diff --git a/libs/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine/Processes/RuntimeProcessOperations.cs b/libs/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine/Processes/RuntimeProcessOperations.cs
index 0217fac..4358612 100644
--- a/libs/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine/Processes/RuntimeProcessOperations.cs
+++ b/libs/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine/Processes/RuntimeProcessOperations.cs
@@ -57,7 +57,9 @@ public static ProcessOperationStatus ObserveCurrent(out CurrentProcessObservatio
 	/// <returns>
 	///     The factual protected selection status. Success requires <c>openProcess</c> to return boolean
 	///     <see langword="true" />, confirming CE's nonzero process handle, and the next <c>getOpenedProcessID</c>
-	///     observation to equal <paramref name="processId" />. A missing or false confirmation refuses selection.
+	///     observation to equal <paramref name="processId" />. A missing or false confirmation refuses selection. A
+	///     current file-as-process target returns <see cref="ProcessOperationStatusKind.FileAsProcessTarget" /> before
+	///     calling <c>openProcess</c>.
 	/// </returns>
 	/// <exception cref="ArgumentOutOfRangeException"><paramref name="processId" /> is default or otherwise non-positive.</exception>
 	/// <exception cref="InvalidOperationException">The plugin is not enabled or the calling thread has no Lua state.</exception>
@@ -75,7 +77,14 @@ public static ProcessOperationStatus SelectAndObserve(TargetProcessId processId,
 		int top = state.Top;
 		try
 		{
-			ProcessOperationStatus status = TryOpenProcess(state, processId);
+			ProcessOperationStatus status = TryGetOpenedProcessId(state, out _);
+			if (!status.IsSuccess && status.Kind != ProcessOperationStatusKind.TargetNotAttached)
+			{
+				observation = default;
+				return status;
+			}
+
+			status = TryOpenProcess(state, processId);
 			if (!status.IsSuccess)
 			{
 				observation = default;
diff --git a/tests/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine.Tests/Processes/RuntimeProcessOperationsTests.cs b/tests/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine.Tests/Processes/RuntimeProcessOperationsTests.cs
index 70780d4..28abe95 100644
--- a/tests/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine.Tests/Processes/RuntimeProcessOperationsTests.cs
+++ b/tests/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine.Tests/Processes/RuntimeProcessOperationsTests.cs
@@ -250,9 +250,12 @@ public void SelectAndObserve_explicit_pid_requires_the_next_ce_observation_to_ma
 		LuaState lua = scope.State;
 		EngineTest.Run(lua, """
 		                    opened = 0
-		                    function openProcess(id) opened = id return true end
-		                    function getOpenedProcessID() return opened end
-		                    function targetIs64Bit() return true end
+		                    openCalls = 0
+		                    pidReads = 0
+		                    bitnessReads = 0
+		                    function openProcess(id) openCalls = openCalls + 1 opened = id return true end
+		                    function getOpenedProcessID() pidReads = pidReads + 1 return opened end
+		                    function targetIs64Bit() bitnessReads = bitnessReads + 1 return true end
 		                    """u8);
 
 		ProcessOperationStatus status =
@@ -263,6 +266,129 @@ public void SelectAndObserve_explicit_pid_requires_the_next_ce_observation_to_ma
 		Assert.Equal(new TargetProcessId(42), observation.Id);
 		Assert.Equal(8, observation.PointerSize.Bytes);
 		Assert.Equal(0, lua.Top);
+		EngineTest.Run(lua, "assert(openCalls == 1 and pidReads == 2 and bitnessReads == 1, 'selection call counts changed')"u8);
+		Assert.Equal(0, lua.Top);
+	}
+
+	[Fact]
+	public void SelectAndObserve_file_as_process_preflight_preserves_the_existing_target_without_opening_or_probing()
+	{
+		EngineTest.RequireNativeLua();
+		using NativeLuaState state = new();
+		using HostScope scope = new(state);
+		LuaState lua = scope.State;
+		EngineTest.Run(lua, """
+		                    selected = 4294967295
+		                    openCalls = 0
+		                    pidReads = 0
+		                    bitnessReads = 0
+		                    function getOpenedProcessID() pidReads = pidReads + 1 return selected end
+		                    function openProcess(id) openCalls = openCalls + 1 selected = id return true end
+		                    function targetIs64Bit() bitnessReads = bitnessReads + 1 return true end
+		                    """u8);
+		lua.PushString("seeded stack value"u8);
+		int top = lua.Top;
+
+		ProcessOperationStatus status = RuntimeProcessOperations.SelectAndObserve(new TargetProcessId(42),
+			out CurrentProcessObservation observation);
+
+		Assert.Equal(ProcessOperationStatusKind.FileAsProcessTarget, status.Kind);
+		Assert.Equal(default, observation);
+		Assert.Equal(top, lua.Top);
+		EngineTest.Run(lua,
+			"assert(selected == 4294967295 and openCalls == 0 and pidReads == 1 and bitnessReads == 0, 'file target was mutated or probed')"u8);
+		Assert.Equal(top, lua.Top);
+	}
+
+	[Theory]
+	[InlineData("getOpenedProcessID = nil", ProcessOperationStatusKind.GlobalUnavailable, false)]
+	[InlineData("function getOpenedProcessID() error('fixture preflight failure') end",
+		ProcessOperationStatusKind.ProtectedLuaFailure, true)]
+	[InlineData("function getOpenedProcessID() return 'not a PID' end", ProcessOperationStatusKind.InvalidResult,
+		false)]
+	public void SelectAndObserve_refused_preflight_preserves_the_current_target_without_opening_or_probing(
+		string fixture, ProcessOperationStatusKind expected, bool expectsRuntimeError)
+	{
+		EngineTest.RequireNativeLua();
+		using NativeLuaState state = new();
+		using HostScope scope = new(state);
+		LuaState lua = scope.State;
+		EngineTest.Run(lua, """
+		                    selected = 77
+		                    openCalls = 0
+		                    bitnessReads = 0
+		                    function openProcess(id) openCalls = openCalls + 1 selected = id return true end
+		                    function targetIs64Bit() bitnessReads = bitnessReads + 1 return true end
+		                    """u8);
+		EngineTest.Run(lua, Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(fixture));
+		lua.PushString("seeded stack value"u8);
+		int top = lua.Top;
+
+		ProcessOperationStatus status = RuntimeProcessOperations.SelectAndObserve(new TargetProcessId(42),
+			out CurrentProcessObservation observation);
+
+		Assert.Equal(expected, status.Kind);
+		Assert.Equal(expectsRuntimeError ? LuaStatus.RuntimeError : LuaStatus.Ok, status.LuaStatus);
+		Assert.Equal(default, observation);
+		Assert.Equal(top, lua.Top);
+		EngineTest.Run(lua,
+			"assert(selected == 77 and openCalls == 0 and bitnessReads == 0, 'refused preflight mutated or probed')"u8);
+		Assert.Equal(top, lua.Top);
+	}
+
+	[Fact]
+	public void SelectAndObserve_valid_positive_current_pid_permits_normal_attach()
+	{
+		EngineTest.RequireNativeLua();
+		using NativeLuaState state = new();
+		using HostScope scope = new(state);
+		LuaState lua = scope.State;
+		EngineTest.Run(lua, """
+		                    selected = 77
+		                    openCalls = 0
+		                    pidReads = 0
+		                    bitnessReads = 0
+		                    function getOpenedProcessID() pidReads = pidReads + 1 return selected end
+		                    function openProcess(id) openCalls = openCalls + 1 selected = id return true end
+		                    function targetIs64Bit() bitnessReads = bitnessReads + 1 return true end
+		                    """u8);
+
+		ProcessOperationStatus status = RuntimeProcessOperations.SelectAndObserve(new TargetProcessId(42),
+			out CurrentProcessObservation observation);
+
+		Assert.True(status.IsSuccess);
+		Assert.Equal(new TargetProcessId(42), observation.Id);
+		Assert.Equal(0, lua.Top);
+		EngineTest.Run(lua, "assert(selected == 42 and openCalls == 1 and pidReads == 2 and bitnessReads == 1, 'valid preflight did not attach')"u8);
+		Assert.Equal(0, lua.Top);
+	}
+
+	[Fact]
+	public void SelectAndObserve_post_open_file_as_process_target_remains_a_distinct_failure()
+	{
+		EngineTest.RequireNativeLua();
+		using NativeLuaState state = new();
+		using HostScope scope = new(state);
+		LuaState lua = scope.State;
+		EngineTest.Run(lua, """
+		                    selected = 0
+		                    openCalls = 0
+		                    pidReads = 0
+		                    bitnessReads = 0
+		                    function getOpenedProcessID() pidReads = pidReads + 1 return selected end
+		                    function openProcess(_) openCalls = openCalls + 1 selected = 4294967295 return true end
+		                    function targetIs64Bit() bitnessReads = bitnessReads + 1 return true end
+		                    """u8);
+
+		ProcessOperationStatus status = RuntimeProcessOperations.SelectAndObserve(new TargetProcessId(42),
+			out CurrentProcessObservation observation);
+
+		Assert.Equal(ProcessOperationStatusKind.FileAsProcessTarget, status.Kind);
+		Assert.Equal(default, observation);
+		Assert.Equal(0, lua.Top);
+		EngineTest.Run(lua,
+			"assert(selected == 4294967295 and openCalls == 1 and pidReads == 2 and bitnessReads == 0, 'post-open file target was not reported distinctly')"u8);
+		Assert.Equal(0, lua.Top);
 	}
 
 	[Fact]
@@ -289,7 +415,7 @@ function targetIs64Bit() error('must not be called after a mismatched PID') end
 
 		using NativeLuaState failureState = new();
 		using HostScope failureScope = new(failureState);
-		EngineTest.Run(failureScope.State, "function openProcess(_) error('fixture selection failure') end"u8);
+		EngineTest.Run(failureScope.State, "function getOpenedProcessID() return 0 end function openProcess(_) error('fixture selection failure') end"u8);
 
 		ProcessOperationStatus failure = RuntimeProcessOperations.SelectAndObserve(new TargetProcessId(42), out _);
 
@@ -312,6 +438,7 @@ public void SelectAndObserve_rejects_an_unconfirmed_or_malformed_open_process_re
 		using HostScope scope = new(state);
 		LuaState lua = scope.State;
 		EngineTest.Run(lua, Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes($$"""
+		                    opened = 0
 		                    pidReads = 0
 		                    bitnessReads = 0
 		                    function openProcess(id) opened = id {{returned}} end
@@ -325,7 +452,7 @@ function openProcess(id) opened = id {{returned}} end
 		Assert.Equal(expected, status.Kind);
 		Assert.Equal(default, observation);
 		Assert.Equal(0, lua.Top);
-		EngineTest.Run(lua, "assert(pidReads == 0 and bitnessReads == 0, 'unconfirmed selection was observed')"u8);
+		EngineTest.Run(lua, "assert(pidReads == 1 and bitnessReads == 0, 'unconfirmed selection was observed')"u8);
 		Assert.Equal(0, lua.Top);
 	}