diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 64d8a57..8b17faa 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -11,7 +11,9 @@ WORKDIR /app
 COPY --from=deps /app/node_modules ./node_modules
 COPY . .
 ARG NEXT_PUBLIC_API_BASE_URL
+ARG NEXT_PUBLIC_SECURITY_KEY
 ENV NEXT_PUBLIC_API_BASE_URL=$NEXT_PUBLIC_API_BASE_URL
+ENV NEXT_PUBLIC_SECURITY_KEY=$NEXT_PUBLIC_SECURITY_KEY
 RUN npm run build
 
 FROM base AS runner
diff --git a/next.config.ts b/next.config.ts
index 95db85b..1c1ba19 100644
--- a/next.config.ts
+++ b/next.config.ts
@@ -58,12 +58,16 @@ const nextConfig: NextConfig = {
         ],
       },
       {
-        // Static pages – moderate cache
-        source: "/:path((?!api/).*)",
+        // Application HTML pages – no-store to prevent HTML/shell caching in WebView
+        source: "/:path((?!api/|_next/|fonts/|assets/).*)",
         headers: [
           {
             key: "Cache-Control",
-            value: "public, max-age=3600, stale-while-revalidate=86400",
+            value: "no-store, no-cache, must-revalidate, max-age=0",
+          },
+          {
+            key: "Pragma",
+            value: "no-cache",
           },
         ],
       },
diff --git a/src/app/layout.tsx b/src/app/layout.tsx
index b176178..b0fe670 100644
--- a/src/app/layout.tsx
+++ b/src/app/layout.tsx
@@ -24,6 +24,14 @@ const amiri = Amiri({
   fallback: ["Arial", "sans-serif"],
 });
 
+const isDevelopment = process.env.NODE_ENV !== "production";
+
+// Never ship a fallback token to production: without it a real user whose
+// Flutter token has not been injected yet would silently browse a test account.
+const developmentFallbackToken = isDevelopment
+  ? (process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_DEFAULT_TOKEN ?? "")
+  : "";
+
 export const metadata: Metadata = {
   title: "Habib Marriage",
   description: "Islamic Marriage Platform",
@@ -117,7 +125,7 @@ export default function RootLayout({
                       }
                     },
                     get: function() {
-                      return this._habib_token || readCookie(HABIB_TOKEN_COOKIE) || sessionStorage.getItem(HABIB_TOKEN_COOKIE) || '${process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_DEFAULT_TOKEN || "f3a7543b44ef0a713d1ee0d4f7866b3825cf1308"}';
+                      return this._habib_token || readCookie(HABIB_TOKEN_COOKIE) || sessionStorage.getItem(HABIB_TOKEN_COOKIE) || undefined;
                     }
                   });
                 }
diff --git a/src/app/questions-list/page.tsx b/src/app/questions-list/page.tsx
index 80c3a1b..4727aef 100644
--- a/src/app/questions-list/page.tsx
+++ b/src/app/questions-list/page.tsx
@@ -18,6 +18,10 @@ import {
   type QuestionListItem,
 } from "@/data/question-data";
 import { hasQuestionAnswerValue } from "@/components/questions/question-answer-storage";
+import {
+  clearMatchStartGrace,
+  markMatchStarted,
+} from "@/lib/match-start-grace";
 import { useStartMarriageMatchMutation } from "@/hooks/marriage/use-match-start";
 import { useMarriageProfileQuery } from "@/hooks/marriage/use-profile-main";
 import { useMarriageSectionsQuery } from "@/hooks/marriage/use-sections";
@@ -36,16 +40,13 @@ export default function QuestionsListPage() {
   });
   const startMatchMutation = useStartMarriageMatchMutation({
     onSuccess: () => {
-      if (typeof window !== "undefined") {
-        localStorage.setItem("match_submitted", "true");
-      }
+      markMatchStarted();
       router.push(localizePath("/finding-match", locale));
     },
     onError: () => {
-      if (typeof window !== "undefined") {
-        localStorage.setItem("match_submitted", "true");
-      }
-      router.push(localizePath("/finding-match", locale));
+      // Never pretend the request went through – the user stays here and can
+      // retry instead of being parked on the waiting screen forever.
+      clearMatchStartGrace();
     },
   });
   const [isOptionalInfoSheetOpen, setIsOptionalInfoSheetOpen] = useState(false);
@@ -114,20 +115,11 @@ export default function QuestionsListPage() {
   }, [questionListItems, sectionProgressBySlug]);
 
   const handleStartMatch = () => {
-    if (typeof window !== "undefined") {
-      localStorage.setItem("match_submitted", "true");
-    }
-
-    if (!canStartMatch) {
-      router.push(localizePath("/finding-match", locale));
+    if (isStartMatchDisabled) {
       return;
     }
 
-    startMatchMutation.mutate(undefined, {
-      onSettled: () => {
-        router.push(localizePath("/finding-match", locale));
-      },
-    });
+    startMatchMutation.mutate();
   };
 
   return (
@@ -244,6 +236,14 @@ export default function QuestionsListPage() {
           style={{ paddingBottom: "calc(16px + var(--safe-bottom))" }}
           className="fixed inset-x-0 bottom-0 z-20 mx-auto w-full max-w-[375px] bg-[#F5F5F5]/95 px-[17px] pt-3 backdrop-blur-md"
         >
+          {startMatchMutation.isError ? (
+            <p
+              role="alert"
+              className="pb-2 text-center group-12 font-semibold text-[#D93025]"
+            >
+              {t.questions.startMatchFailed}
+            </p>
+          ) : null}
           <Button
             aria-label={t.questions.findMatches}
             disabled={isStartMatchDisabled}
diff --git a/src/lib/get-submit-path.ts b/src/lib/get-submit-path.ts
index db9f5ee..cc77ced 100644
--- a/src/lib/get-submit-path.ts
+++ b/src/lib/get-submit-path.ts
@@ -1,18 +1,19 @@
 import type { MarriageProfileResponse } from "@/hooks/marriage/types";
+import {
+  clearLegacyMatchSubmittedFlag,
+  isWithinMatchStartGrace,
+} from "./match-start-grace";
 
 export function getSubmitPath(profile: MarriageProfileResponse | undefined) {
+  clearLegacyMatchSubmittedFlag();
+
   if (!profile) {
     return "/intro";
   }
 
-  const isMatchSubmitted =
-    typeof window !== "undefined" &&
-    localStorage.getItem("match_submitted") === "true";
-
   const activeCase = profile.active_case;
-  const isInCase = profile.status === "in_case" || Boolean(activeCase);
 
-  if (isInCase && activeCase) {
+  if (activeCase) {
     const caseStatus = activeCase.status;
     const myAction = activeCase.my_action;
     const isFemale = profile.gender === "female";
@@ -45,23 +46,33 @@ export function getSubmitPath(profile: MarriageProfileResponse | undefined) {
       return "/finding-match";
     }
 
-    return "/new-match";
+    // male_rejected / female_rejected / dismissed – the case is over, the user
+    // goes back to waiting for the next match.
+    return "/finding-match";
   }
 
   if (profile.status === "pending_onboarding") {
     return "/terms";
   }
 
-  if (profile.status === "pending_info" && !isMatchSubmitted) {
-    return "/questions-list";
+  // Checked before "waiting" so a matched profile is never shadowed.
+  if (profile.status === "matched") {
+    return "/candidate-contact";
+  }
+
+  if (profile.status === "in_case") {
+    return "/finding-match";
   }
 
-  if (profile.status === "waiting" || isMatchSubmitted) {
+  if (profile.status === "waiting") {
     return "/finding-match";
   }
 
-  if (profile.status === "matched") {
-    return "/candidate-contact";
+  if (profile.status === "pending_info") {
+    // The backend may still report pending_info for a moment right after the
+    // match request is sent, so honour a short grace window to avoid bouncing
+    // the user back into the questions list.
+    return isWithinMatchStartGrace() ? "/finding-match" : "/questions-list";
   }
 
   return "/terms";
diff --git a/src/lib/http.ts b/src/lib/http.ts
index 55ac334..1ae0a4e 100644
--- a/src/lib/http.ts
+++ b/src/lib/http.ts
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ export const http = axios.create({
   withCredentials: true,
 });
 
-http.interceptors.request.use((config) => {
+http.interceptors.request.use(async (config) => {
   if (shouldUseProxy() && config.url && !isAbsoluteUrl(config.url)) {
     config.params = withProxyPathParam(config.params, config.url);
     config.url = "";
@@ -84,11 +84,12 @@ http.interceptors.request.use((config) => {
   config.headers["Cache-Control"] = "no-cache, no-store, must-revalidate";
   config.headers["Pragma"] = "no-cache";
 
+  // Wait for a pending Flutter token injection rather than firing the request
+  // unauthenticated (or, as before, with a hardcoded test token).
   const token =
-    authBridge.getToken() ??
+    (await authBridge.waitForToken()) ??
     getClientCookie("HABIB_TOKEN") ??
-    process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_DEFAULT_TOKEN ??
-    "f3a7543b44ef0a713d1ee0d4f7866b3825cf1308";
+    getClientCookie("habib_token");
 
   if (token) {
     config.headers.Authorization = `Token ${token}`;
diff --git a/src/lib/match-start-grace.ts b/src/lib/match-start-grace.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a4bbad7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/match-start-grace.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+// The backend can still report `pending_info` for a short moment after a match
+// request is accepted. Without a grace window the user is bounced from
+// /finding-match straight back to /questions-list.
+//
+// This lives in sessionStorage on purpose: it must not survive a WebView
+// restart the way the old `match_submitted` localStorage flag did, because a
+// sticky flag shadows the real profile status forever.
+
+const STORAGE_KEY = "marriage:match-start-at";
+const LEGACY_STORAGE_KEY = "match_submitted";
+const GRACE_MS = 60_000;
+
+export function markMatchStarted() {
+  if (typeof window === "undefined") {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  try {
+    window.sessionStorage.setItem(STORAGE_KEY, String(Date.now()));
+  } catch {
+    // Storage can throw in private mode or when the quota is exhausted.
+  }
+}
+
+export function isWithinMatchStartGrace() {
+  if (typeof window === "undefined") {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  try {
+    const rawValue = window.sessionStorage.getItem(STORAGE_KEY);
+
+    if (!rawValue) {
+      return false;
+    }
+
+    const startedAt = Number(rawValue);
+
+    if (!Number.isFinite(startedAt) || Date.now() - startedAt > GRACE_MS) {
+      window.sessionStorage.removeItem(STORAGE_KEY);
+      return false;
+    }
+
+    return true;
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
+export function clearMatchStartGrace() {
+  if (typeof window === "undefined") {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  try {
+    window.sessionStorage.removeItem(STORAGE_KEY);
+  } catch {
+    // Ignore storage failures – the grace window expires on its own anyway.
+  }
+}
+
+// Older builds wrote a `match_submitted` flag to localStorage and never removed
+// it, which pinned affected users to /finding-match permanently. Drop it on boot
+// so devices already carrying the flag recover without a manual data clear.
+export function clearLegacyMatchSubmittedFlag() {
+  if (typeof window === "undefined") {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  try {
+    window.localStorage.removeItem(LEGACY_STORAGE_KEY);
+  } catch {
+    // Ignore storage failures.
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/translations/locales/en.json b/src/translations/locales/en.json
index 6c21687..717b6c3 100644
--- a/src/translations/locales/en.json
+++ b/src/translations/locales/en.json
@@ -59,7 +59,8 @@
         "Taking this test is not mandatory, but it will help you better understand your priorities and find a more compatible spouse.",
         "By identifying your strongest needs, you can better communicate your expectations and build healthier relationships."
       ]
-    }
+    },
+    "startMatchFailed": "Sending the match request failed. Please check your connection and try again."
   },
   "match": {
     "title": "New Match",
@@ -145,4 +146,4 @@
     "matchProfile": "Match Profile",
     "profileLocked": "Profile is locked"
   }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/src/translations/locales/fa.json b/src/translations/locales/fa.json
index 2265bcd..2d4c57c 100644
--- a/src/translations/locales/fa.json
+++ b/src/translations/locales/fa.json
@@ -51,7 +51,8 @@
         "انجام این تست اجباری نیست، اما به شما کمک می‌کند اولویت‌های خود را بهتر بشناسید و همسر سازگارتری پیدا کنید.",
         "با شناسایی قوی‌ترین نیازهای خود، می‌توانید انتظارات خود را بهتر بیان کنید و روابط سالم‌تری بسازید."
       ]
-    }
+    },
+    "startMatchFailed": "ارسال درخواست مچ انجام نشد. اتصال خود را بررسی کنید و دوباره تلاش کنید."
   },
   "match": {
     "title": "گزینه جدید",
@@ -126,4 +127,4 @@
     "matchProfile": "مشاهده پروفایل گزینه",
     "profileLocked": "پروفایل قفل است"
   }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}