diff --git a/desktop/main.js b/desktop/main.js
index 5f401a8..1cc4a51 100644
--- a/desktop/main.js
+++ b/desktop/main.js
@@ -35,13 +35,20 @@ ipcMain.on('get-install-info', (e) => {
 // on the next restart. No-op in dev (unpackaged).
 let autoUpdater = null;
 try { ({ autoUpdater } = require('electron-updater')); } catch (_) { /* not installed in dev */ }
-// Native Windows toast WITH a reply box, via node-notifier's bundled SnoreToast engine.
-// node-notifier's API doesn't expose the reply text box, but its WindowsToaster forwards raw
-// options to SnoreToast — so we inject `-tb` (text box) + `-p` (avatar image) and reuse its
-// named-pipe + result parsing (exit 5 = TextEntered). Installed-app only (needs the
-// AppUserModelID shortcut the NSIS installer registers). No PowerShell 7 required.
-let WindowsToaster = null;
-try { WindowsToaster = require('node-notifier').WindowsToaster; } catch (_) { /* optional */ }
+// Native Windows toast WITH a reply box, driven by SnoreToast directly (the binary node-notifier
+// bundles). We run it against our OWN named pipe so we fully control reading the typed reply.
+// Installed-app only (needs the AppUserModelID shortcut the NSIS installer registers). No pwsh.
+const { spawn } = require('child_process');
+const net = require('net');
+
+function snoreToastPath() {
+  try {
+    const dir = path.dirname(require.resolve('node-notifier')); // .../node-notifier
+    const exe = os.arch() === 'ia32' ? 'snoretoast-x86.exe' : 'snoretoast-x64.exe';
+    const p = path.join(dir, 'vendor', 'snoreToast', exe);
+    return p.replace('app.asar' + path.sep, 'app.asar.unpacked' + path.sep); // execute from the unpacked copy
+  } catch (_) { return null; }
+}
 
 // Write the avatar the renderer drew (a data: URL) to a temp PNG for SnoreToast's -p image.
 function writeTempPng(dataUrl) {
@@ -55,31 +62,34 @@ function writeTempPng(dataUrl) {
 
 // Resolves with {text} (replied), {open} (toast clicked), or null (dismissed/timeout).
 ipcMain.handle('reply-notification', (_e, payload = {}) => new Promise((resolve) => {
-  if (!WindowsToaster) return resolve(null);
+  const exe = snoreToastPath();
+  if (!exe || !fs.existsSync(exe)) return resolve(null);
   const img = writeTempPng(payload.avatar);
-  let done = false;
-  const finish = (v) => { if (!done) { done = true; if (img) { try { fs.unlinkSync(img); } catch (_) {} } resolve(v); } };
+  const pipeName = '\\\\.\\pipe\\bizc-toast-' + crypto.randomBytes(6).toString('hex');
+  let raw = Buffer.alloc(0), done = false, server = null;
+  const finish = (v) => { if (!done) { done = true; try { server && server.close(); } catch (_) {} if (img) { try { fs.unlinkSync(img); } catch (_) {} } resolve(v); } };
+  const parseAndFinish = (code) => {
+    const s = raw.toString('utf16le').replace(/[\u0000\r\n]+/g, '').trim();
+    try { fs.appendFileSync(path.join(app.getPath('userData'), 'toast-debug.log'), JSON.stringify({ t: Date.now(), code, raw: s }) + '\n'); } catch (_) {}
+    const r = {};
+    s.split(';').forEach((kv) => { const i = kv.indexOf('='); if (i > 0) r[kv.slice(0, i).trim().toLowerCase()] = kv.slice(i + 1); });
+    let text = String(r.text || r.value || r.userinput || r.textbox || r.reply || '').trim();
+    // SnoreToast exit 5 = TextEntered; if the reply isn't in a key=value field, take the raw value.
+    if (!text && code === 5 && s) { const parts = s.split('='); text = (parts.length > 1 ? parts.slice(1).join('=') : s).trim(); }
+    if (text) return finish({ kind: payload.kind, id: payload.id, text });
+    const act = String(r.action || '').toLowerCase();
+    if (code === 0 || act.includes('activat') || act.includes('click')) return finish({ kind: payload.kind, id: payload.id, open: true });
+    finish(null);
+  };
   try {
-    const toaster = new WindowsToaster({ withFallback: false });
-    toaster.notify({
-      title: payload.title || 'Biz Connect',
-      message: payload.body || ' ',
-      appID: 'com.bizgaze.connect.desktop',
-      tb: true, // -tb : reply text box
-      w: true,  // -w  : wait for the user to reply / click before returning
-      ...(img ? { icon: img } : {}), // mapped to -p (image)
-    }, (err, response, metadata) => {
-      // Log the raw result once so the exact reply field can be confirmed on a real machine.
-      try { fs.appendFileSync(path.join(app.getPath('userData'), 'toast-debug.log'), JSON.stringify({ t: Date.now(), err: err && err.message, response, metadata }) + '\n'); } catch (_) {}
-      const meta = metadata || {};
-      const known = ['click', 'activate', 'activated', 'timeout', 'timedout', 'dismissed'];
-      const respStr = String(response || '').trim();
-      let text = String(meta.text || meta.value || meta.reply || '').trim();
-      if (!text && respStr && !known.includes(respStr.toLowerCase())) text = respStr; // some builds return the reply as the response
-      const act = String(response || meta.action || meta.activationType || '').toLowerCase();
-      if (text) finish({ kind: payload.kind, id: payload.id, text });
-      else if (act.includes('activat') || act === 'click') finish({ kind: payload.kind, id: payload.id, open: true });
-      else finish(null);
+    server = net.createServer((sock) => { sock.on('data', (d) => { raw = Buffer.concat([raw, d]); }); });
+    server.on('error', () => finish(null));
+    server.listen(pipeName, () => {
+      const args = ['-t', payload.title || 'Biz Connect', '-m', payload.body || ' ', '-appID', 'com.bizgaze.connect.desktop', '-pipeName', pipeName, '-application', process.execPath, '-tb', '-w'];
+      if (img) args.push('-p', img);
+      const child = spawn(exe, args, { windowsHide: true });
+      child.on('error', () => finish(null));
+      child.on('exit', (code) => setTimeout(() => parseAndFinish(code == null ? -1 : code), 250));
     });
   } catch (_) { finish(null); }
 }));