diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 7988f62..73aefdf 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,17 @@ All notable changes to Podkey will be documented in this file.
 The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/),
 and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
+## [Unreleased]
+
+### Fixed
+
+- **Public files load again when you're logged in (#33).** Podkey's NIP-98
+  header makes a cross-origin request need a CORS preflight, and hosts that
+  don't answer preflights, such as GitHub Pages, failed the fetch outright. A
+  signed GET or HEAD that fails that way is now tried once more without
+  Podkey's header. Writes, aborts and requests where the page set its own
+  `Authorization` are never retried, and the 401 retry is unchanged.
+
 ## [0.0.11] - 2026-09-25
 
 ### Fixed
diff --git a/src/auth-header-utils.js b/src/auth-header-utils.js
index b1e318a..62569f5 100644
--- a/src/auth-header-utils.js
+++ b/src/auth-header-utils.js
@@ -108,3 +108,54 @@ export function setAuthorizationOnOptions (options, value) {
   }
   return options.headers;
 }
+
+/**
+ * Should a fetch that failed outright be tried again without Podkey's
+ * NIP-98 header (#33)? Adding `Authorization` makes a cross-origin request
+ * "non-simple", so the browser sends a CORS preflight first. Static hosts
+ * such as GitHub Pages don't answer preflights, and the fetch rejects with a
+ * TypeError before any response, so a public file the page could read
+ * becomes unreadable once the user is logged in.
+ *
+ * Only retry when all of these hold:
+ *   - Podkey added the header itself (never when the page set its own auth)
+ *   - the method is GET or HEAD (safe to repeat, no body to resend)
+ *   - the failure is a TypeError (network/CORS), not an abort
+ * Checks the error by name, not `instanceof`, so it holds across realms.
+ */
+export function shouldRetryUnsigned ({ method, signed, error, signal }) {
+  if (!signed) return false;
+  if (!/^(GET|HEAD)$/i.test(method || 'GET')) return false;
+  if (signal && signal.aborted) return false;
+  return !!error && error.name === 'TypeError';
+}
+
+/**
+ * A copy of fetch `init` without the Authorization header Podkey added, for
+ * the unsigned retry (#33). `hadHeaders` says whether the caller's init had a
+ * `headers` key before Podkey signed: if it didn't, the key is dropped again,
+ * so a Request input keeps its own headers (init.headers would override them).
+ * Never mutates `init`.
+ */
+export function withoutAuthorization (init, hadHeaders) {
+  const out = { ...init };
+  if (!hadHeaders) {
+    delete out.headers;
+    return out;
+  }
+  const headers = init.headers;
+  if (typeof Headers !== 'undefined' && headers instanceof Headers) {
+    const copy = new Headers(headers);
+    copy.delete('authorization');
+    out.headers = copy;
+  } else if (Array.isArray(headers)) {
+    out.headers = headers.filter((entry) =>
+      !(Array.isArray(entry) && typeof entry[0] === 'string' && entry[0].toLowerCase() === 'authorization'));
+  } else if (headers && typeof headers === 'object') {
+    out.headers = {};
+    for (const key of Object.keys(headers)) {
+      if (key.toLowerCase() !== 'authorization') out.headers[key] = headers[key];
+    }
+  }
+  return out;
+}
diff --git a/src/nip98-interceptor.js b/src/nip98-interceptor.js
index 6feb576..480237b 100644
--- a/src/nip98-interceptor.js
+++ b/src/nip98-interceptor.js
@@ -75,6 +75,36 @@
     return options.headers;
   }
 
+  function shouldRetryUnsigned ({ method, signed, error, signal }) {
+    if (!signed) return false;
+    if (!/^(GET|HEAD)$/i.test(method || 'GET')) return false;
+    if (signal && signal.aborted) return false;
+    return !!error && error.name === 'TypeError';
+  }
+
+  function withoutAuthorization (init, hadHeaders) {
+    const out = { ...init };
+    if (!hadHeaders) {
+      delete out.headers;
+      return out;
+    }
+    const headers = init.headers;
+    if (typeof Headers !== 'undefined' && headers instanceof Headers) {
+      const copy = new Headers(headers);
+      copy.delete('authorization');
+      out.headers = copy;
+    } else if (Array.isArray(headers)) {
+      out.headers = headers.filter((entry) =>
+        !(Array.isArray(entry) && typeof entry[0] === 'string' && entry[0].toLowerCase() === 'authorization'));
+    } else if (headers && typeof headers === 'object') {
+      out.headers = {};
+      for (const key of Object.keys(headers)) {
+        if (key.toLowerCase() !== 'authorization') out.headers[key] = headers[key];
+      }
+    }
+    return out;
+  }
+
   function normalizeFetchCall (input, init) {
     if (typeof Request !== 'undefined' && input instanceof Request) {
       return {
@@ -173,12 +203,16 @@
     // own auth. If that auth fails with 401, the retry path below still
     // injects NIP-98. See issue #5.
     const pageSetAuth = fetchCallHasAuthorization(url, options);
+    // For the unsigned retry (#33): did the caller pass headers, and did we sign?
+    const hadHeaders = Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(options, 'headers');
+    let signed = false;
 
     if (!pageSetAuth) {
       try {
         const authHeader = await getNip98AuthHeader(urlString, method, body);
         if (authHeader) {
           setAuthorizationOnOptions(options, authHeader);
+          signed = true;
           if (DEBUG) console.log('[Podkey] Added NIP-98 auth header');
         } else if (DEBUG) {
           console.log('[Podkey] No auth header (will retry on 401)');
@@ -190,7 +224,19 @@
       console.log('[Podkey] Page already set Authorization — skipping injection');
     }
 
-    const response = await originalFetch.call(this, url, options);
+    let response;
+    try {
+      response = await originalFetch.call(this, url, options);
+    } catch (error) {
+      // Our header made the request need a CORS preflight, and hosts that
+      // don't answer preflights (e.g. GitHub Pages) fail it outright. A public
+      // GET/HEAD the page could read on its own shouldn't break because the
+      // user is logged in: try once more, unsigned. See issue #33.
+      const signal = options.signal || (typeof Request !== 'undefined' && url instanceof Request ? url.signal : undefined);
+      if (!shouldRetryUnsigned({ method, signed, error, signal })) throw error;
+      if (DEBUG) console.log('[Podkey] Signed fetch failed (likely CORS preflight), retrying unsigned');
+      return originalFetch.call(this, url, withoutAuthorization(options, hadHeaders));
+    }
 
     // Handle 401 retry
     if (response.status === 401) {
diff --git a/test/unsigned-retry.test.js b/test/unsigned-retry.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b3e03ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/unsigned-retry.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,162 @@
+/**
+ * Tests for the unsigned retry (#33). A NIP-98 Authorization header turns a
+ * cross-origin GET into a non-simple request, so the browser sends a CORS
+ * preflight first. Hosts that don't answer preflights (GitHub Pages) make the
+ * fetch reject with a TypeError, and a public file breaks only because the
+ * user is logged in. The interceptor now tries once more without its header.
+ *
+ * The helpers are tested from src/auth-header-utils.js, and the real
+ * interceptor is run in a vm sandbox (as in body-hash.test.js) with a fake
+ * fetch that fails whenever Authorization is present, like a host with no
+ * preflight support.
+ */
+
+import { describe, it } from 'node:test';
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import { readFileSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { webcrypto } from 'node:crypto';
+import vm from 'node:vm';
+import { shouldRetryUnsigned, withoutAuthorization } from '../src/auth-header-utils.js';
+
+const corsError = () => new TypeError('Failed to fetch');
+
+describe('shouldRetryUnsigned (#33)', () => {
+  it('retries a signed GET or HEAD that failed with a TypeError', () => {
+    assert.equal(shouldRetryUnsigned({ method: 'GET', signed: true, error: corsError() }), true);
+    assert.equal(shouldRetryUnsigned({ method: 'head', signed: true, error: corsError() }), true);
+    assert.equal(shouldRetryUnsigned({ method: undefined, signed: true, error: corsError() }), true);
+  });
+
+  it('never retries when Podkey did not sign (page auth, or no key)', () => {
+    assert.equal(shouldRetryUnsigned({ method: 'GET', signed: false, error: corsError() }), false);
+  });
+
+  it('never retries writes', () => {
+    for (const method of ['POST', 'PUT', 'PATCH', 'DELETE']) {
+      assert.equal(shouldRetryUnsigned({ method, signed: true, error: corsError() }), false, method);
+    }
+  });
+
+  it('never retries aborts', () => {
+    const ac = new AbortController();
+    ac.abort();
+    assert.equal(shouldRetryUnsigned({ method: 'GET', signed: true, error: corsError(), signal: ac.signal }), false);
+    const abort = new DOMException('aborted', 'AbortError');
+    assert.equal(shouldRetryUnsigned({ method: 'GET', signed: true, error: abort }), false);
+  });
+
+  it('matches TypeError by name, so it works across realms', () => {
+    const foreign = vm.runInNewContext('new TypeError("Failed to fetch")');
+    assert.equal(foreign instanceof TypeError, false);
+    assert.equal(shouldRetryUnsigned({ method: 'GET', signed: true, error: foreign }), true);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('withoutAuthorization (#33)', () => {
+  it('drops headers entirely when the caller passed none', () => {
+    const init = { method: 'GET', headers: { Authorization: 'Nostr x' } };
+    const out = withoutAuthorization(init, false);
+    assert.equal(Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(out, 'headers'), false);
+    assert.equal(out.method, 'GET');
+  });
+
+  it('removes Authorization from a plain object, keeping the rest', () => {
+    const init = { headers: { Accept: 'application/json', authorization: 'Nostr x' } };
+    const out = withoutAuthorization(init, true);
+    assert.deepEqual(out.headers, { Accept: 'application/json' });
+    assert.equal(init.headers.authorization, 'Nostr x', 'must not mutate the original');
+  });
+
+  it('removes Authorization from Headers and from tuple arrays', () => {
+    const h = new Headers({ Accept: 'text/html', Authorization: 'Nostr x' });
+    const out = withoutAuthorization({ headers: h }, true);
+    assert.equal(out.headers.has('authorization'), false);
+    assert.equal(out.headers.get('accept'), 'text/html');
+    assert.equal(h.has('authorization'), true, 'must not mutate the original');
+
+    const arr = withoutAuthorization({ headers: [['Accept', 'a'], ['Authorization', 'Nostr x']] }, true);
+    assert.deepEqual(arr.headers, [['Accept', 'a']]);
+  });
+});
+
+/** The real interceptor in a sandbox whose network rejects any request carrying Authorization. */
+function makePage ({ token = 'Nostr signed' } = {}) {
+  const src = readFileSync(new URL('../src/nip98-interceptor.js', import.meta.url), 'utf8');
+  const bus = new EventTarget();
+  const calls = [];
+  const auth = init => {
+    const h = init && init.headers;
+    if (!h) return null;
+    if (h instanceof Headers) return h.get('authorization');
+    if (Array.isArray(h)) return (h.find(e => e[0].toLowerCase() === 'authorization') || [])[1] || null;
+    const key = Object.keys(h).find(k => k.toLowerCase() === 'authorization');
+    return key ? h[key] : null;
+  };
+  const win = {
+    __podkey_nip98_intercepted: false,
+    addEventListener: (...a) => bus.addEventListener(...a),
+    removeEventListener: (...a) => bus.removeEventListener(...a),
+    dispatchEvent: (e) => bus.dispatchEvent(e),
+    // a static host with no preflight support: Authorization makes the fetch fail
+    fetch: async (url, init) => {
+      calls.push({ url, auth: auth(init), hasHeadersKey: !!init && Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(init, 'headers') });
+      if (auth(init)) throw new TypeError('Failed to fetch');
+      return { status: 200, redirected: false, url: String(url) };
+    }
+  };
+  // the extension signs every request for this trusted origin
+  bus.addEventListener('podkey-nip98-request', (e) => {
+    bus.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent('podkey-nip98-response', { detail: { id: e.detail.id, result: token } }));
+  });
+  function XHR () {}
+  XHR.prototype = { open () {}, send () {}, setRequestHeader () {} };
+  const sandbox = {
+    window: win,
+    XMLHttpRequest: XHR,
+    crypto: webcrypto,
+    CustomEvent, Headers, Request, TextEncoder,
+    Blob, URLSearchParams, ArrayBuffer, Uint8Array, Uint16Array, Array, Object,
+    console, setTimeout, clearTimeout
+  };
+  vm.createContext(sandbox);
+  vm.runInContext(src, sandbox);
+  return { fetch: (...a) => win.fetch(...a), calls };
+}
+
+describe('interceptor: unsigned retry when a signed fetch fails (#33)', () => {
+  it('a public GET still loads: signed attempt fails, unsigned retry succeeds', async () => {
+    const page = makePage();
+    const res = await page.fetch('https://user.github.io/maps/sugar.json');
+    assert.equal(res.status, 200);
+    assert.equal(page.calls.length, 2);
+    assert.equal(page.calls[0].auth, 'Nostr signed');
+    assert.equal(page.calls[1].auth, null);
+    assert.equal(page.calls[1].hasHeadersKey, false, 'no headers key, so a Request keeps its own headers');
+  });
+
+  it('keeps the page\'s other headers on the retry', async () => {
+    const page = makePage();
+    await page.fetch('https://user.github.io/a.json', { headers: { Accept: 'application/json' } });
+    assert.equal(page.calls.length, 2);
+    assert.equal(page.calls[1].auth, null);
+  });
+
+  it('does not retry a POST: the error reaches the page', async () => {
+    const page = makePage();
+    await assert.rejects(page.fetch('https://user.github.io/a.json', { method: 'POST', body: 'x' }), { name: 'TypeError' });
+    assert.equal(page.calls.length, 1);
+  });
+
+  it('does not retry when the page set its own Authorization', async () => {
+    const page = makePage();
+    await assert.rejects(page.fetch('https://user.github.io/a.json', { headers: { Authorization: 'DPoP page' } }), { name: 'TypeError' });
+    assert.equal(page.calls.length, 1);
+  });
+
+  it('does not retry when Podkey did not sign', async () => {
+    const page = makePage({ token: null });
+    const res = await page.fetch('https://user.github.io/a.json');
+    assert.equal(res.status, 200);
+    assert.equal(page.calls.length, 1);
+  });
+});