diff --git a/bin/omarchy-hyprland-session-lock-stranded b/bin/omarchy-hyprland-session-lock-stranded
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..05b8a56c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/omarchy-hyprland-session-lock-stranded
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# omarchy:summary=Returns true when the compositor holds a session lock no other locker is alive to own
+# omarchy:args=<own-pid>
+# omarchy:hidden=true
+
+# Hyprland lets any client take over a held lock (misc:allow_session_lock_restore),
+# so a shell that recovers a lock it merely sees can take the live lock screen of
+# another shell, and strand it when it exits. A lock is stranded only while no
+# other Quickshell or hyprlock is running; until then the answer is undetermined,
+# so the caller keeps asking until that locker exits or it gives up.
+#
+# Exits 0 stranded, 1 unlocked, 2 undetermined. The caller passes its own pid,
+# as a crash re-execs the shell in place.
+omarchy-hyprland-session-locked || exit
+
+if pgrep -u "$UID" -x 'quickshell|qs|hyprlock' | grep -qvxF "$1"; then
+  exit 2
+fi
diff --git a/shell/plugins/lock/Service.qml b/shell/plugins/lock/Service.qml
index c775ba02..ccd496a8 100644
--- a/shell/plugins/lock/Service.qml
+++ b/shell/plugins/lock/Service.qml
@@ -110,8 +110,11 @@ Item {
   }
 
   // ext-session-lock outlives its client, and a restart carries no lock over, so
-  // a session locked this early is an orphan behind Hyprland's failsafe. Outputs
-  // are often still absent here, so ask until the answer means something.
+  // a session locked this early may be an orphan behind Hyprland's failsafe. It
+  // may also be another shell's live lock, which Hyprland would let this one
+  // take over and then strand on exit, so the helper answers undetermined while
+  // another locker runs. Outputs are often still absent here, so ask until the
+  // answer means something.
   function checkStrandedLock() {
     if (strandedLockResolved || strandedLockCheckProc.running) return
 
@@ -687,7 +690,8 @@ Item {
 
   Process {
     id: strandedLockCheckProc
-    command: ["bash", "-c", "omarchy-hyprland-session-locked"]
+    // $PPID is this shell: a crash re-execs in place, so its pid is the one to skip.
+    command: ["bash", "-c", "omarchy-hyprland-session-lock-stranded \"$PPID\""]
     onExited: function(exitCode) {
       // No output to read the lock off yet.
       if (exitCode === 2) return
diff --git a/test/shell.d/hyprland-session-lock-stranded-test.sh b/test/shell.d/hyprland-session-lock-stranded-test.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..ba1db1f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/shell.d/hyprland-session-lock-stranded-test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+source "$(cd -- "$(dirname -- "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)/base-test.sh"
+
+fake_bin=$(mktemp -d)
+trap 'rm -rf "$fake_bin"' EXIT
+
+cat >"$fake_bin/omarchy-hyprland-session-locked" <<'SH'
+#!/bin/bash
+
+exit "$OMARCHY_TEST_LOCKED"
+SH
+
+# The lockers running are given, so the live desktop's own shell stays out of it.
+cat >"$fake_bin/pgrep" <<'SH'
+#!/bin/bash
+
+[[ $* == "-u $UID -x quickshell|qs|hyprlock" ]] || exit 3
+[[ -n $OMARCHY_TEST_LOCKERS ]] || exit 1
+printf '%s\n' $OMARCHY_TEST_LOCKERS
+SH
+chmod +x "$fake_bin"/*
+
+assert_status() {
+  local expected="$1" locked="$2" lockers="$3" description="$4" actual=0
+
+  PATH="$fake_bin:$PATH" OMARCHY_TEST_LOCKED="$locked" OMARCHY_TEST_LOCKERS="$lockers" \
+    "$ROOT/bin/omarchy-hyprland-session-lock-stranded" 100 || actual=$?
+
+  (( actual == expected )) || fail "$description" "expected exit $expected, got $actual"
+  pass "$description"
+}
+
+assert_status 0 0 "" "a lock with no locker alive is stranded"
+assert_status 0 0 "100" "the asking shell does not count as another locker"
+assert_status 1 1 "" "an unlocked session is not stranded"
+assert_status 2 2 "" "a compositor that cannot say leaves it undetermined"
+assert_status 2 0 "100 200" "a lock another locker may hold is left undetermined, so it is never taken"
diff --git a/test/shell.d/lock-stranded-recovery-test.sh b/test/shell.d/lock-stranded-recovery-test.sh
index d0e5cb81..1f27d1cf 100755
--- a/test/shell.d/lock-stranded-recovery-test.sh
+++ b/test/shell.d/lock-stranded-recovery-test.sh
@@ -15,8 +15,8 @@ assert(
 )
 
 assert(
-  /id: strandedLockCheckProc[\s\S]*omarchy-hyprland-session-locked/.test(serviceQml),
-  'the startup check goes through the shared session lock helper'
+  /id: strandedLockCheckProc[\s\S]*omarchy-hyprland-session-lock-stranded \\"\$PPID\\"/.test(serviceQml),
+  'the startup check asks whether a lock has no live locker, skipping this shell'
 )
 
 // "No output to read" taken for "unlocked" leaves the failsafe up for good.