diff --git a/default/audio/filter-chain-host.conf b/default/audio/filter-chain-host.conf
index 4951baea..01a35c1e 100644
--- a/default/audio/filter-chain-host.conf
+++ b/default/audio/filter-chain-host.conf
@@ -23,9 +23,12 @@ context.spa-libs = {
 }
 
 context.modules = [
-    # Boost the audio thread priority.
+    # Boost the audio thread priority. Ask RTKit directly, as pipewire.conf
+    # does: a portal started before rtkit existed reports a realtime budget of
+    # zero, which becomes a hard RLIMIT_RTTIME of 0 while RTKit still makes the
+    # data thread realtime, and the kernel then kills the host once audio plays.
     { name = libpipewire-module-rt
-        args = { }
+        args = { rtportal.enabled = false }
         flags = [ ifexists nofail ]
     }
 
diff --git a/migrations/1790114905.sh b/migrations/1790114905.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..293240e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/migrations/1790114905.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+echo "Ask RTKit directly for the speaker tuning's realtime priority"
+
+# The tuning host asked for realtime through xdg-desktop-portal. A portal started
+# before rtkit was installed reports a realtime budget of zero; module-rt applies
+# it as a hard RLIMIT_RTTIME of 0, RTKit still makes the data thread realtime, and
+# the kernel kills the host as soon as audio plays. The host config is only copied
+# by `omarchy-audio-tuning on`, so an installed tuning keeps the old one until
+# replaced here.
+#
+# Only Omarchy's own copy with the old setting is replaced. A community
+# calibrator can host its graph under the same file name, and a tuning graph is
+# never touched: `omarchy-audio-tuning on` would overwrite one it did not write.
+host_config="${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/pipewire/omarchy-speaker-tuning.conf"
+host_source="$OMARCHY_PATH/default/audio/filter-chain-host.conf"
+
+if [[ -f $host_config && ! -L $host_config ]] &&
+  grep -qx '# Host config for the Omarchy speaker tuning.' "$host_config" &&
+  grep -q 'args = { }' "$host_config"; then
+  install -Dm644 "$host_source" "$host_config"
+  # A restart ends playback for a moment, so only a running host is restarted.
+  systemctl --user try-restart omarchy-speaker-tuning.service >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
+fi
diff --git a/test/shell.d/speaker-tuning-rtkit-migration-test.sh b/test/shell.d/speaker-tuning-rtkit-migration-test.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3a876222
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/shell.d/speaker-tuning-rtkit-migration-test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+set -euo pipefail
+source "$(cd -- "$(dirname -- "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)/base-test.sh"
+
+tmp_dir=$(mktemp -d)
+trap 'rm -rf "$tmp_dir"' EXIT
+mkdir -p "$tmp_dir/bin"
+export XDG_CONFIG_HOME="$tmp_dir/config" OMARCHY_PATH="$ROOT" CALL_LOG="$tmp_dir/calls"
+export PATH="$tmp_dir/bin:$PATH"
+
+cat > "$tmp_dir/bin/systemctl" <<'SH'
+#!/bin/bash
+printf '%s\n' "$*" >> "$CALL_LOG"
+SH
+chmod +x "$tmp_dir/bin/systemctl"
+
+migration="$ROOT/migrations/1790114905.sh"
+host_source="$ROOT/default/audio/filter-chain-host.conf"
+host_config="$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/pipewire/omarchy-speaker-tuning.conf"
+mkdir -p "${host_config%/*}"
+
+grep -q 'args = { rtportal.enabled = false }' "$host_source" ||
+  fail "the shipped tuning host asks RTKit directly"
+pass "the shipped tuning host asks RTKit directly"
+
+# The copy an earlier Omarchy installed: the same file with the old setting.
+sed 's/args = { rtportal.enabled = false }/args = { }/' "$host_source" > "$host_config"
+: > "$CALL_LOG"
+bash -euo pipefail "$migration" >/dev/null
+cmp -s "$host_source" "$host_config" || fail "an installed Omarchy host is replaced"
+grep -Fxq -- "--user try-restart omarchy-speaker-tuning.service" "$CALL_LOG" ||
+  fail "a replaced host is restarted if it runs"
+pass "an installed Omarchy host is replaced and restarted"
+
+: > "$CALL_LOG"
+bash -euo pipefail "$migration" >/dev/null
+[[ ! -s $CALL_LOG ]] || fail "the migration is idempotent"
+pass "the migration is idempotent"
+
+# Another tool's host under the same name, as a community calibrator writes it.
+foreign='context.properties = { log.level = 0 }
+context.modules = [
+  { name = libpipewire-module-rt args = { } flags = [ ifexists nofail ] }
+]'
+printf '%s\n' "$foreign" > "$host_config"
+: > "$CALL_LOG"
+bash -euo pipefail "$migration" >/dev/null
+[[ $(cat "$host_config") == "$foreign" && ! -s $CALL_LOG ]] ||
+  fail "a host another tool wrote is left alone"
+pass "a host another tool wrote is left alone"
+
+rm -f "$host_config"
+bash -euo pipefail "$migration" >/dev/null
+[[ ! -e $host_config && ! -s $CALL_LOG ]] || fail "no tuning installed means nothing to do"
+pass "no tuning installed means nothing to do"