diff --git a/docs/requirements/Component-HealthMonitoring.md b/docs/requirements/Component-HealthMonitoring.md
index 6b612d4c..1d58ee2e 100644
--- a/docs/requirements/Component-HealthMonitoring.md
+++ b/docs/requirements/Component-HealthMonitoring.md
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ Site clusters (metric collection and reporting). Central cluster (aggregation an
 - Each report is a **flat snapshot** containing the current values of all monitored metrics, a **monotonic sequence number**, and the **report timestamp** from the site. Central replaces the previous state for that site only if the incoming sequence number is higher than the last received — this prevents stale reports (e.g., delayed in transit or from a pre-failover node) from overwriting newer state.
 - Central tracks two **distinct** signals per site — do not conflate them:
   - **Liveness (online/offline)**: driven by the **last signal of any kind** (a full report *or* a transport heartbeat, the latter arriving every ~5s from any reachable site node). If central receives no signal within `OfflineTimeout` (default: **60 seconds**), the site is marked **offline**. Because heartbeats are frequent, this only fires on genuine total loss of contact — not during a single-node failover, when the surviving node keeps heartbeating. The synthetic *central* self-report site has no heartbeat source and uses the longer `CentralOfflineTimeout` (default: **3 minutes**) so a single missed self-report does not flap it offline.
-  - **Metrics staleness**: an **online** site (heartbeats still arriving) that has produced no full **report** within `MetricsStaleTimeout` (default: **2 minutes**) is flagged **metrics stale**. This surfaces the failure mode where a site's report pipeline (`HealthReportSender`) has died but the node is otherwise reachable — previously such a site showed "online with frozen metrics forever". `MetricsStaleTimeout` must be positive and no shorter than the report interval.
+  - **Metrics staleness**: an **online** site (heartbeats still arriving) that has produced no full **report** within `MetricsStaleTimeout` (default: **2 minutes**) is flagged **metrics stale**. This surfaces the failure mode where a site's report pipeline (`HealthReportSender`) has died but the node is otherwise reachable — previously such a site showed "online with frozen metrics forever". A site that has **never** delivered a report is anchored on its first-contact time (`FirstSeenAt`), so a report pipeline dead from first boot is also flagged after `MetricsStaleTimeout` (previously such a site showed online-with-no-metrics indefinitely). `MetricsStaleTimeout` must be positive and no shorter than the report interval.
 - **Online recovery**: when central receives a health report from a site that was marked offline, the site is automatically marked **online** and the metrics-stale flag cleared (a fresh report proves the pipeline is alive); a heartbeat alone also restores **online** but leaves the metrics-stale flag untouched. No manual acknowledgment required.
 - **Status-transition timestamp**: each online↔offline flip stamps `LastStatusChangeAt`, so the UI can answer "since when has this site been offline/online" rather than only "is it offline now". Report/heartbeat traffic that leaves the status unchanged does not move it.
 
diff --git a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.HealthMonitoring/CentralHealthAggregator.cs b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.HealthMonitoring/CentralHealthAggregator.cs
index 1cd236e1..811a6e5f 100644
--- a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.HealthMonitoring/CentralHealthAggregator.cs
+++ b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.HealthMonitoring/CentralHealthAggregator.cs
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ public class CentralHealthAggregator : BackgroundService, ICentralHealthAggregat
                     LatestReport = report,
                     LastReportReceivedAt = now,
                     LastHeartbeatAt = now,
+                    FirstSeenAt = now,
                     LastSequenceNumber = report.SequenceNumber,
                     IsOnline = true,
                     IsMetricsStale = false
@@ -117,6 +118,7 @@ public class CentralHealthAggregator : BackgroundService, ICentralHealthAggregat
                     LatestReport = null,
                     LastReportReceivedAt = null,
                     LastHeartbeatAt = receivedAt,
+                    FirstSeenAt = receivedAt,
                     LastSequenceNumber = 0,
                     IsOnline = true
                 };
@@ -297,16 +299,22 @@ public class CentralHealthAggregator : BackgroundService, ICentralHealthAggregat
             // when no report has arrived within MetricsStaleTimeout. Distinct from
             // offline — a site whose HealthReportSender crashed keeps heartbeating
             // and would otherwise show "online with frozen metrics forever".
-            if (state.LastReportReceivedAt is { } lastReport
-                && now - lastReport > _options.MetricsStaleTimeout
+            // A site that has NEVER reported (heartbeat-only registration,
+            // LastReportReceivedAt == null) anchors on FirstSeenAt instead —
+            // otherwise a pipeline dead from first boot is never flagged (N3).
+            var reportAnchor = state.LastReportReceivedAt ?? state.FirstSeenAt;
+            if (reportAnchor is { } anchor
+                && now - anchor > _options.MetricsStaleTimeout
                 && !state.IsMetricsStale)
             {
                 var stale = state with { IsMetricsStale = true };
                 if (_siteStates.TryUpdate(kvp.Key, stale, state))
                 {
                     _logger.LogWarning(
-                        "Site {SiteId} metrics are stale — online (heartbeats) but no report for {Elapsed}s (timeout: {Timeout}s)",
-                        state.SiteId, (now - lastReport).TotalSeconds, _options.MetricsStaleTimeout.TotalSeconds);
+                        "Site {SiteId} metrics are stale — online (heartbeats) but no report for {Elapsed}s{NeverNote} (timeout: {Timeout}s)",
+                        state.SiteId, (now - anchor).TotalSeconds,
+                        state.LastReportReceivedAt is null ? " (never reported since first contact)" : string.Empty,
+                        _options.MetricsStaleTimeout.TotalSeconds);
                 }
                 // CAS loss ⇒ a fresh report/heartbeat swapped in ⇒ correct to skip.
             }
diff --git a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.HealthMonitoring/SiteHealthState.cs b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.HealthMonitoring/SiteHealthState.cs
index 3ef9c184..7767aef2 100644
--- a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.HealthMonitoring/SiteHealthState.cs
+++ b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.HealthMonitoring/SiteHealthState.cs
@@ -40,6 +40,17 @@ public sealed record SiteHealthState
     /// </summary>
     public DateTimeOffset LastHeartbeatAt { get; init; }
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets the instant this site was first observed by the aggregator (via a
+    /// report or a heartbeat); <c>null</c> only for states not built by the
+    /// aggregator (hand-constructed fixtures). Anchors metrics-staleness for a
+    /// site that has NEVER delivered a report (review 01 round-2 N3): with
+    /// <see cref="LastReportReceivedAt"/> null the staleness check previously
+    /// skipped the site forever. <see cref="LastHeartbeatAt"/> cannot anchor
+    /// this — every heartbeat advances it.
+    /// </summary>
+    public DateTimeOffset? FirstSeenAt { get; init; }
+
     /// <summary>Gets the sequence number of the last accepted health report, used to reject out-of-order duplicates.</summary>
     public long LastSequenceNumber { get; init; }
     /// <summary>Gets a value indicating whether the site is currently considered online.</summary>
diff --git a/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.HealthMonitoring.Tests/CentralHealthAggregatorTests.cs b/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.HealthMonitoring.Tests/CentralHealthAggregatorTests.cs
index bc340ef6..25c3f8fb 100644
--- a/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.HealthMonitoring.Tests/CentralHealthAggregatorTests.cs
+++ b/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.HealthMonitoring.Tests/CentralHealthAggregatorTests.cs
@@ -513,4 +513,35 @@ public class CentralHealthAggregatorTests
         aggregator.MarkHeartbeat("site-a", time.GetUtcNow());
         Assert.NotEqual(offlineAt, aggregator.GetSiteState("site-a")!.LastStatusChangeAt);
     }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Round-2 N3: a site known only via heartbeats (LastReportReceivedAt == null)
+    /// previously skipped the staleness check forever — a report pipeline dead
+    /// from FIRST BOOT showed "online with no metrics" indefinitely. FirstSeenAt
+    /// anchors the window instead (LastHeartbeatAt cannot: heartbeats advance it).
+    /// </summary>
+    [Fact]
+    public void HeartbeatOnlySite_NeverReported_IsFlaggedMetricsStale()
+    {
+        var (aggregator, time) = NewAggregator(metricsStaleTimeout: TimeSpan.FromMinutes(2));
+        aggregator.MarkHeartbeat("site-a", time.GetUtcNow());   // registered via heartbeat only
+        time.Advance(TimeSpan.FromMinutes(3));
+        aggregator.MarkHeartbeat("site-a", time.GetUtcNow());   // still heartbeating => online
+        aggregator.CheckForOfflineSites();
+        var state = aggregator.GetSiteState("site-a")!;
+        Assert.True(state.IsOnline);                             // liveness unchanged
+        Assert.True(state.IsMetricsStale);                       // was impossible before the fix
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>A heartbeat-only site inside the window is NOT falsely flagged.</summary>
+    [Fact]
+    public void HeartbeatOnlySite_WithinStaleWindow_IsNotFlagged()
+    {
+        var (aggregator, time) = NewAggregator(metricsStaleTimeout: TimeSpan.FromMinutes(2));
+        aggregator.MarkHeartbeat("site-a", time.GetUtcNow());
+        time.Advance(TimeSpan.FromMinutes(1));
+        aggregator.MarkHeartbeat("site-a", time.GetUtcNow());
+        aggregator.CheckForOfflineSites();
+        Assert.False(aggregator.GetSiteState("site-a")!.IsMetricsStale);
+    }
 }