diff --git a/docs/plans/handoffs/2026-10-11-0815-cursor-grok-4-6-boot-splash-arms.md b/docs/plans/handoffs/2026-10-11-0815-cursor-grok-4-6-boot-splash-arms.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..44872ea7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/plans/handoffs/2026-10-11-0815-cursor-grok-4-6-boot-splash-arms.md
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+---
+session: 2026-10-11T08:15Z
+model: Cursor Grok 4.6
+description: >-
+  Boot splash no longer freezes two grow-in arms invisible when a
+  Tauri/WebKit window reports document.hidden at first paint.
+commits: HEAD
+---
+
+**Origin:** Cursor Grok 4.6 · 2026-10-11 · boot splash frozen arms
+
+The HTML bootstrap set `--boot-motion-state: paused` whenever
+`document.hidden` was true. Grow-in uses `animation-fill-mode: both`
+from opacity 0, so a pause at frame 0 hid path 4–5 and circle 5–6.
+A Mac Tauri window often starts hidden and may never fire
+`visibilitychange` when shown.
+
+Fix: stay `running` until the page has been visible once; paused
+state drops the grow animations so the settled mark stays on screen;
+`prefers-reduced-motion: reduce` shows the full still logo.
diff --git a/index.html b/index.html
index 8e4cb18a..afb40066 100644
--- a/index.html
+++ b/index.html
@@ -227,20 +227,45 @@
     </script>
     <script>
       (function () {
+        /* rhizome-boot-motion */
         var readyEventName = 'tolaria:frontend-ready';
         var reloadAttemptKey = 'tolaria:startup-reload-attempted';
         var startupTimeoutMs = 10000;
         var isTauri = '__TAURI__' in window || '__TAURI_INTERNALS__' in window;
+        var seenVisible = false;
+
+        function applyBootMotion(state) {
+          document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--boot-motion-state', state);
+          document.documentElement.setAttribute('data-boot-motion', state);
+        }
 
         function syncBootMotion() {
-          document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--boot-motion-state', document.hidden ? 'paused' : 'running');
+          if (!document.hidden) seenVisible = true;
+          // WKWebView / Tauri often reports document.hidden at first paint.
+          // Pausing then, with fill:both grow-in, freezes two arms at opacity 0
+          // if visibilitychange never fires when the window is shown.
+          applyBootMotion(document.hidden && seenVisible ? 'paused' : 'running');
         }
-        syncBootMotion();
-        document.addEventListener('visibilitychange', syncBootMotion);
-        window.addEventListener(readyEventName, function () {
+
+        if (typeof window.__rhizomeUnbindBootMotion === 'function') {
+          window.__rhizomeUnbindBootMotion();
+        }
+
+        function releaseBootMotion() {
           document.removeEventListener('visibilitychange', syncBootMotion);
           document.documentElement.style.removeProperty('--boot-motion-state');
-        }, { once: true });
+          document.documentElement.removeAttribute('data-boot-motion');
+        }
+
+        window.__rhizomeUnbindBootMotion = function () {
+          document.removeEventListener('visibilitychange', syncBootMotion);
+          window.removeEventListener(readyEventName, releaseBootMotion);
+          delete window.__rhizomeUnbindBootMotion;
+        };
+
+        syncBootMotion();
+        document.addEventListener('visibilitychange', syncBootMotion);
+        window.addEventListener(readyEventName, releaseBootMotion, { once: true });
 
         if (!isTauri) return;
 
diff --git a/src/components/BootSplash.css b/src/components/BootSplash.css
index 4a2a9e6d..d9a0c41a 100644
--- a/src/components/BootSplash.css
+++ b/src/components/BootSplash.css
@@ -123,6 +123,14 @@
   .boot-splash circle:nth-of-type(6) { animation-delay: calc(720ms - var(--boot-elapsed, 0ms)); }
 }
 
+@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+  .boot-splash-card > svg,
+  .boot-splash path,
+  .boot-splash circle {
+    animation: none;
+  }
+}
+
 @keyframes boot-breathe {
   0%, 100% { transform: scale(1); }
   50% { transform: scale(1.055); }
@@ -144,3 +152,12 @@
 .boot-splash circle {
   animation-play-state: var(--boot-motion-state, running);
 }
+
+/* Paused / hidden must show the settled mark. fill:both + paused would
+   otherwise hold the grow-in from-keyframe (opacity 0). */
+:root[data-boot-motion="paused"] .boot-splash path:nth-of-type(4),
+:root[data-boot-motion="paused"] .boot-splash path:nth-of-type(5),
+:root[data-boot-motion="paused"] .boot-splash circle:nth-of-type(5),
+:root[data-boot-motion="paused"] .boot-splash circle:nth-of-type(6) {
+  animation: none;
+}
diff --git a/src/components/BootSplash.test.tsx b/src/components/BootSplash.test.tsx
index 2d39bc30..376b4d18 100644
--- a/src/components/BootSplash.test.tsx
+++ b/src/components/BootSplash.test.tsx
@@ -52,4 +52,51 @@ describe('BootSplash', () => {
     expect(face).toContain("url('../assets/fonts/jetbrains-mono-600-latin.woff2')")
     expect(face).not.toMatch(/url\(\s*['"]?https?:/)
   })
+
+  it('keeps every arm visible when the user asks for reduced motion', () => {
+    const noPref = mediaBlock(splashCss, 'prefers-reduced-motion: no-preference')
+    const reduce = mediaBlock(splashCss, 'prefers-reduced-motion: reduce')
+    expect(noPref).toContain('boot-branch-grow')
+    expect(noPref).toContain('boot-node-grow')
+    expect(noPref).toContain('path:nth-of-type(4)')
+    expect(noPref).toContain('path:nth-of-type(5)')
+    expect(noPref).toContain('circle:nth-of-type(5)')
+    expect(noPref).toContain('circle:nth-of-type(6)')
+    expect(reduce).toMatch(/animation:\s*none/)
+    expect(reduce).not.toContain('opacity: 0')
+    expect(splashCss).toMatch(/\.boot-splash path\s*\{[^}]*opacity:\s*0\.65/)
+  })
+
+  it('paused motion never holds the grow-in arms at the invisible first frame', () => {
+    expect(splashCss).toContain('from { opacity: 0; transform: scale(0); }')
+    expect(splashCss).toContain('animation-play-state: var(--boot-motion-state, running)')
+    expect(splashCss).toMatch(/\[data-boot-motion="paused"\][^{]*path:nth-of-type\(4\)/)
+    expect(splashCss).toMatch(/\[data-boot-motion="paused"\][^{]*path:nth-of-type\(5\)/)
+    expect(splashCss).toMatch(/\[data-boot-motion="paused"\][^{]*circle:nth-of-type\(5\)/)
+    expect(splashCss).toMatch(/\[data-boot-motion="paused"\][^{]*circle:nth-of-type\(6\)/)
+    const pausedAt = splashCss.indexOf('[data-boot-motion="paused"]')
+    expect(pausedAt).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(0)
+    const paused = braceBlock(splashCss, splashCss.indexOf('{', pausedAt))
+    expect(paused).toMatch(/animation:\s*none/)
+    expect(paused).not.toContain('opacity: 0')
+  })
 })
+
+function mediaBlock(css: string, query: string): string {
+  const start = css.indexOf(`@media (${query})`)
+  if (start < 0) throw new Error(`missing @media (${query})`)
+  return braceBlock(css, css.indexOf('{', start))
+}
+
+function braceBlock(source: string, openAt: number): string {
+  if (openAt < 0 || source[openAt] !== '{') throw new Error('missing opening brace')
+  let depth = 0
+  for (let index = openAt; index < source.length; index += 1) {
+    if (source[index] === '{') depth += 1
+    if (source[index] === '}') {
+      depth -= 1
+      if (depth === 0) return source.slice(openAt, index + 1)
+    }
+  }
+  throw new Error('unclosed block')
+}
diff --git a/src/index.bootMotion.test.ts b/src/index.bootMotion.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2895ba87
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/index.bootMotion.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+import { readFileSync } from 'node:fs'
+import { join } from 'node:path'
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+
+declare global {
+  interface Window {
+    __rhizomeUnbindBootMotion?: () => void
+  }
+}
+
+function bootMotionScript(): string {
+  const html = readFileSync(join(process.cwd(), 'index.html'), 'utf8')
+  const marker = 'function syncBootMotion'
+  const markerAt = html.indexOf(marker)
+  const start = html.lastIndexOf('(function () {', markerAt)
+  const end = html.indexOf('})();', markerAt)
+  if (start < 0 || end < 0) throw new Error('boot motion script was not found')
+  return html.slice(start, end + '})();'.length)
+}
+
+function setDocumentHidden(hidden: boolean) {
+  Object.defineProperty(document, 'hidden', {
+    configurable: true,
+    get: () => hidden,
+  })
+}
+
+function motionState(): string {
+  return document.documentElement.style.getPropertyValue('--boot-motion-state')
+}
+
+function motionFlag(): string | null {
+  return document.documentElement.getAttribute('data-boot-motion')
+}
+
+function runBootMotion(hidden: boolean) {
+  setDocumentHidden(hidden)
+  new Function(bootMotionScript())()
+}
+
+describe('HTML boot motion', () => {
+  afterEach(() => {
+    window.__rhizomeUnbindBootMotion?.()
+    document.documentElement.style.removeProperty('--boot-motion-state')
+    document.documentElement.removeAttribute('data-boot-motion')
+    Object.defineProperty(document, 'hidden', {
+      configurable: true,
+      value: false,
+    })
+  })
+
+  it('does not pause grow-in when the document is hidden at first paint', () => {
+    runBootMotion(true)
+    expect(motionState()).toBe('running')
+    expect(motionFlag()).toBe('running')
+  })
+
+  it('resumes motion when visibility becomes visible', () => {
+    let hidden = true
+    Object.defineProperty(document, 'hidden', {
+      configurable: true,
+      get: () => hidden,
+    })
+    new Function(bootMotionScript())()
+    hidden = false
+    document.dispatchEvent(new Event('visibilitychange'))
+    expect(motionState()).toBe('running')
+    expect(motionFlag()).toBe('running')
+  })
+
+  it('can pause after the page has been visible, then resumes again', () => {
+    let hidden = false
+    Object.defineProperty(document, 'hidden', {
+      configurable: true,
+      get: () => hidden,
+    })
+    new Function(bootMotionScript())()
+    expect(motionState()).toBe('running')
+
+    hidden = true
+    document.dispatchEvent(new Event('visibilitychange'))
+    expect(motionState()).toBe('paused')
+    expect(motionFlag()).toBe('paused')
+
+    hidden = false
+    document.dispatchEvent(new Event('visibilitychange'))
+    expect(motionState()).toBe('running')
+    expect(motionFlag()).toBe('running')
+  })
+})