diff --git a/config.php b/config.php
index 5065451..a9650f6 100644
--- a/config.php
+++ b/config.php
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 <?php
 
 define('APP_NAME', 'hyprcrd');
-define('APP_VERSION', '0.9.15');
+define('APP_VERSION', '0.9.16');
 
 // Database path — writable directory, outside webroot
 define('DB_PATH', __DIR__ . '/data/hyprcrd.db');
diff --git a/public/css/style.css b/public/css/style.css
index 728911e..6476d74 100644
--- a/public/css/style.css
+++ b/public/css/style.css
@@ -786,12 +786,24 @@ body.detail-image-fs-open { overflow: hidden; }
     animation: card-pulse-new 0.8s ease-in-out 3;
     z-index: 5;
 }
+/* Single pulse for cards the user just created themselves — subtler
+   than the triple-pulse for relay-synced cards so the user registers
+   "I made this" without the urgency of "someone else sent this". */
+.board-card.card-pulse-local {
+    animation: card-pulse-new 0.8s ease-in-out 1;
+    z-index: 5;
+}
 /* Pin the cadence so anim-fast/anim-slow can't strobe it */
 body.anim-fast .board-card.card-pulse-new,
 body.anim-slow .board-card.card-pulse-new {
     animation: card-pulse-new 0.8s ease-in-out 3 !important;
     animation-duration: 0.8s !important;
 }
+body.anim-fast .board-card.card-pulse-local,
+body.anim-slow .board-card.card-pulse-local {
+    animation: card-pulse-new 0.8s ease-in-out 1 !important;
+    animation-duration: 0.8s !important;
+}
 
 /* Super-bucket dropdown popover. Positioned via inline styles by
    openSuperDropdown() in buckets.js. Lives on document.body (not
diff --git a/public/js/app.js b/public/js/app.js
index c0e8c03..eb849bb 100644
--- a/public/js/app.js
+++ b/public/js/app.js
@@ -401,7 +401,8 @@ document.getElementById('quick-capture-input')?.addEventListener('keydown', asyn
     // don't map to a bucket_id — cards captured there stay unsorted.
     const VIRTUAL = ['all', 'current', 'favorites', 'journal', 'none'];
     const bucketId = VIRTUAL.includes(state.activeBucket) ? null : state.activeBucket;
-    await api('api/cards', { method: 'POST', body: { title: cardTitle, body, color: '#38bdf8', position: -1, bucket_id: bucketId } });
+    const captured = await api('api/cards', { method: 'POST', body: { title: cardTitle, body, color: '#38bdf8', position: -1, bucket_id: bucketId } });
+    if (captured?.id) state.recentlyCreatedIds?.add(String(captured.id));
 
     e.target.value = '';
     document.getElementById('quick-capture').classList.add('hidden');
diff --git a/public/js/modules/board.js b/public/js/modules/board.js
index 4c6298a..57864a3 100644
--- a/public/js/modules/board.js
+++ b/public/js/modules/board.js
@@ -38,17 +38,19 @@ const draggingCardIds = new Set();
 // the all view) or wait for the next visit to the all tab to pulse.
 let knownCardIds = null;
 
-/** Add an accent pulse class to the matching board cards and strip it
- *  again after the animation finishes. The animation itself is in
- *  public/css/style.css `@keyframes card-pulse-new`. */
-function pulseCardsNew(ids) {
+/** Add a pulse class to matching board cards and strip it after the
+ *  animation. `cls` controls the variant: 'card-pulse-new' (3×, for
+ *  relay-synced cards) or 'card-pulse-local' (1×, for cards the user
+ *  just created themselves). */
+function pulseCards(ids, cls = 'card-pulse-new') {
     if (!ids || !ids.size) return;
+    const durationMs = cls === 'card-pulse-local' ? 900 : 2400;
     requestAnimationFrame(() => {
         for (const id of ids) {
             const el = board.querySelector(`[data-id="${id}"]`);
             if (!el) continue;
-            el.classList.add('card-pulse-new');
-            setTimeout(() => el.classList.remove('card-pulse-new'), 2400);
+            el.classList.add(cls);
+            setTimeout(() => el.classList.remove(cls), durationMs);
         }
     });
 }
@@ -487,9 +489,14 @@ export function renderBoard() {
     // the first real load looks like "every card just arrived" and the
     // entire board pulses on page open.
     const currentIds = new Set(state.cards.map(c => String(c.id)));
+    const newLocalIds = new Set();
     if (knownCardIds && knownCardIds.size > 0) {
         for (const id of currentIds) {
-            if (!knownCardIds.has(id)) state.unseenCardIds.add(id);
+            if (knownCardIds.has(id)) continue;
+            // Locally-created cards go into a separate set — they get a
+            // 1× pulse but must NOT trigger the unread dot on the all-tab.
+            if (state.recentlyCreatedIds.has(id)) newLocalIds.add(id);
+            else state.unseenCardIds.add(id);
         }
     }
     knownCardIds = currentIds;
@@ -733,14 +740,20 @@ export function renderBoard() {
     // Notification banner
     renderNotifs();
 
-    // Unread tracking: if we're on the all view, drain the unseen set
-    // by pulsing every matching card on the board (the "look at me"
-    // accent flash). If we're on a different view, the unseen ids stay
-    // accumulated and the all-tab gets a dot until the user opens it.
+    // Pulse locally-created cards in ANY bucket (1× subtle pulse).
+    // These never enter unseenCardIds so they can't trigger the all-tab
+    // dot — the user just made them, there's nothing "unseen" about it.
+    if (newLocalIds.size) {
+        for (const id of newLocalIds) state.recentlyCreatedIds.delete(id);
+        pulseCards(newLocalIds, 'card-pulse-local');
+    }
+    // Remote (relay-synced) cards: pulse 3× only when the user is on
+    // the all view. On other views, the unseen ids accumulate and
+    // the all-tab gets a dot until the user opens it.
     if (state.activeBucket === 'all' && state.unseenCardIds.size) {
-        const toPulse = new Set(state.unseenCardIds);
+        const remote = new Set(state.unseenCardIds);
         state.unseenCardIds.clear();
-        pulseCardsNew(toPulse);
+        pulseCards(remote, 'card-pulse-new');
     }
     decorateAllUnreadDot();
 }
diff --git a/public/js/modules/context-menu.js b/public/js/modules/context-menu.js
index 3b224a5..16c43e0 100644
--- a/public/js/modules/context-menu.js
+++ b/public/js/modules/context-menu.js
@@ -283,9 +283,11 @@ export function showContextMenu(x, y, card) {
                 const newDate = await showDialog({ title: 'duplicate_to_date', input: 'date', defaultValue: curDate, okLabel: 'Duplicate' });
                 if (!newDate) return;
                 const newTitle = card.title.replace(/^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}/, newDate.trim());
-                await api('api/cards', { method: 'POST', body: { title: newTitle, body: card.body, color: card.color, bucket_id: card.bucket_id, position: -1 } });
+                const dup1 = await api('api/cards', { method: 'POST', body: { title: newTitle, body: card.body, color: card.color, bucket_id: card.bucket_id, position: -1 } });
+                if (dup1?.id) state.recentlyCreatedIds?.add(String(dup1.id));
             } else {
-                await api('api/cards', { method: 'POST', body: { title: card.title + ' (copy)', body: card.body, color: card.color, bucket_id: card.bucket_id, position: -1 } });
+                const dup2 = await api('api/cards', { method: 'POST', body: { title: card.title + ' (copy)', body: card.body, color: card.color, bucket_id: card.bucket_id, position: -1 } });
+                if (dup2?.id) state.recentlyCreatedIds?.add(String(dup2.id));
             }
             await window._reloadAll();
         }
diff --git a/public/js/modules/editor.js b/public/js/modules/editor.js
index c687df6..334323e 100644
--- a/public/js/modules/editor.js
+++ b/public/js/modules/editor.js
@@ -415,6 +415,7 @@ async function doSave(close, { animate = true } = {}) {
         if (created?.id) {
             if (!close) state.editingId = created.id;
             state._lastSavedId = created.id;
+            state.recentlyCreatedIds?.add(String(created.id));
         }
     }
     await window._reloadAll();
diff --git a/public/js/modules/state.js b/public/js/modules/state.js
index a8ef035..cb60024 100644
--- a/public/js/modules/state.js
+++ b/public/js/modules/state.js
@@ -37,6 +37,11 @@ export const state = {
     // accent pulse on the cards themselves once the user looks at them.
     // Updated by board.js renderBoard() — see the diff there.
     unseenCardIds: new Set(),
+    // Ids of cards the user just created locally (editor save, quick
+    // capture, duplicate, undo-recreate). These get a single-pulse (1x)
+    // instead of the triple-pulse (3x) that relay-synced cards get.
+    // Consumed by renderBoard's diff — once used, the id is removed.
+    recentlyCreatedIds: new Set(),
 
     // Detail / editor
     editingId: null,