diff --git a/backend/apps/agents/browser/browser_prestage.py b/backend/apps/agents/browser/browser_prestage.py
index cab6c651..bcbbd2a7 100644
--- a/backend/apps/agents/browser/browser_prestage.py
+++ b/backend/apps/agents/browser/browser_prestage.py
@@ -381,7 +381,17 @@ async def run_prestage(
                 await asyncio.sleep(0.35)
                 li2, gt2, u2 = await perceive()
                 if ((u2 and u2 != pre_url) or (gt2 and gt2[:400] != pre_text[:400])
-                        or (li2 and pre_li and li2 != pre_li)):
+                        or (li2 and pre_li and li2 != pre_li)
+                        # A page that HAS content is a settled page, whether or not it differs from
+                        # what came before. Every clause above asks "is this different?", and on a
+                        # fresh card the before-state is empty, so `pre_li` is falsy and a perfectly
+                        # good load can satisfy none of them. Measured on disqus: the embed URL
+                        # served 200, the nav landed, and settle returned ok=False after 3.4s, so
+                        # prestage stopped unstaged and BrowserListInteractives was never called at
+                        # all. That reads downstream as "no composer" when the truth is we never
+                        # looked. Not a disqus quirk: any page that renders nothing like its own
+                        # blank pre-state trips it.
+                        or (li2 and not pre_li)):
                     return True
             return False
         p_max_steps = 0 if perceive_only else (OPENER_MAX_STEPS if opener_mode() else MAX_STEPS)
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_browser_prestage_opener.py b/backend/tests/test_browser_prestage_opener.py
index 9ccd120f..7e388a8e 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_browser_prestage_opener.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_browser_prestage_opener.py
@@ -166,3 +166,29 @@ def test_a_click_that_reveals_the_composer_ends_the_stage_without_another_aux_ca
     assert "composer_index_in_state(p_after)" in block, "must check the POST-click perception"
     assert "task_is_send" in block, "send tasks only; a read stages differently"
     assert "staged_complete = True" in block, "and it must end the stage, not just note it"
+
+
+def test_a_page_that_loaded_content_counts_as_settled_even_with_an_empty_before_state():
+    """Found on disqus via the editor-shape holdout, and it is general.
+
+    settle() proves an action took by asking "is the page DIFFERENT now?", comparing url, the first
+    400 chars of text, and the element list against the pre-action snapshot. On a fresh card the
+    pre-state is empty, so `pre_li` is falsy and the element-list clause is skipped entirely; a page
+    whose URL the aux navigated to directly, and whose text starts empty, can satisfy none of the
+    clauses no matter how well it loads.
+
+    Measured: the disqus embed URL served 200, the navigation landed, settle returned ok=False after
+    3.4s, prestage stopped unstaged, and BrowserListInteractives was NEVER CALLED. Downstream that
+    read as "no composer" when the truth was that we never looked. Having content is itself the
+    evidence a navigation settled.
+    """
+    import inspect
+    from backend.apps.agents.browser import browser_prestage as pre
+    src = inspect.getsource(pre)
+    i = src.index("async def settle")
+    body = src[i:i + 2200]
+    assert "or (li2 and not pre_li)" in body, \
+        "a load into an empty before-state must count as settled"
+    # and the original difference clauses must survive: this is an ADDITION, not a replacement
+    assert "u2 != pre_url" in body and "gt2[:400] != pre_text[:400]" in body
+    assert "li2 != pre_li" in body