diff --git a/RenderPipeline2.md b/RenderPipeline2.md
index 481544b..4cd12c9 100644
--- a/RenderPipeline2.md
+++ b/RenderPipeline2.md
@@ -1292,6 +1292,11 @@ The panel keeps all existing capabilities (episode/shot discovery, overlays, pic
 | Latest Export + QC status | new E2 `exports/latest` — e.g. `v004 — READY_FOR_QC`, `v004 — RENDERING 42% (ETA 1:36 on RENDER-01)`, `v003 — QC FAILED: "grain mismatch"` |
 
 While an export is active the panel polls E2 every 15 s to live-update the header.
+The poll stops when the export leaves an active status, and also when the panel is
+closed or reloaded — `app.scheduleTask` outlives the panel instance that armed it,
+so the task id is kept in ExtendScript global scope where the next instance can
+still cancel it. The export is unaffected either way: it runs on the farm, and the
+header picks its status back up on the next Refresh.
 
 ### 12.2 Buttons and their API calls
 
diff --git a/VFXReviewConnector.jsx b/VFXReviewConnector.jsx
index a740d4e..aa618df 100644
--- a/VFXReviewConnector.jsx
+++ b/VFXReviewConnector.jsx
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ var SETTINGS_KEY   = "cfg";
 // Bump on every change deployed to a workstation. The panel reports this to
 // the server on load, so Pipeline → Machines shows which version each machine
 // is actually running and flags the ones left behind.
-var PANEL_VERSION = "2.6.0";
+var PANEL_VERSION = "2.6.1";
 
 (function VFXReviewConnector(thisObj) {
     var uiState = {
@@ -65,7 +65,6 @@ var PANEL_VERSION = "2.6.0";
 
     var pipelineState = {
         pollShotCode: null,
-        pollTaskId: 0,
         prefilledShotCode: null
     };
 
@@ -3862,13 +3861,34 @@ var PANEL_VERSION = "2.6.0";
         }
     }
 
+    // A scheduled task outlives the panel instance that armed it. Held only in
+    // this closure, the id of a repeating task goes with the instance when the
+    // panel is closed or reloaded, and nothing can cancel it again: it fires
+    // every 15 s for the rest of the AE session, and every tick that lands
+    // while a modal dialog is open raises "Cannot run a script while a modal
+    // dialog is waiting for response." The id therefore lives beside the tick
+    // in global scope, where the next instance can still reach it.
+    var POLL_TASK_ID_KEY = "__vfxrExportPollTaskId";
+
+    function getPollTaskId() {
+        var taskId = $.global[POLL_TASK_ID_KEY];
+
+        return (typeof taskId === "number" && taskId > 0) ? taskId : 0;
+    }
+
+    function setPollTaskId(taskId) {
+        $.global[POLL_TASK_ID_KEY] = taskId || 0;
+    }
+
     function stopExportPolling() {
-        if (pipelineState.pollTaskId) {
+        var taskId = getPollTaskId();
+
+        if (taskId) {
             try {
-                app.cancelTask(pipelineState.pollTaskId);
+                app.cancelTask(taskId);
             } catch (cancelError) {
             }
-            pipelineState.pollTaskId = 0;
+            setPollTaskId(0);
         }
         pipelineState.pollShotCode = null;
     }
@@ -3902,9 +3922,9 @@ var PANEL_VERSION = "2.6.0";
         stopExportPolling();
         pipelineState.pollShotCode = shotCode;
         try {
-            pipelineState.pollTaskId = app.scheduleTask("__vfxrExportPollTick()", 15000, true);
+            setPollTaskId(app.scheduleTask("__vfxrExportPollTick()", 15000, true));
         } catch (scheduleError) {
-            pipelineState.pollTaskId = 0;
+            setPollTaskId(0);
         }
     }
 
@@ -5023,6 +5043,11 @@ var PANEL_VERSION = "2.6.0";
         return win;
     }
 
+    // A previous instance may have left a repeating poll armed, and its shot
+    // code went with that closure. Cancel it before the tick is pointed at this
+    // instance, rather than letting it fire into a fresh, empty state.
+    stopExportPolling();
+
     // app.scheduleTask evaluates in global scope — expose the poll tick there
     $.global.__vfxrExportPollTick = pollExportTick;
 
@@ -5033,6 +5058,13 @@ var PANEL_VERSION = "2.6.0";
     diagLog("panel v" + PANEL_VERSION + " loaded on " + getHostName());
     reportPanelVersion();
 
+    // Closing the panel leaves an armed task running with no UI left to update.
+    // The export itself is unaffected: it runs on the farm, and the panel picks
+    // its status back up from the server on the next Refresh.
+    panel.onClose = function () {
+        stopExportPolling();
+    };
+
     if (panel instanceof Window) {
         panel.center();
         panel.show();