diff --git a/src/main.ts b/src/main.ts
index 79516d4..a1bf9a7 100644
--- a/src/main.ts
+++ b/src/main.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import { DEF } from "./sim/catalog";
 import { Scene } from "./render/scene";
 import { Hud } from "./ui/hud";
 import { Panels } from "./ui/panels";
+import { Tutorial } from "./ui/tutorial";
 import { sfx } from "./ui/sfx";
 import { unlockGen, unlockModality, setSpec, setDataSource, unlockRnd, buyUpgrade } from "./sim/sim";
 import { DataSource } from "./sim/research";
@@ -36,7 +37,7 @@ async function boot() {
     },
     onAlloc: (v) => { state.allocTraining = v; },
     onAllocHost: (v) => { state.allocHosting = v; },
-    onNewGame: () => { wiped = true; clearSave(); location.reload(); },
+    onNewGame: () => { wiped = true; clearSave(); tutorial.reset(); location.reload(); },
     onRaise: () => {
       const err = raiseRound(state);
       if (err) { pushEvent(state, err, "info"); sfx.error(); } else sfx.money();
@@ -58,6 +59,11 @@ async function boot() {
   });
   hud.bindBreaker(state);
   const panels = new Panels(state);
+  const tutorial = new Tutorial();
+  const tutChip = hud.root.querySelector("#tut-toggle") as HTMLButtonElement;
+  const syncTutChip = () => tutChip.classList.toggle("on", tutorial.enabled);
+  tutChip.onclick = () => { tutorial.setEnabled(!tutorial.enabled); syncTutChip(); };
+  syncTutChip();
   (hud.root.querySelector("#lab-btn") as HTMLButtonElement).onclick = () => panels.toggle("lab");
   (hud.root.querySelector("#rnd-btn") as HTMLButtonElement).onclick = () => panels.toggle("rnd");
   (hud.root.querySelector("#market-btn") as HTMLButtonElement).onclick = () => panels.toggle("market");
@@ -160,6 +166,7 @@ async function boot() {
   let hudTicks = 0;
   setInterval(() => {
     hud.update(state);
+    tutorial.update(state);
     if (++hudTicks % 5 === 0 && (panels.open || panels.selectedDevice !== null)) panels.render();
   }, 200);
   hud.update(state);
diff --git a/src/ui/hud.css b/src/ui/hud.css
index ad33f81..f2a2d6d 100644
--- a/src/ui/hud.css
+++ b/src/ui/hud.css
@@ -127,6 +127,21 @@
 #devpanel .devbtns { display: flex; gap: 6px; margin-bottom: 4px; }
 #devpanel h4 { margin: 8px 0 4px; font-size: 10px; color: var(--dim); letter-spacing: 0.15em; }
 
+/* tutorial quest card */
+#tutorial { position: absolute; left: 10px; top: 46vh; width: 250px; }
+.tutcard { padding: 10px 12px; border-color: var(--purple) !important; pointer-events: auto; }
+.tutcard.tutdone { border-color: var(--green) !important; }
+.tuthead { display: flex; justify-content: space-between; align-items: center;
+  font-size: 9px; letter-spacing: 0.18em; color: var(--purple); margin-bottom: 5px; }
+.tutcard.tutdone .tuthead { color: var(--green); }
+.tuthead button { background: none; border: 0; color: var(--dim); cursor: pointer; font: inherit; }
+.tuttitle { font-weight: 700; font-size: 12.5px; margin-bottom: 4px; }
+.tutbody { font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.45; color: #c9c9dc; }
+.tutbody b { color: var(--cyan); }
+.tutskip { background: none; border: 0; color: var(--dim); font: inherit; font-size: 10px;
+  cursor: pointer; margin-top: 6px; padding: 0; }
+.tutskip:hover { color: var(--text); }
+
 #name-modal { position: fixed; inset: 0; background: rgba(5, 5, 10, 0.85); display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; pointer-events: auto; }
 #name-box { padding: 28px 32px; text-align: center; width: 360px; }
 #name-box h2 { margin: 0 0 4px; letter-spacing: 0.3em; color: var(--purple); }
diff --git a/src/ui/hud.ts b/src/ui/hud.ts
index 258fe30..1aa5f1c 100644
--- a/src/ui/hud.ts
+++ b/src/ui/hud.ts
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ export class Hud {
         <button class="chip" id="rnd-btn">🏢 R&D (R)</button>
         <button class="chip" id="market-btn">📡 Market (M)</button>
         <button class="chip" id="mute">${isMuted() ? "🔇 Muted" : "🔊 Sound"}</button>
+        <button class="chip" id="tut-toggle">❓ Tutorial</button>
         <button class="chip" id="new-game">🗑 New Game</button>
         <button class="chip" id="raise" style="display:none">💰 Raise</button>
         <div id="mandate" style="display:none">
diff --git a/src/ui/tutorial.ts b/src/ui/tutorial.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5110a5b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ui/tutorial.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,149 @@
+// Goal-driven tutorial: a quest card that watches sim state and advances
+// itself. Optional (chip toggle), persisted, auto-skips already-done steps.
+import { SimState } from "../sim/state";
+import { sfx } from "./sfx";
+
+interface Step {
+  id: string;
+  title: string;
+  body: string;
+  done: (s: SimState) => boolean;
+}
+
+const STEPS: Step[] = [
+  {
+    id: "wire",
+    title: "Plug in the slop pipe",
+    body: "Your PC can't sell garbage without internet. Press <b>W</b> (or the 🔌 Wire chip), click the <b>PC</b>, then the <b>router</b>.",
+    done: (s) => s.devices.some((d) => d.wiredTo !== null),
+  },
+  {
+    id: "first_video",
+    title: "Watch the slop flow",
+    body: "You're live. Tokens accumulate and videos publish themselves — watch <b>SLOPTUBE STUDIO</b> (bottom-left) and <b>NET/S</b> up top. Views = ad money.",
+    done: (s) => s.videos.length >= 1,
+  },
+  {
+    id: "fan",
+    title: "Your room is cooking",
+    body: "Computers make heat; above <b>85°C</b> they throttle. Buy a <b>Desk Fan ($18)</b> from the store and drop it next to the PC. Right-click sells stuff.",
+    done: (s) => s.devices.some((d) => d.defId === "desk_fan" || d.defId === "window_ac"),
+  },
+  {
+    id: "train",
+    title: "The platforms are learning",
+    body: "Every publish raises <b>ALGO HEAT</b> — spam filters adapt and views shrink. Push the <b>TRAIN</b> slider up to bank training tokens for a fresh model.",
+    done: (s) => s.allocTraining >= 0.4 || s.trainTokens > 800,
+  },
+  {
+    id: "release",
+    title: "Release the next version",
+    body: "Open the <b>🧪 Model Lab (L)</b>. When the bank covers it, train the next version — new models slip right past the filters and earn more per view.",
+    done: (s) => s.tier >= 1,
+  },
+  {
+    id: "raise",
+    title: "Take the devil's money",
+    body: "Hit <b>💰 Raise Seed</b>: instant cash, but the board sets a views target with a deadline. Miss it and they take equity <i>forever</i>. Spend the money on compute immediately.",
+    done: (s) => s.round >= 1 || s.mandate !== null,
+  },
+  {
+    id: "scale",
+    title: "Build a real rig",
+    body: "Buy a <b>Rig Frame</b>, click it, and install GPU cards in its slots. Watch the <b>POWER</b> bar — trip the breaker and your training checkpoint corrupts. Sub-panels add capacity.",
+    done: (s) => s.devices.some((d) => d.gpus.length >= 2),
+  },
+  {
+    id: "ship",
+    title: "Ship it and sell the excess",
+    body: "In the Lab, <b>ship a grade</b> of your model (mini/pro/MAX). Then open the <b>📡 Market (M)</b> and use the <b>HOST</b> slider to sell spare compute. Hosting your own weights invites distillation — that's the fun part.",
+    done: (s) => s.shippedGrades.length >= 1,
+  },
+  {
+    id: "grad",
+    title: "You are now the problem",
+    body: "The rest you learn by fire — literally, hardware over 95°C ignites. Subscribers hate downtime, rivals hate you, and the furnace takes cash. Good luck. 🫡<br><br><b>Click ✕ to finish.</b>",
+    done: () => false, // manual dismiss
+  },
+];
+
+const KEY_STEP = "gigaslop-tut-step";
+const KEY_OFF = "gigaslop-tut-off";
+
+export class Tutorial {
+  root: HTMLElement;
+  step = Number(localStorage.getItem(KEY_STEP) ?? 0);
+  enabled = localStorage.getItem(KEY_OFF) !== "1";
+  private advanceAt: number | null = null; // celebratory pause between steps
+
+  constructor() {
+    this.root = document.createElement("div");
+    this.root.id = "tutorial";
+    document.getElementById("hud")!.appendChild(this.root);
+    this.root.addEventListener("click", (e) => {
+      const el = (e.target as HTMLElement).closest<HTMLElement>("[data-tut]");
+      if (!el) return;
+      if (el.dataset.tut === "hide") this.setEnabled(false);
+      if (el.dataset.tut === "skip") this.bump();
+      if (el.dataset.tut === "finish") { this.step = STEPS.length; this.persist(); }
+      this.renderNow(null);
+    });
+  }
+
+  setEnabled(on: boolean) {
+    this.enabled = on;
+    localStorage.setItem(KEY_OFF, on ? "0" : "1");
+    sfx.click();
+  }
+
+  reset() {
+    this.step = 0;
+    this.advanceAt = null;
+    localStorage.setItem(KEY_STEP, "0");
+  }
+
+  private persist() {
+    localStorage.setItem(KEY_STEP, String(this.step));
+  }
+
+  private bump() {
+    this.step++;
+    this.persist();
+  }
+
+  /** call every HUD tick */
+  update(s: SimState) {
+    if (this.enabled && this.step < STEPS.length - 1 && this.advanceAt === null &&
+        STEPS[this.step].done(s)) {
+      this.advanceAt = Date.now() + 1100; // brief ✅ beat before the next card
+      sfx.publish();
+    }
+    if (this.advanceAt !== null && Date.now() >= this.advanceAt) {
+      this.advanceAt = null;
+      this.bump();
+      // collapse any further steps the save has already accomplished
+      while (this.step < STEPS.length - 1 && STEPS[this.step].done(s)) this.bump();
+    }
+    this.renderNow(s);
+  }
+
+  private renderNow(s: SimState | null) {
+    if (!this.enabled || this.step >= STEPS.length) {
+      this.root.innerHTML = "";
+      return;
+    }
+    const st = STEPS[this.step];
+    const doneNow = this.advanceAt !== null;
+    const isLast = this.step === STEPS.length - 1;
+    this.root.innerHTML = `<div class="panel tutcard ${doneNow ? "tutdone" : ""}">
+      <div class="tuthead">
+        <span>${doneNow ? "✅" : "🎓"} TUTORIAL ${this.step + 1}/${STEPS.length}</span>
+        <button data-tut="${isLast ? "finish" : "hide"}" title="${isLast ? "finish" : "hide tutorial (re-enable via ❓ chip)"}">✕</button>
+      </div>
+      <div class="tuttitle">${st.title}</div>
+      <div class="tutbody">${st.body}</div>
+      ${isLast ? "" : `<button class="tutskip" data-tut="skip">skip step ›</button>`}
+    </div>`;
+    void s;
+  }
+}