diff --git a/client/src/styles/collections.css b/client/src/styles/collections.css
index 6682f2cdd..d56ee751d 100644
--- a/client/src/styles/collections.css
+++ b/client/src/styles/collections.css
@@ -503,6 +503,7 @@
 .trek-dash .col-detail-btn:hover { background: var(--surface); color: var(--ink); }
 .trek-dash .col-detail-btn svg { flex-shrink: 0; }
 .trek-dash .col-detail-btn.primary { background: var(--accent); border-color: var(--accent); color: var(--accent-text); }
+.trek-dash .col-detail-btn:disabled { opacity: .5; cursor: not-allowed; }
 .trek-dash .col-detail-btn.danger { color: oklch(0.6 0.2 25); border-color: transparent; background: transparent; }
 .trek-dash .col-detail-btn.danger:hover { background: oklch(0.6 0.2 25 / .12); }
 
diff --git a/server/src/nest/memories/memories.helpers.ts b/server/src/nest/memories/memories.helpers.ts
index f9652c94b..1f7c91cac 100644
--- a/server/src/nest/memories/memories.helpers.ts
+++ b/server/src/nest/memories/memories.helpers.ts
@@ -213,6 +213,8 @@ export type AssetInfo = {
     fileName?: string | null;
 }
 
+const NODE_OPERATOR_HINT = /;\s*if the root CA is installed locally.*$/is;
+
 /**
  * Why a request to a provider never got an answer, worded for the settings card.
  *
@@ -220,12 +222,16 @@ export type AssetInfo = {
  * (an unknown host, a refused connection, a self-signed certificate), so the
  * message alone gave the user nothing to act on (#2475). The first cause that
  * says something is appended; an error without one reads exactly as before.
+ * Node's own advice to operators that rides along on a certificate error
+ * ("try running Node.js with --use-system-ca") is cut off: whoever reads the
+ * card cannot act on it.
  */
 export function describeFetchFailure(err: unknown): string {
     if (!(err instanceof Error)) return 'Connection failed';
     let cause: unknown = err.cause;
     for (let depth = 0; depth < 3 && cause instanceof Error; depth++) {
-        if (cause.message && cause.message !== err.message) return `${err.message} (${cause.message})`;
+        const reason = cause.message.replace(NODE_OPERATOR_HINT, '').trim();
+        if (reason && reason !== err.message) return `${err.message} (${reason})`;
         cause = cause.cause;
     }
     return err.message;
diff --git a/server/tests/unit/nest/memories.helpers.test.ts b/server/tests/unit/nest/memories.helpers.test.ts
index 2d139bb9c..b5aa95f47 100644
--- a/server/tests/unit/nest/memories.helpers.test.ts
+++ b/server/tests/unit/nest/memories.helpers.test.ts
@@ -175,4 +175,9 @@ describe('describeFetchFailure', () => {
   it('MEM-FETCH-005: a rejection that is not an Error falls back to the old wording', () => {
     expect(describeFetchFailure('boom')).toBe('Connection failed');
   });
+
+  it('MEM-FETCH-006: leaves out the advice Node adds for whoever runs the server', () => {
+    const cause = new Error('self-signed certificate; if the root CA is installed locally, try running Node.js with --use-system-ca');
+    expect(describeFetchFailure(new TypeError('fetch failed', { cause }))).toBe('fetch failed (self-signed certificate)');
+  });
 });