diff --git a/src/lib/__tests__/geo-asn.test.ts b/src/lib/__tests__/geo-asn.test.ts
index 0664b16a5..6a59dfc7b 100644
--- a/src/lib/__tests__/geo-asn.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/__tests__/geo-asn.test.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,9 @@ import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach, vi } from "vitest";
  *   - Reader throws are swallowed (the helper is called from a
  *     fire-and-forget audit-log path; a thrown error would surface as
  *     an unhandled rejection).
- *   - The offline-first `lookupIpLocation` path picks the German city
+ *   - The online-first `lookupIpLocation` path (v1.18.10 W7) resolves via
+ *     `ipwho.is` by default and only consults the offline MMDB as a
+ *     fallback (online miss or egress disabled), picking the German city
  *     name first, English second, with the country ISO code from
  *     `country` or `registered_country`.
  *
@@ -171,57 +173,29 @@ describe("lookupIpAsn — offline ASN resolver (v1.4.27 B3)", () => {
   });
 });
 
-describe("lookupIpLocation — offline-first city resolver (v1.4.27 B3)", () => {
-  it("prefers the German exonym from the MMDB Names record", async () => {
+// v1.18.10 (W7) — online-first resolver. The `ipwho.is` HTTPS lookup is the
+// DEFAULT path; the bundled GeoLite2 offline tier is an OPTIONAL fallback
+// consulted only when the online lookup misses (provider down / non-ok) or
+// when egress is disabled via `IP_GEO_LOOKUP_DISABLED=1`.
+describe("lookupIpLocation — online-first city resolver (v1.18.10 W7)", () => {
+  // Helper: a non-ok online response forces the offline fallback to run.
+  function onlineMiss(): Response {
+    return new Response("", {
+      status: 503,
+      headers: { "content-type": "application/json" },
+    });
+  }
+
+  it("prefers the online provider even when the offline DB is present", async () => {
     readerState.cityExists = true;
     readerState.city = () => ({
       city: { names: { de: "München", en: "Munich" } },
       country: { iso_code: "DE" },
     });
-    const fetchSpy = vi.fn();
-    vi.stubGlobal("fetch", fetchSpy);
-    const { lookupIpLocation } = await import("../geo");
-
-    expect(await lookupIpLocation("85.214.0.1")).toBe("München, DE");
-    // Offline hit — no online fallback was needed.
-    expect(fetchSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
-  });
-
-  it("falls back to the English city name when the German exonym is absent", async () => {
-    readerState.cityExists = true;
-    readerState.city = () => ({
-      city: { names: { en: "Birmingham" } },
-      country: { iso_code: "GB" },
-    });
-    const fetchSpy = vi.fn();
-    vi.stubGlobal("fetch", fetchSpy);
-    const { lookupIpLocation } = await import("../geo");
-
-    expect(await lookupIpLocation("212.58.224.1")).toBe("Birmingham, GB");
-  });
-
-  it("accepts the registered_country ISO when country is absent", async () => {
-    readerState.cityExists = true;
-    readerState.city = () => ({
-      city: { names: { en: "Geneva" } },
-      registered_country: { iso_code: "CH" },
-    });
-    const { lookupIpLocation } = await import("../geo");
-
-    expect(await lookupIpLocation("194.158.0.1")).toBe("Geneva, CH");
-  });
-
-  it("falls back to the online provider when the offline DB has no city/country", async () => {
-    readerState.cityExists = true;
-    readerState.city = () => ({ city: { names: {} } });
     const fetchSpy = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(
       new Response(
         new TextEncoder().encode(
-          JSON.stringify({
-            success: true,
-            city: "Hamburg",
-            country_code: "DE",
-          }),
+          JSON.stringify({ success: true, city: "Berlin", country_code: "DE" }),
         ).buffer as ArrayBuffer,
         {
           status: 200,
@@ -232,11 +206,64 @@ describe("lookupIpLocation — offline-first city resolver (v1.4.27 B3)", () =>
     vi.stubGlobal("fetch", fetchSpy);
     const { lookupIpLocation } = await import("../geo");
 
-    expect(await lookupIpLocation("8.8.8.8")).toBe("Hamburg, DE");
+    // Online wins by default; the offline München record is not consulted.
+    expect(await lookupIpLocation("85.214.0.1")).toBe("Berlin, DE");
     expect(fetchSpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
   });
 
-  it("falls back to the online provider when the offline DB is missing entirely", async () => {
+  it("falls back to the offline German exonym when the online lookup misses", async () => {
+    readerState.cityExists = true;
+    readerState.city = () => ({
+      city: { names: { de: "München", en: "Munich" } },
+      country: { iso_code: "DE" },
+    });
+    const fetchSpy = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(onlineMiss());
+    vi.stubGlobal("fetch", fetchSpy);
+    const { lookupIpLocation } = await import("../geo");
+
+    expect(await lookupIpLocation("85.214.0.1")).toBe("München, DE");
+    // Online was tried first (and missed), then the offline tier resolved.
+    expect(fetchSpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+
+  it("offline fallback uses the English city name when the German exonym is absent", async () => {
+    readerState.cityExists = true;
+    readerState.city = () => ({
+      city: { names: { en: "Birmingham" } },
+      country: { iso_code: "GB" },
+    });
+    const fetchSpy = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(onlineMiss());
+    vi.stubGlobal("fetch", fetchSpy);
+    const { lookupIpLocation } = await import("../geo");
+
+    expect(await lookupIpLocation("212.58.224.1")).toBe("Birmingham, GB");
+  });
+
+  it("offline fallback accepts the registered_country ISO when country is absent", async () => {
+    readerState.cityExists = true;
+    readerState.city = () => ({
+      city: { names: { en: "Geneva" } },
+      registered_country: { iso_code: "CH" },
+    });
+    const fetchSpy = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(onlineMiss());
+    vi.stubGlobal("fetch", fetchSpy);
+    const { lookupIpLocation } = await import("../geo");
+
+    expect(await lookupIpLocation("194.158.0.1")).toBe("Geneva, CH");
+  });
+
+  it("returns null when both online and the offline DB miss", async () => {
+    readerState.cityExists = true;
+    readerState.city = () => ({ city: { names: {} } });
+    const fetchSpy = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(onlineMiss());
+    vi.stubGlobal("fetch", fetchSpy);
+    const { lookupIpLocation } = await import("../geo");
+
+    expect(await lookupIpLocation("8.8.8.8")).toBeNull();
+    expect(fetchSpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+
+  it("resolves online when the offline DB is missing entirely", async () => {
     readerState.cityExists = false;
     const fetchSpy = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(
       new Response(
@@ -256,7 +283,24 @@ describe("lookupIpLocation — offline-first city resolver (v1.4.27 B3)", () =>
     expect(fetchSpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
   });
 
-  it("skips the online fallback when IP_GEO_LOOKUP_DISABLED=1 and offline misses", async () => {
+  it("uses the offline tier when IP_GEO_LOOKUP_DISABLED=1 and the offline DB is present", async () => {
+    process.env.IP_GEO_LOOKUP_DISABLED = "1";
+    readerState.cityExists = true;
+    readerState.city = () => ({
+      city: { names: { de: "München" } },
+      country: { iso_code: "DE" },
+    });
+    const fetchSpy = vi.fn();
+    vi.stubGlobal("fetch", fetchSpy);
+    const { lookupIpLocation } = await import("../geo");
+
+    // Egress disabled → online short-circuits to null without a request, then
+    // the offline tier resolves.
+    expect(await lookupIpLocation("85.214.0.1")).toBe("München, DE");
+    expect(fetchSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("returns null when IP_GEO_LOOKUP_DISABLED=1 and the offline DB is missing", async () => {
     process.env.IP_GEO_LOOKUP_DISABLED = "1";
     readerState.cityExists = false;
     const fetchSpy = vi.fn();
diff --git a/src/lib/geo.ts b/src/lib/geo.ts
index 70d8ff6ce..d7326b0e0 100644
--- a/src/lib/geo.ts
+++ b/src/lib/geo.ts
@@ -1,19 +1,18 @@
 /**
  * IP geolocation lookup for audit-log enrichment.
  *
- * v1.15.12 E2: online-first resolver. The baseline that always works is
- * the `ipwho.is` HTTPS lookup (free, no key) — every self-host resolves
- * a location out of the box with no MaxMind licence configured. The
+ * v1.18.10 (W7): online-first resolver. The `ipwho.is` HTTPS lookup
+ * (free, no key) is the DEFAULT path — every self-host resolves a
+ * location out of the box with no MaxMind licence configured. The
  * bundled MaxMind GeoLite2-City MMDB at `/opt/geolite2/GeoLite2-City.mmdb`
- * is an OPTIONAL upgrade: when the offline databases are present
- * (`offlineGeoReady()`), the resolver prefers the microsecond-scale
- * local read for both speed and zero egress; when they are absent it
- * goes straight online.
+ * is an OPTIONAL fallback (perspective: removed later): it is consulted
+ * only when the online lookup misses (provider down / rate-limited) or
+ * when egress is disabled via `IP_GEO_LOOKUP_DISABLED=1`.
  *
  *   1. Private / loopback / opt-out → null (no lookup).
  *   2. Per-IP cache hit → return immediately.
- *   3. Offline MMDB present → local read; on a miss fall through online.
- *   4. Otherwise → online `ipwho.is` lookup.
+ *   3. Online `ipwho.is` lookup → return on success.
+ *   4. Offline MMDB present → local read fallback on an online miss.
  *
  * The legacy contract still holds: `lookupIpLocation` returns a
  * `"City, CC"` string or `null`, never throws. `lookupIpAsn` is the
@@ -369,31 +368,39 @@ export async function lookupIpLocation(
   const cached = getCachedLocation(ip);
   if (cached) return cached.value;
 
-  // v1.15.12 E2 — online-first precedence. The optional MaxMind offline
-  // tier is preferred ONLY when its databases are actually present
-  // (`offlineGeoReady()`): a local hit is faster and egress-free. When
-  // the offline DBs are absent — the default for a self-host with no
-  // `MAXMIND_LICENSE_KEY` — we skip straight to the online provider,
-  // which is the baseline that always resolves a location.
+  // v1.18.10 (W7) — online-first by default. The `ipwho.is` HTTPS lookup
+  // is now the primary resolver for every self-host: it needs no MaxMind
+  // licence and resolves a location out of the box. The bundled GeoLite2
+  // offline tier is an OPTIONAL fallback kept only for the egress-disabled
+  // case (`IP_GEO_LOOKUP_DISABLED=1`) or for an online miss when the DBs
+  // happen to be present — it is no longer the default path, and a missing
+  // offline tier is the expected baseline rather than a gap to alert on.
+  const online = await lookupIpLocationOnline(ip);
+  if (online) {
+    setCachedLocation(ip, online);
+    return online;
+  }
+
+  // Online missed (provider down, rate-limited, or egress disabled). Fall
+  // back to the offline MMDB if the operator configured one.
   if (offlineGeoReady()) {
     const offline = lookupIpLocationOffline(ip);
     if (offline) {
       setCachedLocation(ip, offline);
       return offline;
     }
-    // Offline DBs present but this IP missed (freshly-allocated range
-    // lagging the monthly GeoLite2 roll) → fall through to online.
   } else {
-    // No offline tier configured — fire the one-shot admin alert so the
-    // maintainer can wire `MAXMIND_LICENSE_KEY` for the offline upgrade
-    // when convenient. Online still resolves; the alert is informational.
-    // Fire-and-forget so the audit-log path stays fast.
+    // Neither resolver produced a location: the online lookup missed (or
+    // egress is disabled) AND no offline tier is configured. That is the
+    // only genuine "no resolver at all" gap — fire the one-shot admin alert
+    // so the maintainer can wire `MAXMIND_LICENSE_KEY` or re-enable egress.
+    // The happy path (ipwho.is resolving by default) never reaches here, so
+    // a self-host without the offline DBs is not nagged on every lookup.
     void notifyOfflineGeoUnavailable();
   }
 
-  const online = await lookupIpLocationOnline(ip);
-  setCachedLocation(ip, online);
-  return online;
+  setCachedLocation(ip, null);
+  return null;
 }
 
 /**