diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/FeedbackModal.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/components/FeedbackModal.svelte
index 784da61..c375155 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/components/FeedbackModal.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/FeedbackModal.svelte
@@ -38,8 +38,10 @@
 
 <svelte:window onkeydown={onkey} />
 
-<div class="overlay" onclick={onclose} role="presentation">
-  <div class="sheet rise" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" aria-label="Send feedback" onclick={(e) => e.stopPropagation()}>
+<!-- Backdrop: clicking it closes; keyboard users close with Escape (window). -->
+<!-- svelte-ignore a11y_click_events_have_key_events -->
+<div class="overlay" role="presentation" onclick={(e) => e.target === e.currentTarget && onclose?.()}>
+  <div class="sheet rise" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" aria-label="Send feedback" tabindex="-1">
     <button class="x" onclick={onclose} aria-label="Close">×</button>
 
     {#if status === 'sent'}
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/LanePicker.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/components/LanePicker.svelte
index 9da28c6..43b3216 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/components/LanePicker.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/LanePicker.svelte
@@ -64,8 +64,10 @@
 {#if inline}
   <section class="panel rise">{@render body()}</section>
 {:else}
-  <div class="overlay" onclick={onclose} role="presentation">
-    <div class="sheet rise" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" aria-label="Customize lanes" onclick={(e) => e.stopPropagation()}>
+  <!-- Backdrop: clicking it closes; keyboard users close with Escape (window). -->
+  <!-- svelte-ignore a11y_click_events_have_key_events -->
+  <div class="overlay" role="presentation" onclick={(e) => e.target === e.currentTarget && onclose?.()}>
+    <div class="sheet rise" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" aria-label="Customize lanes" tabindex="-1">
       <button class="x" onclick={onclose} aria-label="Close">×</button>
       {@render body()}
     </div>
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/SavedFlyout.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/components/SavedFlyout.svelte
index 15807ba..7b46239 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/components/SavedFlyout.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/SavedFlyout.svelte
@@ -28,8 +28,10 @@
 
 <svelte:window onkeydown={onkey} />
 
-<div class="overlay" onclick={onclose} role="presentation">
-  <aside class="drawer" onclick={(e) => e.stopPropagation()} aria-label="Saved articles">
+<!-- Backdrop: clicking it closes; keyboard users close with Escape (window). -->
+<!-- svelte-ignore a11y_click_events_have_key_events -->
+<div class="overlay" role="presentation" onclick={(e) => e.target === e.currentTarget && onclose?.()}>
+  <div class="drawer" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" aria-label="Saved articles" tabindex="-1">
     <div class="head">
       <h2>Saved</h2>
       <button class="x" onclick={onclose} aria-label="Close">×</button>
@@ -53,7 +55,7 @@
     {:else}
       <p class="muted">Nothing saved yet — tap <strong>Save</strong> on a story to keep it here.</p>
     {/if}
-  </aside>
+  </div>
 </div>
 
 <style>
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/SignIn.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/components/SignIn.svelte
index 786ffd4..8093591 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/components/SignIn.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/SignIn.svelte
@@ -19,10 +19,18 @@
       error = err?.message || 'Something went wrong — try again in a moment.';
     }
   }
+
+  function onkey(e) {
+    if (e.key === 'Escape') onclose?.();
+  }
 </script>
 
-<div class="overlay" onclick={onclose} role="presentation">
-  <div class="sheet rise" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" aria-label="Sign in" onclick={(e) => e.stopPropagation()}>
+<svelte:window onkeydown={onkey} />
+
+<!-- Backdrop: clicking it closes; keyboard users close with Escape (window). -->
+<!-- svelte-ignore a11y_click_events_have_key_events -->
+<div class="overlay" role="presentation" onclick={(e) => e.target === e.currentTarget && onclose?.()}>
+  <div class="sheet rise" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" aria-label="Sign in" tabindex="-1">
     <button class="x" onclick={onclose} aria-label="Close">×</button>
 
     {#if status === 'sent'}
diff --git a/goodnews/feeds.py b/goodnews/feeds.py
index 9f7500f..0ee1b46 100644
--- a/goodnews/feeds.py
+++ b/goodnews/feeds.py
@@ -35,14 +35,32 @@ def poll_all_sources(conn: sqlite3.Connection, limit: int | None = None) -> dict
     ).fetchall(), limit)
 
 
-def poll_due_sources(conn: sqlite3.Connection, limit: int | None = None) -> dict:
-    """Poll only active sources whose last successful poll is older than their
-    poll_interval_minutes (or that have never been polled successfully).
+# A failing source backs off so it isn't re-hit every scheduler cycle: the
+# effective wait grows with the failure streak, capped at a day. This keeps a
+# rate-limited feed (HTTP 429) resting instead of hammered, and lets it recover
+# on its own once the limit lifts.
+MAX_BACKOFF_MINUTES = 1440
 
-    This is what makes poll_interval_minutes meaningful and lets a scheduler run
-    frequently without re-hitting feeds that are not yet due.
+
+def poll_due_sources(conn: sqlite3.Connection, limit: int | None = None) -> dict:
+    """Poll only active sources whose last *attempt* (success OR failure) is
+    older than their effective interval, or that have never been polled.
+
+    Keying on the last attempt — not the last success — is what stops a
+    perpetually-failing feed from being retried every cycle. The effective
+    interval is poll_interval_minutes scaled up by the consecutive-failure
+    streak (capped at MAX_BACKOFF_MINUTES), so healthy feeds keep their cadence
+    while broken ones step down to occasional retries.
     """
-    rows = conn.execute(
+    return _poll_rows(conn, due_source_rows(conn), limit)
+
+
+def due_source_rows(conn: sqlite3.Connection) -> list[sqlite3.Row]:
+    """Active sources currently due to poll (see poll_due_sources for the rule).
+
+    Split out so the due/backoff decision can be tested without the network.
+    """
+    return conn.execute(
         """
         SELECT s.*
         FROM sources s
@@ -50,17 +68,20 @@ def poll_due_sources(conn: sqlite3.Connection, limit: int | None = None) -> dict
           AND (
             NOT EXISTS (
                 SELECT 1 FROM ingest_runs r
-                WHERE r.source_id = s.id AND r.status = 'ok'
+                WHERE r.source_id = s.id AND r.finished_at IS NOT NULL
             )
             OR (
                 SELECT MAX(r.finished_at) FROM ingest_runs r
-                WHERE r.source_id = s.id AND r.status = 'ok'
-            ) <= datetime('now', '-' || s.poll_interval_minutes || ' minutes')
+                WHERE r.source_id = s.id AND r.finished_at IS NOT NULL
+            ) <= datetime(
+                'now',
+                '-' || MIN(?, s.poll_interval_minutes * (1 + s.consecutive_failures)) || ' minutes'
+            )
           )
         ORDER BY s.id
-        """
+        """,
+        (MAX_BACKOFF_MINUTES,),
     ).fetchall()
-    return _poll_rows(conn, rows, limit)
 
 
 def _poll_rows(conn: sqlite3.Connection, rows: list[sqlite3.Row], limit: int | None) -> dict:
diff --git a/tests/conftest.py b/tests/conftest.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2ec99d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/conftest.py
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+import pytest
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def _no_real_llm(monkeypatch):
+    """Safety net: no test should reach the real arbiter.
+
+    If a test constructs an LLM client from env without mocking, point it at a
+    closed local port with a 1s timeout so the call fails fast instead of
+    hanging on the production 300s timeout (which looks like a stalled suite).
+    Tests that exercise the LLM patch it at the function level, which overrides
+    these env defaults.
+    """
+    monkeypatch.setenv("GOODNEWS_LLM_BASE_URL", "http://127.0.0.1:1/v1")
+    monkeypatch.setenv("GOODNEWS_LLM_TIMEOUT", "1")
+    monkeypatch.delenv("GOODNEWS_LLM_API_KEY", raising=False)
diff --git a/tests/test_briefs_fk.py b/tests/test_briefs_fk.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..778787d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_briefs_fk.py
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+from goodnews.db import connect, init_db
+
+
+def test_deleting_a_brief_cascades_to_items(tmp_path):
+    """The orphaned-items bug: a brief was deleted while its items survived,
+    because FK enforcement is per-connection in SQLite. connect() turns it on,
+    so ON DELETE CASCADE must now clear the items and leave no FK violations.
+    """
+    c = connect(str(tmp_path / "t.db")); init_db(c)
+    assert c.execute("PRAGMA foreign_keys").fetchone()[0] == 1  # enforced
+
+    c.execute("INSERT INTO sources (id, name, feed_url) VALUES (1, 'S', 'http://s/f')")
+    c.execute(
+        "INSERT INTO articles (id, source_id, canonical_url, title, url_hash, published_at) "
+        "VALUES (1, 1, 'http://s/a', 'A', 'h1', '2026-01-01T00:00:00')"
+    )
+    c.execute("INSERT INTO daily_briefs (id, brief_date, title) VALUES (9, '2026-01-01', 'B')")
+    c.execute("INSERT INTO daily_brief_items (brief_id, article_id, rank) VALUES (9, 1, 1)")
+    c.commit()
+
+    c.execute("DELETE FROM daily_briefs WHERE id = 9")
+    c.commit()
+
+    assert c.execute("SELECT COUNT(*) FROM daily_brief_items").fetchone()[0] == 0
+    assert c.execute("PRAGMA foreign_key_check").fetchall() == []
diff --git a/tests/test_scheduler.py b/tests/test_scheduler.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..be210d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_scheduler.py
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+from goodnews.db import connect, init_db
+from goodnews.feeds import due_source_rows
+
+
+def _src(c, sid, *, interval=120, failures=0, active=1):
+    c.execute(
+        "INSERT INTO sources (id, name, feed_url, poll_interval_minutes, consecutive_failures, active) "
+        "VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)",
+        (sid, f"S{sid}", f"http://s/{sid}", interval, failures, active),
+    )
+
+
+def _attempt(c, sid, *, minutes_ago, status="ok"):
+    c.execute(
+        "INSERT INTO ingest_runs (source_id, finished_at, status) "
+        "VALUES (?, datetime('now', ?), ?)",
+        (sid, f"-{minutes_ago} minutes", status),
+    )
+
+
+def _due_ids(c):
+    return {r["id"] for r in due_source_rows(c)}
+
+
+def test_never_attempted_is_due(tmp_path):
+    c = connect(str(tmp_path / "t.db")); init_db(c)
+    _src(c, 1)
+    assert _due_ids(c) == {1}
+
+
+def test_recent_attempt_not_due_old_attempt_due(tmp_path):
+    c = connect(str(tmp_path / "t.db")); init_db(c)
+    _src(c, 1, interval=120); _attempt(c, 1, minutes_ago=5)     # polled recently
+    _src(c, 2, interval=120); _attempt(c, 2, minutes_ago=200)   # overdue
+    assert _due_ids(c) == {2}
+
+
+def test_failing_source_backs_off(tmp_path):
+    # The regression: a perpetually-FAILING source (no 'ok' run) used to be due
+    # every cycle. With backoff it rests — effective wait = 60*(1+10)=660 min.
+    c = connect(str(tmp_path / "t.db")); init_db(c)
+    _src(c, 1, interval=60, failures=10)
+    _attempt(c, 1, minutes_ago=200, status="failed")  # 200 < 660 → not due yet
+    assert _due_ids(c) == set()
+    # ...but once past the backed-off window it becomes due again.
+    c.execute("DELETE FROM ingest_runs WHERE source_id = 1")
+    _attempt(c, 1, minutes_ago=700, status="failed")  # 700 > 660 → due
+    assert _due_ids(c) == {1}
+
+
+def test_backoff_capped_at_a_day(tmp_path):
+    # A long failure streak can't push the wait past MAX_BACKOFF_MINUTES (1440).
+    c = connect(str(tmp_path / "t.db")); init_db(c)
+    _src(c, 1, interval=120, failures=999)             # 120*1000 would be huge
+    _attempt(c, 1, minutes_ago=1500, status="failed")  # >1440 → due despite streak
+    assert _due_ids(c) == {1}
+
+
+def test_inactive_never_due(tmp_path):
+    c = connect(str(tmp_path / "t.db")); init_db(c)
+    _src(c, 1, active=0)
+    assert _due_ids(c) == set()