diff --git a/composeApp/src/commonMain/kotlin/zed/rainxch/githubstore/Main.kt b/composeApp/src/commonMain/kotlin/zed/rainxch/githubstore/Main.kt
index 358e407de..53044aad8 100644
--- a/composeApp/src/commonMain/kotlin/zed/rainxch/githubstore/Main.kt
+++ b/composeApp/src/commonMain/kotlin/zed/rainxch/githubstore/Main.kt
@@ -86,7 +86,19 @@ fun App(deepLinkUri: String? = null) {
     ) {
         ApplyAndroidSystemBars(state.isDarkTheme)
 
-        if (state.showRateLimitDialog && state.rateLimitInfo != null) {
+        // Suppress the rate-limit dialog while the user is on the auth
+        // screen. They already accepted the prompt and are mid-sign-in;
+        // re-emitting the same dialog over the auth UI is noise that
+        // also blocks them from finishing the device-flow steps. Also
+        // flush any pending flag set by background API calls during
+        // auth, so it doesn't ghost back when the user returns home.
+        val onAuthScreen = currentScreen is GithubStoreGraph.AuthenticationScreen
+        LaunchedEffect(onAuthScreen, state.showRateLimitDialog) {
+            if (onAuthScreen && state.showRateLimitDialog) {
+                viewModel.onAction(MainAction.DismissRateLimitDialog)
+            }
+        }
+        if (state.showRateLimitDialog && state.rateLimitInfo != null && !onAuthScreen) {
             RateLimitDialog(
                 rateLimitInfo = state.rateLimitInfo!!,
                 isAuthenticated = state.isLoggedIn,
diff --git a/feature/auth/presentation/src/commonMain/kotlin/zed/rainxch/auth/presentation/AuthenticationViewModel.kt b/feature/auth/presentation/src/commonMain/kotlin/zed/rainxch/auth/presentation/AuthenticationViewModel.kt
index 5b3751321..04201050a 100644
--- a/feature/auth/presentation/src/commonMain/kotlin/zed/rainxch/auth/presentation/AuthenticationViewModel.kt
+++ b/feature/auth/presentation/src/commonMain/kotlin/zed/rainxch/auth/presentation/AuthenticationViewModel.kt
@@ -422,9 +422,28 @@ class AuthenticationViewModel(
                 }
 
             if (outcome.path != authPath) {
-                logger.debug("Auth path escalated from $authPath to ${outcome.path}")
-                authPath = outcome.path
-                savedStateHandle[KEY_AUTH_PATH] = authPath.name
+                // Mid-session transitions are strictly one-way: only the
+                // Backend → Direct escalation that AuthenticationRepositoryImpl
+                // performs on infrastructure errors (timeouts, connect/socket
+                // failures, 5xx) is legitimate. Direct → Backend is not a path
+                // the repository ever returns; treat any such outcome as a
+                // defensive no-op rather than silently flipping back to a
+                // probably-broken Backend mid-flow. The infrastructure-failure
+                // gate itself lives at the repository (single source of
+                // truth — see `pollDeviceTokenOnce` and
+                // `Throwable.isAuthInfrastructureError()`); the VM only
+                // enforces direction.
+                val isLegalEscalation =
+                    authPath == AuthPath.Backend && outcome.path == AuthPath.Direct
+                if (isLegalEscalation) {
+                    logger.debug("Auth path escalated from $authPath to ${outcome.path}")
+                    authPath = outcome.path
+                    savedStateHandle[KEY_AUTH_PATH] = authPath.name
+                } else {
+                    logger.warn(
+                        "Refusing invalid auth path transition $authPath → ${outcome.path}",
+                    )
+                }
             }
 
             when (val result = outcome.result) {