diff --git a/src/ui/windows/image_picker.h b/src/ui/windows/image_picker.h
index 503b815..407d6c1 100644
--- a/src/ui/windows/image_picker.h
+++ b/src/ui/windows/image_picker.h
@@ -357,16 +357,17 @@ private:
     static void driveThumbAnim(Thumb& th, const std::string& path) {
         if (th.animReady) return;
         if (!th.animRequested) {
-            if (s_animInFlight.load() >= kMaxAnimInFlight) return;    // cap workers; retry a later frame
+            if (s_animInFlight->load() >= kMaxAnimInFlight) return;   // cap workers; retry a later frame
             th.animRequested = true;
             th.job = std::make_shared<AnimJob>();
-            s_animInFlight.fetch_add(1);
+            s_animInFlight->fetch_add(1);
             std::shared_ptr<AnimJob> job = th.job;
+            std::shared_ptr<std::atomic<int>> inflight = s_animInFlight;   // co-owned: safe past teardown
             std::string p = path;
-            std::thread([job, p]() {
+            std::thread([job, inflight, p]() {
                 util::LoadAnimatedRGBA(p.c_str(), kThumbMaxFrames, job->result);
                 job->done.store(true, std::memory_order_release);
-                s_animInFlight.fetch_sub(1);
+                inflight->fetch_sub(1);
             }).detach();
             return;
         }
@@ -510,8 +511,12 @@ private:
     static constexpr int kThumbMaxFrames = 300;  // cap frames per hovered animation
     static constexpr int kMaxAnimInFlight = 2;   // max concurrent background decodes
 
-    static inline std::atomic<int> s_animInFlight{0};
+    // Heap-owned so a detached worker (which decrements it) can safely outlive static teardown at
+    // process exit — the worker holds a shared_ptr copy, so it never touches a destroyed static.
+    static inline std::shared_ptr<std::atomic<int>> s_animInFlight = std::make_shared<std::atomic<int>>(0);
     static inline bool s_open = false;
+    // Main-thread-only (set in render/driveThumbAnim, read+cleared in consumeAnimationActive); NOT atomic
+    // on purpose — do not read/write it from a worker thread.
     static inline bool s_animatingThisFrame = false;  // a hover-preview animation is playing
     static inline int s_loadedThisFrame = 0;
     static inline std::string s_dir;