diff --git a/builtin/runtime/desktop.lua b/builtin/runtime/desktop.lua
index 78c3003..7a66adc 100644
--- a/builtin/runtime/desktop.lua
+++ b/builtin/runtime/desktop.lua
@@ -23,9 +23,9 @@ function pmacs.session.desktop_mode(on)
     return false
   end
   enabled = on
-  if on then
-    pmacs.session.arm_restore()
-  end
+  -- Arm (or, when disabling, unarm) restore-on-startup, so an
+  -- enable-then-disable in init.lua does not still restore.
+  pmacs.session.arm_restore(on)
   return enabled
 end
 
diff --git a/docs/desktop-save-framing.md b/docs/desktop-save-framing.md
index 3e52601..a85302e 100644
--- a/docs/desktop-save-framing.md
+++ b/docs/desktop-save-framing.md
@@ -135,21 +135,30 @@ switch focus, so restore sequences activation explicitly.
    to `core.views[LOCAL]` from `core.windows` (not just the startup
    scratch window — leftover windows would linger in the `pub` map and
    still take part in edit notifications and buffer-liveness checks,
-   finding). 
+   finding).
 4. Build a fresh `LayoutNode` from `SavedNode` with new `WindowId`s and
    a `Window` per surviving leaf (weights copied verbatim), install it
    as `core.views[LOCAL].layout.root`.
-5. **Fire `after-load` with the right leaf active**: for each surviving
-   leaf in preorder, set its window active; the first time a given
-   buffer is seen, fire `buffer.after-load` (once per newly-loaded
-   buffer, so saveplace/LSP/syntax attach against the correct active
-   buffer); then set that window's exact `cursor`/`view_top` from the
-   leaf. Desktop's per-leaf write lands *after* the hook, so it wins
-   over saveplace for precision — and same-file-two-leaves keeps
-   distinct positions a single saveplace entry could not.
+5. **Fire `after-load` with the right leaf active, once per leaf**: for
+   each surviving leaf in preorder, set its window active, fire
+   `buffer.after-load`, then set that window's exact `cursor`/`view_top`.
+   Firing **per leaf** (not per buffer) is deliberate — syntax attaches
+   its overlay to the *active window*, so each pane needs its own fire;
+   LSP's `attach_buffer` is idempotent, so the same file in two panes
+   attaches LSP once but syntax to both (finding, round 3). The per-leaf
+   `cursor`/`view_top` write lands *after* the hook, so desktop wins over
+   saveplace — and same-file-two-leaves keeps distinct positions a single
+   saveplace entry could not.
 6. Set `active` to the `active_leaf` window (Q#DS10 fallback if that
    leaf didn't survive).
 
+**Hidden buffers are registry-only in v1** (finding, round 3): a
+restored `SavedBuffer` with no leaf (open but not shown) is loaded into
+the registry — it is not lost, it is in the buffer list / recentf — but
+it does not fire `after-load`, so it attaches syntax on first visit
+(`after-switch`) and LSP when next shown. Full initial attach for hidden
+buffers is deferred.
+
 Structural construction against the `pub` fields — no new tree-builder
 API, matching how the window unit tests already assemble layouts.
 
@@ -186,7 +195,9 @@ buffers had unsaved changes when the desktop was saved") via
 
 Restore is **armed, never inline in init** — `desktop_mode(true)` runs
 inside `new()` (before the file opens), so it only sets the flag +
-before-quit hook. The Rust startup trigger fires restore:
+before-quit hook. Arming is a **boolean** (`arm_restore(on)`), so
+`desktop_mode(false)` *unarms* — an enable-then-disable in init does not
+still restore (finding, round 3). The Rust startup trigger fires restore:
 
 - `editor::run`: capture `let had_file = file.is_some();` **before** the
   `match file` at `src/editor.rs:1522` consumes `file`. But fire restore
@@ -217,13 +228,15 @@ to restore *into* until first attach. v1 targets **only** the local
 `editor::run` path (single `LOCAL` frontend view built at startup).
 
 **`desktop_mode(true)` auto-save and auto-restore are both no-ops in
-daemon mode** — not half-enabled. Serializing "wherever a layout exists"
-is ambiguous with multiple frontend layouts sharing one key, so the
-before-quit save simply doesn't register (or early-returns) when the
-process is a daemon; a diagnostic notes desktop-save is local-only in
-v1. Daemon + GPU-attach save/restore is **deferred** to the first-attach
-design. (Manual `desktop-save`/`desktop-restore` commands likewise
-refuse in daemon mode in v1.)
+daemon mode** — not half-enabled. The **enforcement is in Rust, not just
+Lua** (finding, round 3): `save_session`/`restore_session` early-return
+when the `DaemonMode` app-data marker is present. That marker is set
+right after the daemon's `EditorState::new()`, so it holds for every
+save/restore that can run after startup — the before-quit hook, manual
+commands, and direct binding calls — even though `init.lua` (where
+`desktop_mode` runs) executes before it is set, when `is_daemon()` in
+Lua would still read false. Daemon + GPU-attach save/restore is
+**deferred** to the first-attach design.
 
 ### Q#DS10 — Active-focus fallback
 
diff --git a/src/desktop.rs b/src/desktop.rs
index 4277854..b871d2b 100644
--- a/src/desktop.rs
+++ b/src/desktop.rs
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 //!
 //! Framing: docs/desktop-save-framing.md.
 
-use std::collections::{HashMap, HashSet};
+use std::collections::HashMap;
 use std::path::Path;
 
 use mlua::Lua;
@@ -243,6 +243,18 @@ pub fn resolve_active_leaf(
 // SharedCore / StateDir / LocalInstanceInfo app-data).
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+/// True when this process is a daemon (multi-frontend). Desktop
+/// save/restore is local-only in v1 (Q#DS9); this is the **reliable**
+/// enforcement — the `DaemonMode` marker is set right after the daemon's
+/// `EditorState::new()`, so it is present for every save/restore that
+/// can run after startup (the before-quit hook, manual commands, direct
+/// binding calls), even though `init.lua` runs before it is set. Both
+/// `save_session` and `restore_session` no-op when it holds.
+fn is_daemon(lua: &Lua) -> bool {
+    lua.app_data_ref::<crate::lua_bindings::DaemonMode>()
+        .is_some()
+}
+
 /// The desktop session key for this process (`cwd.<hash>` in local mode).
 fn session_key_from_lua(lua: &Lua) -> String {
     match lua
@@ -313,6 +325,9 @@ pub fn snapshot(core: &EditorCore, session_key: String) -> Option<SavedDesktop>
 /// # Errors
 /// A state-write / serialization failure (surfaced for manual save).
 pub fn save_session(lua: &Lua) -> Result<bool, String> {
+    if is_daemon(lua) {
+        return Ok(false); // local-only in v1 (Q#DS9)
+    }
     let Some(base) = lua.app_data_ref::<StateDir>().map(|d| d.0.clone()) else {
         return Ok(false);
     };
@@ -340,6 +355,9 @@ pub fn save_session(lua: &Lua) -> Result<bool, String> {
 /// Parse / state-read failures; a missing individual file collapses its
 /// leaf rather than failing the whole restore.
 pub fn restore_session(lua: &Lua) -> Result<(), String> {
+    if is_daemon(lua) {
+        return Ok(()); // local-only in v1 (Q#DS9)
+    }
     let key = session_key_from_lua(lua);
     let Some(base) = lua.app_data_ref::<StateDir>().map(|d| d.0.clone()) else {
         return Ok(());
@@ -368,8 +386,6 @@ pub fn restore_session(lua: &Lua) -> Result<(), String> {
 /// activate-then-fire pass (Q#DS3).
 struct RestoreLeaf {
     window: WindowId,
-    buffer: BufferId,
-    newly_loaded: bool,
     cursor: u64,
     view_top: usize,
 }
@@ -436,16 +452,22 @@ pub fn restore_into(
         active
     };
 
-    // (5) activate-then-fire: after-load must observe the restored leaf
-    // as active (saveplace/recentf/syntax/LSP read active state). Fire
-    // once per newly-loaded buffer, then write the exact per-leaf
-    // cursor/view_top so desktop wins over saveplace.
-    let mut fired: HashSet<BufferId> = HashSet::new();
+    // (5) activate-then-fire, once **per leaf** (per window). after-load
+    // must observe the restored leaf as active (saveplace/recentf/syntax/
+    // LSP read active state). Firing per leaf — not per buffer — gives
+    // each pane its own per-window overlay (syntax attaches to the active
+    // window), while LSP's `attach_buffer` is idempotent, so the same
+    // file in two panes still attaches LSP once but syntax to both.
+    // Writing the exact per-leaf cursor/view_top *after* the hook lets
+    // desktop win over saveplace.
+    //
+    // NOTE (Q#DS3, hidden buffers): a restored buffer with NO leaf (open
+    // but hidden) is loaded into the registry but does not fire
+    // after-load here — it attaches syntax on first visit (after-switch)
+    // and LSP when it is next shown/opened. Registry-only in v1.
     for leaf in &leaves {
-        if leaf.newly_loaded && fired.insert(leaf.buffer) {
-            core.borrow_mut().set_active_window_id(leaf.window);
-            fire_after_load();
-        }
+        core.borrow_mut().set_active_window_id(leaf.window);
+        fire_after_load();
         let mut c = core.borrow_mut();
         if let Some(win) = c.windows.get_mut(&leaf.window) {
             win.cursor = leaf.cursor;
@@ -469,7 +491,7 @@ fn build_restore_node(
 ) -> Option<LayoutNode> {
     match node {
         SavedNode::Leaf(leaf) => {
-            let Some(&(buffer_id, newly_loaded)) = opened.get(&leaf.path) else {
+            let Some(&(buffer_id, _newly)) = opened.get(&leaf.path) else {
                 save_slots.push(None); // file missing → leaf collapses
                 return None;
             };
@@ -491,8 +513,6 @@ fn build_restore_node(
             core.windows.insert(wid, win);
             leaves.push(RestoreLeaf {
                 window: wid,
-                buffer: buffer_id,
-                newly_loaded,
                 cursor,
                 view_top,
             });
diff --git a/src/lua_bindings/mod.rs b/src/lua_bindings/mod.rs
index 35f73ad..54ab0d3 100644
--- a/src/lua_bindings/mod.rs
+++ b/src/lua_bindings/mod.rs
@@ -1991,11 +1991,17 @@ pub(crate) fn fire_after_load_hook(lua: &Lua) {
 fn install_session_module(lua: &Lua) -> mlua::Result<Table> {
     let m = lua.create_table()?;
 
-    // arm_restore(): mark that a desktop restore should run at startup.
+    // arm_restore(on): arm (or, with `false`, unarm) restore-on-startup.
+    // A boolean app-data path so `desktop_mode(false)` can undo a prior
+    // `desktop_mode(true)` — the marker is not one-way.
     m.set(
         "arm_restore",
-        lua.create_function(|lua, ()| {
-            lua.set_app_data(DesktopRestoreArmed);
+        lua.create_function(|lua, on: Option<bool>| {
+            if on.unwrap_or(true) {
+                lua.set_app_data(DesktopRestoreArmed);
+            } else {
+                lua.remove_app_data::<DesktopRestoreArmed>();
+            }
             Ok(())
         })?,
     )?;
diff --git a/tests/desktop_acceptance.rs b/tests/desktop_acceptance.rs
index 4f7db40..61cab86 100644
--- a/tests/desktop_acceptance.rs
+++ b/tests/desktop_acceptance.rs
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ fn after_load_fires_with_the_restored_leaf_active() {
 }
 
 #[test]
-fn same_file_in_two_panes_keeps_distinct_positions() {
+fn same_file_in_two_panes_keeps_distinct_positions_and_fires_per_pane() {
     let dir = fresh_state_dir();
     let src = editor(&dir);
     let a = write_file(&dir, "a.txt", "aaaa\nbbbb\ncccc\ndddd\n");
@@ -236,7 +236,19 @@ fn same_file_in_two_panes_keeps_distinct_positions() {
     assert!(save(&src));
 
     let mut dst = editor(&dir);
+    // after-load must fire once PER PANE (not once per buffer) so each
+    // window gets its own per-window overlay (syntax attaches to the
+    // active window; LSP attach is idempotent).
+    exec(
+        &dst,
+        "_G.fires = 0; pmacs.hook.add('buffer.after-load', function() _G.fires = _G.fires + 1 end)",
+    );
     restore(&mut dst);
+    let fires: i64 = dst.lua_host.lua().load("return _G.fires").eval().unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(
+        fires, 2,
+        "after-load fires once per pane for the same buffer"
+    );
     let ls = leaves(&dst);
     assert_eq!(ls.len(), 2);
     assert_eq!(ls[0], (a.clone(), 2, 0));
@@ -244,6 +256,54 @@ fn same_file_in_two_panes_keeps_distinct_positions() {
     std::fs::remove_dir_all(&dir).ok();
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn daemon_mode_disables_save_and_restore() {
+    let dir = fresh_state_dir();
+    // Seed a desktop from a normal (non-daemon) editor.
+    let src = editor(&dir);
+    let a = write_file(&dir, "a.txt", "aaaa\n");
+    exec(&src, &format!("pmacs.buffer.find_or_open({a:?})"));
+    assert!(save(&src));
+
+    // A daemon editor must not save or restore (local-only, Q#DS9) —
+    // the Rust gate holds regardless of what init did.
+    let mut daemon = editor(&dir);
+    daemon
+        .lua_host
+        .lua()
+        .set_app_data(pmacs::lua_bindings::DaemonMode);
+    assert!(!save(&daemon), "daemon save is a no-op");
+    restore(&mut daemon);
+    assert!(
+        leaves(&daemon).iter().all(|(p, _, _)| p != &a),
+        "daemon restore is a no-op"
+    );
+    std::fs::remove_dir_all(&dir).ok();
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn disabling_desktop_mode_unarms_restore() {
+    let dir = fresh_state_dir();
+    let src = editor(&dir);
+    let a = write_file(&dir, "a.txt", "aaaa\n");
+    exec(&src, &format!("pmacs.buffer.find_or_open({a:?})"));
+    assert!(save(&src));
+
+    // Enable then disable desktop_mode → the startup restore must NOT
+    // fire (arming is a boolean; disable unarms).
+    let mut dst = editor(&dir);
+    exec(
+        &dst,
+        "pmacs.session.desktop_mode(true); pmacs.session.desktop_mode(false)",
+    );
+    dst.restore_desktop_if_armed(false);
+    assert!(
+        leaves(&dst).iter().all(|(p, _, _)| p != &a),
+        "disabled desktop_mode leaves restore unarmed"
+    );
+    std::fs::remove_dir_all(&dir).ok();
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn missing_file_collapses_and_focus_falls_back() {
     let dir = fresh_state_dir();