diff --git a/server/index.js b/server/index.js
index 66012460..e745bf11 100755
--- a/server/index.js
+++ b/server/index.js
@@ -2545,12 +2545,12 @@ async function startServer() {
         });
 
         // Clean up plugin processes on shutdown
-        const shutdownPlugins = () => {
-            stopAllPlugins();
+        const shutdownPlugins = async () => {
+            await stopAllPlugins();
             process.exit(0);
         };
-        process.on('SIGTERM', shutdownPlugins);
-        process.on('SIGINT', shutdownPlugins);
+        process.on('SIGTERM', () => void shutdownPlugins());
+        process.on('SIGINT', () => void shutdownPlugins());
     } catch (error) {
         console.error('[ERROR] Failed to start server:', error);
         process.exit(1);
diff --git a/server/routes/plugins.js b/server/routes/plugins.js
index 2455e526..e7ab7e81 100644
--- a/server/routes/plugins.js
+++ b/server/routes/plugins.js
@@ -64,9 +64,26 @@ router.get('/:name/assets/*', (req, res) => {
     return res.status(404).json({ error: 'Asset not found' });
   }
 
+  try {
+    const stat = fs.statSync(resolvedPath);
+    if (!stat.isFile()) {
+      return res.status(404).json({ error: 'Asset not found' });
+    }
+  } catch {
+    return res.status(404).json({ error: 'Asset not found' });
+  }
+
   const contentType = mime.lookup(resolvedPath) || 'application/octet-stream';
   res.setHeader('Content-Type', contentType);
-  fs.createReadStream(resolvedPath).pipe(res);
+  const stream = fs.createReadStream(resolvedPath);
+  stream.on('error', () => {
+    if (!res.headersSent) {
+      res.status(500).json({ error: 'Failed to read asset' });
+    } else {
+      res.end();
+    }
+  });
+  stream.pipe(res);
 });
 
 // PUT /:name/enable — Toggle plugin enabled/disabled (starts/stops server if applicable)
@@ -99,7 +116,7 @@ router.put('/:name/enable', async (req, res) => {
           }
         }
       } else if (!enabled && isPluginRunning(plugin.name)) {
-        stopPluginServer(plugin.name);
+        await stopPluginServer(plugin.name);
       }
     }
 
@@ -153,7 +170,7 @@ router.post('/:name/update', async (req, res) => {
 
     const wasRunning = isPluginRunning(pluginName);
     if (wasRunning) {
-      stopPluginServer(pluginName);
+      await stopPluginServer(pluginName);
     }
 
     const manifest = await updatePluginFromGit(pluginName);
@@ -238,8 +255,11 @@ router.all('/:name/rpc/*', async (req, res) => {
     res.status(502).json({ error: 'Plugin server error', details: err.message });
   });
 
-  // Forward body (already parsed by express JSON middleware, so re-stringify)
-  if (req.body && Object.keys(req.body).length > 0) {
+  // Forward body (already parsed by express JSON middleware, so re-stringify).
+  // Check content-length to detect whether a body was actually sent, since
+  // req.body can be falsy for valid payloads like 0, false, null, or {}.
+  const hasBody = req.headers['content-length'] && parseInt(req.headers['content-length'], 10) > 0;
+  if (hasBody && req.body !== undefined) {
     const bodyStr = JSON.stringify(req.body);
     proxyReq.setHeader('content-length', Buffer.byteLength(bodyStr));
     proxyReq.write(bodyStr);
diff --git a/server/utils/plugin-process-manager.js b/server/utils/plugin-process-manager.js
index 56731714..d5fa493e 100644
--- a/server/utils/plugin-process-manager.js
+++ b/server/utils/plugin-process-manager.js
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ import { scanPlugins, getPluginsConfig, getPluginDir } from './plugin-loader.js'
 
 // Map<pluginName, { process, port }>
 const runningPlugins = new Map();
+// Map<pluginName, Promise<port>> — in-flight start operations
+const startingPlugins = new Map();
 
 /**
  * Start a plugin's server subprocess.
@@ -11,10 +13,16 @@ const runningPlugins = new Map();
  * to stdout within 10 seconds.
  */
 export function startPluginServer(name, pluginDir, serverEntry) {
-  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-    if (runningPlugins.has(name)) {
-      return resolve(runningPlugins.get(name).port);
-    }
+  if (runningPlugins.has(name)) {
+    return Promise.resolve(runningPlugins.get(name).port);
+  }
+
+  // Coalesce concurrent starts for the same plugin
+  if (startingPlugins.has(name)) {
+    return startingPlugins.get(name);
+  }
+
+  const startPromise = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
 
     const serverPath = path.join(pluginDir, serverEntry);
 
@@ -88,7 +96,12 @@ export function startPluginServer(name, pluginDir, serverEntry) {
         reject(new Error(`Plugin server exited with code ${code} before reporting ready`));
       }
     });
+  }).finally(() => {
+    startingPlugins.delete(name);
   });
+
+  startingPlugins.set(name, startPromise);
+  return startPromise;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/components/git-panel/view/GitPanel.tsx b/src/components/git-panel/view/GitPanel.tsx
index 7f071c0e..f3dd3070 100644
--- a/src/components/git-panel/view/GitPanel.tsx
+++ b/src/components/git-panel/view/GitPanel.tsx
@@ -108,6 +108,7 @@ export default function GitPanel({ selectedProject, isMobile = false, onFileOpen
           {activeView === 'changes' && (
             <ChangesView
               isMobile={isMobile}
+              projectPath={selectedProject.fullPath}
               gitStatus={gitStatus}
               gitDiff={gitDiff}
               isLoading={isLoading}
diff --git a/src/components/git-panel/view/changes/ChangesView.tsx b/src/components/git-panel/view/changes/ChangesView.tsx
index eec5bc4b..4810bb27 100644
--- a/src/components/git-panel/view/changes/ChangesView.tsx
+++ b/src/components/git-panel/view/changes/ChangesView.tsx
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import FileStatusLegend from './FileStatusLegend';
 
 type ChangesViewProps = {
   isMobile: boolean;
+  projectPath: string;
   gitStatus: GitStatusResponse | null;
   gitDiff: GitDiffMap;
   isLoading: boolean;
@@ -27,6 +28,7 @@ type ChangesViewProps = {
 
 export default function ChangesView({
   isMobile,
+  projectPath,
   gitStatus,
   gitDiff,
   isLoading,
@@ -131,6 +133,7 @@ export default function ChangesView({
     <>
       <CommitComposer
         isMobile={isMobile}
+        projectPath={projectPath}
         selectedFileCount={selectedFiles.size}
         isHidden={hasExpandedFiles}
         onCommit={commitSelectedFiles}
diff --git a/src/components/git-panel/view/changes/CommitComposer.tsx b/src/components/git-panel/view/changes/CommitComposer.tsx
index 6380037c..5f10ba05 100644
--- a/src/components/git-panel/view/changes/CommitComposer.tsx
+++ b/src/components/git-panel/view/changes/CommitComposer.tsx
@@ -1,10 +1,14 @@
 import { Check, ChevronDown, GitCommit, RefreshCw, Sparkles } from 'lucide-react';
-import { useState } from 'react';
+import { useCallback, useState } from 'react';
 import MicButton from '../../../mic-button/view/MicButton';
 import type { ConfirmationRequest } from '../../types/types';
 
+// Persists commit messages across unmount/remount, keyed by project path
+const commitMessageCache = new Map<string, string>();
+
 type CommitComposerProps = {
   isMobile: boolean;
+  projectPath: string;
   selectedFileCount: number;
   isHidden: boolean;
   onCommit: (message: string) => Promise<boolean>;
@@ -14,13 +18,26 @@ type CommitComposerProps = {
 
 export default function CommitComposer({
   isMobile,
+  projectPath,
   selectedFileCount,
   isHidden,
   onCommit,
   onGenerateMessage,
   onRequestConfirmation,
 }: CommitComposerProps) {
-  const [commitMessage, setCommitMessage] = useState('');
+  const [commitMessage, setCommitMessageState] = useState(() => commitMessageCache.get(projectPath) ?? '');
+
+  const setCommitMessage = useCallback(
+    (msg: string) => {
+      setCommitMessageState(msg);
+      if (msg) {
+        commitMessageCache.set(projectPath, msg);
+      } else {
+        commitMessageCache.delete(projectPath);
+      }
+    },
+    [projectPath],
+  );
   const [isCommitting, setIsCommitting] = useState(false);
   const [isGeneratingMessage, setIsGeneratingMessage] = useState(false);
   const [isCollapsed, setIsCollapsed] = useState(isMobile);