diff --git a/apps/control-station/src/components/RerunViewport.tsx b/apps/control-station/src/components/RerunViewport.tsx
index 5900a42..2b8a6a1 100644
--- a/apps/control-station/src/components/RerunViewport.tsx
+++ b/apps/control-station/src/components/RerunViewport.tsx
@@ -34,7 +34,9 @@ import {
   RECORDED_BASE_POINT_COLOR_KEY,
   canPublishRecordedPlaybackController,
   createRecordedAutoplayGate,
+  createRecordedInitialSeekGate,
   createRecordedOpenWatchdog,
+  shouldReapplyRecordedBlueprint,
 } from "../core/observation/recordedRerunLifecycle";
 import type {
   RecordedPerceptionLayers,
@@ -59,6 +61,7 @@ export {
   attemptRecordedAutoplay,
   canPublishRecordedPlaybackController,
   createRecordedAutoplayGate,
+  createRecordedInitialSeekGate,
   createRecordedOpenWatchdog,
   isRecordedPlaybackFullyBuffered,
   isRecordedPlaybackPresentationReady,
@@ -69,6 +72,7 @@ export {
   recordedPlaybackRangeWhenReady,
   recordedPointColorKey,
   rerunPresentationStatus,
+  shouldReapplyRecordedBlueprint,
   type RecordedPlaybackBufferState,
 } from "../core/observation/recordedRerunLifecycle";
 export {
@@ -828,6 +832,7 @@ export function RerunViewport({
     let publishPlaybackBufferState: (() => void) | null = null;
     let playbackState: RerunPlaybackState | null = null;
     const recordedAutoplay = createRecordedAutoplayGate();
+    const recordedInitialSeek = createRecordedInitialSeekGate();
     let blueprintChannel: RerunBlueprintChannel | null = null;
     let perceptionChannel: RerunBlueprintChannel | null = null;
     let perceptionReceiver: RerunNativeReceiver | null = null;
@@ -1144,9 +1149,25 @@ export function RerunViewport({
         }) => {
             if (
               disposed ||
-              recordingOpened ||
               (isRecordedSource && event.application_id !== "nodedc_mission_core_recorded")
             ) return;
+            if (recordingOpened) {
+              const identity = recordedIdentityRef.current;
+              if (shouldReapplyRecordedBlueprint(
+                recordingOpened,
+                isRecordedSource,
+                recordedBlueprintUrl !== null,
+                identity,
+                event,
+              )) {
+                // A LAB sidecar is a second upstream receiver for the same
+                // recording store. Rerun re-opens that store only after the
+                // sidecar has been decoded, so reapply the canonical blueprint
+                // at this exact boundary instead of racing it during download.
+                setBlueprintChannelRevision((revision) => revision + 1);
+              }
+              return;
+            }
             recordingOpened = true;
             if (!isRecordedSource) {
               // Store discovery only establishes a candidate. Admission is
@@ -1314,6 +1335,23 @@ export function RerunViewport({
                   playing = true;
                 }
               }
+              if (!autoplayWhenReady && !followLive && readyToRender) {
+                recordedInitialSeek.attempt(
+                  viewerStartResolved,
+                  recordedBuffer.fullyBuffered,
+                  presentationReady,
+                  rangeNs,
+                  (initialStartNs) => {
+                    viewer.set_current_time(event.recording_id, timeline, initialStartNs);
+                    currentNs = initialStartNs;
+                  },
+                  initialPlaybackStartSeconds === undefined
+                    ? expectedTimelineStartSeconds === undefined
+                      ? undefined
+                      : expectedTimelineStartSeconds * 1_000_000_000
+                    : initialPlaybackStartSeconds * 1_000_000_000,
+                );
+              }
               emitPlayback({
                 rangeNs: followLive
                   ? rangeNs
diff --git a/apps/control-station/src/core/observation/recordedRerunLifecycle.ts b/apps/control-station/src/core/observation/recordedRerunLifecycle.ts
index eb07dc4..3d79047 100644
--- a/apps/control-station/src/core/observation/recordedRerunLifecycle.ts
+++ b/apps/control-station/src/core/observation/recordedRerunLifecycle.ts
@@ -196,6 +196,20 @@ export function isRecordedPlaybackFullyBuffered(
   return recordedPlaybackBufferState(rangeNs, expectedTimelineEndSeconds).fullyBuffered;
 }
 
+export function shouldReapplyRecordedBlueprint(
+  recordingOpened: boolean,
+  recordedSource: boolean,
+  hasBlueprint: boolean,
+  identity: { applicationId: string; recordingId: string } | null,
+  event: { application_id: string; recording_id: string },
+): boolean {
+  return recordingOpened
+    && recordedSource
+    && hasBlueprint
+    && identity?.applicationId === event.application_id
+    && identity.recordingId === event.recording_id;
+}
+
 export function attemptRecordedAutoplay(
   seekToStart: () => void,
   startPlaying: () => void,
@@ -209,6 +223,49 @@ export function attemptRecordedAutoplay(
   }
 }
 
+export function createRecordedInitialSeekGate(): {
+  attempt: (
+    viewerStarted: boolean,
+    fullyBuffered: boolean,
+    presentationReady: boolean,
+    rangeNs: { min: number; max: number } | null,
+    seekToStart: (startNs: number) => void,
+    preferredStartNs?: number,
+  ) => boolean;
+  attempted: () => boolean;
+} {
+  let consumed = false;
+  return {
+    attempt(
+      viewerStarted,
+      fullyBuffered,
+      presentationReady,
+      rangeNs,
+      seekToStart,
+      preferredStartNs,
+    ) {
+      if (
+        consumed
+        || !viewerStarted
+        || !fullyBuffered
+        || !presentationReady
+        || !isUsableRecordedPlaybackRange(rangeNs)
+      ) return false;
+      consumed = true;
+      const startNs = Number.isFinite(preferredStartNs)
+        ? Math.min(Math.max(preferredStartNs as number, rangeNs.min), rangeNs.max)
+        : rangeNs.min;
+      try {
+        seekToStart(startNs);
+        return true;
+      } catch {
+        return false;
+      }
+    },
+    attempted: () => consumed,
+  };
+}
+
 export function createRecordedAutoplayGate(): {
   attempt: (
     viewerStarted: boolean,
diff --git a/apps/control-station/test/rerunViewportProgressivePlayback.test.mjs b/apps/control-station/test/rerunViewportProgressivePlayback.test.mjs
index 5d361b7..74393b1 100644
--- a/apps/control-station/test/rerunViewportProgressivePlayback.test.mjs
+++ b/apps/control-station/test/rerunViewportProgressivePlayback.test.mjs
@@ -6,12 +6,14 @@ import { createServer } from "vite";
 let server;
 let canPublishRecordedPlaybackController;
 let createRecordedAutoplayGate;
+let createRecordedInitialSeekGate;
 let isRecordedPlaybackReady;
 let isRecordedPlaybackPresentationReady;
 let isUsableRecordedPlaybackRange;
 let recordedPlaybackBufferState;
 let recordedPlaybackRangeWhenReady;
 let rerunPresentationStatus;
+let shouldReapplyRecordedBlueprint;
 
 before(async () => {
   server = await createServer({
@@ -22,12 +24,14 @@ before(async () => {
   ({
     canPublishRecordedPlaybackController,
     createRecordedAutoplayGate,
+    createRecordedInitialSeekGate,
     isRecordedPlaybackReady,
     isRecordedPlaybackPresentationReady,
     isUsableRecordedPlaybackRange,
     recordedPlaybackBufferState,
     recordedPlaybackRangeWhenReady,
     rerunPresentationStatus,
+    shouldReapplyRecordedBlueprint,
   } = await server.ssrLoadModule("/src/components/RerunViewport.tsx"));
 });
 
@@ -159,6 +163,58 @@ test("recorded autoplay waits for the full range and then runs exactly once", ()
   assert.equal(gate.attempted(), true);
 });
 
+test("paused recorded replay seeks once to its first presentable frame", () => {
+  const gate = createRecordedInitialSeekGate();
+  const seeks = [];
+  const range = { min: 0, max: 535_717_620_042 };
+
+  assert.equal(gate.attempt(
+    true,
+    true,
+    true,
+    range,
+    (value) => seeks.push(value),
+    39_215_263_458,
+  ), true);
+  assert.equal(gate.attempt(
+    true,
+    true,
+    true,
+    range,
+    (value) => seeks.push(value),
+    50_000_000_000,
+  ), false);
+  assert.deepEqual(seeks, [39_215_263_458]);
+  assert.equal(gate.attempted(), true);
+});
+
+test("LAB sidecar store reopen reapplies only its matching recorded blueprint", () => {
+  const identity = {
+    applicationId: "nodedc_mission_core_recorded",
+    recordingId: "recording-001",
+  };
+  const event = {
+    application_id: "nodedc_mission_core_recorded",
+    recording_id: "recording-001",
+  };
+
+  assert.equal(
+    shouldReapplyRecordedBlueprint(true, true, true, identity, event),
+    true,
+  );
+  assert.equal(
+    shouldReapplyRecordedBlueprint(false, true, true, identity, event),
+    false,
+  );
+  assert.equal(
+    shouldReapplyRecordedBlueprint(true, true, true, identity, {
+      ...event,
+      recording_id: "recording-002",
+    }),
+    false,
+  );
+});
+
 test("recorded autoplay starts at the first presentable camera frame without shrinking the range", () => {
   const gate = createRecordedAutoplayGate();
   const seeks = [];