diff --git a/DESIGN.md b/DESIGN.md
index fee5c86f..c8703885 100644
--- a/DESIGN.md
+++ b/DESIGN.md
@@ -325,7 +325,7 @@ The noise field renders thousands of dots with per-frame brightness calculations
 | **Base opacity** | 0.35 (hero), 0.5 (loading states) | Visible but subordinate to content |
 | **Bloom** | Gaussian glow (sigma 6px) on all visible dots, intensity scales with brightness | Soft halos create overlapping luminous field |
 | **Color** | HSL with hue from `djb2(route.path) % 360 / 360`, saturation 0.35 + brightness x 0.15, lightness 0.4 + brightness x 0.3 | Slightly warmer and brighter than original CLI spec for screen visibility |
-| **Frame rate** | Capped at display refresh via `requestAnimationFrame` | No `setInterval`; GPU-synced |
+| **Frame rate** | Display refresh via `requestAnimationFrame` for the 8s intro and while the cursor is over the field; 15 fps for the ambient shimmer after that | No `setInterval`; GPU-synced. The shimmer steps at 4 Hz, so 15 fps reads the same |
 | **Canvas sizing** | `devicePixelRatio`-aware, resize via `ResizeObserver` | Crisp on retina, no layout thrash |
 
 ### Interactivity
@@ -338,8 +338,9 @@ The noise field renders thousands of dots with per-frame brightness calculations
 
 - **GPU memory**: one framebuffer (bloom pass) + dot instance buffer. Under 2MB total
 - **CPU per frame**: uniform update only (~0.01ms). All computation in shaders
-- **Startup**: shader compilation happens once on mount; first frame within 16ms on modern GPUs
+- **Startup**: the field starts after hydration, once the main thread is idle (`onNuxtReady`). It is decoration and never competes with first paint. Shader compilation happens once
 - **Fallback**: if `WebGL2` is unavailable (rare), render a static SVG dot pattern at ambient shimmer brightness. No animation, no glow. Still warm, still branded
+- **Software renderer**: if WebGL runs on the CPU (SwiftShader, llvmpipe, no GPU driver), every frame is main-thread work. Draw one static frame at ambient shimmer state, at 1x, like reduced motion
 - **Visibility**: pause the animation loop when the canvas is offscreen (`IntersectionObserver`) or the tab is hidden (`document.visibilityState`). Zero GPU cost when not visible
 
 ### Reduced motion
diff --git a/app/components/NoiseField.client.vue b/app/components/NoiseField.client.vue
index 35de85b1..6ff531ea 100644
--- a/app/components/NoiseField.client.vue
+++ b/app/components/NoiseField.client.vue
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 <script setup lang="ts">
 import { useDocumentVisibility, useElementSize, useMouseInElement, useRafFn } from '@vueuse/core'
-import { isUsableWebGL2Context } from '../utils/webgl-context'
+import { isSoftwareRenderer, isUsableWebGL2Context, webglRendererName } from '../utils/webgl-context'
 
 const props = withDefaults(defineProps<{
   opacity?: number
@@ -212,24 +212,61 @@ const uniforms = {
 let startTime = 0
 let intersectionObserver: IntersectionObserver | null = null
 
-function initGL() {
+// The rings have faded by now and only the ambient shimmer moves. Its jitter
+// steps at 4 Hz, so a capped frame rate keeps it smooth for a fraction of the
+// GPU and main thread work. The cursor glow still runs at the display rate.
+const INTRO_SECONDS = 8
+const AMBIENT_FPS = 15
+
+const CONTEXT_ATTRIBUTES: WebGLContextAttributes = {
+  alpha: true,
+  premultipliedAlpha: false,
+  antialias: false,
+  powerPreference: 'low-power',
+}
+
+/**
+ * A browser without GPU acceleration (no GPU, a blocklisted driver, most
+ * headless browsers) runs WebGL on the CPU, and each frame of a full-bleed
+ * shader becomes a long task on the main thread. Some browsers refuse that
+ * context under `failIfMajorPerformanceCaveat`; Chrome hands out SwiftShader
+ * anyway, so the renderer name decides too. Either way the field draws one
+ * static frame.
+ */
+type FieldContext
+  = | { _tag: 'accelerated', gl: WebGL2RenderingContext }
+    | { _tag: 'software', gl: WebGL2RenderingContext }
+
+function createContext(canvas: HTMLCanvasElement): FieldContext | null {
+  const accelerated = canvas.getContext('webgl2', { ...CONTEXT_ATTRIBUTES, failIfMajorPerformanceCaveat: true })
+  if (isUsableWebGL2Context(accelerated))
+    return { _tag: isSoftwareRenderer(webglRendererName(accelerated)) ? 'software' : 'accelerated', gl: accelerated }
+  const software = canvas.getContext('webgl2', CONTEXT_ATTRIBUTES)
+  return isUsableWebGL2Context(software) ? { _tag: 'software', gl: software } : null
+}
+
+const isStatic = ref(false)
+const introDone = ref(false)
+// Software rendering pays per pixel on the CPU, so it draws at 1x.
+let maxDpr = 2
+
+function canvasDpr(): number {
+  return Math.min(window.devicePixelRatio || 1, maxDpr)
+}
+
+function initGL(): FieldContext['_tag'] | null {
   const canvas = canvasRef.value
   if (!canvas)
-    return false
-
-  const context = canvas.getContext('webgl2', {
-    alpha: true,
-    premultipliedAlpha: false,
-    antialias: false,
-    powerPreference: 'low-power',
-  })
-  if (!isUsableWebGL2Context(context))
-    return false
-  gl = context
+    return null
+
+  const context = createContext(canvas)
+  if (!context)
+    return null
+  gl = context.gl
 
   program = createProgram(gl, VERT, FRAG)
   if (!program)
-    return false
+    return null
 
   vao = gl.createVertexArray()
 
@@ -243,14 +280,14 @@ function initGL() {
   gl.blendFunc(gl.SRC_ALPHA, gl.ONE_MINUS_SRC_ALPHA)
   gl.clearColor(0, 0, 0, 0)
 
-  return true
+  return context._tag
 }
 
 function resizeCanvas() {
   const canvas = canvasRef.value
   if (!canvas || !gl)
     return
-  const dpr = window.devicePixelRatio || 1
+  const dpr = canvasDpr()
   const w = Math.round(width.value * dpr)
   const h = Math.round(height.value * dpr)
   if (canvas.width !== w || canvas.height !== h) {
@@ -266,8 +303,10 @@ function drawFrame() {
 
   resizeCanvas()
 
-  const dpr = window.devicePixelRatio || 1
-  const t = prefersReducedMotion.value ? 3.0 : (Date.now() - startTime) / 1000
+  const dpr = canvasDpr()
+  const t = isStatic.value ? 3.0 : (Date.now() - startTime) / 1000
+  if (t > INTRO_SECONDS)
+    introDone.value = true
 
   gl.clear(gl.COLOR_BUFFER_BIT)
   gl.useProgram(program)
@@ -280,7 +319,7 @@ function drawFrame() {
   gl.uniform1f(uniforms.u_dpr, dpr)
   gl.uniform1f(uniforms.u_dark, isDark.value ? 1.0 : 0.0)
 
-  if (isOutside.value || prefersReducedMotion.value) {
+  if (isOutside.value || isStatic.value) {
     gl.uniform2f(uniforms.u_mouse, -1, -1)
   }
   else {
@@ -296,17 +335,33 @@ const { pause, resume } = useRafFn(() => {
   if (visibility.value === 'hidden' || !isVisible.value)
     return
   drawFrame()
-}, { immediate: false })
+}, {
+  immediate: false,
+  fpsLimit: () => introDone.value && isOutside.value ? AMBIENT_FPS : null,
+})
+
+// A static frame has no loop, so it redraws when its box or theme changes.
+watch([width, height, isDark], () => {
+  if (isStatic.value)
+    drawFrame()
+})
+
+let disposed = false
 
-// Wait for canvas ref (client component timing)
-watch(canvasRef, (canvas) => {
-  if (!canvas || gl)
+// The field is decoration. It starts once the page has hydrated and the main
+// thread is idle, so it never competes with the first paint or hydration.
+onNuxtReady(() => {
+  if (disposed || gl)
     return
 
-  if (!initGL())
+  const mode = initGL()
+  if (!mode)
     return
 
-  if (prefersReducedMotion.value) {
+  if (mode === 'software')
+    maxDpr = 1
+  if (mode === 'software' || prefersReducedMotion.value) {
+    isStatic.value = true
     drawFrame()
     return
   }
@@ -323,6 +378,7 @@ watch(canvasRef, (canvas) => {
 })
 
 onBeforeUnmount(() => {
+  disposed = true
   pause()
   intersectionObserver?.disconnect()
   if (gl) {
diff --git a/app/components/SkillSourceList.vue b/app/components/SkillSourceList.vue
index 6b3c8d09..a256259b 100644
--- a/app/components/SkillSourceList.vue
+++ b/app/components/SkillSourceList.vue
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import type { SkillSourceItem } from '../types/skill-source'
 import {
   useActiveElement,
   useElementHover,
+  useElementVisibility,
   useFocusWithin,
   usePreferredReducedMotion,
   useRafFn,
@@ -64,19 +65,28 @@ watch(hasFocusedItem, (focused) => {
   pendingItems.value = null
 })
 
-useRafFn(({ delta }) => {
+const isOnScreen = useElementVisibility(viewport)
+// The scroll writes layout on every frame, so it waits until the page has
+// hydrated and idles, and stops whenever nobody can see it.
+const pageReady = ref(false)
+onNuxtReady(() => {
+  pageReady.value = true
+})
+const scrolling = computed(() =>
+  variant === 'stream'
+  && autoScroll
+  && pageReady.value
+  && isOnScreen.value
+  && !isHovered.value
+  && !hasFocusedItem.value
+  && !manuallyPaused.value
+  && reducedMotion.value !== 'reduce',
+)
+
+const { pause, resume } = useRafFn(({ delta }) => {
   const element = viewport.value
-  if (
-    !element
-    || variant !== 'stream'
-    || !autoScroll
-    || isHovered.value
-    || hasFocusedItem.value
-    || manuallyPaused.value
-    || reducedMotion.value === 'reduce'
-  ) {
+  if (!element)
     return
-  }
 
   const maxScroll = element.scrollHeight - element.clientHeight
   if (maxScroll <= 0)
@@ -89,7 +99,9 @@ useRafFn(({ delta }) => {
 
   const distance = Math.min(delta, 64) * 0.018 * scrollDirection.value
   element.scrollTop = Math.min(maxScroll, Math.max(0, element.scrollTop + distance))
-}, { fpsLimit: 30, immediate: autoScroll })
+}, { fpsLimit: 30, immediate: false })
+
+watch(scrolling, run => run ? resume() : pause(), { immediate: true })
 
 function itemKey(item: SkillSourceItem): string {
   return `${item.owner}/${item.repo}/${item.name}`
diff --git a/app/utils/webgl-context.ts b/app/utils/webgl-context.ts
index eed29a07..8663bffd 100644
--- a/app/utils/webgl-context.ts
+++ b/app/utils/webgl-context.ts
@@ -47,3 +47,24 @@ export function isUsableWebGL2Context(value: unknown): value is WebGL2RenderingC
   return requiredWebGL2Methods.every(name => typeof candidate[name] === 'function')
     && requiredWebGL2Constants.every(name => typeof candidate[name] === 'number')
 }
+
+/**
+ * Renderers that run WebGL on the CPU: Chrome's SwiftShader fallback, Mesa's
+ * llvmpipe and softpipe, and Windows without a GPU driver. On these, every
+ * frame of a full-bleed shader is main-thread work.
+ */
+const SOFTWARE_RENDERER = /swiftshader|llvmpipe|softpipe|basic render driver/i
+
+export function isSoftwareRenderer(renderer: string): boolean {
+  return SOFTWARE_RENDERER.test(renderer)
+}
+
+/**
+ * The GPU name when the browser exposes it. Firefox and Safari may mask it;
+ * a masked name reads as a GPU, and `failIfMajorPerformanceCaveat` covers them.
+ */
+export function webglRendererName(gl: WebGL2RenderingContext): string {
+  const debugInfo = gl.getExtension('WEBGL_debug_renderer_info')
+  const name: unknown = gl.getParameter(debugInfo ? debugInfo.UNMASKED_RENDERER_WEBGL : gl.RENDERER)
+  return typeof name === 'string' ? name : ''
+}
diff --git a/nuxt.config.ts b/nuxt.config.ts
index 914be02f..430dd41f 100644
--- a/nuxt.config.ts
+++ b/nuxt.config.ts
@@ -511,6 +511,10 @@ export default defineNuxtConfig({
     // inside the 36000s nuxt-skew-protection keeps old chunks for.
     // `scripts/check-edge-cache.ts` proves it after each deploy.
     '/skills/trending': edgeCache({ maxAge: 60, staleWhileRevalidate: 3600 }),
+    // The homepage is the same shape as the board: rendered signed out, no
+    // cookie read, and fed by the same feeds, so the same lifetimes hold. A
+    // render measured 300 to 480 ms to first byte from Sydney on 2026-10-01.
+    '/': edgeCache({ maxAge: 60, staleWhileRevalidate: 3600 }),
     // Raw markdown and the typeahead index deliberately keep browser caching
     // too: both are large, identical for everyone, and only change when the
     // registry does.
@@ -696,6 +700,14 @@ export default defineNuxtConfig({
     },
   },
 
+  ui: {
+    // Nuxt UI otherwise writes a theme file for every component it ships, and
+    // Tailwind emits their variant classes into the render-blocking entry
+    // stylesheet. Detection keeps the components this app renders. Every
+    // component here is named statically, so nothing needs listing.
+    experimental: { componentDetection: true },
+  },
+
   fonts: {
     defaults: {
       subsets: ['latin'],
diff --git a/scripts/check-edge-cache.ts b/scripts/check-edge-cache.ts
index 05d3b4f7..c1fce62b 100644
--- a/scripts/check-edge-cache.ts
+++ b/scripts/check-edge-cache.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { checkEdgeCache } from './lib/edge-cache-check'
 
 /**
- * Prove the trending pages are cached at the edge and safe to cache.
+ * Prove the homepage and the trending pages are cached at the edge and safe to cache.
  *
  *   pnpm production:edge-cache
  *   EDGE_CACHE_BASE_URL=https://skilld.dev pnpm production:edge-cache
diff --git a/scripts/lib/edge-cache-check.ts b/scripts/lib/edge-cache-check.ts
index e4cd20ef..65e87390 100644
--- a/scripts/lib/edge-cache-check.ts
+++ b/scripts/lib/edge-cache-check.ts
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ import { varyKeysEdgeCache } from '../../shared/content-negotiation'
 import { DEFAULT_TRENDING_RANGE } from '../../shared/trending-range'
 
 /** The pages `nuxt.config.ts` gives an `edgeCache` rule. Each query is its own cache key. */
-export const EDGE_CACHED_PATHS = ['/skills/trending', '/skills/trending?range=month', '/skills/trending?range=all']
+export const EDGE_CACHED_PATHS = ['/', '/skills/trending', '/skills/trending?range=month', '/skills/trending?range=all']
 
 const BROWSER_HEADERS = {
   'accept': 'text/html,application/xhtml+xml,application/xml;q=0.9,image/avif,image/webp,image/apng,*/*;q=0.8',
diff --git a/test/unit/edge-cache-check.test.ts b/test/unit/edge-cache-check.test.ts
index ae254298..3fdbeb07 100644
--- a/test/unit/edge-cache-check.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/edge-cache-check.test.ts
@@ -88,6 +88,16 @@ describe('checkEdgeCache', () => {
     })
   })
 
+  it('expects the homepage to send Markdown readers to /index.md', async () => {
+    const homeEdge = (location: string) => edge({ markdown: () => ({ status: 307, headers: { location }, body: '' }) })
+
+    expect(await run(homeEdge('/index.md'), ['/'])).toMatchObject({ _tag: 'passed' })
+    expect(await run(homeEdge('/.md'), ['/'])).toMatchObject({
+      _tag: 'failed',
+      failures: [{ _tag: 'markdown-location', path: '/', actual: '/.md' }],
+    })
+  })
+
   it('fails when two boards render one page, as a cache key that ignores the query string would', async () => {
     const paths = ['/skills/trending', '/skills/trending?range=month', '/skills/trending?range=all']
     const result = await run(edge({
diff --git a/test/unit/webgl-context.test.ts b/test/unit/webgl-context.test.ts
index 712d77f5..021e43f2 100644
--- a/test/unit/webgl-context.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/webgl-context.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
-import { isUsableWebGL2Context } from '../../app/utils/webgl-context'
+import { isSoftwareRenderer, isUsableWebGL2Context } from '../../app/utils/webgl-context'
 
 const requiredMethodNames = [
   'attachShader',
@@ -57,3 +57,25 @@ describe('isUsableWebGL2Context', () => {
     expect(isUsableWebGL2Context(contextStub())).toBe(true)
   })
 })
+
+describe('isSoftwareRenderer', () => {
+  it.each([
+    'ANGLE (Google, Vulkan 1.3.0 (SwiftShader Device (Subzero) (0x0000C0DE)), SwiftShader driver)',
+    'llvmpipe (LLVM 15.0.7, 256 bits)',
+    'ANGLE (Microsoft, Microsoft Basic Render Driver Direct3D11 vs_5_0 ps_5_0, D3D11)',
+  ])('names %s a CPU renderer', (renderer) => {
+    expect(isSoftwareRenderer(renderer)).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it.each([
+    'ANGLE (NVIDIA, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Direct3D11 vs_5_0 ps_5_0, D3D11)',
+    // Mesa's hardware driver names its LLVM shader compiler too.
+    'ANGLE (AMD, AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (radeonsi gfx1201 LLVM 20.1.2), OpenGL 4.6)',
+    'Apple GPU',
+    'Adreno (TM) 640',
+    'Mali-G78',
+    'WebKit WebGL',
+  ])('names %s a GPU renderer', (renderer) => {
+    expect(isSoftwareRenderer(renderer)).toBe(false)
+  })
+})