diff --git a/steam_backlog_enforcer/_fast_install_progress.py b/steam_backlog_enforcer/_fast_install_progress.py
index 15f7202..06dddb2 100644
--- a/steam_backlog_enforcer/_fast_install_progress.py
+++ b/steam_backlog_enforcer/_fast_install_progress.py
@@ -241,7 +241,8 @@ class WaitReporter:
             # Floor, so 99.99 never reads as done before the depot is.
             progress.advance(self._label, step=int(snap.percent or 0))
         else:
-            progress.advance(f"{_clock(snap.elapsed_seconds)} elapsed", step=0)
+            # The web UI paints the item (textgate): glyph + number, no word.
+            progress.advance(f"⏱️ {_clock(snap.elapsed_seconds)}", step=0)
         if now - self._last_echo >= ECHO_SECONDS:
             self._last_echo = now
             _echo(f"  Fast-installing {self._label}: {snap.describe()}")
diff --git a/steam_backlog_enforcer/tests/test_fast_install_progress.py b/steam_backlog_enforcer/tests/test_fast_install_progress.py
index bd2ec2b..286be48 100644
--- a/steam_backlog_enforcer/tests/test_fast_install_progress.py
+++ b/steam_backlog_enforcer/tests/test_fast_install_progress.py
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ class TestWaitReporter:
         progress.phase.assert_called_once_with(
             "Fast-installing G: shutting Steam down", None
         )
-        progress.advance.assert_called_once_with("12s elapsed", step=0)
+        progress.advance.assert_called_once_with("⏱️ 12s", step=0)
 
     def test_echo_is_throttled_to_30_seconds(self, tmp_path: Path) -> None:
         reporter = self._reporter(tmp_path, _upto(" 46.90%"))
diff --git a/web/mock/scripts.ts b/web/mock/scripts.ts
index 9741c76..29b29f1 100644
--- a/web/mock/scripts.ts
+++ b/web/mock/scripts.ts
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ const install: Script = async (ctx) => {
   const dir = await ctx.prompt('text', 'Steam library folder to install into:', { default: '/mnt/games/SteamLibrary' })
   ctx.log(`steam://install/${world.currentAppId} → ${dir || '/mnt/games/SteamLibrary'}`)
   for (let i = 1; i <= 20; i += 1) {
-    ctx.progress(i, 20, 'Downloading', `${name} — ${(i * 0.6).toFixed(1)} of 12.0 GB`, (20 - i) * 0.4)
+    ctx.progress(i, 20, 'Downloading', `${name} · ${(i * 0.6).toFixed(1)}/12.0 GB`, (20 - i) * 0.4)
     await ctx.sleep(400)
   }
   return { summary: `${name} installed.` }
diff --git a/web/src/sections/system/textgate.guard.test.ts b/web/src/sections/system/textgate.guard.test.ts
index 462f368..8a82189 100644
--- a/web/src/sections/system/textgate.guard.test.ts
+++ b/web/src/sections/system/textgate.guard.test.ts
@@ -13,8 +13,8 @@ import './daemonCard'
 import './serverCard'
 import './setupCard'
 
-/** Content inside a painted string: dates as dateTime() paints them, sizes, ids. */
-const CONTENT = [/[A-Z][a-z]{2} \d{1,2}, \d{1,2}:\d{2}( [AP]M)?/g, /\d[\d.,]* (B|KB|MB|GB)\b/g, /\d{8}-\d{6}/g]
+/** Content inside a painted string: sizes and backup ids (dates are numeric). */
+const CONTENT = [/\d[\d.,]* (B|KB|MB|GB)\b/g, /\d{8}-\d{6}/g]
 const chrome = (root: Element, allowed: string[] = []): string[] =>
   visibleWords(root, allowed).filter((w) => /[A-Za-z]{2,}/.test(CONTENT.reduce((s, re) => s.replace(re, ''), w)))
 
diff --git a/web/src/ui/format.test.ts b/web/src/ui/format.test.ts
index dce8e9a..e9f7f54 100644
--- a/web/src/ui/format.test.ts
+++ b/web/src/ui/format.test.ts
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ describe('ui format', () => {
 
   it('dateTime formats or dashes', () => {
     expect(dateTime(null)).toBe('—')
-    expect(dateTime('2026-10-10T12:00:00Z')).toMatch(/\d/)
+    expect(dateTime('2026-10-10T12:00:00Z')).toMatch(/^\d\d-\d\d \d\d:\d\d$/)
   })
 
   it('duration spans start to end, or to now while running', () => {
diff --git a/web/src/ui/format.ts b/web/src/ui/format.ts
index 5cd40bc..46a6cd8 100644
--- a/web/src/ui/format.ts
+++ b/web/src/ui/format.ts
@@ -31,11 +31,12 @@ export function ago(iso: string | null, now: number = Date.now()): string {
   return `${Math.round(s / 86_400)} d ago`
 }
 
+/** Local `MM-DD HH:MM`: numbers only (textgate: no month names). */
 export function dateTime(iso: string | null): string {
   if (!iso) return '—'
-  return new Date(iso).toLocaleString(undefined, {
-    month: 'short', day: 'numeric', hour: '2-digit', minute: '2-digit',
-  })
+  const d = new Date(iso)
+  const p = (n: number) => String(n).padStart(2, '0')
+  return `${p(d.getMonth() + 1)}-${p(d.getDate())} ${p(d.getHours())}:${p(d.getMinutes())}`
 }
 
 export function duration(startIso: string | null, endIso: string | null, now: number = Date.now()): string {