diff --git a/electron/native-bridge/capture/linuxNativeCaptureSession.test.ts b/electron/native-bridge/capture/linuxNativeCaptureSession.test.ts
index 0d900a7d7..b773aef5f 100644
--- a/electron/native-bridge/capture/linuxNativeCaptureSession.test.ts
+++ b/electron/native-bridge/capture/linuxNativeCaptureSession.test.ts
@@ -156,6 +156,8 @@ async function record(sourceKind?: string) {
 }
 
 beforeEach(() => {
+	// The portal helper is only looked up in a Wayland session (#1491).
+	vi.stubEnv("XDG_SESSION_TYPE", "wayland");
 	helper = new FakeHelper();
 	spawnMock.mockReset();
 	spawnMock.mockReturnValue(helper as unknown as ReturnType<typeof spawn>);
@@ -169,6 +171,7 @@ beforeEach(() => {
 
 afterEach(() => {
 	vi.restoreAllMocks();
+	vi.unstubAllEnvs();
 });
 
 describe("LinuxNativeCaptureSession", () => {
diff --git a/electron/native-bridge/cursor/recording/factory.ts b/electron/native-bridge/cursor/recording/factory.ts
index facf1f078..4bafd3852 100644
--- a/electron/native-bridge/cursor/recording/factory.ts
+++ b/electron/native-bridge/cursor/recording/factory.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import type { Rectangle } from "electron";
+import { isWaylandSession } from "../../../wayland";
 import { MacNativeCursorRecordingSession } from "./macNativeCursorRecordingSession";
 import { PipeWireCursorRecordingSession } from "./pipeWireCursorRecordingSession";
 import type { CursorRecordingSession } from "./session";
@@ -36,7 +37,7 @@ export function createCursorRecordingSession(
 		});
 	}
 
-	if (options.platform === "linux") {
+	if (options.platform === "linux" && isWaylandSession(process.env)) {
 		// The ScreenCast portal's METADATA cursor mode is the only source of a real
 		// pointer position on Wayland: `screen.getCursorScreenPoint()` returns
 		// {0,0} there, so TelemetryRecordingSession produced well-formed recordings
@@ -50,7 +51,7 @@ export function createCursorRecordingSession(
 		});
 	}
 
-	// Anything else (a future platform, or a test harness): capture cursor
+	// Anything else (X11, a future platform, or a test harness): capture cursor
 	// positions via Electron's `screen` API on an interval. No cursor
 	// sprites/assets and no clicks, just position telemetry.
 	return new TelemetryRecordingSession({
diff --git a/electron/native-bridge/cursor/recording/pipeWireCursorRecordingSession.test.ts b/electron/native-bridge/cursor/recording/pipeWireCursorRecordingSession.test.ts
index 0058079d3..da1950c03 100644
--- a/electron/native-bridge/cursor/recording/pipeWireCursorRecordingSession.test.ts
+++ b/electron/native-bridge/cursor/recording/pipeWireCursorRecordingSession.test.ts
@@ -33,7 +33,12 @@ vi.mock("node:fs", async (importOriginal) => {
 });
 
 import { spawn } from "node:child_process";
-import { PipeWireCursorRecordingSession } from "./pipeWireCursorRecordingSession";
+import { createCursorRecordingSession } from "./factory";
+import {
+	findPipeWireCursorHelperPath,
+	PipeWireCursorRecordingSession,
+} from "./pipeWireCursorRecordingSession";
+import { TelemetryRecordingSession } from "./telemetryRecordingSession";
 
 /** Minimal stand-in for the helper process: stdio pipes plus kill bookkeeping. */
 class FakeHelper extends EventEmitter {
@@ -93,7 +98,13 @@ function flushStdout() {
 	return new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 0));
 }
 
+const realPlatform = process.platform;
+
 beforeEach(() => {
+	// The helper is only looked up in a Wayland session (#1491); pin one for the session tests.
+	Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", { value: "linux" });
+	vi.stubEnv("XDG_SESSION_TYPE", "wayland");
+	vi.stubEnv("WAYLAND_DISPLAY", undefined);
 	helper = new FakeHelper();
 	spawnMock.mockReset();
 	spawnMock.mockReturnValue(helper as unknown as ReturnType<typeof spawn>);
@@ -107,6 +118,30 @@ beforeEach(() => {
 
 afterEach(() => {
 	vi.restoreAllMocks();
+	vi.unstubAllEnvs();
+	Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", { value: realPlatform });
+});
+
+describe("X11 session (#1491)", () => {
+	const cursorOptions = {
+		getDisplayBounds: () => null,
+		maxSamples: 100,
+		platform: "linux" as const,
+		sampleIntervalMs: 33,
+	};
+
+	it("finds the portal helper in a Wayland session", () => {
+		expect(findPipeWireCursorHelperPath()).not.toBeNull();
+		expect(createCursorRecordingSession(cursorOptions)).toBeInstanceOf(
+			PipeWireCursorRecordingSession,
+		);
+	});
+
+	it("treats the helper as absent on X11, so capture falls back to Chromium", () => {
+		vi.stubEnv("XDG_SESSION_TYPE", "x11");
+		expect(findPipeWireCursorHelperPath()).toBeNull();
+		expect(createCursorRecordingSession(cursorOptions)).toBeInstanceOf(TelemetryRecordingSession);
+	});
 });
 
 describe("PipeWireCursorRecordingSession", () => {
diff --git a/electron/native-bridge/cursor/recording/pipeWireCursorRecordingSession.ts b/electron/native-bridge/cursor/recording/pipeWireCursorRecordingSession.ts
index 7dd222ced..492a74aea 100644
--- a/electron/native-bridge/cursor/recording/pipeWireCursorRecordingSession.ts
+++ b/electron/native-bridge/cursor/recording/pipeWireCursorRecordingSession.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { accessSync, constants as fsConstants } from "node:fs";
 import path from "node:path";
 import type { Readable, Writable } from "node:stream";
 import type { CursorRecordingData } from "../../../../src/native/contracts";
+import { isWaylandSession } from "../../../wayland";
 import {
 	NdjsonLineReader,
 	PipeWireCursorAccumulator,
@@ -70,6 +71,10 @@ function helperCandidates() {
 }
 
 export function findPipeWireCursorHelperPath() {
+	// The helper is a ScreenCast portal client, and KDE's portal has no ScreenCast outside
+	// Wayland: on X11 the take died on "CreateSession: ... Other" (#1491). Without the helper
+	// every caller falls back to Chromium's capture, which X11 serves without a portal.
+	if (!isWaylandSession(process.env)) return null;
 	for (const candidate of helperCandidates()) {
 		try {
 			accessSync(candidate, fsConstants.X_OK);