diff --git a/src/common/xhrInterceptors.json5 b/src/common/xhrInterceptors.json5
index 6a5a1c5..63bec85 100644
--- a/src/common/xhrInterceptors.json5
+++ b/src/common/xhrInterceptors.json5
@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
 {
   interceptors: [
     {
+      eventName: "ViewForumRequest",
+      urlRegex: "api/ViewForum",
+      intercepts: "request",
+    },
+    {
       eventName: "ViewForumResponse",
       urlRegex: "api/ViewForum",
       intercepts: "response",
diff --git a/src/contentScripts/communityConsole/autoRefresh.js b/src/contentScripts/communityConsole/autoRefresh.js
index 41777ca..4f40fee 100644
--- a/src/contentScripts/communityConsole/autoRefresh.js
+++ b/src/contentScripts/communityConsole/autoRefresh.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 
 var authuser = getAuthUser();
 
+const threadListRequestEvent = 'TWPT_ViewForumRequest';
 const intervalMs = 3 * 60 * 1000;  // 3 minutes
 const firstCallDelayMs = 3 * 1000;  // 3 seconds
 
@@ -15,9 +16,13 @@
     this.lastTimestamp = null;
     this.filter = null;
     this.path = null;
+    this.requestId = null;
+    this.requestOrderOptions = null;
     this.snackbar = null;
     this.interval = null;
     this.firstCallTimeout = null;
+
+    this.setUpHandlers();
   }
 
   getStartupData() {
@@ -26,11 +31,14 @@
   }
 
   isOrderedByTimestampDescending() {
-    var startup = this.getStartupData();
+    // This means we didn't intercept the request.
+    if (!this.requestOrderOptions)
+      return false;
+
     // Returns orderOptions.by == TIMESTAMP && orderOptions.desc == true
     return (
-        startup?.[1]?.[1]?.[3]?.[14]?.[1] == 1 &&
-        startup?.[1]?.[1]?.[3]?.[14]?.[2] == true);
+        this.requestOrderOptions?.[1] == 1 &&
+        this.requestOrderOptions?.[2] == true);
   }
 
   getCustomFilter(path) {
@@ -224,8 +232,25 @@
                 'Couldn\'t get last timestamp (while setting up): ', err));
   }
 
+  setUpHandlers() {
+    window.addEventListener(
+        threadListRequestEvent, e => this.handleListRequest(e));
+  }
+
+  handleListRequest(e) {
+    console.debug('autorefresh_list: handling ViewForum request');
+    if (this.requestId === null || e.detail.id > this.requestId) {
+      this.requestId = e.detail.id;
+      this.requestOrderOptions = e.detail.body?.['2']?.['2'];
+    }
+  }
+
   setUp() {
-    if (!this.isOrderedByTimestampDescending()) return;
+    if (!this.isOrderedByTimestampDescending()) {
+      console.debug(
+          'autorefresh_list: refused to start up because the order is not by timestamp descending.');
+      return;
+    }
 
     this.unregister();
 
diff --git a/src/contentScripts/communityConsole/main.js b/src/contentScripts/communityConsole/main.js
index 836fd1f..5db25fc 100644
--- a/src/contentScripts/communityConsole/main.js
+++ b/src/contentScripts/communityConsole/main.js
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import {injectScript, injectStyles, injectStylesheet} from '../../common/contentScriptsUtils.js';
 
-import AutoRefresh from './autoRefresh.js';
 import AvatarsHandler from './avatars.js';
 import {batchLock} from './batchLock.js';
 import {injectDarkModeButton, isDarkThemeOn} from './darkMode.js';
@@ -8,7 +7,7 @@
 import {injectPreviousPostsLinks} from './profileHistoryLink.js';
 import {unifiedProfilesFix} from './unifiedProfiles.js';
 
-var mutationObserver, intersectionObserver, intersectionOptions, options, avatars, autoRefresh;
+var mutationObserver, intersectionObserver, intersectionOptions, options, avatars;
 
 const watchedNodesSelectors = [
   // App container (used to set up the intersection observer and inject the dark
@@ -172,8 +171,7 @@
   if (options.threadlistavatars)
     avatars = new AvatarsHandler();
 
-  if (options.autorefreshlist)
-    autoRefresh = new AutoRefresh();
+  // autoRefresh is initialized in start.js
 
   // Before starting the mutation Observer, check whether we missed any
   // mutations by manually checking whether some watched nodes already
diff --git a/src/contentScripts/communityConsole/start.js b/src/contentScripts/communityConsole/start.js
index 782569f..93ee6ab 100644
--- a/src/contentScripts/communityConsole/start.js
+++ b/src/contentScripts/communityConsole/start.js
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 import {injectScript, injectStylesheet} from '../../common/contentScriptsUtils.js';
 
+import AutoRefresh from './autoRefresh.js';
+
 const SMEI_UNIFIED_PROFILES = 9;
 
 chrome.storage.sync.get(null, function(items) {
@@ -21,6 +23,11 @@
         'data-startup', JSON.stringify(startup));
   }
 
+  // Initialized here instead of in main.js so the first |ViewForumResponse|
+  // event is received if it happens when the page loads.
+  if (items.autorefreshlist)
+    window.autoRefresh = new AutoRefresh();
+
   if (items.ccdarktheme) {
     switch (items.ccdarktheme_mode) {
       case 'switch':