diff --git a/client/src/App.test.tsx b/client/src/App.test.tsx
index 91d3db58b..788dd1f03 100644
--- a/client/src/App.test.tsx
+++ b/client/src/App.test.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import React from 'react'
 import { render, screen, waitFor, act } from '@testing-library/react'
-import { MemoryRouter } from 'react-router'
+import { MemoryRouter, useLocation } from 'react-router'
 import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, vi } from 'vitest'
 import { http, HttpResponse } from 'msw'
 import { server } from '../tests/helpers/msw/server'
@@ -30,10 +30,19 @@ vi.mock('./hooks/useInAppNotificationListener.ts', () => ({
 
 // ── Helpers ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+/** Reports the router's current location, so a test can assert where App sent it. */
+function LocationProbe() {
+  const loc = useLocation()
+  return <span data-testid="loc">{loc.pathname + loc.search}</span>
+}
+
+const currentPath = () => screen.getByTestId('loc').textContent
+
 function renderApp(initialPath = '/') {
   return render(
     <MemoryRouter initialEntries={[initialPath]}>
       <App />
+      <LocationProbe />
     </MemoryRouter>
   )
 }
@@ -166,6 +175,22 @@ describe('ProtectedRoute — unauthenticated', () => {
     await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByText('Login')).toBeInTheDocument())
   })
 
+  // A session that ran out should return you to the page you were on. Pressing
+  // "log out" should not: clearing isAuthenticated re-renders this route for the
+  // page still on screen, and the ?redirect= it stamped there beat the user's
+  // startup destination on every login after the first.
+  it('FE-COMP-APP-034: keeps the return ticket when the session merely ended', async () => {
+    seedAuth({ isAuthenticated: false, loggingOut: false })
+    renderApp('/trips/1/files')
+    await waitFor(() => expect(currentPath()).toBe('/login?redirect=%2Ftrips%2F1%2Ffiles'))
+  })
+
+  it('FE-COMP-APP-035: drops it on a deliberate sign-out, so the startup destination decides', async () => {
+    seedAuth({ isAuthenticated: false, loggingOut: true })
+    renderApp('/dashboard')
+    await waitFor(() => expect(currentPath()).toBe('/login'))
+  })
+
   it('FE-COMP-APP-005: /trips/42 redirects to /login when not authenticated', async () => {
     seedAuth({ isAuthenticated: false })
     renderApp('/trips/42')
diff --git a/client/src/App.tsx b/client/src/App.tsx
index 701d6d6af..fdbf90e54 100644
--- a/client/src/App.tsx
+++ b/client/src/App.tsx
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ function ProtectedRoute({ children, adminRequired = false, addonId }: ProtectedR
   const user = useAuthStore((s) => s.user)
   const isLoading = useAuthStore((s) => s.isLoading)
   const appRequireMfa = useAuthStore((s) => s.appRequireMfa)
+  const loggingOut = useAuthStore((s) => s.loggingOut)
   const addonStore = useAddonStore()
   const { t } = useTranslation()
   const location = useLocation()
@@ -99,6 +100,10 @@ function ProtectedRoute({ children, adminRequired = false, addonId }: ProtectedR
   }
 
   if (!isAuthenticated) {
+    // A session that ended on its own should come back to where it left off; a
+    // deliberate sign-out is a fresh start and gets no return ticket, so the
+    // startup destination decides where the next login lands.
+    if (loggingOut) return <Navigate to="/login" replace />
     const redirectParam = encodeURIComponent(location.pathname + location.search + location.hash)
     return <Navigate to={`/login?redirect=${redirectParam}`} replace />
   }
diff --git a/client/src/store/authStore.ts b/client/src/store/authStore.ts
index 48b161ebc..b0e8f9d42 100644
--- a/client/src/store/authStore.ts
+++ b/client/src/store/authStore.ts
@@ -33,6 +33,10 @@ interface AuthState {
    *  outage doesn't render as a blank, error-free page that looks like lost data.
    *  Transient, never persisted. #1283 */
   authCheckFailed: boolean
+  /** The user pressed "log out" — as opposed to a session that simply ended.
+   *  Read by ProtectedRoute: a deliberate sign-out should not leave a
+   *  ?redirect= pointing back at the page they just left. Transient. */
+  loggingOut: boolean
   error: string | null
   demoMode: boolean
   devMode: boolean
@@ -95,6 +99,7 @@ export const useAuthStore = create<AuthState>()(
   isAuthenticated: false,
   isLoading: true,
   authCheckFailed: false,
+  loggingOut: false,
   error: null,
   demoMode: localStorage.getItem('demo_mode') === 'true',
   devMode: false,
@@ -120,6 +125,7 @@ export const useAuthStore = create<AuthState>()(
       set({
         user: data.user,
         isAuthenticated: true,
+        loggingOut: false,
         isLoading: false,
         error: null,
       })
@@ -145,6 +151,7 @@ export const useAuthStore = create<AuthState>()(
       set({
         user: data.user,
         isAuthenticated: true,
+        loggingOut: false,
         isLoading: false,
         error: null,
       })
@@ -170,6 +177,7 @@ export const useAuthStore = create<AuthState>()(
       set({
         user: data.user,
         isAuthenticated: true,
+        loggingOut: false,
         isLoading: false,
         error: null,
       })
@@ -188,7 +196,11 @@ export const useAuthStore = create<AuthState>()(
   logout: async () => {
     // 1. Gate first so any in-flight flush/syncAll bails before we wipe the DB.
     setAuthed(false)
-    set({ isAuthenticated: false })
+    // Flagged in the same update that drops the session: clearing isAuthenticated
+    // re-renders ProtectedRoute for whatever page is still on screen, and without
+    // this it would stamp a ?redirect= back to it — which then beats the user's
+    // startup destination on the next login.
+    set({ isAuthenticated: false, loggingOut: true })
     // 2. Stop background sync triggers (30s interval, WS pre-reconnect hook, listeners).
     unregisterSyncTriggers()
     // 3. Tear down the live connection.
@@ -233,6 +245,7 @@ export const useAuthStore = create<AuthState>()(
       set({
         user: data.user,
         isAuthenticated: true,
+        loggingOut: false,
         isLoading: false,
         authCheckFailed: false,
       })
@@ -336,6 +349,7 @@ export const useAuthStore = create<AuthState>()(
       set({
         user: data.user,
         isAuthenticated: true,
+        loggingOut: false,
         isLoading: false,
         demoMode: true,
         error: null,