diff --git a/.changeset/peek-site-setting.md b/.changeset/peek-site-setting.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a93e239e7a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/peek-site-setting.md
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+---
+"emdash": patch
+---
+
+`getSiteSetting(key)` now transparently piggybacks on `getSiteSettings()` when the batch has already been loaded in the current request. If a parent template has called `getSiteSettings()` (which is request-cached), a later `getSiteSetting("seo")` — from `EmDashHead`, a plugin, or user code — reads the key from that cached result instead of firing its own round-trip. Falls back to a per-key cached query when nothing has been primed.
+
+Exposes `peekRequestCache(key)` for internal use by other helpers that want the same "read from a broader cached query if available" pattern.
+
+On the blog-demo fixture: the SEO call added in PR #613 now costs zero extra queries per page (it reads from the Base layout's existing `getSiteSettings()` result).
diff --git a/packages/core/src/components/EmDashHead.astro b/packages/core/src/components/EmDashHead.astro
index 8c74016003..fb42b6b39e 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/components/EmDashHead.astro
+++ b/packages/core/src/components/EmDashHead.astro
@@ -37,10 +37,16 @@ let metadataHtml = "";
 let fragmentsHtml = "";
 
 if (runtime) {
-	// Run independent async loads in parallel: site SEO settings (for search
-	// engine verification meta tags) and plugin page-metadata contributions.
-	// Plugin contributions come BEFORE site/base in the array, so
-	// resolvePageMetadata's first-wins dedup lets plugins override defaults.
+	// Run independent async loads in parallel: site SEO settings (for
+	// search engine verification meta tags) and plugin page-metadata
+	// contributions. Plugin contributions come BEFORE site/base in the
+	// array, so resolvePageMetadata's first-wins dedup lets plugins
+	// override defaults.
+	//
+	// `getSiteSetting("seo")` is request-cached and — crucially — reads
+	// from `getSiteSettings()`'s cached batch when a parent template has
+	// already called it. So this is either a single-key query or free,
+	// not a second round-trip.
 	const [seoSettings, pluginContributions, fragments] = await Promise.all([
 		getSiteSetting("seo"),
 		runtime.collectPageMetadata(page),
diff --git a/packages/core/src/request-cache.ts b/packages/core/src/request-cache.ts
index a6ea2c6bf5..d304bef59a 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/request-cache.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/request-cache.ts
@@ -59,6 +59,24 @@ export function requestCached<T>(key: string, fn: () => Promise<T>): Promise<T>
 	return promise;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Look up an entry in the request-scoped cache without inserting one.
+ *
+ * Returns the in-flight or resolved promise if the key exists in the
+ * current request, otherwise `undefined`. Callers can use this to
+ * opportunistically satisfy a narrower query (e.g. `getSiteSetting("seo")`)
+ * from a broader one (`getSiteSettings()`) that's already been loaded
+ * by a parent template — avoiding a redundant round-trip.
+ *
+ * No-ops outside a request context.
+ */
+export function peekRequestCache<T>(key: string): Promise<T> | undefined {
+	const ctx = getRequestContext();
+	if (!ctx) return undefined;
+	const cache = store.get(ctx);
+	return cache?.get(key) as Promise<T> | undefined;
+}
+
 /**
  * Pre-populate the request-scoped cache with a resolved value.
  *
diff --git a/packages/core/src/settings/index.ts b/packages/core/src/settings/index.ts
index 4f15557b55..8ecc208517 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/settings/index.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/settings/index.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import { MediaRepository } from "../database/repositories/media.js";
 import { OptionsRepository } from "../database/repositories/options.js";
 import type { Database } from "../database/types.js";
 import { getDb } from "../loader.js";
-import { requestCached } from "../request-cache.js";
+import { peekRequestCache, requestCached } from "../request-cache.js";
 import type { Storage } from "../storage/types.js";
 import type { SiteSettings, SiteSettingKey, MediaReference } from "./types.js";
 
@@ -73,13 +73,23 @@ async function resolveMediaReference(
  * console.log(logo?.url); // Resolved URL
  * ```
  */
-export function getSiteSetting<K extends SiteSettingKey>(
+export async function getSiteSetting<K extends SiteSettingKey>(
 	key: K,
 ): Promise<SiteSettings[K] | undefined> {
-	// Cache per-key within a request. Without this, templates that pull
-	// several settings (and layout components that ask for logo/favicon/
-	// title separately) each fire an options-table query — which is a
-	// real latency hit on regions far from the D1 primary (APS, APE).
+	// If `getSiteSettings()` has already been called in this request,
+	// read from that (request-cached) batch rather than firing a second
+	// options-table query. Common layout: a Base template pulls the
+	// whole settings object up-front, then `EmDashHead` or a plugin
+	// asks for one key — no reason the singular call should round-trip
+	// again.
+	const primed = peekRequestCache<Partial<SiteSettings>>("siteSettings");
+	if (primed) {
+		const settings = await primed;
+		return settings[key];
+	}
+
+	// Otherwise cache per-key. Templates that pull several settings
+	// independently still share the in-flight query for each one.
 	return requestCached(`siteSetting:${key}`, async () => {
 		const db = await getDb();
 		return getSiteSettingWithDb(key, db);