diff --git a/src/hooks/useDashboardData.js b/src/hooks/useDashboardData.js
index ee67de8..b8287bc 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useDashboardData.js
+++ b/src/hooks/useDashboardData.js
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ async function loadInto(path, set, pick = (data) => data) {
 
 export default function useDashboardData() {
     const {reload: reloadUser} = useCurrentUserContext();
-    const [steamData, setSteamData] = useState({count: 0, hasSteamId: false});
+    const [steamData, setSteamData] = useState({count: 0, hasSteamId: false, syncStarted: false});
     const [topGames, setTopGames] = useState([]);
     const [playing, setPlaying] = useState([]);
     const [summary, setSummary] = useState(null);
diff --git a/src/pages/Dashboard.jsx b/src/pages/Dashboard.jsx
index 4109e49..5759498 100644
--- a/src/pages/Dashboard.jsx
+++ b/src/pages/Dashboard.jsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import {useState} from 'react';
+import {useEffect, useState} from 'react';
 import {useTranslation} from 'react-i18next';
 import {toast} from 'sonner';
 import {RefreshCw} from 'lucide-react';
@@ -72,6 +72,9 @@ const Dashboard = () => {
         },
     });
     const forceSync = useForceSync(sync.watch);
+    useEffect(() => {
+        if (steamData.syncStarted) sync.watch();
+    }, [steamData, sync.watch]);
 
     if (isLoading) {
         return <DashboardSkeleton/>;
diff --git a/src/pages/Dashboard.test.jsx b/src/pages/Dashboard.test.jsx
index 4808349..f8f93f8 100644
--- a/src/pages/Dashboard.test.jsx
+++ b/src/pages/Dashboard.test.jsx
@@ -6,7 +6,10 @@ import {fetchRoutes, json} from '../test/fetchRoutes.js';
 import {renderWithProviders} from '../test/renderWithProviders.jsx';
 
 vi.mock('react-i18next', () => import('../test/i18n-mock.js'));
-vi.mock('../hooks/useLibrarySync.js', () => ({default: () => ({status: 'OK', lastSyncedAt: null, isRunning: false})}));
+const watchSync = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn());
+vi.mock('../hooks/useLibrarySync.js', () => ({
+    default: () => ({status: 'OK', lastSyncedAt: null, isRunning: false, watch: watchSync}),
+}));
 vi.mock('../hooks/useForceSync.js', () => ({default: () => ({trigger: vi.fn(), busy: false})}));
 
 const avatar = 'https://avatars.steamstatic.com/abc_full.jpg';
@@ -42,6 +45,7 @@ beforeEach(() => {
 });
 
 afterEach(() => {
+    watchSync.mockClear();
     cleanup();
     localStorage.clear();
 });
@@ -177,5 +181,22 @@ describe('Dashboard', () => {
 
         expect(await screen.findByText(/DASHBOARD.HELLO/)).toBeTruthy();
     });
-});
 
+    it('watches the sync the server started for this visit', async () => {
+        fetchRoutes({
+            ...dashboardRoutes(),
+            'GET /api/library/games-count': json(200, {count: 1, hasSteamId: true, syncStarted: true}),
+        });
+        renderDashboard();
+
+        await waitFor(() => expect(watchSync).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1));
+    });
+
+    it('does not watch a sync when the server started none', async () => {
+        fetchRoutes(dashboardRoutes());
+        renderDashboard();
+
+        expect(await screen.findByText(/DASHBOARD.HELLO/)).toBeTruthy();
+        expect(watchSync).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+});
diff --git a/src/pages/Dashboard.visitSync.test.jsx b/src/pages/Dashboard.visitSync.test.jsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..eb8bba6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/pages/Dashboard.visitSync.test.jsx
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+// @vitest-environment jsdom
+import {afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi} from 'vitest';
+import {act, cleanup, screen} from '@testing-library/react';
+import Dashboard from './Dashboard.jsx';
+import {fetchRoutes, json} from '../test/fetchRoutes.js';
+import {renderWithProviders} from '../test/renderWithProviders.jsx';
+
+vi.mock('react-i18next', () => import('../test/i18n-mock.js'));
+
+const empty = {content: [], total: 0, byStatus: {}};
+const wait = (ms) => act(() => vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(ms));
+const calls = (path) => fetch.mock.calls.filter(([url]) => new URL(url, 'http://x').pathname.endsWith(path)).length;
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers({shouldAdvanceTime: true});
+    localStorage.setItem('tbp_session', '1');
+});
+
+afterEach(() => {
+    cleanup();
+    vi.useRealTimers();
+    localStorage.clear();
+});
+
+describe('Dashboard sync on a visit', () => {
+    it('showsTheSyncingBadgeDuringTheVisitSyncAndReloadsBannerAndLibraryAfterIt', async () => {
+        let syncStatus = {lastSyncStatus: 'OK', lastSyncedAt: '2026-10-03T10:00:00Z'};
+        let syncChanges = json(204, {});
+        fetchRoutes({
+            'GET /api/library/summary': json(200, empty),
+            'GET /api/hints': json(200, {results: []}),
+            'GET /api/news': json(200, {results: []}),
+            'GET /api/library/sync-changes': () => syncChanges,
+            'GET /api/users/me': json(200, {email: 'a@b.de', displayName: 'Lobo', steamId: '76561198000000000'}),
+            'GET /api/library/games': json(200, empty),
+            'GET /api/library/stats': json(200, {trend: null}),
+            'GET /api/library/steam-profile': json(200, {personaName: 'Lobo', avatarUrl: null}),
+            'GET /api/library/activity': json(200, {totalMinutes: 0, days: [], recentGames: []}),
+            'GET /api/library/games-count': json(200, {count: 1, hasSteamId: true, syncStarted: true}),
+            'GET /api/library/sync-status': () => json(200, syncStatus),
+            'GET /api/library/achievements/summary': json(200, {unlocked: 0, startedGames: 0, perfectGames: 0,
+                averageCompletion: 0, pendingGames: 0, hiddenGames: 0, closest: []}),
+        });
+        renderWithProviders(<Dashboard/>, {entries: ['/dashboard']});
+        expect(await screen.findByText(/DASHBOARD.HELLO/)).toBeTruthy();
+        expect(screen.queryByText('LIBRARY.SYNCING')).toBeNull();
+
+        syncStatus = {lastSyncStatus: 'RUNNING', lastSyncedAt: '2026-10-03T10:00:00Z'};
+        await wait(3000);
+        expect(screen.getByText('LIBRARY.SYNCING')).toBeTruthy();
+        const gamesBefore = calls('/api/library/games');
+        const changesBefore = calls('/api/library/sync-changes');
+
+        syncStatus = {lastSyncStatus: 'OK', lastSyncedAt: '2026-10-04T08:00:00Z'};
+        syncChanges = json(200, {syncedAt: '2026-10-04T08:00:00Z', startedBy: 'LOGIN', seen: false, importedGames: 0,
+            changes: [{kind: 'ADDED', appid: 1, name: 'New game', amount: 0}]});
+        await wait(3000);
+
+        expect(screen.queryByText('LIBRARY.SYNCING')).toBeNull();
+        expect(await screen.findByText('SYNC_CHANGES.ADDED:1')).toBeTruthy();
+        expect(calls('/api/library/sync-changes')).toBeGreaterThan(changesBefore);
+        expect(calls('/api/library/games')).toBeGreaterThan(gamesBefore);
+    });
+});
diff --git a/src/utils/syncChanges.js b/src/utils/syncChanges.js
index 21b4f91..d281a1a 100644
--- a/src/utils/syncChanges.js
+++ b/src/utils/syncChanges.js
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ export const markSyncChangesSeen = (syncedAt) =>
 /**
  * What the dashboard shows of a result: null (nothing), `{mode: 'nothing'}` for a manual sync that changed nothing, or
  * `{mode: 'changes', imported, added, removed, minutes, achievements, moves}`. A result the user saw, and an empty
- * result of an automatic sync, show nothing.
+ * result of an automatic or a visit sync, show nothing.
  */
 export function bannerOf(result) {
     if (!result || result.seen) return null;
diff --git a/src/utils/syncChanges.test.js b/src/utils/syncChanges.test.js
index 6331ec3..f6e23c7 100644
--- a/src/utils/syncChanges.test.js
+++ b/src/utils/syncChanges.test.js
@@ -16,6 +16,10 @@ describe('bannerOf', () => {
         expect(bannerOf(result())).toBeNull();
     });
 
+    it('showsNothingForAnEmptyLoginSync', () => {
+        expect(bannerOf(result({startedBy: 'LOGIN'}))).toBeNull();
+    });
+
     it('saysNothingChangedForAnEmptyManualSync', () => {
         expect(bannerOf(result({startedBy: 'MANUAL'}))).toEqual({mode: 'nothing'});
     });