diff --git a/csaxs_bec/bec_widgets/widgets/xray_eye/x_ray_eye.py b/csaxs_bec/bec_widgets/widgets/xray_eye/x_ray_eye.py
index e170f304..6ed7758d 100644
--- a/csaxs_bec/bec_widgets/widgets/xray_eye/x_ray_eye.py
+++ b/csaxs_bec/bec_widgets/widgets/xray_eye/x_ray_eye.py
@@ -580,11 +580,15 @@ class OMNY_XRayEye(BECWidget, QWidget):
         self._update_calibration_readout()
         self.control_panel_layout.addLayout(form)
 
-        # Fix panel width and allow vertical expansion
-        self.control_panel.adjustSize()
-        p_hint = self.control_panel.sizeHint()
-        self.control_panel.setFixedWidth(p_hint.width())
+        # Fix panel width and allow vertical expansion. The actual width-fixing
+        # is deferred (see _fix_control_panel_width()) rather than computed
+        # here -- sizeHint() called before the widget has ever been shown/laid
+        # out is unreliable (no real screen geometry yet, fonts not fully
+        # resolved -- worse over a remote desktop session), which froze
+        # control_panel at a wrong width until the operator manually resized
+        # the window (forcing Qt to redo layout with correct geometry).
         self.control_panel.setSizePolicy(QSizePolicy.Policy.Fixed, QSizePolicy.Policy.Expanding)
+        QTimer.singleShot(0, self._fix_control_panel_width)
 
         # Core Layout: image (expanding) | control panel (fixed)
         self.core_layout.addWidget(self.image)
@@ -741,6 +745,14 @@ class OMNY_XRayEye(BECWidget, QWidget):
         sep.setLineWidth(1)
         return sep
 
+    def _fix_control_panel_width(self):
+        """Lock the control panel to its natural width. Scheduled via
+        QTimer.singleShot(0, ...) from _init_ui() to run on the next event-loop
+        iteration, after the widget has actually been shown/laid out at least
+        once -- sizeHint() is not reliable before that point."""
+        self.control_panel.adjustSize()
+        self.control_panel.setFixedWidth(self.control_panel.sizeHint().width())
+
     def _init_gui_trigger(self):
         self.dev.omny_xray_gui.read()
         self.dev.fsh.read()