diff --git a/src/domain/javascript/childProcessOptionsRegression.test.ts b/src/domain/javascript/childProcessOptionsRegression.test.ts
index 8c18fe8305..9b35a8f7ac 100644
--- a/src/domain/javascript/childProcessOptionsRegression.test.ts
+++ b/src/domain/javascript/childProcessOptionsRegression.test.ts
@@ -52,6 +52,36 @@ describe("child-process options detection", () => {
     ]);
   });
 
+  it("reads fork's silent option when stdio is not a string or array", () => {
+    const ir = analyzeJavaScriptSemantics(`
+      import { fork, spawn } from "node:child_process";
+
+      fork("piped.js", { silent: true });
+      fork("inherited.js", [], { silent: false });
+      fork("nullish-stdio.js", { silent: 1, stdio: null });
+      fork("explicit-stdio.js", { silent: true, stdio: "inherit" });
+      fork("dynamic.js", { silent: process.env.QUIET });
+      spawn("tool", { silent: true });
+      fork("boolean-stdio.js", { stdio: false, silent: true });
+      fork("object-stdio.js", { stdio: {}, silent: false });
+      fork("unresolved-stdio.js", { stdio: streams, silent: true });
+      spawn("tool", { stdio: false });
+    `);
+
+    expect(ir.childProcessSpawns.map(({ stdioMode }) => stdioMode)).toEqual([
+      "pipe",
+      "default",
+      "pipe",
+      "inherit",
+      "dynamic",
+      "default",
+      "pipe",
+      "default",
+      "dynamic",
+      "dynamic",
+    ]);
+  });
+
   it("preserves behavior with explicit args arrays", () => {
     const ir = analyzeJavaScriptSemantics(`
       import { spawn, execFile, fork } from "node:child_process";
diff --git a/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticChildProcesses.ts b/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticChildProcesses.ts
index 7d80c29297..61feb46e24 100644
--- a/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticChildProcesses.ts
+++ b/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticChildProcesses.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import {
 } from "./javascriptSemanticExpressionShapes.js";
 import {
   semanticStaticPropertyName,
+  staticJavaScriptTruthiness,
   staticObjectProperty,
   unwrapJavaScriptExpression,
 } from "./javascriptAstValues.js";
@@ -424,15 +425,40 @@ const stdioMode = (
   )
     return "default";
   const lookup = staticObjectProperty(expression, "stdio", context.isNullish);
-  if (lookup.status === "missing") return "default";
+  if (lookup.status === "missing")
+    return unsetStdioMode(expression, method, context);
   if (lookup.status !== "explicit") return "dynamic";
   const value = unwrapJavaScriptExpression(lookup.property.value).node;
-  if (context.isNullish(value)) return "default";
+  if (context.isNullish(value))
+    return unsetStdioMode(expression, method, context);
   if (t.isStringLiteral(value)) return value.value;
   if (t.isArrayExpression(value)) return "array";
+  // fork ignores any other known stdio value and falls back to `silent`.
+  if (method === "fork" && staticJavaScriptTruthiness(value) !== undefined)
+    return unsetStdioMode(expression, method, context);
   return "dynamic";
 };
 
+/**
+ * Without a string or array `stdio`, Node's `fork` pipes the standard streams
+ * when `silent` is truthy and inherits them otherwise.
+ */
+const unsetStdioMode = (
+  options: t.Node,
+  method: JavaScriptSemanticChildProcessSpawn["method"],
+  context: ChildSpawnContext,
+): string => {
+  if (method !== "fork") return "default";
+  const silent = staticObjectProperty(options, "silent", context.isNullish);
+  if (silent.status === "missing") return "default";
+  if (silent.status !== "explicit") return "dynamic";
+  const value = unwrapJavaScriptExpression(silent.property.value).node;
+  if (context.isNullish(value)) return "default";
+  const truthy = staticJavaScriptTruthiness(value);
+  if (truthy === undefined) return "dynamic";
+  return truthy ? "pipe" : "default";
+};
+
 const objectBinding = (
   node: t.Expression | t.Super,
   state: JavaScriptSemanticAnalysisState,