diff --git a/deploy/build.bat b/deploy/build.bat
index 60a67c3..fc6d22b 100644
--- a/deploy/build.bat
+++ b/deploy/build.bat
@@ -67,6 +67,9 @@ exit /b 0
 
 REM ---- ensure the electron runtime binary is present (pnpm skips its postinstall) --
 :ensure_electron
+REM path.txt tells the electron package where the binary is; without it
+REM electron-builder tries to download the runtime and hits a Node 24 bug.
+if not exist node_modules\electron\path.txt echo electron.exe> node_modules\electron\path.txt
 if exist node_modules\electron\dist\electron.exe exit /b 0
 set "EV=38.8.6"
 echo   downloading electron %EV% ...