diff --git a/roles/web-app-docs/files/playwright/test-front-page.js b/roles/web-app-docs/files/playwright/test-front-page.js
index 0db4636e0d..7317b915e6 100644
--- a/roles/web-app-docs/files/playwright/test-front-page.js
+++ b/roles/web-app-docs/files/playwright/test-front-page.js
@@ -1,27 +1,33 @@
 const { test, expect } = require("@playwright/test");
 const { resolveTimeout } = require("./timeouts");
-const { expectHstsWhenTls, gotoOnion } = require("./personas");
+const { expectHstsWhenTls } = require("./personas");
 
 exports.register = function (shared) {
-  test("docs front page opens the latest commit under canonical domain with TLS", async ({ page }) => {
-    const response = await gotoOnion(page, `${shared.appBaseUrl}/`);
-    expect(response, "Expected docs response").toBeTruthy();
-    expect(response.status(), "Expected docs front page status < 400").toBeLessThan(400);
+  test("docs front page opens the latest commit under canonical domain with TLS", async ({ request }) => {
+    const response = await request.get(`${shared.appBaseUrl}/`, {
+      maxRedirects: 0,
+      failOnStatusCode: false,
+      timeout: resolveTimeout(30_000),
+    });
+    expect(response.status(), "Expected the front page to redirect").toBe(302);
     expect(
       response.url().includes(shared.canonicalDomain),
       `Expected canonical domain "${shared.canonicalDomain}" to back the docs URL`,
     ).toBe(true);
-    expect(new URL(response.url()).pathname, "Expected the front page to open the latest commit").toBe("/latest/");
+    expect(response.headers()["location"], "Expected the front page to open the latest commit").toBe("/latest/");
     expectHstsWhenTls(response.headers(), shared.appBaseUrl, "docs");
   });
 
-  test("latest commit is either the built Sphinx site or its running build", async ({ request }) => {
-    const response = await request.get(`${shared.appBaseUrl}/latest/`, { timeout: resolveTimeout(30_000) });
+  test("the deployed working tree is either the built Sphinx site or its running build", async ({ request }) => {
+    const response = await request.get(`${shared.appBaseUrl}/deployed/`, {
+      failOnStatusCode: false,
+      timeout: resolveTimeout(30_000),
+    });
     const body = await response.text();
     expect([200, 202], "Expected the built site or the build page").toContain(response.status());
     const built = response.status() === 200;
-    expect(body, "Expected the Sphinx site or the build page of the latest commit").toContain(
-      built ? 'data-current="latest"' : 'data-build="latest"',
+    expect(body, "Expected the Sphinx site or the build page of the deployed working tree").toContain(
+      built ? 'data-current="deployed"' : 'data-build="deployed"',
     );
     expect(body, "Expected the project title or a progress bar").toContain(built ? "Infinito.Nexus" : "<progress");
   });
diff --git a/roles/web-app-docs/files/python/infinito_docs/build_queue.py b/roles/web-app-docs/files/python/infinito_docs/build_queue.py
index b5aae2311a..1b6a85792f 100644
--- a/roles/web-app-docs/files/python/infinito_docs/build_queue.py
+++ b/roles/web-app-docs/files/python/infinito_docs/build_queue.py
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@
 
 ``Queue`` is a mixin of :class:`infinito_docs.library.Library`. A marker is a
 file named ``version`` or ``version:code``; the background lane holds the
-languages nobody is waiting on.
+builds nobody is waiting on - the daemon's own prefetch and every language no
+visitor has asked for.
 """
 
 from __future__ import annotations
@@ -25,7 +26,7 @@ class Queue:
         Args:
             version: ``latest`` or a release tag.
             code: ISO 639-1 code to build instead of the version's own site.
-            background: queue behind every language a visitor asked for.
+            background: queue behind everything a visitor is waiting on.
         """
         head, _ = self.refs()
         if not head and version != DEPLOYED:
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ class Queue:
             if self._current(version, head):
                 return
             marker = version
-        elif not self.translates(version, code) or self._translation_current(
+        elif not self.translatable(version, code) or self._translation_current(
             version, code, head
         ):
             return
@@ -49,6 +50,16 @@ class Queue:
             return
         queued.touch()
 
+    def is_queued(self, marker):
+        """Whether ``marker`` waits in either lane.
+
+        Args:
+            marker: queue file name, ``version`` or ``version:code``.
+        """
+        return (self.queue / marker).exists() or (
+            self.queue / BACKGROUND_LANE / marker
+        ).exists()
+
     def _dequeue(self, marker):
         """Drop ``marker`` from both lanes.
 
diff --git a/roles/web-app-docs/files/python/infinito_docs/library.py b/roles/web-app-docs/files/python/infinito_docs/library.py
index 64256934f8..2fbf403141 100644
--- a/roles/web-app-docs/files/python/infinito_docs/library.py
+++ b/roles/web-app-docs/files/python/infinito_docs/library.py
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ class Library(Sites, Queue, Builder):
         for name in [LATEST, *tags]:
             built = self.servable(name)
             state = self._state(name)
-            if (self.queue / name).exists():
+            if self.is_queued(name):
                 phase = "building" if state.get("state") == "building" else "queued"
             elif state.get("state") == "failed":
                 phase = "failed"
@@ -203,9 +203,28 @@ class Library(Sites, Queue, Builder):
                 capture_output=True,
             )
         self._forget_refs()
-        self.request(LATEST)
+        self.request(LATEST, background=True)
         self._refresh_stale_sites()
 
+    def translatable(self, version, code):
+        """Whether ``code`` may be queued for ``version`` before its site exists.
+
+        Args:
+            version: ``latest`` or a release tag.
+            code: ISO 639-1 code.
+
+        Returns:
+            ``True`` once the built language index lists the code, and for the
+            deployed snapshot already before its first build, from the catalog
+            on disk. Only a queue admission - ``build_language`` re-checks the
+            index and drops the marker when the catalog turns out to be empty.
+        """
+        if self.translates(version, code):
+            return True
+        if version != DEPLOYED:
+            return False
+        return (self.snapshot / "locale" / code / "LC_MESSAGES" / "docs.po").is_file()
+
     def _refresh_stale_sites(self):
         """Queue every already-served version whose site no longer matches its ref.
 
@@ -216,4 +235,4 @@ class Library(Sites, Queue, Builder):
         """
         for version in self.versions():
             if self.servable(version):
-                self.request(version)
+                self.request(version, background=True)
diff --git a/roles/web-app-docs/files/python/infinito_docs/server.py b/roles/web-app-docs/files/python/infinito_docs/server.py
index 34433e14f2..8f535555d0 100644
--- a/roles/web-app-docs/files/python/infinito_docs/server.py
+++ b/roles/web-app-docs/files/python/infinito_docs/server.py
@@ -126,6 +126,8 @@ class DocsHandler(SimpleHTTPRequestHandler):
             self._redirect(f"/{version}/")
         elif not self.library.servable(version) or self.library.outdated(version):
             self.library.request(version)
+            if wanted := rest.partition("/")[0]:
+                self.library.request(version, wanted)
             body = BUILDING.format(version=html.escape(version))
             self._page(HTTPStatus.ACCEPTED, f"Building {version}", body, head)
         elif (code := rest.partition("/")[0]) in self.library.languages(version)[0]:
diff --git a/tests/unit/python/roles/web-app-docs/files/infinito_docs/test_build_queue.py b/tests/unit/python/roles/web-app-docs/files/infinito_docs/test_build_queue.py
index 79c3461ad5..51c2bd1839 100644
--- a/tests/unit/python/roles/web-app-docs/files/infinito_docs/test_build_queue.py
+++ b/tests/unit/python/roles/web-app-docs/files/infinito_docs/test_build_queue.py
@@ -57,8 +57,10 @@ class QueueFixture(LibraryFixture):
 
 
 class TestRequest(QueueFixture, unittest.TestCase):
-    def test_the_fetch_queues_latest(self) -> None:
-        self.assertIn("latest", self._queued())
+    def test_the_fetch_queues_latest_behind_what_a_visitor_waits_for(self) -> None:
+        self.assertEqual(self._queued(), [])
+        self.assertIn("latest", self._queued("background"))
+        self.assertEqual(self.library.next_queued(), "latest")
 
     def test_a_current_version_is_not_queued_again(self) -> None:
         self.library._dequeue("latest")
diff --git a/tests/unit/python/roles/web-app-docs/files/infinito_docs/test_library.py b/tests/unit/python/roles/web-app-docs/files/infinito_docs/test_library.py
index d24e75a6a3..6f1d1f75cf 100644
--- a/tests/unit/python/roles/web-app-docs/files/infinito_docs/test_library.py
+++ b/tests/unit/python/roles/web-app-docs/files/infinito_docs/test_library.py
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ class TestLibrary(LibraryFixture):
         self.library.fetch()
 
         self.assertTrue(
-            (self.library.queue / "v1.0.0").exists(),
+            self.library.is_queued("v1.0.0"),
             "a tag is built on demand and then never revisited, so nothing else "
             "would ever notice its index predates the split",
         )
@@ -218,6 +218,7 @@ class TestLibrary(LibraryFixture):
         self.assertFalse((self.library.queue / "v9.9.9").exists())
 
     def test_queue_is_served_oldest_request_first(self) -> None:
+        self.library.request("latest")
         self.library.request("v1.0.0")
         self.library.request("v1.2.0")
         os.utime(self.library.queue / "latest", (3000, 3000))