diff --git a/bin/todo_desktop.dart b/bin/todo_desktop.dart
index 094547c..a1c5027 100644
--- a/bin/todo_desktop.dart
+++ b/bin/todo_desktop.dart
@@ -28,10 +28,14 @@ Future<void> main(List<String> args) async {
     exit(1);
   }
 
+  // Overridable so a verification run cannot point at the real backlog: an
+  // app that starts with an empty store would export over it.
   final server = WrapperServer(
     webRoot: webRoot,
-    backlogPath: p.join(home, 'todo', 'BACKLOG.md'),
-    logPath: p.join(home, '.local', 'share', 'todo-desktop', 'todo_notes.json'),
+    backlogPath:
+        _argValue(args, '--backlog-path') ?? p.join(home, 'todo', 'BACKLOG.md'),
+    logPath: _argValue(args, '--log-path') ??
+        p.join(home, '.local', 'share', 'todo-desktop', 'todo_notes.json'),
   );
   await server.start(_port);
   stdout.writeln('todo desktop serving on http://localhost:$_port');
diff --git a/lib/frame_stats_web.dart b/lib/frame_stats_web.dart
index 841dba6..f6be46e 100644
--- a/lib/frame_stats_web.dart
+++ b/lib/frame_stats_web.dart
@@ -12,7 +12,15 @@ import 'package:flutter/foundation.dart';
 import 'package:flutter/scheduler.dart';
 
 /// Whether the frame-stats instrument is armed for this build.
-const frameStatsEnabled = bool.fromEnvironment('TODO_FRAME_STATS');
+///
+/// Read as a string rather than `bool.fromEnvironment`, which only accepts the
+/// exact literal `true` — `--dart-define=TODO_FRAME_STATS=1` silently yields
+/// false and the instrument produces nothing at all.
+const String _frameStatsFlag = String.fromEnvironment('TODO_FRAME_STATS');
+
+/// Whether the instrument is armed (`--dart-define=TODO_FRAME_STATS=1`).
+const bool frameStatsEnabled =
+    _frameStatsFlag == '1' || _frameStatsFlag == 'true';
 
 const _slowFrameMs = 8;
 const _probePeriod = Duration(milliseconds: 16);