diff --git a/commands.go b/commands.go
index 9990824..4afc91e 100644
--- a/commands.go
+++ b/commands.go
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ func (br *GMBridge) RegisterCommands() {
 		cmdLogout,
 		cmdReconnect,
 		cmdDisconnect,
+		cmdSetActive,
 		cmdPing,
 		cmdDeletePortal,
 		cmdDeleteAllPortals,
@@ -246,6 +247,28 @@ func fnDisconnect(ce *WrappedCommandEvent) {
 	ce.User.BridgeState.Send(status.BridgeState{StateEvent: status.StateBadCredentials, Error: GMNotConnected})
 }
 
+var cmdSetActive = &commands.FullHandler{
+	Func: wrapCommand(fnSetActive),
+	Name: "set-active",
+	Help: commands.HelpMeta{
+		Section:     HelpSectionConnectionManagement,
+		Description: "Set the bridge as the active browser (if you opened Google Messages in a real browser)",
+	},
+}
+
+func fnSetActive(ce *WrappedCommandEvent) {
+	if ce.User.Client == nil {
+		ce.Reply("You don't have a Google Messages connection.")
+		return
+	}
+	err := ce.User.Client.SetActiveSession()
+	if err != nil {
+		ce.Reply("Failed to set active session: %v", err)
+	} else {
+		ce.Reply("Set bridge as active session")
+	}
+}
+
 var cmdPing = &commands.FullHandler{
 	Func: wrapCommand(fnPing),
 	Name: "ping",
@@ -264,8 +287,10 @@ func fnPing(ce *WrappedCommandEvent) {
 		}
 	} else if ce.User.Client == nil || !ce.User.Client.IsConnected() {
 		ce.Reply("You're logged in as %s, but you don't have a Google Messages connection.", ce.User.PhoneID)
+	} else if ce.User.browserInactiveType == "" {
+		ce.Reply("Logged in as %s and active as primary browser", ce.User.PhoneID)
 	} else {
-		ce.Reply("Logged in as %s, connection to Google Messages may be OK", ce.User.PhoneID)
+		ce.Reply("Logged in as %s, but not active, use `set-active` to reconnect", ce.User.PhoneID)
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/user.go b/user.go
index e98650d..5f06084 100644
--- a/user.go
+++ b/user.go
@@ -646,16 +646,37 @@ func (user *User) HandleEvent(event interface{}) {
 	}
 }
 
+func (user *User) aggressiveSetActive() {
+	sleepTimes := []int{2, 5, 10, 30}
+	for i := 0; i < 4; i++ {
+		sleep := time.Duration(sleepTimes[i]) * time.Second
+		user.zlog.Info().
+			Int("sleep_seconds", int(sleep.Seconds())).
+			Msg("Aggressively reactivating after sleep")
+		time.Sleep(sleep)
+		err := user.Client.SetActiveSession()
+		if err != nil {
+			user.zlog.Warn().Err(err).Msg("Failed to set self as active session")
+		} else {
+			break
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func (user *User) handleUserAlert(v *gmproto.UserAlertEvent) {
 	user.zlog.Debug().Any("data", v).Msg("Got user alert event")
+	becameInactive := false
 	switch v.GetAlertType() {
 	case gmproto.AlertType_BROWSER_INACTIVE:
 		// TODO aggressively reactivate if configured to do so
 		user.browserInactiveType = GMBrowserInactive
+		becameInactive = true
 	case gmproto.AlertType_BROWSER_INACTIVE_FROM_TIMEOUT:
 		user.browserInactiveType = GMBrowserInactiveTimeout
+		becameInactive = true
 	case gmproto.AlertType_BROWSER_INACTIVE_FROM_INACTIVITY:
 		user.browserInactiveType = GMBrowserInactiveInactivity
+		becameInactive = true
 	case gmproto.AlertType_MOBILE_DATA_CONNECTION:
 		user.mobileData = true
 	case gmproto.AlertType_MOBILE_WIFI_CONNECTION:
@@ -667,6 +688,13 @@ func (user *User) handleUserAlert(v *gmproto.UserAlertEvent) {
 	default:
 		return
 	}
+	if becameInactive {
+		if user.bridge.Config.GoogleMessages.AggressiveReconnect {
+			go user.aggressiveSetActive()
+		} else {
+			user.sendMarkdownBridgeAlert("Google Messages was opened in another browser. Use `set-active` to reconnect the bridge.")
+		}
+	}
 	user.BridgeState.Send(status.BridgeState{StateEvent: status.StateConnected})
 }