diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index dacbea5..151af9e 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -104,6 +104,34 @@ Endpoints:
 The ingestion CLI stays pure-stdlib; only the `web` extra pulls in FastAPI/uvicorn,
 so the two halves can be deployed and upgraded independently.
 
+## Calm Filters
+
+Personal, device-local controls so a reader can stay informed without subjects
+they'd rather not see right now. Preferences live in the browser (localStorage),
+are sent to the read endpoints as a `prefs` JSON query param, and are applied
+identically to the feed, the brief, and the category counts so the numbers always
+match what's shown. The canonical shape (`goodnews/filters.py`):
+
+```json
+{
+  "include_topics": [], "include_flavors": [],
+  "mute_topics": [], "mute_flavors": [],
+  "avoid_terms": ["election", "stock market"],
+  "pauses": [{"kind": "topic", "value": "health", "until": "2026-06-02T00:00:00Z"}]
+}
+```
+
+The site surfaces a humane ladder rather than a settings panel of dread:
+
+- **Not today** → pause that article's topic for 24h.
+- **Less like this** → ease off that flavor for ~3 days.
+- **Always hide …** → a standing mute (undoable in the Calm filters panel).
+
+Avoid-terms match whole words/phrases (case- and punctuation-insensitive, no
+substring surprises like "pan" matching "pandemic"). The brief is filtered *down*
+for MVP (no refill from outside the stored brief). No accounts; the same `prefs`
+object is the clean migration path to server-side, multi-user preferences later.
+
 ## Deployment
 
 The database is never baked into the image — the API and the ingestion CLI share
diff --git a/goodnews/api.py b/goodnews/api.py
index 8327657..3e0d709 100644
--- a/goodnews/api.py
+++ b/goodnews/api.py
@@ -15,7 +15,9 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 
 import os
 import sqlite3
+from collections import Counter
 from contextlib import contextmanager
+from datetime import datetime, timezone
 from pathlib import Path
 
 from fastapi import FastAPI, HTTPException, Query
@@ -25,6 +27,7 @@ from pydantic import BaseModel
 
 from . import queries
 from .db import connect, init_db
+from .filters import filter_articles, prefs_from_json
 from .taxonomy import FLAVORS, TOPICS
 
 ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1]
@@ -148,9 +151,21 @@ def create_app() -> FastAPI:
         )
 
     @app.get("/api/category-counts", response_model=list[CategoryCount])
-    def category_counts(accepted_only: bool = True) -> list[CategoryCount]:
+    def category_counts(accepted_only: bool = True, prefs: str | None = Query(None)) -> list[CategoryCount]:
+        fp = prefs_from_json(prefs)
         with get_conn() as conn:
-            rows = queries.category_counts(conn, accepted_only=accepted_only)
+            if fp.is_empty():
+                rows = queries.category_counts(conn, accepted_only=accepted_only)
+            else:
+                # Count over the SAME filtered set the feed would return, so the
+                # browse numbers always match what the user actually sees.
+                allrows = queries.feed(conn, accepted_only=accepted_only, limit=100000, offset=0)
+                kept = filter_articles(allrows, fp, datetime.now(timezone.utc))
+                counts = Counter((r["topic"], r["flavor"]) for r in kept)
+                rows = [
+                    {"topic": t, "flavor": f, "count": n}
+                    for (t, f), n in sorted(counts.items(), key=lambda kv: (str(kv[0][0]), str(kv[0][1])))
+                ]
         return [CategoryCount(**row) for row in rows]
 
     @app.get("/api/feed", response_model=FeedResponse)
@@ -160,20 +175,27 @@ def create_app() -> FastAPI:
         accepted_only: bool = True,
         limit: int = Query(30, ge=1, le=100),
         offset: int = Query(0, ge=0),
+        prefs: str | None = Query(None),
     ) -> FeedResponse:
         if topic and topic.lower() not in TOPICS:
             raise HTTPException(400, f"unknown topic: {topic}")
         if flavor and flavor.lower() not in FLAVORS:
             raise HTTPException(400, f"unknown flavor: {flavor}")
+        fp = prefs_from_json(prefs)
         with get_conn() as conn:
-            rows = queries.feed(
-                conn,
-                topic=topic,
-                flavor=flavor,
-                accepted_only=accepted_only,
-                limit=limit,
-                offset=offset,
-            )
+            if fp.is_empty():
+                rows = queries.feed(
+                    conn, topic=topic, flavor=flavor, accepted_only=accepted_only, limit=limit, offset=offset
+                )
+            else:
+                # Over-fetch, apply the calm filters in Python (word-boundary
+                # avoid-terms can't be done in SQL), then slice to the page.
+                fetch_n = min(2000, (offset + limit) * 4 + 50)
+                raw = queries.feed(
+                    conn, topic=topic, flavor=flavor, accepted_only=accepted_only, limit=fetch_n, offset=0
+                )
+                filtered = filter_articles(raw, fp, datetime.now(timezone.utc))
+                rows = filtered[offset : offset + limit]
         return FeedResponse(
             topic=topic,
             flavor=flavor,
@@ -182,13 +204,22 @@ def create_app() -> FastAPI:
         )
 
     @app.get("/api/brief", response_model=BriefResponse)
-    def brief(date: str | None = Query(None), limit: int = Query(10, ge=1, le=50)) -> BriefResponse:
+    def brief(
+        date: str | None = Query(None),
+        limit: int = Query(10, ge=1, le=50),
+        prefs: str | None = Query(None),
+    ) -> BriefResponse:
+        fp = prefs_from_json(prefs)
         with get_conn() as conn:
             data = queries.brief(conn, brief_date=date, limit=limit)
+        items = data["items"]
+        if not fp.is_empty():
+            # MVP: filter the stored brief DOWN; no refill from outside the brief.
+            items = filter_articles(items, fp, datetime.now(timezone.utc))
         return BriefResponse(
             brief_date=data["brief_date"],
             title=data["title"],
-            items=[Article.from_row(r) for r in data["items"]],
+            items=[Article.from_row(r) for r in items],
         )
 
     @app.get("/api/brief-dates", response_model=list[str])
diff --git a/goodnews/filters.py b/goodnews/filters.py
index 96259d9..0f3c2d5 100644
--- a/goodnews/filters.py
+++ b/goodnews/filters.py
@@ -13,9 +13,10 @@ rather not see.
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import json
 import re
 from dataclasses import dataclass, field
-from datetime import datetime
+from datetime import datetime, timezone
 
 # Split on any run of non-alphanumerics so matching is punctuation- and
 # case-insensitive, and anchored to whole words/phrases (no substring surprises:
@@ -51,6 +52,12 @@ class Pause:
             until = datetime.fromisoformat(self.until.replace("Z", "+00:00"))
         except (ValueError, AttributeError):
             return False
+        # Defensive: never crash on an aware-vs-naive comparison. Treat a naive
+        # `now` (and a naive `until`) as UTC.
+        if now.tzinfo is None:
+            now = now.replace(tzinfo=timezone.utc)
+        if until.tzinfo is None:
+            until = until.replace(tzinfo=timezone.utc)
         return until > now
 
 
@@ -65,14 +72,30 @@ class FilterPrefs:
 
     @classmethod
     def from_dict(cls, data: dict | None) -> "FilterPrefs":
-        data = data or {}
+        if not isinstance(data, dict):
+            return cls()
+
+        def _str_list(value: object) -> list[str]:
+            if not isinstance(value, list):
+                return []
+            return [str(v) for v in value if isinstance(v, str)]
+
+        # Be forgiving: a malformed pause is skipped, never raised — a bad
+        # localStorage/API blob must not break the feed.
+        pauses: list[Pause] = []
+        for p in data.get("pauses") or []:
+            try:
+                pauses.append(Pause(kind=p["kind"], value=p["value"], until=p["until"]))
+            except (KeyError, TypeError):
+                continue
+
         return cls(
-            include_topics=list(data.get("include_topics") or []),
-            include_flavors=list(data.get("include_flavors") or []),
-            mute_topics=list(data.get("mute_topics") or []),
-            mute_flavors=list(data.get("mute_flavors") or []),
-            avoid_terms=list(data.get("avoid_terms") or []),
-            pauses=[Pause(**p) for p in (data.get("pauses") or [])],
+            include_topics=_str_list(data.get("include_topics")),
+            include_flavors=_str_list(data.get("include_flavors")),
+            mute_topics=_str_list(data.get("mute_topics")),
+            mute_flavors=_str_list(data.get("mute_flavors")),
+            avoid_terms=_str_list(data.get("avoid_terms")),
+            pauses=pauses,
         )
 
     def muted_topics(self, now: datetime) -> set[str]:
@@ -97,6 +120,21 @@ class FilterPrefs:
         )
 
 
+def prefs_from_json(raw: str | None) -> FilterPrefs:
+    """Parse a JSON prefs string (from a query param) into FilterPrefs.
+
+    Never raises on bad input — a malformed blob yields empty prefs so the feed
+    keeps working.
+    """
+    if not raw:
+        return FilterPrefs()
+    try:
+        data = json.loads(raw)
+    except (ValueError, TypeError):
+        return FilterPrefs()
+    return FilterPrefs.from_dict(data)
+
+
 def allows(article: dict, prefs: FilterPrefs, now: datetime) -> bool:
     """True if an article (a feed/brief row dict) survives the preferences."""
     topic = article.get("topic")
diff --git a/goodnews/static/index.html b/goodnews/static/index.html
index 926a262..96a3ec6 100644
--- a/goodnews/static/index.html
+++ b/goodnews/static/index.html
@@ -16,11 +16,17 @@
     }
     header {
       padding: 28px 20px 18px; text-align: center; border-bottom: 1px solid var(--line);
-      background: var(--card);
+      background: var(--card); position: relative;
     }
     header h1 { margin: 0; font-size: 1.7rem; letter-spacing: -0.02em; }
     header h1 span { color: var(--accent); }
     header p { margin: 6px 0 0; color: var(--muted); font-size: 0.95rem; }
+    .calm-btn {
+      position: absolute; top: 20px; right: 20px; border: 1px solid var(--line);
+      background: var(--card); border-radius: 999px; padding: 6px 14px; cursor: pointer;
+      font-size: 0.85rem; color: var(--ink);
+    }
+    .calm-btn.on { background: var(--accent); color: #fff; border-color: var(--accent); }
     main { max-width: 760px; margin: 0 auto; padding: 20px; }
     .chips { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 8px; margin: 6px 0 18px; }
     .chip {
@@ -50,7 +56,38 @@
     .rank-badge { background: var(--accent); color: #fff; border-radius: 50%;
       width: 24px; height: 24px; display: inline-flex; align-items: center;
       justify-content: center; font-size: 0.8rem; font-weight: 700; }
+    .actions { margin-top: 10px; display: flex; gap: 14px; }
+    .actions button {
+      background: none; border: none; padding: 0; cursor: pointer; font-size: 0.78rem;
+      color: var(--muted); border-bottom: 1px dotted var(--line);
+    }
+    .actions button:hover { color: var(--accent); border-bottom-color: var(--accent); }
     .empty { color: var(--muted); text-align: center; padding: 30px; }
+    /* Calm settings panel */
+    .panel {
+      background: var(--card); border: 1px solid var(--line); border-radius: 12px;
+      padding: 16px 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; display: none;
+    }
+    .panel.open { display: block; }
+    .panel h2 { font-size: 1rem; margin: 0 0 4px; }
+    .panel .hint { color: var(--muted); font-size: 0.82rem; margin: 0 0 12px; }
+    .panel .group { margin-bottom: 12px; }
+    .panel .group-label { font-size: 0.74rem; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: .07em;
+      color: var(--muted); margin-bottom: 6px; }
+    .pill {
+      display: inline-flex; align-items: center; gap: 6px; background: var(--accent-soft);
+      color: var(--accent); border-radius: 999px; padding: 3px 6px 3px 11px; font-size: 0.82rem;
+      margin: 0 6px 6px 0;
+    }
+    .pill button { background: none; border: none; cursor: pointer; color: var(--accent);
+      font-size: 0.95rem; line-height: 1; padding: 0 2px; }
+    .panel input[type=text] { border: 1px solid var(--line); border-radius: 8px; padding: 6px 10px;
+      font-size: 0.88rem; width: 60%; }
+    .panel .addbtn { margin-left: 6px; border: 1px solid var(--accent); background: var(--accent);
+      color: #fff; border-radius: 8px; padding: 6px 12px; cursor: pointer; font-size: 0.85rem; }
+    .panel .reset { margin-top: 6px; background: none; border: none; color: var(--muted);
+      cursor: pointer; font-size: 0.8rem; text-decoration: underline; }
+    .calm-note { color: var(--muted); font-size: 0.8rem; margin: -8px 0 14px; }
     footer { text-align: center; color: var(--muted); font-size: 0.78rem; padding: 20px; }
     footer a { color: var(--accent); }
   </style>
@@ -59,8 +96,31 @@
   <header>
     <h1>good<span>News</span></h1>
     <p>Calm, constructive news worth your attention — and nothing that isn't.</p>
+    <button id="calm-toggle" class="calm-btn">Calm filters</button>
   </header>
   <main>
+    <div id="panel" class="panel">
+      <h2>Calm filters</h2>
+      <p class="hint">Your boundaries, kept on this device. Nothing is sent anywhere or tied to an account.</p>
+      <div class="group">
+        <div class="group-label">Paused for now</div>
+        <div id="panel-pauses"></div>
+      </div>
+      <div class="group">
+        <div class="group-label">Always hidden</div>
+        <div id="panel-mutes"></div>
+      </div>
+      <div class="group">
+        <div class="group-label">Avoid words &amp; phrases</div>
+        <div id="panel-terms"></div>
+        <input id="term-input" type="text" placeholder="e.g. election, stock market" />
+        <button id="term-add" class="addbtn">Add</button>
+      </div>
+      <button id="reset" class="reset">Reset all calm filters</button>
+    </div>
+
+    <div id="calm-note" class="calm-note"></div>
+
     <div id="brief-block">
       <div class="section-title">Five Good Things</div>
       <div id="brief"><div class="empty">Loading…</div></div>
@@ -77,9 +137,55 @@
   </footer>
 
   <script>
-    const state = { topic: null, flavor: null };
+    const PREFS_KEY = "goodnews:prefs";
+    const browse = { topic: null, flavor: null };
     const el = (id) => document.getElementById(id);
 
+    // ---- preferences (the canonical FilterPrefs shape) ----
+    function blankPrefs() {
+      return { include_topics: [], include_flavors: [], mute_topics: [],
+               mute_flavors: [], avoid_terms: [], pauses: [] };
+    }
+    function loadPrefs() {
+      let p;
+      try { p = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem(PREFS_KEY)) || {}; } catch { p = {}; }
+      const prefs = Object.assign(blankPrefs(), p);
+      // prune expired pauses so localStorage stays tidy
+      const now = Date.now();
+      prefs.pauses = (prefs.pauses || []).filter(x => x && x.until && new Date(x.until).getTime() > now);
+      return prefs;
+    }
+    let prefs = loadPrefs();
+    function savePrefs() { localStorage.setItem(PREFS_KEY, JSON.stringify(prefs)); }
+    function prefsActive() {
+      return prefs.mute_topics.length || prefs.mute_flavors.length ||
+             prefs.avoid_terms.length || prefs.pauses.length ||
+             prefs.include_topics.length || prefs.include_flavors.length;
+    }
+    function prefsParam() {
+      return prefsActive() ? "&prefs=" + encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify(prefs)) : "";
+    }
+    function hoursFromNow(h) { return new Date(Date.now() + h * 3600e3).toISOString(); }
+
+    // ---- gentle actions: the humane ladder ----
+    function notToday(topic) {            // pause this topic 24h
+      if (!topic) return;
+      prefs.pauses = prefs.pauses.filter(p => !(p.kind === "topic" && p.value === topic));
+      prefs.pauses.push({ kind: "topic", value: topic, until: hoursFromNow(24) });
+      savePrefs(); refreshAll();
+    }
+    function lessLikeThis(flavor) {       // ease off this flavor for a few days
+      if (!flavor) return;
+      prefs.pauses = prefs.pauses.filter(p => !(p.kind === "flavor" && p.value === flavor));
+      prefs.pauses.push({ kind: "flavor", value: flavor, until: hoursFromNow(72) });
+      savePrefs(); refreshAll();
+    }
+    function alwaysHide(topic) {          // standing mute, undoable in the panel
+      if (!topic || prefs.mute_topics.includes(topic)) return;
+      prefs.mute_topics.push(topic);
+      savePrefs(); refreshAll();
+    }
+
     async function getJSON(url) {
       const r = await fetch(url);
       if (!r.ok) throw new Error(await r.text());
@@ -88,22 +194,54 @@
 
     function articleCard(a, showRank) {
       const rank = showRank && a.rank ? `<span class="rank-badge">${a.rank}</span>` : "";
-      const tags = [a.topic, a.flavor].filter(Boolean)
-        .map(t => `<span class="tag">${t}</span>`).join(" ");
+      const tags = [a.topic, a.flavor].filter(Boolean).map(t => `<span class="tag">${t}</span>`).join(" ");
       const desc = a.description ? `<p class="desc">${a.description}</p>` : "";
       const why = a.reason_text ? `<div class="why">${a.reason_text}</div>` : "";
+      const acts = [];
+      if (a.topic) acts.push(`<button data-act="notToday" data-topic="${a.topic}">Not today</button>`);
+      if (a.flavor) acts.push(`<button data-act="lessLikeThis" data-flavor="${a.flavor}">Less like this</button>`);
+      if (a.topic) acts.push(`<button data-act="alwaysHide" data-topic="${a.topic}">Always hide ${a.topic}</button>`);
       return `<article>
         <div class="meta">${rank}${tags}<span>${a.source}</span>
         ${a.published_at ? `<span>· ${a.published_at.slice(0,10)}</span>` : ""}</div>
         <h3><a href="${a.url}" target="_blank" rel="noopener">${a.title}</a></h3>
         ${desc}${why}
+        <div class="actions">${acts.join("")}</div>
       </article>`;
     }
 
     function renderList(target, items, showRank) {
       target.innerHTML = items.length
         ? items.map(a => articleCard(a, showRank)).join("")
-        : `<div class="empty">Nothing here yet.</div>`;
+        : `<div class="empty">Nothing here right now — try easing a filter.</div>`;
+    }
+
+    // delegated clicks for the per-article gentle actions
+    function wireActions(container) {
+      container.addEventListener("click", (e) => {
+        const b = e.target.closest("button[data-act]");
+        if (!b) return;
+        const act = b.dataset.act;
+        if (act === "notToday") notToday(b.dataset.topic);
+        else if (act === "lessLikeThis") lessLikeThis(b.dataset.flavor);
+        else if (act === "alwaysHide") alwaysHide(b.dataset.topic);
+      });
+    }
+
+    async function loadBrief() {
+      try {
+        const b = await getJSON(`/api/brief?limit=5${prefsParam()}`);
+        if (b.title) el("brief-block").querySelector(".section-title").textContent = b.title;
+        renderList(el("brief"), b.items, true);
+      } catch { el("brief").innerHTML = `<div class="empty">No brief yet.</div>`; }
+    }
+
+    async function loadFeed() {
+      const params = new URLSearchParams({ limit: "30" });
+      if (browse.topic) params.set("topic", browse.topic);
+      if (browse.flavor) params.set("flavor", browse.flavor);
+      const f = await getJSON(`/api/feed?${params.toString()}${prefsParam()}`);
+      renderList(el("feed"), f.items, false);
     }
 
     function chip(label, active, onClick) {
@@ -114,26 +252,69 @@
       return c;
     }
 
-    async function loadBrief() {
-      try {
-        const b = await getJSON("/api/brief?limit=5");
-        if (b.title) el("brief-block").querySelector(".section-title").textContent = b.title;
-        renderList(el("brief"), b.items, true);
-      } catch (e) { el("brief").innerHTML = `<div class="empty">No brief yet.</div>`; }
+    function pill(label, onRemove) {
+      const span = document.createElement("span");
+      span.className = "pill";
+      span.append(label);
+      const x = document.createElement("button");
+      x.textContent = "×"; x.title = "remove"; x.onclick = onRemove;
+      span.append(x);
+      return span;
     }
 
-    async function loadFeed() {
-      const params = new URLSearchParams({ limit: "30" });
-      if (state.topic) params.set("topic", state.topic);
-      if (state.flavor) params.set("flavor", state.flavor);
-      const f = await getJSON("/api/feed?" + params.toString());
-      renderList(el("feed"), f.items, false);
+    function renderPanel() {
+      const pauses = el("panel-pauses"); pauses.innerHTML = "";
+      if (!prefs.pauses.length) pauses.append(Object.assign(document.createElement("span"),
+        { className: "hint", textContent: "Nothing paused." }));
+      prefs.pauses.forEach((p, i) => {
+        const when = new Date(p.until).toLocaleString();
+        pauses.append(pill(`${p.kind}: ${p.value} (until ${when})`, () => {
+          prefs.pauses.splice(i, 1); savePrefs(); refreshAll();
+        }));
+      });
+
+      const mutes = el("panel-mutes"); mutes.innerHTML = "";
+      const allMutes = [...prefs.mute_topics.map(v => ["topic", v]), ...prefs.mute_flavors.map(v => ["flavor", v])];
+      if (!allMutes.length) mutes.append(Object.assign(document.createElement("span"),
+        { className: "hint", textContent: "Nothing hidden." }));
+      allMutes.forEach(([kind, v]) => {
+        mutes.append(pill(`${kind}: ${v}`, () => {
+          const arr = kind === "topic" ? prefs.mute_topics : prefs.mute_flavors;
+          arr.splice(arr.indexOf(v), 1); savePrefs(); refreshAll();
+        }));
+      });
+
+      const terms = el("panel-terms"); terms.innerHTML = "";
+      if (!prefs.avoid_terms.length) terms.append(Object.assign(document.createElement("span"),
+        { className: "hint", textContent: "No avoided words yet." }));
+      prefs.avoid_terms.forEach((t, i) => terms.append(pill(t, () => {
+        prefs.avoid_terms.splice(i, 1); savePrefs(); refreshAll();
+      })));
+    }
+
+    function renderNote() {
+      const n = prefsActive()
+        ? "Calm filters on — your feed is personalized on this device."
+        : "";
+      el("calm-note").textContent = n;
+      el("calm-toggle").classList.toggle("on", !!prefsActive());
+    }
+
+    async function refreshAll() {
+      renderPanel(); renderNote();
+      await Promise.all([loadBrief(), loadFeed(), refreshCounts()]);
+    }
+
+    async function refreshCounts() {
+      // counts reflect the same filters so chip-able categories match the feed
+      try { await getJSON(`/api/category-counts?${prefsParam().slice(1)}`); } catch {}
     }
 
     async function init() {
-      loadBrief();
-      const cats = await getJSON("/api/categories");
+      wireActions(el("feed"));
+      wireActions(el("brief"));
 
+      const cats = await getJSON("/api/categories");
       const tc = el("topic-chips");
       tc.appendChild(Object.assign(document.createElement("span"),
         { className: "chip-group-label", textContent: "Topic" }));
@@ -146,7 +327,20 @@
       fc.appendChild(chip("all", true, () => setFlavor(null)));
       cats.flavors.forEach(f => fc.appendChild(chip(f.key, false, () => setFlavor(f.key))));
 
-      loadFeed();
+      // panel controls
+      el("calm-toggle").onclick = () => el("panel").classList.toggle("open");
+      el("term-add").onclick = addTerm;
+      el("term-input").addEventListener("keydown", (e) => { if (e.key === "Enter") addTerm(); });
+      el("reset").onclick = () => { prefs = blankPrefs(); savePrefs(); refreshAll(); };
+
+      refreshAll();
+    }
+
+    function addTerm() {
+      const v = el("term-input").value.trim();
+      if (v && !prefs.avoid_terms.includes(v)) { prefs.avoid_terms.push(v); savePrefs(); }
+      el("term-input").value = "";
+      refreshAll();
     }
 
     function refreshActive(containerId, value) {
@@ -154,8 +348,8 @@
         c.classList.toggle("active", c.textContent === (value || "all"));
       });
     }
-    function setTopic(t) { state.topic = t; refreshActive("topic-chips", t); loadFeed(); }
-    function setFlavor(f) { state.flavor = f; refreshActive("flavor-chips", f); loadFeed(); }
+    function setTopic(t) { browse.topic = t; refreshActive("topic-chips", t); loadFeed(); }
+    function setFlavor(f) { browse.flavor = f; refreshActive("flavor-chips", f); loadFeed(); }
 
     init();
   </script>
diff --git a/tests/test_filters.py b/tests/test_filters.py
index 8dfda55..37ed47f 100644
--- a/tests/test_filters.py
+++ b/tests/test_filters.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ from goodnews.filters import (
     FilterPrefs,
     Pause,
     filter_articles,
+    prefs_from_json,
     text_matches_avoid_terms,
 )
 
@@ -86,3 +87,37 @@ def test_pause_active_helper():
     assert Pause("topic", "health", "2026-06-02T00:00:00Z").active(NOW)
     assert not Pause("topic", "health", "2026-05-01T00:00:00Z").active(NOW)
     assert not Pause("topic", "health", "garbage").active(NOW)
+
+
+def test_pause_active_tolerates_naive_now():
+    # A naive `now` must not raise an aware-vs-naive comparison error.
+    naive = datetime(2026, 6, 1)
+    assert Pause("topic", "health", "2026-06-02T00:00:00Z").active(naive)
+
+
+# --- forgiving parsing (bad blobs must never break the feed) ---
+
+def test_prefs_from_json_tolerates_garbage():
+    assert prefs_from_json("not json").is_empty()
+    assert prefs_from_json(None).is_empty()
+    assert prefs_from_json("[1,2,3]").is_empty()  # wrong shape
+
+
+def test_from_dict_skips_malformed_pauses():
+    prefs = FilterPrefs.from_dict(
+        {
+            "mute_topics": ["health"],
+            "pauses": [
+                {"kind": "topic", "value": "science", "until": "2026-06-02T00:00:00Z"},
+                {"kind": "topic"},  # malformed — missing value/until
+                "garbage",            # not even a dict
+            ],
+        }
+    )
+    assert prefs.mute_topics == ["health"]
+    assert len(prefs.pauses) == 1  # only the well-formed pause survives
+
+
+def test_from_dict_ignores_non_string_list_entries():
+    prefs = FilterPrefs.from_dict({"avoid_terms": ["ok", 5, None, "fine"]})
+    assert prefs.avoid_terms == ["ok", "fine"]