diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 47711f35b..0ededc249 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ dependencies = [
     "bashlex==0.18",
     "pathspec==1.1.1",
     "notify-py==0.3.43",
+    "jeepney==0.9.0; sys_platform == 'linux'",
     "pyperclip==1.11.0",
     "watchdog==6.0.0",
     "setproctitle==1.3.7",
diff --git a/src/toad/setting_choices.py b/src/toad/setting_choices.py
index fea6365ab..0d12bd17e 100644
--- a/src/toad/setting_choices.py
+++ b/src/toad/setting_choices.py
@@ -6,9 +6,11 @@
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from typing import ClassVar
 from random import choice
+from threading import Lock
 from textual.content import Content
 from toad.widgets.future_text import FutureText
 
+import toad
 from agent_comms.declared_family import DeclaredFamily
 from toad.setting_declarations import Choice
 
@@ -96,24 +98,90 @@ def shown(cls, count: int) -> bool:
         return False
 
 
+class DesktopService:
+    """The platform's notification service, as notifypy detects it."""
+
+    def notification(self):
+        from notifypy import Notify
+
+        return Notify()
+
+    def send(self, app, notification) -> DesktopService:
+        notification.send()
+        return self
+
+
+class DBusDesktop(DesktopService):
+    """notifypy's notify-send path inherits Toad's terminal as stderr; its D-Bus
+    notifier starts no child process that could write over the TUI."""
+
+    def notification(self):
+        from notifypy import Notify
+        from notifypy.os_notifiers.linux import LinuxNotifier
+
+        return Notify(use_custom_notifier=LinuxNotifier)
+
+
+class UncheckedDBusDesktop(DBusDesktop):
+    """Asks the session bus once whether anything serves notifications, because
+    notifypy's D-Bus notifier reports an error reply as a delivery."""
+
+    name: ClassVar[str] = "org.freedesktop.Notifications"
+
+    def send(self, app, notification) -> DesktopService:
+        return self.served(app).send(app, notification)
+
+    def served(self, app) -> DesktopService:
+        from jeepney import DBusAddress, new_method_call
+        from jeepney.io.blocking import open_dbus_connection
+
+        bus = DBusAddress("/org/freedesktop/DBus", bus_name="org.freedesktop.DBus",
+                          interface="org.freedesktop.DBus")
+        try:
+            with open_dbus_connection(bus="SESSION") as connection:
+                owned = connection.send_and_get_reply(
+                    new_method_call(bus, "NameHasOwner", "s", (self.name,)), timeout=2).body[0]
+                activatable = self.name in connection.send_and_get_reply(
+                    new_method_call(bus, "ListActivatableNames"), timeout=2).body[0]
+        except OSError:
+            owned = activatable = False
+        if owned or activatable:
+            return DBusDesktop()
+        app.call_from_thread(
+            app.notify,
+            "Desktop notifications are off for this session: no notification daemon is running.",
+            severity="warning",
+        )
+        return AbsentDesktop()
+
+
+class AbsentDesktop(DesktopService):
+    """Nothing serves notifications; asking again per message only fails again."""
+
+    def send(self, app, notification) -> DesktopService:
+        return self
+
+
 class NotificationPolicy(Choice, DeclaredFamily, affix="Notification"):
+    desktop: ClassVar[DesktopService] = UncheckedDBusDesktop() if toad.os == "linux" else DesktopService()
+    sending: ClassVar[Lock] = Lock()
+
     @classmethod
     def deliver(cls, app, message: str, *, title: str = "", sound: str | None = None) -> None:
         """Shared delivery belongs to the policy that admits it."""
         if not cls.enabled(app.app_focus):
             return
         from importlib.resources import files
-        from notifypy import Notify
-        import toad
 
-        notification = Notify()
+        notification = cls.desktop.notification()
         notification.message = message
         notification.title = title
         notification.application_name = "🐸 Toad" if toad.os == "macos" else "Toad"
         if sound and app.settings.notifications.enable_sounds:
             notification.audio = str(files("toad.data").joinpath(f"sounds/{sound}.wav"))
         notification.icon = str(files("toad.data").joinpath("images/frog.png"))
-        notification.send()
+        with cls.sending:
+            NotificationPolicy.desktop = NotificationPolicy.desktop.send(app, notification)
 
     @classmethod
     @abstractmethod
diff --git a/uv.lock b/uv.lock
index fcc024882..3526c5756 100644
--- a/uv.lock
+++ b/uv.lock
@@ -255,6 +255,7 @@ dependencies = [
     { name = "format-currency" },
     { name = "formbridge" },
     { name = "httpx" },
+    { name = "jeepney", marker = "sys_platform == 'linux'" },
     { name = "notify-py" },
     { name = "objectstate" },
     { name = "packaging" },
@@ -298,6 +299,7 @@ requires-dist = [
     { name = "format-currency", specifier = ">=0.0.10" },
     { name = "formbridge", git = "https://github.com/OpenHCSDev/formbridge.git?rev=ebe2fa9173428e2bd7154a0de23698757677c3c2" },
     { name = "httpx", specifier = "==0.28.1" },
+    { name = "jeepney", marker = "sys_platform == 'linux'", specifier = "==0.9.0" },
     { name = "notify-py", specifier = "==0.3.43" },
     { name = "objectstate", git = "https://github.com/OpenHCSDev/objectstate.git?rev=b5dd9f78b9293df145d7629f21deb89b042b9400" },
     { name = "packaging", specifier = "==26.2" },