diff --git a/.claude/memory.md b/.claude/memory.md
index 3d035ff3f..2fffb186c 100644
--- a/.claude/memory.md
+++ b/.claude/memory.md
@@ -50,6 +50,9 @@ Quick reference for anyone starting with Claude on this project. Updated by the
 - **Recovery Phrase moved to Settings** — MnemonicStep was removed from onboarding (was step 5). The same BIP39 generate/import functionality now lives in `app/src/components/settings/panels/RecoveryPhrasePanel.tsx`, accessible via Settings > Recovery Phrase. Onboarding completion logic moved into `handleSkillsNext` in `Onboarding.tsx`.
 - **E2E tests find onboarding buttons by label text** — `shared-flows.ts`, `login-flow.spec.ts`, `auth-access-control.spec.ts`, and `voice-mode.spec.ts` locate buttons by their visible label. Changing button labels requires updating all four files. Note: `voice-mode.spec.ts` still references legacy labels that don't match current steps (pre-existing tech debt).
 - **`ScreenPermissionsStep` always shows Continue** — The Continue button is always visible regardless of permission grant status, allowing users to skip the permissions step (#274).
+- **OnboardingOverlay RPC/Redux race condition** — `getOnboardingCompleted()` RPC can fail (sidecar not ready, timeout); the old catch block hardcoded `setOnboardingCompleted(false)`, ignoring the persisted `isOnboardedByUser` Redux flag. Fix: read `selectIsOnboarded` from `authSelectors.ts` in the catch block as fallback, and combine both flags in `shouldShow`: `!onboardingCompleted && !isOnboardedRedux`. Either flag being `true` is sufficient to skip onboarding (#197).
+- **`DEV_FORCE_ONBOARDING` was a no-op** — The old ternary had identical branches; fixed to actually force-show when the flag is set.
+- **`isOnboardedRedux` must be in useEffect deps** — When reading a selector value inside a useEffect, add it to the dependency array or the effect won't re-run when Redux state changes.
 
 ## Build Blockers: macOS Tahoe + whisper-rs
 
diff --git a/app/src/components/OnboardingOverlay.tsx b/app/src/components/OnboardingOverlay.tsx
index 4f5c20795..ff928b8ad 100644
--- a/app/src/components/OnboardingOverlay.tsx
+++ b/app/src/components/OnboardingOverlay.tsx
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { useCallback, useEffect, useState } from 'react';
 import { createPortal } from 'react-dom';
 
 import Onboarding from '../pages/onboarding/Onboarding';
+import { selectIsOnboarded } from '../store/authSelectors';
 import { useAppSelector } from '../store/hooks';
 import { DEV_FORCE_ONBOARDING } from '../utils/config';
 import {
@@ -19,6 +20,7 @@ const OnboardingOverlay = () => {
   const token = useAppSelector(state => state.auth.token);
   const isAuthBootstrapComplete = useAppSelector(state => state.auth.isAuthBootstrapComplete);
   const user = useAppSelector(state => state.user.user);
+  const isOnboardedRedux = useAppSelector(selectIsOnboarded);
 
   /** null = still loading, true/false = resolved from core config */
   const [onboardingCompleted, setOnboardingCompleted] = useState<boolean | null>(null);
@@ -54,14 +56,14 @@ const OnboardingOverlay = () => {
         const completed = await getOnboardingCompleted();
         if (mounted) setOnboardingCompleted(completed);
       } catch {
-        if (mounted) setOnboardingCompleted(false);
+        if (mounted) setOnboardingCompleted(isOnboardedRedux);
       }
     };
     void check();
     return () => {
       mounted = false;
     };
-  }, [token, isAuthBootstrapComplete, userReady]);
+  }, [token, isAuthBootstrapComplete, userReady, isOnboardedRedux]);
 
   const handleDone = useCallback(async () => {
     setOnboardingCompleted(true);
@@ -78,7 +80,7 @@ const OnboardingOverlay = () => {
   // Still loading the flag from core
   if (onboardingCompleted === null) return null;
 
-  const shouldShow = DEV_FORCE_ONBOARDING ? !onboardingCompleted : !onboardingCompleted;
+  const shouldShow = DEV_FORCE_ONBOARDING || (!onboardingCompleted && !isOnboardedRedux);
 
   if (!shouldShow) return null;
 
diff --git a/app/src/components/__tests__/OnboardingOverlay.test.tsx b/app/src/components/__tests__/OnboardingOverlay.test.tsx
index f81b45927..bc66680ba 100644
--- a/app/src/components/__tests__/OnboardingOverlay.test.tsx
+++ b/app/src/components/__tests__/OnboardingOverlay.test.tsx
@@ -89,4 +89,49 @@ describe('OnboardingOverlay', () => {
 
     expect(screen.queryByText('Skip')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
   });
+
+  it('does not render when RPC fails but Redux says onboarded', async () => {
+    const { getOnboardingCompleted } = await import('../../utils/tauriCommands');
+    vi.mocked(getOnboardingCompleted).mockRejectedValue(new Error('RPC error'));
+
+    renderWithProviders(<OnboardingOverlay />, {
+      preloadedState: {
+        auth: { ...baseAuth, isOnboardedByUser: { 'user-1': true } },
+        user: baseUser,
+      },
+    });
+
+    await vi.waitFor(() => {
+      expect(screen.queryByText('Skip')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('does not render when RPC returns false but Redux says onboarded', async () => {
+    const { getOnboardingCompleted } = await import('../../utils/tauriCommands');
+    vi.mocked(getOnboardingCompleted).mockResolvedValue(false);
+
+    renderWithProviders(<OnboardingOverlay />, {
+      preloadedState: {
+        auth: { ...baseAuth, isOnboardedByUser: { 'user-1': true } },
+        user: baseUser,
+      },
+    });
+
+    await vi.waitFor(() => {
+      expect(screen.queryByText('Skip')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('renders when both RPC fails and Redux says not onboarded', async () => {
+    const { getOnboardingCompleted } = await import('../../utils/tauriCommands');
+    vi.mocked(getOnboardingCompleted).mockRejectedValue(new Error('RPC error'));
+
+    renderWithProviders(<OnboardingOverlay />, {
+      preloadedState: { auth: { ...baseAuth, isOnboardedByUser: {} }, user: baseUser },
+    });
+
+    await vi.waitFor(() => {
+      expect(screen.queryByText('Skip')).toBeInTheDocument();
+    });
+  });
 });