diff --git a/docs/messages.md b/docs/messages.md
index 4ee4058..a029c15 100644
--- a/docs/messages.md
+++ b/docs/messages.md
@@ -52,8 +52,9 @@ no extra connection). Frames **to** the server:
 - `{token, msg, pow, fr, name?, email?}` — append a message; `msg` is the
   Markdown-subset source, `pow` the solved proof-of-work (below), `fr` the
   page path it was sent from (stored for context). The **first** message
-  of a thread must carry `name` and `email` introducing the visitor; the
-  identity is stored on the thread and fixed from then on.
+  of a thread must carry `name` (and optionally `email`, unvalidated)
+  introducing the visitor; the identity is stored on the thread and fixed
+  from then on.
 
 Frames **from** the server: `{type: "thread", id, created, unread, name,
 email, messages: [{id, t, admin, html, page}]}` — a full thread snapshot
@@ -145,7 +146,8 @@ server restart (the pending set is RAM-only) still linger — no GC.
 `Data.contact: dict[bytes, ContactThread]` in the kanta database, keyed by
 the 12-byte blake3 hash of the session token (never the token itself). A
 thread is `created`, `admin_read`, the visitor's self-entered
-`name`/`email` (required with the first message, fixed afterwards) and
+`name`/`email` (name required, email optional; captured with the first
+message, fixed afterwards) and
 `messages: dict[str, ContactMessage]` keyed by a sortable timestamp-random
 id (dict-keyed, so a save's database diff touches only the appended
 message). Each message stores `t`, the Markdown source `md`, its strict
diff --git a/frontend/src/ContactPanel.vue b/frontend/src/ContactPanel.vue
index fbae0f5..7bcb020 100644
--- a/frontend/src/ContactPanel.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/ContactPanel.vue
@@ -23,25 +23,21 @@ async function scrollDown() {
 watch(() => props.state.thread?.messages?.length, scrollDown)
 watch(() => props.state.open, (open) => { if (open) scrollDown() })
 
-// Relative timestamps like in analytics; the full date is on hover.
+// Relative timestamps like in analytics.
 const fmtTime = (t) => formatWhen(t)
-const fmtFull = (t) =>
-  new Date(t).toLocaleString(undefined, { dateStyle: 'medium', timeStyle: 'short' })
 
 const NAME_KEY = 'pagerite-contact-name'
 const EMAIL_KEY = 'pagerite-contact-email'
 
-// Name and email are asked with the first message; from then on the
-// thread's stored identity labels the visitor's messages.
+// Name (and optionally email) are asked with the first message; from
+// then on the thread's stored identity labels the visitor's messages.
 const intro = reactive({
   name: localStorage.getItem(NAME_KEY) || '',
   email: localStorage.getItem(EMAIL_KEY) || '',
 })
 const showIntro = computed(() => !props.state.thread?.name)
-// Sending stays disabled until both intro fields look filled.
-const introInvalid = computed(
-  () => showIntro.value && (!intro.name.trim() || !intro.email.trim().includes('@')),
-)
+// Sending stays disabled until the name field is filled.
+const introInvalid = computed(() => showIntro.value && !intro.name.trim())
 
 function onSend(md) {
   if (showIntro.value) {
@@ -78,14 +74,14 @@ function onSend(md) {
                output only, never user markup. -->
           <header>
             <span class="who">{{ m.admin || state.thread?.name || 'you' }}</span>
-            <time :title="fmtFull(m.t)">{{ fmtTime(m.t) }}</time>
+            <time>{{ fmtTime(m.t) }}</time>
           </header>
           <div class="contact-msg-body" v-html="m.html"></div>
         </div>
       </div>
       <div v-if="showIntro" class="contact-intro">
         <input v-model="intro.name" type="text" placeholder="Your name" maxlength="100">
-        <input v-model="intro.email" type="email" placeholder="Your email" maxlength="200">
+        <input v-model="intro.email" type="email" placeholder="Your email (optional)" maxlength="200">
       </div>
       <Composer :token="token" :send-disabled="introInvalid" autofocus @send="onSend" />
     </section>
diff --git a/frontend/src/MessagesView.vue b/frontend/src/MessagesView.vue
index 5d0d033..fa089a0 100644
--- a/frontend/src/MessagesView.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/MessagesView.vue
@@ -57,10 +57,8 @@ function preview(t) {
   return (who + (div.textContent || '')).slice(0, 80)
 }
 
-// Relative timestamps like elsewhere in analytics; full date on hover.
+// Relative timestamps like elsewhere in analytics.
 const fmtTime = (t) => formatWhen(t)
-const fmtFull = (t) =>
-  new Date(t).toLocaleString(undefined, { dateStyle: 'medium', timeStyle: 'short' })
 
 function send(md) {
   if (thread.value) emit('reply', { id: thread.value.id, text: md })
@@ -84,7 +82,7 @@ function send(md) {
           <strong>{{ t.name || t.id.slice(0, 8) }}</strong>
           {{ preview(t) }}
         </span>
-        <time :title="fmtFull(lastMsg(t)?.t || t.created)">{{ fmtTime(lastMsg(t)?.t || t.created) }}</time>
+        <time>{{ fmtTime(lastMsg(t)?.t || t.created) }}</time>
       </button>
     </aside>
     <section v-if="thread" class="thread">
@@ -102,7 +100,7 @@ function send(md) {
           <!-- Server-rendered strict markdown only (see ContactPanel). -->
           <header>
             <span class="who">{{ m.admin || thread.name || 'visitor' }}</span>
-            <time :title="fmtFull(m.t)">{{ fmtTime(m.t) }}</time>
+            <time>{{ fmtTime(m.t) }}</time>
           </header>
           <div class="contact-msg-body" v-html="m.html"></div>
         </div>
diff --git a/pagerite/data.py b/pagerite/data.py
index 9757536..1f3fd4b 100644
--- a/pagerite/data.py
+++ b/pagerite/data.py
@@ -83,8 +83,9 @@ class ContactThread(msgspec.Struct, omit_defaults=True):
     #: When an admin last looked at the thread; visitor messages newer
     #: than this are unread in the admin inbox.
     admin_read: datetime | None = None
-    #: The visitor's self-entered identity, captured with their first
-    #: message and fixed afterwards ("" until then).
+    #: The visitor's self-entered identity (name required, email optional
+    #: and unvalidated), captured with their first message and fixed
+    #: afterwards ("" until then).
     name: str = ""
     email: str = ""
 
diff --git a/pagerite/messages.py b/pagerite/messages.py
index 7700416..67ce6e1 100644
--- a/pagerite/messages.py
+++ b/pagerite/messages.py
@@ -237,17 +237,15 @@ async def visitor_frame(ws: WebSocket, raw: dict) -> None:
     if len(text) > MAX_MESSAGE:
         await ws.send_json({"type": "contact-error", "detail": "message too long"})
         return
-    # The first message must introduce the visitor (name + email); the
-    # stored identity is fixed from then on.
+    # The first message must introduce the visitor (name; email optional,
+    # unvalidated). The stored identity is fixed from then on.
     thread = data.contact.get(key)
     name = email = ""
     if thread is None or not thread.name:
         name = str(raw.get("name") or "").strip()[:100]
         email = str(raw.get("email") or "").strip()[:200]
-        if not name or "@" not in email:
-            await ws.send_json(
-                {"type": "contact-error", "detail": "name and email required"}
-            )
+        if not name:
+            await ws.send_json({"type": "contact-error", "detail": "name required"})
             return
     now = datetime.now(UTC)
     _append(