diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 81e6921..292c8fd 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -55,6 +55,26 @@ direction.
 - Discord deletes the stored token when it thinks devtools opened; keep Vesktop's devtools detector
   patch (`src/renderer/patches/devtoolsFixes.ts`) so this cannot cause random logouts.
 
+## Headless run (verified 2026-09-11)
+
+The real client has been run with no visible window and successfully driven end-to-end:
+
+```sh
+Xvfb :99 -screen 0 1280x720x24 &
+DISPLAY=:99 VESKSLOP_HEADLESS=1 \
+VESKSLOP_TOKEN_FILE=~/.config/veskslop/token \
+electron . --no-sandbox --disable-gpu --disable-dev-shm-usage
+```
+
+- A display server is still required; Xvfb works.
+- `VESKSLOP_HEADLESS=1` skips the first-launch tour so the main window is created directly.
+- The token file is seeded before the client boots (verified: logged in with the puppet account).
+- Outbound sends must pass `waitForChannelReady = false` (`sendMessage(channelId, data, false)` in
+  `src/renderer/ipcCommands.ts`). Otherwise the client's MessageQueue waits forever for channels
+  that are never opened in a headless session.
+- `message:read` is cache-only; channels the client never opened return zero messages. A
+  fetch-based read (through the client) is still to be added.
+
 ## How to proceed
 
 **Current milestone — puppeting bridge (testable without Electron).**
@@ -101,7 +121,7 @@ MCP clients (agents) ──Streamable HTTP──▶ veskSlop control daemon
 
 ## Open questions
 
-- Headless Electron strategy: Xvfb vs offscreen rendering, and what to strip to lighten the client.
+- What to strip to lighten the client once the daemon path is stable.
 - Voice/video: what the client's native stack can be driven to do without UI interaction.
 - Scope and auth model of the future remote proxy client and web debug UI.
 - How much of the Vesktop Electron tree gets deleted once the daemon is self-sufficient.
diff --git a/poc/README.md b/poc/README.md
index 6d5520e..ed931de 100644
--- a/poc/README.md
+++ b/poc/README.md
@@ -79,6 +79,10 @@ sanctioned live-send target, user **zzib** (`TEST_DM_USER_ID` overrides).
 - QR login works end-to-end; the token in `.token` came from a phone scan.
 - MCP bridge path: `initialize`, `tools/list`, `get_state`, `send_message`, `read_messages`,
   `send_dm` all round-trip correctly through the mock.
+- **Live end-to-end (2026-09-11)**: a real Vesktop client was run headless under Xvfb with the
+  token seeded from `~/.config/veskslop/token`. `get_state` returned the real account and 7 guilds,
+  and `send_dm` delivered a real DM to zzib (`sent: true`). Cache-only `read_messages` on that
+  never-opened DM returned zero messages, as expected.
 - Pacing observed live: consecutive commands reached the mock **592 ms**, **1862 ms** and
   **1439 ms** apart — inside the 500–2800 ms window.
 
diff --git a/src/main/main.ts b/src/main/main.ts
index 163450b..0a31ba6 100644
--- a/src/main/main.ts
+++ b/src/main/main.ts
@@ -129,10 +129,10 @@ if (!app.requestSingleInstanceLock({ IS_DEV })) {
 }
 
 async function bootstrap() {
-    if (!Object.hasOwn(State.store, "firstLaunch")) {
-        createFirstLaunchTour();
-    } else {
+    if (process.env.VESKSLOP_HEADLESS === "1" || Object.hasOwn(State.store, "firstLaunch")) {
         createWindows();
+    } else {
+        createFirstLaunchTour();
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/renderer/ipcCommands.ts b/src/renderer/ipcCommands.ts
index dba003f..44d7646 100644
--- a/src/renderer/ipcCommands.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/ipcCommands.ts
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ onIpcCommand(IpcCommands.MESSAGE_SEND, async (data: { channelId?: string; conten
         throw new Error("message:send requires { channelId, content }");
     }
 
-    await sendMessage(data.channelId, { content: data.content });
+    await sendMessage(data.channelId, { content: data.content }, false);
     return { channelId: data.channelId, sent: true };
 });
 
@@ -115,6 +115,6 @@ onIpcCommand(IpcCommands.DM_SEND, async (data: { userId?: string; content?: stri
 
     if (!channelId) throw new Error(`No DM channel for user ${data.userId} yet`);
 
-    await sendMessage(channelId, { content: data.content });
+    await sendMessage(channelId, { content: data.content }, false);
     return { userId: data.userId, channelId, sent: true };
 });