diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/hooks/use-composer-voice.ts b/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/hooks/use-composer-voice.ts
index 608431d2f7a1..e25a6bfc8ed3 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/hooks/use-composer-voice.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/hooks/use-composer-voice.ts
@@ -116,6 +116,14 @@ export function useComposerVoice({
     await onSubmit(text)
   }
 
+  const wakePausedRef = useRef(false)
+  // Resolves once the in-flight wake.pause round-trip completes (mic released by
+  // the wake listener). The conversation awaits this before opening its own mic
+  // so the two never contend for the device — on Windows especially, opening the
+  // capture device while the wake listener still holds it makes getUserMedia
+  // fail and the conversation never starts listening.
+  const wakePauseBarrierRef = useRef<Promise<void> | null>(null)
+
   const conversation = useVoiceConversation({
     busy,
     consumePendingResponse,
@@ -128,7 +136,10 @@ export function useComposerVoice({
     onStopWord: () => setVoiceConversationActive(false),
     onSubmit: submitVoiceTurn,
     onTranscribeAudio,
-    pendingResponse: pendingTurnResponse
+    pendingResponse: pendingTurnResponse,
+    // Before the conversation opens the mic, wait for any in-flight wake.pause
+    // to finish releasing the capture device (see wakePauseBarrierRef).
+    beforeMicOpen: () => wakePauseBarrierRef.current ?? undefined
   })
 
   // The `composer.voice` hotkey (Ctrl+B) toggles the conversation. Starting
@@ -158,14 +169,13 @@ export function useComposerVoice({
     }
   }, [disabled, target, voiceConversationActive, voiceStartRequest])
 
-  const wakePausedRef = useRef(false)
-
   const resumeWakeIfPaused = useCallback(() => {
     if (!wakePausedRef.current) {
       return
     }
 
     wakePausedRef.current = false
+    wakePauseBarrierRef.current = null
     // Reconcile, don't just resume: the wake word is a persistent setting, so
     // ending a voice chat must re-arm the listener whenever config says
     // enabled — including when the raw resume loses the mic-release race.
@@ -176,10 +186,16 @@ export function useComposerVoice({
   // it guards resumeWakeIfPaused from resuming a detector another surface owns.
   const pauseWakeForVoice = useCallback(() => {
     wakePausedRef.current = true
-    void $gateway
-      .get()
-      ?.request('wake.pause', {})
-      .catch(() => undefined)
+    const barrier = (async () => {
+      try {
+        await $gateway.get()?.request('wake.pause', {})
+      } catch {
+        // No wake listener / older backend — nothing held the mic.
+      }
+    })()
+    wakePauseBarrierRef.current = barrier
+
+    return barrier
   }, [])
 
   useEffect(() => {
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/hooks/use-voice-conversation.ts b/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/hooks/use-voice-conversation.ts
index 58dea1b7fe27..59ba4ee3c8ef 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/hooks/use-voice-conversation.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/hooks/use-voice-conversation.ts
@@ -31,6 +31,9 @@ interface VoiceConversationOptions {
   onTranscribeAudio?: (audio: Blob) => Promise<string>
   pendingResponse: () => PendingVoiceResponse | null
   consumePendingResponse: () => void
+  /** Awaited right before the mic is opened. Used to let the wake-word listener
+   *  fully release the capture device first, so the two never contend. */
+  beforeMicOpen?: () => Promise<void> | void
 }
 
 export function useVoiceConversation({
@@ -41,7 +44,8 @@ export function useVoiceConversation({
   onSubmit,
   onTranscribeAudio,
   pendingResponse,
-  consumePendingResponse
+  consumePendingResponse,
+  beforeMicOpen
 }: VoiceConversationOptions) {
   const { t } = useI18n()
   const voiceCopy = t.notifications.voice
@@ -69,6 +73,13 @@ export function useVoiceConversation({
     onStopWordRef.current = onStopWord
   }, [onStopWord])
 
+  const beforeMicOpenRef = useRef(beforeMicOpen)
+
+  // eslint-disable-next-line no-restricted-syntax -- legitimate non-atom ref write (see eslint rule comment)
+  useEffect(() => {
+    beforeMicOpenRef.current = beforeMicOpen
+  }, [beforeMicOpen])
+
   // eslint-disable-next-line no-restricted-syntax -- legitimate non-atom ref write (see eslint rule comment)
   useEffect(() => {
     enabledRef.current = enabled
@@ -188,6 +199,20 @@ export function useVoiceConversation({
       return
     }
 
+    // Let the wake-word listener fully release the capture device before we
+    // open ours — opening the mic while wake still holds it makes getUserMedia
+    // fail (the "clicked voice but it never starts listening" bug).
+    try {
+      await beforeMicOpenRef.current?.()
+    } catch {
+      // A pause failure shouldn't block the user's explicit start.
+    }
+
+    // enabled/muted/busy or an interleaved turn may have changed while we waited.
+    if (!enabledRef.current || mutedRef.current || busyRef.current || statusRef.current !== 'idle') {
+      return
+    }
+
     try {
       // VAD tuning mirrors `tools.voice_mode` defaults so the browser loop matches the CLI.
       await handle.start({