diff --git a/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/main.cc b/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/main.cc
index ba741b840d..487e276926 100644
--- a/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/main.cc
+++ b/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/main.cc
@@ -74,8 +74,6 @@ struct Sculpt::Main : Input_event_handler,
 		_input_filter_config.try_generate_manually_managed();
 	}
 
-	bool _first_hover_report = true;
-
 	Attached_rom_dataspace _nitpicker_hover { _env, "nitpicker_hover" };
 
 	Signal_handler<Main> _nitpicker_hover_handler {
@@ -438,23 +436,24 @@ void Sculpt::Main::_handle_hover()
 
 void Sculpt::Main::_handle_nitpicker_hover()
 {
-	if (!_first_hover_report)
-		return;
-
 	if (!_storage._discovery_state.discovery_in_progress())
 		return;
 
+	/* check if initial user activity has already been evaluated */
+	if (_storage._discovery_state.user_state != Discovery_state::USER_UNKNOWN)
+		return;
+
 	_nitpicker_hover.update();
-
 	Xml_node const hover = _nitpicker_hover.xml();
-
 	if (!hover.has_type("hover"))
 		return;
 
-	_first_hover_report = false;
+	_storage._discovery_state.user_state = hover.attribute_value("active", false)
+	                                     ? Discovery_state::USER_INTERVENED
+	                                     : Discovery_state::USER_IDLE;
 
-	if (hover.attribute_value("active", false) == true)
-		_storage._discovery_state.user_intervention = true;
+	/* trigger re-evaluation of default storage target */
+	_storage.handle_storage_devices_update();
 }
 
 
diff --git a/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/model/discovery_state.h b/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/model/discovery_state.h
index 1a60c6e30f..9619cb7b2a 100644
--- a/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/model/discovery_state.h
+++ b/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/model/discovery_state.h
@@ -26,7 +26,9 @@ namespace Sculpt { struct Discovery_state; }
 
 struct Sculpt::Discovery_state
 {
-	bool user_intervention = false;
+	enum User_state { USER_UNKNOWN, USER_IDLE, USER_INTERVENED };
+
+	User_state user_state { USER_UNKNOWN };
 
 	bool _done = false;
 
@@ -39,9 +41,14 @@ struct Sculpt::Discovery_state
 			return Storage_target { };
 
 		/* user intervention disarms the built-in selection policy */
-		if (user_intervention)
+		if (user_state == USER_UNKNOWN)
 			return Storage_target { };
 
+		if (user_state == USER_INTERVENED) {
+			_done = true;
+			return Storage_target { };
+		}
+
 		/* defer decision until the low-level device enumeration is complete */
 		if (!devices.all_devices_enumerated())
 			return Storage_target { };