diff --git a/src/profiles.rs b/src/profiles.rs
index 7d66d18..65a4dfa 100644
--- a/src/profiles.rs
+++ b/src/profiles.rs
@@ -561,7 +561,7 @@ fn publish_metadata_blocking(
 
 /// Best-effort lookup of the account's latest kind-0 metadata. Import must
 /// still succeed when relays are unavailable, so lookup failures are ignored.
-fn fetch_profile_metadata(public_key: &PublicKey, relay_urls: &[String]) -> Option<Metadata> {
+pub fn fetch_profile_metadata(public_key: &PublicKey, relay_urls: &[String]) -> Option<Metadata> {
     if relay_urls.is_empty() {
         return None;
     }
diff --git a/src/signer/nip46_client.rs b/src/signer/nip46_client.rs
index 3a0e9c2..f9a9fa8 100644
--- a/src/signer/nip46_client.rs
+++ b/src/signer/nip46_client.rs
@@ -793,7 +793,7 @@ impl Nip46ClientSigner {
         let message = message.into();
         eprintln!("[nip46] session failed: {message}");
         if let Ok(mut inner) = self.inner.try_lock() {
-            inner.phase = Nip46Phase::Error(message.into());
+            inner.phase = Nip46Phase::Error(message);
             inner.task = None;
             inner.client = None;
             inner.conversation_key = None;
@@ -1450,13 +1450,58 @@ impl Nip46ClientSigner {
             .to_bech32()
             .map_err(|e| format!("Could not encode identity npub: {e}"))?;
 
+        // Best-effort: look up the identity's kind-0 metadata so the profile
+        // row carries the real display name / picture / nip05 instead of a
+        // bare npub or the generic pairing label. Relay hiccups fall back to
+        // the pairing label — the connection must not depend on them.
+        let relays_for_meta = {
+            let app = self.app.lock().await;
+            crate::relays::enabled_urls(&app.settings)
+        };
+        let meta_npub = identity;
+        let metadata = match tokio::time::timeout(
+            Duration::from_secs(3),
+            tokio::task::spawn_blocking(move || {
+                profiles::fetch_profile_metadata(&meta_npub, &relays_for_meta)
+            }),
+        )
+        .await
+        {
+            Ok(joined) => joined.ok().flatten(),
+            Err(_elapsed) => None,
+        };
+        let display_label = metadata
+            .as_ref()
+            .and_then(|m| m.display_name.as_deref().or(m.name.as_deref()))
+            .map(str::trim)
+            .filter(|name| !name.is_empty())
+            .map(str::to_string)
+            .unwrap_or(label);
+
         // Persist: profile row for the identity, connection + secret store
         // re-keyed under it. Refuses (fails the handshake) if the identity
         // collides with a local profile.
         {
             let mut app = self.app.lock().await;
-            profiles::store_remote_profile(&mut app.vault, &identity_npub, label)
+            profiles::store_remote_profile(&mut app.vault, &identity_npub, display_label)
                 .map_err(|e| e.message().to_string())?;
+            // Carry the looked-up metadata (picture / nip05) onto the row so
+            // the profile shows its real identity, not just a name.
+            if let Some(meta) = &metadata {
+                if let Some(row) = app
+                    .vault
+                    .profiles
+                    .iter_mut()
+                    .find(|p| p.public_key == identity_npub)
+                {
+                    if row.picture.is_none() {
+                        row.picture = meta.picture.clone();
+                    }
+                    if row.nip05.is_none() {
+                        row.nip05 = meta.nip05.clone();
+                    }
+                }
+            }
             // Re-key the stored secret under the identity npub so the
             // connection row, VaultRef, and secret store all agree.
             let connect_ref = crate::signer::VaultRef::from_connection(&connection);