diff --git a/.github/workflows/coil-ci.yml b/.github/workflows/coil-ci.yml
index a32aa7703a0ad..88f3d16a5dc4a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/coil-ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/coil-ci.yml
@@ -93,6 +93,12 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install browser secret helper build libraries
         run: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y libsecret-1-dev pkg-config
 
+      # Electron downloads its binary on first import. Without this, two desktop test files can
+      # start that download together and collide ("File exists"), failing whichever loses.
+      # Upstream's ci.yml runs the same step before its tests.
+      - name: Ensure Electron runtime is installed
+        run: vp run --filter @t3tools/desktop ensure:electron
+
       # `@t3tools/monorepo` is the root package; its `test` script is `vp run -r test`.
       - name: Test
         run: vp run --filter '!t3' --filter '!@t3tools/monorepo' --filter '!@t3tools/web' test --testTimeout=120000 --hookTimeout=120000
diff --git a/scripts/coil/sync-upstream.sh b/scripts/coil/sync-upstream.sh
index 1a7243f1340f3..a8e4571c73f78 100755
--- a/scripts/coil/sync-upstream.sh
+++ b/scripts/coil/sync-upstream.sh
@@ -217,11 +217,14 @@ fi
 # for an upstream CPU-bound test here. 120s is the highest any package configures
 # (apps/server), so it never LOWERS a package's own budget. --hookTimeout is NOT implied by
 # --testTimeout: a beforeAll/beforeEach carries its own budget.
+# ensure:electron runs first so parallel desktop test files do not race Electron's first-import
+# download.
 # Keep in sync with `.github/workflows/coil-ci.yml`.
 TEST_FLAGS="--testTimeout=120000 --hookTimeout=120000"
 for script in $VERIFY; do
   if [[ "$script" == "test" ]]; then
     commands=(
+      "$RUN --filter @t3tools/desktop ensure:electron"
       "$RUN --filter !@t3tools/monorepo --filter !@t3tools/web test $TEST_FLAGS"
       "$RUN --filter @t3tools/web test $TEST_FLAGS"
     )