diff --git a/crates/nemo/src/app.rs b/crates/nemo/src/app.rs
index 1aa1e33..b44c2f9 100644
--- a/crates/nemo/src/app.rs
+++ b/crates/nemo/src/app.rs
@@ -55,8 +55,12 @@ impl App {
             // Apply queued navigations first so any route path/param projections
             // they flag are picked up by the data-update pass that follows.
             let navigated = poll_runtime.apply_pending_navigations();
+            // Fire the initial `on-enter` for any router the render pass just
+            // seeded to its default path, before the data-update pass picks up
+            // the route projection it flags (issue #81).
+            let initial_enters = poll_runtime.fire_pending_initial_enters();
             let data_updated = poll_runtime.apply_pending_data_updates();
-            if navigated || data_updated {
+            if navigated || initial_enters || data_updated {
                 let _ = this.update(cx, |_app: &mut App, cx: &mut Context<App>| {
                     cx.notify();
                 });
diff --git a/crates/nemo/src/runtime.rs b/crates/nemo/src/runtime.rs
index ad59e02..f381a4d 100644
--- a/crates/nemo/src/runtime.rs
+++ b/crates/nemo/src/runtime.rs
@@ -171,6 +171,10 @@ pub struct NemoRuntime {
     /// Launch-time router starting-path override (from `--route`); consulted
     /// once when a router is first initialized.
     initial_route: Arc<Mutex<Option<InitialRoute>>>,
+    /// Router ids that were just seeded to their default/`--route` path by the
+    /// render pass and still owe a one-shot initial `on-enter`. Drained outside
+    /// the extension lock by [`Self::fire_pending_initial_enters`].
+    pending_initial_enters: Arc<Mutex<Vec<String>>>,
 }
 
 impl NemoRuntime {
@@ -216,6 +220,7 @@ impl NemoRuntime {
             router_states: Arc::new(RwLock::new(HashMap::new())),
             nav_intents: Arc::new(Mutex::new(Vec::new())),
             initial_route: Arc::new(Mutex::new(None)),
+            pending_initial_enters: Arc::new(Mutex::new(Vec::new())),
         })
     }
 
@@ -984,14 +989,30 @@ impl NemoRuntime {
             .initial_path_for(router_id)
             .unwrap_or_else(|| default_path.to_string());
         let mut states = self.router_states.write().expect("router_states poisoned");
-        let st = states
-            .entry(router_id.to_string())
-            .or_insert_with(|| RouterState {
-                history: vec![init_path.clone()],
-                index: 0,
-                params: HashMap::new(),
-                projected: false,
-            });
+        // A concurrent render may have raced us to initialize this router; only
+        // the render that actually seeds the state owes the initial `on-enter`.
+        if !states.contains_key(router_id) {
+            states.insert(
+                router_id.to_string(),
+                RouterState {
+                    history: vec![init_path.clone()],
+                    index: 0,
+                    params: HashMap::new(),
+                    projected: false,
+                },
+            );
+            drop(states);
+            // The default route (or `--route` override) is seeded without a
+            // path *change*, so `apply_one_navigation` never fires its
+            // `on-enter`. Queue it to fire once from the poll loop, outside the
+            // render pass and the extension lock.
+            if let Ok(mut q) = self.pending_initial_enters.lock() {
+                q.push(router_id.to_string());
+            }
+            self.data_notify.notify_one();
+            return init_path;
+        }
+        let st = states.get(router_id).expect("router state just checked");
         st.history.get(st.index).cloned().unwrap_or(init_path)
     }
 
@@ -1149,6 +1170,55 @@ impl NemoRuntime {
         any
     }
 
+    /// Fires the one-shot `on-enter` hook for routers that the render pass just
+    /// seeded to their default (or `--route`) path. A router's initial path is
+    /// set through lazy initialization ([`Self::router_current_path`]) without a
+    /// path *change*, so [`Self::apply_one_navigation`] never fires it; draining
+    /// the queue here makes the initial mount consistent with later navigations
+    /// (issue #81). Runs on the UI thread from the poll loop, **outside** the
+    /// extension lock. Returns `true` if any hook fired (so the caller
+    /// re-renders).
+    pub fn fire_pending_initial_enters(&self) -> bool {
+        let router_ids: Vec<String> = {
+            let mut q = self
+                .pending_initial_enters
+                .lock()
+                .expect("pending_initial_enters poisoned");
+            if q.is_empty() {
+                return false;
+            }
+            std::mem::take(&mut *q)
+        };
+
+        let mut any = false;
+        for router_id in router_ids {
+            let info = match self.router_info(&router_id) {
+                Some(info) => info,
+                None => continue,
+            };
+            let path = match self.router_current_path_peek(&router_id) {
+                Some(path) => path,
+                None => continue,
+            };
+            let patterns: Vec<String> = info.routes.iter().map(|r| r.pattern.clone()).collect();
+            let (idx, params) = match crate::containers::router::resolve_route(&patterns, &path) {
+                Some(resolved) => resolved,
+                None => continue,
+            };
+
+            // Project path + params before firing the hook, mirroring the order
+            // in `apply_one_navigation`, so the handler can read route params.
+            self.write_route_to_repo(&router_id, &path, &params);
+            self.mark_route_dirty(&router_id, &params);
+
+            if let Some(handler) = info.routes.get(idx).and_then(|r| r.on_enter.clone()) {
+                self.call_handler(&handler, &router_id, "enter");
+                any = true;
+            }
+        }
+        any
+    }
+
     /// Applies a single navigation intent. Returns `true` if the current path
     /// actually changed.
     fn apply_one_navigation(&self, intent: NavIntent) -> bool {
@@ -5128,6 +5198,67 @@ mod error_path_tests {
         assert!(get("data.route.main.params.id").is_none());
     }
 
+    /// Regression guard for issue #81: the default route's `on-enter` fires
+    /// once at startup. The render pass seeds the router to its `default` via
+    /// [`NemoRuntime::router_current_path`], which queues the initial enter;
+    /// draining the queue fires the hook — with no prior navigation.
+    #[test]
+    fn test_initial_default_route_fires_on_enter() {
+        use std::io::Write;
+        let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+        let scripts_dir = dir.path().join("scripts");
+        std::fs::create_dir(&scripts_dir).unwrap();
+        {
+            let mut f = std::fs::File::create(scripts_dir.join("handlers.rhai")).unwrap();
+            writeln!(f, "fn check(id, ev) {{ set_data(\"test.entered\", id); }}").unwrap();
+        }
+        let config_path = dir.path().join("app.xml");
+        {
+            let mut f = std::fs::File::create(&config_path).unwrap();
+            write!(
+                f,
+                r#"<nemo>
+  <app title="t"/>
+  <script src="./scripts"/>
+  <layout type="stack">
+    <router id="main" default="/connect" primary="true">
+      <route path="/connect" on-enter="check"></route>
+      <route path="/other"></route>
+    </router>
+  </layout>
+</nemo>"#
+            )
+            .unwrap();
+        }
+
+        let rt = NemoRuntime::new(&config_path).unwrap();
+        rt.load_config().unwrap();
+        rt.initialize().unwrap();
+
+        // Nothing queued and no enter fired until the render pass seeds the
+        // router to its default.
+        assert!(!rt.fire_pending_initial_enters());
+
+        // The render pass lazily initializes the router to its `default`.
+        assert_eq!(rt.router_current_path("main", "/connect"), "/connect");
+
+        // Draining the queue fires the default route's `on-enter` — no prior
+        // navigation required.
+        assert!(rt.fire_pending_initial_enters());
+        let get = |p: &str| {
+            rt.data_engine
+                .repository
+                .get(&nemo_data::DataPath::parse(p).unwrap())
+        };
+        assert_eq!(
+            get("data.test.entered").and_then(|v| v.as_str().map(String::from)),
+            Some("main".to_string())
+        );
+
+        // It fires exactly once — a second drain is a no-op.
+        assert!(!rt.fire_pending_initial_enters());
+    }
+
     /// `--route settings=/general` (explicit router id) overrides that router's
     /// starting path on lazy init, and leaves other routers on their default.
     #[test]
diff --git a/docs/knowledgebase/log.md b/docs/knowledgebase/log.md
index 1d711ae..83c21d3 100644
--- a/docs/knowledgebase/log.md
+++ b/docs/knowledgebase/log.md
@@ -95,3 +95,4 @@
 ## 2026-07-31
 * **Fix**: Issue #82 — `nemo screenshot` rendered the initial layout but bound values (`<binding>`/`bind-*`) stayed at their placeholders in the PNG even though they populate in the running app. **Root cause:** startup ordering. A data source's `start()` broadcasts its initial `full` value immediately, and a tokio `broadcast` channel drops messages sent while no receiver is attached; the runtime subscribed the update loops *after* `data_engine.start_all()`, so each source's first value was lost and the repository was never seeded. Interactive runs recover via a later event (e.g. a file-watcher change); a one-shot capture never does. **Fix (two parts):** (1) `runtime.rs` `initialize()` now calls `start_data_update_loop().await` **before** `data_engine.start_all().await`, so receivers are attached before sources broadcast — the actual root-cause fix, benefits every one-shot/early-read path, not just screenshots. (2) `commands/screenshot.rs` capture task now *pumps* the data→binding loop across the `--settle-ms` window in 50ms slices (grabbing `ActiveProject`'s runtime, calling `apply_pending_navigations()`/`apply_pending_data_updates()` and `window.refresh()` when anything changed), then does a final refresh + one executor-yield timer before `render_to_image()` — because `render_to_image` reads the window's *last drawn* frame and `refresh()` only sets a dirty flag; the interactive `App` data task drives this on every `data_notify`, so the one-shot path must drive it itself. Verified: `examples/data-binding` screenshot now shows live timer/HTTP values instead of placeholders; 233 nemo + 18 macro tests green; `cargo build -p nemo --features screenshot` clean. Updated [data flow](/docs/knowledgebase/concepts/data-flow.md) (new startup-ordering note under Data sources).
 * **Feature**: Opt-in **header-bar dropdown menu**. Apps declare `<menu-item label icon on-click separator>` children under `<header-bar>`; when present, a far-left hamburger icon opens a native dropdown, each entry invoking a Rhai handler via `runtime.call_handler(handler, "header-bar", "click")`. Parser: added `process_header_bar` (`crates/nemo-config/src/xml_parser.rs`) so repeated `<menu-item>` children survive as a `menu_items` array at `app.window.header_bar.menu_items` (the generic `process_nested_block` would collapse them; note `__type__` is already snake-cased, so the special-case matches `header_bar`/`menu_item`). Render: `HeaderBar` (`crates/nemo/src/workspace/header_bar.rs`) gained `menu_items`/`runtime` fields + a `menu_items_from_config` helper, building `DropdownButton` + `PopupMenuItem` (reusing `components::icon::map_icon_name` for item icons); both construction sites (`main.rs`, `workspace/mod.rs::create_header_bar`) pass them. Declared `menu-item` in the schema surface (`crates/nemo-registry/src/schema_surface.rs`). Demoed in `examples/basic`. Verified: new parser test `test_parse_header_bar_menu_items` + `cargo build -p nemo` clean. Updated [configuration](/docs/knowledgebase/concepts/configuration.md) and the nemo-xml-reference skill.
+* **Fix**: Issue #81 — a `<route>`'s `on-enter` hook did not fire for the **default route** at startup; it only fired on subsequent navigations. **Root cause:** the initial route is seeded through lazy initialization (`router_current_path`, called from the render pass) without a path *change*, so `apply_one_navigation` — which fires `on-leave`/`on-enter` only when `old_path != new_path` — never sees the initial mount and skips its `on-enter`. **Fix (`crates/nemo/src/runtime.rs` + `app.rs`):** added a `pending_initial_enters` queue on `NemoRuntime`; when `router_current_path` first seeds a router to its `default` (or `--route` override) it enqueues the router id and pings `data_notify`. The `App` poll loop calls the new `fire_pending_initial_enters()` right after `apply_pending_navigations()` and before the data-update pass — it projects the route (path+params) and fires that route's `on-enter` **once**, outside the extension lock (same re-entrancy-safe apply point as navigation hooks). Firing is deferred out of the render pass because `call_handler` holds the `extension_manager` write lock. Verified: new regression test `test_initial_default_route_fires_on_enter` (proves the default route's `on-enter` fires with no prior navigation and fires exactly once) + existing navigation/override tests green; clippy clean. Updated [routing](/docs/knowledgebase/patterns/routing.md).
diff --git a/docs/knowledgebase/patterns/routing.md b/docs/knowledgebase/patterns/routing.md
index c724083..3914023 100644
--- a/docs/knowledgebase/patterns/routing.md
+++ b/docs/knowledgebase/patterns/routing.md
@@ -77,7 +77,19 @@ through a **deferred queue**, mirroring the `plugin_dirty_paths` reactivity path
 
 `on-enter`/`on-leave` are parsed as normal handlers (kebab→snake `on_*` →
 `handlers["enter"]`/`handlers["leave"]`) and fire with `(router_id, "enter" |
-"leave")`. They fire only on an actual path change.
+"leave")`. On a navigation they fire only on an actual path change.
+
+The **initial** route is a special case (issue #81). Its path is seeded through
+lazy initialization (`router_current_path`, called from the render pass) without
+a path *change*, so `apply_one_navigation` never sees it and would skip its
+`on-enter`. Instead, when the render pass first seeds a router to its `default`
+(or `--route` override), it enqueues the router id in `pending_initial_enters`
+and pings `data_notify`; the poll loop then calls
+`NemoRuntime::fire_pending_initial_enters()` (right after
+`apply_pending_navigations`, before the data-update pass) to project the route
+and fire that route's `on-enter` **once**, outside the extension lock. So the
+default route's `on-enter` fires at startup, consistent with later navigations —
+each route's `on-enter` fires exactly once when it becomes active.
 
 # Path matching