diff --git a/STATUS.md b/STATUS.md
index acca862..55023f5 100644
--- a/STATUS.md
+++ b/STATUS.md
@@ -244,11 +244,11 @@ appear in ADMIN; the warm ops-console restyle is the 2026-07-17 redesign spec. R
 
 | Route | Screen | What it does |
 | --- | --- | --- |
-| `/login` | `Login` | Email + password sign-in |
+| `/login` | `Login` | Split-panel sign-in — dark warm brand panel + form card (brand panel hides under 800px) |
 | `/` | `Dashboard` | Money headline cards, the reminder queue with send / preview / dismiss, and overdue / due-this-week / renewals / follow-ups / recent-payments tables |
 | `/pipeline` | `Pipeline` | Cross-client chase-list: derived stage, amount, owner, age and colour band per row with an explicit next action; `All / Mine / Overdue / Lost` chips, owner narrowing (owner/manager), pagination |
 | `/clients` | `Clients` | Search, list, inline new-client create; row → client 360° |
-| `/clients/:id` | `ClientDetail` | Client 360°: record header + status, **account-owner dropdown** (owner/manager), module assignment & lifecycle, documents, payments & dues (record payment, advance), recurring plans (owner), AMC contracts (owner), interaction log with follow-ups, and AWS usage |
+| `/clients/:id` | `ClientDetail` | Client 360°: avatar record header + status, **account-owner dropdown** (owner/manager), KPI row, a 12-month **relationship-pulse ribbon** (documents / payments / interactions / AMC on one axis; hover readout, click-through), and deep-linkable **tabs** (`?tab=`): Overview · Modules (assignment & lifecycle) · Documents · Payments & plans (record payment, advance, recurring — owner) · AMC (owner) · Interactions (log + follow-ups) · AWS usage |
 | `/modules` | `Modules` | Module catalogue + dated price book; owner edits (create module, quote content with live sample preview, add prices), staff read-only |
 | `/reports` | `Reports` | Dues aging, module revenue, client profitability, and an AWS cost bar chart by month |
 | `/documents/new` | `NewDocument` | Quotation-in-minutes composer: client type-ahead, line editor, server-computed GST, and a live PDF-fidelity preview (desktop split view / mobile sheet) |
diff --git a/docs/14-SPEC-HQ-CONSOLE.md b/docs/14-SPEC-HQ-CONSOLE.md
index 303beda..648cc9d 100644
--- a/docs/14-SPEC-HQ-CONSOLE.md
+++ b/docs/14-SPEC-HQ-CONSOLE.md
@@ -19,6 +19,11 @@ Approved via brainstorm 2026-07-09. Alternatives rejected: separate codebase (re
 GST engine/UI/patterns and builds doc-11 twice); off-the-shelf CRM (no module-level
 tracking against our catalog, no AWS attribution, no path to the fleet console).
 
+**UI direction (D17, delivered 2026-07-17):** the console's visual/UX system — warm
+light/dark theme, grouped sidebar, Ctrl-K palette, Client 360 tabs + relationship-pulse
+ribbon — is specified in
+[superpowers/specs/2026-07-17-hq-console-redesign-design.md](superpowers/specs/2026-07-17-hq-console-redesign-design.md).
+
 ## 1. Shape
 
 | Aspect | Call |
diff --git a/docs/DEPLOY-HQ.md b/docs/DEPLOY-HQ.md
index 1dc7c21..48e8b01 100644
--- a/docs/DEPLOY-HQ.md
+++ b/docs/DEPLOY-HQ.md
@@ -36,9 +36,12 @@ cd apps/hq-web && npm run build && cd ../..     # builds the web UI the server s
 # First boot prints a one-time owner password — capture it from the logs.
 env $(grep -v '^#' apps/hq/.env | xargs) node apps/hq/dist/server.cjs   # smoke test, Ctrl-C
 
-# Keep it running with pm2 (or a systemd unit):
+# Keep it running with pm2 (or a systemd unit). Start it FROM THE REPO ROOT:
+# the DB path resolves to ./data/hq.db against the process CWD, so a pm2 app
+# started from apps/hq would boot an empty database in apps/hq/data instead.
 npm i -g pm2
-cd apps/hq && pm2 start "npm start" --name sims-hq && pm2 save && pm2 startup
+env $(grep -v '^#' apps/hq/.env | xargs) pm2 start apps/hq/dist/server.cjs --name sims-hq
+pm2 save && pm2 startup
 ```
 Owner login on first boot is `admin@tecnostac.com` + the printed password (change it
 immediately). The Gmail-disconnected banner is expected until step 6.