diff --git a/components/ScoutReport.tsx b/components/ScoutReport.tsx
index 8c691d1..958ebc0 100644
--- a/components/ScoutReport.tsx
+++ b/components/ScoutReport.tsx
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import {
   GitPullRequest,
   Infinity as InfinityIcon,
   Languages,
+  Leaf,
   type LucideIcon,
   Shield,
   Star,
@@ -34,6 +35,7 @@ const PLAYSTYLE_ICONS: Record<string, LucideIcon> = {
   languages: Languages,
   "folder-git": FolderGit2,
   clock: Clock,
+  leaf: Leaf,
 };
 
 // Hide a logo/image that fails to load (e.g. a CDN miss) rather than show a broken icon.
diff --git a/lib/github/samples.ts b/lib/github/samples.ts
index 0e749ce..bc53599 100644
--- a/lib/github/samples.ts
+++ b/lib/github/samples.ts
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ const RAW: Signals[] = [
     topLanguage: "C",
     recent_contributions: 3259,
     active_days_recent: 354,
-    active_years: 7,
+    active_years: 16,
     total_contributions_lifetime: 37435,
     prs_to_others: 0,
     reviews: 2,
diff --git a/lib/github/signals.ts b/lib/github/signals.ts
index 2cab6dd..b0d9bd7 100644
--- a/lib/github/signals.ts
+++ b/lib/github/signals.ts
@@ -21,14 +21,10 @@ export function signalsFromPayload(p: RawPayload, now = Date.now()): Signals {
   // styling/markup (CSS/HTML) — the #1 drives the card's language + logo.
   const rankedLanguages = rankLanguages(p.languageRepos);
 
-  const years = new Set<number>();
-  for (const r of p.repos) {
-    const c = yearOf(r.createdAt);
-    const pushed = yearOf(r.pushedAt);
-    if (c) years.add(c);
-    if (pushed) years.add(pushed);
-  }
-  const active_years = Math.min(Math.max(years.size, 1), Math.ceil(account_age_years) || 1);
+  const active_years = Math.max(
+    1,
+    p.years.filter((y) => y.commits + y.prs + y.reviews + y.issues + y.restricted > 0).length
+  );
 
   // Recent activity over the last year: every contribution type GitHub exposes,
   // including the private (restricted) count, so it matches the profile graph.
diff --git a/lib/scoring/playstyles.ts b/lib/scoring/playstyles.ts
index c4771ff..9cfde97 100644
--- a/lib/scoring/playstyles.ts
+++ b/lib/scoring/playstyles.ts
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ const CATALOG: PlaystyleDef[] = [
   { name: "Polyglot", icon: "languages", noun: "languages", value: (s) => s.languages, base: 5, plus: 9 },
   { name: "Prolific", icon: "folder-git", noun: "public repos", value: (s) => s.public_repos, base: 30, plus: 150 },
   { name: "Veteran", icon: "clock", noun: "years on GitHub", value: (s) => s.account_age_years, base: 5, plus: 12 },
+  { name: "Evergreen", icon: "leaf", noun: "active years", value: (s) => s.active_years, base: 5, plus: 10 },
 ];
 
 const MAX_SHOWN = 8;
diff --git a/lib/scout.ts b/lib/scout.ts
index e959fee..7e646b6 100644
--- a/lib/scout.ts
+++ b/lib/scout.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import type { Card } from "./scoring/types";
 // Namespaced alongside gitfut:scouts:total. The version segment lets a deploy
 // that changes buildCard's output shape or scoring invalidate every entry at
 // once (bump it) instead of serving stale-shaped cards until their TTL lapses.
-const CACHE_VERSION = "v2"; // v2: cards carry years + the awards cabinet
+const CACHE_VERSION = "v3"; // v3: cards accurately calculate active_years
 const CARD_TTL_SECONDS = 120 * 60; // 2h — GitHub stats move slowly; longer TTL = fewer refetches of hot profiles under load.
 
 const normalizeLogin = (username: string) => username.trim().replace(/^@/, "").toLowerCase();
diff --git a/tests/playstyles.test.ts b/tests/playstyles.test.ts
index 95baf6f..aa3b223 100644
--- a/tests/playstyles.test.ts
+++ b/tests/playstyles.test.ts
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ describe("derivePlaystyles — qualifying", () => {
     expect(names(signals({ languages: 5 }))).toContain("Polyglot");
     expect(names(signals({ public_repos: 30 }))).toContain("Prolific");
     expect(names(signals({ account_age_years: 5 }))).toContain("Veteran");
+    expect(names(signals({ active_years: 5 }))).toContain("Evergreen");
   });
 });
 
@@ -85,7 +86,7 @@ describe("derivePlaystyles — the elite (PlayStyle+) tier", () => {
 });
 
 describe("derivePlaystyles — the shown list", () => {
-  // Clears all 11 base thresholds; only 8 may be shown.
+  // Clears all 12 base thresholds; only 8 may be shown.
   const everything = signals({
     total_stars_owned: 600,
     max_repo_stars: 1_100,
@@ -99,15 +100,16 @@ describe("derivePlaystyles — the shown list", () => {
     languages: 6,
     public_repos: 35,
     account_age_years: 6,
+    active_years: 6,
   });
 
-  it("caps the list at 8 even when all 11 qualify", () => {
+  it("caps the list at 8 even when all 12 qualify", () => {
     expect(derivePlaystyles(everything)).toHaveLength(8);
   });
 
   it("keeps an elite playstyle that the ratio sort alone would have cut", () => {
     // Polyglot at exactly 9 languages is elite, but only 1.8x its base — the
-    // WEAKEST ratio of the eleven here, so ranking by ratio alone would drop it
+    // WEAKEST ratio of the twelve here, so ranking by ratio alone would drop it
     // outside the top 8. The plus-first sort has to float it to the very top.
     const out = derivePlaystyles(
       signals({