diff --git a/crates/pf-vdisplay/src/lib.rs b/crates/pf-vdisplay/src/lib.rs
index 2bfc79b4..fca354aa 100644
--- a/crates/pf-vdisplay/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-vdisplay/src/lib.rs
@@ -254,6 +254,34 @@ pub fn detect() -> Result<Compositor> {
     }
 }
 
+/// Attach-only probes: while any scope is held, backend `create` paths must not stop, relaunch,
+/// or take over box sessions — they may only attach to an already-live output, and fail fast
+/// otherwise. The capture-loss rebuild holds one for its first seconds: right after a capture
+/// loss the active-session detection can be STALE (a Game→Desktop switch observed live: the
+/// probe's gamescope re-acquire restarted `gamescope-session.target` and yanked the user out of
+/// the KDE session they had just switched to). A counter, so overlapping scopes compose.
+static REBUILD_PROBES: std::sync::atomic::AtomicU32 = std::sync::atomic::AtomicU32::new(0);
+
+/// RAII scope marking pipeline builds as attach-only probes (see [`rebuild_probe_active`]).
+pub struct RebuildProbeScope(());
+
+pub fn rebuild_probe_scope() -> RebuildProbeScope {
+    REBUILD_PROBES.fetch_add(1, std::sync::atomic::Ordering::SeqCst);
+    RebuildProbeScope(())
+}
+
+impl Drop for RebuildProbeScope {
+    fn drop(&mut self) {
+        REBUILD_PROBES.fetch_sub(1, std::sync::atomic::Ordering::SeqCst);
+    }
+}
+
+/// Is any [`rebuild_probe_scope`] active? Destructive session operations (stop/relaunch/
+/// takeover-restart) must be skipped while true.
+pub fn rebuild_probe_active() -> bool {
+    REBUILD_PROBES.load(std::sync::atomic::Ordering::SeqCst) > 0
+}
+
 /// Open the virtual-display driver for `compositor`.
 pub fn open(compositor: Compositor) -> Result<Box<dyn VirtualDisplay>> {
     #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
diff --git a/crates/pf-vdisplay/src/vdisplay/linux/gamescope.rs b/crates/pf-vdisplay/src/vdisplay/linux/gamescope.rs
index e858c5ff..38279404 100644
--- a/crates/pf-vdisplay/src/vdisplay/linux/gamescope.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-vdisplay/src/vdisplay/linux/gamescope.rs
@@ -325,6 +325,29 @@ fn create_managed_session(client: &str, mode: Mode) -> Result<VirtualOutput> {
     if steamos_session_present() {
         return create_managed_session_steamos(mode);
     }
+    // Attach-only rebuild probe: reuse a live same-mode session, but NEVER stop/relaunch box
+    // sessions — right after a capture loss the caller's session detection can be stale, and a
+    // destructive rebuild here would fight the session the user just switched to.
+    if crate::rebuild_probe_active() {
+        let guard = MANAGED_SESSION.lock().unwrap_or_else(|e| e.into_inner());
+        let same_mode = guard.as_ref().is_some_and(|s| {
+            s.width == mode.width && s.height == mode.height && s.refresh_hz == mode.refresh_hz
+        });
+        if same_mode {
+            if let Some(node_id) = find_gamescope_node() {
+                point_injector_at_eis();
+                tracing::info!(
+                    node_id,
+                    "gamescope session: attach-only probe reusing live node"
+                );
+                return Ok(managed_output(node_id, mode));
+            }
+        }
+        return Err(anyhow!(
+            "gamescope session has no attachable live node — attach-only rebuild probe refuses \
+             to stop/relaunch box sessions (re-detection follows the live session)"
+        ));
+    }
     // Steam is single-instance: if the box autologged into gaming mode on a physical display (the
     // Bazzite default — `gamescope-session-plus@ogui-steam` on the TV), that session holds Steam and
     // renders to the TV's native mode, which we'd capture instead of the client's. Free Steam by
@@ -650,6 +673,16 @@ fn create_managed_session_steamos(mode: Mode) -> Result<VirtualOutput> {
         }
         *guard = None; // tracked session lost its node — fall through to a clean restart
     }
+    // Attach-only rebuild probe: the reuse path above may attach, but a restart of the session
+    // target is out of bounds — observed live on a Deck: a stale post-capture-loss detection made
+    // this restart steal the seat back from the KDE session the user had just switched to.
+    if crate::rebuild_probe_active() {
+        return Err(anyhow!(
+            "gamescope has no live node and this is an attach-only rebuild probe — refusing to \
+             restart {STEAMOS_SESSION_TARGET} (the box may be mid-switch to another session; \
+             re-detection follows it)"
+        ));
+    }
     let shim_dir = write_headless_shim()?;
     write_steamos_dropin(&shim_dir, mode)?;
     systemctl_user(&["daemon-reload"]);
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native/stream.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native/stream.rs
index 97fd9c3c..753063e7 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native/stream.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native/stream.rs
@@ -1884,7 +1884,15 @@ pub(super) fn virtual_stream(ctx: SessionContext, prepared: Option<PreparedDispl
                 // connected, frozen on the last frame, and the stream resumes when the new output
                 // appears — no reconnect.
                 const REBUILD_BUDGET: std::time::Duration = std::time::Duration::from_secs(40);
-                let rebuild_deadline = std::time::Instant::now() + REBUILD_BUDGET;
+                // Attach-only holdoff: for the first seconds after a capture loss the session
+                // detection can be STALE (the new session isn't up yet), and a rebuild acting on
+                // a stale "Gaming" answer restarts gamescope-session.target — which on SteamOS
+                // steals the seat back from the session the user just switched to (observed
+                // live). While the holdoff lasts, builds run under a vdisplay rebuild-probe
+                // scope: attach to live outputs only, never stop/relaunch/take over sessions.
+                const PROBE_HOLDOFF: std::time::Duration = std::time::Duration::from_secs(4);
+                let loss_at = std::time::Instant::now();
+                let rebuild_deadline = loss_at + REBUILD_BUDGET;
                 let (new_cap, new_enc, new_frame, new_interval, new_node_id, new_display_gen) = loop {
                     // Follow the active session unless an explicit PUNKTFUNK_COMPOSITOR pin forbids
                     // retargeting (then we stick to the pinned backend and just rebuild it).
@@ -1918,6 +1926,8 @@ pub(super) fn virtual_stream(ctx: SessionContext, prepared: Option<PreparedDispl
                             }
                         }
                     }
+                    let _probe = (loss_at.elapsed() < PROBE_HOLDOFF)
+                        .then(crate::vdisplay::rebuild_probe_scope);
                     match build_pipeline_with_retry(
                         &mut vd,
                         cur_mode,
@@ -1948,6 +1958,9 @@ pub(super) fn virtual_stream(ctx: SessionContext, prepared: Option<PreparedDispl
                             }
                             tracing::warn!(error = %format!("{e2:#}"),
                                 "capture lost — new session not up yet, retrying");
+                            // Probe failures are instant (attach-only bail) — pace the loop so
+                            // re-detection runs at ~2 Hz instead of spinning.
+                            std::thread::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(500));
                         }
                     }
                 };