diff --git a/plugins/fake-profile-themes-and-effects/src/index.ts b/plugins/fake-profile-themes-and-effects/src/index.ts
index f6d74ea..4af5efb 100644
--- a/plugins/fake-profile-themes-and-effects/src/index.ts
+++ b/plugins/fake-profile-themes-and-effects/src/index.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { logger } from "@vendetta";
+import { storage } from "@vendetta/plugin";
 import { applyPatches } from "@shared/lib/patcher";
 import { FluxDispatcher } from "@fpte/lib/flux";
 import { UserProfileStore, UserStore } from "@fpte/lib/stores";
@@ -30,6 +31,16 @@ let unpatchAll: () => void = () => {};
 
 export default {
     onLoad() {
+        // The "real" picker (EffectPickerActionSheet.tsx) works by manually calling Discord's own
+        // EditProfileEffectActionSheet as a plain function from inside this plugin's own render,
+        // outside React's normal reconciliation - Discord's component's hooks end up chained onto
+        // this fiber's hook list. If that component's own hook count/order ever varies, that's the
+        // "Rendered more/fewer hooks" crash class, and it's the one this plugin's own settings
+        // screen already had a manual override toggle for. Defaulting to the fallback picker (a
+        // self-contained implementation using only its own hooks) instead of opting into that risk
+        // by default - it's a real crash a user hit live opening the Effects picker.
+        storage.forceFallbackEffectPicker ??= true;
+
         unpatchAll = applyPatches("FakeProfileThemesAndEffects", logger, {
             "purchase check": patchGetPurchase,
             "user profile data": patchGetUserProfile,