diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/droiddeck/launcher/MainActivity.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/droiddeck/launcher/MainActivity.kt
index 4c8b16e9f..a3fd7ed3e 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/droiddeck/launcher/MainActivity.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/droiddeck/launcher/MainActivity.kt
@@ -1269,6 +1269,7 @@ class MainActivity : ComponentActivity() {
     }
 
     private fun refresh() {
+        if (!busy && LinuxRuntimeInstaller.isInstalling()) followInstall { LinuxRuntimeInstaller.attach(it) }
         desktopInstalled = DesktopCatalog.desktopInstalled(this)
         offlineAccount = OfflineMode.account(this)
         offline = OfflineMode.enabled(this)
@@ -1353,18 +1354,25 @@ class MainActivity : ComponentActivity() {
         }
     }
 
-    private fun install(release: LinuxRuntimeInstaller.Release) {
+    private fun install(release: LinuxRuntimeInstaller.Release) =
+        followInstall { listener -> LinuxRuntimeInstaller.install(this, release, listener) }
+
+    /**
+     * Shows an install's progress until it ends. [run] either starts one or joins the one already
+     * running (null: nothing was), which is how a launcher rebuilt mid-install picks it back up.
+     */
+    private fun followInstall(run: (LinuxRuntimeInstaller.ProgressListener) -> Boolean?) {
         busy = true
         failed = false
         stage = "Starting…"
         percent = -1
         Thread({
-            val ok = LinuxRuntimeInstaller.install(this, release) { s, p ->
+            val ok = run(LinuxRuntimeInstaller.ProgressListener { s, p ->
                 ui.post { stage = s; percent = p }
-            }
+            })
             ui.post {
                 busy = false
-                failed = !ok
+                if (ok != null) failed = !ok
                 refresh()
             }
         }, "install").start()
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/droiddeck/launcher/runtime/LinuxRuntimeInstaller.java b/app/src/main/java/com/droiddeck/launcher/runtime/LinuxRuntimeInstaller.java
index 1a6e07c60..119b89a98 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/droiddeck/launcher/runtime/LinuxRuntimeInstaller.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/droiddeck/launcher/runtime/LinuxRuntimeInstaller.java
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
 import java.nio.file.Files;
 import java.nio.file.StandardCopyOption;
 import java.security.MessageDigest;
+import java.util.concurrent.CopyOnWriteArrayList;
+import java.util.concurrent.CountDownLatch;
 
 /**
  * Downloads and unpacks the Linux runtime rootfs into {@code files/linuxfs}. It is opt-in: nothing
@@ -60,6 +62,23 @@ public final class LinuxRuntimeInstaller {
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * One install per process. The launcher and the session screen can both start one, and a
+     * launcher rebuilt mid-install (a pad plugged in, dark mode switched) forgets it had: a second
+     * install would share the first one's archive and staging directory and wreck both.
+     */
+    private static final class Job {
+        final CopyOnWriteArrayList<ProgressListener> listeners = new CopyOnWriteArrayList<>();
+        final CountDownLatch done = new CountDownLatch(1);
+        volatile String stage = "Starting\u2026";
+        volatile int percent = -1;
+        volatile boolean ok;
+    }
+
+    private static final Object JOB_LOCK = new Object();
+    private static Job running;
+    private static boolean removing;
+
     private LinuxRuntimeInstaller() {}
 
     /** The build currently unpacked, or null when the runtime is not installed. */
@@ -104,6 +123,66 @@ public final class LinuxRuntimeInstaller {
      * not. An update therefore keeps Steam, the login and the installed games.
      */
     public static boolean install(Context context, Release release, ProgressListener listener) {
+        Job job;
+        boolean owner;
+        synchronized (JOB_LOCK) {
+            if (removing) return false;
+            owner = running == null;
+            if (owner) running = new Job();
+            job = running;
+            if (listener != null) job.listeners.add(listener);
+        }
+        if (!owner) return join(job, listener);
+        try {
+            job.ok = installOnce(context.getApplicationContext(), release, (stage, percent) -> {
+                job.stage = stage;
+                job.percent = percent;
+                for (ProgressListener l : job.listeners) l.onProgress(stage, percent);
+            });
+            return job.ok;
+        } finally {
+            synchronized (JOB_LOCK) {
+                running = null;
+            }
+            job.done.countDown();
+        }
+    }
+
+    /** True while an install is running in this process, whoever started it. */
+    public static boolean isInstalling() {
+        synchronized (JOB_LOCK) {
+            return running != null;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Follows the install already running, for a screen that was rebuilt mid-install. Blocks until
+     * it ends and returns its result, or returns null at once when nothing is installing.
+     */
+    public static Boolean attach(ProgressListener listener) {
+        Job job;
+        synchronized (JOB_LOCK) {
+            job = running;
+            if (job == null) return null;
+            if (listener != null) job.listeners.add(listener);
+        }
+        return join(job, listener);
+    }
+
+    private static boolean join(Job job, ProgressListener listener) {
+        try {
+            if (listener != null) listener.onProgress(job.stage, job.percent);
+            job.done.await();
+            return job.ok;
+        } catch (InterruptedException e) {
+            Thread.currentThread().interrupt();
+            return false;
+        } finally {
+            if (listener != null) job.listeners.remove(listener);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static boolean installOnce(Context context, Release release, ProgressListener listener) {
         File archive = new File(context.getCacheDir(), "linuxfs.tar.zst");
         try {
             if (listener != null) listener.onProgress("Downloading", 0);
@@ -177,8 +256,20 @@ public final class LinuxRuntimeInstaller {
         }
     }
 
-    public static void uninstall(Context context) {
-        FileUtils.delete(LinuxRuntime.rootDir(context));
+    /** Removes the runtime; returns false without touching it while an install is running. */
+    public static boolean uninstall(Context context) {
+        synchronized (JOB_LOCK) {
+            if (running != null || removing) return false;
+            removing = true;
+        }
+        try {
+            FileUtils.delete(LinuxRuntime.rootDir(context));
+            return true;
+        } finally {
+            synchronized (JOB_LOCK) {
+                removing = false;
+            }
+        }
     }
 
     /**