diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c4c02dd..c62a5fb 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -120,12 +120,20 @@ A failed or rate-limited lookup keeps the known release links and labels the
 lookup as unavailable. Android's AAB is clearly labeled as a publishing bundle.
 Tester installations use the separate Google Play opt-in link.
 
-`/status/` checks the public API `/health` and sync `/probes/readiness` endpoints
-from the visitor's browser, without credentials. Requests time out after eight
-seconds. Non-success responses and unhealthy payloads are shown as unavailable.
-Network errors and timeouts are shown as uncertain, not confirmed outages.
-Checks refresh every minute while the page is visible. There is no uptime history.
-The shared edge proxy permits the website origin to read only GET `/health`.
-API health confirms a response, not database or end-to-end account functionality.
+`/status/` reads a cached `/status.json` snapshot. A systemd timer probes API
+health and sync readiness once per minute, independently of site visitors.
+There is no refresh button and browsers never probe the services. Snapshots
+older than three minutes show Status unavailable. These are service health
+checks, without historical uptime or end-to-end account checks.
+
+Install `deploy/collect-status.py` at `/srv/apps/papyrus-website/collect-status.py`
+and the two `deploy/papyrus-status.*` units in `/etc/systemd/system/`.
+Run `systemctl daemon-reload`, `systemctl start papyrus-status.service` and
+`systemctl enable --now papyrus-status.timer`. The restricted monitor owns only
+`/var/lib/papyrus-status`, which the website mounts read-only. Install
+`deploy/Caddyfile` beside the website Compose file and apply that project with
+`docker compose up -d --wait`. This one-time configuration update replaces only
+the website container. Subsequent website releases still switch static files
+without restarting services. `/status.json` is publicly cached for 30 seconds.
 
 Use no semicolons in website prose.
diff --git a/deploy/Caddyfile b/deploy/Caddyfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..266eff5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/Caddyfile
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+:8080 {
+	@status path /status.json
+	handle @status {
+		root * /srv/status
+		header Cache-Control "public, max-age=30"
+		file_server
+	}
+	handle {
+		root * /srv/site/current
+		file_server
+	}
+}
diff --git a/deploy/collect-status.py b/deploy/collect-status.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..60910e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/collect-status.py
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Publish one shared status snapshot for the public website."""
+import json
+import os
+from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor
+from datetime import datetime, timezone
+from pathlib import Path
+from urllib.request import Request, urlopen
+
+ENDPOINTS = {
+    "api": "https://api.papyrus-reader.com/health",
+    "sync": "https://sync.papyrus-reader.com/probes/readiness",
+}
+
+
+def check_service(service, opener=urlopen):
+    try:
+        request = Request(ENDPOINTS[service], headers={"User-Agent": "PapyrusStatus/1.0", "Cache-Control": "no-cache"})
+        with opener(request, timeout=8) as response:
+            data = json.loads(response.read(65536))
+            healthy = data.get("status") == "healthy" if service == "api" else data.get("ready") is True and data.get("started") is True
+            return "operational" if response.status == 200 and healthy else "disrupted"
+    except Exception:
+        return "disrupted"
+
+
+def collect(destination):
+    with ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=2) as pool:
+        states = dict(zip(ENDPOINTS, pool.map(check_service, ENDPOINTS)))
+    snapshot = {"checked_at": datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat(), "services": states}
+    destination = Path(destination)
+    temporary = destination.with_suffix(".tmp")
+    temporary.write_text(json.dumps(snapshot) + "\n")
+    temporary.chmod(0o644)
+    os.replace(temporary, destination)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    collect("/var/lib/papyrus-status/status.json")
diff --git a/deploy/compose.yml b/deploy/compose.yml
index a5ed17d..5c49ff8 100644
--- a/deploy/compose.yml
+++ b/deploy/compose.yml
@@ -4,9 +4,10 @@ services:
   website:
     image: caddy:2.10.2-alpine
     restart: unless-stopped
-    command: ['caddy', 'file-server', '--listen', ':8080', '--root', '/srv/site/current']
     volumes:
       - ./site:/srv/site:ro
+      - ./Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile:ro
+      - /var/lib/papyrus-status:/srv/status:ro
     networks:
       edge:
         aliases: [papyrus-website]
diff --git a/deploy/papyrus-status.service b/deploy/papyrus-status.service
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..734fcf5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/papyrus-status.service
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+[Unit]
+Description=Update the public Papyrus service status
+Wants=network-online.target
+After=network-online.target
+
+[Service]
+Type=oneshot
+DynamicUser=yes
+StateDirectory=papyrus-status
+StateDirectoryMode=0755
+ExecStart=/usr/bin/python3 /srv/apps/papyrus-website/collect-status.py
+ProtectSystem=strict
+ProtectHome=yes
+PrivateTmp=yes
+NoNewPrivileges=yes
+RestrictAddressFamilies=AF_UNIX AF_INET AF_INET6
+TimeoutStartSec=25
diff --git a/deploy/papyrus-status.timer b/deploy/papyrus-status.timer
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3d6640d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/papyrus-status.timer
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+[Unit]
+Description=Check Papyrus services once a minute
+
+[Timer]
+OnBootSec=15s
+OnUnitActiveSec=60s
+AccuracySec=1s
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=timers.target
diff --git a/js/services.js b/js/services.js
index f652b2b..dc09216 100644
--- a/js/services.js
+++ b/js/services.js
@@ -25,23 +25,20 @@
     if (!Object.keys(links).length) throw new Error('No release downloads');
     return { version: release.tag_name.slice(1), notes: `${repository}/releases/tag/${encodeURIComponent(release.tag_name)}`, links };
   }
-  async function checkService(url, service, fetcher = fetch, timeout = 8000) {
-    const controller = new AbortController();
-    const timer = setTimeout(() => controller.abort(), timeout);
-    const start = performance.now();
-    try {
-      const response = await fetcher(url, { cache: 'no-store', credentials: 'omit', signal: controller.signal });
-      if (!response.ok) return { state: 'unavailable', message: `HTTP ${response.status}` };
-      const data = await response.json();
-      const healthy = service === 'api' ? data.status === 'healthy' : data.ready === true && data.started === true;
-      return { state: healthy ? 'healthy' : 'unavailable', message: healthy ? `${Math.round(performance.now() - start)} ms` : 'Health check did not pass' };
-    } catch (error) {
-      return { state: 'unknown', message: controller.signal.aborted ? 'Check timed out' : 'Could not check from this browser' };
-    } finally {
-      clearTimeout(timer);
+  function serviceStatus(snapshot, now = Date.now()) {
+    const checkedAt = Date.parse(snapshot?.checked_at);
+    if (!Number.isFinite(checkedAt) || checkedAt > now + 60000 || now - checkedAt > 180000) {
+      throw new Error('Status snapshot is stale or invalid');
     }
+    const states = {};
+    for (const service of ['api', 'sync']) {
+      const state = snapshot.services?.[service];
+      if (!['operational', 'disrupted'].includes(state)) throw new Error('Invalid service status');
+      states[service] = state;
+    }
+    return { checkedAt, states };
   }
-  const api = { releaseDownloads, checkService };
+  const api = { releaseDownloads, serviceStatus };
   if (typeof module !== 'undefined' && module.exports) module.exports = api;
   else root.PapyrusSite = api;
 })(globalThis);
diff --git a/js/status.js b/js/status.js
index e7008df..2e8e876 100644
--- a/js/status.js
+++ b/js/status.js
@@ -1,38 +1,35 @@
 (() => {
   'use strict';
-  const endpoints = { api: 'https://api.papyrus-reader.com/health', sync: 'https://sync.papyrus-reader.com/probes/readiness' };
-  const labels = { healthy: 'Responding', unavailable: 'Unavailable', unknown: 'Unable to check' };
-  const button = document.getElementById('refresh-status');
+  const labels = { operational: 'Operational', disrupted: 'Service disruption', unknown: 'Status unavailable' };
   const summary = document.getElementById('status-summary');
+  const updated = document.getElementById('status-updated');
   let running = false;
-  let timer;
   async function refresh() {
     if (running || document.hidden) return;
-    clearTimeout(timer);
     running = true;
-    button.disabled = true;
-    summary.textContent = 'Checking services…';
-    const results = await Promise.all(Object.entries(endpoints).map(async ([service, url]) => {
-      const card = document.querySelector(`[data-service="${service}"]`);
-      const badge = card.querySelector('.service-state');
-      badge.textContent = 'Checking…';
-      badge.dataset.state = 'unknown';
-      const result = await window.PapyrusSite.checkService(url, service);
-      badge.textContent = labels[result.state];
-      badge.dataset.state = result.state;
-      card.querySelector('.service-detail').textContent = `${result.message} · Checked ${new Date().toLocaleTimeString()}`;
-      return result;
-    }));
-    summary.textContent = results.every(result => result.state === 'healthy') ? 'All services responding' : 'Some checks need attention';
-    button.disabled = false;
-    running = false;
-    timer = setTimeout(refresh, 60000);
+    try {
+      const response = await fetch('/status.json', { credentials: 'omit', signal: AbortSignal.timeout(8000) });
+      if (!response.ok) throw new Error('Status unavailable');
+      const result = window.PapyrusSite.serviceStatus(await response.json());
+      for (const [service, state] of Object.entries(result.states)) {
+        const badge = document.querySelector(`[data-service="${service}"] .service-state`);
+        badge.textContent = labels[state];
+        badge.dataset.state = state;
+      }
+      summary.textContent = Object.values(result.states).every(state => state === 'operational') ? 'All systems operational' : 'Service disruption';
+      updated.textContent = `Updated ${new Date(result.checkedAt).toLocaleTimeString([], { hour: '2-digit', minute: '2-digit' })}`;
+    } catch {
+      summary.textContent = 'Status unavailable';
+      updated.textContent = '';
+      for (const badge of document.querySelectorAll('.service-state')) {
+        badge.textContent = labels.unknown;
+        badge.dataset.state = 'unknown';
+      }
+    } finally {
+      running = false;
+    }
   }
-  button.hidden = false;
-  button.addEventListener('click', refresh);
-  document.addEventListener('visibilitychange', () => {
-    clearTimeout(timer);
-    if (!document.hidden) refresh();
-  });
+  // Visitors read a cached snapshot. Only the scheduled monitor probes services.
   refresh();
+  setInterval(refresh, 60000);
 })();
diff --git a/js/tests/services.test.cjs b/js/tests/services.test.cjs
index 9a4fea1..5d793e1 100644
--- a/js/tests/services.test.cjs
+++ b/js/tests/services.test.cjs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 const { test } = require('node:test');
 const assert = require('node:assert/strict');
-const { releaseDownloads, checkService } = require('../services.js');
+const { releaseDownloads, serviceStatus } = require('../services.js');
 function release() {
   return { tag_name: 'v0.0.3+4', draft: false, prerelease: false, assets: [
     { name: 'papyrus-v0.0.3+4-windows-x64-setup.exe', browser_download_url: 'https://github.com/PapyrusReader/client/releases/download/v0.0.3%2B4/papyrus-v0.0.3%2B4-windows-x64-setup.exe' },
@@ -20,23 +20,12 @@ test('drafts, malformed releases and unexpected download destinations are reject
   value.assets[0].browser_download_url = 'https://example.com/installer.exe';
   assert.throws(() => releaseDownloads(value));
 });
-test('health checks require valid response content and never send credentials', async () => {
-  const fetcher = data => async (url, options) => {
-    assert.equal(options.credentials, 'omit');
-    assert.equal(options.cache, 'no-store');
-    return { ok: true, json: async () => data };
-  };
-  assert.equal((await checkService('https://example.com', 'api', fetcher({ status: 'healthy' }))).state, 'healthy');
-  assert.equal((await checkService('https://example.com', 'sync', fetcher({ ready: true, started: true }))).state, 'healthy');
-  assert.equal((await checkService('https://example.com', 'sync', fetcher({ ready: false, started: true }))).state, 'unavailable');
-  assert.equal((await checkService('https://example.com', 'api', fetcher({}))).state, 'unavailable');
-});
-test('service failures are distinguished from network and timeout uncertainty', async () => {
-  assert.equal((await checkService('', 'api', async () => ({ ok: false, status: 503 }))).state, 'unavailable');
-  assert.equal((await checkService('', 'api', async () => { throw new Error('offline'); })).state, 'unknown');
-  const result = await checkService('', 'api', (_, options) => new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-    options.signal.addEventListener('abort', () => reject(new Error('aborted')));
-  }), 5);
-  assert.equal(result.state, 'unknown');
-  assert.equal(result.message, 'Check timed out');
+test('status snapshots report monitored results and reject stale or incomplete data', () => {
+  const now = Date.now();
+  const snapshot = { checked_at: new Date(now).toISOString(), services: { api: 'operational', sync: 'disrupted' } };
+  assert.deepEqual(serviceStatus(snapshot, now).states, snapshot.services);
+  assert.throws(() => serviceStatus(snapshot, now + 180001));
+  assert.throws(() => serviceStatus(snapshot, now - 60001));
+  assert.throws(() => serviceStatus({ ...snapshot, checked_at: 'invalid' }, now));
+  assert.throws(() => serviceStatus({ ...snapshot, services: { api: 'operational' } }, now));
 });
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 395065e..44526b5 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "papyrus-landing",
-  "version": "1.1.3",
+  "version": "1.1.4",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "papyrus-landing",
-      "version": "1.1.3",
+      "version": "1.1.4",
       "dependencies": {
         "serve": "^14.2.5"
       },
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 0b29fa4..393ab01 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "papyrus-landing",
-  "version": "1.1.3",
+  "version": "1.1.4",
   "private": true,
   "scripts": {
     "clean": "rm -rf build",
diff --git a/scripts/tests/test_status_collector.py b/scripts/tests/test_status_collector.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d5c5a83
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/tests/test_status_collector.py
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+"""Status checks are scheduled independently of visitor requests."""
+import importlib.util
+import json
+from pathlib import Path
+import tempfile
+import unittest
+from unittest.mock import patch
+
+spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location("status_collector", Path(__file__).parents[2] / "deploy/collect-status.py")
+collector = importlib.util.module_from_spec(spec)
+spec.loader.exec_module(collector)
+
+
+class Response:
+    status = 200
+
+    def __init__(self, payload):
+        self.payload = payload
+
+    def __enter__(self):
+        return self
+
+    def __exit__(self, *args):
+        pass
+
+    def read(self, limit):
+        return json.dumps(self.payload).encode()
+
+
+class StatusCollectorTest(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_health_payloads_and_connection_failures(self):
+        self.assertEqual(collector.check_service("api", lambda *a, **k: Response({"status": "healthy"})), "operational")
+        self.assertEqual(collector.check_service("sync", lambda *a, **k: Response({"ready": True, "started": True})), "operational")
+        self.assertEqual(collector.check_service("sync", lambda *a, **k: Response({"ready": False, "started": True})), "disrupted")
+        self.assertEqual(collector.check_service("api", lambda *a, **k: Response({})), "disrupted")
+        with patch.object(collector, "urlopen", side_effect=TimeoutError):
+            self.assertEqual(collector.check_service("api", collector.urlopen), "disrupted")
+
+    def test_atomic_snapshot_contains_only_public_state(self):
+        with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as directory:
+            destination = Path(directory) / "status.json"
+            destination.write_text('old snapshot')
+            with patch.object(collector, "check_service", side_effect=lambda service: "operational") as check:
+                collector.collect(destination)
+            self.assertEqual(check.call_count, 2)
+            snapshot = json.loads(destination.read_text())
+            self.assertEqual(set(snapshot), {"checked_at", "services"})
+            self.assertEqual(snapshot["services"], {"api": "operational", "sync": "operational"})
+            self.assertFalse(destination.with_suffix('.tmp').exists())
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    unittest.main()
diff --git a/scss/_site.scss b/scss/_site.scss
index 6b9ce4f..4d1e485 100644
--- a/scss/_site.scss
+++ b/scss/_site.scss
@@ -138,8 +138,8 @@ h3 { font-size: 25px; letter-spacing: -.025em; }
 .service-heading { display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: space-between; gap: 20px; flex-wrap: wrap; }
 .service-heading h2 { font-size: 26px; }
 .service-state { font-size: 14px; padding: 5px 12px; border: 1px solid var(--border); border-radius: 20px; }
-.service-state[data-state='healthy'] { color: var(--accent); }
-.service-state[data-state='unavailable'] { font-weight: 700; }
+.service-state[data-state='operational'] { color: var(--accent); }
+.service-state[data-state='disrupted'] { font-weight: 700; }
 .service-card > a { display: inline-block; margin-top: 20px; overflow-wrap: anywhere; }
 .service-detail { font-size: 14px; }
 button:disabled { opacity: .65; cursor: wait; }
diff --git a/status/index.html b/status/index.html
index ce8a94b..f30d61f 100644
--- a/status/index.html
+++ b/status/index.html
@@ -58,16 +58,14 @@
     </nav>
   </header>
   <main id="main" class="container status-page">
-    <p class="eyebrow">Papyrus services</p>
     <h1>Service status</h1>
-    <p class="hero-description">Check the services that keep your account and library in sync. Offline reading stays available on your device.</p>
-    <div class="status-summary"><h2 id="status-summary" aria-live="polite">Waiting for a check</h2><button class="button button-primary" id="refresh-status" type="button" hidden>Check again</button></div>
-    <noscript><p>Enable JavaScript to run live checks, or open either health endpoint below.</p></noscript>
+    <div class="status-summary"><h2 id="status-summary" aria-live="polite">Loading status…</h2></div>
+    <noscript><p>Enable JavaScript to view service status.</p></noscript>
     <div class="status-grid">
-      <article class="service-card" data-service="api"><div class="service-heading"><h2>API</h2><span class="service-state" data-state="unknown" aria-live="polite">Not checked</span></div><p>Account and library requests. This check confirms that the API responds.</p><a href="https://api.papyrus-reader.com/health">api.papyrus-reader.com ↗</a><p class="service-detail">No check yet</p></article>
-      <article class="service-card" data-service="sync"><div class="service-heading"><h2>Sync</h2><span class="service-state" data-state="unknown" aria-live="polite">Not checked</span></div><p>Library synchronization. This check confirms that the sync service is ready.</p><a href="https://sync.papyrus-reader.com/probes/readiness">sync.papyrus-reader.com ↗</a><p class="service-detail">No check yet</p></article>
+      <article class="service-card" data-service="api"><div class="service-heading"><h2>API</h2><span class="service-state" data-state="unknown" aria-live="polite">Loading…</span></div><p>api.papyrus-reader.com</p></article>
+      <article class="service-card" data-service="sync"><div class="service-heading"><h2>Sync</h2><span class="service-state" data-state="unknown" aria-live="polite">Loading…</span></div><p>sync.papyrus-reader.com</p></article>
     </div>
-    <p class="status-note">Checks run from your browser every minute while this page is visible. A connection issue can affect your results. This page shows current responses, not uptime history.</p>
+    <p class="status-note" id="status-updated"></p>
   </main>
   <footer class="site-footer container">
     <a class="footer-home" href="/">Papyrus</a>