diff --git a/examples/companion_radio/DataStore.cpp b/examples/companion_radio/DataStore.cpp
index 3ed79fd5..6ce4d7ec 100644
--- a/examples/companion_radio/DataStore.cpp
+++ b/examples/companion_radio/DataStore.cpp
@@ -489,24 +489,45 @@ void DataStore::saveRTCTime() {
   }
 }
 
+// The day this firmware was built (__DATE__, "Mmm dd yyyy"), 00:00 UTC: the
+// clock can't be any earlier than that.
+static uint32_t buildDayEpoch() {
+  static const char M[] = "JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec";
+  const char* d = __DATE__;
+  int m = 1;
+  while (m <= 12 && strncmp(M + 3 * (m - 1), d, 3) != 0) m++;
+  int day = atoi(d + 4), y = atoi(d + 7);
+  if (m > 12 || day < 1 || y < 2024) return 0;
+  y -= m <= 2;   // days from 1970-01-01 (H. Hinnant's days_from_civil)
+  int era = y / 400, yoe = y - era * 400;
+  int doy = (153 * (m + (m > 2 ? -3 : 9)) + 2) / 5 + day - 1;
+  int doe = yoe * 365 + yoe / 4 - yoe / 100 + doy;
+  return (uint32_t)(era * 146097 + doe - 719468) * 86400UL;
+}
+
 void DataStore::restoreRTCTime() {
   File file = openRead(_fs, "/rtc_save");
+  uint32_t t = 0;
   if (file) {
-    uint32_t t = 0;
     file.read((uint8_t *)&t, sizeof(t));
     file.close();
-#ifndef SIM_PLATFORM
-    // Real hardware has no other way to know the time before a GPS fix or
-    // a phone/CLI sync, so restoring the last-known saved time is the
-    // right call there. The sim's RTCClock (SimRTCClock.h) is already
-    // backed by the real host wall clock (time(NULL)) from the moment it's
-    // constructed -- overwriting that with a stale save from a previous
-    // visit (persisted via IDBFS, see the site's "returning visitor" note)
-    // would make a returning instance's on-screen clock drift away from
-    // the visitor's own real time instead of just showing it.
-    if (t > 1000000000UL) _clock->setCurrentTime(t);
-#endif
   }
+  // Saved at power-off and every half hour (MyMesh::loop()); a flash or a
+  // reset in between can leave it far behind -- never earlier than the build.
+  uint32_t built = buildDayEpoch();
+  if (t < built) t = built;
+#ifndef SIM_PLATFORM
+  // Real hardware has no other way to know the time before a GPS fix or
+  // a phone/CLI sync, so restoring the last-known saved time is the
+  // right call there. The sim's RTCClock (SimRTCClock.h) is already
+  // backed by the real host wall clock (time(NULL)) from the moment it's
+  // constructed -- overwriting that with a stale save from a previous
+  // visit (persisted via IDBFS, see the site's "returning visitor" note)
+  // would make a returning instance's on-screen clock drift away from
+  // the visitor's own real time instead of just showing it.
+  // Only ever forward: a board with its own RTC chip may already know better.
+  if (t > 1000000000UL && t > _clock->getCurrentTime()) _clock->setCurrentTime(t);
+#endif
 }
 
 void DataStore::loadContacts(DataStoreHost* host) {
diff --git a/examples/companion_radio/MyMesh.cpp b/examples/companion_radio/MyMesh.cpp
index 7f5f7734..c6ec4863 100644
--- a/examples/companion_radio/MyMesh.cpp
+++ b/examples/companion_radio/MyMesh.cpp
@@ -121,6 +121,9 @@
 #define DIRECT_SEND_PERHOP_FACTOR       6.0f
 #define DIRECT_SEND_PERHOP_EXTRA_MILLIS 250
 #define LAZY_CONTACTS_WRITE_DELAY       5000
+#define LAZY_PATHS_WRITE_DELAY          60000   // a path learned (a DM's ACK brings one back): no hurry
+#define USER_QUIET_MILLIS               15000   // the contacts write stalls the loop: not while the keys are in use
+#define RTC_SAVE_INTERVAL_MILLIS        (30 * 60 * 1000UL)   // the time restored at boot after a reset or a flash
 
 #define PUBLIC_GROUP_PSK                "izOH6cXN6mrJ5e26oRXNcg=="
 
@@ -546,7 +549,9 @@ void MyMesh::onContactPathUpdated(const ContactInfo &contact) {
   memcpy(&out_frame[1], contact.id.pub_key, PUB_KEY_SIZE);
   _serial->writeFrame(out_frame, 1 + PUB_KEY_SIZE); // NOTE: app may not be connected
 
-  dirty_contacts_expiry = futureMillis(LAZY_CONTACTS_WRITE_DELAY);
+  // Only the path changed: lost on a reset it costs one flood, so its write
+  // waits; the same path heard again isn't written at all.
+  if (!_path_same && !dirty_paths_expiry) dirty_paths_expiry = futureMillis(LAZY_PATHS_WRITE_DELAY);
 }
 
 ContactInfo*  MyMesh::processAck(const uint8_t *data) {
@@ -1356,7 +1361,11 @@ bool MyMesh::onContactPathRecv(ContactInfo& contact, uint8_t* in_path, uint8_t i
     }
   }
   // let base class handle received path and data
+  int path_bytes = (out_path_len & 63) * ((out_path_len >> 6) + 1);
+  _path_same = contact.out_path_len == out_path_len && path_bytes <= MAX_PATH_SIZE
+            && memcmp(contact.out_path, out_path, path_bytes) == 0;
   bool r = BaseChatMesh::onContactPathRecv(contact, in_path, in_path_len, out_path, out_path_len, extra_type, extra, extra_len);
+  _path_same = false;
   // A flood DM's ACK comes back folded into the return path, which the base
   // class matches without going through onAckRecv() -- so the UI's delivery
   // marker never heard of it and kept resending. Tell it here too; it only
@@ -3455,9 +3464,22 @@ void MyMesh::loop() {
   }
 
   // is there are pending dirty contacts write needed?
-  if (dirty_contacts_expiry && millisHasNowPassed(dirty_contacts_expiry)) {
-    saveContacts();
-    dirty_contacts_expiry = 0;
+  // Rewriting the whole file blocks for up to a second or two on the nRF52:
+  // put off while the user is pressing keys.
+  if ((dirty_contacts_expiry && millisHasNowPassed(dirty_contacts_expiry))
+      || (dirty_paths_expiry && millisHasNowPassed(dirty_paths_expiry))) {
+    if (millis() - _last_input_ms < USER_QUIET_MILLIS) {
+      if (dirty_contacts_expiry) dirty_contacts_expiry = futureMillis(LAZY_CONTACTS_WRITE_DELAY);
+      if (dirty_paths_expiry) dirty_paths_expiry = futureMillis(LAZY_CONTACTS_WRITE_DELAY);
+    } else {
+      saveContacts();
+      dirty_contacts_expiry = dirty_paths_expiry = 0;
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (millis() - _last_rtc_save_ms > RTC_SAVE_INTERVAL_MILLIS && millis() - _last_input_ms >= USER_QUIET_MILLIS) {
+    _store->saveRTCTime();
+    _last_rtc_save_ms = millis();
   }
 
   if (_prefs.advert_auto_interval_sec > 0 && millisHasNowPassed(_next_auto_advert_ms)) {
diff --git a/examples/companion_radio/MyMesh.h b/examples/companion_radio/MyMesh.h
index 53032ebb..e8bf4e30 100644
--- a/examples/companion_radio/MyMesh.h
+++ b/examples/companion_radio/MyMesh.h
@@ -428,7 +428,11 @@ public:
   // this before rebooting; UITask::shutdown() (low-battery auto-shutdown,
   // long-press power-off) needs the same flush or a whole session's worth
   // of learned contacts can be lost.
-  void flushDirtyContacts() { if (dirty_contacts_expiry) { saveContacts(); dirty_contacts_expiry = 0; } }
+  void flushDirtyContacts() {
+    if (dirty_contacts_expiry || dirty_paths_expiry) { saveContacts(); dirty_contacts_expiry = dirty_paths_expiry = 0; }
+  }
+  // A key press / touch: the lazy contacts write waits until the user pauses.
+  void noteUserInput() { _last_input_ms = millis(); }
   DataStore* getDataStore() const { return _store; }
   void applyApc();   // (re)initialise Adaptive Power Control from prefs
   // Adaptive Power Control is suppressed while repeating: a repeater wants full,
@@ -649,6 +653,10 @@ private:
   uint32_t sign_data_len;
   uint32_t sign_data_cap;   // what the malloc got: at most MAX_SIGN_DATA_LEN
   unsigned long dirty_contacts_expiry;
+  unsigned long dirty_paths_expiry = 0;   // only paths changed: written later (not pending work)
+  unsigned long _last_input_ms = 0;
+  unsigned long _last_rtc_save_ms = 0;
+  bool _path_same = false;                // onContactPathRecv(): the path heard is the one held
   unsigned long _bot_last_ch_reply_ms;
   unsigned long _bot_last_room_reply_ms;
   unsigned long _next_auto_advert_ms;
diff --git a/examples/companion_radio/ui-lvgl/UITask.cpp b/examples/companion_radio/ui-lvgl/UITask.cpp
index ab810e18..89212a34 100644
--- a/examples/companion_radio/ui-lvgl/UITask.cpp
+++ b/examples/companion_radio/ui-lvgl/UITask.cpp
@@ -1561,6 +1561,7 @@ void UITask::loop() {
       if (lvport::touched()) { lvport::swallowTouch(); wake(); }
     }
   } else {
+    if (lv_display_get_inactive_time(NULL) < 1000) the_mesh.noteUserInput();
     // Locked, nobody's using it: the lock screen goes dark after LOCK_OFF_MS
     // even with auto-off at Never (a woken-up pocket, a boot PIN, a message).
     uint32_t aoff = autoOffMillis();
diff --git a/examples/companion_radio/ui-new/UITask.cpp b/examples/companion_radio/ui-new/UITask.cpp
index 004d0ac2..5775de59 100644
--- a/examples/companion_radio/ui-new/UITask.cpp
+++ b/examples/companion_radio/ui-new/UITask.cpp
@@ -3663,6 +3663,7 @@ bool UITask::addWaypoint(int32_t lat, int32_t lon, const char* label) {
 }
 
 char UITask::checkDisplayOn(char c) {
+  the_mesh.noteUserInput();
   if (_display != NULL) {
     if (!_display->isOn()) {
       _display->turnOn();