diff --git a/.vitepress/theme/components/SiteFooter.vue b/.vitepress/theme/components/SiteFooter.vue
index c3fe4d17..47cc7eed 100644
--- a/.vitepress/theme/components/SiteFooter.vue
+++ b/.vitepress/theme/components/SiteFooter.vue
@@ -169,25 +169,15 @@ const other = computed(() => (zh.value ? { text: 'English', href: '/' } : { text
   text-underline-offset: 3px;
 }
 
+/* A plain strip: text on screentone turned into a patchwork of paper chips
+   and dots once it wrapped on narrow screens. */
 .bottom {
-  border-top: var(--line-thin) dashed var(--line-color);
-  background-image: var(--screentone);
-  background-size: 8px 8px;
-}
-
-.bottom span,
-.bottom a {
-  display: inline-block;
-  background: var(--paper-2);
-  padding: 0 10px;
-}
-
-.bottom {
-  padding: 14px 24px;
   display: flex;
   flex-wrap: wrap;
   justify-content: space-between;
-  gap: 8px;
+  gap: 6px 16px;
+  padding: 14px 24px;
+  border-top: var(--line-thin) dashed var(--line-color);
   font-size: 12px;
   color: var(--ink-3);
 }
@@ -200,8 +190,4 @@ const other = computed(() => (zh.value ? { text: 'English', href: '/' } : { text
 .bottom a:hover {
   color: var(--bow);
 }
-
-.dark .bottom {
-  background-image: none;
-}
 </style>
diff --git a/.vitepress/theme/style.css b/.vitepress/theme/style.css
index d30f45ea..38824ad9 100644
--- a/.vitepress/theme/style.css
+++ b/.vitepress/theme/style.css
@@ -1214,6 +1214,14 @@ html[lang^="zh"] {
   }
 }
 
+/* On pages with no sidebar and no headings (home, blog, 404) VitePress pins a
+   bar holding only "Return to top" once the page scrolls; leave it out. It
+   marks exactly that case with `fixed` (`empty` alone would also match doc
+   pages whose bar still carries the sidebar menu). */
+.VPLocalNav.fixed {
+  display: none;
+}
+
 /* ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
  * Narrow screens: thinner shadows, no side rules
  * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ */