diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 075ba54..93a3fbc 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -31,6 +31,10 @@ just test-all  # pre-review local validation
 just serve     # Dioxus dev server
 ```
 
+`just serve` starts against the current projection database without seeding demo
+content. For browser e2e or a local demo feed, opt in explicitly:
+`POLYMODEL_SAMPLE_DATA=auto just serve`.
+
 ## Stack
 
 - Rust 2024 / nightly
diff --git a/e2e/playwright.config.ts b/e2e/playwright.config.ts
index 4c44c03..4a50042 100644
--- a/e2e/playwright.config.ts
+++ b/e2e/playwright.config.ts
@@ -1,20 +1,52 @@
-import { defineConfig, devices } from '@playwright/test';
-import { existsSync, readdirSync, realpathSync, statSync } from 'node:fs';
-function findNixChromiumHeadlessShell(): string | undefined { const browsersPath = process.env.PLAYWRIGHT_BROWSERS_PATH; if (!browsersPath || !existsSync(browsersPath)) return undefined; const findExecutable = (root: string): string | undefined => { for (const entry of readdirSync(root)) { const candidate = `${root}/${entry}`; const stat = statSync(candidate); if (stat.isFile() && entry === 'chrome-headless-shell') return candidate; if (stat.isDirectory()) { const found = findExecutable(candidate); if (found) return found; } } return undefined; }; for (const entry of readdirSync(browsersPath)) { if (entry.startsWith('chromium_headless_shell-')) { const found = findExecutable(realpathSync(`${browsersPath}/${entry}`)); if (found) return found; } } return undefined; } const chromiumExecutablePath = findNixChromiumHeadlessShell(); export default defineConfig({
-  testDir: './tests',
+import { defineConfig, devices } from "@playwright/test";
+import { existsSync, readdirSync, realpathSync, statSync } from "node:fs";
+function findNixChromiumHeadlessShell(): string | undefined {
+  const browsersPath = process.env.PLAYWRIGHT_BROWSERS_PATH;
+  if (!browsersPath || !existsSync(browsersPath)) return undefined;
+  const findExecutable = (root: string): string | undefined => {
+    for (const entry of readdirSync(root)) {
+      const candidate = `${root}/${entry}`;
+      const stat = statSync(candidate);
+      if (stat.isFile() && entry === "chrome-headless-shell") return candidate;
+      if (stat.isDirectory()) {
+        const found = findExecutable(candidate);
+        if (found) return found;
+      }
+    }
+    return undefined;
+  };
+  for (const entry of readdirSync(browsersPath)) {
+    if (entry.startsWith("chromium_headless_shell-")) {
+      const found = findExecutable(realpathSync(`${browsersPath}/${entry}`));
+      if (found) return found;
+    }
+  }
+  return undefined;
+}
+const chromiumExecutablePath = findNixChromiumHeadlessShell();
+export default defineConfig({
+  testDir: "./tests",
   timeout: 30_000,
   expect: { timeout: 5_000 },
   use: {
-    baseURL: 'http://127.0.0.1:8080',
-    trace: 'on-first-retry',
+    baseURL: "http://127.0.0.1:60000", // avoid ports likely to be in use
+    trace: "on-first-retry",
   },
   projects: [
-    { name: 'chromium', use: { ...devices['Desktop Chrome'], launchOptions: chromiumExecutablePath ? { executablePath: chromiumExecutablePath } : undefined } },
+    {
+      name: "chromium",
+      use: {
+        ...devices["Desktop Chrome"],
+        launchOptions: chromiumExecutablePath ? { executablePath: chromiumExecutablePath } : undefined,
+      },
+    },
   ],
   webServer: {
-    command: 'just serve',
-    url: 'http://127.0.0.1:8080',
-    reuseExistingServer: true,
-    timeout: 120_000,
+    command:
+      "rm -f data/polymodel-e2e.db && DATABASE_URL=sqlite:./data/polymodel-e2e.db POLYMODEL_SAMPLE_DATA=auto just serve --port 60000",
+    cwd: "..",
+    url: "http://127.0.0.1:60000",
+    reuseExistingServer: false,
+    timeout: 600_000,
   },
 });
diff --git a/e2e/tests/home.spec.ts b/e2e/tests/home.spec.ts
index a3a2299..18ce0ed 100644
--- a/e2e/tests/home.spec.ts
+++ b/e2e/tests/home.spec.ts
@@ -7,20 +7,19 @@ test('home page shows the product shell and discovery feed with reusable thing c
   await expect(page.getByRole('link', { name: 'Polymodel home' })).toBeVisible();
   await expect(page.getByRole('searchbox', { name: 'Search Polymodel' })).toBeVisible();
   await expect(page.getByRole('link', { name: 'Publish' })).toBeVisible();
-  await expect(page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Sign in' })).toBeVisible();
+  await expect(page.getByRole('banner').getByRole('button', { name: 'Sign in' })).toBeVisible();
 
-  // Discovery home heading + feed selector (Hot default, Following disabled).
-  await expect(page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'Browse the catalog' })).toBeVisible();
+  // Discovery feed selector (Hot default; Following now resolves to a signed-out empty state).
   await expect(page.getByRole('tab', { name: 'Hot' })).toHaveAttribute('aria-selected', 'true');
   await expect(page.getByRole('tab', { name: 'Recent' })).toHaveAttribute('aria-selected', 'false');
-  await expect(page.getByRole('tab', { name: 'Following' })).toBeDisabled();
+  await expect(page.getByRole('tab', { name: 'Following' })).toHaveAttribute('aria-selected', 'false');
 
   // No inline catalog search box on the home surface anymore.
   await expect(page.getByRole('searchbox', { name: 'Search model projects' })).toHaveCount(0);
 
   const results = page.getByLabel('Browse results');
   await expect(results).toBeVisible();
-  await expect(results.getByRole('article')).toHaveCount(3);
+  expect(await results.getByRole('article').count()).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(3);
   await expect(page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'Parametric enclosure kit' })).toBeVisible();
   await expect(page.getByText('by Ari Chen')).toBeVisible();
   await expect(page.getByText('#parametric')).toBeVisible();
@@ -32,30 +31,28 @@ test('home page shows the product shell and discovery feed with reusable thing c
   await expect(page.getByText('by mira.tools')).toBeVisible();
 
   await expect(page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'Modular calibration tower' })).toBeVisible();
-  await expect(page.getByRole('img', { name: 'Blueprint placeholder for missing preview media' })).toHaveCount(2);
-  await expect(page.getByText('No preview')).toHaveCount(2);
-  await expect(page.getByText('preview pending')).toHaveCount(2);
+  expect(await page.getByRole('img', { name: 'Blueprint placeholder for missing preview media' }).count()).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(2);
 
   await expect(page.getByLabel('Browse results placeholder')).toHaveCount(0);
   await expect(page.getByText('Empty')).toHaveCount(0);
 });
 
-test('global shell search navigates client-side to /search', async ({ page }) => {
+test('global shell search navigates to /search', async ({ page }) => {
   await page.goto('/');
 
-  // Gate on a rendered feed card so the wasm client has hydrated and wired the
-  // search field's keydown handler before we type — otherwise Enter races
-  // hydration and is dropped (the SSR input accepts fill but no handler runs).
+  // Gate on a rendered feed card so the shell has loaded before we use search.
+  // Search is a native GET form, so this works before and after hydration.
   await expect(page.getByLabel('Browse results').getByRole('article').first()).toBeVisible();
 
   const search = page.getByRole('searchbox', { name: 'Search Polymodel' });
   await search.fill('enclosure');
-  await search.press('Enter');
+  await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Search' }).click();
 
   await expect(page).toHaveURL(/\/search\?q=enclosure$/);
-  await expect(page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'Search', exact: true })).toBeVisible();
-  await expect(page.getByText('Not wired up yet')).toBeVisible();
-  await expect(page.getByText(/Searched for/)).toBeVisible();
+  await expect(page.getByRole('region', { name: 'Search', exact: true })).toBeVisible();
+  await expect(page.getByText('"enclosure"')).toBeVisible();
+  await expect(page.getByLabel('Search results')).toBeVisible();
+  await expect(page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'Parametric enclosure kit' })).toBeVisible();
 });
 
 test('shell header is present on a deep route', async ({ page }) => {
@@ -68,8 +65,9 @@ test('shell header is present on a deep route', async ({ page }) => {
 
 test('placeholder routes resolve with honest, non-faked content', async ({ page }) => {
   await page.goto('/search');
-  await expect(page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'Search', exact: true })).toBeVisible();
-  await expect(page.getByText('Not wired up yet')).toBeVisible();
+  await expect(page.getByRole('region', { name: 'Search', exact: true })).toBeVisible();
+  await expect(page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'Search from the header' })).toBeVisible();
+  await expect(page.getByText('Find indexed projects by name, tag, author, or description.')).toBeVisible();
 });
 
 test('home thing cards remain readable at narrow widths', async ({ page }) => {
@@ -80,7 +78,7 @@ test('home thing cards remain readable at narrow widths', async ({ page }) => {
   await expect(page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'Parametric enclosure kit' })).toBeVisible();
   await expect(page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'Untitled thing' })).toBeVisible();
   await expect(page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'Modular calibration tower' })).toBeVisible();
-  await expect(page.getByRole('img', { name: 'Blueprint placeholder for missing preview media' })).toHaveCount(2);
+  expect(await page.getByRole('img', { name: 'Blueprint placeholder for missing preview media' }).count()).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(2);
 });
 
 test('foundation route shows foundation primitives and reusable states', async ({ page }) => {
diff --git a/e2e/tests/publish.spec.ts b/e2e/tests/publish.spec.ts
index 92332df..909e5f4 100644
--- a/e2e/tests/publish.spec.ts
+++ b/e2e/tests/publish.spec.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ test('signed-out /publish shows the sign-in callout, not the wizard', async ({ p
   await page.goto('/publish');
 
   await expect(page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'Share your models' })).toBeVisible();
-  const callout = page.locator('section[aria-label="Sign in to publish"]');
+  const callout = page.locator('section[aria-label="Sign in"]');
   await expect(callout.getByRole('button', { name: 'Sign in' })).toBeVisible();
 
   // The signed-out surface must not expose the wizard stepper or publish action.
@@ -22,6 +22,6 @@ test('signed-out /publish shows the sign-in callout, not the wizard', async ({ p
 test('signed-out publish callout returns the user to /publish after sign-in', async ({ page }) => {
   await page.goto('/publish');
 
-  const returnTo = page.locator('section[aria-label="Sign in to publish"] input[name="return_to"]');
+  const returnTo = page.locator('section[aria-label="Sign in"] input[name="return_to"]');
   await expect(returnTo).toHaveValue('/publish');
 });
diff --git a/justfile b/justfile
index cc10860..779d8a3 100644
--- a/justfile
+++ b/justfile
@@ -51,8 +51,8 @@ test-all: fix check lint test test-server
 e2e:
     cd e2e && npm test
 # Start the Dioxus dev server.
-serve:
-    dx serve
+serve *ARGS:
+    dx serve {{ ARGS }}
 # Build the Dioxus app for web.
 build-web:
     dx build --platform web
diff --git a/src/indexing/config.rs b/src/indexing/config.rs
index 0a14052..cf1c168 100644
--- a/src/indexing/config.rs
+++ b/src/indexing/config.rs
@@ -24,8 +24,9 @@ pub struct ServerConfig {
     /// defaults the OAuth client origin to `https://polymodel.space`, a functional
     /// hosted client; set `POLYMODEL_BASE_URL` for local or alternate origins.
     pub base_url: Option<String>,
-    /// Local/demo sample-data mode. `auto` seeds conservative local SQLite DBs
-    /// only when empty; `force` seeds any SQLite DB when empty; `off` disables it.
+    /// Local/demo sample-data mode. Defaults to `off`; `auto` seeds
+    /// conservative local SQLite DBs only when empty; `force` seeds any SQLite
+    /// DB when empty.
     pub sample_data: SampleDataMode,
 }
 
@@ -46,7 +47,7 @@ impl SampleDataMode {
                 tracing::warn!(%value, "unknown POLYMODEL_SAMPLE_DATA value; falling back to off");
                 Self::Off
             }
-            None => Self::Auto,
+            None => Self::Off,
         }
     }
 
@@ -113,4 +114,9 @@ mod tests {
             SampleDataMode::Auto
         );
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn sample_data_defaults_to_off() {
+        assert_eq!(SampleDataMode::from_env(None), SampleDataMode::Off);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/indexing/sample_data.rs b/src/indexing/sample_data.rs
index 28045d2..b307448 100644
--- a/src/indexing/sample_data.rs
+++ b/src/indexing/sample_data.rs
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 //! Deterministic local/demo sample data for appview read paths.
 //!
-//! This module writes projection-shaped SQLite rows only when the local/demo
-//! database has no Polymodel things. It lets ordinary local `just serve` and e2e
-//! exercise the same `getFeed`, `getThing`, and `getModel` appview contracts as
-//! production reads without UI-only fixtures.
+//! This module writes projection-shaped SQLite rows only when explicitly enabled
+//! and the local/demo database has no Polymodel things. It lets e2e and local
+//! demo runs exercise the same `getFeed`, `getThing`, and `getModel` appview
+//! contracts as production reads without UI-only fixtures.
 
 use jacquard_common::types::blob::BlobRef;
 use polymodel_api::space_polymodel::{
diff --git a/src/shell.rs b/src/shell.rs
index 583222e..96a410e 100644
--- a/src/shell.rs
+++ b/src/shell.rs
@@ -55,9 +55,9 @@ pub(crate) fn AppShell() -> Element {
     }
 }
 
-/// Global directed-search field. Submits client-side through the navigator to
-/// the `/search` route; it never performs a full document navigation (contrast
-/// `SessionControl`, which issues a real GET to `/oauth/start`).
+/// Global directed-search field. Uses a plain GET form so SSR/pre-hydration
+/// submissions still resolve to `/search?q=...`; Dioxus keeps the value synced
+/// with the current route once hydrated.
 #[component]
 fn ShellSearch() -> Element {
     let route = use_route::<Route>();
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ fn ShellSearch() -> Element {
     }
 
     rsx! {
-        div { class: "app-search", role: "search",
+        form { class: "app-search", role: "search", action: "/search", method: "get",
             input {
                 class: "app-search-input",
                 r#type: "search",
@@ -86,21 +86,10 @@ fn ShellSearch() -> Element {
                 aria_label: "Search Polymodel",
                 value: "{query}",
                 oninput: move |event| query.set(event.value()),
-                onkeydown: move |event| {
-                    if event.key() == Key::Enter {
-                        event.prevent_default();
-                        let q = query.read().trim().to_string();
-                        navigator().push(Route::Search { q });
-                    }
-                },
             }
             button {
                 class: "button button-secondary app-search-button",
-                r#type: "button",
-                onclick: move |_| {
-                    let q = query.read().trim().to_string();
-                    navigator().push(Route::Search { q });
-                },
+                r#type: "submit",
                 "Search"
             }
         }