diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 148d457..e54e24c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -23,18 +23,18 @@ It is built around one idea: **a channel is "a named thing on a guide that resol
 
 > **"Purple team"** here is a security *identity* (red offense + blue defense), not a color. The palette stays red/black; the wizard theme is naming and lore on top of clear, accessible function.
 
-This is a side project built side-by-side with a mentor's reference design (a NAS + ErsatzTV + Raspberry Pi feeding a physical CRT). Same premise — *your media as 24/7 TV channels* — different architecture: portable, browser-based, and security-first.
+It is developed as a parallel build to a peer project that takes the same premise — *your media as 24/7 TV channels* — through a different architecture (a NAS + ErsatzTV + Raspberry Pi feeding a physical CRT). This implementation is portable, browser-based, and security-first.
 
 ## Features
 
-- 📺 **Authentic CRT presentation** — phosphor glow, scanlines, screen curvature, vignette breathing (all CSS, no WebGL).
-- 🔢 **Cable-box channel zapping** — number entry with debounce + 7-segment OSD, channel up/down, last-channel toggle, auto-fading now-playing banner.
-- 📡 **"Scrying Static" transitions** — procedural channel-change noise that clears the moment the new stream buffers (reduced-motion aware).
-- 🗓️ **The Almanac** — a virtualized, 1994-style scrolling TV guide with now/next, a live current-time playhead, and keyboard navigation. Scales to tens of thousands of channels.
-- 🎬 **Immersion stack** — Theater, Dim, and Ambient-backlight modes (à la YouTube), composable and keyboard-driven.
-- 🌫️ **Graceful dead-stream handling** — "the orb clouds over" no-signal card, automatic fallback URLs, and auto-skip.
-- 🧙 **The Lexicon** — optional in-world vocabulary (guide → *The Almanac*, search → *Scry*) with a one-click "mundane mode"; screen-reader labels always stay plain-English.
-- ♿ **Accessible by default** — full keyboard map + help overlay, ARIA roles/live regions, visible focus rings, and a complete `prefers-reduced-motion` kill-switch.
+- **Authentic CRT presentation** — phosphor glow, scanlines, screen curvature, vignette breathing (all CSS, no WebGL).
+- **Cable-box channel zapping** — number entry with debounce + 7-segment OSD, channel up/down, last-channel toggle, auto-fading now-playing banner.
+- **"Scrying Static" transitions** — procedural channel-change noise that clears the moment the new stream buffers (reduced-motion aware).
+- **The Almanac** — a virtualized, 1994-style scrolling TV guide with now/next, a live current-time playhead, and keyboard navigation. Scales to tens of thousands of channels.
+- **Immersion stack** — Theater, Dim, and Ambient-backlight modes (à la YouTube), composable and keyboard-driven.
+- **Graceful dead-stream handling** — "the orb clouds over" no-signal card, automatic fallback URLs, and auto-skip.
+- **The Lexicon** — optional in-world vocabulary (guide → *The Almanac*, search → *Scry*) with a one-click "mundane mode"; screen-reader labels always stay plain-English.
+- **Accessible by default** — full keyboard map + help overlay, ARIA roles/live regions, visible focus rings, and a complete `prefers-reduced-motion` kill-switch.
 
 ## Security posture
 
@@ -150,8 +150,8 @@ This project does **not** host, store, or transmit any media. It indexes **publi
 
 ## Acknowledgments
 
-- Inspired by a mentor's NAS → CRT "your movies as 24/7 channels" build.
-- Channel data and the public stream index come from the excellent [iptv-org](https://github.com/iptv-org/iptv) community project.
+- Developed as a parallel exploration alongside a peer's NAS-to-CRT "media as 24/7 channels" project.
+- Channel data and the public stream index come from the [iptv-org](https://github.com/iptv-org/iptv) community project.
 
 ## License
 
diff --git a/server/src/main.rs b/server/src/main.rs
index e02939c..ab7a9a4 100644
--- a/server/src/main.rs
+++ b/server/src/main.rs
@@ -7,12 +7,14 @@
 mod relay;
 mod ssrf;
 
+use std::collections::HashMap;
 use std::convert::Infallible;
+use std::hash::{Hash, Hasher};
 use std::net::SocketAddr;
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicU64, Ordering};
-use std::sync::Arc;
-use std::time::Instant;
+use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
+use std::time::{Duration, Instant};
 
 use bytes::Bytes;
 use http_body_util::Full;
@@ -27,11 +29,13 @@ use tokio_rustls::TlsConnector;
 use url::Url;
 
 use relay::{
-    build_tls_connector, fetch_validated, looks_like_manifest, max_for, rewrite_manifest,
+    build_tls_connector, fetch_validated, looks_like_manifest, max_for, probe, rewrite_manifest,
     RelayError,
 };
 
 const MAX_INFLIGHT_RELAY: usize = 32;
+const PROBE_TIMEOUT: Duration = Duration::from_secs(6);
+const PROBE_TTL: Duration = Duration::from_secs(300);
 
 #[derive(Default)]
 struct Metrics {
@@ -40,13 +44,19 @@ struct Metrics {
     relay_upstream_fail: AtomicU64,
     relay_ratelimit: AtomicU64,
     relay_bad_request: AtomicU64,
+    probe_total: AtomicU64,
+    probe_dead: AtomicU64,
 }
 
+/// Cached probe result: (recorded_at, ok, status, latency_ms).
+type ProbeCacheEntry = (Instant, bool, u16, u64);
+
 struct AppState {
     web_root: PathBuf,
     tls: TlsConnector,
     metrics: Metrics,
     relay_gate: Semaphore,
+    probe_cache: Mutex<HashMap<u64, ProbeCacheEntry>>,
 }
 
 #[tokio::main]
@@ -64,6 +74,7 @@ async fn main() {
         tls: build_tls_connector(),
         metrics: Metrics::default(),
         relay_gate: Semaphore::new(MAX_INFLIGHT_RELAY),
+        probe_cache: Mutex::new(HashMap::new()),
     });
 
     let listener = TcpListener::bind(bind).await.expect("bind");
@@ -109,6 +120,7 @@ async fn handle(
     let path = req.uri().path().to_string();
     let resp = match path.as_str() {
         "/relay" => serve_relay(&state, &req).await,
+        "/probe" => serve_probe(&state, &req).await,
         "/metrics" => serve_metrics(&state),
         "/healthz" => text(StatusCode::OK, "ok"),
         _ => serve_static(&state, &path).await,
@@ -190,6 +202,58 @@ async fn serve_relay(state: &AppState, req: &Request<Incoming>) -> Response<Full
     }
 }
 
+// ----------------------------- /probe ------------------------------------
+
+async fn serve_probe(state: &AppState, req: &Request<Incoming>) -> Response<Full<Bytes>> {
+    let query = req.uri().query().unwrap_or("");
+    let raw = url::form_urlencoded::parse(query.as_bytes())
+        .find(|(k, _)| k == "url")
+        .map(|(_, v)| v.into_owned());
+    let Some(raw) = raw else {
+        return json(StatusCode::BAD_REQUEST, "{\"ok\":false,\"status\":0,\"latency_ms\":0}");
+    };
+    let parsed = match Url::parse(&raw) {
+        Ok(u) if u.scheme() == "https" => u,
+        _ => return json(StatusCode::BAD_REQUEST, "{\"ok\":false,\"status\":0,\"latency_ms\":0}"),
+    };
+
+    // hash the URL for the cache key (never store the raw URL — token hygiene)
+    let mut hasher = std::collections::hash_map::DefaultHasher::new();
+    raw.hash(&mut hasher);
+    let key = hasher.finish();
+
+    if let Ok(cache) = state.probe_cache.lock() {
+        if let Some((ts, ok, status, ms)) = cache.get(&key) {
+            if ts.elapsed() < PROBE_TTL {
+                return json(StatusCode::OK, &probe_json(*ok, *status, *ms));
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    let _permit = match state.relay_gate.try_acquire() {
+        Ok(p) => p,
+        Err(_) => {
+            state.metrics.relay_ratelimit.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
+            return json(StatusCode::SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE, "{\"ok\":false,\"status\":0,\"latency_ms\":0}");
+        }
+    };
+
+    let outcome = probe(&state.tls, &parsed, PROBE_TIMEOUT).await;
+    state.metrics.probe_total.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
+    if !outcome.ok {
+        state.metrics.probe_dead.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
+    }
+    if let Ok(mut cache) = state.probe_cache.lock() {
+        cache.insert(key, (Instant::now(), outcome.ok, outcome.status, outcome.latency_ms));
+    }
+    log_line("probe", if outcome.ok { "live" } else { "dead" }, parsed.host_str(), Some(outcome.latency_ms));
+    json(StatusCode::OK, &probe_json(outcome.ok, outcome.status, outcome.latency_ms))
+}
+
+fn probe_json(ok: bool, status: u16, ms: u64) -> String {
+    format!("{{\"ok\":{ok},\"status\":{status},\"latency_ms\":{ms}}}")
+}
+
 // ----------------------------- /metrics ----------------------------------
 
 fn serve_metrics(state: &AppState) -> Response<Full<Bytes>> {
@@ -201,12 +265,18 @@ fn serve_metrics(state: &AppState) -> Response<Full<Bytes>> {
          orb_relay_total{{event=\"ssrf_block\"}} {}\n\
          orb_relay_total{{event=\"upstream_fail\"}} {}\n\
          orb_relay_total{{event=\"ratelimit\"}} {}\n\
-         orb_relay_total{{event=\"bad_request\"}} {}\n",
+         orb_relay_total{{event=\"bad_request\"}} {}\n\
+         # HELP orb_probe_total Health probes performed.\n\
+         # TYPE orb_probe_total counter\n\
+         orb_probe_total{{result=\"all\"}} {}\n\
+         orb_probe_total{{result=\"dead\"}} {}\n",
         m.relay_ok.load(Ordering::Relaxed),
         m.relay_ssrf_block.load(Ordering::Relaxed),
         m.relay_upstream_fail.load(Ordering::Relaxed),
         m.relay_ratelimit.load(Ordering::Relaxed),
         m.relay_bad_request.load(Ordering::Relaxed),
+        m.probe_total.load(Ordering::Relaxed),
+        m.probe_dead.load(Ordering::Relaxed),
     );
     bytes_resp(StatusCode::OK, "text/plain; version=0.0.4", Bytes::from(body))
 }
@@ -250,6 +320,7 @@ fn content_type_for(p: &Path) -> &'static str {
         Some("js") | Some("mjs") => "text/javascript; charset=utf-8",
         Some("css") => "text/css; charset=utf-8",
         Some("json") => "application/json",
+        Some("webmanifest") => "application/manifest+json",
         Some("svg") => "image/svg+xml",
         Some("png") => "image/png",
         Some("jpg") | Some("jpeg") => "image/jpeg",
@@ -273,8 +344,9 @@ fn with_security_headers(mut resp: Response<Full<Bytes>>, path: &str) -> Respons
         "Content-Security-Policy",
         hyper::header::HeaderValue::from_static(
             "default-src 'none'; script-src 'self'; style-src 'self'; img-src 'self' https: data:; \
-             media-src 'self' blob:; connect-src 'self'; font-src 'self'; object-src 'none'; \
-             base-uri 'none'; frame-src 'none'; form-action 'none'; frame-ancestors 'none'",
+             media-src 'self' blob:; connect-src 'self'; font-src 'self'; worker-src 'self'; \
+             manifest-src 'self'; object-src 'none'; base-uri 'none'; frame-src 'none'; \
+             form-action 'none'; frame-ancestors 'none'",
         ),
     );
     h.insert("X-Content-Type-Options", hyper::header::HeaderValue::from_static("nosniff"));
@@ -289,7 +361,14 @@ fn with_security_headers(mut resp: Response<Full<Bytes>>, path: &str) -> Respons
         "Strict-Transport-Security",
         hyper::header::HeaderValue::from_static("max-age=31536000"),
     );
-    let _ = path;
+    // Live stream + probe traffic is never cached: the service worker is the sole
+    // freshness authority, and it only caches static shell + JSON metadata.
+    if path == "/relay" || path == "/probe" {
+        h.insert(
+            hyper::header::CACHE_CONTROL,
+            hyper::header::HeaderValue::from_static("no-store"),
+        );
+    }
     resp
 }
 
@@ -305,6 +384,10 @@ fn text(status: StatusCode, msg: &str) -> Response<Full<Bytes>> {
     bytes_resp(status, "text/plain; charset=utf-8", Bytes::from(msg.to_string()))
 }
 
+fn json(status: StatusCode, body: &str) -> Response<Full<Bytes>> {
+    bytes_resp(status, "application/json", Bytes::from(body.to_string()))
+}
+
 /// Structured one-line JSON log. We log host (not full URL) + outcome — query
 /// strings can carry stream tokens, so the raw URL is never recorded.
 fn log_line(event: &str, detail: &str, host: Option<&str>, latency_ms: Option<u64>) {
diff --git a/server/src/relay.rs b/server/src/relay.rs
index fd8a211..6a27a69 100644
--- a/server/src/relay.rs
+++ b/server/src/relay.rs
@@ -63,6 +63,13 @@ pub struct Upstream {
     pub redirects: u32,
 }
 
+/// Lightweight liveness result for the health prober.
+pub struct ProbeOutcome {
+    pub ok: bool,
+    pub status: u16,
+    pub latency_ms: u64,
+}
+
 /// Build the shared rustls/TLS connector (webpki roots, explicit ring provider).
 pub fn build_tls_connector() -> TlsConnector {
     let mut roots = rustls::RootCertStore::empty();
@@ -201,6 +208,94 @@ pub async fn fetch_validated(
     }
 }
 
+/// Open an SSRF-validated HTTPS/1.1 connection and send one request, returning
+/// the response status (body is not read — caller decides). Used by the prober.
+async fn send_method(
+    connector: &TlsConnector,
+    url: &Url,
+    method: hyper::Method,
+    range: bool,
+) -> Result<StatusCode, RelayError> {
+    if !is_https(url) {
+        return Err(RelayError::NotHttps);
+    }
+    let host = url.host_str().ok_or(RelayError::BadUrl)?.to_string();
+    let port = url.port_or_known_default().unwrap_or(443);
+    let addr = resolve_and_validate(&host, port)
+        .await
+        .map_err(RelayError::Ssrf)?;
+    let tcp = TcpStream::connect(addr)
+        .await
+        .map_err(|e| RelayError::Connect(e.to_string()))?;
+    let _ = tcp.set_nodelay(true);
+    let server_name = rustls::pki_types::ServerName::try_from(host.clone())
+        .map_err(|_| RelayError::Tls("invalid sni".into()))?;
+    let tls = connector
+        .connect(server_name, tcp)
+        .await
+        .map_err(|e| RelayError::Tls(e.to_string()))?;
+    let io = TokioIo::new(tls);
+    let (mut sender, conn) = http1::handshake(io)
+        .await
+        .map_err(|e| RelayError::Http(e.to_string()))?;
+    tokio::spawn(async move {
+        let _ = conn.await;
+    });
+
+    let mut pq = url.path().to_string();
+    if let Some(q) = url.query() {
+        pq.push('?');
+        pq.push_str(q);
+    }
+    let mut builder = Request::builder()
+        .method(method)
+        .uri(pq)
+        .header(hyper::header::HOST, host.as_str())
+        .header(hyper::header::USER_AGENT, UA)
+        .header(hyper::header::ACCEPT, "*/*");
+    if range {
+        builder = builder.header(hyper::header::RANGE, "bytes=0-1");
+    }
+    let req = builder
+        .body(Empty::<Bytes>::new())
+        .map_err(|e| RelayError::Http(e.to_string()))?;
+    let resp = sender
+        .send_request(req)
+        .await
+        .map_err(|e| RelayError::Http(e.to_string()))?;
+    Ok(resp.status())
+}
+
+/// Probe a stream URL for liveness: HEAD first, falling back to a ranged GET
+/// (many CDNs reject HEAD). Whole thing is time-boxed.
+pub async fn probe(connector: &TlsConnector, url: &Url, timeout: std::time::Duration) -> ProbeOutcome {
+    let started = std::time::Instant::now();
+    let result = tokio::time::timeout(timeout, async {
+        // HEAD
+        if let Ok(status) = send_method(connector, url, hyper::Method::HEAD, false).await {
+            if status.is_success() || status.is_redirection() {
+                return Some(status);
+            }
+        }
+        // ranged GET fallback
+        if let Ok(status) = send_method(connector, url, hyper::Method::GET, true).await {
+            return Some(status);
+        }
+        None
+    })
+    .await;
+
+    let latency_ms = started.elapsed().as_millis() as u64;
+    match result {
+        Ok(Some(status)) => ProbeOutcome {
+            ok: status.is_success() || status.is_redirection(),
+            status: status.as_u16(),
+            latency_ms,
+        },
+        Ok(None) | Err(_) => ProbeOutcome { ok: false, status: 0, latency_ms },
+    }
+}
+
 /// Heuristic: is this an HLS manifest we should rewrite?
 pub fn looks_like_manifest(url: &Url, content_type: &str) -> bool {
     let ct = content_type.to_ascii_lowercase();
diff --git a/web/app.js b/web/app.js
index e8718c2..db3ebee 100644
--- a/web/app.js
+++ b/web/app.js
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ import { Player } from './player.js';
 import { Zapper } from './zapper.js';
 import { Guide } from './guide.js';
 import { Ambient } from './ambient.js';
+import { Health } from './health.js';
+import { memory } from './memory.js';
 import { applyLexicon, setMundane, isMundane } from './lexicon.js';
 
 const $ = (id) => document.getElementById(id);
@@ -44,6 +46,7 @@ function setMode(name, on) {
   modes[name] = on;
   els.root.setAttribute(`data-mode-${name}`, String(on));
   if (name === 'ambient') on ? ambient.start() : ambient.stop();
+  memory.rememberModes(modes);
 }
 function toggleMode(name) { setMode(name, !modes[name]); }
 function collapseModes() {
@@ -147,12 +150,27 @@ async function boot() {
   els.mundane.addEventListener('change', () => setMundane(els.mundane.checked));
   els.helpClose.addEventListener('click', () => toggleHelp(false));
 
+  const { agg, label } = pickProviders();
+  const hasRelay = !!document.querySelector('meta[name="orb-relay"]');
+
   ambient = new Ambient(els.video, els.ambientCanvas);
   player = new Player(els, (msg) => console.warn('[orb] stream fatal:', msg));
-  const { agg, label } = pickProviders();
-  zapper = new Zapper(els, player, agg);
+  const health = new Health(agg, hasRelay);
+  zapper = new Zapper(els, player, agg, { memory, health });
   guide = new Guide(els, agg, (ch) => zapper.tune(ch));
 
+  // Health results → guide reliability glyphs (and the Oracle's history).
+  health.onResult = (id, state) => guide.setHealth(id, state !== 'dead');
+
+  // The Oracle's Memory: restore last session.
+  els.vol.value = Math.round((memory.settings.volume ?? 1) * 100);
+  player.video.volume = memory.settings.volume ?? 1;
+  player.video.muted = !!memory.settings.muted;
+  player._syncMute?.();
+  for (const m of ['theater', 'dim', 'ambient']) {
+    if (memory.settings.modes?.[m]) setMode(m, true);
+  }
+
   els.btnChup.addEventListener('click', () => zapper.tuneToIndexOffset(-1));
   els.btnChdn.addEventListener('click', () => zapper.tuneToIndexOffset(+1));
   els.btnGuide.addEventListener('click', () => guide.toggle());
@@ -163,22 +181,24 @@ async function boot() {
   try {
     const channels = await agg.listAllChannels();
     console.info(`[orb] ${label} provider: ${channels.length} channels`);
-    if (channels.length) await zapper.tune(channels[0]);
-    runHealthPass(agg, guide);
+    if (channels.length) {
+      // resurrect last channel if it still exists, else first
+      const last = memory.lastChannelId && agg.getChannel(memory.lastChannelId);
+      await zapper.tune(last || channels[0]);
+    }
+    // probe a bounded sample so the guide gets reliability glyphs without a stampede
+    health.probeMany(channels.slice(0, 60));
   } catch (e) {
     console.error('[orb] boot failed:', e);
     player._showNoSignal?.();
   }
 }
 
-// background health pass → guide skull glyphs (Oracle's Memory seed)
-async function runHealthPass(agg, guide) {
-  for (const ch of agg.channels) {
-    const owner = agg.providers.get(ch.source);
-    if (!owner?.healthCheck) continue;
-    try { const r = await owner.healthCheck(ch.id); guide.setHealth(ch.id, r.ok); }
-    catch { guide.setHealth(ch.id, false); }
-  }
+// Register the service worker (PWA / offline shell). Best-effort; never blocks boot.
+if ('serviceWorker' in navigator) {
+  window.addEventListener('load', () => {
+    navigator.serviceWorker.register('/sw.js').catch((e) => console.warn('[orb] sw:', e));
+  });
 }
 
 boot();
diff --git a/web/epg-worker.js b/web/epg-worker.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a29437c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/epg-worker.js
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+// epg-worker.js — module worker that parses XMLTV off the main thread.
+//
+// Keeps the guide responsive when a 50MB+ EPG feed lands: the expensive parse
+// happens here, the main thread only receives the finished program array.
+// Launched as `new Worker('./epg-worker.js', { type: 'module' })`.
+
+import { parseXmltv } from './lib/xmltv-parse.js';
+
+self.onmessage = (e) => {
+  const { id, xml } = e.data || {};
+  try {
+    const programs = parseXmltv(xml);
+    self.postMessage({ id, ok: true, programs });
+  } catch (err) {
+    self.postMessage({ id, ok: false, error: String(err) });
+  }
+};
diff --git a/web/guide.js b/web/guide.js
index a5800d2..7eab78f 100644
--- a/web/guide.js
+++ b/web/guide.js
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 // guide.js — "The Almanac": 1994-style scrolling EPG overlay.
 // Virtualized rows (fixed height) so thousands of channels stay smooth.
 
+import { memory } from './memory.js';
+
 const ROW_H = 46;
 const CH_COL = 150;
 const HOUR_W = 180;          // px per hour
@@ -126,6 +128,19 @@ export class Guide {
       const sk = document.createElement('span'); sk.className = 'skull'; sk.textContent = '☠';
       sk.title = 'no signal'; cell.appendChild(sk);
     }
+    // pin (Oracle's Memory) — click the rune to inscribe/banish a channel
+    const pin = document.createElement('button');
+    pin.className = 'pin' + (memory.isPinned(ch.id) ? ' on' : '');
+    pin.textContent = memory.isPinned(ch.id) ? '★' : '☆';
+    pin.setAttribute('aria-label', memory.isPinned(ch.id) ? 'Unpin channel' : 'Pin channel');
+    pin.addEventListener('click', (e) => {
+      e.stopPropagation();
+      const on = memory.togglePin(ch.id);
+      pin.classList.toggle('on', on);
+      pin.textContent = on ? '★' : '☆';
+      pin.setAttribute('aria-label', on ? 'Unpin channel' : 'Pin channel');
+    });
+    cell.appendChild(pin);
     cell.addEventListener('click', () => { this.onTune(ch); this.hide(); });
 
     const progs = document.createElement('div');
diff --git a/web/health.js b/web/health.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..adab3a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/health.js
@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+// health.js — stream health prober + scoring (upgrade #4).
+//
+// Lazy + bounded: we probe the current channel and whatever guide rows are
+// visible, never the whole catalog (respects upstreams, scales to ~39k). Results
+// are cached in-memory (short TTL) and folded into the Oracle's Memory uptime
+// history. Uses the relay's /probe endpoint when available; falls back to the
+// provider's own healthCheck on a plain static server.
+
+import { memory } from './memory.js';
+
+const TTL_MS = 5 * 60 * 1000;     // re-probe a channel at most this often
+const SLOW_MS = 4000;             // 2xx but slower than this → "degraded"
+const POOL = 6;                   // max concurrent probes
+
+/** @typedef {'live'|'degraded'|'dead'} HealthState */
+
+export class Health {
+  /**
+   * @param {import('./providers/source-provider.js').ChannelAggregator} agg
+   * @param {boolean} hasRelay  is the same-origin /probe endpoint available?
+   */
+  constructor(agg, hasRelay) {
+    this.agg = agg;
+    this.hasRelay = hasRelay;
+    this._cache = new Map();       // id -> { state, ts }
+    this._inflight = new Map();    // id -> Promise<HealthState>
+    this._queue = [];
+    this._active = 0;
+    /** @type {(id:string, state:HealthState)=>void} */
+    this.onResult = () => {};
+  }
+
+  /** Cached state without triggering a probe (for instant render / auto-skip). */
+  cached(id) {
+    const c = this._cache.get(id);
+    if (c) return c.state;
+    return memory.reliability(id)?.last ?? null;
+  }
+
+  isKnownDead(id) { return this.cached(id) === 'dead'; }
+
+  /** Probe one channel (deduped, TTL-cached). */
+  async probe(channel) {
+    const id = channel.id;
+    const c = this._cache.get(id);
+    if (c && Date.now() - c.ts < TTL_MS) return c.state;
+    if (this._inflight.has(id)) return this._inflight.get(id);
+
+    const p = this._enqueue(channel).then((state) => {
+      this._cache.set(id, { state, ts: Date.now() });
+      this._inflight.delete(id);
+      memory.recordHealth(id, state);
+      this.onResult(id, state);
+      return state;
+    });
+    this._inflight.set(id, p);
+    return p;
+  }
+
+  /** Probe many with bounded concurrency (fire-and-forget UI updates). */
+  probeMany(channels) {
+    for (const ch of channels) {
+      if (!ch) continue;
+      const c = this._cache.get(ch.id);
+      if (c && Date.now() - c.ts < TTL_MS) continue;
+      this.probe(ch);
+    }
+  }
+
+  // ---- internal pool ----
+  _enqueue(channel) {
+    return new Promise((resolve) => {
+      this._queue.push({ channel, resolve });
+      this._pump();
+    });
+  }
+  _pump() {
+    while (this._active < POOL && this._queue.length) {
+      const { channel, resolve } = this._queue.shift();
+      this._active++;
+      this._runOne(channel).then((state) => {
+        this._active--;
+        resolve(state);
+        this._pump();
+      });
+    }
+  }
+
+  /** @returns {Promise<HealthState>} */
+  async _runOne(channel) {
+    const raw = channel.probeUrls && channel.probeUrls[0];
+    if (this.hasRelay && raw) {
+      try {
+        const t0 = performance.now();
+        const r = await fetch('/probe?url=' + encodeURIComponent(raw), {
+          credentials: 'omit', referrerPolicy: 'no-referrer',
+        });
+        if (r.ok) {
+          const j = await r.json();
+          if (!j.ok) return 'dead';
+          const ms = j.latency_ms ?? (performance.now() - t0);
+          return ms >= SLOW_MS ? 'degraded' : 'live';
+        }
+        // 4xx/5xx from /probe means policy block or upstream fail
+        return 'dead';
+      } catch {
+        return 'dead';
+      }
+    }
+    // fallback: provider-native check (mock / static server)
+    const owner = this.agg.providers.get(channel.source);
+    if (owner?.healthCheck) {
+      try { const r = await owner.healthCheck(channel.id); return r.ok ? 'live' : 'dead'; }
+      catch { return 'dead'; }
+    }
+    return 'live';
+  }
+}
diff --git a/web/icons/apple-touch-icon.png b/web/icons/apple-touch-icon.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..86f908b
Binary files /dev/null and b/web/icons/apple-touch-icon.png differ
diff --git a/web/icons/icon-192.png b/web/icons/icon-192.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e13becb
Binary files /dev/null and b/web/icons/icon-192.png differ
diff --git a/web/icons/icon-512.png b/web/icons/icon-512.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a9c1ee7
Binary files /dev/null and b/web/icons/icon-512.png differ
diff --git a/web/icons/icon-maskable-512.png b/web/icons/icon-maskable-512.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a9c1ee7
Binary files /dev/null and b/web/icons/icon-maskable-512.png differ
diff --git a/web/icons/orb.svg b/web/icons/orb.svg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9f39b7b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/icons/orb.svg
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="512" height="512" viewBox="0 0 512 512">
+  <defs>
+    <radialGradient id="orb" cx="42%" cy="38%" r="70%">
+      <stop offset="0%" stop-color="#ff6a3d"/>
+      <stop offset="32%" stop-color="#e10000"/>
+      <stop offset="70%" stop-color="#6e0f0f"/>
+      <stop offset="100%" stop-color="#1a0608"/>
+    </radialGradient>
+    <radialGradient id="glow" cx="50%" cy="50%" r="50%">
+      <stop offset="0%" stop-color="#ff2b2b" stop-opacity="0.55"/>
+      <stop offset="100%" stop-color="#ff2b2b" stop-opacity="0"/>
+    </radialGradient>
+  </defs>
+
+  <!-- black field -->
+  <rect width="512" height="512" fill="#050102"/>
+
+  <!-- ambient glow -->
+  <circle cx="256" cy="248" r="220" fill="url(#glow)"/>
+
+  <!-- the orb -->
+  <circle cx="256" cy="248" r="168" fill="url(#orb)" stroke="#ff2b2b" stroke-width="3"/>
+
+  <!-- scanlines clipped to the orb -->
+  <clipPath id="c"><circle cx="256" cy="248" r="168"/></clipPath>
+  <g clip-path="url(#c)" opacity="0.18">
+    <g fill="#000">
+      <rect x="88" y="92"  width="336" height="3"/>
+      <rect x="88" y="116" width="336" height="3"/>
+      <rect x="88" y="140" width="336" height="3"/>
+      <rect x="88" y="164" width="336" height="3"/>
+      <rect x="88" y="188" width="336" height="3"/>
+      <rect x="88" y="212" width="336" height="3"/>
+      <rect x="88" y="236" width="336" height="3"/>
+      <rect x="88" y="260" width="336" height="3"/>
+      <rect x="88" y="284" width="336" height="3"/>
+      <rect x="88" y="308" width="336" height="3"/>
+      <rect x="88" y="332" width="336" height="3"/>
+      <rect x="88" y="356" width="336" height="3"/>
+      <rect x="88" y="380" width="336" height="3"/>
+    </g>
+  </g>
+
+  <!-- highlight -->
+  <ellipse cx="206" cy="190" rx="46" ry="30" fill="#ffd9d4" opacity="0.35"/>
+
+  <!-- wizard stand -->
+  <path d="M176 410 L336 410 L304 372 L208 372 Z" fill="#1a0608" stroke="#6e0f0f" stroke-width="3"/>
+  <rect x="150" y="410" width="212" height="20" rx="6" fill="#1a0608" stroke="#6e0f0f" stroke-width="3"/>
+</svg>
diff --git a/web/index.html b/web/index.html
index 61a56f3..66dcbf7 100644
--- a/web/index.html
+++ b/web/index.html
@@ -17,13 +17,19 @@
   media-src 'self' blob: https:;
   connect-src 'self' https:;
   font-src 'self';
+  worker-src 'self';
+  manifest-src 'self';
   object-src 'none';
   base-uri 'none';
   frame-src 'none';
   form-action 'none'">
 <meta name="referrer" content="no-referrer">
 <meta name="color-scheme" content="dark">
+<meta name="theme-color" content="#e10000">
 
+<link rel="manifest" href="manifest.webmanifest">
+<link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="icons/apple-touch-icon.png">
+<link rel="icon" href="icons/icon-192.png" type="image/png">
 <link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css">
 </head>
 <body>
diff --git a/web/lib/xmltv-parse.js b/web/lib/xmltv-parse.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..83a7efb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/lib/xmltv-parse.js
@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+// xmltv-parse.js — pure XMLTV parser (no DOM, node-testable).
+//
+// XMLTV is regular enough to scan linearly for <programme>…</programme> blocks.
+// A manual indexOf scan avoids both DOMParser (unavailable in Workers) and
+// regex backtracking on 50MB+ feeds. Exported standalone so it can be unit
+// tested in node and reused by the EPG worker.
+
+/** Decode the handful of XML entities XMLTV actually uses. */
+function decodeEntities(s) {
+  if (s.indexOf('&') === -1) return s;
+  return s.replace(/&(#x?[0-9a-fA-F]+|amp|lt|gt|quot|apos);/g, (m, e) => {
+    switch (e) {
+      case 'amp': return '&';
+      case 'lt': return '<';
+      case 'gt': return '>';
+      case 'quot': return '"';
+      case 'apos': return "'";
+      default:
+        if (e[0] === '#') {
+          const code = e[1] === 'x' || e[1] === 'X'
+            ? parseInt(e.slice(2), 16)
+            : parseInt(e.slice(1), 10);
+          return Number.isFinite(code) ? String.fromCodePoint(code) : m;
+        }
+        return m;
+    }
+  });
+}
+
+/** XMLTV time: "20260615013000 +0000" → epoch ms (0 if unparseable). */
+export function parseXmltvTime(s) {
+  if (!s) return 0;
+  const m = /^(\d{4})(\d{2})(\d{2})(\d{2})(\d{2})(\d{2})?\s*([+-]\d{4})?/.exec(s.trim());
+  if (!m) return 0;
+  const [, Y, Mo, D, H, Mi, S, tz] = m;
+  let ms = Date.UTC(+Y, +Mo - 1, +D, +H, +Mi, +(S || 0));
+  if (tz) {
+    const sign = tz[0] === '-' ? -1 : 1;
+    ms -= sign * ((+tz.slice(1, 3)) * 60 + (+tz.slice(3, 5))) * 60000;
+  }
+  return ms;
+}
+
+/** Read attr value from an opening-tag string, e.g. attr(`channel`, '<programme channel="x" …'). */
+function attr(name, tag) {
+  const needle = name + '="';
+  let i = tag.indexOf(needle);
+  if (i === -1) return '';
+  i += needle.length;
+  const end = tag.indexOf('"', i);
+  return end === -1 ? '' : decodeEntities(tag.slice(i, end));
+}
+
+/** Inner text of the first <tag>…</tag> within `block`. */
+function inner(tag, block) {
+  const open = '<' + tag;
+  let i = block.indexOf(open);
+  if (i === -1) return '';
+  const gt = block.indexOf('>', i);
+  if (gt === -1) return '';
+  if (block[gt - 1] === '/') return ''; // self-closing
+  const close = block.indexOf('</' + tag + '>', gt);
+  if (close === -1) return '';
+  return decodeEntities(block.slice(gt + 1, close)).trim();
+}
+
+/**
+ * Parse an XMLTV document into program records.
+ * @param {string} text
+ * @param {number} [cap]  optional max programmes (DoS guard)
+ * @returns {{channel:string,start:number,stop:number,title:string,desc:string}[]}
+ */
+export function parseXmltv(text, cap = 2_000_000) {
+  const out = [];
+  let pos = 0;
+  const OPEN = '<programme';
+  const CLOSE = '</programme>';
+  while (out.length < cap) {
+    const start = text.indexOf(OPEN, pos);
+    if (start === -1) break;
+    const tagEnd = text.indexOf('>', start);
+    if (tagEnd === -1) break;
+    const openTag = text.slice(start, tagEnd + 1);
+
+    // self-closing <programme .../> (rare, no title) — skip the body search
+    let blockEnd, block;
+    if (openTag.endsWith('/>')) {
+      block = openTag;
+      blockEnd = tagEnd + 1;
+    } else {
+      const close = text.indexOf(CLOSE, tagEnd);
+      if (close === -1) break;
+      block = text.slice(start, close + CLOSE.length);
+      blockEnd = close + CLOSE.length;
+    }
+    pos = blockEnd;
+
+    const channel = attr('channel', openTag);
+    const startMs = parseXmltvTime(attr('start', openTag));
+    const stopMs = parseXmltvTime(attr('stop', openTag));
+    if (!channel || !startMs || !stopMs) continue;
+
+    out.push({
+      channel,
+      start: startMs,
+      stop: stopMs,
+      title: inner('title', block) || 'Program',
+      desc: inner('desc', block),
+    });
+  }
+  return out;
+}
diff --git a/web/manifest.webmanifest b/web/manifest.webmanifest
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fed1f09
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/manifest.webmanifest
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+{
+  "name": "The Pondering Orb",
+  "short_name": "Pondering Orb",
+  "description": "A retro CRT-themed web TV — channel-surf live streams through a security-hardened relay.",
+  "id": "/",
+  "start_url": "/",
+  "scope": "/",
+  "display": "standalone",
+  "orientation": "landscape",
+  "background_color": "#050102",
+  "theme_color": "#e10000",
+  "icons": [
+    { "src": "icons/icon-192.png", "sizes": "192x192", "type": "image/png", "purpose": "any" },
+    { "src": "icons/icon-512.png", "sizes": "512x512", "type": "image/png", "purpose": "any" },
+    { "src": "icons/icon-maskable-512.png", "sizes": "512x512", "type": "image/png", "purpose": "maskable" }
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/web/memory.js b/web/memory.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..54226cf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/memory.js
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+// memory.js — "The Oracle's Memory" (upgrade #5).
+//
+// Local-first persistence: session resurrection (last channel / volume / modes),
+// per-channel rolling uptime history (feeds the guide reliability glyphs and
+// auto-skip), and pinned channels. Everything in localStorage, namespaced.
+
+const NS = 'orb.';
+const K = {
+  settings: NS + 'settings',
+  health: NS + 'health',
+  pins: NS + 'pins',
+};
+const HISTORY_DECAY = 0.85; // exponential weighting toward recent samples
+
+function read(key, fallback) {
+  try { const v = localStorage.getItem(key); return v ? JSON.parse(v) : fallback; }
+  catch { return fallback; }
+}
+function write(key, val) {
+  try { localStorage.setItem(key, JSON.stringify(val)); } catch { /* quota / private mode */ }
+}
+
+class OracleMemory {
+  constructor() {
+    this.settings = read(K.settings, {
+      lastChannelId: null,
+      volume: 1,
+      muted: false,
+      modes: { theater: false, dim: false, ambient: false },
+    });
+    /** @type {Object<string,{score:number,samples:number,last:string,ts:number}>} */
+    this.health = read(K.health, {});
+    this.pins = new Set(read(K.pins, []));
+  }
+
+  // ---- session resurrection ----
+  get lastChannelId() { return this.settings.lastChannelId; }
+  rememberChannel(id) { this.settings.lastChannelId = id; this._saveSettings(); }
+  rememberVolume(volume, muted) {
+    this.settings.volume = volume; this.settings.muted = muted; this._saveSettings();
+  }
+  rememberModes(modes) { this.settings.modes = { ...modes }; this._saveSettings(); }
+  _saveSettings() { write(K.settings, this.settings); }
+
+  // ---- uptime history (fed by health probes) ----
+  /** @param {string} id @param {'live'|'degraded'|'dead'} state */
+  recordHealth(id, state) {
+    const ok = state === 'live' ? 1 : state === 'degraded' ? 0.5 : 0;
+    const prev = this.health[id];
+    const score = prev ? prev.score * HISTORY_DECAY + ok * (1 - HISTORY_DECAY) : ok;
+    this.health[id] = {
+      score,
+      samples: (prev?.samples || 0) + 1,
+      last: state,
+      ts: Date.now(),
+    };
+    this._healthDirty = true;
+    this._scheduleHealthSave();
+  }
+  _scheduleHealthSave() {
+    if (this._healthT) return;
+    this._healthT = setTimeout(() => { this._healthT = 0; write(K.health, this.health); }, 1500);
+  }
+  /** @returns {{score:number,samples:number,last:string,ts:number}|null} */
+  reliability(id) { return this.health[id] || null; }
+  isKnownDead(id) { return this.health[id]?.last === 'dead'; }
+
+  // ---- pins ----
+  isPinned(id) { return this.pins.has(id); }
+  togglePin(id) {
+    this.pins.has(id) ? this.pins.delete(id) : this.pins.add(id);
+    write(K.pins, [...this.pins]);
+    return this.pins.has(id);
+  }
+  pinned() { return [...this.pins]; }
+}
+
+export const memory = new OracleMemory();
diff --git a/web/player.js b/web/player.js
index 800924d..3b6784c 100644
--- a/web/player.js
+++ b/web/player.js
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 // player.js — HLS.js wiring, live-aware ghost controls, dead-stream handling.
 
+import { memory } from './memory.js';
+
 const HLS_CONFIG = {
   enableWorker: true,
   lowLatencyMode: false,
@@ -171,6 +173,7 @@ export class Player {
     const m = this.video.muted || this.video.volume === 0;
     this.els.btnMute.textContent = m ? '🔇' : '🔊';
     this.els.btnMute.setAttribute('aria-pressed', String(m));
+    memory.rememberVolume(this.video.volume, this.video.muted);
   }
   setVolume(delta) {
     this.video.muted = false;
diff --git a/web/providers/iptv-org.js b/web/providers/iptv-org.js
index 235ab8a..9941311 100644
--- a/web/providers/iptv-org.js
+++ b/web/providers/iptv-org.js
@@ -100,6 +100,7 @@ export class IptvOrgProvider extends SourceProvider {
         language: clip((c.languages && c.languages[0]) || ''),
         kind: 'live',
         streamUrls: playable,
+        probeUrls: urls,           // raw https upstreams for the /probe endpoint
         guideId: c.id,
       });
     }
@@ -124,10 +125,9 @@ export class IptvOrgProvider extends SourceProvider {
   }
 
   /**
-   * EPG. Parses XMLTV with DOMParser (never innerHTML) into Program[].
-   * Phase-1 stub: returns cached programs if an XMLTV feed has been provided via
-   * setEpgXml(); otherwise empty (guide still renders channel rows + now/next is
-   * simply blank until an EPG source is wired in Phase 1.5).
+   * EPG. Returns cached programs (populated by loadEpgXml via the off-thread
+   * worker). Empty until an XMLTV feed is loaded — the guide still renders
+   * channel rows; now/next is simply blank.
    */
   async getPrograms(channelId, window) {
     const cached = this._epgCache.get(channelId);
@@ -135,42 +135,41 @@ export class IptvOrgProvider extends SourceProvider {
     return cached.filter((p) => p.stop > window.from && p.start < window.to);
   }
 
-  /** Parse a raw XMLTV string and populate the EPG cache (safe: DOMParser). */
-  setEpgXml(xmlString) {
-    const doc = new DOMParser().parseFromString(xmlString, 'application/xml');
-    if (doc.querySelector('parsererror')) return;
-    // map xmltv channel id -> our namespaced id
+  /**
+   * Parse an XMLTV feed OFF the main thread and populate the EPG cache.
+   * @param {string} xmlString
+   * @returns {Promise<number>} number of programmes indexed
+   */
+  async loadEpgXml(xmlString) {
+    const programs = await this._parseInWorker(xmlString);
     const idMap = new Map((this._channels || []).map((c) => [c.guideId, c.id]));
-    for (const prog of doc.getElementsByTagName('programme')) {
-      const xmlCh = prog.getAttribute('channel');
-      const cid = idMap.get(xmlCh);
+    let n = 0;
+    for (const p of programs) {
+      const cid = idMap.get(p.channel);
       if (!cid) continue;
-      const start = parseXmltvTime(prog.getAttribute('start'));
-      const stop = parseXmltvTime(prog.getAttribute('stop'));
-      if (!start || !stop) continue;
-      const titleEl = prog.getElementsByTagName('title')[0];
-      const descEl = prog.getElementsByTagName('desc')[0];
       const arr = this._epgCache.get(cid) || this._epgCache.set(cid, []).get(cid);
-      arr.push({
-        channelId: cid,
-        title: clip(titleEl ? titleEl.textContent : 'Program'),
-        desc: clip(descEl ? descEl.textContent : ''),
-        start, stop,
-      });
+      arr.push({ channelId: cid, title: clip(p.title), desc: clip(p.desc), start: p.start, stop: p.stop });
+      n++;
     }
+    return n;
   }
-}
 
-/** XMLTV time: "20260615013000 +0000" → epoch ms. */
-function parseXmltvTime(s) {
-  if (!s) return 0;
-  const m = /^(\d{4})(\d{2})(\d{2})(\d{2})(\d{2})(\d{2})?\s*([+-]\d{4})?/.exec(s.trim());
-  if (!m) return 0;
-  const [, Y, Mo, D, H, Mi, S, tz] = m;
-  let ms = Date.UTC(+Y, +Mo - 1, +D, +H, +Mi, +(S || 0));
-  if (tz) {
-    const sign = tz[0] === '-' ? -1 : 1;
-    ms -= sign * ((+tz.slice(1, 3)) * 60 + (+tz.slice(3, 5))) * 60000;
+  _parseInWorker(xmlString) {
+    return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+      let worker;
+      try {
+        worker = new Worker(new URL('../epg-worker.js', import.meta.url), { type: 'module' });
+      } catch (e) {
+        return reject(e);
+      }
+      const id = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2);
+      worker.onmessage = (e) => {
+        if (e.data?.id !== id) return;
+        worker.terminate();
+        e.data.ok ? resolve(e.data.programs) : reject(new Error(e.data.error));
+      };
+      worker.onerror = (e) => { worker.terminate(); reject(e); };
+      worker.postMessage({ id, xml: xmlString });
+    });
   }
-  return ms;
 }
diff --git a/web/providers/mock.js b/web/providers/mock.js
index c21ed29..f8e15e4 100644
--- a/web/providers/mock.js
+++ b/web/providers/mock.js
@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ export class MockProvider extends SourceProvider {
       language: 'eng',
       kind: 'live',
       streamUrls: [TEST_STREAMS[c.stream]],
+      probeUrls: [TEST_STREAMS[c.stream]],
       guideId: `mock:${c.n}`,
     }));
   }
diff --git a/web/providers/source-provider.js b/web/providers/source-provider.js
index 4deeed8..ecd47ff 100644
--- a/web/providers/source-provider.js
+++ b/web/providers/source-provider.js
@@ -16,7 +16,8 @@
  * @property {string} [country]
  * @property {string} [language]
  * @property {'live'|'vod'} kind  Always 'live' for Phase 1; self-hosted "channels" are also 'live'.
- * @property {string[]} streamUrls  One or more upstream HLS URLs (primary + fallbacks).
+ * @property {string[]} streamUrls  Playable HLS URLs (relay-wrapped where needed), primary + fallbacks.
+ * @property {string[]} [probeUrls] Raw upstream https URLs for the health prober (pre-relay).
  * @property {string} [guideId]   Key used to match EPG/program data.
  */
 
diff --git a/web/styles.css b/web/styles.css
index 228f642..7343bd7 100644
--- a/web/styles.css
+++ b/web/styles.css
@@ -158,6 +158,12 @@ img{display:block}
 .guide-chcell .num{color:var(--red);font-weight:bold;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums;min-width:24px}
 .guide-chcell .nm{font-size:12px;white-space:nowrap;overflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis}
 .guide-chcell .skull{margin-left:auto;opacity:.55;font-size:12px}
+.guide-chcell .pin{background:none;border:0;cursor:pointer;font-size:14px;line-height:1;padding:0 2px;
+  color:var(--ink-dim);margin-left:6px;flex:0 0 auto}
+.guide-chcell .skull + .pin{margin-left:6px}
+.guide-chcell .pin:not(.skull + .pin){margin-left:auto}
+.guide-chcell .pin.on{color:var(--red);text-shadow:0 0 8px var(--red-glow)}
+.guide-chcell .pin:hover{color:#fff}
 .guide-progs{position:relative;flex:1}
 .guide-prog{position:absolute;top:3px;bottom:3px;background:var(--panel-2);border:1px solid var(--line);
   border-radius:4px;padding:5px 8px;font-size:12px;overflow:hidden;cursor:pointer;white-space:nowrap;text-overflow:ellipsis}
diff --git a/web/sw.js b/web/sw.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..091ccb8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/sw.js
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+// sw.js — service worker (upgrade #7).
+//
+// Two strategies:
+//  - app shell (html/css/js/hls.js/icons): cache-first → instant repeat loads, offline guide UI
+//  - iptv-org JSON proxied via the relay (…/relay?url=…/*.json): stale-while-revalidate
+//    → instant paint from cache, silent refresh in the background
+//
+// Live stream manifests + segments (the rest of /relay) and /probe, /metrics are
+// NEVER cached — the relay marks them no-store and we bypass them here, so the SW
+// is the sole freshness authority for metadata only.
+
+const SHELL = 'orb-shell-v1';
+const DATA = 'orb-data-v1';
+
+const SHELL_ASSETS = [
+  '/', '/index.html', '/styles.css',
+  '/app.js', '/player.js', '/zapper.js', '/guide.js', '/ambient.js',
+  '/lexicon.js', '/memory.js', '/health.js', '/epg-worker.js',
+  '/lib/hls.min.js', '/lib/xmltv-parse.js',
+  '/providers/source-provider.js', '/providers/mock.js', '/providers/iptv-org.js',
+  '/manifest.webmanifest', '/icons/icon-192.png', '/icons/icon-512.png',
+];
+
+self.addEventListener('install', (e) => {
+  e.waitUntil(caches.open(SHELL).then((c) => c.addAll(SHELL_ASSETS)).then(() => self.skipWaiting()));
+});
+
+self.addEventListener('activate', (e) => {
+  e.waitUntil(
+    caches.keys()
+      .then((keys) => Promise.all(keys.filter((k) => ![SHELL, DATA].includes(k)).map((k) => caches.delete(k))))
+      .then(() => self.clients.claim()),
+  );
+});
+
+self.addEventListener('fetch', (e) => {
+  const req = e.request;
+  if (req.method !== 'GET') return;
+  const url = new URL(req.url);
+  if (url.origin !== self.location.origin) return; // same-origin only
+
+  if (url.pathname === '/probe' || url.pathname === '/metrics') return;
+
+  if (url.pathname === '/relay') {
+    const upstream = url.searchParams.get('url') || '';
+    // Only the JSON metadata is cacheable; stream manifests/segments are not.
+    if (/\.json(\?|$)/i.test(upstream)) {
+      e.respondWith(staleWhileRevalidate(req, DATA));
+    }
+    return; // streams/segments → straight to the relay, uncached
+  }
+
+  // App shell / static assets → cache-first.
+  if (SHELL_ASSETS.includes(url.pathname)
+      || url.pathname.startsWith('/icons/')
+      || url.pathname.startsWith('/providers/')
+      || url.pathname.startsWith('/lib/')) {
+    e.respondWith(cacheFirst(req, SHELL));
+  }
+});
+
+async function cacheFirst(req, cacheName) {
+  const cache = await caches.open(cacheName);
+  const hit = await cache.match(req);
+  if (hit) return hit;
+  try {
+    const res = await fetch(req);
+    if (res.ok) cache.put(req, res.clone());
+    return res;
+  } catch {
+    if (req.mode === 'navigate') {
+      const idx = await cache.match('/index.html');
+      if (idx) return idx;
+    }
+    return new Response('offline', { status: 503, statusText: 'offline' });
+  }
+}
+
+async function staleWhileRevalidate(req, cacheName) {
+  const cache = await caches.open(cacheName);
+  const hit = await cache.match(req);
+  const network = fetch(req)
+    .then((res) => { if (res.ok) cache.put(req, res.clone()); return res; })
+    .catch(() => hit || new Response('offline', { status: 503 }));
+  return hit || network;
+}
diff --git a/web/zapper.js b/web/zapper.js
index 5e97efe..e520e93 100644
--- a/web/zapper.js
+++ b/web/zapper.js
@@ -11,11 +11,14 @@ export class Zapper {
    * @param {object} els
    * @param {import('./player.js').Player} player
    * @param {import('./providers/source-provider.js').ChannelAggregator} agg
+   * @param {{memory?:any, health?:import('./health.js').Health}} [opts]
    */
-  constructor(els, player, agg) {
+  constructor(els, player, agg, opts = {}) {
     this.els = els;
     this.player = player;
     this.agg = agg;
+    this.memory = opts.memory || null;
+    this.health = opts.health || null;
     this.current = null;     // current Channel
     this.previous = null;    // for last-channel toggle
     this._entry = '';
@@ -38,9 +41,16 @@ export class Zapper {
   async tuneToIndexOffset(delta) {
     const list = this.agg.channels;
     if (!list.length) return;
-    let idx = this.current ? list.findIndex((c) => c.id === this.current.id) : -1;
-    idx = (idx + delta + list.length) % list.length;
-    return this.tune(list[idx]);
+    const start = this.current ? list.findIndex((c) => c.id === this.current.id) : -1;
+    let idx = start;
+    // Step in the requested direction, skipping channels the Oracle knows are dead.
+    for (let n = 0; n < list.length; n++) {
+      idx = (idx + delta + list.length) % list.length;
+      const ch = list[idx];
+      if (!this.health || !this.health.isKnownDead(ch.id)) return this.tune(ch);
+    }
+    // everything known-dead → just tune the immediate neighbour
+    return this.tune(list[(start + delta + list.length) % list.length]);
   }
 
   async tuneLast() { if (this.previous) return this.tune(this.previous); }
@@ -50,6 +60,8 @@ export class Zapper {
     if (!ch) return;
     if (this.current && this.current.id !== ch.id) this.previous = this.current;
     this.current = ch;
+    if (this.memory) this.memory.rememberChannel(ch.id);
+    if (this.health) this.health.probe(ch);   // refresh this channel's reliability
     this._showStatic();
     this._safetyClear = setTimeout(() => this._clearStatic(), STATIC_MAX);