diff --git a/cmd/drover/uac_windows.go b/cmd/drover/uac_windows.go
index 093c20d..8515cdd 100644
--- a/cmd/drover/uac_windows.go
+++ b/cmd/drover/uac_windows.go
@@ -3,7 +3,9 @@
 package main
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"os"
+	"strings"
 	"syscall"
 	"unsafe"
 
@@ -59,15 +61,23 @@ func ReElevate(args []string) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	verb, _ := syscall.UTF16PtrFromString("runas")
-	exePtr, _ := syscall.UTF16PtrFromString(exe)
+	verb, err := syscall.UTF16PtrFromString("runas")
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("encode verb: %w", err)
+	}
+	exePtr, err := syscall.UTF16PtrFromString(exe)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("encode exe: %w", err)
+	}
 
 	var paramsPtr *uint16
 	if len(args) > 0 {
-		// Quote each arg in case of spaces.
+		// Quote each arg in case of spaces, and escape internal quotes.
 		quoted := make([]string, len(args))
 		for i, a := range args {
-			quoted[i] = `"` + a + `"`
+			// Escape any internal quotes with backslash (MSVC argv convention).
+			escaped := strings.ReplaceAll(a, "\"", "\\\"")
+			quoted[i] = `"` + escaped + `"`
 		}
 		joined := ""
 		for i, q := range quoted {
@@ -76,11 +86,20 @@ func ReElevate(args []string) error {
 			}
 			joined += q
 		}
-		paramsPtr, _ = syscall.UTF16PtrFromString(joined)
+		paramsPtr, err = syscall.UTF16PtrFromString(joined)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("encode params: %w", err)
+		}
 	}
 
-	cwd, _ := os.Getwd()
-	cwdPtr, _ := syscall.UTF16PtrFromString(cwd)
+	cwd, err := os.Getwd()
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("get cwd: %w", err)
+	}
+	cwdPtr, err := syscall.UTF16PtrFromString(cwd)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("encode cwd: %w", err)
+	}
 
 	// SW_NORMAL = 1
 	return windows.ShellExecute(0, verb, exePtr, paramsPtr, cwdPtr, 1)
diff --git a/cmd/drover/uac_windows_test.go b/cmd/drover/uac_windows_test.go
index 0d1de09..1f72680 100644
--- a/cmd/drover/uac_windows_test.go
+++ b/cmd/drover/uac_windows_test.go
@@ -16,12 +16,12 @@ func TestCmdNeedsAdmin_NoAdminFlags(t *testing.T) {
 		args     []string
 		needsAdm bool
 	}{
-		{[]string{}, true},                    // bare drover.exe → GUI mode → needs admin
-		{[]string{"check"}, false},            // diagnostic only, no driver
+		{[]string{}, true},         // bare drover.exe → GUI mode → needs admin
+		{[]string{"check"}, false}, // diagnostic only, no driver
 		{[]string{"check", "--host", "x"}, false},
 		{[]string{"--version"}, false},
 		{[]string{"version"}, false},
-		{[]string{"update"}, false},           // self-update doesn't need driver
+		{[]string{"update"}, false}, // self-update doesn't need driver
 	}
 	for _, c := range cases {
 		got := CmdNeedsAdmin(c.args)