diff --git a/nodejs/src/session.ts b/nodejs/src/session.ts
index 0d1d90fbbb..79fe52f304 100644
--- a/nodejs/src/session.ts
+++ b/nodejs/src/session.ts
@@ -726,6 +726,13 @@ export class CopilotSession {
             resolveIdle = resolve;
             rejectWithError = reject;
         });
+        // A `session.error` can arrive while `send()`'s RPC is still in flight —
+        // that is, before the `Promise.race` below attaches the first consumer to
+        // `idlePromise`. Mark the promise handled now so such a rejection can never
+        // surface as an unhandled rejection, which terminates the process under
+        // Node's default `--unhandled-rejections=throw`. This extra `catch` does
+        // not consume the rejection: the `race` below still sees and rethrows it.
+        void idlePromise.catch(() => {});
 
         let lastAssistantMessage: AssistantMessageEvent | undefined;
 
diff --git a/nodejs/test/session-send-and-wait.test.ts b/nodejs/test/session-send-and-wait.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9e9b1eba4b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nodejs/test/session-send-and-wait.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+/*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ *  Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
+ *--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+
+import { describe, expect, it, onTestFinished } from "vitest";
+import type { MessageConnection } from "vscode-jsonrpc/node.js";
+import { CopilotSession } from "../src/session.js";
+import type { SessionEvent } from "../src/generated/session-events.js";
+
+/** Builds a `session.error` event, the shape `session.log(…, { level: "error" })` produces. */
+function errorEvent(message: string): SessionEvent {
+    return {
+        type: "session.error",
+        id: "00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000001",
+        parentId: null,
+        timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
+        data: { errorType: "notification", message },
+    } as SessionEvent;
+}
+
+describe("sendAndWait", () => {
+    it("does not emit an unhandled rejection when session.error arrives before the idle race is armed", async () => {
+        // Hold the `session.send` RPC open so the test can dispatch an event in the
+        // window between the event listener being registered and Promise.race
+        // attaching the first consumer to the internal idle promise.
+        let resolveSend: ((value: unknown) => void) | undefined;
+        const connection = {
+            sendRequest: () =>
+                new Promise((resolve) => {
+                    resolveSend = resolve;
+                }),
+        } as unknown as MessageConnection;
+
+        const session = new CopilotSession("session-1", connection);
+
+        const unhandled: unknown[] = [];
+        const onUnhandled = (reason: unknown): void => {
+            unhandled.push(reason);
+        };
+        process.on("unhandledRejection", onUnhandled);
+        onTestFinished(() => {
+            process.off("unhandledRejection", onUnhandled);
+        });
+
+        const pending = session.sendAndWait({ prompt: "hi" });
+
+        // A session.error lands while send()'s RPC is still in flight. This is
+        // ordinary traffic: a joined client calling session.log(…, { level: "error" })
+        // or an MCP server failing to start both produce one.
+        session._dispatchEvent(errorEvent("MCP server failed to start"));
+
+        // Yield past a macrotask boundary so Node has run the checkpoint at which
+        // it classifies a rejection as unhandled.
+        await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 0));
+
+        expect(unhandled).toEqual([]);
+
+        resolveSend?.({ messageId: "msg-1" });
+        await expect(pending).rejects.toThrow("MCP server failed to start");
+    });
+});