diff --git a/src/openhuman/runtime_python/process.rs b/src/openhuman/runtime_python/process.rs
index d03f495a8..b669d716c 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/runtime_python/process.rs
+++ b/src/openhuman/runtime_python/process.rs
@@ -57,6 +57,10 @@ pub fn spawn_stdio_process(
         .stdout(Stdio::piped())
         .stderr(Stdio::piped())
         .kill_on_drop(true);
+    // Suppress the Windows conhost flash. This process is (re)spawned on every
+    // launch to run the runtime python server, so without CREATE_NO_WINDOW a
+    // CMD window blinks up each time the app starts (GH-4814).
+    crate::openhuman::inference::local::process_util::apply_no_window(&mut cmd);
 
     let child = cmd.spawn().with_context(|| {
         format!(
@@ -76,3 +80,33 @@ pub fn spawn_stdio_process(
 
     Ok(child)
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use crate::openhuman::runtime_python::bootstrap::PythonSource;
+
+    // `apply_no_window` is a no-op off Windows, but exercising the spawn path
+    // end-to-end keeps the GH-4814 CREATE_NO_WINDOW hook covered. `/bin/cat
+    // <file>` prints the file and exits, so it stands in for the python child.
+    #[cfg(unix)]
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn spawn_stdio_process_launches_child() {
+        let dir = tempfile::tempdir().expect("tempdir");
+        let script = dir.path().join("payload.txt");
+        std::fs::write(&script, b"ok").expect("write payload");
+
+        let resolved = ResolvedPython {
+            bin_dir: PathBuf::from("/bin"),
+            python_bin: PathBuf::from("/bin/cat"),
+            version: "test".to_string(),
+            source: PythonSource::System,
+        };
+        let mut spec = PythonLaunchSpec::new(script);
+        spec.unbuffered = false; // `-u` is python-only; plain `cat <file>` here
+
+        let mut child = spawn_stdio_process(&resolved, &spec).expect("spawn cat");
+        let status = child.wait().await.expect("wait cat");
+        assert!(status.success());
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/openhuman/runtime_python_server/kompress.rs b/src/openhuman/runtime_python_server/kompress.rs
index 83927c3da..5f6dfead7 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/runtime_python_server/kompress.rs
+++ b/src/openhuman/runtime_python_server/kompress.rs
@@ -258,6 +258,9 @@ async fn run_step(
     cmd.env("HF_HOME", hf_home);
     cmd.env("HF_HUB_DISABLE_TELEMETRY", "1");
     cmd.kill_on_drop(true);
+    // Re-provisioning can run mid-session if the venv is missing/corrupted, so
+    // suppress the Windows conhost flash here too (GH-4814).
+    crate::openhuman::inference::local::process_util::apply_no_window(&mut cmd);
 
     let output = match tokio::time::timeout(timeout, cmd.output()).await {
         Ok(Ok(o)) => o,
@@ -314,4 +317,22 @@ mod tests {
             .to_string_lossy()
             .contains("answerdotai_ModernBERT-base"));
     }
+
+    // Exercises the provisioning step path (including the GH-4814
+    // CREATE_NO_WINDOW hook, a no-op off Windows) with a trivial binary so it
+    // stays covered without a real python toolchain.
+    #[cfg(unix)]
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn run_step_runs_a_trivial_binary() {
+        let hf = tempfile::tempdir().expect("tempdir");
+        run_step(
+            Path::new("/bin/echo"),
+            &["ok"],
+            Duration::from_secs(30),
+            hf.path(),
+            "echo smoke",
+        )
+        .await
+        .expect("echo step succeeds");
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/openhuman/runtime_python_server/spacy.rs b/src/openhuman/runtime_python_server/spacy.rs
index 1a90d82d9..4574760d4 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/runtime_python_server/spacy.rs
+++ b/src/openhuman/runtime_python_server/spacy.rs
@@ -181,6 +181,9 @@ async fn run_step(python_bin: &Path, args: &[&str], timeout: Duration, label: &s
     let mut cmd = Command::new(python_bin);
     cmd.args(args);
     cmd.kill_on_drop(true);
+    // spaCy venv provisioning can re-run mid-session if the venv is missing or
+    // its ready marker is stale, so suppress the Windows conhost flash (GH-4814).
+    crate::openhuman::inference::local::process_util::apply_no_window(&mut cmd);
 
     let output = match tokio::time::timeout(timeout, cmd.output()).await {
         Ok(Ok(output)) => output,
@@ -397,4 +400,20 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(response.entities[0].label, "PERSON");
         assert_eq!(response.nouns, vec!["migration"]);
     }
+
+    // Exercises the venv provisioning step path (including the GH-4814
+    // CREATE_NO_WINDOW hook, a no-op off Windows) with a trivial binary so it
+    // stays covered without a real python toolchain.
+    #[cfg(unix)]
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn run_step_runs_a_trivial_binary() {
+        run_step(
+            Path::new("/bin/echo"),
+            &["ok"],
+            Duration::from_secs(30),
+            "echo smoke",
+        )
+        .await
+        .expect("echo step succeeds");
+    }
 }