diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 9eb0c91..3f18cae 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -154,6 +154,11 @@ Forgejo/GitHub mirror, deployment, how the agents are used) is mapped in
 - A faster model on the intent call, which would cut most of the time to
   first card; the grounding stage already measures the trade-off to watch
   (fabrication rate), so the experiment is cheap to run safely.
+- A guaranteed minimum grounding budget. The request deadline is anchored
+  at request start, so an unusually slow intent call can leave grounding
+  with no time at all; raising the deadline works around it (env-tunable),
+  but grounding deserves a floor of its own regardless of what call 1
+  spent.
 - Deeper discovery. A repair loop that re-prompts the model for candidates
   that failed verification would let the prompt chase less obvious work
   without losing the pool, and a novelty signal beyond exact-id exclusion
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_health.py b/backend/tests/test_health.py
index eb12b52..9e6a701 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_health.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_health.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, Mock
 import pytest
 from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
 
-from app.config import Settings
+from app.config import AppMode, Settings
 from app.main import create_app
 
 
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ def test_anthropic_client_uses_configured_timeout(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatc
     monkeypatch.setattr("app.main.AsyncAnthropic", constructor)
 
     live_settings = Settings(
-        app_mode="live",
+        app_mode=AppMode.LIVE,
         spotify_client_id="client-id",
         anthropic_api_key="api-key",
         llm_timeout_seconds=42.0,
diff --git a/docs/logboek.md b/docs/logboek.md
index 851e9b1..78be65d 100644
--- a/docs/logboek.md
+++ b/docs/logboek.md
@@ -472,3 +472,29 @@ Wat ik heb laten vallen of uitgesteld:
 - Een sneller model op de intent call (zou de wachttijd flink verlagen;
   de fabrication rate is de afweging om dan te meten) staat als vervolg
   in de README, niet gebouwd.
+
+### Afronding en de laatste live-test
+
+Wat ik deed:
+
+- Laatste ronde live testen op de gehoste instantie voor het insturen.
+  Twee dingen gevonden: een vraag waarbij call 1 zo lang nadacht dat de
+  request deadline al om was voordat grounding begon (0 resultaten,
+  0 Spotify calls), en opnieuw QUOTA_EXCEEDED 429's omdat het dagquotum
+  van gisteren nog meetelde in het huidige quota-venster.
+- De deadline via env verhoogd naar 60 s en de cache-TTL's op de gehoste
+  instantie opgerekt (resolutie 24 h, taste profile 1 h) zodat het quotum
+  langer meegaat; een structurele fix (een gegarandeerd minimum
+  tijdsbudget voor grounding, los van wat call 1 opmaakt) staat in de
+  README als vervolgstap.
+- De card-animatie versneld: elke kaart wachtte nog index maal 80 ms na
+  binnenkomst voordat hij verscheen, bovenop het tempo van de stream
+  zelf. De vertraging is weg; de stream is nu zelf de cadans. De
+  resultatenlijst toont nu ongeveer 5,5 kaarten zodat zichtbaar is dat er
+  meer te scrollen valt.
+- Insturen gepland na de quota-reset vanavond.
+
+Waarom:
+
+- Een reviewer die de live instantie opent moet niet als eerste een
+  uitgeput quotum zien; de reset bepaalt dus het moment van insturen.
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/ResultSet.vue b/frontend/src/components/ResultSet.vue
index 8030cf9..9ac23a9 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/ResultSet.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/components/ResultSet.vue
@@ -17,12 +17,7 @@ const regionLabel = computed(() =>
 
 <template>
   <div class="set" role="region" :aria-label="regionLabel" tabindex="0">
-    <TrackCard
-      v-for="(event, index) in tracks"
-      :key="event.track.id"
-      :event="event"
-      :style="`--card-order: ${index}`"
-    />
+    <TrackCard v-for="event in tracks" :key="event.track.id" :event="event" />
   </div>
 </template>
 
@@ -31,7 +26,8 @@ const regionLabel = computed(() =>
   display: flex;
   flex-direction: column;
   gap: var(--s-2);
-  max-height: min(42dvh, 480px);
+  /* Roughly 5.5 cards tall: the half card signals there is more to scroll. */
+  max-height: min(66dvh, 610px);
   padding: var(--s-2) var(--s-3) var(--s-2) 0;
   overflow-y: auto;
   overscroll-behavior-y: contain;
@@ -42,7 +38,7 @@ const regionLabel = computed(() =>
 
 @media (max-width: 560px) {
   .set {
-    max-height: min(34dvh, 360px);
+    max-height: min(52dvh, 470px);
   }
 }
 </style>
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/TrackCard.vue b/frontend/src/components/TrackCard.vue
index af8b3e3..8244a9f 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/TrackCard.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/components/TrackCard.vue
@@ -53,7 +53,6 @@ const artworkAlt = computed(() =>
     border-color var(--dur-fast) ease,
     background var(--dur-fast) ease;
   animation: card-in var(--dur-card) var(--ease) both;
-  animation-delay: calc(var(--card-order, 0) * var(--dur-card-stagger));
 }
 
 .card:hover {
diff --git a/frontend/src/style.css b/frontend/src/style.css
index a43b9a6..6275449 100644
--- a/frontend/src/style.css
+++ b/frontend/src/style.css
@@ -76,7 +76,6 @@
   --ease: cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.8, 0.3, 1);
   --dur-fast: 0.16s;
   --dur-card: 0.4s;
-  --dur-card-stagger: 0.08s;
   --dur-reduced-motion: 0.001s;
 
   color-scheme: dark;
diff --git a/frontend/tests/resultPresentation.test.ts b/frontend/tests/resultPresentation.test.ts
index c1cfe84..3782903 100644
--- a/frontend/tests/resultPresentation.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/tests/resultPresentation.test.ts
@@ -104,12 +104,13 @@ describe('result presentation', () => {
     expect(region?.contains(action ?? null)).toBe(false)
   })
 
-  it('assigns a deliberate stagger order to arriving cards', () => {
+  it('renders arriving cards without an artificial entrance delay', () => {
     const root = mountComponent(AssistantMessage, { turn: doneTurn(), canSave: true })
     const cards = root.querySelectorAll<HTMLElement>('article')
 
-    expect(cards[0]?.style.getPropertyValue('--card-order')).toBe('0')
-    expect(cards[1]?.style.getPropertyValue('--card-order')).toBe('1')
+    expect(cards.length).toBeGreaterThan(1)
+    expect(cards[0]?.style.getPropertyValue('--card-order')).toBe('')
+    expect(cards[1]?.style.getPropertyValue('--card-order')).toBe('')
   })
 
   it('anchors a completed response at the top of the conversation viewport', async () => {