diff --git a/ext/behaviors/gui/manager/behavior.cpp b/ext/behaviors/gui/manager/behavior.cpp
index e07b0e8a..1d5ee8e2 100644
--- a/ext/behaviors/gui/manager/behavior.cpp
+++ b/ext/behaviors/gui/manager/behavior.cpp
@@ -26,20 +26,9 @@
 #include <uf/utils/window/payloads.h>
 
 UF_BEHAVIOR_REGISTER_CPP(ext::GuiManagerBehavior)
-UF_BEHAVIOR_TRAITS_CPP(ext::GuiManagerBehavior, ticks = false, renders = true, multithread = false)
+UF_BEHAVIOR_TRAITS_CPP(ext::GuiManagerBehavior, ticks = true, renders = true, multithread = false)
 #define this (&self)
 void ext::GuiManagerBehavior::initialize( uf::Object& self ) {
-	// add gui render mode
-	if ( !uf::renderer::hasRenderMode( "Gui", true ) ) {
-		auto& renderMode = this->getComponent<uf::renderer::RenderTargetRenderMode>();
-		uf::stl::string name = "Gui";
-		renderMode.blitter.descriptor.renderMode = "Swapchain";
-		renderMode.blitter.descriptor.subpass = 0;
-		renderMode.metadata.type = "single";
-		renderMode.metadata.name = name;
-		if ( uf::renderer::settings::experimental::registerRenderMode ) uf::renderer::addRenderMode( &renderMode, name );
-	}
-
 	auto& metadata = this->getComponent<ext::GuiManagerBehavior::Metadata>();
 	auto& metadataJson = this->getComponent<uf::Serializer>();
 
@@ -50,7 +39,25 @@ void ext::GuiManagerBehavior::initialize( uf::Object& self ) {
 
 	UF_BEHAVIOR_METADATA_BIND_SERIALIZER_HOOKS(metadata, metadataJson);
 }
-void ext::GuiManagerBehavior::tick( uf::Object& self ) {}
+void ext::GuiManagerBehavior::tick( uf::Object& self ) {
+	// it would be sugoi to have this handled on init
+	// but sometimes a scene that owns the Gui rendermode is deferred, and therefore the new scene doesn't create its Gui rendermode
+	// this is the mess it is now because the program /COULD/ instead just have master rendermodes instead of per-scene rendermodes
+	// and this oversight seems to only happen when registerRenderMode = false
+	auto& metadata = this->getComponent<ext::GuiManagerBehavior::Metadata>();
+	if ( !metadata.boundGui && !uf::renderer::hasRenderMode( "Gui", true ) ) {
+		UF_MSG_DEBUG("ADDING RENDER MODE");
+		auto& renderMode = this->getComponent<uf::renderer::RenderTargetRenderMode>();
+		uf::stl::string name = "Gui";
+		renderMode.blitter.descriptor.renderMode = "Swapchain";
+		renderMode.blitter.descriptor.subpass = 0;
+		renderMode.metadata.type = "single";
+		renderMode.metadata.name = name;
+		if ( uf::renderer::settings::experimental::registerRenderMode ) uf::renderer::addRenderMode( &renderMode, name );
+
+		metadata.boundGui = true;
+	}
+}
 void ext::GuiManagerBehavior::render( uf::Object& self ){
 	auto& renderMode = this->hasComponent<uf::renderer::RenderTargetRenderMode>() ? this->getComponent<uf::renderer::RenderTargetRenderMode>() : uf::renderer::getRenderMode( "Gui", true );
 
diff --git a/ext/behaviors/gui/manager/behavior.h b/ext/behaviors/gui/manager/behavior.h
index 0e039dfc..d3192455 100644
--- a/ext/behaviors/gui/manager/behavior.h
+++ b/ext/behaviors/gui/manager/behavior.h
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ namespace ext {
 		UF_BEHAVIOR_DEFINE_METADATA(
 			pod::Vector2ui size = { 1, 1 };
 			pod::Vector2ui reference = { 1920, 1080 };
+
+			bool boundGui = false;
 		);
 	}
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/ext/main.cpp b/ext/main.cpp
index 3fe57123..52a9d52e 100644
--- a/ext/main.cpp
+++ b/ext/main.cpp
@@ -572,6 +572,7 @@ void EXT_API ext::initialize() {
 #endif
 
 	/* Initialize Vulkan */ {
+		// to-do: have this set per config value instead of relying on the scene to handle its own rendermodes
 		if ( false ) {
 			// setup render mode
 			if ( ::json["engine"]["render modes"]["deferred"].as<bool>(true) ) {