[eric] boot: bootstrap fetches retry until the backend answers and heal on focus, so a lost boot race stops bricking first paint

frontend/src/shared/config.ts

@@ -48,7 +48,12 @@ export async function refreshAuthToken(): Promise<string> {
 /** Resolve auth token once; concurrent callers share the same promise. */
 export function ensureAuthToken(): Promise<string> {
   if (_authTokenPromise) return _authTokenPromise;
-  _authTokenPromise = refreshAuthToken();
+  _authTokenPromise = refreshAuthToken().then((tok) => {
+    // A boot race can resolve EMPTY (backend hadn't written the token file yet); memoizing that
+    // left the renderer auth-dead until a manual reload (ENG-207). Empty = not an answer; retry.
+    if (!tok) _authTokenPromise = null;
+    return tok;
+  });
   return _authTokenPromise;
 }
 

frontend/src/shared/state/modelsSlice.ts

@@ -21,11 +21,13 @@ export interface ModelOption {
 interface ModelsState {
   byProvider: Record<string, ModelOption[]>;
   loaded: boolean;
+  failed: boolean;
 }
 
 const initialState: ModelsState = {
   byProvider: {},
   loaded: false,
+  failed: false,
 };
 
 export const fetchModels = createAsyncThunk('models/fetchModels', async () => {
@@ -49,6 +51,11 @@ const modelsSlice = createSlice({
       .addCase(fetchModels.rejected, (state) => {
         // Mark loaded even on failure so callers fall back to hardcoded options.
         state.loaded = true;
+        // ...but remember it FAILED: a boot-race miss used to read as "loaded with no models" and lit the red banner on a fully configured install (ENG-207).
+        state.failed = true;
+      })
+      .addCase(fetchModels.pending, (state) => {
+        state.failed = false;
       });
   },
 });