diff --git a/docs/api/openapi.yaml b/docs/api/openapi.yaml
index aec0e879c..0feb6ab5d 100644
--- a/docs/api/openapi.yaml
+++ b/docs/api/openapi.yaml
@@ -11535,8 +11535,8 @@ components:
           const: 1
         view:
           description: Which presentation /medications renders in. Default "cards". Optional on PUT — when omitted the stored
-            value is preserved (preserve-when-absent, like `heroVisible` on the dashboard layout). Always present on
-            responses.
+            value is preserved (preserve-when-absent, like `chartOverlayPrefs` on the dashboard layout). Always present
+            on responses.
           type: string
           enum:
             - cards
@@ -30064,8 +30064,8 @@ components:
           const: 1
         view:
           description: Which presentation /medications renders in. Default "cards". Optional on PUT — when omitted the stored
-            value is preserved (preserve-when-absent, like `heroVisible` on the dashboard layout). Always present on
-            responses.
+            value is preserved (preserve-when-absent, like `chartOverlayPrefs` on the dashboard layout). Always present
+            on responses.
           type: string
           enum:
             - cards
diff --git a/e2e/mobile-density.spec.ts b/e2e/mobile-density.spec.ts
index 9a56f140c..af0251581 100644
--- a/e2e/mobile-density.spec.ts
+++ b/e2e/mobile-density.spec.ts
@@ -13,21 +13,21 @@ import { mockMoodInsights } from "./utils/mock-mood-insights";
  * Phone-width density guard (390×844 iPhone class, 360×780 small
  * Android class).
  *
- * Two invariants, per the report against the dashboard hero (a long
- * briefing-signal headline squeezed into a one-word-per-line column
- * beside a wide delta, the delta spilling past the tile edge at 360 px):
+ * Two invariants, per the original overflow report (long headline text
+ * squeezed into a one-word-per-line column beside a wide delta, the
+ * delta spilling past the tile edge at 360 px):
  *
  *   1. No horizontal page overflow — `scrollWidth` never exceeds the
  *      viewport width (1 px sub-pixel tolerance).
- *   2. Nothing escapes its tile — for every card / hero band / list
+ *   2. Nothing escapes its tile — for every card / Today hero / list
  *      row, no descendant's visible box crosses the tile's left or
  *      right edge (clip-aware: content genuinely hidden by an inner
  *      `overflow-hidden` wrapper below the tile is fine; content cut
  *      off at the tile's own edge is the bug).
  *
- * The snapshot mock pins the worst case: hero band on, three score
- * rings, and a fresh briefing whose signal rows pair wrapping German
- * headlines with wide delta strings.
+ * The mocks pin the worst case: the Today hero (its score face + a
+ * worth-a-look rail) plus a fresh briefing whose rows pair wrapping
+ * German headlines with wide delta strings.
  *
  * Desktop project only — the assertions are viewport-driven via
  * `setViewportSize` (the `ipad-viewport.spec.ts` pattern).
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ interface TileEscape {
 function collectTileEscapes(): TileEscape[] {
   const escapes: TileEscape[] = [];
   const tiles = document.querySelectorAll(
-    '[data-slot="card"], [data-slot="dashboard-hero"], [data-slot="list-row"]',
+    '[data-slot="card"], [data-slot="today-hero"], [data-slot="list-row"]',
   );
   const TOLERANCE = 1;
   for (const tile of tiles) {
@@ -113,10 +113,46 @@ test.describe("phone-width density guard", () => {
         await page.setViewportSize(viewport);
         await mockDashboardSnapshot(page, {
           summaries: POPULATED_SUMMARIES,
-          heroVisible: true,
           briefing: LONG_HEADLINE_BRIEFING,
           scoreRings: MOCK_SCORE_RINGS,
         });
+        // The Today hero reads the unified daily digest from
+        // `/api/daily/digest`. Mock it with a deterministic digest (a
+        // score + one worth-a-look item) so the hero paints without
+        // reaching the real route — mirror of the dashboard.spec mock.
+        await page.route(/\/api\/daily\/digest(\?|$)/, (route) =>
+          route.fulfill({
+            status: 200,
+            contentType: "application/json",
+            body: JSON.stringify({
+              data: {
+                generatedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
+                phase: "final",
+                sleepPending: false,
+                score: { value: 82, band: "green", delta: 2 },
+                topSignal: null,
+                briefingLead: "Your week is trending steady.",
+                line: "Your week is trending steady.",
+                worthALook: [
+                  {
+                    kind: "sync_issue",
+                    title: "Sync needs attention",
+                    body: "Withings isn't syncing.",
+                    status: "warning",
+                    actions: [
+                      {
+                        labelKey: "daily.action.reconnect",
+                        intent: "sync.reconnect",
+                        href: "/settings/integrations",
+                      },
+                    ],
+                  },
+                ],
+              },
+              error: null,
+            }),
+          }),
+        );
         if (route === "/insights/mood") {
           await mockMoodInsights(page);
         }
@@ -124,14 +160,12 @@ test.describe("phone-width density guard", () => {
         await page.waitForLoadState("networkidle");
 
         if (route === "/") {
-          // The guard must not pass vacuously — the hero band and its
-          // long-headline spotlight rows have to actually render.
+          // The guard must not pass vacuously — the Today hero and its
+          // score face have to actually render.
+          await expect(page.locator('[data-slot="today-hero"]')).toBeVisible();
           await expect(
-            page.locator('[data-slot="dashboard-hero"]'),
+            page.locator('[data-slot="today-hero-score"]'),
           ).toBeVisible();
-          await expect(
-            page.locator('[data-slot="dashboard-briefing-spotlight-row"]'),
-          ).toHaveCount(3);
         }
 
         if (route === "/insights/mood") {
diff --git a/e2e/utils/mock-dashboard-snapshot.ts b/e2e/utils/mock-dashboard-snapshot.ts
index 08a58c947..1edbc1e6a 100644
--- a/e2e/utils/mock-dashboard-snapshot.ts
+++ b/e2e/utils/mock-dashboard-snapshot.ts
@@ -231,11 +231,9 @@ export interface MockSnapshotOptions {
   summaries?: Record<string, DataSummary>;
   /** Artificial latency in ms before the route fulfils (race specs). */
   delayMs?: number;
-  /** Render the dashboard hero band (`layout.heroVisible` opt-in). */
-  heroVisible?: boolean;
-  /** Fresh (`ready`, non-stale) briefing for the hero spotlight rows. */
+  /** Fresh (`ready`, non-stale) briefing for the dashboard briefing card. */
   briefing?: DailyBriefing;
-  /** Selected hero score rings (renders beside the health-score ring). */
+  /** Selected score rings carried on the snapshot (server-computed). */
   scoreRings?: DashboardScoreRing[];
 }
 
@@ -263,9 +261,7 @@ export function buildMockSnapshot(
       onboardingTourCompleted: true,
       greetingHour: 9,
     },
-    layout: options.heroVisible
-      ? { ...DEFAULT_DASHBOARD_LAYOUT, heroVisible: true }
-      : DEFAULT_DASHBOARD_LAYOUT,
+    layout: DEFAULT_DASHBOARD_LAYOUT,
     layoutCatalogue: buildLayoutCatalogue(),
     metricStates: {},
     targetBands: mockTargetBands(),
diff --git a/messages/de.json b/messages/de.json
index 4db0595e6..0a63548e1 100644
--- a/messages/de.json
+++ b/messages/de.json
@@ -327,37 +327,7 @@
     "welcomeBackWithName": "{greeting} {name}, willkommen zurück.",
     "hero": {
       "scoreLabel": "Health Score",
-      "ringLink": "{metric}-Details öffnen",
-      "scoreProvisional": "Noch nicht genug Daten",
-      "scoreComputing": "Score wird berechnet…",
-      "ringDoses": "Dosen heute",
-      "ringDosesAria": "{taken} von {scheduled} Dosen heute genommen",
-      "ringCarousel": {
-        "aria": "Wellness-Ringe",
-        "dot": "Ring {index} von {total} anzeigen"
-      },
-      "verdict": {
-        "doseOverdue": "Eine Dosis {name} ist überfällig.",
-        "doseOverdueNoName": "Eine Dosis ist überfällig.",
-        "bpHigh": "Dein letzter Blutdruck war sehr hoch ({sys}/{dia}). Miss in Ruhe noch einmal nach.",
-        "doseUpcoming": "Um {time} steht {name} an.",
-        "doseUpcomingNoName": "Um {time} steht eine Dosis an.",
-        "weightDrift": "Dein Gewicht bewegt sich diese Woche vom Zielbereich weg.",
-        "shortNights": "Deine Nächte waren zuletzt kurz — im Schnitt {hours} h.",
-        "silence": "Seit {days} Tagen keine Messung. Ein kurzer Eintrag hält dein Bild aktuell.",
-        "scoreDrop": "Dein Score liegt {points} Punkte unter der Vorwoche.",
-        "allQuiet": "Alles ruhig — heute gibt es nichts, das deine Aufmerksamkeit braucht."
-      },
-      "action": {
-        "takeDose": "Jetzt eintragen",
-        "viewBp": "Blutdruck ansehen",
-        "viewWeight": "Gewicht ansehen",
-        "viewSleep": "Schlaf ansehen",
-        "logMeasurement": "Messung erfassen"
-      },
-      "briefing": {
-        "title": "Tagesbriefing"
-      }
+      "ringDoses": "Dosen heute"
     },
     "greetingSalutation": "Hallo, {name}",
     "streakLabel": "Tage in Folge",
@@ -410,8 +380,6 @@
     "compliance7d": "Therapietreue (7 Tage)",
     "mood": "Stimmung",
     "customizeTitle": "Dashboard-Layout",
-    "heroToggleLabel": "Tagesüberblick",
-    "heroToggleDescription": "Zeigt Begrüßung, Tagesfokus und Score-Ringe ganz oben auf dem Dashboard.",
     "scoreRingsTitle": "Score-Ringe",
     "scoreRingsDescription": "Bis zu drei zusätzliche Ringe neben dem Health Score – zum Beispiel Bereitschaft, Erholung, Schlaf oder Therapietreue. Zum Umsortieren ziehen; der Health Score steht standardmäßig vorne.",
     "layoutReset": "Auf Defaults zurücksetzen",
diff --git a/messages/en.json b/messages/en.json
index f42744b90..a040596f9 100644
--- a/messages/en.json
+++ b/messages/en.json
@@ -327,37 +327,7 @@
     "welcomeBackWithName": "{greeting} {name}, welcome back.",
     "hero": {
       "scoreLabel": "Health Score",
-      "ringLink": "Open {metric} details",
-      "scoreProvisional": "Not enough data yet",
-      "scoreComputing": "Calculating score…",
-      "ringDoses": "Doses today",
-      "ringDosesAria": "{taken} of {scheduled} doses taken today",
-      "ringCarousel": {
-        "aria": "Wellness rings",
-        "dot": "Show ring {index} of {total}"
-      },
-      "verdict": {
-        "doseOverdue": "A dose of {name} is overdue.",
-        "doseOverdueNoName": "A dose is overdue.",
-        "bpHigh": "Your last blood pressure was very high ({sys}/{dia}). Take another reading at rest.",
-        "doseUpcoming": "{name} is due at {time}.",
-        "doseUpcomingNoName": "A dose is due at {time}.",
-        "weightDrift": "Your weight is moving away from the target range this week.",
-        "shortNights": "Your nights have been short lately — {hours} h on average.",
-        "silence": "No measurement for {days} days. A quick entry keeps your picture current.",
-        "scoreDrop": "Your score sits {points} points below last week.",
-        "allQuiet": "All quiet — nothing needs your attention today."
-      },
-      "action": {
-        "takeDose": "Log it now",
-        "viewBp": "View blood pressure",
-        "viewWeight": "View weight",
-        "viewSleep": "View sleep",
-        "logMeasurement": "Log measurement"
-      },
-      "briefing": {
-        "title": "Today’s briefing"
-      }
+      "ringDoses": "Doses today"
     },
     "greetingSalutation": "Hi, {name}",
     "streakLabel": "days in a row",
@@ -410,8 +380,6 @@
     "compliance7d": "Adherence (7 days)",
     "mood": "Mood",
     "customizeTitle": "Dashboard layout",
-    "heroToggleLabel": "Daily overview",
-    "heroToggleDescription": "Shows your greeting, daily focus and score rings at the top of the dashboard.",
     "scoreRingsTitle": "Score rings",
     "scoreRingsDescription": "Up to three additional rings next to the health score — for example readiness, recovery, sleep or adherence. Drag to reorder; the health score leads by default.",
     "layoutReset": "Reset to defaults",
diff --git a/messages/es.json b/messages/es.json
index 9cd80775f..7fb730a3e 100644
--- a/messages/es.json
+++ b/messages/es.json
@@ -327,37 +327,7 @@
     "welcomeBackWithName": "{greeting} {name}, te damos la bienvenida de nuevo.",
     "hero": {
       "scoreLabel": "Health Score",
-      "ringLink": "Abrir detalles de {metric}",
-      "scoreProvisional": "Aún no hay datos suficientes",
-      "scoreComputing": "Calculando la puntuación …",
-      "ringDoses": "Dosis de hoy",
-      "ringDosesAria": "{taken} de {scheduled} dosis tomadas hoy",
-      "ringCarousel": {
-        "aria": "Anillos de bienestar",
-        "dot": "Mostrar anillo {index} de {total}"
-      },
-      "verdict": {
-        "doseOverdue": "Una dosis de {name} está atrasada.",
-        "doseOverdueNoName": "Una dosis está atrasada.",
-        "bpHigh": "Tu última tensión arterial fue muy alta ({sys}/{dia}). Vuelve a medirla con calma.",
-        "doseUpcoming": "A las {time} toca {name}.",
-        "doseUpcomingNoName": "A las {time} toca una dosis.",
-        "weightDrift": "Tu peso se está alejando del rango objetivo esta semana.",
-        "shortNights": "Tus noches han sido cortas últimamente — {hours} h de media.",
-        "silence": "Sin mediciones desde hace {days} días. Un registro rápido mantiene tu panorama al día.",
-        "scoreDrop": "Tu puntuación está {points} puntos por debajo de la semana pasada.",
-        "allQuiet": "Todo tranquilo — hoy no hay nada que requiera tu atención."
-      },
-      "action": {
-        "takeDose": "Registrar ahora",
-        "viewBp": "Ver tensión arterial",
-        "viewWeight": "Ver peso",
-        "viewSleep": "Ver sueño",
-        "logMeasurement": "Registrar medición"
-      },
-      "briefing": {
-        "title": "Resumen de hoy"
-      }
+      "ringDoses": "Dosis de hoy"
     },
     "greetingSalutation": "Hola, {name}",
     "streakLabel": "días seguidos",
@@ -410,8 +380,6 @@
     "compliance7d": "Cumplimiento (7 días)",
     "mood": "Estado de ánimo",
     "customizeTitle": "Diseño del panel",
-    "heroToggleLabel": "Resumen del día",
-    "heroToggleDescription": "Muestra el saludo, el foco del día y los anillos de puntuación en la parte superior del panel.",
     "scoreRingsTitle": "Anillos de puntuación",
     "scoreRingsDescription": "Hasta tres anillos adicionales junto a la puntuación de salud, por ejemplo preparación, recuperación, sueño o cumplimiento. Arrastra para reordenar; la puntuación de salud va primero de forma predeterminada.",
     "layoutReset": "Restablecer valores por defecto",
diff --git a/messages/fr.json b/messages/fr.json
index e37be5a91..543e12aec 100644
--- a/messages/fr.json
+++ b/messages/fr.json
@@ -327,37 +327,7 @@
     "welcomeBackWithName": "{greeting} {name}, content de te revoir.",
     "hero": {
       "scoreLabel": "Health Score",
-      "ringLink": "Ouvrir les détails de {metric}",
-      "scoreProvisional": "Pas encore assez de données",
-      "scoreComputing": "Calcul du score en cours …",
-      "ringDoses": "Doses du jour",
-      "ringDosesAria": "{taken} des {scheduled} doses prises aujourd'hui",
-      "ringCarousel": {
-        "aria": "Anneaux de bien-être",
-        "dot": "Afficher l'anneau {index} sur {total}"
-      },
-      "verdict": {
-        "doseOverdue": "Une dose de {name} est en retard.",
-        "doseOverdueNoName": "Une dose est en retard.",
-        "bpHigh": "Votre dernière tension était très élevée ({sys}/{dia}). Reprenez une mesure au calme.",
-        "doseUpcoming": "{name} est prévu à {time}.",
-        "doseUpcomingNoName": "Une dose est prévue à {time}.",
-        "weightDrift": "Votre poids s’éloigne de la plage cible cette semaine.",
-        "shortNights": "Vos nuits ont été courtes récemment — {hours} h en moyenne.",
-        "silence": "Aucune mesure depuis {days} jours. Une saisie rapide garde votre tableau à jour.",
-        "scoreDrop": "Votre score est {points} points sous la semaine dernière.",
-        "allQuiet": "Tout est calme — rien ne demande votre attention aujourd’hui."
-      },
-      "action": {
-        "takeDose": "Enregistrer maintenant",
-        "viewBp": "Voir la tension",
-        "viewWeight": "Voir le poids",
-        "viewSleep": "Voir le sommeil",
-        "logMeasurement": "Saisir une mesure"
-      },
-      "briefing": {
-        "title": "Briefing du jour"
-      }
+      "ringDoses": "Doses du jour"
     },
     "greetingSalutation": "Bonjour, {name}",
     "streakLabel": "jours d’affilée",
@@ -410,8 +380,6 @@
     "compliance7d": "Observance (7 jours)",
     "mood": "Humeur",
     "customizeTitle": "Mise en page du tableau",
-    "heroToggleLabel": "Aperçu du jour",
-    "heroToggleDescription": "Affiche le message d’accueil, le focus du jour et les anneaux de score tout en haut du tableau de bord.",
     "scoreRingsTitle": "Anneaux de score",
     "scoreRingsDescription": "Jusqu’à trois anneaux supplémentaires à côté du score de santé — par exemple préparation, récupération, sommeil ou observance. Glissez pour réordonner ; le score de santé est placé en premier par défaut.",
     "layoutReset": "Rétablir les valeurs par défaut",
diff --git a/messages/it.json b/messages/it.json
index 45f30ae4f..7102125f2 100644
--- a/messages/it.json
+++ b/messages/it.json
@@ -327,37 +327,7 @@
     "welcomeBackWithName": "{greeting} {name}, bentornato.",
     "hero": {
       "scoreLabel": "Health Score",
-      "ringLink": "Apri i dettagli di {metric}",
-      "scoreProvisional": "Dati ancora insufficienti",
-      "scoreComputing": "Calcolo del punteggio in corso …",
-      "ringDoses": "Dosi di oggi",
-      "ringDosesAria": "{taken} di {scheduled} dosi assunte oggi",
-      "ringCarousel": {
-        "aria": "Anelli del benessere",
-        "dot": "Mostra anello {index} di {total}"
-      },
-      "verdict": {
-        "doseOverdue": "Una dose di {name} è in ritardo.",
-        "doseOverdueNoName": "Una dose è in ritardo.",
-        "bpHigh": "L’ultima pressione era molto alta ({sys}/{dia}). Misurala di nuovo con calma.",
-        "doseUpcoming": "Alle {time} è prevista {name}.",
-        "doseUpcomingNoName": "Alle {time} è prevista una dose.",
-        "weightDrift": "Questa settimana il tuo peso si sta allontanando dall’intervallo obiettivo.",
-        "shortNights": "Le tue notti sono state corte di recente — in media {hours} h.",
-        "silence": "Nessuna misurazione da {days} giorni. Una voce rapida tiene aggiornato il quadro.",
-        "scoreDrop": "Il tuo punteggio è {points} punti sotto la settimana scorsa.",
-        "allQuiet": "Tutto tranquillo — oggi non c’è nulla che richieda la tua attenzione."
-      },
-      "action": {
-        "takeDose": "Registra ora",
-        "viewBp": "Vedi pressione",
-        "viewWeight": "Vedi peso",
-        "viewSleep": "Vedi sonno",
-        "logMeasurement": "Registra misurazione"
-      },
-      "briefing": {
-        "title": "Briefing di oggi"
-      }
+      "ringDoses": "Dosi di oggi"
     },
     "greetingSalutation": "Ciao, {name}",
     "streakLabel": "giorni di fila",
@@ -410,8 +380,6 @@
     "compliance7d": "Aderenza (7 giorni)",
     "mood": "Umore",
     "customizeTitle": "Layout della dashboard",
-    "heroToggleLabel": "Panoramica del giorno",
-    "heroToggleDescription": "Mostra saluto, focus del giorno e anelli dei punteggi in cima alla dashboard.",
     "scoreRingsTitle": "Anelli dei punteggi",
     "scoreRingsDescription": "Fino a tre anelli aggiuntivi accanto al punteggio di salute, ad esempio prontezza, recupero, sonno o aderenza. Trascina per riordinare; il punteggio di salute è primo per impostazione predefinita.",
     "layoutReset": "Ripristina i valori predefiniti",
diff --git a/messages/pl.json b/messages/pl.json
index eb27413d2..2eb11e0be 100644
--- a/messages/pl.json
+++ b/messages/pl.json
@@ -327,37 +327,7 @@
     "welcomeBackWithName": "{greeting} {name}, witaj ponownie.",
     "hero": {
       "scoreLabel": "Health Score",
-      "ringLink": "Otwórz szczegóły: {metric}",
-      "scoreProvisional": "Za mało danych",
-      "scoreComputing": "Trwa obliczanie wyniku …",
-      "ringDoses": "Dzisiejsze dawki",
-      "ringDosesAria": "Przyjęto {taken} z {scheduled} dawek dzisiaj",
-      "ringCarousel": {
-        "aria": "Pierścienie dobrostanu",
-        "dot": "Pokaż pierścień {index} z {total}"
-      },
-      "verdict": {
-        "doseOverdue": "Dawka {name} jest zaległa.",
-        "doseOverdueNoName": "Dawka jest zaległa.",
-        "bpHigh": "Twoje ostatnie ciśnienie było bardzo wysokie ({sys}/{dia}). Zmierz je ponownie w spokoju.",
-        "doseUpcoming": "O {time} pora na {name}.",
-        "doseUpcomingNoName": "O {time} pora na dawkę.",
-        "weightDrift": "Twoja waga oddala się w tym tygodniu od zakresu docelowego.",
-        "shortNights": "Twoje noce były ostatnio krótkie — średnio {hours} h.",
-        "silence": "Brak pomiarów od {days} dni. Szybki wpis utrzyma aktualny obraz.",
-        "scoreDrop": "Twój wynik jest o {points} punktów niższy niż w zeszłym tygodniu.",
-        "allQuiet": "Spokojnie — dziś nic nie wymaga Twojej uwagi."
-      },
-      "action": {
-        "takeDose": "Zapisz teraz",
-        "viewBp": "Zobacz ciśnienie",
-        "viewWeight": "Zobacz wagę",
-        "viewSleep": "Zobacz sen",
-        "logMeasurement": "Zapisz pomiar"
-      },
-      "briefing": {
-        "title": "Briefing dnia"
-      }
+      "ringDoses": "Dzisiejsze dawki"
     },
     "greetingSalutation": "Cześć, {name}",
     "streakLabel": "dni z rzędu",
@@ -410,8 +380,6 @@
     "compliance7d": "Przestrzeganie (7 dni)",
     "mood": "Nastrój",
     "customizeTitle": "Układ panelu",
-    "heroToggleLabel": "Przegląd dnia",
-    "heroToggleDescription": "Pokazuje powitanie, fokus dnia i pierścienie wyników na górze pulpitu.",
     "scoreRingsTitle": "Pierścienie wyników",
     "scoreRingsDescription": "Maksymalnie trzy dodatkowe pierścienie obok wskaźnika zdrowia — np. gotowość, regeneracja, sen lub przestrzeganie zaleceń. Przeciągnij, aby zmienić kolejność; wskaźnik zdrowia jest domyślnie na początku.",
     "layoutReset": "Przywróć wartości domyślne",
diff --git a/src/app/__tests__/dashboard-hero-wiring.test.ts b/src/app/__tests__/dashboard-hero-wiring.test.ts
index 27c92c640..8a1bd9016 100644
--- a/src/app/__tests__/dashboard-hero-wiring.test.ts
+++ b/src/app/__tests__/dashboard-hero-wiring.test.ts
@@ -5,19 +5,16 @@ import { join } from "node:path";
 /**
  * Dashboard hero — page + header wiring pins.
  *
- * The hero band mounts between the page header and the tile strip:
+ * The legacy opt-in `DashboardHero` (gated on a layout `heroVisible`
+ * flag) was retired: the digest-driven `TodayHero` is the single,
+ * unambiguous hero, mounted above the tile strip. Pinned here:
  *
- *   - it gates on the layout's `heroVisible` flag (only the literal
- *     `true` renders — the hero is opt-in) AND on snapshot mode (the
- *     verdict needs the snapshot payload);
- *   - while `primaryLoading` is true (same `!mounted ||` pin the tile
- *     silhouettes use) a footprint-identical skeleton holds the band,
- *     so the hero and the tiles swap to content in the SAME render
- *     pass;
- *   - the greeting paragraph lives in the hero when that renders; when
- *     the hero does NOT render (snapshot flag off, or hidden via the
- *     layout toggle) the header takes it back behind `showGreeting`,
- *     fed from the page's hero gate — the greeting never disappears.
+ *   - the page mounts `TodayHero` and no longer references the legacy
+ *     hero, its skeleton, or the `heroVisible` gate;
+ *   - the greeting paragraph lives in the header on every mount (the
+ *     header owns it unconditionally now that the legacy hero — which
+ *     once carried it — is gone), while the page itself derives no
+ *     welcome text.
  */
 const PAGE_PATH = join(process.cwd(), "src/app/page-client.tsx");
 const HEADER_PATH = join(
@@ -28,60 +25,44 @@ const HEADER_PATH = join(
 describe("dashboard hero — page wiring", () => {
   const src = readFileSync(PAGE_PATH, "utf8");
 
-  it("gates the hero on snapshot mode + the layout's heroVisible flag", () => {
-    expect(src).toMatch(
-      /const\s+heroVisible\s*=\s*snapshotEnabled\s*&&\s*layout\.heroVisible\s*===\s*true;/,
-    );
-  });
-
-  it("holds the skeleton while primaryLoading and swaps the hero in the same pass", () => {
-    const block = src.match(
-      /\{heroVisible\s*&&[\s\S]*?<DashboardHero[\s\S]*?\)\}/,
-    );
-    expect(block).not.toBeNull();
-    expect(block![0]).toMatch(
-      /primaryLoading\s*\|\|\s*!heroSnapshot\s*\?\s*\(\s*<DashboardHeroSkeleton\s*\/>/,
-    );
-    expect(block![0]).toContain("onQuickEntry={setQuickEntryDialog}");
-  });
-
-  it("derives primaryLoading once in the component body (shared with the tile gate)", () => {
-    const matches = src.match(/const\s+primaryLoading\s*=\s*!mounted/g) ?? [];
-    expect(matches).toHaveLength(1);
-  });
-
-  it("the hero sits between the header and the strip", () => {
-    const headerIdx = src.indexOf("<DashboardHeader");
-    const heroIdx = src.indexOf("{heroVisible &&");
+  it("mounts the TodayHero above the tile strip", () => {
+    const heroIdx = src.indexOf("<TodayHero");
     const stripIdx = src.indexOf("dashboard-tile-strip");
-    expect(headerIdx).toBeGreaterThan(-1);
-    expect(heroIdx).toBeGreaterThan(headerIdx);
+    expect(heroIdx).toBeGreaterThan(-1);
     expect(stripIdx).toBeGreaterThan(heroIdx);
   });
 
-  it("the page no longer derives the welcome text (it moved into the hero)", () => {
+  it("no longer references the retired legacy hero", () => {
+    expect(src).not.toContain("DashboardHero");
+    expect(src).not.toContain("DashboardHeroSkeleton");
+    expect(src).not.toContain("heroVisible");
+  });
+
+  it("the page derives no welcome text (the header owns the greeting)", () => {
     expect(src).not.toContain("welcomeText");
     expect(src).not.toContain("welcomeBackWithName");
     expect(src).not.toContain("getHourForTimeZone");
   });
 });
 
-describe("dashboard hero — header handoff", () => {
+describe("dashboard hero — header greeting", () => {
   const header = readFileSync(HEADER_PATH, "utf8");
 
-  it("the header keeps the greeting behind showGreeting (hero-hidden fallback)", () => {
-    // The greeting renders here ONLY when the hero band does not — the
-    // prop gates the paragraph, and the `min-h-5` line-box reservation
-    // keeps the header stable through the post-hydration name swap.
-    expect(header).toContain("showGreeting");
-    expect(header).toMatch(/\{\s*showGreeting\s*\?/);
+  it("renders the greeting unconditionally (no showGreeting gate)", () => {
+    // The greeting line renders on every mount — the legacy hero that
+    // once owned it is gone, so there is no `showGreeting` prop to gate
+    // it. The `min-h-5` line-box reservation keeps the header stable
+    // through the post-hydration name swap.
+    expect(header).not.toContain("showGreeting");
     expect(header).toContain("min-h-5");
     expect(header).toContain('data-slot="dashboard-header-greeting"');
   });
 
-  it("the page feeds showGreeting from the inverted hero gate", () => {
+  it("the page mounts the header without a greeting prop", () => {
     const src = readFileSync(PAGE_PATH, "utf8");
-    expect(src).toMatch(/showGreeting=\{!heroVisible\}/);
+    expect(src).toContain(
+      "<DashboardHeader onQuickEntry={setQuickEntryDialog} />",
+    );
   });
 
   it("the header keeps the title + customize + add actions", () => {
diff --git a/src/app/__tests__/dashboard-suspense-boundaries.test.ts b/src/app/__tests__/dashboard-suspense-boundaries.test.ts
index d2d04e496..df4cc46dc 100644
--- a/src/app/__tests__/dashboard-suspense-boundaries.test.ts
+++ b/src/app/__tests__/dashboard-suspense-boundaries.test.ts
@@ -77,10 +77,10 @@ describe("v1.4.40 — dashboard per-cell Suspense boundaries", () => {
   it("keeps the per-render Intl hour walk off the page (audit-H4 successor)", () => {
     const src = load(PAGE_PATH);
     // The audit-H4 `useMemo(getHourForTimeZone, [userTimezone])` pin
-    // retired with the greeting itself: the hero band derives the
-    // daypart from the snapshot's server-computed `greetingHour`
-    // (`dashboard-hero.tsx`), so the page no longer instantiates any
-    // `Intl.DateTimeFormat` for the greeting — per render or otherwise.
+    // moved off the page with the greeting itself: the greeting now
+    // lives in the header (`dashboard-header.tsx`), so the page no
+    // longer instantiates any `Intl.DateTimeFormat` for the greeting —
+    // per render or otherwise.
     expect(src).not.toContain("getHourForTimeZone");
     expect(src).not.toContain("welcomeText");
   });
diff --git a/src/app/api/dashboard/widgets/__tests__/route.test.ts b/src/app/api/dashboard/widgets/__tests__/route.test.ts
index 656f39d5c..53e9bc085 100644
--- a/src/app/api/dashboard/widgets/__tests__/route.test.ts
+++ b/src/app/api/dashboard/widgets/__tests__/route.test.ts
@@ -407,132 +407,6 @@ describe("PUT /api/dashboard/widgets — accept-and-ignore unknown ids (v1.7.0 #
 
 const callGet = GET as unknown as () => Promise<Response>;
 
-describe("PUT /api/dashboard/widgets — heroVisible thread-through", () => {
-  const knownId = DASHBOARD_WIDGET_IDS[0];
-
-  it("persists an explicit heroVisible: false WITHOUT dropping stored chartOverlayPrefs", async () => {
-    // The regression class this route already guards for
-    // `chartOverlayPrefs`: a layout PUT that omits a sibling field must
-    // not wipe it. heroVisible sent + prefs omitted → prefs merge from
-    // the stored blob, heroVisible persists from the body.
-    const storedPrefs = {
-      bp: {
-        showTrendIndicator: true,
-        showTrendArrow: false,
-        showTargetRange: true,
-        comparisonBaseline: "lastMonth" as const,
-      },
-    };
-    vi.mocked(prisma.user.findUnique).mockResolvedValue({
-      dashboardWidgetsJson: serializeDashboardLayout({
-        version: 1,
-        widgets: [{ id: knownId, visible: true, order: 0 }],
-        chartOverlayPrefs: storedPrefs,
-      }),
-    } as never);
-    vi.mocked(prisma.user.update).mockResolvedValue({} as never);
-
-    const res = await callPut(
-      makeReq({
-        version: 1,
-        widgets: [{ id: knownId, visible: true, order: 0 }],
-        heroVisible: false,
-      }),
-    );
-    expect(res.status).toBe(200);
-
-    const updateArg = vi.mocked(prisma.user.update).mock
-      .calls[0]?.[0] as unknown as {
-      data: {
-        dashboardWidgetsJson: {
-          heroVisible: boolean;
-          chartOverlayPrefs: Record<string, unknown>;
-        };
-      };
-    };
-    expect(updateArg.data.dashboardWidgetsJson.heroVisible).toBe(false);
-    expect(updateArg.data.dashboardWidgetsJson.chartOverlayPrefs).toEqual(
-      storedPrefs,
-    );
-
-    // The response echoes the persisted value.
-    const body = (await res.json()) as { data: { heroVisible: boolean } };
-    expect(body.data.heroVisible).toBe(false);
-  });
-
-  it("preserves a stored heroVisible: false when the PUT omits the field", async () => {
-    vi.mocked(prisma.user.findUnique).mockResolvedValue({
-      dashboardWidgetsJson: serializeDashboardLayout({
-        version: 1,
-        widgets: [{ id: knownId, visible: true, order: 0 }],
-        heroVisible: false,
-      }),
-    } as never);
-    vi.mocked(prisma.user.update).mockResolvedValue({} as never);
-
-    const res = await callPut(
-      makeReq({
-        version: 1,
-        widgets: [{ id: knownId, visible: true, order: 0 }],
-      }),
-    );
-    expect(res.status).toBe(200);
-
-    const updateArg = vi.mocked(prisma.user.update).mock
-      .calls[0]?.[0] as unknown as {
-      data: { dashboardWidgetsJson: { heroVisible: boolean } };
-    };
-    expect(updateArg.data.dashboardWidgetsJson.heroVisible).toBe(false);
-  });
-
-  it("defaults heroVisible to false for a first save with no stored layout", async () => {
-    vi.mocked(prisma.user.findUnique).mockResolvedValue({
-      dashboardWidgetsJson: null,
-    } as never);
-    vi.mocked(prisma.user.update).mockResolvedValue({} as never);
-
-    const res = await callPut(
-      makeReq({
-        version: 1,
-        widgets: [{ id: knownId, visible: true, order: 0 }],
-      }),
-    );
-    expect(res.status).toBe(200);
-
-    const updateArg = vi.mocked(prisma.user.update).mock
-      .calls[0]?.[0] as unknown as {
-      data: { dashboardWidgetsJson: { heroVisible: boolean } };
-    };
-    expect(updateArg.data.dashboardWidgetsJson.heroVisible).toBe(false);
-  });
-
-  it("422s on a non-boolean heroVisible", async () => {
-    const res = await callPut(
-      makeReq({
-        version: 1,
-        widgets: [{ id: knownId, visible: true, order: 0 }],
-        heroVisible: "yes",
-      }),
-    );
-    expect(res.status).toBe(422);
-  });
-
-  it("GET resolves heroVisible alongside the widget layout", async () => {
-    vi.mocked(prisma.user.findUnique).mockResolvedValue({
-      dashboardWidgetsJson: serializeDashboardLayout({
-        version: 1,
-        widgets: [{ id: knownId, visible: true, order: 0 }],
-        heroVisible: false,
-      }),
-    } as never);
-
-    const res = await callGet();
-    expect(res.status).toBe(200);
-    const body = (await res.json()) as { data: { heroVisible: boolean } };
-    expect(body.data.heroVisible).toBe(false);
-  });
-});
-
 describe("dashboard widgets — 27-id catalogue round-trip (v1.7.0 W1)", () => {
   it("PUT of a full 27-id layout persists every id (iOS-only round-trip)", async () => {
     vi.mocked(prisma.user.findUnique).mockResolvedValue({
diff --git a/src/app/api/dashboard/widgets/route.ts b/src/app/api/dashboard/widgets/route.ts
index 07bdbd727..3522e63b6 100644
--- a/src/app/api/dashboard/widgets/route.ts
+++ b/src/app/api/dashboard/widgets/route.ts
@@ -121,14 +121,8 @@ const layoutSchema = z.object({
       }),
     )
     .optional(),
-  // Dashboard hero (daily verdict) visibility. Optional so clients
-  // that predate the field can still PUT; when omitted the handler
-  // preserves the stored value (same preserve-when-absent contract as
-  // `chartOverlayPrefs` — a Settings save that doesn't know the field
-  // must not silently reset the user's choice).
-  heroVisible: z.boolean().optional(),
   // v1.27.7 — hero score rings (max 3, closed id set). Optional with the
-  // same preserve-when-absent contract as `heroVisible`; the resolver
+  // same preserve-when-absent contract as `chartOverlayPrefs`; the resolver
   // dedupes on read/serialize, `.max()` bounds the wire length.
   selectedScoreRings: z
     .array(z.enum(SCORE_RING_IDS))
@@ -284,19 +278,17 @@ export const PUT = apiHandler(async (request: NextRequest) => {
   // didn't send. The dashboard-layout PUT typically saves widget
   // visibility / order; chart prefs are PUT through their own route
   // (`/api/dashboard/chart-overlay-prefs`) and would otherwise be
-  // wiped here on a subsequent layout save. `heroVisible` and
-  // `selectedScoreRings` ride the same preserve-when-absent contract —
-  // an older client's layout save must not reset either choice. One
+  // wiped here on a subsequent layout save. `selectedScoreRings` and
+  // `heroRingOrder` ride the same preserve-when-absent contract — an
+  // older client's layout save must not reset either choice. One
   // stored-layout read covers all fallbacks.
   let mergedChartOverlayPrefs: ChartOverlayPrefsMap | undefined = parsed.data
     .chartOverlayPrefs as ChartOverlayPrefsMap | undefined;
-  let mergedHeroVisible: boolean | undefined = parsed.data.heroVisible;
   let mergedScoreRings: ScoreRingId[] | undefined =
     parsed.data.selectedScoreRings;
   let mergedHeroRingOrder: HeroRingId[] | undefined = parsed.data.heroRingOrder;
   if (
     mergedChartOverlayPrefs === undefined ||
-    mergedHeroVisible === undefined ||
     mergedScoreRings === undefined ||
     mergedHeroRingOrder === undefined
   ) {
@@ -310,9 +302,6 @@ export const PUT = apiHandler(async (request: NextRequest) => {
     if (mergedChartOverlayPrefs === undefined) {
       mergedChartOverlayPrefs = existingLayout.chartOverlayPrefs ?? {};
     }
-    if (mergedHeroVisible === undefined) {
-      mergedHeroVisible = existingLayout.heroVisible === true;
-    }
     if (mergedScoreRings === undefined) {
       mergedScoreRings = existingLayout.selectedScoreRings;
     }
@@ -323,7 +312,6 @@ export const PUT = apiHandler(async (request: NextRequest) => {
   const normalized = serializeDashboardLayout({
     ...parsed.data,
     chartOverlayPrefs: mergedChartOverlayPrefs,
-    heroVisible: mergedHeroVisible,
     selectedScoreRings: mergedScoreRings,
     heroRingOrder: mergedHeroRingOrder,
   } as DashboardLayout);
diff --git a/src/app/api/medications/layout/route.ts b/src/app/api/medications/layout/route.ts
index 5f501a98d..eab335688 100644
--- a/src/app/api/medications/layout/route.ts
+++ b/src/app/api/medications/layout/route.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
  * GET returns the resolved presentation (view + manual order, defaults
  * merged in if the user hasn't customised yet). PUT updates it with
  * preserve-when-absent semantics — a view-only PUT keeps the stored
- * order and vice versa, matching the `heroVisible` contract on
+ * order and vice versa, matching the `chartOverlayPrefs` contract on
  * `/api/dashboard/widgets`. DELETE resets to default.
  *
  * Mirrors the shape and semantics of `/api/insights/layout`; the blob
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ const layoutSchema = z.object({
   version: z.literal(1),
   // Both fields are optional so a client can PUT exactly the field it
   // changed; the handler merges the absent one from the stored blob
-  // (preserve-when-absent, like `heroVisible` on the dashboard layout).
+  // (preserve-when-absent, like `chartOverlayPrefs` on the dashboard layout).
   view: z.enum(MEDICATION_LIST_VIEWS).optional(),
   // Medication ids are opaque here — display-only ordering, unknown /
   // deleted ids are ignored at apply time, so the schema bounds size
diff --git a/src/app/page-client.tsx b/src/app/page-client.tsx
index e8e193e7b..3ac4cbde1 100644
--- a/src/app/page-client.tsx
+++ b/src/app/page-client.tsx
@@ -43,8 +43,6 @@ import {
   useDashboardChartReveal,
 } from "@/components/dashboard/chart-reveal";
 import { DashboardHeader } from "@/components/dashboard/dashboard-header";
-import { DashboardHero } from "@/components/dashboard/hero/dashboard-hero";
-import { DashboardHeroSkeleton } from "@/components/dashboard/hero/dashboard-hero-skeleton";
 import { TodayHero } from "@/components/daily/today-hero";
 import { TodayHeroSkeleton } from "@/components/daily/today-hero-skeleton";
 import {
@@ -766,25 +764,9 @@ export default function DashboardPageClient() {
     !mounted ||
     (snapshotEnabled ? snapshotQuery.isLoading : analyticsSlimQuery.isLoading);
 
-  // v1.16.9 — the greeting paragraph moved off the header into the
-  // hero band (it derives from the snapshot's server-computed
-  // `greetingHour`, so the old client-side Intl hour walk retired
-  // with it). The hero gates on the layout's `heroVisible` flag
-  // (opt-in; only the literal `true` renders) and holds
-  // a footprint-identical skeleton while the snapshot is in flight,
-  // so the band swaps in place — no growth, no greeting flash. When
-  // the hero does NOT render (toggle off, or snapshot flag off) the
-  // header takes the greeting back — it must never disappear with the
-  // band.
-  const heroVisible = snapshotEnabled && layout.heroVisible === true;
-  const heroSnapshot = snapshotQuery.data;
-
   return (
     <div className="space-y-6">
-      <DashboardHeader
-        onQuickEntry={setQuickEntryDialog}
-        showGreeting={!heroVisible}
-      />
+      <DashboardHeader onQuickEntry={setQuickEntryDialog} />
 
       {/* S2 — the Today hero, promoted above the tile strip (MARC sign-off
           decision 1). Renders the S1 daily digest: the day's read, the
@@ -804,16 +786,6 @@ export default function DashboardPageClient() {
           <TodayHero digest={digestQuery.data} />
         ) : null)}
 
-      {heroVisible &&
-        (primaryLoading || !heroSnapshot ? (
-          <DashboardHeroSkeleton />
-        ) : (
-          <DashboardHero
-            snapshot={heroSnapshot}
-            onQuickEntry={setQuickEntryDialog}
-          />
-        ))}
-
       {/* v1.18.6 — the spotlight tour launcher moved to the app-shell
        * (`AuthShell`) so its overlay survives the cross-page
        * `router.push`es the module tour makes. The dashboard no longer
diff --git a/src/components/dashboard/__tests__/dashboard-header.test.tsx b/src/components/dashboard/__tests__/dashboard-header.test.tsx
index da873f652..7746aaf6a 100644
--- a/src/components/dashboard/__tests__/dashboard-header.test.tsx
+++ b/src/components/dashboard/__tests__/dashboard-header.test.tsx
@@ -1,18 +1,15 @@
 /**
  * `<DashboardHeader>` greeting contract.
  *
- * The greeting line lives in the hero band when that renders; the hero
- * is optional (snapshot flag off, or hidden via the dashboard-layout
- * toggle), so the page feeds `showGreeting` from its hero gate and the
- * header restores the pre-hero greeting paragraph for exactly those
- * mounts. Pinned here:
+ * The greeting line sits under the title on every dashboard mount — the
+ * promoted Today hero renders separately above the tile strip, so the
+ * header greeting is unconditional (the legacy opt-in hero that once
+ * owned it was retired). Pinned here:
  *
- *   1. `showGreeting` renders the greeting line (with the `min-h-5`
- *      line-box reservation that keeps the header height stable through
- *      the post-hydration name personalisation);
- *   2. without the prop (the hero owns the greeting) the line is absent
- *      — no duplicate greeting above the hero band;
- *   3. the SSR pass renders the name-less fallback (hydration-safe).
+ *   1. the greeting line renders (with the `min-h-5` line-box
+ *      reservation that keeps the header height stable through the
+ *      post-hydration name personalisation);
+ *   2. the SSR pass renders the name-less fallback (hydration-safe).
  */
 import { describe, it, expect, vi } from "vitest";
 import { renderToStaticMarkup } from "react-dom/server";
@@ -34,10 +31,8 @@ function renderSSR(node: React.ReactElement, locale: "en" | "de" = "de") {
 }
 
 describe("<DashboardHeader> — greeting", () => {
-  it("renders the greeting line when the hero is hidden (showGreeting)", () => {
-    const html = renderSSR(
-      <DashboardHeader onQuickEntry={() => undefined} showGreeting />,
-    );
+  it("renders the greeting line under the title", () => {
+    const html = renderSSR(<DashboardHeader onQuickEntry={() => undefined} />);
     expect(html).toContain('data-slot="dashboard-header-greeting"');
     // SSR pass: name-less fallback (personalises post-hydration only).
     expect(html).toContain("willkommen zurück.");
@@ -45,12 +40,6 @@ describe("<DashboardHeader> — greeting", () => {
     // post-hydration personalisation swap.
     expect(html).toMatch(/data-slot="dashboard-header-greeting"[^>]*>/);
     expect(html).toContain("min-h-5");
-  });
-
-  it("renders NO greeting line when the hero band owns it (default)", () => {
-    const html = renderSSR(<DashboardHeader onQuickEntry={() => undefined} />);
-    expect(html).not.toContain('data-slot="dashboard-header-greeting"');
-    expect(html).not.toContain("willkommen zurück.");
     // The title itself stays.
     expect(html).toContain("Dashboard");
   });
diff --git a/src/components/dashboard/dashboard-header.tsx b/src/components/dashboard/dashboard-header.tsx
index 7d686cac7..b8848b901 100644
--- a/src/components/dashboard/dashboard-header.tsx
+++ b/src/components/dashboard/dashboard-header.tsx
@@ -1,13 +1,11 @@
 "use client";
 
 /**
- * Dashboard page header: title, the customize shortcut, and the
- * quick-add dropdown that opens the quick-entry sheets. The greeting
- * line lives in the hero band (`<DashboardHero>`) when that renders —
- * but the hero is optional (snapshot flag off, or hidden via the
- * dashboard-layout toggle), and the greeting must never disappear with
- * it. `showGreeting` (fed from the page's hero gate) restores the
- * pre-hero greeting paragraph under the title for exactly those mounts.
+ * Dashboard page header: title, the greeting line, the customize
+ * shortcut, and the quick-add dropdown that opens the quick-entry
+ * sheets. The greeting sits under the title on every dashboard mount —
+ * the promoted Today hero renders separately above the tile strip and
+ * carries its own read, so the header greeting is unconditional.
  *
  * Extracted from the dashboard page; the page owns the open-state the
  * dropdown items set via `onQuickEntry`.
@@ -31,11 +29,8 @@ import type { QuickEntryDialog } from "@/components/dashboard/quick-entry-sheets
 
 export function DashboardHeader({
   onQuickEntry,
-  showGreeting = false,
 }: {
   onQuickEntry: (dialog: NonNullable<QuickEntryDialog>) => void;
-  /** Render the greeting line here because the hero band does not. */
-  showGreeting?: boolean;
 }) {
   const { t } = useTranslations();
   const { user } = useAuth();
@@ -71,18 +66,16 @@ export function DashboardHeader({
     <PageHeader
       title={t("dashboard.title")}
       description={
-        showGreeting ? (
-          /* `min-h-5` reserves the greeting's line box from the SSR
-             pass on: the text personalises (name appended) on the first
-             client re-render after hydration, and the reserved line
-             keeps the header from collapsing/growing around that swap. */
-          <span
-            data-slot="dashboard-header-greeting"
-            className="block min-h-5 truncate"
-          >
-            {welcomeText}
-          </span>
-        ) : undefined
+        /* `min-h-5` reserves the greeting's line box from the SSR
+           pass on: the text personalises (name appended) on the first
+           client re-render after hydration, and the reserved line
+           keeps the header from collapsing/growing around that swap. */
+        <span
+          data-slot="dashboard-header-greeting"
+          className="block min-h-5 truncate"
+        >
+          {welcomeText}
+        </span>
       }
       actions={
         <>
diff --git a/src/components/dashboard/hero/__tests__/briefing-spotlight.test.tsx b/src/components/dashboard/hero/__tests__/briefing-spotlight.test.tsx
deleted file mode 100644
index ed04df2dd..000000000
--- a/src/components/dashboard/hero/__tests__/briefing-spotlight.test.tsx
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,213 +0,0 @@
-import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
-import { renderToStaticMarkup } from "react-dom/server";
-
-import { I18nProvider } from "@/lib/i18n/context";
-import type { DailyBriefing } from "@/lib/ai/schema";
-import { BriefingSpotlight } from "../briefing-spotlight";
-
-/**
- * `<BriefingSpotlight>` contract:
- *
- *   - renders nothing unless the briefing is FRESH (`ready` + not stale)
- *     and carries at least one signal or finding;
- *   - prefers `signalsOfDay`, falling back to `keyFindings`;
- *   - caps the strip at 3 rows;
- *   - every row links to `/insights` and carries the tone-keyed accent;
- *   - headlines render as plain text children (no HTML / markdown).
- */
-
-function render(
-  props: React.ComponentProps<typeof BriefingSpotlight>,
-  locale: "en" | "de" = "en",
-) {
-  return renderToStaticMarkup(
-    <I18nProvider initialLocale={locale}>
-      <BriefingSpotlight {...props} />
-    </I18nProvider>,
-  );
-}
-
-function briefing(overrides: Partial<DailyBriefing> = {}): DailyBriefing {
-  return {
-    paragraph: "x",
-    signalsOfDay: null,
-    keyFindings: [],
-    ...overrides,
-  };
-}
-
-describe("<BriefingSpotlight>", () => {
-  it("renders nothing when no briefing is present", () => {
-    expect(
-      render({
-        briefing: null,
-        briefingState: "ready",
-        briefingStale: false,
-      }),
-    ).toBe("");
-  });
-
-  it("renders nothing for a stale briefing", () => {
-    expect(
-      render({
-        briefing: briefing({
-          keyFindings: [
-            {
-              tone: "watch",
-              headline: "BP creeping up",
-              detail: "d",
-              delta: "+6 mmHg",
-              sourceWindow: "30d",
-              sourceMetric: "bp",
-            },
-          ],
-        }),
-        briefingState: "ready",
-        briefingStale: true,
-      }),
-    ).toBe("");
-  });
-
-  it("renders nothing while the briefing is still preparing", () => {
-    expect(
-      render({
-        briefing: briefing({
-          keyFindings: [
-            {
-              tone: "info",
-              headline: "h",
-              detail: "d",
-              delta: null,
-              sourceWindow: "30d",
-              sourceMetric: "weight",
-            },
-          ],
-        }),
-        briefingState: "preparing",
-        briefingStale: false,
-      }),
-    ).toBe("");
-  });
-
-  it("surfaces the present-focused signals and links each row to /insights", () => {
-    const html = render({
-      briefing: briefing({
-        signalsOfDay: [
-          {
-            sourceMetric: "sleep",
-            tone: "watch",
-            headline: "Short on sleep this week",
-            nudge: "Aim for an earlier night",
-            delta: "-1.2 h",
-          },
-        ],
-        keyFindings: [
-          {
-            tone: "good",
-            headline: "should not appear when signals exist",
-            detail: "d",
-            delta: null,
-            sourceWindow: "30d",
-            sourceMetric: "bp",
-          },
-        ],
-      }),
-      briefingState: "ready",
-      briefingStale: false,
-    });
-    expect(html).toContain('data-slot="dashboard-briefing-spotlight"');
-    expect(html).toContain("Short on sleep this week");
-    // The heading itself links to the briefing card anchor; the former
-    // separate "view all" text link is gone.
-    expect(html).toContain('href="/insights#daily-briefing"');
-    expect(html).not.toContain('data-slot="dashboard-briefing-spotlight-link"');
-    expect(html).toContain("-1.2 h");
-    // Signals win over key findings when present.
-    expect(html).not.toContain("should not appear when signals exist");
-  });
-
-  it("falls back to key findings when no signals were generated", () => {
-    const html = render({
-      briefing: briefing({
-        signalsOfDay: [],
-        keyFindings: [
-          {
-            tone: "watch",
-            headline: "Blood pressure trending up",
-            detail: "d",
-            delta: "+8 mmHg",
-            sourceWindow: "30d",
-            sourceMetric: "bp",
-          },
-        ],
-      }),
-      briefingState: "ready",
-      briefingStale: false,
-    });
-    expect(html).toContain("Blood pressure trending up");
-  });
-
-  it("caps the strip at three rows", () => {
-    const html = render({
-      briefing: briefing({
-        signalsOfDay: [
-          {
-            sourceMetric: "bp",
-            tone: "info",
-            headline: "one",
-            nudge: "n",
-            delta: null,
-          },
-          {
-            sourceMetric: "weight",
-            tone: "info",
-            headline: "two",
-            nudge: "n",
-            delta: null,
-          },
-          {
-            sourceMetric: "mood",
-            tone: "info",
-            headline: "three",
-            nudge: "n",
-            delta: null,
-          },
-        ],
-      }),
-      briefingState: "ready",
-      briefingStale: false,
-    });
-    const rows = html.match(/data-slot="dashboard-briefing-spotlight-row"/g);
-    expect(rows).toHaveLength(3);
-  });
-
-  it("stacks headline over delta below sm and keeps the row at sm+", () => {
-    const html = render({
-      briefing: briefing({
-        signalsOfDay: [
-          {
-            sourceMetric: "bp",
-            tone: "watch",
-            headline:
-              "Systolischer Blutdruck deutlich unter deinem Monatsmittel gemessen",
-            nudge: "n",
-            delta: "−12 mmHg vs. 30-Tage-Mittel",
-          },
-        ],
-      }),
-      briefingState: "ready",
-      briefingStale: false,
-    });
-    // Phone-first column, row restored at sm+ — a wide delta must never
-    // squeeze the headline into a narrow multi-line column (or push
-    // itself past the tile edge).
-    expect(html).toMatch(
-      /class="[^"]*flex min-w-0 flex-1 flex-col gap-1 sm:flex-row[^"]*"/,
-    );
-    // The delta is left-aligned content-width in the stacked state and
-    // only refuses to shrink in the sm+ row.
-    expect(html).toMatch(
-      /data-slot="dashboard-briefing-spotlight-delta"[^>]*class="[^"]*self-start[^"]*sm:shrink-0[^"]*"/,
-    );
-  });
-});
diff --git a/src/components/dashboard/hero/__tests__/dashboard-hero-skeleton.test.tsx b/src/components/dashboard/hero/__tests__/dashboard-hero-skeleton.test.tsx
deleted file mode 100644
index 3e903572e..000000000
--- a/src/components/dashboard/hero/__tests__/dashboard-hero-skeleton.test.tsx
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,60 +0,0 @@
-import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
-import { renderToStaticMarkup } from "react-dom/server";
-
-import { DashboardHeroSkeleton } from "../dashboard-hero-skeleton";
-
-/**
- * Structural pin for the hero loading silhouette: the skeleton must
- * occupy the EXACT final footprint of `<DashboardHero>` (same min-h
- * floors, same md two-column split, same fixed 120 px ring circle) so
- * the loaded band swaps in place with zero layout shift — and it must
- * stay invisible to assistive tech with no focusable content.
- */
-describe("<DashboardHeroSkeleton>", () => {
-  const html = renderToStaticMarkup(<DashboardHeroSkeleton />);
-
-  it("carries the data-slot and aria-hidden contract", () => {
-    expect(html).toContain('data-slot="dashboard-hero-skeleton"');
-    const root = html.match(
-      /<div[^>]*data-slot="dashboard-hero-skeleton"[^>]*>/,
-    );
-    expect(root).not.toBeNull();
-    expect(root![0]).toContain('aria-hidden="true"');
-  });
-
-  it("reserves the hero's exact footprint classes", () => {
-    // v1.27.7 — the shell mirrors the loaded band's plain `bg-card`
-    // surface (the old `hero-gradient` chrome was a leftover from the
-    // pre-v1.18.1 gradient hero and never matched the loaded state).
-    for (const cls of [
-      "min-h-[8.75rem]",
-      "md:min-h-[9.5rem]",
-      "bg-card",
-      "border-border",
-      "rounded-xl",
-    ]) {
-      expect(html).toContain(cls);
-    }
-    expect(html).not.toContain("hero-gradient");
-  });
-
-  it("reserves no dose-row pill — the ring row replaced it (v1.27.7)", () => {
-    // The left column carries exactly three skeleton bars (greeting +
-    // verdict + CTA); the old fourth dose-pill bar is gone.
-    const bars = html.match(/data-slot="skeleton"/g) ?? [];
-    expect(bars.length).toBe(4); // 3 left-column bars + 1 ring circle
-  });
-
-  it("mirrors the two-column md:flex-row split with the fixed ring circle", () => {
-    expect(html).toContain("md:flex-row");
-    expect(html).toContain("size-[120px]");
-    expect(html).toContain("rounded-full");
-  });
-
-  it("contains no focusable elements", () => {
-    expect(html).not.toContain("<button");
-    expect(html).not.toContain("<a ");
-    expect(html).not.toContain("<input");
-    expect(html).not.toContain("tabindex");
-  });
-});
diff --git a/src/components/dashboard/hero/__tests__/dashboard-hero.test.tsx b/src/components/dashboard/hero/__tests__/dashboard-hero.test.tsx
deleted file mode 100644
index 1ac781d05..000000000
--- a/src/components/dashboard/hero/__tests__/dashboard-hero.test.tsx
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,808 +0,0 @@
-import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach, afterEach } from "vitest";
-import { renderToStaticMarkup } from "react-dom/server";
-import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
-import { join } from "node:path";
-
-import { I18nProvider } from "@/lib/i18n/context";
-import { makeFormatters } from "@/lib/format-locale";
-import type { DashboardSnapshot } from "@/lib/dashboard/snapshot";
-import { buildTargetBands } from "@/lib/dashboard/snapshot";
-import type { MedsTodayBlock } from "@/lib/dashboard/meds-today";
-import type { DataSummary } from "@/lib/analytics/trends";
-import { DashboardHero } from "../dashboard-hero";
-
-/**
- * `<DashboardHero>` contract:
- *
- *   - every verdict variant renders its sentence + the single CTA the
- *     ladder assigns (link variants carry an href, quick-entry variants
- *     a button; allQuiet carries none);
- *   - the briefing rung renders the model headline VERBATIM as plain
- *     text (no i18n key);
- *   - v1.27.7 — the ring row replaced the dose text row: the selected
- *     `scoreRings` render beside the health-score ring (hue per ring,
- *     band semantics for the adherence ring) and self-gate on data;
- *     the documented stale-cache state (past `nextDueAt`,
- *     `nextDueOverdue: false`) still renders a calm verdict — never
- *     overdue;
- *   - the greeting derives from the snapshot's server-computed
- *     `greetingHour` and personalises from the snapshot username;
- *   - the right column always paints the `sm` ScoreRing — provisional
- *     (never "0") when the score is null.
- *
- * The component reads the wall clock (`new Date()`) to age the cached
- * snapshot honestly, so the suite pins the system time; the snapshot's
- * own timezone (`Europe/Berlin`) keeps every assertion independent of
- * the host zone.
- */
-
-const NOW = new Date("2026-06-10T10:00:00.000Z"); // 12:00 Europe/Berlin
-
-beforeEach(() => {
-  vi.useFakeTimers();
-  vi.setSystemTime(NOW);
-});
-
-afterEach(() => {
-  vi.useRealTimers();
-});
-
-function summary(partial: Partial<DataSummary>): DataSummary {
-  return {
-    count: 0,
-    latest: null,
-    min: null,
-    max: null,
-    mean: null,
-    median: null,
-    avg7: null,
-    avg30: null,
-    slope7: null,
-    slope30: null,
-    slope90: null,
-    anomalyCount: 0,
-    ...partial,
-  };
-}
-
-function medsToday(partial: Partial<MedsTodayBlock> = {}): MedsTodayBlock {
-  return {
-    activeCount: 0,
-    scheduledToday: 0,
-    takenToday: 0,
-    skippedToday: 0,
-    nextDueAt: null,
-    nextDueOverdue: false,
-    nextDueMedicationName: null,
-    ...partial,
-  };
-}
-
-function baseSnapshot(
-  overrides: Partial<DashboardSnapshot> = {},
-): DashboardSnapshot {
-  return {
-    user: {
-      username: "tester",
-      timezone: "Europe/Berlin",
-      heightCm: null,
-      dateOfBirth: null,
-      gender: null,
-      glucoseUnit: null,
-      onboardingTourCompleted: true,
-      greetingHour: 12,
-    },
-    layout: { version: 1, widgets: [] },
-    layoutCatalogue: [],
-    metricStates: {},
-    targetBands: buildTargetBands({
-      dateOfBirth: null,
-      gender: null,
-      heightCm: null,
-    }),
-    tiles: {
-      summaries: {},
-      lastSeenByType: {},
-      mood: { summary: null, entries: [] },
-    },
-    extras: null,
-    medsToday: medsToday(),
-    healthScore: null,
-    briefing: null,
-    briefingState: "preparing",
-    briefingUpdatedAt: null,
-    briefingStale: false,
-    generatedAt: NOW.toISOString(),
-    ...overrides,
-  };
-}
-
-function isoHoursFromNow(hours: number): string {
-  return new Date(NOW.getTime() + hours * 60 * 60 * 1000).toISOString();
-}
-
-function render(
-  snapshot: DashboardSnapshot,
-  opts: { locale?: "en" | "de"; onQuickEntry?: () => void } = {},
-) {
-  return renderToStaticMarkup(
-    <I18nProvider initialLocale={opts.locale ?? "de"}>
-      <DashboardHero
-        snapshot={snapshot}
-        onQuickEntry={opts.onQuickEntry ?? (() => undefined)}
-      />
-    </I18nProvider>,
-  );
-}
-
-describe("<DashboardHero> — verdict variants", () => {
-  it("doseOverdue: sentence with the medication name + quick-entry CTA button", () => {
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        medsToday: medsToday({
-          scheduledToday: 2,
-          nextDueAt: isoHoursFromNow(-1),
-          nextDueOverdue: true,
-          nextDueMedicationName: "Metformin",
-        }),
-      }),
-    );
-    expect(html).toContain('data-verdict-variant="doseOverdue"');
-    expect(html).toContain("Eine Dosis Metformin ist überfällig.");
-    expect(html).toContain('data-slot="dashboard-hero-cta"');
-    expect(html).toContain("Jetzt eintragen");
-    // Quick-entry CTA is a real button, not a link.
-    expect(html).toMatch(/<button[^>]*data-slot="dashboard-hero-cta"/);
-  });
-
-  it("doseOverdue: a null medication name renders the name-less sentence (no hole)", () => {
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        medsToday: medsToday({
-          scheduledToday: 2,
-          nextDueAt: isoHoursFromNow(-1),
-          nextDueOverdue: true,
-          nextDueMedicationName: null,
-        }),
-      }),
-    );
-    expect(html).toContain('data-verdict-variant="doseOverdue"');
-    expect(html).toContain("Eine Dosis ist überfällig.");
-    // The named template with an empty interpolation leaves a double
-    // space — it must never render.
-    expect(html).not.toContain("Eine Dosis  ist überfällig.");
-  });
-
-  it("doseUpcoming: a null medication name renders the name-less sentence (no hole)", () => {
-    const nextDueAt = isoHoursFromNow(1.5); // 13:30 Berlin
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        medsToday: medsToday({
-          scheduledToday: 2,
-          takenToday: 1,
-          nextDueAt,
-          nextDueMedicationName: null,
-        }),
-      }),
-    );
-    const expectedTime = makeFormatters("de", "Europe/Berlin", "AUTO").time(
-      nextDueAt,
-    );
-    expect(html).toContain('data-verdict-variant="doseUpcoming"');
-    expect(html).toContain(`Um ${expectedTime} steht eine Dosis an.`);
-    expect(html).not.toContain(`steht  an`);
-  });
-
-  it("bpCritical: fixed-floor sentence with the reading + link to the BP insight", () => {
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        tiles: {
-          summaries: {
-            BLOOD_PRESSURE_SYS: summary({ latest: 184, count: 5 }),
-            BLOOD_PRESSURE_DIA: summary({ latest: 96, count: 5 }),
-          },
-          lastSeenByType: {
-            BLOOD_PRESSURE_SYS: {
-              lastSeenAt: isoHoursFromNow(-2),
-              daysAgo: 0,
-            },
-          },
-          mood: { summary: null, entries: [] },
-        },
-      }),
-    );
-    expect(html).toContain('data-verdict-variant="bpCritical"');
-    expect(html).toContain("sehr hoch (184/96)");
-    expect(html).toContain('href="/insights/blood-pressure"');
-    expect(html).toContain("Blutdruck ansehen");
-  });
-
-  it("doseUpcoming: preference-aware wall-clock time + name + quick-entry CTA", () => {
-    const nextDueAt = isoHoursFromNow(1.5); // 13:30 Berlin
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        medsToday: medsToday({
-          scheduledToday: 2,
-          takenToday: 1,
-          nextDueAt,
-          nextDueMedicationName: "Jardiance",
-        }),
-      }),
-    );
-    const expectedTime = makeFormatters("de", "Europe/Berlin", "AUTO").time(
-      nextDueAt,
-    );
-    expect(html).toContain('data-verdict-variant="doseUpcoming"');
-    expect(html).toContain(`Um ${expectedTime} steht Jardiance an.`);
-    expect(html).toContain("Jetzt eintragen");
-  });
-
-  it("weightDrift: sentence + link to the weight insight", () => {
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        user: { ...baseSnapshot().user, heightCm: 180 },
-        tiles: {
-          summaries: {
-            // Green range for 180 cm ≈ 59.9–80.7 kg; 7d mean sits 1 kg
-            // further outside than the 30d mean.
-            WEIGHT: summary({ avg7: 86, avg30: 85, count: 10 }),
-          },
-          lastSeenByType: {
-            WEIGHT: { lastSeenAt: isoHoursFromNow(-3), daysAgo: 0 },
-          },
-          mood: { summary: null, entries: [] },
-        },
-      }),
-    );
-    expect(html).toContain('data-verdict-variant="weightDrift"');
-    expect(html).toContain(
-      "Dein Gewicht bewegt sich diese Woche vom Zielbereich weg.",
-    );
-    expect(html).toContain('href="/insights/weight"');
-    expect(html).toContain("Gewicht ansehen");
-  });
-
-  it("shortNights: locale-formatted hours + link to the sleep insight", () => {
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        tiles: {
-          summaries: {
-            // 372 min = 6.2 h — clearly under the 6.5 h fire line.
-            SLEEP_DURATION: summary({ avg7: 372, count: 7 }),
-          },
-          lastSeenByType: {
-            SLEEP_DURATION: { lastSeenAt: isoHoursFromNow(-5), daysAgo: 0 },
-          },
-          mood: { summary: null, entries: [] },
-        },
-      }),
-    );
-    expect(html).toContain('data-verdict-variant="shortNights"');
-    // German decimal comma via the locale number formatter.
-    expect(html).toContain("im Schnitt 6,2 h.");
-    expect(html).toContain('href="/insights/sleep"');
-    expect(html).toContain("Schlaf ansehen");
-  });
-
-  it("silence: day count + quick-entry measurement CTA", () => {
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        tiles: {
-          summaries: {},
-          lastSeenByType: {
-            WEIGHT: { lastSeenAt: isoHoursFromNow(-9 * 24), daysAgo: 9 },
-          },
-          mood: { summary: null, entries: [] },
-        },
-      }),
-    );
-    expect(html).toContain('data-verdict-variant="silence"');
-    expect(html).toContain("Seit 9 Tagen keine Messung.");
-    expect(html).toContain("Messung erfassen");
-    expect(html).toMatch(/<button[^>]*data-slot="dashboard-hero-cta"/);
-  });
-
-  it("scoreDrop: point delta, no broad Insights CTA", () => {
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        healthScore: { score: 58, band: "yellow", delta: -14 },
-      }),
-    );
-    expect(html).toContain('data-verdict-variant="scoreDrop"');
-    expect(html).toContain("liegt 14 Punkte unter der Vorwoche.");
-    // v1.27.7 — the overview-only CTA left the band; the health-score
-    // card carries the Insights link. Only specific-action verdicts
-    // keep a button.
-    expect(html).not.toContain('data-slot="dashboard-hero-cta"');
-  });
-
-  it("briefing: renders the model headline verbatim as plain text, no broad CTA", () => {
-    const headline = "Systolic crept up over seven days.";
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        briefingState: "ready",
-        briefingStale: false,
-        briefingUpdatedAt: NOW.toISOString(),
-        briefing: {
-          paragraph: "p",
-          keyFindings: [
-            {
-              tone: "watch",
-              headline,
-              detail: "detail",
-              delta: null,
-              sourceWindow: "7d",
-              sourceMetric: "bp",
-            },
-          ],
-        } as DashboardSnapshot["briefing"],
-      }),
-    );
-    expect(html).toContain('data-verdict-variant="briefing"');
-    expect(html).toContain(headline);
-    // v1.27.7 — same rule as scoreDrop: no broad Insights CTA.
-    expect(html).not.toContain('data-slot="dashboard-hero-cta"');
-  });
-
-  it("allQuiet: sentence with NO CTA in the band", () => {
-    const html = render(baseSnapshot());
-    expect(html).toContain('data-verdict-variant="allQuiet"');
-    expect(html).toContain("Alles ruhig");
-    expect(html).not.toContain('data-slot="dashboard-hero-cta"');
-  });
-
-  it("exactly one CTA renders for an actionable verdict", () => {
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        medsToday: medsToday({
-          scheduledToday: 1,
-          nextDueOverdue: true,
-          nextDueAt: isoHoursFromNow(-1),
-          nextDueMedicationName: "Metformin",
-        }),
-        healthScore: { score: 50, band: "yellow", delta: -20 },
-      }),
-    );
-    const ctas = html.match(/data-slot="dashboard-hero-cta"/g) ?? [];
-    expect(ctas).toHaveLength(1);
-  });
-});
-
-describe("<DashboardHero> — ring row (v1.27.7)", () => {
-  it("renders the selected rings beside the health-score ring, in selection order", () => {
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        healthScore: { score: 82, band: "green", delta: 2 },
-        scoreRings: [
-          { id: "READINESS", score: 71, band: "green" },
-          {
-            id: "MED_COMPLIANCE",
-            score: 33,
-            band: "yellow",
-            doses: { taken: 1, scheduled: 3 },
-          },
-        ],
-      }),
-    );
-    const row = html.match(/data-slot="dashboard-hero-rings"/g) ?? [];
-    expect(row).toHaveLength(1);
-    // v1.27.27 — default order leads with the health-score ring, then the
-    // selected rings in selection order (3 rings total).
-    const healthIdx = html.indexOf('href="/insights"');
-    const readinessIdx = html.indexOf('data-ring="READINESS"');
-    const complianceIdx = html.indexOf('data-ring="MED_COMPLIANCE"');
-    expect(healthIdx).toBeGreaterThan(-1);
-    expect(readinessIdx).toBeGreaterThan(healthIdx);
-    expect(complianceIdx).toBeGreaterThan(readinessIdx);
-    const rings = html.match(/data-slot="score-ring"/g) ?? [];
-    expect(rings).toHaveLength(3);
-    // Labels (de locale): the derived ring reuses its wellness-strip
-    // title; the dose ring names today's tally and shows it as
-    // taken/scheduled over the constant med-family arc (`--primary`,
-    // the hue the medication surfaces in Insights paint) — never the
-    // band gradient (a pending morning dose is not an alert state) and
-    // never the ring system's green (reserved for band semantics).
-    expect(html).toContain("Bereitschaft");
-    expect(html).toContain("Dosen heute");
-    expect(html).toContain(">1/3<");
-    // Window the assertion to the dose ring's own SVG (its gradient defs
-    // close with the svg) so the trailing health-score ring's band-green
-    // gradient can't mask a regression.
-    const medIdx = html.indexOf('data-ring="MED_COMPLIANCE"');
-    const doseRing = html.slice(medIdx, html.indexOf("</svg>", medIdx));
-    expect(doseRing).toContain("var(--primary)");
-    expect(doseRing).not.toContain("var(--ring-green-from)");
-    expect(html).not.toContain("var(--ring-yellow-from)");
-  });
-
-  it("mobile carousel: one scroll-snap track holds a slide per ring + a dot per slide", () => {
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        healthScore: { score: 82, band: "green", delta: 2 },
-        scoreRings: [
-          { id: "READINESS", score: 71, band: "green" },
-          { id: "RECOVERY_SCORE", score: 74, band: "yellow" },
-          {
-            id: "MED_COMPLIANCE",
-            score: 33,
-            band: "yellow",
-            doses: { taken: 1, scheduled: 3 },
-          },
-        ],
-      }),
-    );
-    // Exactly one snap track, one dots row.
-    expect(html.match(/data-slot="dashboard-hero-ring-track"/g)).toHaveLength(
-      1,
-    );
-    expect(html.match(/data-slot="dashboard-hero-ring-dots"/g)).toHaveLength(1);
-    // A slide per ring: 3 selected + the health-score ring = 4 slides = 4 dots.
-    expect(html.match(/data-carousel-slide=""/g)).toHaveLength(4);
-    expect(html.match(/data-slot="dashboard-hero-ring-dot"/g)).toHaveLength(4);
-    // Track is a labelled, focusable scroll region that snaps.
-    const track = html.match(
-      /<div[^>]*data-slot="dashboard-hero-ring-track"[^>]*>/,
-    );
-    expect(track).not.toBeNull();
-    expect(track![0]).toContain("snap-x");
-    expect(track![0]).toContain("overflow-x-auto");
-    expect(track![0]).toContain('tabindex="0"');
-    // The desktop row is preserved: the track reverts to the inline
-    // right-aligned row (md:justify-end) with the dots hidden (md:hidden).
-    expect(track![0]).toContain("md:justify-end");
-    expect(track![0]).toContain("md:overflow-x-visible");
-    const dots = html.match(
-      /<div[^>]*data-slot="dashboard-hero-ring-dots"[^>]*>/,
-    );
-    expect(dots![0]).toContain("md:hidden");
-    // The first dot is current on the server render (active slide 0).
-    const firstDot = html.match(
-      /<button[^>]*data-slot="dashboard-hero-ring-dot"[^>]*>/,
-    );
-    expect(firstDot![0]).toContain('aria-current="true"');
-  });
-
-  it("a single slide (health ring only) renders no dots — not a carousel", () => {
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({ healthScore: { score: 60, band: "yellow", delta: 0 } }),
-    );
-    expect(html.match(/data-carousel-slide=""/g)).toHaveLength(1);
-    expect(html).not.toContain('data-slot="dashboard-hero-ring-dots"');
-    // A lone slide is not focusable (no scroll affordance to reach).
-    const track = html.match(
-      /<div[^>]*data-slot="dashboard-hero-ring-track"[^>]*>/,
-    );
-    expect(track![0]).not.toContain("tabindex");
-  });
-
-  it("no dose text row renders anymore — the ring row carries the slot", () => {
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        medsToday: medsToday({ scheduledToday: 3, takenToday: 1 }),
-      }),
-    );
-    expect(html).not.toContain('data-slot="dashboard-hero-doses"');
-    expect(html).not.toContain("Dosen genommen");
-  });
-
-  it("an empty / absent scoreRings block leaves the health ring alone (self-gating)", () => {
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({ healthScore: { score: 60, band: "yellow", delta: 0 } }),
-    );
-    const rings = html.match(/data-slot="score-ring"/g) ?? [];
-    expect(rings).toHaveLength(1);
-    expect(html).not.toContain('data-slot="dashboard-hero-ring"');
-  });
-
-  it("the adherence ring paints band semantics (data-band), not a metric hue", () => {
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        scoreRings: [{ id: "MED_COMPLIANCE", score: 65, band: "red" }],
-      }),
-    );
-    const ring = html.match(
-      /<div[^>]*data-ring="MED_COMPLIANCE"[\s\S]*?data-band="([a-z]+)"/,
-    );
-    expect(ring).not.toBeNull();
-    expect(ring![1]).toBe("red");
-  });
-
-  it("DEFENSIVE: a stale past nextDueAt with nextDueOverdue false still renders a calm verdict, never overdue", () => {
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        medsToday: medsToday({
-          scheduledToday: 2,
-          takenToday: 1,
-          nextDueAt: isoHoursFromNow(-0.5), // anchor passed AFTER build
-          nextDueOverdue: false,
-          nextDueMedicationName: "Metformin",
-        }),
-      }),
-    );
-    expect(html).not.toContain("überfällig");
-    expect(html).toContain('data-verdict-variant="allQuiet"');
-  });
-});
-
-describe("<DashboardHero> — ring links (v1.27.24)", () => {
-  it("each ring links to its natural detail surface with an aria-label", () => {
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        healthScore: { score: 82, band: "green", delta: 2 },
-        scoreRings: [
-          { id: "READINESS", score: 71, band: "green" },
-          { id: "SLEEP_SCORE", score: 66, band: "yellow" },
-          {
-            id: "MED_COMPLIANCE",
-            score: 33,
-            band: "yellow",
-            doses: { taken: 1, scheduled: 3 },
-          },
-        ],
-      }),
-    );
-    // Derived rings → their score-anatomy detail page.
-    const readiness = html.slice(
-      html.indexOf('data-ring="READINESS"'),
-      html.indexOf('data-ring="SLEEP_SCORE"'),
-    );
-    expect(readiness).toContain('data-slot="dashboard-hero-ring-link"');
-    expect(readiness).toContain('href="/insights/scores/readiness"');
-    expect(readiness).toContain("aria-label=");
-    const sleep = html.slice(
-      html.indexOf('data-ring="SLEEP_SCORE"'),
-      html.indexOf('data-ring="MED_COMPLIANCE"'),
-    );
-    expect(sleep).toContain('href="/insights/scores/sleep"');
-    // Dose ring → the medications surface.
-    const med = html.slice(html.indexOf('data-ring="MED_COMPLIANCE"'));
-    expect(med).toContain('href="/medications"');
-    // Health-score ring → the Insights overview.
-    expect(html).toContain('href="/insights"');
-    // Every ring link is keyboard-focusable (native anchor) — one per slide.
-    const links = html.match(/data-slot="dashboard-hero-ring-link"/g) ?? [];
-    expect(links).toHaveLength(4);
-  });
-});
-
-describe("<DashboardHero> — ring order (v1.27.27)", () => {
-  const threeRings = {
-    healthScore: { score: 82, band: "green" as const, delta: 2 },
-    scoreRings: [
-      { id: "READINESS" as const, score: 71, band: "green" as const },
-      { id: "SLEEP_SCORE" as const, score: 66, band: "yellow" as const },
-      {
-        id: "MED_COMPLIANCE" as const,
-        score: 33,
-        band: "yellow" as const,
-        doses: { taken: 1, scheduled: 3 },
-      },
-    ],
-  };
-
-  it("default (no persisted order) leads with the health-score ring", () => {
-    const html = render(baseSnapshot(threeRings));
-    // The health-score slide (its /insights link) precedes every score ring.
-    const healthIdx = html.indexOf('href="/insights"');
-    const readinessIdx = html.indexOf('data-ring="READINESS"');
-    const sleepIdx = html.indexOf('data-ring="SLEEP_SCORE"');
-    const medIdx = html.indexOf('data-ring="MED_COMPLIANCE"');
-    expect(healthIdx).toBeGreaterThan(-1);
-    expect(readinessIdx).toBeGreaterThan(healthIdx);
-    expect(sleepIdx).toBeGreaterThan(readinessIdx);
-    expect(medIdx).toBeGreaterThan(sleepIdx);
-    // First carousel dot is current (slide 0 = health score).
-    const firstDot = html.match(
-      /<button[^>]*data-slot="dashboard-hero-ring-dot"[^>]*>/,
-    );
-    expect(firstDot![0]).toContain('aria-current="true"');
-  });
-
-  it("honours a persisted custom order (health score moved off the leading edge)", () => {
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        ...threeRings,
-        layout: {
-          version: 1,
-          widgets: [],
-          heroRingOrder: ["READINESS", "MED_COMPLIANCE", "HEALTH_SCORE"],
-          selectedScoreRings: ["READINESS", "SLEEP_SCORE", "MED_COMPLIANCE"],
-        },
-      }),
-    );
-    const readinessIdx = html.indexOf('data-ring="READINESS"');
-    const medIdx = html.indexOf('data-ring="MED_COMPLIANCE"');
-    const healthIdx = html.indexOf('href="/insights"');
-    // READINESS first, MED_COMPLIANCE second, health score last.
-    expect(readinessIdx).toBeGreaterThan(-1);
-    expect(medIdx).toBeGreaterThan(readinessIdx);
-    expect(healthIdx).toBeGreaterThan(medIdx);
-    // A rendered ring the order omits (SLEEP_SCORE) is still drawn (appended).
-    expect(html).toContain('data-ring="SLEEP_SCORE"');
-    // Every slide still renders exactly once.
-    expect(html.match(/data-carousel-slide=""/g)).toHaveLength(4);
-  });
-
-  it("drops an ordered id whose ring isn't rendered (no data / disabled)", () => {
-    // The persisted order names RECOVERY_SCORE, but the snapshot resolved
-    // no such ring — it must not leave a gap or a phantom slide.
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        healthScore: { score: 60, band: "yellow", delta: 0 },
-        scoreRings: [{ id: "READINESS", score: 71, band: "green" }],
-        layout: {
-          version: 1,
-          widgets: [],
-          heroRingOrder: ["RECOVERY_SCORE", "HEALTH_SCORE", "READINESS"],
-          selectedScoreRings: ["READINESS"],
-        },
-      }),
-    );
-    // Only the two rendered rings appear (health + readiness), in the
-    // surviving order: health score then readiness.
-    expect(html.match(/data-carousel-slide=""/g)).toHaveLength(2);
-    expect(html).not.toContain('data-ring="RECOVERY_SCORE"');
-    const healthIdx = html.indexOf('href="/insights"');
-    const readinessIdx = html.indexOf('data-ring="READINESS"');
-    expect(healthIdx).toBeGreaterThan(-1);
-    expect(readinessIdx).toBeGreaterThan(healthIdx);
-  });
-});
-
-describe("<DashboardHero> — greeting", () => {
-  it("personalises from the snapshot username with the server greeting hour", () => {
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        user: { ...baseSnapshot().user, username: "Sam", greetingHour: 8 },
-      }),
-    );
-    expect(html).toContain("Guten Morgen Sam, willkommen zurück.");
-  });
-
-  it("falls back to the name-less line when the username is blank", () => {
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        user: { ...baseSnapshot().user, username: "  ", greetingHour: 20 },
-      }),
-    );
-    expect(html).toContain("Guten Abend, willkommen zurück.");
-  });
-
-  it("derives the daypart from greetingHour without any client Intl walk", () => {
-    const day = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        user: { ...baseSnapshot().user, greetingHour: 13 },
-      }),
-    );
-    expect(day).toContain("Hallo tester, willkommen zurück.");
-  });
-});
-
-describe("<DashboardHero> — score column", () => {
-  it("renders the sm ScoreRing with the score + band", () => {
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        healthScore: { score: 82, band: "green", delta: 2 },
-      }),
-    );
-    expect(html).toContain('data-slot="score-ring"');
-    expect(html).toContain('data-band="green"');
-    expect(html).toContain("Health Score");
-  });
-
-  it("null score renders the provisional ring (not 0) at identical geometry", () => {
-    const html = render(baseSnapshot({ healthScore: null }));
-    expect(html).toContain('data-slot="score-ring"');
-    expect(html).toContain('data-provisional="true"');
-    expect(html).toContain("Noch nicht genug Daten");
-    // The ring announces "not enough data", never a zero value.
-    const aria = html.match(
-      /<div[^>]*data-slot="score-ring"[^>]*aria-label="([^"]+)"/,
-    );
-    expect(aria).not.toBeNull();
-    expect(aria![1]).not.toMatch(/\b0\b/);
-    // Same fixed footprint as the scored state — the column never
-    // collapses (the 120 px sm geometry rides an inline style).
-    expect(html).toContain("width:120px");
-  });
-
-  // A null score on an account that already carries score inputs is a
-  // warm-up state (the rollup tier is mid-fold), not a data gap — the
-  // copy must say "computing", never "not enough data".
-  it("null score WITH existing score inputs renders the computing label, not the data-gap one", () => {
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        healthScore: null,
-        tiles: {
-          summaries: { WEIGHT: summary({ count: 12, latest: 80 }) },
-          lastSeenByType: {
-            WEIGHT: { lastSeenAt: isoHoursFromNow(-2), daysAgo: 0 },
-          },
-          mood: { summary: null, entries: [] },
-        },
-      }),
-    );
-    expect(html).toContain('data-provisional="true"');
-    expect(html).toContain("Score wird berechnet");
-    expect(html).not.toContain("Noch nicht genug Daten");
-  });
-
-  it("active medications alone count as a score input (compliance pillar)", () => {
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        healthScore: null,
-        medsToday: medsToday({ activeCount: 1 }),
-      }),
-    );
-    expect(html).toContain("Score wird berechnet");
-    expect(html).not.toContain("Noch nicht genug Daten");
-  });
-
-  it("keeps the genuine data-gap label when no score input exists at all", () => {
-    // Empty summaries, no mood entries, no active medications — the
-    // baseSnapshot. A non-score-pillar summary (steps) must not flip
-    // the copy either.
-    const html = render(
-      baseSnapshot({
-        healthScore: null,
-        tiles: {
-          summaries: { ACTIVITY_STEPS: summary({ count: 30, latest: 9000 }) },
-          lastSeenByType: {},
-          mood: { summary: null, entries: [] },
-        },
-      }),
-    );
-    expect(html).toContain("Noch nicht genug Daten");
-    expect(html).not.toContain("Score wird berechnet");
-  });
-});
-
-describe("<DashboardHero> — typographic hierarchy", () => {
-  it("the greeting leads: larger + heavier than the verdict line", () => {
-    const html = render(baseSnapshot());
-    const greeting = html.match(
-      /<p[^>]*data-slot="dashboard-hero-greeting"[^>]*>/,
-    );
-    expect(greeting).not.toBeNull();
-    expect(greeting![0]).toContain("text-lg");
-    expect(greeting![0]).toContain("font-semibold");
-    expect(greeting![0]).not.toContain("text-muted-foreground");
-    const verdict = html.match(
-      /<p[^>]*data-slot="dashboard-hero-verdict"[^>]*>/,
-    );
-    expect(verdict).not.toBeNull();
-    // The verdict stays one step down — base size, medium weight.
-    expect(verdict![0]).toContain("text-base");
-    expect(verdict![0]).toContain("font-medium");
-    expect(verdict![0]).not.toContain("font-semibold");
-  });
-});
-
-describe("<DashboardHero> — source pins", () => {
-  const src = readFileSync(
-    join(process.cwd(), "src/components/dashboard/hero/dashboard-hero.tsx"),
-    "utf8",
-  );
-
-  it("quick-entry CTA wires the verdict's target into onQuickEntry", () => {
-    expect(src).toMatch(/onClick=\{\(\) => onQuickEntry\(cta\.target\)\}/);
-  });
-
-  it("re-derives the verdict with a fresh now per snapshot", () => {
-    expect(src).toMatch(/resolveDashboardVerdict\(snapshot,\s*new Date\(\)\)/);
-  });
-
-  it("wears the plain card surface — no gradient, no glow", () => {
-    // v1.18.1: the band drops the gradient hero treatment and sits on the
-    // same `bg-card` + border + radius as the surrounding chart cards.
-    expect(src).toContain("bg-card");
-    expect(src).toContain("border-border");
-    expect(src).toContain("rounded-xl");
-    expect(src).not.toContain("hero-gradient");
-    expect(src).not.toContain("glow-purple");
-  });
-
-  it("renders the score ring flat (no bloom / pulse / sheen / sweep)", () => {
-    expect(src).toMatch(/<ScoreRing[^>]*\n(?:[^>]*\n)*?\s*flat\b/);
-  });
-});
diff --git a/src/components/dashboard/hero/briefing-spotlight.tsx b/src/components/dashboard/hero/briefing-spotlight.tsx
deleted file mode 100644
index f18dfa928..000000000
--- a/src/components/dashboard/hero/briefing-spotlight.tsx
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,229 +0,0 @@
-"use client";
-
-/**
- * v1.18.11 — dashboard briefing spotlight.
- *
- * The daily briefing previously surfaced on the dashboard ONLY as the
- * hero's rung-8 verdict — a single sentence that almost always lost the
- * verdict slot to a routine state (an upcoming dose, a weight drift, the
- * all-quiet fallback). A fresh, model-authored briefing was effectively
- * invisible above the fold.
- *
- * This strip raises the briefing's prominence WITHOUT touching its
- * content or generation: it lifts the briefing's own present-focused
- * "Signals of the day" (falling back to the longer-horizon key findings)
- * straight onto the dashboard hero, so the freshest read is always one
- * glance away. The verdict ladder is unchanged — a real BP crisis still
- * leads the verdict line; this band sits below it.
- *
- * Design contract:
- *   - reuses the established tone-bar + metric-icon row language from the
- *     `/insights` daily-briefing card so the two surfaces read identically;
- *   - self-gating — renders nothing unless a FRESH briefing (`ready`, not
- *     stale) carries at least one signal or finding, so a missing /
- *     stale / disabled briefing never leaves an empty band;
- *   - rows are tappable, routing to `/insights` for the full briefing;
- *   - plain text children only (no HTML / markdown) per the repo-wide
- *     no-markdown-renderer rule; headlines pass through `stripChartTokens`
- *     to defend against a stray chart token leaking into the prose.
- *
- * Pure presentational: the caller resolves the briefing from the
- * server-authoritative snapshot and passes the already-validated payload.
- */
-import Link from "next/link";
-import {
-  Activity,
-  Flame,
-  Footprints,
-  Heart,
-  HeartPulse,
-  Mountain,
-  Moon,
-  Pill,
-  Route,
-  Scale,
-  Smile,
-  Sparkles,
-  Thermometer,
-  Wind,
-  Zap,
-} from "lucide-react";
-import { ListRow } from "@/components/ui/list-row";
-import { METRIC_HREF } from "@/components/insights/daily-briefing";
-import { useTranslations } from "@/lib/i18n/context";
-import { stripChartTokens } from "@/lib/insights/chart-tokens";
-import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
-import type { DailyBriefing, DailyBriefingKeyFinding } from "@/lib/ai/schema";
-
-/**
- * Max rows the spotlight surfaces. The briefing caps `signalsOfDay` at 3
- * and `keyFindings` at 5; the dashboard strip stays a glance, so it shows
- * at most the top 3 — the user opens `/insights` for the full list.
- */
-const MAX_SPOTLIGHT_ROWS = 3;
-
-const METRIC_ICON: Record<
-  DailyBriefingKeyFinding["sourceMetric"],
-  React.ComponentType<{ className?: string }>
-> = {
-  bp: Heart,
-  weight: Scale,
-  pulse: Activity,
-  mood: Smile,
-  compliance: Pill,
-  hrv: Wind,
-  sleep: Moon,
-  resting_hr: HeartPulse,
-  steps: Footprints,
-  active_energy: Flame,
-  flights: Mountain,
-  distance: Route,
-  vo2_max: Zap,
-  body_temp: Thermometer,
-  glp1_plateau: Pill,
-  readiness: Sparkles,
-  recovery: HeartPulse,
-};
-
-const TONE_BAR_CLASSNAME: Record<DailyBriefingKeyFinding["tone"], string> = {
-  good: "bg-success",
-  watch: "bg-warning",
-  info: "bg-info",
-};
-
-const TONE_TEXT_CLASSNAME: Record<DailyBriefingKeyFinding["tone"], string> = {
-  good: "text-success",
-  watch: "text-warning",
-  info: "text-info",
-};
-
-/** One spotlight row, normalised from a signal or a key finding. */
-interface SpotlightRow {
-  sourceMetric: DailyBriefingKeyFinding["sourceMetric"];
-  tone: DailyBriefingKeyFinding["tone"];
-  headline: string;
-  delta: string | null;
-}
-
-/**
- * Choose the rows to spotlight. Prefers the present-focused
- * `signalsOfDay` (the rebuilt briefing's lead); falls back to the
- * longer-horizon `keyFindings` when no signals were generated. Returns an
- * empty array when neither carries content (the caller then renders
- * nothing).
- */
-function selectSpotlightRows(briefing: DailyBriefing): SpotlightRow[] {
-  const signals = briefing.signalsOfDay ?? [];
-  if (signals.length > 0) {
-    return signals.slice(0, MAX_SPOTLIGHT_ROWS).map((s) => ({
-      sourceMetric: s.sourceMetric,
-      tone: s.tone,
-      headline: s.headline,
-      delta: s.delta,
-    }));
-  }
-  return briefing.keyFindings.slice(0, MAX_SPOTLIGHT_ROWS).map((f) => ({
-    sourceMetric: f.sourceMetric,
-    tone: f.tone,
-    headline: f.headline,
-    delta: f.delta,
-  }));
-}
-
-export function BriefingSpotlight({
-  briefing,
-  briefingState,
-  briefingStale,
-}: {
-  briefing: DailyBriefing | null;
-  briefingState: string;
-  briefingStale: boolean;
-}) {
-  const { t } = useTranslations();
-
-  // Fresh-only gate: a ready, non-stale briefing with at least one row.
-  // A stale / preparing / disabled briefing falls through to nothing so
-  // the band never sits empty or narrates a days-old read as current.
-  if (briefingState !== "ready" || briefingStale || briefing === null) {
-    return null;
-  }
-  const rows = selectSpotlightRows(briefing);
-  if (rows.length === 0) return null;
-
-  return (
-    <div data-slot="dashboard-briefing-spotlight" className="space-y-2">
-      {/* The heading itself routes to the briefing card on /insights —
-          quiet (no underline, hover lift only). The former separate
-          "open Insights" text link is gone: it thickened the card while
-          every signal row below already deep-links. */}
-      <Link
-        href="/insights#daily-briefing"
-        data-slot="dashboard-briefing-spotlight-title"
-        className="text-muted-foreground hover:text-foreground inline-block text-[11px] font-semibold tracking-wide uppercase transition-colors"
-      >
-        {t("dashboard.hero.briefing.title")}
-      </Link>
-      <div className="space-y-2">
-        {rows.map((row, index) => {
-          const Icon = METRIC_ICON[row.sourceMetric];
-          return (
-            <ListRow
-              key={`${row.sourceMetric}-${index}`}
-              asChild
-              data-slot="dashboard-briefing-spotlight-row"
-              data-metric={row.sourceMetric}
-              className={cn(
-                "border-border/60 bg-card/40 relative flex items-start gap-3",
-                "hover:bg-accent/40 transition-colors",
-                "focus-visible:ring-ring/50 focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:outline-none",
-              )}
-            >
-              {/* Deep-link each signal to its metric sub-page (the same
-                  mapping the briefing card's finding rows use); metrics
-                  without a routed sub-page fall back to the overview. */}
-              <Link href={METRIC_HREF[row.sourceMetric] ?? "/insights"}>
-                <span
-                  aria-hidden="true"
-                  className={cn(
-                    "absolute top-3 bottom-3 left-0 w-[3px] rounded-r",
-                    TONE_BAR_CLASSNAME[row.tone],
-                  )}
-                />
-                <Icon
-                  className={cn(
-                    "mt-0.5 h-4 w-4 shrink-0",
-                    TONE_TEXT_CLASSNAME[row.tone],
-                  )}
-                  aria-hidden="true"
-                />
-                {/* Phone widths stack headline over delta — a long
-                    signal headline beside a long delta squeezed the
-                    headline into a one-word-per-line column and pushed
-                    the delta past the tile edge. At `sm+` the
-                    side-by-side row returns. The headline always wraps
-                    (content is never truncated); only the delta is meta
-                    and may stay on one line. */}
-                <div className="flex min-w-0 flex-1 flex-col gap-1 sm:flex-row sm:items-start sm:justify-between sm:gap-3">
-                  <p className="text-foreground text-sm leading-snug font-medium">
-                    {stripChartTokens(row.headline)}
-                  </p>
-                  {row.delta ? (
-                    <span
-                      data-slot="dashboard-briefing-spotlight-delta"
-                      className={cn(
-                        "self-start text-xs font-semibold tabular-nums sm:shrink-0",
-                        TONE_TEXT_CLASSNAME[row.tone],
-                      )}
-                    >
-                      {row.delta}
-                    </span>
-                  ) : null}
-                </div>
-              </Link>
-            </ListRow>
-          );
-        })}
-      </div>
-    </div>
-  );
-}
diff --git a/src/components/dashboard/hero/dashboard-hero-skeleton.tsx b/src/components/dashboard/hero/dashboard-hero-skeleton.tsx
deleted file mode 100644
index 5d73ebf9d..000000000
--- a/src/components/dashboard/hero/dashboard-hero-skeleton.tsx
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,47 +0,0 @@
-import { Skeleton } from "@/components/ui/skeleton";
-
-/**
- * Loading silhouette for the dashboard hero band.
- *
- * Mirrors the real `<DashboardHero>` footprint — same plain `bg-card`
- * shell (border + radius + `p-4 md:p-6`, matching the loaded band since
- * the v1.18.1 gradient removal), same `min-h-[8.75rem] md:min-h-[9.5rem]`
- * floor, same two-column `md:flex-row` split with the fixed 120 px ring
- * circle on the right — so the swap to the loaded hero happens in place
- * with zero layout shift. The left column reserves the greeting line and
- * the verdict sentence + CTA row; the right column reserves the
- * health-score circle (v1.27.7 — the old dose-row pill is gone; the
- * user-selected extra rings self-gate on data, so the skeleton reserves
- * only the always-present health ring and lets the row grow in place).
- *
- * Always `aria-hidden` with no focusable content: the tile-strip
- * skeleton alongside carries the page's loading semantics, and a second
- * announcement here would double up for screen readers. Reduced motion
- * is honoured inside the `<Skeleton>` primitive
- * (`motion-reduce:animate-none`).
- */
-export function DashboardHeroSkeleton() {
-  return (
-    <div
-      aria-hidden="true"
-      data-slot="dashboard-hero-skeleton"
-      className="bg-card border-border relative isolate min-h-[8.75rem] overflow-hidden rounded-xl border p-4 md:min-h-[9.5rem] md:p-6"
-    >
-      <div className="flex h-full flex-col gap-4 md:flex-row md:items-center md:justify-between">
-        <div className="min-w-0 flex-1 space-y-3">
-          {/* Greeting line. */}
-          <Skeleton className="h-4 w-48 max-w-full" />
-          {/* Verdict sentence + CTA slot. */}
-          <div className="flex flex-wrap items-center gap-x-3 gap-y-2">
-            <Skeleton className="h-5 w-72 max-w-full" />
-            <Skeleton className="h-8 w-32" />
-          </div>
-        </div>
-        {/* Ring row — the always-present health-score circle (120 px). */}
-        <div className="flex shrink-0 items-center justify-center gap-3 md:justify-end">
-          <Skeleton className="size-[120px] rounded-full" />
-        </div>
-      </div>
-    </div>
-  );
-}
diff --git a/src/components/dashboard/hero/dashboard-hero.tsx b/src/components/dashboard/hero/dashboard-hero.tsx
deleted file mode 100644
index 3d1e5fac5..000000000
--- a/src/components/dashboard/hero/dashboard-hero.tsx
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,481 +0,0 @@
-"use client";
-
-/**
- * Dashboard hero — the daily-verdict band between the page header and
- * the tile strip.
- *
- * Purely presentational: every input rides in on the already-resolved
- * `DashboardSnapshot`, the verdict is re-derived on render with a fresh
- * `now` (so a cached snapshot ages honestly), and the only callback is
- * the quick-entry opener the page owns. Three blocks:
- *
- *   - left column: greeting line (absorbed from the old header
- *     paragraph — the snapshot's server-computed `greetingHour` keeps
- *     the daypart free of any client `Intl` work; typographically the
- *     band's anchor, larger and heavier than the verdict so the
- *     personalised line is not drowned by the content below it) and the
- *     verdict sentence with its single CTA button;
- *   - right column: the ring row — the health-score `<ScoreRing>` at
- *     `sm` geometry in its `flat` treatment (no bloom / pulse / sheen /
- *     sweep) plus the user-selected score rings the snapshot resolved
- *     server-side (`scoreRings`, max 3: readiness / recovery / sleep in
- *     their wellness-strip hues, medication adherence in band
- *     semantics). v1.27.7 — the ring row replaces the old dose text row;
- *     the adherence ring carries its information role. Selected rings
- *     self-gate: an entry absent from `scoreRings` (no data, disabled
- *     module) renders nothing, exactly like the wellness strip. A null
- *     health score renders the ring's provisional state at the identical
- *     120 px footprint, so the column never collapses. The provisional
- *     label is honest about WHY the score is null: when the snapshot
- *     already carries score inputs (weight / BP summaries, mood
- *     entries, active medications) the rollup tier is merely mid-fold
- *     and the label reads "computing"; only an account with no score
- *     inputs at all gets "not enough data".
- *
- * Defensive contract (cached snapshot): `medsToday.nextDueAt` in the
- * past with `nextDueOverdue: false` means the slot's anchor passed
- * after the snapshot was built. The verdict resolver already falls
- * through (rung 2 keys on the flag, rung 3 requires a future anchor),
- * so the stale state renders as a calm verdict, never as overdue.
- *
- * Rung 8 (`briefing`) renders the model-authored headline VERBATIM as a
- * plain React text child — no i18n key, no HTML, no markdown — per the
- * repo-wide no-markdown-renderer rule.
- *
- * The page h1 stays in `<DashboardHeader>`; this band is supporting
- * content, so it renders non-heading text only (matching the Insights
- * hero strip, which also carries no heading element).
- */
-import { useMemo } from "react";
-import Link from "next/link";
-import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button";
-import { ScoreRing } from "@/components/insights/derived/score-ring";
-import type { RingHue } from "@/components/insights/derived/ring-hues";
-import { RestModeBanner } from "@/components/insights/rest-mode-banner";
-import { BriefingSpotlight } from "@/components/dashboard/hero/briefing-spotlight";
-import {
-  HeroRingCarousel,
-  type HeroRingSlide,
-} from "@/components/dashboard/hero/hero-ring-carousel";
-import { METRIC_HREF } from "@/components/insights/daily-briefing";
-import {
-  resolveDashboardVerdict,
-  type DashboardVerdictVariant,
-} from "@/lib/dashboard/verdict";
-import type { DashboardSnapshot } from "@/lib/dashboard/snapshot";
-import {
-  HEALTH_SCORE_RING_ID,
-  resolveHeroRingOrder,
-  type ScoreRingId,
-  type HeroRingId,
-} from "@/lib/dashboard-layout";
-import type { QuickEntryDialog } from "@/components/dashboard/quick-entry-sheets";
-import { useTranslations, useTimeFormatPreference } from "@/lib/i18n/context";
-import { makeFormatters } from "@/lib/format-locale";
-import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
-
-/**
- * Variant → message key. `briefing` is deliberately absent — its
- * sentence is the model headline rendered verbatim, not a translation.
- * The bpCritical rung surfaces under the `bpHigh` copy key.
- */
-const VERDICT_MESSAGE_KEY: Record<
-  Exclude<DashboardVerdictVariant, "briefing">,
-  string
-> = {
-  doseOverdue: "dashboard.hero.verdict.doseOverdue",
-  bpCritical: "dashboard.hero.verdict.bpHigh",
-  doseUpcoming: "dashboard.hero.verdict.doseUpcoming",
-  weightDrift: "dashboard.hero.verdict.weightDrift",
-  shortNights: "dashboard.hero.verdict.shortNights",
-  silence: "dashboard.hero.verdict.silence",
-  scoreDrop: "dashboard.hero.verdict.scoreDrop",
-  allQuiet: "dashboard.hero.verdict.allQuiet",
-};
-
-/** Variant → CTA label key. `allQuiet` carries no CTA (cta: null).
- *  `scoreDrop` / `briefing` carry none either: their only destination was
- *  the Insights overview, which the health-score card already links — a
- *  second broad "open Insights" button on the hero was redundant. Only
- *  verdicts with a SPECIFIC destination or action keep a button. */
-const CTA_LABEL_KEY: Partial<Record<DashboardVerdictVariant, string>> = {
-  doseOverdue: "dashboard.hero.action.takeDose",
-  doseUpcoming: "dashboard.hero.action.takeDose",
-  bpCritical: "dashboard.hero.action.viewBp",
-  weightDrift: "dashboard.hero.action.viewWeight",
-  shortNights: "dashboard.hero.action.viewSleep",
-  silence: "dashboard.hero.action.logMeasurement",
-};
-
-/**
- * Per-ring hue for the selected score rings — the wellness-strip
- * vocabulary, so every hero ring paints EXACTLY the hue its insights
- * sibling paints. MED_COMPLIANCE rides the `meds` hue: the medication
- * family in Insights paints `--primary` on every surface (compliance
- * bars, compliance trend line, drug-level / dose-strength curves), so
- * the dose ring holds that one constant tone — never a band gradient
- * that would flash yellow/red over pending morning doses, and not the
- * green arc the ring system reserves for band semantics.
- */
-const RING_HUE_BY_ID: Partial<Record<ScoreRingId, RingHue>> = {
-  READINESS: "readiness",
-  RECOVERY_SCORE: "recovery",
-  SLEEP_SCORE: "sleep",
-  MED_COMPLIANCE: "meds",
-};
-
-/** Per-ring label key — reuses the existing score labels; the dose ring
- *  names today's tally. */
-const RING_LABEL_KEY: Record<ScoreRingId, string> = {
-  READINESS: "insights.derived.composite.READINESS.title",
-  RECOVERY_SCORE: "insights.derived.scores.recovery",
-  SLEEP_SCORE: "insights.derived.composite.SLEEP_SCORE.title",
-  MED_COMPLIANCE: "dashboard.hero.ringDoses",
-};
-
-/**
- * v1.27.24 — per-ring detail destination. Each hero ring links to the
- * SAME surface its sibling already owns elsewhere in the app, so tapping
- * a ring opens the natural deeper view rather than inventing one:
- *
- *   - the three derived rings route to their score-anatomy detail page
- *     (`/insights/scores/<slug>`) — exactly where the /insights wellness
- *     strip links each ring;
- *   - the dose ring routes to the medications surface (`/medications`) —
- *     the today/intake destination the dashboard dose CTA already uses.
- *
- * The health-score ring is wired separately to the Insights overview
- * (`/insights`, the destination the health-score card carries). A ring
- * with no sensible destination would be left non-interactive; every id
- * in the closed set has one, so the map is total.
- */
-const RING_HREF: Record<ScoreRingId, string> = {
-  READINESS: "/insights/scores/readiness",
-  RECOVERY_SCORE: "/insights/scores/recovery",
-  SLEEP_SCORE: "/insights/scores/sleep",
-  MED_COMPLIANCE: "/medications",
-};
-
-export function DashboardHero({
-  snapshot,
-  onQuickEntry,
-}: {
-  snapshot: DashboardSnapshot;
-  onQuickEntry: (dialog: NonNullable<QuickEntryDialog>) => void;
-}) {
-  const { t, locale } = useTranslations();
-  const timeFormat = useTimeFormatPreference();
-  // Times format in the USER's timezone from the snapshot (the shared
-  // `useFormatters()` hook falls back to the display default), honouring
-  // the per-user hour-cycle preference like the medication cards do.
-  // Only ever invoked post-snapshot, so no pre-paint Intl work.
-  const fmt = useMemo(
-    () => makeFormatters(locale, snapshot.user.timezone, timeFormat),
-    [locale, snapshot.user.timezone, timeFormat],
-  );
-
-  // Fresh `now` per snapshot evaluation: the resolver re-derives every
-  // freshness window against the current instant, so a snapshot served
-  // from cache ages honestly between refetches.
-  const verdict = useMemo(
-    () => resolveDashboardVerdict(snapshot, new Date()),
-    [snapshot],
-  );
-
-  // ── Greeting — absorbed from the old header paragraph ──────────────
-  // The server-computed wall-clock hour keeps the daypart stable and
-  // Intl-free; the hero only mounts once the snapshot resolved (the
-  // skeleton carries the footprint before that), so the personalised
-  // line can never disagree with SSR output.
-  const hour = snapshot.user.greetingHour;
-  const timeGreeting =
-    hour >= 5 && hour < 12
-      ? t("dashboard.greeting.morning")
-      : hour >= 12 && hour < 18
-        ? t("dashboard.greeting.day")
-        : t("dashboard.greeting.evening");
-  const name = snapshot.user.username.trim();
-  const welcomeText =
-    name.length > 0
-      ? t("dashboard.welcomeBackWithName", { greeting: timeGreeting, name })
-      : t("dashboard.welcomeBack", { greeting: timeGreeting });
-
-  // ── Verdict sentence + CTA ──────────────────────────────────────────
-  // The dose variants interpolate a medication name; a snapshot can carry
-  // none (the resolver emits `""`), and the named sentence would render
-  // with a hole ("Eine Dosis  ist überfällig."). Swap to the name-less
-  // sibling key instead of patching a generic word into the gap.
-  const verdictName =
-    typeof verdict.values.name === "string" ? verdict.values.name.trim() : "";
-  const messageKey = (variant: Exclude<DashboardVerdictVariant, "briefing">) =>
-    variant === "doseOverdue" && verdictName.length === 0
-      ? "dashboard.hero.verdict.doseOverdueNoName"
-      : variant === "doseUpcoming" && verdictName.length === 0
-        ? "dashboard.hero.verdict.doseUpcomingNoName"
-        : VERDICT_MESSAGE_KEY[variant];
-  const sentence =
-    verdict.variant === "briefing"
-      ? // Model headline VERBATIM as a plain text child — no key.
-        String(verdict.values.headline ?? "")
-      : t(messageKey(verdict.variant), {
-          ...verdict.values,
-          // The resolver emits a fixed 24 h wall-clock string; re-format
-          // the underlying instant through the user's hour-cycle
-          // preference when we still hold it.
-          ...(verdict.variant === "doseUpcoming" &&
-          snapshot.medsToday.nextDueAt !== null
-            ? { time: fmt.time(snapshot.medsToday.nextDueAt) }
-            : {}),
-          ...(verdict.variant === "shortNights" &&
-          typeof verdict.values.hours === "number"
-            ? { hours: fmt.number(verdict.values.hours, 1) }
-            : {}),
-        });
-  const cta = verdict.cta;
-  const ctaLabelKey = CTA_LABEL_KEY[verdict.variant];
-
-  // Link-CTA verdicts WITHOUT a button label (scoreDrop, briefing) make
-  // the sentence itself the link — after the broad "open Insights"
-  // button was dropped the sentence was a dead end. The briefing
-  // sentence deep-links to the picked finding's metric sub-page (the
-  // METRIC_HREF map the briefing rows use); metrics without a routed
-  // sub-page fall back to the resolver's `/insights` href. Verdicts
-  // with their own action (take dose, view BP, …) keep the button.
-  const sentenceHref =
-    cta !== null && cta.kind === "link" && !ctaLabelKey
-      ? verdict.variant === "briefing" &&
-        typeof verdict.values.sourceMetric === "string"
-        ? (METRIC_HREF[
-            verdict.values.sourceMetric as keyof typeof METRIC_HREF
-          ] ?? cta.href)
-        : cta.href
-      : null;
-
-  // ── Provisional score copy ──────────────────────────────────────────
-  // The score's four pillars are weight, BP, mood, and medication
-  // compliance. When ANY of them already carries data, a null score is
-  // a warm-up state (the rollup tier hasn't folded the buckets the
-  // warm-phase score rides on yet) — telling an account with weeks of
-  // readings "not enough data" would be a lie. Only an account with no
-  // score inputs at all keeps the genuine empty-state copy. Cheap
-  // heuristic over fields the snapshot already carries; no extra reads.
-  const summaries = snapshot.tiles.summaries;
-  const hasScoreInputs =
-    (summaries.WEIGHT?.count ?? 0) > 0 ||
-    (summaries.BLOOD_PRESSURE_SYS?.count ?? 0) > 0 ||
-    (summaries.BLOOD_PRESSURE_DIA?.count ?? 0) > 0 ||
-    snapshot.tiles.mood.entries.length > 0 ||
-    snapshot.medsToday.activeCount > 0;
-
-  // ── Ring row (v1.27.7) ─────────────────────────────────────────────
-  // The snapshot resolves the selected rings server-side; entries absent
-  // from the array (no data / disabled module) simply don't render —
-  // the wellness-strip self-gating rule. Optional on the type (additive
-  // contract), so an older cached snapshot renders the health ring alone.
-  const scoreRings = snapshot.scoreRings ?? [];
-
-  // One slide per ring, keyed by its `HeroRingId`. Each score ring links
-  // to its natural existing detail surface; a real <Link> (in the
-  // carousel) keeps tap-vs-drag native on mobile.
-  const scoreRingSlides = new Map<HeroRingId, HeroRingSlide>(
-    scoreRings.map((ring) => [
-      ring.id,
-      {
-        key: ring.id,
-        ringId: ring.id,
-        href: RING_HREF[ring.id],
-        linkLabel: t("dashboard.hero.ringLink", {
-          metric: t(RING_LABEL_KEY[ring.id]),
-        }),
-        node:
-          // Dose ring — today's tally ("1/3") over the constant med-family
-          // arc (`hue="meds"` = --primary, the tone every medication surface
-          // in Insights paints); the arc still sweeps on the 0..100 progress
-          // `score`. `band="green"` stays as the stable data-band anchor — a
-          // pending morning dose is not an alert state — while the hue owns
-          // the paint. Falls through to the score render when a cached
-          // pre-doses snapshot carries no tally.
-          ring.id === "MED_COMPLIANCE" && ring.doses ? (
-            <ScoreRing
-              score={ring.score}
-              band="green"
-              hue="meds"
-              valueText={`${ring.doses.taken}/${ring.doses.scheduled}`}
-              ariaLabel={t("dashboard.hero.ringDosesAria", {
-                taken: ring.doses.taken,
-                scheduled: ring.doses.scheduled,
-              })}
-              size="sm"
-              flat
-              label={t(RING_LABEL_KEY[ring.id])}
-            />
-          ) : (
-            <ScoreRing
-              score={ring.score}
-              band={ring.band}
-              size="sm"
-              flat
-              hue={RING_HUE_BY_ID[ring.id]}
-              label={t(RING_LABEL_KEY[ring.id])}
-            />
-          ),
-      },
-    ]),
-  );
-
-  const healthScoreSlide: HeroRingSlide = {
-    key: "health-score",
-    // The health-score ring opens the Insights overview — the same
-    // destination the health-score card links (why the hero verdict
-    // dropped its redundant "open Insights" button).
-    href: "/insights",
-    linkLabel: t("dashboard.hero.ringLink", {
-      metric: t("dashboard.hero.scoreLabel"),
-    }),
-    node: (
-      <ScoreRing
-        score={snapshot.healthScore?.score ?? null}
-        band={snapshot.healthScore?.band}
-        size="sm"
-        flat
-        label={
-          snapshot.healthScore
-            ? t("dashboard.hero.scoreLabel")
-            : hasScoreInputs
-              ? t("dashboard.hero.scoreComputing")
-              : t("dashboard.hero.scoreProvisional")
-        }
-      />
-    ),
-  };
-
-  // v1.27.27 — the hero ring sequence honours the persisted order (health
-  // score + selected rings). The reconciler defaults to health-score-first
-  // when the user hasn't customised, drops any ordered id whose ring isn't
-  // rendered (no data / disabled module), and appends a rendered ring the
-  // order omits — so the order can never hide or duplicate a slide. Feeds
-  // the carousel on mobile and the inline row on desktop from a SINGLE
-  // render of each ring node.
-  const heroRingOrder = resolveHeroRingOrder(
-    snapshot.layout?.heroRingOrder,
-    scoreRings.map((ring) => ring.id),
-  );
-  const ringSlides: HeroRingSlide[] = heroRingOrder
-    .map((id) =>
-      id === HEALTH_SCORE_RING_ID ? healthScoreSlide : scoreRingSlides.get(id),
-    )
-    .filter((slide): slide is HeroRingSlide => slide !== undefined);
-
-  return (
-    <section
-      data-slot="dashboard-hero"
-      className={cn(
-        // The band sits in the same column as the chart cards + tile
-        // strip, so it wears the same surface: plain `bg-card` with the
-        // shared border + radius + padding (mirrors `<TrendCard>`). No
-        // gradient, no glow — it reads as one of the dashboard tiles.
-        "bg-card border-border relative isolate overflow-hidden rounded-xl border",
-        "min-h-[8.75rem] p-4 md:min-h-[9.5rem] md:p-6",
-      )}
-    >
-      {/* Vertical rhythm: greeting/ring row and the briefing sit one tight
-          spacing step apart on desktop (md:gap-2) so the briefing hugs the
-          ring row instead of drifting below a floating greeting; mobile
-          keeps the roomier gap-4. The top row aligns to its start on
-          desktop so the greeting anchors to the top edge instead of
-          drifting to the vertical centre of the taller ring column. */}
-      <div className="flex h-full flex-col gap-4 md:gap-2">
-        <div className="flex flex-col gap-4 md:flex-row md:items-start md:justify-between">
-          <div className="min-w-0 flex-1 space-y-2">
-            {/* Greeting leads the typographic hierarchy: larger + heavier
-              than the verdict so the personalised line reads first.
-              The verdict keeps its medium weight one step down — still
-              the content lead, clearly subordinate to the greeting.
-              Both stay on the existing foreground token; the band adds
-              no new colour. */}
-            <p
-              data-slot="dashboard-hero-greeting"
-              className="text-foreground text-lg font-semibold tracking-tight sm:text-xl"
-            >
-              {welcomeText}
-            </p>
-            {/* Sentence then action, stacked — the overdue-dose button sits
-              DIRECTLY beneath the verdict text (tight `gap-1.5`), left-aligned
-              and intrinsic width (`self-start w-auto`), on every viewport. An
-              earlier `justify-between` shoved the button to the far container
-              edge on desktop, stranding it from the sentence it acts on. */}
-            <div className="flex flex-col items-start gap-1.5">
-              {sentenceHref ? (
-                <Link
-                  href={sentenceHref}
-                  data-slot="dashboard-hero-verdict"
-                  data-verdict-variant={verdict.variant}
-                  className="text-foreground/90 hover:text-foreground min-w-0 text-base font-medium transition-colors"
-                >
-                  {sentence}
-                </Link>
-              ) : (
-                <p
-                  data-slot="dashboard-hero-verdict"
-                  data-verdict-variant={verdict.variant}
-                  className="text-foreground/90 min-w-0 text-base font-medium"
-                >
-                  {sentence}
-                </p>
-              )}
-              {cta !== null && ctaLabelKey ? (
-                cta.kind === "link" ? (
-                  <Button
-                    asChild
-                    size="default"
-                    variant="outline"
-                    className="min-h-11 w-auto self-start sm:min-h-9"
-                    data-slot="dashboard-hero-cta"
-                  >
-                    <Link href={cta.href}>{t(ctaLabelKey)}</Link>
-                  </Button>
-                ) : (
-                  <Button
-                    size="default"
-                    className="min-h-11 w-auto self-start sm:min-h-9"
-                    data-slot="dashboard-hero-cta"
-                    onClick={() => onQuickEntry(cta.target)}
-                  >
-                    {t(ctaLabelKey)}
-                  </Button>
-                )
-              ) : null}
-            </div>
-          </div>
-          {/* Ring carousel — the selected score rings (max 3, each at the
-            fixed 120 px sm footprint, flat) lead into the health-score
-            ring on the trailing edge. On mobile they ride a one-ring
-            scroll-snap carousel with dot indicators (calmer than the old
-            wrap-to-grid row); at `md` and up the SAME nodes revert to the
-            right-aligned inline row. A null health score renders the
-            ring's provisional state (aria announces "not enough data",
-            never 0) at identical geometry, so the column NEVER
-            collapses; missing selected rings render nothing. */}
-          <HeroRingCarousel slides={ringSlides} />
-        </div>
-        {/* v1.18.1 — Rest Mode cue beneath the verdict/score row. Self-gating
-            (renders nothing unless an episode is active), value-free, and
-            untinted so it frames the score without alarming. Closes the
-            web↔iOS parity gap: iOS already mirrors `score.restMode`. */}
-        <RestModeBanner annotation={snapshot.healthScore?.restMode ?? null} />
-        {/* v1.18.11 — briefing spotlight. Lifts the fresh briefing's own
-            signals onto the hero so the daily read is always above the
-            fold, not buried behind the rung-8 verdict. Self-gating: renders
-            nothing unless a fresh (ready, non-stale) briefing carries
-            content. The rung-8 `briefing` verdict above still fires when no
-            higher rung claims the verdict line; this band is additive and
-            does not change which sentence the verdict shows. */}
-        <BriefingSpotlight
-          briefing={snapshot.briefing}
-          briefingState={snapshot.briefingState}
-          briefingStale={snapshot.briefingStale}
-        />
-      </div>
-    </section>
-  );
-}
diff --git a/src/components/dashboard/hero/hero-ring-carousel.tsx b/src/components/dashboard/hero/hero-ring-carousel.tsx
deleted file mode 100644
index 415d78556..000000000
--- a/src/components/dashboard/hero/hero-ring-carousel.tsx
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,186 +0,0 @@
-"use client";
-
-/**
- * Hero ring carousel — the mobile face of the dashboard-hero ring row.
- *
- * Below `md` the wellness rings no longer wrap into a multi-row grid
- * (which ate vertical space); instead a single ring shows centred and
- * the user swipes left/right through the set. The mechanism is a
- * dependency-free CSS scroll-snap track — a horizontal `overflow-x-auto`
- * flex whose slides are each full-width `snap-center`, so exactly one
- * ring is visible at a time and native touch/keyboard scrolling moves
- * between them. A row of dot indicators below the track shows the
- * position; the active dot rides `--primary`, inactive dots muted.
- *
- * At `md` and up the SAME track reverts, purely in CSS, to the inline
- * right-aligned ring row it always was: `md:overflow-x-visible`,
- * `md:snap-none`, `md:justify-end`, and slides collapse to their own
- * width (`md:w-auto`). Every ring is visible at once and the dot row is
- * hidden — the desktop layout is unchanged.
- *
- * a11y: the track is a focusable scroll region (native arrow-key
- * scrolling), each ring carries its own metric label + aria, the dots
- * are real buttons that scroll to their slide with an aria-current on
- * the active one, and the programmatic scroll honours
- * `prefers-reduced-motion` (jump, don't glide). The track scrolls inside
- * itself, so no phone width overflows the page.
- */
-
-import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
-import Link from "next/link";
-import { useTranslations } from "@/lib/i18n/context";
-import { prefersReducedMotion } from "@/lib/charts/reduced-motion";
-import type { ScoreRingId } from "@/lib/dashboard-layout";
-import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
-
-export interface HeroRingSlide {
-  /** Stable key + dot label anchor. */
-  key: string;
-  /** Selected-ring id when the slide is a `scoreRings` entry (carries the
-   *  `data-ring` contract the tests + wellness vocabulary rely on); the
-   *  health-score slide leaves it unset. */
-  ringId?: ScoreRingId;
-  /** The rendered `<ScoreRing>` node. */
-  node: React.ReactNode;
-  /** Optional detail destination — wraps the ring in a focusable link so a
-   *  tap opens the metric's detail. A real anchor keeps tap-vs-drag native
-   *  on the mobile carousel: a swipe scrolls the track, only a tap fires
-   *  navigation. Omit to leave the ring non-interactive. */
-  href?: string;
-  /** aria-label for the ring link ("Open {metric} details"). */
-  linkLabel?: string;
-}
-
-export function HeroRingCarousel({ slides }: { slides: HeroRingSlide[] }) {
-  const { t } = useTranslations();
-  const trackRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
-  const [active, setActive] = useState(0);
-  // A single slide is not a carousel: no dots, no scroll affordance.
-  const multi = slides.length > 1;
-
-  // Track the active slide from the scroll offset. Each slide is exactly
-  // the track's own width (full-width snap slide), so `scrollLeft /
-  // clientWidth` rounds straight to the slide index — no Intersection
-  // Observer bookkeeping needed. On desktop the track has no overflow, so
-  // `scrollLeft` stays 0 and the (hidden) dots stay on the first.
-  useEffect(() => {
-    const track = trackRef.current;
-    if (!track || !multi) return;
-    let raf = 0;
-    const onScroll = () => {
-      cancelAnimationFrame(raf);
-      raf = requestAnimationFrame(() => {
-        const w = track.clientWidth || 1;
-        const idx = Math.round(track.scrollLeft / w);
-        setActive(Math.min(slides.length - 1, Math.max(0, idx)));
-      });
-    };
-    track.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll, { passive: true });
-    return () => {
-      track.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll);
-      cancelAnimationFrame(raf);
-    };
-  }, [multi, slides.length]);
-
-  const goTo = (index: number) => {
-    const track = trackRef.current;
-    if (!track) return;
-    track.scrollTo({
-      left: index * track.clientWidth,
-      behavior: prefersReducedMotion() ? "auto" : "smooth",
-    });
-  };
-
-  return (
-    <div
-      data-slot="dashboard-hero-rings"
-      className="w-full md:w-auto md:shrink-0"
-    >
-      <div
-        ref={trackRef}
-        data-slot="dashboard-hero-ring-track"
-        role="group"
-        aria-label={t("dashboard.hero.ringCarousel.aria")}
-        tabIndex={multi ? 0 : undefined}
-        className={cn(
-          // Mobile: one full-width ring per viewport, native swipe between
-          // them; the scrollbar is hidden (the dots are the affordance).
-          "no-scrollbar flex snap-x snap-mandatory overflow-x-auto rounded-lg",
-          "motion-safe:scroll-smooth",
-          "focus-visible:ring-ring/50 focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:outline-none",
-          // Desktop: back to the inline right-aligned ring row, every ring
-          // visible, no snapping — the pre-carousel layout unchanged.
-          "md:snap-none md:justify-end md:gap-6 md:overflow-x-visible md:rounded-none",
-        )}
-      >
-        {slides.map((slide) => (
-          <div
-            key={slide.key}
-            data-carousel-slide=""
-            {...(slide.ringId
-              ? {
-                  "data-slot": "dashboard-hero-ring",
-                  "data-ring": slide.ringId,
-                }
-              : {})}
-            className={cn(
-              // Mobile: a full-width centred slide → exactly one ring shows.
-              "flex w-full shrink-0 snap-center items-center justify-center",
-              // Desktop: collapse to the ring's own width, inline in the row.
-              "md:w-auto",
-            )}
-          >
-            {slide.href ? (
-              // A real anchor sized to the ring: a tap navigates, a
-              // horizontal drag scrolls the track (native tap-vs-drag), and
-              // it is keyboard-focusable with a rounded focus ring.
-              <Link
-                href={slide.href}
-                aria-label={slide.linkLabel}
-                data-slot="dashboard-hero-ring-link"
-                className="focus-visible:ring-ring/50 rounded-full focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:outline-none"
-              >
-                {slide.node}
-              </Link>
-            ) : (
-              slide.node
-            )}
-          </div>
-        ))}
-      </div>
-      {multi ? (
-        <div
-          data-slot="dashboard-hero-ring-dots"
-          className="mt-2 flex items-center justify-center gap-1 md:hidden"
-        >
-          {slides.map((slide, i) => {
-            const isActive = i === active;
-            return (
-              <button
-                key={slide.key}
-                type="button"
-                onClick={() => goTo(i)}
-                data-slot="dashboard-hero-ring-dot"
-                data-active={isActive ? "true" : undefined}
-                aria-current={isActive ? "true" : undefined}
-                aria-label={t("dashboard.hero.ringCarousel.dot", {
-                  index: i + 1,
-                  total: slides.length,
-                })}
-                className="focus-visible:ring-ring/50 flex items-center justify-center rounded-full p-1.5 focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:outline-none"
-              >
-                <span
-                  aria-hidden="true"
-                  className={cn(
-                    "block h-2 rounded-full transition-all",
-                    isActive ? "bg-primary w-4" : "bg-muted-foreground/40 w-2",
-                  )}
-                />
-              </button>
-            );
-          })}
-        </div>
-      ) : null}
-    </div>
-  );
-}
diff --git a/src/components/settings/__tests__/dashboard-layout-section.test.tsx b/src/components/settings/__tests__/dashboard-layout-section.test.tsx
index 12de28600..1be642928 100644
--- a/src/components/settings/__tests__/dashboard-layout-section.test.tsx
+++ b/src/components/settings/__tests__/dashboard-layout-section.test.tsx
@@ -159,11 +159,16 @@ describe("<DashboardLayoutSection> — drag-and-drop reorder", () => {
   it("keeps the arrow buttons present after the drag handle lands (a11y fallback)", () => {
     const html = render(<DashboardLayoutSection id="dashboard-layout" />);
     // Move up + Move down translation keys resolve to the English
-    // strings — counted once per row.
+    // strings — counted once per row. Both the widget rows and the
+    // score-ring reorder rows (health-score anchor + selected rings)
+    // carry the same arrow pair, so the total is one per row of either
+    // kind.
+    const ringRows = (html.match(/data-slot="score-ring-row"/g) ?? []).length;
+    const expected = WEB_RENDERABLE_ROW_COUNT + ringRows;
     const moveUpCount = (html.match(/aria-label="Move up"/g) ?? []).length;
     const moveDownCount = (html.match(/aria-label="Move down"/g) ?? []).length;
-    expect(moveUpCount).toBe(WEB_RENDERABLE_ROW_COUNT);
-    expect(moveDownCount).toBe(WEB_RENDERABLE_ROW_COUNT);
+    expect(moveUpCount).toBe(expected);
+    expect(moveDownCount).toBe(expected);
   });
 
   it("hint string localises to German", () => {
@@ -283,76 +288,6 @@ describe("<DashboardLayoutSection> — iOS-only id skip (v1.7.0)", () => {
   });
 });
 
-/**
- * Dashboard hero (Tagesüberblick) visibility switch — one toggle above
- * the widget list, persisted as `heroVisible` on the layout blob through
- * the SAME PUT mutation the widget rows use (the Save button flushes the
- * draft). SSR smoke assertions + source pins, matching the rest of this
- * suite (no DOM runtime for state mutation).
- */
-describe("<DashboardLayoutSection> — hero visibility switch", () => {
-  it("renders one hero switch above the widget list", () => {
-    const html = render(<DashboardLayoutSection id="dashboard-layout" />);
-    const switches = html.match(/data-slot="hero-visible-switch"/g) ?? [];
-    expect(switches).toHaveLength(1);
-    // Above the list: the hero switch markup precedes the first widget row.
-    expect(html.indexOf('data-slot="hero-visible-switch"')).toBeLessThan(
-      html.indexOf('data-slot="widget-row"'),
-    );
-  });
-
-  it("labels the switch with the localised copy + description", () => {
-    const de = render(<DashboardLayoutSection id="dashboard-layout" />, "de");
-    expect(de).toContain("Tagesüberblick");
-    expect(de).toContain(
-      "Zeigt Begrüßung, Tagesfokus und Score-Ringe ganz oben auf dem Dashboard.",
-    );
-    const en = render(<DashboardLayoutSection id="dashboard-layout" />);
-    expect(en).toContain("Daily overview");
-  });
-
-  it("reflects heroVisible: default layout → unchecked, true → checked", () => {
-    const uncheckedHtml = render(
-      <DashboardLayoutSection id="dashboard-layout" />,
-    );
-    const unchecked = uncheckedHtml.match(
-      /<button[^>]*data-slot="hero-visible-switch"[^>]*>/,
-    );
-    expect(unchecked).not.toBeNull();
-    expect(unchecked![0]).toContain('data-state="unchecked"');
-
-    queryState.layout = { ...DEFAULT_DASHBOARD_LAYOUT, heroVisible: true };
-    const checkedHtml = render(
-      <DashboardLayoutSection id="dashboard-layout" />,
-    );
-    const checked = checkedHtml.match(
-      /<button[^>]*data-slot="hero-visible-switch"[^>]*>/,
-    );
-    expect(checked).not.toBeNull();
-    expect(checked![0]).toContain('data-state="checked"');
-  });
-
-  it("persists through the existing PUT draft flow (source pins)", () => {
-    const src = readFileSync(
-      join(
-        process.cwd(),
-        "src/components/settings/dashboard-layout-section.tsx",
-      ),
-      "utf8",
-    );
-    // The toggle writes the flag onto the layout draft…
-    expect(src).toMatch(
-      /setDraft\(\{\s*\.\.\.layout,\s*heroVisible:\s*value\s*\}\)/,
-    );
-    // …which the Save button flushes via the one save mutation
-    // (`apiPut("/api/dashboard/widgets", …)`) every other control uses.
-    expect(src).toMatch(/onCheckedChange=\{\(v\) => setHeroVisible\(v\)\}/);
-    expect(src).toMatch(
-      /apiPut<DashboardLayout>\("\/api\/dashboard\/widgets", next\)/,
-    );
-  });
-});
-
 /**
  * v1.11.2 HIGH-1 — the 8 B5 ids are WRITABLE (in DASHBOARD_WIDGET_IDS so the
  * iOS pin PUT validates them) but have NO web render path, so the web
@@ -441,19 +376,20 @@ describe("<DashboardLayoutSection> — disabled-module widget toggles", () => {
 });
 
 /**
- * v1.27.7 — hero score-ring picker. Rendered only while the hero is on
- * (the rings live inside the hero band); offers only rings whose owning
- * module is enabled; caps the selection at three via disabled switches.
- * SSR smoke assertions, matching the rest of this suite.
+ * v1.27.7 — hero score-ring picker. Renders whenever the layout loads
+ * (it configures the server-computed score rings the dashboard snapshot
+ * carries); offers only rings whose owning module is enabled; caps the
+ * selection at three via disabled switches. SSR smoke assertions,
+ * matching the rest of this suite.
  */
 describe("<DashboardLayoutSection> — hero score-ring picker (v1.27.7)", () => {
-  it("stays hidden while the hero is off (default layout)", () => {
+  it("renders for the default layout", () => {
     const html = render(<DashboardLayoutSection id="dashboard-layout" />);
-    expect(html).not.toContain('data-slot="score-rings-picker"');
+    expect(html).toContain('data-slot="score-rings-picker"');
   });
 
-  it("renders one switch per ring when the hero is on (fail-open module map)", () => {
-    queryState.layout = { ...DEFAULT_DASHBOARD_LAYOUT, heroVisible: true };
+  it("renders one switch per ring (fail-open module map)", () => {
+    queryState.layout = DEFAULT_DASHBOARD_LAYOUT;
     const html = render(<DashboardLayoutSection id="dashboard-layout" />);
     expect(html).toContain('data-slot="score-rings-picker"');
     // v1.27.27 — one switch per score ring (4) plus the always-present
@@ -469,7 +405,7 @@ describe("<DashboardLayoutSection> — hero score-ring picker (v1.27.7)", () =>
   });
 
   it("hides rings whose owning module is disabled (anchor stays)", () => {
-    queryState.layout = { ...DEFAULT_DASHBOARD_LAYOUT, heroVisible: true };
+    queryState.layout = DEFAULT_DASHBOARD_LAYOUT;
     authState.modules = { recovery: false, sleep: false };
     const html = render(<DashboardLayoutSection id="dashboard-layout" />);
     const switches = html.match(/data-slot="score-ring-switch"/g) ?? [];
@@ -481,7 +417,7 @@ describe("<DashboardLayoutSection> — hero score-ring picker (v1.27.7)", () =>
   });
 
   it("hides the derived rings when the insights module is off (anchor stays)", () => {
-    queryState.layout = { ...DEFAULT_DASHBOARD_LAYOUT, heroVisible: true };
+    queryState.layout = DEFAULT_DASHBOARD_LAYOUT;
     authState.modules = { insights: false };
     const html = render(<DashboardLayoutSection id="dashboard-layout" />);
     const switches = html.match(/data-slot="score-ring-switch"/g) ?? [];
@@ -493,7 +429,6 @@ describe("<DashboardLayoutSection> — hero score-ring picker (v1.27.7)", () =>
   it("disables the remaining switches at the three-ring cap", () => {
     queryState.layout = {
       ...DEFAULT_DASHBOARD_LAYOUT,
-      heroVisible: true,
       selectedScoreRings: ["READINESS", "RECOVERY_SCORE", "SLEEP_SCORE"],
     };
     const html = render(<DashboardLayoutSection id="dashboard-layout" />);
@@ -522,7 +457,7 @@ describe("<DashboardLayoutSection> — hero score-ring picker (v1.27.7)", () =>
  */
 describe("<DashboardLayoutSection> — health-score anchor + reorder (v1.27.27)", () => {
   it("renders the health-score anchor as a reorderable row, leading by default", () => {
-    queryState.layout = { ...DEFAULT_DASHBOARD_LAYOUT, heroVisible: true };
+    queryState.layout = DEFAULT_DASHBOARD_LAYOUT;
     const html = render(<DashboardLayoutSection id="dashboard-layout" />);
     // A sortable ring row exists for the health-score anchor.
     expect(html).toContain('data-slot="score-ring-row"');
@@ -543,7 +478,7 @@ describe("<DashboardLayoutSection> — health-score anchor + reorder (v1.27.27)"
   });
 
   it("the anchor switch is checked and disabled (locked-on, no toggle-off)", () => {
-    queryState.layout = { ...DEFAULT_DASHBOARD_LAYOUT, heroVisible: true };
+    queryState.layout = DEFAULT_DASHBOARD_LAYOUT;
     const html = render(<DashboardLayoutSection id="dashboard-layout" />);
     const anchorSwitch = html.match(
       /<button[^>]*data-slot="score-ring-switch"[^>]*data-ring="HEALTH_SCORE"[^>]*>/,
@@ -554,7 +489,7 @@ describe("<DashboardLayoutSection> — health-score anchor + reorder (v1.27.27)"
   });
 
   it("the anchor carries a drag handle + move arrows (reorderable)", () => {
-    queryState.layout = { ...DEFAULT_DASHBOARD_LAYOUT, heroVisible: true };
+    queryState.layout = DEFAULT_DASHBOARD_LAYOUT;
     const html = render(<DashboardLayoutSection id="dashboard-layout" />);
     // The health-score row is a full sortable row: its drag handle exists.
     const handles = html.match(/data-slot="score-ring-drag-handle"/g) ?? [];
@@ -565,7 +500,6 @@ describe("<DashboardLayoutSection> — health-score anchor + reorder (v1.27.27)"
   it("honours a persisted order that moves the anchor off the lead", () => {
     queryState.layout = {
       ...DEFAULT_DASHBOARD_LAYOUT,
-      heroVisible: true,
       selectedScoreRings: ["READINESS", "MED_COMPLIANCE"],
       heroRingOrder: ["READINESS", "HEALTH_SCORE", "MED_COMPLIANCE"],
     };
diff --git a/src/components/settings/dashboard-layout-section.tsx b/src/components/settings/dashboard-layout-section.tsx
index 78815f821..2837c8ee7 100644
--- a/src/components/settings/dashboard-layout-section.tsx
+++ b/src/components/settings/dashboard-layout-section.tsx
@@ -202,8 +202,6 @@ export function DashboardLayoutSection({ id }: { id: string }) {
   // tooltip. One hint paragraph is rendered once at the bottom of the list
   // and referenced by every drag handle in this section.
   const dragHintId = useId();
-  // Label ↔ switch hookup for the hero (Tagesüberblick) toggle below.
-  const heroToggleId = useId();
 
   // v1.4.47 W4 — sensors: pointer for mouse/touch, keyboard for Tab + Space
   // + arrow-key reordering. The KeyboardSensor still works for users who
@@ -322,16 +320,6 @@ export function DashboardLayoutSection({ id }: { id: string }) {
     setDraft({ ...layout, comparisonBaseline: value });
   }
 
-  /**
-   * Dashboard hero (daily verdict) visibility. Rides the layout blob
-   * (`heroVisible`, default on) and persists through the same PUT the
-   * widget toggles use — the Save button flushes it.
-   */
-  function setHeroVisible(value: boolean) {
-    if (!layout) return;
-    setDraft({ ...layout, heroVisible: value });
-  }
-
   /**
    * v1.27.8 — the ring choices apply INSTANTLY, outside the draft/Save
    * machine the rest of the section keeps. The first cut routed ring
@@ -595,44 +583,17 @@ export function DashboardLayoutSection({ id }: { id: string }) {
         </div>
       )}
 
-      {/* Hero (Tagesüberblick) visibility — one switch above the widget
-          list because the band sits above every widget on the dashboard.
-          Persists as `heroVisible` on the layout blob through the same
-          PUT mutation the rows below use (Save flushes the draft). */}
-      {layout && (
-        <div className="border-border bg-background/30 flex min-h-12 items-center justify-between gap-3 rounded-md border px-3 py-2">
-          <div className="min-w-0">
-            <label
-              htmlFor={heroToggleId}
-              className="text-foreground text-sm font-medium"
-            >
-              {t("dashboard.heroToggleLabel")}
-            </label>
-            <p className="text-muted-foreground text-xs">
-              {t("dashboard.heroToggleDescription")}
-            </p>
-          </div>
-          <Switch
-            id={heroToggleId}
-            checked={layout.heroVisible === true}
-            onCheckedChange={(v) => setHeroVisible(v)}
-            disabled={saveMutation.isPending}
-            data-slot="hero-visible-switch"
-          />
-        </div>
-      )}
-
-      {/* v1.27.7 — hero score-ring picker. Only rendered while the hero
-          is on (the rings live inside the hero band, so the picker would
-          be a dead control otherwise). Offers only rings whose owning
-          module is enabled — the WIDGET_MODULE_BY_ID gating pattern; the
-          three derived rings additionally sit behind the insights
-          module, mirroring the derived routes. Selection caps at
-          MAX_SELECTED_SCORE_RINGS; unchecked switches disable at the cap.
+      {/* v1.27.7 — hero score-ring picker. Configures the score rings the
+          server computes onto the dashboard snapshot (`selectedScoreRings`
+          / `heroRingOrder`), consumed by the native client. Offers only
+          rings whose owning module is enabled — the WIDGET_MODULE_BY_ID
+          gating pattern; the three derived rings additionally sit behind
+          the insights module, mirroring the derived routes. Selection caps
+          at MAX_SELECTED_SCORE_RINGS; unchecked switches disable at the cap.
           v1.27.8 — choices apply instantly (no Save round) and the
           selected rings reorder with the same drag-handle + arrow pair
-          as the widget rows below; the array order is the hero order. */}
-      {layout && layout.heroVisible === true && (
+          as the widget rows below; the array order is the ring order. */}
+      {layout && (
         <div
           data-slot="score-rings-picker"
           className="border-border bg-background/30 space-y-3 rounded-md border px-3 py-2"
diff --git a/src/lib/__tests__/dashboard-layout.test.ts b/src/lib/__tests__/dashboard-layout.test.ts
index 079135fb0..bf3a3a3c1 100644
--- a/src/lib/__tests__/dashboard-layout.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/__tests__/dashboard-layout.test.ts
@@ -395,62 +395,40 @@ describe("resolveDashboardLayout() — chartOverlayPrefs (v1.4.18)", () => {
 });
 
 /**
- * Dashboard hero (daily verdict) visibility — `heroVisible` piggy-backs
- * on the layout blob like the B8 comparison baseline. Resolver contract:
- * anything that is not the literal `true` clamps back to `false`
- * (the hero is opt-in; legacy blobs keep it off and a stale client
- * cannot poison the field with a non-boolean). Serializer persists the
- * resolved boolean explicitly so a re-read never has to guess the
- * default.
+ * The legacy opt-in dashboard hero was retired; its `heroVisible` flag is
+ * gone from the layout type, defaults, resolver, and serializer. A stored
+ * blob that still carries the field must resolve without throwing and drop
+ * it silently (the resolver is a whitelist constructor, so an unknown key
+ * is ignored on read and never re-persisted).
  */
-describe("resolveDashboardLayout() — heroVisible", () => {
-  it("defaults to false for legacy layouts (no field saved)", () => {
-    const legacy = {
-      version: 1,
-      widgets: [{ id: "weight", visible: true, order: 0 }],
-    };
-    expect(resolveDashboardLayout(legacy).heroVisible).toBe(false);
-  });
-
-  it("respects an explicit heroVisible: true", () => {
+describe("resolveDashboardLayout() — retired heroVisible field", () => {
+  it("drops a stored heroVisible without throwing", () => {
     const saved = {
       version: 1,
       widgets: [{ id: "weight", visible: true, order: 0 }],
       heroVisible: true,
     };
-    expect(resolveDashboardLayout(saved).heroVisible).toBe(true);
+    const resolved = resolveDashboardLayout(saved) as unknown as Record<
+      string,
+      unknown
+    >;
+    expect(resolved).not.toHaveProperty("heroVisible");
   });
 
-  it("clamps non-boolean values back to false", () => {
-    for (const poisoned of ["true", 0, null, 1, {}]) {
-      const saved = {
-        version: 1,
-        widgets: [{ id: "weight", visible: true, order: 0 }],
-        heroVisible: poisoned,
-      };
-      expect(resolveDashboardLayout(saved).heroVisible).toBe(false);
-    }
+  it("does not carry heroVisible on DEFAULT_DASHBOARD_LAYOUT", () => {
+    expect(DEFAULT_DASHBOARD_LAYOUT).not.toHaveProperty("heroVisible");
   });
 
-  it("defaults heroVisible to false in DEFAULT_DASHBOARD_LAYOUT", () => {
-    expect(DEFAULT_DASHBOARD_LAYOUT.heroVisible).toBe(false);
-  });
-
-  it("preserves heroVisible: true through serialize → resolve round-trip", () => {
-    const layout: DashboardLayout = {
-      ...DEFAULT_DASHBOARD_LAYOUT,
-      heroVisible: true,
-    };
-    const resolved = resolveDashboardLayout(serializeDashboardLayout(layout));
-    expect(resolved.heroVisible).toBe(true);
-  });
-
-  it("serializer derives false when the field is missing on input", () => {
-    const layout: DashboardLayout = {
+  it("does not re-emit heroVisible on serialize", () => {
+    const saved = {
       version: 1,
       widgets: [{ id: "weight", visible: true, order: 0 }],
+      heroVisible: true,
     };
-    expect(serializeDashboardLayout(layout).heroVisible).toBe(false);
+    const serialized = serializeDashboardLayout(
+      resolveDashboardLayout(saved),
+    ) as unknown as Record<string, unknown>;
+    expect(serialized).not.toHaveProperty("heroVisible");
   });
 });
 
diff --git a/src/lib/dashboard-layout.ts b/src/lib/dashboard-layout.ts
index fc2330cfc..685d5d222 100644
--- a/src/lib/dashboard-layout.ts
+++ b/src/lib/dashboard-layout.ts
@@ -357,8 +357,8 @@ function coerceChartOverlayPrefsMap(value: unknown): ChartOverlayPrefsMap {
  *     canonical compliance engine — the ring that absorbs the retired
  *     hero dose row's information role.
  *
- * The preference piggy-backs on the layout blob like `heroVisible` (a UI
- * affordance, no Prisma migration). The resolver drops unknown ids,
+ * The preference piggy-backs on the layout blob like `chartOverlayPrefs`
+ * (a UI affordance, no Prisma migration). The resolver drops unknown ids,
  * dedupes, and clamps to `MAX_SELECTED_SCORE_RINGS`; a missing /
  * malformed field falls back to the default single MED_COMPLIANCE ring,
  * while an explicitly-saved empty array stays empty (the user chose no
@@ -505,16 +505,6 @@ export interface DashboardLayout {
   comparisonBaseline?: ComparisonBaseline;
   /** v1.4.18 — per-chart overlay-prefs (3 toggles per chart card). */
   chartOverlayPrefs?: ChartOverlayPrefsMap;
-  /**
-   * Dashboard hero (daily verdict) visibility. Piggy-backs on the
-   * layout blob like the B8 comparison baseline — a UI affordance, not
-   * an analytical attribute, so no Prisma migration. Opt-in: the
-   * resolver clamps anything that is not the literal `true` back to
-   * `false` (legacy blobs without the field keep the hero off; a
-   * stale client cannot poison it with a non-boolean), and the
-   * serializer persists the resolved boolean explicitly.
-   */
-  heroVisible?: boolean;
   /**
    * v1.27.7 — hero score rings (max 3, closed `SCORE_RING_IDS` set)
    * rendered next to the health-score ring. See the doc on
@@ -540,9 +530,6 @@ const DASHBOARD_LAYOUT_VERSION = 1;
  */
 export const DEFAULT_DASHBOARD_LAYOUT: DashboardLayout = {
   version: DASHBOARD_LAYOUT_VERSION,
-  // Hero (daily verdict) is off by default; users opt in via
-  // Settings → Dashboard.
-  heroVisible: false,
   // One medication-adherence ring next to the health score by default —
   // the successor of the hero dose row's information role.
   selectedScoreRings: [...DEFAULT_SELECTED_SCORE_RINGS],
@@ -699,10 +686,6 @@ export function resolveDashboardLayout(raw: unknown): DashboardLayout {
     // client cannot poison the dashboard with values the renderer
     // doesn't know how to draw.
     chartOverlayPrefs: coerceChartOverlayPrefsMap(candidate.chartOverlayPrefs),
-    // Hero visibility — anything that is not the literal `true`
-    // clamps to `false` (default-off for legacy blobs and malformed
-    // values alike; the hero is opt-in).
-    heroVisible: candidate.heroVisible === true,
     // v1.27.7 — hero score rings: unknown ids drop, duplicates collapse,
     // the list clamps to three. A legacy blob without the field gets the
     // default single MED_COMPLIANCE ring.
@@ -744,9 +727,6 @@ export function serializeDashboardLayout(
     // v1.4.18 — persist per-chart overlay prefs verbatim through the
     // same coercion the resolver runs so the wire shape is stable.
     chartOverlayPrefs: coerceChartOverlayPrefsMap(layout.chartOverlayPrefs),
-    // Persist hero visibility explicitly (same clamp as the resolver)
-    // so a re-read never has to guess the default.
-    heroVisible: layout.heroVisible === true,
     // v1.27.7 — persist the score-ring selection through the same
     // coercion the resolver runs so the wire shape is stable.
     selectedScoreRings: resolvedSelectedScoreRings,
diff --git a/src/lib/openapi/routes/medications/schemas.ts b/src/lib/openapi/routes/medications/schemas.ts
index e2b06986c..ae2775fa3 100644
--- a/src/lib/openapi/routes/medications/schemas.ts
+++ b/src/lib/openapi/routes/medications/schemas.ts
@@ -743,7 +743,7 @@ export const medicationListLayoutSchema = z
       .enum(MEDICATION_LIST_VIEWS)
       .optional()
       .describe(
-        'Which presentation /medications renders in. Default "cards". Optional on PUT — when omitted the stored value is preserved (preserve-when-absent, like `heroVisible` on the dashboard layout). Always present on responses.',
+        'Which presentation /medications renders in. Default "cards". Optional on PUT — when omitted the stored value is preserved (preserve-when-absent, like `chartOverlayPrefs` on the dashboard layout). Always present on responses.',
       ),
     order: z
       .array(z.string().min(1).max(MEDICATION_ORDER_ID_MAX_LENGTH))