diff --git a/frontend/src/components/ChannelPage.tsx b/frontend/src/components/ChannelPage.tsx
index 2029f7e5..4241c3c4 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/ChannelPage.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/ChannelPage.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { useCallback, useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
 import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";
 import { useMutation, useQuery, useQueryClient } from "@tanstack/react-query";
+import { useLiveQuery } from "../lib/useLiveQuery";
 import { qk } from "../lib/queryKeys";
 import { useNavigationActions } from "./NavigationProvider";
 import { PriorityStepper } from "./PriorityStepper";
@@ -79,9 +80,11 @@ export default function ChannelPage({
   const MAX_BANNER_RETRIES = 3;
   const [bannerAttempt, setBannerAttempt] = useState(0);
 
-  const detail = useQuery({
-    queryKey: qk.channel(channelId),
-    queryFn: () => api.channelDetail(channelId),
+  // A LIVE query: while THIS user's full-history backfill is running, poll so the stored count (and
+  // the N/S/L breakdown) climb on their own — the scheduler adds videos in ~2-min ticks — then stop
+  // polling once the back-catalogue is in. Same queryKey as before, so mutation invalidations still hit.
+  const detail = useLiveQuery(qk.channel(channelId), () => api.channelDetail(channelId), {
+    intervalMs: (d) => (d?.deep_requested && !d.backfill_done ? 4000 : false),
   });
   const ch = detail.data;
   useEffect(() => setBannerAttempt(0), [ch?.banner_url]); // fresh channel/banner → try again
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/useLiveQuery.ts b/frontend/src/lib/useLiveQuery.ts
index 69b96fbc..22af46c1 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/useLiveQuery.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/useLiveQuery.ts
@@ -9,10 +9,13 @@ export function useLiveQuery<T>(
   key: QueryKey,
   queryFn: () => Promise<T>,
   // intervalMs may be a function of the latest data, so the poll cadence can adapt to it
-  // (e.g. poll faster while a job is running). react-query re-evaluates it after each fetch
-  // against fresh data — the right place for this, vs. a React state toggle that can lag or
-  // stall the live updates.
-  opts: { intervalMs?: number | ((data: T | undefined) => number); enabled?: boolean } = {},
+  // (e.g. poll faster while a job is running, and return `false` to STOP once it's done).
+  // react-query re-evaluates it after each fetch against fresh data — the right place for this,
+  // vs. a React state toggle that can lag or stall the live updates.
+  opts: {
+    intervalMs?: number | false | ((data: T | undefined) => number | false);
+    enabled?: boolean;
+  } = {},
 ) {
   const { intervalMs = 4000, enabled = true } = opts;
   return useQuery({