diff --git a/docs/assets/js/outage-widget.js b/docs/assets/js/outage-widget.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..519b7bc6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/assets/js/outage-widget.js
@@ -0,0 +1,349 @@
+/* ==========================================================================
+ * RCAC System Status / Outage Widget
+ * --------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ * Floating status pill for the RCAC-Docs MkDocs Material site.
+ * Data source: the Halcyon CMS JSON API on the main RCAC website
+ *   https://www.rcac.purdue.edu/api/news        (articles)
+ *   https://www.rcac.purdue.edu/api/news/types  (news types)
+ *
+ * No build step, no dependencies. Registered via `extra_javascript`
+ * in mkdocs.yml. Compatible with Material's instant navigation.
+ *
+ * Behavior:
+ *   - By default the widget only appears on pages containing an element
+ *     with id="outage-widget-anchor" (the homepage). Set
+ *     CONFIG.homepageOnly = false to show it on every page.
+ *   - Green  = no active or upcoming items
+ *   - Amber  = maintenance/outage scheduled within `upcomingWindowDays`
+ *   - Red    = outage/maintenance active right now
+ * ========================================================================== */
+
+(function () {
+  "use strict";
+
+  var CONFIG = {
+    apiBase: "https://www.rcac.purdue.edu/api",
+    // Where "view all" links go:
+    newsPage: "https://www.rcac.purdue.edu/news/outages-and-maintenance",
+    // News type whose alias matches this pattern is treated as outage news:
+    typeAliasPattern: /outage/i,
+    homepageOnly: true,          // require #outage-widget-anchor on the page
+    upcomingWindowDays: 14,      // how far ahead to surface scheduled work
+    staleActiveDays: 7,          // open-ended items older than this are ignored
+    cacheMinutes: 5,             // sessionStorage cache TTL
+    refreshMinutes: 5,           // background refresh while page is open
+    maxItems: 5,                 // max entries listed in the panel
+    timeZone: "America/Indiana/Indianapolis"
+  };
+
+  var CACHE_KEY = "rcac-outage-widget-v1";
+  var TYPE_KEY = "rcac-outage-typeid-v1";
+  var OPEN_KEY = "rcac-outage-widget-open";
+  var refreshTimer = null;
+
+  /* ------------------------------------------------------------------ *
+   * Time handling: Halcyon returns naive timestamps in Eastern time,
+   * e.g. "2026-06-09 10:00:00". Convert to a real Date in the user's
+   * local clock by computing the Eastern UTC offset for that instant.
+   * ------------------------------------------------------------------ */
+  function parseEastern(str) {
+    if (!str) return null;
+    var m = String(str).match(/^(\d{4})-(\d{2})-(\d{2})[ T](\d{2}):(\d{2}):(\d{2})/);
+    if (!m) return null;
+    // Pretend the wall-clock time is UTC, then correct by the zone offset.
+    var asUTC = Date.UTC(+m[1], +m[2] - 1, +m[3], +m[4], +m[5], +m[6]);
+    var offset = easternOffsetMs(new Date(asUTC));
+    return new Date(asUTC - offset);
+  }
+
+  function easternOffsetMs(date) {
+    try {
+      var dtf = new Intl.DateTimeFormat("en-US", {
+        timeZone: CONFIG.timeZone,
+        hour12: false,
+        year: "numeric", month: "2-digit", day: "2-digit",
+        hour: "2-digit", minute: "2-digit", second: "2-digit"
+      });
+      var parts = {};
+      dtf.formatToParts(date).forEach(function (p) { parts[p.type] = p.value; });
+      var asIfUTC = Date.UTC(
+        +parts.year, +parts.month - 1, +parts.day,
+        (+parts.hour) % 24, +parts.minute, +parts.second
+      );
+      return asIfUTC - date.getTime();
+    } catch (e) {
+      return -5 * 3600 * 1000; // EST fallback
+    }
+  }
+
+  /* ------------------------------------------------------------------ *
+   * Data fetching
+   * ------------------------------------------------------------------ */
+  function getCached() {
+    try {
+      var raw = sessionStorage.getItem(CACHE_KEY);
+      if (!raw) return null;
+      var obj = JSON.parse(raw);
+      if (Date.now() - obj.t > CONFIG.cacheMinutes * 60 * 1000) return null;
+      return obj.data;
+    } catch (e) { return null; }
+  }
+
+  function setCached(data) {
+    try {
+      sessionStorage.setItem(CACHE_KEY, JSON.stringify({ t: Date.now(), data: data }));
+    } catch (e) { /* storage full or unavailable — ignore */ }
+  }
+
+  function fetchJSON(url) {
+    return fetch(url, { headers: { Accept: "application/json" } }).then(function (r) {
+      if (!r.ok) throw new Error("HTTP " + r.status + " for " + url);
+      return r.json();
+    });
+  }
+
+  function resolveOutageTypeId() {
+    try {
+      var cached = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem(TYPE_KEY) || "null");
+      if (cached && Date.now() - cached.t < 24 * 3600 * 1000) {
+        return Promise.resolve(cached.id);
+      }
+    } catch (e) { /* fall through to fetch */ }
+
+    return fetchJSON(CONFIG.apiBase + "/news/types?limit=100").then(function (json) {
+      var types = json.data || json;
+      var match = (types || []).find(function (t) {
+        return CONFIG.typeAliasPattern.test(t.alias || "") ||
+               CONFIG.typeAliasPattern.test(t.name || "");
+      });
+      if (!match) throw new Error("Outage news type not found");
+      try {
+        localStorage.setItem(TYPE_KEY, JSON.stringify({ t: Date.now(), id: match.id }));
+      } catch (e) { /* ignore */ }
+      return match.id;
+    });
+  }
+
+  function fetchStatus() {
+    var cached = getCached();
+    if (cached) return Promise.resolve(cached);
+
+    return resolveOutageTypeId()
+      .then(function (typeId) {
+        var url = CONFIG.apiBase + "/news?type=" + typeId +
+          "&limit=25&order=datetimecreated&order_dir=desc";
+        return fetchJSON(url);
+      })
+      .then(function (json) {
+        var data = classify(json.data || []);
+        setCached(data);
+        return data;
+      });
+  }
+
+  /* ------------------------------------------------------------------ *
+   * Classification
+   * ------------------------------------------------------------------ */
+  function classify(articles) {
+    var now = new Date();
+    var horizon = new Date(now.getTime() + CONFIG.upcomingWindowDays * 86400000);
+    var staleCutoff = new Date(now.getTime() - CONFIG.staleActiveDays * 86400000);
+    var active = [], upcoming = [];
+
+    articles.forEach(function (a) {
+      if (!a || a.published === 0) return;
+      var start = parseEastern(a.datetimenews);
+      var end = parseEastern(a.datetimenewsend);
+      if (!start) return;
+
+      var item = {
+        headline: a.headline || "Untitled",
+        date: a.formatteddate || "",
+        url: a.uri || CONFIG.newsPage,
+        resources: (a.associations || [])
+          .map(function (x) { return x && (x.name || x.associd); })
+          .filter(Boolean)
+      };
+
+      if (start <= now) {
+        if (end ? end >= now : start >= staleCutoff) active.push(item);
+      } else if (start <= horizon) {
+        upcoming.push(item);
+      }
+    });
+
+    return {
+      active: active.slice(0, CONFIG.maxItems),
+      upcoming: upcoming.slice(0, CONFIG.maxItems),
+      checked: now.toISOString()
+    };
+  }
+
+  /* ------------------------------------------------------------------ *
+   * Rendering
+   * ------------------------------------------------------------------ */
+  function h(tag, attrs, children) {
+    var el = document.createElement(tag);
+    if (attrs) Object.keys(attrs).forEach(function (k) {
+      if (k === "text") el.textContent = attrs[k];
+      else el.setAttribute(k, attrs[k]);
+    });
+    (children || []).forEach(function (c) { el.appendChild(c); });
+    return el;
+  }
+
+  function removeWidget() {
+    var existing = document.getElementById("rcac-outage-widget");
+    if (existing) existing.remove();
+    if (refreshTimer) { clearInterval(refreshTimer); refreshTimer = null; }
+  }
+
+  function render(status) {
+    removeWidget();
+
+    var level = status.active.length ? "error"
+              : status.upcoming.length ? "warn"
+              : "ok";
+
+    var label = level === "error"
+      ? (status.active.length === 1 ? "1 active outage"
+         : status.active.length + " active outages")
+      : level === "warn"
+        ? "Maintenance scheduled"
+        : "All systems normal";
+
+    var root = h("div", { id: "rcac-outage-widget", "data-level": level });
+
+    /* --- panel --------------------------------------------------- */
+    var panel = h("div", {
+      class: "rcac-ow-panel",
+      role: "dialog",
+      "aria-label": "RCAC system status",
+      hidden: ""
+    });
+
+    panel.appendChild(h("div", { class: "rcac-ow-head" }, [
+      h("span", { class: "rcac-ow-title", text: "System status" }),
+      h("button", {
+        class: "rcac-ow-close",
+        type: "button",
+        "aria-label": "Close status panel",
+        text: "\u00d7"
+      })
+    ]));
+
+    var body = h("div", { class: "rcac-ow-body" });
+
+    function section(titleText, items, cls) {
+      body.appendChild(h("p", { class: "rcac-ow-section " + cls, text: titleText }));
+      var ul = h("ul", { class: "rcac-ow-list" });
+      items.forEach(function (it) {
+        var a = h("a", { href: it.url, target: "_blank", rel: "noopener" });
+        a.appendChild(h("span", { class: "rcac-ow-item-title", text: it.headline }));
+        var meta = it.date;
+        if (it.resources.length) {
+          meta += (meta ? " \u00b7 " : "") + it.resources.slice(0, 6).join(", ");
+        }
+        if (meta) a.appendChild(h("span", { class: "rcac-ow-item-meta", text: meta }));
+        ul.appendChild(h("li", null, [a]));
+      });
+      body.appendChild(ul);
+    }
+
+    if (status.active.length) section("Happening now", status.active, "is-error");
+    if (status.upcoming.length) {
+      section("Upcoming (next " + CONFIG.upcomingWindowDays + " days)",
+        status.upcoming, "is-warn");
+    }
+    if (!status.active.length && !status.upcoming.length) {
+      body.appendChild(h("p", {
+        class: "rcac-ow-empty",
+        text: "No outages reported and no maintenance scheduled in the next " +
+              CONFIG.upcomingWindowDays + " days."
+      }));
+    }
+
+    panel.appendChild(body);
+    panel.appendChild(h("div", { class: "rcac-ow-foot" }, [
+      h("a", {
+        href: CONFIG.newsPage, target: "_blank", rel: "noopener",
+        text: "All outages & maintenance \u2192"
+      })
+    ]));
+
+    /* --- pill ----------------------------------------------------- */
+    var pill = h("button", {
+      class: "rcac-ow-pill",
+      type: "button",
+      "aria-expanded": "false",
+      "aria-label": "RCAC system status: " + label
+    }, [
+      h("span", { class: "rcac-ow-dot", "aria-hidden": "true" }),
+      h("span", { class: "rcac-ow-label", text: label })
+    ]);
+
+    root.appendChild(panel);
+    root.appendChild(pill);
+    document.body.appendChild(root);
+
+    function setOpen(open) {
+      if (open) panel.removeAttribute("hidden");
+      else panel.setAttribute("hidden", "");
+      pill.setAttribute("aria-expanded", String(open));
+      try { sessionStorage.setItem(OPEN_KEY, open ? "1" : "0"); } catch (e) {}
+    }
+
+    pill.addEventListener("click", function () {
+      setOpen(panel.hasAttribute("hidden"));
+    });
+    panel.querySelector(".rcac-ow-close").addEventListener("click", function () {
+      setOpen(false);
+    });
+    document.addEventListener("keydown", function (ev) {
+      if (ev.key === "Escape") setOpen(false);
+    });
+
+    // Re-open if it was open before an instant-navigation reload,
+    // or auto-open once per session when there is an active outage.
+    var wasOpen = null;
+    try { wasOpen = sessionStorage.getItem(OPEN_KEY); } catch (e) {}
+    if (wasOpen === "1" || (level === "error" && wasOpen === null)) setOpen(true);
+  }
+
+  /* ------------------------------------------------------------------ *
+   * Bootstrapping (works with and without navigation.instant)
+   * ------------------------------------------------------------------ */
+  function shouldShowOnThisPage() {
+    if (!CONFIG.homepageOnly) return true;
+    return !!document.getElementById("outage-widget-anchor");
+  }
+
+  function init() {
+    if (!shouldShowOnThisPage()) { removeWidget(); return; }
+    if (document.getElementById("rcac-outage-widget")) return;
+
+    fetchStatus()
+      .then(render)
+      .catch(function (err) {
+        // Fail quietly: a docs site must never break because the
+        // status API is unreachable.
+        console.warn("[outage-widget]", err);
+        removeWidget();
+      });
+
+    refreshTimer = setInterval(function () {
+      if (document.hidden) return;
+      try { sessionStorage.removeItem(CACHE_KEY); } catch (e) {}
+      fetchStatus().then(render).catch(function () {});
+    }, CONFIG.refreshMinutes * 60 * 1000);
+  }
+
+  if (window.document$ && typeof window.document$.subscribe === "function") {
+    // Material instant navigation: fires on initial load and every page swap.
+    window.document$.subscribe(init);
+  } else if (document.readyState === "loading") {
+    document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", init);
+  } else {
+    init();
+  }
+})();
diff --git a/docs/index.md b/docs/index.md
index 05a9a2cd..c51c2f11 100644
--- a/docs/index.md
+++ b/docs/index.md
@@ -12,10 +12,13 @@ meta:
 
 # Welcome to RCAC Documentation
 
+<!-- The invisible anchor below will make sure the outage widget only anchors to homepage. -->
+<div id="outage-widget-anchor"></div>
+
 <!-- !!! Warning "Announcement"
     **This is a demo site.** You are visiting a demo site designed for testing purposes only. Contents on this website may not reflect production RCAC resources. Check [rcac.purdue.edu](https://www.rcac.purdue.edu) for official information. -->
 
-!!! info "Important: Use Microsoft Authenticator to Access Purdue RCAC Resources Starting May 11, 2026"
+??? info "Important: Use Microsoft Authenticator to Access Purdue RCAC Resources Starting May 11, 2026"
     **Beginning May 11, 2026, RCAC will move from Duo Mobile to Microsoft Authenticator for logging in to Purdue’s research computing and supercomputing systems (excluding Anvil).**
 
     To ensure uninterrupted access, please complete the steps below before May 11. What you need to do:
diff --git a/docs/stylesheets/outage-widget.css b/docs/stylesheets/outage-widget.css
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c89f584b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/stylesheets/outage-widget.css
@@ -0,0 +1,197 @@
+/* ==========================================================================
+ * RCAC System Status / Outage Widget — styles
+ * Inherits Material for MkDocs design tokens (colors, fonts, shadows),
+ * so it follows the site's light/dark scheme automatically.
+ * ========================================================================== */
+
+#rcac-outage-widget {
+  position: fixed;
+  right: 1rem;
+  bottom: calc(1rem + env(safe-area-inset-bottom, 0px));
+  z-index: 5; /* above content, below Material dialogs/search overlay */
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  align-items: flex-end;
+  gap: 0.5rem;
+  font-family: var(--md-text-font-family, "Roboto", sans-serif);
+  -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;
+}
+
+/* Status colors (WCAG-checked on white and on slate backgrounds) */
+#rcac-outage-widget {
+  --ow-ok: #2e7d32;
+  --ow-warn: #b26a00;
+  --ow-error: #c62828;
+}
+[data-md-color-scheme="slate"] #rcac-outage-widget {
+  --ow-ok: #66bb6a;
+  --ow-warn: #ffb74d;
+  --ow-error: #ef5350;
+}
+
+#rcac-outage-widget[data-level="ok"]    { --ow-status: var(--ow-ok); }
+#rcac-outage-widget[data-level="warn"]  { --ow-status: var(--ow-warn); }
+#rcac-outage-widget[data-level="error"] { --ow-status: var(--ow-error); }
+
+/* --- Pill ----------------------------------------------------------- */
+.rcac-ow-pill {
+  display: inline-flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 0.45rem;
+  padding: 0.45rem 0.9rem;
+  border: 1px solid color-mix(in srgb, var(--ow-status) 45%, transparent);
+  border-radius: 999px;
+  background: var(--md-default-bg-color, #fff);
+  color: var(--md-typeset-color, #000);
+  font: inherit;
+  font-size: 0.7rem;
+  font-weight: 600;
+  letter-spacing: 0.01em;
+  cursor: pointer;
+  box-shadow: var(--md-shadow-z2, 0 2px 8px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2));
+  transition: box-shadow 0.15s, transform 0.15s;
+}
+.rcac-ow-pill:hover,
+.rcac-ow-pill:focus-visible {
+  box-shadow: var(--md-shadow-z3, 0 4px 12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25));
+  transform: translateY(-1px);
+}
+.rcac-ow-pill:focus-visible {
+  outline: 2px solid var(--md-accent-fg-color, #526cfe);
+  outline-offset: 2px;
+}
+
+.rcac-ow-dot {
+  width: 0.55rem;
+  height: 0.55rem;
+  flex: none;
+  border-radius: 50%;
+  background: var(--ow-status);
+}
+#rcac-outage-widget[data-level="error"] .rcac-ow-dot {
+  animation: rcac-ow-pulse 1.6s ease-in-out infinite;
+}
+@keyframes rcac-ow-pulse {
+  0%, 100% { box-shadow: 0 0 0 0 color-mix(in srgb, var(--ow-status) 45%, transparent); }
+  50%      { box-shadow: 0 0 0 5px transparent; }
+}
+
+/* --- Panel ----------------------------------------------------------- */
+.rcac-ow-panel {
+  width: min(21rem, calc(100vw - 2rem));
+  max-height: min(24rem, 70vh);
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  overflow: hidden;
+  border-radius: 0.4rem;
+  border-top: 3px solid var(--ow-status);
+  background: var(--md-default-bg-color, #fff);
+  color: var(--md-typeset-color, #000);
+  box-shadow: var(--md-shadow-z3, 0 4px 16px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25));
+  font-size: 0.65rem;
+  line-height: 1.45;
+}
+.rcac-ow-panel[hidden] { display: none; }
+
+.rcac-ow-head {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  justify-content: space-between;
+  padding: 0.6rem 0.8rem 0.3rem;
+}
+.rcac-ow-title {
+  font-size: 0.75rem;
+  font-weight: 700;
+}
+.rcac-ow-close {
+  border: 0;
+  background: none;
+  color: var(--md-default-fg-color--light, #0009);
+  font-size: 1rem;
+  line-height: 1;
+  padding: 0.1rem 0.3rem;
+  cursor: pointer;
+  border-radius: 0.2rem;
+}
+.rcac-ow-close:hover { color: var(--md-typeset-color, #000); }
+.rcac-ow-close:focus-visible {
+  outline: 2px solid var(--md-accent-fg-color, #526cfe);
+}
+
+.rcac-ow-body {
+  padding: 0 0.8rem 0.4rem;
+  overflow-y: auto;
+}
+
+.rcac-ow-section {
+  margin: 0.5rem 0 0.2rem;
+  font-size: 0.6rem;
+  font-weight: 700;
+  text-transform: uppercase;
+  letter-spacing: 0.06em;
+}
+.rcac-ow-section.is-error { color: var(--ow-error); }
+.rcac-ow-section.is-warn  { color: var(--ow-warn); }
+
+.rcac-ow-list {
+  list-style: none;
+  margin: 0;
+  padding: 0;
+}
+.rcac-ow-list li + li {
+  border-top: 1px solid var(--md-default-fg-color--lightest, #0000001f);
+}
+.rcac-ow-list a {
+  display: block;
+  padding: 0.45rem 0.2rem;
+  color: inherit;
+  text-decoration: none;
+  border-radius: 0.2rem;
+}
+.rcac-ow-list a:hover .rcac-ow-item-title,
+.rcac-ow-list a:focus-visible .rcac-ow-item-title {
+  color: var(--md-accent-fg-color, #526cfe);
+  text-decoration: underline;
+}
+.rcac-ow-item-title {
+  display: block;
+  font-weight: 600;
+}
+.rcac-ow-item-meta {
+  display: block;
+  margin-top: 0.1rem;
+  color: var(--md-default-fg-color--light, #0009);
+  font-size: 0.6rem;
+}
+
+.rcac-ow-empty {
+  margin: 0.4rem 0 0.6rem;
+  color: var(--md-default-fg-color--light, #0009);
+}
+
+.rcac-ow-foot {
+  padding: 0.45rem 0.8rem 0.6rem;
+  border-top: 1px solid var(--md-default-fg-color--lightest, #0000001f);
+}
+.rcac-ow-foot a {
+  font-size: 0.62rem;
+  font-weight: 600;
+  color: var(--md-accent-fg-color, #526cfe);
+  text-decoration: none;
+}
+.rcac-ow-foot a:hover { text-decoration: underline; }
+
+/* --- Small screens & motion ----------------------------------------- */
+@media (max-width: 30em) {
+  .rcac-ow-label { max-width: 9rem; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; }
+}
+
+@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+  .rcac-ow-pill { transition: none; }
+  #rcac-outage-widget[data-level="error"] .rcac-ow-dot { animation: none; }
+}
+
+/* Keep clear of Material's back-to-top button on print */
+@media print {
+  #rcac-outage-widget { display: none; }
+}
diff --git a/mkdocs.yml b/mkdocs.yml
index 76106d4f..eff519a9 100644
--- a/mkdocs.yml
+++ b/mkdocs.yml
@@ -48,11 +48,13 @@ theme:
 
 extra_css:
   - stylesheets/extra.css
+  - stylesheets/outage-widget.css
 extra_javascript:
   - assets/js/tablefilter.js
   - assets/js/init-tablefilter.js
   - assets/js/breadcrumbs.js
   - assets/js/external-links.js
+  - assets/js/outage-widget.js
 
 plugins:
   - search