diff --git a/OutlineKit/Sources/OutlineKit/Caching/CachingOutlineAPIClient.swift b/OutlineKit/Sources/OutlineKit/Caching/CachingOutlineAPIClient.swift
index d62dca6..b5f465a 100644
--- a/OutlineKit/Sources/OutlineKit/Caching/CachingOutlineAPIClient.swift
+++ b/OutlineKit/Sources/OutlineKit/Caching/CachingOutlineAPIClient.swift
@@ -409,6 +409,17 @@ public actor CachingOutlineAPIClient: OutlineAPIClient {
     // MARK: - Helpers
 
     private func cachedFetch<T: Codable>(key: String, fetch: () async throws -> T) async throws -> T {
+        // Manual offline mode means "skip the network entirely," not just
+        // "prefer it" — without this check, a read would still hit `live`
+        // (and succeed, showing content beyond whatever's cached) any time
+        // the device actually had a connection, defeating the point of
+        // deliberately testing/working as if offline.
+        if isManualOfflineModeEnabled {
+            if let data = await cache.load(forKey: key), let cached = try? decoder.decode(T.self, from: data) {
+                return cached
+            }
+            throw OutlineAPIError.transport(URLError(.notConnectedToInternet))
+        }
         do {
             let result = try await fetch()
             if let data = try? encoder.encode(result) {
diff --git a/OutlineKit/Tests/OutlineKitTests/CachingOutlineAPIClientTests.swift b/OutlineKit/Tests/OutlineKitTests/CachingOutlineAPIClientTests.swift
index a5ab991..45c9841 100644
--- a/OutlineKit/Tests/OutlineKitTests/CachingOutlineAPIClientTests.swift
+++ b/OutlineKit/Tests/OutlineKitTests/CachingOutlineAPIClientTests.swift
@@ -326,6 +326,39 @@ final class CachingOutlineAPIClientTests: XCTestCase {
         XCTAssertTrue(pin.id.hasPrefix("pending-"))
     }
 
+    /// Regression test: manual offline mode used to only gate writes —
+    /// reads (listCollections, documentInfo, etc.) still hit `live` first
+    /// any time the device actually had a connection, silently defeating
+    /// "skip the network entirely" for the one thing that mattered most:
+    /// the sidebar showing more than what was actually cached.
+    func testManualOfflineModeSkipsLiveForReadsToo() async throws {
+        let defaults = UserDefaults(suiteName: "CachingOutlineAPIClientTests.manualOfflineReads")!
+        defaults.removePersistentDomain(forName: "CachingOutlineAPIClientTests.manualOfflineReads")
+
+        let stub = StubOutlineAPIClient()
+        let cachedCollection = makeCollection(id: "col-1")
+        var liveCallCount = 0
+        stub.listCollectionsHandler = { _, _ in
+            liveCallCount += 1
+            return [cachedCollection]
+        }
+        let cache = try makeCache()
+        let sut = CachingOutlineAPIClient(live: stub, cache: cache, defaults: defaults)
+
+        // Online first — populates the cache normally.
+        let firstResult = try await sut.listCollections(offset: 0, limit: 25)
+        XCTAssertEqual(firstResult, [cachedCollection])
+        XCTAssertEqual(liveCallCount, 1)
+
+        // Flip manual offline mode on, still "connected" (stub would happily
+        // answer) — the live call must not be attempted at all.
+        defaults.set(true, forKey: CachingOutlineAPIClient.offlineModeDefaultsKey)
+        let secondResult = try await sut.listCollections(offset: 0, limit: 25)
+
+        XCTAssertEqual(secondResult, [cachedCollection])
+        XCTAssertEqual(liveCallCount, 1, "listCollections should have served entirely from cache")
+    }
+
     func testCacheStorageSummaryReflectsCachedItems() async throws {
         let stub = StubOutlineAPIClient()
         stub.documentInfoHandler = { _ in self.makeDocument() }
diff --git a/Outpost/Features/Account/SettingsView.swift b/Outpost/Features/Account/SettingsView.swift
index 7daffe2..a61804d 100644
--- a/Outpost/Features/Account/SettingsView.swift
+++ b/Outpost/Features/Account/SettingsView.swift
@@ -159,12 +159,6 @@ struct SettingsView: View {
                 }
             }
 
-            Divider()
-                .frame(maxWidth: 480)
-
-            storageRow
-                .frame(maxWidth: 480, alignment: .leading)
-
             Divider()
                 .frame(maxWidth: 480)
 
@@ -173,25 +167,6 @@ struct SettingsView: View {
         }
     }
 
-    private var storageRow: some View {
-        VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 6) {
-            Text("Cache Storage")
-                .font(.subheadline.weight(.medium))
-            if let storageSummary {
-                Text("\(storageSummary.itemCount) items — \(formattedBytes(storageSummary.totalBytes))")
-                    .font(.caption)
-                    .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
-            } else {
-                Text("—")
-                    .font(.caption)
-                    .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
-            }
-            Text("Clearing the cache is in Advanced Options.")
-                .font(.caption2)
-                .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
-        }
-    }
-
     private var pendingOperationsRow: some View {
         VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 8) {
             HStack {
@@ -309,6 +284,11 @@ struct SettingsView: View {
                     .buttonStyle(.borderedProminent)
                     .tint(.red)
                 }
+                if let storageSummary {
+                    Text("\(storageSummary.itemCount) items — \(formattedBytes(storageSummary.totalBytes))")
+                        .font(.caption)
+                        .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+                }
                 Text("Deletes every cached collection and document, including anything Full Local Sync built, and anything still waiting to sync. Doesn't touch the server. This is the only place that can — it works even while offline, which is exactly why it's behind this toggle.")
                     .font(.caption2)
                     .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
diff --git a/Outpost/Features/Collections/ContentView_macOS.swift b/Outpost/Features/Collections/ContentView_macOS.swift
index 57a4e22..53b1a8f 100644
--- a/Outpost/Features/Collections/ContentView_macOS.swift
+++ b/Outpost/Features/Collections/ContentView_macOS.swift
@@ -51,8 +51,11 @@ struct ContentView_macOS: View {
                     VStack(spacing: 0) {
                         SidebarSearchField(text: $globalSearchQuery)
                         Divider()
-                        if isOfflineModeEnabled || !session.networkMonitor.isOnline {
-                            OfflineBanner(isManual: isOfflineModeEnabled)
+                        if isOfflineModeEnabled {
+                            OfflineBanner(isManual: true)
+                            Divider()
+                        } else if !session.networkMonitor.isOnline {
+                            OfflineConnectionPromptBanner(onEnableOfflineMode: { isOfflineModeEnabled = true })
                             Divider()
                         }
                         sidebar
diff --git a/Outpost/Features/Collections/OfflineConnectionPromptBanner.swift b/Outpost/Features/Collections/OfflineConnectionPromptBanner.swift
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9bd51de
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Outpost/Features/Collections/OfflineConnectionPromptBanner.swift
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+#if os(macOS)
+import SwiftUI
+
+/// Shown in the sidebar when the network is actually down and the user
+/// hasn't turned on Offline Mode themselves yet. Deliberately doesn't change
+/// any fetch behavior on its own — reads still try live and fall back to
+/// cache the normal way (see `CachingOutlineAPIClient`) until the user
+/// actually taps the button here, same as `RemoteChangesBanner` never
+/// auto-refreshes on their behalf either.
+struct OfflineConnectionPromptBanner: View {
+    let onEnableOfflineMode: () -> Void
+
+    var body: some View {
+        HStack(spacing: 8) {
+            Image(systemName: "wifi.slash")
+                .foregroundStyle(.orange)
+            Text("No connection")
+                .font(.callout)
+            Spacer(minLength: 8)
+            Button("Turn On Offline Mode", action: onEnableOfflineMode)
+                .buttonStyle(.borderedProminent)
+                .tint(.orange)
+                .controlSize(.small)
+        }
+        .padding(.horizontal, 12)
+        .padding(.vertical, 8)
+        .background(Color.orange.opacity(0.12))
+    }
+}
+#endif