diff --git a/config.cli.js b/config.cli.js
index 5d21a2a1..21fdcb3a 100644
--- a/config.cli.js
+++ b/config.cli.js
@@ -91,6 +91,12 @@ const {argv} = require('yargs')
     hidden: true,
     type: 'number',
   })
+  .option('clientpollidle', {
+    default: 1000 * 60 * 15,
+    describe: 'ADVANCED: How often (in ms) Flood will request the torrent list when no user is present',
+    hidden: true,
+    type: 'number',
+  })
   .option('rtorrent', {
     default: false,
     describe: 'ADVANCED: rTorrent daemon managed by Flood',
@@ -174,6 +180,7 @@ const CONFIG = {
   floodServerProxy: argv.proxy,
   maxHistoryStates: argv.maxhistorystates,
   torrentClientPollInterval: argv.clientpoll,
+  torrentClientPollIntervalIdle: argv.clientpollidle,
   secret,
   ssl: argv.ssl,
   sslKey: argv.sslkey || path.resolve(path.join(argv.rundir, 'key.pem')),
diff --git a/config.d.ts b/config.d.ts
index 4eff7cad..cd35f3dc 100644
--- a/config.d.ts
+++ b/config.d.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ declare const CONFIG: {
   floodServerProxy: string;
   maxHistoryStates: number;
   torrentClientPollInterval: number;
+  torrentClientPollIntervalIdle: number;
   secret: string;
   ssl: boolean;
   sslKey: string;
diff --git a/config.template.js b/config.template.js
index 07f35791..a986ecb0 100644
--- a/config.template.js
+++ b/config.template.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 // This is the configuration file for Flood, a React-based frontend for the
-// rtorrent BitTorrent client.
+// rTorrent BitTorrent client.
 // Copy this file to ./config.js and make changes below.
 // config.js must exist before running `npm run build`.
 
@@ -12,19 +12,24 @@ const CONFIG = {
   // the `/flood` of Flood's web server.
   // See https://github.com/Flood-UI/flood/wiki/Using-Flood-behind-a-reverse-proxy
   baseURI: '/',
+
   // Flood uses a local nedb database to keep track of users, torrents,
   // and activity. The database is regularly purged to remove outdated data.
   // This value dictates how old data is, in milliseconds, before being purged.
   dbCleanInterval: 1000 * 60 * 60,
+
   // Where to store the local nedb database.
   dbPath: './run/db/',
+
   // Where to store Flood's temporary files
   tempPath: './run/temp/',
+
   // If this is true, there will be no users and no attempt to
   // authenticate or password-protect any page. In that case,
   // instead of per-user config, the following configUser settings
   // will be used.
   disableUsersAndAuth: false,
+
   // Settings for the no-user configuration.
   configUser: {
     // {ClientConnectionSettings}
@@ -33,30 +38,48 @@ const CONFIG = {
     version: 1,
     socket: '/data/rtorrent.sock',
   },
+
   // The host that Flood should listen for web connections on.
   // If you want to connect to Flood from hosts other that the one it is running
   // on, you should change this value.
   // To listen on all interfaces, change to `floodServerHost: '0.0.0.0'`..
   floodServerHost: '127.0.0.1',
+
   // The port that Flood should listen for web connections on.
   floodServerPort: 3000,
+
   // Used for development. See the "Local Development" section of README.md
   // for detail.
   floodServerProxy: 'http://127.0.0.1:3000',
+
   // Flood keeps a history of torrent download and upload speeds.
   // This value dictates the number of individual records per period to keep.
   maxHistoryStates: 30,
-  // How often (in milliseconds) Flood will request the torrent list from.
+
+  // How often (in milliseconds) Flood will request the torrent list.
+  // This value affects how often values are updated when a user is present.
+  // {torrentClientPollIntervalIdle} will be used when no user is present.
+  // Note that poll intervals only affect activity stream. API requests
+  // like "GET /api/torrents" always trigger fresh torrent list fetch.
   torrentClientPollInterval: 1000 * 2,
+
+  // How often (in milliseconds) Flood will request the torrent list when no user is present.
+  // {torrentClientPollInterval} will be used when at least one user is present. This value
+  // usually affects some automations such as notification of download completion. Automations
+  // that rely on torrent properties may be delayed within the interval.
+  torrentClientPollIntervalIdle: 1000 * 60 * 15,
+
   // A unique secret for signing messages with JWT (see https://jwt.io).
   // Change this to something unique and hard to guess.
   // You can use 'uuidgen' or 'cat /proc/sys/kernel/random/uuid' or 'uuidgenerator.net'.
   // eslint-disable-next-line no-undef
   secret: process.env.FLOOD_SECRET || CHANGE_ME,
+
   // Configuration for SSL, if using SSL with the Flood service directly.
   ssl: false,
   sslKey: '/absolute/path/to/key/',
   sslCert: '/absolute/path/to/certificate/',
+
   // disk space service checks disk space of mounted partitions
   diskUsageService: {
     // assign desired mounts to include. Refer to "Mounted on" column of `df -P`
@@ -64,6 +87,7 @@ const CONFIG = {
     //   "/mnt/disk"
     // ]
   },
+
   // Allowed paths for file operations
   // allowedPaths: ['/mnt/download', '/data/download'],
 };
diff --git a/server/services/torrentService.ts b/server/services/torrentService.ts
index 036d7c7b..7afb80d8 100644
--- a/server/services/torrentService.ts
+++ b/server/services/torrentService.ts
@@ -15,8 +15,7 @@ interface TorrentServiceEvents {
 }
 
 class TorrentService extends BaseService<TorrentServiceEvents> {
-  errorCount = 0;
-  pollEnabled = false;
+  pollInterval = config.torrentClientPollIntervalIdle;
   pollTimeout: NodeJS.Timeout | null = null;
   torrentListSummary: TorrentListSummary = {id: Date.now(), torrents: {}};
 
@@ -41,25 +40,22 @@ class TorrentService extends BaseService<TorrentServiceEvents> {
 
       // starts polling when the first streaming listener is added
       this.on('newListener', (event) => {
-        if (!this.pollEnabled && event === 'TORRENT_LIST_DIFF_CHANGE') {
-          this.pollEnabled = true;
-          this.deferFetchTorrentList();
+        if (event === 'TORRENT_LIST_DIFF_CHANGE') {
+          this.pollInterval = config.torrentClientPollInterval;
         }
       });
 
       // stops polling when the last streaming listener is removed
       this.on('removeListener', (event) => {
         if (event === 'TORRENT_LIST_DIFF_CHANGE' && this.listenerCount('TORRENT_LIST_DIFF_CHANGE') === 0) {
-          this.pollEnabled = false;
+          this.pollInterval = config.torrentClientPollIntervalIdle;
         }
       });
     };
   }
 
-  deferFetchTorrentList(interval = config.torrentClientPollInterval || 2000) {
-    if (this.pollEnabled) {
-      this.pollTimeout = setTimeout(this.fetchTorrentList, interval);
-    }
+  deferFetchTorrentList() {
+    this.pollTimeout = setTimeout(this.fetchTorrentList, this.pollInterval || 2000);
   }
 
   destroy() {
@@ -94,15 +90,7 @@ class TorrentService extends BaseService<TorrentServiceEvents> {
   }
 
   handleFetchTorrentListError() {
-    let nextInterval = config.torrentClientPollInterval || 2000;
-
-    // If more than 2 consecutive errors have occurred, then we delay the next request.
-    this.errorCount += 1;
-    if (this.errorCount > 2) {
-      nextInterval = Math.min(nextInterval + 2 ** this.errorCount, 1000 * 60);
-    }
-
-    this.deferFetchTorrentList(nextInterval);
+    this.deferFetchTorrentList();
 
     this.emit('FETCH_TORRENT_LIST_ERROR');
     return null;
@@ -118,7 +106,6 @@ class TorrentService extends BaseService<TorrentServiceEvents> {
 
     this.deferFetchTorrentList();
 
-    this.errorCount = 0;
     this.emit('FETCH_TORRENT_LIST_SUCCESS');
     return this.torrentListSummary;
   }