diff --git a/slint-frontend/fonts/Nunito.ttf b/slint-frontend/fonts/Nunito.ttf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2ec1f4b
Binary files /dev/null and b/slint-frontend/fonts/Nunito.ttf differ
diff --git a/slint-frontend/fonts/README.md b/slint-frontend/fonts/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0630664
--- /dev/null
+++ b/slint-frontend/fonts/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+Nunito, the face the design is drawn in, as a variable TTF.
+
+`web/public/fonts/` has the same family as woff2, which is right for a browser and
+useless here: Slint cannot read woff2. This is the upstream variable TTF (weights
+200-1000), which `SLINT_DEFAULT_FONT` is pointed at - by `shell.nix` for development,
+and by the launcher `roles/pi_slint_frontend` installs on the device.
+
+Nunito is licensed under the SIL Open Font License 1.1:
+https://github.com/googlefonts/nunito
diff --git a/slint-frontend/shell.nix b/slint-frontend/shell.nix
index 4253eea..bb08d9d 100644
--- a/slint-frontend/shell.nix
+++ b/slint-frontend/shell.nix
@@ -33,12 +33,10 @@ pkgs.mkShell {
     python3
   ];
 
-  # Nunito is the face the design is drawn in. The web front-end self-hosts it as
-  # woff2, which Slint cannot read, so the dev shell points Slint at the TTF instead
-  # (`SLINT_DEFAULT_FONT` takes one file and makes it the primary font). Without it
-  # everything still renders, in whatever sans fontconfig hands back.
-  SLINT_DEFAULT_FONT =
-    "${pkgs.nunito}/share/fonts/truetype/Nunito/Nunito[wght].ttf";
+  # Nunito is the face the design is drawn in. `SLINT_DEFAULT_FONT` takes one file and
+  # makes it the primary font. This points at the copy vendored in `fonts/` rather than
+  # at nixpkgs, so development and the device render from the identical file.
+  SLINT_DEFAULT_FONT = toString ./fonts/Nunito.ttf;
 
   buildInputs = runtimeLibs ++ (with pkgs; [
     fontconfig
diff --git a/slint-frontend/src/main.rs b/slint-frontend/src/main.rs
index 362f281..bbb8477 100644
--- a/slint-frontend/src/main.rs
+++ b/slint-frontend/src/main.rs
@@ -637,14 +637,28 @@ fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
         .unwrap_or_else(|| api::DEFAULT_BASE_URL.to_string());
     println!("musicmouse-slint → {base}");
 
-    // Nunito is the face the design is drawn in. Slint takes one file as the primary
-    // font through `SLINT_DEFAULT_FONT`; the dev shell sets it, and a deployment can
-    // drop the TTF next to the binary instead. Neither present just means the system
-    // sans - a missing font should change how this looks, not whether it runs.
+    // Nunito is the face the design is drawn in, vendored as a TTF in `fonts/` because
+    // Slint cannot read the woff2 the web front-end self-hosts. Slint takes one file as
+    // the primary font through `SLINT_DEFAULT_FONT`; the dev shell and the device's
+    // launcher both set it, and this is the fallback for running the binary directly.
+    // None of them finding it just means the system sans - a missing font should change
+    // how this looks, not whether it runs.
     if std::env::var_os("SLINT_DEFAULT_FONT").is_none() {
-        let local = std::path::Path::new("fonts/Nunito.ttf");
-        if local.exists() {
-            std::env::set_var("SLINT_DEFAULT_FONT", local);
+        let beside_exe = std::env::current_exe()
+            .ok()
+            // target/release/<bin> -> the crate root
+            .and_then(|exe| Some(exe.parent()?.parent()?.parent()?.join("fonts/Nunito.ttf")));
+        for candidate in [
+            Some(std::path::PathBuf::from("fonts/Nunito.ttf")),
+            beside_exe,
+        ]
+        .into_iter()
+        .flatten()
+        {
+            if candidate.exists() {
+                std::env::set_var("SLINT_DEFAULT_FONT", candidate);
+                break;
+            }
         }
     }