diff --git a/assets/templates/ui/skills/blessed_hammer.png b/assets/templates/ui/skills/blessed_hammer.png
index 2023602..043712b 100644
Binary files a/assets/templates/ui/skills/blessed_hammer.png and b/assets/templates/ui/skills/blessed_hammer.png differ
diff --git a/config/params.ini b/config/params.ini
index 83fdea1..cc10d1d 100644
--- a/config/params.ini
+++ b/config/params.ini
@@ -449,9 +449,6 @@ runs_per_repair=50
 ; repair_npc: preferred repair vendor strategy.
 ; - a5_larzuk (recommended: stays in A5, no cross-act trip; falls back to Halbu)
 ; - a4_halbu (requires WP trip to A4 every repair — act desync risk if it fails)
-; - in_act (never leave the current act to repair; repairs only if the act has a
-;   vendor, otherwise skips. Use this for routes whose town has no repair vendor,
-;   e.g. Travincal/A3, where any other setting means a cross-act trip every cycle)
 ; 2026-06-10: switched to a5_larzuk — session logs showed Halbu detection failing
 ; 100% (body score ~0.39) and each failed A4 trip desynced the bot's act state.
 repair_npc=a5_larzuk
@@ -582,8 +579,21 @@ foh=f6
 holy_bolt=f7
 
 [hammerdin]
-blessed_hammer=f9
-concentration=f1
+; Verified against the live client 2026-09-04 by pressing F1-F8 and reading the
+; right skill slot (D2R renders the key label into the icon, so the crops prove
+; themselves): f2=Holy Shield, f3=Redemption, f4=a charged item skill,
+; f5=TELEPORT, f6=Concentration, f8=an aura with no template (Conviction).
+; f1 and f7 are UNBOUND — pressing them changes nothing, which is why
+; concentration=f1 silently ran the whole build with no aura at all.
+;
+; Blessed Hammer sits permanently on LEFT-click, so it needs no key: _cast_hammers
+; keeps it off the F-keys deliberately, because selecting it onto the right slot
+; would REPLACE the damage aura. The preflight verifies the left slot instead.
+blessed_hammer=
+concentration=f6
+; Leave conviction unbound. It does nothing for magic-damage hammers (Bug 17),
+; and on this client f5 is TELEPORT — pointing it there teleports the character
+; on every attack-aura cast.
 conviction=
 
 ; =========================
diff --git a/src/utils/skill_preflight.py b/src/utils/skill_preflight.py
index 4483902..296eb0f 100644
--- a/src/utils/skill_preflight.py
+++ b/src/utils/skill_preflight.py
@@ -17,6 +17,10 @@ class SkillCheck:
     template: str
     side: str
     required: bool
+    # True when the skill sits permanently on its slot and no hotkey selects it
+    # (Blessed Hammer on left-click). Such a check inspects the slot as-is, so a
+    # blank hotkey is correct rather than a misconfiguration.
+    permanent: bool = False
 
 
 SORC_TEMPLATE_ALIASES = {
@@ -61,17 +65,18 @@ def get_build_skill_checks(config_instance: Config, char_type: str | None = None
 
     if char_type in ("hammerdin", "fohdin"):
         build_cfg = getattr(config_instance, char_type, {})
-        # blessed hammer lives on left-click; auras/teleport go to right
-        # hotkeys select onto the RIGHT slot; left holds the hammer permanently.
-        # NOT required: having no hotkey is the CORRECT configuration. _cast_hammers
-        # deliberately keeps the hammer off the F-keys — pressing one would select it
-        # onto the right slot and REPLACE the damage aura. Marking this required made
-        # every startup log "blessed_hammer has no configured hotkey" and advise running
-        # set_binds_from_params.py, which would bind it and break the aura. If a hotkey
-        # IS configured it is still visually validated below.
-        checks.append(SkillCheck(char_type, "blessed_hammer",
-                                 _configured_hotkey(build_cfg, "blessed_hammer"),
-                                 "BLESSED_HAMMER", "right", False))
+        # Blessed Hammer lives permanently on LEFT-click. No hotkey moves it there —
+        # F-keys select onto the RIGHT slot only — so the old right-slot check could
+        # never pass: it scored 44.8% all session while the hammer sat correctly on the
+        # left the whole time. Verify the LEFT slot instead, pressing nothing.
+        #
+        # Deliberately NOT required, and deliberately hotkey-less: _cast_hammers keeps
+        # the hammer off the F-keys because pressing one would select it onto the right
+        # slot and REPLACE the damage aura. Marking it required made startup advise
+        # running set_binds_from_params.py, which would bind it and break exactly that.
+        # A stale icon template should report a score, not block the bot.
+        checks.append(SkillCheck(char_type, "blessed_hammer", "",
+                                 "BLESSED_HAMMER", "left", False, permanent=True))
         checks.append(SkillCheck(char_type, "concentration",
                                  _configured_hotkey(build_cfg, "concentration"),
                                  "CONCENTRATION", "right", True))
@@ -127,8 +132,11 @@ def _check_skill_icon(check: SkillCheck, threshold: float = 0.84) -> tuple[bool
             return True, check.template, 1.0
         return None, check.template, -1.0
 
-    keyboard.send(check.hotkey)
-    wait(0.15, 0.25)
+    # A skill that lives permanently on a slot (Blessed Hammer on left-click) has no
+    # hotkey to press — inspect the slot as-is rather than sending an empty keystroke.
+    if check.hotkey:
+        keyboard.send(check.hotkey)
+        wait(0.15, 0.25)
     roi = _skill_roi(check.side)
     match = template_finder.search(template_name, grab(force_new=True), threshold=threshold, roi=roi)
     return match.valid, template_name, match.score
@@ -164,7 +172,7 @@ def validate_build_skill_icons(config_instance: Config, char_type: str | None =
 
     errors = []
     for check in checks:
-        if not check.hotkey:
+        if not check.hotkey and not check.permanent:
             if check.required:
                 errors.append(f"{check.skill} has no configured hotkey")
             continue