diff --git a/scripts/lib/control-pane/ui.js b/scripts/lib/control-pane/ui.js
index f7b0e069d..eb4b0ec0c 100644
--- a/scripts/lib/control-pane/ui.js
+++ b/scripts/lib/control-pane/ui.js
@@ -436,6 +436,15 @@ function renderControlPaneHtml() {
       target.textContent = '';
     }
 
+    // The board keeps the last snapshot on screen, so a failed refresh has to
+    // say that the data is no longer live, and since when.
+    function showRefreshFailure(error) {
+      const since = state.loadedAt
+        ? ' The data below is from ' + state.loadedAt.toLocaleTimeString() + '.'
+        : '';
+      showError('#app', 'Live refresh failed.' + since + '\\n' + formatError(error));
+    }
+
     async function readJsonResponse(response) {
       let payload;
       try {
@@ -642,6 +651,7 @@ function renderControlPaneHtml() {
         ...action,
         executable: snapshot.execution.allowActions && action.executable
       })));
+      state.loadedAt = new Date();
       clearError('#app');
     }
 
@@ -682,7 +692,7 @@ function renderControlPaneHtml() {
     // Live board: refresh on a gentle interval; pause while a prompt/tab is hidden.
     setInterval(() => {
       if (document.hidden) return;
-      load().catch(() => {});
+      load().catch(showRefreshFailure);
     }, 15000);
 
     load().catch(error => showError('#app', error));
diff --git a/tests/lib/control-pane-ui.test.js b/tests/lib/control-pane-ui.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..747228988
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/lib/control-pane-ui.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+/**
+ * Tests for the browser script the local ECC2 control pane serves.
+ */
+
+const assert = require('assert');
+const path = require('path');
+const vm = require('vm');
+
+const { buildControlPaneSnapshot } = require('../../scripts/lib/control-pane/state');
+const { renderControlPaneHtml } = require('../../scripts/lib/control-pane/ui');
+
+async function test(name, fn) {
+  try {
+    await fn();
+    console.log(`  PASS ${name}`);
+    return true;
+  } catch (error) {
+    console.log(`  FAIL ${name}`);
+    console.log(`    Error: ${error.message}`);
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
+function inlineScript(html) {
+  const start = html.indexOf('<script>') + '<script>'.length;
+  return html.slice(start, html.lastIndexOf('</script>'));
+}
+
+// Runs the page script against a stand-in for the few browser APIs it uses:
+// elements looked up by selector, fetch, and a setInterval whose callback the
+// test fires itself.
+function openPage(snapshot) {
+  const elements = new Map();
+  const element = selector => {
+    if (!elements.has(selector)) {
+      elements.set(selector, {
+        hidden: selector === '#app',
+        textContent: '',
+        innerHTML: '',
+        value: '',
+        dataset: {},
+        addEventListener() {}
+      });
+    }
+    return elements.get(selector);
+  };
+  const page = { online: true, refresh: null, element };
+  vm.runInNewContext(inlineScript(renderControlPaneHtml()), {
+    document: { hidden: false, querySelector: element, querySelectorAll: () => [] },
+    window: { location: { href: 'http://127.0.0.1:8765/' } },
+    URL,
+    Intl,
+    console,
+    fetch: async () => {
+      if (!page.online) throw new TypeError('Failed to fetch');
+      return { ok: true, status: 200, statusText: 'OK', json: async () => snapshot };
+    },
+    setInterval: callback => {
+      page.refresh = callback;
+    }
+  });
+  return page;
+}
+
+const settle = () => new Promise(resolve => setImmediate(resolve));
+
+async function runTests() {
+  console.log('\n=== Testing control-pane UI ===\n');
+
+  let passed = 0;
+  let failed = 0;
+
+  const snapshot = JSON.parse(
+    JSON.stringify(
+      await buildControlPaneSnapshot({
+        dbPath: path.join(__dirname, 'no-such-ecc2.db'),
+        repoRoot: path.join(__dirname, '..', '..'),
+        query: ''
+      })
+    )
+  );
+
+  if (
+    await test('a failed live refresh is reported, and cleared by the next one that succeeds', async () => {
+      const page = openPage(snapshot);
+      await settle();
+      assert.strictEqual(page.element('#app').hidden, true, 'the first load succeeds');
+
+      page.online = false;
+      page.refresh();
+      await settle();
+      const box = page.element('#app');
+      assert.strictEqual(box.hidden, false, 'the failure is shown');
+      assert.match(box.textContent, /Live refresh failed\. The data below is from /);
+      assert.match(box.textContent, /Failed to fetch/);
+
+      page.online = true;
+      page.refresh();
+      await settle();
+      assert.strictEqual(page.element('#app').hidden, true, 'a successful refresh clears it');
+    })
+  )
+    passed++;
+  else failed++;
+
+  console.log(`\nResults: Passed: ${passed}, Failed: ${failed}`);
+  process.exit(failed > 0 ? 1 : 0);
+}
+
+runTests();