diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 9d75a84..7f349f6 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -6,6 +6,12 @@ here. Native format compatibility is documented separately in
 
 ## Unreleased
 
+- Fix atomic writes on Windows in `write_private_atomic`: skip the Unix-only
+  `os.fchmod` call and the directory `fsync` where the platform cannot
+  perform them (Windows keeps the creating user's ACLs and NTFS journaling
+  covers directory durability), and make temporary-file cleanup best-effort
+  so a cleanup failure cannot mask the original error.
+
 ## 0.11.0 - 2026-09-11
 
 - Read root Codex rollouts written with `history_mode: "paginated"` by using
diff --git a/src/session_migrate/jsonl.py b/src/session_migrate/jsonl.py
index c86c932..164782b 100644
--- a/src/session_migrate/jsonl.py
+++ b/src/session_migrate/jsonl.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import contextlib
 import hashlib
 import json
 import os
@@ -160,7 +161,9 @@ def write_private_atomic(path: Path, data: bytes) -> tuple[int, int]:
         temporary_path = Path(temporary_name)
         published_identity: tuple[int, int] | None = None
         try:
-            os.fchmod(descriptor, 0o600)
+            # os.fchmod is Unix-only; Windows keeps the creating user's ACLs.
+            if hasattr(os, "fchmod"):
+                os.fchmod(descriptor, 0o600)
             with os.fdopen(descriptor, "wb") as stream:
                 stream.write(data)
                 stream.flush()
@@ -178,7 +181,9 @@ def write_private_atomic(path: Path, data: bytes) -> tuple[int, int]:
             _fsync_directory(path.parent)
             return published_identity
         except BaseException:
-            temporary_path.unlink(missing_ok=True)
+            # A cleanup failure must not replace the error being reported.
+            with contextlib.suppress(OSError):
+                temporary_path.unlink(missing_ok=True)
             if published_identity is not None:
                 _unlink_if_same_file(path, published_identity)
             raise
@@ -205,6 +210,10 @@ def _mkdir_private(path: Path) -> None:
 
 
 def _fsync_directory(path: Path) -> None:
+    # Windows cannot os.open() a directory, and NTFS journaling keeps
+    # directory entries durable without an explicit fsync.
+    if os.name == "nt":
+        return
     descriptor = os.open(path, os.O_RDONLY | getattr(os, "O_DIRECTORY", 0))
     try:
         os.fsync(descriptor)
diff --git a/tests/test_jsonl.py b/tests/test_jsonl.py
index 2141881..3f1ee89 100644
--- a/tests/test_jsonl.py
+++ b/tests/test_jsonl.py
@@ -99,3 +99,34 @@ def racing_link(source: object, target: object) -> None:
         write_private_atomic(path, b"migrator output\n")
 
     assert path.read_bytes() == b"racing winner"
+
+
+def test_atomic_write_when_fchmod_is_unavailable(
+    tmp_path: Path, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
+) -> None:
+    # Windows and WASI have no os.fchmod; writes must still succeed there.
+    monkeypatch.delattr(os, "fchmod", raising=False)
+    path = tmp_path / "session.jsonl"
+
+    write_private_atomic(path, b"{}\n")
+
+    assert path.read_bytes() == b"{}\n"
+    assert not list(tmp_path.glob(".*.tmp"))
+
+
+def test_atomic_write_cleanup_does_not_mask_original_error(
+    tmp_path: Path, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
+) -> None:
+    path = tmp_path / "session.jsonl"
+
+    def failing_fchmod(descriptor: int, mode: int) -> None:
+        raise OSError("fchmod failed")
+
+    def failing_unlink(target: object, **kwargs: object) -> None:
+        raise OSError("cleanup unlink failed")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(os, "fchmod", failing_fchmod)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(os, "unlink", failing_unlink)
+
+    with pytest.raises(JsonlError, match="fchmod failed"):
+        write_private_atomic(path, b"{}\n")