diff --git a/vue/src/components/AppNav.vue b/vue/src/components/AppNav.vue
index 3acf979..ea36009 100644
--- a/vue/src/components/AppNav.vue
+++ b/vue/src/components/AppNav.vue
@@ -1,11 +1,13 @@
 <script setup>
-import { ref } from 'vue'
+import { ref, computed } from 'vue'
 import { RouterLink, useRouter } from 'vue-router'
 import { useFeeds } from '@/composables/useFeeds'
 
 const router = useRouter()
 const { sync, showModal, viewMode, toggleViewMode, layout, toggleLayout, markAllRead, feeds } = useFeeds()
 
+const unreadCount = computed(() => feeds.value.filter(f => !f.read).length)
+
 const menuOpen = ref(false)
 
 function toggleMenu() {
@@ -52,7 +54,7 @@ function handleToggleLayout() {
 <template>
   <header class="app-nav">
     <div class="app-nav__wrapper">
-      <span class="app-nav__title">RSS Reader<span v-if="feeds.length" class="app-nav__unread"> ({{ feeds.length }})</span></span>
+      <span class="app-nav__title">RSS Reader<span v-if="unreadCount" class="app-nav__unread"> ({{ unreadCount }})</span></span>
       <button
         class="app-nav__hamburger"
         type="button"
diff --git a/vue/src/components/RssFeeds.vue b/vue/src/components/RssFeeds.vue
index d98a9fd..790eb69 100644
--- a/vue/src/components/RssFeeds.vue
+++ b/vue/src/components/RssFeeds.vue
@@ -53,7 +53,13 @@ onMounted(async () => {
     <div v-if="showMessage" class="message">{{ message }}</div>
 
     <div v-if="viewMode === 'list'" id='article' class='article' :class="{ 'article--cards': layout === 'cards' }">
-      <p v-if="feeds.length == 0">No unread articles.</p>
+      <div v-if="feeds.length == 0" class="empty-state">
+        <svg class="empty-state__icon" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.5" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" aria-hidden="true">
+          <circle cx="12" cy="12" r="10"/>
+          <polyline points="7 12.5 10.5 16 17 9"/>
+        </svg>
+        <p class="empty-state__label">All caught up</p>
+      </div>
       <template v-for="(   feed, index   ) in    feeds   ">
         <div v-bind:id="index" class="observe">
           <p class="feed-source">{{ feed.feedTitle }}</p>
@@ -72,7 +78,13 @@ onMounted(async () => {
 
     <div v-else class="article-single">
       <button type="button" class="article-single__back" @click="leaveArticleView">&larr; Back to list</button>
-      <p v-if="feeds.length == 0">No unread articles.</p>
+      <div v-if="feeds.length == 0" class="empty-state">
+        <svg class="empty-state__icon" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.5" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" aria-hidden="true">
+          <circle cx="12" cy="12" r="10"/>
+          <polyline points="7 12.5 10.5 16 17 9"/>
+        </svg>
+        <p class="empty-state__label">All caught up</p>
+      </div>
       <template v-else>
         <p class="feed-source">{{ feeds[currentIndex].feedTitle }}</p>
         <h2 @click="getReadable(feeds[currentIndex], currentIndex)" class="feed-title">{{ feeds[currentIndex].title }}</h2>
@@ -108,6 +120,25 @@ onMounted(async () => {
 /* Plain vertical stack of bordered "cards" — deliberately not flex/grid, and
    with no truncation/max-height: normal block flow lets each card grow to fit
    its own full content (images included), with no cross-element interaction. */
+.empty-state {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  align-items: center;
+  padding: 4rem 1rem;
+  gap: 1rem;
+  opacity: 0.4;
+}
+
+.empty-state__icon {
+  width: 64px;
+  height: 64px;
+}
+
+.empty-state__label {
+  font-size: 1.1rem;
+  margin: 0;
+}
+
 .article--cards .observe {
   border: 1px solid var(--color-border);
   border-radius: 8px;
diff --git a/vue/src/components/__tests__/AppNav.spec.js b/vue/src/components/__tests__/AppNav.spec.js
index db86cf4..4fd9480 100644
--- a/vue/src/components/__tests__/AppNav.spec.js
+++ b/vue/src/components/__tests__/AppNav.spec.js
@@ -161,6 +161,19 @@ describe('AppNav', () => {
     expect(wrapper.find('.app-nav__title').text()).toContain('(2)')
   })
 
+  it('excludes already-read articles from the counter while in article view', async () => {
+    const { feeds } = useFeeds()
+    feeds.value = [
+      { id: 1, title: 'Article one', read: true,  content: '', url: 'https://example.test/1', timestamp: '2026-01-01' },
+      { id: 2, title: 'Article two', read: false, content: '', url: 'https://example.test/2', timestamp: '2026-01-02' },
+    ]
+
+    const wrapper = mount(AppNav, { global: { plugins: [router] } })
+    await flushPromises()
+
+    expect(wrapper.find('.app-nav__title').text()).toContain('(1)')
+  })
+
   it('hides the unread count when there are no articles', async () => {
     const wrapper = mount(AppNav, { global: { plugins: [router] } })
     await flushPromises()
diff --git a/vue/src/components/__tests__/RssFeeds.spec.js b/vue/src/components/__tests__/RssFeeds.spec.js
index 44ecbcd..0a9a51d 100644
--- a/vue/src/components/__tests__/RssFeeds.spec.js
+++ b/vue/src/components/__tests__/RssFeeds.spec.js
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ describe('RssFeeds', () => {
     await flushPromises()
 
     expect(axios.get).toHaveBeenCalledWith('/api/v1/article/get/7', expect.anything())
-    expect(wrapper.text()).toContain('No unread articles.')
+    expect(wrapper.text()).toContain('All caught up')
   })
 
   it('renders the fetched feed items', async () => {
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ describe('RssFeeds', () => {
 
     expect(wrapper.text()).toContain('Article one')
     expect(wrapper.text()).toContain('My Feed')
-    expect(wrapper.text()).not.toContain('No unread articles.')
+    expect(wrapper.text()).not.toContain('All caught up')
   })
 
   it('renders the list as cards when the card layout is selected', async () => {
diff --git a/vue/src/composables/useFeeds.js b/vue/src/composables/useFeeds.js
index 8f60a05..d9734c1 100644
--- a/vue/src/composables/useFeeds.js
+++ b/vue/src/composables/useFeeds.js
@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ async function getReadable(feed, index) {
     base.setAttribute('href', feed.url);
     doc.head.prepend(base);
     doc.querySelectorAll('img').forEach(resolveTemplatedImage);
+    doc.querySelectorAll('video, audio').forEach(el => el.remove());
     const article = new Readability(doc).parse();
     feeds.value[index].content = article.content;
     feeds.value[index].readable = true;