diff --git a/client/CLAUDE.md b/client/CLAUDE.md
index 9849cce40..2c0a88345 100644
--- a/client/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/client/CLAUDE.md
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ npm run dev               # Vite dev server; proxies the API/ws/uploads/MCP/OAut
 npm run build             # prebuild generates PWA icons, then vite build
 npm run typecheck         # tsc --noEmit (CI)
 npm run lint              # eslint .   (lint:check in CI)
+npm run lint:warnings     # eslint, failing on any error and on any warning count per rule above scripts/eslint-baseline.json (app code, tests and eslint-disable'd messages counted apart; --update lowers it)
 npm run lint:pages        # enforce the Page pattern (CI gate)
 npm run lint:rtl          # physical left/right sides and rtl-lint-disable comments may only shrink per file (CI gate; --list shows them, --update lowers both baselines)
 npm run lint:size         # no source file or stylesheet past 1000 lines, no test past 2000, counted wrapped at 120 columns; longer ones may only shrink (CI gate; --update lowers the baseline)
diff --git a/client/package.json b/client/package.json
index 74f5ac217..643d5e044 100644
--- a/client/package.json
+++ b/client/package.json
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
     "test:coverage": "vitest run --coverage",
     "lint": "eslint .",
     "lint:check": "eslint .",
+    "lint:warnings": "node scripts/eslint-ratchet.mjs",
     "lint:pages": "node scripts/check-page-pattern.mjs",
     "lint:rtl": "node scripts/rtl-lint.mjs",
     "lint:size": "node scripts/size-lint.mjs",
diff --git a/client/scripts/eslint-baseline.json b/client/scripts/eslint-baseline.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..52c569c58
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/scripts/eslint-baseline.json
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+{
+  "src": {
+    "@typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any": 174,
+    "@typescript-eslint/no-unused-expressions": 4,
+    "@typescript-eslint/no-unused-vars": 194,
+    "no-empty": 34,
+    "no-useless-assignment": 7,
+    "no-useless-escape": 1,
+    "preserve-caught-error": 53,
+    "react-hooks/exhaustive-deps": 144,
+    "react-refresh/only-export-components": 48,
+    "unused-disable-directive": 7
+  },
+  "suppressed": {
+    "@typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any": 50,
+    "react-hooks/exhaustive-deps": 64
+  },
+  "tests": {
+    "@typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any": 494,
+    "@typescript-eslint/no-this-alias": 1,
+    "@typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-function-type": 2,
+    "@typescript-eslint/no-unused-vars": 54,
+    "react-refresh/only-export-components": 1
+  }
+}
diff --git a/client/scripts/eslint-ratchet.mjs b/client/scripts/eslint-ratchet.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..57f9fce32
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/scripts/eslint-ratchet.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+/*
+ * lint:warnings: ESLint warnings may only go down.
+ *
+ * Most rules in eslint.config.mjs are warnings, set that way to keep CI green
+ * on code that was never linted, and a warning never fails a build. So they
+ * piled up: unused variables hiding dead props, missing effect dependencies
+ * of the kind that has already shown stale money. This runs ESLint over the
+ * client and counts the warnings per rule, separately for app code and
+ * tests, and the messages an eslint-disable comment silenced as a third
+ * group. Each count may not pass its entry in scripts/eslint-baseline.json.
+ * Any error fails as well, so the check can stand in for `npm run lint:check`.
+ *
+ *   npm run lint:warnings              check against the baseline (CI)
+ *   npm run lint:warnings -- --update  lower the baseline to today's counts;
+ *                                      it never raises an entry
+ */
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url'
+import { check } from './lib/eslint-warnings.mjs'
+import { runCli } from './lib/ratchet.mjs'
+
+const root = fileURLToPath(new URL('..', import.meta.url))
+await runCli('lint:warnings', (args) => check({ root, update: args.includes('--update') }))
diff --git a/client/scripts/lib/eslint-warnings.mjs b/client/scripts/lib/eslint-warnings.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f62d663f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/scripts/lib/eslint-warnings.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+/*
+ * The tally and the comparison behind lint:warnings (scripts/eslint-ratchet.mjs).
+ */
+import { join } from 'node:path'
+import { ESLint } from 'eslint'
+import { countMap, lowerCounts, readBaseline, TEST_FILE, toKey, writeBaseline } from './ratchet.mjs'
+
+/**
+ * Where a warning is counted: in the app code, in the tests, or, for a
+ * message an eslint-disable comment silenced, among the suppressed ones. An
+ * inline disable must not be the cheap way under the ratchet.
+ */
+export const AREAS = ['src', 'tests', 'suppressed']
+
+const areaOf = (key) => (key.startsWith('tests/') || TEST_FILE.test(key) ? 'tests' : 'src')
+
+const ruleOf = (message) =>
+  message.ruleId ?? (/eslint-disable/.test(message.message) ? 'unused-disable-directive' : '(no rule)')
+
+/** A baseline: each area an object of rule → positive count. */
+export function areaCounts(value) {
+  if (!value || typeof value !== 'object' || Array.isArray(value)) return 'it is not an object of area → rule counts'
+  for (const area of Object.keys(value)) if (!AREAS.includes(area)) return `"${area}" is not one of ${AREAS.join(', ')}`
+  for (const area of AREAS) {
+    if (!(area in value)) return `the "${area}" area is missing`
+    const problem = countMap(value[area])
+    if (problem) return `in "${area}", ${problem}`
+  }
+  return null
+}
+
+/**
+ * The warnings per area and rule in ESLint's results, the files behind each
+ * count, and every error (an error, a parse failure included, always fails).
+ */
+export function tally(results, root) {
+  const counts = Object.fromEntries(AREAS.map((area) => [area, {}]))
+  const files = Object.fromEntries(AREAS.map((area) => [area, {}]))
+  const errors = []
+  const add = (area, rule, key) => {
+    counts[area][rule] = (counts[area][rule] ?? 0) + 1
+    const where = (files[area][rule] ??= {})
+    where[key] = (where[key] ?? 0) + 1
+  }
+  for (const result of results) {
+    const key = toKey(root, result.filePath)
+    for (const message of result.messages) {
+      if (message.fatal || message.severity === 2) errors.push(`${key}:${message.line ?? 0}:${message.column ?? 0}  ${message.message} (${ruleOf(message)})`)
+      else add(areaOf(key), ruleOf(message), key)
+    }
+    for (const message of result.suppressedMessages ?? []) add('suppressed', ruleOf(message), key)
+  }
+  return { counts, files, errors }
+}
+
+/**
+ * The part of an ESLint result the tally reads.
+ *
+ * @typedef {{ ruleId: string | null, severity: number, message: string, fatal?: boolean, line?: number, column?: number }} LintMessage
+ * @typedef {{ filePath: string, messages: LintMessage[], suppressedMessages?: LintMessage[] }} LintResult
+ */
+
+/**
+ * ESLint over the whole client, with its own config, as `npm run lint:check` runs it.
+ *
+ * @param {string} root
+ * @returns {Promise<LintResult[]>}
+ */
+export async function lintClient(root) {
+  return new ESLint({ cwd: root }).lintFiles(['.'])
+}
+
+const sum = (map) => Object.values(map).reduce((a, b) => a + b, 0)
+
+/**
+ * Runs ESLint (or lint, in a test) and compares the warnings with the
+ * baseline at baselinePath. Returns the exit code.
+ */
+export async function check({
+  root,
+  baselinePath = join(root, 'scripts/eslint-baseline.json'),
+  update = false,
+  lint = lintClient,
+  log = console.log,
+  error = console.error,
+}) {
+  let baseline = readBaseline(baselinePath, areaCounts)
+  const { counts, files, errors } = tally(await lint(root), root)
+
+  if (update) {
+    baseline = Object.fromEntries(AREAS.map((area) => [area, lowerCounts(baseline[area], counts[area])]))
+    writeBaseline(baselinePath, baseline)
+  }
+
+  for (const line of errors) error(`FAIL  ${line}`)
+  let grown = 0
+  let lowerable = 0
+  for (const area of AREAS) {
+    for (const [rule, n] of Object.entries(counts[area])) {
+      const allowed = baseline[area][rule] ?? 0
+      if (n <= allowed) continue
+      grown++
+      const top = Object.entries(files[area][rule])
+        .sort(([, a], [, b]) => b - a)
+        .slice(0, 5)
+        .map(([key, k]) => `${key} (${k})`)
+      error(`FAIL  ${area}: ${n} ${rule} warning(s), baseline ${allowed}. Most in: ${top.join(', ')}`)
+    }
+    for (const [rule, allowed] of Object.entries(baseline[area])) if ((counts[area][rule] ?? 0) < allowed) lowerable++
+  }
+  if (grown) {
+    error(
+      'Fix the new warning rather than silencing it: an eslint-disable comment is counted under "suppressed". ' +
+        'Run npx eslint <file> to see each one.',
+    )
+  }
+  if (lowerable && !update) log(`${lowerable} rule count(s) fell below the baseline: run with --update to lower it.`)
+  log(
+    `eslint: ${errors.length} error(s); warnings ${AREAS.map((area) => `${area} ${sum(counts[area])}/${sum(baseline[area])}`).join(', ')} (now/baseline)`,
+  )
+  return errors.length || grown ? 1 : 0
+}
diff --git a/client/tests/unit/scripts/eslint-ratchet.test.ts b/client/tests/unit/scripts/eslint-ratchet.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..abe16e3bf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/tests/unit/scripts/eslint-ratchet.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@
+import { readFileSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { join } from 'node:path';
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { areaCounts, check, tally } from '../../../scripts/lib/eslint-warnings.mjs';
+import { RatchetError } from '../../../scripts/lib/ratchet.mjs';
+import { ratchetTree, type RatchetTree } from '../../helpers/ratchetFixture';
+
+let tree: RatchetTree;
+afterEach(() => tree?.remove());
+
+const BASELINE = 'scripts/eslint-baseline.json';
+
+interface Message {
+  ruleId: string | null;
+  severity: number;
+  message?: string;
+  fatal?: boolean;
+  line?: number;
+  column?: number;
+}
+
+const warn = (ruleId: string | null, message = 'm'): Message => ({ ruleId, severity: 1, message });
+
+function result(root: string, key: string, messages: Message[], suppressed: Message[] = []) {
+  return {
+    filePath: join(root, key),
+    messages: messages.map((m) => ({ message: 'm', ...m })),
+    suppressedMessages: suppressed.map((m) => ({ message: 'm', ...m })),
+  };
+}
+
+const empty = { src: {}, tests: {}, suppressed: {} };
+
+async function run(baseline: object, results: (root: string) => ReturnType<typeof result>[], update = false) {
+  tree = ratchetTree({ [BASELINE]: JSON.stringify(baseline) });
+  return check({
+    root: tree.root,
+    baselinePath: tree.path(BASELINE),
+    update,
+    lint: async (root: string) => results(root),
+    ...tree.out,
+  });
+}
+
+describe('lint:warnings', () => {
+  it('ESLINT-001: counts warnings per rule for app code, tests and suppressed messages', () => {
+    const root = join('/r');
+    const { counts, files, errors } = tally(
+      [
+        result(
+          root,
+          'src/a.tsx',
+          [warn('no-empty'), warn('no-empty'), warn(null, 'Unused eslint-disable directive')],
+          [warn('react-hooks/exhaustive-deps')]
+        ),
+        result(root, 'src/a.test.tsx', [warn('@typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any')]),
+        result(root, 'tests/unit/b.ts', [warn('@typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any')]),
+      ],
+      root
+    );
+    expect(counts).toEqual({
+      src: { 'no-empty': 2, 'unused-disable-directive': 1 },
+      tests: { '@typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any': 2 },
+      suppressed: { 'react-hooks/exhaustive-deps': 1 },
+    });
+    expect(files.src['no-empty']).toEqual({ 'src/a.tsx': 2 });
+    expect(errors).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it('ESLINT-002: passes when no count passes its entry', async () => {
+    const code = await run({ ...empty, src: { 'no-empty': 2 } }, (root) => [
+      result(root, 'src/a.ts', [warn('no-empty')]),
+    ]);
+    expect(code).toBe(0);
+    expect(tree.log.join('\n')).toMatch(/fell below the baseline/);
+  });
+
+  it('ESLINT-003: fails a new warning and names the files behind it', async () => {
+    const code = await run({ ...empty, src: { 'no-empty': 1 } }, (root) => [
+      result(root, 'src/a.ts', [warn('no-empty')]),
+      result(root, 'src/b.ts', [warn('no-empty')]),
+    ]);
+    expect(code).toBe(1);
+    expect(tree.error.join('\n')).toMatch(
+      /src: 2 no-empty warning\(s\), baseline 1\. Most in: src\/a\.ts \(1\), src\/b\.ts \(1\)/
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('ESLINT-004: an eslint-disable comment does not get a warning past the ratchet', async () => {
+    const code = await run(empty, (root) => [result(root, 'src/a.ts', [], [warn('react-hooks/exhaustive-deps')])]);
+    expect(code).toBe(1);
+    expect(tree.error.join('\n')).toMatch(/suppressed: 1 react-hooks\/exhaustive-deps warning/);
+  });
+
+  it('ESLINT-005: app code cannot spend the headroom the tests left', async () => {
+    const code = await run({ ...empty, tests: { 'no-empty': 5 } }, (root) => [
+      result(root, 'src/a.ts', [warn('no-empty')]),
+    ]);
+    expect(code).toBe(1);
+  });
+
+  it('ESLINT-006: any error fails, a parse failure included', async () => {
+    const code = await run(empty, (root) => [
+      result(root, 'src/a.ts', [
+        { ruleId: null, severity: 2, fatal: true, message: 'Parsing error', line: 3, column: 1 },
+      ]),
+    ]);
+    expect(code).toBe(1);
+    expect(tree.error.join('\n')).toMatch(/src\/a\.ts:3:1 {2}Parsing error/);
+  });
+
+  it('ESLINT-007: --update lowers and drops counts and never raises one', async () => {
+    await run(
+      { src: { 'no-empty': 3, 'no-useless-escape': 1 }, tests: {}, suppressed: {} },
+      (root) => [result(root, 'src/a.ts', [warn('no-empty'), warn('no-unused-vars')])],
+      true
+    );
+    expect(JSON.parse(readFileSync(tree.path(BASELINE), 'utf8'))).toEqual({
+      src: { 'no-empty': 1 },
+      suppressed: {},
+      tests: {},
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('ESLINT-008: a baseline without all three areas, or with a stray one, stops the check', async () => {
+    expect(areaCounts({ src: {}, tests: {} })).toMatch(/"suppressed" area is missing/);
+    expect(areaCounts({ ...empty, other: {} })).toMatch(/"other" is not one of/);
+    expect(areaCounts({ ...empty, src: { a: -1 } })).toMatch(/in "src"/);
+    await expect(run({ src: {} }, () => [])).rejects.toThrow(RatchetError);
+  });
+});