diff --git a/apps/machine/electron/nfc-service.ts b/apps/machine/electron/nfc-service.ts
index ecafc07..970d17d 100644
--- a/apps/machine/electron/nfc-service.ts
+++ b/apps/machine/electron/nfc-service.ts
@@ -87,20 +87,20 @@ export async function readNdefLnurlw(
     return null
   }
 
-  // Prefer the FileID advertised by the Capability Container (EF E103).
-  const candidates: Array<[number, number]> = []
+  // NTAG424 Bolt Cards use NDEF FileID E104. Try it (and 0004) directly to
+  // minimise APDU round-trips over a flaky RF link; only fall back to reading
+  // the Capability Container to discover the id if both direct reads fail.
+  for (const fid of [[0xe1, 0x04] as [number, number], [0x00, 0x04] as [number, number]]) {
+    const found = await readNdefFile(send, fid)
+    if (found) return found
+  }
   if (swOk(await send([0x00, 0xa4, 0x00, 0x0c, 0x02, 0xe1, 0x03]))) {
     const cc = await send([0x00, 0xb0, 0x00, 0x00, 0x0f])
     // CC layout: …[07]=TLV tag 0x04, [08]=len, [09..10]=NDEF FileID.
-    if (swOk(cc) && cc.length >= 13 && cc[7] === 0x04) candidates.push([cc[9], cc[10]])
-  }
-  for (const fid of [[0xe1, 0x04] as [number, number], [0x00, 0x04] as [number, number]]) {
-    if (!candidates.some((c) => c[0] === fid[0] && c[1] === fid[1])) candidates.push(fid)
-  }
-
-  for (const fid of candidates) {
-    const found = await readNdefFile(send, fid)
-    if (found) return found
+    if (swOk(cc) && cc.length >= 13 && cc[7] === 0x04) {
+      const found = await readNdefFile(send, [cc[9], cc[10]])
+      if (found) return found
+    }
   }
   return null
 }
@@ -157,12 +157,19 @@ export async function startNfcReader(
 
     r.on('card', async () => {
       onStatus({ state: 'reading', reader: name })
+      // Single attempt: hammering a flaky RF link with retries wedges these
+      // cheap CCID readers. A read is a few APDU round-trips; if the card
+      // shifts mid-read the transmit fails and the user simply re-taps.
       try {
         const lnurlw = await readNdefLnurlw((apdu, maxLen) => r.transmit(apdu, maxLen))
-        if (lnurlw) onCard(lnurlw)
-        else onStatus({ state: 'error', reader: name, message: 'not a Bolt Card' })
+        if (lnurlw) {
+          onCard(lnurlw)
+        } else {
+          onStatus({ state: 'error', reader: name, message: 'not a Bolt Card' })
+        }
       } catch (e) {
-        onStatus({ state: 'error', reader: name, message: errMsg(e) })
+        onStatus({ state: 'error', reader: name, message: 'card read failed — hold steady & retap' })
+        void e
       }
     })
     r.on('card.off', () => onStatus({ state: 'card-removed', reader: name }))