diff --git a/renderer/app.js b/renderer/app.js
index 8250fd0..0fe34c4 100644
--- a/renderer/app.js
+++ b/renderer/app.js
@@ -1678,7 +1678,10 @@ function wireEvents() {
     if (res.ok) refreshConfigIcon()
   }
   qs('#gc-icon-auto').addEventListener('click', async () => {
-    applyIconResult(await window.plwl.gamesAutoIcon(state.currentGame.id))
+    // extract from the exe the field shows, not the saved one - the user may
+    // have just pointed the app at another exe and expects its icon
+    const exe = absGamePathInput(qs('#gc-exe').value.trim(), state.currentGame)
+    applyIconResult(await window.plwl.gamesAutoIcon(state.currentGame.id, exe))
   })
   qs('#gc-icon-browse').addEventListener('click', async () => {
     // start in the app's own folder (prefix apps included) - that is where
diff --git a/renderer/style.css b/renderer/style.css
index 54f3d52..5da250a 100644
--- a/renderer/style.css
+++ b/renderer/style.css
@@ -490,8 +490,8 @@ select {
   margin: 1rem 0;
 }
 .game-card {
-  flex: 1 1 15rem;
-  min-width: 15rem;
+  flex: 1 1 17rem;
+  min-width: 17rem;
   max-width: 24rem;
   background: var(--panel-color);
   border: var(--border-width) solid var(--light-border-color);
diff --git a/src/ipc/index.js b/src/ipc/index.js
index cedccea..aa13757 100644
--- a/src/ipc/index.js
+++ b/src/ipc/index.js
@@ -25,10 +25,13 @@ function errorResult(err) {
 
 const iconDir = id => path.join(DIRS.DATA, 'icons', id)
 
-function clearIconDir(id) {
+// `keep` spares one file (the icon just written): the icon protocol picks the
+// LAST icon.* alphabetically, so a leftover icon.png from an earlier pick
+// would otherwise keep showing the old icon.
+function clearIconDir(id, keep) {
   try {
     for (const f of fs.readdirSync(iconDir(id))) {
-      if (f.startsWith('icon.')) fs.rmSync(path.join(iconDir(id), f), { force: true })
+      if (f.startsWith('icon.') && f !== keep) fs.rmSync(path.join(iconDir(id), f), { force: true })
     }
   } catch {}
 }
@@ -36,7 +39,11 @@ function clearIconDir(id) {
 function extractGameIcon(id, exePath) {
   const out = path.join(iconDir(id), 'icon.ico')
   const res = extractIconFromExe(exePath, out)
-  if (res.ok) library.updateGame(id, { iconSource: out })
+  // on failure nothing is cleared, so the previous icon survives a wrong exe
+  if (res.ok) {
+    clearIconDir(id, 'icon.ico')
+    library.updateGame(id, { iconSource: out })
+  }
   return res
 }
 
@@ -152,11 +159,14 @@ function registerIpc({ getWindow, onGamesChanged }) {
     if (!game || !game.exePath) return { ok: false, error: 'bad-request' }
     return extractGameIcon(id, game.exePath)
   })
-  ipcMain.handle('games:autoIcon', (e, id) => {
+  // exePath comes from the config field, which may hold a path the user just
+  // picked but has not saved yet - the icon has to come from THAT exe
+  ipcMain.handle('games:autoIcon', (e, id, exePath) => {
     const game = library.getGame(id)
-    if (!game || !game.exePath) return { ok: false, error: 'bad-request' }
-    clearIconDir(id)
-    return extractGameIcon(id, game.exePath)
+    if (!game) return { ok: false, error: 'bad-request' }
+    const exe = exePath || game.exePath
+    if (!exe) return { ok: false, error: 'bad-request' }
+    return extractGameIcon(id, exe)
   })
 
   // "Open with PLWL" ------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -253,7 +263,7 @@ function registerIpc({ getWindow, onGamesChanged }) {
   })
 
   // game icons as a protocol so the renderer can display them safely ---------------------------
-  protocol.handle('plwl-icon', request => {
+  protocol.handle('plwl-icon', async request => {
     const id = decodeURIComponent(new URL(request.url).hostname)
     let file = null
     try {
@@ -265,7 +275,16 @@ function registerIpc({ getWindow, onGamesChanged }) {
       if (pick) file = path.join(iconDir(id), pick)
     } catch {}
     if (!file) return new Response('', { status: 404 })
-    return net.fetch('file://' + file)
+    // a new icon lands at the SAME url, so the browser would keep its cached
+    // copy and the library card would only catch up after a restart - never
+    // let the icon request be cached
+    const res = await net.fetch('file://' + file)
+    return new Response(await res.arrayBuffer(), {
+      headers: {
+        'content-type': res.headers.get('content-type') || 'image/x-icon',
+        'cache-control': 'no-store'
+      }
+    })
   })
 
   return { games }
diff --git a/src/preload.js b/src/preload.js
index f8cc490..b10241c 100644
--- a/src/preload.js
+++ b/src/preload.js
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld('plwl', {
   gamesClearPlaytime: id => ipcRenderer.invoke('games:clearPlaytime', id),
   gamesSetIconFile: (id, p) => ipcRenderer.invoke('games:setIconFile', id, p),
   gamesExtractIcon: id => ipcRenderer.invoke('games:extractIcon', id),
-  gamesAutoIcon: id => ipcRenderer.invoke('games:autoIcon', id),
+  gamesAutoIcon: (id, exePath) => ipcRenderer.invoke('games:autoIcon', id, exePath),
   gamesIconPath: id => ipcRenderer.invoke('games:iconPath', id),
   gamesResetIcon: id => ipcRenderer.invoke('games:resetIcon', id),
   gamesRemove: id => ipcRenderer.invoke('games:remove', id),