diff --git a/src/ElectronNET.API/Runtime/Services/SocketBridge/SocketBridgeService.cs b/src/ElectronNET.API/Runtime/Services/SocketBridge/SocketBridgeService.cs
index dd40033c..1a80adfc 100644
--- a/src/ElectronNET.API/Runtime/Services/SocketBridge/SocketBridgeService.cs
+++ b/src/ElectronNET.API/Runtime/Services/SocketBridge/SocketBridgeService.cs
@@ -51,6 +51,19 @@ protected override Task StopCore()
             return Task.CompletedTask;
         }
 
+        public override async Task Stop()
+        {
+            await base.Stop().ConfigureAwait(false);
+
+            // A socket that never connected never raises BridgeDisconnected, so without this the bridge stays in
+            // Stopping forever. That happens when Electron exits before the bridge connects (e.g. it lost the
+            // single-instance lock), and the runtime controller then never reaches Stopped, hanging the .NET host.
+            if (this.State < LifetimeState.Stopped)
+            {
+                this.TransitionState(LifetimeState.Stopped);
+            }
+        }
+
         private void Connect()
         {
             this.socket.Connect();
diff --git a/src/ElectronNET.IntegrationTests/Tests/LifetimeServiceBaseTests.cs b/src/ElectronNET.IntegrationTests/Tests/LifetimeServiceBaseTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e13079eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ElectronNET.IntegrationTests/Tests/LifetimeServiceBaseTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+namespace ElectronNET.IntegrationTests.Tests;
+
+using ElectronNET.Runtime.Data;
+using ElectronNET.Runtime.Services;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// State machine checks for <see cref="LifetimeServiceBase"/>, which the runtime controller and its
+/// services (Electron process, socket bridge) build on.
+/// No Electron runtime is required for these tests.
+/// </summary>
+public class LifetimeServiceBaseTests
+{
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Start_TransitionsToStarting()
+    {
+        var service = new TestLifetimeService();
+
+        await service.Start();
+
+        service.State.Should().Be(LifetimeState.Starting);
+        service.WaitStartedTask.IsCompleted.Should().BeFalse();
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Stop_TransitionsToStoppingWithoutCompletingStopped()
+    {
+        var service = new TestLifetimeService();
+        await service.Start();
+
+        await service.Stop();
+
+        service.State.Should().Be(LifetimeState.Stopping);
+        service.WaitStoppingTask.IsCompleted.Should().BeTrue();
+        service.WaitStoppedTask.IsCompleted.Should().BeFalse(
+            "reaching Stopped is up to the concrete service once it has actually shut down");
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Stopped_BeforeReady_CompletesEveryEarlierWaitTask()
+    {
+        var service = new TestLifetimeService();
+        await service.Start();
+
+        service.Transition(LifetimeState.Stopped);
+
+        service.WaitStartedTask.IsCompleted.Should().BeTrue();
+        service.WaitReadyTask.IsCompleted.Should().BeTrue(
+            "callers awaiting readiness must not hang when the service stops before it ever became ready");
+        service.WaitStoppingTask.IsCompleted.Should().BeTrue();
+        service.WaitStoppedTask.IsCompleted.Should().BeTrue();
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Stopped_RaisesOnlyTheStoppedEvent()
+    {
+        var service = new TestLifetimeService();
+        var events = new List<string>();
+        service.Started += (_, _) => events.Add(nameof(service.Started));
+        service.Ready += (_, _) => events.Add(nameof(service.Ready));
+        service.Stopping += (_, _) => events.Add(nameof(service.Stopping));
+        service.Stopped += (_, _) => events.Add(nameof(service.Stopped));
+        await service.Start();
+
+        service.Transition(LifetimeState.Stopped);
+
+        events.Should().Equal(nameof(service.Stopped));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Transition_ToTheCurrentState_IsIgnored()
+    {
+        var service = new TestLifetimeService();
+        var stoppedCount = 0;
+        service.Stopped += (_, _) => stoppedCount++;
+        await service.Start();
+
+        service.Transition(LifetimeState.Stopped);
+        service.Transition(LifetimeState.Stopped);
+
+        stoppedCount.Should().Be(1);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Transition_Backwards_Throws()
+    {
+        var service = new TestLifetimeService();
+        await service.Start();
+        service.Transition(LifetimeState.Stopped);
+
+        var transition = () => service.Transition(LifetimeState.Stopping);
+
+        transition.Should().Throw<Exception>().WithMessage("Invalid state transition*");
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Stop_AfterStopped_Throws()
+    {
+        var service = new TestLifetimeService();
+        await service.Start();
+        service.Transition(LifetimeState.Stopped);
+
+        var stop = () => service.Stop();
+
+        await stop.Should().ThrowAsync<Exception>().WithMessage("Invalid state*");
+    }
+
+    private sealed class TestLifetimeService : LifetimeServiceBase
+    {
+        public void Transition(LifetimeState state) => this.TransitionState(state);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/ElectronNET.IntegrationTests/Tests/SocketBridgeServiceLifecycleTests.cs b/src/ElectronNET.IntegrationTests/Tests/SocketBridgeServiceLifecycleTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..53be3713
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ElectronNET.IntegrationTests/Tests/SocketBridgeServiceLifecycleTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+namespace ElectronNET.IntegrationTests.Tests;
+
+using System.Net;
+using System.Net.Sockets;
+using System.Reflection;
+using ElectronNET.Runtime.Data;
+using ElectronNET.Runtime.Services.SocketBridge;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Lifecycle checks for <see cref="SocketBridgeService"/> when the bridge never connects.
+/// This happens when Electron exits before the bridge connects, e.g. a second instance that loses the
+/// single-instance lock: the runtime controller stops the bridge and waits for it to reach Stopped.
+/// No Electron runtime is required for these tests.
+/// </summary>
+public class SocketBridgeServiceLifecycleTests
+{
+    private static readonly TimeSpan Timeout = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10);
+
+    public SocketBridgeServiceLifecycleTests()
+    {
+        // SocketBridgeService reads ElectronNetRuntime, whose static initializer gathers the build info from the
+        // test assembly under testhost (same as ElectronFixture); it has to be registered before first access.
+        AppDomain.CurrentDomain.SetData("ElectronTestAssembly", Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly());
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Stop_WhenNeverConnected_TransitionsToStopped()
+    {
+        var bridge = new SocketBridgeService(GetClosedLoopbackPort(), "token");
+
+        await bridge.Start();
+        await bridge.Stop().WaitAsync(Timeout);
+
+        bridge.State.Should().Be(LifetimeState.Stopped);
+        bridge.WaitStoppingTask.IsCompleted.Should().BeTrue();
+        bridge.WaitStoppedTask.IsCompleted.Should().BeTrue(
+            "a socket that never connected never raises BridgeDisconnected, so Stop() itself must complete the lifecycle");
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Stop_WhenNeverConnected_RaisesStoppingThenStoppedOnce()
+    {
+        var bridge = new SocketBridgeService(GetClosedLoopbackPort(), "token");
+        var events = new List<string>();
+        bridge.Stopping += (_, _) => { lock (events) events.Add(nameof(bridge.Stopping)); };
+        bridge.Stopped += (_, _) => { lock (events) events.Add(nameof(bridge.Stopped)); };
+        bridge.Ready += (_, _) => { lock (events) events.Add(nameof(bridge.Ready)); };
+
+        await bridge.Start();
+        await bridge.Stop().WaitAsync(Timeout);
+
+        lock (events)
+        {
+            events.Should().Equal(nameof(bridge.Stopping), nameof(bridge.Stopped));
+        }
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Stop_WhenNeverConnected_IsNotRevivedByThePendingConnectAttempt()
+    {
+        var bridge = new SocketBridgeService(GetClosedLoopbackPort(), "token");
+
+        await bridge.Start();
+        await bridge.Stop().WaitAsync(Timeout);
+
+        // The connect attempt started by Start() runs in the background; once it gives up it must not move the
+        // service out of Stopped (backward transitions would throw on the thread pool).
+        await Task.Delay(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1));
+        bridge.State.Should().Be(LifetimeState.Stopped);
+    }
+
+    private static int GetClosedLoopbackPort()
+    {
+        var listener = new TcpListener(IPAddress.Loopback, 0);
+        listener.Start();
+        var port = ((IPEndPoint)listener.LocalEndpoint).Port;
+        listener.Stop();
+        return port;
+    }
+}