner.Encoding;
+
+        public override void Write(char value)
+        {
+            lock (_gate)
+            {
+                _inner.Write(value);
+                Append(value);
+            }
+        }
+
+        public override void Write(string? value)
+        {
+            if (value is null)
+            {
+                return;
+            }
+
+            lock (_gate)
+            {
+                _inner.Write(value);
+                foreach (var character in value)
+                {
+                    Append(character);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        public override void WriteLine(string? value)
+        {
+            lock (_gate)
+            {
+                _inner.WriteLine(value);
+                if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(value))
+                {
+                    _line.Append(value);
+                }
+
+                FlushLine();
+            }
+        }
+
+        private void Append(char value)
+        {
+            if (value == '\r')
+            {
+                return;
+            }
+
+            if (value == '\n')
+            {
+                FlushLine();
+                return;
+            }
+
+            _line.Append(value);
+        }
+
+        private void FlushLine()
+        {
+            _writeLine(_line.ToString());
+            _line.Clear();
+        }
+    }
+}

src/SharpEmu.GUI/GuiSettings.cs

@@ -48,6 +48,8 @@ public sealed class GuiSettings
     /// <summary>Publish launcher/game status to Discord Rich Presence.</summary>
     public bool DiscordRichPresence { get; set; } = true;
 
+    public bool CheckForUpdatesOnStartup { get; set; } = true;
+
     /// <summary>Names of SHARPEMU_* switches set to "1" in the emulator's environment at launch.</summary>
     public List<string> EnvironmentToggles { get; set; } = new();
 

src/SharpEmu.GUI/Languages/en.json

@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
   "Library.Context.OpenFolder": "Open game folder",
   "Library.Context.CopyPath": "Copy path",
   "Library.Context.CopyTitleId": "Copy title ID",
+  "Library.Context.GameSettings": "Game settings…",
   "Library.Context.Remove": "Remove from library",
 
   "Library.Empty.Title": "Your library is empty",
@@ -31,9 +32,11 @@
   "Options.Env.Desc": "Switches passed to the emulator as environment variables at launch.",
   "Options.Env.Bthid.Desc": "Report Bluetooth HID as unavailable for titles whose wheel/FFB middleware polls forever.\nLeave off normally. Some titles freeze when init fails.",
   "Options.Env.LoopGuard.Desc": "Do not force quit titles that repeat the same call for too long.\nTry this when a game exits on its own while loading.",
+  "Options.Env.WritableApp0.Desc": "Allow titles to create and write files inside their install folder.\nNeeded by unpackaged dumps that write their save or config data under /app0.",
   "Options.Env.VkValidation.Desc": "Enable Vulkan validation layers for GPU debugging.\nSlow. Requires the Vulkan SDK to be installed.",
   "Options.Env.DumpSpirv.Desc": "Dump AGC shaders and their SPIR-V translations to the shader-dumps folder.\nUse when reporting shader or rendering bugs.",
   "Options.Env.LogDirectMemory.Desc": "Log direct memory allocations and failures to the console.\nUse when a game aborts or exits during boot.",
+  "Options.Env.LogIo.Desc": "Log file open, read, and path-resolve activity to the console.\nUse when a game cannot find its data files during boot.",
   "Options.Env.LogNp.Desc": "Log NP (PlayStation Network) library calls to the console.",
   "Options.Section.Emulation": "EMULATION",
   "Options.Section.Logging": "LOGGING",
@@ -79,6 +82,13 @@
 
   "Common.On": "On",
   "Common.Off": "Off",
+  "Common.Save": "Save",
+  "Common.Cancel": "Cancel",
+
+  "PerGame.Title": "Per-game settings — {0} ({1})",
+  "PerGame.InheritNote": "Unchecked rows inherit the global defaults.",
+  "PerGame.EnvToggles.Label": "Environment toggles",
+  "PerGame.EnvToggles.Desc": "Override the global set of SHARPEMU_* switches for this game.",
 
   "Console.Title": "CONSOLE",
   "Console.SearchWatermark": "Search...",
@@ -139,8 +149,26 @@
   "Options.About" : "About",
   "About.Github.Label": "GitHub",
   "About.Github.Desc": "Source code, issues and project development.",
+  "About.Github.LatestCommitLabel": "Latest Commit",
+  "About.Github.LatestCommitDescription": "Latest commit on the main branch",
   "About.Discord.Label": "Discord",
   "About.Discord.Desc": "Join the community, get support and follow development.",
   "About.GithubButton": "Contribute in GitHub!",
-  "About.DiscordButton": "Join our Discord!"
+  "About.DiscordButton": "Join our Discord!",
+
+  "Updater.Auto.Label": "Check for updates on startup",
+  "Updater.Auto.Desc": "Checks GitHub without delaying startup.",
+  "Updater.Label": "Updates",
+  "Updater.Check": "Check for updates",
+  "Updater.DownloadRestart": "Download and restart",
+  "Updater.Status.Ready": "Current build: {0}",
+  "Updater.Status.Checking": "Checking for updates…",
+  "Updater.Status.Current": "You are up to date ({0}).",
+  "Updater.Status.Available": "A new build is available: {0}",
+  "Updater.Status.Downloading": "Downloading update… {0}%",
+  "Updater.Status.Installing": "Installing update…",
+  "Updater.Status.Timeout": "Update check timed out after 10 seconds.",
+  "Updater.Status.Failed": "Could not check for updates.",
+  "Updater.Status.ChecksumFailed": "Downloaded update failed SHA-256 verification.",
+  "Updater.Status.Unsupported": "Automatic updating requires a Windows, Linux or macOS x64 build."
 }

src/SharpEmu.GUI/Languages/es.json

@@ -131,6 +131,8 @@
   "About.Github.Label": "GitHub",
   "About.Github.Desc": "Código fuente, issues y desarrollo del proyecto.",
   "About.Discord.Label": "Discord",
+  "About.Github.LatestCommitLabel": "Último Commit",
+  "About.Github.LatestCommitDescription": "Último commit en la rama main",
   "About.Discord.Desc": "Únete a la comunidad, recibe soporte y sigue el desarrollo.",
   "About.GithubButton": "Contribuye en GitHub!",
   "About.DiscordButton": "Únete a nuestro Discord!"

src/SharpEmu.GUI/Languages/ru.json

@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
   "Library.Context.OpenFolder": "Открыть папку с игрой",
   "Library.Context.CopyPath": "Скопировать путь",
   "Library.Context.CopyTitleId": "Скопировать ID игры",
+  "Library.Context.GameSettings": "Настройки игры…",
   "Library.Context.Remove": "Удалить из библиотеки",
 
   "Library.Empty.Title": "Ваша библиотека пуста",
@@ -26,6 +27,17 @@
   "Library.Loading": "Загрузка библиотеки…",
 
   "Options.General": "Основные",
+  "Options.Env.Tab": "Окружение",
+  "Options.Section.Environment": "ПЕРЕМЕННЫЕ ОКРУЖЕНИЯ",
+  "Options.Env.Desc": "Параметры, передаваемые эмулятору как переменные окружения при запуске.",
+  "Options.Env.Bthid.Desc": "Сообщать об отсутствии Bluetooth HID для игр, чьи библиотеки руля и обратной связи опрашивают устройство бесконечно.\nОбычно оставляйте выключенным. Некоторые игры зависают при сбое инициализации.",
+  "Options.Env.LoopGuard.Desc": "Не завершать принудительно игры, которые слишком долго повторяют один и тот же вызов.\nПопробуйте этот параметр, если игра сама закрывается во время загрузки.",
+  "Options.Env.WritableApp0.Desc": "Разрешить играм создавать и записывать файлы в папке установки.\nТребуется для неупакованных дампов, которые сохраняют данные или настройки в /app0.",
+  "Options.Env.VkValidation.Desc": "Включить слои валидации Vulkan для отладки GPU.\nЗамедляет работу. Требуется установленный Vulkan SDK.",
+  "Options.Env.DumpSpirv.Desc": "Сохранять шейдеры AGC и их переводы в SPIR-V в папку shader-dumps.\nИспользуйте при сообщении об ошибках шейдеров или рендеринга.",
+  "Options.Env.LogDirectMemory.Desc": "Выводить в консоль выделения прямой памяти и ошибки выделения.\nИспользуйте, если игра аварийно завершает работу или закрывается при запуске.",
+  "Options.Env.LogIo.Desc": "Выводить в консоль операции открытия и чтения файлов, а также разрешение путей.\nИспользуйте, если игра не может найти файлы данных при запуске.",
+  "Options.Env.LogNp.Desc": "Выводить в консоль вызовы библиотеки NP (PlayStation Network).",
   "Options.Section.Emulation": "ЭМУЛЯЦИЯ",
   "Options.Section.Logging": "ЛОГГИРОВАНИЕ",
   "Options.Section.Launcher": "ЛАУНЧЕР",
@@ -70,6 +82,13 @@
 
   "Common.On": "Включено",
   "Common.Off": "Выключено",
+  "Common.Save": "Сохранить",
+  "Common.Cancel": "Отмена",
+
+  "PerGame.Title": "Настройки игры — {0} ({1})",
+  "PerGame.InheritNote": "Неотмеченные строки наследуют глобальные настройки.",
+  "PerGame.EnvToggles.Label": "Переключатели окружения",
+  "PerGame.EnvToggles.Desc": "Переопределить глобальный набор переключателей SHARPEMU_* для этой игры.",
 
   "Console.Title": "КОНСОЛЬ",
   "Console.SearchWatermark": "Поиск...",
@@ -125,5 +144,30 @@
   "Dialog.PsExecutables": "Исполняемые файлы PS",
   "Dialog.SaveLogFile": "Выберите, куда сохранить файл с логами",
   "Dialog.PlainTextFiles": "Текстовые файлы",
-  "Dialog.LogFiles": "Логи"
+  "Dialog.LogFiles": "Логи",
+
+  "Options.About": "О программе",
+  "About.Github.Label": "GitHub",
+  "About.Github.Desc": "Исходный код, отчёты об ошибках и разработка проекта.",
+  "About.Github.LatestCommitLabel": "Последний коммит",
+  "About.Github.LatestCommitDescription": "Последний коммит в основной ветке",
+  "About.Discord.Label": "Discord",
+  "About.Discord.Desc": "Присоединяйтесь к сообществу, получайте поддержку и следите за разработкой.",
+  "About.GithubButton": "Участвовать в разработке на GitHub!",
+  "About.DiscordButton": "Присоединиться к нашему Discord!",
+
+  "Updater.Auto.Label": "Проверять обновления при запуске",
+  "Updater.Auto.Desc": "Проверяет GitHub без задержки запуска.",
+  "Updater.Label": "Обновления",
+  "Updater.Check": "Проверить обновления",
+  "Updater.DownloadRestart": "Скачать и перезапустить",
+  "Updater.Status.Ready": "Текущая сборка: {0}",
+  "Updater.Status.Checking": "Проверка обновлений…",
+  "Updater.Status.Current": "Установлена актуальная версия ({0}).",
+  "Updater.Status.Available": "Доступна новая сборка: {0}",
+  "Updater.Status.Downloading": "Скачивание обновления… {0}%",
+  "Updater.Status.Installing": "Установка обновления…",
+  "Updater.Status.Timeout": "Проверка обновлений превысила лимит времени в 10 секунд.",
+  "Updater.Status.Failed": "Не удалось проверить наличие обновлений.",
+  "Updater.Status.Unsupported": "Автоматическое обновление требует сборку Windows, Linux или macOS x64."
 }

src/SharpEmu.GUI/Languages/tr.json

@@ -125,5 +125,21 @@
   "Dialog.PsExecutables": "PS çalıştırılabilirleri",
   "Dialog.SaveLogFile": "Günlük dosyasının kaydedileceği yeri seçin",
   "Dialog.PlainTextFiles": "Düz Metin Dosyaları",
-  "Dialog.LogFiles": "Günlük Dosyaları"
+  "Dialog.LogFiles": "Günlük Dosyaları",
+
+  "Updater.Auto.Label": "Açılışta güncellemeleri denetle",
+  "Updater.Auto.Desc": "Açılışı geciktirmeden GitHub'ı denetler.",
+  "Updater.Label": "Güncellemeler",
+  "Updater.Check": "Güncellemeleri denetle",
+  "Updater.DownloadRestart": "İndir ve yeniden başlat",
+  "Updater.Status.Ready": "Mevcut build: {0}",
+  "Updater.Status.Checking": "Güncellemeler denetleniyor…",
+  "Updater.Status.Current": "Güncelsiniz ({0}).",
+  "Updater.Status.Available": "Yeni build mevcut: {0}",
+  "Updater.Status.Downloading": "Güncelleme indiriliyor… %{0}",
+  "Updater.Status.Installing": "Güncelleme kuruluyor…",
+  "Updater.Status.Timeout": "Güncelleme denetimi 10 saniye sonra zaman aşımına uğradı.",
+  "Updater.Status.Failed": "Güncellemeler denetlenemedi.",
+  "Updater.Status.ChecksumFailed": "İndirilen güncelleme SHA-256 doğrulamasını geçemedi.",
+  "Updater.Status.Unsupported": "Otomatik güncelleme Windows, Linux veya macOS x64 build'i gerektirir."
 }

src/SharpEmu.GUI/MainWindow.axaml

@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
 
 <Window xmlns="https://github.com/avaloniaui"
         xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
+        xmlns:local="clr-namespace:SharpEmu.GUI"
+        xmlns:primitives="clr-namespace:Avalonia.Controls.Primitives;assembly=Avalonia.Controls"
         x:Class="SharpEmu.GUI.MainWindow"
         Title="SharpEmu"
         Width="1280" Height="820"
@@ -18,7 +20,7 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
         Icon="avares://SharpEmu.GUI/Assets/SharpEmu.ico"
         KeyDown="OnKeyDown">
 
-  <Grid RowDefinitions="Auto,*,Auto">
+  <Grid x:Name="RootLayout" RowDefinitions="Auto,*,Auto">
 
     <!-- Selected-game backdrop: key art behind the main content, dimmed by
          a scrim so tiles and text stay readable. Fades on selection. -->
@@ -56,13 +58,19 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
     </Grid>
 
     <!-- Main content -->
-    <Grid Grid.Row="1" Margin="32,24,32,20" RowDefinitions="Auto,*,Auto,Auto">
+    <Grid x:Name="MainContent" Grid.Row="1" Margin="32,24,32,20" RowDefinitions="Auto,*,Auto,Auto">
+
+      <!-- The game owns the full client area while running. Session controls
+           use a native popup so they can stay above this native child surface. -->
+      <Border x:Name="GameView" Grid.Row="0" Grid.RowSpan="4" IsVisible="False" Background="#000000" ClipToBounds="True">
+        <Grid x:Name="GameSurfaceContainer" />
+      </Border>
 
       <!-- Library / Options page switcher, with the library toolbar sharing
            the same row on the right. Plain buttons (not TabItem) so there is
            no underline; LB/RB hint chips flank the pair and the gamepad's
            shoulder buttons actually switch pages from anywhere. -->
-      <Grid Grid.Row="0" ColumnDefinitions="Auto,*,Auto" Margin="0,0,0,20">
+      <Grid x:Name="ContentToolbar" Grid.Row="0" ColumnDefinitions="Auto,*,Auto" Margin="0,0,0,20">
         <StackPanel Grid.Column="0" Orientation="Horizontal" Spacing="14" VerticalAlignment="Center">
           <Border Classes="padHint" VerticalAlignment="Center">
             <TextBlock Text="LB" FontSize="11" FontWeight="Bold" Foreground="{StaticResource MutedBrush}" />
@@ -118,6 +126,13 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
                   </MenuItem.Icon>
                 </MenuItem>
                 <Separator />
+                <MenuItem x:Name="CtxGameSettings" Header="Game settings…">
+                  <MenuItem.Icon>
+                    <TextBlock Text="⚙" FontSize="13" Foreground="{StaticResource MutedBrush}"
+                               HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Center" />
+                  </MenuItem.Icon>
+                </MenuItem>
+                <Separator />
                 <MenuItem x:Name="CtxRemove" Header="Remove from library"
                           Foreground="{StaticResource DangerHoverBrush}">
                   <MenuItem.Icon>
@@ -191,27 +206,19 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
                     <StackPanel Spacing="14">
                       <TextBlock x:Name="EmulationSectionTitle" Classes="sectionTitle" Text="EMULATION" />
 
-                      <Grid ColumnDefinitions="*,Auto">
-                        <StackPanel VerticalAlignment="Center" Spacing="2" Margin="0,0,16,0">
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="CpuEngineLabel" Text="CPU engine" FontSize="13" />
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="CpuEngineDesc" Text="Execution engine used to run game code."
-                                     FontSize="11" Foreground="{StaticResource MutedBrush}" TextWrapping="Wrap" />
-                        </StackPanel>
-                        <ComboBox Grid.Column="1" x:Name="CpuEngineBox" Width="160" SelectedIndex="0"
+                      <local:SettingRow x:Name="CpuEngineRow" Label="CPU engine"
+                                        Description="Execution engine used to run game code.">
+                        <ComboBox x:Name="CpuEngineBox" Width="160" SelectedIndex="0"
                                   VerticalAlignment="Center" CornerRadius="8">
                           <ComboBoxItem x:Name="CpuEngineNativeItem" Content="Native" />
                         </ComboBox>
-                      </Grid>
+                      </local:SettingRow>
 
-                      <Grid ColumnDefinitions="*,Auto">
-                        <StackPanel VerticalAlignment="Center" Spacing="2" Margin="0,0,16,0">
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="StrictLabel" Text="Strict dynlib resolution" FontSize="13" />
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="StrictDesc" Text="Fail the launch when an imported symbol cannot be resolved."
-                                     FontSize="11" Foreground="{StaticResource MutedBrush}" TextWrapping="Wrap" />
-                        </StackPanel>
-                        <ToggleSwitch Grid.Column="1" x:Name="StrictToggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
+                      <local:SettingRow x:Name="StrictRow" Label="Strict dynlib resolution"
+                                        Description="Fail the launch when an imported symbol cannot be resolved.">
+                        <ToggleSwitch x:Name="StrictToggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
                                       VerticalAlignment="Center" />
-                      </Grid>
+                      </local:SettingRow>
                     </StackPanel>
                   </Border>
 
@@ -219,13 +226,9 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
                     <StackPanel Spacing="14">
                       <TextBlock x:Name="LoggingSectionTitle" Classes="sectionTitle" Text="LOGGING" />
 
-                      <Grid ColumnDefinitions="*,Auto">
-                        <StackPanel VerticalAlignment="Center" Spacing="2" Margin="0,0,16,0">
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="LogLevelLabel" Text="Log level" FontSize="13" />
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="LogLevelDesc" Text="Verbosity of the emulator console output."
-                                     FontSize="11" Foreground="{StaticResource MutedBrush}" TextWrapping="Wrap" />
-                        </StackPanel>
-                        <ComboBox Grid.Column="1" x:Name="LogLevelBox" Width="160" SelectedIndex="2"
+                      <local:SettingRow x:Name="LogLevelRow" Label="Log level"
+                                        Description="Verbosity of the emulator console output.">
+                        <ComboBox x:Name="LogLevelBox" Width="160" SelectedIndex="2"
                                   VerticalAlignment="Center" CornerRadius="8">
                           <ComboBoxItem x:Name="LogLevelTraceItem" Content="Trace" />
                           <ComboBoxItem x:Name="LogLevelDebugItem" Content="Debug" />
@@ -234,49 +237,32 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
                           <ComboBoxItem x:Name="LogLevelErrorItem" Content="Error" />
                           <ComboBoxItem x:Name="LogLevelCriticalItem" Content="Critical" />
                         </ComboBox>
-                      </Grid>
+                      </local:SettingRow>
 
-                      <Grid ColumnDefinitions="*,Auto">
-                        <StackPanel VerticalAlignment="Center" Spacing="2" Margin="0,0,16,0">
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="TraceImportsLabel" Text="Import trace limit" FontSize="13" />
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="TraceImportsDesc" Text="Trace the first N imports per module (0 = off)."
-                                     FontSize="11" Foreground="{StaticResource MutedBrush}" TextWrapping="Wrap" />
-                        </StackPanel>
-                        <NumericUpDown Grid.Column="1" x:Name="TraceImportsBox" Width="160" Minimum="0"
+                      <local:SettingRow x:Name="TraceImportsRow" Label="Import trace limit"
+                                        Description="Trace the first N imports per module (0 = off).">
+                        <NumericUpDown x:Name="TraceImportsBox" Width="160" Minimum="0"
                                        Maximum="4096" Increment="16" Value="0" FormatString="0"
                                        VerticalAlignment="Center" CornerRadius="8" />
-                      </Grid>
+                      </local:SettingRow>
 
-                      <Grid ColumnDefinitions="*,Auto">
-                        <StackPanel VerticalAlignment="Center" Spacing="2" Margin="0,0,16,0">
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="LogToFileLabel" Text="Log to file" FontSize="13" />
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="LogToFileDesc" Text="Mirror emulator output to a log file."
-                                     FontSize="11" Foreground="{StaticResource MutedBrush}" TextWrapping="Wrap" />
-                        </StackPanel>
-                        <ToggleSwitch Grid.Column="1" x:Name="LogToFileToggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
+                      <local:SettingRow x:Name="LogToFileRow" Label="Log to file"
+                                        Description="Mirror emulator output to a log file.">
+                        <ToggleSwitch x:Name="LogToFileToggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
                                       VerticalAlignment="Center" />
-                      </Grid>
+                      </local:SettingRow>
 
-                      <Grid ColumnDefinitions="*,Auto">
-                        <StackPanel VerticalAlignment="Center" Spacing="2" Margin="0,0,16,0">
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="LogFilePathLabel" Text="Log file path" FontSize="13" />
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="LogFilePathText" Text="No custom path"
-                                     FontSize="11" Foreground="{StaticResource MutedBrush}" TextWrapping="Wrap" />
-                        </StackPanel>
-                        <Button Grid.Column="1" x:Name="SelectLogFilePathButton" Classes="ghost" Content="Select…"
+                      <local:SettingRow x:Name="LogFilePathRow" Label="Log file path"
+                                        Description="No custom path">
+                        <Button x:Name="SelectLogFilePathButton" Classes="ghost" Content="Select…"
                                 VerticalAlignment="Center" />
-                      </Grid>
+                      </local:SettingRow>
 
-                      <Grid ColumnDefinitions="*,Auto">
-                        <StackPanel VerticalAlignment="Center" Spacing="2" Margin="0,0,16,0">
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="OverrideLogFileLabel" Text="Override log file" FontSize="13" />
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="OverrideLogFileDesc"
-                                     Text="Use the exact file path instead of appending title ID and timestamp."
-                                     FontSize="11" Foreground="{StaticResource MutedBrush}" TextWrapping="Wrap" />
-                        </StackPanel>
-                        <ToggleSwitch Grid.Column="1" x:Name="OverrideLogFileToggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
+                      <local:SettingRow x:Name="OverrideLogFileRow" Label="Override log file"
+                                        Description="Use the exact file path instead of appending title ID and timestamp.">
+                        <ToggleSwitch x:Name="OverrideLogFileToggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
                                       VerticalAlignment="Center" />
-                      </Grid>
+                      </local:SettingRow>
                     </StackPanel>
                   </Border>
 
@@ -284,37 +270,30 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
                     <StackPanel Spacing="14">
                       <TextBlock x:Name="LauncherSectionTitle" Classes="sectionTitle" Text="LAUNCHER" />
 
-                      <Grid ColumnDefinitions="*,Auto">
-                        <StackPanel VerticalAlignment="Center" Spacing="2" Margin="0,0,16,0">
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="LanguageLabel" Text="Emulator language" FontSize="13" />
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="LanguageDesc"
-                                     Text="Language used throughout the launcher. Applies immediately."
-                                     FontSize="11" Foreground="{StaticResource MutedBrush}" TextWrapping="Wrap" />
-                        </StackPanel>
-                        <ComboBox Grid.Column="1" x:Name="LanguageBox" Width="160"
+                      <local:SettingRow x:Name="LanguageRow" Label="Emulator language"
+                                        Description="Language used throughout the launcher. Applies immediately.">
+                        <ComboBox x:Name="LanguageBox" Width="160"
                                   VerticalAlignment="Center" CornerRadius="8"
                                   DisplayMemberBinding="{Binding NativeName}" />
-                      </Grid>
+                      </local:SettingRow>
 
-                      <Grid ColumnDefinitions="*,Auto">
-                        <StackPanel VerticalAlignment="Center" Spacing="2" Margin="0,0,16,0">
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="TitleMusicLabel" Text="Title music" FontSize="13" />
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="TitleMusicDesc" Text="Loop the selected game's preview music in the library."
-                                     FontSize="11" Foreground="{StaticResource MutedBrush}" TextWrapping="Wrap" />
-                        </StackPanel>
-                        <ToggleSwitch Grid.Column="1" x:Name="TitleMusicToggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
+                      <local:SettingRow x:Name="TitleMusicRow" Label="Title music"
+                                        Description="Loop the selected game's preview music in the library.">
+                        <ToggleSwitch x:Name="TitleMusicToggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
                                       IsChecked="True" VerticalAlignment="Center" />
-                      </Grid>
+                      </local:SettingRow>
 
-                      <Grid ColumnDefinitions="*,Auto">
-                        <StackPanel VerticalAlignment="Center" Spacing="2" Margin="0,0,16,0">
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="DiscordLabel" Text="Discord presence" FontSize="13" />
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="DiscordDesc" Text="Show the running game on your Discord profile."
-                                     FontSize="11" Foreground="{StaticResource MutedBrush}" TextWrapping="Wrap" />
-                        </StackPanel>
-                        <ToggleSwitch Grid.Column="1" x:Name="DiscordToggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
+                      <local:SettingRow x:Name="DiscordRow" Label="Discord presence"
+                                        Description="Show the running game on your Discord profile.">
+                        <ToggleSwitch x:Name="DiscordToggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
                                       VerticalAlignment="Center" />
-                      </Grid>
+                      </local:SettingRow>
+
+                      <local:SettingRow x:Name="AutoUpdateRow" Label="Check for updates on startup"
+                                        Description="Checks GitHub without delaying startup.">
+                        <ToggleSwitch x:Name="AutoUpdateToggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
+                                      IsChecked="True" VerticalAlignment="Center" />
+                      </local:SettingRow>
                     </StackPanel>
                   </Border>
                   <Border Classes="card">
@@ -322,6 +301,40 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
                       <TextBlock x:Name="AboutSectionTitle"
                                 Classes="sectionTitle"
                                 Text="ABOUT" />
+
+                      <!--Latest commit info-->
+                      <Grid ColumnDefinitions="*,Auto">
+                        <StackPanel Grid.Column="0" Orientation="Horizontal" Spacing="8" VerticalAlignment="Center">
+                          <Image Source="avares://SharpEmu.GUI/Assets/commit-icon.png"
+                                    Width="24" Height="24" VerticalAlignment="Center" />
+                          <StackPanel Spacing="2" VerticalAlignment="Center">
+                            <TextBlock x:Name="LatestCommitLabel" Text="Latest commit" FontSize="13"/>
+                            <TextBlock x:Name="LatestCommitDescription" Text="Latest commit on the main branch" FontSize="11" Foreground="{StaticResource MutedBrush}"/>
+                          </StackPanel>
+                        </StackPanel>
+
+                        <Button Grid.Column="1" x:Name="LatestCommitHashText" Classes="ghost"
+                          Content="Loading…" FontSize="12" FontFamily="Consolas,monospace"
+                          VerticalAlignment="Center" IsEnabled="False" />
+
+                      </Grid>
+
+                      <!--Update-->
+                      <Grid ColumnDefinitions="*,Auto">
+                        <StackPanel Grid.Column="0" Orientation="Horizontal" Spacing="8" VerticalAlignment="Center">
+                          <Image Source="avares://SharpEmu.GUI/Assets/update-icon.png"
+                                    Width="24"
+                                    Height="24"
+                                    VerticalAlignment="Center" />
+                          <StackPanel Spacing="2" VerticalAlignment="Center">
+                            <TextBlock x:Name="UpdateLabel" Text="Updates" FontSize="13" />
+                            <TextBlock x:Name="UpdateStatusText" Text="Current build: dev" FontSize="11"
+                                      Foreground="{StaticResource MutedBrush}" TextWrapping="Wrap" />
+                          </StackPanel>
+                        </StackPanel>
+                        <Button Grid.Column="1" x:Name="UpdateButton" Classes="ghost"
+                                Content="Check for updates" VerticalAlignment="Center" />
+                      </Grid>
                       
                       <!--Github-->
                       <Grid ColumnDefinitions="*,Auto">
@@ -398,71 +411,53 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
                                  Text="Switches passed to the emulator as environment variables at launch."
                                  FontSize="11" Foreground="{StaticResource MutedBrush}" TextWrapping="Wrap" />
 
-                      <Grid ColumnDefinitions="*,Auto">
-                        <StackPanel VerticalAlignment="Center" Spacing="2" Margin="0,0,16,0">
-                          <TextBlock Text="SHARPEMU_BTHID_UNAVAILABLE" FontSize="13" FontFamily="Consolas,monospace" />
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="EnvBthidDesc"
-                                     Text="Report Bluetooth HID as unavailable for titles whose wheel/FFB middleware polls forever.&#10;Leave off normally. Some titles freeze when init fails."
-                                     FontSize="11" Foreground="{StaticResource MutedBrush}" TextWrapping="Wrap" />
-                        </StackPanel>
-                        <ToggleSwitch Grid.Column="1" x:Name="EnvBthidToggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
+                      <local:SettingRow x:Name="EnvBthidRow" LabelFontFamily="Consolas,monospace" Label="SHARPEMU_BTHID_UNAVAILABLE"
+                                        Description="Report Bluetooth HID as unavailable for titles whose wheel/FFB middleware polls forever.&#10;Leave off normally. Some titles freeze when init fails.">
+                        <ToggleSwitch x:Name="EnvBthidToggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
                                       VerticalAlignment="Center" />
-                      </Grid>
+                      </local:SettingRow>
 
-                      <Grid ColumnDefinitions="*,Auto">
-                        <StackPanel VerticalAlignment="Center" Spacing="2" Margin="0,0,16,0">
-                          <TextBlock Text="SHARPEMU_DISABLE_IMPORT_LOOP_GUARD" FontSize="13" FontFamily="Consolas,monospace" />
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="EnvLoopGuardDesc"
-                                     Text="Do not force quit titles that repeat the same call for too long.&#10;Try this when a game exits on its own while loading."
-                                     FontSize="11" Foreground="{StaticResource MutedBrush}" TextWrapping="Wrap" />
-                        </StackPanel>
-                        <ToggleSwitch Grid.Column="1" x:Name="EnvLoopGuardToggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
+                      <local:SettingRow x:Name="EnvLoopGuardRow" LabelFontFamily="Consolas,monospace" Label="SHARPEMU_DISABLE_IMPORT_LOOP_GUARD"
+                                        Description="Do not force quit titles that repeat the same call for too long.&#10;Try this when a game exits on its own while loading.">
+                        <ToggleSwitch x:Name="EnvLoopGuardToggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
                                       VerticalAlignment="Center" />
-                      </Grid>
+                      </local:SettingRow>
 
-                      <Grid ColumnDefinitions="*,Auto">
-                        <StackPanel VerticalAlignment="Center" Spacing="2" Margin="0,0,16,0">
-                          <TextBlock Text="SHARPEMU_VK_VALIDATION" FontSize="13" FontFamily="Consolas,monospace" />
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="EnvVkValidationDesc"
-                                     Text="Enable Vulkan validation layers for GPU debugging.&#10;Slow. Requires the Vulkan SDK to be installed."
-                                     FontSize="11" Foreground="{StaticResource MutedBrush}" TextWrapping="Wrap" />
-                        </StackPanel>
-                        <ToggleSwitch Grid.Column="1" x:Name="EnvVkValidationToggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
+                      <local:SettingRow x:Name="EnvWritableApp0Row" LabelFontFamily="Consolas,monospace" Label="SHARPEMU_WRITABLE_APP0"
+                                        Description="Allow titles to create and write files inside their install folder.&#10;Needed by unpackaged dumps that write their save or config data under /app0.">
+                        <ToggleSwitch x:Name="EnvWritableApp0Toggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
                                       VerticalAlignment="Center" />
-                      </Grid>
+                      </local:SettingRow>
 
-                      <Grid ColumnDefinitions="*,Auto">
-                        <StackPanel VerticalAlignment="Center" Spacing="2" Margin="0,0,16,0">
-                          <TextBlock Text="SHARPEMU_DUMP_SPIRV" FontSize="13" FontFamily="Consolas,monospace" />
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="EnvDumpSpirvDesc"
-                                     Text="Dump AGC shaders and their SPIR-V translations to the shader-dumps folder.&#10;Use when reporting shader or rendering bugs."
-                                     FontSize="11" Foreground="{StaticResource MutedBrush}" TextWrapping="Wrap" />
-                        </StackPanel>
-                        <ToggleSwitch Grid.Column="1" x:Name="EnvDumpSpirvToggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
+                      <local:SettingRow x:Name="EnvVkValidationRow" LabelFontFamily="Consolas,monospace" Label="SHARPEMU_VK_VALIDATION"
+                                        Description="Enable Vulkan validation layers for GPU debugging.&#10;Slow. Requires the Vulkan SDK to be installed.">
+                        <ToggleSwitch x:Name="EnvVkValidationToggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
                                       VerticalAlignment="Center" />
-                      </Grid>
+                      </local:SettingRow>
 
-                      <Grid ColumnDefinitions="*,Auto">
-                        <StackPanel VerticalAlignment="Center" Spacing="2" Margin="0,0,16,0">
-                          <TextBlock Text="SHARPEMU_LOG_DIRECT_MEMORY" FontSize="13" FontFamily="Consolas,monospace" />
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="EnvLogDirectMemoryDesc"
-                                     Text="Log direct memory allocations and failures to the console.&#10;Use when a game aborts or exits during boot."
-                                     FontSize="11" Foreground="{StaticResource MutedBrush}" TextWrapping="Wrap" />
-                        </StackPanel>
-                        <ToggleSwitch Grid.Column="1" x:Name="EnvLogDirectMemoryToggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
+                      <local:SettingRow x:Name="EnvDumpSpirvRow" LabelFontFamily="Consolas,monospace" Label="SHARPEMU_DUMP_SPIRV"
+                                        Description="Dump AGC shaders and their SPIR-V translations to the shader-dumps folder.&#10;Use when reporting shader or rendering bugs.">
+                        <ToggleSwitch x:Name="EnvDumpSpirvToggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
                                       VerticalAlignment="Center" />
-                      </Grid>
+                      </local:SettingRow>
 
-                      <Grid ColumnDefinitions="*,Auto">
-                        <StackPanel VerticalAlignment="Center" Spacing="2" Margin="0,0,16,0">
-                          <TextBlock Text="SHARPEMU_LOG_NP" FontSize="13" FontFamily="Consolas,monospace" />
-                          <TextBlock x:Name="EnvLogNpDesc"
-                                     Text="Log NP (PlayStation Network) library calls to the console."
-                                     FontSize="11" Foreground="{StaticResource MutedBrush}" TextWrapping="Wrap" />
-                        </StackPanel>
-                        <ToggleSwitch Grid.Column="1" x:Name="EnvLogNpToggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
+                      <local:SettingRow x:Name="EnvLogDirectMemoryRow" LabelFontFamily="Consolas,monospace" Label="SHARPEMU_LOG_DIRECT_MEMORY"
+                                        Description="Log direct memory allocations and failures to the console.&#10;Use when a game aborts or exits during boot.">
+                        <ToggleSwitch x:Name="EnvLogDirectMemoryToggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
                                       VerticalAlignment="Center" />
-                      </Grid>
+                      </local:SettingRow>
+
+                      <local:SettingRow x:Name="EnvLogIoRow" LabelFontFamily="Consolas,monospace" Label="SHARPEMU_LOG_IO"
+                                        Description="Log file open, read, and path-resolve activity to the console.&#10;Use when a game cannot find its data files during boot.">
+                        <ToggleSwitch x:Name="EnvLogIoToggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
+                                      VerticalAlignment="Center" />
+                      </local:SettingRow>
+
+                      <local:SettingRow x:Name="EnvLogNpRow" LabelFontFamily="Consolas,monospace" Label="SHARPEMU_LOG_NP"
+                                        Description="Log NP (PlayStation Network) library calls to the console.">
+                        <ToggleSwitch x:Name="EnvLogNpToggle" OnContent="On" OffContent="Off"
+                                      VerticalAlignment="Center" />
+                      </local:SettingRow>
                     </StackPanel>
                   </Border>
 
@@ -502,7 +497,7 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
       </Border>
 
       <!-- Launch bar; capped so it does not sprawl on a maximized window. -->
-      <Border Grid.Row="3" Classes="card" Margin="0,12,0,0" Padding="14" MaxWidth="1280">
+      <Border Grid.Row="3" x:Name="LaunchBar" Classes="card" Margin="0,12,0,0" Padding="14" MaxWidth="1280">
         <StackPanel Spacing="14">
           <Grid ColumnDefinitions="Auto,*,Auto">
 
@@ -567,6 +562,66 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
       </Border>
     </Grid>
 
+    <!-- Avalonia's regular overlay layer cannot appear over a native child
+         HWND/X11/Metal surface. Keep the running-session controls in a native
+         popup so the game reaches the bottom status bar without losing Stop. -->
+    <primitives:Popup x:Name="SessionBarPopup"
+                      IsOpen="False"
+                      PlacementTarget="{Binding #GameView}"
+                      Placement="Bottom"
+                      VerticalOffset="-66"
+                      Topmost="True"
+                      ShouldUseOverlayLayer="False"
+                      TakesFocusFromNativeControl="False"
+                      IsLightDismissEnabled="False">
+      <Border Classes="card" Width="598" Height="58" CornerRadius="16" Padding="14,8">
+        <Grid ColumnDefinitions="*,Auto">
+          <StackPanel Spacing="3" VerticalAlignment="Center">
+            <StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal" Spacing="8">
+              <TextBlock x:Name="SessionGameTitle" Text="GAME RUNNING" FontSize="13" FontWeight="SemiBold"
+                         MaxWidth="240" TextTrimming="CharacterEllipsis" VerticalAlignment="Center" />
+              <Border Classes="badge running" VerticalAlignment="Center">
+                <TextBlock Text="RUNNING" FontSize="9" FontWeight="Bold" LetterSpacing="1"
+                           Foreground="{StaticResource SuccessBrush}" />
+              </Border>
+            </StackPanel>
+            <StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal" Spacing="7">
+              <Border x:Name="SessionF11Badge" Classes="badge key" VerticalAlignment="Center">
+                <TextBlock Text="F11" FontSize="9" FontWeight="Bold"
+                           Foreground="{StaticResource InfoBrush}" />
+              </Border>
+              <TextBlock x:Name="SessionHintText" Text="Fullscreen" FontSize="11"
+                         Foreground="{StaticResource MutedBrush}" VerticalAlignment="Center" />
+            </StackPanel>
+          </StackPanel>
+          <StackPanel Grid.Column="1" Orientation="Horizontal" Spacing="8" VerticalAlignment="Center">
+            <Button x:Name="SessionConsoleButton" Classes="ghost" Content="≡ Console" />
+            <Button x:Name="SessionStopButton" Classes="danger" Content="■  Stop" IsEnabled="False" />
+          </StackPanel>
+        </Grid>
+      </Border>
+    </primitives:Popup>
+
+    <!-- This is a native popup rather than an Avalonia overlay because the
+         emulated Vulkan surface is a native child window. -->
+    <primitives:Popup x:Name="SessionLoadingPopup"
+                      IsOpen="False"
+                      PlacementTarget="{Binding #GameView}"
+                      Placement="Center"
+                      Topmost="True"
+                      ShouldUseOverlayLayer="False"
+                      TakesFocusFromNativeControl="False"
+                      IsLightDismissEnabled="False">
+      <Border Classes="card" Width="380" CornerRadius="18" Padding="22,18">
+        <StackPanel Spacing="12">
+          <TextBlock x:Name="SessionLoadingTitle" Text="Loading game" FontSize="16" FontWeight="SemiBold" />
+          <TextBlock x:Name="SessionLoadingDetail" Text="Preparing the emulation session..." FontSize="12"
+                     Foreground="{StaticResource MutedBrush}" TextTrimming="CharacterEllipsis" />
+          <ProgressBar IsIndeterminate="True" Height="5" />
+        </StackPanel>
+      </Border>
+    </primitives:Popup>
+
     <!-- Status bar -->
     <Grid x:Name="StatusBar" Grid.Row="2" Height="32" Background="{StaticResource ChromeBrush}"
           ColumnDefinitions="*,Auto">

src/SharpEmu.GUI/PerGameSettings.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using System.Text.Json;
+using System.Text.Json.Serialization;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.GUI;
+
+public sealed class PerGameSettings
+{
+    private static readonly JsonSerializerOptions SerializerOptions = new()
+    {
+        WriteIndented = true,
+    };
+
+    public string? LogLevel { get; set; }
+
+    public int? ImportTraceLimit { get; set; }
+
+    public bool? StrictDynlibResolution { get; set; }
+
+    public bool? LogToFile { get; set; }
+
+    public List<string>? EnvironmentToggles { get; set; }
+
+    [JsonIgnore]
+    public bool IsEmpty =>
+        LogLevel is null &&
+        ImportTraceLimit is null &&
+        StrictDynlibResolution is null &&
+        LogToFile is null &&
+        EnvironmentToggles is null;
+
+    public static string DirectoryPath =>
+        Path.Combine(AppContext.BaseDirectory, "user", "custom_configs");
+
+    public static string PathFor(string titleId) =>
+        Path.Combine(DirectoryPath, SanitizeTitleId(titleId) + ".json");
+
+    public static PerGameSettings? Load(string? titleId)
+    {
+        if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(titleId))
+        {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        try
+        {
+            var path = PathFor(titleId);
+            if (File.Exists(path))
+            {
+                return JsonSerializer.Deserialize<PerGameSettings>(File.ReadAllText(path), SerializerOptions);
+            }
+        }
+        catch (Exception)
+        {
+        }
+
+        return null;
+    }
+
+    public void Save(string titleId)
+    {
+        if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(titleId))
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        try
+        {
+            var path = PathFor(titleId);
+            if (IsEmpty)
+            {
+                if (File.Exists(path))
+                {
+                    File.Delete(path);
+                }
+
+                return;
+            }
+
+            Directory.CreateDirectory(DirectoryPath);
+            File.WriteAllText(path, JsonSerializer.Serialize(this, SerializerOptions));
+        }
+        catch (Exception)
+        {
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static string SanitizeTitleId(string titleId)
+    {
+        var trimmed = titleId.Trim();
+        foreach (var invalid in Path.GetInvalidFileNameChars())
+        {
+            trimmed = trimmed.Replace(invalid, '_');
+        }
+
+        return trimmed.Length == 0 ? "UNKNOWN" : trimmed;
+    }
+}
+
+public sealed record EffectiveLaunchSettings(
+    string LogLevel,
+    int ImportTraceLimit,
+    bool StrictDynlibResolution,
+    bool LogToFile,
+    IReadOnlyList<string> EnvironmentToggles)
+{
+    public static EffectiveLaunchSettings Resolve(GuiSettings global, PerGameSettings? perGame) => new(
+        perGame?.LogLevel ?? global.LogLevel,
+        perGame?.ImportTraceLimit ?? global.ImportTraceLimit,
+        perGame?.StrictDynlibResolution ?? global.StrictDynlibResolution,
+        perGame?.LogToFile ?? global.LogToFile,
+        perGame?.EnvironmentToggles ?? global.EnvironmentToggles);
+}

src/SharpEmu.GUI/PerGameSettingsDialog.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,205 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using Avalonia;
+using Avalonia.Controls;
+using Avalonia.Layout;
+using Avalonia.Media;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.GUI;
+
+public sealed class PerGameSettingsDialog : Window
+{
+    private static readonly string[] LogLevels =
+        { "Trace", "Debug", "Info", "Warning", "Error", "Critical" };
+
+    private static readonly string[] EnvToggles =
+    {
+        "SHARPEMU_BTHID_UNAVAILABLE",
+        "SHARPEMU_DISABLE_IMPORT_LOOP_GUARD",
+        "SHARPEMU_WRITABLE_APP0",
+        "SHARPEMU_VK_VALIDATION",
+        "SHARPEMU_DUMP_SPIRV",
+        "SHARPEMU_LOG_DIRECT_MEMORY",
+        "SHARPEMU_LOG_IO",
+        "SHARPEMU_LOG_NP",
+    };
+
+    private readonly string _titleId;
+
+    private readonly SettingRow _logLevelRow;
+    private readonly ComboBox _logLevel = new() { ItemsSource = LogLevels, Width = 160 };
+
+    private readonly SettingRow _traceRow;
+    private readonly NumericUpDown _trace = new()
+    {
+        Minimum = 0, Maximum = 4096, Increment = 16, Width = 160, FormatString = "0",
+    };
+
+    private readonly SettingRow _strictRow;
+    private readonly ToggleSwitch _strict = new();
+
+    private readonly SettingRow _logToFileRow;
+    private readonly ToggleSwitch _logToFile = new();
+
+    private readonly SettingRow _envRow;
+    private readonly StackPanel _envList = new() { Orientation = Orientation.Vertical, Spacing = 8, Margin = new(0, 4, 0, 0) };
+    private readonly List<(string Name, ToggleSwitch Box)> _envBoxes = new();
+
+    public PerGameSettingsDialog(string titleId, string displayName, GuiSettings global)
+    {
+        _titleId = titleId;
+        var loc = Localization.Instance;
+
+        Title = loc.Format("PerGame.Title", displayName, titleId);
+        Width = 520;
+        MaxHeight = 720;
+        SizeToContent = SizeToContent.Height;
+        WindowStartupLocation = WindowStartupLocation.CenterOwner;
+        CanResize = false;
+
+        Background = new SolidColorBrush(Color.Parse("#0D1017"));
+
+        _strict.OnContent = _logToFile.OnContent = loc.Get("Common.On");
+        _strict.OffContent = _logToFile.OffContent = loc.Get("Common.Off");
+
+        _logLevelRow = Row(loc.Get("Options.LogLevel.Label"), loc.Get("Options.LogLevel.Desc"), _logLevel);
+        _traceRow = Row(loc.Get("Options.TraceImports.Label"), loc.Get("Options.TraceImports.Desc"), _trace);
+        _strictRow = Row(loc.Get("Options.Strict.Label"), loc.Get("Options.Strict.Desc"), _strict);
+        _logToFileRow = Row(loc.Get("Options.LogToFile.Label"), loc.Get("Options.LogToFile.Desc"), _logToFile);
+        _envRow = new SettingRow
+        {
+            Label = loc.Get("PerGame.EnvToggles.Label"),
+            Description = loc.Get("PerGame.EnvToggles.Desc"),
+            ShowOverride = true,
+        };
+
+        foreach (var name in EnvToggles)
+        {
+            var box = new ToggleSwitch { OnContent = name, OffContent = name };
+            _envBoxes.Add((name, box));
+            _envList.Children.Add(box);
+        }
+
+        var content = new StackPanel { Orientation = Orientation.Vertical, Spacing = 12, Margin = new(16) };
+        content.Children.Add(new TextBlock
+        {
+            Text = loc.Get("PerGame.InheritNote"),
+            Foreground = new SolidColorBrush(Color.Parse("#8B94A7")),
+            FontSize = 12,
+        });
+        content.Children.Add(Card(loc.Get("Options.Section.Emulation"), _strictRow));
+        content.Children.Add(Card(loc.Get("Options.Section.Logging"), _logLevelRow, _traceRow, _logToFileRow));
+        content.Children.Add(Card(loc.Get("Options.Section.Environment"), _envRow, _envList));
+
+        var save = new Button { Content = loc.Get("Common.Save"), Classes = { "accent" } };
+        var cancel = new Button { Content = loc.Get("Common.Cancel"), Classes = { "ghost" } };
+        save.Click += (_, _) => { Persist(); Close(); };
+        cancel.Click += (_, _) => Close();
+
+        var buttonBar = new Border
+        {
+            BorderBrush = new SolidColorBrush(Color.Parse("#8B94A7")) { Opacity = 0.25 },
+            BorderThickness = new Thickness(0, 1, 0, 0),
+            Padding = new(16),
+            Child = new StackPanel
+            {
+                Orientation = Orientation.Horizontal,
+                Spacing = 8,
+                HorizontalAlignment = HorizontalAlignment.Right,
+                Children = { cancel, save },
+            },
+        };
+
+        var root = new Grid { RowDefinitions = new RowDefinitions("*,Auto") };
+        var scroller = new ScrollViewer { Content = content };
+        Grid.SetRow(scroller, 0);
+        Grid.SetRow(buttonBar, 1);
+        root.Children.Add(scroller);
+        root.Children.Add(buttonBar);
+        Content = root;
+
+        LoadValues(global);
+        _envRow.PropertyChanged += (_, e) =>
+        {
+            if (e.Property == SettingRow.IsOverriddenProperty)
+            {
+                _envList.IsEnabled = _envRow.IsOverridden;
+            }
+        };
+        _envList.IsEnabled = _envRow.IsOverridden;
+    }
+
+    private static SettingRow Row(string label, string description, Control value) => new()
+    {
+        Label = label,
+        Description = description,
+        ShowOverride = true,
+        Content = value,
+    };
+
+    private static Border Card(string title, params Control[] rows)
+    {
+        var stack = new StackPanel { Orientation = Orientation.Vertical, Spacing = 14 };
+        stack.Children.Add(new TextBlock { Text = title, Classes = { "sectionTitle" } });
+        foreach (var row in rows)
+        {
+            stack.Children.Add(row);
+        }
+
+        var card = new Border { Child = stack };
+        card.Classes.Add("card");
+        return card;
+    }
+
+    private void LoadValues(GuiSettings global)
+    {
+        _logLevel.SelectedItem = Array.IndexOf(LogLevels, global.LogLevel) >= 0 ? global.LogLevel : "Info";
+        _trace.Value = global.ImportTraceLimit;
+        _strict.IsChecked = global.StrictDynlibResolution;
+        _logToFile.IsChecked = global.LogToFile;
+        foreach (var (name, box) in _envBoxes)
+        {
+            box.IsChecked = global.EnvironmentToggles.Contains(name);
+        }
+
+        var existing = PerGameSettings.Load(_titleId);
+        if (existing is null)
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        if (existing.LogLevel is { } level && Array.IndexOf(LogLevels, level) >= 0)
+        {
+            _logLevelRow.IsOverridden = true;
+            _logLevel.SelectedItem = level;
+        }
+
+        if (existing.ImportTraceLimit is { } t) { _traceRow.IsOverridden = true; _trace.Value = t; }
+        if (existing.StrictDynlibResolution is { } s) { _strictRow.IsOverridden = true; _strict.IsChecked = s; }
+        if (existing.LogToFile is { } l) { _logToFileRow.IsOverridden = true; _logToFile.IsChecked = l; }
+        if (existing.EnvironmentToggles is { } env)
+        {
+            _envRow.IsOverridden = true;
+            foreach (var (name, box) in _envBoxes)
+            {
+                box.IsChecked = env.Contains(name);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    private void Persist()
+    {
+        var settings = new PerGameSettings
+        {
+            LogLevel = _logLevelRow.IsOverridden ? _logLevel.SelectedItem as string : null,
+            ImportTraceLimit = _traceRow.IsOverridden ? (int)(_trace.Value ?? 0) : null,
+            StrictDynlibResolution = _strictRow.IsOverridden ? _strict.IsChecked == true : null,
+            LogToFile = _logToFileRow.IsOverridden ? _logToFile.IsChecked == true : null,
+            EnvironmentToggles = _envRow.IsOverridden
+                ? _envBoxes.Where(e => e.Box.IsChecked == true).Select(e => e.Name).ToList()
+                : null,
+        };
+        settings.Save(_titleId);
+    }
+}

src/SharpEmu.GUI/SettingRow.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using Avalonia;
+using Avalonia.Controls;
+using Avalonia.Controls.Presenters;
+using Avalonia.Controls.Primitives;
+using Avalonia.Data;
+using Avalonia.Media;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.GUI;
+
+public sealed class SettingRow : ContentControl
+{
+    public static readonly StyledProperty<string?> LabelProperty =
+        AvaloniaProperty.Register<SettingRow, string?>(nameof(Label));
+
+    public static readonly StyledProperty<string?> DescriptionProperty =
+        AvaloniaProperty.Register<SettingRow, string?>(nameof(Description));
+
+    public static readonly StyledProperty<bool> ShowOverrideProperty =
+        AvaloniaProperty.Register<SettingRow, bool>(nameof(ShowOverride));
+
+    public static readonly StyledProperty<bool> IsOverriddenProperty =
+        AvaloniaProperty.Register<SettingRow, bool>(
+            nameof(IsOverridden), defaultBindingMode: BindingMode.TwoWay);
+
+    public static readonly StyledProperty<FontFamily?> LabelFontFamilyProperty =
+        AvaloniaProperty.Register<SettingRow, FontFamily?>(nameof(LabelFontFamily));
+
+    private ContentPresenter? _slot;
+    private TextBlock? _label;
+
+    public string? Label
+    {
+        get => GetValue(LabelProperty);
+        set => SetValue(LabelProperty, value);
+    }
+
+    public string? Description
+    {
+        get => GetValue(DescriptionProperty);
+        set => SetValue(DescriptionProperty, value);
+    }
+
+    public bool ShowOverride
+    {
+        get => GetValue(ShowOverrideProperty);
+        set => SetValue(ShowOverrideProperty, value);
+    }
+
+    public bool IsOverridden
+    {
+        get => GetValue(IsOverriddenProperty);
+        set => SetValue(IsOverriddenProperty, value);
+    }
+
+    public FontFamily? LabelFontFamily
+    {
+        get => GetValue(LabelFontFamilyProperty);
+        set => SetValue(LabelFontFamilyProperty, value);
+    }
+
+    protected override void OnApplyTemplate(TemplateAppliedEventArgs e)
+    {
+        base.OnApplyTemplate(e);
+        _slot = e.NameScope.Find<ContentPresenter>("PART_Slot");
+        _label = e.NameScope.Find<TextBlock>("PART_Label");
+        UpdateSlotEnabled();
+        UpdateLabelFont();
+    }
+
+    protected override void OnPropertyChanged(AvaloniaPropertyChangedEventArgs change)
+    {
+        base.OnPropertyChanged(change);
+        if (change.Property == ShowOverrideProperty || change.Property == IsOverriddenProperty)
+        {
+            UpdateSlotEnabled();
+        }
+        else if (change.Property == LabelFontFamilyProperty)
+        {
+            UpdateLabelFont();
+        }
+    }
+
+    private void UpdateLabelFont()
+    {
+        if (_label is not null && LabelFontFamily is { } family)
+        {
+            _label.FontFamily = family;
+        }
+    }
+
+    private void UpdateSlotEnabled()
+    {
+        if (_slot is not null)
+        {
+            _slot.IsEnabled = !ShowOverride || IsOverridden;
+        }
+    }
+}

src/SharpEmu.GUI/SharpEmu.GUI.csproj

@@ -17,6 +17,10 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
   <!-- Dependency-free; provides the BuildInfo provenance shown in the
        title bar. -->
   <ItemGroup>
+    <!-- The GUI owns the native presentation control while each game runs in
+         an isolated emulator process. -->
+    <ProjectReference Include="..\SharpEmu.Core\SharpEmu.Core.csproj" />
+    <ProjectReference Include="..\SharpEmu.Libs\SharpEmu.Libs.csproj" />
     <ProjectReference Include="..\SharpEmu.Logging\SharpEmu.Logging.csproj" />
   </ItemGroup>
 
@@ -32,6 +36,8 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
     <AvaloniaResource Include="..\..\assets\images\SharpEmu.ico" Link="Assets/SharpEmu.ico" />
     <AvaloniaResource Include="..\..\assets\images\github.png" Link="Assets/github.png" />
     <AvaloniaResource Include="..\..\assets\images\discord.png" Link="Assets/discord.png" />
+    <AvaloniaResource Include="..\..\assets\images\update-icon.png" Link="Assets/update-icon.png" />
+    <AvaloniaResource Include="..\..\assets\images\commit-icon.png" Link="Assets/commit-icon.png" />
   </ItemGroup>
 
   <ItemGroup>
@@ -39,18 +45,4 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
       <LogicalName>Languages.%(Filename)%(Extension)</LogicalName>
     </EmbeddedResource>
   </ItemGroup>
-
-
-
-  <!-- The controller readers (DualSense raw HID + Xbox XInput) are shared
-       with the emulator's host input backend. They are dependency-free, so
-       they are compiled in directly rather than pulling a reference to all
-       of SharpEmu.HLE into the launcher. -->
-  <ItemGroup>
-    <Compile Include="..\SharpEmu.HLE\Host\HostGamepadState.cs" Link="Input/HostGamepadState.cs" />
-    <Compile Include="..\SharpEmu.HLE\Host\Windows\WindowsHidNative.cs" Link="Input/WindowsHidNative.cs" />
-    <Compile Include="..\SharpEmu.HLE\Host\Windows\WindowsDualSenseReader.cs" Link="Input/WindowsDualSenseReader.cs" />
-    <Compile Include="..\SharpEmu.HLE\Host\Windows\WindowsXInputReader.cs" Link="Input/WindowsXInputReader.cs" />
-  </ItemGroup>
-
 </Project>

src/SharpEmu.GUI/Updater.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,422 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using System.Diagnostics;
+using System.Formats.Tar;
+using System.IO.Compression;
+using System.Net.Http.Headers;
+using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
+using System.Security.Cryptography;
+using System.Text.Json;
+using System.Text.RegularExpressions;
+using System.Reflection;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.GUI;
+
+/// <summary>Self-contained Windows updater; the emulator layers do not depend on it.</summary>
+public static class Updater
+{
+    private const string ApplyArgument = "--sharpemu-apply-update";
+    private const string LatestReleaseUrl = "https://api.github.com/repos/sharpemu/sharpemu/releases/latest";
+    private static readonly TimeSpan CheckTimeout = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10);
+    private static readonly HttpClient Http = CreateHttpClient();
+
+    public sealed record UpdateInfo(string Sha, string Name, string DownloadUrl, long Size, string Sha256, string TagName);
+
+    public static async Task<UpdateInfo?> CheckAsync(string? currentSha, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
+    {
+        var platform = CurrentPlatform();
+        using var timeout = CancellationTokenSource.CreateLinkedTokenSource(cancellationToken);
+        timeout.CancelAfter(CheckTimeout);
+
+        using var response = await Http.GetAsync(LatestReleaseUrl, timeout.Token);
+        response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
+        var update = ParseRelease(
+            await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync(timeout.Token),
+            null,
+            platform.Rid,
+            platform.Extension);
+        var currentVersion = Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly()
+            .GetCustomAttribute<AssemblyInformationalVersionAttribute>()?.InformationalVersion;
+        if (update is null || currentSha is null ||
+            string.Equals(update.Sha, currentSha, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+        {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        if (currentVersion is not null &&
+            TryParseVersion(currentVersion, out var installed) &&
+            TryParseVersion(update.TagName, out var available) &&
+            available.CompareTo(installed) <= 0)
+        {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        var comparison = await CompareCommitsAsync(currentSha, update.Sha, timeout.Token);
+        return comparison.Status == "ahead" && comparison.ReleaseDate > comparison.CurrentDate
+            ? update
+            : null;
+    }
+
+    public static async Task DownloadAndRestartAsync(
+        UpdateInfo update,
+        IProgress<int>? progress = null,
+        CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
+    {
+        var root = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), "SharpEmu.Update");
+        var payload = Path.Combine(root, "payload");
+        if (Directory.Exists(root))
+        {
+            Directory.Delete(root, recursive: true);
+        }
+
+        var launched = false;
+        try
+        {
+            Directory.CreateDirectory(root);
+            var archive = Path.Combine(root, update.Name);
+            using (var response = await Http.GetAsync(update.DownloadUrl, HttpCompletionOption.ResponseHeadersRead, cancellationToken))
+            {
+                response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
+                await using var input = await response.Content.ReadAsStreamAsync(cancellationToken);
+                await using var output = File.Create(archive);
+                var buffer = new byte[81920];
+                long written = 0;
+                int read;
+                while ((read = await input.ReadAsync(buffer, cancellationToken)) > 0)
+                {
+                    await output.WriteAsync(buffer.AsMemory(0, read), cancellationToken);
+                    written += read;
+                    progress?.Report(update.Size == 0 ? 0 : (int)(written * 100 / update.Size));
+                }
+
+                if (written != update.Size)
+                {
+                    throw new InvalidDataException($"Downloaded {written} bytes; expected {update.Size}.");
+                }
+            }
+
+            await using (var archiveStream = File.OpenRead(archive))
+            {
+                var actualSha256 = Convert.ToHexString(await SHA256.HashDataAsync(archiveStream, cancellationToken));
+                if (!string.Equals(actualSha256, update.Sha256, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+                {
+                    throw new InvalidDataException($"SHA-256 mismatch; expected {update.Sha256}, got {actualSha256}.");
+                }
+            }
+
+            var platform = CurrentPlatform();
+            var stagedExe = ExtractArchive(archive, payload, platform.Extension, platform.ExecutableName);
+
+            var start = new ProcessStartInfo(stagedExe)
+            {
+                UseShellExecute = false,
+                WorkingDirectory = payload,
+            };
+            start.ArgumentList.Add(ApplyArgument);
+            start.ArgumentList.Add(Environment.ProcessId.ToString());
+            start.ArgumentList.Add(AppContext.BaseDirectory);
+            using var helper = Process.Start(start)
+                ?? throw new InvalidOperationException("The update installer could not be started.");
+            launched = true;
+        }
+        finally
+        {
+            if (!launched)
+            {
+                TryDeleteDirectory(root);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>Runs from the downloaded executable after the old GUI exits.</summary>
+    public static bool TryApply(string[] args, out int exitCode)
+    {
+        exitCode = 0;
+        if (args.Length != 3 || args[0] != ApplyArgument)
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        var backup = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), $"SharpEmu.UpdateBackup-{Environment.ProcessId}");
+        var changed = new List<(string Destination, string? Backup)>();
+        try
+        {
+            if (int.TryParse(args[1], out var oldPid))
+            {
+                try
+                {
+                    if (!Process.GetProcessById(oldPid).WaitForExit(30_000))
+                    {
+                        throw new TimeoutException("SharpEmu did not close within 30 seconds.");
+                    }
+                }
+                catch (ArgumentException)
+                {
+                    // The old process has already exited.
+                }
+            }
+
+            var source = AppContext.BaseDirectory;
+            var target = Path.GetFullPath(args[2]);
+            Directory.CreateDirectory(backup);
+            foreach (var file in Directory.EnumerateFiles(source, "*", SearchOption.AllDirectories))
+            {
+                var relative = Path.GetRelativePath(source, file);
+                if (relative.Equals("gui-settings.json", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) ||
+                    relative.StartsWith("user" + Path.DirectorySeparatorChar, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) ||
+                    relative.StartsWith("logs" + Path.DirectorySeparatorChar, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) ||
+                    relative.StartsWith("Languages" + Path.DirectorySeparatorChar, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+                {
+                    continue;
+                }
+
+                var destination = Path.Combine(target, relative);
+                Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.GetDirectoryName(destination)!);
+                string? backupFile = null;
+                if (File.Exists(destination))
+                {
+                    backupFile = Path.Combine(backup, relative);
+                    Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.GetDirectoryName(backupFile)!);
+                    File.Copy(destination, backupFile, overwrite: true);
+                }
+                changed.Add((destination, backupFile));
+                File.Copy(file, destination, overwrite: true);
+                if (!OperatingSystem.IsWindows())
+                {
+                    File.SetUnixFileMode(destination, File.GetUnixFileMode(file));
+                }
+            }
+
+            using var restarted = Process.Start(new ProcessStartInfo(
+                Path.Combine(target, CurrentPlatform().ExecutableName))
+            {
+                UseShellExecute = false,
+                WorkingDirectory = target,
+            }) ?? throw new InvalidOperationException("The updated SharpEmu could not be started.");
+            TryDeleteDirectory(backup);
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            exitCode = 1;
+            foreach (var (destination, backupFile) in changed.AsEnumerable().Reverse())
+            {
+                try
+                {
+                    if (backupFile is null)
+                    {
+                        File.Delete(destination);
+                    }
+                    else if (File.Exists(backupFile))
+                    {
+                        Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.GetDirectoryName(destination)!);
+                        File.Copy(backupFile, destination, overwrite: true);
+                    }
+                }
+                catch
+                {
+                    // Best-effort rollback; the original error is more useful to the user.
+                }
+            }
+            TryDeleteDirectory(backup);
+            try
+            {
+                File.WriteAllText(Path.Combine(args[2], "update-error.log"), ex.ToString());
+            }
+            catch
+            {
+                // Best-effort diagnostics only.
+            }
+        }
+
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    private static UpdateInfo? ParseRelease(
+        string json,
+        string? currentSha,
+        string rid,
+        string extension)
+    {
+        using var document = JsonDocument.Parse(json);
+        var releaseSha = ExtractReleaseSha(document.RootElement);
+        var candidates = new List<(DateTimeOffset Created, UpdateInfo Update)>();
+        foreach (var asset in document.RootElement.GetProperty("assets").EnumerateArray())
+        {
+            var name = asset.GetProperty("name").GetString() ?? "";
+            var marker = $"-{rid}";
+            var markerIndex = name.LastIndexOf(marker, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
+            if (!name.EndsWith(extension, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) ||
+                markerIndex < 0)
+            {
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            var suffix = name[(markerIndex + marker.Length)..^extension.Length].TrimStart('-');
+            var assetSha = suffix.Length >= 7 && suffix.All(Uri.IsHexDigit)
+                ? suffix
+                : releaseSha;
+            if (assetSha is null ||
+                !asset.TryGetProperty("digest", out var digestProperty) ||
+                digestProperty.ValueKind != JsonValueKind.String)
+            {
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            var digest = digestProperty.GetString() ?? "";
+            if (!digest.StartsWith("sha256:", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) ||
+                digest.Length != "sha256:".Length + 64 ||
+                !digest["sha256:".Length..].All(Uri.IsHexDigit))
+            {
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            candidates.Add((
+                asset.GetProperty("created_at").GetDateTimeOffset(),
+                new UpdateInfo(
+                    assetSha,
+                    name,
+                    asset.GetProperty("browser_download_url").GetString()!,
+                    asset.GetProperty("size").GetInt64(),
+                    digest["sha256:".Length..],
+                    document.RootElement.GetProperty("tag_name").GetString() ?? "")));
+        }
+
+        var latest = candidates.OrderByDescending(candidate => candidate.Created).FirstOrDefault().Update;
+        return latest is null || string.Equals(latest.Sha, currentSha, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase)
+            ? null
+            : latest;
+    }
+
+    private static async Task<CommitComparison> CompareCommitsAsync(
+        string currentSha,
+        string releaseSha,
+        CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        var url = $"https://api.github.com/repos/sharpemu/sharpemu/compare/{currentSha}...{releaseSha}";
+        using var response = await Http.GetAsync(url, cancellationToken);
+        response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
+        using var document = JsonDocument.Parse(await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync(cancellationToken));
+        var root = document.RootElement;
+        var currentDate = root.GetProperty("base_commit").GetProperty("commit").GetProperty("committer").GetProperty("date").GetDateTimeOffset();
+        var releaseDate = currentDate;
+        if (root.TryGetProperty("commits", out var commits) && commits.GetArrayLength() > 0)
+        {
+            releaseDate = commits[commits.GetArrayLength() - 1]
+                .GetProperty("commit").GetProperty("committer").GetProperty("date").GetDateTimeOffset();
+        }
+
+        return new CommitComparison(root.GetProperty("status").GetString() ?? "", currentDate, releaseDate);
+    }
+
+    private static string? ExtractReleaseSha(JsonElement release)
+    {
+        if (!release.TryGetProperty("body", out var bodyProperty) ||
+            bodyProperty.ValueKind != JsonValueKind.String)
+        {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        var body = bodyProperty.GetString();
+        var match = Regex.Match(
+            body ?? "",
+            @"\bcommit\s+([0-9a-f]{7,40})\b",
+            RegexOptions.IgnoreCase | RegexOptions.CultureInvariant);
+        if (!match.Success)
+        {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        var sha = match.Groups[1].Value;
+        return sha.Length > 7 ? sha[..7] : sha;
+    }
+
+    private static bool TryParseVersion(string value, out ReleaseVersion version)
+    {
+        var match = Regex.Match(value.TrimStart('v'), @"^(\d+)\.(\d+)\.(\d+)(?:-([0-9A-Za-z.-]+))?");
+        if (!match.Success || !int.TryParse(match.Groups[1].Value, out var major) ||
+            !int.TryParse(match.Groups[2].Value, out var minor) ||
+            !int.TryParse(match.Groups[3].Value, out var patch))
+        {
+            version = default;
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        version = new ReleaseVersion(major, minor, patch, match.Groups[4].Value);
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    private static void TryDeleteDirectory(string path)
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            if (Directory.Exists(path)) Directory.Delete(path, recursive: true);
+        }
+        catch { }
+    }
+
+    private static string ExtractArchive(
+        string archive,
+        string payload,
+        string extension,
+        string executableName)
+    {
+        if (extension == ".zip")
+        {
+            ZipFile.ExtractToDirectory(archive, payload);
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            Directory.CreateDirectory(payload);
+            using var compressed = File.OpenRead(archive);
+            using var gzip = new GZipStream(compressed, CompressionMode.Decompress);
+            TarFile.ExtractToDirectory(gzip, payload, overwriteFiles: false);
+        }
+
+        var executable = Path.Combine(payload, executableName);
+        if (!File.Exists(executable))
+        {
+            throw new InvalidDataException($"The update archive does not contain {executableName}.");
+        }
+
+        if (!OperatingSystem.IsWindows())
+        {
+            File.SetUnixFileMode(executable, File.GetUnixFileMode(executable) | UnixFileMode.UserExecute);
+        }
+
+        return executable;
+    }
+
+    private static HttpClient CreateHttpClient()
+    {
+        var client = new HttpClient { Timeout = Timeout.InfiniteTimeSpan };
+        client.DefaultRequestHeaders.UserAgent.Add(new ProductInfoHeaderValue("SharpEmu", "0.0.1"));
+        client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Accept.Add(new MediaTypeWithQualityHeaderValue("application/vnd.github+json"));
+        return client;
+    }
+
+    private static PlatformInfo CurrentPlatform()
+    {
+        if (RuntimeInformation.ProcessArchitecture != Architecture.X64)
+        {
+            throw new PlatformNotSupportedException("SharpEmu releases require an x64 process.");
+        }
+
+        if (OperatingSystem.IsWindows()) return new("win-x64", ".zip", "SharpEmu.exe");
+        if (OperatingSystem.IsLinux()) return new("linux-x64", ".tar.gz", "SharpEmu");
+        if (OperatingSystem.IsMacOS()) return new("osx-x64", ".tar.gz", "SharpEmu");
+        throw new PlatformNotSupportedException();
+    }
+
+    private sealed record PlatformInfo(string Rid, string Extension, string ExecutableName);
+    private sealed record CommitComparison(string Status, DateTimeOffset CurrentDate, DateTimeOffset ReleaseDate);
+    private readonly record struct ReleaseVersion(int Major, int Minor, int Patch, string PreRelease) : IComparable<ReleaseVersion>
+    {
+        public int CompareTo(ReleaseVersion other) =>
+            (Major, Minor, Patch) != (other.Major, other.Minor, other.Patch)
+                ? (Major, Minor, Patch).CompareTo((other.Major, other.Minor, other.Patch))
+                : string.IsNullOrEmpty(PreRelease) == string.IsNullOrEmpty(other.PreRelease)
+                    ? string.CompareOrdinal(PreRelease, other.PreRelease)
+                    : string.IsNullOrEmpty(PreRelease) ? 1 : -1;
+    }
+}

src/SharpEmu.HLE/GuestThreadExecution.cs

@@ -398,27 +398,6 @@ public static class GuestThreadExecution
         return true;
     }
 
-    public static bool TryConsumeCurrentThreadBlock(
-        out string reason,
-        out GuestCpuContinuation continuation,
-        out bool hasContinuation,
-        out string wakeKey,
-        out Func<int>? resumeHandler,
-        out Func<bool>? wakeHandler,
-        out long blockDeadlineTimestamp)
-    {
-        var consumed = TryConsumeCurrentThreadBlock(
-            out reason,
-            out continuation,
-            out hasContinuation,
-            out wakeKey,
-            out var waiter,
-            out blockDeadlineTimestamp);
-        resumeHandler = waiter is null ? null : waiter.Resume;
-        wakeHandler = waiter is null ? null : waiter.TryWake;
-        return consumed;
-    }
-
     public static long ComputeDeadlineTimestamp(TimeSpan timeout)
     {
         if (timeout <= TimeSpan.Zero)

src/SharpEmu.HLE/Host/Posix/PosixHostInput.cs

@@ -69,11 +69,118 @@ public sealed class PosixHostInput : IHostInput
     {
         // GLFW only delivers key events to the focused window, so a
         // delivering keyboard implies focus.
-        return _source?.HasKeyboardFocus ?? false;
+        return _source?.HasKeyboardFocus ?? IsEmbeddedX11WindowFocused();
     }
 
     public bool IsKeyDown(int virtualKey)
     {
-        return _source?.IsKeyDown(virtualKey) ?? false;
+        var source = _source;
+        if (source is not null)
+        {
+            return source.IsKeyDown(virtualKey);
+        }
+
+        return IsEmbeddedX11WindowFocused() && IsEmbeddedX11KeyDown(virtualKey);
     }
+
+    private static bool IsEmbeddedX11WindowFocused()
+    {
+        if (!OperatingSystem.IsLinux())
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        var display = HostSessionControl.EmbeddedHostDisplay;
+        var window = HostSessionControl.EmbeddedHostWindow;
+        if (display == 0 || window == 0 || XGetInputFocus(display, out var focusedWindow, out _) == 0 || focusedWindow == 0)
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        return GetTopLevelWindow(display, focusedWindow) == GetTopLevelWindow(display, window);
+    }
+
+    private static bool IsEmbeddedX11KeyDown(int virtualKey)
+    {
+        var display = HostSessionControl.EmbeddedHostDisplay;
+        var keysym = ToX11Keysym(virtualKey);
+        if (display == 0 || keysym == 0)
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        var keycode = XKeysymToKeycode(display, keysym);
+        if (keycode == 0)
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        var keymap = new byte[32];
+        XQueryKeymap(display, keymap);
+        return (keymap[keycode >> 3] & (1 << (keycode & 7))) != 0;
+    }
+
+    private static nint GetTopLevelWindow(nint display, nint window)
+    {
+        var current = window;
+        for (var depth = 0; depth < 16; depth++)
+        {
+            if (XQueryTree(display, current, out var root, out var parent, out var children, out _) == 0)
+            {
+                return 0;
+            }
+
+            if (children != 0)
+            {
+                XFree(children);
+            }
+
+            if (parent == 0 || parent == root)
+            {
+                return current;
+            }
+
+            current = parent;
+        }
+
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    private static nuint ToX11Keysym(int virtualKey)
+    {
+        return virtualKey switch
+        {
+            0x08 => 0xFF08, // Backspace
+            0x09 => 0xFF09, // Tab
+            0x0D => 0xFF0D, // Return
+            0x1B => 0xFF1B, // Escape
+            0x25 => 0xFF51, // Left
+            0x26 => 0xFF52, // Up
+            0x27 => 0xFF53, // Right
+            0x28 => 0xFF54, // Down
+            >= 0x41 and <= 0x5A => (nuint)virtualKey,
+            _ => 0,
+        };
+    }
+
+    [System.Runtime.InteropServices.DllImport("libX11.so.6")]
+    private static extern int XGetInputFocus(nint display, out nint focus, out int revertTo);
+
+    [System.Runtime.InteropServices.DllImport("libX11.so.6")]
+    private static extern int XQueryKeymap(nint display, [System.Runtime.InteropServices.Out] byte[] keysReturn);
+
+    [System.Runtime.InteropServices.DllImport("libX11.so.6")]
+    private static extern byte XKeysymToKeycode(nint display, nuint keysym);
+
+    [System.Runtime.InteropServices.DllImport("libX11.so.6")]
+    private static extern int XQueryTree(
+        nint display,
+        nint window,
+        out nint root,
+        out nint parent,
+        out nint children,
+        out uint childCount);
+
+    [System.Runtime.InteropServices.DllImport("libX11.so.6")]
+    private static extern int XFree(nint data);
 }

src/SharpEmu.HLE/Host/Posix/PosixHostMemory.cs

@@ -163,13 +163,18 @@ internal sealed unsafe class PosixHostMemory : IHostMemory
         private const int PROT_EXEC = 0x4;
 
         private const int MAP_PRIVATE = 0x02;
-        private const int MAP_FIXED = 0x10;
         private static readonly int MAP_ANON = OperatingSystem.IsMacOS() ? 0x1000 : 0x20;
         private static readonly int MAP_NORESERVE = OperatingSystem.IsMacOS() ? 0 : 0x4000;
 
         // Linux-only: fail instead of clobbering an existing mapping.
         private const int MAP_FIXED_NOREPLACE = 0x100000;
 
+        private const int KERN_SUCCESS = 0;
+
+        // On Darwin fixed placement is represented by the absence of
+        // VM_FLAGS_ANYWHERE. Do not add VM_FLAGS_OVERWRITE: overlap must fail.
+        private const int VM_FLAGS_FIXED = 0;
+
         private static readonly nint MAP_FAILED = -1;
 
         private static readonly object Gate = new();
@@ -181,6 +186,7 @@ internal sealed unsafe class PosixHostMemory : IHostMemory
             public ulong Size;
             public uint DefaultProtect;
             public Dictionary<ulong, uint>? PageProtects;
+            public bool UsesMachAllocation;
 
             public ulong End => Base + Size;
 
@@ -251,6 +257,7 @@ internal sealed unsafe class PosixHostMemory : IHostMemory
                 }
 
                 nint result;
+                var usesMachAllocation = false;
                 if (address != null)
                 {
                     // Win32 maps at exactly the requested address or fails
@@ -280,15 +287,17 @@ internal sealed unsafe class PosixHostMemory : IHostMemory
                     if (result == MAP_FAILED && OperatingSystem.IsMacOS())
                     {
                         // The hint-only attempt above didn't land at the requested
-                        // address. This is routinely the case for the PS5's fixed
-                        // 32 GiB image base under Rosetta 2 on Apple Silicon, where
-                        // the kernel never honors that hint. Retry with true
-                        // MAP_FIXED: this can clobber an untracked host mapping
-                        // (dyld, the runtime's JIT heap, Rosetta) if one already
-                        // sits exactly there, but without it guest images that
-                        // require this base never load at all on macOS.
-                        Trace($"exact mmap hint failed, retrying with MAP_FIXED: addr=0x{(ulong)address:X16}");
-                        result = mmap((nint)address, (nuint)alignedSize, posixProtect, flags | MAP_FIXED, -1, 0);
+                        // address. mach_vm_allocate with fixed placement and no
+                        // overwrite flag atomically maps the requested range or
+                        // fails if any host mapping already owns it. Unlike
+                        // MAP_FIXED, it cannot clobber CLR, dyld, JIT, or Rosetta
+                        // memory that is absent from our shadow table.
+                        Trace($"exact mmap hint failed, retrying with fixed Mach allocation: addr=0x{(ulong)address:X16}");
+                        result = AllocateDarwinFixed(
+                            (nint)address,
+                            alignedSize,
+                            posixProtect);
+                        usesMachAllocation = result != MAP_FAILED;
                     }
 
                     if (result == MAP_FAILED || (ulong)result != (ulong)address)
@@ -316,7 +325,8 @@ internal sealed unsafe class PosixHostMemory : IHostMemory
                 {
                     Base = (ulong)result,
                     Size = alignedSize,
-                    DefaultProtect = protect
+                    DefaultProtect = protect,
+                    UsesMachAllocation = usesMachAllocation,
                 };
 
                 return (void*)result;
@@ -335,8 +345,15 @@ internal sealed unsafe class PosixHostMemory : IHostMemory
                     return false;
                 }
 
-                Regions.Remove((ulong)address);
-                return munmap((nint)address, (nuint)region.Size) == 0;
+                var released = region.UsesMachAllocation
+                    ? mach_vm_deallocate(mach_task_self(), (ulong)address, region.Size) == KERN_SUCCESS
+                    : munmap((nint)address, (nuint)region.Size) == 0;
+                if (released)
+                {
+                    Regions.Remove((ulong)address);
+                }
+
+                return released;
             }
         }
 
@@ -504,6 +521,40 @@ internal sealed unsafe class PosixHostMemory : IHostMemory
             };
         }
 
+        private static nint AllocateDarwinFixed(nint requestedAddress, ulong size, int posixProtect)
+        {
+            var address = (ulong)requestedAddress;
+            var result = mach_vm_allocate(
+                mach_task_self(),
+                ref address,
+                size,
+                VM_FLAGS_FIXED);
+            if (result != KERN_SUCCESS || address != (ulong)requestedAddress)
+            {
+                if (result == KERN_SUCCESS)
+                {
+                    _ = mach_vm_deallocate(mach_task_self(), address, size);
+                }
+
+                Trace(
+                    $"fixed Mach allocation failed: addr=0x{(ulong)requestedAddress:X16} " +
+                    $"size=0x{size:X} kern_return={result}");
+                return MAP_FAILED;
+            }
+
+            if (mprotect((nint)address, (nuint)size, posixProtect) == 0)
+            {
+                return (nint)address;
+            }
+
+            var error = Marshal.GetLastPInvokeError();
+            _ = mach_vm_deallocate(mach_task_self(), address, size);
+            Trace(
+                $"fixed Mach allocation protection failed: addr=0x{address:X16} " +
+                $"size=0x{size:X} errno={error}");
+            return MAP_FAILED;
+        }
+
         private static void Trace(string message)
         {
             if (string.Equals(Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SHARPEMU_LOG_VMEM"), "1", StringComparison.Ordinal))
@@ -524,5 +575,14 @@ internal sealed unsafe class PosixHostMemory : IHostMemory
 
         [DllImport("libc", SetLastError = true)]
         private static extern int mprotect(nint addr, nuint length, int prot);
+
+        [DllImport("libSystem.B.dylib")]
+        private static extern uint mach_task_self();
+
+        [DllImport("libSystem.B.dylib")]
+        private static extern int mach_vm_allocate(uint target, ref ulong address, ulong size, int flags);
+
+        [DllImport("libSystem.B.dylib")]
+        private static extern int mach_vm_deallocate(uint target, ulong address, ulong size);
     }
 }

src/SharpEmu.HLE/Host/Windows/WindowsDualSenseReader.cs

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ namespace SharpEmu.HLE.Host.Windows;
 /// Supports USB (input report 0x01) and Bluetooth (extended report 0x31,
 /// activated by requesting feature report 0x05), with hot-plug retry.
 /// </summary>
-internal static class WindowsDualSenseReader
+public static class WindowsDualSenseReader
 {
     private const ushort SonyVendorId = 0x054C;
     private const ushort DualSenseProductId = 0x0CE6;
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ internal static class WindowsDualSenseReader
     private static byte _playerLeds = 0x04; // center LED = player 1
 
     /// <summary>Starts the background reader once; safe to call repeatedly.</summary>
-    internal static void EnsureStarted()
+    public static void EnsureStarted()
     {
         // The GUI source-links this reader and calls it directly, without the
         // host-platform resolution that otherwise guarantees Windows.
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ internal static class WindowsDualSenseReader
         }
     }
 
-    internal static bool TryGetState(out HostGamepadState state)
+    public static bool TryGetState(out HostGamepadState state)
     {
         lock (Gate)
         {

src/SharpEmu.HLE/Host/Windows/WindowsHostInput.cs

@@ -67,7 +67,19 @@ internal sealed partial class WindowsHostInput : IHostInput
         }
 
         GetWindowThreadProcessId(foregroundWindow, out var processId);
-        return processId == (uint)Environment.ProcessId;
+        if (processId == (uint)Environment.ProcessId)
+        {
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        // The GUI runs the emulator in an isolated child process. Its native
+        // Vulkan surface is a child of the GUI window, so the foreground
+        // window belongs to the launcher process rather than this one.
+        var embeddedHostWindow = HostSessionControl.EmbeddedHostWindow;
+        var hostTopLevelWindow = embeddedHostWindow == 0
+            ? 0
+            : GetAncestor(embeddedHostWindow, GetAncestorRoot);
+        return hostTopLevelWindow != 0 && foregroundWindow == hostTopLevelWindow;
     }
 
     public bool IsKeyDown(int virtualKey) =>
@@ -81,4 +93,9 @@ internal sealed partial class WindowsHostInput : IHostInput
 
     [LibraryImport("user32.dll")]
     private static partial uint GetWindowThreadProcessId(nint hWnd, out uint processId);
+
+    [LibraryImport("user32.dll")]
+    private static partial nint GetAncestor(nint hWnd, uint gaFlags);
+
+    private const uint GetAncestorRoot = 2;
 }

src/SharpEmu.HLE/Host/Windows/WindowsXInputReader.cs

@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ namespace SharpEmu.HLE.Host.Windows;
 /// <see cref="HostGamepadState"/> conventions. Supports rumble and hot-plug
 /// retry; the first connected slot (of four) is used.
 /// </summary>
-internal static partial class WindowsXInputReader
+public static partial class WindowsXInputReader
 {
     private const uint ErrorSuccess = 0;
     private const int SlotCount = 4;
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ internal static partial class WindowsXInputReader
     private static byte _triggerRight;
 
     /// <summary>Starts the background reader once; safe to call repeatedly.</summary>
-    internal static void EnsureStarted()
+    public static void EnsureStarted()
     {
         // The GUI source-links this reader and calls it directly, without the
         // host-platform resolution that otherwise guarantees Windows.
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ internal static partial class WindowsXInputReader
         }
     }
 
-    internal static bool TryGetState(out HostGamepadState state)
+    public static bool TryGetState(out HostGamepadState state)
     {
         lock (Gate)
         {

src/SharpEmu.HLE/HostSessionControl.cs

@@ -10,17 +10,88 @@ namespace SharpEmu.HLE;
 public static class HostSessionControl
 {
     private static Action<string>? _shutdownHandler;
+    private static string? _pendingShutdownReason;
+    private static int _shutdownRequested;
+    private static long _embeddedHostWindow;
+    private static long _embeddedHostDisplay;
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Indicates that the active host session is being stopped. Runtime code
+    /// uses this to skip expensive post-exit diagnostics before returning the
+    /// GUI to its library.
+    /// </summary>
+    public static bool IsShutdownRequested => Volatile.Read(ref _shutdownRequested) != 0;
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Native GUI surface used by an isolated emulator child. Input backends
+    /// use it to treat the launcher window as the active game window.
+    /// </summary>
+    public static nint EmbeddedHostWindow => unchecked((nint)Interlocked.Read(ref _embeddedHostWindow));
+
+    /// <summary>X11 Display* paired with <see cref="EmbeddedHostWindow"/> when available.</summary>
+    public static nint EmbeddedHostDisplay => unchecked((nint)Interlocked.Read(ref _embeddedHostDisplay));
+
+    public static void SetEmbeddedHostSurface(nint window, nint display = 0)
+    {
+        Interlocked.Exchange(ref _embeddedHostDisplay, unchecked((long)display));
+        Interlocked.Exchange(ref _embeddedHostWindow, unchecked((long)window));
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Starts a fresh session after the previous guest has fully left its
+    /// execution backend.
+    /// </summary>
+    public static void ResetShutdownRequest()
+    {
+        Interlocked.Exchange(ref _pendingShutdownReason, null);
+        Volatile.Write(ref _shutdownRequested, 0);
+    }
 
     public static void SetShutdownHandler(Action<string>? handler)
     {
         Volatile.Write(ref _shutdownHandler, handler);
+        if (handler is null)
+        {
+            Interlocked.Exchange(ref _pendingShutdownReason, null);
+            return;
+        }
+
+        var pendingReason = Interlocked.Exchange(ref _pendingShutdownReason, null);
+        if (pendingReason is not null)
+        {
+            Invoke(handler, pendingReason);
+        }
     }
 
     public static void RequestShutdown(string reason)
+    {
+        Volatile.Write(ref _shutdownRequested, 1);
+        var handler = Volatile.Read(ref _shutdownHandler);
+        if (handler is not null)
+        {
+            Invoke(handler, reason);
+            return;
+        }
+
+        // Stop can be pressed while the GUI session is starting. Retain the
+        // request until the native backend installs its cooperative handler.
+        Volatile.Write(ref _pendingShutdownReason, reason);
+        handler = Volatile.Read(ref _shutdownHandler);
+        if (handler is not null)
+        {
+            var pendingReason = Interlocked.Exchange(ref _pendingShutdownReason, null);
+            if (pendingReason is not null)
+            {
+                Invoke(handler, pendingReason);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static void Invoke(Action<string> handler, string reason)
     {
         try
         {
-            Volatile.Read(ref _shutdownHandler)?.Invoke(reason);
+            handler(reason);
         }
         catch (Exception exception)
         {

src/SharpEmu.HLE/SharpEmu.HLE.csproj

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
 
   <ItemGroup>
     <InternalsVisibleTo Include="SharpEmu.Core" />
+    <InternalsVisibleTo Include="SharpEmu.Libs.Tests" />
   </ItemGroup>
 
   <ItemGroup>

src/SharpEmu.Libs/Agc/AgcExports.cs

@@ -121,6 +121,7 @@ public static partial class AgcExports
     private const uint CbBlend0Control = 0x1E0;
     private const uint PaScModeCntl0 = 0x292;
     // GFX10 DB context registers (register byte address minus 0x28000, / 4).
+    private const uint DbRenderControl = 0x000;
     private const uint DbDepthView = 0x002;
     private const uint DbDepthSizeXy = 0x007;
     private const uint DbDepthClear = 0x00B;
@@ -3728,13 +3729,16 @@ public static partial class AgcExports
             _labelProducers.Add(producer);
         }
 
-        foreach (var waiting in GpuWaitRegistry.SnapshotInRange(memory, address, length))
+        if (_traceAgc)
         {
-            TraceAgc(
-                $"agc.wait_producer_scheduled label=0x{waiting.Address:X16} " +
-                $"waiters={waiting.Count} producer_seq={producer.Sequence} " +
-                $"queue={producer.QueueName} submission={producer.SubmissionId} " +
-                $"packet=0x{packetAddress:X16} action='{debugName}'");
+            foreach (var waiting in GpuWaitRegistry.SnapshotInRange(memory, address, length))
+            {
+                TraceAgc(
+                    $"agc.wait_producer_scheduled label=0x{waiting.Address:X16} " +
+                    $"waiters={waiting.Count} producer_seq={producer.Sequence} " +
+                    $"queue={producer.QueueName} submission={producer.SubmissionId} " +
+                    $"packet=0x{packetAddress:X16} action='{debugName}'");
+            }
         }
 
         return producer;
@@ -3752,16 +3756,19 @@ public static partial class AgcExports
             producer.Completed = true;
         }
 
-        foreach (var waiting in GpuWaitRegistry.SnapshotInRange(
-                     producer.Memory,
-                     producer.Address,
-                     producer.Length))
+        if (_traceAgc)
         {
-            TraceAgc(
-                $"agc.wait_producer_completed label=0x{waiting.Address:X16} " +
-                $"waiters={waiting.Count} producer_seq={producer.Sequence} " +
-                $"queue={producer.QueueName} submission={producer.SubmissionId} " +
-                $"action='{producer.DebugName}'");
+            foreach (var waiting in GpuWaitRegistry.SnapshotInRange(
+                         producer.Memory,
+                         producer.Address,
+                         producer.Length))
+            {
+                TraceAgc(
+                    $"agc.wait_producer_completed label=0x{waiting.Address:X16} " +
+                    $"waiters={waiting.Count} producer_seq={producer.Sequence} " +
+                    $"queue={producer.QueueName} submission={producer.SubmissionId} " +
+                    $"action='{producer.DebugName}'");
+            }
         }
     }
 
@@ -3806,6 +3813,14 @@ public static partial class AgcExports
             }
         }
 
+        // Producer-backed waits are trace-only. Keep the producer lookup above
+        // because producerless waits are always warned, but do not build the
+        // detailed condition strings when AGC tracing is disabled.
+        if (producer is not null && !_traceAgc)
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
         var prefix = stale ? "agc.wait_stale" : "agc.wait_suspended";
         var current = currentValue.HasValue
             ? $"0x{currentValue.Value:X16}"
@@ -5291,7 +5306,7 @@ public static partial class AgcExports
         var hasDepthOnlyCandidate = hasExportShader &&
             !hasPixelShader &&
             depthTarget is not null &&
-            (depthState.TestEnable || depthState.WriteEnable);
+            (depthState.TestEnable || depthState.WriteEnable || depthState.ClearEnable);
         if (hasDepthOnlyCandidate &&
             TryCreateTranslatedDepthOnlyGuestDraw(
                 ctx,
@@ -5764,7 +5779,9 @@ public static partial class AgcExports
 
             textures.Add(new TranslatedImageBinding(
                 texture,
-                Gen5ShaderTranslator.IsStorageImageOperation(binding.Opcode),
+                Gen5ShaderTranslator.RequiresStorageImage(
+                    binding,
+                    exportEvaluation.ImageBindings),
                 binding.MipLevel ?? 0,
                 binding.SamplerDescriptor));
         }
@@ -5936,22 +5953,37 @@ public static partial class AgcExports
         // Every bound color target the shader exports to. Deferred renderers
         // draw a multi-render-target G-buffer (up to eight slots) in one pass.
         // Fall back to slot 0 if we cannot match any export to a bound target.
+        var pixelColorExportMasks = pixelState.Program.PixelColorExportMasks;
         var allBoundTargets = GetRenderTargets(state.CxRegisters);
-        var renderTargets = allBoundTargets
-            .Where(target => HasPixelColorExport(pixelState, target.Slot))
-            .OrderBy(target => target.Slot)
-            .ToArray();
-        if (renderTargets.Length == 0)
+        // At most 8 slots; a manual filter avoids the per-draw LINQ iterator/
+        // closure allocations. Slots are distinct, so sorting by slot is stable.
+        var selectedTargets = new List<RenderTargetDescriptor>(allBoundTargets.Count);
+        foreach (var target in allBoundTargets)
         {
-            renderTargets = allBoundTargets
-                .Where(target => target.Slot == 0)
-                .ToArray();
+            if (GetPixelColorExportMask(pixelColorExportMasks, target.Slot) != 0)
+            {
+                selectedTargets.Add(target);
+            }
         }
+
+        if (selectedTargets.Count == 0)
+        {
+            foreach (var target in allBoundTargets)
+            {
+                if (target.Slot == 0)
+                {
+                    selectedTargets.Add(target);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        selectedTargets.Sort(static (left, right) => left.Slot.CompareTo(right.Slot));
+        var renderTargets = selectedTargets.ToArray();
         if (_traceAgcShader && allBoundTargets.Count > 1)
         {
             TraceAgcShader(
                 $"agc.mrt_filter ps=0x{pixelShaderAddress:X16} " +
-                $"bound=[{string.Join(",", allBoundTargets.Select(t => $"s{t.Slot}:0x{t.Address:X}:exp{(HasPixelColorExport(pixelState, t.Slot) ? 1 : 0)}"))}] " +
+                $"bound=[{string.Join(",", allBoundTargets.Select(t => $"s{t.Slot}:0x{t.Address:X}:exp{(GetPixelColorExportMask(pixelColorExportMasks, t.Slot) != 0 ? 1 : 0)}"))}] " +
                  $"kept={renderTargets.Length}");
         }
 
@@ -6073,53 +6105,43 @@ public static partial class AgcExports
         }
 
         var imageBindings = pixelEvaluation.ImageBindings
-            .Concat(exportEvaluation.ImageBindings);
+            .Concat(exportEvaluation.ImageBindings)
+            .ToArray();
         var textures = new List<TranslatedImageBinding>(
             pixelEvaluation.ImageBindings.Count +
             exportEvaluation.ImageBindings.Count);
-        foreach (var binding in imageBindings)
+        if (!TryAppendTranslatedImageBindings(
+                pixelEvaluation.ImageBindings,
+                imageBindings,
+                textures,
+                pixelShaderAddress,
+                exportShaderAddress,
+                out error) ||
+            !TryAppendTranslatedImageBindings(
+                exportEvaluation.ImageBindings,
+                imageBindings,
+                textures,
+                pixelShaderAddress,
+                exportShaderAddress,
+                out error))
         {
-            if (!TryDecodeTextureDescriptor(binding.ResourceDescriptor, out var texture))
-            {
-                // A garbage/zeroed texture descriptor (from a per-draw descriptor
-                // setup race — the same root as scalar-load-failed) would drop
-                // the whole draw, so Demon's Souls' deferred-lighting/composite
-                // passes that produce the composite's feeder targets never run
-                // and the frame stays black. Substitute a 1x1 fallback binding so
-                // the pass still renders (that one sampled texture reads black)
-                // rather than dropping it entirely. STRICT reverts.
-                if (_strictShaderDescriptors)
-                {
-                    error = $"invalid texture descriptor at pc=0x{binding.Pc:X}";
-                    ReturnPooledEvaluationArrays(exportEvaluation);
-                    ReturnPooledEvaluationArrays(pixelEvaluation);
-                    return false;
-                }
-
-                texture = new TextureDescriptor(
-                    0, 1, 1, Gen5TextureFormatR8G8B8A8Unorm, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0xFAC);
-            }
-
-            if (_traceAgcShader || _tracePixelShaderAddress == pixelShaderAddress)
-            {
-                Console.Error.WriteLine(
-                    "[LOADER][TRACE] " +
-                    $"agc.texture_binding ps=0x{pixelShaderAddress:X16} es=0x{exportShaderAddress:X16} " +
-                    $"pc=0x{binding.Pc:X} op={binding.Opcode} storage={(Gen5ShaderTranslator.IsStorageImageOperation(binding.Opcode) ? 1 : 0)} " +
-                    $"decoded={FormatTextureDescriptor(texture)} " +
-                    $"raw={FormatShaderDwords(binding.ResourceDescriptor)} sampler={FormatShaderDwords(binding.SamplerDescriptor)}");
-            }
-            textures.Add(
-                new TranslatedImageBinding(
-                    texture,
-                    Gen5ShaderTranslator.IsStorageImageOperation(binding.Opcode),
-                    binding.MipLevel ?? 0,
-                    binding.SamplerDescriptor));
+            ReturnPooledEvaluationArrays(exportEvaluation);
+            ReturnPooledEvaluationArrays(pixelEvaluation);
+            return false;
         }
 
-        var globalMemoryBindings = pixelEvaluation.GlobalMemoryBindings
-            .Concat(exportEvaluation.GlobalMemoryBindings)
-            .ToArray();
+        var globalMemoryBindings = new Gen5GlobalMemoryBinding[
+            pixelEvaluation.GlobalMemoryBindings.Count +
+            exportEvaluation.GlobalMemoryBindings.Count];
+        for (var index = 0; index < pixelEvaluation.GlobalMemoryBindings.Count; index++)
+        {
+            globalMemoryBindings[index] = pixelEvaluation.GlobalMemoryBindings[index];
+        }
+        for (var index = 0; index < exportEvaluation.GlobalMemoryBindings.Count; index++)
+        {
+            globalMemoryBindings[pixelEvaluation.GlobalMemoryBindings.Count + index] =
+                exportEvaluation.GlobalMemoryBindings[index];
+        }
         IReadOnlyList<Gen5VertexInputBinding> vertexInputs =
             exportEvaluation.VertexInputs ?? [];
         state.UcRegisters.TryGetValue(VgtPrimitiveType, out var primitiveType);
@@ -6134,6 +6156,13 @@ public static partial class AgcExports
                 renderTargets[index].NumberType);
         }
 
+        var pixelUserDataCount = Math.Min(pixelEvaluation.InitialScalarRegisters.Count, 8);
+        var pixelUserData = new uint[pixelUserDataCount];
+        for (var index = 0; index < pixelUserDataCount; index++)
+        {
+            pixelUserData[index] = pixelEvaluation.InitialScalarRegisters[index];
+        }
+
         draw = new TranslatedGuestDraw(
             exportShaderAddress,
             pixelShaderAddress,
@@ -6151,11 +6180,11 @@ public static partial class AgcExports
             DecodeDepthTarget(state.CxRegisters),
             guestTargets,
             ApplyTransparentPremultipliedFillClear(
-                CreateRenderState(state.CxRegisters, renderTargets, pixelState),
+                CreateRenderState(state.CxRegisters, renderTargets, pixelColorExportMasks),
                 textures,
                 vertexInputs,
                 pixelEvaluation.InitialScalarRegisters),
-            pixelEvaluation.InitialScalarRegisters.Take(8).ToArray(),
+            pixelUserData,
             state.CxRegisters.TryGetValue(CbBlend0Control, out var rawBlend) ? rawBlend : 0,
             state.CxRegisters.TryGetValue(
                 CbColor0Info + renderTargets.FirstOrDefault().Slot * CbColorRegisterStride,
@@ -6167,6 +6196,57 @@ public static partial class AgcExports
         return true;
     }
 
+    private static bool TryAppendTranslatedImageBindings(
+        IReadOnlyList<Gen5ImageBinding> bindings,
+        IReadOnlyList<Gen5ImageBinding> stageBindings,
+        List<TranslatedImageBinding> textures,
+        ulong pixelShaderAddress,
+        ulong exportShaderAddress,
+        out string error)
+    {
+        foreach (var binding in bindings)
+        {
+            if (!TryDecodeTextureDescriptor(binding.ResourceDescriptor, out var texture))
+            {
+                // A garbage/zeroed texture descriptor (from a per-draw descriptor
+                // setup race — the same root as scalar-load-failed) would drop
+                // the whole draw, so deferred-lighting/composite passes that
+                // produce the composite's feeder targets never run. Keep the
+                // existing 1x1 fallback unless strict diagnostics are requested.
+                if (_strictShaderDescriptors)
+                {
+                    error = $"invalid texture descriptor at pc=0x{binding.Pc:X}";
+                    return false;
+                }
+
+                texture = new TextureDescriptor(
+                    0, 1, 1, Gen5TextureFormatR8G8B8A8Unorm, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0xFAC);
+            }
+
+            var isStorage = Gen5ShaderTranslator.RequiresStorageImage(
+                binding,
+                stageBindings);
+            if (_traceAgcShader || _tracePixelShaderAddress == pixelShaderAddress)
+            {
+                Console.Error.WriteLine(
+                    "[LOADER][TRACE] " +
+                    $"agc.texture_binding ps=0x{pixelShaderAddress:X16} es=0x{exportShaderAddress:X16} " +
+                    $"pc=0x{binding.Pc:X} op={binding.Opcode} storage={(isStorage ? 1 : 0)} " +
+                    $"decoded={FormatTextureDescriptor(texture)} " +
+                    $"raw={FormatShaderDwords(binding.ResourceDescriptor)} sampler={FormatShaderDwords(binding.SamplerDescriptor)}");
+            }
+            textures.Add(
+                new TranslatedImageBinding(
+                    texture,
+                    isStorage,
+                    binding.MipLevel ?? 0,
+                    binding.SamplerDescriptor));
+        }
+
+        error = string.Empty;
+        return true;
+    }
+
     private static int _tracedAstroTitlePixelGlobals;
     private static int _tracedAstroTitlePixelGlobalProbe;
 
@@ -6395,15 +6475,10 @@ public static partial class AgcExports
         return true;
     }
 
-    private static bool HasPixelColorExport(Gen5ShaderState state, uint target) =>
-        GetPixelColorExportMask(state, target) != 0;
-
-    private static uint GetPixelColorExportMask(Gen5ShaderState state, uint target) =>
-        state.Program.Instructions
-            .Select(instruction => instruction.Control)
-            .OfType<Gen5ExportControl>()
-            .Where(export => export.Target == target)
-            .Aggregate(0u, (mask, export) => mask | (export.EnableMask & 0xFu));
+    private static uint GetPixelColorExportMask(uint packedMasks, uint target) =>
+        target < ColorTargetCount
+            ? (packedMasks >> (int)(target * 4)) & 0xFu
+            : 0;
 
     private static uint GetInterpolatedAttributeCount(Gen5ShaderState state)
     {
@@ -6601,7 +6676,7 @@ public static partial class AgcExports
     private static GuestRenderState CreateRenderState(
         IReadOnlyDictionary<uint, uint> registers,
         IReadOnlyList<RenderTargetDescriptor> targets,
-        Gen5ShaderState pixelState)
+        uint pixelColorExportMasks)
     {
         if (targets.Count == 0)
         {
@@ -6610,15 +6685,21 @@ public static partial class AgcExports
 
         var target = targets[0];
         var scissor = DecodeScissor(registers, target.Width, target.Height);
-        return new GuestRenderState(
-            targets.Select(target =>
+        var blends = new GuestBlendState[targets.Count];
+        for (var index = 0; index < targets.Count; index++)
+        {
+            var blend = DecodeBlendState(registers, targets[index].Slot);
+            blends[index] = blend with
             {
-                var blend = DecodeBlendState(registers, target.Slot);
-                return blend with
-                {
-                    WriteMask = blend.WriteMask & GetPixelColorExportMask(pixelState, target.Slot),
-                };
-            }).ToArray(),
+                WriteMask = blend.WriteMask &
+                    GetPixelColorExportMask(
+                        pixelColorExportMasks,
+                        targets[index].Slot),
+            };
+        }
+
+        return new GuestRenderState(
+            blends,
             scissor,
             DecodeViewport(registers, target.Width, target.Height, scissor),
             DecodeRasterState(registers),
@@ -6627,27 +6708,30 @@ public static partial class AgcExports
 
     // DB_DEPTH_CONTROL (context register 0x200): Z_ENABLE bit1, Z_WRITE_ENABLE
     // bit2, ZFUNC bits[6:4] (GCN compare, matches Vulkan CompareOp ordering).
+    // DB_RENDER_CONTROL (context register 0x000): DEPTH_CLEAR_ENABLE bit0.
     private const uint DbDepthControl = 0x200;
 
-    private static GuestDepthState DecodeDepthState(
+    internal static GuestDepthState DecodeDepthState(
         IReadOnlyDictionary<uint, uint> registers)
     {
-        if (!registers.TryGetValue(DbDepthControl, out var control))
-        {
-            return GuestDepthState.Default;
-        }
-
+        var hasDepthControl = registers.TryGetValue(DbDepthControl, out var control);
+        registers.TryGetValue(DbRenderControl, out var renderControl);
         var testEnable = (control & 0x2u) != 0;
         var writeEnable = (control & 0x4u) != 0;
-        var compareOp = (control >> 4) & 0x7u;
-        return new GuestDepthState(testEnable, writeEnable, compareOp);
+        var compareOp = hasDepthControl
+            ? (control >> 4) & 0x7u
+            : GuestDepthState.Default.CompareOp;
+        var clearEnable = (renderControl & 0x1u) != 0;
+        return new GuestDepthState(testEnable, writeEnable, compareOp, clearEnable);
     }
 
     private static GuestDepthTarget? DecodeDepthTarget(
         IReadOnlyDictionary<uint, uint> registers)
     {
         var depthState = DecodeDepthState(registers);
-        if (!depthState.TestEnable && !depthState.WriteEnable)
+        if (!depthState.TestEnable &&
+            !depthState.WriteEnable &&
+            !depthState.ClearEnable)
         {
             return null;
         }
@@ -7299,9 +7383,11 @@ public static partial class AgcExports
     /// </summary>
     private static void ReturnPooledEvaluationArrays(Gen5ShaderEvaluation evaluation)
     {
+        var returned = new HashSet<byte[]>(
+            System.Collections.Generic.ReferenceEqualityComparer.Instance);
         foreach (var binding in evaluation.GlobalMemoryBindings)
         {
-            if (binding.DataPooled)
+            if (binding.DataPooled && returned.Add(binding.Data))
             {
                 VulkanVideoPresenter.GuestDataPool.Return(binding.Data);
             }
@@ -7311,7 +7397,7 @@ public static partial class AgcExports
         {
             foreach (var binding in vertexInputs)
             {
-                if (binding.DataPooled)
+                if (binding.DataPooled && returned.Add(binding.Data))
                 {
                     VulkanVideoPresenter.GuestDataPool.Return(binding.Data);
                 }
@@ -7331,11 +7417,13 @@ public static partial class AgcExports
         bool vertex,
         bool index)
     {
+        var returned = new HashSet<byte[]>(
+            System.Collections.Generic.ReferenceEqualityComparer.Instance);
         if (globals)
         {
             foreach (var binding in draw.GlobalMemoryBindings)
             {
-                if (binding.DataPooled)
+                if (binding.DataPooled && returned.Add(binding.Data))
                 {
                     VulkanVideoPresenter.GuestDataPool.Return(binding.Data);
                 }
@@ -7346,14 +7434,15 @@ public static partial class AgcExports
         {
             foreach (var binding in draw.VertexInputs)
             {
-                if (binding.DataPooled)
+                if (binding.DataPooled && returned.Add(binding.Data))
                 {
                     VulkanVideoPresenter.GuestDataPool.Return(binding.Data);
                 }
             }
         }
 
-        if (index && draw.IndexBuffer is { Pooled: true } indexBuffer)
+        if (index && draw.IndexBuffer is { Pooled: true } indexBuffer &&
+            returned.Add(indexBuffer.Data))
         {
             VulkanVideoPresenter.GuestDataPool.Return(indexBuffer.Data);
         }
@@ -7831,7 +7920,10 @@ public static partial class AgcExports
             return;
         }
 
-        var byteCount = (ulong)target.Width * target.Height * 4;
+        var byteCount = VulkanVideoPresenter.GetGuestImageByteCount(
+            target.Format,
+            target.Width,
+            target.Height);
         if (byteCount == 0 || byteCount > MaxPresentedTextureBytes)
         {
             return;
@@ -8447,7 +8539,8 @@ public static partial class AgcExports
         var hasStorageBinding = false;
         foreach (var binding in bindings)
         {
-            var isStorage = Gen5ShaderTranslator.IsStorageImageOperation(binding.Opcode);
+            var isStorage = Gen5ShaderTranslator.RequiresStorageImage(binding, bindings);
+            var writesStorage = Gen5ShaderTranslator.IsStorageImageOperation(binding.Opcode);
             var descriptorValid = TryDecodeTextureDescriptor(binding.ResourceDescriptor, out var texture);
             if (!descriptorValid)
             {
@@ -8468,7 +8561,7 @@ public static partial class AgcExports
                 $"0x{texture.Address:X16}:{texture.Width}x{texture.Height}:" +
                 $"fmt{texture.Format}/num{texture.NumberType}/tile{texture.TileMode}" +
                 $"{descriptorState}/{ProbeTexture(ctx, texture)}");
-            if (isStorage && descriptorValid && texture.Address != 0)
+            if (writesStorage && descriptorValid && texture.Address != 0)
             {
                 gpuState.ComputeImageWriters[texture.Address] = new ComputeImageWriter(
                     sequence,

src/SharpEmu.Libs/Audio/AjmExports.cs

@@ -10,8 +10,29 @@ namespace SharpEmu.Libs.Audio;
 
 public static class AjmExports
 {
-    private static readonly ConcurrentDictionary<uint, byte> Contexts = new();
+    private const int OrbisAjmErrorInvalidContext = unchecked((int)0x80930002);
+    private const int OrbisAjmErrorInvalidInstance = unchecked((int)0x80930003);
+    private const int OrbisAjmErrorInvalidParameter = unchecked((int)0x80930005);
+    private const int OrbisAjmErrorOutOfResources = unchecked((int)0x80930007);
+    private const int OrbisAjmErrorCodecAlreadyRegistered = unchecked((int)0x80930009);
+    private const int OrbisAjmErrorCodecNotRegistered = unchecked((int)0x8093000A);
+    private const int OrbisAjmErrorWrongRevisionFlag = unchecked((int)0x8093000B);
+    private const uint MaxCodecType = 23;
+    private const int MaxInstanceIndex = 0x2FFF;
+    private static readonly ConcurrentDictionary<uint, AjmContextState> Contexts = new();
     private static int _nextContextId;
+
+    private sealed class AjmContextState
+    {
+        public object Gate { get; } = new();
+
+        public HashSet<uint> RegisteredCodecs { get; } = new();
+
+        public Dictionary<uint, uint> InstancesBySlot { get; } = new();
+
+        public int NextInstanceIndex { get; set; }
+    }
+
     public static int AjmInitialize(CpuContext ctx)
     {
         var reserved = ctx[CpuRegister.Rdi];
@@ -29,7 +50,7 @@ public static class AjmExports
             return unchecked((int)0x806A0001);
         }
 
-        Contexts[contextId] = 0;
+        Contexts[contextId] = new AjmContextState();
         if (string.Equals(Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SHARPEMU_LOG_AJM"), "1", StringComparison.Ordinal))
         {
             Console.Error.WriteLine(
@@ -62,9 +83,22 @@ public static class AjmExports
         var contextId = unchecked((uint)ctx[CpuRegister.Rdi]);
         var codecType = unchecked((uint)ctx[CpuRegister.Rsi]);
         var reserved = ctx[CpuRegister.Rdx];
-        if (reserved != 0 || !Contexts.ContainsKey(contextId))
+        if (codecType >= MaxCodecType || reserved != 0)
         {
-            return unchecked((int)0x806A0001);
+            return ctx.SetReturn(OrbisAjmErrorInvalidParameter);
+        }
+
+        if (!Contexts.TryGetValue(contextId, out var state))
+        {
+            return ctx.SetReturn(OrbisAjmErrorInvalidContext);
+        }
+
+        lock (state.Gate)
+        {
+            if (!state.RegisteredCodecs.Add(codecType))
+            {
+                return ctx.SetReturn(OrbisAjmErrorCodecAlreadyRegistered);
+            }
         }
 
         if (string.Equals(Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SHARPEMU_LOG_AJM"), "1", StringComparison.Ordinal))
@@ -77,6 +111,97 @@ public static class AjmExports
         return 0;
     }
 
+    [SysAbiExport(
+        Nid = "AxoDrINp4J8",
+        ExportName = "sceAjmInstanceCreate",
+        Target = Generation.Gen4 | Generation.Gen5,
+        LibraryName = "libSceAjm")]
+    public static int AjmInstanceCreate(CpuContext ctx)
+    {
+        var contextId = unchecked((uint)ctx[CpuRegister.Rdi]);
+        var codecType = unchecked((uint)ctx[CpuRegister.Rsi]);
+        var flags = ctx[CpuRegister.Rdx];
+        var outputAddress = ctx[CpuRegister.Rcx];
+        if (!Contexts.TryGetValue(contextId, out var state))
+        {
+            return ctx.SetReturn(OrbisAjmErrorInvalidContext);
+        }
+
+        if (codecType >= MaxCodecType || outputAddress == 0)
+        {
+            return ctx.SetReturn(OrbisAjmErrorInvalidParameter);
+        }
+
+        if ((flags & 0x7) == 0)
+        {
+            return ctx.SetReturn(OrbisAjmErrorWrongRevisionFlag);
+        }
+
+        uint instanceId;
+        lock (state.Gate)
+        {
+            if (!state.RegisteredCodecs.Contains(codecType))
+            {
+                return ctx.SetReturn(OrbisAjmErrorCodecNotRegistered);
+            }
+
+            if (state.InstancesBySlot.Count >= MaxInstanceIndex)
+            {
+                return ctx.SetReturn(OrbisAjmErrorOutOfResources);
+            }
+
+            var nextInstanceIndex = state.NextInstanceIndex;
+            uint instanceSlot;
+            do
+            {
+                nextInstanceIndex = nextInstanceIndex % MaxInstanceIndex + 1;
+                instanceSlot = unchecked((uint)nextInstanceIndex);
+            }
+            while (state.InstancesBySlot.ContainsKey(instanceSlot));
+
+            instanceId = (codecType << 14) | instanceSlot;
+            Span<byte> value = stackalloc byte[sizeof(uint)];
+            BinaryPrimitives.WriteUInt32LittleEndian(value, instanceId);
+            if (!ctx.Memory.TryWrite(outputAddress, value))
+            {
+                return ctx.SetReturn(OrbisAjmErrorInvalidParameter);
+            }
+
+            state.NextInstanceIndex = nextInstanceIndex;
+            state.InstancesBySlot.Add(instanceSlot, instanceId);
+        }
+
+        Trace($"instance_create context={contextId} codec={codecType} flags=0x{flags:X} instance=0x{instanceId:X8}");
+        return ctx.SetReturn(0);
+    }
+
+    [SysAbiExport(
+        Nid = "RbLbuKv8zho",
+        ExportName = "sceAjmInstanceDestroy",
+        Target = Generation.Gen4 | Generation.Gen5,
+        LibraryName = "libSceAjm")]
+    public static int AjmInstanceDestroy(CpuContext ctx)
+    {
+        var contextId = unchecked((uint)ctx[CpuRegister.Rdi]);
+        var instanceId = unchecked((uint)ctx[CpuRegister.Rsi]);
+        if (!Contexts.TryGetValue(contextId, out var state))
+        {
+            return ctx.SetReturn(OrbisAjmErrorInvalidContext);
+        }
+
+        var instanceSlot = instanceId & 0x3FFF;
+        lock (state.Gate)
+        {
+            if (instanceSlot == 0 || !state.InstancesBySlot.Remove(instanceSlot))
+            {
+                return ctx.SetReturn(OrbisAjmErrorInvalidInstance);
+            }
+        }
+
+        Trace($"instance_destroy context={contextId} instance=0x{instanceId:X8}");
+        return ctx.SetReturn(0);
+    }
+
     [SysAbiExport(
         Nid = "Wi7DtlLV+KI",
         ExportName = "sceAjmModuleUnregister",
@@ -101,4 +226,18 @@ public static class AjmExports
         ctx[CpuRegister.Rax] = 0;
         return 0;
     }
+
+    internal static void ResetForTests()
+    {
+        Contexts.Clear();
+        Interlocked.Exchange(ref _nextContextId, 0);
+    }
+
+    private static void Trace(string message)
+    {
+        if (string.Equals(Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SHARPEMU_LOG_AJM"), "1", StringComparison.Ordinal))
+        {
+            Console.Error.WriteLine($"[LOADER][TRACE] ajm.{message}");
+        }
+    }
 }

src/SharpEmu.Libs/Audio/AudioPcmConversion.cs

@@ -52,8 +52,19 @@ internal static class AudioPcmConversion
         }
 
         var bits = BinaryPrimitives.ReadInt32LittleEndian(sample);
-        var value = Math.Clamp(BitConverter.Int32BitsToSingle(bits), -1.0f, 1.0f);
-        return checked((short)MathF.Round(value * short.MaxValue));
+        return ConvertFloatSample(BitConverter.Int32BitsToSingle(bits));
+    }
+
+    private static short ConvertFloatSample(float value)
+    {
+        if (float.IsNaN(value))
+        {
+            return 0;
+        }
+
+        value = Math.Clamp(value, -1.0f, 1.0f);
+        var scale = value < 0.0f ? 32768.0f : short.MaxValue;
+        return checked((short)MathF.Round(value * scale));
     }
 
     private static short ApplyVolume(short sample, float volume)

src/SharpEmu.Libs/AvPlayer/AvPlayerExports.cs

@@ -1109,7 +1109,7 @@ public static class AvPlayerExports
         return null;
     }
 
-    private static string? ResolveGuestPath(string guestPath)
+    internal static string? ResolveGuestPath(string guestPath)
     {
         if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(guestPath))
         {
@@ -1117,13 +1117,39 @@ public static class AvPlayerExports
         }
 
         var normalized = guestPath.Replace('\\', '/');
-        if (Uri.TryCreate(normalized, UriKind.Absolute, out var uri) && uri.IsFile)
+        var fileReference = normalized.StartsWith("file:", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
+        var unrealProjectRelative = false;
+        if (normalized.StartsWith("file://", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) &&
+            Uri.TryCreate(normalized, UriKind.Absolute, out var uri) &&
+            uri.IsFile)
         {
-            normalized = uri.LocalPath;
+            if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(uri.Host) &&
+                !string.Equals(uri.Host, "localhost", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+            {
+                return null;
+            }
+
+            normalized = uri.LocalPath.Replace('\\', '/');
         }
-        if (File.Exists(normalized))
+        else if (normalized.StartsWith("file://", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
         {
-            return Path.GetFullPath(normalized);
+            // Some console middleware emits Unreal-style project-relative
+            // media references such as file://../../../Project/Content/....
+            // System.Uri rejects these because the first ".." is parsed as
+            // an invalid authority. Treat the scheme as a guest-path marker;
+            // the app0 sandbox below resolves the relative path.
+            normalized = normalized["file://".Length..];
+            unrealProjectRelative = true;
+        }
+        else if (normalized.StartsWith("file:", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+        {
+            normalized = normalized["file:".Length..];
+            unrealProjectRelative = true;
+        }
+
+        if (unrealProjectRelative)
+        {
+            normalized = RemoveUnrealLeadingDotSegments(normalized);
         }
 
         var app0 = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SHARPEMU_APP0_DIR");
@@ -1131,19 +1157,232 @@ public static class AvPlayerExports
         {
             return null;
         }
-        foreach (var prefix in new[] { "app0:/", "/app0/", "app0:", "/app0" })
+
+        var app0MountedPath = false;
+        foreach (var prefix in new[] { "app0:/", "/app0/", "app0/", "app0:" })
         {
             if (normalized.StartsWith(prefix, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
             {
                 normalized = normalized[prefix.Length..];
+                app0MountedPath = true;
                 break;
             }
         }
-        var candidate = Path.GetFullPath(Path.Combine(app0, normalized.TrimStart('/')));
-        var root = Path.GetFullPath(app0).TrimEnd(Path.DirectorySeparatorChar) + Path.DirectorySeparatorChar;
-        return candidate.StartsWith(root, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) && File.Exists(candidate)
-            ? candidate
-            : null;
+
+        if (!app0MountedPath &&
+            (string.Equals(normalized, "app0:", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) ||
+             string.Equals(normalized, "/app0", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) ||
+             string.Equals(normalized, "app0", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase)))
+        {
+            normalized = string.Empty;
+            app0MountedPath = true;
+        }
+
+        try
+        {
+            if (fileReference)
+            {
+                if (!TryDecodeFileReference(normalized, out normalized))
+                {
+                    return null;
+                }
+            }
+            else if (ContainsInvalidMediaPathCharacters(normalized))
+            {
+                return null;
+            }
+
+            if ((!fileReference &&
+                 !app0MountedPath &&
+                 Uri.TryCreate(normalized, UriKind.Absolute, out _)) ||
+                Path.IsPathFullyQualified(normalized) ||
+                normalized.StartsWith("/", StringComparison.Ordinal))
+            {
+                return null;
+            }
+
+            if (!TryNormalizeApp0RelativePath(normalized, out var relativePath) ||
+                relativePath.Length == 0)
+            {
+                return null;
+            }
+
+            var root = Path.GetFullPath(app0);
+            var candidate = Path.GetFullPath(Path.Combine(root, relativePath));
+            var relativeToRoot = Path.GetRelativePath(root, candidate);
+            if (Path.IsPathFullyQualified(relativeToRoot) ||
+                string.Equals(relativeToRoot, "..", StringComparison.Ordinal) ||
+                relativeToRoot.StartsWith(
+                    ".." + Path.DirectorySeparatorChar,
+                    StringComparison.Ordinal))
+            {
+                return null;
+            }
+
+            return TryResolveSandboxedFile(root, relativePath, out var resolved)
+                ? resolved
+                : null;
+        }
+        catch (Exception exception) when (exception is ArgumentException or
+                                             IOException or
+                                             NotSupportedException or
+                                             UnauthorizedAccessException or
+                                             UriFormatException)
+        {
+            return null;
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static string RemoveUnrealLeadingDotSegments(string guestPath)
+    {
+        while (guestPath.StartsWith("../", StringComparison.Ordinal) ||
+               guestPath.StartsWith("./", StringComparison.Ordinal))
+        {
+            guestPath = guestPath[(guestPath.IndexOf('/') + 1)..];
+        }
+
+        return guestPath;
+    }
+
+    private static bool TryDecodeFileReference(string encoded, out string decoded)
+    {
+        decoded = string.Empty;
+        for (var index = 0; index < encoded.Length; index++)
+        {
+            if (encoded[index] != '%')
+            {
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            if (index + 2 >= encoded.Length ||
+                !Uri.IsHexDigit(encoded[index + 1]) ||
+                !Uri.IsHexDigit(encoded[index + 2]))
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            var escapedByte = Convert.ToByte(encoded.Substring(index + 1, 2), 16);
+            if (escapedByte is (byte)'/' or (byte)'\\')
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            index += 2;
+        }
+
+        decoded = Uri.UnescapeDataString(encoded);
+        return !ContainsInvalidMediaPathCharacters(decoded);
+    }
+
+    private static bool ContainsInvalidMediaPathCharacters(string path) =>
+        path.IndexOfAny(['?', '#']) >= 0 || path.Any(char.IsControl);
+
+    private static bool TryNormalizeApp0RelativePath(
+        string guestPath,
+        out string relativePath)
+    {
+        var segments = new List<string>();
+        foreach (var segment in guestPath.TrimStart('/').Split(
+                     '/',
+                     StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries))
+        {
+            if (segment == ".")
+            {
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            if (segment == "..")
+            {
+                if (segments.Count == 0)
+                {
+                    relativePath = string.Empty;
+                    return false;
+                }
+
+                segments.RemoveAt(segments.Count - 1);
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            segments.Add(segment);
+        }
+
+        relativePath = string.Join(Path.DirectorySeparatorChar, segments);
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    private static bool TryResolveSandboxedFile(
+        string root,
+        string relativePath,
+        out string resolved)
+    {
+        resolved = string.Empty;
+        var current = root;
+        var segments = relativePath.Split(
+            Path.DirectorySeparatorChar,
+            StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries);
+        for (var index = 0; index < segments.Length; index++)
+        {
+            var exact = Path.Combine(current, segments[index]);
+            var finalSegment = index == segments.Length - 1;
+            string? match;
+            if (finalSegment ? File.Exists(exact) : Directory.Exists(exact))
+            {
+                match = exact;
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                if (!Directory.Exists(current))
+                {
+                    return false;
+                }
+
+                match = null;
+                foreach (var entry in Directory.EnumerateFileSystemEntries(current))
+                {
+                    if (!string.Equals(
+                            Path.GetFileName(entry),
+                            segments[index],
+                            StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+                    {
+                        continue;
+                    }
+
+                    if (match is not null)
+                    {
+                        // A case-sensitive host can contain two names that are
+                        // indistinguishable to the guest. Refuse an ambiguous
+                        // media path instead of selecting one nondeterministically.
+                        return false;
+                    }
+
+                    match = entry;
+                }
+            }
+
+            if (match is null ||
+                (finalSegment ? !File.Exists(match) : !Directory.Exists(match)))
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            if ((File.GetAttributes(match) & FileAttributes.ReparsePoint) != 0)
+            {
+                // App packages do not need host filesystem links. Refusing
+                // them keeps media resolution inside the configured app0
+                // tree even when a dump contains a symlink or junction.
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            current = match;
+        }
+
+        if (!File.Exists(current))
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        resolved = Path.GetFullPath(current);
+        return true;
     }
 
     private static bool TryReadNullTerminatedUtf8(CpuContext ctx, ulong address, int maxLength, out string value)

src/SharpEmu.Libs/ContentExport/ContentExportExports.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 SharpEmu Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+using SharpEmu.HLE;
+
+namespace SharpEmu.Libs.ContentExport;
+
+// No host media library exists to export captures into, so initialization
+// reports success.
+public static class ContentExportExports
+{
+    [SysAbiExport(
+        Nid = "0GnN4QCgIfs",
+        ExportName = "sceContentExportInit2",
+        Target = Generation.Gen5,
+        LibraryName = "libSceContentExport")]
+    public static int ContentExportInit2(CpuContext ctx) => ctx.SetReturn(0);
+}