diff --git a/containers/libreportal/frontend/js/components/admin/system-metric-page.js b/containers/libreportal/frontend/js/components/admin/system-metric-page.js
index 165d016..33d706b 100644
--- a/containers/libreportal/frontend/js/components/admin/system-metric-page.js
+++ b/containers/libreportal/frontend/js/components/admin/system-metric-page.js
@@ -203,7 +203,6 @@ class SystemMetricPage {
             this.points = [];
         }
         if (loading) loading.hidden = true;
-        if (this.points.length === 0 && empty) empty.hidden = false;
         this._renderChart();
         this._renderStats();
         this._renderFootMeta();
@@ -307,7 +306,17 @@ class SystemMetricPage {
         svg.setAttribute('viewBox', `0 0 ${W} ${H}`);
         svg.setAttribute('width', W);
         svg.setAttribute('height', H);
-        if (!this.points.length) { svg.innerHTML = ''; return; }
+        // Single source of truth for the empty overlay: it tracks whether we
+        // actually have points. Without this the "no samples" message, shown
+        // by _loadRange when history came back empty, never cleared once live
+        // ticks started filling the chart + stats — a confusing contradiction.
+        const empty = root.querySelector('.sys-detail-empty');
+        if (!this.points.length) {
+            svg.innerHTML = '';
+            if (empty) empty.hidden = false;
+            return;
+        }
+        if (empty) empty.hidden = true;
         const padL = 64, padR = 24, padT = 18, padB = 36;
         const innerW = Math.max(1, W - padL - padR);
         const innerH = Math.max(1, H - padT - padB);