diff --git a/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarApp/BarMenuView.swift b/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarApp/BarMenuView.swift
index 9b4bac8e..e31d3558 100644
--- a/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarApp/BarMenuView.swift
+++ b/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarApp/BarMenuView.swift
@@ -7,6 +7,11 @@ import CCSBarCore
 /// footer controls.
 struct BarMenuView: View {
   @ObservedObject var viewModel: BarViewModel
+  /// Drives the preferences sheet from the footer gear.
+  @State private var showingPrefs = false
+  /// The prefs adapter the sheet edits; shares the standard suite with the
+  /// view model so a write-through is visible on the next poll.
+  private let prefs = BarPreferences()
 
   var body: some View {
     VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 0) {
@@ -25,6 +30,17 @@ struct BarMenuView: View {
               BarAnalyticsView(analytics: analytics)
             }
 
+            // In-dropdown alert list: surfaces the conditions the engine flagged
+            // this poll so users who deny system notifications still see them.
+            if !viewModel.activeAlerts.isEmpty {
+              VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 6) {
+                SectionLabel("Alerts")
+                ForEach(viewModel.activeAlerts) { alert in
+                  AlertRow(alert: alert)
+                }
+              }
+            }
+
             VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 6) {
               SectionLabel("Accounts")
               if let error = viewModel.lastError {
@@ -55,6 +71,9 @@ struct BarMenuView: View {
     }
     .frame(width: 340)
     .onAppear { viewModel.onOpen() }
+    .sheet(isPresented: $showingPrefs) {
+      BarPreferencesView(viewModel: viewModel, prefs: prefs)
+    }
   }
 
   private var header: some View {
@@ -101,6 +120,12 @@ struct BarMenuView: View {
         )
       }
       .help("Toggle the menu-bar icon between color and monochrome")
+      Button {
+        showingPrefs = true
+      } label: {
+        Label("Alerts", systemImage: "bell.badge")
+      }
+      .help("Configure alerts and the menu-bar glance")
       Spacer()
       Button {
         viewModel.onOpen()
@@ -165,9 +190,10 @@ struct BarRowView: View {
         HStack(spacing: 6) {
           Chip(row.provider, tint: BarTheme.accent)
           if let tier = row.tier { Chip(tier, tint: .secondary) }
-          Text(BarFormatting.quotaLabel(percentage: row.quotaPercentage, status: row.quotaStatus))
-            .font(.caption2)
-            .foregroundStyle(quotaColor)
+          QuotaGaugeView(
+            percentage: row.quotaPercentage,
+            status: row.quotaStatus,
+            nextReset: row.nextReset)
         }
         if let lastActive = BarFormatting.lastActiveLabel(
           iso: row.lastActivityAt, daysSince: nil)
@@ -245,13 +271,62 @@ struct BarRowView: View {
     default: return .green
     }
   }
+}
 
-  /// Quota label color: muted for "no quota", warning-tinted for "quota ?".
-  private var quotaColor: Color {
-    switch row.quotaStatus {
-    case "unsupported": return .secondary
-    case "error": return .orange
-    default: return .secondary
+/// Per-account quota gauge. When the row has a live "ok" quota with a percentage,
+/// renders a thin colored bar (filled by the remaining fraction, tinted by the
+/// severity band) plus a "resets in …" caption. When there is no live quota it
+/// falls back to the honest text label ("no quota" / "quota ?"). All branch,
+/// color, and countdown logic lives in the pure Core `BarQuotaGauge`; this view
+/// is a thin render.
+struct QuotaGaugeView: View {
+  let percentage: Double?
+  let status: String
+  let nextReset: String?
+
+  var body: some View {
+    let band = BarQuotaGauge.band(percentage: percentage, status: status)
+    if band != .none, let fill = BarQuotaGauge.fillFraction(percentage: percentage, status: status) {
+      HStack(spacing: 5) {
+        gaugeBar(fill: fill, color: color(for: band))
+        Text(BarFormatting.quotaLabel(percentage: percentage, status: status))
+          .font(.system(.caption2, design: .monospaced))
+          .foregroundStyle(color(for: band))
+        if let countdown = BarQuotaGauge.resetCountdown(nextReset: nextReset, now: Date()) {
+          Text(countdown)
+            .font(.caption2)
+            .foregroundStyle(.tertiary)
+            .lineLimit(1)
+        }
+      }
+    } else {
+      // No live quota: keep the existing honest text ("no quota" / "quota ?").
+      Text(BarFormatting.quotaLabel(percentage: percentage, status: status))
+        .font(.caption2)
+        .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+    }
+  }
+
+  private func gaugeBar(fill: Double, color: Color) -> some View {
+    GeometryReader { geo in
+      ZStack(alignment: .leading) {
+        Capsule()
+          .fill(Color.primary.opacity(0.12))
+        Capsule()
+          .fill(color)
+          .frame(width: max(2, geo.size.width * fill))
+      }
+    }
+    .frame(width: 44, height: 5)
+  }
+
+  private func color(for band: BarQuotaGauge.Band) -> Color {
+    switch band {
+    case .green: return .green
+    case .yellow: return .yellow
+    case .orange: return .orange
+    case .red: return .red
+    case .none: return .secondary
     }
   }
 }
@@ -276,6 +351,53 @@ struct ErrorBanner: View {
   }
 }
 
+/// One in-dropdown alert row. Mirrors a delivered notification so the conditions
+/// are visible even when system notifications are denied. The icon is keyed off
+/// the alert kind so each rule reads at a glance.
+struct AlertRow: View {
+  let alert: BarNotification
+
+  var body: some View {
+    HStack(alignment: .top, spacing: 6) {
+      Image(systemName: icon)
+        .foregroundStyle(tint)
+        .font(.caption)
+        .padding(.top, 1)
+      VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 1) {
+        Text(alert.title)
+          .font(.caption.weight(.medium))
+        Text(alert.body)
+          .font(.caption2)
+          .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+          .lineLimit(2)
+      }
+      Spacer(minLength: 0)
+    }
+    .padding(.vertical, 5)
+    .padding(.horizontal, 8)
+    .frame(maxWidth: .infinity, alignment: .leading)
+    .background(tint.opacity(0.10), in: RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: 7))
+  }
+
+  private var icon: String {
+    switch alert.kind {
+    case .quotaRemainingBelow: return "gauge.with.dots.needle.bottom.0percent"
+    case .dailySpendAbove, .monthSpendAbove: return "dollarsign.circle"
+    case .reauthNeeded: return "key.slash"
+    case .accountCooldownOrPaused: return "pause.circle"
+    }
+  }
+
+  private var tint: Color {
+    switch alert.kind {
+    case .quotaRemainingBelow: return .orange
+    case .dailySpendAbove, .monthSpendAbove: return BarTheme.accent
+    case .reauthNeeded: return .red
+    case .accountCooldownOrPaused: return .secondary
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 /// Small pill label used in account sublines.
 struct Chip: View {
   let text: String
diff --git a/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarApp/BarNotifier.swift b/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarApp/BarNotifier.swift
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f0487cdc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarApp/BarNotifier.swift
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+import Foundation
+import UserNotifications
+import CCSBarCore
+
+/// Real notification delivery backed by `UNUserNotificationCenter`.
+///
+/// Authorization is requested LAZILY on the first non-empty deliver, not at
+/// launch. Ad-hoc-signed menu-bar apps launched via `open` get a flaky / silently
+/// dropped prompt when authorization is requested during startup, so we defer the
+/// request until there is actually something to show — the prompt then lands with
+/// user-visible context.
+///
+/// When authorization is denied, `deliver` is a no-op, but the rule engine keeps
+/// updating its fired-keys regardless (the App persists them independent of
+/// delivery). That avoids a backlog of stale alerts replaying if the user later
+/// grants permission — only conditions still true at that later poll re-fire.
+@MainActor
+final class BarNotifier: NotificationDelivering {
+  enum AuthState {
+    case unknown
+    case authorized
+    case denied
+  }
+
+  private let center: UNUserNotificationCenter?
+  private var authState: AuthState = .unknown
+  private var didRequest = false
+
+  /// `UNUserNotificationCenter.current()` traps when there is no main bundle
+  /// identifier (e.g. a bare `swift run` with no .app wrapper). Guard it so the
+  /// wiring still compiles and runs headlessly; delivery is simply a no-op there.
+  init() {
+    if Bundle.main.bundleIdentifier != nil {
+      center = UNUserNotificationCenter.current()
+    } else {
+      center = nil
+    }
+  }
+
+  /// Deliver one notification. The first call with a notification triggers a
+  /// one-time authorization request; subsequent calls reuse the cached state.
+  nonisolated func deliver(_ notification: BarNotification) {
+    Task { @MainActor in
+      self.send(notification)
+    }
+  }
+
+  private func send(_ notification: BarNotification) {
+    guard let center else { return }
+
+    if !didRequest {
+      didRequest = true
+      // Request once, lazily. The completion updates cached state; this in-flight
+      // notification is enqueued after, so an accepted prompt still shows it.
+      center.requestAuthorization(options: [.alert, .sound]) { [weak self] granted, _ in
+        // Hop back to the main actor and re-read `self.center` there rather than
+        // capturing the non-Sendable center across the closure boundary.
+        Task { @MainActor in
+          guard let self else { return }
+          self.authState = granted ? .authorized : .denied
+          if granted, let c = self.center { self.post(notification, on: c) }
+        }
+      }
+      return
+    }
+
+    // Already requested: post only when authorized; a denied state is a no-op.
+    if authState == .authorized || authState == .unknown {
+      post(notification, on: center)
+    }
+  }
+
+  private func post(_ notification: BarNotification, on center: UNUserNotificationCenter) {
+    let content = UNMutableNotificationContent()
+    content.title = notification.title
+    content.body = notification.body
+    content.sound = .default
+    // Identifier == fired-key so the OS de-dupes at the delivery layer too: a
+    // re-posted same-key request replaces rather than stacks.
+    let request = UNNotificationRequest(
+      identifier: notification.id, content: content, trigger: nil)
+    center.add(request, withCompletionHandler: nil)
+  }
+}
diff --git a/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarApp/BarPreferences.swift b/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarApp/BarPreferences.swift
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0e98dab5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarApp/BarPreferences.swift
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+import Foundation
+import CCSBarCore
+
+/// Live UserDefaults adapter for the alert/glance preferences. The pure
+/// key/default/parse contract lives in Core (`BarAlertPrefsStore`); this type is
+/// the thin App-side bridge that reads/writes the real defaults suite.
+///
+/// `register(defaults:)` is called once at launch so that an absent Bool key does
+/// NOT read back as `false` (which would silently disable every alert on a fresh
+/// install). All reads go through `load()`; all writes go through `save(_:)`.
+struct BarPreferences {
+  let defaults: UserDefaults
+
+  /// Default to the standard suite. A stable suite name is intentionally NOT used
+  /// here because the rest of the app (MenuBarIcon) already persists to
+  /// `.standard`; keeping one suite avoids split state across the two.
+  init(defaults: UserDefaults = .standard) {
+    self.defaults = defaults
+  }
+
+  /// Seed the registration domain so missing keys resolve to their real defaults
+  /// rather than the type-zero value. Idempotent — safe to call on every launch.
+  func registerDefaults() {
+    defaults.register(defaults: BarAlertPrefsStore.registrationDefaults)
+  }
+
+  /// Read the current preferences. Pulls each key into a plain dictionary and
+  /// defers to the pure Core decoder so parsing/clamping stays in one place.
+  func load() -> BarAlertPrefs {
+    var dict: [String: Any] = [:]
+    // Only forward keys that are actually present; the Core decoder fills the
+    // rest from canonical defaults. `object(forKey:)` returns the registered
+    // default when nothing was explicitly written, which is exactly what we want.
+    dict[BarAlertPrefsStore.Key.quotaEnabled] = defaults.object(forKey: BarAlertPrefsStore.Key.quotaEnabled)
+    dict[BarAlertPrefsStore.Key.quotaLevels] = defaults.object(forKey: BarAlertPrefsStore.Key.quotaLevels)
+    dict[BarAlertPrefsStore.Key.dailyEnabled] = defaults.object(forKey: BarAlertPrefsStore.Key.dailyEnabled)
+    dict[BarAlertPrefsStore.Key.dailyCapUSD] = defaults.object(forKey: BarAlertPrefsStore.Key.dailyCapUSD)
+    dict[BarAlertPrefsStore.Key.monthEnabled] = defaults.object(forKey: BarAlertPrefsStore.Key.monthEnabled)
+    dict[BarAlertPrefsStore.Key.monthCapUSD] = defaults.object(forKey: BarAlertPrefsStore.Key.monthCapUSD)
+    dict[BarAlertPrefsStore.Key.reauthEnabled] = defaults.object(forKey: BarAlertPrefsStore.Key.reauthEnabled)
+    dict[BarAlertPrefsStore.Key.cooldownPausedEnabled] =
+      defaults.object(forKey: BarAlertPrefsStore.Key.cooldownPausedEnabled)
+    dict[BarAlertPrefsStore.Key.glanceMode] = defaults.object(forKey: BarAlertPrefsStore.Key.glanceMode)
+    return BarAlertPrefsStore.decode(from: dict.compactMapValues { $0 })
+  }
+
+  /// Persist the preferences, encoding levels comma-joined and mode as raw value.
+  func save(_ prefs: BarAlertPrefs) {
+    for (key, value) in BarAlertPrefsStore.encode(prefs) {
+      defaults.set(value, forKey: key)
+    }
+  }
+
+  // MARK: Fired-key engine state (NOT user-editable)
+
+  /// The engine's persisted fired-key set. Overwritten verbatim each poll with
+  /// `BarAlertEvaluation.firedKeys` so the stored set stays bounded.
+  var firedKeys: Set<String> {
+    get { Set(defaults.stringArray(forKey: BarAlertPrefsStore.Key.firedKeys) ?? []) }
+    nonmutating set { defaults.set(Array(newValue), forKey: BarAlertPrefsStore.Key.firedKeys) }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarApp/BarPreferencesView.swift b/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarApp/BarPreferencesView.swift
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2009887e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarApp/BarPreferencesView.swift
@@ -0,0 +1,178 @@
+import SwiftUI
+import CCSBarCore
+
+/// Preferences sheet reachable from the dropdown footer. Lets the user pick the
+/// menu-bar glance mode and toggle / tune each alert rule. Writes through to
+/// UserDefaults on every change and tells the view model to re-read prefs so the
+/// title updates live and the next poll re-evaluates with the new settings.
+struct BarPreferencesView: View {
+  @ObservedObject var viewModel: BarViewModel
+  let prefs: BarPreferences
+  @Environment(\.dismiss) private var dismiss
+
+  // Local editable mirror of the persisted prefs. Loaded on appear; each change
+  // is written through immediately so there is no separate "save" step.
+  @State private var draft = BarAlertPrefs()
+  // Quota levels are edited as free text and parsed on commit; keeping the raw
+  // string in @State avoids fighting the user's keystrokes mid-edit.
+  @State private var levelsText = ""
+
+  var body: some View {
+    VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 0) {
+      header
+      Divider()
+      Form {
+        glanceSection
+        quotaSection
+        spendSection
+        accountSection
+        deliveryHint
+      }
+      .formStyle(.grouped)
+      Divider()
+      footer
+    }
+    .frame(width: 360, height: 460)
+    .onAppear(perform: hydrate)
+  }
+
+  private var header: some View {
+    HStack(spacing: 8) {
+      Image(systemName: "bell.badge")
+        .foregroundStyle(BarTheme.accent)
+      Text("Alerts & Glance").font(.headline)
+      Spacer()
+    }
+    .padding(.horizontal, 14)
+    .padding(.vertical, 10)
+  }
+
+  private var glanceSection: some View {
+    Section("Menu-bar glance") {
+      Picker("Show in menu bar", selection: $draft.glanceMode) {
+        ForEach(BarGlanceMode.allCases, id: \.self) { mode in
+          Text(glanceLabel(mode)).tag(mode)
+        }
+      }
+      .onChange(of: draft.glanceMode) { _ in writeThrough() }
+    }
+  }
+
+  private var quotaSection: some View {
+    Section("Quota") {
+      Toggle("Alert on low quota", isOn: $draft.quotaEnabled)
+        .onChange(of: draft.quotaEnabled) { _ in writeThrough() }
+      HStack {
+        Text("Levels (%)")
+        Spacer()
+        TextField("20,10,0", text: $levelsText)
+          .multilineTextAlignment(.trailing)
+          .frame(width: 120)
+          .onSubmit { commitLevels() }
+      }
+      .disabled(!draft.quotaEnabled)
+      Text("Fires once per account at the most-severe level crossed, then again after the next quota reset.")
+        .font(.caption2)
+        .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+    }
+  }
+
+  private var spendSection: some View {
+    Section("Spend") {
+      Toggle("Alert on daily spend", isOn: $draft.dailySpendEnabled)
+        .onChange(of: draft.dailySpendEnabled) { _ in writeThrough() }
+      capRow(label: "Daily cap", value: $draft.dailyCapUSD, enabled: draft.dailySpendEnabled)
+
+      Toggle("Alert on monthly spend", isOn: $draft.monthSpendEnabled)
+        .onChange(of: draft.monthSpendEnabled) { _ in writeThrough() }
+      capRow(label: "Month cap", value: $draft.monthCapUSD, enabled: draft.monthSpendEnabled)
+      Text("Monthly cap measures calendar month-to-date, so it resets at the start of each billing month.")
+        .font(.caption2)
+        .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+    }
+  }
+
+  private var accountSection: some View {
+    Section("Account state") {
+      Toggle("Alert when an account needs re-auth", isOn: $draft.reauthEnabled)
+        .onChange(of: draft.reauthEnabled) { _ in writeThrough() }
+      Toggle("Alert when an account is paused / cooling down", isOn: $draft.cooldownPausedEnabled)
+        .onChange(of: draft.cooldownPausedEnabled) { _ in writeThrough() }
+    }
+  }
+
+  /// Always-present delivery note. We don't synchronously read the live UN
+  /// authorization state here (it's async and ad-hoc signing makes the prompt
+  /// land late), so rather than a flickering "denied" branch we tell the user
+  /// where alerts surface either way: as system notifications when allowed, and
+  /// always in the in-menu alert list.
+  private var deliveryHint: some View {
+    Section {
+      HStack(spacing: 6) {
+        Image(systemName: "info.circle")
+          .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+        Text("Alerts show as system notifications when allowed (System Settings › Notifications) and always appear in the menu's Alerts list.")
+          .font(.caption2)
+          .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  private func capRow(label: String, value: Binding<Double>, enabled: Bool) -> some View {
+    HStack {
+      Text(label)
+      Spacer()
+      Text("$")
+        .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+      TextField("0", value: value, format: .number)
+        .multilineTextAlignment(.trailing)
+        .frame(width: 90)
+        .onSubmit { writeThrough() }
+        .onChange(of: value.wrappedValue) { _ in writeThrough() }
+    }
+    .disabled(!enabled)
+  }
+
+  private var footer: some View {
+    HStack {
+      Spacer()
+      Button("Done") { commitLevels(); dismiss() }
+        .keyboardShortcut(.defaultAction)
+    }
+    .padding(.horizontal, 14)
+    .padding(.vertical, 10)
+  }
+
+  // MARK: State plumbing
+
+  private func hydrate() {
+    draft = prefs.load()
+    levelsText = BarAlertPrefsStore.encodeQuotaLevels(draft.quotaLevels)
+  }
+
+  /// Parse the free-text levels field into normalized ints, then persist.
+  private func commitLevels() {
+    let parsed = BarAlertPrefsStore.parseQuotaLevels(levelsText)
+    if !parsed.isEmpty { draft.quotaLevels = parsed }
+    // Reflect the normalized form back into the field so the user sees what stuck.
+    levelsText = BarAlertPrefsStore.encodeQuotaLevels(draft.quotaLevels)
+    writeThrough()
+  }
+
+  /// Save the current draft and ask the view model to re-read it so the live
+  /// title + next evaluation pick up the change.
+  private func writeThrough() {
+    prefs.save(draft)
+    viewModel.reloadPrefs()
+  }
+
+  private func glanceLabel(_ mode: BarGlanceMode) -> String {
+    switch mode {
+    case .auto: return "Auto (smart)"
+    case .todaySpend: return "Today's spend"
+    case .monthSpend: return "This month's spend"
+    case .lowestQuota: return "Lowest quota"
+    case .accountCount: return "Active account count"
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarApp/BarViewModel.swift b/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarApp/BarViewModel.swift
index 72132f98..0dae3d7b 100644
--- a/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarApp/BarViewModel.swift
+++ b/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarApp/BarViewModel.swift
@@ -15,25 +15,53 @@ final class BarViewModel: ObservableObject {
   @Published var iconStyle: BarIconStyle {
     didSet { MenuBarIcon.saveStyle(iconStyle) }
   }
+  /// Which figure leads the always-on title. Persisted; a change re-derives
+  /// `statusTitle` live because it is @Published.
+  @Published var glanceMode: BarGlanceMode
+  /// The alerts the most recent evaluation wanted delivered, surfaced in the
+  /// dropdown so users who deny notifications still see the conditions.
+  @Published var activeAlerts: [BarNotification] = []
 
   private let home: String
   private var client: CCSBarClient?
   private var debouncer = RefreshDebouncer(interval: 15)
+  private let prefs: BarPreferences
+  private let notifier: NotificationDelivering
 
-  init(home: String = NSHomeDirectory()) {
+  init(
+    home: String = NSHomeDirectory(),
+    prefs: BarPreferences = BarPreferences(),
+    notifier: NotificationDelivering? = nil
+  ) {
     self.home = home
+    self.prefs = prefs
+    // Seed registration defaults before the first pref read. Idempotent, and the
+    // App-level call is a redundant safety net for the @StateObject default-init
+    // ordering (stored-property defaults run before the App.init body).
+    prefs.registerDefaults()
+    // Default to the real UN-backed notifier; tests inject a recording one.
+    self.notifier = notifier ?? BarNotifier()
     self.iconStyle = MenuBarIcon.loadStyle()
+    self.glanceMode = prefs.load().glanceMode
     reconnect()
   }
 
+  /// Re-read prefs after the preferences sheet writes through, so the next poll
+  /// (and the live title) reflects the change immediately.
+  func reloadPrefs() {
+    glanceMode = prefs.load().glanceMode
+  }
+
   /// Toggle the menu-bar icon between the color mark and the mono template.
   func toggleIconStyle() {
     iconStyle = (iconStyle == .color) ? .mono : .color
   }
 
-  /// Compact status-bar title.
+  /// Compact status-bar title, resolved through the user's chosen glance mode.
   var statusTitle: String {
-    offline ? "CCS offline" : BarFormatting.statusTitle(rows: rows, analytics: analytics)
+    offline
+      ? "CCS offline"
+      : BarFormatting.statusTitle(rows: rows, analytics: analytics, mode: glanceMode)
   }
 
   /// Resolve the discovery file and (re)build the client. Marks offline when
@@ -85,6 +113,30 @@ final class BarViewModel: ObservableObject {
     if let fresh = try? await client.analytics() {
       analytics = fresh
     }
+
+    evaluateAlerts()
+  }
+
+  /// Run the pure rule engine once per poll against the freshly-loaded state,
+  /// deliver any new notifications, and overwrite the persisted fired-key set
+  /// verbatim. The engine's dedupe means repeated polls with unchanged state
+  /// deliver nothing, so this never spams. Delivery is best-effort and never
+  /// blocks the UI (the notifier hops to its own task).
+  private func evaluateAlerts() {
+    let current = prefs.load()
+    let eval = BarAlertEngine.evaluate(
+      rows: rows,
+      analytics: analytics,
+      prefs: current,
+      priorFiredKeys: prefs.firedKeys,
+      now: Date())
+    for notification in eval.toDeliver {
+      notifier.deliver(notification)
+    }
+    // Persist the COMPLETE next-state set verbatim (no merge) — this is what keeps
+    // the stored set bounded and lets cleared conditions re-arm.
+    prefs.firedKeys = eval.firedKeys
+    activeAlerts = eval.toDeliver
   }
 
   // MARK: Account actions
diff --git a/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarApp/CCSBarApp.swift b/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarApp/CCSBarApp.swift
index 3e2c6eac..b150705a 100644
--- a/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarApp/CCSBarApp.swift
+++ b/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarApp/CCSBarApp.swift
@@ -7,6 +7,13 @@ import SwiftUI
 struct CCSBarApp: App {
   @StateObject private var viewModel = BarViewModel()
 
+  init() {
+    // Seed the registration domain BEFORE any pref read so absent Bool keys
+    // resolve to their real defaults (true) instead of reading back as false,
+    // which would silently disable every alert on a fresh install.
+    BarPreferences().registerDefaults()
+  }
+
   var body: some Scene {
     MenuBarExtra {
       BarMenuView(viewModel: viewModel)
diff --git a/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarCheck/main.swift b/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarCheck/main.swift
index ceafb2b8..7dec7c72 100644
--- a/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarCheck/main.swift
+++ b/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarCheck/main.swift
@@ -368,6 +368,423 @@ do {
   check(false, "surface analytics decode threw: \(error)")
 }
 
+// MARK: monthToDate decode (calendar MTD field, resilient default)
+
+do {
+  // Older payload WITHOUT monthToDate → decodes to a zero window (back-compat).
+  let a = try JSONDecoder().decode(BarAnalytics.self, from: analyticsJSON)
+  check(a.monthToDate.cost == 0, "monthToDate defaults to 0 cost when absent from payload")
+  check(a.monthToDate.requests == 0, "monthToDate defaults to 0 requests when absent")
+}
+do {
+  // Newer payload WITH monthToDate → decodes the real value, distinct from last30d.
+  let mtdJSON = """
+  {"today":{"cost":0,"requests":0},"last7d":{"cost":0,"requests":0},
+  "last30d":{"cost":35620.0,"requests":70973},"monthToDate":{"cost":1200.5,"requests":4096},
+  "allTime":{"cost":40844.0,"requests":91207},
+  "byDay":[\(buildByDayJSON(count: 30))],
+  "topModels":[],"topModelsWindow":"30d","hasRecentData":true,
+  "generatedAt":"2026-06-09T00:00:00.000Z"}
+  """.data(using: .utf8)!
+  let a = try JSONDecoder().decode(BarAnalytics.self, from: mtdJSON)
+  check(a.monthToDate.cost == 1200.5, "monthToDate decodes its own cost")
+  check(a.monthToDate.requests == 4096, "monthToDate decodes its own requests")
+  check(a.monthToDate.cost != a.last30d.cost, "monthToDate is distinct from rolling last30d")
+}
+
+// MARK: BarQuotaGauge band + fillFraction + countdown
+
+check(BarQuotaGauge.band(percentage: 82, status: "ok") == .green, "band >50 -> green")
+check(BarQuotaGauge.band(percentage: 51, status: "ok") == .green, "band 51 -> green (boundary)")
+check(BarQuotaGauge.band(percentage: 50, status: "ok") == .yellow, "band 50 -> yellow (boundary)")
+check(BarQuotaGauge.band(percentage: 21, status: "ok") == .yellow, "band 21 -> yellow")
+check(BarQuotaGauge.band(percentage: 20, status: "ok") == .orange, "band 20 -> orange (boundary)")
+check(BarQuotaGauge.band(percentage: 11, status: "ok") == .orange, "band 11 -> orange")
+check(BarQuotaGauge.band(percentage: 10, status: "ok") == .red, "band 10 -> red (boundary)")
+check(BarQuotaGauge.band(percentage: 0, status: "ok") == .red, "band 0 -> red")
+check(BarQuotaGauge.band(percentage: nil, status: "ok") == .none, "band nil pct -> none")
+check(BarQuotaGauge.band(percentage: 50, status: "unsupported") == .none, "band unsupported -> none")
+check(BarQuotaGauge.band(percentage: 50, status: "error") == .none, "band error -> none")
+
+check(BarQuotaGauge.fillFraction(percentage: 82, status: "ok") == 0.82, "fillFraction 82 -> 0.82")
+check(BarQuotaGauge.fillFraction(percentage: 0, status: "ok") == 0.0, "fillFraction 0 -> 0")
+check(BarQuotaGauge.fillFraction(percentage: 150, status: "ok") == 1.0, "fillFraction clamps >100 to 1")
+check(BarQuotaGauge.fillFraction(percentage: nil, status: "ok") == nil, "fillFraction nil pct -> nil")
+check(
+  BarQuotaGauge.fillFraction(percentage: 50, status: "unsupported") == nil,
+  "fillFraction unsupported -> nil")
+
+do {
+  let now = Date(timeIntervalSince1970: 1_000_000)
+  let in3h12m = now.addingTimeInterval(3 * 3600 + 12 * 60)
+  let iso = ISO8601DateFormatter().string(from: in3h12m)
+  check(
+    BarQuotaGauge.resetCountdown(nextReset: iso, now: now) == "resets in 3h 12m",
+    "resetCountdown formats hours+minutes")
+  let in12m = now.addingTimeInterval(12 * 60)
+  let iso12 = ISO8601DateFormatter().string(from: in12m)
+  check(
+    BarQuotaGauge.resetCountdown(nextReset: iso12, now: now) == "resets in 12m",
+    "resetCountdown formats minutes-only")
+  let past = now.addingTimeInterval(-60)
+  let isoPast = ISO8601DateFormatter().string(from: past)
+  check(
+    BarQuotaGauge.resetCountdown(nextReset: isoPast, now: now) == "resets soon",
+    "resetCountdown past -> 'resets soon'")
+  check(BarQuotaGauge.resetCountdown(nextReset: nil, now: now) == nil, "resetCountdown nil -> nil")
+  check(
+    BarQuotaGauge.resetCountdown(nextReset: "not-a-date", now: now) == nil,
+    "resetCountdown unparseable -> nil")
+}
+
+// MARK: Glance-mode title resolution (lifetime dollar NEVER appears)
+
+do {
+  let allTimeBig = mkAnalytics(allTimeCost: 40844, todayCost: 0)  // allTime is the largest window
+  let lifetime = BarFormatting.money(allTimeBig.allTime.cost)
+  let rows = [
+    BarSummaryRow(accountId: "a", provider: "ghcp", quotaStatus: "unsupported"),
+    BarSummaryRow(accountId: "b", provider: "kiro", quotaStatus: "unsupported"),
+  ]
+  // For EVERY mode, the title must never be the lifetime figure.
+  for mode in BarGlanceMode.allCases {
+    let t = BarFormatting.statusTitle(rows: rows, analytics: allTimeBig, mode: mode)
+    check(t != lifetime, "glance mode \(mode.rawValue): title never == lifetime dollar")
+  }
+
+  // .todaySpend leads with today when > 0, else falls back to .auto chain.
+  let todayA = mkAnalytics(allTimeCost: 40844, todayCost: 3.2)
+  check(
+    BarFormatting.statusTitle(rows: rows, analytics: todayA, mode: .todaySpend) == "$3.20",
+    "glance .todaySpend leads with today's spend")
+  check(
+    BarFormatting.statusTitle(rows: rows, analytics: allTimeBig, mode: .todaySpend) == "CCS 2",
+    "glance .todaySpend falls back to .auto when today==0")
+
+  // .monthSpend leads with monthToDate when > 0, else falls back.
+  func mkMonth(_ mtd: Double, today: Double = 0) -> BarAnalytics {
+    BarAnalytics(
+      today: .init(cost: today, requests: 0),
+      last7d: .init(cost: 0, requests: 0),
+      last30d: .init(cost: 35000, requests: 0),
+      monthToDate: .init(cost: mtd, requests: 0),
+      allTime: .init(cost: 40844, requests: 0),
+      byDay: [], topModels: [], topModelsWindow: "30d",
+      generatedAt: "2026-06-09T00:00:00Z")
+  }
+  check(
+    BarFormatting.statusTitle(rows: rows, analytics: mkMonth(1200.5), mode: .monthSpend)
+      == BarFormatting.money(1200.5),
+    "glance .monthSpend leads with calendar MTD")
+  check(
+    BarFormatting.statusTitle(rows: rows, analytics: mkMonth(0), mode: .monthSpend) == "CCS 2",
+    "glance .monthSpend falls back to .auto when MTD==0")
+  // MTD mode must NOT leak last30d (35000) even though it is far larger.
+  let mtdTitle = BarFormatting.statusTitle(rows: rows, analytics: mkMonth(1200.5), mode: .monthSpend)
+  check(!mtdTitle.contains("35"), "glance .monthSpend never shows last30d figure")
+
+  // .lowestQuota leads with the lowest ok-quota row, else falls back.
+  let quotaRows = [
+    BarSummaryRow(accountId: "a", provider: "agy", quotaPercentage: 90, quotaStatus: "ok"),
+    BarSummaryRow(accountId: "b", provider: "agy", quotaPercentage: 12, quotaStatus: "ok"),
+  ]
+  check(
+    BarFormatting.statusTitle(rows: quotaRows, analytics: nil, mode: .lowestQuota) == "agy 12%",
+    "glance .lowestQuota leads with lowest remaining quota")
+  check(
+    BarFormatting.statusTitle(rows: rows, analytics: allTimeBig, mode: .lowestQuota) == "CCS 2",
+    "glance .lowestQuota falls back to .auto with no ok-quota rows")
+
+  // .accountCount = non-paused count, never appends "!".
+  let pausedMix = [
+    BarSummaryRow(accountId: "a", provider: "ghcp", quotaStatus: "unsupported"),
+    BarSummaryRow(accountId: "b", provider: "kiro", paused: true, quotaStatus: "unsupported"),
+  ]
+  check(
+    BarFormatting.statusTitle(rows: pausedMix, analytics: nil, mode: .accountCount) == "CCS 1",
+    "glance .accountCount = non-paused count")
+  let allPaused = [
+    BarSummaryRow(accountId: "a", provider: "ghcp", paused: true, quotaStatus: "unsupported"),
+    BarSummaryRow(accountId: "b", provider: "kiro", paused: true, quotaStatus: "unsupported"),
+  ]
+  check(
+    BarFormatting.statusTitle(rows: allPaused, analytics: nil, mode: .accountCount) == "CCS 2",
+    "glance .accountCount falls back to total when all paused")
+  let reauthCount = [
+    BarSummaryRow(accountId: "a", provider: "ghcp", quotaStatus: "error", needsReauth: true)
+  ]
+  check(
+    !BarFormatting.statusTitle(rows: reauthCount, analytics: nil, mode: .accountCount).contains("!"),
+    "glance .accountCount never appends attention '!'")
+}
+
+// MARK: BarAlertPrefsStore dictionary codec + level parsing
+
+do {
+  // Empty dict -> all defaults.
+  let p = BarAlertPrefsStore.decode(from: [:])
+  check(p.quotaEnabled == true, "prefs default quotaEnabled true")
+  check(p.quotaLevels == [20, 10, 0], "prefs default quota levels 20,10,0")
+  check(p.dailyCapUSD == 500, "prefs default daily cap 500")
+  check(p.monthCapUSD == 10000, "prefs default month cap 10000")
+  check(p.glanceMode == .auto, "prefs default glance mode auto")
+
+  // Round-trip encode -> decode is identity.
+  let custom = BarAlertPrefs(
+    quotaEnabled: false, quotaLevels: [5, 25, 50], dailyCapUSD: 12.5, monthCapUSD: 2000,
+    glanceMode: .monthSpend)
+  let back = BarAlertPrefsStore.decode(from: BarAlertPrefsStore.encode(custom))
+  check(back.quotaEnabled == false, "prefs round-trip quotaEnabled")
+  check(back.quotaLevels == [50, 25, 5], "prefs round-trip levels sorted desc")
+  check(back.dailyCapUSD == 12.5, "prefs round-trip daily cap")
+  check(back.glanceMode == .monthSpend, "prefs round-trip glance mode")
+
+  // Level parsing: clamp, dedupe, sort desc; garbage tokens dropped.
+  check(
+    BarAlertPrefsStore.parseQuotaLevels("0, 10, 200, 10, -5, foo") == [100, 10, 0],
+    "parseQuotaLevels clamps/dedupes/sorts and drops garbage")
+}
+
+// MARK: BarAlertEngine — pure rule engine
+
+let engineNow = Date(timeIntervalSince1970: 1_700_000_000)  // fixed clock
+let utc = { () -> Calendar in
+  var c = Calendar(identifier: .gregorian)
+  c.timeZone = TimeZone(identifier: "UTC")!
+  return c
+}()
+
+func mkSpendAnalytics(today: Double, month: Double) -> BarAnalytics {
+  BarAnalytics(
+    today: .init(cost: today, requests: 0),
+    last7d: .init(cost: 0, requests: 0),
+    last30d: .init(cost: 99999, requests: 0),  // intentionally huge to prove it's unused
+    monthToDate: .init(cost: month, requests: 0),
+    allTime: .init(cost: 999999, requests: 0),  // intentionally huge to prove it's unused
+    byDay: [], topModels: [], topModelsWindow: "30d",
+    generatedAt: "2026-06-09T00:00:00Z")
+}
+
+// (A) Threshold cross: quota dropping below levels fires exactly ONE notif at the
+//     most-severe crossed level (L10 for remaining 5 with levels [20,10,0]).
+do {
+  let rows = [
+    BarSummaryRow(
+      accountId: "a", provider: "agy", quotaPercentage: 5, quotaStatus: "ok",
+      nextReset: "2026-07-01T00:00:00Z")
+  ]
+  let prefs = BarAlertPrefs(quotaLevels: [20, 10, 0])
+  let ev = BarAlertEngine.evaluate(
+    rows: rows, analytics: nil, prefs: prefs, priorFiredKeys: [], now: engineNow, calendar: utc)
+  let quotaNotifs = ev.toDeliver.filter { $0.kind == .quotaRemainingBelow }
+  check(quotaNotifs.count == 1, "quota cross fires exactly ONE notif (most-severe level)")
+  check(quotaNotifs.first?.id.hasSuffix("|L10") == true, "quota fires at most-severe crossed L10")
+  check(quotaNotifs.first?.body.contains("5%") == true, "quota body reports remaining %")
+}
+
+// (B) dailySpendAbove strict > ; silent at ==cap ; driven by today (not last30d/allTime).
+do {
+  let prefs = BarAlertPrefs(dailyCapUSD: 50)
+  let over = BarAlertEngine.evaluate(
+    rows: [], analytics: mkSpendAnalytics(today: 50.01, month: 0), prefs: prefs,
+    priorFiredKeys: [], now: engineNow, calendar: utc)
+  check(
+    over.toDeliver.contains { $0.kind == .dailySpendAbove }, "daily spend fires when today > cap")
+  let atCap = BarAlertEngine.evaluate(
+    rows: [], analytics: mkSpendAnalytics(today: 50, month: 0), prefs: prefs,
+    priorFiredKeys: [], now: engineNow, calendar: utc)
+  check(
+    !atCap.toDeliver.contains { $0.kind == .dailySpendAbove },
+    "daily spend silent at == cap (strict >)")
+}
+
+// (C) monthSpendAbove driven by monthToDate ONLY — huge last30d/allTime must not trigger.
+do {
+  let prefs = BarAlertPrefs(monthCapUSD: 1000)
+  // monthToDate UNDER cap but last30d (99999) and allTime (999999) huge → must NOT fire.
+  let under = BarAlertEngine.evaluate(
+    rows: [], analytics: mkSpendAnalytics(today: 0, month: 500), prefs: prefs,
+    priorFiredKeys: [], now: engineNow, calendar: utc)
+  check(
+    !under.toDeliver.contains { $0.kind == .monthSpendAbove },
+    "month alert ignores last30d/allTime — silent when MTD under cap")
+  let over = BarAlertEngine.evaluate(
+    rows: [], analytics: mkSpendAnalytics(today: 0, month: 1500), prefs: prefs,
+    priorFiredKeys: [], now: engineNow, calendar: utc)
+  check(
+    over.toDeliver.contains { $0.kind == .monthSpendAbove }, "month alert fires on MTD > cap")
+}
+
+// (D) Dedupe: a second identical evaluate with same now + same firedKeys → empty toDeliver.
+do {
+  let rows = [
+    BarSummaryRow(accountId: "a", provider: "agy", quotaPercentage: 5, quotaStatus: "ok",
+      nextReset: "2026-07-01T00:00:00Z")
+  ]
+  let prefs = BarAlertPrefs(dailyCapUSD: 10)
+  let a1 = BarAlertEngine.evaluate(
+    rows: rows, analytics: mkSpendAnalytics(today: 100, month: 5000), prefs: prefs,
+    priorFiredKeys: [], now: engineNow, calendar: utc)
+  check(!a1.toDeliver.isEmpty, "first poll delivers notifs")
+  let a2 = BarAlertEngine.evaluate(
+    rows: rows, analytics: mkSpendAnalytics(today: 100, month: 5000), prefs: prefs,
+    priorFiredKeys: a1.firedKeys, now: engineNow, calendar: utc)
+  check(a2.toDeliver.isEmpty, "second identical poll delivers nothing (dedupe)")
+  check(a2.firedKeys == a1.firedKeys, "fired keys stable across identical polls")
+}
+
+// (E) Re-arm period: +1 day re-fires daily; +1 month re-fires month; new nextReset re-fires quota.
+do {
+  let prefs = BarAlertPrefs(dailyCapUSD: 10, monthCapUSD: 100)
+  let day0 = mkSpendAnalytics(today: 100, month: 500)
+  let p0 = BarAlertEngine.evaluate(
+    rows: [], analytics: day0, prefs: prefs, priorFiredKeys: [], now: engineNow, calendar: utc)
+  let nextDay = engineNow.addingTimeInterval(24 * 3600)
+  let p1 = BarAlertEngine.evaluate(
+    rows: [], analytics: day0, prefs: prefs, priorFiredKeys: p0.firedKeys, now: nextDay,
+    calendar: utc)
+  check(p1.toDeliver.contains { $0.kind == .dailySpendAbove }, "daily re-fires next calendar day")
+  let nextMonth = engineNow.addingTimeInterval(40 * 24 * 3600)
+  let p2 = BarAlertEngine.evaluate(
+    rows: [], analytics: day0, prefs: prefs, priorFiredKeys: p0.firedKeys, now: nextMonth,
+    calendar: utc)
+  check(p2.toDeliver.contains { $0.kind == .monthSpendAbove }, "month re-fires next calendar month")
+
+  // New nextReset string => new quota bucket => quota re-fires.
+  let q0rows = [
+    BarSummaryRow(accountId: "a", provider: "agy", quotaPercentage: 5, quotaStatus: "ok",
+      nextReset: "2026-07-01T00:00:00Z")
+  ]
+  let q0 = BarAlertEngine.evaluate(
+    rows: q0rows, analytics: nil, prefs: BarAlertPrefs(quotaLevels: [10]), priorFiredKeys: [],
+    now: engineNow, calendar: utc)
+  let q1rows = [
+    BarSummaryRow(accountId: "a", provider: "agy", quotaPercentage: 5, quotaStatus: "ok",
+      nextReset: "2026-08-01T00:00:00Z")
+  ]
+  let q1 = BarAlertEngine.evaluate(
+    rows: q1rows, analytics: nil, prefs: BarAlertPrefs(quotaLevels: [10]),
+    priorFiredKeys: q0.firedKeys, now: engineNow, calendar: utc)
+  check(
+    q1.toDeliver.contains { $0.kind == .quotaRemainingBelow },
+    "quota re-fires on a new next_reset bucket")
+}
+
+// (F) Re-arm clears-then-recurs: reauth true->fires->key set; false->key dropped; true->re-fires.
+do {
+  let onRows = [BarSummaryRow(accountId: "a", provider: "agy", needsReauth: true)]
+  let offRows = [BarSummaryRow(accountId: "a", provider: "agy", needsReauth: false)]
+  let s1 = BarAlertEngine.evaluate(
+    rows: onRows, analytics: nil, prefs: BarAlertPrefs(), priorFiredKeys: [], now: engineNow,
+    calendar: utc)
+  check(s1.toDeliver.contains { $0.kind == .reauthNeeded }, "reauth fires when needsReauth true")
+  check(
+    s1.firedKeys.contains { $0.hasPrefix("reauthNeeded|") }, "reauth key present after firing")
+  let s2 = BarAlertEngine.evaluate(
+    rows: offRows, analytics: nil, prefs: BarAlertPrefs(), priorFiredKeys: s1.firedKeys,
+    now: engineNow, calendar: utc)
+  check(
+    !s2.firedKeys.contains { $0.hasPrefix("reauthNeeded|") },
+    "reauth key dropped when condition clears")
+  let s3 = BarAlertEngine.evaluate(
+    rows: onRows, analytics: nil, prefs: BarAlertPrefs(), priorFiredKeys: s2.firedKeys,
+    now: engineNow, calendar: utc)
+  check(
+    s3.toDeliver.contains { $0.kind == .reauthNeeded }, "reauth re-fires after clear")
+
+  // Same clears-then-recurs behavior for accountCooldownOrPaused on `paused`.
+  let pOn = [BarSummaryRow(accountId: "a", provider: "agy", paused: true)]
+  let pOff = [BarSummaryRow(accountId: "a", provider: "agy", paused: false)]
+  let c1 = BarAlertEngine.evaluate(
+    rows: pOn, analytics: nil, prefs: BarAlertPrefs(), priorFiredKeys: [], now: engineNow,
+    calendar: utc)
+  check(
+    c1.toDeliver.contains { $0.kind == .accountCooldownOrPaused }, "cooldown/paused fires on paused")
+  let c2 = BarAlertEngine.evaluate(
+    rows: pOff, analytics: nil, prefs: BarAlertPrefs(), priorFiredKeys: c1.firedKeys, now: engineNow,
+    calendar: utc)
+  check(
+    !c2.firedKeys.contains { $0.hasPrefix("accountCooldownOrPaused|") },
+    "cooldown/paused key dropped when unpaused")
+}
+
+// (G) Prune / bounded: after day+month+reset rollover and account churn, fired set
+//     holds only current-bucket keys and no keys for absent accounts.
+do {
+  let prefs = BarAlertPrefs(quotaLevels: [10], dailyCapUSD: 10, monthCapUSD: 100)
+  let rowsT0 = [
+    BarSummaryRow(accountId: "a", provider: "agy", quotaPercentage: 5, quotaStatus: "ok",
+      nextReset: "2026-07-01T00:00:00Z", needsReauth: true)
+  ]
+  let t0 = BarAlertEngine.evaluate(
+    rows: rowsT0, analytics: mkSpendAnalytics(today: 100, month: 500), prefs: prefs,
+    priorFiredKeys: [], now: engineNow, calendar: utc)
+  check(t0.firedKeys.count >= 3, "t0 accumulates quota+daily+month+reauth keys")
+
+  // Roll a full month forward AND drop account "a", introduce account "b".
+  let later = engineNow.addingTimeInterval(40 * 24 * 3600)
+  let rowsT1 = [BarSummaryRow(accountId: "b", provider: "kiro", quotaStatus: "unsupported")]
+  let t1 = BarAlertEngine.evaluate(
+    rows: rowsT1, analytics: mkSpendAnalytics(today: 0, month: 0), prefs: prefs,
+    priorFiredKeys: t0.firedKeys, now: later, calendar: utc)
+  check(
+    !t1.firedKeys.contains { $0.contains("|agy:a|") || $0.hasSuffix("|agy:a|on") },
+    "prune drops keys for departed account a")
+  // Stale daily/month/quota buckets from t0 are gone (bucket rolled), so the set
+  // collapses to only what's currently true (account b has no alerts) → empty.
+  check(t1.firedKeys.isEmpty, "prune collapses stale-bucket + absent-account keys (bounded)")
+}
+
+// (H) Deterministic order: shuffled rows produce notifs in stable id order.
+do {
+  let rows = [
+    BarSummaryRow(accountId: "z", provider: "agy", needsReauth: true),
+    BarSummaryRow(accountId: "a", provider: "agy", needsReauth: true),
+  ]
+  let ev = BarAlertEngine.evaluate(
+    rows: rows, analytics: nil, prefs: BarAlertPrefs(), priorFiredKeys: [], now: engineNow,
+    calendar: utc)
+  let reauthIds = ev.toDeliver.filter { $0.kind == .reauthNeeded }.map { $0.id }
+  check(
+    reauthIds == reauthIds.sorted(), "engine emits notifs in stable account-id order")
+}
+
+// (I) Delivery wrapper (structural): RecordingNotifier (Core protocol) gets exactly
+//     the toDeliver ids; a repeat poll delivers nothing.
+final class RecordingNotifier: NotificationDelivering, @unchecked Sendable {
+  var delivered: [String] = []
+  func deliver(_ n: BarNotification) { delivered.append(n.id) }
+}
+do {
+  let notifier = RecordingNotifier()
+  let rows = [BarSummaryRow(accountId: "a", provider: "agy", needsReauth: true)]
+  let ev = BarAlertEngine.evaluate(
+    rows: rows, analytics: nil, prefs: BarAlertPrefs(), priorFiredKeys: [], now: engineNow,
+    calendar: utc)
+  for n in ev.toDeliver { notifier.deliver(n) }
+  check(notifier.delivered == ev.toDeliver.map { $0.id }, "notifier delivered ids == toDeliver ids")
+  let ev2 = BarAlertEngine.evaluate(
+    rows: rows, analytics: nil, prefs: BarAlertPrefs(), priorFiredKeys: ev.firedKeys, now: engineNow,
+    calendar: utc)
+  let before = notifier.delivered.count
+  for n in ev2.toDeliver { notifier.deliver(n) }
+  check(notifier.delivered.count == before, "repeat poll delivers nothing through notifier")
+}
+
+// (J) Disabled rule: quota disabled => no quota notif even on a deep cross.
+do {
+  let rows = [
+    BarSummaryRow(accountId: "a", provider: "agy", quotaPercentage: 1, quotaStatus: "ok",
+      nextReset: "2026-07-01T00:00:00Z")
+  ]
+  let ev = BarAlertEngine.evaluate(
+    rows: rows, analytics: nil, prefs: BarAlertPrefs(quotaEnabled: false), priorFiredKeys: [],
+    now: engineNow, calendar: utc)
+  check(
+    !ev.toDeliver.contains { $0.kind == .quotaRemainingBelow },
+    "disabled quota rule never fires")
+}
+
 // cleanup
 try? FileManager.default.removeItem(atPath: tmp)
 
diff --git a/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarCore/BarAlertEngine.swift b/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarCore/BarAlertEngine.swift
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8c1182e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarCore/BarAlertEngine.swift
@@ -0,0 +1,291 @@
+import Foundation
+
+// MARK: Glance mode
+
+/// Which figure leads the always-on menu-bar title. Persisted by raw value, so
+/// the cases are a stable contract with `BarFormatting.statusTitle(...:mode:)`.
+/// There is deliberately NO allTime/lifetime case — a lifetime dollar figure in
+/// the bar reads as live spend and creates false urgency.
+public enum BarGlanceMode: String, Sendable, Equatable, CaseIterable {
+  case auto
+  case todaySpend
+  case monthSpend
+  case lowestQuota
+  case accountCount
+}
+
+// MARK: Alert kinds
+
+/// The five alert conditions the engine evaluates. The raw values are STABLE:
+/// they are embedded inside persisted fired-keys, so renaming a case orphans
+/// any live key and would re-fire or silence alerts incorrectly.
+public enum BarAlertKind: String, Sendable, Equatable, CaseIterable {
+  case quotaRemainingBelow
+  case dailySpendAbove
+  case monthSpendAbove
+  case reauthNeeded
+  case accountCooldownOrPaused
+}
+
+// MARK: Preferences (pure value type)
+
+/// User alert preferences. A pure input to the engine — the App hydrates this
+/// from UserDefaults and passes it in; the engine never reads defaults itself.
+public struct BarAlertPrefs: Sendable, Equatable {
+  public var quotaEnabled: Bool
+  public var quotaLevels: [Int]
+  public var dailySpendEnabled: Bool
+  public var dailyCapUSD: Double
+  public var monthSpendEnabled: Bool
+  public var monthCapUSD: Double
+  public var reauthEnabled: Bool
+  public var cooldownPausedEnabled: Bool
+  public var glanceMode: BarGlanceMode
+
+  public init(
+    quotaEnabled: Bool = true,
+    quotaLevels: [Int] = [20, 10, 0],
+    dailySpendEnabled: Bool = true,
+    dailyCapUSD: Double = 500,
+    monthSpendEnabled: Bool = true,
+    monthCapUSD: Double = 10000,
+    reauthEnabled: Bool = true,
+    cooldownPausedEnabled: Bool = true,
+    glanceMode: BarGlanceMode = .auto
+  ) {
+    self.quotaEnabled = quotaEnabled
+    self.quotaLevels = quotaLevels
+    self.dailySpendEnabled = dailySpendEnabled
+    self.dailyCapUSD = dailyCapUSD
+    self.monthSpendEnabled = monthSpendEnabled
+    self.monthCapUSD = monthCapUSD
+    self.reauthEnabled = reauthEnabled
+    self.cooldownPausedEnabled = cooldownPausedEnabled
+    self.glanceMode = glanceMode
+  }
+
+  /// Quota levels defensively normalized: clamped to 0...100, de-duplicated, and
+  /// sorted descending so the engine can pick the single most-severe crossed
+  /// level deterministically regardless of how the prefs were entered.
+  public var normalizedQuotaLevels: [Int] {
+    Array(Set(quotaLevels.map { min(100, max(0, $0)) })).sorted(by: >)
+  }
+}
+
+// MARK: Notification value + delivery protocol
+
+/// A single notification the engine wants delivered this poll. `id` is the
+/// fired-key (also used as the UN request identifier so the OS de-dupes at the
+/// delivery layer too).
+public struct BarNotification: Sendable, Equatable, Identifiable {
+  public let id: String
+  public let title: String
+  public let body: String
+  public let kind: BarAlertKind
+  public init(id: String, title: String, body: String, kind: BarAlertKind) {
+    self.id = id
+    self.title = title
+    self.body = body
+    self.kind = kind
+  }
+}
+
+/// Result of one evaluation. `firedKeys` is the COMPLETE next-state set — the
+/// caller overwrites its stored set verbatim (no merge), which is what keeps the
+/// persisted set bounded and lets cleared conditions re-arm.
+public struct BarAlertEvaluation: Sendable, Equatable {
+  public let toDeliver: [BarNotification]
+  public let firedKeys: Set<String>
+  public init(toDeliver: [BarNotification], firedKeys: Set<String>) {
+    self.toDeliver = toDeliver
+    self.firedKeys = firedKeys
+  }
+}
+
+/// Real notification delivery. Declared in Core so the assert harness can supply
+/// a recording implementation; the engine NEVER calls it — the App orchestrates
+/// delivery from the engine's `toDeliver` output.
+public protocol NotificationDelivering: Sendable {
+  func deliver(_ notification: BarNotification)
+}
+
+// MARK: The pure rule engine
+
+/// Namespace for the pure, deterministic alert rule engine. `evaluate` is
+/// side-effect-free: no `Date()`, no IO, no UserDefaults. Everything time- or
+/// state-dependent (`now`, `prefs`, `priorFiredKeys`, `calendar`) is injected.
+public enum BarAlertEngine {
+  /// Evaluate all rules against the current rows + analytics.
+  ///
+  /// Deterministic: accounts are iterated in stable id order so output order is
+  /// reproducible. Returns the notifications to deliver and the complete next
+  /// fired-key set (caller overwrites stored set verbatim).
+  ///
+  /// Key format: pipe-joined `kindRaw|scope|bucket[|suffix]`. Pipe (not colon)
+  /// because `account.id` already contains a colon (`provider:accountId`).
+  /// `scope` is the account id or literal "global". `bucket` is the re-arm token
+  /// — when it rolls (new day/month/reset) the key changes and the alert re-fires.
+  public static func evaluate(
+    rows: [BarSummaryRow],
+    analytics: BarAnalytics?,
+    prefs: BarAlertPrefs,
+    priorFiredKeys: Set<String>,
+    now: Date,
+    calendar: Calendar = .current
+  ) -> BarAlertEvaluation {
+    var fired = priorFiredKeys
+    var out: [BarNotification] = []
+
+    let sortedRows = rows.sorted { $0.id < $1.id }
+    let dayBucket = localDayKey(now, calendar: calendar)
+    let monthBucket = localMonthKey(now, calendar: calendar)
+    let levels = prefs.normalizedQuotaLevels
+
+    // Per-account rules.
+    for row in sortedRows {
+      let scope = row.id
+      let name = row.displayName ?? row.provider
+
+      // (1) quotaRemainingBelow — fire the SINGLE most-severe crossed level.
+      if prefs.quotaEnabled, row.quotaStatus == "ok", let pct = row.quotaPercentage {
+        let remaining = Int(pct.rounded())
+        // levels sorted desc; the most-severe crossed level is the smallest L
+        // with remaining <= L. One notif per account per poll, not one per level.
+        if let level = levels.filter({ remaining <= $0 }).min() {
+          let bucket = row.nextReset ?? "noreset"
+          let key = "\(BarAlertKind.quotaRemainingBelow.rawValue)|\(scope)|\(bucket)|L\(level)"
+          if !fired.contains(key) {
+            let resets = BarQuotaGauge.resetCountdown(nextReset: row.nextReset, now: now)
+            let resetSuffix = resets.map { " — \($0)" } ?? ""
+            out.append(
+              BarNotification(
+                id: key,
+                title: "Quota low",
+                body: "\(name) quota at \(remaining)%\(resetSuffix)",
+                kind: .quotaRemainingBelow))
+            fired.insert(key)
+          }
+        }
+      }
+
+      // (4) reauthNeeded — clears-then-recurs.
+      let reauthKey = "\(BarAlertKind.reauthNeeded.rawValue)|\(scope)|on"
+      if prefs.reauthEnabled, row.needsReauth {
+        if !fired.contains(reauthKey) {
+          out.append(
+            BarNotification(
+              id: reauthKey,
+              title: "Re-authentication needed",
+              body: "\(name) needs re-authentication",
+              kind: .reauthNeeded))
+          fired.insert(reauthKey)
+        }
+      } else {
+        // Condition cleared (or rule disabled): drop the key so it re-fires next
+        // time the condition becomes true again.
+        fired.remove(reauthKey)
+      }
+
+      // (5) accountCooldownOrPaused — clears-then-recurs on `paused`.
+      let pausedKey = "\(BarAlertKind.accountCooldownOrPaused.rawValue)|\(scope)|on"
+      if prefs.cooldownPausedEnabled, row.paused {
+        if !fired.contains(pausedKey) {
+          out.append(
+            BarNotification(
+              id: pausedKey,
+              title: "Account paused",
+              body: "\(name) is paused / cooling down",
+              kind: .accountCooldownOrPaused))
+          fired.insert(pausedKey)
+        }
+      } else {
+        fired.remove(pausedKey)
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Global rules.
+
+    // (2) dailySpendAbove — strict >, per calendar day.
+    if prefs.dailySpendEnabled {
+      let today = analytics?.today.cost ?? 0
+      if today > prefs.dailyCapUSD {
+        let key = "\(BarAlertKind.dailySpendAbove.rawValue)|global|\(dayBucket)"
+        if !fired.contains(key) {
+          out.append(
+            BarNotification(
+              id: key,
+              title: "Daily spend cap",
+              body:
+                "Daily spend \(BarFormatting.money(today)) is over your "
+                + "\(BarFormatting.money(prefs.dailyCapUSD)) cap",
+              kind: .dailySpendAbove))
+          fired.insert(key)
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    // (3) monthSpendAbove — strict >, driven by calendar MTD (NOT last30d/allTime).
+    if prefs.monthSpendEnabled {
+      let mtd = analytics?.monthToDate.cost ?? 0
+      if mtd > prefs.monthCapUSD {
+        let key = "\(BarAlertKind.monthSpendAbove.rawValue)|global|\(monthBucket)"
+        if !fired.contains(key) {
+          out.append(
+            BarNotification(
+              id: key,
+              title: "Monthly spend cap",
+              body:
+                "This month's spend \(BarFormatting.money(mtd)) is over your "
+                + "\(BarFormatting.money(prefs.monthCapUSD)) cap",
+              kind: .monthSpendAbove))
+          fired.insert(key)
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    // PRUNE — keep the fired set bounded so it can't grow without limit across
+    // day/month/reset rollovers or account churn.
+    let presentIds = Set(rows.map { $0.id })
+    let presentResetBuckets: [String: String] = Dictionary(
+      uniqueKeysWithValues: rows.map { ($0.id, $0.nextReset ?? "noreset") })
+    fired = fired.filter { key in
+      let parts = key.split(separator: "|", omittingEmptySubsequences: false).map(String.init)
+      guard let kind = parts.first else { return false }
+      switch kind {
+      case BarAlertKind.dailySpendAbove.rawValue:
+        // parts: [kind, "global", dayBucket]
+        return parts.count >= 3 && parts[2] == dayBucket
+      case BarAlertKind.monthSpendAbove.rawValue:
+        return parts.count >= 3 && parts[2] == monthBucket
+      case BarAlertKind.quotaRemainingBelow.rawValue:
+        // parts: [kind, accountId, bucket, "L<level>"]; bucket must equal the
+        // account's CURRENT nextReset and the account must still be present.
+        guard parts.count >= 3, presentIds.contains(parts[1]) else { return false }
+        return presentResetBuckets[parts[1]] == parts[2]
+      case BarAlertKind.reauthNeeded.rawValue, BarAlertKind.accountCooldownOrPaused.rawValue:
+        // parts: [kind, accountId, "on"]; keep only for still-present accounts.
+        return parts.count >= 2 && presentIds.contains(parts[1])
+      default:
+        return false
+      }
+    }
+
+    return BarAlertEvaluation(toDeliver: out, firedKeys: fired)
+  }
+
+  // MARK: Bucket helpers (local calendar, injected)
+
+  /// Local calendar day key `yyyy-MM-dd` from injected `calendar`. Local (not
+  /// UTC) to match the backend's local-day analytics semantics.
+  static func localDayKey(_ date: Date, calendar: Calendar) -> String {
+    let c = calendar.dateComponents([.year, .month, .day], from: date)
+    return String(
+      format: "%04d-%02d-%02d", c.year ?? 0, c.month ?? 0, c.day ?? 0)
+  }
+
+  /// Local calendar month key `yyyy-MM`.
+  static func localMonthKey(_ date: Date, calendar: Calendar) -> String {
+    let c = calendar.dateComponents([.year, .month], from: date)
+    return String(format: "%04d-%02d", c.year ?? 0, c.month ?? 0)
+  }
+}
diff --git a/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarCore/BarAlertPrefsStore.swift b/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarCore/BarAlertPrefsStore.swift
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e2cf6645
--- /dev/null
+++ b/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarCore/BarAlertPrefsStore.swift
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+import Foundation
+
+/// The persistence CONTRACT for alert preferences: the UserDefaults key strings,
+/// their defaults, and a pure dictionary <-> prefs codec. The App layer owns the
+/// live `UserDefaults` object; this type stays pure so the key/default/parse
+/// logic is unit-testable on any toolchain without touching real defaults.
+public enum BarAlertPrefsStore {
+  /// UserDefaults keys. Stable strings — changing one silently drops a user's
+  /// saved preference back to its default.
+  public enum Key {
+    public static let quotaEnabled = "ccsbar.alert.quota.enabled"
+    public static let quotaLevels = "ccsbar.alert.quota.levels"
+    public static let dailyEnabled = "ccsbar.alert.daily.enabled"
+    public static let dailyCapUSD = "ccsbar.alert.daily.capUSD"
+    public static let monthEnabled = "ccsbar.alert.month.enabled"
+    public static let monthCapUSD = "ccsbar.alert.month.capUSD"
+    public static let reauthEnabled = "ccsbar.alert.reauth.enabled"
+    public static let cooldownPausedEnabled = "ccsbar.alert.cooldownPaused.enabled"
+    public static let glanceMode = "ccsbar.glance.mode"
+    /// Engine state, NOT user-editable.
+    public static let firedKeys = "ccsbar.alert.firedKeys"
+  }
+
+  /// Default values keyed by the UserDefaults key. Registered via
+  /// `UserDefaults.register(defaults:)` at App launch so absent Bool keys don't
+  /// read back as `false` (which would silently disable every alert on first run).
+  public static var registrationDefaults: [String: Any] {
+    [
+      Key.quotaEnabled: true,
+      Key.quotaLevels: "20,10,0",
+      Key.dailyEnabled: true,
+      Key.dailyCapUSD: 500.0,
+      Key.monthEnabled: true,
+      Key.monthCapUSD: 10000.0,
+      Key.reauthEnabled: true,
+      Key.cooldownPausedEnabled: true,
+      Key.glanceMode: BarGlanceMode.auto.rawValue,
+    ]
+  }
+
+  /// Parse the comma-joined quota levels string into normalized `[Int]`:
+  /// clamped 0...100, de-duplicated, sorted descending. Bad tokens are dropped.
+  public static func parseQuotaLevels(_ raw: String) -> [Int] {
+    let parsed = raw.split(separator: ",")
+      .compactMap { Int($0.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespaces)) }
+      .map { min(100, max(0, $0)) }
+    return Array(Set(parsed)).sorted(by: >)
+  }
+
+  /// Serialize quota levels back to the comma-joined storage form (sorted desc).
+  public static func encodeQuotaLevels(_ levels: [Int]) -> String {
+    levels.map { min(100, max(0, $0)) }.sorted(by: >).map(String.init).joined(separator: ",")
+  }
+
+  /// Decode a `BarAlertPrefs` from a plain `[key: value]` dictionary. Mirrors how
+  /// the App will read each key from `UserDefaults`, but pure so it is testable.
+  /// Missing keys fall back to the matching `BarAlertPrefs` default.
+  public static func decode(from dict: [String: Any]) -> BarAlertPrefs {
+    let d = BarAlertPrefs()  // carries the canonical defaults
+
+    func bool(_ key: String, _ fallback: Bool) -> Bool { (dict[key] as? Bool) ?? fallback }
+    func double(_ key: String, _ fallback: Double) -> Double {
+      if let v = dict[key] as? Double { return v }
+      if let v = dict[key] as? Int { return Double(v) }
+      return fallback
+    }
+
+    let levels: [Int]
+    if let raw = dict[Key.quotaLevels] as? String {
+      let parsed = parseQuotaLevels(raw)
+      levels = parsed.isEmpty ? d.quotaLevels : parsed
+    } else {
+      levels = d.quotaLevels
+    }
+
+    let mode = (dict[Key.glanceMode] as? String).flatMap(BarGlanceMode.init(rawValue:)) ?? d.glanceMode
+
+    return BarAlertPrefs(
+      quotaEnabled: bool(Key.quotaEnabled, d.quotaEnabled),
+      quotaLevels: levels,
+      dailySpendEnabled: bool(Key.dailyEnabled, d.dailySpendEnabled),
+      dailyCapUSD: double(Key.dailyCapUSD, d.dailyCapUSD),
+      monthSpendEnabled: bool(Key.monthEnabled, d.monthSpendEnabled),
+      monthCapUSD: double(Key.monthCapUSD, d.monthCapUSD),
+      reauthEnabled: bool(Key.reauthEnabled, d.reauthEnabled),
+      cooldownPausedEnabled: bool(Key.cooldownPausedEnabled, d.cooldownPausedEnabled),
+      glanceMode: mode)
+  }
+
+  /// Encode a `BarAlertPrefs` to the dictionary form the App writes to
+  /// `UserDefaults` (levels comma-joined, mode as raw value).
+  public static func encode(_ prefs: BarAlertPrefs) -> [String: Any] {
+    [
+      Key.quotaEnabled: prefs.quotaEnabled,
+      Key.quotaLevels: encodeQuotaLevels(prefs.quotaLevels),
+      Key.dailyEnabled: prefs.dailySpendEnabled,
+      Key.dailyCapUSD: prefs.dailyCapUSD,
+      Key.monthEnabled: prefs.monthSpendEnabled,
+      Key.monthCapUSD: prefs.monthCapUSD,
+      Key.reauthEnabled: prefs.reauthEnabled,
+      Key.cooldownPausedEnabled: prefs.cooldownPausedEnabled,
+      Key.glanceMode: prefs.glanceMode.rawValue,
+    ]
+  }
+}
diff --git a/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarCore/BarAnalytics.swift b/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarCore/BarAnalytics.swift
index 9a265140..b1a4e304 100644
--- a/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarCore/BarAnalytics.swift
+++ b/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarCore/BarAnalytics.swift
@@ -60,6 +60,10 @@ public struct BarAnalytics: Codable, Sendable, Equatable {
   public let today: Window
   public let last7d: Window
   public let last30d: Window
+  /// Honest calendar month-to-date (1st of the current local month → now), NOT a
+  /// rolling 30 days. A fresh month resets this toward ~0 even when `last30d`
+  /// stays populated, so a monthly-cap alert measures the real billing month.
+  public let monthToDate: Window
   public let allTime: Window
   /// Oldest → newest, exactly 30 zero-filled entries, for the sparkline.
   public let byDay: [Day]
@@ -83,6 +87,7 @@ public struct BarAnalytics: Codable, Sendable, Equatable {
     today: Window,
     last7d: Window,
     last30d: Window,
+    monthToDate: Window = Window(cost: 0, requests: 0),
     allTime: Window,
     byDay: [Day],
     topModels: [Model],
@@ -96,6 +101,7 @@ public struct BarAnalytics: Codable, Sendable, Equatable {
     self.today = today
     self.last7d = last7d
     self.last30d = last30d
+    self.monthToDate = monthToDate
     self.allTime = allTime
     self.byDay = byDay
     self.topModels = topModels
@@ -115,6 +121,10 @@ public struct BarAnalytics: Codable, Sendable, Equatable {
     today = try c.decode(Window.self, forKey: .today)
     last7d = try c.decode(Window.self, forKey: .last7d)
     last30d = try c.decode(Window.self, forKey: .last30d)
+    // `monthToDate` is a newer field; older cached payloads omit it. Default to a
+    // zero window so a stale cache decodes cleanly instead of throwing.
+    monthToDate =
+      (try c.decodeIfPresent(Window.self, forKey: .monthToDate)) ?? Window(cost: 0, requests: 0)
     allTime = try c.decode(Window.self, forKey: .allTime)
     byDay = try c.decode([Day].self, forKey: .byDay)
     topModels = try c.decode([Model].self, forKey: .topModels)
diff --git a/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarCore/BarFormatting.swift b/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarCore/BarFormatting.swift
index 54dddd9d..fa0b6b03 100644
--- a/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarCore/BarFormatting.swift
+++ b/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarCore/BarFormatting.swift
@@ -94,6 +94,48 @@ public enum BarFormatting {
     return "CCS \(activeCount > 0 ? activeCount : rows.count)"
   }
 
+  /// Glance-mode title resolver. The user picks which figure leads the menu-bar
+  /// title; every mode degrades to the `.auto` fallback chain rather than show a
+  /// dead "$0.00" or a misleading lifetime dollar. A LIFETIME / allTime figure
+  /// NEVER appears in any mode — that invariant is what keeps the always-on bar
+  /// from reading like live spend.
+  public static func statusTitle(
+    rows: [BarSummaryRow], analytics: BarAnalytics?, mode: BarGlanceMode
+  ) -> String {
+    switch mode {
+    case .auto:
+      return statusTitle(rows: rows, analytics: analytics)
+
+    case .todaySpend:
+      // Avoid a dead "$0.00" sitting in the bar: only lead with today's spend
+      // when there is some; otherwise fall through to the auto chain.
+      if let c = analytics?.today.cost, c > 0 { return money(c) }
+      return statusTitle(rows: rows, analytics: analytics)
+
+    case .monthSpend:
+      // Calendar month-to-date (the new backend field), NOT last30d/allTime.
+      if let c = analytics?.monthToDate.cost, c > 0 { return money(c) }
+      return statusTitle(rows: rows, analytics: analytics)
+
+    case .lowestQuota:
+      // Step (1) of the auto chain only: lowest remaining "ok" quota.
+      let quotaRows = rows.filter { $0.quotaStatus == "ok" && $0.quotaPercentage != nil }
+      if let lead = quotaRows.min(by: { ($0.quotaPercentage ?? 0) < ($1.quotaPercentage ?? 0) }),
+        let token = quotaTitleToken(percentage: lead.quotaPercentage, status: lead.quotaStatus)
+      {
+        return "\(lead.provider) \(token)"
+      }
+      return statusTitle(rows: rows, analytics: analytics)
+
+    case .accountCount:
+      // Non-paused count, falling back to total when every account is paused.
+      // Never appends "!" — that attention marker is an .auto-only signal.
+      if rows.isEmpty { return statusTitle(rows: rows, analytics: analytics) }
+      let active = rows.filter { !$0.paused }.count
+      return "CCS \(active > 0 ? active : rows.count)"
+    }
+  }
+
   /// The "headline" account for the dropdown when no quota exists (which account
   /// name leads). Deterministic: prefer the default row, else the sole active
   /// row, else alphabetical by id — never `rows.first` (arbitrary order).
diff --git a/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarCore/BarQuotaGauge.swift b/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarCore/BarQuotaGauge.swift
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a11b34a3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/macos-bar/Sources/CCSBarCore/BarQuotaGauge.swift
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+import Foundation
+
+/// Pure quota-gauge math: band selection, fill fraction, and reset-countdown
+/// formatting. No SwiftUI dependency and no implicit clock — `now` is injected
+/// for `resetCountdown` so the gauge is fully deterministic and testable. The
+/// App layer renders a ring/bar from these values; all branch/color/countdown
+/// logic lives here so the view stays a thin render.
+public enum BarQuotaGauge {
+  /// Severity band for the remaining-quota percentage. `.none` means the row
+  /// has no live quota (unsupported provider, fetch error, or a nil percentage)
+  /// and the gauge should not be drawn at all.
+  public enum Band: String, Sendable, Equatable, CaseIterable {
+    case green
+    case yellow
+    case orange
+    case red
+    case none
+  }
+
+  /// Map a remaining-quota percentage to a severity band. Only a status of "ok"
+  /// with a real percentage yields a colored band; everything else is `.none`.
+  /// Boundaries (remaining): >50 green, 21...50 yellow, 11...20 orange, <=10 red.
+  public static func band(percentage pct: Double?, status: String) -> Band {
+    guard status == "ok", let pct else { return .none }
+    if pct > 50 { return .green }
+    if pct > 20 { return .yellow }
+    if pct > 10 { return .orange }
+    return .red
+  }
+
+  /// Fraction of the ring/bar to fill: remaining/100 clamped to 0...1. Returns
+  /// nil when there is no live quota (so the view can fall back to a text label
+  /// instead of drawing an empty gauge).
+  public static func fillFraction(percentage pct: Double?, status: String) -> Double? {
+    guard status == "ok", let pct else { return nil }
+    return min(1, max(0, pct / 100))
+  }
+
+  /// Human countdown to the next quota reset, e.g. "resets in 3h 12m",
+  /// "resets in 12m", or "resets soon" when the reset time is at/in the past.
+  /// Returns nil for a nil or unparseable timestamp. `now` is injected so the
+  /// formatting is deterministic and unit-testable.
+  public static func resetCountdown(nextReset: String?, now: Date) -> String? {
+    guard let nextReset, let reset = BarFormatting.isoDate(nextReset) else { return nil }
+    let secs = reset.timeIntervalSince(now)
+    if secs <= 0 { return "resets soon" }
+    let totalMinutes = Int(secs / 60)
+    let hours = totalMinutes / 60
+    let minutes = totalMinutes % 60
+    if hours > 0 { return "resets in \(hours)h \(minutes)m" }
+    return "resets in \(minutes)m"
+  }
+}