diff --git a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayClientRecoveryAvailability.test.mjs b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayClientRecoveryAvailability.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..970cbd3f01
--- /dev/null
+++ b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayClientRecoveryAvailability.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,439 @@
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import test from "node:test";
+
+const timers = new Map();
+let nextTimer = 0;
+let invoke;
+globalThis.window = {
+  setTimeout: (fn, ms) => {
+    timers.set(++nextTimer, { fn, ms });
+    return nextTimer;
+  },
+  clearTimeout: (id) => timers.delete(id),
+  setInterval: (fn, ms) => window.setTimeout(fn, ms),
+  clearInterval: (id) => timers.delete(id),
+  __TAURI_INTERNALS__: {
+    transformCallback: () => ++nextTimer,
+    unregisterCallback: () => {},
+    invoke: (...args) => invoke(...args),
+  },
+};
+const { RelayClient } = await import("./relayClientSession.ts");
+const { resetRateLimitGate } = await import("./relayRateLimitGate.ts");
+
+function deferred() {
+  let resolve;
+  let reject;
+  const promise = new Promise((yes, no) => {
+    resolve = yes;
+    reject = no;
+  });
+  return { promise, resolve, reject };
+}
+
+async function flush() {
+  for (let i = 0; i < 100; i++) await Promise.resolve();
+}
+
+function row(id) {
+  return {
+    id: id.repeat(64),
+    pubkey: "a".repeat(64),
+    kind: 9,
+    created_at: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000),
+    tags: [["h", "background"]],
+    content: id,
+    sig: "b".repeat(128),
+  };
+}
+
+function fixture(t) {
+  timers.clear();
+  resetRateLimitGate();
+  const client = new RelayClient();
+  const sockets = [];
+  const frames = [];
+  const repairs = [];
+  let authHeld = false;
+  let failReplay = null;
+  let failNextOperation = false;
+  invoke = async (command, args) => {
+    if (command === "get_relay_ws_url") return "wss://fixture.invalid";
+    if (command === "sign_event") return JSON.stringify(row("3"));
+    if (command === "create_auth_event") return JSON.stringify({ id: "auth" });
+    if (command === "plugin:websocket|connect") {
+      sockets.push(args.onMessage);
+      args.onMessage.onmessage({ type: "Text", data: '["AUTH","challenge"]' });
+      return sockets.length;
+    }
+    if (command === "plugin:websocket|disconnect") return;
+    if (command === "plugin:websocket|send") {
+      const frame = JSON.parse(args.message.data);
+      frames.push({ socket: args.id, frame });
+      if (failNextOperation && (frame[0] === "REQ" || frame[0] === "EVENT")) {
+        failNextOperation = false;
+        authHeld = true;
+        throw new Error("fixture initial send failed");
+      }
+      if (frame[0] === "EVENT") deliver(args.id, ["OK", frame[1].id, true, ""]);
+      if (frame[0] === "AUTH" && !authHeld)
+        deliver(args.id, ["OK", "auth", true, ""]);
+      if (frame[0] === "REQ") {
+        if (failReplay && frame[2]["#h"]?.[0] === "background")
+          return failReplay.promise;
+        deliver(args.id, ["EOSE", frame[1]]);
+      }
+      return;
+    }
+    if (command === "get_channel_reconnect_repair") {
+      const gate = deferred();
+      repairs.push({ args, ...gate });
+      return gate.promise;
+    }
+    assert.fail(`Unexpected native call: ${command}`);
+  };
+  function deliver(socket, frame) {
+    sockets[socket - 1].onmessage({
+      type: "Text",
+      data: JSON.stringify(frame),
+    });
+  }
+  t.after(async () => {
+    for (const repair of repairs) repair.resolve([]);
+    failReplay?.resolve();
+    await flush();
+    client.disconnect();
+    resetRateLimitGate();
+  });
+  return {
+    client,
+    sockets,
+    frames,
+    repairs,
+    deliver,
+    failNextOperation: () => {
+      failNextOperation = true;
+    },
+    holdAuth: () => {
+      authHeld = true;
+    },
+    failReplay: (gate) => {
+      failReplay = gate;
+    },
+  };
+}
+
+async function seedAndDisconnect(f) {
+  const delivered = [];
+  await f.client.subscribeToChannelLive("background", (event) =>
+    delivered.push(event.id),
+  );
+  const sub = f.frames.find(({ frame }) => frame[0] === "REQ").frame[1];
+  f.deliver(1, ["EVENT", sub, row("1")]);
+  f.deliver(1, ["EOSE", sub]);
+  await flush();
+  assert.deepEqual(delivered, [row("1").id]);
+  f.sockets[0].onmessage({
+    type: "Close",
+    data: { code: 1006, reason: "fixture drop" },
+  });
+  await flush();
+  return delivered;
+}
+
+for (const beforeAuth of [false, true]) {
+  test(`foreground subscription does not wait for background repair (${beforeAuth ? "queued before auth" : "after auth"})`, async (t) => {
+    const f = fixture(t);
+    const delivered = await seedAndDisconnect(f);
+    let completed = 0;
+    f.client.subscribeToReconnects(() => completed++);
+    if (beforeAuth) f.holdAuth();
+    const reconnect = f.client.resumeReconnect();
+    await flush();
+    let ready = false;
+    const foreground = f.client
+      .subscribeToChannelLive("foreground", () => {})
+      .then((dispose) => {
+        ready = true;
+        return dispose;
+      });
+    await flush();
+    if (beforeAuth) {
+      assert.equal(ready, false, "authentication remains mandatory");
+      assert.equal(
+        f.frames.some(
+          ({ socket, frame }) => socket === 2 && frame[0] === "REQ",
+        ),
+        false,
+      );
+      f.deliver(2, ["OK", "auth", true, ""]);
+      await flush();
+    }
+    assert.equal(f.repairs.length, 1, "real native repair must be in flight");
+    assert.equal(completed, 0, "reconnect completion still waits for repair");
+    try {
+      assert.equal(
+        ready,
+        true,
+        "authenticated foreground REQ must not wait for unrelated HTTP repair",
+      );
+    } finally {
+      f.repairs[0].resolve([row("2")]);
+      await reconnect;
+      const dispose = await foreground;
+      await flush();
+      await dispose();
+    }
+    assert.deepEqual(
+      delivered,
+      [row("1").id, row("2").id],
+      "missed history still arrives",
+    );
+    assert.equal(completed, 1);
+  });
+}
+
+test("late repair completion cannot notify or deliver into a replacement community", async (t) => {
+  const f = fixture(t);
+  const delivered = await seedAndDisconnect(f);
+  await f.client.resumeReconnect();
+  await flush();
+  assert.equal(f.repairs.length, 1);
+  f.client.disconnect();
+  await f.client.preconnect();
+  await flush();
+  let notified = 0;
+  f.client.subscribeToReconnects(() => notified++);
+  const socket = f.client.wsId;
+  f.repairs[0].resolve([row("2")]);
+  await flush();
+  assert.equal(f.client.wsId, socket);
+  assert.equal(f.client.getConnectionState(), "connected");
+  assert.equal(notified, 0);
+  assert.deepEqual(delivered, [row("1").id]);
+});
+
+test("current replay transport failure resets the socket and schedules recovery", async (t) => {
+  const f = fixture(t);
+  await seedAndDisconnect(f);
+  const send = deferred();
+  f.failReplay(send);
+  await f.client.resumeReconnect();
+  await flush();
+  assert.equal(f.client.getConnectionState(), "connected");
+  send.reject(new Error("fixture send failed"));
+  await flush();
+  assert.equal(f.client.wsId, null);
+  assert.equal(f.client.getConnectionState(), "reconnecting");
+  assert.notEqual(f.client.reconnectTimeout, null);
+});
+
+test("stale replay transport failure cannot reset a replacement socket", async (t) => {
+  const f = fixture(t);
+  await seedAndDisconnect(f);
+  const send = deferred();
+  f.failReplay(send);
+  await f.client.resumeReconnect();
+  await flush();
+  f.client.disconnect();
+  f.failReplay(null);
+  await f.client.preconnect();
+  await flush();
+  const socket = f.client.wsId;
+  send.reject(new Error("late fixture send failure"));
+  await flush();
+  assert.equal(f.client.wsId, socket);
+  assert.equal(f.client.getConnectionState(), "connected");
+  assert.equal(f.client.reconnectTimeout, null);
+});
+
+test("rejected authentication never releases a waiting foreground request", async (t) => {
+  const f = fixture(t);
+  f.holdAuth();
+  const connecting = f.client.preconnect();
+  const rejected = assert.rejects(connecting, /restricted/);
+  await flush();
+  const foreground = f.client.subscribeToChannelLive("foreground", () => {});
+  const foregroundRejected = assert.rejects(foreground, /restricted/);
+  f.deliver(1, ["OK", "auth", false, "restricted: fixture denial"]);
+  await Promise.all([rejected, foregroundRejected]);
+  assert.equal(
+    f.frames.some(({ frame }) => frame[0] === "REQ"),
+    false,
+  );
+  assert.equal(f.client.wsId, null);
+  assert.equal(f.client.getConnectionState(), "disconnected");
+});
+
+function expireCooldown() {
+  const entry = [...timers.entries()].find(([, timer]) => timer.ms === 10_000);
+  assert.ok(entry, "expected WS admission timer");
+  timers.delete(entry[0]);
+  entry[1].fn();
+}
+
+for (const switchCommunity of [false, true]) {
+  test(`foreground admission preserves WS cooldown (switch=${switchCommunity})`, async (t) => {
+    const f = fixture(t);
+    await seedAndDisconnect(f);
+    await f.client.resumeReconnect();
+    f.deliver(2, ["NOTICE", "rate-limited: retry in 10s"]);
+    await flush();
+    const foreground = f.client.subscribeToChannelLive("foreground", () => {});
+    const outcome = foreground.then(
+      () => "ready",
+      () => "superseded",
+    );
+    await flush();
+    assert.equal(
+      f.frames.some(
+        ({ frame }) =>
+          frame[0] === "REQ" && frame[2]["#h"]?.[0] === "foreground",
+      ),
+      false,
+    );
+    if (switchCommunity) {
+      f.client.disconnect();
+      resetRateLimitGate();
+      await f.client.preconnect();
+      assert.equal(await outcome, "superseded");
+      assert.equal(f.client.subscriptions.size, 0);
+      assert.equal(f.client.getConnectionState(), "connected");
+    } else {
+      expireCooldown();
+      await flush();
+      assert.equal(await outcome, "ready");
+      assert.equal(f.repairs.length, 1, "HTTP repair stays held");
+    }
+  });
+}
+
+for (const operation of ["subscribe", "publish"]) {
+  for (const switchCommunity of [false, true]) {
+    test(`${operation} retry respects cooldown armed during reconnect (switch=${switchCommunity})`, async (t) => {
+      const f = fixture(t);
+      await f.client.preconnect();
+      f.failNextOperation();
+      const pending =
+        operation === "subscribe"
+          ? f.client.subscribeToChannelLive("foreground", () => {})
+          : f.client.publishEvent(row("3"), "timeout", "send failed");
+      const outcome = pending.then(
+        () => "ready",
+        () => "superseded",
+      );
+      await flush();
+      const reconnect = f.client.resumeReconnect();
+      await flush();
+      f.deliver(2, ["NOTICE", "rate-limited: retry in 10s"]);
+      f.deliver(2, ["OK", "auth", true, ""]);
+      await reconnect;
+      await flush();
+      assert.equal(
+        f.frames.some(
+          ({ socket, frame }) =>
+            socket === 2 && ["REQ", "EVENT"].includes(frame[0]),
+        ),
+        false,
+      );
+      if (switchCommunity) {
+        f.client.disconnect();
+        resetRateLimitGate();
+        const replacement = f.client.preconnect();
+        await flush();
+        f.deliver(3, ["OK", "auth", true, ""]);
+        await replacement;
+        assert.equal(await outcome, "superseded");
+        assert.equal(
+          f.frames.some(
+            ({ socket, frame }) =>
+              socket === 3 && ["REQ", "EVENT"].includes(frame[0]),
+          ),
+          false,
+        );
+        assert.equal(f.client.getConnectionState(), "connected");
+      } else {
+        expireCooldown();
+        await flush();
+        assert.equal(await outcome, "ready");
+      }
+    });
+  }
+}
+
+test("queued old repair workers cannot re-pin floors after same-community successor completes", async (t) => {
+  const f = fixture(t);
+  for (let i = 0; i < 6; i++) {
+    await f.client.subscribeToChannelLive(`background-${i}`, () => {});
+    const sub = f.frames.at(-1).frame[1];
+    f.deliver(1, [
+      "EVENT",
+      sub,
+      { ...row("1"), tags: [["h", `background-${i}`]] },
+    ]);
+    f.deliver(1, ["EOSE", sub]);
+  }
+  await flush();
+  const close = (socket) =>
+    f.sockets[socket - 1].onmessage({
+      type: "Close",
+      data: { code: 1006, reason: "drop" },
+    });
+  close(1);
+  await flush();
+  await f.client.resumeReconnect();
+  await flush();
+  assert.equal(f.repairs.length, 4);
+  close(2);
+  await flush();
+  await f.client.resumeReconnect();
+  await flush();
+  assert.equal(f.repairs.length, 8);
+  for (const repair of f.repairs.slice(4)) repair.resolve([]);
+  await flush();
+  assert.equal(f.repairs.length, 10);
+  for (const repair of f.repairs.slice(8)) repair.resolve([]);
+  await flush();
+  assert.ok(
+    [...f.client.subscriptions.values()].every(
+      (sub) => sub.pendingReplaySince === undefined,
+    ),
+  );
+  for (const repair of f.repairs.slice(0, 4)) repair.resolve([row("2")]);
+  await flush();
+  assert.ok(
+    [...f.client.subscriptions.values()].every(
+      (sub) => sub.pendingReplaySince === undefined,
+    ),
+    "stale queued workers must not mutate completed successor repair",
+  );
+  assert.equal(f.repairs.length, 10, "old queued repair stays inert");
+});
+
+test("finite read and accepted send proceed while unrelated recovery is held", async (t) => {
+  const f = fixture(t);
+  await seedAndDisconnect(f);
+  f.holdAuth();
+  const reconnect = f.client.resumeReconnect();
+  await flush();
+  let readDone = false;
+  let sendDone = false;
+  const read = f.client.fetchEvents({ kinds: [1] }).then(() => {
+    readDone = true;
+  });
+  const send = f.client.sendMessage("foreground", "hello").then(() => {
+    sendDone = true;
+  });
+  await flush();
+  assert.equal(readDone || sendDone, false);
+  f.deliver(2, ["OK", "auth", true, ""]);
+  await flush();
+  assert.equal(f.repairs.length, 1);
+  try {
+    assert.equal(readDone, true, "EOSE completes finite read before repair");
+    assert.equal(sendDone, true, "OK acknowledges send before repair");
+  } finally {
+    f.repairs[0].resolve([]);
+    await Promise.all([reconnect, read, send]);
+  }
+});
diff --git a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayClientSession.ts b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayClientSession.ts
index d9be0e6c9b..b1877f830f 100644
--- a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayClientSession.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayClientSession.ts
@@ -38,7 +38,10 @@ import {
 import { getChannelReconnectRepairEvents } from "@/shared/api/channelReconnectRepair";
 import { replayLiveSubscriptions } from "@/shared/api/relayReconnectReplay";
 import { publishSessionEvent } from "@/shared/api/relayEventPublisher";
-import { activateRateLimitIfSignalled } from "@/shared/api/relayRateLimitGate";
+import {
+  activateRateLimitIfSignalled,
+  waitForRateLimit,
+} from "@/shared/api/relayRateLimitGate";
 import {
   fetchChunkedHistory,
   requestFirstEventGated,
@@ -562,15 +565,34 @@ export class RelayClient {
       await Promise.race([drain, authentication, inbound.overflow]);
       await drain;
       await authentication;
+      if (generation !== this.connectionGeneration || this.wsId !== wsId) {
+        throw new Error("Relay authentication was superseded.");
+      }
       this.stabilityTimer = window.setTimeout(() => {
         this.stabilityTimer = null;
         this.reconnectDelayMs = RECONNECT_BASE_DELAY_MS;
       }, BACKOFF_RESET_STABLE_MS);
 
       this.connectionStateEmitter.set("connected");
-      await this.replayLiveSubscriptions();
-      this.stallWatchdog.start();
-      this.emitReconnectIfNeeded();
+      // Authentication makes the socket usable. Unrelated channel backfill
+      // must not hold new subscriptions, reads, or writes behind connectPromise.
+      // Reconnect notifications still mean the recovery pass has finished.
+      void this.replayLiveSubscriptions().then(
+        () => {
+          if (generation !== this.connectionGeneration) return;
+          this.stallWatchdog.start();
+          this.emitReconnectIfNeeded();
+        },
+        (error) => {
+          if (generation !== this.connectionGeneration) return;
+          this.resetConnection(
+            this.normalizeRelayError(
+              error,
+              "Failed to restore relay subscriptions.",
+            ),
+          );
+        },
+      );
       return generation;
     } catch (error) {
       const connectionError = this.normalizeRelayError(
@@ -590,7 +612,15 @@ export class RelayClient {
     onReady?: (readiness: LiveSubscriptionReadiness) => void,
     readinessTimeoutMs = 250,
   ) {
-    await this.ensureConnected();
+    const ownership = this.sessionEpoch;
+    const generation = await this.ensureConnected();
+    await waitForRateLimit();
+    if (
+      ownership !== this.sessionEpoch ||
+      generation !== this.connectionGeneration
+    ) {
+      throw new Error("Relay subscription was superseded by a session change.");
+    }
 
     const subId = `live-${crypto.randomUUID()}`;
     let resolveReady = (_readiness: LiveSubscriptionReadiness) => {};
@@ -679,21 +709,38 @@ export class RelayClient {
     payload: unknown[],
     fallbackMessage: string,
   ) {
+    const ownership = this.sessionEpoch;
+    let generation = this.connectionGeneration;
     try {
-      await this.sendRaw(payload);
+      await this.sendRawForGeneration(payload, generation);
     } catch (error) {
+      if (
+        ownership !== this.sessionEpoch ||
+        generation !== this.connectionGeneration
+      ) {
+        throw this.normalizeRelayError(error, fallbackMessage);
+      }
       const normalizedError = this.recoverFromSocketFailure(
         error,
         fallbackMessage,
       );
       try {
-        await this.ensureConnected();
-        await this.sendRaw(payload);
+        generation = await this.ensureConnected();
+        await waitForRateLimit();
+        if (
+          ownership !== this.sessionEpoch ||
+          generation !== this.connectionGeneration
+        ) {
+          throw new Error(
+            "Relay subscription was superseded by a session change.",
+          );
+        }
+        await this.sendRawForGeneration(payload, generation);
       } catch (retryError) {
-        throw this.recoverFromSocketFailure(
-          retryError,
-          normalizedError.message,
-        );
+        throw ownership === this.sessionEpoch &&
+          generation === this.connectionGeneration
+          ? this.recoverFromSocketFailure(retryError, normalizedError.message)
+          : this.normalizeRelayError(retryError, normalizedError.message);
       }
     }
   }
@@ -908,23 +955,14 @@ export class RelayClient {
 
   private async replayLiveSubscriptions() {
     const generation = this.connectionGeneration;
-    try {
-      await replayLiveSubscriptions({
-        subscriptions: this.subscriptions,
-        sendRaw: (payload) => this.sendRaw(payload),
-        requestRepair: getChannelReconnectRepairEvents,
-        generation,
-        visibleChannelId: this.visibleChannelId,
-        isActive: () => this.connectionGeneration === generation,
-      });
-    } catch (error) {
-      const reconnectError =
-        error instanceof Error
-          ? error
-          : new Error("Failed to restore relay subscriptions.");
-      this.resetConnection(reconnectError);
-      throw reconnectError;
-    }
+    await replayLiveSubscriptions({
+      subscriptions: this.subscriptions,
+      sendRaw: (payload) => this.sendRawForGeneration(payload, generation),
+      requestRepair: getChannelReconnectRepairEvents,
+      generation,
+      visibleChannelId: this.visibleChannelId,
+      isActive: () => this.connectionGeneration === generation,
+    });
   }
 
   private scheduleReconnect() {
diff --git a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayEventPublisher.ts b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayEventPublisher.ts
index ff71992670..4119182eff 100644
--- a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayEventPublisher.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayEventPublisher.ts
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ export async function publishSessionEvent(
 
         try {
           retryGeneration = await session.reconnect();
+          await waitForRateLimit();
           if (
             publishOwnership !== session.ownership() ||
             session.generation() !== retryGeneration ||
diff --git a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayReconnectReplay.ts b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayReconnectReplay.ts
index 8fce219750..33b8b355b9 100644
--- a/desktop/src/shared/api/relayReconnectReplay.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/shared/api/relayReconnectReplay.ts
@@ -373,6 +373,8 @@ export async function replayLiveSubscriptions({
     ),
     pageReplayConcurrency,
     async ({ subId, subscription, channelId, replaySince }) => {
+      // Queued workers can start after a successor has repaired this same entry.
+      if (!isActive() || subscriptions.get(subId) !== subscription) return;
       // Backfill is best-effort: a failure here (typically a `rate-limited:`
       // CLOSED on a history REQ) must never escape to the session and tear
       // down the healthy, authenticated socket carrying the live REQs — that
diff --git a/desktop/tests/e2e/relay-reconnect.spec.ts b/desktop/tests/e2e/relay-reconnect.spec.ts
index f3bf33f84c..e2ed33994d 100644
--- a/desktop/tests/e2e/relay-reconnect.spec.ts
+++ b/desktop/tests/e2e/relay-reconnect.spec.ts
@@ -826,3 +826,178 @@ test("reconnect shares overlapping native repair pages and recovers offline mess
   });
   expect(reads[1].beforeId).toBeTruthy();
 });
+
+test("warm channel freshness is not blocked by another channel's reconnect repair", async ({
+  page,
+}) => {
+  const start = new Date("2026-09-21T12:00:00Z");
+  await page.clock.setFixedTime(start);
+  await page.goto("/");
+  await page.getByTestId("channel-random").click();
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("chat-title")).toHaveText("random");
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("message-input")).toBeVisible();
+  // Warm the actual query; the subsequent visit uses its cached head and the
+  // post-subscribe authoritative refresh, not a cold independent HTTP query.
+  await expect
+    .poll(() =>
+      page.evaluate(() => {
+        const state = window.__BUZZ_E2E_QUERY_CLIENT__?.getQueryState([
+          "channel-messages",
+          "9dae0116-799b-5071-a0a8-fdd30a91a35d",
+        ]);
+        return state?.status === "success" && state.fetchStatus === "idle";
+      }),
+    )
+    .toBe(true);
+  await page.getByTestId("channel-general").click();
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("chat-title")).toHaveText("general");
+  await emitMockMessages(page, [
+    {
+      content: "foreground availability cursor",
+      createdAt: start.getTime() / 1000,
+    },
+  ]);
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("message-timeline")).toContainText(
+    "foreground availability cursor",
+  );
+  await page.evaluate(() => {
+    const w = window as unknown as {
+      __TAURI_INTERNALS__: {
+        invoke: (
+          command: string,
+          args?: unknown,
+          options?: unknown,
+        ) => Promise<unknown>;
+      };
+      recoveryGate: {
+        started: number;
+        finished: number;
+        foregroundReqs: number;
+        windows: number;
+        release: () => void;
+      };
+    };
+    const original = w.__TAURI_INTERNALS__.invoke.bind(w.__TAURI_INTERNALS__);
+    let release = () => {};
+    const gate = new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+      release = resolve;
+    });
+    w.recoveryGate = {
+      started: 0,
+      finished: 0,
+      foregroundReqs: 0,
+      windows: 0,
+      release,
+    };
+    w.__TAURI_INTERNALS__.invoke = async (command, args, options) => {
+      if (command === "plugin:websocket|send") {
+        const frame = JSON.parse(
+          (args as { message: { data: string } }).message.data,
+        );
+        if (
+          frame[0] === "REQ" &&
+          frame[2]?.["#h"]?.includes("9dae0116-799b-5071-a0a8-fdd30a91a35d") &&
+          frame[2]?.kinds?.includes(39005)
+        ) {
+          w.recoveryGate.foregroundReqs++;
+        }
+      }
+      if (
+        command === "get_channel_window" &&
+        w.recoveryGate.foregroundReqs > 0 &&
+        (args as { channelId?: string }).channelId ===
+          "9dae0116-799b-5071-a0a8-fdd30a91a35d"
+      ) {
+        w.recoveryGate.windows++;
+      }
+      if (command !== "get_channel_reconnect_repair")
+        return original(command, args, options);
+      w.recoveryGate.started++;
+      await gate;
+      const result = await original(command, args, options);
+      w.recoveryGate.finished++;
+      return result;
+    };
+  });
+  await setMockWebsocketUnavailable(page, true);
+  await disconnectMockWebsockets(page);
+  const missed = "fresh random head during unrelated recovery";
+  await page.evaluate(
+    ({ content, createdAt }) => {
+      window.__BUZZ_E2E_EMIT_MOCK_MESSAGE__?.({
+        channelName: "random",
+        content,
+        createdAt,
+      });
+    },
+    { content: missed, createdAt: start.getTime() / 1000 + 1 },
+  );
+  await page.clock.setFixedTime(new Date(start.getTime() + 10_000));
+  await setMockWebsocketUnavailable(page, false);
+  await expect
+    .poll(() =>
+      page.evaluate(
+        () =>
+          (window as unknown as { recoveryGate: { started: number } })
+            .recoveryGate.started,
+      ),
+    )
+    .toBeGreaterThan(0);
+  await page.evaluate(() => {
+    const gate = (
+      window as unknown as {
+        recoveryGate: { foregroundReqs: number; windows: number };
+      }
+    ).recoveryGate;
+    gate.foregroundReqs = 0;
+    gate.windows = 0;
+  });
+  try {
+    await page.getByTestId("channel-random").click();
+    await expect(page.getByTestId("chat-title")).toHaveText("random");
+    await expect
+      .poll(() =>
+        page.evaluate(
+          () =>
+            (window as unknown as { recoveryGate: { foregroundReqs: number } })
+              .recoveryGate.foregroundReqs,
+        ),
+      )
+      .toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    await expect
+      .poll(() =>
+        page.evaluate(
+          () =>
+            (window as unknown as { recoveryGate: { windows: number } })
+              .recoveryGate.windows,
+        ),
+      )
+      .toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    await expect(page.getByTestId("message-timeline")).toContainText(missed);
+    expect(
+      await page.evaluate(
+        () =>
+          (window as unknown as { recoveryGate: { finished: number } })
+            .recoveryGate.finished,
+      ),
+    ).toBe(0);
+  } finally {
+    await page.evaluate(() =>
+      (
+        window as unknown as { recoveryGate: { release: () => void } }
+      ).recoveryGate.release(),
+    );
+  }
+  await expect
+    .poll(() =>
+      page.evaluate(() => {
+        const gate = (
+          window as unknown as {
+            recoveryGate: { started: number; finished: number };
+          }
+        ).recoveryGate;
+        return gate.finished > 0 && gate.finished === gate.started;
+      }),
+    )
+    .toBe(true);
+});
diff --git a/perf/RECONNECT_FOREGROUND_AVAILABILITY.md b/perf/RECONNECT_FOREGROUND_AVAILABILITY.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f4d86d915a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/perf/RECONNECT_FOREGROUND_AVAILABILITY.md
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+# Authenticated foreground availability during reconnect
+
+## Change
+
+Base: `564a7da84e7d7096649bc22126ca86354fa81437`.
+
+`RelayClient.ensureConnected()` previously kept its shared promise pending until
+all retained live subscriptions and their native HTTP history repairs finished.
+Even after successful socket AUTH, new live subscriptions, finite WS reads and
+plain-text sends inherited that unrelated wait.
+
+Keep authentication as the availability boundary, but run recovery as an
+observed generation-fenced continuation. Retain history repair, visible-first
+replay ordering, batching, readiness timers, server cooldowns and post-recovery
+reconnect callbacks. New subscription admission and reconnect send retries check
+the existing WS cooldown, then revalidate session ownership/generation. Queued
+repair workers must be current before mutating repair floors.
+
+Production scope: three files, +70/-29 lines. No new scheduler, transport,
+loading-state changes or timeout reductions.
+
+## Controlled browser evidence
+
+A production E2E bundle with the existing mock native bridge:
+
+1. Warm random, return to general, deliver a general event to establish a cursor.
+2. Disconnect; inject an offline random message; hold native reconnect repair.
+3. Reconnect successfully, wait until repair is in flight, then navigate to random.
+4. Observe a **new foreground REQ containing kind 39005**, not background cache
+   delivery, and a subsequent random channel-window request while repair is held.
+5. Release repair and require all held repair requests to finish.
+
+The strict regression fails on the original bundle (no foreground REQ while
+repair is held), passes the candidate, and is registered in the existing smoke
+`relay-reconnect.spec.ts`. Merely asserting visible message content was rejected:
+background subscriptions can merge that content into the cache without this fix.
+Window requests before the foreground REQ are also excluded from the assertion.
+
+Two controlled timing runs each, with repair released five seconds after the
+measurement starts immediately before navigation:
+
+| Bundle | New foreground REQ | First window request after that REQ |
+| --- | ---: | ---: |
+| Original, run 1 | 5,004ms | 5,006ms |
+| Original, run 2 | 5,003ms | 5,005ms |
+| Candidate, run 1 | 41ms | 41ms |
+| Candidate, run 2 | 40ms | 40ms |
+
+These timings prove removal of the injected dependency, **not measured savings
+in the live native app**. They are not a benchmark of total channel rendering.
+
+## Correctness gates
+
+- 14 new tests bind the real RelayClient connection owner, AUTH and native repair
+  seam: before/after AUTH availability, finite-read EOSE and accepted-send OK,
+  rejected AUTH, current/stale replay failures, community replacement, cooldown
+  admission and retry ownership, and queued six-subscription recovery overlap.
+- Removing each new subscription gate, retry gate, publisher retry gate or queued
+  worker fence in an isolated source copy makes its regression fail. Clean control
+  and restored control pass; the candidate working tree was not mutated.
+- Full desktop suite: **6,545 passing** through the standard pre-push test lane.
+- All **18 reconnect browser tests** pass, including dense missed-history replay
+  and shared repair reads; the final stricter window assertion also passes in
+  standard smoke discovery and fails the original bundle.
+- Desktop check, TypeScript, production artifact matrix and file-size check pass.
+- Independent read-only lifecycle review found two issues in the first slice;
+  cooldown admission and queued-worker ownership were fixed and re-reviewed.
+
+Run the regression with the repository Hermit environment activated:
+
+```sh
+cd desktop
+node --import ./test-loader.mjs --experimental-strip-types --test \
+  src/shared/api/relayClientRecoveryAvailability.test.mjs
+pnpm test:e2e:smoke relay-reconnect.spec.ts
+```
+
+## Boundaries
+
+- Fresh cold startup has no retained subscriptions; its native freeze is not
+  explained by this mechanism.
+- Initial channel windows and thread pages use native HTTP directly. Their
+  latency is not removed here; the request-size cliff is a separate lead.
+- Existing-channel refresh listeners still run after recovery, intentionally.
+- Real relay/native UI timing and repository CI remain separate validation gates.
+- No live cache edits, deployment or relay changes are part of this patch.