diff --git a/src/Core/FlatpakBackend.vala b/src/Core/FlatpakBackend.vala
index f6f649e0a..f44594f13 100644
--- a/src/Core/FlatpakBackend.vala
+++ b/src/Core/FlatpakBackend.vala
@@ -149,14 +149,14 @@ public class AppCenterCore.FlatpakBackend : Object, Backend {
 
             unowned var app = (Gtk.Application) GLib.Application.get_default ();
 
-            if (inhibit_token == 0) {
+            if (inhibit_token == 0 && job.operation.should_inhibit ()) {
                 /* If you came here trying to debug the critical `assertion 'GTK_IS_NATIVE (self)' failed`:
                    This was a bug in GTK and has been fixed so this should go away in OS 9
                    https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gtk/-/merge_requests/8638 */
                 inhibit_token = app.inhibit (
                     app.get_active_window (),
                     Gtk.ApplicationInhibitFlags.IDLE | Gtk.ApplicationInhibitFlags.SUSPEND,
-                    _("package operations are being performed")
+                    job.operation.to_string ()
                 );
             }
 
diff --git a/src/Core/Job.vala b/src/Core/Job.vala
index a950ffa51..38d8d9322 100644
--- a/src/Core/Job.vala
+++ b/src/Core/Job.vala
@@ -54,6 +54,18 @@ public class AppCenterCore.Job : Object {
 
             return "";
         }
+
+        public bool should_inhibit () {
+            switch (this) {
+                case INSTALL_PACKAGE:
+                case UPDATE_PACKAGE:
+                case REMOVE_PACKAGE:
+                case REPAIR:
+                    return true;
+            }
+
+            return false;
+        }
     }
 
     public Job (Type type) {