diff --git a/zephcore/helpers/CommonCLI.cpp b/zephcore/helpers/CommonCLI.cpp
index 47656f9..37f7617 100644
--- a/zephcore/helpers/CommonCLI.cpp
+++ b/zephcore/helpers/CommonCLI.cpp
@@ -995,8 +995,11 @@ void CommonCLI::handleGetCmd(uint32_t sender_timestamp, const char* command, cha
 	} else if (memcmp(config, "leds.brightness", 15) == 0) {
 		/* Separate from "leds" on purpose: keeps the on/off switch a
 		 * pure word command and the dimmer a pure number command,
-		 * instead of one command parsing both — see led_gate.h. */
-		snprintf(reply, CLI_REPLY_SIZE, "> %u%%", (unsigned)zephcore_led_brightness_pct());
+		 * instead of one command parsing both — see led_gate.h. Read
+		 * from _prefs, same as leds.radio/leds.hb above, not from the
+		 * RAM getter directly -- the two are always in sync, the "set"
+		 * handler below writes both together. */
+		snprintf(reply, CLI_REPLY_SIZE, "> %u%%", (unsigned)_prefs->led_brightness);
 	} else if (memcmp(config, "leds", 4) == 0) {
 		snprintf(reply, CLI_REPLY_SIZE, "> %s", _prefs->leds_disabled ? "off" : "on");
 #ifndef ZEPHCORE_REPEATER
@@ -1271,8 +1274,12 @@ void CommonCLI::handleSetCmd(uint32_t sender_timestamp, const char* command, cha
 	} else if (memcmp(config, "leds.brightness ", 16) == 0) {
 		/* Separate from "leds" on purpose: keeps the on/off switch a pure
 		 * word command and the dimmer a pure number command, instead of
-		 * one command parsing both. RAM-only, see led_gate.h — no
-		 * savePrefs() call here. Checked before "leds " below so this
+		 * one command parsing both. Persisted (since 1.17.4): a fresh
+		 * node still starts at ZEPHCORE_LED_DEFAULT_BRIGHTNESS_PCT (the
+		 * append-only prefs format leaves this byte at the
+		 * initNodePrefs() default on any file that predates this field),
+		 * but once set it survives reboots and firmware updates like
+		 * leds.radio/leds.hb above. Checked before "leds " below so this
 		 * longer, more specific prefix is never shadowed by it. */
 		const char *val = &config[16];
 		char *endptr = (char *)val;
@@ -1282,7 +1289,9 @@ void CommonCLI::handleSetCmd(uint32_t sender_timestamp, const char* command, cha
 		    pct < 0 || pct > 100) {
 			strcpy(reply, "Error: must be 0-100");
 		} else {
+			_prefs->led_brightness = (uint8_t)pct;
 			zephcore_led_set_brightness_pct((uint8_t)pct);
+			savePrefs();
 			snprintf(reply, CLI_REPLY_SIZE, "OK - leds.brightness=%ld%%", pct);
 		}
 	} else if (memcmp(config, "leds ", 5) == 0) {
diff --git a/zephcore/helpers/NodePrefs.h b/zephcore/helpers/NodePrefs.h
index c5e2b28..151f2c6 100644
--- a/zephcore/helpers/NodePrefs.h
+++ b/zephcore/helpers/NodePrefs.h
@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@ struct NodePrefs {
 	uint8_t leds_disabled;          // 1 = all LEDs off (heartbeat, unread, LoRa TX)
 	uint8_t leds_radio_mode;        // LEDS_RADIO_* — activity LED source (0 = TX, as before)
 	uint8_t leds_hb_mode;           // LEDS_HB_* — heartbeat LED behaviour (0 = all, as before)
+	uint8_t led_brightness;         // 0-100, PWM-capable boards only; ZEPHCORE_LED_DEFAULT_BRIGHTNESS_PCT on a new node
 	// Power saving
 	uint8_t powersaving_enabled;
 	/* 1 = powersaving_enabled is a real choice.  The field was stored but
@@ -306,6 +307,7 @@ static inline void sanitizeNodePrefs(NodePrefs* p) {
 	p->leds_disabled       = saneBool<uint8_t>(p->leds_disabled, 0);
 	p->leds_radio_mode     = saneEnum(p->leds_radio_mode, LEDS_RADIO_MAX);
 	p->leds_hb_mode        = saneEnum(p->leds_hb_mode, LEDS_HB_MAX);
+	p->led_brightness      = clampPref<uint8_t>(p->led_brightness, 0, 100);
 	p->meshtimesync        = saneBool<uint8_t>(p->meshtimesync, 0);
 	/* Fallback must be the initNodePrefs() default (ON).  It was 0, so a byte
 	 * that was neither 0 nor 1 silently switched adaptive CAD off instead of
@@ -414,6 +416,7 @@ static inline void initNodePrefs(NodePrefs* prefs) {
 	prefs->leds_disabled = 0;         // LEDs on
 	prefs->leds_radio_mode = LEDS_RADIO_TX;  // activity LED on transmit, as before
 	prefs->leds_hb_mode = LEDS_HB_ALL;       // heartbeat + unread, as before
+	prefs->led_brightness = ZEPHCORE_LED_DEFAULT_BRIGHTNESS_PCT;  // 10%, new node
 	prefs->powersaving_enabled = POWERSAVING_DEFAULT;
 	prefs->powersaving_set = 1;
 	prefs->gps_enabled = 0;
diff --git a/zephcore/helpers/PrefsCodec.cpp b/zephcore/helpers/PrefsCodec.cpp
index a22984d..aaa881f 100644
--- a/zephcore/helpers/PrefsCodec.cpp
+++ b/zephcore/helpers/PrefsCodec.cpp
@@ -187,6 +187,11 @@ bool companionPrefsDecode(NodePrefs &prefs, const uint8_t *buf, size_t len)
 	r.take(&p.tz_offset, 1);
 	r.take(&p.leds_radio_mode, 1);
 	r.take(&p.leds_hb_mode, 1);
+	/* led_brightness (ZephCore extension, since 1.17.4). Absent in files
+	 * written before this field existed; the no-op EOF read leaves the
+	 * initNodePrefs() default ZEPHCORE_LED_DEFAULT_BRIGHTNESS_PCT (10%),
+	 * same value a fresh node already showed before this was persisted. */
+	r.take(&p.led_brightness, 1);
 	r.take(&p.wifi_enabled, 1);
 	r.take(p.wifi_ssid, sizeof(p.wifi_ssid));
 	r.take(p.wifi_pwd, sizeof(p.wifi_pwd));
@@ -355,6 +360,11 @@ void serverPrefsDecode(NodePrefs &prefs, const uint8_t *buf, size_t len)
 	r.get(&prefs.tz_offset, sizeof(prefs.tz_offset));
 	r.get(&prefs.leds_radio_mode, sizeof(prefs.leds_radio_mode));
 	r.get(&prefs.leds_hb_mode, sizeof(prefs.leds_hb_mode));
+	/* led_brightness (ZephCore extension, since 1.17.4). Absent in files
+	 * written before this field existed; the no-op EOF read leaves the
+	 * initNodePrefs() default ZEPHCORE_LED_DEFAULT_BRIGHTNESS_PCT (10%),
+	 * same value a fresh node already showed before this was persisted. */
+	r.get(&prefs.led_brightness, sizeof(prefs.led_brightness));
 
 	/* Only the explicit "off" magic disables LEDs; a legacy AGC interval or an
 	 * unwritten byte both mean "on". */
diff --git a/zephcore/helpers/PrefsJson.cpp b/zephcore/helpers/PrefsJson.cpp
index b5bdfa3..960d19c 100644
--- a/zephcore/helpers/PrefsJson.cpp
+++ b/zephcore/helpers/PrefsJson.cpp
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ protected:
 		def("leds_off", _p->leds_disabled);
 		def("leds_radio", _p->leds_radio_mode);
 		def("leds_hb", _p->leds_hb_mode);
+		def("leds_brightness", _p->led_brightness);
 		def("rx_dc", _p->rx_duty_cycle);
 		def("mts", _p->meshtimesync);
 		def("cad_auto", _p->cad_auto);
diff --git a/zephcore/helpers/boot_prefs.h b/zephcore/helpers/boot_prefs.h
index cb90e19..85ab415 100644
--- a/zephcore/helpers/boot_prefs.h
+++ b/zephcore/helpers/boot_prefs.h
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ static inline void apply_boot_prefs(const NodePrefs *p, bool gps_time_sync)
 	zephcore_leds_set_disabled(leds_off);
 	zephcore_leds_set_radio_mode(p->leds_radio_mode);
 	zephcore_leds_set_hb_mode(p->leds_hb_mode);
+	zephcore_led_set_brightness_pct(p->led_brightness);
 	LOG_INF("LEDs: %s (from prefs)", leds_off ? "disabled" : "enabled");
 
 	if (gps_time_sync && gps_is_available()) {
diff --git a/zephcore/src/main_companion.cpp b/zephcore/src/main_companion.cpp
index d86b4a7..c2ad256 100644
--- a/zephcore/src/main_companion.cpp
+++ b/zephcore/src/main_companion.cpp
@@ -1092,6 +1092,7 @@ int main(void)
 	zephcore_leds_set_disabled(leds_off);
 	zephcore_leds_set_radio_mode(companion_mesh.prefs.leds_radio_mode);
 	zephcore_leds_set_hb_mode(companion_mesh.prefs.leds_hb_mode);
+	zephcore_led_set_brightness_pct(companion_mesh.prefs.led_brightness);
 	ui_set_heartbeat_led(!leds_off);
 	LOG_INF("LEDs: %s (from prefs)", leds_off ? "disabled" : "enabled");