diff --git a/bin/omarchy-theme-bg-set b/bin/omarchy-theme-bg-set
index 835321d7..34100c2f 100755
--- a/bin/omarchy-theme-bg-set
+++ b/bin/omarchy-theme-bg-set
@@ -20,6 +20,6 @@ fi
 # Create symlink to the new background media
 ln -nsf "$BACKGROUND" "$CURRENT_BACKGROUND_LINK"
 
-# Update the live shell background immediately when it is running. The
-# background plugin also polls this symlink, but IPC avoids the visible delay.
+# Update the live shell background when it is running. Nothing watches the
+# symlink, so this is how the shell learns of the new background.
 omarchy-shell -q background set "$BACKGROUND"
diff --git a/bin/omarchy-theme-set b/bin/omarchy-theme-set
index 87341efd..d6922c5d 100755
--- a/bin/omarchy-theme-set
+++ b/bin/omarchy-theme-set
@@ -207,11 +207,14 @@ set_theme_background() {
       shell_ipc shell applyTheme "$colors_payload" "$shell_payload" || true
     ln -nsf "$new_background" "$CURRENT_BACKGROUND_LINK"
     (
-      if ! omarchy-theme-bg-boot-intro --theme-switch "$new_background" "$theme_id" "$intro_prepared"; then
-        if [[ $(readlink -f "$CURRENT_BACKGROUND_LINK") == "$(readlink -f "$new_background")" &&
-          $(stat -Lc '%d:%i' "$CURRENT_THEME_PATH" 2>/dev/null) == "$theme_id" ]]; then
-          shell_ipc background setInstant "$new_background" || true
-        fi
+      # Played or not, the shell gets the new still: it still holds the old
+      # theme's path, which the theme swap above deleted, and loads it again
+      # when OWE hands the desktop back after the intro. While the intro plays
+      # the shell's background is suspended under it, so the swap is unseen.
+      omarchy-theme-bg-boot-intro --theme-switch "$new_background" "$theme_id" "$intro_prepared" || true
+      if [[ $(readlink -f "$CURRENT_BACKGROUND_LINK") == "$(readlink -f "$new_background")" &&
+        $(stat -Lc '%d:%i' "$CURRENT_THEME_PATH" 2>/dev/null) == "$theme_id" ]]; then
+        shell_ipc background setInstant "$new_background" || true
       fi
       shell_ipc shell finishThemeIntro "$theme_id" || true
       wait_for_theme_intro themeIntroStatus "$theme_id" "pending"
diff --git a/shell/Ui/BackgroundMedia.qml b/shell/Ui/BackgroundMedia.qml
index 8640769f..fd818598 100644
--- a/shell/Ui/BackgroundMedia.qml
+++ b/shell/Ui/BackgroundMedia.qml
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ Item {
   property size decodeSize: Qt.size(0, 0)
   readonly property var current: imageLoader.item
   readonly property bool ready: current ? current.ready : false
+  // The file behind path could not be loaded, as when it was deleted.
+  readonly property bool failed: current ? current.failed : false
   readonly property bool video: Util.isVideoPath(path)
   // Cache-bust images selected in a running lock session, so a theme switch
   // that replaces the file behind an unchanged path shows the new pixels.
@@ -35,6 +37,7 @@ Item {
 
     Image {
       readonly property bool ready: status === Image.Ready
+      readonly property bool failed: status === Image.Error
       source: !root.constrainDecode || root.decodeSize.width > 0 ? root.imageUrl : ""
       fillMode: Image.PreserveAspectCrop
       asynchronous: true
diff --git a/shell/plugins/background/Background.qml b/shell/plugins/background/Background.qml
index d5e0741d..a05f110c 100644
--- a/shell/plugins/background/Background.qml
+++ b/shell/plugins/background/Background.qml
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ Item {
   readonly property string home: Quickshell.env("HOME")
   readonly property string stateHome: home + "/.local/state"
   readonly property string currentBackgroundLink: stateHome + "/omarchy/current/background"
+  readonly property string currentThemeBackgrounds: stateHome + "/omarchy/current/theme/backgrounds"
 
   property string currentBackground: ""
   property string displayedBackground: ""
@@ -66,6 +67,36 @@ Item {
     if (!readlinkProc.running) readlinkProc.running = true
   }
 
+  // The desktop must never be left without a wallpaper. A path that stops
+  // loading, say one that ran through a theme since replaced, is resolved
+  // again from the background link, which a theme switch always repoints.
+  // Only a different path is taken, so a file that is there but unreadable
+  // cannot loop. Resolving runs out of process, so a background chosen in the
+  // meantime wins over what it finds; if that one fails too, it is resolved
+  // in turn once the running lookup is done.
+  property string failedBackground: ""
+  property int recoverVersion: -1
+
+  function recoverBackground(failedPath) {
+    if (!failedPath || failedPath !== displayedBackground) return
+    failedBackground = failedPath
+    if (recoverProc.running) return
+    recoverVersion = backgroundVersion
+    recoverProc.running = true
+  }
+
+  function finishRecovery(path) {
+    path = String(path || "").trim()
+    var failedPath = failedBackground
+    failedBackground = ""
+    if (recoverVersion !== backgroundVersion) {
+      recoverBackground(failedPath)
+      return
+    }
+    if (!path || path === failedPath) return
+    setBackground(path, true)
+  }
+
   function setBackground(path, instant) {
     if (instant) reloadVersion += 1
     transitionBackground("", path, path, instant, instant)
@@ -85,6 +116,7 @@ Item {
     requestNativeSize(finalPath)
     currentBackground = finalPath
     backgroundVersion += 1
+    failedBackground = ""
     revealStartedVersion = -1
 
     revealAnimation.stop()
@@ -220,6 +252,21 @@ Item {
     }
   }
 
+  // The link's target when it exists, or else the theme's first background,
+  // so a link left dangling still finds a wallpaper.
+  Process {
+    id: recoverProc
+    command: [
+      "bash", "-c",
+      'target=$(readlink -f "$1"); if [[ -e $target ]]; then echo "$target"; else ' +
+      'find "$2" -maxdepth 1 -type f \\( -iname "*.jpg" -o -iname "*.jpeg" -o -iname "*.png" -o -iname "*.webp" \\) | sort | head -n 1; fi',
+      "resolve", root.currentBackgroundLink, root.currentThemeBackgrounds
+    ]
+    stdout: StdioCollector {
+      onStreamFinished: root.finishRecovery(text)
+    }
+  }
+
   ShellIpc {
     target: "background"
 
@@ -365,6 +412,7 @@ Item {
         cached: true
         constrainDecode: true
         decodeSize: panel.decodeSize(root.displayedBackground)
+        onFailedChanged: if (failed) root.recoverBackground(path)
         onReadyChanged: {
           panel.readyFrames = 0
           if (ready && root.finishingTransition) {
diff --git a/test/shell.d/theme-intro-switch-test.sh b/test/shell.d/theme-intro-switch-test.sh
index 8c172b03..71ad1abe 100755
--- a/test/shell.d/theme-intro-switch-test.sh
+++ b/test/shell.d/theme-intro-switch-test.sh
@@ -119,6 +119,9 @@ grep -Fxq "owe: intro --start first-frame --refresh $state/theme/backgrounds/int
 [[ $(readlink "$state/background") == "$state/theme/backgrounds/2-road.webp" ]] || fail "the remembered background is selected"
 ! grep -qE '^shell: background (prepare|themeTransition)' "$log" || fail "an intro replaces the normal still transition"
 [[ $(<"$home/.local/state/omarchy/background-intro.session-id") == already-consumed ]] || fail "a theme switch leaves login consumption unchanged"
+# The shell holds the old theme's still, whose path the swap deleted, and loads
+# it again when OWE hands the desktop back, so it gets the new one either way.
+wait_command "^shell: background setInstant $state/theme/backgrounds/2-road.webp\$"
 pass "switching themes plays the matching intro for the remembered background"
 
 set_theme beta
@@ -176,7 +179,12 @@ wait_command '^owe: intro '
 [[ ! -f $gates/premature-swap ]] || fail "the outgoing fade and cover settle before replacing the active theme"
 pass "rapid switches present the outgoing video cover before replacing its still"
 
-wait_command '^hypr-reload$'
+# Earlier switches finish in the background, so the next one waits for them,
+# or a late reload of theirs reads as one during its intro.
+for attempt in {1..250}; do
+  pgrep -f "^/bin/bash $ROOT/bin/omarchy-theme-set (alpha|beta)\$" >/dev/null || break
+  sleep 0.02
+done
 release="$test_tmp/reload-release"
 TEST_INTRO_PID="$test_tmp/intro.pid" TEST_RELEASE="$release" set_theme alpha
 wait_command '^owe: intro '