diff --git a/apps/bot/src/ipc/pair-handler.ts b/apps/bot/src/ipc/pair-handler.ts
index c8b84fa..ad4d31f 100644
--- a/apps/bot/src/ipc/pair-handler.ts
+++ b/apps/bot/src/ipc/pair-handler.ts
@@ -128,7 +128,12 @@ export async function handleStartPairing(accountId: string): Promise<void> {
           count: synced,
         });
         off();
-      } else if (event.type === "close" && event.loggedOut) {
+      } else if (event.type === "close") {
+        // During the pairing window, ANY close means the QR window
+        // ended without a successful link — Baileys' default is to
+        // close after exhausting QR refs (~2.5 min). Surface this to
+        // the UI so the user gets a "pairing timed out" screen and a
+        // chance to retry, instead of staring at a stale QR forever.
         const t = pairTimeouts.get(id);
         if (t) {
           clearTimeout(t);
diff --git a/apps/bot/src/whatsapp/session-manager.ts b/apps/bot/src/whatsapp/session-manager.ts
index 50ff71e..246f50b 100644
--- a/apps/bot/src/whatsapp/session-manager.ts
+++ b/apps/bot/src/whatsapp/session-manager.ts
@@ -141,14 +141,30 @@ class SessionManager {
         .set({ status: event.loggedOut ? "logged_out" : "disconnected" })
         .where(eq(whatsappAccounts.id, accountId));
 
-      if (!event.loggedOut) {
-        const timer = setTimeout(() => {
-          this.reconnectTimers.delete(accountId);
-          void this.stop(accountId).then(() => this.start(accountId));
-        }, 5000);
-        this.reconnectTimers.set(accountId, timer);
-      } else {
+      if (event.loggedOut) {
         await this.stop(accountId);
+      } else {
+        // Only auto-reconnect for accounts that have been linked at least
+        // once — `lastConnectedAt` is set on `open`. During an initial
+        // pairing attempt the close event fires every time Baileys
+        // exhausts QR refs (~every 30s). Reconnecting would restart the
+        // pair dance and rotate the QR every few seconds — pair-handler
+        // already manages the pairing window via its own 5-min timeout.
+        const account = await db.query.whatsappAccounts.findFirst({
+          where: (a, { eq }) => eq(a.id, accountId),
+          columns: { lastConnectedAt: true },
+        });
+        if (account?.lastConnectedAt) {
+          const timer = setTimeout(() => {
+            this.reconnectTimers.delete(accountId);
+            void this.stop(accountId).then(() => this.start(accountId));
+          }, 5000);
+          this.reconnectTimers.set(accountId, timer);
+        } else {
+          // Brand-new account that hasn't authenticated yet — let the
+          // pair-handler clean up via its timeout.
+          await this.stop(accountId);
+        }
       }
     } else if (event.type === "qr") {
       await db