diff --git a/frontend/src/components/Dashboard/ui/fluksio/Data.tsx b/frontend/src/components/Dashboard/ui/fluksio/Data.tsx
index 15f0ba7..5076548 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/Dashboard/ui/fluksio/Data.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/Dashboard/ui/fluksio/Data.tsx
@@ -64,6 +64,9 @@ export function Gauge({ value, min, max, precision, unit, label }: GaugeProps) {
       ? 0
       : Math.min(1, Math.max(0, (value - min) / (max - min || 1))),
   )
+  // At the minimum the reading is a zero-length dash, and its round caps would
+  // still paint a dot on the dial. Nothing reads there, so nothing is drawn.
+  const drawn = useTransform(fraction, (at) => (at > 0 ? 1 : 0))
   const { label: reading, numeric } = useAnimatedNumber(value, precision)
   return (
     <div className="flex min-h-0 flex-1 items-center justify-center">
@@ -86,7 +89,7 @@ export function Gauge({ value, min, max, precision, unit, label }: GaugeProps) {
             fraction itself. */}
         <motion.path
           d={arcPath(GAUGE_START, GAUGE_START + GAUGE_SWEEP)}
-          style={{ pathLength: fraction }}
+          style={{ pathLength: fraction, opacity: drawn }}
           fill="none"
           stroke="var(--primary)"
           strokeWidth={9}
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/Dashboard/ui/glass/Data.tsx b/frontend/src/components/Dashboard/ui/glass/Data.tsx
index 742ccba..859f522 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/Dashboard/ui/glass/Data.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/Dashboard/ui/glass/Data.tsx
@@ -63,6 +63,9 @@ export function Gauge({ value, min, max, precision, unit, label }: GaugeProps) {
       ? 0
       : Math.min(1, Math.max(0, (value - min) / (max - min || 1))),
   )
+  // At the minimum the reading is a zero-length dash, and its round caps would
+  // still paint a dot on the dial. Nothing reads there, so nothing is drawn.
+  const drawn = useTransform(fraction, (at) => (at > 0 ? 1 : 0))
   const { label: reading, numeric } = useAnimatedNumber(value, precision)
   return (
     <div className="flex min-h-0 flex-1 items-center justify-center">
@@ -91,6 +94,7 @@ export function Gauge({ value, min, max, precision, unit, label }: GaugeProps) {
           // fills and the active controls do.
           style={{
             pathLength: fraction,
+            opacity: drawn,
             filter: "drop-shadow(0 0 4px var(--primary))",
           }}
           fill="none"
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/Dashboard/ui/material/Data.tsx b/frontend/src/components/Dashboard/ui/material/Data.tsx
index ce1911d..86b0cd2 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/Dashboard/ui/material/Data.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/Dashboard/ui/material/Data.tsx
@@ -62,6 +62,9 @@ export function Gauge({ value, min, max, precision, unit, label }: GaugeProps) {
       ? 0
       : Math.min(1, Math.max(0, (value - min) / (max - min || 1))),
   )
+  // At the minimum the reading is a zero-length dash, and its round caps would
+  // still paint a dot on the dial. Nothing reads there, so nothing is drawn.
+  const drawn = useTransform(fraction, (at) => (at > 0 ? 1 : 0))
   const { label: reading, numeric } = useAnimatedNumber(value, precision)
   return (
     <div className="flex min-h-0 flex-1 items-center justify-center">
@@ -84,7 +87,7 @@ export function Gauge({ value, min, max, precision, unit, label }: GaugeProps) {
             fraction itself. */}
         <motion.path
           d={arcPath(GAUGE_START, GAUGE_START + GAUGE_SWEEP)}
-          style={{ pathLength: fraction }}
+          style={{ pathLength: fraction, opacity: drawn }}
           fill="none"
           stroke="var(--primary)"
           strokeWidth={9}
diff --git a/frontend/tests/widgets.spec.ts b/frontend/tests/widgets.spec.ts
index b6bb699..1898858 100644
--- a/frontend/tests/widgets.spec.ts
+++ b/frontend/tests/widgets.spec.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ const lockedName = `${flowName}_locked`
 const w = (name: string) => `${flowName}.${name}`
 
 /** Every tile the dashboard carries, including the deliberately unbound one. */
-const TILES = 9
+const TILES = 11
 
 test.use({ storageState: "playwright/.auth/user.json" })
 
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ test.beforeAll(async ({ browser }) => {
             { name: "mode", dtype: "str" },
             { name: "lamp", dtype: "bool" },
             { name: "setpoint", dtype: "float" },
+            { name: "idle", dtype: "float" },
           ],
         },
       ],
@@ -76,6 +77,7 @@ test.beforeAll(async ({ browser }) => {
   await publish(page, w("grid"), 20)
   await publish(page, w("condition"), "sun")
   await publish(page, w("setpoint"), 21.5)
+  await publish(page, w("idle"), 0)
   await publish(page, w("days"), [
     { label: "Mon", icon: "sun", value: "21°" },
     { label: "Tue", icon: "cloudy", value: "18°" },
@@ -197,6 +199,14 @@ test.beforeAll(async ({ browser }) => {
         unit: "°C",
       },
     },
+    {
+      // At its minimum, where a gauge draws no reading at all.
+      id: "idle",
+      type: "gauge",
+      title: "Idle",
+      layout: { lg: { x: 4, y: 6, w: 2, h: 2 } },
+      config: { message: w("idle"), dtype: "float", min: 0, max: 100 },
+    },
     {
       id: "trend",
       type: "chart",
@@ -716,6 +726,10 @@ for (const scheme of ["light", "dark"] as const) {
         // Every widget still draws, whichever set is asked to draw it.
         await expect(page.getByTestId("widget-frame")).toHaveCount(TILES)
         await expect(loadTile(page).getByTestId("bar-row")).toHaveCount(2)
+        // The reading is a zero-length dash at the minimum, and round caps
+        // would still paint it as a dot at either end of the dial.
+        const dial = page.getByRole("img", { name: /^Idle:/ })
+        await expect(dial.locator("path").nth(1)).toHaveCSS("opacity", "0")
 
         await page.screenshot({
           path: `screenshots/widgets/${scheme}-${look}.png`,