diff --git a/src/lib/__tests__/require-fresh-mfa-if-enrolled.test.ts b/src/lib/__tests__/require-fresh-mfa-if-enrolled.test.ts
index a05a523a2..d5b6af276 100644
--- a/src/lib/__tests__/require-fresh-mfa-if-enrolled.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/__tests__/require-fresh-mfa-if-enrolled.test.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ vi.mock("@/lib/db", () => ({
     session: { findUnique: vi.fn() },
     apiToken: { findUnique: vi.fn(), update: vi.fn() },
     user: { findUnique: vi.fn() },
+    webauthnMfaCredential: { count: vi.fn() },
   },
 }));
 
@@ -57,6 +58,9 @@ beforeEach(() => {
   // resetAllMocks wipes the factory mockResolvedValue; auditLog is awaited
   // via `.catch(...)` in the Bearer path, so it must return a thenable.
   vi.mocked(auditLog).mockResolvedValue(undefined);
+  // Default: no registered security key, so a TOTP-less account is genuinely
+  // unenrolled and passes straight through.
+  vi.mocked(prisma.webauthnMfaCredential.count).mockResolvedValue(0 as never);
 });
 
 function mockCookieSession(user: unknown) {
@@ -74,6 +78,17 @@ describe("requireFreshMfaIfEnrolled", () => {
     expect(prisma.session.findUnique).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
+  it("gates a security-key-only user (no TOTP) on step-up too", async () => {
+    mockCookieSession(PLAIN_USER);
+    vi.mocked(prisma.webauthnMfaCredential.count).mockResolvedValue(1 as never);
+    vi.mocked(prisma.session.findUnique).mockResolvedValue({
+      mfaVerifiedAt: null,
+    } as never);
+    await expect(
+      requireFreshMfaIfEnrolled(MFA_STEP_UP_MAX_AGE_SECONDS),
+    ).rejects.toBeInstanceOf(StepUpRequiredError);
+  });
+
   it("passes an MFA user with a fresh verification", async () => {
     mockCookieSession(MFA_USER);
     vi.mocked(prisma.session.findUnique).mockResolvedValue({
diff --git a/src/lib/auth/__tests__/login-alert.test.ts b/src/lib/auth/__tests__/login-alert.test.ts
index f64d43aa8..a4ab165a9 100644
--- a/src/lib/auth/__tests__/login-alert.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/auth/__tests__/login-alert.test.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ vi.mock("@/lib/db", () => ({
       findUnique: vi.fn(),
       update: vi.fn(),
       create: vi.fn(),
+      count: vi.fn(),
     },
     user: { findUnique: vi.fn() },
   },
@@ -42,6 +43,9 @@ beforeEach(() => {
   vi.mocked(prisma.user.findUnique).mockResolvedValue({
     locale: "en",
   } as never);
+  // Default: the user already has at least one established device, so a new
+  // sighting is a genuine second-or-later device and may alert.
+  vi.mocked(prisma.userKnownDevice.count).mockResolvedValue(1 as never);
 });
 
 describe("recordSignInDevice — new-device dedupe", () => {
@@ -63,6 +67,22 @@ describe("recordSignInDevice — new-device dedupe", () => {
     expect(payload.userId).toBe("u1");
   });
 
+  it("first-ever device on an empty ledger records silently (baseline)", async () => {
+    vi.mocked(prisma.userKnownDevice.findUnique).mockResolvedValue(null);
+    vi.mocked(prisma.userKnownDevice.count).mockResolvedValue(0 as never);
+    vi.mocked(prisma.userKnownDevice.create).mockResolvedValue({} as never);
+
+    const res = await recordSignInDevice({
+      userId: "u1",
+      ip: "203.0.113.9",
+      userAgent: UA,
+    });
+
+    expect(res).toEqual({ known: false, alerted: false });
+    expect(prisma.userKnownDevice.create).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(dispatchNotification).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
   it("second sighting of the same device is silent (no alert)", async () => {
     vi.mocked(prisma.userKnownDevice.findUnique).mockResolvedValue({
       id: "kd-1",
diff --git a/src/lib/auth/login-alert.ts b/src/lib/auth/login-alert.ts
index 4da185087..1cad93740 100644
--- a/src/lib/auth/login-alert.ts
+++ b/src/lib/auth/login-alert.ts
@@ -87,6 +87,17 @@ export async function recordSignInDevice(params: {
       return { known: true, alerted: false };
     }
 
+    // First sighting of THIS device. If the user has no known devices at all
+    // the ledger is empty — this is the account's baseline (the first login
+    // after the feature shipped, or an account whose registration predates the
+    // ledger). Establish it silently: a "new device" alert only means anything
+    // once there is at least one established device to contrast against, so we
+    // never alert on the very first device a user is ever seen on.
+    const knownDeviceCount = await prisma.userKnownDevice.count({
+      where: { userId },
+    });
+    const isBaseline = knownDeviceCount === 0;
+
     // First sighting. Insert; if a concurrent first-login races us to the
     // unique (userId, deviceHash) index, swallow it and treat as already known
     // so we never double-alert.
@@ -98,7 +109,7 @@ export async function recordSignInDevice(params: {
       return { known: true, alerted: false };
     }
 
-    if (!alertOnNew) return { known: false, alerted: false };
+    if (!alertOnNew || isBaseline) return { known: false, alerted: false };
 
     await auditLog("auth.login.new_device", {
       userId,