diff --git a/core/archipelago/Cargo.toml b/core/archipelago/Cargo.toml
index 11c8b68c..ee7e74f0 100644
--- a/core/archipelago/Cargo.toml
+++ b/core/archipelago/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "archipelago"
-version = "1.7.96-alpha"
+version = "1.7.97-alpha"
 edition = "2021"
 description = "Archipelago Bitcoin Node OS - Native backend"
 authors = ["Archipelago Team"]
diff --git a/neode-ui/package-lock.json b/neode-ui/package-lock.json
index e7d8a0b6..1290a07f 100644
--- a/neode-ui/package-lock.json
+++ b/neode-ui/package-lock.json
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "neode-ui",
-  "version": "1.7.96-alpha",
+  "version": "1.7.97-alpha",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "neode-ui",
-      "version": "1.7.96-alpha",
+      "version": "1.7.97-alpha",
       "dependencies": {
         "@types/dompurify": "^3.0.5",
         "@vue-leaflet/vue-leaflet": "^0.10.1",
diff --git a/neode-ui/package.json b/neode-ui/package.json
index 27c4c443..6e92cd94 100644
--- a/neode-ui/package.json
+++ b/neode-ui/package.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "neode-ui",
   "private": true,
-  "version": "1.7.96-alpha",
+  "version": "1.7.97-alpha",
   "type": "module",
   "scripts": {
     "start": "./start-dev.sh",
diff --git a/release-manifest.json b/release-manifest.json
index 73314242..cb274b54 100644
--- a/release-manifest.json
+++ b/release-manifest.json
@@ -1,28 +1,34 @@
 {
-  "version": "1.7.96-alpha",
-  "release_date": "2026-06-15",
+  "version": "1.7.97-alpha",
+  "release_date": "2026-06-16",
   "changelog": [
-    "The screen attached to your node now shows the normal Archipelago interface and your dashboard after you sign in, instead of a separate, stripped-down grid of app icons that could appear in its place. That extra screen has been removed so the attached display matches what you see everywhere else.",
-    "On a brand-new node, the attached screen now walks through the same welcome and setup steps you'd see on a phone or laptop, and shows the normal sign-in screen once the node is set up \u2014 so the on-device display always matches the rest of the interface.",
-    "When adding a FIPS network anchor, you can now choose whether it connects over TCP (for a public anchor reached across the internet) or UDP (for one on your local network), instead of it always assuming the local-network option.",
-    "Behind the scenes, a new automated two-node test now exercises real node-to-node features \u2014 browsing another node's shared files and handling a removed node \u2014 against live nodes before each release, so node-to-node problems are caught earlier."
+    "The Bitcoin sync status on the home screen no longer disappears for a moment when it refreshes. If the node was briefly busy, the panel used to vanish and pop back; it now stays put and simply shows \"Updating\u2026\" until the next reading arrives, while a genuinely stopped node still correctly shows as not running.",
+    "Bitcoin sync progress on the home screen now updates more promptly, so the percentage and block height keep pace with the node instead of lagging behind.",
+    "The Lightning wallet \"connect your wallet\" screen loads its details and QR code again across all nodes, instead of failing to fetch them.",
+    "Your list of trusted nodes is now clean: the same node no longer appears several times under different names, and removed nodes stay removed. In chat, a node that previously showed up as two separate contacts now appears just once.",
+    "Browsing another node's cloud is smoother: music and video files from a peer now preview and play properly (including seeking partway through), and the connection now shows a small badge telling you whether it's using the fast encrypted mesh or the slower Tor network.",
+    "Opening \"My Folders\" in the cloud now shows a clear, friendly message when the file app isn't running, instead of a confusing error.",
+    "The Electrum server app opens on its own once it's ready, instead of sometimes leaving a loading spinner stuck on top of the screen.",
+    "The Fedimint app now displays with its proper styling and icons, instead of appearing unstyled with a missing image.",
+    "The Mempool app now connects to your Bitcoin node whether the node is Bitcoin Core or Bitcoin Knots, instead of only working with one of them.",
+    "Nodes start up cleanly after a reboot. On some boots the node's main service was trying to start before its data drive had finished mounting, so it failed and retried about twenty times over roughly five minutes \u2014 showing a wall of \"Failed to start\" messages \u2014 before finally coming up. It now waits for the data drive to be ready first, so it starts on the first try."
   ],
   "components": [
     {
       "name": "archipelago",
-      "current_version": "1.7.96-alpha",
-      "new_version": "1.7.96-alpha",
-      "download_url": "http://146.59.87.168:3000/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.7.96-alpha/archipelago",
-      "sha256": "147672b4ebecd6042d4606a4fa2fdd60a5de8b9f518a7c0263ee2b6f49aed113",
-      "size_bytes": 44358704
+      "current_version": "1.7.97-alpha",
+      "new_version": "1.7.97-alpha",
+      "download_url": "http://146.59.87.168:3000/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.7.97-alpha/archipelago",
+      "sha256": "90c21835a7418cd4e464036337a188e723bd0189404b9b2b5081989038ed4be5",
+      "size_bytes": 44450392
     },
     {
-      "name": "archipelago-frontend-1.7.96-alpha.tar.gz",
-      "current_version": "1.7.96-alpha",
-      "new_version": "1.7.96-alpha",
-      "download_url": "http://146.59.87.168:3000/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.7.96-alpha/archipelago-frontend-1.7.96-alpha.tar.gz",
-      "sha256": "c91c73abd078dd85f2515b553d60348ab8fe169f7ec00e9d4a6b4f131a96c2fa",
-      "size_bytes": 184071997
+      "name": "archipelago-frontend-1.7.97-alpha.tar.gz",
+      "current_version": "1.7.97-alpha",
+      "new_version": "1.7.97-alpha",
+      "download_url": "http://146.59.87.168:3000/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.7.97-alpha/archipelago-frontend-1.7.97-alpha.tar.gz",
+      "sha256": "2d004f6d8b34387f5dcfe2bd42c87b115227aedf5073da252b72ea775fb38464",
+      "size_bytes": 177639644
     }
   ]
 }
diff --git a/releases/manifest.json b/releases/manifest.json
index 73314242..cb274b54 100644
--- a/releases/manifest.json
+++ b/releases/manifest.json
@@ -1,28 +1,34 @@
 {
-  "version": "1.7.96-alpha",
-  "release_date": "2026-06-15",
+  "version": "1.7.97-alpha",
+  "release_date": "2026-06-16",
   "changelog": [
-    "The screen attached to your node now shows the normal Archipelago interface and your dashboard after you sign in, instead of a separate, stripped-down grid of app icons that could appear in its place. That extra screen has been removed so the attached display matches what you see everywhere else.",
-    "On a brand-new node, the attached screen now walks through the same welcome and setup steps you'd see on a phone or laptop, and shows the normal sign-in screen once the node is set up \u2014 so the on-device display always matches the rest of the interface.",
-    "When adding a FIPS network anchor, you can now choose whether it connects over TCP (for a public anchor reached across the internet) or UDP (for one on your local network), instead of it always assuming the local-network option.",
-    "Behind the scenes, a new automated two-node test now exercises real node-to-node features \u2014 browsing another node's shared files and handling a removed node \u2014 against live nodes before each release, so node-to-node problems are caught earlier."
+    "The Bitcoin sync status on the home screen no longer disappears for a moment when it refreshes. If the node was briefly busy, the panel used to vanish and pop back; it now stays put and simply shows \"Updating\u2026\" until the next reading arrives, while a genuinely stopped node still correctly shows as not running.",
+    "Bitcoin sync progress on the home screen now updates more promptly, so the percentage and block height keep pace with the node instead of lagging behind.",
+    "The Lightning wallet \"connect your wallet\" screen loads its details and QR code again across all nodes, instead of failing to fetch them.",
+    "Your list of trusted nodes is now clean: the same node no longer appears several times under different names, and removed nodes stay removed. In chat, a node that previously showed up as two separate contacts now appears just once.",
+    "Browsing another node's cloud is smoother: music and video files from a peer now preview and play properly (including seeking partway through), and the connection now shows a small badge telling you whether it's using the fast encrypted mesh or the slower Tor network.",
+    "Opening \"My Folders\" in the cloud now shows a clear, friendly message when the file app isn't running, instead of a confusing error.",
+    "The Electrum server app opens on its own once it's ready, instead of sometimes leaving a loading spinner stuck on top of the screen.",
+    "The Fedimint app now displays with its proper styling and icons, instead of appearing unstyled with a missing image.",
+    "The Mempool app now connects to your Bitcoin node whether the node is Bitcoin Core or Bitcoin Knots, instead of only working with one of them.",
+    "Nodes start up cleanly after a reboot. On some boots the node's main service was trying to start before its data drive had finished mounting, so it failed and retried about twenty times over roughly five minutes \u2014 showing a wall of \"Failed to start\" messages \u2014 before finally coming up. It now waits for the data drive to be ready first, so it starts on the first try."
   ],
   "components": [
     {
       "name": "archipelago",
-      "current_version": "1.7.96-alpha",
-      "new_version": "1.7.96-alpha",
-      "download_url": "http://146.59.87.168:3000/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.7.96-alpha/archipelago",
-      "sha256": "147672b4ebecd6042d4606a4fa2fdd60a5de8b9f518a7c0263ee2b6f49aed113",
-      "size_bytes": 44358704
+      "current_version": "1.7.97-alpha",
+      "new_version": "1.7.97-alpha",
+      "download_url": "http://146.59.87.168:3000/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.7.97-alpha/archipelago",
+      "sha256": "90c21835a7418cd4e464036337a188e723bd0189404b9b2b5081989038ed4be5",
+      "size_bytes": 44450392
     },
     {
-      "name": "archipelago-frontend-1.7.96-alpha.tar.gz",
-      "current_version": "1.7.96-alpha",
-      "new_version": "1.7.96-alpha",
-      "download_url": "http://146.59.87.168:3000/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.7.96-alpha/archipelago-frontend-1.7.96-alpha.tar.gz",
-      "sha256": "c91c73abd078dd85f2515b553d60348ab8fe169f7ec00e9d4a6b4f131a96c2fa",
-      "size_bytes": 184071997
+      "name": "archipelago-frontend-1.7.97-alpha.tar.gz",
+      "current_version": "1.7.97-alpha",
+      "new_version": "1.7.97-alpha",
+      "download_url": "http://146.59.87.168:3000/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.7.97-alpha/archipelago-frontend-1.7.97-alpha.tar.gz",
+      "sha256": "2d004f6d8b34387f5dcfe2bd42c87b115227aedf5073da252b72ea775fb38464",
+      "size_bytes": 177639644
     }
   ]
 }