diff --git a/src/SIL.LCModel/FileTransactionLogger.cs b/src/SIL.LCModel/FileTransactionLogger.cs
index 63090368..3e4ebf89 100644
--- a/src/SIL.LCModel/FileTransactionLogger.cs
+++ b/src/SIL.LCModel/FileTransactionLogger.cs
@@ -2,13 +2,16 @@
 using System.Diagnostics;
 using System.IO;
 using System.Text;
+using System.Threading.Tasks;
 
 namespace SIL.LCModel
 {
    internal class FileTransactionLogger : ITransactionLogger, IDisposable
    {
-	   private object m_lock = new object();
+	   private readonly object m_lock = new object();
 	   private FileStream m_stream;
+	   private Task m_lastWrite = Task.CompletedTask;
+	   private bool m_disposed;
 	   
 	   internal FileTransactionLogger(string filePath)
 	   {
@@ -22,10 +25,16 @@ internal FileTransactionLogger(string filePath)
 
 	   public void AddBreadCrumb(string description)
 	   {
+		   if (description == null || m_disposed)
+			   return;
 		   lock (m_lock)
 		   {
-			   m_stream.WriteAsync(Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes((description + Environment.NewLine).ToCharArray()), 0,
-				   description.Length + 1);
+			   if (m_disposed)
+				   return;
+			   var bytes = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(description + Environment.NewLine);
+			   m_lastWrite = m_lastWrite.ContinueWith(_ =>
+				   m_stream.WriteAsync(bytes, 0, bytes.Length),
+				   TaskContinuationOptions.ExecuteSynchronously).Unwrap();
 		   }
 	   }
 
@@ -34,8 +43,15 @@ protected virtual void Dispose(bool disposing)
 			Debug.WriteLineIf(!disposing, "****** Missing Dispose() call for " + GetType() + ". *******");
 			lock (m_lock)
 			{
-				m_stream?.Flush();
-				m_stream?.Dispose();
+				if (!m_disposed)
+				{
+					try { m_lastWrite?.GetAwaiter().GetResult(); }
+					catch { /* best-effort: don't let a failed write prevent disposal */ }
+					m_stream?.Flush();
+					m_stream?.Dispose();
+					m_stream = null;
+					m_disposed = true;
+				}
 			}
 		}
 
diff --git a/src/SIL.LCModel/Infrastructure/Impl/UnitOfWorkService.cs b/src/SIL.LCModel/Infrastructure/Impl/UnitOfWorkService.cs
index f29899d7..0da54f4b 100644
--- a/src/SIL.LCModel/Infrastructure/Impl/UnitOfWorkService.cs
+++ b/src/SIL.LCModel/Infrastructure/Impl/UnitOfWorkService.cs
@@ -257,7 +257,7 @@ void SaveOnIdle(object sender, ElapsedEventArgs e)
 				// If it is less than 2s since the user did something don't save to smooth performance (unless the user has been busy as a beaver for more than 5 minutes)
 				if (now - m_ui.LastActivityTime < TimeSpan.FromSeconds(2.0) && now < (m_lastSave + TimeSpan.FromMinutes(5)))
 					return;
-				m_logger.AddBreadCrumb("Saving from SaveOnIdle");
+				m_logger?.AddBreadCrumb("Saving from SaveOnIdle");
 				SaveInternal();
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/tests/SIL.LCModel.Tests/FileTransactionLoggerTests.cs b/tests/SIL.LCModel.Tests/FileTransactionLoggerTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6a21767f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/SIL.LCModel.Tests/FileTransactionLoggerTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2026 SIL International
+// This software is licensed under the LGPL, version 2.1 or later
+// (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl-2.1.html)
+
+using System;
+using System.IO;
+using System.Text;
+using NUnit.Framework;
+
+namespace SIL.LCModel
+{
+	[TestFixture]
+	public class FileTransactionLoggerTests
+	{
+		private string m_tempFile;
+
+		[SetUp]
+		public void Setup()
+		{
+			m_tempFile = Path.GetTempFileName();
+		}
+
+		[TearDown]
+		public void Teardown()
+		{
+			try
+			{
+				if (File.Exists(m_tempFile))
+					File.Delete(m_tempFile);
+			}
+			catch
+			{
+				// best-effort cleanup
+			}
+		}
+
+		/// <summary>
+		/// After Dispose(), calling AddBreadCrumb must not throw ObjectDisposedException.
+		/// In production the timer thread can race against Dispose.
+		/// </summary>
+		[Test]
+		public void AddBreadCrumb_AfterDispose_DoesNotThrow()
+		{
+			var logger = new FileTransactionLogger(m_tempFile);
+			logger.Dispose();
+
+			Assert.DoesNotThrow(() => logger.AddBreadCrumb("late write"));
+		}
+
+		/// <summary>
+		/// Passing a null description must not throw NullReferenceException.
+		/// </summary>
+		[Test]
+		public void AddBreadCrumb_NullDescription_DoesNotThrow()
+		{
+			using (var logger = new FileTransactionLogger(m_tempFile))
+			{
+				Assert.DoesNotThrow(() => logger.AddBreadCrumb(null));
+			}
+		}
+
+		/// <summary>
+		/// The full message including newline must be written, not truncated.
+		/// On Windows Environment.NewLine is "\r\n" (2 chars) but old code used
+		/// description.Length + 1, losing the final byte.
+		/// </summary>
+		[Test]
+		public void AddBreadCrumb_WritesFullMessageIncludingNewline()
+		{
+			const string message = "hello";
+			using (var logger = new FileTransactionLogger(m_tempFile))
+			{
+				logger.AddBreadCrumb(message);
+			}
+
+			// Dispose flushes the stream, so the file is readable immediately.
+			string content = File.ReadAllText(m_tempFile, Encoding.UTF8);
+			string expected = message + Environment.NewLine;
+			Assert.AreEqual(expected, content,
+				"AddBreadCrumb should write the full message plus Environment.NewLine");
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/tests/SIL.LCModel.Tests/Infrastructure/Impl/UnitOfWorkServiceTests.cs b/tests/SIL.LCModel.Tests/Infrastructure/Impl/UnitOfWorkServiceTests.cs
index 0a5e1c67..9d8479d5 100644
--- a/tests/SIL.LCModel.Tests/Infrastructure/Impl/UnitOfWorkServiceTests.cs
+++ b/tests/SIL.LCModel.Tests/Infrastructure/Impl/UnitOfWorkServiceTests.cs
@@ -26,6 +26,30 @@ public void SaveOnIdle_UiCleared_DoesNotThrow()
 				InvokeNonPublicVoid(serviceInstance, "SaveOnIdle", null, null));
 		}
 
+		/// <summary>
+		/// Regression test: m_logger is null by default (no LCM_TransactionLogPath env var).
+		/// SaveOnIdle must use null-conditional on m_logger.AddBreadCrumb to avoid NRE.
+		/// Reproduces the crash reported in LT-22388.
+		/// </summary>
+		[Test]
+		public void SaveOnIdle_LoggerNull_DoesNotThrow()
+		{
+			var uowService = Cache.ServiceLocator.GetInstance<IUnitOfWorkService>();
+			var serviceInstance = (object)uowService;
+
+			InvokeNonPublicVoid(serviceInstance, "StopSaveTimer");
+
+			// Force m_logger to null (default production state when LCM_TransactionLogPath is unset)
+			SetNonPublicField(serviceInstance, "m_logger", null);
+
+			// Force m_lastSave far enough in the past to pass BOTH the 10-second guard
+			// AND the 5-minute "busy beaver" clause so we actually reach m_logger.AddBreadCrumb
+			SetNonPublicField(serviceInstance, "m_lastSave", DateTime.Now.AddMinutes(-10));
+
+			Assert.DoesNotThrow(() =>
+				InvokeNonPublicVoid(serviceInstance, "SaveOnIdle", null, null));
+		}
+
 		private static void SetNonPublicField(object instance, string fieldName, object value)
 		{
 			var field = instance.GetType().GetField(fieldName, BindingFlags.Instance | BindingFlags.NonPublic);