src/app/features/desktop/TitleBar.tsx

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import React, { MouseEvent, ReactNode } from 'react';
 import { useAtomValue } from 'jotai';
 import { Text } from 'folds';
-import { customWindowChromeAtom } from '../../state/customWindowChrome';
+import { customChromeShownAtom } from '../../state/customWindowChrome';
 import { invokeTauri, isTauri } from '../../hooks/useTauri';
 import * as css from './TitleBar.css';
 
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ function ControlButton({ label, glyph, onClick, close }: ControlButtonProps) {
  * real traffic lights — are stripped while custom chrome is on.
  */
 export function TitleBar() {
-  const enabled = useAtomValue(customWindowChromeAtom);
+  const enabled = useAtomValue(customChromeShownAtom);
 
   if (!isTauri() || !enabled) return null;
 

src/app/features/settings/general/General.tsx

@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ function DesktopChromeSetting() {
     <SequenceCard className={SequenceCardStyle} variant="SurfaceVariant" direction="Column">
       <SettingTile
         title="Custom window chrome (beta)"
-        description="Replace the system title bar with a Lotus-styled one. Desktop only — reloads to apply."
+        description="Replace the system title bar with a Lotus-styled one. Desktop only — reloads to apply. On Linux (Wayland) it takes effect the next time Lotus Chat starts."
         after={<Switch variant="Primary" value={customChrome} onChange={handleToggle} />}
       />
     </SequenceCard>

src/app/hooks/useTauriWindowChrome.ts

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { useEffect } from 'react';
-import { useAtomValue } from 'jotai';
-import { customWindowChromeAtom } from '../state/customWindowChrome';
-import { invokeTauri, isTauri } from './useTauri';
+import { useAtomValue, useSetAtom } from 'jotai';
+import { customWindowChromeAtom, nativeChromeActiveAtom } from '../state/customWindowChrome';
+import { isTauri, tauriInvoke } from './useTauri';
 
 /**
  * P5-47 — drive the native window frame from the `customWindowChromeAtom`.
@@ -11,12 +11,29 @@ import { invokeTauri, isTauri } from './useTauri';
  * web `<TitleBar/>` can take over, `enabled = false` restores the native frame.
  * No-op in the browser (`isTauri()` guard), so it's safe to call unconditionally
  * from the app shell.
+ *
+ * The command answers whether the native frame is stripped *now* (on Linux /
+ * Wayland the frame only changes at the next launch); that drives whether the
+ * Lotus titlebar is shown. Older desktop builds answer nothing, so the setting
+ * is used as before.
  */
 export function useTauriWindowChrome(): void {
   const enabled = useAtomValue(customWindowChromeAtom);
+  const setNativeActive = useSetAtom(nativeChromeActiveAtom);
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (!isTauri()) return;
-    invokeTauri('set_custom_chrome', { enabled });
-  }, [enabled]);
+    const invoke = isTauri() ? tauriInvoke() : undefined;
+    if (!invoke) return undefined;
+    let cancelled = false;
+    invoke('set_custom_chrome', { enabled })
+      .then((active) => {
+        if (!cancelled) setNativeActive(typeof active === 'boolean' ? active : enabled);
+      })
+      .catch(() => {
+        if (!cancelled) setNativeActive(enabled);
+      });
+    return () => {
+      cancelled = true;
+    };
+  }, [enabled, setNativeActive]);
 }

src/app/pages/App.tsx

@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ import { useSessionAppeared } from '../hooks/useSessionAppeared';
 import { useTauriWindowChrome } from '../hooks/useTauriWindowChrome';
 import { isTauri } from '../hooks/useTauri';
 import { TitleBar } from '../features/desktop/TitleBar';
-import { customWindowChromeAtom } from '../state/customWindowChrome';
+import { customChromeShownAtom } from '../state/customWindowChrome';
 import { SeasonalEffect } from '../components/seasonal/SeasonalEffect';
 import { applyCustomAccent, removeCustomAccent } from '../utils/accentColor';
 import { zIndices } from '../styles/zIndex';
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ function TauriEffects() {
 // default, and always in the browser) this returns children unchanged, so there
 // is zero layout impact for everyone else.
 function DesktopChrome({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
-  const customChrome = useAtomValue(customWindowChromeAtom);
+  const customChrome = useAtomValue(customChromeShownAtom);
   useTauriWindowChrome();
   const useChrome = isTauri() && customChrome;
   // Keep the wrapper element structure STABLE across the toggle so flipping the

src/app/state/customWindowChrome.ts

@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { atom } from 'jotai';
 import {
   atomWithLocalStorage,
   getLocalStorageItem,
@@ -20,3 +21,20 @@ export const customWindowChromeAtom = atomWithLocalStorage<boolean>(
   (key) => getLocalStorageItem<boolean>(key, false),
   (key, value) => setLocalStorageItem(key, value),
 );
+
+/**
+ * [cinny-desktop: Linux custom chrome] Whether the native frame is **actually**
+ * stripped right now, as reported by the desktop's `set_custom_chrome`. It can
+ * differ from the setting: on Linux / Wayland the frame only changes when the
+ * app restarts. `null` until the desktop has answered (or on desktop builds
+ * that don't report it).
+ */
+export const nativeChromeActiveAtom = atom<boolean | null>(null);
+
+/**
+ * Show the Lotus titlebar only when the native frame is really gone (never two
+ * titlebars, never none): the desktop's report, else the setting.
+ */
+export const customChromeShownAtom = atom<boolean>(
+  (get) => get(nativeChromeActiveAtom) ?? get(customWindowChromeAtom),
+);