diff --git a/src/app/api/medications/[id]/intake/route.ts b/src/app/api/medications/[id]/intake/route.ts
index 993dc1ac2..01b00319e 100644
--- a/src/app/api/medications/[id]/intake/route.ts
+++ b/src/app/api/medications/[id]/intake/route.ts
@@ -155,6 +155,10 @@ async function postIntake(request: NextRequest, { params }: RouteParams) {
     medicationId: id,
     userTz: user.timezone,
     incoming: incomingScheduledFor,
+    // Only a client-supplied `scheduledFor` names a real slot. A
+    // `takenAt`-only / defaulted-now write must not snap across the wide
+    // ±halfGap window onto a far slot (phantom morning dose).
+    instantIsExplicit: scheduledFor !== undefined,
   });
 
   // Idempotency check (explicit key or server-side dedup window)
diff --git a/src/app/api/medications/intake/bulk/route.ts b/src/app/api/medications/intake/bulk/route.ts
index 6cfb38f89..ad665c30b 100644
--- a/src/app/api/medications/intake/bulk/route.ts
+++ b/src/app/api/medications/intake/bulk/route.ts
@@ -234,6 +234,10 @@ async function postBulk(request: NextRequest): Promise<Response> {
         medicationId: entry.medicationId,
         userTz: user.timezone,
         incoming: incomingScheduledFor,
+        // Only a client-supplied `scheduledFor` names a real slot. A
+        // `takenAt`-only / defaulted-now write must not snap across the
+        // wide ±halfGap window onto a far slot (phantom morning dose).
+        instantIsExplicit: entry.scheduledFor !== undefined,
       });
 
       const scheduledFor = canonicalSlot ?? incomingScheduledFor;
diff --git a/src/lib/medications/scheduling/__tests__/resolve-slot-instant.test.ts b/src/lib/medications/scheduling/__tests__/resolve-slot-instant.test.ts
index 0ef7a16db..62809faa2 100644
--- a/src/lib/medications/scheduling/__tests__/resolve-slot-instant.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/medications/scheduling/__tests__/resolve-slot-instant.test.ts
@@ -87,6 +87,62 @@ describe("resolveCanonicalSlotInstant — multi-time", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("resolveCanonicalSlotInstant — defaulted-now midday (phantom morning dose)", () => {
+  // The phantom morning-dose bug: a 07:00 / 19:00 med whose 07:00 slot got
+  // auto-marked taken because a slot-less midday "taken now" write
+  // (no client `scheduledFor`) snapped across the ±6h half-gap window onto
+  // the 07:00 slot. A DEFAULTED-now write (`instantIsExplicit: false`)
+  // must NOT reach a far slot — only the tight dose-grace window snaps,
+  // and 11:00 / 12:00 / 13:00 are well outside it, so the result is `null`
+  // (PRN standalone row).
+  const med = makeMedication([
+    makeSchedule({ timesOfDay: ["07:00", "19:00"], windowEnd: "07:00" }),
+  ]);
+
+  for (const [label, hourUtc] of [
+    ["11:00", 9],
+    ["12:00", 10],
+    ["13:00", 11],
+  ] as const) {
+    it(`returns null for a defaulted-now ${label}-local write`, () => {
+      // CEST = UTC+2, so 11:00 local = 09:00Z, etc.
+      const incoming = new Date(
+        `2026-06-15T${String(hourUtc).padStart(2, "0")}:00:00.000Z`,
+      );
+      const result = resolveCanonicalSlotInstant({
+        medication: med,
+        userTz: TZ,
+        incoming,
+        instantIsExplicit: false,
+      });
+      expect(result).toBeNull();
+    });
+  }
+
+  it("still snaps an EXPLICIT scheduledFor:07:00 write to the 07:00 slot", () => {
+    const incoming = new Date("2026-06-15T05:00:00.000Z"); // 07:00 CEST
+    const result = resolveCanonicalSlotInstant({
+      medication: med,
+      userTz: TZ,
+      incoming,
+      instantIsExplicit: true,
+    });
+    const canonical = localHmAsUtc(incoming, TZ, 7, 0);
+    expect(result?.toISOString()).toBe(canonical.toISOString());
+  });
+
+  it("defaults to explicit snap when the flag is omitted (legacy behaviour)", () => {
+    const incoming = new Date("2026-06-15T05:00:00.000Z"); // 07:00 CEST
+    const result = resolveCanonicalSlotInstant({
+      medication: med,
+      userTz: TZ,
+      incoming,
+    });
+    const canonical = localHmAsUtc(incoming, TZ, 7, 0);
+    expect(result?.toISOString()).toBe(canonical.toISOString());
+  });
+});
+
 describe("resolveCanonicalSlotInstant — multi-time wide window", () => {
   // The LIVE twice-daily-Ramipril regression: 08:00 / 20:00 doses with a
   // WIDE schedule window (08:00–22:00 = 14h span → ±7h half-span). The
diff --git a/src/lib/medications/scheduling/resolve-slot-instant.ts b/src/lib/medications/scheduling/resolve-slot-instant.ts
index 68fccd23f..814faa473 100644
--- a/src/lib/medications/scheduling/resolve-slot-instant.ts
+++ b/src/lib/medications/scheduling/resolve-slot-instant.ts
@@ -72,6 +72,24 @@ export interface ResolveSlotInput {
    * rolling schedules; pass `null` when unknown / not loaded.
    */
   lastIntakeAt?: Date | null;
+  /**
+   * Whether the client sent an explicit `scheduledFor` for this write.
+   *
+   * `true` — the instant names a real dose slot; keep the full ±halfGap
+   * snap so iOS-vs-server minute drift still collapses onto one row.
+   *
+   * `false` — the instant is a DEFAULTED `now` / `takenAt` (the client
+   * sent no `scheduledFor`). A slot-less "taken now" write must NOT snap
+   * across the wide ±halfGap window onto a far-away slot (the phantom
+   * morning-dose bug: a midday write capturing the 07:00 slot of a
+   * 07:00 / 19:00 med). Resolve only when the instant falls inside the
+   * tight dose-grace window of a slot; otherwise return `null` (PRN) so
+   * it records as a standalone "taken now" row.
+   *
+   * Defaults to `true` (explicit) so callers that don't thread the flag
+   * keep the legacy snap behaviour unchanged.
+   */
+  instantIsExplicit?: boolean;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -88,6 +106,7 @@ export function resolveCanonicalSlotInstant(
   input: ResolveSlotInput,
 ): Date | null {
   const { medication, userTz, incoming } = input;
+  const instantIsExplicit = input.instantIsExplicit ?? true;
   const schedules = medication.schedules ?? [];
   if (schedules.length === 0) return null;
 
@@ -117,7 +136,13 @@ export function resolveCanonicalSlotInstant(
       windowEnd,
       ctx,
     );
-    const tolerance = snapToleranceMs(canonical);
+    // Explicit `scheduledFor` writes keep the full ±halfGap snap. A
+    // defaulted-`now` write (no client `scheduledFor`) uses only the tight
+    // dose-grace window, so a slot-less midday "taken now" cannot reach a
+    // far-away morning/evening slot — it falls through to `null` (PRN).
+    const tolerance = instantIsExplicit
+      ? snapToleranceMs(canonical)
+      : graceToleranceMs(canonical);
 
     for (const occ of occurrences) {
       // Only consider slots that land on the SAME local calendar day as
@@ -235,6 +260,44 @@ function snapToleranceMs(schedule: CanonicalSchedule): number {
   return Math.max(toleranceMs, ONE_MINUTE_MS);
 }
 
+/**
+ * Tight snap tolerance for a DEFAULTED-`now` write (client sent no
+ * `scheduledFor`). Only a write that lands inside the slot's dose-grace
+ * window may collapse onto that slot; anything further out is treated as
+ * unscheduled (PRN) and keeps its own "taken now" row.
+ *
+ * Uses the schedule's `reminderGraceMinutes` when set, capped at half the
+ * minimum inter-slot gap so two distinct same-day doses can never share a
+ * capture zone (mirrors `snapToleranceMs`). Floors at the minute-drift
+ * floor so a tight window still absorbs sub-minute drift, but never widens
+ * to the ±halfGap window the explicit path uses.
+ */
+function graceToleranceMs(schedule: CanonicalSchedule): number {
+  const graceMin = schedule.reminderGraceMinutes;
+  let toleranceMs =
+    graceMin !== null && Number.isFinite(graceMin) && graceMin > 0
+      ? graceMin * ONE_MINUTE_MS
+      : ONE_MINUTE_MS;
+
+  const slots = effectiveTimesOfDay(schedule)
+    .map(hhmmToMinutes)
+    .filter((m): m is number => m !== null)
+    .sort((a, b) => a - b);
+  if (slots.length > 1) {
+    let minGapMin = Infinity;
+    for (let i = 1; i < slots.length; i++) {
+      minGapMin = Math.min(minGapMin, slots[i] - slots[i - 1]);
+    }
+    const wrapGap = slots[0] + 24 * 60 - slots[slots.length - 1];
+    minGapMin = Math.min(minGapMin, wrapGap);
+    if (Number.isFinite(minGapMin) && minGapMin > 0) {
+      toleranceMs = Math.min(toleranceMs, (minGapMin / 2) * ONE_MINUTE_MS);
+    }
+  }
+
+  return Math.max(toleranceMs, ONE_MINUTE_MS);
+}
+
 /**
  * Effective dose times for tolerance purposes — mirrors the recurrence
  * engine's `effectiveTimesOfDay`: the explicit `timesOfDay` when set,
diff --git a/src/lib/medications/scheduling/slot-upsert.ts b/src/lib/medications/scheduling/slot-upsert.ts
index 55cb3d6a8..32118019c 100644
--- a/src/lib/medications/scheduling/slot-upsert.ts
+++ b/src/lib/medications/scheduling/slot-upsert.ts
@@ -314,6 +314,14 @@ export interface ResolveSlotForWriteInput {
    * client omitted `scheduledFor`.
    */
   incoming: Date;
+  /**
+   * Whether the client sent an explicit `scheduledFor`. `false` means
+   * `incoming` is a defaulted `now` / `takenAt` — the resolver then only
+   * snaps inside the tight dose-grace window and otherwise returns `null`
+   * (PRN), so a slot-less midday "taken now" cannot back-fill a far slot.
+   * Defaults to `true` to keep the legacy snap for callers that omit it.
+   */
+  instantIsExplicit?: boolean;
   /** Inject a Prisma client/tx in tests; defaults to the app client. */
   client?: PrismaLike;
 }
@@ -366,5 +374,6 @@ export async function resolveSlotInstantForWrite(
     userTz: input.userTz,
     incoming: input.incoming,
     lastIntakeAt,
+    instantIsExplicit: input.instantIsExplicit ?? true,
   });
 }
diff --git a/tests/integration/intake-slot-dedup.test.ts b/tests/integration/intake-slot-dedup.test.ts
index 6e25f9cdd..f04478697 100644
--- a/tests/integration/intake-slot-dedup.test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/intake-slot-dedup.test.ts
@@ -419,6 +419,74 @@ describe("intake write path — multi-dose wide window does not collapse", () =>
   });
 });
 
+describe("intake write path — defaulted-now midday does not back-fill the morning slot", () => {
+  // The phantom morning-dose regression, end-to-end through the DB-backed
+  // resolver: a bulk/sync entry that carries ONLY `takenAt` (no client
+  // `scheduledFor`) around midday must NOT snap onto the 07:00 slot of a
+  // 07:00 / 19:00 med and stamp it taken. With `instantIsExplicit:false`
+  // the resolver returns null (PRN) so the morning slot stays untouched.
+  it("a takenAt-only 12:30 write resolves to null and leaves the 07:00 slot untaken", async () => {
+    const prisma = getPrismaClient();
+    const medId = await createTwiceDailyMed();
+
+    const slot0700 = localHmAsUtc(DAY, "Europe/Berlin", 7, 0);
+
+    // Server-minted pending 07:00 reminder row — the row the phantom take
+    // would have stamped.
+    const pending = await prisma.medicationIntakeEvent.create({
+      data: {
+        userId: TEST_USER_ID,
+        medicationId: medId,
+        scheduledFor: slot0700,
+        takenAt: null,
+        skipped: false,
+        source: "REMINDER",
+      },
+    });
+
+    // Bulk/sync entry: no `scheduledFor`, only `takenAt` at 12:30 local
+    // (10:30Z in CET). This mirrors `intake/bulk` defaulting the instant
+    // to `takenAt` with `instantIsExplicit: entry.scheduledFor !== undefined`.
+    const middayTakenAt = new Date("2026-03-10T11:30:00.000Z"); // 12:30 CET
+    const canonicalSlot = await resolveSlotInstantForWrite({
+      userId: TEST_USER_ID,
+      medicationId: medId,
+      userTz: "Europe/Berlin",
+      incoming: middayTakenAt,
+      instantIsExplicit: false,
+      client: prisma,
+    });
+
+    // The defaulted-now write does NOT snap onto the far 07:00 slot.
+    expect(canonicalSlot).toBeNull();
+
+    // The 07:00 reminder row stays untaken — no phantom morning dose.
+    const morning = await prisma.medicationIntakeEvent.findUniqueOrThrow({
+      where: { id: pending.id },
+    });
+    expect(morning.takenAt).toBeNull();
+    expect(morning.skipped).toBe(false);
+    expect(morning.deletedAt).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("an EXPLICIT scheduledFor:07:00 write still snaps onto the 07:00 slot", async () => {
+    const prisma = getPrismaClient();
+    const medId = await createTwiceDailyMed();
+    const slot0700 = localHmAsUtc(DAY, "Europe/Berlin", 7, 0);
+
+    const explicitWrite = new Date("2026-03-10T06:00:00.000Z"); // 07:00 CET
+    const canonicalSlot = await resolveSlotInstantForWrite({
+      userId: TEST_USER_ID,
+      medicationId: medId,
+      userTz: "Europe/Berlin",
+      incoming: explicitWrite,
+      instantIsExplicit: true,
+      client: prisma,
+    });
+    expect(canonicalSlot?.toISOString()).toBe(slot0700.toISOString());
+  });
+});
+
 describe("intake-slot-dedup — boot discovery scoping", () => {
   it("returns 0 when no user holds a duplicate pair", async () => {
     const prisma = getPrismaClient();