diff --git a/docs/desktop-notifications.rst b/docs/desktop-notifications.rst
index 70e939270..5da9f77f6 100644
--- a/docs/desktop-notifications.rst
+++ b/docs/desktop-notifications.rst
@@ -370,7 +370,7 @@ Key      Value
 
 ``p``    Comma spearated list of supported payload types (i.e. values of the
          ``p`` key that the terminal implements). These must contain at least
-         ``title`` and ``body``.
+         ``title``.
 
 ``u``    Comma separated list of urgency values that the terminal implements.
          If urgency is not supported, the ``u`` key must be absent from the
diff --git a/glfw/linux_notify.c b/glfw/linux_notify.c
index 88db41ed3..583fba8e5 100644
--- a/glfw/linux_notify.c
+++ b/glfw/linux_notify.c
@@ -92,11 +92,43 @@ cancel_user_notification(DBusConnection *session_bus, uint32_t *id) {
     return glfw_dbus_call_method_no_reply(session_bus, NOTIFICATIONS_SERVICE, NOTIFICATIONS_PATH, NOTIFICATIONS_IFACE, "CloseNotification", DBUS_TYPE_UINT32, id, DBUS_TYPE_INVALID);
 }
 
+static void
+got_capabilities(DBusMessage *msg, const char* err, void* data UNUSED) {
+    if (err) {
+        _glfwInputError(GLFW_PLATFORM_ERROR, "Notify: Failed to get server capabilities error: %s", err);
+        return;
+    }
+#define check_call(func, err, ...) if (!func(__VA_ARGS__)) { _glfwInputError(GLFW_PLATFORM_ERROR, "Notify: GetCapabilities: %s", err); return;  }
+    DBusMessageIter iter, array_iter;
+    check_call(dbus_message_iter_init, "message has no parameters", msg, &iter);
+    if (dbus_message_iter_get_arg_type(&iter) != DBUS_TYPE_ARRAY || dbus_message_iter_get_element_type(&iter) != DBUS_TYPE_STRING) {
+        _glfwInputError(GLFW_PLATFORM_ERROR, "Notify: GetCapabilities: %s", "reply is not an array of strings");
+        return;
+    }
+    dbus_message_iter_recurse(&iter, &array_iter);
+    char buf[2048] = {0}, *p = buf;
+    while (dbus_message_iter_get_arg_type(&array_iter) == DBUS_TYPE_STRING) {
+        const char *str;
+        dbus_message_iter_get_basic(&array_iter, &str);
+        if (sizeof(buf) > (size_t)(p-buf) + 1u) p += snprintf(p, sizeof(buf) - (p-buf) - 1, "%s\n", str);
+        dbus_message_iter_next(&array_iter);
+    }
+    if (activated_handler) activated_handler(0, -1, buf);
+#undef check_call
+
+}
+
+static bool
+get_capabilities(DBusConnection *session_bus) {
+    return glfw_dbus_call_method_with_reply(session_bus, NOTIFICATIONS_SERVICE, NOTIFICATIONS_PATH, NOTIFICATIONS_IFACE, "GetCapabilities", 60, got_capabilities, NULL, DBUS_TYPE_INVALID);
+}
+
 notification_id_type
 glfw_dbus_send_user_notification(const GLFWDBUSNotificationData *n, GLFWDBusnotificationcreatedfun callback, void *user_data) {
     DBusConnection *session_bus = glfw_dbus_session_bus();
     if (!session_bus) return 0;
     if (n->timeout == -9999 && n->urgency == 255) return cancel_user_notification(session_bus, user_data) ? 1 : 0;
+    if (n->timeout == -99999 && n->urgency == 255) return get_capabilities(session_bus) ? 1 : 0;
     static DBusConnection *added_signal_match = NULL;
     if (added_signal_match != session_bus) {
         dbus_bus_add_match(session_bus, "type='signal',interface='" NOTIFICATIONS_IFACE "',member='ActionInvoked'", NULL);
diff --git a/kitty/glfw.c b/kitty/glfw.c
index ca14ddc7c..f44f7fc86 100644
--- a/kitty/glfw.c
+++ b/kitty/glfw.c
@@ -1407,7 +1407,15 @@ static PyObject *dbus_notification_callback = NULL;
 static PyObject*
 dbus_set_notification_callback(PyObject *self UNUSED, PyObject *callback) {
     Py_CLEAR(dbus_notification_callback);
-    if (callback && callback != Py_None) { dbus_notification_callback = callback; Py_INCREF(callback); }
+    if (callback && callback != Py_None) {
+        dbus_notification_callback = callback; Py_INCREF(callback);
+        GLFWDBUSNotificationData d = {.timeout=-99999, .urgency=255};
+        if (!glfwDBusUserNotify) {
+            PyErr_SetString(PyExc_RuntimeError, "Failed to load glfwDBusUserNotify, did you call glfw_init?");
+            return NULL;
+        }
+        glfwDBusUserNotify(&d, NULL, NULL);
+    }
     Py_RETURN_NONE;
 }
 
@@ -1428,6 +1436,7 @@ dbus_user_notification_activated(uint32_t notification_id, int type, const char*
     switch (type) {
         case 0: stype = "closed"; break;
         case 1: stype = "activation_token"; break;
+        case -1: stype = "capabilities"; break;
     }
     send_dbus_notification_event_to_python(stype, nid, action);
 }
diff --git a/kitty/notifications.py b/kitty/notifications.py
index f338e7075..613ce9728 100644
--- a/kitty/notifications.py
+++ b/kitty/notifications.py
@@ -438,6 +438,8 @@ def get_matches(location: str, query: str, candidates: set['NotificationCommand'
 class DesktopIntegration:
 
     supports_close_events: bool = True
+    supports_body: bool = True
+    supports_buttons: bool = True
 
     def __init__(self, notification_manager: 'NotificationManager'):
         self.notification_manager = notification_manager
@@ -459,12 +461,19 @@ def on_new_version_notification_activation(self, cmd: NotificationCommand, which
         from .update_check import notification_activated
         notification_activated()
 
+    def payload_type_supported(self, x: PayloadType) -> bool:
+        if x is PayloadType.body and not self.supports_body:
+            return False
+        if x is PayloadType.buttons and not self.supports_buttons:
+            return False
+        return True
+
     def query_response(self, identifier: str) -> str:
         actions = ','.join(x.value for x in Action)
         when = ','.join(x.value for x in OnlyWhen if x.value)
         urgency = ','.join(str(x.value) for x in Urgency)
         i = f'i={identifier or "0"}:'
-        p = ','.join(x.value for x in PayloadType if x.value)
+        p = ','.join(x.value for x in PayloadType if x.value and self.payload_type_supported(x))
         c = ':c=1' if self.supports_close_events else ''
         return f'99;{i}p=?;a={actions}:o={when}:u={urgency}:p={p}{c}:w=1'
 
@@ -620,6 +629,8 @@ def notification_activated(self, event: str, ident: str, button_id: str) -> None
 
 class FreeDesktopIntegration(DesktopIntegration):
 
+    supports_body_markup: bool = True
+
     def initialize(self) -> None:
         from .fast_data_types import dbus_set_notification_callback
         dbus_set_notification_callback(self.dispatch_event_from_desktop)
@@ -663,6 +674,14 @@ def created(self, dbus_notification_id: int, desktop_notification_id: int) -> No
         self.notification_manager.notification_created(dbus_notification_id)
 
     def dispatch_event_from_desktop(self, event_type: str, dbus_notification_id: int, extra: Union[int, str]) -> None:
+        if event_type == 'capabilities':
+            capabilities = frozenset(str(extra).splitlines())
+            self.supports_body = 'body' in capabilities
+            self.supports_buttons = 'actions' in capabilities
+            self.supports_body_markup = 'body-markup' in capabilities
+            if debug_desktop_integration:
+                log_error('Got notification server capabilities:', capabilities)
+            return
         if debug_desktop_integration:
             log_error(f'Got notification event from desktop: {event_type=} {dbus_notification_id=} {extra=}')
         if event_type == 'created':
@@ -696,7 +715,9 @@ def notify(self, nc: NotificationCommand, existing_desktop_notification_id: Opti
         if not app_icon:
             app_icon = get_custom_window_icon()[1] or logo_png_file
 
-        body = nc.body.replace('<', '<\u200c').replace('&', '&\u200c')  # prevent HTML markup from being recognized
+        body = nc.body
+        if self.supports_body_markup:
+            body = body.replace('<', '<\u200c').replace('&', '&\u200c')  # prevent HTML markup from being recognized
         assert nc.urgency is not None
         replaces_dbus_id = 0
         if existing_desktop_notification_id: