diff --git a/src/app/not-found.tsx b/src/app/not-found.tsx
index 0f5e04d..7f86957 100644
--- a/src/app/not-found.tsx
+++ b/src/app/not-found.tsx
@@ -13,7 +13,12 @@ export default function NotFound() {
       <div className="container-narrow" style={{ padding: '2rem 2rem 0' }}>
         <Header compact />
       </div>
-      <NotFoundPanel />
+      {/* Mirror the explore layout's gutter so the panel doesn't sit flush
+          against the viewport edges on this top-level route. The panel
+          itself no longer self-pads. */}
+      <div className="container-narrow" style={{ padding: '0 2rem 4rem' }}>
+        <NotFoundPanel />
+      </div>
     </div>
   );
 }
diff --git a/src/components/NotFoundPanel.tsx b/src/components/NotFoundPanel.tsx
index 7e40d28..32a594e 100644
--- a/src/components/NotFoundPanel.tsx
+++ b/src/components/NotFoundPanel.tsx
@@ -39,9 +39,13 @@ export default function NotFoundPanel({
       animate={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
       transition={{ duration: 0.5, ease: [0.34, 1.56, 0.64, 1] }}
       style={{
+        // Constrains text width but lets the parent layout handle the
+        // horizontal gutter — the explore routes are already inside a
+        // container-narrow with its own 2rem of side padding, and adding
+        // more here doubled the inset. The standalone /not-found route
+        // wraps this in its own padded container.
         maxWidth: '40rem',
         margin: '3rem auto 4rem',
-        padding: '0 2rem',
       }}
     >
       <div