diff --git a/desktopenvs/hyprlua/astal-menu/main.py b/desktopenvs/hyprlua/astal-menu/main.py
index 3ca517c..c561aed 100755
--- a/desktopenvs/hyprlua/astal-menu/main.py
+++ b/desktopenvs/hyprlua/astal-menu/main.py
@@ -13,9 +13,18 @@ toggles the running instance without spawning a new process.
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import os
 import sys
 from pathlib import Path
 
+# astal-menu-start.sh LD_PRELOADs libgtk4-layer-shell so it loads before
+# libwayland-client (a load-ordering requirement of the layer-shell library). That
+# only matters at *this* process's exec: the library is already resident now, so the
+# variable is never read again. Drop it here so the GUI apps we launch via
+# AstalApps.launch() (and the backend subprocesses) don't inherit it — Firefox, for
+# one, aborts at startup with libgtk4-layer-shell preloaded.
+os.environ.pop("LD_PRELOAD", None)
+
 # Make sibling modules importable no matter the CWD.
 sys.path.insert(0, str(Path(__file__).resolve().parent))
 
diff --git a/desktopenvs/hyprlua/scripts/astal-menu-start.sh b/desktopenvs/hyprlua/scripts/astal-menu-start.sh
index 0add692..78fc4a8 100755
--- a/desktopenvs/hyprlua/scripts/astal-menu-start.sh
+++ b/desktopenvs/hyprlua/scripts/astal-menu-start.sh
@@ -3,8 +3,10 @@
 #
 # gtk4-layer-shell must be loaded before libwayland-client; when the shell is used
 # through PyGObject that ordering isn't guaranteed, so we LD_PRELOAD it (the library
-# itself documents this workaround). Starts the daemon hidden — it shows only when
-# menu-toggle.sh forwards a --toggle/--show/--appdrawer verb.
+# itself documents this workaround). main.py drops LD_PRELOAD from its environment
+# right after startup so the apps it launches don't inherit it (Firefox, for one,
+# crashes with libgtk4-layer-shell preloaded). Starts the daemon hidden — it shows
+# only when menu-toggle.sh forwards a --toggle/--show/--appdrawer verb.
 
 APP="${HOME}/.config/astal-menu/main.py"
 SO="$(ldconfig -p 2>/dev/null | awk '/libgtk4-layer-shell\.so/ {print $NF; exit}')"