diff --git a/airc b/airc
index 98e5d5c..2339e6d 100755
--- a/airc
+++ b/airc
@@ -4876,10 +4876,19 @@ _daemon_airc_path() {
   fi
 }
 
-# The scope the daemon will run under. If AIRC_HOME is set at install time,
-# that's recorded in the unit/plist so future starts use the same scope.
+# The scope the daemon will run under. Mirrors detect_scope() (line 135)
+# so `airc daemon install` from a project dir captures THAT dir's
+# .airc as the daemon's scope -- otherwise the daemon spawns a monitor
+# pointed at $HOME/.airc (empty / wrong room) while the user's actual
+# join state lives at $cwd/.airc. Joel 2026-04-28: "lol obv if it
+# worked you would have a monitor and be online. FAIL" -- caught the
+# scope mismatch on continuum-b69f's box.
 _daemon_scope() {
-  echo "${AIRC_HOME:-$HOME/.airc}"
+  if [ -n "${AIRC_HOME:-}" ]; then
+    echo "$AIRC_HOME"
+  else
+    echo "$(pwd -P)/.airc"
+  fi
 }
 
 # Returns 0 if the autostart daemon (launchd / systemd unit) is installed
@@ -5011,18 +5020,42 @@ _daemon_install_schtasks() {
 
   # Stage a launcher .bat in $scope. Loops with 5s pause for airc-crash
   # auto-restart (matches launchd KeepAlive=true / systemd Restart=always).
-  # Uses `start /B` for the bash invocation so the cmd.exe wrapper
-  # doesn't pop a visible console window at logon.
+  #
+  # Why we cd into the project dir + don't set AIRC_HOME: airc's
+  # detect_scope() uses cwd to find <cwd>/.airc. Setting AIRC_HOME
+  # to a Windows-form path (C:\Users\green\continuum\.airc) makes
+  # later bash code that touches AIRC_HOME hit "no such file" on
+  # Git Bash's mixed POSIX/Windows fs view. cd'ing first + letting
+  # detect_scope work its normal way is cleaner. Joel 2026-04-28
+  # caught the daemon crashlooping every 4s in the prior shape.
+  #
+  # bash -c (not -lc): skip login profile. Login shells re-export
+  # PATH and other vars from /etc/profile.d/* on Git Bash, which can
+  # override the env we just set in cmd. Non-login bash keeps the
+  # cmd-set env clean.
+  #
+  # Absolute Unix-form path to airc: bash with -c doesn't read
+  # ~/.bashrc, so PATH may not include ~/.local/bin. Hard-coding
+  # the resolved unix path makes the invocation independent of PATH.
+  local cwd_win airc_bin_unix
+  if command -v cygpath >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    cwd_win=$(cygpath -w "$(pwd -P)")
+    airc_bin_unix=$(cygpath -u "$airc_bin" 2>/dev/null)
+    [ -z "$airc_bin_unix" ] && airc_bin_unix="$airc_bin"
+  else
+    cwd_win=$(printf '%s' "$(pwd -P)" | sed 's|^/\([a-z]\)/|\U\1:\\\\|; s|/|\\\\|g')
+    airc_bin_unix="$airc_bin"
+  fi
   local launcher_bash="$scope/airc-daemon.bat"
   cat > "$launcher_bash" <<EOF
 @echo off
 REM AIRC daemon launcher — generated by 'airc daemon install' on Windows.
 REM Runs airc connect under bash, restarting on exit. Logs to daemon.log.
-set AIRC_HOME=$scope_win
+cd /d "$cwd_win"
 set AIRC_BACKGROUND_OK=1
 :loop
-"$bash_exe" -lc "exec '$airc_bin_win' connect"
-echo [%date% %time%] airc connect exited. Restarting in 5s. >> "$scope_win\\daemon.err"
+"$bash_exe" -c "exec '$airc_bin_unix' connect"
+echo [%date% %time%] airc connect exited. Restarting in 5s. >> daemon.err
 timeout /t 5 /nobreak >nul
 goto loop
 EOF