diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 7b4befe6..db422e34 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ When user says "COM":
 1. Increment version in BOTH `package.json` AND `CLAUDE.md` (verify they match with `grep version package.json && grep Version CLAUDE.md`)
 2. Run: `git add -A && git commit -m "chore: bump version to X.XXXX" && git push && npm run build && systemctl --user restart claudeman-web`
 
-**Version**: 0.1535 (must match `package.json` for npm publish)
+**Version**: 0.1536 (must match `package.json` for npm publish)
 
 ## Project Overview
 
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index c5152b0b..8b782db6 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "claudeman",
-  "version": "0.1535",
+  "version": "0.1536",
   "description": "The missing control plane for Claude Code - run 20 autonomous agents with real-time monitoring and session persistence",
   "type": "module",
   "main": "dist/index.js",
diff --git a/src/web/public/app.js b/src/web/public/app.js
index e59b80a0..93f15361 100644
--- a/src/web/public/app.js
+++ b/src/web/public/app.js
@@ -1340,6 +1340,7 @@ class ClaudemanApp {
     this.fitAddon = null;
     this.activeSessionId = null;
     this._initGeneration = 0;     // dedup concurrent handleInit calls
+    this._initFallbackTimer = null; // fallback timer if SSE init doesn't arrive
     this._selectGeneration = 0;   // cancel stale selectSession loads
     this.respawnStatus = {};
     this.respawnTimers = {}; // Track timed respawn timers
@@ -1551,8 +1552,13 @@ class ClaudemanApp {
     // The inline <script> in <head> added this to prevent flash-of-content on mobile.
     document.documentElement.classList.remove('mobile-init');
     this.connectSSE();
-    this.loadState();
-    this.loadQuickStartCases();
+    // Only fetch state if SSE init event hasn't arrived within 3s (avoids duplicate handleInit)
+    this._initFallbackTimer = setTimeout(() => {
+      if (this._initGeneration === 0) this.loadState();
+    }, 3000);
+    // Share a single settings fetch between both consumers
+    const settingsPromise = fetch('/api/settings').then(r => r.ok ? r.json() : null).catch(() => null);
+    this.loadQuickStartCases(null, settingsPromise);
     this.setupEventListeners();
     // Mobile settings gear: non-passive touchstart to prevent keyboard dismiss
     const settingsBtn = document.querySelector('.btn-settings-mobile');
@@ -1563,12 +1569,11 @@ class ClaudemanApp {
         app.openAppSettings();
       }, { passive: false });
     }
-    // Start system stats polling
-    this.startSystemStatsPolling();
+    // System stats polling deferred until sessions exist (started in handleInit/session:created)
     // Setup online/offline detection
     this.setupOnlineDetection();
     // Load server-stored settings (async, re-applies visibility after load)
-    this.loadAppSettingsFromServer().then(() => {
+    this.loadAppSettingsFromServer(settingsPromise).then(() => {
       this.applyHeaderVisibilitySettings();
       this.applyTabWrapSettings();
       this.applyMonitorVisibility();
@@ -2308,6 +2313,8 @@ class ClaudemanApp {
       }
       this.renderSessionTabs();
       this.updateCost();
+      // Start stats polling when first session appears
+      if (this.sessions.size === 1) this.startSystemStatsPolling();
     });
 
     addListener('session:updated', (e) => {
@@ -2348,6 +2355,8 @@ class ClaudemanApp {
       this.renderSessionTabs();
       this.renderRalphStatePanel();  // Update ralph panel after session deleted
       this.renderProjectInsightsPanel();  // Update project insights panel after session deleted
+      // Stop stats polling when no sessions remain
+      if (this.sessions.size === 0) this.stopSystemStatsPolling();
     });
 
     addListener('session:terminal', (e) => {
@@ -3370,6 +3379,11 @@ class ClaudemanApp {
   }
 
   handleInit(data) {
+    // Clear the init fallback timer since we got data
+    if (this._initFallbackTimer) {
+      clearTimeout(this._initFallbackTimer);
+      this._initFallbackTimer = null;
+    }
     const gen = ++this._initGeneration;
 
     // Update version displays (header and toolbar)
@@ -3498,6 +3512,13 @@ class ClaudemanApp {
     this.updateCost();
     this.renderSessionTabs();
 
+    // Start/stop system stats polling based on session count
+    if (this.sessions.size > 0) {
+      this.startSystemStatsPolling();
+    } else {
+      this.stopSystemStatsPolling();
+    }
+
     // CRITICAL: Clean up all floating windows before loading new subagents
     // This prevents memory leaks from ResizeObservers, EventSources, and DOM elements
     this.cleanupAllFloatingWindows();
@@ -7334,22 +7355,20 @@ class ClaudemanApp {
 
   // ========== Quick Start ==========
 
-  async loadQuickStartCases(selectCaseName = null) {
+  async loadQuickStartCases(selectCaseName = null, settingsPromise = null) {
     try {
-      // Load settings to get lastUsedCase
+      // Load settings to get lastUsedCase (reuse shared promise if provided)
       let lastUsedCase = null;
       try {
-        const settingsRes = await fetch('/api/settings');
-        if (settingsRes.ok) {
-          const settings = await settingsRes.json();
+        const settings = settingsPromise ? await settingsPromise : await fetch('/api/settings').then(r => r.ok ? r.json() : null);
+        if (settings) {
           lastUsedCase = settings.lastUsedCase || null;
         }
       } catch {
         // Ignore settings load errors
       }
 
-      // Add cache-busting to ensure fresh data
-      const res = await fetch('/api/cases?_t=' + Date.now());
+      const res = await fetch('/api/cases');
       const cases = await res.json();
       this.cases = cases;
       console.log('[loadQuickStartCases] Loaded cases:', cases.map(c => c.name), 'lastUsedCase:', lastUsedCase);
@@ -9967,11 +9986,10 @@ class ClaudemanApp {
     }
   }
 
-  async loadAppSettingsFromServer() {
+  async loadAppSettingsFromServer(settingsPromise = null) {
     try {
-      const res = await fetch('/api/settings');
-      if (res.ok) {
-        const settings = await res.json();
+      const settings = settingsPromise ? await settingsPromise : await fetch('/api/settings').then(r => r.ok ? r.json() : null);
+      if (settings) {
         // Extract notification prefs before merging app settings
         const { notificationPreferences, ...appSettings } = settings;
         // Filter out display settings — these are device-specific (mobile vs desktop)
diff --git a/src/web/public/index.html b/src/web/public/index.html
index b0f7c747..dcc071ca 100644
--- a/src/web/public/index.html
+++ b/src/web/public/index.html
@@ -10,9 +10,10 @@
   <!-- DNS preconnect for CDN — saves ~100ms on first load -->
   <link rel="preconnect" href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net" crossorigin>
   <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net">
-  <link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css?v=0.1534">
-  <link rel="stylesheet" href="mobile.css?v=0.1534">
-  <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/xterm@5.3.0/css/xterm.css">
+  <link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css?v=0.1536">
+  <link rel="stylesheet" href="mobile.css?v=0.1536" media="(max-width: 1023px)">
+  <link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/xterm@5.3.0/css/xterm.css" as="style" onload="this.onload=null;this.rel='stylesheet'">
+  <noscript><link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/xterm@5.3.0/css/xterm.css"></noscript>
   <!-- Defer CDN scripts — they no longer block initial HTML parsing/paint.
        'defer' preserves execution order (xterm loads before fit addon). -->
   <script defer src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/xterm@5.3.0/lib/xterm.min.js"></script>
@@ -1474,6 +1475,6 @@
     <!-- Lines drawn dynamically -->
   </svg>
 
-  <script defer src="app.js?v=0.1534"></script>
+  <script defer src="app.js?v=0.1536"></script>
 </body>
 </html>