diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index afb7a49..6fe0554 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -168,7 +168,12 @@ whisk/
 │   ├── core/         # @usewhisk/core   — framework-agnostic engine
 │   └── react/        # @usewhisk/react  — components, hooks, provider
 ├── examples/
-│   └── playground/ # Drop-in showcase + playground
+│   ├── playground/         # Drop-in showcase + every-prop playground
+│   ├── ecommerce-checkout/ # Atelier Hibiscus — Next.js storefront
+│   ├── donate-button/      # OpenForest — Vite donation page
+│   ├── themed-saas/        # Steelpath Cloud — Next.js dark dashboard
+│   ├── payroll-batch/      # Studio Fortune — Vite batch payouts
+│   └── invoice-link/       # Studio Hibiscus — Next.js invoice links
 └── apps/
     └── docs/         # Documentation site (Fumadocs)
 ```
@@ -180,6 +185,24 @@ Deeper design docs — engine boundary, state machine, fee model, resolvers, err
 
 ---
 
+## Recipes
+
+Five reference integrations, each a themed mini-app. All run on testnet —
+grab test USDC from the [Circle faucet](https://faucet.circle.com).
+
+| Recipe                  | What it shows                                                       | Live demo                                                  |
+| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
+| **E-commerce checkout** | Cart total + merchant address locked; the widget is confirm-and-pay | [demo](https://whisk-ecommerce-checkout.vercel.app/)       |
+| **Donate button**       | Pinned treasury + preset amounts that seed `defaultAmount`         | [demo](https://whisk-donate-button.vercel.app/)            |
+| **Themed SaaS**         | `--whisk-*` overrides repaint the widget into a dark dashboard      | [demo](https://whisk-themed-saas.vercel.app/)              |
+| **Payroll batch**       | Widget remounts per payee, bridging treasury USDC to each one's chain | [demo](https://whisk-payroll-batch.vercel.app/)          |
+| **Invoice link**        | A shareable URL opens a pre-filled, locked checkout                | [demo](https://whisk-invoice-link.vercel.app/)             |
+
+Source for each lives under `examples/`. They're starting points to clone and
+adapt, not finished apps.
+
+---
+
 ## Supported chains
 
 | Network              | Chain ID                | Send | Bridge | Account types   |
diff --git a/apps/docs/src/components/marketing/recipes-showcase.tsx b/apps/docs/src/components/marketing/recipes-showcase.tsx
index 0349523..f7e0af0 100644
--- a/apps/docs/src/components/marketing/recipes-showcase.tsx
+++ b/apps/docs/src/components/marketing/recipes-showcase.tsx
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ const RECIPES: Recipe[] = [
     title: "E-commerce checkout",
     blurb:
       "Recipient + total + both chains are locked from the cart. The widget collapses to a confirm-and-pay surface so the buyer can't fat-finger it.",
-    href: "https://github.com/Signor1/whisk/tree/main/examples/ecommerce-checkout",
+    href: "https://whisk-ecommerce-checkout.vercel.app/",
     Shell: EcommerceShell,
     snippet: [
       [b("<"), c("WhiskSend"), txt("")],
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ const RECIPES: Recipe[] = [
     title: "Donate button",
     blurb:
       "Treasury wallet and both chains are pinned. Donors pick from preset amounts the host renders above the widget; the selection seeds defaultAmount.",
-    href: "https://github.com/Signor1/whisk/tree/main/examples/donate-button",
+    href: "https://whisk-donate-button.vercel.app/",
     Shell: DonateShell,
     snippet: [
       [
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ const RECIPES: Recipe[] = [
     title: "Themed SaaS dashboard",
     blurb:
       "Override --whisk-* CSS variables once and the widget repaints to the dashboard's palette. The customer can pay from any chain; Whisk bridges to the treasury chain automatically.",
-    href: "https://github.com/Signor1/whisk/tree/main/examples/themed-saas",
+    href: "https://whisk-themed-saas.vercel.app/",
     Shell: SaasShell,
     snippet: [
       [cm("// customer pays from their L2, treasury collects on Base")],
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ const RECIPES: Recipe[] = [
     title: "Payroll batch",
     blurb:
       "An admin tool that walks a list of payees. The widget remounts per row with the payee's address + amount locked, and bridges treasury USDC to whatever chain the payee prefers.",
-    href: "https://github.com/Signor1/whisk/tree/main/examples/payroll-batch",
+    href: "https://whisk-payroll-batch.vercel.app/",
     Shell: PayrollShell,
     snippet: [
       [cm("// treasury on Base, payees collect on Polygon")],
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ const RECIPES: Recipe[] = [
     title: "Invoice payment link",
     blurb:
       "A shareable URL that opens a pre-filled checkout. Everything comes from the invoice record, including the source chain the client is paying from. Whisk bridges to the studio's home chain in one click.",
-    href: "https://github.com/Signor1/whisk/tree/main/examples/invoice-link",
+    href: "https://whisk-invoice-link.vercel.app/",
     Shell: InvoiceShell,
     snippet: [
       [cm("// app/i/[id]/page.tsx")],
diff --git a/apps/docs/src/content/docs/recipes/donate-button.mdx b/apps/docs/src/content/docs/recipes/donate-button.mdx
index 9f81e1b..4eb6d18 100644
--- a/apps/docs/src/content/docs/recipes/donate-button.mdx
+++ b/apps/docs/src/content/docs/recipes/donate-button.mdx
@@ -74,6 +74,10 @@ onSuccess={async ({ quote, finalTxHash }) => {
 }}
 ```
 
+## Live demo
+
+[whisk-donate-button.vercel.app](https://whisk-donate-button.vercel.app/) — running on testnet.
+
 ## Full source
 
 [`examples/donate-button`](https://github.com/Signor1/whisk/tree/main/examples/donate-button)
diff --git a/apps/docs/src/content/docs/recipes/ecommerce-checkout.mdx b/apps/docs/src/content/docs/recipes/ecommerce-checkout.mdx
index 2ae4d2f..ce8d499 100644
--- a/apps/docs/src/content/docs/recipes/ecommerce-checkout.mdx
+++ b/apps/docs/src/content/docs/recipes/ecommerce-checkout.mdx
@@ -92,6 +92,10 @@ export async function POST(req, { params }) {
 
 This step matters. Skipping it is how stores get drained.
 
+## Live demo
+
+[whisk-ecommerce-checkout.vercel.app](https://whisk-ecommerce-checkout.vercel.app/) — running on testnet.
+
 ## Full source
 
 [`examples/ecommerce-checkout`](https://github.com/Signor1/whisk/tree/main/examples/ecommerce-checkout)
diff --git a/apps/docs/src/content/docs/recipes/invoice-link.mdx b/apps/docs/src/content/docs/recipes/invoice-link.mdx
index 2d7d7cc..23cbd0f 100644
--- a/apps/docs/src/content/docs/recipes/invoice-link.mdx
+++ b/apps/docs/src/content/docs/recipes/invoice-link.mdx
@@ -108,6 +108,10 @@ export async function POST(req: Request) {
 Then the page verifies the signature before mounting the widget. If
 the sig doesn't match, show the invalid-link page.
 
+## Live demo
+
+[whisk-invoice-link.vercel.app](https://whisk-invoice-link.vercel.app/) — running on testnet.
+
 ## Full source
 
 [`examples/invoice-link`](https://github.com/Signor1/whisk/tree/main/examples/invoice-link)
diff --git a/apps/docs/src/content/docs/recipes/payroll-batch.mdx b/apps/docs/src/content/docs/recipes/payroll-batch.mdx
index 269b96d..4974a7f 100644
--- a/apps/docs/src/content/docs/recipes/payroll-batch.mdx
+++ b/apps/docs/src/content/docs/recipes/payroll-batch.mdx
@@ -75,6 +75,10 @@ from one payee to the next, the widget would keep the previous
 payee's state around. The `key` forces a fresh mount per row, so
 each payment starts from a clean form.
 
+## Live demo
+
+[whisk-payroll-batch.vercel.app](https://whisk-payroll-batch.vercel.app/) — running on testnet.
+
 ## Full source
 
 [`examples/payroll-batch`](https://github.com/Signor1/whisk/tree/main/examples/payroll-batch)
diff --git a/apps/docs/src/content/docs/recipes/themed-saas.mdx b/apps/docs/src/content/docs/recipes/themed-saas.mdx
index cf3f9f9..79a3d54 100644
--- a/apps/docs/src/content/docs/recipes/themed-saas.mdx
+++ b/apps/docs/src/content/docs/recipes/themed-saas.mdx
@@ -69,6 +69,10 @@ export default function PayoutsPage() {
 That's it. Every Whisk component (card, input, button, chips, step
 rail, banner, badge) picks up the new palette automatically.
 
+## Live demo
+
+[whisk-themed-saas.vercel.app](https://whisk-themed-saas.vercel.app/) — running on testnet.
+
 ## Full source
 
 [`examples/themed-saas`](https://github.com/Signor1/whisk/tree/main/examples/themed-saas)
diff --git a/examples/donate-button/README.md b/examples/donate-button/README.md
index e0248e6..5d0e3df 100644
--- a/examples/donate-button/README.md
+++ b/examples/donate-button/README.md
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 # whisk-example-donate-button
 
+> **Live demo:** https://whisk-donate-button.vercel.app/ (testnet)
+
 **OpenForest** — a reforestation NGO landing page with a public donor
 wall, annual-goal progress bar, three donation tiers (Seedling, Grove,
 Canopy), custom-amount fallback, and an active-projects showcase.
diff --git a/examples/ecommerce-checkout/README.md b/examples/ecommerce-checkout/README.md
index fb3dcb4..244b1bc 100644
--- a/examples/ecommerce-checkout/README.md
+++ b/examples/ecommerce-checkout/README.md
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 # whisk-example-ecommerce-checkout
 
+> **Live demo:** https://whisk-ecommerce-checkout.vercel.app/ (testnet)
+
 **Atelier Hibiscus** — an editorial DTC storefront with a 5-product
 catalog, multi-item cart, two-step checkout, and order confirmation.
 Pay-with-USDC at checkout via Whisk.
diff --git a/examples/invoice-link/README.md b/examples/invoice-link/README.md
index d7d5bfb..fdc2548 100644
--- a/examples/invoice-link/README.md
+++ b/examples/invoice-link/README.md
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 # whisk-example-invoice-link
 
+> **Live demo:** https://whisk-invoice-link.vercel.app/ (testnet)
+
 **Studio Hibiscus** — an invoice-link flow with two views:
 
 - `/` (customer view) — reads `?to=…&amount=…&chain=…&memo=…` from the
diff --git a/examples/payroll-batch/README.md b/examples/payroll-batch/README.md
index 5804433..926ccb3 100644
--- a/examples/payroll-batch/README.md
+++ b/examples/payroll-batch/README.md
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 # whisk-example-payroll-batch
 
+> **Live demo:** https://whisk-payroll-batch.vercel.app/ (testnet)
+
 **Studio Fortune** — a creative agency payroll tool. Three-step flow
 (review → dispatch → confirm), 6 payees on a claret/ivory editorial
 palette, progress bar that animates as each transfer settles.
diff --git a/examples/playground/src/app/circle-cors-shim.ts b/examples/playground/src/app/circle-cors-shim.ts
index dc00174..25cc08a 100644
--- a/examples/playground/src/app/circle-cors-shim.ts
+++ b/examples/playground/src/app/circle-cors-shim.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,23 @@
  * other fetch — wagmi RPC calls, our own routes, analytics — passes
  * through untouched.
  */
+
+/**
+ * True only when the URL's host is Circle's API (`api.circle.com` or any
+ * `*.circle.com` host). Parses the URL and checks the host rather than
+ * substring-matching, so the name can't be smuggled into a path or query
+ * string (e.g. `https://evil.com/?x=api.circle.com`).
+ */
+function isCircleApiUrl(url: string): boolean {
+  let host: string;
+  try {
+    host = new URL(url, window.location.href).hostname.toLowerCase();
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+  return host === "circle.com" || host.endsWith(".circle.com");
+}
+
 let installed = false;
 
 export function installCircleCorsShim() {
@@ -37,7 +54,7 @@ export function installCircleCorsShim() {
           ? input.href
           : input.url;
 
-    if (!url.includes("api.circle.com")) {
+    if (!isCircleApiUrl(url)) {
       return originalFetch(input, init);
     }
 
diff --git a/examples/themed-saas/README.md b/examples/themed-saas/README.md
index d466276..798b1c5 100644
--- a/examples/themed-saas/README.md
+++ b/examples/themed-saas/README.md
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 # whisk-example-themed-saas
 
+> **Live demo:** https://whisk-themed-saas.vercel.app/ (testnet)
+
 **Steelpath Cloud** — a B2B treasury dashboard with sidebar nav, KPI
 cards, a scheduled-vendors table, recent settlements feed, and an
 activity log. Click any vendor row to fund their next payout via Whisk.