diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index e23e4dd..a19fddf 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -102,6 +102,10 @@ You also need to install all the dependencies:
 - ttf-jetbrains-mono-nerd (required for waybar icons)
 - xdg-desktop-portal-hyprland
 - xdg-desktop-portal-gtk
+- uwsm (recommended; log in via the "Hyprland (uwsm-managed)" session so
+  systemd starts the portals before the autostart apps — otherwise apps like
+  waybar and chromium intermittently come up in light mode. Without uwsm the
+  portal startup script falls back to launching the portals manually.)
 - fcitx5
 - fcitx5-hangul
 
diff --git a/hypr/scripts/xdg-desktop-portal-hyprland.sh b/hypr/scripts/xdg-desktop-portal-hyprland.sh
index a1ea640..80bc362 100755
--- a/hypr/scripts/xdg-desktop-portal-hyprland.sh
+++ b/hypr/scripts/xdg-desktop-portal-hyprland.sh
@@ -1,8 +1,23 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
-sleep 1
-killall -e xdg-desktop-portal-hyprland
-killall xdg-desktop-portal
+# Under a uwsm-managed session, systemd brings up graphical-session.target and
+# starts the xdg-desktop-portal units natively, in the right order. In that case
+# we must NOT manually kill/relaunch them — doing so fights systemd and causes
+# the portal to crash (broken pipe), which left apps stuck in light mode.
+#
+# So: wait briefly for graphical-session.target. If it comes up (uwsm), bow out.
+# If it never does (a bare "Hyprland" session, e.g. launched directly from GDM),
+# fall through and start the portals manually as before.
+for _ in $(seq 1 10); do
+    if systemctl --user -q is-active graphical-session.target; then
+        exit 0
+    fi
+    sleep 0.5
+done
+
+# Bare session fallback: start the portals by hand.
+killall -e xdg-desktop-portal-hyprland 2>/dev/null
+killall xdg-desktop-portal 2>/dev/null
 /usr/lib/xdg-desktop-portal-hyprland &
 sleep 2
 /usr/lib/xdg-desktop-portal &