diff --git a/app/androidApp/src/main/kotlin/com/example/aiapp/MainScreen.kt b/app/androidApp/src/main/kotlin/com/example/aiapp/MainScreen.kt
index 76e0954..4c65b18 100644
--- a/app/androidApp/src/main/kotlin/com/example/aiapp/MainScreen.kt
+++ b/app/androidApp/src/main/kotlin/com/example/aiapp/MainScreen.kt
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import androidx.compose.material3.PrimaryTabRow
 import androidx.compose.material3.Tab
 import androidx.compose.material3.Text
 import androidx.compose.runtime.Composable
+import androidx.compose.runtime.LaunchedEffect
 import androidx.compose.runtime.getValue
 import androidx.compose.runtime.mutableIntStateOf
 import androidx.compose.runtime.mutableStateOf
@@ -20,6 +21,9 @@ import androidx.compose.runtime.setValue
 import androidx.compose.ui.Alignment
 import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
 import androidx.compose.ui.unit.dp
+import androidx.lifecycle.Lifecycle
+import androidx.lifecycle.compose.LocalLifecycleOwner
+import androidx.lifecycle.repeatOnLifecycle
 
 /**
  * The app's root: one title, and four views of the backend behind it.
@@ -51,6 +55,30 @@ fun MainScreen(
     var tab by remember { mutableStateOf(MainTab.Sessions) }
     var refreshToken by remember { mutableIntStateOf(0) }
 
+    // Coming back to the app asks again, on whichever tab is showing.
+    //
+    // What these four draw is a snapshot of a backend they are not connected to, so it is only as
+    // fresh as the last answer -- and a *failed* answer is the one that outstays its welcome. A
+    // phone that was away while the tunnel was down, or that fetched before the network came up,
+    // came back to "Couldn't reach the server" sitting at the top of a list the server would now
+    // answer for perfectly well, and nothing took it off until somebody pressed Refresh. A stale
+    // failure is worse than a stale list: it is a claim about right now.
+    //
+    // Through the same token the Refresh button uses, so this is one instruction the tabs already
+    // understand rather than a second path into each of them -- which is also what makes it cover
+    // all four rather than the one the report came from.
+    //
+    // Not on the first entry: the tab composing already asks, and bumping here would make every
+    // cold start fetch twice.
+    val lifecycleOwner = LocalLifecycleOwner.current
+    LaunchedEffect(lifecycleOwner) {
+        var opening = true
+        lifecycleOwner.repeatOnLifecycle(Lifecycle.State.STARTED) {
+            if (!opening) refreshToken++
+            opening = false
+        }
+    }
+
     // A tab the app put over the list has to step back to it rather than fall through to the
     // system default, which closes the app -- that reads as a crash to somebody who only meant to
     // get back to their sessions. Nested inside AppRoot's handler, so it wins while it is enabled.