diff --git a/core/archipelago/src/mesh/listener/session.rs b/core/archipelago/src/mesh/listener/session.rs
index 140e39e1..c6fb1de7 100644
--- a/core/archipelago/src/mesh/listener/session.rs
+++ b/core/archipelago/src/mesh/listener/session.rs
@@ -1012,31 +1012,48 @@ pub(super) async fn run_mesh_session(
             )
             .await
         } else if let Some(path) = preferred_path {
-            match open_preferred_path(
-                path,
-                data_dir,
-                our_ed_pubkey_hex,
-                our_x25519_pubkey_hex,
-                device_kind,
-                Some(&desired_advert_name),
-            )
-            .await
-            {
-                Ok((dev, info)) => Ok((path.to_string(), dev, info)),
-                Err(e) => {
-                    warn!(
-                        "Preferred path {} probe failed: {} — trying auto-detect",
-                        path, e
-                    );
-                    auto_detect_and_open(
-                        data_dir,
-                        our_ed_pubkey_hex,
-                        our_x25519_pubkey_hex,
-                        device_kind,
-                        Some(path),
-                        Some(&desired_advert_name),
-                    )
-                    .await
+            if device_kind.is_none() {
+                // Unpinned: open_preferred_path bails without ever touching
+                // the port, so the preferred path has NOT been probed this
+                // cycle — auto-detect must keep it as a candidate
+                // (skip_path=None). Passing Some(path) here excluded the only
+                // radio on single-device nodes and the mesh never came up.
+                auto_detect_and_open(
+                    data_dir,
+                    our_ed_pubkey_hex,
+                    our_x25519_pubkey_hex,
+                    device_kind,
+                    None,
+                    Some(&desired_advert_name),
+                )
+                .await
+            } else {
+                match open_preferred_path(
+                    path,
+                    data_dir,
+                    our_ed_pubkey_hex,
+                    our_x25519_pubkey_hex,
+                    device_kind,
+                    Some(&desired_advert_name),
+                )
+                .await
+                {
+                    Ok((dev, info)) => Ok((path.to_string(), dev, info)),
+                    Err(e) => {
+                        warn!(
+                            "Preferred path {} probe failed: {} — trying auto-detect",
+                            path, e
+                        );
+                        auto_detect_and_open(
+                            data_dir,
+                            our_ed_pubkey_hex,
+                            our_x25519_pubkey_hex,
+                            device_kind,
+                            Some(path),
+                            Some(&desired_advert_name),
+                        )
+                        .await
+                    }
                 }
             }
         } else {