diff --git a/hosts/hardware/FredOS-Macbook.nix b/hosts/hardware/FredOS-Macbook.nix
index 39af88d..36f7cdd 100644
--- a/hosts/hardware/FredOS-Macbook.nix
+++ b/hosts/hardware/FredOS-Macbook.nix
@@ -6,7 +6,8 @@
   ];
 
   boot.initrd.availableKernelModules = [ "xhci_pci" "ahci" "usb_storage" "usbhid" "sd_mod" ];
-  boot.initrd.kernelModules = [ ];
+  # i915 in initrd = early KMS, so plymouth can draw from the first second
+  boot.initrd.kernelModules = [ "i915" ];
   boot.kernelModules = [ "kvm-intel" ];
   boot.extraModulePackages = [ config.boot.kernelPackages.broadcom_sta ];
   boot.blacklistedKernelModules = [ "b43" "bcma" "ssb" ];
diff --git a/settings/desktop.nix b/settings/desktop.nix
index df3e9d5..3fa542c 100644
--- a/settings/desktop.nix
+++ b/settings/desktop.nix
@@ -7,11 +7,24 @@
     # immediately (see Lock.qml), so the lock *is* the login prompt.
     services.greetd = {
       enable = true;
+      # We handle the plymouth handoff ourselves below — don't wait for
+      # plymouth-quit-wait (that wait is what dropped boot to a console
+      # flash between splash and Hyprland).
+      greeterManagesPlymouth = true;
       settings.default_session = {
-        command = lib.getExe config.programs.hyprland.package;
+        command = "${config.programs.hyprland.package}/bin/start-hyprland";
         user = "fred";
       };
     };
+
+    # GDM-style splash→session handoff: nothing else quits plymouth at boot;
+    # greetd freezes the last splash frame (--retain-splash) right before it
+    # spawns Hyprland, which then flips straight to the lockscreen.
+    systemd.services.plymouth-quit.wantedBy = lib.mkForce [ ];
+    systemd.services.greetd = {
+      after = [ "plymouth-start.service" ];
+      serviceConfig.ExecStartPre = "-${pkgs.plymouth}/bin/plymouth quit --retain-splash";
+    };
     boot.plymouth.enable = true;
     boot.initrd.verbose = false;
     boot.consoleLogLevel = 3;