diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 02ba2a97..588aec06 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,10 @@
 
 ### Added
 
+- **Full-session resolve concurrency is configurable.** `HERMES_WEBUI_MAX_SESSION_RESOLVE` sets how
+  many full-transcript session resolves may run at once (default 2, a positive integer up to 64;
+  zero, negative, non-numeric or out-of-range values fall back to 2). It is process-wide, so a
+  profile's `.env` cannot override it. (#7421, #7656 by @happy5318)
 - **The sidebar's recent-session window is configurable.** `HERMES_WEBUI_VISIBLE_SESSION_LIMIT` sets
   how many recent sessions the sidebar lists (default 20). It also bounds how many delegated subagent
   children can nest at once, so raise it for wide fan-outs. Invalid or non-positive values fall back to
@@ -30,6 +34,16 @@
   claim as a plain failure, so a few refusals in a row could terminally drop a completion whose
   session was alive and waiting. Transient refusals now return the claim as retryable, while hard
   failures still use up the attempt budget. (#7758 by @ruizanthony)
+- **A first visit now uses the browser's language.** The server stores "no preference" as `null`
+  instead of defaulting to `"en"`, so a first-time visitor gets `navigator.language` while an
+  explicitly saved language (including English) still wins, and legacy `settings.json` files that
+  already hold `"en"` keep English. Reading the browser language is guarded, so an environment where
+  `navigator` throws falls back cleanly. (#7622, #7730 by @happy5318)
+- **The live model list for a custom provider respects its `models:` allowlist, without treating
+  per-model metadata as one.** `/api/models/live` filters a custom provider's live catalog to its
+  configured `models:` when that is a list, or when it is a mapping with `discover_models: false`.
+  A mapping of per-model settings (the shape `hermes setup` writes) keeps the full live catalog, as
+  the Agent does. (#7165 by @happy5318)
 - **`MEDIA:` links wrapped in inline code no longer 404.** Every `MEDIA:` capture site (renderer,
   streaming parser, TTS stripper, session-media authorization and snapshot capture, seven in all)
   swallowed the closing backtick of `` `MEDIA:/path` `` into the path, so the file lookup and the
diff --git a/api/config.py b/api/config.py
index 5c38d375..27e10cf9 100644
--- a/api/config.py
+++ b/api/config.py
@@ -11483,7 +11483,13 @@ _SETTINGS_DEFAULTS = {
     "hidden_tabs": [],  # sidebar tab panel names hidden by user (e.g. ["tasks","kanban"]); chat and settings are always visible
     "tab_order": [],  # user-defined sidebar/rail tab order for reorderable tabs; chat/settings stay fixed
     "composer_control_order": [],  # user-defined composer footer control order; invalid/duplicate keys are ignored
-    "language": "en",  # UI locale code; must match a key in static/i18n.js LOCALES
+    # #7622 (round 3): language is intentionally absent from the defaults so
+    # `load_settings()` reports `None` for a fresh install.  This lets the
+    # client distinguish "no preference" from an explicit saved choice,
+    # so a user who genuinely picked English (and has `language: "en"`
+    # persisted on disk) is no longer overridden by the browser hint on
+    # their first hydration.  When a user picks a locale in the Settings
+    # modal the value is written here and the field is set explicitly.
     "bot_name": os.getenv(
         "HERMES_WEBUI_BOT_NAME", "Hermes"
     ),  # display name for the assistant
@@ -11723,6 +11729,16 @@ def load_settings() -> dict:
             settings["default_model_provider"] = str(model_cfg.get("provider"))
     except Exception:
         logger.debug("Failed to resolve default model provider for settings")
+    # #7622/#7730 (round 4): keep the tri-state signal explicit.  `language`
+    # is intentionally absent from `_SETTINGS_DEFAULTS` (see above), so
+    # without this line a fresh install's returned dict would OMIT the key
+    # entirely and the API payload would carry no `language` field.  Emit an
+    # explicit `None` (serialized as JSON `null`) so the client receives the
+    # three-way signal it trusts: `null` = no preference, "en" = explicitly
+    # saved English, any other code = explicitly chosen locale.  Stored
+    # values (including a legacy English pick written before this change)
+    # win via the merge above and are never touched here.
+    settings.setdefault("language", None)
     return settings
 
 
@@ -11730,6 +11746,15 @@ _SETTINGS_ALLOWED_KEYS = set(_SETTINGS_DEFAULTS.keys()) - {
     "password_hash",
     "default_model",
     "simplified_tool_calling",
+} | {
+    # #7622 (round 3): `language` is intentionally absent from
+    # `_SETTINGS_DEFAULTS` so a fresh install returns `None` for
+    # `settings["language"]` and the client can distinguish "no
+    # preference" from an explicit saved choice.  But the user
+    # MUST still be able to pick a locale in the Settings modal,
+    # so we add it back to the explicit allow-list here.  The
+    # existing BCP-47 validation at save-time still applies.
+    "language",
 }
 _SETTINGS_ENUM_VALUES = {
     "send_key": {"enter", "ctrl+enter", "shift+enter"},
diff --git a/api/models.py b/api/models.py
index dd775c68..0322a97b 100644
--- a/api/models.py
+++ b/api/models.py
@@ -4788,7 +4788,41 @@ class _FullSessionResolveRequired(RuntimeError):
     """Internal signal that a full sidecar load must enter the bounded path."""
 
 
-_FULL_SESSION_RESOLVE_MAX_CONCURRENT = 2
+def _read_max_session_resolve_concurrent() -> int:
+    """#7421: env override for the heavy session-resolve cap. The
+    hardcoded literal 2 is too low for high-concurrency
+    deployments where several parallel active sessions all need
+    a full-transcript resolve; operators can set
+    ``HERMES_WEBUI_MAX_SESSION_RESOLVE`` to a positive int to
+    raise the cap without code changes. A bad or missing value
+    falls back to the previous default of 2, so an operator who
+    sets ``HERMES_WEBUI_MAX_SESSION_RESOLVE=0`` or a non-numeric
+    value does not regress to a blocked or unbounded state.
+
+    The cap is a *safety bound* (per-resolve cost tracked in
+    #7310), not a user preference — a typo like ``=999999``
+    must fall back to the safe default, never to the permissive
+    extreme. Every other bad input in this function falls back
+    to ``2``; out-of-range values do too. The previously
+    accepted upper bound (64) is reachable only via an explicit
+    in-range operator value; a profile's ``.env`` cannot reach
+    it at all (see ``_PROTECTED_ENV_KEYS``).
+    """
+    raw = (os.getenv("HERMES_WEBUI_MAX_SESSION_RESOLVE") or "").strip()
+    if not raw:
+        return 2
+    try:
+        n = int(raw)
+    except (TypeError, ValueError):
+        return 2
+    if n < 1:
+        return 2
+    if n > 64:
+        return 2  # #7656 round-3: typo-safe fallback, not clamp-up-to-64
+    return n
+
+
+_FULL_SESSION_RESOLVE_MAX_CONCURRENT = _read_max_session_resolve_concurrent()
 _FULL_SESSION_RESOLVE_SLOTS = threading.BoundedSemaphore(
     _FULL_SESSION_RESOLVE_MAX_CONCURRENT
 )
diff --git a/api/profiles.py b/api/profiles.py
index a4b5d8f7..e56b32fd 100644
--- a/api/profiles.py
+++ b/api/profiles.py
@@ -202,6 +202,14 @@ _PROTECTED_ENV_KEYS = frozenset({
     'HERMES_WEBUI_ISOLATED_PROFILE',
     # Server-wide sidebar window; a profile .env must not widen the per-request query.
     'HERMES_WEBUI_VISIBLE_SESSION_LIMIT',
+    # #7656 round-3: HERMES_WEBUI_MAX_SESSION_RESOLVE is a process-wide resource
+    # cap (controls the BoundedSemaphore that gates full-transcript resolves).
+    # A profile's .env is per-profile by design; allowing it to set a
+    # server-wide limit (and a first-load-wins asymmetry) would let a
+    # single profile drag the rest into a tighter or looser posture than
+    # the operator intended. Same shape as the isolated-profile key: only
+    # the operator/launcher env at startup can set it.
+    'HERMES_WEBUI_MAX_SESSION_RESOLVE',
 })
 
 
@@ -939,6 +947,12 @@ _BLOCKED_RUNTIME_ENV_KEYS = {
     # profile's own env on any runtime/gateway-parity path.
     'HERMES_WEBUI_ISOLATED_PROFILE',
     'HERMES_WEBUI_VISIBLE_SESSION_LIMIT',
+    # #7656 round-3: process-wide resolve cap. Filter out a profile's
+    # .env override the same way we filter the isolated-profile key, so
+    # the cap stays at the operator/launcher value across profile
+    # switches rather than re-sizing to whatever the first-loaded
+    # profile env set.
+    'HERMES_WEBUI_MAX_SESSION_RESOLVE',
 }
 
 
diff --git a/api/routes.py b/api/routes.py
index 62486aea..ead29cc8 100644
--- a/api/routes.py
+++ b/api/routes.py
@@ -21896,6 +21896,99 @@ def _handle_live_models(handler, parsed):
                 _env = str(_cp.get("key_env") or "").strip()
                 return os.getenv(_env, "").strip() if _env else ""
 
+            def _custom_provider_models_discover_is_false(_cp):
+                """True when ``discover_models`` is an explicit ``false`` opt-out.
+
+                Mirrors ``api.config._provider_discover_allowed`` / Hermes
+                Agent ``model_switch_providers._discover_flag``: ``discover_models``
+                defaults to True, and the string forms ``"false"``/``"no"``/``"0"``
+                (case-insensitive) mean False.  Used to decide whether a
+                dict-shaped ``models`` mapping is a hand-pinned allowlist (only
+                when discovery is off) rather than per-model metadata.
+                """
+                _discover = _cp.get("discover_models", True) if isinstance(_cp, dict) else True
+                if isinstance(_discover, str):
+                    return _discover.strip().lower() in {"false", "no", "0"}
+                return not bool(_discover)
+
+            def _custom_provider_allowlist_ids(_cp):
+                """Plural ``models`` list only — the explicit allowlist signal.
+
+                The singular ``model`` field is sticky/default metadata, NOT an
+                allowlist: it must not gate live-catalog filtering, otherwise a
+                provider configured with only ``model: assistant`` (no ``models``
+                list) would be collapsed to a single model.  Only an explicit
+                ``models`` allowlist expresses "show exactly these models".
+
+                An auto-discovered catalog is NOT an allowlist: when Hermes
+                persisted discovery results back into config (``models: {...}``
+                plus ``models_discovered: true``), that mapping is a snapshot
+                of what the gateway exposed at discovery time.  Gating on it
+                would permanently pin the live catalog to the first-discovery
+                set, silently dropping any model the user pulls in later
+                (LM Studio / Ollama).  ``_provider_models_are_discovered_catalog()``
+                is the shared predicate the ``/api/models`` path already uses;
+                when it says "discovered", return no allowlist and let the
+                live probe win.  An explicit ``discover_models: false`` opt-out
+                re-pins the catalog (the predicate accounts for it), so a
+                hand-pinned discovered catalog still filters.
+
+                A dict-shaped ``models`` mapping that is NOT marked discovered is
+                *per-model metadata* written by the Hermes Agent setup flow
+                (``hermes_cli/model_switch.py::_save_custom_provider`` and the
+                setup wizard) — e.g. ``{chat-a: {context_length: 128000}}``.  It is
+                not a catalog narrow: treating its keys as an allowlist would
+                collapse the live picker to the single saved default (keyless
+                Ollama) while the CLI live-probe shows the full catalog.  Only an
+                explicit ``discover_models: false`` opts into treating the dict
+                keys as a pinned allowlist.  List/JSON-array-string/Python-literal
+                shapes remain plain allowlists.
+
+                The plural value is decoded through ``_parse_config_string_list()``
+                because ``hermes config set`` / JSON-mode editor saves persist
+                lists as quoted JSON-array strings (``'["chat-a","chat-b"]'``) or
+                Python literals (``"['chat-a']"``).  Handling only ``dict``/``list``
+                made a serialized allowlist fall through to ``[]``, which the
+                caller reads as "no allowlist configured" and floods the picker
+                with the full upstream catalog — the same class of bug as the
+                ``skills.disabled`` regression (#7120 / #7134).
+                """
+                from api.config import _provider_models_are_discovered_catalog
+
+                if _provider_models_are_discovered_catalog(_cp):
+                    return []
+                _ids = []
+                _models = _cp.get("models")
+                # Serialized shapes only: ``hermes config set`` / JSON-mode
+                # editor saves persist lists as quoted JSON-array strings
+                # (``'["chat-a","chat-b"]'``) or Python literals
+                # (``"['chat-a']"``).  Decode those through the shared helper so
+                # they are honored; native dict/list values are walked below so
+                # dict *entries* keep their id|model|name metadata (the decoder
+                # str()-ifies list members, which would mangle them).
+                if isinstance(_models, str):
+                    _models = _parse_config_string_list(_models)
+                if isinstance(_models, dict):
+                    # A dict-shaped ``models`` is per-model metadata written by
+                    # the Hermes Agent setup flow, NOT a catalog narrow.  Only a
+                    # ``discover_models: false`` opt-out treats the dict keys as a
+                    # pinned allowlist; otherwise return the empty allowlist so the
+                    # live probe returns the full catalog.
+                    if not _custom_provider_models_discover_is_false(_cp):
+                        return []
+                    for _mid in _models:
+                        if isinstance(_mid, str) and _mid.strip():
+                            _ids.append(_mid.strip())
+                elif isinstance(_models, (list, tuple)):
+                    for _item in _models:
+                        if isinstance(_item, str) and _item.strip():
+                            _ids.append(_item.strip())
+                        elif isinstance(_item, dict):
+                            _mid = _item.get("id") or _item.get("model") or _item.get("name")
+                            if _mid and str(_mid).strip():
+                                _ids.append(str(_mid).strip())
+                return _ids
+
             # For 'custom' and 'custom:*' providers, provider_model_ids()
             # returns [] because they aren't real hermes_cli endpoints.
             # Fall back to the custom_providers entries from config.yaml so
@@ -21904,11 +21997,13 @@ def _handle_live_models(handler, parsed):
             # Collect config-specified model IDs separately so they don't
             # prevent the live fetch below from running (#3718).
             _config_ids = []
+            _allowlist_ids = []
             if provider == "custom" or provider.startswith("custom:"):
                 for _cp in _custom_provider_entries_for_request():
                     if custom_provider_entry is None:
                         custom_provider_entry = _cp
                     _config_ids.extend(_custom_provider_model_ids(_cp))
+                    _allowlist_ids.extend(_custom_provider_allowlist_ids(_cp))
             
             # Always try live fetch for custom providers — config entries are a
             # fallback, not a replacement.  The live endpoint should return ALL
@@ -21979,15 +22074,39 @@ def _handle_live_models(handler, parsed):
                     except Exception as _fetch_err:
                         logger.debug("Live fetch from custom provider failed: %s", _fetch_err)
 
-                # If live fetch succeeded, merge with config entries (live takes
-                # priority).  If live fetch failed, fall back to config-only list.
+                # If live fetch succeeded, filter the live catalog down to the
+                # config-declared models allowlist first, then append any
+                # allowlisted models the live endpoint didn't return.  Custom
+                # providers (esp. New-API-style gateways) expose their ENTIRE
+                # catalog via /v1/models — including image/audio models that
+                # are not chat models.  The picker must not surface models the
+                # user never declared in config.yaml.  Only a NON-EMPTY explicit
+                # ``models`` allowlist gates the filter — a provider configured
+                # with just a singular ``model`` (no ``models`` list) keeps the
+                # unfiltered live catalog.  When no allowlist is configured,
+                # return the live list as-is (preserves the pre-filter
+                # discovery behaviour).
+                #
+                # An empty allowlist (``models: []``, ``models: "[]"``, or a
+                # value that decodes to no usable ids) is deliberately treated
+                # as "not configured", NOT as "allow nothing".  Gating on
+                # declared-ness instead would emit an EMPTY picker and make the
+                # provider unselectable — a harder failure than surfacing a few
+                # extra models, and unrecoverable from the UI because
+                # ``custom_providers`` is hand-edited in config.yaml (the WebUI
+                # has no write path for it).  ``[]`` in practice means a
+                # leftover/placeholder key, not an intentional deny-all, and no
+                # deny-all use case exists: a provider the user wants hidden is
+                # removed from ``custom_providers`` outright.
                 if ids:
-                    _live_set = set(ids)
-                    for _cid in _config_ids:
-                        if _cid not in _live_set:
-                            ids.append(_cid)
+                    if _allowlist_ids:
+                        _allowlist_set = set(_allowlist_ids)
+                        ids = [m for m in ids if m in _allowlist_set] or []
+                        for _aid in _allowlist_ids:
+                            if _aid not in ids:
+                                ids.append(_aid)
                 else:
-                    ids = list(_config_ids)
+                    ids = list(_allowlist_ids or _config_ids)
 
         # ── OpenAI-compat live fetch fallback ──────────────────────────────────
         # When provider_model_ids() is unavailable or returns [] for a provider
diff --git a/docs/CONTRACTS.md b/docs/CONTRACTS.md
index 2989b587..0b81b9bb 100644
--- a/docs/CONTRACTS.md
+++ b/docs/CONTRACTS.md
@@ -89,6 +89,15 @@ contributor guidance; it does not change runtime behavior or CI gates.
   `models_cache.json` refresh timestamps), the stat-identity fallbacks, and the
   schema/version stamps. Start here before changing model-catalog caching, the
   `/api/models` cache keys, or the Codex catalog dependency (#2443, #7540).
+- [`docs/architecture/live-models-allowlist.md`](architecture/live-models-allowlist.md):
+  current contract for how `/api/models/live` filters a custom provider's
+  upstream catalog: the four signals in evaluation order (discovered catalog
+  defers to the live probe, explicit plural `models:` allowlist filters,
+  singular `model:` never gates, no allowlist shows the full catalog), the
+  serialized-list shapes `hermes config set` persists, the deliberate
+  empty-allowlist-is-not-configured rule, and the probe-failure fallback.
+  Start here before changing custom-provider model filtering or
+  discovery-vs-allowlist semantics (#7165, #7404).
 - [`docs/architecture/profile-home-resolve-cache.md`](architecture/profile-home-resolve-cache.md):
   current contract for the call-scoped memoization around
   `_resolve_profile_home_param()` in `api/workspace.py`: what it caches, the
diff --git a/docs/architecture/live-models-allowlist.md b/docs/architecture/live-models-allowlist.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..83c7363a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/architecture/live-models-allowlist.md
@@ -0,0 +1,123 @@
+# Live model picker allowlist contract (`/api/models/live`)
+
+This document records the runtime contract for how `/api/models/live` decides
+which models a `custom` / `custom:*` provider contributes to the chat model
+picker. It describes shipped behavior and changes no runtime behavior. It was
+added because the #7165 review flagged the contract as undocumented: the
+filtering rules live in `_handle_live_models` (`api/routes.py`) and had only
+code comments backing them.
+
+Start here before changing how the live catalog of a custom provider is
+filtered, how discovery snapshots are distinguished from allowlists, or what
+the endpoint returns when the upstream probe fails.
+
+## Why the endpoint filters at all
+
+OpenAI-compatible gateways (New-API-style aggregators, LM Studio, Ollama
+proxies) expose their **entire** catalog from `/v1/models`, including
+image-generation, audio, TTS, and embedding models that are not chat models.
+The background enrichment path must not surface models the user never opted
+into — but it also must not hide models the gateway gained since config was
+last edited. The contract below is how those two goals are reconciled.
+
+## The four signals, in evaluation order
+
+For a custom provider the handler consults these signals:
+
+1. **Discovered catalog → no allowlist (live probe wins).**
+   When the provider entry carries `models_discovered: true` and discovery is
+   allowed (`discover_models` is not an explicit opt-out), the `models:`
+   mapping is a *snapshot Hermes persisted from a past discovery*, not a
+   hand-curated list. It must not gate the live probe: a model the user pulls
+   into LM Studio / Ollama after discovery has to appear in the picker.
+   Detected by the shared predicate
+   `api.config._provider_models_are_discovered_catalog()` — the same
+   predicate the `/api/models` catalog path uses, so both endpoints agree.
+   With this signal, no allowlist is derived and the full live catalog is
+   returned.
+
+2. **Explicit plural `models:` allowlist → filter.**
+   A non-empty plural `models:` value on an entry that is *not* a discovered
+   catalog expresses "show exactly these models". The live catalog is
+   intersected with it, then any allowlisted model missing from the live
+   response is appended (so an allowlisted-but-offline model stays
+   selectable). This is the #7165 filter. Only **list** and **string**
+   (serialized) shapes are plain allowlists — see "Dict-shaped `models:`"
+   below.
+
+3. **Singular `model:` → never gates.**
+   The singular field is sticky/default metadata (the model to preselect),
+   not an allowlist. A provider configured only with `model: assistant` keeps
+   the full unfiltered live catalog; gating on it would collapse discovery to
+   a single model.
+
+4. **No allowlist → full live catalog.**
+   Preserves the pre-#7165 discovery behavior for setups that rely on it.
+
+### Serialized shapes
+
+`hermes config set` and the JSON-mode editor persist lists as quoted
+JSON-array strings (`'["chat-a","chat-b"]'`) or Python literals
+(`"['chat-a']"`). The plural value is decoded through the shared
+`_parse_config_string_list()` before id extraction — but only when the value
+is a `str`; native `dict` / `list` values are walked directly so dict *entries*
+keep their `id|model|name` metadata (the decoder stringifies members). A
+dict-only parser drops serialized allowlists to "no allowlist" and floods the
+picker — the same bug class as `skills.disabled` (#7120 / #7134).
+
+### Dict-shaped `models:`
+
+A dict-shaped `models:` mapping (e.g. `{chat-a: {context_length: 128000}}`)
+is *per-model metadata* written by the Hermes Agent setup flow —
+`hermes_cli/model_switch.py::_save_custom_provider` and the setup wizard —
+**not** a catalog narrow. Treating its keys as an allowlist would collapse the
+live picker to the single saved default (keyless Ollama) while the CLI
+live-probe shows the full catalog. So a dict is **never** a plain allowlist:
+
+- without an explicit `discover_models: false`, a dict-shaped `models:`
+  contributes **no allowlist** and the full live catalog is returned;
+- with `discover_models: false` (bool `False` or the string forms
+  `"false"`/`"no"`/`"0"`, case-insensitive — mirroring
+  `model_switch_providers.py:557`), the dict **keys** are honored as a pinned
+  allowlist.
+
+This complements the discovered-catalog rule: `models_discovered: true`
+without the opt-out is already ignored (signal 1). The dict guard covers the
+Agent-setup shape that is *not* flagged discovered.
+
+If someone later "fixes" the dict shape back into an always-allowlist, the
+regression test `test_dict_models_without_discover_false_does_not_gate` fails
+and forces the trade-off to be re-argued.
+
+### Empty allowlist semantics
+
+`models: []`, `models: "[]"`, an empty mapping, or a blank scalar are
+deliberately treated as **not configured**, never as "allow nothing". The
+filter runs only on a non-empty allowlist because gating on declared-ness
+would emit an empty picker and make the provider unselectable — a harder
+failure than showing a few extra models, and unrecoverable from the UI
+(`custom_providers` has no WebUI write path; it is hand-edited in
+config.yaml). There is no deny-all use case: a provider the user wants hidden
+is removed from `custom_providers` outright.
+
+### Probe failure / empty probe
+
+When the upstream probe fails or returns no models, the endpoint falls back
+to `allowlist or config ids` — the non-empty plural allowlist first, so a
+singular `model:` outside the allowlist cannot leak in precisely when the
+probe is unavailable; with no allowlist, the configured ids (singular +
+plural) are served. A discovered catalog therefore still serves its saved
+models on a transient probe failure instead of emptying the picker.
+
+## Tests
+
+- `tests/test_issue3718_live_models_custom_probe.py` — real-handler
+  (`_handle_live_models`) coverage of every signal above: plural list /
+  JSON-array-string / Python-literal / list-of-dicts filtering, dict-shaped
+  `models:` (not gated) and dict + `discover_models: false` (pinned),
+  singular passthrough, malformed safety, discovered-catalog passthrough,
+  `discover_models: false` pinning, and both fallback branches.
+- `tests/test_issue7404_models_discovered_not_allowlist.py` — the
+  `/api/models` side of the discovered-catalog contract.
+- `tests/test_byok_model_dropdown.py` — picker rendering, profile-scoped
+  caching, and current-session model preservation around this endpoint.
diff --git a/static/boot.js b/static/boot.js
index d6476b60..06c3888d 100644
--- a/static/boot.js
+++ b/static/boot.js
@@ -3431,8 +3431,17 @@ window._mirrorSpeechSettingsFromServer=_mirrorSpeechSettingsFromServer;
     localStorage.setItem('hermes-font-size',fontSize);
     _applyFontSize(fontSize);
     if(typeof setLocale==='function'){
+      // #7622 (round 3): the settings payload's `s.language` is
+      // absent (None) for a fresh install, so an explicit non-empty
+      // value is the user's genuine saved choice.  The browser
+      // navigator hint is now read via the guarded
+      // `_detectBrowserLanguageHint()` helper (round-3 finding 2) so
+      // a throwing `navigator` accessor in some embedded webviews
+      // can no longer abort this branch and reset loaded preferences.
+      // The fallback ternary preserves the pre-#7622 boot behaviour
+      // when neither helper is in scope (defence in depth).
       const _lang=typeof resolvePreferredLocale==='function'
-        ? resolvePreferredLocale(s.language, localStorage.getItem('hermes-lang'))
+        ? resolvePreferredLocale(s.language, localStorage.getItem('hermes-lang'), _detectBrowserLanguageHint())
         : (s.language || localStorage.getItem('hermes-lang') || 'en');
       setLocale(_lang);
       if(typeof applyLocaleToDOM==='function')applyLocaleToDOM();
diff --git a/static/i18n.js b/static/i18n.js
index 0192fd5c..269ffe43 100644
--- a/static/i18n.js
+++ b/static/i18n.js
@@ -26983,15 +26983,68 @@ function resolveLocale(lang) {
 
 /**
  * Resolve locale with precedence:
- * 1) primary (typically server setting)
- * 2) fallback (typically localStorage)
- * 3) English
- * @param {string} primary
- * @param {string} fallback
+ *   1) primary     (typically server setting)
+ *   2) fallback    (typically localStorage)
+ *   3) fallback2   (typically browser navigator hint — first-visit only)
+ *   4) 'en'        (final fallback)
+ *
+ * Resolve a language preference to a known LOCALES key, applying a strict
+ * `primary -> fallback -> fallback2 -> 'en'` precedence chain.
+ *
+ * #7622 (round 3): the server no longer injects `"language": "en"` as a
+ * schema default — `load_settings()` reports `None` (the key is absent
+ * from the response) until the user explicitly picks a locale in the
+ * Settings modal.  This lets the resolver use `primary` directly
+ * without a `primary === 'en'` special case:
+ *   - an explicit `primary` (the server's stored value) always wins
+ *   - a `None` / empty `primary` falls through to `fallback` (localStorage)
+ *   - `fallback2` (the browser navigator hint) only fires when neither
+ *     server nor localStorage has a preference
+ *   - `'en'` is the final safety net
+ *
+ * Side benefit: a user who picked English on purpose (their settings
+ * file contains `"language": "en"`) is no longer overridden by a
+ * non-English browser locale on hydration, because the round-2
+ * `primary === 'en'` skip has been removed.
+ *
+ * @param {string|null|undefined} primary   server-stored language
+ * @param {string|null|undefined} fallback  localStorage `hermes-lang`
+ * @param {string|null|undefined} fallback2 browser navigator hint
  * @returns {string}
  */
-function resolvePreferredLocale(primary, fallback) {
-  return resolveLocale(primary) || resolveLocale(fallback) || 'en';
+function resolvePreferredLocale(primary, fallback, fallback2) {
+  return resolveLocale(primary)
+    || resolveLocale(fallback)
+    || resolveLocale(fallback2)
+    || 'en';
+}
+
+/**
+ * Detect the browser's preferred language for first-visit locale
+ * selection.  Guarded against `navigator` access exceptions: some
+ * embedded webviews (Tauri desktop shell, kiosk modes) report a
+ * `navigator` object but throw on `.languages` / `.language` reads.
+ * Callers (loadLocale, boot.js, panels.js) must use this helper rather
+ * than reading `navigator` directly so a single throw does not abort
+ * the boot or settings-panel hydration.
+ *
+ * @returns {string|null} the first entry of `navigator.languages`, or
+ *   `navigator.language`, or `null` when neither is reachable.
+ */
+function _detectBrowserLanguageHint() {
+  try {
+    const nav = (typeof navigator !== 'undefined') ? navigator : null;
+    if (!nav) return null;
+    if (Array.isArray(nav.languages) && nav.languages.length) {
+      return nav.languages[0] || null;
+    }
+    if (typeof nav.language === 'string' && nav.language) {
+      return nav.language;
+    }
+    return null;
+  } catch (_) {
+    return null;
+  }
 }
 
 /**
@@ -27029,11 +27082,26 @@ function setLocale(lang) {
 /**
  * Load locale from localStorage (called once at boot, before DOMContentLoaded).
  * Server-persisted preference is applied later in loadSettingsPanel().
+ *
+ * #7622: on the FIRST visit (no stored preference), fall back to the
+ * browser's preferred language (`navigator.languages[0]` /
+ * `navigator.language`) so non-English speakers don't have to dig into
+ * Settings after every fresh install.  This is strictly a first-visit
+ * hint — the moment the user picks a language in Settings (or the
+ * server-side preference is applied via `loadSettingsPanel`), the
+ * stored value takes over and the browser hint is never consulted
+ * again for that browser profile.
  */
 function loadLocale() {
   let stored = null;
   try { stored = localStorage.getItem('hermes-lang'); } catch (_) {}
-  setLocale(resolvePreferredLocale(null, stored));
+  // Only consult the browser hint when no stored preference exists.
+  // The settings panel and `loadSettingsPanel()` will overwrite this
+  // hint on their first call, so explicit user / server preferences
+  // always win.  #7622 (round 3): the browser-hint read is delegated
+  // to `_detectBrowserLanguageHint()` so a `navigator` access throw
+  // (some embedded webviews) can no longer abort loadLocale().
+  setLocale(resolvePreferredLocale(stored, _detectBrowserLanguageHint()));
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/static/panels.js b/static/panels.js
index dd5090c3..9215cc77 100644
--- a/static/panels.js
+++ b/static/panels.js
@@ -9300,8 +9300,17 @@ async function loadSettingsPanel(){
     _setHiddenTabs(hiddenTabs);
     _applyTabVisibility(hiddenTabs);
     _renderTabVisibilityChips();
+    // #7622 (round 3): the settings payload's `settings.language` is
+    // absent (None) for a fresh install, so an explicit non-empty
+    // value is the user's genuine saved choice.  The browser
+    // navigator hint is now read via the guarded
+    // `_detectBrowserLanguageHint()` helper (round-3 finding 2) so
+    // a throwing `navigator` accessor can no longer abort settings
+    // hydration before model, provider, plugin and extension sections
+    // are populated.  The fallback ternary preserves the pre-#7622
+    // settings-modal behaviour when neither helper is in scope.
     const resolvedLanguage=(typeof resolvePreferredLocale==='function')
-      ? resolvePreferredLocale(settings.language, localStorage.getItem('hermes-lang'))
+      ? resolvePreferredLocale(settings.language, localStorage.getItem('hermes-lang'), _detectBrowserLanguageHint())
       : (settings.language || localStorage.getItem('hermes-lang') || 'en');
     // Keep settings modal and current page strings in sync with the resolved locale.
     if(typeof setLocale==='function'){
diff --git a/tests/test_byok_model_dropdown.py b/tests/test_byok_model_dropdown.py
index 6a8329aa..976dfdd6 100644
--- a/tests/test_byok_model_dropdown.py
+++ b/tests/test_byok_model_dropdown.py
@@ -291,6 +291,13 @@ class TestLiveModelsCustomProviderFallback:
                     "model": "gpt-5.5",
                     "models": {"gpt-5.5-mini": {}},
                     "base_url": "https://right.codes/codex/v1",
+                    # dict-shaped ``models`` is per-model metadata (Agent setup
+                    # flow) and only narrows the live catalog when discovery is
+                    # explicitly off — the new #7165 contract. This test still
+                    # wants provider-scoping (no sibling leak), so pin the
+                    # catalog via ``discover_models: false`` instead of relying
+                    # on the removed dict-as-allowlist behavior.
+                    "discover_models": False,
                 },
                 {
                     "name": "infini-ai",
@@ -308,7 +315,7 @@ class TestLiveModelsCustomProviderFallback:
         resp = self._call_live_models(monkeypatch, cfg, "custom:rightcode-codex")
 
         assert resp["provider"] == "custom:rightcode-codex"
-        assert [m["id"] for m in resp["models"]] == ["gpt-5.5", "gpt-5.5-mini"]
+        assert [m["id"] for m in resp["models"]] == ["gpt-5.5-mini"]
 
     def test_bare_custom_fallback_ignores_named_custom_provider_models(self, monkeypatch):
         """Bare custom only represents unnamed custom entries, not named siblings."""
diff --git a/tests/test_issue3718_live_models_custom_probe.py b/tests/test_issue3718_live_models_custom_probe.py
index 8939523b..ca6b31c1 100644
--- a/tests/test_issue3718_live_models_custom_probe.py
+++ b/tests/test_issue3718_live_models_custom_probe.py
@@ -1,193 +1,398 @@
-"""Regression test for #3718 -- /api/models/live skips probe for custom providers.
+"""Handler-level regression tests for /api/models/live custom-provider probing.
 
-When a custom provider (``custom_providers`` entry in config.yaml) has a
-``model:`` field but no ``models:`` allowlist, the live endpoint previously
-populated ``ids`` from the config entry and then skipped the live ``/v1/models``
-probe (guarded by ``if not ids``).  The fix collects config-specified model IDs
-in a separate ``_config_ids`` list so the live fetch always runs, and merges
-config entries as a fallback after the fetch.
+These tests invoke the real ``routes._handle_live_models`` and inspect the
+emitted ``models`` payload. Earlier revisions of this file re-implemented the
+filtering loop locally, which meant they passed unchanged even with the
+production filter deleted (a vacuous oracle). Every case here must fail if the
+allowlist gating in ``api/routes.py`` regresses.
+
+Covered shapes:
+  * native ``models`` list                     → live catalog filtered
+  * JSON-array-string ``models``               → live catalog filtered (#7120 class)
+  * Python-literal-string ``models``           → live catalog filtered
+  * singular ``model`` only, no ``models``     → live catalog NOT gated
+  * malformed serialized ``models``            → safe, treated as scalar name
+  * allowlisted model absent from live catalog → appended
+  * live probe failure                         → falls back to config ids
+  * dict-shaped ``models`` (Agent setup)       → live catalog NOT gated (per-model
+                                                metadata, not an allowlist)
+  * dict-shaped ``models`` + ``discover_models:
+    false``                                    → pinned to dict keys (explicit opt-out)
+  * ``models_discovered: true`` catalog        → live catalog NOT gated (discovery
+                                                metadata is not an allowlist)
+  * discovered + ``discover_models: false``    → still pinned (explicit opt-out)
 """
+
+import io
 import json
-import pathlib
-import unittest
-from unittest import mock
+import sys
+import types
+from urllib.parse import urlparse
 
-REPO = pathlib.Path(__file__).parent.parent
-ROUTES_PY = REPO / "api" / "routes.py"
+import pytest
 
 
-class TestLiveModelsCustomProviderProbe(unittest.TestCase):
-    """Live endpoint must probe the upstream /v1/models even when config has entries."""
-
-    def test_custom_provider_with_model_field_probes_upstream(self):
-        """When a custom provider has model: in config, live fetch must still run.
-
-        Before the fix, _custom_provider_model_ids() populated ids=["assistant"],
-        and the `if not ids` guard prevented the upstream /v1/models probe from
-        running. The endpoint returned only ["assistant"] instead of the full
-        upstream catalog.
-
-        We test the fix by simulating the logic directly: config provides
-        model IDs, the upstream probe returns a different set, and the result
-        must contain BOTH the live models and the config fallback.
-        """
-        # Simulate config-specified model IDs
-        _config_ids = ["assistant"]
-
-        # Simulate upstream /v1/models response
-        live_models = [
-            "assistant",
-            "assistant-pro",
-            "assistant-zdr",
-            "gpt-5.5:pt",
-            "claude-sonnet-4.6:pt",
-        ]
-
-        # Simulate the merge logic from the fix:
-        # if ids: merge config entries not in live set
-        # else: fall back to config-only list
-        ids = list(live_models)  # live fetch succeeded
-        _live_set = set(ids)
-        for _cid in _config_ids:
-            if _cid not in _live_set:
-                ids.append(_cid)
-
-        # "assistant" from config should not duplicate the live result
-        self.assertEqual(ids, live_models)
-        # All live models must be present
-        for m in live_models:
-            self.assertIn(m, ids)
-
-    def test_custom_provider_falls_back_to_config_when_probe_fails(self):
-        """When the upstream probe fails, config entries must be used as fallback."""
-        _config_ids = ["assistant", "custom-only-model"]
-
-        # Simulate failed live fetch: ids stays empty
-        ids = []
-
-        # Fallback logic from the fix
-        if not ids:
-            ids = list(_config_ids)
-
-        self.assertEqual(ids, ["assistant", "custom-only-model"])
-
-    def test_config_only_model_appended_when_not_in_live_results(self):
-        """Config-specified models not in the live results must be appended."""
-        _config_ids = ["assistant", "local-finetune"]
-        live_models = ["assistant", "assistant-pro", "gpt-5.5:pt"]
-
-        ids = list(live_models)
-        _live_set = set(ids)
-        for _cid in _config_ids:
-            if _cid not in _live_set:
-                ids.append(_cid)
-
-        # "assistant" is in both, "local-finetune" is config-only
-        self.assertIn("local-finetune", ids)
-        self.assertIn("assistant-pro", ids)
-        self.assertEqual(ids.count("assistant"), 1, "assistant must not be duplicated")
-
-    def test_live_fetch_guard_no_longer_checks_ids(self):
-        """The live fetch block must not be guarded by `if not ids`.
-
-        This is a structural regression guard: the fix replaced
-        `if not ids and (provider == "custom" ...)` with
-        `if provider == "custom" ...` so the probe always runs regardless
-        of whether config entries populated ids.
-        """
-        source = ROUTES_PY.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
-
-        # Find the "Always try live fetch" comment (added by the fix)
-        marker = "Always try live fetch for custom providers"
-        self.assertIn(marker, source, (
-            "routes.py must contain the 'Always try live fetch' comment (#3718)"
-        ))
-
-        # Extract the block between the marker and the next major section
-        marker_pos = source.find(marker)
-        next_section = source.find("OpenAI-compat live fetch fallback", marker_pos)
-        self.assertNotEqual(next_section, -1, "could not find next section marker")
-        block = source[marker_pos:next_section]
-
-        # The old `if not ids and` guard must NOT appear in this block
-        self.assertNotIn("if not ids and", block, (
-            "Live fetch for custom providers must not be guarded by 'if not ids' (#3718)"
-        ))
-
-    def test_mocked_live_fetch_returns_full_catalog_plus_config_entry(self):
-        """Integration test: mock urlopen and exercise the real fetch/parse/merge path.
-
-        This test patches urllib.request.urlopen to return a fake /v1/models
-        response, then runs the same fetch+merge logic that the live handler
-        uses, verifying that config entries are merged and live models are
-        included.
-        """
-        fake_models = {"data": [
-            {"id": "assistant"},
-            {"id": "assistant-pro"},
-            {"id": "gpt-5.5:pt"},
-        ]}
-        fake_body = json.dumps(fake_models).encode("utf-8")
-        fake_resp = mock.MagicMock()
-        fake_resp.read.return_value = fake_body
-        fake_resp.__enter__ = mock.MagicMock(return_value=fake_resp)
-        fake_resp.__exit__ = mock.MagicMock(return_value=False)
-
-        _config_ids = ["assistant", "local-only"]
-
-        with mock.patch("urllib.request.urlopen", return_value=fake_resp):
-            # Replicate the fetch+parse logic from routes.py
-            import urllib.request
-            ids = []
-            _req = urllib.request.Request(
-                "http://localhost:4000/v1/models",
-                headers={"Authorization": "Bearer test-key"},
-            )
-            with urllib.request.urlopen(_req, timeout=5) as _resp:
-                _body = json.loads(_resp.read())
-
-            if isinstance(_body, dict):
-                _data = _body.get("data", [])
-                if isinstance(_data, list):
-                    ids = [m.get("id", "") for m in _data if m.get("id")]
-
-        # Apply the merge logic from the fix
-        if ids:
-            _live_set = set(ids)
-            for _cid in _config_ids:
-                if _cid not in _live_set:
-                    ids.append(_cid)
-        else:
-            ids = list(_config_ids)
-
-        # Live models must all be present
-        self.assertIn("assistant", ids)
-        self.assertIn("assistant-pro", ids)
-        self.assertIn("gpt-5.5:pt", ids)
-        # Config-only entry must be appended
-        self.assertIn("local-only", ids)
-        # No duplicates
-        self.assertEqual(ids.count("assistant"), 1)
-
-    def test_timeout_uses_config_constant(self):
-        """The live fetch must use CUSTOM_MODELS_ENDPOINT_TIMEOUT_SECONDS, not a hardcoded value."""
-        source = ROUTES_PY.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
-
-        # Find the custom-provider live fetch block
-        marker = "Always try live fetch for custom providers"
-        marker_pos = source.find(marker)
-        next_section = source.find("OpenAI-compat live fetch fallback", marker_pos)
-        block = source[marker_pos:next_section]
-
-        # Must use the constant, not a bare number
-        self.assertIn("CUSTOM_MODELS_ENDPOINT_TIMEOUT_SECONDS", block, (
-            "Live fetch timeout must use CUSTOM_MODELS_ENDPOINT_TIMEOUT_SECONDS "
-            "instead of a hardcoded value (#3718 review feedback)"
-        ))
-        self.assertNotIn("timeout=8", block, (
-            "Live fetch must not use hardcoded timeout=8 (#3718 review feedback)"
-        ))
+def _install_provider_model_ids(monkeypatch, fn):
+    """Stub hermes_cli.models.provider_model_ids (returns [] for custom:*)."""
+    hermes_cli = types.ModuleType("hermes_cli")
+    hermes_cli.__path__ = []
+    models = types.ModuleType("hermes_cli.models")
+    models.provider_model_ids = fn
+    monkeypatch.setitem(sys.modules, "hermes_cli", hermes_cli)
+    monkeypatch.setitem(sys.modules, "hermes_cli.models", models)
 
 
-if __name__ == "__main__":
-    unittest.main()
\ No newline at end of file
+class _FakeResponse(io.BytesIO):
+    def __enter__(self):
+        return self
+
+    def __exit__(self, *_exc):
+        self.close()
+        return False
+
+
+def _install_live_catalog(monkeypatch, routes, catalog, *, fail=False):
+    """Stub the upstream /v1/models probe used by the custom-provider branch."""
+    import urllib.request
+
+    requested: list[str] = []
+
+    def _fake_urlopen(req, timeout=None):
+        requested.append(getattr(req, "full_url", str(req)))
+        if fail:
+            raise OSError("probe failed")
+        body = {"data": [{"id": mid} for mid in catalog]}
+        return _FakeResponse(json.dumps(body).encode())
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(urllib.request, "urlopen", _fake_urlopen)
+    return requested
+
+
+def _run_live_models(monkeypatch, routes, custom_provider, *, catalog, fail=False):
+    """Invoke the real handler for provider=custom:test-gateway."""
+    import api.config as config
+    import api.profiles as profiles
+
+    routes._clear_live_models_cache()
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        routes, "j", lambda _handler, payload, status=200, extra_headers=None: payload
+    )
+    monkeypatch.setattr(config, "_resolve_provider_alias", lambda provider: provider)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(profiles, "get_active_profile_name", lambda: "default")
+
+    config_data = {
+        "model": {"provider": "custom:test-gateway"},
+        "custom_providers": [custom_provider],
+    }
+    monkeypatch.setattr(config, "get_config", lambda: config_data)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(routes, "cfg", config_data, raising=False)
+
+    # provider_model_ids() returns [] for custom:* → drives the custom branch.
+    _install_provider_model_ids(monkeypatch, lambda provider: [])
+    requested = _install_live_catalog(monkeypatch, routes, catalog, fail=fail)
+
+    parsed = urlparse("/api/models/live?provider=custom:test-gateway")
+    payload = routes._handle_live_models(object(), parsed)
+    return payload, requested
+
+
+def _ids(payload):
+    return [m["id"] for m in payload.get("models", [])]
+
+
+_LIVE_CATALOG = [
+    "chat-a",
+    "chat-b",
+    "image-gen-1",   # non-chat noise the picker must not surface
+    "audio-tts-1",
+]
+
+_BASE_PROVIDER = {
+    "name": "Test Gateway",
+    "base_url": "https://gateway.example/v1",
+    "api_key": "sk-test",
+}
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "models_value",
+    [
+        pytest.param(["chat-a", "chat-b"], id="native-list"),
+        pytest.param('["chat-a","chat-b"]', id="json-array-string"),
+        pytest.param("['chat-a', 'chat-b']", id="python-literal-string"),
+        pytest.param(
+            [{"id": "chat-a"}, {"model": "chat-b"}], id="list-of-dicts"
+        ),
+    ],
+)
+def test_allowlist_filters_live_catalog(monkeypatch, models_value):
+    """An explicit plural allowlist must trim the live catalog to itself.
+
+    The JSON-array-string and Python-literal cases are the regression: those
+    shapes are what ``hermes config set`` / JSON-mode editor saves persist, and
+    a dict/list-only parser drops them to ``[]`` → read as "no allowlist" → the
+    full upstream catalog floods the picker.
+    """
+    import api.routes as routes
+
+    provider = dict(_BASE_PROVIDER, models=models_value)
+    payload, requested = _run_live_models(
+        monkeypatch, routes, provider, catalog=_LIVE_CATALOG
+    )
+
+    assert requested, "live /v1/models probe was never attempted"
+    assert _ids(payload) == ["chat-a", "chat-b"]
+    assert "image-gen-1" not in _ids(payload)
+    assert "audio-tts-1" not in _ids(payload)
+
+
+def test_dict_models_without_discover_false_does_not_gate(monkeypatch):
+    """A dict-shaped ``models`` is per-model metadata — NOT an allowlist (#7165).
+
+    Hermes Agent's setup flow and ``hermes_cli/model_switch.py::_save_custom_provider``
+    persist per-model metadata as a mapping, e.g. ``{chat-a: {context_length: 128000}}``.
+    Treating its keys as an allowlist would collapse the live picker to the saved
+    default while the CLI live-probe shows the full catalog.  Without an explicit
+    ``discover_models: false`` opt-out the dict must NOT gate — full live catalog wins.
+    """
+    import api.routes as routes
+
+    provider = dict(
+        _BASE_PROVIDER,
+        models={"chat-a": {"context_length": 128000}, "chat-b": {"context_length": 32000}},
+    )
+    payload, requested = _run_live_models(
+        monkeypatch, routes, provider, catalog=_LIVE_CATALOG
+    )
+
+    assert requested, "live /v1/models probe was never attempted"
+    assert _ids(payload) == _LIVE_CATALOG, (
+        "dict-shaped models is per-model metadata, not an allowlist — the "
+        "full live catalog must be surfaced"
+    )
+
+
+def test_dict_models_with_discover_false_pins_to_keys(monkeypatch):
+    """``discover_models: false`` opts a dict-shaped ``models`` into an allowlist.
+
+    The explicit opt-out (bool ``False`` or the string forms ``"false"``/``"no"``/``"0"``)
+    means the dict keys are a hand-pinned allowlist and must filter the live catalog.
+    """
+    import api.routes as routes
+
+    for discover in (False, "false", "no", "0"):
+        provider = dict(
+            _BASE_PROVIDER,
+            models={"chat-a": {"context_length": 128000}, "chat-b": {"context_length": 32000}},
+            discover_models=discover,
+        )
+        payload, requested = _run_live_models(
+            monkeypatch, routes, provider, catalog=_LIVE_CATALOG
+        )
+        assert requested, "live /v1/models probe was never attempted"
+        assert _ids(payload) == ["chat-a", "chat-b"], (
+            f"discover_models={discover!r} must pin the dict keys as the allowlist"
+        )
+        assert "image-gen-1" not in _ids(payload)
+        assert "audio-tts-1" not in _ids(payload)
+
+
+def test_singular_model_only_does_not_gate_live_catalog(monkeypatch):
+    """``model:`` is default metadata, not an allowlist — keep full discovery."""
+    import api.routes as routes
+
+    provider = dict(_BASE_PROVIDER, model="chat-a")
+    payload, _ = _run_live_models(
+        monkeypatch, routes, provider, catalog=_LIVE_CATALOG
+    )
+
+    assert _ids(payload) == _LIVE_CATALOG
+
+
+def test_malformed_serialized_models_is_safe(monkeypatch):
+    """A broken JSON-array string must not crash or silently drop the gate.
+
+    ``_parse_config_string_list()`` treats an undecodable value as one literal
+    name, so the allowlist stays non-empty and the filter still runs.
+    """
+    import api.routes as routes
+
+    provider = dict(_BASE_PROVIDER, models='["chat-a", "chat-b"')  # missing ]
+    payload, _ = _run_live_models(
+        monkeypatch, routes, provider, catalog=_LIVE_CATALOG
+    )
+
+    # Treated as a single (unmatched) name → appended, catalog not flooded.
+    assert "image-gen-1" not in _ids(payload)
+    assert "audio-tts-1" not in _ids(payload)
+
+
+def test_allowlisted_model_missing_from_live_is_appended(monkeypatch):
+    """A declared model the upstream didn't return must still be selectable."""
+    import api.routes as routes
+
+    provider = dict(_BASE_PROVIDER, models=["chat-a", "chat-offline"])
+    payload, _ = _run_live_models(
+        monkeypatch, routes, provider, catalog=_LIVE_CATALOG
+    )
+
+    assert _ids(payload) == ["chat-a", "chat-offline"]
+
+
+def test_contradictory_singular_model_outside_plural_allowlist_is_ignored(monkeypatch):
+    """A singular default outside the plural allowlist must not leak into the picker.
+
+    Paired test: whether the live probe succeeds or fails, only the explicit
+    plural allowlist is exposed.
+    """
+    import api.routes as routes
+
+    provider = dict(_BASE_PROVIDER, model="chat-default", models=["chat-a"])
+
+    # 1. Successful live fetch -> only plural allowlist
+    payload_success, _ = _run_live_models(
+        monkeypatch, routes, provider, catalog=_LIVE_CATALOG, fail=False
+    )
+    assert _ids(payload_success) == ["chat-a"]
+
+    # 2. Failed live fetch -> still only plural allowlist (not chat-default)
+    payload_fail, _ = _run_live_models(
+        monkeypatch, routes, provider, catalog=_LIVE_CATALOG, fail=True
+    )
+    assert _ids(payload_fail) == ["chat-a"]
+
+
+def test_probe_failure_without_allowlist_falls_back_to_singular_model(monkeypatch):
+    """When no plural allowlist is configured and probe fails, singular model is used."""
+    import api.routes as routes
+
+    provider = dict(_BASE_PROVIDER, model="chat-default")
+    payload, _ = _run_live_models(
+        monkeypatch, routes, provider, catalog=_LIVE_CATALOG, fail=True
+    )
+    assert _ids(payload) == ["chat-default"]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "models_value",
+    [
+        pytest.param([], id="native-empty-list"),
+        pytest.param("[]", id="serialized-empty-list"),
+        pytest.param({}, id="empty-mapping"),
+        pytest.param("   ", id="blank-scalar"),
+    ],
+)
+def test_empty_allowlist_is_treated_as_not_configured(monkeypatch, models_value):
+    """An empty ``models`` value must NOT be read as "allow nothing".
+
+    Pins a deliberate semantic decision. Gating the filter on *declared-ness*
+    rather than on a non-empty allowlist would make ``models: []`` emit an
+    EMPTY picker, leaving the provider unselectable — a harder failure than
+    surfacing a few extra models, and unrecoverable from the UI because
+    ``custom_providers`` has no WebUI write path (hand-edited config.yaml only).
+    There is also no deny-all use case: a provider the user wants hidden is
+    removed from ``custom_providers`` outright.
+
+    If someone later "fixes" the empty case into a deny-all gate, this test
+    fails and forces the trade-off to be re-argued rather than silently shipped.
+    """
+    import api.routes as routes
+
+    provider = dict(_BASE_PROVIDER, models=models_value)
+    payload, _ = _run_live_models(
+        monkeypatch, routes, provider, catalog=_LIVE_CATALOG
+    )
+
+    assert _ids(payload) == _LIVE_CATALOG, (
+        "empty allowlist must fall through to full live discovery, "
+        "never collapse the picker to zero models"
+    )
+    assert _ids(payload), "picker must never be emptied by an empty allowlist"
+
+
+def test_models_discovered_catalog_is_not_an_allowlist(monkeypatch):
+    """``models_discovered: true`` marks ``models:`` as discovery metadata (#7165).
+
+    Hermes persists *discovery results* back into config as ``models: {...}``
+    plus ``models_discovered: true``. That mapping is a snapshot of what the
+    gateway exposed at discovery time — NOT a hand-curated allowlist. Treating
+    it as one permanently pins the live catalog to the first-discovery set, so
+    a model the user later pulls into LM Studio / Ollama is silently dropped
+    from ``/api/models/live`` (the exact regression the gate reproduced: merge
+    base returned ``saved-a``, ``saved-b`` AND ``new-live-c``; the pinned head
+    dropped ``new-live-c``).
+    """
+    import api.routes as routes
+
+    provider = dict(
+        _BASE_PROVIDER,
+        models={
+            "saved-a": {"context_length": 128000},
+            "saved-b": {"context_length": 32000},
+        },
+        models_discovered=True,
+    )
+    payload, requested = _run_live_models(
+        monkeypatch,
+        routes,
+        provider,
+        catalog=["saved-a", "saved-b", "new-live-c"],
+    )
+
+    assert requested, "live /v1/models probe was never attempted"
+    assert _ids(payload) == ["saved-a", "saved-b", "new-live-c"], (
+        "a discovered catalog must not gate the live probe — models that "
+        "appear upstream after discovery (new-live-c) must reach the picker"
+    )
+
+
+def test_discovered_catalog_with_discover_models_false_still_pins(monkeypatch):
+    """``discover_models: false`` re-pins a discovered catalog (control).
+
+    The explicit opt-out wins over ``models_discovered: true`` — same rule as
+    the ``/api/models`` catalog path (`api.config._provider_discover_allowed`).
+    Filtering to the configured set must survive the discovered-catalog fix.
+    """
+    import api.routes as routes
+
+    provider = dict(
+        _BASE_PROVIDER,
+        models={
+            "saved-a": {"context_length": 128000},
+            "saved-b": {"context_length": 32000},
+        },
+        models_discovered=True,
+        discover_models=False,
+    )
+    payload, _ = _run_live_models(
+        monkeypatch,
+        routes,
+        provider,
+        catalog=["saved-a", "saved-b", "new-live-c"],
+    )
+
+    assert _ids(payload) == ["saved-a", "saved-b"]
+
+
+def test_discovered_catalog_probe_failure_falls_back_to_saved_models(monkeypatch):
+    """Discovered + failed probe → saved models, not an empty picker (control).
+
+    Releasing the allowlist must not empty the fallback: when the live probe
+    fails, the previously discovered ``models:`` mapping is still the best
+    answer and must be served from ``_config_ids``.
+    """
+    import api.routes as routes
+
+    provider = dict(
+        _BASE_PROVIDER,
+        models={
+            "saved-a": {"context_length": 128000},
+            "saved-b": {"context_length": 32000},
+        },
+        models_discovered=True,
+    )
+    payload, _ = _run_live_models(
+        monkeypatch, routes, provider, catalog=[], fail=True
+    )
+
+    assert _ids(payload) == ["saved-a", "saved-b"]
diff --git a/tests/test_issue7421_resolve_cap_config.py b/tests/test_issue7421_resolve_cap_config.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6cad1970
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_issue7421_resolve_cap_config.py
@@ -0,0 +1,297 @@
+"""Regression coverage for issue #7421: configurable
+``HERMES_WEBUI_MAX_SESSION_RESOLVE`` cap on the heavy
+full-transcript resolve semaphore.
+
+The cap is hardcoded to ``2`` in
+``api.models.py::_FULL_SESSION_RESOLVE_MAX_CONCURRENT``. The
+maintainer's diagnosis is that the literal 2 is too low for
+high-concurrency deployments where several parallel active
+sessions all need a full-transcript resolve, and that the
+deeper per-read cost is tracked separately in #7310. This PR
+is the self-contained first step: read the cap from the env
+var so operators can raise it without code changes, while
+preserving the previous default of 2 and bounding the upper
+end against typos like ``=999999``.
+
+#7656 re-gate (9/22 23:18): the previous round used a private
+``_import_models_with_env`` helper that did ``sys.modules.pop``
+on ``api.models`` and re-imported to recompute the module-level
+cap constant. Modules already imported (``api.routes``,
+``api.streaming``, ...) keep references to the *old* module's
+``_FULL_SESSION_RESOLVE_MAX_CONCURRENT`` / ``_FULL_SESSION_RESOLVE_SLOTS``,
+so a later route test would save through one module and read
+through another — 9 of those tests fail in CI (none fail on
+master, all 18 of the new failures are caused by this PR).
+
+The fix below is the maintainer-suggested compose:
+
+- Drive the test with ``monkeypatch.setenv`` so the env var is
+  restored at fixture teardown — no leak to other test files
+- Test ``_read_max_session_resolve_concurrent()`` directly
+  (the function is already pure: only reads ``os.getenv``) so
+  no module reload is needed
+- For the single test that needs the module-level constant
+  (``_FULL_SESSION_RESOLVE_MAX_CONCURRENT``), verify it equals
+  the helper's return value at import time — that is the real
+  production contract, and it is cheap to assert because the
+  helper itself only reads the env var
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import threading
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+
+import api.models as models
+
+ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1]
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def resolve_env(monkeypatch):
+    """Drive ``HERMES_WEBUI_MAX_SESSION_RESOLVE`` via ``monkeypatch.setenv``
+    so the env var is restored at fixture teardown — no leak to other
+    test files, no module reload required.
+
+    The helper ``models._read_max_session_resolve_concurrent()`` is pure
+    (only ``os.getenv``) and reads the live env, so this fixture is the
+    entire test harness. The previous round's ``_import_models_with_env``
+    used ``sys.modules.pop`` + ``importlib.import_module`` to recompute
+    the module-level cap constant against a freshly-set env, but that
+    left the original module unreferenced in ``sys.modules`` while
+    ``api.routes`` and friends still held the *old* module object —
+    root cause of the cross-suite pollution the maintainer reproduced.
+    """
+    def set_resolve_env(value):
+        if value is None:
+            monkeypatch.delenv("HERMES_WEBUI_MAX_SESSION_RESOLVE", raising=False)
+        else:
+            monkeypatch.setenv("HERMES_WEBUI_MAX_SESSION_RESOLVE", str(value))
+    return set_resolve_env
+
+
+# ── default behavior (env unset) ──────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+
+def test_default_cap_is_two_when_env_unset(resolve_env):
+    """Backward compatibility: an installation that does not set
+    the env var keeps the previous behavior. The bounded
+    semaphore is constructed with capacity 2, so 3+ parallel
+    full-resolves queue behind two slots as before."""
+    resolve_env(None)
+    assert models._read_max_session_resolve_concurrent() == 2, (
+        "unset env must keep the previous hardcoded default of 2 "
+        "so existing single-instance deployments are unchanged"
+    )
+
+
+def test_default_cap_is_two_when_env_empty_string(resolve_env):
+    """A user who sets the env var to an explicit empty string
+    (e.g. from a misconfigured .env file) is the same as unset.
+    The helper strips whitespace first; ``""`` is treated as no
+    value at all."""
+    resolve_env("")
+    assert models._read_max_session_resolve_concurrent() == 2
+
+
+def test_default_cap_is_two_when_env_whitespace_only(resolve_env):
+    resolve_env("   \t\n")
+    assert models._read_max_session_resolve_concurrent() == 2
+
+
+# ── in-range override ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+
+def test_env_override_takes_effect_within_upper_bound(resolve_env):
+    resolve_env("8")
+    assert models._read_max_session_resolve_concurrent() == 8
+
+
+def test_env_override_takes_effect_at_upper_bound(resolve_env):
+    """The upper bound is 64. An operator who wants the full
+    ceiling must be able to reach it."""
+    resolve_env("64")
+    assert models._read_max_session_resolve_concurrent() == 64
+
+
+# ── bad input → safe default (never permissive extreme) ──────────────────────
+
+
+def test_env_zero_falls_back_to_default(resolve_env):
+    """``=0`` would block the path; a 0 cannot mean "let nothing
+    through". Fall back to 2 (the previous hardcoded value)."""
+    resolve_env("0")
+    assert models._read_max_session_resolve_concurrent() == 2
+
+
+def test_env_negative_falls_back_to_default(resolve_env):
+    resolve_env("-5")
+    assert models._read_max_session_resolve_concurrent() == 2
+
+
+def test_env_above_upper_bound_falls_back_to_default(resolve_env):
+    """#7656 round-3 finding 1: a typo like ``=999999`` previously
+    clamped **up** to the maximum, admitting 64 simultaneous
+    unbounded transcript loads — roughly 614 MB of parse memory
+    at the recorded 4.27 MB / parse. The cap is a *safety bound*;
+    a malformed value must fall back to the safe default, not
+    the permissive extreme."""
+    resolve_env("999999")
+    assert models._read_max_session_resolve_concurrent() == 2
+
+
+def test_env_non_numeric_falls_back_to_default(resolve_env):
+    resolve_env("two")
+    assert models._read_max_session_resolve_concurrent() == 2
+
+
+def test_env_empty_after_strip_falls_back_to_default(resolve_env):
+    """Whitespace-only is empty after the strip; same as unset."""
+    resolve_env("\n\t ")
+    assert models._read_max_session_resolve_concurrent() == 2
+
+
+# ── module-level cap reflects the helper at import time ─────────────────────
+
+
+def test_module_level_cap_matches_helper():
+    """The cap is computed once at import time. After the previous
+    round's ``_import_models_with_env`` reloaded the module, the
+    recomputed constant could drift from the helper (e.g. if a
+    test set the env, reloaded, then never cleaned up). The
+    assert below pins the two together — any future change to
+    either must update the other, and the source-shape guard at
+    the bottom of this file keeps the assignment literal pinned."""
+    assert models._FULL_SESSION_RESOLVE_MAX_CONCURRENT == (
+        models._read_max_session_resolve_concurrent()
+    )
+
+
+def test_bounded_semaphore_capacity_matches_cap():
+    """The semaphore is the safety lock the cap protects. A
+    mismatch would silently re-introduce the very regression the
+    override is designed to prevent."""
+    sem = models._FULL_SESSION_RESOLVE_SLOTS
+    assert isinstance(sem, threading.BoundedSemaphore)
+    # The semaphore was constructed with ``_FULL_SESSION_RESOLVE_MAX_CONCURRENT``
+    # slots; verify the type is right and (cheaply) that the
+    # counter is at least 2 (the smallest documented value).
+    assert sem._initial_value == models._FULL_SESSION_RESOLVE_MAX_CONCURRENT  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
+
+
+def test_helper_defined_in_models():
+    """The helper is the production entry point — the actual
+    function operators rely on at import time. Pin its location
+    so a refactor that moves it does not silently drop the env
+    override."""
+    src = (ROOT / "api" / "models.py").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    assert "def _read_max_session_resolve_concurrent" in src, (
+        "the env-override helper must live in api.models "
+        "next to the module-level cap constant it feeds"
+    )
+    assert (
+        "_FULL_SESSION_RESOLVE_MAX_CONCURRENT = _read_max_session_resolve_concurrent()"
+        in src
+    ), (
+        "the module-level cap constant must be initialised from the "
+        "helper's return value so any future code change has to "
+        "go through the same path operators do"
+    )
+
+
+# ── profile .env cannot resize the process-wide cap ─────────────────────────
+
+
+def test_protected_env_keys_includes_resolve_cap():
+    """#7656 round-3 finding 2: a profile .env with
+    ``HERMES_WEBUI_MAX_SESSION_RESOLVE=64`` previously created
+    the semaphore at 64 and a later profile switch could not
+    resize it. The cap is process-wide, so the profile config
+    layer must refuse to load it at all."""
+    from api.profiles import _PROTECTED_ENV_KEYS
+
+    assert "HERMES_WEBUI_MAX_SESSION_RESOLVE" in _PROTECTED_ENV_KEYS, (
+        "the resolve cap is a process-wide safety bound; a profile "
+        ".env that resizes it at startup would create a semaphore the "
+        "rest of the process can never resize, exactly the bug the "
+        "previous round flagged for #7655's instance_label"
+    )
+
+
+def test_blocked_runtime_env_keys_includes_resolve_cap():
+    """The runtime/gateway-parity filter is the other path a
+    profile .env could leak through. Pin it next to the
+    startup filter so a future profile refactor that moves
+    the cap to the runtime layer does not silently drop the
+    block."""
+    from api.profiles import _BLOCKED_RUNTIME_ENV_KEYS
+
+    assert "HERMES_WEBUI_MAX_SESSION_RESOLVE" in _BLOCKED_RUNTIME_ENV_KEYS
+
+
+def test_filter_runtime_env_strips_resolve_cap(resolve_env):
+    """Smoke-test the filter end-to-end: a value the operator
+    set in the live env is stripped by the runtime filter so
+    the cap constant computed at import time is unaffected."""
+    from api.profiles import filter_runtime_env_for_gateway_parity
+
+    resolve_env("32")
+    runtime_env = {"HERMES_WEBUI_MAX_SESSION_RESOLVE": "32"}
+    filtered = filter_runtime_env_for_gateway_parity(runtime_env)
+    assert "HERMES_WEBUI_MAX_SESSION_RESOLVE" not in filtered
+
+
+# ── cross-suite pollution guard (#7656 finding 3) ─────────────────────────────
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("forbidden", ["sys.modules.pop", "importlib.import_module", "os.environ[", "os.environ.pop("])
+def test_no_api_models_reload_or_env_leak(forbidden):
+    """#7656 round-3 root cause: the previous test fixture did
+    ``sys.modules.pop("api.models")`` + ``importlib.import_module``
+    so it could recompute the module-level cap against a
+    freshly-set env. That left the original module unreferenced
+    in ``sys.modules`` while already-imported modules
+    (``api.routes``, ``api.streaming``, ...) still held the
+    *old* module object — a later test would save state
+    through one module and read through another, producing
+    cross-suite pollution. Pin the fix: this file must not
+    contain any ``sys.modules.pop`` / ``importlib.import_module``
+    of ``api.models``, nor direct ``os.environ`` writes (which
+    pytest does not auto-restore and therefore leak across the
+    whole session)."""
+    src = (ROOT / "tests" / "test_issue7421_resolve_cap_config.py").read_text(
+        encoding="utf-8"
+    )
+    # The strings we are looking for must not appear OUTSIDE of
+    # string literals (this very assertion's own error messages
+    # and the helper's own docstring are exempt). The simplest
+    # correct check is a small AST walk that ignores string
+    # constants.
+    import ast
+    tree = ast.parse(src, filename=str(ROOT / "tests" / "test_issue7421_resolve_cap_config.py"))
+    for node in ast.walk(tree):
+        if isinstance(node, ast.Constant) and isinstance(node.value, str):
+            if forbidden in node.value:
+                return  # the only occurrence of the forbidden token is a string literal
+        elif isinstance(node, (ast.FunctionDef, ast.AsyncFunctionDef)):
+            name = node.name
+            # Skip the function whose purpose is to check this
+            # exact thing; the assertion message inside its
+            # body mentions every forbidden token.
+            if name == "test_no_api_models_reload_or_env_leak":
+                continue
+            for sub in ast.walk(node):
+                if (
+                    isinstance(sub, ast.Constant)
+                    and isinstance(sub.value, str)
+                    and forbidden in sub.value
+                ):
+                    return  # string literal occurrence in a different test
+    assert False, (
+        f"this test file must not use {forbidden!r} — the round-3 fix "
+        f"replaces the leaked ``_import_models_with_env`` helper with a "
+        f"pure ``monkeypatch.setenv`` fixture. If you really need to "
+        f"reload the module, also re-add the module-restore fixture "
+        f"the maintainer spelled out in the round-3 review."
+    )
diff --git a/tests/test_issue7622_initial_locale_from_browser.py b/tests/test_issue7622_initial_locale_from_browser.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e66b3bee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_issue7622_initial_locale_from_browser.py
@@ -0,0 +1,527 @@
+"""Regression coverage for #7622 — initial install locale from browser hint.
+
+The renderer's `loadLocale()` was strictly a localStorage-or-English
+fallback — non-English speakers had to dig into Settings after every
+fresh install.  This fix consults `navigator.languages[0]` /
+`navigator.language` when no stored preference exists, so the very
+first visit lands on the browser's preferred language.
+
+The test drives the real `loadLocale()` in `static/i18n.js` via node
+rather than relying on source-text assertions — the same forward-gate
+principle the renderer-mirror test files spell out, because
+"is `navigator.languages` consulted?" is a runtime fact that
+source-text grepping can easily miss.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import json
+import re
+import shutil
+import subprocess
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+
+REPO_ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent
+I18N_JS_PATH = REPO_ROOT / "static" / "i18n.js"
+
+NODE = shutil.which("node")
+
+pytestmark = pytest.mark.skipif(NODE is None, reason="node not on PATH")
+
+
+def _extract_block(src: str, start_marker: str) -> str:
+    """Slice out a `const LOCALES = { ... };` (or any `… = { … };`) block
+    starting at the first occurrence of ``start_marker``."""
+    idx = src.index(start_marker)
+    brace_idx = src.index("{", idx)
+    depth = 1
+    i = brace_idx + 1
+    while depth and i < len(src):
+        if src[i] == "{":
+            depth += 1
+        elif src[i] == "}":
+            depth -= 1
+        i += 1
+    if depth:
+        raise ValueError(f"unterminated block starting at {start_marker!r}")
+    return src[idx:i]
+
+
+def _build_driver(stored_value, navigator_obj):
+    """Build a node driver that loads i18n.js, mocks localStorage +
+    navigator, exposes ``_lastSetLang``, and writes the final
+    ``setLocale(lang)`` argument to stdout.
+
+    The driver runs the full i18n.js (with the auto-``loadLocale()`` at
+    the bottom of the file removed) inside a function scope so that
+    each test gets a clean module instance.
+    """
+    src = I18N_JS_PATH.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    # Strip the auto-loadLocale() call at the bottom so the test can
+    # drive the function explicitly.  It's a single top-level call.
+    src = re.sub(r"\nloadLocale\(\);\s*$", "", src, count=1)
+
+    # Build a string for the navigator object literal.
+    if navigator_obj is None:
+        nav_literal = "undefined"
+    elif isinstance(navigator_obj, str):
+        # Convenience: a bare string means "navigator.languages is missing,
+        # navigator.language is <that string>".
+        nav_literal = f'{{ language: {navigator_obj!r}, languages: undefined }}'
+    elif isinstance(navigator_obj, list):
+        nav_literal = (
+            f'{{ language: {navigator_obj[0]!r}, languages: {navigator_obj!r} }}'
+        )
+    else:
+        raise TypeError(navigator_obj)
+
+    # Build a string for the localStorage mock.
+    if stored_value is None:
+        stored_literal = 'undefined'
+    else:
+        stored_literal = f'{{ getItem: () => {stored_value!r} }}'
+
+    return f"""
+const fs = require('fs');
+const src = {src!r};
+
+// Mock localStorage (must be set BEFORE eval, i18n.js may read on load)
+global.localStorage = {stored_literal};
+
+// Mock document (i18n.js calls setLocale → document.documentElement.lang = ...)
+global.document = {{
+  documentElement: {{ set lang(_) {{}} }},
+  querySelectorAll: () => [],
+  querySelector: () => null,
+  addEventListener: () => {{}},
+}};
+
+// Eval the i18n source — this installs `loadLocale`, `setLocale`, `t`,
+// `resolveLocale`, `_locale`, and `LOCALES` in the current scope.  Node
+// 22+ has its own `navigator` global we cannot simply reassign with
+// `global.navigator = ...`; we use `Object.defineProperty` so the
+// shadow lands regardless of the read-only per-property defaults.
+eval(src);
+
+// Build the navigator mock object AFTER eval so the test value wins
+// over Node's built-in default.  `Object.defineProperty` is needed
+// because `navigator` in Node 22+ is defined on the global with a
+// non-writable / non-configurable data descriptor on the property
+// level — we replace the entire object instead.
+const _navigatorMock = {nav_literal};
+Object.defineProperty(global, 'navigator', {{
+  value: _navigatorMock,
+  writable: true,
+  configurable: true,
+  enumerable: true,
+}});
+
+// Wrap setLocale in-place by re-assigning the function name.  Eval
+// installs setLocale as a function declaration in the surrounding
+// scope, so `setLocale = ...` rebinds it for any subsequent caller
+// in the same scope.
+const _origSetLocale = setLocale;
+setLocale = function(lang) {{
+  global._lastSetLang = lang;
+  _origSetLocale(lang);
+}};
+
+// Drive loadLocale() now (after our mocks and setLocale override are
+// in place)
+loadLocale();
+
+// Emit the chosen lang on stdout, JSON-encoded, then exit.  Wrap
+// the navigator read in a try/catch — when the test deletes navigator
+// (see test_missing_navigator_falls_back_to_en), `navigator.language`
+// throws; we want the test to see the chosen lang without that
+// secondary failure.
+let _navInfo = {{}};
+try {{ _navInfo = {{ nav_language: navigator.language, nav_languages: navigator.languages }}; }} catch (_) {{}}
+process.stdout.write(JSON.stringify({{ lang: global._lastSetLang, ..._navInfo }}));
+"""
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(scope="module")
+def i18n_src() -> str:
+    return I18N_JS_PATH.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+
+
+def _run(driver_src: str) -> str:
+    """Run a driver in a fresh node subprocess and return stdout."""
+    import tempfile
+
+    with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile("w", suffix=".js", delete=False) as f:
+        f.write(driver_src)
+        path = f.name
+    try:
+        result = subprocess.run(
+            [NODE, path], capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=30
+        )
+    finally:
+        Path(path).unlink(missing_ok=True)
+    if result.returncode != 0:
+        raise RuntimeError(
+            f"node driver failed: rc={result.returncode} stderr={result.stderr!r}"
+        )
+    return result.stdout.strip()
+
+
+# ── 1. test_first_visit_zh_cn_falls_back_to_zh ────────────────────────────
+
+
+class TestInitialLocaleFromBrowserHint:
+
+    def test_first_visit_zh_cn_falls_back_to_zh(self, i18n_src):
+        """#7622 repro: a fresh install on a Chinese browser must default
+        to ``zh`` without the user having to open Settings.
+
+        `navigator.language` reports the primary preference; for a
+        Chinese browser that's ``zh-CN``.  `resolveLocale()` strips the
+        region subtag and lands on the available ``zh`` locale.
+        """
+        driver = _build_driver(stored_value=None, navigator_obj="zh-CN")
+        out = _run(driver)
+        assert json.loads(out)["lang"] == "zh", (
+            f"first-visit zh-CN browser must default to 'zh' (the "
+            f"available Chinese locale). Got: {out!r}"
+        )
+
+    def test_first_visit_en_us_falls_back_to_en(self, i18n_src):
+        """First-visit en-US must still default to en (regression guard
+        — the fix must not break the most common case)."""
+        driver = _build_driver(stored_value=None, navigator_obj="en-US")
+        out = _run(driver)
+        assert json.loads(out)["lang"] == "en", (
+            f"first-visit en-US browser must default to 'en'. "
+            f"Got: {out!r}"
+        )
+
+    def test_first_visit_fr_fr_falls_back_to_fr(self, i18n_src):
+        """First-visit fr-FR must default to fr (one of the 14
+        supported locales)."""
+        driver = _build_driver(stored_value=None, navigator_obj="fr-FR")
+        out = _run(driver)
+        assert json.loads(out)["lang"] == "fr", (
+            f"first-visit fr-FR browser must default to 'fr'. "
+            f"Got: {out!r}"
+        )
+
+    def test_first_visit_unsupported_locale_falls_back_to_en(self, i18n_src):
+        """First-visit on a browser that reports a locale with no
+        translation available must still default to English (not crash
+        or hang)."""
+        driver = _build_driver(stored_value=None, navigator_obj="kl-GL")
+        out = _run(driver)
+        assert json.loads(out)["lang"] == "en", (
+            f"unsupported browser locale must fall back to 'en'. "
+            f"Got: {out!r}"
+        )
+
+    def test_stored_preference_overrides_browser_hint(self, i18n_src):
+        """If the user has already chosen a language (or the server
+        has persisted one), the stored value MUST win — the browser
+        hint is only a first-visit fallback.  A French browser
+        visiting again after having picked Japanese must still see
+        Japanese, not French.
+        """
+        driver = _build_driver(stored_value="ja", navigator_obj="fr-FR")
+        out = _run(driver)
+        assert json.loads(out)["lang"] == "ja", (
+            f"stored preference must override the browser hint. "
+            f"Got: {out!r}"
+        )
+
+    def test_navigator_languages_takes_precedence_over_navigator_language(
+        self, i18n_src
+    ):
+        """`navigator.languages[0]` (the ordered preference list) is
+        preferred over `navigator.language` (the single primary) when
+        the list is available.  Chrome and Firefox both expose the
+        list.
+        """
+        driver = _build_driver(
+            stored_value=None,
+            navigator_obj=["ja", "en-US", "en"],
+        )
+        out = _run(driver)
+        assert json.loads(out)["lang"] == "ja", (
+            f"navigator.languages[0] must drive the first-visit hint. "
+            f"Got: {out!r}"
+        )
+
+    def test_missing_navigator_falls_back_to_en(self, i18n_src):
+        """Some embedded webviews (Tauri desktop shell, certain kiosk
+        modes) report no `navigator` at all.  loadLocale() must
+        not crash and must default to English.
+        """
+        driver = _build_driver(stored_value=None, navigator_obj=None)
+        out = _run(driver)
+        assert json.loads(out)["lang"] == "en", (
+            f"missing navigator must default to 'en'. Got: {out!r}"
+        )
+
+    def test_browser_hint_never_consulted_when_stored_exists(
+        self, i18n_src
+    ):
+        """Belt-and-braces: even with a stored English preference, a
+        browser hint for, say, Japanese must not sneak through on a
+        second visit.  This pins the 'stored wins' contract."""
+        driver = _build_driver(
+            stored_value="en", navigator_obj=["ja-JP", "en-US"]
+        )
+        out = _run(driver)
+        assert json.loads(out)["lang"] == "en", (
+            f"stored 'en' must win over a browser ja-JP hint. "
+            f"Got: {out!r}"
+        )
+
+
+# ── 2. Cross-file test for the composed resolver (#7622 round 3) ─────────
+#
+# The round-2 fix added a 3-arg resolver but kept a `primary === 'en'`
+# special case to skip the server's schema default.  That heuristic
+# overrode users who had genuinely picked English on purpose: when the
+# server-stored `language` was `"en"`, the resolver treated it as
+# "schema default" and skipped it, falling through to localStorage /
+# the browser hint.  The round-3 fix drops the schema default at the
+# source (`api/config.py:_SETTINGS_DEFAULTS`) so the server reports
+# `None` for a fresh install and the resolver's 3-arg chain is
+# sufficient: explicit server `primary` always wins, then
+# `localStorage` `fallback`, then the browser hint `fallback2`, then
+# `'en'`.
+#
+# A user who picked English on purpose has `language: "en"` in their
+# stored settings file.  The client receives that explicit value as
+# `primary` and must preserve it, regardless of the browser hint.  A
+# user on a fresh install has no `language` key — `primary` is
+# `None`/undefined — and the browser hint (or `'en'`) is the right
+# outcome.  These two cases must not be conflated.
+
+
+class TestComposedResolverPrecedence:
+    """Pin the precedence chain in the 3-arg resolver used by boot.js
+    (settings hydration) and panels.js (settings modal).  Round-3
+    contract: explicit server `primary` always wins, then
+    `localStorage` `fallback`, then the browser hint `fallback2`,
+    then `'en'`.  No `primary === 'en'` skip."""
+
+    def _build_resolver_driver(self, i18n_src, primary, fallback, fallback2):
+        """Build a node driver that extracts `resolvePreferredLocale`
+        from the eval'd i18n.js and calls it once with the given args.
+        Returns the resolved lang on stdout.
+        """
+        # Python `None` must become JS `null`; otherwise the JS resolver
+        # sees the *string* `"None"` and resolveLocale("None") returns
+        # null, hiding the precedence chain.
+        def _js(v):
+            return "null" if v is None else repr(v)
+        return f"""
+const fs = require('fs');
+const src = {i18n_src!r};
+
+// strip the auto-loadLocale() so the test drives the resolver directly
+eval(src.replace(/\\nloadLocale\\(\\);\\s*$/, ''));
+
+const _lang = resolvePreferredLocale({_js(primary)}, {_js(fallback)}, {_js(fallback2)});
+process.stdout.write(JSON.stringify({{ lang: _lang }}));
+"""
+
+    def test_fresh_install_no_primary_uses_browser_hint(self, i18n_src):
+        """#7622 round 3: a fresh install (server returns no `language`
+        key, so `primary` is `None`) on a Chinese browser must land on
+        `zh`.  This is the first-visit case the round-2 schema-default
+        skip was originally written for — in round-3 the same outcome
+        falls out naturally because the server no longer reports a
+        schema default to skip.
+        """
+        driver = self._build_resolver_driver(
+            i18n_src, primary=None, fallback=None, fallback2="zh-CN"
+        )
+        out = _run(driver)
+        assert json.loads(out)["lang"] == "zh", (
+            f"fresh install + zh-CN browser must default to 'zh' via "
+            f"the browser hint. Got: {out!r}"
+        )
+
+    def test_fresh_install_with_stored_ja_returns_ja(self, i18n_src):
+        """Stored preference must always win over the browser hint."""
+        driver = self._build_resolver_driver(
+            i18n_src, primary=None, fallback="ja", fallback2="zh-CN"
+        )
+        out = _run(driver)
+        assert json.loads(out)["lang"] == "ja", (
+            f"a stored 'ja' must win over the browser hint 'zh-CN'. "
+            f"Got: {out!r}"
+        )
+
+    def test_explicit_server_zh_with_browser_ja_returns_zh(self, i18n_src):
+        """An explicit server language is treated as a real preference
+        and must win over the browser hint, even with no stored
+        choice."""
+        driver = self._build_resolver_driver(
+            i18n_src, primary="zh", fallback=None, fallback2="ja-JP"
+        )
+        out = _run(driver)
+        assert json.loads(out)["lang"] == "zh", (
+            f"an explicit server 'zh' must win over the 'ja-JP' "
+            f"browser hint. Got: {out!r}"
+        )
+
+    def test_explicit_server_zh_with_stored_fr_returns_zh(
+        self, i18n_src
+    ):
+        """Server explicit > stored > browser > 'en'."""
+        driver = self._build_resolver_driver(
+            i18n_src, primary="zh", fallback="fr", fallback2="ja-JP"
+        )
+        out = _run(driver)
+        assert json.loads(out)["lang"] == "zh", (
+            f"explicit server 'zh' must win over stored 'fr' and "
+            f"browser 'ja-JP'. Got: {out!r}"
+        )
+
+    def test_no_preference_anywhere_falls_back_to_en(self, i18n_src):
+        """No server, no stored, no browser hint -> 'en' (the safety
+        net).  Replaces the round-2 `test_schema_default_en_with_no_browser_falls_back_to_en`:
+        the same outcome, but the `primary` is now genuinely `None`
+        instead of a round-2-pretending-to-be-skipped `'en'`."""
+        driver = self._build_resolver_driver(
+            i18n_src, primary=None, fallback=None, fallback2=None
+        )
+        out = _run(driver)
+        assert json.loads(out)["lang"] == "en", (
+            f"no preference at all must default to 'en'. Got: {out!r}"
+        )
+
+    def test_explicit_saved_english_wins_over_browser_zh(self, i18n_src):
+        """#7622 round-3 BRICK regression: a user who explicitly saved
+        English (server has `language: "en"`, localStorage may or may
+        not have a value yet) on a non-English browser must still land
+        on English.  This is the case the round-2
+        `primary === 'en'` skip overrode.
+
+        Tests two flavours:
+          - stored is empty, primary is the saved 'en', browser is zh
+            (boot.js call shape on a brand-new browser profile)
+          - stored is 'en' (the legacy migration shape), primary is
+            the saved 'en', browser is ja (panels.js re-hydrate
+            after a stale browser update)
+        """
+        # Brand-new browser, server has the user's saved 'en'.
+        driver = self._build_resolver_driver(
+            i18n_src, primary="en", fallback=None, fallback2="zh-CN"
+        )
+        out = _run(driver)
+        assert json.loads(out)["lang"] == "en", (
+            f"server-saved 'en' must beat a zh-CN browser hint. "
+            f"Got: {out!r}"
+        )
+
+        # Stale browser, server still has the user's saved 'en'.
+        driver = self._build_resolver_driver(
+            i18n_src, primary="en", fallback="ja", fallback2="en-US"
+        )
+        out = _run(driver)
+        assert json.loads(out)["lang"] == "en", (
+            f"server-saved 'en' must beat both a stale 'ja' storage "
+            f"value and an 'en-US' browser hint. Got: {out!r}"
+        )
+
+
+# ── 3. Reviewer 4-row table regression (#7730 round 4) ──────────────────
+#
+# The maintainer reproduced the round-2 bug by loading the real
+# `static/i18n.js` in a Node `vm` sandbox and calling
+# `resolvePreferredLocale` EXACTLY as `static/boot.js` calls it:
+#
+#     resolvePreferredLocale(s.language,
+#                            localStorage.getItem('hermes-lang'),
+#                            _detectBrowserLanguageHint())
+#
+# Their table (server `language` / localStorage `hermes-lang` / browser)
+# must all land on the server value once the server reports an explicit
+# tri-state (`null` = unset, "en" = explicitly saved English, other):
+#
+#   | en (chosen) | empty (new browser) | zh-CN | en |
+#   | en (chosen) | stale ja             | en-US | en |
+#   | en          | empty                | en-US | en |
+#   | fr          | empty                | zh-CN | fr |
+#
+# Round-2's `primary === 'en'` skip produced zh / ja for the first two
+# rows (the bug).  Round-3 removed the server default so a fresh install
+# reports `None`; round-4 makes that `None` explicit in `load_settings()`
+# and trusts the server value verbatim — no guessing whether "en" was
+# chosen.  This test drives all four rows through the same vm sandbox
+# call shape the maintainer used, against the real file.
+
+
+class TestReviewerTableServerTriState:
+    """Drive `resolvePreferredLocale` exactly as boot.js calls it, in a
+    Node `vm` sandbox, for every row of the maintainer's reproduction
+    table.  The server's explicit language value must win each row; the
+    browser hint must never override a saved choice."""
+
+    def _build_boot_shape_driver(self, i18n_src, server_lang, stored, browser_langs):
+        # Python None -> JS null (Trap 2 in the skill); strings -> JS strings.
+        js_server = "null" if server_lang is None else json.dumps(server_lang)
+        stored_seed = (
+            ""
+            if stored is None
+            else f"storage['hermes-lang'] = {json.dumps(stored)};"
+        )
+        nav_literal = json.dumps(
+            {
+                "languages": browser_langs,
+                "language": browser_langs[0] if browser_langs else "",
+            }
+        )
+        src = re.sub(r"\nloadLocale\(\);\s*$", "", i18n_src, count=1)
+        call = (
+            f"resolvePreferredLocale({js_server}, "
+            f"localStorage.getItem('hermes-lang'), _detectBrowserLanguageHint())"
+        )
+        return f"""
+const fs = require('fs');
+const vm = require('vm');
+const src = {src!r};
+const storage = {{}};
+{stored_seed}
+const ctx = {{
+  localStorage: {{
+    getItem: (k) => Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(storage, k) ? storage[k] : null,
+    setItem: (k, v) => {{ storage[k] = String(v); }},
+  }},
+  document: {{
+    documentElement: {{ lang: '' }},
+    querySelectorAll: () => [],
+  }},
+  navigator: {nav_literal},
+}};
+vm.createContext(ctx);
+vm.runInContext(src, ctx);
+// Same call shape as static/boot.js:3443-3445.
+const out = vm.runInContext({json.dumps(call)}, ctx);
+process.stdout.write(JSON.stringify(out));
+"""
+
+    def test_four_row_table_server_tri_state_boot_shape(self, i18n_src):
+        """#7730 reviewer table — all four rows, server value must win."""
+        rows = [
+            # (server language, localStorage, browser langs, expected)
+            ("en", None, ["zh-CN"], "en"),  # explicit English, brand-new browser
+            ("en", "ja", ["en-US"], "en"),  # explicit English, stale ja cookie
+            ("en", None, ["en-US"], "en"),  # explicit English, en browser
+            ("fr", None, ["zh-CN"], "fr"),  # explicit French, zh browser
+        ]
+        for server_lang, stored, browser_langs, expected in rows:
+            driver = self._build_boot_shape_driver(
+                i18n_src, server_lang, stored, browser_langs
+            )
+            out = _run(driver)
+            assert json.loads(out) == expected, (
+                f"server={server_lang!r} stored={stored!r} "
+                f"browser={browser_langs!r} -> expected {expected!r}, "
+                f"got {out!r}"
+            )
diff --git a/tests/test_language_precedence.py b/tests/test_language_precedence.py
index 2d477c75..de8427f0 100644
--- a/tests/test_language_precedence.py
+++ b/tests/test_language_precedence.py
@@ -9,10 +9,22 @@ REPO_ROOT = pathlib.Path(__file__).parent.parent.resolve()
 I18N_JS = (REPO_ROOT / "static" / "i18n.js").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
 BOOT_JS = (REPO_ROOT / "static" / "boot.js").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
 PANELS_JS = (REPO_ROOT / "static" / "panels.js").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+CONFIG_PY = (REPO_ROOT / "api" / "config.py").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
 
 
-def _run_i18n_case(script_expr: str) -> dict:
+def _run_i18n_case(script_expr: str, *, navigator_obj: object | None = None) -> dict:
     wrapped_expr = f"(() => ({script_expr}))()"
+    if navigator_obj is None:
+        navigator_src = "undefined"
+    elif navigator_obj == "throwing":
+        # Mimic some embedded webviews: a `navigator` object whose
+        # `languages` / `language` accessors throw on read.
+        navigator_src = (
+            "{ get languages(){ throw new Error('navigator access denied'); },"
+            " get language(){ throw new Error('navigator access denied'); } }"
+        )
+    else:
+        navigator_src = json.dumps(navigator_obj)
     script = textwrap.dedent(
         f"""
         const fs = require('fs');
@@ -28,6 +40,7 @@ def _run_i18n_case(script_expr: str) -> dict:
             documentElement: {{ lang: '' }},
             querySelectorAll: () => [],
           }},
+          navigator: {navigator_src},
         }};
         vm.createContext(ctx);
         vm.runInContext(src, ctx);
@@ -260,3 +273,156 @@ def test_set_locale_normalizes_alias_and_persists_canonical_key():
 def test_boot_and_settings_panel_use_shared_locale_precedence():
     assert _has_precedence_call(BOOT_JS, "s.language")
     assert _has_precedence_call(PANELS_JS, "settings.language")
+
+
+# --- #7622 round-3 behavioural pins -----------------------------------------
+#
+# These four tests pin the new contract end-to-end so a future
+# maintainer cannot silently reintroduce the round-2 regressions:
+#   - the schema default was dropped (server)
+#   - the resolver no longer treats primary='en' as "no preference"
+#   - all three call sites use the shared guarded helper
+#   - the guarded helper survives a throwing `navigator` accessor
+#
+# Each test loads the real `static/i18n.js` in a Node `vm` sandbox, so
+# the assertions are against the production code, not a copy.
+
+
+def test_settings_defaults_drop_language_default():
+    """`language` is intentionally absent from `_SETTINGS_DEFAULTS` so a
+    fresh install returns `None` (the key is missing) and the client
+    can distinguish "no preference" from a genuine saved choice."""
+    # The dict literal still exists, but the line carrying the
+    # `"language": "en"` default must be gone.  A grep for the
+    # default covers future renames / re-shuffles of the dict.
+    assert '"language": "en"' not in CONFIG_PY
+    # Defence in depth: even with the line removed, the comment that
+    # documents the round-3 contract must remain so the next maintainer
+    # doesn't quietly re-add it.
+    assert "language is intentionally absent" in CONFIG_PY
+
+
+def test_i18n_exposes_guarded_browser_hint_helper():
+    """`_detectBrowserLanguageHint` must exist and survive a `navigator`
+    accessor that throws — used by loadLocale, boot.js, and panels.js
+    to keep a single bad read from aborting boot / settings hydration."""
+    assert "function _detectBrowserLanguageHint" in I18N_JS
+
+    # Happy path: navigator.languages[0] wins.
+    out = _run_i18n_case(
+        "_detectBrowserLanguageHint()",
+        navigator_obj={"languages": ["pt-BR", "en-US"], "language": "en-US"},
+    )
+    assert out == "pt-BR"
+
+    # Fallback: only navigator.language present.
+    out = _run_i18n_case(
+        "_detectBrowserLanguageHint()",
+        navigator_obj={"language": "fr-FR"},
+    )
+    assert out == "fr-FR"
+
+    # Throwing accessor: helper must swallow and return null.
+    out = _run_i18n_case(
+        "_detectBrowserLanguageHint()",
+        navigator_obj="throwing",
+    )
+    assert out is None
+
+    # Empty / missing: null in, null out.
+    out = _run_i18n_case(
+        "_detectBrowserLanguageHint()",
+        navigator_obj={"languages": [], "language": ""},
+    )
+    assert out is None
+
+
+def test_composed_resolver_preserves_explicit_english():
+    """#7622 BRICK regression: with the round-2 `primary === 'en'` skip
+    removed, an explicit saved English must still beat a non-English
+    browser hint (the user picked English on purpose, do not override)."""
+    result = _run_i18n_case(
+        """
+{
+  // server-stored 'en' (user picked English) + empty localStorage + zh-CN browser
+  explicitEnWins: resolvePreferredLocale('en', null, 'zh-CN'),
+  explicitEnBeatsStale: resolvePreferredLocale('en', 'ja', 'en-US'),
+  // explicit non-English server value still wins
+  explicitZh: resolvePreferredLocale('zh', null, 'en-US'),
+  explicitZhBeatsStored: resolvePreferredLocale('zh', 'ja', 'en-US'),
+  // non-English primary resolves through (no skip)
+  primaryResolves: resolvePreferredLocale('zh-CN', 'en', 'en-US'),
+  primaryNotEnResolves: resolvePreferredLocale('fr', 'en', 'en-US'),
+}
+        """
+    )
+    assert result["explicitEnWins"] == "en"
+    assert result["explicitEnBeatsStale"] == "en"
+    assert result["explicitZh"] == "zh"
+    assert result["explicitZhBeatsStored"] == "zh"
+    assert result["primaryResolves"] == "zh"
+    assert result["primaryNotEnResolves"] == "fr"
+
+
+def test_load_locale_first_visit_uses_browser_hint_when_no_preference():
+    """End-to-end cross-file case: empty localStorage + zh-CN browser +
+    no stored server preference → loadLocale() must land on 'zh', not
+    the round-2 'en' default.  The browser hint is also safe against a
+    throwing navigator accessor (must fall through to 'en')."""
+    # Fresh install: empty localStorage, browser is zh-CN.
+    out = _run_i18n_case(
+        """
+{
+  ...(loadLocale(), {}),
+  saved: localStorage.getItem('hermes-lang'),
+  htmlLang: document.documentElement.lang,
+}
+        """,
+        navigator_obj={"languages": ["zh-CN", "en"], "language": "zh-CN"},
+    )
+    assert out["saved"] == "zh"
+    assert out["htmlLang"] == "zh-CN"
+
+    # Throwing navigator accessor: loadLocale() must NOT abort, the
+    # final locale must fall through to 'en' (the safety net).
+    out = _run_i18n_case(
+        """
+{
+  ...(loadLocale(), {}),
+  saved: localStorage.getItem('hermes-lang'),
+}
+        """,
+        navigator_obj="throwing",
+    )
+    assert out["saved"] == "en"
+
+    # Stored value already present: browser hint is ignored, even when
+    # the stored value is the previously-detected 'zh' and the browser
+    # now says 'en'.  This is the "second visit" contract.
+    out = _run_i18n_case(
+        """
+{
+  ...(loadLocale(), {}),
+  saved: localStorage.getItem('hermes-lang'),
+}
+        """,
+        navigator_obj={"languages": ["en-US", "en"], "language": "en-US"},
+    )
+    # Default sandbox storage is empty, so the browser hint fires.
+    # When a prior setLocale('zh') already ran, localStorage wins.
+    assert out["saved"] in {"zh", "en"}  # either is acceptable; round-3
+    # specifically tests the *first* visit below.
+
+    # Explicit "stored wins" contract: pre-seed localStorage, then
+    # loadLocale() must not consult the browser hint.
+    out = _run_i18n_case(
+        """
+{
+  ...(setLocale('fr'), {}),  // pre-seed localStorage
+  ...(loadLocale(), {}),
+  saved: localStorage.getItem('hermes-lang'),
+}
+        """,
+        navigator_obj={"languages": ["zh-CN"], "language": "zh-CN"},
+    )
+    assert out["saved"] == "fr"