diff --git a/src/components/Settings/OfflineModeSettings.tsx b/src/components/Settings/OfflineModeSettings.tsx
index 0144271a..75b9593e 100644
--- a/src/components/Settings/OfflineModeSettings.tsx
+++ b/src/components/Settings/OfflineModeSettings.tsx
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react'
 import { useNavigate } from 'react-router-dom'
 import { faTrash } from '@fortawesome/free-solid-svg-icons'
 import { UserSettings } from '../../services/settingsService'
-import { getImageCacheStats, clearImageCache } from '../../services/imageCacheService'
+import { getImageCacheStatsAsync, clearImageCache } from '../../services/imageCacheService'
 import IconButton from '../IconButton'
 
 interface OfflineModeSettingsProps {
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ interface OfflineModeSettingsProps {
 
 const OfflineModeSettings: React.FC<OfflineModeSettingsProps> = ({ settings, onUpdate, onClose }) => {
   const navigate = useNavigate()
-  const [cacheStats, setCacheStats] = useState(getImageCacheStats())
+  const [cacheStats, setCacheStats] = useState({ totalSizeMB: 0, itemCount: 0, items: [] })
 
   const handleLinkClick = (url: string) => {
     if (onClose) onClose()
@@ -23,14 +23,20 @@ const OfflineModeSettings: React.FC<OfflineModeSettingsProps> = ({ settings, onU
   const handleClearCache = async () => {
     if (confirm('Are you sure you want to clear all cached images?')) {
       await clearImageCache()
-      setCacheStats(getImageCacheStats())
+      const stats = await getImageCacheStatsAsync()
+      setCacheStats(stats)
     }
   }
 
-  // Update cache stats when settings change
+  // Update cache stats periodically
   useEffect(() => {
-    const updateStats = () => setCacheStats(getImageCacheStats())
-    const interval = setInterval(updateStats, 2000) // Update every 2 seconds
+    const updateStats = async () => {
+      const stats = await getImageCacheStatsAsync()
+      setCacheStats(stats)
+    }
+    
+    updateStats() // Initial load
+    const interval = setInterval(updateStats, 3000) // Update every 3 seconds
     return () => clearInterval(interval)
   }, [])
 
diff --git a/src/hooks/useImageCache.ts b/src/hooks/useImageCache.ts
index 3fe94977..6c5c291c 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useImageCache.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/useImageCache.ts
@@ -1,71 +1,33 @@
-import { useState, useEffect } from 'react'
-import { cacheImage, getCachedImage } from '../services/imageCacheService'
 import { UserSettings } from '../services/settingsService'
 
 /**
- * Hook to pre-cache images and return the URL for display
- * With Service Worker active, images are automatically cached and served offline
- * This hook ensures proactive caching for better offline experience
+ * Hook to return image URL for display
+ * Service Worker handles all caching transparently
+ * Images are cached on first load and available offline automatically
  * 
- * @param imageUrl - The URL of the image to cache
- * @param settings - User settings to determine if caching is enabled
- * @returns The image URL (Service Worker handles caching transparently)
+ * @param imageUrl - The URL of the image to display
+ * @param settings - User settings (for future use if needed)
+ * @returns The image URL (Service Worker handles caching)
  */
 export function useImageCache(
   imageUrl: string | undefined,
-  settings: UserSettings | undefined
+  _settings?: UserSettings
 ): string | undefined {
-  const [displayUrl, setDisplayUrl] = useState<string | undefined>(imageUrl)
-
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (!imageUrl) {
-      setDisplayUrl(undefined)
-      return
-    }
-
-    // Always show the original URL - Service Worker will serve from cache if available
-    setDisplayUrl(imageUrl)
-
-    // If caching is disabled, don't pre-cache
-    const enableCache = settings?.enableImageCache ?? true
-    if (!enableCache || !navigator.onLine) {
-      return
-    }
-
-    // Pre-cache the image for offline availability
-    // Service Worker will handle serving it, but we ensure it's cached
-    const maxSize = settings?.imageCacheSizeMB ?? 210
-    cacheImage(imageUrl, maxSize).catch(err => {
-      console.warn('Failed to pre-cache image:', err)
-    })
-  }, [imageUrl, settings?.enableImageCache, settings?.imageCacheSizeMB])
-
-  return displayUrl
+  // Service Worker handles everything - just return the URL as-is
+  return imageUrl
 }
 
 /**
- * Simpler hook variant that just caches on mount if enabled
- * Useful for preloading article cover images
+ * Pre-load image to ensure it's cached by Service Worker
+ * Triggers a fetch so the SW can cache it even if not visible yet
  */
 export function useCacheImageOnLoad(
   imageUrl: string | undefined,
-  settings: UserSettings | undefined
+  _settings?: UserSettings
 ): void {
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (!imageUrl) return
-
-    const enableCache = settings?.enableImageCache ?? true
-    if (!enableCache) return
-
-    // Check if already cached (fast metadata check)
-    const isCached = getCachedImage(imageUrl)
-    if (isCached) return
-
-    // Cache in background
-    const maxSize = settings?.imageCacheSizeMB ?? 210
-    cacheImage(imageUrl, maxSize).catch(err => {
-      console.error('Failed to cache image:', err)
-    })
-  }, [imageUrl, settings?.enableImageCache, settings?.imageCacheSizeMB])
+  // Service Worker will cache on first fetch
+  // This hook is now a no-op, kept for API compatibility
+  // The browser will automatically fetch and cache images when they're used in <img> tags
+  void imageUrl
 }
 
diff --git a/src/services/articleService.ts b/src/services/articleService.ts
index 97afd59b..d1d8d320 100644
--- a/src/services/articleService.ts
+++ b/src/services/articleService.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import { Helpers } from 'applesauce-core'
 import { RELAYS } from '../config/relays'
 import { UserSettings } from './settingsService'
 import { rebroadcastEvents } from './rebroadcastService'
-import { cacheImage } from './imageCacheService'
 
 const { getArticleTitle, getArticleImage, getArticlePublished, getArticleSummary } = Helpers
 
@@ -146,13 +145,7 @@ export async function fetchArticleByNaddr(
     // Save to cache before returning
     saveToCache(naddr, content)
     
-    // Cache cover image if enabled and present
-    if (image && settings?.enableImageCache !== false) {
-      const maxSize = settings?.imageCacheSizeMB ?? 210
-      cacheImage(image, maxSize).catch(err => {
-        console.warn('Failed to cache article cover image:', err)
-      })
-    }
+    // Image caching is handled automatically by Service Worker
     
     return content
   } catch (err) {
diff --git a/src/services/imageCacheService.ts b/src/services/imageCacheService.ts
index 49f20760..9722dd08 100644
--- a/src/services/imageCacheService.ts
+++ b/src/services/imageCacheService.ts
@@ -1,214 +1,18 @@
 /**
  * Image Cache Service
  * 
- * Caches images using the Cache API for offline access.
- * Uses LRU (Least Recently Used) eviction when cache size limit is exceeded.
+ * Utility functions for managing the Service Worker's image cache
+ * Service Worker automatically caches images on fetch
  */
 
 const CACHE_NAME = 'boris-image-cache-v1'
-const CACHE_METADATA_KEY = 'img_cache_metadata'
-
-interface CacheMetadata {
-  [url: string]: {
-    size: number
-    lastAccessed: number
-  }
-}
-
-/**
- * Get cache metadata from localStorage
- */
-function getMetadata(): CacheMetadata {
-  try {
-    const data = localStorage.getItem(CACHE_METADATA_KEY)
-    return data ? JSON.parse(data) : {}
-  } catch {
-    return {}
-  }
-}
-
-/**
- * Save cache metadata to localStorage
- */
-function saveMetadata(metadata: CacheMetadata): void {
-  try {
-    localStorage.setItem(CACHE_METADATA_KEY, JSON.stringify(metadata))
-  } catch (err) {
-    console.warn('Failed to save image cache metadata:', err)
-  }
-}
-
-/**
- * Calculate total cache size in bytes
- */
-function getTotalCacheSize(): number {
-  const metadata = getMetadata()
-  return Object.values(metadata).reduce((sum, item) => sum + item.size, 0)
-}
-
-/**
- * Convert bytes to MB
- */
-function bytesToMB(bytes: number): number {
-  return bytes / (1024 * 1024)
-}
-
-/**
- * Convert MB to bytes
- */
-function mbToBytes(mb: number): number {
-  return mb * 1024 * 1024
-}
-
-/**
- * Evict least recently used images until cache is under limit
- */
-async function evictLRU(maxSizeBytes: number): Promise<void> {
-  const metadata = getMetadata()
-  const entries = Object.entries(metadata)
-  
-  // Sort by last accessed (oldest first)
-  entries.sort((a, b) => a[1].lastAccessed - b[1].lastAccessed)
-  
-  let currentSize = getTotalCacheSize()
-  const cache = await caches.open(CACHE_NAME)
-  
-  for (const [url, item] of entries) {
-    if (currentSize <= maxSizeBytes) break
-    
-    try {
-      await cache.delete(url)
-      delete metadata[url]
-      currentSize -= item.size
-      console.log(`🗑️ Evicted image from cache: ${url.substring(0, 50)}...`)
-    } catch (err) {
-      console.warn('Failed to evict image:', err)
-    }
-  }
-  
-  saveMetadata(metadata)
-}
-
-/**
- * Cache an image using Cache API
- */
-export async function cacheImage(
-  url: string, 
-  maxCacheSizeMB: number = 210
-): Promise<string> {
-  try {
-    // Check if already cached
-    const cached = await getCachedImageUrl(url)
-    if (cached) {
-      console.log('✅ Image already cached:', url.substring(0, 50))
-      return cached
-    }
-    
-    // Fetch the image
-    console.log('📥 Caching image:', url.substring(0, 50))
-    const response = await fetch(url)
-    
-    if (!response.ok) {
-      throw new Error(`Failed to fetch image: ${response.statusText}`)
-    }
-    
-    // Clone the response so we can read it twice (once for size, once for cache)
-    const responseClone = response.clone()
-    const blob = await response.blob()
-    const size = blob.size
-    
-    // Check if image alone exceeds cache limit
-    if (bytesToMB(size) > maxCacheSizeMB) {
-      console.warn(`⚠️ Image too large to cache (${bytesToMB(size).toFixed(2)}MB > ${maxCacheSizeMB}MB)`)
-      return url // Return original URL if too large
-    }
-    
-    const maxSizeBytes = mbToBytes(maxCacheSizeMB)
-    
-    // Evict old images if necessary
-    const currentSize = getTotalCacheSize()
-    if (currentSize + size > maxSizeBytes) {
-      await evictLRU(maxSizeBytes - size)
-    }
-    
-    // Store in Cache API
-    const cache = await caches.open(CACHE_NAME)
-    await cache.put(url, responseClone)
-    
-    // Update metadata
-    const metadata = getMetadata()
-    metadata[url] = {
-      size,
-      lastAccessed: Date.now()
-    }
-    saveMetadata(metadata)
-    
-    console.log(`💾 Cached image (${bytesToMB(size).toFixed(2)}MB). Total cache: ${bytesToMB(getTotalCacheSize()).toFixed(2)}MB`)
-    
-    // Return blob URL for immediate use
-    return URL.createObjectURL(blob)
-  } catch (err) {
-    console.error('Failed to cache image:', err)
-    return url // Return original URL on error
-  }
-}
-
-/**
- * Get cached image URL (creates blob URL from cached response)
- */
-async function getCachedImageUrl(url: string): Promise<string | null> {
-  try {
-    const cache = await caches.open(CACHE_NAME)
-    const response = await cache.match(url)
-    
-    if (!response) {
-      // Cache miss - clean up stale metadata if it exists
-      const metadata = getMetadata()
-      if (metadata[url]) {
-        delete metadata[url]
-        saveMetadata(metadata)
-        console.log('🧹 Cleaned up stale cache metadata for:', url.substring(0, 50))
-      }
-      return null
-    }
-    
-    // Update last accessed time in metadata
-    const metadata = getMetadata()
-    if (metadata[url]) {
-      metadata[url].lastAccessed = Date.now()
-      saveMetadata(metadata)
-    }
-    
-    // Convert response to blob URL
-    const blob = await response.blob()
-    return URL.createObjectURL(blob)
-  } catch (err) {
-    console.warn('Failed to load from cache:', err)
-    return null
-  }
-}
-
-/**
- * Get cached image (synchronous wrapper that returns null, actual loading happens async)
- * This maintains backward compatibility with the hook's synchronous check
- */
-export function getCachedImage(url: string): string | null {
-  // Check if we have metadata for this URL
-  const metadata = getMetadata()
-  return metadata[url] ? url : null // Return URL if in metadata, let hook handle async loading
-}
 
 /**
  * Clear all cached images
  */
 export async function clearImageCache(): Promise<void> {
   try {
-    // Clear from Cache API
     await caches.delete(CACHE_NAME)
-    
-    // Clear metadata from localStorage
-    localStorage.removeItem(CACHE_METADATA_KEY)
-    
     console.log('🗑️ Cleared all cached images')
   } catch (err) {
     console.error('Failed to clear image cache:', err)
@@ -216,30 +20,55 @@ export async function clearImageCache(): Promise<void> {
 }
 
 /**
- * Get cache statistics
+ * Get cache statistics by inspecting Cache API directly
+ */
+export async function getImageCacheStatsAsync(): Promise<{
+  totalSizeMB: number
+  itemCount: number
+  items: Array<{ url: string, sizeMB: number }>
+}> {
+  try {
+    const cache = await caches.open(CACHE_NAME)
+    const requests = await cache.keys()
+    
+    let totalSize = 0
+    const items: Array<{ url: string, sizeMB: number }> = []
+    
+    for (const request of requests) {
+      const response = await cache.match(request)
+      if (response) {
+        const blob = await response.blob()
+        const sizeMB = blob.size / (1024 * 1024)
+        totalSize += blob.size
+        items.push({ url: request.url, sizeMB })
+      }
+    }
+    
+    return {
+      totalSizeMB: totalSize / (1024 * 1024),
+      itemCount: requests.length,
+      items
+    }
+  } catch (err) {
+    console.error('Failed to get cache stats:', err)
+    return { totalSizeMB: 0, itemCount: 0, items: [] }
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Synchronous wrapper for cache stats (returns approximate values)
+ * For real-time stats, use getImageCacheStatsAsync
  */
 export function getImageCacheStats(): {
   totalSizeMB: number
   itemCount: number
   items: Array<{ url: string, sizeMB: number, lastAccessed: Date }>
 } {
-  const metadata = getMetadata()
-  const entries = Object.entries(metadata)
-  
+  // Return placeholder - actual stats require async Cache API access
+  // Component should use getImageCacheStatsAsync for real values
   return {
-    totalSizeMB: bytesToMB(getTotalCacheSize()),
-    itemCount: entries.length,
-    items: entries.map(([url, item]) => ({
-      url,
-      sizeMB: bytesToMB(item.size),
-      lastAccessed: new Date(item.lastAccessed)
-    }))
+    totalSizeMB: 0,
+    itemCount: 0,
+    items: []
   }
 }
-
-/**
- * Load cached image asynchronously (for use in hooks/components)
- */
-export async function loadCachedImage(url: string): Promise<string | null> {
-  return getCachedImageUrl(url)
-}