diff --git a/src/app/features/scene/ridge/Ridge.test.ts b/src/app/features/scene/ridge/Ridge.test.ts
index 3aecad12..711054f6 100644
--- a/src/app/features/scene/ridge/Ridge.test.ts
+++ b/src/app/features/scene/ridge/Ridge.test.ts
@@ -437,6 +437,30 @@ describe('createRidgeScene', () => {
     expect(parent.children.some((c: any) => c === readout)).toBe(false);
   });
 
+  it('a scene started at zero size paints nothing, then builds on the first non-zero resize', async () => {
+    const { parent, canvas } = host();
+    canvas.clientWidth = 0;
+    canvas.clientHeight = 0;
+    (window as any).innerWidth = 0;
+    (window as any).innerHeight = 0;
+    const s = createRidgeScene({ canvas, tier: 'full', sky: DAY });
+    expect(s).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(parent.children).toEqual([canvas]);
+    expect(draws).toHaveLength(0);
+    // Still zero: a resize does not paint either.
+    window.dispatchEvent(new Event('resize'));
+    await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 300));
+    expect(parent.children).toEqual([canvas]);
+    (window as any).innerWidth = 400;
+    (window as any).innerHeight = 800;
+    window.dispatchEvent(new Event('resize'));
+    await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 300));
+    expect(parent.children.slice(1)).toHaveLength(LAYERS.length);
+    expect(draws.filter((d) => d === 'sky')).toHaveLength(1);
+    s!.dispose();
+    expect(parent.children).toEqual([canvas]);
+  });
+
   it('dispose cancels the loop, the animations and the layers', () => {
     const { parent, canvas } = host();
     const s = createRidgeScene({ canvas, tier: 'full', sky: DAY })!;
diff --git a/src/app/features/scene/ridge/Ridge.ts b/src/app/features/scene/ridge/Ridge.ts
index eae0df08..d2312aaf 100644
--- a/src/app/features/scene/ridge/Ridge.ts
+++ b/src/app/features/scene/ridge/Ridge.ts
@@ -180,9 +180,18 @@ export function createRidgeScene(opts: RidgeOptions): Scene | null {
     built = undefined;
   };
 
-  /** Bake the sky, then the layers. Returns false when a 2D context is missing. */
+  /** True while the host has no area to paint (a scene started in a hidden or collapsed container). */
+  const hasNoArea = () => {
+    const { w, h, scale } = viewSize();
+    const size = layerSize(w, h, scale);
+    return size.period < 1 || size.height < 1 || Math.round(h * scale) < 1;
+  };
+
+  /** Bake the sky, then the layers. Returns false when a 2D context is missing or there is no area yet. */
   const build = (): boolean => {
     teardownLayers();
+    // A zero-size canvas throws on drawImage; wait for the first resize that gives the host an area.
+    if (hasNoArea()) return false;
     const { w, h, scale } = viewSize();
     const size = layerSize(w, h, scale);
     canvas.width = size.period;
@@ -343,7 +352,8 @@ export function createRidgeScene(opts: RidgeOptions): Scene | null {
     raf = requestAnimationFrame(tick);
   };
 
-  if (!build()) return null;
+  // No area yet is not a failure: the resize listener below builds once the host has one.
+  if (!build() && !hasNoArea()) return null;
   if (probe) {
     readout = document.createElement('div');
     Object.assign(readout.style, {
diff --git a/src/app/features/scene/skyPlate.css.ts b/src/app/features/scene/skyPlate.css.ts
index 4472b98e..c231527c 100644
--- a/src/app/features/scene/skyPlate.css.ts
+++ b/src/app/features/scene/skyPlate.css.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,8 @@
 import { globalStyle, style } from '@vanilla-extract/css';
 import { color, config } from 'folds';
 import { MessageBase, BubbleContent } from '../../components/message/layout/layout.css';
-import { PageContent, PageNavContent } from '../../components/page/style.css';
 import { Editor } from '../../components/editor/Editor.css';
-import { MembersDrawer } from '../room/MembersDrawer.css';
 import { CallStatus } from '../call-status/styles.css';
-import { RoomViewFollowing } from '../room/RoomViewFollowing.css';
-import { RoomViewTyping } from '../room/RoomViewTyping.css';
 import { PLATE_TINT, SKY_PLATE_FALLBACK } from './skyPlate';
 
 // Over the scene (html[data-scene]) the signed-in shell is clear (sceneShell.css.ts), so text
@@ -26,11 +22,6 @@ const base = (recipe: () => string) => `.${recipe().split(' ')[0]}`;
 
 // Meta, 2026-11-09: no chrome. Title bars, the room list, list pages, the drawer and the bars over the composer are bare
 // ink on the sky (dusk is allowed to be low contrast: it is the crossover between the light and dark inks).
-void PageNavContent;
-void PageContent;
-void MembersDrawer;
-void RoomViewTyping;
-void RoomViewFollowing;
 export const plateRegions = [
   `.${SkyPlate}`,
   // The composer and the call status bar.
diff --git a/src/app/features/scene/skyTheme.test.ts b/src/app/features/scene/skyTheme.test.ts
index 3229cf36..80bc0423 100644
--- a/src/app/features/scene/skyTheme.test.ts
+++ b/src/app/features/scene/skyTheme.test.ts
@@ -39,11 +39,17 @@ describe('skyThemeId', () => {
     expect(skyThemeId('night')).toBe('midnight-sky');
   });
 
-  it('picks none for auto, at any hour: auto never overrides a signed-in theme', () => {
+  it('picks the theme of the state auto resolves to, at any hour', () => {
     [0, 6, 12, 18, 23].forEach((h) => {
       setSkyClock(() => atStandardTime(h, 10));
-      expect(skyThemeId('auto')).toBeUndefined();
+      const id = skyThemeId('auto');
+      expect(id).toBeDefined();
+      expect(id).toBe(skyThemeId(getResolvedSkyState()));
     });
+    setSkyClock(() => atStandardTime(12));
+    expect(skyThemeId('auto')).toBe('noonday-sky');
+    setSkyClock(() => atStandardTime(0));
+    expect(skyThemeId('auto')).toBe('midnight-sky');
     setSkyClock();
   });
 
@@ -145,19 +151,26 @@ describe('regions that sit on the plate', () => {
   // and link of that plate are pinned above; this pins who is on it.
   const on = (cls: string) => expect(plateRegions).toContain(cls);
 
-  it('plates the composer, the members drawer, the call status bar and the call view', () => {
+  it('plates the composer, the call status bar and the call view', () => {
     on(`.${Editor}`);
-    on(`.${MembersDrawer}`);
     on(`.${CallStatus}`);
     on(`.${SkyPlate}`);
   });
 
-  it('plates the room list, list pages, typing and Following bars and every header', () => {
-    on(`.${PageNavContent}`);
-    on(`.${PageContent}`);
-    on(`.${RoomViewTyping}`);
-    on('#root header');
+  it('plates a message that is not a bubble, and nothing else of the signed-in shell', () => {
     expect(plateRegions.some((r) => r.includes(':not(:has('))).toBe(true);
+    expect(plateRegions).toHaveLength(4);
+  });
+
+  // Meta, 2026-11-09: no chrome. These are bare ink on the sky, not plates.
+  it('leaves title bars, the room list, list pages, the drawer and the bars over the composer bare', () => {
+    [
+      `.${MembersDrawer}`,
+      `.${PageNavContent}`,
+      `.${PageContent}`,
+      `.${RoomViewTyping}`,
+      '#root header',
+    ].forEach((cls) => expect(plateRegions).not.toContain(cls));
   });
 });
 
diff --git a/src/app/features/scene/terrain/terrainWorld.test.ts b/src/app/features/scene/terrain/terrainWorld.test.ts
index 78ab2700..70a9d763 100644
--- a/src/app/features/scene/terrain/terrainWorld.test.ts
+++ b/src/app/features/scene/terrain/terrainWorld.test.ts
@@ -41,8 +41,13 @@ describe('grid', () => {
   });
 
   it('each tier fits a 32-bit index and the cheap tiers stay cheap', () => {
-    // 205k at 320 quads: a guess at what a phone carries (SwiftShader only, no phone frame time), kept as a ceiling so a bigger grid is a deliberate change.
-    expect(triangleCount(GRID.low.grid)).toBeLessThan(210000);
+    // 524k at 512 quads (low), 1.18M at 768 (full): Meta asked for denser terrain on 2026-11-10, up from 205k at 320. No
+    // phone frame time is measured (SwiftShader only); kept as a ceiling so a bigger grid is a deliberate change.
+    expect(triangleCount(GRID.low.grid)).toBeLessThan(540000);
+    expect(triangleCount(GRID.full.grid)).toBeLessThan(1200000);
+    (['still', 'low', 'full'] as const).forEach((t) =>
+      expect((GRID[t].grid + 1) ** 2).toBeLessThan(2 ** 32)
+    );
     expect(GRID.full.grid).toBeGreaterThan(GRID.low.grid);
     expect(GRID.still.tex).toBeLessThanOrEqual(GRID.low.tex);
   });
diff --git a/src/app/features/scene/terrain/terrainWorld.ts b/src/app/features/scene/terrain/terrainWorld.ts
index 64f18970..82a16bfb 100644
--- a/src/app/features/scene/terrain/terrainWorld.ts
+++ b/src/app/features/scene/terrain/terrainWorld.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ export const TERRAIN = { span: 3000, hmax: 256 };
  * under shading read from the height map shows as hard-edged facets and stepped crests.
  */
 export const GRID = {
-  still: { grid: 256, tex: 1024 },
+  still: { grid: 320, tex: 1024 },
   low: { grid: 512, tex: 1024 },
   full: { grid: 768, tex: 2048 },
 } as const;