diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/snapShot/MacModifierPairShortcutProcess.ts b/apps/desktop/src/snapShot/MacModifierPairShortcutProcess.ts
index 1c638f2444de5497a5683147ab61058837bd4c79..ad7b2e03c49547ece22eefdb484c44e82a57e64f 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/snapShot/MacModifierPairShortcutProcess.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/snapShot/MacModifierPairShortcutProcess.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,11 @@ const MAC_MODIFIER_PAIR_DEVICE_MASKS: Record<SnapShotModifier, readonly [number,
   meta: [0x8, 0x10],
 };
 
+// The CoreGraphics query connects osascript to the window server, which registers it as a
+// foreground app attributed to T3 Code. Go background-only first so it never gets a Dock tile.
 const POLLER_SCRIPT = `
+ObjC.import("AppKit");
+$.NSApplication.sharedApplication.setActivationPolicy($.NSApplicationActivationPolicyProhibited);
 ObjC.import("CoreGraphics");
 ObjC.import("unistd");
 function run(argv) {