diff --git a/spec/instagram-reel-app-spec.mjs b/spec/instagram-reel-app-spec.mjs
index df143b15ba..6b3e0b9bf9 100644
--- a/spec/instagram-reel-app-spec.mjs
+++ b/spec/instagram-reel-app-spec.mjs
@@ -30,11 +30,12 @@ describe("Instagram Reel apps", () => {
   it("writes short account-specific captions", () => {
     const whistle = whistlegraphCaption({ desc: "hello #old https://example.com", works: ["w0w"] },
       "play", REEL_APPS.whistlegraph.tags);
-    const aesthetic = aestheticCaption(REEL_APPS.aesthetic.recipes[0], REEL_APPS.aesthetic.tags);
+    const aesthetic = aestheticCaption(REEL_APPS.aesthetic.recipes[0]);
     expect(cleanCaption("hello #old https://example.com")).toBe("hello");
     expect(whistle).toContain("aesthetic.computer/whistlegraph");
     expect(whistle).not.toContain("#old");
-    expect(aesthetic).toContain("aesthetic.computer/notepat");
+    expect(aesthetic).toBe("notepat");
+    expect(aestheticCaption({ piece: "*wibe" })).toBe("*wibe");
     expect(whistle.length).toBeLessThan(2200);
     expect(aesthetic.length).toBeLessThan(2200);
   });
diff --git a/toolchain/instagram/reel-app-config.mjs b/toolchain/instagram/reel-app-config.mjs
index fd006e0501..29a075bdaf 100644
--- a/toolchain/instagram/reel-app-config.mjs
+++ b/toolchain/instagram/reel-app-config.mjs
@@ -17,7 +17,9 @@ export const REEL_APPS = {
     slotsPerDay: 1,
     // 60 because the shared media gate wants reels authored at 60fps, and the
     // CDP screencast delivers ~60 anyway (30 dropped every other frame).
-    capture: { width: 1080, height: 1920, fps: 60 },
+    // density 2 = each AC pixel is 2×2 video pixels (540×960 of piece);
+    // capture-av's default 3 read too chunky.
+    capture: { width: 1080, height: 1920, fps: 60, density: 2 },
     // The piece alone: no pals side stamps or title columns, and a cursor
     // small enough to read as a pointer rather than a mascot.
     stamp: { chrome: "none", cursorSize: 56 },
@@ -44,10 +46,11 @@ export const REEL_APPS = {
       },
       {
         // The most-hit stored clock (110 hits on /api/store-clock, 2026-09-23):
-        // four saw voices; the lead loops every ~7.75 s, so 16 s is two loops.
+        // four saw voices; the lead loops every ~7.75 s, so 24 s is three
+        // loops. Lane rule: whole loops landing in 20–30 s.
         id: "clock-wibe",
         piece: "*wibe",
-        duration: 16,
+        duration: 24,
         title: "clock",
         segment: "code",
         line: "The most-played clock on aesthetic.computer: four saw voices, one tiny score.",
@@ -112,7 +115,9 @@ export function whistlegraphCaption(post, segment, tags) {
   return [opening, "", action, "", tags.map((tag) => `#${tag}`).join(" ")].join("\n");
 }
 
-export function aestheticCaption(recipe, tags) {
-  return [recipe.line, "", `Play it — aesthetic.computer/${recipe.title}`, "",
-    tags.map((tag) => `#${tag}`).join(" ")].join("\n");
+// The caption is the prompt and nothing else: exactly what you'd type into
+// aesthetic.computer to get what the reel shows (`*wibe`, `notepat`). No
+// link, no hashtags, no line — the prompt is the whole invitation.
+export function aestheticCaption(recipe) {
+  return recipe.prompt || recipe.piece;
 }
diff --git a/toolchain/instagram/reel-app.mjs b/toolchain/instagram/reel-app.mjs
index f5a412632f..0bfa60b8f4 100644
--- a/toolchain/instagram/reel-app.mjs
+++ b/toolchain/instagram/reel-app.mjs
@@ -165,7 +165,8 @@ async function buildAesthetic({ config, day, index, slot, dir, source }) {
   const captureArgs = [CAPTURE_AV, source.piece, "--duration", String(source.duration),
     "--slug", source.title, "--out", capture,
     "--width", String(config.capture.width), "--height", String(config.capture.height),
-    "--fps", String(config.capture.fps)];
+    "--fps", String(config.capture.fps),
+    ...(config.capture.density ? ["--density", String(config.capture.density)] : [])];
   if (source.performance) captureArgs.push("--perform", source.performance);
   run(process.execPath, captureArgs, { inherit: true });
   const base = join(capture, `base-${source.title}.mp4`);
@@ -182,7 +183,7 @@ async function buildAesthetic({ config, day, index, slot, dir, source }) {
     format: "ac.instagram.reel", version: 1, account: config.account,
     id: `${day}-s${index}-${source.id}`, day, index, slot, sourceId: source.id,
     piece: source.piece, segment: source.segment,
-    caption: aestheticCaption(source, config.tags), tags: config.tags,
+    caption: aestheticCaption(source), tags: [],
     approval: { recipe: "proven-av", humanAutoGate: `${config.prefix}_IG_AUTO=1` },
     files: { reel },
   };