diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 7e932b2e..2eba0110 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 - The Connections map spreads a country's highlighted dots across it, clustered
   around the capital, instead of bunching them at the country's centre.
 
+- Badges no longer lose their rounded shape in Safari after a long session.
+
 ### Security
 
 - A Connections tile that cannot reach a service now says so in plain words
diff --git a/ui/css/dashboard.css b/ui/css/dashboard.css
index 5addc65b..b17e0df3 100644
--- a/ui/css/dashboard.css
+++ b/ui/css/dashboard.css
@@ -181,6 +181,11 @@
       justify-content:center;
       font-size:calc(13px * var(--sc,1)); font-weight:800; color:#fff; line-height:1;
       z-index:20; pointer-events:none;
+      /* Pins the badge to its own compositing layer for the life of the page.
+         WebKit otherwise promotes and demotes this rounded, absolutely
+         positioned element as its classes and inline colours change next to the
+         transformed icon, and its clipped corners can rasterise torn. */
+      transform:translateZ(0);
     }
     .badge.on  { display:flex }
     .badge.red  { background:var(--badge-red) }
diff --git a/ui/js/badge-logic.js b/ui/js/badge-logic.js
index eb4bffa3..0793264b 100644
--- a/ui/js/badge-logic.js
+++ b/ui/js/badge-logic.js
@@ -153,3 +153,12 @@ export function computeBadgeVisual({
 
   return { cls, txt, bg, aria, color, title: reason };
 }
+
+/** Identity of a rendered badge, for skipping DOM writes that would change nothing.
+    Covers every field {@link computeBadgeVisual} returns that reaches the element.
+    @param {{ cls?: string, txt?: string, bg?: string, aria?: string, color?: string, title?: string }} visual */
+export function badgeSignature({ cls = '', txt = '', bg = '', aria = '', color = '', title = '' } = {}) {
+  /* NUL separator: a plain space would let a class list and the label pack
+     into one string two different ways and compare equal. */
+  return [cls, txt, bg, aria, color, title].join('\u0000');
+}
diff --git a/ui/js/dashboard.js b/ui/js/dashboard.js
index dd214aec..76b7611c 100644
--- a/ui/js/dashboard.js
+++ b/ui/js/dashboard.js
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ import { initI18n, t, currentLang } from '/js/i18n.js?v=133a7aac';
 import { pwStrength, passwordMismatch } from '/js/password-strength.js?v=dab9978e';
 import { sanitizeItemLinks } from '/js/link-url.js?v=19038560';
 import { initUI, mkFolder, openFolderDesktop, openFolderMobile, buildMobile } from '/js/ui.js?v=07fd9e2d';
-import { computeBadgeVisual } from '/js/badge-logic.js?v=d278c683';
+import { badgeSignature, computeBadgeVisual } from '/js/badge-logic.js?v=d278c683';
 import { configChanged, landingAfterSetup } from '/js/dashboard-logic.js?v=640430ba';
 import { trapFocus } from '/js/dialog.js?v=4ff94595';
 
@@ -74,6 +74,10 @@ let _badgeFails = 0,
   badgesStale = false,
   healthStale = false;
 const BEL = new Map();
+/* Last painted appearance per badge element. Polling calls bupd() for every
+   registered badge each cycle, and folder badges once more per child update, so
+   without this the same values are rewritten thousands of times a session. */
+const BSIG = new WeakMap();
 function breg(id, el) {
   if (!BEL.has(id)) BEL.set(id, new Set());
   BEL.get(id).add(el);
@@ -104,7 +108,11 @@ function bupd(id) {
     translate: t,
   });
 
+  const sig = badgeSignature({ cls, txt, bg, aria, color, title });
+
   els.forEach(el => {
+    if (BSIG.get(el) === sig) return;
+    BSIG.set(el, sig);
     el.className = cls;
     el.textContent = txt;
     if (aria) {
diff --git a/ui/test/badge-logic.test.mjs b/ui/test/badge-logic.test.mjs
index bdbfb987..72ef7e8a 100644
--- a/ui/test/badge-logic.test.mjs
+++ b/ui/test/badge-logic.test.mjs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { test } from 'node:test';
 import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
-import { computeBadgeVisual, needsDark, resolveColor, NAMED, healthReason } from '../js/badge-logic.js';
+import { computeBadgeVisual, needsDark, resolveColor, NAMED, healthReason, badgeSignature } from '../js/badge-logic.js';
 
 test('unhealthy takes priority over everything else', () => {
   const v = computeBadgeVisual({
@@ -189,3 +189,25 @@ test('an unhealthy badge with no detail still works', () => {
   assert.equal(v.title, '');
   assert.equal(v.aria, 'Status: needs attention');
 });
+
+test('the same badge visual signs identically, so an unchanged badge is not repainted', () => {
+  const opts = { health: 0, activity: 4, hasHC: true, custom: { unit: 'GB' } };
+  assert.equal(badgeSignature(computeBadgeVisual(opts)), badgeSignature(computeBadgeVisual(opts)));
+});
+
+test('every field that reaches the element changes the signature', () => {
+  const base = { cls: 'badge on blue', txt: '4', bg: '#ffcc00', aria: '4 pending', color: '#1c1c1e', title: 'x' };
+  for (const key of Object.keys(base)) {
+    assert.notEqual(badgeSignature(base), badgeSignature({ ...base, [key]: 'changed' }), key);
+  }
+});
+
+test('signature fields cannot pack into each other', () => {
+  assert.notEqual(badgeSignature({ cls: 'badge on', txt: '' }), badgeSignature({ cls: 'badge', txt: 'on' }));
+});
+
+test('a stale badge signs differently from the same badge fresh', () => {
+  const fresh = computeBadgeVisual({ activity: 2, badgesStale: false });
+  const stale = computeBadgeVisual({ activity: 2, badgesStale: true });
+  assert.notEqual(badgeSignature(fresh), badgeSignature(stale));
+});