diff --git a/apps/server/src/bin.ts b/apps/server/src/bin.ts
index 53a1b9205c9a1..936c79943fd74 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/bin.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/bin.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
  * of evaluation) loads; everything else defers to the real CLI in ./binCli.ts.
  */
 import { isEntrypoint } from "./entrypoint.ts";
+import { enableCliCompileCache } from "./cliCompileCache.ts";
 
 if (
   isEntrypoint({
@@ -35,6 +36,7 @@ if (
     const { runAcpMcpCliFastPath } = await import("./mcp/AcpMcpStdioBridge.ts");
     await runAcpMcpCliFastPath(command, process.argv.slice(3));
   } else {
+    enableCliCompileCache();
     // Windows desktop launches without stdin; attach before reading, except on fast paths using pipes.
     const { attachConsoleStdin } = await import("./cli/consoleStdin.ts");
     attachConsoleStdin();
diff --git a/apps/server/src/cliCompileCache.test.ts b/apps/server/src/cliCompileCache.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..0603ce5178624
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/server/src/cliCompileCache.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+// @effect-diagnostics nodeBuiltinImport:off -- Resolves the real CLI entrypoint for subprocess tests.
+import * as NodeURL from "node:url";
+import * as NodeServices from "@effect/platform-node/NodeServices";
+import { expect, it } from "@effect/vitest";
+import * as Effect from "effect/Effect";
+import * as FileSystem from "effect/FileSystem";
+import * as Stream from "effect/Stream";
+import { ChildProcess, ChildProcessSpawner } from "effect/process";
+
+it.live("enables CLI caching while respecting overrides and unavailable storage", () =>
+  Effect.gen(function* () {
+    const fs = yield* FileSystem.FileSystem;
+    const spawner = yield* ChildProcessSpawner.ChildProcessSpawner;
+    const root = yield* fs.makeTempDirectoryScoped({ prefix: "t3-cli-cache-test-" });
+    const report = `import { getCompileCacheDir, registerHooks } from 'node:module'; registerHooks({ resolve(specifier, context, nextResolve) { if (specifier === './binCli.ts') console.error('CACHE=' + (getCompileCacheDir() ?? 'disabled')); return nextResolve(specifier, context); } });`;
+    const run = Effect.fn("cliCompileCache.test.run")(function* (env: Record<string, string>) {
+      const child = yield* spawner.spawn(
+        ChildProcess.make(
+          process.execPath,
+          [
+            "--experimental-strip-types",
+            "--import",
+            `data:text/javascript,${encodeURIComponent(report)}`,
+            NodeURL.fileURLToPath(new URL("./bin.ts", import.meta.url)),
+            "--help",
+          ],
+          {
+            env: {
+              XDG_CACHE_HOME: `${root}/cache`,
+              T3CODE_HOME: `${root}/home`,
+              NODE_COMPILE_CACHE: undefined,
+              NODE_DISABLE_COMPILE_CACHE: undefined,
+              APPIMAGE: "",
+              ...env,
+            },
+          },
+        ),
+      );
+      return yield* Effect.all(
+        {
+          stdout: child.stdout.pipe(Stream.decodeText(), Stream.mkString),
+          stderr: child.stderr.pipe(Stream.decodeText(), Stream.mkString),
+          exitCode: child.exitCode.pipe(Effect.map(Number)),
+        },
+        { concurrency: "unbounded" },
+      );
+    }, Effect.scoped);
+    const normal = yield* run({});
+    expect(normal.exitCode).toBe(0);
+    expect(normal.stderr.replaceAll("\\", "/")).toContain(
+      `CACHE=${root}/cache/t3code/compile-cache`.replaceAll("\\", "/"),
+    );
+    const appImage = yield* run({ APPIMAGE: `${root}/T3Code.AppImage` });
+    expect(appImage.exitCode).toBe(0);
+    expect(appImage.stderr).toContain("CACHE=disabled");
+    const existing = yield* run({ NODE_COMPILE_CACHE: `${root}/explicit` });
+    expect(existing.exitCode).toBe(0);
+    expect(existing.stderr.replaceAll("\\", "/")).toContain(
+      `${root}/explicit`.replaceAll("\\", "/"),
+    );
+    const disabled = yield* run({ NODE_DISABLE_COMPILE_CACHE: "1" });
+    expect(disabled.exitCode).toBe(0);
+    expect(disabled.stderr).toContain("CACHE=disabled");
+    yield* fs.writeFileString(`${root}/blocked`, "not a directory");
+    const unavailable = yield* run({ XDG_CACHE_HOME: `${root}/blocked` });
+    expect(unavailable.exitCode).toBe(0);
+    expect(unavailable.stderr).toContain("CACHE=disabled");
+  }).pipe(Effect.scoped, Effect.provide(NodeServices.layer)),
+);
diff --git a/apps/server/src/cliCompileCache.ts b/apps/server/src/cliCompileCache.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..4387de73ba4cf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/server/src/cliCompileCache.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+// @effect-diagnostics nodeBuiltinImport:off -- Runs before the CLI's Effect runtime loads.
+import * as NodeModule from "node:module";
+import * as NodeOS from "node:os";
+import * as NodePath from "node:path";
+import * as NodeSea from "node:sea";
+
+export function enableCliCompileCache(): void {
+  try {
+    // AppImage paths change each launch; SEA has no separate modules to cache.
+    if (process.env.APPIMAGE || NodeSea.isSea()) return;
+    const cacheRoot =
+      process.env.XDG_CACHE_HOME ||
+      // oxlint-disable-next-line t3code/no-global-process-runtime -- Runs before the CLI's Effect runtime loads.
+      (process.platform === "linux" ? NodePath.join(NodeOS.homedir(), ".cache") : NodeOS.tmpdir());
+    NodeModule.enableCompileCache(NodePath.join(cacheRoot, "t3code", "compile-cache"));
+  } catch {}
+}