diff --git a/tl/resources/public/css/app.css b/tl/resources/public/css/app.css
index c165d4a..1817a2d 100644
--- a/tl/resources/public/css/app.css
+++ b/tl/resources/public/css/app.css
@@ -454,6 +454,20 @@ html.dark .timeline-head {
 .upload-pct { font-family: var(--mono); font-size: 11px; min-width: 36px; text-align: right; }
 
 /* editor: project bar above the timeline — a Mac window title bar (selected) */
+/* --- editor loading / error state -------------------------------------- */
+.editor-status {
+  flex: 1; min-height: 0; display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center;
+  background: var(--paper); color: var(--ink); font-family: var(--chicago);
+}
+.editor-status-msg { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 10px; font-size: 14px; }
+.editor-status-msg.err { color: #e66; }
+.spinner {
+  width: 14px; height: 14px; border: 2px solid var(--ink);
+  border-top-color: transparent; border-radius: 50%;
+  animation: tl-spin .7s linear infinite;
+}
+@keyframes tl-spin { to { transform: rotate(360deg); } }
+
 /* --- top bar: HyperCard window title bar -------------------------------- */
 .titlebar {
   flex-shrink: 0; display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 8px;
diff --git a/tl/src/tl/events.cljs b/tl/src/tl/events.cljs
index 8fc7d7f..068c35a 100644
--- a/tl/src/tl/events.cljs
+++ b/tl/src/tl/events.cljs
@@ -126,19 +126,26 @@
                    (assoc db :auth {:authenticated false} :projects nil
                           :net-error "Couldn't reach the server; logged out locally.")))
 
+;; Drop everything the editor loaded for a project, so navigating away (or into
+;; the next one) doesn't flash the previous project's name/scene/thumbnails or a
+;; stale load error while the next one loads.
+(defn- reset-project [db]
+  (merge db (select-keys db/default-db [:project :scene :fps :view :load :save-error])))
+
 (rf/reg-event-fx ::nav-list
-                 (fn [{:keys [db]} _] {:db (assoc db :page :list) :fetch-projects true}))
+                 (fn [{:keys [db]} _] {:db (-> (reset-project db) (assoc :page :list))
+                                       :fetch-projects true}))
 (rf/reg-event-db ::set-projects (fn [db [_ ps]] (assoc db :projects ps :projects-error nil)))
-(rf/reg-event-db ::nav-create (fn [db _] (assoc db :page :create :create-error nil)))
+(rf/reg-event-db ::nav-create (fn [db _] (-> (reset-project db)
+                                             (assoc :page :create :create-error nil))))
 
 ;; loading a project is a three-hop chain: detail → OTIO file → scene, each
 ;; feeding the next, and any hop's failure lands the editor in :error.
 (rf/reg-event-fx ::open-project
                  (fn [{:keys [db]} [_ id view-state]]
-                   {:db (-> db
+                   {:db (-> (reset-project db)
                             (assoc :page :editor)
                             (assoc-in [:load :status] :loading)
-                            (assoc-in [:load :error] nil)
                             (assoc-in [:view :route-state] view-state))
                     :http-xhrio (api/GET (str "/api/projects/" id "/")
                                          {:on-success [::project-detail-loaded]
diff --git a/tl/src/tl/views.cljs b/tl/src/tl/views.cljs
index a4eaaaf..e9e4059 100644
--- a/tl/src/tl/views.cljs
+++ b/tl/src/tl/views.cljs
@@ -1091,7 +1091,8 @@
         [:span.titlebar-status.err "thumbnails failed"])]
      [:div.titlebar-center
       [:a.title-back {:href (routes/href :projects) :title "Back to projects"} "‹"]
-      [:span.title-name (:name proj)]]
+      [:span.title-name (or (:name proj)
+                            (when (= :loading @(rf/subscribe [::subs/status])) "Loading…"))]]
      [:div.titlebar-right
       [share-menu]
       (when authed? [user-menu])]]))
@@ -1105,18 +1106,22 @@
         linking?   (some? @(rf/subscribe [::subs/linking]))]
     [:div.app {:class (str (when authoring? "picking ") (when linking? "linking"))}
      [top-bar]
-     [:div.top
-      [:div.video-pane [video-monitor] [frame-readout]]
-      [:div.annot-pane [annot-pane]]]
-     [:div.divider-h {:on-pointer-down drag-top!}]
-     [:div.timeline-pane
-      [breadcrumbs]
-      [toolbar]
-      [:div.timeline-scroll
-       (case status
-         :ready [timeline]
-         :error [:div {:style {:color "#e66" :padding 12}} (or load-err "Failed to load project")]
-         [:div {:style {:padding 12}} "Loading…"])]]]))
+     ;; only render the editor once the project is fully loaded — otherwise show a
+     ;; clean loading/error state rather than the previous project's panes.
+     (case status
+       :ready
+       [:<>
+        [:div.top
+         [:div.video-pane [video-monitor] [frame-readout]]
+         [:div.annot-pane [annot-pane]]]
+        [:div.divider-h {:on-pointer-down drag-top!}]
+        [:div.timeline-pane
+         [breadcrumbs]
+         [toolbar]
+         [:div.timeline-scroll [timeline]]]]
+       :error
+       [:div.editor-status [:div.editor-status-msg.err (or load-err "Failed to load project")]]
+       [:div.editor-status [:div.editor-status-msg [:span.spinner] "Loading…"]])]))
 
 ;; --- project list / create (the landing pages) ---------------------------