diff --git a/index.html b/index.html
index 62cc848..3de2371 100644
--- a/index.html
+++ b/index.html
@@ -64,6 +64,8 @@
   #intro .how p { margin: 0; }
   #intro .how span { display: inline-block; width: 30px; }
   #intro em { color: #8a96ab; font-style: normal; font-size: 12px; }
+  /* which build is served — filled in by main.js, empty (and invisible) if the header is missing */
+  #build { margin: 10px 0 0; font-size: 9px; color: #5a6270; letter-spacing: 0.5px; }
   #intro .start { margin-top: 18px; color: #e0cc72; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 1px; animation: blink 1.1s step-end infinite; }
   @keyframes blink { 50% { opacity: 0.25; } }
 </style>
@@ -84,8 +86,9 @@
       <p class="kb"><span>⌨️</span> WASD / arrows + SPACE</p>
     </div>
     <p class="start">TAP TO START</p>
+    <p id="build"></p>
   </div>
 </div>
-<script type="module" src="main.js?v=50"></script>
+<script type="module" src="main.js?v=51"></script>
 </body>
 </html>
diff --git a/main.js b/main.js
index 5ae3acf..950ea98 100644
--- a/main.js
+++ b/main.js
@@ -32,6 +32,13 @@ function dismissIntro() {
   intro.remove(); ambient(); voice('quiet_please'); // low atmosphere bed starts with the first gesture
 }
 intro.addEventListener('pointerdown', e => { e.preventDefault(); dismissIntro(); });
+// which build am I looking at? Push = deploy and the browser cannot see git, so the served file's
+// own timestamp IS the version marker — it changes on every deploy, with nothing to remember to bump.
+// Match it against `git log -1 --format=%cd` when a phone looks suspiciously out of date.
+fetch('main.js', { method: 'HEAD' })
+  .then(r => { const t = r.headers.get('last-modified'); if (!t) return;
+    document.getElementById('build').textContent = 'BUILD ' + new Date(t).toLocaleString('en-GB').replace(',', ''); })
+  .catch(() => {}); // no header, no line — never a broken start screen
 addEventListener('keydown', () => dismissIntro(), { once: true });
 
 // eaten: any tap or key restarts — but only once the death animation has played out, so a