diff --git a/scripts/desktop-update/posix.sh b/scripts/desktop-update/posix.sh
index b343cc1787..c9df819122 100755
--- a/scripts/desktop-update/posix.sh
+++ b/scripts/desktop-update/posix.sh
@@ -26,7 +26,8 @@
 # polls /progress for the current stage or a terminal event and reacts. The
 # stages come from the gates below, never from child output. It owns nothing --
 # relaunch, result file, marker hygiene all happen here, identically, when
-# no renderer exists. No chromium-family browser found = no UI, fine.
+# no renderer exists. No chromium-family browser found = no UI, fine; macOS
+# never opens one (see find_browser).
 #
 # ORDERING (the durable-truth rule): swap and relaunch are DECIDED AND
 # EXECUTED before the result file is written, the marker is removed, or a
@@ -184,16 +185,16 @@ find_browser() {
   # (#88682). The throwaway --user-data-dir below cannot block either; the
   # remaining Chromium-family browsers carry no first-run chrome of their
   # own into a fresh profile.
-  if [ "$(uname)" = "Darwin" ]; then
-    for c in "/Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome" \
-             "/Applications/Chromium.app/Contents/MacOS/Chromium"; do
-      [ -x "$c" ] && { echo "$c"; return; }
-    done
-  else
-    for c in google-chrome google-chrome-stable chromium chromium-browser; do
-      command -v "$c" 2>/dev/null && return
-    done
-  fi
+  #
+  # No browser at all on macOS. A second --user-data-dir is a second instance
+  # of the same bundle, and the Dock records every one as a new recent-app
+  # tile it never merges with the pinned browser: one more duplicate Chrome
+  # icon per update (#96374). A stable profile would not help (still a second
+  # instance). notify_fallback + the next-boot result dialog carry the outcome.
+  [ "$(uname)" = "Darwin" ] && return
+  for c in google-chrome google-chrome-stable chromium chromium-browser; do
+    command -v "$c" 2>/dev/null && return
+  done
 }
 
 # The shim is decoration; launching a browser the user does NOT use is not.
@@ -204,28 +205,9 @@ find_browser() {
 # the durable result file carry the outcome. Best-effort on purpose: any
 # detection failure keeps today's behavior (0 = allowed).
 default_browser_is_chromium() {
-  local py="$1" handler=""
-  if [ "$(uname)" = "Darwin" ]; then
-    local plist="$HOME/Library/Preferences/com.apple.LaunchServices/com.apple.launchservices.secure.plist"
-    # No explicit https handler registered = the OS default (Safari).
-    [ -f "$plist" ] || return 1
-    handler="$("$py" -c '
-import plistlib, sys
-with open(sys.argv[1], "rb") as f:
-    data = plistlib.load(f)
-for entry in data.get("LSHandlers", []):
-    if entry.get("LSHandlerURLScheme") == "https":
-        print(entry.get("LSHandlerRoleAll", ""))
-        break
-' "$plist" 2>/dev/null)" || return 0
-    # Parsed but empty = no https override = Safari default.
-    [ -n "$handler" ] || return 1
-    case "$handler" in
-      com.google.[Cc]hrome*|org.chromium.[Cc]hromium*) return 0 ;;
-      *) return 1 ;;
-    esac
-  fi
-  # Linux: xdg-settings is the authority; missing tool = permissive.
+  local handler=""
+  # Linux only (find_browser never picks one on macOS). xdg-settings is the
+  # authority; missing tool = permissive.
   command -v xdg-settings >/dev/null 2>&1 || return 0
   handler="$(xdg-settings get default-web-browser 2>/dev/null)" || return 0
   [ -n "$handler" ] || return 0
@@ -241,7 +223,7 @@ start_ui() {
   py="${INSTALL_ROOT:+$INSTALL_ROOT/venv/bin/python3}"
   [ -x "${py:-/nonexistent}" ] || py="$(command -v python3 2>/dev/null)"
   browser="$(find_browser)"
-  if [ -n "$browser" ] && [ -n "$py" ] && ! default_browser_is_chromium "$py"; then
+  if [ -n "$browser" ] && ! default_browser_is_chromium; then
     log "shim: default browser is not Chromium-family; skipping UI window"
     browser=""
   fi
diff --git a/tests/scripts/desktop_update/test_desktop_update_macos_no_browser.py b/tests/scripts/desktop_update/test_desktop_update_macos_no_browser.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..49e52cf8fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/scripts/desktop_update/test_desktop_update_macos_no_browser.py
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+"""The macOS hand-off never launches a second browser instance (#96374).
+
+The progress shim used to start the user's Google Chrome/Chromium binary
+directly with its own `--user-data-dir`. That is a second instance of the
+same bundle, and the Dock records each one as another recent-app tile that it
+never merges with the pinned browser, so every update added one more
+duplicate icon. On macOS the outcome goes through the notification +
+next-boot result dialog instead. This drives the real `posix.sh`
+`--self-test-ui` path with Chrome set as the default browser and watches the
+process table for a browser pointed at the shim.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import os
+import plistlib
+import subprocess
+import sys
+import time
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+
+REPO_ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[3]
+SHIM = REPO_ROOT / "scripts" / "desktop-update" / "posix.sh"
+
+
+def _shim_browser_processes(tmp_path: Path) -> list[str]:
+    ps = subprocess.run(
+        ["ps", "-axww", "-o", "command="], capture_output=True, text=True, check=False
+    )
+    return [
+        line
+        for line in ps.stdout.splitlines()
+        if "--app=" in line and f"--user-data-dir={tmp_path}" in line
+    ]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.macos_only
+def test_macos_handoff_opens_no_browser_window_when_chrome_is_default(tmp_path):
+    # Chrome is the system default https handler: the case the
+    # default-browser gate let through.
+    prefs = tmp_path / "Library" / "Preferences" / "com.apple.LaunchServices"
+    prefs.mkdir(parents=True)
+    with open(prefs / "com.apple.launchservices.secure.plist", "wb") as f:
+        plistlib.dump(
+            {"LSHandlers": [{"LSHandlerURLScheme": "https", "LSHandlerRoleAll": "com.google.chrome"}]},
+            f,
+        )
+    install = tmp_path / "hermes-agent"
+    install.mkdir()
+    env = {
+        **os.environ,
+        "HOME": str(tmp_path),
+        "TMPDIR": str(tmp_path),
+        "PATH": f"{Path(sys.executable).parent}:/usr/bin:/bin",
+        "HERMES_SELFTEST_HOLD_SECONDS": "3",
+    }
+    env.pop("HERMES_SELFTEST_FAIL", None)
+
+    proc = subprocess.Popen(
+        ["bash", str(SHIM), "--install-root", str(install), "--self-test-ui"],
+        env=env,
+        stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
+        stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
+        text=True,
+    )
+    seen: list[str] = []
+    try:
+        while proc.poll() is None:
+            seen += _shim_browser_processes(tmp_path)
+            time.sleep(0.2)
+        stdout, stderr = proc.communicate(timeout=30)
+    finally:
+        if proc.poll() is None:
+            proc.kill()
+            proc.wait(timeout=5)
+
+    assert proc.returncode == 0, stdout + stderr
+    assert seen == []