diff --git a/app-shell-odd/Makefile b/app-shell-odd/Makefile
index 5dd7ca92736..309beca156d 100644
--- a/app-shell-odd/Makefile
+++ b/app-shell-odd/Makefile
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ setup:
 
 .PHONY: clean
 clean:
-	shx rm -rf lib dist
+	shx rm -rf lib dist opentrons-robot-app.tar.gz
 
 # artifacts
 #####################################################################
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ push-ot3: dist-ot3
 	scp $(if $(ssh_key),-i $(ssh_key)) $(ssh_opts) -r ./opentrons-robot-app.tar.gz root@$(host):
 	ssh $(if $(ssh_key),-i $(ssh_key)) $(ssh_opts) root@$(host) "mount -o remount,rw / && systemctl stop opentrons-robot-app && rm -rf /opt/opentrons-app && mkdir -p /opt/opentrons-app"
 	ssh $(if $(ssh_key),-i $(ssh_key)) $(ssh_opts) root@$(host) "tar -xvf opentrons-robot-app.tar.gz -C /opt/opentrons-app/ &&  mount -o remount,ro / && systemctl start opentrons-robot-app && rm -rf opentrons-robot-app.tar.gz"
-	rm -rf opentrons-robot-app.tar.gz
+
 
 # development
 #####################################################################
diff --git a/app/src/App/OnDeviceDisplayApp.tsx b/app/src/App/OnDeviceDisplayApp.tsx
index 6cc63af8986..a8663707b93 100644
--- a/app/src/App/OnDeviceDisplayApp.tsx
+++ b/app/src/App/OnDeviceDisplayApp.tsx
@@ -47,9 +47,15 @@ import { useCurrentRunRoute, useProtocolReceiptToast } from './hooks'
 
 import { OnDeviceDisplayAppFallback } from './OnDeviceDisplayAppFallback'
 
+import { hackWindowNavigatorOnLine } from './hacks'
+
 import type { Dispatch } from '../redux/types'
 import type { RouteProps } from './types'
 
+// forces electron to think we're online which means axios won't elide
+// network calls to localhost. see ./hacks.ts for more.
+hackWindowNavigatorOnLine()
+
 export const onDeviceDisplayRoutes: RouteProps[] = [
   {
     Component: InitialLoadingScreen,
@@ -257,7 +263,7 @@ export const OnDeviceDisplayApp = (): JSX.Element => {
 
   // TODO (sb:6/12/23) Create a notification manager to set up preference and order of takeover modals
   return (
-    <ApiHostProvider hostname="localhost">
+    <ApiHostProvider hostname="127.0.0.1">
       <ErrorBoundary FallbackComponent={OnDeviceDisplayAppFallback}>
         <Box width="100%" css="user-select: none;">
           {isIdle ? (
diff --git a/app/src/App/__mocks__/hacks.ts b/app/src/App/__mocks__/hacks.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..842209dfcba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/src/App/__mocks__/hacks.ts
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+export const hackWindowNavigatorOnLine = (): void => {}
diff --git a/app/src/App/hacks.ts b/app/src/App/hacks.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..696e7baec9a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/src/App/hacks.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+// If the system boots while no network connection is available, then some requests to localhost
+// hang eternally while connecting (so no request timeouts work either) and things get
+// generally weird. Overriding the browser API to pretend to always be "online" fixes this.
+// It makes sense; if "onLine" is false, that means that any network call is _guaranteed_ to fail
+// so middlewares probably elide them; but we really want it to be true basically always because
+// most of what we do is via localhost.
+//
+// This function is exposed in its own module so it can be mocked in testing
+// since jest really doesn't like you doing this.
+
+export const hackWindowNavigatorOnLine = (): void => {
+  Object.defineProperty(window.navigator, 'onLine', {
+    get: () => true,
+  })
+  window.dispatchEvent(new Event('online'))
+}
diff --git a/scripts/setup-global-mocks.js b/scripts/setup-global-mocks.js
index 7f5188f9eb5..79333ac496c 100644
--- a/scripts/setup-global-mocks.js
+++ b/scripts/setup-global-mocks.js
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ jest.mock('../app/src/pages/Labware/helpers/getAllDefs')
 jest.mock('../app/src/logger')
 jest.mock('../app/src/App/portal')
 jest.mock('../app/src/redux/shell/remote')
+jest.mock('../app/src/App/hacks')
 jest.mock('../app-shell/src/config')
 jest.mock('../app-shell/src/log')
 jest.mock('../app-shell-odd/src/config')