diff --git a/docs/SELF_HOSTED_REMOTE_DAEMON.md b/docs/SELF_HOSTED_REMOTE_DAEMON.md
index 5e874305..612b23f3 100644
--- a/docs/SELF_HOSTED_REMOTE_DAEMON.md
+++ b/docs/SELF_HOSTED_REMOTE_DAEMON.md
@@ -62,13 +62,17 @@ pane --remote-setup --label "VM"
 ```
 
 On displayless Linux hosts, prefer `runpane install daemon`; the npm and PyPI
-wrappers set Electron's required headless environment automatically. For a
-direct packaged launch, set it explicitly:
+wrappers pass Electron's required headless flags automatically. For a direct
+packaged launch, pass them explicitly:
 
 ```bash
-ELECTRON_OZONE_PLATFORM_HINT=headless pane --remote-setup --label "VM"
+pane --ozone-platform=headless --disable-gpu --remote-setup --label "VM"
 ```
 
+These must be command-line arguments: Electron picks its Ozone platform before
+the app starts, so the environment variable `ELECTRON_OZONE_PLATFORM_HINT` no
+longer works (removed in Electron 38, ignored from 39 on).
+
 The wrappers are lightweight installers and configurators. They currently
 download the packaged Pane runtime because the daemon is not distributed as a
 separate binary. AppImage installs therefore require FUSE; on Debian-based
@@ -247,9 +251,11 @@ the security tradeoff.
 
 ### Remote setup exits because X11 or `$DISPLAY` is missing
 
-Use `runpane install daemon`, or prefix a direct packaged launch with
-`ELECTRON_OZONE_PLATFORM_HINT=headless`. This failure occurs before Tailscale
-setup and does not mean the daemon requires a graphical session.
+Use `runpane install daemon`, or add `--ozone-platform=headless --disable-gpu`
+to a direct packaged launch. This failure occurs before Tailscale setup and does
+not mean the daemon requires a graphical session. If you previously relied on
+`ELECTRON_OZONE_PLATFORM_HINT=headless`, switch to the flags: Electron removed
+that variable in 38 and ignores it from 39 on.
 
 ### The headless daemon starts but remote connect fails
 
diff --git a/main/src/daemon/setupRemoteHost.ts b/main/src/daemon/setupRemoteHost.ts
index cea62693..6010dac6 100644
--- a/main/src/daemon/setupRemoteHost.ts
+++ b/main/src/daemon/setupRemoteHost.ts
@@ -573,21 +573,25 @@ function buildHeadlessDaemonCommand(paneDir: string): string {
     if (process.platform === 'win32') {
       return `cd /d ${quoteForWindows(sourceRoot)} && set "PANE_DIR=${paneDir}" && pnpm daemon:headless -- --pane-dir ${quoteForWindows(paneDir)}`;
     }
-    return `cd ${quoteForPosix(sourceRoot)} && ${buildPosixHeadlessEnvironment(paneDir)} pnpm daemon:headless -- --pane-dir ${quoteForPosix(paneDir)}`;
+    return `cd ${quoteForPosix(sourceRoot)} && ${buildPosixHeadlessEnvironment(paneDir)} pnpm daemon:headless --${buildLinuxHeadlessFlags()} --pane-dir ${quoteForPosix(paneDir)}`;
   }
 
   if (process.platform === 'win32') {
     return `${quoteForWindows(process.execPath)} --daemon-headless --pane-dir ${quoteForWindows(paneDir)}`;
   }
 
-  return `${buildPosixHeadlessEnvironment(paneDir)} ${quoteForPosix(process.execPath)} --daemon-headless --pane-dir ${quoteForPosix(paneDir)}`;
+  return `${buildPosixHeadlessEnvironment(paneDir)} ${quoteForPosix(process.execPath)}${buildLinuxHeadlessFlags()} --daemon-headless --pane-dir ${quoteForPosix(paneDir)}`;
+}
+
+// Ozone selects its platform before the app's main script runs, so this must be
+// passed as argv — app.commandLine.appendSwitch() is too late, and
+// ELECTRON_OZONE_PLATFORM_HINT was removed in Electron 38 (no-op since 39).
+function buildLinuxHeadlessFlags(): string {
+  return process.platform === 'linux' ? ' --ozone-platform=headless --disable-gpu' : '';
 }
 
 function buildPosixHeadlessEnvironment(paneDir: string): string {
   const entries = [`PANE_DIR=${quoteForPosix(paneDir)}`];
-  if (process.platform === 'linux') {
-    entries.push('ELECTRON_OZONE_PLATFORM_HINT=headless');
-  }
   return entries.join(' ');
 }
 
diff --git a/main/src/index.ts b/main/src/index.ts
index 28130624..ed8cfb9d 100644
--- a/main/src/index.ts
+++ b/main/src/index.ts
@@ -37,9 +37,12 @@ if (process.platform === 'linux') {
   app.commandLine.appendSwitch('gtk-version', '3');
 
   if (launchHeadlessDaemon || launchRemoteSetup) {
-    // Best-effort fallback. Packaged no-display Linux launches need
-    // ELECTRON_OZONE_PLATFORM_HINT=headless in the parent environment.
-    app.commandLine.appendSwitch('ozone-platform', 'headless');
+    // Ozone has already picked its platform by the time this script runs, so
+    // appending --ozone-platform here cannot select headless: no-display Linux
+    // launches must pass `--ozone-platform=headless` as argv. (Before Electron
+    // 38, ELECTRON_OZONE_PLATFORM_HINT=headless did that for us; the variable
+    // was removed in 38 and is a no-op from 39 on.) --disable-gpu is still read
+    // late enough to take effect here.
     app.commandLine.appendSwitch('disable-gpu');
   }
 }
diff --git a/packages/runpane-py/src/runpane/installers.py b/packages/runpane-py/src/runpane/installers.py
index 8a152a9c..4b0880b8 100644
--- a/packages/runpane-py/src/runpane/installers.py
+++ b/packages/runpane-py/src/runpane/installers.py
@@ -75,12 +75,25 @@ def install_pane_artifact(
 
 def spawn_pane(executable_path: str, args: List[str]) -> int:
     try:
-        return subprocess.call([executable_path, *args], env=build_pane_daemon_environment())
+        return subprocess.call(
+            [executable_path, *build_pane_daemon_args(args)],
+            env=build_pane_daemon_environment(),
+        )
     except OSError as error:
         print(f"Failed to launch Pane: {error}")
         return 1
 
 
+def build_pane_daemon_args(args: List[str], system_name: Optional[str] = None) -> List[str]:
+    """Ozone resolves its platform before the app's main script runs, so headless
+    selection must arrive as argv. ELECTRON_OZONE_PLATFORM_HINT (below) was removed
+    in Electron 38 and is a no-op from 39 on; it is kept only so older Pane builds
+    keep working."""
+    if (system_name or platform.system()).lower() != "linux":
+        return list(args)
+    return ["--ozone-platform=headless", "--disable-gpu", *args]
+
+
 def build_pane_daemon_environment(
     system_name: Optional[str] = None,
     base_environment: Optional[dict] = None,
diff --git a/packages/runpane/src/installers.ts b/packages/runpane/src/installers.ts
index 19a2576a..05e5f6fd 100644
--- a/packages/runpane/src/installers.ts
+++ b/packages/runpane/src/installers.ts
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ export async function installPaneArtifact(
 
 export function spawnPane(executablePath: string, args: string[]): Promise<number> {
   return new Promise((resolve) => {
-    const child = childProcess.spawn(executablePath, args, {
+    const child = childProcess.spawn(executablePath, buildPaneDaemonArgs(args), {
       stdio: 'inherit',
       shell: false,
       env: buildPaneDaemonEnvironment()
@@ -72,6 +72,18 @@ export function spawnPane(executablePath: string, args: string[]): Promise<numbe
   });
 }
 
+// Ozone resolves its platform before the app's main script runs, so headless
+// selection must arrive as argv. ELECTRON_OZONE_PLATFORM_HINT (below) was
+// removed in Electron 38 and is a no-op from 39 on; it is kept only so older
+// Pane builds keep working.
+export function buildPaneDaemonArgs(args: string[], platform = process.platform): string[] {
+  if (platform !== 'linux') {
+    return [...args];
+  }
+
+  return ['--ozone-platform=headless', '--disable-gpu', ...args];
+}
+
 export function buildPaneDaemonEnvironment(
   platform = process.platform,
   baseEnvironment: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = process.env
diff --git a/scripts/test-packaged-headless-remote-setup.sh b/scripts/test-packaged-headless-remote-setup.sh
index de4ea82f..d7f36d76 100755
--- a/scripts/test-packaged-headless-remote-setup.sh
+++ b/scripts/test-packaged-headless-remote-setup.sh
@@ -13,10 +13,10 @@ trap 'rm -rf "$pane_dir" "$output_file"' EXIT
 
 set +e
 env -u DISPLAY \
-  ELECTRON_OZONE_PLATFORM_HINT=headless \
   "$appimage" \
   --appimage-extract-and-run \
   --no-sandbox \
+  --ozone-platform=headless \
   --remote-setup \
   --label "Headless CI" \
   --pane-dir "$pane_dir" \
diff --git a/scripts/test-runpane-contract.js b/scripts/test-runpane-contract.js
index ab2e4bb4..1811a17d 100644
--- a/scripts/test-runpane-contract.js
+++ b/scripts/test-runpane-contract.js
@@ -604,6 +604,34 @@ print(json.dumps({
   assert.deepStrictEqual(pythonJson.darwin, baseEnvironment);
 }
 
+function compareDaemonLaunchArgsParity() {
+  const { buildPaneDaemonArgs } = require(path.join(rootDir, 'packages', 'runpane', 'dist', 'installers.js'));
+  const baseArgs = ['--remote-setup', '--label', 'VM'];
+
+  // Ozone reads its platform from argv before the app boots, so the headless
+  // flags must lead the argument list on Linux and be absent elsewhere.
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(buildPaneDaemonArgs(baseArgs, 'linux'), [
+    '--ozone-platform=headless',
+    '--disable-gpu',
+    ...baseArgs
+  ]);
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(buildPaneDaemonArgs(baseArgs, 'darwin'), baseArgs);
+
+  const pythonOutput = runPythonSnippet(`
+import json
+from runpane.installers import build_pane_daemon_args
+
+base = ["--remote-setup", "--label", "VM"]
+print(json.dumps({
+    "linux": build_pane_daemon_args(base, "Linux"),
+    "darwin": build_pane_daemon_args(base, "Darwin"),
+}))
+`);
+  const pythonJson = JSON.parse(pythonOutput.split(/\r?\n/).filter(Boolean).pop());
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(pythonJson.linux, buildPaneDaemonArgs(baseArgs, 'linux'));
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(pythonJson.darwin, buildPaneDaemonArgs(baseArgs, 'darwin'));
+}
+
 function compareRemoteSetupDiagnosticParity() {
   const { collectRemoteSetupCheck } = require(path.join(rootDir, 'packages', 'runpane', 'dist', 'doctor.js'));
   const probes = {
@@ -1255,6 +1283,7 @@ async function runChecks() {
   compareWrapperTelemetrySanitizers();
   compareExistingReusePolicy();
   compareDaemonLaunchEnvironmentParity();
+  compareDaemonLaunchArgsParity();
   compareRemoteSetupDiagnosticParity();
   checkPlatformMatchingEdgeCases();
   await checkExistingDaemonShortCircuit();