diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
index 9161791..4a216d0 100755
--- a/install.sh
+++ b/install.sh
@@ -1451,6 +1451,43 @@ pacman_package_installed() {
     pacman -Q "$1" >/dev/null 2>&1
 }
 
+# Install an AppIndicator/StatusNotifierItem provider, preferring the
+# actively maintained Ayatana fork over the legacy Canonical package
+# (unmaintained since ~2013). The legacy package can install and import
+# without error yet silently fail to register a tray icon with KDE's
+# StatusNotifierWatcher, leaving no icon and no logged error. $1 is the
+# package-manager install command (e.g. "sudo dnf install -y"), $2/$3 are
+# the Ayatana/legacy package names for that package manager, $4 is the
+# "is this package installed" checker function name.
+install_preferred_appindicator() {
+    local install_cmd="$1"
+    local ayatana_pkg="$2"
+    local legacy_pkg="$3"
+    local checker="$4"
+
+    if "$checker" "$ayatana_pkg"; then
+        return 0
+    fi
+
+    if $install_cmd "$ayatana_pkg" 2>/dev/null; then
+        print_info "Installed $ayatana_pkg (Ayatana AppIndicator; required for a working KDE tray icon)"
+        return 0
+    fi
+
+    if "$checker" "$legacy_pkg"; then
+        print_info "$ayatana_pkg not available; $legacy_pkg is already installed but may not show a tray icon on KDE Plasma"
+        return 0
+    fi
+
+    print_info "$ayatana_pkg not available, falling back to $legacy_pkg (may not show a tray icon on KDE Plasma)..."
+    if $install_cmd "$legacy_pkg"; then
+        return 0
+    fi
+
+    print_error "Failed to install an AppIndicator package (tried $ayatana_pkg and $legacy_pkg)"
+    return 1
+}
+
 suse_python_package_prefix() {
     python3 -c 'import sys; print(f"python{sys.version_info.major}{sys.version_info.minor}")' 2>/dev/null || echo "python3"
 }
@@ -1588,8 +1625,8 @@ install_system_dependencies() {
     local APT_PACKAGES_DEBIAN_BASE="python3-pip python3-gi python3-gi-cairo gir1.2-gtk-3.0 gir1.2-ibus-1.0 libcairo2-dev cmake python3-dev build-essential portaudio19-dev python3-venv pkg-config wget curl unzip vulkan-tools libvulkan-dev $VULKAN_SHADER_PKG xclip xsel wl-clipboard $PYWHISPERCPP_BUILD_DEPS"
     local APT_PACKAGES_DEBIAN_11_12="$APT_PACKAGES_DEBIAN_BASE libgirepository1.0-dev gir1.2-ayatanaappindicator3-0.1"
     local APT_PACKAGES_DEBIAN_13_PLUS="$APT_PACKAGES_DEBIAN_BASE libgirepository-2.0-dev gir1.2-ayatanaappindicator3-0.1 util-linux-extra"
-    local DNF_PACKAGES="python3-pip python3-gobject gtk3 libappindicator-gtk3 ibus-devel gobject-introspection-devel python3-devel portaudio-devel python3-virtualenv pkg-config cmake wget curl unzip vulkan-tools vulkan-loader-devel glslang xclip xsel wl-clipboard"
-    local PACMAN_PACKAGES="python-pip python-gobject gtk3 libappindicator-gtk3 ibus gobject-introspection python-cairo portaudio python-virtualenv pkg-config cmake wget curl unzip base-devel vulkan-tools vulkan-headers glslang xclip xsel wl-clipboard"
+    local DNF_PACKAGES="python3-pip python3-gobject gtk3 ibus-devel gobject-introspection-devel python3-devel portaudio-devel python3-virtualenv pkg-config cmake wget curl unzip vulkan-tools vulkan-loader-devel glslang xclip xsel wl-clipboard"
+    local PACMAN_PACKAGES="python-pip python-gobject gtk3 ibus gobject-introspection python-cairo portaudio python-virtualenv pkg-config cmake wget curl unzip base-devel vulkan-tools vulkan-headers glslang xclip xsel wl-clipboard"
     local ZYPPER_PACKAGES="gtk3 ibus-devel gobject-introspection-devel portaudio-devel pkg-config cmake wget curl unzip xclip xsel wl-clipboard typelib-1_0-Notify-0_7 libnotify4"
     # Gentoo uses Portage and different package naming convention
     local EMERGE_PACKAGES="dev-python/pygobject:3 x11-libs/gtk+:3 dev-libs/libayatana-appindicator media-libs/portaudio dev-lang/python:3.9 pkgconf cmake dev-util/glslang x11-misc/xclip x11-misc/xsel gui-apps/wl-clipboard"
@@ -1678,6 +1715,8 @@ install_system_dependencies() {
             else
                 print_info "All required packages are already installed."
             fi
+
+            install_preferred_appindicator "$INSTALL_CMD" "libayatana-appindicator-gtk3" "libappindicator-gtk3" dnf_package_installed || exit 1
             ;;
 
         arch)
@@ -1701,6 +1740,8 @@ install_system_dependencies() {
             else
                 print_info "All required packages are already installed."
             fi
+
+            install_preferred_appindicator "sudo pacman -S --noconfirm" "libayatana-appindicator" "libappindicator-gtk3" pacman_package_installed || exit 1
             ;;
 
         suse)
diff --git a/src/vocalinux/ui/tray_indicator.py b/src/vocalinux/ui/tray_indicator.py
index 7e95262..1619180 100644
--- a/src/vocalinux/ui/tray_indicator.py
+++ b/src/vocalinux/ui/tray_indicator.py
@@ -14,16 +14,21 @@ import gi
 
 # Import GTK
 gi.require_version("Gtk", "3.0")
+# Prefer Ayatana AppIndicator: it is the actively maintained fork and the one
+# most distros ship for KDE/SNI compatibility. The original Canonical
+# AppIndicator3 (unmaintained since ~2013) can be present alongside it (e.g.
+# Fedora's libappindicator-gtk3) but fails to register a StatusNotifierItem
+# on modern KDE Plasma, leaving the tray icon invisible with no error logged.
 try:
-    gi.require_version("AppIndicator3", "0.1")
-    from gi.repository import AppIndicator3
+    gi.require_version("AyatanaAppIndicator3", "0.1")
+    from gi.repository import AyatanaAppIndicator3 as AppIndicator3
 except (ImportError, ValueError):
     try:
-        gi.require_version("AyatanaAppIndicator3", "0.1")
-        from gi.repository import AyatanaAppIndicator3 as AppIndicator3
-    except (ImportError, ValueError):
         gi.require_version("AyatanaAppindicator3", "0.1")
         from gi.repository import AyatanaAppindicator3 as AppIndicator3
+    except (ImportError, ValueError):
+        gi.require_version("AppIndicator3", "0.1")
+        from gi.repository import AppIndicator3
 
 from gi.repository import GdkPixbuf, Gio, GLib, GObject, Gtk
 
diff --git a/tests/test_tray_indicator.py b/tests/test_tray_indicator.py
index e7881f7..71fa64f 100644
--- a/tests/test_tray_indicator.py
+++ b/tests/test_tray_indicator.py
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ The tests focus on the business logic of the TrayIndicator class.
 import os
 import sys
 import unittest
+from types import SimpleNamespace
 from unittest.mock import MagicMock, PropertyMock, patch
 
 import pytest
@@ -634,3 +635,74 @@ class TestTrayIndicatorFlatpakIcons(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(names["default"], "com.vocalinux.Vocalinux-microphone-off")
         self.assertEqual(names["active"], "com.vocalinux.Vocalinux-microphone")
         self.assertEqual(names["processing"], "com.vocalinux.Vocalinux-microphone-process")
+
+
+class TestAppIndicatorImportFallback(unittest.TestCase):
+    """The AppIndicator/Ayatana import chain must prefer the actively
+    maintained Ayatana fork and only fall back to the legacy Canonical
+    AppIndicator3 typelib when no Ayatana variant is installed.
+
+    Unlike the rest of this file, these tests use a bare object instead of
+    a MagicMock for ``gi.repository``: MagicMock auto-creates any attribute
+    on access, so it can never reproduce the real ``ImportError`` a missing
+    typelib raises, which is exactly the behavior this fallback chain
+    depends on.
+    """
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        self.addCleanup(self._restore_gi_repository)
+        self._clear_tray_indicator_module()
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        self._clear_tray_indicator_module()
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def _clear_tray_indicator_module():
+        for mod in [k for k in list(sys.modules.keys()) if "tray_indicator" in k]:
+            del sys.modules[mod]
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def _restore_gi_repository():
+        sys.modules["gi"] = mock_gi
+        sys.modules["gi.repository"] = mock_gi_repository
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def _fake_repository(**appindicator_attrs):
+        """A gi.repository stand-in exposing only the given AppIndicator
+        symbols, so importing anything else raises a real ImportError."""
+        repo = SimpleNamespace(
+            Gtk=mock_gtk,
+            GLib=mock_glib,
+            GObject=mock_gobject,
+            GdkPixbuf=mock_gdkpixbuf,
+            Gio=MagicMock(name="Gio"),
+            **appindicator_attrs,
+        )
+        return repo
+
+    def test_prefers_ayatana_appindicator3_when_available(self):
+        sentinel = MagicMock(name="AyatanaAppIndicator3")
+        sys.modules["gi"] = mock_gi
+        sys.modules["gi.repository"] = self._fake_repository(AyatanaAppIndicator3=sentinel)
+
+        import vocalinux.ui.tray_indicator as tray
+
+        self.assertIs(tray.AppIndicator3, sentinel)
+
+    def test_falls_back_to_lowercase_ayatana_variant(self):
+        sentinel = MagicMock(name="AyatanaAppindicator3")
+        sys.modules["gi"] = mock_gi
+        sys.modules["gi.repository"] = self._fake_repository(AyatanaAppindicator3=sentinel)
+
+        import vocalinux.ui.tray_indicator as tray
+
+        self.assertIs(tray.AppIndicator3, sentinel)
+
+    def test_falls_back_to_legacy_appindicator3_when_no_ayatana_available(self):
+        sentinel = MagicMock(name="AppIndicator3")
+        sys.modules["gi"] = mock_gi
+        sys.modules["gi.repository"] = self._fake_repository(AppIndicator3=sentinel)
+
+        import vocalinux.ui.tray_indicator as tray
+
+        self.assertIs(tray.AppIndicator3, sentinel)