diff --git a/src-tauri/Cargo.lock b/src-tauri/Cargo.lock
index 8417400..e7469e0 100644
--- a/src-tauri/Cargo.lock
+++ b/src-tauri/Cargo.lock
@@ -1403,6 +1403,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "tauri-plugin-dialog",
  "tauri-plugin-process",
  "tauri-plugin-updater",
+ "windows 0.58.0",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
diff --git a/src-tauri/Cargo.toml b/src-tauri/Cargo.toml
index 9f130ee..12674e0 100644
--- a/src-tauri/Cargo.toml
+++ b/src-tauri/Cargo.toml
@@ -24,3 +24,8 @@ log = "0.4"
 dirs = "5"
 hyperdeck-core = { path = "../crates/hyperdeck-core" }
 hyperdeck-os = { path = "../crates/hyperdeck-os" }
+
+# AttachConsole for the CLI/headless modes (the tray app is a GUI-subsystem
+# binary; see the windows_subsystem attribute in main.rs).
+[target.'cfg(windows)'.dependencies]
+windows = { version = "0.58", features = ["Win32_System_Console"] }
diff --git a/src-tauri/src/main.rs b/src-tauri/src/main.rs
index 38fe619..c85fe1e 100644
--- a/src-tauri/src/main.rs
+++ b/src-tauri/src/main.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
-// Tray-only application: no console window on Windows release builds.
-#![cfg_attr(not(debug_assertions), windows_subsystem = "windows")]
+// Tray-only application: never spawn a console window on Windows. This applies to
+// every profile (the `cargo tauri build --debug` bundle and `cargo tauri dev`
+// included), not just release — a debug-only guard let a console pop on test
+// builds. The CLI/headless modes reattach to the parent terminal (see
+// `attach_console`) so they still print when launched from a shell.
+#![windows_subsystem = "windows"]
 
 mod backend;
 
@@ -20,6 +24,7 @@ fn main() {
 
     // Verify / prompt for input permission, then exit (parity with the Go flag).
     if args.iter().any(|a| a == "--check-accessibility") {
+        attach_console();
         if hyperdeck_os::injector::request_accessibility() {
             println!("input permission granted");
             std::process::exit(0);
@@ -30,6 +35,7 @@ fn main() {
 
     // Headless mode: run the core with a logging presenter, no tray.
     if args.iter().any(|a| a == "--no-tray" || a == "--headless") {
+        attach_console();
         run_headless();
         return;
     }
@@ -37,6 +43,25 @@ fn main() {
     run_tray();
 }
 
+/// Reattach this process to the parent terminal's console on Windows. The binary is
+/// linked as a GUI-subsystem app (see the crate-level `windows_subsystem`
+/// attribute) so the tray build never pops a console window; the CLI/headless modes
+/// still want their stdout/stderr, so claim the parent console when one exists.
+/// Launched from Explorer / a shortcut there is no parent console and this is a
+/// harmless no-op. Non-Windows platforms inherit the terminal normally.
+#[cfg(windows)]
+fn attach_console() {
+    use windows::Win32::System::Console::{AttachConsole, ATTACH_PARENT_PROCESS};
+    // Safe: AttachConsole has no preconditions and we ignore the result — failure
+    // (no parent console) just means there is nothing to print to.
+    unsafe {
+        let _ = AttachConsole(ATTACH_PARENT_PROCESS);
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(not(windows))]
+fn attach_console() {}
+
 fn run_headless() {
     let presenter: Arc<dyn StatusPresenter + Send + Sync> = Arc::new(LogPresenter);
     match backend::start(presenter, BIND, POLL) {