diff --git a/components/feed/home-feed.tsx b/components/feed/home-feed.tsx
index d278a432..a033fbb3 100644
--- a/components/feed/home-feed.tsx
+++ b/components/feed/home-feed.tsx
@@ -9,8 +9,9 @@
  *   • Infinite scroll: 10 posts per page, fetched as a bottom sentinel nears
  *     the viewport. The server orders not-yet-liked posts from people you
  *     follow first, then everyone else — seamless, no visible boundary.
- *   • When the feed is exhausted, a "new on the platform" strip (≤5 accounts
- *     that joined in the last 24h) caps it off — hidden if there are none.
+ *   • A "new on the platform" strip (≤5 accounts that joined in the last 24h)
+ *     sits at the TOP of the scroll flow, so it scrolls out of view as you go
+ *     down — hidden entirely if there are none.
  *
  * The card's Follow / Follow back affordance is enabled here (enableFollow);
  * the server hydrates each post's viewer↔author relationship.
@@ -49,11 +50,6 @@ export function HomeFeed() {
       });
       if (rows.length < PAGE) {
         setHasMore(false);
-        // Feed exhausted → load the discovery strip once.
-        feed
-          .newUsers()
-          .then((u) => setNewUsers(u ?? []))
-          .catch(() => setNewUsers([]));
       }
     } catch {
       setHasMore(false);
@@ -67,6 +63,15 @@ export function HomeFeed() {
     void loadPage();
   }, [loadPage]);
 
+  // Discovery strip (new accounts) loads upfront — it sits at the top of the
+  // scroll flow, not at the end.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    feed
+      .newUsers()
+      .then((u) => setNewUsers(u ?? []))
+      .catch(() => setNewUsers([]));
+  }, []);
+
   // The window virtualiser needs `scrollMargin` = how far down the document the
   // list begins, to map window scroll → which items are visible. `.offsetTop`
   // is relative to the offsetParent (wrong inside the page layout), so measure
@@ -135,6 +140,11 @@ export function HomeFeed() {
 
   return (
     <div>
+      {/* Top of the scroll flow — scrolls out of view as the feed advances. */}
+      <div className="pb-4">
+        <NewUsersStrip users={newUsers} />
+      </div>
+
       <div
         ref={parentRef}
         className="relative w-full"
@@ -162,9 +172,7 @@ export function HomeFeed() {
         <div ref={sentinelRef} className="flex justify-center py-6">
           <Loader2 className="size-5 animate-spin text-muted-foreground" />
         </div>
-      ) : (
-        <NewUsersStrip users={newUsers} />
-      )}
+      ) : null}
     </div>
   );
 }
diff --git a/components/feed/new-users-strip.tsx b/components/feed/new-users-strip.tsx
index c0792113..0fdcabf3 100644
--- a/components/feed/new-users-strip.tsx
+++ b/components/feed/new-users-strip.tsx
@@ -1,21 +1,62 @@
 "use client";
 
 /**
- * NewUsersStrip — the "new on the platform" discovery row shown at the very
- * end of the home feed. Up to 5 accounts that joined in the last 24h; each
- * avatar links to the user's profile. Renders nothing when the list is empty
- * (the feed simply ends).
+ * NewUsersStrip — the "new on the platform" discovery row at the top of the
+ * home feed. Up to 5 accounts that joined in the last 24h, each rendered as a
+ * card tile. The row scrolls horizontally (native touch/trackpad swipe + a
+ * mouse drag-to-scroll affordance) and bleeds to the section's edges with a
+ * gutter so tiles peek in from the sides. Renders nothing when empty.
  */
 
+import { useRef } from "react";
 import Link from "next/link";
 import { Sparkles } from "lucide-react";
 import type { UserSummary } from "@/lib/social";
 import { UserAvatar } from "@/components/ui/user-avatar";
 
 export function NewUsersStrip({ users }: { users: UserSummary[] }) {
+  const scrollRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
+  // Mouse drag-to-scroll. Touch/trackpad use native overflow scrolling, so we
+  // only engage for mouse; `moved` suppresses the click that would otherwise
+  // fire after a drag (and navigate to a profile).
+  const drag = useRef({ down: false, startX: 0, startScroll: 0, moved: false });
+
   if (users.length === 0) return null;
+
+  function onPointerDown(e: React.PointerEvent) {
+    if (e.pointerType !== "mouse") return;
+    const el = scrollRef.current;
+    if (!el) return;
+    drag.current = {
+      down: true,
+      startX: e.clientX,
+      startScroll: el.scrollLeft,
+      moved: false,
+    };
+    el.setPointerCapture(e.pointerId);
+  }
+  function onPointerMove(e: React.PointerEvent) {
+    if (!drag.current.down) return;
+    const el = scrollRef.current;
+    if (!el) return;
+    const dx = e.clientX - drag.current.startX;
+    if (Math.abs(dx) > 4) drag.current.moved = true;
+    el.scrollLeft = drag.current.startScroll - dx;
+  }
+  function onPointerUp(e: React.PointerEvent) {
+    if (!drag.current.down) return;
+    drag.current.down = false;
+    scrollRef.current?.releasePointerCapture(e.pointerId);
+  }
+  function onClickCapture(e: React.MouseEvent) {
+    if (drag.current.moved) {
+      e.preventDefault();
+      e.stopPropagation();
+    }
+  }
+
   return (
-    <section className="mt-2 rounded-xl bg-card ring-1 ring-foreground/10 p-5">
+    <section className="rounded-xl bg-card ring-1 ring-foreground/10 p-5">
       <div className="mb-4 flex items-center gap-2.5">
         <span
           aria-hidden
@@ -32,28 +73,39 @@ export function NewUsersStrip({ users }: { users: UserSummary[] }) {
           </p>
         </div>
       </div>
-      <ul className="flex flex-wrap gap-4">
+
+      {/* Bleed to the section edges (-mx-5) but keep a px-5 gutter so the
+          first/last tiles have breathing room as they scroll past. */}
+      <div
+        ref={scrollRef}
+        onPointerDown={onPointerDown}
+        onPointerMove={onPointerMove}
+        onPointerUp={onPointerUp}
+        onPointerCancel={onPointerUp}
+        onClickCapture={onClickCapture}
+        className="-mx-5 flex gap-3 overflow-x-auto px-5 pb-1 snap-x scroll-px-5 cursor-grab active:cursor-grabbing [scrollbar-width:none] [-ms-overflow-style:none] [&::-webkit-scrollbar]:hidden"
+      >
         {users.map((u) => (
-          <li key={u.handle}>
-            <Link
-              href={`/u/${u.handle}`}
-              className="group flex w-20 flex-col items-center gap-1.5 text-center"
-            >
-              <UserAvatar
-                src={u.avatar_url}
-                name={u.name}
-                className="size-14 group-hover:ring-foreground/30 transition"
-              />
-              <span className="block w-full truncate text-xs font-medium text-foreground">
-                {u.name}
-              </span>
-              <span className="-mt-1 block w-full truncate text-[11px] text-muted-foreground">
-                @{u.handle}
-              </span>
-            </Link>
-          </li>
+          <Link
+            key={u.handle}
+            href={`/u/${u.handle}`}
+            draggable={false}
+            className="group snap-start shrink-0 w-32 flex flex-col items-center gap-2 rounded-xl bg-background ring-1 ring-foreground/10 px-3 py-4 text-center transition hover:ring-foreground/25 hover:bg-muted/40"
+          >
+            <UserAvatar
+              src={u.avatar_url}
+              name={u.name}
+              className="size-16 group-hover:ring-foreground/30 transition"
+            />
+            <span className="block w-full truncate text-xs font-medium text-foreground">
+              {u.name}
+            </span>
+            <span className="-mt-1 block w-full truncate text-[11px] text-muted-foreground">
+              @{u.handle}
+            </span>
+          </Link>
         ))}
-      </ul>
+      </div>
     </section>
   );
 }