diff --git a/apps/deckcraft/src/display.rs b/apps/deckcraft/src/display.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2a6eeca2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/deckcraft/src/display.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+//! Which windowing system to start on, on Linux and the BSDs.
+//!
+//! DeckCraft prefers X11 when `DISPLAY` is set (see `main`). A stale `DISPLAY` (left over from
+//! an ended `ssh -X` session or a desktop with Xwayland turned off) used to make start-up fail
+//! with winit's "failed to open display" even though a Wayland compositor was running. When a
+//! local `DISPLAY` names an X server whose socket isn't there and Wayland is available, start on
+//! Wayland instead. With no display at all, say so plainly.
+
+use std::path::Path;
+
+/// The windowing system to ask winit for.
+#[derive(Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub enum Choice {
+    X11,
+    /// Let winit decide (Wayland when `WAYLAND_DISPLAY` is set).
+    Default,
+    /// Neither `DISPLAY` nor `WAYLAND_DISPLAY`: there is nothing to open a window on.
+    None,
+}
+
+/// The X server number of a local `DISPLAY` (`:1`, `:1.0`, `unix:1`); `None` for a remote one
+/// (`host:10.0`, as `ssh -X` sets) or one we can't read, which are left to X11 itself.
+fn local_display_number(display: &str) -> Option<u32> {
+    let rest = display.strip_prefix(':').or_else(|| display.strip_prefix("unix:"))?;
+    rest.split('.').next()?.parse().ok()
+}
+
+/// Choose from the environment. `socket_exists` checks an X socket path (the filesystem in
+/// [`choose_from_env`], a stub in tests).
+pub fn choose(display: Option<&str>, wayland: Option<&str>, force_wayland: bool, socket_exists: impl Fn(&Path) -> bool) -> Choice {
+    let display = display.filter(|d| !d.is_empty());
+    let wayland = wayland.is_some_and(|w| !w.is_empty());
+    match display {
+        None if wayland => Choice::Default,
+        None => Choice::None,
+        Some(_) if force_wayland && wayland => Choice::Default,
+        Some(d) => match local_display_number(d) {
+            Some(n) if wayland && !socket_exists(&Path::new("/tmp/.X11-unix").join(format!("X{n}"))) => {
+                log::warn!("DISPLAY={d} has no X server; starting on Wayland");
+                Choice::Default
+            }
+            _ => Choice::X11,
+        },
+    }
+}
+
+/// [`choose`] for this process.
+pub fn choose_from_env() -> Choice {
+    let display = std::env::var("DISPLAY").ok();
+    let wayland = std::env::var("WAYLAND_DISPLAY").ok();
+    choose(display.as_deref(), wayland.as_deref(), std::env::var_os("DECKCRAFT_WAYLAND").is_some(), |p| p.exists())
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn a_stale_local_display_falls_back_to_wayland() {
+        let none = |_: &Path| false;
+        let all = |_: &Path| true;
+        assert_eq!(choose(Some(":1"), Some("wayland-0"), false, none), Choice::Default);
+        assert_eq!(choose(Some(":1.0"), Some("wayland-0"), false, none), Choice::Default);
+        assert_eq!(choose(Some("unix:0"), Some("wayland-0"), false, none), Choice::Default);
+        // A live X server, no Wayland, or a remote DISPLAY: X11 as before.
+        assert_eq!(choose(Some(":1"), Some("wayland-0"), false, all), Choice::X11);
+        assert_eq!(choose(Some(":1"), None, false, none), Choice::X11);
+        assert_eq!(choose(Some("host:10.0"), Some("wayland-0"), false, none), Choice::X11);
+        // The socket checked is the display's own.
+        assert_eq!(choose(Some(":3"), Some("w"), false, |p: &Path| p.ends_with("X3")), Choice::X11);
+        assert_eq!(choose(Some(":3"), Some("w"), false, |p: &Path| p.ends_with("X0")), Choice::Default);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn wayland_only_forced_and_no_display_at_all() {
+        let all = |_: &Path| true;
+        assert_eq!(choose(None, Some("wayland-0"), false, all), Choice::Default);
+        assert_eq!(choose(Some(""), Some("wayland-0"), false, all), Choice::Default);
+        assert_eq!(choose(Some(":0"), Some("wayland-0"), true, all), Choice::Default);
+        // Forcing Wayland without a compositor keeps X11 rather than failing.
+        assert_eq!(choose(Some(":0"), None, true, all), Choice::X11);
+        assert_eq!(choose(None, None, false, all), Choice::None);
+        assert_eq!(choose(Some(""), Some(""), false, all), Choice::None);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/apps/deckcraft/src/main.rs b/apps/deckcraft/src/main.rs
index 488d35bd..e11f0bb7 100644
--- a/apps/deckcraft/src/main.rs
+++ b/apps/deckcraft/src/main.rs
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@
 
 mod audio;
 mod control_server;
+#[cfg(all(unix, not(target_os = "macos")))]
+mod display;
 #[cfg(any(target_os = "windows", test))]
 mod graphics;
 mod logging;
@@ -194,7 +196,18 @@ fn main() -> eframe::Result {
         options.viewport = options.viewport.with_icon(icon);
     }
     #[cfg(all(unix, not(target_os = "macos")))]
-    if std::env::var_os("DISPLAY").is_some() && std::env::var_os("DECKCRAFT_WAYLAND").is_none() {
+    let x11 = match display::choose_from_env() {
+        display::Choice::X11 => true,
+        display::Choice::Default => false,
+        display::Choice::None => {
+            // winit's own error says little to someone who started DeckCraft from a console.
+            log::error!("no display: DISPLAY and WAYLAND_DISPLAY are not set");
+            eprintln!("DeckCraft needs a graphical session: neither DISPLAY nor WAYLAND_DISPLAY is set.");
+            false
+        }
+    };
+    #[cfg(all(unix, not(target_os = "macos")))]
+    if x11 {
         options.event_loop_builder = Some(Box::new(|b| {
             use winit::platform::x11::EventLoopBuilderExtX11;
             b.with_x11();