diff --git a/deploy/README-DEPLOY.txt b/deploy/README-DEPLOY.txt
index 8fa9bc1..0e9bfff 100644
--- a/deploy/README-DEPLOY.txt
+++ b/deploy/README-DEPLOY.txt
@@ -25,8 +25,9 @@ What postinstall.bat does
 -------------------------
   1. Elevates to administrator (UAC) if not already elevated.
   2. Installs ViGEmBus silently if its driver service is not already present.
-  3. Registers RIOJoy to start at logon (HKLM ...\Run, machine-wide).
-  4. Launches RIOJoy.
+
+  RIOJoy is NOT registered to auto-start and is NOT launched by the installer —
+  the TeslaConsole launcher starts and stops the app.
 
 Deploying with TeslaConsole
 ---------------------------
@@ -40,7 +41,8 @@ Deploying with TeslaConsole
 Uninstalling with TeslaConsole
 ------------------------------
   Before deleting the RIOJoy folder, run RIOJoy\pre-uninstall.bat ELEVATED. It
-  stops the tray app (releasing file locks), removes the logon entry, uninstalls
+  stops the tray app (releasing file locks), removes any leftover logon entry
+  (from older builds that auto-started), uninstalls
   ViGEmBus, and clears per-user config (%APPDATA%\RIOJoy) for every profile. It is
   idempotent and non-fatal — safe even if RIOJoy was never fully installed. The
   console can then delete the folder cleanly. Use -KeepDriver to leave ViGEmBus in
@@ -48,8 +50,10 @@ Uninstalling with TeslaConsole
 
 After install
 -------------
-  * RIOJoy runs in the system tray. Right-click it to pick/edit profiles, set the
-    auto-switch executables, and toggle output to the PC.
+  * RIOJoy is started and stopped by the TeslaConsole launcher (it is not
+    registered to auto-start at logon).
+  * When running, RIOJoy lives in the system tray. Right-click it to pick/edit
+    profiles, set the auto-switch executables, and toggle output to the PC.
   * The RIO's joystick output appears to games as a standard "Xbox 360 Controller"
     (verify in joy.cpl). Note the XInput layout limits joystick BUTTONS to 11
     (A, B, X, Y, LB, RB, Back, Start, L3, R3, Guide); bind everything else to the
diff --git a/deploy/install-rio.ps1 b/deploy/install-rio.ps1
index 7cb29a4..87ac09c 100644
--- a/deploy/install-rio.ps1
+++ b/deploy/install-rio.ps1
@@ -1,14 +1,15 @@
 <#
 .SYNOPSIS
     RIOJoy cockpit post-install. Installs the signed ViGEmBus virtual-controller
-    driver (if absent) and sets RIOJoy to start at logon. Must run elevated
-    (postinstall.bat elevates for you). Idempotent — safe to re-run.
+    driver (if absent). Must run elevated (postinstall.bat elevates for you).
+    Idempotent — safe to re-run. RIOJoy is NOT registered to auto-start: the
+    TeslaConsole launcher owns the app's start/stop lifecycle.
 
 .DESCRIPTION
     Run from inside the deployed package directory (e.g. C:\games\RIOJOY). Paths
     are resolved relative to this script, so the layout is:
 
-        <root>\app\RioJoy.Tray.exe          the published tray app (self-contained)
+        <root>\app\RioJoy.Tray.exe          the published tray app (net48)
         <root>\vendor\ViGEmBus_*.exe         the signed ViGEmBus installer
         <root>\install-rio.ps1               (this file)
 
@@ -16,17 +17,13 @@
     Secure Boot change, and NO reboot. The RIO appears to games as a standard
     Xbox 360 controller.
 
-.PARAMETER NoLaunch
-    Do not start the app after install (it still starts at the next logon).
 #>
-param([switch]$NoLaunch)
 
 $ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
 
-$root         = $PSScriptRoot
-$appExe       = Join-Path $root 'app\RioJoy.Tray.exe'
-$vendorDir    = Join-Path $root 'vendor'
-$runValueName = 'RIOJoy'
+$root      = $PSScriptRoot
+$appExe    = Join-Path $root 'app\RioJoy.Tray.exe'
+$vendorDir = Join-Path $root 'vendor'
 
 # --- guards ---------------------------------------------------------------
 $principal = [Security.Principal.WindowsPrincipal][Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent()
@@ -58,18 +55,11 @@ if ($svc) {
     }
 }
 
-# 2. Start RIOJoy at logon (machine-wide Run key -> runs in each user's session).
-Write-Host 'Registering RIOJoy to start at logon...'
-$runKey = 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run'
-New-ItemProperty -Path $runKey -Name $runValueName -Value "`"$appExe`"" -PropertyType String -Force | Out-Null
+# RIOJoy itself is deliberately NOT registered to auto-start and NOT launched
+# here: the TeslaConsole launcher starts and stops the app.
 
 # --- summary --------------------------------------------------------------
 Write-Host ''
 Write-Host "RIOJoy installed to $root" -ForegroundColor Green
-Write-Host 'RIOJoy starts automatically at logon.'
-if (-not $NoLaunch) {
-    Write-Host 'Launching RIOJoy...'
-    # Launch via explorer so the tray app runs de-elevated in the user session.
-    Start-Process -FilePath (Join-Path $env:WINDIR 'explorer.exe') -ArgumentList $appExe
-}
+Write-Host 'RIOJoy is not auto-started; the TeslaConsole launcher starts and stops it.'
 exit 0
diff --git a/docs/PLAN.md b/docs/PLAN.md
index d2e47cb..d0fe8db 100644
--- a/docs/PLAN.md
+++ b/docs/PLAN.md
@@ -51,7 +51,8 @@ cockpit's outputs on their behalf.
   language features that net48 lacks are supplied by the PolySharp source
   generator + a few NuGet shims; see `src/RioJoy.Core/Compat/`.) Driver is C
   (WDK), separate toolchain.
-- **Form:** background **tray app** (NotifyIcon), auto-start with Windows.
+- **Form:** background **tray app** (NotifyIcon); start/stop managed by the
+  TeslaConsole launcher (no logon auto-start).
 - **Targets:** Windows 10/11 **x64 only**. The legacy x86 / WinXP targets are
   dropped.
 
@@ -198,10 +199,10 @@ Core logic in `src/RioJoy.Core/Profiles` + `RioRuntime`; UI/OS in `src/RioJoy.Tr
   commands → calibration resets + serial requests + lamp re-init. End-to-end tested
   over the fake transport.
 - Tray: `NotifyIcon` menu mirroring the legacy console menu (axis resets,
-  version/status, diagnostic toggles, quit) + profile selection (auto vs. manual)
-  + "start with Windows"; `RioCoordinator` owns the serial acquire/release tied to
-  the watcher (native-game COM-port yield); OS adapters
-  (`ForegroundProcessProvider`, `AutoStartManager`).
+  version/status, diagnostic toggles, quit) + profile selection (auto vs. manual);
+  `RioCoordinator` owns the serial acquire/release tied to the watcher (native-game
+  COM-port yield); OS adapters (`ForegroundProcessProvider`). The app's start/stop
+  lifecycle is owned by the TeslaConsole launcher (no logon auto-start).
 - Joystick output now uses the real `HidFeederJoystickSink` when the driver is
   present (verified end-to-end); `NullJoystickSink` remains only as the
   no-driver fallback.
diff --git a/src/RioJoy.Core/Profiles/AppConfig.cs b/src/RioJoy.Core/Profiles/AppConfig.cs
index bad2029..7ba2c72 100644
--- a/src/RioJoy.Core/Profiles/AppConfig.cs
+++ b/src/RioJoy.Core/Profiles/AppConfig.cs
@@ -29,9 +29,6 @@ public sealed class AppConfig
     /// </summary>
     public string? NeutralProfileName { get; set; }
 
-    /// <summary>Start RIOJoy with Windows.</summary>
-    public bool AutoStart { get; set; }
-
     /// <summary>
     /// Path to the cockpit overlay template (<c>regions.json</c>) used to generate
     /// per-profile wallpapers (Phase 7). Null disables wallpaper generation. The
diff --git a/src/RioJoy.Tray/Os/AutoStartManager.cs b/src/RioJoy.Tray/Os/AutoStartManager.cs
deleted file mode 100644
index 7289698..0000000
--- a/src/RioJoy.Tray/Os/AutoStartManager.cs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,29 +0,0 @@
-using Microsoft.Win32;
-
-namespace RioJoy.Tray.Os;
-
-/// <summary>
-/// Manages the Windows "run at login" registration via the per-user
-/// <c>Run</c> registry key. Per-user (HKCU) needs no elevation and matches the
-/// tray app running in the interactive session.
-/// </summary>
-public static class AutoStartManager
-{
-    private const string RunKey = @"Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run";
-    private const string ValueName = "RIOJoy";
-
-    public static bool IsEnabled()
-    {
-        using RegistryKey? key = Registry.CurrentUser.OpenSubKey(RunKey);
-        return key?.GetValue(ValueName) is not null;
-    }
-
-    public static void SetEnabled(bool enabled)
-    {
-        using RegistryKey key = Registry.CurrentUser.CreateSubKey(RunKey);
-        if (enabled)
-            key.SetValue(ValueName, $"\"{Application.ExecutablePath}\"");
-        else
-            key.DeleteValue(ValueName, throwOnMissingValue: false);
-    }
-}
diff --git a/src/RioJoy.Tray/Program.cs b/src/RioJoy.Tray/Program.cs
index eb34f5e..9079431 100644
--- a/src/RioJoy.Tray/Program.cs
+++ b/src/RioJoy.Tray/Program.cs
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ namespace RioJoy.Tray;
 internal static class Program
 {
     // Per-session single-instance guard. Two instances would both grab the RIO COM
-    // port, so a second launch (e.g. machine-wide + per-user autostart both firing)
-    // must exit immediately. A named mutex is released by the OS if the owner dies,
+    // port, so a second launch (e.g. the launcher starting it while an instance is
+    // already running) must exit immediately. A named mutex is released by the OS if the owner dies,
     // so a crash never leaves a stale lock.
     private const string SingleInstanceMutex = "RIOJoy.Tray.SingleInstance";
 
diff --git a/src/RioJoy.Tray/TrayApplicationContext.cs b/src/RioJoy.Tray/TrayApplicationContext.cs
index ac9204b..869a452 100644
--- a/src/RioJoy.Tray/TrayApplicationContext.cs
+++ b/src/RioJoy.Tray/TrayApplicationContext.cs
@@ -9,7 +9,8 @@ namespace RioJoy.Tray;
 /// <summary>
 /// Owns the tray icon, menu, and the RIOJoy runtime. The menu mirrors the legacy
 /// console menu (axis resets, version/status, diagnostic toggles, quit) and adds
-/// profile selection (auto vs. manual) and a "start with Windows" toggle. The
+/// profile selection (auto vs. manual). The app's start/stop lifecycle is owned by
+/// the TeslaConsole launcher, so there is no "start with Windows" toggle. The
 /// auto-switch watcher is polled on a UI timer so menu/status updates stay on the
 /// UI thread.
 /// </summary>
@@ -91,14 +92,8 @@ internal sealed class TrayApplicationContext : ApplicationContext
 
         menu.Items.Add(new ToolStripSeparator());
 
-        var autoStart = new ToolStripMenuItem("Start with Windows")
-        {
-            CheckOnClick = true,
-            Checked = AutoStartManager.IsEnabled(),
-        };
-        autoStart.Click += (_, _) => AutoStartManager.SetEnabled(autoStart.Checked);
-        menu.Items.Add(autoStart);
-
+        // No "start with Windows" toggle: the TeslaConsole launcher owns the app's
+        // start/stop lifecycle, so RIOJoy deliberately registers no auto-start entry.
         menu.Items.Add("Exit", null, (_, _) => Quit());
 
         return menu;
diff --git a/tests/RioJoy.Core.Tests/Profiles/ConfigStoreTests.cs b/tests/RioJoy.Core.Tests/Profiles/ConfigStoreTests.cs
index 8ce2782..fc67814 100644
--- a/tests/RioJoy.Core.Tests/Profiles/ConfigStoreTests.cs
+++ b/tests/RioJoy.Core.Tests/Profiles/ConfigStoreTests.cs
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ public class ConfigStoreTests
             DefaultPlasmaComPort = "COM4",
             NativeGameExecutables = { "firestorm.exe", "redplanet.exe" },
             NeutralProfileName = "Desktop",
-            AutoStart = true,
             Profiles =
             {
                 new RioProfile
@@ -35,7 +34,6 @@ public class ConfigStoreTests
 
         Assert.Equal("COM3", back.DefaultRioComPort);
         Assert.Equal(new[] { "firestorm.exe", "redplanet.exe" }, back.NativeGameExecutables);
-        Assert.True(back.AutoStart);
 
         RioProfile p = Assert.Single(back.Profiles);
         Assert.Equal("Doom", p.Name);