diff --git a/docs/api/openapi.yaml b/docs/api/openapi.yaml
index 6c1255829..4432b95d6 100644
--- a/docs/api/openapi.yaml
+++ b/docs/api/openapi.yaml
@@ -81006,11 +81006,12 @@ components:
         - standard
         - full
       description: "How much background AI work an account asks for, in ceiling order. `frugal`: status cards regenerate at
-        most every 24 h after a sync and every 6 h after a hand entry, a smaller snapshot, no background reasoning, a
-        short daily briefing (`recommendations` holds at most one entry, every field stays present), no automatic
-        document reading, no supplement label reading. `standard`: the operator's sync gap (default 6 h), 1 h after a
-        hand entry, background reasoning at the job default. `full`: 1 h after any ingest (the behaviour before v1.43).
-        The interactive Coach is the same at every level."
+        most every 24 h after a sync (or the operator's sync gap when that is longer, so never more often than
+        `standard`) and every 6 h after a hand entry, a smaller snapshot, no background reasoning, a short daily
+        briefing (`recommendations` holds at most one entry, every field stays present), no automatic document reading,
+        no supplement label reading. `standard`: the operator's sync gap (default 6 h), 1 h after a hand entry,
+        background reasoning at the job default. `full`: 1 h after any ingest (the behaviour before v1.43). The
+        interactive Coach is the same at every level."
     CoachReasoningState:
       type: object
       properties:
diff --git a/src/lib/ai/__tests__/usage-level.test.ts b/src/lib/ai/__tests__/usage-level.test.ts
index 7b06d9c0c..bee432add 100644
--- a/src/lib/ai/__tests__/usage-level.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/ai/__tests__/usage-level.test.ts
@@ -61,6 +61,9 @@ describe("resolveAiUsageLevel — every choice x default x ceiling", () => {
 describe("what each level does", () => {
   it("regenerates status cards after a sync: a day, the operator's gap, the hour", () => {
     expect(statusRegenGapHours("frugal", "sync", 6)).toBe(24);
+    // Never more often than standard: an operator gap above a day wins.
+    expect(statusRegenGapHours("frugal", "sync", 48)).toBe(48);
+    expect(statusRegenGapHours("standard", "sync", 48)).toBe(48);
     expect(statusRegenGapHours("standard", "sync", 6)).toBe(6);
     expect(statusRegenGapHours("standard", "sync", 12)).toBe(12);
     expect(statusRegenGapHours("full", "sync", 12)).toBe(1);
diff --git a/src/lib/ai/usage-level.ts b/src/lib/ai/usage-level.ts
index e81673b15..cba27e992 100644
--- a/src/lib/ai/usage-level.ts
+++ b/src/lib/ai/usage-level.ts
@@ -44,9 +44,12 @@ export interface AiUsageLevelEffect {
    * Minimum hours between two status-card regenerations of one scope after a
    * sync (a watch, an integration). `"instance"` reads the operator's sync
    * gap (`AppSettings.aiSyncRegenGapHours`, else `AI_SYNC_REGEN_GAP_HOURS`,
-   * else six).
+   * else six). `{ instanceAtLeast }` reads the same gap but never goes
+   * below the floor, so a level meant to regenerate less often than
+   * `standard` cannot end up regenerating more often on an instance whose
+   * operator set a gap above the floor.
    */
-  syncRegenGapHours: number | "instance";
+  syncRegenGapHours: number | "instance" | { instanceAtLeast: number };
   /** The same gap after a hand entry. */
   manualRegenGapHours: number;
   /**
@@ -89,7 +92,7 @@ export const AI_USAGE_LEVEL_EFFECTS: Readonly<
   Record<AiUsageLevel, Readonly<AiUsageLevelEffect>>
 > = Object.freeze({
   frugal: {
-    syncRegenGapHours: 24,
+    syncRegenGapHours: { instanceAtLeast: 24 },
     manualRegenGapHours: 6,
     statusSnapshotChars: 10_000,
     backgroundReasoning: false,
@@ -235,9 +238,10 @@ export function statusRegenGapHours(
 ): number {
   const effect = AI_USAGE_LEVEL_EFFECTS[level];
   if (source === "manual") return effect.manualRegenGapHours;
-  return effect.syncRegenGapHours === "instance"
-    ? instanceSyncGapHours
-    : effect.syncRegenGapHours;
+  const gap = effect.syncRegenGapHours;
+  if (gap === "instance") return instanceSyncGapHours;
+  if (typeof gap === "number") return gap;
+  return Math.max(gap.instanceAtLeast, instanceSyncGapHours);
 }
 
 // ── Estimate ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
diff --git a/src/lib/insights/status-invalidation.ts b/src/lib/insights/status-invalidation.ts
index 033b289fa..d3f818ccf 100644
--- a/src/lib/insights/status-invalidation.ts
+++ b/src/lib/insights/status-invalidation.ts
@@ -63,7 +63,8 @@ export type StatusIngestSource = IngestSource;
  * day. Since v1.43 (#1217) the gap is chosen by source and by the record's AI
  * usage level (`statusRegenGapHours` in `@/lib/ai/usage-level`): a hand entry
  * keeps the hour (six on `frugal`), a sync waits the operator's sync gap on
- * `standard` (default six hours), a day on `frugal`, the hour on `full`.
+ * `standard` (default six hours), a day on `frugal` (or the operator's gap
+ * when it is longer), the hour on `full`.
  */
 async function ingestRegenGapMs(
   userId: string,
diff --git a/src/lib/openapi/routes/ai-usage.ts b/src/lib/openapi/routes/ai-usage.ts
index 1711b4267..e70982236 100644
--- a/src/lib/openapi/routes/ai-usage.ts
+++ b/src/lib/openapi/routes/ai-usage.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ import { dataEnvelope, errorEnvelope, stdResponses } from "./shared";
 export const aiUsageLevel = z.enum(AI_USAGE_LEVELS).meta({
   id: "AiUsageLevel",
   description:
-    "How much background AI work an account asks for, in ceiling order. `frugal`: status cards regenerate at most every 24 h after a sync and every 6 h after a hand entry, a smaller snapshot, no background reasoning, a short daily briefing (`recommendations` holds at most one entry, every field stays present), no automatic document reading, no supplement label reading. `standard`: the operator's sync gap (default 6 h), 1 h after a hand entry, background reasoning at the job default. `full`: 1 h after any ingest (the behaviour before v1.43). The interactive Coach is the same at every level.",
+    "How much background AI work an account asks for, in ceiling order. `frugal`: status cards regenerate at most every 24 h after a sync (or the operator's sync gap when that is longer, so never more often than `standard`) and every 6 h after a hand entry, a smaller snapshot, no background reasoning, a short daily briefing (`recommendations` holds at most one entry, every field stays present), no automatic document reading, no supplement label reading. `standard`: the operator's sync gap (default 6 h), 1 h after a hand entry, background reasoning at the job default. `full`: 1 h after any ingest (the behaviour before v1.43). The interactive Coach is the same at every level.",
 });
 
 export const aiUsageState = z