--- a/src/chooser_cli.rs
+++ b/src/chooser_cli.rs
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@
         initial_cycle: None,
         snapshot: false,
         cycle_socket: None,
+        niri_backend: false,
     };
 
     match run_overlay(opts, t0) {
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -65,7 +65,14 @@
     // must connect, enumerate, and open sessions before any thumbnail appears.
     let (tx, rx) = mpsc::channel();
     let snapshot = opts.snapshot;
-    std::thread::spawn(move || ui::capture_thread(tx, snapshot));
+    let niri_backend = opts.niri_backend;
+    std::thread::spawn(move || {
+        if niri_backend {
+            ui::niri_capture_thread(tx);
+        } else {
+            ui::capture_thread(tx, snapshot);
+        }
+    });
     shell::tlog(t0, "capture-thread spawned");
 
     let out: ui::Outcome = Arc::new(Mutex::new(None));
--- a/src/switcher_cli.rs
+++ b/src/switcher_cli.rs
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@
     let t0 = Instant::now();
     let cli = Cli::parse();
     i18n::init();
+    let niri_backend = std::env::var_os("NIRI_SOCKET").is_some();
 
     if cli.doctor {
         if let Err(e) = wlr_capture::doctor::report("wlr-switcher", env!("CARGO_PKG_VERSION")) {
@@ -129,32 +130,50 @@
         initial_cycle: Some(!cli.reverse),
         snapshot: true,
         cycle_socket: Some(cycle_socket),
+        niri_backend,
     };
 
     // Pre-flight: wlr-switcher switches *windows*, which need the foreign-toplevel
     // capture source (wlroots >= 0.20 / Sway >= 1.12). On older compositors connect()
     // now succeeds for screen-only capture, but there are no windows to offer — so say
     // so clearly and exit, instead of showing an empty dimmed overlay (issue #1).
-    match wl::Client::connect() {
-        Ok(client) if !client.can_capture_windows() => {
-            eprintln!("{}", tr!("capture-no-window"));
-            std::process::exit(2);
-        }
-        Ok(_) => {}
-        Err(e) => {
-            eprintln!("{}", tr!("error", error = format!("{e:#}")));
-            std::process::exit(2);
+    if !niri_backend {
+        match wl::Client::connect() {
+            Ok(client) if !client.can_capture_windows() => {
+                eprintln!("{}", tr!("capture-no-window"));
+                std::process::exit(2);
+            }
+            Ok(_) => {}
+            Err(e) => {
+                eprintln!("{}", tr!("error", error = format!("{e:#}")));
+                std::process::exit(2);
+            }
         }
     }
 
     match run_overlay(opts, t0) {
         Ok(Some(sel)) => {
             // Focus the picked window (outputs aren't focusable, so ignore them).
-            if sel.is_window
-                && let Err(e) = wl::activate_window(&sel.app_id, &sel.title, sel.dup_index)
-            {
-                eprintln!("{}", tr!("error", error = format!("{e:#}")));
-                std::process::exit(2);
+            if sel.is_window {
+                let result: anyhow::Result<()> = if niri_backend {
+                    let output = std::process::Command::new("niri")
+                        .args(["msg", "action", "focus-window", "--id", &sel.identifier])
+                        .output();
+                    match output {
+                        Ok(output) if output.status.success() => Ok(()),
+                        Ok(output) => Err(anyhow::anyhow!(
+                            "{}",
+                            String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr).trim()
+                        )),
+                        Err(e) => Err(e.into()),
+                    }
+                } else {
+                    wl::activate_window(&sel.app_id, &sel.title, sel.dup_index).map_err(Into::into)
+                };
+                if let Err(e) = result {
+                    eprintln!("{}", tr!("error", error = format!("{e:#}")));
+                    std::process::exit(2);
+                }
             }
         }
         Ok(None) => std::process::exit(1), // cancelled
--- a/src/ui.rs
+++ b/src/ui.rs
@@ -6,7 +6,9 @@
 
 use crate::tr;
 use std::collections::{HashMap, HashSet};
+use std::io::Write;
 use std::path::PathBuf;
+use std::process::{Command, Stdio};
 use std::sync::mpsc::{Receiver, Sender};
 use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
 use std::time::{Duration, Instant};
@@ -366,6 +368,288 @@
     }
 }
 
+#[derive(Clone)]
+struct NiriWindow {
+    id: String,
+    app_id: String,
+    title: String,
+}
+
+enum ClipboardSnapshot {
+    Empty,
+    Content { mime: String, data: Vec<u8> },
+    Unavailable,
+}
+
+fn save_clipboard() -> ClipboardSnapshot {
+    let Ok(types) = Command::new("wl-paste").arg("--list-types").output() else {
+        return ClipboardSnapshot::Unavailable;
+    };
+    if !types.status.success() {
+        return ClipboardSnapshot::Empty;
+    }
+    let types = String::from_utf8_lossy(&types.stdout);
+    let offered: Vec<&str> = types.lines().filter(|line| !line.is_empty()).collect();
+    let Some(mime) = offered
+        .iter()
+        .copied()
+        .find(|mime| *mime == "text/plain;charset=utf-8")
+        .or_else(|| offered.first().copied())
+    else {
+        return ClipboardSnapshot::Empty;
+    };
+    let Ok(data) = Command::new("wl-paste")
+        .args(["--type", mime])
+        .output()
+    else {
+        return ClipboardSnapshot::Unavailable;
+    };
+    if !data.status.success() {
+        return ClipboardSnapshot::Unavailable;
+    }
+    ClipboardSnapshot::Content {
+        mime: mime.to_owned(),
+        data: data.stdout,
+    }
+}
+
+fn restore_clipboard(snapshot: ClipboardSnapshot) {
+    match snapshot {
+        ClipboardSnapshot::Empty => {
+            let _ = Command::new("wl-copy").arg("--clear").status();
+        }
+        ClipboardSnapshot::Content { mime, data } => {
+            let Ok(mut copy) = Command::new("wl-copy")
+                .args(["--type", &mime])
+                .stdin(Stdio::piped())
+                .spawn()
+            else {
+                return;
+            };
+            if let Some(mut stdin) = copy.stdin.take() {
+                let _ = stdin.write_all(&data);
+            }
+            let _ = copy.wait();
+        }
+        ClipboardSnapshot::Unavailable => {}
+    }
+}
+
+/// Decode one field emitted by jq's `@tsv` formatter. It escapes the only
+/// characters that would otherwise make the line-oriented transport ambiguous.
+fn unescape_tsv(value: &str) -> String {
+    let mut decoded = String::with_capacity(value.len());
+    let mut chars = value.chars();
+    while let Some(ch) = chars.next() {
+        if ch != '\\' {
+            decoded.push(ch);
+            continue;
+        }
+        match chars.next() {
+            Some('t') => decoded.push('\t'),
+            Some('r') => decoded.push('\r'),
+            Some('n') => decoded.push('\n'),
+            Some('\\') => decoded.push('\\'),
+            Some(other) => {
+                decoded.push('\\');
+                decoded.push(other);
+            }
+            None => decoded.push('\\'),
+        }
+    }
+    decoded
+}
+
+/// Ask niri for its toplevel list. niri does not implement the
+/// ext-image-copy-capture window protocol, so its IPC is the source of both the
+/// stable window id and the metadata used by this backend.
+fn niri_windows() -> Result<Vec<NiriWindow>, String> {
+    let response = Command::new("niri")
+        .args(["msg", "-j", "windows"])
+        .output()
+        .map_err(|e| format!("could not run niri msg: {e}"))?;
+    if !response.status.success() {
+        return Err(String::from_utf8_lossy(&response.stderr).trim().to_owned());
+    }
+
+    let mut jq = Command::new("jq")
+        .args([
+            "-r",
+            ".[] | [(.id | tostring), (.app_id // \"\"), (.title // \"\")] | @tsv",
+        ])
+        .stdin(Stdio::piped())
+        .stdout(Stdio::piped())
+        .stderr(Stdio::piped())
+        .spawn()
+        .map_err(|e| format!("could not run jq: {e}"))?;
+    jq.stdin
+        .take()
+        .ok_or_else(|| String::from("jq stdin was unavailable"))?
+        .write_all(&response.stdout)
+        .map_err(|e| format!("could not pass niri window list to jq: {e}"))?;
+    let output = jq
+        .wait_with_output()
+        .map_err(|e| format!("could not read jq output: {e}"))?;
+    if !output.status.success() {
+        return Err(String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr).trim().to_owned());
+    }
+
+    let text = String::from_utf8(output.stdout)
+        .map_err(|e| format!("niri window list was not UTF-8: {e}"))?;
+    let mut windows = Vec::new();
+    for line in text.lines() {
+        let mut fields = line.splitn(3, '\t');
+        let Some(id) = fields.next() else { continue };
+        let Some(app_id) = fields.next() else { continue };
+        let Some(title) = fields.next() else { continue };
+        windows.push(NiriWindow {
+            id: id.to_owned(),
+            app_id: unescape_tsv(app_id),
+            title: unescape_tsv(title),
+        });
+    }
+    windows.sort_by(|a, b| {
+        a.app_id
+            .to_lowercase()
+            .cmp(&b.app_id.to_lowercase())
+            .then_with(|| a.title.to_lowercase().cmp(&b.title.to_lowercase()))
+    });
+    Ok(windows)
+}
+
+fn niri_window_source(w: &NiriWindow, dup_index: usize) -> Source {
+    let is_system = w.app_id.is_empty();
+    let (title, subtitle) = if is_system {
+        (w.title.clone(), String::new())
+    } else {
+        (w.app_id.clone(), w.title.clone())
+    };
+    Source {
+        key: w.id.clone(),
+        token: format!("Window: {}", w.id),
+        filter: format!("{} {}", w.app_id, w.title).to_lowercase(),
+        title,
+        subtitle,
+        is_window: true,
+        is_system,
+        app_id: w.app_id.clone(),
+        win_title: w.title.clone(),
+        dup_index,
+    }
+}
+
+/// Capture a static overview through niri's IPC. This is deliberately separate
+/// from the generic Wayland backend: niri can render any toplevel by id (even an
+/// occluded one), but does not advertise ext-image-copy-capture.
+pub fn niri_capture_thread(tx: Sender<Msg>) {
+    let windows = match niri_windows() {
+        Ok(windows) => windows,
+        Err(e) => {
+            eprintln!("niri overview backend: {e}");
+            return;
+        }
+    };
+
+    let mut dup: HashMap<(String, String), usize> = HashMap::new();
+    let mut current = Vec::with_capacity(windows.len());
+    for window in windows {
+        let e = dup
+            .entry((window.app_id.clone(), window.title.clone()))
+            .or_insert(0);
+        let source = niri_window_source(&window, *e);
+        *e += 1;
+        current.push((source, window));
+    }
+    if tx
+        .send(Msg::Sources(
+            current.iter().map(|(source, _)| source.clone()).collect(),
+        ))
+        .is_err()
+    {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    let capture_dir = wlr_capture::paths::runtime_dir().join(format!(
+        "window-overview-niri-{}",
+        std::process::id()
+    ));
+    if let Err(e) = std::fs::create_dir_all(&capture_dir) {
+        eprintln!("niri overview backend: could not create capture directory: {e}");
+        return;
+    }
+    // niri's screenshot action also sets the clipboard. Preserve the existing
+    // selection so opening the overview does not unexpectedly replace it.
+    let clipboard = save_clipboard();
+
+    for (source, window) in current {
+        if let Some(path) = icons::resolve(&window.app_id)
+            && let Some((w, h, rgba)) = icons::load(&path, 128)
+            && tx
+                .send(Msg::Icon {
+                    key: source.key.clone(),
+                    w: w as usize,
+                    h: h as usize,
+                    rgba,
+                })
+                .is_err()
+        {
+            break;
+        }
+
+        let path = capture_dir.join(format!("{}.png", window.id));
+        let command = Command::new("niri")
+            .args(["msg", "action", "screenshot-window", "--id"])
+            .arg(&window.id)
+            .args(["--write-to-disk", "true", "--show-pointer", "false", "--path"])
+            .arg(&path)
+            .output();
+        let Ok(output) = command else {
+            continue;
+        };
+        if !output.status.success() {
+            eprintln!(
+                "niri overview backend: could not capture window {}: {}",
+                window.id,
+                String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr).trim()
+            );
+            continue;
+        }
+
+        // niri encodes PNGs off the compositor thread, after acknowledging the
+        // IPC action. Wait briefly for that completion without delaying the UI.
+        let mut bytes = None;
+        for _ in 0..200 {
+            match std::fs::read(&path) {
+                Ok(data) => {
+                    bytes = Some(data);
+                    break;
+                }
+                Err(_) => std::thread::sleep(Duration::from_millis(10)),
+            }
+        }
+        let Some(bytes) = bytes else { continue };
+        let Ok(image) = image::load_from_memory_with_format(&bytes, image::ImageFormat::Png) else {
+            continue;
+        };
+        let image = image.into_rgba8();
+        let (w, h, rgba) = thumbnail_rgba(image.width(), image.height(), image.into_raw());
+        if tx
+            .send(Msg::Thumb {
+                key: source.key,
+                w,
+                h,
+                rgba,
+            })
+            .is_err()
+        {
+            break;
+        }
+        let _ = std::fs::remove_file(path);
+    }
+    let _ = std::fs::remove_dir(capture_dir);
+    restore_clipboard(clipboard);
+}
+
 /// Cheap content fingerprint of a frame (subsampled FNV-1a), to tell whether a
 /// capture actually changed between rounds — used by the headless bench.
 fn quick_hash(rgba: &[u8]) -> u64 {
@@ -515,11 +799,14 @@
 
 /// Downscale a capture to a thumbnail (max side `THUMB_MAX`), never upscaling.
 fn thumbnail(img: wl::CapturedImage) -> (usize, usize, Vec<u8>) {
-    let (w, h) = (img.width, img.height);
+    thumbnail_rgba(img.width, img.height, img.rgba)
+}
+
+fn thumbnail_rgba(w: u32, h: u32, rgba: Vec<u8>) -> (usize, usize, Vec<u8>) {
     let scale = (THUMB_MAX as f32 / w as f32)
         .min(THUMB_MAX as f32 / h as f32)
         .min(1.0);
-    let src = match image::RgbaImage::from_raw(w, h, img.rgba) {
+    let src = match image::RgbaImage::from_raw(w, h, rgba) {
         Some(s) => s,
         None => return (0, 0, Vec::new()),
     };
@@ -557,6 +844,9 @@
     pub snapshot: bool,
     /// Receives next/previous commands from repeated compositor keybind launches.
     pub cycle_socket: Option<std::os::unix::net::UnixDatagram>,
+    /// Use niri's IPC for window enumeration and snapshots instead of the
+    /// ext-image-copy-capture protocol that niri does not implement.
+    pub niri_backend: bool,
 }
 
 pub struct App {