diff --git a/csv-table-hub-main/src/__tests__/files-refresh.test.ts b/csv-table-hub-main/src/__tests__/files-refresh.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2d68f92
--- /dev/null
+++ b/csv-table-hub-main/src/__tests__/files-refresh.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+// src/__tests__/files-refresh.test.ts
+// Regression test for #64: after an upload, router.invalidate() re-runs the
+// home route loader. The loader must refetch the files list rather than hand
+// back the cached one, or the new file only appears after navigating away.
+
+import { describe, it, expect, vi, afterEach } from "vitest";
+import { QueryClient } from "@tanstack/react-query";
+import { filesQuery, loadFiles } from "@/lib/csv.functions";
+
+const file = (name: string) => ({
+  id: name,
+  file_name: name,
+  table_name: `csv_${name}`,
+  row_count: 1,
+  column_names: ["a"],
+  created_at: "2026-10-26T00:00:00Z",
+});
+
+afterEach(() => vi.unstubAllGlobals());
+
+describe("loadFiles", () => {
+  it("refetches the files list when the loader re-runs", async () => {
+    const responses = [[file("a")], [file("a"), file("b")]];
+    const fetchMock = vi.fn(async () => new Response(JSON.stringify(responses.shift())));
+    vi.stubGlobal("fetch", fetchMock);
+    const qc = new QueryClient();
+
+    await loadFiles(qc); // first page load
+    await loadFiles(qc); // router.invalidate() after an upload
+
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(qc.getQueryData(filesQuery.queryKey)).toHaveLength(2));
+    expect(fetchMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/csv-table-hub-main/src/lib/csv.functions.ts b/csv-table-hub-main/src/lib/csv.functions.ts
index a638181..f44d79c 100644
--- a/csv-table-hub-main/src/lib/csv.functions.ts
+++ b/csv-table-hub-main/src/lib/csv.functions.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { z } from "zod";
+import type { QueryClient } from "@tanstack/react-query";
 
 const columnTypeSchema = z.enum(["int8", "numeric", "date", "timestamptz", "boolean", "text"]);
 export type ColumnType = z.infer<typeof columnTypeSchema>;
@@ -163,6 +164,13 @@ export async function listCsvFiles(): Promise<CsvFileSummary[]> {
   return apiFetch("/api/csv/files", csvFileSummaryListSchema);
 }
 
+export const filesQuery = { queryKey: ["csv-files"], queryFn: listCsvFiles };
+
+// Route loader for the files list. revalidateIfStale makes router.invalidate()
+// (called after each upload) refetch instead of returning the cached list (#64).
+export const loadFiles = (queryClient: QueryClient) =>
+  queryClient.ensureQueryData({ ...filesQuery, revalidateIfStale: true });
+
 const csvPreviewResultSchema = z.discriminatedUnion("status", [
   z.object({
     status: z.literal("ok"),
diff --git a/csv-table-hub-main/src/routes/_authenticated/index.tsx b/csv-table-hub-main/src/routes/_authenticated/index.tsx
index 98727d1..5eb31c3 100644
--- a/csv-table-hub-main/src/routes/_authenticated/index.tsx
+++ b/csv-table-hub-main/src/routes/_authenticated/index.tsx
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ import { createFileRoute, Link, useRouter } from "@tanstack/react-router";
 import { useQuery, useSuspenseQuery } from "@tanstack/react-query";
 import { useCallback, useEffect, useRef, useState, type ReactNode } from "react";
 import {
-  listCsvFiles, previewCsvTable, previewCsv, listTeTables, uploadCsv,
+  filesQuery, loadFiles, previewCsvTable, previewCsv, listTeTables, uploadCsv,
   type CsvFileSummary, type ColumnType, type TeTableInfo,
 } from "@/lib/csv.functions";
 import { parseCsvPreview, COLUMN_TYPE_LABEL, sanitizeColumns, type CsvPreview } from "@/lib/csv-preview";
@@ -59,13 +59,9 @@ import {
 import { Progress } from "@/components/ui/progress";
 import { Collapsible, CollapsibleContent, CollapsibleTrigger } from "@/components/ui/collapsible";
 
-// ─── query ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-
-const filesQuery = { queryKey: ["csv-files"], queryFn: () => listCsvFiles() };
-
 export const Route = createFileRoute("/_authenticated/")({
   head: () => ({ meta: [{ title: "CSV Migrator — Upload CSV files to your database" }, { name: "description", content: "Upload any number of CSV files. Each becomes its own database table, with duplicates automatically skipped." }, { property: "og:title", content: "CSV Migrator" }] }),
-  loader: ({ context }) => context.queryClient.ensureQueryData(filesQuery),
+  loader: ({ context }) => loadFiles(context.queryClient),
   component: Home,
 });