diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f331dbc1..4b664675 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -78,6 +78,16 @@ SwarmForge runs locally. Before starting a runnable branch, make sure the target
 - Babashka (`bb`)
 - At least one configured agent backend, such as `codex`, `claude`, `copilot`, or `grok`
 
+### Windows
+
+Native Windows (no WSL) is supported via [MSYS2](https://www.msys2.org/), which provides `zsh`, `tmux`, and `git`:
+
+```sh
+pacman -S zsh tmux git curl tar gawk
+```
+
+Install Babashka natively (e.g. via `winget install Babashka.Babashka` or `scoop install babashka`) and make sure the directories holding `bb`, your agent backend CLI, and `get-swarm-forge` are all on the MSYS2 shell's `PATH` (MSYS2's default `PATH` does not inherit the full Windows `PATH`; add the missing directories to `~/.zshrc`/`~/.bashrc`). Run everything — `get-swarm-forge` and `./swarm` — from an MSYS2 `zsh` shell, not from Git Bash or PowerShell.
+
 ## Getting Started
 
 Install the `get-swarm-forge` helper somewhere on your `PATH`, such as `~/cmds` or `~/bin`:
diff --git a/swarmforge/scripts/swarm_tool.bb b/swarmforge/scripts/swarm_tool.bb
index 9e243c16..04d4f93a 100755
--- a/swarmforge/scripts/swarm_tool.bb
+++ b/swarmforge/scripts/swarm_tool.bb
@@ -156,7 +156,9 @@
 (defn write-wrapper! [path body]
   (fs/create-dirs (fs/parent path))
   (spit (str path) (str "#!/usr/bin/env bash\n" body))
-  (fs/set-posix-file-permissions path "rwxr-xr-x")
+  (try
+    (fs/set-posix-file-permissions path "rwxr-xr-x")
+    (catch UnsupportedOperationException _ nil))
   path)
 
 (defn write-bb-wrapper! [root tool bb-task src-dir]
diff --git a/swarmforge/scripts/swarmforge.bb b/swarmforge/scripts/swarmforge.bb
index 2bd83570..5b73104d 100755
--- a/swarmforge/scripts/swarmforge.bb
+++ b/swarmforge/scripts/swarmforge.bb
@@ -295,7 +295,9 @@
           (str "#!/usr/bin/env zsh\n"
                "set -euo pipefail\n"
                "exec bb " (sq bb) " \"$@\"\n"))
-    (fs/set-posix-file-permissions hook "rwxr-xr-x")))
+    (try
+      (fs/set-posix-file-permissions hook "rwxr-xr-x")
+      (catch UnsupportedOperationException _ nil))))
 
 (defn prepare-workspace! [ctx]
   (doseq [dir [(:state-dir ctx) (:notify-dir ctx) (:prompts-dir ctx)
@@ -565,13 +567,14 @@
 (defn start-handoff-daemon! [ctx]
   (fs/delete-if-exists (fs/path (:daemon-dir ctx) "stop"))
   (let [command (into (vec (sleep-inhibitor-prefix))
-                      [(str (fs/path (:script-dir ctx) "handoffd.bb"))
+                      ["bb"
+                       (str (fs/path (:script-dir ctx) "handoffd.bb"))
                        (str (:working-dir ctx))])]
     (process/process command
                      {:out (str (:handoff-daemon-log ctx))
                       :err :out})
     (println (str green "Started handoff daemon"
-                  (when (> (count command) 2) " with OS sleep prevention")
+                  (when (> (count command) 3) " with OS sleep prevention")
                   "."
                   reset))))
 
@@ -620,7 +623,7 @@
       window-id)))
 
 (defn start-window-watchdog! [ctx]
-  (process/process [(str (fs/path (:script-dir ctx) "swarm-window-watchdog.sh"))
+  (process/process ["zsh" (str (fs/path (:script-dir ctx) "swarm-window-watchdog.sh"))
                     (str (:window-state-file ctx))
                     (str (:window-ids-file ctx))
                     "1"
@@ -701,7 +704,7 @@
 (defn start-pack-web! [ctx]
   (let [script (str (fs/path (:script-dir ctx) "pack_web.sh"))
         log (fs/path (:state-dir ctx) "dashboard.log")]
-    (process/process [script "--serve" (str (:working-dir ctx))]
+    (process/process ["zsh" script "--serve" (str (:working-dir ctx))]
                      {:out (str log) :err :out})
     (when-not (wait-for-file (dashboard-url-file ctx) 5000)
       (fail! (str red "Error:" reset " Dashboard did not start.")))