diff --git a/website/src/components/FlaggableElement.tsx b/website/src/components/FlaggableElement.tsx
index b9e41a32..4cd55293 100644
--- a/website/src/components/FlaggableElement.tsx
+++ b/website/src/components/FlaggableElement.tsx
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ import {
 } from "@chakra-ui/react";
 import { QuestionMarkCircleIcon } from "@heroicons/react/20/solid";
 import clsx from "clsx";
-import { useEffect, useReducer } from "react";
+import { useReducer } from "react";
 import { FiAlertCircle } from "react-icons/fi";
 import { get, post } from "src/lib/api";
 import { Message } from "src/types/Conversation";
@@ -100,14 +100,12 @@ export const FlaggableElement = (props: FlaggableElementProps) => {
   );
   const [isEditing, setIsEditing] = useBoolean();
 
-  const { data, isLoading } = useSWR("/api/valid_labels", get);
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (isLoading) {
-      return;
-    }
-    const { valid_labels } = data;
-    updateReport({ type: "load_labels", labels: valid_labels });
-  }, [data, isLoading]);
+  useSWR("/api/valid_labels", get, {
+    onSuccess: (data) => {
+      const { valid_labels } = data;
+      updateReport({ type: "load_labels", labels: valid_labels });
+    },
+  });
 
   const { trigger } = useSWRMutation("/api/set_label", post, {
     onSuccess: () => {
diff --git a/website/src/components/Messages/MessageWithChildren.tsx b/website/src/components/Messages/MessageWithChildren.tsx
index f4776773..ca29c410 100644
--- a/website/src/components/Messages/MessageWithChildren.tsx
+++ b/website/src/components/Messages/MessageWithChildren.tsx
@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
 import { Box, CircularProgress, Stack, StackProps, Text, TextProps, useColorModeValue } from "@chakra-ui/react";
-import { boolean } from "boolean";
-import { useState } from "react";
 import { MessageTableEntry } from "src/components/Messages/MessageTableEntry";
 import { get } from "src/lib/api";
-import useSWR from "swr";
+import { Message } from "src/types/Conversation";
+import useSWRImmutable from "swr/immutable";
 
 const MessageHeaderProps: TextProps = {
   fontSize: "xl",
@@ -21,39 +20,24 @@ const MessageStackProps: StackProps = {
 interface MessageWithChildrenProps {
   id: string;
   depth?: number;
-  maxDepth?: number;
+  maxDepth: number;
   isOnlyChild?: boolean;
 }
 
 export function MessageWithChildren(props: MessageWithChildrenProps) {
   const backgroundColor = useColorModeValue("white", "gray.800");
   const childBackgroundColor = useColorModeValue("gray.200", "gray.700");
+  const { id, depth = 0, maxDepth, isOnlyChild = true } = props;
 
-  const { id, depth, maxDepth, isOnlyChild = true } = props;
+  const { isLoading, data: message } = useSWRImmutable<Message>(`/api/messages/${id}`, get);
+  const { isLoading: isLoadingChildren, data: children = [] } = useSWRImmutable<Message[]>(
+    `/api/messages/${id}/children`,
+    get
+  );
 
-  const [message, setMessage] = useState(null);
-  const [children, setChildren] = useState(null);
-
-  const { isLoading } = useSWR(id ? `/api/messages/${id}` : null, get, {
-    onSuccess: (data) => {
-      setMessage(data);
-    },
-    onError: () => {
-      setMessage(null);
-    },
-  });
-  const { isLoading: isLoadingChildren } = useSWR(id ? `/api/messages/${id}/children` : null, get, {
-    onSuccess: (data) => {
-      setChildren(data);
-    },
-    onError: () => {
-      setChildren(null);
-    },
-  });
-
-  const renderRecursive = maxDepth && ((depth && depth < maxDepth) || !depth);
-  const isFirst = depth === 0 || !depth;
-  const isFirstOrOnly = isFirst || boolean(isOnlyChild);
+  const renderRecursive = depth < maxDepth || depth === 0;
+  const isFirst = depth === 0;
+  const isFirstOrOnly = isFirst || !!isOnlyChild;
 
   if (isLoading || isLoadingChildren) {
     return <CircularProgress isIndeterminate />;
@@ -73,15 +57,15 @@ export function MessageWithChildren(props: MessageWithChildrenProps) {
           </Box>
         </>
       )}
-      {children && Array.isArray(children) && children.length > 0 ? (
-        renderRecursive ? (
+      {children.length > 0 &&
+        (renderRecursive ? (
           <Stack {...MessageStackProps}>
             <Box bg={childBackgroundColor} padding="4" borderRadius="xl">
-              {children.map((item, idx) => (
-                <Box flex="1" key={`recursiveMessageWChildren_${idx}`}>
+              {children.map((item) => (
+                <Box flex="1" key={`recursiveMessageWChildren_${item.id}`}>
                   <MessageWithChildren
                     id={item.id}
-                    depth={depth ? depth + 1 : 1}
+                    depth={depth + 1}
                     maxDepth={maxDepth}
                     isOnlyChild={children.length === 1 && isOnlyChild}
                   />
@@ -110,10 +94,7 @@ export function MessageWithChildren(props: MessageWithChildrenProps) {
               </Box>
             </Stack>
           </>
-        )
-      ) : (
-        <></>
-      )}
+        ))}
     </>
   );
 }
diff --git a/website/src/pages/_app.tsx b/website/src/pages/_app.tsx
index 69d212e8..974226da 100644
--- a/website/src/pages/_app.tsx
+++ b/website/src/pages/_app.tsx
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import { SessionProvider } from "next-auth/react";
 import { FlagsProvider } from "react-feature-flags";
 import { getDefaultLayout, NextPageWithLayout } from "src/components/Layout";
 import flags from "src/flags";
+import { SWRConfig, SWRConfiguration } from "swr";
 
 import { Chakra, getServerSideProps } from "../styles/Chakra";
 
@@ -13,6 +14,11 @@ type AppPropsWithLayout = AppProps & {
   Component: NextPageWithLayout;
 };
 
+const swrConfig: SWRConfiguration = {
+  revalidateOnFocus: false,
+  revalidateOnMount: true,
+};
+
 function MyApp({ Component, pageProps: { session, cookies, ...pageProps } }: AppPropsWithLayout) {
   const getLayout = Component.getLayout ?? getDefaultLayout;
   const page = getLayout(<Component {...pageProps} />);
@@ -20,7 +26,9 @@ function MyApp({ Component, pageProps: { session, cookies, ...pageProps } }: App
   return (
     <FlagsProvider value={flags}>
       <Chakra cookies={cookies}>
-        <SessionProvider session={session}>{page}</SessionProvider>
+        <SWRConfig value={swrConfig}>
+          <SessionProvider session={session}>{page}</SessionProvider>
+        </SWRConfig>
       </Chakra>
     </FlagsProvider>
   );
diff --git a/website/src/pages/api/auth/[...nextauth].ts b/website/src/pages/api/auth/[...nextauth].ts
index 58b4d8dd..412551fe 100644
--- a/website/src/pages/api/auth/[...nextauth].ts
+++ b/website/src/pages/api/auth/[...nextauth].ts
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ if (boolean(process.env.DEBUG_LOGIN) || process.env.NODE_ENV === "development")
         const user = {
           id: credentials.username,
           name: credentials.username,
+          role: "admin",
         };
         // save the user to the database
         await prisma.user.upsert({
diff --git a/website/src/pages/messages/[id]/index.tsx b/website/src/pages/messages/[id]/index.tsx
index 7d47873f..f55c03cc 100644
--- a/website/src/pages/messages/[id]/index.tsx
+++ b/website/src/pages/messages/[id]/index.tsx
@@ -1,25 +1,17 @@
 import { Box, Text, useColorModeValue } from "@chakra-ui/react";
 import Head from "next/head";
-import { useState } from "react";
 import { getDashboardLayout } from "src/components/Layout";
 import { MessageLoading } from "src/components/Loading/MessageLoading";
 import { MessageTableEntry } from "src/components/Messages/MessageTableEntry";
 import { MessageWithChildren } from "src/components/Messages/MessageWithChildren";
 import { get } from "src/lib/api";
-import useSWR from "swr";
+import { Message } from "src/types/Conversation";
+import useSWRImmutable from "swr/immutable";
 
-const MessageDetail = ({ id }) => {
+const MessageDetail = ({ id }: { id: string }) => {
   const backgroundColor = useColorModeValue("white", "gray.800");
-  const [parent, setParent] = useState(null);
 
-  const { isLoading: isLoadingParent } = useSWR(id ? `/api/messages/${id}/parent` : null, get, {
-    onSuccess: (data) => {
-      setParent(data);
-    },
-    onError: () => {
-      setParent(null);
-    },
-  });
+  const { isLoading: isLoadingParent, data: parent } = useSWRImmutable<Message>(`/api/messages/${id}/parent`, get);
 
   if (isLoadingParent) {
     return <MessageLoading />;