diff --git a/hooks/useCatalogValuation.ts b/hooks/useCatalogValuation.ts
index 3181bdf..1d74641 100644
--- a/hooks/useCatalogValuation.ts
+++ b/hooks/useCatalogValuation.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,9 @@ import type {
 import { runValuationFlow } from "@/lib/valuation/runValuationFlow";
 import { captureRunLead } from "@/lib/valuation/captureRunLead";
 import { linkArtistToAccount } from "@/lib/valuation/linkArtistToAccount";
+import { savePendingIntent } from "@/lib/valuation/savePendingIntent";
+import { readPendingIntent } from "@/lib/valuation/readPendingIntent";
+import { clearPendingIntent } from "@/lib/valuation/clearPendingIntent";
 
 type Phase = "idle" | "running" | "done" | "error";
 
@@ -28,7 +31,10 @@ export type CatalogValuationState = {
 /**
  * Drives the catalog valuation behind the Privy sign-in gate (chat#1798). The
  * run trigger opens Privy when signed out and, on login, auto-fires the run for
- * the **originally** selected artist. Render inside `PrivyProvider`.
+ * the **originally** selected artist. The deferred intent is persisted to
+ * sessionStorage — not just a ref — because fresh-signup auth churn can remount
+ * this hook's component mid-auth and a ref dies with its instance (chat#1850
+ * post-auth intent drop). Render inside `PrivyProvider`.
  */
 export function useCatalogValuation(): CatalogValuationState {
   const { authenticated, login, getAccessToken, user } = usePrivy();
@@ -65,20 +71,25 @@ export function useCatalogValuation(): CatalogValuationState {
     if (!picked) return;
     // Gate: signed out → open Privy and defer the run to a successful login.
     if (!authenticated) {
-      pendingRun.current = picked;
+      pendingRun.current = picked; // fast path when this instance survives auth
+      savePendingIntent(picked); // source of truth: survives remount + reload
       login();
       return;
     }
     await doRun(picked);
   }
 
-  // Auto-fire the deferred run once the user signs in, for the stored artist.
+  // Auto-fire the deferred run once `authenticated` is true — on the sign-in
+  // flip when this instance survives, or on mount of a fresh instance after an
+  // auth-churn remount / full reload (then the intent comes from storage).
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (authenticated && pendingRun.current) {
-      const artist = pendingRun.current;
-      pendingRun.current = null;
-      void doRun(artist);
-    }
+    if (!authenticated) return;
+    const artist = pendingRun.current ?? readPendingIntent();
+    pendingRun.current = null;
+    clearPendingIntent(); // consume-once: never re-fire on later mounts
+    if (!artist) return;
+    setPicked(artist); // a remount lost `picked`; restore it for the result UI
+    void doRun(artist);
     // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
   }, [authenticated]);
 
@@ -92,6 +103,7 @@ export function useCatalogValuation(): CatalogValuationState {
     pick: setPicked,
     clearPick: () => {
       pendingRun.current = null; // also drop a deferred signed-out run
+      clearPendingIntent(); // …including its persisted copy
       setPicked(null);
     },
     run,
diff --git a/lib/valuation/__tests__/clearPendingIntent.test.ts b/lib/valuation/__tests__/clearPendingIntent.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..18d376f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/valuation/__tests__/clearPendingIntent.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import { clearPendingIntent } from "../clearPendingIntent";
+import { readPendingIntent } from "../readPendingIntent";
+import { savePendingIntent } from "../savePendingIntent";
+import { fakeSessionStorage } from "./fakeSessionStorage";
+
+const artist = { id: "spotify-123", name: "Del Water Gap" };
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  vi.unstubAllGlobals();
+});
+
+describe("clearPendingIntent", () => {
+  it("removes a stored intent", () => {
+    vi.stubGlobal("sessionStorage", fakeSessionStorage());
+    savePendingIntent(artist, 1_000);
+    clearPendingIntent();
+    expect(readPendingIntent(2_000)).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("is a no-op when sessionStorage is unavailable (SSR)", () => {
+    expect(() => clearPendingIntent()).not.toThrow();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/lib/valuation/__tests__/fakeSessionStorage.ts b/lib/valuation/__tests__/fakeSessionStorage.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b2182bd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/valuation/__tests__/fakeSessionStorage.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+/**
+ * Map-backed Storage stand-in so the pending-intent helpers can be tested in
+ * Node (vitest runs without a DOM, so there is no real `sessionStorage`).
+ */
+export function fakeSessionStorage(): Storage {
+  const store = new Map<string, string>();
+  return {
+    getItem: (key: string) => store.get(key) ?? null,
+    setItem: (key: string, value: string) => {
+      store.set(key, String(value));
+    },
+    removeItem: (key: string) => {
+      store.delete(key);
+    },
+    clear: () => store.clear(),
+    key: (index: number) => [...store.keys()][index] ?? null,
+    get length() {
+      return store.size;
+    },
+  };
+}
diff --git a/lib/valuation/__tests__/readPendingIntent.test.ts b/lib/valuation/__tests__/readPendingIntent.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d1646e5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/valuation/__tests__/readPendingIntent.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import { readPendingIntent } from "../readPendingIntent";
+import { savePendingIntent } from "../savePendingIntent";
+import {
+  PENDING_INTENT_KEY,
+  PENDING_INTENT_MAX_AGE_MS,
+} from "../pendingIntent";
+import { fakeSessionStorage } from "./fakeSessionStorage";
+
+const artist = {
+  id: "spotify-123",
+  name: "Del Water Gap",
+  image: "https://i.scdn.co/x.jpg",
+  followers: 42,
+};
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  vi.unstubAllGlobals();
+});
+
+describe("readPendingIntent", () => {
+  it("returns null when nothing is stored", () => {
+    vi.stubGlobal("sessionStorage", fakeSessionStorage());
+    expect(readPendingIntent()).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("round-trips an artist saved by savePendingIntent", () => {
+    vi.stubGlobal("sessionStorage", fakeSessionStorage());
+    savePendingIntent(artist, 1_000);
+    expect(readPendingIntent(2_000)).toEqual(artist);
+  });
+
+  it("returns the intent just inside the max age", () => {
+    vi.stubGlobal("sessionStorage", fakeSessionStorage());
+    savePendingIntent(artist, 1_000);
+    expect(readPendingIntent(1_000 + PENDING_INTENT_MAX_AGE_MS)).toEqual(
+      artist,
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("ignores intents older than the max age", () => {
+    vi.stubGlobal("sessionStorage", fakeSessionStorage());
+    savePendingIntent(artist, 1_000);
+    expect(readPendingIntent(1_001 + PENDING_INTENT_MAX_AGE_MS)).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("returns null for malformed JSON", () => {
+    const storage = fakeSessionStorage();
+    storage.setItem(PENDING_INTENT_KEY, "{not json");
+    vi.stubGlobal("sessionStorage", storage);
+    expect(readPendingIntent()).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("returns null when the stored shape is invalid", () => {
+    const storage = fakeSessionStorage();
+    storage.setItem(
+      PENDING_INTENT_KEY,
+      JSON.stringify({ artist: { name: "no id" }, savedAt: 1_000 }),
+    );
+    vi.stubGlobal("sessionStorage", storage);
+    expect(readPendingIntent(2_000)).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("returns null when the timestamp is missing", () => {
+    const storage = fakeSessionStorage();
+    storage.setItem(PENDING_INTENT_KEY, JSON.stringify({ artist }));
+    vi.stubGlobal("sessionStorage", storage);
+    expect(readPendingIntent(2_000)).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("returns null when sessionStorage is unavailable (SSR)", () => {
+    expect(readPendingIntent()).toBeNull();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/lib/valuation/__tests__/savePendingIntent.test.ts b/lib/valuation/__tests__/savePendingIntent.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..459e970
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/valuation/__tests__/savePendingIntent.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import { savePendingIntent } from "../savePendingIntent";
+import { PENDING_INTENT_KEY } from "../pendingIntent";
+import { fakeSessionStorage } from "./fakeSessionStorage";
+
+const artist = { id: "spotify-123", name: "Del Water Gap" };
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  vi.unstubAllGlobals();
+});
+
+describe("savePendingIntent", () => {
+  it("persists the artist and timestamp under the namespaced key", () => {
+    const storage = fakeSessionStorage();
+    vi.stubGlobal("sessionStorage", storage);
+
+    savePendingIntent(artist, 1_000);
+
+    const raw = storage.getItem(PENDING_INTENT_KEY);
+    expect(raw).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(JSON.parse(raw as string)).toEqual({ artist, savedAt: 1_000 });
+  });
+
+  it("is a no-op when sessionStorage is unavailable (SSR)", () => {
+    expect(() => savePendingIntent(artist)).not.toThrow();
+  });
+
+  it("swallows storage write errors (private mode quotas)", () => {
+    vi.stubGlobal("sessionStorage", {
+      ...fakeSessionStorage(),
+      setItem: () => {
+        throw new Error("QuotaExceededError");
+      },
+    });
+    expect(() => savePendingIntent(artist)).not.toThrow();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/lib/valuation/clearPendingIntent.ts b/lib/valuation/clearPendingIntent.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6f0ea37
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/valuation/clearPendingIntent.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+import { PENDING_INTENT_KEY } from "@/lib/valuation/pendingIntent";
+
+/**
+ * Drop the persisted post-auth valuation intent — after a resume consumes it,
+ * or when the user clears their pick (matching the ref-clearing semantic).
+ */
+export function clearPendingIntent(): void {
+  try {
+    if (typeof sessionStorage === "undefined") return;
+    sessionStorage.removeItem(PENDING_INTENT_KEY);
+  } catch {
+    // Storage unavailable — nothing to clear.
+  }
+}
diff --git a/lib/valuation/pendingIntent.ts b/lib/valuation/pendingIntent.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b4fe97c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/valuation/pendingIntent.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+import type { Artist } from "@/components/valuation/types";
+
+/**
+ * The "run valuation after auth" intent persisted at the sign-in gate
+ * (chat#1850). It lives in sessionStorage — not a React ref — because fresh
+ * signups churn enough state to remount the valuation component mid-auth,
+ * and a ref dies with its component instance. Versioned key per the
+ * `recoupable-theme:v1` convention.
+ */
+export const PENDING_INTENT_KEY = "recoupable-valuation-pending-intent:v1";
+
+/** Ignore intents older than this — a stale tab shouldn't auto-run a valuation. */
+export const PENDING_INTENT_MAX_AGE_MS = 15 * 60 * 1000;
+
+export type PendingIntent = { artist: Artist; savedAt: number };
diff --git a/lib/valuation/readPendingIntent.ts b/lib/valuation/readPendingIntent.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9f0ea10
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/valuation/readPendingIntent.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+import type { Artist } from "@/components/valuation/types";
+import {
+  PENDING_INTENT_KEY,
+  PENDING_INTENT_MAX_AGE_MS,
+} from "@/lib/valuation/pendingIntent";
+
+/**
+ * Read the persisted post-auth valuation intent. Returns null when absent,
+ * malformed, stale (> max age — a stale tab must not auto-run), or when
+ * storage is unavailable (SSR / private mode). Read-only: the caller clears.
+ */
+export function readPendingIntent(now: number = Date.now()): Artist | null {
+  try {
+    if (typeof sessionStorage === "undefined") return null;
+    const raw = sessionStorage.getItem(PENDING_INTENT_KEY);
+    if (!raw) return null;
+    const parsed: unknown = JSON.parse(raw);
+    if (typeof parsed !== "object" || parsed === null) return null;
+    const { artist, savedAt } = parsed as Partial<{
+      artist: Artist;
+      savedAt: number;
+    }>;
+    if (typeof artist?.id !== "string" || typeof artist.name !== "string") {
+      return null;
+    }
+    if (typeof savedAt !== "number") return null;
+    if (now - savedAt > PENDING_INTENT_MAX_AGE_MS) return null;
+    return artist;
+  } catch {
+    return null;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/lib/valuation/savePendingIntent.ts b/lib/valuation/savePendingIntent.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..16a782d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/valuation/savePendingIntent.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+import type { Artist } from "@/components/valuation/types";
+import { PENDING_INTENT_KEY } from "@/lib/valuation/pendingIntent";
+
+/**
+ * Persist the picked artist before opening the auth modal so the run can
+ * resume even if the component remounts (or the page reloads) mid-auth.
+ * Best-effort: storage failures fall back to the in-memory ref path.
+ */
+export function savePendingIntent(
+  artist: Artist,
+  now: number = Date.now(),
+): void {
+  try {
+    if (typeof sessionStorage === "undefined") return;
+    sessionStorage.setItem(
+      PENDING_INTENT_KEY,
+      JSON.stringify({ artist, savedAt: now }),
+    );
+  } catch {
+    // Private-mode quota / disabled storage — the ref fast path still works.
+  }
+}