diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-firmware.yml b/.github/workflows/release-firmware.yml
index 87918f8c..408d5cf0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-firmware.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-firmware.yml
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ jobs:
           # Fetch all published releases and download their firmware assets
           # so versioned firmware is available same-origin on GitHub Pages.
           # With keep_files: true, each release only needs to be downloaded once.
-          for tag in $(gh api repos/${{ github.repository }}/releases --jq '.[] | select(.draft == false and .prerelease == false) | select(any(.assets[]; .name == "pyxis-release.json")) | .tag_name'); do
+          for tag in $(gh api repos/${{ github.repository }}/releases --jq '.[] | select(.draft == false) | select(any(.assets[]; .name == "pyxis-release.json")) | .tag_name'); do
             dir="docs/flasher/firmware/releases/${tag}"
             # Skip if we already have this version's firmware (e.g., current tagged build)
             if python tools/validate_pyxis_web_release.py --directory "${dir}" --version "${tag}"; then
diff --git a/docs/flasher/index.html b/docs/flasher/index.html
index 74271253..5f153fda 100644
--- a/docs/flasher/index.html
+++ b/docs/flasher/index.html
@@ -189,19 +189,29 @@
         .version-select-group select {
             width: 100%;
             padding: 0.625rem 1rem;
-            background: rgba(0,0,0,0.3);
+            background-color: #111827;
             color: var(--text);
             border: 1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.15);
             border-radius: 8px;
             font-family: inherit;
             font-size: 1rem;
             cursor: pointer;
+            color-scheme: dark;
             appearance: none;
             background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' width='12' height='12' fill='%2394a3b8' viewBox='0 0 16 16'%3E%3Cpath d='M8 11L3 6h10z'/%3E%3C/svg%3E");
             background-repeat: no-repeat;
             background-position: right 1rem center;
         }
 
+        .version-select-group select option {
+            background-color: #111827;
+            color: var(--text);
+        }
+
+        .version-select-group select option:disabled {
+            color: var(--muted);
+        }
+
         .version-select-group select:focus {
             outline: none;
             border-color: var(--primary);
@@ -321,7 +331,6 @@
                 <li>
                     Download a compatible MUI map ZIP from
                     <a href="https://download.tiles.coalition.space/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Oxed's Map Tile Downloader</a>.
-                    Choose OSM Bright, Dark Matter, Positron, or Toner.
                 </li>
                 <li>Turn the T-Deck off, remove its microSD card, and insert the card into your computer.</li>
                 <li>Choose the downloaded ZIP below, enter a map name and pack ID, and wait for local validation.</li>
@@ -424,7 +433,7 @@
         const CONNECT_TIMEOUT_MS = 15000;
         const EXPECTED_CHIP = 'ESP32-S3';
 
-        // Fail closed until the GitHub API supplies a published, non-prerelease version.
+        // Fail closed until the GitHub API supplies a published release with audited metadata.
         let firmwarePathPrefix = null;
         let selectedReleaseMetadata = null;
         let customFirmwareBytes = null;
@@ -835,9 +844,10 @@
                 if (!resp.ok) throw new Error(`GitHub API returned HTTP ${resp.status}`);
                 const releases = await resp.json();
                 let publishedCount = 0;
+                let defaultStableOption = null;
 
                 for (const release of releases) {
-                    if (release.draft || release.prerelease) continue;
+                    if (release.draft) continue;
                     const assetNames = release.assets.map(a => a.name);
                     if (!assetNames.includes(RELEASE_METADATA_ASSET)) continue;
                     if (!assetNames.includes('firmware.bin')) continue;
@@ -852,12 +862,18 @@
 
                     const option = document.createElement('option');
                     const hasAll = REQUIRED_FULL_ASSETS.every(f => assetNames.includes(f));
+                    const releaseChannel = release.prerelease ? ' — Pre-release' : '';
                     option.value = release.tag_name;
-                    option.textContent = release.tag_name + (release.name && release.name !== release.tag_name ? ` — ${release.name}` : '');
+                    option.textContent = release.tag_name
+                        + (release.name && release.name !== release.tag_name ? ` — ${release.name}` : '')
+                        + releaseChannel;
                     option.dataset.downloadUrl = prefix;
                     option.dataset.hasFullAssets = hasAll ? 'true' : 'false';
                     option.releaseMetadata = metadata;
                     versionSelect.appendChild(option);
+                    if (!release.prerelease && defaultStableOption === null) {
+                        defaultStableOption = option;
+                    }
                     publishedCount++;
                 }
 
@@ -872,8 +888,8 @@
 
                 versionSelect.options[0].textContent = 'Select a published release...';
                 versionSelect.disabled = false;
-                if (customFirmwareSelectionToken === 0) {
-                    versionSelect.selectedIndex = 1;
+                if (customFirmwareSelectionToken === 0 && defaultStableOption !== null) {
+                    versionSelect.value = defaultStableOption.value;
                     selectPublishedRelease();
                 }
             } catch (e) {
@@ -1002,7 +1018,7 @@
         flashBtn.addEventListener('click', flash);
 
         // Initialize with no flashable target; loadVersions enables flashing only
-        // after selecting a published, non-prerelease GitHub release.
+        // after selecting a published GitHub release with audited metadata.
         loadVersions();
     </script>
 </body>
diff --git a/lib/storage/LittleFSInitializationPolicy.h b/lib/storage/LittleFSInitializationPolicy.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..502cf19c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/storage/LittleFSInitializationPolicy.h
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include <cstddef>
+#include <cstdint>
+
+namespace Storage {
+
+constexpr std::size_t LITTLEFS_BLANK_SCAN_CHUNK_SIZE = 4096;
+
+template <typename Mount, typename ResolvePartition, typename ReadPartition,
+          typename FormatAndMount>
+bool mount_or_initialize_erased_littlefs(
+    Mount mount,
+    ResolvePartition resolve_partition,
+    ReadPartition read_partition,
+    FormatAndMount format_and_mount) {
+    if (mount()) return true;
+
+    std::size_t partition_size = 0;
+    if (!resolve_partition(partition_size) || partition_size == 0) return false;
+
+    uint8_t buffer[LITTLEFS_BLANK_SCAN_CHUNK_SIZE];
+    std::size_t offset = 0;
+    while (offset < partition_size) {
+        const std::size_t remaining = partition_size - offset;
+        const std::size_t chunk =
+            remaining < sizeof(buffer) ? remaining : sizeof(buffer);
+        if (!read_partition(offset, buffer, chunk)) return false;
+        for (std::size_t i = 0; i < chunk; ++i) {
+            if (buffer[i] != 0xFF) return false;
+        }
+        offset += chunk;
+    }
+
+    return format_and_mount();
+}
+
+}  // namespace Storage
diff --git a/src/main.cpp b/src/main.cpp
index 96c51e71..639766df 100644
--- a/src/main.cpp
+++ b/src/main.cpp
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@
 #include <new>  // placement new
 #include <soc/rtc_cntl_reg.h>
 
+#include "storage/LittleFSInitializationPolicy.h"
+
 // Reticulum
 #include <microReticulum/Reticulum.h>
 #include <microReticulum/Utilities/OS.h>
@@ -964,6 +966,8 @@ static void pump_ntp_sync_if_pending() {
     }
 }
 
+static constexpr const char* LITTLEFS_PARTITION_LABEL = "spiffs";
+
 void setup_hardware() {
     INFO("\n=== Hardware Initialization ===");
 
@@ -981,7 +985,44 @@ void setup_hardware() {
     // Pyxis's lib/universal_filesystem/ is now dead code on this build path and
     // can be deleted once the graft lands.
     static microStore::Adapters::LittleFSFileSystem fs("/littlefs");
-    persistent_storage_ready = fs.init(false);
+
+    // Mount non-destructively first: never format on a mount failure by itself,
+    // because a corrupt filesystem holds user conversations that must be preserved.
+    //
+    // An erased or uninitialized LittleFS partition is all 0xFF. Its mount fails,
+    // but formatting is safe because the partition contains no programmed bytes.
+    // Any nonblank or unreadable partition remains untouched and falls through to
+    // recovery mode. The policy is portable so every destructive branch is covered
+    // by host tests while these callbacks retain the real ESP32 operations.
+    const esp_partition_t* littlefs_partition = nullptr;
+    persistent_storage_ready = Storage::mount_or_initialize_erased_littlefs(
+        []() { return fs.init(false); },
+        [&littlefs_partition](size_t& size) {
+            littlefs_partition = esp_partition_find_first(
+                ESP_PARTITION_TYPE_DATA,
+                ESP_PARTITION_SUBTYPE_DATA_SPIFFS,
+                LITTLEFS_PARTITION_LABEL);
+            if (!littlefs_partition) {
+                ERROR("Unable to locate LittleFS partition for blank check");
+                return false;
+            }
+            size = littlefs_partition->size;
+            return true;
+        },
+        [&littlefs_partition](size_t offset, uint8_t* buffer, size_t size) {
+            if (esp_partition_read(littlefs_partition, offset, buffer, size) != ESP_OK) {
+                ERROR("Failed to read LittleFS partition for blank check");
+                return false;
+            }
+            return true;
+        },
+        []() {
+            // Use LittleFS.begin() directly because microStore's adapter returns
+            // immediately when its non-destructive mount fails.
+            INFO("Blank LittleFS partition; formatting once");
+            return LittleFS.begin(
+                true, "/littlefs", 10, LITTLEFS_PARTITION_LABEL);
+        });
     location_filesystem_available = persistent_storage_ready;
     if (!persistent_storage_ready) {
         ERROR("FileSystem mount failed; preserving persistent data");
diff --git a/tests/build_scripts/test_message_persistence_contract.py b/tests/build_scripts/test_message_persistence_contract.py
index d70938b0..2d628f46 100644
--- a/tests/build_scripts/test_message_persistence_contract.py
+++ b/tests/build_scripts/test_message_persistence_contract.py
@@ -147,7 +147,14 @@ def test_failed_littlefs_mount_enters_stable_recovery_mode_before_reticulum():
     setup = function_body(source, "void setup()", "void loop()")
     loop = source[source.index("void loop()"):]
 
-    assert "persistent_storage_ready = fs.init(false);" in source
+    assert "Storage::mount_or_initialize_erased_littlefs(" in source
+    assert "[]() { return fs.init(false); }" in source
+    assert """littlefs_partition = esp_partition_find_first(
+                ESP_PARTITION_TYPE_DATA,
+                ESP_PARTITION_SUBTYPE_DATA_SPIFFS,
+                LITTLEFS_PARTITION_LABEL);""" in source
+    assert 'static constexpr const char* LITTLEFS_PARTITION_LABEL = "spiffs";' in source
+    assert 'true, "/littlefs", 10, LITTLEFS_PARTITION_LABEL' in source
     assert "Persistent storage unavailable" in source
     assert "USB serial recovery remains available." in source
     assert setup.index("if (!persistent_storage_ready)") < setup.index("setup_reticulum();")
diff --git a/tests/build_scripts/test_patch_littlefs_paths.py b/tests/build_scripts/test_patch_littlefs_paths.py
index 2009d714..e6e6d8af 100644
--- a/tests/build_scripts/test_patch_littlefs_paths.py
+++ b/tests/build_scripts/test_patch_littlefs_paths.py
@@ -132,11 +132,23 @@ def test_persistent_partitions_do_not_overlap_app_slots():
         if not line or line.startswith("#"):
             continue
         fields = [field.strip() for field in line.split(",")]
-        rows.append((fields[0], int(fields[3], 0), int(fields[4], 0)))
+        rows.append(
+            (
+                fields[0],
+                fields[1],
+                fields[2],
+                int(fields[3], 0),
+                int(fields[4], 0),
+            )
+        )
 
-    by_name = {name: (offset, offset + size) for name, offset, size in rows}
-    persistent = [by_name["nvs"], by_name["spiffs"]]
-    applications = [by_name["app0"], by_name["app1"]]
+    by_name = {
+        name: (partition_type, subtype, offset, offset + size)
+        for name, partition_type, subtype, offset, size in rows
+    }
+    assert by_name["spiffs"] == ("data", "spiffs", 0x610000, 0x7F0000)
+    persistent = [by_name["nvs"][2:], by_name["spiffs"][2:]]
+    applications = [by_name["app0"][2:], by_name["app1"][2:]]
 
     for data_start, data_end in persistent:
         for app_start, app_end in applications:
diff --git a/tests/build_scripts/test_web_flasher_release_safety.py b/tests/build_scripts/test_web_flasher_release_safety.py
index b22cf090..82049c5d 100644
--- a/tests/build_scripts/test_web_flasher_release_safety.py
+++ b/tests/build_scripts/test_web_flasher_release_safety.py
@@ -20,13 +20,37 @@ def test_flasher_starts_disabled_until_a_published_release_is_selected():
     assert '<option value="latest">' not in source
 
 
-def test_flasher_filters_drafts_and_prereleases_and_selects_a_versioned_path():
+def test_firmware_version_menu_uses_high_contrast_dark_colors():
     source = FLASHER.read_text()
 
-    assert "if (release.draft || release.prerelease) continue;" in source
+    assert ".version-select-group select option {" in source
+    assert "background-color: #111827;" in source
+    assert "color: var(--text);" in source
+    assert "color-scheme: dark;" in source
+
+
+def test_flasher_filters_drafts_but_includes_prereleases_with_a_clear_label():
+    source = FLASHER.read_text()
+
+    assert "if (release.draft) continue;" in source
+    assert "if (release.draft || release.prerelease) continue;" not in source
+    assert "const releaseChannel = release.prerelease ? ' — Pre-release' : '';" in source
+    assert """option.textContent = release.tag_name
+                        + (release.name && release.name !== release.tag_name ? ` — ${release.name}` : '')
+                        + releaseChannel;""" in source
     assert "RELEASE_METADATA_ASSET = 'pyxis-release.json'" in source
     assert "if (!assetNames.includes(RELEASE_METADATA_ASSET)) continue;" in source
     assert "firmware/releases/${release.tag_name}/" in source
+
+
+def test_flasher_defaults_to_a_stable_release_not_a_prerelease():
+    source = FLASHER.read_text()
+
+    assert "let defaultStableOption = null;" in source
+    assert "if (!release.prerelease && defaultStableOption === null)" in source
+    assert "if (customFirmwareSelectionToken === 0 && defaultStableOption !== null)" in source
+    assert "versionSelect.value = defaultStableOption.value;" in source
+    assert "versionSelect.selectedIndex = 1;" not in source
     assert "selectPublishedRelease" in source
     assert "flashBtn.disabled = false;" in source
 
@@ -67,6 +91,16 @@ def test_custom_firmware_upload_is_explicit_validated_and_update_only():
     assert "const useFullInstall = customFirmwareBytes ? false : eraseCheckbox.checked;" in source
 
 
+def test_full_install_erases_flash_while_updates_preserve_persistent_partitions():
+    source = FLASHER.read_text()
+    flash = source[source.index("async function flash()") :]
+
+    assert "const useFullInstall = customFirmwareBytes ? false : eraseCheckbox.checked;" in flash
+    assert "eraseAll: useFullInstall," in flash
+    assert "useFullInstall ? fw.full : fw.update" in flash
+    assert "{ offset: 0x610000" not in source
+
+
 def test_custom_firmware_selection_invalidates_stale_async_results():
     source = FLASHER.read_text()
     handler = source[source.index("customFirmwareInput.addEventListener('change'"):source.index("function selectPublishedRelease")]
@@ -113,7 +147,8 @@ def test_tag_builds_cannot_overwrite_pages_and_only_main_deploys():
     workflow = WORKFLOW.read_text()
 
     assert workflow.count("if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'") >= 4
-    assert "select(.draft == false and .prerelease == false)" in workflow
+    assert "select(.draft == false)" in workflow
+    assert "select(.draft == false and .prerelease == false)" not in workflow
     assert 'select(any(.assets[]; .name == "pyxis-release.json"))' in workflow
     assert 'validate_pyxis_web_release.py --directory "${dir}" --version "${tag}"' in workflow
     assert 'rm -rf "${dir}"' in workflow
@@ -163,6 +198,7 @@ def test_release_audit_rejects_stale_version_and_destructive_storage_firmware():
 
     assert 'b"Firmware: v1.0.0"' in audit
     assert 'b"FileSystem mount failed; preserving persistent data"' in audit
+    assert 'b"Blank LittleFS partition; formatting once"' in audit
     assert '"git", "describe", "--tags", "--always", "--dirty"' in audit
     assert 'os.environ.get("PYXIS_VERSION_OVERRIDE")' in audit
     assert 'f"Firmware: {expected_version}".encode()' in audit
diff --git a/tests/native/test_littlefs_initialization_policy.cpp b/tests/native/test_littlefs_initialization_policy.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3b64b258
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/native/test_littlefs_initialization_policy.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+#include <cstddef>
+#include <cstdint>
+#include <iostream>
+#include <vector>
+
+#include "LittleFSInitializationPolicy.h"
+
+using Storage::mount_or_initialize_erased_littlefs;
+
+static int passed = 0;
+static int failed = 0;
+#define CHECK(expr) do { if (expr) { ++passed; } else { ++failed; std::cerr << "FAIL line " << __LINE__ << ": " #expr "\n"; } } while (0)
+
+struct Harness {
+    std::vector<uint8_t> partition;
+    bool mount_result = false;
+    bool resolve_result = true;
+    bool read_result = true;
+    std::size_t fail_read_at = SIZE_MAX;
+    bool format_mount_result = true;
+    int mount_calls = 0;
+    int resolve_calls = 0;
+    int read_calls = 0;
+    int format_mount_calls = 0;
+
+    bool run() {
+        return mount_or_initialize_erased_littlefs(
+            [this]() {
+                ++mount_calls;
+                return mount_result;
+            },
+            [this](std::size_t& size) {
+                ++resolve_calls;
+                if (!resolve_result) return false;
+                size = partition.size();
+                return true;
+            },
+            [this](std::size_t offset, uint8_t* output, std::size_t size) {
+                ++read_calls;
+                if (!read_result || offset >= fail_read_at ||
+                    offset + size > partition.size()) return false;
+                for (std::size_t i = 0; i < size; ++i) output[i] = partition[offset + i];
+                return true;
+            },
+            [this]() {
+                ++format_mount_calls;
+                return format_mount_result;
+            });
+    }
+};
+
+int main() {
+    {
+        Harness harness;
+        harness.mount_result = true;
+        CHECK(harness.run());
+        CHECK(harness.mount_calls == 1);
+        CHECK(harness.resolve_calls == 0);
+        CHECK(harness.read_calls == 0);
+        CHECK(harness.format_mount_calls == 0);
+    }
+    {
+        Harness harness;
+        harness.partition.assign(8193, 0xFF);
+        CHECK(harness.run());
+        CHECK(harness.read_calls == 3);
+        CHECK(harness.format_mount_calls == 1);
+    }
+    {
+        Harness harness;
+        harness.partition.assign(8193, 0xFF);
+        harness.partition.back() = 0x00;
+        CHECK(!harness.run());
+        CHECK(harness.read_calls == 3);
+        CHECK(harness.format_mount_calls == 0);
+    }
+    {
+        Harness harness;
+        harness.resolve_result = false;
+        CHECK(!harness.run());
+        CHECK(harness.read_calls == 0);
+        CHECK(harness.format_mount_calls == 0);
+    }
+    {
+        Harness harness;
+        CHECK(!harness.run());
+        CHECK(harness.read_calls == 0);
+        CHECK(harness.format_mount_calls == 0);
+    }
+    {
+        Harness harness;
+        harness.partition.assign(4096, 0xFF);
+        harness.read_result = false;
+        CHECK(!harness.run());
+        CHECK(harness.read_calls == 1);
+        CHECK(harness.format_mount_calls == 0);
+    }
+    {
+        Harness harness;
+        harness.partition.assign(8192, 0xFF);
+        harness.fail_read_at = 4096;
+        CHECK(!harness.run());
+        CHECK(harness.read_calls == 2);
+        CHECK(harness.format_mount_calls == 0);
+    }
+    {
+        Harness harness;
+        harness.partition.assign(4096, 0xFF);
+        harness.format_mount_result = false;
+        CHECK(!harness.run());
+        CHECK(harness.format_mount_calls == 1);
+    }
+
+    std::cout << passed << " passed, " << failed << " failed\n";
+    return failed == 0 ? 0 : 1;
+}
diff --git a/tests/native/test_littlefs_initialization_policy.py b/tests/native/test_littlefs_initialization_policy.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0d350607
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/native/test_littlefs_initialization_policy.py
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+"""Compile and execute the portable LittleFS initialization policy regression."""
+
+from pathlib import Path
+
+from native_test import compile_and_run
+
+
+HERE = Path(__file__).resolve().parent
+PYXIS_ROOT = HERE.parent.parent
+
+
+def test_littlefs_initialization_policy(tmp_path):
+    ran = compile_and_run(
+        tmp_path,
+        name="test_littlefs_initialization_policy",
+        sources=[HERE / "test_littlefs_initialization_policy.cpp"],
+        include_dirs=[PYXIS_ROOT / "lib" / "storage"],
+    )
+    assert "25 passed, 0 failed" in ran.stdout
diff --git a/tools/audit_release_build.py b/tools/audit_release_build.py
index 1446dc92..84626d87 100644
--- a/tools/audit_release_build.py
+++ b/tools/audit_release_build.py
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ EXCLUDED_STRINGS = (
 )
 REQUIRED_STRINGS = (
     b"FileSystem mount failed; preserving persistent data",
+    b"Blank LittleFS partition; formatting once",
 )
 EXCLUDED_SYMBOLS = (
     "test_call_",