diff --git a/changelog.d/1900-team-dossier-off-poll.changed.md b/changelog.d/1900-team-dossier-off-poll.changed.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8b4072983
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/1900-team-dossier-off-poll.changed.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+The Project board reads the team dossier (personas, memory heads, skills) once when the board opens instead of on every five-second refresh, so an open board no longer pulls about 16 KB of unchanged data per tick ([#1900](https://github.com/ThinkFlowLab/FlyBot/issues/1900)). A dossier read that fails now leaves the board drawn with an empty team area instead of falling back to the empty-project state.
diff --git a/core/client.js b/core/client.js
index aeef9850b..d4ef5f7bc 100644
--- a/core/client.js
+++ b/core/client.js
@@ -11260,17 +11260,19 @@ function ProjectMembersPanel({ project, rows, onClose } = {}) {
     )
   );
 }
-async function readProjectBoard(read, wanted) {
+async function readProjectBoard(read, wanted, cached) {
   const listing = await read("projects");
   const projects = Array.isArray(listing?.projects) ? listing.projects : [];
   const project = wanted === "" ? projects[0] : projects.find((item) => item.id === wanted);
   if (project === void 0) return { project: null, rows: [], done: [], canManage: false, tasks: [], team: { rows: [] } };
   const zone = typeof Intl === "undefined" || typeof Intl.DateTimeFormat !== "function" ? void 0 : Intl.DateTimeFormat().resolvedOptions().timeZone;
+  const seeded = cached !== null && typeof cached === "object" && cached.team !== void 0;
+  const teamAnswer = seeded ? Promise.resolve(cached.team) : Promise.resolve().then(() => read("project-team", { id: project.id })).catch(() => null);
   const [record, board, taskList, team] = await Promise.all([
     read("project-read", { id: project.id }),
     read("project-board", { id: project.id, timeZone: zone }),
     read("tasks", {}),
-    read("project-team", { id: project.id })
+    teamAnswer
   ]);
   const tasks = Array.isArray(taskList) ? taskList : taskList?.tasks ?? [];
   const queues = { waiting: board?.waiting, inflight: board?.inflight, blocked: board?.blocked, counts: board?.counts ?? null };
@@ -11328,7 +11330,12 @@ function ProjectBoardOverlay({ actions, call: request } = {}) {
     }
     const wanted = hash.slice("#project".length).replace(/^=/, "");
     let gone = false;
-    const loadBoard = () => readProjectBoard(read, wanted);
+    let teamAnswer;
+    const loadBoard = async () => {
+      const next = await readProjectBoard(read, wanted, teamAnswer === void 0 ? void 0 : { team: teamAnswer });
+      if (next.project !== null) teamAnswer = next.team;
+      return next;
+    };
     const refresh = async (first) => {
       try {
         const next = await loadBoard();
diff --git a/core/src/client/project-board.js b/core/src/client/project-board.js
index 4f8e0cbbc..a3ba1a31e 100644
--- a/core/src/client/project-board.js
+++ b/core/src/client/project-board.js
@@ -866,7 +866,11 @@ export function ProjectMembersPanel({ project, rows, onClose } = {}) {
 
 // #1864: one read for the whole board, exported so a test can prove the dossier comes from a single
 // `project-team` call. `read` is the channel seam (`call` in the app).
-export async function readProjectBoard(read, wanted) {
+// #1900: the dossier is the one answer in that read which does not change on a five-second clock, so
+// the caller hands back the answer it already has (`cached.team`) and the read skips the call: the
+// board reads it once when it opens and every poll after that draws that same answer. The other
+// three channels are read every time — they are the reason a poll exists.
+export async function readProjectBoard(read, wanted, cached) {
   const listing = await read('projects')
   const projects = Array.isArray(listing?.projects) ? listing.projects : []
   const project = wanted === '' ? projects[0] : projects.find(item => item.id === wanted)
@@ -874,11 +878,20 @@ export async function readProjectBoard(read, wanted) {
   const zone = typeof Intl === 'undefined' || typeof Intl.DateTimeFormat !== 'function'
     ? undefined
     : Intl.DateTimeFormat().resolvedOptions().timeZone
+  const seeded = cached !== null && typeof cached === 'object' && cached.team !== undefined
+  // #1900: a dossier that throws is the team area's loss, not the board's. The rejection used to
+  // reject the whole `Promise.all`, and the first paint turned that into the empty state — a broken
+  // persona file made a Project that exists read as "No Project yet", which is the one answer
+  // `:873` reserves for a Project that really is gone. Rows, `done`, tasks and queues still draw;
+  // only `team` gives up, as `{ rows: [] }` below.
+  const teamAnswer = seeded
+    ? Promise.resolve(cached.team)
+    : Promise.resolve().then(() => read('project-team', { id: project.id })).catch(() => null)
   const [record, board, taskList, team] = await Promise.all([
     read('project-read', { id: project.id }),
     read('project-board', { id: project.id, timeZone: zone }),
     read('tasks', {}),
-    read('project-team', { id: project.id }),
+    teamAnswer,
   ])
   const tasks = Array.isArray(taskList) ? taskList : (taskList?.tasks ?? [])
   // The groups are the same read as the rows, so the header cannot disagree with the cards.
@@ -951,7 +964,17 @@ export function ProjectBoardOverlay({ actions, call: request } = {}) {
     let gone = false
     // #1864: the board, its record, its rows, the task texts and the team dossier are one read path,
     // and the dossier comes from the single `project-team` call that read makes.
-    const loadBoard = () => readProjectBoard(read, wanted)
+    // #1900: that one dossier answer is held for as long as this board is open. The effect re-runs
+    // per `#project` entry, so re-opening the board reads the dossier again and a persona or memory
+    // edit lands then; the five-second poll only draws the answer the open read already took.
+    let teamAnswer
+    const loadBoard = async () => {
+      const next = await readProjectBoard(read, wanted, teamAnswer === undefined ? undefined : { team: teamAnswer })
+      // A board with no Project took no dossier read at all, so it seeds nothing: the first poll
+      // that does find the Project reads the dossier itself instead of caching the empty answer.
+      if (next.project !== null) teamAnswer = next.team
+      return next
+    }
     const refresh = async (first) => {
       try {
         const next = await loadBoard()
diff --git a/core/test/project-board-panels.test.js b/core/test/project-board-panels.test.js
index 6f4a2de11..cbe1fcdbb 100644
--- a/core/test/project-board-panels.test.js
+++ b/core/test/project-board-panels.test.js
@@ -537,6 +537,53 @@ test('the board reads the dossier from exactly one project-team call', async ()
   assert.deepEqual(opened.map(entry => entry.botId), ['bot-chief'])
 })
 
+// #1900: the dossier only changes when someone edits a persona or a memory file, so it is read
+// once, when the board opens, and the five-second poll (#1814/#1824) draws that answer instead of
+// asking again. The poll was re-reading the whole team dossier — host side a `memoryDigest` per row,
+// ~16 KB every 5 s — to receive an answer that had not changed.
+test('#1900: the five-second poll reuses the dossier answer the open read took', async () => {
+  resetSlots()
+  const calls = []
+  const read = async (endpoint) => {
+    calls.push(endpoint)
+    if (endpoint === 'projects') return { projects: [{ id: 'project-1', name: 'FlyBot', role: 'owner', choices: [] }] }
+    if (endpoint === 'project-read') return { project: projectRecord(), canManage: true }
+    if (endpoint === 'project-board') return boardAnswer()
+    if (endpoint === 'tasks') return []
+    if (endpoint === 'project-team') return { rows: [dossier(), null, { ...dossier(), botId: 'bot-dev', name: 'Dev' }] }
+    throw new Error(`unexpected endpoint ${endpoint}`)
+  }
+  const count = () => calls.filter(endpoint => endpoint === 'project-team').length
+  const opened = await readProjectBoard(read, 'project-1')
+  assert.equal(count(), 1, 'opening the board reads the dossier once')
+  const polled = await readProjectBoard(read, 'project-1', { team: opened.team })
+  assert.equal(count(), 1, 'the poll does not ask for the dossier again')
+  assert.equal(polled.team.rows.length, 3, 'the poll keeps drawing the one answer')
+  assert.deepEqual(polled.team.rows.map(row => row?.botId), opened.team.rows.map(row => row?.botId))
+})
+
+// #1900: a dossier that fails is not the board failing. It keeps its rows, its `done` group and its
+// tasks, and the team area draws empty — the empty-project answer (`project-board.js:873`) stays
+// reserved for a Project that really is absent, so a broken dossier cannot paint "No Project yet".
+test('#1900: a dossier read that throws leaves the board drawn and the team empty', async () => {
+  resetSlots()
+  const read = async (endpoint) => {
+    if (endpoint === 'projects') return { projects: [{ id: 'project-1', name: 'FlyBot', role: 'owner', choices: [] }] }
+    if (endpoint === 'project-read') return { project: projectRecord(), canManage: true }
+    if (endpoint === 'project-board') return { ...boardAnswer(), tasks: [{ id: 'row-1' }], done: [{ id: 'done-1' }] }
+    if (endpoint === 'tasks') return [{ id: 'task-1' }]
+    if (endpoint === 'project-team') throw new Error('the dossier is unreadable this tick')
+    throw new Error(`unexpected endpoint ${endpoint}`)
+  }
+  const state = await readProjectBoard(read, 'project-1')
+  assert.equal(state.project?.id, 'project-1', 'the Project still draws: no empty state')
+  assert.equal(state.rows.length, 1)
+  assert.equal(state.done.length, 1)
+  assert.equal(state.tasks.length, 1)
+  assert.deepEqual(Object.keys(state.team).sort(), ['rows'], 'the team area is the one thing that gives up')
+  assert.equal(state.team.rows.length, 0)
+})
+
 // #1892: the role pool is a rank list, not a Bot the board holds a dossier answer for.
 // `project-team` answers rows keyed by the Project's own Bots, so a pool click asked for a row the
 // host never sent and drew an empty panel. A pool entry now reads `@id` beside its rank; the Chief
diff --git a/core/test/project-board-view.test.js b/core/test/project-board-view.test.js
index c4310a890..9728903c8 100644
--- a/core/test/project-board-view.test.js
+++ b/core/test/project-board-view.test.js
@@ -353,7 +353,9 @@ test('#1814: an open board reads on every tick, stops once a row opens its own b
   assert.match(textIn(tree), /Dev4 · stalled/, 'the board draws what the first read answered')
   const afterFirst = count.calls
   await tick()
-  assert.equal(count.calls, afterFirst + 5, 'an open board reads again on the next tick')
+  // #1900: a tick is the four reads that change — the dossier was read once above and is drawn from
+  // that answer, so it is not part of a tick's count.
+  assert.equal(count.calls, afterFirst + 4, 'an open board reads the four that change on the next tick, not the dossier')
   // A row opens its own board: the hash names the task and this board stops drawing, so a tick that
   // lands before the cleanup must not read. This segment pins the unmount, not the predicate.
   const afterTick = count.calls
@@ -363,7 +365,7 @@ test('#1814: an open board reads on every tick, stops once a row opens its own b
   // Closing that board puts this one back in front: the next tick reads again.
   win.location.hash = '#project'
   await tick()
-  assert.equal(count.calls, afterTick + 5, 'closing the row’s board resumes the poll')
+  assert.equal(count.calls, afterTick + 4, 'closing the row’s board resumes the poll')
   // A hidden tab reads nothing either — this is the segment the named predicate is pinned by.
   const afterResume = count.calls
   doc.visibilityState = 'hidden'
@@ -371,7 +373,7 @@ test('#1814: an open board reads on every tick, stops once a row opens its own b
   assert.equal(count.calls, afterResume, 'no read in a hidden tab')
   doc.visibilityState = 'visible'
   await tick()
-  assert.equal(count.calls, afterResume + 5, 'a visible tab reads again on the next tick')
+  assert.equal(count.calls, afterResume + 4, 'a visible tab reads again on the next tick')
   // Close the board: the timer goes with it, so a tick afterwards reads nothing at all.
   const afterVisible = count.calls
   for (const off of cleanups) off()
diff --git a/docs/subsystems/core-client.md b/docs/subsystems/core-client.md
index b8ad95e90..3dbeb1cd7 100644
--- a/docs/subsystems/core-client.md
+++ b/docs/subsystems/core-client.md
@@ -323,7 +323,13 @@ instructions, role and model), **Memory** (the `MEMORY.md` head and the topic na
 (the attached `skill` capability names). The panel never re-fetches per section, and a `null` row —
 the host's answer for a deleted Bot — shows *Not set* with nothing invented. `readProjectBoard`
 keeps the dossier on the same read as the rows, so the board and the panel cannot disagree, and the
-"my agent" row uses the same panel. A role-pool entry draws none: since #1892 it is plain `@id`
+"my agent" row uses the same panel. That read is taken once, when the board opens (#1900): the export
+takes the previous answer back as `cached.team` and skips the `project-team` call when it has one, so
+the five-second refresh draws the dossier the open read took instead of re-reading every persona and
+memory head on a timer — the answer only changes when someone edits one of those files, and a re-open
+reads it again. A dossier that throws is non-fatal: rows, `done`, tasks and queues still draw, `team`
+becomes `{ rows: [] }`, and the empty-project answer stays reserved for a Project that is really
+absent. A role-pool entry draws none: since #1892 it is plain `@id`
 beside its rank, because `project-team` answers rows keyed by the Project's own Bots and the old
 control asked for a row the host never sent. The entry in the owner's own Bot chat is
 `ProjectAgentEntry` in the header: the roster already carries `bot.projectId`, the entry reads
@@ -357,7 +363,8 @@ carried in and has no board of its own). A row with a board is a button: it writ
 group and clears the hash, so a reload does not reopen the same board. A row without a board (or without a
 task record) is not a button — `role` alone opens nothing. Opening the pane is four host reads, never a
 per-Bot read: `projects`, `project-read`, `project-board`, and the `tasks` list the rows are joined
-against. Since #1814 they repeat every five seconds while the pane is open, because what a card has
+against; since #1900 the fourth, `project-team`, is read once at that open and the poll below draws
+that answer instead. The other three repeat every five seconds while the pane is open, because what a card has
 waited and whether its lease is live are computed by the host at read time: a lease that expires during
 the visit turns the card `stalled` on its own instead of freezing the board. The first read failing
 answers the empty state as it did; a poll that fails keeps the board the last good read drew. Polling
diff --git a/patches/ds-bot/0008-client-bundle.patch b/patches/ds-bot/0008-client-bundle.patch
index 0c2147401..8c745ad23 100644
--- a/patches/ds-bot/0008-client-bundle.patch
+++ b/patches/ds-bot/0008-client-bundle.patch
@@ -7527,11 +7527,22 @@ diff --git a/client.js b/client.js
 +      setBusy("");
      }
 -  });
--}
++  };
++  return (0, import_react9.createElement)(
++    "div",
++    { className: "bt-file-chips" },
++    files.map((file) => (0, import_react9.createElement)(
++      "button",
++      { key: file.id, type: "button", className: "bt-file-chip", disabled: busy === file.id, title: `Download ${file.name} (untrusted file from a remote Bot)`, onClick: () => download2(file) },
++      `📎 ${file.name} · ${fileSize(file.size)}`
++    )),
++    error ? (0, import_react9.createElement)("span", { className: "bt-file-error", role: "alert" }, error) : null
++  );
+ }
 -function ScopeSwitch({ value, onChange, bot }) {
 -  const options = [["all", t("All Bots")], ["bot", t("Only {name}", { name: bot.name })]];
 -  return (0, import_react5.createElement)(
-+  };
++function GroupEvent({ prefix, room: room2, name, roster, actions }) {
 +  return (0, import_react9.createElement)(
      "div",
 -    { className: "bt-secret-scope", role: "radiogroup", "aria-label": t("Who may use it") },
@@ -7544,18 +7555,6 @@ diff --git a/client.js b/client.js
 -      className: "bt-secret-seg",
 -      onClick: () => onChange(id)
 -    }, text))
-+    { className: "bt-file-chips" },
-+    files.map((file) => (0, import_react9.createElement)(
-+      "button",
-+      { key: file.id, type: "button", className: "bt-file-chip", disabled: busy === file.id, title: `Download ${file.name} (untrusted file from a remote Bot)`, onClick: () => download2(file) },
-+      `📎 ${file.name} · ${fileSize(file.size)}`
-+    )),
-+    error ? (0, import_react9.createElement)("span", { className: "bt-file-error", role: "alert" }, error) : null
-+  );
-+}
-+function GroupEvent({ prefix, room: room2, name, roster, actions }) {
-+  return (0, import_react9.createElement)(
-+    "div",
 +    { className: "bt-event" },
 +    (0, import_react9.createElement)("span", null, prefix),
 +    room2 ? (0, import_react9.createElement)("button", { type: "button", onClick: () => actions.openSession(room2.id) }, (0, import_react9.createElement)(RoomAvatar, { room: room2, roster, size: 16 }), room2.name) : name ? (0, import_react9.createElement)("span", null, name) : null
@@ -9033,6 +9032,10 @@ diff --git a/client.js b/client.js
 +    const approvals = askedIn(room2, work, id, doing);
 +    return { id, approvals, doing, here: doing !== void 0, state: approvals.length > 0 ? "ask" : doing ? "work" : "idle" };
 +  });
++}
++function busyMembers(room2, work, roster) {
++  const busy = memberWork(room2, work).filter((entry) => entry.state !== "idle" && roster.byId[entry.id]);
++  return [...busy.filter((entry) => entry.state === "ask"), ...busy.filter((entry) => entry.state === "work")].map((entry) => ({ ...entry, bot: roster.byId[entry.id] }));
  }
 -function EventLine({ prefix, bots, joiner = t("and"), onOpen, whole = false }) {
 -  if (whole && bots.length === 1) {
@@ -9058,10 +9061,6 @@ diff --git a/client.js b/client.js
 -      (0, import_react6.createElement)(BotMark, { bot, size: 16 }),
 -      bot.name
 -    ));
-+function busyMembers(room2, work, roster) {
-+  const busy = memberWork(room2, work).filter((entry) => entry.state !== "idle" && roster.byId[entry.id]);
-+  return [...busy.filter((entry) => entry.state === "ask"), ...busy.filter((entry) => entry.state === "work")].map((entry) => ({ ...entry, bot: roster.byId[entry.id] }));
-+}
 +function splitBusy(busy) {
 +  const here = busy.filter((entry) => entry.state === "work" && entry.here);
 +  const rows = [...here.filter((entry) => entry.doing.speaking === true), ...here.filter((entry) => entry.doing.speaking !== true)].slice(0, ROWS_MAX);
@@ -9854,7 +9853,7 @@ diff --git a/client.js b/client.js
 +    const custom = typeof reply.custom === "string" ? reply.custom.trim() : "";
 +    if (selected.length === 0 && custom === "") return void 0;
 +    return Promise.resolve(actions.answerQuestion(card.sessionId, card.question.id, { selected, custom }));
-   }
++  }
 +  if (card?.kind === "task" && card.status === "input") {
 +    const text2 = typeof choice === "string" ? choice.trim() : "";
 +    const questionId = card.task?.inputRequest?.id;
@@ -9866,7 +9865,7 @@ diff --git a/client.js b/client.js
 +    const note = choice !== null && typeof choice === "object" ? String(choice.note ?? "").trim() : "";
 +    if (note === "") return void 0;
 +    return Promise.resolve(actions.sendBackTask(card.task.id, note));
-+  }
+   }
 +  if (card?.kind === "approval" && card.approval?.answerable === true) {
 +    return Promise.resolve(actions.answerApproval(card.approval.id, choice));
 +  }
@@ -12248,7 +12247,7 @@ diff --git a/client.js b/client.js
        setOpen(false);
      };
      const onKey = (event) => {
-@@ -5097,412 +5097,1330 @@ function UpdateButton({ useUpdate, actions }) {
+@@ -5097,412 +5097,1337 @@ function UpdateButton({ useUpdate, actions }) {
        window.removeEventListener("keydown", onKey, true);
      };
    }, [open]);
@@ -13496,8 +13495,7 @@ diff --git a/client.js b/client.js
 +      { className: "bt-project-actions" },
 +      (0, import_react19.createElement)("button", { type: "button", "data-action": "project-settings", onClick: () => onSettings?.() }, t("Project settings")),
 +      (0, import_react19.createElement)("button", { type: "button", "data-action": "project-members", onClick: () => onMembers?.() }, t("Members"))
-     ),
--    open && box ? (0, import_react_dom3.createPortal)((0, import_react8.createElement)(
++    ),
 +    (0, import_react19.createElement)(ProjectMetrics, { view: view.metrics }),
 +    (0, import_react19.createElement)(ProjectRunningTable, { view: view.metrics, onOpen }),
 +    (0, import_react19.createElement)(ProjectBoardRows, { view, onOpen }),
@@ -13533,14 +13531,7 @@ diff --git a/client.js b/client.js
 +    { className: "bt-project-panel", "data-panel": "project-settings" },
 +    (0, import_react19.createElement)("h3", null, t("Project settings")),
 +    (0, import_react19.createElement)(
-       "div",
--      { className: "bt-menu bt-menu-up bt-account-menu", role: "menu", "aria-label": t("Account"), style: box },
--      groups.map((group, index) => (0, import_react8.createElement)(
--        import_react8.Fragment,
--        { key: index },
--        index > 0 ? (0, import_react8.createElement)("div", { className: "bt-menu-sep", role: "separator" }) : null,
--        group.map(([label, Icon, run, hint]) => (0, import_react8.createElement)("button", {
--          key: label,
++      "div",
 +      { className: "bt-project-field" },
 +      (0, import_react19.createElement)("label", { htmlFor: "bt-project-member-id" }, t("Bind a member to this Project")),
 +      (0, import_react19.createElement)(
@@ -13556,9 +13547,17 @@ diff --git a/client.js b/client.js
 +        (0, import_react19.createElement)("button", { type: "button", className: "bt-soft bt-soft-sm", "data-action": "project-bind", onClick: () => run("project-bind", { kind, id: text(memberId), projectId: id }, t("Member bound.")) }, t("Bind")),
 +        (0, import_react19.createElement)("button", { type: "button", className: "bt-soft bt-soft-sm", "data-action": "project-unbind", onClick: () => run("project-bind", { kind, id: text(memberId), projectId: null }, t("Member unbound.")) }, t("Unbind"))
 +      )
-+    ),
+     ),
+-    open && box ? (0, import_react_dom3.createPortal)((0, import_react8.createElement)(
 +    (0, import_react19.createElement)(
-+      "div",
+       "div",
+-      { className: "bt-menu bt-menu-up bt-account-menu", role: "menu", "aria-label": t("Account"), style: box },
+-      groups.map((group, index) => (0, import_react8.createElement)(
+-        import_react8.Fragment,
+-        { key: index },
+-        index > 0 ? (0, import_react8.createElement)("div", { className: "bt-menu-sep", role: "separator" }) : null,
+-        group.map(([label, Icon, run, hint]) => (0, import_react8.createElement)("button", {
+-          key: label,
 +      { className: "bt-project-field" },
 +      (0, import_react19.createElement)("label", null, t("Project Assistant")),
 +      (0, import_react19.createElement)(
@@ -13672,17 +13671,19 @@ diff --git a/client.js b/client.js
 -    }
 -    if (id !== "" && (roster.roomsById[id] || (actions.isAgentSession?.(id) ?? roster.agentOf[id] !== void 0) || blank3 !== "1")) {
 -      lastBot.current = null;
-+async function readProjectBoard(read, wanted) {
++async function readProjectBoard(read, wanted, cached) {
 +  const listing = await read("projects");
 +  const projects = Array.isArray(listing?.projects) ? listing.projects : [];
 +  const project = wanted === "" ? projects[0] : projects.find((item) => item.id === wanted);
 +  if (project === void 0) return { project: null, rows: [], done: [], canManage: false, tasks: [], team: { rows: [] } };
 +  const zone = typeof Intl === "undefined" || typeof Intl.DateTimeFormat !== "function" ? void 0 : Intl.DateTimeFormat().resolvedOptions().timeZone;
++  const seeded = cached !== null && typeof cached === "object" && cached.team !== void 0;
++  const teamAnswer = seeded ? Promise.resolve(cached.team) : Promise.resolve().then(() => read("project-team", { id: project.id })).catch(() => null);
 +  const [record, board, taskList, team] = await Promise.all([
 +    read("project-read", { id: project.id }),
 +    read("project-board", { id: project.id, timeZone: zone }),
 +    read("tasks", {}),
-+    read("project-team", { id: project.id })
++    teamAnswer
 +  ]);
 +  const tasks = Array.isArray(taskList) ? taskList : taskList?.tasks ?? [];
 +  const queues = { waiting: board?.waiting, inflight: board?.inflight, blocked: board?.blocked, counts: board?.counts ?? null };
@@ -13758,7 +13759,12 @@ diff --git a/client.js b/client.js
 -    wide ? (0, import_react8.createElement)("span", { className: "bt-return-name" }, t("DS Bot")) : null
 +    const wanted = hash.slice("#project".length).replace(/^=/, "");
 +    let gone = false;
-+    const loadBoard = () => readProjectBoard(read, wanted);
++    let teamAnswer;
++    const loadBoard = async () => {
++      const next = await readProjectBoard(read, wanted, teamAnswer === void 0 ? void 0 : { team: teamAnswer });
++      if (next.project !== null) teamAnswer = next.team;
++      return next;
++    };
 +    const refresh = async (first) => {
 +      try {
 +        const next = await loadBoard();
diff --git a/patches/ds-bot/files/src/client/project-board.js b/patches/ds-bot/files/src/client/project-board.js
index 4f8e0cbbc..a3ba1a31e 100644
--- a/patches/ds-bot/files/src/client/project-board.js
+++ b/patches/ds-bot/files/src/client/project-board.js
@@ -866,7 +866,11 @@ export function ProjectMembersPanel({ project, rows, onClose } = {}) {
 
 // #1864: one read for the whole board, exported so a test can prove the dossier comes from a single
 // `project-team` call. `read` is the channel seam (`call` in the app).
-export async function readProjectBoard(read, wanted) {
+// #1900: the dossier is the one answer in that read which does not change on a five-second clock, so
+// the caller hands back the answer it already has (`cached.team`) and the read skips the call: the
+// board reads it once when it opens and every poll after that draws that same answer. The other
+// three channels are read every time — they are the reason a poll exists.
+export async function readProjectBoard(read, wanted, cached) {
   const listing = await read('projects')
   const projects = Array.isArray(listing?.projects) ? listing.projects : []
   const project = wanted === '' ? projects[0] : projects.find(item => item.id === wanted)
@@ -874,11 +878,20 @@ export async function readProjectBoard(read, wanted) {
   const zone = typeof Intl === 'undefined' || typeof Intl.DateTimeFormat !== 'function'
     ? undefined
     : Intl.DateTimeFormat().resolvedOptions().timeZone
+  const seeded = cached !== null && typeof cached === 'object' && cached.team !== undefined
+  // #1900: a dossier that throws is the team area's loss, not the board's. The rejection used to
+  // reject the whole `Promise.all`, and the first paint turned that into the empty state — a broken
+  // persona file made a Project that exists read as "No Project yet", which is the one answer
+  // `:873` reserves for a Project that really is gone. Rows, `done`, tasks and queues still draw;
+  // only `team` gives up, as `{ rows: [] }` below.
+  const teamAnswer = seeded
+    ? Promise.resolve(cached.team)
+    : Promise.resolve().then(() => read('project-team', { id: project.id })).catch(() => null)
   const [record, board, taskList, team] = await Promise.all([
     read('project-read', { id: project.id }),
     read('project-board', { id: project.id, timeZone: zone }),
     read('tasks', {}),
-    read('project-team', { id: project.id }),
+    teamAnswer,
   ])
   const tasks = Array.isArray(taskList) ? taskList : (taskList?.tasks ?? [])
   // The groups are the same read as the rows, so the header cannot disagree with the cards.
@@ -951,7 +964,17 @@ export function ProjectBoardOverlay({ actions, call: request } = {}) {
     let gone = false
     // #1864: the board, its record, its rows, the task texts and the team dossier are one read path,
     // and the dossier comes from the single `project-team` call that read makes.
-    const loadBoard = () => readProjectBoard(read, wanted)
+    // #1900: that one dossier answer is held for as long as this board is open. The effect re-runs
+    // per `#project` entry, so re-opening the board reads the dossier again and a persona or memory
+    // edit lands then; the five-second poll only draws the answer the open read already took.
+    let teamAnswer
+    const loadBoard = async () => {
+      const next = await readProjectBoard(read, wanted, teamAnswer === undefined ? undefined : { team: teamAnswer })
+      // A board with no Project took no dossier read at all, so it seeds nothing: the first poll
+      // that does find the Project reads the dossier itself instead of caching the empty answer.
+      if (next.project !== null) teamAnswer = next.team
+      return next
+    }
     const refresh = async (first) => {
       try {
         const next = await loadBoard()
diff --git a/patches/ds-bot/files/test/project-board-panels.test.js b/patches/ds-bot/files/test/project-board-panels.test.js
index 6f4a2de11..cbe1fcdbb 100644
--- a/patches/ds-bot/files/test/project-board-panels.test.js
+++ b/patches/ds-bot/files/test/project-board-panels.test.js
@@ -537,6 +537,53 @@ test('the board reads the dossier from exactly one project-team call', async ()
   assert.deepEqual(opened.map(entry => entry.botId), ['bot-chief'])
 })
 
+// #1900: the dossier only changes when someone edits a persona or a memory file, so it is read
+// once, when the board opens, and the five-second poll (#1814/#1824) draws that answer instead of
+// asking again. The poll was re-reading the whole team dossier — host side a `memoryDigest` per row,
+// ~16 KB every 5 s — to receive an answer that had not changed.
+test('#1900: the five-second poll reuses the dossier answer the open read took', async () => {
+  resetSlots()
+  const calls = []
+  const read = async (endpoint) => {
+    calls.push(endpoint)
+    if (endpoint === 'projects') return { projects: [{ id: 'project-1', name: 'FlyBot', role: 'owner', choices: [] }] }
+    if (endpoint === 'project-read') return { project: projectRecord(), canManage: true }
+    if (endpoint === 'project-board') return boardAnswer()
+    if (endpoint === 'tasks') return []
+    if (endpoint === 'project-team') return { rows: [dossier(), null, { ...dossier(), botId: 'bot-dev', name: 'Dev' }] }
+    throw new Error(`unexpected endpoint ${endpoint}`)
+  }
+  const count = () => calls.filter(endpoint => endpoint === 'project-team').length
+  const opened = await readProjectBoard(read, 'project-1')
+  assert.equal(count(), 1, 'opening the board reads the dossier once')
+  const polled = await readProjectBoard(read, 'project-1', { team: opened.team })
+  assert.equal(count(), 1, 'the poll does not ask for the dossier again')
+  assert.equal(polled.team.rows.length, 3, 'the poll keeps drawing the one answer')
+  assert.deepEqual(polled.team.rows.map(row => row?.botId), opened.team.rows.map(row => row?.botId))
+})
+
+// #1900: a dossier that fails is not the board failing. It keeps its rows, its `done` group and its
+// tasks, and the team area draws empty — the empty-project answer (`project-board.js:873`) stays
+// reserved for a Project that really is absent, so a broken dossier cannot paint "No Project yet".
+test('#1900: a dossier read that throws leaves the board drawn and the team empty', async () => {
+  resetSlots()
+  const read = async (endpoint) => {
+    if (endpoint === 'projects') return { projects: [{ id: 'project-1', name: 'FlyBot', role: 'owner', choices: [] }] }
+    if (endpoint === 'project-read') return { project: projectRecord(), canManage: true }
+    if (endpoint === 'project-board') return { ...boardAnswer(), tasks: [{ id: 'row-1' }], done: [{ id: 'done-1' }] }
+    if (endpoint === 'tasks') return [{ id: 'task-1' }]
+    if (endpoint === 'project-team') throw new Error('the dossier is unreadable this tick')
+    throw new Error(`unexpected endpoint ${endpoint}`)
+  }
+  const state = await readProjectBoard(read, 'project-1')
+  assert.equal(state.project?.id, 'project-1', 'the Project still draws: no empty state')
+  assert.equal(state.rows.length, 1)
+  assert.equal(state.done.length, 1)
+  assert.equal(state.tasks.length, 1)
+  assert.deepEqual(Object.keys(state.team).sort(), ['rows'], 'the team area is the one thing that gives up')
+  assert.equal(state.team.rows.length, 0)
+})
+
 // #1892: the role pool is a rank list, not a Bot the board holds a dossier answer for.
 // `project-team` answers rows keyed by the Project's own Bots, so a pool click asked for a row the
 // host never sent and drew an empty panel. A pool entry now reads `@id` beside its rank; the Chief
diff --git a/patches/ds-bot/files/test/project-board-view.test.js b/patches/ds-bot/files/test/project-board-view.test.js
index c4310a890..9728903c8 100644
--- a/patches/ds-bot/files/test/project-board-view.test.js
+++ b/patches/ds-bot/files/test/project-board-view.test.js
@@ -353,7 +353,9 @@ test('#1814: an open board reads on every tick, stops once a row opens its own b
   assert.match(textIn(tree), /Dev4 · stalled/, 'the board draws what the first read answered')
   const afterFirst = count.calls
   await tick()
-  assert.equal(count.calls, afterFirst + 5, 'an open board reads again on the next tick')
+  // #1900: a tick is the four reads that change — the dossier was read once above and is drawn from
+  // that answer, so it is not part of a tick's count.
+  assert.equal(count.calls, afterFirst + 4, 'an open board reads the four that change on the next tick, not the dossier')
   // A row opens its own board: the hash names the task and this board stops drawing, so a tick that
   // lands before the cleanup must not read. This segment pins the unmount, not the predicate.
   const afterTick = count.calls
@@ -363,7 +365,7 @@ test('#1814: an open board reads on every tick, stops once a row opens its own b
   // Closing that board puts this one back in front: the next tick reads again.
   win.location.hash = '#project'
   await tick()
-  assert.equal(count.calls, afterTick + 5, 'closing the row’s board resumes the poll')
+  assert.equal(count.calls, afterTick + 4, 'closing the row’s board resumes the poll')
   // A hidden tab reads nothing either — this is the segment the named predicate is pinned by.
   const afterResume = count.calls
   doc.visibilityState = 'hidden'
@@ -371,7 +373,7 @@ test('#1814: an open board reads on every tick, stops once a row opens its own b
   assert.equal(count.calls, afterResume, 'no read in a hidden tab')
   doc.visibilityState = 'visible'
   await tick()
-  assert.equal(count.calls, afterResume + 5, 'a visible tab reads again on the next tick')
+  assert.equal(count.calls, afterResume + 4, 'a visible tab reads again on the next tick')
   // Close the board: the timer goes with it, so a tick afterwards reads nothing at all.
   const afterVisible = count.calls
   for (const off of cleanups) off()