diff --git a/desktop/src-tauri/src/dictation.rs b/desktop/src-tauri/src/dictation.rs
index b5351caa4..b7d6b4b52 100644
--- a/desktop/src-tauri/src/dictation.rs
+++ b/desktop/src-tauri/src/dictation.rs
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ pub async fn start_dictation(state: State<'_, AppState>) -> Result<u64, String>
         tts_active: None,
         tts_cancel: None,
         ptt_active: None,
+        flush_on_shutdown: true,
     };
 
     let (engine, text_rx) = SttEngine::new(config)?;
diff --git a/desktop/src-tauri/src/huddle/stt.rs b/desktop/src-tauri/src/huddle/stt.rs
index de2be1031..e91c0e68e 100644
--- a/desktop/src-tauri/src/huddle/stt.rs
+++ b/desktop/src-tauri/src/huddle/stt.rs
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ impl SttPipeline {
             tts_active: Some(tts_active),
             tts_cancel,
             ptt_active,
+            flush_on_shutdown: false,
         };
 
         let (engine, text_rx) = SttEngine::new(config)?;
diff --git a/desktop/src-tauri/src/stt_engine.rs b/desktop/src-tauri/src/stt_engine.rs
index eefe950fa..02dba7b9a 100644
--- a/desktop/src-tauri/src/stt_engine.rs
+++ b/desktop/src-tauri/src/stt_engine.rs
@@ -72,6 +72,15 @@ pub struct SttEngineConfig {
     /// Optional: push-to-talk flag — when `Some`, speech is only accumulated
     /// while the flag is true.
     pub ptt_active: Option<Arc<AtomicBool>>,
+    /// When `true`, the worker drains any audio still queued at shutdown and
+    /// transcribes the trailing speech buffer before exiting. Dictation needs
+    /// this so the last words the user spoke before releasing the key still
+    /// land in the transcript. Set to `false` for huddle: leaving a huddle (or
+    /// disabling transcription) calls `shutdown()` then drops the pipeline,
+    /// whose `Drop` joins this worker — running the full drain + final decode
+    /// there would block huddle teardown, and the huddle generation guard
+    /// discards any transcript produced during teardown anyway.
+    pub flush_on_shutdown: bool,
 }
 
 // ── Public engine handle ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -265,6 +274,7 @@ fn stt_worker(
 
     // ── 5. Main loop ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
     let has_tts = config.tts_active.is_some();
+    let flush_on_shutdown = config.flush_on_shutdown;
     let tts_active_flag = config
         .tts_active
         .unwrap_or_else(|| Arc::new(AtomicBool::new(false)));
@@ -351,6 +361,15 @@ fn stt_worker(
     // enqueued batch, so the tail of speech would never reach `speech_buf` and
     // the final flush below would only transcribe older audio — dropping the
     // last words. Process everything still in the channel before flushing.
+    //
+    // Only dictation opts into this (`flush_on_shutdown`). Huddle shutdown must
+    // stay fast: its `Drop` joins this worker, so draining the queue + decoding
+    // the final buffer here would block huddle teardown, and any transcript
+    // produced during teardown is discarded by the huddle generation guard.
+    if !flush_on_shutdown {
+        return;
+    }
+
     while let Ok(bytes) = audio_rx.try_recv() {
         let samples_48k = bytes_to_f32(&bytes);
         input_buf_48k.extend_from_slice(&samples_48k);
diff --git a/desktop/src/app/AppShell.tsx b/desktop/src/app/AppShell.tsx
index d52a81788..688ae69aa 100644
--- a/desktop/src/app/AppShell.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/app/AppShell.tsx
@@ -621,11 +621,32 @@ export function AppShell() {
       }
     }
 
+    // If the WebView loses focus (Cmd-Tab, clicking another app, an OS focus
+    // change) or is hidden before ⌘D is released, the keyup never fires and the
+    // mic would keep recording. Release the push-to-talk key on blur/hide so
+    // the recording stops instead of running unattended.
+    function releaseDictationKey() {
+      if (dictationKeyHeld) {
+        dictationKeyHeld = false;
+        window.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent("buzz:dictation-key-up"));
+      }
+    }
+
+    function handleVisibilityChange() {
+      if (document.hidden) {
+        releaseDictationKey();
+      }
+    }
+
     window.addEventListener("keydown", handleKeyDown);
     window.addEventListener("keyup", handleKeyUp);
+    window.addEventListener("blur", releaseDictationKey);
+    document.addEventListener("visibilitychange", handleVisibilityChange);
     return () => {
       window.removeEventListener("keydown", handleKeyDown);
       window.removeEventListener("keyup", handleKeyUp);
+      window.removeEventListener("blur", releaseDictationKey);
+      document.removeEventListener("visibilitychange", handleVisibilityChange);
     };
   }, [
     handleOpenBrowseChannels,