diff --git a/flutter_client/lib/cache/connectivity_provider.dart b/flutter_client/lib/cache/connectivity_provider.dart
index d3cf4d71..4e175661 100644
--- a/flutter_client/lib/cache/connectivity_provider.dart
+++ b/flutter_client/lib/cache/connectivity_provider.dart
@@ -5,9 +5,18 @@ import 'package:flutter_riverpod/flutter_riverpod.dart';
 /// connectivity_plus reports the union (wifi, mobile, vpn, etc.) — operator
 /// chose "no Wi-Fi gate" for #357, so any connection means "go ahead and
 /// pull/cache".
-final connectivityProvider = StreamProvider<bool>((ref) {
+///
+/// IMPORTANT: onConnectivityChanged only emits on *changes*, not on
+/// subscription. Without seeding an initial value via checkConnectivity(),
+/// any consumer using `ref.read(connectivityProvider.future)` would
+/// block until the OS happened to report a connectivity flip — which
+/// is exactly what made album/artist/playlist detail screens spin
+/// forever for tiles tapped before the first event landed.
+final connectivityProvider = StreamProvider<bool>((ref) async* {
   final c = Connectivity();
-  return c.onConnectivityChanged.map(
-    (results) => results.any((r) => r != ConnectivityResult.none),
-  );
+  bool isOnline(List<ConnectivityResult> rs) =>
+      rs.any((r) => r != ConnectivityResult.none);
+
+  yield isOnline(await c.checkConnectivity());
+  yield* c.onConnectivityChanged.map(isOnline);
 });