diff --git a/bin/omarchy-capture-screenrecording b/bin/omarchy-capture-screenrecording
index 7666e1e6..314363c0 100755
--- a/bin/omarchy-capture-screenrecording
+++ b/bin/omarchy-capture-screenrecording
@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ stop_screenrecording() {
 
     omarchy-notification-send "Screen recording saved" "Open with Super + Alt + , (or click this)" \
       -t 10000 --image "${preview:-$filename}" \
-      --exec "$(printf 'mpv %q' "$filename")"
+      --exec-arg mpv --exec-arg -- --exec-arg "$filename"
 
     # The shell loads the thumbnail into memory when the toast appears and never
     # re-reads the file, so the preview only has to outlive that load -- not the
diff --git a/bin/omarchy-capture-screenshot b/bin/omarchy-capture-screenshot
index 8b2ac7d0..9dfd56a2 100755
--- a/bin/omarchy-capture-screenshot
+++ b/bin/omarchy-capture-screenshot
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ case "$PROCESSING" in
     # notification outage must not report the capture itself as failed.
     omarchy-notification-send "Screenshot saved to clipboard and file" "Edit with Super + Alt + , (or click this)" \
       --image "$FILEPATH" \
-      --exec "$(printf '%q %q' "$SCREENSHOT_EDITOR" "$FILEPATH")" || true
+      --exec-arg "$SCREENSHOT_EDITOR" --exec-arg "$FILEPATH" || true
     ;;
   copy)
     grim -g "$SELECTION" - | wl-copy --type image/png
diff --git a/bin/omarchy-chromium-ytdlp-host b/bin/omarchy-chromium-ytdlp-host
index ce50635a..fab6ce01 100755
--- a/bin/omarchy-chromium-ytdlp-host
+++ b/bin/omarchy-chromium-ytdlp-host
@@ -70,10 +70,10 @@ title_from_file() {
   fi
 }
 
-# `--` keeps a path that starts with `-` from being parsed as an mpv option.
-playback_command() {
-  printf 'mpv -- %q' "$1"
-}
+# The click action is passed to the shell as an argv vector (--exec-arg), so the
+# path is one literal argument and never reaches a shell. `--` still guards mpv
+# itself against parsing a leading-dash filename as an option.
+playback_exec_args=(--exec-arg mpv --exec-arg -- --exec-arg)
 
 # Drive the Quickshell OSD — a single overlay that updates in place (like the
 # volume/brightness bar), so download progress never stacks like notifications.
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ download_url() {
     # toast would exit before the thumbnail cleanup below is ever scheduled.
     omarchy-notification-send -g 󰄬 "Download complete" "$title" \
       -t 10000 --image "${preview:-$filepath}" \
-      --exec "$(playback_command "$filepath")" || true
+      "${playback_exec_args[@]}" "$filepath" || true
 
     # The shell loads the thumbnail into memory when the toast appears and never
     # re-reads the file, so the preview only has to outlive that load, not the
diff --git a/bin/omarchy-crash-watch b/bin/omarchy-crash-watch
index f58247a0..d3391af6 100755
--- a/bin/omarchy-crash-watch
+++ b/bin/omarchy-crash-watch
@@ -24,9 +24,7 @@ readonly ignore_pattern=${OMARCHY_CRASH_IGNORE:-}
 declare -A last_notified
 
 announce() {
-  local comm=$1 pid=$2 exe=$3 signal=$4 exec_command
-
-  exec_command=$(printf 'omarchy-agent-crash %q %q %q %q' "$pid" "$comm" "$exe" "$signal")
+  local comm=$1 pid=$2 exe=$3 signal=$4
 
   # The shell owns org.freedesktop.Notifications, so a shell crash takes the
   # notification server down with it and a toast sent into that gap is lost.
@@ -34,13 +32,15 @@ announce() {
   # likely to be delivered is the one most worth reporting.
   omarchy-notification-wait || return 1
 
-  # --exec rather than a libnotify action: the shell runs clicks from its own
-  # omarchy-exec hint and never emits ActionInvoked. Keeps the default
+  # --exec-arg rather than a libnotify action: the shell runs clicks from its own
+  # omarchy-exec-argv hint and never emits ActionInvoked. Keeps the default
   # "omarchy-action" app name too, the only one shouldBypassDnd() lets through.
+  # The argv form carries the crash details as literal arguments, so a hostile
+  # process name can't be reparsed as a command when the toast is clicked.
   omarchy-notification-send \
     --urgency critical \
     --glyph "$CRASH_GLYPH" \
-    --exec "$exec_command" \
+    --exec-arg omarchy-agent-crash --exec-arg "$pid" --exec-arg "$comm" --exec-arg "$exe" --exec-arg "$signal" \
     "Process crashed: $comm" \
     "Click to diagnose with AI"
 }
diff --git a/bin/omarchy-migrate-notify b/bin/omarchy-migrate-notify
index 0ee2e0b0..99215979 100755
--- a/bin/omarchy-migrate-notify
+++ b/bin/omarchy-migrate-notify
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ fi
 # The shell keeps the click command with the toast, so this oneshot can hand the
 # invitation over and exit instead of staying activated until it is answered.
 omarchy-notification-send -u critical -g  "Pending Omarchy Migrations" "$message" \
-  --exec "omarchy-launch-floating-terminal-with-presentation omarchy-migrate" && exit 0
+  --exec-arg omarchy-launch-floating-terminal-with-presentation --exec-arg omarchy-migrate && exit 0
 
 # Reached when the notification could not be handed off, so fall back to telling
 # the user in the terminal.
diff --git a/bin/omarchy-notification-send b/bin/omarchy-notification-send
index 8a5851b8..84182472 100755
--- a/bin/omarchy-notification-send
+++ b/bin/omarchy-notification-send
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
 # omarchy:summary=Send an Omarchy desktop notification
-# omarchy:args=[--exec <command>] [--app-name <app-name>] [-g <glyph>] [-u <low|normal|critical>] [--image <path-or-uri>] <headline> [description] [notify-send options]
+# omarchy:args=[--exec-arg <arg>]... [--exec <command>] [--app-name <app-name>] [-g <glyph>] [-u <low|normal|critical>] [--image <path-or-uri>] <headline> [description] [notify-send options]
 # omarchy:examples=omarchy notification send "Reminder" "5 minutes are up" -g 󰢌
 
 set -euo pipefail
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ urgency="low"
 app_name="omarchy-action"
 image=
 exec_command=
+exec_args=()
 args=()
 parsed_option_args=0
 
@@ -63,6 +64,19 @@ parse_omarchy_option() {
     parsed_option_args=2
     return 0
     ;;
+  --exec-arg)
+    if (($# < 2)); then
+      echo "Missing value for $1" >&2
+      exit 1
+    fi
+    # Each --exec-arg contributes one literal argument to the click command.
+    # The shell runs the resulting argv vector directly (no shell), so callers
+    # pass untrusted data as its own --exec-arg rather than quoting it into a
+    # command string. Value is taken verbatim, even when it starts with "-".
+    exec_args+=("$2")
+    parsed_option_args=2
+    return 0
+    ;;
   esac
 
   return 1
@@ -77,7 +91,7 @@ while (($# > 0)); do
 done
 
 if (($# < 1)); then
-  echo "Usage: omarchy-notification-send [--exec <command>] [--app-name <app-name>] [-g <glyph>] [-u <low|normal|critical>] [--image <path-or-uri>] <headline> [description] [notify-send options]"
+  echo "Usage: omarchy-notification-send [--exec-arg <arg>]... [--exec <command>] [--app-name <app-name>] [-g <glyph>] [-u <low|normal|critical>] [--image <path-or-uri>] <headline> [description] [notify-send options]"
   exit 1
 fi
 
@@ -112,7 +126,18 @@ fi
 # The shell runs the click command itself, from a copy it keeps alongside the
 # on-screen popup. A libnotify action would instead keep this process blocked
 # until the click, and die unanswered whenever the shell restarts underneath it.
-if [[ -n $exec_command ]]; then
+#
+# --exec-arg builds an argv vector the shell runs directly, so a value carrying
+# untrusted data is only ever one argument and never reaches a shell. It wins
+# over the legacy free-form --exec string, which is run through `bash -lc` and
+# is only safe when the caller quoted every interpolated value itself.
+if ((${#exec_args[@]} > 0)); then
+  # NUL-delimit the args into jq so every byte survives as data — jq's own
+  # --args would eat a bare "--", and a title with a newline must stay one
+  # element, not split the vector.
+  exec_argv_json=$(printf '%s\0' "${exec_args[@]}" | jq -Rsc 'split("\u0000")[:-1]')
+  args+=("--hint=string:omarchy-exec-argv:$exec_argv_json")
+elif [[ -n $exec_command ]]; then
   args+=("--hint=string:omarchy-exec:$exec_command")
 fi
 
diff --git a/bin/omarchy-tailscale-receive b/bin/omarchy-tailscale-receive
index 6da2b125..a2ff3809 100755
--- a/bin/omarchy-tailscale-receive
+++ b/bin/omarchy-tailscale-receive
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ announce() {
 
   # Announcing is best-effort: the file is already delivered, and under `set -e`
   # a notification outage would otherwise kill the long-running receiver.
-  omarchy-notification-send "${args[@]}" --exec "$(printf 'xdg-open %q' "$path")" || true
+  omarchy-notification-send "${args[@]}" --exec-arg xdg-open --exec-arg "$path" || true
 }
 
 deliver() {
diff --git a/docs/notifications.md b/docs/notifications.md
index c2eba6d9..9e181aca 100644
--- a/docs/notifications.md
+++ b/docs/notifications.md
@@ -69,7 +69,8 @@ notify-send arguments and passes any unrecognized options through:
 | Flag | Becomes | Meaning |
 |---|---|---|
 | `-g` / `--glyph` | `--hint=string:omarchy-glyph:` | Nerd Font glyph for the icon slot when no image icon resolves |
-| `--exec` | `--hint=string:omarchy-exec:` | shell command the card runs when clicked |
+| `--exec-arg` (repeatable) | `--hint=string:omarchy-exec-argv:` | one literal argument of the click command; the collected args become a JSON argv the shell runs without a shell |
+| `--exec` | `--hint=string:omarchy-exec:` | legacy free-form shell command the card runs when clicked (deprecated — see below) |
 | `--image` | `--hint=string:image-path:` | the standard freedesktop image hint |
 | `--app-name` | `-a` | defaults to `omarchy-action` |
 | `-u` / `--urgency` | `-u` | defaults to `low` |
@@ -78,9 +79,9 @@ The defaults are the point: an unadorned `omarchy-notification-send "Done"`
 is a low-urgency user-action toast that pops through DND and is treated as
 ephemeral noise when silenced.
 
-`--exec` is deliberately not a libnotify action. An action keeps the sender
-blocked waiting for `ActionInvoked`, and dies unanswered whenever the shell
-restarts underneath it — the installer toasts restart the shell as their
+The click command is deliberately not a libnotify action. An action keeps the
+sender blocked waiting for `ActionInvoked`, and dies unanswered whenever the
+shell restarts underneath it — the installer toasts restart the shell as their
 first act. Carrying the command as a hint means the shell executes the click
 itself (detached, so the command outlives the shell process) from the copy it
 keeps with the popup, which the persistence files preserve: a restored toast
@@ -90,6 +91,25 @@ immediately. For third-party clients the click falls back to the libnotify
 window by class via `omarchy-hyprland-focus-app` — chat apps rarely register
 an action and just expect click-to-jump.
 
+### Click commands must be argv, not shell strings
+
+Prefer `--exec-arg` for every click command. Each `--exec-arg` contributes one
+literal argument; the shell runs the resulting vector with
+`Quickshell.execDetached(argv)` and **no shell**, so a value carrying data an
+attacker controls — a downloaded video's title, a received filename, a crashed
+process's name — is only ever a single argument and can never be reparsed as a
+command. This is the parameterized form: pass untrusted data as its own
+`--exec-arg` rather than quoting it into a string.
+
+`--exec` is the legacy free-form variant, run through `bash -lc`. It is safe
+only when the caller shell-quoted every interpolated value perfectly — the same
+trap as string-concatenated SQL, and the exact shape of the yt-dlp title RCE
+that motivated the argv form. It is retained for compatibility and honored only
+from toasts whose `app_name` is Omarchy's own `omarchy-action`; new senders must
+use `--exec-arg`. The shell fails closed on a malformed argv hint (it must be a
+JSON array of strings whose program is present and not a leading-dash option)
+rather than letting it fall through to a shell.
+
 ## Helper commands
 
 - `omarchy-notification-wait [timeout]` — polls until the shell answers IPC
@@ -114,7 +134,8 @@ Everything goes through the same sender contract, so the pieces are small:
   `battery-low` hook.
 - **Crash capture** — `omarchy-crash-watch` follows the systemd-coredump
   journal stream and announces each crashed program (deduped per minute) as a
-  critical toast whose `--exec` runs `omarchy-agent-crash`. It waits for the
+  critical toast whose click runs `omarchy-agent-crash` (via `--exec-arg`, so a
+  hostile process name stays a literal argument). It waits for the
   server first: a shell crash takes the notification server down with it, and
   that crash is the one most worth reporting.
 - **Pending migrations** — `omarchy-migrate-notify` (from its user service
diff --git a/shell/Commons/Util.qml b/shell/Commons/Util.qml
index 3d5a1f8e..64dac606 100644
--- a/shell/Commons/Util.qml
+++ b/shell/Commons/Util.qml
@@ -54,6 +54,14 @@ QtObject {
     Quickshell.execDetached(["bash", "-lc", command])
   }
 
+  // Run an argv vector directly, without a shell. Nothing in the array is
+  // reparsed, so an argument carrying attacker-controlled data (a filename, a
+  // title) can never turn into a command. Prefer this over execDetached for any
+  // command assembled from untrusted input.
+  function execArgv(argv) {
+    Quickshell.execDetached(argv)
+  }
+
   function isPlainObject(value) {
     return value !== null && typeof value === "object" && !Array.isArray(value)
   }
diff --git a/shell/plugins/notifications/NotificationLogic.js b/shell/plugins/notifications/NotificationLogic.js
index 1d2ebd43..1229a37b 100644
--- a/shell/plugins/notifications/NotificationLogic.js
+++ b/shell/plugins/notifications/NotificationLogic.js
@@ -63,10 +63,51 @@ function glyphFromHints(hints) {
 // after a shell restart clicks through exactly like a live one. A libnotify
 // action can't: its sender is still waiting on an id from a server generation
 // that no longer exists.
+//
+// This is a free-form shell string run through `bash -lc`, so it is safe only
+// when every value interpolated into it was shell-quoted perfectly. It is kept
+// for compatibility and honored only from Omarchy's own trusted toasts (see
+// Service.invokePopupDefault); new senders use --exec-arg / the argv form
+// below, which never reaches a shell.
 function execFromHints(hints) {
   return stringHint(hints, "omarchy-exec")
 }
 
+// The click action as an argv vector, sent by omarchy-notification-send
+// --exec-arg and carried as a JSON array string in the omarchy-exec-argv hint.
+// The shell runs it with Quickshell.execDetached (no shell), so a value that an
+// attacker controls — a video title, a filename, a URL — is only ever one
+// argument and can never be reparsed as a command. This is the parameterized
+// form: the "prepared statement" to execFromHints's string concatenation.
+function execArgvFromHints(hints) {
+  return stringHint(hints, "omarchy-exec-argv")
+}
+
+// Validate a persisted omarchy-exec-argv value into an argv the shell may run,
+// or null for anything that is not one. A malformed or hostile hint must fail
+// closed here rather than fall through to a shell: we require a JSON array of
+// strings, non-empty, whose first element (the program) is present and does not
+// start with "-" (which would let a forged record smuggle in a leading-dash
+// option in the program slot).
+function parseExecArgv(value) {
+  var text = String(value || "")
+  if (!text) return null
+
+  var parsed
+  try {
+    parsed = JSON.parse(text)
+  } catch (e) {
+    return null
+  }
+
+  if (!Array.isArray(parsed) || parsed.length === 0) return null
+  for (var i = 0; i < parsed.length; i++) {
+    if (typeof parsed[i] !== "string") return null
+  }
+  if (!parsed[0] || parsed[0].charAt(0) === "-") return null
+  return parsed
+}
+
 function shouldRenderCompactGlyph(glyph, iconSource, singleLineToast) {
   return String(glyph || "").length > 0 && String(iconSource || "").length === 0 && !!singleLineToast
 }
@@ -86,6 +127,7 @@ function snapshotOf(notification, timestamp) {
     image: n.image || "",
     glyph: glyphFromHints(n.hints),
     exec: execFromHints(n.hints),
+    execArgv: execArgvFromHints(n.hints),
     urgency: n.urgency,
     expireTimeout: expireTimeout,
     timestamp: timestamp === undefined ? Date.now() : timestamp
@@ -94,7 +136,7 @@ function snapshotOf(notification, timestamp) {
 
 // Everything the popup card draws, and therefore everything an in-place
 // update has to write through to the row and its file.
-var POPUP_ROLES = ["app", "appIcon", "summary", "body", "image", "glyph", "exec", "urgency", "expireTimeout"]
+var POPUP_ROLES = ["app", "appIcon", "summary", "body", "image", "glyph", "exec", "execArgv", "urgency", "expireTimeout"]
 
 function popupRoles() {
   return POPUP_ROLES
@@ -137,6 +179,7 @@ function historyEntry(value, normalUrgency) {
     image: e.image || "",
     glyph: e.glyph || "",
     exec: e.exec || "",
+    execArgv: e.execArgv || "",
     urgency: typeof e.urgency === "number" ? e.urgency : normalUrgency,
     expireTimeout: 0,
     timestamp: e.timestamp || 0
@@ -347,6 +390,8 @@ if (typeof module !== "undefined") {
     stringHint: stringHint,
     glyphFromHints: glyphFromHints,
     execFromHints: execFromHints,
+    execArgvFromHints: execArgvFromHints,
+    parseExecArgv: parseExecArgv,
     shouldRenderCompactGlyph: shouldRenderCompactGlyph,
     snapshotOf: snapshotOf,
     popupRoles: popupRoles,
diff --git a/shell/plugins/notifications/Service.qml b/shell/plugins/notifications/Service.qml
index 88ad0544..5df3e96c 100644
--- a/shell/plugins/notifications/Service.qml
+++ b/shell/plugins/notifications/Service.qml
@@ -360,10 +360,25 @@ Item {
   function invokePopupDefault(index) {
     if (index < 0 || index >= popupModel.count) return
     var entry = popupModel.get(index)
+
+    // Preferred path: an argv vector run without a shell, so data an attacker
+    // controls (a video title, a filename) is only ever an argument and can
+    // never be reparsed as a command. Detached so it outlives the shell, which
+    // the installer toasts depend on: they restart the shell as their first act.
+    var argv = NotificationLogic.parseExecArgv(entry ? entry.execArgv : "")
+    if (argv) {
+      Util.execArgv(argv)
+      dismissPopup(index)
+      return
+    }
+
+    // Legacy free-form shell exec (deprecated). It runs through `bash -lc`, so
+    // it is only as safe as the sender's quoting — honored solely from
+    // Omarchy's own trusted toasts. app_name is spoofable, so this is a
+    // compatibility courtesy, not a security boundary; new callers use the argv
+    // form above.
     var command = entry ? String(entry.exec || "") : ""
-    if (command) {
-      // Detached so the launched command outlives the shell process, which the
-      // installer toasts depend on: they restart the shell as their first act.
+    if (command && String(entry.app || "") === "omarchy-action") {
       Util.execDetached(command)
       dismissPopup(index)
       return
diff --git a/test/shell.d/chromium-ytdlp-test.sh b/test/shell.d/chromium-ytdlp-test.sh
index 4989df76..7b4ae512 100755
--- a/test/shell.d/chromium-ytdlp-test.sh
+++ b/test/shell.d/chromium-ytdlp-test.sh
@@ -131,15 +131,13 @@ dash_title=$(host_fn title_from_file "$download_dir/--include.mp4")
 [[ $dash_title == "Video" ]] || fail "yt-dlp native host does not pass a leading-dash title to notify-send" "$dash_title"
 pass "yt-dlp native host does not pass a leading-dash title to notify-send"
 
-cmd=$(host_fn playback_command --include=not-a-file)
-[[ $cmd == "mpv -- --include=not-a-file" ]] ||
-  fail "yt-dlp native host runs mpv with -- before the path" "$cmd"
-pass "yt-dlp native host runs mpv with -- before the path"
-
-spaced_cmd=$(host_fn playback_command "$download_dir/a b.mp4")
-[[ $spaced_cmd == "mpv -- $download_dir/a\\ b.mp4" ]] ||
-  fail "yt-dlp native host shell-quotes the mpv path" "$spaced_cmd"
-pass "yt-dlp native host shell-quotes the mpv path"
+# The click action is an argv vector the shell runs without a shell, so the path
+# is a literal --exec-arg rather than a value quoted into a command string. The
+# prefix is static; `--` keeps mpv from parsing a leading-dash filename.
+playback_argv=$(host_fn eval 'printf "%s\n" "${playback_exec_args[@]}"')
+[[ $playback_argv == $'--exec-arg\nmpv\n--exec-arg\n--\n--exec-arg' ]] ||
+  fail "yt-dlp native host runs mpv with -- before the path as argv" "$playback_argv"
+pass "yt-dlp native host runs mpv with -- before the path as argv"
 
 parse_script="$TMPDIR/parse-ytdlp-lines.sh"
 cat >"$parse_script" <<'EOF'
@@ -234,9 +232,9 @@ grep -qF -- $'OMARCHY_FILE\t%(title)s' "$ytdlp_argv" &&
   fail "yt-dlp native host never prints the title into the file record" "$(cat "$ytdlp_argv")"
 pass "yt-dlp native host never prints the title into the file record"
 
-grep -q -- "--exec mpv -- " "$notify_argv" ||
-  fail "yt-dlp native host builds the click command as mpv -- <path>" "$(cat "$notify_argv")"
-pass "yt-dlp native host builds the click command as mpv -- <path>"
+grep -q -- "--exec-arg mpv --exec-arg -- --exec-arg " "$notify_argv" ||
+  fail "yt-dlp native host builds the click command as an mpv -- <path> argv" "$(cat "$notify_argv")"
+pass "yt-dlp native host builds the click command as an mpv -- <path> argv"
 
 grep -qF -- "Download complete My Great Clip" "$notify_argv" ||
   fail "yt-dlp native host toasts the page title, not the sanitised filename" "$(cat "$notify_argv")"
diff --git a/test/shell.d/migrate-notify-test.sh b/test/shell.d/migrate-notify-test.sh
index 8114e6d9..10e46959 100644
--- a/test/shell.d/migrate-notify-test.sh
+++ b/test/shell.d/migrate-notify-test.sh
@@ -158,8 +158,9 @@ exec {foreign_lock_fd}>&-
 rm -f "$test_tmp/notify-args"
 run_notify 1 >/dev/null 2>&1
 notify_args_written || fail "migration notifier sends the notification before exiting"
-grep -Fx -- '--exec' "$test_tmp/notify-args" >/dev/null ||
+grep -Fx -- '--exec-arg' "$test_tmp/notify-args" >/dev/null ||
   fail "migration notifier attaches the click command to the toast"
-grep -Fx 'omarchy-launch-floating-terminal-with-presentation omarchy-migrate' "$test_tmp/notify-args" >/dev/null ||
+grep -Fx 'omarchy-launch-floating-terminal-with-presentation' "$test_tmp/notify-args" >/dev/null &&
+  grep -Fx 'omarchy-migrate' "$test_tmp/notify-args" >/dev/null ||
   fail "migration notifier points the click command at omarchy-migrate"
 pass "migration notifier lets the shell own the click instead of waiting for it"
diff --git a/test/shell.d/notification-send-test.sh b/test/shell.d/notification-send-test.sh
index e754bb6e..d93682a4 100644
--- a/test/shell.d/notification-send-test.sh
+++ b/test/shell.d/notification-send-test.sh
@@ -49,3 +49,31 @@ if OMARCHY_TEST_NOTIFY_ARGS="$args_file" PATH="$tmpdir:$ROOT/bin:$PATH" \
   fail "notification wrapper rejects --exec without a command"
 fi
 pass "notification wrapper rejects --exec without a command"
+
+# --exec-arg builds an argv vector encoded as a JSON array, so shell
+# metacharacters in a value are carried as data, never as a command. The shell
+# runs this argv directly (no shell), which is what keeps a hostile title or
+# filename from becoming code when the toast is clicked.
+: >"$args_file"
+OMARCHY_TEST_NOTIFY_ARGS="$args_file" PATH="$tmpdir:$ROOT/bin:$PATH" \
+  omarchy-notification-send --exec-arg mpv --exec-arg -- --exec-arg '$(rm -rf ~); echo pwned' \
+  "Download complete" >/dev/null
+
+argv_hint=$(grep -- "--hint=string:omarchy-exec-argv:" "$args_file")
+argv_json=${argv_hint#--hint=string:omarchy-exec-argv:}
+[[ $(jq -r '.[0]' <<<"$argv_json") == "mpv" ]] || fail "notification wrapper puts the program first in the exec argv"
+[[ $(jq -r '.[1]' <<<"$argv_json") == "--" ]] || fail "notification wrapper preserves a -- separator in the exec argv"
+[[ $(jq -r '.[2]' <<<"$argv_json") == '$(rm -rf ~); echo pwned' ]] ||
+  fail "notification wrapper carries shell metacharacters as literal argv data" "$argv_json"
+grep -q "omarchy-exec:" "$args_file" && fail "notification wrapper emits no legacy exec string when --exec-arg is used"
+pass "notification wrapper encodes --exec-arg as a literal JSON argv vector"
+
+# The argv form is the safe one, so it wins when a caller supplies both.
+: >"$args_file"
+OMARCHY_TEST_NOTIFY_ARGS="$args_file" PATH="$tmpdir:$ROOT/bin:$PATH" \
+  omarchy-notification-send --exec 'legacy string' --exec-arg xdg-open --exec-arg /tmp/file \
+  "Headline" >/dev/null
+
+grep -q -- "--hint=string:omarchy-exec-argv:" "$args_file" || fail "notification wrapper emits the argv hint when both exec forms are given"
+grep -q -- "--hint=string:omarchy-exec:" "$args_file" && fail "notification wrapper drops the legacy exec string in favor of argv"
+pass "notification wrapper prefers the argv exec form over the legacy string"
diff --git a/test/shell.d/notifications-test.sh b/test/shell.d/notifications-test.sh
index 49a4bcd2..32df818e 100644
--- a/test/shell.d/notifications-test.sh
+++ b/test/shell.d/notifications-test.sh
@@ -49,6 +49,38 @@ assert(!notifications.shouldBypassDnd({ appName: 'Slack', urgency: 2 }, 2), 'cri
 assert(!notifications.shouldBypassDnd({ appName: 'omarchy-menu-keybindings', urgency: 1 }, 2), 'omarchy command app names do not bypass DND')
 assert(!notifications.isEphemeralApp('omarchy-menu-keybindings'), 'notifications treat omarchy command app names as normal apps')
 
+// The click action's argv form: parsed from the persisted omarchy-exec-argv
+// JSON only when it is a non-empty array of strings whose program is present
+// and not a leading-dash option. Everything else fails closed so a malformed or
+// hostile hint can never fall through to a shell.
+assertDeepEqual(
+  notifications.parseExecArgv('["mpv","--","/home/me/a b.mp4"]'),
+  ['mpv', '--', '/home/me/a b.mp4'],
+  'notifications parse a valid exec argv vector'
+)
+assertEqual(notifications.parseExecArgv(''), null, 'notifications reject an empty exec argv hint')
+assertEqual(notifications.parseExecArgv('not json'), null, 'notifications reject a non-JSON exec argv hint')
+assertEqual(notifications.parseExecArgv('"mpv"'), null, 'notifications reject an exec argv hint that is not an array')
+assertEqual(notifications.parseExecArgv('[]'), null, 'notifications reject an empty exec argv array')
+assertEqual(notifications.parseExecArgv('["mpv",5]'), null, 'notifications reject a non-string element in the exec argv')
+assertEqual(notifications.parseExecArgv('["--include=x","y"]'), null, 'notifications reject a leading-dash program in the exec argv')
+assertEqual(notifications.parseExecArgv('["",""]'), null, 'notifications reject an empty program in the exec argv')
+
+// The argv vector rides on the snapshot as the raw JSON string, so the model's
+// value comparison stays a plain string compare and the file round-trip is
+// lossless.
+const execSnapshot = notifications.snapshotOf({
+  id: 3,
+  appName: 'omarchy-action',
+  summary: 'Download complete',
+  hints: { 'omarchy-exec-argv': '["mpv","--","/tmp/clip.mp4"]' }
+}, 1)
+assertEqual(
+  execSnapshot.execArgv,
+  '["mpv","--","/tmp/clip.mp4"]',
+  'notifications carry the exec argv hint onto the snapshot'
+)
+
 assertDeepEqual(
   notifications.popupPlacement('top', 32, 6),
   {
diff --git a/test/shell.d/tailscale-receive-test.sh b/test/shell.d/tailscale-receive-test.sh
index a3d45976..97557186 100644
--- a/test/shell.d/tailscale-receive-test.sh
+++ b/test/shell.d/tailscale-receive-test.sh
@@ -62,11 +62,12 @@ pass "taildrop receive announces other files with a glyph"
 
 # The shell keeps the click command with the toast, so receiving does not have
 # to sit blocked on an answer -- and the toast still opens the file after a shell
-# restart. Names with spaces have to arrive quoted for the shell to run them.
-grep -qF -- "--exec xdg-open $downloads/photo.png" <<<"$notifications" ||
+# restart. The path rides as its own --exec-arg, so the shell runs it as literal
+# data with no quoting for a name with spaces to get wrong.
+grep -qF -- "--exec-arg xdg-open --exec-arg $downloads/photo.png" <<<"$notifications" ||
   fail "taildrop receive attaches the open command to the notification" "$notifications"
-grep -qF -- "--exec xdg-open $(printf %q "$downloads/notes with space.pdf")" <<<"$notifications" ||
-  fail "taildrop receive quotes spaced names in the open command" "$notifications"
+grep -qF -- "--exec-arg xdg-open --exec-arg $downloads/notes with space.pdf" <<<"$notifications" ||
+  fail "taildrop receive carries spaced names as a literal open argument" "$notifications"
 pass "taildrop receive lets a click open the received file"
 
 grep -q "unrelated.txt" <<<"$notifications" &&