diff --git a/web/src/components/BudgetPanel.tsx b/web/src/components/BudgetPanel.tsx
index ce7b38b..f1edd2f 100644
--- a/web/src/components/BudgetPanel.tsx
+++ b/web/src/components/BudgetPanel.tsx
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ export function BudgetPanel({ demo }: Props) {
           <p className="error">{data.error ?? 'Budget state unavailable.'}</p>
         </section>
       ) : (
-        <BudgetTodayCard today={data.today} />
+        <BudgetTodayCard today={data.today} maskedCount={data.rules.masked_launchers.length} />
       )}
       <BudgetLiveCard session={data.session} />
       <BudgetHistoryChart days={data.history} budgetSeconds={data.rules.budget_seconds} />
diff --git a/web/src/components/BudgetTodayCard.test.tsx b/web/src/components/BudgetTodayCard.test.tsx
index 7e08481..dd0ce2e 100644
--- a/web/src/components/BudgetTodayCard.test.tsx
+++ b/web/src/components/BudgetTodayCard.test.tsx
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import { BudgetTodayCard } from './BudgetTodayCard'
 
 describe('BudgetTodayCard', () => {
   it('shows remaining time, usage and the next warning', () => {
-    render(<BudgetTodayCard today={makeBudgetToday()} />)
+    render(<BudgetTodayCard today={makeBudgetToday()} maskedCount={0} />)
     expect(screen.getByText('7h 0m')).toBeInTheDocument()
     expect(screen.getByText(/1h 0m of 8h 0m used/)).toBeInTheDocument()
     expect(screen.getByText(/Next warning at 1h 0m remaining/)).toBeInTheDocument()
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ describe('BudgetTodayCard', () => {
     render(
       <BudgetTodayCard
         today={makeBudgetToday({ seconds_remaining: 900, warned_seconds: [3600, 1800] })}
+        maskedCount={0}
       />,
     )
     expect(document.querySelector('.budget-meter--warn')).not.toBeNull()
@@ -28,26 +29,33 @@ describe('BudgetTodayCard', () => {
           next_warning_seconds: null,
           warned_seconds: [3600, 1800, 600, 300],
         })}
+        maskedCount={0}
       />,
     )
     expect(screen.getByText(/No further warnings today/)).toBeInTheDocument()
     expect(document.querySelector('.budget-meter--warn')).not.toBeNull()
   })
 
+  const blockedToday = () =>
+    makeBudgetToday({
+      blocked: true,
+      blocked_at: 1,
+      seconds_used: 28800,
+      seconds_remaining: 0,
+      fraction_used: 1,
+      next_warning_seconds: null,
+    })
+
   it('shows the cutoff badge when blocked', () => {
-    render(
-      <BudgetTodayCard
-        today={makeBudgetToday({
-          blocked: true,
-          blocked_at: 1,
-          seconds_used: 28800,
-          seconds_remaining: 0,
-          fraction_used: 1,
-          next_warning_seconds: null,
-        })}
-      />,
-    )
-    expect(screen.getByText(/Cutoff engaged/)).toBeInTheDocument()
+    render(<BudgetTodayCard today={blockedToday()} maskedCount={2} />)
+    expect(screen.getByText(/Cutoff engaged — launchers are masked/)).toBeInTheDocument()
     expect(document.querySelector('.budget-meter--blocked')).not.toBeNull()
   })
+
+  it('does not claim a mask that is not in place', () => {
+    render(<BudgetTodayCard today={blockedToday()} maskedCount={0} />)
+    expect(
+      screen.getByText(/Cutoff engaged — launchers are not currently masked/),
+    ).toBeInTheDocument()
+  })
 })
diff --git a/web/src/components/BudgetTodayCard.tsx b/web/src/components/BudgetTodayCard.tsx
index 6e42f9f..65b5557 100644
--- a/web/src/components/BudgetTodayCard.tsx
+++ b/web/src/components/BudgetTodayCard.tsx
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import type { BudgetToday } from '../types'
 
 interface Props {
   today: BudgetToday
+  maskedCount: number
 }
 
 /** Which colour the meter takes: normal, into the warning band, or spent.
@@ -17,7 +18,7 @@ function meterState(today: BudgetToday): string {
   return today.warned_seconds.length > 0 ? 'warn' : 'ok'
 }
 
-export function BudgetTodayCard({ today }: Props) {
+export function BudgetTodayCard({ today, maskedCount }: Props) {
   return (
     <section className="budget-today">
       <h2>Today</h2>
@@ -39,7 +40,14 @@ export function BudgetTodayCard({ today }: Props) {
       <p className="hint">
         {today.blocked ? (
           <span className="budget-badge budget-badge--blocked">
-            Cutoff engaged — launchers are masked
+            {/* Read the live mount count rather than inferring it from
+                `blocked`: the total-block branch releases every mount while
+                leaving `blocked_at` set, so the two can genuinely disagree —
+                and a badge claiming a mask that is not there is the one thing
+                this panel must never do. */}
+            {maskedCount > 0
+              ? 'Cutoff engaged — launchers are masked'
+              : 'Cutoff engaged — launchers are not currently masked'}
           </span>
         ) : today.next_warning_seconds === null ? (
           'No further warnings today.'