diff --git a/src/ci_orchestrator/web/static/app.js b/src/ci_orchestrator/web/static/app.js
index 7212718..d7a6041 100644
--- a/src/ci_orchestrator/web/static/app.js
+++ b/src/ci_orchestrator/web/static/app.js
@@ -241,6 +241,13 @@
 
   document.body.addEventListener("htmx:afterSwap", function (evt) {
     var target = evt.detail && evt.detail.target;
+    if (!target || !target.isConnected) {
+      // eventInfo.target is the pre-swap node. Every polling card swaps
+      // outerHTML on itself, which detaches that exact node from the DOM --
+      // detail.target is then a dead subtree forever. evt.target (the native
+      // dispatch target) is htmx's freshly-inserted element instead.
+      target = evt.target;
+    }
     if (target && target.id === "action-slot") {
       processSlot(target);
     }