diff --git a/src/main.ts b/src/main.ts
index 2953cd63..88d552ba 100644
--- a/src/main.ts
+++ b/src/main.ts
@@ -609,6 +609,7 @@ import {
   notifyConfiguredStatus,
   type ConfiguredStatusNotificationOptions,
 } from './main/runtime/configured-status-notification';
+import { resolveOverlayReadinessNotificationType } from './main/runtime/notification-routing';
 import { createUpdateDialogPresenter } from './main/runtime/update/update-dialogs';
 import {
   runUpdateCliCommand,
@@ -3337,10 +3338,7 @@ function isVisibleOverlayContentReady(): boolean {
 
 function getConfiguredStatusNotificationType(): NotificationType {
   const configuredType = getResolvedConfig().ankiConnect.behavior.notificationType;
-  if (configuredType === 'none' || isVisibleOverlayContentReady()) {
-    return configuredType;
-  }
-  return 'osd';
+  return resolveOverlayReadinessNotificationType(configuredType, isVisibleOverlayContentReady());
 }
 
 function sendOverlayNotificationEvent(payload: OverlayNotificationEventPayload): void {
@@ -3414,7 +3412,13 @@ function showYoutubeFlowStatusNotification(message: string): void {
 }
 
 function showOverlayLoadingStatusNotification(message: string): void {
-  showMpvOsd(message);
+  showConfiguredStatusNotification(message, {
+    id: 'overlay-loading-status',
+    title: 'SubMiner',
+    variant: 'progress',
+    persistent: true,
+    desktop: false,
+  });
 }
 
 const buildBroadcastRuntimeOptionsChangedMainDepsHandler =
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/character-dictionary-auto-sync-notifications.ts b/src/main/runtime/character-dictionary-auto-sync-notifications.ts
index 03a306b6..47b80a91 100644
--- a/src/main/runtime/character-dictionary-auto-sync-notifications.ts
+++ b/src/main/runtime/character-dictionary-auto-sync-notifications.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import type { CharacterDictionaryAutoSyncStatusEvent } from './character-dictionary-auto-sync';
 import type { StartupOsdSequencerCharacterDictionaryEvent } from './startup-osd-sequencer';
 import type { NotificationType, OverlayNotificationPayload } from '../../types/notification';
+import { shouldShowDesktop, shouldShowOverlay, shouldShowOsd } from './notification-routing';
 
 export type CharacterDictionaryAutoSyncNotificationEvent = CharacterDictionaryAutoSyncStatusEvent;
 
@@ -16,18 +17,6 @@ export interface CharacterDictionaryAutoSyncNotificationDeps {
   };
 }
 
-function shouldShowOsd(type: NotificationType): boolean {
-  return type === 'osd' || type === 'osd-system';
-}
-
-function shouldShowOverlay(type: NotificationType): boolean {
-  return type === 'overlay' || type === 'both';
-}
-
-function shouldShowDesktop(type: NotificationType): boolean {
-  return type === 'system' || type === 'both' || type === 'osd-system';
-}
-
 function isTerminalPhase(phase: CharacterDictionaryAutoSyncNotificationEvent['phase']): boolean {
   return phase === 'ready' || phase === 'failed';
 }
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/configured-status-notification.test.ts b/src/main/runtime/configured-status-notification.test.ts
index 6441a04e..837ac5e0 100644
--- a/src/main/runtime/configured-status-notification.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/runtime/configured-status-notification.test.ts
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ test('notifyConfiguredStatus routes both to overlay and system without osd', ()
   ]);
 });
 
-test('notifyConfiguredStatus routes pre-overlay status to osd only', () => {
+test('notifyConfiguredStatus routes pre-overlay both status to osd and desktop', () => {
   const calls: string[] = [];
 
   notifyConfiguredStatus('Overlay loading...', {
@@ -42,7 +42,25 @@ test('notifyConfiguredStatus routes pre-overlay status to osd only', () => {
       calls.push(`desktop:${title}:${options.body ?? ''}`),
   });
 
-  assert.deepEqual(calls, ['osd:Overlay loading...']);
+  assert.deepEqual(calls, ['osd:Overlay loading...', 'desktop:SubMiner:Overlay loading...']);
+});
+
+test('notifyConfiguredStatus routes pre-overlay system status to desktop only', () => {
+  const calls: string[] = [];
+
+  notifyConfiguredStatus('Overlay loading...', {
+    getNotificationType: () => 'system',
+    isOverlayReady: () => false,
+    showOsd: (message) => {
+      calls.push(`osd:${message}`);
+    },
+    showOverlayNotification: (payload) =>
+      calls.push(`overlay:${payload.id ?? ''}:${payload.body ?? ''}`),
+    showDesktopNotification: (title, options) =>
+      calls.push(`desktop:${title}:${options.body ?? ''}`),
+  });
+
+  assert.deepEqual(calls, ['desktop:SubMiner:Overlay loading...']);
 });
 
 test('notifyConfiguredStatus keeps osd-system on legacy surfaces', () => {
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/configured-status-notification.ts b/src/main/runtime/configured-status-notification.ts
index 58c86d38..12124c9c 100644
--- a/src/main/runtime/configured-status-notification.ts
+++ b/src/main/runtime/configured-status-notification.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import type { NotificationType, OverlayNotificationPayload } from '../../types/notification';
+import { shouldShowDesktop, shouldShowOverlay, shouldShowOsd } from './notification-routing';
 
 export interface ConfiguredStatusNotificationDeps {
   getNotificationType: () => NotificationType | undefined;
@@ -17,18 +18,6 @@ export interface ConfiguredStatusNotificationOptions {
   delivery?: 'notification' | 'feedback';
 }
 
-function shouldShowOverlay(type: NotificationType): boolean {
-  return type === 'overlay' || type === 'both';
-}
-
-function shouldShowOsd(type: NotificationType): boolean {
-  return type === 'osd' || type === 'osd-system';
-}
-
-function shouldShowDesktop(type: NotificationType): boolean {
-  return type === 'system' || type === 'both' || type === 'osd-system';
-}
-
 export function getPlaybackFeedbackNotificationOptions(
   message: string,
 ): ConfiguredStatusNotificationOptions {
@@ -60,12 +49,9 @@ export function notifyConfiguredStatus(
     return;
   }
 
-  if (deps.isOverlayReady?.() === false) {
-    deps.showOsd(message);
-    return;
-  }
+  const overlayReady = deps.isOverlayReady?.() !== false;
 
-  if (showOverlay) {
+  if (showOverlay && overlayReady) {
     if (deps.showOverlayNotification) {
       deps.showOverlayNotification({
         id: options.id,
@@ -77,6 +63,8 @@ export function notifyConfiguredStatus(
     } else if (desktopEnabled && !shouldShowDesktop(type)) {
       deps.showDesktopNotification(options.title ?? 'SubMiner', { body: message });
     }
+  } else if (showOverlay && !showOsd) {
+    deps.showOsd(message);
   }
 
   if (showOsd) {
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/notification-routing.test.ts b/src/main/runtime/notification-routing.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1d244b13
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/runtime/notification-routing.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import test from 'node:test';
+import {
+  resolveOverlayReadinessNotificationType,
+  shouldShowDesktop,
+  shouldShowOverlay,
+  shouldShowOsd,
+} from './notification-routing';
+
+test('notification routing preserves system notification while overlay is not ready', () => {
+  assert.equal(resolveOverlayReadinessNotificationType('system', false), 'system');
+});
+
+test('notification routing preserves both as osd plus system while overlay is not ready', () => {
+  assert.equal(resolveOverlayReadinessNotificationType('both', false), 'osd-system');
+});
+
+test('notification routing falls back overlay-only notification to osd while overlay is not ready', () => {
+  assert.equal(resolveOverlayReadinessNotificationType('overlay', false), 'osd');
+});
+
+test('notification routing predicates classify delivery channels', () => {
+  assert.equal(shouldShowOverlay('both'), true);
+  assert.equal(shouldShowOverlay('system'), false);
+  assert.equal(shouldShowOsd('osd-system'), true);
+  assert.equal(shouldShowOsd('both'), false);
+  assert.equal(shouldShowDesktop('osd-system'), true);
+  assert.equal(shouldShowDesktop('overlay'), false);
+});
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/notification-routing.ts b/src/main/runtime/notification-routing.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ab5d046d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/runtime/notification-routing.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+import type { NotificationType } from '../../types/notification';
+
+export function shouldShowOsd(type: NotificationType): boolean {
+  return type === 'osd' || type === 'osd-system';
+}
+
+export function shouldShowOverlay(type: NotificationType): boolean {
+  return type === 'overlay' || type === 'both';
+}
+
+export function shouldShowDesktop(type: NotificationType): boolean {
+  return type === 'system' || type === 'both' || type === 'osd-system';
+}
+
+export function resolveOverlayReadinessNotificationType(
+  type: NotificationType,
+  overlayReady: boolean,
+): NotificationType {
+  if (overlayReady) {
+    return type;
+  }
+  if (type === 'overlay') {
+    return 'osd';
+  }
+  if (type === 'both') {
+    return 'osd-system';
+  }
+  return type;
+}
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/startup-osd-sequencer.ts b/src/main/runtime/startup-osd-sequencer.ts
index bca9a263..13ff62c9 100644
--- a/src/main/runtime/startup-osd-sequencer.ts
+++ b/src/main/runtime/startup-osd-sequencer.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import type { NotificationType, OverlayNotificationPayload } from '../../types/notification';
+import { shouldShowDesktop, shouldShowOverlay, shouldShowOsd } from './notification-routing';
 
 export interface StartupOsdSequencerCharacterDictionaryEvent {
   phase: 'checking' | 'generating' | 'syncing' | 'building' | 'importing' | 'ready' | 'failed';
@@ -21,18 +22,6 @@ interface StartupStatusNotificationOptions {
   desktop?: boolean;
 }
 
-function shouldShowOsd(type: NotificationType): boolean {
-  return type === 'osd' || type === 'osd-system';
-}
-
-function shouldShowOverlay(type: NotificationType): boolean {
-  return type === 'overlay' || type === 'both';
-}
-
-function shouldShowDesktop(type: NotificationType): boolean {
-  return type === 'system' || type === 'both' || type === 'osd-system';
-}
-
 export function createStartupOsdSequencer(deps: StartupOsdSequencerDeps): {
   reset: () => void;
   showTokenizationLoading: (message: string) => void;