diff --git a/neode-ui/src/views/settings/LightningCredentialsSection.vue b/neode-ui/src/views/settings/LightningCredentialsSection.vue
index e2dbc320..87267742 100644
--- a/neode-ui/src/views/settings/LightningCredentialsSection.vue
+++ b/neode-ui/src/views/settings/LightningCredentialsSection.vue
@@ -36,12 +36,28 @@ let poll: ReturnType<typeof setInterval> | null = null
 ///
 /// Bounded rather than a plain flag, so a request the node accepted but never
 /// acted on stops polling instead of hammering it forever.
-let awaitUntil = 0
+const awaitUntil = ref(0)
 const AWAIT_START_MS = 120_000
 
 const rotation = computed<LndRotationProgress | null>(() => status.value?.rotation ?? null)
 const isRunning = computed(() => rotation.value?.running === true)
 
+/// Ticks while a rotation is being awaited, so `rotationInFlight` re-evaluates
+/// as the await window expires instead of holding a stale value until the next
+/// poll happens to touch a reactive dependency.
+const now = ref(Date.now())
+
+/// Is a rotation happening, INCLUDING the gap between asking for one and the
+/// node reporting it?
+///
+/// Rotation restarts LND, so `status.installed` goes false for a moment
+/// mid-rotation. Read literally that says "Lightning is not set up on this
+/// node" — which the screen then told the operator, seconds after they
+/// rotated, on a node with a working Lightning wallet. The container being
+/// briefly absent is what rotating LOOKS like, not evidence it was never
+/// there.
+const rotationInFlight = computed(() => isRunning.value || now.value < awaitUntil.value)
+
 /** A finished rotation, successful or not. `ok` is null while running. */
 const finished = computed(
   () => rotation.value !== null && !rotation.value.running && rotation.value.ok !== null,
@@ -68,8 +84,9 @@ async function load() {
 /// waking the node every few seconds.
 function syncPolling() {
   const running = status.value?.rotation.running === true
-  if (running) awaitUntil = 0
-  if (running || Date.now() < awaitUntil) startPolling()
+  if (running) awaitUntil.value = 0
+  now.value = Date.now()
+  if (running || Date.now() < awaitUntil.value) startPolling()
   else stopPolling()
 }
 
@@ -103,7 +120,8 @@ async function rotate() {
   try {
     await rpcClient.lndRotateMacaroons(password.value)
     closeConfirm()
-    awaitUntil = Date.now() + AWAIT_START_MS
+    awaitUntil.value = Date.now() + AWAIT_START_MS
+    now.value = Date.now()
     startPolling()
     await load()
   } catch (e) {
@@ -155,8 +173,16 @@ onUnmounted(stopPolling)
 </script>
 
 <template>
-  <div class="mb-6">
-    <h3 class="text-base font-medium text-white/90 mb-1">Lightning credentials</h3>
+  <div class="glass-card px-6 py-6 mb-6">
+    <!-- glass-card, like every other Settings section (AccountSection,
+         AIDataAccessSection, NodeCertificateSection, BackupSection …). This
+         rendered as bare text on the Settings page twice, because a new
+         section carries its own wrapper and nothing about adding it to
+         SystemSection.vue's list reminds you. Heading is h2/text-xl to match
+         those siblings. Kept INSIDE the root: a leading comment makes the
+         component a fragment, which drops the root class and breaks attribute
+         inheritance. -->
+    <h2 class="text-xl font-semibold text-white/96 mb-1">Lightning credentials</h2>
     <p class="text-sm text-white/60 mb-4">
       Wallet apps like Zeus connect to this node using a Lightning credential — a
       token that lets them spend. Rotating replaces every one of them, so anything
@@ -173,14 +199,29 @@ onUnmounted(stopPolling)
       Could not read the Lightning credential state: {{ loadError }}
     </div>
 
+    <!-- `&& !rotationInFlight`: rotating restarts LND, so `installed` reads
+         false for a moment mid-rotation. Without the guard this told the
+         operator "Lightning is not set up on this node yet" seconds after they
+         rotated on a node with a working wallet — and it replaced the progress
+         they were watching. A container briefly absent is what rotating looks
+         like, not proof Lightning was never installed. -->
     <div
-      v-else-if="!status?.installed"
+      v-else-if="!status?.installed && !rotationInFlight"
       class="p-3 bg-white/5 border border-white/10 rounded-lg text-sm text-white/70"
     >
       Lightning is not set up on this node yet, so there are no credentials to
       rotate. Install the Lightning app first.
     </div>
 
+    <!-- Mid-rotation with no status to render yet: say what is happening
+         rather than falling through to the details block with empty fields. -->
+    <div
+      v-else-if="!status?.installed"
+      class="p-3 bg-white/5 border border-white/10 rounded-lg text-sm text-white/70"
+    >
+      Rotating credentials — Lightning is restarting. This takes a moment.
+    </div>
+
     <div v-else class="space-y-4">
       <!-- What exists right now -->
       <dl class="grid grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2 gap-3 text-sm">
diff --git a/neode-ui/src/views/settings/__tests__/LightningCredentialsSection.test.ts b/neode-ui/src/views/settings/__tests__/LightningCredentialsSection.test.ts
index 05f4be33..7de39534 100644
--- a/neode-ui/src/views/settings/__tests__/LightningCredentialsSection.test.ts
+++ b/neode-ui/src/views/settings/__tests__/LightningCredentialsSection.test.ts
@@ -289,4 +289,65 @@ describe('LightningCredentialsSection', () => {
     await flushPromises()
     expect(vi.mocked(rpcClient.lndMacaroonStatus).mock.calls.length).toBe(callsAfterLoad)
   })
+
+  it('renders inside a card, like every other Settings section', () => {
+    // Operator-reported twice: the section rendered as bare text on the
+    // Settings page. A new section carries its own wrapper, and nothing about
+    // adding it to SystemSection.vue's list reminds you it needs one.
+    // `wrapper.element` is not the div: the confirm modal is a second root
+    // node, so the component is a fragment. Assert on the first div.
+    const wrapper = mountSection()
+    expect(wrapper.find('div').classes()).toContain('glass-card')
+  })
+
+  it('does not claim Lightning is missing while a rotation is running', async () => {
+    // Rotation restarts LND, so `installed` goes false for a moment. The
+    // screen used to read that literally and tell the operator "Lightning is
+    // not set up on this node yet" — seconds after they rotated, on a node
+    // with a working wallet — replacing the progress they were watching.
+    vi.mocked(rpcClient.lndMacaroonStatus).mockResolvedValue(
+      status({ installed: false, rotation: { ...idleRotation(), running: true } }),
+    )
+
+    const wrapper = mountSection()
+    await flushPromises()
+
+    expect(wrapper.text()).not.toContain('Lightning is not set up on this node yet')
+    expect(wrapper.text()).toContain('Lightning is restarting')
+  })
+
+  it('still tells a node with no Lightning that there is nothing to rotate', async () => {
+    // The other half: the message must survive for its real audience, or the
+    // fix above has just hidden a true statement.
+    vi.mocked(rpcClient.lndMacaroonStatus).mockResolvedValue(status({ installed: false }))
+
+    const wrapper = mountSection()
+    await flushPromises()
+
+    expect(wrapper.text()).toContain('Lightning is not set up on this node yet')
+  })
+
+  it('does not claim Lightning is missing in the gap before the node reports the rotation', async () => {
+    // The window `awaitUntil` exists for: the rotate RPC has been accepted but
+    // the node has not yet reported `running: true`. `installed` can already be
+    // false there, so the guard has to cover the await window too, not just
+    // `running`.
+    vi.mocked(rpcClient.lndMacaroonStatus)
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce(status())
+      .mockResolvedValue(status({ installed: false }))
+    vi.mocked(rpcClient.lndRotateMacaroons).mockResolvedValue(undefined as never)
+
+    const wrapper = mountSection()
+    await flushPromises()
+
+    await wrapper.find('button').trigger('click')
+    await flushPromises()
+    const confirm = wrapper.findAll('button').find((b) => /rotate/i.test(b.text()))
+    if (confirm) {
+      await confirm.trigger('click')
+      await flushPromises()
+    }
+
+    expect(wrapper.text()).not.toContain('Lightning is not set up on this node yet')
+  })
 })