diff --git a/src/routes/idaa/(idaa)/+layout.svelte b/src/routes/idaa/(idaa)/+layout.svelte
index f8d2164f..b80f3bcc 100644
--- a/src/routes/idaa/(idaa)/+layout.svelte
+++ b/src/routes/idaa/(idaa)/+layout.svelte
@@ -43,6 +43,23 @@ let novi_verifying: boolean = $state(!!url_uuid);
 // which would cause the guard to fire immediately and skip verification entirely.
 let verify_in_flight = false;
 
+// Show a manual reset button if the spinner is still visible after this many ms.
+// Handles the case where site_cfg_json loads without novi_idaa_api_key (stale cache)
+// or the Novi API call hangs — the user would otherwise be stuck with no escape.
+const VERIFY_TIMEOUT_MS = 8000;
+let verifying_timed_out: boolean = $state(false);
+
+$effect(() => {
+    if (novi_verifying) {
+        const id = setTimeout(() => {
+            verifying_timed_out = true;
+        }, VERIFY_TIMEOUT_MS);
+        return () => clearTimeout(id);
+    } else {
+        verifying_timed_out = false;
+    }
+});
+
 const VERIFIED_TTL_MS_DEFAULT = 5 * 60 * 1000; // 5 minutes
 
 // Effect 1: Set URL origin and params
@@ -253,6 +270,25 @@ async function verify_novi_uuid(
             <span class="fas fa-spinner fa-spin"></span>
             Verifying identity...
         </p>
+        {#if verifying_timed_out}
+            <!-- Escape hatch: shown after VERIFY_TIMEOUT_MS if still spinning.
+                 Most likely cause: stale localStorage missing novi_idaa_api_key.
+                 Clearing both stores and reloading forces a fresh site config fetch. -->
+            <p class="mt-2 text-center text-xs text-gray-400">
+                This is taking longer than expected.
+            </p>
+            <button
+                type="button"
+                class="btn btn-sm preset-tonal-primary border-primary-500 mt-1 border"
+                onclick={() => {
+                    localStorage.removeItem('ae_loc');
+                    localStorage.removeItem('ae_idaa_loc');
+                    location.reload();
+                }}>
+                <span class="fas fa-redo m-1"></span>
+                Reset &amp; Retry
+            </button>
+        {/if}
     </div>
 {:else if $ae_loc.trusted_access || ($ae_loc.authenticated_access && $idaa_loc.novi_uuid)}
     {@render children?.()}