diff --git a/tools/chatgui-android/app/src/main/java/com/utun/chat/headless/CoreStartup.kt b/tools/chatgui-android/app/src/main/java/com/utun/chat/headless/CoreStartup.kt
index 043976e3..41cbb434 100644
--- a/tools/chatgui-android/app/src/main/java/com/utun/chat/headless/CoreStartup.kt
+++ b/tools/chatgui-android/app/src/main/java/com/utun/chat/headless/CoreStartup.kt
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ package com.utun.chat.headless
 import kotlinx.coroutines.CancellationException
 import kotlinx.coroutines.CompletableDeferred
 import kotlinx.coroutines.CoroutineScope
-import kotlinx.coroutines.Deferred
 import kotlinx.coroutines.Job
 import kotlinx.coroutines.TimeoutCancellationException
 import kotlinx.coroutines.launch
@@ -26,15 +25,15 @@ internal class CoreStartup(
     private var requested = false
     private var closed = false
 
-    /** Принимает уже поставленную в очередь подготовку; submit=true подтверждает только создание native-потока. */
-    fun start(config: Deferred<String>, submit: (String) -> Boolean) {
+    /** prepare инициализирует frontend/сеть и возвращает INI; submit=true подтверждает только создание native-потока. */
+    fun start(prepare: suspend () -> String, submit: (String) -> Boolean) {
         if (job != null || closed) {
             log("WARN", "startup ignored: requested=$requested closed=$closed")
             return
         }
         job = scope.launch {
             try {
-                val text = config.await()
+                val text = prepare()
                 val alreadyRunning = isReady()
                 requested = true
                 check(submit(text)) { "native start rejected" }
@@ -70,10 +69,6 @@ internal class CoreStartup(
         } catch (e: Exception) { fail(e) }
     }
 
-    fun coreStopped() {
-        if (!closed && requested && !ready.isCompleted) fail(IllegalStateException("core stopped before initial readiness"))
-    }
-
     /** Также используется для ошибок init/регистрации сети до start; stopSelf вызывается один раз. */
     fun fail(error: Exception) {
         if (closed) return
diff --git a/tools/chatgui-android/app/src/main/java/com/utun/chat/headless/HeadlessService.kt b/tools/chatgui-android/app/src/main/java/com/utun/chat/headless/HeadlessService.kt
index 76124f9d..98c547ec 100644
--- a/tools/chatgui-android/app/src/main/java/com/utun/chat/headless/HeadlessService.kt
+++ b/tools/chatgui-android/app/src/main/java/com/utun/chat/headless/HeadlessService.kt
@@ -17,30 +17,33 @@ import com.utun.chat.data.NativeLib
 import com.utun.chat.data.NetworkActivityMonitor
 import com.utun.chat.data.NetworkChangeMonitor
 import com.utun.chat.data.fileStatusResource
-import kotlinx.coroutines.CancellationException
 import kotlinx.coroutines.CoroutineScope
 import kotlinx.coroutines.Dispatchers
-import kotlinx.coroutines.Job
 import kotlinx.coroutines.SupervisorJob
 import kotlinx.coroutines.cancel
-import kotlinx.coroutines.launch
+import kotlinx.coroutines.withContext
 
+/** Владеет запуском ядра/сетевых наблюдателей; готовность подтверждается событием native SERVICE_STARTED. */
 class HeadlessService : Service() {
     private val startupScope = CoroutineScope(SupervisorJob() + Dispatchers.Main.immediate)
-    private var startupJob: Job? = null
+    private val startup = CoreStartup(startupScope, NativeLib::isReady, onReady = {
+        LogManager.addLog("INFO", "SRV", "uTun core started")
+        NetworkActivityMonitor.start()
+        NetworkChangeMonitor.onCoreStarted()
+    }, onFailure = ::stopSelf, log = { level, message -> LogManager.addLog(level, "SRV", message) })
     companion object {
         private var currentService: HeadlessService? = null
 
-        /** Main thread: изменения из Settings применяются после принятия первоначального запуска Service. */
-        suspend fun awaitStartup() { currentService?.startupJob?.join() }
-
-        fun onCoreStarted() {
-            if (currentService == null || !NativeLib.isReady()) return
-            LogManager.addLog("INFO", "SRV", "uTun core started")
-            NetworkActivityMonitor.start()
-            NetworkChangeMonitor.onCoreStarted()
+        /** Main thread: дождаться готового ядра текущего Service; ошибка/остановка прерывает вызывающую операцию.
+         * Без Service ожидания нет: настройки сохраняются для следующего запуска. */
+        suspend fun awaitStartup() {
+            val service = currentService ?: return
+            service.startup.awaitReady()
+            check(currentService === service && NativeLib.isReady()) { "service core stopped while awaiting startup" }
         }
 
+        fun onCoreStarted() { currentService?.startup?.coreStarted() }
+
         fun refreshLanguage() {
             currentService?.let { service ->
                 service.createNotificationChannel()
@@ -60,41 +63,20 @@ class HeadlessService : Service() {
         createNotificationChannel()
         startForeground(1, notification())
 
-        val provider = ChatApplication.instance.configProvider
-        val dbDir = provider.getString("db.path") ?: filesDir.absolutePath
-        val listenPort = provider.getInt("node.listen_port")
-
-        LogManager.addLog("INFO", "SRV", "uTun service starting, port=$listenPort db=$dbDir")
-
-        if (!NativeLib.init(dbDir, 9999)) {
-            LogManager.addLog("ERROR", "SRV", "uTun startup rejected: native initialization failed")
-            stopSelf()
-            return
-        }
-
-        if (!NetworkChangeMonitor.start()) {
-            LogManager.addLog("ERROR", "SRV", "uTun startup rejected: network monitoring unavailable")
-            stopSelf()
-            return
-        }
-        val config = provider.buildConfigText()
-        startupJob = startupScope.launch {
-            try {
-                // await отменяется при onDestroy: готовый конфиг не запустит ядро для уже остановленного Service.
-                if (NativeLib.start(config.await())) LogManager.addLog("INFO", "SRV", "uTun startup requested")
-                else {
-                    LogManager.addLog("ERROR", "SRV", "uTun start failed")
-                    stopSelf()
-                }
-            } catch (e: CancellationException) { throw e
-            } catch (e: Exception) {
-                LogManager.addLog("ERROR", "SRV", "uTun startup failed: ${e.javaClass.simpleName}: ${e.message}")
-                stopSelf()
+        startup.start(prepare = {
+            val provider = ChatApplication.instance.configProvider
+            val (dbDir, listenPort) = withContext(Dispatchers.IO) {
+                (provider.getString("db.path") ?: filesDir.absolutePath) to provider.getInt("node.listen_port")
             }
-        }
+            LogManager.addLog("INFO", "SRV", "uTun service starting, port=$listenPort db=$dbDir")
+            check(NativeLib.init(dbDir, 9999)) { "native initialization failed" }
+            check(NetworkChangeMonitor.start()) { "network monitoring unavailable" }
+            provider.buildConfigText().await()
+        }, submit = NativeLib::start)
     }
 
     override fun onDestroy() {
+        startup.stop()
         startupScope.cancel()
         if (currentService === this) currentService = null
         LogManager.addLog("INFO", "SRV", "uTun service stopping")
diff --git a/tools/chatgui-android/app/src/test/java/com/utun/chat/headless/CoreStartupTest.kt b/tools/chatgui-android/app/src/test/java/com/utun/chat/headless/CoreStartupTest.kt
index f407b99c..645a42e3 100644
--- a/tools/chatgui-android/app/src/test/java/com/utun/chat/headless/CoreStartupTest.kt
+++ b/tools/chatgui-android/app/src/test/java/com/utun/chat/headless/CoreStartupTest.kt
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ class CoreStartupTest {
 
     @After fun release() { startup.stop(); scope.cancel() }
 
-    private fun start() = startup.start(config) { submitted.add(it); accepted }
+    private fun start() = startup.start({ config.await() }) { submitted.add(it); accepted }
     private fun waiter() = scope.async(start = CoroutineStart.UNDISPATCHED) { startup.awaitReady(); readyCalls }
 
     @Test fun acceptedNativeStartDoesNotReleaseSettingsBeforeReady() = runBlocking {
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ class CoreStartupTest {
 
     @Test fun missingNativeReadySignalFailsWithBoundedTimeout() = runBlocking {
         val timed = coordinator(timeout = 20)
-        timed.start(CompletableDeferred("config")) { true }
+        timed.start({ "config" }) { true }
         val error = withTimeout(2_000) { runCatching { timed.awaitReady() }.exceptionOrNull() }
         assertTrue(error is IllegalStateException)
         assertTrue(error!!.message!!.contains("readiness timeout"))
@@ -137,18 +137,10 @@ class CoreStartupTest {
         assertEquals(1, failures)
     }
 
-    @Test fun nativeStopBeforeReadyFailsInitialStartup() = runBlocking {
-        start(); config.complete("config")
-        startup.coreStopped()
-        assertTrue(runCatching { startup.awaitReady() }.exceptionOrNull() is IllegalStateException)
-        assertEquals(1, failures)
-    }
-
     @Test fun readyServiceContinuesResynchronizingLaterCoreInstances() = runBlocking {
         nativeReady = true
         start(); config.complete("config")
         startup.awaitReady()
-        startup.coreStopped()
         startup.coreStarted()
         assertEquals(2, readyCalls)
         assertEquals(0, failures)
@@ -189,7 +181,7 @@ class CoreStartupTest {
     }
 
     @Test fun synchronousReadySignalDuringNativeSubmissionIsRetained() = runBlocking {
-        startup.start(config) {
+        startup.start({ config.await() }) {
             nativeReady = true
             startup.coreStarted()
             true