diff --git a/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/frontend-primitives.md b/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/frontend-primitives.md
index 348cfb0b54..b085f61f29 100644
--- a/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/frontend-primitives.md
+++ b/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/frontend-primitives.md
@@ -9215,6 +9215,15 @@ is dropped (`withoutRepeatedHistoryTimeTicks`). Phone chart folds share one
 button, `PhoneChartsToggle` ("Show <names>" / "Show fewer charts",
 `aria-controls` naming the folded group, hidden from `sm` up); the drawer
 History and the disk detail both use it.
+History names where its readings came from, from the reply's `source`, in
+one shared vocabulary (`getHistoryReadoutLabel`, `getHistorySourceNotice`):
+stored history (and demo data) reads "Latest stored · <time>" / "Stored ·";
+readings Pulse holds in memory because the store has none for the range read
+"Latest recorded" / "Recorded", with one line above the drawer charts ("Recent
+readings only. The history store has none for this range yet.") and a "Recent
+only" badge on a canvas chart (it said "Buffer"); a lone current reading
+reads "Current" with "Current only" (it said "Live"). A drawer readout never
+calls memory or live readings stored.
 
 ### Shared History single observations
 
diff --git a/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/performance-and-scalability.md b/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/performance-and-scalability.md
index 3b0a740a52..319e5b930d 100644
--- a/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/performance-and-scalability.md
+++ b/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/performance-and-scalability.md
@@ -4033,7 +4033,8 @@ handoff reads `document.activeElement` once, as the Retry branch is disposed.
 Repeated gridline labels are blanked from the three labels each panel already
 formats, and the canvas chart measures the time labels it already draws to
 choose how many fit. None adds a read or timer. The disk detail's phone fold
-removes reads rather than adding them: folded charts stay paused until opened.
+removes reads rather than adding them: folded charts stay paused until opened. The readout and notice
+naming a reply's source read the `source` field the reply already carries.
 
 The default stored-history legend resolves one latest timestamp from that
 same bounded, normalized panel index, then looks up each configured series at
diff --git a/frontend-modern/browser-tests/history-org.cjs b/frontend-modern/browser-tests/history-org.cjs
index 7955ed65e7..238bfb6d63 100644
--- a/frontend-modern/browser-tests/history-org.cjs
+++ b/frontend-modern/browser-tests/history-org.cjs
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ const parent = false;
         async () => {
           assert.match(await description(), /42°C/);
           assert.equal(await disk.locator('[data-history-chart-tooltip]').count(), 1);
-          assert.match(await disk.innerText(), /Buffer/i);
+          assert.match(await disk.innerText(), /Recent only/i);
           assert(requests.some((r) => r.org === 'org-a' && r.resourceType === 'disk'));
         },
       );
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ const parent = false;
         'Pending org-b removes org-a values, min/max, provenance and grouped inspection',
         async () => {
           assert.doesNotMatch(await description(), /42°C/);
-          assert.doesNotMatch(await disk.innerText(), /Buffer|42°C/i);
+          assert.doesNotMatch(await disk.innerText(), /Recent only|42°C/i);
           assert.equal(await disk.locator('[data-history-chart-tooltip]').count(), 0);
           assert.equal(await pool.locator('[data-history-chart-tooltip]').count(), 0);
           assert.equal(await service.getByRole('slider').count(), 0);
@@ -257,7 +257,7 @@ const parent = false;
         'Late pre-switch completion cannot resurrect readings or settle the new org',
         async () => {
           assert.doesNotMatch(await description(), /42°C|99°C/);
-          assert.doesNotMatch(await disk.innerText(), /Buffer|99°C/i);
+          assert.doesNotMatch(await disk.innerText(), /Recent only|99°C/i);
           assert.equal(await service.getByRole('slider').count(), 0);
         },
       );
diff --git a/frontend-modern/browser-tests/pbs-history-refresh.cjs b/frontend-modern/browser-tests/pbs-history-refresh.cjs
index f0f34207a6..83d2ca4916 100644
--- a/frontend-modern/browser-tests/pbs-history-refresh.cjs
+++ b/frontend-modern/browser-tests/pbs-history-refresh.cjs
@@ -50,7 +50,8 @@ const { chromium } = require('playwright');
           range,
           start: 1_700_000_000_000,
           end: 1_700_000_060_000,
-          source: 'store',
+          // The service target has no stored history yet: Pulse answers from memory.
+          source: id === 'pbs-three' ? 'memory' : 'store',
           metrics: Object.fromEntries(
             (id === 'pbs-three'
               ? ['cpu', 'memory']
@@ -229,6 +230,16 @@ const { chromium } = require('playwright');
         await waitForPaths(2);
         assert.equal(requests.at(-1).id, 'pbs-three');
         assert.equal(requests.at(-1).range, '24h');
+        // Readings from memory are named as recorded, not stored, and say why.
+        assert.match(
+          await detail.getByTestId('guest-history-hover-time').first().innerText(),
+          /^Latest recorded · /,
+        );
+        assert.equal(
+          await detail.getByTestId('history-source-notice').innerText(),
+          'Recent readings only. The history store has none for this range yet.',
+        );
+        await screenshot('replacement-recorded');
         assert.equal(
           await detail.locator('[data-history-group="network"] path[data-history-series]').count(),
           0,
diff --git a/frontend-modern/browser-verification/2ad69f708012aa01.json b/frontend-modern/browser-verification/2ad69f708012aa01.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6fa35ae8ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend-modern/browser-verification/2ad69f708012aa01.json
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+{
+  "version": 1,
+  "base_sha": "8ae88cb6d1845d690d534084aaf374b55c91c5ed",
+  "verified_at": "2026-10-14T12:04:15Z",
+  "result": "passed",
+  "changed_paths": [
+    "frontend-modern/src/components/Workloads/GuestDrawerHistory.tsx",
+    "frontend-modern/src/components/shared/HistoryChartHeader.tsx",
+    "frontend-modern/src/components/shared/historyChartModel.ts"
+  ],
+  "content_sha256": {
+    "frontend-modern/src/components/Workloads/GuestDrawerHistory.tsx": "0ec0c06291cce526988749094bceafcb78a947f896968570b3001e3ed8eb0ab2",
+    "frontend-modern/src/components/shared/HistoryChartHeader.tsx": "46a353942d31d318125a0ee7bc41232cfecadb7c1bb16e6733ba5c04291df367",
+    "frontend-modern/src/components/shared/historyChartModel.ts": "a8b8894cfa937ce26299d72eae9d1cbebd17b977e0f8f2d12943cf7324d22a1e"
+  },
+  "routes": [
+    "/browser-tests/pbs-history-refresh.html (production GuestDrawerHistory renderer, Chromium via Playwright 1.56.1 on pulse-dev)",
+    "/browser-tests/history-org.html (production HistoryChart canvas with a memory-sourced reply)"
+  ],
+  "viewports": [
+    {
+      "width": 1365,
+      "height": 900
+    },
+    {
+      "width": 390,
+      "height": 844
+    }
+  ],
+  "states": [
+    "drawer target answered from memory: readout \"Latest recorded \u00b7 <time>\", one line \"Recent readings only. The history store has none for this range yet.\" above the charts, light and dark",
+    "drawer target answered from the store: \"Latest stored\", no notice",
+    "canvas chart answered from memory: \"Recent only\" badge (was \"Buffer\"), withdrawn on an organisation switch"
+  ],
+  "interactions": [
+    "drawer poll, failure, retry and target switch",
+    "organisation switch mid-read on the canvas chart"
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/frontend-modern/src/components/Workloads/GuestDrawerHistory.tsx b/frontend-modern/src/components/Workloads/GuestDrawerHistory.tsx
index d4f6951377..93122846a1 100644
--- a/frontend-modern/src/components/Workloads/GuestDrawerHistory.tsx
+++ b/frontend-modern/src/components/Workloads/GuestDrawerHistory.tsx
@@ -23,6 +23,9 @@ import {
   formatHistoryChartTooltipValue,
   formatHistoryRangeOptionLabel,
   formatHistoryChartTimeLabel,
+  getHistoryReadoutLabel,
+  getHistorySourceNotice,
+  type HistorySource,
   withoutRepeatedHistoryAxisLabels,
 } from '@/components/shared/historyChartModel';
 import { isRangeLocked, loadRuntimeCapabilities, maxHistoryDays } from '@/stores/license';
@@ -82,6 +85,8 @@ interface GuestDrawerHistoryGroupChartProps {
   loading: boolean;
   metrics: Record<string, AggregatedMetricPoint[] | undefined>;
   range: HistoryTimeRange;
+  /** Where the reply's readings came from; names the readout's time. */
+  source?: HistorySource;
   sourceKey: string;
   timeBounds: GuestDrawerHistoryTimeBounds | null;
   touchInspection: boolean;
@@ -506,9 +511,10 @@ const GuestDrawerHistoryGroupChart: Component<GuestDrawerHistoryGroupChartProps>
                 data-testid="guest-history-hover-time"
                 dateTime={time().dateTime}
                 title={time().fullLabel}
-                aria-label={`Stored observation: ${time().fullLabel}`}
+                aria-label={`${getHistoryReadoutLabel(props.source, true)} observation: ${time().fullLabel}`}
               >
-                {activeTimestamp() === null ? 'Latest stored · ' : 'Stored · '}
+                {getHistoryReadoutLabel(props.source, activeTimestamp() !== null)}
+                {' · '}
                 {time().label}
               </time>
             )}
@@ -986,6 +992,14 @@ export const GuestDrawerHistory: Component<GuestDrawerHistoryProps> = (props) =>
           }
         >
           <Show when={!historyQuery.error() || hasHistoryPoints()}>
+            {/* A reply that is not stored history says so once, above its charts. */}
+            <Show when={hasHistoryPoints() && getHistorySourceNotice(historyQuery.value().source)}>
+              {(notice) => (
+                <p class="text-xs text-muted" data-testid="history-source-notice">
+                  {notice().detail}
+                </p>
+              )}
+            </Show>
             <div
               id={gridId}
               class={`grid gap-3 md:grid-cols-2 ${groups().length > 3 ? 'xl:grid-cols-4' : 'xl:grid-cols-3'}`}
@@ -1001,6 +1015,7 @@ export const GuestDrawerHistory: Component<GuestDrawerHistoryProps> = (props) =>
                     currentMetrics={props.currentMetrics}
                     deferredMetrics={props.deferredMetrics}
                     range={props.range}
+                    source={historyQuery.value().source}
                     sourceKey={`${props.target?.resourceType}:${props.target?.resourceId}:${props.range}`}
                     timeBounds={timeBounds()}
                     touchInspection={touchInspection()}
diff --git a/frontend-modern/src/components/Workloads/__tests__/GuestDrawerHistory.window.test.tsx b/frontend-modern/src/components/Workloads/__tests__/GuestDrawerHistory.window.test.tsx
index 7d9b471d95..a8836f3136 100644
--- a/frontend-modern/src/components/Workloads/__tests__/GuestDrawerHistory.window.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend-modern/src/components/Workloads/__tests__/GuestDrawerHistory.window.test.tsx
@@ -71,6 +71,30 @@ const selectSharedTime = (chart: HTMLElement) => {
   return chart.querySelector('[data-history-hover-marker]')!;
 };
 
+describe('GuestDrawerHistory reading source', () => {
+  const readout = () => within(group('utilization')).getByTestId('guest-history-hover-time');
+
+  it.each([
+    ['store', 'Latest stored', 'Stored', null],
+    ['memory', 'Latest recorded', 'Recorded', 'Recent readings only.'],
+    ['live', 'Current', 'Current', 'No history for this range yet.'],
+  ] as const)('names %s readings as such', async (source, latest, inspected, notice) => {
+    vi.spyOn(ChartsAPI, 'getMetricsHistory').mockResolvedValue(response({ source }));
+    mount();
+    const slider = await screen.findByRole('slider', { name: 'Inspect Utilization history' });
+    expect(readout().textContent).toMatch(new RegExp(`^${latest} · `));
+    if (notice) expect(screen.getByTestId('history-source-notice')).toHaveTextContent(notice);
+    else expect(screen.queryByTestId('history-source-notice')).toBeNull();
+    slider.focus();
+    fireEvent.input(slider, { target: { value: '0' } });
+    expect(readout().textContent).toMatch(new RegExp(`^${inspected} · `));
+    expect(readout()).toHaveAttribute(
+      'aria-label',
+      expect.stringMatching(new RegExp(`^${inspected} observation: `)),
+    );
+  });
+});
+
 describe('GuestDrawerHistory value axis', () => {
   it('labels a quiet link\'s rate axis once, not "<1K/s" on two gridlines', async () => {
     vi.spyOn(ChartsAPI, 'getMetricsHistory').mockResolvedValue(
diff --git a/frontend-modern/src/components/shared/HistoryChartHeader.tsx b/frontend-modern/src/components/shared/HistoryChartHeader.tsx
index c54404b195..bd9cd78ea8 100644
--- a/frontend-modern/src/components/shared/HistoryChartHeader.tsx
+++ b/frontend-modern/src/components/shared/HistoryChartHeader.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { Component, Show } from 'solid-js';
-import { formatHistoryChartTooltipValue } from './historyChartModel';
+import { formatHistoryChartTooltipValue, getHistorySourceNotice } from './historyChartModel';
 import type { HistoryChartState } from './useHistoryChartState';
 
 interface HistoryChartHeaderProps {
@@ -20,21 +20,19 @@ export const HistoryChartHeader: Component<HistoryChartHeaderProps> = (props) =>
         <Show when={props.unit}>
           <span class="text-xs text-slate-400">({props.unit})</span>
         </Show>
-        <Show when={props.chart.source() && props.chart.source() !== 'store'}>
-          <span
-            class={`text-[10px] font-semibold px-2 py-0.5 rounded-full uppercase tracking-wide ${
-              props.chart.source() === 'live'
-                ? 'bg-red-100 text-red-700 dark:bg-red-900/25 dark:text-red-300'
-                : 'bg-amber-100 text-amber-700 dark:bg-amber-900/25 dark:text-amber-300'
-            }`}
-            title={
-              props.chart.source() === 'live'
-                ? 'Live sample shown because history is not available yet.'
-                : 'In-memory buffer shown while history is warming up.'
-            }
-          >
-            {props.chart.source() === 'live' ? 'Live' : 'Buffer'}
-          </span>
+        <Show when={getHistorySourceNotice(props.chart.source())}>
+          {(notice) => (
+            <span
+              class={`text-[10px] font-semibold px-2 py-0.5 rounded-full uppercase tracking-wide ${
+                props.chart.source() === 'live'
+                  ? 'bg-red-100 text-red-700 dark:bg-red-900/25 dark:text-red-300'
+                  : 'bg-amber-100 text-amber-700 dark:bg-amber-900/25 dark:text-amber-300'
+              }`}
+              title={notice().detail}
+            >
+              {notice().badge}
+            </span>
+          )}
         </Show>
       </div>
 
diff --git a/frontend-modern/src/components/shared/__tests__/HistoryChart.test.tsx b/frontend-modern/src/components/shared/__tests__/HistoryChart.test.tsx
index cdc7a68c54..019a41c9e3 100644
--- a/frontend-modern/src/components/shared/__tests__/HistoryChart.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend-modern/src/components/shared/__tests__/HistoryChart.test.tsx
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ import {
   getHistoryChartTimeTickCount,
   getHistoryChartTooltipLayout,
   getHistoryChartYAxisLabels,
+  getHistoryReadoutLabel,
+  getHistorySourceNotice,
   hasHistoryChartSpread,
   HISTORY_CHART_RANGES,
   withoutRepeatedHistoryAxisLabels,
@@ -131,6 +133,22 @@ vi.mock('@/api/charts', () => ({
   },
 }));
 
+describe('History source wording', () => {
+  it('names the readout and badge by where the readings came from', () => {
+    expect(getHistoryReadoutLabel('store', false)).toBe('Latest stored');
+    expect(getHistoryReadoutLabel('store', true)).toBe('Stored');
+    expect(getHistoryReadoutLabel('mock_synthetic', false)).toBe('Latest stored');
+    expect(getHistoryReadoutLabel(undefined, false)).toBe('Latest stored');
+    expect(getHistoryReadoutLabel('memory', false)).toBe('Latest recorded');
+    expect(getHistoryReadoutLabel('memory', true)).toBe('Recorded');
+    expect(getHistoryReadoutLabel('live', false)).toBe('Current');
+    expect(getHistorySourceNotice('store')).toBeNull();
+    expect(getHistorySourceNotice('mock_synthetic')).toBeNull();
+    expect(getHistorySourceNotice('memory')?.badge).toBe('Recent only');
+    expect(getHistorySourceNotice('live')?.badge).toBe('Current only');
+  });
+});
+
 describe('History chart min-max band', () => {
   const at = (timestamp: number, value: number, min = value, max = value) => ({
     timestamp,
@@ -845,11 +863,13 @@ describe('History organisation boundary rendering', () => {
         touchPointer(canvas, 'pointerup');
       }
       expect(container.querySelector('[data-history-chart-tooltip]')).toHaveTextContent('42°C');
+      // Readings from memory say so in words a reader knows, not "Buffer".
+      expect(container).toHaveTextContent('Recent only');
       eventBus.emit('org_switched', 'org-b');
       expect(container.querySelector('[data-history-chart-tooltip]')).toBeNull();
       expect(container.querySelector('[aria-live="polite"]')?.textContent).toBe('');
       expect(container).not.toHaveTextContent('42°C');
-      expect(container).not.toHaveTextContent('Buffer');
+      expect(container).not.toHaveTextContent('Recent only');
       expect(canvas).toHaveAccessibleDescription(/Loading 1-hour history data/);
       complete({
         points: [{ timestamp: 1000, value: 80, min: 80, max: 80 }],
diff --git a/frontend-modern/src/components/shared/historyChartModel.ts b/frontend-modern/src/components/shared/historyChartModel.ts
index 106c1f6611..d4595392d0 100644
--- a/frontend-modern/src/components/shared/historyChartModel.ts
+++ b/frontend-modern/src/components/shared/historyChartModel.ts
@@ -181,6 +181,42 @@ export function getHistoryChartDataMax(points: AggregatedMetricPoint[]) {
   return max;
 }
 
+export type HistorySource = 'store' | 'memory' | 'live' | 'mock_synthetic';
+
+/**
+ * Names where a History reply's readings came from. `store` is the history
+ * store; `memory` means the store had nothing for the range, so the readings
+ * are the recent ones Pulse holds in memory; `live` is one current reading
+ * because no history exists yet. Demo data reads like stored history.
+ */
+export function getHistoryReadoutLabel(
+  source: HistorySource | null | undefined,
+  inspected: boolean,
+): string {
+  if (source === 'live') return 'Current';
+  if (source === 'memory') return inspected ? 'Recorded' : 'Latest recorded';
+  return inspected ? 'Stored' : 'Latest stored';
+}
+
+/** A short badge and its explanation for a reply that is not stored history. */
+export function getHistorySourceNotice(
+  source: HistorySource | null | undefined,
+): { badge: string; detail: string } | null {
+  if (source === 'memory') {
+    return {
+      badge: 'Recent only',
+      detail: 'Recent readings only. The history store has none for this range yet.',
+    };
+  }
+  if (source === 'live') {
+    return {
+      badge: 'Current only',
+      detail: 'No history for this range yet. Showing the current reading.',
+    };
+  }
+  return null;
+}
+
 /** True when any stored bucket's lowest and highest readings differ. */
 export function hasHistoryChartSpread(points: readonly AggregatedMetricPoint[]): boolean {
   return (