diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 596307e..74047a5 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ OSU campus social app for small-group hangouts ("pods"), clubs, messaging, and a
 - **Verification gate:** almost everything requires a verified OSU email (`requireVerifiedAuth`). The App Store reviewer account bypasses it — don't break that path.
 - **Deep links:** `oval://pod/:podId` etc., configured in `App.tsx`; push notification payloads carry a `url` that feeds the same config.
 - **Age rating is 18+** and moderation features (block, report, delete account, data export) are App Store review-critical. Never weaken them casually.
+- **Terms version is a two-sided deploy.** `CURRENT_TERMS_VERSION` exists in both `backend/src/config/legal.ts` and `frontend/src/constants/legal.ts`. Bumping one without the other 400s every client on the terms screen with no way past it — this has broken a release twice. Old versions stay valid via `PREVIOUS_TERMS_VERSIONS`; deploy the backend before shipping the build. Full procedure: `docs/PLAYBOOK.md` §8.
 
 ## Workflow expectations
 
diff --git a/backend/package.json b/backend/package.json
index 761d5f2..329056f 100644
--- a/backend/package.json
+++ b/backend/package.json
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
     "seed:screenshots": "ts-node prisma/seed-screenshots.ts",
     "cleanup:screenshots": "ts-node prisma/cleanup-screenshots.ts",
     "reseed:screenshots": "./prisma/reseed-screenshots.sh",
+    "check:screenshots": "ts-node prisma/check-screenshot-seed.ts",
     "test": "vitest run",
     "test:watch": "vitest",
     "postinstall": "prisma generate"
diff --git a/backend/prisma/check-screenshot-seed.ts b/backend/prisma/check-screenshot-seed.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e09226a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/prisma/check-screenshot-seed.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+/// <reference types="node" />
+/**
+ * Read-only diagnostic for the screenshot seed.
+ *
+ * Answers: which database am I pointed at, did the activity-catalog migration
+ * land there, is any seed data actually present, and does my own account see it?
+ * Writes nothing — safe to run against production.
+ *
+ *   npx ts-node prisma/check-screenshot-seed.ts
+ *   CHECK_EMAIL=you@osu.edu npx ts-node prisma/check-screenshot-seed.ts
+ */
+import { PrismaClient } from '@prisma/client';
+import * as fs from 'fs';
+import * as path from 'path';
+
+const prisma = new PrismaClient();
+const MANIFEST_PATH = path.join(__dirname, '.screenshot-seed-manifest.json');
+
+function describeTarget() {
+  try {
+    const u = new URL(process.env.DATABASE_URL ?? '');
+    const user = decodeURIComponent(u.username || '');
+    const ref = user.includes('.') ? user.split('.').slice(1).join('.') : '(none)';
+    return { host: u.host, ref };
+  } catch {
+    return { host: '(unparseable DATABASE_URL)', ref: '(unknown)' };
+  }
+}
+
+async function main() {
+  const t = describeTarget();
+  console.log('=== TARGET ===');
+  console.log('  host          :', t.host);
+  console.log('  project ref   :', t.ref);
+  console.log('  (compare this ref to the DATABASE_URL in your Vercel project settings)');
+
+  console.log('\n=== MIGRATION STATE ===');
+  const cols: Array<{ column_name: string }> = await prisma.$queryRawUnsafe(
+    `SELECT column_name FROM information_schema.columns WHERE table_name = 'Activity'`
+  );
+  const names = cols.map((c) => c.column_name);
+  const hasCatalogV2 = ['isActive', 'artworkKey', 'sortOrder'].every((c) => names.includes(c));
+  console.log('  activity_catalog_v2 applied :', hasCatalogV2 ? 'YES' : 'NO  <-- seed will throw without this');
+
+  if (hasCatalogV2) {
+    const needed = ['frisbee', 'trivia', 'study-group', 'grab-coffee-tea', 'casual-hangout', 'pickup-soccer'];
+    const found = await prisma.activity.findMany({
+      where: { artworkKey: { in: needed }, isActive: true },
+      select: { artworkKey: true },
+    });
+    const missing = needed.filter((k) => !found.some((f) => f.artworkKey === k));
+    console.log('  activities the seed needs   :', `${found.length}/${needed.length} present`);
+    if (missing.length) console.log('  MISSING                     :', missing.join(', '));
+  }
+
+  console.log('\n=== WHAT IS ACTUALLY IN THIS DB ===');
+  const seedUsers = await prisma.user.count({ where: { email: { startsWith: 'oval-seed-' } } });
+  console.log('  demo users (oval-seed-*)    :', seedUsers);
+  console.log('  users (total)               :', await prisma.user.count());
+  console.log('  pods (total)                :', await prisma.pod.count());
+  console.log('  clubs (total)               :', await prisma.club.count());
+  console.log('  club members (total)        :', await prisma.clubMember.count());
+  console.log('  friendships (total)         :', await prisma.friendship.count());
+
+  console.log('\n=== MANIFEST vs DB ===');
+  if (!fs.existsSync(MANIFEST_PATH)) {
+    console.log('  no active manifest on disk (seed has not run, or cleanup already archived it)');
+  } else {
+    const m = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(MANIFEST_PATH, 'utf8'));
+    console.log('  manifest createdAt          :', m.createdAt);
+    const live = await prisma.user.count({ where: { id: { in: m.users ?? [] } } });
+    console.log('  manifest users still in DB  :', `${live}/${(m.users ?? []).length}`);
+    const livePods = await prisma.pod.count({ where: { id: { in: m.pods ?? [] } } });
+    console.log('  manifest pods still in DB   :', `${livePods}/${(m.pods ?? []).length}`);
+    const liveClubs = await prisma.club.count({ where: { id: { in: m.clubs ?? [] } } });
+    console.log('  manifest clubs still in DB  :', `${liveClubs}/${(m.clubs ?? []).length}`);
+  }
+
+  const email = (process.env.CHECK_EMAIL ?? 'vanbibber.21@osu.edu').trim().toLowerCase();
+  console.log(`\n=== ACCOUNT: ${email} ===`);
+  const me = await prisma.user.findUnique({
+    where: { email },
+    select: {
+      id: true,
+      email: true,
+      accountStatus: true,
+      verifiedUniversity: true,
+      _count: { select: { clubMemberships: true } },
+    },
+  });
+  if (!me) {
+    console.log('  NOT FOUND in this database  <-- the app you are testing uses a different DB');
+  } else {
+    console.log('  id                          :', me.id);
+    console.log('  accountStatus               :', me.accountStatus);
+    console.log('  verifiedUniversity          :', me.verifiedUniversity);
+    console.log('  club memberships            :', me._count.clubMemberships);
+    const friends = await prisma.friendship.count({
+      where: { OR: [{ userAId: me.id }, { userBId: me.id }] },
+    });
+    console.log('  friendships                 :', friends);
+  }
+}
+
+main()
+  .catch((e) => {
+    console.error('\n[check] failed:', e.message);
+    process.exit(1);
+  })
+  .finally(async () => {
+    await prisma.$disconnect();
+  });
diff --git a/backend/src/config/legal.ts b/backend/src/config/legal.ts
index b8f3e5e..02a3f75 100644
--- a/backend/src/config/legal.ts
+++ b/backend/src/config/legal.ts
@@ -1 +1,39 @@
+/**
+ * Terms version tracking.
+ *
+ * CURRENT_TERMS_VERSION is what a freshly-updated client displays and what the
+ * app re-prompts against. ACCEPTED_TERMS_VERSIONS is what the API will still
+ * take from clients that haven't updated yet.
+ *
+ * WHY THE ALLOWLIST: the App Store build and the backend deploy are never
+ * simultaneous. If the API only accepted the current version, then between the
+ * two deploys every affected client would 400 on /auth/register and
+ * /auth/accept-terms — an inescapable wall on the terms screen, since the app
+ * re-prompts whenever the stored version differs. This has broken a release
+ * twice. See docs/PLAYBOOK.md → "Bumping the terms version".
+ *
+ * The version a user actually accepted is recorded as-submitted, never
+ * overwritten with CURRENT_TERMS_VERSION — a user on an older build saw the
+ * older text, and the record needs to reflect that.
+ *
+ * WHEN BUMPING: move the old value into PREVIOUS_TERMS_VERSIONS in the same
+ * commit. Drop entries only once that build is out of circulation (App Store
+ * Connect → force-upgrade cutoff), not before.
+ */
 export const CURRENT_TERMS_VERSION = '2026-08-05';
+
+/**
+ * Older versions still honored during the upgrade window, newest first.
+ * '2026-06-20' ships in v1.1, which is live on the App Store.
+ */
+export const PREVIOUS_TERMS_VERSIONS = ['2026-06-20'] as const;
+
+export const ACCEPTED_TERMS_VERSIONS: readonly string[] = [
+  CURRENT_TERMS_VERSION,
+  ...PREVIOUS_TERMS_VERSIONS,
+];
+
+/** True if `version` is a version the API will accept from a client. */
+export function isAcceptedTermsVersion(version: unknown): version is string {
+  return typeof version === 'string' && ACCEPTED_TERMS_VERSIONS.includes(version.trim());
+}
diff --git a/backend/src/routes/auth.test.ts b/backend/src/routes/auth.test.ts
index 3198a71..deba72e 100644
--- a/backend/src/routes/auth.test.ts
+++ b/backend/src/routes/auth.test.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import request from 'supertest';
 import app from '../server';
 import prisma from '../prisma';
 import { hashOneTimeCode } from '../lib/oneTimeCodes';
-import { CURRENT_TERMS_VERSION } from '../config/legal';
+import { CURRENT_TERMS_VERSION, PREVIOUS_TERMS_VERSIONS } from '../config/legal';
 
 const TEST_DOMAIN = '@osu.edu';
 const VALID_PROFILE = {
@@ -58,6 +58,43 @@ describe('POST /auth/register', () => {
       .expect(400);
   });
 
+  // Regression: the App Store build and the backend deploy are never
+  // simultaneous. A client on the previously-shipped terms version must still
+  // be able to register, or the terms screen becomes an inescapable wall
+  // between the two deploys. See docs/PLAYBOOK.md → "Bumping the terms version".
+  it.each(PREVIOUS_TERMS_VERSIONS)(
+    'still registers a client on previous terms version %s',
+    async (oldVersion) => {
+      const email = `oldterms-test-register-${Date.now()}${TEST_DOMAIN}`;
+      const res = await request(app)
+        .post('/auth/register')
+        .send({
+          name: 'Old Build',
+          email,
+          password: 'password123',
+          ...VALID_PROFILE,
+          termsVersion: oldVersion,
+        })
+        .expect(201);
+
+      // Records what that build actually displayed, not the current version.
+      expect(res.body.user.termsVersion).toBe(oldVersion);
+    }
+  );
+
+  it('rejects an unrecognized terms version', async () => {
+    await request(app)
+      .post('/auth/register')
+      .send({
+        name: 'Bogus Terms',
+        email: `bogusterms-test-register-${Date.now()}${TEST_DOMAIN}`,
+        password: 'password123',
+        ...VALID_PROFILE,
+        termsVersion: '1999-01-01',
+      })
+      .expect(400);
+  });
+
   it('accepts @buckeyemail.osu.edu email', async () => {
     const email = `buckeye-test-register-${Date.now()}@buckeyemail.osu.edu`;
     const res = await request(app)
@@ -452,4 +489,43 @@ describe('POST /auth/accept-terms', () => {
     expect(response.body.user.termsVersion).toBe(CURRENT_TERMS_VERSION);
     expect(response.body.user.ageAttestedAt).toEqual(expect.any(String));
   });
+
+  it.each(PREVIOUS_TERMS_VERSIONS)(
+    'still accepts a client on previous terms version %s',
+    async (oldVersion) => {
+      const email = `accept-old-terms-${Date.now()}${TEST_DOMAIN}`;
+      const registration = await request(app)
+        .post('/auth/register')
+        .send({ name: 'Old Client', email, password: 'password123', ...VALID_PROFILE })
+        .expect(201);
+
+      await prisma.user.update({
+        where: { email },
+        data: { termsVersion: null, termsAcceptedAt: null, ageAttestedAt: null },
+      });
+
+      const response = await request(app)
+        .post('/auth/accept-terms')
+        .set('Authorization', `Bearer ${registration.body.token}`)
+        .send({ termsAccepted: true, ageConfirmed: true, termsVersion: oldVersion })
+        .expect(200);
+
+      // The older build showed the older text, so that is what gets recorded.
+      expect(response.body.user.termsVersion).toBe(oldVersion);
+    }
+  );
+
+  it('rejects an unrecognized terms version', async () => {
+    const email = `accept-bogus-terms-${Date.now()}${TEST_DOMAIN}`;
+    const registration = await request(app)
+      .post('/auth/register')
+      .send({ name: 'Bogus Client', email, password: 'password123', ...VALID_PROFILE })
+      .expect(201);
+
+    await request(app)
+      .post('/auth/accept-terms')
+      .set('Authorization', `Bearer ${registration.body.token}`)
+      .send({ termsAccepted: true, ageConfirmed: true, termsVersion: 'not-a-version' })
+      .expect(400);
+  });
 });
diff --git a/backend/src/routes/auth.ts b/backend/src/routes/auth.ts
index ea1f2a9..a28acda 100644
--- a/backend/src/routes/auth.ts
+++ b/backend/src/routes/auth.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import { requireAuth, AuthRequest } from '../middleware/auth';
 import { sendPasswordResetEmail, sendVerificationEmail } from '../lib/emailService';
 import { getFullName, normalizeNameParts } from '../lib/userNames';
 import { moderateTextContent } from '../lib/contentModeration';
-import { CURRENT_TERMS_VERSION } from '../config/legal';
+import { CURRENT_TERMS_VERSION, isAcceptedTermsVersion } from '../config/legal';
 import { issueAuthToken } from '../lib/authSession';
 import { consumeDurableRateLimit } from '../lib/durableRateLimit';
 import { hashEmailIdentity, normalizeEmail } from '../lib/identity';
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ router.post('/register', async (req: Request, res: Response): Promise<void> => {
     return;
   }
 
-  if (!termsAccepted || !ageConfirmed || termsVersion !== CURRENT_TERMS_VERSION) {
+  if (!termsAccepted || !ageConfirmed || !isAcceptedTermsVersion(termsVersion)) {
     res.status(400).json({
       error: 'You must confirm you are 18 or older and accept the current Terms and Community Guidelines.',
     });
@@ -207,7 +207,9 @@ router.post('/register', async (req: Request, res: Response): Promise<void> => {
         emailVerifyExpiry: expiry,
         classYear,
         major,
-        termsVersion: CURRENT_TERMS_VERSION,
+        // Record what the client actually displayed, not CURRENT_TERMS_VERSION —
+        // an older build showed older text.
+        termsVersion,
         termsAcceptedAt: new Date(),
         ageAttestedAt: new Date(),
       },
@@ -541,10 +543,13 @@ router.post('/resend-verification', requireAuth, async (req: AuthRequest, res: R
 
 // POST /auth/accept-terms
 router.post('/accept-terms', requireAuth, async (req: AuthRequest, res: Response): Promise<void> => {
+  const submittedVersion =
+    typeof req.body?.termsVersion === 'string' ? req.body.termsVersion.trim() : '';
+
   if (
     req.body?.termsAccepted !== true ||
     req.body?.ageConfirmed !== true ||
-    req.body?.termsVersion !== CURRENT_TERMS_VERSION
+    !isAcceptedTermsVersion(submittedVersion)
   ) {
     res.status(400).json({ error: 'Accept the current Terms and confirm you are 18 or older.' });
     return;
@@ -554,7 +559,9 @@ router.post('/accept-terms', requireAuth, async (req: AuthRequest, res: Response
     const updated = await prisma.user.update({
       where: { id: req.user!.userId },
       data: {
-        termsVersion: CURRENT_TERMS_VERSION,
+        // Record what the client actually displayed, not CURRENT_TERMS_VERSION —
+        // an older build showed older text.
+        termsVersion: submittedVersion,
         termsAcceptedAt: new Date(),
         ageAttestedAt: new Date(),
       },
diff --git a/docs/PLAYBOOK.md b/docs/PLAYBOOK.md
index bbb632e..af44728 100644
--- a/docs/PLAYBOOK.md
+++ b/docs/PLAYBOOK.md
@@ -30,7 +30,26 @@ Copy-paste starting points for recurring tasks. Each recipe lists the context to
 
 > Read `INCIDENT_RESPONSE.md`. Check `/health` (touches the DB). Common causes: paused Supabase DB, missing env var (validated at boot by `productionEnv.ts` — check Vercel logs for the throw), stale cron scheduler, CORS_ORIGIN mismatch. Timezone bugs: remember everything is America/New_York.
 
-## 8. Design/UX pass
+## 8. Bumping the terms version
+
+> **This has broken a release twice. Read before touching `legal.ts`.**
+>
+> The version string lives in two places that must agree: `backend/src/config/legal.ts` and `frontend/src/constants/legal.ts`. The app re-prompts whenever a user's stored `termsVersion` differs from the frontend constant (`AuthContext.tsx`), and `/auth/register` + `/auth/accept-terms` validate what the client submits. So a client whose version the API doesn't recognize gets a 400 on the terms screen **with no way past it** — it blocks existing users, not just new signups.
+>
+> The App Store build and the Vercel deploy are never simultaneous, so some client is always on the old version. That's what `ACCEPTED_TERMS_VERSIONS` is for.
+>
+> **Procedure:**
+>
+> 1. Update the terms text (`landing/src/components/TermsOfUse.jsx`, `PrivacyPolicy.jsx`, `CommunityGuidelines.jsx`).
+> 2. In `backend/src/config/legal.ts`: set the new `CURRENT_TERMS_VERSION` **and move the old value into `PREVIOUS_TERMS_VERSIONS` in the same commit.**
+> 3. Set the identical string in `frontend/src/constants/legal.ts`.
+> 4. `cd backend && npm test -- auth` — the `PREVIOUS_TERMS_VERSIONS` cases must pass.
+> 5. **Deploy the backend first, then build the app.** Never the reverse: a build that ships ahead of the deploy sends a version the API has never heard of.
+> 6. Verify against production before submitting: register a throwaway account on the new build, and confirm the currently-live App Store build can still accept terms.
+>
+> Prune `PREVIOUS_TERMS_VERSIONS` only once the build carrying that version is out of circulation, not at the next bump. The accepted version is recorded as-submitted rather than forced to `CURRENT_TERMS_VERSION`, because a user on an older build genuinely saw older text.
+
+## 9. Design/UX pass
 
 > Read `AUDIT_2026.md` Part 2 (D1–D7) and the Lumen 2.0 token table before proposing changes; wireframes live in `docs/wireframes-2026/` (regenerate: `node gen-wireframes.mjs .`). Constraints: blur only on chrome (dock/sheets), solid card surfaces, WCAG AA contrast, OSU scarlet accent.