diff --git a/backend/extension-src/manifest.json b/backend/extension-src/manifest.json
index 3a9c3d1..48b5bc3 100644
--- a/backend/extension-src/manifest.json
+++ b/backend/extension-src/manifest.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "manifest_version": 3,
   "name": "Send to Check-In Tablet",
-  "version": "0.2.0",
+  "version": "0.2.1",
   "description": "Pushes the currently open NewBook booking to a check-in tablet — standalone from NewBook Assistant, see project_checkin memory.",
 
   "permissions": ["cookies", "storage", "activeTab", "webNavigation"],
diff --git a/backend/extension-src/popup/popup.js b/backend/extension-src/popup/popup.js
index a7d0ae5..0e2acb4 100644
--- a/backend/extension-src/popup/popup.js
+++ b/backend/extension-src/popup/popup.js
@@ -214,6 +214,12 @@ function renderTablets(el, devices, baseUrl, apiKey) {
 
   el.querySelectorAll('.reset-btn').forEach(btn => {
     btn.addEventListener('click', async () => {
+      // Reset now pushes a live 'idle' event straight to the tablet
+      // (2026-10-09, see tablet-checkin's Kiosk.tsx) rather than only
+      // flipping its status server-side — if a guest is mid check-in on it,
+      // this sends them back to the welcome screen immediately and discards
+      // whatever they'd filled in.
+      if (!confirm('Reset this tablet? If a guest is mid check-in, this returns them to the welcome screen immediately and loses anything they’ve entered.')) return;
       btn.disabled = true;
       btn.textContent = '…';
       try {
diff --git a/backend/src/db.js b/backend/src/db.js
index a2976e0..2de1e37 100644
--- a/backend/src/db.js
+++ b/backend/src/db.js
@@ -130,6 +130,11 @@ const SETTINGS_DEFAULTS = {
   // project_checkin_legacy_plugin) but editable from Settings so any other
   // OTA/agent domain can be added without a code change.
   excluded_email_domains: 'guest.booking.com,m.expediapartnercentral.com',
+  // Minutes of no touch/keyboard activity on the tablet's check-in flow
+  // before it auto-cancels and returns to the welcome screen — see
+  // CheckinFlow.tsx's inactivity timer, previously hardcoded to 5 and now
+  // admin-tunable from Settings.
+  checkin_inactivity_timeout_minutes: '5',
 }
 
 async function seedSettings() {
diff --git a/backend/src/routes/checkin.js b/backend/src/routes/checkin.js
index 81fbd37..6a972a5 100644
--- a/backend/src/routes/checkin.js
+++ b/backend/src/routes/checkin.js
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ import {
 import { generateRegcardPdf } from '../lib/pdf.js'
 import { saveRegcardPdf } from '../lib/uploads.js'
 import { queueMarketingSync } from '../lib/marketing/index.js'
-import { pushIdle } from '../lib/device-stream.js'
 
 const DEFAULT_TERMS = 'No terms & conditions text has been configured yet — set one under Settings.'
 
@@ -66,6 +65,7 @@ export async function checkinRoutes(app) {
         car_regos: existingCarRegos,
       },
       terms_text: await getSetting('terms_and_conditions_text', DEFAULT_TERMS),
+      inactivity_timeout_minutes: Number(await getSetting('checkin_inactivity_timeout_minutes', '5')) || 5,
     }
   })
 
@@ -180,8 +180,14 @@ export async function checkinRoutes(app) {
     }
 
     // Step 7 — flip the device back to idle so the next guest can be pushed.
+    // Deliberately no pushIdle() here, unlike lib/push.js's resetDevice() —
+    // this is the same browser that's already showing its own confirmation
+    // screen and will return to idle on its own timer (see CheckinFlow.tsx's
+    // COMPLETE_AUTO_RETURN_MS); forcing the SSE 'idle' event here as well
+    // would race that confirmation screen and could skip straight past it
+    // the moment Kiosk.tsx started listening for 'idle' across the whole
+    // session rather than only while idle (2026-10-09, see Kiosk.tsx).
     await pool.query(`UPDATE devices SET status = 'idle' WHERE device_id = $1`, [session.device_id])
-    pushIdle(session.device_id)
 
     return { ok: true, checkin_id: checkin.id, pdf_generated: checkin.status === 'complete' }
   })
@@ -219,8 +225,12 @@ async function failCheckin(session, errorMessage) {
      VALUES ($1, NULL, $2, $3, 'failed', $4)`,
     [session.booking_id, session.hotel_id, session.device_id, errorMessage]
   )
+  // No pushIdle() here either, same reasoning as the success path above —
+  // the guest/tablet is shown an error on this same session (see
+  // CheckinFlow's catch block, which stays on the 'terms' step rather than
+  // calling onDone()) and forcing an SSE 'idle' nudge would yank the tablet
+  // away from that error message instead of letting staff see it.
   await pool.query(`UPDATE devices SET status = 'idle' WHERE device_id = $1`, [session.device_id])
-  pushIdle(session.device_id)
 }
 
 async function retry(fn, times) {
diff --git a/backend/src/routes/settings.js b/backend/src/routes/settings.js
index 0c6edc3..eedc894 100644
--- a/backend/src/routes/settings.js
+++ b/backend/src/routes/settings.js
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import { testConnection } from '../lib/newbook.js'
 const ALLOWED_KEYS = [
   'regcard_custom_field_id', 'online_checkin_complete_custom_field_id',
   'terms_and_conditions_text', 'excluded_email_domains',
+  'checkin_inactivity_timeout_minutes',
 ]
 
 export async function settingsRoutes(app) {
@@ -28,6 +29,16 @@ export async function settingsRoutes(app) {
     for (const key of Object.keys(body)) {
       if (!ALLOWED_KEYS.includes(key)) return reply.status(400).send({ error: `Unknown or protected setting: ${key}` })
     }
+    // Guarded separately from the generic string pass-through below — this
+    // one directly controls the tablet's inactivity safety-net timer (see
+    // CheckinFlow.tsx), so a stray "0"/non-numeric value here shouldn't be
+    // able to make every check-in auto-cancel instantly.
+    if ('checkin_inactivity_timeout_minutes' in body) {
+      const n = Number(body.checkin_inactivity_timeout_minutes)
+      if (!Number.isFinite(n) || n < 1 || n > 60) {
+        return reply.status(400).send({ error: 'Inactivity timeout must be a number of minutes between 1 and 60' })
+      }
+    }
     for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(body)) {
       await setSetting(key, String(value ?? ''))
     }
diff --git a/frontend/src/pages/Devices.tsx b/frontend/src/pages/Devices.tsx
index dec07eb..97afda6 100644
--- a/frontend/src/pages/Devices.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/pages/Devices.tsx
@@ -48,6 +48,12 @@ export default function Devices() {
   }
 
   async function handleReset(deviceId: string) {
+    // Reset now pushes a live 'idle' event straight to the tablet (2026-10-09,
+    // see Kiosk.tsx) rather than only flipping its status in the DB — if a
+    // guest is mid check-in on it, this sends them back to the welcome screen
+    // immediately and discards whatever they'd filled in, not just unsticking
+    // a tablet with no one at it.
+    if (!confirm('Reset this tablet? If a guest is mid check-in, this returns them to the welcome screen immediately and loses anything they’ve entered.')) return
     try {
       await resetDevice(deviceId)
       setMsg('Device reset to idle')
diff --git a/frontend/src/pages/Settings.tsx b/frontend/src/pages/Settings.tsx
index 4222e19..2be325f 100644
--- a/frontend/src/pages/Settings.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/pages/Settings.tsx
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ export default function Settings() {
   const [settings, setSettings] = useState<AppSettings>({
     regcard_custom_field_id: '',
     online_checkin_complete_custom_field_id: '', terms_and_conditions_text: '',
-    excluded_email_domains: '',
+    excluded_email_domains: '', checkin_inactivity_timeout_minutes: '5',
   })
   const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true)
   const [saving, setSaving] = useState(false)
@@ -168,6 +168,20 @@ export default function Settings() {
         </p>
       </div>
 
+      <div className="section-title">Tablet Inactivity Timeout</div>
+      <div className="field" style={{ maxWidth: 200, marginBottom: 20 }}>
+        <label>Minutes before an untouched check-in auto-cancels</label>
+        <input
+          type="number" min={1} max={60} value={settings.checkin_inactivity_timeout_minutes}
+          onChange={e => setSettings(s => ({ ...s, checkin_inactivity_timeout_minutes: e.target.value }))}
+        />
+        <p className="field-hint">
+          If a guest starts a check-in on the tablet and stops touching the screen for this long, it
+          auto-cancels and returns to the welcome screen — same safety net as the Cancel button and a
+          staff-triggered Reset, just on a timer instead of a tap.
+        </p>
+      </div>
+
       <div style={{ marginBottom: 24 }}>
         <button className="btn btn-primary" disabled={saving} onClick={handleSave}>
           {saving ? 'Saving…' : 'Save Settings'}
diff --git a/frontend/src/pages/kiosk/CheckinFlow.tsx b/frontend/src/pages/kiosk/CheckinFlow.tsx
index 9b0d9d9..0ab40ae 100644
--- a/frontend/src/pages/kiosk/CheckinFlow.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/pages/kiosk/CheckinFlow.tsx
@@ -6,9 +6,12 @@ import type { CheckinTokenData } from '../../types'
 
 // Safety-net timers per project_checkin's "Multi-tablet device registry" —
 // busy=hard-reject means an abandoned session must not wedge a tablet
-// forever. Two nets: this inactivity auto-reset, and the explicit Cancel
-// button always visible below.
-const INACTIVITY_MS = 5 * 60 * 1000
+// forever. Two nets: this inactivity auto-reset (duration admin-configurable
+// via Settings -> data.inactivity_timeout_minutes, was hardcoded to 5 until
+// 2026-10-09), and the explicit Cancel button always visible below. A third
+// net — a server-pushed reset forcing the tablet back to idle even mid-flow
+// — lives in Kiosk.tsx's SSE 'idle' handler, not here.
+const DEFAULT_INACTIVITY_MINUTES = 5
 const COMPLETE_AUTO_RETURN_MS = 15 * 1000
 
 // 3 real steps (down from 5, 2026-09-01) — contact/car-reg/marketing merged
@@ -57,9 +60,10 @@ export default function CheckinFlow({ token, deviceId, onDone }: { token: string
   // Inactivity auto-cancel — any pointer/keyboard activity resets the timer.
   useEffect(() => {
     if (step === 'loading' || step === 'error' || step === 'complete') return
+    const timeoutMs = (data?.inactivity_timeout_minutes || DEFAULT_INACTIVITY_MINUTES) * 60 * 1000
     function reset() {
       if (idleTimer.current) clearTimeout(idleTimer.current)
-      idleTimer.current = setTimeout(() => { handleCancel() }, INACTIVITY_MS)
+      idleTimer.current = setTimeout(() => { handleCancel() }, timeoutMs)
     }
     const events = ['pointerdown', 'keydown', 'touchstart'] as const
     events.forEach(e => window.addEventListener(e, reset))
@@ -69,7 +73,7 @@ export default function CheckinFlow({ token, deviceId, onDone }: { token: string
       events.forEach(e => window.removeEventListener(e, reset))
     }
     // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
-  }, [step])
+  }, [step, data?.inactivity_timeout_minutes])
 
   useEffect(() => {
     if (step !== 'complete') return
diff --git a/frontend/src/pages/kiosk/Kiosk.tsx b/frontend/src/pages/kiosk/Kiosk.tsx
index 938d963..e7ac3ce 100644
--- a/frontend/src/pages/kiosk/Kiosk.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/pages/kiosk/Kiosk.tsx
@@ -96,9 +96,21 @@ export default function Kiosk() {
 
   useEffect(() => { registerAndGoIdle() }, [])
 
-  // Idle-page SSE — holds open while view === 'idle', reconnects on drop.
+  // Device-level SSE — holds open for as long as this tablet is registered,
+  // not just while view === 'idle'. Previously this closed the moment a push
+  // arrived (view -> 'checkin'), which meant a server-initiated reset (the
+  // extension/Terminals popup's "Reset" button, or the Devices admin page's
+  // test-push reset) had nothing listening on the tablet side while it was
+  // mid-flow — the device flipped back to idle server-side, but the tablet
+  // itself just sat on whatever CheckinFlow step it was on until its own
+  // inactivity timer eventually fired or someone walked over and tapped
+  // Cancel. Keeping one connection open across both views means an 'idle'
+  // event forces the tablet straight back to the welcome screen immediately,
+  // same as a local Cancel — whatever the guest had filled in is simply
+  // discarded, consistent with the existing hard-reject-not-queue design (see
+  // project_checkin's "Multi-tablet device registry").
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (view !== 'idle' || !device) return
+    if (!device) return
 
     const es = new EventSource(kioskStreamUrl(device.device_id))
     esRef.current = es
@@ -111,11 +123,11 @@ export default function Kiosk() {
         }
       } catch { /* ignore malformed event */ }
     })
-    es.addEventListener('idle', () => setActiveToken(null))
+    es.addEventListener('idle', () => { setActiveToken(null); setView('idle') })
     es.onerror = () => { /* browser auto-reconnects EventSource on its own */ }
 
     return () => { es.close(); esRef.current = null }
-  }, [view, device])
+  }, [device])
 
   // Fallback heartbeat, independent of whether the SSE connection happens to
   // be up at any given moment — keeps devices.last_seen fresh for the admin
diff --git a/frontend/src/types.ts b/frontend/src/types.ts
index 9789000..6009e95 100644
--- a/frontend/src/types.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/types.ts
@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@ export interface AppSettings {
   online_checkin_complete_custom_field_id: string
   terms_and_conditions_text: string
   excluded_email_domains: string
+  checkin_inactivity_timeout_minutes: string
 }
 
 // ── Guest-facing token flow (routes/checkin.js) ─────────────────────────────
@@ -121,6 +122,7 @@ export interface CheckinTokenData {
   booking: CheckinBooking
   guest: CheckinGuest
   terms_text: string
+  inactivity_timeout_minutes: number
 }
 
 export interface SubmitCheckinPayload {