diff --git a/headroom/learn/plugins/claude.py b/headroom/learn/plugins/claude.py
index 399cacfba..48fb75b69 100644
--- a/headroom/learn/plugins/claude.py
+++ b/headroom/learn/plugins/claude.py
@@ -82,9 +82,9 @@ class ClaudeCodePlugin(LearnPlugin, ConversationScanner):
             name = _project_display_name(project_path, entry.name)
 
             context_file = None
-            if project_path.exists():
+            if _path_exists(project_path):
                 claude_md = project_path / "CLAUDE.md"
-                if claude_md.exists():
+                if _path_exists(claude_md):
                     context_file = claude_md
 
             memory_dir = entry / "memory"
@@ -368,6 +368,23 @@ class ClaudeCodePlugin(LearnPlugin, ConversationScanner):
 # =============================================================================
 
 
+def _path_exists(path: Path) -> bool:
+    """Like ``Path.exists()`` but treats an unreadable path as absent.
+
+    ``_decode_project_path`` probes speculative candidate paths (e.g.
+    ``/home/marco/rocha`` when reconstructing ``/home/marco-rocha/...``). A
+    candidate can collide with another user's directory whose parent isn't
+    stat-able, and ``Path.exists()`` calls ``os.stat`` which then raises
+    ``PermissionError`` instead of returning ``False`` — crashing the whole
+    ``learn`` command (issue #2443). Match ``_greedy_path_decode``'s existing
+    ``OSError`` handling and treat any such error as "does not exist".
+    """
+    try:
+        return path.exists()
+    except OSError:
+        return False
+
+
 def _decode_windows_path(drive: str, parts: list[str]) -> Path | None:
     """Reconstruct a Windows path from drive letter + dash-split tokens.
 
@@ -378,10 +395,10 @@ def _decode_windows_path(drive: str, parts: list[str]) -> Path | None:
     if not tokens:
         return None
     win_path = Path(f"{drive}:\\" + "\\".join(tokens))
-    if win_path.exists():
+    if _path_exists(win_path):
         return win_path
     drive_root = Path(f"{drive}:\\")
-    if drive_root.exists():
+    if _path_exists(drive_root):
         result = _greedy_path_decode(drive_root, tokens)
         if result:
             return result
@@ -411,7 +428,7 @@ def _decode_project_path(escaped_name: str) -> Path | None:
         return None
 
     simple = Path("/" + escaped_name[1:].replace("-", "/"))
-    if simple.exists():
+    if _path_exists(simple):
         return simple
 
     if len(parts) < 3:
@@ -445,9 +462,9 @@ def _project_display_name(project_path: Path, fallback: str) -> str:
 def _greedy_path_decode(base: Path, parts: list[str]) -> Path | None:
     """Greedily decode remaining path parts using real child directories."""
     if not parts:
-        return base if base.exists() else None
+        return base if _path_exists(base) else None
 
-    if not base.exists() or not base.is_dir():
+    if not _path_exists(base) or not base.is_dir():
         return None
 
     try:
diff --git a/tests/test_learn/test_scanner.py b/tests/test_learn/test_scanner.py
index 15b7aa718..9ad0e1a77 100644
--- a/tests/test_learn/test_scanner.py
+++ b/tests/test_learn/test_scanner.py
@@ -573,3 +573,42 @@ class TestDecodeProjectPath:
         assert result == project
         # The home component is reconstructed whole, never split on a separator.
         assert home.name in result.parts
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# PermissionError on speculative candidate paths (issue #2443)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestDecodePermissionError:
+    """A candidate path that raises PermissionError must not crash decode.
+
+    When the username contains a dash (``marco-rocha``), decoding
+    ``-home-marco-rocha-butterfly-sylphina`` probes candidates like
+    ``/home/marco/rocha``. If ``/home/marco`` is another user's unreadable
+    directory, ``Path.exists()`` raises ``PermissionError`` from ``os.stat``
+    rather than returning ``False`` — this used to crash ``headroom learn``.
+    """
+
+    def test_permission_error_treated_as_absent(self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+        real_exists = Path.exists
+
+        def fake_exists(self: Path, *args: object, **kwargs: object) -> bool:
+            if str(self) == "/home/marco/rocha":
+                raise PermissionError(13, "Permission denied", str(self))
+            return real_exists(self, *args, **kwargs)
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(Path, "exists", fake_exists)
+
+        # Must not raise; the unreadable candidate is treated as non-existent.
+        result = _decode_project_path("-home-marco-rocha-butterfly-sylphina")
+        assert result is None or isinstance(result, Path)
+
+    def test_path_exists_swallows_oserror(self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+        from headroom.learn.plugins.claude import _path_exists
+
+        def boom(self: Path, *args: object, **kwargs: object) -> bool:
+            raise PermissionError(13, "Permission denied", str(self))
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(Path, "exists", boom)
+        assert _path_exists(Path("/home/marco")) is False