diff --git a/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Recording.cs b/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Recording.cs
index e0f8385..1b77188 100644
--- a/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Recording.cs
+++ b/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Recording.cs
@@ -77,11 +77,21 @@ public partial class MainViewModel : ViewModelBase
             // CREATOR RULING 2026-09-26: Cancel means DISCARD, not "save under the
             // default name". This used to fall through and File.Move anyway, so a
             // cancelled dialog silently kept the recording — Cancel was a lie.
-            var dialog = new RenameRecordingDialog(autoStem);
-            var creatorSaved = dialog.ShowDialog() == true;
+            //
+            // APP CLOSE (2026-11-13): a modal cannot open while the window is closing — WPF throws
+            // "Cannot call ShowDialog while a Window is closing", which killed the app mid-shutdown.
+            // So closing saves under the automatic name instead: never discard footage the creator
+            // did not choose to discard, and never hold the window hostage to a dialog.
+            var creatorSaved = true;
+            string? chosenName = null;
+            if (!_shuttingDown)
+            {
+                var dialog = new RenameRecordingDialog(autoStem);
+                creatorSaved = dialog.ShowDialog() == true;
+                chosenName = dialog.ResultFileName;
+            }
 
-            var result = CompleteRecordingSave(
-                startPath, dir, autoStem, dialog.ResultFileName, creatorSaved);
+            var result = CompleteRecordingSave(startPath, dir, autoStem, chosenName, creatorSaved);
             switch (result.Outcome)
             {
                 case RecordingSaveOutcome.Saved:
diff --git a/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Streaming.Operations.cs b/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Streaming.Operations.cs
index e33b5df..2080b33 100644
--- a/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Streaming.Operations.cs
+++ b/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Streaming.Operations.cs
@@ -690,7 +690,11 @@ public partial class MainViewModel : ViewModelBase
     {
         var title = BroadcastForm.Title;
         var (outcome, error) = await ClosePrivateBroadcastAsync(_youtubeStream, broadcastId,
-            () => KeepBroadcastPromptOverride?.Invoke(title) ?? new KeepBroadcastDialog(title).ShowDialog() == true);
+            // Closing the app cannot open a modal (WPF forbids ShowDialog while a window closes), so the
+            // safe default is KEEP: the broadcast stays on YouTube as a private video for the creator to
+            // deal with, instead of being deleted by a prompt nobody could answer.
+            () => _shuttingDown
+                || (KeepBroadcastPromptOverride?.Invoke(title) ?? new KeepBroadcastDialog(title).ShowDialog() == true));
         switch (outcome)
         {
             case PrivateBroadcastOutcome.Kept:
diff --git a/ViewModels/MainViewModel.cs b/ViewModels/MainViewModel.cs
index 9dc8da6..f53d538 100644
--- a/ViewModels/MainViewModel.cs
+++ b/ViewModels/MainViewModel.cs
@@ -624,10 +624,16 @@ public partial class MainViewModel : ViewModelBase
     /// while it was still working. The window now holds itself open until the ordinary stop completes
     /// (bounded — a stuck encoder must not trap the creator in an unclosable app).</para>
     /// </summary>
+    /// <summary>True while the app is closing. Dialogs cannot open then, so the stop path skips its
+    /// prompts and takes the safe default (save under the automatic name, keep the broadcast).</summary>
+    internal bool IsShuttingDown => _shuttingDown;
+    private bool _shuttingDown;
+
     internal async Task<bool> StopBeforeShutdownAsync()
     {
         if (!IsLive && !IsRecording) return true;
 
+        _shuttingDown = true;
         StopStream();
         for (var i = 0; i < 120 && (IsLive || IsRecording); i++)   // up to ~6 s
             await Task.Delay(50).ConfigureAwait(true);