diff --git a/frontend/src/components/editor/EditorMenuBar.tsx b/frontend/src/components/editor/EditorMenuBar.tsx
index dc33a7ed..ba076baa 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/editor/EditorMenuBar.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/editor/EditorMenuBar.tsx
@@ -158,6 +158,14 @@ export const EditorMenuBar: React.FC = () => {
   ];
 
   const helpItems: Item[] = [
+    // Only present once a post has been delivered — the announcement is a
+    // toast now, and this is how it stays reachable after it retires.
+    {
+      kind: 'command',
+      id: 'help.whatsNew',
+      label: t('news.kicker', "What's new"),
+      optional: true,
+    },
     { kind: 'link', href: `${SITE}/docs`, label: t('header.nav.documentation', 'Documentation') },
     { kind: 'link', href: '/examples', label: t('header.nav.examples', 'Examples') },
     { kind: 'link', href: `${SITE}/pricing`, label: t('header.nav.pricing', 'Pricing') },
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/layout/NewsModal.css b/frontend/src/components/layout/NewsAnnouncer.css
similarity index 67%
rename from frontend/src/components/layout/NewsModal.css
rename to frontend/src/components/layout/NewsAnnouncer.css
index e2f4cd3a..a07ab8ed 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/layout/NewsModal.css
+++ b/frontend/src/components/layout/NewsAnnouncer.css
@@ -229,3 +229,85 @@
 .velxio-news-ok:hover {
   filter: brightness(1.1);
 }
+
+/* ── Toast ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+   The default surface for an announcement. No backdrop and no inset:0 —
+   the page stays fully usable underneath, which is the whole point. Sits
+   above app chrome but BELOW the starter dialog's 9000, so if the two ever
+   coincide the blocking task keeps the foreground. */
+.velxio-news-toast {
+  position: fixed;
+  right: 20px;
+  bottom: 20px;
+  z-index: 8000;
+  width: min(340px, calc(100vw - 32px));
+  background: #1e2228;
+  border: 1px solid #3c4049;
+  border-radius: 10px;
+  padding: 12px 14px 10px;
+  box-shadow: 0 8px 28px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.45);
+  animation: velxio-news-toast-in 0.28s cubic-bezier(0.16, 1, 0.3, 1);
+}
+
+@keyframes velxio-news-toast-in {
+  from { opacity: 0; transform: translateY(12px); }
+  to { opacity: 1; transform: translateY(0); }
+}
+
+/* Respect a reduced-motion preference: appear, don't slide. */
+@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+  .velxio-news-toast { animation: none; }
+}
+
+.velxio-news-toast-head {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  justify-content: space-between;
+  gap: 8px;
+}
+
+.velxio-news-toast-close {
+  background: none;
+  border: none;
+  color: #8b93a0;
+  font-size: 18px;
+  line-height: 1;
+  cursor: pointer;
+  padding: 0 2px;
+}
+
+.velxio-news-toast-close:hover {
+  color: #fff;
+}
+
+.velxio-news-toast-title {
+  color: #e8eaed;
+  font-size: 13.5px;
+  font-weight: 600;
+  line-height: 1.35;
+  margin: 6px 0 8px;
+}
+
+.velxio-news-toast-more {
+  background: none;
+  border: none;
+  color: #4da3ff;
+  font-size: 12.5px;
+  font-weight: 500;
+  cursor: pointer;
+  padding: 0;
+}
+
+.velxio-news-toast-more:hover {
+  text-decoration: underline;
+}
+
+/* The toast would otherwise sit on top of the mobile bottom bar. */
+@media (max-width: 700px) {
+  .velxio-news-toast {
+    right: 12px;
+    left: 12px;
+    bottom: 12px;
+    width: auto;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/layout/NewsAnnouncer.tsx b/frontend/src/components/layout/NewsAnnouncer.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..18b71ae6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/components/layout/NewsAnnouncer.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,146 @@
+/**
+ * Product news ("What's New") — a toast, and a modal only on request.
+ *
+ * This used to auto-open a modal a few seconds after the editor loaded.
+ * That put a passive announcement on top of whatever the user was doing,
+ * and on a pristine visit it landed squarely over the starter-template
+ * dialog: two stacked overlays, two dimmed backdrops, and the *less*
+ * important one on top (news z-index 10000 vs starter 9000). The delay
+ * made it worse, not better — it arrived after the user had begun
+ * reading, which is the most disruptive moment to interrupt.
+ *
+ * So: a modal is for what BLOCKS, and an announcement never blocks. The
+ * post now slides in as a corner toast that steals no focus and dims
+ * nothing, and auto-retires. The full post is one click away — a modal
+ * the user asked for is a different thing from one thrown at them — and
+ * stays reachable afterwards from Help ▸ What's new.
+ *
+ * The queue/seen logic still lives in lib/newsSource.ts (OSS:
+ * localStorage over /api/news/feed; pro: server-backed per user). The
+ * fetch is delayed so it never competes with editor startup, and every
+ * failure path resolves to "nothing shown".
+ */
+
+import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
+import { createPortal } from 'react-dom';
+import { useTranslation } from 'react-i18next';
+import { getNextNews, type NewsPost } from '../../lib/newsSource';
+import { NewsMarkdown } from './NewsMarkdown';
+import { registerEditorCommand } from '../../lib/editorCommands';
+import './NewsAnnouncer.css';
+
+const FETCH_DELAY_MS = 4000;
+/** Long enough to read a title and decide, short enough to not linger. */
+const TOAST_DISMISS_MS = 14000;
+
+export function NewsAnnouncer() {
+  const { t } = useTranslation();
+  const [post, setPost] = useState<NewsPost | null>(null);
+  const [expanded, setExpanded] = useState(false);
+  const [toastVisible, setToastVisible] = useState(false);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    let cancelled = false;
+    const timer = setTimeout(() => {
+      void getNextNews().then((p) => {
+        if (cancelled || !p) return;
+        setPost(p);
+        setToastVisible(true);
+      });
+    }, FETCH_DELAY_MS);
+    return () => {
+      cancelled = true;
+      clearTimeout(timer);
+    };
+  }, []);
+
+  // Help ▸ What's new re-opens the last delivered post. Registered even
+  // with nothing to show yet; the handler no-ops until a post arrives,
+  // which keeps the menu row's enabled state honest once one has.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!post) return;
+    return registerEditorCommand('help.whatsNew', () => {
+      setToastVisible(false);
+      setExpanded(true);
+    });
+  }, [post]);
+
+  // Auto-retire the toast. Cancelled if the user opens the full post, so
+  // reading it never races with the timer.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!toastVisible || expanded) return;
+    const timer = setTimeout(() => setToastVisible(false), TOAST_DISMISS_MS);
+    return () => clearTimeout(timer);
+  }, [toastVisible, expanded]);
+
+  if (!post) return null;
+
+  if (expanded) {
+    return createPortal(
+      <div className="velxio-news-overlay" onClick={() => setExpanded(false)}>
+        <div
+          className="velxio-news-modal"
+          role="dialog"
+          aria-modal="true"
+          aria-label={post.title}
+          onClick={(e) => e.stopPropagation()}
+        >
+          <div className="velxio-news-header">
+            <div>
+              <span className="velxio-news-kicker">
+                {t('news.kicker', "What's new")}
+              </span>
+              <h2 className="velxio-news-title">{post.title}</h2>
+            </div>
+            <button
+              className="velxio-news-close"
+              aria-label={t('news.close', 'Close')}
+              onClick={() => setExpanded(false)}
+            >
+              ×
+            </button>
+          </div>
+          <div className="velxio-news-body">
+            <NewsMarkdown>{post.body_md}</NewsMarkdown>
+          </div>
+          <div className="velxio-news-footer">
+            <button className="velxio-news-ok" onClick={() => setExpanded(false)}>
+              {t('news.gotIt', 'Got it')}
+            </button>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+      </div>,
+      document.body,
+    );
+  }
+
+  if (!toastVisible) return null;
+
+  return createPortal(
+    // role="status" (not "alert"): polite, so a screen reader finishes the
+    // current utterance instead of cutting the user off — the accessible
+    // equivalent of not stealing focus.
+    <div className="velxio-news-toast" role="status" aria-live="polite">
+      <div className="velxio-news-toast-head">
+        <span className="velxio-news-kicker">{t('news.kicker', "What's new")}</span>
+        <button
+          className="velxio-news-toast-close"
+          aria-label={t('news.close', 'Close')}
+          onClick={() => setToastVisible(false)}
+        >
+          ×
+        </button>
+      </div>
+      <div className="velxio-news-toast-title">{post.title}</div>
+      <button
+        className="velxio-news-toast-more"
+        onClick={() => {
+          setExpanded(true);
+        }}
+      >
+        {t('news.readMore', 'Read more')} →
+      </button>
+    </div>,
+    document.body,
+  );
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/layout/NewsModal.tsx b/frontend/src/components/layout/NewsModal.tsx
deleted file mode 100644
index b128fd7a..00000000
--- a/frontend/src/components/layout/NewsModal.tsx
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,71 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * "What's New" modal — shows the next pending product-news post when the
- * user enters the editor. At most one per day, each post only ever once;
- * the queue/seen logic lives in lib/newsSource.ts (OSS: localStorage over
- * the local /api/news/feed proxy; pro overlay: server-backed per-user).
- *
- * The fetch is delayed a few seconds so it never competes with editor
- * startup, and every failure path resolves to "no modal".
- */
-
-import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
-import { createPortal } from 'react-dom';
-import { getNextNews, type NewsPost } from '../../lib/newsSource';
-import { NewsMarkdown } from './NewsMarkdown';
-import './NewsModal.css';
-
-const FETCH_DELAY_MS = 4000;
-
-export function NewsModal() {
-  const [post, setPost] = useState<NewsPost | null>(null);
-
-  useEffect(() => {
-    let cancelled = false;
-    const timer = setTimeout(() => {
-      void getNextNews().then((p) => {
-        if (!cancelled && p) setPost(p);
-      });
-    }, FETCH_DELAY_MS);
-    return () => {
-      cancelled = true;
-      clearTimeout(timer);
-    };
-  }, []);
-
-  if (!post) return null;
-
-  return createPortal(
-    <div className="velxio-news-overlay" onClick={() => setPost(null)}>
-      <div
-        className="velxio-news-modal"
-        role="dialog"
-        aria-modal="true"
-        aria-label={post.title}
-        onClick={(e) => e.stopPropagation()}
-      >
-        <div className="velxio-news-header">
-          <div>
-            <span className="velxio-news-kicker">What's new</span>
-            <h2 className="velxio-news-title">{post.title}</h2>
-          </div>
-          <button
-            className="velxio-news-close"
-            aria-label="Close"
-            onClick={() => setPost(null)}
-          >
-            ×
-          </button>
-        </div>
-        <div className="velxio-news-body">
-          <NewsMarkdown>{post.body_md}</NewsMarkdown>
-        </div>
-        <div className="velxio-news-footer">
-          <button className="velxio-news-ok" onClick={() => setPost(null)}>
-            Got it
-          </button>
-        </div>
-      </div>
-    </div>,
-    document.body,
-  );
-}
diff --git a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/de/common.json b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/de/common.json
index a1d84208..20125535 100644
--- a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/de/common.json
+++ b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/de/common.json
@@ -433,5 +433,11 @@
         "privateHint": "Nur du kannst dieses Projekt sehen."
       }
     }
+  },
+  "news": {
+    "kicker": "Neuigkeiten",
+    "readMore": "Mehr erfahren",
+    "gotIt": "Verstanden",
+    "close": "Schließen"
   }
 }
diff --git a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/common.json b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/common.json
index 70dad49f..76318e1b 100644
--- a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/common.json
+++ b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/common.json
@@ -433,5 +433,11 @@
         "privateHint": "Only you can see this project."
       }
     }
+  },
+  "news": {
+    "kicker": "What's new",
+    "readMore": "Read more",
+    "gotIt": "Got it",
+    "close": "Close"
   }
 }
diff --git a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/es/common.json b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/es/common.json
index bb549e4b..adf31d50 100644
--- a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/es/common.json
+++ b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/es/common.json
@@ -433,5 +433,11 @@
         "privateHint": "Solo vos podés ver este proyecto."
       }
     }
+  },
+  "news": {
+    "kicker": "Novedades",
+    "readMore": "Leer más",
+    "gotIt": "Entendido",
+    "close": "Cerrar"
   }
 }
diff --git a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/fr/common.json b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/fr/common.json
index 4d6ea222..7b77ffbc 100644
--- a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/fr/common.json
+++ b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/fr/common.json
@@ -433,5 +433,11 @@
         "privateHint": "Seul vous pouvez voir ce projet."
       }
     }
+  },
+  "news": {
+    "kicker": "Nouveautés",
+    "readMore": "En savoir plus",
+    "gotIt": "Compris",
+    "close": "Fermer"
   }
 }
diff --git a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/it/common.json b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/it/common.json
index 85519adf..d3b1cc3a 100644
--- a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/it/common.json
+++ b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/it/common.json
@@ -433,5 +433,11 @@
         "privateHint": "Solo tu puoi vedere questo progetto."
       }
     }
+  },
+  "news": {
+    "kicker": "Novità",
+    "readMore": "Scopri di più",
+    "gotIt": "Ho capito",
+    "close": "Chiudi"
   }
 }
diff --git a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/ja/common.json b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/ja/common.json
index 9fb40312..4ccdfd94 100644
--- a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/ja/common.json
+++ b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/ja/common.json
@@ -433,5 +433,11 @@
         "privateHint": "あなただけがこのプロジェクトを見ることができます。"
       }
     }
+  },
+  "news": {
+    "kicker": "新着情報",
+    "readMore": "詳細を見る",
+    "gotIt": "了解",
+    "close": "閉じる"
   }
 }
diff --git a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/pt-br/common.json b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/pt-br/common.json
index 95e00793..bca9d835 100644
--- a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/pt-br/common.json
+++ b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/pt-br/common.json
@@ -433,5 +433,11 @@
         "privateHint": "Apenas você pode ver este projeto."
       }
     }
+  },
+  "news": {
+    "kicker": "Novidades",
+    "readMore": "Saiba mais",
+    "gotIt": "Entendi",
+    "close": "Fechar"
   }
 }
diff --git a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/ru/common.json b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/ru/common.json
index 797917ff..8ad1c7c2 100644
--- a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/ru/common.json
+++ b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/ru/common.json
@@ -433,5 +433,11 @@
         "privateHint": "Только вы видите этот проект."
       }
     }
+  },
+  "news": {
+    "kicker": "Что нового",
+    "readMore": "Подробнее",
+    "gotIt": "Понятно",
+    "close": "Закрыть"
   }
 }
diff --git a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/zh-cn/common.json b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/zh-cn/common.json
index 54336df7..fd952e0d 100644
--- a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/zh-cn/common.json
+++ b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/zh-cn/common.json
@@ -433,5 +433,11 @@
         "privateHint": "只有你能看到此项目。"
       }
     }
+  },
+  "news": {
+    "kicker": "最新动态",
+    "readMore": "了解更多",
+    "gotIt": "知道了",
+    "close": "关闭"
   }
 }
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/editorCommands.ts b/frontend/src/lib/editorCommands.ts
index e0daae43..b04aead4 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/editorCommands.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/editorCommands.ts
@@ -31,6 +31,10 @@ export type EditorCommandId =
   // hides them outright — see `optional` in EditorMenuBar.
   | 'account.myProjects'
   | 'account.login'
+  // Re-opens the last delivered "What's new" post. Registered by
+  // NewsAnnouncer once a post has actually arrived, so the Help row is
+  // absent while there is nothing to re-read.
+  | 'help.whatsNew'
   | 'project.share'
   | 'project.githubSync'
   | 'firmware.upload'
diff --git a/frontend/src/pages/EditorPage.tsx b/frontend/src/pages/EditorPage.tsx
index 2d973efb..de1cd578 100644
--- a/frontend/src/pages/EditorPage.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/pages/EditorPage.tsx
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ import { Oscilloscope } from '../components/simulator/Oscilloscope';
 import { AppHeader } from '../components/layout/AppHeader';
 import { triggerSaveAction } from '../lib/proSaveAction';
 import { GitHubStarBanner } from '../components/layout/GitHubStarBanner';
-import { NewsModal } from '../components/layout/NewsModal';
+import { NewsAnnouncer } from '../components/layout/NewsAnnouncer';
 import { useSimulatorStore } from '../store/useSimulatorStore';
 import { useEditorStore } from '../store/useEditorStore';
 import { useCompileLogsStore } from '../store/useCompileLogsStore';
@@ -758,7 +758,7 @@ export const EditorPage: React.FC = () => {
           round={starRound}
         />
       )}
-      <NewsModal />
+      <NewsAnnouncer />
       <NewProjectDialog
         isOpen={showNewProjectDialog}
         onClose={() => setShowNewProjectDialog(false)}