diff --git a/src/viewer/index.html b/src/viewer/index.html
index db0b5100c..3460c52a0 100644
--- a/src/viewer/index.html
+++ b/src/viewer/index.html
@@ -1471,15 +1471,17 @@ <h1>agentmemory</h1>
     var dashboardRefreshPending = false;
     async function loadDashboard() {
       if (dashboardLoadPromise) return dashboardLoadPromise;
-      do {
-        dashboardRefreshPending = false;
-        dashboardLoadPromise = loadDashboardOnce();
-        try {
-          await dashboardLoadPromise;
-        } finally {
-          dashboardLoadPromise = null;
-        }
-      } while (dashboardRefreshPending);
+      dashboardLoadPromise = (async function() {
+        do {
+          dashboardRefreshPending = false;
+          await loadDashboardOnce();
+        } while (dashboardRefreshPending);
+      })();
+      try {
+        await dashboardLoadPromise;
+      } finally {
+        dashboardLoadPromise = null;
+      }
     }
 
     async function loadDashboardOnce() {
diff --git a/test/viewer-session-id.test.ts b/test/viewer-session-id.test.ts
index 5bb5b18ef..269e01481 100644
--- a/test/viewer-session-id.test.ts
+++ b/test/viewer-session-id.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import * as vm from "node:vm";
-import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import { renderViewerDocument } from "../src/viewer/document.js";
 
 function htmlEscape(value: string): string {
@@ -169,6 +169,7 @@ function loadViewerSandbox() {
     /\n    switchTab\(tabFromRoute\(\), \{ replaceRoute: true \}\);\n    \/\/ Resolve[\s\S]*?\n    startDashboardAutoRefresh\(\);/,
     "\n",
   );
+  expect(scriptWithoutAutoStart).not.toBe(scriptMatch[1]);
 
   vm.createContext(sandbox);
   vm.runInContext(scriptWithoutAutoStart, sandbox);
@@ -176,6 +177,14 @@ function loadViewerSandbox() {
   return { sandbox, getElement };
 }
 
+const DASHBOARD_PATHS = [
+  "/agentmemory/health",
+  "/agentmemory/sessions",
+  "/agentmemory/memories",
+  "/agentmemory/graph/stats",
+  "/agentmemory/audit",
+] as const;
+
 describe("viewer session rendering", () => {
   it("deduplicates dashboard loads and fetches every endpoint serially", async () => {
     const { sandbox } = loadViewerSandbox();
@@ -194,36 +203,61 @@ describe("viewer session rendering", () => {
     await Promise.all([sandbox.loadDashboard(), sandbox.loadDashboard()]);
 
     expect(maxActive).toBe(1);
-    expect(paths).toEqual([
-      "/agentmemory/health",
-      "/agentmemory/sessions",
-      "/agentmemory/memories",
-      "/agentmemory/graph/stats",
-      "/agentmemory/audit",
-    ]);
+    expect(paths).toEqual(DASHBOARD_PATHS);
   });
 
   it("runs one pending refresh after an in-flight dashboard load", async () => {
     const { sandbox } = loadViewerSandbox();
     const paths: string[] = [];
-    let releaseSessions: (() => void) | undefined;
+    let active = 0;
+    let maxActive = 0;
+    let releaseSessions = () => {
+      throw new Error("sessions request did not start");
+    };
+    let sessionsStarted = false;
     sandbox.fetch = async (url: string) => {
+      active += 1;
+      maxActive = Math.max(maxActive, active);
       paths.push(new URL(url).pathname);
       if (paths.length === 2) {
         await new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
           releaseSessions = resolve;
+          sessionsStarted = true;
         });
       }
+      active -= 1;
       return { ok: true, json: async () => ({}) };
     };
 
     const initialLoad = sandbox.loadDashboard();
-    while (!releaseSessions) await Promise.resolve();
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(sessionsStarted).toBe(true), { timeout: 1000 });
     const pendingRefresh = sandbox.refreshDashboard();
     releaseSessions();
-    await Promise.all([initialLoad, pendingRefresh]);
+    await pendingRefresh;
+    const pathsWhenRefreshResolved = paths.slice();
+    await initialLoad;
+
+    expect(maxActive).toBe(1);
+    expect(pathsWhenRefreshResolved).toEqual([...DASHBOARD_PATHS, ...DASHBOARD_PATHS]);
+    expect(paths).toEqual([...DASHBOARD_PATHS, ...DASHBOARD_PATHS]);
+  });
+
+  it("starts a fresh dashboard cycle after a failed load", async () => {
+    const { sandbox } = loadViewerSandbox();
+    const getElementById = sandbox.document.getElementById;
+    sandbox.document.getElementById = () => null;
+
+    await expect(sandbox.loadDashboard()).rejects.toThrow();
+
+    sandbox.document.getElementById = getElementById;
+    const paths: string[] = [];
+    sandbox.fetch = async (url: string) => {
+      paths.push(new URL(url).pathname);
+      return { ok: true, json: async () => ({}) };
+    };
+    await sandbox.loadDashboard();
 
-    expect(paths).toHaveLength(10);
+    expect(paths).toEqual(DASHBOARD_PATHS);
   });
 
   it("marks lesson and crystal counts as deferred", () => {
@@ -232,8 +266,12 @@ describe("viewer session rendering", () => {
     sandbox.renderDashboard();
 
     const html = getElement("view-dashboard").innerHTML;
-    expect(html).toContain('<div class="label">Lessons</div><div class="value">&mdash;</div>');
-    expect(html).toContain('<div class="label">Crystals</div><div class="value">&mdash;</div>');
+    expect(html).toContain(
+      '<div class="label">Lessons</div><div class="value">&mdash;</div><div class="sub">load tab to view</div>',
+    );
+    expect(html).toContain(
+      '<div class="label">Crystals</div><div class="value">&mdash;</div><div class="sub">load tab to view</div>',
+    );
   });
 
   it("attaches the saved viewer bearer to API calls", async () => {