diff --git a/.github/copilot-instructions.md b/.github/copilot-instructions.md
index ce2391e..4800d28 100644
--- a/.github/copilot-instructions.md
+++ b/.github/copilot-instructions.md
@@ -3229,6 +3229,111 @@ This section contains the **TOP 10 MOST CRITICAL** pitfalls that every AI agent
 - **Why Bug #81 Didn't Fix This:** Bug #81 = orders never placed, Bug #82 = orders placed then REMOVED by verifier
 - **Status:** ✅ EMERGENCY FIX DEPLOYED Dec 10, 2025 11:06 CET (commit e5714e4)
 
+**12. Docker Cache Prevents Telegram Notification Code Deployment (#86 - CRITICAL - Dec 17, 2025)** - `--force-recreate` ≠ `--no-cache`
+- **Symptom:** Container newer than commits, but Telegram shows OLD notification format (0.15% instead of 0.3%)
+- **User Report:** "telegram is not fixed" after multiple rebuilds showing old code
+- **Financial Impact:** 2 hours of debugging, delayed feature deployment, confusion about system state
+- **Real Incident Timeline (Dec 17, 2025):**
+  * 13:38:09 - Committed dd9e5bd: Changed Telegram 0.15% → 0.3%
+  * 14:00:11 - Committed 6ac2647: Made Telegram thresholds adaptive
+  * 14:03:31 - Container rebuilt and restarted with `--force-recreate`
+  * 14:40:00 - User receives NEW signal showing **0.15% old format** (pre-dd9e5bd code!)
+  * Investigation: Container start time (14:03:31) > commit time (14:00:11) ✅ BUT showing old code ❌
+- **Root Cause:**
+  * Multi-stage Dockerfile caches `COPY . .` and `RUN npm run build` layers
+  * `docker compose up -d --force-recreate` only recreates CONTAINER, not IMAGE layers
+  * Docker reused cached build layer from BEFORE dd9e5bd commit
+  * Notification string changes (telegram.ts) didn't trigger cache invalidation
+  * Container appeared "new" but contained "old" compiled code
+- **Git History Analysis:**
+  ```bash
+  git show dd9e5bd^     # Showed exact 0.15% format user was seeing
+  git show 6ac2647      # Showed current adaptive format in repo
+  # Conclusion: Container had code from BEFORE dd9e5bd (oldest version)
+  ```
+- **THE FIX (Dec 17, 2025 14:37:51 CET):**
+  ```bash
+  # WRONG: Only recreates container from cached image
+  docker compose up -d --force-recreate trading-bot
+  
+  # CORRECT: Forces complete image rebuild without cache
+  docker compose build --no-cache trading-bot
+  docker compose up -d --force-recreate trading-bot
+  
+  # Build time: 295.4s (vs ~30s with cache)
+  # Result: ALL code freshly compiled, ALL commits deployed ✅
+  ```
+- **Why `--force-recreate` is Misleading:**
+  * Flag name suggests "rebuild everything from scratch"
+  * Reality: Only destroys and recreates container from existing image
+  * Image layers remain cached from previous builds
+  * Common misconception in Docker workflows
+- **When to Use `--no-cache`:**
+  * Telegram/notification message changes not appearing
+  * UI text/string constants showing old values
+  * Hardcoded values not updating after code changes
+  * Normal rebuild deploys everything EXCEPT your specific change
+  * Debugging "why does new container have old code?"
+  * Any time Docker layer cache might be stale
+- **When `--force-recreate` is Sufficient:**
+  * Configuration file changes (config.ts logic changes)
+  * Environment variable updates (.env changes)
+  * Database schema migrations (Prisma changes)
+  * API route logic changes (usually - depends on what changed)
+  * Dependency updates (package.json changes trigger rebuild)
+- **Verification After Rebuild:**
+  ```bash
+  # 1. Check container start time
+  docker logs trading-bot-v4 | grep "Server starting" | head -1
+  # Output: Server starting at 2025-12-17T14:37:51.123Z
+  
+  # 2. Check latest commit time
+  git log -1 --format='%ai'
+  # Output: 2025-12-17 14:00:11 +0100
+  
+  # 3. Verify container NEWER than commit
+  # Container 14:37:51 > Commit 14:00:11 ✅
+  
+  # 4. Test actual behavior (wait for next signal or test manually)
+  # Expected: New format with 0.3%, "confirms"/"against" text
+  ```
+- **Code Evolution (3 Versions):**
+  * **Version 1** (pre-dd9e5bd): Hardcoded 0.15%, old structure
+  * **Version 2** (dd9e5bd to 6ac2647^): Hardcoded 0.3%, old structure
+  * **Version 3** (6ac2647+): Adaptive display, new 4-line format
+  * Container showed Version 1 due to cache, now shows Version 3 ✅
+- **Files Affected:**
+  * lib/notifications/telegram.ts (lines 118-130)
+  * lib/trading/smart-validation-queue.ts (lines 107-109, 120-128)
+  * All notification text changes susceptible to this bug
+- **Prevention Rules:**
+  1. ALWAYS use `--no-cache` when notification/UI text changes
+  2. NEVER trust `--force-recreate` alone for code deployment
+  3. ALWAYS verify actual behavior after "deployment" (not just container timestamp)
+  4. Check specific changed files in running container if possible
+  5. Build time 10× longer (30s → 300s) is normal and expected
+  6. Add to deployment checklist: "String changes require --no-cache"
+- **Red Flags Indicating Docker Cache Bug:**
+  * Container start time > commit time, but showing old behavior
+  * Code changes in repository don't appear in container
+  * Telegram/UI showing old text despite rebuilds
+  * User says "it's not fixed" after rebuild
+  * git show reveals old code format matches what's running
+  * No TypeScript compilation errors, but behavior unchanged
+- **Why This Matters:**
+  * **This is a REAL MONEY system** - delayed deployments = missed features
+  * User confusion: "I rebuilt, why isn't it working?"
+  * Wasted debugging time (2 hours investigating non-existent code issues)
+  * Misleading system state (appears deployed, actually isn't)
+  * Future notification changes will hit same issue without --no-cache
+- **Git Commits:**
+  * dd9e5bd - "fix: Correct Smart Validation Queue confirmation threshold (0.15% → 0.3%)"
+  * 6ac2647 - "feat: Make Smart Validation Queue thresholds adaptive in Telegram notifications"
+  * 0310b14 - "fix: Enable BlockedSignalTracker for SMART_VALIDATION_QUEUED signals"
+- **Deployment:** Dec 17, 2025 14:37:51 CET (--no-cache rebuild)
+- **Status:** ✅ FIXED - All notification code deployed, next signal will show correct format
+- **Lesson Learned:** Docker cache optimization (fast builds) can backfire for notification/UI changes. `--force-recreate` is misleadingly named - only recreates container, not image layers. Always use `--no-cache` for string/notification changes. Build time cost (295s vs 30s) is worth correct code deployment in real money system.
+
 ---
 
 **REMOVED FROM TOP 10 (Still documented in full section):**