diff --git a/shell/services/PluginAppLibraryApi.qml b/shell/services/PluginAppLibraryApi.qml
index 00d5e8f03bb..e1b1b1102d7 100644
--- a/shell/services/PluginAppLibraryApi.qml
+++ b/shell/services/PluginAppLibraryApi.qml
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ QtObject {
   required property string ownerPluginId
 
   signal appsChanged()
+  signal iconIndexChanged()
 
   property var _entryName: null
   property var _entrySubtext: null
diff --git a/shell/shell.qml b/shell/shell.qml
index 8208062429f..4320999be32 100644
--- a/shell/shell.qml
+++ b/shell/shell.qml
@@ -1053,6 +1053,10 @@ ShellRoot {
 
   Connections {
     target: shell.appLibrary
+    function onIconIndexChanged() {
+      for (var id in shell._pluginAppLibraryApis)
+        shell._pluginAppLibraryApis[id].iconIndexChanged()
+    }
     function onAppsChanged() {
       for (var id in shell._pluginAppLibraryApis)
         shell._pluginAppLibraryApis[id].appsChanged()
@@ -1316,7 +1320,9 @@ ShellRoot {
       id: panelEntry
       required property var modelData
       readonly property string pluginId: modelData.id
-      readonly property var manifest: modelData.manifest
+      // Qt model data turns nested arrays into sequences. Use the registry
+      // object so capability checks see the validated manifest's array types.
+      readonly property var manifest: shell.pluginRegistry.installedPlugins[pluginId] || null
       readonly property string entryKind: modelData.kind
       readonly property bool keepLoaded: modelData.keepLoaded === true
       readonly property string sourceUrl: shell.pluginRegistry.entryPointUrl(manifest, entryKind)
diff --git a/test/shell.d/fixtures/panel-menu-capability/shell.qml b/test/shell.d/fixtures/panel-menu-capability/shell.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1a92878af6b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/shell.d/fixtures/panel-menu-capability/shell.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+import QtQuick
+import QtQml.Models
+import Quickshell
+import "services"
+
+ShellRoot {
+  id: shell
+
+  property var pluginRegistry: ({ installedPlugins: {
+    "example.menu": { id: "example.menu", kinds: ["menu", "bar-widget"] },
+    "example.panel": { id: "example.panel", kinds: ["panel"] }
+  } })
+  property var panelEntries: Object.keys(pluginRegistry.installedPlugins).map(function(id) {
+    return { id: id, manifest: shell.pluginRegistry.installedPlugins[id] }
+  })
+  property var failures: []
+  property int checked: 0
+  property int iconCompletions: 0
+  property int appChanges: 0
+  property QtObject appLibrary: QtObject {
+    property var iconIndex: ({})
+    signal appsChanged()
+  }
+  property var _pluginAppLibraryApis: ({ "example.menu": menuLibrary })
+
+  __APP_LIBRARY_SIGNALS__
+
+  // Filled from shell.qml by the test runner, not a copy of the implementation.
+  __MANIFEST_HAS_KIND__
+
+  PluginAppLibraryApi {
+    id: menuLibrary
+    ownerPluginId: "example.menu"
+    _sortedEntries: function(query) { return [{ entry: { id: "example-app", name: "Example App" } }] }
+  }
+
+  function pluginAppLibraryFor(cacheKey, key) { return menuLibrary }
+
+  Connections {
+    target: menuLibrary
+    function onIconIndexChanged() { shell.iconCompletions += 1 }
+    function onAppsChanged() { shell.appChanges += 1 }
+  }
+
+  Component { id: apiComponent; PluginShellApi {} }
+
+  function check(manifest, pluginId) {
+    var key = pluginId
+    var cacheKey = key
+    var api = apiComponent.createObject(null, {
+      pluginId: key,
+      appLibrary: __APP_LIBRARY_GRANT__
+    })
+    var isMenu = pluginId === "example.menu"
+    var granted = !!api && !!api.appLibrary
+    if (granted !== isMenu) failures.push(pluginId + ": wrong app-library grant")
+    if (granted && api.appLibrary.sortedEntries("")[0].entry.id !== "example-app")
+      failures.push(pluginId + ": app entries unavailable")
+    if (api) api.destroy()
+    checked += 1
+  }
+
+  Instantiator {
+    model: shell.panelEntries
+    delegate: QtObject {
+      required property var modelData
+      readonly property string pluginId: modelData.id
+      __PANEL_MANIFEST_BINDING__
+      Component.onCompleted: shell.check(manifest, pluginId)
+    }
+  }
+
+  Timer {
+    interval: 50
+    running: true
+    onTriggered: {
+      shell.appLibrary.iconIndex = ({ updated: true })
+      shell.appLibrary.appsChanged()
+      if (shell.iconCompletions !== 1) shell.failures.push("icon refresh completion was not forwarded")
+      if (shell.appChanges !== 1) shell.failures.push("app changes were not forwarded")
+      if (shell.checked !== 2) shell.failures.push("both plugin kinds must be checked")
+      if (shell.failures.length) console.error("PANEL_MENU_FAIL", JSON.stringify(shell.failures))
+      else console.log("PANEL_MENU_OK menu receives apps; ordinary panel stays restricted")
+      Qt.quit()
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/test/shell.d/panel-menu-capability-test.sh b/test/shell.d/panel-menu-capability-test.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000000..dc05edfb0fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/shell.d/panel-menu-capability-test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+source "$(cd -- "$(dirname -- "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)/base-test.sh"
+
+if ! command -v quickshell >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  pass "quickshell not installed; skipping panel menu capability runtime test"
+  exit 0
+fi
+require_command python3
+require_command timeout
+
+tmpdir=$(mktemp -d)
+trap 'rm -rf "$tmpdir"' EXIT
+mkdir "$tmpdir/services"
+cp "$ROOT/shell/services/PluginShellApi.qml" "$ROOT/shell/services/PluginAppLibraryApi.qml" "$tmpdir/services/"
+
+# Exercise the production binding and grant across a real Qt model boundary.
+# Node alone cannot reproduce Qt's conversion of nested arrays to sequences.
+python3 - "$ROOT" "$tmpdir/shell.qml" <<'PY'
+from pathlib import Path
+import re
+import sys
+
+root = Path(sys.argv[1])
+source = (root / "shell/shell.qml").read_text()
+fixture = (root / "test/shell.d/fixtures/panel-menu-capability/shell.qml").read_text()
+panel = source[source.index("id: panelEntry"):]
+replacements = {
+    "__PANEL_MANIFEST_BINDING__": re.search(r"readonly property var manifest: [^\n]+", panel).group(),
+    "__MANIFEST_HAS_KIND__": re.search(r"function manifestHasKind\([^)]*\) \{.*?\n  \}", source, re.S).group(),
+    "__APP_LIBRARY_GRANT__": re.search(r"appLibrary: (shell\.manifestHasKind\(manifest, \"menu\"\).*?),\n", source, re.S).group(1),
+    "__APP_LIBRARY_SIGNALS__": re.search(r"Connections \{\s+target: shell\.appLibrary\n.*?\n  \}", source, re.S).group(),
+}
+for marker, code in replacements.items():
+    fixture = fixture.replace(marker, code)
+Path(sys.argv[2]).write_text(fixture)
+PY
+
+# No windows or Wayland services: this test also runs with Qt's offscreen backend.
+if ! env -u WAYLAND_DISPLAY QT_QPA_PLATFORM=offscreen \
+  timeout 8 quickshell --no-color -p "$tmpdir" >"$tmpdir/log" 2>&1; then
+  fail "panel menu capability fixture runs" "$(<"$tmpdir/log")"
+fi
+if ! grep -q 'PANEL_MENU_OK' "$tmpdir/log"; then
+  fail "menu plugins retain their app library across the Qt model boundary" "$(<"$tmpdir/log")"
+fi
+pass "menu plugins retain their app library across the Qt model boundary"
+pass "ordinary panels cannot access the app library"
+pass "app and icon refresh signals reach menu plugins"