diff --git a/delphi-backend/PMServer.dpr b/delphi-backend/PMServer.dpr
index b1b5730..d664fd3 100644
--- a/delphi-backend/PMServer.dpr
+++ b/delphi-backend/PMServer.dpr
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 program PMServer;
 
 uses
+  System.SysUtils,          // FindCmdLineSwitch
   System.StartUpCopy,
   FMX.Forms,
   PM.SingleInstance in 'Source\PM.SingleInstance.pas',
@@ -43,6 +44,13 @@ begin
     Exit;
 
   Application.Initialize;
+  // --tray ("Start with Windows"): FMX puts its taskbar proxy on screen before
+  // FormCreate is ever reached — measured — so the watcher has to start here,
+  // before the form is built. It only touches raw Win32 (FindWindowEx +
+  // ShowWindow), never an FMX object: an earlier attempt that poked
+  // MainForm.Visible/Handle at this point died with an access violation.
+  if FindCmdLineSwitch('tray', True) then
+    StartTrayProxyHider;
   Application.CreateForm(TMainForm, MainForm);
   Application.Run;
 end.
diff --git a/delphi-backend/UMainForm.fmx b/delphi-backend/UMainForm.fmx
index e92c557..80800bc 100644
--- a/delphi-backend/UMainForm.fmx
+++ b/delphi-backend/UMainForm.fmx
@@ -127,4 +127,10 @@ object MainForm: TMainForm
     Left = 424
     Top = 240
   end
+  object Timer1: TTimer
+    Interval = 1
+    OnTimer = Timer1Timer
+    Left = 568
+    Top = 184
+  end
 end
diff --git a/delphi-backend/UMainForm.pas b/delphi-backend/UMainForm.pas
index 95df071..072db7e 100644
--- a/delphi-backend/UMainForm.pas
+++ b/delphi-backend/UMainForm.pas
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ type
     Memo: TMemo;
     Splitter: TSplitter;
     PopupMenu1: TPopupMenu;
+    Timer1: TTimer;
     procedure FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
     procedure FormDestroy(Sender: TObject);
     procedure FormCloseQuery(Sender: TObject; var CanClose: Boolean);
@@ -71,6 +72,7 @@ type
     procedure btnStopClick(Sender: TObject);
     procedure btnToggleLogClick(Sender: TObject);
     procedure btnReloadClick(Sender: TObject);
+    procedure Timer1Timer(Sender: TObject);
   private
     // Windows minimising the window from the outside (Win+D / Show desktop /
     // taskbar) makes FMX forget it was maximised: the window comes back
@@ -190,6 +192,14 @@ type
 var
   MainForm: TMainForm;
 
+// Call from the .dpr right after Application.Initialize, BEFORE CreateForm,
+// for a --tray launch. FMX shows its taskbar proxy before FormCreate ever
+// runs — measured — so anything installed from inside the form is already too
+// late. Starts a worker that hides the proxy the instant it exists and keeps
+// watching until the tray startup completes; the main thread is blocked
+// loading the .fmx and starting the server, so only another thread can react.
+procedure StartTrayProxyHider;
+
 implementation
 
 {$R *.fmx}
@@ -229,6 +239,29 @@ procedure TrayShowEventProc(hWinEventHook: THandle; AEvent: DWORD; AWnd: HWND;
   idObject, idChild: LongInt; idEventThread, dwmsEventTime: DWORD); stdcall; forward;
 function FindOurFMXAppWindow: HWND; forward;
 
+procedure StartTrayProxyHider;
+begin
+  GTrayStartupPending := True;
+  TThread.CreateAnonymousThread(
+    procedure
+    var
+      LWnd: HWND;
+      LTicks: Integer;
+    begin
+      LTicks := 0;
+      // 5 ms cadence, 20 s ceiling. Stops as soon as the tray startup marks
+      // itself done, so a user restoring from the tray is never fought.
+      while GTrayStartupPending and (LTicks < 4000) do
+      begin
+        LWnd := FindOurFMXAppWindow;
+        if LWnd <> 0 then
+          ShowWindow(LWnd, SW_HIDE);   // unconditional: the button can be up
+        Sleep(5);                      // before WS_VISIBLE reads as set
+        Inc(LTicks);
+      end;
+    end).Start;
+end;
+
 procedure TMainForm.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
 begin
   // --tray ("Start with Windows"): get the window off screen as early as
@@ -248,29 +281,9 @@ begin
       @TrayShowEventProc, GetCurrentProcessId, 0, WINEVENT_INCONTEXT);
     LogLine('[tray] FormCreate begin at ' + FormatDateTime('hh:nn:ss.zzz', Now) +
             ' show-hook=' + BoolToStr(FShowEventHook <> 0, True));
-    // The decisive piece. Everything else runs on the main thread, which is
-    // BUSY inside FormCreate and pumps no message — so no hook, timer or
-    // queued call can fire while the FMX taskbar proxy is created and shown.
-    // A worker thread is the only thing still running then. It polls for the
-    // proxy and hides it the moment it appears; ShowWindow is safe to call
-    // cross-thread. Stops on GTrayStartupPending or after 10 s, whichever
-    // comes first, so it can never linger.
-    TThread.CreateAnonymousThread(
-      procedure
-      var
-        LWnd: HWND;
-        LTicks: Integer;
-      begin
-        LTicks := 0;
-        while GTrayStartupPending and (LTicks < 1000) do
-        begin
-          LWnd := FindOurFMXAppWindow;
-          if (LWnd <> 0) and IsWindowVisible(LWnd) then
-            ShowWindow(LWnd, SW_HIDE);
-          Sleep(10);
-          Inc(LTicks);
-        end;
-      end).Start;
+    // The proxy watcher is NOT started here: FMX shows the taskbar proxy
+    // before FormCreate is even reached, so it is launched from the .dpr
+    // (StartTrayProxyHider) right after Application.Initialize.
     TrayHideNow('hide#1 top-of-FormCreate');
   end;
 
@@ -1709,7 +1722,12 @@ begin
   ShowWindow(AWnd, SW_HIDE);
 end;
 
-procedure TMainForm.TrayHideNow(const ATag: string);
+pprocedure TMainForm.Timer1Timer(Sender: TObject);
+begin
+
+end;
+
+rocedure TMainForm.TrayHideNow(const ATag: string);
 var
   LHwnd, LAppHwnd: HWND;
   LWasVisible: Boolean;
@@ -1730,6 +1748,11 @@ begin
   OnActivate := nil;          // one shot — never fight the user afterwards
   Visible := False;
   TrayHideNow('hide#4 on-activate');
+
+  var AppHandle := ApplicationHWND;
+  ShowWindow(AppHandle, SW_HIDE);
+  SetWindowLong(AppHandle, GWL_EXSTYLE,
+  GetWindowLong(AppHandle, GWL_EXSTYLE) and (not WS_EX_APPWINDOW) or WS_EX_TOOLWINDOW);
 end;
 
 // Single entry point for every tray restore. ExecuteAutofill really minimises