diff --git a/src/ui-touch/ConsoleUI.cpp b/src/ui-touch/ConsoleUI.cpp
index 0ef7360..99e89ab 100644
--- a/src/ui-touch/ConsoleUI.cpp
+++ b/src/ui-touch/ConsoleUI.cpp
@@ -50,6 +50,9 @@ extern int  luaHostDiscoverAt(int idx, char* pk_hex, size_t pk_cap, char* name,
 // Board touch driver, read directly. lvglTouchRead() is only an adapter that
 // feeds LVGL, so there is nothing to unpick here: the driver polls either way.
 extern bool heltecV4CapTouchGetLive(uint16_t* x, uint16_t* y);
+#if defined(ESP32)
+extern void consoleHostRebootToUi();   // clears the pref, flushes it, reboots
+#endif
 #endif
 
 namespace {
@@ -526,11 +529,13 @@ void submit() {
   // The way back to the graphical UI. One of three, per CONSOLE_MODE.md: this,
   // a key held at boot, and clearing the pref over serial or the flasher.
   if (!strcasecmp(cmd, "ui") || !strcasecmp(cmd, "exit")) {
-    touchPrefsSetConsoleMode(false);
     consoleWriteLine("switching to the graphical UI, rebooting...");
     render();
     delay(600);            // let the line land on the panel before the reset
-    ESP.restart();
+    // Clears the pref AND flushes it. Doing the write here and calling
+    // ESP.restart() left the queued snapshot unwritten, so this came straight
+    // back to the console.
+    consoleHostRebootToUi();
     return;
   }
 #endif
diff --git a/src/ui-touch/UITask.cpp b/src/ui-touch/UITask.cpp
index 0b056fb..8aca006 100644
--- a/src/ui-touch/UITask.cpp
+++ b/src/ui-touch/UITask.cpp
@@ -51966,8 +51966,12 @@ void UITask::rebootDevice() {
     char why[64]; chatSaveFailText(why, sizeof why);
     char msg[128];
     snprintf(msg, sizeof msg, "%s\n%s", TR("Chat history save FAILED"), why);
-    showAlert(msg, 1800);
+    showAlert(msg, 1800);          // console-aware: prints instead when there is no LVGL
+#if CAP_CONSOLE
+    if (!s_console_mode) lv_refr_now(NULL);
+#else
     lv_refr_now(NULL);
+#endif
     delay(1500);   // let the warning actually paint before the reset
   }
   discoveredFlushNow();   // persist the Discovered ring before we go down
@@ -51977,6 +51981,27 @@ void UITask::rebootDevice() {
   if (_board) _board->reboot();
 }
 
+#if CAP_CONSOLE && defined(ESP32)
+// The console's way back to the graphical UI (the `ui` / `exit` command).
+//
+// It must go through rebootDevice(), not ESP.restart(), and the reason is not
+// obvious: touchPrefsSetConsoleMode() only QUEUES an A/B snapshot. SdNvsPrefs
+// deliberately keeps filesystem I/O off the calling thread, and
+// touchPrefsFlush() -- which rebootDevice() calls last -- is what forces the
+// queued write out. Restarting directly discarded it, so the pref still said
+// "console" on the next boot and `ui` looked like it did nothing.
+//
+// Going through rebootDevice() also means the console exits on the same terms
+// as everything else: chat history, the Discovered ring and the sync replay
+// ring are all persisted first.
+void consoleHostRebootToUi() {
+  touchPrefsSetConsoleMode(false);
+  if (g_lv.task) { g_lv.task->rebootDevice(); return; }
+  touchPrefsFlush();   // no UITask (should not happen): at least do not lose the pref
+  ESP.restart();
+}
+#endif
+
 void UITask::msgRead(int msgcount) { _msgcount = msgcount; }
 
 // Shared core for newMsg / newMsgFromPubWithMeta. Bundles the channel-vs-DM