diff --git a/clients/linux/src/app.rs b/clients/linux/src/app.rs
index 374f8309..38a6319d 100644
--- a/clients/linux/src/app.rs
+++ b/clients/linux/src/app.rs
@@ -1014,6 +1014,12 @@ pub fn shortcuts_window(parent: &adw::ApplicationWindow) -> gtk::ShortcutsWindow
                 <property name="accelerator">&lt;Control&gt;&lt;Alt&gt;&lt;Shift&gt;s</property>
               </object>
             </child>
+            <child>
+              <object class="GtkShortcutsShortcut">
+                <property name="title">Mute or unmute your microphone (only while the stream sends one)</property>
+                <property name="accelerator">&lt;Control&gt;&lt;Alt&gt;&lt;Shift&gt;v</property>
+              </object>
+            </child>
           </object>
         </child>
       </object>
diff --git a/clients/linux/src/ui_settings.rs b/clients/linux/src/ui_settings.rs
index 2301ada3..91218a19 100644
--- a/clients/linux/src/ui_settings.rs
+++ b/clients/linux/src/ui_settings.rs
@@ -607,6 +607,9 @@ fn commit_profile(active: &StreamProfile, touched: &Touched, values: &Settings)
     if touched.has("mic_enabled") {
         o.mic_enabled = Some(values.mic_enabled);
     }
+    if touched.has("echo_cancel") {
+        o.echo_cancel = Some(values.echo_cancel);
+    }
     if touched.has("touch_mode") {
         o.touch_mode = Some(values.touch_mode.clone());
     }
@@ -1301,7 +1304,11 @@ pub fn show_scoped(
     );
     let mic_row = adw::SwitchRow::builder()
         .title("Stream microphone")
-        .subtitle("Sends your microphone to the host's virtual mic")
+        .subtitle("Sends your microphone to the host's virtual mic — Ctrl+Alt+Shift+V mutes it mid-stream")
+        .build();
+    let echo_row = adw::SwitchRow::builder()
+        .title("Echo cancellation")
+        .subtitle("Keeps the host's audio, playing from this machine's speakers, out of the uplink")
         .build();
     // Endpoint pickers (from the PipeWire probe): visible labels are descriptions, the
     // stored value is the node name. Hidden when the probe found nothing; a saved
@@ -1345,12 +1352,23 @@ pub fn show_scoped(
         "Microphone",
         "The input that feeds the host's virtual mic",
     );
-    // The device pick only matters while the mic streams at all.
+    // The device pick and the echo canceller only matter while the mic streams at all — both
+    // follow it. One handler each (the pickers are optional, the echo row never is), and the
+    // initial state is set here because the seed block further down fires these too.
+    //
+    // Insensitivity covers the whole row, including the per-row Reset a profile scope adds:
+    // an echo_cancel override can only be reset while the mic row is on. Turn it on, reset,
+    // turn it back off — the alternative is a control that looks live and isn't.
     if let Some(r) = &micdev_row {
         let w = r.widget().clone();
         w.set_sensitive(mic_row.is_active());
         mic_row.connect_active_notify(move |m| w.set_sensitive(m.is_active()));
     }
+    {
+        let w = echo_row.clone();
+        w.set_sensitive(mic_row.is_active());
+        mic_row.connect_active_notify(move |m| w.set_sensitive(m.is_active()));
+    }
 
     // ---- Controllers ----
     // Controller forwarding: Automatic forwards EVERY real controller, each as its own pad
@@ -1453,6 +1471,7 @@ pub fn show_scoped(
         inhibit_row.set_active(s.inhibit_shortcuts);
         invert_row.set_active(s.invert_scroll);
         mic_row.set_active(s.mic_enabled);
+        echo_row.set_active(s.echo_cancel);
         hdr_row.set_active(s.hdr_enabled);
         chroma_row.set_active(s.enable_444);
         library_row.set_active(s.library_enabled);
@@ -1673,6 +1692,12 @@ pub fn show_scoped(
             invert_scroll
         );
         toggle!(mic_row, "mic_enabled", o.mic_enabled.is_some(), mic_enabled);
+        toggle!(
+            echo_row,
+            "echo_cancel",
+            o.echo_cancel.is_some(),
+            echo_cancel
+        );
         {
             let revert = {
                 let (row, globals, touched) =
@@ -1781,6 +1806,7 @@ pub fn show_scoped(
         audio_group.add(r.widget());
     }
     audio_group.add(&mic_row);
+    audio_group.add(&echo_row);
     if let (Some(r), false) = (&micdev_row, profile_mode) {
         audio_group.add(r.widget());
     }
@@ -1890,6 +1916,7 @@ pub fn show_scoped(
             s.inhibit_shortcuts = inhibit_row.is_active();
             s.invert_scroll = invert_row.is_active();
             s.mic_enabled = mic_row.is_active();
+            s.echo_cancel = echo_row.is_active();
             s.hdr_enabled = hdr_row.is_active();
             s.enable_444 = chroma_row.is_active();
             s.audio_channels = match surround_row.selected() {
diff --git a/clients/session/src/main.rs b/clients/session/src/main.rs
index dbb8ace3..77649e28 100644
--- a/clients/session/src/main.rs
+++ b/clients/session/src/main.rs
@@ -272,6 +272,7 @@ mod session_main {
             // compositors only).
             cursor_forward: settings.mouse_mode() == trust::MouseMode::Desktop,
             mic_enabled: settings.mic_enabled,
+            echo_cancel: settings.echo_cancel,
             clipboard,
             // The Settings preference (auto → VAAPI where it exists; the presenter
             // demotes to software on boxes whose Vulkan can't import the dmabufs).
diff --git a/clients/windows/src/app/help.rs b/clients/windows/src/app/help.rs
index 301e6fd8..8332eae3 100644
--- a/clients/windows/src/app/help.rs
+++ b/clients/windows/src/app/help.rs
@@ -21,6 +21,10 @@ const STREAM_SHORTCUTS: &[(&str, &str)] = &[
         "Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S",
         "Cycle the statistics overlay (off \u{00B7} compact \u{00B7} normal \u{00B7} detailed)",
     ),
+    (
+        "Ctrl+Alt+Shift+V",
+        "Mute or unmute your microphone (only while the stream sends one)",
+    ),
     (
         "LB+RB+Start+Back",
         "Controller: release input / leave fullscreen \u{2014} hold to disconnect",
diff --git a/clients/windows/src/app/settings.rs b/clients/windows/src/app/settings.rs
index c03d7005..260bee70 100644
--- a/clients/windows/src/app/settings.rs
+++ b/clients/windows/src/app/settings.rs
@@ -428,6 +428,7 @@ struct OverrideFlags {
     compositor: bool,
     audio_channels: bool,
     mic_enabled: bool,
+    echo_cancel: bool,
     touch_mode: bool,
     mouse_mode: bool,
     invert_scroll: bool,
@@ -455,6 +456,7 @@ impl OverrideFlags {
             compositor: o.compositor.is_some(),
             audio_channels: o.audio_channels.is_some(),
             mic_enabled: o.mic_enabled.is_some(),
+            echo_cancel: o.echo_cancel.is_some(),
             touch_mode: o.touch_mode.is_some(),
             mouse_mode: o.mouse_mode.is_some(),
             invert_scroll: o.invert_scroll.is_some(),
@@ -913,6 +915,12 @@ pub(crate) fn settings_page(
     let mic_toggle = setting_toggle(ctx, scope, (rev, set_rev), s.mic_enabled, |s, on| {
         s.mic_enabled = on
     });
+    // Echo cancellation is meaningless without an uplink, so it greys out with the mic above
+    // it. Every commit bumps `rev` and re-renders this screen, so the two stay in step live.
+    let echo_toggle = setting_toggle(ctx, scope, (rev, set_rev), s.echo_cancel, |s, on| {
+        s.echo_cancel = on
+    })
+    .enabled(s.mic_enabled);
 
     let (hud_names, hud_i) = presets(STATS_TIERS, |v| *v == s.stats_verbosity());
     let hud_combo = setting_combo(ctx, scope, (rev, set_rev), hud_names, hud_i, |s, i| {
@@ -1186,7 +1194,19 @@ pub(crate) fn settings_page(
                         "Stream microphone to the host",
                         over.mic_enabled,
                         mic_toggle,
-                        "This device\u{2019}s microphone feeds the host\u{2019}s virtual mic.",
+                        "This device\u{2019}s microphone feeds the host\u{2019}s virtual mic. \
+                         Ctrl+Alt+Shift+V mutes and unmutes it during a stream.",
+                    ),
+                    described_overridable(
+                        (rev, set_rev),
+                        scope,
+                        "echo_cancel",
+                        "Echo cancellation",
+                        over.echo_cancel,
+                        echo_toggle,
+                        "Keeps the host\u{2019}s audio, playing from this machine\u{2019}s \
+                         speakers, from being picked up and sent straight back. Turn it off if \
+                         your microphone already does its own processing.",
                     ),
                 ],
                 Some("Applies from the next session."),
@@ -1587,5 +1607,16 @@ mod tests {
             ..Default::default()
         };
         assert!(OverrideFlags::of(Some(&p2)).resolution);
+
+        // The audio pair: the mic and its echo canceller are separate overrides, so a profile
+        // can pin one without claiming the other.
+        let mut p3 = StreamProfile::new("t3".to_string());
+        p3.overrides = SettingsOverlay {
+            echo_cancel: Some(false),
+            ..Default::default()
+        };
+        let f3 = OverrideFlags::of(Some(&p3));
+        assert!(f3.echo_cancel);
+        assert!(!f3.mic_enabled);
     }
 }
diff --git a/crates/pf-client-core/src/audio.rs b/crates/pf-client-core/src/audio.rs
index d40a185d..30ceaaf7 100644
--- a/crates/pf-client-core/src/audio.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-client-core/src/audio.rs
@@ -339,12 +339,22 @@ pub struct MicStreamer {
 }
 
 impl MicStreamer {
-    pub fn spawn(connector: Arc<NativeClient>) -> Result<MicStreamer> {
+    /// `muted` is the in-stream mute (B4), shared live with the capture callback: set, the
+    /// callback keeps pulling and discarding whole frames but sends nothing. Muting by
+    /// STOPPING the stream was rejected — it re-primes the device buffers and re-runs the
+    /// source selection below on every unmute, so the first second back is glitchy.
+    ///
+    /// `echo_cancel` is the Settings toggle; `PUNKTFUNK_NO_AEC=1` overrides it off.
+    pub fn spawn(
+        connector: Arc<NativeClient>,
+        muted: Arc<std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool>,
+        echo_cancel: bool,
+    ) -> Result<MicStreamer> {
         let (quit_tx, quit_rx) = pipewire::channel::channel::<Terminate>();
         let thread = std::thread::Builder::new()
             .name("punktfunk-mic".into())
             .spawn(move || {
-                if let Err(e) = mic_thread(&connector, quit_rx) {
+                if let Err(e) = mic_thread(&connector, quit_rx, muted, echo_cancel) {
                     tracing::warn!(error = %e, "mic uplink thread ended");
                 }
             })
@@ -373,12 +383,17 @@ struct MicData {
     encoder: opus::Encoder,
     seq: u32,
     out: Vec<u8>,
+    /// The in-stream mute (B4), flipped by the session's chord. Read per callback.
+    muted: Arc<std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool>,
 }
 
-/// `PUNKTFUNK_NO_AEC=1` — the opt-out for every mic echo-cancellation hook (here: the
-/// echo-cancelled-source preference; the WASAPI twin gates its Communications category on it).
-fn aec_disabled() -> bool {
-    std::env::var("PUNKTFUNK_NO_AEC").is_ok_and(|v| !v.is_empty() && v != "0")
+/// Whether the mic echo-cancellation hooks run this session: the `echo_cancel` setting, with
+/// `PUNKTFUNK_NO_AEC=1` as a one-way override OFF. The env var wins — it is the escape hatch
+/// for a box whose canceller misbehaves, and it predates the setting; nothing turns AEC back
+/// on once it is set. Here the hook is the echo-cancelled-source preference below; the WASAPI
+/// twin gates its Communications stream category the same way.
+fn aec_enabled(echo_cancel: bool) -> bool {
+    echo_cancel && !std::env::var("PUNKTFUNK_NO_AEC").is_ok_and(|v| !v.is_empty() && v != "0")
 }
 
 /// The capture stream's `target.object`, in preference order: the Settings microphone pick
@@ -390,19 +405,20 @@ fn aec_disabled() -> bool {
 /// Preference-only by design: loading `libpipewire-module-echo-cancel` ourselves needs
 /// `pw_context_load_module`, which the pipewire crate (0.9) doesn't expose safely — until it
 /// does, we only ever target processing the user (or their session) already set up.
-fn mic_capture_target() -> Option<String> {
+fn mic_capture_target(echo_cancel: bool) -> Option<String> {
     if let Ok(target) = std::env::var("PUNKTFUNK_AUDIO_SOURCE") {
         if !target.is_empty() {
             return Some(target);
         }
     }
-    if aec_disabled() {
+    if !aec_enabled(echo_cancel) {
         return None;
     }
     let name = echo_cancel_source()?;
     tracing::info!(
         source = %name,
-        "mic capture targets the echo-cancelled source (PUNKTFUNK_NO_AEC=1 to disable)"
+        "mic capture targets the echo-cancelled source (Echo cancellation off, or \
+         PUNKTFUNK_NO_AEC=1, disables this)"
     );
     Some(name)
 }
@@ -427,6 +443,8 @@ fn echo_cancel_source() -> Option<String> {
 fn mic_thread(
     connector: &Arc<NativeClient>,
     quit_rx: pipewire::channel::Receiver<Terminate>,
+    muted: Arc<std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool>,
+    echo_cancel: bool,
 ) -> Result<()> {
     use pipewire as pw;
     use pw::{properties::properties, spa};
@@ -468,7 +486,7 @@ fn mic_thread(
         // sat ahead of the encoder as latency (the playback stream always asked for 5 ms).
         *pw::keys::NODE_LATENCY     => "480/48000",
     };
-    if let Some(target) = mic_capture_target() {
+    if let Some(target) = mic_capture_target(echo_cancel) {
         // Raw key: the `keys::TARGET_OBJECT` constant is feature-gated on a newer
         // libpipewire than we require; the wire name is stable.
         props.insert("target.object", target);
@@ -482,6 +500,7 @@ fn mic_thread(
         encoder,
         seq: 0,
         out: vec![0u8; 4000],
+        muted,
     };
 
     let _listener = stream
@@ -506,6 +525,17 @@ fn mic_thread(
                             .push_back(f32::from_le_bytes([s[0], s[1], s[2], s[3]]));
                     }
                 }
+                // Muted (B4): the stream stays open and the device keeps its primed buffers —
+                // only the sending stops. Whole frames are discarded so the ring can't grow,
+                // and `seq` deliberately does NOT advance: the host sees one continuous
+                // sequence with a silent pause in the middle rather than a gap the size of the
+                // mute, which its de-jitter would try to conceal frame by frame.
+                if ud.muted.load(std::sync::atomic::Ordering::Relaxed) {
+                    let whole =
+                        (ud.ring.len() / (MIC_FRAME * MIC_CHANNELS)) * (MIC_FRAME * MIC_CHANNELS);
+                    ud.ring.drain(..whole);
+                    return;
+                }
                 // Ship every complete 10 ms mono frame.
                 while ud.ring.len() >= MIC_FRAME * MIC_CHANNELS {
                     let pcm: Vec<f32> = ud.ring.drain(..MIC_FRAME * MIC_CHANNELS).collect();
diff --git a/crates/pf-client-core/src/audio_wasapi.rs b/crates/pf-client-core/src/audio_wasapi.rs
index 4b191df9..5e3cf618 100644
--- a/crates/pf-client-core/src/audio_wasapi.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-client-core/src/audio_wasapi.rs
@@ -233,13 +233,23 @@ pub struct MicStreamer {
 }
 
 impl MicStreamer {
-    pub fn spawn(connector: Arc<NativeClient>) -> Result<MicStreamer> {
+    /// `muted` is the in-stream mute (B4), shared live with the capture loop: set, the loop
+    /// keeps reading the endpoint and discarding whole frames but sends nothing. Muting by
+    /// STOPPING the client was rejected — an `IAudioClient` stop/start re-primes the endpoint
+    /// buffers and re-runs the category negotiation below on every unmute.
+    ///
+    /// `echo_cancel` is the Settings toggle; `PUNKTFUNK_NO_AEC=1` overrides it off.
+    pub fn spawn(
+        connector: Arc<NativeClient>,
+        muted: Arc<AtomicBool>,
+        echo_cancel: bool,
+    ) -> Result<MicStreamer> {
         let stop = Arc::new(AtomicBool::new(false));
         let stop_t = stop.clone();
         let thread = std::thread::Builder::new()
             .name("punktfunk-mic".into())
             .spawn(move || {
-                if let Err(e) = mic_thread(&connector, stop_t) {
+                if let Err(e) = mic_thread(&connector, stop_t, muted, echo_cancel) {
                     tracing::warn!(error = %format!("{e:#}"), "mic uplink thread ended");
                 }
             })
@@ -260,7 +270,21 @@ impl Drop for MicStreamer {
     }
 }
 
-fn mic_thread(connector: &Arc<NativeClient>, stop: Arc<AtomicBool>) -> Result<()> {
+/// Whether the mic echo-cancellation hooks run this session: the `echo_cancel` setting, with
+/// `PUNKTFUNK_NO_AEC=1` as a one-way override OFF. The env var wins — it is the escape hatch
+/// for a box whose canceller misbehaves, and it predates the setting; nothing turns AEC back
+/// on once it is set. Here the hook is the Communications stream category below; the PipeWire
+/// twin gates its echo-cancelled-source preference the same way.
+fn aec_enabled(echo_cancel: bool) -> bool {
+    echo_cancel && !std::env::var("PUNKTFUNK_NO_AEC").is_ok_and(|v| !v.is_empty() && v != "0")
+}
+
+fn mic_thread(
+    connector: &Arc<NativeClient>,
+    stop: Arc<AtomicBool>,
+    muted: Arc<AtomicBool>,
+    echo_cancel: bool,
+) -> Result<()> {
     wasapi::initialize_mta()
         .ok()
         .context("CoInitializeEx (MTA)")?;
@@ -289,8 +313,9 @@ fn mic_thread(connector: &Arc<NativeClient>, stop: Arc<AtomicBool>) -> Result<()
     // this box fed straight back into the host's virtual mic. Must precede Initialize
     // (SetClientProperties is a pre-init call; the wasapi crate QIs IAudioClient2 inside).
     // Best-effort: an endpoint without IAudioClient2 just keeps the default category.
-    // PUNKTFUNK_NO_AEC=1 opts out (same lever as the Linux echo-cancel-source preference).
-    if !std::env::var("PUNKTFUNK_NO_AEC").is_ok_and(|v| !v.is_empty() && v != "0") {
+    // The "Echo cancellation" setting opts out, and PUNKTFUNK_NO_AEC=1 overrides that off
+    // (same lever as the Linux echo-cancel-source preference) — see `aec_enabled`.
+    if aec_enabled(echo_cancel) {
         if let Err(e) = audio_client.set_properties(
             AudioClientProperties::new().set_category(StreamCategory::Communications),
         ) {
@@ -349,6 +374,16 @@ fn mic_thread(connector: &Arc<NativeClient>, stop: Arc<AtomicBool>) -> Result<()
             let r = f32::from_le_bytes([c[4], c[5], c[6], c[7]]);
             ring.push_back((l + r) * 0.5);
         }
+        // Muted (B4): the capture client stays started and keeps its primed buffers — only
+        // the sending stops. Whole frames are discarded so the ring can't grow, and `seq`
+        // deliberately does NOT advance: the host sees one continuous sequence with a silent
+        // pause in the middle rather than a gap the size of the mute, which its de-jitter
+        // would try to conceal frame by frame.
+        if muted.load(Ordering::Relaxed) {
+            let drop_n = (ring.len() / MIC_FRAME) * MIC_FRAME;
+            ring.drain(..drop_n);
+            continue;
+        }
         // Ship every complete 10 ms mono frame.
         while ring.len() >= MIC_FRAME {
             let pcm: Vec<f32> = ring.drain(..MIC_FRAME).collect();
diff --git a/crates/pf-client-core/src/profiles.rs b/crates/pf-client-core/src/profiles.rs
index 608ebf1e..9e7b813f 100644
--- a/crates/pf-client-core/src/profiles.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-client-core/src/profiles.rs
@@ -62,6 +62,8 @@ pub struct SettingsOverlay {
     #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
     pub mic_enabled: Option<bool>,
     #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub echo_cancel: Option<bool>,
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
     pub touch_mode: Option<String>,
     #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
     pub mouse_mode: Option<String>,
@@ -122,6 +124,9 @@ impl SettingsOverlay {
         if let Some(v) = self.mic_enabled {
             s.mic_enabled = v;
         }
+        if let Some(v) = self.echo_cancel {
+            s.echo_cancel = v;
+        }
         if let Some(v) = &self.touch_mode {
             s.touch_mode = v.clone();
         }
@@ -197,6 +202,9 @@ impl SettingsOverlay {
         if after.mic_enabled != before.mic_enabled {
             self.mic_enabled = Some(after.mic_enabled);
         }
+        if after.echo_cancel != before.echo_cancel {
+            self.echo_cancel = Some(after.echo_cancel);
+        }
         if after.touch_mode != before.touch_mode {
             self.touch_mode = Some(after.touch_mode.clone());
         }
@@ -243,6 +251,7 @@ impl SettingsOverlay {
             "compositor" => self.compositor = None,
             "audio_channels" => self.audio_channels = None,
             "mic_enabled" => self.mic_enabled = None,
+            "echo_cancel" => self.echo_cancel = None,
             "touch_mode" => self.touch_mode = None,
             "mouse_mode" => self.mouse_mode = None,
             "invert_scroll" => self.invert_scroll = None,
@@ -437,6 +446,7 @@ mod tests {
             compositor: Some("gamescope".into()),
             audio_channels: Some(6),
             mic_enabled: Some(true),
+            echo_cancel: Some(false),
             touch_mode: Some("pointer".into()),
             mouse_mode: Some("desktop".into()),
             invert_scroll: Some(true),
@@ -457,6 +467,7 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(out.compositor, "gamescope");
         assert_eq!(out.audio_channels, 6);
         assert!(out.mic_enabled);
+        assert!(!out.echo_cancel);
         assert_eq!(out.touch_mode, "pointer");
         assert_eq!(out.mouse_mode, "desktop");
         assert!(out.invert_scroll);
@@ -529,6 +540,39 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(o2, o);
     }
 
+    /// `echo_cancel` is a first-class overlay field, not an `extra` passenger: it applies,
+    /// absorbs, clears, and serialises under the `echo_cancel` key the Apple and Android
+    /// clients write — one catalog has to round-trip through all three.
+    #[test]
+    fn echo_cancel_is_a_first_class_override() {
+        let base = Settings::default();
+        assert!(base.echo_cancel, "the setting ships on");
+
+        let mut o = SettingsOverlay::default();
+        let before = o.apply(&base);
+        let mut after = before.clone();
+        after.echo_cancel = false;
+        o.absorb(&before, &after);
+        assert_eq!(o.echo_cancel, Some(false));
+        assert!(!o.apply(&base).echo_cancel);
+        assert!(
+            o.extra.is_empty(),
+            "modelled fields must never land in the passthrough"
+        );
+
+        // Serialised under the shared key, and read back from a foreign client's file.
+        let text = serde_json::to_string(&o).unwrap();
+        assert!(text.contains("\"echo_cancel\":false"), "{text}");
+        let from_apple: SettingsOverlay =
+            serde_json::from_str(r#"{"mic_enabled":true,"echo_cancel":false}"#).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(from_apple.echo_cancel, Some(false));
+        assert!(from_apple.extra.is_empty());
+
+        assert!(o.clear("echo_cancel"));
+        assert_eq!(o.echo_cancel, None);
+        assert!(o.is_empty());
+    }
+
     /// `clear` is the explicit way back to inheriting, including the resolution tri-state.
     #[test]
     fn clear_drops_one_override() {
diff --git a/crates/pf-client-core/src/session.rs b/crates/pf-client-core/src/session.rs
index 0773e116..3bc02380 100644
--- a/crates/pf-client-core/src/session.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-client-core/src/session.rs
@@ -41,6 +41,9 @@ pub struct SessionParams {
     pub display_hdr: Option<punktfunk_core::quic::HdrMeta>,
     /// Stream the default microphone to the host's virtual mic source.
     pub mic_enabled: bool,
+    /// Run the uplink through the platform's echo cancellation ([`Settings::echo_cancel`]).
+    /// Ignored when `mic_enabled` is false; `PUNKTFUNK_NO_AEC=1` overrides it off.
+    pub echo_cancel: bool,
     /// Share the clipboard with this host (the per-host `KnownHost::clipboard_sync`). The
     /// bridge additionally needs the host to advertise `HOST_CAP_CLIPBOARD`.
     pub clipboard: bool,
@@ -123,8 +126,9 @@ pub struct Stats {
     pub lost_pct: f32,
     /// Mic uplink frames this window: handed to the QUIC datagram send, and shed anywhere
     /// client-side (queue-full at the producer + the pump's stale-oldest backlog governor —
-    /// see [`NativeClient::mic_stats`]). Both stay 0 while the mic is off, so the OSD
-    /// renders the mic line only when the uplink is live.
+    /// see [`NativeClient::mic_stats`]). Both stay 0 while the mic is off OR muted (a mute
+    /// stops the sending, not the capture), so the OSD renders the mic line only while voice
+    /// is actually going out — the muted case has its own badge, which does not need stats on.
     pub mic_sent: u32,
     pub mic_dropped: u32,
     /// The decode path frames actually took this window (`"vaapi"`/`"software"`, empty
@@ -166,10 +170,61 @@ pub enum SessionEvent {
     Stats(Stats),
 }
 
+/// The in-stream microphone mute (B4), shared between the embedder's toggle (a keyboard chord
+/// in the presenter) and the capture callback that reads it every quantum.
+///
+/// Two flags, not one, so the indicator can never lie: `live` is raised by the pump only once
+/// the uplink is actually running, so a session whose mic is off in Settings — or whose capture
+/// device failed to open — reports "no mic here" and the chord is a documented no-op instead of
+/// silently latching a mute nothing implements. Per session by design: the mute is a moment
+/// ("don't send the doorbell"), not a preference, so it is never persisted and every new
+/// session starts unmuted.
+#[derive(Clone, Default)]
+pub struct MicControl {
+    muted: Arc<AtomicBool>,
+    live: Arc<AtomicBool>,
+}
+
+impl MicControl {
+    /// True when this session has a running uplink to mute at all.
+    pub fn live(&self) -> bool {
+        self.live.load(Ordering::Relaxed)
+    }
+
+    /// True when the user has muted a uplink that exists — what the OSD indicator draws.
+    pub fn muted(&self) -> bool {
+        self.live() && self.muted.load(Ordering::Relaxed)
+    }
+
+    /// Flip the mute. `Some(now_muted)` when it applied, `None` when this session has no
+    /// uplink (the caller says so rather than pretending something happened).
+    pub fn toggle(&self) -> Option<bool> {
+        if !self.live() {
+            return None;
+        }
+        let next = !self.muted.load(Ordering::Relaxed);
+        self.muted.store(next, Ordering::Relaxed);
+        Some(next)
+    }
+
+    /// The capture side's handle on the flag (the streamer reads it per quantum).
+    fn flag(&self) -> Arc<AtomicBool> {
+        self.muted.clone()
+    }
+
+    /// The pump's report that the uplink came up (or went away).
+    fn set_live(&self, live: bool) {
+        self.live.store(live, Ordering::Relaxed);
+    }
+}
+
 pub struct SessionHandle {
     pub events: async_channel::Receiver<SessionEvent>,
     pub frames: async_channel::Receiver<DecodedFrame>,
     pub stop: Arc<AtomicBool>,
+    /// The in-stream mic mute. Inert (`live()` false) until the pump has the uplink running,
+    /// and for the whole session when the mic is off in Settings.
+    pub mic: MicControl,
     /// The pump thread. A Vulkan-Video pump SUBMITS to the shared device's decode
     /// queue — the presenter must join this before any `vkDeviceWaitIdle`/teardown
     /// (external-sync rule over every device queue).
@@ -182,14 +237,17 @@ pub fn start(params: SessionParams) -> SessionHandle {
     let (frame_tx, frame_rx) = async_channel::bounded(2);
     let stop = Arc::new(AtomicBool::new(false));
     let stop_w = stop.clone();
+    let mic = MicControl::default();
+    let mic_w = mic.clone();
     let thread = std::thread::Builder::new()
         .name("punktfunk-session".into())
-        .spawn(move || pump(params, ev_tx, frame_tx, stop_w))
+        .spawn(move || pump(params, ev_tx, frame_tx, stop_w, mic_w))
         .expect("spawn session thread");
     SessionHandle {
         events: ev_rx,
         frames: frame_rx,
         stop,
+        mic,
         thread: Some(thread),
     }
 }
@@ -242,6 +300,7 @@ fn pump(
     ev_tx: async_channel::Sender<SessionEvent>,
     frame_tx: async_channel::Sender<DecodedFrame>,
     stop: Arc<AtomicBool>,
+    mic: MicControl,
 ) {
     // PUNKTFUNK_PREFER_PYROWAVE=1 — the Phase-2 lab opt-in for the wired-LAN wavelet codec
     // (a Settings toggle is the Phase-3 productization). Riding `preferred_codec` is exactly
@@ -385,14 +444,18 @@ fn pump(
                 .ok()
         })
         .flatten();
+    // The uplink, and with it the mute the embedder's chord drives. `set_live` is what makes
+    // the chord (and its indicator) real: a mic turned off in Settings, or a capture device
+    // that wouldn't open, leaves it false and the chord stays an honest no-op.
     let _mic = params
         .mic_enabled
         .then(|| {
-            audio::MicStreamer::spawn(connector.clone())
+            audio::MicStreamer::spawn(connector.clone(), mic.flag(), params.echo_cancel)
                 .map_err(|e| tracing::warn!(error = %e, "mic uplink disabled"))
                 .ok()
         })
         .flatten();
+    mic.set_live(_mic.is_some());
 
     // Live host↔client clock offset: loaded per frame (Relaxed) so mid-stream re-syncs (an NTP
     // step, drift) keep the capture-clock latency stats honest — never cached at session start.
@@ -863,6 +926,10 @@ fn pump(
         "session ended"
     );
     stop.store(true, Ordering::SeqCst);
+    // The uplink is about to be dropped with the rest of this frame — stop claiming a mute
+    // surface, so an embedder still holding the handle through its end path (browse mode
+    // returns to the console with it) can't draw a muted mic that no longer exists.
+    mic.set_live(false);
     if let Some(t) = audio_thread {
         let _ = t.join(); // exits within its 100 ms pull timeout once `stop` is set
     }
@@ -973,4 +1040,28 @@ mod tests {
             assert!(parse_debug_reconfigure(bad).is_none(), "{bad:?} parsed");
         }
     }
+
+    /// The mute is inert until the pump reports a live uplink — a session without a mic must
+    /// answer "nothing to mute" rather than latching a mute and drawing the indicator.
+    #[test]
+    fn mic_mute_is_a_no_op_without_an_uplink() {
+        let mic = MicControl::default();
+        assert!(!mic.live());
+        assert_eq!(mic.toggle(), None, "no uplink, nothing to toggle");
+        assert!(!mic.muted(), "and nothing to show");
+
+        mic.set_live(true);
+        assert_eq!(mic.toggle(), Some(true));
+        assert!(mic.muted());
+        // The capture side reads the same flag the toggle writes.
+        assert!(mic.flag().load(Ordering::Relaxed));
+        assert_eq!(mic.toggle(), Some(false));
+        assert!(!mic.muted());
+
+        // A mute that outlives its uplink stops being shown (session end clears `live`).
+        assert_eq!(mic.toggle(), Some(true));
+        mic.set_live(false);
+        assert!(!mic.muted());
+        assert_eq!(mic.toggle(), None);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/crates/pf-client-core/src/trust.rs b/crates/pf-client-core/src/trust.rs
index 828d6c7b..6ee5c3ca 100644
--- a/crates/pf-client-core/src/trust.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-client-core/src/trust.rs
@@ -727,6 +727,15 @@ pub struct Settings {
     pub inhibit_shortcuts: bool,
     /// Stream the default microphone to the host's virtual mic source.
     pub mic_enabled: bool,
+    /// Run the mic uplink through the platform's echo cancellation (the Apple/Android clients'
+    /// "Echo cancellation" toggle, same `echo_cancel` key). On Linux that means preferring an
+    /// echo-cancelled PipeWire source; on Windows, asking WASAPI for the Communications stream
+    /// category so the endpoint's own canceller engages. Default ON — without it, a laptop
+    /// speaker playing the host's audio is heard by this device's mic and sent straight back.
+    /// Only meaningful while `mic_enabled`. `PUNKTFUNK_NO_AEC=1` overrides it off (see
+    /// `audio::aec_enabled`). `default` so pre-existing stores load with it on.
+    #[serde(default = "default_true")]
+    pub echo_cancel: bool,
     /// Requested audio channel count: 2 (stereo), 6 (5.1) or 8 (7.1). The host clamps to what it
     /// can capture; the resolved count drives the decoder + playback layout.
     pub audio_channels: u8,
@@ -882,6 +891,7 @@ impl Default for Settings {
             mouse_mode: "capture".into(),
             inhibit_shortcuts: true,
             mic_enabled: false,
+            echo_cancel: true,
             audio_channels: 2,
             codec: "auto".into(),
             decoder: "auto".into(),
@@ -1063,6 +1073,9 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(s.forward_pad, "");
         assert!(s.fullscreen_on_stream);
         assert!(!s.library_enabled);
+        // Echo cancellation post-dates every stored file: it must load ON, or an upgrade
+        // would silently turn a user's echo protection off.
+        assert!(s.echo_cancel);
     }
 
     /// Stats-tier resolution: a pre-tier store falls back to `show_stats` (off → Off,
diff --git a/crates/pf-console-ui/src/screens/settings.rs b/crates/pf-console-ui/src/screens/settings.rs
index dedbbd4e..0c5da654 100644
--- a/crates/pf-console-ui/src/screens/settings.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-console-ui/src/screens/settings.rs
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ enum RowId {
     Hdr,
     Audio,
     Mic,
+    EchoCancel,
     Pad,
     PadType,
     Touch,
@@ -33,7 +34,7 @@ enum RowId {
     Stats,
 }
 
-const ROWS: [RowId; 14] = [
+const ROWS: [RowId; 15] = [
     RowId::Resolution,
     RowId::Refresh,
     RowId::Bitrate,
@@ -43,6 +44,7 @@ const ROWS: [RowId; 14] = [
     RowId::Hdr,
     RowId::Audio,
     RowId::Mic,
+    RowId::EchoCancel,
     RowId::Pad,
     RowId::PadType,
     RowId::Touch,
@@ -179,6 +181,9 @@ impl SettingsScreen {
 
 fn row_spec(id: RowId, ctx: &Ctx) -> RowSpec {
     let s = &ctx.settings;
+    // Echo cancellation only means anything while the mic streams — dimmed and inert while it
+    // doesn't, the same relationship the desktop shells draw with a greyed-out row.
+    let enabled = !matches!(id, RowId::EchoCancel) || s.mic_enabled;
     let (header, label, value): (Option<&'static str>, &str, String) = match id {
         RowId::Resolution => (
             Some("Stream"),
@@ -231,6 +236,7 @@ fn row_spec(id: RowId, ctx: &Ctx) -> RowSpec {
                 .into(),
         ),
         RowId::Mic => (None, "Microphone", on_off(s.mic_enabled).into()),
+        RowId::EchoCancel => (None, "Echo cancellation", on_off(s.echo_cancel).into()),
         RowId::Pad => (
             Some("Controller"),
             "Use controller",
@@ -264,10 +270,10 @@ fn row_spec(id: RowId, ctx: &Ctx) -> RowSpec {
         header,
         label: label.into(),
         value: Some(value),
-        value_dim: false,
+        value_dim: !enabled,
         caret: false,
-        adjustable: true,
-        enabled: true,
+        adjustable: enabled,
+        enabled,
     }
 }
 
@@ -288,7 +294,14 @@ fn detail(id: RowId) -> &'static str {
             "HDR10 — engages when the host sends HDR content and this display supports it."
         }
         RowId::Audio => "The speaker layout requested from the host.",
-        RowId::Mic => "Send this device's microphone to the host's virtual mic.",
+        RowId::Mic => {
+            "Send this device's microphone to the host's virtual mic. \
+             Ctrl+Alt+Shift+V mutes and unmutes it while streaming."
+        }
+        RowId::EchoCancel => {
+            "Stops the host's audio, playing from this device's speakers, being picked up \
+             and sent back. Turn it off if your microphone already runs its own processing."
+        }
         RowId::Pad => "Which pad is forwarded to the host, as player 1.",
         RowId::PadType => "The virtual pad the host creates — Automatic matches this controller.",
         RowId::Touch => {
@@ -361,6 +374,14 @@ fn adjust(id: RowId, delta: i32, wrap: bool, ctx: &mut Ctx) -> bool {
             step_option(cur, AUDIO.len(), delta, wrap).map(|i| s.audio_channels = AUDIO[i].0)
         }
         RowId::Mic => toggle(&mut s.mic_enabled, delta, wrap),
+        // Inert while the mic is off — a boundary thud, matching what the dimmed row shows.
+        RowId::EchoCancel => {
+            if s.mic_enabled {
+                toggle(&mut s.echo_cancel, delta, wrap)
+            } else {
+                None
+            }
+        }
         RowId::Pad => {
             // Automatic first, then every connected pad by stable key.
             let keys: Vec<String> = std::iter::once(String::new())
@@ -494,6 +515,40 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(!ctx.settings.mic_enabled);
     }
 
+    /// Echo cancellation follows the microphone: inert and dimmed while the mic is off, live
+    /// the moment it goes on. A row that silently accepted a change nobody could act on would
+    /// be the same lie as an enabled-looking control.
+    #[test]
+    fn echo_cancellation_follows_the_microphone() {
+        let (mut settings, pads) = ctx_parts();
+        settings.mic_enabled = false;
+        assert!(settings.echo_cancel, "it ships on");
+        let library = crate::library::LibraryShared::default();
+        let mut ctx = Ctx {
+            hosts: &[],
+            library: &library,
+            settings: &mut settings,
+            pads: &pads,
+            deck: false,
+            device_name: "t",
+            t: 0.0,
+        };
+        assert!(!row_spec(RowId::EchoCancel, &ctx).enabled);
+        assert!(
+            !adjust(RowId::EchoCancel, -1, false, &mut ctx),
+            "mic off = thud"
+        );
+        assert!(!adjust(RowId::EchoCancel, 1, true, &mut ctx), "A too");
+        assert!(ctx.settings.echo_cancel, "and nothing was written");
+
+        ctx.settings.mic_enabled = true;
+        assert!(row_spec(RowId::EchoCancel, &ctx).enabled);
+        assert!(adjust(RowId::EchoCancel, -1, false, &mut ctx));
+        assert!(!ctx.settings.echo_cancel);
+        assert!(adjust(RowId::EchoCancel, 1, true, &mut ctx));
+        assert!(ctx.settings.echo_cancel);
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn touch_mode_steps_and_wraps() {
         let (mut settings, pads) = ctx_parts();
diff --git a/crates/pf-console-ui/src/skia_overlay.rs b/crates/pf-console-ui/src/skia_overlay.rs
index 45e17b3a..1afa6021 100644
--- a/crates/pf-console-ui/src/skia_overlay.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-console-ui/src/skia_overlay.rs
@@ -48,6 +48,9 @@ struct Drawn {
     height: u32,
     stats: Option<String>,
     hint: Option<String>,
+    /// The mic-mute badge is up. Part of the damage key like everything else here — the badge
+    /// is static once drawn, so a muted stream still re-renders nothing per frame.
+    mic_muted: bool,
     /// The UI scale this was drawn at, in percent — part of the damage key so dragging the window
     /// to a differently-scaled monitor re-renders the chrome at the new size instead of keeping
     /// the stale one (the text is identical, so nothing else here would notice).
@@ -390,7 +393,12 @@ impl Overlay for SkiaOverlay {
         // spinning through the damage gate; `+ 1` keeps an active resize's step nonzero
         // even on its first frame (phase 0) so the guard below doesn't skip it.
         let resize_step = resize_phase.map_or(0, |p| (p * 120.0) as u16 + 1);
-        if ctx.stats.is_none() && ctx.hint.is_none() && banner_step == 0 && resize_step == 0 {
+        if ctx.stats.is_none()
+            && ctx.hint.is_none()
+            && !ctx.mic_muted
+            && banner_step == 0
+            && resize_step == 0
+        {
             self.drawn = Drawn::default(); // forget content so re-show re-renders
             return Ok(None);
         }
@@ -402,6 +410,7 @@ impl Overlay for SkiaOverlay {
             height: ctx.height,
             stats: ctx.stats.map(str::to_owned),
             hint: ctx.hint.map(str::to_owned),
+            mic_muted: ctx.mic_muted,
             scale_pct: (scale * 100.0).round() as u16,
             banner_step,
             resize_step,
@@ -437,6 +446,11 @@ impl Overlay for SkiaOverlay {
         if let Some(stats) = &want.stats {
             draw_osd_panel(canvas, font, stats, ctx.width, scale);
         }
+        // Top-RIGHT, so it never collides with the stats panel or the bottom pill: the badge
+        // has to stay readable at every stats tier, including Off.
+        if want.mic_muted {
+            draw_mic_muted_badge(canvas, font, ctx.width, scale);
+        }
         if let Some(hint) = &want.hint {
             draw_hint_pill(canvas, font, hint, ctx.width, ctx.height, 1.0, scale);
         } else if banner_step > 0 {
@@ -660,6 +674,49 @@ fn draw_osd_panel(canvas: &Canvas, base_font: &Font, text: &str, width: u32, sca
     }
 }
 
+/// The mic-mute badge: a dot in the error colour plus the words, on the same translucent pill
+/// as the rest of the chrome, pinned to the TOP-RIGHT corner.
+///
+/// It is drawn from `FrameCtx::mic_muted` alone — not from the stats text — because it must
+/// survive the stats overlay being Off, which is where most people leave it. Words, not a
+/// glyph: the chrome font is a system monospace resolved at runtime and cannot be relied on to
+/// carry a crossed-out microphone. Persistent by design (no fade): a fading indicator answers
+/// "did the chord register?" but not "am I muted right now?", and the second question is the
+/// one that matters ten minutes later.
+fn draw_mic_muted_badge(canvas: &Canvas, base_font: &Font, width: u32, scale: f32) {
+    const LABEL: &str = "Microphone muted";
+    // Short line — it fits any window the stream runs in, so it takes the display scale as-is.
+    let font = &chrome_font(base_font, scale);
+    let (_, metrics) = font.metrics();
+    let line_h = metrics.descent - metrics.ascent;
+    let (pad_x, pad_y) = (base::PILL_PAD_X * scale, base::PILL_PAD_Y * scale);
+    let dot_r = 4.0 * scale;
+    let dot_gap = 8.0 * scale;
+    let text_w = font.measure_str(LABEL, None).0;
+    let w = text_w + 2.0 * dot_r + dot_gap + 2.0 * pad_x;
+    let h = line_h + 2.0 * pad_y;
+    let margin = base::OSD_MARGIN * scale;
+    let (x, y) = (width as f32 - w - margin, margin);
+    canvas.draw_rrect(
+        RRect::new_rect_xy(Rect::from_xywh(x, y, w, h), h / 2.0, h / 2.0),
+        &Paint::new(Color4f::new(0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.62), None),
+    );
+    canvas.draw_circle(
+        Point::new(x + pad_x + dot_r, y + h / 2.0),
+        dot_r,
+        &Paint::new(crate::theme::ERROR, None),
+    );
+    canvas.draw_str(
+        LABEL,
+        Point::new(
+            x + pad_x + 2.0 * dot_r + dot_gap,
+            y + pad_y - metrics.ascent,
+        ),
+        font,
+        &Paint::new(Color4f::new(1.0, 1.0, 1.0, 0.92), None),
+    );
+}
+
 /// The mid-stream-resize cover: a full-screen dark scrim, the shared rotating spinner, and
 /// a "Resizing…" label centered over it — so the host's 0.3–2 s virtual-display + encoder
 /// rebuild reads as a deliberate pause rather than the stream stretching to the changed
diff --git a/crates/pf-console-ui/src/widgets.rs b/crates/pf-console-ui/src/widgets.rs
index 4c7e39c6..8ce4bb74 100644
--- a/crates/pf-console-ui/src/widgets.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-console-ui/src/widgets.rs
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 
 use crate::anim::{approach, Spring, TRAY_C, TRAY_K};
 use crate::library::{BUMP_C, BUMP_K};
-use crate::theme::{brand, white, Fonts, PanelStroke, BRAND, FAINT, W, WHITE};
+use crate::theme::{brand, white, Fonts, PanelStroke, BRAND, DIM, FAINT, W, WHITE};
 use pf_client_core::gamepad::{MenuDir, MenuEvent, MenuPulse};
 use skia_safe::{Canvas, Paint, Path, RRect, Rect};
 
@@ -35,7 +35,9 @@ pub(crate) struct RowSpec {
     pub caret: bool,
     /// Show ‹ › chevrons while focused (left/right steps the value).
     pub adjustable: bool,
-    /// Action rows render dimmed when not yet actionable.
+    /// Rows render dimmed when they aren't actionable: an action row's centered label loses
+    /// its brand tint, a value row's label greys — the look for a setting that depends on
+    /// another one being on (Echo cancellation under Microphone).
     pub enabled: bool,
 }
 
@@ -229,7 +231,7 @@ impl MenuList {
                     baseline,
                     W::SemiBold,
                     16.0 * k,
-                    WHITE,
+                    if row.enabled { WHITE } else { DIM },
                 );
                 let value = row.value.as_deref().unwrap_or_default();
                 let vcolor = if row.value_dim {
diff --git a/crates/pf-presenter/src/overlay.rs b/crates/pf-presenter/src/overlay.rs
index e023aa7e..472d4112 100644
--- a/crates/pf-presenter/src/overlay.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-presenter/src/overlay.rs
@@ -43,6 +43,11 @@ pub struct FrameCtx<'a> {
     pub stats: Option<&'a str>,
     /// The capture hint (bottom-center pill, "click to capture…"); `None` = hidden.
     pub hint: Option<&'a str>,
+    /// The user muted their microphone mid-stream (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+V). Draws a persistent
+    /// badge, deliberately independent of the stats tier: a muted mic is a fact about what
+    /// the host is hearing, and "did my mute take?" must be answerable with the overlay off.
+    /// False whenever this session has no mic uplink at all — the badge never invents one.
+    pub mic_muted: bool,
     /// A mid-stream Match-window resize is in flight (design/midstream-resolution-resize.md,
     /// client UX): draw a full-screen scrim + spinner so the host's 0.3–2 s virtual-display
     /// and encoder rebuild reads as an intentional pause rather than the stream stretching to
diff --git a/crates/pf-presenter/src/run.rs b/crates/pf-presenter/src/run.rs
index 123b5a53..0dc9950d 100644
--- a/crates/pf-presenter/src/run.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-presenter/src/run.rs
@@ -12,6 +12,9 @@
 //! overlay tier isn't Off (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S cycles Off → Compact → Normal → Detailed;
 //! the stdout line always carries the full Detailed text so parsers see a stable
 //! shape). Logs go to stderr (the binary configures tracing so).
+//!
+//! In-stream chords all share the Ctrl+Alt+Shift prefix: Q release/engage, M mouse model,
+//! D disconnect, S stats tier, V microphone mute.
 
 use crate::input::{Capture, FingerPhase};
 use crate::overlay::{FrameCtx, Overlay, OverlayAction, OverlayFrame, SessionPhase};
@@ -672,6 +675,23 @@ fn run_inner(mut opts: SessionOpts, mut mode: ModeCtl) -> Result<Option<Outcome>
                         tracing::info!(tier = ?stats_verbosity, "chord: stats verbosity");
                         continue;
                     }
+                    // Mic mute (B4) — "V" for voice; M and S are taken. Per session and never
+                    // persisted: this is the doorbell/cough key, not a settings change. The
+                    // uplink keeps running while muted (see `MicStreamer::spawn`); only the
+                    // sending stops. A session streaming no mic says so instead of silently
+                    // swallowing the chord — the overlay would have nothing to show either.
+                    if chord && sc == Scancode::V {
+                        if let Some(st) = &stream {
+                            match st.handle.mic.toggle() {
+                                Some(muted) => tracing::info!(muted, "chord: microphone mute"),
+                                None => tracing::info!(
+                                    "chord: microphone mute — this session streams no \
+                                     microphone (turn it on in Settings)"
+                                ),
+                            }
+                        }
+                        continue;
+                    }
                     // F11 or Alt+Enter (some keyboards' Fn layer sends a media key for
                     // plain F11 — the Moonlight-standard alias always exists).
                     let alt_enter =
@@ -1199,6 +1219,10 @@ fn run_inner(mut opts: SessionOpts, mut mode: ModeCtl) -> Result<Option<Outcome>
             let resizing = stream
                 .as_ref()
                 .is_some_and(|st| st.connector.is_some() && st.resize_overlay.active());
+            // Read live from the session's control rather than mirrored into StreamState: the
+            // pump is what knows whether an uplink exists (it may have failed to open), and a
+            // mirrored copy would be the thing that goes stale at session end.
+            let mic_muted = stream.as_ref().is_some_and(|st| st.handle.mic.muted());
             let ctx = FrameCtx {
                 width: pw,
                 height: ph,
@@ -1208,6 +1232,7 @@ fn run_inner(mut opts: SessionOpts, mut mode: ModeCtl) -> Result<Option<Outcome>
                 scale: overlay_scale(window.display_scale(), osd_scale_pref),
                 stats,
                 hint,
+                mic_muted,
                 resizing,
                 pad: pad.as_ref().map(|p| p.name.as_str()),
                 pad_pref: pad.as_ref().map(|p| p.pref),
@@ -2017,8 +2042,10 @@ fn stats_text(
     if s.lost > 0 {
         text.push_str(&format!("\nlost {} ({:.1}%)", s.lost, s.lost_pct));
     }
-    // The mic uplink line renders only while the mic is live (a healthy 10 ms-frame uplink
-    // reads ~100 f/s) and only in Detailed — drops here are the client shedding backlog.
+    // The mic uplink line renders only while voice is actually going out (a healthy 10 ms-frame
+    // uplink reads ~100 f/s) and only in Detailed — drops here are the client shedding backlog.
+    // A muted mic reads 0 and drops the line; the mute has its own always-on badge instead, so
+    // this stays a throughput readout rather than doubling as a mute indicator.
     if detailed && (s.mic_sent > 0 || s.mic_dropped > 0) {
         text.push_str(&format!("\nmic {} f/s", s.mic_sent));
         if s.mic_dropped > 0 {
diff --git a/docs-site/content/docs/client-settings.md b/docs-site/content/docs/client-settings.md
index ca1c3634..3b28fbe5 100644
--- a/docs-site/content/docs/client-settings.md
+++ b/docs-site/content/docs/client-settings.md
@@ -99,7 +99,20 @@ claims a sink advertising exactly that many channels, so applications produce re
 from a stereo endpoint is an upmix, not new channels. Offered everywhere except the Decky plugin.
 
 **Microphone** — *default: off on Linux, Windows, Android, the console home and Decky; on in the
-Apple app.* Sends this device's microphone to the host's virtual mic.
+Apple app.* Sends this device's microphone to the host's virtual mic. On Linux and Windows the
+row is spelled *Stream microphone*, and **Ctrl+Alt+Shift+V** mutes it mid-stream without ending
+anything — see [Muting your microphone](/docs/input#muting-your-microphone).
+
+**Echo cancellation** — *default: on.* Stops the host's audio, playing out of this device's
+speakers, from being picked up by the microphone and sent straight back. It hands the microphone
+to the system's own canceller rather than doing the work itself: on **Linux** that means capturing
+from an echo-cancelled PipeWire source when your desktop provides one, on **Windows** asking WASAPI
+for the Communications stream category so the endpoint's processing engages, and on **Apple** and
+**Android** the platform's voice-processing mode. Turn it off if your microphone already runs its
+own processing, or if the canceller makes your voice sound thin. The row sits under the microphone
+toggle and greys out while the microphone is off. Offered by the Linux, Windows, Apple, Android and
+console-home clients; Decky has no toggle. What it can and can't fix is in
+[Why do I hear myself](/docs/echo).
 
 **Speaker** and **Microphone** device pickers — *default: System default.* Which endpoint stream
 audio plays out of, and which input feeds the uplink. Only the Linux app (PipeWire nodes) and the
diff --git a/docs-site/content/docs/configuration.md b/docs-site/content/docs/configuration.md
index db20455f..f403f3ba 100644
--- a/docs-site/content/docs/configuration.md
+++ b/docs-site/content/docs/configuration.md
@@ -240,6 +240,7 @@ A few knobs are read by the native **clients**, not the host:
 | `PUNKTFUNK_DECODER` | `software` · `vaapi` · `vulkan` (Linux) · `d3d11va` (Windows) | Force the decode path. Default auto-selects hardware per GPU vendor and falls back on its own: **Linux** — Vulkan Video first on NVIDIA and AMD, VAAPI first on Intel and anything else; **Windows** — Vulkan Video first on NVIDIA and AMD, D3D11VA first on Intel and anything else. Whichever isn't first is the next thing tried, with software last. |
 | `PUNKTFUNK_PREFER_PYROWAVE` | `1` | Ask for the [PyroWave](/docs/pyrowave) wavelet codec on a wired link, where the client's own setting isn't reachable (the gamepad console, a headless launch). |
 | `PUNKTFUNK_OSD_SCALE` | multiplier, e.g. `1.5` *(default `1`)* | Size of the in-stream overlay — the stats OSD, the capture hint and the start banner. They already follow your display's scaling setting (200 % display → twice the pixels), so set this only to nudge that: bigger for a TV across the room, smaller if your compositor reports an aggressive scale. Clamped to 0.5×–4×, and a line that would run off the screen is shrunk to fit. |
+| `PUNKTFUNK_NO_AEC` | `1` | Turn the microphone's echo cancellation off for this run, whatever **Echo cancellation** says in [client settings](/docs/client-settings#audio). One-way: it can only switch the processing off, never back on, and the setting is the normal way to control it. Linux and Windows clients. |
 
 ## Bitrate
 
diff --git a/docs-site/content/docs/echo.md b/docs-site/content/docs/echo.md
index 14102c58..59acbc14 100644
--- a/docs-site/content/docs/echo.md
+++ b/docs-site/content/docs/echo.md
@@ -14,9 +14,15 @@ phone, tablet or laptop without headphones — its microphone picks that sound b
 it to the host along with your voice. Everyone in your voice chat hears the game twice, and you
 hear yourself whenever anything routes the mic back.
 
-**Fix: use headphones on the device you're streaming on.** Newer clients cancel this
-automatically (acoustic echo cancellation is rolling out per platform); headphones are the
-reliable fix everywhere today.
+**Fix: use headphones on the device you're streaming on.** Clients also try to cancel it for
+you: **Echo cancellation** in [client settings](/docs/client-settings#audio) is on by default on
+Linux, Windows, the console home, the Apple apps and Android, and hands the microphone to the
+system's own canceller. How much it removes depends on the device — a laptop with a good array
+mic can clear it entirely, a cheap USB mic next to a speaker can't — so headphones remain the
+reliable fix everywhere.
+
+If you just need to stop talking for a moment, **Ctrl+Alt+Shift+V** mutes the microphone without
+leaving the stream; see [Input](/docs/input#getting-your-input-back).
 
 ## "Listen to this device" and app monitoring (Windows hosts)
 
diff --git a/docs-site/content/docs/input.md b/docs-site/content/docs/input.md
index 64c04911..69ef2851 100644
--- a/docs-site/content/docs/input.md
+++ b/docs-site/content/docs/input.md
@@ -21,9 +21,10 @@ window — see [Mouse modes](#mouse-modes) below.
 | **Ctrl+Alt+Shift+M** | Switch the mouse mode (capture ⇄ desktop) |
 | **Ctrl+Alt+Shift+D** | Disconnect |
 | **Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S** | Cycle the [stats overlay](/docs/stats) — off · compact · normal · detailed |
+| **Ctrl+Alt+Shift+V** | Mute or unmute your microphone |
 | **F11** or **Alt+Enter** | Toggle fullscreen |
 
-While input is released the session window prints the list over the stream:
+While input is released the session window prints the shortest list over the stream:
 
 ```text
 Click the stream to capture input · Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Q releases · Ctrl+Alt+Shift+M mouse mode ·
@@ -31,7 +32,25 @@ Ctrl+Alt+Shift+D disconnects · Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S stats
 ```
 
 With a controller in use the same hint names the controller chord instead of the mouse-mode and
-stats entries.
+stats entries. The full list is always available without a stream running — see below.
+
+### Muting your microphone
+
+**Ctrl+Alt+Shift+V** stops sending your microphone to the host, and pressing it again resumes.
+The uplink itself keeps running underneath, so unmuting is instant rather than a second of the
+device warming back up.
+
+While you are muted a **Microphone muted** badge sits in the top-right corner of the stream. It
+is deliberately separate from the [stats overlay](/docs/stats): it shows even with stats off,
+because "am I still muted?" is a question you ask ten minutes later.
+
+The mute lasts for that stream only — the next session starts unmuted, and nothing is written to
+your settings. If the stream isn't sending a microphone at all (**Stream microphone** off in
+[client settings](/docs/client-settings#audio)) the shortcut does nothing and no badge appears,
+rather than pretending to mute something.
+
+This is on the **Linux and Windows** clients. The Apple, Android and Decky clients have no mute
+shortcut yet; turn **Stream microphone** off in their settings instead.
 
 Alt-Tabbing away releases input on its own and takes it back when you return. A release you asked
 for with the chord stays released until you opt back in. Either way, keys and buttons you were
@@ -39,11 +58,13 @@ holding are released on the host, so nothing sticks down.
 
 You can look the shortcuts up again without a stream running: the Linux client has **Keyboard
 Shortcuts** in its main menu, and the Windows client has a **Shortcuts** screen reached from its
-host list.
+host list. Both list the microphone mute; the in-stream hint over the video doesn't, to keep it
+to one readable line.
 
 ### On the other clients
 
-- **macOS** honours the same four combos, written **⌃⌥⇧Q / M / D / S**. **⌘⎋** also toggles capture,
+- **macOS** honours the release, mouse-mode, disconnect and stats combos, written
+  **⌃⌥⇧Q / M / D / S** — but not the microphone mute. **⌘⎋** also toggles capture,
   **⌃⌘F** toggles fullscreen, and **⌃⌥⇧C** starts or stops [clipboard sharing](/docs/clipboard). The
   **Stream** menu lists them all except the mouse-mode combo, which works but has no menu item.
 - **iPhone and iPad** with a hardware keyboard: **⌃⌥⇧Q** releases input while it is captured, and
diff --git a/docs-site/content/docs/stats.md b/docs-site/content/docs/stats.md
index a864395c..ce7b83da 100644
--- a/docs-site/content/docs/stats.md
+++ b/docs-site/content/docs/stats.md
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ in-stream:
 | Android · iPhone | a **three-finger tap** |
 
 **Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S** is one of a small set of shortcuts a stream reserves; the others — release
-captured input, switch mouse mode, disconnect — are in
+captured input, switch mouse mode, disconnect, mute the microphone — are in
 [Getting your input back](/docs/input#getting-your-input-back).
 
 **Compact** is a one-line pill (fps · end-to-end ms · Mb/s, plus a loss flag when frames are being