diff --git a/test/cli/argv_dispatch_test.dart b/test/cli/argv_dispatch_test.dart
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..80af5524
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/cli/argv_dispatch_test.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+/// Unit tests for the `_argv` unwrap handler (T-126).
+///
+/// Exercises the two branches the e2e test doesn't reliably hit:
+///   1. `args.argv` not a List → userError
+///   2. argv parses to an ArgvError → that error flows back through
+library;
+
+import 'package:clide/src/cli/argv_dispatch.dart';
+import 'package:clide/src/daemon/dispatcher.dart';
+import 'package:clide/src/ipc/envelope.dart';
+import 'package:clide/src/ipc/schema_v1.dart';
+import 'package:test/test.dart';
+
+void main() {
+  late DaemonDispatcher d;
+
+  setUp(() {
+    d = DaemonDispatcher();
+    registerArgvUnwrap(d);
+  });
+
+  test('valid argv → parsed and re-dispatched (round-trip via ping)', () async {
+    final res = await d.dispatch(IpcRequest(id: 'x', cmd: argvSentinelCmd, args: {
+      'argv': ['ping'],
+    }));
+    expect(res.ok, isTrue);
+    expect(res.id, 'x');
+    expect(res.data['pong'], isTrue);
+  });
+
+  test('args.argv missing → userError', () async {
+    final res = await d.dispatch(IpcRequest(id: 'y', cmd: argvSentinelCmd, args: const {}));
+    expect(res.ok, isFalse);
+    expect(res.error?.kind, IpcErrorKind.userError);
+    expect(res.error?.message, contains('argv'));
+  });
+
+  test('args.argv is not a list → userError', () async {
+    final res = await d.dispatch(IpcRequest(id: 'z', cmd: argvSentinelCmd, args: {
+      'argv': 'not a list',
+    }));
+    expect(res.ok, isFalse);
+    expect(res.error?.kind, IpcErrorKind.userError);
+  });
+
+  test('argv that fails parseArgv → that error flows back unmodified', () async {
+    final res = await d.dispatch(IpcRequest(id: 'p', cmd: argvSentinelCmd, args: {
+      'argv': const <String>[], // empty argv triggers parseArgv usage error
+    }));
+    expect(res.ok, isFalse);
+    expect(res.error?.kind, IpcErrorKind.userError);
+    expect(res.error?.message, contains('usage'));
+  });
+
+  test('outer request id is preserved on the response', () async {
+    final res = await d.dispatch(IpcRequest(id: 'unique-id-123', cmd: argvSentinelCmd, args: {
+      'argv': ['ping'],
+    }));
+    expect(res.id, 'unique-id-123');
+  });
+}