diff --git a/apps/web/app/(marketing)/page.tsx b/apps/web/app/(marketing)/page.tsx
index c2d2ef8..734a5de 100644
--- a/apps/web/app/(marketing)/page.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/app/(marketing)/page.tsx
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 import { HeroStepRotator } from '@/components/hero-step-rotator';
 import { JsonLd } from '@/components/json-ld';
 import { ParticleHero } from '@/components/particle-hero';
+import { ScrollCue } from '@/components/scroll-cue';
 import { StaticCodeBlock } from '@/components/static-code-block';
 import { FAQ, faqJsonLd } from '@/lib/seo';
-import { ChevronDown } from 'lucide-react';
 import Link from 'next/link';
 
 const PROMPT_EXAMPLE = `Create an MCP server that searches our Notion workspace.
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ export default function Landing() {
             for pointermove on window itself, so the ring still tracks
             the cursor through the content above. */}
         <ParticleHero />
-        <div className="relative z-10 mx-auto grid max-w-6xl gap-10 px-6 py-12 sm:py-14 md:grid-cols-[1.05fr_1fr] md:items-center md:gap-12 md:py-16">
+        <div className="relative z-10 mx-auto grid max-w-6xl gap-10 px-6 py-14 sm:py-20 md:grid-cols-[1.05fr_1fr] md:items-center md:gap-12 md:py-28">
           <div className="min-w-0">
             <span className="mono inline-block rounded-full border border-[--color-border] bg-[--color-bg-elevated] px-2.5 py-0.5 text-[11px] tracking-wide text-[--color-fg-muted]">
               v0.1 — updated 2026-05-20
@@ -149,16 +149,12 @@ export default function Landing() {
             <HeroStepRotator />
           </div>
         </div>
-        {/* Scroll cue — hints the video section sits directly below. */}
-        <a
-          href="#flow"
-          aria-label="See the flow in action"
-          className="absolute inset-x-0 bottom-2 z-10 mx-auto flex w-fit items-center gap-1 text-[11px] uppercase tracking-[0.18em] text-[--color-fg-subtle] transition-colors hover:text-[--color-fg-muted]"
-        >
-          <span>see it run</span>
-          <ChevronDown size={12} className="animate-bounce" />
-        </a>
       </section>
+      {/* Scroll cue — fixed at the bottom of the loadscreen rather than
+          inside the hero, so it sits at the natural lower edge of the
+          first viewport regardless of how tall the hero ends up. Fades
+          out once the user has scrolled past the loadscreen. */}
+      <ScrollCue targetId="flow" />
 
       {/* Flow video — full-width edge-to-edge under the hero. The clip
           shows the real flow (prompt → server schematic → live connection
diff --git a/apps/web/components/hero-step-rotator.tsx b/apps/web/components/hero-step-rotator.tsx
index fb8a40d..511ffee 100644
--- a/apps/web/components/hero-step-rotator.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/components/hero-step-rotator.tsx
@@ -109,23 +109,38 @@ export function HeroStepRotator() {
 
   return (
     <div className="flex flex-col items-center gap-5">
+      {/* Container is relative + has a min-height so the absolutely-
+          positioned cards inside (during the slide) overlap cleanly
+          without collapsing the layout. min-h is sized for the tallest
+          card (claude_desktop_config.json at 7 lines). */}
       <div
         ref={containerRef}
-        className="relative w-full max-w-md"
+        className="relative w-full max-w-md min-h-[240px]"
         style={{ perspective: 1200 }}
         onMouseEnter={onEnter}
         onMouseLeave={onLeave}
         onMouseMove={onMove}
       >
-        <AnimatePresence mode="wait" initial={false}>
+        <AnimatePresence initial={false}>
           <motion.div
             key={step}
-            initial={reduced ? { opacity: 0 } : { opacity: 0, scale: 0.96, y: 12 }}
-            animate={reduced ? { opacity: 1 } : { opacity: 1, scale: 1, y: 0 }}
-            exit={reduced ? { opacity: 0 } : { opacity: 0, scale: 0.97, y: -8 }}
-            transition={{ duration: reduced ? 0.15 : 0.5, ease: [0.16, 1, 0.3, 1] }}
-            style={{ rotateX, rotateY, transformStyle: 'preserve-3d' }}
-            className="relative overflow-hidden rounded-lg border border-[--color-border-strong] bg-[--color-bg-elevated] shadow-2xl shadow-black/50"
+            // Carousel: current card slides left-out, next slides right-in.
+            // Both cards coexist briefly in the same 3D-space and inherit
+            // the same tilt — reads as a single tile that's swapping its
+            // contents, not two discrete tiles. Reduced-motion collapses
+            // the slide to a plain opacity cross-fade.
+            initial={reduced ? { opacity: 0 } : { x: 220, opacity: 0 }}
+            animate={reduced ? { opacity: 1 } : { x: 0, opacity: 1 }}
+            exit={reduced ? { opacity: 0 } : { x: -220, opacity: 0 }}
+            transition={{ duration: reduced ? 0.15 : 0.55, ease: [0.16, 1, 0.3, 1] }}
+            style={{
+              rotateX,
+              rotateY,
+              position: 'absolute',
+              inset: 0,
+              transformStyle: 'preserve-3d',
+            }}
+            className="overflow-hidden rounded-lg border border-[--color-border-strong] bg-[--color-bg-elevated] shadow-2xl shadow-black/50"
           >
             {/* Cursor-following glow — sits behind the content, additive. */}
             <motion.div
diff --git a/apps/web/components/scroll-cue.tsx b/apps/web/components/scroll-cue.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bb0e8f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/web/components/scroll-cue.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+'use client';
+
+import { ChevronDown } from 'lucide-react';
+import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
+
+/**
+ * Scroll cue — a fixed pill anchored to the bottom of the viewport that
+ * points the visitor down to the flow video below the hero. Fades out
+ * once the user has scrolled past the loadscreen so it doesn't follow
+ * them around the page.
+ *
+ * Lives at z-30 so it sits above the hero content but below modals.
+ * The frosted pill (backdrop-blur + border) reads clearly against the
+ * particle background without stealing focus from the H1.
+ */
+export function ScrollCue({ targetId }: { targetId: string }) {
+  const [visible, setVisible] = useState(true);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    function onScroll() {
+      setVisible(window.scrollY < 80);
+    }
+    onScroll();
+    window.addEventListener('scroll', onScroll, { passive: true });
+    return () => window.removeEventListener('scroll', onScroll);
+  }, []);
+
+  return (
+    <a
+      href={`#${targetId}`}
+      aria-label="See the flow in action"
+      className={`fixed inset-x-0 bottom-5 z-30 mx-auto flex w-fit items-center gap-1.5 rounded-full border border-[--color-border] px-3 py-1.5 text-[10.5px] uppercase tracking-[0.18em] text-[--color-fg-subtle] backdrop-blur transition-opacity duration-500 hover:text-[--color-fg] ${
+        visible ? 'opacity-100' : 'pointer-events-none opacity-0'
+      }`}
+      style={{
+        backgroundColor: 'color-mix(in oklab, var(--color-bg-elevated) 75%, transparent)',
+      }}
+    >
+      <span>see it run</span>
+      <ChevronDown size={12} className="animate-bounce" />
+    </a>
+  );
+}