diff --git a/buildAndRun.md b/buildAndRun.md
index 83c9fad..11bf5a3 100644
--- a/buildAndRun.md
+++ b/buildAndRun.md
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ gitflow scan -d ~ --exclude node_modules --exclude vendor
 gitflow scan -d ~/projects --max-depth 2 --workers 16
 ```
 
-### `watch` — periodic scan
+### `watch` — periodic scan ---
 
 ```bash
 gitflow watch -d ~/projects -i 30s              # scan every 30 seconds
diff --git a/internal/notify/notify_unix.go b/internal/notify/notify_unix.go
index 12ed2e9..1322db7 100644
--- a/internal/notify/notify_unix.go
+++ b/internal/notify/notify_unix.go
@@ -8,12 +8,20 @@ import (
 )
 
 // send prefers notify-send (Linux) and falls back to osascript (macOS).
+// Notifications persist until clicked, with a 30-second cap.
 // If neither is installed the notification is dropped silently.
 func send(title, body string) error {
 	if _, err := exec.LookPath("notify-send"); err == nil {
-		return exec.Command("notify-send", "-a", "gitflow", "--", title, body).Run()
+		return exec.Command("notify-send",
+			"-a", "gitflow",
+			"-t", "30000",    // 30 s timeout
+			"-u", "critical", // persist until clicked on most DEs
+			"--", title, body,
+		).Run()
 	}
 	if _, err := exec.LookPath("osascript"); err == nil {
+		// display notification has no built-in timeout; the system
+		// Notification Center settings control dismissal behaviour.
 		script := fmt.Sprintf("display notification %q with title %q", body, title)
 		return exec.Command("osascript", "-e", script).Run()
 	}