diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-core/src/quic/msgs.rs b/crates/punktfunk-core/src/quic/msgs.rs
index edd957d4..10ca0da6 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-core/src/quic/msgs.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-core/src/quic/msgs.rs
@@ -955,6 +955,7 @@ impl Welcome {
             codec: match b.get(66).copied() {
                 Some(CODEC_H264) => CODEC_H264,
                 Some(CODEC_AV1) => CODEC_AV1,
+                Some(CODEC_PYROWAVE) => CODEC_PYROWAVE,
                 _ => CODEC_HEVC,
             },
             // Optional trailing host-caps byte — absent on an older host → 0 (no gamepad-state
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-core/src/quic/tests.rs b/crates/punktfunk-core/src/quic/tests.rs
index 4ce2f90d..0f184906 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-core/src/quic/tests.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-core/src/quic/tests.rs
@@ -124,6 +124,45 @@ fn codec_negotiation_and_back_compat() {
         resolve_codec(CODEC_HEVC | CODEC_PYROWAVE, CODEC_HEVC, CODEC_PYROWAVE),
         Some(CODEC_HEVC)
     );
+    // And the negotiated bit SURVIVES the Welcome wire roundtrip — the decode whitelist
+    // once folded unknown codec bytes (incl. PyroWave) to HEVC, which sent wavelet AUs
+    // into an FFmpeg HEVC decoder on the first on-glass run.
+    let mut pw_w = Welcome::decode(
+        &Welcome {
+            abi_version: 2,
+            udp_port: 1,
+            mode: Mode {
+                width: 1280,
+                height: 720,
+                refresh_hz: 60,
+            },
+            fec: FecConfig {
+                scheme: FecScheme::Gf16,
+                fec_percent: 0,
+                max_data_per_block: 1024,
+            },
+            shard_payload: 1024,
+            encrypt: false,
+            key: [0; 16],
+            salt: [0; 4],
+            frames: 0,
+            compositor: CompositorPref::Auto,
+            gamepad: GamepadPref::Auto,
+            bitrate_kbps: 0,
+            bit_depth: 8,
+            color: ColorInfo::SDR_BT709,
+            chroma_format: CHROMA_IDC_420,
+            audio_channels: 2,
+            codec: CODEC_PYROWAVE,
+            host_caps: 0,
+        }
+        .encode(),
+    )
+    .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(pw_w.codec, CODEC_PYROWAVE);
+    // A genuinely unknown future bit still folds to the HEVC default.
+    pw_w.codec = 0x40;
+    assert_eq!(Welcome::decode(&pw_w.encode()).unwrap().codec, CODEC_HEVC);
 
     // A Hello advertising codecs roundtrips, and the wire form of a codec-only Hello decodes on
     // a build that ignores the trailing byte (back-compat: extra bytes are skipped).
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/encode.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/encode.rs
index d4d77be3..2c2b5344 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/encode.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/encode.rs
@@ -674,9 +674,10 @@ fn open_video_backend(
                 {
                     tracing::warn!(
                         ?codec,
-                        "PUNKTFUNK_ENCODER=pyrowave: EXPERIMENTAL all-intra wavelet stream — \
-                         clients without a PyroWave decoder (all of them until CODEC_PYROWAVE \
-                         lands) cannot display it"
+                        "PUNKTFUNK_ENCODER=pyrowave forces the all-intra wavelet stream \
+                         regardless of the negotiated codec — only a pyrowave-feature client \
+                         that ALSO preferred CODEC_PYROWAVE can display it (lab override; \
+                         normal sessions negotiate it instead)"
                     );
                     pyrowave::PyroWaveEncoder::open(width, height, fps, bitrate_bps)
                         .map(|e| (Box::new(e) as Box<dyn Encoder>, "pyrowave"))
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/encode/linux/pyrowave.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/encode/linux/pyrowave.rs
index fe635729..0250ab18 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/encode/linux/pyrowave.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/encode/linux/pyrowave.rs
@@ -430,8 +430,7 @@ impl PyroWaveEncoder {
             gpu = %props.device_name_as_c_str().unwrap_or(c"?").to_string_lossy(),
             mode = %format!("{w}x{h}@{fps}"),
             budget_kib = frame_budget / 1024,
-            "PyroWave encoder open (intra-only wavelet, BT.709 limited 4:2:0) — \
-             EXPERIMENTAL: no shipping client decodes this until CODEC_PYROWAVE lands"
+            "PyroWave encoder open (intra-only wavelet, BT.709 limited 4:2:0)"
         );
 
         Ok(Self {