diff --git a/broker/broker.ts b/broker/broker.ts
index a2e1cc5..785e9cf 100644
--- a/broker/broker.ts
+++ b/broker/broker.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import { join } from "path";
 import { homedir } from "os";
 import { randomUUID } from "crypto";
 import { writeMessage, createMessageReader } from "./framing.js";
-import { getBrokerSocketPath } from "./paths.js";
+import { getBrokerSocketPath, isTcpMode, parseTcpPort, writeBrokerPort } from "./paths.js";
 import type { SessionInfo, Message, Attachment, BrokerMessage } from "../types.js";
 
 const INTERCOM_DIR = join(homedir(), ".pi/agent/intercom");
@@ -112,9 +112,16 @@ class IntercomBroker {
   }
 
   start(): void {
-    this.server.listen(SOCKET_PATH, () => {
+    const listenOpts: any = isTcpMode(SOCKET_PATH)
+      ? { port: parseTcpPort(SOCKET_PATH), host: '127.0.0.1' }
+      : SOCKET_PATH;
+
+    this.server.listen(listenOpts, () => {
       writeFileSync(PID_PATH, String(process.pid));
-      console.log(`Intercom broker started (pid: ${process.pid})`);
+      if (isTcpMode(SOCKET_PATH)) {
+        writeBrokerPort(parseTcpPort(SOCKET_PATH));
+      }
+      console.log(`Intercom broker started (pid: ${process.pid}, transport: ${isTcpMode(SOCKET_PATH) ? 'TCP port ' + SOCKET_PATH : 'pipe ' + SOCKET_PATH})`);
     });
     process.on("SIGTERM", () => this.shutdown());
     process.on("SIGINT", () => this.shutdown());
diff --git a/broker/client.ts b/broker/client.ts
index a6647a7..4bba4b8 100644
--- a/broker/client.ts
+++ b/broker/client.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import { EventEmitter } from "events";
 import net from "net";
 import { randomUUID } from "crypto";
 import { writeMessage, createMessageReader } from "./framing.js";
-import { getBrokerSocketPath } from "./paths.js";
+import { getBrokerSocketPath, isTcpMode, parseTcpPort } from "./paths.js";
 import type { SessionInfo, Message, Attachment } from "../types.js";
 
 const BROKER_SOCKET = getBrokerSocketPath();
@@ -155,7 +155,9 @@ export class IntercomClient extends EventEmitter {
     }
 
     return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-      const socket = net.connect(BROKER_SOCKET);
+      const socket = isTcpMode(BROKER_SOCKET)
+        ? net.connect({ port: parseTcpPort(BROKER_SOCKET), host: '127.0.0.1' })
+        : net.connect(BROKER_SOCKET);
       this.socket = socket;
       this.disconnectError = null;
       let settled = false;
diff --git a/broker/paths.ts b/broker/paths.ts
index 981e69f..e72e96b 100644
--- a/broker/paths.ts
+++ b/broker/paths.ts
@@ -1,20 +1,82 @@
 import { join } from "path";
 import { homedir } from "os";
+import { writeFileSync, readFileSync, existsSync } from "fs";
 
-function sanitizePipeSegment(value: string): string {
-  return value
-    .replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9]+/g, "-")
-    .replace(/^-+|-+$/g, "")
-    .toLowerCase() || "default";
+const INTERCOM_DIR = join(homedir(), ".pi/agent/intercom");
+const PORT_FILE = join(INTERCOM_DIR, "broker.port");
+
+/**
+ * Check if TCP mode is forced via env var or config.
+ */
+function shouldUseTcp(platform: NodeJS.Platform = process.platform): boolean {
+  // Force TCP if env var is set
+  if (process.env.PI_INTERCOM_TCP === "1") return true;
+  // Force TCP on Windows if named pipes are blocked
+  if (platform === "win32") return true;
+  return false;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Get the TCP port for the broker.
+ * Reads from port file if exists, otherwise uses a fixed port.
+ */
+function getTcpPort(): number {
+  const FIXED_PORT = 19315;
+  try {
+    if (existsSync(PORT_FILE)) {
+      const port = parseInt(readFileSync(PORT_FILE, "utf-8").trim(), 10);
+      if (Number.isFinite(port) && port > 0 && port < 65536) return port;
+    }
+  } catch {}
+  return FIXED_PORT;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Write the TCP port to the port file so clients can discover it.
+ */
+export function writeBrokerPort(port: number): void {
+  writeFileSync(PORT_FILE, String(port), "utf-8");
+}
+
+/**
+ * Read the broker TCP port from the port file.
+ */
+export function readBrokerPort(): number {
+  return getTcpPort();
 }
 
 export function getBrokerSocketPath(
   platform: NodeJS.Platform = process.platform,
   homeDir: string = homedir(),
 ): string {
+  if (shouldUseTcp(platform)) {
+    return String(getTcpPort());
+  }
+
+  // Original Unix named pipe / Windows named pipe logic
   if (platform === "win32") {
+    function sanitizePipeSegment(value: string): string {
+      return value
+        .replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9]+/g, "-")
+        .replace(/^-+|-+$/g, "")
+        .toLowerCase() || "default";
+    }
     return `\\\\.\\pipe\\pi-intercom-${sanitizePipeSegment(homeDir)}`;
   }
 
   return join(homeDir, ".pi/agent/intercom/broker.sock");
 }
+
+/**
+ * Check if the socket path is a TCP port (numeric string).
+ */
+export function isTcpMode(socketPath: string): boolean {
+  return /^\d+$/.test(socketPath);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Get the TCP port from a socket path that is a numeric string.
+ */
+export function parseTcpPort(socketPath: string): number {
+  return parseInt(socketPath, 10);
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/broker/spawn.ts b/broker/spawn.ts
index 24296be..b04f716 100644
--- a/broker/spawn.ts
+++ b/broker/spawn.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import { join, dirname } from "path";
 import { fileURLToPath } from "url";
 import { homedir } from "os";
 import net from "net";
-import { getBrokerSocketPath } from "./paths.js";
+import { getBrokerSocketPath, isTcpMode, parseTcpPort } from "./paths.js";
 
 const INTERCOM_DIR = join(homedir(), ".pi/agent/intercom");
 const EXTENSION_DIR = join(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..");
@@ -212,7 +212,9 @@ async function isBrokerRunning(): Promise<boolean> {
 
 function checkSocketConnectable(): Promise<boolean> {
   return new Promise((resolve) => {
-    const socket = net.connect(BROKER_SOCKET);
+    const socket = isTcpMode(BROKER_SOCKET)
+      ? net.connect({ port: parseTcpPort(BROKER_SOCKET), host: '127.0.0.1' })
+      : net.connect(BROKER_SOCKET);
     const finish = (isConnected: boolean) => {
       clearTimeout(timeout);
       socket.off("connect", onConnect);