diff --git a/js/utils/cardSourceVisibility.js b/js/utils/cardSourceVisibility.js
index bc64fd58..10ae9763 100644
--- a/js/utils/cardSourceVisibility.js
+++ b/js/utils/cardSourceVisibility.js
@@ -13,13 +13,16 @@ export function cardNeedsEagerLivenessProbe(cardLike) {
     return false;
   }
   const policy = getCardLivenessPolicy();
-  if (policy === "hide-all") {
-    return true;
+  const gated =
+    policy === "hide-all" ||
+    (policy === "hide-foreign" && card.dataset.foreign === "true");
+  if (!gated) {
+    return false;
   }
-  if (policy === "hide-foreign") {
-    return card.dataset.foreign === "true";
-  }
-  return false;
+  // Only cards backed by a fast CDN probe are hidden-until-verified (so they need
+  // eager probing while hidden). P2P-only cards fall back to show-pending — they
+  // start visible and are probed normally on scroll, so no eager kick is needed.
+  return Boolean(card.dataset.urlHealthUrl);
 }
 
 function resolveCardElement(cardLike) {
@@ -99,12 +102,28 @@ export function updateVideoCardSourceVisibility(cardLike) {
   const hideUntilVerified =
     policy === "hide-all" || (policy === "hide-foreign" && isForeign);
 
-  const shouldHide = hideUntilVerified
-    ? // Hidden until at least one source proves playable (covers the pending
-      // window too, so a dead foreign stranger never flashes in).
-      !cdnHealthy && !streamHealthy
-    : // Default: only hide once every source has come back dead.
-      !cdnHealthy && !streamHealthy && !cdnPending && !streamPending;
+  // Default policy: hide only once every source has come back dead.
+  const confirmedDead =
+    !cdnHealthy && !streamHealthy && !cdnPending && !streamPending;
+
+  let shouldHide;
+  if (!hideUntilVerified) {
+    shouldHide = confirmedDead;
+  } else if (cdnHealthy || streamHealthy) {
+    shouldHide = false; // proven playable → show
+  } else if (cdnPending) {
+    // Still waiting on the FAST, reliable CDN probe (~4s) — keep it hidden so a
+    // dead foreign card never flashes in.
+    shouldHide = true;
+  } else {
+    // CDN is resolved dead (or absent) and the only remaining signal is the slow,
+    // unreliable WebTorrent swarm probe (20s + 5min cache). Do NOT bury the card
+    // behind it — a live-but-slow P2P video is indistinguishable from a dead one
+    // until that probe finishes, and burying live content is worse than a brief
+    // flash. Fall back to show-pending for the stream: show while it's checked,
+    // hide only once it too is confirmed dead.
+    shouldHide = !streamHealthy && !streamPending;
+  }
 
   if (shouldHide) {
     if (!card.hidden) {
diff --git a/tests/video-card-source-visibility.test.mjs b/tests/video-card-source-visibility.test.mjs
index b33c1d6f..8b75bf25 100644
--- a/tests/video-card-source-visibility.test.mjs
+++ b/tests/video-card-source-visibility.test.mjs
@@ -160,13 +160,25 @@ test("VideoCard hides cards without playable sources until a healthy CDN update
   assert.equal(root.dataset.sourceVisibility, "visible", "visibility dataset should reflect the restored state");
 });
 
-function makeCard(document, { foreign = "false", owner = "false", url = "checking", stream = "checking" } = {}) {
+function makeCard(
+  document,
+  {
+    foreign = "false",
+    owner = "false",
+    url = "checking",
+    stream = "checking",
+    cdnUrl = "https://cdn.example/v.mp4", // pass "" for a WebTorrent-only card
+  } = {}
+) {
   const card = document.createElement("article");
   card.classList.add("card");
   card.dataset.ownerIsViewer = owner;
   card.dataset.foreign = foreign;
   card.dataset.urlHealthState = url;
   card.dataset.streamHealthState = stream;
+  if (cdnUrl) {
+    card.dataset.urlHealthUrl = encodeURIComponent(cdnUrl);
+  }
   document.body.appendChild(card);
   return card;
 }
@@ -225,6 +237,41 @@ test("CARD_LIVENESS_POLICY=hide-all hides every pending non-owner card but never
   assert.equal(nativeCard.hidden, false, "card appears once a source verifies");
 });
 
+// WebTorrent-only foreign content must NOT get buried under hide-foreign: its
+// only signal is the slow/unreliable swarm probe (20s + 5min cache), so a
+// live-but-slow P2P video would otherwise stay hidden. It falls back to
+// show-pending instead (shown while checked, hidden only once confirmed dead).
+test("hide-foreign does not bury WebTorrent-only foreign cards (no CDN to verify fast)", (t) => {
+  const { document } = setupDom(t);
+  setCardLivenessPolicy("hide-foreign");
+  t.after(() => setCardLivenessPolicy("show-pending"));
+
+  // No CDN url → urlHealthState resolves to "offline"; stream probe still running.
+  const p2pCard = makeCard(document, {
+    foreign: "true",
+    cdnUrl: "",
+    url: "offline",
+    stream: "checking",
+  });
+  updateVideoCardSourceVisibility(p2pCard);
+  assert.equal(p2pCard.hidden, false, "P2P-only foreign card is shown while its swarm is checked, not buried");
+  assert.equal(
+    cardNeedsEagerLivenessProbe(p2pCard),
+    false,
+    "P2P-only card is show-pending, so it is not eager-probed",
+  );
+
+  // Only once the swarm probe also confirms it dead does it hide.
+  p2pCard.dataset.streamHealthState = "unhealthy";
+  updateVideoCardSourceVisibility(p2pCard);
+  assert.equal(p2pCard.hidden, true, "confirmed-dead P2P card finally hides");
+
+  // A CDN-backed foreign card, by contrast, IS hidden while its fast probe runs.
+  const cdnCard = makeCard(document, { foreign: "true", url: "checking", stream: "checking" });
+  updateVideoCardSourceVisibility(cdnCard);
+  assert.equal(cdnCard.hidden, true, "CDN-backed foreign card stays hidden during its fast probe");
+});
+
 // Hide-until-verified cards start display:none, so the viewport observer can't
 // fire for them — they must be eager-probed. This predicate gates that, and it
 // must mirror the visibility policy exactly so the right cards get probed.