diff --git a/lib/main.dart b/lib/main.dart
index b0706b899..35c204050 100644
--- a/lib/main.dart
+++ b/lib/main.dart
@@ -1561,15 +1561,15 @@ class _MainAppState extends State<MainApp> with WidgetsBindingObserver {
         Provider<ProfileConnectionRegistry>(create: (_) => ProfileConnectionRegistry(_appDatabase)),
         Provider<PlexHomeService>(
           create: (context) {
-            // start() resolves StorageService internally — the singleton was
-            // already initialised eagerly during boot, so the await is a
-            // microtask hop in practice.
+            // Hydrate the disk cache eagerly for profile resolution. Live
+            // refresh is started only after MainScreen has settled the
+            // startup offline decision.
             final service = PlexHomeService(
               connections: context.read<ConnectionRegistry>(),
               profileConnections: context.read<ProfileConnectionRegistry>(),
               storage: context.read<StorageService>(),
             );
-            unawaited(service.start());
+            unawaited(service.hydrate());
             return service;
           },
           dispose: (_, s) => s.dispose(),
diff --git a/lib/profiles/active_profile_provider.dart b/lib/profiles/active_profile_provider.dart
index 146b97db6..cd550c0f7 100644
--- a/lib/profiles/active_profile_provider.dart
+++ b/lib/profiles/active_profile_provider.dart
@@ -231,8 +231,8 @@ class ActiveProfileProvider extends ChangeNotifier with DisposableChangeNotifier
   Future<void> _reloadSnapshot() async {
     _storage ??= await StorageService.getInstance();
     // Hydrate the Plex Home cache before we read it — `_plexHome.current`
-    // is only populated after start() finishes its disk-cache load.
-    await _plexHome.start();
+    // is only populated after the disk-cache load finishes.
+    await _plexHome.hydrate();
 
     _localProfiles = await _registry.list();
     final initialConns = await _connections.list();
diff --git a/lib/profiles/plex_home_service.dart b/lib/profiles/plex_home_service.dart
index a28124d95..a2301c3f4 100644
--- a/lib/profiles/plex_home_service.dart
+++ b/lib/profiles/plex_home_service.dart
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ class PlexHomeService {
   final _controller = StreamController<Map<String, List<PlexHomeUser>>>.broadcast();
   StreamSubscription<List<Connection>>? _connSub;
   Timer? _refreshTimer;
+  Future<void>? _hydrateFuture;
   Future<void>? _startFuture;
   bool _started = false;
   final Map<String, int> _refreshGenerations = {};
@@ -56,7 +57,7 @@ class PlexHomeService {
   /// Emits the current snapshot immediately on subscribe, then forwards
   /// every change from [_controller]. Without the seed emission, late
   /// subscribers (e.g. the profiles management screen, which mounts long
-  /// after [start] fires its initial `_emit`) sit on `ConnectionState.waiting`
+  /// after [hydrate] fires its initial `_emit`) sit on `ConnectionState.waiting`
   /// forever — `combineLatest` upstream of them never fills its slot for
   /// this stream and the UI shows a perpetual spinner.
   Stream<Map<String, List<PlexHomeUser>>> get stream {
@@ -74,6 +75,28 @@ class PlexHomeService {
     return ctrl.stream;
   }
 
+  /// Populate the in-memory snapshot from disk without starting live work.
+  ///
+  /// Safe during the startup offline decision: this does not subscribe to
+  /// connection changes, install the refresh timer, or issue a refresh.
+  Future<void> hydrate() {
+    if (_disposed) return Future.value();
+    final pending = _hydrateFuture;
+    if (pending != null) return pending;
+
+    final epoch = _lifecycleEpoch;
+    final future = _hydrate(epoch).catchError((Object error, StackTrace stackTrace) {
+      _hydrateFuture = null;
+      Error.throwWithStackTrace(error, stackTrace);
+    });
+    _hydrateFuture = future;
+    return future;
+  }
+
+  /// Start observing connections and refreshing Plex Home users.
+  ///
+  /// Hydration always completes first so [_onChange] cannot observe a
+  /// half-initialized cache or storage handle.
   Future<void> start() {
     if (_disposed || _started) return Future.value();
     final pending = _startFuture;
@@ -90,11 +113,11 @@ class PlexHomeService {
 
   /// Re-read per-connection Plex Home user caches from storage.
   ///
-  /// This is used after boot-time legacy migration. The service is started
+  /// This is used after boot-time legacy migration. The service is hydrated
   /// before [ConnectionBootstrap] runs, so it may have already missed the
   /// copied `plex_home_users_{connectionId}` cache and new connection row.
   Future<void> reloadFromStorage() async {
-    await start();
+    await hydrate();
     final epoch = _lifecycleEpoch;
     if (!_isLifecycleCurrent(epoch)) return;
     _storage ??= await StorageService.getInstance();
@@ -134,10 +157,11 @@ class PlexHomeService {
     if (changed && _isLifecycleCurrent(epoch)) _emit();
   }
 
-  Future<void> _start(int epoch) async {
+  Future<void> _hydrate(int epoch) async {
     _storage ??= await StorageService.getInstance();
     if (!_isLifecycleCurrent(epoch)) return;
     await _reloadStorageCacheIfNeeded(_storage!);
+    if (!_isLifecycleCurrent(epoch)) return;
 
     final initial = await _connections.list();
     if (!_isLifecycleCurrent(epoch)) return;
@@ -154,8 +178,12 @@ class PlexHomeService {
       }
     }
     _emit();
+  }
 
+  Future<void> _start(int epoch) async {
+    await hydrate();
     if (!_isLifecycleCurrent(epoch)) return;
+
     _connSub = _connections.watchConnections().listen(_onChange);
     _refreshTimer = Timer.periodic(_refreshInterval, (_) => unawaited(_refreshAll()));
 
@@ -428,14 +456,14 @@ class PlexHomeService {
   /// [connectionId]. Use this instead of [materializeFirstPlexHome] in
   /// multi-account flows that already know which Plex account is active.
   Future<PlexHome?> materializePlexHomeForConnection(String connectionId) async {
-    await start();
+    await hydrate();
     return materializePlexHome(connectionId);
   }
 
   /// Convenience wrapper: materialize the home for the first Plex account
   /// in [ConnectionRegistry] (the only one most users have).
   Future<PlexHome?> materializeFirstPlexHome() async {
-    await start();
+    await hydrate();
     final all = await _connections.list();
     final first = all.whereType<PlexAccountConnection>().firstOrNull;
     if (first == null) return null;
@@ -485,6 +513,7 @@ class PlexHomeService {
     _connSub = null;
     final pendingCommits = _commitBarriers.values.toList();
     if (pendingCommits.isNotEmpty) await Future.wait(pendingCommits);
+    _hydrateFuture = null;
     _startFuture = null;
     if (!_controller.isClosed) await _controller.close();
     _started = false;
diff --git a/lib/screens/main_screen.dart b/lib/screens/main_screen.dart
index 347f7ba67..357cc3399 100644
--- a/lib/screens/main_screen.dart
+++ b/lib/screens/main_screen.dart
@@ -23,6 +23,9 @@ import '../widgets/auth_error_banner.dart';
 import '../widgets/app_icon.dart';
 import '../utils/provider_extensions.dart';
 import '../utils/platform_detector.dart';
+import '../utils/platform_http_client_stub.dart'
+    if (dart.library.io) '../utils/platform_http_client_io.dart'
+    show warmUpPlatformHttpClient;
 import '../utils/snackbar_helper.dart';
 import '../utils/update_dialog.dart';
 import '../utils/video_player_navigation.dart';
@@ -558,7 +561,18 @@ class _MainScreenState extends State<MainScreen>
       _hadProfiles = activeProfile.profiles.isNotEmpty;
       activeProfile.addListener(_onActiveProfileChanged);
       _plexHomeService = context.read<PlexHomeService>();
-      unawaited(_plexHomeService!.start());
+      // `start()` is the live/network entry point: it installs the connection
+      // watch, the refresh timer and an initial `_refreshAll()`. Hydration
+      // already happened from the provider's `create:`, so an offline launch
+      // keeps its cached Plex Home users without reaching the network.
+      // `_handleOfflineStatusChanged` starts it if we come online later.
+      if (!_isOffline) unawaited(_plexHomeService!.start());
+      // Cronet's first `CronetEngine.build()` costs ~460 ms of synchronous JNI
+      // work (Play services Dynamite + GMS HTTP flags) and used to land between
+      // `database_ready` and `credentials_loaded`, i.e. squarely on the path to
+      // this screen. Android clients start on the tuned IOClient and swap to
+      // Cronet once this completes.
+      unawaited(warmUpPlatformHttpClient());
       final manager = context.read<MultiServerProvider>().serverManager;
       // Read the binder so the Provider's `lazy: false` create has fired
       // for sure; start only in online mode so explicit startup offline does
@@ -1332,6 +1346,11 @@ class _MainScreenState extends State<MainScreen>
 
     // Ensure profile settings are warmed when coming back online
     if (!_isOffline) {
+      // A launch that started offline skipped PlexHomeService's live/network
+      // side, so pick it up now that we have a network. `start()` is idempotent,
+      // so repeated offline/online transitions are free.
+      final plexHome = _plexHomeService ??= context.read<PlexHomeService>();
+      unawaited(plexHome.start());
       unawaited(() async {
         final mp = context.read<MultiServerProvider>();
         final binder = context.read<ActiveProfileBinder>();
diff --git a/lib/screens/profile/borrow_connection_screen.dart b/lib/screens/profile/borrow_connection_screen.dart
index 7cad4ff58..e9d78c9a0 100644
--- a/lib/screens/profile/borrow_connection_screen.dart
+++ b/lib/screens/profile/borrow_connection_screen.dart
@@ -81,7 +81,10 @@ class _BorrowConnectionScreenState extends State<BorrowConnectionScreen> {
     final profileRegistry = context.read<ProfileRegistry>();
     final plexHome = context.read<PlexHomeService>();
 
-    await plexHome.start();
+    // Cache-only: this picker reads `plexHome.current` immediately and must
+    // not start live refresh, which would reach the network from a screen the
+    // user can open while offline.
+    await plexHome.hydrate();
     final results = await Future.wait([
       pcRegistry.listAll(),
       connRegistry.list(),
diff --git a/lib/utils/managed_http_client.dart b/lib/utils/managed_http_client.dart
index 7bc8170d5..9b9beb1bb 100644
--- a/lib/utils/managed_http_client.dart
+++ b/lib/utils/managed_http_client.dart
@@ -4,6 +4,17 @@ import 'package:http/http.dart' as http;
 
 import 'app_logger.dart';
 
+/// [http.Client] that can abort and drain its active requests before closing.
+///
+/// Shutdown paths that must not outrun in-flight native callbacks (per-server
+/// failover, server removal, app exit) await this instead of the
+/// fire-and-forget [http.Client.close]. Composite clients that only delegate
+/// to [ManagedHttpClient]s (`AndroidPlatformHttpClient`) implement it so the
+/// awaited drain survives the extra layer.
+abstract interface class GracefulHttpClient implements http.Client {
+  Future<void> closeGracefully({Duration drainTimeout});
+}
+
 /// [http.Client] wrapper that owns native-client shutdown semantics.
 ///
 /// `package:http` clients define closing with active requests as undefined. For
@@ -13,7 +24,7 @@ import 'app_logger.dart';
 /// active requests during shutdown, and only closes the inner client once the
 /// active set has drained — or, when [forceCloseOnDrainTimeout] opts in,
 /// force-closes a drain-resistant inner client instead of leaking its sockets.
-class ManagedHttpClient extends http.BaseClient {
+class ManagedHttpClient extends http.BaseClient implements GracefulHttpClient {
   ManagedHttpClient(this._inner, {required this.debugLabel, this.forceCloseOnDrainTimeout = false}) {
     _instances.add(this);
   }
@@ -61,6 +72,7 @@ class ManagedHttpClient extends http.BaseClient {
     }
   }
 
+  @override
   Future<void> closeGracefully({Duration drainTimeout = const Duration(seconds: 2)}) {
     _closing = true;
     if (_innerClosed) return Future<void>.value();
diff --git a/lib/utils/media_server_http_client.dart b/lib/utils/media_server_http_client.dart
index b6e124aaa..8dc2b3f54 100644
--- a/lib/utils/media_server_http_client.dart
+++ b/lib/utils/media_server_http_client.dart
@@ -237,8 +237,8 @@ class MediaServerHttpClient {
   Future<void> closeGracefully({Duration drainTimeout = const Duration(seconds: 2)}) async {
     _closing = true;
     _abortActiveRequests();
-    if (_client case final ManagedHttpClient managed) {
-      await managed.closeGracefully(drainTimeout: drainTimeout);
+    if (_client case final GracefulHttpClient graceful) {
+      await graceful.closeGracefully(drainTimeout: drainTimeout);
     } else {
       _client.close();
     }
diff --git a/lib/utils/platform_http_client_io.dart b/lib/utils/platform_http_client_io.dart
index 56a019526..961512db4 100644
--- a/lib/utils/platform_http_client_io.dart
+++ b/lib/utils/platform_http_client_io.dart
@@ -13,22 +13,110 @@ import 'media_server_timeouts.dart';
 /// Shared Cronet engine so all clients reuse the same connection pool.
 CronetEngine? _sharedEngine;
 bool _cronetBroken = false;
+Future<void>? _cronetWarmUp;
+
+const String _androidCronetLabel = 'CronetClient';
+const String _androidIoLabel = 'IOClient (Android fallback)';
 
 const bool _tvosBuild = bool.fromEnvironment('TVOS_BUILD');
 
-bool _loggedPlatformClient = false;
+final Set<String> _loggedPlatformClients = <String>{};
 
 void _logPlatformClient(String platform, String client) {
-  if (_loggedPlatformClient) return;
-  _loggedPlatformClient = true;
+  if (!_loggedPlatformClients.add(client)) return;
   appLogger.i('Platform HTTP client', error: {'platform': platform, 'client': client});
 }
 
+/// Builds the shared Cronet engine, off the cold-start critical path.
+///
+/// [CronetEngine.build] goes straight to `org.chromium.net.CronetEngine.Builder`,
+/// which enumerates every registered `CronetProvider` and calls `isEnabled()` on
+/// each one. `play-services-cronet` — pulled in transitively by
+/// `media3-datasource-cronet` — answers that call by installing the Play services
+/// Dynamite module and resolving GMS HTTP flags. `package:cronet_http` exposes no
+/// way to pick a provider, so the only lever left in Dart is *when* that cost is
+/// paid. Call this once the first screen is up.
+///
+/// Never throws: a failed build latches Android onto the tuned IOClient.
+Future<void> warmUpPlatformHttpClient() => _cronetWarmUp ??= _buildSharedCronetEngine();
+
+Future<void> _buildSharedCronetEngine() async {
+  if (!Platform.isAndroid || _cronetBroken || _sharedEngine != null) return;
+  // Yield first: callers warm up from a post-frame callback, and the build is
+  // synchronous JNI work that must not land inside that frame.
+  await Future<void>.delayed(Duration.zero);
+  try {
+    _sharedEngine = CronetEngine.build(
+      cacheMode: CacheMode.memory,
+      cacheMaxSize: 2 * 1024 * 1024,
+      enableBrotli: true,
+      enableHttp2: true,
+    );
+  } catch (e, st) {
+    _cronetBroken = true;
+    _sharedEngine = null;
+    appLogger.w('CronetEngine build failed, staying on IOClient', error: e, stackTrace: st);
+  }
+}
+
+/// Android client that starts on the tuned IOClient and swaps to Cronet as soon
+/// as [warmUpPlatformHttpClient] has built the shared engine.
+///
+/// Clients here are long-lived (one `MediaServerHttpClient` per server, created
+/// in a constructor initializer), so resolving a delegate once at construction
+/// would pin the primary media-server traffic to HTTP/1.1 forever. The delegate
+/// is therefore resolved per request. Each delegate is a [ManagedHttpClient] in
+/// its own right, keeping the existing shutdown semantics, and neither is
+/// constructed until a request actually needs it.
+class AndroidPlatformHttpClient extends http.BaseClient implements GracefulHttpClient {
+  ManagedHttpClient? _cronet;
+  ManagedHttpClient? _io;
+  bool _closed = false;
+
+  @override
+  Future<http.StreamedResponse> send(http.BaseRequest request) {
+    if (_closed) {
+      throw http.ClientException('HTTP client is closing', request.url);
+    }
+    return _delegate().send(request);
+  }
+
+  ManagedHttpClient _delegate() {
+    final engine = _sharedEngine;
+    if (engine != null) {
+      final cronet = _cronet;
+      if (cronet != null) return cronet;
+      _logPlatformClient('android', _androidCronetLabel);
+      return _cronet = ManagedHttpClient(CronetClient.fromCronetEngine(engine), debugLabel: _androidCronetLabel);
+    }
+    final io = _io;
+    if (io != null) return io;
+    _logPlatformClient('android', _androidIoLabel);
+    return _io = _createIoClient(_androidIoLabel, tuned: true);
+  }
+
+  @override
+  void close() {
+    _closed = true;
+    _cronet?.close();
+    _io?.close();
+  }
+
+  @override
+  Future<void> closeGracefully({Duration drainTimeout = const Duration(seconds: 2)}) async {
+    _closed = true;
+    await Future.wait([
+      if (_cronet case final cronet?) cronet.closeGracefully(drainTimeout: drainTimeout),
+      if (_io case final io?) io.closeGracefully(drainTimeout: drainTimeout),
+    ], eagerError: false);
+  }
+}
+
 /// dart:io leaves TCP connects unbounded (Darwin retries SYNs for ~75 s) and
 /// `package:http` cannot abort a request whose connection is still being
 /// established, so every IOClient gets an explicit connect bound and
 /// permission to force-close after a failed drain (#1972).
-http.Client _createIoClient(String debugLabel, {bool tuned = false}) {
+ManagedHttpClient _createIoClient(String debugLabel, {bool tuned = false}) {
   final httpClient = HttpClient()..connectionTimeout = MediaServerTimeouts.connect;
   if (tuned) {
     // Plex home loads fan out many HTTP/1.1 calls; keep connections warm.
@@ -41,24 +129,7 @@ http.Client _createIoClient(String debugLabel, {bool tuned = false}) {
 
 http.Client createPlatformClient() {
   if (Platform.isAndroid) {
-    if (!_cronetBroken) {
-      try {
-        _sharedEngine ??= CronetEngine.build(
-          cacheMode: CacheMode.memory,
-          cacheMaxSize: 2 * 1024 * 1024,
-          enableBrotli: true,
-          enableHttp2: true,
-        );
-        _logPlatformClient('android', 'CronetClient');
-        return ManagedHttpClient(CronetClient.fromCronetEngine(_sharedEngine!), debugLabel: 'CronetClient');
-      } catch (e, st) {
-        _cronetBroken = true;
-        _sharedEngine = null;
-        appLogger.w('CronetClient init failed, falling back to IOClient', error: e, stackTrace: st);
-      }
-    }
-    _logPlatformClient('android', 'IOClient (Android fallback)');
-    return _createIoClient('IOClient (Android fallback)', tuned: true);
+    return AndroidPlatformHttpClient();
   }
   if (Platform.isIOS && _tvosBuild) {
     _logPlatformClient('tvos', 'IOClient (tvOS tuned)');
diff --git a/lib/utils/platform_http_client_stub.dart b/lib/utils/platform_http_client_stub.dart
index 513718e8b..90bfe4424 100644
--- a/lib/utils/platform_http_client_stub.dart
+++ b/lib/utils/platform_http_client_stub.dart
@@ -5,3 +5,6 @@ import 'package:http/http.dart' as http;
 http.Client createPlatformClient() => throw UnsupportedError('No platform HTTP client available');
 
 http.Client createPlexApiClient() => throw UnsupportedError('No platform HTTP client available');
+
+/// No-op: only the `dart:io` implementation has an engine to warm.
+Future<void> warmUpPlatformHttpClient() async {}
diff --git a/test/profiles/plex_home_service_test.dart b/test/profiles/plex_home_service_test.dart
index d0c30ec27..afa4b3d27 100644
--- a/test/profiles/plex_home_service_test.dart
+++ b/test/profiles/plex_home_service_test.dart
@@ -248,6 +248,82 @@ void main() {
       expect(service.current[acct.id]!.first.uuid, 'seeded-uuid');
     });
 
+    // `start()` used to be the only entry point, and it was called from a
+    // provider `create:` — so it began network refresh before SetupScreen had
+    // decided whether the app should go straight offline. `hydrate()` is the
+    // disk-only half, safe to call before that decision.
+    test('hydrate loads the cache without issuing any network fetch', () async {
+      await storage.savePlexHomeUsersCache('plex.hydrate', [_user('cached-uuid').toJson()]);
+      final acct = _account('plex.hydrate');
+      await connections.upsert(acct);
+
+      final fetcher = _QueuedFetcher();
+      addTearDown(fetcher.close);
+      service = PlexHomeService(
+        connections: connections,
+        profileConnections: profileConnections,
+        storage: storage,
+        plexHomeUserFetcher: fetcher.call,
+      );
+
+      await service.hydrate();
+      // Give any stray unawaited refresh a chance to reach the fetcher.
+      await Future<void>.delayed(Duration.zero);
+
+      expect(service.current[acct.id]!.single.uuid, 'cached-uuid');
+      expect(fetcher.requests, isEmpty, reason: 'hydration must not touch the network');
+    });
+
+    test('hydrate still satisfies the stream replay contract', () async {
+      // `stream` re-emits on listen so a late listener behind a combineLatest
+      // does not sit on ConnectionState.waiting forever. That has to hold even
+      // when the live/network side never starts.
+      await storage.savePlexHomeUsersCache('plex.replay', [_user('replay-uuid').toJson()]);
+      final acct = _account('plex.replay');
+      await connections.upsert(acct);
+
+      final fetcher = _QueuedFetcher();
+      addTearDown(fetcher.close);
+      service = PlexHomeService(
+        connections: connections,
+        profileConnections: profileConnections,
+        storage: storage,
+        plexHomeUserFetcher: fetcher.call,
+      );
+
+      await service.hydrate();
+
+      final first = await service.stream.first;
+      expect(first[acct.id]!.single.uuid, 'replay-uuid');
+      expect(fetcher.requests, isEmpty);
+    });
+
+    test('concurrent hydrate calls share one pass and start implies hydration', () async {
+      await storage.savePlexHomeUsersCache('plex.coalesce', [_user('coalesce-uuid').toJson()]);
+      final acct = _account('plex.coalesce');
+      await connections.upsert(acct);
+
+      final fetcher = _QueuedFetcher();
+      addTearDown(fetcher.close);
+      service = PlexHomeService(
+        connections: connections,
+        profileConnections: profileConnections,
+        storage: storage,
+        plexHomeUserFetcher: fetcher.call,
+      );
+
+      // Provider create and a picker opening at the same time.
+      await Future.wait([service.hydrate(), service.hydrate(), service.hydrate()]);
+      expect(service.current[acct.id]!.single.uuid, 'coalesce-uuid');
+      expect(fetcher.requests, isEmpty);
+
+      // start() is self-sufficient: it implies hydration and then goes live.
+      await service.start();
+      await fetcher.waitForCount(1);
+      expect(fetcher.requests, hasLength(1), reason: 'the live side does refresh');
+      expect(service.current[acct.id]!.single.uuid, 'coalesce-uuid');
+    });
+
     test('reloadFromStorage picks up caches written after startup', () async {
       final refreshBlocker = Completer<List<PlexHomeUser>>();
       service = PlexHomeService(
diff --git a/test/screens/profile/borrow_connection_screen_test.dart b/test/screens/profile/borrow_connection_screen_test.dart
index a39565087..f3720ebdc 100644
--- a/test/screens/profile/borrow_connection_screen_test.dart
+++ b/test/screens/profile/borrow_connection_screen_test.dart
@@ -64,10 +64,10 @@ void main() {
       ),
     );
 
-    expect(plexHome.starts, hasLength(1));
+    expect(plexHome.hydrations, hasLength(1));
     expect(find.byType(CircularProgressIndicator), findsOneWidget);
 
-    plexHome.starts.first.completeError(StateError('load failed'));
+    plexHome.hydrations.first.completeError(StateError('load failed'));
     await tester.pumpAndSettle();
 
     expect(find.text(t.profiles.borrowLoadFailed), findsOneWidget);
@@ -77,11 +77,11 @@ void main() {
     await tester.tap(find.text(t.common.retry));
     await tester.pump();
 
-    expect(plexHome.starts, hasLength(2));
+    expect(plexHome.hydrations, hasLength(2));
     expect(find.byType(CircularProgressIndicator), findsOneWidget);
     expect(find.text(t.profiles.borrowLoadFailed), findsNothing);
 
-    plexHome.starts.last.complete();
+    plexHome.hydrations.last.complete();
     await tester.pumpAndSettle();
 
     expect(find.text(t.profiles.borrowEmpty), findsOneWidget);
@@ -92,12 +92,15 @@ void main() {
 class _ControlledPlexHomeService extends PlexHomeService {
   _ControlledPlexHomeService({required super.connections, required super.profileConnections, required super.storage});
 
-  final Queue<Completer<void>> starts = Queue();
+  /// The picker reads `current` straight after awaiting, so it needs the disk
+  /// cache only and deliberately does not start live refresh — gate the same
+  /// call the screen makes.
+  final Queue<Completer<void>> hydrations = Queue();
 
   @override
-  Future<void> start() {
+  Future<void> hydrate() {
     final completer = Completer<void>();
-    starts.add(completer);
+    hydrations.add(completer);
     return completer.future;
   }
 }
diff --git a/test/utils/media_server_http_client_shutdown_test.dart b/test/utils/media_server_http_client_shutdown_test.dart
index c8e834f0e..698b5691e 100644
--- a/test/utils/media_server_http_client_shutdown_test.dart
+++ b/test/utils/media_server_http_client_shutdown_test.dart
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import 'package:http/http.dart' as http;
 import 'package:plezy/exceptions/media_server_exceptions.dart';
 import 'package:plezy/utils/managed_http_client.dart';
 import 'package:plezy/utils/media_server_http_client.dart';
+import 'package:plezy/utils/platform_http_client_io.dart';
 
 void main() {
   group('MediaServerHttpClient shutdown', () {
@@ -110,6 +111,32 @@ void main() {
       expect(File(filePath).existsSync(), isFalse, reason: 'a cancelled download must not commit the final file');
       expect(File('$filePath.download').existsSync(), isFalse, reason: 'the partial temp file must be cleaned up');
     });
+
+    test('closeGracefully awaits a delegating GracefulHttpClient drain', () async {
+      final transport = _ManualDrainClient();
+      final client = MediaServerHttpClient(client: transport, baseUrl: 'https://example.test/');
+
+      var closed = false;
+      final closing = client.closeGracefully().then((_) => closed = true);
+      await Future<void>.delayed(Duration.zero);
+      expect(transport.drainRequested, isTrue);
+      expect(closed, isFalse, reason: 'must await the delegate drain, not fall back to fire-and-forget close()');
+
+      transport.finishDrain();
+      await closing;
+      expect(closed, isTrue);
+    });
+
+    test('AndroidPlatformHttpClient keeps the graceful-drain contract and rejects sends once closing', () async {
+      final client = AndroidPlatformHttpClient();
+      expect(client, isA<GracefulHttpClient>(), reason: 'per-server awaited drains dispatch on GracefulHttpClient');
+
+      await client.closeGracefully(drainTimeout: Duration.zero);
+      expect(
+        () => client.send(http.Request('GET', Uri.parse('https://example.test/library/sections'))),
+        throwsA(isA<http.ClientException>()),
+      );
+    });
   });
 }
 
@@ -150,3 +177,24 @@ class _HangingBodyClient extends http.BaseClient {
     await body.close();
   }
 }
+
+/// Delegating client (the AndroidPlatformHttpClient shape) whose drain
+/// completes only when the test says so.
+class _ManualDrainClient extends http.BaseClient implements GracefulHttpClient {
+  final _drained = Completer<void>();
+  bool drainRequested = false;
+
+  @override
+  Future<http.StreamedResponse> send(http.BaseRequest request) => throw UnimplementedError();
+
+  @override
+  Future<void> closeGracefully({Duration drainTimeout = const Duration(seconds: 2)}) {
+    drainRequested = true;
+    return _drained.future;
+  }
+
+  void finishDrain() => _drained.complete();
+
+  @override
+  void close() {}
+}