diff --git a/.github/workflows/appimage-build.yml b/.github/workflows/appimage-build.yml
index 36e49518..ded95a3b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/appimage-build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/appimage-build.yml
@@ -47,7 +47,8 @@ jobs:
             -Dtext-frontend=true \
             -Dwith-perl=perl \
             -Dwith-python=python3 \
-            -Dauto_features=enabled
+            -Dauto_features=enabled \
+            -Dappindicator=enabled
 
       - name: Build
         run: |
diff --git a/flatpak/net.zoite.Zoitechat.json b/flatpak/net.zoite.Zoitechat.json
index 4865d999..b7436edd 100644
--- a/flatpak/net.zoite.Zoitechat.json
+++ b/flatpak/net.zoite.Zoitechat.json
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
   "finish-args": [
     "--share=ipc",
     "--socket=wayland",
+    "--socket=fallback-x11",
     "--share=network",
     "--socket=pulseaudio",
     "--filesystem=xdg-download",
@@ -15,8 +16,11 @@
     "--filesystem=xdg-data/icons:ro",
     "--filesystem=~/.themes:ro",
     "--filesystem=~/.icons:ro",
+    "--filesystem=xdg-run/tray-icon:create",
 
     "--talk-name=org.freedesktop.Notifications",
+    "--talk-name=org.kde.StatusNotifierWatcher",
+    "--talk-name=com.canonical.AppMenu.Registrar",
 
     "--talk-name=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.*"
   ],
diff --git a/meson_options.txt b/meson_options.txt
index faa9f665..0bdf5051 100644
--- a/meson_options.txt
+++ b/meson_options.txt
@@ -22,6 +22,9 @@ option('dbus', type: 'feature', value: 'auto',
 option('libcanberra', type: 'feature', value: 'auto',
   description: 'Support for sound alerts, Unix only'
 )
+option('appindicator', type: 'feature', value: 'auto',
+  description: 'Use Ayatana/AppIndicator-based tray backend when GTK3 is enabled'
+)
 
 # Install options
 option('dbus-service-use-appid', type: 'boolean', value: false,
diff --git a/src/fe-gtk/meson.build b/src/fe-gtk/meson.build
index b66dfd73..65993c4e 100644
--- a/src/fe-gtk/meson.build
+++ b/src/fe-gtk/meson.build
@@ -40,15 +40,21 @@ if get_option('gtk3')
   zoitechat_gtk_cflags += '-DHAVE_GTK3'
 
   if host_machine.system() != 'windows'
-    appindicator_dep = dependency('ayatana-appindicator3-0.1', required: false)
-    if appindicator_dep.found()
-      zoitechat_gtk_deps += appindicator_dep
-      zoitechat_gtk_cflags += '-DHAVE_AYATANA_APPINDICATOR'
-    else
-      appindicator_dep = dependency('appindicator3-0.1', required: false)
+    appindicator_opt = get_option('appindicator')
+
+    if appindicator_opt.allowed()
+      appindicator_dep = dependency('ayatana-appindicator3-0.1', required: false)
       if appindicator_dep.found()
         zoitechat_gtk_deps += appindicator_dep
-        zoitechat_gtk_cflags += '-DHAVE_APPINDICATOR'
+        zoitechat_gtk_cflags += '-DHAVE_AYATANA_APPINDICATOR'
+      else
+        appindicator_dep = dependency('appindicator3-0.1', required: false)
+        if appindicator_dep.found()
+          zoitechat_gtk_deps += appindicator_dep
+          zoitechat_gtk_cflags += '-DHAVE_APPINDICATOR'
+        elif appindicator_opt.enabled()
+          error('appindicator=enabled, but neither ayatana-appindicator3-0.1 nor appindicator3-0.1 was found')
+        endif
       endif
     endif
   endif
diff --git a/src/fe-gtk/plugin-tray.c b/src/fe-gtk/plugin-tray.c
index ff83f0e0..84bd3cec 100644
--- a/src/fe-gtk/plugin-tray.c
+++ b/src/fe-gtk/plugin-tray.c
@@ -311,6 +311,19 @@ tray_gtk3_icon_to_name (TrayIcon icon, char **allocated)
 		names = g_themed_icon_get_names (G_THEMED_ICON (icon));
 		if (names && names[0])
 		{
+			/*
+			 * Some StatusNotifier hosts (e.g. XFCE plugin combinations) can fail to
+			 * resolve our desktop-id icon name even when GTK's icon theme lookup says
+			 * it exists. Prefer an absolute PNG fallback for the app's normal icon so
+			 * the tray item never renders as a blank placeholder.
+			 */
+			if (g_strcmp0 (names[0], ICON_NORMAL_NAME) == 0)
+			{
+				*allocated = tray_gtk3_fallback_icon_path_for_name (names[0]);
+				if (*allocated)
+					return *allocated;
+			}
+			
 			theme = gtk_icon_theme_get_default ();
 			if (theme && gtk_icon_theme_has_icon (theme, names[0]))
 				return names[0];