diff --git a/core/archipelago/src/mesh/mod.rs b/core/archipelago/src/mesh/mod.rs
index c23084f5..0008f57f 100644
--- a/core/archipelago/src/mesh/mod.rs
+++ b/core/archipelago/src/mesh/mod.rs
@@ -531,6 +531,18 @@ pub async fn save_config(data_dir: &Path, config: &MeshConfig) -> Result<()> {
     Ok(())
 }
 
+/// Two /dev paths refer to the same serial device if their symlink-resolved
+/// targets match (e.g. `/dev/mesh-radio` vs the `/dev/ttyUSBn` it points at).
+/// Paths that fail to resolve fall back to a plain string comparison.
+async fn same_serial_device(a: &str, b: &str) -> bool {
+    if a == b {
+        return true;
+    }
+    let ra = fs::canonicalize(a).await.unwrap_or_else(|_| PathBuf::from(a));
+    let rb = fs::canonicalize(b).await.unwrap_or_else(|_| PathBuf::from(b));
+    ra == rb
+}
+
 pub async fn load_ignored_radio_contacts(data_dir: &Path) -> Vec<String> {
     let path = data_dir.join(MESH_IGNORED_RADIO_FILE);
     if !path.exists() {
@@ -2268,6 +2280,30 @@ impl MeshService {
     pub async fn configure(&mut self, config: MeshConfig) -> Result<()> {
         save_config(&self.data_dir, &config).await?;
 
+        // An operator-set RNode serial-port override (rnode-rf-settings.json)
+        // outranks `device_path` when the Reticulum session opens the radio.
+        // When a *different* device path is being configured (hot-swap, or
+        // "Keep As Is" on a newly detected radio), a stale override pinned to
+        // the old port would silently veto the choice the user just made —
+        // clear it so the explicit device selection wins. Same-device aliases
+        // (/dev/mesh-radio vs its ttyUSBn target) are left alone.
+        if let Some(new_path) = config.device_path.as_deref() {
+            let mut rf = rnode_settings::RNodeRfSettings::load(&self.data_dir).await;
+            if let Some(port) = rf.port.clone() {
+                if !same_serial_device(&port, new_path).await {
+                    info!(
+                        old_port = %port,
+                        new_path = %new_path,
+                        "Clearing stale RNode serial-port override — configured device path changed"
+                    );
+                    rf.port = None;
+                    if let Err(e) = rf.save(&self.data_dir).await {
+                        warn!("Failed to clear stale RNode port override: {e}");
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
         let was_enabled = self.config.enabled;
         let needs_session_restart = session_config_changed(&self.config, &config);
         self.config = config.clone();
diff --git a/core/archipelago/src/mesh/serial.rs b/core/archipelago/src/mesh/serial.rs
index 8ff02ea6..6029f842 100644
--- a/core/archipelago/src/mesh/serial.rs
+++ b/core/archipelago/src/mesh/serial.rs
@@ -515,17 +515,33 @@ impl MeshcoreDevice {
 
 // ─── Device detection ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
-/// Candidate serial device paths to check on Linux.
-/// /dev/mesh-radio is a stable udev symlink (see 99-mesh-radio.rules).
-const SERIAL_CANDIDATES: &[&str] = &[
-    "/dev/mesh-radio",
-    "/dev/ttyUSB0",
-    "/dev/ttyUSB1",
-    "/dev/ttyUSB2",
-    "/dev/ttyACM0",
-    "/dev/ttyACM1",
-    "/dev/ttyACM2",
-];
+/// Enumerate candidate serial device paths on Linux.
+/// /dev/mesh-radio is a stable udev symlink (see 99-mesh-radio.rules) and is
+/// always listed first so it wins the alias dedup in `detect_serial_devices`.
+/// The rest is a live scan of /dev for ttyUSB*/ttyACM* nodes — the previous
+/// fixed ttyUSB0-2/ttyACM0-2 list made any radio that enumerated at index 3+
+/// (multi-adapter boxes, replug races) permanently invisible to detection.
+async fn serial_candidate_paths() -> Vec<String> {
+    let mut candidates = vec!["/dev/mesh-radio".to_string()];
+    let mut ttys: Vec<(u32, String)> = Vec::new();
+    if let Ok(mut dir) = tokio::fs::read_dir("/dev").await {
+        while let Ok(Some(entry)) = dir.next_entry().await {
+            let name = entry.file_name().to_string_lossy().to_string();
+            for (group, prefix) in [(0u32, "ttyUSB"), (1 << 16, "ttyACM")] {
+                if let Some(num) = name.strip_prefix(prefix) {
+                    if let Ok(n) = num.parse::<u32>() {
+                        // ttyUSB* before ttyACM*, each numerically ordered, so
+                        // probe order stays deterministic across boots.
+                        ttys.push((group | n, format!("/dev/{name}")));
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    ttys.sort();
+    candidates.extend(ttys.into_iter().map(|(_, p)| p));
+    candidates
+}
 
 const SKIP_SERIAL_MODEL_SUBSTRINGS: &[&str] = &["Sierra_Wireless", "Z-Wave", "Zooz"];
 
@@ -570,14 +586,15 @@ fn likely_non_mesh_serial_device(path: &str) -> bool {
 /// (and DTR/RTS-reset) the exact port the live session was mid-conversation
 /// with — a continuous, UI-driven reset loop that only ran while that view
 /// was open (matches the reported "stops when I leave, resumes when I come
-/// back"). SERIAL_CANDIDATES lists `/dev/mesh-radio` first, so it wins the
+/// back"). `serial_candidate_paths` lists `/dev/mesh-radio` first, so it wins the
 /// dedup and is what's reported when both alias and target are present.
 /// (Independently re-discovered and fixed on main 2026-07-26 — both sides
 /// of the 2026-07-28 merge carried an equivalent implementation.)
 pub async fn detect_serial_devices() -> Vec<String> {
     let mut devices = Vec::new();
     let mut seen_real_paths = std::collections::HashSet::new();
-    for path in SERIAL_CANDIDATES {
+    for path in serial_candidate_paths().await {
+        let path = path.as_str();
         if tokio::fs::metadata(path).await.is_ok() {
             if likely_non_mesh_serial_device(path) {
                 debug!(path = %path, "Skipping known non-mesh serial device");
diff --git a/image-recipe/configs/99-mesh-radio.rules b/image-recipe/configs/99-mesh-radio.rules
index dd9beb7a..ca18b26c 100644
--- a/image-recipe/configs/99-mesh-radio.rules
+++ b/image-recipe/configs/99-mesh-radio.rules
@@ -7,3 +7,8 @@ SUBSYSTEM=="tty", ATTRS{idVendor}=="1a86", ATTRS{idProduct}=="7523", SYMLINK+="m
 SUBSYSTEM=="tty", ATTRS{idVendor}=="0403", ATTRS{idProduct}=="6001", SYMLINK+="mesh-radio", MODE="0660", GROUP="dialout"
 SUBSYSTEM=="tty", ATTRS{idVendor}=="239a", KERNEL=="ttyACM[0-9]*", SYMLINK+="mesh-radio", MODE="0660", GROUP="dialout"
 SUBSYSTEM=="tty", ATTRS{idVendor}=="2e8a", KERNEL=="ttyACM[0-9]*", SYMLINK+="mesh-radio", MODE="0660", GROUP="dialout"
+# Espressif native-USB (ESP32-S2/S3/C3 "USB JTAG/serial debug unit", e.g.
+# Heltec V3 / T-Deck class RNode boards plugged in via native USB). Without
+# this a replugged radio has no stable alias and a persisted /dev/mesh-radio
+# device_path dangles forever (observed live on a fleet node 2026-08-16).
+SUBSYSTEM=="tty", ATTRS{idVendor}=="303a", KERNEL=="ttyACM[0-9]*", SYMLINK+="mesh-radio", MODE="0660", GROUP="dialout"