diff --git a/app/renderer/src/components/CommandPalette.tsx b/app/renderer/src/components/CommandPalette.tsx
index 21914e2c..6eab7dc5 100644
--- a/app/renderer/src/components/CommandPalette.tsx
+++ b/app/renderer/src/components/CommandPalette.tsx
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { Search } from 'lucide-react';
 import { useMeetings, LIVE_SUMMARY_PREFIX } from '@/hooks/useMeetings';
 import { searchNotes, snippet } from '@/lib/noteSearch';
 import { navigate, useRoute } from '@/lib/router';
+import { isMac } from '@/lib/utils';
 import type { Meeting } from '@/lib/ipc';
 
 interface PaletteContextValue {
@@ -37,12 +38,21 @@ interface SettingsEntry {
   tab: string;
   title: string;
   sub: string;
+  /** Settings that only render on macOS (behind `isMac` in GeneralTab):
+   *  "Record system audio" and "Hide dock icon". On Windows those rows don't
+   *  exist, so indexing them would jump to a tab where nothing's there —
+   *  filtered out below when not on mac (#405). */
+  macOnly?: boolean;
 }
 
 // Searchable index of the app's settings, mapped to the tab each one lives on
 // today (post-v0.6.2 nav rail). Selecting a result opens that tab. Transcription
 // settings now live on the AI tab, so they map to `ai`. Adapted from @Vassista's
 // PR #349 and retargeted to the current tab layout.
+//
+// Keep titles in sync with the rendered setting labels (GeneralTab/AiTab/
+// AboutTab etc.) — the T1 spec asserts a few titles still match, to catch the
+// index drifting out from under a renamed control.
 const SETTINGS_INDEX: SettingsEntry[] = [
   { id: 'general-name', tab: 'general', title: 'Your name', sub: 'In-app greeting' },
   { id: 'general-theme', tab: 'general', title: 'Appearance', sub: 'Light, dark, or system theme' },
@@ -51,10 +61,19 @@ const SETTINGS_INDEX: SettingsEntry[] = [
   { id: 'general-autodetect', tab: 'general', title: 'Auto-detected meetings', sub: 'Notify when another app uses the microphone' },
   { id: 'general-notifications', tab: 'general', title: 'Post meeting notifications', sub: 'Desktop notifications when notes are ready' },
   { id: 'general-mic', tab: 'general', title: 'Microphone', sub: 'Input device' },
-  { id: 'general-system-audio', tab: 'general', title: 'Record system audio', sub: 'Capture other participants' },
+  { id: 'general-system-audio', tab: 'general', title: 'Record system audio', sub: 'Capture other participants', macOnly: true },
   { id: 'general-silence', tab: 'general', title: 'Auto-stop on silence', sub: 'End a recording when it goes quiet' },
   { id: 'general-launch', tab: 'general', title: 'Launch on login', sub: 'Start Steno automatically' },
-  { id: 'general-dock', tab: 'general', title: 'Hide dock icon', sub: 'Menu bar / tray icon only' },
+  // Cross-platform row (Electron's Tray covers the macOS menu bar and the
+  // Windows system tray); its rendered label switches on platform, so mirror
+  // that here so the title matches whatever GeneralTab shows.
+  {
+    id: 'general-menubar',
+    tab: 'general',
+    title: isMac ? 'Show in menu bar' : 'Show in system tray',
+    sub: 'Quick-access icon in the menu bar or system tray',
+  },
+  { id: 'general-dock', tab: 'general', title: 'Hide dock icon', sub: 'Menu bar / tray icon only', macOnly: true },
   { id: 'ai-language', tab: 'ai', title: 'Language', sub: 'Transcription and summary language' },
   { id: 'ai-transcription', tab: 'ai', title: 'Transcription model', sub: 'Parakeet or Whisper' },
   { id: 'ai-save-recordings', tab: 'ai', title: 'Save recordings', sub: 'Keep the audio files after transcription' },
@@ -68,8 +87,15 @@ const SETTINGS_INDEX: SettingsEntry[] = [
   { id: 'advanced-analytics', tab: 'advanced', title: 'Anonymous usage analytics', sub: 'Opt in or out' },
   { id: 'developer', tab: 'developer', title: 'Developer', sub: 'Diagnostics and logs' },
   { id: 'about', tab: 'about', title: 'About', sub: 'Version, release notes, check for updates' },
+  { id: 'about-discord', tab: 'about', title: 'Discord', sub: 'Join the community, ask questions, share feedback' },
 ];
 
+// Only the settings that actually render on this platform. macOS-only rows
+// ("Record system audio", "Hide dock icon") don't exist on Windows/Linux, so
+// they're dropped from the index there — otherwise selecting one would jump to
+// a tab where the row isn't shown (#405).
+const AVAILABLE_SETTINGS = SETTINGS_INDEX.filter((s) => !s.macOnly || isMac);
+
 /**
  * Global ⌘K search. Provides `open()` to descendants (the sidebar trigger) and
  * renders the overlay itself. Searches notes (title + summary) from any screen
@@ -122,9 +148,9 @@ function CommandPalette({ onClose }: { onClose: () => void }) {
 
   const settingsResults = React.useMemo<SettingsEntry[]>(() => {
     if (!isSettingsMode) return [];
-    if (!query.trim()) return SETTINGS_INDEX;
+    if (!query.trim()) return AVAILABLE_SETTINGS;
     const q = query.trim().toLowerCase();
-    return SETTINGS_INDEX.filter(
+    return AVAILABLE_SETTINGS.filter(
       (s) => s.title.toLowerCase().includes(q) || s.sub.toLowerCase().includes(q),
     );
   }, [isSettingsMode, query]);
diff --git a/app/renderer/src/routes/Settings.tsx b/app/renderer/src/routes/Settings.tsx
index 6fda0e64..eb33b272 100644
--- a/app/renderer/src/routes/Settings.tsx
+++ b/app/renderer/src/routes/Settings.tsx
@@ -136,7 +136,12 @@ export function Settings() {
       sidebar={
         <SettingsNav
           activeTab={tab}
-          onSelect={setTab}
+          // The route is the single source of truth for the visible tab: a nav
+          // click navigates `?tab=<id>` and the route→tab effect below switches
+          // the tab. Calling setTab directly instead would leave the URL's
+          // `?tab=` stale, so a later ⌘K search to that same tab would bail on
+          // router's unchanged-hash early-return and silently do nothing (#405).
+          onSelect={(id) => navigate(`/settings?tab=${id}`)}
           onBack={() => navigate(getLastNonSettingsRoute() || '/')}
           version={version.data?.version}
         />
diff --git a/e2e/specs/settings-cmdk-search.t1.spec.ts b/e2e/specs/settings-cmdk-search.t1.spec.ts
index d94da180..63b79462 100644
--- a/e2e/specs/settings-cmdk-search.t1.spec.ts
+++ b/e2e/specs/settings-cmdk-search.t1.spec.ts
@@ -69,3 +69,63 @@ test('selecting a setting navigates to its tab and switches the visible tab', as
   await expect(page.locator(settingsPage)).toContainText('Launch on login');
   await expect(page.locator(settingsPage)).not.toContainText('AI provider');
 });
+
+test('search still works after a manual nav-rail tab switch (#405 regression)', async ({
+  launchApp,
+}) => {
+  const { page } = await launchApp(launchOpts);
+  await openSettings(page);
+
+  // 1. ⌘K → jump to a setting on the AI tab. This navigates `?tab=ai`.
+  await page.keyboard.press('ControlOrMeta+k');
+  await page.locator(input).fill('ai provider');
+  await expect(page.locator(result)).toHaveCount(1);
+  await page.keyboard.press('Enter');
+  await expect(page.locator(palette)).toBeHidden();
+  await expect(page.locator(settingsPage)).toContainText('AI provider');
+
+  // 2. Click a DIFFERENT tab (General) in the nav rail. Pre-fix this called
+  // setTab only and left the URL's `?tab=ai` stale; now it navigates
+  // `?tab=general`, keeping the route the single source of truth.
+  await page.locator('[data-settings-nav="general"]').click();
+  await expect(page.locator(settingsPage)).toContainText('Launch on login');
+  await expect(page.locator(settingsPage)).not.toContainText('AI provider');
+
+  // 3. ⌘K → jump to the AI-tab setting AGAIN. Pre-fix, navigate('?tab=ai')
+  // bailed on router's unchanged-hash early-return (the URL still said ai),
+  // the route effect never fired, and the visible tab stayed stuck on General.
+  await page.keyboard.press('ControlOrMeta+k');
+  await page.locator(input).fill('ai provider');
+  await expect(page.locator(result)).toHaveCount(1);
+  await page.keyboard.press('Enter');
+
+  // The visible tab must actually switch back to AI — not silently do nothing.
+  await expect(page.locator(palette)).toBeHidden();
+  await expect.poll(() => page.evaluate(() => window.location.hash)).toContain('tab=ai');
+  await expect(page.locator(settingsPage)).toContainText('AI provider');
+  await expect(page.locator(settingsPage)).not.toContainText('Launch on login');
+});
+
+// Drift guard: a few index titles must still match the labels their tabs
+// actually render, so a renamed control can't leave a stale search entry that
+// jumps to a tab where nothing matches. Uses only cross-platform settings.
+test('index titles match the rendered setting labels', async ({ launchApp }) => {
+  const { page } = await launchApp(launchOpts);
+  await openSettings(page);
+
+  const cases: Array<{ query: string; label: string }> = [
+    { query: 'ai provider', label: 'AI provider' },
+    { query: 'discord', label: 'Discord' },
+    { query: 'launch on login', label: 'Launch on login' },
+  ];
+
+  for (const { query, label } of cases) {
+    await page.keyboard.press('ControlOrMeta+k');
+    await page.locator(input).fill(query);
+    await expect(page.locator(result).filter({ hasText: label })).toHaveCount(1);
+    await page.keyboard.press('Enter');
+    await expect(page.locator(palette)).toBeHidden();
+    // The tab the index entry points at actually renders that exact label.
+    await expect(page.locator(settingsPage)).toContainText(label);
+  }
+});