diff --git a/docs/electron-observation.md b/docs/electron-observation.md
index de5ac0327b..272c4e6511 100644
--- a/docs/electron-observation.md
+++ b/docs/electron-observation.md
@@ -129,8 +129,10 @@ native-addon, process, and IPC timeline events. IPC channels and argument-shape
 metadata retain their observed lengths; payload values are never retained.
 Renderer crash/restart and deep-link actions are synthetic
 scenario controls; their attempted and observed outcomes remain in the
-timeline. The active hook blocks and records external shell/navigation,
-permission, download, popup, updater, and OS-integration effects. The timeline
+timeline. The active hook blocks and records the shell methods listed below
+and selected navigation, permission, download, popup, updater, and
+OS-integration APIs. These method patches do not contain direct filesystem,
+network, native-addon, or other unpatched target effects. The timeline
 is explicitly partial when attachment starts after application activity. The
 startup, including the initial state snapshot, has a 60-second deadline.
 Actions wait until completion or request cancellation; a click whose target
@@ -139,11 +141,14 @@ window, remains pending until cancelled. After cancellation, the final state
 read has 5 seconds before REA keeps the initial snapshot instead; the
 cancellation keeps the caller's reason and records that expiry in its
 diagnostics.
-Blocked synchronous shell APIs keep their return contracts:
+The shell policy is owned by `blockedShellResults` in
+`scripts/electron-active-hook-boundaries.cjs`. Its synchronous blocks are:
 `showItemInFolder` returns `undefined` and `writeShortcutLink` returns `false`.
 Their `shell-attempt` events record the blocked phase and argument shapes;
 neither result means the requested host operation occurred. The existing
-`openExternal` and `openPath` blocks continue to reject their promises.
+`openExternal`, `openPath`, and `trashItem` blocks reject their promises.
+The `trashItem` block prevents that call from reaching the OS trash operation;
+it does not intercept other ways the application can remove files.
 CLI SIGINT/SIGTERM requests cancellation and awaits owned-process cleanup.
 Window IDs, URLs, and cached titles come from one main-process Electron snapshot,
 so a crashed renderer does not require a successful renderer-side title query.
diff --git a/scripts/electron-active-hook-boundaries.cjs b/scripts/electron-active-hook-boundaries.cjs
index 7f34758a2e..cb0d529674 100644
--- a/scripts/electron-active-hook-boundaries.cjs
+++ b/scripts/electron-active-hook-boundaries.cjs
@@ -350,6 +350,8 @@ const createElectronActiveBoundaryPatches = ({
       Promise.reject(new Error("External shell effects are blocked")),
     openPath: () =>
       Promise.reject(new Error("External shell effects are blocked")),
+    trashItem: () =>
+      Promise.reject(new Error("External shell effects are blocked")),
     // Synchronous `void`: reveals a path in the host file manager.
     showItemInFolder: () => undefined,
     // Synchronous `boolean`: creates or replaces a Windows shortcut file.
diff --git a/tests/boundary/browser/electronActiveHook.test.ts b/tests/boundary/browser/electronActiveHook.test.ts
index b8acf13efb..538544687a 100644
--- a/tests/boundary/browser/electronActiveHook.test.ts
+++ b/tests/boundary/browser/electronActiveHook.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { copyFile, mkdir, rm, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { copyFile, mkdir, readFile, rm, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { dirname, join } from "node:path";
 import { spawn } from "node:child_process";
 import { createRequire } from "node:module";
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ globalThis.__nativeShellCalls = [];
 const shell = {
   openExternal: () => Promise.resolve(),
   openPath: () => Promise.resolve(),
+  trashItem: (path) => require("node:fs/promises").unlink(path),
   showItemInFolder: (path) => { globalThis.__nativeShellCalls.push(["showItemInFolder", path]); },
   writeShortcutLink: (path) => { globalThis.__nativeShellCalls.push(["writeShortcutLink", path]); return true; },
 };
@@ -300,6 +301,42 @@ process.stdout.write(JSON.stringify({
   electronActiveTimelineEventSchema.array().parse(result.snapshot.events);
 });
 
+it("blocks trashItem asynchronously, records the attempt, and preserves the selected file", async () => {
+  const root = await createTestTempDirectory("rea-electron-hook-trash-");
+  temporary.push(root);
+  await writeElectronFixture(root);
+  const selected = join(root, "retained.txt");
+  await writeFile(selected, "must remain");
+  const script = join(root, "trash.cjs");
+  await writeFile(
+    script,
+    `const { shell } = require("electron");
+const result = shell.trashItem(${JSON.stringify(selected)});
+const promise = result instanceof Promise;
+result.then(
+  () => { throw new Error("trashItem unexpectedly succeeded"); },
+  error => process.stdout.write(JSON.stringify({ promise, message: error.message, snapshot: globalThis.__reaElectronActiveSnapshot() }) + "\\n"),
+);
+`,
+  );
+  const execution = await runNode(script, root);
+  expect(execution.code, execution.stderr).toBe(0);
+  const result = JSON.parse(execution.stdout.trim());
+  expect(result.promise).toBe(true);
+  expect(result.message).toBe("External shell effects are blocked");
+  expect(await readFile(selected, "utf8")).toBe("must remain");
+  expect(result.snapshot.events).toContainEqual(
+    expect.objectContaining({
+      kind: "shell-attempt",
+      event: "trashItem",
+      phase: "blocked",
+      argument_shapes: ["string"],
+      error: true,
+    }),
+  );
+  expect(JSON.stringify(result.snapshot)).not.toContain(selected);
+});
+
 it("classifies a dropped browser preload as preload configuration at capture", async () => {
   const root = await createTestTempDirectory(
     "rea-electron-hook-browser-preload-",