diff --git a/src/renderer/handlers/keyboard.ts b/src/renderer/handlers/keyboard.ts
index 5a7f25d1..aea79ec5 100644
--- a/src/renderer/handlers/keyboard.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/handlers/keyboard.ts
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ export function createKeyboardHandlers(
     }
 
     if (binding.actionType === 'mpv-command') {
-      dispatchConfiguredMpvCommand(binding.command, {
+      void dispatchConfiguredMpvCommand(binding.command, {
         getPlaybackPaused: options.getPlaybackPaused,
         sendMpvCommand: (command) => window.electronAPI.sendMpvCommand(command),
       });
diff --git a/src/renderer/modals/session-help-commands.test.ts b/src/renderer/modals/session-help-commands.test.ts
index 3c2c9536..11ae7450 100644
--- a/src/renderer/modals/session-help-commands.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/modals/session-help-commands.test.ts
@@ -143,11 +143,13 @@ function withFakeDom(
   };
 }
 
-type HarnessOptions = { failActions?: boolean };
+type HarnessOptions = { failActions?: boolean; bindings?: CompiledSessionBinding[] };
 
 function createHarness(options: HarnessOptions) {
   const mpvCommands: (string | number)[][] = [];
   const sessionActions: string[] = [];
+  /** IPC in send order; main destroys the modal window on `closed`, dropping anything after it. */
+  const ipcLog: string[] = [];
   const define = (key: string, value: unknown) =>
     Object.defineProperty(globalThis, key, { configurable: true, writable: true, value });
 
@@ -163,15 +165,20 @@ function createHarness(options: HarnessOptions) {
     electronAPI: {
       focusMainWindow: async () => {},
       setIgnoreMouseEvents: () => {},
-      notifyOverlayModalClosed: () => {},
-      getSessionBindings: async () => SESSION_BINDINGS,
+      notifyOverlayModalClosed: () => ipcLog.push('closed'),
+      getSessionBindings: async () => options.bindings ?? SESSION_BINDINGS,
       getSubtitleStyle: async () => ({}),
       getMarkWatchedKey: async () => null,
       getSubtitleSidebarSnapshot: async () => ({ config: { toggleKey: null } }),
       getRuntimeOptions: async () => [],
-      sendMpvCommand: (command: (string | number)[]) => mpvCommands.push(command),
+      getPlaybackPaused: async () => true,
+      sendMpvCommand: (command: (string | number)[]) => {
+        mpvCommands.push(command);
+        ipcLog.push(`mpv:${command.join(' ')}`);
+      },
       dispatchSessionAction: async (actionId: string) => {
         sessionActions.push(actionId);
+        ipcLog.push(`action:${actionId}`);
         if (options.failActions) throw new Error('boom');
       },
     },
@@ -239,7 +246,7 @@ function createHarness(options: HarnessOptions) {
   }
 
   const rows = () => dom.sessionHelpContent.querySelectorAll('.session-help-item');
-  return { dom, state, open, pressEnter, rows, mpvCommands, sessionActions };
+  return { dom, state, open, pressEnter, rows, mpvCommands, sessionActions, ipcLog };
 }
 
 test('session help rows carry runnable commands except numeric and self-opening actions', () => {
@@ -294,11 +301,39 @@ test(
 
     harness.pressEnter();
 
-    assert.deepEqual(harness.sessionActions, ['toggleStatsOverlay']);
+    assert.deepEqual(harness.ipcLog, ['action:toggleStatsOverlay', 'closed']);
     assert.equal(harness.state.sessionHelpModalOpen, false);
   }),
 );
 
+test(
+  'session help sends a paused subtitle seek before closing',
+  withFakeDom(
+    async (harness) => {
+      await harness.open(true);
+      // Playback rows live on another tab; a filter searches every tab.
+      harness.dom.sessionHelpFilter.value = 'next subtitle';
+      harness.dom.sessionHelpFilter.dispatch('input', {});
+
+      harness.dom.sessionHelpContent.dispatch('dblclick', { target: harness.rows()[0] });
+      await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 0));
+
+      assert.deepEqual(harness.ipcLog, ['mpv:sub-seek 1', 'mpv:set_property pause yes', 'closed']);
+    },
+    {
+      bindings: [
+        {
+          sourcePath: 'keybindings[0].key',
+          originalKey: 'Shift+KeyL',
+          key: { code: 'KeyL', modifiers: ['shift'] },
+          actionType: 'mpv-command',
+          command: ['sub-seek', 1],
+        },
+      ],
+    },
+  ),
+);
+
 test(
   'session help ignores Enter when no video is playing',
   withFakeDom(async (harness) => {
diff --git a/src/renderer/modals/session-help.ts b/src/renderer/modals/session-help.ts
index c7f08f3c..3a754138 100644
--- a/src/renderer/modals/session-help.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/modals/session-help.ts
@@ -309,29 +309,30 @@ export function createSessionHelpModal(
   }
 
   /**
-   * Closes help first so a command that opens another modal (or needs mpv focus)
-   * lands after help has released the overlay.
+   * Sends the command before closing help. On Linux and Windows, main destroys the
+   * dedicated modal window once its last modal closes, so IPC sent after the close
+   * is dropped. Main still handles the command first, so a command that opens another
+   * modal keeps the modal window alive.
    */
   function runSelectedCommand(): void {
     if (!commandsEnabled) return;
     const command = visibleRows[ctx.state.sessionHelpSelectedIndex]?.command;
     if (!command) return;
 
-    closeSessionHelpModal();
     if (command.actionType === 'mpv-command') {
-      dispatchConfiguredMpvCommand(command.command, {
+      void dispatchConfiguredMpvCommand(command.command, {
         getPlaybackPaused: () => window.electronAPI.getPlaybackPaused(),
         sendMpvCommand: (mpvCommand) => window.electronAPI.sendMpvCommand(mpvCommand),
-      });
+      }).finally(closeSessionHelpModal);
       return;
     }
-    // Help is already closed, so surface failures on the mpv OSD.
-    void window.electronAPI
-      .dispatchSessionAction(command.actionId, command.payload)
-      .catch((error: unknown) => {
-        console.error(`Session help could not run ${command.actionId}`, error);
-        window.electronAPI.sendMpvCommand(['show-text', 'Command failed to run', '3000']);
-      });
+    const dispatched = window.electronAPI.dispatchSessionAction(command.actionId, command.payload);
+    closeSessionHelpModal();
+    // Help is closed by the time this settles, so surface failures on the mpv OSD.
+    void dispatched.catch((error: unknown) => {
+      console.error(`Session help could not run ${command.actionId}`, error);
+      window.electronAPI.sendMpvCommand(['show-text', 'Command failed to run', '3000']);
+    });
   }
 
   function getRowIndex(target: EventTarget | null): number | null {
diff --git a/src/renderer/utils/mpv-command-dispatch.ts b/src/renderer/utils/mpv-command-dispatch.ts
index b6f61228..d8175d8f 100644
--- a/src/renderer/utils/mpv-command-dispatch.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/utils/mpv-command-dispatch.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ function isSubtitleSeekCommand(command: MpvCommand): command is [string, number]
 /**
  * Sends a configured mpv command. Subtitle seeks re-pause afterwards unless playback
  * is known to be running, so stepping lines from a paused video stays paused.
+ * Resolves once every command has been sent; it never rejects.
  */
 export function dispatchConfiguredMpvCommand(
   command: MpvCommand,
@@ -14,14 +15,14 @@ export function dispatchConfiguredMpvCommand(
     getPlaybackPaused: () => Promise<boolean | null>;
     sendMpvCommand: (command: MpvCommand) => void;
   },
-): void {
+): Promise<void> {
   if (!isSubtitleSeekCommand(command)) {
     deps.sendMpvCommand(command);
-    return;
+    return Promise.resolve();
   }
 
   // The fallback only covers a failed pause lookup, so a failed re-pause never resends the seek.
-  void deps
+  return deps
     .getPlaybackPaused()
     .then(
       (paused) => {