diff --git a/app/ui/features/generate/index.js b/app/ui/features/generate/index.js
index cf7fce51..96b8b7a5 100644
--- a/app/ui/features/generate/index.js
+++ b/app/ui/features/generate/index.js
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ export default {
       let made = 0;
       said = false;
       try {
+        if (app.pipeline.settled) await app.pipeline.settled();   // a project's pipeline still going in is the one this run uses, not the last one's
         const snap = times > 1 ? structuredClone(p.project) : null;        // takes differ in the seed alone: later edits to the project do not reach them
         const drawn = new Map();
         const same = times > 1 ? (body) => { const key = JSON.stringify(body); if (!drawn.has(key)) drawn.set(key, expand(body)); return drawn.get(key); } : expand;
diff --git a/app/ui/features/sampler/hub.test.js b/app/ui/features/sampler/hub.test.js
index 21d16140..13dcd2d3 100644
--- a/app/ui/features/sampler/hub.test.js
+++ b/app/ui/features/sampler/hub.test.js
@@ -43,3 +43,24 @@ test("when the sampler node's options cannot be read, the window says where to c
   await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 0));
   assert.match(document.body.textContent, /could not be read from the sampler node/);
 });
+
+test("typing a value back to what the window opened with is saved, though the window was not redrawn in between", async () => {
+  let live = [{ id: "sampler", node: "S", inputs: { steps: 7 }, roles: [{ at: "generation.sampling", input: "steps", label: "Steps" }] }];
+  const saved = [];
+  const ps = { slots: () => live, activeModules: () => [], useful: () => true, usefulness: () => () => true, currentValues: () => ({}), loading: () => false, loadError: () => null,
+    subscribe: () => () => {}, ensureLoaded: async () => {},
+    save: async (b) => { saved.push(b.inputs.sampler.steps); live = [{ ...live[0], inputs: { ...live[0].inputs, ...b.inputs.sampler } }]; } };
+  const host = document.createElement("div");
+  document.body.append(host);
+  hub.setup({ host, app: { pipeline: ps, api: { describeNodes: async () => ({ nodes: { S: { widgets: [{ name: "steps", type: "INT", min: 1, max: 100 }] } } }) }, on: () => () => {}, actions: null } });
+  await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 0));
+  host.querySelector("button").click();
+  await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 0));
+  const input = [...document.querySelectorAll("input[type=number]")].pop();
+  for (const v of ["20", "7"]) {
+    input.value = v;
+    input.dispatchEvent(new KeyboardEvent("keydown", { key: "Enter", bubbles: true }));
+    await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 0));
+  }
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(saved, [20, 7]);
+});
diff --git a/app/ui/features/sampler/index.js b/app/ui/features/sampler/index.js
index 8af62430..fa6cd79c 100644
--- a/app/ui/features/sampler/index.js
+++ b/app/ui/features/sampler/index.js
@@ -22,7 +22,10 @@ export default {
     const inputRow = ({ slot, role }) => {
       const w = ((specs[slot.node] || {}).widgets || []).find((x) => x.name === role.input);
       if (!w) return null;
-      const set = async (v) => { if (JSON.stringify((slot.inputs || {})[role.input]) !== JSON.stringify(v)) await ps.save({ inputs: { [slot.id]: { [role.input]: v } } }); };
+      const set = async (v) => {            // compared with the slot as it is NOW: the one drawn may be several saves old
+        const now = (ps.slots() || []).find((s) => s.id === slot.id) || slot;
+        if (JSON.stringify((now.inputs || {})[role.input]) !== JSON.stringify(v)) await ps.save({ inputs: { [slot.id]: { [role.input]: v } } });
+      };
       return c.settingsRow.default({ label: role.label || w.name, hint: w.tooltip || "", control: widgetControl({ ...w, name: role.label || w.name }, (slot.inputs || {})[role.input] ?? w.default, set) });
     };
     const button = c.button.sm({ label: "⏱ Sampler", tone: "neutral", title: "Steps, sampler, scheduler and sampling settings: one click, no modal.", onClick: () => (pop ? pop.close() : open()) });
diff --git a/app/ui/features/settings/index.js b/app/ui/features/settings/index.js
index 71fb4b35..63164539 100644
--- a/app/ui/features/settings/index.js
+++ b/app/ui/features/settings/index.js
@@ -31,9 +31,15 @@ export default {
     add("refinement", "Refinement & Taste", "Learned-taste state: refinement keys.", "✦", "danger",
       taste(app), "Learning", "refinement taste keys rating");
     // only when that module is installed: a section for something absent would be a dead end
-    app.pipeline.ensureLoaded().then(() => {
-      if (app.pipeline.modulesById()["conditioning_shot_camera"]) add("shotmemory", "Shot camera memory", "What the camera has learned from your prompts and ratings.", "◎", "neutral", shotMemory(app), "Learning", "shot camera views moves words forget");
-    });
+    // checked again on every pipeline change: ComfyUI may be down when the page loads and answer later
+    let shot = false;
+    const offerShot = () => {
+      if (shot || !app.pipeline.modulesById()["conditioning_shot_camera"]) return;
+      shot = true;
+      add("shotmemory", "Shot camera memory", "What the camera has learned from your prompts and ratings.", "◎", "neutral", shotMemory(app), "Learning", "shot camera views moves words forget");
+    };
+    app.pipeline.ensureLoaded().then(offerShot);
+    app.pipeline.subscribe(offerShot);
     add("system", "Updates & ComfyUI", "Server connection, FunPack code updates, pipeline health.", "⟳", "good",
       system(app), "System", "update git branch restart rollback");
     add("customnodes", "Custom Nodes", "Install, update and remove ComfyUI node packs.", "⧉", "neutral",
diff --git a/app/ui/shell/pipeline_state.js b/app/ui/shell/pipeline_state.js
index 3f703b3b..64717472 100644
--- a/app/ui/shell/pipeline_state.js
+++ b/app/ui/shell/pipeline_state.js
@@ -7,7 +7,24 @@
 // that fetches on reopen throws away whatever ANY panel already placed --
 // its own edits included, per the bug this file was extracted to fix once
 // for good rather than have each new panel rediscover it.
-export function createPipelineState(API) {
+// Every request this state makes gives up after a while: one that never answers (a stalled tunnel, a Mac that slept)
+// would otherwise hold the pipeline's lock, and every edit behind it, until a reload. A Proxy, so an API object
+// changed after creation (tests do) is still the one called.
+const ANSWER_MS = 30000;
+const bounded = (api, ms) => new Proxy(api, {
+  get(target, key) {
+    const f = target[key];
+    if (typeof f !== "function") return f;
+    return (...args) => {
+      let timer;
+      const late = new Promise((_, no) => { timer = setTimeout(() => no(new Error("ComfyUI did not answer in time")), ms); });
+      return Promise.race([Promise.resolve(f.apply(target, args)), late]).finally(() => clearTimeout(timer));
+    };
+  },
+});
+
+export function createPipelineState(rawApi, { answerMs = ANSWER_MS } = {}) {
+  const API = bounded(rawApi, answerMs);
 
   // Loader nodes core knows how to point /api/probe at, and which of their
   // inputs names the file. Mirrors the same map api.js's probeFamily() is
@@ -58,6 +75,7 @@ export function createPipelineState(API) {
     (manifest.modules || []).forEach((m) => { modulesById[m.id] = m; });
     controlState = manifest.control || controlState;
     if (traits !== undefined) lastProbedFile = file;    // only once it worked: a failed probe is tried again
+    loadError = null;                                   // the pipeline is in and its modules are known: nothing is failing now
     return true;
   }
   let incomplete = [];
@@ -112,7 +130,11 @@ export function createPipelineState(API) {
   let loadPromise = null;
 
   async function ensureLoaded() {
-    if (slots !== null) return; // session-wide: every consumer shares this one load
+    if (slots !== null && !loadError) return; // session-wide: every consumer shares this one load
+    if (slots !== null) {                       // the pipeline came, its modules did not: ask for those again
+      if (!loadPromise) loadPromise = refreshManifest().then(() => { loadPromise = null; _changed(); }, () => { loadPromise = null; });
+      return loadPromise;
+    }
     if (loadPromise) return loadPromise;
     loading = true; loadError = null;
     loadPromise = (async () => {
@@ -304,7 +326,7 @@ export function createPipelineState(API) {
   function isQuarantined(id) { return !!(controlState[id] && controlState[id].quarantine); }
   // Whether anything would act on a module's settings now: its own node is in the pipeline (when it has one),
   // and every capability it offers (the modifier loader, the taste store) reaches a user that is switched on for this
-  // project, not set to a manual value, has every node it needs in the pipeline, and is itself acted on (a taste learner
+  // project, in a mode that asks for it (its uses_when), has every node it needs in the pipeline, and is itself acted on (a taste learner
   // the loader never installs is not). "Disable all enhancements" is not counted: it sits on top, and the Modules page
   // still lists what is kept underneath it. -> a predicate; the values are read once for a whole list.
   function usefulness() {
@@ -314,7 +336,7 @@ export function createPipelineState(API) {
     const check = (m, seen) => {
       const working = (u) => {
         const v = values[u.id] || {};
-        return !seen.has(u.id) && (!("enabled" in (u.settings || {})) || v.enabled) && v.mode !== "manual"
+        return !seen.has(u.id) && (!("enabled" in (u.settings || {})) || v.enabled) && Object.entries(u.uses_when || {}).every(([k, want]) => (Array.isArray(want) ? want : [want]).includes(v[k]))
           && (u.nodes || []).every(has) && check(u, new Set([...seen, u.id]));
       };
       return (!(m.nodes || []).length || m.nodes.some(has))
@@ -490,6 +512,7 @@ export function createPipelineState(API) {
     const gate = new Promise((r) => { open = r; }), before = adoptGate;
     adoptGate = gate;                                   // before anything awaits: an edit right behind this waits too
     adopting += 1;
+    deferred = null;                                    // an earlier project's pipeline waiting for the load is not this one's
     try {
       if (before) await before;                         // one at a time: a project opened behind another is put in after it, never under it
       await ensureLoaded();
diff --git a/app/ui/shell/tests/pipeline_state.test.js b/app/ui/shell/tests/pipeline_state.test.js
index 6c7fb1a9..9ecc9f53 100644
--- a/app/ui/shell/tests/pipeline_state.test.js
+++ b/app/ui/shell/tests/pipeline_state.test.js
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ function load(posts, opts = {}) {
       probeFamily: async () => ({}),
   };
   lastApi = API;
-  return createPipelineState(API);
+  return createPipelineState(API, { answerMs: opts.answerMs });
 }
 
 test("a project's saved pipeline lays its values over the server's default, keeping what the default added", async () => {
@@ -330,11 +330,13 @@ test("an edited default stays a layer: the default's new values still fill in, a
 const withCheckpoint = (PS) => { lastApi.pipeline = async () => ({ slots: [{ id: "model", node: "FunPackCheckpointLoader", inputs: { ckpt_name: "a" } }], incomplete: [], refused: [], queueable: true }); return PS; };
 
 test("a module's settings count only when something would read them: its own node, or a user of what it serves that is on", async () => {
-  const learner = (mode, enabled = true) => ({ id: "learner", settings: { enabled: { type: "bool", default: enabled }, mode: { type: "enum", default: mode } }, uses: ["taste_store"] });
+  const learner = (mode, enabled = true) => ({ id: "learner", settings: { enabled: { type: "bool", default: enabled }, mode: { type: "enum", default: mode } }, uses: ["taste_store"], uses_when: { mode: "learned" } });
   const cam = { id: "cam", nodes: ["CamNode"], settings: { on: { default: false } } }, taste = { id: "taste", serves: ["taste_store"], settings: { key: { default: "" } } };
   const check = async (mods) => { const PS = withCheckpoint(load([])); lastApi.modules = async () => ({ modules: mods }); await PS.ensureLoaded(); const by = PS.modulesById(); return [PS.useful(by.cam), PS.useful(by.taste)]; };
   assert.deepStrictEqual(await check([cam, taste, learner("learned")]), [false, true]);     // the pipeline has no CamNode
   assert.deepStrictEqual(await check([cam, taste, learner("manual")]), [false, false]);    // its one user is on a manual value
+  const always = { ...learner("manual"), uses_when: {} };                                   // a manual mode that still reads the store (shot memory)
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(await check([cam, taste, always]), [false, true]);
   assert.deepStrictEqual(await check([cam, taste, learner("learned", false)]), [false, false]);
   assert.deepStrictEqual(await check([{ ...cam, nodes: ["FunPackCheckpointLoader"] }, taste]), [true, false]);
 });
@@ -446,3 +448,40 @@ test("with every enhancement disabled, the modules kept underneath still count,
   assert.strictEqual(PS.allOff(), true);
   assert.strictEqual(PS.usefulness()(PS.modulesById().sharpen), true);
 });
+
+test("a request that never answers gives up, so the pipeline loads once the server answers and edits go through", async () => {
+  const PS = load([], { answerMs: 50 });
+  const real = lastApi.pipeline;
+  lastApi.pipeline = () => new Promise(() => {});                 // hangs forever
+  const saved = [{ id: "model", node: "Loader", inputs: { file: "mine" } }];
+  assert.strictEqual(await PS.adopt(saved), false);
+  lastApi.pipeline = real;
+  assert.strictEqual(await PS.adopt(saved), true);
+  assert.strictEqual(PS.slots().find((s) => s.id === "model").inputs.file, "mine");
+  await PS.save({ inputs: { model: { file: "next" } } });
+  assert.strictEqual(PS.slots().find((s) => s.id === "model").inputs.file, "next");
+});
+
+test("a module list that failed once is asked for again, and the error clears when it comes", async () => {
+  const PS = load([]);
+  const real = async () => ({ modules: [{ id: "sharpen", settings: {} }] });
+  lastApi.modules = async () => { throw new Error("HTTP 500"); };
+  await PS.ensureLoaded();
+  assert.ok(PS.loadError());
+  lastApi.modules = real;
+  let heard = 0;
+  PS.subscribe(() => { heard += 1; });
+  await PS.ensureLoaded();
+  assert.deepStrictEqual([PS.loadError(), Object.keys(PS.modulesById()), heard], [null, ["sharpen"], 1]);
+});
+
+test("a project opened while ComfyUI is down never gets an earlier project's waiting pipeline", async () => {
+  const PS = load([]);
+  const real = lastApi.pipeline;
+  lastApi.pipeline = async () => { throw new Error("down"); };
+  await PS.adopt([{ id: "model", node: "Loader", inputs: { file: "A" } }]);
+  await PS.adopt([], [], {}, undefined, false);                    // an older project with nothing saved
+  lastApi.pipeline = real;
+  await PS.ensureLoaded();
+  assert.strictEqual(PS.slots().find((s) => s.id === "model").inputs.file, "");
+});
diff --git a/core/contract.py b/core/contract.py
index 25ea45e5..1c758775 100644
--- a/core/contract.py
+++ b/core/contract.py
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ class ModuleSpec:
     settings: Dict[str, dict] = field(default_factory=dict)
     requires: List[str] = field(default_factory=list)   # model traits
     uses: List[str] = field(default_factory=list)       # capabilities this module asks other modules for
+    uses_when: Dict[str, Any] = field(default_factory=dict)   # its own setting values under which it asks (empty: whenever on)
     after: List[str] = field(default_factory=list)      # module ids
     before: List[str] = field(default_factory=list)
     stage: str = "sampling"
@@ -101,6 +102,7 @@ class ModuleSpec:
             "settings": self.settings,
             "requires": list(self.requires),
             "uses": list(self.uses),
+            "uses_when": dict(self.uses_when),
             "after": list(self.after),
             "before": list(self.before),
             "stage": self.stage,
diff --git a/core/registry.py b/core/registry.py
index 4aadcdbf..9efcb066 100644
--- a/core/registry.py
+++ b/core/registry.py
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ from .schema import SchemaError, validate
 # behaviour -- a module's announcement should be legible without running it.
 FIELDS = {
     "id": "ID", "title": "TITLE", "mount": "MOUNT", "settings": "SETTINGS",
-    "requires": "REQUIRES", "uses": "USES", "after": "AFTER", "before": "BEFORE",
+    "requires": "REQUIRES", "uses": "USES", "uses_when": "USES_WHEN", "after": "AFTER", "before": "BEFORE",
     "stage": "STAGE", "category": "CATEGORY", "status": "STATUS", "nodes": "NODES", "traits": "TRAITS", "provides": "PROVIDES", "hooks": "HOOKS",
 }
 
diff --git a/core/schema.py b/core/schema.py
index bbc69720..7f71dc3e 100644
--- a/core/schema.py
+++ b/core/schema.py
@@ -372,6 +372,10 @@ def validate(announcement: Dict[str, Any], source: str = "") -> ModuleSpec:
                 raise SchemaError(f"module {announcement['id']!r}'s {name} must contain strings.")
         return list(value)
 
+    uses_when = announcement.get("uses_when")
+    if uses_when is not None:
+        _validate_when(uses_when, f"module {announcement['id']!r}'s uses_when", raw, "")
+
     return ModuleSpec(
         nodes=validate_nodes(announcement.get("nodes"), announcement["id"]),
         traits=validate_traits(announcement.get("traits"), announcement["id"]),
@@ -382,6 +386,7 @@ def validate(announcement: Dict[str, Any], source: str = "") -> ModuleSpec:
         settings=settings,
         requires=_ids("requires"),
         uses=_ids("uses"),
+        uses_when=dict(uses_when or {}),
         hooks=_ids("hooks"),
         after=_ids("after"),
         before=_ids("before"),
diff --git a/core/tests/test_schema.py b/core/tests/test_schema.py
index 73f9eb5e..e7143920 100644
--- a/core/tests/test_schema.py
+++ b/core/tests/test_schema.py
@@ -293,3 +293,22 @@ def test_the_taste_key_serves_the_store_and_every_module_reading_it_says_so(comf
                and re.search(r'ask\("taste_store"', p.read_text())}
     declared = {spec.source.split(".")[-1] for spec in routes.modules().specs.values() if "taste_store" in spec.uses}
     assert readers and readers <= declared, readers - declared
+
+
+def test_a_module_that_skips_the_store_in_some_mode_says_when_it_asks(comfyui):
+    """`ask("taste_store")` behind `None if manual else` means the Taste key is idle in that mode: declared, so it can hide."""
+    import re
+    from core import routes
+    for spec in routes.modules().specs.values():
+        if "taste_store" not in spec.uses:
+            continue
+        import importlib
+        src = importlib.import_module(spec.source).__file__
+        skips = bool(re.search(r'None if manual else [^\n]*ask\("taste_store"', open(src).read()))
+        assert bool(spec.uses_when) == skips, (spec.id, spec.uses_when, skips)
+
+
+def test_uses_when_must_name_a_declared_setting():
+    with pytest.raises(SchemaError, match="uses_when"):
+        validate(announce(uses=["taste_store"], uses_when={"nope": "x"}))
+    assert validate(announce(uses=["taste_store"], uses_when={"enabled": True})).to_manifest()["uses_when"] == {"enabled": True}
diff --git a/modules/sampling/decisiveness/__init__.py b/modules/sampling/decisiveness/__init__.py
index 1b500b65..a1a4749b 100644
--- a/modules/sampling/decisiveness/__init__.py
+++ b/modules/sampling/decisiveness/__init__.py
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ CATEGORY = "guidance"
 STATUS = "experimental"
 REQUIRES = ["temporal_latent"]
 USES = ["taste_store"]
+USES_WHEN = {"mode": "learned"}      # "My value" never asks the store
 
 SETTINGS = {
     "enabled": {
diff --git a/modules/sampling/late_branch/__init__.py b/modules/sampling/late_branch/__init__.py
index dc93806e..6c11812b 100644
--- a/modules/sampling/late_branch/__init__.py
+++ b/modules/sampling/late_branch/__init__.py
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ CATEGORY = "guidance"
 STATUS = "experimental"
 REQUIRES = ["temporal_latent", "dit_block_hooks"]
 USES = ["taste_store"]
+USES_WHEN = {"mode": "learned"}      # "My value" never asks the store
 # Innermost APPLY_MODEL: every other wrapper sees one guided prediction, not two calls.
 AFTER = ["score_slider"]
 
diff --git a/modules/sampling/stas/__init__.py b/modules/sampling/stas/__init__.py
index 9d22f981..262ce8a2 100644
--- a/modules/sampling/stas/__init__.py
+++ b/modules/sampling/stas/__init__.py
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ CATEGORY = "guidance"
 STATUS = "experimental"
 REQUIRES = ["temporal_latent", "dit_block_hooks"]
 USES = ["taste_store"]
+USES_WHEN = {"mode": "learned"}      # "My value" never asks the store
 
 SETTINGS = {
     "enabled": {