diff --git a/Models/ScoreboardCadence.cs b/Models/ScoreboardCadence.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..781db88
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+++ b/Models/ScoreboardCadence.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+using System;
+
+namespace ytLive.Models;
+
+/// <summary>What kind of session the app is in, for polling decisions.</summary>
+public enum SessionPhase
+{
+    Idle,
+    Live,
+    Test,
+    Recording,
+}
+
+/// <summary>Which channel figures a poll should fetch.</summary>
+public enum ScoreboardPoll
+{
+    None,
+    SubscribersOnly,
+    Both,
+}
+
+/// <summary>Polling policy for the scoreboard's two channel figures (creator ruling 2026-10-30).
+///
+/// <para>Analytics answers in DAYS, and test/record sessions have no public audience — so querying
+/// watch hours then is pure waste. Subscriber count is cheap (one quota unit) and moves during any
+/// session, so it polls whenever the app is working. Idle means silent.</para></summary>
+public static class ScoreboardCadence
+{
+    public static readonly TimeSpan AnalyticsInterval = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(30);
+    public static readonly TimeSpan SubscriberInterval = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(60);
+
+    public static ScoreboardPoll Due(SessionPhase phase, DateTime lastAnalyticsUtc, DateTime lastSubscriberUtc, DateTime nowUtc)
+    {
+        if (phase == SessionPhase.Idle) return ScoreboardPoll.None;
+
+        var analyticsDue = phase == SessionPhase.Live && nowUtc - lastAnalyticsUtc >= AnalyticsInterval;
+        var subscribersDue = nowUtc - lastSubscriberUtc >= SubscriberInterval;
+
+        return (analyticsDue, subscribersDue) switch
+        {
+            (true, true) => ScoreboardPoll.Both,
+            (true, false) => ScoreboardPoll.None,       // analytics alone is not a poll kind
+            (false, true) => ScoreboardPoll.SubscribersOnly,
+            _ => ScoreboardPoll.None,
+        };
+    }
+}
diff --git a/ytLive.Tests/ScoreboardCadenceTests.cs b/ytLive.Tests/ScoreboardCadenceTests.cs
new file mode 100644
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+++ b/ytLive.Tests/ScoreboardCadenceTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+using System;
+using Xunit;
+using ytLive.Models;
+
+namespace ytLive.Tests;
+
+/// <summary>The quiet-by-default rule: watch hours only during a live stream (Analytics is a daily
+/// figure and test/record sessions have no public audience), subscribers whenever the app is
+/// working, and silence when idle.</summary>
+public class ScoreboardCadenceTests
+{
+    [Fact]
+    public void Analytics_polls_only_when_live_and_subscribers_poll_during_any_session()
+    {
+        var now = new DateTime(2026, 10, 30, 12, 0, 0, DateTimeKind.Utc);
+        var old = now.AddHours(-2);
+
+        // Idle: silent, even if everything is stale.
+        Assert.Equal(ScoreboardPoll.None, ScoreboardCadence.Due(SessionPhase.Idle, old, old, now));
+
+        // Live with stale figures: both.
+        Assert.Equal(ScoreboardPoll.Both, ScoreboardCadence.Due(SessionPhase.Live, old, old, now));
+
+        // Test / recording: subscribers only — no public audience, so no analytics.
+        Assert.Equal(ScoreboardPoll.SubscribersOnly, ScoreboardCadence.Due(SessionPhase.Test, old, old, now));
+        Assert.Equal(ScoreboardPoll.SubscribersOnly, ScoreboardCadence.Due(SessionPhase.Recording, old, old, now));
+
+        // Fresh figures: nothing is due.
+        Assert.Equal(ScoreboardPoll.None, ScoreboardCadence.Due(SessionPhase.Live, now, now, now));
+
+        // Analytics alone never polls (it is not a kind the poller knows).
+        Assert.Equal(ScoreboardPoll.None,
+            ScoreboardCadence.Due(SessionPhase.Live, old, now.AddSeconds(-10), now));
+
+        // Subscribers alone mid-window.
+        Assert.Equal(ScoreboardPoll.SubscribersOnly,
+            ScoreboardCadence.Due(SessionPhase.Live, now, old, now));
+    }
+}