diff --git a/webui-src/app/main.js b/webui-src/app/main.js
index 6c03884..6804436 100644
--- a/webui-src/app/main.js
+++ b/webui-src/app/main.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 const m = require('mithril');
 
 //  Bumped at every change of the web UI (two places used to carry it).
-const WEBUI_VERSION = 'v166';
+const WEBUI_VERSION = 'v167';
 
 const login = require('login');
 const rs = require('rswebui');
diff --git a/webui-src/app/people/people.js b/webui-src/app/people/people.js
index cf7dac4..9dc87e9 100644
--- a/webui-src/app/people/people.js
+++ b/webui-src/app/people/people.js
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ const {
   startStatusPolling,
   stopStatusPolling,
   initializeDistantChat,
+  selectChatContact,
   getDistantChatSession,
   drainBufferedChatMessages,
   markDistantChatRead,
@@ -67,12 +68,13 @@ const PeopleLayout = () => {
       });
       window.addEventListener('click', dismissMenu);
 
-      if (State.chatPid && !State.chatDisconnected) {
+      //  Only poll a tunnel that is the selected contact's own; anything
+      //  else is left over from a previous selection.
+      const selectedSession = State.selectedId ? getDistantChatSession(State.selectedId) : null;
+      if (State.chatPid && !State.chatDisconnected && selectedSession && selectedSession.pid === State.chatPid) {
         //  Messages received while the tab was unmounted sit in the event
         //  queue buffer: pick them up before the first redraw.
-        if (State.selectedId) {
-          drainBufferedChatMessages(getDistantChatSession(State.selectedId));
-        }
+        drainBufferedChatMessages(selectedSession);
         startStatusPolling();
       }
     },
@@ -190,6 +192,7 @@ PeopleLayout.setSelectedId = (id, activeTab = 'details', showCompose = false) =>
 
   State.activeFilter = filter;
   State.selectedId = id;
+  selectChatContact(id);
   State.activeTab = activeTab;
   State.pendingChatOpen = activeTab === 'chat' ? id : null;
   State.mobilePane = 'detail';
diff --git a/webui-src/app/people/people_chat_tab.js b/webui-src/app/people/people_chat_tab.js
index 4dba5b1..93ff967 100644
--- a/webui-src/app/people/people_chat_tab.js
+++ b/webui-src/app/people/people_chat_tab.js
@@ -121,7 +121,9 @@ const ChatTab = () => {
           m('h4', 'Conversation Ended'),
           m('p', State.chatCloseFoundNothing
             ? 'The tunnel was already gone: the core had no connection left to close. Click below to open a new one.'
-            : 'You have closed the distant chat tunnel. Click below to reconnect.'),
+            : State.chatEndedByPoll
+              ? 'The tunnel went away: closed by your contact, or dropped by the core. Click below to open a new one.'
+              : 'You have closed the distant chat tunnel. Click below to reconnect.'),
           m('button.blue', {
             style: 'margin-top: 1rem; padding: 0.5rem 1.5rem; border-radius: 0.375rem; border: none; font-weight: 600; cursor: pointer;',
             onclick: () => initializeDistantChat(),
diff --git a/webui-src/app/people/people_state.js b/webui-src/app/people/people_state.js
index 1e79ed4..9a85823 100644
--- a/webui-src/app/people/people_state.js
+++ b/webui-src/app/people/people_state.js
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ const State = {
   isHistoryLoading: false,
   pendingChatOpen: null, // gxsId a chat was explicitly asked for from another page
   chatCloseFoundNothing: false, // the core had no connection left to close
+  chatEndedByPoll: false, // the status poll saw the tunnel go, we did not close it
   statusPollFailures: 0, // consecutive getDistantChatStatus answers of false
   showEmojiPicker: false,
   attachPath: '', // file being hashed for a retroshare:// link
@@ -365,14 +366,20 @@ function getStatusTooltip(status) {
 
 function pollDistantChatStatus() {
   if (!State.chatPid) return;
-  const session = State.selectedId ? getDistantChatSession(State.selectedId) : null;
+  //  Captured now: the answer lands seconds later on a slow link, and by then
+  //  the user may be on another contact, or the page on another tunnel. An
+  //  answer about a stale pid used to mark the new conversation as ended.
+  const pid = State.chatPid;
+  const askedFor = State.selectedId;
+  const session = askedFor ? getDistantChatSession(askedFor) : null;
 
   rs.rsJsonApiRequest(
     '/rsChats/getDistantChatStatus',
     {
-      pid: State.chatPid,
+      pid,
     },
     (detail, success) => {
+      if (State.chatPid !== pid || State.selectedId !== askedFor) return;
       //  getDistantChatStatus answers false once the tunnel is gone from the
       //  core -- died of inaction, closed by the peer, closed by us. Ignoring
       //  that answer left the last known status on screen for good: a dead
@@ -388,6 +395,7 @@ function pollDistantChatStatus() {
           State.distantChatStatus = null;
           State.chatDisconnected = true;
           State.chatCloseFoundNothing = false;
+          State.chatEndedByPoll = true;
           stopStatusPolling();
           m.redraw();
         }
@@ -530,6 +538,7 @@ function openDistantChat(session) {
   State.distantChatStatus = null;
   State.chatDisconnected = false;
   State.chatCloseFoundNothing = false;
+  State.chatEndedByPoll = false;
   State.statusPollFailures = 0;
   State.chatInputMsg = session.inputMsg || '';
   m.redraw();
@@ -695,6 +704,7 @@ function leaveDistantChat(closed) {
   State.distantChatStatus = null;
   State.chatDisconnected = true;
   State.chatCloseFoundNothing = !closed;
+  State.chatEndedByPoll = false;
   State.statusPollFailures = 0;
   stopStatusPolling();
   m.redraw();
@@ -721,6 +731,23 @@ function findDistantChatSession(msgPid) {
   return { session, targetGxsId };
 }
 
+//  The page-wide chat fields (pid, status, messages) belong to one contact at
+//  a time. Selecting another one must not leave them pointing at the previous
+//  tunnel: the mount-time poll then asked about a pid the core may have
+//  dropped, and its "gone" answer ended the new conversation before it began.
+function selectChatContact(gxsId) {
+  stopStatusPolling();
+  const session = gxsId ? getDistantChatSession(gxsId) : null;
+  State.chatPid = session ? session.pid : null;
+  State.chatMessages = session ? session.messages : [];
+  State.distantChatStatus = session ? session.status : null;
+  State.chatDisconnected = session ? Boolean(session.disconnected) : false;
+  State.chatCloseFoundNothing = false;
+  State.chatEndedByPoll = false;
+  State.statusPollFailures = 0;
+  State.chatInputMsg = session ? (session.inputMsg || '') : '';
+}
+
 function isDistantChatActive(gxsId) {
   const session = gxsId && State.activeDistantChats[gxsId];
   return Boolean(
@@ -1078,6 +1105,7 @@ module.exports = {
   loadChatMessages,
   sendDistantChatMessage,
   leaveDistantChat,
+  selectChatContact,
   setChatDraft,
   switchChatIdentity,
   refreshSelectedIdDetails,