diff --git a/lib/appkit/README.md b/lib/appkit/README.md
index 7eb6998..e99d95d 100644
--- a/lib/appkit/README.md
+++ b/lib/appkit/README.md
@@ -185,6 +185,9 @@ hiding the other. When `apps/` has no `__init__.py`, `scan()` makes one;
 where it can't (a read-only filesystem) it stops with an error saying to
 add an empty one.
 
+When `apps/` holds an app named `home`, `appkit.run()` starts that as the
+home screen instead of its own list of buttons.
+
 `appkit.run("hello")` runs one app on its own, with the whole screen and no
 home screen. An app set that wants its own home screen, chrome or launcher
 setup builds a `Launcher` itself. Its `Shell` subclass gives apps a smaller
diff --git a/lib/appkit/__init__.py b/lib/appkit/__init__.py
index 22173a2..17da72a 100644
--- a/lib/appkit/__init__.py
+++ b/lib/appkit/__init__.py
@@ -19,6 +19,9 @@
 def run(name=None, folder="apps", *, data_root=None):
     """Run the apps in *folder*: a home screen listing them, or app *name* alone.
 
+    The home screen is the folder's own app named ``home`` when it has one,
+    and otherwise appkit's list of buttons, ``appkit.home``.
+
     It ends in the main-thread loop, `serve`, and returns the
     ``Launcher`` when the program quits. In a browser, where the page has
     the main thread, it returns the launcher at once. *data_root* moves
@@ -33,10 +36,17 @@ def run(name=None, folder="apps", *, data_root=None):
     launcher = Launcher(app)
     launcher.scan(folder)
     if name is None:
-        launcher.add("home", "appkit.home")
-        launcher.home = "home"
+        _use_home(launcher)
     launcher.shell = Shell(launcher)
     launcher.boot(name)
     if host() != "browser":
         serve(app)
     return launcher
+
+
+def _use_home(launcher):
+    """Make ``home`` the launcher's home screen: the folder's own app named
+    home when the scan found one, else appkit's list of buttons."""
+    if "home" not in launcher.names:
+        launcher.add("home", "appkit.home")
+    launcher.home = "home"
diff --git a/tests/appkit/launcher_contract.py b/tests/appkit/launcher_contract.py
index dd4baf6..ccb50fe 100644
--- a/tests/appkit/launcher_contract.py
+++ b/tests/appkit/launcher_contract.py
@@ -304,6 +304,21 @@ def restarts_in_a_row_are_bounded():
     la.stop()
 
 
+@check
+def run_keeps_a_scanned_home():
+    import appkit
+
+    la = L.Launcher(_app())
+    la.scan(_dir + _sep + "sample_home" + _sep + "apps")
+    appkit._use_home(la)
+    expect(la.home == "home", "home is %r" % (la.home,))
+    expect(la._apps["home"] == "apps.home", "the scanned home was replaced by %r" % (la._apps["home"],))
+    la = L.Launcher(_app())
+    la.scan(_dir + _sep + "sample_set" + _sep + "apps")
+    appkit._use_home(la)
+    expect(la._apps["home"] == "appkit.home", "a folder without home got %r" % (la._apps["home"],))
+
+
 @check
 def pending_app_round_trip():
     # On a board this is the real RTC memory (or /next_app), without the reset.
diff --git a/tests/appkit/sample_home/apps/__init__.py b/tests/appkit/sample_home/apps/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4f15319
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/appkit/sample_home/apps/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Brad Barnett
+#
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+# The apps folder is a package: appkit imports each app in it as apps.<app>.
diff --git a/tests/appkit/sample_home/apps/home/__init__.py b/tests/appkit/sample_home/apps/home/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5e1cf8a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/appkit/sample_home/apps/home/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Brad Barnett
+#
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+"""A folder's own home screen, which appkit.run() starts instead of its list."""
+
+
+def main(scope):
+    pass
diff --git a/tests/appkit/sample_home/apps/home/app.json b/tests/appkit/sample_home/apps/home/app.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7ece58b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/appkit/sample_home/apps/home/app.json
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+{"name": "home", "title": "Home", "tile": false}