diff --git a/apps/mobile/src/state/composer-attachment-uploads.ts b/apps/mobile/src/state/composer-attachment-uploads.ts
index 7bf7747fef2c7..0ffb2e6e5aa18 100644
--- a/apps/mobile/src/state/composer-attachment-uploads.ts
+++ b/apps/mobile/src/state/composer-attachment-uploads.ts
@@ -125,6 +125,8 @@ export function createComposerAttachmentUploadWorker(
     ReadonlyArray<ComposerAttachmentUploadRequest>
   > = composerAttachmentUploadRequestsAtom,
 ) {
+  // This is where draft hydration starts at app start; the draft read hooks
+  // rely on it and do not start it themselves.
   ensureComposerDraftsLoaded();
   const queue = createComposerAttachmentUploadQueue({
     onChange: (states) => appAtomRegistry.set(composerAttachmentUploadsAtom, states),
diff --git a/apps/mobile/src/state/use-composer-drafts.test.ts b/apps/mobile/src/state/use-composer-drafts.test.ts
index a10431d802b3d..8ced70786e13f 100644
--- a/apps/mobile/src/state/use-composer-drafts.test.ts
+++ b/apps/mobile/src/state/use-composer-drafts.test.ts
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ import { onTestFinished, vi } from "vite-plus/test";
 const composerDraftFileMocks = vi.hoisted(() => {
   let document = JSON.stringify({ schemaVersion: 1, drafts: {} });
   let readError: Error | null = null;
+  let readErrorsRemaining = Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY;
   let writeError: Error | null = null;
   let releaseRead: (() => void) | null = null;
   let readBarrier = Promise.resolve();
@@ -56,8 +57,9 @@ const composerDraftFileMocks = vi.hoisted(() => {
     setDocument(value: unknown) {
       document = JSON.stringify(value);
     },
-    setReadError(error: Error | null) {
+    setReadError(error: Error | null, times = Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY) {
       readError = error;
+      readErrorsRemaining = times;
     },
     setWriteError(error: Error | null) {
       writeError = error;
@@ -91,7 +93,10 @@ const composerDraftFileMocks = vi.hoisted(() => {
 
       async text() {
         await readBarrier;
-        if (readError) throw readError;
+        if (readError && readErrorsRemaining > 0) {
+          readErrorsRemaining -= 1;
+          throw readError;
+        }
         return document;
       }
 
@@ -185,6 +190,7 @@ import {
   clearComposerDraftsEnvironment,
   ComposerDraftPersistenceError,
   composerDraftsAtom,
+  composerDraftsLoadedAtom,
   composerCloudDraftsAtom,
   createNewTaskDraft,
   createComposerDraftContextHistory,
@@ -1949,6 +1955,21 @@ describe("mobile composer drafts", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it("retries a transient read failure while hydrating", async () => {
+    composerDraftFileMocks.setDocument({
+      schemaVersion: 1,
+      drafts: { "environment-1:thread-1": DRAFT },
+    });
+    composerDraftFileMocks.setReadError(new Error("storage busy"), 1);
+
+    await waitForComposerDraftsLoaded();
+
+    expect(appAtomRegistry.get(composerDraftsLoadedAtom)).toBe(true);
+    expect(appAtomRegistry.get(composerDraftsAtom)).toEqual({
+      "environment-1:thread-1": DRAFT,
+    });
+  });
+
   it("flush waits for pending hydration instead of clobbering disk", async () => {
     vi.useFakeTimers();
     composerDraftFileMocks.setDocument({
diff --git a/apps/mobile/src/state/use-composer-drafts.ts b/apps/mobile/src/state/use-composer-drafts.ts
index 70c9503f34c27..cc09c4dc332b2 100644
--- a/apps/mobile/src/state/use-composer-drafts.ts
+++ b/apps/mobile/src/state/use-composer-drafts.ts
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ import {
   type ScopedThreadRef,
 } from "@t3tools/contracts";
 import * as Schema from "effect/Schema";
-import { useEffect } from "react";
 import { AsyncResult, Atom, type AtomRegistry } from "effect/reactivity";
 import * as Option from "effect/Option";
 import { parseScopedThreadKey, scopedThreadKey } from "@t3tools/client-runtime/environment";
@@ -472,9 +471,10 @@ export const composerDraftsAtom = Atom.make<Record<string, ComposerDraft>>({}).p
 );
 
 /**
- * Whether persisted drafts have merged in. Hydration starts with the app's
- * attachment upload worker; a failed load stays false until the next
- * `ensureComposerDraftsLoaded` caller retries it.
+ * Whether persisted drafts have merged in. Hydration starts at app start with
+ * the attachment upload worker (`installComposerAttachmentUploads`), so the
+ * read hooks below do not start it. A load that still fails after its retries
+ * stays false until the next draft write calls `ensureComposerDraftsLoaded`.
  */
 export const composerDraftsLoadedAtom = Atom.make(false).pipe(
   Atom.keepAlive,
@@ -743,6 +743,24 @@ async function loadPersistedComposerState(): Promise<
   }
 }
 
+const HYDRATE_ATTEMPTS = 3;
+
+async function loadPersistedComposerStateWithRetry(): Promise<
+  ReturnType<typeof decodePersistedComposerState>
+> {
+  for (let attempt = 1; ; attempt += 1) {
+    try {
+      return await loadPersistedComposerState();
+    } catch (cause) {
+      // Opening or reading the file can fail transiently; a document that does
+      // not decode fails the same way every time.
+      const decodeFailure =
+        cause instanceof ComposerDraftPersistenceError && cause.operation === "decode";
+      if (decodeFailure || attempt >= HYDRATE_ATTEMPTS) throw cause;
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 async function writePersistedComposerState(
   drafts: Record<string, ComposerDraft>,
   stickyModelSelection: ModelSelection | null,
@@ -1023,7 +1041,7 @@ export function ensureComposerDraftsLoaded(): void {
   if (loadPromise !== null) {
     return;
   }
-  const loading = loadPersistedComposerState().then((persisted) => {
+  const loading = loadPersistedComposerStateWithRetry().then((persisted) => {
     appAtomRegistry.set(composerCloudDraftsAtom, persisted.cloudDrafts);
     if (Object.keys(persisted.drafts).length > 0) {
       const current = appAtomRegistry.get(composerDraftsAtom);
@@ -2035,27 +2053,13 @@ const composerDraftSettingsAtom = Atom.family((draftKey: string) =>
 const EMPTY_DRAFT_SETTINGS_ATOM = Atom.make(EMPTY_DRAFT_SETTINGS);
 
 export function useComposerDraftSettings(draftKey: string | null): ComposerDraftSettings {
-  const settings = useAtomValue(
-    draftKey ? composerDraftSettingsAtom(draftKey) : EMPTY_DRAFT_SETTINGS_ATOM,
-  );
-  useEffect(() => {
-    ensureComposerDraftsLoaded();
-  }, []);
-  return settings;
+  return useAtomValue(draftKey ? composerDraftSettingsAtom(draftKey) : EMPTY_DRAFT_SETTINGS_ATOM);
 }
 
 export function useComposerDraft(draftKey: string | null): ComposerDraft {
-  const draft = useAtomValue(draftKey ? composerDraftAtom(draftKey) : EMPTY_DRAFT_ATOM);
-  useEffect(() => {
-    ensureComposerDraftsLoaded();
-  }, []);
-  return draft;
+  return useAtomValue(draftKey ? composerDraftAtom(draftKey) : EMPTY_DRAFT_ATOM);
 }
 
 export function useStickyComposerModelSelection(): ModelSelection | null {
-  const selection = useAtomValue(stickyComposerModelSelectionAtom);
-  useEffect(() => {
-    ensureComposerDraftsLoaded();
-  }, []);
-  return selection;
+  return useAtomValue(stickyComposerModelSelectionAtom);
 }