diff --git a/core/orchestrator.py b/core/orchestrator.py
index d37b9be..61695c0 100644
--- a/core/orchestrator.py
+++ b/core/orchestrator.py
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 import signal
 import sqlite3
 import sys
+import threading
 import time
 from collections import deque
 from datetime import datetime, timezone
@@ -644,7 +645,18 @@ def _register_signals(loop, root_task) -> None:
     POSIX: loop.add_signal_handler (thread-safe, runs in event loop).
     Windows ProactorEventLoop: raises NotImplementedError; fallback to signal.signal.
     Both paths use loop.call_soon_threadsafe (mirrors BotService.stop() pattern).
+
+    No-op off the main thread. Signal disposition is a process-level concern the
+    interpreter only permits the main thread to change: signal.signal() raises
+    ValueError there, and the POSIX add_signal_handler path raises ValueError from
+    signal.set_wakeup_fd for the same reason. BotService.start() runs async_main in
+    a daemon thread (the web dashboard's Start Bot path), so without this guard the
+    bot loop dies before it reaches plugin setup. That path does not need signal
+    handlers: BotService.stop() already cancels the root task cooperatively.
     """
+    if threading.current_thread() is not threading.main_thread():
+        return
+
     def _shutdown(*_) -> None:
         writeLog("Shutdown signal received -- initiating teardown", "INFO")
         loop.call_soon_threadsafe(root_task.cancel)
diff --git a/tests/test_signal_registration_thread.py b/tests/test_signal_registration_thread.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bbec219
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_signal_registration_thread.py
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+"""SRV-02 regression: _register_signals must not kill the bot loop off the main thread.
+
+BotService.start() runs async_main in a daemon thread (the dashboard's Start Bot path).
+Signal disposition is main-thread-only in CPython:
+
+  - Windows: loop.add_signal_handler raises NotImplementedError, and the
+    signal.signal() fallback then raises
+    "ValueError: signal only works in main thread of the main interpreter".
+  - POSIX: loop.add_signal_handler itself raises ValueError from
+    signal.set_wakeup_fd, which the NotImplementedError handler does not catch.
+
+Either way the ValueError propagated out of async_main's fifth statement, so every
+dashboard Start Bot died before plugin setup, while POST /api/bot/start still
+returned 200. These tests fail without the main-thread guard.
+"""
+
+import asyncio
+import signal
+import threading
+
+from core.orchestrator import _register_signals
+
+
+def _call_in_loop():
+    """Run _register_signals inside a real event loop; return None or the exception."""
+    captured = {}
+
+    async def inner():
+        loop = asyncio.get_running_loop()
+        task = asyncio.current_task()
+        try:
+            _register_signals(loop, task)
+            captured["exc"] = None
+        except BaseException as exc:      # noqa: BLE001 - the failure is the subject
+            captured["exc"] = exc
+
+    asyncio.run(inner())
+    return captured["exc"]
+
+
+def test_register_signals_is_noop_off_main_thread():
+    """The regression itself: a background thread must not raise (was ValueError)."""
+    result = {}
+
+    def worker():
+        result["exc"] = _call_in_loop()
+
+    t = threading.Thread(target=worker, name="BotService-loop")
+    t.start()
+    t.join(timeout=10)
+
+    assert not t.is_alive(), "worker thread hung"
+    assert result["exc"] is None, (
+        f"_register_signals raised off the main thread: {result['exc']!r}"
+    )
+
+
+def test_register_signals_installs_nothing_off_main_thread():
+    """The no-op is real: process-wide SIGTERM disposition is left untouched."""
+    before = signal.getsignal(signal.SIGTERM)
+
+    t = threading.Thread(target=_call_in_loop, name="BotService-loop")
+    t.start()
+    t.join(timeout=10)
+
+    assert signal.getsignal(signal.SIGTERM) is before
+
+
+def test_register_signals_still_works_on_main_thread():
+    """The guard must not disable SRV-02 for the CLI path, which IS the main thread."""
+    original_term = signal.getsignal(signal.SIGTERM)
+    original_int = signal.getsignal(signal.SIGINT)
+    try:
+        assert _call_in_loop() is None
+    finally:
+        # asyncio.run() closes the loop, which detaches any add_signal_handler
+        # registrations; the signal.signal() fallback persists, so restore both.
+        signal.signal(signal.SIGTERM, original_term)
+        signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, original_int)
+
+
+def test_async_main_reaches_past_signal_registration_in_a_thread(monkeypatch):
+    """End-to-end shape: async_main gets past _register_signals off the main thread.
+
+    PluginRegistry is the first statement AFTER _register_signals (orchestrator.py
+    ordering: _build_proxy_pool, _build_captcha_solver, get_running_loop,
+    current_task, _register_signals, then PluginRegistry). Patching it to raise a
+    sentinel proves execution reached past the signal call without touching the DB,
+    a browser, or the network.
+
+    A bare object() for cfg is enough: _build_proxy_pool and _build_captcha_solver
+    both getattr their way to None on an unconfigured object, so neither raises.
+    """
+    import core.orchestrator as orch
+
+    class _Sentinel(Exception):
+        pass
+
+    reached = []
+
+    def fake_registry(*args, **kwargs):
+        reached.append("plugin_registry")
+        raise _Sentinel
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(orch, "PluginRegistry", fake_registry)
+
+    result = {}
+
+    def worker():
+        async def inner():
+            try:
+                await orch.async_main(object(), None)
+            except BaseException as exc:   # noqa: BLE001
+                result["exc"] = exc
+        asyncio.run(inner())
+
+    t = threading.Thread(target=worker, name="BotService-loop")
+    t.start()
+    t.join(timeout=10)
+
+    assert not t.is_alive(), "worker thread hung"
+    assert reached == ["plugin_registry"], (
+        f"async_main died before PluginRegistry: {result.get('exc')!r}"
+    )
+    assert isinstance(result.get("exc"), _Sentinel), (
+        f"expected the sentinel, got {result.get('exc')!r}"
+    )