diff --git a/neode-ui/src/App.vue b/neode-ui/src/App.vue
index ba28cc80..db124e89 100644
--- a/neode-ui/src/App.vue
+++ b/neode-ui/src/App.vue
@@ -411,7 +411,13 @@ onMounted(async () => {
   // the initial navigation resolves asynchronously — so a deep-route load
   // (e.g. a direct /login visit) would masquerade as a root boot. The URL
   // bar is the only truthful source this early.
-  const bootPath = window.location.pathname
+  //
+  // The kiosk chromium opens /kiosk — a marker route whose beforeEnter
+  // stamps localStorage.kiosk and immediately redirects to '/'. That is a
+  // root boot, not a deep route: without normalizing it, the fresh-install
+  // kiosk never plays the typing intro (deep-route suppression regression).
+  const rawBootPath = window.location.pathname
+  const bootPath = rawBootPath === '/kiosk' ? '/' : rawBootPath
   // Public demo: every fresh boot at the root (first visit or a browser
   // refresh) starts with the typing splash for the full effect. In-session SPA
   // navigation never remounts App, and deep-route refreshes keep their place.
@@ -424,7 +430,17 @@ onMounted(async () => {
   if (splashCandidate && onboardingComplete !== true) {
     try {
       const { checkOnboardingStatus } = await import('@/composables/useOnboarding')
-      onboardingComplete = await checkOnboardingStatus()
+      // Bound the pre-splash status check: its retry ladder can spend ~30s
+      // against a still-booting backend, and this await holds the black
+      // "!isReady" screen the whole time — exactly where the typing intro
+      // should be playing on a fresh kiosk boot. Unknown within 2.5s → let
+      // the splash play (a fresh install IS the slow-backend case; onboarded
+      // nodes answer in milliseconds, so their suppression path is intact).
+      // handleSplashComplete re-checks with full retries after the intro.
+      onboardingComplete = await Promise.race([
+        checkOnboardingStatus(),
+        new Promise<null>((resolve) => setTimeout(() => resolve(null), 2500)),
+      ])
     } catch {
       onboardingComplete = localStorage.getItem('neode_onboarding_complete') === '1' ? true : null
     }
@@ -524,14 +540,24 @@ function onShareToMeshMessage(ev: MessageEvent) {
  * Routes user directly to appropriate screen based on onboarding status (from backend)
  */
 async function handleSplashComplete() {
-  showSplash.value = false
-  document.body.classList.add('splash-complete')
-  isReady.value = true
   sessionStorage.setItem('archipelago_from_splash', '1')
 
+  // Commit the destination route BEFORE revealing RouterView. Revealing
+  // first rendered whatever route was current — '/' → RootRedirect's
+  // spinner — for a beat between the intro's final frame and the
+  // onboarding/login screen actually mounting: a visible flash on every
+  // fresh install. Await the push so the first RouterView render is
+  // already the destination.
+  const reveal = () => {
+    showSplash.value = false
+    document.body.classList.add('splash-complete')
+    isReady.value = true
+  }
+
   const devMode = import.meta.env.VITE_DEV_MODE
   if (devMode === 'setup' || devMode === 'existing') {
-    router.push('/login').catch(() => {})
+    await router.push('/login').catch(() => {})
+    reveal()
     return
   }
 
@@ -541,7 +567,8 @@ async function handleSplashComplete() {
   {
     const { IS_DEMO } = await import('@/composables/useDemoIntro')
     if (IS_DEMO) {
-      router.push('/onboarding/intro').catch(() => {})
+      await router.push('/onboarding/intro').catch(() => {})
+      reveal()
       return
     }
   }
@@ -550,27 +577,24 @@ async function handleSplashComplete() {
     const { checkOnboardingStatus } = await import('@/composables/useOnboarding')
     const seenOnboarding = await checkOnboardingStatus()
     if (seenOnboarding === true) {
-      router.push('/login').catch(() => {})
-      return
-    }
-    if (seenOnboarding === false) {
-      router.push('/onboarding/intro').catch(() => {})
-      return
-    }
-    // Backend unreachable after retries. Prefer the localStorage
-    // cache on THIS browser (if a prior successful check set it) —
-    // otherwise defer to RootRedirect which polls + retries rather
-    // than forcing an already-onboarded user through the wizard.
-    if (localStorage.getItem('neode_onboarding_complete') === '1') {
-      router.push('/login').catch(() => {})
+      await router.push('/login').catch(() => {})
+    } else if (seenOnboarding === false) {
+      await router.push('/onboarding/intro').catch(() => {})
+    } else if (localStorage.getItem('neode_onboarding_complete') === '1') {
+      // Backend unreachable after retries. Prefer the localStorage
+      // cache on THIS browser (if a prior successful check set it) —
+      // otherwise defer to RootRedirect which polls + retries rather
+      // than forcing an already-onboarded user through the wizard.
+      await router.push('/login').catch(() => {})
     } else {
-      router.push('/').catch(() => {})
+      await router.push('/').catch(() => {})
     }
   } catch {
     // Do NOT default to /onboarding/intro here. RootRedirect has retry
     // + polling + boot-screen handling; let it decide.
-    router.push('/').catch(() => {})
+    await router.push('/').catch(() => {})
   }
+  reveal()
 }
 </script>