diff --git a/ui/src/App.svelte b/ui/src/App.svelte
index e07701e..8f3bba3 100644
--- a/ui/src/App.svelte
+++ b/ui/src/App.svelte
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
   import { t } from './lib/i18n/index.svelte';
   import { insideTelegram, telegramBackButton } from './lib/telegram';
   import Toast from './components/Toast.svelte';
+  import StaleInviteModal from './components/StaleInviteModal.svelte';
   import Login from './screens/Login.svelte';
   import Lobby from './screens/Lobby.svelte';
   import NewGame from './screens/NewGame.svelte';
@@ -108,6 +109,7 @@
 {/if}
 
 <Toast />
+<StaleInviteModal />
 
 <style>
   .splash {
diff --git a/ui/src/components/StaleInviteModal.svelte b/ui/src/components/StaleInviteModal.svelte
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6c8bead
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/src/components/StaleInviteModal.svelte
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+<script lang="ts">
+  import { app, dismissStaleInvite } from '../lib/app.svelte';
+  import { t } from '../lib/i18n/index.svelte';
+  import { botUsername } from '../lib/deeplink';
+  import { telegramOpenLink } from '../lib/telegram';
+  import Modal from './Modal.svelte';
+
+  // Point at the bot the player signed in through (its service language), falling back to
+  // the interface locale, so an ru player is sent to the ru bot and an en player to the en one.
+  const username = $derived(botUsername(app.session?.serviceLanguage || app.locale));
+  // Split the message around the {bot} token so the bot handle renders as an inline link.
+  const parts = $derived(t('friends.staleInvite').split('{bot}'));
+
+  function openBot() {
+    if (username) {
+      const url = `https://t.me/${username}`;
+      // Inside Telegram, openTelegramLink navigates to the bot chat natively; elsewhere fall
+      // back to a new tab.
+      if (!telegramOpenLink(url) && typeof window !== 'undefined') window.open(url, '_blank');
+    }
+    dismissStaleInvite();
+  }
+</script>
+
+{#if app.staleInvite}
+  <Modal title={t('friends.staleInviteTitle')} onclose={dismissStaleInvite}>
+    <p class="msg">{parts[0]}{#if username}<button type="button" class="bot" onclick={openBot}>@{username}</button>{/if}{parts[1] ?? ''}</p>
+    <button class="ok" onclick={dismissStaleInvite}>{t('common.ok')}</button>
+  </Modal>
+{/if}
+
+<style>
+  .msg {
+    margin: 0 0 16px;
+    line-height: 1.5;
+  }
+  .bot {
+    background: none;
+    border: none;
+    padding: 0;
+    font: inherit;
+    color: var(--accent);
+    cursor: pointer;
+  }
+  .ok {
+    width: 100%;
+    padding: 10px 12px;
+    border: 1px solid var(--accent);
+    background: var(--accent);
+    color: var(--accent-text);
+    border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+  }
+</style>
diff --git a/ui/src/lib/app.svelte.ts b/ui/src/lib/app.svelte.ts
index 94d8739..ec5e034 100644
--- a/ui/src/lib/app.svelte.ts
+++ b/ui/src/lib/app.svelte.ts
@@ -62,6 +62,10 @@ export const app = $state<{
   /** Whether an operator feedback reply awaits the player, for the lobby ⚙️ badge (combined
    *  with friend requests) and the Settings → Info badge. */
   feedbackReplyUnread: boolean;
+  /** Whether to show the "outdated invite link" notice: set when a Telegram deep-link friend
+   *  code is already used/expired, so the visitor lands in the lobby with a gentle pointer to
+   *  the bot instead of a scary error on the Friends screen. */
+  staleInvite: boolean;
   /** Monotonic counter bumped when the app returns to the foreground without the live stream
    *  having dropped. An open game watches it to refetch once, recovering an in-game event shed
    *  from a full hub buffer while suspended (the stream-drop case is covered by streamAlive). */
@@ -83,6 +87,7 @@ export const app = $state<{
   notifications: 0,
   chatUnread: {},
   feedbackReplyUnread: false,
+  staleInvite: false,
   resync: 0,
 });
 
@@ -134,6 +139,11 @@ export function showToast(text: string, kind: Toast['kind'] = 'info'): void {
   toastTimer = setTimeout(() => (app.toast = null), 4000);
 }
 
+/** dismissStaleInvite hides the outdated-invite-link notice (the user acknowledged it). */
+export function dismissStaleInvite(): void {
+  app.staleInvite = false;
+}
+
 /** clearChatUnread resets a game's unread chat-message count (called when its chat is opened). */
 export function clearChatUnread(gameId: string): void {
   if (app.chatUnread[gameId]) app.chatUnread = { ...app.chatUnread, [gameId]: 0 };
@@ -487,17 +497,25 @@ async function routeStartParam(param: string): Promise<void> {
       navigate(`/game/${link.id}`);
       return;
     case 'friendCode':
-      navigate('/friends');
       try {
         const friend = await gateway.friendCodeRedeem(link.code);
+        navigate('/friends');
         showToast(t('friends.added', { name: friend.displayName }));
         void refreshNotifications();
       } catch (err) {
-        // Tapping your own invite link redeems your own code: show a friendly note, not
-        // the scary "can't do that to yourself" error.
-        if (err instanceof GatewayError && err.code === 'self_relation') {
+        const code = err instanceof GatewayError ? err.code : '';
+        if (code === 'self_relation') {
+          // Tapping your own invite link redeems your own code: a friendly note, not the
+          // scary "can't do that to yourself" error.
+          navigate('/friends');
           showToast(t('friends.selfInvite'));
+        } else if (code === 'friend_code_invalid') {
+          // A previously shared link whose single-use, 12h code is already spent or expired:
+          // land in the lobby and gently point at the bot, rather than a red error on Friends.
+          navigate('/');
+          app.staleInvite = true;
         } else {
+          navigate('/friends');
           handleError(err);
         }
       }
diff --git a/ui/src/lib/deeplink.test.ts b/ui/src/lib/deeplink.test.ts
index 7ad1df4..d7c2f08 100644
--- a/ui/src/lib/deeplink.test.ts
+++ b/ui/src/lib/deeplink.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
-import { friendCodeParam, gameParam, invitationParam, parseStartParam, shareLink } from './deeplink';
+import { botUsername, friendCodeParam, gameParam, invitationParam, parseStartParam, shareLink } from './deeplink';
 
 describe('parseStartParam', () => {
   it('classifies game / invitation / friend code', () => {
@@ -33,19 +33,40 @@ describe('shareLink', () => {
 
   it('wraps a payload in a startapp link', () => {
     vi.stubEnv('VITE_TELEGRAM_LINK', 'https://t.me/bot/app');
-    expect(shareLink('f123456')).toBe('https://t.me/bot/app?startapp=f123456');
+    expect(shareLink('f123456')).toBe('https://t.me/bot/app?startapp=f123456&mode=fullscreen');
   });
 
   it('picks the per-bot base by language', () => {
     vi.stubEnv('VITE_TELEGRAM_LINK_EN', 'https://t.me/enbot/app');
     vi.stubEnv('VITE_TELEGRAM_LINK_RU', 'https://t.me/rubot/app');
-    expect(shareLink('f1', 'en')).toBe('https://t.me/enbot/app?startapp=f1');
-    expect(shareLink('f1', 'ru')).toBe('https://t.me/rubot/app?startapp=f1');
+    expect(shareLink('f1', 'en')).toBe('https://t.me/enbot/app?startapp=f1&mode=fullscreen');
+    expect(shareLink('f1', 'ru')).toBe('https://t.me/rubot/app?startapp=f1&mode=fullscreen');
   });
 
   it('falls back to the language-agnostic base when the per-bot one is unset', () => {
     vi.stubEnv('VITE_TELEGRAM_LINK', 'https://t.me/fallback/app');
     vi.stubEnv('VITE_TELEGRAM_LINK_RU', '');
-    expect(shareLink('f1', 'ru')).toBe('https://t.me/fallback/app?startapp=f1');
+    expect(shareLink('f1', 'ru')).toBe('https://t.me/fallback/app?startapp=f1&mode=fullscreen');
+  });
+});
+
+describe('botUsername', () => {
+  afterEach(() => vi.unstubAllEnvs());
+
+  it('returns null without a configured base', () => {
+    vi.stubEnv('VITE_TELEGRAM_LINK', '');
+    expect(botUsername()).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it('extracts the bot handle from the Mini App link', () => {
+    vi.stubEnv('VITE_TELEGRAM_LINK', 'https://t.me/bot/app');
+    expect(botUsername()).toBe('bot');
+  });
+
+  it('picks the per-bot handle by language', () => {
+    vi.stubEnv('VITE_TELEGRAM_LINK_EN', 'https://t.me/enbot/app');
+    vi.stubEnv('VITE_TELEGRAM_LINK_RU', 'https://t.me/rubot/app');
+    expect(botUsername('en')).toBe('enbot');
+    expect(botUsername('ru')).toBe('rubot');
   });
 });
diff --git a/ui/src/lib/deeplink.ts b/ui/src/lib/deeplink.ts
index f5cf6fc..5431531 100644
--- a/ui/src/lib/deeplink.ts
+++ b/ui/src/lib/deeplink.ts
@@ -52,6 +52,23 @@ function telegramBase(lang: string): string | null {
   return byLang || envVar('VITE_TELEGRAM_LINK') || null;
 }
 
+/**
+ * botUsername extracts the bot's @username (without the @) from the configured Mini App
+ * link for a bot language: the first path segment of https://t.me/<bot>/<app>. Returns
+ * null when no base is configured or the link carries no path, so callers can fall back
+ * when they cannot point at a specific bot.
+ */
+export function botUsername(lang = ''): string | null {
+  const base = telegramBase(lang);
+  if (!base) return null;
+  try {
+    const seg = new URL(base).pathname.split('/').filter(Boolean)[0];
+    return seg || null;
+  } catch {
+    return null;
+  }
+}
+
 /**
  * shareLink wraps a deep-link start parameter in a t.me Mini App link for the given
  * bot language (the session's service language). Returns null when no base is
@@ -61,5 +78,7 @@ export function shareLink(param: string, lang = ''): string | null {
   const base = telegramBase(lang);
   if (!base) return null;
   const sep = base.includes('?') ? '&' : '?';
-  return `${base}${sep}startapp=${encodeURIComponent(param)}`;
+  // mode=fullscreen opens the Mini App fullscreen, matching how the bot's own entry
+  // opens it, so a shared link and the bot give the same experience.
+  return `${base}${sep}startapp=${encodeURIComponent(param)}&mode=fullscreen`;
 }
diff --git a/ui/src/lib/i18n/en.ts b/ui/src/lib/i18n/en.ts
index b01d5b6..7aaabe1 100644
--- a/ui/src/lib/i18n/en.ts
+++ b/ui/src/lib/i18n/en.ts
@@ -237,6 +237,8 @@ export const en = {
   'friends.inviteText': "Let's play Scrabble!",
   'friends.linkCopied': 'Link copied.',
   'friends.selfInvite': "Hopefully you've been friends with yourself for a while ☺️",
+  'friends.staleInviteTitle': 'Link expired',
+  'friends.staleInvite': 'You opened the game from an outdated link. Open the bot {bot} to play and get notifications.',
   'friends.added': 'Added {name}.',
   'friends.blockedList': 'Blocked players',
   'friends.unblock': 'Unblock',
diff --git a/ui/src/lib/i18n/ru.ts b/ui/src/lib/i18n/ru.ts
index 3d6da26..fa5e58f 100644
--- a/ui/src/lib/i18n/ru.ts
+++ b/ui/src/lib/i18n/ru.ts
@@ -238,6 +238,8 @@ export const ru: Record<MessageKey, string> = {
   'friends.inviteText': 'Давай играть в Эрудит!',
   'friends.linkCopied': 'Ссылка скопирована.',
   'friends.selfInvite': 'Надеюсь, что с собой Вы уже давно дружите ☺️',
+  'friends.staleInviteTitle': 'Ссылка устарела',
+  'friends.staleInvite': 'Вы открыли игру по устаревшей ссылке. Откройте бота {bot}, чтобы играть и получать уведомления.',
   'friends.added': 'Добавлен(а) {name}.',
   'friends.blockedList': 'Заблокированные',
   'friends.unblock': 'Разблокировать',
diff --git a/ui/src/lib/telegram.test.ts b/ui/src/lib/telegram.test.ts
index b08d91f..fa93728 100644
--- a/ui/src/lib/telegram.test.ts
+++ b/ui/src/lib/telegram.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
-import { insideTelegram, telegramLaunch } from './telegram';
+import { insideTelegram, telegramClosingConfirmation, telegramLaunch } from './telegram';
 
 function stubWebApp(initData: string, startParam?: string) {
   vi.stubGlobal('window', {
@@ -37,3 +37,40 @@ describe('telegram launch detection', () => {
     expect(launch.theme?.bg_color).toBe('#101418');
   });
 });
+
+describe('telegramClosingConfirmation', () => {
+  afterEach(() => vi.unstubAllGlobals());
+
+  // stubClient stands up a fake WebApp on the given platform with spies for the close-guard
+  // toggles, so the platform gate can be asserted without a real Telegram client.
+  function stubClient(platform?: string) {
+    const enable = vi.fn();
+    const disable = vi.fn();
+    vi.stubGlobal('window', {
+      Telegram: { WebApp: { platform, enableClosingConfirmation: enable, disableClosingConfirmation: disable } },
+    });
+    return { enable, disable };
+  }
+
+  it('arms the close guard on mobile clients', () => {
+    for (const p of ['ios', 'android']) {
+      const { enable } = stubClient(p);
+      telegramClosingConfirmation(true);
+      expect(enable, `platform=${p}`).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+    }
+  });
+
+  it('skips the close guard on desktop clients (the dialog there is just noise)', () => {
+    for (const p of ['tdesktop', 'macos', 'web', undefined]) {
+      const { enable } = stubClient(p);
+      telegramClosingConfirmation(true);
+      expect(enable, `platform=${p}`).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    }
+  });
+
+  it('always lifts the guard on leave, regardless of platform', () => {
+    const { disable } = stubClient('tdesktop');
+    telegramClosingConfirmation(false);
+    expect(disable).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/ui/src/lib/telegram.ts b/ui/src/lib/telegram.ts
index d714491..8e963f9 100644
--- a/ui/src/lib/telegram.ts
+++ b/ui/src/lib/telegram.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import type { TelegramThemeParams } from './theme';
 interface TelegramWebApp {
   initData: string;
   initDataUnsafe?: { start_param?: string };
+  platform?: string;
   themeParams?: TelegramThemeParams;
   colorScheme?: 'light' | 'dark';
   isFullscreen?: boolean;
@@ -50,6 +51,19 @@ export function insideTelegram(): boolean {
   return !!w && typeof w.initData === 'string' && w.initData.length > 0;
 }
 
+/**
+ * telegramOpenLink opens a t.me link through the Mini App SDK, so Telegram navigates to
+ * it natively (e.g. a bot chat) rather than spawning an in-app browser tab. Returns false
+ * outside Telegram or when the SDK lacks the method, so the caller can fall back to a plain
+ * window.open.
+ */
+export function telegramOpenLink(url: string): boolean {
+  const w = webApp();
+  if (!w?.openTelegramLink) return false;
+  w.openTelegramLink(url);
+  return true;
+}
+
 /**
  * shareTelegramLink opens Telegram's native "share to a chat" picker for url with a
  * caption, through the Mini App SDK (https://t.me/share/url). Returns false outside
@@ -57,10 +71,7 @@ export function insideTelegram(): boolean {
  * Share API. Works consistently on iOS and Android within Telegram.
  */
 export function shareTelegramLink(url: string, text: string): boolean {
-  const w = webApp();
-  if (!w?.openTelegramLink) return false;
-  w.openTelegramLink(`https://t.me/share/url?url=${encodeURIComponent(url)}&text=${encodeURIComponent(text)}`);
-  return true;
+  return telegramOpenLink(`https://t.me/share/url?url=${encodeURIComponent(url)}&text=${encodeURIComponent(text)}`);
 }
 
 /** TelegramLaunch is the data a Mini App launch carries. */
@@ -156,13 +167,29 @@ export function telegramHaptic(kind: Haptic): void {
 }
 
 /**
- * telegramClosingConfirmation toggles the confirmation Telegram shows when the user
- * swipes the Mini App closed — enabled during an active game so it is not lost by accident.
+ * isMobilePlatform reports whether the Mini App runs on a Telegram mobile client (iOS or
+ * Android), where a stray swipe-down can drop the app. Desktop clients (tdesktop, macOS,
+ * web) report other values and close only on a deliberate window action.
+ */
+function isMobilePlatform(): boolean {
+  const p = webApp()?.platform;
+  return p === 'ios' || p === 'android';
+}
+
+/**
+ * telegramClosingConfirmation toggles the confirmation Telegram shows when the user swipes
+ * the Mini App closed — enabled during an active game so it is not lost by accident. The
+ * guard is only armed on mobile clients: on desktop, closing a window is deliberate and
+ * Telegram surfaces a "changes may not be saved" dialog that is just noise here (drafts
+ * auto-save), so the confirmation is skipped there.
  */
 export function telegramClosingConfirmation(on: boolean): void {
   const w = webApp();
-  if (on) w?.enableClosingConfirmation?.();
-  else w?.disableClosingConfirmation?.();
+  if (on) {
+    if (isMobilePlatform()) w?.enableClosingConfirmation?.();
+  } else {
+    w?.disableClosingConfirmation?.();
+  }
 }
 
 let backHandler: (() => void) | null = null;