diff --git a/claude.md b/claude.md
index e7659518..55140ef9 100644
--- a/claude.md
+++ b/claude.md
@@ -223,6 +223,10 @@ apart.
   quotes, braces and newlines, and the `inline` body carries an `InlinePatchFile` payload verbatim.
 - Compiles for every DiffEngine target, so the socket calls carry `#if` branches for the
   frameworks with no cancellation overloads. `ViewerProtocolTests` runs on all of them.
+- `ViewerServer`'s accept loop awaits with `ConfigureAwait(false)`, the one place that matters
+  in a repo that otherwise leaves it off. The Windows viewer starts listening on its UI thread,
+  and resuming there left every connection waiting on the render loop to pump.
+  `AnOwnerAnswersWhileTheThreadThatStartedItIsBusy` pins it.
 
 **Native shim (`native/`), used by the Mac and Linux heads only:**
 - `raylib` and `imgui` are fetched by CMake (`FetchContent`), pinned by tag in
diff --git a/src/DiffEngine.Tests/ViewerProtocolTests.cs b/src/DiffEngine.Tests/ViewerProtocolTests.cs
index 7ebdbe6e..be99321e 100644
--- a/src/DiffEngine.Tests/ViewerProtocolTests.cs
+++ b/src/DiffEngine.Tests/ViewerProtocolTests.cs
@@ -639,6 +639,59 @@ public async Task AnOwnerAnswersAClient()
         await Wait(listening);
     }
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// The Windows viewer starts listening on its UI thread, which carries a WinForms context by
+    /// then, and that thread is the render loop: it pumps between frames, and not at all while an
+    /// accept on it waits up to ten seconds on InlineApplier's mutex. The accept loop resumed on
+    /// it, so every connection went unanswered for as long as the render thread was busy - a
+    /// tray's listing, an attached viewer's poll, the next failing snapshot.
+    /// <para>
+    /// A context that is never pumped is that thread at its worst, and the owner still answers.
+    /// </para>
+    /// </summary>
+    [Test]
+    public async Task AnOwnerAnswersWhileTheThreadThatStartedItIsBusy()
+    {
+        await Assert.That(ViewerServer.TryBind(0, out var bound)).IsTrue();
+        using var server = bound!;
+        using var cancel = new CancelSource();
+        Task listening;
+        var previous = SynchronizationContext.Current;
+        // Only around the call, and with nothing awaited inside it: a continuation of this test
+        // posted to a context nobody pumps would never run
+        SynchronizationContext.SetSynchronizationContext(new UnpumpedContext());
+        try
+        {
+            listening = server.Listen(_ => ViewerResponse.Success($"heard {_.Verb}"), cancel.Token);
+        }
+        finally
+        {
+            SynchronizationContext.SetSynchronizationContext(previous);
+        }
+
+        var sent = ViewerClient.TrySend(new(ViewerVerb.List), out var response, server.Port, underLoad);
+
+        await Assert.That(sent).IsTrue();
+        await Assert.That(response!.Message).IsEqualTo("heard List");
+
+        await cancel.CancelAsync();
+        await Wait(listening);
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// The one thread of a context whose owner is too busy to pump it, so whatever is posted to it
+    /// waits for good.
+    /// </summary>
+    sealed class UnpumpedContext : SynchronizationContext
+    {
+        public override void Post(SendOrPostCallback callback, object? state)
+        {
+        }
+
+        public override void Send(SendOrPostCallback callback, object? state) =>
+            throw new NotSupportedException("A thread that is not pumping cannot be sent to.");
+    }
+
     /// <summary>
     /// Connections are handled concurrently, so one slow exchange does not stop the next from
     /// being answered. Accepting an inline snapshot legitimately takes seconds, and a client
diff --git a/src/DiffEngine/Protocol/ViewerServer.cs b/src/DiffEngine/Protocol/ViewerServer.cs
index 5c568708..d8bf3ca3 100644
--- a/src/DiffEngine/Protocol/ViewerServer.cs
+++ b/src/DiffEngine/Protocol/ViewerServer.cs
@@ -60,7 +60,12 @@ public async Task Listen(Func<ViewerMessage, ViewerResponse> handle, Cancel canc
             TcpClient client;
             try
             {
-                client = await Accept(cancel);
+                // Off whatever thread started listening, here and in Accept. The Windows viewer
+                // starts on its UI thread, which has a WinForms context by then, and resuming there
+                // waited for the render loop to pump: every connection went unanswered for as long
+                // as that thread was busy, which an accept holding InlineApplier's mutex makes up
+                // to ten seconds. Both awaits, because the first Accept runs on the caller's thread.
+                client = await Accept(cancel).ConfigureAwait(false);
             }
             catch (OperationCanceledException)
             {
@@ -111,12 +116,12 @@ internal static bool IsStop(SocketException exception, Cancel cancel) =>
     async Task<TcpClient> Accept(Cancel cancel)
     {
 #if NET6_0_OR_GREATER
-        return await listener.AcceptTcpClientAsync(cancel);
+        return await listener.AcceptTcpClientAsync(cancel).ConfigureAwait(false);
 #else
         // No token overload here, so cancellation arrives as the registered Stop, which faults
         // this await with one of the exceptions the caller already treats as "stop serving".
         cancel.ThrowIfCancellationRequested();
-        return await listener.AcceptTcpClientAsync();
+        return await listener.AcceptTcpClientAsync().ConfigureAwait(false);
 #endif
     }