diff --git a/apps/api/src/components/modules/common/session-menu.tsx b/apps/api/src/components/modules/common/session-menu.tsx
index 24b0595..50928d7 100644
--- a/apps/api/src/components/modules/common/session-menu.tsx
+++ b/apps/api/src/components/modules/common/session-menu.tsx
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import type { Profile } from "@gov-portal/api-client";
 import { GithubLogoIcon, ShieldCheckIcon, SignOutIcon, UserIcon } from "@phosphor-icons/react";
 import Link from "next/link";
 import { useState } from "react";
+import { toast } from "sonner";
 
 import { Avatar, AvatarFallback, AvatarImage } from "@/components/ui/avatar";
 import { Badge } from "@/components/ui/badge";
@@ -40,6 +41,7 @@ export function SessionMenu({
   greetingLabel,
   profileLabel,
   adminLabel,
+  retryLabel,
 }: {
   locale: Locale;
   signInLabel: string;
@@ -48,17 +50,36 @@ export function SessionMenu({
   greetingLabel: string;
   profileLabel: string;
   adminLabel: string;
+  retryLabel: string;
 }) {
-  const { actor, isLoading } = useActor();
+  const { actor, isLoading, isSignedOut, error, refresh } = useActor();
   const [busy, setBusy] = useState(false);
 
   if (isLoading) {
     return null;
   }
 
+  if (error !== undefined || (actor === null && !isSignedOut)) {
+    return (
+      <Button variant="outline" onClick={() => void refresh()} title={error?.message}>
+        {retryLabel}
+      </Button>
+    );
+  }
+
   if (actor === null) {
     return (
-      <Button size="default" onClick={() => void signInWithGitHub(`/${locale}/welcome`)}>
+      <Button
+        size="default"
+        onClick={() => {
+          signInWithGitHub(`/${locale}/welcome`).catch((signInError: unknown) => {
+            console.error("Failed to start GitHub sign-in", signInError);
+            toast.error(
+              signInError instanceof Error ? signInError.message : "Could not start GitHub sign-in",
+            );
+          });
+        }}
+      >
         <GithubLogoIcon data-icon="inline-start" />
         {signInLabel}
       </Button>
diff --git a/apps/api/src/components/modules/common/sign-in-panel.tsx b/apps/api/src/components/modules/common/sign-in-panel.tsx
index 7ccd5de..e14667d 100644
--- a/apps/api/src/components/modules/common/sign-in-panel.tsx
+++ b/apps/api/src/components/modules/common/sign-in-panel.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 "use client";
 
 import { useState } from "react";
+import { toast } from "sonner";
 
 import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button";
 import { signInWithGitHub } from "@/lib/auth-client";
@@ -17,7 +18,13 @@ export function SignInPanel({ label, locale }: { label: string; locale: Locale }
           disabled={busy}
           onClick={() => {
             setBusy(true);
-            signInWithGitHub(`/${locale}/welcome`).catch(() => setBusy(false));
+            signInWithGitHub(`/${locale}/welcome`).catch((error: unknown) => {
+              console.error("Failed to start GitHub sign-in", error);
+              toast.error(
+                error instanceof Error ? error.message : "Could not start GitHub sign-in",
+              );
+              setBusy(false);
+            });
           }}
         >
           {label}
diff --git a/apps/api/src/components/modules/common/site-header.tsx b/apps/api/src/components/modules/common/site-header.tsx
index b2f2de1..005b9c6 100644
--- a/apps/api/src/components/modules/common/site-header.tsx
+++ b/apps/api/src/components/modules/common/site-header.tsx
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ export function SiteHeader({ locale }: { locale: Locale }) {
               greetingLabel={dict.session.greeting}
               profileLabel={dict.nav.myProfile}
               adminLabel={dict.nav.admin}
+              retryLabel={dict.session.retryAccount}
             />
 
             <DropdownMenu>
diff --git a/apps/api/src/components/modules/landing/hero-section.tsx b/apps/api/src/components/modules/landing/hero-section.tsx
index 3e08e31..434e520 100644
--- a/apps/api/src/components/modules/landing/hero-section.tsx
+++ b/apps/api/src/components/modules/landing/hero-section.tsx
@@ -21,7 +21,12 @@ export function HeroSection({ dict, locale }: { dict: Dictionary; locale: Locale
           <p className="text-base text-pretty text-secondary-foreground">{dict.home.lead}</p>
         </div>
         <div className="flex flex-wrap items-center gap-4">
-          <HeroSignIn label={dict.session.signIn} locale={locale} />
+          <HeroSignIn
+            label={dict.session.signIn}
+            profileLabel={dict.nav.myProfile}
+            retryLabel={dict.session.retryAccount}
+            locale={locale}
+          />
           <Button
             size="lg"
             variant="outline"
diff --git a/apps/api/src/components/modules/landing/hero-sign-in.tsx b/apps/api/src/components/modules/landing/hero-sign-in.tsx
index f49e4c1..9aa7eeb 100644
--- a/apps/api/src/components/modules/landing/hero-sign-in.tsx
+++ b/apps/api/src/components/modules/landing/hero-sign-in.tsx
@@ -1,22 +1,64 @@
 "use client";
 
+import Link from "next/link";
 import { useState } from "react";
+import { toast } from "sonner";
 
 import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button";
+import { useActor } from "@/hooks";
 import { signInWithGitHub } from "@/lib/auth-client";
-import type { Locale } from "@/lib/i18n";
+import { type Locale, localePath } from "@/lib/i18n";
 
 /** Hero call to action. Client-side because sign-in starts an OAuth redirect. */
-export function HeroSignIn({ label, locale }: { label: string; locale: Locale }) {
+export function HeroSignIn({
+  label,
+  profileLabel,
+  retryLabel,
+  locale,
+}: {
+  label: string;
+  profileLabel: string;
+  retryLabel: string;
+  locale: Locale;
+}) {
+  const { actor, isLoading, isSignedOut, error, refresh } = useActor();
   const [busy, setBusy] = useState(false);
 
+  if (isLoading) {
+    return <span className="h-10 w-40 animate-pulse rounded-md bg-muted" aria-hidden="true" />;
+  }
+
+  if (error !== undefined || (actor === null && !isSignedOut)) {
+    return (
+      <Button size="lg" variant="outline" onClick={() => void refresh()} title={error?.message}>
+        {retryLabel}
+      </Button>
+    );
+  }
+
+  if (actor !== null) {
+    return (
+      <Button
+        size="lg"
+        nativeButton={false}
+        render={<Link href={localePath(locale, "/profile")} />}
+      >
+        {profileLabel}
+      </Button>
+    );
+  }
+
   return (
     <Button
       size="lg"
       disabled={busy}
       onClick={() => {
         setBusy(true);
-        signInWithGitHub(`/${locale}/welcome`).catch(() => setBusy(false));
+        signInWithGitHub(`/${locale}/welcome`).catch((error: unknown) => {
+          console.error("Failed to start GitHub sign-in", error);
+          toast.error(error instanceof Error ? error.message : "Could not start GitHub sign-in");
+          setBusy(false);
+        });
       }}
     >
       <svg
diff --git a/apps/api/src/hooks/use-actor.ts b/apps/api/src/hooks/use-actor.ts
index cad2486..8a5dac7 100644
--- a/apps/api/src/hooks/use-actor.ts
+++ b/apps/api/src/hooks/use-actor.ts
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ export type Actor = ProfileResponse;
 /**
  * The signed-in actor, backed by GET /v1/profile (cookie session). A 401 means
  * "signed out" — an expected state, not an error — so `error` stays
- * undefined and callers branch on `actor === null` once `isLoading` is
- * false. Any other failure is surfaced through `error`.
+ * undefined and callers branch on `isSignedOut` once `isLoading` is false.
+ * Any other failure is surfaced through `error`.
  */
 export function useActor() {
   const { data, error, isLoading, mutate } = useSWR<Actor, ApiError>(
diff --git a/apps/api/src/lib/i18n.ts b/apps/api/src/lib/i18n.ts
index c98dc4c..95762c8 100644
--- a/apps/api/src/lib/i18n.ts
+++ b/apps/api/src/lib/i18n.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ const en = {
     signIn: "Sign in with GitHub",
     signOut: "Sign out",
     greeting: "Signed in as",
+    retryAccount: "Retry account",
   },
   welcome: {
     kicker: "Onboarding",
@@ -369,6 +370,7 @@ const ne: Dictionary = {
     signIn: "GitHub बाट साइन इन",
     signOut: "साइन आउट",
     greeting: "साइन इन:",
+    retryAccount: "खाता फेरि जाँच्नुहोस्",
   },
   welcome: {
     kicker: "स्वागत",
diff --git a/apps/api/tests/unit/hero-sign-in.test.tsx b/apps/api/tests/unit/hero-sign-in.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3bd6a19
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/api/tests/unit/hero-sign-in.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+import { renderToStaticMarkup } from "react-dom/server";
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+
+vi.mock("@/hooks", () => ({ useActor: vi.fn() }));
+
+import { HeroSignIn } from "@/components/modules/landing/hero-sign-in";
+import { useActor } from "@/hooks";
+
+const mockedUseActor = vi.mocked(useActor);
+const props = {
+  label: "Sign in with GitHub",
+  profileLabel: "My profile",
+  retryLabel: "Retry account",
+  locale: "en" as const,
+};
+
+describe("homepage authentication action", () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    mockedUseActor.mockReset();
+  });
+
+  it("offers sign-in only after a confirmed signed-out response", () => {
+    mockedUseActor.mockReturnValue({
+      actor: null,
+      isLoading: false,
+      isSignedOut: true,
+      error: undefined,
+      refresh: vi.fn(),
+    });
+
+    const html = renderToStaticMarkup(<HeroSignIn {...props} />);
+    expect(html).toContain("Sign in with GitHub");
+    expect(html).not.toContain("My profile");
+  });
+
+  it("links a signed-in member to their profile instead of offering sign-in", () => {
+    mockedUseActor.mockReturnValue({
+      actor: { member: { displayName: "Member" }, isAdmin: false } as ReturnType<
+        typeof useActor
+      >["actor"],
+      isLoading: false,
+      isSignedOut: false,
+      error: undefined,
+      refresh: vi.fn(),
+    });
+
+    const html = renderToStaticMarkup(<HeroSignIn {...props} />);
+    expect(html).toContain("My profile");
+    expect(html).toContain('href="/en/profile"');
+    expect(html).not.toContain("Sign in with GitHub");
+  });
+
+  it("does not mislabel a profile-fetch failure as signed out", () => {
+    mockedUseActor.mockReturnValue({
+      actor: null,
+      isLoading: false,
+      isSignedOut: false,
+      error: new Error("Profile unavailable"),
+      refresh: vi.fn(),
+    });
+
+    const html = renderToStaticMarkup(<HeroSignIn {...props} />);
+    expect(html).toContain("Retry account");
+    expect(html).not.toContain("Sign in with GitHub");
+  });
+
+  it("does not offer sign-in when account state is unresolved", () => {
+    mockedUseActor.mockReturnValue({
+      actor: null,
+      isLoading: false,
+      isSignedOut: false,
+      error: undefined,
+      refresh: vi.fn(),
+    });
+
+    const html = renderToStaticMarkup(<HeroSignIn {...props} />);
+    expect(html).toContain("Retry account");
+    expect(html).not.toContain("Sign in with GitHub");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/apps/api/vitest.config.mts b/apps/api/vitest.config.mts
index e53266f..1e31485 100644
--- a/apps/api/vitest.config.mts
+++ b/apps/api/vitest.config.mts
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ export default defineConfig({
   },
   test: {
     environment: "node",
-    include: ["tests/**/*.test.ts"],
+    include: ["tests/**/*.test.ts", "tests/**/*.test.tsx"],
     globalSetup: ["tests/global-setup.ts"],
     env: {
       NODE_ENV: "test",