diff --git a/config/config.go b/config/config.go
index ca2f21b332957a14ce1c977e9497d2c08eb815f9..411f48bddefc931cd27576d1c4c4e5fd6767abc6 100644
--- a/config/config.go
+++ b/config/config.go
@@ -119,6 +119,7 @@ type Config struct {
 	DisableImages           bool          `json:"disable_images,omitempty"`
 	HideTips                bool          `json:"hide_tips,omitempty"`
 	DisableNotifications    bool          `json:"disable_notifications,omitempty"`
+	DisableDaemon           bool          `json:"disable_daemon,omitempty"`
 	EnableSplitPane         bool          `json:"enable_split_pane,omitempty"`
 	EnableThreaded          bool          `json:"enable_threaded,omitempty"`
 	EnableDetailedDates     bool          `json:"enable_detailed_dates,omitempty"`
@@ -452,6 +453,7 @@ type secureDiskConfig struct {
 	DisableImages           bool                              `json:"disable_images,omitempty"`
 	HideTips                bool                              `json:"hide_tips,omitempty"`
 	DisableNotifications    bool                              `json:"disable_notifications,omitempty"`
+	DisableDaemon           bool                              `json:"disable_daemon,omitempty"`
 	EnableSplitPane         bool                              `json:"enable_split_pane,omitempty"`
 	EnableThreaded          bool                              `json:"enable_threaded,omitempty"`
 	EnableDetailedDates     bool                              `json:"enable_detailed_dates,omitempty"`
@@ -502,6 +504,7 @@ func SaveConfig(config *Config) error {
 			DisableImages:           config.DisableImages,
 			HideTips:                config.HideTips,
 			DisableNotifications:    config.DisableNotifications,
+			DisableDaemon:           config.DisableDaemon,
 			EnableSplitPane:         config.EnableSplitPane,
 			EnableThreaded:          config.EnableThreaded,
 			EnableDetailedDates:     config.EnableDetailedDates,
@@ -610,6 +613,7 @@ func LoadConfig() (*Config, error) {
 		DisableImages           bool                              `json:"disable_images,omitempty"`
 		HideTips                bool                              `json:"hide_tips,omitempty"`
 		DisableNotifications    bool                              `json:"disable_notifications,omitempty"`
+		DisableDaemon           bool                              `json:"disable_daemon,omitempty"`
 		EnableSplitPane         bool                              `json:"enable_split_pane,omitempty"`
 		EnableThreaded          bool                              `json:"enable_threaded,omitempty"`
 		EnableDetailedDates     bool                              `json:"enable_detailed_dates,omitempty"`
@@ -653,6 +657,7 @@ func LoadConfig() (*Config, error) {
 	config.DisableImages = raw.DisableImages
 	config.HideTips = raw.HideTips
 	config.DisableNotifications = raw.DisableNotifications
+	config.DisableDaemon = raw.DisableDaemon
 	config.EnableSplitPane = raw.EnableSplitPane
 	config.EnableThreaded = raw.EnableThreaded
 	config.EnableDetailedDates = raw.EnableDetailedDates
diff --git a/daemonclient/service.go b/daemonclient/service.go
index 63d48bab1e4dc8d3a59647298344ab63cc14873b..e9cc84e8ca3787b6b82df32dcc9fb7edb00f9318 100644
--- a/daemonclient/service.go
+++ b/daemonclient/service.go
@@ -42,8 +42,13 @@ type Service interface {
 }
 
 // NewService connects to the daemon, auto-starting it if needed.
-// Falls back to direct mode only if daemon cannot be started.
+// Falls back to direct mode only if daemon cannot be started, or if DisableDaemon is set.
 func NewService(cfg *config.Config) Service {
+	if cfg.DisableDaemon {
+		log.Println("service: daemon disabled by config, using direct mode")
+		return newDirectService(cfg)
+	}
+
 	// Try connecting to existing daemon.
 	if svc := tryConnect(); svc != nil {
 		return svc
diff --git a/i18n/locales/ar.json b/i18n/locales/ar.json
index 455105de00f320b368ffb0812e028027ac4b3b45..3510c51c06974ed63782ae794515e4d2dc0581f4 100644
--- a/i18n/locales/ar.json
+++ b/i18n/locales/ar.json
@@ -154,6 +154,7 @@
       "disable_images": "تعطيل عرض الصور",
       "hide_tips": "إخفاء النصائح السياقية",
       "disable_notifications": "تعطيل الإشعارات",
+      "disable_daemon": "Background Daemon",
       "enable_split_pane": "عرض مقسم",
       "enable_threaded": "عرض المحادثات",
       "enable_detailed_dates": "تواريخ مفصلة",
diff --git a/i18n/locales/de.json b/i18n/locales/de.json
index b26196ca9b89a8d787b3e3a3cd50827a3e68faa5..0950d57270c9233656beb094b2cc6e69933de830 100644
--- a/i18n/locales/de.json
+++ b/i18n/locales/de.json
@@ -150,6 +150,7 @@
       "disable_images": "Bildanzeige Deaktivieren",
       "hide_tips": "Kontextuelle Tipps Ausblenden",
       "disable_notifications": "Benachrichtigungen Deaktivieren",
+      "disable_daemon": "Background Daemon",
       "enable_split_pane": "Geteilte Ansicht",
       "enable_threaded": "Konversations-Threads",
       "enable_detailed_dates": "Detaillierte Datumsangaben",
diff --git a/i18n/locales/en.json b/i18n/locales/en.json
index 770d0100dd207ef2f73b0751e7b2b0d9d415129c..38aef591e4bcea615eaf759284b189c76626e0be 100644
--- a/i18n/locales/en.json
+++ b/i18n/locales/en.json
@@ -152,6 +152,7 @@
       "disable_images": "Disable Image Display",
       "hide_tips": "Hide Contextual Tips",
       "disable_notifications": "Disable Notifications",
+      "disable_daemon": "Background Daemon",
       "enable_split_pane": "Split Pane View",
       "enable_threaded": "Threaded Conversation View",
       "enable_detailed_dates": "Detailed Dates",
diff --git a/i18n/locales/es.json b/i18n/locales/es.json
index f3247dac9de6735d52808cacd3c7b1f0a7885985..2a24b94448fcddea81bb0076eb88cc41d73f3921 100644
--- a/i18n/locales/es.json
+++ b/i18n/locales/es.json
@@ -150,6 +150,7 @@
       "disable_images": "Deshabilitar Visualización de Imágenes",
       "hide_tips": "Ocultar Consejos Contextuales",
       "disable_notifications": "Deshabilitar Notificaciones",
+      "disable_daemon": "Background Daemon",
       "enable_split_pane": "Vista dividida",
       "enable_threaded": "Vista de conversación",
       "enable_detailed_dates": "Fechas detalladas",
diff --git a/i18n/locales/fr.json b/i18n/locales/fr.json
index f9ed8a0b4cdb1789f1d8916be91488bf09646032..0a52986812ae086053542c3435deb02c9d5efffb 100644
--- a/i18n/locales/fr.json
+++ b/i18n/locales/fr.json
@@ -150,6 +150,7 @@
       "disable_images": "Désactiver l'Affichage des Images",
       "hide_tips": "Masquer les Conseils Contextuels",
       "disable_notifications": "Désactiver les Notifications",
+      "disable_daemon": "Background Daemon",
       "enable_split_pane": "Vue divisée",
       "enable_threaded": "Vue par conversation",
       "enable_detailed_dates": "Dates détaillées",
diff --git a/i18n/locales/ja.json b/i18n/locales/ja.json
index ee026e65b941c62acb7db99c2a5e92c11cc14a1b..13c91a70e0b4b0dc1e1d3d61aa723dab0f5ea98c 100644
--- a/i18n/locales/ja.json
+++ b/i18n/locales/ja.json
@@ -148,6 +148,7 @@
       "disable_images": "画像表示を無効化",
       "hide_tips": "コンテキストヒントを非表示",
       "disable_notifications": "通知を無効化",
+      "disable_daemon": "Background Daemon",
       "enable_split_pane": "分割ビュー",
       "enable_threaded": "スレッド表示",
       "enable_detailed_dates": "詳細な日付",
diff --git a/i18n/locales/pl.json b/i18n/locales/pl.json
index 3746bde87bd7aacea14dee1bc93400c728e1880c..753c54d01ab3f7b021f5a0cb44a67265f6720575 100644
--- a/i18n/locales/pl.json
+++ b/i18n/locales/pl.json
@@ -154,6 +154,7 @@
       "disable_images": "Wyłącz Wyświetlanie Obrazów",
       "hide_tips": "Ukryj Wskazówki Kontekstowe",
       "disable_notifications": "Wyłącz Powiadomienia",
+      "disable_daemon": "Background Daemon",
       "enable_split_pane": "Widok podzielony",
       "enable_threaded": "Widok wątków",
       "enable_detailed_dates": "Szczegółowe daty",
diff --git a/i18n/locales/pt.json b/i18n/locales/pt.json
index 8d2acad295cfaaa78d79e43707ddc2d5b801ead7..96b832956dfd78f8587ac8d63fcd7a7f6a0d2295 100644
--- a/i18n/locales/pt.json
+++ b/i18n/locales/pt.json
@@ -150,6 +150,7 @@
       "disable_images": "Desativar Exibição de Imagens",
       "hide_tips": "Ocultar Dicas Contextuais",
       "disable_notifications": "Desativar Notificações",
+      "disable_daemon": "Background Daemon",
       "enable_split_pane": "Vista dividida",
       "enable_threaded": "Vista de conversação",
       "enable_detailed_dates": "Datas detalhadas",
diff --git a/i18n/locales/ru.json b/i18n/locales/ru.json
index 61db8055b4a9621e51609ea1ab9365caa7f20d2f..b7f9be2f6c3b2edc4bcd0b2f6a4d390ff97b6429 100644
--- a/i18n/locales/ru.json
+++ b/i18n/locales/ru.json
@@ -154,6 +154,7 @@
       "disable_images": "Отключить Отображение Изображений",
       "hide_tips": "Скрыть Контекстные Подсказки",
       "disable_notifications": "Отключить Уведомления",
+      "disable_daemon": "Background Daemon",
       "enable_split_pane": "Разделённый вид",
       "enable_threaded": "Просмотр беседами",
       "enable_detailed_dates": "Подробные даты",
diff --git a/i18n/locales/uk.json b/i18n/locales/uk.json
index 3bc0e45f30c4e3a9dfb61e6469b01afdfbd59448..648e34d7965f0c4229289dc2057701e5202207e7 100644
--- a/i18n/locales/uk.json
+++ b/i18n/locales/uk.json
@@ -152,6 +152,7 @@
       "disable_images": "Вимкнути показ зображень",
       "hide_tips": "Приховати контекстні підказки",
       "disable_notifications": "Вимкнути сповіщення",
+      "disable_daemon": "Background Daemon",
       "enable_split_pane": "Розділений вигляд",
       "enable_threaded": "Перегляд розмов",
       "enable_detailed_dates": "Детальні дати",
diff --git a/i18n/locales/zh.json b/i18n/locales/zh.json
index 6ba77ee3848fb9ece92f2acf18a1eec8f23e9b55..341b816cb290b9d929a70da095a7d179a7b2643b 100644
--- a/i18n/locales/zh.json
+++ b/i18n/locales/zh.json
@@ -148,6 +148,7 @@
       "disable_images": "禁用图片显示",
       "hide_tips": "隐藏上下文提示",
       "disable_notifications": "禁用通知",
+      "disable_daemon": "Background Daemon",
       "enable_split_pane": "分屏视图",
       "enable_threaded": "会话视图",
       "enable_detailed_dates": "详细日期",
diff --git a/tui/settings_general.go b/tui/settings_general.go
index 89cfe39782c097c2d60e6789c6ba4e805bc05247..3f4eab4830eb98f45881c57af7cce79b08496c3b 100644
--- a/tui/settings_general.go
+++ b/tui/settings_general.go
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ func (m *Settings) buildGeneralOptions() []generalOption {
 		{"settings_general.disable_images", onOff(m.cfg.DisableImages), "Prevent images from loading automatically in emails."},
 		{"settings_general.hide_tips", onOff(m.cfg.HideTips), "Hide helpful hints displayed at the bottom of the screen."},
 		{"settings_general.disable_notifications", onOff(m.cfg.DisableNotifications), "Turn off desktop notifications for new mail."},
+		{"settings_general.disable_daemon", onOff(!m.cfg.DisableDaemon), "Run a background daemon for push notifications and sync. Takes effect on restart."},
 		{"settings_general.enable_split_pane", onOff(m.cfg.EnableSplitPane), "View inbox and email side-by-side."},
 		{"settings_general.enable_threaded", onOff(m.cfg.EnableThreaded), "Group emails into conversations by reply chain. Per-folder overrides are kept."},
 		{"settings_general.enable_detailed_dates", onOff(m.cfg.EnableDetailedDates), "Show detailed inbox dates."},
@@ -57,27 +58,31 @@ func (m *Settings) updateGeneral(msg tea.KeyPressMsg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 				m.cfg.DisableNotifications = !m.cfg.DisableNotifications
 				_ = config.SaveConfig(m.cfg)
 				saved = true
-			case 3: // Split Pane View
+			case 3: // Background Daemon
+				m.cfg.DisableDaemon = !m.cfg.DisableDaemon
+				_ = config.SaveConfig(m.cfg)
+				saved = true
+			case 4: // Split Pane View
 				m.cfg.EnableSplitPane = !m.cfg.EnableSplitPane
 				_ = config.SaveConfig(m.cfg)
 				saved = true
-			case 4: // Threaded Conversation View
+			case 5: // Threaded Conversation View
 				m.cfg.EnableThreaded = !m.cfg.EnableThreaded
 				_ = config.SaveConfig(m.cfg)
 				saved = true
-			case 5: // Detailed Dates
+			case 6: // Detailed Dates
 				m.cfg.EnableDetailedDates = !m.cfg.EnableDetailedDates
 				_ = config.SaveConfig(m.cfg)
 				saved = true
-			case 6: // Spellcheck
+			case 7: // Spellcheck
 				m.cfg.DisableSpellcheck = !m.cfg.DisableSpellcheck
 				_ = config.SaveConfig(m.cfg)
 				saved = true
-			case 7: // Spell Suggestions
+			case 8: // Spell Suggestions
 				m.cfg.DisableSpellSuggestions = !m.cfg.DisableSpellSuggestions
 				_ = config.SaveConfig(m.cfg)
 				saved = true
-			case 8: // Date Format
+			case 9: // Date Format
 				switch m.cfg.DateFormat {
 				case config.DateFormatEU:
 					m.cfg.DateFormat = config.DateFormatUS
@@ -88,7 +93,7 @@ func (m *Settings) updateGeneral(msg tea.KeyPressMsg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 				}
 				_ = config.SaveConfig(m.cfg)
 				saved = true
-			case 9: // Language
+			case 10: // Language
 				// Cycle through available languages
 				langs := i18n.LanguageCodes()
 				currentLang := m.cfg.GetLanguage()
@@ -109,7 +114,7 @@ func (m *Settings) updateGeneral(msg tea.KeyPressMsg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 					func() tea.Msg { return ConfigSavedMsg{} },
 					func() tea.Msg { return LanguageChangedMsg{} },
 				)
-			case 10: // Edit Signature
+			case 11: // Edit Signature
 				if msg.String() == keyEnter || msg.String() == keyRight || msg.String() == "l" {
 					return m, func() tea.Msg { return GoToSignatureEditorMsg{} }
 				}