diff --git a/stream/handlers.go b/stream/handlers.go
index 86b94e71..49e4a06d 100644
--- a/stream/handlers.go
+++ b/stream/handlers.go
@@ -239,31 +239,19 @@ func renderEvent(e *Event, viewerID string) string {
 		bubbleBg = "#fff"
 	}
 
-	// Build content — escape then linkify URLs.
+	// Build content — escape then linkify URLs. Links are inline in the
+	// text, not separate preview cards. The console is conversational,
+	// not a feed — keep it tight.
 	escaped := htmlpkg.EscapeString(e.Content)
 	linked := urlPattern.ReplaceAllStringFunc(escaped, func(u string) string {
 		return fmt.Sprintf(`<a href="%s" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="color:#06c;word-break:break-all">%s</a>`, u, u)
 	})
 
-	// OG embed for events that have a URL in metadata — news headlines,
-	// links shared by the system. The embed is a small preview card
-	// loaded lazily via an iframe hitting /web/read which renders the
-	// page's OG tags.
-	ogEmbed := ""
+	// For news/system events with a URL in metadata, append a subtle
+	// link if the URL isn't already in the content text.
 	if e.Metadata != nil {
-		if u, ok := e.Metadata["url"].(string); ok && u != "" {
-			ogEmbed = fmt.Sprintf(`<div style="margin-top:6px;border:1px solid #e8e8e8;border-radius:8px;overflow:hidden;max-width:400px"><a href="%s" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:block;padding:10px 12px;text-decoration:none;color:#333;font-size:13px;line-height:1.3">`, htmlpkg.EscapeString(u))
-			if cat, ok := e.Metadata["category"].(string); ok && cat != "" {
-				ogEmbed += fmt.Sprintf(`<span style="color:#999;font-size:11px;text-transform:uppercase">%s</span><br>`, htmlpkg.EscapeString(cat))
-			}
-			ogEmbed += fmt.Sprintf(`<strong>%s</strong>`, htmlpkg.EscapeString(e.Content))
-			if desc, ok := e.Metadata["description"].(string); ok && desc != "" {
-				if len(desc) > 120 {
-					desc = desc[:117] + "..."
-				}
-				ogEmbed += fmt.Sprintf(`<br><span style="color:#666;font-size:12px">%s</span>`, htmlpkg.EscapeString(desc))
-			}
-			ogEmbed += `</a></div>`
+		if u, ok := e.Metadata["url"].(string); ok && u != "" && !strings.Contains(e.Content, u) {
+			linked += fmt.Sprintf(` <a href="%s" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="color:#999;font-size:12px">→ read</a>`, htmlpkg.EscapeString(u))
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -277,8 +265,8 @@ func renderEvent(e *Event, viewerID string) string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf(`<div style="display:flex;gap:8px;padding:8px 0">%s
 <div style="flex:1;min-width:0">
 <div style="display:flex;align-items:baseline;gap:6px">%s<span style="color:#bbb;font-size:11px">%s</span></div>
-<div style="margin-top:3px;padding:8px 10px;background:%s;border-radius:0 12px 12px 12px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.5;white-space:pre-wrap;word-wrap:break-word;overflow-wrap:anywhere">%s</div>%s
-</div></div>`, avatar, nameLink, app.TimeAgo(e.CreatedAt), bubbleBg, linked, ogEmbed)
+<div style="margin-top:3px;padding:8px 10px;background:%s;border-radius:0 12px 12px 12px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.5;white-space:pre-wrap;word-wrap:break-word;overflow-wrap:anywhere">%s</div>
+</div></div>`, avatar, nameLink, app.TimeAgo(e.CreatedAt), bubbleBg, linked)
 }
 
 const streamScript = `<script>
diff --git a/stream/stream.go b/stream/stream.go
index 7115ff8b..bcc2eef8 100644
--- a/stream/stream.go
+++ b/stream/stream.go
@@ -50,8 +50,19 @@ const MaxContentLength = 1024
 var (
 	mu     sync.RWMutex
 	events []*Event // newest first
+
+	// lastSystemEvent tracks the last time each system event type was
+	// published. Used to throttle — the console is conversational, not
+	// a news ticker. No lock needed, only accessed from Publish which
+	// holds mu.
+	lastSystemEvent = map[string]time.Time{}
 )
 
+// systemCooldown is the minimum interval between system events of the
+// same type. Prevents flooding the stream with e.g. 10 headlines at
+// once. User and agent events are never throttled.
+var systemCooldown = 30 * time.Minute
+
 func init() {
 	b, err := data.LoadFile("stream.json")
 	if err != nil {
@@ -76,11 +87,22 @@ func save() {
 
 // Publish appends an event to the stream. This is the single entry
 // point — every publisher (user, agent, system, markets, news,
-// reminder) calls this.
+// reminder) calls this. System events are throttled per type so the
+// console doesn't flood with automated content.
 func Publish(e *Event) {
 	if e.Content == "" {
 		return
 	}
+	// Throttle system event types — max one per cooldown period.
+	// User and agent events are never throttled.
+	if e.Type != TypeUser && e.Type != TypeAgent {
+		mu.RLock()
+		last, exists := lastSystemEvent[e.Type]
+		mu.RUnlock()
+		if exists && time.Since(last) < systemCooldown {
+			return // too soon, skip silently
+		}
+	}
 	if len(e.Content) > MaxContentLength {
 		e.Content = e.Content[:MaxContentLength-1] + "…"
 	}
@@ -101,6 +123,9 @@ func Publish(e *Event) {
 	}
 
 	mu.Lock()
+	if e.Type != TypeUser && e.Type != TypeAgent {
+		lastSystemEvent[e.Type] = time.Now()
+	}
 	events = append([]*Event{e}, events...)
 	if len(events) > MaxEvents {
 		events = events[:MaxEvents]