From 4b7fb3d81e9d5d3fe6b9c610943a7f7a49f1606b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: npub1yxv5wk0u0fh6dwt925wntn7h397jvteyj4r87ttcd9xae7n2t3lqqj9jmm
 <21994759fc7a6fa6b965551d35cfd7897d262f2495467f2d78694ddcfa6a5c7e@buzz.block.builderlab.xyz>
Date: Tue, 4 Aug 2026 09:34:55 -0600
Subject: [PATCH 1/3] fix(desktop): close reconnect gaps that previously
 required CMD+R
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

Users report the desktop app can wedge in states where only a manual
CMD+R (or full restart) restores connectivity. Pinky's light-switch
matrix (real relay, SIGTERM/SIGKILL x 1s/45s/3min) proved the backoff
state machine itself recovers cleanly, isolating the failures to four
special states a reload resets but the auto flow never did:

- G1 resume triggers: recovery rode solely on the backoff timer
  (max 30s), which WKWebView throttles in occluded/background windows —
  after sleep/VPN reauth the scheduled attempt may not fire until focus.
  New useRelayResumeTriggers fires preconnect() on network online,
  window focus, and visibility-visible when the session is
  reconnecting/stalled, rate-limited to one attempt per 5s.
  Deliberately inert for the terminal 'disconnected' state.

- G2 terminal AUTH latch: any AUTH OK=false latched the session
  terminal forever, but the relay also rejects for transient causes
  (duplicate-AUTH 'already authenticated' race, +/-60s clock skew,
  fail-closed allowlist DB errors). New AuthOkTracker treats
  'already authenticated' as success, retries transient rejections
  with normal backoff, and only latches on 'restricted:' or after 3
  consecutive rejections.

- G3 terminal CLOSED: an 'auth-required:' CLOSED (REQ racing the AUTH
  handshake after reconnect) permanently deleted the live subscription
  with no UI signal — frozen channel while the state reads connected.
  Reclassified as retryable; genuinely terminal classes still delete.

- G4 sub-2s flap heal: useRelayAutoHeal observed the 2s-debounced
  connection hook, so a brief flap never registered a degraded->
  connected transition even though resetConnection had already
  rejected every in-flight query. It now observes the raw
  connection-state emitter; the existing 15s heal rate-limit still
  guards against flap storms.

Co-authored-by: Wes <wesbillman@users.noreply.github.com>
Signed-off-by: Wes <wesbillman@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 .../src/app/useAppShellLifecycleEffects.ts    |  5 ++
 .../src/shared/api/relayAuthPolicy.test.mjs   | 81 +++++++++++++++++++
 desktop/src/shared/api/relayAuthPolicy.ts     | 56 +++++++++++++
 desktop/src/shared/api/relayClientSession.ts  | 18 ++---
 .../src/shared/api/relayClosedPolicy.test.mjs | 17 +++-
 desktop/src/shared/api/relayClosedPolicy.ts   |  6 +-
 .../api/relayResumeTriggerPolicy.test.mjs     | 70 ++++++++++++++++
 .../shared/api/relayResumeTriggerPolicy.ts    | 39 +++++++++
 desktop/src/shared/api/useRelayAutoHeal.ts    | 30 ++++---
 .../src/shared/api/useRelayResumeTriggers.ts  | 54 +++++++++++++
 10 files changed, 352 insertions(+), 24 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 desktop/src/shared/api/relayAuthPolicy.test.mjs
 create mode 100644 desktop/src/shared/api/relayAuthPolicy.ts
 create mode 100644 desktop/src/shared/api/relayResumeTriggerPolicy.test.mjs
 create mode 100644 desktop/src/shared/api/relayResumeTriggerPolicy.ts
 create mode 100644 desktop/src/shared/api/useRelayResumeTriggers.ts

diff --git a/desktop/src/app/useAppShellLifecycleEffects.ts b/desktop/src/app/useAppShellLifecycleEffects.ts
index 02c97bac57..2d56d24cb3 100644
--- a/desktop/src/app/useAppShellLifecycleEffects.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/app/useAppShellLifecycleEffects.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import * as React from "react";
 
 import { setDesktopAppBadge } from "@/features/notifications/lib/desktop";
 import { relayClient } from "@/shared/api/relayClient";
+import { useRelayResumeTriggers } from "@/shared/api/useRelayResumeTriggers";
 
 type AppShellLifecycleEffectsOptions = {
   desktopBadgeEnabled: boolean;
@@ -16,6 +17,10 @@ export function useAppShellLifecycleEffects({
   unreadChannelIds,
   unreadChannelNotificationCount,
 }: AppShellLifecycleEffectsOptions) {
+  // Event-driven reconnect: network online / focus / visibility short-circuit
+  // the backoff timer when the relay session is degraded (CMD+R gap G1).
+  useRelayResumeTriggers();
+
   // Prevent webview file:/// navigation on file drop outside the composer.
   // Scoped to file drags only (text drag-and-drop into inputs still works).
   // Composer's onDrop fires first (React synthetic before window bubble).
diff --git a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayAuthPolicy.test.mjs b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayAuthPolicy.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b547161552
--- /dev/null
+++ b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayAuthPolicy.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import test from "node:test";
+
+import {
+  AuthOkTracker,
+  MAX_CONSECUTIVE_AUTH_REJECTIONS,
+} from "./relayAuthPolicy.ts";
+
+test("success resolves authenticated and resets the streak", () => {
+  const tracker = new AuthOkTracker();
+  tracker.record(false, "auth-required: verification failed");
+  tracker.record(false, "auth-required: verification failed");
+  assert.equal(tracker.record(true, ""), "authenticated");
+  // Streak reset: the next rejection starts a fresh count.
+  assert.equal(
+    tracker.record(false, "auth-required: verification failed"),
+    "retry",
+  );
+});
+
+test("already-authenticated rejection is treated as authenticated (duplicate-AUTH race)", () => {
+  const tracker = new AuthOkTracker();
+  assert.equal(
+    tracker.record(false, "auth-required: already authenticated"),
+    "authenticated",
+  );
+});
+
+test("restricted rejections latch terminal immediately", () => {
+  for (const message of [
+    "restricted: not a relay member",
+    "restricted: you are banned",
+  ]) {
+    assert.equal(new AuthOkTracker().record(false, message), "terminal");
+  }
+});
+
+test("verification failures retry with backoff (clock skew, DB fail-closed)", () => {
+  const tracker = new AuthOkTracker();
+  assert.equal(
+    tracker.record(false, "auth-required: verification failed"),
+    "retry",
+  );
+});
+
+test("unknown rejection reasons retry rather than latch", () => {
+  assert.equal(new AuthOkTracker().record(false, ""), "retry");
+  assert.equal(new AuthOkTracker().record(false, "error: internal"), "retry");
+});
+
+test("consecutive rejections latch terminal at the cap", () => {
+  const tracker = new AuthOkTracker();
+  let decision = "retry";
+  for (let i = 0; i < MAX_CONSECUTIVE_AUTH_REJECTIONS; i++) {
+    decision = tracker.record(false, "auth-required: verification failed");
+  }
+  assert.equal(decision, "terminal");
+});
+
+test("reset grants a fresh retry streak after explicit re-engagement", () => {
+  const tracker = new AuthOkTracker();
+  for (let i = 0; i < MAX_CONSECUTIVE_AUTH_REJECTIONS; i++) {
+    tracker.record(false, "auth-required: verification failed");
+  }
+  tracker.reset();
+  assert.equal(
+    tracker.record(false, "auth-required: verification failed"),
+    "retry",
+  );
+});
+
+test("already-authenticated wins even past the cap (session is usable)", () => {
+  const tracker = new AuthOkTracker();
+  for (let i = 0; i < MAX_CONSECUTIVE_AUTH_REJECTIONS + 1; i++) {
+    tracker.record(false, "auth-required: verification failed");
+  }
+  assert.equal(
+    tracker.record(false, "auth-required: already authenticated"),
+    "authenticated",
+  );
+});
diff --git a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayAuthPolicy.ts b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayAuthPolicy.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..78d50a6ad6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayAuthPolicy.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+/**
+ * Policy for NIP-42 AUTH `OK` responses (G2 of the CMD+R gap audit).
+ *
+ * Historically ANY auth `OK false` latched the session terminal — no
+ * reconnect until explicit user re-engagement. But the relay sends
+ * `OK false` for conditions that are transient from the client's side:
+ *
+ *  - `auth-required: already authenticated` — a duplicate/late AUTH event on
+ *    a connection that is in fact authenticated. The session is usable;
+ *    treat it as authenticated.
+ *  - `auth-required: verification failed` — covers ±60s clock-skew rejects
+ *    and the relay's fail-closed allowlist DB lookup errors, both of which
+ *    can clear on retry.
+ *
+ * Only `restricted:` rejections (banned / not a relay member) are known
+ * permanent. Everything else retries with normal backoff, but latches
+ * terminal after `MAX_CONSECUTIVE_AUTH_REJECTIONS` consecutive rejections so
+ * a genuinely broken identity (e.g. persistently wrong system clock) still
+ * surfaces the terminal error card instead of flapping forever.
+ */
+export type AuthOkDecision = "authenticated" | "retry" | "terminal";
+
+export const MAX_CONSECUTIVE_AUTH_REJECTIONS = 3;
+
+/** Tracks consecutive AUTH rejections across reconnect attempts. */
+export class AuthOkTracker {
+  private consecutiveRejections = 0;
+
+  /**
+   * Record an AUTH `OK` and decide the session's next move.
+   * A success — real or "already authenticated" — resets the streak.
+   */
+  record(success: boolean, message: string): AuthOkDecision {
+    const normalized = message.trim().toLowerCase();
+    if (
+      success ||
+      normalized.startsWith("auth-required: already authenticated")
+    ) {
+      this.consecutiveRejections = 0;
+      return "authenticated";
+    }
+
+    this.consecutiveRejections++;
+
+    if (normalized.startsWith("restricted:")) return "terminal";
+    if (this.consecutiveRejections >= MAX_CONSECUTIVE_AUTH_REJECTIONS) {
+      return "terminal";
+    }
+    return "retry";
+  }
+
+  /** Called on explicit re-engagement (disconnect / manual preconnect). */
+  reset(): void {
+    this.consecutiveRejections = 0;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayClientSession.ts b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayClientSession.ts
index 53d541ff0f..b8a989d785 100644
--- a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayClientSession.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayClientSession.ts
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ import {
   STALL_IDLE_TIMEOUT_MS,
 } from "@/shared/api/relayClientTimings";
 import { closeWebSocket } from "@/shared/api/relayWebSocketClose";
+import { AuthOkTracker } from "@/shared/api/relayAuthPolicy";
 import { buildThreadReferenceTags } from "@/features/messages/lib/threading";
 
 export class RelayClient {
@@ -92,6 +93,7 @@ export class RelayClient {
   private connectionGeneration = 0;
   private stabilityTimer: number | null = null;
   private visibleChannelId: string | null = null;
+  private authOkTracker = new AuthOkTracker();
 
   private terminal = false;
 
@@ -128,6 +130,7 @@ export class RelayClient {
     this.notifyReconnectListeners = false;
     this.terminal = false;
     this.visibleChannelId = null;
+    this.authOkTracker.reset();
     this.connectionStateEmitter.set("idle");
 
     if (this.wsId !== null) {
@@ -430,6 +433,7 @@ export class RelayClient {
     // reconnect also bypasses the current delay once; ordinary operations do
     // not, so background traffic cannot continuously defeat backoff.
     this.terminal = false;
+    this.authOkTracker.reset();
     this.keepAliveRequested = true;
     if (this.reconnectTimeout !== null) {
       window.clearTimeout(this.reconnectTimeout);
@@ -892,12 +896,14 @@ export class RelayClient {
       const authRequest = this.authRequest;
       this.authRequest = null;
 
-      if (success) {
+      // Decision table lives in relayAuthPolicy.ts.
+      const decision = this.authOkTracker.record(success, message);
+      if (decision === "authenticated") {
         authRequest.resolve();
       } else {
         const error = new Error(message || "Relay authentication rejected.");
         authRequest.reject(error);
-        this.resetConnection(error, { reconnect: false });
+        this.resetConnection(error, { reconnect: decision === "retry" });
       }
 
       return;
@@ -919,13 +925,7 @@ export class RelayClient {
   }
 
   private hasLiveSubscriptions() {
-    for (const subscription of this.subscriptions.values()) {
-      if (subscription.mode === "live") {
-        return true;
-      }
-    }
-
-    return false;
+    return [...this.subscriptions.values()].some((s) => s.mode === "live");
   }
 
   private async replayLiveSubscriptions() {
diff --git a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayClosedPolicy.test.mjs b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayClosedPolicy.test.mjs
index 715df77f6a..2e5cad4b7c 100644
--- a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayClosedPolicy.test.mjs
+++ b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayClosedPolicy.test.mjs
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ test("classifyRelayClosed: terminal messages return terminal", () => {
   for (const message of [
     "restricted: not a channel member",
     "restricted: channel access revoked",
-    "auth-required: not authenticated",
     "blocked: banned",
     "invalid: malformed filter",
     "pow: difficulty too low",
@@ -38,6 +37,21 @@ test("classifyRelayClosed: transient errors return retryable", () => {
   }
 });
 
+test("classifyRelayClosed: auth-required is retryable (REQ/AUTH reconnect race)", () => {
+  // A REQ that lands before the AUTH handshake completes gets CLOSED with
+  // auth-required. Deleting the subscription would silently freeze the
+  // channel while the connection state still reads "connected" — the sub
+  // must survive and be retried after backoff.
+  assert.equal(
+    classifyRelayClosed("auth-required: not authenticated"),
+    "retryable",
+  );
+  assert.equal(
+    classifyRelayClosed("auth-required: authenticate before subscribing"),
+    "retryable",
+  );
+});
+
 // ── Subscription-survival semantics ──────────────────────────────────────────
 // These replace the removed isRetryableRelayClosed wrapper tests.
 // rate-limited must not delete the subscription; terminal must.
@@ -59,7 +73,6 @@ test("classifyRelayClosed: retryable class survives (subscription must not be de
 test("classifyRelayClosed: terminal class triggers deletion (no retry)", () => {
   for (const message of [
     "restricted: not a channel member",
-    "auth-required: not authenticated",
     "blocked: banned",
     "invalid: malformed filter",
     "pow: difficulty too low",
diff --git a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayClosedPolicy.ts b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayClosedPolicy.ts
index 8a39e8a4d5..9e747a2df1 100644
--- a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayClosedPolicy.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayClosedPolicy.ts
@@ -19,9 +19,13 @@ export function classifyRelayClosed(message: string): RelayClosedClass {
   if (normalized.startsWith("rate-limited:")) {
     return "rate-limited";
   }
+  // `auth-required:` is deliberately retryable, NOT terminal: it occurs
+  // transiently when a REQ races the AUTH handshake after a reconnect. The
+  // backoff retry re-sends the REQ once the session is authenticated. A
+  // session that is genuinely unauthenticated latches `terminal` at the
+  // connection level (AUTH OK=false), so this cannot loop forever.
   if (
     normalized.startsWith("restricted:") ||
-    normalized.startsWith("auth-required:") ||
     normalized.startsWith("blocked:") ||
     normalized.startsWith("invalid:") ||
     normalized.startsWith("pow:") ||
diff --git a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayResumeTriggerPolicy.test.mjs b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayResumeTriggerPolicy.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0430beb0bf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayResumeTriggerPolicy.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import test from "node:test";
+
+import {
+  RESUME_TRIGGER_MIN_INTERVAL_MS,
+  shouldTriggerResumeReconnect,
+} from "./relayResumeTriggerPolicy.ts";
+
+const base = Object.freeze({
+  connectionState: "reconnecting",
+  lastAttemptAt: 0,
+  now: RESUME_TRIGGER_MIN_INTERVAL_MS + 1,
+});
+
+test("reconnecting + interval elapsed triggers", () => {
+  assert.equal(shouldTriggerResumeReconnect({ ...base }), true);
+});
+
+test("stalled + interval elapsed triggers", () => {
+  assert.equal(
+    shouldTriggerResumeReconnect({ ...base, connectionState: "stalled" }),
+    true,
+  );
+});
+
+test("healthy and terminal states never trigger", () => {
+  for (const connectionState of [
+    "idle",
+    "connecting",
+    "connected",
+    "disconnected",
+  ]) {
+    assert.equal(
+      shouldTriggerResumeReconnect({ ...base, connectionState }),
+      false,
+      connectionState,
+    );
+  }
+});
+
+test("burst of triggers within the rate window fires once", () => {
+  assert.equal(
+    shouldTriggerResumeReconnect({
+      ...base,
+      lastAttemptAt: 1_000,
+      now: 1_000 + RESUME_TRIGGER_MIN_INTERVAL_MS - 1,
+    }),
+    false,
+  );
+  assert.equal(
+    shouldTriggerResumeReconnect({
+      ...base,
+      lastAttemptAt: 1_000,
+      now: 1_000 + RESUME_TRIGGER_MIN_INTERVAL_MS,
+    }),
+    true,
+  );
+});
+
+test("custom interval override is honoured", () => {
+  assert.equal(
+    shouldTriggerResumeReconnect({
+      ...base,
+      lastAttemptAt: 0,
+      now: 10,
+      minIntervalMs: 5,
+    }),
+    true,
+  );
+});
diff --git a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayResumeTriggerPolicy.ts b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayResumeTriggerPolicy.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..bb2ec80489
--- /dev/null
+++ b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayResumeTriggerPolicy.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+/**
+ * Policy for event-driven reconnect triggers (G1 of the CMD+R gap audit).
+ *
+ * The exponential-backoff timer is the only thing driving recovery after an
+ * outage — and WKWebView throttles JS timers in occluded/background windows,
+ * so at max backoff (30s) a scheduled attempt may not fire until the user
+ * focuses the window. These triggers short-circuit the wait the moment the
+ * environment signals recovery: network `online`, window focus, and
+ * visibility becoming visible. `preconnect()` already clears the pending
+ * backoff timer, so a trigger converts "wait up to 30s (or forever, if
+ * throttled)" into "reconnect now".
+ */
+import type { ConnectionState } from "@/shared/api/relayClientShared";
+
+/** Min ms between trigger-driven preconnect attempts. */
+export const RESUME_TRIGGER_MIN_INTERVAL_MS = 5_000;
+
+export function shouldTriggerResumeReconnect(inputs: {
+  connectionState: ConnectionState;
+  lastAttemptAt: number;
+  now: number;
+  minIntervalMs?: number;
+}): boolean {
+  const minInterval = inputs.minIntervalMs ?? RESUME_TRIGGER_MIN_INTERVAL_MS;
+
+  // Only degraded-but-recoverable states. `disconnected` is the terminal
+  // latch — explicit user re-engagement owns that path, and `idle` /
+  // `connecting` / `connected` need no help.
+  if (
+    inputs.connectionState !== "reconnecting" &&
+    inputs.connectionState !== "stalled"
+  ) {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  // Rate-limit: focus/online events arrive in bursts (e.g. wake fires all
+  // three); one attempt per window is enough.
+  return inputs.now - inputs.lastAttemptAt >= minInterval;
+}
diff --git a/desktop/src/shared/api/useRelayAutoHeal.ts b/desktop/src/shared/api/useRelayAutoHeal.ts
index 11909228b8..429dcc502b 100644
--- a/desktop/src/shared/api/useRelayAutoHeal.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/shared/api/useRelayAutoHeal.ts
@@ -2,12 +2,12 @@ import * as React from "react";
 
 import { useQueryClient } from "@tanstack/react-query";
 
-import type { ConnectionState } from "@/shared/api/relayClientShared";
-import { isRelayDependentQuery } from "@/shared/api/relayQueryInvalidation";
+import { relayClient } from "@/shared/api/relayClient";
 import {
   isRelayConnectionDegraded,
-  useRelayConnection,
-} from "@/shared/api/useRelayConnection";
+  type ConnectionState,
+} from "@/shared/api/relayClientShared";
+import { isRelayDependentQuery } from "@/shared/api/relayQueryInvalidation";
 import {
   isRateLimited,
   waitForRateLimit,
@@ -100,8 +100,6 @@ export class RelayAutoHealScheduler {
  */
 export function useRelayAutoHeal(): void {
   const queryClient = useQueryClient();
-  const connectionState = useRelayConnection();
-  const prevConnectionStateRef = React.useRef(connectionState);
   const schedulerRef = React.useRef<RelayAutoHealScheduler | null>(null);
 
   if (schedulerRef.current === null) {
@@ -129,14 +127,22 @@ export function useRelayAutoHeal(): void {
   }
 
   React.useEffect(() => {
+    // Observe the RAW connection-state emitter, not the 2s-debounced
+    // useRelayConnection() hook. A sub-2s flap never surfaces through the
+    // debounced hook (its degraded report is cancelled by the recovery), yet
+    // resetConnection() already rejected every in-flight query — the heal
+    // must still fire or errored panes persist until a manual reconnect.
+    let prev: ConnectionState | null = null;
+    const unsubscribe = relayClient.subscribeToConnectionState((next) => {
+      if (prev !== null) {
+        schedulerRef.current?.onTransition(prev, next);
+      }
+      prev = next;
+    });
+
     return () => {
+      unsubscribe();
       schedulerRef.current?.dispose();
     };
   }, []);
-
-  React.useEffect(() => {
-    const prev = prevConnectionStateRef.current;
-    prevConnectionStateRef.current = connectionState;
-    schedulerRef.current?.onTransition(prev, connectionState);
-  }, [connectionState]);
 }
diff --git a/desktop/src/shared/api/useRelayResumeTriggers.ts b/desktop/src/shared/api/useRelayResumeTriggers.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a2e8878ac6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/desktop/src/shared/api/useRelayResumeTriggers.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+import * as React from "react";
+
+import { relayClient } from "@/shared/api/relayClient";
+import { shouldTriggerResumeReconnect } from "@/shared/api/relayResumeTriggerPolicy";
+
+/**
+ * Event-driven reconnect triggers: network `online`, window `focus`, and
+ * visibility→visible each attempt an immediate `preconnect()` when the relay
+ * session is degraded (reconnecting/stalled), rate-limited by
+ * `RESUME_TRIGGER_MIN_INTERVAL_MS`.
+ *
+ * Rationale (CMD+R gap audit G1): without these, recovery rides solely on
+ * the backoff timer, which WKWebView throttles while the window is occluded
+ * or the system was asleep. The moment a user focuses the window to hit
+ * CMD+R *is* a focus event — this fires the reconnect first. Deliberately
+ * does not trigger on `disconnected` (terminal latch): that path requires
+ * explicit user re-engagement via the reconnect card.
+ */
+export function useRelayResumeTriggers(): void {
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    let lastAttemptAt = -Infinity;
+
+    const attempt = () => {
+      const now = Date.now();
+      if (
+        !shouldTriggerResumeReconnect({
+          connectionState: relayClient.getConnectionState(),
+          lastAttemptAt,
+          now,
+        })
+      ) {
+        return;
+      }
+      lastAttemptAt = now;
+      // preconnect() clears any pending backoff timer and connects now.
+      // Failures re-arm the normal backoff loop; nothing to handle here.
+      void relayClient.preconnect().catch(() => {});
+    };
+
+    const onVisibilityChange = () => {
+      if (document.visibilityState === "visible") attempt();
+    };
+
+    window.addEventListener("online", attempt);
+    window.addEventListener("focus", attempt);
+    document.addEventListener("visibilitychange", onVisibilityChange);
+
+    return () => {
+      window.removeEventListener("online", attempt);
+      window.removeEventListener("focus", attempt);
+      document.removeEventListener("visibilitychange", onVisibilityChange);
+    };
+  }, []);
+}

From ad44fe94ae0435528fb41e93eb9bc7115f91f484 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: npub1gjuws2a2dc8z2nszprtg7v6u9q7ffeah3hgl5yx45jwn7y7aqs6s5e9xj6
 <44b8e82baa6e0e254e0208d68f335c283c94e7b78dd1fa10d5a49d3f13dd0435@buzz.block.builderlab.xyz>
Date: Tue, 4 Aug 2026 09:55:21 -0600
Subject: [PATCH 2/3] test(desktop): cover adversarial reconnect recovery

Co-authored-by: npub1gjuws2a2dc8z2nszprtg7v6u9q7ffeah3hgl5yx45jwn7y7aqs6s5e9xj6 <44b8e82baa6e0e254e0208d68f335c283c94e7b78dd1fa10d5a49d3f13dd0435@buzz.block.builderlab.xyz>
Signed-off-by: npub1gjuws2a2dc8z2nszprtg7v6u9q7ffeah3hgl5yx45jwn7y7aqs6s5e9xj6 <44b8e82baa6e0e254e0208d68f335c283c94e7b78dd1fa10d5a49d3f13dd0435@buzz.block.builderlab.xyz>
---
 desktop/src/testing/e2eBridge.ts          |  33 ++++-
 desktop/tests/e2e/relay-reconnect.spec.ts | 157 +++++++++++++++++++++-
 2 files changed, 188 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/desktop/src/testing/e2eBridge.ts b/desktop/src/testing/e2eBridge.ts
index 33b1fb38f4..f94d7883b8 100644
--- a/desktop/src/testing/e2eBridge.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/testing/e2eBridge.ts
@@ -1184,6 +1184,12 @@ declare global {
     };
     __BUZZ_E2E_SET_RELAY_CONNECTION_STATE__?: (state: ConnectionState) => void;
     __BUZZ_E2E_GET_RELAY_CONNECTION_STATE__?: () => ConnectionState;
+    /** Queue deterministic mock AUTH outcomes, consumed in order. */
+    __BUZZ_E2E_QUEUE_AUTH_RESPONSES__?: (
+      responses: Array<{ success: boolean; message: string }>,
+    ) => void;
+    /** Inject CLOSED into every active mock live subscription. */
+    __BUZZ_E2E_CLOSE_LIVE_SUBSCRIPTIONS__?: (reason: string) => number;
     __BUZZ_E2E_SET_STALL_WEBSOCKET_SENDS__?: (stall: boolean) => void;
     __BUZZ_E2E_DISCONNECT_MOCK_WEBSOCKETS__?: () => number;
     __BUZZ_E2E_RESTART_MOCK_WEBSOCKETS__?: () => number;
@@ -2938,6 +2944,7 @@ const mockReminderEvents: RelayEvent[] = [];
 const mockPersonaEvents: RelayEvent[] = [];
 let mockRelayMembers: RawRelayMember[] = [];
 const mockSockets = new Map<number, MockSocket>();
+const mockAuthResponses: Array<{ success: boolean; message: string }> = [];
 let mockWebsocketUnavailable = false;
 const relayWebsocketConnectAttemptStarts: number[] = [];
 let mockWebsocketSendMutexWedged = false;
@@ -9439,7 +9446,16 @@ function sendToMockSocket(args: {
 
   if (type === "AUTH") {
     const event = rest[0] as RelayEvent;
-    sendWsText(socket.handler, ["OK", event.id, true, ""]);
+    const response = mockAuthResponses.shift() ?? {
+      success: true,
+      message: "",
+    };
+    sendWsText(socket.handler, [
+      "OK",
+      event.id,
+      response.success,
+      response.message,
+    ]);
     return;
   }
 
@@ -9802,6 +9818,7 @@ export function maybeInstallE2eTauriMocks() {
 
   mockClosedChannelLiveSubscription = false;
   mockWebsocketUnavailable = false;
+  mockAuthResponses.length = 0;
   relayWebsocketConnectAttemptStarts.length = 0;
   mockGlobalAgentConfig = config.mock?.globalAgentConfig
     ? { ...config.mock.globalAgentConfig }
@@ -10049,6 +10066,20 @@ export function maybeInstallE2eTauriMocks() {
   };
   window.__BUZZ_E2E_GET_RELAY_CONNECTION_STATE__ = () =>
     relayClient.getConnectionState();
+  window.__BUZZ_E2E_QUEUE_AUTH_RESPONSES__ = (responses) => {
+    mockAuthResponses.push(...responses);
+  };
+  window.__BUZZ_E2E_CLOSE_LIVE_SUBSCRIPTIONS__ = (reason) => {
+    let closed = 0;
+    for (const socket of mockSockets.values()) {
+      for (const subId of [...socket.subscriptions.keys()]) {
+        sendWsText(socket.handler, ["CLOSED", subId, reason]);
+        socket.subscriptions.delete(subId);
+        closed += 1;
+      }
+    }
+    return closed;
+  };
 
   window.__BUZZ_E2E_SEED_MOCK_REMINDERS__ = (reminders) => {
     mockReminderEvents.length = 0;
diff --git a/desktop/tests/e2e/relay-reconnect.spec.ts b/desktop/tests/e2e/relay-reconnect.spec.ts
index 6606d5f04d..c883a739e8 100644
--- a/desktop/tests/e2e/relay-reconnect.spec.ts
+++ b/desktop/tests/e2e/relay-reconnect.spec.ts
@@ -111,9 +111,32 @@ async function emitMockMessages(
   }, messages);
 }
 
+async function queueAuthResponses(
+  page: import("@playwright/test").Page,
+  responses: Array<{ success: boolean; message: string }>,
+) {
+  await page.evaluate((queued) => {
+    const queue = window.__BUZZ_E2E_QUEUE_AUTH_RESPONSES__;
+    if (!queue) throw new Error("E2E AUTH response seam is not installed.");
+    queue(queued);
+  }, responses);
+}
+
+async function closeLiveSubscriptions(
+  page: import("@playwright/test").Page,
+  reason: string,
+) {
+  const closed = await page.evaluate((message) => {
+    const close = window.__BUZZ_E2E_CLOSE_LIVE_SUBSCRIPTIONS__;
+    if (!close) throw new Error("E2E live CLOSED seam is not installed.");
+    return close(message);
+  }, reason);
+  expect(closed).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+}
+
 async function driveConnectionDegraded(
   page: import("@playwright/test").Page,
-  state: "reconnecting" | "stalled" | "disconnected",
+  state: "connected" | "reconnecting" | "stalled" | "disconnected",
 ) {
   await page.evaluate((s) => {
     const setter = (
@@ -322,6 +345,138 @@ test("profile popover does not show relay reconnect controls", async ({
   await expect(page.getByTestId("profile-popover-reconnect")).toHaveCount(0);
 });
 
+test("resume event short-circuits accumulated reconnect backoff", async ({
+  page,
+}) => {
+  await page.goto("/");
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("channel-general")).toBeVisible();
+
+  await setMockWebsocketUnavailable(page, true);
+  await disconnectMockWebsockets(page);
+  await expect
+    .poll(() => getMockWebsocketConnectAttempts(page), { timeout: 10_000 })
+    .toHaveLength(3);
+
+  await setMockWebsocketUnavailable(page, false);
+  const resumedAt = Date.now();
+  await page.evaluate(() => window.dispatchEvent(new Event("online")));
+  await expect
+    .poll(
+      () =>
+        page.evaluate(() => window.__BUZZ_E2E_GET_RELAY_CONNECTION_STATE__?.()),
+      {
+        timeout: 2_000,
+      },
+    )
+    .toBe("connected");
+  expect(Date.now() - resumedAt).toBeLessThan(2_000);
+});
+
+test("sub-2s degraded flap invalidates relay queries on recovery", async ({
+  page,
+}) => {
+  await page.goto("/");
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("channel-general")).toBeVisible();
+
+  await page.evaluate(() => {
+    const queryClient = window.__BUZZ_E2E_QUERY_CLIENT__ as
+      | {
+          invalidateQueries: (...args: unknown[]) => unknown;
+          __rawHealInvalidations?: number;
+        }
+      | undefined;
+    if (!queryClient)
+      throw new Error("E2E query client seam is not installed.");
+    const original = queryClient.invalidateQueries.bind(queryClient);
+    queryClient.__rawHealInvalidations = 0;
+    queryClient.invalidateQueries = (...args: unknown[]) => {
+      queryClient.__rawHealInvalidations =
+        (queryClient.__rawHealInvalidations ?? 0) + 1;
+      return original(...args);
+    };
+  });
+
+  await driveConnectionDegraded(page, "reconnecting");
+  await page.waitForTimeout(100);
+  await driveConnectionDegraded(page, "connected");
+
+  await expect
+    .poll(() =>
+      page.evaluate(
+        () =>
+          (
+            window.__BUZZ_E2E_QUERY_CLIENT__ as unknown as {
+              __rawHealInvalidations?: number;
+            }
+          )?.__rawHealInvalidations ?? 0,
+      ),
+    )
+    .toBeGreaterThan(0);
+});
+
+test("transient AUTH rejection reconnects and restores live traffic", async ({
+  page,
+}) => {
+  await page.goto("/");
+  await page.getByTestId("channel-general").click();
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("chat-title")).toHaveText("general");
+
+  await queueAuthResponses(page, [
+    { success: false, message: "auth-required: verification failed" },
+    { success: true, message: "" },
+  ]);
+  await disconnectMockWebsockets(page);
+
+  await expect
+    .poll(
+      () =>
+        page.evaluate(() => window.__BUZZ_E2E_GET_RELAY_CONNECTION_STATE__?.()),
+      {
+        timeout: 10_000,
+      },
+    )
+    .toBe("connected");
+
+  const recovered = `live after transient AUTH rejection ${Date.now()}`;
+  await emitMockMessages(page, [
+    { content: recovered, createdAt: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1_000) },
+  ]);
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("message-timeline")).toContainText(recovered);
+
+  const sent = `send after transient AUTH rejection ${Date.now()}`;
+  await page.getByTestId("message-input").fill(sent);
+  await page.getByTestId("send-message").click();
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("message-timeline")).toContainText(sent);
+});
+
+test("auth-required CLOSED restores the active live subscription", async ({
+  page,
+}) => {
+  await page.goto("/");
+  await page.getByTestId("channel-general").click();
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("chat-title")).toHaveText("general");
+
+  await closeLiveSubscriptions(page, "auth-required: not authenticated");
+
+  const recovered = `live after auth-required CLOSED ${Date.now()}`;
+  await expect
+    .poll(
+      async () => {
+        await emitMockMessages(page, [
+          { content: recovered, createdAt: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1_000) },
+        ]);
+        return page
+          .getByTestId("message-timeline")
+          .evaluate(
+            (element, content) => (element.textContent ?? "").includes(content),
+            recovered,
+          );
+      },
+      { intervals: [1_100], timeout: 5_000 },
+    )
+    .toBe(true);
+});
+
 test("reconnect backfills more missed channel messages than the live subscription limit", async ({
   page,
 }) => {

From b0853e027431548edda155eb63d724fe500ed6f0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: npub1yxv5wk0u0fh6dwt925wntn7h397jvteyj4r87ttcd9xae7n2t3lqqj9jmm
 <21994759fc7a6fa6b965551d35cfd7897d262f2495467f2d78694ddcfa6a5c7e@buzz.block.builderlab.xyz>
Date: Tue, 4 Aug 2026 11:25:59 -0600
Subject: [PATCH 3/3] fix(desktop): address AUTH-policy review findings on
 reconnect PR
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

Review findings from wpfleger96 on PR #4737, both confirmed:

1. Resume triggers (focus/online/visibility) called preconnect(), which
   resets the AUTH rejection streak — a resume event interleaved with
   repeated AUTH rejections could clear the counter before the next
   OK=false, making MAX_CONSECUTIVE_AUTH_REJECTIONS unreachable and
   retrying a dead session forever. Resume now uses a separate
   resumeReconnect() path that bypasses the pending backoff timer but
   preserves the terminal latch and rejection streak; only explicit
   re-engagement (reconnect card / community switch) resets them.

2. The relay's permanent ban response is 'blocked: you are banned from
   this community' (handlers/auth.rs ban seam), which classified as
   retry. 'blocked:' now latches terminal immediately; the policy test
   covers the relay's exact ban string.

Also fixes a latent race the new integration test exposed: a late
failure from an in-flight publish/subscribe retry landing after the
terminal latch called resetConnection() with default options and
painted 'reconnecting' over the terminal 'disconnected' state —
permanently, since the latch blocks actual reconnection.
resetConnection now preserves 'disconnected' when the session is
terminal.

New e2e regression: three AUTH rejections interleaved with resume
events still latch terminal on the third, and later resume events do
not revive the session.

Co-authored-by: Wes <wesbillman@users.noreply.github.com>
Signed-off-by: Wes <wesbillman@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 .../src/shared/api/relayAuthPolicy.test.mjs   | 12 +++
 desktop/src/shared/api/relayAuthPolicy.ts     | 21 +++--
 desktop/src/shared/api/relayClientSession.ts  | 86 +++++++++----------
 .../src/shared/api/relayReconnectPolicy.ts    | 10 +++
 .../src/shared/api/useRelayResumeTriggers.ts  | 22 +++--
 desktop/tests/e2e/relay-reconnect.spec.ts     | 60 +++++++++++++
 6 files changed, 154 insertions(+), 57 deletions(-)

diff --git a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayAuthPolicy.test.mjs b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayAuthPolicy.test.mjs
index b547161552..e2b709c0e8 100644
--- a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayAuthPolicy.test.mjs
+++ b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayAuthPolicy.test.mjs
@@ -35,6 +35,18 @@ test("restricted rejections latch terminal immediately", () => {
   }
 });
 
+test("the relay's actual ban string latches terminal immediately", () => {
+  // Exact string emitted by crates/buzz-relay/src/handlers/auth.rs at the
+  // ban seam. A known-permanent ban must never enter the retry loop.
+  assert.equal(
+    new AuthOkTracker().record(
+      false,
+      "blocked: you are banned from this community",
+    ),
+    "terminal",
+  );
+});
+
 test("verification failures retry with backoff (clock skew, DB fail-closed)", () => {
   const tracker = new AuthOkTracker();
   assert.equal(
diff --git a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayAuthPolicy.ts b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayAuthPolicy.ts
index 78d50a6ad6..2d76e0c3f7 100644
--- a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayAuthPolicy.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayAuthPolicy.ts
@@ -12,11 +12,15 @@
  *    and the relay's fail-closed allowlist DB lookup errors, both of which
  *    can clear on retry.
  *
- * Only `restricted:` rejections (banned / not a relay member) are known
- * permanent. Everything else retries with normal backoff, but latches
- * terminal after `MAX_CONSECUTIVE_AUTH_REJECTIONS` consecutive rejections so
- * a genuinely broken identity (e.g. persistently wrong system clock) still
- * surfaces the terminal error card instead of flapping forever.
+ * Only `restricted:` and `blocked:` rejections (not a relay member / banned)
+ * are known permanent. Everything else retries with normal backoff, but
+ * latches terminal after `MAX_CONSECUTIVE_AUTH_REJECTIONS` consecutive
+ * rejections so a genuinely broken identity (e.g. persistently wrong system
+ * clock) still surfaces the terminal error card instead of flapping forever.
+ *
+ * The rejection streak is preserved across environment-driven resume
+ * attempts (focus/online/visibility); only explicit user re-engagement —
+ * the reconnect card or a community switch — may reset it.
  */
 export type AuthOkDecision = "authenticated" | "retry" | "terminal";
 
@@ -42,7 +46,12 @@ export class AuthOkTracker {
 
     this.consecutiveRejections++;
 
-    if (normalized.startsWith("restricted:")) return "terminal";
+    if (
+      normalized.startsWith("restricted:") ||
+      normalized.startsWith("blocked:")
+    ) {
+      return "terminal";
+    }
     if (this.consecutiveRejections >= MAX_CONSECUTIVE_AUTH_REJECTIONS) {
       return "terminal";
     }
diff --git a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayClientSession.ts b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayClientSession.ts
index b8a989d785..fd6758f791 100644
--- a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayClientSession.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayClientSession.ts
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ import { RelayConnectionStateEmitter } from "@/shared/api/relayConnectionStateEm
 import {
   isServiceRestartClose,
   isWebSocketClose,
+  isWebSocketError,
   shouldRefuseConnect,
   shouldScheduleReconnect,
   shouldWaitForScheduledReconnect,
@@ -298,7 +299,7 @@ export class RelayClient {
     parentEventId?: string | null,
     rootEventId?: string | null,
   ) {
-    // Bail when disconnected — not worth triggering a reconnect for ephemeral typing events.
+    // Disconnected: not worth triggering a reconnect for ephemeral typing.
     if (this.wsId === null) {
       return;
     }
@@ -328,11 +329,11 @@ export class RelayClient {
     channelId: string,
     onEvent: (event: RelayEvent) => void,
   ) {
+    // 39005 rides only this window-store subscription — CHANNEL_EVENT_KINDS'
+    // other consumers (unread tracking, cache merges) must never see
+    // summary overlays.
     return this.subscribe(
       {
-        // 39005 rides only this window-store subscription — not
-        // CHANNEL_EVENT_KINDS, whose other consumers (unread tracking,
-        // timeline-cache merges) must never see summary overlays.
         kinds: [...CHANNEL_EVENT_KINDS, KIND_CHANNEL_THREAD_SUMMARY],
         "#h": [channelId],
         limit: 1000,
@@ -343,10 +344,9 @@ export class RelayClient {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Subscribe to huddle lifecycle events (kinds 48100–48103) for a channel.
-   * Used by HuddleIndicator to detect active huddles without being drowned
-   * out by regular channel messages in the generic subscription window.
-   * Includes both historical (last 10) and live events.
+   * Subscribe to huddle lifecycle events (kinds 48100–48103) for a channel,
+   * so HuddleIndicator detects active huddles without being drowned out by
+   * regular channel messages. Includes the last 10 historical events.
    */
   async subscribeToHuddleEvents(
     channelId: string,
@@ -428,13 +428,26 @@ export class RelayClient {
   }
 
   async preconnect() {
-    // Explicit re-engagement. If the session went terminal (auth rejection)
-    // the caller is asking us to try again, so clear the latch. A manual
-    // reconnect also bypasses the current delay once; ordinary operations do
-    // not, so background traffic cannot continuously defeat backoff.
+    // Explicit re-engagement (reconnect card / community switch): clears the
+    // terminal latch and AUTH rejection streak, and bypasses backoff once.
     this.terminal = false;
     this.authOkTracker.reset();
     this.keepAliveRequested = true;
+    await this.connectBypassingBackoff();
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Environment-driven resume (online/focus/visibility): bypasses a pending
+   * backoff timer but preserves the terminal latch and AUTH rejection streak
+   * — only `preconnect()` clears those, so resume events during repeated
+   * AUTH rejection cannot defeat the consecutive-rejection cap.
+   */
+  async resumeReconnect() {
+    if (this.terminal) return;
+    await this.connectBypassingBackoff();
+  }
+
+  private async connectBypassingBackoff() {
     if (this.reconnectTimeout !== null) {
       window.clearTimeout(this.reconnectTimeout);
       this.reconnectTimeout = null;
@@ -452,7 +465,6 @@ export class RelayClient {
 
   subscribeToReconnects(listener: () => void) {
     this.reconnectListeners.add(listener);
-
     return () => {
       this.reconnectListeners.delete(listener);
     };
@@ -464,8 +476,8 @@ export class RelayClient {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Subscribe to connection-state transitions. The listener is invoked
-   * immediately with the current state so callers don't need a separate
+   * Subscribe to connection-state transitions. The listener fires
+   * immediately with the current state, so callers need no separate
    * `getConnectionState()` call to seed their UI.
    */
   subscribeToConnectionState(listener: (state: ConnectionState) => void) {
@@ -474,11 +486,10 @@ export class RelayClient {
 
   private async ensureConnected() {
     if (shouldRefuseConnect({ terminal: this.terminal })) {
-      // Session is terminal (e.g. relay rejected auth). Refuse to connect
-      // until an explicit re-engagement (disconnect()/preconnect()) clears
-      // the flag. Without this, the reconnect timer's catch handler — and
-      // the retry wrappers in publishEvent / sendRawWithReconnectRetry —
-      // would race the terminal "disconnected" state back to "reconnecting".
+      // Terminal (e.g. relay rejected auth): refuse until disconnect() or
+      // preconnect() clears the latch, else the reconnect-timer catch and
+      // the publish/subscribe retry wrappers would race the terminal
+      // "disconnected" state back to "reconnecting".
       throw new Error("Relay session is terminal; cannot reconnect.");
     }
 
@@ -498,7 +509,7 @@ export class RelayClient {
       // The reconnect coordinator owns outage pacing. Query, publish, and
       // subscription callers must wait for its scheduled attempt instead of
       // clearing the timer and creating an immediate reconnect storm.
-      return this.waitForScheduledReconnect();
+      return this.reconnectWaiters.wait();
     }
 
     const connectPromise = this.connect();
@@ -674,7 +685,6 @@ export class RelayClient {
         error,
         fallbackMessage,
       );
-
       try {
         await this.ensureConnected();
         await this.sendRaw(payload);
@@ -753,12 +763,7 @@ export class RelayClient {
       this.resetConnection(new Error("Relay connection closed."));
       return;
     }
-    if (
-      typeof message === "object" &&
-      message !== null &&
-      "type" in message &&
-      message.type === "Error"
-    ) {
+    if (isWebSocketError(message)) {
       this.resetConnection(new Error("Relay connection errored."));
       return;
     }
@@ -823,8 +828,7 @@ export class RelayClient {
 
     if (type === "NOTICE" && typeof rest[0] === "string") {
       const notice: string = rest[0];
-      // Relay back-pressure signal — activate the gate so pending operations
-      // back off until the window expires.
+      // Relay back-pressure — arm the gate until the window expires.
       if (notice.startsWith("rate-limited:")) {
         activateRateLimit(parseRateLimitHint(notice));
       }
@@ -948,13 +952,6 @@ export class RelayClient {
     }
   }
 
-  private waitForScheduledReconnect(): Promise<void> {
-    if (this.reconnectTimeout === null) {
-      return this.ensureConnected();
-    }
-    return this.reconnectWaiters.wait();
-  }
-
   private scheduleReconnect() {
     if (
       !shouldScheduleReconnect({
@@ -968,9 +965,8 @@ export class RelayClient {
       return;
     }
 
-    // Apply ±25% jitter so a fleet of clients reconnecting simultaneously
-    // spreads their AUTH storms across a 50% window instead of all hitting
-    // the relay at the same instant.
+    // ±25% jitter spreads a fleet's AUTH storms across a 50% window instead
+    // of hitting the relay at the same instant.
     const jitter = this.reconnectDelayMs * (0.75 + Math.random() * 0.5);
     const delay = Math.min(jitter, RECONNECT_MAX_DELAY_MS);
     this.reconnectDelayMs = Math.min(
@@ -1031,9 +1027,13 @@ export class RelayClient {
     if (options?.reconnect === false) {
       this.terminal = true;
       this.connectionStateEmitter.set("disconnected");
-    } else if (this.connectionStateEmitter.get() !== "stalled") {
-      // Stall is a stronger signal than a generic drop; keep it until the
-      // reconnect timer transitions us back to "reconnecting" in connect().
+    } else if (
+      // A late retry failure racing a terminal latch must not paint
+      // "reconnecting" over the terminal "disconnected" state; stall is a
+      // stronger signal than a generic drop and is kept until reconnect.
+      !this.terminal &&
+      this.connectionStateEmitter.get() !== "stalled"
+    ) {
       this.connectionStateEmitter.set("reconnecting");
     }
 
diff --git a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayReconnectPolicy.ts b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayReconnectPolicy.ts
index 00d8e412bd..780ad3516b 100644
--- a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayReconnectPolicy.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayReconnectPolicy.ts
@@ -70,3 +70,13 @@ export function isServiceRestartClose(message: unknown): boolean {
     data.code === 1012
   );
 }
+
+/** Whether a WS-layer message is the plugin's `Error` frame. */
+export function isWebSocketError(message: unknown): boolean {
+  return (
+    typeof message === "object" &&
+    message !== null &&
+    "type" in message &&
+    message.type === "Error"
+  );
+}
diff --git a/desktop/src/shared/api/useRelayResumeTriggers.ts b/desktop/src/shared/api/useRelayResumeTriggers.ts
index a2e8878ac6..abb2e5d49b 100644
--- a/desktop/src/shared/api/useRelayResumeTriggers.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/shared/api/useRelayResumeTriggers.ts
@@ -5,16 +5,21 @@ import { shouldTriggerResumeReconnect } from "@/shared/api/relayResumeTriggerPol
 
 /**
  * Event-driven reconnect triggers: network `online`, window `focus`, and
- * visibility→visible each attempt an immediate `preconnect()` when the relay
- * session is degraded (reconnecting/stalled), rate-limited by
+ * visibility→visible each attempt an immediate `resumeReconnect()` when the
+ * relay session is degraded (reconnecting/stalled), rate-limited by
  * `RESUME_TRIGGER_MIN_INTERVAL_MS`.
  *
  * Rationale (CMD+R gap audit G1): without these, recovery rides solely on
  * the backoff timer, which WKWebView throttles while the window is occluded
  * or the system was asleep. The moment a user focuses the window to hit
- * CMD+R *is* a focus event — this fires the reconnect first. Deliberately
- * does not trigger on `disconnected` (terminal latch): that path requires
- * explicit user re-engagement via the reconnect card.
+ * CMD+R *is* a focus event — this fires the reconnect first.
+ *
+ * Uses `resumeReconnect()`, NOT `preconnect()`: resume events bypass the
+ * pending backoff timer but must preserve the terminal latch and the AUTH
+ * rejection streak. Otherwise a focus/online event arriving during repeated
+ * AUTH rejection would reset the consecutive-rejection cap and the session
+ * could retry indefinitely instead of surfacing `disconnected`. The
+ * terminal state stays user-owned via the reconnect card.
  */
 export function useRelayResumeTriggers(): void {
   React.useEffect(() => {
@@ -32,9 +37,10 @@ export function useRelayResumeTriggers(): void {
         return;
       }
       lastAttemptAt = now;
-      // preconnect() clears any pending backoff timer and connects now.
-      // Failures re-arm the normal backoff loop; nothing to handle here.
-      void relayClient.preconnect().catch(() => {});
+      // resumeReconnect() clears any pending backoff timer and connects now,
+      // preserving terminal/AUTH-streak state. Failures re-arm the normal
+      // backoff loop; nothing to handle here.
+      void relayClient.resumeReconnect().catch(() => {});
     };
 
     const onVisibilityChange = () => {
diff --git a/desktop/tests/e2e/relay-reconnect.spec.ts b/desktop/tests/e2e/relay-reconnect.spec.ts
index c883a739e8..ec3e87171d 100644
--- a/desktop/tests/e2e/relay-reconnect.spec.ts
+++ b/desktop/tests/e2e/relay-reconnect.spec.ts
@@ -372,6 +372,66 @@ test("resume event short-circuits accumulated reconnect backoff", async ({
   expect(Date.now() - resumedAt).toBeLessThan(2_000);
 });
 
+test("resume events during repeated AUTH rejection cannot defeat the terminal cap", async ({
+  page,
+}) => {
+  await page.goto("/");
+  await page.getByTestId("channel-general").click();
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("chat-title")).toHaveText("general");
+
+  // Three consecutive rejections must latch terminal even when resume
+  // events interleave with the handshakes: resume attempts bypass backoff
+  // but must preserve the AUTH rejection streak (review finding on
+  // PR #4737 — preconnect()'s streak reset previously made the cap
+  // unreachable under focus/online bursts).
+  //
+  // Queue MORE rejections than the cap: superseded connection attempts
+  // (resume racing the backoff timer) consume queue entries on handshakes
+  // whose frames the client drops as stale, exactly like a real relay that
+  // rejects every attempt. A queue of exactly 3 can be silently eaten and
+  // a default-success AUTH would then reset the streak.
+  await queueAuthResponses(
+    page,
+    Array.from({ length: 12 }, () => ({
+      success: false,
+      message: "auth-required: verification failed",
+    })),
+  );
+  await disconnectMockWebsockets(page);
+
+  // Fire resume events while the rejection sequence plays out. Repeated
+  // dispatch (post-rate-limit spacing is irrelevant here: each poll tick
+  // dispatches both events) guarantees at least one lands between
+  // handshakes.
+  await expect
+    .poll(
+      async () => {
+        await page.evaluate(() => {
+          window.dispatchEvent(new Event("online"));
+          window.dispatchEvent(new Event("focus"));
+        });
+        return page.evaluate(() =>
+          window.__BUZZ_E2E_GET_RELAY_CONNECTION_STATE__?.(),
+        );
+      },
+      { intervals: [500], timeout: 20_000 },
+    )
+    .toBe("disconnected");
+
+  // Terminal is user-owned: further resume events must not revive the
+  // session.
+  await page.evaluate(() => {
+    window.dispatchEvent(new Event("online"));
+    window.dispatchEvent(new Event("focus"));
+  });
+  await page.waitForTimeout(1_000);
+  expect(
+    await page.evaluate(() =>
+      window.__BUZZ_E2E_GET_RELAY_CONNECTION_STATE__?.(),
+    ),
+  ).toBe("disconnected");
+});
+
 test("sub-2s degraded flap invalidates relay queries on recovery", async ({
   page,
 }) => {