diff --git a/internal/app/files/system_avatar_seed.go b/internal/app/files/system_avatar_seed.go
index 2b77f908..8769e229 100644
--- a/internal/app/files/system_avatar_seed.go
+++ b/internal/app/files/system_avatar_seed.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package files
 import (
 	"context"
 	_ "embed"
+	"fmt"
 	"time"
 
 	"telesrv/internal/domain"
@@ -15,30 +16,42 @@ var officialSystemAvatarPNG []byte
 // account's (777000) profile photo from the bundled brand logo, writing it
 // under the fixed domain.OfficialSystemUserPhotoID so the photo/blob layer
 // and the pure domain.OfficialSystemUser() struct literal stay in sync
-// across restarts. Returns true if it actually wrote a new photo.
+// across restarts. It also registers the photo as the account's *current*
+// profile photo (the profile_photos association) — without this, list
+// views render the avatar from the hardcoded User struct fields, but
+// users.getFullUser (triggered on chat open) reads only the association,
+// finds nothing, and the client wipes the avatar it just showed.
+// Returns true if it actually wrote a new photo.
 func (s *Service) SeedOfficialSystemAvatar(ctx context.Context) (bool, error) {
 	photoID := domain.OfficialSystemUserPhotoID
-	if existing, found, err := s.media.GetPhoto(ctx, photoID); err != nil {
+	wrote := false
+	if _, found, err := s.media.GetPhoto(ctx, photoID); err != nil {
 		return false, err
-	} else if found {
-		domain.SetOfficialSystemUserAvatar(existing.DCID, domain.StrippedFromSizes(existing.Sizes))
-		return false, nil
+	} else if !found {
+		sizes, err := s.putPhotoStaticSizes(ctx, photoID, officialSystemAvatarPNG, photoSizeSpecsForAvatar(officialSystemAvatarPNG))
+		if err != nil {
+			return false, err
+		}
+		photo := domain.Photo{
+			ID:            photoID,
+			AccessHash:    domain.OfficialSystemUserPhotoAccessHash,
+			FileReference: randomFileReference(),
+			Date:          int(time.Now().Unix()),
+			DCID:          s.dc,
+			Sizes:         sizes,
+		}
+		if err := s.media.PutPhoto(ctx, photo); err != nil {
+			return false, err
+		}
+		wrote = true
 	}
-	sizes, err := s.putPhotoStaticSizes(ctx, photoID, officialSystemAvatarPNG, photoSizeSpecsForAvatar(officialSystemAvatarPNG))
+	photo, ok, err := s.SetCurrentProfilePhoto(ctx, domain.PeerTypeUser, domain.OfficialSystemUserID, photoID, int(time.Now().Unix()))
 	if err != nil {
 		return false, err
 	}
-	photo := domain.Photo{
-		ID:            photoID,
-		AccessHash:    domain.OfficialSystemUserPhotoAccessHash,
-		FileReference: randomFileReference(),
-		Date:          int(time.Now().Unix()),
-		DCID:          s.dc,
-		Sizes:         sizes,
-	}
-	if err := s.media.PutPhoto(ctx, photo); err != nil {
-		return false, err
+	if !ok {
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("official system avatar photo %d not found after seeding", photoID)
 	}
 	domain.SetOfficialSystemUserAvatar(photo.DCID, domain.StrippedFromSizes(photo.Sizes))
-	return true, nil
+	return wrote, nil
 }