diff --git a/bin/omarchy-debug-idle b/bin/omarchy-debug-idle
index 308df73f..73db24bd 100755
--- a/bin/omarchy-debug-idle
+++ b/bin/omarchy-debug-idle
@@ -27,6 +27,9 @@ section "Recent idle logs"
 quickshell --no-color log -p "$OMARCHY_PATH/shell" --any-display --tail "$lines" --log-times -r 'quickshell.wayland.idle_notify=true' 2>&1 \
   | grep -Ei 'omarchy idle|idle_notify|screensaver|lock|error|warn|failed' || true
 
+section "Persisted shell log"
+journalctl -t omarchy-shell -n "$lines" --no-pager --quiet 2>/dev/null || true
+
 section "Relevant processes"
 ps -eo pid=,args= \
   | grep -E 'quickshell -n -p|omarchy-system-sleep-monitor|systemd-inhibit.*Lock screen before suspend|org\.omarchy\.screensaver|omarchy-screensaver|(^|/| )tte( |$)' \
diff --git a/bin/omarchy-launch-shell b/bin/omarchy-launch-shell
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..3a6fb74a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/omarchy-launch-shell
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# omarchy:summary=Launch the Omarchy shell with its log kept in the journal
+# omarchy:hidden=true
+
+# Quickshell only logs to its instance runtime dir (tmpfs), so when the shell
+# dies the idle/lock event trail is gone after a reboot. The journal keeps it
+# across sessions, bounded and timestamped, under the omarchy-shell tag.
+exec systemd-cat -t omarchy-shell -- quickshell -n -p "$OMARCHY_PATH/shell"
diff --git a/bin/omarchy-restart-shell b/bin/omarchy-restart-shell
index 7847aac9..09b20d23 100755
--- a/bin/omarchy-restart-shell
+++ b/bin/omarchy-restart-shell
@@ -18,11 +18,49 @@ if [[ -z ${HYPRLAND_INSTANCE_SIGNATURE:-} ]]; then
   [[ -n $hypr_dir ]] && export HYPRLAND_INSTANCE_SIGNATURE=${hypr_dir##*/}
 fi
 
+# Restarting a live lock client would kill the lock screen and strand the
+# session behind Hyprland's failsafe. But a LOCK session without an active
+# locker — the shell died, or its crash handler re-execed a fresh instance
+# that holds no lock — sits in that failsafe with no way to authenticate,
+# and a restart plus re-lock is the only way back in without a reboot. So
+# ask the lock service rather than merely pinging the shell: only a locker
+# that reports the lock secure or in progress is worth preserving.
+relock=0
 if [[ $(hyprctl -j monitors 2>/dev/null) == *'"LOCK"'* ]]; then
-  echo "Refusing to restart Omarchy shell while the session is locked." >&2
-  exit 1
+  locking=$(OMARCHY_PATH="$session_omarchy_path" OMARCHY_SHELL_IPC_TIMEOUT=0.5s omarchy-shell lock status 2>/dev/null |
+    jq -r '.secure or .requested' 2>/dev/null)
+  if [[ $locking == "true" ]]; then
+    echo "Refusing to restart Omarchy shell while the session is locked." >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+  relock=1
 fi
 
+# The lock plugin loads asynchronously, so a fresh shell answers ping before
+# it can lock, and may even refuse early lock requests while its plugins or
+# PAM config are still loading. Mirror omarchy-system-sleep-lock: request the
+# lock and poll until the session reports secure, re-requesting as needed, so
+# recovery never claims success while the failsafe is still up. The deadline
+# is generous because slow plugin discovery delays the lock IPC target.
+relock_session() {
+  local state deadline=$((SECONDS + 30))
+
+  while (( SECONDS < deadline )); do
+    state=$(OMARCHY_PATH="$session_omarchy_path" OMARCHY_SHELL_IPC_TIMEOUT=0.5s omarchy-shell lock status 2>/dev/null |
+      jq -r 'if .secure == true then "secure" elif .requested == true then "locking" else "idle" end' 2>/dev/null)
+
+    case $state in
+      secure) return 0 ;;
+      locking) ;;
+      *) OMARCHY_PATH="$session_omarchy_path" OMARCHY_SHELL_IPC_TIMEOUT=0.5s omarchy-shell lock lock >/dev/null 2>&1 ;;
+    esac
+
+    sleep 0.1
+  done
+
+  return 1
+}
+
 # Each kill stops the oldest matching instance and only returns once it has
 # fully exited, so the no-duplicate launch below can't race a dying shell.
 # Requires our quickshell-git build; 0.3.0's kill returns immediately.
@@ -30,10 +68,16 @@ while timeout 5 quickshell kill -p "$CONFIG_DIR" --any-display >/dev/null 2>&1;
 
 # Spawn from Hyprland so the shell inherits the canonical session environment,
 # not transient variables from a terminal, SSH connection, or development tool.
-hyprctl dispatch 'hl.dsp.exec_cmd("quickshell -n -p $OMARCHY_PATH/shell")' >/dev/null
+hyprctl dispatch 'hl.dsp.exec_cmd("omarchy-launch-shell")' >/dev/null
 
 for (( attempt = 0; attempt < 20; attempt++ )); do
   if OMARCHY_PATH="$session_omarchy_path" OMARCHY_SHELL_IPC_TIMEOUT=0.5s omarchy-shell shell ping >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    # The session stays compositor-locked after the old lock client died, so
+    # re-acquire the lock and let the user authenticate out of it.
+    if (( relock )) && ! relock_session; then
+      echo "Omarchy shell restarted, but the session lock was not re-secured." >&2
+      exit 1
+    fi
     # Invitation toasts (like Voxtype/fingerprint setup) die with the old
     # shell, and their notify-send waiters hang forever: the dying server
     # never emits NotificationClosed. A still-running omarchy-*-invitation
diff --git a/default/hypr/autostart.lua b/default/hypr/autostart.lua
index 7d180a46..079ca18e 100644
--- a/default/hypr/autostart.lua
+++ b/default/hypr/autostart.lua
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ hl.on("hyprland.start", function()
   hl.exec_cmd("systemctl --user import-environment $(env | cut -d'=' -f 1)")
   hl.exec_cmd("dbus-update-activation-environment --systemd --all")
 
-  hl.exec_cmd("quickshell -n -p $OMARCHY_PATH/shell")
+  hl.exec_cmd("omarchy-launch-shell")
   hl.exec_cmd("omarchy-first-run")
   hl.exec_cmd("omarchy-powerprofiles-init")
   hl.exec_cmd(o.launch("omarchy-hyprland-monitor-watch"))
diff --git a/default/hypr/looknfeel.lua b/default/hypr/looknfeel.lua
index 396eb48c..345f9105 100644
--- a/default/hypr/looknfeel.lua
+++ b/default/hypr/looknfeel.lua
@@ -110,6 +110,9 @@ hl.config({
     anr_missed_pings = 3,
     on_focus_under_fullscreen = 1,
     initial_workspace_tracking = 0,
+    -- Let a fresh shell re-acquire the session lock after the lock client
+    -- died, so omarchy-restart-shell can recover the LOCK failsafe.
+    allow_session_lock_restore = true,
   },
 
   cursor = {
diff --git a/test/shell.d/restart-shell-test.sh b/test/shell.d/restart-shell-test.sh
index f7d579ff..6ca74744 100755
--- a/test/shell.d/restart-shell-test.sh
+++ b/test/shell.d/restart-shell-test.sh
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ runtime_dir="$test_tmp/runtime"
 mkdir -p "$restart_root/shell" "$restart_bin" "$runtime_dir"
 touch "$restart_root/shell/shell.qml"
 ln -s "$ROOT/bin/omarchy-shell" "$restart_bin/omarchy-shell"
+ln -s "$ROOT/bin/omarchy-launch-shell" "$restart_bin/omarchy-launch-shell"
 ln -s "$ROOT/bin/omarchy-cmd-missing" "$restart_bin/omarchy-cmd-missing"
 
 cat >"$restart_bin/qs" <<'SH'
@@ -74,6 +75,17 @@ case "$*" in
       grep -Fx '303' "$OMARCHY_TEST_QS_STATE" >/dev/null &&
       printf 'ok\n'
     ;;
+  *'lock lock')
+    touch "$OMARCHY_TEST_QS_STATE.locked"
+    printf 'ok\n'
+    ;;
+  *'lock status')
+    if [[ -f $OMARCHY_TEST_QS_STATE.locked ]]; then
+      printf '{"secure": true, "requested": true}\n'
+    else
+      printf '{"secure": false, "requested": false}\n'
+    fi
+    ;;
 esac
 SH
 
@@ -110,13 +122,24 @@ if [[ ${1:-} == "-j" && ${2:-} == "monitors" ]]; then
 elif [[ ${1:-} == "dispatch" && ${2:-} == hl.dsp.exec_cmd* ]]; then
   printf '%s\n' "${2:-}" >>"$OMARCHY_TEST_DISPATCH_LOG"
   OMARCHY_PATH="$OMARCHY_TEST_SESSION_PATH" \
-    env -u OMARCHY_TEST_TRANSIENT_ENV quickshell -n -p "$OMARCHY_TEST_SESSION_PATH/shell"
+    env -u OMARCHY_TEST_TRANSIENT_ENV omarchy-launch-shell
   printf 'ok\n'
 elif [[ ${1:-} == "dispatch" ]]; then
   exit 1
 fi
 SH
 
+# Keep the test hermetic where journald has no usable stream socket.
+cat >"$restart_bin/systemd-cat" <<'SH'
+#!/bin/bash
+
+while (( $# > 0 )); do
+  [[ $1 == "--" ]] && { shift; break; }
+  shift
+done
+exec "$@"
+SH
+
 cat >"$restart_bin/systemctl" <<'SH'
 #!/bin/bash
 
@@ -129,7 +152,7 @@ else
 fi
 SH
 
-chmod +x "$restart_bin/qs" "$restart_bin/quickshell" "$restart_bin/hyprctl" "$restart_bin/systemctl"
+chmod +x "$restart_bin/qs" "$restart_bin/quickshell" "$restart_bin/hyprctl" "$restart_bin/systemd-cat" "$restart_bin/systemctl"
 
 sleep 30 &
 restart_pid_one=$!
@@ -167,12 +190,13 @@ restart_pid_two=""
 [[ $(grep -c '^-n -p ' "$restart_log") == 1 ]] || fail "restart launches one fresh shell process"
 grep -F "kill -p $restart_root/shell --any-display" "$restart_log" >/dev/null || fail "restart stops the shell from the session checkout"
 [[ $(<"$restart_env_log") == "unset" ]] || fail "restart uses the Hyprland session environment for the fresh shell"
-grep -F 'hl.dsp.exec_cmd("quickshell -n -p $OMARCHY_PATH/shell")' "$dispatch_log" >/dev/null || fail "restart launches the fresh shell through Hyprland"
+grep -F 'hl.dsp.exec_cmd("omarchy-launch-shell")' "$dispatch_log" >/dev/null || fail "restart launches the fresh shell through Hyprland"
 grep -F "ipc -n -p $restart_root/shell call -- shell ping" "$ipc_log" >/dev/null || fail "restart checks readiness in the session checkout"
 pass "restart replaces duplicate shell instances from the session checkout"
 
 : >"$restart_log"
-printf '404\n' >"$restart_state"
+printf '303\n' >"$restart_state"
+touch "$restart_state.locked"
 
 locked_error=$(PATH="$restart_bin:$PATH" \
   OMARCHY_PATH="$restart_root" \
@@ -186,6 +210,38 @@ locked_error=$(PATH="$restart_bin:$PATH" \
   "$ROOT/bin/omarchy-restart-shell" 2>&1) && fail "restart refuses while the shell lock is active"
 
 [[ $locked_error == "Refusing to restart Omarchy shell while the session is locked." ]] || fail "locked restart explains why it was refused" "$locked_error"
-[[ $(<"$restart_state") == 404 ]] || fail "locked restart preserves the running shell"
+[[ $(<"$restart_state") == 303 ]] || fail "locked restart preserves the running shell"
 [[ ! -s $restart_log ]] || fail "locked restart does not stop or launch Quickshell"
 pass "restart preserves the shell while its lock is active"
+
+# A LOCK session without an active locker — dead shell or a crash-handler
+# relaunch holding no lock — is the failsafe: restart must proceed,
+# re-acquire the session lock, and wait for it to report secure.
+sleep 30 &
+restart_pid_one=$!
+printf '%s\n' "$restart_pid_one" >"$restart_state"
+rm -f "$restart_state.locked"
+: >"$restart_log"
+: >"$ipc_log"
+
+PATH="$restart_bin:$PATH" \
+OMARCHY_PATH="$restart_root" \
+XDG_RUNTIME_DIR="$runtime_dir" \
+OMARCHY_TEST_SESSION_LOCKED=1 \
+OMARCHY_TEST_QS_STATE="$restart_state" \
+OMARCHY_TEST_QS_LOG="$restart_log" \
+OMARCHY_TEST_QS_ENV_LOG="$restart_env_log" \
+OMARCHY_TEST_DISPATCH_LOG="$dispatch_log" \
+OMARCHY_TEST_IPC_LOG="$ipc_log" \
+OMARCHY_TEST_SESSION_PATH="$restart_root" \
+  timeout 5 "$ROOT/bin/omarchy-restart-shell" || fail "locked restart recovers when the lock client is dead"
+
+if kill -0 "$restart_pid_one" 2>/dev/null; then
+  fail "dead-lock recovery stops the stale shell instance"
+fi
+wait "$restart_pid_one" 2>/dev/null || true
+restart_pid_one=""
+[[ $(<"$restart_state") == 303 ]] || fail "dead-lock recovery leaves one fresh shell instance"
+grep -F "ipc -n -p $restart_root/shell call -- lock lock" "$ipc_log" >/dev/null || fail "dead-lock recovery re-acquires the session lock"
+grep -F "ipc -n -p $restart_root/shell call -- lock status" "$ipc_log" >/dev/null || fail "dead-lock recovery waits for the lock to become secure"
+pass "restart recovers a locked session whose lock client died"