diff --git a/crates/egui_inspection/src/plugin.rs b/crates/egui_inspection/src/plugin.rs
index fc100d4a0..3e620894e 100644
--- a/crates/egui_inspection/src/plugin.rs
+++ b/crates/egui_inspection/src/plugin.rs
@@ -30,10 +30,9 @@ use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex, OnceLock};
 use std::thread;
 
 use egui::{Context, FullOutput, RawInput};
-use interprocess::local_socket::{RecvHalf, SendHalf, Stream, prelude::*};
 
 use crate::INSPECTION_SOCKET_ENV_VAR;
-use crate::transport::socket_name;
+use crate::transport::{self, RecvHalf, SendHalf};
 use crate::protocol::{
     Capabilities, Frame, FrameScreenshot, HarnessMessage, InspectorCommand, PROTOCOL_VERSION,
     PeerHello, PeerKind, read_message, write_message,
@@ -122,9 +121,8 @@ impl InspectionPlugin {
     /// # Errors
     /// When the socket can't be dialed or a thread can't be spawned.
     pub fn attach(socket: &str, label: Option<String>) -> Result<Self, InspectionError> {
-        let name = socket_name(socket).map_err(InspectionError::Connect)?;
-        let stream = Stream::connect(name).map_err(InspectionError::Connect)?;
-        let (reader_stream, writer_stream) = stream.split();
+        let (reader_stream, writer_stream) =
+            transport::connect(socket).map_err(InspectionError::Connect)?;
 
         let shared_ctx: SharedCtx = Arc::new(OnceLock::new());
 
diff --git a/crates/egui_inspection/src/transport.rs b/crates/egui_inspection/src/transport.rs
index 43d6a05df..92cc2103f 100644
--- a/crates/egui_inspection/src/transport.rs
+++ b/crates/egui_inspection/src/transport.rs
@@ -7,11 +7,15 @@
 
 use std::io;
 
-use interprocess::local_socket::Name;
+use interprocess::local_socket::{ListenerOptions, Name, prelude::*};
 #[cfg(windows)]
-use interprocess::local_socket::{GenericNamespaced, ToNsName as _};
+use interprocess::local_socket::GenericNamespaced;
 #[cfg(not(windows))]
-use interprocess::local_socket::{GenericFilePath, ToFsName as _};
+use interprocess::local_socket::GenericFilePath;
+
+/// The two halves of a connected local-socket stream, re-exported so consumers build
+/// reader/writer threads without depending on `interprocess` directly.
+pub use interprocess::local_socket::{RecvHalf, SendHalf};
 
 /// Build a platform-appropriate local-socket [`Name`] from the env-var string produced by
 /// [`generate_socket_target`].
@@ -68,3 +72,42 @@ pub fn generate_socket_target() -> io::Result<SocketTarget> {
         Ok(SocketTarget { name })
     }
 }
+
+/// Dial an already-listening inspection socket and split the stream into read / write halves.
+///
+/// The connector side of the connection: the live plugin, or the kittest harness when
+/// [`crate::INSPECTION_SOCKET_ENV_VAR`] is set.
+///
+/// # Errors
+/// When `raw` isn't a valid local-socket name, or the socket can't be dialed.
+pub fn connect(raw: &str) -> io::Result<(RecvHalf, SendHalf)> {
+    use interprocess::local_socket::Stream;
+    let stream = Stream::connect(socket_name(raw)?)?;
+    Ok(stream.split())
+}
+
+/// A bound synchronous local-socket listener — the listener side of the connection (kittest
+/// harness in spawn mode, where it binds and then spawns an inspector pointed at the socket).
+///
+/// The MCP server uses the tokio listener directly; this sync wrapper exists for the
+/// thread-based kittest harness.
+pub struct Listener(interprocess::local_socket::Listener);
+
+impl Listener {
+    /// Bind a listener at the given target name (from [`generate_socket_target`]).
+    ///
+    /// # Errors
+    /// When `raw` isn't a valid local-socket name, or the socket can't be bound.
+    pub fn bind(raw: &str) -> io::Result<Self> {
+        let listener = ListenerOptions::new().name(socket_name(raw)?).create_sync()?;
+        Ok(Self(listener))
+    }
+
+    /// Block until a peer connects, then split the accepted stream into read / write halves.
+    ///
+    /// # Errors
+    /// When accepting the inbound connection fails.
+    pub fn accept(&self) -> io::Result<(RecvHalf, SendHalf)> {
+        Ok(self.0.accept()?.split())
+    }
+}