diff --git a/ui/src/app/stale-chunk-reload.ts b/ui/src/app/stale-chunk-reload.ts
index b0645db53434..d44c3bc4d8a8 100644
--- a/ui/src/app/stale-chunk-reload.ts
+++ b/ui/src/app/stale-chunk-reload.ts
@@ -50,7 +50,10 @@ export function isStaleChunkImportError(error: unknown): boolean {
 }
 
 function reloadControlUiDocument(): void {
-  window.location.reload();
+  const url = new URL(window.location.href);
+  // The pre-app mount recovery strips this one-shot cache buster before bootstrap.
+  url.searchParams.set("openclaw_mount_recovery", String(Date.now()));
+  window.location.replace(url.href);
 }
 
 function sessionStorageOrNull(): Pick<Storage, "getItem" | "setItem"> | null {
diff --git a/ui/src/e2e/locale-offline-retry.e2e.test.ts b/ui/src/e2e/locale-offline-retry.e2e.test.ts
index fe0ad4913b61..f6bc6160ce37 100644
--- a/ui/src/e2e/locale-offline-retry.e2e.test.ts
+++ b/ui/src/e2e/locale-offline-retry.e2e.test.ts
@@ -100,14 +100,14 @@ suite.define(() => {
       await route.abort("internetdisconnected");
     };
     await page.route(frenchLocaleModule, abortFrenchLocale);
-    let navigationCount = 0;
+    let documentRequestCount = 0;
 
     try {
       const response = await page.goto(`${suite.server.baseUrl}settings/appearance`);
       expect(response?.status()).toBe(200);
-      page.on("framenavigated", (frame) => {
-        if (frame === page.mainFrame()) {
-          navigationCount += 1;
+      page.on("request", (request) => {
+        if (request.resourceType() === "document") {
+          documentRequestCount += 1;
         }
       });
       await page.locator(".settings-row__title", { hasText: "Language" }).waitFor();
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ suite.define(() => {
       await page.locator(".settings-row__title", { hasText: "Language" }).waitFor();
       await page.locator(".settings-page").waitFor();
       expect(await documentMarker(page)).toBe("same-document");
-      expect(navigationCount).toBe(0);
+      expect(documentRequestCount).toBe(0);
 
       await page.unroute(frenchLocaleModule, abortFrenchLocale);
       await reconnect(page, gateway);
@@ -137,14 +137,14 @@ suite.define(() => {
         .locator(".settings-row__title", { hasText: "Langue" })
         .waitFor({ timeout: 10_000 });
       expect(await documentMarker(page)).toBeUndefined();
-      expect(navigationCount).toBe(1);
+      expect(documentRequestCount).toBe(1);
       expect(
         await page.evaluate(() =>
           sessionStorage.getItem("openclaw.controlUi.staleChunkReloadBuildId"),
         ),
       ).toBe("e2e");
       await page.waitForTimeout(500);
-      expect(navigationCount).toBe(1);
+      expect(documentRequestCount).toBe(1);
       expect(new URL(page.url()).pathname).toBe("/settings/appearance");
     } finally {
       await page.unroute(frenchLocaleModule, abortFrenchLocale);
diff --git a/ui/src/e2e/login-gate.e2e.test.ts b/ui/src/e2e/login-gate.e2e.test.ts
index b66fdd33e7c5..7db43024e487 100644
--- a/ui/src/e2e/login-gate.e2e.test.ts
+++ b/ui/src/e2e/login-gate.e2e.test.ts
@@ -59,6 +59,62 @@ async function closeContext(context: BrowserContext): Promise<void> {
 }
 
 suite.define(() => {
+  it("cache-busts stale-build recovery on a first dashboard navigation", async () => {
+    const context = await suite.browser.newContext({
+      serviceWorkers: "block",
+      viewport: { height: 900, width: 1280 },
+    });
+    const page = await context.newPage();
+    const documentRequests: Array<{ fresh: boolean; pathname: string }> = [];
+    const appOrigin = new URL(suite.server.baseUrl).origin;
+    await page.route(`${appOrigin}/**`, async (route) => {
+      const request = route.request();
+      if (request.resourceType() === "document") {
+        const url = new URL(request.url());
+        documentRequests.push({
+          fresh: url.searchParams.has("openclaw_mount_recovery"),
+          pathname: url.pathname,
+        });
+      }
+      await route.continue();
+    });
+    const gateway = await installMockGateway(page, {
+      deferredMethods: ["connect"],
+      sessionKey: "agent:example-agent:example-session",
+    });
+    const mismatch = {
+      code: "UNAVAILABLE",
+      message: "Control UI updated; reload this page to continue",
+      details: {
+        code: ConnectErrorDetailCodes.CONTROL_UI_BUILD_MISMATCH,
+        gatewayBuildId: "replacement-build",
+        reloadRequired: true,
+      },
+      retryable: false,
+    };
+    const target = new URL("dashboard/example-agent/example-session", suite.server.baseUrl);
+
+    try {
+      await page.goto(target.href);
+      await gateway.waitForRequest("connect");
+      await gateway.rejectDeferred("connect", mismatch);
+
+      await expect.poll(() => documentRequests.length).toBe(2);
+      await gateway.waitForRequest("connect");
+      expect(documentRequests).toEqual([
+        { fresh: false, pathname: target.pathname },
+        { fresh: true, pathname: target.pathname },
+      ]);
+      await gateway.resolveDeferred("connect");
+
+      await page.locator("openclaw-app-shell").waitFor();
+      expect(await page.locator("openclaw-login-gate").count()).toBe(0);
+      await expect.poll(() => page.url()).toBe(target.href);
+    } finally {
+      await closeContext(context);
+    }
+  });
+
   it("reloads once for a build rejection, then keeps visible recovery guidance", async () => {
     const context = await suite.browser.newContext({ viewport: { height: 900, width: 1280 } });
     const page = await context.newPage();
diff --git a/ui/src/e2e/plugin-bundled-view-recovery.e2e.test.ts b/ui/src/e2e/plugin-bundled-view-recovery.e2e.test.ts
index fd47f507d730..0c71ff5f1514 100644
--- a/ui/src/e2e/plugin-bundled-view-recovery.e2e.test.ts
+++ b/ui/src/e2e/plugin-bundled-view-recovery.e2e.test.ts
@@ -100,10 +100,10 @@ suite.define(() => {
           path: path.join(artifactDir, "failure.png"),
         });
 
-        let navigationCount = 0;
-        page.on("framenavigated", (frame) => {
-          if (frame === page.mainFrame()) {
-            navigationCount += 1;
+        let documentRequestCount = 0;
+        page.on("request", (request) => {
+          if (request.resourceType() === "document") {
+            documentRequestCount += 1;
           }
         });
         markDocumentReachable();
@@ -112,13 +112,13 @@ suite.define(() => {
         await alert.waitFor();
         await page.waitForTimeout(500);
         expect(await alert.count()).toBe(1);
-        expect(navigationCount).toBe(1);
+        expect(documentRequestCount).toBe(1);
 
         await alert.getByRole("button", { name: "Reload" }).click();
         await page.locator(".logbook").waitFor();
         expect(await alert.count()).toBe(0);
         expect(assetRequests).toBeGreaterThan(2);
-        expect(navigationCount).toBe(2);
+        expect(documentRequestCount).toBe(2);
         await gateway.waitForRequest("logbook.status");
         await page.screenshot({
           fullPage: true,