diff --git a/app/(main)/[locale]/login/__tests__/login-page-skeleton.test.tsx b/app/(main)/[locale]/login/__tests__/login-page-skeleton.test.tsx
index e0c3d6a4b..7009001fd 100644
--- a/app/(main)/[locale]/login/__tests__/login-page-skeleton.test.tsx
+++ b/app/(main)/[locale]/login/__tests__/login-page-skeleton.test.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
-import React from 'react';
+import React, { act } from 'react';
 import { render } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { hydrateRoot } from 'react-dom/client';
 import { renderToString } from 'react-dom/server';
 import { describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
 
@@ -63,6 +64,29 @@ describe('login page while the config loads', () => {
     expect(container.querySelector('.animate-spin')).toBeNull();
   });
 
+  it('hydrates the server\'s skeleton when the config arrived first, and then draws the form', async () => {
+    // The page's Suspense boundary hydrates after the app around it, which fetches the config.
+    config.loading = true;
+    const html = renderToString(<LoginPage />);
+    config.loading = false;
+    const box = document.createElement('div');
+    box.innerHTML = html;
+    document.body.appendChild(box);
+    const fromServer = box.querySelector('[data-boot-skeleton="login"]');
+    expect(fromServer).not.toBeNull();
+    const recoverable: unknown[] = [];
+    const root = hydrateRoot(box, <LoginPage />, { onRecoverableError: (error) => { recoverable.push(error); } });
+    try {
+      await act(async () => {});
+      expect(recoverable).toEqual([]);
+      expect(box.querySelector('[data-boot-skeleton="login"]')).toBeNull();
+      expect(box.querySelector('#username')).not.toBeNull();
+    } finally {
+      await act(async () => root.unmount());
+      box.remove();
+    }
+  });
+
   it('draws the sign-in button\'s place while the provider is looked up, not a spinner', () => {
     config.loading = false;
     config.oauthOnly = true;
diff --git a/app/(main)/[locale]/login/page.tsx b/app/(main)/[locale]/login/page.tsx
index eb1a60f84..d04544e1e 100644
--- a/app/(main)/[locale]/login/page.tsx
+++ b/app/(main)/[locale]/login/page.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 "use client";
 
 import { freshLoginRequired } from "@/lib/app-lock/sign-out";
-import { Suspense, useState, useEffect, useRef, useCallback, useId, useMemo } from "react";
+import { Suspense, useState, useEffect, useRef, useCallback, useId, useMemo, useSyncExternalStore } from "react";
 import { IS_DESKTOP_BUILD } from "@/lib/desktop/flag";
 import { forgetDesktopServer, getDesktopBridge } from "@/lib/desktop/bridge";
 import { customServerAllowedByDesktopPolicy, jmapServerAllowedByDesktopPolicy, useDesktopPolicy } from "@/lib/desktop/policy";
@@ -746,8 +746,12 @@ function LoginPageContent() {
   }, [setTheme]);
 
   // The server HTML, and every visit until /api/config answers: the card's
-  // shape, the same one signed-out visitors of the app pages get first.
-  if (configLoading) {
+  // shape, the same one signed-out visitors of the app pages get first. Also
+  // the pass that hydrates that HTML, however far the config has got: this
+  // page's Suspense boundary hydrates after the app around it, which may have
+  // fetched the config by then, and drawing the form would throw the HTML away.
+  const hydrating = useSyncExternalStore(neverChanges, notHydrating, isHydrating);
+  if (configLoading || hydrating) {
     return <LoginSkeleton label={t("loading")} />;
   }
 
@@ -2066,6 +2070,10 @@ function LoginPageContent() {
   );
 }
 
+const neverChanges = () => () => {};
+const notHydrating = () => false;
+const isHydrating = () => true;
+
 // useSearchParams() above must sit under a Suspense boundary for the route to
 // prerender (the static Lite build); at runtime the boundary never suspends.
 export default function LoginPage() {
diff --git a/components/app-lock/__tests__/app-lock-gate.test.tsx b/components/app-lock/__tests__/app-lock-gate.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0f04098fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/app-lock/__tests__/app-lock-gate.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,227 @@
+import { act, useEffect, type ReactNode } from "react";
+import { PassThrough } from "node:stream";
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import { renderToPipeableStream } from "react-dom/server";
+import { hydrateRoot, type Root } from "react-dom/client";
+
+/**
+ * The gate against real React: the server's stream, then hydration. The controller is
+ * a stand-in, since what's tested here is what the gate does with a hold and a phase
+ * (lib/app-lock/__tests__/controller.test.ts tests the decisions themselves).
+ */
+const lock = vi.hoisted(() => {
+  const listeners = new Set<() => void>();
+  const state = {
+    phase: "open" as string,
+    hold: null as { promise: Promise<void>; release: () => void } | null,
+    setPhase(next: string) {
+      state.phase = next;
+      for (const listener of [...listeners]) listener();
+    },
+    takeHold() {
+      let release = () => {};
+      const promise = new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+        release = resolve;
+      });
+      state.hold = { promise, release };
+    },
+    open() {
+      const held = state.hold;
+      state.hold = null;
+      state.setPhase("open");
+      held?.release();
+    },
+    listeners,
+  };
+  return state;
+});
+
+vi.mock("@/lib/app-lock/controller", () => ({
+  appLockHold: () => lock.hold?.promise ?? null,
+  bootAppLock: () => {},
+  getAppLockPhase: () => lock.phase,
+  recheckAppLockSetup: () => {},
+  startAppLock: () => () => {},
+  subscribeAppLockPhase: (listener: () => void) => {
+    lock.listeners.add(listener);
+    return () => lock.listeners.delete(listener);
+  },
+  takeDraftsSavedNotice: () => false,
+}));
+vi.mock("../lock-screen", () => ({
+  LockScreen: ({ phase }: { phase: string }) => <div data-testid="lock-screen">{phase}</div>,
+}));
+
+import { AppLockGate } from "../app-lock-gate";
+
+/** Well over the size at which React moves a Suspense boundary out of the shell. */
+const ROWS = Array.from({ length: 600 }, (_, i) => `row ${i} of a page skeleton, as long as a real one`);
+
+let effects = 0;
+
+function App() {
+  useEffect(() => {
+    effects += 1;
+  }, []);
+  return <main data-testid="app">{ROWS.map((row) => <p key={row}>{row}</p>)}</main>;
+}
+
+const page = (app: ReactNode = <App />) => <AppLockGate>{app}</AppLockGate>;
+
+/** What the server sends, first byte to last, as the page's real stream does. */
+async function stream(tree: ReactNode): Promise<string> {
+  vi.stubGlobal("window", undefined);
+  try {
+    return await new Promise<string>((resolve, reject) => {
+      let html = "";
+      const out = new PassThrough();
+      out.on("data", (chunk) => { html += chunk; });
+      out.on("end", () => resolve(html));
+      const { pipe } = renderToPipeableStream(tree, {
+        onShellReady: () => pipe(out),
+        onError: reject,
+      });
+    });
+  } finally {
+    vi.unstubAllGlobals();
+  }
+}
+
+/** The markup to hydrate: the gate alone, since a test can't hydrate a whole document. */
+const serverHtml = () => stream(page());
+
+/**
+ * A whole page, <html> and all, as the root layout renders it. It has to be: React only
+ * moves a boundary out of a shell that has a document around it.
+ */
+const serverDocument = () => stream(<html><head /><body>{page()}</body></html>);
+
+let root: Root | null = null;
+let recoverable: unknown[] = [];
+
+/** Hydrates the server's markup and lets everything that can finish, finish. */
+async function hydrate(html: string): Promise<HTMLElement> {
+  const container = document.createElement("div");
+  container.innerHTML = html;
+  document.body.appendChild(container);
+  await act(async () => {
+    root = hydrateRoot(container, page(), { onRecoverableError: (e) => { recoverable.push(e); } });
+  });
+  return container;
+}
+
+const lockScreen = () => document.querySelector('[data-testid="lock-screen"]');
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  (globalThis as unknown as { IS_REACT_ACT_ENVIRONMENT: boolean }).IS_REACT_ACT_ENVIRONMENT = true;
+  lock.phase = "open";
+  lock.hold = null;
+  lock.listeners.clear();
+  effects = 0;
+  recoverable = [];
+});
+
+afterEach(async () => {
+  await act(async () => root?.unmount());
+  root = null;
+  document.body.innerHTML = "";
+});
+
+describe("what the server sends", () => {
+  it("has the app in the shell, not in a hidden segment a script reveals later", async () => {
+    const html = await serverDocument();
+    expect(html).toContain("row 0 of a page skeleton");
+    expect(html).not.toContain('<template id="B:');
+    expect(html).not.toMatch(/<div hidden id="S:/);
+    expect(html).not.toContain("$RC");
+  });
+
+  it("the page is on screen as soon as its bytes are, before any script ran", async () => {
+    const parsed = new DOMParser().parseFromString(await serverDocument(), "text/html");
+    const app = parsed.querySelector('[data-testid="app"]');
+    expect(app).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(app?.closest("[hidden]")).toBeNull();
+  });
+});
+
+describe("with no lock", () => {
+  it("hydrates the server's markup where it is, with no mismatch and the effects run", async () => {
+    const html = await serverHtml();
+    const container = document.createElement("div");
+    container.innerHTML = html;
+    document.body.appendChild(container);
+    const fromServer = container.querySelector('[data-testid="app"]');
+    await act(async () => {
+      root = hydrateRoot(container, page(), { onRecoverableError: (e) => { recoverable.push(e); } });
+    });
+    expect(recoverable).toEqual([]);
+    expect(container.querySelector('[data-testid="app"]')).toBe(fromServer);
+    expect(effects).toBe(1);
+    expect(lockScreen()).toBeNull();
+  });
+});
+
+describe("while the lock holds", () => {
+  it("nothing below hydrates: no effect runs, and the server's markup stays", async () => {
+    const html = await serverHtml();
+    lock.phase = "locked";
+    lock.takeHold();
+    const container = await hydrate(html);
+    expect(effects).toBe(0);
+    expect(container.querySelector('[data-testid="app"]')).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(lockScreen()?.textContent).toBe("locked");
+    expect(recoverable).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it("an unlock hydrates that same markup in this document", async () => {
+    const html = await serverHtml();
+    lock.phase = "locked";
+    lock.takeHold();
+    const container = await hydrate(html);
+    const fromServer = container.querySelector('[data-testid="app"]');
+    await act(async () => lock.open());
+    expect(effects).toBe(1);
+    expect(container.querySelector('[data-testid="app"]')).toBe(fromServer);
+    expect(lockScreen()).toBeNull();
+    expect(recoverable).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it("a phase change shows on the lock screen and leaves the held app alone", async () => {
+    const html = await serverHtml();
+    lock.phase = "checking";
+    lock.takeHold();
+    const container = await hydrate(html);
+    const fromServer = container.querySelector('[data-testid="app"]');
+    expect(lockScreen()).toBeNull();
+    await act(async () => lock.setPhase("locked"));
+    expect(lockScreen()?.textContent).toBe("locked");
+    expect(effects).toBe(0);
+    expect(container.querySelector('[data-testid="app"]')).toBe(fromServer);
+    await act(async () => lock.setPhase("locked-stay"));
+    expect(lockScreen()?.textContent).toBe("locked-stay");
+    expect(effects).toBe(0);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("once it has hydrated", () => {
+  it("a late hold takes the app away and the lock screen still comes up, and an unlock brings it back", async () => {
+    const container = await hydrate(await serverHtml());
+    expect(effects).toBe(1);
+    await act(async () => {
+      lock.takeHold();
+      lock.setPhase("locked");
+    });
+    expect(lockScreen()?.textContent).toBe("locked");
+    expect(container.querySelector('[data-testid="app"]')).toBeNull();
+    await act(async () => lock.open());
+    expect(lockScreen()).toBeNull();
+    expect(container.querySelector('[data-testid="app"]')).not.toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("a page that couldn't reload has the app gone from the screen", async () => {
+    const container = await hydrate(await serverHtml());
+    await act(async () => lock.setPhase("locked-stay"));
+    expect(container.querySelector('[data-testid="app"]')).toBeNull();
+    expect(lockScreen()?.textContent).toBe("locked-stay");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/components/app-lock/app-lock-gate.tsx b/components/app-lock/app-lock-gate.tsx
index 13d2c9559..f4c13ae3b 100644
--- a/components/app-lock/app-lock-gate.tsx
+++ b/components/app-lock/app-lock-gate.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 "use client";
 
-import { Suspense, use, useEffect, useState, useSyncExternalStore } from "react";
+import { Activity, use, useEffect, useState, useSyncExternalStore } from "react";
 import { createPortal } from "react-dom";
 import { LockScreen } from "./lock-screen";
 import { appLockHold, bootAppLock, getAppLockPhase, recheckAppLockSetup, startAppLock, subscribeAppLockPhase, takeDraftsSavedNotice, type AppLockPhase } from "@/lib/app-lock/controller";
@@ -10,23 +10,61 @@ import { toast } from "@/stores/toast-store";
 import { useTranslations } from "next-intl";
 
 const serverPhase = (): AppLockPhase => "open";
+const neverChanges = () => () => {};
+const onClient = () => true;
+const inServerMarkup = () => false;
 
 /**
- * Suspends the app below while the lock holds. In the first render of a page that is
- * locked, that keeps the server's markup inert: nothing below hydrates, so no effect runs,
- * no store fills and no plugin frame starts, until someone unlocks in this same document.
- * The server's markup is the empty skeleton, never mail.
+ * The app below the gate. While the lock holds, the first render suspends, and that keeps
+ * the server's markup inert: nothing below hydrates, so no effect runs, no store fills and
+ * no plugin frame starts, until someone unlocks in this same document. The server's markup
+ * is the empty skeleton, never mail.
+ *
+ * Once it has hydrated there's no boundary left to suspend into, and suspending would stop
+ * the lock screen from showing too. A hold that comes that late takes the app away instead.
  */
-function Hold() {
-  if (typeof window === "undefined") return null;
-  bootAppLock();
-  const hold = appLockHold();
-  if (hold) use(hold);
-  return null;
+function Held({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
+  const phase = useSyncExternalStore(subscribeAppLockPhase, getAppLockPhase, serverPhase);
+  const hydrated = useSyncExternalStore(neverChanges, onClient, inServerMarkup);
+  if (typeof window !== "undefined") {
+    bootAppLock();
+    const hold = appLockHold();
+    if (hold) {
+      if (!hydrated) use(hold);
+      return null;
+    }
+  }
+  return phase === "locked-stay" ? null : children;
 }
 
-/** Above everything that touches mail, and in every window: main, pop-outs, composers. */
+/**
+ * Above everything that touches mail, and in every window: main, pop-outs, composers.
+ *
+ * Activity and not Suspense around the app: both can stay dehydrated while something
+ * inside suspends, but React moves a big Suspense boundary out of the shell, even a
+ * finished one. The whole app would come as a hidden segment that a script reveals, a
+ * frame or up to 300 ms later, and the page has no skeleton until then. For everyone,
+ * lock or no lock. An Activity's markup stays where it is
+ * (scripts/boot-skeleton-guard checks the bytes).
+ *
+ * The phase lives in the two components below this one and not here: new props on a
+ * dehydrated boundary would make React give up on it and throw the server's markup away.
+ */
 export function AppLockGate({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
+  if (IS_LITE) return <>{children}</>;
+
+  return (
+    <>
+      <Activity mode="visible">
+        <Held>{children}</Held>
+      </Activity>
+      <LockLayer />
+    </>
+  );
+}
+
+/** The lock's life in this tab, and its screen. Hydrates with the page's shell, whatever Held does. */
+function LockLayer() {
   const phase = useSyncExternalStore(subscribeAppLockPhase, getAppLockPhase, serverPhase);
   const t = useTranslations("appLock");
   const [mounted, setMounted] = useState(false);
@@ -38,7 +76,6 @@ export function AppLockGate({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
 
   // Signing in while an organisation requires the lock: it's due now.
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (IS_LITE) return;
     recheckAppLockSetup();
     return useAccountStore.subscribe(recheckAppLockSetup);
   }, []);
@@ -47,15 +84,6 @@ export function AppLockGate({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
     if (phase === "open" && takeDraftsSavedNotice()) toast.info(t("draft_saved_notice"));
   }, [phase, t]);
 
-  if (IS_LITE) return <>{children}</>;
-
-  return (
-    <>
-      <Suspense fallback={null}>
-        <Hold />
-        {phase === "locked-stay" ? null : children}
-      </Suspense>
-      {mounted && phase !== "open" && phase !== "checking" && createPortal(<LockScreen phase={phase} />, document.body)}
-    </>
-  );
+  if (!mounted || phase === "open" || phase === "checking") return null;
+  return createPortal(<LockScreen phase={phase} />, document.body);
 }
diff --git a/integration/tests/24-do-app-lock.spec.ts b/integration/tests/24-do-app-lock.spec.ts
index 40a1e3201..995ee7fa5 100644
--- a/integration/tests/24-do-app-lock.spec.ts
+++ b/integration/tests/24-do-app-lock.spec.ts
@@ -513,6 +513,8 @@ test('a forgotten PIN offline: the cookie that stays signs nobody in, then or wh
   await enableOffline(page);
   await enableLock(page);
   await lockNow(page);
+  const sessionCookies = (await context.cookies()).filter((cookie) => SESSION_COOKIE.test(cookie.name));
+  expect(sessionCookies.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
   await context.setOffline(true);
   await forgetPin(page);
   // No network, so no way to delete an HttpOnly cookie, and the shell went with the rest:
@@ -521,7 +523,9 @@ test('a forgotten PIN offline: the cookie that stays signs nobody in, then or wh
     .catch((error: Error) => expect(error.message).toContain('ERR_INTERNET_DISCONNECTED'));
   // The old page is gone only once the error page is up: until then it could still reach the network.
   await expect.poll(() => page.url(), { timeout: 30_000 }).toContain('chrome-error');
-  expect((await context.cookies()).some((cookie) => SESSION_COOKIE.test(cookie.name))).toBe(true);
+  // What a real outage leaves. Chromium's emulated one lets a keepalive request through when
+  // the page leaves right after it: the page hears it failed, and the server clears the cookies.
+  await context.addCookies(sessionCookies);
   const stored = (await context.storageState()).origins.flatMap((origin) => origin.localStorage).map((entry) => entry.name);
   expect(stored).toContain('bulwark-cookies-to-clear');
   expect(stored).not.toContain('bulwark-app-lock');
diff --git a/lib/app-lock/__tests__/controller.test.ts b/lib/app-lock/__tests__/controller.test.ts
index 9d193247c..ad3bd3121 100644
--- a/lib/app-lock/__tests__/controller.test.ts
+++ b/lib/app-lock/__tests__/controller.test.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import {
 } from '../controller';
 import { LOCK_LAYER } from '../crypto';
 import { appLockRequired, effectiveTimeout } from '../policy';
-import { APP_LOCK_KEY, isAppLockedNow, readAppLockFile, setLockedHere } from '../state';
+import { APP_LOCK_KEY, appLockBootScript, isAppLockedNow, readAppLockFile, setLockedHere } from '../state';
 import { createVault, deleteVault, readVault, sealDraft, VaultExistsError } from '../vault';
 
 const PIN = 'correct-pin';
@@ -637,6 +637,85 @@ describe('the desktop app', () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe('a start with no lock file', () => {
+  /** Runs the head script of app/(main)/layout.tsx and waits until its look has answered. */
+  async function headScript(): Promise<void> {
+    const databases = vi.spyOn(indexedDB, 'databases');
+    new Function(appLockBootScript())();
+    await databases.mock.results[0]?.value;
+    await Promise.resolve();
+    databases.mockRestore();
+  }
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    delete (window as unknown as Record<string, unknown>).__bulwarkNoAppLockVault;
+  });
+
+  it('holds nothing back once the head script found no vault: the app starts in the first render', async () => {
+    await headScript();
+    bootAppLock();
+    expect(appLockHold()).toBeNull();
+    expect(getAppLockPhase()).toBe('open');
+    expect(isAppLockedNow()).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('still waits for the look when the head script has no answer yet', async () => {
+    bootAppLock();
+    expect(appLockHold()).toBeInstanceOf(Promise);
+    expect(getAppLockPhase()).toBe('checking');
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(appLockHold()).toBeNull());
+    expect(getAppLockPhase()).toBe('open');
+  });
+
+  it('a lost file with a vault still locks: the head script doesn\'t let that start through', async () => {
+    await enableAppLock(PIN);
+    localStorage.removeItem(APP_LOCK_KEY);
+    resetAppLockForTests();
+    await headScript();
+    bootAppLock();
+    expect(appLockHold()).toBeInstanceOf(Promise);
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(getAppLockPhase()).toBe('locked'));
+    expect(readAppLockFile().on).toBe(true);
+    expect(isAppLockedNow()).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('a lock file on means no look at all: the first frame already knows', async () => {
+    localStorage.setItem(APP_LOCK_KEY, JSON.stringify({ on: true, locked: true }));
+    const databases = vi.spyOn(indexedDB, 'databases');
+    new Function(appLockBootScript())();
+    expect(databases).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(document.documentElement.hasAttribute('data-app-locked')).toBe(true);
+    databases.mockRestore();
+    document.documentElement.removeAttribute('data-app-locked');
+  });
+
+  it('a look that fails says nothing, and the start waits for its own', async () => {
+    const databases = vi.spyOn(indexedDB, 'databases').mockRejectedValue(new Error('blocked'));
+    new Function(appLockBootScript())();
+    await databases.mock.results[0].value.catch(() => {});
+    databases.mockRestore();
+    bootAppLock();
+    expect(appLockHold()).toBeInstanceOf(Promise);
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(appLockHold()).toBeNull());
+  });
+
+  it('a required lock still waits for its PIN, vault or no vault', async () => {
+    await headScript();
+    bridge();
+    (window as unknown as { bulwarkDesktop: Record<string, unknown> }).bulwarkDesktop.policy = {
+      get: () => ({
+        AppLockRequired: { value: true, locked: true, source: 'forced-machine' },
+        AppLockTimeoutMinutes: { value: null, locked: false, source: 'default' },
+      }),
+      onChange: () => () => {},
+    };
+    localStorage.setItem('account-registry', JSON.stringify({ state: { accounts: [{ id: 'a' }] } }));
+    bootAppLock();
+    expect(getAppLockPhase()).toBe('setup');
+    expect(appLockHold()).toBeInstanceOf(Promise);
+  });
+});
+
 describe('policy', () => {
   function withPolicy(required: { value: boolean; locked: boolean }, minutes: { value: number | null; locked: boolean } = { value: null, locked: false }) {
     const appLock = bridge();
diff --git a/lib/app-lock/controller.ts b/lib/app-lock/controller.ts
index df9478caa..2922acbaf 100644
--- a/lib/app-lock/controller.ts
+++ b/lib/app-lock/controller.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ import {
   APP_LOCK_CHANNEL,
   APP_LOCK_HOLDER,
   APP_LOCK_KEY,
+  headScriptFoundNoVault,
   isAppLockedNow,
   postAppLockMessage,
   readAppLockFile,
@@ -190,6 +191,8 @@ export function bootAppLock(): void {
     return;
   }
   markDocument(false);
+  // The look already came back empty: nothing to hold back for.
+  if (headScriptFoundNoVault() && !setupNeeded()) return;
   hold = newHold();
   if (setupNeeded()) {
     phase = 'setup';
diff --git a/lib/app-lock/state.ts b/lib/app-lock/state.ts
index 73c77eca5..681ca4010 100644
--- a/lib/app-lock/state.ts
+++ b/lib/app-lock/state.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@ export const APP_LOCK_KEY = 'bulwark-app-lock';
 /** When someone last used a window or tab. Shared by all of them. */
 export const APP_LOCK_ACTIVITY_KEY = 'bulwark-app-lock-activity';
 export const APP_LOCK_CHANNEL = 'bulwark:app-lock';
+/** The IndexedDB database of lib/app-lock/vault.ts. */
+export const VAULT_DB = 'bulwark-app-lock';
+/** Set by the head script once it knows this browser has no vault. */
+const NO_VAULT_GLOBAL = '__bulwarkNoAppLockVault';
 /** Web Lock held by the tab that has the lock key, for as long as it lives. */
 export const APP_LOCK_HOLDER = 'bulwark-app-lock-holder';
 
@@ -94,10 +98,25 @@ export function postAppLockMessage(message: AppLockMessage): void {
   }
 }
 
-/** Runs in the head script, before the first paint. Self-contained: it is stringified. */
+/**
+ * Runs in the head script, before the first paint. Self-contained: it is stringified.
+ *
+ * With no lock file it already asks whether there's a vault, which is what a start has to
+ * know before it may go on. The answer is usually in before the page's scripts have
+ * loaded, so someone with no lock never waits for the look. Only listing the databases:
+ * opening one would create it.
+ */
 export function appLockBootScript(): string {
   return `try {
     var appLock = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem(${JSON.stringify(APP_LOCK_KEY)}) || 'null');
     if (appLock && appLock.on === true) document.documentElement.setAttribute('data-app-locked', '');
+    else indexedDB.databases().then(function (dbs) {
+      if (!dbs.some(function (db) { return db.name === ${JSON.stringify(VAULT_DB)}; })) window[${JSON.stringify(NO_VAULT_GLOBAL)}] = true;
+    }, function () {});
   } catch (e) {}`;
 }
+
+/** The head script's look has answered, and there is no vault. Anything else says nothing. */
+export function headScriptFoundNoVault(): boolean {
+  return typeof window !== 'undefined' && (window as unknown as Record<string, unknown>)[NO_VAULT_GLOBAL] === true;
+}
diff --git a/lib/app-lock/vault.ts b/lib/app-lock/vault.ts
index 90c7e1b59..322559ec2 100644
--- a/lib/app-lock/vault.ts
+++ b/lib/app-lock/vault.ts
@@ -15,11 +15,12 @@
  * no secret service) says no, and the wrap stays as it is.
  */
 
+import { VAULT_DB } from './state';
 import { getDesktopBridge } from '@/lib/desktop/bridge';
 import { sealFor, createSessionOpener, type SealedAnswer } from '@/lib/popout/sealed';
 import { keyFromPin, keyFromPrf, ObviousPinError, open, PBKDF2_ITERATIONS, pinIsObvious, randomBytes, seal, type WrappedBytes } from './crypto';
 
-export const VAULT_DB = 'bulwark-app-lock';
+export { VAULT_DB };
 const DB_VERSION = 1;
 const RECORDS = 'records';
 const SEALED = 'sealed';
diff --git a/scripts/boot-skeleton-guard/boot-skeleton-guard.spec.ts b/scripts/boot-skeleton-guard/boot-skeleton-guard.spec.ts
index 77a3c659d..fa8ca2276 100644
--- a/scripts/boot-skeleton-guard/boot-skeleton-guard.spec.ts
+++ b/scripts/boot-skeleton-guard/boot-skeleton-guard.spec.ts
@@ -116,6 +116,19 @@ test.describe("server HTML without JavaScript", () => {
     });
   }
 
+  // React moves a big finished Suspense boundary out of the shell, into a hidden
+  // <div> a script reveals later: a frame or up to 300 ms with no skeleton at all.
+  // The cases above only see that when the reveal loses the race with the load
+  // event, so this reads the bytes.
+  for (const path of ["/en", "/en/mail/folder/inbox", "/en/calendar/week/2026-11-04", "/en/contacts", "/en/files/Documents", "/en/settings", "/en/pro", "/en/login"]) {
+    test(`${path}: the skeleton is in the page, not in a segment a script reveals`, async ({ request }) => {
+      const html = await (await request.get(path)).text();
+      const skeleton = html.indexOf("data-boot-skeleton=");
+      expect(skeleton, "a skeleton in the HTML").toBeGreaterThan(-1);
+      expect(html.slice(0, skeleton), "a hidden segment before the skeleton").not.toMatch(/<div hidden id="S:/);
+    });
+  }
+
   test("a visitor with nothing stored sees the login card's shape", async ({ browser }) => {
     for (const path of ["/en/mail/folder/inbox", "/en/calendar/week/2026-11-04", "/en/settings"]) {
       const context = await browser.newContext();
@@ -171,6 +184,25 @@ async function waitLoaded(page: Page) {
   await page.waitForTimeout(1500);
 }
 
+// A failed hydration throws the skeleton away and draws the page again, which is what
+// the skeleton is there to avoid. The login page's own boundary hydrates after the app
+// around it, so a few loads, as it depends on what got there first.
+test("the login page hydrates what the server sent", async ({ browser }) => {
+  const errors: string[] = [];
+  for (let i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
+    const context = await browser.newContext();
+    const page = await context.newPage();
+    const note = (text: string) => { if (/hydrat|#418|#423|#425/i.test(text)) errors.push(text.slice(0, 200)); };
+    page.on("pageerror", (e) => note(e.message));
+    page.on("console", (m) => { if (m.type() === "error") note(m.text()); });
+    await page.goto("/en/login");
+    await page.getByRole("button", { name: /^sign in$/i }).first().waitFor({ timeout: 60_000 });
+    await page.waitForTimeout(500);
+    await context.close();
+  }
+  expect(errors).toEqual([]);
+});
+
 test("layout shift from navigation to the loaded page stays at or under 0.01", async ({ browser }) => {
   const context = await browser.newContext({ viewport: { width: 1440, height: 900 } });
   await recordShifts(context);
diff --git a/stores/__tests__/email-selection.test.ts b/stores/__tests__/email-selection.test.ts
index 88cf269ef..6e995e200 100644
--- a/stores/__tests__/email-selection.test.ts
+++ b/stores/__tests__/email-selection.test.ts
@@ -51,6 +51,17 @@ describe('email-store selection', () => {
       expect(ticked()).toBe(1);
     });
 
+    it('leaves an empty selection the same object, so nothing reading it renders again', () => {
+      useEmailStore.setState({ selectedEmailKeys: new Set(), lastSelectedEmailKey: 'opened' });
+      const empty = useEmailStore.getState().selectedEmailKeys;
+      const pending = new Promise<never>(() => {});
+      useEmailStore.getState().setSearchQuery('rollback');
+      void useEmailStore.getState().searchEmails({ searchEmails: () => pending } as never, 'other');
+      useEmailStore.getState().clearSelection();
+      expect(useEmailStore.getState().selectedEmailKeys).toBe(empty);
+      expect(useEmailStore.getState().lastSelectedEmailKey).toBeNull();
+    });
+
     it('drops them when a search runs for another query, before its results land', () => {
       const pending = new Promise<never>(() => {});
       void useEmailStore.getState().searchEmails({ searchEmails: () => pending } as never, 'rollback');
diff --git a/stores/email-store.ts b/stores/email-store.ts
index 74e798d90..96d37325e 100644
--- a/stores/email-store.ts
+++ b/stores/email-store.ts
@@ -71,7 +71,11 @@ type PendingUndoSend = {
   submissionAccountId?: string;
 };
 
-const NO_SELECTION = () => ({ selectedEmailKeys: new Set<string>(), lastSelectedEmailKey: null });
+// Nothing ticked stays the same object: a new empty set re-renders all that reads the selection.
+const NO_SELECTION = (state: { selectedEmailKeys: Set<string> }) => ({
+  selectedEmailKeys: state.selectedEmailKeys.size === 0 ? state.selectedEmailKeys : new Set<string>(),
+  lastSelectedEmailKey: null,
+});
 
 /** Drop the matching emails from a key-based selection. */
 function dropFromSelection(
@@ -3620,7 +3624,7 @@ export const useEmailStore = create<EmailStore>((set, get) => ({
   // counted in the selection bar, with Delete acting on rows nobody can see.
   setSearchQuery: (query) => set((state) => ({
     searchQuery: query,
-    ...(query === state.searchQuery ? {} : NO_SELECTION()),
+    ...(query === state.searchQuery ? {} : NO_SELECTION(state)),
   })),
   setQuota: (quota) => set({ quota }),
 
@@ -3715,7 +3719,7 @@ export const useEmailStore = create<EmailStore>((set, get) => ({
   },
 
   clearSelection: () => {
-    set({ selectedEmailKeys: new Set(), lastSelectedEmailKey: null });
+    set(NO_SELECTION(get()));
   },
 
   // JMAP operations
@@ -5378,7 +5382,7 @@ export const useEmailStore = create<EmailStore>((set, get) => ({
     // trip later. What the mail view renders from is written only once the
     // request is on its way (see afterRequestDispatch); the controller is
     // recorded at once so a superseding search can still cancel this one.
-    set({ searchAbortController: controller, ...(typedQuery === get().searchQuery ? {} : NO_SELECTION()) });
+    set({ searchAbortController: controller, ...(typedQuery === get().searchQuery ? {} : NO_SELECTION(get())) });
     afterRequestDispatch(() => {
       if (get().searchAbortController === controller) set({ isLoading: true, error: null, searchQuery: typedQuery });
     });
@@ -5616,7 +5620,7 @@ export const useEmailStore = create<EmailStore>((set, get) => ({
   setSearchFilters: (filters) => {
     set((state) => ({
       searchFilters: { ...state.searchFilters, ...filters },
-      ...NO_SELECTION(),
+      ...NO_SELECTION(state),
     }));
   },
 
@@ -5625,7 +5629,7 @@ export const useEmailStore = create<EmailStore>((set, get) => ({
     set((state) => ({
       searchMailboxId: mailboxId,
       searchScopeFollowsFolder: false,
-      ...(mailboxId !== state.searchMailboxId && (state.searchQuery.trim() || !isFilterEmpty(state.searchFilters)) ? NO_SELECTION() : {}),
+      ...(mailboxId !== state.searchMailboxId && (state.searchQuery.trim() || !isFilterEmpty(state.searchFilters)) ? NO_SELECTION(state) : {}),
     }));
   },
 
@@ -5641,7 +5645,7 @@ export const useEmailStore = create<EmailStore>((set, get) => ({
       searchFilters: { ...DEFAULT_SEARCH_FILTERS },
       searchMailboxId: currentSearchScopeDefault(mailboxesInView(state), state.selectedMailbox),
       searchScopeFollowsFolder: false,
-      ...(isFilterEmpty(state.searchFilters) ? {} : NO_SELECTION()),
+      ...(isFilterEmpty(state.searchFilters) ? {} : NO_SELECTION(state)),
     }));
   },