diff --git a/desktop/src/app/App.tsx b/desktop/src/app/App.tsx
index 6b799636f3..d8a499a0eb 100644
--- a/desktop/src/app/App.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/app/App.tsx
@@ -463,6 +463,7 @@ function MachineBootstrap({ sharedIdentity }: { sharedIdentity: boolean }) {
     <>
       <MachineOnboardingFlow
         complete={completeMachineOnboarding}
+        continueWithIdentity={machine.continueWithIdentity}
         identityLost={machine.identityLost}
         initialPage={machineInitialPage}
         queryClient={machine.queryClient}
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/onboarding/machineOnboarding.ts b/desktop/src/features/onboarding/machineOnboarding.ts
index 7a34d7cf79..a85e5abec1 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/onboarding/machineOnboarding.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/features/onboarding/machineOnboarding.ts
@@ -98,6 +98,7 @@ export function useMachineOnboardingState({
   const [evaluatedPubkey, setEvaluatedPubkey] = React.useState<string | null>(
     null,
   );
+  const continuingPubkeyRef = React.useRef<string | null>(null);
   const startupPubkeyRef = React.useRef<string | null>(null);
   const [bootedLost, setBootedLost] = React.useState(false);
   const [bootedLocked, setBootedLocked] = React.useState(false);
@@ -157,6 +158,10 @@ export function useMachineOnboardingState({
     [currentPubkey],
   );
 
+  const continueWithIdentity = React.useCallback((pubkey: string) => {
+    continuingPubkeyRef.current = pubkey;
+  }, []);
+
   const reopen = React.useCallback(() => {
     clearMachineOnboardingCompletion(currentPubkey);
     setCompletedPubkey((pubkey) => (pubkey === currentPubkey ? null : pubkey));
@@ -188,7 +193,12 @@ export function useMachineOnboardingState({
       identityQuery.fetchStatus === "fetching",
     ) ||
     !currentPubkey ||
-    (!hasCompletedCurrentPubkey && evaluatedPubkey !== currentPubkey)
+    // Imported identities are published before the flow can advance to setup.
+    // Keep that explicitly requested identity switch in onboarding; only the
+    // startup identity needs the one-render evaluation gate above.
+    (!hasCompletedCurrentPubkey &&
+      evaluatedPubkey !== currentPubkey &&
+      continuingPubkeyRef.current !== currentPubkey)
   ) {
     stage = "blocking";
   } else if (identityLost || !hasCompletedCurrentPubkey) {
@@ -199,6 +209,7 @@ export function useMachineOnboardingState({
 
   return {
     complete,
+    continueWithIdentity,
     currentPubkey,
     identityLost,
     queryClient,
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/onboarding/ui/MachineOnboardingFlow.tsx b/desktop/src/features/onboarding/ui/MachineOnboardingFlow.tsx
index 4d6bf54c76..d7e5da4e93 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/onboarding/ui/MachineOnboardingFlow.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/features/onboarding/ui/MachineOnboardingFlow.tsx
@@ -33,11 +33,13 @@ export type MachineOnboardingPage =
 
 export function MachineOnboardingFlow({
   complete,
+  continueWithIdentity,
   identityLost,
   initialPage,
   queryClient,
 }: {
   complete: (pubkey?: string) => void;
+  continueWithIdentity: (pubkey: string) => void;
   identityLost: boolean;
   initialPage?: MachineOnboardingPage;
   queryClient: QueryClient;
@@ -141,12 +143,13 @@ export function MachineOnboardingFlow({
   const importExistingIdentity = React.useCallback(
     async (nsec: string) => {
       const identity = await importIdentity(nsec);
+      continueWithIdentity(identity.pubkey);
       queryClient.setQueryData(["identity"], identity);
       setIdentityWasImported(true);
       setSelectedPubkey(identity.pubkey);
       setPage("setup");
     },
-    [queryClient],
+    [continueWithIdentity, queryClient],
   );
 
   return (
diff --git a/desktop/tests/e2e/onboarding.spec.ts b/desktop/tests/e2e/onboarding.spec.ts
index 08b5b82123..9a82b2feca 100644
--- a/desktop/tests/e2e/onboarding.spec.ts
+++ b/desktop/tests/e2e/onboarding.spec.ts
@@ -565,6 +565,23 @@ test("completed users skip the loading gate while profile is still settling", as
   await expectHomeView(page);
 });
 
+test("first-launch key import continues to machine setup", async ({ page }) => {
+  await installMockBridge(page, undefined, {
+    skipCommunitySeed: true,
+    skipOnboardingSeed: true,
+  });
+  await page.goto("/");
+
+  await page.getByRole("button", { name: "Enter a key" }).click();
+  const importedNsec = nsecEncode(hexToBytes(TEST_IDENTITIES.alice.privateKey));
+  await page.getByTestId("nostr-import-nsec-input").fill(importedNsec);
+  await page.getByTestId("nostr-import-submit").click();
+
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("onboarding-page-2")).toBeVisible();
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("machine-onboarding-gate")).toBeVisible();
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("app-loading-gate")).toHaveCount(0);
+});
+
 test("first-community choices expose npub and invite input", async ({
   page,
 }) => {