diff --git a/src/components/ClinicalDashboard.tsx b/src/components/ClinicalDashboard.tsx
index a7b09580e..5168539b0 100644
--- a/src/components/ClinicalDashboard.tsx
+++ b/src/components/ClinicalDashboard.tsx
@@ -5373,6 +5373,12 @@ export function ClinicalDashboard({
   // stay top-aligned so their lists start in a stable position.
   const centeredModeHome =
     showDesktopHomeComposer && activeModeResultKind !== "tools" && activeModeResultKind !== "favourites";
+  // Short mode homes (centred homes plus the services/forms registry homes)
+  // drop the large mobile bottom padding so phones don't get a scrollbar for
+  // content that already fits. Result views keep the full clearance.
+  const compactMobileModeHome =
+    centeredModeHome ||
+    ((searchMode === "services" || searchMode === "forms") && !modeSearchSubmitted && !query.trim() && !loading);
   // Submitted (non-answer) searches are result views, not mode homes: on phones
   // the bottom composer drops its chip row and hugs the screen edge so results
   // keep maximum vertical space. Mode homes keep the default chip-row layout.
@@ -5576,12 +5582,20 @@ export function ClinicalDashboard({
           <div
             className={cn(
               "mx-auto max-w-7xl space-y-4 overflow-x-hidden px-3 py-4 sm:space-y-5 sm:px-4 sm:py-5 lg:px-8",
+              // Centred mode homes carry little content, so drop the large
+              // mobile bottom padding (the fixed composer already has its own
+              // reserved margin on <main>) to avoid a needless scrollbar.
+              // sm+/lg values stay identical to the result-view treatment.
               searchMode === "answer"
-                ? "pb-32 sm:pb-36 lg:pb-40"
+                ? compactMobileModeHome
+                  ? "pb-4 sm:pb-36 lg:pb-40"
+                  : "pb-32 sm:pb-36 lg:pb-40"
                 : hasMobileBottomSearch
-                  ? compactMobileBottomSearch
-                    ? "pb-8 sm:pb-10 lg:pb-12"
-                    : "pb-32 sm:pb-10 lg:pb-12"
+                  ? compactMobileModeHome
+                    ? "pb-4 sm:pb-10 lg:pb-12"
+                    : compactMobileBottomSearch
+                      ? "pb-8 sm:pb-10 lg:pb-12"
+                      : "pb-32 sm:pb-10 lg:pb-12"
                   : "pb-8 sm:pb-10 lg:pb-12",
             )}
           >
@@ -5610,9 +5624,12 @@ export function ClinicalDashboard({
 
             <section
               className={cn(
-                "min-h-[calc(100dvh-11rem)]",
+                "min-h-[calc(100dvh-12.5rem)] sm:min-h-[calc(100dvh-11rem)]",
                 centeredModeHome || (activeModeResultKind === "answer" && !answer && !loading)
-                  ? "grid w-full place-items-center"
+                  ? // On tall phones the centred home leans slightly toward the
+                    // bottom composer (matches the committed vertical-weighting
+                    // guard); short phones skip the bias so content still fits.
+                    "grid w-full place-items-center max-sm:[@media(min-height:800px)]:pt-[5vh]"
                   : activeModeResultKind === "tools" ||
                       activeModeResultKind === "favourites" ||
                       activeModeResultKind === "differentials"
diff --git a/src/components/clinical-dashboard/global-mockup-search-shell.tsx b/src/components/clinical-dashboard/global-mockup-search-shell.tsx
index 3106221c1..a5f38b15f 100644
--- a/src/components/clinical-dashboard/global-mockup-search-shell.tsx
+++ b/src/components/clinical-dashboard/global-mockup-search-shell.tsx
@@ -387,7 +387,10 @@ function GlobalMockupSearchShellClient({
           id="main-content"
           tabIndex={-1}
           className={cn(
-            "min-h-[calc(100dvh-4rem)] min-w-0 overflow-x-hidden focus:outline-none",
+            // Phone: fill the space under the header exactly (the header is
+            // taller than the 4rem the calc assumed, which forced a phantom
+            // scrollbar on every standalone page). sm+ keeps the original calc.
+            "min-w-0 overflow-x-hidden focus:outline-none max-sm:flex-1 sm:min-h-[calc(100dvh-4rem)]",
             !shouldShowSearchComposer
               ? "pb-8"
               : searchMode === "answer"
diff --git a/src/components/mode-home-template.tsx b/src/components/mode-home-template.tsx
index 88c11f935..a42b0cbe0 100644
--- a/src/components/mode-home-template.tsx
+++ b/src/components/mode-home-template.tsx
@@ -59,28 +59,51 @@ export function ModeHomeHero({
   subtitle,
   icon: Icon,
   headingLevel = 1,
+  compact = false,
 }: {
   testId?: string;
   title: string;
   subtitle: string;
   icon: LucideIcon;
   headingLevel?: 1 | 2;
+  /**
+   * Mobile-only tightening used by ModeHomeTemplate so short mode homes fit a
+   * phone viewport without scrolling. All sm+/lg values are identical to the
+   * default treatment, so tablet and desktop render exactly the same.
+   */
+  compact?: boolean;
 }) {
   const Heading = headingLevel === 1 ? "h1" : "h2";
 
   return (
-    <section className="grid justify-items-center gap-3 sm:gap-4" aria-labelledby={`${testId ?? "mode-home"}-title`}>
-      <span className="mode-home-icon grid h-14 w-14 place-items-center rounded-2xl border border-[color:var(--clinical-accent-border)] bg-[color:var(--clinical-accent-soft)] text-[color:var(--clinical-accent)] shadow-[var(--shadow-inset)] sm:h-16 sm:w-16 lg:h-[4.75rem] lg:w-[4.75rem] lg:rounded-[1.35rem]">
-        <Icon className="h-7 w-7 sm:h-8 sm:w-8 lg:h-10 lg:w-10" aria-hidden="true" />
+    <section
+      className={cn("grid justify-items-center sm:gap-4", compact ? "gap-2" : "gap-3")}
+      aria-labelledby={`${testId ?? "mode-home"}-title`}
+    >
+      <span
+        className={cn(
+          "mode-home-icon grid place-items-center rounded-2xl border border-[color:var(--clinical-accent-border)] bg-[color:var(--clinical-accent-soft)] text-[color:var(--clinical-accent)] shadow-[var(--shadow-inset)] sm:h-16 sm:w-16 lg:h-[4.75rem] lg:w-[4.75rem] lg:rounded-[1.35rem]",
+          compact ? "h-12 w-12" : "h-14 w-14",
+        )}
+      >
+        <Icon className={cn("sm:h-8 sm:w-8 lg:h-10 lg:w-10", compact ? "h-6 w-6" : "h-7 w-7")} aria-hidden="true" />
       </span>
-      <div className="grid gap-2">
+      <div className={cn("grid", compact ? "gap-1.5 sm:gap-2" : "gap-2")}>
         <Heading
           id={`${testId ?? "mode-home"}-title`}
-          className="text-balance text-[1.85rem] font-extrabold leading-[1.05] tracking-normal text-[color:var(--text-heading)] sm:text-[2.45rem] lg:text-[2.9rem]"
+          className={cn(
+            "text-balance font-extrabold leading-[1.05] tracking-normal text-[color:var(--text-heading)] sm:text-[2.45rem] lg:text-[2.9rem]",
+            compact ? "text-[1.6rem]" : "text-[1.85rem]",
+          )}
         >
           {title}
         </Heading>
-        <p className="mx-auto max-w-2xl text-pretty text-sm font-medium leading-6 text-[color:var(--text-muted)] sm:text-base lg:text-[1.0625rem]">
+        <p
+          className={cn(
+            "mx-auto max-w-2xl text-pretty text-sm font-medium text-[color:var(--text-muted)] sm:text-base sm:leading-6 lg:text-[1.0625rem]",
+            compact ? "leading-5" : "leading-6",
+          )}
+        >
           {subtitle}
         </p>
       </div>
@@ -107,10 +130,13 @@ export function ModeHomeMain({
       data-testid={testId}
       className={cn(
         // Phone: content is vertically centred (not bottom-anchored) so the page
-        // no longer collapses all its slack into a void above the hero. Bottom
-        // padding still reserves room for the fixed mobile composer. From sm up
-        // the composer moves into the hero, so the reserved space drops away.
-        "grid min-h-[calc(100dvh-4rem)] items-center justify-items-center bg-[color:var(--background)] px-4 pb-[calc(9rem+env(safe-area-inset-bottom))] pt-[clamp(1.25rem,4vh,2.25rem)] text-[color:var(--text)] sm:px-6 sm:pb-[clamp(1.75rem,5vh,3.25rem)] sm:pt-[clamp(1.75rem,5vh,3.25rem)] lg:px-8",
+        // no longer collapses all its slack into a void above the hero. The
+        // standalone shell (#main-content) already reserves 9rem of bottom
+        // padding for the fixed mobile composer, so this main only subtracts
+        // that space from its min-height instead of re-adding the padding —
+        // otherwise short homes scroll by exactly the duplicated reservation.
+        // From sm up the composer moves into the hero, so the reserve drops away.
+        "grid min-h-[calc(100dvh-13.75rem-env(safe-area-inset-bottom))] items-center justify-items-center bg-[color:var(--background)] px-4 pb-4 pt-[clamp(1.25rem,4vh,2.25rem)] text-[color:var(--text)] sm:min-h-[calc(100dvh-4rem)] sm:px-6 sm:pb-[clamp(1.75rem,5vh,3.25rem)] sm:pt-[clamp(1.75rem,5vh,3.25rem)] lg:px-8",
         className,
       )}
     >
@@ -133,7 +159,7 @@ export function ModeHomeVerificationFooter({
   totalCount?: number;
 }) {
   return (
-    <p className="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-x-3 gap-y-2 pt-1 text-xs font-medium leading-5 text-[color:var(--text-muted)] sm:text-sm">
+    <p className="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-x-3 gap-y-2 pt-0.5 text-xs font-medium leading-5 text-[color:var(--text-muted)] sm:pt-1 sm:text-sm">
       <span className="inline-flex items-center gap-2 font-semibold text-[color:var(--clinical-accent)]">
         <Icon className="h-4 w-4" aria-hidden="true" />
         {label}
@@ -202,11 +228,11 @@ export function ModeHomeTemplate({
     <div
       data-testid={testId}
       className={cn(
-        "mode-home-template mx-auto box-border flex w-full max-w-[64rem] flex-col items-center justify-center gap-5 px-0 text-center sm:gap-6 lg:gap-7",
+        "mode-home-template mx-auto box-border flex w-full max-w-[64rem] flex-col items-center justify-center gap-3.5 px-0 text-center sm:gap-6 lg:gap-7",
         className,
       )}
     >
-      <ModeHomeHero testId={testId} title={title} subtitle={subtitle} icon={icon} headingLevel={headingLevel} />
+      <ModeHomeHero testId={testId} title={title} subtitle={subtitle} icon={icon} headingLevel={headingLevel} compact />
 
       {desktopComposerSlotId ? (
         <div id={desktopComposerSlotId} className="mode-home-composer-slot hidden w-full sm:[&:not(:empty)]:block" />
@@ -228,7 +254,7 @@ export function ModeHomeTemplate({
                   <span className="block text-balance text-[0.98rem] font-bold leading-5 text-[color:var(--text-heading)] [overflow-wrap:anywhere] lg:text-[1.05rem]">
                     {action.title}
                   </span>
-                  <span className="mt-1 block text-xs font-medium leading-5 text-[color:var(--text-muted)] lg:text-[0.9rem] lg:leading-6">
+                  <span className="mt-0.5 block text-xs font-medium leading-5 text-[color:var(--text-muted)] sm:mt-1 lg:text-[0.9rem] lg:leading-6">
                     {action.description}
                   </span>
                 </span>
@@ -239,7 +265,7 @@ export function ModeHomeTemplate({
               </>
             );
             const actionClassName = cn(
-              "mode-home-action group grid min-h-[4.8rem] w-full grid-cols-[2.5rem_minmax(0,1fr)_1.25rem] items-center gap-3 bg-[color:var(--surface)] px-4 py-3 text-left transition hover:bg-[color:var(--surface-subtle)] focus-visible:relative focus-visible:z-10 focus-visible:outline focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-[-2px] focus-visible:outline-[color:var(--focus)] disabled:cursor-wait disabled:opacity-60 lg:min-h-[8.4rem] lg:grid-cols-[3.5rem_minmax(0,1fr)_1.5rem] lg:gap-4 lg:rounded-lg lg:border lg:border-[color:var(--border)] lg:px-6 lg:py-5 lg:shadow-[var(--shadow-card)]",
+              "mode-home-action group grid min-h-[4rem] w-full grid-cols-[2.5rem_minmax(0,1fr)_1.25rem] items-center gap-3 bg-[color:var(--surface)] px-4 py-2.5 text-left transition sm:min-h-[4.8rem] sm:py-3 hover:bg-[color:var(--surface-subtle)] focus-visible:relative focus-visible:z-10 focus-visible:outline focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-[-2px] focus-visible:outline-[color:var(--focus)] disabled:cursor-wait disabled:opacity-60 lg:min-h-[8.4rem] lg:grid-cols-[3.5rem_minmax(0,1fr)_1.5rem] lg:gap-4 lg:rounded-lg lg:border lg:border-[color:var(--border)] lg:px-6 lg:py-5 lg:shadow-[var(--shadow-card)]",
               index > 0 && "border-t border-[color:var(--border)] lg:border-t-[color:var(--border)]",
             );
 
@@ -268,7 +294,7 @@ export function ModeHomeTemplate({
       ) : null}
 
       {pills?.length ? (
-        <section className="grid w-full max-w-none self-stretch gap-4 border-t border-[color:var(--border)] pt-5 sm:pt-6">
+        <section className="grid w-full max-w-none self-stretch gap-3 border-t border-[color:var(--border)] pt-3 sm:gap-4 sm:pt-6">
           {pillsTitle || pillsAction ? (
             <div
               className={cn(