diff --git a/core/internal/server/wallpaper/manager.go b/core/internal/server/wallpaper/manager.go
index c8059a9bf..d3c2edbe3 100644
--- a/core/internal/server/wallpaper/manager.go
+++ b/core/internal/server/wallpaper/manager.go
@@ -16,6 +16,10 @@ type activeSchedule struct {
 	nextFire time.Time
 }
 
+// Grace period before a missed-while-off schedule fires, so a freshly
+// connected frontend has its cycle-seq baseline before the bump arrives.
+var catchUpDelay = 3 * time.Second
+
 type Manager struct {
 	config      Config
 	configMutex sync.RWMutex
@@ -29,9 +33,20 @@ type Manager struct {
 	updateTrigger chan struct{}
 	resetReq      chan string
 	wg            sync.WaitGroup
+
+	// Owned by schedulerLoop after start; keyed like schedules ("" = global).
+	lastFires    map[string]time.Time
+	persistFires func(map[string]time.Time)
 }
 
 func NewManager() *Manager {
+	return newManager(loadLastFires(), saveLastFires)
+}
+
+func newManager(lastFires map[string]time.Time, persistFires func(map[string]time.Time)) *Manager {
+	if lastFires == nil {
+		lastFires = map[string]time.Time{}
+	}
 	m := &Manager{
 		config: Config{
 			Global:   ScheduleConfig{Mode: "interval", IntervalSec: 300, Time: "06:00"},
@@ -40,6 +55,8 @@ func NewManager() *Manager {
 		stopChan:      make(chan struct{}),
 		updateTrigger: make(chan struct{}, 1),
 		resetReq:      make(chan string, 8),
+		lastFires:     lastFires,
+		persistFires:  persistFires,
 	}
 	m.state = &State{Config: m.getConfig()}
 
@@ -115,9 +132,7 @@ func (m *Manager) Close() {
 
 func (m *Manager) WatchLoginctl(lm *loginctl.Manager) {
 	ch := lm.Subscribe("wallpaper")
-	m.wg.Add(1)
-	go func() {
-		defer m.wg.Done()
+	m.wg.Go(func() {
 		defer lm.Unsubscribe("wallpaper")
 		for {
 			select {
@@ -133,7 +148,7 @@ func (m *Manager) WatchLoginctl(lm *loginctl.Manager) {
 				m.TriggerUpdate()
 			}
 		}
-	}()
+	})
 }
 
 func (m *Manager) schedulerLoop() {
@@ -154,11 +169,26 @@ func (m *Manager) schedulerLoop() {
 				delete(schedules, key)
 			}
 		}
+		firesDirty := false
 		for key, cfg := range active {
 			s, ok := schedules[key]
 			switch {
 			case !ok:
-				schedules[key] = &activeSchedule{cfg: cfg, nextFire: computeNext(now, cfg)}
+				s = &activeSchedule{cfg: cfg, nextFire: computeNext(now, cfg)}
+				schedules[key] = s
+				if cfg.Mode == "time" {
+					last := m.lastFires[key]
+					prev, valid := prevDailyTime(now, cfg.Time)
+					switch {
+					case last.IsZero():
+						// First enable (or no history): seed instead of firing.
+						m.lastFires[key] = now
+						firesDirty = true
+					case valid && last.Before(prev):
+						// Scheduled time passed while dms wasn't running.
+						s.nextFire = now.Add(catchUpDelay)
+					}
+				}
 			case s.cfg != cfg || resets[key]:
 				s.cfg = cfg
 				s.nextFire = computeNext(now, cfg)
@@ -171,9 +201,22 @@ func (m *Manager) schedulerLoop() {
 			if !s.nextFire.After(now) {
 				dueKeys = append(dueKeys, key)
 				s.nextFire = computeNext(now, s.cfg)
+				if s.cfg.Mode == "time" {
+					m.lastFires[key] = now
+					firesDirty = true
+				}
 			}
 		}
 
+		if firesDirty {
+			for key := range m.lastFires {
+				if _, ok := schedules[key]; !ok {
+					delete(m.lastFires, key)
+				}
+			}
+			m.persistFires(m.lastFires)
+		}
+
 		next, hasNext := soonest(schedules)
 		if len(dueKeys) == 0 {
 			m.setState(config, next, seq, "")
@@ -185,10 +228,7 @@ func (m *Manager) schedulerLoop() {
 
 		waitDur := 24 * time.Hour
 		if hasNext {
-			waitDur = time.Until(next)
-			if waitDur < time.Second {
-				waitDur = time.Second
-			}
+			waitDur = max(time.Until(next), time.Second)
 		}
 
 		if timer != nil {
@@ -262,10 +302,7 @@ func computeNext(now time.Time, cfg ScheduleConfig) time.Time {
 	case "time":
 		return nextDailyTime(now, cfg.Time)
 	default:
-		sec := cfg.IntervalSec
-		if sec < 1 {
-			sec = 1
-		}
+		sec := max(cfg.IntervalSec, 1)
 		return now.Add(time.Duration(sec) * time.Second)
 	}
 }
@@ -282,6 +319,18 @@ func nextDailyTime(now time.Time, hhmm string) time.Time {
 	return next
 }
 
+func prevDailyTime(now time.Time, hhmm string) (time.Time, bool) {
+	hour, minute, ok := parseHHMM(hhmm)
+	if !ok {
+		return time.Time{}, false
+	}
+	prev := time.Date(now.Year(), now.Month(), now.Day(), hour, minute, 0, 0, now.Location())
+	if prev.After(now) {
+		prev = prev.Add(-24 * time.Hour)
+	}
+	return prev, true
+}
+
 func parseHHMM(hhmm string) (int, int, bool) {
 	parts := strings.Split(hhmm, ":")
 	if len(parts) != 2 {
diff --git a/core/internal/server/wallpaper/manager_test.go b/core/internal/server/wallpaper/manager_test.go
index db63ec577..a80b105cf 100644
--- a/core/internal/server/wallpaper/manager_test.go
+++ b/core/internal/server/wallpaper/manager_test.go
@@ -83,8 +83,81 @@ func TestActiveSchedules(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestPrevDailyTime(t *testing.T) {
+	now := time.Date(2026, 6, 30, 12, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+
+	earlier, ok := prevDailyTime(now, "06:00")
+	if !ok || !earlier.Equal(time.Date(2026, 6, 30, 6, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)) {
+		t.Errorf("prev (today) = %v, %v", earlier, ok)
+	}
+
+	later, ok := prevDailyTime(now, "18:00")
+	if !ok || !later.Equal(time.Date(2026, 6, 29, 18, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)) {
+		t.Errorf("prev (yesterday) = %v, %v", later, ok)
+	}
+
+	if _, ok := prevDailyTime(now, "bad"); ok {
+		t.Error("prev (invalid) should not be ok")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestTimeScheduleCatchUpAfterRestart(t *testing.T) {
+	origDelay := catchUpDelay
+	catchUpDelay = 100 * time.Millisecond
+	defer func() { catchUpDelay = origDelay }()
+
+	now := time.Now()
+	hhmm := now.Add(-2 * time.Hour).Format("15:04")
+	seed := map[string]time.Time{"": now.Add(-26 * time.Hour)}
+
+	m := newManager(seed, func(map[string]time.Time) {})
+	defer m.Close()
+
+	sub := m.Subscribe("test")
+	defer m.Unsubscribe("test")
+
+	m.SetConfig(Config{Global: ScheduleConfig{Enabled: true, Mode: "time", Time: hhmm}})
+
+	deadline := time.After(3 * time.Second)
+	for {
+		select {
+		case state := <-sub:
+			if state.CycleSeq > 0 && state.Target == "" {
+				return
+			}
+		case <-deadline:
+			t.Fatal("missed time schedule did not catch up within 3s")
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestTimeScheduleNoFireOnFirstEnable(t *testing.T) {
+	now := time.Now()
+	hhmm := now.Add(-2 * time.Hour).Format("15:04")
+
+	m := newManager(map[string]time.Time{}, func(map[string]time.Time) {})
+	defer m.Close()
+
+	sub := m.Subscribe("test")
+	defer m.Unsubscribe("test")
+
+	m.SetConfig(Config{Global: ScheduleConfig{Enabled: true, Mode: "time", Time: hhmm}})
+
+	deadline := time.After(1500 * time.Millisecond)
+	for {
+		select {
+		case state := <-sub:
+			if state.CycleSeq > 0 {
+				t.Fatal("first enable must not fire immediately")
+			}
+		case <-deadline:
+			return
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestSchedulerEmitsCycle(t *testing.T) {
-	m := NewManager()
+	m := newManager(map[string]time.Time{}, func(map[string]time.Time) {})
 	defer m.Close()
 
 	sub := m.Subscribe("test")
diff --git a/core/internal/server/wallpaper/state.go b/core/internal/server/wallpaper/state.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7432014c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/internal/server/wallpaper/state.go
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+package wallpaper
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/AvengeMedia/DankMaterialShell/core/internal/log"
+	"github.com/AvengeMedia/DankMaterialShell/core/internal/utils"
+)
+
+type persistentState struct {
+	LastFires map[string]time.Time `json:"lastFires"`
+}
+
+func stateFilePath() string {
+	return filepath.Join(utils.XDGCacheHome(), "dms", "wallpaper-schedule.json")
+}
+
+func loadLastFires() map[string]time.Time {
+	data, err := os.ReadFile(stateFilePath())
+	if err != nil {
+		return map[string]time.Time{}
+	}
+	var state persistentState
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(data, &state); err != nil || state.LastFires == nil {
+		return map[string]time.Time{}
+	}
+	return state.LastFires
+}
+
+func saveLastFires(fires map[string]time.Time) {
+	path := stateFilePath()
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(path), 0o755); err != nil {
+		return
+	}
+	data, err := json.Marshal(persistentState{LastFires: fires})
+	if err != nil {
+		return
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(path, data, 0o644); err != nil {
+		log.Warnf("wallpaper: failed to persist schedule state: %v", err)
+	}
+}