diff --git a/cspell.json b/cspell.json
index 16918ff1b3..d8edfdf864 100644
--- a/cspell.json
+++ b/cspell.json
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
     "cafs",
     "camelcase",
     "canonicalizer",
+    "cantopen",
     "canva",
     "cerbos",
     "certfile",
diff --git a/store/controller/src/storeController/index.ts b/store/controller/src/storeController/index.ts
index 751ed81438..fa6b06d5f4 100644
--- a/store/controller/src/storeController/index.ts
+++ b/store/controller/src/storeController/index.ts
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ export function createPackageStore (
 ): StoreController {
   const storeDir = initOpts.storeDir
   if (!fs.existsSync(path.join(storeDir, 'files'))) {
-    initStoreDir(storeDir).catch()
+    initStoreDir(storeDir).catch(() => {})
   }
   const cafs = createCafsStore(storeDir, {
     cafsLocker: initOpts.cafsLocker,
diff --git a/worker/src/start.ts b/worker/src/start.ts
index cd93a972d9..784126707a 100644
--- a/worker/src/start.ts
+++ b/worker/src/start.ts
@@ -276,8 +276,10 @@ function initStore ({ storeDir }: InitStoreMessage): { status: string } {
       }
     }
   }
-  // Initialize the SQLite index database
-  getStoreIndex(storeDir)
+  // The SQLite index database will be initialized lazily by getStoreIndex()
+  // on the first operation that needs it (e.g., readPkgFromCafs, addFilesFromDir).
+  // Eagerly opening it here races with the main thread's StoreIndex constructor,
+  // which can cause SQLITE_CANTOPEN on Windows due to mandatory file locking.
   return { status: 'success' }
 }