diff --git a/electron/ipc/ffmpeg/filters.test.ts b/electron/ipc/ffmpeg/filters.test.ts
index deab8017..d86efbc7 100644
--- a/electron/ipc/ffmpeg/filters.test.ts
+++ b/electron/ipc/ffmpeg/filters.test.ts
@@ -47,4 +47,47 @@ describe("getAudioSyncAdjustment", () => {
 			"[1:a]atempo=0.975000,aresample=async=1:first_pts=0,asetpts=PTS-STARTPTS[aout]",
 		]);
 	});
+
+	it("anchors and pads at end when the duration delta exceeds the delay cap (long recording case)", () => {
+		// Reporter case in issue #252: 10-min video with audio probed as ~8 min.
+		// Previously this returned mode "delay" with delayMs 120000, prepending
+		// 2 minutes of leading silence via `adelay`. That is jarring on long
+		// recordings. Above the cap we anchor at the start instead.
+		expect(getAudioSyncAdjustment(600, 480)).toEqual({
+			mode: "pad",
+			delayMs: 0,
+			tempoRatio: 1,
+			durationDeltaMs: 120000,
+		});
+	});
+
+	it("anchors and pads at end when delta is just over the delay cap", () => {
+		// 35-second short on a 10-min recording — the earlier symptom on issue
+		// #252 before the regression to ~2 min. Above the 15s cap, anchor.
+		expect(getAudioSyncAdjustment(600, 565)).toEqual({
+			mode: "pad",
+			delayMs: 0,
+			tempoRatio: 1,
+			durationDeltaMs: 35000,
+		});
+	});
+
+	it("keeps the existing delay branch for moderately short audio at the cap boundary", () => {
+		// Boundary: 15-second short stays in delay mode (cap is strictly >).
+		expect(getAudioSyncAdjustment(120, 105)).toEqual({
+			mode: "delay",
+			delayMs: 15000,
+			tempoRatio: 1,
+			durationDeltaMs: 15000,
+		});
+	});
+
+	it("emits apad with trailing silence for the pad mode instead of leading adelay", () => {
+		const filterParts: string[] = [];
+		appendSyncedAudioFilter(filterParts, "[1:a]", "aout", getAudioSyncAdjustment(600, 480));
+
+		expect(filterParts).toEqual([
+			"[1:a]apad=pad_dur=120.000,aresample=async=1:first_pts=0,asetpts=PTS-STARTPTS[aout]",
+		]);
+	});
 });
diff --git a/electron/ipc/ffmpeg/filters.ts b/electron/ipc/ffmpeg/filters.ts
index ce973f16..a975b4f3 100644
--- a/electron/ipc/ffmpeg/filters.ts
+++ b/electron/ipc/ffmpeg/filters.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,12 @@
 import type { AudioSyncAdjustment, PauseSegment } from "../types";
 
+// When the audio file is significantly shorter than the video, prepending
+// leading silence equal to the full duration delta (the `delay` branch) is
+// reasonable for small deltas but becomes very jarring at tens of seconds:
+// the user hears a long silence before audio cuts in mid-clip. Above this
+// cap, anchor audio at the start and pad trailing silence instead.
+const MAX_AUDIO_SYNC_DELAY_MS = 15000;
+
 export function buildAtempoFilters(tempoRatio: number): string[] {
 	if (!Number.isFinite(tempoRatio) || tempoRatio <= 0) {
 		return [];
@@ -58,6 +65,10 @@ export function getAudioSyncAdjustment(
 		return { mode: "tempo", delayMs: 0, tempoRatio, durationDeltaMs };
 	}
 
+	if (durationDeltaMs > MAX_AUDIO_SYNC_DELAY_MS) {
+		return { mode: "pad", delayMs: 0, tempoRatio: 1, durationDeltaMs };
+	}
+
 	return { mode: "delay", delayMs: durationDeltaMs, tempoRatio: 1, durationDeltaMs };
 }
 
@@ -77,6 +88,10 @@ export function appendSyncedAudioFilter(
 		filters.push(...buildAtempoFilters(adjustment.tempoRatio));
 	}
 
+	if (adjustment.mode === "pad" && adjustment.durationDeltaMs > 0) {
+		filters.push(`apad=pad_dur=${(adjustment.durationDeltaMs / 1000).toFixed(3)}`);
+	}
+
 	filters.push("aresample=async=1:first_pts=0", "asetpts=PTS-STARTPTS");
 	filterParts.push(`${inputLabel}${filters.join(",")}[${outputLabel}]`);
 }
diff --git a/electron/ipc/types.ts b/electron/ipc/types.ts
index 5922fb0e..7c7de9c1 100644
--- a/electron/ipc/types.ts
+++ b/electron/ipc/types.ts
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ export type UiohookModuleNamespace = {
 };
 
 export type AudioSyncAdjustment = {
-	mode: "none" | "tempo" | "delay";
+	mode: "none" | "tempo" | "delay" | "pad";
 	delayMs: number;
 	tempoRatio: number;
 	durationDeltaMs: number;