diff --git a/desktopenvs/hyprdrive/station-bar/tray.py b/desktopenvs/hyprdrive/station-bar/tray.py
index c6d3b1f..a14dcd4 100644
--- a/desktopenvs/hyprdrive/station-bar/tray.py
+++ b/desktopenvs/hyprdrive/station-bar/tray.py
@@ -35,11 +35,20 @@ class TrayHost:
             self._on_watcher_appeared, self._on_watcher_vanished)
 
     def _on_watcher_appeared(self, _conn, _name, _owner) -> None:
+        # MUST be async: this bar hosts the StatusNotifierWatcher itself (see
+        # sni_watcher.py), so a *_sync proxy here would block the main loop
+        # waiting on a reply only that same loop can produce — a self-deadlock
+        # that freezes the whole bar (its clock, its holo intro — everything)
+        # until the 25s D-Bus timeout finally lets it go.
+        Gio.DBusProxy.new_for_bus(
+            Gio.BusType.SESSION, Gio.DBusProxyFlags.NONE, None,
+            _WATCHER_BUS, _WATCHER_PATH, _WATCHER_IFACE, None,
+            self._on_watcher_ready, None,
+        )
+
+    def _on_watcher_ready(self, _source, result, _user_data) -> None:
         try:
-            self._watcher = Gio.DBusProxy.new_for_bus_sync(
-                Gio.BusType.SESSION, Gio.DBusProxyFlags.NONE, None,
-                _WATCHER_BUS, _WATCHER_PATH, _WATCHER_IFACE, None,
-            )
+            self._watcher = Gio.DBusProxy.new_for_bus_finish(result)
         except GLib.Error:
             self._watcher = None
             return
@@ -56,14 +65,13 @@ class TrayHost:
     def _ensure_host_registered(self) -> None:
         if self._registered_host or self._watcher is None:
             return
-        try:
-            self._watcher.call_sync(
-                "RegisterStatusNotifierHost", GLib.Variant("(s)", (_HOST_NAME,)),
-                Gio.DBusCallFlags.NONE, 500, None,
-            )
-        except GLib.Error:
-            pass
+        # Async for the same self-deadlock reason as _on_watcher_appeared: this
+        # call targets our own in-process watcher. Fire-and-forget.
         self._registered_host = True
+        self._watcher.call(
+            "RegisterStatusNotifierHost", GLib.Variant("(s)", (_HOST_NAME,)),
+            Gio.DBusCallFlags.NONE, 2000, None, None,
+        )
 
     def available(self) -> bool:
         return self._watcher is not None