diff --git a/web/redux/redux-setup.js b/web/redux/redux-setup.js
index cc275a3f1..780ab2835 100644
--- a/web/redux/redux-setup.js
+++ b/web/redux/redux-setup.js
@@ -1,230 +1,232 @@
 // @flow
 
 import invariant from 'invariant';
 
 import {
   logOutActionTypes,
   deleteAccountActionTypes,
 } from 'lib/actions/user-actions';
 import baseReducer from 'lib/reducers/master-reducer';
 import { mostRecentlyReadThreadSelector } from 'lib/selectors/thread-selectors';
+import { isLoggedIn } from 'lib/selectors/user-selectors';
 import { invalidSessionDowngrade } from 'lib/shared/account-utils';
 import type { Shape } from 'lib/types/core';
 import type { EnabledApps } from 'lib/types/enabled-apps';
 import type { EntryStore } from 'lib/types/entry-types';
 import type { CalendarFilter } from 'lib/types/filter-types';
 import type { LifecycleState } from 'lib/types/lifecycle-state-types';
 import type { LoadingStatus } from 'lib/types/loading-types';
 import type { MessageStore } from 'lib/types/message-types';
 import type { BaseAction } from 'lib/types/redux-types';
 import type { ReportStore } from 'lib/types/report-types';
 import type { ConnectionInfo } from 'lib/types/socket-types';
 import type { ThreadStore } from 'lib/types/thread-types';
 import type { CurrentUserInfo, UserStore } from 'lib/types/user-types';
 import { setNewSessionActionType } from 'lib/utils/action-utils';
 
 import { activeThreadSelector } from '../selectors/nav-selectors';
 import { type NavInfo, updateNavInfoActionType } from '../types/nav-types';
 import { updateWindowActiveActionType } from './action-types';
 import reduceNavInfo from './nav-reducer';
 import { getVisibility } from './visibility';
 
 export type WindowDimensions = { width: number, height: number };
 export type AppState = {
   navInfo: NavInfo,
   currentUserInfo: ?CurrentUserInfo,
   sessionID: ?string,
   entryStore: EntryStore,
   threadStore: ThreadStore,
   userStore: UserStore,
   messageStore: MessageStore,
   updatesCurrentAsOf: number,
   loadingStatuses: { [key: string]: { [idx: number]: LoadingStatus } },
   calendarFilters: $ReadOnlyArray<CalendarFilter>,
   urlPrefix: string,
   windowDimensions: WindowDimensions,
   cookie?: void,
   deviceToken?: void,
   baseHref: string,
   connection: ConnectionInfo,
   watchedThreadIDs: $ReadOnlyArray<string>,
   lifecycleState: LifecycleState,
   enabledApps: EnabledApps,
   reportStore: ReportStore,
   nextLocalID: number,
   timeZone: ?string,
   userAgent: ?string,
   dataLoaded: boolean,
   windowActive: boolean,
 };
 
 export const updateWindowDimensions = 'UPDATE_WINDOW_DIMENSIONS';
 
 export type Action =
   | BaseAction
   | { type: 'UPDATE_NAV_INFO', payload: Shape<NavInfo> }
   | {
       type: 'UPDATE_WINDOW_DIMENSIONS',
       payload: WindowDimensions,
     }
   | {
       type: 'UPDATE_WINDOW_ACTIVE',
       payload: boolean,
     };
 
 export function reducer(oldState: AppState | void, action: Action): AppState {
   invariant(oldState, 'should be set');
   let state = oldState;
 
   if (action.type === updateWindowDimensions) {
     return validateState(oldState, {
       ...state,
       windowDimensions: action.payload,
     });
   } else if (action.type === updateWindowActiveActionType) {
     return validateState(oldState, {
       ...state,
       windowActive: action.payload,
     });
   } else if (action.type === setNewSessionActionType) {
     if (
       invalidSessionDowngrade(
         oldState,
         action.payload.sessionChange.currentUserInfo,
         action.payload.preRequestUserState,
       )
     ) {
       return oldState;
     }
     state = {
       ...state,
       sessionID: action.payload.sessionChange.sessionID,
     };
   } else if (
     (action.type === logOutActionTypes.success &&
       invalidSessionDowngrade(
         oldState,
         action.payload.currentUserInfo,
         action.payload.preRequestUserState,
       )) ||
     (action.type === deleteAccountActionTypes.success &&
       invalidSessionDowngrade(
         oldState,
         action.payload.currentUserInfo,
         action.payload.preRequestUserState,
       ))
   ) {
     return oldState;
   }
 
   if (action.type !== updateNavInfoActionType) {
     state = baseReducer(state, action).state;
   }
 
   state = {
     ...state,
     navInfo: reduceNavInfo(
       state.navInfo,
       action,
       state.threadStore.threadInfos,
     ),
   };
 
   return validateState(oldState, state);
 }
 
 function validateState(oldState: AppState, state: AppState): AppState {
   if (
-    state.navInfo.activeChatThreadID &&
-    !state.navInfo.pendingThread &&
-    !state.threadStore.threadInfos[state.navInfo.activeChatThreadID]
+    (state.navInfo.activeChatThreadID &&
+      !state.navInfo.pendingThread &&
+      !state.threadStore.threadInfos[state.navInfo.activeChatThreadID]) ||
+    (!state.navInfo.activeChatThreadID && isLoggedIn(state))
   ) {
     // Makes sure the active thread always exists
     state = {
       ...state,
       navInfo: {
         ...state.navInfo,
         activeChatThreadID: mostRecentlyReadThreadSelector(state),
       },
     };
   }
 
   const activeThread = activeThreadSelector(state);
   if (
     activeThread &&
     !state.navInfo.pendingThread &&
     state.threadStore.threadInfos[activeThread].currentUser.unread &&
     getVisibility().hidden()
   ) {
     console.warn(
       `thread ${activeThread} is active and unread, ` +
         'but visibilityjs reports the window is not visible',
     );
   }
   if (
     activeThread &&
     !state.navInfo.pendingThread &&
     state.threadStore.threadInfos[activeThread].currentUser.unread &&
     typeof document !== 'undefined' &&
     document &&
     'hasFocus' in document &&
     !document.hasFocus()
   ) {
     console.warn(
       `thread ${activeThread} is active and unread, ` +
         'but document.hasFocus() is false',
     );
   }
   if (
     activeThread &&
     !getVisibility().hidden() &&
     typeof document !== 'undefined' &&
     document &&
     'hasFocus' in document &&
     document.hasFocus() &&
     !state.navInfo.pendingThread &&
     state.threadStore.threadInfos[activeThread].currentUser.unread
   ) {
     // Makes sure a currently focused thread is never unread
     state = {
       ...state,
       threadStore: {
         ...state.threadStore,
         threadInfos: {
           ...state.threadStore.threadInfos,
           [activeThread]: {
             ...state.threadStore.threadInfos[activeThread],
             currentUser: {
               ...state.threadStore.threadInfos[activeThread].currentUser,
               unread: false,
             },
           },
         },
       },
     };
   }
 
   const oldActiveThread = activeThreadSelector(oldState);
   if (
     activeThread &&
     oldActiveThread !== activeThread &&
     state.messageStore.threads[activeThread]
   ) {
     // Update messageStore.threads[activeThread].lastNavigatedTo
     state = {
       ...state,
       messageStore: {
         ...state.messageStore,
         threads: {
           ...state.messageStore.threads,
           [activeThread]: {
             ...state.messageStore.threads[activeThread],
             lastNavigatedTo: Date.now(),
           },
         },
       },
     };
   }
 
   return state;
 }