diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native/gamepad.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native/gamepad.rs
index bdc72b2a..7355c98a 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native/gamepad.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native/gamepad.rs
@@ -140,6 +140,78 @@ fn degrade_if_no_uhid(chosen: GamepadPref) -> GamepadPref {
     chosen
 }
 
+/// Detection half of [`warn_if_ds_inhibit_storm`], split out for tests: `true` when a process
+/// named `steamos-manager` is running (its full name fits `comm`'s 15-char limit exactly) AND
+/// SELinux is enforcing (the `enforce` file reads `1`). Both halves are required for the storm:
+/// a permissive box logs one denial per walk and moves on, and without steamos-manager there is
+/// no ds_inhibit to trigger.
+#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+fn ds_inhibit_storm_risk(proc_root: &std::path::Path, enforce: &std::path::Path) -> bool {
+    let enforcing = std::fs::read_to_string(enforce).is_ok_and(|v| v.trim() == "1");
+    if !enforcing {
+        return false;
+    }
+    std::fs::read_dir(proc_root)
+        .ok()
+        .into_iter()
+        .flatten()
+        .flatten()
+        .any(|e| {
+            std::fs::read_to_string(e.path().join("comm"))
+                .is_ok_and(|c| c.trim() == "steamos-manager")
+        })
+}
+
+/// One-shot diagnostic for the Bazzite/SteamOS ds_inhibit audit storm: Valve's `steamos-manager`
+/// reacts to every open/close of a `hid-playstation` hidraw — exactly what our virtual
+/// DualSense / DualShock 4 is; it has no VID/PID or virtual/uhid filtering — by walking
+/// `/proc/*/fd/` to see whether Steam holds the node. Under SELinux enforcing that walk is
+/// denied (`steamos_manager_t` lacks `sys_ptrace`/`dac_*`; measured ~324 AVCs/sec on Bazzite),
+/// and `setroubleshootd` amplifies the flood into a box-wide fork storm that starves the stream
+/// (gamescope 0 fps, encode submit ~150 ms/frame). The audit lines read `comm="tokio-rt-worker"`
+/// and look like us — they are steamos-manager's (check `scontext=`).
+///
+/// Warn-only, never degrade: a per-pad fold has no wire channel back to the client
+/// (`Welcome::gamepad` only describes the session default), and it would strip the DS5 feature
+/// set on exactly the platform where users want it. The real fix is the shipped SELinux drop-in;
+/// this warning cannot see the policy store (root-only), so it fires even where that drop-in is
+/// already installed — it names that, and puts the cause in OUR logs so the audit-log trap above
+/// doesn't get someone blaming the encoder again.
+#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+fn warn_if_ds_inhibit_storm(chosen: GamepadPref) {
+    use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicBool, Ordering};
+    static ONCE: AtomicBool = AtomicBool::new(true);
+    // Selection criterion is the bound driver (`sony`/`playstation`) plus the touchpad's mouse
+    // node — i.e. the hid-playstation backends. (The kernel registers the touchpad from its own
+    // hardcoded DS5/DS4 handling, so no descriptor shaping can duck the selection.)
+    let playstation = matches!(
+        chosen,
+        GamepadPref::DualSense | GamepadPref::DualSenseEdge | GamepadPref::DualShock4
+    );
+    if !playstation
+        || !ds_inhibit_storm_risk(
+            std::path::Path::new("/proc"),
+            std::path::Path::new("/sys/fs/selinux/enforce"),
+        )
+        || !ONCE.swap(false, Ordering::Relaxed)
+    {
+        return;
+    }
+    tracing::warn!(
+        gamepad = chosen.as_str(),
+        "steamos-manager is running and SELinux is enforcing — its ds_inhibit scans /proc on \
+         every open/close of this pad's hidraw, the scan is denied at hundreds of AVCs/sec, and \
+         setroubleshootd can amplify that into a box-wide stall that starves the stream. Install \
+         the shipped SELinux drop-in (`sudo punktfunk-sysext reapply`, or `sudo semodule -i \
+         /usr/share/punktfunk/selinux/punktfunk-ds-inhibit.cil`) — harmless if already installed. \
+         Masking setroubleshootd (`sudo systemctl mask --now setroubleshootd`) hardens the box \
+         against any audit flood. Details: packaging/bazzite/README.md."
+    );
+}
+
+#[cfg(not(target_os = "linux"))]
+fn warn_if_ds_inhibit_storm(_chosen: GamepadPref) {}
+
 /// The Valve product id (`28DE:xxxx`) a virtual Steam backend enumerates as, or `None` for a
 /// non-Steam backend. This is the identity the conflict gate compares against the *physical* Valve
 /// devices attached to the host: only a genuine duplicate (same VID **and** PID) confuses Steam
@@ -323,6 +395,10 @@ pub(super) fn resolve_gamepad(pref: GamepadPref) -> GamepadPref {
     // The XUSB escape hatch can only present a 360 identity, so the One S / Elite wishes fold when
     // `PUNKTFUNK_XBOX_BACKEND=xusb` is set.
     let chosen = degrade_xbox_identity(chosen);
+    // Bazzite/SteamOS heads-up, warn-only (see the fn for why never a degrade): a
+    // hid-playstation pad on a box running steamos-manager under SELinux enforcing risks the
+    // ds_inhibit audit storm.
+    warn_if_ds_inhibit_storm(chosen);
     match pref {
         GamepadPref::Auto => {
             // The operator's env knob deserves a diagnostic when it didn't drive the
@@ -519,4 +595,38 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(steam_backend_product(Xbox360), None);
         assert_eq!(steam_backend_product(SwitchPro), None);
     }
+
+    // The ds_inhibit-storm detection needs BOTH halves: steamos-manager running AND SELinux
+    // enforcing. A permissive box logs one denial per walk without storming, and without
+    // steamos-manager there is no ds_inhibit — either alone must stay silent.
+    #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+    #[test]
+    fn ds_inhibit_storm_risk_needs_both_halves() {
+        use super::ds_inhibit_storm_risk;
+        let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+        let proc_root = dir.path().join("proc");
+        let enforce = dir.path().join("enforce");
+        std::fs::create_dir_all(proc_root.join("123")).unwrap();
+
+        // Enforcing + steamos-manager present → risk.
+        std::fs::write(proc_root.join("123/comm"), "steamos-manager\n").unwrap();
+        std::fs::write(&enforce, "1\n").unwrap();
+        assert!(ds_inhibit_storm_risk(&proc_root, &enforce));
+
+        // Permissive (or SELinux absent — the enforce file unreadable) → no risk.
+        std::fs::write(&enforce, "0\n").unwrap();
+        assert!(!ds_inhibit_storm_risk(&proc_root, &enforce));
+        assert!(!ds_inhibit_storm_risk(
+            &proc_root,
+            &dir.path().join("missing")
+        ));
+
+        // Enforcing but no steamos-manager (a comm that merely CONTAINS the name must not
+        // match — the scan compares the whole trimmed comm) → no risk.
+        std::fs::write(&enforce, "1\n").unwrap();
+        std::fs::write(proc_root.join("123/comm"), "not-steamos\n").unwrap();
+        assert!(!ds_inhibit_storm_risk(&proc_root, &enforce));
+        std::fs::write(proc_root.join("123/comm"), "steamos-managerX\n").unwrap();
+        assert!(!ds_inhibit_storm_risk(&proc_root, &enforce));
+    }
 }
diff --git a/packaging/bazzite/README.md b/packaging/bazzite/README.md
index 93924310..7570a411 100644
--- a/packaging/bazzite/README.md
+++ b/packaging/bazzite/README.md
@@ -504,6 +504,29 @@ desktop viewer.
   `ExecStart=/usr/bin/punktfunk-host serve --gamestream` (or bare `serve` for native-only) if needed
   (section 5).
 
+- **Stream lags, then freezes, with a DualSense-type client pad (SELinux enforcing).** The virtual
+  DualSense / DualShock 4 binds the kernel's `hid-playstation` driver, and Valve's `ds_inhibit`
+  (inside `steamos-manager`, shipped on Bazzite) reacts to *any* such hidraw by walking
+  `/proc/*/fd/` on every open/close. SELinux denies `steamos_manager_t` that walk, spraying
+  **~324 `avc: denied` per second**, and `setroubleshootd` amplifies the flood into a box-wide
+  fork storm that starves the stream (gamescope 0 fps, `tx_mbps` collapsing) — measured live on
+  Bazzite 43, 2026-08-15. Two traps while diagnosing: the AVC lines read `comm="tokio-rt-worker"`
+  — that is **steamos-manager, not punktfunk** (check `scontext=…steamos_manager_t…`); and once
+  started the setroubleshootd storm **outlives the denials by 15+ minutes**, so the box stays
+  starved after the pad is gone. Fixes:
+  - punktfunk ships a `dontaudit` SELinux drop-in that silences the flood (ds_inhibit then simply
+    leaves the pad uninhibited — harmless). The sysext installs it automatically on
+    install/update; on an existing install run `sudo punktfunk-sysext reapply`. On a layered or
+    bootc host: `sudo semodule -i /usr/share/punktfunk/selinux/punktfunk-ds-inhibit.cil`
+    (remove with `sudo semodule -r punktfunk-ds-inhibit`).
+  - **Hardening (recommended on any streaming host):** `sudo systemctl mask --now
+    setroubleshootd`. It is purely a desktop alert daemon — nothing depends on it
+    (`systemctl list-dependencies --reverse setroubleshootd` returns only itself) — and masking
+    it makes the box robust against *any* AVC burst, not just this one. Reversible with `unmask`.
+  - Workaround with the feature loss: set the **client's** Controller type to Xbox 360 (uinput,
+    no `hid-playstation`) — costs adaptive triggers, lightbar and touchpad. The host-side
+    `PUNKTFUNK_GAMEPAD` knob does **not** help: an explicit client choice outranks it.
+
 - **Moonlight can't see the host.** Ensure UDP 5353 (mDNS) and the GameStream ports are open
   (section 6) and client + host are on the same L2 LAN segment.
 
diff --git a/packaging/bazzite/punktfunk-ds-inhibit.cil b/packaging/bazzite/punktfunk-ds-inhibit.cil
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a20fabd8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packaging/bazzite/punktfunk-ds-inhibit.cil
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+; SELinux drop-in for Bazzite / SteamOS-derived hosts: silence the audit flood Valve's
+; ds_inhibit (inside steamos-manager) produces around ANY `hid-playstation` hidraw —
+; which is exactly what punktfunk's virtual DualSense / DualShock 4 is (ds_inhibit
+; selects by bound driver + touchpad mouse node; it has no VID/PID or virtual filtering).
+;
+; ds_inhibit reacts to every open/close of such a hidraw by walking /proc/*/fd/ to see
+; whether Steam holds the node. The distro policy denies steamos_manager_t the three
+; capabilities that walk needs, so the scan never succeeds, the state machine never
+; latches, and every open/close sprays denials — ~324 AVCs/sec measured on Bazzite 43
+; (2026-08-15). setroubleshootd then amplifies the flood into a box-wide fork storm
+; (267+ procs/sec) that starves the stream: gamescope 0 fps, encode submit ~150 ms/frame.
+;
+; dontaudit, NOT allow: granting another vendor's daemon sys_ptrace/dac_override is not
+; ours to do — silencing the audit noise is. The scan keeps failing quietly and
+; ds_inhibit simply leaves the pad uninhibited, which is what we want anyway (the
+; "inhibit" would disable the touchpad-as-mouse of a pad we created for a game). The
+; underlying gap — steamos_manager_t lacking what its own ds_inhibit needs — is a
+; Bazzite/Valve policy bug; this drop-in is the containment we can ship. A bare,
+; un-amplified AVC is cheap, but with dontaudit not even that remains.
+;
+; Installed idempotently by `punktfunk-sysext` post_merge (and best-effort by the RPM
+; %post) wherever steamos-manager exists; the policy store is host state, so a sysext
+; image cannot carry the module itself — only this source. By hand:
+;   sudo semodule -i punktfunk-ds-inhibit.cil      # remove: sudo semodule -r punktfunk-ds-inhibit
+; ⚠ The installers key idempotence on the module NAME (= this filename): if these rules
+; ever change, rename the file (and every reference) so existing installs converge.
+(dontaudit steamos_manager_t self (capability (dac_override dac_read_search sys_ptrace)))
+(dontaudit steamos_manager_t self (cap_userns (sys_ptrace)))
diff --git a/packaging/bazzite/punktfunk-sysext.sh b/packaging/bazzite/punktfunk-sysext.sh
index 7111767a..40c53438 100644
--- a/packaging/bazzite/punktfunk-sysext.sh
+++ b/packaging/bazzite/punktfunk-sysext.sh
@@ -191,6 +191,22 @@ post_merge() {
   # Re-fire the vhci rule against the (possibly already-present) controller so attach/detach pick up
   # the input-group ownership even when the module's original add event predated the reloaded rule.
   udevadm trigger --subsystem-match=platform --sysname-match='vhci_hcd.*' 2>/dev/null || :
+  # ds_inhibit dontaudit drop-in (Bazzite ships steamos-manager; keyed on its binary): Valve's
+  # ds_inhibit walks /proc/*/fd on every open/close of a hid-playstation hidraw — exactly what the
+  # virtual DualSense is — and SELinux denies steamos_manager_t that walk at ~324 AVCs/sec;
+  # setroubleshootd amplifies the flood into a box-wide stall that starves the stream (gamescope
+  # 0 fps, encode submit ~150 ms/frame). The policy STORE is host state (/var/lib/selinux), so the
+  # image carries only the CIL source and the module must be inserted here. Keyed on the module
+  # NAME for idempotence (a policy rebuild costs seconds every merge otherwise — if the rules ever
+  # change, RENAME the file and every reference so existing installs converge). Rationale and the
+  # dontaudit-vs-allow choice: the .cil header / packaging/bazzite/README.md.
+  if command -v semodule >/dev/null 2>&1 && [ -e /usr/lib/steamos-manager ] \
+     && [ -f /usr/share/punktfunk/selinux/punktfunk-ds-inhibit.cil ] \
+     && ! semodule -l 2>/dev/null | grep -qx punktfunk-ds-inhibit; then
+    echo "installing SELinux drop-in 'punktfunk-ds-inhibit' (silences the steamos-manager ds_inhibit audit flood)…"
+    semodule -i /usr/share/punktfunk/selinux/punktfunk-ds-inhibit.cil \
+      || echo "!! semodule -i failed — the ds_inhibit audit flood stays live; see packaging/bazzite/README.md" >&2
+  fi
   # The /etc payload a sysext can't carry. The gamescope-session drop-in is %config(noreplace):
   # only seed it, never clobber a local edit. The tray autostart entry is not user config.
   if [ -f "$ETC_SRC/gamescope-session-plus/sessions.d/steam" ] \
diff --git a/packaging/rpm/punktfunk.spec b/packaging/rpm/punktfunk.spec
index a75b5afe..254c3115 100644
--- a/packaging/rpm/punktfunk.spec
+++ b/packaging/rpm/punktfunk.spec
@@ -450,6 +450,13 @@ install -Dm0644 packaging/kde/host.env                 %{buildroot}%{_datadir}/%
 # screencast/virtual-output grant ships as io.unom.Punktfunk.Host.desktop, installed above).
 install -d %{buildroot}%{_datadir}/%{name}/bazzite
 install -Dm0755 packaging/bazzite/kde-desktop-setup.sh %{buildroot}%{_datadir}/%{name}/bazzite/kde-desktop-setup.sh
+# SELinux dontaudit drop-in for Bazzite/SteamOS: Valve's ds_inhibit (steamos-manager) walks
+# /proc/*/fd on every open/close of a hid-playstation hidraw — our virtual DualSense — and the
+# denied walk sprays ~324 AVCs/sec, which setroubleshootd amplifies into a box-wide stall that
+# starves the stream. Shipped as CIL source (the policy STORE is host state); inserted by %%post
+# below / punktfunk-sysext post_merge where steamos-manager exists. See the file's header.
+install -Dm0644 packaging/bazzite/punktfunk-ds-inhibit.cil \
+                %{buildroot}%{_datadir}/%{name}/selinux/punktfunk-ds-inhibit.cil
 # Layered-update helper for rpm-ostree hosts: `rpm-ostree upgrade` only re-resolves layered
 # packages when the BASE changes, so a frozen Bazzite base pins punktfunk forever. The script
 # forces a re-resolve of just this layer (--uninstall + --install of the same names in one
@@ -674,6 +681,17 @@ udevadm trigger --subsystem-match=misc 2>/dev/null || :
 # Apply the UDP socket-buffer tuning (also auto-applied at boot by systemd-sysctl; on rpm-ostree
 # it takes effect on the next boot into the layered deployment).
 sysctl -p %{_prefix}/lib/sysctl.d/99-punktfunk-net.conf >/dev/null 2>&1 || :
+# Bazzite/SteamOS only (keyed on the steamos-manager binary): insert the ds_inhibit dontaudit
+# drop-in — Valve's ds_inhibit walks /proc on every open/close of our virtual DualSense's hidraw,
+# the denied walk sprays AVCs, and setroubleshootd amplifies that into a box-wide stall (see
+# packaging/bazzite/punktfunk-ds-inhibit.cil). Keyed on the module NAME for idempotence (a policy
+# rebuild costs seconds — rename the file if the rules ever change). Best-effort and never fatal:
+# rpm-ostree's scriptlet sandbox may refuse semodule; the sysext post_merge and the README's
+# manual command cover that path.
+if command -v semodule >/dev/null 2>&1 && [ -e /usr/lib/steamos-manager ] &&
+   ! semodule -l 2>/dev/null | grep -qx punktfunk-ds-inhibit; then
+    semodule -i %{_datadir}/%{name}/selinux/punktfunk-ds-inhibit.cil >/dev/null 2>&1 || :
+fi
 echo "punktfunk installed. Add yourself to the 'input' group (sudo usermod -aG input \$USER)"
 # Naming only the usbip pad here is how a Nobara host shipped broken: its owner had no Deck pad, so
 # they correctly skipped this group — and then every managed gamescope takeover degraded silently,