diff --git a/apps/web/app/_components/hero-background.webp b/apps/web/app/_components/hero-background.webp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a132c32
Binary files /dev/null and b/apps/web/app/_components/hero-background.webp differ
diff --git a/apps/web/app/_components/hero.tsx b/apps/web/app/_components/hero.tsx
index 976dbc6..f8711a4 100644
--- a/apps/web/app/_components/hero.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/app/_components/hero.tsx
@@ -8,22 +8,30 @@ import {
 import { Badge } from "@workspace/ui/components/badge"
 import { Button } from "@workspace/ui/components/button"
 
-// Server Component. Backdrop is a pure CSS stripe texture — no image assets.
+import heroBackground from "./hero-background.webp"
+
+// Server Component. Backdrop is a static-imported image: Next fingerprints it
+// into `.next/static`, which both deploy paths already ship — unlike `public/`,
+// which only the pm2 deploy copies and the Dockerfile skips entirely.
 export function Hero() {
   return (
     <section
       aria-label="Introduction"
       className="relative overflow-hidden border-b"
     >
-      {/* Angled stripe texture — the hero backdrop (no photo). */}
+      {/* Backdrop image. Authored dark: shown as-is in dark mode, inverted in
+          light mode so it reads as a pale technical texture, not a black slab. */}
       <div
         aria-hidden="true"
-        className="absolute inset-0 bg-card [background-image:repeating-linear-gradient(135deg,var(--muted)_0_2px,transparent_2px_22px)]"
+        style={{ backgroundImage: `url(${heroBackground.src})` }}
+        className="absolute inset-0 bg-card bg-cover bg-[position:72%_center] invert md:bg-center dark:invert-0"
       />
-      {/* Readability overlay — fades to the theme background where the copy sits. */}
+      {/* Readability overlay — fades to the theme background where the copy sits.
+          Narrow screens get a near-flat scrim (copy spans the full width there);
+          from md the fade turns directional and leaves the artwork on the right. */}
       <div
         aria-hidden="true"
-        className="absolute inset-0 bg-[linear-gradient(90deg,var(--background)_0%,var(--background)_34%,transparent_82%),linear-gradient(0deg,var(--background)_2%,transparent_34%)]"
+        className="absolute inset-0 bg-[linear-gradient(0deg,var(--background)_14%,color-mix(in_oklab,var(--background)_78%,transparent)_62%,color-mix(in_oklab,var(--background)_38%,transparent)_100%)] md:bg-[linear-gradient(90deg,var(--background)_0%,var(--background)_34%,transparent_82%),linear-gradient(0deg,var(--background)_2%,transparent_34%)]"
       />
 
       <div className="relative mx-auto max-w-6xl px-6 pt-24 pb-26">
diff --git a/apps/web/app/getting-started/_components/guide-hero.tsx b/apps/web/app/getting-started/_components/guide-hero.tsx
index 5e64975..24404c1 100644
--- a/apps/web/app/getting-started/_components/guide-hero.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/app/getting-started/_components/guide-hero.tsx
@@ -5,9 +5,10 @@ import { Badge } from "@workspace/ui/components/badge"
 const DEVOPS_DOC = "https://github.com/dev-geddy/backflip/blob/master/devops.md"
 
 /**
- * Hero band shared by the setup wizards. Same stripe-texture backdrop as the
- * homepage hero, shorter. Copy comes from the page — one hero, one flavour of
- * chrome, no per-guide fork.
+ * Hero band shared by the setup wizards: CSS stripe texture, shorter than the
+ * homepage hero (which carries the backdrop image — guides stay quiet, the
+ * artwork is a landing-page device). Copy comes from the page — one hero, one
+ * flavour of chrome, no per-guide fork.
  */
 export function GuideHero({
   title,
diff --git a/docs/notes/ui.md b/docs/notes/ui.md
index afda205..2155217 100644
--- a/docs/notes/ui.md
+++ b/docs/notes/ui.md
@@ -9,13 +9,13 @@
 - `packages/ui/components.json` — shadcn config. Satisfies `L2-UI-06`, `L2-UI-07`.
 - `apps/web/app/layout.tsx` — mounts ThemeProvider + TooltipProvider + Toaster. Satisfies `L2-UI-04`, `L2-UI-09`.
 - `apps/web/app/page.tsx` — public marketing homepage (RSC/SSR). Composes `_components/`: `SiteHeader`, `Hero`, `CapabilityList`, `FeatureList`, `HowItWorks`, `WordmarkBand`, `SiteFooter`. Sets page `metadata`. Satisfies `L2-UI-11` (proposed).
-- `apps/web/app/_components/*` — homepage sections (app-scoped, `L1-ARCH-07/08`): `site-header.tsx` (`"use client"` — sticky nav + wordmark + `ThemeToggle`, links use `Button render={<a/>}`), `theme-toggle.tsx` (dark/light switch via `useTheme`, mount-guarded; `variant` outline|ghost + `className` props — shared by public and admin headers), `brand-icon.tsx` (shared arc glyph SVG — used by the public wordmark and the admin sidebar logo tile: bordered `bg-card` tile + `text-primary` glyph on both), `hero.tsx` (headline + CTAs over CSS stripe texture, no image; primary CTA → `/getting-started`, outline CTA "Fork it, make it yours" → GitHub's `/fork` route in a new tab — the "Open Admin" CTA was dropped, a first-time visitor has no account to open), `capability-list.tsx` (5 `CAPABILITIES` — the non-technical mirror of the feature list, see below), `feature-list.tsx` (5 `FEATURES`), `numbered-list.tsx` (the row layout both of them render), `how-it-works.tsx` (3-step band on `bg-muted`; "Clone" card CTA → GitHub repo (new tab), "Configure" card CTA → `/getting-started`, "Ship" card CTA → `/getting-started/start-building` (outline `Button render={<a/>}`)), `wordmark-band.tsx` (oversized `text-muted-foreground/20` accent), `site-footer.tsx` (copyright line also carries `AppVersion`), `app-version.tsx`. Theme tokens only, no hex. Icons remixicon only.
+- `apps/web/app/_components/*` — homepage sections (app-scoped, `L1-ARCH-07/08`): `site-header.tsx` (`"use client"` — sticky nav + wordmark + `ThemeToggle`, links use `Button render={<a/>}`), `theme-toggle.tsx` (dark/light switch via `useTheme`, mount-guarded; `variant` outline|ghost + `className` props — shared by public and admin headers), `brand-icon.tsx` (shared arc glyph SVG — used by the public wordmark and the admin sidebar logo tile: bordered `bg-card` tile + `text-primary` glyph on both), `hero.tsx` (headline + CTAs over `hero-background.webp` — dark-authored artwork, `invert` in light mode, static-imported so Next fingerprints it into `.next/static`; readability scrim is near-flat below `md` and directional from `md` up, leaving the artwork right of the copy; primary CTA → `/getting-started`, outline CTA "Fork it, make it yours" → GitHub's `/fork` route in a new tab — the "Open Admin" CTA was dropped, a first-time visitor has no account to open), `capability-list.tsx` (5 `CAPABILITIES` — the non-technical mirror of the feature list, see below), `feature-list.tsx` (5 `FEATURES`), `numbered-list.tsx` (the row layout both of them render), `how-it-works.tsx` (3-step band on `bg-muted`; "Clone" card CTA → GitHub repo (new tab), "Configure" card CTA → `/getting-started`, "Ship" card CTA → `/getting-started/start-building` (outline `Button render={<a/>}`)), `wordmark-band.tsx` (oversized `text-muted-foreground/20` accent), `site-footer.tsx` (copyright line also carries `AppVersion`), `app-version.tsx`. Theme tokens only, no hex. Icons remixicon only.
 - `apps/web/app/getting-started/page.tsx` — three-phase index (RSC, static): hero + `PHASES` sections (01 Discover / 02 Set up / 03 Start building), each a lead + guide cards; linked from the homepage "Configure" card. Satisfies `L2-UI-18`.
 - `apps/web/app/getting-started/intro/page.tsx` — discovery page (RSC, static): what Backflip is, `IN_THE_BOX` + `AUDIENCE` card grids, CTA → setup wizard. Satisfies `L2-UI-18`.
 - `apps/web/app/getting-started/start-building/page.tsx` — prompts-only page (RSC, static): `PROMPTS` (4 copy-ready coding-agent prompts — contact form, admin view, Resend notification, spam/polish) rendered via page-scoped `_components/prompt-block.tsx` (client — copy-to-clipboard prose card, wraps, no shell gutter). Linked from homepage "Ship" card. Satisfies `L2-UI-18`.
 - `apps/web/app/getting-started/setup-on-digitalocean-droplet-docker-flavour/page.tsx` — placeholder (RSC, "Coming soon" badge): docker-flavour guide lands after the docker setup/deploy scripts are verified end-to-end; links to the pm2 guide + index. Satisfies `L2-UI-18`.
 - `apps/web/app/getting-started/setup-on-digitalocean-droplet/page.tsx` — public guided deploy walkthrough (RSC shell, `metadata.title` "Setup on a DigitalOcean droplet"); composes `SiteHeader` → `GuideHero` → `SetupGuide` → `SiteFooter`. Prerenders static. See "Getting-started guide route"; satisfies `L2-UI-18`.
-- `apps/web/app/getting-started/setup-on-digitalocean-droplet/_components/*` — page-scoped (`L1-ARCH-07/08`): `guide-hero.tsx` (RSC, homepage stripe-texture backdrop, smaller clamp), `setup-vars.ts` (plain module — `SetupVars`, `resolve()`, one builder per command block; `@spec L2-DEVOPS-01, L2-DEVOPS-02, L2-DEVOPS-06`), `variables-form.tsx` (client — the single shared form + its guidance layout), `field-guidance.tsx` (client — step-1 focus-driven help panel), `command-block.tsx` (client — copy-to-clipboard `<pre>` + `<placeholder>` token highlighting, `compact` variant), `setup-guide.tsx` (client island — owns `SetupVars` + step index, sessionStorage persistence, Back/Next/Reset), `setup-steps.tsx` (client — `STEPS` metadata + `StepBody`, all guide copy; step 1 "Get a droplet" — image/size/ssh-key/DNS checklist, ssh-keygen block (keygen lives here, not in the variables sidebar) + DigitalOcean referral-link CTA (m.do.co, labeled as referral); step 2 "Clone" — local software checklist (git, Node 24 + corepack, OpenSSH/openssl) + clone/install block + Claude-Code-primary note (other agents untested); final Summary step renders + downloads `backflip-setup-summary.txt` via Blob — values incl. owner password with a keep-private warning, plus day-two command reference from `summaryDocument()` in setup-vars), `wizard-stepper.tsx` (client — numbered clickable progress dots).
+- `apps/web/app/getting-started/setup-on-digitalocean-droplet/_components/*` — page-scoped (`L1-ARCH-07/08`): `guide-hero.tsx` (RSC, CSS stripe-texture backdrop — the homepage hero moved to an image, guides kept the stripes; smaller clamp), `setup-vars.ts` (plain module — `SetupVars`, `resolve()`, one builder per command block; `@spec L2-DEVOPS-01, L2-DEVOPS-02, L2-DEVOPS-06`), `variables-form.tsx` (client — the single shared form + its guidance layout), `field-guidance.tsx` (client — step-1 focus-driven help panel), `command-block.tsx` (client — copy-to-clipboard `<pre>` + `<placeholder>` token highlighting, `compact` variant), `setup-guide.tsx` (client island — owns `SetupVars` + step index, sessionStorage persistence, Back/Next/Reset), `setup-steps.tsx` (client — `STEPS` metadata + `StepBody`, all guide copy; step 1 "Get a droplet" — image/size/ssh-key/DNS checklist, ssh-keygen block (keygen lives here, not in the variables sidebar) + DigitalOcean referral-link CTA (m.do.co, labeled as referral); step 2 "Clone" — local software checklist (git, Node 24 + corepack, OpenSSH/openssl) + clone/install block + Claude-Code-primary note (other agents untested); final Summary step renders + downloads `backflip-setup-summary.txt` via Blob — values incl. owner password with a keep-private warning, plus day-two command reference from `summaryDocument()` in setup-vars), `wizard-stepper.tsx` (client — numbered clickable progress dots).
 - `apps/web/app/backflip/(protected)/users/page.tsx` — admin Members surface (RSC). Selects `users` display fields + `emailVerified`/`createdAt` (no hash), newest first; derives per-member `loginMethods`, `usesGoogle`, `status` (Active/Pending) + workspace counts; renders `MembersView`. Sidebar `Users` links here. (Members master-detail — see "Members (design 1A)".)
 - `apps/web/app/backflip/(protected)/ui-samples/page.tsx` — component demo, admin-only (moved from public `/ui-samples`; auth-gated by the edge proxy, second Platform nav item below Overview, capability `dashboard`). Public header/footer/hero links now point to `/getting-started`. Dashboard/masonry layout reproducing the `base-mira` create-preview; exercises ~50 components (item, field, input-group, native-select, toggle-group, chart/recharts, empty, spinner, progress, calendar, radio, table, tabs, accordion, …). `d` = dark toggle. Satisfies `L2-UI-05`, `L2-UI-12`. Note: uncontrolled `defaultValue` passed to base-ui ToggleGroup/Slider must be stable module-scope refs (base-ui warns on identity change per render).
 - `apps/web/next.config.ts` — `transpilePackages: ["@workspace/ui"]`. Satisfies `L2-UI-10`.
@@ -133,6 +133,15 @@ Both render the real `devops/` commands with the operator's variables substitute
 - Step 2 (Clone) carries the pm2 guide's Claude-Code note too (it was missing here — only the docker-specific "no Docker needed locally" note was present), extended with the line that ties it to the step-9 handoff: the shipped instructions are what let the agent run the rest of the guide, docker flavour included.
 - Step 8 owner seed drops the `. $HOME/.nvm/nvm.sh` sourcing — Node is system-wide from apt here, so `corepack` is on the app user's PATH.
 
+## Homepage hero backdrop image
+`apps/web/app/_components/hero.tsx` + `hero-background.webp` (colocated, `L1-ARCH-08`).
+- **Why a static import, not `public/`**: `public/` is copied by `deploy-for-pm2-build-locally.sh` only — the Dockerfile ships `.next/standalone` + `.next/static` and nothing else, so a `public/` asset would 404 on the docker flavour. A static-imported asset lands in `.next/static` (content-hashed, immutable-cached) and both deploy paths already carry it. No `public/` dir exists in the repo; keep it that way unless both paths are taught about it.
+- **No `next/image`**: the optimizer pulls `sharp` (native module) onto the serving path, and the build-locally deploy rsyncs the build machine's traced `node_modules` — a macOS build would ship darwin `sharp` to Ubuntu. Plain CSS `background-image` off `heroBackground.src`.
+- Source art is dark. Light mode uses `invert` (pale technical texture on white) rather than a second asset or an opacity knock-back, which turned the artwork to grey mud.
+- Encoding: 1536×1024 source PNG (1.4 MB) → WebP q88, **36 KB**. Flat dark gradients compress hard; q72 was 17 KB but banded. The source PNG is deliberately not committed.
+- Scrim is two-tier: below `md` a near-flat vertical fade (copy spans the full width there) with the crop pushed to `72%` so the diagonals stay visible; from `md` up the original directional fade (`--background` → transparent at 82%) keeps the left column clean and the artwork right of the copy.
+- Guide heroes (`getting-started/_components/guide-hero.tsx`) kept the CSS stripe texture — the image is a landing-page device only.
+
 ## Homepage capability section (non-developer audience)
 `apps/web/app/_components/capability-list.tsx` — sits between `Hero` and `FeatureList`.
 - **Why**: the "Included" grid answers *what is this built from* (auth, Postgres, shadcn, AI wiring) — useful to developers, opaque to the non-devs the project is pitched at. This section answers *what can I do with it* using the same five slots, so the pair reads as two views of one product rather than two lists.