src/frontend/api/file_watch.rs

@@ -29,6 +29,13 @@
 //! sharing). On disconnect every watcher is dropped and the OS resources are
 //! released automatically.
 //!
+//! ## What counts as a change
+//!
+//! Only events that move the file's content version (mtime + len) are
+//! forwarded; pure reads (`Access`) and metadata-only touches are dropped in
+//! the watcher callback. Without that filter the viewer's own `GET /api/file`
+//! read would re-trigger the watcher on every reload, looping forever.
+//!
 //! ## LaTeX dependency-aware watching
 //!
 //! When subscribing to a `.tex` / `.latex` source, the server expands the
@@ -59,7 +66,7 @@ use axum::{
     response::IntoResponse,
 };
 use core_api::user_fs::SharedFs;
-use notify::{Config, RecommendedWatcher, RecursiveMode, Watcher};
+use notify::{Config, EventKind, RecommendedWatcher, RecursiveMode, Watcher};
 use serde::Deserialize;
 use serde_json::json;
 use tokio::sync::mpsc;
@@ -216,17 +223,35 @@ fn install_watcher(
     for path in paths_to_watch {
         let tx_for_cb = change_tx.clone();
         let original_path = user_path.to_string();
+        let path_for_cb = path.clone();
+        // Content-version baseline for the stat dedup in the callback.
+        let mut last_stamp = content_stamp(&path);
 
         let mut watcher = RecommendedWatcher::new(
             move |res: notify::Result<notify::Event>| {
-                // Any event on the watched path triggers a change notification.
-                // We don't inspect the event kind — reload on the client side
-                // re-reads the file and naturally handles create/modify/remove.
-                if res.is_ok() {
+                let Ok(event) = res else { return };
+                // A pure read is never a change — and it matters doubly here,
+                // because the viewer's own `GET /api/file` produces exactly
+                // these events (IN_ACCESS / IN_CLOSE_NOWRITE on Linux):
+                // forwarding them made every client reload re-trigger the
+                // watcher, a self-sustaining reload loop. Real writes still
+                // surface as Modify events, so dropping Access loses nothing.
+                if matches!(event.kind, EventKind::Access(_)) {
+                    return;
+                }
+                // Every other kind is answered with the one question that
+                // matters — did (mtime, len) actually move? This swallows
+                // metadata-only noise (atime, chmod) whatever kind the backend
+                // reports it as, without trusting per-platform kind mappings.
+                // A failed stat means the file is gone, and that IS a change.
+                let stamp = content_stamp(&path_for_cb);
+                if stamp == last_stamp {
+                    return;
+                }
+                last_stamp = stamp;
                 if tx_for_cb.send(original_path.clone()).is_err() {
                     // channel closed — receiver dropped (WS disconnected).
                 }
-                }
             },
             Config::default(),
         )
@@ -248,6 +273,20 @@ fn install_watcher(
     Ok(())
 }
 
+/// Content version of a file as (mtime_ns, len) — the same inputs as the HTTP
+/// `ETag` (`disk_etag` in `api/files.rs`). A pure read never moves it, any
+/// write does. `None` when the file is missing or unreadable.
+fn content_stamp(path: &Path) -> Option<(u128, u64)> {
+    let md = std::fs::metadata(path).ok()?;
+    let mtime_ns = md
+        .modified()
+        .ok()?
+        .duration_since(std::time::UNIX_EPOCH)
+        .ok()?
+        .as_nanos();
+    Some((mtime_ns, md.len()))
+}
+
 /// True for `.tex` / `.latex` extensions — sources that trigger the
 /// dependency-aware watcher expansion.
 fn is_latex_path(path: &str) -> bool {

web/components/shared/file-viewer-base.js

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { html, nothing } from 'lit';
 import { unsafeHTML }     from 'lit/directives/unsafe-html.js';
+import { keyed }          from 'lit/directives/keyed.js';
 import { LightElement, renderMarkdown } from '../../lib/base.js';
 import { fileWatcher }    from '../../lib/file-watcher.js';
 import { t }              from '../../lib/i18n.js';
@@ -553,12 +554,17 @@ export class FileViewerBase extends LightElement {
       return html`<div class="fv-image-wrap"><img src=${this._blobUrl} alt=${this._path} class="fv-image" /></div>`;
     }
     if (this._kind === 'pdf' && this._blobUrl) {
-      return html`<iframe class="fv-pdf" src=${this._blobUrl} title=${this._path}></iframe>`;
+      // `keyed` re-creates the iframe element on every new blob URL: the first
+      // navigation of a fresh iframe replaces its history slot instead of
+      // pushing one — whereas re-assigning `src` on an existing iframe pushes
+      // a joint session-history entry each time (during the watch-reload loop
+      // that buried the back button under hundreds of blob: entries).
+      return keyed(this._blobUrl, html`<iframe class="fv-pdf" src=${this._blobUrl} title=${this._path}></iframe>`);
     }
     if (this._kind === 'latex' && this._blobUrl) {
       // Successfully compiled server-side — render the resulting PDF the same
-      // way a native .pdf would be rendered.
-      return html`<iframe class="fv-pdf" src=${this._blobUrl} title=${this._path}></iframe>`;
+      // way a native .pdf would be rendered (see the keyed() note above).
+      return keyed(this._blobUrl, html`<iframe class="fv-pdf" src=${this._blobUrl} title=${this._path}></iframe>`);
     }
     if (this._kind === 'svg' && this._blobUrl) {
       // `allow-same-origin` (and nothing else) is required so the iframe can load
@@ -566,7 +572,7 @@ export class FileViewerBase extends LightElement {
       // `allow-scripts` absent, any <script> inside the SVG still cannot execute,
       // so this stays an isolated, script-free render.
       return html`<div class="fv-image-wrap">
-        <iframe class="fv-svg" sandbox="allow-same-origin" src=${this._blobUrl} title=${this._path}></iframe>
+        ${keyed(this._blobUrl, html`<iframe class="fv-svg" sandbox="allow-same-origin" src=${this._blobUrl} title=${this._path}></iframe>`)}
       </div>`;
     }
     if (this._kind === 'binary') {

web/index.html

@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@
     "imports": {
       "lit":                           "/vendor/lit-all.min.js",
       "lit/directives/unsafe-html.js": "/vendor/lit-all.min.js",
+      "lit/directives/keyed.js":       "/vendor/lit-all.min.js",
       "marked":                        "/vendor/marked.esm.js",
       "dompurify":                     "/vendor/purify.es.mjs",
       "cronstrue":                     "/vendor/cronstrue.mjs"

web/mobile.html

@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@
     "imports": {
       "lit":                           "/vendor/lit-all.min.js",
       "lit/directives/unsafe-html.js": "/vendor/lit-all.min.js",
+      "lit/directives/keyed.js":       "/vendor/lit-all.min.js",
       "marked":                        "/vendor/marked.esm.js",
       "dompurify":                     "/vendor/purify.es.mjs"
     }