diff --git a/config/systemd-user/singularity-session.target b/config/systemd-user/singularity-session.target
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..13cc26f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/systemd-user/singularity-session.target
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+[Unit]
+Description=Singularity Desktop session
+BindsTo=graphical-session.target
+Wants=graphical-session-pre.target
+After=graphical-session-pre.target
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 8a56409..e50a45c 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -18,6 +18,16 @@ configure_file(
   install_mode: 'rwxr-xr-x',
 )
 
+# systemd's user-unit search path does not follow our --prefix, so a
+# prefix-relative install dir lands where systemd never looks. Fall back to
+# one only when systemd.pc isn't available to ask (e.g. a minimal sysroot).
+systemd_dep = dependency('systemd', required: false)
+if systemd_dep.found()
+  systemd_user_unit_dir = systemd_dep.get_variable(pkgconfig: 'systemduserunitdir')
+else
+  systemd_user_unit_dir = get_option('prefix') / 'lib' / 'systemd' / 'user'
+endif
+
 install_data(
   'src/singularity-labwc-session',
   install_dir: get_option('bindir'),
@@ -45,3 +55,16 @@ test('session-safe-mode', session_test_bash,
     'SINGULARITY_TEST_DESKTOP_SESSION':
       meson.current_build_dir() / 'singularity-desktop-session',
   })
+test('session-target-lifecycle', session_test_bash,
+  args: files('tests/session_target_lifecycle_test.sh'),
+  env: {
+    'SINGULARITY_TEST_DESKTOP_SESSION':
+      meson.current_build_dir() / 'singularity-desktop-session',
+  })
+
+# graphical-session.target sets RefuseManualStart, so it can only be reached
+# via a unit that BindsTo= it. This target is that unit.
+install_data(
+  'config/systemd-user/singularity-session.target',
+  install_dir: systemd_user_unit_dir,
+)
diff --git a/src/singularity-desktop-session.in b/src/singularity-desktop-session.in
index 61a88aa..f4674dd 100755
--- a/src/singularity-desktop-session.in
+++ b/src/singularity-desktop-session.in
@@ -120,7 +120,28 @@ if [ -f "$_SPID" ]; then
     fi
 fi
 echo $$ > "$_SPID"
-trap "rm -f $_SPID" EXIT
+# One systemd --user manager is shared by every login of the same UID, so a
+# second concurrent login (a second seat, or console + SSH) runs its own copy
+# of this launcher under the SAME manager and the SAME singularity-session.target.
+# A marker per running instance turns the unconditional stop below into a
+# reference count: only the last instance to exit actually stops the target.
+_SESSION_MARKERS="${XDG_RUNTIME_DIR:-/tmp}/singularity-session.d"
+mkdir -p "$_SESSION_MARKERS"
+_SESSION_MARKER="$_SESSION_MARKERS/$$"
+: > "$_SESSION_MARKER"
+_session_cleanup() {
+    rm -f "$_SPID" "$_SESSION_MARKER"
+    # graphical-session.target is StopWhenUnneeded=yes, so it only goes away
+    # once nothing binds it -- stopping singularity-session.target while a
+    # sibling login's marker is still present would tear down that login's
+    # portal/audio-autoswitch/etc out from under it.
+    [ -z "$(ls -A "$_SESSION_MARKERS" 2>/dev/null)" ] || return 0
+    systemctl --user --no-block stop singularity-session.target 2>/dev/null || true
+}
+# EXIT only, deliberately: bash runs the EXIT trap for an untrapped fatal signal
+# as well, while an explicit TERM trap would be deferred until the supervisor's
+# foreground child returns -- which on the logout path it never does.
+trap _session_cleanup EXIT
 
 pkill -TERM -x singularity-desktop 2>/dev/null || true
 pkill -x singularity-polkit-agent 2>/dev/null || true
@@ -130,6 +151,12 @@ nohup "$(singularity_helper singularity-polkit-agent)" >> "$_STATE/polkit.log" 2
 if [ -x "$BIN/ush-broker" ]; then
     nohup "$BIN/ush-broker" >> "$_STATE/ush-broker.log" 2>&1 &
 fi
+# graphical-session.target sets RefuseManualStart and can only be reached via
+# a unit that BindsTo= it. Without this start, the target stays inactive and
+# every WantedBy=graphical-session.target unit -- our own
+# xdg-desktop-portal-singularity.service, foot-server -- silently never runs.
+systemctl --user --no-block start singularity-session.target 2>/dev/null || true
+
 # Restart the portal so it picks up the live session environment, but do NOT
 # block on it: xdg-desktop-portal can hang ~25s on its settings-proxy timeout
 # waiting for our portal backend, which would delay the shell launch below.
diff --git a/tests/session_target_lifecycle_test.sh b/tests/session_target_lifecycle_test.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..4c31d02
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/session_target_lifecycle_test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# singularity-session.target is started by the desktop-session launcher and
+# stopped by nothing else. graphical-session.target is StopWhenUnneeded=yes, so
+# it only goes away once nothing binds it -- and a user manager that outlives
+# the session (lingering enabled, or a second concurrent login) keeps ours
+# active after the compositor exits, and with it the portal backend and foot
+# server underneath. This asserts the launcher's exit path issues the matching
+# stop, and that the older pid-file cleanup still runs alongside it.
+set -eu
+
+# Re-entrant stub: the launcher runs this same file as singularity-desktop, and
+# a non-zero exit drives the supervisor to its crash budget so the script exits.
+if [ "${SINGULARITY_TEST_FAKE_DESKTOP:-0}" = "1" ]; then
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+TEST_DIR=$(mktemp -d "${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/singularity-session-target-test.XXXXXX")
+trap 'rm -rf "$TEST_DIR"' EXIT
+mkdir -p "$TEST_DIR/state" "$TEST_DIR/runtime" "$TEST_DIR/bin"
+chmod 700 "$TEST_DIR/runtime"
+
+SYSTEMCTL_LOG="$TEST_DIR/systemctl.log"
+: > "$SYSTEMCTL_LOG"
+
+cat > "$TEST_DIR/bin/systemctl" <<EOF
+#!/bin/sh
+printf '%s\n' "\$*" >> "$SYSTEMCTL_LOG"
+EOF
+# Keep the launcher's environment probing off the machine running the test.
+for stub in pkill xdg-user-dirs-update dbus-update-activation-environment; do
+    printf '#!/bin/sh\nexit 0\n' > "$TEST_DIR/bin/$stub"
+done
+printf '#!/bin/sh\nprintf "false\\n"\n' > "$TEST_DIR/bin/gsettings"
+chmod +x "$TEST_DIR"/bin/*
+
+export PATH="$TEST_DIR/bin:$PATH"
+export XDG_STATE_HOME="$TEST_DIR/state"
+export XDG_RUNTIME_DIR="$TEST_DIR/runtime"
+export DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS="test-bus"
+export SINGULARITY_SESSION_BUILD_ID="session-target-test-build"
+export SINGULARITY_DESKTOP_BINARY="$0"
+export SINGULARITY_TEST_FAKE_DESKTOP=1
+
+# The launcher under test is generated, so point the test at the configured
+# copy in the build dir (SINGULARITY_TEST_DESKTOP_SESSION, set in meson.build).
+# Outside meson, fall back to the raw .in template.
+LAUNCHER="${SINGULARITY_TEST_DESKTOP_SESSION:-$(dirname "$0")/../src/singularity-desktop-session.in}"
+# The supervisor kills $PPID once it gives up, so run the launcher under a
+# wrapper that absorbs that signal instead of the test process itself.
+set +e
+bash -c 'trap "" TERM; bash "$1" & child=$!; wait "$child"' _ "$LAUNCHER"
+set -e
+
+grep -Fq -- "--user --no-block start singularity-session.target" "$SYSTEMCTL_LOG" || {
+    echo "launcher never started singularity-session.target" >&2
+    cat "$SYSTEMCTL_LOG" >&2
+    exit 1
+}
+grep -Fq -- "--user --no-block stop singularity-session.target" "$SYSTEMCTL_LOG" || {
+    echo "launcher exited without stopping singularity-session.target" >&2
+    cat "$SYSTEMCTL_LOG" >&2
+    exit 1
+}
+
+# Order matters: a stop that raced ahead of the start would leave the target up.
+START_LINE=$(grep -Fn -- "start singularity-session.target" "$SYSTEMCTL_LOG" | head -1 | cut -d: -f1)
+STOP_LINE=$(grep -Fn -- "stop singularity-session.target" "$SYSTEMCTL_LOG" | head -1 | cut -d: -f1)
+[ "$STOP_LINE" -gt "$START_LINE" ] || {
+    echo "stop (line $STOP_LINE) did not follow start (line $START_LINE)" >&2
+    cat "$SYSTEMCTL_LOG" >&2
+    exit 1
+}
+
+# The pre-existing pid-file cleanup has to survive being moved into the
+# trap function that now also stops the target.
+[ ! -e "$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/singularity-desktop-session.pid" ] || {
+    echo "launcher left its pid file behind" >&2
+    exit 1
+}
+
+# Scenario 2: a sibling login (same UID, same XDG_RUNTIME_DIR, same systemd
+# --user manager) is still running when this login exits. Simulated by
+# planting a session marker the launcher did not create itself -- it must
+# leave the target running for the sibling rather than stopping it.
+: > "$SYSTEMCTL_LOG"
+SIBLING_MARKER="$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/singularity-session.d/sibling-fake-pid"
+mkdir -p "$(dirname "$SIBLING_MARKER")"
+: > "$SIBLING_MARKER"
+
+set +e
+bash -c 'trap "" TERM; bash "$1" & child=$!; wait "$child"' _ "$LAUNCHER"
+set -e
+
+grep -Fq -- "--user --no-block start singularity-session.target" "$SYSTEMCTL_LOG" || {
+    echo "launcher never started singularity-session.target on the second run" >&2
+    cat "$SYSTEMCTL_LOG" >&2
+    exit 1
+}
+if grep -Fq -- "--user --no-block stop singularity-session.target" "$SYSTEMCTL_LOG"; then
+    echo "launcher stopped singularity-session.target while a sibling login's marker was still present" >&2
+    cat "$SYSTEMCTL_LOG" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+[ -e "$SIBLING_MARKER" ] || {
+    echo "launcher removed a marker it did not create" >&2
+    exit 1
+}
+[ ! -e "$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/singularity-desktop-session.pid" ] || {
+    echo "launcher left its pid file behind on the second run" >&2
+    exit 1
+}