diff --git a/desktop/src/features/notifications/lib/desktop.test.mjs b/desktop/src/features/notifications/lib/desktop.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7fb8830683
--- /dev/null
+++ b/desktop/src/features/notifications/lib/desktop.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import test from "node:test";
+
+const notifications = [];
+
+class WorkingNotification {
+  static permission = "granted";
+
+  constructor(title, options) {
+    notifications.push({ title, options });
+  }
+
+  close() {}
+}
+
+class ThrowingNotification {
+  static permission = "granted";
+
+  constructor() {
+    throw new Error("notification backend unavailable");
+  }
+}
+
+globalThis.window = { Notification: ThrowingNotification };
+
+const { sendDesktopNotification } = await import("./desktop.ts");
+
+test("constructor failure is a delivery miss and does not prevent a later notification", async (t) => {
+  const warnings = [];
+  t.mock.method(console, "warn", (...args) => warnings.push(args));
+
+  const failed = await sendDesktopNotification({ title: "First" });
+
+  assert.equal(failed, false);
+  assert.equal(warnings.length, 1);
+  assert.match(String(warnings[0][1]), /notification backend unavailable/);
+
+  window.Notification = WorkingNotification;
+
+  const delivered = await sendDesktopNotification({
+    title: "Second",
+    body: "Recovered",
+  });
+
+  assert.equal(delivered, true);
+  assert.deepEqual(notifications, [
+    {
+      title: "Second",
+      options: { body: "Recovered", silent: true, extra: undefined },
+    },
+  ]);
+});
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/notifications/lib/desktop.ts b/desktop/src/features/notifications/lib/desktop.ts
index dbc21d9d23..45716de2d9 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/notifications/lib/desktop.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/features/notifications/lib/desktop.ts
@@ -381,19 +381,32 @@ export async function sendDesktopNotification(
     }
   }
 
-  const notification = new window.Notification(payload.title, {
-    body: payload.body,
-    silent: true,
-    extra: notificationExtra(payload.target),
-  } as DesktopNotificationOptions);
-
-  const target = payload.target;
-  if (!isTauri() && target) {
-    notification.onclick = () => {
-      dispatchDesktopNotificationTarget(target);
-      notification.close();
-    };
-  }
+  // block/buzz#5081 — WebKit throws `NotificationError` from the constructor
+  // when the notification backend becomes temporarily unavailable. Callers
+  // discard the returned promise without a rejection handler, so an
+  // un-guarded throw becomes an unhandled rejection. Treat constructor failure
+  // as a delivery miss (return false) and log the failed delivery.
+  try {
+    const notification = new window.Notification(payload.title, {
+      body: payload.body,
+      silent: true,
+      extra: notificationExtra(payload.target),
+    } as DesktopNotificationOptions);
+
+    const target = payload.target;
+    if (!isTauri() && target) {
+      notification.onclick = () => {
+        dispatchDesktopNotificationTarget(target);
+        notification.close();
+      };
+    }
 
-  return true;
+    return true;
+  } catch (error) {
+    console.warn(
+      "[desktop] window.Notification constructor threw — notification dropped:",
+      error,
+    );
+    return false;
+  }
 }