diff --git a/.github/workflows/appimage-build.yml b/.github/workflows/appimage-build.yml
index a4d9b19a..86bfff30 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/appimage-build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/appimage-build.yml
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ jobs:
           rm -rf build
           meson setup build \
             --prefix=/usr \
+            -Dinstall-docs=true \
             -Dtext-frontend=true \
             -Dwith-perl=perl \
             -Dwith-python=python3 \
diff --git a/.github/workflows/windows-build.yml b/.github/workflows/windows-build.yml
index e1ad5afc..f72bd69b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/windows-build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/windows-build.yml
@@ -40,7 +40,6 @@ jobs:
           python -m pip install --upgrade pip
           python -m pip install cffi
           python -m pip install zstandard
-          python -m pip install sphinx
 
           $ProgressPreference = 'SilentlyContinue'
           function Download-WithRetry {
diff --git a/data/fonts/README.md b/data/fonts/README.md
index 8cfed8ac..fb9acc8c 100644
--- a/data/fonts/README.md
+++ b/data/fonts/README.md
@@ -5,10 +5,14 @@ Unicode Emoji 17.0. It is vendored from Debian's
 `fonts-noto-color-emoji` 2.051 package, built from the corresponding
 Google Noto Emoji release.
 
-Every GTK build installs this exact file: Windows (installer and portable
-build files), AppImage, Flatpak and native Meson/RPM builds. It is loaded
-into a private Pango/FreeType font map as `ZoiteChat Emoji`; an older system
-Noto font cannot replace it. No font is installed globally on Windows.
+By default, GTK builds install this exact file, including Windows
+(installer and portable builds), AppImage, Flatpak, and native Meson/RPM.
+Meson packagers can set `-Dinstall-emoji-font=false` to omit the bundled
+font and its installed notices and use system emoji fonts instead. An
+explicit `ZOITECHAT_EMOJI_FONT` path still enables the private font map
+in such builds. With the bundled font, it is registered privately as
+`ZoiteChat Emoji`; an older system Noto font cannot replace it. No font
+is installed globally on Windows.
 
 Chat windows and the emoji picker share this map. Fontconfig still loads
 system fonts and configuration for ordinary text, and the configured text
@@ -29,7 +33,9 @@ directory; Windows resolves it relative to the executable. AppImage sets
 ZOITECHAT_EMOJI_FONT="$PWD/data/fonts/NotoColorEmoji.ttf" build/src/fe-gtk/zoitechat
 ```
 
-A missing/unloadable file logs a warning and retains system-font fallback.
+An unexpectedly missing or unloadable bundled font logs a warning and retains
+system-font fallback. When installation is disabled deliberately, fallback is
+quiet unless an explicit `ZOITECHAT_EMOJI_FONT` override is invalid.
 CI verifies the installed copy and tests catalog/font coverage; AppImage and
 Windows also run the interactive picker regression tests. Native themes,
 DPI and different Pango/Cairo versions can still affect pixel-level output.
diff --git a/data/fonts/meson.build b/data/fonts/meson.build
index eb3f545a..1d0e4f8d 100644
--- a/data/fonts/meson.build
+++ b/data/fonts/meson.build
@@ -1,13 +1,15 @@
 emoji_font_dir = join_paths(get_option('datadir'), 'fonts', 'zoitechat')
 emoji_font_doc_dir = join_paths(get_option('datadir'), 'doc', 'zoitechat', 'fonts')
 
-install_data(
-  'NotoColorEmoji.ttf',
-  install_dir: emoji_font_dir,
-)
+if get_option('install-emoji-font')
+  install_data(
+    'NotoColorEmoji.ttf',
+    install_dir: emoji_font_dir,
+  )
 
-install_data(
-  'OFL.txt',
-  'README.md',
-  install_dir: emoji_font_doc_dir,
-)
+  install_data(
+    'OFL.txt',
+    'README.md',
+    install_dir: emoji_font_doc_dir,
+  )
+endif
diff --git a/docs/README.md b/docs/README.md
index dba73d56..d9eb543a 100644
--- a/docs/README.md
+++ b/docs/README.md
@@ -71,6 +71,12 @@ Packagers may exclude `docs/_theme/basicstrap/` from the source package.
 The default theme continues to build without that directory. No pre-minified
 third-party assets need to be added or rebuilt for this theme.
 
+The Meson option `-Dinstall-docs` defaults to `false`, so platforms that
+do not ship offline documentation do not need Sphinx just to build ZoiteChat.
+Pass `-Dinstall-docs=true` when packaging local HTML documentation. Fedora
+and AppImage enable it explicitly; the Debian documentation package can do
+the same.
+
 Build with the distribution's `python3-sphinx`. After installing the HTML
 into the package staging directory, use `dh_sphinxdoc` (or `dh --with
 sphinxdoc`) to replace Sphinx's standard JavaScript files with system
diff --git a/docs/_static/css/zoitechat-docs.css b/docs/_static/css/zoitechat-docs.css
index a2ceb51c..2e665347 100644
--- a/docs/_static/css/zoitechat-docs.css
+++ b/docs/_static/css/zoitechat-docs.css
@@ -807,7 +807,7 @@ a.headerlink:focus-visible {
 :root {
     --page: var(--bg);
     --panel: var(--chrome);
-    --font: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", sans-serif;
+    --font: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", "DejaVu Sans", sans-serif;
 }
 .site-header { padding: 0; }
 .appearance select { min-height: 0; border-radius: 3px; }
diff --git a/docs/_static/css/zoitechat-site.css b/docs/_static/css/zoitechat-site.css
index 1b0951ca..ca3c3648 100644
--- a/docs/_static/css/zoitechat-site.css
+++ b/docs/_static/css/zoitechat-site.css
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
     --success: #236741;
     --code: #f2f4f6;
     --shadow: none;
-    --mono: Consolas,"Liberation Mono",monospace;
+    --mono: Consolas,"DejaVu Sans Mono","Liberation Mono",monospace;
 }
 
 html[data-theme=dark] {
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ body {
     margin: 0;
     background: var(--bg);
     color: var(--text);
-    font: 15px/1.6 system-ui,-apple-system,"Segoe UI",sans-serif;
+    font: 15px/1.6 system-ui,-apple-system,"Segoe UI","DejaVu Sans",sans-serif;
 }
 
 a {
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 71a7392d..dc314f73 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ endif
 
 config_h = configuration_data()
 config_h.set('HAVE_GTK_MAC', host_machine.system() == 'darwin' and gtk_mac_dep.found())
+config_h.set10('ZOITECHAT_INSTALL_EMOJI_FONT', get_option('install-emoji-font'))
 config_h.set_quoted('PACKAGE_VERSION', meson.project_version())
 config_h.set_quoted('PACKAGE_NAME', meson.project_name())
 config_h.set_quoted('GETTEXT_PACKAGE', 'zoitechat')
diff --git a/meson_options.txt b/meson_options.txt
index 22affa28..03d525ea 100644
--- a/meson_options.txt
+++ b/meson_options.txt
@@ -37,7 +37,10 @@ option('install-appdata', type: 'boolean',
 option('install-plugin-metainfo', type: 'boolean', value: false,
   description: 'Installs metainfo files for enabled plugins, useful when distros create split packages'
 )
-option('install-docs', type: 'boolean', value: true,
+option('install-emoji-font', type: 'boolean', value: true,
+  description: 'Install the bundled Noto Color Emoji font instead of using system emoji fonts'
+)
+option('install-docs', type: 'boolean', value: false,
   description: 'Build and install the local HTML documentation'
 )
 
diff --git a/packaging/fedora/zoitechat.spec b/packaging/fedora/zoitechat.spec
index da3b1936..bc316389 100644
--- a/packaging/fedora/zoitechat.spec
+++ b/packaging/fedora/zoitechat.spec
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ systems.
 
 %build
 %meson \
+  -Dinstall-docs=true \
   -Dtext-frontend=false \
   -Dwith-checksum=true \
   -Dwith-fishlim=true \
diff --git a/packaging/macos/build.py b/packaging/macos/build.py
index 50343a78..b4989cc6 100644
--- a/packaging/macos/build.py
+++ b/packaging/macos/build.py
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ def main() -> None:
         "--prefix=/", "--libdir=lib", "--buildtype=release", "-Dgtk-frontend=true",
         "-Dtext-frontend=false", "-Dmac-integration=enabled", "-Ddbus=disabled",
         "-Dlibcanberra=disabled", "-Dappindicator=disabled", "-Dinstall-appdata=false",
+        "-Dinstall-docs=false",
         "-Dwith-sysinfo=false", "-Dwith-python=false", "-Dwith-perl=false",
         "-Dwith-lua=lua", "-Dwith-fishlim=true", "-Dwith-checksum=true",
         "-Dplugin=" + ("false" if args.store_experimental else "true"),
diff --git a/src/fe-gtk/emoji-font.c b/src/fe-gtk/emoji-font.c
index cad54193..1d8842df 100644
--- a/src/fe-gtk/emoji-font.c
+++ b/src/fe-gtk/emoji-font.c
@@ -52,6 +52,16 @@ emoji_font_get_map (void)
 		return map;
 	attempted = TRUE;
 
+#if defined(ZOITECHAT_INSTALL_EMOJI_FONT) && !ZOITECHAT_INSTALL_EMOJI_FONT
+	/* A distribution package can deliberately omit our private font. Keep
+	 * its native/system emoji rendering unless an explicit font is given. */
+	{
+		const char *override = g_getenv ("ZOITECHAT_EMOJI_FONT");
+		if (!override || !*override)
+			return NULL;
+	}
+#endif
+
 	path = emoji_font_path ();
 	if (!path || !g_file_test (path, G_FILE_TEST_IS_REGULAR))
 	{