diff --git a/js/src/features/auth/Verify.page.tsx b/js/src/features/auth/Verify.page.tsx
index ed643d6..df2ed37 100644
--- a/js/src/features/auth/Verify.page.tsx
+++ b/js/src/features/auth/Verify.page.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import { useVerifyMagicLink } from "@/features/auth/api/useVerifyMagicLink";
 import { Alert, Button, Center, Loader, Stack, Text } from "@mantine/core";
-import { useEffect, useRef } from "react";
-import { Link, useNavigate, useSearchParams } from "react-router-dom";
+import { Link, Navigate, useSearchParams } from "react-router-dom";
 
 /**
  * Landing page for the emailed link (`/auth/verify?token=...`). The link is a
@@ -11,22 +10,11 @@ import { Link, useNavigate, useSearchParams } from "react-router-dom";
 export default function VerifyPage() {
   const [params] = useSearchParams();
   const token = params.get("token");
-  const navigate = useNavigate();
-  const verify = useVerifyMagicLink();
-  // StrictMode double-invokes effects in dev; the token is single-use, so guard the POST.
-  const fired = useRef(false);
+  const verify = useVerifyMagicLink(token);
 
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (fired.current || !token) {
-      return;
-    }
-    fired.current = true;
-    verify.mutate(token, {
-      onSuccess: () => {
-        navigate("/", { replace: true });
-      },
-    });
-  }, [token, verify, navigate]);
+  if (verify.isSuccess) {
+    return <Navigate replace to="/" />;
+  }
 
   if (!token || verify.isError) {
     return (
diff --git a/js/src/features/auth/api/useVerifyMagicLink.ts b/js/src/features/auth/api/useVerifyMagicLink.ts
index a52d47f..fe39007 100644
--- a/js/src/features/auth/api/useVerifyMagicLink.ts
+++ b/js/src/features/auth/api/useVerifyMagicLink.ts
@@ -1,23 +1,34 @@
 import { Session, sessionQueryKey } from "@/features/auth/api/useSession";
 import { apiFetch } from "@/lib/api/client";
-import { useMutation, useQueryClient } from "@tanstack/react-query";
+import { useQuery, useQueryClient } from "@tanstack/react-query";
 
 /**
  * Exchanges the raw token from the emailed link for a session. On success the
- * backend sets the session cookie and we seed the session cache so guards
+ * backend sets the session cookie; we also seed the session cache so guards
  * pass without a second round-trip.
+ *
+ * Modeled as a query (not a mutation) on purpose: the token is single-use and
+ * this fires on mount, and StrictMode's simulated remount detaches a mutation
+ * observer from its in-flight request — the component would never see the
+ * result. A query keyed by the token is deduped across the double-mount (one
+ * POST) and the remounted observer re-attaches to the cached entry.
  */
-export function useVerifyMagicLink() {
+export function useVerifyMagicLink(token: string | null) {
   const queryClient = useQueryClient();
 
-  return useMutation({
-    mutationFn: (token: string) =>
-      apiFetch<Session>("/auth/verify", {
+  return useQuery({
+    queryKey: ["auth", "verify", token],
+    queryFn: async () => {
+      const session = await apiFetch<Session>("/auth/verify", {
         method: "POST",
         body: JSON.stringify({ token }),
-      }),
-    onSuccess: (session) => {
+      });
       queryClient.setQueryData(sessionQueryKey, session);
+      return session;
     },
+    enabled: token !== null,
+    retry: false,
+    // Never refetch a consumed token: the entry stays fresh for the page's lifetime.
+    staleTime: Infinity,
   });
 }
diff --git a/js/src/lib/test/render.tsx b/js/src/lib/test/render.tsx
index 9445aef..67b07ed 100644
--- a/js/src/lib/test/render.tsx
+++ b/js/src/lib/test/render.tsx
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import { themeOverride } from "@/app/providers/theme";
 import { MantineProvider } from "@mantine/core";
 import { QueryClient, QueryClientProvider } from "@tanstack/react-query";
 import { render, RenderOptions } from "@testing-library/react";
-import { ReactElement, ReactNode } from "react";
+import { ReactElement, ReactNode, StrictMode } from "react";
 import { MemoryRouter } from "react-router-dom";
 
 /**
@@ -14,15 +14,19 @@ function createWrapper(initialEntries?: string[]) {
     defaultOptions: { queries: { retry: false } },
   });
 
+  // StrictMode mirrors main.tsx: double-invoked effects surface bugs (e.g.
+  // observers detached from in-flight requests) that a bare render hides.
   return function Wrapper({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
     return (
-      <QueryClientProvider client={queryClient}>
-        <MantineProvider theme={themeOverride} forceColorScheme="dark">
-          <MemoryRouter initialEntries={initialEntries}>
-            {children}
-          </MemoryRouter>
-        </MantineProvider>
-      </QueryClientProvider>
+      <StrictMode>
+        <QueryClientProvider client={queryClient}>
+          <MantineProvider theme={themeOverride} forceColorScheme="dark">
+            <MemoryRouter initialEntries={initialEntries}>
+              {children}
+            </MemoryRouter>
+          </MantineProvider>
+        </QueryClientProvider>
+      </StrictMode>
     );
   };
 }