diff --git a/background.js b/background.js
index 8552de2..1640858 100644
--- a/background.js
+++ b/background.js
@@ -169,6 +169,9 @@ if (typeof module !== "undefined" && module.exports) {
     resolveStoreId,
     requestRescan,
     postToGrabWithRetry,
+    explicitSend,
+    wakeGrabAndWait,
+    _setWakeTimeout,
     verifyGrab,
     grabStatus,
     SHARED_EXCLUDED_HOSTS,
diff --git a/handoff.js b/handoff.js
index fe3ee97..1dec0ea 100644
--- a/handoff.js
+++ b/handoff.js
@@ -16,6 +16,21 @@ const CONFIRM_TIMEOUT_MS = 130_000;
 /// A pairing handshake is a loopback round trip.
 const HELLO_TIMEOUT_MS = 3_000;
 
+/// Launches Grab without handing it a download: the app restores this to the
+/// invalid "https://", so it only presents its window. A cold start cannot
+/// use the grab:// URL fallback when cookies must travel — that channel has
+/// no way to carry them.
+const GRAB_WAKE_URL = "grab://https/";
+/// How long to wait for a cold-started Grab to answer its local server.
+const WAKE_TIMEOUT_MS = 12_000;
+const WAKE_POLL_MS = 250;
+
+// Test hook: shorten the cold-start wait.
+let wakeTimeoutMs = WAKE_TIMEOUT_MS;
+function _setWakeTimeout(ms) {
+  wakeTimeoutMs = ms;
+}
+
 const MAX_HANDOFF_COOKIES = 100;
 const MAX_HANDOFF_BODY_BYTES = 32 * 1024;
 
@@ -410,6 +425,77 @@ async function postToGrabWithRetry(url, ctx, retryDelays = HANDOFF_RETRY_DELAYS_
   return status;
 }
 
+/// Set while a cold start is in progress: concurrent sends share one launch
+/// instead of each navigating the tab to the wake URL.
+let wakeInFlight = null;
+
+/// True when the retried POST would carry at least one cookie. Incognito
+/// stores and unreadable jars yield none, so the wake would buy nothing.
+async function hasHandoffCookies(url, tabId) {
+  try {
+    const storeId = await resolveStoreId({ tabId });
+    if (storeId === null) return false;
+    return (await readCookies(url, storeId)).length > 0;
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
+/// Launch Grab without a URL, then wait until its local server answers.
+/// Returns true when a retry can carry the cookies over HTTP; false when the
+/// app never came up, the user never granted the Cookies permission, Grab is
+/// unpaired, the send is incognito, or the site has no cookies — all cases
+/// where the wake buys nothing and the caller must use the URL fallback now.
+async function wakeGrabAndWait(url, tabId, incognito) {
+  // The wake exists only to carry cookies over the retried POST.
+  if (incognito === true) return false;
+  const secret = await getPairingCode();
+  if (!secret || !(await hasCookiePermission())) return false;
+  if (!(await hasHandoffCookies(url, tabId))) return false;
+  // Check after the jar read: two sends that entered together both await it,
+  // and only the first may start a launch.
+  if (wakeInFlight) return wakeInFlight;
+  const tabArg = Number.isInteger(tabId) && tabId >= 0 ? { tabId } : {};
+  // A warned tab keeps its "!" until a handoff verifies: overwriting it here
+  // would clear the visible warning without clearing warnedTabs.
+  const keepWarning =
+    Number.isInteger(tabId) && tabId >= 0 && warnedTabs.has(tabId);
+  const run = (async () => {
+    try {
+      if (!keepWarning) {
+        try {
+          await chrome.action.setBadgeText({ ...tabArg, text: "…" });
+          await chrome.action.setTitle({ ...tabArg, title: "Starting Grab…" });
+        } catch {}
+      }
+      updateTab(tabId, GRAB_WAKE_URL);
+      const deadline = Date.now() + wakeTimeoutMs;
+      while (Date.now() < deadline) {
+        await sleep(WAKE_POLL_MS);
+        try {
+          if (await verifyGrab(secret)) return true;
+        } catch {
+          // Not up yet.
+        }
+      }
+      return false;
+    } finally {
+      if (!keepWarning) {
+        try {
+          await chrome.action.setBadgeText({ ...tabArg, text: "" });
+          await chrome.action.setTitle({ ...tabArg, title: "" });
+        } catch {}
+      }
+    }
+  })();
+  wakeInFlight = run;
+  try {
+    return await run;
+  } finally {
+    if (wakeInFlight === run) wakeInFlight = null;
+  }
+}
+
 /// Explicit user action (context menu, video menu, Alt+G): try the HTTP
 /// handoff first, but only fall back to the grab:// navigation when Grab
 /// isn't reachable at all (connection failure). If Grab responded — even
@@ -418,11 +504,16 @@ async function postToGrabWithRetry(url, ctx, retryDelays = HANDOFF_RETRY_DELAYS_
 async function explicitSend(url, tabId, incognito) {
   if (!toGrabUrl(url)) return;
   const ctx = { tabId, incognito };
-  const status = await postToGrabWithRetry(url, ctx);
+  let status = await postToGrabWithRetry(url, ctx);
+  if (status === 0 && (await wakeGrabAndWait(url, tabId, incognito))) {
+    // Grab was closed and has just started: retry over HTTP so the browser
+    // cookies still ride along. The grab:// fallback cannot carry them.
+    status = await postToGrabWithRetry(url, ctx);
+  }
   const tabArg =
     Number.isInteger(tabId) && tabId >= 0 ? { tabId } : {};
   if (status === 0) {
-    // Grab not running: the OS launches it with the grab:// URL.
+    // Grab never came up: the OS launches it with the grab:// URL.
     sendToGrab(url, tabId);
   } else if (status === STATUS_UNVERIFIED) {
     // Something else answers on Grab's port. Don't hand the URL to a
diff --git a/test/background.test.js b/test/background.test.js
index d469d82..397aa40 100644
--- a/test/background.test.js
+++ b/test/background.test.js
@@ -1650,6 +1650,219 @@ describe("HTTP handoff to Grab", () => {
     assert.equal(fetchCalls[0].opts.headers["X-Grab-Token"], undefined);
   });
 
+  // --- cold start --------------------------------------------------------
+
+  test("explicit send wakes a closed Grab, then retries so cookies travel", async () => {
+    await pair();
+    let grabUp = false;
+    fetchCalls = [];
+    globalThis.fetch = async (url, opts = {}) => {
+      fetchCalls.push({ url, opts });
+      if (url.includes("/hello")) {
+        if (!grabUp) throw new Error("connection refused");
+        const nonce = new URL(url).searchParams.get("n");
+        return {
+          status: 200,
+          ok: true,
+          json: async () => ({ proof: hmac("grab-server\u0000", nonce) }),
+        };
+      }
+      return { status: 200, ok: true };
+    };
+    chrome.cookies.getAll = async () => [{
+      name: "session", value: "abc", domain: "example.com",
+      hostOnly: true, path: "/", secure: true,
+    }];
+    // Launching Grab is what makes its local server answer: flip the mock
+    // when the extension navigates to the wake URL.
+    const origUpdate = chrome.tabs.update;
+    chrome.tabs.update = (a, b) => {
+      const target = b !== undefined ? b : a;
+      const url = typeof target === "string" ? target : target && target.url;
+      if (url === "grab://https/") grabUp = true;
+      return origUpdate(a, b);
+    };
+
+    await bg.explicitSend("https://example.com/f.zip", 7, false);
+
+    const updates = chrome._calls.filter(([name]) => name === "tabs.update");
+    assert.equal(updates.length, 1, "the tab only visits the wake URL");
+    assert.equal(updates[0][1].url, "grab://https/");
+    assert.equal(updates[0][2], 7, "wake used the tab the user acted on");
+    assert.ok(
+      chrome._calls.some(
+        ([name, args]) =>
+          name === "action.setBadgeText" && args.text === "…" && args.tabId === 7
+      ),
+      "the wait is visible on the toolbar"
+    );
+    assert.ok(
+      chrome._calls.some(
+        ([name, args]) => name === "action.setTitle" && args.title === "Starting Grab…"
+      ),
+      "the badge tooltip explains the wait"
+    );
+    assert.ok(
+      chrome._calls.some(([name, args]) => name === "action.setBadgeText" && args.text === ""),
+      "the starting badge is cleared"
+    );
+    const post = posts().find((c) => c.opts.method === "POST");
+    assert.ok(post, "the URL was retried over HTTP after the wake");
+    assert.deepEqual(
+      JSON.parse(post.opts.body).cookies.map((cookie) => cookie.name),
+      ["session"],
+      "the cold-start retry carries the browser cookies"
+    );
+  });
+
+  test("cold start that never comes up falls back to the grab:// URL", async () => {
+    await pair();
+    chrome.cookies.getAll = async () => [{
+      name: "session", value: "abc", domain: "example.com",
+      hostOnly: true, path: "/", secure: true,
+    }];
+    bg._setWakeTimeout(0);
+    mockFetch("down");
+
+    await bg.explicitSend("https://example.com/f.zip", 7, false);
+
+    const updates = chrome._calls.filter(([name]) => name === "tabs.update");
+    assert.equal(updates.length, 2, "wake attempt, then the cookieless fallback");
+    assert.equal(updates[0][1].url, "grab://https/");
+    assert.equal(updates[1][1].url, "grab://https/example.com/f.zip");
+    assert.equal(posts().length, 0, "no POST ever reached Grab");
+  });
+
+  test("cold start without pairing skips the wake and falls back immediately", async () => {
+    bg._setWakeTimeout(1000); // would stall if the gate regressed
+    mockFetch("down");
+
+    await bg.explicitSend("https://example.com/f.zip", 7, false);
+
+    const updates = chrome._calls.filter(([name]) => name === "tabs.update");
+    assert.deepEqual(
+      updates.map(([, args]) => args.url),
+      ["grab://https/example.com/f.zip"],
+      "main's single fallback navigation, with no wake first"
+    );
+  });
+
+  test("cold start with Cookies permission revoked skips the wake", async () => {
+    await pair();
+    chrome.permissions = { contains: async () => false };
+    bg._setWakeTimeout(1000);
+    mockFetch("down");
+
+    await bg.explicitSend("https://example.com/f.zip", 7, false);
+
+    const updates = chrome._calls.filter(([name]) => name === "tabs.update");
+    assert.deepEqual(
+      updates.map(([, args]) => args.url),
+      ["grab://https/example.com/f.zip"],
+      "nothing to carry, so no cold-start wait"
+    );
+  });
+
+  test("incognito sends skip the wake: no cookies are forwarded", async () => {
+    await pair();
+    chrome.cookies.getAll = async () => [{
+      name: "session", value: "abc", domain: "example.com",
+      hostOnly: true, path: "/", secure: true,
+    }];
+    bg._setWakeTimeout(1000);
+    mockFetch("down");
+
+    await bg.explicitSend("https://example.com/f.zip", 7, true);
+
+    const updates = chrome._calls.filter(([name]) => name === "tabs.update");
+    assert.deepEqual(
+      updates.map(([, args]) => args.url),
+      ["grab://https/example.com/f.zip"]
+    );
+  });
+
+  test("a site without cookies skips the wake", async () => {
+    await pair();
+    bg._setWakeTimeout(1000);
+    mockFetch("down");
+
+    await bg.explicitSend("https://example.com/f.zip", 7, false);
+
+    const updates = chrome._calls.filter(([name]) => name === "tabs.update");
+    assert.deepEqual(
+      updates.map(([, args]) => args.url),
+      ["grab://https/example.com/f.zip"],
+      "nothing to carry, so no launch round trip"
+    );
+  });
+
+  test("a warned tab keeps its badge through the wake", async () => {
+    await pair();
+    chrome.cookies.getAll = async () => [{
+      name: "session", value: "abc", domain: "example.com",
+      hostOnly: true, path: "/", secure: true,
+    }];
+    bg._warnedTabs.add(7);
+    bg._setWakeTimeout(0);
+    mockFetch("down");
+
+    await bg.explicitSend("https://example.com/f.zip", 7, false);
+
+    assert.equal(
+      chrome._calls.some(([name]) => name === "action.setBadgeText"),
+      false,
+      "the wake must neither replace nor clear the warning badge"
+    );
+  });
+
+  test("concurrent cold sends share one wake launch", async () => {
+    await pair();
+    let grabUp = false;
+    fetchCalls = [];
+    globalThis.fetch = async (url, opts = {}) => {
+      fetchCalls.push({ url, opts });
+      if (url.includes("/hello")) {
+        if (!grabUp) throw new Error("connection refused");
+        const nonce = new URL(url).searchParams.get("n");
+        return {
+          status: 200,
+          ok: true,
+          json: async () => ({ proof: hmac("grab-server\u0000", nonce) }),
+        };
+      }
+      return { status: 200, ok: true };
+    };
+    chrome.cookies.getAll = async () => [{
+      name: "session", value: "abc", domain: "example.com",
+      hostOnly: true, path: "/", secure: true,
+    }];
+    const origUpdate = chrome.tabs.update;
+    chrome.tabs.update = (a, b) => {
+      const target = b !== undefined ? b : a;
+      const url = typeof target === "string" ? target : target && target.url;
+      if (url === "grab://https/") grabUp = true;
+      return origUpdate(a, b);
+    };
+
+    await Promise.all([
+      bg.explicitSend("https://example.com/a.zip", 7, false),
+      bg.explicitSend("https://example.com/b.zip", 7, false),
+    ]);
+
+    const wakeUpdates = chrome._calls.filter(
+      ([name, args]) => name === "tabs.update" && args.url === "grab://https/"
+    );
+    assert.equal(wakeUpdates.length, 1, "one launch for the whole burst");
+    const posted = posts().map((c) => JSON.parse(c.opts.body).url).sort();
+    assert.deepEqual(posted, [
+      "https://example.com/a.zip",
+      "https://example.com/b.zip",
+    ]);
+    for (const call of posts()) {
+      assert.equal(JSON.parse(call.opts.body).cookies.length, 1);
+    }
+  });
+
   // --- confirm=1 outcomes ------------------------------------------------
 
   for (const status of [408, 409]) {