diff --git a/src/application/AppBundleExecutable.openStep.test.ts b/src/application/AppBundleExecutable.openStep.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4a5aae87f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/application/AppBundleExecutable.openStep.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+import { mkdir, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+
+import { parseOpenStep } from "plist";
+import { expect, it } from "vitest";
+
+import { createTestTempDirectory } from "../../tests/fixtures/temporaryDirectory.js";
+import { resolveAppBundleExecutable } from "./AppBundleExecutable.js";
+
+it.each([
+  ["no comment", ""],
+  ["block comment", "/* App metadata */\n"],
+  ["line comment", "// App metadata\n"],
+  ["mixed comments", " \t/* header */\n// executable selection\n"],
+])("resolves an OpenStep Info.plist with %s", async (_label, prefix) => {
+  const root = await createTestTempDirectory("rea-openstep-bundle-");
+  const bundle = join(root, "Fixture.app");
+  const programs = join(bundle, "Contents", "MacOS");
+  const executable = join(programs, "Fixture");
+  const infoPlist = join(bundle, "Contents", "Info.plist");
+  const source = `${prefix}{ CFBundleExecutable = Fixture; }`;
+  expect(parseOpenStep(source)).toEqual({ CFBundleExecutable: "Fixture" });
+  await mkdir(programs, { recursive: true });
+  await writeFile(infoPlist, source);
+  await writeFile(executable, "fixture - never executed");
+
+  expect(await resolveAppBundleExecutable(bundle)).toEqual({
+    ok: true,
+    value: { executable, infoPlist },
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/domain/propertyListKeys.ts b/src/domain/propertyListKeys.ts
index eec69718cf..850bbf9f58 100644
--- a/src/domain/propertyListKeys.ts
+++ b/src/domain/propertyListKeys.ts
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ export const omitPrototypeKeys = (
 export const parseXmlPropertyList = (text: string): ParsedPropertyList => {
   // Preserve the pinned decoder's existing OpenStep autodetection, also used
   // by app Info.plist resolution.
-  const first = text.trimStart()[0];
+  const first = text[skipOpenStepTrivia(text, 0)];
   if (first === "{" || first === "(") {
     // The pinned decoder assigns a `__proto__` key to the object prototype, so
     // the entry is gone before the decoded value can be counted. Count keys in
@@ -210,12 +210,17 @@ const isOpenStepPrototypeKey = (token: string): boolean => {
 
 /** Skip grammar trivia without interpreting delimiter examples inside comments. */
 const skipOpenStepTrivia = (text: string, cursor: number): number => {
-  if (/\s/u.test(text[cursor] ?? "")) return cursor + 1;
-  if (!text.startsWith("//", cursor) && !text.startsWith("/*", cursor))
-    return cursor;
-  const line = text[cursor + 1] === "/";
-  const end = text.indexOf(line ? "\n" : "*/", cursor + 2);
-  return end === -1 ? text.length : end + (line ? 1 : 2);
+  while (cursor < text.length) {
+    if (/\s/u.test(text[cursor] ?? "")) {
+      cursor += 1;
+      continue;
+    }
+    if (!text.startsWith("//", cursor) && !text.startsWith("/*", cursor)) break;
+    const line = text[cursor + 1] === "/";
+    const end = text.indexOf(line ? "\n" : "*/", cursor + 2);
+    cursor = end === -1 ? text.length : end + (line ? 1 : 2);
+  }
+  return cursor;
 };
 
 /** Read the extent of one opaque scalar; the pinned decoder still owns its value. */
diff --git a/src/domain/propertyListOpenStepComments.test.ts b/src/domain/propertyListOpenStepComments.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..13f77cdbbc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/domain/propertyListOpenStepComments.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+import { expect, it } from "vitest";
+
+import { plistNestingLimitMessage } from "./apple/plistValue.js";
+import { parseXmlPropertyList } from "./propertyListKeys.js";
+
+it("preserves array values and comment-like string content after leading trivia", () => {
+  const parsed = parseXmlPropertyList(
+    '\uFEFF /* header */ // array\r\n ("https://example.test", "/*literal*/")',
+  );
+  expect(parsed.value).toEqual(["https://example.test", "/*literal*/"]);
+  expect(parsed.numberLiterals.incomplete).toBe(true);
+});
+
+it("retains prototype-key omission through commented OpenStep dispatch", () => {
+  const parsed = parseXmlPropertyList(
+    '/* header */ { __proto__ = { secret = value; }; kept = "/*literal*/"; }',
+  );
+  expect(parsed.value).toEqual({ kept: "/*literal*/" });
+  expect(parsed.omittedPrototypeKeys).toBe(1);
+});
+
+it("retains the depth preflight after a leading comment", () => {
+  expect(() =>
+    parseXmlPropertyList(`// header\n${"(".repeat(129)}x${")".repeat(129)}`),
+  ).toThrow(plistNestingLimitMessage());
+});
+
+it.each(["// header only", "/* unterminated", "/* header */ not-a-container"])(
+  "does not admit missing or unsupported root values: %s",
+  (source) => {
+    expect(() => parseXmlPropertyList(source)).toThrow();
+  },
+);
+
+it("keeps XML comments on the XML decoding path", () => {
+  expect(
+    parseXmlPropertyList(
+      "<!-- header --> <plist><string>value</string></plist>",
+    ).value,
+  ).toBe("value");
+});