diff --git a/templates/admin_archived.templ b/templates/admin_archived.templ
index 9ed58623..8c67c1ed 100644
--- a/templates/admin_archived.templ
+++ b/templates/admin_archived.templ
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ templ AdminArchived(user User, items []ArchivedItem, retentionDays int) {
 			<link href="/static/style.css" rel="stylesheet"/>
 			<link rel="icon" type="image/svg+xml" href="/static/favicon.svg"/>
 		</head>
-		<body class={ "theme-" + user.Theme }>
+		<body x-data="admin" class={ "theme-" + user.Theme }>
 			@Header(user, "/admin/archived")
 			<main class="p-8">
 				<div class="max-w-5xl">
diff --git a/templates/admin_archived_render_test.go b/templates/admin_archived_render_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ed9d77e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/templates/admin_archived_render_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+package templates
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// The archived-items admin page binds its buttons through the page-wide
+// Alpine component: Purge All is @click="purgeArchivedItems()" and the
+// per-row Delete/Restore/Merge buttons rely on listeners main.ts binds at
+// module load. The body tag therefore MUST carry x-data="admin" — the
+// other admin pages have it, and when this page's body lost it the purge
+// button rendered as an inert attribute (Alpine only evaluates directives
+// inside an x-data tree; the click did literally nothing).
+//
+// Regression: /admin/archived rendered <body class="theme-…"> with no
+// Alpine scope, so "Purge All Archived" was dead (prod report 2026-10).
+func TestAdminArchivedPageHasAlpineScope(t *testing.T) {
+	archivedAt := time.Date(2026, 10, 28, 4, 38, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	var b strings.Builder
+	err := AdminArchived(User{ID: "u1", Timezone: "UTC"}, []ArchivedItem{{
+		ID:           "m1",
+		Title:        "Lost Book",
+		Author:       "An Author",
+		LibraryName:  "Audiobooks",
+		FilePath:     "Author/Book/file.m4b",
+		MissingScans: 2,
+		ArchivedAt:   &archivedAt,
+		Status:       "Archived - pending purge",
+	}}, 0).Render(context.Background(), &b)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("render: %v", err)
+	}
+	out := b.String()
+	if !strings.Contains(out, `<body x-data="admin"`) {
+		t.Error("archived page body missing x-data=\"admin\" — the Alpine-bound purge button would be dead")
+	}
+	// The action buttons the page depends on must be present in the same
+	// render, so the pin cannot pass on an empty shell.
+	for _, want := range []string{"purgeArchivedItems()", `data-delete-archived="m1"`} {
+		if !strings.Contains(out, want) {
+			t.Errorf("archived page missing %q", want)
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/templates/admin_archived_templ.go b/templates/admin_archived_templ.go
index 0ce85d5c..452217b6 100644
--- a/templates/admin_archived_templ.go
+++ b/templates/admin_archived_templ.go
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ func AdminArchived(user User, items []ArchivedItem, retentionDays int) templ.Com
 		if templ_7745c5c3_Err != nil {
 			return templ_7745c5c3_Err
 		}
-		templ_7745c5c3_Err = templruntime.WriteString(templ_7745c5c3_Buffer, 2, "<body class=\"")
+		templ_7745c5c3_Err = templruntime.WriteString(templ_7745c5c3_Buffer, 2, "<body x-data=\"admin\" class=\"")
 		if templ_7745c5c3_Err != nil {
 			return templ_7745c5c3_Err
 		}
diff --git a/web/src/admin.ts b/web/src/admin.ts
index 6643d606..5d830f2b 100644
--- a/web/src/admin.ts
+++ b/web/src/admin.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,23 @@
 import { Alpine } from "./alpine";
 import { showToast } from "./toast";
 
-async function scanAllLibraries(): Promise<void> {
+// Admin API calls authenticate with the Bearer token stashed at login,
+// while the SSR pages themselves run on the cookie session — so a valid
+// web session can still have an empty/stale localStorage token. User-
+// triggered actions must never die silently in that state (the
+// /admin/archived purge + delete buttons were invisible dead-ends: the
+// missing-token return fired before the confirm dialog): requireToken
+// fails loudly instead.
+function requireToken(): string | null {
   const token = localStorage.getItem("token");
+  if (!token) {
+    showToast("Session expired — sign out and back in, then retry", "error");
+  }
+  return token;
+}
+
+async function scanAllLibraries(): Promise<void> {
+  const token = requireToken();
   if (!token) return;
 
   try {
@@ -225,7 +240,7 @@ function updateLibraryProgress(jobId: string, status: any): void {
 // aborts the walk at its next context check and skips the archive pass,
 // so cancelling never archives unvisited files.
 async function cancelScan(jobId: string): Promise<void> {
-  const token = localStorage.getItem("token");
+  const token = requireToken();
   if (!token) return;
 
   const btn = document.querySelector<HTMLButtonElement>(`[data-cancel-job="${jobId}"]`);
@@ -257,7 +272,7 @@ async function cancelScan(jobId: string): Promise<void> {
 // list so it also covers jobs this page never started (e.g. started
 // before a refresh), then cancels each one.
 async function cancelAllScans(): Promise<void> {
-  const token = localStorage.getItem("token");
+  const token = requireToken();
   if (!token) return;
 
   try {
@@ -287,6 +302,8 @@ function setCancelAllVisible(visible: boolean): void {
 // widget and re-attach polling. Websocket start-events only reach pages
 // that were already open when the scan began.
 async function checkActiveScans(): Promise<void> {
+  // Passive page-load probe, not a user action: stay silent when the API
+  // token is absent (requireToken's toast would fire on every page visit).
   const token = localStorage.getItem("token");
   if (!token) return;
   try {
@@ -369,6 +386,9 @@ function hideScanProgress(): void {
 }
 
 async function loadWatchStatus(): Promise<void> {
+  // Passive status fetch inside the admin component's init, not a user
+  // action: stay silent when the API token is absent (requireToken's
+  // toast would fire on every page visit).
   const token = localStorage.getItem("token");
   if (!token) return;
 
@@ -399,7 +419,7 @@ function stopScanStatusPolling(): void {
 // window for the library admin page's inline button; reading history is
 // deleted with the rows, so a confirm dialog guards it.
 async function purgeArchivedItems(): Promise<void> {
-  const token = localStorage.getItem("token");
+  const token = requireToken();
   if (!token) return;
 
   if (
@@ -431,7 +451,7 @@ async function purgeArchivedItems(): Promise<void> {
 // its file to return (POST /api/media-items/:id/unarchive). If the file is
 // still gone the next scan hides it again.
 async function unarchiveItem(id: string): Promise<void> {
-  const token = localStorage.getItem("token");
+  const token = requireToken();
   if (!token) return;
   try {
     const resp = await fetch(`/api/media-items/${id}/unarchive`, {
@@ -452,7 +472,7 @@ async function unarchiveItem(id: string): Promise<void> {
 // Permanently delete one archived item and its reading history
 // (DELETE /api/media-items/:id).
 async function deleteArchivedItem(id: string): Promise<void> {
-  const token = localStorage.getItem("token");
+  const token = requireToken();
   if (!token) return;
   if (
     !window.confirm(
@@ -481,7 +501,7 @@ async function deleteArchivedItem(id: string): Promise<void> {
 // same content hash (POST /api/media-items/:id/merge), then remove the
 // archived entry. Covers copy-then-delete-later moves between libraries.
 async function mergeArchivedItem(sourceId: string, targetId: string): Promise<void> {
-  const token = localStorage.getItem("token");
+  const token = requireToken();
   if (!token) return;
   if (
     !window.confirm(