diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 3a84589..a8d0cba 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -1429,6 +1429,13 @@ session with **no other memory of this project**. So:
   the adoption path. Keep the coordinator key separate from crew/admin keys.
   Do not claim multi-coordinator failover; this is one trusted delivery service
   with backups, not BFT.
+  **Custom coordinator routing (2026-11-01):** `useCordnNative` treats a crew's
+  own coordinator as authoritative. A custom URL without a service pubkey is
+  rejected instead of silently falling back to the SkateSpots coordinator. The
+  join watcher groups crews by coordinator pubkey/relay and polls each one; a
+  custom coordinator being offline does not stop notifications for other crews.
+  Device-link creation now shows an inline error/retry instead of a permanent
+  loading dialog.
   `EditProfileForm` accepts a pointer (nprofile / cordn.net link / npub / hex /
   http URL), **normalises a bare pointer to Cordn's canonical add-link** before
   saving (`coordinatorAddUrl`), and has **"Use my coordinator"**. `NIP19Page`
diff --git a/scripts/cordn-join-watcher.ts b/scripts/cordn-join-watcher.ts
index 543ed2d..41bc15c 100644
--- a/scripts/cordn-join-watcher.ts
+++ b/scripts/cordn-join-watcher.ts
@@ -55,6 +55,8 @@ interface Crew {
   pubkey: string;
   identifier: string;
   recipients: string[];
+  coordinatorPubkey: string;
+  coordinatorRelays: string[];
 }
 
 interface WatcherState {
@@ -130,8 +132,18 @@ function crewFromEvent(event: {
   const name = event.tags.find(([name]) => name === 'title')?.[1];
   if (!d || !name) return null;
   const coordinatorTag = event.tags.find(([name]) => name === 'coordinator');
-  const coordinatorPubkey = coordinatorTag?.[2];
-  if (coordinatorPubkey && coordinatorPubkey !== SKATESPOTS_COORDINATOR.pubkey) return null;
+  const coordinatorUrl = coordinatorTag?.[1];
+  const configuredPubkey = coordinatorTag?.[2];
+  const isDefaultRelay = !!coordinatorUrl && coordinatorUrl === SKATESPOTS_COORDINATOR.relays[0];
+  // A custom relay without a service pubkey is not addressable. Do not fall
+  // back to SkateSpots' coordinator on someone else's relay.
+  if (coordinatorUrl && !configuredPubkey && !isDefaultRelay) return null;
+  const coordinatorPubkey = configuredPubkey ?? SKATESPOTS_COORDINATOR.pubkey;
+  if (!/^[0-9a-f]{64}$/i.test(coordinatorPubkey)) return null;
+  const coordinatorRelays =
+    coordinatorUrl && /^wss?:\/\//i.test(coordinatorUrl)
+      ? [coordinatorUrl]
+      : SKATESPOTS_COORDINATOR.relays;
   const admins = event.tags
     .filter(([name, value, marker]) => name === 'p' && /^[0-9a-f]{64}$/i.test(value ?? '') && marker === 'admin')
     .map(([, value]) => value.toLowerCase());
@@ -142,6 +154,8 @@ function crewFromEvent(event: {
     pubkey: event.pubkey,
     identifier: d,
     recipients,
+    coordinatorPubkey,
+    coordinatorRelays,
   };
 }
 
@@ -264,22 +278,44 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
     return;
   }
 
-  const coordinator = new CordnCoordinatorClient({
-    serverPubkey: SKATESPOTS_COORDINATOR.pubkey,
-    relays: SKATESPOTS_COORDINATOR.relays,
-    privateKeyHex: Array.from(watcherSecret, (byte) => byte.toString(16).padStart(2, '0')).join(''),
-  });
-
-  let requests: FetchManyPendingJoinRequestsOutput;
-  try {
-    requests = await coordinator.fetchManyPendingJoinRequests({
-      groups: crews.map((crew) => ({ gid: crew.gid })),
-    });
-  } finally {
-    await coordinator.disconnect().catch(() => undefined);
+  const privateKeyHex = Array.from(watcherSecret, (byte) => byte.toString(16).padStart(2, '0')).join('');
+  const groupsByCoordinator = new Map<string, { pubkey: string; relays: string[]; crews: Crew[] }>();
+  for (const crew of crews) {
+    const key = `${crew.coordinatorPubkey}|${crew.coordinatorRelays.slice().sort().join(',')}`;
+    const group = groupsByCoordinator.get(key) ?? {
+      pubkey: crew.coordinatorPubkey,
+      relays: crew.coordinatorRelays,
+      crews: [],
+    };
+    group.crews.push(crew);
+    groupsByCoordinator.set(key, group);
   }
 
-  if (requests.requests.length === 0) {
+  const requests: FetchManyPendingJoinRequestsOutput['requests'] = [];
+  for (const group of groupsByCoordinator.values()) {
+    const coordinator = new CordnCoordinatorClient({
+      serverPubkey: group.pubkey,
+      relays: group.relays,
+      privateKeyHex,
+    });
+    try {
+      const result = await coordinator.fetchManyPendingJoinRequests({
+        groups: group.crews.map((crew) => ({ gid: crew.gid })),
+      });
+      requests.push(...result.requests);
+    } catch (error) {
+      // A custom coordinator can be offline/private while other crews are
+      // healthy. Keep polling the rest instead of failing the whole watcher.
+      console.error(
+        `[cordn-watcher] coordinator ${shortNpub(group.pubkey)} unavailable:`,
+        error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error),
+      );
+    } finally {
+      await coordinator.disconnect().catch(() => undefined);
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (requests.length === 0) {
     pool.close([COMMUNITY]);
     console.log('[cordn-watcher] no pending join requests');
     return;
@@ -289,7 +325,7 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
   const state = loadState();
   let sent = 0;
 
-  for (const request of requests.requests) {
+  for (const request of requests) {
     const crew = byGid.get(request.gid);
     if (!crew) continue;
     const key = `${request.gid}:${request.pk}:${request.kp_ref}`;
@@ -342,7 +378,7 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
       {
         watcher: nip19.npubEncode(watcherPubkey),
         crews: crews.length,
-        pending: requests.requests.length,
+        pending: requests.length,
         newRequests: sent,
       },
       null,
diff --git a/src/components/crew/CordnNativePanel.tsx b/src/components/crew/CordnNativePanel.tsx
index 0595282..ccd6b9c 100644
--- a/src/components/crew/CordnNativePanel.tsx
+++ b/src/components/crew/CordnNativePanel.tsx
@@ -202,6 +202,7 @@ export function CordnNativePanel({
   const [deviceLinkOpen, setDeviceLinkOpen] = useState(false);
   const [deviceLinkCode, setDeviceLinkCode] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const [deviceLinkPending, setDeviceLinkPending] = useState(false);
+  const [deviceLinkError, setDeviceLinkError] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const [scannerOpen, setScannerOpen] = useState(false);
   const scrollRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
   const { isMuted, toggle: toggleMute } = useDmMute();
@@ -548,12 +549,13 @@ export function CordnNativePanel({
   const openDeviceLink = useCallback(async () => {
     setDeviceLinkOpen(true);
     setDeviceLinkCode(null);
+    setDeviceLinkError(null);
     setDeviceLinkPending(true);
     setNotice(null);
     const code = await native.createDeviceLink();
     if (!code) {
       setDeviceLinkPending(false);
-      setNotice(t('cordnUi.deviceLinkFailed'));
+      setDeviceLinkError(t('cordnUi.deviceLinkFailed'));
       return;
     }
     setDeviceLinkCode(code);
@@ -1445,7 +1447,11 @@ export function CordnNativePanel({
         open={deviceLinkOpen}
         onOpenChange={(open) => {
           setDeviceLinkOpen(open);
-          if (!open) setDeviceLinkCode(null);
+          if (!open) {
+            setDeviceLinkCode(null);
+            setDeviceLinkPending(false);
+            setDeviceLinkError(null);
+          }
         }}
       >
         <DialogContent className="max-w-sm border-white/10 bg-zinc-950">
@@ -1484,6 +1490,13 @@ export function CordnNativePanel({
                 </Button>
               </div>
             </>
+          ) : deviceLinkError ? (
+            <div className="space-y-3 py-4 text-center">
+              <p className="text-xs text-red-300">{deviceLinkError}</p>
+              <Button size="sm" variant="outline" onClick={() => void openDeviceLink()}>
+                <RefreshCw className="mr-1.5 h-3.5 w-3.5" /> {t('common.tryAgain')}
+              </Button>
+            </div>
           ) : (
             <div className="flex items-center justify-center gap-2 py-8 text-xs text-gray-400">
               <Loader2 className="h-4 w-4 animate-spin" /> {t('common.loading')}
diff --git a/src/hooks/useCordnNative.ts b/src/hooks/useCordnNative.ts
index 06e458d..8ef077a 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useCordnNative.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/useCordnNative.ts
@@ -35,14 +35,22 @@ export function resolveNativeCoordinator(
   fallback: { pubkey: string; relays: string[] } | null,
 ): NativeCoordinator | null {
   const endpoint = resolveCordnEndpoint(crew);
-  const serverPubkey =
-    endpoint?.coordinatorPubkey ?? fallback?.pubkey ?? SKATESPOTS_COORDINATOR.pubkey;
+  if (crew.coordinator?.url) {
+    // A crew's own coordinator is authoritative. If its pointer is incomplete
+    // (e.g. a custom relay URL with no service pubkey), do not silently connect
+    // to SkateSpots' coordinator instead — that would send the crew's traffic to
+    // the wrong service.
+    const serverPubkey =
+      endpoint?.coordinatorPubkey ??
+      (endpoint?.relayUrl === SKATESPOTS_COORDINATOR.relays[0]
+        ? SKATESPOTS_COORDINATOR.pubkey
+        : null);
+    if (!endpoint || !serverPubkey) return null;
+    return { serverPubkey, relays: [endpoint.relayUrl] };
+  }
+  const serverPubkey = fallback?.pubkey ?? SKATESPOTS_COORDINATOR.pubkey;
   if (!serverPubkey) return null;
-  const relays = endpoint
-    ? [endpoint.relayUrl]
-    : fallback?.relays?.length
-      ? fallback.relays
-      : SKATESPOTS_COORDINATOR.relays;
+  const relays = fallback?.relays?.length ? fallback.relays : SKATESPOTS_COORDINATOR.relays;
   return { serverPubkey, relays };
 }