diff --git a/packages/ios-node-api/index.js b/packages/ios-node-api/index.js
index c8eb06111..9ae341c4b 100644
--- a/packages/ios-node-api/index.js
+++ b/packages/ios-node-api/index.js
@@ -15,8 +15,12 @@ if (typeof interop === "undefined") {
 
     const module = { exports: {} };
 
+    // `URL.pathname` is percent-encoded, but `process.dlopen` takes a filesystem path. Without
+    // decoding, a space in the path arrives as "%20" and the load fails with "no such file" —
+    // which happens for any app bundle whose path contains a space, e.g.
+    // /Applications/My App.app/… → /Applications/My%20App.app/…
     // deno-lint-ignore no-process-globals
-    process.dlopen(module, new URL(path, metaURL).pathname);
+    process.dlopen(module, decodeURIComponent(new URL(path, metaURL).pathname));
 
     module.exports.init(
       // deno-lint-ignore no-process-globals
diff --git a/packages/macos-node-api/index.cjs b/packages/macos-node-api/index.cjs
index fcbc583b2..3104fe8fc 100644
--- a/packages/macos-node-api/index.cjs
+++ b/packages/macos-node-api/index.cjs
@@ -16,12 +16,18 @@ if (!isNativeScriptRuntime) {
     // ===
 
     const module = { exports: {} };
+    // `URL.pathname` is percent-encoded, but `process.dlopen` takes a filesystem path. Without
+    // decoding, a space in the path arrives as "%20" and the load fails with "no such file" —
+    // which happens for any app bundle whose path contains a space, e.g.
+    // /Applications/My App.app/… → /Applications/My%20App.app/…
     process.dlopen(
       module,
-      new URL(
-        "./build/RelWithDebInfo/NativeScript.apple.node/macos-arm64/NativeScript.framework/Versions/A/NativeScript",
-        `file://${__filename}`,
-      ).pathname,
+      decodeURIComponent(
+        new URL(
+          "./build/RelWithDebInfo/NativeScript.apple.node/macos-arm64/NativeScript.framework/Versions/A/NativeScript",
+          `file://${__filename}`,
+        ).pathname,
+      ),
     );
     module.exports.init(process.env.METADATA_PATH);
   } else if (typeof require !== "undefined") {
diff --git a/packages/macos-node-api/index.mjs b/packages/macos-node-api/index.mjs
index d5a649b32..db0c197b7 100644
--- a/packages/macos-node-api/index.mjs
+++ b/packages/macos-node-api/index.mjs
@@ -24,8 +24,12 @@ if (!isNativeScriptRuntime) {
 
     const module = { exports: {} };
 
+    // `URL.pathname` is percent-encoded, but `process.dlopen` takes a filesystem path. Without
+    // decoding, a space in the path arrives as "%20" and the load fails with "no such file" —
+    // which happens for any app bundle whose path contains a space, e.g.
+    // /Applications/My App.app/… → /Applications/My%20App.app/…
     // deno-lint-ignore no-process-globals
-    process.dlopen(module, new URL(path, metaURL).pathname);
+    process.dlopen(module, decodeURIComponent(new URL(path, metaURL).pathname));
 
     module.exports.init(
       // deno-lint-ignore no-process-globals