diff --git a/docs/REQUIREMENTS.md b/docs/REQUIREMENTS.md
index ac0dda1..dd6de8b 100644
--- a/docs/REQUIREMENTS.md
+++ b/docs/REQUIREMENTS.md
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ Phase 1: Jellyfin media index, SSH-based remote filesystem inspection, server mo
 - The Users tab may open a read-only detail drawer for a selected user, but any communication actions in that drawer should remain clearly disabled/placeholders until the workflow is implemented.
 - The frontend shell should use a polished two-row header with branding on the left, user/logout controls on the right, and primary navigation in a dedicated tab row beneath.
 - The frontend shell and primary pages should remain responsive and mobile-safe, with compact navigation, stacked controls on narrow screens, and reduced table column density where needed.
+- The frontend should hydrate the API bearer token from persisted OIDC user storage immediately on reload so early requests do not race the auth provider lifecycle.
 - Backend startup should log a secret-safe configuration summary and request/activity diagnostics so configuration issues can be debugged without exposing API keys.
 
 ### Remote Filesystem over SSH
@@ -127,6 +128,7 @@ Phase 1: Jellyfin media index, SSH-based remote filesystem inspection, server mo
 
 - Provide a dashboard tab with a compact Jellyfin media library overview and server resource overview.
 - Support OIDC login in the frontend using an OIDC client library, with backend JWT validation for protected API requests.
+- Persist frontend OIDC auth state across tab reloads by storing the OIDC user and request state in browser localStorage.
 - Provide Docker Compose deployment files at the repository root for production and local development.
 - Backend Docker deployment should mount a private SSH key and a known_hosts file into the container rather than baking them into the image.
 - Production compose should also pass the root `.env` into the backend container so runtime auth settings like `OIDC_ISSUER_URL` are available there, not just at compose interpolation time.
@@ -177,3 +179,5 @@ Phase 1: Jellyfin media index, SSH-based remote filesystem inspection, server mo
 - 2026-05-04: Backend Docker Compose now mounts a host SSH directory into `/root/.ssh` so Paramiko can use a private key and strict host-key checking without baking secrets into the image.
 - 2026-05-04: The frontend was adjusted to be more mobile-safe by making the app shell tabs scrollable, stacking header controls on narrow screens, and hiding low-priority table columns on smaller displays.
 - 2026-05-04: The app header was upgraded to a two-row branded layout with a left logo mark, right-side username/logout controls, and a separate navigation row.
+- 2026-05-04: Frontend OIDC storage was switched from session-only defaults to localStorage-backed user/state stores so reloads keep the auth flow intact.
+- 2026-05-04: API requests now fall back to the persisted OIDC user store for the bearer token so the first render after reload can avoid spurious 401s.
diff --git a/frontend/src/auth.ts b/frontend/src/auth.ts
index fd34f04..56f3ee1 100644
--- a/frontend/src/auth.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/auth.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,29 @@
+import { WebStorageStateStore } from "oidc-client-ts";
+
 let accessToken: string | null = null;
 
+function getStoredAccessToken(): string | null {
+	if (typeof window === "undefined" || !isOidcConfigured()) {
+		return null;
+	}
+
+	const authority = import.meta.env.VITE_OIDC_ISSUER as string;
+	const clientId = import.meta.env.VITE_OIDC_CLIENT_ID as string;
+	const raw = window.localStorage.getItem(`oidc.user:${authority}:${clientId}`);
+	if (!raw) {
+		return null;
+	}
+
+	try {
+		const parsed = JSON.parse(raw) as { access_token?: unknown };
+		return typeof parsed.access_token === "string" && parsed.access_token
+			? parsed.access_token
+			: null;
+	} catch {
+		return null;
+	}
+}
+
 export function isOidcConfigured(): boolean {
 	const enabled =
 		(import.meta.env.VITE_OIDC_ENABLED ?? "true").toLowerCase() !== "false";
@@ -11,6 +35,10 @@ export function isOidcConfigured(): boolean {
 }
 
 export function getOidcConfig() {
+	const storage = new WebStorageStateStore({
+		store: window.localStorage,
+	});
+
 	return {
 		authority: import.meta.env.VITE_OIDC_ISSUER as string,
 		client_id: import.meta.env.VITE_OIDC_CLIENT_ID as string,
@@ -23,6 +51,8 @@ export function getOidcConfig() {
 		response_type: "code" as const,
 		automaticSilentRenew: false,
 		loadUserInfo: true,
+		stateStore: storage,
+		userStore: storage,
 		onSigninCallback: () => {
 			window.history.replaceState(
 				{},
@@ -38,5 +68,5 @@ export function setAccessToken(token: string | null | undefined) {
 }
 
 export function getAccessToken(): string | null {
-	return accessToken;
+	return accessToken ?? getStoredAccessToken();
 }