diff --git a/desktop/src/core/dockerPath.test.ts b/desktop/src/core/dockerPath.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0e73b4a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/desktop/src/core/dockerPath.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest'
+import { dockerSearchPath, DOCKER_BIN_DIRS } from './dockerPath'
+
+describe('dockerSearchPath', () => {
+	it('prepends the docker bin dirs to the inherited PATH', () => {
+		const out = dockerSearchPath('/usr/bin:/bin')
+		expect(out.split(':').slice(0, DOCKER_BIN_DIRS.length)).toEqual(DOCKER_BIN_DIRS)
+		expect(out.endsWith('/usr/bin:/bin')).toBe(true)
+	})
+
+	it('de-duplicates dirs already present in the inherited PATH', () => {
+		const out = dockerSearchPath('/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin')
+		expect(out.split(':').filter((d) => d === '/usr/local/bin')).toHaveLength(1)
+	})
+
+	it('handles an empty/undefined inherited PATH (GUI-launch minimal env)', () => {
+		expect(dockerSearchPath('')).toBe(DOCKER_BIN_DIRS.join(':'))
+		expect(dockerSearchPath()).toBe(DOCKER_BIN_DIRS.join(':'))
+	})
+
+	it('drops empty segments', () => {
+		expect(dockerSearchPath('::/usr/bin:').split(':')).not.toContain('')
+	})
+})
diff --git a/desktop/src/core/dockerPath.ts b/desktop/src/core/dockerPath.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d0d1aae1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/desktop/src/core/dockerPath.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+// A macOS app launched from Finder/Applications inherits a minimal PATH
+// (/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin) that omits the directories where the `docker`
+// CLI actually lives — so a bare `spawn('docker')` fails with ENOENT even when
+// Docker Desktop is installed. We prepend the known docker bin dirs to PATH.
+
+/** Standard locations the `docker` CLI is installed to on macOS. */
+export const DOCKER_BIN_DIRS = [
+	'/usr/local/bin', // Docker Desktop CLI symlink (Intel + Apple Silicon)
+	'/opt/homebrew/bin', // Homebrew on Apple Silicon
+	'/Applications/Docker.app/Contents/Resources/bin' // Docker Desktop bundled CLI
+]
+
+/**
+ * Merge a base PATH with the known docker bin dirs. Extra dirs come first so a
+ * Finder-launched app can find `docker`; entries are de-duplicated, order preserved.
+ * Pure: the caller passes process.env.PATH.
+ */
+export function dockerSearchPath(currentPath = '', extraDirs: string[] = DOCKER_BIN_DIRS): string {
+	const seen = new Set<string>()
+	const out: string[] = []
+	for (const dir of [...extraDirs, ...currentPath.split(':')]) {
+		if (dir && !seen.has(dir)) {
+			seen.add(dir)
+			out.push(dir)
+		}
+	}
+	return out.join(':')
+}
diff --git a/desktop/src/main/index.ts b/desktop/src/main/index.ts
index 839dba6e..42d8043a 100644
--- a/desktop/src/main/index.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/main/index.ts
@@ -70,12 +70,15 @@ ipcMain.handle('wizard:complete', async (_e, input: WizardInput) => {
 			inference: input.inference,
 			adminEmail: input.adminEmail
 		}
-		saveConfig(cfg)
+		// Write the .env (needed before startStack) but DON'T persist the config blob yet —
+		// only mark the wizard complete after the stack is healthy and the admin exists, so a
+		// failed first run re-shows the wizard instead of stranding a half-configured install.
 		writeEnvFile(cfg)
 		const b = base()
 		await startStack(b, process.env)
 		await waitHealthy(b)
 		await runAdminFixture(b, input.adminEmail, input.adminPassword)
+		saveConfig(cfg)
 		return { ok: true }
 	} catch (err) {
 		return { ok: false, error: String(err) }
diff --git a/desktop/src/main/paths.ts b/desktop/src/main/paths.ts
index b14480b1..1e92208f 100644
--- a/desktop/src/main/paths.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/main/paths.ts
@@ -19,4 +19,7 @@ export const composeFilePath = (): string =>
 		? join(process.resourcesPath, 'docker-compose.release.yml')
 		: join(app.getAppPath(), '..', 'docker-compose.release.yml')
 
-export const PROJECT_NAME = 'donna'
+// Distinct from the build-from-source / raw-lq-ai dev stacks (which use project "donna")
+// so the launcher gets its OWN isolated volumes and never collides on volumes/ports.
+// `-p` overrides the compose file's top-level `name:`.
+export const PROJECT_NAME = 'donna-desktop'
diff --git a/desktop/src/main/runner.ts b/desktop/src/main/runner.ts
index a3465084..2faefb04 100644
--- a/desktop/src/main/runner.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/main/runner.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { spawn } from 'node:child_process'
+import { dockerSearchPath } from '../core/dockerPath'
 
 export interface RunResult {
 	code: number
@@ -6,10 +7,19 @@ export interface RunResult {
 	stderr: string
 }
 
+/**
+ * Env for spawning `docker`. A Finder-launched macOS app inherits a minimal PATH that
+ * omits /usr/local/bin (where Docker Desktop's CLI lives), so a bare spawn ENOENTs even
+ * with Docker installed. Augment PATH with the known docker bin dirs.
+ */
+function dockerSpawnEnv(extra?: NodeJS.ProcessEnv): NodeJS.ProcessEnv {
+	return { ...process.env, ...extra, PATH: dockerSearchPath(process.env.PATH) }
+}
+
 /** Run `docker <args>` to completion, capturing output. Never throws on non-zero. */
 export function runDocker(args: string[], env?: NodeJS.ProcessEnv): Promise<RunResult> {
 	return new Promise((resolve) => {
-		const child = spawn('docker', args, { env: { ...process.env, ...env } })
+		const child = spawn('docker', args, { env: dockerSpawnEnv(env) })
 		let stdout = ''
 		let stderr = ''
 		child.stdout.on('data', (d) => (stdout += d.toString()))
@@ -21,9 +31,12 @@ export function runDocker(args: string[], env?: NodeJS.ProcessEnv): Promise<RunR
 
 /** Stream `docker <args>` lines to a callback (for `logs -f`). Returns a kill fn. */
 export function streamDocker(args: string[], onLine: (line: string) => void): () => void {
-	const child = spawn('docker', args)
+	const child = spawn('docker', args, { env: dockerSpawnEnv() })
 	const pump = (buf: Buffer) => buf.toString().split('\n').forEach((l) => l && onLine(l))
 	child.stdout.on('data', pump)
 	child.stderr.on('data', pump)
+	// Best-effort: a spawn failure (e.g. docker not found, or the stack not up yet) must
+	// NOT crash the main process — the engine/stack state is reported via runDocker instead.
+	child.on('error', () => {})
 	return () => child.kill()
 }