diff --git a/resources/js/components/product-hunt-banner.tsx b/resources/js/components/product-hunt-banner.tsx
index 6594ce8a2..c14b57bec 100644
--- a/resources/js/components/product-hunt-banner.tsx
+++ b/resources/js/components/product-hunt-banner.tsx
@@ -19,10 +19,19 @@ export function ProductHuntBanner() {
     const [now, setNow] = useState(() => Date.now());
 
     useEffect(() => {
-        const interval = setInterval(() => setNow(Date.now()), 1000);
+        if (now >= LAUNCH_ENDS_AT) {
+            return;
+        }
 
-        return () => clearInterval(interval);
-    }, []);
+        const nextChange =
+            now < LAUNCH_STARTS_AT ? LAUNCH_STARTS_AT : LAUNCH_ENDS_AT;
+        const timeout = setTimeout(
+            () => setNow(Date.now()),
+            Math.min(2_147_483_647, Math.max(0, nextChange - Date.now())),
+        );
+
+        return () => clearTimeout(timeout);
+    }, [now]);
 
     if (now < LAUNCH_STARTS_AT || now >= LAUNCH_ENDS_AT) {
         return null;
diff --git a/resources/js/layouts/app-layout.tsx b/resources/js/layouts/app-layout.tsx
index 3e87fb4c4..2c286e9d6 100644
--- a/resources/js/layouts/app-layout.tsx
+++ b/resources/js/layouts/app-layout.tsx
@@ -52,6 +52,18 @@ export default function AppLayout({ children }: AppLayoutProps) {
     const showShortcuts = useCallback(() => setIsShowingShortcuts(true), []);
     const openSearch = useCallback(() => setIsSearching(true), []);
     const isGuest = auth.user === null;
+    // Public feeds and documents have no unread counts, and these routes cannot be deleted.
+    const skipCountPolling =
+        isGuest &&
+        [
+            'log/show',
+            'about/show',
+            'brand/show',
+            'changelog/show',
+            'privacy/show',
+            'search/index',
+            'terms/show',
+        ].includes(component);
     const isMessages = component.startsWith('conversation/');
     const hasComposer = component === 'log/show' && !isGuest;
     const isComposerInView = useIsComposerInView();
@@ -106,7 +118,7 @@ export default function AppLayout({ children }: AppLayoutProps) {
                 data-nav={isLayoutOpen ? 'expanded' : 'collapsed'}
                 className="mx-auto flex min-h-svh w-full max-w-[1264px] justify-center"
             >
-                {deletedPage === null && (
+                {deletedPage === null && !skipCountPolling && (
                     <NotificationCountPolling
                         isInbox={component === 'notification/index'}
                         onNotFound={markPageDeleted}
diff --git a/tests/Unit/ProductHuntBanner.test.tsx b/tests/Unit/ProductHuntBanner.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..85e56d187
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Unit/ProductHuntBanner.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+/// <reference types="node" />
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import * as React from 'react';
+import { afterAll, afterEach, test, vi } from 'vite-plus/test';
+
+const updates = vi.fn();
+const cleanups: (() => void)[] = [];
+
+vi.doMock('react', () => ({
+    ...React,
+    useState: (getInitial: () => number) => [getInitial(), updates],
+    useEffect: (effect: () => (() => void) | undefined) => {
+        const cleanup = effect();
+        if (cleanup) cleanups.push(cleanup);
+    },
+}));
+
+const { ProductHuntBanner } = await import(
+    '../../resources/js/components/product-hunt-banner'
+);
+
+afterEach(() => {
+    cleanups.splice(0).forEach((cleanup) => cleanup());
+    vi.useRealTimers();
+    updates.mockClear();
+});
+afterAll(() => vi.doUnmock('react'));
+
+test('expired launch does not leave a one-second timer running', () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    vi.setSystemTime(new Date('2026-10-25T12:00:00Z'));
+
+    assert.equal(ProductHuntBanner(), null);
+    assert.equal(vi.getTimerCount(), 0);
+});
+
+test('before launch, schedules only the launch start', () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    vi.setSystemTime(new Date('2026-10-19T12:00:00Z'));
+
+    assert.equal(ProductHuntBanner(), null);
+    assert.equal(vi.getTimerCount(), 1);
+
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(1_000);
+    assert.equal(updates.mock.calls.length, 0);
+
+    vi.advanceTimersToNextTimer();
+    assert.equal(updates.mock.calls.length, 1);
+});
+
+test('during launch, schedules only the launch end', () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    vi.setSystemTime(new Date('2026-10-20T12:00:00Z'));
+
+    assert.notEqual(ProductHuntBanner(), null);
+    assert.equal(vi.getTimerCount(), 1);
+
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(1_000);
+    assert.equal(updates.mock.calls.length, 0);
+
+    vi.advanceTimersToNextTimer();
+    assert.equal(updates.mock.calls.length, 1);
+});
+
+test('a clock far before launch does not overflow the timeout delay', () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    vi.setSystemTime(new Date('2026-09-01T12:00:00Z'));
+    const start = Date.now();
+
+    assert.equal(ProductHuntBanner(), null);
+    assert.equal(vi.getTimerCount(), 1);
+
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(1_000);
+    assert.equal(updates.mock.calls.length, 0);
+
+    vi.advanceTimersToNextTimer();
+    assert.equal(updates.mock.calls.length, 1);
+    assert.equal(updates.mock.calls[0]?.[0], start + 2_147_483_647);
+});