diff --git a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en.json b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en.json
index 00074e807..fac622052 100644
--- a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en.json
+++ b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en.json
@@ -450,7 +450,8 @@
       "empty": "No summary yet",
       "summarize": "Summarize",
       "refresh": "Refresh",
-      "working": "Summarizing…"
+      "working": "Summarizing…",
+      "dismiss": "Dismiss"
     }
   },
   "landing": {
diff --git a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/zh-CN.json b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/zh-CN.json
index 92c05b472..3f157374f 100644
--- a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/zh-CN.json
+++ b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/zh-CN.json
@@ -450,7 +450,8 @@
       "empty": "还没有摘要",
       "summarize": "生成摘要",
       "refresh": "刷新",
-      "working": "正在总结…"
+      "working": "正在总结…",
+      "dismiss": "关闭"
     }
   },
   "landing": {
diff --git a/frontend/src/v2/__tests__/V2CatchUpStrip.test.tsx b/frontend/src/v2/__tests__/V2CatchUpStrip.test.tsx
index c2d1184c4..061a35377 100644
--- a/frontend/src/v2/__tests__/V2CatchUpStrip.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/v2/__tests__/V2CatchUpStrip.test.tsx
@@ -44,20 +44,43 @@ describe('V2CatchUpStrip', () => {
     expect(screen.getByTestId('catchup-body')).toHaveTextContent('Line one. Line two.');
   });
 
-  test('a pod with no summary offers Summarize; refresh swaps in the generated summary', async () => {
+  // Sam's revised ruling, hours after the strip shipped (2026-09-01): "always
+  // shows up is not a good design" — the strip EARNS its row. No summary, a
+  // stale summary, or a dismissed one ⇒ no strip at all.
+  test('a pod with no summary renders NO strip', async () => {
     axios.get.mockResolvedValueOnce({ data: null });
-    axios.post.mockResolvedValueOnce({ data: { summary: { content: 'Fresh digest.', createdAt: new Date().toISOString() } } });
     render(<V2CatchUpStrip podId="p2" />);
-    await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByText('No summary yet')).toBeInTheDocument());
-    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Summarize' }));
-    await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId('catchup-body')).toHaveTextContent('Fresh digest.'));
-    expect(axios.post).toHaveBeenCalledWith('/api/summaries/pod/p2/refresh', {});
+    await waitFor(() => expect(axios.get).toHaveBeenCalled());
+    expect(screen.queryByTestId('catchup-strip')).toBeNull();
   });
 
-  test('a failed summary read never blocks the chat — strip still renders', async () => {
+  test('a summary older than 24h renders NO strip', async () => {
+    axios.get.mockResolvedValueOnce({
+      data: { content: 'Old news.', createdAt: new Date(Date.now() - 25 * 3600000).toISOString() },
+    });
+    render(<V2CatchUpStrip podId="p4" />);
+    await waitFor(() => expect(axios.get).toHaveBeenCalled());
+    expect(screen.queryByTestId('catchup-strip')).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  test('dismiss hides this summary version and persists; the strip stays gone on re-render', async () => {
+    const createdAt = new Date(Date.now() - 5 * 60000).toISOString();
+    axios.get.mockResolvedValue({ data: { content: 'Digest.', createdAt } });
+    const { unmount } = render(<V2CatchUpStrip podId="p5" />);
+    await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId('catchup-strip')).toBeInTheDocument());
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Dismiss' }));
+    expect(screen.queryByTestId('catchup-strip')).toBeNull();
+    expect(window.localStorage.getItem('v2.catchup.dismissed.p5')).toBe(createdAt);
+    unmount();
+    render(<V2CatchUpStrip podId="p5" />);
+    await waitFor(() => expect(axios.get).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2));
+    expect(screen.queryByTestId('catchup-strip')).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  test('a failed summary read never blocks the chat — and renders no strip', async () => {
     axios.get.mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error('403'));
     render(<V2CatchUpStrip podId="p3" />);
-    await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId('catchup-strip')).toBeInTheDocument());
-    expect(screen.getByText('No summary yet')).toBeInTheDocument();
+    await waitFor(() => expect(axios.get).toHaveBeenCalled());
+    expect(screen.queryByTestId('catchup-strip')).toBeNull();
   });
 });
diff --git a/frontend/src/v2/components/V2CatchUpStrip.tsx b/frontend/src/v2/components/V2CatchUpStrip.tsx
index 61b3e96b4..78f53d95c 100644
--- a/frontend/src/v2/components/V2CatchUpStrip.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/v2/components/V2CatchUpStrip.tsx
@@ -75,7 +75,31 @@ const V2CatchUpStrip: React.FC<Props> = ({ podId }) => {
     }
   }, [podId, refreshing]);
 
+  // Dismissal is per summary VERSION: dismissing hides this summary, and the
+  // strip returns only when a newer one exists. localStorage per the browser
+  // storage rules — wrapped, and absence just means "not dismissed".
+  const [dismissed, setDismissed] = useState(false);
+  useEffect(() => {
+    try {
+      setDismissed(window.localStorage.getItem(`v2.catchup.dismissed.${podId}`) === (summary?.createdAt || ''));
+    } catch { setDismissed(false); }
+  }, [podId, summary]);
+  const handleDismiss = useCallback(() => {
+    try { window.localStorage.setItem(`v2.catchup.dismissed.${podId}`, summary?.createdAt || ''); } catch { /* per-viewer convenience only */ }
+    setDismissed(true);
+  }, [podId, summary]);
+
   if (!loaded) return null;
+  // Sam's revised ruling (2026-09-01, hours after the strip shipped):
+  // "always shows up is not a good design" and an empty/stale strip
+  // "reveals no good info". So the strip EARNS its row: it renders only
+  // when a summary exists, is fresh (24h), and this version has not been
+  // dismissed. No summary -> no strip, not an empty shell with a
+  // Summarize button — generating one on demand stays available from the
+  // inspector/summaries surface.
+  const FRESH_MS = 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
+  const isFresh = !!(summary?.createdAt && Date.now() - new Date(summary.createdAt).getTime() < FRESH_MS);
+  if (!summary?.content || !isFresh || dismissed) return null;
 
   return (
     <div className="v2-catchup" data-testid="catchup-strip">
@@ -108,7 +132,16 @@ const V2CatchUpStrip: React.FC<Props> = ({ podId }) => {
         >
           {refreshing
             ? t('podChat.catchup.working')
-            : summary ? t('podChat.catchup.refresh') : t('podChat.catchup.summarize')}
+            : t('podChat.catchup.refresh')}
+        </button>
+        <button
+          type="button"
+          className="v2-catchup__dismiss"
+          onClick={handleDismiss}
+          aria-label={t('podChat.catchup.dismiss')}
+          title={t('podChat.catchup.dismiss')}
+        >
+          ×
         </button>
       </div>
       {expanded && summary?.content && (
diff --git a/frontend/src/v2/v2.css b/frontend/src/v2/v2.css
index 9a5376df5..ce1df52f1 100644
--- a/frontend/src/v2/v2.css
+++ b/frontend/src/v2/v2.css
@@ -1715,6 +1715,16 @@ body.modern-ui.v2-canvas {
 }
 .v2-root button.v2-catchup__refresh:hover:not(:disabled) { text-decoration: underline; }
 .v2-root button.v2-catchup__refresh:disabled { color: var(--v2-text-tertiary); cursor: default; }
+.v2-root button.v2-catchup__dismiss {
+  background: transparent;
+  border: none;
+  padding: 0 2px;
+  font-size: 14px;
+  line-height: 1;
+  color: var(--v2-text-tertiary);
+  cursor: pointer;
+}
+.v2-root button.v2-catchup__dismiss:hover { color: var(--v2-text); }
 .v2-catchup__body {
   margin-top: 6px;
   max-height: 220px;
diff --git a/k8s/helm/commonly/templates/core/backend-deployment.yaml b/k8s/helm/commonly/templates/core/backend-deployment.yaml
index 94f5b3eea..14897a220 100644
--- a/k8s/helm/commonly/templates/core/backend-deployment.yaml
+++ b/k8s/helm/commonly/templates/core/backend-deployment.yaml
@@ -419,7 +419,10 @@ spec:
         - name: LITELLM_BASE_URL
           value: "http://litellm:4000"
         - name: LITELLM_CHAT_MODEL
-          value: "chatgpt/gpt-5.4-mini"
+          # deepseek-v4-flash (Sam, 2026-09-01): summary quality on
+          # gpt-5.4-mini was "no good info at all"; the DeepSeek flash
+          # entry already exists in LiteLLM with a live key.
+          value: "deepseek-v4-flash"
         # Temporary: bypass LiteLLM's broken chatgpt/ bridge (BerriAI/litellm#25429)
         # and route Codex directly via OpenClaw's native openai-codex-responses handler.
         # Flip to "false" / remove once LiteLLM ships a fix for empty-output responses.