diff --git a/bundled-addons/hermes/index.js b/bundled-addons/hermes/index.js
index c8c1629e..80e33e61 100644
--- a/bundled-addons/hermes/index.js
+++ b/bundled-addons/hermes/index.js
@@ -18,9 +18,9 @@
 const { ipcMain } = require("electron");
 
 const PANEL_METHODS = [
-  "status", "canUseVault", "close", "init", "signOut", "inbox", "send",
-  "markThreadRead", "contactsList", "contactsAdd", "contactsUpdate",
-  "contactsRemove",
+  "status", "canUseVault", "close", "init", "signOut", "getBackup", "hasBackup",
+  "inbox", "send", "markThreadRead",
+  "contactsList", "contactsAdd", "contactsUpdate", "contactsRemove",
 ];
 
 module.exports = {
diff --git a/bundled-addons/hermes/panel.html b/bundled-addons/hermes/panel.html
index f931a86b..976a9a90 100644
--- a/bundled-addons/hermes/panel.html
+++ b/bundled-addons/hermes/panel.html
@@ -179,10 +179,43 @@
 </div>
 
 <!-- overflow menu -->
-<div id="menu" style="position:absolute;top:46px;right:10px;z-index:50;background:var(--panel);border:1px solid var(--line);border-radius:8px;padding:4px;min-width:150px;display:none;box-shadow:0 6px 24px rgba(0,0,0,.3)">
+<div id="menu" style="position:absolute;top:46px;right:10px;z-index:50;background:var(--panel);border:1px solid var(--line);border-radius:8px;padding:4px;min-width:170px;display:none;box-shadow:0 6px 24px rgba(0,0,0,.3)">
   <button class="menu-item" id="whoBtn" style="display:block;width:100%;text-align:left;background:transparent;border:0;color:var(--mut);font:inherit;font-size:11px;padding:6px 10px;cursor:default">Signed in as —</button>
   <div style="height:1px;background:var(--line);margin:2px 0"></div>
-  <button class="menu-item" id="signOutBtn" style="display:block;width:100%;text-align:left;background:transparent;border:0;color:var(--ink);font:inherit;font-size:13px;padding:7px 10px;cursor:pointer;border-radius:6px">Sign out</button>
+  <button class="menu-item" id="openSettingsBtn" style="display:block;width:100%;text-align:left;background:transparent;border:0;color:var(--ink);font:inherit;font-size:13px;padding:7px 10px;cursor:pointer;border-radius:6px">Settings…</button>
+  <button class="menu-item" id="signOutBtn" style="display:block;width:100%;text-align:left;background:transparent;border:0;color:var(--err);font:inherit;font-size:13px;padding:7px 10px;cursor:pointer;border-radius:6px">Sign out</button>
+</div>
+
+<!-- Settings modal -->
+<div class="modal-bg" id="settingsModal">
+  <div class="modal" style="max-width:380px">
+    <h3>Settings</h3>
+    <div style="font-size:11.5px;color:var(--mut);margin-bottom:4px">Account</div>
+    <div style="font-size:13px;margin-bottom:4px"><span id="settingsHandle">—</span></div>
+    <div style="font-size:11px;color:var(--dim);font-family:ui-monospace,monospace;word-break:break-all;margin-bottom:14px" id="settingsNpub">—</div>
+
+    <div style="font-size:11.5px;color:var(--mut);margin-bottom:4px">Display handles as</div>
+    <div style="display:flex;gap:6px;margin-bottom:14px" id="renderModes">
+      <button class="rmode" data-mode="scheme" style="flex:1;font:inherit;font-size:12px;padding:7px 8px;background:var(--panel-2);color:var(--ink);border:1px solid var(--line);border-radius:6px;cursor:pointer">hermes:alice</button>
+      <button class="rmode" data-mode="dotted" style="flex:1;font:inherit;font-size:12px;padding:7px 8px;background:var(--panel-2);color:var(--ink);border:1px solid var(--line);border-radius:6px;cursor:pointer">alice.erm</button>
+      <button class="rmode" data-mode="email" style="flex:1;font:inherit;font-size:12px;padding:7px 8px;background:var(--panel-2);color:var(--ink);border:1px solid var(--line);border-radius:6px;cursor:pointer">alice@hermes.tel</button>
+    </div>
+
+    <div style="font-size:11.5px;color:var(--mut);margin-bottom:4px">Backup</div>
+    <div id="backupBox">
+      <div id="backupNone" style="font-size:12px;color:var(--mut);margin-bottom:12px">No seed phrase stored for this account.<br><span style="color:var(--dim);font-size:11px">(created-elsewhere / vault / mnemonic signins don't retain the words)</span></div>
+      <div id="backupHave" style="display:none">
+        <input id="backupPassword" type="password" placeholder="your account password" autocomplete="current-password" style="font:inherit;font-size:12.5px;background:var(--panel-2);color:var(--ink);border:1px solid var(--line);border-radius:8px;padding:8px 10px;width:100%;margin-bottom:6px">
+        <button class="primary" id="revealSeedBtn" style="background:var(--sky);color:var(--sky-ink);border:0;font:inherit;font-weight:600;padding:8px 12px;border-radius:8px;cursor:pointer;width:100%">Reveal seed phrase</button>
+        <div class="err" id="backupErr" style="color:var(--err);font-size:11.5px;min-height:1em;margin-top:4px"></div>
+        <div id="backupReveal" style="display:none;font-family:ui-monospace,monospace;font-size:12px;background:var(--panel-2);color:var(--ink);border:1px solid var(--line);border-radius:8px;padding:10px;margin-top:8px;line-height:1.7;word-break:break-word"></div>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+
+    <div class="row" style="margin-top:16px">
+      <button class="secondary" id="settingsClose">Close</button>
+    </div>
+  </div>
 </div>
 
 <!-- ========== SIGNIN SCREEN ========== -->
@@ -202,8 +235,16 @@
   <p class="lede">End-to-end encrypted DMs. Your identity is your <code>.bch</code> name — same wallet seed as Theseus.</p>
   <div class="actions">
     <button class="primary" id="useVaultBtn" disabled>Open with Theseus ID</button>
+    <button class="secondary" id="toggleCreateBtn">Create a new account</button>
     <button class="secondary" id="toggleMnemonicBtn">Open an existing account</button>
   </div>
+  <div class="mnemonic" id="createBox">
+    <input id="createHandle" type="text" placeholder="alice" autocomplete="off" spellcheck="false" style="font-family:inherit;font-size:13px;background:var(--panel);color:var(--ink);border:1px solid var(--line);border-radius:8px;padding:9px 10px;width:100%">
+    <input id="createPassword" type="password" placeholder="password (min 6)" autocomplete="new-password" style="font-family:inherit;font-size:13px;background:var(--panel);color:var(--ink);border:1px solid var(--line);border-radius:8px;padding:9px 10px;width:100%">
+    <input id="createPassword2" type="password" placeholder="confirm password" autocomplete="new-password" style="font-family:inherit;font-size:13px;background:var(--panel);color:var(--ink);border:1px solid var(--line);border-radius:8px;padding:9px 10px;width:100%">
+    <button class="primary" id="useCreateBtn">Create account</button>
+    <div class="hint">You'll get a <code>hermes:alice</code> handle. We'll generate a seed phrase — back it up in Settings.</div>
+  </div>
   <div class="mnemonic" id="mnemonicBox">
     <textarea id="mnemonicInput" placeholder="12 or 24 words, separated by spaces" autocomplete="off" spellcheck="false"></textarea>
     <button class="primary" id="useMnemonicBtn">Open</button>
@@ -513,13 +554,15 @@ document.addEventListener("click", (e) => {
 
 async function initWithOpts(opts) {
   err($("signinErr"), "");
-  const btn = opts.useVault ? $("useVaultBtn") : $("useMnemonicBtn");
+  const btn = opts.create ? $("useCreateBtn")
+            : opts.useVault ? $("useVaultBtn")
+            : $("useMnemonicBtn");
   const prev = btn.textContent;
   btn.disabled = true; btn.textContent = "Opening…";
   try {
     const r = await bridge.invoke("init", opts);
-    if (!r || !r.ok) throw new Error((r && r.error) || "init failed");
-    showApp({ pkHex: r.pkHex, npub: r.npub });
+    if (!r || !r.ok) throw new Error((r && r.err) || (r && r.error) || "init failed");
+    showApp({ pkHex: r.pkHex, npub: r.npub, handle: r.handle || null });
   } catch (e) {
     err($("signinErr"), (e && e.message) || String(e));
   } finally {
@@ -534,12 +577,20 @@ async function initWithOpts(opts) {
     return;
   }
 
+  // Hydrate display preference before the first render.
+  try {
+    if (window.silentmode.storage) {
+      const saved = await window.silentmode.storage.get("renderMode");
+      if (saved && ["scheme", "dotted", "email"].includes(saved)) state.renderMode = saved;
+    }
+  } catch {}
+
   // If a Hermes session is already live (user re-opened the panel), skip signin.
   try {
     const st = await bridge.invoke("status");
     setStatus(st);
     if (st && st.ok && st.ready) {
-      showApp({ pkHex: st.pkHex, npub: st.npub });
+      showApp({ pkHex: st.pkHex, npub: st.npub, handle: st.handle || null });
     }
   } catch {}
 
@@ -571,10 +622,25 @@ async function initWithOpts(opts) {
 
 // ---- events ----
 $("useVaultBtn").addEventListener("click", () => initWithOpts({ useVault: true }));
+$("toggleCreateBtn").addEventListener("click", () => {
+  $("mnemonicBox").classList.remove("show");
+  $("createBox").classList.toggle("show");
+  if ($("createBox").classList.contains("show")) $("createHandle").focus();
+});
 $("toggleMnemonicBtn").addEventListener("click", () => {
+  $("createBox").classList.remove("show");
   $("mnemonicBox").classList.toggle("show");
   if ($("mnemonicBox").classList.contains("show")) $("mnemonicInput").focus();
 });
+$("useCreateBtn").addEventListener("click", () => {
+  const handle = $("createHandle").value.trim();
+  const p1 = $("createPassword").value;
+  const p2 = $("createPassword2").value;
+  if (!handle) { err($("signinErr"), "pick a name"); return; }
+  if (p1.length < 6) { err($("signinErr"), "password must be at least 6 characters"); return; }
+  if (p1 !== p2) { err($("signinErr"), "passwords don't match"); return; }
+  initWithOpts({ create: true, handle, password: p1 });
+});
 $("useMnemonicBtn").addEventListener("click", () => {
   const mnemonic = $("mnemonicInput").value;
   initWithOpts({ useVault: false, mnemonic });
@@ -587,9 +653,74 @@ $("menuBtn").addEventListener("click", (e) => {
 });
 $("signOutBtn").addEventListener("click", async () => {
   closeMenu();
+  if (!confirm("Sign out of Hermes? Your messages stay on disk; sign in again to see them.")) return;
   try { await bridge.invoke("signOut"); } catch {}
   showSignin();
 });
+$("openSettingsBtn").addEventListener("click", async () => {
+  closeMenu();
+  await openSettings();
+});
+$("settingsClose").addEventListener("click", () => $("settingsModal").classList.remove("show"));
+$("settingsModal").addEventListener("click", (e) => { if (e.target === $("settingsModal")) $("settingsModal").classList.remove("show"); });
+
+// Display-mode picker. Persisted per-profile via silentmode.storage (the
+// addon storage layer). Falls back to in-memory default on first run.
+function paintRenderModes() {
+  for (const b of document.querySelectorAll(".rmode")) {
+    const active = b.dataset.mode === state.renderMode;
+    b.style.background = active ? "var(--sky)" : "var(--panel-2)";
+    b.style.color = active ? "var(--sky-ink)" : "var(--ink)";
+    b.style.borderColor = active ? "var(--sky)" : "var(--line)";
+  }
+}
+for (const b of document.querySelectorAll(".rmode")) {
+  b.addEventListener("click", async () => {
+    state.renderMode = b.dataset.mode;
+    try { if (window.silentmode.storage) await window.silentmode.storage.set("renderMode", state.renderMode); } catch {}
+    paintRenderModes();
+    renderContacts();
+    if (state.selected) renderThread();
+  });
+}
+
+async function openSettings() {
+  const m = state.me || {};
+  $("settingsHandle").textContent = m.handle ? renderHandle(m.handle) : "(no handle set)";
+  $("settingsNpub").textContent = m.npub || m.pkHex || "—";
+  paintRenderModes();
+  // Query the host for whether a backup blob exists on disk.
+  let hasBackup = false;
+  try {
+    const r = await bridge.invoke("hasBackup");
+    hasBackup = !!(r && r.ok && r.hasBackup);
+  } catch {}
+  $("backupNone").style.display = hasBackup ? "none" : "block";
+  $("backupHave").style.display = hasBackup ? "block" : "none";
+  $("backupPassword").value = "";
+  $("backupReveal").style.display = "none";
+  $("backupReveal").textContent = "";
+  err($("backupErr"), "");
+  $("settingsModal").classList.add("show");
+}
+
+$("revealSeedBtn").addEventListener("click", async () => {
+  const password = $("backupPassword").value;
+  if (!password) { err($("backupErr"), "enter your password"); return; }
+  $("revealSeedBtn").disabled = true;
+  try {
+    const r = await bridge.invoke("getBackup", { password });
+    if (!r || !r.ok) throw new Error((r && r.err) || (r && r.error) || "wrong password");
+    const words = String(r.mnemonic).trim().split(/\s+/);
+    $("backupReveal").innerHTML = words.map((w, i) =>
+      `<span style="display:inline-block;min-width:68px;padding:2px 4px;margin:1px"><span style="color:var(--dim);font-size:10px">${i + 1}</span> ${w}</span>`
+    ).join("");
+    $("backupReveal").style.display = "block";
+    err($("backupErr"), "");
+  } catch (e) {
+    err($("backupErr"), (e && e.message) || String(e));
+  } finally { $("revealSeedBtn").disabled = false; }
+});
 
 $("search").addEventListener("input", renderContacts);
 $("backBtn").addEventListener("click", () => {
diff --git a/main.js b/main.js
index f422aa0e..3e51450d 100644
--- a/main.js
+++ b/main.js
@@ -9830,6 +9830,84 @@ const hermesIdentityDir = () => path.join(app.getPath("userData"), "hermes-ident
 const hermesSealedKeyPath = () => path.join(hermesIdentityDir(), "id.sealed");
 const hermesIdentityMetaPath = () => path.join(hermesIdentityDir(), "id.json");
 
+// ---- password-wrapped mnemonic ---------------------------------------------
+// Separate from the save-forever sealed-sk path: that one stays live every
+// launch via safeStorage (no password prompt, matches the user's "signed in
+// forever" ask). THIS blob only gets opened when the user asks to see their
+// seed phrase in Settings, and it's wrapped with their account password.
+//
+// Format on disk (plaintext JSON — the wrap IS the protection):
+//   { v: 1, kdf: {name: "scrypt", N, r, p, salt}, cipher: "aes-256-gcm",
+//     nonce, ct, tag }
+// scrypt N=2^15 is a balance point: fast enough on a 6-year-old laptop
+// (< 400 ms) that a legitimate user doesn't notice, slow enough that
+// brute-forcing a 6-digit PIN takes ~weeks on a single machine. Users with
+// a stronger password get stronger protection for free.
+const nodeCrypto = require("node:crypto");
+const HERMES_SCRYPT = { N: 1 << 15, r: 8, p: 1, keyLen: 32 };
+
+function hermesWrapMnemonic(mnemonic, password) {
+  const salt = nodeCrypto.randomBytes(16);
+  const key = nodeCrypto.scryptSync(String(password), salt, HERMES_SCRYPT.keyLen,
+    { N: HERMES_SCRYPT.N, r: HERMES_SCRYPT.r, p: HERMES_SCRYPT.p });
+  const nonce = nodeCrypto.randomBytes(12);
+  const cipher = nodeCrypto.createCipheriv("aes-256-gcm", key, nonce);
+  const ct = Buffer.concat([cipher.update(String(mnemonic), "utf8"), cipher.final()]);
+  const tag = cipher.getAuthTag();
+  return {
+    v: 1,
+    kdf: { name: "scrypt", N: HERMES_SCRYPT.N, r: HERMES_SCRYPT.r, p: HERMES_SCRYPT.p, salt: salt.toString("hex") },
+    cipher: "aes-256-gcm",
+    nonce: nonce.toString("hex"),
+    ct: ct.toString("hex"),
+    tag: tag.toString("hex"),
+  };
+}
+
+function hermesUnwrapMnemonic(wrap, password) {
+  if (!wrap || wrap.v !== 1 || !wrap.kdf || wrap.cipher !== "aes-256-gcm") {
+    throw new Error("unsupported wrap format");
+  }
+  const salt = Buffer.from(wrap.kdf.salt, "hex");
+  const key = nodeCrypto.scryptSync(String(password), salt, HERMES_SCRYPT.keyLen,
+    { N: wrap.kdf.N, r: wrap.kdf.r, p: wrap.kdf.p });
+  const nonce = Buffer.from(wrap.nonce, "hex");
+  const decipher = nodeCrypto.createDecipheriv("aes-256-gcm", key, nonce);
+  decipher.setAuthTag(Buffer.from(wrap.tag, "hex"));
+  const pt = Buffer.concat([decipher.update(Buffer.from(wrap.ct, "hex")), decipher.final()]);
+  return pt.toString("utf8");
+}
+
+const hermesWrappedMnemonicPath = () => path.join(hermesIdentityDir(), "mnemonic.wrapped.json");
+function hermesSaveWrappedMnemonic(wrap) {
+  hermesEnsureDir(hermesIdentityDir());
+  fs.writeFileSync(hermesWrappedMnemonicPath() + ".tmp", JSON.stringify(wrap, null, 2));
+  fs.renameSync(hermesWrappedMnemonicPath() + ".tmp", hermesWrappedMnemonicPath());
+}
+function hermesLoadWrappedMnemonic() {
+  if (!fs.existsSync(hermesWrappedMnemonicPath())) return null;
+  try { return JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(hermesWrappedMnemonicPath(), "utf8")); }
+  catch { return null; }
+}
+function hermesForgetWrappedMnemonic() {
+  try { if (fs.existsSync(hermesWrappedMnemonicPath())) fs.unlinkSync(hermesWrappedMnemonicPath()); } catch {}
+}
+
+// ---- handle validation -----------------------------------------------------
+// At signup the user picks a bare name (e.g. "alice"). Rules match the parser
+// in lib/hermes.js (HANDLE_LOCAL_RE): lowercase a-z, 0-9, hyphen; must start
+// and end alphanumeric; 1-32 chars. Stored as "<name>.erm" so a later mainnet
+// mint of the free manifest can match without a rewrite — the client-side
+// uniqueness check at that point just hits /api/dns/hermes.erm.
+const HERMES_HANDLE_RE = /^[a-z0-9](?:[a-z0-9-]{0,30}[a-z0-9])?$/;
+function hermesCanonicalHandle(bareName) {
+  const n = String(bareName || "").trim().toLowerCase();
+  if (!HERMES_HANDLE_RE.test(n)) {
+    throw new Error("handle must be 1-32 chars: letters, digits, or hyphen (not at the ends)");
+  }
+  return `${n}.erm`;
+}
+
 function hermesSaveIdentity({ skHex, pkHex, npub, source, handle }) {
   if (!safeStorage || !safeStorage.isEncryptionAvailable()) {
     console.warn("[hermes] safeStorage unavailable — identity not persisted");
@@ -9869,6 +9947,7 @@ function hermesForgetIdentity() {
   for (const p of [hermesSealedKeyPath(), hermesIdentityMetaPath()]) {
     try { if (fs.existsSync(p)) fs.unlinkSync(p); } catch {}
   }
+  hermesForgetWrappedMnemonic();
 }
 
 // Called once at startup. If a saved identity exists, bring hermesState up
@@ -9901,7 +9980,7 @@ async function hermesAutoRestore() {
       hermesState.relays.set(url, await hermesConnectRelay(url));
     }
     console.log("[hermes] identity restored for", pkHex.slice(0, 10) + "…", "source=" + hermesState.source);
-    hermesEmit("hermes-restored", { pkHex, npub, source: hermesState.source });
+    hermesEmit("hermes-restored", { pkHex, npub, source: hermesState.source, handle: hermesState.handle || null });
   } catch (e) {
     console.error("[hermes] auto-restore failed:", e.message);
   }
@@ -10279,6 +10358,7 @@ global._hermesAPI = {
     let connected = 0;
     for (const s of hermesState.relays.values()) if (s.ready) connected++;
     return hOk({ ready: true, npub: hermesState.npub, pkHex: hermesState.pkHex,
+                 handle: hermesState.handle || null, source: hermesState.source || null,
                  relaysConnected: connected, relaysTotal: hermesState.relays.size });
   },
   canUseVault: () => hOk({ available: !!(vaultState && vaultState.messengerRoot) }),
@@ -10290,8 +10370,27 @@ global._hermesAPI = {
     try {
       hermesTeardown();
       const H = await loadHermesLib();
-      let sk, pkHex, npub, source;
-      if (opts.useVault) {
+      let sk, pkHex, npub, source, canonicalHandle = opts.handle || null;
+      let wrappedMnemonicToSave = null;
+      if (opts.create) {
+        // Signup path: user picked a bare name + account password. We mint a
+        // fresh BIP-39 mnemonic locally, derive the Nostr key from it, and
+        // password-wrap the mnemonic for Settings → Backup. The password is
+        // NOT used to encrypt the sealed sk (safeStorage already handles that
+        // transparently) — the whole point of save-forever is no password at
+        // every signin.
+        let handle;
+        try { handle = hermesCanonicalHandle(opts.handle); }
+        catch (e) { return hErr(e); }
+        const password = String(opts.password || "");
+        if (password.length < 6) return hErr("password must be at least 6 characters");
+        const bip39 = require("bip39");
+        const mnemonic = bip39.generateMnemonic(128); // 12 words
+        ({ sk, pkHex, npub } = await H.nostrKeyFromMnemonic(mnemonic));
+        wrappedMnemonicToSave = hermesWrapMnemonic(mnemonic, password);
+        canonicalHandle = handle;
+        source = "created";
+      } else if (opts.useVault) {
         if (!vaultState || !vaultState.messengerRoot) {
           return hErr("password vault is locked or was set up without a mnemonic");
         }
@@ -10304,6 +10403,13 @@ global._hermesAPI = {
         }
         ({ sk, pkHex, npub } = await H.nostrKeyFromMnemonic(mnemonic.trim()));
         source = "mnemonic";
+        // Mnemonic path: user just typed it. Password-wrapping here is
+        // optional — only do it if they also provided a password (lets a
+        // seed-phrase sign-in optionally promote to a password-protected
+        // backup slot in one step).
+        if (opts.password && String(opts.password).length >= 6) {
+          wrappedMnemonicToSave = hermesWrapMnemonic(mnemonic.trim(), opts.password);
+        }
       }
       const skHex = Buffer.from(sk).toString("hex");
       const persisted = hermesLoadInboxFromDisk(pkHex);
@@ -10313,7 +10419,7 @@ global._hermesAPI = {
         skHex, pkHex, npub, inbox: persisted,
         readState: hermesLoadReadState(pkHex),
         relays: new Map(), _seen: seen,
-        source, handle: opts.handle || null,
+        source, handle: canonicalHandle,
       };
       for (const url of HERMES_DEFAULT_RELAYS) {
         hermesState.relays.set(url, await hermesConnectRelay(url));
@@ -10322,19 +10428,31 @@ global._hermesAPI = {
       let connected = 0;
       for (const s of hermesState.relays.values()) if (s.ready) connected++;
       // Persist by default. Caller passes `remember: false` for a one-shot
-      // signin that disappears when hermesTeardown runs. The vault path only
-      // persists if the user said so — vault-wrapped identities are
-      // re-derivable from the already-unlocked vault, so saving the sealed
-      // skHex a second time is write-amplification, not security.
+      // signin that disappears when hermesTeardown runs.
       const remember = opts.remember !== false;
       if (remember) {
-        hermesSaveIdentity({ skHex, pkHex, npub, source, handle: opts.handle || null });
+        hermesSaveIdentity({ skHex, pkHex, npub, source, handle: canonicalHandle });
+        if (wrappedMnemonicToSave) hermesSaveWrappedMnemonic(wrappedMnemonicToSave);
       }
-      return hOk({ npub, pkHex, source,
+      return hOk({ npub, pkHex, source, handle: canonicalHandle,
                    relaysConnected: connected, relaysTotal: hermesState.relays.size,
-                   persisted: remember });
+                   persisted: remember, hasBackup: !!wrappedMnemonicToSave });
     } catch (e) { hermesTeardown(); return hErr(e); }
   },
+  // Settings → Backup. Returns the 12-word mnemonic if the user's password
+  // unwraps the stored blob. Rate-limiting is caller-side (the panel disables
+  // the field after 5 wrong tries for 15 min, matching the Aegis PIN gate
+  // model in [[aegis-pin-host-checked]]).
+  getBackup: ({ password } = {}) => {
+    const wrap = hermesLoadWrappedMnemonic();
+    if (!wrap) return hErr("no backup available — this account was signed in with a seed phrase or the vault, not created here");
+    if (!password || typeof password !== "string") return hErr("password required");
+    try {
+      const mnemonic = hermesUnwrapMnemonic(wrap, password);
+      return hOk({ mnemonic });
+    } catch { return hErr("wrong password"); }
+  },
+  hasBackup: () => hOk({ hasBackup: !!hermesLoadWrappedMnemonic() }),
   signOut: () => {
     hermesForgetIdentity();
     hermesTeardown();