diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 0c4ab95..c3d7f69 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@
     "db:migrate": "node scripts/migrate.js",
     "db:seed": "node scripts/seed.js",
     "db:seed:roadmap": "node scripts/seed-roadmap.js",
-    "db:setup": "node scripts/migrate.js && node scripts/seed.js && node scripts/seed-roadmap.js"
+    "db:seed:demo": "node scripts/seed-demo.js",
+    "db:setup": "node scripts/migrate.js && node scripts/seed.js && node scripts/seed-roadmap.js && node scripts/seed-demo.js"
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@astrojs/node": "^8.3.0",
diff --git a/scripts/seed-demo.js b/scripts/seed-demo.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4c33c68
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/seed-demo.js
@@ -0,0 +1,138 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+// Demo seed for first-load credibility: one open pulse, one shipped roadmap
+// item attributed to the cab user, one dinner + one office hours event, and
+// a handful of hand-crafted activity rows so the ticker has something to
+// scroll on a fresh demo.
+//
+// Idempotent: skips if a pulse already exists. Run AFTER scripts/seed.js
+// and scripts/seed-roadmap.js (or via `pnpm db:setup`).
+
+import Database from 'better-sqlite3';
+import { join, dirname } from 'path';
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'url';
+
+const __dirname = dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
+const dbPath = process.env.BIFROST_DB_PATH ?? join(__dirname, '..', 'bifrost.db');
+const db = new Database(dbPath);
+db.pragma('foreign_keys = ON');
+
+const existing = db.prepare('SELECT COUNT(*) AS n FROM pulses').get().n;
+if (existing > 0) {
+  console.log(`  demo data already present (${existing} pulse(s)) — skipping.`);
+  db.close();
+  process.exit(0);
+}
+
+const users = db.prepare("SELECT id, name, role FROM users WHERE active = 1").all();
+const byRole = (r) => users.find(u => u.role === r);
+const mette = byRole('pilot');
+const lars  = byRole('cab');
+const jon   = byRole('fenja');
+
+if (!mette || !lars || !jon) {
+  console.error('  seed.js users not found — run `pnpm db:seed` first.');
+  process.exit(1);
+}
+
+// Backdate Lars's cab membership to give realistic tenure on /pulse
+db.prepare(`UPDATE users SET cab_joined_date = date('now', '-2 years', '-4 months') WHERE id = ?`).run(lars.id);
+// Mark all three as recently seen so the "online now" chip strip has content
+// (current viewer is excluded from "others online" — see /pulse)
+db.prepare(`UPDATE users SET last_seen_at = datetime('now', '-2 minutes') WHERE id IN (?, ?, ?)`)
+  .run(lars.id, mette.id, jon.id);
+
+const nowIso = (offsetSeconds = 0) => {
+  const d = new Date(Date.now() + offsetSeconds * 1000);
+  return d.toISOString().replace('T', ' ').slice(0, 19);
+};
+
+// ── Pulse: open now, closes in 5 days ────────────────────────────────
+const opensAt  = nowIso(-3600);            // opened an hour ago
+const closesAt = nowIso(5 * 24 * 3600);    // closes in 5 days
+const options = [
+  'Locking down on-prem deployment first',
+  'Pushing the traceability layer to GA',
+  'Going wide on document ingestion',
+  'Building the agentic query loop',
+];
+
+const pulseId = db.prepare(`
+  INSERT INTO pulses (question, context, options, opens_at, closes_at, status, created_by)
+  VALUES (?,?,?,?,?,?,?)
+`).run(
+  'Which milestone should we anchor Q3 around?',
+  'Council input on this directly shapes what the team works on in July–September. Read the roadmap before voting.',
+  JSON.stringify(options),
+  opensAt,
+  closesAt,
+  'open',
+  jon.id,
+).lastInsertRowid;
+
+// Lars votes for the traceability option
+db.prepare('INSERT INTO votes (pulse_id, user_id, option_index, voted_at) VALUES (?,?,?,?)')
+  .run(pulseId, lars.id, 1, nowIso(-2 * 3600));
+
+// ── Roadmap: mark "Traceability layer" as shipping, attribute to Lars ──
+const traceability = db.prepare("SELECT id FROM roadmap_items WHERE title LIKE 'Traceability%'").get();
+if (traceability) {
+  db.prepare(`UPDATE roadmap_items SET status = 'shipping', shipped_at = datetime('now', '-2 days'), target = 'Live now' WHERE id = ?`).run(traceability.id);
+  db.prepare('INSERT OR IGNORE INTO roadmap_attributions (roadmap_item_id, user_id) VALUES (?,?)').run(traceability.id, lars.id);
+}
+
+// ── Events ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+const dinnerStart = nowIso(38 * 24 * 3600); // ~5.5 weeks out
+db.prepare(`
+  INSERT INTO events (slug, title, kind, description, location, starts_at, capacity, created_by)
+  VALUES (?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?)
+`).run(
+  'kickoff-dinner-2026-06',
+  'Council kickoff dinner',
+  'dinner',
+  'A private dinner at the studio. Conversation about what we ship next, no slides.',
+  'Studio, Refshalevej · Copenhagen',
+  dinnerStart,
+  12,
+  jon.id,
+);
+const dinnerId = db.prepare("SELECT id FROM events WHERE slug = 'kickoff-dinner-2026-06'").get().id;
+
+const officeHoursStart = nowIso(14 * 24 * 3600); // 2 weeks out
+db.prepare(`
+  INSERT INTO events (slug, title, kind, description, location, starts_at, created_by)
+  VALUES (?,?,?,?,?,?,?)
+`).run(
+  'office-hours-2026-05',
+  'Office hours with the founder',
+  'office_hours',
+  '30-minute one-on-one slots. Open agenda. Book one or just drop by.',
+  'Virtual (link sent after RSVP)',
+  officeHoursStart,
+  jon.id,
+);
+const officeHoursId = db.prepare("SELECT id FROM events WHERE slug = 'office-hours-2026-05'").get().id;
+
+// ── Activity rows ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// Mix of real (Lars's vote, Jonathan's publish, Jonathan's ship) and
+// hand-crafted demo rows so the ticker has six items to scroll.
+const insertActivity = db.prepare(`
+  INSERT INTO activity (actor_id, kind, subject_type, subject_id, created_at)
+  VALUES (?,?,?,?,?)
+`);
+
+insertActivity.run(jon.id,  'pulse_opened',     'pulse',   pulseId,            nowIso(-3600));
+insertActivity.run(lars.id, 'voted',            'pulse',   pulseId,            nowIso(-2 * 3600));
+if (traceability) {
+  insertActivity.run(jon.id, 'roadmap_shipped', 'roadmap', traceability.id,    nowIso(-2 * 24 * 3600));
+}
+insertActivity.run(lars.id, 'rsvped',           'event',   dinnerId,           nowIso(-8 * 3600));
+insertActivity.run(mette.id,'rsvped',           'event',   officeHoursId,      nowIso(-30 * 60));
+insertActivity.run(jon.id,  'booked_office_hours', 'event', officeHoursId,     nowIso(-1 * 24 * 3600));
+
+console.log('  demo data seeded:');
+console.log(`    pulse #${pulseId} (open, closes in 5 days)`);
+if (traceability) console.log(`    roadmap #${traceability.id} → shipping, attributed to ${lars.name}`);
+console.log(`    events: kickoff-dinner-2026-06, office-hours-2026-05`);
+console.log(`    activity: 6 rows`);
+
+db.close();
diff --git a/src/pages/pulse.astro b/src/pages/pulse.astro
index ebb562e..ef370ea 100644
--- a/src/pages/pulse.astro
+++ b/src/pages/pulse.astro
@@ -119,10 +119,15 @@ const shippedCount = countShippedAttributions(user.id);
 
 // ── Members in the room ────────────────────────────────────────────
 const allMembers = getAllUsersPublic();
+// SQL stores 'YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS' UTC; new Date() would parse as local — coerce to UTC ISO first.
+function sqlToUtcDate(s: string): Date {
+  if (/T.*[Zz]$/.test(s) || /[+-]\d{2}:?\d{2}$/.test(s)) return new Date(s);
+  return new Date(s.replace(' ', 'T') + 'Z');
+}
 const onlineOthers = allMembers.filter(u =>
   u.id !== user.id
   && u.last_seen_at
-  && (Date.now() - new Date(u.last_seen_at).getTime()) < 5 * 60_000
+  && (Date.now() - sqlToUtcDate(u.last_seen_at).getTime()) < 5 * 60_000
 );
 const visibleChips = onlineOthers.slice(0, 4);
 const overflowCount = Math.max(0, onlineOthers.length - visibleChips.length);
@@ -154,7 +159,7 @@ function formatEventDate(iso: string): string {
         <span class="greeting-italic">{greeting}</span>
       </h1>
       <p class="greeting-sub body-md">
-        You've been a council member for <em>{tenure}</em>. The team is reading every note you leave.
+        You've been a member for <em>{tenure}</em>. The team is reading every note you leave.
       </p>
     </section>