diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index c2fd2d8c..ab64d5a9 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ### Themes — community Theme Store
 
-**By [@Psychotoxical](https://github.com/Psychotoxical), PR [#1009](https://github.com/Psychotoxical/psysonic/pull/1009), [#1011](https://github.com/Psychotoxical/psysonic/pull/1011), [#1012](https://github.com/Psychotoxical/psysonic/pull/1012), [#1013](https://github.com/Psychotoxical/psysonic/pull/1013), [#1014](https://github.com/Psychotoxical/psysonic/pull/1014), [#1015](https://github.com/Psychotoxical/psysonic/pull/1015)**
+**By [@Psychotoxical](https://github.com/Psychotoxical), PR [#1009](https://github.com/Psychotoxical/psysonic/pull/1009), [#1011](https://github.com/Psychotoxical/psysonic/pull/1011), [#1012](https://github.com/Psychotoxical/psysonic/pull/1012), [#1013](https://github.com/Psychotoxical/psysonic/pull/1013), [#1014](https://github.com/Psychotoxical/psysonic/pull/1014), [#1015](https://github.com/Psychotoxical/psysonic/pull/1015), [#1016](https://github.com/Psychotoxical/psysonic/pull/1016)**
 
 * New **Settings → Themes** tab: pick a theme, set the day/night scheduler, and browse a built-in **Theme Store** to install, update and uninstall community themes — with search, a dark/light filter, and full-size thumbnail previews.
 * The app now bundles six core themes (Catppuccin Mocha & Latte, Kanagawa Wave, Stark HUD, and the colour-blind-safe Vision Dark / Vision Navy); every other palette installs on demand from the [psysonic-themes](https://github.com/Psysonic/psysonic-themes) repo. Installed themes are saved locally and apply instantly at startup, even offline.
diff --git a/src/components/settings/ThemeStoreSection.tsx b/src/components/settings/ThemeStoreSection.tsx
index 708b27ab..9691980b 100644
--- a/src/components/settings/ThemeStoreSection.tsx
+++ b/src/components/settings/ThemeStoreSection.tsx
@@ -159,6 +159,11 @@ export function ThemeStoreSection() {
         </button>
       </div>
 
+      {/* Network disclosure — the store reaches external services. */}
+      <p style={{ fontSize: 12, color: 'var(--text-muted)', margin: '0 0 1rem', lineHeight: 1.5 }}>
+        {t('settings.themeStoreNetworkNotice')}
+      </p>
+
       {/* Toolbar: search + mode filter + refresh. Hidden when offline with no
           catalogue to browse — the offline banner below stands in for it. */}
       {!error && (
diff --git a/src/config/settingsCredits.ts b/src/config/settingsCredits.ts
index 6d1a0fa2..6dc90410 100644
--- a/src/config/settingsCredits.ts
+++ b/src/config/settingsCredits.ts
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ const CONTRIBUTOR_ENTRIES = [
       'Performance Probe: Monitor/Toggles redesign, live CPU/RSS/thread metrics, overlay pins and sparklines, macOS snapshots (PR #890)',
       'Performance Probe: opt-in thread-group CPU poll toggle and includeThreadGroups IPC fix (PR #891)',
       'Queue: switchable display mode — Queue (upcoming only) vs Playlist (full list), with header toggle and settings entry (PR #922)',
-      'Community Theme Store: semantic-token refactor, dedicated Themes tab with day/night scheduler, install/update/uninstall, local .zip import, and free-form community themes (safety floor + state-reactive styling); 80+ palettes moved to an on-demand CDN repo (PR #1009, #1011, #1012, #1013, #1014, #1015)',
+      'Community Theme Store: semantic-token refactor, dedicated Themes tab with day/night scheduler, install/update/uninstall, local .zip import, and free-form community themes (safety floor + state-reactive styling); 80+ palettes moved to an on-demand CDN repo (PR #1009, #1011, #1012, #1013, #1014, #1015, #1016)',
     ],
   },
   {
diff --git a/src/locales/de/settings.ts b/src/locales/de/settings.ts
index 55a8d891..63ff68be 100644
--- a/src/locales/de/settings.ts
+++ b/src/locales/de/settings.ts
@@ -327,6 +327,7 @@ export const settings = {
   themeStoreTitle: 'Theme-Store',
   themeStoreSubmitText: 'Eigenes Theme gebaut? Teil es mit der Community — mehr Infos im Themes-Repository.',
   themeStoreSubmitLink: 'Themes-Repository öffnen',
+  themeStoreNetworkNotice: 'Der Theme-Store lädt Katalog und Vorschauen von externen Diensten (jsDelivr-CDN und GitHub). Es werden keine persönlichen Daten gesendet.',
   themeStoreSearchPlaceholder: 'Themes suchen…',
   themeStoreFilterMode: 'Nach Modus filtern',
   themeStoreModeAll: 'Alle',
diff --git a/src/locales/en/settings.ts b/src/locales/en/settings.ts
index 45a20cce..1a8bc1f6 100644
--- a/src/locales/en/settings.ts
+++ b/src/locales/en/settings.ts
@@ -394,6 +394,7 @@ export const settings = {
   themeStoreTitle: 'Theme Store',
   themeStoreSubmitText: 'Made your own theme? Share it with the community — more info in the themes repository.',
   themeStoreSubmitLink: 'Open the themes repository',
+  themeStoreNetworkNotice: 'The Theme Store loads its catalogue and previews from external services (the jsDelivr CDN and GitHub). No personal data is sent.',
   themeStoreSearchPlaceholder: 'Search themes…',
   themeStoreFilterMode: 'Filter by mode',
   themeStoreModeAll: 'All',
diff --git a/src/locales/es/settings.ts b/src/locales/es/settings.ts
index 9044f7d0..9cf8a0cf 100644
--- a/src/locales/es/settings.ts
+++ b/src/locales/es/settings.ts
@@ -325,6 +325,7 @@ export const settings = {
   themeStoreTitle: 'Tienda de temas',
   themeStoreSubmitText: '¿Has creado tu propio tema? Compártelo con la comunidad — más información en el repositorio de temas.',
   themeStoreSubmitLink: 'Abrir el repositorio de temas',
+  themeStoreNetworkNotice: 'La tienda de temas carga el catálogo y las vistas previas desde servicios externos (la CDN de jsDelivr y GitHub). No se envían datos personales.',
   themeStoreSearchPlaceholder: 'Buscar temas…',
   themeStoreFilterMode: 'Filtrar por modo',
   themeStoreModeAll: 'Todos',
diff --git a/src/locales/fr/settings.ts b/src/locales/fr/settings.ts
index 0de97390..694374cf 100644
--- a/src/locales/fr/settings.ts
+++ b/src/locales/fr/settings.ts
@@ -323,6 +323,7 @@ export const settings = {
   themeStoreTitle: 'Boutique de thèmes',
   themeStoreSubmitText: "Vous avez créé votre propre thème ? Partagez-le avec la communauté — plus d'infos dans le dépôt de thèmes.",
   themeStoreSubmitLink: 'Ouvrir le dépôt de thèmes',
+  themeStoreNetworkNotice: 'Le Theme Store charge son catalogue et ses aperçus depuis des services externes (le CDN jsDelivr et GitHub). Aucune donnée personnelle n’est envoyée.',
   themeStoreSearchPlaceholder: 'Rechercher des thèmes…',
   themeStoreFilterMode: 'Filtrer par mode',
   themeStoreModeAll: 'Tous',
diff --git a/src/locales/nb/settings.ts b/src/locales/nb/settings.ts
index 24c0e094..2990b076 100644
--- a/src/locales/nb/settings.ts
+++ b/src/locales/nb/settings.ts
@@ -326,6 +326,7 @@ export const settings = {
   themeStoreTitle: 'Temabutikk',
   themeStoreSubmitText: 'Laget ditt eget tema? Del det med fellesskapet — mer info i tema-repoet.',
   themeStoreSubmitLink: 'Åpne tema-repoet',
+  themeStoreNetworkNotice: 'Theme Store laster katalogen og forhåndsvisninger fra eksterne tjenester (jsDelivr-CDN og GitHub). Ingen personopplysninger sendes.',
   themeStoreSearchPlaceholder: 'Søk i temaer…',
   themeStoreFilterMode: 'Filtrer etter modus',
   themeStoreModeAll: 'Alle',
diff --git a/src/locales/nl/settings.ts b/src/locales/nl/settings.ts
index 5df8d875..5270f581 100644
--- a/src/locales/nl/settings.ts
+++ b/src/locales/nl/settings.ts
@@ -323,6 +323,7 @@ export const settings = {
   themeStoreTitle: 'Themawinkel',
   themeStoreSubmitText: 'Eigen thema gemaakt? Deel het met de community — meer info in de themarepository.',
   themeStoreSubmitLink: 'Themarepository openen',
+  themeStoreNetworkNotice: 'De Theme Store laadt de catalogus en previews van externe diensten (de jsDelivr-CDN en GitHub). Er worden geen persoonlijke gegevens verzonden.',
   themeStoreSearchPlaceholder: "Thema's zoeken…",
   themeStoreFilterMode: 'Filteren op modus',
   themeStoreModeAll: 'Alle',
diff --git a/src/locales/ro/settings.ts b/src/locales/ro/settings.ts
index 6f09b27f..7f2f436a 100644
--- a/src/locales/ro/settings.ts
+++ b/src/locales/ro/settings.ts
@@ -329,6 +329,7 @@ export const settings = {
   themeStoreTitle: 'Magazin de teme',
   themeStoreSubmitText: 'Ți-ai creat propria temă? Împărtășește-o cu comunitatea — mai multe informații în depozitul de teme.',
   themeStoreSubmitLink: 'Deschide depozitul de teme',
+  themeStoreNetworkNotice: 'Theme Store încarcă catalogul și previzualizările de la servicii externe (CDN-ul jsDelivr și GitHub). Nu se trimit date personale.',
   themeStoreSearchPlaceholder: 'Caută teme…',
   themeStoreFilterMode: 'Filtrează după mod',
   themeStoreModeAll: 'Toate',
diff --git a/src/locales/ru/settings.ts b/src/locales/ru/settings.ts
index 2ee2d99f..a882aff5 100644
--- a/src/locales/ru/settings.ts
+++ b/src/locales/ru/settings.ts
@@ -405,6 +405,7 @@ export const settings = {
   themeStoreTitle: 'Магазин тем',
   themeStoreSubmitText: 'Создали свою тему? Поделитесь с сообществом — подробности в репозитории тем.',
   themeStoreSubmitLink: 'Открыть репозиторий тем',
+  themeStoreNetworkNotice: 'Магазин тем загружает каталог и превью с внешних сервисов (CDN jsDelivr и GitHub). Личные данные не отправляются.',
   themeStoreSearchPlaceholder: 'Поиск тем…',
   themeStoreFilterMode: 'Фильтр по режиму',
   themeStoreModeAll: 'Все',
diff --git a/src/locales/zh/settings.ts b/src/locales/zh/settings.ts
index d1151058..e950f2b7 100644
--- a/src/locales/zh/settings.ts
+++ b/src/locales/zh/settings.ts
@@ -322,6 +322,7 @@ export const settings = {
   themeStoreTitle: '主题商店',
   themeStoreSubmitText: '做了自己的主题？与社区分享——更多信息见主题仓库。',
   themeStoreSubmitLink: '打开主题仓库',
+  themeStoreNetworkNotice: '主题商店从外部服务（jsDelivr CDN 和 GitHub）加载目录和预览。不会发送任何个人数据。',
   themeStoreSearchPlaceholder: '搜索主题…',
   themeStoreFilterMode: '按模式筛选',
   themeStoreModeAll: '全部',
diff --git a/src/utils/themes/themeRegistry.test.ts b/src/utils/themes/themeRegistry.test.ts
index dcd11ec6..62754924 100644
--- a/src/utils/themes/themeRegistry.test.ts
+++ b/src/utils/themes/themeRegistry.test.ts
@@ -84,4 +84,31 @@ describe('fetchRegistry', () => {
     expect(r.registry.generatedAt).toBe('fresh2');
     expect(fetchMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
   });
+
+  it('force-refresh tries GitHub raw first', async () => {
+    const calls: string[] = [];
+    vi.stubGlobal('fetch', vi.fn(async (url: string) => { calls.push(url); return okRes(reg('forced')); }));
+
+    await fetchRegistry({ force: true });
+    expect(calls[0]).toContain('raw.githubusercontent.com');
+  });
+
+  it('force-refresh falls back to jsDelivr when raw fails', async () => {
+    const fetchMock = vi.fn(async (url: string) =>
+      url.includes('raw.githubusercontent.com') ? failRes() : okRes(reg('cdn')));
+    vi.stubGlobal('fetch', fetchMock);
+
+    const r = await fetchRegistry({ force: true });
+    expect(r.registry.generatedAt).toBe('cdn');
+    expect(fetchMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+  });
+
+  it('non-force load uses the CDN only (not raw)', async () => {
+    const calls: string[] = [];
+    vi.stubGlobal('fetch', vi.fn(async (url: string) => { calls.push(url); return okRes(reg('cdn')); }));
+
+    await fetchRegistry();
+    expect(calls).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(calls[0]).not.toContain('raw.githubusercontent.com');
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/utils/themes/themeRegistry.ts b/src/utils/themes/themeRegistry.ts
index 2a49fd26..2f808bec 100644
--- a/src/utils/themes/themeRegistry.ts
+++ b/src/utils/themes/themeRegistry.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,10 @@
 
 const CDN_BASE = 'https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/Psysonic/psysonic-themes@main';
 const REGISTRY_URL = `${CDN_BASE}/registry.json`;
+// GitHub raw serves with a ~5-minute cache (vs jsDelivr's up-to-12h @main edge)
+// and permissive CORS. Used only on a manual refresh so freshly merged themes
+// appear without waiting on — or purging — the shared CDN edge.
+const RAW_REGISTRY_URL = 'https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Psysonic/psysonic-themes/main/registry.json';
 const CACHE_KEY = 'psysonic_theme_registry_cache';
 const TTL_MS = 12 * 60 * 60 * 1000; // 12h — matches jsDelivr's @main edge cache
 
@@ -81,17 +85,23 @@ export async function fetchRegistry(opts?: { force?: boolean }): Promise<FetchRe
     const cached = readCache();
     if (cached && Date.now() - cached.ts < TTL_MS) return { registry: cached.registry, stale: false };
   }
-  try {
-    const res = await fetch(REGISTRY_URL, { cache: 'no-cache' });
-    if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`registry fetch failed: ${res.status}`);
-    const registry = (await res.json()) as Registry;
-    writeCache(registry);
-    return { registry, stale: false };
-  } catch (err) {
-    const cached = readCache();
-    if (cached) return { registry: cached.registry, stale: true };
-    throw err;
+  // On a manual refresh, try GitHub raw first (fresher) then fall back to the
+  // jsDelivr CDN; normal loads use the CDN only.
+  const sources = opts?.force ? [RAW_REGISTRY_URL, REGISTRY_URL] : [REGISTRY_URL];
+  for (const url of sources) {
+    try {
+      const res = await fetch(url, { cache: 'no-cache' });
+      if (!res.ok) continue;
+      const registry = (await res.json()) as Registry;
+      writeCache(registry);
+      return { registry, stale: false };
+    } catch {
+      // try the next source
+    }
   }
+  const cached = readCache();
+  if (cached) return { registry: cached.registry, stale: true };
+  throw new Error('registry fetch failed');
 }
 
 /** Fetch a single theme's CSS text from the CDN (repo-relative path). */