fix(insights): flag a stale briefing that has no provider to refresh it

An account with no AI provider configured still reads the last cached
briefing — the read path serves it without ever touching a provider — so
the days-old report rendered as current. The pregenerate cron runs fine;
the cache simply can never refill without a provider. Report provider
availability from the read GET and pair the briefing's relative age with a
discreet 'this can't refresh — connect a provider' hint linking to
Settings -> AI, on both the overview hero meta row and the briefing card
footer. The hint only shows when a briefing is actually rendered; the
empty-state already owns its own no-provider branch.

Also align the briefing card footer caption to the 11px scale the
adjacent period-in-review card uses, so the two overview footers read at
one size.

src/components/insights/daily-briefing.tsx

@@ -108,6 +108,15 @@ interface DailyBriefingProps {
    * linking to Settings → AI instead of an eternal "preparing" loop.
    */
   noProvider?: boolean;
+  /**
+   * v1.18.9 (#4) — no AI provider configured WHILE a (stale) cached
+   * briefing is still shown. The read path serves the last good briefing
+   * regardless of provider state, so a provider-less account keeps seeing
+   * a days-old briefing. When true, the footer pairs the honest relative
+   * age with a discreet "this can't refresh — connect a provider" hint so
+   * the staleness reads as intentional, not as a live report.
+   */
+  noProviderStale?: boolean;
   /**
    * Optional slot for a meta control mounted in the card header — the
    * comparison toggle migrates here from the hero in commit 5.
@@ -323,6 +332,7 @@ export function DailyBriefing({
   onRegenerate,
   regenerating = false,
   noProvider = false,
+  noProviderStale = false,
   metaSlot,
 }: DailyBriefingProps) {
   const { t } = useTranslations();
@@ -407,15 +417,40 @@ export function DailyBriefing({
                   </div>
                 </div>
               )}
-              {updatedAt && (
-                <p
-                  data-slot="daily-briefing-updated"
-                  className="text-muted-foreground border-border/60 border-t pt-3 text-right text-xs"
-                >
-                  {t("insights.heroGenerated", {
-                    time: formatRelativeTime(updatedAt, t),
-                  })}
-                </p>
+              {(updatedAt || noProviderStale) && (
+                <div className="border-border/60 space-y-1.5 border-t pt-3">
+                  {updatedAt && (
+                    <p
+                      data-slot="daily-briefing-updated"
+                      className="text-muted-foreground text-right text-[11px]"
+                    >
+                      {t("insights.heroGenerated", {
+                        time: formatRelativeTime(updatedAt, t),
+                      })}
+                    </p>
+                  )}
+                  {/* v1.18.9 (#4) — a stale briefing that can never refresh
+                      because no AI provider is connected. State that plainly
+                      and point at Settings → AI, so the days-old read is
+                      understood as held, not presented as current. */}
+                  {noProviderStale && (
+                    <p
+                      data-slot="daily-briefing-stale-no-provider"
+                      className="text-muted-foreground flex flex-wrap items-center justify-end gap-x-1.5 gap-y-1 text-right text-[11px]"
+                    >
+                      <span>
+                        {t("insights.dailyBriefing.staleNoProviderHint")}
+                      </span>
+                      <Link
+                        href="/settings/ai"
+                        data-slot="daily-briefing-stale-no-provider-link"
+                        className="text-foreground/80 hover:text-foreground underline underline-offset-2"
+                      >
+                        {t("insights.dailyBriefing.noProviderAction")}
+                      </Link>
+                    </p>
+                  )}
+                </div>
               )}
             </div>
           ) : noProvider ? (

src/components/insights/hero-strip.tsx

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 "use client";
 
+import Link from "next/link";
 import { Sparkles } from "lucide-react";
 import { Skeleton } from "@/components/ui/skeleton";
 import { useTranslations } from "@/lib/i18n/context";
@@ -51,6 +52,15 @@ interface HeroStripProps {
    * Defaults to `new Date()`. Production callers omit this.
    */
   now?: Date;
+  /**
+   * v1.18.9 (#4) — true when the hero subtitle is drawn from a cached
+   * briefing that can never refresh because no AI provider is connected.
+   * The meta row then appends a discreet "connect a provider" link beside
+   * the "Generated <relative>" age, so the score-area context reads as
+   * honestly held rather than current. Consistent with the DailyBriefing
+   * footer hint below.
+   */
+  noProviderStale?: boolean;
   /**
    * v1.4.20 phase B5 — Personal Health Score panel data. When supplied
    * the right side of the hero band paints the score card. When the
@@ -108,6 +118,7 @@ export function HeroStrip({
   now,
   healthScore,
   healthScorePending = false,
+  noProviderStale = false,
 }: HeroStripProps) {
   const { t } = useTranslations();
   // v1.18.0 R4 — mood-module state so the score card hides its Mood row
@@ -205,6 +216,32 @@ export function HeroStrip({
                   </span>
                 </>
               )}
+              {/* v1.18.9 (#4) — the subtitle is a cached briefing that can
+                  never refresh (no AI provider). Append a discreet hint +
+                  Settings → AI link so the relative age above reads as
+                  intentionally held, consistent with the briefing card. */}
+              {noProviderStale && (
+                <>
+                  <span aria-hidden="true" className="opacity-50">
+                    ·
+                  </span>
+                  <span
+                    data-slot="insights-hero-strip-stale-no-provider"
+                    className="inline-flex flex-wrap items-center gap-x-1.5"
+                  >
+                    <span>
+                      {t("insights.dailyBriefing.staleNoProviderHint")}
+                    </span>
+                    <Link
+                      href="/settings/ai"
+                      data-slot="insights-hero-strip-stale-no-provider-link"
+                      className="text-foreground/80 hover:text-foreground underline underline-offset-2"
+                    >
+                      {t("insights.dailyBriefing.noProviderAction")}
+                    </Link>
+                  </span>
+                </>
+              )}
             </div>
           </div>
 

src/components/insights/use-insights-advisor.ts

@@ -61,6 +61,16 @@ export interface InsightAdvisorPayload {
    * instead of waiting for the next mount.
    */
   revalidating?: boolean;
+  /**
+   * v1.18.9 (#4) — false when no AI provider is configured anywhere. The
+   * read path serves the last cached briefing regardless (no provider is
+   * needed to READ the cache), so a provider-less account keeps seeing a
+   * days-old briefing presented as current. When this is false the
+   * surfaces pair the briefing's honest relative age with a discreet
+   * "connect a provider" affordance. Undefined on a cached payload that
+   * predates the field — treated as "provider present" (no hint).
+   */
+  hasProvider?: boolean;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -259,6 +269,16 @@ export interface UseInsightsAdvisorResult {
    * regenerate CTA.
    */
   readOutcome: AdvisorFetchOutcome | null;
+  /**
+   * v1.18.9 (#4) — false when the GET reported no usable AI provider. The
+   * read path still serves the last cached briefing (no provider is
+   * needed to read the cache), so this is the ONLY honest signal that a
+   * shown-but-stale briefing can never refresh. Surfaces pair it with the
+   * relative-age line to add a discreet connect-provider hint. Defaults
+   * true (no hint) when the field is absent — a pre-field cached payload
+   * or an unsettled query.
+   */
+  hasProvider: boolean;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -331,5 +351,9 @@ export function useInsightsAdvisorQuery(
     regenerateError: (mutation.error as Error | null) ?? null,
     regenerateOutcome: mutation.data?.outcome ?? null,
     readOutcome: query.data?.outcome ?? null,
+    // Absent field (pre-v1.18.9 cached payload, or query still settling) →
+    // assume a provider is present so a transient unknown never flashes a
+    // false "no provider" hint.
+    hasProvider: query.data?.payload?.hasProvider ?? true,
   };
 }