diff --git a/packages/webui/src/reads.mjs b/packages/webui/src/reads.mjs
index 01224d15..5f6f0c4e 100644
--- a/packages/webui/src/reads.mjs
+++ b/packages/webui/src/reads.mjs
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ export function queueReader({ root, env = process.env, timeoutMs = 30000, maxByt
       // store's text. Anything else failed to run, and its stderr may be
       // Node's own (a path and a stack), so it is not shown; the view keeps
       // its last read.
-      if (status === 2) return done(reject, new ReadError('queue-refused', said || 'the queue refused the read'));
+      if (status === 3) return done(reject, new ReadError('queue-refused', said || 'the queue refused the read'));
       if (status !== 0) return done(reject, new ReadError('read-failed', `the queue read failed (exit ${status})`));
       try {
         const doc = JSON.parse(Buffer.concat(out).toString('utf8'));