diff --git a/src/frontend/src/features/auth/api/fetchUser.ts b/src/frontend/src/features/auth/api/fetchUser.ts
index 217536da..1ed3f14a 100644
--- a/src/frontend/src/features/auth/api/fetchUser.ts
+++ b/src/frontend/src/features/auth/api/fetchUser.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,13 @@ import { attemptSilentLogin, canAttemptSilentLogin } from '../utils/silentLogin'
  * Here our wrapper just returns false in that case, without triggering an error:
  * this is done to prevent unnecessary query retries with react query
  */
-export const fetchUser = (): Promise<ApiUser | false> => {
+export const fetchUser = (
+  opts: {
+    attemptSilent?: boolean
+  } = {
+    attemptSilent: true,
+  }
+): Promise<ApiUser | false> => {
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
     fetchApi<ApiUser>('/users/me')
       .then(resolve)
@@ -19,7 +25,7 @@ export const fetchUser = (): Promise<ApiUser | false> => {
         if (error instanceof ApiError && error.statusCode === 401) {
           // make sure to not resolve the promise while trying to silent login
           // so that consumers of fetchUser don't think the work already ended
-          if (canAttemptSilentLogin()) {
+          if (opts.attemptSilent && canAttemptSilentLogin()) {
             attemptSilentLogin(300)
           } else {
             resolve(false)
diff --git a/src/frontend/src/features/auth/api/useUser.tsx b/src/frontend/src/features/auth/api/useUser.tsx
index 861c7085..058f379f 100644
--- a/src/frontend/src/features/auth/api/useUser.tsx
+++ b/src/frontend/src/features/auth/api/useUser.tsx
@@ -11,10 +11,15 @@ import { initializeSupportSession } from '@/features/support/hooks/useSupport'
  *
  * `isLoggedIn` is undefined while query is loading and true/false when it's done
  */
-export const useUser = () => {
+export const useUser = (
+  opts: {
+    fetchUserOptions?: Parameters<typeof fetchUser>[0]
+  } = {}
+) => {
   const query = useQuery({
+    // eslint-disable-next-line @tanstack/query/exhaustive-deps
     queryKey: [keys.user],
-    queryFn: fetchUser,
+    queryFn: () => fetchUser(opts.fetchUserOptions),
     staleTime: Infinity,
   })