diff --git a/src/routes/idaa/(idaa)/+layout.svelte b/src/routes/idaa/(idaa)/+layout.svelte
index 78a7b161..c83f47ff 100644
--- a/src/routes/idaa/(idaa)/+layout.svelte
+++ b/src/routes/idaa/(idaa)/+layout.svelte
@@ -63,6 +63,14 @@ let verify_in_flight = false;
 // UUID must be verified fresh. A plain boolean would wrongly block verification of the new UUID.
 // Storing the failed UUID means only that exact UUID is skipped; any other UUID is a clean slate.
 let verify_failed_for_uuid: string | null = null;
+// Tracks the type of Novi API failure for the UI — 'rate_limited' or 'api_error'.
+// A transient API error is NOT the same as a real membership denial; this lets us
+// show a distinct "Verification Unavailable" state instead of "Access Denied".
+let verify_error_type: 'rate_limited' | 'api_error' | null = $state(null);
+// Shown inside the spinner — updated during rate-limit retry waits.
+let verifying_status_msg: string = $state('Verifying identity...');
+// Incremented by handle_verify_retry() to re-run Effect 2 without a full page reload.
+let retry_count: number = $state(0);
 
 // Clear stale db_events.event IDB data on IDAA session start.
 //
@@ -140,6 +148,7 @@ $effect(() => {
     // Read url_uuid here (outside untrack) to create a reactive dependency.
     // Effect 2 re-runs whenever the UUID in the URL changes.
     const current_uuid = url_uuid;
+    void retry_count; // Reactive dep — re-run Effect 2 when user clicks "Try Again".
 
     untrack(() => {
         if (!current_uuid) {
@@ -268,6 +277,8 @@ async function verify_novi_uuid(
         verify_in_flight = false;
         return;
     }
+    verifying_status_msg = 'Verifying identity...';
+    verify_error_type = null;
     console.log(`IDAA Layout: Starting Novi UUID verification for ${uuid}...`);
 
     try {
@@ -280,9 +291,11 @@ async function verify_novi_uuid(
 
         if (response.status === 429) {
             if (is_retry) {
+                verify_error_type = 'rate_limited';
                 throw new Error(`Novi API rate limited for UUID ${uuid} (retry also failed)`);
             }
             console.warn(`IDAA Layout: Novi API rate limited (429) for ${uuid}. Retrying in 10s...`);
+            verifying_status_msg = 'High traffic — retrying in 10 seconds...';
             await new Promise<void>((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 10_000));
             await verify_novi_uuid(uuid, api_key, api_root_url, true);
             return;
@@ -293,6 +306,10 @@ async function verify_novi_uuid(
         }
 
         const result = await response.json();
+        log_lvl = 2;
+        if (log_lvl > 1) {
+            console.log(`IDAA Layout: Novi API response for ${uuid}:`, result);
+        }
 
         // Build display name: prefer "First L." format, fall back to full Name field.
         const first_name = result?.FirstName ?? null;
@@ -359,6 +376,8 @@ async function verify_novi_uuid(
             error
         );
         verify_failed_for_uuid = uuid; // Latch — stop retry loop for this UUID. See declaration comment.
+        // 'rate_limited' is set before throw for 429; everything else is an unexpected API error.
+        if (!verify_error_type) verify_error_type = 'api_error';
         $idaa_loc.novi_uuid = null;
         $idaa_loc.novi_email = null;
         $idaa_loc.novi_full_name = null;
@@ -375,6 +394,17 @@ async function verify_novi_uuid(
         novi_verifying = false;
     }
 }
+/**
+ * Clears the verification failure latch and forces Effect 2 to re-run without a full page reload.
+ * Called by the "Try Again" button in the verification-error UI state.
+ */
+function handle_verify_retry() {
+    verify_error_type = null;
+    verify_failed_for_uuid = null;
+    verifying_timed_out = false;
+    novi_verifying = true;
+    retry_count++;
+}
 </script>
 
 {#if !browser}
@@ -389,7 +419,7 @@ async function verify_novi_uuid(
         class="container m-8 flex w-full flex-col items-center justify-center gap-2 p-8">
         <p class="text-center text-sm text-gray-500">
             <span class="fas fa-spinner fa-spin"></span>
-            Verifying identity...
+            {verifying_status_msg}
         </p>
         {#if verifying_timed_out}
             <!-- Escape hatch: shown after VERIFY_TIMEOUT_MS if still spinning.
@@ -417,6 +447,75 @@ async function verify_novi_uuid(
             </button>
         {/if}
     </div>
+{:else if verify_error_type}
+    <!-- Verification error — distinct from real access denial.
+         A transient Novi API failure (network, 5xx, rate limit) should NOT look identical
+         to a real "your UUID is not a member" denial. Provides Try Again without a reload,
+         plus aggressive Clear Cache and Full Reset paths for persistent issues. -->
+    <div class="container m-8 flex w-full flex-col items-center justify-center gap-3 p-8 text-center">
+        <h1 class="font-bold">
+            <span class="text-yellow-500 dark:text-yellow-400">
+                <span class="fas fa-exclamation-circle mr-1"></span>
+                Identity Verification Unavailable
+            </span>
+        </h1>
+        {#if verify_error_type === 'rate_limited'}
+            <p class="text-sm">
+                The membership directory is temporarily busy (rate limited). Please wait a moment and try again.
+            </p>
+        {:else}
+            <p class="text-sm">
+                We were unable to connect to the membership directory. This is likely a temporary issue — it may not be a problem with your membership or access.
+            </p>
+        {/if}
+        <p class="text-xs italic text-gray-500">
+            If this keeps happening, try "Clear Cache &amp; Reload" or contact technical support.
+        </p>
+        <div class="flex flex-row flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-2">
+            <!-- Try Again: unlatches verify_failed_for_uuid and re-runs Effect 2 — no reload needed -->
+            <button
+                type="button"
+                onclick={handle_verify_retry}
+                class="btn btn-sm preset-tonal-primary border-primary-500 border">
+                <span class="fas fa-redo m-1"></span>
+                Try Again
+            </button>
+            <!-- Clear Cache & Reload: wipes IDAA-specific localStorage + IDB, then reloads -->
+            <button
+                type="button"
+                onclick={() => {
+                    localStorage.removeItem('ae_idaa_loc');
+                    console.log('IDAA Layout: Clear Cache & Reload — purging IDAA IDB tables.');
+                    db_posts.post.clear().catch(() => {});
+                    db_posts.comment.clear().catch(() => {});
+                    db_archives.archive.clear().catch(() => {});
+                    db_archives.content.clear().catch(() => {});
+                    db_events.event.clear().catch(() => {});
+                    location.reload();
+                }}
+                class="btn btn-sm preset-tonal-surface preset-outlined-warning-100-900 hover:preset-filled-warning-200-800 transition-all">
+                <span class="fas fa-sync-alt m-1"></span>
+                Clear Cache &amp; Reload
+            </button>
+            <!-- Full Reset: enumerates and deletes all IDB + clears all storage + reloads -->
+            <button
+                type="button"
+                onclick={async () => {
+                    if (!confirm('FULL RESET: Delete all caches and local storage, then reload?')) return;
+                    const db_list = await indexedDB.databases();
+                    for (const db of db_list) {
+                        if (db.name) indexedDB.deleteDatabase(db.name);
+                    }
+                    localStorage.clear();
+                    sessionStorage.clear();
+                    location.reload();
+                }}
+                class="btn btn-sm preset-tonal-surface preset-outlined-error-100-900 hover:preset-filled-error-200-800 transition-all">
+                <span class="fas fa-trash m-1"></span>
+                Full Reset
+            </button>
+        </div>
+    </div>
 {:else if $ae_loc.trusted_access || ($ae_loc.authenticated_access && $idaa_loc.novi_uuid && $idaa_loc.novi_verified)}
     <!-- TEMPORARY (2026-04-01): One-time notice about last night's technical issues. Remove after a few days. -->
     <!-- {#if show_tech_notice && 1 == 3}
@@ -463,7 +562,7 @@ async function verify_novi_uuid(
                 <span class="fas fa-exclamation-triangle"></span>
             </span>
         </h1>
-        <p>You do not have access to these IDAA page.</p>
+        <p>You do not have access to this IDAA page.</p>
 
         {#if $ae_loc.iframe}
             In iframe mode
diff --git a/src/routes/idaa/(idaa)/recovery_meetings/+page.svelte b/src/routes/idaa/(idaa)/recovery_meetings/+page.svelte
index 456ca69f..66c4cf38 100644
--- a/src/routes/idaa/(idaa)/recovery_meetings/+page.svelte
+++ b/src/routes/idaa/(idaa)/recovery_meetings/+page.svelte
@@ -47,6 +47,9 @@ let last_executed_key = '';
 // with a visible retry button — NOT the same "No meetings found" message a real empty
 // result would show. (Conflating the two was a key reason the bug went unsolved so long.)
 let auto_retry_count = 0;
+// Tracks the category of the last search error for a more informative user message.
+// ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED and other fetch failures surface as TypeError in JS.
+let qry_error_detail: 'network' | 'server' | null = $state(null);
 
 // ── Escape-hatch: cache-reset button after suspicious zero-result delay ──────────────
 //
@@ -188,6 +191,7 @@ async function handle_search_refresh(qry_key: string) {
         );
 
     $idaa_sess.recovery_meetings.qry__status = 'loading';
+    qry_error_detail = null;
 
     // If 'Remote First' is toggled (Admin only), we clear results immediately to show fresh state.
     if (remote_first) {
@@ -388,7 +392,10 @@ async function handle_search_refresh(qry_key: string) {
         }
     } catch (error) {
         if (current_search_id === last_search_id) {
-            console.error('Revalidation failed:', error);
+            // TypeError = network-level failure (ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED, offline, DNS failure).
+            // These are transient by nature; show a different message than a server error.
+            const is_network_err = error instanceof TypeError;
+            console.error('Revalidation failed:', is_network_err ? `Network error: ${error}` : error);
 
             if (auto_retry_count < 1) {
                 // First failure — schedule one silent retry before surfacing the error.
@@ -406,6 +413,7 @@ async function handle_search_refresh(qry_key: string) {
                 // is not the same as a genuinely empty result. Conflating the two was why
                 // the "no meetings found" bug went undiagnosed for ~1 year — staff and users
                 // saw what looked like an empty list and assumed no data, not a failure.
+                qry_error_detail = is_network_err ? 'network' : 'server';
                 $idaa_sess.recovery_meetings.qry__status = 'error';
                 event_id_li = [];
             }
@@ -474,7 +482,13 @@ if (browser) {
         {:else if $idaa_sess.recovery_meetings.qry__status === 'error'}
             <div
                 class="ae_highlight ae_padding_md ae_row ae_flex_justify_center flex-col gap-2 text-center">
-                <p>Unable to load meetings. Please try again.</p>
+                <p>
+                    {#if qry_error_detail === 'network'}
+                        Network connection interrupted — please check your connection and try again.
+                    {:else}
+                        Unable to load meetings — server error. Please try again.
+                    {/if}
+                </p>
                 <button
                     type="button"
                     class="btn btn-sm preset-tonal-primary m-auto"