diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 0645dc62..eb98fd80 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -451,6 +451,7 @@ BTREE_SYS = $(OBJDIR)/$(SRCDIR)/btree.o           \
 #
 $(BINDIR)/$(UNITDIR)/misc_test: $(UTIL_SYS) $(COMMON_UNIT_TESTOBJ)
 $(BINDIR)/$(UNITDIR)/vector_test: $(UTIL_SYS) $(COMMON_UNIT_TESTOBJ)
+$(BINDIR)/$(UNITDIR)/platform_threads_test: $(UTIL_SYS) $(COMMON_UNIT_TESTOBJ)
 
 $(BINDIR)/$(UNITDIR)/util_test: $(UTIL_SYS)            \
                                 $(COMMON_UNIT_TESTOBJ)
@@ -534,6 +535,7 @@ $(BINDIR)/$(UNITDIR)/splinterdb_heap_id_mgmt_test: $(COMMON_TESTOBJ)         \
 # Convenience mini unit-test targets
 unit/util_test:                    $(BINDIR)/$(UNITDIR)/util_test
 unit/misc_test:                    $(BINDIR)/$(UNITDIR)/misc_test
+unit/platform_threads_test:        $(BINDIR)/$(UNITDIR)/platform_threads_test
 unit/btree_test:                   $(BINDIR)/$(UNITDIR)/btree_test
 unit/btree_stress_test:            $(BINDIR)/$(UNITDIR)/btree_stress_test
 unit/splinter_test:                $(BINDIR)/$(UNITDIR)/splinter_test
diff --git a/tests/unit/platform_threads_test.c b/tests/unit/platform_threads_test.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..adf2ee1d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/platform_threads_test.c
@@ -0,0 +1,181 @@
+// Copyright 2026 VMware, Inc.
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+/*
+ * -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ * platform_threads_test.c --
+ *
+ *  Validate platform thread registration state that is not covered by task
+ *  system tests.
+ * -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ */
+
+#include <sys/wait.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+#include "ctest.h" // This is required for all test-case files.
+#include "platform_threads.h"
+#include "unit_tests.h"
+
+enum {
+   CHILD_OK = 0,
+   CHILD_REGISTER_FAILED,
+   CHILD_INVALID_TID_AFTER_REGISTER,
+   CHILD_INVALID_PID_AFTER_REGISTER,
+   CHILD_TID_LEAKED_AFTER_DEREGISTER,
+   CHILD_PID_LEAKED_AFTER_DEREGISTER,
+   CHILD_FUNCTION_RETURNED,
+};
+
+typedef void (*forked_child_fn)(void);
+
+static const char *
+child_status_to_string(int status)
+{
+   switch (status) {
+      case CHILD_OK:
+         return "ok";
+      case CHILD_REGISTER_FAILED:
+         return "register failed";
+      case CHILD_INVALID_TID_AFTER_REGISTER:
+         return "invalid tid after register";
+      case CHILD_INVALID_PID_AFTER_REGISTER:
+         return "invalid pid after register";
+      case CHILD_TID_LEAKED_AFTER_DEREGISTER:
+         return "tid leaked after deregister";
+      case CHILD_PID_LEAKED_AFTER_DEREGISTER:
+         return "pid leaked after deregister";
+      case CHILD_FUNCTION_RETURNED:
+         return "child function returned";
+      default:
+         return "unknown child status";
+   }
+}
+
+static void
+child_register_and_check_ids(void)
+{
+   int rc = platform_register_thread();
+   if (rc != 0) {
+      _exit(CHILD_REGISTER_FAILED);
+   }
+
+   if (platform_get_tid() == INVALID_TID) {
+      platform_deregister_thread();
+      _exit(CHILD_INVALID_TID_AFTER_REGISTER);
+   }
+
+   if (platform_linux_get_pid() >= MAX_THREADS) {
+      platform_deregister_thread();
+      _exit(CHILD_INVALID_PID_AFTER_REGISTER);
+   }
+}
+
+static void
+register_and_deregister_in_child(void)
+{
+   child_register_and_check_ids();
+
+   platform_deregister_thread();
+
+   if (platform_get_tid() != INVALID_TID) {
+      _exit(CHILD_TID_LEAKED_AFTER_DEREGISTER);
+   }
+
+   if (platform_linux_get_pid() != INVALID_TID) {
+      _exit(CHILD_PID_LEAKED_AFTER_DEREGISTER);
+   }
+
+   _exit(CHILD_OK);
+}
+
+static void
+register_and_exit_in_child(void)
+{
+   child_register_and_check_ids();
+
+   pthread_exit(NULL);
+}
+
+static void
+wait_for_child(pid_t pid, uint64 iteration)
+{
+   int   status = 0;
+   pid_t waited = waitpid(pid, &status, 0);
+   ASSERT_EQUAL(pid, waited, "waitpid failed for child %d", pid);
+
+   ASSERT_TRUE(WIFEXITED(status),
+               "child %d exited abnormally; signal=%d",
+               pid,
+               WIFSIGNALED(status) ? WTERMSIG(status) : 0);
+   ASSERT_EQUAL(CHILD_OK,
+                WEXITSTATUS(status),
+                "child %d failed on iteration %lu: %s",
+                pid,
+                iteration,
+                child_status_to_string(WEXITSTATUS(status)));
+}
+
+static void
+assert_parent_registration_unchanged(threadid parent_tid, threadid parent_pid)
+{
+   ASSERT_EQUAL(parent_tid, platform_get_tid());
+   ASSERT_EQUAL(parent_pid, platform_linux_get_pid());
+   ASSERT_EQUAL(1, platform_num_threads());
+}
+
+static void
+churn_forked_children(forked_child_fn child_fn)
+{
+   threadid parent_tid = platform_get_tid();
+   threadid parent_pid = platform_linux_get_pid();
+
+   ASSERT_TRUE(parent_tid < MAX_THREADS);
+   ASSERT_TRUE(parent_pid < MAX_THREADS);
+   ASSERT_EQUAL(1, platform_num_threads());
+
+   /*
+    * The parent holds one TID/PID slot. If child cleanup leaks either kind of
+    * slot, sequential children will exhaust the remaining slots before this
+    * loop completes.
+    */
+   for (uint64 i = 0; i < MAX_THREADS + 1; i++) {
+      pid_t pid = fork();
+      ASSERT_TRUE(pid >= 0, "fork failed on iteration %lu", i);
+
+      if (pid == 0) {
+         child_fn();
+         _exit(CHILD_FUNCTION_RETURNED);
+      }
+
+      wait_for_child(pid, i);
+      assert_parent_registration_unchanged(parent_tid, parent_pid);
+   }
+}
+
+CTEST_DATA(platform_threads){};
+
+CTEST_SETUP(platform_threads)
+{
+   platform_register_thread();
+}
+
+CTEST_TEARDOWN(platform_threads)
+{
+   platform_deregister_thread();
+}
+
+CTEST2(platform_threads, test_forked_child_pid_slots_are_reused)
+{
+   (void)data;
+
+   churn_forked_children(register_and_deregister_in_child);
+}
+
+CTEST2(platform_threads,
+       test_forked_child_auto_cleanup_reuses_tid_and_pid_slots)
+{
+   (void)data;
+
+   churn_forked_children(register_and_exit_in_child);
+}