diff --git a/src/app/components/stream-header/RefreshMascot.tsx b/src/app/components/stream-header/RefreshMascot.tsx
index 3459fcbd..5647881c 100644
--- a/src/app/components/stream-header/RefreshMascot.tsx
+++ b/src/app/components/stream-header/RefreshMascot.tsx
@@ -27,6 +27,12 @@ type RefreshMascotProps = {
   // never rises mid-dance. Null while the still poster (reduced-motion /
   // not-yet-revealed) is shown instead of the video.
   videoRef?: React.Ref<HTMLVideoElement>;
+  // Called when the user taps the mascot — StreamHeader spawns a one-shot
+  // "echo" pulse ring on top of the ambient radar. A clean tap fires this;
+  // a drag instead bubbles to the curtain body gesture (it moves past the
+  // dead-zone → `preventDefault` → the browser suppresses the click), so the
+  // poke never fights the pull gesture.
+  onPoke?: () => void;
 };
 
 // The card revealed below the tabs row by the curtain's `refresh` snap:
@@ -49,7 +55,7 @@ type RefreshMascotProps = {
 // of the app reads this query one-shot too, and this card is native-only
 // + aria-hidden, so a mid-session OS toggle not re-evaluating here is
 // acceptable.)
-export function RefreshMascot({ caption, revealing, videoRef }: RefreshMascotProps) {
+export function RefreshMascot({ caption, revealing, videoRef, onPoke }: RefreshMascotProps) {
   const native = isNativePlatform();
 
   const reducedMotion = useMemo(
@@ -65,7 +71,15 @@ export function RefreshMascot({ caption, revealing, videoRef }: RefreshMascotPro
   const showVideo = revealing && !reducedMotion;
 
   return (
-    <div className={css.mascotCard} aria-hidden="true">
+    <div
+      className={css.mascotCard}
+      aria-hidden="true"
+      // Tap-to-poke easter-egg: spawn an echo ring. The card is decorative +
+      // aria-hidden (sighted-only delight), so no keyboard/role affordance
+      // applies — drag-to-refresh stays the real interaction.
+      // eslint-disable-next-line jsx-a11y/no-static-element-interactions, jsx-a11y/click-events-have-key-events
+      onClick={onPoke}
+    >
       {/* The radar-pulse rings live at the header level (StreamHeader), not
           here — they break out of this «formal» card and ripple across the
           whole light-blue chrome. This card holds just the mascot + caption. */}
diff --git a/src/app/components/stream-header/StreamHeader.css.ts b/src/app/components/stream-header/StreamHeader.css.ts
index 17281844..b5593318 100644
--- a/src/app/components/stream-header/StreamHeader.css.ts
+++ b/src/app/components/stream-header/StreamHeader.css.ts
@@ -385,6 +385,24 @@ export const stagePulseRing = style({
   animationIterationCount: 'infinite',
 });
 
+// One-shot "echo" ring spawned when the user taps the mascot — IDENTICAL to an
+// ambient ring (same `ringKeyframes`, 4s, same 0.26 peak), just a single pulse
+// instead of looping. StreamHeader adds one <circle> per tap to `echoes` and
+// drops it from the DOM by a timer once it's faded.
+export const stagePulseEcho = style({
+  fill: 'none',
+  stroke: 'rgb(248, 80, 160)',
+  strokeWidth: 2,
+  transformBox: 'fill-box',
+  transformOrigin: 'center',
+  opacity: 0,
+  animationName: ringKeyframes,
+  animationDuration: '4s',
+  animationTimingFunction: 'ease-out',
+  animationIterationCount: 1,
+  animationFillMode: 'forwards',
+});
+
 // The looping mascot video (or its still poster under reduced-motion),
 // `object-fit: contain` so the whole dance frame fits the box. The box is
 // SMALLER than the card height (geometry.ts), so it's centred with
diff --git a/src/app/components/stream-header/StreamHeader.tsx b/src/app/components/stream-header/StreamHeader.tsx
index 8e4b0be4..f5a94b52 100644
--- a/src/app/components/stream-header/StreamHeader.tsx
+++ b/src/app/components/stream-header/StreamHeader.tsx
@@ -231,6 +231,20 @@ export function StreamHeader({
   const showPulse =
     isNativePlatform() && !reducedMotion && (isRefreshSnap(curtain.snap) || curtain.isDragging);
 
+  // Tap-to-poke echo rings. Tapping the mascot (RefreshMascot `onPoke`) spawns
+  // a one-shot ring (`stagePulseEcho`) on top of the ambient radar pulse —
+  // same look + speed as an ambient ring, just one pass; each is dropped from
+  // the DOM by a timer once its 4s pulse has faded. They only paint while the
+  // pulse layer is mounted (`showPulse`).
+  const [echoes, setEchoes] = useState<number[]>([]);
+  const echoIdRef = useRef(0);
+  const spawnEcho = useCallback(() => {
+    const id = echoIdRef.current;
+    echoIdRef.current += 1;
+    setEchoes((prev) => [...prev, id]);
+    window.setTimeout(() => setEchoes((prev) => prev.filter((x) => x !== id)), 4100);
+  }, []);
+
   // Pull-to-refresh side-effect. When the curtain commits to the
   // `refresh` snap, keep the mascot dancing for at least REFRESH_MIN_MS
   // (so a near-instant result doesn't flash), capped at REFRESH_MAX_MS
@@ -574,6 +588,7 @@ export function StreamHeader({
             caption={t('Direct.refreshing')}
             revealing={isRefreshSnap(curtain.snap) || curtain.isDragging}
             videoRef={mascotVideoRef}
+            onPoke={spawnEcho}
           />
         )}
       </header>
@@ -600,6 +615,10 @@ export function StreamHeader({
                 style={{ animationDelay: `${delay}s` }}
               />
             ))}
+            {/* One-shot echo rings, one per mascot tap (see `spawnEcho`). */}
+            {echoes.map((id) => (
+              <circle key={`echo-${id}`} className={css.stagePulseEcho} cx={380} cy={380} r={380} />
+            ))}
           </svg>
         </div>
       )}