diff --git a/src/extension.ts b/src/extension.ts
index bd43bcbf8a..b06267821e 100644
--- a/src/extension.ts
+++ b/src/extension.ts
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ import {
 	CodeActionProvider,
 } from "./activate"
 import { initializeI18n } from "./i18n"
+import { performStartupStaleLockRecovery } from "./utils/staleLockRecovery"
 
 /**
  * Built using https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-webview-ui-toolkit
@@ -86,6 +87,18 @@ export async function activate(context: vscode.ExtensionContext) {
 	// Initialize i18n for internationalization support
 	initializeI18n(context.globalState.get("language") ?? formatLanguage(vscode.env.language))
 
+	// Perform stale lock recovery on startup
+	try {
+		await performStartupStaleLockRecovery(context.globalStorageUri.fsPath, {
+			maxLockAge: 10 * 60 * 1000, // 10 minutes
+			autoRecover: true,
+		})
+	} catch (error) {
+		outputChannel.appendLine(
+			`[StaleLockRecovery] Error during startup recovery: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}`,
+		)
+	}
+
 	// Initialize terminal shell execution handlers.
 	TerminalRegistry.initialize()
 
diff --git a/src/utils/__tests__/safeWriteJson.staleLock.test.ts b/src/utils/__tests__/safeWriteJson.staleLock.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3d71623d46
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utils/__tests__/safeWriteJson.staleLock.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach, vi } from "vitest"
+import * as fs from "fs/promises"
+import * as path from "path"
+import * as os from "os"
+import { safeWriteJson } from "../safeWriteJson"
+
+describe("safeWriteJson - stale lock handling", () => {
+	let tempDir: string
+	let testFilePath: string
+
+	beforeEach(async () => {
+		// Create a temporary directory for testing
+		tempDir = await fs.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "safe-write-json-stale-lock-test-"))
+		testFilePath = path.join(tempDir, "test.json")
+	})
+
+	afterEach(async () => {
+		// Clean up temporary directory
+		await fs.rm(tempDir, { recursive: true, force: true }).catch(() => {})
+		// Clean up any stray lock files
+		try {
+			await fs.unlink(`${testFilePath}.lock`)
+		} catch {
+			// Ignore if doesn't exist
+		}
+	})
+
+	it("should create file before acquiring lock if file doesn't exist", async () => {
+		// Ensure file doesn't exist
+		await expect(fs.access(testFilePath)).rejects.toThrow()
+
+		// Write data
+		const testData = { test: "data" }
+		await safeWriteJson(testFilePath, testData)
+
+		// Verify file was created with correct content
+		const content = await fs.readFile(testFilePath, "utf8")
+		expect(JSON.parse(content)).toEqual(testData)
+	})
+
+	it("should handle missing target file by creating it first", async () => {
+		// Ensure file doesn't exist
+		await expect(fs.access(testFilePath)).rejects.toThrow()
+
+		// Write data - should succeed by creating the file first
+		const testData = { test: "data for missing file" }
+		await safeWriteJson(testFilePath, testData)
+
+		// Verify file was created with correct content
+		const content = await fs.readFile(testFilePath, "utf8")
+		expect(JSON.parse(content)).toEqual(testData)
+	})
+
+	it("should work normally when file already exists", async () => {
+		// Create file first
+		const initialData = { initial: "content" }
+		await fs.writeFile(testFilePath, JSON.stringify(initialData))
+
+		// Write new data
+		const newData = { updated: "content" }
+		await safeWriteJson(testFilePath, newData)
+
+		// Verify file was updated
+		const content = await fs.readFile(testFilePath, "utf8")
+		expect(JSON.parse(content)).toEqual(newData)
+	})
+
+	it("should handle concurrent writes correctly", async () => {
+		// Create file first
+		await fs.writeFile(testFilePath, JSON.stringify({ initial: "data" }))
+
+		// Attempt concurrent writes
+		const writes = []
+		for (let i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
+			writes.push(safeWriteJson(testFilePath, { count: i }))
+		}
+
+		// All writes should complete without error
+		await expect(Promise.all(writes)).resolves.toBeDefined()
+
+		// File should contain data from one of the writes
+		const content = await fs.readFile(testFilePath, "utf8")
+		const data = JSON.parse(content)
+		expect(data).toHaveProperty("count")
+		expect(typeof data.count).toBe("number")
+	})
+
+	it("should handle temporary files correctly", async () => {
+		// Create initial file
+		const initialData = { initial: "data", important: true }
+		await fs.writeFile(testFilePath, JSON.stringify(initialData))
+
+		// Write new data multiple times to ensure temp files are cleaned up
+		for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
+			const newData = { updated: "content", iteration: i }
+			await safeWriteJson(testFilePath, newData)
+
+			// Verify file was updated
+			const content = await fs.readFile(testFilePath, "utf8")
+			expect(JSON.parse(content)).toEqual(newData)
+		}
+
+		// Check that no temp files remain in the directory
+		const files = await fs.readdir(tempDir)
+		const tempFiles = files.filter((f) => f.includes(".tmp") || f.includes(".bak"))
+		expect(tempFiles).toHaveLength(0)
+	})
+})
diff --git a/src/utils/__tests__/staleLockRecovery.test.ts b/src/utils/__tests__/staleLockRecovery.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..70020f6925
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utils/__tests__/staleLockRecovery.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,306 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach, vi } from "vitest"
+import * as fs from "fs/promises"
+import * as path from "path"
+import * as os from "os"
+import { detectStaleLocks, recoverStaleLocks, performStartupStaleLockRecovery } from "../staleLockRecovery"
+import { GlobalFileNames } from "../../shared/globalFileNames"
+
+describe("staleLockRecovery", () => {
+	let tempDir: string
+	let globalStoragePath: string
+	let tasksDir: string
+
+	beforeEach(async () => {
+		// Create a temporary directory for testing
+		tempDir = await fs.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "stale-lock-test-"))
+		globalStoragePath = tempDir
+		tasksDir = path.join(globalStoragePath, "tasks")
+		await fs.mkdir(tasksDir, { recursive: true })
+	})
+
+	afterEach(async () => {
+		// Clean up temporary directory
+		await fs.rm(tempDir, { recursive: true, force: true })
+	})
+
+	describe("detectStaleLocks", () => {
+		it("should return empty array when no tasks exist", async () => {
+			const results = await detectStaleLocks(globalStoragePath)
+			expect(results).toEqual([])
+		})
+
+		it("should detect task with lock files and missing ui_messages.json", async () => {
+			// Create a task directory with lock files but no ui_messages.json
+			const taskId = "test-task-1"
+			const taskPath = path.join(tasksDir, taskId)
+			await fs.mkdir(taskPath)
+
+			// Create lock files
+			await fs.writeFile(path.join(taskPath, "file1.lock"), "")
+			await fs.writeFile(path.join(taskPath, "file2.lock"), "")
+
+			// Make lock files old enough to be stale
+			const oldTime = new Date(Date.now() - 15 * 60 * 1000) // 15 minutes ago
+			await fs.utimes(path.join(taskPath, "file1.lock"), oldTime, oldTime)
+			await fs.utimes(path.join(taskPath, "file2.lock"), oldTime, oldTime)
+
+			const results = await detectStaleLocks(globalStoragePath)
+
+			expect(results).toHaveLength(1)
+			expect(results[0]).toMatchObject({
+				taskId,
+				taskPath,
+				hasLockFiles: true,
+				hasUiMessagesFile: false,
+				lockFiles: expect.arrayContaining(["file1.lock", "file2.lock"]),
+				isStale: true,
+			})
+		})
+
+		it("should not mark as stale when ui_messages.json exists", async () => {
+			// Create a task directory with lock files and ui_messages.json
+			const taskId = "test-task-2"
+			const taskPath = path.join(tasksDir, taskId)
+			await fs.mkdir(taskPath)
+
+			// Create lock files
+			await fs.writeFile(path.join(taskPath, "file1.lock"), "")
+
+			// Create ui_messages.json
+			await fs.writeFile(path.join(taskPath, GlobalFileNames.uiMessages), "[]")
+
+			// Make lock file old
+			const oldTime = new Date(Date.now() - 15 * 60 * 1000)
+			await fs.utimes(path.join(taskPath, "file1.lock"), oldTime, oldTime)
+
+			const results = await detectStaleLocks(globalStoragePath)
+
+			expect(results).toHaveLength(1)
+			expect(results[0]).toMatchObject({
+				taskId,
+				hasLockFiles: true,
+				hasUiMessagesFile: true,
+				isStale: false,
+			})
+		})
+
+		it("should not mark as stale when lock files are recent", async () => {
+			// Create a task directory with recent lock files
+			const taskId = "test-task-3"
+			const taskPath = path.join(tasksDir, taskId)
+			await fs.mkdir(taskPath)
+
+			// Create recent lock file
+			await fs.writeFile(path.join(taskPath, "file1.lock"), "")
+
+			const results = await detectStaleLocks(globalStoragePath, {
+				maxLockAge: 10 * 60 * 1000, // 10 minutes
+			})
+
+			expect(results).toHaveLength(1)
+			expect(results[0]).toMatchObject({
+				taskId,
+				hasLockFiles: true,
+				hasUiMessagesFile: false,
+				isStale: false,
+			})
+		})
+
+		it("should handle multiple tasks correctly", async () => {
+			// Create multiple tasks with different states
+			const task1 = "task-1"
+			const task1Path = path.join(tasksDir, task1)
+			await fs.mkdir(task1Path)
+			await fs.writeFile(path.join(task1Path, "file.lock"), "")
+
+			const task2 = "task-2"
+			const task2Path = path.join(tasksDir, task2)
+			await fs.mkdir(task2Path)
+			await fs.writeFile(path.join(task2Path, "file.lock"), "")
+			await fs.writeFile(path.join(task2Path, GlobalFileNames.uiMessages), "[]")
+
+			// Make task1 lock stale
+			const oldTime = new Date(Date.now() - 15 * 60 * 1000)
+			await fs.utimes(path.join(task1Path, "file.lock"), oldTime, oldTime)
+
+			const results = await detectStaleLocks(globalStoragePath)
+
+			expect(results).toHaveLength(2)
+			expect(results.find((r) => r.taskId === task1)?.isStale).toBe(true)
+			expect(results.find((r) => r.taskId === task2)?.isStale).toBe(false)
+		})
+	})
+
+	describe("recoverStaleLocks", () => {
+		it("should remove lock files and create ui_messages.json for stale tasks", async () => {
+			// Create a stale task
+			const taskId = "stale-task"
+			const taskPath = path.join(tasksDir, taskId)
+			await fs.mkdir(taskPath)
+
+			const lockFile1 = path.join(taskPath, "file1.lock")
+			const lockFile2 = path.join(taskPath, "file2.lock")
+			await fs.writeFile(lockFile1, "")
+			await fs.writeFile(lockFile2, "")
+
+			const detectionResults = [
+				{
+					taskId,
+					taskPath,
+					hasLockFiles: true,
+					hasUiMessagesFile: false,
+					lockFiles: ["file1.lock", "file2.lock"],
+					isStale: true,
+					oldestLockAge: 15 * 60 * 1000,
+				},
+			]
+
+			await recoverStaleLocks(detectionResults)
+
+			// Check that lock files were removed
+			await expect(fs.access(lockFile1)).rejects.toThrow()
+			await expect(fs.access(lockFile2)).rejects.toThrow()
+
+			// Check that ui_messages.json was created
+			const uiMessagesPath = path.join(taskPath, GlobalFileNames.uiMessages)
+			const uiMessagesContent = await fs.readFile(uiMessagesPath, "utf8")
+			expect(uiMessagesContent).toBe("[]")
+		})
+
+		it("should not recover non-stale tasks", async () => {
+			// Create a non-stale task
+			const taskId = "non-stale-task"
+			const taskPath = path.join(tasksDir, taskId)
+			await fs.mkdir(taskPath)
+
+			const lockFile = path.join(taskPath, "file.lock")
+			await fs.writeFile(lockFile, "")
+
+			const detectionResults = [
+				{
+					taskId,
+					taskPath,
+					hasLockFiles: true,
+					hasUiMessagesFile: false,
+					lockFiles: ["file.lock"],
+					isStale: false,
+					oldestLockAge: 5 * 60 * 1000,
+				},
+			]
+
+			await recoverStaleLocks(detectionResults)
+
+			// Check that lock file was NOT removed
+			await expect(fs.access(lockFile)).resolves.toBeUndefined()
+
+			// Check that ui_messages.json was NOT created
+			const uiMessagesPath = path.join(taskPath, GlobalFileNames.uiMessages)
+			await expect(fs.access(uiMessagesPath)).rejects.toThrow()
+		})
+
+		it("should respect autoRecover config", async () => {
+			// Create a stale task
+			const taskId = "stale-task"
+			const taskPath = path.join(tasksDir, taskId)
+			await fs.mkdir(taskPath)
+
+			const lockFile = path.join(taskPath, "file.lock")
+			await fs.writeFile(lockFile, "")
+
+			const detectionResults = [
+				{
+					taskId,
+					taskPath,
+					hasLockFiles: true,
+					hasUiMessagesFile: false,
+					lockFiles: ["file.lock"],
+					isStale: true,
+					oldestLockAge: 15 * 60 * 1000,
+				},
+			]
+
+			// Disable auto recovery
+			await recoverStaleLocks(detectionResults, { autoRecover: false })
+
+			// Check that lock file was NOT removed
+			await expect(fs.access(lockFile)).resolves.toBeUndefined()
+		})
+
+		it("should handle errors gracefully", async () => {
+			// Create a mock console.error to suppress error output in tests
+			const consoleErrorSpy = vi.spyOn(console, "error").mockImplementation(() => {})
+
+			// Create invalid detection results
+			const detectionResults = [
+				{
+					taskId: "invalid-task",
+					taskPath: "/invalid/path/that/does/not/exist",
+					hasLockFiles: true,
+					hasUiMessagesFile: false,
+					lockFiles: ["file.lock"],
+					isStale: true,
+					oldestLockAge: 15 * 60 * 1000,
+				},
+			]
+
+			// Should not throw
+			await expect(recoverStaleLocks(detectionResults)).resolves.toBeUndefined()
+
+			// Should have logged errors
+			expect(consoleErrorSpy).toHaveBeenCalled()
+
+			consoleErrorSpy.mockRestore()
+		})
+	})
+
+	describe("performStartupStaleLockRecovery", () => {
+		it("should detect and recover stale locks on startup", async () => {
+			// Create a stale task
+			const taskId = "startup-stale-task"
+			const taskPath = path.join(tasksDir, taskId)
+			await fs.mkdir(taskPath)
+
+			const lockFile = path.join(taskPath, "file.lock")
+			await fs.writeFile(lockFile, "")
+
+			// Make lock file old
+			const oldTime = new Date(Date.now() - 15 * 60 * 1000)
+			await fs.utimes(lockFile, oldTime, oldTime)
+
+			// Mock console.log to verify logging
+			const consoleLogSpy = vi.spyOn(console, "log").mockImplementation(() => {})
+
+			await performStartupStaleLockRecovery(globalStoragePath)
+
+			// Check that lock file was removed
+			await expect(fs.access(lockFile)).rejects.toThrow()
+
+			// Check that ui_messages.json was created
+			const uiMessagesPath = path.join(taskPath, GlobalFileNames.uiMessages)
+			const uiMessagesContent = await fs.readFile(uiMessagesPath, "utf8")
+			expect(uiMessagesContent).toBe("[]")
+
+			// Check that appropriate logs were made
+			expect(consoleLogSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Starting stale lock detection"))
+			expect(consoleLogSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Found 1 task(s) with stale locks"))
+			expect(consoleLogSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Recovery completed"))
+
+			consoleLogSpy.mockRestore()
+		})
+
+		it("should handle errors gracefully", async () => {
+			// Mock console methods
+			const consoleLogSpy = vi.spyOn(console, "log").mockImplementation(() => {})
+			const consoleErrorSpy = vi.spyOn(console, "error").mockImplementation(() => {})
+
+			// Use invalid path
+			await performStartupStaleLockRecovery("/invalid/path/that/does/not/exist")
+
+			// Should have logged error
+			expect(consoleLogSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("No stale locks detected"))
+
+			consoleLogSpy.mockRestore()
+			consoleErrorSpy.mockRestore()
+		})
+	})
+})
diff --git a/src/utils/safeWriteJson.ts b/src/utils/safeWriteJson.ts
index 719bbd7216..02870a902e 100644
--- a/src/utils/safeWriteJson.ts
+++ b/src/utils/safeWriteJson.ts
@@ -37,6 +37,24 @@ async function safeWriteJson(filePath: string, data: any): Promise<void> {
 		throw dirError
 	}
 
+	// Check if the file exists before attempting to acquire lock
+	// This prevents issues where lock files exist but the target file doesn't
+	const fileExists = await fs
+		.access(absoluteFilePath)
+		.then(() => true)
+		.catch(() => false)
+
+	// If file doesn't exist, create an empty file first to ensure lock can be acquired
+	if (!fileExists) {
+		try {
+			await fs.writeFile(absoluteFilePath, "", "utf8")
+		} catch (createError: any) {
+			// If we can't create the file, we can't proceed
+			console.error(`Failed to create file for locking at ${absoluteFilePath}:`, createError)
+			throw createError
+		}
+	}
+
 	// Acquire the lock before any file operations
 	try {
 		releaseLock = await lockfile.lock(absoluteFilePath, {
diff --git a/src/utils/staleLockRecovery.ts b/src/utils/staleLockRecovery.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..067424c240
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utils/staleLockRecovery.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,190 @@
+import * as fs from "fs/promises"
+import * as path from "path"
+import { fileExistsAtPath } from "./fs"
+import { GlobalFileNames } from "../shared/globalFileNames"
+
+/**
+ * Configuration for stale lock detection
+ */
+interface StaleLockConfig {
+	/**
+	 * Maximum age in milliseconds for a lock file to be considered stale
+	 * Default: 10 minutes (600000ms)
+	 */
+	maxLockAge?: number
+
+	/**
+	 * Whether to automatically recover stale locks
+	 * Default: true
+	 */
+	autoRecover?: boolean
+}
+
+/**
+ * Result of stale lock detection for a task
+ */
+interface StaleLockDetectionResult {
+	taskId: string
+	taskPath: string
+	hasLockFiles: boolean
+	hasUiMessagesFile: boolean
+	lockFiles: string[]
+	isStale: boolean
+	oldestLockAge?: number
+}
+
+/**
+ * Detects stale lock conditions in task directories
+ * A stale lock condition exists when:
+ * 1. Lock files exist in the task directory
+ * 2. ui_messages.json is missing
+ * 3. Lock files are older than the configured threshold
+ */
+export async function detectStaleLocks(
+	globalStoragePath: string,
+	config: StaleLockConfig = {},
+): Promise<StaleLockDetectionResult[]> {
+	const { maxLockAge = 10 * 60 * 1000 } = config // Default: 10 minutes
+	const results: StaleLockDetectionResult[] = []
+
+	try {
+		// Get the tasks directory
+		const tasksDir = path.join(globalStoragePath, "tasks")
+
+		// Check if tasks directory exists
+		if (!(await fileExistsAtPath(tasksDir))) {
+			return results
+		}
+
+		// Read all task directories
+		const taskDirs = await fs.readdir(tasksDir)
+		const currentTime = Date.now()
+
+		for (const taskId of taskDirs) {
+			const taskPath = path.join(tasksDir, taskId)
+
+			// Skip if not a directory
+			const stat = await fs.stat(taskPath).catch(() => null)
+			if (!stat || !stat.isDirectory()) {
+				continue
+			}
+
+			// Check for lock files
+			const files = await fs.readdir(taskPath)
+			const lockFiles = files.filter((f) => f.endsWith(".lock"))
+			const hasUiMessagesFile = await fileExistsAtPath(path.join(taskPath, GlobalFileNames.uiMessages))
+
+			if (lockFiles.length > 0) {
+				// Check age of lock files
+				let oldestLockAge = 0
+				let isStale = false
+
+				for (const lockFile of lockFiles) {
+					const lockPath = path.join(taskPath, lockFile)
+					const lockStat = await fs.stat(lockPath).catch(() => null)
+
+					if (lockStat) {
+						const age = currentTime - lockStat.mtimeMs
+						oldestLockAge = Math.max(oldestLockAge, age)
+
+						// Consider stale if missing ui_messages.json and lock is old enough
+						if (!hasUiMessagesFile && age > maxLockAge) {
+							isStale = true
+						}
+					}
+				}
+
+				results.push({
+					taskId,
+					taskPath,
+					hasLockFiles: true,
+					hasUiMessagesFile,
+					lockFiles,
+					isStale,
+					oldestLockAge,
+				})
+			}
+		}
+
+		return results
+	} catch (error) {
+		console.error("Error detecting stale locks:", error)
+		return results
+	}
+}
+
+/**
+ * Recovers from stale lock conditions by:
+ * 1. Removing stale lock files
+ * 2. Creating an empty ui_messages.json if missing
+ */
+export async function recoverStaleLocks(
+	detectionResults: StaleLockDetectionResult[],
+	config: StaleLockConfig = {},
+): Promise<void> {
+	const { autoRecover = true } = config
+
+	if (!autoRecover) {
+		return
+	}
+
+	for (const result of detectionResults) {
+		if (!result.isStale) {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		try {
+			console.log(`[StaleLockRecovery] Recovering stale locks for task ${result.taskId}`)
+
+			// Remove lock files
+			for (const lockFile of result.lockFiles) {
+				const lockPath = path.join(result.taskPath, lockFile)
+				try {
+					await fs.unlink(lockPath)
+					console.log(`[StaleLockRecovery] Removed stale lock: ${lockFile}`)
+				} catch (error) {
+					console.error(`[StaleLockRecovery] Failed to remove lock ${lockFile}:`, error)
+				}
+			}
+
+			// Create empty ui_messages.json if missing
+			if (!result.hasUiMessagesFile) {
+				const uiMessagesPath = path.join(result.taskPath, GlobalFileNames.uiMessages)
+				try {
+					// Create an empty array to represent no messages
+					await fs.writeFile(uiMessagesPath, "[]", "utf8")
+					console.log(`[StaleLockRecovery] Created empty ui_messages.json for task ${result.taskId}`)
+				} catch (error) {
+					console.error(`[StaleLockRecovery] Failed to create ui_messages.json:`, error)
+				}
+			}
+		} catch (error) {
+			console.error(`[StaleLockRecovery] Error recovering task ${result.taskId}:`, error)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+/**
+ * Performs stale lock detection and recovery on startup
+ */
+export async function performStartupStaleLockRecovery(
+	globalStoragePath: string,
+	config: StaleLockConfig = {},
+): Promise<void> {
+	try {
+		console.log("[StaleLockRecovery] Starting stale lock detection...")
+
+		const detectionResults = await detectStaleLocks(globalStoragePath, config)
+		const staleCount = detectionResults.filter((r) => r.isStale).length
+
+		if (staleCount > 0) {
+			console.log(`[StaleLockRecovery] Found ${staleCount} task(s) with stale locks`)
+			await recoverStaleLocks(detectionResults, config)
+			console.log("[StaleLockRecovery] Recovery completed")
+		} else {
+			console.log("[StaleLockRecovery] No stale locks detected")
+		}
+	} catch (error) {
+		console.error("[StaleLockRecovery] Error during startup recovery:", error)
+	}
+}