diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 7419eec..c533b33 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -2340,7 +2340,7 @@ Rules:
   apply). `zapstore.yaml` license was `custom` (the listing showed "custom");
   now **`AGPL-3.0-only`** (re-published in 1.6.8, verified on the 32267 tag).
   On **failure** the job restores the lockfile and schedules a retry in **~3 days**
-  (a failed run no longer burns the whole 20-day window); every notification now
+  (a failed run no longer burns the whole 16-day window); every notification now
   includes the **OSV total** ("N packages affected by M known vulnerabilities").
   **Final security scan (2026-10-26):** researched the app-relevant advisories and
   fixed them — **zod 3.25 → 4.6.7** (only `AppProvider` imports zod; no
@@ -2363,6 +2363,23 @@ Rules:
   `whitespace-nowrap` keeps the trailing **More** reachable, the mobile bottom
   nav + burger append the full catalog, dropdowns have max-height + internal
   scroll, and interactive targets meet the 44px rule. No other menu bugs found.
+  **Automation hardening (2026-10-27):** the dependency interval is now
+  **16 days** (`DEPS_INTERVAL_DAYS=16` in
+  `scripts/systemd/skatespots-deps.service` and the script default), plus a
+  separate **weekly scan-only** timer (`skatespots-deps-scan.timer`, Mon 06:00)
+  that reports npm/OSV findings without touching the lockfile. The deps service
+  has `TimeoutStartSec=30min` (the 90s default can kill a legitimate
+  update/test run) and both maintenance scripts resolve the newest nvm Node
+  instead of hard-coding `v22.23.1`. `@tanstack/query-core` is pinned with an
+  npm **override** to `$@tanstack/react-query`, so `npm update` cannot create a
+  second copy — the Oct 26 failure was duplicate `query-core` breaking tsc.
+  Failed runs now keep `test.log`/`smoke.log` + the attempted package files in
+  `~/.local/state/skatespots-deps/failures/` (8 kept, rotated) and a
+  `last-failure` marker; reports keep 12. Releases are one command via
+  **`scripts/release.sh`** (notes check → `npm test` → bump → Android build →
+  `zsp publish` → relay verification → commit/push + tag). The deploy timer has
+  `TimeoutStartSec=20min`, and all deploy/deps units are tracked in
+  `scripts/systemd/`.
 
 ### Community relay — self-hosted Newlay (2026-10-12)
 
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index bb51b9e..2107e76 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -175,5 +175,8 @@
     "vite": "^6.4.5",
     "vitest": "^5.0.5",
     "web-push": "^3.6.7"
+  },
+  "overrides": {
+    "@tanstack/query-core": "$@tanstack/react-query"
   }
 }
diff --git a/scripts/auto-deploy.sh b/scripts/auto-deploy.sh
index faaecf8..6ea90d6 100755
--- a/scripts/auto-deploy.sh
+++ b/scripts/auto-deploy.sh
@@ -17,8 +17,13 @@
 set -euo pipefail
 
 REPO="/home/sovereignsk8/SkateSpots"
-# systemd runs with a minimal PATH; node/npm live under nvm here.
-export PATH="/home/sovereignsk8/.nvm/versions/node/v22.23.1/bin:$PATH"
+# systemd runs with a minimal PATH; resolve the newest nvm Node so a Node
+# upgrade doesn't silently break deploys.
+if [ -d "$HOME/.nvm/versions/node" ]; then
+  NODE_BIN="$(ls -d "$HOME"/.nvm/versions/node/*/bin 2>/dev/null | sort -V | tail -1)"
+  [ -n "$NODE_BIN" ] && export PATH="$NODE_BIN:$PATH"
+fi
+export PATH="$HOME/go/bin:$PATH"
 
 STATE_DIR="$HOME/.local/state/skatespots-deploy"
 SHA_FILE="$STATE_DIR/last-deployed-sha"
diff --git a/scripts/install-deps-timer.sh b/scripts/install-deps-timer.sh
index 4437d54..6fc0b6d 100755
--- a/scripts/install-deps-timer.sh
+++ b/scripts/install-deps-timer.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 #
-# Install the dependency-update + vulnerability-scan systemd user timer.
+# Install the dependency-update + vulnerability-scan systemd user timers.
 #   scripts/install-deps-timer.sh
 set -euo pipefail
 
@@ -10,7 +10,9 @@ mkdir -p "$DEST"
 
 cp "$SRC/skatespots-deps.service" "$DEST/"
 cp "$SRC/skatespots-deps.timer" "$DEST/"
+cp "$SRC/skatespots-deps-scan.service" "$DEST/"
+cp "$SRC/skatespots-deps-scan.timer" "$DEST/"
 
 systemctl --user daemon-reload
-systemctl --user enable --now skatespots-deps.timer
-systemctl --user list-timers skatespots-deps.timer --no-pager
+systemctl --user enable --now skatespots-deps.timer skatespots-deps-scan.timer
+systemctl --user list-timers skatespots-deps.timer skatespots-deps-scan.timer --no-pager
diff --git a/scripts/release.sh b/scripts/release.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..64698cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/release.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+#
+# One-command SkateSpots release: bump → test → build APK → publish to
+# Zapstore → verify → commit/push (+ optional git tag).
+#
+# Usage:
+#   scripts/release.sh patch|minor|major [--yes]
+#   scripts/release.sh 1.7.1 [--yes]
+#
+# Before running:
+#   1. write the new section at the TOP of release-notes.txt (do not commit it —
+#      this script commits it with the version bump);
+#   2. provide the release signer WITHOUT putting it in shell history:
+#        export SIGN_WITH=nsec1...                # current shell only
+#      or point at a 0600 file:
+#        export SKATES_RELEASE_ENV=$HOME/.config/skatespots/release.env
+#        # file contains: SIGN_WITH=nsec1...
+#
+# What it does NOT do: deploy the web (the skatespots-deploy.timer does that
+# within ~3 min, 24h throttle) or touch the relay.
+set -euo pipefail
+
+REPO="/home/sovereignsk8/SkateSpots"
+ZSP="${ZSP:-$HOME/go/bin/zsp}"
+export ANDROID_HOME="${ANDROID_HOME:-$HOME/Android/Sdk}"
+SPEC="${1:-}"
+YES=0
+shift || true
+for a in "$@"; do [ "$a" = "--yes" ] && YES=1; done
+
+die() { echo "✗ $*" >&2; exit 1; }
+log() { echo "• $*"; }
+
+[ -n "$SPEC" ] || die "usage: scripts/release.sh patch|minor|major|<x.y.z> [--yes]"
+[ -x "$ZSP" ] || die "zsp not found/executable at $ZSP (set ZSP=...)"
+[ -d "$ANDROID_HOME" ] || die "Android SDK not found at $ANDROID_HOME (set ANDROID_HOME=...)"
+
+# Optional protected env file (never commit it).
+if [ -z "${SIGN_WITH:-}" ] && [ -n "${SKATES_RELEASE_ENV:-}" ]; then
+  [ -f "$SKATES_RELEASE_ENV" ] || die "SKATES_RELEASE_ENV does not exist: $SKATES_RELEASE_ENV"
+  set -a
+  # shellcheck disable=SC1090
+  . "$SKATES_RELEASE_ENV"
+  set +a
+fi
+[ -n "${SIGN_WITH:-}" ] || die "SIGN_WITH is not set (export it or use SKATES_RELEASE_ENV)"
+
+# Resolve the newest nvm Node (the old hard-coded path breaks after upgrades).
+if [ -d "$HOME/.nvm/versions/node" ]; then
+  NODE_BIN="$(ls -d "$HOME"/.nvm/versions/node/*/bin 2>/dev/null | sort -V | tail -1)"
+  [ -n "$NODE_BIN" ] && export PATH="$NODE_BIN:$PATH"
+fi
+export PATH="$HOME/go/bin:$PATH"
+
+cd "$REPO"
+
+CURRENT="$(node -p "require('./package.json').version")"
+log "current version: $CURRENT"
+
+# The notes must be the only uncommitted change, so the release commit is clean.
+if git diff --quiet -- release-notes.txt; then
+  die "release-notes.txt is unchanged — write the new section first (and don't commit it)"
+fi
+DIRTY="$(git status --porcelain | grep -vE '^ M release-notes\.txt$' || true)"
+[ -z "$DIRTY" ] || die "working tree has other changes:
+$DIRTY"
+
+git fetch --quiet origin main
+[ "$(git rev-parse HEAD)" = "$(git rev-parse origin/main)" ] || \
+  die "local main is not in sync with origin/main — push or pull first"
+
+if [ "$YES" -eq 0 ]; then
+  [ -t 0 ] || die "non-interactive: pass --yes to confirm"
+  printf 'Release %s from %s? [y/N] ' "$SPEC" "$CURRENT"
+  read -r ans
+  case "$ans" in y|Y|yes|YES) ;; *) die "aborted" ;; esac
+fi
+
+log "running the full test gate (this also builds the web bundle)…"
+npm test
+
+log "bumping version ($SPEC)…"
+npm version "$SPEC" --no-git-tag-version >/dev/null
+VERSION="$(node -p "require('./package.json').version")"
+[ "$VERSION" != "$CURRENT" ] || die "version did not change"
+log "version: $VERSION"
+
+log "building the signed release APK…"
+npm run android:build
+
+APK="android/app/build/outputs/apk/release/app-release.apk"
+[ -f "$APK" ] || die "APK not found at $APK"
+SHA="$(sha256sum "$APK" | awk '{print $1}')"
+log "APK: $APK (sha256 ${SHA:0:16}…)"
+
+log "publishing to Zapstore…"
+# shellcheck disable=SC2086
+"$ZSP" publish --quiet zapstore.yaml
+
+log "verifying the Zapstore release event…"
+FOUND=0
+for _ in 1 2 3 4 5 6; do
+  if command -v nak >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    OUT="$(timeout 15 nak req -k 30063 -d "org.skatespots.app@$VERSION" wss://relay.zapstore.dev 2>/dev/null || true)"
+    if printf '%s' "$OUT" | grep -q "\[\"version\",\"$VERSION\"\]"; then FOUND=1; break; fi
+  else
+    log "nak not installed — skipping relay verification"
+    FOUND=1
+    break
+  fi
+  sleep 4
+done
+[ "$FOUND" -eq 1 ] || log "warning: the release event did not appear on the relay yet (it usually propagates shortly)"
+
+log "committing the release…"
+git add package.json package-lock.json release-notes.txt
+git commit -m "release: $VERSION" >/dev/null
+git tag -a "v$VERSION" -m "SkateSpots $VERSION"
+git push origin main
+if ! git push origin "v$VERSION" 2>/dev/null; then
+  log "warning: tag v$VERSION was created locally but the push failed"
+fi
+
+echo
+echo "✓ SkateSpots $VERSION published"
+echo "  APK:     $APK"
+echo "  SHA256:  $SHA"
+echo "  Web:     the deploy timer picks up the commit within ~3 min (24h throttle)"
+echo "  Zapstore: https://zapstore.dev/apps/org.skatespots.app"
diff --git a/scripts/systemd/skatespots-deploy.service b/scripts/systemd/skatespots-deploy.service
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cd38306
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/systemd/skatespots-deploy.service
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+[Unit]
+Description=Auto-deploy SkateSpots web app to Netlify when origin/main changes
+Documentation=file:///home/sovereignsk8/SkateSpots/scripts/auto-deploy.sh
+
+[Service]
+Type=oneshot
+WorkingDirectory=/home/sovereignsk8/SkateSpots
+# npm ci + vite build + smoke test can exceed systemd's 90s default.
+TimeoutStartSec=20min
+ExecStart=/home/sovereignsk8/SkateSpots/scripts/auto-deploy.sh
diff --git a/scripts/systemd/skatespots-deploy.timer b/scripts/systemd/skatespots-deploy.timer
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..771304f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/systemd/skatespots-deploy.timer
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+[Unit]
+Description=Poll SkateSpots origin/main and deploy to Netlify on change
+
+[Timer]
+OnBootSec=2min
+OnUnitActiveSec=3min
+AccuracySec=30s
+Persistent=true
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=timers.target
diff --git a/scripts/systemd/skatespots-deps-scan.service b/scripts/systemd/skatespots-deps-scan.service
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..68628ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/systemd/skatespots-deps-scan.service
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+[Unit]
+Description=SkateSpots weekly vulnerability scan (report only, no lockfile changes)
+
+[Service]
+Type=oneshot
+TimeoutStartSec=15min
+ExecStart=%h/SkateSpots/scripts/update-deps.sh --scan-only
diff --git a/scripts/systemd/skatespots-deps-scan.timer b/scripts/systemd/skatespots-deps-scan.timer
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1831a82
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/systemd/skatespots-deps-scan.timer
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+[Unit]
+Description=Weekly SkateSpots npm/OSV vulnerability scan
+
+[Timer]
+OnCalendar=Mon 06:00
+Persistent=true
+RandomizedDelaySec=30min
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=timers.target
diff --git a/scripts/systemd/skatespots-deps.service b/scripts/systemd/skatespots-deps.service
index 88c7513..0643689 100644
--- a/scripts/systemd/skatespots-deps.service
+++ b/scripts/systemd/skatespots-deps.service
@@ -3,4 +3,8 @@ Description=SkateSpots scheduled dependency update + vulnerability scan
 
 [Service]
 Type=oneshot
+Environment=DEPS_INTERVAL_DAYS=16
+# npm update + typecheck + tests + smoke can take several minutes; the default
+# 90s systemd start timeout would kill a legitimate run.
+TimeoutStartSec=30min
 ExecStart=%h/SkateSpots/scripts/update-deps.sh
diff --git a/scripts/systemd/skatespots-deps.timer b/scripts/systemd/skatespots-deps.timer
index 7b1e37d..bd26e26 100644
--- a/scripts/systemd/skatespots-deps.timer
+++ b/scripts/systemd/skatespots-deps.timer
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 [Unit]
-Description=Daily tick for the SkateSpots dependency job (self-gated to ~20 days)
+Description=Daily tick for the SkateSpots dependency job (self-gated to ~16 days)
 
 [Timer]
 OnCalendar=daily
diff --git a/scripts/update-deps.sh b/scripts/update-deps.sh
index b4707a5..ebfff8e 100755
--- a/scripts/update-deps.sh
+++ b/scripts/update-deps.sh
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 #
-# Scheduled dependency update + vulnerability scan (every ~20 days).
+# Scheduled dependency update + vulnerability scan (every ~16 days).
 #
 # Driven by the systemd user timer `skatespots-deps.timer` (a daily tick; this
-# script self-gates to one real run per INTERVAL_DAYS). What it does:
+# script self-gates to one real run per INTERVAL_DAYS). A second weekly timer
+# (`skatespots-deps-scan.timer`) runs this with --scan-only for earlier CVE
+# visibility without touching the lockfile. What it does:
 #   1. bails if the working tree is dirty (never mixes with your own changes);
 #   2. scans `npm outdated` + `npm audit` into a dated report;
 #   3. applies NON-breaking updates (`npm update` + `npm audit fix` — never --force);
@@ -20,14 +22,22 @@
 set -uo pipefail
 
 REPO="/home/sovereignsk8/SkateSpots"
-export PATH="/home/sovereignsk8/.nvm/versions/node/v22.23.1/bin:$PATH"
+# Resolve the newest nvm Node so a Node upgrade doesn't silently break the
+# timer (the old hard-coded v22.23.1 path did).
+if [ -d "$HOME/.nvm/versions/node" ]; then
+  NODE_BIN="$(ls -d "$HOME"/.nvm/versions/node/*/bin 2>/dev/null | sort -V | tail -1)"
+  [ -n "$NODE_BIN" ] && export PATH="$NODE_BIN:$PATH"
+fi
+export PATH="$HOME/go/bin:$PATH"
 cd "$REPO"
 
-INTERVAL_DAYS="${DEPS_INTERVAL_DAYS:-20}"
+INTERVAL_DAYS="${DEPS_INTERVAL_DAYS:-16}"
 STATE_DIR="${DEPS_STATE_DIR:-$HOME/.local/state/skatespots-deps}"
 mkdir -p "$STATE_DIR"
 LAST="$STATE_DIR/last-run"
 REPORT="$STATE_DIR/report-$(LC_ALL=C date +%F).txt"
+FAILURE_FILE="$STATE_DIR/last-failure"
+FAILURE_DIR_BASE="$STATE_DIR/failures"
 # OSV-Scanner (broader than npm audit: queries the OSV database for the lockfile).
 # Installed with: go install github.com/google/osv-scanner/v2/cmd/osv-scanner@latest
 OSV_BIN="${OSV_BIN:-$HOME/go/bin/osv-scanner}"
@@ -81,9 +91,14 @@ fi
 OSV_SUMMARY="$(grep -E '^Total [0-9]+ packages affected' "$REPORT" | tail -1)"
 [ -n "$OSV_SUMMARY" ] || OSV_SUMMARY="OSV scan: no summary (scanner missing?)"
 
+# Rotate diagnostics so the state dir cannot grow forever.
+ls -1t "$STATE_DIR"/report-*.txt 2>/dev/null | tail -n +13 | xargs -r rm -f
+ls -1dt "$FAILURE_DIR_BASE"/* 2>/dev/null | tail -n +9 | xargs -r rm -rf
+
 if [ "$SCAN_ONLY" -eq 1 ]; then
   log "scan-only; report: $REPORT"
   echo "$OSV_SUMMARY"
+  notify "Vulnerability scan: $OSV_SUMMARY (report: $REPORT)"
   exit 0
 fi
 
@@ -133,15 +148,22 @@ if npm test >"$STATE_DIR/test.log" 2>&1 && node scripts/smoke-test.mjs >"$STATE_
     notify "Dependency scan complete: nothing to update. ${OSV_SUMMARY}"
   fi
   finish_timer
+  rm -f "$FAILURE_FILE"
   log "done"
 else
-  log "tests FAILED — restoring the previous lockfile"
+  log "tests FAILED — saving diagnostics and restoring the previous lockfile"
+  FAIL_DIR="$FAILURE_DIR_BASE/$(date +%F-%H%M)"
+  mkdir -p "$FAIL_DIR"
+  cp "$STATE_DIR/test.log" "$STATE_DIR/smoke.log" "$FAIL_DIR"/ 2>/dev/null || true
+  cp package.json package-lock.json "$FAIL_DIR"/ 2>/dev/null || true
+  printf '%s\n' "tests failed at $(date -Is)" "see $FAIL_DIR/test.log" > "$FAIL_DIR/summary.txt"
+  echo "$(date -Is) tests failed — $FAIL_DIR" > "$FAILURE_FILE"
   cp "$STATE_DIR/package.json.bak" package.json 2>/dev/null || true
   cp "$STATE_DIR/package-lock.json.bak" package-lock.json 2>/dev/null || true
   npm i --silent >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
   # A failed run must NOT consume the whole interval: retry in ~3 days instead.
   RETRY_DAYS=3; [ "$INTERVAL_DAYS" -gt 4 ] || RETRY_DAYS=1
   echo $(( $(date +%s) - (INTERVAL_DAYS - RETRY_DAYS) * 86400 )) > "$LAST"
-  notify "Dependency update REVERTED — tests failed (see $STATE_DIR/test.log). ${OSV_SUMMARY}"
+  notify "Dependency update REVERTED — tests failed (see $FAIL_DIR). ${OSV_SUMMARY}"
   exit 1
 fi