diff --git a/packages/loopover-miner/lib/manage-poll.ts b/packages/loopover-miner/lib/manage-poll.ts
index 856c692be..6a5ec4963 100644
--- a/packages/loopover-miner/lib/manage-poll.ts
+++ b/packages/loopover-miner/lib/manage-poll.ts
@@ -302,8 +302,24 @@ export async function runManagePoll(
 
   const ownsEventLedger = options.initEventLedger === undefined;
   const ownsPortfolioQueue = options.initPortfolioQueue === undefined;
-  const eventLedger = (options.initEventLedger ?? initEventLedger)();
-  const portfolioQueue = (options.initPortfolioQueue ?? initPortfolioQueueStore)();
+
+  // Each opener gets its OWN try/catch (mirroring runDiscover, discover-cli.ts:631-637): an opener throwing must
+  // return 2 via reportCliFailure instead of propagating an unhandled throw, and must close whatever sibling
+  // handle this function already opened, or that SQLite handle leaks.
+  let eventLedger: EventLedger;
+  try {
+    eventLedger = (options.initEventLedger ?? initEventLedger)();
+  } catch (error) {
+    return reportCliFailure(parsed.json, describeCliError(error));
+  }
+
+  let portfolioQueue: PortfolioQueueStore;
+  try {
+    portfolioQueue = (options.initPortfolioQueue ?? initPortfolioQueueStore)();
+  } catch (error) {
+    if (ownsEventLedger) eventLedger.close();
+    return reportCliFailure(parsed.json, describeCliError(error));
+  }
 
   try {
     const result = await recordManagePollSnapshot(
diff --git a/packages/loopover-miner/lib/manage-status.ts b/packages/loopover-miner/lib/manage-status.ts
index ad9ddff61..1a6ebffa0 100644
--- a/packages/loopover-miner/lib/manage-status.ts
+++ b/packages/loopover-miner/lib/manage-status.ts
@@ -278,9 +278,34 @@ export function runManageStatus(
   const ownsPortfolioQueue = options.initPortfolioQueue === undefined;
   const ownsEventLedger = options.initEventLedger === undefined;
   const ownsRunStateStore = options.initRunStateStore === undefined;
-  const portfolioQueue = (options.initPortfolioQueue ?? initPortfolioQueueStore)();
-  const eventLedger = (options.initEventLedger ?? initEventLedger)();
-  const runStateStore = (options.initRunStateStore ?? initRunStateStore)();
+
+  // Each opener gets its OWN try/catch (mirroring runDiscover, discover-cli.ts:631-637): an opener throwing must
+  // return 2 via reportCliFailure instead of propagating an unhandled throw, and must close whatever sibling
+  // handles this function already opened, or those SQLite handles leak.
+  let portfolioQueue: PortfolioQueueStore;
+  try {
+    portfolioQueue = (options.initPortfolioQueue ?? initPortfolioQueueStore)();
+  } catch (error) {
+    return reportCliFailure(parsed.json, describeCliError(error));
+  }
+
+  let eventLedger: EventLedger;
+  try {
+    eventLedger = (options.initEventLedger ?? initEventLedger)();
+  } catch (error) {
+    if (ownsPortfolioQueue) portfolioQueue.close();
+    return reportCliFailure(parsed.json, describeCliError(error));
+  }
+
+  let runStateStore: RunStateStore;
+  try {
+    runStateStore = (options.initRunStateStore ?? initRunStateStore)();
+  } catch (error) {
+    if (ownsPortfolioQueue) portfolioQueue.close();
+    if (ownsEventLedger) eventLedger.close();
+    return reportCliFailure(parsed.json, describeCliError(error));
+  }
+
   try {
     const rows = collectManageStatus({ portfolioQueue, eventLedger });
     const runPortfolio = collectRunPortfolio({ portfolioQueue, eventLedger, runStateStore });
diff --git a/test/unit/miner-manage-poll.test.ts b/test/unit/miner-manage-poll.test.ts
index 32d96beaf..f9349c992 100644
--- a/test/unit/miner-manage-poll.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/miner-manage-poll.test.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ import {
   closeDefaultEventLedger,
   initEventLedger,
 } from "../../packages/loopover-miner/lib/event-ledger";
+import type { EventLedger } from "../../packages/loopover-miner/lib/event-ledger";
+import * as eventLedgerModule from "../../packages/loopover-miner/lib/event-ledger";
 import {
   MANAGE_PR_UPDATE_EVENT,
   collectManageStatus,
@@ -329,6 +331,73 @@ describe("loopover-miner manage poll (#2323/#2325)", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it("returns 2 and prints the error (honoring --json) when the event-ledger opener itself throws", async () => {
+    const initStores = {
+      initEventLedger: () => {
+        throw new Error("boom");
+      },
+    };
+
+    const error = vi.spyOn(console, "error").mockImplementation(() => undefined);
+    expect(await runManagePoll(["acme/widgets", "4"], initStores)).toBe(2);
+    expect(String(error.mock.calls.at(-1)?.[0])).toContain("boom");
+
+    const log = vi.spyOn(console, "log").mockImplementation(() => undefined);
+    expect(await runManagePoll(["acme/widgets", "4", "--json"], initStores)).toBe(2);
+    expect(JSON.parse(String(log.mock.calls.at(-1)?.[0]))).toEqual({ ok: false, error: "boom" });
+  });
+
+  it("REGRESSION: a store-open failure exits 2 instead of throwing, and closes the handle already opened", async () => {
+    const root = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "loopover-miner-manage-poll-open-failure-"));
+    roots.push(root);
+    const previousEventLedgerDbPath = process.env.LOOPOVER_MINER_EVENT_LEDGER_DB;
+    process.env.LOOPOVER_MINER_EVENT_LEDGER_DB = join(root, "event-ledger.sqlite3");
+    try {
+      // The event ledger is opened for real (no override, so runManagePoll owns and would normally close it
+      // itself) so this proves the actual owned-close path, not just that an injected test-double was passed
+      // through untouched.
+      const realInitEventLedger = eventLedgerModule.initEventLedger;
+      let openedEventLedger: ReturnType<typeof realInitEventLedger> | undefined;
+      let closeSpy: ReturnType<typeof vi.fn> | undefined;
+      vi.spyOn(eventLedgerModule, "initEventLedger").mockImplementation((...args) => {
+        openedEventLedger = realInitEventLedger(...args);
+        closeSpy = vi.spyOn(openedEventLedger, "close");
+        return openedEventLedger;
+      });
+
+      const error = vi.spyOn(console, "error").mockImplementation(() => undefined);
+      expect(
+        await runManagePoll(["acme/widgets", "4"], {
+          initPortfolioQueue: () => {
+            throw new Error("boom: portfolio-queue open failed");
+          },
+        }),
+      ).toBe(2);
+      expect(String(error.mock.calls.at(-1)?.[0])).toContain("boom: portfolio-queue open failed");
+      expect(openedEventLedger).toBeDefined();
+      expect(closeSpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    } finally {
+      if (previousEventLedgerDbPath === undefined) delete process.env.LOOPOVER_MINER_EVENT_LEDGER_DB;
+      else process.env.LOOPOVER_MINER_EVENT_LEDGER_DB = previousEventLedgerDbPath;
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("leaves an injected (non-owned) event ledger open when the portfolio-queue opener throws", async () => {
+    const injectedEventLedger = { appendEvent: () => null, close: vi.fn() };
+    const error = vi.spyOn(console, "error").mockImplementation(() => undefined);
+
+    expect(
+      await runManagePoll(["acme/widgets", "4"], {
+        initEventLedger: () => injectedEventLedger as unknown as EventLedger,
+        initPortfolioQueue: () => {
+          throw new Error("boom: portfolio-queue open failed");
+        },
+      }),
+    ).toBe(2);
+    expect(String(error.mock.calls.at(-1)?.[0])).toContain("boom: portfolio-queue open failed");
+    expect(injectedEventLedger.close).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
   it("parseManagePollArgs rejects an invalid owner/repo argument", () => {
     expect(parseManagePollArgs(["acme", "42"])).toEqual({
       error: "Repository must be in owner/repo form.",
diff --git a/test/unit/miner-manage-status.test.ts b/test/unit/miner-manage-status.test.ts
index 5e244c4b5..0eebe90d4 100644
--- a/test/unit/miner-manage-status.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/miner-manage-status.test.ts
@@ -19,14 +19,19 @@ import {
   closeDefaultEventLedger,
   initEventLedger,
 } from "../../packages/loopover-miner/lib/event-ledger";
+import type { EventLedger } from "../../packages/loopover-miner/lib/event-ledger";
+import * as eventLedgerModule from "../../packages/loopover-miner/lib/event-ledger";
 import {
   closeDefaultPortfolioQueueStore,
   initPortfolioQueueStore,
 } from "../../packages/loopover-miner/lib/portfolio-queue";
+import type { PortfolioQueueStore } from "../../packages/loopover-miner/lib/portfolio-queue";
+import * as portfolioQueueModule from "../../packages/loopover-miner/lib/portfolio-queue";
 import {
   closeDefaultRunStateStore,
   initRunStateStore,
 } from "../../packages/loopover-miner/lib/run-state";
+import type { RunStateStore } from "../../packages/loopover-miner/lib/run-state";
 
 const roots: string[] = [];
 const stores: Array<{ close(): void }> = [];
@@ -350,6 +355,123 @@ describe("loopover-miner manage status (#2325)", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it("returns 2 and prints the error (honoring --json) when the portfolio-queue opener itself throws", () => {
+    const initStores = {
+      initPortfolioQueue: () => {
+        throw new Error("boom");
+      },
+      initEventLedger: () => ({ readEvents: () => [], close() {} }) as unknown as EventLedger,
+      initRunStateStore: () => ({ listRunStates: () => [], close() {} }) as unknown as RunStateStore,
+    };
+
+    const error = vi.spyOn(console, "error").mockImplementation(() => {});
+    expect(runManageStatus([], initStores)).toBe(2);
+    expect(String(error.mock.calls.at(-1)?.[0])).toContain("boom");
+
+    const log = vi.spyOn(console, "log").mockImplementation(() => {});
+    expect(runManageStatus(["--json"], initStores)).toBe(2);
+    expect(JSON.parse(String(log.mock.calls.at(-1)?.[0]))).toEqual({ ok: false, error: "boom" });
+  });
+
+  it("REGRESSION: a store-open failure exits 2 instead of throwing, and closes the handle already opened", () => {
+    const root = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "loopover-miner-manage-status-open-failure-"));
+    roots.push(root);
+    vi.stubEnv("LOOPOVER_MINER_CONFIG_DIR", root);
+
+    // The portfolio queue is opened for real (no override, so runManageStatus owns and would normally close it
+    // itself) so this proves the actual owned-close path, not just that an injected test-double was passed
+    // through untouched.
+    const realInitPortfolioQueue = portfolioQueueModule.initPortfolioQueueStore;
+    let openedPortfolioQueue: ReturnType<typeof realInitPortfolioQueue> | undefined;
+    let closeSpy: ReturnType<typeof vi.fn> | undefined;
+    vi.spyOn(portfolioQueueModule, "initPortfolioQueueStore").mockImplementation((...args) => {
+      openedPortfolioQueue = realInitPortfolioQueue(...args);
+      closeSpy = vi.spyOn(openedPortfolioQueue, "close");
+      return openedPortfolioQueue;
+    });
+
+    const error = vi.spyOn(console, "error").mockImplementation(() => {});
+    expect(
+      runManageStatus([], {
+        initEventLedger: () => {
+          throw new Error("boom: event-ledger open failed");
+        },
+      }),
+    ).toBe(2);
+    expect(String(error.mock.calls.at(-1)?.[0])).toContain("boom: event-ledger open failed");
+    expect(openedPortfolioQueue).toBeDefined();
+    expect(closeSpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+
+  it("leaves an injected (non-owned) portfolio queue open when the event-ledger opener throws", () => {
+    const injectedPortfolioQueue = { listQueue: () => [], close: vi.fn() };
+    const error = vi.spyOn(console, "error").mockImplementation(() => {});
+
+    expect(
+      runManageStatus([], {
+        initPortfolioQueue: () => injectedPortfolioQueue as unknown as PortfolioQueueStore,
+        initEventLedger: () => {
+          throw new Error("boom: event-ledger open failed");
+        },
+      }),
+    ).toBe(2);
+    expect(String(error.mock.calls.at(-1)?.[0])).toContain("boom: event-ledger open failed");
+    expect(injectedPortfolioQueue.close).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("REGRESSION: a run-state-store open failure closes both an owned portfolio queue and an owned event ledger", () => {
+    const root = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "loopover-miner-manage-status-run-state-open-failure-"));
+    roots.push(root);
+    vi.stubEnv("LOOPOVER_MINER_CONFIG_DIR", root);
+
+    const realInitPortfolioQueue = portfolioQueueModule.initPortfolioQueueStore;
+    let portfolioQueueCloseSpy: ReturnType<typeof vi.fn> | undefined;
+    vi.spyOn(portfolioQueueModule, "initPortfolioQueueStore").mockImplementation((...args) => {
+      const store = realInitPortfolioQueue(...args);
+      portfolioQueueCloseSpy = vi.spyOn(store, "close");
+      return store;
+    });
+
+    const realInitEventLedger = eventLedgerModule.initEventLedger;
+    let eventLedgerCloseSpy: ReturnType<typeof vi.fn> | undefined;
+    vi.spyOn(eventLedgerModule, "initEventLedger").mockImplementation((...args) => {
+      const store = realInitEventLedger(...args);
+      eventLedgerCloseSpy = vi.spyOn(store, "close");
+      return store;
+    });
+
+    const error = vi.spyOn(console, "error").mockImplementation(() => {});
+    expect(
+      runManageStatus([], {
+        initRunStateStore: () => {
+          throw new Error("boom: run-state open failed");
+        },
+      }),
+    ).toBe(2);
+    expect(String(error.mock.calls.at(-1)?.[0])).toContain("boom: run-state open failed");
+    expect(portfolioQueueCloseSpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(eventLedgerCloseSpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+
+  it("leaves injected (non-owned) portfolio queue and event ledger open when the run-state-store opener throws", () => {
+    const injectedPortfolioQueue = { listQueue: () => [], close: vi.fn() };
+    const injectedEventLedger = { readEvents: () => [], close: vi.fn() };
+    const error = vi.spyOn(console, "error").mockImplementation(() => {});
+
+    expect(
+      runManageStatus([], {
+        initPortfolioQueue: () => injectedPortfolioQueue as unknown as PortfolioQueueStore,
+        initEventLedger: () => injectedEventLedger as unknown as EventLedger,
+        initRunStateStore: () => {
+          throw new Error("boom: run-state open failed");
+        },
+      }),
+    ).toBe(2);
+    expect(String(error.mock.calls.at(-1)?.[0])).toContain("boom: run-state open failed");
+    expect(injectedPortfolioQueue.close).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(injectedEventLedger.close).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
   it("rejects unknown CLI options", () => {
     const error = vi.spyOn(console, "error").mockImplementation(() => {});
     expect(runManageStatus(["--verbose"])).toBe(2);