diff --git a/THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.md b/THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d3c188f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.md
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+# Third-party notices
+
+NestQuest bundles glyph data from the icon sets below. The curated names are listed in
+`tools/icons/curated-icons.json`; `tools/icons/generate.mjs` reads each glyph's SVG path
+data from the locally installed packages and generates it into both bundles
+(`admin/src/icons/registry.generated.ts` and `frontend/src/icons/registry.generated.ts`).
+Nothing is loaded from a CDN or fetched at runtime. The package versions used are recorded
+in the header of each generated file.
+
+## Font Awesome Free
+
+- Project: <https://fontawesome.com> · repository: <https://github.com/FortAwesome/Font-Awesome>
+- Package: `@fortawesome/free-solid-svg-icons`
+- Licence: <https://fontawesome.com/license/free>
+  - Icons: [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
+  - Fonts: [SIL OFL 1.1](https://openfontlicense.org)
+  - Code: [MIT](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)
+- Use in NestQuest: a curated subset of the Free **solid** icon set, embedded as SVG path
+  data. No fonts are bundled.
+
+Font Awesome Free by @fontawesome — https://fontawesome.com — icons licensed under CC BY 4.0.
+
+## Lucide
+
+- Project: <https://lucide.dev> · repository: <https://github.com/lucide-icons/lucide>
+- Package: `lucide-react`
+- Licence: [ISC](https://github.com/lucide-icons/lucide/blob/main/LICENSE)
+- Use in NestQuest: a curated subset of Lucide icons, embedded as SVG path data.
+
+Lucide icons are Copyright (c) Lucide Contributors, licensed under the ISC License.
+Portions derived from Feather are Copyright (c) Cole Bemis, licensed under the MIT License.
diff --git a/design/ADMIN-SPEC.md b/design/ADMIN-SPEC.md
index 17dc1a1..797668b 100644
--- a/design/ADMIN-SPEC.md
+++ b/design/ADMIN-SPEC.md
@@ -84,8 +84,33 @@ Footer: `Cancel` (flex 1, bordered) + `Save changes` (flex 2, gradient), both 13
 padding. Sheet enters over the dimmed list in `--nq-dur-modal`.
 
 ### 3.3 Icon picker
-Each definition carries a Lucide glyph, shown on both surfaces. **The allowed subset is not
-yet defined** — pick 24–40 household-relevant glyphs and ship them as a grid picker.
+Each definition carries one optional icon, shown on both surfaces. The picker offers three
+sources:
+
+- **Lucide** — a grid of the curated Lucide glyphs, drawn stroked.
+- **Font Awesome** — a grid of a curated subset of the Font Awesome Free *solid* set,
+  drawn filled.
+- **Emoji** — a text input; the typed emoji is stored as entered (not trimmed) and must be
+  1–8 code points with no whitespace, control characters, `<`, `>` or `&`.
+
+Both curated lists come from `tools/icons/curated-icons.json`; their glyph path data is
+generated into the admin and panel bundles by `tools/icons/generate.mjs` (no CDN, no
+runtime fetch). See `THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.md` for licences.
+
+The stored value is a **namespaced key**:
+
+| Source | Stored key | Example |
+|---|---|---|
+| Lucide | `lucide:<name>` | `lucide:dog` |
+| Font Awesome | `fa:<name>` | `fa:paw` |
+| Emoji | `emoji:<grapheme>` | `emoji:🐶` |
+
+`<name>` is a lowercase kebab name (`[a-z0-9-]`, no leading or trailing `-`). A **legacy
+bare name** written before namespacing (`dog`) reads as `lucide:<name>` — the API returns it
+namespaced, and any write of a bare name is stored as `lucide:<name>`; no data migration. An
+empty value clears the icon. An empty, unknown, or unresolvable key renders the **fallback
+glyph** — in the admin, the generic task glyph (clipboard with a check); on the panel, the
+star (`PANEL-SPEC.md` §3.2).
 
 ## 4. Schedule (1f)
 
diff --git a/design/DESIGN-HANDOFF.md b/design/DESIGN-HANDOFF.md
index bacaa15..8e053e4 100644
--- a/design/DESIGN-HANDOFF.md
+++ b/design/DESIGN-HANDOFF.md
@@ -78,5 +78,6 @@ The panel speaks tabletop; the admin speaks plainly. Both sit on the same `quest
   decide before shipping the card.
 - No gamification is in scope. XP, levels, streaks and rarity were explicitly deferred,
   but the append-only event log already supports computing them later.
-- Icon per quest definition is chosen by the parent from a Lucide subset; the subset is
-  not yet defined (`ADMIN-SPEC.md` §3.3).
+- Icon per quest definition is chosen by the parent from curated Lucide and Font Awesome
+  Free sets or as an emoji, stored as a namespaced key (`lucide:`/`fa:`/`emoji:`) —
+  resolved 2026-09-26, see `ADMIN-SPEC.md` §3.3.
diff --git a/design/ENTITIES-AND-SERVICES.md b/design/ENTITIES-AND-SERVICES.md
index 35cb6df..9626e7e 100644
--- a/design/ENTITIES-AND-SERVICES.md
+++ b/design/ENTITIES-AND-SERVICES.md
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ implementer's call), shaped:
 {
   "instances": [
     { "id": 4821, "definition_id": 12, "child_id": 3, "title": "Fill bird feeder",
-      "icon": "bird", "window": "afternoon", "due_time": "17:00",
+      "icon": "lucide:bird", "window": "afternoon", "due_time": "17:00",
       "state": "open", "overdue": true, "completed_at": null, "on_time": null }
   ]
 }
diff --git a/design/PANEL-SPEC.md b/design/PANEL-SPEC.md
index 4e5f14b..2dc1838 100644
--- a/design/PANEL-SPEC.md
+++ b/design/PANEL-SPEC.md
@@ -91,7 +91,14 @@ collapse the column, the three-column rhythm is the layout.
 `--nq-p-quest-min-height` 116px, radius 12px, `--nq-p-card-open`, 1px
 `--nq-p-card-border`, `--nq-p-card-shadow`, padding 22px, 22px gap, row layout:
 
-1. **Icon tile** 64×64, radius 10px, `--nq-p-icon-tile`, Lucide glyph 34px white.
+1. **Icon tile** 64×64, radius 10px, `--nq-p-icon-tile`, glyph 34px white — the
+   definition's icon, resolved from its namespaced key (`ADMIN-SPEC.md` §3.3):
+   `lucide:<name>` draws the curated Lucide glyph **stroked** (fill none, stroke-width 2,
+   round caps and joins); `fa:<name>` draws the curated Font Awesome glyph **filled**;
+   `emoji:<grapheme>` renders the emoji **as text**. A legacy bare name resolves as
+   `lucide:<name>`. No icon, or any key that does not resolve (unknown namespace or name,
+   malformed emoji), falls back to the **star** glyph. Glyph data is bundled from the
+   shared registry — nothing is fetched at runtime.
 2. **Text** title 30px/700 Cinzel `--nq-p-ink`; meta 22px/600 Nunito
    `--nq-p-ink-secondary` reading `Due by <h:mm A>`. If past due:
    `Overdue · due <h:mm A>` in 22px/700 Cinzel uppercase, tracking .10em,
@@ -106,7 +113,9 @@ Both the card body and the button open the confirm dialog (§4). Press feedback:
 ### 3.3 Quest card — sealed
 
 `--nq-p-card-done`, `opacity: .82`, no shadow, **not tappable**. Icon tile
-`--nq-p-icon-tile-done` with the glyph in `--nq-p-ink-secondary`. Title 30px/700 Cinzel
+`--nq-p-icon-tile-done` with the glyph in `--nq-p-ink-secondary`. The sealed tile keeps
+the static star glyph — it does **not** render the definition icon — alongside the wax
+seal below. Title 30px/700 Cinzel
 `--nq-p-ink-muted` with `text-decoration: line-through`. Meta reads
 `Claimed <h:mm A>` 22px/600 Nunito `--nq-p-ink-secondary`.