diff --git a/packages/app/src/app/index.tsx b/packages/app/src/app/index.tsx
index 3502d86bf..9333559e4 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/app/index.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/app/index.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { useEffect, useSyncExternalStore, useState } from 'react'
+import { useEffect, useRef, useSyncExternalStore, useState } from 'react'
 import { usePathname, useRouter } from 'expo-router'
 import { useDaemonRegistry } from '@/contexts/daemon-registry-context'
 import { shouldUseManagedDesktopDaemon } from '@/desktop/managed-runtime/managed-runtime'
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import {
 } from './index-startup'
 
 const STARTUP_TIMEOUT_MS = 30_000
+const APP_START_TIME = performance.now()
 
 function useAnyHostOnline(serverIds: string[]): string | null {
   const runtime = getHostRuntimeStore()
@@ -60,6 +61,17 @@ export default function Index() {
   const [hasTimedOut, setHasTimedOut] = useState(false)
   const isDesktopStartupRace = shouldUseManagedDesktopDaemon()
   const onlineServerId = useAnyHostOnline(daemons.map((daemon) => daemon.serverId))
+  const startupLogged = useRef(false)
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (onlineServerId && !startupLogged.current) {
+      startupLogged.current = true
+      console.info('[Startup] host online', {
+        serverId: onlineServerId,
+        elapsedMs: Math.round(performance.now() - APP_START_TIME),
+      })
+    }
+  }, [onlineServerId])
 
   useEffect(() => {
     const timer = setTimeout(() => {
@@ -80,6 +92,10 @@ export default function Index() {
     if (pathname !== '/' && pathname !== '') {
       return
     }
+    console.info('[Startup] navigating to host route', {
+      serverId: onlineServerId,
+      elapsedMs: Math.round(performance.now() - APP_START_TIME),
+    })
     router.replace(buildHostRootRoute(onlineServerId) as any)
   }, [onlineServerId, pathname, registryLoading, router])
 
diff --git a/packages/app/src/contexts/daemon-registry-context.tsx b/packages/app/src/contexts/daemon-registry-context.tsx
index 36d04e22a..4d64c6bbf 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/contexts/daemon-registry-context.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/contexts/daemon-registry-context.tsx
@@ -483,15 +483,20 @@ export function DaemonRegistryProvider({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
     let cancelled = false
 
     const bootstrapDesktopStartup = async () => {
+      const t0 = performance.now()
+      const elapsed = () => Math.round(performance.now() - t0)
       try {
         const isE2E = await AsyncStorage.getItem(E2E_STORAGE_KEY)
         if (cancelled || isE2E) {
           return
         }
 
+        console.info('[DaemonRegistry] desktop bootstrap: starting', { elapsedMs: elapsed() })
         await Promise.allSettled([
           (async () => {
+            console.info('[DaemonRegistry] desktop bootstrap: startManagedDaemon', { elapsedMs: elapsed() })
             const daemon = await startManagedDaemon()
+            console.info('[DaemonRegistry] desktop bootstrap: managed daemon ready', { elapsedMs: elapsed(), serverId: daemon.serverId })
             if (cancelled || !daemon.serverId) {
               return
             }
@@ -506,15 +511,18 @@ export function DaemonRegistryProvider({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
               label: daemon.hostname ?? undefined,
               connection,
             })
+            console.info('[DaemonRegistry] desktop bootstrap: host connection upserted', { elapsedMs: elapsed() })
           })().catch((managedBootstrapError) => {
             if (!cancelled) {
               console.warn(
                 '[DaemonRegistry] Failed to bootstrap desktop daemon connection',
+                { elapsedMs: elapsed() },
                 managedBootstrapError
               )
             }
           }),
           (async () => {
+            console.info('[DaemonRegistry] desktop bootstrap: probing localhost', { elapsedMs: elapsed() })
             const { serverId, hostname } = await probeConnection(
               {
                 id: `bootstrap:${DEFAULT_LOCALHOST_ENDPOINT}`,
@@ -523,6 +531,7 @@ export function DaemonRegistryProvider({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
               },
               { timeoutMs: DEFAULT_LOCALHOST_BOOTSTRAP_TIMEOUT_MS }
             )
+            console.info('[DaemonRegistry] desktop bootstrap: localhost probe succeeded', { elapsedMs: elapsed(), serverId })
             if (cancelled) {
               return
             }
@@ -532,8 +541,9 @@ export function DaemonRegistryProvider({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
               endpoint: DEFAULT_LOCALHOST_ENDPOINT,
               label: hostname ?? undefined,
             })
+            console.info('[DaemonRegistry] desktop bootstrap: direct connection upserted', { elapsedMs: elapsed() })
           })().catch(() => {
-            // Best-effort startup race only; ignore if localhost isn't reachable.
+            console.info('[DaemonRegistry] desktop bootstrap: localhost probe failed', { elapsedMs: elapsed() })
           }),
         ])
       } catch (bootstrapError) {
diff --git a/packages/app/src/runtime/host-runtime.ts b/packages/app/src/runtime/host-runtime.ts
index 84c4ddb8d..4c3e66cf7 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/runtime/host-runtime.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/runtime/host-runtime.ts
@@ -143,7 +143,9 @@ export type HostRuntimeStartOptions = {
   autoProbe?: boolean;
 };
 
-const PROBE_INTERVAL_MS = 10_000;
+const PROBE_TICK_MS = 2_000;
+const PROBE_STEADY_MS = 10_000;
+const PROBE_MAX_BACKOFF_MS = 30_000;
 const ADAPTIVE_SWITCH_THRESHOLD_MS = 40;
 const ADAPTIVE_SWITCH_CONSECUTIVE_PROBES = 3;
 const DEFAULT_AGENT_DIRECTORY_PAGE_LIMIT = 200;
@@ -419,19 +421,19 @@ function findConnectionById(
   return host.connections.find((connection) => connection.id === connectionId) ?? null;
 }
 
-function selectInitialConnectionId(host: HostProfile): string | null {
-  if (host.connections.length === 0) {
-    return null;
+function probeIntervalForConnection(
+  firstSeenAt: number,
+  isActiveOnline: boolean,
+  now: number
+): number {
+  if (isActiveOnline) {
+    return PROBE_STEADY_MS;
   }
-  if (host.preferredConnectionId) {
-    const preferred = host.connections.find(
-      (connection) => connection.id === host.preferredConnectionId
-    );
-    if (preferred) {
-      return preferred.id;
-    }
-  }
-  return host.connections[0]?.id ?? null;
+  const age = now - firstSeenAt;
+  if (age < 10_000) return 2_000;
+  if (age < 30_000) return 5_000;
+  if (age < 60_000) return PROBE_STEADY_MS;
+  return PROBE_MAX_BACKOFF_MS;
 }
 
 function createDefaultDeps(): HostRuntimeControllerDeps {
@@ -507,6 +509,8 @@ export class HostRuntimeController {
   private unsubscribeClientStatus: (() => void) | null = null;
   private probeIntervalHandle: ReturnType<typeof setInterval> | null = null;
   private started = false;
+  private connectionFirstSeenAt = new Map<string, number>();
+  private connectionLastProbedAt = new Map<string, number>();
   private switchCandidateConnectionId: string | null = null;
   private switchCandidateHitCount = 0;
   private clientIdPromise: Promise<string> | null = null;
@@ -555,19 +559,12 @@ export class HostRuntimeController {
       return;
     }
     this.started = true;
+    this.trackConnectionFirstSeen();
     await this.runProbeCycleNow();
-
-    if (!this.snapshot.activeConnectionId) {
-      const fallbackConnectionId = selectInitialConnectionId(this.host);
-      if (fallbackConnectionId) {
-        await this.switchToConnection({ connectionId: fallbackConnectionId });
-      }
-    }
-
-    if (options?.autoProbe !== false && PROBE_INTERVAL_MS > 0) {
+    if (options?.autoProbe !== false) {
       this.probeIntervalHandle = setInterval(() => {
         void this.runProbeCycleNow();
-      }, PROBE_INTERVAL_MS);
+      }, PROBE_TICK_MS);
     }
   }
 
@@ -597,20 +594,8 @@ export class HostRuntimeController {
 
   async updateHost(host: HostProfile): Promise<void> {
     this.host = host;
-    const activeConnectionId = this.snapshot.activeConnectionId;
-    const activeConnection = findConnectionById(host, activeConnectionId);
-    if (!activeConnection) {
-      await this.runProbeCycleNow();
-      if (this.snapshot.activeConnectionId) {
-        return;
-      }
-      const fallbackConnectionId = selectInitialConnectionId(host);
-      if (!fallbackConnectionId) {
-        await this.stop();
-        return;
-      }
-      await this.switchToConnection({ connectionId: fallbackConnectionId });
-    }
+    this.trackConnectionFirstSeen();
+    await this.runProbeCycleNow();
   }
 
   ensureConnected(): void {
@@ -674,9 +659,29 @@ export class HostRuntimeController {
       return;
     }
 
-    const probeByConnectionId = new Map<string, ConnectionProbeState>();
+    const now = performance.now();
+    const isOnline = this.snapshot.connectionStatus === "online";
+    const activeConnectionId = this.snapshot.activeConnectionId;
+
+    const connectionsToProbe = this.host.connections.filter((connection) => {
+      const lastProbed = this.connectionLastProbedAt.get(connection.id);
+      if (lastProbed == null) {
+        return true;
+      }
+      const firstSeen = this.connectionFirstSeenAt.get(connection.id) ?? now;
+      const isActiveOnline = isOnline && connection.id === activeConnectionId;
+      const interval = probeIntervalForConnection(firstSeen, isActiveOnline, now);
+      return now - lastProbed >= interval;
+    });
+
+    if (connectionsToProbe.length === 0) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const probeByConnectionId = new Map(this.snapshot.probeByConnectionId);
     await Promise.all(
-      this.host.connections.map(async (connection) => {
+      connectionsToProbe.map(async (connection) => {
+        this.connectionLastProbedAt.set(connection.id, performance.now());
         try {
           const latencyMs = await this.deps.measureLatency({
             host: this.host,
@@ -700,12 +705,12 @@ export class HostRuntimeController {
     }
     this.updateSnapshot({ probeByConnectionId });
 
-    const activeConnectionId = this.snapshot.activeConnectionId;
-    const activeProbe = activeConnectionId
-      ? probeByConnectionId.get(activeConnectionId)
+    const currentActiveConnectionId = this.snapshot.activeConnectionId;
+    const activeProbe = currentActiveConnectionId
+      ? probeByConnectionId.get(currentActiveConnectionId)
       : null;
 
-    if (!activeConnectionId || !findConnectionById(this.host, activeConnectionId)) {
+    if (!currentActiveConnectionId || !findConnectionById(this.host, currentActiveConnectionId)) {
       const nextConnectionId = selectBestConnection({
         candidates: buildConnectionCandidates(this.host),
         probeByConnectionId,
@@ -724,7 +729,7 @@ export class HostRuntimeController {
         candidates: buildConnectionCandidates(this.host),
         probeByConnectionId,
       });
-      if (nextConnectionId && nextConnectionId !== activeConnectionId) {
+      if (nextConnectionId && nextConnectionId !== currentActiveConnectionId) {
         await this.switchToConnection({
           connectionId: nextConnectionId,
           expectedProbeVersion: requestVersion,
@@ -745,7 +750,7 @@ export class HostRuntimeController {
         .sort((left, right) => left.latencyMs - right.latencyMs);
 
       const fastest = available[0] ?? null;
-      if (!fastest || fastest.connectionId === activeConnectionId) {
+      if (!fastest || fastest.connectionId === currentActiveConnectionId) {
         this.switchCandidateConnectionId = null;
         this.switchCandidateHitCount = 0;
         return;
@@ -839,6 +844,22 @@ export class HostRuntimeController {
     });
   }
 
+  private trackConnectionFirstSeen(): void {
+    const now = performance.now();
+    const currentIds = new Set(this.host.connections.map((c) => c.id));
+    for (const id of this.connectionFirstSeenAt.keys()) {
+      if (!currentIds.has(id)) {
+        this.connectionFirstSeenAt.delete(id);
+        this.connectionLastProbedAt.delete(id);
+      }
+    }
+    for (const connection of this.host.connections) {
+      if (!this.connectionFirstSeenAt.has(connection.id)) {
+        this.connectionFirstSeenAt.set(connection.id, now);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   private isCurrentSwitchRequest(version: number): boolean {
     return version === this.switchRequestVersion;
   }
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/daemon/local-daemon.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/daemon/local-daemon.ts
index e9d79bf4e..b1bb33aa8 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/daemon/local-daemon.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/daemon/local-daemon.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ export interface LocalDaemonPidInfo {
   startedAt?: string
   hostname?: string
   uid?: number
-  sockPath?: string
+  listen?: string
 }
 
 export interface LocalDaemonState {
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ function readPidFile(pidPath: string): LocalDaemonPidInfo | null {
       startedAt: typeof parsed.startedAt === 'string' ? parsed.startedAt : undefined,
       hostname: typeof parsed.hostname === 'string' ? parsed.hostname : undefined,
       uid: typeof parsed.uid === 'number' ? parsed.uid : undefined,
-      sockPath: typeof parsed.sockPath === 'string' ? parsed.sockPath : undefined,
+      listen: typeof parsed.listen === 'string' ? parsed.listen : typeof parsed.sockPath === 'string' ? parsed.sockPath : undefined,
     }
   } catch {
     return null
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ export function resolveLocalDaemonState(options: { home?: string } = {}): LocalD
   const logPath = path.join(home, DAEMON_LOG_FILENAME)
   const pidInfo = existsSync(pidPath) ? readPidFile(pidPath) : null
   const running = pidInfo ? isProcessRunning(pidInfo.pid) : false
-  const listen = pidInfo?.sockPath ?? config.listen
+  const listen = pidInfo?.listen ?? config.listen
 
   return {
     home,
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/utils/client.ts b/packages/cli/src/utils/client.ts
index 4789c486b..98a311a29 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/utils/client.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/utils/client.ts
@@ -75,8 +75,8 @@ function readPidSocketTarget(paseoHome: string): string | null {
   }
 
   try {
-    const parsed = JSON.parse(readFileSync(pidPath, 'utf-8')) as { sockPath?: unknown }
-    return typeof parsed.sockPath === 'string' ? parsed.sockPath : null
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(readFileSync(pidPath, 'utf-8')) as { listen?: unknown; sockPath?: unknown }
+    return typeof parsed.listen === 'string' ? parsed.listen : typeof parsed.sockPath === 'string' ? parsed.sockPath : null
   } catch {
     return null
   }
diff --git a/packages/cli/tests/28-client-ipc-targets.test.ts b/packages/cli/tests/28-client-ipc-targets.test.ts
index 38d9589ae..b990cb392 100644
--- a/packages/cli/tests/28-client-ipc-targets.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/tests/28-client-ipc-targets.test.ts
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ console.log('=== CLI IPC Target Helpers ===\n')
     mkdirSync(paseoHome, { recursive: true })
     writeFileSync(
       path.join(paseoHome, 'paseo.pid'),
-      JSON.stringify({ pid: process.pid, sockPath: '/tmp/paseo-from-pid.sock' })
+      JSON.stringify({ pid: process.pid, listen: '/tmp/paseo-from-pid.sock' })
     )
     assert.deepStrictEqual(resolveDefaultDaemonHosts({ PASEO_HOME: paseoHome }), [
       'unix:///tmp/paseo-from-pid.sock',
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ console.log('=== CLI IPC Target Helpers ===\n')
     mkdirSync(paseoHome, { recursive: true })
     writeFileSync(
       path.join(paseoHome, 'paseo.pid'),
-      JSON.stringify({ pid: process.pid, sockPath: '/tmp/paseo-priority.sock' })
+      JSON.stringify({ pid: process.pid, listen: '/tmp/paseo-priority.sock' })
     )
     assert.deepStrictEqual(
       resolveDefaultDaemonHosts({
diff --git a/packages/desktop/src-tauri/src/lib.rs b/packages/desktop/src-tauri/src/lib.rs
index aa7fa03e5..fec05eaec 100644
--- a/packages/desktop/src-tauri/src/lib.rs
+++ b/packages/desktop/src-tauri/src/lib.rs
@@ -536,8 +536,9 @@ pub fn run() {
             garbage_collect_attachment_files
         ])
         .setup(|app| {
+            let setup_start = std::time::Instant::now();
             log::info!(
-                "[app] Paseo Desktop v{} starting",
+                "[app] Paseo Desktop v{} setup starting",
                 app.package_info().version
             );
 
@@ -645,6 +646,7 @@ pub fn run() {
             }
 
             app.set_menu(menu)?;
+            log::info!("[app] setup complete ({}ms)", setup_start.elapsed().as_millis());
 
             let window = app.get_webview_window("main").unwrap();
             let window_clone = window.clone();
diff --git a/packages/desktop/src-tauri/src/runtime_manager.rs b/packages/desktop/src-tauri/src/runtime_manager.rs
index 7b239e7bb..0bfdab16b 100644
--- a/packages/desktop/src-tauri/src/runtime_manager.rs
+++ b/packages/desktop/src-tauri/src/runtime_manager.rs
@@ -574,8 +574,10 @@ fn managed_daemon_status_internal(app: &AppHandle) -> Result<ManagedDaemonStatus
 }
 
 fn start_managed_daemon_internal(app: &AppHandle) -> Result<ManagedDaemonStatus, String> {
+    let t0 = std::time::Instant::now();
     log::info!("[daemon] starting managed daemon");
     let status = ensure_runtime_ready_internal(app)?;
+    log::info!("[daemon] runtime ready ({}ms)", t0.elapsed().as_millis());
     let runtime_root = PathBuf::from(&status.runtime_root);
     let manifest = load_runtime_manifest(&runtime_root)?;
     let output = cli_command(&runtime_root, &manifest, &["start"])?
@@ -599,20 +601,21 @@ fn start_managed_daemon_internal(app: &AppHandle) -> Result<ManagedDaemonStatus,
             stderr
         ));
     }
-    log::info!("[daemon] start command succeeded, waiting for daemon to be ready");
+    log::info!("[daemon] start command succeeded ({}ms), waiting for daemon to be ready", t0.elapsed().as_millis());
     for attempt in 0..150 {
         let daemon_status = managed_daemon_status_internal(app)?;
         if daemon_status.status == "running" && !daemon_status.server_id.trim().is_empty() {
             log::info!(
-                "[daemon] ready after {} attempts (pid={:?})",
+                "[daemon] ready after {} attempts, {}ms (pid={:?})",
                 attempt + 1,
+                t0.elapsed().as_millis(),
                 daemon_status.pid
             );
             return Ok(daemon_status);
         }
         std::thread::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(200));
     }
-    log::warn!("[daemon] timed out waiting for daemon to become ready");
+    log::warn!("[daemon] timed out waiting for daemon to become ready ({}ms)", t0.elapsed().as_millis());
     managed_daemon_status_internal(app)
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/server/src/server/bootstrap.ts b/packages/server/src/server/bootstrap.ts
index eddfc337e..02a2ba281 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/server/bootstrap.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/server/bootstrap.ts
@@ -167,6 +167,8 @@ export async function createPaseoDaemon(
   rootLogger: Logger
 ): Promise<PaseoDaemon> {
   const logger = rootLogger.child({ module: "bootstrap" });
+  const bootstrapStart = performance.now();
+  const elapsed = () => `${(performance.now() - bootstrapStart).toFixed(0)}ms`;
   const daemonVersion = resolveDaemonVersion(import.meta.url);
   const pidLockMode = config.pidLock?.mode ?? "self";
   const pidLockOwnerPid = config.pidLock?.ownerPid;
@@ -177,6 +179,7 @@ export async function createPaseoDaemon(
     await acquirePidLock(config.paseoHome, config.listen, {
       ownerPid: pidLockOwnerPid,
     });
+    logger.info({ elapsed: elapsed() }, "PID lock acquired");
   }
 
   try {
@@ -328,6 +331,7 @@ export async function createPaseoDaemon(
     agentStorage
   );
   await agentStorage.initialize();
+  logger.info({ elapsed: elapsed() }, "Agent storage initialized");
   await bootstrapWorkspaceRegistries({
     paseoHome: config.paseoHome,
     agentStorage,
@@ -335,8 +339,10 @@ export async function createPaseoDaemon(
     workspaceRegistry,
     logger,
   });
+  logger.info({ elapsed: elapsed() }, "Workspace registries bootstrapped");
   const persistedRecords = await agentStorage.list();
   logger.info(
+    { elapsed: elapsed() },
     `Agent registry loaded (${persistedRecords.length} record${persistedRecords.length === 1 ? "" : "s"}); agents will initialize on demand`
   );
   logger.info(
@@ -518,6 +524,7 @@ export async function createPaseoDaemon(
     openaiConfig: config.openai,
     speechConfig: config.speech,
   });
+  logger.info({ elapsed: elapsed() }, "Speech runtime initialized");
 
   wsServer = new VoiceAssistantWebSocketServer(
     httpServer,
@@ -567,6 +574,8 @@ export async function createPaseoDaemon(
     wsServer?.publishSpeechReadiness(snapshot);
   });
 
+    logger.info({ elapsed: elapsed() }, "Bootstrap complete, ready to start listening");
+
     const start = async () => {
       // Start main HTTP server
       await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
@@ -584,11 +593,11 @@ export async function createPaseoDaemon(
 
           if (listenTarget.type === "tcp") {
             logger.info(
-              { host: listenTarget.host, port: listenTarget.port },
+              { host: listenTarget.host, port: listenTarget.port, elapsed: elapsed() },
               `Server listening on http://${listenTarget.host}:${listenTarget.port}`
             );
           } else {
-            logger.info({ path: listenTarget.path }, `Server listening on ${listenTarget.path}`);
+            logger.info({ path: listenTarget.path, elapsed: elapsed() }, `Server listening on ${listenTarget.path}`);
           }
 
           if (relayEnabled) {
diff --git a/packages/server/src/server/pid-lock.ts b/packages/server/src/server/pid-lock.ts
index 4f0a6cde0..155144b6b 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/server/pid-lock.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/server/pid-lock.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ export interface PidLockInfo {
   startedAt: string;
   hostname: string;
   uid: number;
-  sockPath: string;
+  listen: string;
 }
 
 export class PidLockError extends Error {
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ function resolveOwnerPid(ownerPid?: number): number {
 
 export async function acquirePidLock(
   paseoHome: string,
-  sockPath: string,
+  listen: string,
   options?: { ownerPid?: number }
 ): Promise<void> {
   const pidPath = getPidFilePath(paseoHome);
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ export async function acquirePidLock(
     startedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
     hostname: hostname(),
     uid: process.getuid?.() ?? 0,
-    sockPath,
+    listen,
   };
 
   let fd;