diff --git a/server/commands/guild.command.js b/server/commands/guild.command.js
index 2958a56..9908016 100644
--- a/server/commands/guild.command.js
+++ b/server/commands/guild.command.js
@@ -42,13 +42,22 @@ async function levelFor(actor) {
   return visibility.viewerLevel({ user: { id: actor.userId, role: actor.role } })
 }
 
-// The nudge §9 answer 5 asks for, and only when it is TRUE. An unlinked caller
-// who was told nothing because the shard publishes nothing is not helped by
-// being invited to link; the prompt appears when linking is what would actually
-// change the answer.
+// The nudge §9 answer 5 asks for, and only when it is TRUE.
+//
+// **Linking reaches exactly two rungs and no further.** Signing in gets a caller
+// to `logged_in` and linking a game account to `player`; `staff` and `admin` are
+// roles an operator grants and no amount of linking will earn. So a shard that
+// gates guilds to staff refuses an unlinked caller WITHOUT the invitation —
+// telling them to link would be telling them to do something that changes
+// nothing, which is worse than saying no.
+//
+// The live walk found this: gated to `staff`, the refusal still read "this shard
+// shows guild information to linked players".
+const LINKING_REACHES = new Set(['logged_in', 'player'])
+
 function linkPrompt(actor, audience) {
   if (actor.isLinked) return null
-  if (audience === 'anonymous') return null
+  if (!LINKING_REACHES.has(audience)) return null
   return 'Link your account on the site to see more — this shard shows guild information to linked players.'
 }
 
@@ -154,7 +163,10 @@ async function handler({ options, actor }) {
   if (!wanted) {
     const top = [...rows].sort((a, b) => (b.members || 0) - (a.members || 0)).slice(0, LIST_LIMIT)
     return {
-      title: `Guilds on ${core.baseUrl.replace(/^https?:\/\//, '')}`,
+      // Not "Guilds on <host>": `ctx.site` carries a base URL and no brand name,
+      // so naming the deployment here can only mean printing its hostname into
+      // an embed title, which is noise on a shard's own Discord server.
+      title: 'Guilds on this shard',
       fields: top.map((g) => ({
         name: g.abbr ? `${g.name} [${g.abbr}]` : g.name,
         value: `${g.members || 0} members · ${g.online || 0} online`,
diff --git a/server/test/guildCommand.test.js b/server/test/guildCommand.test.js
index af33659..7782632 100644
--- a/server/test/guildCommand.test.js
+++ b/server/test/guildCommand.test.js
@@ -88,6 +88,14 @@ test('an unlinked caller is invited to link — but only when linking would chan
   stub({ audience: 'anonymous', level: 'anonymous' })
   const open = await command.handler({ options: {}, actor: anonymous })
   assert.equal(open.notice, null)
+
+  // Gated to staff: linking reaches `player` and stops there, so the invitation
+  // would be an instruction to do something that changes nothing. Found on the
+  // live rig, where a staff-gated shard still offered it.
+  stub({ audience: 'staff', level: 'anonymous' })
+  const unreachable = await command.handler({ options: {}, actor: anonymous })
+  assert.match(unreachable.text, /not shown to your account/)
+  assert.equal(unreachable.notice, null)
 })
 
 test('a stale board answers offline rather than reporting what it still holds', async () => {
@@ -99,6 +107,7 @@ test('a stale board answers offline rather than reporting what it still holds',
 test('no argument lists the largest guilds', async () => {
   stub()
   const res = await command.handler({ options: {}, actor: anonymous })
+  assert.equal(res.title, 'Guilds on this shard')
   assert.equal(res.fields.length, 2)
   assert.match(res.fields[0].name, /Knights of the Codex/)
   assert.match(res.fields[0].value, /12 members · 3 online/)