diff --git a/changes/rofi-prompt-spacing.md b/changes/rofi-prompt-spacing.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..74c9f814
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/rofi-prompt-spacing.md
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+type: fixed
+area: launcher
+
+- Rofi menu prompts now keep a space between the prompt text and the input field instead of running into the search placeholder.
diff --git a/launcher/commands/history-command.ts b/launcher/commands/history-command.ts
index 594f370b..352bbee5 100644
--- a/launcher/commands/history-command.ts
+++ b/launcher/commands/history-command.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import {
   collectVideos,
   findRofiTheme,
   formatPickerLaunchError,
+  formatRofiPrompt,
   showFzfMenu,
   showRofiMenu,
 } from '../picker.js';
@@ -199,7 +200,16 @@ function showRofiIndexMenu(
   themePath: string | null,
   icons: Array<string | null> = [],
 ): number {
-  const rofiArgs = ['-dmenu', '-i', '-matching', 'fuzzy', '-format', 'i', '-p', prompt];
+  const rofiArgs = [
+    '-dmenu',
+    '-i',
+    '-matching',
+    'fuzzy',
+    '-format',
+    'i',
+    '-p',
+    formatRofiPrompt(prompt),
+  ];
   const hasIcons = icons.some(Boolean);
   if (hasIcons) rofiArgs.push('-show-icons');
   if (themePath) {
diff --git a/launcher/picker.test.ts b/launcher/picker.test.ts
index fd47a62d..281d1d1f 100644
--- a/launcher/picker.test.ts
+++ b/launcher/picker.test.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,22 @@ import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
 import fs from 'node:fs';
 import path from 'node:path';
 import os from 'node:os';
-import { findRofiTheme } from './picker';
+import { findRofiTheme, formatRofiPrompt } from './picker';
+
+// ── formatRofiPrompt: spacing between prompt and input field ──────────────────
+
+test('formatRofiPrompt appends a single trailing space', () => {
+  assert.equal(formatRofiPrompt('Select Video'), 'Select Video ');
+});
+
+test('formatRofiPrompt collapses existing trailing whitespace to one space', () => {
+  assert.equal(formatRofiPrompt('Watch History   '), 'Watch History ');
+});
+
+test('formatRofiPrompt leaves an empty prompt empty', () => {
+  assert.equal(formatRofiPrompt(''), '');
+  assert.equal(formatRofiPrompt('   '), '');
+});
 
 // ── findRofiTheme: Linux packaged path discovery ──────────────────────────────
 
diff --git a/launcher/picker.ts b/launcher/picker.ts
index dc731114..c35e3205 100644
--- a/launcher/picker.ts
+++ b/launcher/picker.ts
@@ -17,13 +17,22 @@ export function escapeShellSingle(value: string): string {
   return `'${value.replace(/'/g, `'\\''`)}'`;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Rofi renders the prompt flush against the input field, so keep exactly one
+ * trailing space to separate them.
+ */
+export function formatRofiPrompt(prompt: string): string {
+  const trimmed = prompt.trimEnd();
+  return trimmed ? `${trimmed} ` : '';
+}
+
 export function showRofiFlatMenu(
   items: string[],
   prompt: string,
   initialQuery = '',
   themePath: string | null = null,
 ): string {
-  const args = ['-dmenu', '-i', '-matching', 'fuzzy', '-p', prompt];
+  const args = ['-dmenu', '-i', '-matching', 'fuzzy', '-p', formatRofiPrompt(prompt)];
   if (themePath) {
     args.push('-theme', themePath);
   } else {
@@ -110,7 +119,7 @@ export async function promptOptionalJellyfinSearch(
   themePath: string | null = null,
 ): Promise<string> {
   if (useRofi && commandExists('rofi')) {
-    const rofiArgs = ['-dmenu', '-i', '-p', 'Jellyfin Search (optional)'];
+    const rofiArgs = ['-dmenu', '-i', '-p', formatRofiPrompt('Jellyfin Search (optional)')];
     if (themePath) {
       rofiArgs.push('-theme', themePath);
     } else {
@@ -157,7 +166,7 @@ function showRofiIconMenu(
   themePath: string | null = null,
 ): number {
   if (entries.length === 0) return -1;
-  const rofiArgs = ['-dmenu', '-i', '-show-icons', '-format', 'i', '-p', prompt];
+  const rofiArgs = ['-dmenu', '-i', '-show-icons', '-format', 'i', '-p', formatRofiPrompt(prompt)];
   if (initialQuery) rofiArgs.push('-filter', initialQuery);
   if (themePath) {
     rofiArgs.push('-theme', themePath);
@@ -391,7 +400,7 @@ export function showRofiMenu(
     '-dmenu',
     '-i',
     '-p',
-    'Select Video ',
+    formatRofiPrompt('Select Video'),
     '-show-icons',
     '-theme-str',
     'configuration { font: "Noto Sans CJK JP Regular 8";}',