diff --git a/features/scripts/utils/nomarchy-launch-walker b/features/scripts/utils/nomarchy-launch-walker
index ad09f29..da9b4ef 100644
--- a/features/scripts/utils/nomarchy-launch-walker
+++ b/features/scripts/utils/nomarchy-launch-walker
@@ -8,12 +8,20 @@ if command -v walker >/dev/null 2>&1; then
     # /dev/null. If they inherit stdout from a $(...) caller (e.g. nomarchy-menu
     # doing `$(menu ...)`), bash waits for those fds to close on every return,
     # which hangs the terminal after each menu selection.
-    if ! pgrep -x elephant > /dev/null; then
+    # Prefer the Home Manager systemd user services (programs.walker.runAsService).
+    # The manual fallbacks below MUST check the services first: the service runs
+    # the wrapped binary `.elephant-wrapped`, which `pgrep -x elephant` never
+    # matches — so the old check spawned a *second*, competing elephant on every
+    # menu invocation, racing the service for the socket. Only hand-start when no
+    # service and no process exists (e.g. walker used outside the HM service).
+    if ! systemctl --user is-active --quiet elephant.service 2>/dev/null \
+       && ! pgrep -x elephant >/dev/null && ! pgrep -f elephant-wrapped >/dev/null; then
         setsid uwsm-app -- elephant </dev/null >/dev/null 2>&1 &
         disown
     fi
 
-    if ! pgrep -f "walker --gapplication-service" > /dev/null; then
+    if ! systemctl --user is-active --quiet walker.service 2>/dev/null \
+       && ! pgrep -f "walker --gapplication-service" >/dev/null; then
         setsid uwsm-app -- walker --gapplication-service </dev/null >/dev/null 2>&1 &
         disown
     fi