diff --git a/apps/desktop/.storybook/main.ts b/apps/desktop/.storybook/main.ts
index 8aa012a7dd..b1355ffd84 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/.storybook/main.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/.storybook/main.ts
@@ -33,7 +33,11 @@ const STORYBOOK_NODE_CRYPTO_BOUNDARY = resolve(
 const config: StorybookConfig = {
   stories: [
     '../../../packages/ui/stories/**/*.stories.@(ts|tsx)',
-    resolve(REPO_ROOT, 'apps/desktop/stories/**/*.stories.@(ts|tsx)'),
+    // Config-relative glob (forward slashes) like the UI entry above. A
+    // `resolve(REPO_ROOT, ...)` absolute path produces backslashes on Windows,
+    // which glob matchers treat as escape characters, so no desktop story ever
+    // matches there.
+    '../stories/**/*.stories.@(ts|tsx)',
   ],
   framework: {
     name: '@storybook/react-vite',
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/main/__tests__/runtime-host-turn-request-inbox-preload.test.ts b/apps/desktop/src/main/__tests__/runtime-host-turn-request-inbox-preload.test.ts
index 267504c866..b188c23f6a 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/main/__tests__/runtime-host-turn-request-inbox-preload.test.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/main/__tests__/runtime-host-turn-request-inbox-preload.test.ts
@@ -38,12 +38,16 @@ test('keeps available collaboration inboxes when another Owner Host rejects', as
   assert.deepEqual(requests.map(({ requestId }) => requestId), ['earlier', 'later']);
 });
 
-test('retains the previous inbox projection when every Owner Host rejects', async () => {
-  await assert.rejects(
-    collectAvailablePendingTurnRequests([
-      Promise.reject(new Error('first unavailable')),
-      Promise.reject(new Error('second unavailable')),
-    ]),
-    /Every Runtime Host collaboration inbox request failed/,
-  );
+test('returns an empty inbox when every Owner Host rejects', async () => {
+  // A Host without a collaboration authority (e.g. the default Local Host)
+  // rejects each query with `operation_unavailable`. That is a valid
+  // composition, not an error, so the inbox resolves empty rather than
+  // throwing — the poller keeps the quiet, empty inbox instead of logging an
+  // IPC failure every interval.
+  const requests = await collectAvailablePendingTurnRequests([
+    Promise.reject(new Error('first unavailable')),
+    Promise.reject(new Error('second unavailable')),
+  ]);
+
+  assert.deepEqual(requests, []);
 });
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/preload/runtime-host-turn-request-inbox.ts b/apps/desktop/src/preload/runtime-host-turn-request-inbox.ts
index 86199b9187..6da5ed1667 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/preload/runtime-host-turn-request-inbox.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/preload/runtime-host-turn-request-inbox.ts
@@ -26,12 +26,11 @@ export async function collectAvailablePendingTurnRequests(
   const available = results.flatMap(
     (result) => result.status === 'fulfilled' ? [result.value] : [],
   );
-  if (queries.length > 0 && available.length === 0) {
-    throw new AggregateError(
-      results.flatMap((result) => result.status === 'rejected' ? [result.reason] : []),
-      'Every Runtime Host collaboration inbox request failed',
-    );
-  }
+  // A Host with no collaboration authority rejects every inbox query with
+  // `operation_unavailable`. That is a valid composition (e.g. the default
+  // Local Host), not a failure, so when no Host answered we surface an empty
+  // inbox instead of throwing — the next poll repopulates it once a capable
+  // Host appears.
   return available
     .flat()
     .sort((left, right) => left.createdAt.localeCompare(right.createdAt));