diff --git a/desktop/src/features/agents/ui/DesktopLifecycleControl.test.mjs b/desktop/src/features/agents/ui/DesktopLifecycleControl.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d691952122
--- /dev/null
+++ b/desktop/src/features/agents/ui/DesktopLifecycleControl.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import test from "node:test";
+import React from "react";
+import { JSDOM } from "jsdom";
+import { QueryClient, QueryClientProvider } from "@tanstack/react-query";
+import { DesktopLifecycleControl } from "./DesktopLifecycleControl.tsx";
+import { relayClient } from "../../../shared/api/relayClient.ts";
+
+test("mounted Start exposes unavailable provisioning and exact retry; Restart resolves source", async () => {
+  const dom = new JSDOM("<div id='root'></div>", {
+    url: "https://desktop.test",
+  });
+  Object.assign(globalThis, {
+    window: dom.window,
+    document: dom.window.document,
+    localStorage: dom.window.localStorage,
+    IS_REACT_ACT_ENVIRONMENT: true,
+  });
+  const { createRoot } = await import("react-dom/client");
+  const client = new QueryClient({
+    defaultOptions: { queries: { retry: false, staleTime: Infinity } },
+  });
+  client.setQueryData(
+    ["relay-agents"],
+    [
+      { pubkey: "agent", name: "Owned agent", ownerPubkey: "owner" },
+      { pubkey: "foreign", name: "Foreign agent", ownerPubkey: "other" },
+    ],
+  );
+  const scope = { owner: "owner", community: "wss://one.example" };
+  const originals = {
+    fetch: relayClient.fetchEvents,
+    publish: relayClient.publishEvent,
+  };
+  const prepared = [],
+    sent = [];
+  let stop = "failed";
+  window.__TAURI_INTERNALS__ = {
+    invoke: async (command, args) => {
+      assert.equal(args.owner, scope.owner);
+      assert.equal(args.community, scope.community);
+      if (command === "observe_desktop_placement") return;
+      if (command === "read_desktop_placement") return ["source", "selection"];
+      if (
+        command === "prepare_desktop_lifecycle" ||
+        command === "prepare_desktop_stop"
+      ) {
+        const request = {
+          id: `request-${prepared.length}`,
+          kind: command.endsWith("_stop") ? 50180 : 50182,
+          ...args,
+        };
+        prepared.push(request);
+        return request;
+      }
+      if (command === "read_desktop_lifecycle_results")
+        return args.request.action === "status"
+          ? "running"
+          : "provisioning_unavailable";
+      if (command === "read_desktop_stop_results") return stop;
+      throw Error(command);
+    },
+  };
+  relayClient.fetchEvents = async () => [];
+  relayClient.publishEvent = async (event, _timeout, _failure, check) => {
+    check();
+    sent.push(event);
+  };
+  const root = createRoot(document.getElementById("root"));
+  const click = (text) =>
+    React.act(async () =>
+      [...document.querySelectorAll("button")]
+        .find((b) => b.textContent === text)
+        .click(),
+    );
+  const select = (label, value) =>
+    React.act(async () => {
+      const element = document.querySelector(`select[aria-label="${label}"]`);
+      element.value = value;
+      element.dispatchEvent(new dom.window.Event("change", { bubbles: true }));
+    });
+  try {
+    await React.act(async () =>
+      root.render(
+        React.createElement(
+          QueryClientProvider,
+          { client },
+          React.createElement(DesktopLifecycleControl, {
+            scope,
+            desktops: [
+              { id: "source", name: "Source" },
+              { id: "destination", name: "Destination" },
+            ],
+          }),
+        ),
+      ),
+    );
+    assert.doesNotMatch(document.body.textContent, /Foreign agent/);
+    await select("Agent to place", "agent");
+    await select("Destination Desktop", "destination");
+    await click("Start on destination");
+    assert.match(
+      document.body.textContent,
+      /keyless launch provisioning is unavailable/,
+    );
+    assert.equal(prepared[0].desktop, "destination");
+    await click("Retry same request");
+    assert.equal(prepared.length, 1);
+    assert.equal(sent[0], sent[1]);
+    await click("Restart on current Desktop");
+    const restart = prepared.at(-1);
+    assert.equal(
+      restart.desktop,
+      "source",
+      "destination picker must not redirect Restart",
+    );
+    assert.equal(restart.action, "restart");
+    assert.equal(restart.observed, prepared.at(-2).id);
+    await click("Move to destination");
+    assert.match(document.body.textContent, /destination was not started/);
+    const count = prepared.length;
+    stop = "stopped";
+    await React.act(async () => {});
+    assert.equal(prepared.length, count, "late Stop cannot resume failed Move");
+    assert.doesNotMatch(document.body.textContent, /Retry same request/);
+  } finally {
+    await React.act(async () => root.unmount());
+    client.clear();
+    relayClient.fetchEvents = originals.fetch;
+    relayClient.publishEvent = originals.publish;
+    dom.window.close();
+  }
+});
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/agents/ui/DesktopLifecycleControl.tsx b/desktop/src/features/agents/ui/DesktopLifecycleControl.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5baffa6f4c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/desktop/src/features/agents/ui/DesktopLifecycleControl.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,226 @@
+import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
+import { Button } from "@/shared/ui/button";
+import type { RelayEvent } from "@/shared/api/types";
+import type { DesktopRow, DesktopScope } from "../desktopList";
+import {
+  lifecycleClient,
+  receiveLifecycle,
+  type LifecycleOutcome,
+} from "../desktopLifecycle";
+import { useRelayAgentsQuery } from "../hooks";
+
+export function DesktopLifecycleReceiver({
+  scope,
+}: {
+  scope: DesktopScope | null;
+}) {
+  const [error, setError] = useState("");
+  const { owner, community } = scope ?? {};
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!owner || !community) return;
+    let active = true;
+    let close: (() => void) | undefined;
+    setError("");
+    void receiveLifecycle({ owner, community }, () => active, setError)
+      .then((fn) => {
+        if (active) close = fn;
+        else fn();
+      })
+      .catch(() => {
+        if (active) setError("Desktop lifecycle receiver is unavailable.");
+      });
+    return () => {
+      active = false;
+      close?.();
+    };
+  }, [owner, community]);
+  return error ? (
+    <p role="status" className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">
+      {error}
+    </p>
+  ) : null;
+}
+function message(outcome: LifecycleOutcome) {
+  switch (outcome) {
+    case "running":
+      return "Desktop confirmed a running local process. This does not prove model readiness.";
+    case "provisioning_unavailable":
+      return "Destination keyless launch provisioning is unavailable. No new process was started.";
+    case "stopped":
+      return "Desktop reports the agent stopped.";
+    case "failed":
+      return "Desktop rejected or failed the operation. No successful launch was confirmed.";
+    default:
+      return "Operation unconfirmed. A dispatched effect may still finish; no automatic retry will run.";
+  }
+}
+/** Start/Move choose destination; Restart has no host picker and resolves actual current state. */
+export function DesktopLifecycleControl({
+  scope,
+  desktops,
+}: {
+  scope: DesktopScope;
+  desktops: DesktopRow[];
+}) {
+  const agents = useRelayAgentsQuery();
+  const [agent, setAgent] = useState("");
+  const [destination, setDestination] = useState("");
+  const [busy, setBusy] = useState(false);
+  const [status, setStatus] = useState("");
+  const [request, setRequest] = useState<RelayEvent | null>(null);
+  const active = useRef(true);
+  const generation = useRef(0);
+  useEffect(() => {
+    active.current = true;
+    return () => {
+      active.current = false;
+      generation.current++;
+    };
+  }, []);
+  const run = async (action: "start" | "restart" | "move" | "retry") => {
+    const token = ++generation.current;
+    const valid = () => active.current && generation.current === token;
+    const client = lifecycleClient(scope, valid);
+    setBusy(true);
+    setStatus("Checking authenticated Desktop state…");
+    if (action !== "retry") setRequest(null);
+    try {
+      if (action === "move") {
+        const outcome = await client.move(
+          agent,
+          destination,
+          desktops.map((d) => d.id),
+          (stage) => {
+            if (valid()) setStatus(stage);
+          },
+        );
+        client.check();
+        setStatus(message(outcome));
+      } else {
+        const next =
+          action === "retry"
+            ? request
+            : action === "start"
+              ? await client.start(destination, agent)
+              : await client.restart(
+                  agent,
+                  desktops.map((d) => d.id),
+                );
+        if (!next) throw new Error("No request to retry");
+        client.check();
+        setRequest(next);
+        setStatus("Request sent. Waiting for the Desktop’s actual result…");
+        const outcome = await client.send(next);
+        client.check();
+        setStatus(message(outcome));
+      }
+    } catch (error) {
+      if (valid())
+        setStatus(
+          error instanceof Error ? error.message : "Operation unconfirmed",
+        );
+    } finally {
+      if (valid()) setBusy(false);
+    }
+  };
+  const reset = () => {
+    setRequest(null);
+    setStatus("");
+  };
+  return (
+    <section
+      aria-label="Agent placement controls"
+      className="space-y-2 rounded border p-3"
+    >
+      <h3 className="text-sm font-medium">Start, restart, or move an agent</h3>
+      <label className="block text-xs">
+        Agent
+        <select
+          aria-label="Agent to place"
+          value={agent}
+          disabled={busy}
+          onChange={(e) => {
+            setAgent(e.target.value);
+            reset();
+          }}
+          className="ml-2 rounded border bg-background p-1"
+        >
+          <option value="">Choose your agent</option>
+          {(agents.data ?? [])
+            .filter((a) => a.ownerPubkey === scope.owner)
+            .map((a) => (
+              <option key={a.pubkey} value={a.pubkey}>
+                {a.name}
+              </option>
+            ))}
+        </select>
+      </label>
+      <Button
+        size="sm"
+        variant="outline"
+        disabled={!agent || busy}
+        onClick={() => void run("restart")}
+      >
+        Restart on current Desktop
+      </Button>
+      <label className="block text-xs">
+        Destination for Start or Move
+        <select
+          aria-label="Destination Desktop"
+          value={destination}
+          disabled={busy}
+          onChange={(e) => {
+            setDestination(e.target.value);
+            reset();
+          }}
+          className="ml-2 rounded border bg-background p-1"
+        >
+          <option value="">Choose a Desktop</option>
+          {desktops.map((d) => (
+            <option key={d.id} value={d.id}>
+              {d.name}
+            </option>
+          ))}
+        </select>
+      </label>
+      <p className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">
+        Start may overlap with an agent still running elsewhere until that
+        Desktop reconnects. Move starts the destination only after source Stop
+        is confirmed. Nothing transfers files, configuration, or keys.
+      </p>
+      <div className="flex gap-2">
+        <Button
+          size="sm"
+          variant="outline"
+          disabled={!agent || !destination || busy}
+          onClick={() => void run("start")}
+        >
+          Start on destination
+        </Button>
+        <Button
+          size="sm"
+          variant="outline"
+          disabled={!agent || !destination || busy}
+          onClick={() => void run("move")}
+        >
+          Move to destination
+        </Button>
+        {request && (
+          <Button
+            size="sm"
+            variant="ghost"
+            disabled={busy}
+            onClick={() => void run("retry")}
+          >
+            Retry same request
+          </Button>
+        )}
+      </div>
+      {status && (
+        <p role="status" className="text-xs">
+          {status}
+        </p>
+      )}
+    </section>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/agents/ui/KnownDesktops.tsx b/desktop/src/features/agents/ui/KnownDesktops.tsx
index 45e7aa68ea..5f4328b332 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/agents/ui/KnownDesktops.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/features/agents/ui/KnownDesktops.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
-import { DesktopStopControl, DesktopStopReceiver } from "./DesktopStopControl";
+import {
+  DesktopLifecycleControl,
+  DesktopLifecycleReceiver,
+} from "./DesktopLifecycleControl";
+import { DesktopStopControl } from "./DesktopStopControl";
 import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
 import { useQuery } from "@tanstack/react-query";
 import { useIdentityQuery } from "@/shared/api/hooks";
@@ -62,6 +66,7 @@ function useDesktopList() {
 
 /** Startup and Agents share the existing owner/community query cache. */
 export function DesktopListStartup() {
+  const [epoch, setEpoch] = useState(0);
   const { refetch } = useDesktopList();
   const { refetch: pulse } = useDesktopObservations(useDesktopScope());
   const { refetch: report } = useDesktopCapabilities(useDesktopScope());
@@ -71,6 +76,7 @@ export function DesktopListStartup() {
       void report();
     }, DESKTOP_PULSE_MS);
     const unsubscribe = relayClient.subscribeToReconnects(() => {
+      setEpoch((n) => n + 1);
       void refetch();
       void pulse();
       void report();
@@ -80,7 +86,8 @@ export function DesktopListStartup() {
       unsubscribe();
     };
   }, [refetch, pulse, report]);
-  return <DesktopStopReceiver scope={useDesktopScope()} />;
+  const scope = useDesktopScope();
+  return <DesktopLifecycleReceiver key={`lifecycle:${epoch}`} scope={scope} />;
 }
 
 export function KnownDesktops() {
@@ -170,6 +177,13 @@ export function DesktopListView({
         <p role="status">Partial list: showing up to 100 profiles.</p>
       )}
       {list && !list.rows.length && !error && <p>No Desktop profiles found.</p>}
+      {scope && list && (
+        <DesktopLifecycleControl
+          key={`${scope.owner}:${scope.community}`}
+          scope={scope}
+          desktops={list.rows}
+        />
+      )}
       <ul className="space-y-2">
         {list?.rows.map((row) => (
           <li key={row.id} className="text-sm">