diff --git a/features/scripts/utils/nomarchy-restart-app b/features/scripts/utils/nomarchy-restart-app
index 53ba2d1..953845a 100755
--- a/features/scripts/utils/nomarchy-restart-app
+++ b/features/scripts/utils/nomarchy-restart-app
@@ -2,6 +2,28 @@
 
 # Restart an application by killing it and relaunching via uwsm.
 # Usage: nomarchy-restart-app <application-name> [application-args...]
+#
+# We wait for the old process to actually exit before launching the
+# new one. Without the wait, the new instance starts while the old
+# one's wayland surface is still mapped — visible as ghosting on
+# layer-shell apps and double-instance briefly for everything else.
+# Same race that produced the waybar theme-switch artifacts before
+# 386da51 moved waybar to a SIGUSR2-reload path.
 
-pkill -x $1
-setsid uwsm-app -- "$@" >/dev/null 2>&1 &
+app="$1"
+shift || true
+
+if pgrep -x "$app" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    pkill -x "$app" 2>/dev/null || true
+    # Poll for graceful exit, up to ~1.5s.
+    for _ in $(seq 1 15); do
+        pgrep -x "$app" >/dev/null 2>&1 || break
+        sleep 0.1
+    done
+    # Anything still running: SIGKILL it. Without this, a misbehaving
+    # process can hold the surface indefinitely and the new instance
+    # races on top.
+    pkill -KILL -x "$app" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
+
+setsid uwsm-app -- "$app" "$@" >/dev/null 2>&1 &