diff --git a/app/page.tsx b/app/page.tsx
index 97db554..2833abf 100644
--- a/app/page.tsx
+++ b/app/page.tsx
@@ -1992,10 +1992,16 @@ export default function HomePage() {
               start();
             }
           }}
-          // Snapshot the form the instant the OAuth redirect begins — the
-          // round-trip unmounts the page and discards in-memory state. Fires
-          // only for Google/GitHub (signInWithOAuth), not OTP.
-          onBeforeOAuth={persistPendingStart}
+          //
+          // Only snapshot when the user is mid-start: the OAuth redirect also
+          // fires for bare logins (UserChip / StyleModal onRequireAuth), where
+          // the user just wants to sign in — not kick off a game. Guarding on
+          // pendingAction keeps bare logins from auto-starting a session on
+          // return. (start() sets pendingAction="start" right before opening
+          // this modal.)
+          onBeforeOAuth={() => {
+            if (pendingAction === "start") persistPendingStart();
+          }}
         />
       )}
     </div>
diff --git a/app/play/page.tsx b/app/play/page.tsx
index 00db2d7..c2db30c 100644
--- a/app/play/page.tsx
+++ b/app/play/page.tsx
@@ -1478,16 +1478,24 @@ function PlayInner() {
     // re-bootstrapping from `?card=…` (which would restart the story). OTP
     // login never writes a snapshot — its onSuccess retry keeps state
     // in-memory.
-    if (AUTH_ENABLED) {
-      // Let the async resume run; on failure (no snapshot / not signed in /
-      // corrupt) it relinquishes the slot so the normal bootstrap below
-      // re-runs. Either way return here — the sync body must not run while the
-      // OAuth return is being reconciled.
+    //
+    // Peek before awaiting: when there's no snapshot (the common case —
+    // normal card/preset/custom entry), fall straight through to the
+    // bootstrap below. Only when a snapshot exists do we enter the async
+    // gate, which itself removes the entry. This keeps the no-snapshot path
+    // off the retryBootstrap re-trigger loop entirely.
+    if (
+      AUTH_ENABLED &&
+      sessionStorage.getItem(PLAY_RESUME_KEY) !== null
+    ) {
       void (async () => {
         const snap = await consumeResumeSnapshot<PlayResumeSnapshot>(
           PLAY_RESUME_KEY,
         );
         if (!snap) {
+          // Snapshot existed but user isn't signed in / payload corrupt →
+          // consumeResumeSnapshot already removed it. Relinquish the slot so
+          // the normal bootstrap below re-runs on the next effect cycle.
           startedRef.current = false;
           setRetryBootstrap((n) => n + 1);
           return;