diff --git a/apps/machine/electron/main.ts b/apps/machine/electron/main.ts
index fc48d87..ac31a6a 100644
--- a/apps/machine/electron/main.ts
+++ b/apps/machine/electron/main.ts
@@ -404,6 +404,17 @@ ipcMain.handle('app:relaunch', (): void => {
   app.exit(0)
 })
 
+// Connectivity recovery: reload the renderer to re-run init from a clean slate
+// (fresh JS context → no leaked actors/subscriptions), while preserving HAL in
+// this main process (reloadRenderer resets secretsConsumed so get-atm-secrets
+// works again, and hal:init is idempotent). The renderer calls this when it's
+// stuck on a connectivity-type "ATM Unavailable" and the network returns, or
+// when the operator taps the on-screen Retry (ADR-002 amendment 2026-08-04).
+ipcMain.handle('app:recover', (): void => {
+  console.log('[Recovery] Reloading renderer to re-attempt initialization')
+  reloadRenderer()
+})
+
 // State persistence IPC handlers
 ipcMain.handle('state:load-cassettes', () => loadCassettes())
 ipcMain.handle('state:set-cassettes', (_event, cassettes) => setCassettes(cassettes))
@@ -480,6 +491,17 @@ let pendingBillDenomination: number | null = null
 
 ipcMain.handle('hal:init', async (_event, config) => {
   try {
+    // Idempotent: HAL lives in this (long-lived) main process, but the renderer
+    // re-runs full init on every reload — the watchdog's crash-recovery reload
+    // and the connectivity-recovery reload (app:recover) both re-invoke this.
+    // initializeHal opens serial ports without closing prior handles, so
+    // re-entering it would double-open the validator/dispenser. Reuse the
+    // existing instance instead; its validator event wiring already targets the
+    // (reloaded) mainWindow, so the reloaded renderer keeps receiving bill events.
+    if (halInstance) {
+      console.log('[Electron] HAL already initialized — reusing existing instance')
+      return { success: true }
+    }
     // Override cassette config with DB values (operator may have changed them via atm-tui
     // or via an operator-config publish from satmachineadmin). Pass per-position so the
     // HAL knows about every bay including duplicates of the same denomination — real
diff --git a/apps/machine/electron/preload.ts b/apps/machine/electron/preload.ts
index a811eab..41c54df 100644
--- a/apps/machine/electron/preload.ts
+++ b/apps/machine/electron/preload.ts
@@ -124,6 +124,8 @@ contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld('electronAPI', {
   // then relaunch so the normal boot flow pairs it.
   saveSpireSeed: (seed: string): Promise<void> => ipcRenderer.invoke('state:save-spire-seed', seed),
   relaunchApp: (): Promise<void> => ipcRenderer.invoke('app:relaunch'),
+  // Reload the renderer to re-attempt initialization (connectivity recovery).
+  recoverApp: (): Promise<void> => ipcRenderer.invoke('app:recover'),
 
   applyOperatorCassettesConfig: (
     payload: {
@@ -243,6 +245,7 @@ declare global {
       resetForRepair: () => Promise<void>
       saveSpireSeed: (seed: string) => Promise<void>
       relaunchApp: () => Promise<void>
+      recoverApp: () => Promise<void>
       applyOperatorCassettesConfig: (
         payload: { positions: Record<string, { denomination: number; count: number }> },
         eventCreatedAt: number
diff --git a/apps/machine/src/App.vue b/apps/machine/src/App.vue
index 2b89eb7..d9bce92 100644
--- a/apps/machine/src/App.vue
+++ b/apps/machine/src/App.vue
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 <script setup lang="ts">
-import { onMounted, onUnmounted, ref, computed } from 'vue'
+import { onMounted, onUnmounted, ref, computed, watch } from 'vue'
 import { useRoute } from 'vue-router'
 import { useAtmStore } from '@/stores/atm'
 import { useTheme } from '@/composables/useTheme'
@@ -158,8 +158,71 @@ onMounted(async () => {
 
 onUnmounted(() => {
   atmStore.stopPricePolling()
+  stopRecoveryWatch()
 })
 
+// ── Connectivity recovery (ADR-002 amendment 2026-08-04) ──────────────────
+// A connectivity-type init failure lands on "ATM Unavailable" and, without
+// this, stays there forever (init is one-shot; the nostr reconnect only helps
+// AFTER a first successful connect). We recover by reloading the renderer —
+// which re-runs this whole init from a clean JS context while the main process
+// keeps HAL (see main.ts app:recover). Not for the operator/self-clearing
+// states: `unpaired` shows the pairing wizard, `awaiting-fees` clears itself on
+// the operator's fee-config event, `maintenance` is operator-set.
+const NON_RECOVERABLE = new Set(['maintenance', 'awaiting-fees', 'unpaired'])
+const isRecoverable = computed(
+  () => !!atmStore.initError && !NON_RECOVERABLE.has(atmStore.initError)
+)
+const recovering = ref(false)
+const RECOVERY_RETRY_MS = 45_000
+let recoveryTimer: ReturnType<typeof setInterval> | null = null
+
+function triggerRecovery() {
+  if (recovering.value) return
+  recovering.value = true
+  console.log('[App] Attempting connectivity recovery (renderer reload)')
+  if (window.electronAPI?.recoverApp) {
+    void window.electronAPI.recoverApp() // main reloads renderer → fresh init
+  } else {
+    location.reload() // browser-dev fallback
+  }
+}
+
+function onOnline() {
+  // Network came back — recover immediately rather than waiting for the timer.
+  triggerRecovery()
+}
+
+function startRecoveryWatch() {
+  stopRecoveryWatch()
+  window.addEventListener('online', onOnline)
+  // Safety net for the online-but-relay-unreachable case (navigator.onLine only
+  // reflects a local route, not relay reachability).
+  recoveryTimer = setInterval(triggerRecovery, RECOVERY_RETRY_MS)
+}
+
+function stopRecoveryWatch() {
+  window.removeEventListener('online', onOnline)
+  if (recoveryTimer !== null) {
+    clearInterval(recoveryTimer)
+    recoveryTimer = null
+  }
+}
+
+/** Operator-facing "Retry" button on the maintenance screen. */
+function retryNow() {
+  triggerRecovery()
+}
+
+watch(
+  isRecoverable,
+  (recoverable) => {
+    if (recoverable) startRecoveryWatch()
+    else stopRecoveryWatch()
+  },
+  { immediate: true }
+)
+
 function toggleLiveServices() {
   if (atmStore.useLiveServices) {
     // Switch to mock
@@ -211,6 +274,19 @@ function toggleLiveServices() {
       >
         {{ atmStore.initError }}
       </p>
+
+      <!-- Manual recovery for a connectivity failure; auto-recovery also runs
+           in the background (online event + backoff). Not shown for operator/
+           self-clearing states (maintenance / awaiting-fees / unpaired). -->
+      <Button
+        v-if="isRecoverable"
+        size="kiosk"
+        :disabled="recovering"
+        class="mt-4"
+        @click="retryNow"
+      >
+        {{ recovering ? 'Retrying…' : 'Retry' }}
+      </Button>
     </div>
 
     <template v-else>
diff --git a/apps/machine/src/types/electron.d.ts b/apps/machine/src/types/electron.d.ts
index b018a39..4c8faa8 100644
--- a/apps/machine/src/types/electron.d.ts
+++ b/apps/machine/src/types/electron.d.ts
@@ -101,6 +101,8 @@ declare global {
       resetForRepair: () => Promise<void>
       saveSpireSeed: (seed: string) => Promise<void>
       relaunchApp: () => Promise<void>
+      /** Reload the renderer to re-attempt initialization (connectivity recovery). */
+      recoverApp: () => Promise<void>
       applyOperatorCassettesConfig: (
         payload: { positions: Record<string, { denomination: number; count: number }> },
         eventCreatedAt: number
diff --git a/docs/adr/002-remote-access-and-fleet-management.md b/docs/adr/002-remote-access-and-fleet-management.md
index 4931daa..a518930 100644
--- a/docs/adr/002-remote-access-and-fleet-management.md
+++ b/docs/adr/002-remote-access-and-fleet-management.md
@@ -104,6 +104,36 @@ The only honest way for a machine operator to exclude the SaaS operator is to **
 - The machine operator's Nostr key can become the single root of trust across all three planes — SSH `authorized_keys` + VPN enrollment at install, `AddOperator`/`RevokeOperator` (#42) for delegation — so granting/revoking any party (including the SaaS operator) is one scoped, revocable capability model.
 - `sshd` posture should be tightened to key-only for deployed boxes (password auth is currently forced on for installed configs for first-boot provisioning; scope it to the LAN/first-boot window). Tracks with [#51](https://git.atitlan.io/aiolabs/bitspire/issues/51).
 
+## Amendment (2026-08-04): the access/recovery plane is not the *only* recovery
+
+**Status:** Accepted · **Context:** the ATM app had no way to recover its own
+connectivity — a machine that booted with no internet (or whose init otherwise
+failed) sat on "ATM Unavailable" until a manual `systemctl restart bitspire`,
+even after the network came back.
+
+This ADR's SSH/NetBird recovery plane stands — it is the operator's
+**app-and-OS-independent** path for the unanticipated and the broken, and may
+carry recovery *procedures* (restart the service, inspect logs, re-provision).
+But it is explicitly **not the first-line and not the only recovery method.**
+Recovery is layered, cheapest-first:
+
+1. **App auto-recovery (first-line, no human).** The ATM app recovers its own
+   relay/Lightning connectivity when possible: the nostr client already
+   reconnects with backoff, and the app now re-initializes when connectivity
+   returns (a fresh renderer reload — HAL is preserved in the main process),
+   so "internet came back" self-heals without anyone touching the machine.
+2. **On-screen manual retry (operator at the machine).** The maintenance
+   ("ATM Unavailable") screen carries a **Retry** button so a person standing
+   at the kiosk can force an immediate recovery attempt without shell access.
+3. **SSH/NetBird (operator remote, last resort).** This plane — for when the
+   app *can't* self-heal or the box is genuinely broken. Unchanged by this
+   amendment beyond the reframing: it is the floor, not the front line.
+
+Rationale: the common failure (transient network / boot-before-network) must
+not require remote shell access to a public kiosk. Reserve the heavyweight
+recovery plane for genuine app/OS failure. Implemented on branch
+`feat/connection-recovery`.
+
 ## References
 
 - [#41](https://git.atitlan.io/aiolabs/bitspire/issues/41) — Multi-location deployment: runtime site config (the access plane's per-machine identity is provisioned here, not baked into the closure).
diff --git a/flake.nix b/flake.nix
index 3fe1bba..29f44b1 100644
--- a/flake.nix
+++ b/flake.nix
@@ -292,6 +292,37 @@
         # at ttyJ5, dispenser at ttyJ7 layout) — reuse the same hw module.
         sintra-installed = mkInstalledConfig "sintra" ./deploy/nixos/hardware/upboard.nix;
         batm3-installed = mkInstalledConfig "batm3" ./deploy/nixos/hardware/batm3.nix;
+
+        # USB-bootable variant of batm3-installed. This is the config the
+        # flashed USB stick actually runs — distinct fs labels so stage-1 can't
+        # latch the internal drive, nofail /boot, no growPartition, autoUpgrade
+        # off. Exposed as a named config (not just inline in the disk-image
+        # target) so its system closure can be built here and deployed in-place
+        # with `nix copy` + `switch-to-configuration` — updating the app on a
+        # running stick WITHOUT reflashing (preserves pairing + /var/lib state).
+        # disk-image-batm3-usb builds its filesystem image from this same config.
+        batm3-usb = self.nixosConfigurations.batm3-installed.extendModules {
+          modules = [
+            ({ lib, ... }: {
+              fileSystems."/".device = lib.mkForce "/dev/disk/by-label/nixos-usb";
+              fileSystems."/boot".device = lib.mkForce "/dev/disk/by-label/ESP-USB";
+              # /boot must NOT be a hard boot dependency on the USB image. The
+              # firmware already loaded the bootloader before Linux; without
+              # nofail, a slow/late ESP-USB enumeration (BOT is slower than UAS)
+              # blows past systemd's 90s device-timeout into emergency mode with
+              # root locked — a dead end. nofail + short timeout lets the
+              # already-mounted root carry the boot; /boot mounts if/when it shows.
+              fileSystems."/boot".options = [ "nofail" "x-systemd.device-timeout=10s" ];
+              # NO growPartition/autoResize: sfdisk rewriting the partition table
+              # on first boot is the single most bus-stressing write, and flaky
+              # USB bridges drop off the bus mid-rewrite (sfdisk wedges in D-state
+              # and ESP-USB vanishes with the device). Persistent state is a few
+              # MB and the image ships ~2GB free. The internal-SATA disk-image-
+              # batm3 keeps growPartition (a real AHCI SSD won't drop the bus).
+              system.autoUpgrade.enable = lib.mkForce false;
+            })
+          ];
+        };
       };
 
       # ── Standalone NixOS module ───────────────────────────────────
@@ -443,41 +474,12 @@
         # internal drive's ESP).
         disk-image-batm3-usb =
           let
-            cfg = self.nixosConfigurations.batm3-installed.extendModules {
-              modules = [
-                ({ lib, ... }: {
-                  fileSystems."/".device = lib.mkForce "/dev/disk/by-label/nixos-usb";
-                  fileSystems."/boot".device = lib.mkForce "/dev/disk/by-label/ESP-USB";
-                  # /boot must NOT be a hard boot dependency on the USB test
-                  # image. The firmware already loaded the bootloader from the
-                  # ESP before Linux started; /boot is only remounted so the OS
-                  # can *update* the bootloader — which this image never does
-                  # (autoUpgrade off, no nixos-rebuild on the stick). Without
-                  # nofail, a slow/late ESP-USB enumeration (BOT is slower than
-                  # UAS) blows past systemd's 90s device-timeout and drops to
-                  # emergency mode — with root locked, an unrecoverable dead end.
-                  # nofail + a short timeout lets the (already-mounted) root carry
-                  # the boot to completion; /boot mounts if/when the ESP shows up.
-                  fileSystems."/boot".options = [ "nofail" "x-systemd.device-timeout=10s" ];
-                  # DELIBERATELY NO growPartition/autoResize on the USB image.
-                  # growPartition runs sfdisk to rewrite the stick's partition
-                  # table on first boot — the single most bus-stressing write of
-                  # the boot. Flaky USB bridges drop off the bus mid-rewrite
-                  # (sfdisk hangs forever as an uninterruptible D-state task) and,
-                  # worse, partition 1 (ESP-USB) vanishes with the device, so
-                  # /boot times out too. The kiosk's persistent state (state.db,
-                  # .env, wifi.conf, logs) is a few MB and the built image already
-                  # carries ~2GB free inside root — growing to fill the stick buys
-                  # nothing and costs reliability. The internal-SATA target
-                  # (disk-image-batm3) keeps growPartition: a real AHCI SSD won't
-                  # drop the bus and there filling the disk is worth it.
-                  system.autoUpgrade.enable = lib.mkForce false;
-                })
-              ];
-            };
+            # Filesystem image of the batm3-usb config (defined in
+            # nixosConfigurations). Same config that in-place deploys target, so
+            # a reflash and a `switch-to-configuration` converge on one system.
             baseImage = import (nixpkgs + "/nixos/lib/make-disk-image.nix") {
               inherit pkgs lib;
-              config = cfg.config;
+              config = self.nixosConfigurations.batm3-usb.config;
               format = "raw";
               partitionTableType = "efi";
               diskSize = "auto";