diff --git a/web/src/lib/auth/store.svelte.ts b/web/src/lib/auth/store.svelte.ts
index 8ca24e02..005c6026 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/auth/store.svelte.ts
+++ b/web/src/lib/auth/store.svelte.ts
@@ -2,26 +2,23 @@ import { api, type User, type LoginResponse } from '$lib/api/client';
 import { queryClient } from '$lib/query/client';
 import { clearPersistedQueue } from '$lib/player/persisted';
 import { playQueue, closeQueueDrawer } from '$lib/player/store.svelte';
+import { user, setUser } from './user.svelte';
 
-let _user = $state<User | null>(null);
-
-export const user = {
-  get value(): User | null {
-    return _user;
-  }
-};
+// Re-export so existing `import { user } from '$lib/auth/store.svelte'`
+// callers keep working. New code can import directly from auth/user.svelte.
+export { user };
 
 export async function bootstrap(): Promise<void> {
   try {
-    _user = await api.get<User>('/api/me');
+    setUser(await api.get<User>('/api/me'));
   } catch {
-    _user = null;
+    setUser(null);
   }
 }
 
 export async function login(username: string, password: string): Promise<void> {
   const res = await api.post<LoginResponse>('/api/auth/login', { username, password });
-  _user = res.user;
+  setUser(res.user);
 }
 
 export async function register(opts: {
@@ -37,7 +34,7 @@ export async function register(opts: {
   if (opts.inviteToken) body.invite_token = opts.inviteToken;
   if (opts.displayName) body.display_name = opts.displayName;
   const res = await api.post<LoginResponse>('/api/auth/register', body);
-  _user = res.user;
+  setUser(res.user);
   await bootstrap();
 }
 
@@ -50,7 +47,7 @@ export async function resetPassword(token: string, newPassword: string): Promise
 }
 
 export async function logout(opts: { silent?: boolean } = {}): Promise<void> {
-  const userId = _user?.id;
+  const userId = user.value?.id;
   if (!opts.silent) {
     try {
       await api.post('/api/auth/logout', {});
@@ -58,7 +55,7 @@ export async function logout(opts: { silent?: boolean } = {}): Promise<void> {
       // best effort — server-side session may already be gone
     }
   }
-  _user = null;
+  setUser(null);
   queryClient.clear();
   // M7 #364: clear queue persistence + reset in-memory queue + close drawer
   // so a subsequent login doesn't inherit the previous user's playback state.
diff --git a/web/src/lib/auth/user.svelte.ts b/web/src/lib/auth/user.svelte.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6918f11b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/lib/auth/user.svelte.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+// User state lives here so auth/store and player/store can share it
+// without a circular import. auth/store mutates via setUser; player/store
+// reads only. Both auth-flow consumers (login/register/logout) and any
+// component that needs the current user can import `user` from either
+// this module or auth/store — auth/store re-exports it for backward
+// compatibility.
+import type { User } from '$lib/api/client';
+
+let _user = $state<User | null>(null);
+
+export const user = {
+  get value(): User | null {
+    return _user;
+  }
+};
+
+export function setUser(u: User | null): void {
+  _user = u;
+}
diff --git a/web/src/lib/player/store.svelte.ts b/web/src/lib/player/store.svelte.ts
index f4bf151d..9f730b20 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/player/store.svelte.ts
+++ b/web/src/lib/player/store.svelte.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import type { TrackRef, RadioResponse } from '$lib/api/types';
 import { untrack } from 'svelte';
 import { api } from '$lib/api/client';
-import { user } from '$lib/auth/store.svelte';
+import { user } from '$lib/auth/user.svelte';
 import { readPersistedQueue, writePersistedQueue } from './persisted';
 
 export type PlayerState = 'idle' | 'loading' | 'playing' | 'paused' | 'error';
@@ -397,10 +397,7 @@ $effect.root(() => {
   // queue/index changes drive it. The throttled-write effect below
   // covers position drift.
   $effect(() => {
-    // `user?.value` (not `user.value`) guards against module-init order during
-    // tests: auth/store.svelte.ts imports from this file, so when this module
-    // loads via that chain, `user` may not yet be assigned. See I2 follow-up.
-    const userId = user?.value?.id;
+    const userId = user.value?.id;
     if (!userId) return;
     // Reading these registers the reactive dependency; the values
     // themselves are unused — writePersistedQueue re-reads live state.
@@ -416,7 +413,7 @@ $effect.root(() => {
 
   // Throttled write on position changes.
   $effect(() => {
-    const userId = user?.value?.id;
+    const userId = user.value?.id;
     if (!userId) return;
     const _p = _position;
     void _p;