Merge pull request 'release: offline mode + local pass-and-play (hotseat) — proposed v1.12.0' (#212) from development into master

The 2-4 hotseat players now start in a random seating order (so who goes
first, and the turn order, is random) — matching the online games. The
engine starts at seat 0, so shuffling the seats at creation picks the
starter; the shuffle is seed-driven (a distinct derivation from the tile
bag), so replay reproduces it. Scoped to hotseat — vs_ai stays human-first.
- lib/roster.ts: shuffleSeeded (unit-tested); NewGame shuffles buildSeats
  with the game seed before create.
- e2e: pin a seed that keeps the roster order so the lock assertions stay
  deterministic.

backend/internal/game/helpers_test.go

@@ -69,6 +69,29 @@ func TestHintsRemaining(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestHintUnlockLeftSeconds(t *testing.T) {
+	now := time.Now()
+	// A gated vs_ai game on the caller's turn, the robot having moved 10 min ago (turn started then).
+	gated := Game{VsAI: true, ToMove: 0, MoveCount: 2, TurnStartedAt: now.Add(-10 * time.Minute)}
+	cases := []struct {
+		name string
+		g    Game
+		seat int
+		want int
+	}{
+		{"non-vs_ai is open", Game{VsAI: false, ToMove: 0, MoveCount: 2, TurnStartedAt: now.Add(-10 * time.Minute)}, 0, 0},
+		{"not the caller's turn is open", gated, 1, 0},
+		{"human first move (no robot move) is open", Game{VsAI: true, ToMove: 0, MoveCount: 0, TurnStartedAt: now}, 0, 0},
+		{"robot moved 10 min ago leaves 20 min", gated, 0, 20 * 60},
+		{"robot moved past the window is open", Game{VsAI: true, ToMove: 0, MoveCount: 2, TurnStartedAt: now.Add(-40 * time.Minute)}, 0, 0},
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		if got := hintUnlockLeftSeconds(c.g, c.seat, now); got != c.want {
+			t.Errorf("%s: hintUnlockLeftSeconds = %d, want %d", c.name, got, c.want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestAllowedTimeout(t *testing.T) {
 	if !allowedTimeout(24 * time.Hour) {
 		t.Error("24h must be allowed")

backend/internal/game/service.go

@@ -1058,10 +1058,31 @@ func (svc *Service) MarkChangesApplied(ctx context.Context, variant engine.Varia
 	return svc.store.MarkChangesApplied(ctx, variant.String(), version)
 }
 
-// Hint reveals the top-scoring legal play for the requesting player on their
+// hintIdleWindow is how long a vs_ai player must be stuck on a turn (since the robot's last move)
-// turn, spending one hint from their per-game allowance and then their profile
+// before the idle hint unlocks. Mirrors the offline client (lib/hints HINT_GATE_MS = 30 min).
-// wallet. It returns ErrHintsDisabled, ErrNoHintsLeft or ErrNoHintAvailable as
+const hintIdleWindow = 30 * time.Minute
-// appropriate.
+
+// hintUnlockLeftSeconds is the seconds until g's vs_ai idle hint unlocks for seat, measured from now:
+// the robot's last move (the current turn's start, on the human's turn) plus the window, floored at
+// 0 and ceiled to whole seconds. It is 0 for a non-vs_ai game, when it is not seat's turn, or on the
+// human's first move (MoveCount 0, no robot move yet) — the gate is an anti-frustration aid, not a
+// first-move tax. The client anchors a monotonic countdown to it, so a client clock cannot skew it.
+func hintUnlockLeftSeconds(g Game, seat int, now time.Time) int {
+	if !g.VsAI || g.ToMove != seat || g.MoveCount < 1 {
+		return 0
+	}
+	left := g.TurnStartedAt.Add(hintIdleWindow).Sub(now)
+	if left <= 0 {
+		return 0
+	}
+	return int((left + time.Second - 1) / time.Second) // ceil to whole seconds (no math import)
+}
+
+// Hint reveals the top-scoring legal play for the requesting player on their turn. For a human game
+// it spends one hint from the per-game allowance then the profile wallet (ErrHintsDisabled /
+// ErrNoHintsLeft / ErrNoHintAvailable). For a vs_ai game the hint is unlimited and wallet-free but
+// idle-gated from the server clock (ErrHintLocked until the window elapses) and counts toward no
+// hint statistic.
 func (svc *Service) Hint(ctx context.Context, gameID, accountID uuid.UUID) (HintResult, error) {
 	pre, err := svc.store.GetGame(ctx, gameID)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -1080,6 +1101,26 @@ func (svc *Service) Hint(ctx context.Context, gameID, accountID uuid.UUID) (Hint
 	if !pre.HintsAllowed {
 		return HintResult{}, ErrHintsDisabled
 	}
+	if pre.VsAI {
+		// vs_ai: unlimited and wallet-free, but idle-gated from the server clock — and counted toward
+		// no hint statistic. Enforce the gate (the client normally pre-gates from the view's
+		// HintUnlockLeftSeconds; this is the authoritative backstop), then serve the top move without
+		// touching the allowance, the wallet or hints_used.
+		if hintUnlockLeftSeconds(pre, seat, svc.clock()) > 0 {
+			return HintResult{}, ErrHintLocked
+		}
+		unlock := svc.locks.lock(gameID)
+		defer unlock()
+		g, err := svc.liveGame(ctx, pre)
+		if err != nil {
+			return HintResult{}, err
+		}
+		move, ok := g.HintView()
+		if !ok {
+			return HintResult{}, ErrNoHintAvailable
+		}
+		return HintResult{Move: move}, nil
+	}
 	acc, err := svc.accounts.GetByID(ctx, accountID)
 	if err != nil {
 		return HintResult{}, err
@@ -1208,6 +1249,8 @@ func (svc *Service) GameState(ctx context.Context, gameID, accountID uuid.UUID)
 		BagLen:         g.BagLen(),
 		HintsRemaining: hintsRemaining(pre.HintsPerPlayer, pre.Seats[seat].HintsUsed, acc.HintBalance),
 		WalletBalance:  acc.HintBalance,
+		// vs_ai idle-hint gate (seconds left; 0 for a human game / first move / not your turn).
+		HintUnlockLeftSeconds: hintUnlockLeftSeconds(pre, seat, svc.clock()),
 	}, nil
 }
 

backend/internal/game/types.go

@@ -65,6 +65,10 @@ var (
 	ErrNoHintsLeft = errors.New("game: no hints remaining")
 	// ErrNoHintAvailable is returned when the player has no legal play to reveal.
 	ErrNoHintAvailable = errors.New("game: no legal move to suggest")
+	// ErrHintLocked is returned when a vs_ai game's idle hint is still gated (the player has not yet
+	// been stuck the idle window since the robot's last move). The client normally pre-gates from
+	// StateView.HintUnlockLeftSeconds, so this is the authoritative server-clock backstop.
+	ErrHintLocked = errors.New("game: hint is not available yet")
 	// ErrGameLimitReached is returned when an account already holds MaxActiveQuickGames
 	// simultaneous quick games and tries to create another game (quick or by invitation).
 	ErrGameLimitReached = errors.New("game: simultaneous game limit reached")
@@ -240,6 +244,11 @@ type StateView struct {
 	// WalletBalance is the player's global hint-wallet balance alone (HintsRemaining folds
 	// it in with the per-game allowance), so the client keeps the wallet live across games.
 	WalletBalance int
+	// HintUnlockLeftSeconds is, for a vs_ai game on the requesting player's turn, the seconds left
+	// until the idle hint unlocks (the robot's last move plus the idle window, from the server clock);
+	// 0 for the human's first move, when it is not their turn, or a non-vs_ai game. The vs_ai hint is
+	// unlimited and wallet-free; this idle gate replaces the allowance/wallet for it.
+	HintUnlockLeftSeconds int
 }
 
 // HistoryMove is one decoded journal row, independent of any dictionary.

backend/internal/server/dto.go

@@ -163,13 +163,16 @@ type alphabetEntryDTO struct {
 // stateDTO is a player's view of a game. Rack carries wire alphabet indices (a
 // blank is engine.BlankIndex). Alphabet is present only when the request asked for it.
 type stateDTO struct {
-	Game           gameDTO            `json:"game"`
+	Game           gameDTO `json:"game"`
-	Seat           int                `json:"seat"`
+	Seat           int     `json:"seat"`
-	Rack           []int              `json:"rack"`
+	Rack           []int   `json:"rack"`
-	BagLen         int                `json:"bag_len"`
+	BagLen         int     `json:"bag_len"`
-	HintsRemaining int                `json:"hints_remaining"`
+	HintsRemaining int     `json:"hints_remaining"`
-	WalletBalance  int                `json:"wallet_balance"`
+	WalletBalance  int     `json:"wallet_balance"`
-	Alphabet       []alphabetEntryDTO `json:"alphabet,omitempty"`
+	// HintUnlockLeftSeconds is the vs_ai idle-hint gate: seconds until the hint unlocks (0 for a human
+	// game / first move / not your turn). The client anchors a monotonic countdown to it.
+	HintUnlockLeftSeconds int                `json:"hint_unlock_left_seconds"`
+	Alphabet              []alphabetEntryDTO `json:"alphabet,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // matchDTO reports whether the caller has been paired into a game.
@@ -315,12 +318,13 @@ func stateDTOFrom(v game.StateView, includeAlphabet bool) (stateDTO, error) {
 		return stateDTO{}, err
 	}
 	dto := stateDTO{
-		Game:           gameDTOFromGame(v.Game),
+		Game:                  gameDTOFromGame(v.Game),
-		Seat:           v.Seat,
+		Seat:                  v.Seat,
-		Rack:           rack,
+		Rack:                  rack,
-		BagLen:         v.BagLen,
+		BagLen:                v.BagLen,
-		HintsRemaining: v.HintsRemaining,
+		HintsRemaining:        v.HintsRemaining,
-		WalletBalance:  v.WalletBalance,
+		WalletBalance:         v.WalletBalance,
+		HintUnlockLeftSeconds: v.HintUnlockLeftSeconds,
 	}
 	if includeAlphabet {
 		tab, err := engine.AlphabetTable(v.Game.Variant)

backend/internal/server/handlers.go

@@ -239,6 +239,9 @@ func statusForError(err error) (int, string) {
 		return http.StatusConflict, "no_hint_available"
 	case errors.Is(err, game.ErrHintsDisabled), errors.Is(err, game.ErrNoHintsLeft):
 		return http.StatusConflict, "hint_unavailable"
+	case errors.Is(err, game.ErrHintLocked):
+		// A vs_ai idle hint is still gated (the server-clock backstop); the client shows the lock.
+		return http.StatusConflict, "hint_locked"
 	case errors.Is(err, engine.ErrIllegalPlay), errors.Is(err, engine.ErrTilesNotOnRack), errors.Is(err, engine.ErrGameOver):
 		return http.StatusUnprocessableEntity, "illegal_play"
 	case errors.Is(err, account.ErrEmailTaken), errors.Is(err, account.ErrIdentityTaken):

docs/ARCHITECTURE.md

@@ -1242,17 +1242,43 @@ browser-language detection — crawlers render with arbitrary languages). The fa
 built from `ui/src/sw.ts` by **vite-plugin-pwa** (injectManifest strategy) — the client registers it
 **web-only**, never inside a Mini App or the mock build (the plugin is disabled there entirely). It
 **precaches the app shell and the hashed assets** (Workbox) so an installed PWA cold-launches with
-no network, and falls every in-scope navigation back to the precached shell (the hash router
+no network. Shell **navigations are network-first** — the fresh `no-cache` shell is fetched from the
-resolves the route client-side); the landing page and the conditional polyfill bundle are excluded,
+server (so a new deploy is picked up on the very next launch, not the one after), falling back to the
-and the Connect stream and runtime API POSTs are never precached nor intercepted, so the live app is
+precached shell only when the network is unreachable or too slow; the immutable hashed assets stay
-never served stale. This satisfies Chromium's installability requirement (a registered SW, needed
+cache-first, and the hash router resolves the route client-side. This navigation route is registered
+**before** the precache route on purpose: Workbox matches in registration order, and the precache
+route (its `directoryIndex` is `index.html`) would otherwise shadow it and serve the shell
+cache-first — the old build's version until a second load. The landing page and the conditional
+polyfill bundle are excluded, and the Connect stream and runtime API POSTs are never precached nor
+intercepted, so the live app is never served stale. This satisfies Chromium's installability requirement (a registered SW, needed
 for install on Android) and powers the opt-in **offline mode** (in progress): a deliberate, device-scoped Settings
 toggle — distinct from the transient gateway-reachability signal — that tints the header blue with
 an *Offline* chip and confines play to on-device `vs_ai` games. The **offline lobby lists only those
 device-local games** (reconstructed by replaying the IndexedDB move journal) and its New-vs-AI entry
 creates one through the in-browser engine — the same game screen then drives it, the robot replying
-locally; online-only affordances (the Stats tab, the friend/random options in New Game) are disabled
+locally; online-only affordances (the Stats tab, the random-opponent option) are disabled
-or hidden. To have data ready before the switch, the **Profile advertises the current dictionary
+or hidden, and New Game's *with friends* becomes the entry to **local pass-and-play (hotseat)**.
+A hotseat game is a device-local **2-4 human** game built through the same engine (`hotseat` +
+per-seat/host PIN locks on the record; the seats carry names but no accounts). A **mandatory host
+(referee) PIN** gates the roster at creation and, in-game, the referee overrides — **skip** the
+current turn, **exclude** a player (a forced seat resign, `resignSeat`) or **terminate** the game
+(deleted, no winner/loser); each seat may also carry its own **optional PIN** that withholds its rack
+(the board stays visible — only the tray is gated) until it is entered, so players pass the device
+around freely and lock a seat only against a distrusted tablemate. The unlock is **per turn**
+(re-locks on advance). PINs are a **social lock, not cryptography** — a salted SHA-256 kept only in
+the device record (`lib/pin`); a 4-digit PIN is trivially brute-forceable and the racks live in
+client memory regardless, so they defeat a casual glance, not a determined peek. A hotseat game is
+**not `vs_ai`**: hints (the freed control becomes the host button) and chat/self-resign are gone, and
+its lobby card — active *and* finished — is master-PIN-gated to delete (so the last mover cannot
+instantly wipe it); a naturally finished game is saved with its result like any local game. A `vs_ai`
+hint (online and offline alike) is unlimited and wallet-free but idle-gated
+(unlocked ~30 min into a stuck turn), and counts toward no hint statistic. The **source** reports the
+**seconds left** (`hint_unlock_left_seconds` on the game view) — computed by the **backend from the
+server clock** online (which also enforces the gate, returning `hint_locked` for an early request),
+and by the offline source from the device clock (persisted, capped at the window). The **client
+anchors a MONOTONIC countdown** (`performance.now()`, `lib/hints`) to that seconds-left when it lands
+(on load, and to the full window when the robot moves), so a client clock change cannot skew it, and
+a relaunch re-reads a fresh value so the wait is not forgotten. To have data ready before the switch, the **Profile advertises the current dictionary
 version per variant** (`dict_versions`,
 filled from the registry on the existing cold-start profile request — no extra round-trip), and an
 eligible installed PWA (standalone web + confirmed email) **background-preloads** those dictionaries

docs/FUNCTIONAL.md

@@ -215,7 +215,16 @@ unlimited and offers a complaint on any result; for a word it finds, it also lin
 external reference dictionary (gramota.ru for Russian games, scrabblewordfinder.org for
 English) to look it up. Hints are governed per game —
 whether they are allowed and how many each player starts with — and draw on a
-personal hint wallet once the per-game allowance is spent. The game ends when the
+personal hint wallet once the per-game allowance is spent. Against the robot
+(**vs_ai**) hints are instead **unlimited and wallet-free**, but idle-gated as an
+anti-frustration aid: one unlocks only after the player has been **stuck ~30 minutes
+on a turn** (timed from the robot's last move; the very first move, before the robot
+has played, is exempt). While gated the hint button carries a small **🔒 lock** and a
+tap shows how long remains; the lock lifts live at the mark. The same gate applies **online and
+offline**: the countdown runs on a **steady in-app timer**, not the device clock, so changing the
+clock cannot skew it, and a relaunch re-reads the remaining time so a stuck turn is not forgotten.
+Online the **server enforces** it from its own clock (which the player cannot touch); a vs_ai hint
+counts toward no hint statistic. The game ends when the
 bag empties and a player clears their rack, after 6 consecutive scoreless turns,
 by resignation, or by the per-game move timeout (5 minutes to 24 hours, default
 24 hours): a missed turn auto-resigns, except while the player is inside their
@@ -260,8 +269,8 @@ statistics.
 An installed web PWA signed in with a confirmed email can switch to a deliberate **offline mode**
 (Settings → Play mode). Offline, the app never touches the network: the header turns blue with an
 *Offline* chip, the lobby lists only the games stored on the device, and online-only surfaces are
-disabled or hidden (the Stats tab; the *with friends* and *random opponent* options in New Game).
+disabled or hidden (the Stats tab; the *random opponent* option in New Game).
-Only **vs_ai** games are playable — New Game creates a device-local game against the robot, which
+A New Game against the robot creates a device-local **vs_ai** game — it
 plays entirely in the browser with no backend. Local games are kept on the device, visible only in
 offline mode, and never sync to the account. So a game can be created and played with no connection,
 the app quietly preloads the dictionaries for the player's enabled variants while still online, and
@@ -271,6 +280,20 @@ and waits briefly, and if they cannot be readied it stays online with a short *n
 (the download keeps running in the background, so a later switch is instant). The mode is
 device-scoped and sticky across launches.
 
+Offline, New Game's **with friends** starts a **local pass-and-play** game for 2-4 people sharing one
+device. You first set a **host (leader) password** — a 4-digit PIN entered on a lock-screen-style
+keypad; until it is set the player rows stay locked. The app then asks whether you are playing too —
+if so you take the first seat with your profile name. You name each player (2 to 4; add or remove
+rows, where a removal asks for the leader password) and may give any seat its **own optional PIN**.
+During the game the board is always visible, but a PIN-locked seat shows an **Unlock** button in place
+of its rack until its owner enters the PIN — so the device passes hand to hand and only a protected
+seat hides its letters; the lock returns each turn. The **leader** (the host button in the game) can,
+with the leader password, **skip** the current player's turn, **remove** a player, or **end the game
+early** — an early end discards the game with no winner or loser. Hints and chat are off in a
+pass-and-play game. A game that finishes normally is saved to the offline lobby like any other;
+deleting any pass-and-play game — running or finished — from the lobby asks for the leader password,
+so no one can wipe a game the moment they have moved.
+
 The app also **enters offline mode on its own** when it cannot reach the network. On a cold launch
 with no connection it switches to offline for that session; when the device is online but the gateway
 stays silent for a few seconds it asks first — *No connection. Switch to offline mode?*, with

docs/FUNCTIONAL_ru.md

@@ -222,7 +222,16 @@ e-mail) либо ввод фразы. Активные игры форфейтя
 внешний справочный словарь (gramota.ru для русских игр, scrabblewordfinder.org для английских),
 чтобы его посмотреть. Подсказки управляются настройками
 партии — разрешены ли они и сколько их у каждого игрока на старте — и расходуют
-личный кошелёк подсказок после исчерпания внутриигрового лимита. Партия
+личный кошелёк подсказок после исчерпания внутриигрового лимита. Против робота
+(**vs_ai**) подсказки, наоборот, **безлимитны и без кошелька**, но с idle-гейтом как
+анти-фрустрация: подсказка открывается, только когда игрок **застрял на ходу ~30 минут**
+(отсчёт от последнего хода робота; самый первый ход, до хода робота, исключён). Пока гейт
+закрыт, кнопка подсказки несёт маленький **🔒 замок**, а тап показывает, сколько осталось;
+замок снимается вживую в нужный момент. Один и тот же гейт работает **онлайн и офлайн**: отсчёт
+идёт по **ровному внутриигровому таймеру**, а не по системным часам, поэтому их перевод его не
+собьёт, а повторный вход перечитывает остаток — застрявший ход не забывается. Онлайн гейт
+**принуждает сервер** по своим часам (их игрок не тронет); vs_ai-подсказка не учитывается ни в
+одной статистике подсказок. Партия
 завершается, когда мешок пуст и игрок выложил стойку, после 6 подряд бесплодных
 ходов, по сдаче, либо по таймауту хода (от 5 минут до 24 часов, дефолт 24 часа):
 пропущенный ход означает авто-сдачу, кроме как когда игрок внутри своего
@@ -265,8 +274,8 @@ e-mail) либо ввод фразы. Активные игры форфейтя
 Установленный веб-PWA со входом по подтверждённой почте может переключиться в осознанный
 **офлайн-режим** (Настройки → Режим игры). В офлайне приложение не обращается к сети: шапка синеет с
 меткой *Офлайн*, лобби показывает только сохранённые на устройстве игры, а сетевые поверхности
-отключены или скрыты (вкладка Статистика; варианты «с другом» и «случайный соперник» в Новой игре).
+отключены или скрыты (вкладка Статистика; вариант «случайный соперник» в Новой игре).
-Играть можно только в **vs_ai** — Новая игра создаёт локальную игру против робота, который ходит
+Новая игра против робота создаёт локальную **vs_ai**-игру — он ходит
 целиком в браузере без бэкенда. Локальные игры хранятся на устройстве, видны только в офлайн-режиме и
 никогда не синхронизируются с аккаунтом. Чтобы игру можно было создать и сыграть без связи, приложение
 заранее, пока ещё онлайн, подгружает словари включённых игроком вариантов и (после установки)
@@ -276,6 +285,21 @@ e-mail) либо ввод фразы. Активные игры форфейтя
 продолжается в фоне, так что следующее переключение мгновенно). Режим привязан к устройству и
 сохраняется между запусками.
 
+В офлайне «с друзьями» в Новой игре запускает **локальную игру по очереди (hotseat)** на 2–4 человек
+за одним устройством. Сначала задаётся **пароль ведущего** — 4-значный PIN на клавиатуре в стиле
+экрана блокировки; пока он не задан, строки игроков заблокированы. Затем приложение спрашивает,
+играете ли вы сами — если да, вы занимаете первое место под именем из профиля. Вы называете каждого
+игрока (от 2 до 4; строки можно добавлять и удалять, удаление спрашивает пароль ведущего) и можете
+дать любому месту **свой необязательный PIN**. Во время игры доска видна всегда, но место с PIN
+вместо стойки показывает кнопку **«Разблокировать»**, пока владелец не введёт PIN, — так устройство
+передаётся из рук в руки, и только защищённое место прячет свои буквы; на каждом ходу замок
+возвращается. **Ведущий** (кнопка ведущего в игре) может по паролю ведущего **пропустить** ход
+текущего игрока, **исключить** игрока или **завершить игру досрочно** — досрочное завершение стирает
+партию без победителей и проигравших. Подсказки и чат в игре по очереди отключены. Нормально
+завершённая партия сохраняется в офлайн-лобби как любая другая; удаление любой игры по очереди —
+идущей или завершённой — из лобби спрашивает пароль ведущего, чтобы никто не стёр партию сразу после
+своего хода.
+
 Приложение также **само включает офлайн-режим**, когда не может достучаться до сети. При холодном
 запуске без связи оно переходит в офлайн на текущую сессию; когда устройство онлайн, но шлюз молчит
 несколько секунд, оно сперва спрашивает — *Нет связи. Включить офлайн-режим?*, с выбором **Включить**

gateway/internal/backendclient/api.go

@@ -181,13 +181,14 @@ type AlphabetEntryJSON struct {
 // StateResp is a player's view of a game. Rack carries wire alphabet indices;
 // Alphabet is present only when the request asked for it.
 type StateResp struct {
-	Game           GameResp            `json:"game"`
+	Game                  GameResp            `json:"game"`
-	Seat           int                 `json:"seat"`
+	Seat                  int                 `json:"seat"`
-	Rack           []int               `json:"rack"`
+	Rack                  []int               `json:"rack"`
-	BagLen         int                 `json:"bag_len"`
+	BagLen                int                 `json:"bag_len"`
-	HintsRemaining int                 `json:"hints_remaining"`
+	HintsRemaining        int                 `json:"hints_remaining"`
-	WalletBalance  int                 `json:"wallet_balance"`
+	WalletBalance         int                 `json:"wallet_balance"`
-	Alphabet       []AlphabetEntryJSON `json:"alphabet,omitempty"`
+	HintUnlockLeftSeconds int                 `json:"hint_unlock_left_seconds"`
+	Alphabet              []AlphabetEntryJSON `json:"alphabet,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // MatchResp reports an auto-match outcome.

gateway/internal/transcode/encode.go

@@ -299,13 +299,14 @@ func toWireState(s backendclient.StateResp) wire.StateView {
 		alphabet[i] = wire.AlphabetEntry{Index: e.Index, Letter: e.Letter, Value: e.Value}
 	}
 	return wire.StateView{
-		Game:           toWireGame(s.Game),
+		Game:                  toWireGame(s.Game),
-		Seat:           s.Seat,
+		Seat:                  s.Seat,
-		Rack:           s.Rack,
+		Rack:                  s.Rack,
-		BagLen:         s.BagLen,
+		BagLen:                s.BagLen,
-		HintsRemaining: s.HintsRemaining,
+		HintsRemaining:        s.HintsRemaining,
-		WalletBalance:  s.WalletBalance,
+		WalletBalance:         s.WalletBalance,
-		Alphabet:       alphabet,
+		HintUnlockLeftSeconds: s.HintUnlockLeftSeconds,
+		Alphabet:              alphabet,
 	}
 }
 

gateway/internal/transcode/transcode_test.go

@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ func TestGameStateRoundTripForwardsUserID(t *testing.T) {
 		if r.URL.Path != "/api/v1/user/games/g-1/state" {
 			t.Errorf("unexpected path %q", r.URL.Path)
 		}
-		_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"game":{"id":"g-1","variant":"scrabble_en","status":"active","players":2,"to_move":1,"seats":[{"seat":0,"account_id":"u-7","score":5}]},"seat":0,"rack":[0,1],"bag_len":80,"hints_remaining":4,"wallet_balance":3}`))
+		_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"game":{"id":"g-1","variant":"scrabble_en","status":"active","players":2,"to_move":1,"seats":[{"seat":0,"account_id":"u-7","score":5}]},"seat":0,"rack":[0,1],"bag_len":80,"hints_remaining":4,"wallet_balance":3,"hint_unlock_left_seconds":1200}`))
 	})
 	defer cleanup()
 
@@ -77,8 +77,8 @@ func TestGameStateRoundTripForwardsUserID(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("handler: %v", err)
 	}
 	st := fb.GetRootAsStateView(payload, 0)
-	if st.BagLen() != 80 || st.RackLength() != 2 || st.HintsRemaining() != 4 || st.WalletBalance() != 3 {
+	if st.BagLen() != 80 || st.RackLength() != 2 || st.HintsRemaining() != 4 || st.WalletBalance() != 3 || st.HintUnlockLeftSeconds() != 1200 {
-		t.Fatalf("state decoded wrong: bag=%d rack=%d hints=%d wallet=%d", st.BagLen(), st.RackLength(), st.HintsRemaining(), st.WalletBalance())
+		t.Fatalf("state decoded wrong: bag=%d rack=%d hints=%d wallet=%d unlockLeft=%d", st.BagLen(), st.RackLength(), st.HintsRemaining(), st.WalletBalance(), st.HintUnlockLeftSeconds())
 	}
 	game := st.Game(nil)
 	if game == nil || string(game.Id()) != "g-1" || string(game.Variant()) != "scrabble_en" || game.ToMove() != 1 {

pkg/fbs/scrabble.fbs

@@ -316,6 +316,13 @@ table StateView {
   // the wallet is a single global figure the client keeps live across games (added trailing —
   // backward-compatible).
   wallet_balance:int;
+  // hint_unlock_left_seconds is, for a vs_ai game, how many seconds until the idle hint unlocks
+  // (the robot's last move plus the idle window, computed from the SERVER clock online / the device
+  // clock offline, capped at the window and floored at 0); 0 for a human's first move (no robot move
+  // yet) or a non-vs_ai game. The client anchors a MONOTONIC countdown (performance.now()) to it, so a
+  // client clock change cannot skew it — see lib/hints. Seconds granularity is enough; sent trailing
+  // (additive, backward-compatible).
+  hint_unlock_left_seconds:int;
 }
 
 // GameActionRequest carries just a game id (pass / resign / hint / history).

pkg/fbs/scrabblefb/StateView.go

@@ -156,8 +156,20 @@ func (rcv *StateView) MutateWalletBalance(n int32) bool {
 	return rcv._tab.MutateInt32Slot(16, n)
 }
 
+func (rcv *StateView) HintUnlockLeftSeconds() int32 {
+	o := flatbuffers.UOffsetT(rcv._tab.Offset(18))
+	if o != 0 {
+		return rcv._tab.GetInt32(o + rcv._tab.Pos)
+	}
+	return 0
+}
+
+func (rcv *StateView) MutateHintUnlockLeftSeconds(n int32) bool {
+	return rcv._tab.MutateInt32Slot(18, n)
+}
+
 func StateViewStart(builder *flatbuffers.Builder) {
-	builder.StartObject(7)
+	builder.StartObject(8)
 }
 func StateViewAddGame(builder *flatbuffers.Builder, game flatbuffers.UOffsetT) {
 	builder.PrependUOffsetTSlot(0, flatbuffers.UOffsetT(game), 0)
@@ -186,6 +198,9 @@ func StateViewStartAlphabetVector(builder *flatbuffers.Builder, numElems int) fl
 func StateViewAddWalletBalance(builder *flatbuffers.Builder, walletBalance int32) {
 	builder.PrependInt32Slot(6, walletBalance, 0)
 }
+func StateViewAddHintUnlockLeftSeconds(builder *flatbuffers.Builder, hintUnlockLeftSeconds int32) {
+	builder.PrependInt32Slot(7, hintUnlockLeftSeconds, 0)
+}
 func StateViewEnd(builder *flatbuffers.Builder) flatbuffers.UOffsetT {
 	return builder.EndObject()
 }

pkg/wire/build.go

@@ -87,13 +87,14 @@ type AlphabetEntry struct {
 // (wire alphabet indices), bag size and hint budget. Alphabet is set only when the
 // recipient may not have cached the variant's display table yet.
 type StateView struct {
-	Game           GameView
+	Game                  GameView
-	Seat           int
+	Seat                  int
-	Rack           []int
+	Rack                  []int
-	BagLen         int
+	BagLen                int
-	HintsRemaining int
+	HintsRemaining        int
-	WalletBalance  int
+	WalletBalance         int
-	Alphabet       []AlphabetEntry
+	HintUnlockLeftSeconds int
+	Alphabet              []AlphabetEntry
 }
 
 // AccountRef is a referenced account with its display name resolved.
@@ -256,6 +257,7 @@ func BuildStateView(b *flatbuffers.Builder, s StateView) flatbuffers.UOffsetT {
 	fb.StateViewAddBagLen(b, int32(s.BagLen))
 	fb.StateViewAddHintsRemaining(b, int32(s.HintsRemaining))
 	fb.StateViewAddWalletBalance(b, int32(s.WalletBalance))
+	fb.StateViewAddHintUnlockLeftSeconds(b, int32(s.HintUnlockLeftSeconds))
 	if hasAlphabet {
 		fb.StateViewAddAlphabet(b, alphabet)
 	}

ui/e2e/hotseat.spec.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
+import { test, expect, type Page } from './fixtures';
+
+// Offline pass-and-play (hotseat) is offered only in offline mode, which is gated to an installed
+// standalone PWA with a confirmed email. The mock account has an email; force standalone so the
+// Settings offline toggle shows.
+async function forceStandalone(page: Page): Promise<void> {
+  await page.addInitScript(() => {
+    const orig = window.matchMedia.bind(window);
+    window.matchMedia = (q: string) =>
+      (q.includes('display-mode: standalone')
+        ? { matches: true, media: q, onchange: null, addEventListener() {}, removeEventListener() {}, addListener() {}, removeListener() {}, dispatchEvent: () => false }
+        : orig(q)) as MediaQueryList;
+  });
+}
+
+async function enterLobby(page: Page): Promise<void> {
+  await page.getByRole('button', { name: /guest|гост/i }).first().click();
+  await expect(page.locator('button.tab').nth(2)).toBeVisible();
+}
+
+async function goOffline(page: Page): Promise<void> {
+  await page.locator('button.tab').nth(2).click(); // Settings
+  await page.getByRole('button', { name: /^(Offline|Оффлайн)$/ }).click();
+  await expect(page.locator('header.nav.offline')).toBeVisible({ timeout: 15000 });
+  await page.getByRole('button', { name: /Back|Назад/i }).click();
+  await expect(page.locator('button.tab').nth(2)).toBeVisible();
+}
+
+// typePin clicks the on-screen keypad digits (the pad has no OK button — the 4th digit is the action).
+// It first waits for the dots to be empty, so a call made right after a previous entry does not lose
+// digits during the 250 ms verdict pause (the 4th digit → pause → clear/advance).
+async function typePin(page: Page, digits: string): Promise<void> {
+  await expect(page.locator('.pad .dot.on')).toHaveCount(0);
+  for (const d of digits) await page.locator('.pad .key', { hasText: d }).click();
+}
+
+test.describe('offline hotseat (pass-and-play)', () => {
+  test('create with a locked seat, unlock, host-skip, terminate from the lobby', async ({ page }) => {
+    await forceStandalone(page);
+    await page.goto('/');
+    await enterLobby(page);
+    await goOffline(page);
+
+    // A known seed: the bag deals a full rack deterministically, AND the seeded seating shuffle keeps
+    // the roster order (Ann first) so the locked-seat assertions below are stable. (Seat order is
+    // randomised at start; the shuffle is seed-driven — seed '1' would seat Bob first, '2' Ann first.)
+    await page.evaluate(() => (window as unknown as { __mock: { setLocalSeed(s: string): void } }).__mock.setLocalSeed('2'));
+
+    // New game -> the offline mode selector now offers "with friends" (hotseat).
+    await page.locator('button.tab').nth(0).click();
+    await page.getByRole('button', { name: /With friends|друзьями/i }).click();
+
+    // The player rows are disabled until the mandatory host (master) PIN is set.
+    await expect(page.locator('.pname').first()).toBeDisabled();
+
+    // Set the host PIN (enter + confirm), then decline taking a seat.
+    await page.locator('.hostpin .plink').click();
+    await typePin(page, '9999');
+    await typePin(page, '9999');
+    await page.getByRole('button', { name: /^(No|Нет)$/ }).click();
+
+    // Pick the English variant (the plaques mirror Quick Match; "Scrabble" is the Latin English name).
+    await page.locator('.variant', { hasText: 'Scrabble' }).click();
+
+    // Two players: Ann (PIN-locked) and Bob (open).
+    await page.locator('.pname').nth(0).fill('Ann');
+    await page.locator('.pname').nth(1).fill('Bob');
+
+    // Row-delete: a 3rd player's kebab asks the host PIN, which ARMS a ❌ (not a silent delete);
+    // tapping the ❌ removes the row.
+    await page.getByRole('button', { name: /Add player|Добавить/i }).click();
+    await expect(page.locator('.prow')).toHaveCount(3);
+    await page.locator('.prow').nth(2).locator('.pkebab').click();
+    await typePin(page, '9999');
+    const rowDel = page.locator('.prow').nth(2).locator('.prow-del');
+    await expect(rowDel).toBeVisible();
+    await rowDel.click();
+    await expect(page.locator('.prow')).toHaveCount(2);
+
+    // Lock Ann's seat with a PIN.
+    await page.locator('.prow').nth(0).locator('.plink').click();
+    await typePin(page, '1234');
+    await typePin(page, '1234');
+
+    await page.locator('button.invite').click();
+    await expect(page.locator('[data-cell]').first()).toBeVisible();
+
+    // Ann is to move and PIN-locked: the board is visible but her rack is withheld behind Unlock.
+    await expect(page.locator('.unlock')).toBeVisible();
+    await expect(page.locator('.rack .tile')).toHaveCount(0);
+
+    // A wrong PIN keeps it locked; the right PIN reveals the full rack.
+    await page.locator('.unlock').click();
+    await typePin(page, '0000');
+    await expect(page.locator('.pad')).toBeVisible(); // still open after a wrong PIN
+    await typePin(page, '1234');
+    await expect(page.locator('.rack .tile')).toHaveCount(7);
+
+    // Opening the history reveals NO social controls on the seat plaques (a local game is
+    // account-less), and the Dictionary entry (the comms button) is kept for the active game.
+    await page.locator('.scoreboard').click();
+    await expect(page.locator('.fico')).toHaveCount(0);
+    await expect(page.locator('.chat-ico')).toBeVisible();
+    await page.locator('.scoreboard').click();
+
+    // Host override: 🔐 -> master PIN -> skip the current turn -> confirm. The turn passes to Bob,
+    // whose seat is open, so his rack shows without a lock.
+    await page.locator('button.tab', { hasText: /Host|Ведущий/ }).click();
+    await typePin(page, '9999');
+    await page.getByRole('button', { name: /Skip|Пропустить/ }).click();
+    await page.getByRole('button', { name: /^(OK|ОК)$/ }).click();
+    await expect(page.locator('.unlock')).toHaveCount(0);
+    await expect(page.locator('.rack .tile')).toHaveCount(7);
+
+    // Back in the lobby the active hotseat game has a kebab; terminating it needs the master PIN.
+    await page.getByRole('button', { name: /Back|Назад/i }).click();
+    await expect(page.getByText('Ann', { exact: false }).first()).toBeVisible();
+    await expect(page.locator('.rowwrap')).toHaveCount(1);
+    await page.locator('.kebab').first().click();
+    const del = page.locator('.rowwrap.revealed .del');
+    await expect(del).toBeVisible();
+    await del.click();
+    await typePin(page, '9999');
+    await expect(page.locator('.rowwrap')).toHaveCount(0);
+  });
+});

ui/e2e/offline.spec.ts

@@ -13,10 +13,12 @@ async function forceStandalone(page: Page): Promise<void> {
   });
 }
 
-// After a load or reload, land in the lobby (dismiss the login screen if it is shown).
+// After a load, land in the lobby. The mock cold-starts on the login screen (no seeded session), so
+// click through as guest. Waiting for the button (rather than a point-in-time count()) is what makes
+// this deterministic: a count() sampled during the pre-login splash frame returned 0, skipped the
+// click, and then hung — or latched a transient lobby tab-bar — instead of opening the real lobby.
 async function enterLobby(page: Page): Promise<void> {
-  const guest = page.getByRole('button', { name: /guest|гост/i });
+  await page.getByRole('button', { name: /guest|гост/i }).first().click();
-  if (await guest.count()) await guest.first().click();
   // The lobby tab bar has three tabs in a fixed order: New (0), Stats (1), Settings (2). nth() is
   // robust to locale, emoji variation selectors and the coachmark anchors (which the first-run
   // onboarding strips after it completes).
@@ -60,6 +62,9 @@ test.describe('offline mode', () => {
     await page.locator('button.invite').click();
     await expect(page.locator('[data-cell]').first()).toBeVisible();
 
+    // The human's first move is not idle-gated: the hint is available at once (no 🔒 lock badge).
+    await expect(page.locator('.lock')).toHaveCount(0);
+
     // The human plays WAY horizontally across the centre (7,5)-(7,7).
     await placeTile(page, 'W', 7, 5);
     await placeTile(page, 'A', 7, 6);
@@ -74,10 +79,17 @@ test.describe('offline mode', () => {
     }).toPass({ timeout: 15000 });
     const filled = await page.locator('[data-cell].filled').count();
 
+    // Now it is the human's turn again after the robot moved: the idle hint gate arms, so the hint
+    // button shows the 🔒 lock (it lifts after 30 idle minutes on a monotonic clock — not waited here).
+    await expect(page.locator('.lock')).toBeVisible();
+
     // Reload: the hash router restores the /game/<id> route and the local game replays from
     // IndexedDB with every committed tile intact.
     await page.reload();
     await expect(page.locator('[data-cell]').first()).toBeVisible();
     await expect(page.locator('[data-cell].filled')).toHaveCount(filled);
+    // The idle-hint gate is persisted (a wall-clock unlock time), so the 🔒 survives the reload —
+    // the wait was not reset by relaunching.
+    await expect(page.locator('.lock')).toBeVisible();
   });
 });

ui/e2e/router.spec.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+import { expect, test } from './fixtures';
+
+// The hash router must update its reactive `route` rune synchronously inside navigate(), not defer it
+// to the asynchronous `hashchange` event. Bootstrap flips `app.ready` in the same tick right after
+// `navigate('/login')` on an unauthenticated cold start; a route that trailed the hash for one frame
+// let App.svelte render the stale route (the empty-hash lobby) under the new login screen — a visible
+// lobby-shell flash plus a doomed games.list. It also made the offline e2e flaky: enterLobby could
+// latch that transient lobby tab-bar instead of clicking through the login screen.
+
+test('navigate updates the reactive route synchronously (no hashchange lag)', async ({ page }) => {
+  await page.goto('/');
+  // The bundle has loaded and installed the mock __router seam once the login screen is up.
+  await expect(page.getByRole('button', { name: /guest/i })).toBeVisible();
+
+  // Read the route in the SAME microtask as the navigate: the fix makes it the new route at once;
+  // the pre-fix code returned the previous route (it waited for the async hashchange).
+  const routeAfterNavigate = await page.evaluate(() => {
+    const r = (window as unknown as { __router: { navigate(p: string): void; route(): string } }).__router;
+    r.navigate('/settings');
+    return r.route();
+  });
+  expect(routeAfterNavigate).toBe('settings');
+
+  // The hash was written too, so a reload/back still resolves the same route.
+  expect(new URL(page.url()).hash).toBe('#/settings');
+});

ui/e2e/viewport.spec.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+import { test, expect, type Page } from './fixtures';
+
+// Playwright's WebKit has no real soft keyboard, so emulate iOS's visual-viewport behaviour: replace
+// window.visualViewport with a controllable fake BEFORE the app boots. The app's syncViewport
+// (app.svelte.ts) reads visualViewport.height/offsetTop and mirrors them into --vvh / --vv-top, which
+// position the pinned app-shell (app.css html.app-shell body). Driving the fake exercises the exact
+// code path the real keyboard triggers on iOS — where the layout viewport does NOT shrink and the
+// visual viewport instead offsets down toward the focused field.
+async function installFakeViewport(page: Page): Promise<void> {
+  await page.addInitScript(() => {
+    const fake = new EventTarget() as EventTarget & { height: number; offsetTop: number; width: number };
+    fake.height = window.innerHeight;
+    fake.offsetTop = 0;
+    fake.width = window.innerWidth;
+    Object.defineProperty(window, 'visualViewport', { configurable: true, value: fake });
+    (window as unknown as { __vv: typeof fake }).__vv = fake;
+  });
+}
+
+async function setViewport(page: Page, height: number, offsetTop: number): Promise<void> {
+  await page.evaluate(
+    ([h, t]) => {
+      const vv = (window as unknown as { __vv: { height: number; offsetTop: number; dispatchEvent(e: Event): boolean } }).__vv;
+      vv.height = h;
+      vv.offsetTop = t;
+      vv.dispatchEvent(new Event('resize'));
+      vv.dispatchEvent(new Event('scroll'));
+    },
+    [height, offsetTop],
+  );
+}
+
+async function shell(page: Page): Promise<{ vvh: string; top: string; bodyTop: string }> {
+  return page.evaluate(() => ({
+    vvh: getComputedStyle(document.documentElement).getPropertyValue('--vvh').trim(),
+    top: getComputedStyle(document.documentElement).getPropertyValue('--vv-top').trim(),
+    bodyTop: getComputedStyle(document.body).top,
+  }));
+}
+
+test.describe('visual-viewport shell (soft-keyboard alignment)', () => {
+  test('the pinned shell follows the visual viewport height AND offset', async ({ page }) => {
+    await installFakeViewport(page);
+    await page.goto('/');
+    await expect(page.locator('html.app-shell')).toBeAttached();
+    const innerH = await page.evaluate(() => window.innerHeight);
+
+    // Keyboard closed: full height, no offset.
+    await setViewport(page, innerH, 0);
+    let s = await shell(page);
+    expect(s.top).toBe('0px');
+    expect(s.bodyTop).toBe('0px');
+
+    // Keyboard open + iOS offset: the visual viewport shrinks AND offsets down. The pinned shell must
+    // follow BOTH — the body's top must equal the offset (not stay at 0), else the top-anchored
+    // content shows empty space below (the iOS bug this fixes).
+    await setViewport(page, innerH - 300, 180);
+    s = await shell(page);
+    expect(s.vvh).toBe(`${innerH - 300}px`);
+    expect(s.top).toBe('180px');
+    expect(s.bodyTop).toBe('180px');
+
+    // Keyboard closed again: the offset reverts to 0 — no stale shift left behind.
+    await setViewport(page, innerH, 0);
+    s = await shell(page);
+    expect(s.top).toBe('0px');
+    expect(s.bodyTop).toBe('0px');
+  });
+});

ui/scripts/bundle-size.mjs

@@ -20,12 +20,16 @@ import { join } from 'node:path';
 const DIST = 'dist';
 
 // Per-chunk gzip budgets in KB. The app entry was raised to 110 for the local move-preview
-// wiring, to 112 for the PWA install feature, to 113 for the offline-mode wiring, then to 114 for
+// wiring, to 112 for the PWA install feature, to 113 for the offline-mode wiring, to 114 for
-// the offline auto-detect: the cold-start reachability check and the "no connection" dialog live in
+// the offline auto-detect (the cold-start reachability check and the "no connection" dialog live in
-// the boot path (app.svelte.ts / the App shell), which cannot be lazy-loaded. The heavy parts — the
+// the boot path), then to 115 for the vs_ai idle-hint gate — its monotonic clock, lock badge and
-// dict loader, the move generator and the preload orchestration — still stay in lazy chunks. Scoped
+// countdown toast live in the always-loaded game screen (Game.svelte) — and to 120 for the offline
-// CSS lands in the CSS chunk, not this JS budget.
+// pass-and-play (hotseat) mode: the on-screen PIN pad, the creation roster and the in-game host menu
-const BUDGET = { app: 114, shared: 30, landing: 5 };
+// live in the always-loaded New Game / Game / Lobby screens (the offline engine and the tiny PIN
+// hashing stay in lazy chunks / are negligible). The heavy parts — the dict loader, the move
+// generator and the preload orchestration — still stay in lazy chunks. Scoped CSS lands in the CSS
+// chunk, not this JS budget.
+const BUDGET = { app: 120, shared: 30, landing: 5 };
 
 // gzipped returns the gzipped byte size of a built asset, or 0 when the reference is not a
 // local file (e.g. the Telegram SDK loaded from a CDN) or is missing.

ui/src/app.css

@@ -162,7 +162,15 @@ html.app-shell {
 }
 html.app-shell body {
   position: fixed;
-  inset: 0;
+  /* Follow the visual viewport (top + height), not merely fill the layout viewport: iOS Safari /
+     WKWebView does not shrink the layout viewport for the soft keyboard — it offsets the visual
+     viewport down toward the focused field — so a top-anchored (inset:0) shell would misalign, showing
+     empty space below the content (worst on a repeat focus). --vv-top / --vvh are kept in sync from
+     app.svelte.ts (syncViewport). The fallbacks equal inset:0 before the first sync / on the landing. */
+  top: var(--vv-top, 0px);
+  left: 0;
+  right: 0;
+  height: var(--vvh, 100%);
   overflow: hidden;
 }
 

ui/src/components/PinPad.svelte

@@ -0,0 +1,268 @@
+<script lang="ts">
+  // Apple-lock-screen-style 4-digit PIN pad for offline pass-and-play (hotseat) games.
+  // Modes:
+  //   set     — enter a PIN, then repeat it to confirm; emits { kind: 'set', lock }.
+  //   verify  — enter a PIN; runs `verify(pin)` on the 4th digit; emits { kind: 'verified' }
+  //             or shakes + clears on a wrong PIN.
+  //   change  — run `verify` on the current PIN, then offer "set a new PIN" (the set flow)
+  //             or, when allowRemove, "remove PIN" ({ kind: 'removed' }).
+  // Verification is delegated to the caller's `verify` callback: at creation time it checks a
+  // UI-held lock (lib/pin verifyPin); in-game it delegates to the local source (which holds the
+  // stored lock). The pad never shows an OK button: entering the 4th digit is the action. PIN
+  // storage is a social lock, not cryptography — see lib/pin.ts.
+  import Modal from './Modal.svelte';
+  import { t } from '../lib/i18n/index.svelte';
+  import { newLock, type PinLock } from '../lib/pin';
+
+  /** PinResult is the outcome handed to onresult when the pad completes. */
+  export type PinResult =
+    | { kind: 'set'; lock: PinLock }
+    | { kind: 'verified' }
+    | { kind: 'removed' };
+
+  let {
+    mode,
+    title = '',
+    verify,
+    allowRemove = false,
+    onclose,
+    onresult,
+  }: {
+    mode: 'set' | 'verify' | 'change';
+    title?: string;
+    /** Verifies an entered PIN (required for 'verify' and 'change'). */
+    verify?: (pin: string) => Promise<boolean>;
+    allowRemove?: boolean;
+    onclose?: () => void;
+    onresult: (r: PinResult) => void;
+  } = $props();
+
+  const LEN = 4;
+
+  // 'old' verifies the existing PIN (change); 'menu' offers set-new / remove (change);
+  // 'enter' collects a PIN; 'confirm' re-enters it (set / change→new). `mode` is fixed
+  // for the pad's lifetime (callers mount a fresh pad per operation), so capturing its
+  // initial value here is intentional.
+  // svelte-ignore state_referenced_locally
+  let phase = $state<'old' | 'menu' | 'enter' | 'confirm'>(mode === 'change' ? 'old' : 'enter');
+  let buffer = $state('');
+  let first = $state(''); // the first entry, awaiting confirmation
+  let error = $state(false); // drives the error prompt + shake
+  let shakeSeq = $state(0); // bumped on each error to replay the shake animation
+  let busy = $state(false); // guards the async check between the 4th digit and the outcome
+
+  function promptText(): string {
+    if (error) return phase === 'confirm' ? t('pin.mismatch') : t('pin.wrong');
+    switch (phase) {
+      case 'old':
+        return t('pin.enterCurrent');
+      case 'confirm':
+        return t('pin.repeat');
+      default:
+        return mode === 'verify' ? t('pin.enter') : t('pin.create');
+    }
+  }
+
+  function fail(): void {
+    buffer = '';
+    error = true;
+    shakeSeq += 1;
+  }
+
+  async function commit(): Promise<void> {
+    busy = true;
+    try {
+      // Let the 4th dot register before the verdict: a beat so the fill (and, on failure, the shake)
+      // reads as a deliberate response rather than an instant flicker.
+      await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 250));
+      if (phase === 'old') {
+        if (verify && (await verify(buffer))) {
+          buffer = '';
+          error = false;
+          phase = 'menu';
+        } else fail();
+      } else if (phase === 'enter' && mode === 'verify') {
+        if (verify && (await verify(buffer))) onresult({ kind: 'verified' });
+        else fail();
+      } else if (phase === 'enter') {
+        first = buffer;
+        buffer = '';
+        error = false;
+        phase = 'confirm';
+      } else if (phase === 'confirm') {
+        if (buffer === first) onresult({ kind: 'set', lock: await newLock(buffer) });
+        else {
+          first = '';
+          phase = 'enter';
+          fail();
+        }
+      }
+    } finally {
+      busy = false;
+    }
+  }
+
+  function press(d: string): void {
+    if (busy || phase === 'menu' || buffer.length >= LEN) return;
+    error = false;
+    buffer += d;
+    if (buffer.length === LEN) void commit();
+  }
+
+  function back(): void {
+    if (busy || phase === 'menu') return;
+    buffer = buffer.slice(0, -1);
+  }
+
+  function startNew(): void {
+    error = false;
+    first = '';
+    buffer = '';
+    phase = 'enter';
+  }
+
+  function onkey(e: KeyboardEvent): void {
+    if (e.key >= '0' && e.key <= '9') {
+      press(e.key);
+      e.preventDefault();
+    } else if (e.key === 'Backspace') {
+      back();
+      e.preventDefault();
+    } else if (e.key === 'Escape') {
+      onclose?.();
+    }
+  }
+
+  const keys = ['1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8', '9'];
+  const slots = Array.from({ length: LEN }, (_, i) => i);
+</script>
+
+<svelte:window onkeydown={onkey} />
+
+<Modal {title} {onclose} overlayKeyboard>
+  <div class="pad">
+    {#if phase === 'menu'}
+      <div class="menu">
+        <button class="opt" onclick={startNew}>{t('pin.setNew')}</button>
+        {#if allowRemove}
+          <button class="opt danger" onclick={() => onresult({ kind: 'removed' })}>
+            {t('pin.remove')}
+          </button>
+        {/if}
+      </div>
+    {:else}
+      <p class="prompt" class:err={error}>{promptText()}</p>
+      {#key shakeSeq}
+        <div class="dots" class:shake={error} aria-hidden="true">
+          {#each slots as i}
+            <span class="dot" class:on={i < buffer.length}></span>
+          {/each}
+        </div>
+      {/key}
+      <div class="grid">
+        {#each keys as k}
+          <button class="key" onclick={() => press(k)} aria-label={k}>{k}</button>
+        {/each}
+        <span class="key spacer"></span>
+        <button class="key" onclick={() => press('0')} aria-label="0">0</button>
+        <button class="key back" onclick={back} aria-label="⌫" disabled={buffer.length === 0}>⌫</button>
+      </div>
+    {/if}
+  </div>
+</Modal>
+
+<style>
+  .pad {
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    align-items: center;
+    gap: 16px;
+    padding-top: 4px;
+  }
+  .prompt {
+    margin: 0;
+    font-size: 0.95rem;
+    color: var(--muted, var(--text));
+    min-height: 1.2em;
+  }
+  .prompt.err {
+    color: var(--danger);
+  }
+  .dots {
+    display: flex;
+    gap: 16px;
+  }
+  .dot {
+    width: 14px;
+    height: 14px;
+    border-radius: 50%;
+    border: 1.5px solid var(--text);
+    box-sizing: border-box;
+  }
+  .dot.on {
+    background: var(--text);
+  }
+  .shake {
+    animation: shake 0.32s ease;
+  }
+  @keyframes shake {
+    0%, 100% { transform: translateX(0); }
+    20% { transform: translateX(-7px); }
+    40% { transform: translateX(7px); }
+    60% { transform: translateX(-5px); }
+    80% { transform: translateX(5px); }
+  }
+  .grid {
+    display: grid;
+    grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr);
+    gap: 12px;
+  }
+  .key {
+    width: 62px;
+    height: 62px;
+    border-radius: 50%;
+    border: 1px solid var(--border);
+    background: var(--surface);
+    color: var(--text);
+    font-size: 1.4rem;
+    font-weight: 500;
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: center;
+  }
+  .key:active {
+    background: var(--accent);
+    color: var(--accent-text);
+  }
+  .key.back {
+    border-color: transparent;
+    background: transparent;
+    font-size: 1.2rem;
+  }
+  .key.back:disabled {
+    opacity: 0.3;
+  }
+  .key.spacer {
+    border: none;
+    background: none;
+    pointer-events: none;
+  }
+  .menu {
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    gap: 10px;
+    width: 100%;
+  }
+  .opt {
+    padding: 14px;
+    border: 1px solid var(--border);
+    background: var(--surface);
+    color: var(--text);
+    border-radius: var(--radius);
+    font-weight: 600;
+  }
+  .opt.danger {
+    border-color: var(--danger);
+    color: var(--danger);
+  }
+</style>

ui/src/game/CommsHub.svelte

@@ -16,18 +16,21 @@
   // The game is rendered (and cached) before its comms open, so the cache tells us whether
   // it is still active without another fetch; an unknown game keeps the Dictionary offered.
   const active = $derived(getCachedGame(id)?.view.game.status !== 'finished');
-  // An honest-AI game has no chat at all, so its hub is Dictionary-only.
+  // A local game has NO chat: an honest-AI game (vs_ai) and an offline pass-and-play (hotseat) game.
-  const vsAi = $derived(getCachedGame(id)?.view.game.vsAi ?? false);
+  // Its hub is Dictionary-only.
+  const chatless = $derived(
+    (getCachedGame(id)?.view.game.vsAi ?? false) || (getCachedGame(id)?.view.game.hotseat ?? false),
+  );
   // Seeded once from the entry route's tab, then owned locally. The effect keeps the tab valid:
-  // an AI game has only the Dictionary; a finished non-AI game has only Chat (a stale Dictionary
+  // a chatless game has only the Dictionary; a finished non-AI game has only Chat (a stale Dictionary
   // deep-link falls back to Chat).
-  // An honest-AI game has only the Dictionary, so start there regardless of the entry route — this
+  // A chatless game starts on the Dictionary regardless of the entry route — this keeps ChatScreen
-  // keeps ChatScreen (which fetches chat over the network) from mounting even for a beat, which would
+  // (which fetches chat over the network) from mounting even for a beat, which would otherwise raise
-  // otherwise raise an error toast in offline mode.
+  // an error toast in offline mode.
   // svelte-ignore state_referenced_locally
-  let tab = $state<CommsTab>(vsAi ? 'dictionary' : initialTab);
+  let tab = $state<CommsTab>(chatless ? 'dictionary' : initialTab);
   $effect(() => {
-    if (vsAi) tab = 'dictionary';
+    if (chatless) tab = 'dictionary';
     else if (tab === 'dictionary' && !active) tab = 'chat';
   });
 </script>
@@ -46,7 +49,7 @@
 
   {#snippet tabbar()}
     <TabBar>
-      {#if !vsAi}
+      {#if !chatless}
         <button class="tab" class:active={tab === 'chat'} onclick={() => (tab = 'chat')}>
           <span class="face"><span class="sq" aria-hidden="true">💬</span><span class="lbl">{t('game.chat')}</span></span>
         </button>

ui/src/game/Game.svelte

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
   import TabBar from '../components/TabBar.svelte';
   import TapConfirm from '../components/TapConfirm.svelte';
   import Modal from '../components/Modal.svelte';
+  import PinPad from '../components/PinPad.svelte';
   import DictWarmup from '../components/DictWarmup.svelte';
   import Board from './Board.svelte';
   import Rack from './Rack.svelte';
@@ -19,11 +20,12 @@
   import type { EvalResult, MoveRecord, MoveResult, StateView, Tile } from '../lib/model';
   import { lastMoveCells, replay } from '../lib/board';
   import { badgeKind } from '../lib/unread';
+  import { seatMedal } from '../lib/result';
   import { historyGrid } from '../lib/history';
   import { centre, premiumGrid } from '../lib/premiums';
   import { variantNameKey, usesStarBlank, BLANK_STAR } from '../lib/variants';
   import { alphabetLetters, hasAlphabet } from '../lib/alphabet';
-  import { hintsLeft } from '../lib/hints';
+  import { hintsLeft, hintGateRemainingMs, hintLockMinutes, HINT_GATE_MS } from '../lib/hints';
   import { downloadUrl, shareOrDownloadGcg, shareUrlAsFile } from '../lib/share';
   import { insideVK, vkAndroidWebView, vkCopyText, vkDownloadFile, vkPlatform, vkShowImages } from '../lib/vk';
   import { getCachedGame, setCachedGame, setCachedDraft, type CachedGame } from '../lib/gamecache';
@@ -163,10 +165,42 @@
   const playable = $derived(!!view && (view.game.status === 'active' || view.game.status === 'open'));
   const isMyTurn = $derived(!!view && playable && view.game.toMove === view.seat);
   const gameOver = $derived(!!view && view.game.status === 'finished');
+  // Offline hotseat: the seat to move is PIN-locked until its owner enters the seat PIN this turn.
+  // While locked the board stays visible but the rack is withheld and the move controls disabled;
+  // canMove folds the lock into isMyTurn (locked is always false for a network / vs_ai game).
+  const locked = $derived(!!view?.locked);
+  const canMove = $derived(isMyTurn && !locked);
   // The hint badge: this game's allowance remaining plus the LIVE global wallet. Reading the
   // wallet from the profile (not the per-game view snapshot) keeps it correct after a wallet
   // hint was spent in another game (see lib/hints).
   const hintCount = $derived(hintsLeft(view, app.profile?.hintBalance ?? 0));
+  // A vs_ai game's hint is unlimited and wallet-free, but idle-gated (an anti-frustration aid: it
+  // unlocks only after the player has been stuck ~30 min on a turn). The source (the SERVER clock
+  // online, the device clock offline) tells us the SECONDS LEFT (view.hintUnlockLeftSeconds); we
+  // anchor a MONOTONIC countdown (performance.now()) to it, so a client clock change cannot skew it.
+  // A fresh value arrives on load (armHintGate below); when the robot moves the wait is the full
+  // window. `monoNow` ticks so the 🔒 lifts live at the mark.
+  let hintGateStart = $state<number | null>(null); // performance.now() at the last anchor; null = open
+  let gateLeftMs = $state(0);
+  let monoNow = $state(performance.now());
+  const hintRemaining = $derived(hintGateRemainingMs(hintGateStart, gateLeftMs, monoNow));
+  const hintGated = $derived(hintRemaining > 0);
+  // Anchor the countdown to a freshly received seconds-left (or open the gate). Called on every state
+  // load from the view, and on the robot's move to the full window (the robot just moved).
+  function armHintGate(leftSeconds: number): void {
+    if (leftSeconds > 0) {
+      hintGateStart = performance.now();
+      gateLeftMs = leftSeconds * 1000;
+    } else {
+      hintGateStart = null;
+      gateLeftMs = 0;
+    }
+  }
+  $effect(() => {
+    if (!view?.game.vsAi) return;
+    const iv = setInterval(() => (monoNow = performance.now()), 10_000);
+    return () => clearInterval(iv);
+  });
   // RACK_SIZE mirrors the engine's rules.RackSize (7 for every current variant). The exchange
   // gate is only a UX guard: the backend stays the source of truth and rejects an under-supplied
   // exchange regardless (engine rejects when bag.Len() < rules.RackSize).
@@ -209,6 +243,8 @@
         source.draftGet(id).catch(() => ''),
       ]);
       view = st;
+      // Anchor the vs_ai idle-hint countdown to the freshly fetched seconds-left (0 = open / non-vs_ai).
+      armHintGate(st.game.vsAi ? (st.hintUnlockLeftSeconds ?? 0) : 0);
       syncWallet(st.walletBalance);
       // Seed the unread flag from the authoritative state (the live stream only raises it).
       seedChatUnread(id, st.game.unreadChat, st.game.unreadMessages);
@@ -261,6 +297,9 @@
     if (cached) {
       view = cached.view;
       moves = cached.moves;
+      // Arm the vs_ai idle-hint countdown from the cached seconds-left so the 🔒 shows at once on a
+      // warm open (no wait for load()); the cached value is a snapshot, refreshed by load() below.
+      armHintGate(cached.view.game.vsAi ? (cached.view.hintUnlockLeftSeconds ?? 0) : 0);
       // Apply the cached draft synchronously so a warm/preloaded open paints the pending tiles
       // already on the board (no full-rack-then-jump). load() then refreshes in the background.
       applyDraft(cached.view, cached.draft ?? '');
@@ -329,7 +368,11 @@
         // While composing, reload so a draft overlapping the new move is reconciled; otherwise apply
         // the move as a delta with no fetch.
         if (placement.pending.length > 0) void load();
-        else applyDelta(applyMoveDelta(cacheSnapshot(), { move: e.move, game: e.game, bagLen: e.bagLen }));
+        else {
+          applyDelta(applyMoveDelta(cacheSnapshot(), { move: e.move, game: e.game, bagLen: e.bagLen }));
+          // The robot just moved (vs_ai) → the human's turn begins with the full idle window.
+          if (view?.game.vsAi) armHintGate(HINT_GATE_MS / 1000);
+        }
       } else if (e.kind === 'your_turn' && e.gameId === id) {
         // The opponent_moved delta carries the new state; your_turn only confirms the turn. Refetch
         // only if we missed the move (our cached count trails the event's).
@@ -634,6 +677,10 @@
       void source.draftSave(id, serializeDraft(rackIds, placement.pending)).catch(() => {});
     }
     localUnsub?.();
+    // Leaving a hotseat game re-locks the current seat, so returning from the lobby re-prompts its
+    // PIN. Read the id from the loaded view, NOT the `id` prop: a $props() value reads back undefined
+    // during Svelte teardown, and isLocalGameId(undefined) would throw and abort this cleanup.
+    if (view?.game.hotseat) localSource.relock(view.game.id);
   });
 
   function onCell(row: number, col: number) {
@@ -738,8 +785,8 @@
     // rapid placements do not pile up requests on a slow link.
     evalCtrl?.abort();
     evalCtrl = null;
-    // Off-turn the composition is position-only: no score preview or evaluate.
+    // Off-turn (or a locked hotseat seat) the composition is position-only: no score preview.
-    if (!isMyTurn) return;
+    if (!canMove) return;
     const sub = toSubmit(placement);
     if (!sub) return;
     // Instant on-device preview when the game's dictionary is warm; the network otherwise.
@@ -797,12 +844,106 @@
     refreshRecent();
   }
 
+  // --- offline hotseat: seat unlock + host (referee) overrides -------------------
+  let unlockOpen = $state(false); // the current locked seat's owner enters their PIN to reveal the rack
+  // The host menu: 'pin' collects the master PIN, then 'menu' lists the overrides. hostPinEntered is
+  // the verified master PIN, reused to authorise the chosen action (the source re-checks it).
+  let hostMenuStep = $state<'closed' | 'pin' | 'menu'>('closed');
+  let hostPinEntered = $state('');
+  // The pending host action awaiting its confirm ("Skip X's turn?" etc.); null shows the menu list.
+  let hostConfirm = $state<{ action: 'skip' | 'resign' | 'terminate'; seat?: number; name?: string } | null>(null);
+  let hostDone = $state(false); // the transient success ✅ shown after an override
+
+  // hotseatName is the plain display name of a seat by index (hotseat seats are account-less local
+  // players, so no "you"/🤖 resolution is needed — unlike the seat-object seatName used elsewhere).
+  function hotseatName(i: number): string {
+    return view?.game.seats[i]?.displayName ?? '';
+  }
+
+  function startSkip(): void {
+    if (!view) return;
+    hostConfirm = { action: 'skip', seat: view.game.toMove, name: hotseatName(view.game.toMove) };
+  }
+
+  function flashDone(): void {
+    hostDone = true;
+    setTimeout(() => (hostDone = false), 1100);
+  }
+
+  // advanceHotseat re-points the screen at the next seat after a hotseat move: the source has advanced
+  // the turn and re-locked, so a fresh state gives the next seat's rack (empty while it is locked).
+  async function advanceHotseat(): Promise<void> {
+    const st = await source.gameState(id, false);
+    view = st;
+    rackIds = st.rack.map((_, i) => i);
+    placement = newPlacement(st.rack);
+    selected = null;
+    preview = null;
+    setCachedGame(id, st, moves, '');
+  }
+
+  // onUnlock verifies the current seat's PIN through the source (which reveals the rack on success)
+  // and applies the unlocked state; handed to the PIN pad as its verifier.
+  async function onUnlock(pin: string): Promise<boolean> {
+    try {
+      const st = await localSource.unlockSeat(id, pin);
+      view = st;
+      rackIds = st.rack.map((_, i) => i);
+      placement = newPlacement(st.rack);
+      selected = null;
+      return true;
+    } catch {
+      return false;
+    }
+  }
+
+  // verifyHost captures the entered master PIN (reused to authorise the chosen action) and checks it.
+  async function verifyHost(pin: string): Promise<boolean> {
+    hostPinEntered = pin;
+    return localSource.verifyHostPin(id, pin);
+  }
+
+  function hostConfirmText(c: { action: 'skip' | 'resign' | 'terminate'; name?: string }): string {
+    if (c.action === 'skip') return t('hotseat.askSkip', { name: c.name ?? '' });
+    if (c.action === 'resign') return t('hotseat.askExclude', { name: c.name ?? '' });
+    return t('hotseat.askTerminate');
+  }
+
+  async function runHostAction(): Promise<void> {
+    if (!hostConfirm) return;
+    const { action, seat } = hostConfirm;
+    hostConfirm = null;
+    hostMenuStep = 'closed';
+    busy = true;
+    try {
+      const st = await localSource.hostAction(id, hostPinEntered, action, seat);
+      if (st === null) {
+        navigate('/'); // terminated: the game is deleted, so return to the lobby
+        return;
+      }
+      view = st;
+      rackIds = st.rack.map((_, i) => i);
+      placement = newPlacement(st.rack);
+      selected = null;
+      preview = null;
+      moves = (await source.gameHistory(id)).moves; // a skip / resign added a journal move
+      setCachedGame(id, st, moves, '');
+      flashDone();
+    } catch (e) {
+      handleError(e);
+    } finally {
+      busy = false;
+      hostPinEntered = '';
+    }
+  }
+
   async function commit() {
     const sub = toSubmit(placement);
     if (!sub) return;
     busy = true;
     try {
       applyMoveResult(await source.submitPlay(id, sub.tiles, variant));
+      if (view?.game.hotseat) await advanceHotseat();
       haptic('success');
       zoomed = false;
     } catch (e) {
@@ -822,6 +963,7 @@
     busy = true;
     try {
       applyMoveResult(await source.pass(id));
+      if (view?.game.hotseat) await advanceHotseat();
     } catch (e) {
       handleError(e);
     } finally {
@@ -854,6 +996,15 @@
     }
   }
   async function doHint() {
+    // vs_ai: the idle gate replaces the wallet. While it is still closed, a tap only explains when the
+    // hint unlocks (no wallet is ever spent) — matching the 🔒 badge. Measured fresh at tap time.
+    if (view?.game.vsAi) {
+      const remaining = hintGateRemainingMs(hintGateStart, gateLeftMs, performance.now());
+      if (remaining > 0) {
+        showToast(t('game.hintLockedIn', { n: hintLockMinutes(remaining) }), 'info');
+        return;
+      }
+    }
     try {
       const h = await source.hint(id);
       if (h.move.tiles.length && view) {
@@ -890,6 +1041,12 @@
       // The backend does not spend a hint when there is no move.
       if (e instanceof GatewayError && e.code === 'no_hint_available') {
         showToast(t('game.noHintOptions'), 'info');
+      } else if (e instanceof GatewayError && e.code === 'hint_locked') {
+        // The server-clock backstop refused a vs_ai hint the client thought was open (a rare client
+        // clock desync): re-sync the countdown from a fresh fetch and explain the gate.
+        await load();
+        const left = hintGateRemainingMs(hintGateStart, gateLeftMs, performance.now());
+        showToast(t('game.hintLockedIn', { n: hintLockMinutes(left || 60_000) }), 'info');
       } else {
         handleError(e);
       }
@@ -928,6 +1085,7 @@
     busy = true;
     try {
       applyMoveResult(await source.exchange(id, tiles, variant));
+      if (view?.game.hotseat) await advanceHotseat();
     } catch (e) {
       handleError(e);
     } finally {
@@ -949,7 +1107,15 @@
     if (!view) return '';
     const me = view.game.seats[view.seat];
     if (me?.isWinner) return t('game.won');
-    return view.game.seats.some((s) => s.isWinner) ? t('game.lost') : t('game.tied');
+    if (view.game.endReason === 'aborted') return t('game.tied'); // an abort is a draw for everyone
+    const myScore = me?.score ?? 0;
+    // A declared winner (incl. by resignation) that is not me, or anyone who scored higher → a loss.
+    if (view.game.seats.some((s) => s.isWinner) || view.game.seats.some((s) => !s.resigned && s.score > myScore)) {
+      return t('game.lost');
+    }
+    // No one above me and no declared winner: a tie for the lead is a (shared) win; only an
+    // all-level finish is a draw.
+    return view.game.seats.filter((s) => !s.resigned).every((s) => s.score === myScore) ? t('game.tied') : t('game.won');
   }
 
   // The finished-game export offers two formats — the GCG file and the server-rendered PNG
@@ -1265,8 +1431,9 @@
   // (not the still-empty seat of an open game) who is not yet a friend (an already-requested
   // opponent still shows it, but disabled).
   function canAddFriend(s: { accountId: string; seat: number }): boolean {
-    // Never offer add-friend against an AI opponent, an existing friend, or a blocked player.
+    // Never offer add-friend against an AI opponent, an existing friend, or a blocked player — nor in
-    if (view?.game.vsAi) return false;
+    // a local (offline) game, whose seats are account-less: vs_ai, and hotseat's synthetic seat ids.
+    if (view?.game.vsAi || isLocalGameId(id)) return false;
     return (
       !!s.accountId &&
       !app.profile?.isGuest &&
@@ -1280,7 +1447,7 @@
   // may still be blocked (the block overrides the friendship), so it omits the friend exclusion.
   // An already-blocked opponent hides it (both controls go, and the name is struck).
   function canBlock(s: { accountId: string; seat: number }): boolean {
-    if (view?.game.vsAi) return false;
+    if (view?.game.vsAi || isLocalGameId(id)) return false;
     return !!s.accountId && !app.profile?.isGuest && s.accountId !== app.session?.userId && !seatBlocked(s);
   }
 </script>
@@ -1338,7 +1505,7 @@
       {#if badge}<span class="unread-dot sbadge-dot" class:nudge={badge === 'nudge'}></span>{/if}
       {#each view.game.seats as s (s.seat)}
         <div class="seat" class:turn={view.game.toMove === s.seat && !gameOver} class:win={s.isWinner}>
-          <div class="nm" class:struck={seatBlocked(s)}>{seatName(s)}</div>
+          <div class="nm" class:struck={seatBlocked(s)}>{#if gameOver && view.game.hotseat}<span class="medal" aria-hidden="true">{seatMedal(view.game, s.seat)}</span>{/if}{seatName(s)}</div>
           <div class="sc" class:blockprompt={blockConfirm[s.seat]}>
             {#if blockConfirm[s.seat]}{t('game.blockShort')}{:else if addConfirm[s.seat]}{t('game.addFriendShort')}{:else}{s.score}{/if}
           </div>
@@ -1382,13 +1549,18 @@
         {:else}
           <button class="hicon" onclick={onExportClick} aria-label={t('game.exportGcg')}>📤</button>
         {/if}
+      {:else if view.game.hotseat}
+        <!-- Hotseat resign is a host (referee) action, not self-serve; keep the slot empty. -->
+        <span aria-hidden="true"></span>
       {:else}
         <button class="hicon" onclick={onResignClick} disabled={waitingForOpponent} aria-label={t('game.dropGame')}>🏁</button>
       {/if}
       {#if !view.game.multipleWordsPerTurn}<span class="oneword-label">{t('game.oneWordRule')}</span>{/if}
-      <!-- A finished AI game has no comms at all (no chat, and the dictionary closes with the
+      <!-- The comms entry opens Chat + the word Dictionary. A local game (vs_ai or hotseat) has no
-           game), so the entry is dropped; an active AI game keeps it (it opens the dictionary). -->
+           chat, so its hub is Dictionary-only (CommsHub), and once finished the dictionary closes too
-      {#if !(gameOver && view.game.vsAi)}
+           — so drop the entry only when a local game is finished; an active local game keeps it for
+           the Dictionary. An online game always keeps it (chat outlives the game). -->
+      {#if !(gameOver && (view.game.vsAi || view.game.hotseat))}
         <button class="hicon" onclick={() => navigate(`/game/${id}/chat`)} aria-label={t('game.chat')}>
           {#key chatBlink}<span class="chat-ico" class:blink={chatBlink > 0 && !app.reduceMotion}>💬</span>{/key}
         </button>
@@ -1459,9 +1631,12 @@
     <div class="status">
       <span>{view.bagLen === 0 ? t('game.bagEmpty') : t('game.bag', { n: view.bagLen })}</span>
       {#if gameOver}
-        <strong class="over">{resultText()}</strong>
+        <!-- A hotseat game shows its result as per-seat medals on the plaques (below), not a
+             viewer-centric "you won/lost" — with 2-4 local players there is no single "you". A vs_ai
+             game keeps the "you won/lost" text (one human). -->
+        {#if !view.game.hotseat}<strong class="over">{resultText()}</strong>{/if}
       {:else if placement.pending.length === 0}
-        <span class="turn-ind">{isMyTurn ? t('game.yourTurn') : turnLabel()}</span>
+        <span class="turn-ind">{view.game.hotseat ? t('hotseat.turnOf', { name: hotseatName(view.game.toMove) }) : isMyTurn ? t('game.yourTurn') : turnLabel()}</span>
       {/if}
       <span class="scores">
         {#if recallOverRack}{:else if preview}{preview.legal ? t('game.previewWords', { words: preview.words.join(', '), n: preview.score }) : t('game.previewIllegal')}{/if}
@@ -1475,36 +1650,58 @@
        a finished game shows the final rack greyed out and the controls disabled. -->
   <div class="rack-row" class:inert={gameOver} data-coach="game-rack">
     <div class="rack-wrap">
-      <Rack
+      {#if locked}
-        slots={rackSlots}
+        <!-- A PIN-locked hotseat seat: the rack is withheld until its owner unlocks it. The board
-        {variant}
+             above stays visible; only this tray is gated. -->
-        {selected}
+        <button class="unlock" onclick={() => (unlockOpen = true)}>🔒 {t('hotseat.unlock')}</button>
-        {landscape}
+      {:else}
-        shuffling={shuffling && !app.reduceMotion}
+        <Rack
-        draggingId={reorderDragId}
+          slots={rackSlots}
-        dropIndex={reorderTo}
+          {variant}
-        ondown={onRackDown}
+          {selected}
-      />
+          {landscape}
+          shuffling={shuffling && !app.reduceMotion}
+          draggingId={reorderDragId}
+          dropIndex={reorderTo}
+          ondown={onRackDown}
+        />
+      {/if}
     </div>
     {#if !gameOver && placement.pending.length > 0 && !recallOverRack}
-      <button class="make" onclick={commit} disabled={busy || !isMyTurn || !netReady || !preview?.legal} aria-label={t('game.makeMove')}>✅</button>
+      <button class="make" onclick={commit} disabled={busy || !canMove || !netReady || !preview?.legal} aria-label={t('game.makeMove')}>✅</button>
     {/if}
   </div>
 {/snippet}
 
 {#snippet controlButtons()}
-  <button class="tab" disabled={busy || !isMyTurn || !netReady} onclick={openExchange}>
+  <button class="tab" disabled={busy || !canMove || !netReady} onclick={openExchange}>
     <span class="sq" data-coach="game-turn">🔄</span><span class="lbl">{t('game.draw')}</span>
   </button>
-  <TapConfirm
+  {#if view?.game.hotseat}
-    triggerClass="tab"
+    <!-- Hotseat: no hints. The freed slot becomes the host (referee) button — always available
-    label={t('game.hint')}
+         (even on a locked seat: the host may skip a player who forgot their PIN). -->
-    disabled={busy || !isMyTurn || !netReady || hintCount <= 0}
+    <button class="tab" disabled={busy || gameOver} onclick={() => (hostMenuStep = 'pin')}>
-    onconfirm={doHint}
+      <span class="sq">🔐</span><span class="lbl">{t('hotseat.host')}</span>
-  >
+    </button>
-    <span class="sq" data-coach="game-hints">🛟{#if hintCount > 0}<span class="badge">{hintCount}</span>{/if}</span>
+  {:else if view?.game.vsAi}
-    <span class="lbl">{t('game.hint')}</span>
+    <!-- vs_ai hints are unlimited and wallet-free, so no confirm and no count. A 🔒 badge marks the
-  </TapConfirm>
+         idle gate while it is closed; tapping then only explains when it opens (doHint), and the lock
+         lifts live at the unlock moment. -->
+    <button class="tab" disabled={busy || !isMyTurn || !netReady} onclick={doHint}>
+      <span class="sq" data-coach="game-hints">🛟{#if hintGated}<span class="lock" aria-hidden="true">🔒</span>{/if}</span>
+      <span class="lbl">{t('game.hint')}</span>
+    </button>
+  {:else}
+    <TapConfirm
+      triggerClass="tab"
+      label={t('game.hint')}
+      disabled={busy || !isMyTurn || !netReady || hintCount <= 0}
+      onconfirm={doHint}
+    >
+      <span class="sq" data-coach="game-hints">🛟{#if hintCount > 0}<span class="badge">{hintCount}</span>{/if}</span>
+      <span class="lbl">{t('game.hint')}</span>
+    </TapConfirm>
+  {/if}
   {#if placement.pending.length > 0}
     <button class="tab" disabled={busy} onclick={resetPlacement}>
       <span class="sq">↩️</span><span class="lbl">{t('game.reset')}</span>
@@ -1562,6 +1759,55 @@
   </Modal>
 {/if}
 
+<!-- Offline hotseat: unlock the current seat's rack. -->
+{#if unlockOpen && view}
+  <PinPad
+    mode="verify"
+    title={t('hotseat.unlockTitle', { name: hotseatName(view.game.toMove) })}
+    verify={onUnlock}
+    onclose={() => (unlockOpen = false)}
+    onresult={() => (unlockOpen = false)}
+  />
+{/if}
+
+<!-- Offline hotseat: the host (referee) enters the master PIN, then picks an override. -->
+{#if hostMenuStep === 'pin'}
+  <PinPad
+    mode="verify"
+    title={t('hotseat.host')}
+    verify={verifyHost}
+    onclose={() => (hostMenuStep = 'closed')}
+    onresult={() => (hostMenuStep = 'menu')}
+  />
+{/if}
+{#if hostMenuStep === 'menu' && view}
+  <Modal title={t('hotseat.host')} onclose={() => { hostMenuStep = 'closed'; hostConfirm = null; }}>
+    {#if hostConfirm}
+      <p class="host-q">{hostConfirmText(hostConfirm)}</p>
+      <div class="confirm-row">
+        <button class="cancel" onclick={() => (hostConfirm = null)}>{t('common.cancel')}</button>
+        <button class="danger" onclick={runHostAction}>{t('common.ok')}</button>
+      </div>
+    {:else}
+      <div class="host-menu">
+        <button class="host-act" onclick={startSkip}>
+          {t('hotseat.skip')}
+        </button>
+        <div class="host-sub">{t('hotseat.exclude')}</div>
+        {#each view.game.seats as s (s.seat)}
+          <button class="host-seat" onclick={() => (hostConfirm = { action: 'resign', seat: s.seat, name: s.displayName })}>
+            {s.displayName}
+          </button>
+        {/each}
+        <button class="host-act danger" onclick={() => (hostConfirm = { action: 'terminate' })}>{t('hotseat.terminate')}</button>
+      </div>
+    {/if}
+  </Modal>
+{/if}
+{#if hostDone}
+  <div class="host-done" aria-hidden="true">✅</div>
+{/if}
+
 {#if exportOpen}
   <Modal title={t('game.exportGcg')} onclose={() => (exportOpen = false)}>
     <div class="export-opts">
@@ -1631,6 +1877,10 @@
     overflow: hidden;
     text-overflow: ellipsis;
   }
+  /* The finished-game place medal on a local (offline) seat plaque, left of the name. */
+  .medal {
+    margin-right: 3px;
+  }
   .sc {
     font-weight: 700;
     font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;
@@ -2052,4 +2302,76 @@
   .scoreboard.flat {
     cursor: default;
   }
+  /* The vs_ai hint's idle lock: a small 🔒 at the icon-square corner (the .sq is positioned by the
+     shared TabBar rule). No count pill — the hint is unlimited; the lock alone marks the gate. */
+  .sq .lock {
+    position: absolute;
+    top: -4px;
+    right: -4px;
+    font-size: 0.62rem;
+    line-height: 1;
+  }
+  /* --- offline hotseat --- */
+  /* The locked-seat rack overlay: fills the rack tray with an "unlock" button, the board above
+     stays visible. */
+  .unlock {
+    width: 100%;
+    height: 100%;
+    min-height: 44px;
+    border: 1px dashed var(--border);
+    border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+    background: var(--surface);
+    color: var(--text);
+    font-weight: 600;
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: center;
+    gap: 8px;
+  }
+  .host-menu {
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    gap: 8px;
+  }
+  .host-act,
+  .host-seat {
+    padding: 12px;
+    border: 1px solid var(--border);
+    border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+    background: var(--surface);
+    color: var(--text);
+    font-weight: 600;
+    text-align: left;
+  }
+  .host-act.danger {
+    border-color: var(--danger);
+    color: var(--danger);
+  }
+  .host-sub {
+    font-size: 0.8rem;
+    color: var(--text-muted);
+    margin-top: 4px;
+  }
+  .host-q {
+    margin: 0 0 12px;
+    font-weight: 600;
+  }
+  /* The transient success tick after a host override — a centred ✅ that fades out on a timer. */
+  .host-done {
+    position: fixed;
+    inset: 0;
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: center;
+    font-size: 4rem;
+    z-index: 50;
+    pointer-events: none;
+    animation: host-done-fade 1.1s ease forwards;
+  }
+  @keyframes host-done-fade {
+    0% { opacity: 0; transform: scale(0.7); }
+    25% { opacity: 1; transform: scale(1); }
+    75% { opacity: 1; transform: scale(1); }
+    100% { opacity: 0; transform: scale(1); }
+  }
 </style>

ui/src/gen/fbs/scrabblefb/state-view.ts

@@ -74,8 +74,13 @@ walletBalance():number {
   return offset ? this.bb!.readInt32(this.bb_pos + offset) : 0;
 }
 
+hintUnlockLeftSeconds():number {
+  const offset = this.bb!.__offset(this.bb_pos, 18);
+  return offset ? this.bb!.readInt32(this.bb_pos + offset) : 0;
+}
+
 static startStateView(builder:flatbuffers.Builder) {
-  builder.startObject(7);
+  builder.startObject(8);
 }
 
 static addGame(builder:flatbuffers.Builder, gameOffset:flatbuffers.Offset) {
@@ -130,12 +135,16 @@ static addWalletBalance(builder:flatbuffers.Builder, walletBalance:number) {
   builder.addFieldInt32(6, walletBalance, 0);
 }
 
+static addHintUnlockLeftSeconds(builder:flatbuffers.Builder, hintUnlockLeftSeconds:number) {
+  builder.addFieldInt32(7, hintUnlockLeftSeconds, 0);
+}
+
 static endStateView(builder:flatbuffers.Builder):flatbuffers.Offset {
   const offset = builder.endObject();
   return offset;
 }
 
-static createStateView(builder:flatbuffers.Builder, gameOffset:flatbuffers.Offset, seat:number, rackOffset:flatbuffers.Offset, bagLen:number, hintsRemaining:number, alphabetOffset:flatbuffers.Offset, walletBalance:number):flatbuffers.Offset {
+static createStateView(builder:flatbuffers.Builder, gameOffset:flatbuffers.Offset, seat:number, rackOffset:flatbuffers.Offset, bagLen:number, hintsRemaining:number, alphabetOffset:flatbuffers.Offset, walletBalance:number, hintUnlockLeftSeconds:number):flatbuffers.Offset {
   StateView.startStateView(builder);
   StateView.addGame(builder, gameOffset);
   StateView.addSeat(builder, seat);
@@ -144,6 +153,7 @@ static createStateView(builder:flatbuffers.Builder, gameOffset:flatbuffers.Offse
   StateView.addHintsRemaining(builder, hintsRemaining);
   StateView.addAlphabet(builder, alphabetOffset);
   StateView.addWalletBalance(builder, walletBalance);
+  StateView.addHintUnlockLeftSeconds(builder, hintUnlockLeftSeconds);
   return StateView.endStateView(builder);
 }
 }

ui/src/lib/app.svelte.ts

@@ -725,17 +725,37 @@ function syncTelegramSafeArea(): void {
   root.classList.toggle('tg-fullscreen', top > 0);
 }
 
+// The soft-keyboard height threshold (px) that distinguishes an open keyboard from browser chrome
+// (an address bar shrinks the visual viewport by far less), used to gate the focus-into-view scroll.
+const KEYBOARD_MIN_PX = 120;
+
 /**
- * syncViewportHeight mirrors the visual-viewport height into the --vvh CSS var so a screen can
+ * syncViewport mirrors the visual viewport into CSS vars so the pinned app-shell (app.css
- * fit the visible area above an open soft keyboard (iOS does not shrink dvh for the keyboard).
+ * `html.app-shell body`) both FITS (`--vvh`) and FOLLOWS (`--vv-top`) the visible area above the soft
- * On a screen whose input sits at the bottom (chat, word-check) this keeps the input visible
+ * keyboard. iOS Safari / WKWebView does not shrink the layout viewport for the keyboard (Android
- * without the page scrolling, so the layout no longer jumps when the keyboard appears.
+ * Chrome does); instead the visual viewport shrinks AND offsets down to reveal the focused field, and
+ * those values do not always cleanly revert. Tracking only the height left the top-anchored shell
+ * misaligned on iOS — empty space below the content, worst on a repeat focus; tracking offsetTop too
+ * keeps the shell on the visible area on every platform. On the keyboard-OPEN transition it also
+ * scrolls the focused field into view, since iOS does not reliably scroll a pinned document to it.
  */
-function syncViewportHeight(): void {
+let keyboardOpen = false;
+function syncViewport(): void {
   if (typeof document === 'undefined') return;
-  const vv = typeof window !== 'undefined' ? window.visualViewport : null;
+  const win = typeof window !== 'undefined' ? window : null;
-  const h = vv ? vv.height : typeof window !== 'undefined' ? window.innerHeight : 0;
+  const vv = win ? win.visualViewport : null;
+  const h = vv ? vv.height : win ? win.innerHeight : 0;
+  const top = vv ? vv.offsetTop : 0;
   if (h > 0) document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--vvh', `${h}px`);
+  document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--vv-top', `${top}px`);
+  const open = !!vv && !!win && win.innerHeight - h > KEYBOARD_MIN_PX;
+  if (open && !keyboardOpen) {
+    const el = document.activeElement;
+    if (el instanceof HTMLElement && (el.tagName === 'INPUT' || el.tagName === 'TEXTAREA')) {
+      requestAnimationFrame(() => el.scrollIntoView({ block: 'center' }));
+    }
+  }
+  keyboardOpen = open;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -795,11 +815,23 @@ export async function bootstrap(): Promise<void> {
     setLocale(guess);
   }
 
-  // Track the visual-viewport height so screens fit above an open soft keyboard (--vvh).
+  // Track the visual viewport (height + offset) so screens fit and follow the visible area above an
-  syncViewportHeight();
+  // open soft keyboard (--vvh / --vv-top). Both resize AND scroll fire on iOS when the keyboard moves
+  // the visual viewport.
+  syncViewport();
   if (typeof window !== 'undefined' && window.visualViewport) {
-    window.visualViewport.addEventListener('resize', syncViewportHeight);
+    window.visualViewport.addEventListener('resize', syncViewport);
-    window.visualViewport.addEventListener('scroll', syncViewportHeight);
+    window.visualViewport.addEventListener('scroll', syncViewport);
+  }
+
+  // Enter on a single-line <input> dismisses the soft keyboard (blur): the keyboard's default
+  // return/"Go" key otherwise does nothing on a bare input, which reads as stuck. A <textarea> (the
+  // feedback form) is excluded so Enter still inserts a newline; a form's own Enter→submit still
+  // fires first (this listener is on the document, so it runs after the field's own handler).
+  if (typeof document !== 'undefined') {
+    document.addEventListener('keydown', (e) => {
+      if (e.key === 'Enter' && e.target instanceof HTMLInputElement) e.target.blur();
+    });
   }
 
   // Load the Telegram Mini App SDK dynamically, with a timeout, on a Telegram entry — it is no
@@ -1310,4 +1342,11 @@ if (import.meta.env.MODE === 'mock' && typeof window !== 'undefined') {
     closeStream();
     app.blocked = { blocked: true, permanent: true, until: '', reason: '', ...b };
   };
+  // Expose the router so the e2e can assert navigate() updates the route synchronously (no
+  // hashchange lag): a route that trailed the hash for a frame let bootstrap's `app.ready` flip
+  // render the previous route under the new screen (the empty-hash lobby flashing under login).
+  (window as unknown as { __router?: { navigate(p: string): void; route(): string } }).__router = {
+    navigate,
+    route: () => router.route.name,
+  };
 }

ui/src/lib/codec.ts

@@ -461,6 +461,7 @@ function decodeStateViewTable(v: fb.StateView): StateView {
     bagLen: v.bagLen(),
     hintsRemaining: v.hintsRemaining(),
     walletBalance: v.walletBalance(),
+    hintUnlockLeftSeconds: v.hintUnlockLeftSeconds(),
   };
 }
 

ui/src/lib/gamesource.ts

@@ -41,6 +41,14 @@ export const localSource = {
   create: (opts) => load().then((s) => s.create(opts)),
   list: () => load().then((s) => s.list()),
   delete: (id) => load().then((s) => s.delete(id)),
+  // Offline hotseat controls (no network equivalent): reveal a PIN-locked seat, and the host
+  // (referee) overrides gated by the master PIN.
+  unlockSeat: (id, pin) => load().then((s) => s.unlockSeat(id, pin)),
+  verifyHostPin: (id, pin) => load().then((s) => s.verifyHostPin(id, pin)),
+  hostAction: (id, pin, action, targetSeat) => load().then((s) => s.hostAction(id, pin, action, targetSeat)),
+  // relock is fire-and-forget: the engine is already loaded (the game was open), and re-locking a
+  // cached game before the screen is left needs no result.
+  relock: (id) => void load().then((s) => s.relock(id)),
   // events must return the unsubscribe synchronously (the screen subscribes in onMount), so it wires
   // the real subscription once the engine loads and, until then, cancels a pending subscribe.
   events: (id, onEvent) => {
@@ -54,7 +62,8 @@ export const localSource = {
       unsub();
     };
   },
-} satisfies GameLoopSource & Pick<LocalSource, 'events' | 'create' | 'list' | 'delete'>;
+} satisfies GameLoopSource &
+  Pick<LocalSource, 'events' | 'create' | 'list' | 'delete' | 'unlockSeat' | 'verifyHostPin' | 'hostAction' | 'relock'>;
 
 /**
  * gameSource returns the source that runs the game with the given id: the local engine for a local

ui/src/lib/hints.test.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
-import { hintsLeft } from './hints';
+import { hintsLeft, hintGateRemainingMs, hintLockMinutes } from './hints';
 
 // view carries only the two fields hintsLeft reads.
 const view = (hintsRemaining: number, walletBalance: number) => ({ hintsRemaining, walletBalance });
@@ -30,3 +30,32 @@ describe('hintsLeft', () => {
     expect(hintsLeft(view(1, 0), -5)).toBe(1);
   });
 });
+
+describe('hintGateRemainingMs (the vs_ai idle-hint gate, monotonic)', () => {
+  it('is 0 when the gate is open — a null anchor (the human first move, or a non-gated game)', () => {
+    expect(hintGateRemainingMs(null, 60_000, 5000)).toBe(0);
+  });
+
+  it('is the window remaining minus the monotonic time elapsed since the anchor', () => {
+    // anchored at mono 1000 with 60s left; 20s of monotonic time later -> 40s left.
+    expect(hintGateRemainingMs(1000, 60_000, 1000 + 20_000)).toBe(40_000);
+  });
+
+  it('is 0 once the elapsed monotonic time reaches (or passes) the window', () => {
+    expect(hintGateRemainingMs(1000, 60_000, 1000 + 60_000)).toBe(0);
+    expect(hintGateRemainingMs(1000, 60_000, 1000 + 90_000)).toBe(0);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('hintLockMinutes (the toast N, rounded up)', () => {
+  it('rounds up to whole minutes, so a still-closed gate never reads 0', () => {
+    expect(hintLockMinutes(1)).toBe(1);
+    expect(hintLockMinutes(60_000)).toBe(1);
+    expect(hintLockMinutes(61_000)).toBe(2);
+    expect(hintLockMinutes(29 * 60_000)).toBe(29);
+  });
+
+  it('is 0 when nothing remains', () => {
+    expect(hintLockMinutes(0)).toBe(0);
+  });
+});

ui/src/lib/hints.ts

@@ -24,3 +24,27 @@ export function hintsLeft(
   const allowance = Math.max(0, view.hintsRemaining - view.walletBalance);
   return allowance + Math.max(0, walletBalance);
 }
+
+/** HINT_GATE_MS is the idle time a vs_ai player must be stuck on a turn before a hint unlocks. */
+export const HINT_GATE_MS = 30 * 60 * 1000;
+
+/**
+ * hintGateRemainingMs returns how long (in milliseconds) until a vs_ai game's idle hint unlocks — 0
+ * once it is available. It counts down from a MONOTONIC clock (performance.now()), so a client clock
+ * change cannot skew it: gateStartMono is performance.now() captured when the source's "seconds left"
+ * was received, gateLeftMs is that seconds-left in ms, and monoNow is performance.now() now; the
+ * remaining is gateLeftMs minus the monotonic time elapsed since the anchor. gateStartMono null means
+ * the gate is open (the human's first move, or a non-gated game). The duration comes from the source
+ * (the SERVER clock online, the device clock offline) and is re-fetched on every load, so the wait
+ * both persists across a relaunch and stays immune to a live clock change.
+ */
+export function hintGateRemainingMs(gateStartMono: number | null, gateLeftMs: number, monoNow: number): number {
+  if (gateStartMono === null) return 0;
+  return Math.max(0, gateLeftMs - (monoNow - gateStartMono));
+}
+
+/** hintLockMinutes rounds a remaining-milliseconds gap up to whole minutes for the "available in N
+ *  min." toast, so a gate that is still closed never reads 0. */
+export function hintLockMinutes(remainingMs: number): number {
+  return Math.ceil(remainingMs / 60000);
+}

ui/src/lib/i18n/en.ts

@@ -99,6 +99,7 @@ export const en = {
   'game.draw': 'Exchange/Pass',
   'game.shuffle': 'Shuffle',
   'game.hint': 'Hint',
+  'game.hintLockedIn': 'Available in {n} min.',
   'game.chat': 'Chat',
   'game.checkWord': 'Check word',
   'game.dictionary': 'Dictionary',
@@ -388,6 +389,35 @@ export const en = {
   'error.game_active': 'Available only after the game is finished.',
   'error.invalid_profile': 'Some profile fields are invalid.',
   'error.already_confirmed': 'This email is already confirmed.',
+
+  'pin.enter': 'Enter PIN',
+  'pin.create': 'Create a PIN',
+  'pin.repeat': 'Repeat the PIN',
+  'pin.enterCurrent': 'Enter current PIN',
+  'pin.mismatch': "PINs don't match",
+  'pin.wrong': 'Wrong PIN',
+  'pin.setNew': 'Set a new PIN',
+  'pin.remove': 'Remove PIN',
+
+  'hotseat.hostPin': 'Host password',
+  'hotseat.setPin': 'Password',
+  'hotseat.changePin': 'Change',
+  'hotseat.playerName': 'Player name',
+  'hotseat.addPlayer': 'Add player',
+  'hotseat.removePlayer': 'Remove player',
+  'hotseat.hostPlaysTitle': 'Are you playing too?',
+  'hotseat.hostPlaysYes': 'Yes, I play',
+  'hotseat.hostPlaysNo': 'No',
+  'hotseat.unlock': 'Unlock',
+  'hotseat.unlockTitle': 'Unlock: {name}',
+  'hotseat.turnOf': 'Turn: {name}',
+  'hotseat.host': 'Host',
+  'hotseat.skip': 'Skip the current turn',
+  'hotseat.exclude': 'Exclude a player:',
+  'hotseat.terminate': 'End the game',
+  'hotseat.askSkip': "Skip {name}'s turn?",
+  'hotseat.askExclude': 'Remove {name} from the game?',
+  'hotseat.askTerminate': 'End the game with no result?',
 } as const;
 
 export type MessageKey = keyof typeof en;

ui/src/lib/i18n/ru.ts

@@ -99,6 +99,7 @@ export const ru: Record<MessageKey, string> = {
   'game.draw': 'Обмен/Пас',
   'game.shuffle': 'Перемешать',
   'game.hint': 'Подсказка',
+  'game.hintLockedIn': 'Будет доступно через {n} мин.',
   'game.chat': 'Чат',
   'game.checkWord': 'Проверить слово',
   'game.dictionary': 'Словарь',
@@ -388,4 +389,33 @@ export const ru: Record<MessageKey, string> = {
   'error.game_active': 'Доступно только после завершения игры.',
   'error.invalid_profile': 'Некоторые поля профиля некорректны.',
   'error.already_confirmed': 'Эта почта уже подтверждена.',
+
+  'pin.enter': 'Введите PIN',
+  'pin.create': 'Придумайте PIN',
+  'pin.repeat': 'Повторите PIN',
+  'pin.enterCurrent': 'Введите текущий PIN',
+  'pin.mismatch': 'PIN не совпадает',
+  'pin.wrong': 'Неверный PIN',
+  'pin.setNew': 'Задать новый PIN',
+  'pin.remove': 'Удалить пароль',
+
+  'hotseat.hostPin': 'Пароль ведущего',
+  'hotseat.setPin': 'Пароль',
+  'hotseat.changePin': 'Изменить',
+  'hotseat.playerName': 'Имя игрока',
+  'hotseat.addPlayer': 'Добавить игрока',
+  'hotseat.removePlayer': 'Удалить игрока',
+  'hotseat.hostPlaysTitle': 'Принимаете участие в игре?',
+  'hotseat.hostPlaysYes': 'Да, играю',
+  'hotseat.hostPlaysNo': 'Нет',
+  'hotseat.unlock': 'Разблокировать',
+  'hotseat.unlockTitle': 'Разблокировать: {name}',
+  'hotseat.turnOf': 'Ход: {name}',
+  'hotseat.host': 'Ведущий',
+  'hotseat.skip': 'Пропустить ход',
+  'hotseat.exclude': 'Исключить игрока:',
+  'hotseat.terminate': 'Отменить партию',
+  'hotseat.askSkip': 'Пропустить ход игрока {name}?',
+  'hotseat.askExclude': 'Удалить {name} из игры?',
+  'hotseat.askTerminate': 'Отменить партию без результата?',
 };

ui/src/lib/localgame/engine.ts

@@ -240,6 +240,10 @@ export class LocalGame {
   handOf(player: number): number[] {
     return [...this.hands[player]];
   }
+  /** resignedOf reports whether a seat has resigned or been excluded by the host. */
+  resignedOf(player: number): boolean {
+    return this.resigned[player] ?? false;
+  }
   /** winnerIndex is the finished game's winner, or -1 (tie / in progress / aborted). */
   get winnerIndex(): number {
     return winner(this.over, this.reason, this.scores, this.resigned);

ui/src/lib/localgame/serialize.test.ts

@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ function makeGame(seed: bigint): LocalGame {
   return new LocalGame({ variant: 'scrabble_en', version: 'sample', seed, players: 2, dawg, multipleWords: true });
 }
 
-const meta = { id: 'g1', seats, createdAtUnix: 1, updatedAtUnix: 2, robotLastMoveAtUnix: 3 };
+const meta = { id: 'g1', seats, createdAtUnix: 1, updatedAtUnix: 2, hintUnlockAtMs: 0 };
 
 describe('local game serialize + replay', () => {
   it('reconstructs a mid-game position by replay', () => {
@@ -83,4 +83,20 @@ describe('local game serialize + replay', () => {
     expect(rec.journal.length).toBe(g.moveCount);
     expect(replayGame(rec, dawg).seed).toBe(9999999999n);
   });
+
+  it('serialises hotseat metadata: the mode, master PIN and per-seat PINs', async () => {
+    const { newLock } = await import('../pin');
+    const hostPin = await newLock('9999');
+    const seatPin = await newLock('1234');
+    const hotseatSeats: Seat[] = [
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'Ann', pin: seatPin },
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'Bob' },
+    ];
+    const g = makeGame(5n);
+    const rec = serializeGame(g, { id: 'h1', seats: hotseatSeats, hotseat: true, hostPin, createdAtUnix: 1, updatedAtUnix: 2, hintUnlockAtMs: 0 });
+    expect(rec.hotseat).toBe(true);
+    expect(rec.hostPin).toEqual(hostPin);
+    expect(rec.seats[0].pin).toEqual(seatPin);
+    expect(rec.seats[1].pin).toBeUndefined();
+  });
 });

ui/src/lib/localgame/serialize.ts

@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 import { LocalGame, type LocalMove, type DropoutTiles, type LocalGameOptions } from './engine';
 import type { Dawg } from '../dict/dawg';
 import type { Variant } from '../model';
+import type { PinLock } from '../pin';
 
 /** Seat describes one player of a local game (forward-compatible with a 2-4 hotseat). */
 export interface Seat {
@@ -20,6 +21,9 @@ export interface Seat {
   /** The player's real account id for a human seat, so the client identifies "you" and the correct
    *  turn exactly as in an online game; absent for the robot (a synthetic id is derived). */
   accountId?: string;
+  /** Offline hotseat only: the seat's optional PIN lock. When set, the seat's rack stays hidden
+   *  until the PIN is entered (a social lock for a shared device — see lib/pin). */
+  pin?: PinLock;
 }
 
 /** LocalGameRecord is the durable form of one local game — everything needed to reconstruct it. */
@@ -36,19 +40,30 @@ export interface LocalGameRecord {
   /** The dictionary-independent, alphabet-index-space move journal. */
   journal: LocalMove[];
   status: 'active' | 'finished';
+  /** Offline pass-and-play (hotseat): 2-4 humans share one device. Absent on vs_ai records (and on
+   *  older records predating the feature), which the source reads as false. */
+  hotseat?: boolean;
+  /** Offline hotseat only: the mandatory master (host/referee) PIN lock, needed to skip/resign a
+   *  seat, exclude a player or terminate the game (see lib/pin). Absent on vs_ai records. */
+  hostPin?: PinLock;
   createdAtUnix: number;
   updatedAtUnix: number;
-  /** Unix seconds of the robot's most recent move — the local hint gate (>30 min) reads this. */
+  /** Wall-clock ms at which the vs_ai idle hint unlocks (the robot's last move + the window), or 0
-  robotLastMoveAtUnix: number;
+   *  while open (no robot move yet). Persisted so the wait survives leaving and reopening the app;
+   *  read through a sanitiser (cap at now + window) so a device clock set back cannot freeze it —
+   *  see lib/hints. */
+  hintUnlockAtMs: number;
 }
 
 /** The record fields the caller owns (the engine supplies the rest). */
 export interface RecordMeta {
   id: string;
   seats: Seat[];
+  hotseat?: boolean;
+  hostPin?: PinLock;
   createdAtUnix: number;
   updatedAtUnix: number;
-  robotLastMoveAtUnix: number;
+  hintUnlockAtMs: number;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -68,9 +83,11 @@ export function serializeGame(game: LocalGame, meta: RecordMeta): LocalGameRecor
     seats: meta.seats,
     journal: game.history,
     status: game.isOver ? 'finished' : 'active',
+    hotseat: meta.hotseat,
+    hostPin: meta.hostPin,
     createdAtUnix: meta.createdAtUnix,
     updatedAtUnix: meta.updatedAtUnix,
-    robotLastMoveAtUnix: meta.robotLastMoveAtUnix,
+    hintUnlockAtMs: meta.hintUnlockAtMs,
   };
 }
 

ui/src/lib/localgame/source.hotseat.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, vi } from 'vitest';
+import type { StateView } from '../model';
+
+// getDawg is mocked to the committed sample dictionary (the store's IndexedDB is absent under node,
+// so games live in the source's in-memory cache — created once, then driven without reload).
+vi.mock('../dict', () => ({
+  getDawg: async () => {
+    const { Dawg } = await import('../dict/dawg');
+    const { readFileSync } = await import('node:fs');
+    return new Dawg(new Uint8Array(readFileSync(new URL('../dict/testdata/sample_en.dawg', import.meta.url))));
+  },
+}));
+
+import { LocalSource } from './source';
+import type { Seat } from './serialize';
+import { newLock } from '../pin';
+
+async function hotseat(id: string, seats: Seat[], hostDigits = '9999'): Promise<LocalSource> {
+  const src = new LocalSource();
+  await src.create({
+    id,
+    variant: 'scrabble_en',
+    dictVersion: 'sample',
+    seed: 3n,
+    multipleWords: true,
+    seats,
+    hotseat: true,
+    hostPin: await newLock(hostDigits),
+  });
+  return src;
+}
+
+describe('LocalSource hotseat', () => {
+  it('creates a pass-and-play game: not vs_ai, board visible, first seat to move', async () => {
+    const src = await hotseat('local:h1', [
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'Ann' },
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'Bob' },
+    ]);
+    const st = await src.gameState('local:h1');
+    expect(st.game.vsAi).toBe(false);
+    expect(st.game.hotseat).toBe(true);
+    expect(st.game.toMove).toBe(0);
+    expect(st.locked).toBeFalsy(); // seat 0 has no PIN
+    expect(st.rack.length).toBe(7);
+    expect(st.game.seats.map((s) => s.displayName)).toEqual(['Ann', 'Bob']);
+  });
+
+  it('hides the rack of a PIN-locked seat until the right PIN unlocks it', async () => {
+    const src = await hotseat('local:h2', [
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'Ann', pin: await newLock('1234') },
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'Bob' },
+    ]);
+    const st = await src.gameState('local:h2');
+    expect(st.locked).toBe(true);
+    expect(st.rack).toEqual([]);
+
+    await expect(src.unlockSeat('local:h2', '0000')).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: 'wrong_pin' });
+
+    const opened = await src.unlockSeat('local:h2', '1234');
+    expect(opened.locked).toBe(false);
+    expect(opened.rack.length).toBe(7);
+  });
+
+  it('re-locks the seat when the turn advances and again when it comes back', async () => {
+    const src = await hotseat('local:h3', [
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'A', pin: await newLock('1111') },
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'B' },
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'C' },
+    ]);
+    await src.unlockSeat('local:h3', '1111');
+    await src.pass('local:h3'); // seat 0 -> 1
+    let st = await src.gameState('local:h3');
+    expect(st.game.toMove).toBe(1);
+    expect(st.locked).toBeFalsy(); // seat 1 has no PIN
+
+    await src.pass('local:h3'); // 1 -> 2
+    await src.pass('local:h3'); // 2 -> 0
+    st = await src.gameState('local:h3');
+    expect(st.game.toMove).toBe(0);
+    expect(st.locked).toBe(true); // seat 0 needs re-unlocking
+  });
+
+  it('lets the host skip the current turn, gated by the master PIN', async () => {
+    const src = await hotseat('local:h4', [
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'A' },
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'B' },
+    ], '4321');
+    expect((await src.gameState('local:h4')).game.toMove).toBe(0);
+    await expect(src.hostAction('local:h4', '0000', 'skip')).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: 'wrong_pin' });
+    const st = await src.hostAction('local:h4', '4321', 'skip');
+    expect(st).not.toBeNull();
+    expect((st as StateView).game.toMove).toBe(1);
+  });
+
+  it('lets the host resign a seat (ending a two-player game)', async () => {
+    const src = await hotseat('local:h5', [
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'A' },
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'B' },
+    ], '4321');
+    const st = await src.hostAction('local:h5', '4321', 'resign', 1);
+    expect((st as StateView).game.status).toBe('finished');
+  });
+
+  it('exposes a host-excluded seat as resigned in the view (for the medal ranking)', async () => {
+    const src = await hotseat('local:hR', [
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'A' },
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'B' },
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'C' },
+    ], '4321');
+    await src.hostAction('local:hR', '4321', 'resign', 1); // exclude seat 1 (game continues: 2 active)
+    const st = await src.gameState('local:hR');
+    expect(st.game.seats[1].resigned).toBe(true);
+    expect(st.game.seats[0].resigned).toBe(false);
+    expect(st.game.seats[2].resigned).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('lets the host terminate the game, deleting it', async () => {
+    const src = await hotseat('local:h6', [
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'A' },
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'B' },
+    ], '4321');
+    const r = await src.hostAction('local:h6', '4321', 'terminate');
+    expect(r).toBeNull();
+    await expect(src.gameState('local:h6')).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: 'game_not_found' });
+  });
+
+  it('re-locks an unlocked seat on relock (returning to the lobby)', async () => {
+    const src = await hotseat('local:h9', [
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'Ann', pin: await newLock('1234') },
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'Bob' },
+    ]);
+    const opened = await src.unlockSeat('local:h9', '1234');
+    expect(opened.locked).toBe(false);
+    src.relock('local:h9');
+    const st = await src.gameState('local:h9');
+    expect(st.locked).toBe(true); // returning to the game re-prompts the seat PIN
+    expect(st.rack).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it('verifies the master PIN', async () => {
+    const src = await hotseat('local:h7', [
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'A' },
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'B' },
+    ], '4321');
+    expect(await src.verifyHostPin('local:h7', '4321')).toBe(true);
+    expect(await src.verifyHostPin('local:h7', '0000')).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('persists a naturally finished game (scoreless run) as finished, and unlocked', async () => {
+    const src = await hotseat('local:h8', [
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'A', pin: await newLock('1111') },
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'B', pin: await newLock('2222') },
+    ]);
+    for (let i = 0; i < 6; i++) await src.pass('local:h8');
+    const st = await src.gameState('local:h8');
+    expect(st.game.status).toBe('finished');
+    expect(st.locked).toBeFalsy(); // a finished game shows its final rack, never an unlock button
+  });
+});

ui/src/lib/localgame/source.test.ts

@@ -72,9 +72,15 @@ describe('LocalSource', () => {
     expect(events.some((e) => e.kind === 'opponent_moved')).toBe(true);
   });
 
-  it('gates the hint until 30 minutes since the robot last moved', async () => {
+  it('does not wall-clock-gate the hint (the idle gate is client-side and monotonic)', async () => {
     const src = await newSource('local:g3', 7n);
-    await expect(src.hint('local:g3')).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: 'hint_not_ready' });
+    // hint() serves the engine's top move (or no_hint when the tiny sample dictionary has none for
+    // this rack), but never the old timestamp gate 'hint_not_ready' — that moved to the client
+    // (lib/hints, measured with performance.now()) so a device clock change cannot defeat it.
+    await src.hint('local:g3').then(
+      (h) => expect(h.move).toBeDefined(),
+      (e) => expect((e as { code: string }).code).toBe('no_hint'),
+    );
   });
 
   it('records decoded moves in the history', async () => {

ui/src/lib/localgame/source.ts

@@ -14,8 +14,10 @@ import { getLocalGame, saveLocalGame, listLocalGames, deleteLocalGame } from './
 import { RULESETS } from './ruleset';
 import { getDawg } from '../dict';
 import { setAlphabet, hasAlphabet } from '../alphabet';
+import { HINT_GATE_MS } from '../hints';
 import { LOCAL_ID_PREFIX, isLocalGameId } from './id';
 import { decide } from '../robot/strategy';
+import { verifyPin, type PinLock } from '../pin';
 import { GatewayError, type PlacedTile } from '../client';
 import type {
   EvalResult,
@@ -35,9 +37,6 @@ import type { Move } from '../dict/validate';
 
 export { LOCAL_ID_PREFIX, isLocalGameId };
 
-/** HINT_GATE_MS is the idle time since the robot's last move before an offline hint unlocks. */
-export const HINT_GATE_MS = 30 * 60 * 1000;
-
 /**
  * GameLoopSource is the subset of GatewayClient the game screen calls to run a game. The real
  * gateway satisfies it structurally; the local source implements it for offline play.
@@ -89,6 +88,9 @@ function encodePlacements(variant: Variant, tiles: PlacedTile[]): { row: number;
 interface Live {
   game: LocalGame;
   record: LocalGameRecord;
+  /** Offline hotseat only: which seat is currently unlocked (its PIN was entered this turn), or null.
+   *  Ephemeral — never persisted; cleared on every turn advance so each turn re-locks. */
+  unlockedSeat: number | null;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -99,7 +101,8 @@ export class LocalSource implements GameLoopSource {
   private readonly live = new Map<string, Live>();
   private readonly listeners = new Map<string, Set<(e: PushEvent) => void>>();
 
-  /** create starts a new local vs_ai game, persists it and returns its state. */
+  /** create starts a new local game — a vs_ai game or an offline pass-and-play (hotseat) game when
+   *  hotseat is set — persists it and returns its state. hostPin is the hotseat master PIN. */
   async create(opts: {
     id: string;
     variant: Variant;
@@ -107,6 +110,8 @@ export class LocalSource implements GameLoopSource {
     seed: bigint;
     multipleWords: boolean;
     seats: LocalSeat[];
+    hotseat?: boolean;
+    hostPin?: PinLock;
   }): Promise<StateView> {
     const dawg = await getDawg(opts.variant, opts.dictVersion);
     if (!dawg) throw new GatewayError('dict_unavailable');
@@ -121,12 +126,14 @@ export class LocalSource implements GameLoopSource {
     const now = nowUnix();
     const record = serializeGame(game, {
       id: opts.id,
-      seats: opts.seats.map((s) => ({ kind: s.kind, name: s.name, accountId: s.accountId })),
+      seats: opts.seats.map((s) => ({ kind: s.kind, name: s.name, accountId: s.accountId, pin: s.pin })),
+      hotseat: opts.hotseat,
+      hostPin: opts.hostPin,
       createdAtUnix: now,
       updatedAtUnix: now,
-      robotLastMoveAtUnix: now,
+      hintUnlockAtMs: 0, // no robot move yet: a human-first opening's hint is open at once
     });
-    const entry: Live = { game, record };
+    const entry: Live = { game, record, unlockedSeat: null };
     this.live.set(opts.id, entry);
     await saveLocalGame(record);
     return this.stateView(entry);
@@ -187,15 +194,72 @@ export class LocalSource implements GameLoopSource {
     const entry = await this.load(gameId);
     const seat = entry.game.currentPlayer;
     const move = entry.game.resign();
+    entry.unlockedSeat = null;
     await this.persist(entry);
     return this.moveResult(entry, move, seat);
   }
 
-  async hint(gameId: string): Promise<HintResult> {
+  /**
+   * unlockSeat reveals the current hotseat seat's rack once its PIN is entered. It verifies pin
+   * against the seat's stored lock (a seat with no lock unlocks with any pin) and, on success, marks
+   * the seat unlocked for this turn only — a subsequent move re-locks it. Throws 'wrong_pin' on a
+   * mismatch. Returns the freshly unlocked state (rack revealed).
+   */
+  async unlockSeat(gameId: string, pin: string): Promise<StateView> {
     const entry = await this.load(gameId);
-    if (nowUnix() * 1000 - entry.record.robotLastMoveAtUnix * 1000 < HINT_GATE_MS) {
+    const seat = entry.game.currentPlayer;
-      throw new GatewayError('hint_not_ready');
+    const lock = entry.record.seats[seat]?.pin;
+    if (lock && !(await verifyPin(pin, lock))) throw new GatewayError('wrong_pin');
+    entry.unlockedSeat = seat;
+    return this.stateView(entry);
+  }
+
+  /** relock drops any per-turn seat unlock, so re-opening a hotseat game re-prompts the current
+   *  seat's PIN. Called when the game screen is left (returning to the lobby). No-op when the game is
+   *  not cached, or a seat with no PIN (which is never withheld anyway). */
+  relock(gameId: string): void {
+    const entry = this.live.get(gameId);
+    if (entry) entry.unlockedSeat = null;
+  }
+
+  /** verifyHostPin reports whether pin matches the hotseat master (host/referee) PIN. */
+  async verifyHostPin(gameId: string, pin: string): Promise<boolean> {
+    const entry = await this.load(gameId);
+    return !!entry.record.hostPin && (await verifyPin(pin, entry.record.hostPin));
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * hostAction runs a host (referee) override on a hotseat game, gated by the master PIN:
+   *   'skip'      — pass the current seat's turn;
+   *   'resign'    — resign seat targetSeat (exclude a player / concede on their behalf);
+   *   'terminate' — end the game with no result and delete it from the store.
+   * Returns the updated StateView, or null when the game was terminated. Throws 'wrong_pin' on a bad
+   * PIN.
+   */
+  async hostAction(
+    gameId: string,
+    pin: string,
+    action: 'skip' | 'resign' | 'terminate',
+    targetSeat?: number,
+  ): Promise<StateView | null> {
+    const entry = await this.load(gameId);
+    if (!entry.record.hostPin || !(await verifyPin(pin, entry.record.hostPin))) throw new GatewayError('wrong_pin');
+    if (action === 'terminate') {
+      await this.delete(gameId);
+      return null;
     }
+    if (action === 'skip') entry.game.pass();
+    else entry.game.resignSeat(targetSeat ?? entry.game.currentPlayer);
+    entry.unlockedSeat = null;
+    await this.persist(entry);
+    return this.stateView(entry);
+  }
+
+  async hint(gameId: string): Promise<HintResult> {
+    // The idle gate is enforced client-side with a monotonic clock (see Game.svelte / lib/hints):
+    // a wall-clock timestamp here could be defeated by changing the device clock. This just serves
+    // the engine's top-ranked move; the client only calls it once the gate is open.
+    const entry = await this.load(gameId);
     const top = this.topMove(entry.game);
     if (!top) throw new GatewayError('no_hint');
     return { move: this.moveFromGen(entry.record.variant, entry.game.currentPlayer, top), hintsRemaining: 1, walletBalance: 0 };
@@ -248,7 +312,7 @@ export class LocalSource implements GameLoopSource {
     if (!record) throw new GatewayError('game_not_found');
     const dawg = await getDawg(record.variant, record.dictVersion);
     if (!dawg) throw new GatewayError('dict_unavailable');
-    const entry: Live = { game: replayGame(record, dawg), record };
+    const entry: Live = { game: replayGame(record, dawg), record, unlockedSeat: null };
     this.live.set(gameId, entry);
     return entry;
   }
@@ -260,6 +324,7 @@ export class LocalSource implements GameLoopSource {
     const entry = await this.load(gameId);
     const seat = entry.game.currentPlayer;
     const move = act(entry.game);
+    entry.unlockedSeat = null; // the turn has advanced; a hotseat seat re-locks (no effect for vs_ai)
     const robotMoves = this.runRobots(entry);
     await this.persist(entry);
     const result = this.moveResult(entry, move, seat);
@@ -281,8 +346,11 @@ export class LocalSource implements GameLoopSource {
       if (dec.kind === 'play') out.push(g.play(dec.move.dir, dec.move.tiles));
       else if (dec.kind === 'exchange' && g.bagLength >= RULESETS[entry.record.variant].rackSize) out.push(g.exchange(dec.exchange));
       else out.push(g.pass());
-      entry.record.robotLastMoveAtUnix = nowUnix();
     }
+    // Arm the idle hint gate from the robot's reply: a wall-clock unlock time, persisted so the wait
+    // survives a relaunch. Read back through a sanitiser (lib/hints / stateView) so a clock set back
+    // cannot freeze it.
+    if (out.length > 0) entry.record.hintUnlockAtMs = Date.now() + HINT_GATE_MS;
     return out;
   }
 
@@ -305,9 +373,11 @@ export class LocalSource implements GameLoopSource {
     entry.record = serializeGame(entry.game, {
       id: entry.record.id,
       seats: entry.record.seats,
+      hotseat: entry.record.hotseat,
+      hostPin: entry.record.hostPin,
       createdAtUnix: entry.record.createdAtUnix,
       updatedAtUnix: nowUnix(),
-      robotLastMoveAtUnix: entry.record.robotLastMoveAtUnix,
+      hintUnlockAtMs: entry.record.hintUnlockAtMs,
     });
     await saveLocalGame(entry.record);
   }
@@ -340,10 +410,35 @@ export class LocalSource implements GameLoopSource {
 
   // --- shape builders --------------------------------------------------------
 
+  // The vs_ai idle-hint seconds left, from the stored unlock instant (device wall clock, persisted
+  // for the offline record) minus now — capped at the window so a device clock set back cannot push
+  // it far ahead and freeze the gate, ceiled to whole seconds and floored at 0. The client anchors a
+  // monotonic countdown to this; 0 while open (a human-first opening, no robot move yet).
+  private hintUnlockLeft(entry: Live): number {
+    if (!entry.record.hintUnlockAtMs) return 0;
+    const leftMs = Math.min(HINT_GATE_MS, entry.record.hintUnlockAtMs - Date.now());
+    return leftMs > 0 ? Math.ceil(leftMs / 1000) : 0;
+  }
+
+  // stateView is the seated player's private view. For a vs_ai game that is the single human seat; for
+  // a hotseat game it is the seat to move — and when that seat carries a PIN, the rack is withheld
+  // (empty, locked=true) until unlockSeat is called this turn.
   private stateView(entry: Live): StateView {
-    const seat = this.humanSeat(entry);
+    const hotseat = !!entry.record.hotseat;
-    const rack = entry.game.handOf(seat).map((t) => indexToLetter(entry.record.variant, t));
+    const seat = hotseat ? entry.game.currentPlayer : this.humanSeat(entry);
-    return { game: this.gameView(entry), seat, rack, bagLen: entry.game.bagLength, hintsRemaining: 1, walletBalance: 0 };
+    // A finished game is never locked — its final rack is shown for review, not an unlock button.
+    const locked = !entry.game.isOver && hotseat && !!entry.record.seats[seat]?.pin && entry.unlockedSeat !== seat;
+    const rack = locked ? [] : entry.game.handOf(seat).map((t) => indexToLetter(entry.record.variant, t));
+    return {
+      game: this.gameView(entry),
+      seat,
+      rack,
+      bagLen: entry.game.bagLength,
+      hintsRemaining: 1,
+      walletBalance: 0,
+      hintUnlockLeftSeconds: this.hintUnlockLeft(entry),
+      locked,
+    };
   }
 
   // Offline there is no server to send the per-variant alphabet table (letters + tile values) the
@@ -369,6 +464,7 @@ export class LocalSource implements GameLoopSource {
       score: game.scoreOf(i),
       hintsUsed: 0,
       isWinner: game.isOver && i === game.winnerIndex,
+      resigned: game.resignedOf(i),
     }));
     return {
       id: record.id,
@@ -382,7 +478,8 @@ export class LocalSource implements GameLoopSource {
       moveCount: game.moveCount,
       endReason: game.isOver ? game.endReason : '',
       lastActivityUnix: record.updatedAtUnix,
-      vsAi: true,
+      vsAi: !record.hotseat,
+      hotseat: !!record.hotseat,
       unreadChat: false,
       unreadMessages: false,
       seats,

ui/src/lib/model.ts

@@ -29,6 +29,9 @@ export interface Seat {
   score: number;
   hintsUsed: number;
   isWinner: boolean;
+  /** Offline hotseat only: the seat resigned or was excluded by the host. Set by the local source so
+   *  the finished-game medal ranking can place it last (no medal); undefined for online seats. */
+  resigned?: boolean;
 }
 
 export interface GameView {
@@ -47,6 +50,10 @@ export interface GameView {
   lastActivityUnix: number;
   /** true = an honest-AI game: the opponent is shown as 🤖 and chat/nudge/add-friend are disabled. */
   vsAi: boolean;
+  /** true = a local offline pass-and-play (hotseat) game: 2-4 humans share one device. Set only by
+   *  the local source; the online gateway never sets it. Drives the per-seat PIN-lock UI and the host
+   *  menu (which replaces the hint control). A hotseat game is never vsAi. */
+  hotseat?: boolean;
   /** Per-viewer flag: the requesting player has at least one unread chat entry (message or
    *  nudge) in this game. Set on the authoritative REST views (lobby list, game state,
    *  move result); the live-event GameView leaves it false (events bump unread instead). */
@@ -82,6 +89,14 @@ export interface StateView {
   bagLen: number;
   hintsRemaining: number;
   walletBalance: number;
+  /** For a vs_ai game, the seconds until the idle hint unlocks (computed by the source: the SERVER
+   *  clock online, the device clock offline) — 0/undefined while open (the human's first move, or a
+   *  non-vs_ai game). The client anchors a MONOTONIC countdown (performance.now()) to it on receipt,
+   *  so a client clock change cannot skew it; a relaunch re-fetches a fresh value. See lib/hints. */
+  hintUnlockLeftSeconds?: number;
+  /** Offline hotseat only: the seat to move is PIN-locked, so its rack is withheld (empty) until the
+   *  seat's PIN is entered (see LocalSource.unlockSeat). Absent/false everywhere else. */
+  locked?: boolean;
 }
 
 export interface MoveResult {

ui/src/lib/pin.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { hashPin, newLock, newSalt, verifyPin } from './pin';
+
+describe('hashPin', () => {
+  it('is deterministic for the same pin and salt', async () => {
+    const salt = 'fixedsalt';
+    expect(await hashPin('1234', salt)).toBe(await hashPin('1234', salt));
+  });
+
+  it('differs when the salt differs', async () => {
+    expect(await hashPin('1234', 'saltA')).not.toBe(await hashPin('1234', 'saltB'));
+  });
+
+  it('differs when the pin differs', async () => {
+    const salt = 'fixedsalt';
+    expect(await hashPin('1234', salt)).not.toBe(await hashPin('4321', salt));
+  });
+});
+
+describe('newSalt', () => {
+  it('returns a non-empty value', () => {
+    expect(newSalt().length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+  });
+
+  it('returns a fresh value each call', () => {
+    expect(newSalt()).not.toBe(newSalt());
+  });
+});
+
+describe('newLock / verifyPin', () => {
+  it('produces a lock that verifies its own pin', async () => {
+    const lock = await newLock('1234');
+    expect(lock.hash.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    expect(lock.salt.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    expect(await verifyPin('1234', lock)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('rejects a wrong pin', async () => {
+    const lock = await newLock('1234');
+    expect(await verifyPin('0000', lock)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('salts each lock independently (same pin, different hashes)', async () => {
+    const a = await newLock('1234');
+    const b = await newLock('1234');
+    expect(a.salt).not.toBe(b.salt);
+    expect(a.hash).not.toBe(b.hash);
+  });
+});

ui/src/lib/pin.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+// Seat / host PIN locks for offline pass-and-play (hotseat) games.
+//
+// A PinLock is a salted SHA-256 digest of a 4-digit PIN. This is a SOCIAL lock for a
+// shared device — not cryptographic protection. A 4-digit PIN has only 10^4
+// combinations and the whole game runs on the client, so a determined peek reads the
+// racks straight from memory regardless. The salt only keeps the PIN itself out of a
+// casual devtools glance and defeats precomputed tables; it does not make the PIN
+// brute-force resistant.
+
+/** PinLock is a stored, salted SHA-256 digest of a PIN (see the file header caveat). */
+export interface PinLock {
+  hash: string;
+  salt: string;
+}
+
+// b64url encodes bytes as base64url without padding (matches the idiom in vkid.ts).
+function b64url(bytes: Uint8Array): string {
+  let s = '';
+  for (const b of bytes) s += String.fromCharCode(b);
+  return btoa(s).replace(/\+/g, '-').replace(/\//g, '_').replace(/=+$/, '');
+}
+
+/** newSalt returns a fresh random base64url salt for a PinLock. */
+export function newSalt(): string {
+  const a = new Uint8Array(16);
+  crypto.getRandomValues(a);
+  return b64url(a);
+}
+
+/** hashPin returns the base64url SHA-256 digest binding salt to pin. */
+export async function hashPin(pin: string, salt: string): Promise<string> {
+  const digest = await crypto.subtle.digest('SHA-256', new TextEncoder().encode(`${salt}:${pin}`));
+  return b64url(new Uint8Array(digest));
+}
+
+/** newLock builds a PinLock for pin with a fresh salt. */
+export async function newLock(pin: string): Promise<PinLock> {
+  const salt = newSalt();
+  return { salt, hash: await hashPin(pin, salt) };
+}
+
+/** verifyPin reports whether pin matches the digest stored in lock. */
+export async function verifyPin(pin: string, lock: PinLock): Promise<boolean> {
+  return (await hashPin(pin, lock.salt)) === lock.hash;
+}

ui/src/lib/result.test.ts

@@ -1,14 +1,15 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
-import { resultBadge } from './result';
+import { resultBadge, seatMedal } from './result';
 import type { GameView, Seat } from './model';
 
-const seat = (s: number, accountId: string, score: number, isWinner = false): Seat => ({
+const seat = (s: number, accountId: string, score: number, isWinner = false, resigned = false): Seat => ({
   seat: s,
   accountId,
   displayName: accountId,
   score,
   hintsUsed: 0,
   isWinner,
+  resigned,
 });
 
 function game(seats: Seat[], status = 'finished', toMove = 0): GameView {
@@ -74,4 +75,46 @@ describe('resultBadge', () => {
     const second = game([seat(0, 'me', 300), seat(1, 'a', 400, true), seat(2, 'b', 200), seat(3, 'c', 100)]);
     expect(resultBadge(second, 'me')).toEqual({ key: 'result.place2', emoji: '🥈' });
   });
+
+  it('tie for the lead (3-4p): a shared victory for the leaders, a placed finish for those below', () => {
+    // The reported case, viewer-side: two seats tie for the lead (-8), one is last (-14) — no single
+    // winner(), so this must NOT read as a full draw for everyone.
+    expect(resultBadge(game([seat(0, 'me', -8), seat(1, 'a', -14), seat(2, 'b', -8)]), 'me')).toEqual({ key: 'result.victory', emoji: '🏆' });
+    expect(resultBadge(game([seat(0, 'x', -8), seat(1, 'me', -14), seat(2, 'b', -8)]), 'me')).toEqual({ key: 'result.place3', emoji: '🥉' });
+  });
+
+  it('an aborted game reads as a draw for everyone, whatever the scores', () => {
+    const g = { ...game([seat(0, 'me', 50), seat(1, 'a', 30)]), endReason: 'aborted' };
+    expect(resultBadge(g, 'me')).toEqual({ key: 'result.draw', emoji: '🏅' });
+  });
+});
+
+describe('seatMedal', () => {
+  it('is empty for a game still in progress', () => {
+    expect(seatMedal(game([seat(0, 'a', 5), seat(1, 'b', 3)], 'active'), 0)).toBe('');
+  });
+
+  it('finished: places each seat by final score', () => {
+    const g = game([seat(0, 'a', 100), seat(1, 'b', 400, true), seat(2, 'c', 300), seat(3, 'd', 200)]);
+    expect(seatMedal(g, 1)).toBe('🏆'); // 400 → 1st
+    expect(seatMedal(g, 2)).toBe('🥈'); // 300 → 2nd
+    expect(seatMedal(g, 3)).toBe('🥉'); // 200 → 3rd
+    expect(seatMedal(g, 0)).toBe('🏅'); // 100 → 4th
+  });
+
+  it('a tie for the lead shares first place; the rest place below (competition ranking)', () => {
+    // The owner's case: a scoreless end deducted racks to -8 / -14 / -8, tying seats 0 and 2 for the
+    // lead — they must SHARE the trophy, not all show the last-place medal (the reported bug).
+    const g = game([seat(0, 'a', -8), seat(1, 'b', -14), seat(2, 'c', -8)]);
+    expect(seatMedal(g, 0)).toBe('🏆');
+    expect(seatMedal(g, 2)).toBe('🏆');
+    expect(seatMedal(g, 1)).toBe('🥉'); // two seats rank above it → 3rd
+  });
+
+  it('an excluded / resigned seat gets no medal and does not push the others down', () => {
+    const g = game([seat(0, 'a', 50), seat(1, 'b', 900, false, true), seat(2, 'c', 30)]);
+    expect(seatMedal(g, 1)).toBe(''); // resigned: no medal, though its frozen score is the highest
+    expect(seatMedal(g, 0)).toBe('🏆'); // ranked among the rest: highest → 1st
+    expect(seatMedal(g, 2)).toBe('🥈');
+  });
 });

ui/src/lib/result.ts

@@ -9,6 +9,13 @@ export interface ResultBadge {
   emoji: string;
 }
 
+/** placeBadge maps a 1-based finishing rank to its label + medal (2nd is a defeat in a duel). */
+function placeBadge(rank: number, players: number): ResultBadge {
+  if (rank === 2) return players === 2 ? { key: 'result.defeat', emoji: '🥈' } : { key: 'result.place2', emoji: '🥈' };
+  if (rank === 3) return { key: 'result.place3', emoji: '🥉' };
+  return { key: 'result.place4', emoji: '🏅' };
+}
+
 export function resultBadge(game: GameView, myId: string): ResultBadge {
   const me = game.seats.find((s) => s.accountId === myId);
 
@@ -19,14 +26,39 @@ export function resultBadge(game: GameView, myId: string): ResultBadge {
   }
 
   if (me?.isWinner) return { key: 'result.victory', emoji: '🏆' };
-  if (!game.seats.some((s) => s.isWinner)) return { key: 'result.draw', emoji: '🏅' };
 
-  // Someone else won and it is not me, so I did not win — even when scores are level (a
+  // No single winner: a tie for the lead, a full draw, or an aborted game. An abort or an all-level
-  // win by resignation or timeout can leave the winner at or below my score). The winner
+  // finish is a draw; a tie for the lead is a SHARED victory for the top scorers, and a placed finish
-  // takes rank 1; place me among the remaining seats by score, starting at rank 2.
+  // for those below. (winner() is -1 on ANY tie for the lead, so isWinner alone cannot tell a
-  const ahead = game.seats.filter((s) => !s.isWinner && s.accountId !== myId && s.score > (me?.score ?? 0)).length;
+  // three-way "two share first, one is last" apart from a genuine draw — the reported bug.)
-  const rank = 2 + ahead;
+  if (!game.seats.some((s) => s.isWinner)) {
-  if (rank === 2) return game.players === 2 ? { key: 'result.defeat', emoji: '🥈' } : { key: 'result.place2', emoji: '🥈' };
+    const myScore = me?.score ?? 0;
-  if (rank === 3) return { key: 'result.place3', emoji: '🥉' };
+    const higher = game.seats.filter((s) => !s.resigned && s.score > myScore).length;
-  return { key: 'result.place4', emoji: '🏅' };
+    const allLevel = game.seats.filter((s) => !s.resigned).every((s) => s.score === myScore);
+    if (game.endReason === 'aborted' || (higher === 0 && allLevel)) return { key: 'result.draw', emoji: '🏅' };
+    return higher === 0 ? { key: 'result.victory', emoji: '🏆' } : placeBadge(1 + higher, game.players);
+  }
+
+  // A winner exists but it is not me — even when scores are level (a win by resignation or timeout
+  // can leave the winner at or below my score). The winner takes rank 1; place me among the remaining
+  // (non-resigned) seats by score, starting at rank 2.
+  const ahead = game.seats.filter((s) => !s.isWinner && !s.resigned && s.accountId !== myId && s.score > (me?.score ?? 0)).length;
+  return placeBadge(2 + ahead, game.players);
+}
+
+/**
+ * seatMedal returns a per-SEAT place emoji for a finished game (empty while it is still in progress),
+ * so a hotseat game can show each player's medal on their plaque instead of a single viewer-centric
+ * "you won/lost" (which is meaningless with 2-4 local players). It ranks by the FINAL score with
+ * competition ranking (equal scores share a place), so a tie for the lead SHARES the trophy rather
+ * than reading as a full draw. A resigned / host-excluded seat places last, with no medal, and does
+ * not push the remaining players down. Ranked by score, not by the engine's single-winner flag
+ * (which is -1 on any tie for the lead — the reported all-last-place bug).
+ */
+export function seatMedal(game: GameView, seat: number): string {
+  if (game.status !== 'finished') return '';
+  const s = game.seats.find((x) => x.seat === seat);
+  if (!s || s.resigned) return '';
+  const rank = 1 + game.seats.filter((x) => !x.resigned && x.score > s.score).length;
+  return rank === 1 ? '🏆' : rank === 2 ? '🥈' : rank === 3 ? '🥉' : '🏅';
 }

ui/src/lib/roster.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { buildSeats, commitName, rosterReady, shuffleSeeded, type RosterRow } from './roster';
+
+describe('commitName (keep-last-valid)', () => {
+  it('commits a valid, trimmed name', () => {
+    expect(commitName('Ann', '')).toBe('Ann');
+    expect(commitName('  Ann  ', '')).toBe('Ann');
+  });
+
+  it('keeps the previous valid name when the input goes invalid', () => {
+    expect(commitName('', 'Ann')).toBe('Ann');
+    expect(commitName('   ', 'Ann')).toBe('Ann');
+    expect(commitName('a'.repeat(33), 'Ann')).toBe('Ann'); // over the 32-rune cap
+    expect(commitName('_bad', 'Ann')).toBe('Ann'); // leading separator
+  });
+
+  it('replaces the committed name with a newer valid one', () => {
+    expect(commitName('Bob', 'Ann')).toBe('Bob');
+  });
+});
+
+describe('rosterReady', () => {
+  const row = (committed: string): RosterRow => ({ name: committed, committed });
+
+  it('needs 2-4 rows, each with a committed name', () => {
+    expect(rosterReady([row('A'), row('B')])).toBe(true);
+    expect(rosterReady([row('A'), row('B'), row('C'), row('D')])).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('rejects fewer than 2, more than 4, or an empty row', () => {
+    expect(rosterReady([row('A')])).toBe(false);
+    expect(rosterReady([row('A'), row('B'), row('C'), row('D'), row('E')])).toBe(false);
+    expect(rosterReady([row('A'), row('')])).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('buildSeats', () => {
+  it('maps committed rows to account-less human seats, carrying the PIN', () => {
+    const lock = { hash: 'h', salt: 's' };
+    const seats = buildSeats([
+      { name: 'Ann', committed: 'Ann', pin: lock },
+      { name: 'x', committed: 'Bob' },
+    ]);
+    expect(seats).toEqual([
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'Ann', pin: lock },
+      { kind: 'human', name: 'Bob', pin: undefined },
+    ]);
+    expect(seats.every((s) => !('accountId' in s) || s.accountId === undefined)).toBe(true);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('shuffleSeeded', () => {
+  it('is deterministic for the same seed', () => {
+    expect(shuffleSeeded([0, 1, 2, 3], 42n)).toEqual(shuffleSeeded([0, 1, 2, 3], 42n));
+  });
+
+  it('keeps every element (a permutation) and does not mutate the input', () => {
+    const input = [0, 1, 2, 3];
+    const out = shuffleSeeded(input, 7n);
+    expect([...out].sort((a, b) => a - b)).toEqual([0, 1, 2, 3]);
+    expect(input).toEqual([0, 1, 2, 3]); // input untouched
+  });
+
+  it('varies the order across seeds (not always the identity)', () => {
+    const orders = new Set([1n, 2n, 3n, 4n, 5n, 6n, 7n, 8n].map((s) => shuffleSeeded([0, 1, 2, 3], s).join('')));
+    expect(orders.size).toBeGreaterThan(1);
+  });
+});

ui/src/lib/roster.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+// Pure helpers for the offline hotseat (pass-and-play) creation roster: keeping a last-valid name as
+// a row is edited, and turning the finished roster into engine seats. Kept out of the component so it
+// is unit-testable; the form itself is exercised by the e2e layer.
+
+import { validDisplayName } from './profileValidation';
+import type { PinLock } from './pin';
+import type { Seat } from './localgame/serialize';
+
+/** RosterRow is one editable player row: the live input, the last valid name kept when the input
+ *  goes invalid, and the optional per-seat PIN lock. */
+export interface RosterRow {
+  name: string;
+  committed: string;
+  pin?: PinLock;
+}
+
+/** commitName returns the new last-valid name: the trimmed input when it is a valid display name,
+ *  otherwise prevCommitted unchanged — so editing a set name into an invalid one keeps the old one. */
+export function commitName(input: string, prevCommitted: string): string {
+  return validDisplayName(input) ? input.trim() : prevCommitted;
+}
+
+/** rosterReady reports whether the roster can start a game: 2-4 rows, each with a committed name. */
+export function rosterReady(rows: RosterRow[]): boolean {
+  return rows.length >= 2 && rows.length <= 4 && rows.every((r) => r.committed !== '');
+}
+
+/** buildSeats turns committed roster rows into engine seats — all human, account-less (local
+ *  players sharing a device), carrying each row's optional PIN. */
+export function buildSeats(rows: RosterRow[]): Seat[] {
+  return rows.map((r): Seat => ({ kind: 'human', name: r.committed, pin: r.pin }));
+}
+
+/**
+ * shuffleSeeded returns a deterministic shuffle of items driven by seed — a Fisher-Yates over a small
+ * in-house PRNG (a distinct seed derivation from the tile bag, so the seating is not correlated with
+ * the tile draws). Used to randomise the hotseat seating at game start, so the first mover is random;
+ * being seed-driven keeps it reproducible for replay and tests.
+ */
+export function shuffleSeeded<T>(items: readonly T[], seed: bigint): T[] {
+  const out = [...items];
+  let a = (Number(BigInt.asUintN(32, seed ^ 0x9e3779b9n)) >>> 0) || 1;
+  const rand = (): number => {
+    a = (a + 0x6d2b79f5) | 0;
+    let t = Math.imul(a ^ (a >>> 15), 1 | a);
+    t = (t + Math.imul(t ^ (t >>> 7), 61 | t)) ^ t;
+    return ((t ^ (t >>> 14)) >>> 0) / 4294967296;
+  };
+  for (let i = out.length - 1; i > 0; i--) {
+    const j = Math.floor(rand() * (i + 1));
+    [out[i], out[j]] = [out[j], out[i]];
+  }
+  return out;
+}

ui/src/lib/router.svelte.ts

@@ -17,12 +17,15 @@ if (typeof window !== 'undefined') {
   });
 }
 
-/** navigate switches the hash route (and forces a re-parse if it is unchanged). */
+/** navigate switches the hash route (and forces a re-parse if it is unchanged). The route rune is
+ *  updated synchronously — not left to the asynchronous `hashchange` — so a caller that renders off
+ *  the route in the same tick (notably bootstrap flipping `app.ready` right after `navigate('/login')`)
+ *  never sees `router.route` lag the hash for a frame, which would briefly render the previous route
+ *  (the empty-hash lobby) under the new screen. The later `hashchange` re-parses to the same value. */
 export function navigate(path: string): void {
   const target = '#' + path;
-  if (location.hash === target) {
+  router.route = parse(target);
-    router.route = parse(target);
+  if (location.hash !== target) {
-  } else {
     location.hash = path;
   }
 }

ui/src/screens/Lobby.svelte

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
   import Screen from '../components/Screen.svelte';
   import TabBar from '../components/TabBar.svelte';
   import Modal from '../components/Modal.svelte';
+  import PinPad from '../components/PinPad.svelte';
   import { app, handleError, refreshFeedbackBadge, seedChatUnread } from '../lib/app.svelte';
   import { connection } from '../lib/connection.svelte';
   import { gateway } from '../lib/gateway';
@@ -186,6 +187,9 @@
   // revealed by swiping the row left (touch) or tapping its kebab (any pointer); the action is
   // per-account and irreversible. Only one row is revealed at a time.
   let revealedId = $state<string | null>(null);
+  // A hotseat game's deletion is gated by the host (master) PIN — both active (terminate the game)
+  // and finished; pinTarget holds the game id while its PIN pad is open.
+  let pinTarget = $state<string | null>(null);
   let drag: { id: string; x0: number; y0: number } | null = null;
   // A horizontal swipe must not also count as a tap that opens the game; armed on swipe,
   // consumed by the next tap, and reset on the next pointerdown so a later tap is never eaten.
@@ -196,13 +200,14 @@
     if (e.pointerType === 'mouse') return; // desktop reveals via the kebab, not a swipe
     drag = { id, x0: e.clientX, y0: e.clientY };
   }
-  function onRowUp(e: PointerEvent, finished: boolean): void {
+  function onRowUp(e: PointerEvent, revealable: boolean): void {
     if (!drag) return;
     const dx = e.clientX - drag.x0;
     const dy = e.clientY - drag.y0;
-    // Only a finished row reveals on a horizontal swipe; that swipe then suppresses the tap so it
+    // Only a revealable row (a finished game, or any hotseat game) reveals its delete on a horizontal
-    // does not also open the game. Active rows ignore swipes and stay plain tap-to-open.
+    // swipe; that swipe then suppresses the tap so it does not also open the game. Other active rows
-    if (finished && Math.abs(dx) > 40 && Math.abs(dx) > Math.abs(dy) * 1.4) {
+    // ignore swipes and stay plain tap-to-open.
+    if (revealable && Math.abs(dx) > 40 && Math.abs(dx) > Math.abs(dy) * 1.4) {
       swiped = true;
       revealedId = dx < 0 ? drag.id : null;
     }
@@ -240,6 +245,14 @@
     }
   }
 
+  // startDelete routes the row's delete: a hotseat game (active or finished) is gated behind the host
+  // master PIN (so the last mover cannot instantly wipe the game); any other finished game deletes at
+  // once.
+  function startDelete(g: GameView): void {
+    if (g.hotseat) pinTarget = g.id;
+    else void hide(g.id);
+  }
+
   async function acceptInvite(inv: Invitation) {
     try {
       const r = await gateway.invitationAccept(inv.id);
@@ -315,15 +328,15 @@
           <div class="list">
             {#each group.list as g (g.id)}
               {@const badge = badgeKind(app.chatUnread[g.id] ?? false, app.messageUnread[g.id] ?? false)}
-              <div class="rowwrap" class:revealed={group.finished && revealedId === g.id}>
+              <div class="rowwrap" class:revealed={(group.finished || g.hotseat) && revealedId === g.id}>
-                {#if group.finished}
+                {#if group.finished || g.hotseat}
-                  <button class="del" onclick={() => hide(g.id)} disabled={!connection.online} aria-label={t('lobby.hideGame')}>❌</button>
+                  <button class="del" onclick={() => startDelete(g)} disabled={!isLocalGameId(g.id) && !connection.online} aria-label={t('lobby.hideGame')}>❌</button>
                 {/if}
                 <div class="row">
                   <button
                     class="open"
                     onpointerdown={(e) => onRowDown(e, g.id)}
-                    onpointerup={(e) => onRowUp(e, group.finished)}
+                    onpointerup={(e) => onRowUp(e, group.finished || !!g.hotseat)}
                     onclick={() => openGame(g)}
                   >
                     <span class="info">
@@ -340,12 +353,15 @@
                           >{/each}</span
                       >
                     </span>
-                    <!-- Re-key on the per-card blink nonce so a repeat blink restarts the fade. -->
+                    <!-- Re-key on the per-card blink nonce so a repeat blink restarts the fade. A
+                         hotseat game shows no lobby medal — its result lives on the in-game seat
+                         plaques, and resultBadge is viewer-centric (no seat matches the account). A
+                         vs_ai game keeps its medal (one human, a straightforward win/loss). -->
                     {#key blinkNonce.get(g.id) ?? 0}
-                      <span class="emoji" class:blink={blinkingIds.has(g.id)}>{resultBadge(g, myId).emoji}</span>
+                      <span class="emoji" class:blink={blinkingIds.has(g.id)}>{g.hotseat ? '' : resultBadge(g, myId).emoji}</span>
                     {/key}
                   </button>
-                  {#if group.finished}
+                  {#if group.finished || g.hotseat}
                     <button class="kebab" onclick={() => toggleReveal(g.id)} aria-label={t('lobby.hideGame')}>⋮</button>
                   {:else}
                     <!-- A visual duplicate of the row's tap target: opens the game on tap, but kept out
@@ -378,6 +394,21 @@
     </Modal>
   {/if}
 
+  <!-- Deleting a hotseat game (active or finished) is gated by the host master PIN. -->
+  {#if pinTarget}
+    <PinPad
+      mode="verify"
+      title={t('hotseat.hostPin')}
+      verify={(p) => localSource.verifyHostPin(pinTarget ?? '', p)}
+      onclose={() => (pinTarget = null)}
+      onresult={() => {
+        const id = pinTarget;
+        pinTarget = null;
+        if (id) void hide(id);
+      }}
+    />
+  {/if}
+
   {#snippet tabbar()}
     <TabBar>
       <button class="tab" disabled={atGameLimit} onclick={() => navigate('/new')}>

ui/src/screens/Login.svelte

@@ -17,10 +17,17 @@
   }
 
   async function signIn() {
+    if (busy || code.trim().length === 0) return;
     busy = true;
     await loginEmail(email.trim(), code.trim());
     busy = false;
   }
+
+  // Track the code and auto-submit once the 6-digit code is complete (Enter submits too).
+  function onCode(v: string): void {
+    code = v;
+    if (code.trim().length === 6) void signIn();
+  }
 </script>
 
 <main class="login">
@@ -46,10 +53,16 @@
     {:else}
       <p class="muted">{t('login.codeSent', { email })}</p>
       <input
+        class="codein"
         inputmode="numeric"
         autocomplete="one-time-code"
+        maxlength="6"
         placeholder={t('login.codePlaceholder')}
-        bind:value={code}
+        value={code}
+        oninput={(e) => onCode(e.currentTarget.value)}
+        onkeydown={(e) => {
+          if (e.key === 'Enter') void signIn();
+        }}
       />
       <button class="secondary" disabled={busy || !code.trim()} onclick={signIn}>
         {t('login.signIn')}
@@ -98,6 +111,11 @@
     color: var(--text);
     font-size: 1rem;
   }
+  /* The email code: the same spread-digit look as the friend-code input elsewhere. */
+  .codein {
+    letter-spacing: 0.3em;
+    font-size: 1.1rem;
+  }
   button {
     padding: 12px;
     border-radius: var(--radius-sm);

ui/src/screens/NewGame.svelte

@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 <script lang="ts">
   import { onMount } from 'svelte';
   import Screen from '../components/Screen.svelte';
+  import Modal from '../components/Modal.svelte';
+  import PinPad, { type PinResult } from '../components/PinPad.svelte';
   import { gateway } from '../lib/gateway';
   import { app, handleError, showToast } from '../lib/app.svelte';
   import { connection } from '../lib/connection.svelte';
@@ -9,6 +11,9 @@
   import { newLocalGameId, randomSeed } from '../lib/localgame/id';
   import { navigate } from '../lib/router.svelte';
   import { t, type MessageKey } from '../lib/i18n/index.svelte';
+  import { validDisplayName } from '../lib/profileValidation';
+  import { verifyPin, type PinLock } from '../lib/pin';
+  import { commitName, rosterReady, buildSeats, shuffleSeeded, type RosterRow } from '../lib/roster';
   import type { AccountRef, Variant } from '../lib/model';
   import {
     availableVariants,
@@ -144,13 +149,143 @@
     }
   }
 
+  // --- offline hotseat (pass-and-play) ---
+  // A device-local 2-4 human game. The host (referee) sets a mandatory master PIN first — it gates
+  // the roster and, in-game, the host overrides; each player row optionally locks its seat with a PIN.
+  let hostPin = $state<PinLock | undefined>(undefined);
+  let rows = $state<RosterRow[]>([
+    { name: '', committed: '' },
+    { name: '', committed: '' },
+  ]);
+  let askHostPlays = $state(false); // the "do you take a seat?" prompt shown once the host PIN is set
+
+  // The PIN-pad overlay target: what a completed PIN applies to.
+  type PadTarget =
+    | { kind: 'host-set' }
+    | { kind: 'host-change' }
+    | { kind: 'seat-set'; index: number }
+    | { kind: 'seat-change'; index: number }
+    | { kind: 'row-delete'; index: number };
+  let pad = $state<PadTarget | null>(null);
+  // The row whose delete cross is armed: tapping a row's kebab asks the host PIN, and a correct PIN
+  // arms its ❌ (mirroring the lobby delete) rather than removing it silently. Tapping the kebab again
+  // (or arming another row) clears the authorisation.
+  let deleteRow = $state<number | null>(null);
+
+  const padMode = (p: PadTarget): 'set' | 'verify' | 'change' =>
+    p.kind === 'host-set' || p.kind === 'seat-set' ? 'set' : p.kind === 'row-delete' ? 'verify' : 'change';
+  function padVerify(p: PadTarget): ((pin: string) => Promise<boolean>) | undefined {
+    if (p.kind === 'host-change' || p.kind === 'row-delete') return (pin) => verifyPin(pin, hostPin!);
+    if (p.kind === 'seat-change') return (pin) => verifyPin(pin, rows[p.index].pin!);
+    return undefined; // set flows need no verifier
+  }
+  const padTitle = (p: PadTarget): string =>
+    p.kind === 'host-set' || p.kind === 'host-change' || p.kind === 'row-delete'
+      ? t('hotseat.hostPin')
+      : t('hotseat.setPin');
+
+  function onPad(r: PinResult): void {
+    const target = pad;
+    pad = null;
+    if (!target) return;
+    switch (target.kind) {
+      case 'host-set':
+        if (r.kind === 'set') {
+          hostPin = r.lock;
+          askHostPlays = true;
+        }
+        break;
+      case 'host-change':
+        if (r.kind === 'set') hostPin = r.lock; // the host PIN is mandatory — no remove option
+        break;
+      case 'seat-set':
+        if (r.kind === 'set') rows[target.index].pin = r.lock;
+        break;
+      case 'seat-change':
+        if (r.kind === 'set') rows[target.index].pin = r.lock;
+        else if (r.kind === 'removed') rows[target.index].pin = undefined;
+        break;
+      case 'row-delete':
+        if (r.kind === 'verified') deleteRow = target.index; // arm the ❌; the actual delete is a tap on it
+        break;
+    }
+  }
+
+  // onKebab toggles a row's delete authorisation: a second tap (already armed) closes it and resets
+  // the host authorisation; otherwise it asks the host PIN (which, on success, arms the ❌).
+  function onKebab(i: number): void {
+    if (deleteRow === i) {
+      deleteRow = null;
+      return;
+    }
+    deleteRow = null; // only one row armed at a time
+    pad = { kind: 'row-delete', index: i };
+  }
+
+  function removeRow(i: number): void {
+    rows = rows.filter((_, j) => j !== i);
+    deleteRow = null;
+  }
+
+  function addRow(): void {
+    rows = [...rows, { name: '', committed: '' }];
+    deleteRow = null;
+  }
+
+  function setHostPlays(yes: boolean): void {
+    askHostPlays = false;
+    if (!yes) return;
+    // Seat the host at row 0, its name reused from the profile (a normal seat — its optional seat PIN
+    // is separate from the master PIN).
+    const committed = commitName(app.profile?.displayName ?? '', '');
+    rows[0] = { name: committed, committed };
+  }
+
+  function openSeatPin(i: number): void {
+    pad = rows[i].pin ? { kind: 'seat-change', index: i } : { kind: 'seat-set', index: i };
+  }
+
+  async function startHotseat(): Promise<void> {
+    if (starting || !hostPin || !inviteVariant || !rosterReady(rows)) return;
+    starting = true;
+    try {
+      const version = app.profile?.dictVersions?.[inviteVariant];
+      if (!version) {
+        handleError(new Error('dict_unavailable'));
+        return;
+      }
+      const id = newLocalGameId();
+      const seed = randomSeed();
+      // Randomise the seating so the FIRST mover is random (the engine starts at seat 0, so shuffling
+      // the seats picks a random starter and turn order). Seed-driven, so replay is consistent.
+      // Snapshot the roster + PINs to plain objects: the rows/pins are $state proxies, and a proxy
+      // fails structured-clone when the record is persisted to IndexedDB (silently, best-effort store)
+      // — so the game would vanish on reload. See lib/localgame/store.
+      await localSource.create({
+        id,
+        variant: inviteVariant,
+        dictVersion: version,
+        seed,
+        multipleWords: multipleWordsForRequest(inviteVariant, multipleWords),
+        seats: $state.snapshot(shuffleSeeded(buildSeats(rows), seed)),
+        hotseat: true,
+        hostPin: hostPin ? $state.snapshot(hostPin) : undefined,
+      });
+      navigate(`/game/${id}`);
+    } catch (e) {
+      handleError(e);
+    } finally {
+      starting = false;
+    }
+  }
 </script>
 
 <Screen title={t('new.title')} back="/">
   <div class="page">
-      <!-- Offline mode offers only a local vs_ai game: the friends flow needs the network, so the
+      <!-- The auto/friends selector. Online it is hidden for guests (no friends to invite). Offline
-           auto/friends selector is hidden and the auto (vs_ai) flow shows on its own. -->
+           it is always shown: "quick" is the local vs_ai flow, "with friends" is the local
-      {#if !guest && !offlineMode.active}
+           pass-and-play (hotseat) flow. -->
+      {#if !guest || offlineMode.active}
         <div class="seg modes">
           <button class="opt" class:active={mode === 'auto'} onclick={() => (mode = 'auto')}>{t('new.auto')}</button>
           <button class="opt" class:active={mode === 'friends'} onclick={() => (mode = 'friends')}>{t('new.withFriends')}</button>
@@ -190,7 +325,6 @@
             <input type="checkbox" bind:checked={multipleWords} />
           </label>
         {/if}
-        <div class="grow"></div>
         <p class="movelimit">{opponent === 'ai' ? t('new.aiInactiveLimit') : t('new.moveLimit', { n: AUTO_MATCH_HOURS })}</p>
         {#if opponent === 'random'}<p class="searchhint">{t('new.searchHint')}</p>{/if}
         <button
@@ -198,6 +332,78 @@
           disabled={!selectedAuto || (!connection.online && !offlineMode.active) || starting}
           onclick={() => selectedAuto && find(selectedAuto)}
         >{t('new.start')}</button>
+      {:else if offlineMode.active}
+        <!-- Offline pass-and-play (hotseat): a device-local 2-4 human game. The host sets a master
+             PIN first (it gates the roster); each seat may add its own PIN. -->
+        <div class="hostpin">
+          <span class="ftitle">{t('hotseat.hostPin')}</span>
+          <button class="plink" onclick={() => (pad = hostPin ? { kind: 'host-change' } : { kind: 'host-set' })}>
+            {hostPin ? t('hotseat.changePin') : t('hotseat.setPin')}
+          </button>
+        </div>
+        <!-- Variant plaques + the multiple-words toggle, identical to Quick Match. -->
+        <div class="variants">
+          {#each variants as v (v.id)}
+            <button class="variant" class:selected={inviteVariant === v.id} onclick={() => (inviteVariant = v.id)}>
+              <span class="vmain">
+                <span class="vname">{t(v.label)}</span>
+                {#if VARIANT_FLAG[v.id]}
+                  <span class="vflag">{VARIANT_FLAG[v.id]}</span>
+                {:else}
+                  <img class="vflag-img" src="flag-ussr.svg" alt="" />
+                {/if}
+              </span>
+              <span class="vrules">{t(VARIANT_RULES[v.id])}</span>
+            </button>
+          {/each}
+        </div>
+        {#if variants.some((v) => supportsMultipleWordsToggle(v.id))}
+          <label class="toggle">
+            <span>{t('new.multipleWordsPerTurn')}</span>
+            <input type="checkbox" bind:checked={multipleWords} />
+          </label>
+        {/if}
+        <div class="roster">
+          {#each rows as row, i (i)}
+            <div class="prow">
+              <input
+                class="pname"
+                class:invalid={row.name.trim() !== '' && !validDisplayName(row.name)}
+                bind:value={row.name}
+                disabled={!hostPin}
+                placeholder={t('hotseat.playerName')}
+                maxlength="40"
+                oninput={() => (row.committed = commitName(row.name, row.committed))}
+                onblur={() => (row.name = row.committed)}
+              />
+              <button class="plink" disabled={!hostPin || row.committed === ''} onclick={() => openSeatPin(i)}>
+                {row.pin ? t('hotseat.changePin') : t('hotseat.setPin')}
+              </button>
+              {#if rows.length > 2}
+                {#if deleteRow === i}
+                  <button class="prow-del" aria-label={t('hotseat.removePlayer')} onclick={() => removeRow(i)}>❌</button>
+                {/if}
+                <button
+                  class="pkebab"
+                  class:armed={deleteRow === i}
+                  disabled={!hostPin}
+                  aria-label={t('hotseat.removePlayer')}
+                  onclick={() => onKebab(i)}
+                >⋮</button>
+              {/if}
+            </div>
+          {/each}
+        </div>
+        {#if rows.length < 4}
+          <button class="addrow" disabled={!hostPin} onclick={addRow}>
+            + {t('hotseat.addPlayer')}
+          </button>
+        {/if}
+        <button
+          class="invite"
+          disabled={!hostPin || !inviteVariant || !rosterReady(rows) || starting}
+          onclick={startHotseat}
+        >{t('new.start')}</button>
       {:else if friends.length === 0}
         <p class="subtitle">{t('new.noFriends')}</p>
       {:else}
@@ -245,16 +451,37 @@
           <button class="invite" disabled={selected.length === 0 || !inviteVariant || !connection.online} onclick={sendInvite}>{t('new.invite')}</button>
         </div>
       {/if}
+
+      {#if pad}
+        <PinPad
+          mode={padMode(pad)}
+          title={padTitle(pad)}
+          verify={padVerify(pad)}
+          allowRemove={pad.kind === 'seat-change'}
+          onclose={() => (pad = null)}
+          onresult={onPad}
+        />
+      {/if}
+      {#if askHostPlays}
+        <Modal title={t('hotseat.hostPlaysTitle')} onclose={() => (askHostPlays = false)}>
+          <div class="hostplays">
+            <button class="ghost" onclick={() => setHostPlays(false)}>{t('hotseat.hostPlaysNo')}</button>
+            <button class="primary" onclick={() => setHostPlays(true)}>{t('hotseat.hostPlaysYes')}</button>
+          </div>
+        </Modal>
+      {/if}
   </div>
 </Screen>
 
 <style>
+  /* Natural-flow content (matching the Profile sub-view): no forced height and no pinned CTA, so the
+     screen's own scroll (Screen .content + --vvh) handles overflow and a focused input scrolls into
+     view above the soft keyboard with a single, clean scroll container. */
   .page {
     padding: var(--pad);
     display: flex;
     flex-direction: column;
     gap: 14px;
-    height: 100%;
     box-sizing: border-box;
   }
   .subtitle {
@@ -339,8 +566,6 @@
     border-color: var(--accent);
   }
   .fg {
-    flex: 1;
-    min-height: 0;
     display: flex;
     flex-direction: column;
     gap: 10px;
@@ -363,9 +588,6 @@
     border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
   }
   .friends-scroll {
-    flex: 1;
-    min-height: 0;
-    overflow-y: auto;
     display: flex;
     flex-direction: column;
     gap: 6px;
@@ -426,11 +648,6 @@
     color: var(--text-muted);
     margin: 0;
   }
-  /* Pushes the auto-match start cluster (move-limit hint + Start button) to the bottom,
-     mirroring the friend-game invite button pinned by the .fg scroll area. */
-  .grow {
-    flex: 1;
-  }
   .invite {
     flex: 0 0 auto;
     padding: 14px;
@@ -450,4 +667,105 @@
     font-size: 0.85rem;
     line-height: 1.4;
   }
+  /* --- offline hotseat roster --- */
+  .hostpin {
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: space-between;
+    gap: 8px;
+    padding: 11px;
+    border: 1px solid var(--border);
+    background: var(--surface);
+    border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+  }
+  .roster {
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    gap: 8px;
+  }
+  .prow {
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    gap: 8px;
+  }
+  .pname {
+    flex: 1;
+    min-width: 0;
+    padding: 10px 11px;
+    border: 1px solid var(--border);
+    background: var(--surface);
+    color: var(--text);
+    border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+  }
+  .pname:disabled {
+    opacity: 0.5;
+  }
+  .pname.invalid {
+    border-color: var(--danger);
+  }
+  .plink {
+    flex: 0 0 auto;
+    padding: 8px 10px;
+    border: none;
+    background: none;
+    color: var(--accent);
+    font-weight: 600;
+    white-space: nowrap;
+  }
+  .plink:disabled {
+    color: var(--text-muted);
+    opacity: 0.6;
+  }
+  .pkebab {
+    flex: 0 0 auto;
+    padding: 6px 8px;
+    border: none;
+    background: none;
+    color: var(--text-muted);
+    font-size: 1.1rem;
+    line-height: 1;
+  }
+  .pkebab.armed {
+    color: var(--accent);
+  }
+  /* The delete cross a correct host PIN arms next to a player row (mirrors the lobby game delete). */
+  .prow-del {
+    flex: 0 0 auto;
+    padding: 6px 8px;
+    border: none;
+    background: none;
+    font-size: 1rem;
+    line-height: 1;
+  }
+  .addrow {
+    align-self: flex-start;
+    padding: 8px 12px;
+    border: 1px dashed var(--border);
+    background: none;
+    color: var(--accent);
+    border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+    font-weight: 600;
+  }
+  .addrow:disabled {
+    opacity: 0.5;
+    color: var(--text-muted);
+  }
+  .hostplays {
+    display: flex;
+    gap: 10px;
+    justify-content: flex-end;
+  }
+  .hostplays button {
+    padding: 10px 16px;
+    border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+    border: 1px solid var(--border);
+    background: var(--surface);
+    color: var(--text);
+    font-weight: 600;
+  }
+  .hostplays .primary {
+    background: var(--accent);
+    color: var(--accent-text);
+    border-color: var(--accent);
+  }
 </style>

ui/src/sw.ts

@@ -24,17 +24,19 @@ clientsClaim();
 // Drop precaches left by a previous SW revision (including the old install-only shell cache).
 cleanupOutdatedCaches();
 
-// Precache the shell + hashed assets injected at build time — exactly what a cold offline launch
-// needs. The landing page and the old-engine polyfill bundle are excluded via the build globs.
-precacheAndRoute(self.__WB_MANIFEST);
-
 // Navigations are network-first so a new deploy loads immediately when online: fetch the fresh
 // (no-cache) shell from the server — it references the new hashed assets, which are then fetched
 // fresh — and only fall back to the precached shell when the network is unreachable or too slow (a
 // short timeout). This keeps the app up to date online while still cold-launching offline. Only the
-// tiny HTML is re-fetched; the immutable hashed assets stay cache-first (precacheAndRoute above) and
+// tiny HTML is re-fetched; the immutable hashed assets stay cache-first (precacheAndRoute below) and
 // re-download only when their hash — i.e. the version — changes. Deny-list the RPC path and the
 // admin console so those are never resolved to the app shell.
+//
+// This route MUST be registered BEFORE precacheAndRoute: Workbox matches routes in registration
+// order, and the precache route matches shell navigations too (its directoryIndex is index.html), so
+// registering it first would shadow this handler and serve the shell CACHE-FIRST — i.e. the old
+// build's version until the next load. NavigationRoute matches only request.mode === 'navigate', so
+// hashed-asset requests still fall through to the cache-first precache route below.
 const NAV_TIMEOUT_MS = 3000;
 async function freshShell({ request }: { request: Request }): Promise<Response> {
   const ctrl = new AbortController();
@@ -50,3 +52,9 @@ async function freshShell({ request }: { request: Request }): Promise<Response>
   return (await matchPrecache('index.html')) ?? Response.error();
 }
 registerRoute(new NavigationRoute(freshShell, { denylist: [/^\/scrabble\.edge\.v1\.Gateway/, /^\/_gm\//] }));
+
+// Precache the shell + hashed assets injected at build time — exactly what a cold offline launch
+// needs (the precached index.html is also the offline fallback matchPrecache serves above). The
+// immutable hashed assets stay cache-first here; the landing page and the old-engine polyfill bundle
+// are excluded via the build globs.
+precacheAndRoute(self.__WB_MANIFEST);