diff --git a/src/pages/index.astro b/src/pages/index.astro
index b61d472..54eda96 100644
--- a/src/pages/index.astro
+++ b/src/pages/index.astro
@@ -606,8 +606,14 @@ const canonical = new URL('/', Astro.site);
          viewport so the hero centres in what you can actually see, but Safari's
          bottom bar is translucent and the page shows through it, so clearing svh
          only put the footer's rule behind the controls rather than out of sight.
-         Both terms collapse to the clamp anywhere the two viewports agree. */
-      --footer-drop: calc(100lvh - 100svh + clamp(6.5rem, 16vh, 9rem));
+         Both terms collapse to the clamp anywhere the two viewports agree.
+
+         The clamp is sized to park the footer just out of sight, not to bury it: it
+         pays for the footer's own height and the shell's bottom padding first, and
+         what is left over is the clearance below the fold — about 20-27px, enough
+         that the rule cannot peek at rest, and no more. Every pixel beyond that is
+         scroll the reader has to spend before the footer starts arriving. */
+      --footer-drop: calc(100lvh - 100svh + clamp(5.25rem, 10.5vh, 6rem));
 
       min-height: calc(100svh + var(--footer-drop));
     }