diff --git a/src/download/engine.test.ts b/src/download/engine.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f6dab1d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/download/engine.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+import { EventEmitter } from "node:events";
+import { describe, it, expect, vi, afterEach } from "vitest";
+
+const constructorCalls: Record<string, unknown>[] = [];
+
+vi.mock("webtorrent", () => {
+  return {
+    default: class extends EventEmitter {
+      torrentPort = 6881;
+      constructor(opts?: Record<string, unknown>) {
+        super();
+        constructorCalls.push(opts ?? {});
+      }
+      add(): EventEmitter {
+        return new EventEmitter();
+      }
+      destroy(): void {}
+    },
+  };
+});
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  constructorCalls.length = 0;
+  vi.resetModules();
+});
+
+describe("TorrentEngine macOS port-5350 fix (#22)", () => {
+  it("passes natPmp:false on macOS so mDNSResponder's port 5350 is never bound", async () => {
+    const { TorrentEngine } = await import("./engine");
+    const original = process.platform;
+    Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", { value: "darwin" });
+    try {
+      const engine = new TorrentEngine();
+      engine.add(
+        "test-id",
+        "magnet:?xt=urn:btih:0000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
+        "/downloads",
+        {},
+      );
+      engine.destroy();
+    } finally {
+      Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", { value: original });
+    }
+    expect(constructorCalls).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(constructorCalls[0]).toMatchObject({ natPmp: false });
+  });
+
+  it("does not disable natPmp on Linux (port 5350 is free)", async () => {
+    const { TorrentEngine } = await import("./engine");
+    const original = process.platform;
+    Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", { value: "linux" });
+    try {
+      const engine = new TorrentEngine();
+      engine.add(
+        "test-id",
+        "magnet:?xt=urn:btih:0000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
+        "/downloads",
+        {},
+      );
+      engine.destroy();
+    } finally {
+      Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", { value: original });
+    }
+    expect(constructorCalls).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(constructorCalls[0]).not.toHaveProperty("natPmp", false);
+  });
+
+  it("does not disable natPmp on Windows (port 5350 is free)", async () => {
+    const { TorrentEngine } = await import("./engine");
+    const original = process.platform;
+    Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", { value: "win32" });
+    try {
+      const engine = new TorrentEngine();
+      engine.add(
+        "test-id",
+        "magnet:?xt=urn:btih:0000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
+        "/downloads",
+        {},
+      );
+      engine.destroy();
+    } finally {
+      Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", { value: original });
+    }
+    expect(constructorCalls).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(constructorCalls[0]).not.toHaveProperty("natPmp", false);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/download/engine.ts b/src/download/engine.ts
index a454e52..cb6c745 100644
--- a/src/download/engine.ts
+++ b/src/download/engine.ts
@@ -38,7 +38,15 @@ export class TorrentEngine {
 
   private ensureClient(): WebTorrent {
     if (!this.client) {
-      this.client = new WebTorrent();
+      // On macOS, mDNSResponder occupies UDP port 5350 — the NAT-PMP
+      // client port. Binding it fails asynchronously with EADDRINUSE,
+      // and since the PMP client is a raw EventEmitter with no error
+      // listener, the error surfaces as an uncaughtException that kills
+      // the app the moment a download starts. NAT-PMP can never succeed
+      // on macOS because the port is permanently taken, so disable it
+      // and let UPnP handle NAT traversal instead.
+      const opts = process.platform === "darwin" ? { natPmp: false } : {};
+      this.client = new WebTorrent(opts);
       this.client.on("error", () => {});
     }
     return this.client;
diff --git a/src/webtorrent.d.ts b/src/webtorrent.d.ts
index 568e3e9..b079f18 100644
--- a/src/webtorrent.d.ts
+++ b/src/webtorrent.d.ts
@@ -42,6 +42,8 @@ declare module "webtorrent" {
     utp?: boolean;
     tracker?: boolean;
     lsd?: boolean;
+    natPmp?: boolean;
+    natUpnp?: boolean | "permanent";
   }
 
   class WebTorrent extends EventEmitter {