diff --git a/internal/readme-shots.mjs b/internal/readme-shots.mjs
index 4dc76dfed..2f21a9bca 100644
--- a/internal/readme-shots.mjs
+++ b/internal/readme-shots.mjs
@@ -64,20 +64,25 @@ const BASE = `http://127.0.0.1:${server.address().port}`
 // the build config is local and deterministic — the network path degrades silently, setting TK to
 // '' when doxa.life is slow, after which every shot is taken token-limited and still written to
 // disk. The fetch is kept only as a fallback for a tree whose build config has no baked token.
+// ★ TOKENLESS BY DEFAULT (Driver, 2026-09-26). The engine default is now 'auto': no token means
+// MapLibre, which is what every keyless partner embed shows. So the README pictures are taken with
+// NO token, showing the look a reader gets by default. SHOTS_WITH_TOKEN=1 restores the Mapbox shots
+// (the token ladder below).
+const WITH_TOKEN = process.env.SHOTS_WITH_TOKEN === '1'
 let TK = ''
 let TK_SRC = ''
-try {
+if (WITH_TOKEN) try {
   const cfg = JSON.parse(await readFile(new URL('../vite.doxa-maps-build-config.json', import.meta.url), 'utf8'))
   if (typeof cfg.token === 'string' && cfg.token.startsWith('pk.')) { TK = cfg.token; TK_SRC = 'build config (the token the bundles ship)' }
 } catch {}
-if (!TK) {
+if (WITH_TOKEN && !TK) {
   try {
     const r = await fetch('https://doxa.life/api/maps/token', { signal: AbortSignal.timeout(8000) })
     TK = r.ok ? ((await r.json()).token || '') : ''
     if (TK) TK_SRC = 'doxa.life/api/maps/token (fallback — needs the Referer header below)'
   } catch {}
 }
-console.log(TK ? `token: ${TK.length} chars from ${TK_SRC}` : 'token: NONE — maps token-limited')
+console.log(TK ? `token: ${TK.length} chars from ${TK_SRC}` : (WITH_TOKEN ? 'token: NONE — maps token-limited' : 'token: none, by design (engine auto -> MapLibre); SHOTS_WITH_TOKEN=1 for Mapbox'))
 
 // ★ SwiftShader — WITHOUT THESE ARGS EVERY MAP SHOT IS TAKEN WITH NO GL CONTEXT.
 // This script was written under the belief "this VPS has no WebGL", which was a LAUNCH-FLAG
@@ -168,7 +173,7 @@ async function shot(name, path, {
   let inflight = 0, lastNet = Date.now()
   const track = (d) => (req) => { if (/^(websocket|eventsource|media)$/.test(req.resourceType())) return; inflight += d; lastNet = Date.now() }
   page.on('request', track(1)); page.on('requestfinished', track(-1)); page.on('requestfailed', track(-1))
-  const url = (/^https?:/.test(path) ? path : BASE + path) + (tokenFree ? '' : (path.includes('?') ? '&' : '?') + 'tk=' + encodeURIComponent(TK))
+  const url = (/^https?:/.test(path) ? path : BASE + path) + (tokenFree || !TK ? '' : (path.includes('?') ? '&' : '?') + 'tk=' + encodeURIComponent(TK))
   try {
     await page.goto(url, { waitUntil: 'load', timeout: 45000 })
     if (waitFor) await page.waitForSelector(waitFor, { timeout: 20000 })