diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 10480ec3..a3a18323 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 ## [Unreleased]
 - **Fixed:** Memory leak in `GlobalObservabilityView` SSE mode — log array now capped at 10,000 entries (`.slice(-10000)`) to prevent unbounded accumulation across long sessions.
 - **Fixed:** Infinite re-fetch loop in `NodeContext` — `refreshNodes` useCallback no longer depends on `activeNode` state; replaced with a `useRef` to read current node inside the callback without being a reactive dependency.
+- **Fixed:** Infinite page reload loop — `apiFetch` was calling `window.location.href = '/'` on every 401, causing a full browser reload before auth could complete. Replaced with a `sencho-unauthorized` custom event that `AuthContext` handles by setting `appStatus` to `notAuthenticated`.
+- **Fixed:** `NodeProvider` was mounted outside the auth gate in `App.tsx`, causing `refreshNodes` to fire before authentication was established (hitting 401 immediately on boot). Moved `NodeProvider` inside the authenticated branch so it only mounts after login.
 - **Removed:** SSH/SFTP file adapters and remote Docker TCP connections (net negative ~500 lines of code).
 - **Added:** Distributed API proxying using http-proxy-middleware for HTTP and WebSockets.
 - **Added:** Long-lived JWT generation for Sencho-to-Sencho API authentication (`POST /api/auth/generate-node-token`).
diff --git a/frontend/src/App.tsx b/frontend/src/App.tsx
index 5303b3d6..d1c03e58 100644
--- a/frontend/src/App.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/App.tsx
@@ -31,7 +31,11 @@ function AppContent() {
     );
   }
 
-  return <EditorLayout />;
+  return (
+    <NodeProvider>
+      <EditorLayout />
+    </NodeProvider>
+  );
 }
 
 import { Toaster } from 'sonner';
@@ -39,10 +43,8 @@ import { Toaster } from 'sonner';
 function App() {
   return (
     <AuthProvider>
-      <NodeProvider>
-        <AppContent />
-        <Toaster position="bottom-right" richColors />
-      </NodeProvider>
+      <AppContent />
+      <Toaster position="bottom-right" richColors />
     </AuthProvider>
   );
 }
diff --git a/frontend/src/context/AuthContext.tsx b/frontend/src/context/AuthContext.tsx
index 9cbb9816..55b308ea 100644
--- a/frontend/src/context/AuthContext.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/context/AuthContext.tsx
@@ -47,6 +47,9 @@ export function AuthProvider({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
 
   useEffect(() => {
     checkAuth();
+    const handleUnauthorized = () => setAppStatus('notAuthenticated');
+    window.addEventListener('sencho-unauthorized', handleUnauthorized);
+    return () => window.removeEventListener('sencho-unauthorized', handleUnauthorized);
   }, []);
 
   const login = async (username: string, password: string): Promise<{ success: boolean; error?: string }> => {
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/api.ts b/frontend/src/lib/api.ts
index da58afe6..7059763f 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/api.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/api.ts
@@ -19,8 +19,8 @@ export async function apiFetch(
   const response = await fetch(url, { ...defaultOptions, ...options });
 
   if (response.status === 401) {
-    // Clear auth state and redirect to login
-    window.location.href = '/';
+    // Signal auth failure to AuthContext without a hard page reload
+    window.dispatchEvent(new Event('sencho-unauthorized'));
     throw new Error('Unauthorized');
   }