diff --git a/client/src/components/Admin/storage/AdminStoragePanel.tsx b/client/src/components/Admin/storage/AdminStoragePanel.tsx
index 275af1c5a..b567e1cc8 100644
--- a/client/src/components/Admin/storage/AdminStoragePanel.tsx
+++ b/client/src/components/Admin/storage/AdminStoragePanel.tsx
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ export default function AdminStoragePanel(): React.ReactElement {
   const {
     admin, editing, setEditing, confirmRemove, setConfirmRemove, syncPrompt, setSyncPrompt, migratePrompt,
     closeMigratePrompt, migrationQueue, handleCancelMigration, handleRefreshStats, handleStartBackfill, handleCancelBackfill, loaded,
-  } = useStoragePanel({ dropQueueOnFailure: true })
+  } = useStoragePanel()
   // Open/closed only: the render below and moveAndSave both recompute
   // computeMigrationCandidates(draft, state) fresh rather than reading the
   // candidates the prompt opened with, which go stale the moment the operator
diff --git a/client/src/components/Admin/storage/useStoragePanel.test.ts b/client/src/components/Admin/storage/useStoragePanel.test.ts
index b446e18e6..e1216908d 100644
--- a/client/src/components/Admin/storage/useStoragePanel.test.ts
+++ b/client/src/components/Admin/storage/useStoragePanel.test.ts
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ describe('useStoragePanel', () => {
     expect(result.current.migratePrompt).toBeNull();
   });
 
-  it('FE-ADMIN-STOR-PANEL-011: by default a failed migration start only toasts and keeps the rest queued', async () => {
+  it('FE-ADMIN-STOR-PANEL-011: a failed migration start toasts, drops the rest of the queue, and refreshes', async () => {
     fake.admin = makeAdmin(baseState(), movingDraft('files', 'covers'));
     vi.mocked(fake.admin.startMigration).mockResolvedValueOnce('busy');
     const { result } = renderHook(() => useStoragePanel());
@@ -196,15 +196,15 @@ describe('useStoragePanel', () => {
       await result.current.loaded!.moveAndSave();
     });
     await waitFor(() => expect(toast.error).toHaveBeenCalledWith('busy'));
-    expect(toast.error).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
-    expect(result.current.migrationQueue).toHaveLength(1);
-    expect(fake.admin.refreshState).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    await waitFor(() => expect(toast.error).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2));
+    expect(result.current.migrationQueue).toHaveLength(0);
+    expect(fake.admin.refreshState).toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
-  it('FE-ADMIN-STOR-PANEL-012: with dropQueueOnFailure a failed start drops the rest, names it, and refreshes', async () => {
+  it('FE-ADMIN-STOR-PANEL-012: a failed start drops the rest, names it, and refreshes', async () => {
     fake.admin = makeAdmin(baseState(), movingDraft('files', 'covers'));
     vi.mocked(fake.admin.startMigration).mockResolvedValueOnce('busy');
-    const { result } = renderHook(() => useStoragePanel({ dropQueueOnFailure: true }));
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useStoragePanel());
     await act(async () => {
       await result.current.loaded!.moveAndSave();
     });
diff --git a/client/src/components/Admin/storage/useStoragePanel.ts b/client/src/components/Admin/storage/useStoragePanel.ts
index 7f5955e7d..460d0badd 100644
--- a/client/src/components/Admin/storage/useStoragePanel.ts
+++ b/client/src/components/Admin/storage/useStoragePanel.ts
@@ -64,15 +64,6 @@ interface StorageEditing {
   mirror: { candidates: string[]; initialTargets: string[] };
 }
 
-interface UseStoragePanelOptions {
-  /**
-   * What a failed migration start does to the rest of the queue. When set, the
-   * remaining candidates are dropped, named in a second toast, and the state is
-   * refreshed; otherwise only the error is toasted and the rest stay queued.
-   */
-  dropQueueOnFailure?: boolean;
-}
-
 /**
  * The storage admin panel behind both shells (the desktop sections and the phone cards
  * render their own markup over it): the backend editor, the removal confirm, the
@@ -80,7 +71,7 @@ interface UseStoragePanelOptions {
  * accepted category migrations one at a time. Everything that needs the loaded state
  * and draft sits under `loaded`, which is null until both exist.
  */
-export function useStoragePanel({ dropQueueOnFailure = false }: UseStoragePanelOptions = {}) {
+export function useStoragePanel() {
   const { t } = useTranslation();
   const toast = useToast();
   const admin = useStorageAdmin(t('common.error'), t('storage.saveConflict'));
@@ -126,7 +117,7 @@ export function useStoragePanel({ dropQueueOnFailure = false }: UseStoragePanelO
   // rule spans backfills and migrations alike, so starting while one runs
   // would 409, and the queued candidate would be lost (no retry).
   //
-  // With dropQueueOnFailure, a failed startMigration POST does not strand
+  // A failed startMigration POST does not strand
   // `rest`: it was already dequeued into local state before the POST, so on
   // failure nothing would change `migrationQueue` or `admin.state` again and
   // the remaining candidates would sit invisibly, never migrated. The whole
@@ -145,7 +136,6 @@ export function useStoragePanel({ dropQueueOnFailure = false }: UseStoragePanelO
       migrationStartInFlight.current = false;
       if (error) {
         toast.error(error);
-        if (!dropQueueOnFailure) return;
         if (rest.length > 0) {
           toast.error(
             t('storage.migrate.queueDropped', {