SAM2 Web Demo Works on Some Machines, Fails on Others (Only Fixed After Repeated Cache/Cookie Clearing)

[nnimbale]

I have deployed the SAM2 web demo on a Jetstream2 instance following all the official setup steps. The deployment runs, but I’m experiencing an inconsistent and hard-to-debug issue:

Problem Overview

The SAM2 web demo works on some client machines but fails on others.
The failure is inconsistent — the same computer sometimes loads the app correctly, and other times the frontend/backend connection breaks.

The only temporary fix that restores functionality is to repeatedly clear browser cache + cookies, and sometimes even restart Chrome and the entire machine. After some time, the issue returns.

What I Observed:

Affected machines show frontend not loading the backend responses correctly (varies between blank mask outputs, stalled requests, or non-initializing demo UI).

• Clearing cache + cookies restores it temporarily.
• Works normally on some computers without any intervention.
• There is no consistent pattern related to network, OS, Chrome version, or account.

Why I Believe It’s a Frontend/Service Worker/Caching Issue

Based on the symptoms, behavior strongly points toward aggressive browser caching, stale service worker, or cached JS bundles interfering with newer backend responses.

Could also be related to:

• Stale index.html being served.
• Cached API endpoint URLs.
• Service worker serving outdated assets.
• Misconfigured cache headers from the demo server.
• Cookie/session inconsistencies.

Steps I Have Already Tried

• Verified server is running properly.
• Rebuilt and redeployed frontend.
• Tested from multiple networks.
• Tested with different browsers and Chrome profiles.

Impact

Because it works only intermittently, users cannot reliably use the demo. The behavior is confusing and unpredictable, making the demo unusable in a production or shared environment.

Request

Could the team confirm:

• Whether the web demo ships with a service worker or caching layer that might cause stale assets to persist.
• Expected caching headers for index.html and JS bundles.
• Any known issues with the demo using wrong environment variables or cached API URLs.
• Recommended configuration to disable caching entirely for development/self-hosting.

Any guidance on stabilizing the behavior across clients would be very helpful.