diff --git a/console/socketiod b/console/socketiod
index 1529f5e9..bf37e009 100755
--- a/console/socketiod
+++ b/console/socketiod
@@ -75,6 +75,9 @@ def connect(sid, environ, auth):
             raise refused("Too many consoles are open on this server: try again later")
         if open_sid is not None:  # a superuser takes over a console left open
             taken = open_sid, sessions.pop(open_sid)
+            # the page tells its user who took the console; first, as its
+            # forward ends the connection as soon as the worker is gone
+            sio.emit("taken_over", {"by": user.username}, to=open_sid)
             # gone before the new worker starts: libvirt gives a console to one at a time
             end(taken[1], wait=True)
         pid, fd = pty.fork()
@@ -96,9 +99,7 @@ def connect(sid, environ, auth):
     logger.info("serial console of VM %s opened by %s%s", instance.name, user.username,
                 " (taken over)" if taken else "")
     if taken:
-        old_sid, _ = taken
-        sio.emit("pty_output", {"output": "\r\n[An administrator opened this console]\r\n"}, to=old_sid)
-        sio.disconnect(old_sid)
+        sio.disconnect(taken[0])
     sio.start_background_task(forward, sid, session)
 
 
diff --git a/console/templates/console-xterm.html b/console/templates/console-xterm.html
index ec3047c8..13476f5e 100644
--- a/console/templates/console-xterm.html
+++ b/console/templates/console-xterm.html
@@ -6,100 +6,28 @@
 <link rel="stylesheet" href="{% static 'css/xterm.css' %}"/>
 <script src="{% static 'js/xterm/xterm.js' %}"></script>
 <script src="{% static 'js/xterm/addon-fit.js' %}"></script>
-
 <script src="{% static 'js/socket.io.js' %}"></script>
 <style>
-    #terminal { flex: 1; min-height: 0; }
+    #terminal { flex: 1 1 auto; min-height: 0; background: #000; }
 </style>
-
+{{ token|json_script:"serial-token" }}
+<script type="module" src="{% static "js/console_serial.js" %}"></script>
 {% endblock %}
+
+{% block navbarstatus %}
+<span id="status" class="badge text-bg-secondary" role="status"
+    data-connected="{% trans "Connected" %}" data-disconnected="{% trans "Disconnected" %}"
+    data-taken-over="{% trans "Taken over by %(name)s" %}"
+    data-hint="{% trans "Connected. If the VM shows nothing, press Enter." %}">{% trans "Connecting" %}</span>
+{% endblock %}
+
 {% block navbarmenu %}{% include "console-menu.html" with serial=True %}{% endblock %}
 
-{% block content %}
-<div style="background: white; padding-bottom: 5px;">
-    <span style="font-size: small;">Status: <span style="font-size: small;" id="status">connecting...</span></span>
-    <button id="button" type="button" onclick="myFunction();">Connect</button>
-</div>
-
-<div id="terminal"></div>
-<script>
-        // socketiod is behind this page's own /socket.io/ location; the page's
-        // signed token is the credential. It lasts two minutes: a new
-        // connection takes a new page (Reconnect), not an automatic retry.
-        var socket = io({transports: ["websocket", "polling"], auth: {token: "{{ token|escapejs }}"}, reconnection: false});
-
-        const status = document.getElementById("status");
-        const button = document.getElementById("button");
-
-        var term = new Terminal({
-            cursorBlink: true,
-        });
-        var fitAddon = new FitAddon.FitAddon();
-        term.loadAddon(fitAddon);
-
-        term.open(document.getElementById('terminal'));
-
-        // typed and pasted input
-        term.onData((data) => {
-            socket.emit("pty_input", {"input": data})
-        });
-
-        socket.on("pty_output", function(output){
-            term.write(output["output"])
-        })
-
-        function showStatus(text, color) {
-            status.textContent = text;
-            status.style.backgroundColor = color;
-            button.textContent = socket.connected ? "{% trans 'Disconnect'|escapejs %}" : "{% trans 'Reconnect'|escapejs %}";
-        }
-        socket.on("connect", () => showStatus("{% trans 'connected'|escapejs %}", "lightgreen"));
-        socket.on("disconnect", () => showStatus("{% trans 'disconnected'|escapejs %}", "#ff8383"));
-        // the server says why: serial console off, an expired link, the console open elsewhere
-        socket.on("connect_error", (err) => showStatus(err.message, "#ff8383"));
-
-        function myFunction(){
-            if (socket.connected) {
-                socket.disconnect();
-            } else {
-                location.reload();
-            }
-        }
-
-        function resize(){
-            fitAddon.fit()
-            socket.emit("resize", {"cols": term.cols, "rows": term.rows})
-        }
-
-        function bindTerminalKey(id, str) {
-            const el = document.getElementById(id);
-            if (el) {
-                el.addEventListener('click', (e) => {
-                    e.preventDefault();
-                    socket.emit("pty_input", {"input": str});
-                });
-            }
-        }
-        bindTerminalKey('ctrlc', '\x03');
-        bindTerminalKey('ctrld', '\x04');
-        bindTerminalKey('ctrlz', '\x1a');
-        bindTerminalKey('ctrlbackslash', '\x1c');
-        bindTerminalKey('sendtab', '\t');
-        bindTerminalKey('sendesc', '\x1b');
-
-        const fsBtn = document.getElementById('fullscreen_button');
-        if (fsBtn) {
-            fsBtn.addEventListener('click', (e) => {
-                e.preventDefault();
-                if (document.fullscreenElement) {
-                    document.exitFullscreen().catch(() => {});
-                } else {
-                    document.documentElement.requestFullscreen().catch(() => {});
-                }
-            });
-        }
-
-        window.onresize = resize;
-        window.onload = resize;
-</script>
+{% block navbarend %}
+<button type="button" class="btn btn-sm btn-light" id="connection_button"
+    data-disconnect="{% trans "Disconnect" %}" data-reconnect="{% trans "Reconnect" %}">{% trans "Disconnect" %}</button>
+{% endblock %}
+
+{% block content %}
+<div id="terminal"></div>
 {% endblock %}
diff --git a/console/tests/test_live_serial.py b/console/tests/test_live_serial.py
index 926da97b..f2fff5b3 100644
--- a/console/tests/test_live_serial.py
+++ b/console/tests/test_live_serial.py
@@ -83,8 +83,8 @@ class LiveSerialConsoleTestCase(TransactionTestCase):
                 with self.assertRaises(socketio.exceptions.ConnectionError):
                     console(self.port, token)
                 admin_client, admin_received = console(self.port, self.admin_token(token))
-                wait_for(lambda: "An administrator opened this console" in "".join(received["output"]))
-                self.assertIn("An administrator opened this console", "".join(received["output"]))
+                wait_for(lambda: received["taken_over"])
+                self.assertEqual(received["taken_over"], ["serial-live-admin"])
                 client.disconnect()
                 # the VM stops: the terminal says so
                 dom.destroy()
diff --git a/console/tests/test_socketiod.py b/console/tests/test_socketiod.py
index f6665812..7e593b36 100644
--- a/console/tests/test_socketiod.py
+++ b/console/tests/test_socketiod.py
@@ -154,13 +154,17 @@ class SocketiodTestCase(Base):
         admin = get_user_model().objects.create_superuser("root", "root@example.com", "pw")
         self.d.connect("owner-tab", {}, {"token": self.token()})
         old = self.d.sessions["owner-tab"]
-        with patch.object(self.d.sio, "emit") as emit, patch.object(self.d.sio, "disconnect") as disconnect:
+        killed_at_emit = []
+        with patch.object(self.d.sio, "emit", side_effect=lambda *a, **k: killed_at_emit.append(self.d.os.kill.call_count)) as emit, \
+                patch.object(self.d.sio, "disconnect") as disconnect:
             self.assertIsNone(self.d.connect("admin-tab", {}, {"token": self.token(admin)}))
         self.assertEqual(list(self.d.sessions), ["admin-tab"])
         self.assertFalse(old["open"])
         # the old worker was killed before the new one started: libvirt gives the console to one
         self.assertEqual(self.killed_before_fork, [0, 1])
-        self.assertIn("An administrator opened this console", emit.call_args.args[1]["output"])
+        emit.assert_called_once_with("taken_over", {"by": "root"}, to="owner-tab")
+        # told before its worker was killed: the old page's forward disconnects it then
+        self.assertEqual(killed_at_emit, [0])
         disconnect.assert_called_once_with("owner-tab")
 
     @override_settings(SERIAL_CONSOLE_ENABLED=True)
diff --git a/console/tests/test_socketiod_child.py b/console/tests/test_socketiod_child.py
index 148c4bb4..752caf3c 100644
--- a/console/tests/test_socketiod_child.py
+++ b/console/tests/test_socketiod_child.py
@@ -87,8 +87,9 @@ def start_socketiod(test):
 def console(port, token):
     """A connected client and what it receives until the server disconnects it."""
     client = socketio.Client(reconnection=False)
-    received = {"output": [], "gone": threading.Event()}
+    received = {"output": [], "taken_over": [], "gone": threading.Event()}
     client.on("pty_output", lambda data: received["output"].append(data["output"]))
+    client.on("taken_over", lambda data: received["taken_over"].append(data["by"]))
     client.on("disconnect", lambda *args: received["gone"].set())
     # the same origin as the server, as the page through nginx
     url = "http://127.0.0.1:%d" % port
diff --git a/console/tests/test_views.py b/console/tests/test_views.py
index be51a733..118ff17a 100644
--- a/console/tests/test_views.py
+++ b/console/tests/test_views.py
@@ -126,6 +126,10 @@ class ConsoleViewsTestCase(TestCase):
 
         self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 200)
         self.assertTemplateUsed(response, "console-xterm.html")
+        # the page's credential for socketiod, as data
+        signed = json.loads(html.fromstring(response.content).get_element_by_id("serial-token").text)
+        self.assertEqual(TimestampSigner(salt="console.novnc").unsign(signed),
+                         f"{self.compute.id}:{self.instance.uuid}:{self.admin_user.id}")
 
     @override_settings(SERIAL_CONSOLE_ENABLED=False)
     @patch("console.views.wvmInstance")
diff --git a/static/js/console_serial.js b/static/js/console_serial.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4a0e34bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/static/js/console_serial.js
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+// The serial console page: xterm.js on socketiod (Socket.IO behind nginx's
+// /socket.io/), driven from the panel's bar: status, keys, reconnect.
+import { bindFullscreen, bindKeyAction } from './console_keys.js';
+
+const status = document.getElementById('status');
+const connectionButton = document.getElementById('connection_button');
+
+// the page's signed token is the credential, good for two minutes: a new
+// connection takes a new page (Reconnect), not an automatic retry
+const token = JSON.parse(document.getElementById('serial-token').textContent);
+const socket = io({ transports: ['websocket', 'polling'], auth: { token }, reconnection: false });
+
+const term = new Terminal({ cursorBlink: true });
+const fitAddon = new FitAddon.FitAddon();
+term.loadAddon(fitAddon);
+term.open(document.getElementById('terminal'));
+
+function send(input) {
+    if (socket.connected) {
+        socket.emit('pty_input', { input });
+    }
+}
+
+function resize() {
+    fitAddon.fit();
+    if (socket.connected) {
+        socket.emit('resize', { cols: term.cols, rows: term.rows });
+    }
+}
+
+function showStatus(text, color) {
+    status.textContent = text;
+    status.className = 'badge text-bg-' + color;
+    connectionButton.textContent = socket.connected ? connectionButton.dataset.disconnect : connectionButton.dataset.reconnect;
+}
+
+let output = false;
+let takenBy = null;
+
+// typed and pasted input
+term.onData(send);
+socket.on('pty_output', (data) => {
+    output = true;
+    term.write(data.output);
+});
+socket.on('connect', () => {
+    showStatus(status.dataset.connected, 'success');
+    resize();
+    term.focus();
+    // a serial console shows nothing until the VM writes
+    setTimeout(() => {
+        if (!output && socket.connected) {
+            term.write('\x1b[2m' + status.dataset.hint + '\x1b[0m\r\n');
+        }
+    }, 1500);
+});
+// a superuser opened this console: the server ends this session next
+socket.on('taken_over', (data) => {
+    takenBy = data.by;
+});
+socket.on('disconnect', () => {
+    if (takenBy) {
+        const text = status.dataset.takenOver.replace('%(name)s', takenBy);
+        term.write('\r\n[' + text + ']\r\n');
+        showStatus(text, 'danger');
+    } else {
+        showStatus(status.dataset.disconnected, 'danger');
+    }
+});
+// the server says why: serial console off, an expired link, the console open elsewhere
+socket.on('connect_error', (err) => showStatus(err.message, 'danger'));
+
+connectionButton.addEventListener('click', () => {
+    if (socket.connected) {
+        socket.disconnect();
+    } else {
+        window.location.reload();
+    }
+});
+
+const keys = { ctrlc: '\x03', ctrld: '\x04', ctrlz: '\x1a', ctrlbackslash: '\x1c', sendtab: '\t', sendesc: '\x1b' };
+for (const [id, input] of Object.entries(keys)) {
+    bindKeyAction(id, () => send(input));
+}
+bindFullscreen();
+
+// back to the terminal after the menu
+document.addEventListener('hidden.bs.dropdown', () => term.focus());
+new ResizeObserver(resize).observe(document.getElementById('terminal'));