diff --git a/docker-compose.mythica.yml b/docker-compose.mythica.yml
index b93e860..c1cbb8c 100644
--- a/docker-compose.mythica.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.mythica.yml
@@ -40,7 +40,10 @@ services:
 
             # --- behaviour -----------------------------------------------------
             ACORE_ARMORY_LOAD_DBCS: ${ARMORY_LOAD_DBCS:-1}
-            ACORE_ARMORY_HIDE_GAME_MASTERS: ${ARMORY_HIDE_GMS:-1}
+            # Off by default here: GM accounts on this realm belong to real
+            # players who should appear in the armory like anyone else. Set to
+            # 1 to hide them from search and 404 their character pages.
+            ACORE_ARMORY_HIDE_GAME_MASTERS: ${ARMORY_HIDE_GMS:-0}
 
             # Playerbots are ordinary accounts, not game masters, so the GM
             # filter does not touch them. Without this the armory lists ~1350
diff --git a/docs/mythica-deploy.md b/docs/mythica-deploy.md
index 299abc0..d146f1a 100644
--- a/docs/mythica-deploy.md
+++ b/docs/mythica-deploy.md
@@ -129,5 +129,10 @@ FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
   page rather than shipping both.
 - **The Dockerfile builds from `node:16`**, which is end-of-life. It builds and
   runs fine; bumping it is a separate change from getting this deployed.
-- **`hideGameMasters` defaults to on** here, so GM characters are hidden from
-  search and return 404.
+- **`hideGameMasters` is off** in this stack, unlike upstream. GM accounts on
+  this realm belong to real players — `Spinnaker` among them — so hiding them
+  would hide people who should be listed. Set `ARMORY_HIDE_GMS=1` to restore
+  upstream behaviour.
+- **Playerbots are hidden** via `hideBotAccounts` / `botAccountPattern`
+  (`RNDBOT%`). They are ordinary accounts rather than game masters, so the GM
+  filter never touched them. `ARMORY_HIDE_BOTS=0` shows them again.