diff --git a/lib/hosters.js b/lib/hosters.js
index cee9680..0097b27 100644
--- a/lib/hosters.js
+++ b/lib/hosters.js
@@ -600,12 +600,14 @@ async function uploadFile(hosterName, filePath, apiKey, onProgress, signal, thro
     return result;
   }
 
+  const explicitlyRejected = parseErr && (parseErr.fileRejected === true || parseErr.accountError === true);
+
   // Byse-specific async handling: server accepts the file but responds with
   // filecode="" + misleading status ("Not video file format"). The file shows
   // up in the account shortly after — poll the list to claim it. User observed
   // this with 2+ GB MKV uploads that appeared as "OK" on the byse dashboard
   // even after our uploader gave up.
-  if (hosterName === 'byse.sx' && byseBaseline) {
+  if (hosterName === 'byse.sx' && byseBaseline && !explicitlyRejected) {
     const fileName = path.basename(filePath);
     const polled = await _resolveByseUploadByName(apiKey, fileName, byseBaseline, signal);
     if (polled) return polled;
@@ -614,7 +616,7 @@ async function uploadFile(hosterName, filePath, apiKey, onProgress, signal, thro
   // Doodstream: the doodapi upload POST returned no filecode (the same backend
   // hiccup that empties the web form). Poll the account file list by name — if
   // the file did register, claim its code instead of failing the upload.
-  if (hosterName === 'doodstream.com' && doodBaseline) {
+  if (hosterName === 'doodstream.com' && doodBaseline && !explicitlyRejected) {
     const fileName = path.basename(filePath);
     const polled = await _resolveDoodstreamUploadByName(apiKey, fileName, doodBaseline, signal);
     if (polled) return polled;
diff --git a/renderer/app.js b/renderer/app.js
index a038023..81ae2dc 100644
--- a/renderer/app.js
+++ b/renderer/app.js
@@ -67,8 +67,8 @@ let _historySortClicked = false;
 
 // Session-specific files for the "Files" panel (resets each session)
 let sessionFilesData = [];
+let _recentSeqCounter = 0;
 const recentSortState = { key: 'date', direction: 'desc' };
-let _recentSortClicked = false;
 const selectedRecentIds = new Set();
 // Maintained incrementally — avoids O(n) filter() scans every 250ms in the status bar.
 let _sessionDoneCount = 0;
@@ -2521,7 +2521,7 @@ function maybeAddSessionFile(job) {
         host: job.hoster || '',
         link,
         isError: false,
-        order: sessionFilesData.length
+        order: _recentSeqCounter++
       });
       _sessionDoneCount++;
       // Drop oldest entries past the cap to keep render cost bounded.
@@ -4243,10 +4243,11 @@ function renderRecentUploadsPanel() {
     && rows.length > _recentLastRenderedLen
     && tbody.querySelectorAll('.recent-file-row').length === _recentLastRenderedLen;
 
+  const wrap = tbody.closest('.recent-files-table-wrap');
+  const wasAtTop = !wrap || wrap.scrollTop <= 48;
+
   let wasAppendOnly = false;
   if (dateDescAppendOnly) {
-    // Fast path: only new rows (date desc puts newest on top) — insert them
-    // at the top without rebuilding the 5000-row tbody below.
     const added = rows.length - _recentLastRenderedLen;
     let html = '';
     for (let i = 0; i < added; i++) html += _buildRecentRowHtml(rows[i]);
@@ -4255,6 +4256,7 @@ function renderRecentUploadsPanel() {
   } else {
     tbody.innerHTML = rows.map(_buildRecentRowHtml).join('');
   }
+  if (wrap && sig === 'date|desc' && wasAtTop) wrap.scrollTop = 0;
   _recentLastRenderedSig = sig;
   _recentLastRenderedLen = rows.length;
 
@@ -4420,14 +4422,13 @@ function setupListeners() {
     const th = e.target.closest('th[data-recent-sort]');
     if (!th) return;
     const key = th.dataset.recentSort;
-    const defaultDir = key === 'date' ? 'desc' : 'asc';
-    if (!_recentSortClicked || recentSortState.key !== key) {
-      _recentSortClicked = true;
-      recentSortState.key = key;
-      recentSortState.direction = defaultDir;
-    } else {
+    if (recentSortState.key === key) {
       recentSortState.direction = recentSortState.direction === 'desc' ? 'asc' : 'desc';
+    } else {
+      recentSortState.key = key;
+      recentSortState.direction = key === 'date' ? 'desc' : 'asc';
     }
+    _recentLastRenderedSig = '';
     renderRecentUploadsPanel();
   });
 
diff --git a/tests/byse-reject-recovery.test.js b/tests/byse-reject-recovery.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f33c728
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/byse-reject-recovery.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+const { test, before, after } = require('node:test');
+const assert = require('node:assert');
+const fs = require('fs');
+const os = require('os');
+const path = require('path');
+
+let requestRouter = async () => ({ statusCode: 200, headers: {}, body: { text: async () => '{}' } });
+const undici = require('undici');
+const _origUndiciRequest = undici.request;
+undici.request = (...a) => requestRouter(...a);
+delete require.cache[require.resolve('../lib/hosters')];
+const hostersMod = require('../lib/hosters');
+const { uploadFile } = hostersMod;
+
+let tmpFile;
+let origFetch;
+before(() => {
+  tmpFile = path.join(os.tmpdir(), `byse-itest-${process.pid}.mkv`);
+  fs.writeFileSync(tmpFile, Buffer.alloc(2048, 7));
+  origFetch = global.fetch;
+});
+after(() => {
+  global.fetch = origFetch;
+  undici.request = _origUndiciRequest;
+  delete require.cache[require.resolve('../lib/hosters')];
+  try { fs.unlinkSync(tmpFile); } catch {}
+});
+
+function stubByseUploadServer() {
+  global.fetch = async (url) => {
+    if (/upload\/server/.test(String(url))) {
+      return { status: 200, text: async () => JSON.stringify({ status: 200, result: 'https://node1.byse.sx/upload/01' }) };
+    }
+    return { status: 200, text: async () => '{"status":200}' };
+  };
+}
+
+test('byse explicit "Not video file format" throws fast WITHOUT recovery polling', async () => {
+  stubByseUploadServer();
+  let listCalls = 0;
+  requestRouter = async (url, opts) => {
+    const u = String(url);
+    if (/\/api\/file\/list/.test(u)) {
+      listCalls++;
+      return { statusCode: 200, headers: {}, body: { text: async () => '{"status":200,"result":{"files":[]}}' } };
+    }
+    if (opts && opts.body && typeof opts.body[Symbol.asyncIterator] === 'function') {
+      for await (const chunk of opts.body) { if (chunk && chunk.length === -1) break; }
+    }
+    return {
+      statusCode: 200,
+      headers: { 'content-type': 'application/json' },
+      body: { text: async () => JSON.stringify({ status: 200, msg: 'OK', files: [{ filecode: '', filename: 'x.mkv', status: 'Not video file format' }] }) }
+    };
+  };
+
+  await assert.rejects(
+    () => uploadFile('byse.sx', tmpFile, 'VALIDKEY', null, null, null),
+    (err) => err.fileRejected === true && /Not video file format/i.test(err.message)
+  );
+
+  assert.strictEqual(listCalls, 1, 'file/list should be hit ONCE (baseline only) — no 15-attempt recovery poll on explicit rejection');
+});
+
+test('byse empty filecode WITHOUT explicit rejection still polls recovery', async () => {
+  stubByseUploadServer();
+  let listCalls = 0;
+  requestRouter = async (url, opts) => {
+    const u = String(url);
+    if (/\/api\/file\/list/.test(u)) {
+      listCalls++;
+      const body = listCalls === 1
+        ? '{"status":200,"result":{"files":[]}}'
+        : JSON.stringify({ status: 200, result: { files: [{ file_code: 'RECOVERED99', title: path.basename(tmpFile) }] } });
+      return { statusCode: 200, headers: {}, body: { text: async () => body } };
+    }
+    if (opts && opts.body && typeof opts.body[Symbol.asyncIterator] === 'function') {
+      for await (const chunk of opts.body) { if (chunk && chunk.length === -1) break; }
+    }
+    return {
+      statusCode: 200,
+      headers: { 'content-type': 'application/json' },
+      body: { text: async () => JSON.stringify({ status: 200, msg: 'OK' }) }
+    };
+  };
+
+  const res = await uploadFile('byse.sx', tmpFile, 'VALIDKEY', null, null, null);
+  assert.strictEqual(res.file_code, 'RECOVERED99');
+  assert.ok(listCalls >= 2, 'recovery polling must run when there is no explicit rejection');
+});