diff --git a/scripts/build-desktop-artifact.test.ts b/scripts/build-desktop-artifact.test.ts
index b7383de236aa..8c77e0b4910b 100644
--- a/scripts/build-desktop-artifact.test.ts
+++ b/scripts/build-desktop-artifact.test.ts
@@ -481,6 +481,12 @@ it.layer(NodeServices.layer)("build-desktop-artifact", (it) => {
       assert.deepStrictEqual((linux.linux as Record<string, unknown>).protocols, [
         { name: "T3 Code", schemes: ["t3code", "t3code-dev"] },
       ]);
+      // The AppImage must be built with the static runtime toolset.
+      // electron-builder's default ("0.0.0") emits a runtime dynamically
+      // linked against libfuse.so.2, which FUSE 3-only distros cannot mount.
+      assert.deepStrictEqual(linux.toolsets, { appimage: "1.0.3" });
+      assert.notProperty(mac, "toolsets");
+      assert.notProperty(win, "toolsets");
       for (const config of [mac, linux, win]) {
         assert.deepStrictEqual(config.electronLanguages, DESKTOP_ELECTRON_LANGUAGES);
         assert.deepStrictEqual(config.files, DESKTOP_FILE_EXCLUSIONS);
diff --git a/scripts/build-desktop-artifact.ts b/scripts/build-desktop-artifact.ts
index bf36029bc75b..87d0ed66bb0a 100644
--- a/scripts/build-desktop-artifact.ts
+++ b/scripts/build-desktop-artifact.ts
@@ -2108,6 +2108,14 @@ export const createBuildConfig = Effect.fn("createBuildConfig")(function* (
   }
 
   if (platform === "linux") {
+    // Pin the static AppImage toolset. electron-builder's default for
+    // `toolsets.appimage` is the legacy "0.0.0" bundle, whose type-2 runtime
+    // is dynamically linked against libfuse.so.2; distros that ship only
+    // FUSE 3 (Ubuntu 24.04+, Debian trixie/forky) can no longer mount it and
+    // the AppImage dies with `dlopen(): error loading libfuse.so.2` before
+    // Electron starts. The 1.0.3 bundle uses runtime 20251108, which is
+    // statically linked and needs no FUSE at all.
+    buildConfig.toolsets = { appimage: "1.0.3" };
     buildConfig.linux = {
       target: [target],
       executableName: "t3code",