diff --git a/tools/linuxfs/overlay/usr/local/bin/steam-compatibility b/tools/linuxfs/overlay/usr/local/bin/steam-compatibility
index b1864dfad..47c83fbd9 100755
--- a/tools/linuxfs/overlay/usr/local/bin/steam-compatibility
+++ b/tools/linuxfs/overlay/usr/local/bin/steam-compatibility
@@ -276,6 +276,18 @@ bl_vacdiag() {
 }
 """
 
+# Steam's shader pre-caching runs its D3D driver query through every Proton tool at each start, as
+# "run <client>/bin/d3ddriverquery64.exe" in compatdata/0. Here it has never succeeded (exit 1 every time), and each
+# run started Wine in compatdata/0, where the two Protons upgrade the prefix back and forth for many seconds while the
+# game starts. Steam gets the same failure without starting Wine; other verbs and prefixes are left alone.
+BL_DRIVER_QUERY_SKIP = """
+case "$verb:${1##*/}:${STEAM_COMPAT_DATA_PATH%/}" in
+  run:d3ddriverquery64.exe:*/compatdata/0 | run:d3ddriverquery.exe:*/compatdata/0)
+    echo "droiddeck-proton: Steam's D3D driver query is not run (it fails here and would start Wine in compatdata/0)" >&2
+    exit 1 ;;
+esac
+"""
+
 BL_DIRECTAUDIO_SETUP = """
 bl_is_steam_installscript_target() {
   local target=${1:-}
@@ -408,7 +420,7 @@ LAUNCHER_TEMPLATE = LAUNCHER_SH
 
 def launcher_sh(sources=SOURCES):
     return (LAUNCHER_TEMPLATE % " ".join('"%s"' % n for n in sources)).replace(
-        "verb=$1; shift", "verb=$1; shift\n" + BL_DESKTOP_GPU_SETUP + BL_DIRECTAUDIO_SETUP + BL_GAME_CPUS_SETUP + BL_IDTECH3_SETUP
+        "verb=$1; shift", "verb=$1; shift\n" + BL_DRIVER_QUERY_SKIP + BL_DESKTOP_GPU_SETUP + BL_DIRECTAUDIO_SETUP + BL_GAME_CPUS_SETUP + BL_IDTECH3_SETUP
         + BL_VACDIAG_SETUP + BL_COMPONENTS_SETUP + BL_LIBPATH_SETUP + BL_STORE_SETUP, 1)
 
 
@@ -455,6 +467,15 @@ bl_store_launch "$@"
 BL_STORE_ARGS=("$@")
 bl_run ${BL_TASKSET:-} /usr/local/bin/droiddeck-game-env "$BL_STORE_PROTON" "$verb" "$@" "${BL_EXTRA_ARGS[@]}"
 """
+
+
+def extra_wrapper_sh(entry_point):
+    return (EXTRA_WRAPPER_SH % entry_point).replace(
+        'here=$(dirname "$0")',
+        'here=$(dirname "$0")\n' + BL_DRIVER_QUERY_SKIP + BL_DESKTOP_GPU_SETUP + BL_DIRECTAUDIO_SETUP + BL_GAME_CPUS_SETUP
+        + BL_IDTECH3_SETUP + BL_VACDIAG_SETUP + BL_COMPONENTS_SETUP + BL_LIBPATH_SETUP + BL_STORE_SETUP, 1)
+
+
 EXTRA_COMPAT_TOOL_VDF = """"compatibilitytools"
 {
 	"compat_tools"
@@ -678,11 +699,7 @@ def adopt_extras(tools):
         name = first_key(compat_vdf, ["compatibilitytools", "compat_tools"]) or entry
         wrapper = os.path.join(tool_dir, EXTRA_WRAPPER)
         try:
-            body = (EXTRA_WRAPPER_SH % entry_point).replace(
-                    'here=$(dirname "$0")',
-                    'here=$(dirname "$0")\n' + BL_DESKTOP_GPU_SETUP + BL_DIRECTAUDIO_SETUP + BL_GAME_CPUS_SETUP + BL_IDTECH3_SETUP
-                    + BL_VACDIAG_SETUP + BL_COMPONENTS_SETUP + BL_LIBPATH_SETUP + BL_STORE_SETUP, 1)
-            write_changed(wrapper, body, 0o755)
+            write_changed(wrapper, extra_wrapper_sh(entry_point), 0o755)
             write_changed(manifest, EXTRA_MANIFEST_VDF)
             write_changed(compat_vdf, EXTRA_COMPAT_TOOL_VDF % (name, display_name(entry)))
             legacy_wrapper = os.path.join(tool_dir, LEGACY_EXTRA_WRAPPER)
diff --git a/tools/tests/test_game_environment.py b/tools/tests/test_game_environment.py
index e87784716..ebb611036 100644
--- a/tools/tests/test_game_environment.py
+++ b/tools/tests/test_game_environment.py
@@ -971,6 +971,36 @@ class GameEnvironmentTest(unittest.TestCase):
             subprocess.run(["bash", "-n"], input=script, text=True, check=True)
             self.assertIn('bl_run ${BL_TASKSET:-} /usr/local/bin/droiddeck-game-env', script)
 
+    def test_both_proton_wrappers_answer_steams_driver_query_without_wine(self):
+        scripts = (COMPAT["launcher_sh"](), COMPAT["extra_wrapper_sh"]("proton"))
+        query = "/root/.local/share/Steam/steamrtarm64/../bin/d3ddriverquery64.exe"
+        probe = "/root/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/0"
+        for script in scripts:
+            subprocess.run(["bash", "-n"], input=script, text=True, check=True)
+            self.assertLess(script.index('case "$verb:${1##*/}:'), script.index("bl_components "))
+            for args, prefix in (([query, "-d3d12"], probe), ([query], probe + "/"),
+                                 ([query.replace("64.exe", ".exe")], probe)):
+                result = subprocess.run(["bash", "-s", "run"] + args, input=script, text=True, capture_output=True,
+                                        env={"PATH": os.defpath, "HOME": "/nonexistent", "STEAM_COMPAT_DATA_PATH": prefix},
+                                        timeout=10)
+                self.assertEqual(result.returncode, 1, result.stderr)
+                self.assertEqual(result.stdout, "")
+                self.assertIn("D3D driver query is not run", result.stderr)
+        skip = COMPAT["BL_DRIVER_QUERY_SKIP"]
+        for verb, args, prefix in (
+                ("getcompatpath", [query], probe),
+                ("run", [query], "/root/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/2276548447"),
+                ("run", [query], None),
+                ("waitforexitandrun", ["/games/AIO/AIO-Graphics-Test-64bit.exe", "--cube", "dx11"], probe),
+                ("run", ["/games/Tool/tool.exe", query], probe),
+                ("run", ["/games/d3ddriverquery64.exe.bak"], probe)):
+            env = {"PATH": os.defpath}
+            if prefix is not None:
+                env["STEAM_COMPAT_DATA_PATH"] = prefix
+            out = subprocess.run(["bash", "-c", "verb=" + verb + "\n" + skip + "echo continued", "_"] + args,
+                                 env=env, capture_output=True, text=True, check=True).stdout
+            self.assertEqual(out, "continued\n", (verb, args, prefix))
+
     def test_wrappers_preload_the_session_library_before_the_input_shim(self):
         overlay = "/root/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_64/gameoverlayrenderer.so"
         with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tmp: