diff --git a/frontend/editor/src/core/hooks/useFileManager.test.ts b/frontend/editor/src/core/hooks/useFileManager.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..34036663cff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/editor/src/core/hooks/useFileManager.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach } from "vitest";
+import { renderHook, act } from "@testing-library/react";
+import { useFileManager } from "@app/hooks/useFileManager";
+import apiClient from "@app/services/apiClient";
+
+vi.mock("@app/services/apiClient", () => ({
+  default: { get: vi.fn() },
+}));
+vi.mock("@app/contexts/IndexedDBContext", () => ({
+  useIndexedDB: () => ({}),
+}));
+vi.mock("@app/services/fileStorage", () => ({
+  fileStorage: { getLeafStirlingFileStubs: vi.fn(async () => []) },
+}));
+vi.mock("@app/services/pruneMissingRecentFiles", () => ({
+  pruneMissingRecentFiles: vi.fn(async (stubs: unknown[]) => stubs),
+}));
+vi.mock("@app/hooks/useDiskLinkReconcile", () => ({
+  useDiskLinkReconcile: () => ({
+    openFileIdsRef: { current: [] },
+    onOpenFilesDetached: vi.fn(),
+  }),
+}));
+vi.mock("@app/contexts/AppConfigContext", () => ({
+  useAppConfig: () => ({
+    config: { storageEnabled: true, storageShareLinksEnabled: true },
+  }),
+}));
+const authState = vi.hoisted(() => ({ isAnonymous: false }));
+vi.mock("@app/auth/UseSession", () => ({ useAuth: () => authState }));
+
+const mockGet = vi.mocked(apiClient.get);
+
+describe("useFileManager server files", () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.clearAllMocks();
+    authState.isAnonymous = false;
+    mockGet.mockResolvedValue({ data: [] });
+  });
+
+  it("does not ask the server for a guest's stored files", async () => {
+    authState.isAnonymous = true;
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useFileManager());
+
+    await act(async () => {
+      await result.current.loadRecentFiles();
+    });
+
+    expect(mockGet).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("loads stored files and accessed share links for an account", async () => {
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useFileManager());
+
+    await act(async () => {
+      await result.current.loadRecentFiles();
+    });
+
+    const urls = mockGet.mock.calls.map(([url]) => url);
+    expect(urls).toEqual([
+      "/api/v1/storage/files",
+      "/api/v1/storage/share-links/accessed",
+    ]);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/frontend/editor/src/core/hooks/useFileManager.ts b/frontend/editor/src/core/hooks/useFileManager.ts
index 87cde4d83c8..82cf2bf222f 100644
--- a/frontend/editor/src/core/hooks/useFileManager.ts
+++ b/frontend/editor/src/core/hooks/useFileManager.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import { StirlingFileStub, StirlingFile } from "@app/types/fileContext";
 import { FileId } from "@app/types/fileContext";
 import apiClient from "@app/services/apiClient";
 import { useAppConfig } from "@app/contexts/AppConfigContext";
+import { useAuth } from "@app/auth/UseSession";
 import { useDiskLinkReconcile } from "@app/hooks/useDiskLinkReconcile";
 
 interface StoredFileResponse {
@@ -37,6 +38,7 @@ export const useFileManager = () => {
   const [loading, setLoading] = useState(false);
   const indexedDB = useIndexedDB();
   const { config } = useAppConfig();
+  const { isAnonymous } = useAuth();
 
   // Refs inside, so loadRecentFiles isn't recreated on every workbench change -
   // its consumers re-run it on identity change, which would loop.
@@ -125,7 +127,9 @@ export const useFileManager = () => {
       );
       let combinedStubs = stirlingFileStubs;
 
-      const shouldFetchServerFiles = config?.storageEnabled === true;
+      // Guests have no server storage; the request would only 401.
+      const shouldFetchServerFiles =
+        config?.storageEnabled === true && !isAnonymous;
 
       if (shouldFetchServerFiles) {
         try {
@@ -380,6 +384,7 @@ export const useFileManager = () => {
     config?.enableLogin,
     config?.storageEnabled,
     config?.storageShareLinksEnabled,
+    isAnonymous,
     normalizeServerFileName,
     openFileIdsRef,
     onOpenFilesDetached,