diff --git a/apps/modeling-commons-backend/src/modules/model-additional-file/model-additional-file.service.spec.ts b/apps/modeling-commons-backend/src/modules/model-additional-file/model-additional-file.service.spec.ts
index 99066b4d..d64bfd62 100644
--- a/apps/modeling-commons-backend/src/modules/model-additional-file/model-additional-file.service.spec.ts
+++ b/apps/modeling-commons-backend/src/modules/model-additional-file/model-additional-file.service.spec.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ function makeVersion(overrides: Partial<ModelVersionEntity> = {}): ModelVersionE
     previewImageFileKey: null,
     netlogoFileKey: '2026/04/17/abcd-model.nlogox',
     netlogoVersion: null,
+    changeSummary: null,
     infoTab: null,
     createdAt: new Date(),
     finalizedAt: null,
diff --git a/apps/modeling-commons-backend/src/modules/model-version-tag/model-version-tag.service.spec.ts b/apps/modeling-commons-backend/src/modules/model-version-tag/model-version-tag.service.spec.ts
index 4ce7025c..7c40d31e 100644
--- a/apps/modeling-commons-backend/src/modules/model-version-tag/model-version-tag.service.spec.ts
+++ b/apps/modeling-commons-backend/src/modules/model-version-tag/model-version-tag.service.spec.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ function makeVersion(overrides: Partial<ModelVersionEntity> = {}): ModelVersionE
     previewImageFileKey: null,
     netlogoFileKey: 'files/key-1',
     netlogoVersion: null,
+    changeSummary: null,
     infoTab: null,
     createdAt: new Date(),
     finalizedAt: null,
diff --git a/apps/modeling-commons-backend/src/modules/model-version/domain/model-version.domain.spec.ts b/apps/modeling-commons-backend/src/modules/model-version/domain/model-version.domain.spec.ts
index 31362af7..4d4c61eb 100644
--- a/apps/modeling-commons-backend/src/modules/model-version/domain/model-version.domain.spec.ts
+++ b/apps/modeling-commons-backend/src/modules/model-version/domain/model-version.domain.spec.ts
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ describe('modelVersionDomain', () => {
         previewImageFileKey: null,
         netlogoFileKey: 'f1',
         netlogoVersion: null,
+        changeSummary: null,
         infoTab: null,
         createdAt: new Date(),
         finalizedAt: null,
@@ -46,6 +47,7 @@ describe('modelVersionDomain', () => {
         previewImageFileKey: null,
         netlogoFileKey: 'f1',
         netlogoVersion: null,
+        changeSummary: null,
         infoTab: null,
         createdAt: new Date(),
         finalizedAt: new Date(),
diff --git a/apps/modeling-commons-backend/src/modules/model-version/domain/model-version.domain.ts b/apps/modeling-commons-backend/src/modules/model-version/domain/model-version.domain.ts
index 78869c50..2a4360b4 100644
--- a/apps/modeling-commons-backend/src/modules/model-version/domain/model-version.domain.ts
+++ b/apps/modeling-commons-backend/src/modules/model-version/domain/model-version.domain.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ export default function modelVersionDomain() {
         previewImageFileKey: props.previewImageFileKey ?? null,
         netlogoFileKey: props.netlogoFileKey,
         netlogoVersion: null,
+        changeSummary: null,
         infoTab: null,
         createdAt: new Date(),
         finalizedAt: null,
diff --git a/apps/modeling-commons-backend/src/modules/model-version/model-version.service.spec.ts b/apps/modeling-commons-backend/src/modules/model-version/model-version.service.spec.ts
index 3b1fb6b2..4b67d226 100644
--- a/apps/modeling-commons-backend/src/modules/model-version/model-version.service.spec.ts
+++ b/apps/modeling-commons-backend/src/modules/model-version/model-version.service.spec.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ function makeVersion(overrides: Partial<ModelVersionEntity> = {}): ModelVersionE
     previewImageFileKey: null,
     netlogoFileKey: '2026/04/17/abcd-model.nlogox',
     netlogoVersion: null,
+    changeSummary: null,
     infoTab: null,
     createdAt: new Date(),
     finalizedAt: null,
diff --git a/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/app/components/tag/TagCard.vue b/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/app/components/tag/TagCard.vue
index 24b0081c..6808b59f 100644
--- a/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/app/components/tag/TagCard.vue
+++ b/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/app/components/tag/TagCard.vue
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ import { createTagPath } from "~/utils/formatters";
 const props = defineProps<{
   name: string;
   displayName?: string;
-  description: string;
+  description?: string;
 }>();
 
 const label = computed(() =>
diff --git a/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/app/composables/tag/usePopularTags.ts b/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/app/composables/tag/usePopularTags.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..057b1380
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/app/composables/tag/usePopularTags.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+export type PopularTag = ResponseSuccessData<"GET", "/api/v1/tags/popular">["data"][number];
+
+export default function usePopularTags(limit = 24) {
+  const { GET } = useApi();
+
+  const { data, error, pending, loadNextPage, canLoadMore, count } =
+    useApiPagination<PopularTag>(`popular-tags-${limit}`, async (page: number) => {
+      const { data, error } = await GET("/api/v1/tags/popular", {
+        params: { query: { limit, page } },
+      });
+
+      return handleApiError(data, error, "fetching popular tags");
+    });
+
+  return {
+    tags: data,
+    error,
+    pending,
+    loadNextPage,
+    canLoadMore,
+    count,
+  };
+}
diff --git a/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/app/composables/tag/useTags.ts b/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/app/composables/tag/useTags.ts
index 8d6ede6c..ea714c8b 100644
--- a/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/app/composables/tag/useTags.ts
+++ b/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/app/composables/tag/useTags.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ export default function useTags() {
     count,
   } = useApiPagination(key, async (page: number) => {
     const { data, error } = await GET("/api/v1/tags", {
-      params: { query: { limit: 20, offset: (page - 1) * 20, q: debouncedQuery.value } },
+      params: { query: { limit: 20, page, q: debouncedQuery.value } },
     });
 
     const parsed = handleApiError(data, error, "fetching tags");
diff --git a/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/app/pages/index.vue b/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/app/pages/index.vue
index 65df5f00..7166a62b 100644
--- a/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/app/pages/index.vue
+++ b/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/app/pages/index.vue
@@ -83,13 +83,13 @@
       </Error>
 
       <div v-else-if="data" class="flex flex-col gap-25">
-        <template v-for="(section, idx) in visibleSections" :key="section.key">
+        <template v-for="section in visibleSections" :key="section.key">
           <div class="grid grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-4 gap-8">
             <section
               class="space-y-6"
               :class="{
-                'col-span-3': idx === 1,
-                'col-span-4': idx !== 1,
+                'col-span-3': section.hasSidebar,
+                'col-span-4': !section.hasSidebar,
               }"
             >
               <div class="flex items-center justify-between">
@@ -110,38 +110,38 @@
               <div
                 class="grid grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2 gap-8"
                 :class="{
-                  'lg:grid-cols-3': idx === 1,
-                  'lg:grid-cols-4': idx !== 1,
+                  'lg:grid-cols-3': section.hasSidebar,
+                  'lg:grid-cols-4': !section.hasSidebar,
                 }"
               >
-                <ModelCard v-for="card in section.cards" :key="card.model.id" :card="card" />
+                <template v-if="section.pending">
+                  <ModelCardSkeleton v-for="j in section.query.limit ?? 4" :key="j" />
+                </template>
+                <template v-else>
+                  <ModelCard v-for="card in section.cards" :key="card.model.id" :card="card" />
+                </template>
               </div>
             </section>
             <!-- @extract -->
-            <section v-if="idx === 1" class="space-y-6 h-full col-span-1 mb-20">
+            <section v-if="section.hasSidebar" class="space-y-6 h-full col-span-1 mb-20">
               <div>
                 <h5 class="tracking-tight">Trending Tags</h5>
                 <p class="text-sm text-muted mt-1">(in the past 2 weeks)</p>
               </div>
               <UCard variant="soft">
-                <div v-if="tagsSummary?.data" class="flex flex-col gap-8 h-full">
+                <div v-if="feedTags.length" class="flex flex-col gap-8 h-full">
                   <TagCard
-                    v-for="$data in tagsSummary?.data"
-                    :key="$data.tag.id"
-                    :name="$data.tag.displayName"
-                    :description="`tagged ${$data.modelCount} times`"
+                    v-for="entry in feedTags"
+                    :key="entry.tag.id"
+                    :name="entry.tag.name"
+                    :display-name="entry.tag.displayName"
+                    :description="`tagged ${pluralizeWithCount(entry.modelCount, 'time')}`"
                   />
 
                   <UButton variant="link" size="sm" class="w-full mt-4" to="/tags">
                     See all tags
                   </UButton>
                 </div>
-                <div v-else-if="tagsStatus === 'pending'" class="flex flex-col gap-8 h-full">
-                  <TagCardSkeleton v-for="i in 6" :key="i" />
-                </div>
-                <div v-else-if="tagsError" class="text-center py-8">
-                  <Error :error="tagsError" title="Something went wrong" />
-                </div>
               </UCard>
             </section>
           </div>
@@ -159,18 +159,16 @@
 </template>
 
 <script setup lang="ts">
-import type { ModelCard } from "~/composables/model/useModelCard";
 import NetlogoLogo from "@repo/vue-ui/assets/brands/NetLogoOrgLogo.svg?url";
-
-type SortBy = "recent" | "views" | "downloads" | "runs" | "likes";
-
-interface SectionConfig {
-  key: string;
-  title: string;
-  subtitle: string;
-  query: QueryParams<"GET", "/api/v1/models/card">;
-  viewAllTo: string;
-}
+import {
+  homeFeedPath,
+  homeRecentPath,
+  homeSections,
+  type HomeFeed,
+  type HomeModelCard,
+  type HomePopularTag,
+  type HomeRecentFeed,
+} from "~~/shared/home";
 
 const meta = useWebsite();
 
@@ -181,76 +179,31 @@ useSeoMeta({
   ogDescription: meta.value.description,
 });
 
-const sectionConfigs: SectionConfig[] = [
-  {
-    key: "featured",
-    title: "Featured Models",
-    subtitle: "Community-endorsed simulations",
-    query: { limit: 8, isEndorsed: true },
-    viewAllTo: "/featured-models",
-  },
-  {
-    key: "recent",
-    title: "Recent Models",
-    subtitle: "Latest uploads from the community",
-    query: { limit: 8 },
-    viewAllTo: "/new-models",
-  },
-  {
-    key: "most-viewed",
-    title: "Most Viewed Models",
-    subtitle: "What the community keeps coming back to",
-    query: { limit: 6, sortBy: "views" satisfies SortBy },
-    viewAllTo: "/models?sortBy=views",
-  },
-  {
-    key: "most-downloaded",
-    title: "Most Downloaded Models",
-    subtitle: "Top picks people are taking offline",
-    query: { limit: 4, sortBy: "downloads" satisfies SortBy },
-    viewAllTo: "/models?sortBy=downloads",
-  },
-  {
-    key: "most-liked",
-    title: "Most Liked Models",
-    subtitle: "Crowd favorites",
-    query: { limit: 4, sortBy: "likes" satisfies SortBy },
-    viewAllTo: "/models?sortBy=likes",
-  },
-];
-
-const api = useApi();
-const { data, error, status, refresh } = await useAsyncData<Record<string, ModelCard[]>>(
-  "home-models",
-  async () => {
-    const responses = await Promise.all(
-      sectionConfigs.map((s) => api.GET("/api/v1/models/card", { params: { query: s.query } })),
-    );
+// Every section here is public and identical for all visitors, so the queries
+// are collapsed into one server-cached feed instead of six per-request calls.
+const { data, error, status, refresh } = await useAsyncData<HomeFeed>("home-feed", () =>
+  $fetch<HomeFeed>(homeFeedPath),
+);
 
-    return Object.fromEntries(
-      sectionConfigs
-        .map((s, i) => [s.key, (responses[i]?.data?.data ?? []) as ModelCard[]] as const)
-        .filter(([, cards]) => cards.length > 0),
-    );
-  },
+// Recents carry a much shorter TTL than the rest of the feed, so they load on
+// their own and never block the sections around them.
+const { data: recent, status: recentStatus } = useAsyncData<HomeRecentFeed>(
+  "home-recent",
+  () => $fetch<HomeRecentFeed>(homeRecentPath),
+  { lazy: true },
 );
 
-const TWO_WEEKS_MS = 1000 * 60 * 60 * 24 * 14;
-const {
-  data: tagsSummary,
-  error: tagsError,
-  status: tagsStatus,
-} = await useAsyncData("home-tags-summary", () => {
-  return getPopularTagsSummary(api, {
-    pagination: { limit: 6 },
-    date: { fromDate: new Date(Date.now() - TWO_WEEKS_MS) }, // past 2 weeks
-  });
-});
+const feedTags = computed<HomePopularTag[]>(() => data.value?.tags ?? []);
 
 const visibleSections = computed(() =>
-  sectionConfigs
-    .map((s) => ({ ...s, cards: data.value?.[s.key] ?? [] }))
-    .filter((s) => s.cards.length > 0),
+  homeSections
+    .map((s) => ({
+      ...s,
+      cards: s.deferred ? (recent.value?.cards ?? []) : (data.value?.sections?.[s.key] ?? []),
+      pending: Boolean(s.deferred) && recentStatus.value === "pending",
+      hasSidebar: Boolean(s.deferred),
+    }))
+    .filter((s) => s.cards.length > 0 || s.pending),
 );
 
 const MARQUEE_COLS = 3;
@@ -258,28 +211,29 @@ const MARQUEE_COLS = 3;
 const randomSeed = useState("seed", () => Math.random());
 const rand = ref(mulberry32(randomSeed.value));
 const marqueeColumns = computed(() => {
-  // Flatten all section cards with their section metadata
-  const allCards = visibleSections.value.flatMap((section) =>
-    section.cards.map((card) => ({ card, sectionTitle: section.title, kind: "model" as const })),
-  );
+  // Deferred sections are excluded: they arrive after the feed, and folding them
+  // in later would reshuffle every column under the reader.
+  const allCards = visibleSections.value
+    .filter((section) => !section.deferred)
+    .flatMap((section) =>
+      section.cards.map((card) => ({ card, sectionTitle: section.title, kind: "model" as const })),
+    );
 
-  const tagsCards = tagsSummary.value?.data.map((tagData: TagsSummary["data"][number]) => ({
+  const tagsCards = feedTags.value.map((entry) => ({
     kind: "tag" as const,
-    tag: tagData.tag,
-    description: `tagged ${tagData.modelCount} times`,
+    tag: entry.tag,
+    description: `tagged ${pluralizeWithCount(entry.modelCount, "time")}`,
   }));
 
   // Round-robin distribute across columns
   const cols: Array<
     Array<
-      | { card: ModelCard; sectionTitle: string; kind: "model" }
-      | { kind: "tag"; tag: TagsSummary["data"][number]["tag"]; description: string }
+      | { card: HomeModelCard; sectionTitle: string; kind: "model" }
+      | { kind: "tag"; tag: HomePopularTag["tag"]; description: string }
     >
   > = Array.from({ length: MARQUEE_COLS }, () => []);
 
-  const mixedCards = (tagsCards ? [...allCards, ...tagsCards] : allCards).sort(
-    () => rand.value() - 0.5,
-  ); // Shuffle to mix tags and models
+  const mixedCards = [...allCards, ...tagsCards].sort(() => rand.value() - 0.5); // Shuffle to mix tags and models
 
   mixedCards.forEach((item, i) => {
     cols[i % MARQUEE_COLS]!.push(item);
diff --git a/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/app/pages/tags/index.vue b/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/app/pages/tags/index.vue
index faa2e7ea..5f64d5ef 100644
--- a/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/app/pages/tags/index.vue
+++ b/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/app/pages/tags/index.vue
@@ -1,9 +1,102 @@
 <template>
-  <div class="min-h-[75vh] flex justify-center items-center">
-    <Error
-      icon="i-lucide-tag"
-      title="Tags are coming soon!"
-      message="We're working hard to bring you a better tagging experience. Stay tuned for updates!"
-    />
-  </div>
+  <UContainer>
+    <div class="space-y-8">
+      <SectionHeader
+        title="Models by Tag"
+        subtitle="Browse the topics the community has tagged its models with."
+        heading="h4"
+      />
+
+      <SearchBar v-model="prefix" placeholder="Search tags..." />
+
+      <Error
+        v-if="error"
+        icon="i-lucide-tag"
+        title="Unable to load tags"
+        message="Something went wrong while fetching tags. Please refresh the page or try again later."
+      />
+
+      <div v-else-if="items.length" class="space-y-8">
+        <div class="grid grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-4 gap-8">
+          <TagCard
+            v-for="item in items"
+            :key="item.tag.id"
+            :name="item.tag.name"
+            :display-name="item.tag.displayName"
+            :description="item.description"
+          />
+        </div>
+
+        <p v-if="totalCount" class="mx-auto text-center text-xs text-dimmed">
+          Showing {{ items.length }} of {{ totalCount }} tags
+        </p>
+      </div>
+
+      <Empty
+        v-else-if="!pending"
+        icon="i-lucide-tag"
+        :title="isSearching ? 'No tags found' : 'No tags yet'"
+        :description="
+          isSearching
+            ? 'No tags match your search. Try a different spelling or a broader term.'
+            : 'Tags will show up here once models have been tagged.'
+        "
+      />
+
+      <div v-if="pending" class="grid grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-4 gap-8">
+        <TagCardSkeleton v-for="i in 8" :key="i" />
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  </UContainer>
 </template>
+
+<script setup lang="ts">
+import { useInfiniteScroll } from "@vueuse/core";
+
+useSeoMeta({
+  title: "Models by Tag",
+  description: "Browse NetLogo models by topic on the Modeling Commons.",
+});
+
+const popular = reactive(usePopularTags());
+const search = reactive(useTags());
+
+const prefix = computed({
+  get: () => search.prefix ?? "",
+  set: (value: string) => {
+    search.prefix = value;
+  },
+});
+
+const isSearching = computed(() => (search.prefix ?? "").trim().length > 0);
+
+// Prefix search has no counts to report; only the popular listing carries them.
+const items = computed(() =>
+  isSearching.value
+    ? search.tags.map((tag) => ({ tag, description: undefined }))
+    : popular.tags.map(({ tag, modelCount }) => ({
+        tag,
+        description: `tagged ${pluralizeWithCount(modelCount, "time")}`,
+      })),
+);
+
+const pending = computed(() => (isSearching.value ? search.pending : popular.pending));
+const error = computed(() => (isSearching.value ? search.error : popular.error));
+const totalCount = computed(() => (isSearching.value ? search.count : popular.count));
+const canLoadMore = computed(() => (isSearching.value ? search.canLoadMore : popular.canLoadMore));
+
+onMounted(() => {
+  useInfiniteScroll(
+    window,
+    () => {
+      if (isSearching.value) search.loadNextPage();
+      else popular.loadNextPage();
+    },
+    {
+      distance: 25,
+      interval: 250,
+      canLoadMore: () => canLoadMore.value,
+    },
+  );
+});
+</script>
diff --git a/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/package.json b/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/package.json
index 72c090c3..817e1b90 100644
--- a/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/package.json
+++ b/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/package.json
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
   "scripts": {
     "create:env": "node -e \"const fs = require('fs'); if (fs.existsSync('.env.example')) { if (!fs.existsSync('.env')) { fs.copyFileSync('.env.example', '.env'); console.log('✓ .env created from .env.example'); } else { console.log('✓ .env already exists'); } } else { console.log('⚠ .env.example not found'); }\"",
     "init": "yarn run create:env && nuxt prepare",
-    "nuxt:build": "nuxt build",
+    "nuxt:build": "nuxt prepare && nuxt build",
     "nuxt:dev": "nuxt dev --port 3005",
     "nuxt:dev:watch": "nuxt dev --port 3005 --dotenv .env.development",
     "nuxt:generate": "nuxt prepare && nuxt generate",
diff --git a/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/server/routes/_data/home-recent.get.ts b/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/server/routes/_data/home-recent.get.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3168c199
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/server/routes/_data/home-recent.get.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+import {
+  homeRecentMaxAgeSeconds,
+  homeRecentSection,
+  type HomeModelCard,
+  type HomeRecentFeed,
+} from "~~/shared/home";
+
+// Split out of the shared home feed so newly published models surface within a
+// minute instead of waiting on that feed's much longer TTL.
+export default defineCachedEventHandler(
+  async (): Promise<HomeRecentFeed> => {
+    const apiBase = useRuntimeConfig().public.apiBase as string;
+
+    const response = await $fetch<{ data: HomeModelCard[] }>(`${apiBase}/api/v1/models/card`, {
+      query: homeRecentSection.query,
+    });
+
+    return { cards: response?.data ?? [] };
+  },
+  {
+    name: "home-recent",
+    getKey: () => "home-recent",
+    maxAge: homeRecentMaxAgeSeconds,
+    swr: true,
+  },
+);
diff --git a/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/server/routes/_data/home.get.ts b/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/server/routes/_data/home.get.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bf199659
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/server/routes/_data/home.get.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+import {
+  homeFeedMaxAgeSeconds,
+  homeFeedSections,
+  homeTagsLimit,
+  homeTagsWindowDays,
+  type HomeFeed,
+  type HomeModelCard,
+  type HomePopularTag,
+} from "~~/shared/home";
+
+// The home feed is identical for every visitor, so it is fetched without the
+// request's cookies and cached once for all of them. Nitro's cached handler
+// strips everything but the `varies` headers before invoking this, so there is
+// no session here to leak into the shared entry even by accident.
+export default defineCachedEventHandler(
+  async (): Promise<HomeFeed> => {
+    const apiBase = useRuntimeConfig().public.apiBase as string;
+
+    const windowStart = new Date(Date.now() - homeTagsWindowDays * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000);
+    const fromDate = windowStart.toISOString().split("T")[0];
+
+    const [sections, tags] = await Promise.all([
+      Promise.all(
+        homeFeedSections.map(async (section) => {
+          const response = await $fetch<{ data: HomeModelCard[] }>(
+            `${apiBase}/api/v1/models/card`,
+            { query: section.query },
+          );
+          return [section.key, response?.data ?? []] as const;
+        }),
+      ),
+      $fetch<{ data: HomePopularTag[] }>(`${apiBase}/api/v1/tags/popular`, {
+        query: { limit: homeTagsLimit, fromDate },
+      }),
+    ]);
+
+    return {
+      sections: Object.fromEntries(sections.filter(([, cards]) => cards.length > 0)),
+      tags: tags?.data ?? [],
+    };
+  },
+  {
+    name: "home-feed",
+    getKey: () => "home-feed",
+    maxAge: homeFeedMaxAgeSeconds,
+    swr: true,
+  },
+);
diff --git a/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/shared/home.ts b/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/shared/home.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..415dae89
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/shared/home.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+import type { paths } from "~~/shared/types/api";
+
+type ModelCardQuery = NonNullable<
+  paths["/api/v1/models/card"]["get"]["parameters"]["query"]
+>;
+
+type OkJson<T> = T extends {
+  responses: { 200: { content: { "application/json": infer D } } };
+}
+  ? D
+  : never;
+
+export type HomeModelCard = OkJson<paths["/api/v1/models/{id}/card"]["get"]>;
+export type HomePopularTag = OkJson<paths["/api/v1/tags/popular"]["get"]>["data"][number];
+
+export interface HomeFeed {
+  sections: Record<string, HomeModelCard[]>;
+  tags: HomePopularTag[];
+}
+
+export interface HomeSection {
+  key: string;
+  title: string;
+  subtitle: string;
+  query: ModelCardQuery;
+  viewAllTo: string;
+  // Fetched by its own endpoint on its own TTL rather than by the shared feed.
+  deferred?: boolean;
+}
+
+const featured: HomeSection = {
+  key: "featured",
+  title: "Featured Models",
+  subtitle: "Community-endorsed simulations",
+  query: { limit: 8, isEndorsed: true },
+  viewAllTo: "/featured-models",
+};
+
+const mostViewed: HomeSection = {
+  key: "most-viewed",
+  title: "Most Viewed Models",
+  subtitle: "What the community keeps coming back to",
+  query: { limit: 6, sortBy: "views" },
+  viewAllTo: "/models?sortBy=views",
+};
+
+const mostDownloaded: HomeSection = {
+  key: "most-downloaded",
+  title: "Most Downloaded Models",
+  subtitle: "Top picks people are taking offline",
+  query: { limit: 4, sortBy: "downloads" },
+  viewAllTo: "/models?sortBy=downloads",
+};
+
+const mostLiked: HomeSection = {
+  key: "most-liked",
+  title: "Most Liked Models",
+  subtitle: "Crowd favorites",
+  query: { limit: 4, sortBy: "likes" },
+  viewAllTo: "/models?sortBy=likes",
+};
+
+// Recents go stale far faster than the rest of the feed, so they are fetched
+// and cached on their own rather than riding the long-lived feed TTL.
+export const homeRecentSection: HomeSection = {
+  key: "recent",
+  title: "Recent Models",
+  subtitle: "Latest uploads from the community",
+  query: { limit: 8 },
+  viewAllTo: "/new-models",
+  deferred: true,
+};
+
+// Render order.
+export const homeSections: HomeSection[] = [
+  featured,
+  homeRecentSection,
+  mostViewed,
+  mostDownloaded,
+  mostLiked,
+];
+
+// Derived, not hand-listed: a section added above is fetched by the shared feed
+// unless it declares its own endpoint, so the two can never drift apart.
+export const homeFeedSections: HomeSection[] = homeSections.filter((s) => !s.deferred);
+
+export const homeTagsLimit = 6;
+export const homeTagsWindowDays = 14;
+
+export const homeFeedPath = "/_data/home";
+export const homeFeedMaxAgeSeconds = 60 * 45;
+
+export const homeRecentPath = "/_data/home-recent";
+export const homeRecentMaxAgeSeconds = 60;
+
+export interface HomeRecentFeed {
+  cards: HomeModelCard[];
+}
diff --git a/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/tests/e2e/smoke.test.ts b/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/tests/e2e/smoke.test.ts
index 5b370b67..bce94fd1 100644
--- a/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/tests/e2e/smoke.test.ts
+++ b/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/tests/e2e/smoke.test.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ const PAGES: Array<{ path: string; identity: RegExp }> = [
   { path: "/models", identity: /Explore Models/i },
   { path: "/featured-models", identity: /Featured Models/i },
   { path: "/new-models", identity: /New Models/i },
+  { path: "/tags", identity: /Models by Tag/i },
   { path: "/login", identity: /Log In|Welcome back/i },
   { path: "/signup", identity: /Sign Up/i },
   { path: "/reset-password", identity: /Reset password/i },
diff --git a/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/tests/nuxt/composables/useTags.test.ts b/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/tests/nuxt/composables/useTags.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c5764343
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/tests/nuxt/composables/useTags.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+import { mockNuxtImport } from "@nuxt/test-utils/runtime";
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import useTags from "~/composables/tag/useTags";
+import usePopularTags from "~/composables/tag/usePopularTags";
+import { apiResult, makeApiClientMock } from "~~/tests/helpers/mockApi";
+
+const { apiState } = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+  apiState: { current: null as ReturnType<typeof makeApiClientMock> | null },
+}));
+
+mockNuxtImport("useApi", () => {
+  return () => apiState.current!.client;
+});
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  vi.resetAllMocks();
+  apiState.current = makeApiClientMock();
+});
+
+function lastQuery(path: string) {
+  const call = apiState.current!.GET.mock.calls.findLast(([called]) => called === path);
+  expect(call, `no GET call for ${path}`).toBeDefined();
+  return call![1]?.params?.query as Record<string, unknown>;
+}
+
+describe("useTags", () => {
+  it("paginates with page, not an offset the API ignores", async () => {
+    apiState.current!.GET.mockResolvedValue(
+      apiResult.ok({ count: 0, limit: 20, page: 0, data: [] }),
+    );
+
+    useTags();
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(apiState.current!.GET).toHaveBeenCalled());
+
+    const query = lastQuery("/api/v1/tags");
+    expect(query.page).toBe(0);
+    expect(query).not.toHaveProperty("offset");
+  });
+});
+
+describe("usePopularTags", () => {
+  it("requests /api/v1/tags/popular with the configured limit and page", async () => {
+    apiState.current!.GET.mockResolvedValue(
+      apiResult.ok({ count: 0, limit: 24, page: 0, data: [] }),
+    );
+
+    usePopularTags(24);
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(apiState.current!.GET).toHaveBeenCalled());
+
+    const query = lastQuery("/api/v1/tags/popular");
+    expect(query.limit).toBe(24);
+    expect(query.page).toBe(0);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/tests/ssr/home-sections.test.ts b/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/tests/ssr/home-sections.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..92324dfd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/modeling-commons-frontend/tests/ssr/home-sections.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { homeFeedSections, homeRecentSection, homeSections } from "~~/shared/home";
+
+describe("home section wiring", () => {
+  it("gives every rendered section exactly one fetcher", () => {
+    const fetchedByFeed = new Set(homeFeedSections.map((s) => s.key));
+    const fetchedSeparately = new Set(homeSections.filter((s) => s.deferred).map((s) => s.key));
+
+    for (const section of homeSections) {
+      const inFeed = fetchedByFeed.has(section.key);
+      const deferred = fetchedSeparately.has(section.key);
+      expect(inFeed || deferred, `${section.key} is rendered but never fetched`).toBe(true);
+      expect(inFeed && deferred, `${section.key} is fetched twice`).toBe(false);
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("keeps recents out of the shared feed so its TTL does not apply", () => {
+    expect(homeRecentSection.deferred).toBe(true);
+    expect(homeFeedSections.map((s) => s.key)).not.toContain(homeRecentSection.key);
+  });
+
+  it("uses unique section keys", () => {
+    const keys = homeSections.map((s) => s.key);
+    expect(new Set(keys).size).toBe(keys.length);
+  });
+});