diff --git a/src/lotus/lotusActions.ts b/src/lotus/lotusActions.ts
index 888a8890..f11029a2 100644
--- a/src/lotus/lotusActions.ts
+++ b/src/lotus/lotusActions.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ export enum LotusWidgetActions {
   SetQuality = "io.lotus.set_quality",
   /** toWidget: per-user avatar-decoration image URLs for in-call tiles. */
   Decorations = "io.lotus.decorations",
+  /** toWidget: deafen remote audio (and optionally mute screenshare audio). */
+  SetDeafen = "io.lotus.set_deafen",
 }
 
 /** toWidget Lotus actions that must be allow-listed in `initializeWidget`. */
@@ -37,4 +39,5 @@ export const LOTUS_TO_WIDGET_ACTIONS: LotusWidgetActions[] = [
   LotusWidgetActions.InjectAudio,
   LotusWidgetActions.SetQuality,
   LotusWidgetActions.Decorations,
+  LotusWidgetActions.SetDeafen,
 ];
diff --git a/src/lotus/lotusDeafen.ts b/src/lotus/lotusDeafen.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2d0bc5b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lotus/lotusDeafen.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2026 Lotus Guild
+
+SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-only OR LicenseRef-Element-Commercial
+Please see LICENSE in the repository root for full details.
+*/
+
+import {
+  type RemoteParticipant,
+  type Room as LivekitRoom,
+  RoomEvent,
+  Track,
+} from "livekit-client";
+import { logger } from "matrix-js-sdk/lib/logger";
+import { type IWidgetApiRequest } from "matrix-widget-api";
+
+import { type CallViewModel } from "../state/CallViewModel/CallViewModel";
+import { widget } from "../widget";
+import { LotusWidgetActions } from "./lotusActions";
+
+/**
+ * Handle the host's `io.lotus.set_deafen` toWidget action: silence remote audio
+ * at the LiveKit source, replacing cinny's brittle iframe-DOM `.muted` hack
+ * (which fought MatrixAudioRenderer and broke on re-render / late tracks).
+ *
+ * `deafened` mutes every remote participant's microphone AND screenshare audio;
+ * `screenshareAudioMuted` mutes only the screenshare audio (so the host can
+ * drop shared-tab/game audio while still hearing voices). Volume is set PER
+ * SOURCE via `RemoteParticipant.setVolume(volume, source)` — whose verified
+ * signature in livekit-client ^2.18.1 is
+ * `setVolume(volume, source?: Track.Source.Microphone | Track.Source.ScreenShareAudio)`
+ * and DEFAULTS `source` to `Microphone` (NOT "all audio"), so each source must
+ * be set explicitly. setVolume records the value in the participant's
+ * `volumeMap`, so a track that (re)subscribes later re-applies it automatically.
+ *
+ * State is closure-scoped (per invocation, matching the sibling lotus modules)
+ * and re-applied to every current room's participants on change, and to LATE
+ * JOINERS via `RoomEvent.ParticipantConnected`. The cinny host re-sends the
+ * current state on every call join (CallControl.forceState), so a fresh call
+ * never inherits a previous call's deafen state.
+ *
+ * No effect unless the host sends the action. Returns a teardown function.
+ */
+export function startLotusDeafen(vm: CallViewModel): () => void {
+  const w = widget;
+  if (!w) return () => undefined;
+
+  let deafened = false;
+  let screenshareAudioMuted = false;
+
+  const applyToParticipant = (p: RemoteParticipant): void => {
+    p.setVolume(deafened ? 0 : 1, Track.Source.Microphone);
+    p.setVolume(
+      deafened || screenshareAudioMuted ? 0 : 1,
+      Track.Source.ScreenShareAudio,
+    );
+    // NOTE: injected/soundboard audio (published as `Track.Source.Unknown`) is
+    // deliberately NOT silenced here. The verified `setVolume` type signature
+    // only accepts `Track.Source.Microphone | Track.Source.ScreenShareAudio`,
+    // so passing `Unknown` would fail the fork's `tsc` gate and require an
+    // unsafe cast. Soundboard clips are short, host-triggered content the host
+    // already controls at the inject source, so leaving them audible is the
+    // type-clean, safe choice (a full-parity "mute everything" is not needed
+    // for the deafen semantics: don't-hear-other-people's-voices).
+  };
+
+  const applyToRoom = (room: LivekitRoom): void =>
+    room.remoteParticipants.forEach(applyToParticipant);
+
+  // Per-room ParticipantConnected listeners, so LATE JOINERS pick up the
+  // current deafen state the moment they connect.
+  const roomListeners = new Map<LivekitRoom, () => void>();
+  let rooms: LivekitRoom[] = [];
+
+  const sub = vm.livekitRoomItems$.subscribe((items) => {
+    const next = items.map((i) => i.livekitRoom);
+    rooms = next;
+    // Detach listeners for rooms that went away.
+    for (const [room, off] of roomListeners) {
+      if (!next.includes(room)) {
+        off();
+        roomListeners.delete(room);
+      }
+    }
+    // Attach to new rooms + apply the current state to their participants.
+    for (const room of next) {
+      if (!roomListeners.has(room)) {
+        room.on(RoomEvent.ParticipantConnected, applyToParticipant);
+        roomListeners.set(room, () =>
+          room.off(RoomEvent.ParticipantConnected, applyToParticipant),
+        );
+        applyToRoom(room);
+      }
+    }
+  });
+
+  const handler = (ev: CustomEvent<IWidgetApiRequest>): void => {
+    void w.api.transport.reply(ev.detail, {});
+    const data = ev.detail.data as
+      | { deafened?: boolean; screenshareAudioMuted?: boolean }
+      | undefined;
+    // Missing fields default to their CURRENT value, so a partial payload only
+    // moves the flag it actually names.
+    if (typeof data?.deafened === "boolean") deafened = data.deafened;
+    if (typeof data?.screenshareAudioMuted === "boolean")
+      screenshareAudioMuted = data.screenshareAudioMuted;
+    logger.debug(
+      `[lotus] set_deafen: deafened=${deafened} screenshareAudioMuted=${screenshareAudioMuted}`,
+    );
+    rooms.forEach(applyToRoom);
+  };
+
+  w.lazyActions.on(LotusWidgetActions.SetDeafen, handler);
+  return () => {
+    sub.unsubscribe();
+    for (const off of roomListeners.values()) off();
+    roomListeners.clear();
+    w.lazyActions.off(LotusWidgetActions.SetDeafen, handler);
+  };
+}
diff --git a/src/room/InCallView.tsx b/src/room/InCallView.tsx
index d09763a4..f4c0813c 100644
--- a/src/room/InCallView.tsx
+++ b/src/room/InCallView.tsx
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import { startLotusAudioInject } from "../lotus/lotusAudioInject";
 import { startLotusQuality } from "../lotus/lotusQuality";
 import { startLotusDecorations } from "../lotus/lotusDecorations";
 import { startLotusDenoise } from "../lotus/lotusDenoise";
+import { startLotusDeafen } from "../lotus/lotusDeafen";
 import styles from "./InCallView.module.css";
 import { GridTile } from "../tile/GridTile";
 import { SettingsModal, defaultSettingsTab } from "../settings/SettingsModal";
@@ -303,6 +304,10 @@ export const InCallView: FC<InCallViewProps> = ({
   // [lotus] Apply ML denoise to the mic as a first-class audio processor that
   // survives reconnects (#1 / A7). No-op unless lotusDenoiseSource=1.
   useEffect(() => startLotusDenoise(vm), [vm]);
+  // [lotus] Handle the host's io.lotus.set_deafen action to silence remote
+  // audio (and optionally screenshare audio) at the LiveKit source. No-op
+  // unless the host sends the action.
+  useEffect(() => startLotusDeafen(vm), [vm]);
 
   const fatalCallError = useBehavior(vm.fatalError$);
   // Stop the rendering and throw for the error boundary