diff --git a/docs/WorkerFrameProtocol.md b/docs/WorkerFrameProtocol.md
index b623707..36fe955 100644
--- a/docs/WorkerFrameProtocol.md
+++ b/docs/WorkerFrameProtocol.md
@@ -164,6 +164,17 @@ class drains both queues to empty, and the heartbeat loop guarantees one
 arrives within a heartbeat interval, so worst-case residency is a few envelope
 references for seconds — not a leak.
 
+## Pipe Buffers
+
+The gateway creates each worker pipe with an explicit 128 KiB kernel buffer per
+direction (`SessionWorkerClientFactory.PipeBufferSizeBytes`) rather than the zero
+quota the short `NamedPipeServerStream` overloads request. A zero-quota byte-mode
+pipe makes every write rendezvous with a pending read, so a writer with no reader
+parked blocks until one arrives — the failure class behind the historical windev
+full-suite wedge. A real quota decouples writer latency from reader scheduling and
+lets the flush coalescing above actually pay off. On Unix hosts, where named pipes
+are Unix domain sockets, the sizes are advisory.
+
 ## Verification
 
 The frame protocol lives in `ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Worker.Ipc` (`WorkerFrameReader`,
diff --git a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Server/Sessions/SessionWorkerClientFactory.cs b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Server/Sessions/SessionWorkerClientFactory.cs
index 4a14f6b..ab416d9 100644
--- a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Server/Sessions/SessionWorkerClientFactory.cs
+++ b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Server/Sessions/SessionWorkerClientFactory.cs
@@ -12,6 +12,18 @@ namespace ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Server.Sessions;
 /// <summary>Factory for creating worker clients and launching worker processes.</summary>
 public sealed class SessionWorkerClientFactory : ISessionWorkerClientFactory
 {
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Kernel buffer quota requested for each direction of a worker pipe. A zero quota — what the
+    /// short <see cref="NamedPipeServerStream"/> overloads request — makes every byte-mode write
+    /// rendezvous with a pending read, so writer latency is coupled to reader scheduling and a
+    /// writer with no reader parked blocks indefinitely. That is the failure class behind the
+    /// historical windev full-suite wedge (all tests reported, testhost never exiting). A real
+    /// quota lets a whole frame land in the kernel and the writer return. 128 KiB comfortably
+    /// holds the control traffic and typical event batches without reserving nonpaged pool per
+    /// session for the rare maximum-sized frame, which still streams through in chunks.
+    /// </summary>
+    private const int PipeBufferSizeBytes = 128 * 1024;
+
     private readonly IWorkerProcessLauncher _workerProcessLauncher;
     private readonly GatewayMetrics _metrics;
     private readonly TimeProvider _timeProvider;
@@ -155,6 +167,11 @@ public sealed class SessionWorkerClientFactory : ISessionWorkerClientFactory
     /// <summary>Creates a named pipe for worker communication.</summary>
     /// <param name="pipeName">The pipe name.</param>
     /// <returns>Named pipe server stream.</returns>
+    /// <remarks>
+    /// The buffer sizes are explicit so the pipe is not created with a zero quota; see
+    /// <see cref="PipeBufferSizeBytes"/>. On Unix hosts (the macOS test matrix, where named pipes
+    /// are Unix domain sockets) the sizes are advisory — the fix targets Windows production.
+    /// </remarks>
     private static NamedPipeServerStream CreatePipe(string pipeName)
     {
         return new NamedPipeServerStream(
@@ -162,7 +179,9 @@ public sealed class SessionWorkerClientFactory : ISessionWorkerClientFactory
             PipeDirection.InOut,
             maxNumberOfServerInstances: 1,
             PipeTransmissionMode.Byte,
-            PipeOptions.Asynchronous);
+            PipeOptions.Asynchronous,
+            inBufferSize: PipeBufferSizeBytes,
+            outBufferSize: PipeBufferSizeBytes);
     }
 
     /// <summary>Waits for a client to connect to the pipe.</summary>