diff --git a/app/ide-desktop/lib/dashboard/src/authentication/src/authentication/providers/auth.tsx b/app/ide-desktop/lib/dashboard/src/authentication/src/authentication/providers/auth.tsx
index cd8452c0ede..8c8ae720003 100644
--- a/app/ide-desktop/lib/dashboard/src/authentication/src/authentication/providers/auth.tsx
+++ b/app/ide-desktop/lib/dashboard/src/authentication/src/authentication/providers/auth.tsx
@@ -163,6 +163,7 @@ const AuthContext = react.createContext<AuthContextType>({} as AuthContextType)
 /** Props for an {@link AuthProvider}. */
 export interface AuthProviderProps {
     shouldStartInOfflineMode: boolean
+    supportsLocalBackend: boolean
     authService: authServiceModule.AuthService
     /** Callback to execute once the user has authenticated successfully. */
     onAuthenticated: () => void
@@ -171,7 +172,13 @@ export interface AuthProviderProps {
 
 /** A React provider for the Cognito API. */
 export function AuthProvider(props: AuthProviderProps) {
-    const { shouldStartInOfflineMode, authService, onAuthenticated, children } = props
+    const {
+        shouldStartInOfflineMode,
+        supportsLocalBackend,
+        authService,
+        onAuthenticated,
+        children,
+    } = props
     const { cognito } = authService
     const { session, deinitializeSession } = sessionProvider.useSession()
     const { setBackendWithoutSavingType } = backendProvider.useSetBackend()
@@ -208,8 +215,7 @@ export function AuthProvider(props: AuthProviderProps) {
                 setUserSession(null)
             } else {
                 const { accessToken, email } = session.val
-                const headers = new Headers()
-                headers.append('Authorization', `Bearer ${accessToken}`)
+                const headers = new Headers([['Authorization', `Bearer ${accessToken}`]])
                 const client = new http.Client(headers)
                 const backend = new remoteBackend.RemoteBackend(client, logger)
                 // The backend MUST be the remote backend before login is finished.
@@ -294,7 +300,14 @@ export function AuthProvider(props: AuthProviderProps) {
     const goOfflineInternal = () => {
         setInitialized(true)
         setUserSession(OFFLINE_USER_SESSION)
-        setBackendWithoutSavingType(new localBackend.LocalBackend())
+        if (supportsLocalBackend) {
+            setBackendWithoutSavingType(new localBackend.LocalBackend())
+        } else {
+            // Provide dummy headers to avoid errors. This `Backend` will never be called as
+            // the entire UI will be disabled.
+            const client = new http.Client(new Headers([['Authorization', '']]))
+            setBackendWithoutSavingType(new remoteBackend.RemoteBackend(client, logger))
+        }
     }
 
     const goOffline = () => {
diff --git a/app/ide-desktop/lib/dashboard/src/authentication/src/components/app.tsx b/app/ide-desktop/lib/dashboard/src/authentication/src/components/app.tsx
index 7bf4394f235..b507ffa087a 100644
--- a/app/ide-desktop/lib/dashboard/src/authentication/src/components/app.tsx
+++ b/app/ide-desktop/lib/dashboard/src/authentication/src/components/app.tsx
@@ -134,7 +134,13 @@ function App(props: AppProps) {
  * because the {@link AppRouter} relies on React hooks, which can't be used in the same React
  * component as the component that defines the provider. */
 function AppRouter(props: AppProps) {
-    const { logger, isAuthenticationDisabled, shouldShowDashboard, onAuthenticated } = props
+    const {
+        logger,
+        supportsLocalBackend,
+        isAuthenticationDisabled,
+        shouldShowDashboard,
+        onAuthenticated,
+    } = props
     const navigate = hooks.useNavigate()
     // FIXME[sb]: After platform detection for Electron is merged in, `IS_DEV_MODE` should be
     // set to true on `ide watch`.
@@ -190,6 +196,7 @@ function AppRouter(props: AppProps) {
                 <backendProvider.BackendProvider initialBackend={initialBackend}>
                     <authProvider.AuthProvider
                         shouldStartInOfflineMode={isAuthenticationDisabled}
+                        supportsLocalBackend={supportsLocalBackend}
                         authService={authService}
                         onAuthenticated={onAuthenticated}
                     >
diff --git a/app/ide-desktop/lib/dashboard/src/authentication/src/dashboard/components/projectActionButton.tsx b/app/ide-desktop/lib/dashboard/src/authentication/src/dashboard/components/projectActionButton.tsx
index 8a0aef9ea09..5a4d0d40934 100644
--- a/app/ide-desktop/lib/dashboard/src/authentication/src/dashboard/components/projectActionButton.tsx
+++ b/app/ide-desktop/lib/dashboard/src/authentication/src/dashboard/components/projectActionButton.tsx
@@ -319,7 +319,9 @@ function ProjectActionButton(props: ProjectActionButtonProps) {
                     setProjectData(oldProjectData => ({ ...oldProjectData, isRunning: true }))
                     setState(oldState => {
                         if (oldState === backendModule.ProjectState.openInProgress) {
-                            doRefresh()
+                            setTimeout(() => {
+                                doRefresh()
+                            }, 0)
                             return backendModule.ProjectState.opened
                         } else {
                             return oldState
diff --git a/app/ide-desktop/lib/dashboard/src/authentication/src/providers/backend.tsx b/app/ide-desktop/lib/dashboard/src/authentication/src/providers/backend.tsx
index a2ac1de22ca..05044678ca5 100644
--- a/app/ide-desktop/lib/dashboard/src/authentication/src/providers/backend.tsx
+++ b/app/ide-desktop/lib/dashboard/src/authentication/src/providers/backend.tsx
@@ -50,7 +50,11 @@ export function BackendProvider(props: BackendProviderProps) {
     const { children } = props
     const [backend, setBackendWithoutSavingType] = react.useState<
         localBackend.LocalBackend | remoteBackend.RemoteBackend
-    >(() => new localBackend.LocalBackend())
+        // This default value is UNSAFE, but must neither be `LocalBackend`, which may not be
+        // available, not `RemoteBackend`, which does not work when not yet logged in.
+        // Care must be taken to initialize the backend before its first usage.
+        // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-non-null-assertion
+    >(null!)
     const setBackend = react.useCallback((newBackend: AnyBackendAPI) => {
         setBackendWithoutSavingType(newBackend)
         localStorage.setItem(BACKEND_TYPE_KEY, newBackend.type)