diff --git a/src/main.cpp b/src/main.cpp
index 9a5111ea..59772982 100644
--- a/src/main.cpp
+++ b/src/main.cpp
@@ -542,7 +542,11 @@ void setup_wifi() {
     // Reconnect automatically if the AP drops the association — without this the
     // device stays offline until a reboot or a manual Settings -> Reconnect.
     WiFi.setAutoReconnect(true);
-    WiFi.persistent(true);
+    // Don't persist creds to NVS on every begin(): the backstop re-issues begin()
+    // periodically while down, and the app already persists creds in Preferences,
+    // so NVS writes here would be redundant flash wear. setAutoReconnect is in-RAM
+    // and unaffected.
+    WiFi.persistent(false);
     WiFi.begin(app_settings.wifi_ssid.c_str(), app_settings.wifi_password.c_str());
 
     // Don't block boot waiting for WiFi association — the main loop
@@ -2452,12 +2456,20 @@ void loop() {
         // Backstop auto-reconnect: WiFi.setAutoReconnect() handles most drops in
         // the background, but not every disconnect reason — without an explicit
         // retry the device can sit offline until a reboot (which is exactly what
-        // happened). Re-issue begin() every ~15s while down. Non-blocking; the
+        // happened). While down, re-issue begin() every ~15s. Non-blocking; the
         // connected-edge above picks up once association lands.
-        if (!wifi_connected && app_settings.wifi_ssid.length() > 0) {
-            static uint32_t last_wifi_retry = 0;
+        static uint32_t last_wifi_retry = 0;
+        if (wifi_connected) {
+            last_wifi_retry = 0;  // re-arm the grace period for the next drop
+        } else if (app_settings.wifi_ssid.length() > 0) {
+            // Arm the timer on the first disconnected tick rather than firing
+            // immediately, so we don't interrupt the in-progress boot association
+            // (or setAutoReconnect's own retry) with a redundant begin() that
+            // would reset the WiFi state machine. First real retry is ~15s later.
             uint32_t nowms = millis();
-            if (last_wifi_retry == 0 || (nowms - last_wifi_retry) >= 15000) {
+            if (last_wifi_retry == 0) {
+                last_wifi_retry = nowms;
+            } else if ((nowms - last_wifi_retry) >= 15000) {
                 last_wifi_retry = nowms;
                 INFO("WiFi down — attempting reconnect");
                 WiFi.begin(app_settings.wifi_ssid.c_str(), app_settings.wifi_password.c_str());