diff --git a/apps/server/src/process/externalLauncher.test.ts b/apps/server/src/process/externalLauncher.test.ts
index 29547d2a23ade..fb4d863c5c07d 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/process/externalLauncher.test.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/process/externalLauncher.test.ts
@@ -137,6 +137,79 @@ it.effect.skipIf(windowsHost)(
     }).pipe(Effect.scoped, Effect.provide(NodeServices.layer)),
 );
 
+// Windows drive letters cannot resolve the POSIX editor stub.
+it.effect.skipIf(windowsHost)(
+  "a Linux editor launch without a display takes the desktop session's display from the systemd user manager",
+  () =>
+    Effect.gen(function* () {
+      const fileSystem = yield* FileSystem.FileSystem;
+      const path = yield* Path.Path;
+      const binDir = yield* fileSystem.makeTempDirectoryScoped({ prefix: "t3-editors-" });
+      const codiumPath = path.join(binDir, "codium");
+      yield* fileSystem.writeFileString(codiumPath, "#!/bin/sh\n");
+      yield* fileSystem.chmod(codiumPath, 0o755);
+
+      const launchEnv = (sessionManager: MockSpawnResult) =>
+        Effect.gen(function* () {
+          const spawned: ChildProcess.StandardCommand[] = [];
+          yield* Effect.gen(function* () {
+            const launcher = yield* ExternalLauncher.ExternalLauncher;
+            yield* launcher.launchEditor({ editor: "vscodium", cwd: "/workspace" });
+            yield* launcher.launchBrowser("https://example.com");
+          }).pipe(
+            Effect.provide(
+              layerTest({
+                platform: "linux",
+                env: { PATH: binDir },
+                onSpawn: (command) => spawned.push(command),
+                spawnResult: (command) =>
+                  command.command === "busctl" ? sessionManager : undefined,
+              }),
+            ),
+            Effect.provideService(HostProcess.Environment, { PATH: binDir }),
+          );
+          // Only editors borrow the session display; a browser must not open on that screen.
+          assert.deepEqual(spawned.find((command) => command.command === "xdg-open")?.options.env, {
+            PATH: binDir,
+          });
+          return spawned.find((command) => command.command === "codium")?.options.env;
+        });
+
+      assert.deepEqual(
+        yield* launchEnv({
+          stdout: JSON.stringify({
+            type: "as",
+            data: [
+              "DISPLAY=:0",
+              "HOME=/home/user",
+              "WAYLAND_DISPLAY=wayland-1",
+              "XAUTHORITY=/home/user/auth files/cookie",
+            ],
+          }),
+        }),
+        {
+          PATH: binDir,
+          DISPLAY: ":0",
+          WAYLAND_DISPLAY: "wayland-1",
+          // Raw, not the $'...' quoting `systemctl show-environment` would print.
+          XAUTHORITY: "/home/user/auth files/cookie",
+        },
+      );
+      assert.deepEqual(yield* launchEnv({ stdout: "invalid JSON" }), { PATH: binDir });
+      assert.deepEqual(yield* launchEnv({ stdout: '{"data":[42]}' }), { PATH: binDir });
+      assert.deepEqual(
+        yield* launchEnv({
+          spawnError: PlatformError.systemError({
+            _tag: "NotFound",
+            module: "ChildProcess",
+            method: "spawn",
+          }),
+        }),
+        { PATH: binDir },
+      );
+    }).pipe(Effect.scoped, Effect.provide(NodeServices.layer)),
+);
+
 it.effect("launches an installed editor with platform-safe arguments", () =>
   Effect.gen(function* () {
     const fileSystem = yield* FileSystem.FileSystem;
diff --git a/apps/server/src/process/externalLauncher.ts b/apps/server/src/process/externalLauncher.ts
index ff62b3ab5a113..8f119ddaa0bf4 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/process/externalLauncher.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/process/externalLauncher.ts
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ import * as Layer from "effect/Layer";
 import * as Option from "effect/Option";
 import * as Path from "effect/Path";
 import * as Ref from "effect/Ref";
+import * as Schema from "effect/Schema";
 import * as Scope from "effect/Scope";
 import * as Stream from "effect/Stream";
 import * as ChildProcess from "effect/process/ChildProcess";
@@ -673,6 +674,56 @@ const launchEditor = Effect.fn("externalLauncher.launchEditor")(function* (
   yield* launchEditorProcess(launch);
 });
 
+const GRAPHICAL_SESSION_ENV_KEYS: ReadonlySet<string> = new Set([
+  "DISPLAY",
+  "WAYLAND_DISPLAY",
+  "XAUTHORITY",
+]);
+
+// The user manager's environment over D-Bus. `systemctl show-environment` would
+// shell-quote values with spaces as $'...', while this JSON carries them raw.
+const decodeManagerEnvironment = Schema.decodeUnknownEffect(
+  Schema.fromJsonString(Schema.Struct({ data: Schema.Array(Schema.String) })),
+);
+
+// Boot services miss the desktop environment imported later into the systemd user manager.
+const readGraphicalSessionEnv = Effect.fn("externalLauncher.readGraphicalSessionEnv")(
+  function* () {
+    const hostEnv = yield* HostProcess.Environment;
+    if ((yield* HostProcess.Platform) !== "linux" || hasGraphicalLinuxSession(hostEnv)) {
+      return {};
+    }
+    const spawner = yield* ChildProcessSpawner.ChildProcessSpawner;
+    const output = yield* spawner.string(
+      ChildProcess.make(
+        "busctl",
+        [
+          "--user",
+          "--json=short",
+          "get-property",
+          "org.freedesktop.systemd1",
+          "/org/freedesktop/systemd1",
+          "org.freedesktop.systemd1.Manager",
+          "Environment",
+        ],
+        { stdin: "ignore", stderr: "ignore" },
+      ),
+    );
+    const { data } = yield* decodeManagerEnvironment(output);
+    return Object.fromEntries(
+      data.flatMap((line) => {
+        const separator = line.indexOf("=");
+        const key = line.slice(0, separator);
+        return separator > 0 && GRAPHICAL_SESSION_ENV_KEYS.has(key)
+          ? [[key, line.slice(separator + 1)]]
+          : [];
+      }),
+    );
+  },
+  Effect.timeout("2 seconds"),
+  Effect.orElseSucceed((): NodeJS.ProcessEnv => ({})),
+);
+
 const launchAndUnref = Effect.fn("externalLauncher.launchAndUnref")(function* (
   launch: ProcessLaunch,
   onError: (cause: unknown) => ExternalLauncherError,
@@ -682,7 +733,7 @@ const launchAndUnref = Effect.fn("externalLauncher.launchAndUnref")(function* (
   const { ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE: _runAsNode, ...env } = yield* HostProcess.Environment;
   const command = ChildProcess.make(launch.command, launch.args, {
     ...launch.options,
-    env,
+    env: { ...env, ...launch.options.env },
     extendEnv: false,
   });
 
@@ -736,6 +787,7 @@ const launchEditorProcess = Effect.fn("externalLauncher.launchEditorProcess")(fu
       options: {
         detached: launch.detached ?? true,
         shell: spawnCommand.shell,
+        env: yield* readGraphicalSessionEnv(),
         stdin: "ignore",
         stdout: "ignore",
         stderr: "ignore",