diff --git a/frontend/src/routes/+page.svelte b/frontend/src/routes/+page.svelte
index dde7ee2..e015b7a 100644
--- a/frontend/src/routes/+page.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/routes/+page.svelte
@@ -303,6 +303,17 @@
     }
   }
 
+  // The finite-ending's gentle nudge: one tap to get tomorrow's brief by email.
+  let digestBusy = $state(false);
+  async function subscribeDigest() {
+    if (!auth.user) { showSignIn = true; return; }      // sign in, then enable below
+    if (auth.user.digest_enabled || digestBusy) return;
+    digestBusy = true;
+    try { await postJSON('/api/account/digest', { enabled: true }); await refreshAuth(); }
+    catch { /* leave as-is */ }
+    finally { digestBusy = false; }
+  }
+
   const MIX_EVENT = { notToday: 'not_today', lessLikeThis: 'less_like_this', alwaysHide: 'hide_topic' };
   function applyAction(kind, value) {
     applyPrefAction(kind, value); // updates + persists + syncs to account
@@ -430,7 +441,17 @@
               </div>
             {/if}
           </section>
-          <p class="endcap rise">✦ that's the good news for today ✦</p>
+          <div class="endcap rise">
+            <p class="endmark">✦ that's the good news for today ✦</p>
+            <p class="endsub">You're caught up — see you tomorrow.</p>
+            {#if auth.user?.digest_enabled}
+              <p class="digestnote">Tomorrow's brief is headed to your inbox ☕</p>
+            {:else}
+              <button class="digestcta" onclick={subscribeDigest} disabled={digestBusy}>
+                {digestBusy ? '…' : 'Get tomorrow’s brief by email'}
+              </button>
+            {/if}
+          </div>
         {:else}
           <p class="muted center pad">No highlights yet today — try a calmer filter, or check back soon.</p>
         {/if}
@@ -532,6 +553,15 @@
     text-align: center; color: var(--muted); font-family: var(--serif);
     font-style: italic; margin: 40px 0 10px; letter-spacing: 0.02em;
   }
+  .endcap .endmark { margin: 0; }
+  .endcap .endsub { margin: 4px 0 0; font-size: 0.92rem; }
+  .endcap .digestnote { margin: 14px 0 0; font-style: normal; font-family: var(--label); font-size: 0.86rem; color: var(--accent-deep); }
+  .endcap .digestcta {
+    margin-top: 16px; font-family: var(--label); font-style: normal; font-size: 0.9rem; cursor: pointer;
+    background: var(--accent); color: #fff; border: none; border-radius: 999px; padding: 10px 22px;
+  }
+  .endcap .digestcta:hover { background: var(--accent-deep); }
+  .endcap .digestcta:disabled { opacity: 0.6; cursor: default; }
   .loadmore { display: flex; justify-content: center; margin: 30px 0 6px; }
   .loadmore button {
     background: var(--surface); border: 1px solid var(--line); color: var(--accent-deep);
diff --git a/frontend/src/routes/account/+page.svelte b/frontend/src/routes/account/+page.svelte
index a05fda4..a3715ca 100644
--- a/frontend/src/routes/account/+page.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/routes/account/+page.svelte
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 <script>
   import { onMount } from 'svelte';
   import { page } from '$app/stores';
-  import { getJSON } from '$lib/api.js';
+  import { getJSON, postJSON } from '$lib/api.js';
   import { auth, savedIds, refresh } from '$lib/auth.svelte.js';
   import { prefs, initPrefs, persistPrefs } from '$lib/prefs.svelte.js';
   import { history, initHistory, loadServerHistory, removeOne, clearAll, record } from '$lib/history.svelte.js';
@@ -43,6 +43,20 @@
     persistPrefs();
   }
 
+  let digestBusy = $state(false);
+  async function toggleDigest() {
+    if (!auth.user || digestBusy) return;
+    digestBusy = true;
+    try {
+      await postJSON('/api/account/digest', { enabled: !auth.user.digest_enabled });
+      await refresh(); // re-pull auth.user with the new digest_enabled
+    } catch {
+      /* leave as-is */
+    } finally {
+      digestBusy = false;
+    }
+  }
+
   // Load the saved grid when entering that section while signed in.
   $effect(() => {
     if (section === 'saved' && auth.user && !savedReady) {
@@ -128,6 +142,13 @@
       <!-- profile -->
       {#if auth.user}
         <AccountPanel onclose={() => {}} />
+        <section class="panel digest">
+          <h2>Daily digest</h2>
+          <p class="dnote">A calm morning email — today's handful of good things, with a one-tap unsubscribe. No streaks, no noise; just the brief in your inbox.</p>
+          <button class="dtoggle" class:on={auth.user.digest_enabled} onclick={toggleDigest} disabled={digestBusy} aria-pressed={auth.user.digest_enabled}>
+            {#if digestBusy}…{:else if auth.user.digest_enabled}✓ On — you'll get tomorrow's brief{:else}Get the daily digest{/if}
+          </button>
+        </section>
       {:else}
         <p class="gate">Sign in from the home page to manage your profile, saved articles, and devices.</p>
       {/if}
@@ -165,6 +186,16 @@
   }
 
   .panel { background: var(--surface); border: 1px solid var(--line); border-radius: var(--radius); box-shadow: var(--shadow); padding: 20px 22px; }
+  .digest { margin-top: 16px; }
+  .digest h2 { font-size: 1.1rem; margin: 0 0 6px; }
+  .dnote { color: var(--muted); font-size: 0.9rem; margin: 0 0 14px; line-height: 1.5; }
+  .dtoggle {
+    font: inherit; font-size: 0.9rem; border-radius: 999px; padding: 9px 18px; cursor: pointer;
+    border: 1px solid var(--accent); background: var(--surface); color: var(--accent-deep);
+  }
+  .dtoggle:hover { border-color: var(--accent-deep); }
+  .dtoggle.on { background: var(--accent); border-color: var(--accent); color: #fff; }
+  .dtoggle:disabled { opacity: 0.6; cursor: default; }
   .phead { display: flex; align-items: baseline; justify-content: space-between; }
   .phead h2 { font-size: 1.3rem; }
   .link { background: none; border: none; color: var(--accent-deep); font-size: 0.85rem; text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer; }
diff --git a/goodnews/api.py b/goodnews/api.py
index e07c148..7f5fe7e 100644
--- a/goodnews/api.py
+++ b/goodnews/api.py
@@ -128,6 +128,7 @@ def _user_out(user: sqlite3.Row) -> dict:
         "display_name": user["display_name"],
         "avatar_url": user["avatar_url"],
         "is_admin": _is_admin(user),
+        "digest_enabled": bool(user["digest_enabled"]),
     }
 
 
@@ -346,6 +347,7 @@ class UserOut(BaseModel):
     display_name: str | None = None
     avatar_url: str | None = None
     is_admin: bool = False
+    digest_enabled: bool = False
 
 
 class SessionOut(BaseModel):
@@ -409,6 +411,10 @@ class CandidatePromoteBody(BaseModel):
     poll_interval_minutes: int = 180
 
 
+class DigestBody(BaseModel):
+    enabled: bool = True
+
+
 class SourceReviewBody(BaseModel):
     flag: bool = False
     reason: str | None = None
@@ -506,6 +512,49 @@ def create_app() -> FastAPI:
             user = _current_user(conn, request)
         return UserOut(**_user_out(user)) if user else None
 
+    @app.post("/api/account/digest")
+    def account_digest(body: DigestBody, request: Request) -> dict:
+        with get_conn() as conn:
+            user = _current_user(conn, request)
+            if not user:
+                raise HTTPException(status_code=401, detail="sign in required")
+            token = user["digest_unsub_token"]
+            if body.enabled and not token:
+                token = secrets.token_urlsafe(18)
+            conn.execute(
+                "UPDATE users SET digest_enabled = ?, digest_unsub_token = ? WHERE id = ?",
+                (1 if body.enabled else 0, token, user["id"]),
+            )
+            conn.commit()
+        return {"ok": True, "digest_enabled": body.enabled}
+
+    @app.get("/api/digest/unsubscribe", response_class=HTMLResponse)
+    def digest_unsubscribe(u: int = Query(...), t: str = Query(...)) -> HTMLResponse:
+        # One-click, no login: match the per-user token, then turn the digest off.
+        ok = False
+        with get_conn() as conn:
+            row = conn.execute("SELECT digest_unsub_token FROM users WHERE id = ?", (u,)).fetchone()
+            if row and row["digest_unsub_token"] and hmac.compare_digest(row["digest_unsub_token"], t):
+                conn.execute("UPDATE users SET digest_enabled = 0 WHERE id = ?", (u,))
+                conn.commit()
+                ok = True
+        msg = (
+            "You’re unsubscribed from the daily digest. No hard feelings — "
+            "Upbeat Bytes is always here when you want it."
+            if ok else
+            "That unsubscribe link looks invalid or expired. You can manage the "
+            "digest from your account settings."
+        )
+        html = (
+            '<!doctype html><meta charset="utf-8"><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1">'
+            '<div style="max-width:520px;margin:12vh auto;padding:0 24px;text-align:center;'
+            'font-family:-apple-system,Segoe UI,Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#16263a">'
+            '<h1 style="font-size:22px">Upbeat Bytes</h1>'
+            f'<p style="font-size:16px;line-height:1.5;color:#3b4754">{msg}</p>'
+            '<p><a href="/" style="color:#0083ad;text-decoration:none">← Back to Upbeat Bytes</a></p></div>'
+        )
+        return HTMLResponse(html)
+
     @app.post("/api/auth/logout")
     def auth_logout(request: Request, response: Response) -> dict:
         with get_conn() as conn:
diff --git a/goodnews/auth.py b/goodnews/auth.py
index 96fb0b3..8e4f27d 100644
--- a/goodnews/auth.py
+++ b/goodnews/auth.py
@@ -46,7 +46,8 @@ def normalize_email(email: str) -> str:
 
 def get_user(conn: sqlite3.Connection, user_id: int) -> sqlite3.Row | None:
     return conn.execute(
-        "SELECT id, email, display_name, avatar_url, is_admin, created_at FROM users WHERE id = ?",
+        "SELECT id, email, display_name, avatar_url, is_admin, digest_enabled, digest_unsub_token, created_at "
+        "FROM users WHERE id = ?",
         (user_id,),
     ).fetchone()
 
diff --git a/goodnews/cli.py b/goodnews/cli.py
index dae2702..facac9f 100644
--- a/goodnews/cli.py
+++ b/goodnews/cli.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ from pathlib import Path
 
 from .briefs import build_daily_brief, show_brief
 from .db import connect, init_db
+from .digest import send_due_digests
 from .localtime import local_today
 from .dedup import DEFAULT_THRESHOLD, DEFAULT_WINDOW_DAYS, dedup as run_dedup
 from .enrich import enrich_brief_images, enrich_recent_images, enrich_summarized_images
@@ -123,10 +124,14 @@ def main() -> None:
     cycle_parser.add_argument("--no-dedup", action="store_true", help="Skip the embedding dedup step")
     cycle_parser.add_argument("--no-brief", action="store_true", help="Skip rebuilding today's brief")
     cycle_parser.add_argument("--no-review", action="store_true", help="Skip recomputing source review flags")
+    cycle_parser.add_argument("--no-digest", action="store_true", help="Skip sending due daily digests")
     cycle_parser.add_argument("--force", action="store_true", help="Poll all active sources, ignoring intervals")
     cycle_parser.add_argument("--base-url", help="OpenAI-compatible base URL for classify")
     cycle_parser.add_argument("--model", help="Local model name for classify")
 
+    digest_parser = subparsers.add_parser("send-digests", help="Send today's digest to opted-in users (morning-gated)")
+    digest_parser.add_argument("--force", action="store_true", help="Ignore the morning send window")
+
     enrich_images_parser = subparsers.add_parser(
         "enrich-images", help="Backfill og:images for already-summarized articles that lack one"
     )
@@ -271,6 +276,10 @@ def main() -> None:
             print("Dry run only; database was not updated.")
     elif args.command == "cycle":
         run_cycle(conn, args)
+    elif args.command == "send-digests":
+        init_db(conn)
+        sent = send_due_digests(conn, force=args.force)
+        print(f"send-digests: sent {sent}")
     elif args.command == "enrich-images":
         found = enrich_summarized_images(conn, limit=args.limit)
         print(f"enrich-images: {found} new image(s) for summarized articles")
@@ -495,6 +504,14 @@ def _run_cycle_locked(conn: sqlite3.Connection, args: argparse.Namespace) -> Non
         except Exception as exc:
             print(f"review: skipped ({exc})")
 
+    if not args.no_digest:
+        try:
+            sent = send_due_digests(conn)  # morning-gated + deduped internally
+            if sent:
+                print(f"digest: sent {sent}")
+        except Exception as exc:
+            print(f"digest: skipped ({exc})")
+
 
 def serve(args: argparse.Namespace) -> None:
     try:
diff --git a/goodnews/db.py b/goodnews/db.py
index da35a0a..d771741 100644
--- a/goodnews/db.py
+++ b/goodnews/db.py
@@ -141,6 +141,8 @@ CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS users (
     display_name TEXT,
     avatar_url TEXT,
     is_admin INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+    digest_enabled INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+    digest_unsub_token TEXT,
     created_at TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
     updated_at TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
 );
@@ -254,6 +256,15 @@ CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS feedback_replies (
     sent_at TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
 );
 CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_feedback_replies_fid ON feedback_replies(feedback_id);
+
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS digest_sends (
+    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
+    user_id INTEGER NOT NULL REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
+    brief_date TEXT NOT NULL,
+    item_count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+    sent_at TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+    UNIQUE (user_id, brief_date)
+);
 """
 
 
@@ -296,6 +307,10 @@ def _migrate(conn: sqlite3.Connection) -> None:
         conn.execute("ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN avatar_url TEXT")
     if user_tbl and "is_admin" not in user_tbl:
         conn.execute("ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN is_admin INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0")
+    if user_tbl and "digest_enabled" not in user_tbl:
+        conn.execute("ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN digest_enabled INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0")
+    if user_tbl and "digest_unsub_token" not in user_tbl:
+        conn.execute("ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN digest_unsub_token TEXT")
 
     article_cols = {row["name"] for row in conn.execute("PRAGMA table_info(articles)")}
     if "duplicate_of" not in article_cols:
diff --git a/goodnews/digest.py b/goodnews/digest.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1bc681c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/goodnews/digest.py
@@ -0,0 +1,162 @@
+"""Opt-in daily digest — a finite, calm morning email of today's brief.
+
+Ritual, not capture: no streaks, no "you missed", no urgency, no unread counts.
+One send per opted-in user per day, gated to a morning window in the site
+timezone and deduped via digest_sends. On a thin day it skips quietly rather
+than padding. Reuses the existing SMTP/email pipeline.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import os
+import secrets
+import sqlite3
+from datetime import datetime
+from html import escape
+
+from . import email_send
+from .localtime import local_now, local_today
+from .paywall import is_paywalled
+
+DIGEST_HOUR = int(os.environ.get("GOODNEWS_DIGEST_HOUR", "7"))
+DIGEST_WINDOW_HOURS = 4  # send between DIGEST_HOUR and +4h, site-local
+MIN_ITEMS = 4            # below this, skip the day rather than pad
+
+
+def _base_url() -> str:
+    return os.environ.get("GOODNEWS_PUBLIC_BASE_URL", "https://upbeatbytes.com").rstrip("/")
+
+
+def digest_items(conn: sqlite3.Connection, brief_date: str, limit: int = 7) -> list[dict]:
+    """The brief's items with the bits a calm email needs (visible sources only)."""
+    rows = conn.execute(
+        """
+        SELECT a.id, a.title, a.canonical_url, s.name AS source, sc.reason_text,
+               (SELECT summary FROM article_summaries WHERE article_id = a.id) AS summary
+        FROM daily_briefs b
+        JOIN daily_brief_items bi ON bi.brief_id = b.id
+        JOIN articles a ON a.id = bi.article_id
+        JOIN sources s ON s.id = a.source_id
+        LEFT JOIN article_scores sc ON sc.article_id = a.id
+        WHERE b.brief_date = ? AND s.content_visible = 1
+        ORDER BY bi.rank
+        LIMIT ?
+        """,
+        (brief_date, limit),
+    ).fetchall()
+    items = []
+    for r in rows:
+        d = dict(r)
+        d["paywalled"] = is_paywalled(d["canonical_url"])
+        items.append(d)
+    return items
+
+
+def _weekday(brief_date: str) -> str:
+    try:
+        return datetime.strptime(brief_date, "%Y-%m-%d").strftime("%A")
+    except (ValueError, TypeError):
+        return "today"
+
+
+def build_digest(items: list[dict], brief_date: str, unsub_url: str, base: str | None = None) -> tuple[str, str, str]:
+    """Return (subject, text, html) for the digest — calm and dated, no urgency."""
+    base = base or _base_url()
+    n = len(items)
+    weekday = _weekday(brief_date)
+    subject = f"{weekday}'s Upbeat Bytes · {n} calm read{'' if n == 1 else 's'}"
+    if weekday == "today":
+        subject = f"Today's Upbeat Bytes · {n} calm reads"
+
+    text_lines = [f"Today's good news — {n} calm reads.\n"]
+    for it in items:
+        text_lines.append(f"• {it['title']}  ({it['source']})")
+        if it.get("summary"):
+            text_lines.append(f"  {it['summary']}")
+        text_lines.append(f"  Read: {base}/a/{it['id']}")
+        text_lines.append(f"  Source: {it['canonical_url']}\n")
+    text_lines.append("That's today's good news. You're caught up — see you tomorrow.")
+    text_lines.append(f"\nTo stop these emails: {unsub_url}")
+    text = "\n".join(text_lines)
+
+    blocks = []
+    for it in items:
+        summary = f'<div style="font-size:15px;line-height:1.5;color:#16263a">{escape(it["summary"])}</div>' if it.get("summary") else ""
+        why = f'<div style="font-size:13px;color:#5d6b78;margin-top:6px"><em>Why it’s here:</em> {escape(it["reason_text"])}</div>' if it.get("reason_text") else ""
+        lock = " \U0001f512" if it.get("paywalled") else ""
+        blocks.append(
+            '<div style="margin:0 0 22px;padding:0 0 18px;border-bottom:1px solid #e8e3d8">'
+            f'<a href="{base}/a/{it["id"]}" style="font-size:18px;font-weight:600;color:#16263a;text-decoration:none">{escape(it["title"])}</a>'
+            f'<div style="color:#5d6b78;font-size:13px;margin:3px 0 8px">{escape(it["source"])}</div>'
+            f'{summary}{why}'
+            '<div style="margin-top:10px;font-size:14px">'
+            f'<a href="{base}/a/{it["id"]}" style="color:#0083ad;text-decoration:none">Read on Upbeat Bytes</a>'
+            f' &nbsp;·&nbsp; <a href="{escape(it["canonical_url"])}" style="color:#5d6b78;text-decoration:none">Full story at source{lock}</a>'
+            '</div></div>'
+        )
+    html = (
+        '<div style="max-width:600px;margin:0 auto;padding:8px 4px;'
+        'font-family:-apple-system,Segoe UI,Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#16263a">'
+        '<h1 style="font-size:22px;margin:0 0 4px">Today’s good news</h1>'
+        f'<p style="color:#5d6b78;font-size:14px;margin:0 0 22px">{n} calm reads for {escape(weekday)}</p>'
+        + "".join(blocks)
+        + '<p style="font-size:15px;color:#3f7048;margin:8px 0 0">That’s today’s good news. '
+          'You’re caught up — see you tomorrow.</p>'
+        f'<p style="font-size:12px;color:#9aa6b2;margin-top:24px">You’re getting this because you turned on '
+        f'the daily digest. <a href="{unsub_url}" style="color:#9aa6b2">Unsubscribe</a>.</p>'
+        '</div>'
+    )
+    return subject, text, html
+
+
+def unsub_url(user: dict, base: str | None = None) -> str:
+    base = base or _base_url()
+    return f"{base}/api/digest/unsubscribe?u={user['id']}&t={user['digest_unsub_token']}"
+
+
+def send_due_digests(conn: sqlite3.Connection, force: bool = False, base: str | None = None) -> int:
+    """Send today's digest to opted-in users who haven't received it yet.
+
+    Gated to the morning window unless force=True (manual CLI). Skips quietly on
+    a thin day. Deduped via digest_sends. Returns the number sent.
+    """
+    if not force:
+        hour = local_now().hour
+        if hour < DIGEST_HOUR or hour >= DIGEST_HOUR + DIGEST_WINDOW_HOURS:
+            return 0
+    brief_date = local_today()
+    items = digest_items(conn, brief_date)
+    if len(items) < MIN_ITEMS:
+        return 0
+    base = base or _base_url()
+
+    users = conn.execute(
+        """
+        SELECT u.id, u.email, u.digest_unsub_token
+        FROM users u
+        WHERE u.digest_enabled = 1
+          AND NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM digest_sends d WHERE d.user_id = u.id AND d.brief_date = ?)
+        """,
+        (brief_date,),
+    ).fetchall()
+
+    sent = 0
+    for row in users:
+        user = dict(row)
+        if not user.get("digest_unsub_token"):
+            token = secrets.token_urlsafe(18)
+            conn.execute("UPDATE users SET digest_unsub_token = ? WHERE id = ?", (token, user["id"]))
+            conn.commit()
+            user["digest_unsub_token"] = token
+        subject, text, html = build_digest(items, brief_date, unsub_url(user, base), base)
+        try:
+            email_send.send_email(user["email"], subject, text, html=html)
+        except Exception:  # noqa: BLE001 — one bad send shouldn't stop the rest; retry next window
+            continue
+        conn.execute(
+            "INSERT OR IGNORE INTO digest_sends (user_id, brief_date, item_count) VALUES (?, ?, ?)",
+            (user["id"], brief_date, len(items)),
+        )
+        conn.commit()
+        sent += 1
+    return sent
diff --git a/tests/test_admin.py b/tests/test_admin.py
index 0dc760b..b1a8636 100644
--- a/tests/test_admin.py
+++ b/tests/test_admin.py
@@ -213,3 +213,21 @@ def test_source_check_preview_is_readonly(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     assert after["last_success_at"] == before["last_success_at"] and after["next_due_at"] == before["next_due_at"]
     assert TestClient(app).post("/api/admin/sources/1/preview").status_code == 401  # gated
     assert tc.post("/api/admin/sources/999/preview").status_code == 404
+
+
+def test_digest_toggle_and_unsubscribe(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    import os, sqlite3
+    app, api = _make(tmp_path, monkeypatch, admin_email="boss@x.com")
+    tc = _signin(app, api, "reader@x.com")
+    assert tc.get("/api/auth/me").json()["digest_enabled"] is False
+    assert tc.post("/api/account/digest", json={"enabled": True}).json()["digest_enabled"] is True
+    assert tc.get("/api/auth/me").json()["digest_enabled"] is True
+    c = sqlite3.connect(os.environ["GOODNEWS_DB"])
+    uid, tok = c.execute("SELECT id, digest_unsub_token FROM users WHERE email='reader@x.com'").fetchone()
+    c.close()
+    assert tok  # token generated on opt-in
+    # one-click unsubscribe: wrong token is rejected, right token disables
+    assert "invalid" in TestClient(app).get(f"/api/digest/unsubscribe?u={uid}&t=nope").text.lower()
+    assert "unsubscribed" in TestClient(app).get(f"/api/digest/unsubscribe?u={uid}&t={tok}").text.lower()
+    assert tc.get("/api/auth/me").json()["digest_enabled"] is False
+    assert TestClient(app).post("/api/account/digest", json={"enabled": True}).status_code == 401  # gated
diff --git a/tests/test_digest.py b/tests/test_digest.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dc560b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_digest.py
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+from goodnews.db import connect, init_db
+from goodnews import digest, email_send
+
+
+def _seed(c, n=5, date="2026-06-09"):
+    bid = c.execute("INSERT INTO daily_briefs (brief_date, title) VALUES (?, 't')", (date,)).lastrowid
+    for i in range(1, n + 1):
+        c.execute("INSERT INTO sources (id,name,feed_url,active,content_visible) VALUES (?,?,?,1,1)",
+                  (i, f"Src{i}", f"http://s{i}/f"))
+        c.execute("INSERT INTO articles (id,source_id,canonical_url,title,url_hash) VALUES (?,?,?,?,?)",
+                  (i, i, f"http://a/{i}", f"Title {i}", f"h{i}"))
+        c.execute("INSERT INTO article_scores (article_id,accepted,reason_text) VALUES (?,1,?)", (i, f"reason {i}"))
+        c.execute("INSERT INTO article_summaries (article_id,summary) VALUES (?,?)", (i, f"summary {i}"))
+        c.execute("INSERT INTO daily_brief_items (brief_id,article_id,rank) VALUES (?,?,?)", (bid, i, i))
+    c.execute("INSERT INTO users (id,email,digest_enabled) VALUES (1,'reader@x.com',1)")
+    c.commit()
+    return date
+
+
+def test_build_digest_is_calm_and_dated():
+    items = [{"id": 1, "title": "Good thing", "canonical_url": "http://a/1", "source": "Src", "summary": "nice", "reason_text": "wonder", "paywalled": False}]
+    subject, text, html = digest.build_digest(items, "2026-06-09", "http://ub/unsub")
+    assert "Tuesday's Upbeat Bytes" in subject and "1 calm read" in subject
+    assert "You're caught up" in text and "http://ub/unsub" in text
+    assert "Good thing" in html and "Read on Upbeat Bytes" in html and "Unsubscribe" in html
+    assert "you missed" not in (text + html).lower()  # no guilt language
+
+
+def test_send_due_digests_sends_dedupes_and_skips(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
+    sent = []
+    monkeypatch.setattr(email_send, "send_email", lambda to, subj, text, html=None: sent.append(to))
+    c = connect(str(tmp_path / "d.db")); init_db(c)
+    date = _seed(c, n=5)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(digest, "local_today", lambda: date)
+    # force=True bypasses the morning window
+    assert digest.send_due_digests(c, force=True) == 1
+    assert sent == ["reader@x.com"]
+    assert c.execute("SELECT item_count FROM digest_sends WHERE user_id=1").fetchone()[0] == 5
+    # dedupe: a second run sends nothing
+    assert digest.send_due_digests(c, force=True) == 0
+    # unsub token was generated on send
+    assert c.execute("SELECT digest_unsub_token FROM users WHERE id=1").fetchone()[0]
+
+
+def test_send_skips_thin_day(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
+    monkeypatch.setattr(email_send, "send_email", lambda *a, **k: (_ for _ in ()).throw(AssertionError("should not send")))
+    c = connect(str(tmp_path / "d.db")); init_db(c)
+    date = _seed(c, n=3)  # below MIN_ITEMS (4)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(digest, "local_today", lambda: date)
+    assert digest.send_due_digests(c, force=True) == 0
+
+
+def test_send_respects_opt_out(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
+    sent = []
+    monkeypatch.setattr(email_send, "send_email", lambda to, *a, **k: sent.append(to))
+    c = connect(str(tmp_path / "d.db")); init_db(c)
+    date = _seed(c, n=5)
+    c.execute("UPDATE users SET digest_enabled=0 WHERE id=1"); c.commit()
+    monkeypatch.setattr(digest, "local_today", lambda: date)
+    assert digest.send_due_digests(c, force=True) == 0 and sent == []