diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/apps/editor/AppEditorHeader.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/components/apps/editor/AppEditorHeader.svelte
index e24a280d87..765d1ceffe 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/components/apps/editor/AppEditorHeader.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/apps/editor/AppEditorHeader.svelte
@@ -757,6 +757,7 @@
 		{/snippet}
 		<AppEditorHeaderDeploy
 			{newPath}
+			{newApp}
 			{policy}
 			{setPublishState}
 			appPath={$appPath}
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/apps/editor/AppEditorHeaderDeploy.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/components/apps/editor/AppEditorHeaderDeploy.svelte
index 2294554f3e..82f531e792 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/components/apps/editor/AppEditorHeaderDeploy.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/apps/editor/AppEditorHeaderDeploy.svelte
@@ -36,7 +36,8 @@
 		newPath,
 		hideSecretUrl = false,
 		preserveOnBehalfOf = $bindable(false),
-		rawApp = false
+		rawApp = false,
+		newApp = false
 	}: {
 		policy: any
 		setPublishState: () => void
@@ -57,6 +58,11 @@
 		// document and break no-CORP cross-origin subresources (external images,
 		// {@html} embeds, CDN imports).
 		rawApp?: boolean
+		/** True while the editor is on a draft-only URL (`/edit/u/{user}/draft_{uuid}`
+		 *  with no deployed row yet). Suppresses the public-secret-URL fetch
+		 *  (`/secret_of/...` 404s with no `app` row) and renders a placeholder
+		 *  instead of the eternally-spinning link. */
+		newApp?: boolean
 	} = $props()
 
 	let isDeployer = $derived($userStore?.groups?.includes(WM_DEPLOYERS_GROUP) ?? false)
@@ -139,7 +145,15 @@
 	})
 
 	$effect(() => {
-		appPath && appPath != '' && savedApp && secretUrl == undefined && untrack(() => getSecretUrl())
+		// Skip the secret URL fetch on draft-only items — `/secret_of/...`
+		// has no `app` row to look up and would 404, leaving the UI
+		// component spinning indefinitely.
+		!newApp &&
+			appPath &&
+			appPath != '' &&
+			savedApp &&
+			secretUrl == undefined &&
+			untrack(() => getSecretUrl())
 	})
 </script>
 
@@ -267,8 +281,8 @@
 				disabled={!savedApp}
 			/>
 		</div>
-		{#if !savedApp}
-			<ClipboardPanel content={`Save this app once to get the public secret URL`} size="md" />
+		{#if !savedApp || newApp}
+			<ClipboardPanel content={`Deploy this app once to get the public secret URL`} size="md" />
 		{:else if secretUrlHref}
 			<div class="flex justify-end mb-1">
 				<Toggle
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/RawAppEditorHeader.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/RawAppEditorHeader.svelte
index 6ecc6cc09c..8de11a0241 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/RawAppEditorHeader.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/RawAppEditorHeader.svelte
@@ -609,6 +609,7 @@
 
 		<AppEditorHeaderDeploy
 			{newPath}
+			{newApp}
 			{policy}
 			{setPublishState}
 			{appPath}