diff --git a/src/ui/public/chrome/api/angular.js b/src/ui/public/chrome/api/angular.js
index 4045776f0c32..4635dd5c588e 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/chrome/api/angular.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/chrome/api/angular.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 var $ = require('jquery');
 var _ = require('lodash');
 
-require('../appSwitcher/appSwitcher.less');
+require('../appSwitcher');
 var modules = require('ui/modules');
 var ConfigTemplate = require('ui/ConfigTemplate');
 require('ui/directives/config');
diff --git a/src/ui/public/chrome/appSwitcher/appSwitcher.html b/src/ui/public/chrome/appSwitcher/appSwitcher.html
index e5df0ba69502..bada78ee7550 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/chrome/appSwitcher/appSwitcher.html
+++ b/src/ui/public/chrome/appSwitcher/appSwitcher.html
@@ -1,6 +1,12 @@
-<div class="app-links">
-  <div class="app-link" ng-repeat="app in chrome.getNavLinks() | orderBy:'title'" ng-class="{ active: app.active }">
-    <a ng-href="{{ app.lastSubUrl || app.url }}">
+<div app-switcher class="app-links">
+  <div
+    class="app-link"
+    ng-repeat="app in chrome.getNavLinks() | orderBy:'title'"
+    ng-class="{ active: app.active }">
+
+    <a
+      ng-click="switcher.ensureNavigation($event, app)"
+      ng-href="{{ app.active ? app.url : (app.lastSubUrl || app.url) }}">
 
       <div ng-if="app.icon" ng-style="{ 'background-image': 'url(../' + app.icon + ')' }" class="app-icon"></div>
       <div ng-if="!app.icon" class="app-icon app-icon-missing">{{app.title[0]}}</div>
diff --git a/src/ui/public/chrome/appSwitcher/appSwitcher.js b/src/ui/public/chrome/appSwitcher/appSwitcher.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..f649a7fb6a89
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ui/public/chrome/appSwitcher/appSwitcher.js
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+var parse = require('url').parse;
+
+require('../appSwitcher/appSwitcher.less');
+
+require('ui/modules')
+.get('kibana')
+.directive('appSwitcher', function () {
+  return {
+    restrict: 'A',
+    controllerAs: 'switcher',
+    controller: function () {
+
+      // links don't cause full-navigation events in certain scenarios
+      // so we force them when needed
+      this.ensureNavigation = function (event, app) {
+        if (event.isDefaultPrevented() || event.altKey || event.metaKey || event.ctrlKey) {
+          return;
+        }
+
+        var toParsed = parse(app.url);
+        var fromParsed = parse(window.location.href);
+        var sameProto = toParsed.protocol === fromParsed.protocol;
+        var sameHost = toParsed.host === fromParsed.host;
+        var samePath = toParsed.path === fromParsed.path;
+
+        if (sameProto && sameHost && samePath) {
+          window.location.reload(true);
+        }
+      };
+
+    }
+  };
+});