diff --git a/src/ci_orchestrator/web/app.py b/src/ci_orchestrator/web/app.py
index 8d58266..8296c4c 100644
--- a/src/ci_orchestrator/web/app.py
+++ b/src/ci_orchestrator/web/app.py
@@ -571,6 +571,30 @@ def services_partial(request: Request) -> HTMLResponse:
 # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── factory
 
 
+def _static_asset_version(web_dir: Path) -> str:
+    """Cache-busting query value shared by ``/static/app.css`` and
+    ``/static/app.js`` (base.html stamps both tags with the same call).
+
+    StaticFiles sends only ETag/Last-Modified, no Cache-Control, so a plain
+    browser reload can serve a stale asset after a redeploy; the query
+    string exists to force a brand new URL instead. It has to move on the
+    *newer* of the two files' mtimes, not just app.css's -- a JS-only deploy
+    otherwise leaves app.css's mtime (and so the shared version, and so the
+    app.js URL) unchanged, and the browser keeps whatever app.js it already
+    cached under that now-stale-content, unchanged URL.
+    """
+    static_dir = web_dir / "static"
+    mtimes: list[float] = []
+    for name in ("app.css", "app.js"):
+        try:
+            mtimes.append((static_dir / name).stat().st_mtime)
+        except OSError:
+            continue
+    if not mtimes:
+        return "0"
+    return str(int(max(mtimes)))
+
+
 def create_app(config: Config) -> FastAPI:
     """Build the dashboard app: W4 read-only routes + W5 auth + W6 mutating actions.
 
@@ -607,20 +631,7 @@ def create_app(config: Config) -> FastAPI:
     # remember to thread it through.
     app.state.templates.env.globals["gitea_url"] = gitea_base_url(config.web)
 
-    # Cache-busting for the stylesheet: StaticFiles sends only ETag/
-    # Last-Modified (no Cache-Control), so a plain browser reload can serve a
-    # stale app.css after a redeploy. Stamping the <link> with the file's
-    # mtime -- re-read per render -- means every deploy changes the URL, so a
-    # normal navigation refetches the CSS with no hard-refresh needed.
-    static_css = _WEB_DIR / "static" / "app.css"
-
-    def _asset_version() -> str:
-        try:
-            return str(int(static_css.stat().st_mtime))
-        except OSError:
-            return "0"
-
-    app.state.templates.env.globals["asset_version"] = _asset_version
+    app.state.templates.env.globals["asset_version"] = lambda: _static_asset_version(_WEB_DIR)
     app.mount("/static", StaticFiles(directory=str(_WEB_DIR / "static")), name="static")
 
     app.get("/healthz")(healthz)
diff --git a/tests/python/test_web_app.py b/tests/python/test_web_app.py
index 7766970..7f2910e 100644
--- a/tests/python/test_web_app.py
+++ b/tests/python/test_web_app.py
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ real host state (disk, systemd) leaks into the assertions either.
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import os
 import shutil
 from collections import namedtuple
 from pathlib import Path
@@ -337,3 +338,31 @@ def test_dashboard_lists_a_running_vm_under_its_run(
 
     assert resp.status_code == 200
     assert "job1" in resp.text
+
+
+# ── _static_asset_version ────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+
+def test_asset_version_moves_when_only_js_changes(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    """A JS-only deploy must still change the shared cache-busting query --
+    otherwise the browser keeps serving whatever app.js it cached under the
+    unchanged URL (app.css's mtime alone used to drive this value)."""
+    static_dir = tmp_path / "static"
+    static_dir.mkdir()
+    css = static_dir / "app.css"
+    js = static_dir / "app.js"
+    css.write_text("body{}")
+    js.write_text("//v1")
+    os.utime(css, (1_000_000, 1_000_000))
+    os.utime(js, (1_000_000, 1_000_000))
+
+    before = app_module._static_asset_version(tmp_path)
+
+    os.utime(js, (2_000_000, 2_000_000))  # touch only the JS file
+    after = app_module._static_asset_version(tmp_path)
+
+    assert after != before
+
+
+def test_asset_version_degrades_to_zero_when_both_assets_are_missing(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    assert app_module._static_asset_version(tmp_path) == "0"