diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 55c4a41..aceecc8 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,11 @@ All notable changes to RigDoctor are recorded here. Format follows
 (`MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH`, pre-1.0). `__version__` and `pyproject.toml` must match the git
 release tag (so the auto-updater, D18, can compare versions).
 
+## [0.18.1] - 2026-05-22
+### Changed
+- Recording badge: dropped the sample count (not useful at a glance) — it now shows just
+  **● Recording** + the game, plus a **⚠ GPU-lost** line if one is detected.
+
 ## [0.18.0] - 2026-05-22
 ### Added
 - **Global recording indicator.** While a capture is running, the sidebar shows a red
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index ad9588b..caae9b0 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
 
 [project]
 name = "rigdoctor"
-version = "0.18.0"
+version = "0.18.1"
 description = "Modular hardware monitoring & crash diagnostics for Linux gamers."
 readme = "README.md"
 requires-python = ">=3.11"
diff --git a/src/rigdoctor/__init__.py b/src/rigdoctor/__init__.py
index 02629fc..3a1d45b 100644
--- a/src/rigdoctor/__init__.py
+++ b/src/rigdoctor/__init__.py
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 """RigDoctor — modular hardware monitoring & crash diagnostics for Linux gamers."""
 
-__version__ = "0.18.0"
+__version__ = "0.18.1"
diff --git a/src/rigdoctor/gui/main_window.py b/src/rigdoctor/gui/main_window.py
index ee8afbc..afada4c 100644
--- a/src/rigdoctor/gui/main_window.py
+++ b/src/rigdoctor/gui/main_window.py
@@ -270,12 +270,11 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
             self._rec_indicator.hide()
             return
         game = status.get("game")
-        samples = status.get("samples", 0)
-        lost = "  ·  GPU-lost" if status.get("gpu_lost") else ""
         lines = [f"<span style='color:{CRIT};'>●</span> <b style='color:{TEXT};'>Recording</b>"]
         if game:
             lines.append(f"<span style='color:{TEXT};'>{html.escape(str(game))}</span>")
-        lines.append(f"<span style='color:{MUTED};'>{samples} samples{lost}</span>")
+        if status.get("gpu_lost"):
+            lines.append(f"<span style='color:{CRIT};'>⚠ GPU-lost</span>")
         self._rec_indicator.setText("<br>".join(lines))
         self._rec_indicator.show()