diff --git a/docs/api/openapi.yaml b/docs/api/openapi.yaml
index 1754488a8..169747551 100644
--- a/docs/api/openapi.yaml
+++ b/docs/api/openapi.yaml
@@ -75778,8 +75778,9 @@ components:
                 - day
               additionalProperties: false
             - type: "null"
-          description: "Rest Mode: present while an illness episode is active and the illness module is on, else null. Additive
-            since v1.40."
+          description: "Rest Mode: present while an illness episode that is not chronic ongoing (acute, recurring or flare) is
+            active and the illness module is on, else null. A chronic ongoing condition alone never sets it; `day`
+            counts from the earliest onset among the episodes that do. Additive since v1.40."
         line:
           type: string
           description: "Push / lock-screen line: cached-AI lead with a deterministic floor. Carries no number (no reading, dose or
diff --git a/src/lib/ai/coach/__tests__/illness-snapshot-rest-mode.test.ts b/src/lib/ai/coach/__tests__/illness-snapshot-rest-mode.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3dab6b398
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/ai/coach/__tests__/illness-snapshot-rest-mode.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+/**
+ * #1216 — the Coach illness block (which also answers the MCP
+ * `get_illness_recovery` tool) keeps every active condition as context, but
+ * its `restMode` flag follows Rest Mode: a chronic ongoing condition alone
+ * leaves it false, an acute episode or a flare on top sets it.
+ */
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+
+const findMany = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn());
+vi.mock("@/lib/db", () => ({
+  prisma: {
+    illnessEpisode: { findMany },
+    symptomEvent: { groupBy: async () => [] },
+  },
+}));
+vi.mock("@/lib/illness/gate", () => ({
+  isIllnessEnabled: vi.fn(async () => true),
+}));
+
+import { buildIllnessSnapshotBlock } from "@/lib/ai/coach/illness-snapshot";
+
+const NOW = new Date("2026-06-01T12:00:00.000Z");
+
+function episode(lifecycle: string, label: string, onset: string) {
+  return {
+    label,
+    type: lifecycle === "CHRONIC_ONGOING" ? "CHRONIC" : "INFECTION",
+    lifecycle,
+    onsetAt: new Date(onset),
+    bodySiteEncrypted: null,
+    laterality: null,
+  };
+}
+
+const CHRONIC = episode("CHRONIC_ONGOING", "Sleep apnoea", "2015-08-01");
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  findMany.mockReset();
+});
+
+describe("buildIllnessSnapshotBlock — restMode (#1216)", () => {
+  it("a chronic condition alone is context, not Rest Mode", async () => {
+    findMany.mockResolvedValueOnce([CHRONIC]).mockResolvedValueOnce([]);
+    const block = await buildIllnessSnapshotBlock("u1", NOW);
+    expect(block?.restMode).toBe(false);
+    expect(block?.active.map((e) => e.label)).toEqual(["Sleep apnoea"]);
+  });
+
+  it("an acute episode on top sets Rest Mode", async () => {
+    findMany
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce([CHRONIC, episode("ACUTE", "Cold", "2026-05-29")])
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce([]);
+    const block = await buildIllnessSnapshotBlock("u1", NOW);
+    expect(block?.restMode).toBe(true);
+    expect(block?.active).toHaveLength(2);
+  });
+
+  it("a flare under the chronic condition sets Rest Mode", async () => {
+    findMany
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce([CHRONIC, episode("FLARE", "Flare", "2026-05-30")])
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce([]);
+    const block = await buildIllnessSnapshotBlock("u1", NOW);
+    expect(block?.restMode).toBe(true);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/lib/ai/coach/illness-snapshot.ts b/src/lib/ai/coach/illness-snapshot.ts
index ae6c97e09..097439ff7 100644
--- a/src/lib/ai/coach/illness-snapshot.ts
+++ b/src/lib/ai/coach/illness-snapshot.ts
@@ -12,12 +12,14 @@
  * Server-authoritative and module-gated: a non-illness / opted-out account
  * gets `null` (no block, no read). Since v1.40 it also names the person's own
  * symptoms of the last two weeks (their names, sanitised, and counts), which
- * reach the model the way custom mood-tag names reach the mood analysis. The active set drives the `restMode` flag
+ * reach the model the way custom mood-tag names reach the mood analysis. The active set, chronic conditions
+ * included, is context; only its non-chronic part drives the `restMode` flag
  * the Coach reads; a short resolved-history tail lets it answer "how often do
  * I get sick" without re-deriving anything.
  */
 import { prisma } from "@/lib/db";
 import { isIllnessEnabled } from "@/lib/illness/gate";
+import { triggersRestMode } from "@/lib/illness/rest-mode";
 import { computeEpisodeCorrelation } from "@/lib/illness/correlation-read";
 import {
   BASELINE_WINDOW_DAYS,
@@ -90,7 +92,10 @@ function siteFields(row: {
 }
 
 export interface CoachIllnessBlock {
-  /** True when ≥ 1 episode is active right now (the Rest Mode flag). */
+  /**
+   * The Rest Mode flag: true when ≥ 1 active episode is not CHRONIC_ONGOING.
+   * A chronic condition alone is context (it is in `active`), not Rest Mode.
+   */
   restMode: boolean;
   /** Active (unresolved) episodes — the Coach frames its reply around these. */
   active: Array<{
@@ -255,7 +260,7 @@ export async function buildIllnessSnapshotBlock(
   }
 
   return {
-    restMode: activeRows.length > 0,
+    restMode: activeRows.some(triggersRestMode),
     active: activeRows.map((e) => ({
       label: sanitizeLabel(e.label),
       type: e.type,
diff --git a/src/lib/ai/coach/system-prompt.ts b/src/lib/ai/coach/system-prompt.ts
index 264db9b17..5ee5600fe 100644
--- a/src/lib/ai/coach/system-prompt.ts
+++ b/src/lib/ai/coach/system-prompt.ts
@@ -406,11 +406,16 @@ ISO-week means.
   figure the block does not carry. Quote progress only as the block gives
   it. If a fact seems outdated, gently check it rather than assume.
 - The SNAPSHOT MAY carry an "illness" block: { restMode, active[],
-  recentResolved[] }. When "restMode" is true the user has one or more
-  ACTIVE conditions right now (each with a label, type, lifecycle, and
-  onset date, plus "bodySite" and "laterality" when the user named where) — read an off-band vital or a low recovery as plausibly
-  illness-explained rather than alarming, do not push a heavier
-  measurement cadence, and lean toward rest-and-recover framing. Treat
+  recentResolved[] }. "active" lists every condition ongoing right now
+  (each with a label, type, lifecycle, and onset date, plus "bodySite"
+  and "laterality" when the user named where), chronic ones included; an
+  off-band vital may relate to any of them. When "restMode" is true at
+  least one of them is acute, recurring or a flare — read an off-band
+  vital or a low recovery as plausibly illness-explained rather than
+  alarming, do not push a heavier measurement cadence, and lean toward
+  rest-and-recover framing. A CHRONIC_ONGOING condition alone leaves
+  "restMode" false: the user lives with it and is not unwell because of
+  it today, so do not frame them as recovering. Treat
   the labels as the user's OWN descriptive context, never a diagnosis;
   "recentResolved" is light history for "how often do I get sick"
   questions. The block MAY also carry "symptoms": the user's OWN named
@@ -924,12 +929,17 @@ ISO-Wochenmittel zusammen.
   Fortschritt nur so, wie der Block ihn angibt. Wirkt ein Fakt veraltet,
   frage behutsam nach, statt es anzunehmen.
 - Der SNAPSHOT KANN einen "illness"-Block tragen: { restMode, active[],
-  recentResolved[] }. Ist "restMode" true, hat der Nutzer gerade eine oder
-  mehrere AKTIVE Erkrankungen (je mit Label, Typ, Lebenszyklus, Beginn,
-  dazu "bodySite" und "laterality", wenn der Nutzer die Stelle angab) —
-  lies einen abweichenden Vitalwert oder eine niedrige Erholung eher als
-  krankheitsbedingt denn als alarmierend, dränge nicht auf eine engere
-  Mess-Kadenz und neige zu einem Ruhe-und-Erholung-Rahmen. Behandle die
+  recentResolved[] }. "active" nennt jede gerade laufende Erkrankung (je
+  mit Label, Typ, Lebenszyklus, Beginn, dazu "bodySite" und "laterality",
+  wenn der Nutzer die Stelle angab), chronische eingeschlossen; ein
+  abweichender Vitalwert kann mit jeder davon zusammenhängen. Ist
+  "restMode" true, ist mindestens eine davon akut, wiederkehrend oder ein
+  Schub — lies einen abweichenden Vitalwert oder eine niedrige Erholung
+  eher als krankheitsbedingt denn als alarmierend, dränge nicht auf eine
+  engere Mess-Kadenz und neige zu einem Ruhe-und-Erholung-Rahmen. Eine
+  CHRONIC_ONGOING-Erkrankung allein lässt "restMode" false: der Nutzer
+  lebt damit und ist ihretwegen heute nicht krank, stelle ihn also nicht
+  als genesend dar. Behandle die
   Labels als die EIGENE beschreibende Angabe des Nutzers, nie als Diagnose;
   "recentResolved" ist leichte Historie für "wie oft bin ich krank".
   Der Block KANN auch "symptoms" tragen: die EIGENEN benannten Symptome
diff --git a/src/lib/gamification/achievements-result.ts b/src/lib/gamification/achievements-result.ts
index 1685916c1..e5d4cf9cd 100644
--- a/src/lib/gamification/achievements-result.ts
+++ b/src/lib/gamification/achievements-result.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
  * stays OUT of the cached factory — see v1.18.0 B5 notes on the route).
  */
 import { prisma } from "@/lib/db";
+import { REST_MODE_EPISODE_WHERE } from "@/lib/illness/rest-mode";
 import { requireAuth } from "@/lib/api-handler";
 import type { ModuleKey } from "@/lib/modules/gate";
 import {
@@ -614,11 +615,16 @@ export async function buildAchievementsResult(
     // never freezes anything. Both ongoing and already-resolved episodes are
     // read: a past illness should not retroactively break a historical
     // streak, just as an active one should not break the current run.
+    // A chronic ongoing condition never freezes anything (#1216): it has no
+    // end date, so it would bridge every gap from its onset on and a streak
+    // could no longer break. A flare under it carries its own lifecycle and
+    // still does.
     moduleMap.illness !== false
       ? prisma.illnessEpisode.findMany({
           where: {
             userId,
             deletedAt: null,
+            ...REST_MODE_EPISODE_WHERE,
             onsetAt: { lte: now },
             OR: [{ resolvedAt: null }, { resolvedAt: { gte: startDate } }],
           },
diff --git a/src/lib/illness/__tests__/rest-mode.test.ts b/src/lib/illness/__tests__/rest-mode.test.ts
index 2d46ceb0e..533addb84 100644
--- a/src/lib/illness/__tests__/rest-mode.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/illness/__tests__/rest-mode.test.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ import {
   resolveRestMode,
   toRestModeContext,
   REST_MODE_INACTIVE,
+  hasActiveIllnessEpisode,
+  triggersRestMode,
 } from "@/lib/illness/rest-mode";
 
 beforeEach(() => {
@@ -115,3 +117,90 @@ describe("resolveRestMode", () => {
     await expect(resolveRestMode("u1")).resolves.toEqual(REST_MODE_INACTIVE);
   });
 });
+
+/**
+ * #1216 — a chronic ongoing condition has no end date by design, so it must
+ * never put the account into Rest Mode on its own: Day N would count from an
+ * onset years back, nudges would never resume and streaks could never break.
+ * Only active episodes that are not CHRONIC_ONGOING trigger it, and Day N
+ * counts from the earliest of those.
+ */
+describe("Rest Mode and chronic conditions (#1216)", () => {
+  const chronic = {
+    id: "c1",
+    label: "Sleep apnoea",
+    type: "CHRONIC" as const,
+    lifecycle: "CHRONIC_ONGOING" as const,
+    onsetAt: new Date("2015-08-01T00:00:00.000Z"),
+  };
+  const acute = {
+    id: "a1",
+    label: "Cold",
+    type: "INFECTION" as const,
+    lifecycle: "ACUTE" as const,
+    onsetAt: new Date("2026-06-12T00:00:00.000Z"),
+  };
+  const flare = {
+    id: "f1",
+    label: "Flare",
+    type: "AUTOIMMUNE" as const,
+    lifecycle: "FLARE" as const,
+    onsetAt: new Date("2026-06-14T00:00:00.000Z"),
+  };
+
+  it("a chronic condition alone is not Rest Mode", () => {
+    expect(toRestModeContext([chronic])).toEqual(REST_MODE_INACTIVE);
+  });
+
+  it("chronic + acute is Rest Mode, anchored on the acute onset", () => {
+    const ctx = toRestModeContext([chronic, acute]);
+    expect(ctx.active).toBe(true);
+    expect(ctx.since).toBe("2026-06-12T00:00:00.000Z");
+    expect(ctx.episodeCount).toBe(1);
+    expect(ctx.episodes.map((e) => e.id)).toEqual(["a1"]);
+  });
+
+  it("a flare threaded under a chronic condition is Rest Mode", () => {
+    const ctx = toRestModeContext([chronic, flare]);
+    expect(ctx.active).toBe(true);
+    expect(ctx.since).toBe("2026-06-14T00:00:00.000Z");
+  });
+
+  it("anchors on the earliest triggering onset whatever the input order", () => {
+    expect(toRestModeContext([flare, chronic, acute]).since).toBe(
+      "2026-06-12T00:00:00.000Z",
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("resolveRestMode is inactive for a chronic-only account", async () => {
+    gate.isIllnessEnabled.mockResolvedValue(true);
+    db.prisma.illnessEpisode.findMany.mockResolvedValue([chronic]);
+    await expect(
+      resolveRestMode("u1", new Date("2026-06-16T00:00:00.000Z")),
+    ).resolves.toEqual(REST_MODE_INACTIVE);
+  });
+
+  it("hasActiveIllnessEpisode still sees the chronic condition as context", async () => {
+    gate.isIllnessEnabled.mockResolvedValue(true);
+    db.prisma.illnessEpisode.findMany.mockResolvedValue([chronic]);
+    await expect(
+      hasActiveIllnessEpisode("u1", new Date("2026-06-16T00:00:00.000Z")),
+    ).resolves.toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("hasActiveIllnessEpisode is fail-soft", async () => {
+    gate.isIllnessEnabled.mockResolvedValue(true);
+    db.prisma.illnessEpisode.findMany.mockRejectedValue(new Error("db down"));
+    await expect(
+      hasActiveIllnessEpisode("u1", new Date("2026-06-17T00:00:00.000Z")),
+    ).resolves.toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("triggersRestMode exempts only CHRONIC_ONGOING", () => {
+    expect(
+      ["ACUTE", "RECURRING", "FLARE", "CHRONIC_ONGOING"].map((lifecycle) =>
+        triggersRestMode({ lifecycle }),
+      ),
+    ).toEqual([true, true, true, false]);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/lib/illness/rest-mode.ts b/src/lib/illness/rest-mode.ts
index c1a1bf889..c271fa180 100644
--- a/src/lib/illness/rest-mode.ts
+++ b/src/lib/illness/rest-mode.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
 /**
- * Rest Mode — the server-authoritative "an episode is active" context (v1.18.1, P4).
+ * Rest Mode — the server-authoritative "the account is unwell right now"
+ * context (v1.18.1, P4).
  *
- * CORE PRINCIPLE: an active illness/condition episode ANNOTATES, it never
- * PENALISES. Rest Mode never changes a measured number — it only frames the
- * narrative around it: the health score keeps its value but carries a "you
- * were unwell" note, recovery keeps its number, achievement streaks freeze
- * (rather than break) across the days you were ill, cadence-nudges pause, and
- * a coincident vital deviation reads as illness-explained instead of an
- * unexplained anomaly.
+ * CORE PRINCIPLE: an active illness episode ANNOTATES, it never PENALISES.
+ * Rest Mode never changes a measured number — it only frames the narrative
+ * around it: the health score keeps its value but carries a "you were unwell"
+ * note, recovery keeps its number, achievement streaks freeze (rather than
+ * break) across the days you were ill, cadence-nudges pause, and the Today
+ * strip counts the days since onset.
  *
  * This module is the ONE place that resolves "is the account in Rest Mode
  * right now, and which episodes back it" — so every surface annotates from
@@ -16,18 +16,55 @@
  * the suppression). The illness module gate is honoured: a disabled / opted-
  * out account is never in Rest Mode (the gate short-circuits before any read).
  *
- * "Active" = an `IllnessEpisode` with `resolvedAt = null` (still ongoing),
- * not soft-deleted, whose `onsetAt` is on or before the reference instant.
- * CHRONIC_ONGOING episodes are intentionally INCLUDED here — an ongoing
- * chronic condition is precisely the case where a measured dip should be
- * framed, not penalised. (They are excluded only from the recovery-GAP math,
- * which is P3 and lives elsewhere.)
+ * Two different questions are answered here, and they must not be confused:
+ *
+ *  - "Which episodes are active?" (`getActiveIllnessEpisodes`): every
+ *    `IllnessEpisode` with `resolvedAt = null`, not soft-deleted, whose
+ *    `onsetAt` is on or before the reference instant. CHRONIC_ONGOING
+ *    conditions are included. This is CONTEXT: a measured dip that coincides
+ *    with a known chronic condition is still framed as explained by it
+ *    (`hasActiveIllnessEpisode`), and the Coach still sees the condition.
+ *
+ *  - "Is the account in Rest Mode?" (`resolveRestMode`): only the active
+ *    episodes that are NOT CHRONIC_ONGOING (acute, recurring, flare). A
+ *    chronic condition has no end date by design, so letting it trigger Rest
+ *    Mode would put the account into it permanently: the Day N counter would
+ *    count from an onset years back, nudges would never resume and streaks
+ *    could never break. A flare threaded under a chronic condition carries its
+ *    own lifecycle (FLARE), so a chronic condition getting worse still does.
+ *    `since` and Day N count from the earliest onset among the episodes that
+ *    trigger Rest Mode, never from a chronic onset.
+ *
+ * Every reader that freezes, pauses or counts on Rest Mode's behalf goes
+ * through `triggersRestMode` / `REST_MODE_EPISODE_WHERE`, including the
+ * achievements streak freeze, which runs its own windowed query.
  */
 import type { PrismaClient, IllnessEpisode } from "@/generated/prisma/client";
 import { prisma as defaultPrisma } from "@/lib/db";
 import { isIllnessEnabled } from "@/lib/illness/gate";
 import { memoizePerRequest } from "@/lib/request-cache";
 
+/**
+ * The lifecycle that never triggers Rest Mode on its own: a condition the
+ * person lives with. See the module header.
+ */
+export const REST_MODE_EXEMPT_LIFECYCLE = "CHRONIC_ONGOING" as const;
+
+/**
+ * Prisma `where` fragment selecting the episodes that can trigger Rest Mode.
+ * For readers that query episodes themselves (the achievements streak freeze
+ * reads resolved ones too, over a window) instead of going through
+ * `resolveRestMode`.
+ */
+export const REST_MODE_EPISODE_WHERE = {
+  lifecycle: { not: REST_MODE_EXEMPT_LIFECYCLE },
+} as const;
+
+/** Whether an episode, while active, puts the account into Rest Mode. */
+export function triggersRestMode(episode: { lifecycle: string }): boolean {
+  return episode.lifecycle !== REST_MODE_EXEMPT_LIFECYCLE;
+}
+
 /** Minimal shape the Rest Mode resolver needs from an episode row. */
 export type ActiveIllnessEpisode = Pick<
   IllnessEpisode,
@@ -44,13 +81,19 @@ export type ActiveIllnessEpisode = Pick<
  * This is the server-authoritative shape iOS mirrors verbatim.
  */
 export interface RestModeContext {
-  /** True when ≥ 1 illness episode is active as of the reference instant. */
+  /**
+   * True when ≥ 1 active episode that is not CHRONIC_ONGOING exists as of the
+   * reference instant.
+   */
   active: boolean;
-  /** ISO onset of the earliest active episode, or null when none. */
+  /** ISO onset of the earliest episode backing Rest Mode, or null when none. */
   since: string | null;
-  /** Count of active episodes (usually 1; ≥ 2 when conditions overlap). */
+  /** Count of episodes backing Rest Mode (usually 1; ≥ 2 when they overlap). */
   episodeCount: number;
-  /** The active episodes, label + type + onset only — never a decrypted note. */
+  /**
+   * The episodes backing Rest Mode, label + type + onset only — never a
+   * decrypted note. Chronic conditions are not among them.
+   */
   episodes: Array<{
     id: string;
     label: string;
@@ -69,7 +112,9 @@ export const REST_MODE_INACTIVE: RestModeContext = {
 };
 
 /**
- * Read the active illness episodes for an account as of `asOf`. Gated through
+ * Read the active illness episodes for an account as of `asOf`, chronic
+ * conditions included — the context set, not the Rest Mode set (that is
+ * `toRestModeContext` over this). Gated through
  * the illness module: a disabled / not-opted-in account returns `[]` without
  * touching the episode table. The reference instant is injectable so the
  * resolver is deterministic for tests and so a nightly job can resolve "as of
@@ -118,10 +163,18 @@ async function readActiveIllnessEpisodes(
   });
 }
 
-/** Fold a set of active episodes into the renderable Rest Mode context. Pure. */
+/**
+ * Fold a set of active episodes into the renderable Rest Mode context. Pure.
+ * Only the episodes that trigger Rest Mode count: a chronic condition alone
+ * leaves the account out of it, and `since` is the earliest onset among the
+ * episodes that do (the input is onset-ascending).
+ */
 export function toRestModeContext(
-  episodes: ActiveIllnessEpisode[],
+  activeEpisodes: ActiveIllnessEpisode[],
 ): RestModeContext {
+  const episodes = activeEpisodes
+    .filter(triggersRestMode)
+    .sort((a, b) => a.onsetAt.getTime() - b.onsetAt.getTime());
   if (episodes.length === 0) return REST_MODE_INACTIVE;
   return {
     active: true,
@@ -155,3 +208,22 @@ export async function resolveRestMode(
     return REST_MODE_INACTIVE;
   }
 }
+
+/**
+ * Whether any illness episode is active as of `asOf`, chronic conditions
+ * included. For framing a measured deviation as explained by a known
+ * condition, which a chronic one does as much as an acute one. Not Rest Mode:
+ * nothing may freeze, pause or count on this. Fail-soft like
+ * `resolveRestMode`.
+ */
+export async function hasActiveIllnessEpisode(
+  userId: string,
+  asOf: Date = new Date(),
+  client: PrismaClient = defaultPrisma,
+): Promise<boolean> {
+  try {
+    return (await getActiveIllnessEpisodes(userId, asOf, client)).length > 0;
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/lib/insights/__tests__/illness-cycle-briefing.test.ts b/src/lib/insights/__tests__/illness-cycle-briefing.test.ts
index 6f5b66a23..90cb0396f 100644
--- a/src/lib/insights/__tests__/illness-cycle-briefing.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/insights/__tests__/illness-cycle-briefing.test.ts
@@ -85,6 +85,31 @@ describe("buildBriefingIllnessCyclePrompt", () => {
     expect(out).toContain("SYSTEM CONTEXT");
   });
 
+  it("names a chronic-only condition as context, not Rest Mode (#1216)", () => {
+    const out = buildBriefingIllnessCyclePrompt(
+      {
+        illness: {
+          restMode: false,
+          active: [
+            {
+              label: "Sleep apnoea",
+              type: "CHRONIC",
+              lifecycle: "CHRONIC_ONGOING",
+              onsetAt: "x",
+            },
+          ],
+          recentResolved: [],
+        },
+        cycle: null,
+      },
+      "en",
+    );
+    expect(out).toContain("Sleep apnoea");
+    expect(out).toContain("chronic condition");
+    expect(out).not.toContain("The user is in Rest Mode");
+    expect(out).not.toContain("measure more often");
+  });
+
   it("emits a cycle day/phase line", () => {
     const out = buildBriefingIllnessCyclePrompt(
       {
diff --git a/src/lib/insights/derived/__tests__/coincident-deviation.test.ts b/src/lib/insights/derived/__tests__/coincident-deviation.test.ts
index 76bdf0548..df95d5f05 100644
--- a/src/lib/insights/derived/__tests__/coincident-deviation.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/insights/derived/__tests__/coincident-deviation.test.ts
@@ -17,14 +17,11 @@ vi.mock("@/lib/rollups/measurement-coverage", () => ({
 vi.mock("@/lib/rollups/measurement-read-wmy", () => ({
   readBestGranularityRollups: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(null),
 }));
-// v1.18.1 P4 — Rest Mode. Default inactive; the reframe test flips it active.
+// v1.18.1 P4 — the illness reframe. Default no active episode; the reframe
+// test flips it. Since #1216 the reframe reads active episodes directly
+// (chronic conditions included), not Rest Mode.
 const restModeMock = vi.hoisted(() => ({
-  resolveRestMode: vi.fn(async () => ({
-    active: false as boolean,
-    since: null as string | null,
-    episodeCount: 0,
-    episodes: [] as unknown[],
-  })),
+  hasActiveIllnessEpisode: vi.fn(async () => false as boolean),
 }));
 vi.mock("@/lib/illness/rest-mode", () => restModeMock);
 
@@ -43,12 +40,7 @@ const findMany = prisma.measurement.findMany as ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>;
 beforeEach(() => {
   vi.clearAllMocks();
   findMany.mockResolvedValue([]);
-  restModeMock.resolveRestMode.mockResolvedValue({
-    active: false,
-    since: null,
-    episodeCount: 0,
-    episodes: [],
-  });
+  restModeMock.hasActiveIllnessEpisode.mockResolvedValue(false);
 });
 
 /** RHR + HRV each flat, then a final day that pushes both outside the band. */
@@ -184,13 +176,8 @@ describe("computeCoincidentDeviation", () => {
     }
   });
 
-  it("reframes a fired flag as illness-explained during Rest Mode (vitals unchanged)", async () => {
-    restModeMock.resolveRestMode.mockResolvedValue({
-      active: true,
-      since: "2026-05-30T00:00:00.000Z",
-      episodeCount: 1,
-      episodes: [],
-    });
+  it("reframes a fired flag as illness-explained while an episode is active (vitals unchanged)", async () => {
+    restModeMock.hasActiveIllnessEpisode.mockResolvedValue(true);
     findMany.mockImplementation(firingRows);
     const result = await computeCoincidentDeviation("u1", PROFILE, {
       now: NOW,
@@ -249,7 +236,7 @@ describe("computeCoincidentDeviation", () => {
     });
     expect(result.status === "ok" && result.value.fired).toBe(false);
     expect(result.status === "ok" && result.value.illnessExplained).toBe(false);
-    expect(restModeMock.resolveRestMode).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(restModeMock.hasActiveIllnessEpisode).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 });
 
diff --git a/src/lib/insights/derived/coincident-deviation.ts b/src/lib/insights/derived/coincident-deviation.ts
index bb6353542..cc70b3c53 100644
--- a/src/lib/insights/derived/coincident-deviation.ts
+++ b/src/lib/insights/derived/coincident-deviation.ts
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ import { readDayAggregates } from "@/lib/measurements/day-aggregates";
 import { wallClockInTz } from "@/lib/tz/wall-clock";
 import { VITALS_BASELINE_TYPES } from "./registry";
 import type { Derived, DerivedProvenanceSource } from "./types";
-import { resolveRestMode } from "@/lib/illness/rest-mode";
+import { hasActiveIllnessEpisode } from "@/lib/illness/rest-mode";
 import {
   isPlausibleMetricValue,
   plausibleMetricRange,
@@ -463,8 +463,11 @@ export async function computeCoincidentDeviation(
   // v1.18.1 P4 — when the flag fired, reframe it as illness-explained if an
   // episode is active. Only resolved when the flag fired (no read on the
   // common quiet day). Annotation only — the vital deviations are unchanged.
+  // Any active episode counts, a chronic condition included: it explains a
+  // coincident dip as much as an acute one, even though it does not put the
+  // account into Rest Mode (#1216).
   const illnessExplained = fired
-    ? (await resolveRestMode(userId, now)).active
+    ? await hasActiveIllnessEpisode(userId, now)
     : false;
 
   const { coverage: cov, confidence } = deriveCoverage({
diff --git a/src/lib/insights/illness-cycle-briefing.ts b/src/lib/insights/illness-cycle-briefing.ts
index f7fd7974d..56aadd6bc 100644
--- a/src/lib/insights/illness-cycle-briefing.ts
+++ b/src/lib/insights/illness-cycle-briefing.ts
@@ -82,6 +82,17 @@ export function buildBriefingIllnessCyclePrompt(
           ? `- Aktive Erkrankung(en) gerade: ${labels}. Der Nutzer ist im Rest Mode — lies abweichende Vitalwerte oder eine niedrige Erholung als krankheitsbedingt, nicht alarmierend, und dränge NICHT auf häufigeres Messen.`
           : `- Active illness episode(s) right now: ${labels}. The user is in Rest Mode — read off-band vitals or low recovery as illness-explained rather than alarming, and do NOT push a "measure more often" cadence.`,
       );
+    } else if (ctx.illness.active.length > 0) {
+      // Chronic ongoing conditions only: context for a measured dip, but not
+      // Rest Mode, so no cadence pause and no "unwell" framing (#1216).
+      const labels = ctx.illness.active
+        .map((e) => `${e.label} (${e.type}, ${e.lifecycle})`)
+        .join("; ");
+      lines.push(
+        de
+          ? `- Bekannte chronische Erkrankung(en): ${labels}. Ein abweichender Vitalwert kann damit zusammenhängen; das ist Kontext, kein akutes Kranksein und kein Rest Mode.`
+          : `- Known chronic condition(s): ${labels}. An off-band vital may relate to them; this is context, not an acute illness and not Rest Mode.`,
+      );
     } else if (ctx.illness.recentResolved.length > 0) {
       lines.push(
         de
diff --git a/src/lib/jobs/coach-nudge.ts b/src/lib/jobs/coach-nudge.ts
index 9b008ed54..e0c6598fe 100644
--- a/src/lib/jobs/coach-nudge.ts
+++ b/src/lib/jobs/coach-nudge.ts
@@ -942,8 +942,10 @@ export async function runCoachNudgeTick(
       }
 
       // Gate 7 — Rest Mode pause (v1.18.1 P4). A user with an active
-      // illness/condition episode should not be told to measure more often;
-      // the cadence-nudge pauses for the duration of the episode. Module-gated
+      // illness episode should not be told to measure more often; the
+      // cadence-nudge pauses for the duration of the episode. A chronic
+      // ongoing condition alone does not pause it (#1216): it never ends, so
+      // the nudge would never come back. Module-gated
       // (a non-illness account is never in Rest Mode) and only reached past
       // every cheaper gate, so the read fires for at most a nudge-eligible
       // user per tick.
diff --git a/src/lib/openapi/routes/daily.ts b/src/lib/openapi/routes/daily.ts
index 3917d885e..92845948e 100644
--- a/src/lib/openapi/routes/daily.ts
+++ b/src/lib/openapi/routes/daily.ts
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ export const dailyDigestResponse = z
       })
       .nullable()
       .describe(
-        "Rest Mode: present while an illness episode is active and the illness module is on, else null. Additive since v1.40.",
+        "Rest Mode: present while an illness episode that is not chronic ongoing (acute, recurring or flare) is active and the illness module is on, else null. A chronic ongoing condition alone never sets it; `day` counts from the earliest onset among the episodes that do. Additive since v1.40.",
       ),
     line: z
       .string()
diff --git a/src/lib/openapi/routes/insights/schemas.ts b/src/lib/openapi/routes/insights/schemas.ts
index 486ca50aa..f13be444c 100644
--- a/src/lib/openapi/routes/insights/schemas.ts
+++ b/src/lib/openapi/routes/insights/schemas.ts
@@ -2204,7 +2204,7 @@ export const healthScoreReport = z
       .nullable()
       .optional()
       .describe(
-        "Set on every response this route produces (null when no illness episode is active). Rest Mode FRAMES the score and never changes it: the number above is left exactly as computed and this attaches the value-free context. Resolved as of the scored window, not a fresh now.",
+        "Set on every response this route produces (null when no illness episode is active, or only chronic ongoing ones are: a condition the person lives with frames a dip but never puts the account into Rest Mode). Rest Mode FRAMES the score and never changes it: the number above is left exactly as computed and this attaches the value-free context. Resolved as of the scored window, not a fresh now.",
       ),
   })
   .meta({
diff --git a/tests/integration/rest-mode-chronic.test.ts b/tests/integration/rest-mode-chronic.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..201d458fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/integration/rest-mode-chronic.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,173 @@
+/**
+ * #1216 — a chronic ongoing condition alone never puts the account into Rest
+ * Mode, against real Postgres.
+ *
+ * A CHRONIC_ONGOING episode has no end date by design, so counting it would
+ * put the account into Rest Mode for good: the Today strip read "Rest mode ·
+ * Day 3948", nudges stayed paused and every streak gap since the onset was
+ * bridged. Pinned here on the three readers that decide it: the resolver
+ * (which the score, recovery, nudge and Today surfaces read), the Today
+ * digest's Day N, and the achievements streak freeze, which runs its own
+ * episode query.
+ */
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+
+import type { Prisma } from "@/generated/prisma/client";
+import { __resetAllCachesForTests } from "@/lib/cache/server-cache";
+import { loadDailyDigest } from "@/lib/daily/load-digest";
+import { buildAchievementsResult } from "@/lib/gamification/achievements-result";
+import { REST_MODE_INACTIVE, resolveRestMode } from "@/lib/illness/rest-mode";
+import type { ModuleKey } from "@/lib/modules/registry";
+
+import { getPrismaClient, truncateAllTables } from "./setup";
+
+vi.mock("@/lib/db-compat", () => ({
+  ensureDbCompatibility: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+}));
+
+const USER = "rest-mode-chronic";
+const DAY = 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
+
+beforeEach(async () => {
+  await truncateAllTables(getPrismaClient());
+  __resetAllCachesForTests();
+  await getPrismaClient().user.create({
+    data: {
+      id: USER,
+      username: USER,
+      email: `${USER}@example.test`,
+      timezone: "UTC",
+      createdAt: new Date("2026-03-01T00:00:00.000Z"),
+    },
+  });
+});
+
+function episode(data: Partial<Prisma.IllnessEpisodeUncheckedCreateInput>) {
+  return getPrismaClient().illnessEpisode.create({
+    data: {
+      userId: USER,
+      label: "Condition",
+      type: "CHRONIC",
+      lifecycle: "CHRONIC_ONGOING",
+      onsetAt: new Date("2015-08-01T00:00:00.000Z"),
+      ...data,
+    },
+  });
+}
+
+describe("resolveRestMode on a real record", () => {
+  const NOW = new Date("2026-10-04T12:00:00.000Z");
+
+  it("a chronic condition alone is not Rest Mode", async () => {
+    await episode({});
+    expect(await resolveRestMode(USER, NOW, getPrismaClient())).toEqual(
+      REST_MODE_INACTIVE,
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("chronic + acute is Rest Mode, anchored on the acute onset", async () => {
+    await episode({});
+    const acute = await episode({
+      label: "Cold",
+      type: "INFECTION",
+      lifecycle: "ACUTE",
+      onsetAt: new Date("2026-10-02T18:00:00.000Z"),
+    });
+    const ctx = await resolveRestMode(USER, NOW, getPrismaClient());
+    expect(ctx.active).toBe(true);
+    expect(ctx.since).toBe("2026-10-02T18:00:00.000Z");
+    expect(ctx.episodes.map((e) => e.id)).toEqual([acute.id]);
+  });
+
+  it("a flare threaded under the chronic condition is Rest Mode", async () => {
+    const parent = await episode({});
+    await episode({
+      label: "Flare",
+      lifecycle: "FLARE",
+      parentConditionId: parent.id,
+      onsetAt: new Date("2026-10-03T08:00:00.000Z"),
+    });
+    const ctx = await resolveRestMode(USER, NOW, getPrismaClient());
+    expect(ctx.active).toBe(true);
+    expect(ctx.since).toBe("2026-10-03T08:00:00.000Z");
+  });
+});
+
+describe("the Today digest's Rest Mode fact", () => {
+  const NOW = new Date("2026-10-04T06:00:00.000Z");
+
+  async function digest() {
+    const user = await getPrismaClient().user.findUniqueOrThrow({
+      where: { id: USER },
+    });
+    return loadDailyDigest(user, NOW, { locale: "en" });
+  }
+
+  it("shows no Rest Mode for a chronic condition alone", async () => {
+    await episode({});
+    const d = await digest();
+    expect(d.restMode).toBeNull();
+    expect(d.today.some((f) => f.kind === "rest_mode")).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("counts Day N from the acute onset, not the chronic one", async () => {
+    await episode({});
+    await episode({
+      label: "Cold",
+      type: "INFECTION",
+      lifecycle: "ACUTE",
+      onsetAt: new Date("2026-10-02T18:00:00.000Z"),
+    });
+    const d = await digest();
+    expect(d.restMode).toEqual({ day: 3 });
+  });
+});
+
+describe("the achievements streak freeze", () => {
+  const MODULES = {} as Record<ModuleKey, boolean>;
+
+  /** Logins two days apart: a one-day gap the freeze may or may not bridge. */
+  async function loginsAroundAGap() {
+    const today = new Date();
+    today.setUTCHours(12, 0, 0, 0);
+    const gapDay = new Date(today.getTime() - 4 * DAY);
+    await getPrismaClient().auditLog.createMany({
+      data: [5, 3].map((d) => ({
+        userId: USER,
+        action: "auth.login.password",
+        createdAt: new Date(today.getTime() - d * DAY),
+      })),
+    });
+    return gapDay;
+  }
+
+  async function loginStreak() {
+    const user = await getPrismaClient().user.findUniqueOrThrow({
+      where: { id: USER },
+    });
+    const result = await buildAchievementsResult(
+      user as Parameters<typeof buildAchievementsResult>[0],
+      MODULES,
+    );
+    return result.metrics.loginDayStreak;
+  }
+
+  it("does not bridge a gap on a chronic-only day", async () => {
+    await loginsAroundAGap();
+    await episode({});
+    expect(await loginStreak()).toBe(1);
+  });
+
+  it("still bridges a gap covered by an acute episode", async () => {
+    const gapDay = await loginsAroundAGap();
+    await episode({});
+    await episode({
+      label: "Cold",
+      type: "INFECTION",
+      lifecycle: "ACUTE",
+      onsetAt: new Date(gapDay.getTime() - 2 * 60 * 60 * 1000),
+      resolvedAt: new Date(gapDay.getTime() + 6 * 60 * 60 * 1000),
+    });
+    expect(await loginStreak()).toBe(3);
+  });
+});