diff --git a/scripts/vps_bootstrap.ps1 b/scripts/vps_bootstrap.ps1
index 2051bd2..482cfb6 100644
--- a/scripts/vps_bootstrap.ps1
+++ b/scripts/vps_bootstrap.ps1
@@ -30,14 +30,15 @@ if (-not (Test-Path $envSrc)) {
 
 # --- 1. WSL2 + Ubuntu 22.04 ----------------------------------
 Step "WSL state"
-$wslList = @()
-try {
-    $raw = wsl --list --quiet 2>$null
-    if ($raw) {
-        $wslList = ($raw -split "`n") | ForEach-Object { ($_ -replace "`0","").Trim() } | Where-Object { $_ }
-    }
-} catch {}
-$ubuntu = $wslList | Where-Object { $_ -match "Ubuntu" } | Select-Object -First 1
+# Probe properly: 'wsl -l -q' on a system without any distro PRINTS HELP and exits non-zero.
+# Use -v (verbose) and check exit code; only valid distro lines are accepted.
+$ubuntu = $null
+$probe = & wsl.exe -l -q 2>&1
+$probeExit = $LASTEXITCODE
+if ($probeExit -eq 0 -and $probe) {
+    $candidates = ($probe -join "`n") -split "`n" | ForEach-Object { ($_ -replace "[`0`r]","").Trim() } | Where-Object { $_ -and ($_ -notmatch '^[-= ]+$') -and ($_ -notmatch '(?i)usage|help|wsl\.exe|--install|argument|distribution') }
+    $ubuntu = $candidates | Where-Object { $_ -match '(?i)^Ubuntu' } | Select-Object -First 1
+}
 
 if (-not $ubuntu) {
     Step "Installing WSL2 + Ubuntu-22.04 (REBOOT REQUIRED)"