diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 4f985e72d..57960c845 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 - The macOS menu bar icon shows the Termix logo instead of an empty square
 - Cmd+1 (Alt+1 on Windows and Linux) and the other number shortcuts pick the open tabs as numbered in the tab bar, not the home tab
 - A plugin the app no longer ships and could not download (for example on a locked down network) shows as failed with the reason on the Plugins tab, instead of as installed
+- The desktop app no longer shows This layout could not be shown when the layout is asked for before its plugin has finished starting; it tries again
 
 ## 26.10.5
 
diff --git a/src/ui/plugin-host/loader.ts b/src/ui/plugin-host/loader.ts
index d4ccc61e2..a208767fa 100644
--- a/src/ui/plugin-host/loader.ts
+++ b/src/ui/plugin-host/loader.ts
@@ -85,13 +85,47 @@ function absolute(url: string): string {
   return new URL(url, window.location.href).href;
 }
 
+const IMPORT_RETRY_DELAYS_MS = [500, 1500, 3000];
+
+/**
+ * A bundle asked for while its plugin is still starting (a slow desktop boot)
+ * answers 404, and the browser then keeps that failure for the URL. So a
+ * failed import is tried again a few times, each under a new URL.
+ */
+export async function importWithRetry<T>(
+  url: string,
+  load: (url: string) => Promise<T>,
+  sleep: (ms: number) => Promise<void> = (ms) =>
+    new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ms)),
+): Promise<T> {
+  for (let attempt = 0; ; attempt++) {
+    const next =
+      attempt === 0
+        ? url
+        : `${url}${url.includes("?") ? "&" : "?"}retry=${attempt}`;
+    try {
+      return await load(next);
+    } catch (error) {
+      // A bundle that loaded but threw is broken, not late.
+      const fetchFailed =
+        error instanceof TypeError &&
+        /dynamically imported module|importing a module script/i.test(
+          error.message,
+        );
+      if (!fetchFailed || attempt >= IMPORT_RETRY_DELAYS_MS.length) throw error;
+      await sleep(IMPORT_RETRY_DELAYS_MS[attempt]);
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 const defaultDeps: PluginLoaderDeps = {
   fetchPlugins: getPlugins,
 
   async importFrontend(summary) {
-    return (await import(
-      /* @vite-ignore */ absolute(assetUrl(summary, "frontend.js"))
-    )) as FrontendModule;
+    return importWithRetry(
+      absolute(assetUrl(summary, "frontend.js")),
+      (url) => import(/* @vite-ignore */ url) as Promise<FrontendModule>,
+    );
   },
 
   async loadLocale(summary, file) {
diff --git a/src/ui/tests/plugin-host/loader.test.tsx b/src/ui/tests/plugin-host/loader.test.tsx
index 3b7c390b5..af329ab4f 100644
--- a/src/ui/tests/plugin-host/loader.test.tsx
+++ b/src/ui/tests/plugin-host/loader.test.tsx
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import {
   startPluginRuntime,
   startPreLoginPlugins,
   syncPlugins,
+  importWithRetry,
 } from "@/plugin-host/loader";
 import {
   getPluginRecord,
@@ -522,3 +523,29 @@ describe("layouts and themes", () => {
     );
   });
 });
+
+describe("importWithRetry", () => {
+  const noWait = async () => {};
+
+  it("tries a bundle that failed to load again under a new URL", async () => {
+    const load = vi
+      .fn()
+      .mockRejectedValueOnce(
+        new TypeError("Failed to fetch dynamically imported module: x"),
+      )
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce({ ok: true });
+    await expect(
+      importWithRetry("http://h/plugin-assets/a/frontend.js?v=1", load, noWait),
+    ).resolves.toEqual({ ok: true });
+    expect(load.mock.calls.map((call) => call[0])).toEqual([
+      "http://h/plugin-assets/a/frontend.js?v=1",
+      "http://h/plugin-assets/a/frontend.js?v=1&retry=1",
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it("does not retry a bundle that threw while running", async () => {
+    const load = vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(new Error("boom"));
+    await expect(importWithRetry("u", load, noWait)).rejects.toThrow("boom");
+    expect(load).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+});