diff --git a/src/app/dashboard/page.tsx b/src/app/dashboard/page.tsx
index 5212eca0..a25594c7 100644
--- a/src/app/dashboard/page.tsx
+++ b/src/app/dashboard/page.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { redirect } from 'next/navigation';
 import { headers } from 'next/headers';
-import { eq } from 'drizzle-orm';
+import { and, eq } from 'drizzle-orm';
 
 import { auth } from '@/lib/auth';
 import { db } from '@/lib/db';
@@ -11,6 +11,13 @@ import { userPortRoles, userProfiles } from '@/lib/db/schema/users';
  * Plain `/dashboard` lands users into their default port's dashboard. Used
  * by post-login redirects and any code that doesn't yet know the active
  * port slug.
+ *
+ * Resolution order:
+ *  1. `preferences.defaultPortId` — last port the user worked in, written
+ *     by the port-switcher. Only honoured if the user still has access
+ *     (preference may be stale after a role revoke or port archive).
+ *  2. Super-admin → first port alphabetically. Other users → first
+ *     `user_port_roles` row.
  */
 export default async function DashboardRedirectPage() {
   const session = await auth.api.getSession({ headers: await headers() });
@@ -20,16 +27,35 @@ export default async function DashboardRedirectPage() {
     where: eq(userProfiles.userId, session.user.id),
   });
 
+  const lastPortId = (profile?.preferences as { defaultPortId?: string } | null)?.defaultPortId;
   let slug: string | undefined;
-  if (profile?.isSuperAdmin) {
-    const first = await db.query.ports.findFirst({ orderBy: portsTable.name });
-    slug = first?.slug;
-  } else {
-    const role = await db.query.userPortRoles.findFirst({
-      where: eq(userPortRoles.userId, session.user.id),
-      with: { port: true },
-    });
-    slug = role?.port.slug;
+
+  if (lastPortId) {
+    // Verify access before honouring the preference — a stale id (port
+    // archived, role revoked) shouldn't strand the user on a 403.
+    if (profile?.isSuperAdmin) {
+      const port = await db.query.ports.findFirst({ where: eq(portsTable.id, lastPortId) });
+      slug = port?.slug;
+    } else {
+      const role = await db.query.userPortRoles.findFirst({
+        where: and(eq(userPortRoles.userId, session.user.id), eq(userPortRoles.portId, lastPortId)),
+        with: { port: true },
+      });
+      slug = role?.port.slug;
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (!slug) {
+    if (profile?.isSuperAdmin) {
+      const first = await db.query.ports.findFirst({ orderBy: portsTable.name });
+      slug = first?.slug;
+    } else {
+      const role = await db.query.userPortRoles.findFirst({
+        where: eq(userPortRoles.userId, session.user.id),
+        with: { port: true },
+      });
+      slug = role?.port.slug;
+    }
   }
 
   if (!slug) redirect('/login?error=no-port-access');
diff --git a/src/app/page.tsx b/src/app/page.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..beea0c67
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/page.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+import { redirect } from 'next/navigation';
+
+/**
+ * Root `/` has no UI of its own — every authenticated surface lives under
+ * a port slug. Forward to `/dashboard`, which resolves the user's default
+ * port and redirects again to `/<portSlug>/dashboard`. Without this, a
+ * post-login redirect of `redirect=/` (set by middleware when the user
+ * originally hit `/`) lands on an empty 404.
+ */
+export default function RootPage() {
+  // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
+  redirect('/dashboard' as any);
+}
diff --git a/src/components/layout/user-menu.tsx b/src/components/layout/user-menu.tsx
index 27b90c71..e442c49c 100644
--- a/src/components/layout/user-menu.tsx
+++ b/src/components/layout/user-menu.tsx
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ import { LogOut, Settings, Bell, Check, Building2 } from 'lucide-react';
 import { type ReactNode } from 'react';
 
 import { useUIStore } from '@/stores/ui-store';
+import { signOut } from '@/lib/auth/client';
+import { apiFetch } from '@/lib/api/client';
 import {
   DropdownMenu,
   DropdownMenuContent,
@@ -61,6 +63,16 @@ export function UserMenu({ trigger, align = 'end', user, ports }: UserMenuProps)
     // All cached queries are port-scoped - invalidate so they refetch with
     // the new X-Port-Id header.
     queryClient.invalidateQueries();
+    // Remember the choice so the next login lands here automatically.
+    // Fire-and-forget — failure shouldn't block the navigation, and any
+    // stale value is harmless (the post-login resolver verifies access
+    // before honouring it).
+    void apiFetch('/api/v1/me', {
+      method: 'PATCH',
+      body: { preferences: { defaultPortId: port.id } },
+    }).catch(() => {
+      /* silent — best-effort */
+    });
     // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
     router.push(`/${port.slug}/dashboard` as any);
   }
@@ -122,7 +134,16 @@ export function UserMenu({ trigger, align = 'end', user, ports }: UserMenuProps)
         <DropdownMenuSeparator />
         <DropdownMenuItem
           className="text-destructive focus:text-destructive"
-          onClick={() => router.push('/api/auth/sign-out')}
+          // `router.push` to /api/auth/sign-out issued a GET against
+          // better-auth's POST-only endpoint. Safari (and other browsers
+          // serving JSON without a matching renderer) treat that as a
+          // file download — the response landed on disk as a `sign_out`
+          // file instead of signing the user out. Call the auth client
+          // directly to issue a proper POST, then redirect to /login.
+          onClick={async () => {
+            await signOut();
+            router.push('/login');
+          }}
         >
           <LogOut className="w-4 h-4 mr-2" aria-hidden />
           Sign Out
diff --git a/src/providers/port-provider.tsx b/src/providers/port-provider.tsx
index cd38adc0..ff9f8795 100644
--- a/src/providers/port-provider.tsx
+++ b/src/providers/port-provider.tsx
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 'use client';
 
-import { createContext, useContext, useEffect, type ReactNode } from 'react';
+import { createContext, useContext, useEffect, useRef, type ReactNode } from 'react';
 import { useParams } from 'next/navigation';
 
 import { useUIStore } from '@/stores/ui-store';
+import { apiFetch } from '@/lib/api/client';
 import type { Port } from '@/lib/db/schema/ports';
 
 interface PortContextValue {
@@ -47,6 +48,26 @@ export function PortProvider({ children, ports, defaultPortId }: PortProviderPro
     }
   }, [currentPort, currentPortId, currentPortSlug, setPort]);
 
+  // Remember the last port the user landed on (URL-derived or
+  // explicit-switch) so the next login routes here automatically. Tracked
+  // in a ref-keyed dedupe so we only PATCH when the active port actually
+  // changes — re-renders inside the same port don't write. Fire-and-forget;
+  // a transient network failure shouldn't block navigation, and the
+  // post-login resolver verifies access so a stale value can't strand the
+  // user on a 403.
+  const lastPersistedPortIdRef = useRef<string | null>(null);
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!currentPort) return;
+    if (lastPersistedPortIdRef.current === currentPort.id) return;
+    lastPersistedPortIdRef.current = currentPort.id;
+    void apiFetch('/api/v1/me', {
+      method: 'PATCH',
+      body: { preferences: { defaultPortId: currentPort.id } },
+    }).catch(() => {
+      /* silent — best-effort */
+    });
+  }, [currentPort]);
+
   return (
     <PortContext.Provider
       value={{