diff --git a/.storybook/main.ts b/.storybook/main.ts
index 480536e7438..84aaaba71fe 100644
--- a/.storybook/main.ts
+++ b/.storybook/main.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { dirname, join } from 'path';
 import type { StorybookConfig } from '@storybook/react-webpack5';
 import { mergeWithCustomize } from 'webpack-merge';
-import { RuleSetRule } from 'webpack';
+import { NormalModuleReplacementPlugin, RuleSetRule } from 'webpack';
 
 const config: StorybookConfig = {
   stories: [
@@ -165,6 +165,38 @@ const config: StorybookConfig = {
       };
     }
 
+    // Renderer app components (startup-wizard shell/steps, dialogs, overlays) import
+    // `useLocalizedStrings` from the `@renderer/hooks/papi-hooks` barrel. The real hook opens a PAPI
+    // WebSocket that has no backend in Storybook, rejecting unhandled after ~10s ("Timeout reached
+    // when waiting for websocket connected to settle") and crashing every startup-wizard story. The
+    // stub re-exports the real hooks and overrides only `useLocalizedStrings` to resolve strings
+    // without a connection.
+    //
+    // This MUST use NormalModuleReplacementPlugin, not `resolve.alias`: the base renderer webpack
+    // config resolves `@renderer/*` via `TsconfigPathsPlugin` (webpack.config.base.ts), which wins
+    // over `resolve.alias`, so an alias entry is silently ignored (that is why the `@papi/*` aliases
+    // above work — `@papi` is not a tsconfig path — but a `@renderer/...` alias would not). The
+    // replacement rewrites the request in `beforeResolve`, before TsconfigPaths runs. The `$`-anchored
+    // regex matches only the exact barrel, so deep-path `@renderer/hooks/papi-hooks/*` imports (used
+    // by the stub itself to re-export the real hooks) still resolve normally.
+    webpackConfig.plugins = webpackConfig.plugins ?? [];
+    webpackConfig.plugins.push(
+      new NormalModuleReplacementPlugin(
+        /^@renderer\/hooks\/papi-hooks$/,
+        join(__dirname, 'papi-stubs/renderer-papi-hooks.ts'),
+      ),
+      // Stop `networkService.initialize()` from constructing a real renderer RpcClient, which tries
+      // to open a PAPI WebSocket that has no backend in Storybook and rejects unhandled after ~10s
+      // ("Timeout reached when waiting for websocket connected to settle"), crashing renderer
+      // stories via the dev overlay. The inert handler makes initialize() succeed with no socket, so
+      // no connection is attempted. Same reasoning as above re: replacement plugin vs `resolve.alias`
+      // (`@shared/*` is a TsconfigPathsPlugin path).
+      new NormalModuleReplacementPlugin(
+        /^@shared\/services\/rpc-handler\.factory$/,
+        join(__dirname, 'papi-stubs/rpc-handler.factory.ts'),
+      ),
+    );
+
     // Remove the Storybook Webpack rules that we already have our own rules for
     return mergeWithCustomize({
       customizeObject(wpConfig: object, rConfig: object, key: string) {
diff --git a/.storybook/papi-stubs/renderer-papi-hooks.ts b/.storybook/papi-stubs/renderer-papi-hooks.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..456ca1d0572
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.storybook/papi-stubs/renderer-papi-hooks.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+/**
+ * Storybook stub for the renderer PAPI-hooks barrel (`@renderer/hooks/papi-hooks`).
+ *
+ * Renderer app components (e.g. the first-run / startup-wizard shell and steps) import
+ * `useLocalizedStrings` from this barrel. The real hook subscribes to the localization data
+ * provider, which calls `networkService.initialize()` → opens a PAPI WebSocket. There is no PAPI
+ * backend in Storybook, so that connection never settles and rejects unhandled after ~10 s with
+ * "Timeout reached when waiting for websocket connected to settle", surfacing as the webpack error
+ * overlay on every startup-wizard story.
+ *
+ * This stub is aliased in over the barrel (see `.storybook/main.ts`). It re-exports every real hook
+ * unchanged and overrides ONLY `useLocalizedStrings` to resolve strings synchronously from the
+ * Storybook localization helper (real English text, no network). Other hooks stay real: they are
+ * inert unless actually called, so aliasing the barrel does not change any story that does not use
+ * them. This mirrors the `useLocalizedStrings` override already in `papi-stubs/frontend-react.ts`
+ * for the `@papi/frontend/react` web-view barrel.
+ */
+
+import type { LocalizeKey } from 'platform-bible-utils';
+import type { DataProviderSubscriberOptions } from '@shared/models/data-provider.model';
+import type { LocalizationData } from '@shared/services/localization.service-model';
+import { getLocalizedStrings } from '../localization.utils';
+
+// Re-export every real hook except useLocalizedStrings (overridden below). These remain the genuine
+// implementations; they only touch the network when invoked, which startup-wizard stories do not.
+export { default as useDataProvider } from '@renderer/hooks/papi-hooks/use-data-provider.hook';
+export { default as useData } from '@renderer/hooks/papi-hooks/use-data.hook';
+export { default as useScrollGroupScrRef } from '@renderer/hooks/papi-hooks/use-scroll-group-scr-ref.hook';
+export { default as useSetting } from '@renderer/hooks/papi-hooks/use-setting.hook';
+export { default as useProjectData } from '@renderer/hooks/papi-hooks/use-project-data.hook';
+export { default as useProjectDataProvider } from '@renderer/hooks/papi-hooks/use-project-data-provider.hook';
+export { default as useProjectSetting } from '@renderer/hooks/papi-hooks/use-project-setting.hook';
+export { default as useDialogCallback } from '@renderer/hooks/papi-hooks/use-dialog-callback.hook';
+export { default as useDataProviderMulti } from '@renderer/hooks/papi-hooks/use-data-provider-multi.hook';
+export { default as useWebViewController } from '@renderer/hooks/papi-hooks/use-web-view-controller.hook';
+export { default as useRecentScriptureRefs } from '@renderer/hooks/papi-hooks/use-recent-scripture-refs.hook';
+
+/**
+ * Storybook override of the real `useLocalizedStrings`. Resolves the requested keys to English
+ * strings synchronously (never loading, never networked). Signature matches the real hook so
+ * consumers destructure `[localizedStrings, isLoading]` exactly as they do at runtime.
+ */
+export function useLocalizedStrings(
+  localizationKeys: LocalizeKey[],
+  // Unused in this stub; required to match the real hook's signature for drop-in compatibility.
+  // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unused-vars
+  localizationLocales?: string[],
+  // Unused in this stub; required to match the real hook's signature for drop-in compatibility.
+  // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unused-vars
+  subscriberOptions?: DataProviderSubscriberOptions,
+): [localizedStrings: LocalizationData, isLoading: boolean] {
+  return [getLocalizedStrings(localizationKeys ?? []), false];
+}
diff --git a/.storybook/papi-stubs/rpc-handler.factory.ts b/.storybook/papi-stubs/rpc-handler.factory.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..20ba4c92bf9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.storybook/papi-stubs/rpc-handler.factory.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+/**
+ * Storybook stub for `@shared/services/rpc-handler.factory`.
+ *
+ * In the app, `networkService.initialize()` calls `createRpcHandler()`, which (in the renderer)
+ * constructs an `RpcClient`. That client immediately arms a 10s `AsyncVariable('websocket
+ * connected')` and tries to open `ws://localhost:<port>`. Storybook has no PAPI backend, so the
+ * socket never opens and the AsyncVariable rejects unhandled with "Timeout reached when waiting for
+ * websocket connected to settle" — which the webpack/react-refresh dev overlay surfaces as a crash
+ * on any story whose component tree touches the network service (the whole startup-wizard set, plus
+ * dialogs/overlays).
+ *
+ * This inert handler makes `initialize()` succeed instantly with no socket and no timer, so no
+ * connection is ever attempted and nothing rejects. Requests resolve to a JSON-RPC error (there is
+ * no backend to answer them); event registration/emission are no-ops. Data hooks that reach the
+ * network therefore render their loading/offline state instead of hanging — which is the correct
+ * Storybook behavior. Wired via NormalModuleReplacementPlugin in `.storybook/main.ts` (not
+ * `resolve.alias`, which `TsconfigPathsPlugin` overrides for `@shared/*`).
+ */
+
+import { ConnectionStatus } from '@shared/data/rpc.model';
+import type { IRpcMethodRegistrar } from '@shared/models/rpc.interface';
+import type { SerializedRequestType } from '@shared/utils/util';
+import type { JSONRPCResponse } from 'json-rpc-2.0';
+
+export const createRpcHandler = async (): Promise<IRpcMethodRegistrar> => ({
+  connectionStatus: ConnectionStatus.Connected,
+  connect: async () => true,
+  disconnect: async () => {},
+  request: async (requestType: SerializedRequestType): Promise<JSONRPCResponse> => ({
+    jsonrpc: '2.0',
+    // json-rpc requires an id; 0 is fine for these unanswerable Storybook requests.
+    id: 0,
+    error: { code: -32601, message: `Storybook: no PAPI backend to handle "${requestType}"` },
+  }),
+  emitEventOnNetwork: () => {},
+  registerMethod: async () => true,
+  unregisterMethod: async () => true,
+  registerEvent: async () => true,
+  unregisterEvent: async () => true,
+});
+
+export default createRpcHandler;
diff --git a/src/renderer/components/notification-display.test.tsx b/src/renderer/components/notification-display.test.tsx
index 8bcf852a832..eab4a45ae69 100644
--- a/src/renderer/components/notification-display.test.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/components/notification-display.test.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
-import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach } from 'vitest';
+import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest';
 import { render, screen, fireEvent, act } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { toast } from 'sonner';
 import '@testing-library/jest-dom';
 import type { CommandHandlers } from 'papi-shared-types';
 import type { ThemeDefinitionExpanded } from 'platform-bible-utils';
@@ -95,6 +96,15 @@ describe('NotificationDisplay with real Sonner', () => {
     await startNotificationService();
   });
 
+  afterEach(() => {
+    // Sonner auto-dismiss timers fire after jsdom tears down if toasts are still alive,
+    // causing a "window is not defined" unhandled error. Dismissing all toasts here
+    // triggers Sonner's internal clearTimeout calls before the environment is torn down.
+    act(() => {
+      toast.dismiss();
+    });
+  });
+
   it('sends the secondary command when the user clicks the rendered cancel-slot button', async () => {
     render(<NotificationDisplay />);