diff --git a/hosts/common/programs/flare-signal.nix b/hosts/common/programs/flare-signal.nix
index f39595f1..4632568d 100644
--- a/hosts/common/programs/flare-signal.nix
+++ b/hosts/common/programs/flare-signal.nix
@@ -1,16 +1,39 @@
 # Flare is a 3rd-party GTK4 Signal app.
 # UI is effectively a clone of Fractal.
+#
 # compatibility:
 # - desko: works fine. pairs, and exchanges contact list (but not message history) with the paired device. exchanges future messages fine.
 # - moby (cross compiled flare-signal-nixified): nope. it pairs, but can only *receive* messages and never *send* them.
 #   - even `rsync`ing the data and keyrings from desko -> moby, still fails in that same manner.
 #   - console shows error messages. quite possibly an endianness mismatch somewhere
 # - moby (partially-emulated flare-signal): works! pairs and can send/receive messages, same as desko.
+#
+# error signatures (to reset, run `sane-wipe-fractal`):
+# - upon sending a message, the other side receives it, but Signal desktop gets "A message from Colin could not be delivered" and the local CLI shows:
+#   ```
+#   ERROR libsignal_service::websocket] SignalWebSocket: Websocket error: SignalWebSocket: end of application request stream; socket closing
+#   ERROR presage::manager] Error opening envelope: ProtobufDecodeError(DecodeError { description: "invalid tag value: 0", stack: [("Content", "data_message")] }), message will be skipped!
+#   ERROR presage::manager] Error opening envelope: ProtobufDecodeError(DecodeError { description: "invalid tag value: 0", stack: [("Content", "data_message")] }), message will be skipped!
+#   ```
+# - this occurs on moby, desko, `flare-signal` and `flare-signal-nixified`
+# - the Websocket error seems to be unrelated, occurs during normal/good operation
+# - related issues: <https://github.com/whisperfish/presage/issues/152>
+# error when sending from Flare to other Flare device:
+# - ```
+#   ERROR libsignal_protocol::session_cipher] Message from <UUID>.3 failed to decrypt; sender ratchet public key <key> message counter 1
+#       No current session
+#   ERROR presage::manager] Error opening envelope: SignalProtocolError(InvalidKyberPreKeyId), message will be skipped!
+#   ```
+# - but signal iOS will still read it.
+#
+# well, seems to have unpredictable errors particularly when being used on multiple devices.
+# desktop _seems_ more reliable than on mobile, but not confident.
+
 { pkgs, ... }:
 {
   sane.programs.flare-signal = {
-    # package = pkgs.flare-signal-nixified;
-    package = pkgs.flare-signal;
+    package = pkgs.flare-signal-nixified;
+    # package = pkgs.flare-signal;
     persist.private = [
       # everything: conf, state, files, all opaque
       ".local/share/flare"
diff --git a/hosts/modules/gui/default.nix b/hosts/modules/gui/default.nix
index ea070e42..70692c44 100644
--- a/hosts/modules/gui/default.nix
+++ b/hosts/modules/gui/default.nix
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
       "epiphany"  # gnome's web browser
       "evince"  # works on phosh
       "firefox"
-      "flare-signal"  # gtk4 signal client
+      # "flare-signal"  # gtk4 signal client
       # "foliate"  # e-book reader
       "fractal"  # matrix client
       "g4music"  # local music player