diff --git a/frontend/apps/remark42/app/common/api.test.ts b/frontend/apps/remark42/app/common/api.test.ts
index 3c9f6c99..ca0eb42f 100644
--- a/frontend/apps/remark42/app/common/api.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/apps/remark42/app/common/api.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,42 @@
-import { getUserComments } from './api';
-import { apiFetcher } from './fetcher';
+import { getUser, getUserComments } from './api';
+import { apiFetcher, authFetcher, JWT_COOKIE_NAME, XSRF_COOKIE } from './fetcher';
+import * as cookies from './cookies';
+
+describe('getUser', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    jest.restoreAllMocks();
+  });
+
+  it('should fetch /user when /auth/status reports logged in', async () => {
+    const user = { id: '1', name: 'user' };
+    jest.spyOn(authFetcher, 'get').mockResolvedValue({ status: 'logged in', user: 'user' });
+    const apiSpy = jest.spyOn(apiFetcher, 'get').mockResolvedValue(user);
+
+    await expect(getUser()).resolves.toEqual(user);
+    expect(apiSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith('/user');
+  });
+
+  it('should return null and clear auth cookies when /auth/status reports not logged in', async () => {
+    jest.spyOn(authFetcher, 'get').mockResolvedValue({ status: 'not logged in' });
+    const apiSpy = jest.spyOn(apiFetcher, 'get');
+    const clearSpy = jest.spyOn(cookies, 'clearAuthCookie').mockImplementation(() => {});
+
+    await expect(getUser()).resolves.toBeNull();
+    expect(apiSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(clearSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(JWT_COOKIE_NAME);
+    expect(clearSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(XSRF_COOKIE);
+  });
+
+  it('should return null without clearing cookies when /auth/status request fails', async () => {
+    jest.spyOn(authFetcher, 'get').mockRejectedValue(new Error('boom'));
+    const apiSpy = jest.spyOn(apiFetcher, 'get');
+    const clearSpy = jest.spyOn(cookies, 'clearAuthCookie').mockImplementation(() => {});
+
+    await expect(getUser()).resolves.toBeNull();
+    expect(apiSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(clearSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+});
 
 describe('getUserComments', () => {
   it('should call apiFetcher.get with /comments endpoint and default skip and limit query params', () => {
diff --git a/frontend/apps/remark42/app/common/api.ts b/frontend/apps/remark42/app/common/api.ts
index 2eb2f0ed..d9037c17 100644
--- a/frontend/apps/remark42/app/common/api.ts
+++ b/frontend/apps/remark42/app/common/api.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,8 @@ import {
   Image,
   EmailSubVerificationStatus,
 } from './types';
-import { apiFetcher, adminFetcher } from './fetcher';
+import { apiFetcher, adminFetcher, authFetcher, JWT_COOKIE_NAME, XSRF_COOKIE } from './fetcher';
+import { clearAuthCookie } from './cookies';
 
 /* API methods */
 
@@ -60,7 +61,19 @@ export const removeMyComment = (id: Comment['id']): Promise<void> =>
 
 export const getPreview = (text: string): Promise<string> => apiFetcher.post('/preview', {}, { text });
 
-export function getUser(): Promise<User | null> {
+export async function getUser(): Promise<User | null> {
+  // probe auth state via /auth/status (always 200, no console 401)
+  const status = await authFetcher.get<{ status: string }>('/status').catch(() => null);
+  if (status === null) {
+    // probe failed (network blip, transient 5xx) - leave cookies alone, treat as unknown
+    return null;
+  }
+  if (status.status !== 'logged in') {
+    // explicit "not logged in" - clear stale cookies, preserving cleanup-on-probe behaviour previously triggered by /user 401
+    clearAuthCookie(JWT_COOKIE_NAME);
+    clearAuthCookie(XSRF_COOKIE);
+    return null;
+  }
   return apiFetcher.get<User | null>('/user').catch(() => null);
 }
 
diff --git a/frontend/packages/api/.prettierrc b/frontend/packages/api/.prettierrc
index 521053ec..a525ee8e 100644
--- a/frontend/packages/api/.prettierrc
+++ b/frontend/packages/api/.prettierrc
@@ -2,5 +2,6 @@
 	"semi": false,
 	"printWidth": 100,
 	"quoteProps": "consistent",
-	"singleQuote": true
+	"singleQuote": true,
+	"trailingComma": "es5"
 }
diff --git a/frontend/packages/api/clients/public.ts b/frontend/packages/api/clients/public.ts
index 5c6ab432..66128254 100644
--- a/frontend/packages/api/clients/public.ts
+++ b/frontend/packages/api/clients/public.ts
@@ -83,6 +83,7 @@ export type Vote = -1 | 1
 
 export function createPublicClient({ siteId: site, baseUrl }: ClientParams) {
 	const fetcher = createFetcher(site, `${baseUrl}${API_BASE}`)
+	const authFetcher = createFetcher(site, `${baseUrl}/auth`)
 
 	/**
 	 * Get server config
@@ -92,9 +93,14 @@ export function createPublicClient({ siteId: site, baseUrl }: ClientParams) {
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * Get current authorized user
+	 * Get current authorized user.
+	 * Probes /auth/status first (always 200, no console 401), then fetches /user only if logged in.
 	 */
 	async function getUser(): Promise<User | null> {
+		const status = await authFetcher.get<{ status: string }>('/status').catch(() => null)
+		if (status?.status !== 'logged in') {
+			return null
+		}
 		return fetcher.get<User | null>('/user').catch(() => null)
 	}
 
@@ -104,7 +110,7 @@ export function createPublicClient({ siteId: site, baseUrl }: ClientParams) {
 	async function getComments(url: string): Promise<CommentsTree>
 	async function getComments(params: GetUserCommentsParams): Promise<Comment[]>
 	async function getComments(
-		params: string | GetUserCommentsParams,
+		params: string | GetUserCommentsParams
 	): Promise<Comment[] | CommentsTree> {
 		if (typeof params === 'string') {
 			return fetcher.get('/comments', { url: params })
diff --git a/frontend/packages/api/tests/clients/public.test.ts b/frontend/packages/api/tests/clients/public.test.ts
index 70734dab..89f2de10 100644
--- a/frontend/packages/api/tests/clients/public.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/packages/api/tests/clients/public.test.ts
@@ -97,11 +97,20 @@ describe<Context>('Public Client', (publicClient) => {
 		})
 	})
 
-	const userCases = [null, { id: '1', username: 'user' }]
-	userCases.forEach((user) => {
-		publicClient('should return user', async ({ client }) => {
-			mockEndpoint('/remark42/api/v1/user', { body: user })
-			await expect(client.getUser()).resolves.toEqual(user)
-		})
+	publicClient('getUser: should return user when logged in', async ({ client }) => {
+		const user = { id: '1', username: 'user' }
+		mockEndpoint('/remark42/auth/status', { body: { status: 'logged in', user: 'user' } })
+		mockEndpoint('/remark42/api/v1/user', { body: user })
+		await expect(client.getUser()).resolves.toEqual(user)
+	})
+
+	publicClient('getUser: should return null when not logged in', async ({ client }) => {
+		mockEndpoint('/remark42/auth/status', { body: { status: 'not logged in' } })
+		await expect(client.getUser()).resolves.toBeNull()
+	})
+
+	publicClient('getUser: should return null when status probe fails', async ({ client }) => {
+		mockEndpoint('/remark42/auth/status', { status: 500, body: 'boom' })
+		await expect(client.getUser()).resolves.toBeNull()
 	})
 })