diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
index 241eeaea..b66a5e6d 100644
--- a/.gitattributes
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -1,2 +1 @@
-appimage/friture.yml text eol=lf
 appimage/friture.desktop text eol=lf
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index 1dad69d6..dbfa0f99 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -192,6 +192,33 @@ jobs:
     - name: Build
       run: source ./.github/workflows/install-macos.sh
 
+    - name: Verify app launches (smoke test)
+      shell: bash
+      run: uv run python scripts/smoke_test.py dist/friture.app/Contents/MacOS/friture --no-splash
+
+    - name: Capture Friture log
+      if: always()
+      shell: bash
+      run: |
+        uv run python - <<'PY'
+        import os, shutil, platformdirs
+        src = os.path.join(platformdirs.user_log_dir("Friture", ""), "friture.log.txt")
+        dst = "friture-smoke.log"
+        if os.path.exists(src):
+            shutil.copy2(src, dst)
+        else:
+            with open(dst, "w") as f:
+                f.write("log not found: " + src)
+        PY
+
+    - name: Upload friture smoke-test log
+      if: always()
+      uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
+      with:
+        name: friture-smoke-log-macos
+        path: friture-smoke.log
+        if-no-files-found: warn
+
     - name: Upload dmg
       uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
       with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/install-macos.sh b/.github/workflows/install-macos.sh
index 00230a7b..1c948a2c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/install-macos.sh
+++ b/.github/workflows/install-macos.sh
@@ -37,31 +37,33 @@ codesign -dv dist/friture.app
 export ARTIFACT_FILENAME=friture-$(uv run python -c 'import friture; print(friture.__version__)')-$(date +'%Y%m%d').dmg
 echo $ARTIFACT_FILENAME
 
-# macos has random hdiutil errors because of XProtectBehaviorService, retry a few times.
-# Reference: https://github.com/actions/runner-images/issues/7522#issuecomment-1556766641
-max_retries=30
-retry_delay_seconds=5
+# sanity check: a healthy Friture .app bundle is well under 200 MB.
+# A much larger result usually means a packaging step duplicated the Qt/Python
+# libs, so fail loudly rather than ship a bloated artifact.
+APP_BUNDLE_SIZE_BYTES=$(du -sk dist/friture.app | awk '{print $1}')
+echo "friture.app size: $APP_BUNDLE_SIZE_BYTES KB"
+if [ "$APP_BUNDLE_SIZE_BYTES" -gt 200000 ]; then
+    echo "ERROR: friture.app is unexpectedly large (>200MB); aborting."
+    exit 1
+fi
 
-for ((i=1; i<=max_retries; i++)); do
-    set +e  # Disable 'exit on error'
-    hdiutil create $ARTIFACT_FILENAME -volname "Friture" -fs HFS+ -srcfolder dist/friture.app
-    status=$?
-    set -e  # Re-enable 'exit on error'
+# Build the DMG with a polished layout (icon positioning + a drop zone for
+# /Applications) using create-dmg.
+brew install create-dmg
 
-    if [ $status -eq 0 ]; then
-        echo "hdiutil create succeeded on attempt $i"
-        break
-    else
-        echo "hdiutil create failed on attempt $i"
-        if [ $i -lt $max_retries ]; then
-            echo "Retrying in $retry_delay_seconds seconds..."
-            sleep $retry_delay_seconds
-        else
-            echo "All attempts failed."
-            exit 1
-        fi
-    fi
-done
+create-dmg \
+    --volname "Friture" \
+    --window-pos 200 122 \
+    --window-size 600 400 \
+    --icon-size 100 \
+    --hide-extension "friture.app" \
+    --icon "friture.app" 150 190 \
+    --app-drop-link 450 190 \
+    --background "installer/dmg-background.png" \
+    --hdiutil-retries 30 \
+    --no-internet-enable \
+    "$ARTIFACT_FILENAME" \
+    dist/friture.app
 
 du -hs dist/friture.app
-du -hs $ARTIFACT_FILENAME
+du -hs "$ARTIFACT_FILENAME"
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index bf189e16..c073dc65 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ tools/*
 friture.egg-info
 .eggs/
 *.appx
+*.msix
 
 ##################
 # IDE files
@@ -44,4 +45,5 @@ Notepad++
 .mypy_cache
 
 # Macos
-.DS_Store
\ No newline at end of file
+.DS_Store
+*.dmg
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/installer/dmg-background.png b/installer/dmg-background.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d03bb65d
Binary files /dev/null and b/installer/dmg-background.png differ
diff --git a/installer/dmg-background.svg b/installer/dmg-background.svg
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b5bb35b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/installer/dmg-background.svg
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
+<!--
+  Friture DMG background image.
+
+  Canvas: 1200 x 800 px, tagged DPI 144.
+  Intended Finder window (window size): 600 x 400 points.
+  At DPI 144, Finder renders 1200x800 px as 600x400 points (2 px per point),
+  so the background fills a Retina window crisply with no scaling.  See
+  https://hobbyworker.me/en/dev/2026-05-20-design-macos-dmg-1-create-dmg-and-background/
+
+  Icon placement (create-dmg, coords in window POINTS; bg px = 2 x point):
+      friture app    icon "friture.app" at 150 190   -> image top-left bg px (300, 380)
+      Applications   app-drop-link at 450 190       -> image top-left bg px (900, 380)
+    Finder icon view position = top-left corner of the 100pt / 200px icon,
+    so each icon visual centre sits at bg px (400, 480) and (1000, 480).
+
+  Regenerate the PNG with rsvg-convert (then set DPI to 144 with sips):
+      rsvg-convert -w 1200 -h 800 -o installer/dmg-background.png installer/dmg-background.svg
+      sips -s dpiWidth 144 -s dpiHeight 144 installer/dmg-background.png
+-->
+
+<svg
+   width="1200"
+   height="800"
+   viewBox="0 0 1200 800"
+   version="1.1"
+   id="svg21"
+   inkscape:version="1.2.1 (9c6d41e, 2022-07-14)"
+   sodipodi:docname="dmg-background.svg"
+   xmlns:inkscape="http://www.inkscape.org/namespaces/inkscape"
+   xmlns:sodipodi="http://sodipodi.sourceforge.net/DTD/sodipodi-0.dtd"
+   xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
+   xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
+  <defs
+     id="defs7" />
+  <sodipodi:namedview
+     id="namedview23"
+     pagecolor="#ffffff"
+     bordercolor="#000000"
+     borderopacity="0.25"
+     inkscape:pageopacity="0.0"
+     inkscape:pagecheckerboard="0"
+     inkscape:deskcolor="#d1d1d1"
+     showgrid="false"
+     inkscape:zoom="0.54439518"
+     inkscape:cx="598.8297"
+     inkscape:cy="393.09679"
+     inkscape:current-layer="svg21"
+     inkscape:showpageshadow="2"
+     inkscape:window-width="1440"
+     inkscape:window-height="774"
+     inkscape:window-x="0"
+     inkscape:window-y="0"
+     inkscape:window-maximized="0" />
+  <!-- background -->
+  <rect
+     width="1200"
+     height="800"
+     id="rect14"
+     style="fill:#ffffff" />
+  <!-- arrow -->
+  <rect
+     style="fill:#000000"
+     id="rect403"
+     width="196.54839"
+     height="53.270111"
+     x="451.87759"
+     y="352.58371"
+     ry="16.532108" />
+  <path
+     sodipodi:type="star"
+     style="fill:#000000"
+     id="path529"
+     inkscape:flatsided="true"
+     sodipodi:sides="3"
+     sodipodi:cx="747.61865"
+     sodipodi:cy="189.20079"
+     sodipodi:r1="146.73378"
+     sodipodi:r2="73.36689"
+     sodipodi:arg1="2.0943951"
+     sodipodi:arg2="3.1415927"
+     inkscape:rounded="0"
+     inkscape:randomized="0"
+     d="m 674.25176,316.27597 0,-254.15036 220.10067,127.07518 z"
+     inkscape:transform-center-x="-21.069794"
+     transform="matrix(0.57436774,0,0,0.57436774,219.01797,270.54793)"
+     inkscape:transform-center-y="3.0913773e-06" />
+</svg>
diff --git a/installer/icudt53.dll b/installer/icudt53.dll
deleted file mode 100644
index 6e4a244c..00000000
Binary files a/installer/icudt53.dll and /dev/null differ