diff --git a/cmd/server/chunked_load.go b/cmd/server/chunked_load.go
index 99916cc0..a21d40f6 100644
--- a/cmd/server/chunked_load.go
+++ b/cmd/server/chunked_load.go
@@ -105,6 +105,32 @@ func (s *PacketStore) fireChunkCallbacks(rowsThisChunk, totalRows int) {
 	}
 }
 
+// RunStartupLoad orchestrates the startup load sequence:
+//  1. start LoadChunked (async)
+//  2. wait for FirstChunkReady (caller's HTTP listener may bind)
+//  3. spawn the background fill loader (only AFTER LoadChunked completes
+//     and oldestLoaded is set; see issue #1809)
+//
+// chunkSize=0 uses the LoadChunked default. Returns the LoadChunked
+// error (if any).
+//
+// NOTE: this is the PRE-FIX stub. It reproduces issue #1809 by running
+// loadBackgroundChunks before LoadChunked has set s.oldestLoaded. The
+// bg loader then reads oldestLoaded="" and bails immediately → coverage
+// gate trips → backgroundLoadFailed=true. The fix moves bg loader
+// invocation to after LoadChunked completes.
+func (s *PacketStore) RunStartupLoad(chunkSize int) error {
+	// BUG #1809: bg loader runs first, observing oldestLoaded="".
+	if s.hotStartupHours > 0 {
+		s.loadBackgroundChunks()
+	}
+	return s.LoadChunked(chunkSize)
+}
+
+// LoadChunked streams transmissions + observations from SQLite into
+
+// LoadChunked streams transmissions + observations from SQLite into
+
 // LoadChunked streams transmissions + observations from SQLite into
 // the in-memory store in id-ordered chunks of `chunkSize` rows. Pass
 // 0 to use the default (10000).
diff --git a/cmd/server/issue1809_bg_load_race_test.go b/cmd/server/issue1809_bg_load_race_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..674cce03
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/server/issue1809_bg_load_race_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+package main
+
+// Test for issue #1809 — background load fails almost immediately because
+// `loadBackgroundChunks` is spawned at FirstChunkReady (chunk #1 merged)
+// while `LoadChunked` is still merging the remainder of the hot window.
+// At that moment `s.oldestLoaded` is still "" (only set at the end of
+// LoadChunked), so the bg loader sees empty oldest → breaks immediately →
+// coverage = 0 → `backgroundLoadFailed=true`.
+//
+// The fix extracts a `RunStartupLoad` helper that runs LoadChunked first
+// and only then spawns the background loader. This test calls the helper
+// directly and asserts the post-load state.
+
+import (
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// Test1809_StartupLoad_BgLoaderSeesOldestLoaded confirms that after
+// RunStartupLoad returns, oldestLoaded is set and backgroundLoadFailed
+// is false. The pre-fix code (spawn bg loader at FirstChunkReady)
+// produces backgroundLoadFailed=true deterministically because the bg
+// loader reads oldestLoaded="" and bails.
+func Test1809_StartupLoad_BgLoaderSeesOldestLoaded(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	dbPath := filepath.Join(dir, "test.db")
+
+	nowSec := time.Now().UTC().Unix()
+	// 100 rows, all within the 1h hot window so LoadChunked picks them up
+	// and bg loader has only ancient (empty) territory to walk back to.
+	createTestDBWithLastSeen(t, dbPath, 100, 1, nowSec,
+		30*time.Minute, // first_seen
+		30*time.Minute) // last_seen
+
+	db, err := OpenDB(dbPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("OpenDB: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer db.conn.Close()
+
+	store := NewPacketStore(db, &PacketStoreConfig{
+		RetentionHours:  168,
+		HotStartupHours: 1,
+	})
+
+	if err := store.RunStartupLoad(500); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("RunStartupLoad: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if store.oldestLoaded == "" {
+		t.Fatalf("oldestLoaded is empty after RunStartupLoad; bg loader would bail")
+	}
+	if store.backgroundLoadFailed.Load() {
+		t.Fatalf("backgroundLoadFailed=true after RunStartupLoad; "+
+			"bg loader fired before LoadChunked set oldestLoaded "+
+			"(error=%q, loaded=%d, oldest=%q)",
+			store.BackgroundLoadError(), len(store.packets), store.oldestLoaded)
+	}
+	if !store.backgroundLoadDone.Load() {
+		t.Fatalf("backgroundLoadDone=false after RunStartupLoad; expected true on success")
+	}
+}