diff --git a/.specs/gastown-usage-based-billing.md b/.specs/gastown-usage-based-billing.md
index d1c821796d..2ca9aa8fbc 100644
--- a/.specs/gastown-usage-based-billing.md
+++ b/.specs/gastown-usage-based-billing.md
@@ -461,10 +461,14 @@ Metering and enforcement are separately controlled:
 - **Announcement** — the default-off `GASTOWN_BILLING_ANNOUNCEMENT_ENABLED` web flag MAY show advance
   notice; it MUST NOT alter backend billing behavior.
 
-The status object distinguishes these: `enabled` means metering is active (drives the run estimate
-and the automatic-start control), while `enforcing` gates cold-start/terminal blocking in the UI.
-Enforcement and announcement flags are always enabled in local development while retaining
-default-off production behavior; metering runs in development because the meter binding is present.
+The status object distinguishes these: `enabled` means metering is active (usage is reported and
+the run estimate is populated), while `enforcing` gates cold-start/terminal blocking in the UI.
+User-facing billing UI (the estimate pill, cost strings, and automatic-start control) is gated
+solely on the announcement flag (`GASTOWN_BILLING_ANNOUNCEMENT_ENABLED`). Neither `enabled` (shadow
+metering, on in production before launch) nor `enforcing` (backend enforcement) may reveal billing
+UI to users until billing is announced. Enforcement and announcement flags are always enabled in
+local development while retaining default-off production behavior; metering runs in development
+because the meter binding is present.
 
 Dashboards MUST expose awake seconds, base Cloudflare cost, customer charge, gross multiplier,
 unclosed intervals, SKU admission denials, RPC failures, graceful-stop duration, forced stops, and
@@ -503,6 +507,14 @@ counts of `warn` and `stop` verdicts.
 
 ## Changelog
 
+### 2026-07-28 -- Gate user-facing billing UI on announcement, not metering
+
+- User-facing billing UI (estimate pill, cost strings, automatic-start control) is now gated solely
+  on the announcement flag (`GASTOWN_BILLING_ANNOUNCEMENT_ENABLED`), not on `billing.enabled` or
+  `billing.enforcing`. Because metering (`enabled`) is on in production for shadow data, keying the
+  UI off `enabled` surfaced billing estimates to users before launch. The status field `enabled`
+  remains metering-only; the web `TerminalBar` receives the announcement flag from the town layouts.
+
 ### 2026-07-24 -- Separate reporting from enforcement
 
 - Metering now always reports to the meter when the `CONTAINER_USAGE` binding is present;
diff --git a/apps/web/src/app/(app)/gastown/[townId]/MayorTerminalBar.tsx b/apps/web/src/app/(app)/gastown/[townId]/MayorTerminalBar.tsx
index b6244c608e..c37a12eb55 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/app/(app)/gastown/[townId]/MayorTerminalBar.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/app/(app)/gastown/[townId]/MayorTerminalBar.tsx
@@ -8,12 +8,20 @@ import { GASTOWN_URL } from '@/lib/constants';
 export function MayorTerminalBar({
   params,
   basePath,
+  billingAnnouncementEnabled,
 }: {
   params: Promise<{ townId: string }>;
   basePath?: string;
+  billingAnnouncementEnabled?: boolean;
 }) {
   const { townId } = use(params);
   // Track dashboard navigation context and sync to TownDO
   useGastownUiContext(townId, GASTOWN_URL);
-  return <TerminalBar townId={townId} basePath={basePath} />;
+  return (
+    <TerminalBar
+      townId={townId}
+      basePath={basePath}
+      billingAnnouncementEnabled={billingAnnouncementEnabled}
+    />
+  );
 }
diff --git a/apps/web/src/app/(app)/gastown/[townId]/layout.tsx b/apps/web/src/app/(app)/gastown/[townId]/layout.tsx
index 3b9e9f3659..ec17d917bc 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/app/(app)/gastown/[townId]/layout.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/app/(app)/gastown/[townId]/layout.tsx
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { DrawerStackProvider } from '@/components/gastown/DrawerStack';
 import { renderDrawerContent } from '@/components/gastown/DrawerStackContent';
 import { TerminalBarPadding } from '@/components/gastown/TerminalBarPadding';
 import { HideAppTopbar } from '@/components/gastown/HideAppTopbar';
+import { GASTOWN_BILLING_ANNOUNCEMENT_ENABLED } from '@/lib/config.server';
 import { MayorTerminalBar } from './MayorTerminalBar';
 import { OnboardingTooltipsWrapper } from './OnboardingTooltipsWrapper';
 
@@ -18,7 +19,10 @@ export default function TownLayout({
       <DrawerStackProvider renderContent={renderDrawerContent}>
         <HideAppTopbar />
         <TerminalBarPadding>{children}</TerminalBarPadding>
-        <MayorTerminalBar params={params} />
+        <MayorTerminalBar
+          params={params}
+          billingAnnouncementEnabled={GASTOWN_BILLING_ANNOUNCEMENT_ENABLED}
+        />
         <OnboardingTooltipsWrapper params={params} />
       </DrawerStackProvider>
     </TerminalBarProvider>
diff --git a/apps/web/src/app/(app)/organizations/[id]/gastown/[townId]/layout.tsx b/apps/web/src/app/(app)/organizations/[id]/gastown/[townId]/layout.tsx
index 0e6dd77999..6a1d93d37d 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/app/(app)/organizations/[id]/gastown/[townId]/layout.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/app/(app)/organizations/[id]/gastown/[townId]/layout.tsx
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { DrawerStackProvider } from '@/components/gastown/DrawerStack';
 import { renderDrawerContent } from '@/components/gastown/DrawerStackContent';
 import { TerminalBarPadding } from '@/components/gastown/TerminalBarPadding';
 import { HideAppTopbar } from '@/components/gastown/HideAppTopbar';
+import { GASTOWN_BILLING_ANNOUNCEMENT_ENABLED } from '@/lib/config.server';
 import { MayorTerminalBar } from '@/app/(app)/gastown/[townId]/MayorTerminalBar';
 import { OnboardingTooltips } from '@/components/gastown/OnboardingTooltips';
 
@@ -21,7 +22,11 @@ export default async function OrgTownLayout({
       <DrawerStackProvider renderContent={renderDrawerContent}>
         <HideAppTopbar />
         <TerminalBarPadding>{children}</TerminalBarPadding>
-        <MayorTerminalBar params={params} basePath={basePath} />
+        <MayorTerminalBar
+          params={params}
+          basePath={basePath}
+          billingAnnouncementEnabled={GASTOWN_BILLING_ANNOUNCEMENT_ENABLED}
+        />
         <OnboardingTooltips townId={townId} />
       </DrawerStackProvider>
     </TerminalBarProvider>
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/gastown/TerminalBar.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/gastown/TerminalBar.tsx
index 9911737f7c..97cd91ac0b 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/gastown/TerminalBar.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/gastown/TerminalBar.tsx
@@ -52,6 +52,13 @@ type TerminalBarProps = {
   townId: string;
   /** Override base path for org-scoped routes (e.g. /organizations/[id]/gastown/[townId]) */
   basePath?: string;
+  /**
+   * Whether user-facing billing UI (estimate pill, cost strings, automatic-start
+   * control) may be shown. Driven by GASTOWN_BILLING_ANNOUNCEMENT_ENABLED. This is
+   * intentionally separate from `billing.enabled`, which only reflects shadow
+   * metering and is on in production before billing is announced to users.
+   */
+  billingAnnouncementEnabled?: boolean;
 };
 
 type BillingStatus = GastownOutputs['gastown']['getBillingStatus'];
@@ -61,7 +68,11 @@ type BillingStatus = GastownOutputs['gastown']['getBillingStatus'];
  * Agent terminal tabs are opened/closed via TerminalBarContext.
  * Can be positioned at bottom/top/right/left with drag-to-resize.
  */
-export function TerminalBar({ townId, basePath: basePathOverride }: TerminalBarProps) {
+export function TerminalBar({
+  townId,
+  basePath: basePathOverride,
+  billingAnnouncementEnabled = false,
+}: TerminalBarProps) {
   const trpc = useGastownTRPC();
   const townBasePath = basePathOverride ?? `/gastown/${townId}`;
   const { state: sidebarState, isMobile } = useSidebar();
@@ -378,6 +389,7 @@ export function TerminalBar({ townId, basePath: basePathOverride }: TerminalBarP
               setPosition={setPosition}
               closeTab={closeTab}
               billing={billing}
+              billingAnnouncementEnabled={billingAnnouncementEnabled}
               townId={townId}
             />
             <TerminalContent
@@ -416,6 +428,7 @@ export function TerminalBar({ townId, basePath: basePathOverride }: TerminalBarP
               setPosition={setPosition}
               closeTab={closeTab}
               billing={billing}
+              billingAnnouncementEnabled={billingAnnouncementEnabled}
               townId={townId}
             />
             {!collapsed && (
@@ -452,6 +465,7 @@ export function TerminalBar({ townId, basePath: basePathOverride }: TerminalBarP
               setPosition={setPosition}
               closeTab={closeTab}
               billing={billing}
+              billingAnnouncementEnabled={billingAnnouncementEnabled}
               townId={townId}
             />
             <TerminalContent
@@ -480,6 +494,7 @@ export function TerminalBar({ townId, basePath: basePathOverride }: TerminalBarP
               setPosition={setPosition}
               closeTab={closeTab}
               billing={billing}
+              billingAnnouncementEnabled={billingAnnouncementEnabled}
               townId={townId}
             />
             <TerminalContent
@@ -529,6 +544,7 @@ function TabBar({
   setPosition,
   closeTab,
   billing,
+  billingAnnouncementEnabled,
   townId,
 }: {
   allTabs: TabDef[];
@@ -542,6 +558,7 @@ function TabBar({
   setPosition: (position: TerminalPosition) => void;
   closeTab: (tabId: string) => void;
   billing?: BillingStatus;
+  billingAnnouncementEnabled: boolean;
   townId: string;
 }) {
   const borderClass = horizontal ? 'border-b border-white/[0.06]' : 'border-r border-white/[0.06]';
@@ -605,6 +622,12 @@ function TabBar({
   const showRunCostTooltip =
     billing?.estimatedRunCharge !== undefined &&
     (billing.state === 'running' || billing.state === 'warning' || billing.state === 'stopping');
+  // Whether to surface user-facing billing UI (estimate pill, cost strings,
+  // automatic-start control). Gated solely on the announcement flag. `billing.enabled`
+  // reflects shadow metering (on in production before launch) and `billing.enforcing`
+  // reflects backend enforcement; neither should reveal billing UI to users until
+  // billing is announced.
+  const showBilling = billing !== undefined && billingAnnouncementEnabled;
 
   return (
     <div
@@ -692,7 +715,7 @@ function TabBar({
         {billingAnnouncement}
       </span>
 
-      {horizontal && billing && (billing.enabled || billing.runPolicy === 'paused_by_user') && (
+      {horizontal && billing && showBilling && (
         <div
           className={`mr-2 flex shrink-0 items-center gap-1.5 rounded-full border px-2 py-0.5 text-[10px] tabular-nums ${
             billing.state === 'warning'
@@ -747,7 +770,7 @@ function TabBar({
         </div>
       )}
 
-      {!horizontal && billing && (billing.enabled || billing.runPolicy === 'paused_by_user') && (
+      {!horizontal && billing && showBilling && (
         <div className="flex justify-center py-2" title="Allow automatic container starts">
           <Switch
             checked={billing.runPolicy === 'automatic'}