diff --git a/internal/api/virt.go b/internal/api/virt.go
index 0d0dc1b..f5d8b92 100644
--- a/internal/api/virt.go
+++ b/internal/api/virt.go
@@ -535,24 +535,14 @@ func (s *Server) virtVGA(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	conn.SetReadLimit(64 << 20)
 	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(r.Context())
 	defer cancel()
-	display, control, err := s.virt.VGA(ctx, name)
+	display, release, err := s.virt.VGAChannel(ctx, name)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Printf("virt: vga %s refused: %v (from %s)", name, err, clientIP(r))
 		conn.Close(websocket.StatusInternalError, truncate(err.Error(), 120))
 		return
 	}
-	log.Printf("virt: vga console of %s opened (from %s)", name, clientIP(r))
+	defer release()
 	defer display.Close(websocket.StatusNormalClosure, "")
-	if control != nil {
-		defer control.Close(websocket.StatusNormalClosure, "")
-		go func() { // the control channel carries nothing we send; keep it open and drain it
-			for {
-				if _, _, err := control.Read(ctx); err != nil {
-					return
-				}
-			}
-		}()
-	}
 	go func() {
 		defer cancel()
 		for {
@@ -576,7 +566,6 @@ func (s *Server) virtVGA(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	}
 	cancel()
 	conn.Close(websocket.StatusNormalClosure, "")
-	log.Printf("virt: vga console of %s closed", name)
 }
 
 func truncate(s string, n int) string {
diff --git a/internal/incus/incus.go b/internal/incus/incus.go
index 25d23e0..a0636c1 100644
--- a/internal/incus/incus.go
+++ b/internal/incus/incus.go
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ type Manager struct {
 
 	mu      sync.Mutex
 	cpuPrev map[string]map[string]cpuMark // caller → instance → last reading, so two readers do not spoil each other's deltas
+	vga     map[string]*vgaSession        // instance → the console operation its browser channels share
 	remote  struct {
 		at   time.Time
 		list []Image
diff --git a/internal/incus/vga.go b/internal/incus/vga.go
index c8f6854..ac12868 100644
--- a/internal/incus/vga.go
+++ b/internal/incus/vga.go
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 	"net"
 	"net/http"
 	"os"
+	"strings"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/coder/websocket"
@@ -44,29 +45,99 @@ func (m *Manager) apiClient() *http.Client {
 	}}
 }
 
-// VGA opens the display and control websockets for a running VM. The caller closes both.
-func (m *Manager) VGA(ctx context.Context, name string) (display, control *websocket.Conn, err error) {
+// A SPICE client opens one connection per channel — main, display, inputs, cursor, playback
+// — and spice-html5 does the same with websockets, all to one URL. Incus allows exactly one
+// console operation per VM at a time, but takes any number of data websockets on it. So a VGA
+// session is one operation, held for as long as any channel is open, and every browser
+// websocket becomes one more data websocket on it.
+type vgaSession struct {
+	op      string
+	secret  string
+	control *websocket.Conn
+	cancel  context.CancelFunc
+	refs    int
+}
+
+// VGAChannel returns a fresh data websocket on the VM's console operation, opening the
+// operation first when none is held. release must be called when the channel is done.
+func (m *Manager) VGAChannel(ctx context.Context, name string) (data *websocket.Conn, release func(), err error) {
 	if !ValidName(name) {
 		return nil, nil, errors.New("bad name")
 	}
 	client := m.apiClient()
-	body, _ := json.Marshal(map[string]any{"type": "vga", "width": 0, "height": 0})
+	m.mu.Lock()
+	defer m.mu.Unlock()
+	if m.vga == nil {
+		m.vga = map[string]*vgaSession{}
+	}
+	dial := func(s *vgaSession) (*websocket.Conn, error) {
+		c, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, 20*time.Second)
+		defer cancel()
+		u := fmt.Sprintf("ws://incus/1.0/operations/%s/websocket?secret=%s", s.op, s.secret)
+		ws, _, err := websocket.Dial(c, u, &websocket.DialOptions{HTTPClient: client, CompressionMode: websocket.CompressionDisabled})
+		return ws, err
+	}
+	s := m.vga[name]
+	if s != nil {
+		if ws, err := dial(s); err == nil {
+			s.refs++
+			ws.SetReadLimit(64 << 20)
+			return ws, m.releaser(name, s), nil
+		}
+		// the operation is gone (the VM restarted, or Incus did): start over
+		s.cancel()
+		delete(m.vga, name)
+	}
+	s, err = m.openVGA(ctx, client, name, false)
+	if err != nil && strings.Contains(err.Error(), "already connected") {
+		// a session a previous Ham Lab process held and never let go of; take it over
+		s, err = m.openVGA(ctx, client, name, true)
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, nil, err
+	}
+	ws, err := dial(s)
+	if err != nil {
+		s.cancel()
+		return nil, nil, err
+	}
+	ws.SetReadLimit(64 << 20)
+	s.refs = 1
+	m.vga[name] = s
+	return ws, m.releaser(name, s), nil
+}
+
+func (m *Manager) releaser(name string, s *vgaSession) func() {
+	return func() {
+		m.mu.Lock()
+		defer m.mu.Unlock()
+		s.refs--
+		if s.refs <= 0 && m.vga[name] == s {
+			s.cancel()
+			delete(m.vga, name)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// openVGA asks Incus for the console operation and holds its control websocket, which is
+// what keeps the operation alive.
+func (m *Manager) openVGA(ctx context.Context, client *http.Client, name string, force bool) (*vgaSession, error) {
+	body, _ := json.Marshal(map[string]any{"type": "vga", "width": 0, "height": 0, "force": force})
 	c, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, 20*time.Second)
 	defer cancel()
 	req, _ := http.NewRequestWithContext(c, "POST", "http://incus/1.0/instances/"+name+"/console", bytes.NewReader(body))
 	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
 	resp, err := client.Do(req)
 	if err != nil {
-		if os.IsPermission(errors.Unwrap(err)) || isPermission(err) {
-			return nil, nil, errors.New("Ham Lab's account can't reach Incus's socket; Finish setup on the Virtualization tab puts it in incus-admin")
+		if isPermission(err) {
+			return nil, errors.New("Ham Lab's account can't reach Incus's socket; Finish setup on the Virtualization tab puts it in incus-admin")
 		}
-		return nil, nil, err
+		return nil, err
 	}
 	defer resp.Body.Close()
 	var op struct {
-		Error     string `json:"error"`
-		Operation string `json:"operation"`
-		Metadata  struct {
+		Error    string `json:"error"`
+		Metadata struct {
 			ID       string `json:"id"`
 			Metadata struct {
 				FDs map[string]string `json:"fds"`
@@ -74,33 +145,38 @@ func (m *Manager) VGA(ctx context.Context, name string) (display, control *webso
 		} `json:"metadata"`
 	}
 	if err := json.NewDecoder(resp.Body).Decode(&op); err != nil {
-		return nil, nil, errors.New("unreadable answer from incus")
+		return nil, errors.New("unreadable answer from incus")
 	}
 	if op.Error != "" {
-		return nil, nil, errors.New(op.Error)
+		return nil, errors.New(op.Error)
 	}
-	data, control0 := op.Metadata.Metadata.FDs["0"], op.Metadata.Metadata.FDs["control"]
-	if op.Metadata.ID == "" || data == "" {
-		return nil, nil, errors.New("incus gave no console; is the VM running?")
+	secret, controlSecret := op.Metadata.Metadata.FDs["0"], op.Metadata.Metadata.FDs["control"]
+	if op.Metadata.ID == "" || secret == "" {
+		return nil, errors.New("incus gave no console; is the VM running?")
 	}
-	dial := func(secret string) (*websocket.Conn, error) {
-		u := fmt.Sprintf("ws://incus/1.0/operations/%s/websocket?secret=%s", op.Metadata.ID, secret)
-		ws, _, err := websocket.Dial(ctx, u, &websocket.DialOptions{HTTPClient: client, CompressionMode: websocket.CompressionDisabled})
-		return ws, err
-	}
-	if control0 != "" {
-		if control, err = dial(control0); err != nil {
-			return nil, nil, err
+	s := &vgaSession{op: op.Metadata.ID, secret: secret}
+	// the control websocket lives outside any one request: it is the session
+	sctx, scancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	s.cancel = scancel
+	if controlSecret != "" {
+		u := fmt.Sprintf("ws://incus/1.0/operations/%s/websocket?secret=%s", s.op, controlSecret)
+		control, _, err := websocket.Dial(sctx, u, &websocket.DialOptions{HTTPClient: client, CompressionMode: websocket.CompressionDisabled})
+		if err != nil {
+			scancel()
+			return nil, err
 		}
+		s.control = control
+		go func() { // drain it; when it ends, so has the operation
+			for {
+				if _, _, err := control.Read(sctx); err != nil {
+					break
+				}
+			}
+			control.Close(websocket.StatusNormalClosure, "")
+		}()
+		go func() { <-sctx.Done(); control.Close(websocket.StatusNormalClosure, "") }()
 	}
-	if display, err = dial(data); err != nil {
-		if control != nil {
-			control.Close(websocket.StatusInternalError, "")
-		}
-		return nil, nil, err
-	}
-	display.SetReadLimit(64 << 20) // a SPICE frame can carry a whole screen
-	return display, control, nil
+	return s, nil
 }
 
 func isPermission(err error) bool {