diff --git a/core/archipelago/src/wallet/cashu.rs b/core/archipelago/src/wallet/cashu.rs
index 6460f02d..e59b9101 100644
--- a/core/archipelago/src/wallet/cashu.rs
+++ b/core/archipelago/src/wallet/cashu.rs
@@ -620,19 +620,23 @@ mod tests {
         let token = CashuToken {
             token: vec![TokenEntry {
                 mint: "https://testnut.cashu.space".to_string(),
+                // Real curve points (G and 2G). The V3 codec never parses `C`,
+                // so its tests get away with a plausible-looking hex string —
+                // the V4 encoder hands it to the reference implementation,
+                // which checks the point is actually on secp256k1.
                 proofs: vec![
                     Proof {
                         amount: 8,
                         id: "009a1f293253e41e".to_string(),
                         secret: "abcdef1234567890".to_string(),
-                        c: "02a9acc1e48c25eeeb9289b5031cc57da9fe72f3fe2861d94ec4da0e7f6c2b4e24"
+                        c: "0279be667ef9dcbbac55a06295ce870b07029bfcdb2dce28d959f2815b16f81798"
                             .to_string(),
                     },
                     Proof {
                         amount: 2,
                         id: "009a1f293253e41e".to_string(),
                         secret: "fedcba0987654321".to_string(),
-                        c: "0279be667ef9dcbbac55a06295ce870b07029bfcdb2dce28d959f2815b16f81798"
+                        c: "02c6047f9441ed7d6d3045406e95c07cd85c778e4b8cef3ca7abac09b95c709ee5"
                             .to_string(),
                     },
                 ],
diff --git a/docker/lnd-ui/index.html b/docker/lnd-ui/index.html
index ee5d0511..bc31a5ae 100644
--- a/docker/lnd-ui/index.html
+++ b/docker/lnd-ui/index.html
@@ -190,6 +190,16 @@
         .text-white-40 { color: rgba(255,255,255,0.4); }
         .text-green { color: #4ade80; } .text-orange { color: #fb923c; } .text-red { color: #f87171; }
         .text-purple { color: #a78bfa; } .text-yellow { color: #facc15; } .text-btc { color: #f7931a; }
+
+        /* Pixel readout shown in place of a balance that isn't known yet.
+           An unloaded balance used to render as "0 sats" — zero is a number,
+           not a loading state, and it is the one number that frightens
+           people. It inherits currentColor, so each tile shimmers in its own
+           rail colour. */
+        .bal-pixels { display: inline-grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(14, 4px); grid-auto-rows: 4px; gap: 1px; vertical-align: 0.15em; }
+        .bal-pixels i { width: 4px; height: 4px; border-radius: 0.5px; background: currentColor; opacity: 0.16; animation: bal-pixel-scan 1.4s ease-in-out infinite; }
+        @keyframes bal-pixel-scan { 0%, 70%, 100% { opacity: 0.16; } 25% { opacity: 1; } 45% { opacity: 0.42; } }
+        @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) { .bal-pixels i { animation: none; opacity: 0.35; } }
         .bg-green { background: #4ade80; } .bg-yellow { background: #facc15; } .bg-red { background: #f87171; }
         .bg-grey { background: rgba(255,255,255,0.35); }
 
@@ -1070,6 +1080,23 @@
         }
 
         function setText(id, text) { const el = document.getElementById(id); if (el) el.textContent = text; }
+
+        // 28 cells = 14 columns x 2 rows, delays staggered so the lit column
+        // travels across the matrix.
+        const BAL_PIXELS = '<span class="bal-pixels" role="status" aria-label="Loading balance">' +
+            Array.from({ length: 28 }, function (_, i) {
+                return '<i style="animation-delay:' + (i * 45) + 'ms"></i>';
+            }).join('') + '</span>';
+
+        // Render a balance, or the pixel readout when it is not known yet.
+        // `sats` must be null/undefined for "not loaded" — passing 0 here
+        // means the node genuinely has nothing, and says so.
+        function setBalance(id, sats) {
+            const el = document.getElementById(id);
+            if (!el) return;
+            if (sats === null || sats === undefined) { el.innerHTML = BAL_PIXELS; return; }
+            el.textContent = fmtAmount(sats);
+        }
         function setHtml(id, html) { const el = document.getElementById(id); if (el) el.innerHTML = html; }
 
         // Classify a peer address the way Umbrel's peers table does.
@@ -1216,12 +1243,22 @@
             const lnRemote = num(cb && ((cb.remote_balance && cb.remote_balance.sat) ?? 0));
             const lnPending = num(cb && ((cb.pending_open_local_balance && cb.pending_open_local_balance.sat) ?? 0));
 
-            setText('balTotal', fmtAmount(onchainConfirmed + lnLocal));
-            setText('balTotalSub', state.onchain || cb ? 'on-chain + lightning' : 'balances unavailable');
-            setText('balLightning', fmtAmount(lnLocal));
-            setText('balLightningSub', lnPending > 0 ? fmtAmount(lnPending) + ' pending open' : 'spendable over channels');
-            setText('balOnchain', fmtAmount(onchainConfirmed));
-            setText('balOnchainSub', onchainUnconfirmed > 0 ? fmtAmount(onchainUnconfirmed) + ' unconfirmed' : 'confirmed');
+            // This function runs on every poll, including before the first
+            // response lands — at which point `state.onchain`/`state.chanbal`
+            // are still null and every figure below computed to 0. The tiles
+            // therefore claimed a zero balance on load. A rail with no data
+            // yet gets the pixel readout instead.
+            const haveOnchain = !!state.onchain;
+            const haveChan = !!cb;
+
+            setBalance('balTotal', haveOnchain || haveChan ? onchainConfirmed + lnLocal : null);
+            setText('balTotalSub', haveOnchain || haveChan ? 'on-chain + lightning' : 'waiting for LND');
+            setBalance('balLightning', haveChan ? lnLocal : null);
+            setText('balLightningSub', !haveChan ? 'waiting for LND'
+                : lnPending > 0 ? fmtAmount(lnPending) + ' pending open' : 'spendable over channels');
+            setBalance('balOnchain', haveOnchain ? onchainConfirmed : null);
+            setText('balOnchainSub', !haveOnchain ? 'waiting for LND'
+                : onchainUnconfirmed > 0 ? fmtAmount(onchainUnconfirmed) + ' unconfirmed' : 'confirmed');
 
             setText('liqLocal', fmtAmount(lnLocal));
             setText('liqRemote', fmtAmount(lnRemote));
diff --git a/neode-ui/src/components/BalanceAmount.vue b/neode-ui/src/components/BalanceAmount.vue
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ae8bf6c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/neode-ui/src/components/BalanceAmount.vue
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+<script setup lang="ts">
+import { computed } from 'vue'
+/**
+ * A balance figure, or — while it is still unknown — a pixel readout in place
+ * of it.
+ *
+ * The problem this exists for: an unloaded balance used to render as `0`.
+ * Zero is not "loading", it is a *number*, and it is the one number that
+ * frightens people. Someone opening the dashboard while the RPCs are still in
+ * flight was told, in the wallet's own typeface, that their money was gone.
+ * There is no formatting fix for that — the fix is to not claim a figure we
+ * do not have yet.
+ *
+ * So `sats` is nullable, and `null` means "not known yet" rather than "none".
+ * Callers must keep that distinction alive: a balance ref should start at
+ * `null` and only become a number when a call actually succeeds.
+ *
+ * The placeholder is a small dot-matrix that scans in the rail's own colour —
+ * it inherits `currentColor`, so the on-chain row shimmers orange, Lightning
+ * yellow, Cashu purple, Fedimint blue and Ark teal with no colour mapping to
+ * keep in sync. It is deliberately about as wide as the figure it stands in
+ * for, so nothing jumps when the real number lands.
+ */
+
+const props = withDefaults(
+  defineProps<{
+    /** Balance in sats, or null/undefined while it is still unknown. */
+    sats: number | null | undefined
+    /** Trailing unit. Set to '' for bare figures. */
+    suffix?: string
+    /** Named for screen readers, e.g. "on-chain balance". */
+    label?: string
+  }>(),
+  { suffix: 'sats', label: 'balance' },
+)
+
+// 14 columns × 2 rows. Enough to read as a matrix rather than a spinner, and
+// close to the width of a five-figure sat amount.
+const CELLS = 28
+
+/**
+ * Built as one string rather than interpolated around a `<template>`, so the
+ * space before the unit cannot be eaten by Vue's whitespace condensing — and
+ * so a test reading `.text()` sees exactly what a person reads on screen.
+ */
+const display = computed(() => {
+  if (props.sats == null) return ''
+  const figure = props.sats.toLocaleString()
+  return props.suffix ? `${figure} ${props.suffix}` : figure
+})
+</script>
+
+<template>
+  <span
+    v-if="props.sats == null"
+    class="balance-pixels"
+    role="status"
+    aria-live="polite"
+    :aria-label="`Loading ${props.label}`"
+    :title="`Loading ${props.label}…`"
+  >
+    <span v-for="i in CELLS" :key="i" class="balance-pixel" :style="{ '--i': i }" />
+  </span>
+  <span v-else>{{ display }}</span>
+</template>
+
+<style scoped>
+.balance-pixels {
+  display: inline-grid;
+  grid-template-columns: repeat(14, 3px);
+  grid-auto-rows: 3px;
+  gap: 1px;
+  /* Sit on the text baseline so a row's height doesn't change when the real
+     figure replaces this. */
+  vertical-align: -1px;
+}
+
+.balance-pixel {
+  width: 3px;
+  height: 3px;
+  border-radius: 0.5px;
+  background: currentColor;
+  opacity: 0.16;
+  /* The wave runs left-to-right across columns; the two rows of a column are
+     offset slightly so it reads as a scan rather than a marching block. */
+  animation: balance-pixel-scan 1.4s ease-in-out infinite;
+  animation-delay: calc(var(--i) * 45ms);
+}
+
+@keyframes balance-pixel-scan {
+  0%, 70%, 100% { opacity: 0.16; }
+  25% { opacity: 1; }
+  45% { opacity: 0.42; }
+}
+
+/* Motion is decoration here — the dimmed matrix still reads as "no figure
+   yet", which is the part that carries the meaning. */
+@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+  .balance-pixel {
+    animation: none;
+    opacity: 0.35;
+  }
+}
+</style>
diff --git a/neode-ui/src/components/WalletSettingsModal.vue b/neode-ui/src/components/WalletSettingsModal.vue
index 2e41fd22..b4ec4a7e 100644
--- a/neode-ui/src/components/WalletSettingsModal.vue
+++ b/neode-ui/src/components/WalletSettingsModal.vue
@@ -221,15 +221,15 @@
         <div v-if="arkStatus?.available" class="grid grid-cols-3 gap-2 mb-4">
           <div class="p-3 bg-white/5 rounded-lg text-center">
             <p class="text-[11px] text-white/40 mb-1">Spendable</p>
-            <p class="text-sm text-teal-400 font-medium">{{ (arkBalance?.spendable_sats ?? 0).toLocaleString() }} sats</p>
+            <p class="text-sm text-teal-400 font-medium"><BalanceAmount :sats="arkBalance?.spendable_sats" label="spendable Ark balance" /></p>
           </div>
           <div class="p-3 bg-white/5 rounded-lg text-center">
             <p class="text-[11px] text-white/40 mb-1">Pending</p>
-            <p class="text-sm text-white/70 font-medium">{{ (arkBalance?.pending_sats ?? 0).toLocaleString() }} sats</p>
+            <p class="text-sm text-white/70 font-medium"><BalanceAmount :sats="arkBalance?.pending_sats" label="pending Ark balance" /></p>
           </div>
           <div class="p-3 bg-white/5 rounded-lg text-center">
             <p class="text-[11px] text-white/40 mb-1">On-chain</p>
-            <p class="text-sm text-white/70 font-medium">{{ (arkBalance?.onchain_sats ?? 0).toLocaleString() }} sats</p>
+            <p class="text-sm text-white/70 font-medium"><BalanceAmount :sats="arkBalance?.onchain_sats" label="on-chain Ark balance" /></p>
           </div>
         </div>
 
@@ -318,6 +318,7 @@ import { useI18n } from 'vue-i18n'
 import { rpcClient } from '@/api/rpc-client'
 import BaseModal from '@/components/BaseModal.vue'
 import LightningChannelsPanel from '@/components/LightningChannelsPanel.vue'
+import BalanceAmount from '@/components/BalanceAmount.vue'
 import { useTxExplorer, EXPLORER_PLACEHOLDER } from '@/composables/useTxExplorer'
 
 const { t } = useI18n()
diff --git a/neode-ui/src/components/__tests__/BalanceAmount.test.ts b/neode-ui/src/components/__tests__/BalanceAmount.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0d2a2c99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/neode-ui/src/components/__tests__/BalanceAmount.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest'
+import { mount } from '@vue/test-utils'
+import BalanceAmount from '../BalanceAmount.vue'
+import HomeWalletCard from '@/views/home/HomeWalletCard.vue'
+import i18n from '@/i18n'
+
+/**
+ * The distinction this whole component exists to protect: `0` is a balance,
+ * `null` is the absence of one. Rendering the first when you mean the second
+ * tells someone their money is gone, in the wallet's own typeface. Every case
+ * below is really one assertion — that the two never get confused.
+ */
+describe('BalanceAmount', () => {
+  it('shows the pixel readout when the balance is not known yet', () => {
+    const w = mount(BalanceAmount, { props: { sats: null, label: 'on-chain balance' } })
+    expect(w.find('.balance-pixels').exists()).toBe(true)
+    expect(w.text()).not.toContain('0')
+  })
+
+  it('treats undefined the same as null', () => {
+    // Optional props (`arkBalance?.spendable_sats`) arrive as undefined, not
+    // null, and must not fall through to a figure.
+    const w = mount(BalanceAmount, { props: { sats: undefined } })
+    expect(w.find('.balance-pixels').exists()).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it('shows a genuine zero as a figure, not as loading', () => {
+    // The inverse mistake: a node that really has no coins must be told so
+    // plainly, not left shimmering forever.
+    const w = mount(BalanceAmount, { props: { sats: 0 } })
+    expect(w.find('.balance-pixels').exists()).toBe(false)
+    expect(w.text()).toBe('0 sats')
+  })
+
+  it('formats a real balance with thousands separators', () => {
+    const w = mount(BalanceAmount, { props: { sats: 9922 } })
+    expect(w.text()).toBe('9,922 sats')
+  })
+
+  it('can drop the unit for bare figures', () => {
+    const w = mount(BalanceAmount, { props: { sats: 21, suffix: '' } })
+    expect(w.text()).toBe('21')
+  })
+
+  it('announces what is loading instead of being silently empty', () => {
+    // A shimmering box with no text is nothing at all to a screen reader.
+    const w = mount(BalanceAmount, { props: { sats: null, label: 'Cashu balance' } })
+    const el = w.find('.balance-pixels')
+    expect(el.attributes('role')).toBe('status')
+    expect(el.attributes('aria-label')).toBe('Loading Cashu balance')
+  })
+
+  it('inherits the rail colour rather than hard-coding one', () => {
+    // The pixels are painted with currentColor, which is what makes the
+    // on-chain row orange and the Cashu row purple with no colour table to
+    // keep in sync. Guard the mechanism: a literal colour here would drift.
+    const w = mount(BalanceAmount, { props: { sats: null } })
+    expect(w.find('.balance-pixel').exists()).toBe(true)
+    expect(w.html()).not.toMatch(/background:\s*#|rgb\(/)
+  })
+
+  it('renders enough cells to read as a matrix', () => {
+    const w = mount(BalanceAmount, { props: { sats: null } })
+    expect(w.findAll('.balance-pixel').length).toBe(28)
+  })
+})
+
+describe('HomeWalletCard balances', () => {
+  const base = {
+    animate: false,
+    walletConnected: true,
+    walletOnchain: null,
+    walletLightning: null,
+    walletEcash: null,
+    walletFedimint: null,
+    walletArk: null,
+    walletTransactions: [],
+    isDev: false,
+  }
+
+  const mountCard = (props: Record<string, unknown>) =>
+    mount(HomeWalletCard, { props: { ...base, ...props }, global: { plugins: [i18n] } })
+
+  it('shows no figures at all before anything has loaded', () => {
+    const w = mountCard({})
+    // Six rows could be showing 0 sats here; none of them may.
+    expect(w.findAll('.balance-pixels').length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
+    expect(w.text()).not.toMatch(/\b0 sats\b/)
+  })
+
+  it('withholds the total until every rail it sums is known', () => {
+    // A total computed with nulls as 0 would read *lower* than the rails
+    // beneath it — worse than showing nothing, because it looks authoritative.
+    const w = mountCard({ walletOnchain: 5000, walletLightning: null, walletEcash: 0, walletFedimint: 0 })
+    expect(w.text()).not.toContain('5,000 sats\n')
+    expect(w.findAll('.balance-pixels').length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
+  })
+
+  it('sums the total once every rail has reported', () => {
+    const w = mountCard({ walletOnchain: 9000, walletLightning: 900, walletEcash: 22, walletFedimint: 0 })
+    expect(w.text()).toContain('9,922 sats')
+    expect(w.findAll('.balance-pixels').length).toBe(0)
+  })
+
+  it('shows an empty wallet as zero rather than as loading', () => {
+    const w = mountCard({ walletOnchain: 0, walletLightning: 0, walletEcash: 0, walletFedimint: 0 })
+    expect(w.findAll('.balance-pixels').length).toBe(0)
+    expect(w.text()).toContain('0 sats')
+  })
+
+  it('keeps the Ark row hidden while its balance is unknown', () => {
+    // Ark only appears once barkd reports something; "unknown" must not be
+    // read as "> 0" and conjure a row on the many nodes with no Ark sidecar.
+    const loaded = { walletOnchain: 1, walletLightning: 0, walletEcash: 0, walletFedimint: 0 }
+    expect(mountCard({ ...loaded, walletArk: null }).text()).not.toContain('Ark')
+    expect(mountCard({ ...loaded, walletArk: 0 }).text()).not.toContain('Ark')
+    expect(mountCard({ ...loaded, walletArk: 7 }).text()).toContain('Ark')
+  })
+})
diff --git a/neode-ui/src/views/GoalDetail.vue b/neode-ui/src/views/GoalDetail.vue
index 11289c33..41036292 100644
--- a/neode-ui/src/views/GoalDetail.vue
+++ b/neode-ui/src/views/GoalDetail.vue
@@ -121,8 +121,8 @@
                       <div class="p-3 rounded-lg bg-white/5 border border-white/10">
                         <div class="flex items-center justify-between gap-3">
                           <span class="text-xs text-white/60">On-chain wallet balance</span>
-                          <span class="text-sm font-mono" :class="walletOnchainSats >= ZEUS_CHANNEL_MIN_SATS ? 'text-green-400' : 'text-white/85'">
-                            {{ walletOnchainSats.toLocaleString() }} sats
+                          <span class="text-sm font-mono" :class="(walletOnchainSats ?? 0) >= ZEUS_CHANNEL_MIN_SATS ? 'text-green-400' : 'text-white/85'">
+                            <BalanceAmount :sats="walletOnchainSats" label="on-chain balance" />
                           </span>
                         </div>
                         <p class="text-xs text-white/45 mt-1">Minimum 150,000 · maximum 1,500,000 on-chain sats required.</p>
@@ -136,10 +136,10 @@
                         </button>
                         <button
                           @click="completeFundStep(step)"
-                          :disabled="walletOnchainSats <= 0"
+                          :disabled="(walletOnchainSats ?? 0) <= 0"
                           class="glass-button glass-button-sm rounded-lg px-5 py-2 text-sm font-medium disabled:opacity-40"
                         >
-                          {{ walletOnchainSats > 0 ? 'Continue' : 'Waiting for funds…' }}
+                          {{ walletOnchainSats == null ? 'Checking balance…' : walletOnchainSats > 0 ? 'Continue' : 'Waiting for funds…' }}
                         </button>
                       </div>
                     </template>
@@ -224,6 +224,7 @@
 
 <script setup lang="ts">
 import { computed, onUnmounted, ref, watch } from 'vue'
+import BalanceAmount from '@/components/BalanceAmount.vue'
 import { useRoute, useRouter, RouterLink } from 'vue-router'
 import { useI18n } from 'vue-i18n'
 import { useAppStore } from '@/stores/app'
@@ -435,7 +436,10 @@ function goBack() {
 // ── Fund-wallet step: live sync status + on-chain balance ───────────────────
 
 const showFundModal = ref(false)
-const walletOnchainSats = ref(0)
+// null while the first balance call is still out — "0 sats" and "we haven't
+// asked yet" must not look the same on a screen that then says
+// "Waiting for funds…".
+const walletOnchainSats = ref<number | null>(null)
 
 const hasFundStep = computed(() => goal.value?.steps.some((s) => s.action === 'fund') ?? false)
 const fundStepActive = computed(() => {
diff --git a/neode-ui/src/views/Home.vue b/neode-ui/src/views/Home.vue
index 88b40ec8..3218d7c9 100644
--- a/neode-ui/src/views/Home.vue
+++ b/neode-ui/src/views/Home.vue
@@ -678,9 +678,19 @@ const showScanModal = ref(false); const showSendModal = ref(false); const showRe
 
 async function devFaucet() { try { await rpcClient.call({ method: 'dev.faucet', params: { amount_sats: 1_000_000 } }); await loadWeb5Status() } catch { /* ignore */ } }
 
-const walletConnected = ref(false); const walletOnchain = ref(0); const walletLightning = ref(0); const walletEcash = ref(0); const walletFedimint = ref(0)
+// Balances start as `null`, not 0. Zero is a *number*, and it is the one
+// number that frightens people — rendering it before any call has returned
+// told someone opening the dashboard, in the wallet's own typeface, that
+// their money was gone. `null` means "not known yet" and paints a pixel
+// readout instead; a rail only becomes a number when a call actually
+// succeeds, so a real 0 is still a real 0.
+const walletConnected = ref(false)
+const walletOnchain = ref<number | null>(null)
+const walletLightning = ref<number | null>(null)
+const walletEcash = ref<number | null>(null)
+const walletFedimint = ref<number | null>(null)
 let walletInfoFailures = 0
-const walletArk = ref(0)
+const walletArk = ref<number | null>(null)
 const walletTransactions = ref<WalletTransaction[]>([])
 
 // Overlay the local Mempool app when it's running; otherwise route through
@@ -728,11 +738,13 @@ function hydrateWalletSnapshot() {
     const raw = localStorage.getItem(WALLET_SNAPSHOT_KEY)
     if (!raw) return
     const s = JSON.parse(raw)
-    walletOnchain.value = s.onchain ?? 0
-    walletLightning.value = s.lightning ?? 0
-    walletEcash.value = s.ecash ?? 0
-    walletFedimint.value = s.fedimint ?? 0
-    walletArk.value = s.ark ?? 0
+    // A snapshot key that isn't there was never known — leave it unknown
+    // rather than inventing a zero for it.
+    walletOnchain.value = s.onchain ?? null
+    walletLightning.value = s.lightning ?? null
+    walletEcash.value = s.ecash ?? null
+    walletFedimint.value = s.fedimint ?? null
+    walletArk.value = s.ark ?? null
     walletConnected.value = s.connected === true
     if (Array.isArray(s.transactions)) walletTransactions.value = s.transactions
   } catch { /* corrupt/absent snapshot — fresh load fills in */ }
diff --git a/neode-ui/src/views/__tests__/incomingPayments.test.ts b/neode-ui/src/views/__tests__/incomingPayments.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7eef747f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/neode-ui/src/views/__tests__/incomingPayments.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,125 @@
+import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest'
+import { mount } from '@vue/test-utils'
+import i18n from '@/i18n'
+import HomeWalletCard from '@/views/home/HomeWalletCard.vue'
+
+/**
+ * Instant rails (Lightning, Cashu, Fedimint, Ark) settle immediately, so
+ * there is no confirmation count to retire an incoming receipt from the
+ * badge. It used to leave on a five-minute wall clock, which meant a payment
+ * could arrive and vanish before anyone looked — and for ecash, which leaves
+ * no public ledger entry, this panel was the only place the receipt was ever
+ * shown.
+ *
+ * These cases pin the replacement: a receipt stays until it has been seen.
+ */
+
+const now = () => Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000)
+
+function tx(over: Record<string, unknown> = {}) {
+  return {
+    tx_hash: '',
+    amount_sats: 1000,
+    direction: 'incoming' as const,
+    num_confirmations: 1,
+    time_stamp: now(),
+    total_fees: 0,
+    dest_addresses: [],
+    label: '',
+    block_height: 0,
+    kind: 'cashu' as const,
+    ...over,
+  }
+}
+
+const base = {
+  animate: false,
+  walletConnected: true,
+  walletOnchain: 0,
+  walletLightning: 0,
+  walletEcash: 0,
+  walletFedimint: 0,
+  walletArk: 0,
+  isDev: false,
+}
+
+const mountCard = (transactions: ReturnType<typeof tx>[]) =>
+  mount(HomeWalletCard, {
+    props: { ...base, walletTransactions: transactions },
+    global: { plugins: [i18n] },
+  })
+
+describe('incoming payments', () => {
+  it('keeps an hours-old instant receipt in the badge until it is seen', async () => {
+    // The regression: two hours past the old five-minute window. Nobody has
+    // looked at it yet, so it is still news.
+    const w = mountCard([tx({ time_stamp: now() - 7200 })])
+    expect(w.text()).toContain('Incoming 1')
+  })
+
+  it('does not clear the receipt merely because the panel was opened', async () => {
+    // "Selecting incoming clears a pending token" — opening must show it,
+    // not consume it. Someone reading the row must be able to keep reading.
+    const w = mountCard([tx()])
+    await w.find('button').trigger('click')
+    expect(w.text()).toContain('Incoming Transactions')
+    expect(w.text()).toContain('+1,000 sats')
+  })
+
+  it('marks it seen once the panel is closed again', async () => {
+    const w = mountCard([tx()])
+    const badge = w.find('button')
+    await badge.trigger('click')   // open
+    await badge.trigger('click')   // close — acknowledges
+    expect(w.text()).not.toContain('Incoming 1')
+  })
+
+  it('still surfaces a payment that arrives after an earlier one was seen', async () => {
+    const first = tx({ amount_sats: 1000, time_stamp: now() - 60 })
+    const w = mountCard([first])
+    const badge = w.find('button')
+    await badge.trigger('click')
+    await badge.trigger('click')
+    expect(w.text()).not.toContain('Incoming 1')
+
+    // A different payment must not inherit the first one's acknowledgement.
+    await w.setProps({ walletTransactions: [first, tx({ amount_sats: 2500, time_stamp: now() })] })
+    expect(w.text()).toContain('Incoming 1')
+  })
+
+  it('leaves on-chain transactions on their confirmation count', () => {
+    // On-chain has a real signal and is deliberately untouched: it drops out
+    // at three confirmations regardless of whether anyone looked.
+    const unconfirmed = mountCard([tx({ kind: 'onchain', num_confirmations: 0, tx_hash: 'abc' })])
+    expect(unconfirmed.text()).toContain('Incoming 1')
+
+    const settled = mountCard([tx({ kind: 'onchain', num_confirmations: 6, tx_hash: 'abc' })])
+    expect(settled.text()).not.toContain('Incoming 1')
+  })
+
+  it('lists several instant receipts separately even without txids', () => {
+    // Instant rails carry no txid, so keying the list on tx_hash gave every
+    // row the same empty key and Vue reused one node for all of them.
+    const w = mountCard([
+      tx({ amount_sats: 1000, time_stamp: now() - 10 }),
+      tx({ amount_sats: 2000, time_stamp: now() - 20, kind: 'lightning' }),
+      tx({ amount_sats: 3000, time_stamp: now() - 30, kind: 'fedimint' }),
+    ])
+    expect(w.text()).toContain('Incoming 3')
+  })
+
+  it('does not silently turn into a navigation button while the panel is open', async () => {
+    // The badge is two controls in one: with receipts it toggles the panel,
+    // without them it navigates to the full transactions view. If the list
+    // empties while the panel is open, the click under the user's cursor used
+    // to change meaning and take them to another screen.
+    const w = mountCard([tx()])
+    const badge = w.find('button')
+    await badge.trigger('click')
+    expect(w.text()).toContain('Incoming Transactions')
+
+    await w.setProps({ walletTransactions: [] })
+    await badge.trigger('click')
+    expect(w.emitted('showTransactions')).toBeUndefined()
+  })
+})
diff --git a/neode-ui/src/views/appDetails/__tests__/AppHeroSection.test.ts b/neode-ui/src/views/appDetails/__tests__/AppHeroSection.test.ts
index cb70e757..562355c4 100644
--- a/neode-ui/src/views/appDetails/__tests__/AppHeroSection.test.ts
+++ b/neode-ui/src/views/appDetails/__tests__/AppHeroSection.test.ts
@@ -68,7 +68,9 @@ describe('AppHeroSection', () => {
   it('disables app controls while a container action is running', () => {
     const wrapper = mountHero({ pendingAction: 'restart' })
 
-    expect(wrapper.text()).toContain('Restarting...')
+    // A real ellipsis, not three dots — the label changed in 9ccc325a and
+    // this assertion was left behind.
+    expect(wrapper.text()).toContain('Restarting…')
     expect(wrapper.findAll('button').every(button => button.attributes('disabled') !== undefined)).toBe(true)
   })
 
diff --git a/neode-ui/src/views/home/HomeWalletCard.vue b/neode-ui/src/views/home/HomeWalletCard.vue
index 57cfc09d..c5adac59 100644
--- a/neode-ui/src/views/home/HomeWalletCard.vue
+++ b/neode-ui/src/views/home/HomeWalletCard.vue
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@
               <span class="text-lg text-orange-500 font-bold">&#x20bf;</span>
               <span class="text-sm font-medium text-white">{{ t('web5.totalBitcoin') }}</span>
             </div>
-            <span class="text-white text-sm font-semibold">{{ walletTotal.toLocaleString() }} sats</span>
+            <span class="text-white text-sm font-semibold"><BalanceAmount :sats="walletTotal" label="total balance" /></span>
           </div>
           <div class="flex items-center justify-between p-3 bg-white/5 rounded-lg">
             <div class="flex items-center gap-3">
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@
               </svg>
               <span class="text-sm text-white/80">{{ t('web5.onChain') }}</span>
             </div>
-            <span class="text-orange-500 text-sm font-medium">{{ walletOnchain.toLocaleString() }} sats</span>
+            <span class="text-orange-500 text-sm font-medium"><BalanceAmount :sats="walletOnchain" label="on-chain balance" /></span>
           </div>
           <div class="flex items-center justify-between p-3 bg-white/5 rounded-lg">
             <div class="flex items-center gap-3">
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@
               </svg>
               <span class="text-sm text-white/80">{{ t('web5.lightning') }}</span>
             </div>
-            <span class="text-yellow-400 text-sm font-medium">{{ walletLightning.toLocaleString() }} sats</span>
+            <span class="text-yellow-400 text-sm font-medium"><BalanceAmount :sats="walletLightning" label="Lightning balance" /></span>
           </div>
           <div class="flex items-center justify-between p-3 bg-white/5 rounded-lg">
             <div class="flex items-center gap-3">
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@
               </svg>
               <span class="text-sm text-white/80">Cashu</span>
             </div>
-            <span class="text-purple-400 text-sm font-medium">{{ walletEcash.toLocaleString() }} sats</span>
+            <span class="text-purple-400 text-sm font-medium"><BalanceAmount :sats="walletEcash" label="Cashu balance" /></span>
           </div>
           <div class="flex items-center justify-between p-3 bg-white/5 rounded-lg">
             <div class="flex items-center gap-3">
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@
               </svg>
               <span class="text-sm text-white/80">Fedimint</span>
             </div>
-            <span class="text-blue-400 text-sm font-medium">{{ walletFedimint.toLocaleString() }} sats</span>
+            <span class="text-blue-400 text-sm font-medium"><BalanceAmount :sats="walletFedimint" label="Fedimint balance" /></span>
           </div>
           <!-- Only rendered once barkd reports a balance — most nodes don't run the Ark sidecar -->
           <div v-if="(walletArk ?? 0) > 0" class="flex items-center justify-between p-3 bg-white/5 rounded-lg">
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@
               </svg>
               <span class="text-sm text-white/80">Ark</span>
             </div>
-            <span class="text-teal-400 text-sm font-medium">{{ (walletArk ?? 0).toLocaleString() }} sats</span>
+            <span class="text-teal-400 text-sm font-medium"><BalanceAmount :sats="walletArk" label="Ark balance" /></span>
           </div>
         </div>
         <div class="home-card-buttons flex gap-2 mt-auto pt-4 shrink-0">
@@ -199,6 +199,7 @@
 
 <script setup lang="ts">
 import { ref, computed } from 'vue'
+import BalanceAmount from '@/components/BalanceAmount.vue'
 import { useI18n } from 'vue-i18n'
 
 const { t } = useI18n()
@@ -220,11 +221,13 @@ export interface WalletTransaction {
 const props = defineProps<{
   animate: boolean
   walletConnected: boolean
-  walletOnchain: number
-  walletLightning: number
-  walletEcash: number
-  walletFedimint: number
-  walletArk?: number
+  // `null` = not loaded yet, `0` = genuinely empty. Keeping those apart is
+  // what lets the card show a pixel readout instead of claiming a figure.
+  walletOnchain: number | null
+  walletLightning: number | null
+  walletEcash: number | null
+  walletFedimint: number | null
+  walletArk?: number | null
   walletTransactions: WalletTransaction[]
   isDev: boolean
 }>()
@@ -241,9 +244,14 @@ defineEmits<{
 
 const showIncomingTxPanel = ref(false)
 
-const walletTotal = computed(() =>
-  props.walletOnchain + props.walletLightning + props.walletEcash + props.walletFedimint + (props.walletArk ?? 0)
-)
+// The total is only a number once every rail that makes it up is. Summing
+// with nulls treated as 0 would quietly under-report the balance — a total
+// smaller than the rails beneath it is worse than showing nothing.
+const walletTotal = computed<number | null>(() => {
+  const rails = [props.walletOnchain, props.walletLightning, props.walletEcash, props.walletFedimint]
+  if (rails.some(v => v == null)) return null
+  return rails.reduce((a: number, b) => a + (b as number), 0) + (props.walletArk ?? 0)
+})
 
 function isOnchain(tx: WalletTransaction): boolean {
   return !tx.kind || tx.kind === 'onchain'