diff --git a/frontend/src/hooks/useCameraStream.ts b/frontend/src/hooks/useCameraStream.ts
index f770fd2..1f44cf1 100644
--- a/frontend/src/hooks/useCameraStream.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/hooks/useCameraStream.ts
@@ -4,10 +4,46 @@ import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
  * Attach a live browser camera stream to a `<video>` element by deviceId.
  * Set `paused=true` to release the stream (e.g. so cv2.VideoCapture can claim
  * the camera exclusively). The stream is auto-stopped on unmount.
+ *
+ * A first getUserMedia attempt can fail two ways that we want to recover from:
+ *   - Transiently: the device is briefly held (e.g. right after an enumeration
+ *     probe releases it) and reports NotReadableError/AbortError. We back off
+ *     and retry the same deviceId a few times.
+ *   - Pending an external change: camera permission hasn't been granted yet, or
+ *     the device isn't connected. Retrying the same call won't help, but the
+ *     browser can fire `devicechange` following a permission grant or a
+ *     device-exposure change (timing isn't guaranteed) — so we re-attempt on
+ *     that event instead. Without this the hook would otherwise stay stuck on
+ *     the error state until a full page reload.
  */
+const MAX_RETRIES = 4;
+const BASE_DELAY_MS = 300;
+// Errors worth an immediate retry. Permission denial (NotAllowedError), missing
+// device (NotFoundError) and unsatisfiable constraints (OverconstrainedError)
+// won't fix themselves on a retimed retry — those recover via `devicechange`.
+const TRANSIENT_ERRORS = new Set(["NotReadableError", "AbortError"]);
+
 export function useCameraStream(deviceId: string, paused: boolean) {
   const videoRef = useRef<HTMLVideoElement>(null);
   const [hasError, setHasError] = useState(false);
+  // Bumping this forces the stream effect to re-run (a clean retry).
+  const [retryKey, setRetryKey] = useState(0);
+  // Track the error state for the devicechange handler without re-binding it.
+  const hasErrorRef = useRef(false);
+  hasErrorRef.current = hasError;
+
+  // A permission grant or hot-plug can prompt the browser to emit
+  // `devicechange`; use it to re-attempt a stream that failed pre-permission.
+  // Only retry when we're actually in the error state, so an unrelated change
+  // (e.g. plugging in a mic) never tears down a healthy stream.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const onDeviceChange = () => {
+      if (hasErrorRef.current) setRetryKey((k) => k + 1);
+    };
+    navigator.mediaDevices.addEventListener("devicechange", onDeviceChange);
+    return () =>
+      navigator.mediaDevices.removeEventListener("devicechange", onDeviceChange);
+  }, []);
 
   useEffect(() => {
     if (paused || !deviceId) {
@@ -16,9 +52,10 @@ export function useCameraStream(deviceId: string, paused: boolean) {
     }
     let cancelled = false;
     let stream: MediaStream | null = null;
+    let retryTimer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null;
     setHasError(false);
 
-    (async () => {
+    const start = async (attempt: number) => {
       try {
         stream = await navigator.mediaDevices.getUserMedia({
           video: { deviceId: { exact: deviceId } },
@@ -31,16 +68,28 @@ export function useCameraStream(deviceId: string, paused: boolean) {
           videoRef.current.srcObject = stream;
           await videoRef.current.play().catch(() => {});
         }
-      } catch {
-        setHasError(true);
+      } catch (err) {
+        if (cancelled) return;
+        const name = err instanceof DOMException ? err.name : "";
+        if (attempt < MAX_RETRIES && TRANSIENT_ERRORS.has(name)) {
+          // Exponential backoff: 300ms, 600ms, 1200ms, ...
+          retryTimer = setTimeout(
+            () => start(attempt + 1),
+            BASE_DELAY_MS * 2 ** attempt
+          );
+        } else {
+          setHasError(true);
+        }
       }
-    })();
+    };
+    start(0);
 
     return () => {
       cancelled = true;
+      if (retryTimer) clearTimeout(retryTimer);
       if (stream) stream.getTracks().forEach((t) => t.stop());
     };
-  }, [deviceId, paused]);
+  }, [deviceId, paused, retryKey]);
 
   return { videoRef, hasError };
 }