diff --git a/mac/Scripts/package-app.sh b/mac/Scripts/package-app.sh
index ee0dc06..6df7abb 100755
--- a/mac/Scripts/package-app.sh
+++ b/mac/Scripts/package-app.sh
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@
 set -euo pipefail
 
 VERSION="${1:-dev}"
+ASSET_VERSION="${VERSION#mac-}"
+BUNDLE_VERSION="${ASSET_VERSION#v}"
 BUNDLE_NAME="CodeBurnMenubar.app"
 BUNDLE_ID="org.agentseal.codeburn-menubar"
 EXECUTABLE_NAME="CodeBurnMenubar"
@@ -66,9 +68,9 @@ cat > "${BUNDLE}/Contents/Info.plist" <<PLIST
     <key>CFBundlePackageType</key>
     <string>APPL</string>
     <key>CFBundleShortVersionString</key>
-    <string>${VERSION}</string>
+    <string>${BUNDLE_VERSION}</string>
     <key>CFBundleVersion</key>
-    <string>${VERSION}</string>
+    <string>${BUNDLE_VERSION}</string>
     <key>LSMinimumSystemVersion</key>
     <string>${MIN_MACOS}</string>
     <key>LSUIElement</key>
@@ -93,7 +95,7 @@ echo "▸ Ad-hoc signing..."
 codesign --force --sign - --timestamp=none --deep "${BUNDLE}" 2>/dev/null || true
 codesign --verify --deep --strict "${BUNDLE}" 2>/dev/null || echo "  (signature verify skipped)"
 
-ZIP_NAME="CodeBurnMenubar-${VERSION}.zip"
+ZIP_NAME="CodeBurnMenubar-${ASSET_VERSION}.zip"
 ZIP_PATH="${DIST_DIR}/${ZIP_NAME}"
 echo "▸ Packaging ${ZIP_NAME}..."
 (cd "${DIST_DIR}" && COPYFILE_DISABLE=1 /usr/bin/ditto -c -k --norsrc --keepParent "${BUNDLE_NAME}" "${ZIP_NAME}")
diff --git a/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/AppStore.swift b/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/AppStore.swift
index ec5fdfa..94bb1c2 100644
--- a/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/AppStore.swift
+++ b/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/AppStore.swift
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import Foundation
 import Observation
 
 private let cacheTTLSeconds: TimeInterval = 30
+private let interactiveRefreshResetSeconds: TimeInterval = 120
 
 struct CachedPayload {
     let payload: MenubarPayload
@@ -51,6 +52,7 @@ final class AppStore {
     private var cache: [PayloadCacheKey: CachedPayload] = [:]
     private var cacheDate: String = ""
     private var switchTask: Task<Void, Never>?
+    private var payloadRefreshGeneration: UInt64 = 0
     /// Tracks the last successful fetch timestamp per key for stuck-loading
     /// diagnostics. NOT used for cache-freshness logic — `CachedPayload.fetchedAt`
     /// is authoritative there. This map persists across cache wipes (day
@@ -87,6 +89,44 @@ final class AppStore {
         cache[currentKey] != nil
     }
 
+    var hasStaleLoading: Bool {
+        let now = Date()
+        return loadingStartedAtByKey.values.contains {
+            now.timeIntervalSince($0) > loadingWatchdogSeconds
+        }
+    }
+
+    var hasStaleInteractivePayload: Bool {
+        staleInteractivePayloadAgeSeconds != nil
+    }
+
+    var shouldResetInteractiveRefreshPipeline: Bool {
+        hasStaleLoading || hasStaleInteractivePayload
+    }
+
+    var staleInteractivePayloadAgeSeconds: Int? {
+        let keys = Set([
+            currentKey,
+            PayloadCacheKey(period: .today, provider: .all),
+            PayloadCacheKey(period: selectedPeriod, provider: .all),
+        ])
+        let staleAges = keys.compactMap { key -> TimeInterval? in
+            guard let cached = cache[key] else { return nil }
+            let age = Date().timeIntervalSince(cached.fetchedAt)
+            return age > interactiveRefreshResetSeconds ? age : nil
+        }
+        return staleAges.max().map(Int.init)
+    }
+
+    var needsInteractivePayloadRefresh: Bool {
+        let todayKey = PayloadCacheKey(period: .today, provider: .all)
+        let periodAllKey = PayloadCacheKey(period: selectedPeriod, provider: .all)
+        return cache[currentKey]?.isFresh != true ||
+            cache[todayKey]?.isFresh != true ||
+            cache[periodAllKey]?.isFresh != true ||
+            hasStaleLoading
+    }
+
     /// True if any cached payload reports at least one provider. Used to keep the
     /// AgentTabStrip visible across period/provider switches even when the current
     /// key's payload is briefly empty (e.g. immediately after a `switchTo` and
@@ -95,6 +135,12 @@ final class AppStore {
         cache.values.contains { !$0.payload.current.providers.isEmpty }
     }
 
+#if DEBUG
+    func setCachedPayloadForTesting(_ payload: MenubarPayload, period: Period, provider: ProviderFilter, fetchedAt: Date) {
+        cache[PayloadCacheKey(period: period, provider: provider)] = CachedPayload(payload: payload, fetchedAt: fetchedAt)
+    }
+#endif
+
     var findingsCount: Int {
         payload.optimize.findingCount
     }
@@ -135,6 +181,7 @@ final class AppStore {
     private var inFlightKeys: Set<PayloadCacheKey> = []
 
     func resetLoadingState() {
+        payloadRefreshGeneration &+= 1
         loadingCountsByKey.removeAll()
         loadingStartedAtByKey.removeAll()
         inFlightKeys.removeAll()
@@ -161,6 +208,7 @@ final class AppStore {
         }
         guard !staleEntries.isEmpty else { return false }
 
+        payloadRefreshGeneration &+= 1
         for (key, started) in staleEntries {
             NSLog("CodeBurn: loading stuck for %ds on %@/%@ — auto-clearing",
                   Int(now.timeIntervalSince(started)), key.period.rawValue, key.provider.rawValue)
@@ -196,8 +244,15 @@ final class AppStore {
         formatter.dateFormat = "yyyy-MM-dd"
         let today = formatter.string(from: Date())
         if cacheDate != today {
+            payloadRefreshGeneration &+= 1
             cache.removeAll()
+            loadingCountsByKey.removeAll()
+            loadingStartedAtByKey.removeAll()
+            inFlightKeys.removeAll()
+            attemptedKeys.removeAll()
+            lastErrorByKey.removeAll()
             cacheDate = today
+            NSLog("CodeBurn: reset menubar payload cache for new day %@", today)
         }
     }
 
@@ -209,6 +264,7 @@ final class AppStore {
         invalidateStaleDayCache()
         let key = currentKey
         let cacheDateAtStart = cacheDate
+        let generationAtStart = payloadRefreshGeneration
         if !force, cache[key]?.isFresh == true { return }
         if !force, inFlightKeys.contains(key) { return }
         inFlightKeys.insert(key)
@@ -237,6 +293,10 @@ final class AppStore {
         }
         do {
             let fresh = try await DataClient.fetch(period: key.period, provider: key.provider, includeOptimize: includeOptimize)
+            if generationAtStart != payloadRefreshGeneration {
+                NSLog("CodeBurn: dropping fetch result for \(key.period.rawValue)/\(key.provider.rawValue) — refresh pipeline reset mid-fetch")
+                return
+            }
             if Task.isCancelled {
                 // Distinguish cancellation (user switched tabs mid-fetch) from
                 // the silent-no-result path. Without this log, a cancelled
@@ -263,6 +323,7 @@ final class AppStore {
                 do {
                     let fallback = try await DataClient.fetch(period: key.period, provider: key.provider, includeOptimize: false)
                     guard !Task.isCancelled else { return }
+                    if generationAtStart != payloadRefreshGeneration { return }
                     if cacheDate != cacheDateAtStart { return }
                     cache[key] = CachedPayload(payload: fallback, fetchedAt: Date())
                     lastSuccessByKey[key] = Date()
@@ -288,8 +349,13 @@ final class AppStore {
     func refreshQuietly(period: Period) async {
         invalidateStaleDayCache()
         let cacheDateAtStart = cacheDate
+        let generationAtStart = payloadRefreshGeneration
         do {
             let fresh = try await DataClient.fetch(period: period, provider: .all, includeOptimize: false)
+            if generationAtStart != payloadRefreshGeneration {
+                NSLog("CodeBurn: dropping quiet fetch result for \(period.rawValue) — refresh pipeline reset mid-fetch")
+                return
+            }
             // Same day-rollover guard as refresh(): drop yesterday's payload if
             // the calendar rolled over during the fetch.
             if cacheDate != cacheDateAtStart { return }
diff --git a/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/AppVersion.swift b/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/AppVersion.swift
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c5ee14a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/AppVersion.swift
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+import Foundation
+
+enum AppVersion {
+    static var bundleShortVersion: String {
+        Bundle.main.infoDictionary?["CFBundleShortVersionString"] as? String ?? ""
+    }
+
+    static var bundleBuildVersion: String {
+        Bundle.main.infoDictionary?["CFBundleVersion"] as? String ?? ""
+    }
+
+    static var normalizedBundleShortVersion: String {
+        normalize(bundleShortVersion)
+    }
+
+    static var normalizedBundleBuildVersion: String {
+        normalize(bundleBuildVersion)
+    }
+
+    static var displayBundleShortVersion: String {
+        display(bundleShortVersion)
+    }
+
+    static func normalize(_ version: String) -> String {
+        let trimmed = version.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespacesAndNewlines)
+        if trimmed.lowercased().hasPrefix("mac-v") {
+            return String(trimmed.dropFirst(5))
+        }
+        if trimmed.lowercased().hasPrefix("v") {
+            return String(trimmed.dropFirst())
+        }
+        return trimmed
+    }
+
+    static func display(_ version: String) -> String {
+        let normalized = normalize(version)
+        guard !normalized.isEmpty else { return "v?" }
+        if normalized == "?" || normalized == "dev" || normalized == "dev-preview" || normalized == "—" {
+            return normalized
+        }
+        return "v\(normalized)"
+    }
+}
diff --git a/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/CodeBurnApp.swift b/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/CodeBurnApp.swift
index a58d044..7daccb2 100644
--- a/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/CodeBurnApp.swift
+++ b/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/CodeBurnApp.swift
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ private let refreshIntervalSeconds: UInt64 = 30
 private let nanosPerSecond: UInt64 = 1_000_000_000
 private let refreshIntervalNanos: UInt64 = refreshIntervalSeconds * nanosPerSecond
 private let forceRefreshWatchdogSeconds: TimeInterval = 90
+private let refreshLoopWatchdogSeconds: TimeInterval = 90
+private let refreshRateLimitSeconds: TimeInterval = 5
 private let interactiveQuotaRefreshFloorSeconds: TimeInterval = 30
 private let statusItemWidth: CGFloat = NSStatusItem.variableLength
 private let popoverWidth: CGFloat = 360
@@ -42,6 +44,7 @@ final class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate, NSPopoverDelegate {
     private var forceRefreshGeneration: UInt64 = 0
     private var manualRefreshTask: Task<Void, Never>?
     private var manualRefreshGeneration: UInt64 = 0
+    private var refreshLoopHeartbeatAt: Date = .distantPast
 
     func applicationWillFinishLaunching(_ notification: Notification) {
         // Set accessory policy before the app's focus chain forms. On macOS Tahoe
@@ -94,30 +97,21 @@ final class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate, NSPopoverDelegate {
             queue: .main
         ) { [weak self] _ in
             Task { @MainActor in
-                self?.forceRefreshTask?.cancel()
-                self?.forceRefreshTask = nil
-                self?.forceRefreshStartedAt = nil
-                self?.forceRefreshGeneration &+= 1
-                self?.manualRefreshTask?.cancel()
-                self?.manualRefreshTask = nil
-                self?.manualRefreshGeneration &+= 1
-                self?.store.resetLoadingState()
-                self?.refreshLoopTask?.cancel()
-                self?.refreshLoopTask = nil
+                self?.prepareRefreshPipelineForSleep()
             }
         }
 
         // didWakeNotification + screensDidWakeNotification can both fire on
-        // the same wake. forceRefresh has a 5-second rate-limit gate so the
-        // duplicate is squashed there. Restart the refresh loop too, since
-        // we cancelled it on willSleep.
+        // the same wake. forceRefreshTask squashes overlap; both notifications
+        // still bypass the short manual-click rate limit so a just-before-sleep
+        // refresh cannot block wake recovery.
         NSWorkspace.shared.notificationCenter.addObserver(
             forName: NSWorkspace.didWakeNotification,
             object: nil,
             queue: .main
         ) { [weak self] _ in
             Task { @MainActor in
-                self?.recoverRefreshPipelineAfterInterruption(resetLoading: true)
+                self?.recoverRefreshPipelineAfterInterruption(resetLoading: true, reason: "wake")
             }
         }
 
@@ -127,7 +121,7 @@ final class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate, NSPopoverDelegate {
             queue: .main
         ) { [weak self] _ in
             Task { @MainActor in
-                self?.recoverRefreshPipelineAfterInterruption(resetLoading: true)
+                self?.recoverRefreshPipelineAfterInterruption(resetLoading: true, reason: "screen wake")
             }
         }
     }
@@ -139,21 +133,50 @@ final class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate, NSPopoverDelegate {
             queue: .main
         ) { [weak self] _ in
             Task { @MainActor in
-                self?.recoverRefreshPipelineAfterInterruption(resetLoading: false)
+                self?.recoverRefreshPipelineAfterInterruption(resetLoading: false, reason: "launch agent")
             }
         }
     }
 
-    private func recoverRefreshPipelineAfterInterruption(resetLoading: Bool) {
+    private func prepareRefreshPipelineForSleep() {
+        forceRefreshTask?.cancel()
+        forceRefreshTask = nil
+        forceRefreshStartedAt = nil
+        forceRefreshGeneration &+= 1
+        manualRefreshTask?.cancel()
+        manualRefreshTask = nil
+        manualRefreshGeneration &+= 1
+        store.resetLoadingState()
+        refreshLoopTask?.cancel()
+        refreshLoopTask = nil
+        refreshLoopHeartbeatAt = .distantPast
+        lastRefreshTime = .distantPast
+    }
+
+    private func recoverRefreshPipelineAfterInterruption(resetLoading: Bool, clearCache: Bool = false, reason: String) {
         if resetLoading {
-            store.resetLoadingState()
+            forceRefreshTask?.cancel()
+            forceRefreshTask = nil
+            forceRefreshStartedAt = nil
+            forceRefreshGeneration &+= 1
+            manualRefreshTask?.cancel()
+            manualRefreshTask = nil
+            manualRefreshGeneration &+= 1
+            store.resetRefreshState(clearCache: clearCache)
         } else {
             _ = store.clearStaleLoadingIfNeeded()
         }
-        if refreshLoopTask == nil {
+        let now = Date()
+        let loopAge = now.timeIntervalSince(refreshLoopHeartbeatAt)
+        if refreshLoopTask == nil || loopAge > refreshLoopWatchdogSeconds {
+            if refreshLoopTask != nil {
+                NSLog("CodeBurn: refresh loop stale for %ds after %@ — restarting", Int(loopAge), reason)
+            }
+            refreshLoopTask?.cancel()
+            refreshLoopTask = nil
             startRefreshLoop()
         }
-        forceRefresh()
+        forceRefresh(bypassRateLimit: true, forceQuota: true)
     }
 
     private func installLaunchAgentIfNeeded() {
@@ -250,11 +273,13 @@ final class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate, NSPopoverDelegate {
         return false
     }
 
-    private func forceRefresh() {
+    private func forceRefresh(bypassRateLimit: Bool = false, forceQuota: Bool = false) {
         let now = Date()
         _ = clearStaleForceRefreshIfNeeded(now: now)
         guard forceRefreshTask == nil else { return }
-        guard now.timeIntervalSince(lastRefreshTime) > 5 else { return }
+        if !bypassRateLimit {
+            guard now.timeIntervalSince(lastRefreshTime) > refreshRateLimitSeconds else { return }
+        }
         lastRefreshTime = now
         forceRefreshStartedAt = now
         forceRefreshGeneration &+= 1
@@ -262,9 +287,11 @@ final class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate, NSPopoverDelegate {
 
         forceRefreshTask = Task {
             async let main: Void = store.refresh(includeOptimize: false, force: true, showLoading: true)
-            async let today: Void = store.refreshQuietly(period: .today)
-            async let quotas: Bool = refreshLiveQuotaProgressIfDue()
-            _ = await (main, today, quotas)
+            async let quotas: Bool = refreshLiveQuotaProgressIfDue(force: forceQuota)
+            if store.selectedPeriod != .today || store.selectedProvider != .all {
+                await store.refreshQuietly(period: .today)
+            }
+            _ = await main
             refreshStatusButton()
             await MainActor.run { [weak self] in
                 guard let self, self.forceRefreshGeneration == generation else { return }
@@ -272,6 +299,7 @@ final class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate, NSPopoverDelegate {
                 self.forceRefreshStartedAt = nil
                 self.lastRefreshTime = Date()
             }
+            _ = await quotas
         }
     }
 
@@ -344,39 +372,32 @@ final class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate, NSPopoverDelegate {
         }
     }
 
+    private func refreshPayloadForPopoverOpen() {
+        guard store.needsInteractivePayloadRefresh else { return }
+        let shouldResetPipeline = store.shouldResetInteractiveRefreshPipeline
+        if shouldResetPipeline, let age = store.staleInteractivePayloadAgeSeconds {
+            NSLog("CodeBurn: popover opened with %ds stale payload cache - resetting refresh pipeline", age)
+        }
+        recoverRefreshPipelineAfterInterruption(
+            resetLoading: shouldResetPipeline,
+            reason: "popover open"
+        )
+    }
+
     private func startRefreshLoop() {
         refreshLoopTask?.cancel()
+        refreshLoopHeartbeatAt = Date()
+        forceRefresh(bypassRateLimit: true, forceQuota: true)
         refreshLoopTask = Task { [weak self] in
-            // Provider refreshes only run when the user has explicitly connected.
-            // Each refresh is a no-op until its corresponding bootstrap flag is set.
-            if let self {
-                await self.refreshLiveQuotaProgressIfDue(force: true)
-            }
             while !Task.isCancelled {
                 guard let self else { return }
+                self.refreshLoopHeartbeatAt = Date()
                 let clearedStaleForceRefresh = self.clearStaleForceRefreshIfNeeded()
                 let clearedStaleLoading = self.store.clearStaleLoadingIfNeeded()
-                // Skip the loop's tick if a wake / manual / distributed-
-                // notification refresh just ran. Without this gate, every
-                // wake produced two refreshes (forceRefresh from the wake
-                // observer plus the loop's natural tick).
                 let sinceLast = Date().timeIntervalSince(self.lastRefreshTime)
-                if self.forceRefreshTask == nil && (clearedStaleForceRefresh || clearedStaleLoading || sinceLast >= 5) {
-                    if self.store.selectedPeriod != .today || self.store.selectedProvider != .all {
-                        async let quiet: Void = self.store.refreshQuietly(period: .today)
-                        async let main: Void = self.store.refresh(includeOptimize: false, force: true)
-                        _ = await (quiet, main)
-                    } else {
-                        await self.store.refresh(includeOptimize: false, force: true)
-                    }
-                    self.lastRefreshTime = Date()
-                    self.refreshStatusButton()
+                if clearedStaleForceRefresh || clearedStaleLoading || sinceLast >= TimeInterval(refreshIntervalSeconds) {
+                    self.forceRefresh(bypassRateLimit: true)
                 }
-                // Cadence-driven live-quota refresh, anchored on LAST SUCCESS
-                // (not last attempt) so an intermittent failure doesn't reset
-                // the timer. Each provider has its own anchor so a Codex 429
-                // doesn't delay a due Claude refresh.
-                await self.refreshLiveQuotaProgressIfDue()
                 try? await Task.sleep(nanoseconds: refreshIntervalNanos)
             }
         }
@@ -617,6 +638,7 @@ final class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate, NSPopoverDelegate {
                 window.collectionBehavior.insert(.canJoinAllSpaces)
                 window.makeKeyAndOrderFront(nil)
             }
+            refreshPayloadForPopoverOpen()
             refreshLiveQuotaProgressForPopoverOpen()
         }
     }
@@ -705,10 +727,10 @@ final class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate, NSPopoverDelegate {
             alert.icon = codeburnAlertIcon()
             if updateChecker.updateAvailable, let latest = updateChecker.latestVersion {
                 alert.messageText = "Update Available"
-                alert.informativeText = "v\(latest) is available (you have v\(updateChecker.currentVersion)). Run:\n\ncodeburn menubar --force"
+                alert.informativeText = "\(AppVersion.display(latest)) is available (you have \(AppVersion.display(updateChecker.currentVersion))). Run:\n\ncodeburn menubar --force"
             } else {
                 alert.messageText = "Up to Date"
-                alert.informativeText = "You're on the latest version (v\(updateChecker.currentVersion))."
+                alert.informativeText = "You're on the latest version (\(AppVersion.display(updateChecker.currentVersion)))."
             }
             alert.alertStyle = .informational
             alert.addButton(withTitle: "OK")
diff --git a/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/Data/UpdateChecker.swift b/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/Data/UpdateChecker.swift
index ce575b6..955718f 100644
--- a/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/Data/UpdateChecker.swift
+++ b/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/Data/UpdateChecker.swift
@@ -16,14 +16,14 @@ final class UpdateChecker {
     var updateAvailable: Bool {
         guard let latest = latestVersion else { return false }
         let current = currentVersion
-        let normalizedLatest = latest.hasPrefix("v") ? String(latest.dropFirst()) : latest
-        let normalizedCurrent = current.hasPrefix("v") ? String(current.dropFirst()) : current
+        let normalizedLatest = AppVersion.normalize(latest)
+        let normalizedCurrent = AppVersion.normalize(current)
         guard !normalizedCurrent.isEmpty && normalizedCurrent != "dev" else { return false }
         return normalizedLatest.compare(normalizedCurrent, options: .numeric) == .orderedDescending
     }
 
     var currentVersion: String {
-        Bundle.main.infoDictionary?["CFBundleShortVersionString"] as? String ?? ""
+        AppVersion.normalizedBundleShortVersion
     }
 
     func checkIfNeeded() async {
diff --git a/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/Views/MenuBarContent.swift b/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/Views/MenuBarContent.swift
index fbf3dd9..6a38b1c 100644
--- a/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/Views/MenuBarContent.swift
+++ b/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/Views/MenuBarContent.swift
@@ -567,7 +567,7 @@ struct FooterBar: View {
 
             Spacer()
 
-            Text("v\(Bundle.main.infoDictionary?["CFBundleShortVersionString"] as? String ?? "?")")
+            Text(AppVersion.displayBundleShortVersion)
                 .font(.system(size: 10, weight: .regular, design: .monospaced))
                 .foregroundStyle(.tertiary)
 
diff --git a/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/Views/SettingsView.swift b/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/Views/SettingsView.swift
index a4c3585..a317380 100644
--- a/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/Views/SettingsView.swift
+++ b/mac/Sources/CodeBurnMenubar/Views/SettingsView.swift
@@ -337,10 +337,8 @@ private struct CodexConnectionRow: View {
 // MARK: - About
 
 private struct AboutSettingsTab: View {
-    private let appVersion: String =
-        (Bundle.main.infoDictionary?["CFBundleShortVersionString"] as? String) ?? "—"
-    private let buildVersion: String =
-        (Bundle.main.infoDictionary?["CFBundleVersion"] as? String) ?? "—"
+    private let appVersion: String = AppVersion.normalizedBundleShortVersion
+    private let buildVersion: String = AppVersion.normalizedBundleBuildVersion
 
     var body: some View {
         VStack(spacing: 14) {
diff --git a/mac/Tests/CodeBurnMenubarTests/AppStoreRefreshRecoveryTests.swift b/mac/Tests/CodeBurnMenubarTests/AppStoreRefreshRecoveryTests.swift
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0c7fb14
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mac/Tests/CodeBurnMenubarTests/AppStoreRefreshRecoveryTests.swift
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+import Foundation
+import Testing
+@testable import CodeBurnMenubar
+
+private func menubarPayload(cost: Double) -> MenubarPayload {
+    MenubarPayload(
+        generated: "test",
+        current: CurrentBlock(
+            label: "Today",
+            cost: cost,
+            calls: 1,
+            sessions: 1,
+            oneShotRate: nil,
+            inputTokens: 1,
+            outputTokens: 1,
+            cacheHitPercent: 0,
+            topActivities: [],
+            topModels: [],
+            providers: ["claude": cost]
+        ),
+        optimize: OptimizeBlock(findingCount: 0, savingsUSD: 0, topFindings: []),
+        history: HistoryBlock(daily: [])
+    )
+}
+
+@Suite("AppStore refresh recovery")
+@MainActor
+struct AppStoreRefreshRecoveryTests {
+    @Test("stale visible payload triggers hard recovery without clearing cache")
+    func stalePayloadTriggersHardRecoveryWithoutClearingCache() {
+        let store = AppStore()
+        store.setCachedPayloadForTesting(
+            menubarPayload(cost: 92.33),
+            period: .today,
+            provider: .all,
+            fetchedAt: Date().addingTimeInterval(-180)
+        )
+
+        #expect(store.todayPayload?.current.cost == 92.33)
+        #expect(store.needsInteractivePayloadRefresh)
+        #expect(store.hasStaleInteractivePayload)
+        #expect(store.shouldResetInteractiveRefreshPipeline)
+
+        store.resetRefreshState(clearCache: false)
+
+        #expect(store.todayPayload?.current.cost == 92.33)
+    }
+
+    @Test("fresh visible payload does not trigger hard recovery")
+    func freshPayloadDoesNotTriggerHardRecovery() {
+        let store = AppStore()
+        store.setCachedPayloadForTesting(
+            menubarPayload(cost: 164.06),
+            period: .today,
+            provider: .all,
+            fetchedAt: Date()
+        )
+
+        #expect(!store.needsInteractivePayloadRefresh)
+        #expect(!store.hasStaleInteractivePayload)
+        #expect(!store.shouldResetInteractiveRefreshPipeline)
+    }
+}
diff --git a/mac/Tests/CodeBurnMenubarTests/AppVersionTests.swift b/mac/Tests/CodeBurnMenubarTests/AppVersionTests.swift
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..898f5e0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mac/Tests/CodeBurnMenubarTests/AppVersionTests.swift
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+import Testing
+@testable import CodeBurnMenubar
+
+@Suite("AppVersion")
+struct AppVersionTests {
+    @Test("display avoids duplicate v prefix")
+    func displayAvoidsDuplicatePrefix() {
+        #expect(AppVersion.display("0.9.8") == "v0.9.8")
+        #expect(AppVersion.display("v0.9.8") == "v0.9.8")
+        #expect(AppVersion.display("mac-v0.9.8") == "v0.9.8")
+    }
+
+    @Test("bundle metadata stores unprefixed semver")
+    func normalizeBundleVersion() {
+        #expect(AppVersion.normalize("v0.9.8") == "0.9.8")
+        #expect(AppVersion.normalize("mac-v0.9.8") == "0.9.8")
+        #expect(AppVersion.normalize("dev") == "dev")
+    }
+}
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 72dd6db..c24699d 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
   ],
   "scripts": {
     "bundle-litellm": "node scripts/bundle-litellm.mjs",
-    "build": "node scripts/bundle-litellm.mjs && tsup && node -e \"require('fs').copyFileSync('src/cli.ts','dist/cli.js')\"",
+    "build": "node scripts/bundle-litellm.mjs && tsup && node -e \"const fs=require('fs'); fs.copyFileSync('src/cli.ts','dist/cli.js'); fs.chmodSync('dist/cli.js',0o755)\"",
     "dev": "tsx src/cli.ts",
     "test": "vitest",
     "prepublishOnly": "npm run build"
diff --git a/src/parser.ts b/src/parser.ts
index 3bb602e..9ab75ce 100644
--- a/src/parser.ts
+++ b/src/parser.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { calculateCost, getShortModelName } from './models.js'
 import { discoverAllSessions, getProvider } from './providers/index.js'
 import { flushCodexCache } from './codex-cache.js'
 import { flushAntigravityCache } from './providers/antigravity.js'
+import { isSqliteBusyError } from './sqlite.js'
 import type { ParsedProviderCall } from './providers/types.js'
 import type {
   AssistantMessageContent,
@@ -565,6 +566,19 @@ function providerCallToTurn(call: ParsedProviderCall): ParsedTurn {
   }
 }
 
+const warnedProviderReadFailures = new Set<string>()
+
+function warnProviderReadFailureOnce(providerName: string, err: unknown): void {
+  const key = `${providerName}:sqlite-busy`
+  if (warnedProviderReadFailures.has(key)) return
+  warnedProviderReadFailures.add(key)
+  if (isSqliteBusyError(err)) {
+    process.stderr.write(
+      `codeburn: skipped ${providerName} data because its SQLite database is temporarily locked; will retry on the next refresh.\n`
+    )
+  }
+}
+
 async function parseProviderSources(
   providerName: string,
   sources: Array<{ path: string; project: string }>,
@@ -589,25 +603,33 @@ async function parseProviderSources(
         seenKeys,
       )
 
-      for await (const call of parser.parse()) {
-        if (dateRange) {
-          if (!call.timestamp) continue
-          const ts = new Date(call.timestamp)
-          if (ts < dateRange.start || ts > dateRange.end) continue
-        }
+      try {
+        for await (const call of parser.parse()) {
+          if (dateRange) {
+            if (!call.timestamp) continue
+            const ts = new Date(call.timestamp)
+            if (ts < dateRange.start || ts > dateRange.end) continue
+          }
 
-        const turn = providerCallToTurn(call)
-        const classified = classifyTurn(turn)
-        const project = call.project ?? source.project
-        const key = `${providerName}:${call.sessionId}:${project}`
+          const turn = providerCallToTurn(call)
+          const classified = classifyTurn(turn)
+          const project = call.project ?? source.project
+          const key = `${providerName}:${call.sessionId}:${project}`
 
-        const existing = sessionMap.get(key)
-        if (existing) {
-          existing.turns.push(classified)
-          if (!existing.projectPath && call.projectPath) existing.projectPath = call.projectPath
-        } else {
-          sessionMap.set(key, { project, projectPath: call.projectPath, turns: [classified] })
+          const existing = sessionMap.get(key)
+          if (existing) {
+            existing.turns.push(classified)
+            if (!existing.projectPath && call.projectPath) existing.projectPath = call.projectPath
+          } else {
+            sessionMap.set(key, { project, projectPath: call.projectPath, turns: [classified] })
+          }
         }
+      } catch (err) {
+        if (isSqliteBusyError(err)) {
+          warnProviderReadFailureOnce(providerName, err)
+          continue
+        }
+        throw err
       }
     }
   } finally {
diff --git a/src/providers/opencode.ts b/src/providers/opencode.ts
index 5a2546f..6b0f8ed 100644
--- a/src/providers/opencode.ts
+++ b/src/providers/opencode.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import { homedir } from 'os'
 
 import { calculateCost, getShortModelName } from '../models.js'
 import { extractBashCommands } from '../bash-utils.js'
-import { isSqliteAvailable, getSqliteLoadError, openDatabase, blobToText, type SqliteDatabase } from '../sqlite.js'
+import { isSqliteAvailable, getSqliteLoadError, openDatabase, blobToText, isSqliteBusyError, type SqliteDatabase } from '../sqlite.js'
 import type {
   Provider,
   SessionSource,
@@ -126,7 +126,8 @@ function validateSchemaDetailed(db: SqliteDatabase): SchemaCheckResult {
   for (const table of required) {
     try {
       db.query<{ cnt: number }>(`SELECT COUNT(*) as cnt FROM ${table} LIMIT 1`)
-    } catch {
+    } catch (err) {
+      if (isSqliteBusyError(err)) throw err
       missing.push(table)
     }
   }
diff --git a/src/sqlite.ts b/src/sqlite.ts
index 9242c63..3fb3c6a 100644
--- a/src/sqlite.ts
+++ b/src/sqlite.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ export type SqliteDatabase = {
 
 type DatabaseSyncCtor = new (path: string, options?: { readOnly?: boolean }) => {
   prepare(sql: string): { all(...params: unknown[]): Row[] }
+  exec?(sql: string): void
   close(): void
 }
 
@@ -97,12 +98,35 @@ export function getSqliteLoadError(): string {
   return loadError ?? 'SQLite driver not available'
 }
 
+export function isSqliteBusyError(err: unknown): boolean {
+  const e = err as { code?: unknown; errcode?: unknown; errstr?: unknown; message?: unknown } | null
+  const code = typeof e?.code === 'string' ? e.code : ''
+  const errcode = typeof e?.errcode === 'number' ? e.errcode : null
+  const message = [
+    typeof e?.message === 'string' ? e.message : '',
+    typeof e?.errstr === 'string' ? e.errstr : '',
+  ].join(' ')
+
+  return (
+    errcode === 5 ||
+    errcode === 6 ||
+    code === 'SQLITE_BUSY' ||
+    code === 'SQLITE_LOCKED' ||
+    /\bSQLITE_(BUSY|LOCKED)\b|database (?:is |table is )?locked/i.test(message)
+  )
+}
+
 export function openDatabase(path: string): SqliteDatabase {
   if (!loadDriver() || DatabaseSync === null) {
     throw new Error(getSqliteLoadError())
   }
 
   const db = new DatabaseSync(path, { readOnly: true })
+  try {
+    db.exec?.('PRAGMA busy_timeout = 1000')
+  } catch {
+    // Best effort. Some Node sqlite builds may not expose exec on DatabaseSync.
+  }
 
   return {
     query<T extends Row = Row>(sql: string, params: unknown[] = []): T[] {
diff --git a/tests/blob-to-text.test.ts b/tests/blob-to-text.test.ts
index f54717e..aeb7ce3 100644
--- a/tests/blob-to-text.test.ts
+++ b/tests/blob-to-text.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest'
-import { blobToText } from '../src/sqlite.js'
+import { blobToText, isSqliteBusyError } from '../src/sqlite.js'
 
 describe('blobToText', () => {
   it('returns empty string for null', () => {
@@ -37,3 +37,17 @@ describe('blobToText', () => {
     expect(blobToText(new Uint8Array(0))).toBe('')
   })
 })
+
+describe('isSqliteBusyError', () => {
+  it('detects node:sqlite busy errors by errcode', () => {
+    expect(isSqliteBusyError({ code: 'ERR_SQLITE_ERROR', errcode: 5, errstr: 'database is locked' })).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it('detects sqlite locked messages', () => {
+    expect(isSqliteBusyError(new Error('SQLITE_LOCKED: database table is locked'))).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it('ignores unrelated sqlite errors', () => {
+    expect(isSqliteBusyError(new Error('no such table: session'))).toBe(false)
+  })
+})