diff --git a/packages/electron-app/electron/main/main.ts b/packages/electron-app/electron/main/main.ts
index 47684107..80038b02 100644
--- a/packages/electron-app/electron/main/main.ts
+++ b/packages/electron-app/electron/main/main.ts
@@ -399,8 +399,11 @@ async function exchangeBootstrapToken(baseUrl: string, token: string): Promise<b
 
 async function startCli() {
   try {
-    const devMode =
-      !app.isPackaged && Boolean(process.env.VITE_DEV_SERVER_URL || process.env.ELECTRON_RENDERER_URL || process.env.NODE_ENV === "development")
+    // In desktop dev workflows we always want the CLI to run in dev mode so it:
+    // - uses plain HTTP
+    // - proxies UI requests to the renderer dev server
+    // Monaco's AMD assets are served from that dev server.
+    const devMode = !app.isPackaged
     console.info("[cli] start requested (dev mode:", devMode, ")")
     await cliManager.start({ dev: devMode })
   } catch (error) {
diff --git a/packages/electron-app/electron/main/process-manager.ts b/packages/electron-app/electron/main/process-manager.ts
index 2079667f..45cf7f26 100644
--- a/packages/electron-app/electron/main/process-manager.ts
+++ b/packages/electron-app/electron/main/process-manager.ts
@@ -390,7 +390,8 @@ export class CliProcessManager extends EventEmitter {
     }
 
     if (options.dev) {
-      args.push("--ui-dev-server", "http://localhost:3000", "--log-level", "debug")
+      const devServer = process.env.VITE_DEV_SERVER_URL || process.env.ELECTRON_RENDERER_URL || "http://localhost:3000"
+      args.push("--ui-dev-server", devServer, "--log-level", "debug")
     }
 
     return args