diff --git a/packages/insomnia/src/ui/hooks/use-startup-sync.test.tsx b/packages/insomnia/src/ui/hooks/use-startup-sync.test.tsx
index 0efa446cf5..b6a4712b7e 100644
--- a/packages/insomnia/src/ui/hooks/use-startup-sync.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/insomnia/src/ui/hooks/use-startup-sync.test.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /**
  * @vitest-environment jsdom
  */
-import { QueryClient, useMutation } from '@tanstack/react-query';
+import { QueryClient, useMutation, useQuery } from '@tanstack/react-query';
 import React, { act, StrictMode } from 'react';
 import { createRoot, type Root } from 'react-dom/client';
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
@@ -18,9 +18,9 @@ vi.mock('~/ui/organization-utils', () => ({
   findMigrationTargetSpaceId: vi.fn(() => 'org_target'),
   migrateProjectsUnderOrganization: vi.fn(),
 }));
-vi.mock('~/ui/context/app/server-data-context', () => ({ useServerDataQueryClient: () => queryClient }));
 vi.mock('~/ui/hooks/use-query', () => ({
   useServerMutation: (options: Parameters<typeof useMutation>[0]) => useMutation(options, queryClient),
+  useServerQuery: (options: Parameters<typeof useQuery>[0]) => useQuery(options, queryClient),
 }));
 
 import { services } from 'insomnia-data';
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ const render = async (organizationId: string) => {
   await flush();
 };
 
-// TanStack Query delivers mutation results through its batched (setTimeout) notifier.
+// TanStack Query delivers query results through its batched (setTimeout) notifier.
 const flush = () => act(() => new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 0)));
 
 describe('useStartupSync', () => {
@@ -121,14 +121,18 @@ describe('useStartupSync', () => {
     expect(result.current?.status).toBe('idle');
   });
 
-  it('reports an error without retrying by itself, and a retry runs the full task set again', async () => {
+  it('reports an error without retrying by itself, even on remount, and a retry runs the full task set again', async () => {
     vi.mocked(syncProjects).mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error('network'));
 
     await render('org_1');
     expect(result.current?.status).toBe('error');
 
+    await render('org_1');
+    act(() => root.unmount());
+    root = createRoot(container);
     await render('org_1');
     expect(syncProjects).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(result.current?.status).toBe('error');
 
     await act(async () => result.current?.retry());
     await flush();
diff --git a/packages/insomnia/src/ui/hooks/use-startup-sync.ts b/packages/insomnia/src/ui/hooks/use-startup-sync.ts
index 0c6e01dbac..3b562ca382 100644
--- a/packages/insomnia/src/ui/hooks/use-startup-sync.ts
+++ b/packages/insomnia/src/ui/hooks/use-startup-sync.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,11 @@
-import { useMutationState } from '@tanstack/react-query';
+import { queryOptions } from '@tanstack/react-query';
 import type { Organization } from 'insomnia-api';
 import { services } from 'insomnia-data';
-import { useCallback, useEffect } from 'react';
+import { useCallback } from 'react';
 
 import { syncProjects } from '~/common/project';
 import { invariant } from '~/common/utils/invariant';
-import { useServerDataQueryClient } from '~/ui/context/app/server-data-context';
-import { useServerMutation } from '~/ui/hooks/use-query';
+import { useServerMutation, useServerQuery } from '~/ui/hooks/use-query';
 import { findMigrationTargetSpaceId, migrateProjectsUnderOrganization } from '~/ui/organization-utils';
 
 // Migrates legacy projects into the account's organizations and syncs the team projects of the
@@ -29,7 +28,30 @@ async function runStartupSync(organizationId: string) {
   await syncProjects(organizationId);
 }
 
-const startupSyncMutationKey = (organizationId: string) => ['startup-sync', organizationId];
+/**
+ * The startup sync of one organization as a query: one run per organization and session, shared by
+ * every component that reads it. Its data is only a "done" marker, so it never goes stale and is
+ * kept for the session; signing out clears the cache, so the next session syncs again. A failed run
+ * is not retried by itself, not even when a component mounts again: the sync indicator offers the
+ * retry.
+ */
+export const startupSyncQuery = (organizationId: string) =>
+  queryOptions({
+    queryKey: ['startup-sync', organizationId],
+    queryFn: async () => {
+      try {
+        await runStartupSync(organizationId);
+      } catch (error) {
+        console.log('Failed to run async task', error);
+        throw error;
+      }
+      return null;
+    },
+    staleTime: Infinity,
+    gcTime: Infinity,
+    retry: false,
+    retryOnMount: false,
+  });
 
 /**
  * Runs the startup sync in the background the first time an organization is entered in this
@@ -37,40 +59,11 @@ const startupSyncMutationKey = (organizationId: string) => ['startup-sync', orga
  * organizations). A retry always runs the full task set again.
  */
 export function useStartupSync(organizationId: string) {
-  const queryClient = useServerDataQueryClient();
-  const mutationKey = startupSyncMutationKey(organizationId);
-  const { mutate } = useServerMutation({
-    mutationKey,
-    mutationFn: runStartupSync,
-    onError: error => console.log('Failed to run async task', error),
-    // Keep every run for the session: it marks the organization as synced, and a failed one keeps
-    // the indicator offering a retry. Signing out clears the cache, so the next session syncs again.
-    gcTime: Infinity,
-  });
-  // Read the status from the mutation cache rather than from `useMutation`: under StrictMode the
-  // simulated unmount detaches its observer from the in-flight run, and as the effect below skips
-  // an organization that already has a run, nothing would re-attach it.
-  const statuses = useMutationState(
-    { filters: { mutationKey, exact: true }, select: mutation => mutation.state.status },
-    queryClient,
-  );
-  const status = statuses.at(-1) ?? 'idle';
-
-  useEffect(() => {
-    // Once per organization: a run in the cache, in flight or settled, means it was synced already.
-    // This also absorbs the StrictMode double effect.
-    const hasRun = queryClient
-      .getMutationCache()
-      .find({ mutationKey: startupSyncMutationKey(organizationId), exact: true });
-    if (!hasRun) {
-      mutate(organizationId);
-    }
-  }, [mutate, organizationId, queryClient]);
-
-  const retry = useCallback(() => mutate(organizationId), [mutate, organizationId]);
+  const { isFetching, isError, refetch } = useServerQuery(startupSyncQuery(organizationId));
+  const retry = useCallback(() => refetch(), [refetch]);
 
   return {
-    status: status === 'success' ? 'idle' : status,
+    status: isFetching ? 'pending' : isError ? 'error' : 'idle',
     retry,
   } as const;
 }