diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index ebc86c2b2..80d1529c6 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -108,5 +108,7 @@ opt-level = 2
 codegen-units = 1
 lto = true
 opt-level = 3
-panic = "abort"
-strip = true
+# Unwind, so a panic fails one task or command instead of quitting the IDE.
+panic = "unwind"
+# Keep the symbol table: crash reports and logged backtraces name functions.
+strip = "debuginfo"
diff --git a/src-tauri/src/logging.rs b/src-tauri/src/logging.rs
index 03245cf9b..635812fd6 100644
--- a/src-tauri/src/logging.rs
+++ b/src-tauri/src/logging.rs
@@ -2,9 +2,13 @@
 //! (`~/Library/Logs/<identifier>` on macOS, `<local data>/<identifier>/logs`
 //! elsewhere — the same place as Tauri's `app_log_dir`).
 
+use std::fmt::Write as _;
+use std::io::Write as _;
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 use std::sync::OnceLock;
 use tracing_appender::non_blocking::WorkerGuard;
+use tracing_subscriber::fmt::format::Writer;
+use tracing_subscriber::fmt::time::{FormatTime, SystemTime};
 use tracing_subscriber::layer::SubscriberExt;
 use tracing_subscriber::util::SubscriberInitExt;
 use tracing_subscriber::{EnvFilter, Layer};
@@ -40,12 +44,41 @@ pub fn init(identifier: &str) {
             .ok()?;
         let (writer, guard) = tracing_appender::non_blocking(appender);
         let _ = GUARD.set(guard);
+        log_panics(dir.clone());
         let _ = LOG_DIR.set(dir);
         Some(tracing_subscriber::fmt::layer().with_ansi(false).with_writer(writer).with_filter(filter()))
     });
     let _ = tracing_subscriber::registry().with(stdout).with(file).try_init();
 }
 
+/// Panics go to the log file synchronously: the non-blocking writer may not
+/// get to them before a panic that aborts ends the process.
+fn log_panics(dir: PathBuf) {
+    let default = std::panic::take_hook();
+    std::panic::set_hook(Box::new(move |info| {
+        let _ = append(&dir, &panic_record(info));
+        default(info);
+    }));
+}
+
+fn panic_record(info: &std::panic::PanicHookInfo) -> String {
+    let mut record = String::new();
+    let _ = SystemTime.format_time(&mut Writer::new(&mut record));
+    let thread = std::thread::current();
+    let _ = write!(
+        record,
+        " ERROR panic: thread '{}' {info}\n{}\n",
+        thread.name().unwrap_or("<unnamed>"),
+        std::backtrace::Backtrace::force_capture()
+    );
+    record
+}
+
+fn append(dir: &Path, record: &str) -> std::io::Result<()> {
+    let path = latest_log(dir).unwrap_or_else(|| dir.join(format!("{PREFIX}.panic.{SUFFIX}")));
+    std::fs::OpenOptions::new().create(true).append(true).open(path)?.write_all(record.as_bytes())
+}
+
 pub fn log_dir() -> Option<&'static Path> {
     LOG_DIR.get().map(PathBuf::as_path)
 }
@@ -76,6 +109,27 @@ mod tests {
         std::fs::remove_dir_all(&dir).unwrap();
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn panic_record_names_thread_location_and_message() {
+        let dir = std::env::temp_dir().join(format!("openidea-panic-test-{}", std::process::id()));
+        std::fs::create_dir_all(&dir).unwrap();
+        std::fs::write(dir.join("openidea.2026-01-01.log"), "earlier\n").unwrap();
+        let record = std::sync::Arc::new(std::sync::Mutex::new(String::new()));
+        let sink = record.clone();
+        let default = std::panic::take_hook();
+        std::panic::set_hook(Box::new(move |info| *sink.lock().unwrap() = panic_record(info)));
+        let _ = std::thread::Builder::new().name("worker".into()).spawn(|| panic!("boom")).unwrap().join();
+        std::panic::set_hook(default);
+        let record = record.lock().unwrap().clone();
+        let location = format!("ERROR panic: thread 'worker' panicked at {}:", file!());
+        assert!(record.contains(&location), "{record}");
+        assert!(record.contains("boom"), "{record}");
+        append(&dir, &record).unwrap();
+        let log = std::fs::read_to_string(dir.join("openidea.2026-01-01.log")).unwrap();
+        assert!(log.starts_with("earlier\n") && log.ends_with(&record));
+        std::fs::remove_dir_all(&dir).unwrap();
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn log_dir_is_per_identifier() {
         let d = log_dir_for("com.example.x").unwrap();