diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 143690c..5b634a9 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -54,6 +54,14 @@ Linux (arm64/x64). Pick whichever fits your platform.
 brew install mikefreno/tap/podtui
 ```
 
+On macOS the tarball also ships a `PodTui.app` bundle. PodTui plays audio
+through a copy of mpv that lives **inside the bundle**, so macOS attributes
+the Now Playing session to PodTui — the Control Center / lock-screen entry
+shows the PodTui name and icon, and podcast cover art as its artwork —
+rather than a blank placeholder for an unbundled binary. Installers can drop
+`PodTui.app` into `/Applications`; the `podtui` entry point should point at
+`PodTui.app/Contents/MacOS/podtui` so the bundled mpv is used.
+
 ### 2. Standalone tarball (all platforms)
 
 Grab `podtui-<platform>-<arch>.tar.gz` from the latest
diff --git a/assets/App Icon/AppIcon.icns b/assets/App Icon/AppIcon.icns
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c2326d3
Binary files /dev/null and b/assets/App Icon/AppIcon.icns differ
diff --git a/build.ts b/build.ts
index b41e091..02d25c6 100644
--- a/build.ts
+++ b/build.ts
@@ -131,6 +131,91 @@ if (COMPILE) {
 		}
 	}
 
+	// macOS app bundle: PodTui.app. We run our audio backend (mpv) from
+	// INSIDE the bundle (Contents/MacOS/mpv) so macOS attributes its Now
+	// Playing session to PodTui — the source-app icon + name in Control
+	// Center / lock screen — instead of a blank placeholder for an
+	// unbundled binary. AudioPlayer's resolver prefers this sibling.
+	if (platform === "darwin") {
+		const appRoot = join(tarRoot, "PodTui.app");
+		const macosDir = join(appRoot, "Contents", "MacOS");
+		const resDir = join(appRoot, "Contents", "Resources");
+		mkdirSync(macosDir, { recursive: true });
+		mkdirSync(resDir, { recursive: true });
+
+		copyFileSync(outfile, join(macosDir, "podtui"));
+		for (const lib of [`libopentui.${libExt}`, cavacoreLib]) {
+			const s = join("dist", lib);
+			if (existsSync(s)) copyFileSync(s, join(macosDir, lib));
+		}
+
+		const mpvResolve = Bun.spawnSync(["which", "mpv"]);
+		const mpvPath =
+			mpvResolve.exitCode === 0 ? mpvResolve.stdout.toString().trim() : "";
+		if (mpvPath) {
+			copyFileSync(mpvPath, join(macosDir, "mpv"));
+		} else {
+			console.warn(
+				"Warning: mpv not found in PATH — skipping bundle mpv (Now Playing attribution won't work)",
+			);
+		}
+
+		const icnsSrc = join("assets", "App Icon", "AppIcon.icns");
+		if (existsSync(icnsSrc)) {
+			copyFileSync(icnsSrc, join(resDir, "AppIcon.icns"));
+		} else {
+			console.warn(
+				"Warning: assets/App Icon/AppIcon.icns missing — app bundle has no icon",
+			);
+		}
+
+		// Keep CFBundleShortVersionString in sync with src/index.tsx VERSION.
+		Bun.write(
+			join(appRoot, "Contents", "Info.plist"),
+			`<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
+<plist version="1.0">
+<dict>
+	<key>CFBundleName</key>
+	<string>PodTui</string>
+	<key>CFBundleDisplayName</key>
+	<string>PodTui</string>
+	<key>CFBundleIdentifier</key>
+	<string>com.mikefreno.podtui</string>
+	<key>CFBundleExecutable</key>
+	<string>podtui</string>
+	<key>CFBundlePackageType</key>
+	<string>APPL</string>
+	<key>CFBundleIconFile</key>
+	<string>AppIcon</string>
+	<key>CFBundleShortVersionString</key>
+	<string>0.3.1</string>
+	<key>CFBundleVersion</key>
+	<string>0.3.1</string>
+	<key>LSMinimumSystemVersion</key>
+	<string>12.0</string>
+</dict>
+</plist>
+`,
+		);
+
+		// Ad-hoc sign so the bundle launches cleanly on fresh machines.
+		const sign = Bun.spawnSync([
+			"codesign",
+			"--force",
+			"--deep",
+			"-s",
+			"-",
+			appRoot,
+		]);
+		if (sign.exitCode !== 0) {
+			console.warn(
+				`Warning: codesign failed (${sign.stderr.toString().trim()}) — app bundle unsigned`,
+			);
+		}
+		console.log(`App bundle: ${appRoot}`);
+	}
+
 	const tar = Bun.spawnSync([
 		"tar",
 		"-czf",
diff --git a/src/utils/audio-player.ts b/src/utils/audio-player.ts
index 97dafb1..9eb2ff6 100644
--- a/src/utils/audio-player.ts
+++ b/src/utils/audio-player.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 import { platform } from "os";
 import { existsSync } from "fs";
 import { tmpdir } from "os";
-import { join } from "path";
+import { dirname, join } from "path";
 import type { Socket, Subprocess } from "bun";
 
 // ── Types ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ export interface PlayOptions {
 	volume?: number;
 	speed?: number;
 	mediaTitle?: string;
+	coverArtPath?: string;
 }
 
 // ── Utilities ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -74,6 +75,23 @@ function mpvSocketPath(): string {
 	return join(tmpdir(), `podtui-mpv-${process.pid}.sock`);
 }
 
+/**
+ * mpv executable to use. Prefers a sibling `mpv` inside the app bundle
+ * (macOS PodTui.app/Contents/MacOS/mpv): running mpv from inside the bundle
+ * makes macOS attribute its Now Playing session to PodTui — source-app icon
+ * and name in Control Center — instead of a blank placeholder for an
+ * unbundled binary. Falls back to PATH so dev runs and Linux keep working.
+ */
+function resolveMpvBinary(): string | null {
+	try {
+		const bundled = join(dirname(process.execPath), "mpv");
+		if (existsSync(bundled)) return bundled;
+	} catch {
+		/* process.execPath unusable — fall through to PATH */
+	}
+	return which("mpv");
+}
+
 // ── mpv Backend ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 // Uses JSON IPC over a Unix socket for full bidirectional control.
 
@@ -101,7 +119,7 @@ export class MpvBackend implements AudioBackend {
 		}
 
 		const args = [
-			"mpv",
+			resolveMpvBinary() ?? "mpv",
 			"--no-video",
 			"--no-terminal",
 			"--really-quiet",
@@ -114,6 +132,12 @@ export class MpvBackend implements AudioBackend {
 			args.push(`--force-media-title=${opts.mediaTitle}`);
 		}
 
+		if (opts?.coverArtPath) {
+			// Explicit cover file → albumart track → macOS Now Playing artwork
+			// (works for remote streams, not just local downloads).
+			args.push(`--cover-art-files=${opts.coverArtPath}`);
+		}
+
 		if (opts?.startPosition && opts.startPosition > 0) {
 			args.push(`--start=${opts.startPosition}`);
 		}
@@ -376,7 +400,7 @@ export interface DetectedPlayer {
 export function detectPlayers(): DetectedPlayer[] {
 	const players: DetectedPlayer[] = [];
 
-	const mpvPath = which("mpv");
+	const mpvPath = resolveMpvBinary();
 	if (mpvPath) {
 		players.push({
 			name: "mpv",
@@ -410,13 +434,13 @@ export function createAudioBackend(preferred?: BackendName): AudioBackend {
 		if (backend) return backend;
 	}
 
-	return which("mpv") ? new MpvBackend() : new NoopBackend();
+	return resolveMpvBinary() ? new MpvBackend() : new NoopBackend();
 }
 
 function createBackendByName(name: BackendName): AudioBackend | null {
 	switch (name) {
 		case "mpv":
-			return which("mpv") ? new MpvBackend() : null;
+			return resolveMpvBinary() ? new MpvBackend() : null;
 		case "none":
 			return new NoopBackend();
 	}