diff --git a/kick.c b/kick.c
index b669179..d5d41d5 100644
--- a/kick.c
+++ b/kick.c
@@ -3316,7 +3316,11 @@ static void close_window(struct kick_window *w) {
 
     /* A black window never fires a toplevel destroy, so drop it from the
        overlay/cycle immediately; only the escalation timer and the
-       success-removal paths touch it afterwards. */
+       success-removal paths touch it afterwards.  Clearing pending_claim
+       also retires the slot for good: a client connecting inside the grace
+       period can no longer claim this window (claim matching requires a
+       pending slot), so it lands on a group/external tab instead and no
+       graceful close is owed here -- the escalation reaps this window. */
     if (!window_live(w))
         w->pending_claim = false;
 
@@ -3983,16 +3987,6 @@ static void claim_xdg_window(struct kick_tab *tab, struct kick_window *w,
     wl_signal_add(&toplevel->events.request_move, &w->request_move);
     w->request_resize.notify = handle_request_resize;
     wl_signal_add(&toplevel->events.request_resize, &w->request_resize);
-
-    /* Alt+Delete on a still-black window arms the SIGKILL escalation but has
-       no surface to ask closed: a client connecting inside the grace period
-       would otherwise stall with closing=true forever (the escalation
-       disarms the timer without destroying the now-live window, and the tab
-       hides from the overlay and cycling).  Deliver the missed graceful
-       close now; the armed timer plus the live-destroy path finish the
-       teardown. */
-    if (w->closing)
-        window_graceful_close(w);
 }
 
 static void handle_new_toplevel(struct wl_listener *listener, void *data) {
@@ -4247,11 +4241,6 @@ static void claim_x11_window(struct kick_tab *tab, struct kick_window *w,
     /* Expose the X11 window to taskbars (title/class sync via the
        set_title/set_class handlers below, which call into foreign_sync_*). */
     foreign_handle_create(w);
-
-    /* Same late-connect race as claim_xdg_window: a client that associates
-       inside the Alt+Delete grace period missed its graceful close. */
-    if (w->closing)
-        window_graceful_close(w);
 }
 
 /* --- Managed X11 windows --- */