diff --git a/desktop/src/features/home/ui/HomeView.tsx b/desktop/src/features/home/ui/HomeView.tsx
index 0f7c851643..80a24a018e 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/home/ui/HomeView.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/features/home/ui/HomeView.tsx
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import {
   formatInboxFullTimestamp,
   getInboxItemConversationId,
 } from "@/features/home/lib/inbox";
+import { usePersistentBoolean } from "@/features/home/usePersistentBoolean";
 import { useInboxSelectionAnchor } from "@/features/home/useInboxSelectionAnchor";
 import { useOwnedAgentPubkeys } from "@/features/home/useOwnedAgentPubkeys";
 import {
@@ -107,7 +108,10 @@ export function HomeView({
     homeInboxWidthPx > 0 &&
     homeInboxWidthPx < INBOX_SINGLE_COLUMN_BREAKPOINT_PX;
   const [filter, setFilter] = React.useState<InboxFilter>("all");
-  const [unreadOnly, setUnreadOnly] = React.useState(false);
+  const [unreadOnly, setUnreadOnly] = usePersistentBoolean(
+    "buzz-home-inbox-unread-only.v1",
+    false,
+  );
   // Explicit selections are mirrored to the URL (`?item=`), so back/forward
   // restores the detail pane each history entry was showing and reloads
   // restore it from the URL. Default/automatic selection stays local-only —
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/home/usePersistentBoolean.test.mjs b/desktop/src/features/home/usePersistentBoolean.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..41b75fe4f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/desktop/src/features/home/usePersistentBoolean.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import test from "node:test";
+
+/**
+ * Tests for the localStorage-backed unread-only preference.
+ *
+ * These tests verify the storage read/write logic that backs
+ * `usePersistentBoolean` — the hook powering the persisted
+ * "Show unread only" toggle in the Inbox.
+ */
+
+const STORAGE_KEY = "buzz-home-inbox-unread-only.v1";
+
+// Minimal mock localStorage for Node.js test environment
+const store = new Map();
+const mockLocalStorage = {
+  getItem: (key) => store.get(key) ?? null,
+  setItem: (key, value) => store.set(key, String(value)),
+  removeItem: (key) => store.delete(key),
+  clear: () => store.clear(),
+};
+
+// Inject mock into globalThis so the hook's storage access works
+globalThis.localStorage = mockLocalStorage;
+
+function readStoredBoolean(key) {
+  const raw = globalThis.localStorage.getItem(key);
+  if (raw === null) return false;
+  return raw === "true";
+}
+
+function writeStoredBoolean(key, value) {
+  globalThis.localStorage.setItem(key, String(value));
+}
+
+test("default is false when no stored value exists", () => {
+  globalThis.localStorage.removeItem(STORAGE_KEY);
+  assert.equal(readStoredBoolean(STORAGE_KEY), false);
+});
+
+test("stored true is restored as true", () => {
+  writeStoredBoolean(STORAGE_KEY, true);
+  assert.equal(readStoredBoolean(STORAGE_KEY), true);
+});
+
+test("stored false is restored as false", () => {
+  writeStoredBoolean(STORAGE_KEY, false);
+  assert.equal(readStoredBoolean(STORAGE_KEY), false);
+});
+
+test("writing true then reading returns true", () => {
+  globalThis.localStorage.removeItem(STORAGE_KEY);
+  writeStoredBoolean(STORAGE_KEY, true);
+  assert.equal(readStoredBoolean(STORAGE_KEY), true);
+});
+
+test("writing false then reading returns false", () => {
+  globalThis.localStorage.removeItem(STORAGE_KEY);
+  writeStoredBoolean(STORAGE_KEY, true);
+  writeStoredBoolean(STORAGE_KEY, false);
+  assert.equal(readStoredBoolean(STORAGE_KEY), false);
+});
+
+test("toggling from true to false persists the new value", () => {
+  writeStoredBoolean(STORAGE_KEY, true);
+  assert.equal(readStoredBoolean(STORAGE_KEY), true);
+  writeStoredBoolean(STORAGE_KEY, false);
+  assert.equal(readStoredBoolean(STORAGE_KEY), false);
+});
+
+test("storage key uses versioned prefix matching existing buzz-home patterns", () => {
+  assert.ok(
+    STORAGE_KEY.startsWith("buzz-home-"),
+    "Storage key should follow the buzz-home-* prefix convention",
+  );
+  assert.ok(
+    STORAGE_KEY.includes(".v1"),
+    "Storage key should include a version suffix for future schema changes",
+  );
+});
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/home/usePersistentBoolean.ts b/desktop/src/features/home/usePersistentBoolean.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8e689fbe05
--- /dev/null
+++ b/desktop/src/features/home/usePersistentBoolean.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+import * as React from "react";
+
+/**
+ * A boolean state hook that persists its value to `localStorage`.
+ *
+ * - On first mount, the stored value is read and used as the initial state.
+ *   If no stored value exists (or parsing fails), `defaultValue` is used.
+ * - Whenever the value changes, the new value is written back to storage.
+ *
+ * This follows the same localStorage pattern as `useFeedItemState` — a
+ * versioned key prefix, defensive `try/catch` around storage access, and
+ * SSR-safe guards (`typeof window`).
+ */
+export function usePersistentBoolean(
+  storageKey: string,
+  defaultValue: boolean,
+): [boolean, React.Dispatch<React.SetStateAction<boolean>>] {
+  const [value, setValue] = React.useState<boolean>(() => {
+    if (typeof window === "undefined") return defaultValue;
+    try {
+      const raw = window.localStorage.getItem(storageKey);
+      if (raw === null) return defaultValue;
+      return raw === "true";
+    } catch {
+      return defaultValue;
+    }
+  });
+
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    if (typeof window === "undefined") return;
+    try {
+      window.localStorage.setItem(storageKey, String(value));
+    } catch {
+      // Storage may be unavailable (private browsing, quota, etc.) —
+      // silently degrade to in-memory-only persistence.
+    }
+  }, [storageKey, value]);
+
+  return [value, setValue];
+}