diff --git a/config.php b/config.php
index ea6a849..616d4cb 100644
--- a/config.php
+++ b/config.php
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 <?php
 
 define('APP_NAME', 'hyprcrd');
-define('APP_VERSION', '1.9.5');
+define('APP_VERSION', '1.9.6');
 
 // Database path — writable directory, outside webroot
 // DB_PATH / UPLOAD_DIR can be pre-defined by the Electron router for app isolation
diff --git a/electron/package.json b/electron/package.json
index 72c3bd6..8dc58cf 100644
--- a/electron/package.json
+++ b/electron/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "hyprcrd",
-  "version": "1.9.5",
+  "version": "1.9.6",
   "description": "hyprcrd — self-hosted card manager",
   "main": "main.js",
   "scripts": {
diff --git a/public/js/app.js b/public/js/app.js
index ac9a02d..094620b 100644
--- a/public/js/app.js
+++ b/public/js/app.js
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ window.openFindBar = openFindBar;
 window._reloadAll = async () => {
     await loadBuckets();
     state.cards = await api('api/cards') || [];
+    state.cardsLoaded = true;
     renderBoard();
     refreshCalendar();
     // Let plugins / modules react to a full card reload (detail view checks
@@ -86,10 +87,14 @@ function setCachedCards(cards) {
 }
 
 async function loadCards() {
-    // Phase 0: Show cached cards instantly (from previous session)
+    // Phase 0: Show cached cards instantly (from previous session).
+    // A hit here is enough to flip cardsLoaded — fresh meta will
+    // overwrite state.cards a moment later, but the spinner→content
+    // transition already happened.
     const cached = getCachedCards();
     if (cached.length) {
         state.cards = cached.map(c => ({ ...c, body: null }));
+        state.cardsLoaded = true;
         updateSortUI();
         renderBoard();
     }
@@ -97,6 +102,7 @@ async function loadCards() {
     // Phase 1: Load metadata → update board with fresh titles/tags/dates
     const meta = await api('api/cards/meta');
     if (!meta) return;
+    state.cardsLoaded = true;
     state.cards = meta.map(c => ({ ...c, body: null }));
     setCachedCards(meta);
     updateSortUI();
@@ -158,7 +164,7 @@ importFile?.addEventListener('change', async e => {
         if (!res.ok) throw new Error(text || `HTTP ${res.status}`);
         const data = JSON.parse(text);
         if (data.error) throw new Error(data.error);
-        await loadBuckets(); state.cards = await api('api/cards'); renderBoard();
+        await loadBuckets(); state.cards = await api('api/cards'); state.cardsLoaded = true; renderBoard();
     } catch (err) {
         await showDialog({ title: 'import failed', message: err.message || 'Unknown error', danger: true, okLabel: 'OK', cancelLabel: '' });
     }
diff --git a/public/js/modules/board.js b/public/js/modules/board.js
index a27d804..53a7719 100644
--- a/public/js/modules/board.js
+++ b/public/js/modules/board.js
@@ -587,9 +587,18 @@ export function renderBoard() {
         board.style.display = 'flex';
         board.style.alignItems = 'center';
         board.style.justifyContent = 'center';
-        board.innerHTML = `<div class="flex flex-col items-center text-center">
-            <i class="ph ph-cards text-4xl text-t-dim mb-4 block"></i>
-            <p class="font-pixel text-sm text-t-dim cursor-blink">no cards found</p></div>`;
+        // Distinguish "genuinely empty" from "haven't heard back yet".
+        // Blurting "no cards found" during the initial load is scary
+        // on boards the user knows aren't empty.
+        if (!state.cardsLoaded) {
+            board.innerHTML = `<div class="flex flex-col items-center text-center">
+                <i class="ph ph-circle-notch text-4xl text-t-dim mb-4 block card-spinner"></i>
+                <p class="font-pixel text-sm text-t-dim">loading…</p></div>`;
+        } else {
+            board.innerHTML = `<div class="flex flex-col items-center text-center">
+                <i class="ph ph-cards text-4xl text-t-dim mb-4 block"></i>
+                <p class="font-pixel text-sm text-t-dim cursor-blink">no cards found</p></div>`;
+        }
         const fc = $('footer-count');
         if (fc) fc.textContent = `0 cards · ${state.cards.length} total`;
         return;
diff --git a/public/js/modules/state.js b/public/js/modules/state.js
index cb60024..9c1e83b 100644
--- a/public/js/modules/state.js
+++ b/public/js/modules/state.js
@@ -6,6 +6,11 @@ export const state = {
     // Data
     cards: [],
     buckets: [],
+    // True once we've got a real response from api/cards (or the
+    // cached-cards hydration). Until then the board shows a spinner
+    // instead of the "no cards found" placeholder — an empty board on
+    // first load is an honest "still fetching" state, not a real empty.
+    cardsLoaded: false,
 
     // Filters & view — activeBucket is persisted across reloads via
     // localStorage. Numeric ids are stringified; the special filters