diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/api.ts b/frontend/src/lib/api.ts
index 5fb6363e57cf..03f469c1af78 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/api.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/api.ts
@@ -4522,8 +4522,8 @@ const api = {
     },
 
     recordings: {
-        async list(params: RecordingsQuery): Promise<RecordingsQueryResponse> {
-            return await new ApiRequest().recordings().withQueryString(toParams(params)).get()
+        async list(params: RecordingsQuery, options?: ApiMethodOptions): Promise<RecordingsQueryResponse> {
+            return await new ApiRequest().recordings().withQueryString(toParams(params)).get(options)
         },
         async getMatchingEvents(params: string): Promise<MatchingEventsResponse> {
             return await new ApiRequest().recordingMatchingEvents().withQueryString(params).get()
diff --git a/frontend/src/scenes/session-recordings/playlist/Playlist.test.tsx b/frontend/src/scenes/session-recordings/playlist/Playlist.test.tsx
index b3f83717d1fa..31eb5117b4c0 100644
--- a/frontend/src/scenes/session-recordings/playlist/Playlist.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/scenes/session-recordings/playlist/Playlist.test.tsx
@@ -88,4 +88,26 @@ describe('Playlist', () => {
         })
         expect(screen.queryByText(/selected recording/)).not.toBeInTheDocument()
     })
+
+    it('recovers from a failed load via the error banner', async () => {
+        useMocks({ get: { '/api/environments/:team_id/session_recordings': () => [500, { detail: 'boom' }] } })
+        logic.actions.loadSessionRecordings()
+
+        renderPlaylist()
+
+        expect((await screen.findAllByText("We couldn't load recordings.")).length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
+
+        useMocks({
+            get: {
+                '/api/environments/:team_id/session_recordings': { results: [], has_next: false },
+            },
+        })
+        userEvent.click(screen.getAllByText('Try again')[0])
+
+        // A successful reload has to clear the error, even when it legitimately finds nothing.
+        await waitFor(() => {
+            expect(screen.queryByText("We couldn't load recordings.")).not.toBeInTheDocument()
+        })
+        expect((await screen.findAllByTestId('mock-troubleshooting')).length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
+    })
 })
diff --git a/frontend/src/scenes/session-recordings/playlist/Playlist.tsx b/frontend/src/scenes/session-recordings/playlist/Playlist.tsx
index 2a615e714a9b..85603aae00cb 100644
--- a/frontend/src/scenes/session-recordings/playlist/Playlist.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/scenes/session-recordings/playlist/Playlist.tsx
@@ -398,13 +398,32 @@ const TitleWithCount = ({ title, count }: { title?: string; count: number }): JS
     )
 }
 
+const LoadErrorBanner = (): JSX.Element => {
+    const { sessionRecordingsResponseLoading } = useValues(sessionRecordingsPlaylistLogic)
+    const { loadSessionRecordings } = useActions(sessionRecordingsPlaylistLogic)
+
+    return (
+        <LemonBanner
+            type="error"
+            action={{
+                children: 'Try again',
+                loading: sessionRecordingsResponseLoading,
+                disabledReason: sessionRecordingsResponseLoading ? 'Loading recordings' : undefined,
+                onClick: () => loadSessionRecordings(),
+            }}
+        >
+            We couldn't load recordings.
+        </LemonBanner>
+    )
+}
+
 const ListEmptyState = (): JSX.Element => {
     const { sessionRecordingsAPIErrored, unusableEventsInFilter } = useValues(sessionRecordingsPlaylistLogic)
 
     return (
         <div className="p-3 text-sm text-secondary">
             {sessionRecordingsAPIErrored ? (
-                <LemonBanner type="error">Error while trying to load recordings.</LemonBanner>
+                <LoadErrorBanner />
             ) : unusableEventsInFilter.length ? (
                 <UnusableEventsWarning unusableEventsInFilter={unusableEventsInFilter} />
             ) : (
@@ -428,7 +447,7 @@ const CollectionEmptyState = ({
     return (
         <div className="p-3 text-sm text-secondary">
             {sessionRecordingsAPIErrored ? (
-                <LemonBanner type="error">Error while trying to load recordings.</LemonBanner>
+                <LoadErrorBanner />
             ) : unusableEventsInFilter.length ? (
                 <UnusableEventsWarning unusableEventsInFilter={unusableEventsInFilter} />
             ) : isSynthetic ? (
diff --git a/frontend/src/scenes/session-recordings/playlist/sessionRecordingsPlaylistLogic.test.ts b/frontend/src/scenes/session-recordings/playlist/sessionRecordingsPlaylistLogic.test.ts
index d3a62ccf88e2..9eb020160f00 100644
--- a/frontend/src/scenes/session-recordings/playlist/sessionRecordingsPlaylistLogic.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/scenes/session-recordings/playlist/sessionRecordingsPlaylistLogic.test.ts
@@ -791,7 +791,8 @@ describe('sessionRecordingsPlaylistLogic', () => {
                     expect.objectContaining({ session_ids: ['s1', 's2'] })
                 )
                 expect(listSpy).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith(
-                    expect.objectContaining({ session_ids: ['s1', 's2'], date_from: '-7d' })
+                    expect.objectContaining({ session_ids: ['s1', 's2'], date_from: '-7d' }),
+                    expect.anything()
                 )
             })
 
@@ -817,7 +818,10 @@ describe('sessionRecordingsPlaylistLogic', () => {
                 }).toDispatchActions(['setFilters', 'loadSessionRecordings', 'loadSessionRecordingsSuccess'])
 
                 expect(logic.values.filters.session_ids).toBeUndefined()
-                expect(listSpy).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({ session_ids: undefined }))
+                expect(listSpy).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith(
+                    expect.objectContaining({ session_ids: undefined }),
+                    expect.anything()
+                )
             })
         })
 
@@ -923,7 +927,8 @@ describe('sessionRecordingsPlaylistLogic', () => {
                 await expectLogic(logic).toDispatchActions(['loadSessionRecordings', 'loadSessionRecordingsSuccess'])
 
                 expect(listSpy).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith(
-                    expect.objectContaining({ hide_viewed_recordings: 'current-user' })
+                    expect.objectContaining({ hide_viewed_recordings: 'current-user' }),
+                    expect.anything()
                 )
             })
 
@@ -934,7 +939,10 @@ describe('sessionRecordingsPlaylistLogic', () => {
                 logic.actions.loadSessionRecordings()
                 await expectLogic(logic).toDispatchActions(['loadSessionRecordingsSuccess'])
 
-                expect(listSpy).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({ hide_viewed_recordings: undefined }))
+                expect(listSpy).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith(
+                    expect.objectContaining({ hide_viewed_recordings: undefined }),
+                    expect.anything()
+                )
             })
 
             it('bulk delete only marks successfully deleted recordings', async () => {
diff --git a/frontend/src/scenes/session-recordings/playlist/sessionRecordingsPlaylistLogic.ts b/frontend/src/scenes/session-recordings/playlist/sessionRecordingsPlaylistLogic.ts
index 81a2344d6258..987231b6b1ea 100644
--- a/frontend/src/scenes/session-recordings/playlist/sessionRecordingsPlaylistLogic.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/scenes/session-recordings/playlist/sessionRecordingsPlaylistLogic.ts
@@ -166,6 +166,8 @@ interface BackendEventsMatching {
 export type MatchingEventsMatchType = NoEventsToMatch | EventNamesMatching | EventUUIDsMatching | BackendEventsMatching
 
 export const RECORDINGS_LIMIT = 20
+/** Well past the slowest healthy list query, so this only fires on a request that has stalled. */
+const RECORDINGS_LIST_TIMEOUT_MS = 90_000
 export const PINNED_RECORDINGS_LIMIT = 100 // NOTE: This is high but avoids the need for pagination for now...
 
 export const defaultRecordingDurationFilter: RecordingDurationFilter = {
@@ -990,7 +992,22 @@ export const sessionRecordingsPlaylistLogic = kea<sessionRecordingsPlaylistLogic
                     await breakpoint(400) // Debounce for lots of quick filter changes
 
                     const startTime = performance.now()
-                    const response = await api.recordings.list(params)
+                    // A stalled connection never rejects on its own, and nothing else can clear the
+                    // loading flag once it is set - that is the endless spinner, which also blocks
+                    // "load more". Time the request out so it lands on the recoverable error state.
+                    const abortController = new AbortController()
+                    const timeout = setTimeout(() => {
+                        abortController.abort()
+                        // The abort travels as an AbortError, which is deliberately dropped by the global
+                        // loader error handler, so report it here or the timeout leaves no trace at all.
+                        posthog.captureException(new Error('Timed out loading session recordings'))
+                    }, RECORDINGS_LIST_TIMEOUT_MS)
+                    let response: RecordingsQueryResponse
+                    try {
+                        response = await api.recordings.list(params, { signal: abortController.signal })
+                    } finally {
+                        clearTimeout(timeout)
+                    }
                     const loadTimeMs = performance.now() - startTime
 
                     actions.reportRecordingsListFetched(loadTimeMs, values.filters, defaultRecordingDurationFilter)
@@ -1167,7 +1184,7 @@ export const sessionRecordingsPlaylistLogic = kea<sessionRecordingsPlaylistLogic
             false,
             {
                 loadSessionRecordingsFailure: () => true,
-                loadSessionRecordingSuccess: () => false,
+                loadSessionRecordingsSuccess: () => false,
                 setFilters: () => false,
                 setAdvancedFilters: () => false,
                 loadNext: () => false,