diff --git a/panel/src/components/RequireAdmin.test.tsx b/panel/src/components/RequireAdmin.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b2b72e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/panel/src/components/RequireAdmin.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+// @vitest-environment jsdom
+import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach } from "vitest";
+import { act, fireEvent, render, screen } from "@testing-library/react";
+import { MemoryRouter, Route, Routes } from "react-router-dom";
+import i18next from "i18next";
+import { humanizeError } from "@/lib/api";
+import { RequireAdmin } from "./RequireAdmin";
+import { RequireOwner } from "./RequireOwner";
+
+const tier = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+  loading: false,
+  isAdmin: false,
+  isOwner: false,
+  identityError: null as unknown,
+  revalidate: vi.fn(),
+}));
+vi.mock("@/lib/tier", () => ({ useTier: () => tier }));
+
+const t = (key: string) => i18next.t(key);
+const err503 = { status: 503, code: "unavailable", message: "database is restarting" };
+
+function renderAt(path: string) {
+  return render(
+    <MemoryRouter initialEntries={[path]}>
+      <Routes>
+        <Route element={<RequireAdmin />}>
+          <Route path="/admin" element={<p>admin page</p>} />
+        </Route>
+        <Route element={<RequireOwner />}>
+          <Route path="/admin/users" element={<p>users page</p>} />
+        </Route>
+      </Routes>
+    </MemoryRouter>,
+  );
+}
+
+const retryButton = () => screen.getByRole("button", { name: t("common:try_again") });
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  Object.assign(tier, { loading: false, isAdmin: false, isOwner: false, identityError: null });
+  tier.revalidate.mockReset();
+  tier.revalidate.mockResolvedValue(undefined);
+});
+
+describe.each([
+  ["RequireAdmin", "/admin", "admin page", "isAdmin"],
+  ["RequireOwner", "/admin/users", "users page", "isOwner"],
+] as const)("%s", (_name, path, page, flag) => {
+  it("says the access check failed, with why, when /me failed with anything but a 401", () => {
+    tier.identityError = err503;
+    renderAt(path);
+
+    expect(screen.getByText(t("common:access_unknown_title"))).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(screen.getByRole("alert").textContent).toBe(humanizeError(err503));
+    expect(retryButton()).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(screen.queryByText(t("common:not_authorized_title"))).toBeNull();
+    expect(screen.queryByText(page)).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("re-reads /me in place from the retry, and holds the button until it answers", async () => {
+    tier.identityError = err503;
+    let answer!: () => void;
+    tier.revalidate.mockReturnValue(new Promise<void>((resolve) => (answer = resolve)));
+    renderAt(path);
+
+    fireEvent.click(retryButton());
+    expect(tier.revalidate).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect((retryButton() as HTMLButtonElement).disabled).toBe(true);
+    fireEvent.click(retryButton());
+    expect(tier.revalidate).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+
+    await act(async () => answer());
+    expect((retryButton() as HTMLButtonElement).disabled).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("still says not authorized to a known account without the role", () => {
+    renderAt(path);
+
+    expect(screen.getByText(t("common:not_authorized_title"))).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(screen.queryByText(t("common:access_unknown_title"))).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("renders the page for an account with the role", () => {
+    tier[flag] = true;
+    renderAt(path);
+
+    expect(screen.getByText(page)).toBeTruthy();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/panel/src/components/RequireAdmin.tsx b/panel/src/components/RequireAdmin.tsx
index 9e4d4c3..4f476c4 100644
--- a/panel/src/components/RequireAdmin.tsx
+++ b/panel/src/components/RequireAdmin.tsx
@@ -1,18 +1,20 @@
 import { Outlet } from "react-router-dom";
 import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";
 import { useTier } from "@/lib/tier";
-import { Loading, NotAuthorized } from "@/components/States";
+import { AccessUnknown, Loading, NotAuthorized } from "@/components/States";
 
 // RequireAdmin is the single route wrapper for BOTH /admin/* and /ops/* (the two
 // admin-tier concerns). It is belt-and-suspenders: it spares non-admins a wall of
 // 403s, but the server enforces the boundary independently on every data call.
 //
 // While /me is still loading we show a spinner rather than NotAuthorized, so a
-// genuine admin is never briefly told "not authorized" on a slow boot. Once
-// settled, isAdmin is the fail-closed verdict (false on any /me failure).
+// genuine admin is never briefly told "not authorized" on a slow boot. A /me that
+// failed with anything but a 401 leaves the answer unknown, so the page says the
+// check failed and offers a retry. Otherwise isAdmin is the fail-closed verdict.
 export function RequireAdmin() {
-  const { isAdmin, loading } = useTier();
+  const { isAdmin, loading, identityError } = useTier();
   const { t } = useTranslation("common");
   if (loading) return <Loading label={t("checking_access")} />;
+  if (identityError) return <AccessUnknown error={identityError} />;
   return isAdmin ? <Outlet /> : <NotAuthorized />;
 }
diff --git a/panel/src/components/RequireOwner.tsx b/panel/src/components/RequireOwner.tsx
index 8b79f23..d2ae54e 100644
--- a/panel/src/components/RequireOwner.tsx
+++ b/panel/src/components/RequireOwner.tsx
@@ -1,14 +1,19 @@
 import { Outlet } from "react-router-dom";
 import { useTier } from "@/lib/tier";
-import { NotAuthorized } from "@/components/States";
-import { Loading } from "@/components/States";
+import { AccessUnknown, Loading, NotAuthorized } from "@/components/States";
 
+// RequireOwner gates user management, one level above admin. Like RequireAdmin
+// it waits for /me, and a /me that failed with anything but a 401 gets a retry:
+// the owner is not told "not authorized" on a flaky read.
 export function RequireOwner() {
-  const { loading, isOwner } = useTier();
+  const { loading, isOwner, identityError } = useTier();
 
   if (loading) {
     return <Loading />;
   }
+  if (identityError) {
+    return <AccessUnknown error={identityError} />;
+  }
   if (!isOwner) {
     return <NotAuthorized />;
   }
diff --git a/panel/src/components/States.tsx b/panel/src/components/States.tsx
index c462111..f232b90 100644
--- a/panel/src/components/States.tsx
+++ b/panel/src/components/States.tsx
@@ -1,9 +1,12 @@
-import { Loader2, AlertTriangle, Inbox, ShieldX, Construction, Moon, SearchX } from "lucide-react";
+import { useState } from "react";
+import { Loader2, AlertTriangle, Inbox, ShieldX, ShieldQuestion, Construction, Moon, SearchX, RefreshCw } from "lucide-react";
 import { Link } from "react-router-dom";
 import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";
 import { MAX_AUTO_RESTARTS, shownPhase, type StartFailure } from "@/components/PhaseBadge";
 import { PowerButton } from "@/components/PowerButton";
+import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button";
 import { humanizeError } from "@/lib/api";
+import { useTier } from "@/lib/tier";
 import type { Phase, RetireState } from "@/lib/types";
 import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
 
@@ -94,6 +97,41 @@ export function NotAuthorized() {
   );
 }
 
+// AccessUnknown stands in for an admin or owner page while /me has failed with
+// anything but a 401: whether this account may see the page is unknown, so it
+// says the check failed and why, and retries in place (the app stays mounted).
+export function AccessUnknown({ error }: { error: unknown }) {
+  const { t } = useTranslation("common");
+  const { revalidate } = useTier();
+  const [retrying, setRetrying] = useState(false);
+
+  async function retry() {
+    setRetrying(true);
+    try {
+      await revalidate();
+    } finally {
+      setRetrying(false);
+    }
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <div className="mx-auto flex max-w-md flex-col items-center justify-center gap-3 py-24 text-center">
+      <ShieldQuestion className="h-8 w-8 text-amber-500" />
+      <div>
+        <p className="font-medium">{t("access_unknown_title")}</p>
+        <p className="mt-1 text-sm text-muted-foreground">{t("access_unknown_body")}</p>
+        <p role="alert" className="mt-2 text-xs text-muted-foreground/80">
+          {humanizeError(error)}
+        </p>
+      </div>
+      <Button size="sm" variant="outline" onClick={() => void retry()} disabled={retrying}>
+        {retrying ? <Loader2 className="animate-spin" /> : <RefreshCw />}
+        {t("try_again")}
+      </Button>
+    </div>
+  );
+}
+
 export interface NotFoundProps {
   title?: string;
   body?: string;
diff --git a/panel/src/i18n/resources/en-US/common.json b/panel/src/i18n/resources/en-US/common.json
index aab9826..c9b2264 100644
--- a/panel/src/i18n/resources/en-US/common.json
+++ b/panel/src/i18n/resources/en-US/common.json
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@
   "not_wired_yet": "Not wired yet",
   "pending_backend_prefix": "pending backend: ",
   "checking_access": "Checking access…",
+  "access_unknown_title": "Couldn't check your access",
+  "access_unknown_body": "Your account details didn't load, so this page stays hidden until they do.",
   "loading_config": "Loading config…",
   "brand_name": "Felis",
   "brand_tagline": "K8s-native Minecraft orchestration",
diff --git a/panel/src/i18n/resources/zh-CN/common.json b/panel/src/i18n/resources/zh-CN/common.json
index c00c5f9..43eb832 100644
--- a/panel/src/i18n/resources/zh-CN/common.json
+++ b/panel/src/i18n/resources/zh-CN/common.json
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@
   "not_wired_yet": "功能尚未接入",
   "pending_backend_prefix": "待接入接口：",
   "checking_access": "正在验证权限…",
+  "access_unknown_title": "暂时无法确认你的权限",
+  "access_unknown_body": "账户信息没有读到，读到之前这一页先不显示。",
   "loading_config": "正在加载配置…",
   "brand_name": "Felis",
   "brand_tagline": "Kubernetes 原生的 Minecraft 管理平台",
diff --git a/panel/src/lib/auth.test.ts b/panel/src/lib/auth.test.ts
index c7d45dd..53c3b37 100644
--- a/panel/src/lib/auth.test.ts
+++ b/panel/src/lib/auth.test.ts
@@ -68,6 +68,19 @@ describe("deriveAuth", () => {
     expect(s.isAdmin).toBe(false);
     expect(s.unauthenticated).toBe(false);
   });
+
+  it("keeps a settled non-401 failure as identityError, so a gate can offer a retry", () => {
+    expect(deriveAuth(null, err500, false).identityError).toBe(err500);
+    const offline = new TypeError("Failed to fetch");
+    expect(deriveAuth(null, offline, false).identityError).toBe(offline);
+  });
+
+  it("has no identityError for a 401, while loading, or once an identity is known", () => {
+    expect(deriveAuth(null, err401, false).identityError).toBeNull();
+    expect(deriveAuth(null, err500, true).identityError).toBeNull();
+    expect(deriveAuth(admin, err500, false).identityError).toBeNull();
+    expect(deriveAuth(null, null, false).identityError).toBeNull();
+  });
 });
 
 describe("loginReturnPath", () => {
diff --git a/panel/src/lib/auth.ts b/panel/src/lib/auth.ts
index 883b725..3f6e0cc 100644
--- a/panel/src/lib/auth.ts
+++ b/panel/src/lib/auth.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,11 @@ export interface AuthState {
   /** True ONLY when /me returned 401 — no/expired session, route to /login. A
    *  transient or 5xx failure leaves this false so the app keeps rendering. */
   unauthenticated: boolean;
+  /** The settled /me failure that left the identity unknown (anything but a
+   *  401), else null. The app keeps running, but an admin cannot be told from a
+   *  user until a retry succeeds, so a gate says so and offers the retry instead
+   *  of "not authorized". */
+  identityError: unknown;
 }
 
 /** isUnauthorized reports whether a caught error is the request() 401 envelope —
@@ -48,6 +53,7 @@ export function deriveAuth(
     loading,
     isAdmin: identity?.is_admin === true,
     unauthenticated: !loading && identity === null && isUnauthorized(error),
+    identityError: !loading && identity === null && error != null && !isUnauthorized(error) ? error : null,
   };
 }
 
diff --git a/panel/src/lib/tier.test.tsx b/panel/src/lib/tier.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9e1262f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/panel/src/lib/tier.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+// @vitest-environment jsdom
+import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach } from "vitest";
+import { act, render, screen } from "@testing-library/react";
+import { TierProvider, useTier } from "./tier";
+import type { Identity } from "./types";
+
+const calls = vi.hoisted(() => ({ me: vi.fn() }));
+vi.mock("./api", async (importOriginal) => {
+  const actual = await importOriginal<typeof import("./api")>();
+  return { ...actual, api: { ...actual.api, ...calls } };
+});
+
+const admin: Identity = { user_id: "u1", email: "a@b.c", role: "admin", is_admin: true, is_owner: false };
+const err503 = { status: 503, code: "unavailable", message: "restarting" };
+
+let tier: ReturnType<typeof useTier>;
+function Probe() {
+  tier = useTier();
+  return <p>{tier.isAdmin ? "admin" : "not admin"}</p>;
+}
+
+async function boot() {
+  render(
+    <TierProvider>
+      <Probe />
+    </TierProvider>,
+  );
+  await act(async () => {});
+}
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  calls.me.mockReset();
+});
+
+describe("TierProvider after a /me that failed with anything but a 401", () => {
+  it("exposes the failure, and a revalidate that succeeds clears it without a reload", async () => {
+    calls.me.mockRejectedValueOnce(err503);
+    await boot();
+    expect(tier.identityError).toBe(err503);
+    expect(tier.unauthenticated).toBe(false);
+
+    let answer!: (id: Identity) => void;
+    calls.me.mockReturnValueOnce(new Promise<Identity>((resolve) => (answer = resolve)));
+    let retry!: Promise<void>;
+    act(() => {
+      retry = tier.revalidate();
+    });
+    // Mid-check the app stays mounted: loading never comes back.
+    expect(tier.loading).toBe(false);
+
+    await act(async () => {
+      answer(admin);
+      await retry;
+    });
+    expect(tier.identityError).toBeNull();
+    expect(screen.getByText("admin")).toBeTruthy();
+  });
+
+  it("keeps the failure when the retry fails the same way", async () => {
+    calls.me.mockRejectedValueOnce(err503);
+    await boot();
+
+    calls.me.mockRejectedValueOnce(new TypeError("Failed to fetch"));
+    await act(() => tier.revalidate());
+
+    expect(tier.identityError).toBe(err503);
+    expect(tier.unauthenticated).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/panel/src/lib/tier.tsx b/panel/src/lib/tier.tsx
index cd85748..6755a04 100644
--- a/panel/src/lib/tier.tsx
+++ b/panel/src/lib/tier.tsx
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@ import { deriveAuth, isUnauthorized, type AuthState } from "./auth";
 //     principal whose /me momentarily fails still gets the full User-Side app; they
 //     simply don't see admin surfaces. (The backend 403s admin data calls
 //     independently, so this is safe.) Only a genuine 401 sets `unauthenticated`.
+//     The failure itself is `identityError`: the admin and owner gates show it
+//     with a retry, since "not authorized" would be a guess.
 //
 //  3. Login-aware: `unauthenticated` (a true 401) routes to /login; `refresh()`
 //     re-reads /me after a login / logout so the gate re-evaluates without a reload.
@@ -61,6 +63,7 @@ const TierContext = createContext<TierState>({
   isAdmin: false,
   isOwner: false,
   unauthenticated: false,
+  identityError: null,
   refresh: async () => {},
   revalidate: async () => {},
   sessionEnded: false,