diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index b927ae7b0..d663d7389 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,12 @@
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+## [1.12.12] — 2026-06-05 — the period retrospective is never empty
+
+### Added
+
+- **The period retrospective fills in even without an AI provider.** When no AI provider is configured (or before the first AI summary has been written), the "period in review" card now shows a concise, factual summary built from your own data — the biggest changes versus the prior period, any vitals that moved outside your typical range, and an honest, strictly non-causal count of statistical associations. It reads in German or English and is replaced in place the moment an AI summary is generated.
+
 ## [1.12.11] — 2026-06-05 — settings notices read the same everywhere
 
 ### Changed
diff --git a/docs/api/openapi.yaml b/docs/api/openapi.yaml
index 43e433df7..f52dc9819 100644
--- a/docs/api/openapi.yaml
+++ b/docs/api/openapi.yaml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 openapi: 3.1.0
 info:
   title: HealthLog API
-  version: 1.12.11
+  version: 1.12.12
   description: >-
     Self-hosted personal-health-tracking PWA — public API surface for the iOS native client and external ingest.
 
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 7551d7932..f9cb44cf5 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "healthlog",
-  "version": "1.12.11",
+  "version": "1.12.12",
   "description": "Self-hosted personal-health-tracking PWA with Withings integration, AI insights, and doctor-report PDF export.",
   "license": "AGPL-3.0-only",
   "homepage": "https://healthlog.dev",
diff --git a/src/app/api/insights/narrative/route.ts b/src/app/api/insights/narrative/route.ts
index 5b48b8868..ff7909ed4 100644
--- a/src/app/api/insights/narrative/route.ts
+++ b/src/app/api/insights/narrative/route.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ import { apiHandler, requireAuth } from "@/lib/api-handler";
 import { annotate } from "@/lib/logging/context";
 import { resolveServerLocale } from "@/lib/i18n/server-locale";
 import { requireAssistantSurface } from "@/lib/feature-flags";
-import { hasUsableStatusProvider } from "@/lib/insights/status-provider";
 import { readPeriodNarrative } from "@/lib/insights/narrative/period-narrative-generate";
 import { PERIOD_DAYS, type NarrativePeriod } from "@/lib/insights/narrative/period-narrative";
 import { enqueueNarrativeWarm } from "@/lib/jobs/period-narrative-shared";
@@ -66,11 +65,14 @@ export const GET = apiHandler(async (request: NextRequest) => {
     existing !== null &&
     Date.now() - new Date(existing.updatedAt).getTime() < NARRATIVE_FRESH_MS;
 
-  // Read-only: never block on the provider. Warm out of band only when stale
-  // / missing AND a provider is configured (a provider-less account costs one
-  // cheap chain-resolve and shows the no-key state instead).
+  // Read-only: never block on the provider. Warm out of band whenever the row
+  // is stale / missing. The generator produces AI prose when a provider is
+  // configured and a deterministic, non-causal fallback otherwise, so even a
+  // provider-less account (incl. the no-key demo) gets a non-empty
+  // retrospective on the next read. The enqueue's singletonKey + the 20 h
+  // freshness window bound this to at most one warm per period per ~day.
   let revalidating = false;
-  if (!isFresh && (await hasUsableStatusProvider(user.id))) {
+  if (!isFresh) {
     void enqueueNarrativeWarm({ userId: user.id, period, locale });
     revalidating = true;
   }
diff --git a/src/lib/insights/narrative/__tests__/period-narrative-deterministic.test.ts b/src/lib/insights/narrative/__tests__/period-narrative-deterministic.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ad6dd7576
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/insights/narrative/__tests__/period-narrative-deterministic.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,161 @@
+import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
+
+import { buildDeterministicNarrative } from "@/lib/insights/narrative/period-narrative-deterministic";
+import type { PeriodNarrativeContext } from "@/lib/insights/narrative/period-narrative";
+
+function ctx(over: Partial<PeriodNarrativeContext> = {}): PeriodNarrativeContext {
+  return {
+    status: "ready",
+    period: "week",
+    metricDeltas: [],
+    bandTransitions: [],
+    drivers: [],
+    coincidentFlags: [],
+    pairsTested: 0,
+    fdrQ: 0.1,
+    provenance: {
+      metrics: [],
+      window: { from: "2026-05-01T00:00:00.000Z", to: "2026-05-08T00:00:00.000Z" },
+      computedAt: "2026-05-08T05:00:00.000Z",
+    },
+    ...over,
+  };
+}
+
+const WEIGHT_DOWN = {
+  type: "WEIGHT" as const,
+  unit: "kg",
+  current: 80,
+  prior: 81,
+  delta: -1,
+  deltaPercent: -1.2,
+  currentDays: 6,
+  priorDays: 7,
+};
+
+describe("buildDeterministicNarrative", () => {
+  it("leads with the ranked changes and labels the metric in English", () => {
+    const text = buildDeterministicNarrative(
+      ctx({ metricDeltas: [WEIGHT_DOWN] }),
+      "en",
+    );
+    expect(text).toContain("the last week");
+    expect(text).toContain("your weight");
+    expect(text).toContain("1 kg");
+    expect(text).toContain("1.2 %"); // dot decimal mark in English
+  });
+
+  it("localises labels, decimal mark, and period in German", () => {
+    const text = buildDeterministicNarrative(
+      ctx({ metricDeltas: [WEIGHT_DOWN] }),
+      "de",
+    );
+    expect(text).toContain("der letzten Woche");
+    expect(text).toContain("dein Gewicht");
+    expect(text).toContain("1,2 %"); // comma decimal mark
+  });
+
+  it("ranks by relative magnitude and caps at three movers", () => {
+    const deltas = [
+      { ...WEIGHT_DOWN, type: "WEIGHT" as const, delta: -1, deltaPercent: -1 },
+      {
+        ...WEIGHT_DOWN,
+        type: "PULSE" as const,
+        unit: "bpm",
+        delta: 5,
+        deltaPercent: 8,
+      },
+      {
+        ...WEIGHT_DOWN,
+        type: "RESTING_HEART_RATE" as const,
+        unit: "bpm",
+        delta: 2,
+        deltaPercent: 3,
+      },
+      {
+        ...WEIGHT_DOWN,
+        type: "BODY_FAT" as const,
+        unit: "%",
+        delta: 0.1,
+        deltaPercent: 0.3,
+      },
+    ];
+    const text = buildDeterministicNarrative(ctx({ metricDeltas: deltas }), "en");
+    // Pulse (+8%) is the strongest mover and must lead; the 0.3% body-fat
+    // mover is below the top three and must be dropped.
+    expect(text.indexOf("your pulse")).toBeGreaterThan(-1);
+    expect(text).not.toContain("body fat");
+    expect(text.indexOf("your pulse")).toBeLessThan(text.indexOf("your weight"));
+  });
+
+  it("reports a held-steady period when nothing moved", () => {
+    expect(buildDeterministicNarrative(ctx(), "en")).toContain("held largely steady");
+    expect(buildDeterministicNarrative(ctx(), "de")).toContain(
+      "weitgehend stabil",
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("notes vitals that moved outside the typical range", () => {
+    const text = buildDeterministicNarrative(
+      ctx({
+        bandTransitions: [
+          {
+            type: "BLOOD_PRESSURE_SYS",
+            center: 140,
+            bandLow: 110,
+            bandHigh: 130,
+            direction: "above",
+            movedOut: true,
+            baselineDays: 10,
+          },
+        ],
+      }),
+      "en",
+    );
+    expect(text).toContain("systolic blood pressure");
+    expect(text).toContain("above your typical range");
+  });
+
+  it("mentions associations strictly non-causally and never invents one", () => {
+    const withDrivers = buildDeterministicNarrative(
+      ctx({
+        drivers: [
+          {
+            behaviour: "ACTIVITY_STEPS",
+            outcome: "SLEEP_DURATION",
+            r: 0.4,
+            qValue: 0.02,
+            n: 14,
+            interpretation: "x",
+          },
+        ],
+      }),
+      "en",
+    );
+    expect(withDrivers).toContain("not causal");
+    expect(withDrivers).toContain("1 statistical association");
+    // No drivers → no association sentence at all.
+    expect(buildDeterministicNarrative(ctx(), "en")).not.toContain(
+      "association",
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("falls back to a prettified label for an unmapped metric type", () => {
+    const text = buildDeterministicNarrative(
+      ctx({
+        metricDeltas: [
+          {
+            ...WEIGHT_DOWN,
+            // A type with no entry in METRIC_LABELS.
+            type: "SOME_NEW_METRIC" as never,
+            unit: "x",
+            delta: 3,
+            deltaPercent: 4,
+          },
+        ],
+      }),
+      "en",
+    );
+    expect(text).toContain("your some new metric");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/lib/insights/narrative/__tests__/period-narrative-generate.test.ts b/src/lib/insights/narrative/__tests__/period-narrative-generate.test.ts
index 20c08b811..f4f1842c4 100644
--- a/src/lib/insights/narrative/__tests__/period-narrative-generate.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/insights/narrative/__tests__/period-narrative-generate.test.ts
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ describe("generatePeriodNarrative — honesty floor", () => {
     expect(prisma.insightNarrative.upsert).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
-  it("no-ops without a provider and never fabricates a story", async () => {
+  it("composes a deterministic, non-causal fallback when no provider is configured", async () => {
     const prisma = makePrisma();
     const outcome = await generatePeriodNarrative("u1", {
       period: "week",
@@ -201,8 +201,19 @@ describe("generatePeriodNarrative — honesty floor", () => {
       buildContext: async () => readyContext() as PeriodNarrativeResult,
       runCompletion: async () => ({ kind: "none" as const }),
     });
-    expect(outcome).toEqual({ status: "skipped", reason: "no-provider" });
-    expect(prisma.insightNarrative.upsert).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(outcome).toEqual({
+      status: "generated",
+      providerType: "deterministic",
+    });
+    expect(prisma.insightNarrative.upsert).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    // The persisted row carries the deterministic marker + non-empty prose.
+    const stored = prisma._get();
+    expect(stored?.providerType).toBe("deterministic");
+    const text = Buffer.from(stored!.encryptedContent)
+      .toString("utf8")
+      .replace(/^enc:/, "");
+    expect(text).toContain("your weight");
+    expect(text.toLowerCase()).toContain("not causal");
   });
 });
 
diff --git a/src/lib/insights/narrative/period-narrative-deterministic.ts b/src/lib/insights/narrative/period-narrative-deterministic.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3373bbf18
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/insights/narrative/period-narrative-deterministic.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,211 @@
+/**
+ * v1.12.12 — deterministic, non-AI period-narrative fallback (iOS H2).
+ *
+ * The period-retrospective card depends on a generated narrative row. For an
+ * account with no usable AI provider (or before the first AI warm completes)
+ * that row never appears and the card stays empty. This module composes a
+ * short, factual, strictly NON-CAUSAL summary from the SAME structured
+ * `PeriodNarrativeContext` the AI prompt is built from — no provider call —
+ * so the card is never empty for an active account (and the no-key demo
+ * fills too).
+ *
+ * Persisted with `providerType = "deterministic"` so a later AI warm replaces
+ * it in place; the read route is unchanged (same envelope, same prose field).
+ *
+ * Pure + locale-bound (narratives are de/en only). Metric labels come from a
+ * self-contained bilingual map — no dependency on message-bundle key coverage
+ * — with a prettified-enum fallback for any unmapped type, so a newly added
+ * measurement type degrades gracefully instead of leaking an enum constant.
+ */
+import type {
+  PeriodNarrativeContext,
+  MetricDelta,
+} from "./period-narrative";
+
+/** Marker stored in `InsightNarrative.providerType` for a fallback row. */
+export const DETERMINISTIC_PROVIDER_TYPE = "deterministic" as const;
+
+type Locale = "de" | "en";
+
+/** Bilingual labels for the metric types that surface in a narrative. */
+const METRIC_LABELS: Record<string, { de: string; en: string }> = {
+  WEIGHT: { de: "dein Gewicht", en: "your weight" },
+  BLOOD_PRESSURE_SYS: {
+    de: "dein systolischer Blutdruck",
+    en: "your systolic blood pressure",
+  },
+  BLOOD_PRESSURE_DIA: {
+    de: "dein diastolischer Blutdruck",
+    en: "your diastolic blood pressure",
+  },
+  PULSE: { de: "dein Puls", en: "your pulse" },
+  RESTING_HEART_RATE: { de: "dein Ruhepuls", en: "your resting heart rate" },
+  HEART_RATE_VARIABILITY: {
+    de: "deine Herzfrequenzvariabilität",
+    en: "your heart-rate variability",
+  },
+  RESPIRATORY_RATE: { de: "deine Atemfrequenz", en: "your respiratory rate" },
+  OXYGEN_SATURATION: {
+    de: "deine Sauerstoffsättigung",
+    en: "your oxygen saturation",
+  },
+  BODY_FAT: { de: "dein Körperfettanteil", en: "your body fat" },
+  MUSCLE_MASS: { de: "deine Muskelmasse", en: "your muscle mass" },
+  TOTAL_BODY_WATER: {
+    de: "dein Körperwasser",
+    en: "your total body water",
+  },
+  BONE_MASS: { de: "deine Knochenmasse", en: "your bone mass" },
+  BMI: { de: "dein BMI", en: "your BMI" },
+  SLEEP_DURATION: { de: "deine Schlafdauer", en: "your sleep duration" },
+  ACTIVITY_STEPS: { de: "deine Schritte", en: "your step count" },
+  ACTIVE_ENERGY: { de: "dein Aktivitätsumsatz", en: "your active energy" },
+  BLOOD_GLUCOSE: { de: "dein Blutzucker", en: "your blood glucose" },
+  VO2MAX: { de: "deine VO₂max", en: "your VO₂max" },
+  BODY_TEMPERATURE: {
+    de: "deine Körpertemperatur",
+    en: "your body temperature",
+  },
+  MOOD: { de: "deine Stimmung", en: "your mood" },
+};
+
+/** Prettify an unmapped enum constant: RESTING_HEART_RATE → resting heart rate. */
+function prettifyType(type: string, locale: Locale): string {
+  const words = type.toLowerCase().replace(/_/g, " ");
+  return locale === "de" ? `dein Wert „${words}“` : `your ${words}`;
+}
+
+function labelFor(type: string, locale: Locale): string {
+  return METRIC_LABELS[type]?.[locale] ?? prettifyType(type, locale);
+}
+
+/** Format a signed number with the locale's decimal mark (no thousands sep). */
+function fmtSigned(n: number, locale: Locale): string {
+  const sign = n > 0 ? "+" : n < 0 ? "−" : "±"; // U+2212 minus for typography
+  const abs = Math.abs(n);
+  // Integers print verbatim; fractions print at 2dp with trailing zeros
+  // trimmed (so 1.20 → 1.2, 1.50 → 1.5) WITHOUT touching integer zeros.
+  const s = Number.isInteger(abs)
+    ? String(abs)
+    : abs
+        .toFixed(2)
+        .replace(/0+$/, "")
+        .replace(/\.$/, "");
+  const localised = locale === "de" ? s.replace(".", ",") : s;
+  return `${sign}${localised}`;
+}
+
+/** A delta is "notable" when it has a computable, non-zero change. */
+function isNotable(d: MetricDelta): boolean {
+  return d.delta !== null && d.delta !== 0;
+}
+
+/** Rank notable deltas by relative magnitude (percent), falling back to abs. */
+function rankDeltas(deltas: MetricDelta[]): MetricDelta[] {
+  return deltas
+    .filter(isNotable)
+    .slice()
+    .sort((a, b) => {
+      const ap = a.deltaPercent !== null ? Math.abs(a.deltaPercent) : null;
+      const bp = b.deltaPercent !== null ? Math.abs(b.deltaPercent) : null;
+      if (ap !== null && bp !== null) return bp - ap;
+      if (ap !== null) return -1;
+      if (bp !== null) return 1;
+      return Math.abs(b.delta ?? 0) - Math.abs(a.delta ?? 0);
+    });
+}
+
+function deltaPhrase(d: MetricDelta, locale: Locale): string {
+  const label = labelFor(d.type, locale);
+  const unit = d.unit ? ` ${d.unit}` : "";
+  const amount = `${fmtSigned(d.delta as number, locale)}${unit}`;
+  const pct =
+    d.deltaPercent !== null && d.deltaPercent !== 0
+      ? ` (${fmtSigned(d.deltaPercent, locale)} %)`
+      : "";
+  return `${label} (${amount}${pct})`;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Compose the deterministic narrative prose. Always returns a non-empty,
+ * factual paragraph for a ready context: changes lead, then any vitals that
+ * moved out of their typical range, then an honest, non-causal mention of how
+ * many statistical associations were noted. Returns the "held steady" line
+ * when nothing moved.
+ */
+export function buildDeterministicNarrative(
+  context: PeriodNarrativeContext,
+  locale: Locale,
+): string {
+  const periodLabel =
+    context.period === "week"
+      ? locale === "de"
+        ? "der letzten Woche"
+        : "the last week"
+      : locale === "de"
+        ? "dem letzten Monat"
+        : "the last month";
+
+  const sentences: string[] = [];
+
+  const ranked = rankDeltas(context.metricDeltas).slice(0, 3);
+  if (ranked.length > 0) {
+    const phrases = ranked.map((d) => deltaPhrase(d, locale));
+    const joined =
+      locale === "de" ? joinList(phrases, "und") : joinList(phrases, "and");
+    sentences.push(
+      locale === "de"
+        ? `In ${periodLabel} hat sich am deutlichsten verändert: ${joined}, jeweils im Vergleich zum vorherigen Zeitraum.`
+        : `Over ${periodLabel}, the clearest changes were ${joined}, each compared with the prior period.`,
+    );
+  } else {
+    sentences.push(
+      locale === "de"
+        ? `In ${periodLabel} sind deine erfassten Werte weitgehend stabil geblieben.`
+        : `Over ${periodLabel}, your tracked metrics held largely steady.`,
+    );
+  }
+
+  const movedOut = context.bandTransitions.filter((b) => b.movedOut);
+  if (movedOut.length > 0) {
+    const parts = movedOut.map((b) => {
+      const label = labelFor(b.type, locale);
+      const where =
+        b.direction === "above"
+          ? locale === "de"
+            ? "über"
+            : "above"
+          : locale === "de"
+            ? "unter"
+            : "below";
+      return locale === "de"
+        ? `${label} lag ${where} deinem üblichen Bereich`
+        : `${label} sat ${where} your typical range`;
+    });
+    const joined =
+      locale === "de" ? joinList(parts, "und") : joinList(parts, "and");
+    sentences.push(capitaliseFirst(`${joined}.`));
+  }
+
+  if (context.drivers.length > 0) {
+    const n = context.drivers.length;
+    sentences.push(
+      locale === "de"
+        ? `Außerdem ${n === 1 ? "wurde 1 statistischer Zusammenhang" : `wurden ${n} statistische Zusammenhänge`} festgestellt — rein beschreibend, nicht ursächlich.`
+        : `${n === 1 ? "1 statistical association was" : `${n} statistical associations were`} also noted — descriptive only, not causal.`,
+    );
+  }
+
+  return sentences.join(" ");
+}
+
+/** Join a list with commas and a final conjunction, locale-agnostic glue. */
+function joinList(items: string[], conjunction: string): string {
+  if (items.length === 0) return "";
+  if (items.length === 1) return items[0];
+  return `${items.slice(0, -1).join(", ")} ${conjunction} ${items[items.length - 1]}`;
+}
+
+function capitaliseFirst(s: string): string {
+  return s.length === 0 ? s : s[0].toUpperCase() + s.slice(1);
+}
diff --git a/src/lib/insights/narrative/period-narrative-generate.ts b/src/lib/insights/narrative/period-narrative-generate.ts
index d3a04e6d0..339eea9d0 100644
--- a/src/lib/insights/narrative/period-narrative-generate.ts
+++ b/src/lib/insights/narrative/period-narrative-generate.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@ import {
   type NarrativePeriod,
   type PeriodNarrativeContext,
 } from "@/lib/insights/narrative/period-narrative";
+import {
+  buildDeterministicNarrative,
+  DETERMINISTIC_PROVIDER_TYPE,
+} from "@/lib/insights/narrative/period-narrative-deterministic";
 
 /**
  * Stable identifier for the narrative prompt revision. Bumped whenever the
@@ -261,9 +265,10 @@ export async function generatePeriodNarrative(
     maxTokens: 400,
   });
 
-  if (completion.kind === "none") {
-    return { status: "skipped", reason: "no-provider" };
-  }
+  // A provider error / timeout is non-fatal — the last good row stays as-is
+  // and the next read re-tries. We do NOT fall back to deterministic prose
+  // here: a configured provider that briefly fails should not overwrite (or
+  // shadow) its own richer narrative with the terse fallback.
   if (completion.kind === "timeout") {
     annotate({
       action: { name: "insights.narrative.timeout" },
@@ -275,11 +280,6 @@ export async function generatePeriodNarrative(
     return { status: "failed", reason: "provider-error" };
   }
 
-  const text = completion.content.trim();
-  if (text.length === 0) {
-    return { status: "failed", reason: "empty" };
-  }
-
   const provenance: NarrativeProvenancePayload = {
     metrics: context.provenance.metrics,
     window: context.provenance.window,
@@ -287,36 +287,52 @@ export async function generatePeriodNarrative(
     fdrQ: context.fdrQ,
     computedAt: context.provenance.computedAt,
   };
+  const dateKey = dateKeyFor(now, tz);
 
   // Upsert the single (user, period, locale) row in place — delete/regenerate
   // clean by construction. The prose is held AES-256-GCM at rest.
-  const encryptedContent = encryptToBytes(text);
-  const dateKey = dateKeyFor(now, tz);
-  await prisma.insightNarrative.upsert({
-    where: { userId_period_locale: { userId, period, locale } },
-    create: {
-      userId,
-      period,
-      locale,
-      dateKey,
-      encryptedContent,
-      provenanceJson: JSON.stringify(provenance),
-      providerType: completion.providerType,
-      promptVersion: NARRATIVE_PROMPT_VERSION,
-    },
-    update: {
-      dateKey,
-      encryptedContent,
-      provenanceJson: JSON.stringify(provenance),
-      providerType: completion.providerType,
-      promptVersion: NARRATIVE_PROMPT_VERSION,
-    },
-  });
+  const persist = async (text: string, providerType: string) => {
+    const encryptedContent = encryptToBytes(text);
+    await prisma.insightNarrative.upsert({
+      where: { userId_period_locale: { userId, period, locale } },
+      create: {
+        userId,
+        period,
+        locale,
+        dateKey,
+        encryptedContent,
+        provenanceJson: JSON.stringify(provenance),
+        providerType,
+        promptVersion: NARRATIVE_PROMPT_VERSION,
+      },
+      update: {
+        dateKey,
+        encryptedContent,
+        provenanceJson: JSON.stringify(provenance),
+        providerType,
+        promptVersion: NARRATIVE_PROMPT_VERSION,
+      },
+    });
+    annotate({
+      action: { name: "insights.narrative.generated" },
+      meta: { period, locale, provider: providerType },
+    });
+  };
 
-  annotate({
-    action: { name: "insights.narrative.generated" },
-    meta: { period, locale, provider: completion.providerType },
-  });
+  // No usable provider → compose the deterministic, non-causal fallback from
+  // the same structured context, so the retrospective card is never empty for
+  // an active account (iOS H2). A later AI warm overwrites this row in place.
+  if (completion.kind === "none") {
+    const text = buildDeterministicNarrative(context, locale);
+    await persist(text, DETERMINISTIC_PROVIDER_TYPE);
+    return { status: "generated", providerType: DETERMINISTIC_PROVIDER_TYPE };
+  }
+
+  const text = completion.content.trim();
+  if (text.length === 0) {
+    return { status: "failed", reason: "empty" };
+  }
+  await persist(text, completion.providerType);
   return { status: "generated", providerType: completion.providerType };
 }
 
diff --git a/src/lib/jobs/period-narrative-warm.ts b/src/lib/jobs/period-narrative-warm.ts
index 52039bfcd..067f2d266 100644
--- a/src/lib/jobs/period-narrative-warm.ts
+++ b/src/lib/jobs/period-narrative-warm.ts
@@ -11,9 +11,10 @@
  *
  * Budget gate (mirrors `insight-pregenerate`): a per-user rate-limit bucket
  * (`period-narrative:<userId>`, one warm / 20 h) bounds nightly LLM cost, and
- * a per-run batch cap bounds a single tick. The generator no-ops cleanly
- * without a provider (one cheap chain-resolve, no LLM) and writes nothing on
- * an insufficient context, so a provider-less / sparse account is near-free.
+ * a per-run batch cap bounds a single tick. Without a provider the generator
+ * makes no LLM call — it composes the deterministic, non-causal fallback from
+ * the same context instead — and writes nothing on an insufficient context,
+ * so a provider-less / sparse account costs only the context build.
  *
  * Recurring pg-boss task — never runs inside an HTTP request, never shells out
  * to `tsx` (CLAUDE.md DO-NOTs).
@@ -219,8 +220,8 @@ function tally(
  * Single-user warm enqueued by the read-only GET on a cold/stale read. Runs
  * the generator directly for one (user, period, locale) WITHOUT the nightly
  * budget bucket (the enqueue's `singletonKey` is the anti-spam layer). The
- * generator no-ops cleanly without a provider and writes nothing on an
- * insufficient context, so this is bounded by construction.
+ * generator composes the deterministic fallback without a provider and writes
+ * nothing on an insufficient context, so this is bounded by construction.
  */
 export async function warmOneNarrative(
   payload: PeriodNarrativePayload,