diff --git a/packages/core/src/__tests__/store-plugin-store-close.test.ts b/packages/core/src/__tests__/store-plugin-store-close.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7081e9657c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/core/src/__tests__/store-plugin-store-close.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import { PluginStore } from "../plugin-store.js";
+import { createTaskStoreTestHarness } from "./store-test-helpers.js";
+
+async function withTaskStoreHarness<T>(
+  fn: (harness: ReturnType<typeof createTaskStoreTestHarness>) => Promise<T>,
+): Promise<T> {
+  const harness = createTaskStoreTestHarness();
+  await harness.beforeEach();
+  try {
+    return await fn(harness);
+  } finally {
+    await harness.afterEach();
+  }
+}
+
+describe("TaskStore pluginStore close lifecycle", () => {
+  it("closes and nulls the cached plugin store when TaskStore.close runs", async () => {
+    await withTaskStoreHarness(async (harness) => {
+      const store = harness.store();
+      const pluginStore = store.getPluginStore();
+      await pluginStore.listPlugins();
+      const closeSpy = vi.spyOn(pluginStore, "close");
+
+      await store.close();
+
+      expect(closeSpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      expect((store as any).pluginStore).toBeNull();
+
+      await expect(store.close()).resolves.toBeUndefined();
+      expect(closeSpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("does not attempt plugin-store teardown when the cached store was never created", async () => {
+    await withTaskStoreHarness(async (harness) => {
+      const store = harness.store();
+      const prototypeCloseSpy = vi.spyOn(PluginStore.prototype, "close");
+
+      await expect(store.close()).resolves.toBeUndefined();
+
+      expect(prototypeCloseSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect((store as any).pluginStore).toBeNull();
+      prototypeCloseSpy.mockRestore();
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("closes disk-backed plugin stores during reopenDiskBackedStore", async () => {
+    await withTaskStoreHarness(async (harness) => {
+      await harness.reopenDiskBackedStore();
+      const originalStore = harness.store();
+      const pluginStore = originalStore.getPluginStore();
+      await pluginStore.listPlugins();
+      const closeSpy = vi.spyOn(pluginStore, "close");
+
+      await expect(harness.reopenDiskBackedStore()).resolves.toBeUndefined();
+
+      expect(closeSpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      expect((originalStore as any).pluginStore).toBeNull();
+      expect((harness.store() as any).pluginStore).toBeNull();
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/core/src/store.ts b/packages/core/src/store.ts
index 20c0aaf76c..56c7611f4f 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/store.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/store.ts
@@ -16534,6 +16534,21 @@ ${stepsSection}`;
       this.secretsCentralCore = null;
     }
     this.secretsStore = null;
+    if (this.pluginStore) {
+      /**
+       * FNXC:Plugins 2026-06-25-00:00:
+       * FN-7005 requires TaskStore.close() to own the cached PluginStore lifecycle because PluginStore has separate local and central SQLite connections.
+       * Dispose it here so long-running processes and tests outside shared reset helpers do not leak handles after TaskStore shutdown; PluginStore.close() follows FN-7003's null-safe handle teardown.
+       */
+      const pluginStore = this.pluginStore;
+      this.pluginStore = null;
+      pluginStore.removeAllListeners();
+      try {
+        pluginStore.close();
+      } catch (err) {
+        console.warn(`[fusion] Could not close plugin store on TaskStore close:`, err);
+      }
+    }
   }
 
   get fts5Available(): boolean {