diff --git a/packages/api/src/index.ts b/packages/api/src/index.ts
index a9690a8..66f2852 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/index.ts
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ app.get("/", (_req, res) => {
 app.get("/api", (_req, res) => {
   res.json({
     name: "Transceiver Intelligence Platform",
-    version: "0.2.5",
+    version: "0.2.6",
     endpoints: [
       "GET /api/transceivers?q=&form_factor=&speed=&category=&fiber_type=&wdm_type=&coherent=",
       "GET /api/transceivers/:id",
diff --git a/packages/api/src/routes/blog.ts b/packages/api/src/routes/blog.ts
index 7aa38c6..2365d5c 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/routes/blog.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/routes/blog.ts
@@ -1291,3 +1291,21 @@ blogRouter.get("/feedback/training-data", async (_req: Request, res: Response) =
     res.json({ entries: result.rows, count: result.rowCount });
   } catch (err) { res.status(500).json({ error: "Failed" }); }
 });
+
+// DELETE /api/blog/:id — Delete a blog draft
+blogRouter.delete("/:id", async (req: Request, res: Response) => {
+  try {
+    // Delete feedback first (FK constraint)
+    await pool.query("DELETE FROM blog_feedback WHERE blog_id = $1::uuid", [req.params.id]);
+    const result = await pool.query(
+      "DELETE FROM blog_drafts WHERE id = $1::uuid RETURNING id, title",
+      [req.params.id]
+    );
+    if (result.rows.length === 0) {
+      return res.status(404).json({ success: false, error: "Draft not found" });
+    }
+    res.json({ success: true, deleted: result.rows[0] });
+  } catch (err) {
+    res.status(500).json({ success: false, error: (err as Error).message });
+  }
+});
diff --git a/packages/api/src/routes/health.ts b/packages/api/src/routes/health.ts
index 82f6f97..8d2d8d7 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/routes/health.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/routes/health.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ healthRouter.get("/", async (_req: Request, res: Response) => {
     res.json({
       success: true,
       status: "healthy",
-      version: "0.2.5",
+      version: "0.2.6",
       uptime: process.uptime(),
       database: {
         connected: true,
diff --git a/packages/dashboard/hot-topics.js b/packages/dashboard/hot-topics.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bc7dc18
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/dashboard/hot-topics.js
@@ -0,0 +1,176 @@
+/**
+ * Hot Topics + Blog Pipeline UX Enhancement (v0.2.5)
+ * Loaded after main dashboard script.
+ * Overrides generateBlog + pollBlogLlm with improved versions.
+ */
+(function() {
+  var API = window.API || '';
+  var blogPipelineRunning = false;
+
+  var STEP_NAMES = [
+    'Topic Expansion', 'Angle Selection', 'Outline Generation',
+    'Master Draft (writing...)', 'Reality Injection', 'Technical Deepening',
+    'Opinion Layer', 'Kill AI Tone', 'QA Check', 'Quality Score'
+  ];
+
+  // Override generateBlog with pipeline lock + progress UI
+  window.generateBlog = function(topic, speed, customTitle, customAngle) {
+    if (blogPipelineRunning) {
+      if (typeof showToast === 'function') showToast('Pipeline Busy', 'A blog is already being generated. Please wait.');
+      return;
+    }
+    blogPipelineRunning = true;
+
+    var blogList = document.getElementById('blog-list');
+    if (blogList) {
+      blogList.innerHTML =
+        '<div style="background:linear-gradient(135deg,#1a1a1a,#2a2a2a);color:white;padding:2rem;border-radius:12px;text-align:center">' +
+        '<div style="font-size:1.4rem;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem">Generating Blog with AI...</div>' +
+        '<div id="bp-status" style="font-size:1rem;color:#FF8100;margin-bottom:0.5rem">Starting 10-step Flexoptix Style pipeline...</div>' +
+        '<div id="bp-step" style="font-size:0.85rem;color:#aaa">Connecting to LLM (qwen2.5:14b)</div>' +
+        '<div style="margin-top:1.5rem;background:#333;border-radius:8px;height:8px;overflow:hidden">' +
+        '<div id="bp-bar" style="width:2%;height:100%;background:#FF8100;transition:width 0.5s ease"></div></div>' +
+        '<div id="bp-pct" style="font-size:0.8rem;color:#666;margin-top:0.5rem">0%</div>' +
+        '</div>';
+    }
+
+    var body = { topic: topic };
+    if (speed) body.speed = speed;
+
+    fetch((API || '') + '/api/blog/generate', {
+      method: 'POST',
+      headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+      body: JSON.stringify(body)
+    }).then(function(r) { return r.json(); }).then(function(data) {
+      if (data.success && data.draft) {
+        var s = document.getElementById('bp-status');
+        if (s) s.textContent = 'Template created. LLM pipeline running (~10 min)...';
+        var b = document.getElementById('bp-bar');
+        if (b) b.style.width = '5%';
+        pollPipeline(data.draft.id, 0);
+      } else {
+        blogPipelineRunning = false;
+        if (typeof showToast === 'function') showToast('Error', (data.error || 'Generation failed'), true);
+        if (typeof loadBlogDrafts === 'function') loadBlogDrafts();
+      }
+    }).catch(function(err) {
+      blogPipelineRunning = false;
+      if (typeof showToast === 'function') showToast('Network Error', err.message, true);
+      if (typeof loadBlogDrafts === 'function') loadBlogDrafts();
+    });
+  };
+
+  function pollPipeline(id, attempt) {
+    if (attempt > 80) {
+      blogPipelineRunning = false;
+      if (typeof showToast === 'function') showToast('Timeout', 'Pipeline took too long. Check the blog list.');
+      if (typeof loadBlogDrafts === 'function') loadBlogDrafts();
+      return;
+    }
+    setTimeout(function() {
+      fetch((API || '') + '/api/blog/' + id).then(function(r) { return r.json(); }).then(function(data) {
+        var d = data.draft || data;
+        var gen = d.generated_by || '';
+        var steps = d.pipeline_steps_completed || 0;
+        var done = gen && gen !== 'tip-blog-engine-template' && gen.length > 0;
+
+        if (done) {
+          // Pipeline complete!
+          var bar = document.getElementById('bp-bar');
+          var pct = document.getElementById('bp-pct');
+          var status = document.getElementById('bp-status');
+          var step = document.getElementById('bp-step');
+          if (bar) bar.style.width = '100%';
+          if (pct) pct.textContent = '100%';
+          if (status) { status.textContent = 'Blog generated! ' + (d.word_count || '?') + ' words'; status.style.color = '#2d6a4f'; }
+          if (step) step.textContent = 'Generated by: ' + gen;
+          blogPipelineRunning = false;
+          if (typeof showToast === 'function') showToast('Blog Ready!', (d.title || 'Article') + ' — ' + (d.word_count || '?') + ' words');
+          setTimeout(function() {
+            if (typeof loadBlogDrafts === 'function') loadBlogDrafts();
+            if (typeof viewBlogDraft === 'function') viewBlogDraft(id);
+          }, 2000);
+        } else {
+          // Still processing
+          var pctVal = Math.min(95, steps * 10 + 5);
+          var bar = document.getElementById('bp-bar');
+          var pct = document.getElementById('bp-pct');
+          var status = document.getElementById('bp-status');
+          var step = document.getElementById('bp-step');
+          if (bar) bar.style.width = pctVal + '%';
+          if (pct) pct.textContent = pctVal + '%';
+          if (status) status.textContent = 'Step ' + steps + '/10';
+          if (step && steps > 0 && steps <= 10) step.textContent = STEP_NAMES[steps - 1] || 'Processing...';
+          pollPipeline(id, attempt + 1);
+        }
+      }).catch(function() { pollPipeline(id, attempt + 1); });
+    }, 15000);
+  }
+
+  // Hot topics loader
+  window.loadHotTopics = function() {
+    var grid = document.getElementById('hot-topics-grid');
+    if (!grid) return;
+    grid.innerHTML = '<div class="loading pulse">Discovering hot topics...</div>';
+
+    fetch((API || '') + '/api/hot-topics').then(function(r) { return r.json(); }).then(function(data) {
+      if (!data.topics || data.topics.length === 0) {
+        grid.innerHTML = '<div class="gen-card" style="cursor:pointer" onclick="generateBlog(\'hype_cycle\',\'800G\')"><div class="gen-card-title">Hype Cycle Analysis</div></div>';
+        return;
+      }
+      var colors = { breaking: '#c1121f', hot: '#FF8100', trending: '#e6a800', emerging: '#2d6a4f' };
+      grid.innerHTML = data.topics.slice(0, 6).map(function(t) {
+        var c = colors[t.urgency] || '#888';
+        var escaped = encodeURIComponent(t.blog_type || 'hype_cycle');
+        var title = (t.title || '').replace(/'/g, "\\'").replace(/"/g, '&quot;');
+        return '<div class="gen-card" style="cursor:pointer;border-left:3px solid ' + c + '" onclick="generateBlog(\'' + escaped + '\')">' +
+          '<div style="display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;margin-bottom:4px">' +
+          '<span style="font-size:0.65rem;text-transform:uppercase;font-weight:600;color:' + c + '">' + t.urgency + '</span>' +
+          '<span style="font-size:0.6rem;color:var(--text-dim)">' + (t.source_type || '') + '</span></div>' +
+          '<div class="gen-card-title" style="font-size:0.85rem;line-height:1.3">' + t.title + '</div>' +
+          '<div class="gen-card-sub" style="font-size:0.7rem;margin-top:4px">' + ((t.suggested_angle || t.description || '')).slice(0, 80) + '</div>' +
+          '</div>';
+      }).join('');
+    }).catch(function() {
+      grid.innerHTML =
+        '<div class="gen-card" style="cursor:pointer" onclick="generateBlog(\'hype_cycle\',\'800G\')"><div class="gen-card-title">Hype Cycle</div></div>' +
+        '<div class="gen-card" style="cursor:pointer" onclick="generateBlog(\'comparison\',\'400G\')"><div class="gen-card-title">Comparison</div></div>' +
+        '<div class="gen-card" style="cursor:pointer" onclick="generateBlog(\'tutorial\')"><div class="gen-card-title">Tutorial</div></div>';
+    });
+  };
+
+  // Auto-load hot topics when blog tab activates
+  var origActivateTab = window.activateTab;
+  if (origActivateTab) {
+    window.activateTab = function(tabName) {
+      origActivateTab(tabName);
+      if (tabName === 'blog') loadHotTopics();
+    };
+  }
+})();
+
+// Delete a single blog draft
+window.deleteBlogDraft = function(id, title) {
+  if (!confirm('Delete "' + title + '"?')) return;
+  fetch((window.API || '') + '/api/blog/' + id, { method: 'DELETE' })
+    .then(function(r) { return r.json(); })
+    .then(function(data) {
+      if (data.success) {
+        if (typeof showToast === 'function') showToast('Deleted', title);
+        if (typeof loadBlogDrafts === 'function') loadBlogDrafts();
+      }
+    });
+};
+
+// Delete all template drafts (keep LLM-generated ones)
+window.deleteAllTemplateDrafts = function() {
+  if (!confirm('Delete ALL template drafts? LLM-generated articles will be kept.')) return;
+  fetch((window.API || '') + '/api/blog').then(function(r) { return r.json(); }).then(function(data) {
+    var templates = (data.drafts || []).filter(function(d) { return d.generated_by === 'tip-blog-engine-template' || !d.generated_by; });
+    var count = 0;
+    templates.forEach(function(d) {
+      fetch((window.API || '') + '/api/blog/' + d.id, { method: 'DELETE' }).then(function() { count++; if (count === templates.length && typeof loadBlogDrafts === 'function') loadBlogDrafts(); });
+    });
+    if (typeof showToast === 'function') showToast('Cleaning', 'Deleting ' + templates.length + ' template drafts...');
+  });
+};
diff --git a/packages/dashboard/index.html b/packages/dashboard/index.html
index 0c49900..a903615 100644
--- a/packages/dashboard/index.html
+++ b/packages/dashboard/index.html
@@ -873,14 +873,14 @@
 
   <!-- BLOG -->
   <div id="tab-blog" class="hidden">
-    <div style="margin-bottom:1rem;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center">
-      <h3 style="font-size:1.1rem;font-weight:600">Hot Topics <span style="font-size:0.75rem;color:var(--text-dim);font-weight:400">(auto-discovered from market data, conferences, research)</span></h3>
-      <button onclick="loadHotTopics()" style="background:var(--accent);color:white;border:none;padding:6px 14px;border-radius:8px;cursor:pointer;font-size:0.8rem">Refresh Topics</button>
+    <div style="margin-bottom:0.8rem;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center">
+      <h3 style="font-size:1rem;font-weight:600">Hot Topics <span style="font-size:0.7rem;color:var(--text-dim);font-weight:400">auto-discovered from market data + conferences</span></h3>
+      <button onclick="loadHotTopics()" style="background:var(--accent);color:white;border:none;padding:5px 12px;border-radius:6px;cursor:pointer;font-size:0.75rem">Refresh</button>
     </div>
-    <div id="hot-topics-grid" class="grid g3 mb" style="min-height:80px">
-      <div class="loading pulse">Loading hot topics...</div>
+    <div id="hot-topics-grid" class="grid g3 mb">
+      <div class="loading pulse">Loading topics...</div>
     </div>
-    <div class="card"><div id="blog-list"></div></div>
+    <div style="margin-bottom:0.5rem;text-align:right"><button onclick="deleteAllTemplateDrafts()" style="background:#c1121f;color:white;border:none;padding:5px 12px;border-radius:6px;cursor:pointer;font-size:0.7rem">Delete All Templates</button></div><div class="card"><div id="blog-list"></div></div>
   </div>
 </div>
 
@@ -1164,7 +1164,7 @@ function goToTab(tabName) {
   if (tabName === 'transceivers') searchTransceivers();
   if (tabName === 'switches') searchSwitches();
   if (tabName === 'news') loadNews();
-  if (tabName === 'blog') { loadBlogDrafts(); if (typeof loadHotTopics === 'function') loadHotTopics(); }
+  if (tabName === 'blog') loadBlogDrafts();
 }
 
 document.querySelectorAll('.tab').forEach(function(tab) {
@@ -2279,23 +2279,8 @@ function copyBlogContent(id) {
 }
 
 // BLOG
-function generateBlog(topic, speed, customTitle, customAngle) {
-  // Pipeline lock: prevent multiple simultaneous generations
-  if (blogPipelineRunning) {
-    showToast('Pipeline Busy', 'A blog is already being generated. Wait for it to finish.', true);
-    return;
-  }
-  blogPipelineRunning = true;
-  // Show prominent progress overlay
-  el('blog-list').innerHTML = '<div style="background:linear-gradient(135deg,#1a1a1a,#2a2a2a);color:white;padding:2rem;border-radius:12px;text-align:center">' +
-    '<div style="font-size:1.5rem;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem">🔄 Generating Blog with AI...</div>' +
-    '<div id="blog-pipeline-status" style="font-size:1rem;color:#FF8100;margin-bottom:0.5rem">Starting 10-step Flexoptix Style pipeline...</div>' +
-    '<div id="blog-pipeline-step" style="font-size:0.85rem;color:#888">Connecting to LLM (qwen2.5:14b on Mac Studio)</div>' +
-    '<div style="margin-top:1.5rem;background:#333;border-radius:8px;height:8px;overflow:hidden">' +
-    '<div id="blog-pipeline-bar" style="width:0%;height:100%;background:#FF8100;transition:width 0.5s ease"></div></div>' +
-    '<div id="blog-pipeline-pct" style="font-size:0.8rem;color:#666;margin-top:0.5rem">0%</div>' +
-    '</div>';
-
+function generateBlog(topic, speed) {
+  el('blog-list').innerHTML = '<div class="loading pulse">Generating article...</div>';
   var body = { topic: topic };
   if (speed) body.speed = speed;
   fetch(API + '/api/blog/generate', {
@@ -2304,109 +2289,34 @@ function generateBlog(topic, speed, customTitle, customAngle) {
     body: JSON.stringify(body)
   }).then(function(r) { return r.json(); }).then(function(data) {
     if (data.success) {
-      var statusEl = document.getElementById('blog-pipeline-status');
-      if (statusEl) statusEl.textContent = 'Template created. LLM pipeline running...';
-      var stepEl = document.getElementById('blog-pipeline-step');
-      if (stepEl) stepEl.textContent = 'Step 1/10: Topic Expansion — analyzing real-world scenarios...';
-      var barEl = document.getElementById('blog-pipeline-bar');
-      if (barEl) barEl.style.width = '5%';
-      pollBlogLlm(data.draft.id, 0);
-    } else {
-      showToast('Failed', data.error || 'Unknown error', true);
-      loadBlogDrafts();
-    }
-  }).catch(function(err) { blogPipelineRunning = false; showToast('Network error', err.message, true); loadBlogDrafts(); });
+      var msg = data.draft.title + ' — ' + data.draft.word_count + ' words';
+      if (data.draft.llm_enhancing) msg += ' (LLM enhancing in background...)';
+      showToast('Draft generated', msg);
+      if (data.draft.llm_enhancing) {
+        pollBlogLlm(data.draft.id, 0);
+      }
+    } else showToast('Failed', data.error || 'Unknown error', true);
+    loadBlogDrafts();
+  }).catch(function(err) { showToast('Network error', err.message, true); });
 }
 
-var STEP_NAMES = [
-  'Topic Expansion — analyzing real-world scenarios',
-  'Angle Selection — picking the strongest angle',
-  'Outline Generation — decision-driven structure',
-  'Master Draft — writing 2500+ word article',
-  'Reality Injection — adding production failures',
-  'Technical Deepening — specific optics + numbers',
-  'Opinion Layer — removing neutrality',
-  'Kill AI Tone — making it sound human',
-  'QA Check — fixing weak sections',
-  'Quality Score — rating 1-10'
-];
-
 function pollBlogLlm(id, attempt) {
-  if (attempt > 60) {
-    blogPipelineRunning = false; showToast('Timeout', 'LLM pipeline took too long. Refresh to check.');
-    loadBlogDrafts();
-    return;
-  }
+  if (attempt > 30) return;
   setTimeout(function() {
     api('/api/blog/' + id).then(function(data) {
-      var d = data.draft || data;
-      var done = d.generated_by && d.generated_by !== 'tip-blog-engine-template' && d.generated_by !== null;
-      var steps = d.pipeline_steps_completed || 0;
-
-      if (done) {
-        // Pipeline finished! Show the result
-        var pct = document.getElementById('blog-pipeline-pct');
-        var bar = document.getElementById('blog-pipeline-bar');
-        var status = document.getElementById('blog-pipeline-status');
-        if (bar) bar.style.width = '100%';
-        if (pct) pct.textContent = '100%';
-        if (status) {
-          status.textContent = '✅ Blog generated! ' + (d.word_count || '?') + ' words, QA Score: ' + (d.auto_qa_score ? JSON.parse(typeof d.auto_qa_score === 'string' ? d.auto_qa_score : JSON.stringify(d.auto_qa_score)).overall || '?' : '?') + '/10';
-          status.style.color = '#2d6a4f';
-        }
-        showToast('Blog Ready!', d.title + ' — ' + d.word_count + ' words (LLM-generated)');
-        blogPipelineRunning = false; setTimeout(function() { loadBlogDrafts(); viewBlogDraft(id); }, 2000);
+      if (data.draft && data.draft.generated_by && data.draft.generated_by.includes('llm')) {
+        showToast('LLM Enhanced', data.draft.title + ' — ' + data.draft.word_count + ' words');
+        loadBlogDrafts();
       } else {
-        // Still processing — update progress
-        var pctVal = Math.min(95, steps * 10 + 5);
-        var bar = document.getElementById('blog-pipeline-bar');
-        var pct = document.getElementById('blog-pipeline-pct');
-        var stepEl = document.getElementById('blog-pipeline-step');
-        var status = document.getElementById('blog-pipeline-status');
-        if (bar) bar.style.width = pctVal + '%';
-        if (pct) pct.textContent = pctVal + '%';
-        if (stepEl && steps > 0 && steps <= 10) stepEl.textContent = 'Step ' + steps + '/10: ' + (STEP_NAMES[steps-1] || 'Processing...');
-        if (status) status.textContent = 'LLM Pipeline: Step ' + steps + '/10';
         pollBlogLlm(id, attempt + 1);
       }
-    }).catch(function() { pollBlogLlm(id, attempt + 1); });
-  }, 15000);
+    }).catch(function() {});
+  }, 10000);
 }
 
-// Hot Topics: load dynamically from API
-var blogPipelineRunning = false;
-function loadHotTopics() {
-  var grid = el('hot-topics-grid');
-  if (!grid) return;
-  grid.innerHTML = '<div class="loading pulse">Discovering hot topics...</div>';
-  api('/api/hot-topics').then(function(data) {
-    if (!data.topics || data.topics.length === 0) {
-      grid.innerHTML = '<div class="gen-card" onclick="generateBlog('hype_cycle','800G')"><div class="gen-card-title">Hype Cycle Analysis</div><div class="gen-card-sub">800G technology position</div></div>';
-      return;
-    }
-    var urgencyColors = { breaking: '#c1121f', hot: '#FF8100', trending: '#e6a800', emerging: '#2d6a4f' };
-    grid.innerHTML = data.topics.slice(0, 6).map(function(t) {
-      var color = urgencyColors[t.urgency] || '#888';
-      return '<div class="gen-card" onclick="generateBlogFromTopic('' + encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify(t)) + '')" style="cursor:pointer;border-left:3px solid ' + color + '">' +
-        '<div style="display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;margin-bottom:4px">' +
-        '<span style="font-size:0.65rem;text-transform:uppercase;font-weight:600;color:' + color + '">' + t.urgency + '</span>' +
-        '<span style="font-size:0.6rem;color:var(--text-dim)">' + t.source_type + '</span></div>' +
-        '<div class="gen-card-title" style="font-size:0.85rem;line-height:1.3">' + t.title + '</div>' +
-        '<div class="gen-card-sub" style="font-size:0.7rem;margin-top:4px">' + (t.suggested_angle || t.description).slice(0, 80) + '...</div>' +
-        '</div>';
-    }).join('');
-  }).catch(function() {
-    grid.innerHTML = '<div class="gen-card" onclick="generateBlog('hype_cycle','800G')"><div class="gen-card-title">Hype Cycle Analysis</div></div><div class="gen-card" onclick="generateBlog('comparison','400G')"><div class="gen-card-title">Product Comparison</div></div><div class="gen-card" onclick="generateBlog('tutorial')"><div class="gen-card-title">Tutorial</div></div>';
-  });
-}
+// Hot topics loaded dynamically via hot-topics.js
 
-function generateBlogFromTopic(encodedTopic) {
-  var t = JSON.parse(decodeURIComponent(encodedTopic));
-  generateBlog(t.blog_type, null, t.title, t.suggested_angle);
-}
 
-// Load hot topics when blog tab opens
-var origLoadBlog = loadBlogDrafts;
 
 async function loadBlogDrafts() {
   var data = await api('/api/blog');
@@ -2550,5 +2460,6 @@ el('compare-overlay').addEventListener('click', function(e) {
 // INIT
 loadOverview();
 </script>
+<script src="/dashboard/hot-topics.js"></script>
 </body>
 </html>