diff --git a/src/bin/bevy.rs b/src/bin/bevy.rs
index 30f7620..43048fb 100644
--- a/src/bin/bevy.rs
+++ b/src/bin/bevy.rs
@@ -2203,23 +2203,36 @@ fn setup_3d(
         ChildOf(root),
     ));
     // 2) warm amber machine glow at the core rack (machine presence) — the
-    // only machine light at tick zero. Tight radius: with ownership now
-    // painted on the chassis albedo, this is the core's own light pool,
-    // never a wash that warms foreign dark chassis nearby.
-    commands.spawn((
-        PointLight {
-            color: AMBER,
-            intensity: 70_000.0,
-            range: 3.2,
-            shadows_enabled: false,
-            ..default()
-        },
-        Transform::from_translation(
-            grid_to_world_3d(core.0, core.1, 0.0) + Vec3::new(0.0, 1.2, 0.4),
-        ),
-        layer,
-        ChildOf(root),
-    ));
+    // only machine light at tick zero. The core's strip is a LINEAR
+    // fixture, so its light is a dense run of dim point lights along
+    // the strip's height (front and back of the seam), never one
+    // round point pool. Tight ranges: with ownership painted on the
+    // chassis albedo, this stays the core's own glow, not a wash that
+    // warms foreign dark chassis nearby.
+    let core_base = grid_to_world_3d(core.0, core.1, 0.0);
+    let strip_top = 1.30; // scaled monolith height, just under the cap
+    for i in 0..6 {
+        let y = 0.14 + (strip_top - 0.14) * (i as f32 / 5.0);
+        for (dz, intensity) in [(0.58, 5_500.0), (-0.58, 3_500.0)] {
+            // Back column: every other rung is enough for the falloff
+            // to read continuous.
+            if dz < 0.0 && i % 2 == 1 {
+                continue;
+            }
+            commands.spawn((
+                PointLight {
+                    color: AMBER,
+                    intensity,
+                    range: 2.0,
+                    shadows_enabled: false,
+                    ..default()
+                },
+                Transform::from_translation(core_base + Vec3::new(0.0, y, dz)),
+                layer.clone(),
+                ChildOf(root),
+            ));
+        }
+    }
     // No second amber lamp on foreign/known-subnet devices: blueprint is
     // topology, not a glowing rack farm (machine-work.md: no intel, no render).
 
diff --git a/wiki/interface/computer-visual-language.md b/wiki/interface/computer-visual-language.md
index ff3949e..05ecfe7 100644
--- a/wiki/interface/computer-visual-language.md
+++ b/wiki/interface/computer-visual-language.md
@@ -195,4 +195,7 @@ lacquer — high roughness, zero metallic, specular reflectance ~0.06 —
 and all amber emissives (core strip/fill/spines, claim rings, the
 core's lamp) sit low enough that the core never clips to white under
 the HDR bloom camera; the tower must stay readable geometry, not a
-flare.
+flare. The core's scene light is a LINEAR fixture (2026-07-09): a
+dense run of dim point lights along the strip's height, front and
+back — never one round point pool; rung count, offsets, and per-rung
+intensity are the knobs.
diff --git a/wiki/log/DEVLOG.md b/wiki/log/DEVLOG.md
index f0c50b6..b193b0e 100644
--- a/wiki/log/DEVLOG.md
+++ b/wiki/log/DEVLOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,18 @@ Type: log
 ```
 Reverse chronological implementation notes. Keep this factual: what changed, why, checks, and spec impact.
 
+## 2026-07-09 - The core's light is a linear fixture
+
+- Intent: Cameron flagged the core's single point light — a round pool
+  under a linear strip looks wrong.
+- Changed: the amber lamp is now a dense run of dim point lights along
+  the strip's height (six front rungs, three back, pushed off the
+  face so the panels do not torch); the floor pool elongates along the
+  tower and the faces keep their geometry. Calibration note added to
+  the spec's [TUNE] paragraph.
+- Checks: full ./tools/check.sh; game tokens capture, fog audit green.
+- Log: entry only (visual [TUNE] pass).
+
 ## 2026-07-09 - Heard noise field (Ears beat visuals)
 
 - Intent: after the first audio tap, Heard was a flat dim floor with no
@@ -17,6 +29,7 @@ Reverse chronological implementation notes. Keep this factual: what changed, why
 - Checks: full ./tools/check.sh; ears capture.
 - Log: wiki/log/2026-07-09-heard-noise-field.md.
 
+
 ## 2026-07-09 - Token stacks readable at default camera
 
 - Intent: decided cube/mercury/exposure forms were vanishing under chassis
@@ -27,6 +40,11 @@ Reverse chronological implementation notes. Keep this factual: what changed, why
   up.
 - Checks: `./tools/check.sh`.
 - Log: wiki/log/2026-07-09-token-visibility.md.
+<<<<<<< HEAD
+=======
+
+
+>>>>>>> 8b00aba (Light the core as a linear fixture)
 ## 2026-07-09 - In-flight route blips on the work wire
 
 - Intent: demand/knowledge hops should read as cargo crawling the wire,