diff --git a/gui-apps/deskflow/deskflow-1.23.0.ebuild b/gui-apps/deskflow/deskflow-1.23.0.ebuild
index 54e8693d0f04a..aa89a1fcfd341 100644
--- a/gui-apps/deskflow/deskflow-1.23.0.ebuild
+++ b/gui-apps/deskflow/deskflow-1.23.0.ebuild
@@ -58,6 +58,10 @@ DOCS=(
 	doc/user/configuration.md
 )
 
+PATCHES=(
+	"${FILESDIR}"/${P}-default-proto.patch
+)
+
 src_configure() {
 	local mycmakeargs=(
 		-DBUILD_GUI=$(usex gui)
diff --git a/gui-apps/deskflow/files/deskflow-1.23.0-default-proto.patch b/gui-apps/deskflow/files/deskflow-1.23.0-default-proto.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..a8e349a2ffc4f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gui-apps/deskflow/files/deskflow-1.23.0-default-proto.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+    fix: server: initialize the m_protocol member with a default value
+    
+    It is likely random whether the server works or not without
+    a manually configured protocol option, which is neither documented
+    nor enforced to be set.
+    With a random uninitialized value in m_protocol, this can happen:
+    [2025-08-03T12:39:57] NOTE: accepted client connection
+    [2025-08-03T12:39:57] FATAL: a runtime error occurred: XInvalidProtocol
+    
+    Reports of "it works with debug enabled" are likely due to having
+    parts of the memory space the server object is allocated into being
+    cleared, and thus having a 0 (Synergy) startup value.
+    
+    This patch had been modified to apply against 1.23.0
+--- a/src/lib/server/Server.h
++++ b/src/lib/server/Server.h
+@@ -358,7 +358,7 @@ private:
+   };
+ 
+   // used in hello message sent to the client
+-  ENetworkProtocol m_protocol;
++  ENetworkProtocol m_protocol = ENetworkProtocol::kSynergy;
+ 
+   // the primary screen client
+   PrimaryClient *m_primaryClient;