diff --git a/src/cli.rs b/src/cli.rs
index ca21ddf..be6b824 100644
--- a/src/cli.rs
+++ b/src/cli.rs
@@ -68,6 +68,12 @@ pub struct Cli {
     pub port: u16,
 
     // ── global ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+    /// Emit machine-readable events on stdout (one JSON object per line)
+    /// alongside the human banner on stderr. For scripts and the --gui
+    /// front-end. Currently only `json` is supported.
+    #[arg(long, value_enum, value_name = "FORMAT")]
+    pub output: Option<OutputFormat>,
+
     /// Trace-level logging.
     #[arg(long, short)]
     pub verbose: bool,
@@ -89,6 +95,12 @@ pub enum DisplayServerArg {
     X11,
 }
 
+#[derive(ValueEnum, Clone, Copy, Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub enum OutputFormat {
+    /// One JSON object per line on stdout.
+    Json,
+}
+
 /// Quality preset. Each fixed preset bundles a (max-height, bitrate, fps)
 /// tuple — resolution is a quality-per-bitrate knob, so the three only make
 /// sense together. `Auto` has no fixed tuple; it picks one of the others from
diff --git a/src/common/mod.rs b/src/common/mod.rs
index 99d45e7..af1fd15 100644
--- a/src/common/mod.rs
+++ b/src/common/mod.rs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ pub mod bandwidth;
 pub mod config;
 pub mod deps;
 pub mod display;
+pub mod output;
 pub mod process;
 pub mod signal;
 pub mod tunnel;
diff --git a/src/common/output.rs b/src/common/output.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..58df24d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/common/output.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+//! Machine-readable event stream for non-interactive front-ends.
+//!
+//! When enabled with `--output json`, the host and viewer emit one JSON
+//! object per line on **stdout**. The human banner and `tracing` logs stay
+//! on **stderr**, so the two streams never interleave and a parser reading
+//! stdout sees only events. Each line is flushed immediately so a front-end
+//! reading the pipe gets events live rather than in block-buffered chunks.
+//!
+//! This is the shell-out counterpart to an in-process event channel: the
+//! `--gui` front-end re-execs this binary as `pixelpass --host --output json`
+//! and parses these lines to drive its window.
+
+use std::io::Write;
+use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicBool, Ordering};
+
+use serde::Serialize;
+
+static JSON_ENABLED: AtomicBool = AtomicBool::new(false);
+
+/// Turn JSON event output on. Called once at startup from `--output json`.
+pub fn set_json(enabled: bool) {
+    JSON_ENABLED.store(enabled, Ordering::Relaxed);
+}
+
+fn json_enabled() -> bool {
+    JSON_ENABLED.load(Ordering::Relaxed)
+}
+
+/// One event in the stdout stream. Serialized as `{"event":"<tag>", ...}`.
+#[derive(Serialize)]
+#[serde(tag = "event", rename_all = "snake_case")]
+pub enum Event<'a> {
+    /// The relay-only ticket the viewer needs. Emitted once at host startup.
+    Ticket { value: &'a str },
+    /// One-shot host configuration summary, mirroring the banner fields.
+    HostInfo {
+        display_server: &'a str,
+        capture: &'a str,
+        quality: &'a str,
+        dimensions: &'a str,
+        hw_encode: bool,
+        max_viewers: u32,
+        max_viewers_source: &'a str,
+    },
+    /// Active viewer count changed.
+    ViewerCount { active: u32, max: u32 },
+    /// Capture pipeline lifecycle (spawned on first viewer, torn down on last).
+    Capture { state: CaptureState },
+    /// A viewer was turned away (host full, or capture spawn failed).
+    ViewerRefused { reason: &'a str },
+    /// Viewer-side: the local player URL is ready to open.
+    Connected { url: &'a str },
+}
+
+#[derive(Serialize)]
+#[serde(rename_all = "snake_case")]
+pub enum CaptureState {
+    Started,
+    Stopped,
+}
+
+/// Emit one event as a JSON line on stdout, flushed. No-op unless JSON
+/// output was enabled with [`set_json`], so call sites can sprinkle these
+/// unconditionally without branching.
+pub fn emit(event: Event) {
+    if !json_enabled() {
+        return;
+    }
+    match serde_json::to_string(&event) {
+        Ok(line) => {
+            let mut out = std::io::stdout().lock();
+            // Best-effort: a closed pipe (front-end gone) shouldn't crash the
+            // host — it keeps streaming to any viewers already connected.
+            let _ = writeln!(out, "{line}");
+            let _ = out.flush();
+        }
+        Err(e) => tracing::warn!("failed to serialize event: {e}"),
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/host/mod.rs b/src/host/mod.rs
index 4f42ac6..28cdbb4 100644
--- a/src/host/mod.rs
+++ b/src/host/mod.rs
@@ -16,8 +16,8 @@ use tokio_util::sync::CancellationToken;
 
 use crate::cli::HostOpts;
 use crate::common::{
-    alpn::ALPN, bandwidth, config, config::BandwidthStatus, deps, display::DisplayServer, signal,
-    tunnel,
+    alpn::ALPN, bandwidth, config, config::BandwidthStatus, deps, display::DisplayServer, output,
+    signal, tunnel,
 };
 
 use self::pipeline::CaptureHandle;
@@ -85,9 +85,25 @@ pub async fn run(opts: HostOpts) -> Result<()> {
     let relay_only =
         EndpointAddr::new(addr.id).with_addrs(addr.addrs.iter().filter(|a| a.is_relay()).cloned());
     let ticket = EndpointTicket::new(relay_only);
-    let clipboard_ok = opts.interactive && copy_to_clipboard(&ticket.to_string());
+    let ticket_str = ticket.to_string();
+    let clipboard_ok = opts.interactive && copy_to_clipboard(&ticket_str);
     print_host_banner(&ticket, display, &opts, &quality, &resolution, clipboard_ok);
 
+    output::emit(output::Event::Ticket { value: &ticket_str });
+    let display_str = format!("{display:?}");
+    let capture = capture_summary(&opts);
+    let dims = quality.dimensions_summary();
+    let cap_source = resolution.source.label();
+    output::emit(output::Event::HostInfo {
+        display_server: &display_str,
+        capture: &capture,
+        quality: &quality.label,
+        dimensions: &dims,
+        hw_encode: !opts.no_hwencode,
+        max_viewers: resolution.value,
+        max_viewers_source: &cap_source,
+    });
+
     let (sup_tx, sup_rx) = mpsc::channel::<SupervisorMsg>(16);
     let supervisor = tokio::spawn(supervise(
         opts.clone(),
@@ -215,16 +231,22 @@ async fn supervise(
         match msg {
             SupervisorMsg::AddViewer(reply) => {
                 if count >= max_viewers {
-                    let _ = reply.send(Err(format!(
-                        "host is full ({count} of {max_viewers} viewers connected)"
-                    )));
+                    let reason =
+                        format!("host is full ({count} of {max_viewers} viewers connected)");
+                    output::emit(output::Event::ViewerRefused { reason: &reason });
+                    let _ = reply.send(Err(reason));
                     continue;
                 }
 
                 if handle.is_none() {
                     tracing::info!("first viewer arriving — spawning capture");
                     match capture::spawn(display, &opts, &quality).await {
-                        Ok(h) => handle = Some(h),
+                        Ok(h) => {
+                            handle = Some(h);
+                            output::emit(output::Event::Capture {
+                                state: output::CaptureState::Started,
+                            });
+                        }
                         Err(e) => {
                             let _ = reply.send(Err(format!("capture spawn failed: {e:#}")));
                             continue;
@@ -235,16 +257,21 @@ async fn supervise(
                 let port = handle.as_ref().expect("handle was just set").local_port();
                 count += 1;
                 let _ = reply.send(Ok(port));
+                output::emit(output::Event::ViewerCount { active: count, max: max_viewers });
                 tracing::info!(active = count, cap = max_viewers, "viewer joined");
             }
             SupervisorMsg::RemoveViewer => {
                 count = count.saturating_sub(1);
+                output::emit(output::Event::ViewerCount { active: count, max: max_viewers });
                 tracing::info!(active = count, cap = max_viewers, "viewer left");
                 if count == 0
                     && let Some(h) = handle.take()
                 {
                     tracing::info!("last viewer left — tearing down capture");
                     h.shutdown().await;
+                    output::emit(output::Event::Capture {
+                        state: output::CaptureState::Stopped,
+                    });
                 }
             }
         }
@@ -253,6 +280,9 @@ async fn supervise(
     if let Some(h) = handle.take() {
         tracing::info!("host shutdown — tearing down capture");
         h.shutdown().await;
+        output::emit(output::Event::Capture {
+            state: output::CaptureState::Stopped,
+        });
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index 35013bd..021c741 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -16,6 +16,10 @@ async fn main() -> Result<()> {
     let cli = Cli::parse();
     init_tracing(cli.verbose);
 
+    if matches!(cli.output, Some(cli::OutputFormat::Json)) {
+        common::output::set_json(true);
+    }
+
     // libpipewire requires global init before any pw_* call. Idempotent;
     // safe to call even when the per-app audio thread never spawns.
     pipewire::init();
diff --git a/src/viewer/mod.rs b/src/viewer/mod.rs
index 011c6be..bba5720 100644
--- a/src/viewer/mod.rs
+++ b/src/viewer/mod.rs
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ use iroh_tickets::endpoint::EndpointTicket;
 use tokio::net::TcpListener;
 
 use crate::cli::ViewerOpts;
-use crate::common::{alpn::ALPN, signal};
+use crate::common::{alpn::ALPN, output, signal};
 
 pub async fn run(ticket: EndpointTicket, opts: ViewerOpts) -> Result<()> {
     let cancel = signal::install_ctrl_c();
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ pub async fn run(ticket: EndpointTicket, opts: ViewerOpts) -> Result<()> {
     let listener = TcpListener::bind(("127.0.0.1", opts.port)).await?;
     let port = listener.local_addr()?.port();
     let url = format!("http://127.0.0.1:{port}");
+    output::emit(output::Event::Connected { url: &url });
 
     if opts.interactive {
         let player = crate::interactive::prompt_player()?;