diff --git a/frontend/src/service-worker.js b/frontend/src/service-worker.js
index 1d3c15c..0f233e7 100644
--- a/frontend/src/service-worker.js
+++ b/frontend/src/service-worker.js
@@ -40,17 +40,23 @@ function isMutablePath(p) {
 
 self.addEventListener('install', (event) => {
   // Best-effort: grab the app shell as an offline fallback. No bulk precache.
-  event.waitUntil(
-    caches.open(CACHE).then((c) => c.add('/').catch(() => {})).then(() => self.skipWaiting())
-  );
+  // Deliberately NO skipWaiting(): a new worker installs quietly and waits, so
+  // it never seizes a page that's mid-boot. It takes control on the next
+  // navigation, when the old worker has no clients — the post-deploy first-load
+  // then completes under the stable old worker (with its cache intact) against
+  // the warmed edge, instead of having its cache yanked mid-load.
+  event.waitUntil(caches.open(CACHE).then((c) => c.add('/').catch(() => {})));
 });
 
 self.addEventListener('activate', (event) => {
+  // Runs only when this worker actually activates (next navigation, never
+  // mid-boot), so deleting old version caches here is safe — and old immutable
+  // chunks live on at the origin for a 14-day grace window regardless. No
+  // clients.claim(): pages adopt this worker on their own next navigation.
   event.waitUntil(
     caches
       .keys()
       .then((keys) => Promise.all(keys.filter((k) => k !== CACHE).map((k) => caches.delete(k))))
-      .then(() => self.clients.claim())
   );
 });