diff --git a/app/d/[slug]/CommentsShell.tsx b/app/d/[slug]/CommentsShell.tsx
index 0001521..0680700 100644
--- a/app/d/[slug]/CommentsShell.tsx
+++ b/app/d/[slug]/CommentsShell.tsx
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { buildChromePalette, type ThemeSample, type ChromePalette } from "@/lib/
 import CommentMarkdown from "@/lib/docs/comments/CommentMarkdown";
 import type { Section } from "@/lib/docs/sections";
 import { fragmentFor, parseHash } from "@/lib/docs/deeplink";
+import { readTimeLevel, readTimeTitle } from "@/lib/docs/reading-time";
 import { buildInlineEdits, type TextChange } from "@/lib/docs/inline-edit";
 
 // CommentsShell — the THIRD React surface (birthday.md "Production
@@ -93,8 +94,9 @@ type Props = {
   // Ordered heading list + stable fragment ids for section deeplinks (from
   // lib/docs/sections extractSections). Forwarded to the overlay as jh:sections.
   initialSections: Section[];
-  // Estimated minutes to read the doc (lib/docs/reading-time). 0 = no prose to
-  // read, and the bar leaves the slot out entirely.
+  // Estimated minutes to read the doc, from the stored HTML (lib/docs/reading-time).
+  // 0 = no prose to read, and the bar leaves the chip out entirely. The overlay
+  // refines this to the VISIBLE text once the doc has settled (jh:readtime).
   readMinutes: number;
   version: number;
   // Coarse SSR theme (from the stored HTML's unconditional html/body bg). Present
@@ -170,8 +172,9 @@ export default function CommentsShell(props: Props) {
     docId,
     me,
     initialSections,
-    readMinutes,
   } = props;
+  // Seeded from the SSR full-text estimate, refined by the overlay's jh:readtime.
+  const [readMinutes, setReadMinutes] = useState(props.readMinutes);
   const [bookmarked, setBookmarked] = useState(props.bookmarked);
   const bookmarkPending = useRef(false);
   const iframeRef = useRef<HTMLIFrameElement>(null);
@@ -465,6 +468,13 @@ export default function CommentsShell(props: Props) {
             });
           }
           break;
+        case "jh:readtime":
+          // The overlay measured the text actually VISIBLE on load (hidden tab panels
+          // and closed <details> excluded), which the server's regex over the stored
+          // HTML can't see. Replaces the SSR estimate; a doc whose overlay never runs
+          // keeps it.
+          if (typeof d.minutes === "number" && d.minutes >= 0) setReadMinutes(Math.round(d.minutes));
+          break;
         case "jh:selection":
           if ((canComment || canReact) && d.anchor && d.anchor.exact) {
             setSelection({ anchor: d.anchor, top: d.rect?.top ?? 0, viewTop: d.rect?.viewTop ?? 0 });
@@ -929,7 +939,7 @@ export default function CommentsShell(props: Props) {
         </span>
         <span style={{ flexShrink: 0, paddingLeft: "1.25rem", display: "flex", gap: "1.25rem", alignItems: "center", color: "var(--jh-bar-muted, #666)" }}>
           {readMinutes > 0 ? (
-            <span className="jh-readtime" title={`Estimated read time: ${readMinutes} minute${readMinutes === 1 ? "" : "s"}`}>
+            <span className="jh-readtime" data-level={readTimeLevel(readMinutes)} title={readTimeTitle(readMinutes)}>
               {readMinutes} min read
             </span>
           ) : null}
@@ -1203,6 +1213,12 @@ function paletteVars(p: ChromePalette): React.CSSProperties {
     ["--jh-sel-shadow" as string]: p.selShadow,
     ["--jh-sel-hover" as string]: p.selHover,
     ["--jh-drawer-shadow" as string]: p.drawerShadow,
+    // Read-time chip: same fills in both modes, but on a dark bar the grey hairline
+    // vanishes and the charcoal chip merges into the bar, so those two borders become a
+    // light tone that outlines them. Literals, not palette-derived — the chip has to
+    // hold its own contrast whatever colors the doc was sampled at.
+    ["--jh-read-warn-border" as string]: "#e1dccf",
+    ["--jh-read-over-border" as string]: "#f2f0e7",
     ["--jh-scrim-bg" as string]: p.scrimBg,
   };
 }
@@ -1697,6 +1713,19 @@ function LinkGlyph() {
 // rail is an off-canvas right drawer that slides in over the doc with a scrim.
 // Light mode only, monospace chrome — consistent with the rest of the shell.
 const RAIL_CSS = `
+/* Read-time chip. Kernel brand palette: the fill gets heavier as the estimate grows —
+   kernel-green #81b300 under 5 min, beige-muted #e1dccf to 15, charcoal #212225 past
+   that. The palette has no red or amber and gold is never a background, so the
+   escalation is contrast weight rather than hue; geometry mirrors the website's Tag
+   (4px radius, hairline border, 4/8px padding). Borders are var()s because dark needs
+   different ones (paletteVars). The transition repeats CHROME_TRANSITION's values —
+   that const is declared below this string, so it can't be interpolated — and covers
+   the bucket change when the overlay refines the estimate. */
+.jh-readtime { font: inherit; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.6; padding: 2px 8px; border-radius: 4px; border: 0.5px solid; transition: background-color .22s ease, color .22s ease, border-color .22s ease; }
+.jh-readtime[data-level="ok"] { background: #81b300; color: #212225; border-color: #81b300; }
+.jh-readtime[data-level="warn"] { background: #e1dccf; color: #212225; border-color: var(--jh-read-warn-border, #d0d2d9); }
+.jh-readtime[data-level="over"] { background: #212225; color: #f2f0e7; border-color: var(--jh-read-over-border, #212225); }
+
 .jh-stage[data-rail="closed"] .jh-rail { display: none; }
 .jh-railclose { display: none; }
 .jh-scrim { display: none; }
diff --git a/lib/docs/overlay.ts b/lib/docs/overlay.ts
index 7554b41..9337b47 100644
--- a/lib/docs/overlay.ts
+++ b/lib/docs/overlay.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 //                     { type:"jh:focus", key, keys }      (a segment was clicked: focused key + full covering set)
 //                     { type:"jh:hlHover", id } / { type:"jh:hlHoverOut" }
 //                     { type:"jh:reactionToggle", anchor:{exact,prefix,suffix}, emoji } (chip click)
+//                     { type:"jh:readtime", minutes }     (read time of the VISIBLE text)
 //                     { type:"jh:edit", changes:[{before, after}] }  (a block was edited)
 //                     { type:"jh:editRejected", reason }   (edit changed structure; not sent)
 //
@@ -161,6 +162,60 @@ export const OVERLAY_SCRIPT = String.raw`
     } catch(e){}
   }
 
+  // ---- visible read time (jh:readtime) ----
+  // The server's estimate counts every word in the stored HTML. Only here, with a
+  // laid-out DOM, can we tell what the reader actually SEES: a tab panel hidden by a
+  // class defined in a <style> block, a closed <details>, a dialog that hasn't been
+  // opened. We prune hidden subtrees, count the text that survives, and post the
+  // minutes for the shell's chip.
+  //
+  // Rate constants MUST match lib/docs/reading-time.ts (server code this stringified
+  // script cannot import) — same duplication as the reaction sig comment above.
+  var RT_WPM = 200, RT_CJK_PER_MIN = 500;
+  var RT_CJK = /[\p{sc=Han}\p{sc=Hiragana}\p{sc=Katakana}\p{sc=Hangul}]/gu;
+  var RT_WORDISH = /[\p{L}\p{N}]/u;
+  // Non-prose (the server masks the same set), plus our own injected UI: a reaction
+  // chip's "👍 2" and a section anchor's link glyph are chrome, not the doc.
+  var RT_SKIP = { SCRIPT:1, STYLE:1, TEMPLATE:1, NOSCRIPT:1, SVG:1, CANVAS:1 };
+  function rtHidden(el){
+    if (el.hasAttribute("hidden") || el.getAttribute("aria-hidden") === "true") return true;
+    if (el.nodeName === "DIALOG" && !el.open) return true;
+    var cs = getComputedStyle(el);
+    if (cs.display === "none" || cs.visibility === "hidden" || cs.visibility === "collapse") return true;
+    return parseFloat(cs.opacity) === 0;
+  }
+  // Recursive rather than a TreeWalker: pruning a hidden subtree is one
+  // getComputedStyle per element instead of one per ancestor per text node.
+  function rtCollect(el, out){
+    for (var n = el.firstChild; n; n = n.nextSibling){
+      if (n.nodeType === 3){ out.push(n.nodeValue); continue; }
+      if (n.nodeType !== 1) continue;
+      var tag = n.nodeName.toUpperCase();
+      if (RT_SKIP[tag]) continue;
+      if (n.hasAttribute("data-jh-chip") || n.hasAttribute("data-jh-sec-anchor")) continue;
+      if (rtHidden(n)) continue;
+      // A closed <details> shows its summary only; the rest is a click away.
+      if (tag === "DETAILS" && !n.open){
+        var sum = n.querySelector("summary");
+        if (sum) rtCollect(sum, out);
+        continue;
+      }
+      rtCollect(n, out);
+    }
+  }
+  function reportReadTime(){
+    try {
+      if (!document.body) return;
+      var parts = []; rtCollect(document.body, parts);
+      var text = parts.join(" ");
+      var cjk = (text.match(RT_CJK) || []).length;
+      var words = 0, toks = text.replace(RT_CJK, " ").split(/\s+/);
+      for (var i=0;i<toks.length;i++) if (RT_WORDISH.test(toks[i])) words++;
+      var minutes = (words === 0 && cjk === 0) ? 0 : Math.ceil(words/RT_WPM + cjk/RT_CJK_PER_MIN);
+      send({ type:"jh:readtime", minutes: minutes });
+    } catch(e){}
+  }
+
   // ---- forced document theme (viewer's light/dark toggle) ----
   // The toggle themes the chrome (bar/rail) in the shell; this repaints the DOCUMENT.
   // Setting body color alone doesn't work — authored rules like p,li{color:#1a1a1a}
@@ -1152,7 +1207,12 @@ export const OVERLAY_SCRIPT = String.raw`
   // late-applied CSS and for any host that never sends jh:themeMode.
   authoredTheme = sampleAuthored();
   try { ensureStyle(); if (document.documentElement) document.documentElement.classList.toggle("jh-dark", effectiveDark()); } catch(e){}
-  window.addEventListener("load", sampleTheme);
-  setTimeout(sampleTheme, 400);
+  // Read time rides the theme sample's load + settle ticks, plus one later tick of its
+  // own: measured too early, a doc whose tab UI is built by script still has every
+  // panel visible and we would just re-report the server's full-text number. Each
+  // report supersedes the last, so a doc that only settles late still converges.
+  window.addEventListener("load", function(){ sampleTheme(); reportReadTime(); });
+  setTimeout(function(){ sampleTheme(); reportReadTime(); }, 400);
+  setTimeout(reportReadTime, 1500);
 })();
 `;
diff --git a/lib/docs/reading-time.test.ts b/lib/docs/reading-time.test.ts
index 5d98b9c..80329fb 100644
--- a/lib/docs/reading-time.test.ts
+++ b/lib/docs/reading-time.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
-import { estimateReadMinutes } from "@/lib/docs/reading-time";
+import { estimateReadMinutes, readTimeLevel, readTimeTitle } from "@/lib/docs/reading-time";
 
 const words = (n: number) => Array.from({ length: n }, (_, i) => `w${i}`).join(" ");
 
@@ -38,3 +38,22 @@ describe("estimateReadMinutes", () => {
     expect(estimateReadMinutes(`<p>${"字".repeat(2000)}</p>`)).toBe(4);
   });
 });
+
+describe("readTimeLevel", () => {
+  it("steps at 5 and 15 minutes", () => {
+    expect([1, 4].map(readTimeLevel)).toEqual(["ok", "ok"]);
+    expect([5, 15].map(readTimeLevel)).toEqual(["warn", "warn"]);
+    expect([16, 90].map(readTimeLevel)).toEqual(["over", "over"]);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("readTimeTitle", () => {
+  it("spells out the estimate so the fill color isn't the only signal", () => {
+    expect(readTimeTitle(1)).toBe("Estimated read time: 1 minute");
+    expect(readTimeTitle(7)).toBe("Estimated read time: 7 minutes");
+  });
+
+  it("names the problem past 15 minutes", () => {
+    expect(readTimeTitle(22)).toBe("Estimated read time: 22 minutes — long for a shared doc");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/lib/docs/reading-time.ts b/lib/docs/reading-time.ts
index 9196a79..6cd9a03 100644
--- a/lib/docs/reading-time.ts
+++ b/lib/docs/reading-time.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,13 @@
 // Estimated read time for the viewer chrome bar — a pure function of the stored
-// HTML, computed at SSR alongside extractSections. Nothing is stored and nothing
-// is recomputed client-side: an inline edit changes the estimate on the next load,
-// the same as the title and the section list.
+// HTML, computed at SSR alongside extractSections. Nothing is stored: an inline
+// edit changes the estimate on the next load, the same as the title and the
+// section list.
+//
+// The SSR number counts every word in the stored HTML. The overlay re-measures
+// what is actually VISIBLE on first load (hidden tab panels, closed <details>)
+// and posts jh:readtime; the shell prefers that. This module stays the definition
+// of the rate and the thresholds — the overlay duplicates the rate constants
+// because it is stringified browser JS and cannot import server code.
 
 import { htmlToText } from "@/lib/docs/anchor";
 
@@ -41,3 +47,27 @@ export function estimateReadMinutes(html: string): number {
   if (words === 0 && cjk === 0) return 0;
   return Math.ceil(words / WORDS_PER_MINUTE + cjk / CJK_PER_MINUTE);
 }
+
+// A shared doc should be a short read; the chip's fill gets heavier as the estimate
+// grows. Under 5 minutes reads as fine, up to 15 as getting long, past 15 as "this
+// should probably be two docs".
+export type ReadLevel = "ok" | "warn" | "over";
+
+const WARN_FROM = 5;
+const OVER_ABOVE = 15;
+
+export function readTimeLevel(minutes: number): ReadLevel {
+  if (minutes < WARN_FROM) return "ok";
+  if (minutes <= OVER_ABOVE) return "warn";
+  return "over";
+}
+
+/**
+ * The chip's tooltip — the estimate in words, since the fill color alone is no use to
+ * a screen reader, plus what the heaviest fill is complaining about.
+ */
+export function readTimeTitle(minutes: number): string {
+  const plural = `${minutes} minute${minutes === 1 ? "" : "s"}`;
+  const suffix = readTimeLevel(minutes) === "over" ? " — long for a shared doc" : "";
+  return `Estimated read time: ${plural}${suffix}`;
+}