diff --git a/backend/server/api/aa.py b/backend/server/api/aa.py
index 9154be06..9b3d7003 100644
--- a/backend/server/api/aa.py
+++ b/backend/server/api/aa.py
@@ -398,6 +398,7 @@ def _read() -> StoreRecord | None:
 
     rec = await run_sync(_read)
     if rec is not None:
+        aa_cache.record_store_hit()
         stale = (now - rec["last_resolved_at"]) > CHARACTER_STALE_S
         if stale:
             asyncio.create_task(_bg_refresh_aas(name, cache_key))
diff --git a/backend/server/api/character/gear_sets.py b/backend/server/api/character/gear_sets.py
index 8f2398d9..436b4c30 100644
--- a/backend/server/api/character/gear_sets.py
+++ b/backend/server/api/character/gear_sets.py
@@ -167,6 +167,7 @@ def _read() -> StoreRecord | None:
 
     rec = await run_sync(_read)
     if rec is not None:
+        gear_sets_cache.record_store_hit()
         stale = (now - rec["last_resolved_at"]) > CHARACTER_STALE_S
         if stale:
             asyncio.create_task(_bg_refresh_gear_sets(name, cache_key))
diff --git a/backend/server/api/character/views.py b/backend/server/api/character/views.py
index 80b2c2ac..6979cb65 100644
--- a/backend/server/api/character/views.py
+++ b/backend/server/api/character/views.py
@@ -458,6 +458,7 @@ async def get_character(request: Request, name: str) -> CharacterResponse:
     if rec is not None:
         from backend.server.census_refresh import request_character_refresh
 
+        character_cache.record_store_hit()
         data = rec["data"]
         # A guild-roster sync persists a partial character record (name / level /
         # guild only) so the roster can render before the character is ever
diff --git a/backend/server/api/characters.py b/backend/server/api/characters.py
index 80c5e73b..92087acc 100644
--- a/backend/server/api/characters.py
+++ b/backend/server/api/characters.py
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ async def lookup_characters(request: Request, names: str = "") -> BulkLookupResp
     out: dict[str, BulkLookupEntry] = {}
     for name in unique:
         cache_key = char_cache_key(name, current_world())
-        cached = character_cache.get_stale(cache_key)[0]
+        cached = character_cache.peek(cache_key)  # opportunistic probe — no metrics/LRU churn
         if cached is None:
             out[name] = BulkLookupEntry(found=False)
             continue
diff --git a/backend/server/api/guild.py b/backend/server/api/guild.py
index 4bd93d05..4d1b9d3c 100644
--- a/backend/server/api/guild.py
+++ b/backend/server/api/guild.py
@@ -212,6 +212,7 @@ async def get_guild_info(request: Request, guild_name: str) -> GuildInfoResponse
     finally:
         conn.close()
     if rec is not None:
+        guild_cache.record_store_hit()
         age = int(time.time()) - rec["last_resolved_at"]
         stale = age > 900
         if stale:
diff --git a/backend/server/cache.py b/backend/server/cache.py
index 98f16b5c..9e3fb923 100644
--- a/backend/server/cache.py
+++ b/backend/server/cache.py
@@ -61,6 +61,21 @@ def _inc_stale(self) -> None:
 
             CACHE_STALE.labels(cache=self._name).inc()
 
+    def record_store_hit(self) -> None:
+        """Call when a memory miss was served from the durable census_store —
+        lets the dashboard split misses into store-absorbed vs Census-fetch."""
+        with swallow("metrics"):
+            from backend.server.metrics import CACHE_STORE_HITS
+
+            CACHE_STORE_HITS.labels(cache=self._name).inc()
+
+    def _touch(self, key: str) -> None:
+        """Move an accessed key to the end of the dict so maxsize eviction
+        (which pops the front) behaves as LRU-by-access, not FIFO-by-insert."""
+        entry = self._store.pop(key, None)
+        if entry is not None:
+            self._store[key] = entry
+
     def _update_size(self) -> None:
         with swallow("metrics"):
             from backend.server.metrics import CACHE_SIZE
@@ -83,6 +98,7 @@ def get(self, key: str) -> Any | None:
             return None
         _log.debug("[cache] HIT   %s", scrub(key))
         self._inc_hit()
+        self._touch(key)
         return value
 
     def get_stale(self, key: str) -> tuple[Any | None, bool]:
@@ -113,8 +129,23 @@ def get_stale(self, key: str) -> tuple[Any | None, bool]:
             self._inc_stale()
         else:
             self._inc_hit()
+        self._touch(key)
         return value, is_stale
 
+    def peek(self, key: str) -> Any | None:
+        """Metric-free, side-effect-free read for OPPORTUNISTIC probes (bulk
+        lookups that treat a miss as "no enrichment, fine"). Returns whatever
+        get_stale would (fresh or stale value; None past max_age) without
+        counting a hit/miss or refreshing the entry's LRU position — so probe
+        sweeps can't distort the hit-ratio dashboards or the eviction order."""
+        entry = self._store.get(key)
+        if entry is None:
+            return None
+        ts, value = entry
+        if self._max_age is not None and time.monotonic() - ts > self._max_age:
+            return None
+        return value
+
     def set(self, key: str, value: Any) -> None:
         _log.debug("[cache] SET   %s", scrub(key))
         # Evict oldest entry if we're at capacity and this is a new key.
@@ -122,6 +153,9 @@ def set(self, key: str, value: Any) -> None:
             oldest_key = next(iter(self._store))
             del self._store[oldest_key]
             _log.debug("[cache] EVICT (maxsize) %s", oldest_key)
+        # Pop-then-set so an overwrite also moves to the back of the eviction
+        # queue (plain dict assignment keeps the original insertion slot).
+        self._store.pop(key, None)
         self._store[key] = (time.monotonic(), value)
         with swallow("metrics"):
             from backend.server.metrics import CACHE_SETS
@@ -167,7 +201,11 @@ def delete(self, key: str) -> None:
 #              cached to skip the per-request aiosqlite connection open on hot
 #              character pages. Writes invalidate exactly (single-process), so
 #              the TTL is only a backstop.
-character_cache: TTLCache = TTLCache(name="character", maxsize=500)
+# 2000: guild-roster views and the startup pre-warm insert every member/claimed
+# character; at 500 the combined rosters exceeded the cap and cycled the cache
+# (observed pinned-at-cap with a ~4% hit ratio, 2026-07). Entries are a few KB
+# each → ~10-20 MB worst case.
+character_cache: TTLCache = TTLCache(name="character", maxsize=2000)
 guild_cache: TTLCache = TTLCache(name="guild", maxsize=50)
 claim_cache: TTLCache = TTLCache(name="claim", maxsize=200)
 aa_cache: TTLCache = TTLCache(name="aa", maxsize=200)
diff --git a/backend/server/metrics.py b/backend/server/metrics.py
index 1b30a9df..bf0bddb0 100644
--- a/backend/server/metrics.py
+++ b/backend/server/metrics.py
@@ -64,6 +64,9 @@
 CACHE_HITS = Counter("cache_hits_total", "Fresh cache hits", ["cache"])
 CACHE_MISSES = Counter("cache_misses_total", "Cache misses (not found or expired)", ["cache"])
 CACHE_STALE = Counter("cache_stale_total", "Stale hits that fired bg refresh", ["cache"])
+# A memory miss that census_store then served instantly — the dashboard's
+# "miss" panel splits into store-absorbed vs real Census fetches with this.
+CACHE_STORE_HITS = Counter("cache_store_hits_total", "Misses served from the durable census_store", ["cache"])
 CACHE_SETS = Counter("cache_sets_total", "Values written into cache", ["cache"])
 CACHE_SIZE = Gauge("cache_size", "Live entry count in cache", ["cache"])
 
diff --git a/tests/server/test_cache.py b/tests/server/test_cache.py
index f172becf..2499abac 100644
--- a/tests/server/test_cache.py
+++ b/tests/server/test_cache.py
@@ -116,3 +116,85 @@ def test_multiple_keys_independent(self):
         cache.delete("a")
         assert cache.get("a") is None
         assert cache.get("b") == 2
+
+
+class TestLRUEviction:
+    """maxsize eviction is LRU-by-access (2026-07): reads and overwrites move
+    an entry to the back of the eviction queue, so hot entries survive
+    roster-flood inserts."""
+
+    def test_read_saves_an_entry_from_eviction(self):
+        cache = TTLCache(ttl=300, max_age=3600, maxsize=3)
+        for k in ("a", "b", "c"):
+            cache.set(k, k)
+        cache.get_stale("a")  # touch the oldest
+        cache.set("d", "d")  # over capacity → evicts the LRU entry
+        assert cache.get_stale("a")[0] == "a"  # touched — survived
+        assert cache.get_stale("b")[0] is None  # untouched oldest — evicted
+
+    def test_get_also_touches(self):
+        cache = TTLCache(ttl=300, max_age=3600, maxsize=3)
+        for k in ("a", "b", "c"):
+            cache.set(k, k)
+        cache.get("a")
+        cache.set("d", "d")
+        assert cache.get("a") == "a"
+        assert cache.get("b") is None
+
+    def test_overwrite_moves_to_back_of_queue(self):
+        cache = TTLCache(ttl=300, max_age=3600, maxsize=3)
+        for k in ("a", "b", "c"):
+            cache.set(k, k)
+        cache.set("a", "a2")  # overwrite — must refresh queue position
+        cache.set("d", "d")
+        assert cache.get_stale("a")[0] == "a2"
+        assert cache.get_stale("b")[0] is None
+
+
+class TestPeek:
+    """peek() is the opportunistic-probe read: no metrics, no LRU touch."""
+
+    def test_peek_returns_fresh_and_stale_values(self):
+        cache = TTLCache(ttl=1, max_age=3600)
+        cache.set("fresh", 1)
+        cache._store["stale"] = (time.monotonic() - 2, 2)
+        assert cache.peek("fresh") == 1
+        assert cache.peek("stale") == 2  # stale-but-within-max-age still served
+        assert cache.peek("absent") is None
+
+    def test_peek_respects_hard_expiry(self):
+        cache = TTLCache(ttl=1, max_age=10)
+        cache._store["old"] = (time.monotonic() - 11, "gone")
+        assert cache.peek("old") is None
+        assert "old" in cache._store  # read-only: no eviction side effect
+
+    def test_peek_records_no_metrics(self):
+        from backend.server.metrics import CACHE_HITS, CACHE_MISSES
+
+        cache = TTLCache(ttl=300, max_age=3600, name="claim")
+        cache.set("k", 1)
+        hits_before = CACHE_HITS.labels(cache="claim")._value.get()
+        misses_before = CACHE_MISSES.labels(cache="claim")._value.get()
+        cache.peek("k")
+        cache.peek("nope")
+        assert CACHE_HITS.labels(cache="claim")._value.get() == hits_before
+        assert CACHE_MISSES.labels(cache="claim")._value.get() == misses_before
+
+    def test_peek_does_not_touch_lru_order(self):
+        cache = TTLCache(ttl=300, max_age=3600, maxsize=3)
+        for k in ("a", "b", "c"):
+            cache.set(k, k)
+        cache.peek("a")  # must NOT save it from eviction
+        cache.set("d", "d")
+        assert cache.peek("a") is None
+        assert cache.peek("b") == "b"
+
+
+class TestStoreHitMetric:
+    def test_record_store_hit_increments_counter(self):
+        from backend.server.metrics import CACHE_STORE_HITS
+
+        cache = TTLCache(ttl=300, max_age=3600, name="character")
+        before = CACHE_STORE_HITS.labels(cache="character")._value.get()
+        cache.record_store_hit()
+        assert CACHE_STORE_HITS.labels(cache="character")._value.get() == before + 1
diff --git a/tests/server/test_characters.py b/tests/server/test_characters.py
index 57be2555..11472d73 100644
--- a/tests/server/test_characters.py
+++ b/tests/server/test_characters.py
@@ -15,12 +15,13 @@ def _fake_cached(*, guild_name=None, cls=None, level=None):
 
 
 def _cache_with(entries: dict):
-    """Build a fake character_cache whose get_stale returns the given map."""
+    """Build a fake character_cache whose peek/get_stale serve the given map."""
     from unittest.mock import MagicMock
 
     fake = MagicMock()
     # entries keyed by cache_key (name.lower():world.lower())
     fake.get_stale.side_effect = lambda key: (entries.get(key), False)
+    fake.peek.side_effect = lambda key: entries.get(key)
     return fake