diff --git a/public/components/notes.html b/public/components/notes.html
index 61533c7..6ba4fa1 100644
--- a/public/components/notes.html
+++ b/public/components/notes.html
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
         <div class="module-header">
-          <h2><i class="fas fa-note-sticky" style="color:#f59e0b;"></i> My Notes</h2>
-          <p>A quiet place for your thoughts — jot ideas, paste references, or dictate and let AI tidy it up. Only you can see these.</p>
+          <h2><i class="fas fa-note-sticky" style="color:#f59e0b;"></i> Notes</h2>
         </div>
 
         <!-- data-view controls which pane is visible on mobile (<900px):
@@ -17,7 +16,7 @@
               </button>
               <div class="notes-search">
                 <i class="fas fa-search"></i>
-                <input type="text" id="notes-search" placeholder="Search notes…" autocomplete="off">
+                <input type="text" id="notes-search" placeholder="Search" autocomplete="off">
               </div>
             </div>
             <div id="notes-list" class="notes-list">
@@ -56,7 +55,7 @@
               </button>
               <input type="text" id="note-title"
                      class="notes-title-input"
-                     placeholder="Note title…"
+                     placeholder="Title"
                      maxlength="200"
                      autocomplete="off">
               <div class="notes-editor-actions">
@@ -98,17 +97,10 @@
           <!-- Empty placeholder — shown on desktop when nothing's picked -->
           <section id="notes-empty-state" class="notes-empty-state">
             <div class="notes-empty-card">
-              <div class="notes-empty-icon"><i class="fas fa-feather"></i></div>
-              <h3>Hello 👋</h3>
-              <p>Pick a note on the left, or start a fresh one. You can type, paste, or tap <strong>Dictate</strong> to let AI clean up your voice into a polished note.</p>
+              <div class="notes-empty-icon"><i class="fas fa-note-sticky"></i></div>
               <button id="btn-notes-new-empty" type="button" class="btn-primary notes-empty-cta">
-                <i class="fas fa-plus"></i> Create your first note
+                <i class="fas fa-plus"></i> New note
               </button>
-              <div class="notes-empty-tips">
-                <div><i class="fas fa-bolt"></i> <span>Press <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>S</kbd> to save</span></div>
-                <div><i class="fas fa-microphone"></i> <span>Dictate turns your voice into a clean note</span></div>
-                <div><i class="fas fa-lock"></i> <span>Encrypted at rest — only you can read them</span></div>
-              </div>
             </div>
           </section>
 
diff --git a/public/js/notes.js b/public/js/notes.js
index 361ebfc..05e8cc0 100644
--- a/public/js/notes.js
+++ b/public/js/notes.js
@@ -190,9 +190,7 @@
     }
     if (filtered.length === 0) {
       listEl.innerHTML = '<div class="notes-empty">'
-        + (_search
-           ? 'No notes match "' + esc(_search) + '".'
-           : 'No notes yet. Tap <strong>New note</strong> to create one.')
+        + (_search ? 'No matches' : '')
         + '</div>';
       return;
     }
@@ -223,7 +221,7 @@
     $('notes-reader-meta').textContent  = 'Created ' + formatWhen(note.created_at) + ' · Updated ' + formatWhen(note.updated_at);
 
     var body = $('notes-reader-body');
-    body.innerHTML = note.body ? sanitizeHtml(note.body) : '<p style="color:var(--g400);font-style:italic;">This note is empty. Tap Edit to add content.</p>';
+    body.innerHTML = note.body ? sanitizeHtml(note.body) : '';
 
     setView('reader');
     renderList();
@@ -235,7 +233,7 @@
     _activeId = null;
     _dirty = false;
     $('note-title').value = '';
-    $('note-meta').textContent = 'New note — will save automatically once you type.';
+    $('note-meta').textContent = '';
     $('btn-note-delete').style.display = 'none';
     mountTiptap($('note-body-editor'), '');
     updateStatus('', '');
diff --git a/public/sw.js b/public/sw.js
index 0c9d6c2..0a20185 100644
--- a/public/sw.js
+++ b/public/sw.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 // API calls always fresh (critical for medical data accuracy)
 // ============================================================
 
-var CACHE_NAME = 'pedscribe-v12-notes2';
+var CACHE_NAME = 'pedscribe-v12-notes3';
 var SHELL_ASSETS = [
   '/',
   '/index.html',