diff --git a/docs/editor.md b/docs/editor.md
index 8ed3fdb9b..9fef9be37 100644
--- a/docs/editor.md
+++ b/docs/editor.md
@@ -621,7 +621,7 @@ Site-specific controls that were previously sections of this modal (Pages roster
 **Data source — `useSiteSettingsController`** (`src/admin/modals/Settings/useSiteSettingsController.ts`): the General and Publishing sections edit fields of the persisted `SiteDocument` (`name`, `settings.*`, framework preferences), but where that document lives depends on the route. The modal is global, so a section cannot just read the editor store — that store is only hydrated on the Site editor (`AdminCanvasLayout`). The controller hides the split behind one uniform shape:
 
 - **Site editor** (editor store holds the live document): delegate to the editor-store mutations. Settings edits ride the collab write path alongside page-tree edits — streamed live to every peer and persisted by the server relay.
-- **Every other admin page** (no in-memory draft): a standalone Zustand store loads the document once via `cmsAdapter`, edits a local copy, and persists immediately with a shell-only `saveSite` (empty dirty sets, so pages / components / layouts are left untouched). After each save it refreshes the `adminUi` site summary and fires `CMS_SITE_RELOAD_EVENT` so the toolbar brand and `useSiteSummary` re-sync. There is no Save button on those pages, so writes commit on blur / toggle.
+- **Every other admin page** (no in-memory draft): a standalone Zustand store loads the document once via `cmsAdapter`, edits a local copy, and persists immediately with a shell-only `saveSite` (empty dirty sets, so pages / components / layouts are left untouched). After each save it refreshes the `adminUi` site summary and fires `CMS_SITE_RELOAD_EVENT` so the toolbar brand and `useSiteSummary` re-sync. There is no Save button on those pages, so writes commit on blur / toggle. The loaded copy is not kept forever: any **other** `CMS_SITE_RELOAD_EVENT` (site import, plugin install, data-workspace writes to site tables — also one arriving while the first load is in flight) marks it `stale`, and the next render of a section refetches it after pending saves have settled (immediately when the modal is open). A load whose fetch started before a save discards its response and fetches again, so it can never roll back that save or its shell conflict base (`saveGeneration`).
 
 Because the controller is imported only by the lazy section components, the editor-store import it carries stays inside the `SettingsModal` chunk and never enters the eager graph of the lightweight layouts. This is what makes the modal *actually* global — before it, General and Publishing rendered a permanent skeleton anywhere outside the Site editor.
 
diff --git a/src/__tests__/fixtures/storeIsolation.ts b/src/__tests__/fixtures/storeIsolation.ts
index cf7b22a8c..83eeb0407 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/fixtures/storeIsolation.ts
+++ b/src/__tests__/fixtures/storeIsolation.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import { useEditorStore } from '@site/store/store'
 import { useAdminUi } from '@admin/state/adminUi'
 import { useBranchStore } from '@admin/state/branchStore'
 import { useWorkspaceLayout } from '@admin/state/workspaceLayout'
+import { useSettingsDraftStore } from '@admin/modals/Settings/useSiteSettingsController'
 
 interface ResettableStore<T> {
   getState: () => T
@@ -48,6 +49,7 @@ const RESETTERS = [
   pristineResetter(useAdminUi),
   pristineResetter(useBranchStore),
   pristineResetter(useWorkspaceLayout),
+  pristineResetter(useSettingsDraftStore),
 ]
 
 /** Restore every app store to the state it had before the suite started. */
diff --git a/src/__tests__/settings/siteSettingsReload.test.tsx b/src/__tests__/settings/siteSettingsReload.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..178407cf7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/__tests__/settings/siteSettingsReload.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,150 @@
+/**
+ * The standalone branch of useSiteSettingsController (every admin page except
+ * the Site editor) caches the loaded site document. A site write made outside
+ * the Settings modal — an import, a plugin install — announces itself with
+ * `requestCmsSiteReload()`; the next Settings render must show that document,
+ * not the one cached before.
+ */
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'bun:test'
+import { render, screen, cleanup, fireEvent, waitFor } from '@testing-library/react'
+import { useSiteSettingsController } from '@admin/modals/Settings/useSiteSettingsController'
+import { requestCmsSiteReload } from '@admin/state/adminEvents'
+import { cmsAdapter } from '@core/persistence/cms'
+import type { SiteDocument } from '@core/page-tree'
+import { useEditorStore } from '@site/store/store'
+import { makeSite } from '../fixtures'
+
+/** Minimal Settings section: shows the site name and renames it on click. */
+function SiteNameProbe() {
+  const { site, updateSiteName } = useSiteSettingsController()
+  if (!site) return <p>loading</p>
+  return (
+    <div>
+      <p data-testid="site-name">{site.name}</p>
+      <button type="button" onClick={() => updateSiteName(`${site.name}+`)}>
+        Rename
+      </button>
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
+const before: SiteDocument = makeSite({ name: 'Before import' })
+const after: SiteDocument = makeSite({ name: 'Imported site' })
+
+let served: SiteDocument = before
+let loads = 0
+const originalLoad = cmsAdapter.loadSite.bind(cmsAdapter)
+const originalSave = cmsAdapter.saveSite.bind(cmsAdapter)
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  served = before
+  loads = 0
+  useEditorStore.setState({ site: null } as Parameters<typeof useEditorStore.setState>[0])
+  cmsAdapter.loadSite = async () => {
+    loads++
+    return { site: served, rowSeqs: {}, shellSeq: loads }
+  }
+  cmsAdapter.saveSite = async () => ({ seq: 100 + loads })
+  // The standalone store is a module singleton: start every test from a
+  // stale cache so it loads `before`.
+  requestCmsSiteReload()
+})
+afterEach(() => {
+  cleanup()
+  cmsAdapter.loadSite = originalLoad
+  cmsAdapter.saveSite = originalSave
+})
+
+async function shownName(): Promise<string> {
+  return (await screen.findByTestId('site-name')).textContent ?? ''
+}
+
+describe('Settings outside the Site editor after an out-of-modal site write', () => {
+  it('shows the imported document, not the one cached before the import', async () => {
+    const first = render(<SiteNameProbe />)
+    expect(await shownName()).toBe('Before import')
+    first.unmount()
+
+    // Site import (Replace) finished on the Data page.
+    served = after
+    requestCmsSiteReload()
+
+    render(<SiteNameProbe />)
+    await waitFor(async () => expect(await shownName()).toBe('Imported site'))
+  })
+
+  it('reloads while the modal stays open', async () => {
+    render(<SiteNameProbe />)
+    expect(await shownName()).toBe('Before import')
+    served = after
+    requestCmsSiteReload()
+    await waitFor(async () => expect(await shownName()).toBe('Imported site'))
+  })
+
+  it('does not refetch after its own save', async () => {
+    render(<SiteNameProbe />)
+    await shownName()
+    const loadsBefore = loads
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Rename' }))
+    await waitFor(async () => expect(await shownName()).toBe('Before import+'))
+    // Let the chained save settle (it dispatches the reload event itself).
+    await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 20))
+    expect(loads).toBe(loadsBefore)
+  })
+
+  it('an import announced while the first load is in flight still reloads', async () => {
+    // The beforeEach reload request ran before any render; start from a
+    // load that is still pending when the next import lands.
+    let release: (() => void) | undefined
+    const gate = new Promise<void>((r) => { release = r })
+    cmsAdapter.loadSite = async () => {
+      loads++
+      const site = served
+      if (loads === 1) await gate
+      return { site, rowSeqs: {}, shellSeq: loads }
+    }
+    render(<SiteNameProbe />)
+    await waitFor(() => expect(loads).toBe(1))
+    served = after
+    requestCmsSiteReload()
+    release?.()
+    await waitFor(async () => expect(await shownName()).toBe('Imported site'))
+  })
+
+  it('a reload that started before a save never rolls the save back', async () => {
+    render(<SiteNameProbe />)
+    await shownName()
+    // A reload starts; its response is held back and carries the old document.
+    let release: (() => void) | undefined
+    const gate = new Promise<void>((r) => { release = r })
+    const old = served
+    let serverSeq = 2
+    cmsAdapter.loadSite = async () => {
+      loads++
+      // The held-back response carries the document and seq from before the save.
+      const snapshot = loads === 2 ? { site: old, seq: 2 } : { site: served, seq: serverSeq }
+      if (loads === 2) await gate
+      return { site: snapshot.site, rowSeqs: {}, shellSeq: snapshot.seq }
+    }
+    const seqs: number[] = []
+    cmsAdapter.saveSite = async (doc, opts) => {
+      seqs.push(opts?.shellBaseSeq ?? -1)
+      served = doc
+      serverSeq = 500 + seqs.length
+      return { seq: serverSeq }
+    }
+    requestCmsSiteReload()
+    await waitFor(() => expect(loads).toBe(2))
+    // Meanwhile the user renames the site; it saves (seq 501).
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Rename' }))
+    await waitFor(() => expect(seqs.length).toBe(1))
+    release?.()
+    await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 30))
+    // The old response did not replace the saved document …
+    await waitFor(async () => expect(await shownName()).toBe('Before import+'))
+    // … nor rewind the conflict base: the next save builds on seq 500 or newer.
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Rename' }))
+    await waitFor(() => expect(seqs.length).toBe(2))
+    expect(seqs[1]).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(500)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/admin/modals/Settings/useSiteSettingsController.ts b/src/admin/modals/Settings/useSiteSettingsController.ts
index c5d7c8113..e8a1f7a77 100644
--- a/src/admin/modals/Settings/useSiteSettingsController.ts
+++ b/src/admin/modals/Settings/useSiteSettingsController.ts
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ import type { SiteDocument, SiteSettings } from '@core/page-tree'
 import type { FrameworkPreferencesSettings } from '@core/framework-schema'
 import { useEditorStore } from '@site/store/store'
 import { useAdminUi } from '@admin/state/adminUi'
-import { requestCmsSiteReload } from '@admin/state/adminEvents'
+import { CMS_SITE_RELOAD_EVENT, requestCmsSiteReload } from '@admin/state/adminEvents'
 import { getErrorMessage } from '@core/utils/errorMessage'
 
 const SITE_ID = 'default'
@@ -76,7 +76,15 @@ interface SettingsDraftState {
   shellBaseSeq: number
   status: 'idle' | 'loading' | 'ready' | 'error'
   error: string | null
-  /** Load the document once (idempotent; shares a single in-flight fetch). */
+  /**
+   * The site was written outside this store (import, plugin install, data
+   * workspace) since `doc` was loaded — the next `ensureLoaded` refetches.
+   */
+  stale: boolean
+  /**
+   * Load the document (idempotent while fresh; shares a single in-flight
+   * fetch). A stale document is refetched once pending saves have settled.
+   */
   ensureLoaded: () => Promise<void>
   updateName: (name: string) => void
   updateSettings: (patch: Partial<SiteSettings>) => void
@@ -87,14 +95,22 @@ let inFlightLoad: Promise<void> | null = null
 // Serialise PUTs so two quick edits (e.g. toggle then blur) can't race to a
 // last-writer-wins on the server out of order.
 let saveChain: Promise<void> = Promise.resolve()
+// True while this store announces its own save — that reload request is for
+// the editor and the site summary, not a reason to refetch our own write.
+let announcingOwnSave = false
+// Bumped by every save. A load whose fetch started before a save must not
+// apply its (older) document and shell seq over that save.
+let saveGeneration = 0
 
 /**
  * Standalone draft store — used only when the editor store is NOT the source
  * of truth (any admin page other than the Site editor). Holds the full
- * SiteDocument so shell saves can reuse it without re-fetching.
+ * SiteDocument so shell saves can reuse it without re-fetching. Exported only
+ * so the test preload can reset it between tests (`storeIsolation.ts`).
  */
-const useSettingsDraftStore = create<SettingsDraftState>((set, get) => {
+export const useSettingsDraftStore = create<SettingsDraftState>((set, get) => {
   function persist(next: SiteDocument): void {
+    saveGeneration += 1
     set({ doc: next })
     saveChain = saveChain
       .then(() =>
@@ -113,7 +129,12 @@ const useSettingsDraftStore = create<SettingsDraftState>((set, get) => {
           name: next.name,
           faviconUrl: next.settings.faviconUrl ?? null,
         })
-        requestCmsSiteReload()
+        announcingOwnSave = true
+        try {
+          requestCmsSiteReload()
+        } finally {
+          announcingOwnSave = false
+        }
       })
       .catch((err: unknown) => {
         console.error('[useSiteSettingsController] failed to save site settings:', err)
@@ -132,19 +153,44 @@ const useSettingsDraftStore = create<SettingsDraftState>((set, get) => {
       })
   }
 
+  // Any other site write (Site import, plugin install, data workspace edits of
+  // site-backed tables) announces itself through `requestCmsSiteReload`. The
+  // cached document is stale from then on — without this, Settings opened
+  // before an import kept showing the pre-import site (its name, settings and
+  // classes) until a full page reload.
+  if (typeof window !== 'undefined') {
+    window.addEventListener(CMS_SITE_RELOAD_EVENT, () => {
+      if (announcingOwnSave) return
+      // Also while the first load is in flight: its response may predate the write.
+      if (get().doc || get().status === 'loading') set({ stale: true })
+    })
+  }
+
   return {
     doc: null,
     shellBaseSeq: 0,
     status: 'idle',
     error: null,
+    stale: false,
 
     ensureLoaded: async () => {
-      if (get().status === 'ready' || get().status === 'loading') return
+      const { status, stale } = get()
+      if (status === 'loading' || (status === 'ready' && !stale)) return
       if (inFlightLoad) return inFlightLoad
-      set({ status: 'loading', error: null })
+      set({ status: 'loading', error: null, stale: false })
       inFlightLoad = (async () => {
         try {
+          // A save still in flight would otherwise land after the fetch and
+          // leave `doc` / `shellBaseSeq` behind the server.
+          await saveChain
+          const generation = saveGeneration
           const result = await cmsAdapter.loadSite(SITE_ID)
+          if (generation !== saveGeneration) {
+            // A save started meanwhile: this response may not contain it, and
+            // its shell seq would rewind the save's conflict base. Fetch again.
+            set({ status: 'ready', stale: true })
+            return
+          }
           if (!result) {
             set({ status: 'error', error: 'No site found. Complete first-run setup first.' })
             return
@@ -156,6 +202,8 @@ const useSettingsDraftStore = create<SettingsDraftState>((set, get) => {
         } finally {
           inFlightLoad = null
         }
+        // Marked stale while this load ran (a write it may not include).
+        if (get().stale && get().status === 'ready') await get().ensureLoaded()
       })()
       return inFlightLoad
     },
@@ -220,6 +268,7 @@ export function useSiteSettingsController(): SiteSettingsController {
   // Standalone source (every other admin page).
   const draftDoc = useSettingsDraftStore((s) => s.doc)
   const draftError = useSettingsDraftStore((s) => s.error)
+  const draftStale = useSettingsDraftStore((s) => s.stale)
   const ensureLoaded = useSettingsDraftStore((s) => s.ensureLoaded)
   const standaloneUpdateName = useSettingsDraftStore((s) => s.updateName)
   const standaloneUpdateSettings = useSettingsDraftStore((s) => s.updateSettings)
@@ -229,10 +278,12 @@ export function useSiteSettingsController(): SiteSettingsController {
 
   const editorActive = editorSite !== null
 
+  // `draftStale`: an out-of-modal site write while Settings is open reloads
+  // right away; otherwise the next open does.
   useEffect(() => {
     if (editorActive) return
     void ensureLoaded()
-  }, [editorActive, ensureLoaded])
+  }, [editorActive, draftStale, ensureLoaded])
 
   if (editorActive) {
     return {