diff --git a/Sources/AppDelegate.swift b/Sources/AppDelegate.swift
index 337bf04..c7668a9 100644
--- a/Sources/AppDelegate.swift
+++ b/Sources/AppDelegate.swift
@@ -442,25 +442,29 @@ final class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate, NSMenuDelegate, LiveSt
         guard !MenuBarHintShown.value, let button = statusItem.button else { return }
         MenuBarHintShown.value = true
 
+        // Sized with an explicit frame rather than Auto Layout constraints
+        // alone: NSPopover computes its window size synchronously from
+        // contentViewController.view at the moment show() is called, and a
+        // container with no frame of its own — only constraints pinning a
+        // child to its edges — has nothing to report yet, so show() silently
+        // fails (isShown comes back false, nothing appears).
         let label = NSTextField(wrappingLabelWithString: "Claude isn't running — click here to start a profile.")
         label.font = .systemFont(ofSize: 13)
         label.isEditable = false
         label.isBordered = false
         label.drawsBackground = false
         label.preferredMaxLayoutWidth = 200
+        label.frame = NSRect(x: 14, y: 12, width: 200, height: 40)
+        label.sizeToFit()
+        label.frame.origin = NSPoint(x: 14, y: 12)
 
-        let container = NSView()
+        let containerSize = NSSize(width: label.frame.width + 28, height: label.frame.height + 24)
+        let container = NSView(frame: NSRect(origin: .zero, size: containerSize))
         container.addSubview(label)
-        label.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
-        NSLayoutConstraint.activate([
-            label.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: container.topAnchor, constant: 12),
-            label.bottomAnchor.constraint(equalTo: container.bottomAnchor, constant: -12),
-            label.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: container.leadingAnchor, constant: 14),
-            label.trailingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: container.trailingAnchor, constant: -14),
-        ])
 
         let viewController = NSViewController()
         viewController.view = container
+        viewController.preferredContentSize = containerSize
 
         let popover = NSPopover()
         popover.contentViewController = viewController