src/TeamsISO.App/App.xaml.cs

@@ -221,42 +221,6 @@ public partial class App : Application
 
             await _viewModel.InitializeAsync(CancellationToken.None);
 
-            // Auto-launch Teams in the background if the operator has opted in.
-            // Combined with AutoHideTeamsWindows this gives the "I only see
-            // TeamsISO" experience — Teams runs but never appears on screen,
-            // and all interaction routes through the IN-CALL bar + participants
-            // DataGrid. Fire-and-forget so a slow Teams launch doesn't delay
-            // TeamsISO's window from appearing.
-            if (_viewModel.Settings.LaunchTeamsOnStartup && !Services.TeamsLauncher.IsRunning())
-            {
-                _ = Task.Run(() =>
-                {
-                    try
-                    {
-                        if (Services.TeamsLauncher.TryLaunch(out var launchError))
-                        {
-                            if (_viewModel.Settings.AutoHideTeamsWindows)
-                                _ = Services.TeamsLauncher.AutoHideAfterLaunchAsync();
-                        }
-                        else
-                        {
-                            logger.LogWarning("Auto-launch Teams on startup failed: {Error}", launchError);
-                        }
-                    }
-                    catch (Exception ex)
-                    {
-                        logger.LogWarning(ex, "Auto-launch Teams on startup threw");
-                    }
-                });
-            }
-            else if (_viewModel.Settings.AutoHideTeamsWindows && Services.TeamsLauncher.IsRunning())
-            {
-                // Teams is already up from a previous session. If auto-hide is
-                // on, hide it now so the operator's "I only see TeamsISO" rule
-                // applies even when Teams was launched externally.
-                _ = Services.TeamsLauncher.AutoHideAfterLaunchAsync();
-            }
-
             // Background update check, throttled to once per 24h. Fire-and-forget
             // so a slow / offline update server never delays startup. Surfaces a
             // banner via UpdateBanner if newer; failures just log.

src/TeamsISO.App/MainWindow.xaml

@@ -123,18 +123,11 @@
                     </Grid>
                 </Button>
 
-                <!-- Nav: Launch Teams. Click = launch / surface; right-click = stop.
+                <!-- Nav: Launch Teams. Subprocess-launches the MS Teams desktop client. -->
-                     The previous "left-click toggles" behavior ambushed operators
-                     who'd hidden Teams' windows via the eye toggle next door —
-                     they'd hit Launch expecting Teams to come back and instead
-                     get a "Close all Teams windows now?" dialog. Now click is
-                     always idempotent-progressive (running but hidden → show;
-                     not running → launch). Right-click for stop. -->
                 <Button DockPanel.Dock="Top"
                         Style="{StaticResource Wd.Button.RailIcon}"
                         Click="OnLaunchTeamsClick"
-                        MouseRightButtonUp="OnLaunchTeamsRightClick"
+                        ToolTip="Launch Microsoft Teams">
-                        ToolTip="Launch Microsoft Teams (or surface its window). Right-click to stop Teams.">
                     <!-- Stylized 'video meeting' camera icon -->
                     <Path Data="M 4,8 L 16,8 L 16,16 L 4,16 Z M 16,11 L 22,8 L 22,16 L 16,13 Z"
                           Stroke="{DynamicResource Wd.Text.Secondary}"
@@ -1251,20 +1244,6 @@
                                           Margin="0,12,0,0"
                                           ToolTip="When checked, minimizing the window hides it and shows a tray icon. Useful for long unattended shows. Double-click the tray icon to restore."/>
 
-                                <!-- Phase E.1/E.2 "I only see TeamsISO" pair. With both ticked,
-                                     the operator launches TeamsISO and never sees the Teams UI —
-                                     Teams runs in the background and all interaction routes
-                                     through the IN-CALL bar + participants DataGrid. -->
-                                <CheckBox Content="Launch Microsoft Teams on TeamsISO startup"
-                                          IsChecked="{Binding Settings.LaunchTeamsOnStartup}"
-                                          Margin="0,16,0,0"
-                                          ToolTip="When checked, TeamsISO will auto-launch Microsoft Teams in the background each time it starts. Combine with 'Auto-hide Teams windows' for the 'I only see TeamsISO' experience."/>
-
-                                <CheckBox Content="Auto-hide Teams windows when launched"
-                                          IsChecked="{Binding Settings.AutoHideTeamsWindows}"
-                                          Margin="0,8,0,0"
-                                          ToolTip="When checked, Teams' windows are hidden as soon as they materialize after launch. Use the eye-icon button in the rail to restore them when needed. Drives Teams via the IN-CALL bar (mute / camera / share / leave / marker) and the participants DataGrid for ISO routing."/>
-
                                 <Separator Margin="0,16,0,8"/>
 
                                 <CheckBox Content="Record ISOs to disk"

src/TeamsISO.App/MainWindow.xaml.cs

@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 using System.Linq;
 using System.Windows;
-using System.Windows.Input;
 using System.Windows.Shapes;
 using TeamsISO.App.Services;
 using TeamsISO.App.ViewModels;
@@ -114,89 +113,43 @@ public partial class MainWindow : Window
     }
 
     /// <summary>
-    /// Three-state click behavior matching operator intuition:
+    /// Toggle behavior: if Teams is already running, ask to stop it; otherwise
-    ///   1. Teams not running → launch it via TeamsLauncher's fallback chain.
+    /// launch via TeamsLauncher's fallback chain. First step toward the
-    ///   2. Teams running but its windows are hidden (we toggled them off, OR
+    /// Embedded-Teams roadmap (Phase E.1).
-    ///      it launched into the tray) → restore the windows + foreground them.
-    ///      This is the case the previous "ask to stop" dialog was ambushing —
-    ///      operators don't think of a hidden Teams as "running and ready to
-    ///      stop", they think of it as "I clicked Launch and nothing happened".
-    ///   3. Teams running with visible windows → bring the most recent one to
-    ///      the foreground. (Stopping Teams is now a right-click action;
-    ///      see OnLaunchTeamsRightClick.)
     /// </summary>
     private void OnLaunchTeamsClick(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
     {
-        var toast = (DataContext as MainViewModel)?.Toast;
+        if (TeamsLauncher.IsRunning())
-
-        if (!TeamsLauncher.IsRunning())
         {
-            if (!TeamsLauncher.TryLaunch(out var error))
+            var confirm = MessageBox.Show(
+                "Microsoft Teams is currently running.\n\nClose all Teams windows now?",
+                "TeamsISO — Stop Teams",
+                MessageBoxButton.YesNo,
+                MessageBoxImage.Question);
+            if (confirm != MessageBoxResult.Yes) return;
+
+            var asked = TeamsLauncher.StopAll();
+            if (TeamsLauncher.IsRunning())
             {
                 MessageBox.Show(
-                    $"Could not launch Microsoft Teams.\n\n{error}",
+                    asked == 0
-                    "TeamsISO — Launch Teams",
+                        ? "No Teams windows responded to close."
+                        : $"Sent close to {asked} Teams window(s); some may still be exiting.",
+                    "TeamsISO — Stop Teams",
                     MessageBoxButton.OK,
-                    MessageBoxImage.Warning);
+                    MessageBoxImage.Information);
-            }
-            else
-            {
-                var autoHide = (DataContext as MainViewModel)?.Settings.AutoHideTeamsWindows ?? false;
-                toast?.Show(autoHide
-                    ? "Launching Microsoft Teams (will hide windows automatically)…"
-                    : "Launching Microsoft Teams…");
-                if (autoHide)
-                {
-                    _ = TeamsLauncher.AutoHideAfterLaunchAsync();
-                    _teamsWindowsHidden = true;
-                }
-                else
-                {
-                    _teamsWindowsHidden = false;
-                }
             }
             return;
         }
 
-        // Teams is running. Always try to restore + foreground its window —
+        if (!TeamsLauncher.TryLaunch(out var error))
-        // if windows are already visible, ShowWindows is a SetForegroundWindow
-        // no-op besides bringing them forward; if they were hidden by our
-        // own toggle, this is the operator's intuitive "show me Teams" path.
-        var shown = TeamsLauncher.ShowWindows();
-        _teamsWindowsHidden = false;
-        toast?.Show(shown > 0
-            ? $"Teams is already running — surfaced {shown} window(s)"
-            : "Teams is running but has no visible windows yet");
-    }
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Right-click on the rail Launch button asks to stop Teams. Split out
-    /// from the left-click so a normal click is "open / surface" rather than
-    /// the previous "open OR ambush you with a stop dialog".
-    /// </summary>
-    private void OnLaunchTeamsRightClick(object sender, MouseButtonEventArgs e)
-    {
-        if (!TeamsLauncher.IsRunning()) return;
-
-        var confirm = MessageBox.Show(
-            "Microsoft Teams is currently running.\n\nClose all Teams windows now?",
-            "TeamsISO — Stop Teams",
-            MessageBoxButton.YesNo,
-            MessageBoxImage.Question);
-        if (confirm != MessageBoxResult.Yes) return;
-
-        var asked = TeamsLauncher.StopAll();
-        if (TeamsLauncher.IsRunning())
         {
             MessageBox.Show(
-                asked == 0
+                $"Could not launch Microsoft Teams.\n\n{error}",
-                    ? "No Teams windows responded to close."
+                "TeamsISO — Launch Teams",
-                    : $"Sent close to {asked} Teams window(s); some may still be exiting.",
-                "TeamsISO — Stop Teams",
                 MessageBoxButton.OK,
-                MessageBoxImage.Information);
+                MessageBoxImage.Warning);
         }
-        e.Handled = true;
     }
 
     /// <summary>

src/TeamsISO.App/Services/TeamsLauncher.cs

@@ -44,39 +44,21 @@ public static class TeamsLauncher
     /// <summary>
     /// Launches Teams. Returns true if a launch was started successfully (the
     /// process may take a few seconds to actually appear). False if every
-    /// fallback path failed; <paramref name="errorMessage"/> includes the
+    /// fallback path failed.
-    /// reasons each attempt was rejected so the operator can see why.
-    ///
-    /// Path order matters:
-    ///   1. <c>ms-teams:</c> URI — new Teams (MSTeams AppX) registers this
-    ///      handler at install. Activates through the AppX shell so the
-    ///      stub <c>ms-teams.exe</c> in WindowsApps gets the right context.
-    ///   2. AppsFolder shell verb — direct AppX activation. Belt-and-braces
-    ///      fallback if a misconfigured registry breaks the URI handler.
-    ///   3. Classic Teams Update.exe — pre-2024 Teams installations.
-    /// We deliberately DON'T try the bare <c>ms-teams.exe</c> WindowsApps
-    /// path: it's a 0-byte AppX placeholder that fails silently when invoked
-    /// without AppX activation context. Looked plausible, never worked.
     /// </summary>
     public static bool TryLaunch(out string? errorMessage)
     {
         errorMessage = null;
-        var attempts = new List<string>();
 
-        // Path 1: URI scheme. The shell handler picks the registered Teams
+        // Path 1: URI scheme. The shell handler picks whichever Teams client
-        // (new MSTeams takes priority on modern Windows). UseShellExecute=true
+        // is registered (new MSTeams.exe takes priority on modern Windows).
-        // is required — Win32 Process creation can't open URIs directly.
+        if (TryStart("ms-teams:", useShell: true)) return true;
-        if (TryStart("ms-teams:", useShell: true, out var err1)) return true;
-        attempts.Add($"ms-teams: URI → {err1}");
 
-        // Path 2: AppX activation via the explorer.exe shell. Modern Teams
+        // Path 2: new Teams' WindowsApps shim.
-        // ships as MSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbwe; if other code on the box has
+        var newTeams = Path.Combine(
-        // clobbered the URI registration, this still works because it goes
+            Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.LocalApplicationData),
-        // through the AppsFolder verb the OS itself uses for Start menu launches.
+            "Microsoft", "WindowsApps", "ms-teams.exe");
-        if (TryStart("explorer.exe", false, out var err2,
+        if (File.Exists(newTeams) && TryStart(newTeams, useShell: false)) return true;
-            arguments: "shell:appsFolder\\MSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbwe!MSTeams"))
-            return true;
-        attempts.Add($"AppsFolder shell → {err2}");
 
         // Path 3: classic Teams Update.exe with --processStart hands off to
         // the actual Teams.exe via Squirrel.
@@ -98,17 +80,11 @@ public static class TeamsLauncher
             }
             catch (Exception ex)
             {
-                attempts.Add($"classic Update.exe → {ex.Message}");
+                errorMessage = ex.Message;
             }
         }
-        else
-        {
-            attempts.Add($"classic Update.exe → not found at {classicUpdater}");
-        }
 
-        errorMessage = "No Microsoft Teams installation could be launched. " +
+        errorMessage ??= "No Microsoft Teams installation was found. Install Teams from https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-teams and try again.";
-                       "Install Teams from https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-teams and try again.\n\n" +
-                       "Attempts:\n  • " + string.Join("\n  • ", attempts);
         return false;
     }
 
@@ -147,9 +123,8 @@ public static class TeamsLauncher
         return asked;
     }
 
-    private static bool TryStart(string target, bool useShell, out string error, string? arguments = null)
+    private static bool TryStart(string target, bool useShell)
     {
-        error = string.Empty;
         try
         {
             var info = new ProcessStartInfo
@@ -158,13 +133,11 @@ public static class TeamsLauncher
                 UseShellExecute = useShell,
                 CreateNoWindow = true,
             };
-            if (arguments is not null) info.Arguments = arguments;
             Process.Start(info);
             return true;
         }
-        catch (Exception ex)
+        catch
         {
-            error = ex.Message;
             return false;
         }
     }
@@ -251,60 +224,6 @@ public static class TeamsLauncher
         return windows.Count;
     }
 
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Fire-and-forget background watcher that polls every 250ms for up to
-    /// <paramref name="timeout"/> and hides any visible top-level Teams
-    /// windows it finds. Used after launch so the operator never sees the
-    /// Teams UI flash on screen — Teams takes 2-5s to splash + render its
-    /// main window, and the splash arrives separately from the main window
-    /// (so we keep polling past the first hide to catch follow-up windows).
-    ///
-    /// Returns the Task so callers can await completion if they want, but
-    /// production code should fire-and-forget. Exceptions are swallowed —
-    /// failure to hide is harmless (user just sees Teams briefly).
-    /// </summary>
-    public static Task AutoHideAfterLaunchAsync(TimeSpan? timeout = null, CancellationToken ct = default)
-    {
-        var deadline = DateTime.UtcNow + (timeout ?? TimeSpan.FromSeconds(15));
-        return Task.Run(async () =>
-        {
-            try
-            {
-                var hiddenAny = false;
-                while (!ct.IsCancellationRequested && DateTime.UtcNow < deadline)
-                {
-                    // Poll for visible windows. Each iteration may catch new
-                    // ones — Teams sometimes opens a small splash, then a
-                    // larger main window 1-2s later, then a "What's new"
-                    // banner. Keep hiding until we've gone a full second
-                    // with nothing new appearing.
-                    var hidden = HideWindows();
-                    if (hidden > 0)
-                    {
-                        hiddenAny = true;
-                        // Settling delay: after we hide windows, wait a beat
-                        // before polling again so we don't busy-loop while
-                        // Teams' window manager catches up.
-                        await Task.Delay(750, ct).ConfigureAwait(false);
-                    }
-                    else if (hiddenAny)
-                    {
-                        // We hid at least once; if the next poll finds
-                        // nothing, Teams has settled. Bail early.
-                        return;
-                    }
-                    else
-                    {
-                        // Teams hasn't materialized yet; keep waiting.
-                        await Task.Delay(250, ct).ConfigureAwait(false);
-                    }
-                }
-            }
-            catch (OperationCanceledException) { /* expected on cancel */ }
-            catch { /* defensive — auto-hide is best-effort, never breaks the app */ }
-        }, ct);
-    }
-
     // ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
     // Keyboard-shortcut forwarding (PostMessage path).
     //

src/TeamsISO.App/Services/UIPreferences.cs

@@ -39,13 +39,7 @@ public static class UIPreferences
         bool AutoDisableOnDeparture = false,
         SortMode ParticipantSort = SortMode.JoinOrder,
         bool MinimizeToTray = false,
-        bool ControlSurfaceLanReachable = false,
+        bool ControlSurfaceLanReachable = false);
-        // Phase E.1 / E.2 quality-of-life. With both true, the operator launches
-        // TeamsISO and never sees the Teams UI — Teams auto-starts in the
-        // background and its windows are auto-hidden as soon as they materialize.
-        // All control happens via the IN-CALL bar + participants DataGrid.
-        bool LaunchTeamsOnStartup = false,
-        bool AutoHideTeamsWindows = false);
 
     public static Prefs Load()
     {

src/TeamsISO.App/Themes/WildDragonTheme.xaml

@@ -538,25 +538,11 @@
         <Setter Property="Foreground" Value="{StaticResource Wd.Text.Primary}"/>
         <Setter Property="Cursor" Value="Hand"/>
         <Setter Property="Padding" Value="10,0,0,0"/>
-        <!--
-            Stretch + a Grid template lets long Content strings wrap rather
-            than get clipped by the 380px settings panel. Without this, the
-            previous StackPanel template let the ContentPresenter grow
-            unbounded horizontally and the parent's clip-to-bounds chopped
-            off the right side.
-        -->
-        <Setter Property="HorizontalAlignment" Value="Stretch"/>
-        <Setter Property="HorizontalContentAlignment" Value="Left"/>
         <Setter Property="Template">
             <Setter.Value>
                 <ControlTemplate TargetType="CheckBox">
-                    <Grid HorizontalAlignment="Stretch">
+                    <StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal">
-                        <Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
-                            <ColumnDefinition Width="Auto"/>
-                            <ColumnDefinition Width="*"/>
-                        </Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
                         <Border x:Name="Box"
-                                Grid.Column="0"
                                 Width="18" Height="18"
                                 BorderBrush="{StaticResource Wd.BorderStrong}"
                                 BorderThickness="1"
@@ -570,27 +556,9 @@
                                   StrokeEndLineCap="Round"
                                   Visibility="Collapsed"/>
                         </Border>
-                        <!--
+                        <ContentPresenter Margin="{TemplateBinding Padding}"
-                            ContentPresenter resources inject a TextBlock
+                                          VerticalAlignment="Center"/>
-                            style with TextWrapping=Wrap. When CheckBox's
+                    </StackPanel>
-                            Content is a plain string (the common case here),
-                            WPF wraps it in an auto-generated TextBlock; the
-                            resource lookup applies our wrapping default so
-                            long labels flow onto multiple lines instead of
-                            being clipped at the column edge.
-                        -->
-                        <ContentPresenter Grid.Column="1"
-                                          Margin="{TemplateBinding Padding}"
-                                          VerticalAlignment="Center"
-                                          HorizontalAlignment="Stretch"
-                                          RecognizesAccessKey="True">
-                            <ContentPresenter.Resources>
-                                <Style TargetType="TextBlock">
-                                    <Setter Property="TextWrapping" Value="Wrap"/>
-                                </Style>
-                            </ContentPresenter.Resources>
-                        </ContentPresenter>
-                    </Grid>
                     <ControlTemplate.Triggers>
                         <Trigger Property="IsChecked" Value="True">
                             <Setter TargetName="Box" Property="Background" Value="{StaticResource Wd.Accent.Cyan}"/>

src/TeamsISO.App/ViewModels/GlobalSettingsViewModel.cs

@@ -34,8 +34,6 @@ public sealed class GlobalSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject
     private UIPreferences.SortMode _participantSort = UIPreferences.SortMode.JoinOrder;
     private bool _minimizeToTray;
     private bool _controlSurfaceLanReachable;
-    private bool _launchTeamsOnStartup;
-    private bool _autoHideTeamsWindows;
 
     public GlobalSettingsViewModel(IIsoController controller, ToastViewModel? toast = null)
     {
@@ -61,8 +59,6 @@ public sealed class GlobalSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject
         _participantSort = uiPrefs.ParticipantSort;
         _minimizeToTray = uiPrefs.MinimizeToTray;
         _controlSurfaceLanReachable = uiPrefs.ControlSurfaceLanReachable;
-        _launchTeamsOnStartup = uiPrefs.LaunchTeamsOnStartup;
-        _autoHideTeamsWindows = uiPrefs.AutoHideTeamsWindows;
 
         // Bring the auto-apply flag in from the presets store so the checkbox
         // reflects the user's prior choice when the settings panel opens.
@@ -226,41 +222,7 @@ public sealed class GlobalSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject
             AutoDisableOnDeparture: _autoDisableOnDeparture,
             ParticipantSort: _participantSort,
             MinimizeToTray: _minimizeToTray,
-            ControlSurfaceLanReachable: _controlSurfaceLanReachable,
+            ControlSurfaceLanReachable: _controlSurfaceLanReachable));
-            LaunchTeamsOnStartup: _launchTeamsOnStartup,
-            AutoHideTeamsWindows: _autoHideTeamsWindows));
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Auto-launch the Microsoft Teams desktop client when TeamsISO starts.
-    /// Paired with <see cref="AutoHideTeamsWindows"/> gives the operator a
-    /// "TeamsISO is the only window I see" experience — Teams runs in the
-    /// background, all interaction happens through the participants DataGrid
-    /// + IN-CALL bar.
-    /// </summary>
-    public bool LaunchTeamsOnStartup
-    {
-        get => _launchTeamsOnStartup;
-        set
-        {
-            if (SetField(ref _launchTeamsOnStartup, value)) PersistUiPrefs();
-        }
-    }
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Auto-hide Teams' top-level windows as soon as they materialize after
-    /// a launch (whether triggered via <see cref="LaunchTeamsOnStartup"/>,
-    /// the rail button, or the eye-toggle). Runs a brief background poll
-    /// that calls <c>TeamsLauncher.HideWindows</c> every ~250ms for up to
-    /// 15 seconds, catching splash + main + follow-up panels.
-    /// </summary>
-    public bool AutoHideTeamsWindows
-    {
-        get => _autoHideTeamsWindows;
-        set
-        {
-            if (SetField(ref _autoHideTeamsWindows, value)) PersistUiPrefs();
-        }
-    }
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Record each newly-enabled ISO's normalized output to disk under