diff --git a/src/cli/serve.rs b/src/cli/serve.rs
index 9bed405..b89d567 100644
--- a/src/cli/serve.rs
+++ b/src/cli/serve.rs
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ use tower_http::cors::CorsLayer;
 use crate::cache::{IsrCache, IsrCacheConfig};
 use crate::config::ListenAddr;
 use crate::github;
+use crate::icon_cache::IconCache;
 use crate::middleware::RequestIdLayer;
 use crate::state::AppState;
 use crate::tarpit::{TarpitConfig, TarpitState};
@@ -135,6 +136,10 @@ pub async fn run(
         "ISR cache initialized"
     );
 
+    // Initialize icon cache
+    let icon_cache = Arc::new(IconCache::new());
+    tracing::debug!("Icon cache initialized");
+
     let state = Arc::new(AppState {
         client,
         health_checker,
@@ -142,6 +147,7 @@ pub async fn run(
         pool: pool.clone(),
         session_manager: session_manager.clone(),
         isr_cache,
+        icon_cache,
     });
 
     // Regenerate common OGP images on startup
diff --git a/src/handlers/assets.rs b/src/handlers/assets.rs
index b524bf1..5b8f85d 100644
--- a/src/handlers/assets.rs
+++ b/src/handlers/assets.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 use axum::{
-    Json,
     extract::{Request, State},
     http::{HeaderMap, StatusCode},
     response::{IntoResponse, Response},
@@ -65,45 +64,3 @@ pub async fn handle_pgp_route(
         proxy::isr_handler(State(state), req).await
     }
 }
-
-/// Proxy icon requests to SvelteKit
-pub async fn proxy_icons_handler(
-    State(state): State<Arc<AppState>>,
-    jar: axum_extra::extract::CookieJar,
-    axum::extract::Path(path): axum::extract::Path<String>,
-    req: Request,
-) -> impl IntoResponse {
-    let full_path = format!("/api/icons/{}", path);
-    let query = req.uri().query().unwrap_or("");
-
-    let path_with_query = if query.is_empty() {
-        full_path.clone()
-    } else {
-        format!("{full_path}?{query}")
-    };
-
-    // Build trusted headers with session info
-    let mut forward_headers = HeaderMap::new();
-
-    if let Some(cookie) = jar.get("admin_session")
-        && let Ok(session_id) = ulid::Ulid::from_string(cookie.value())
-        && let Some(session) = state.session_manager.validate_session(session_id)
-        && let Ok(username_value) = axum::http::HeaderValue::from_str(&session.username)
-    {
-        forward_headers.insert("x-session-user", username_value);
-    }
-
-    match proxy::proxy_to_bun(&path_with_query, state, forward_headers).await {
-        Ok((status, headers, body)) => (status, headers, body).into_response(),
-        Err(err) => {
-            tracing::error!(error = %err, path = %full_path, "Failed to proxy icon request");
-            (
-                StatusCode::BAD_GATEWAY,
-                Json(serde_json::json!({
-                    "error": "Failed to fetch icon data"
-                })),
-            )
-                .into_response()
-        }
-    }
-}
diff --git a/src/handlers/icons.rs b/src/handlers/icons.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a4b6c42
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/handlers/icons.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,162 @@
+//! Icon serving handler with caching
+//!
+//! Serves SVG icons with aggressive HTTP caching. On cache miss, proxies to
+//! Bun's icon API and caches the result.
+
+use axum::{
+    extract::{Path, Query, State},
+    http::{HeaderMap, HeaderValue, StatusCode, header},
+    response::{IntoResponse, Response},
+};
+use std::{collections::HashMap, sync::Arc};
+
+use crate::{proxy, state::AppState};
+
+/// Response from Bun's icon API
+#[derive(serde::Deserialize)]
+struct IconApiResponse {
+    svg: String,
+}
+
+/// Handle icon requests - serves cached SVG or proxies to Bun
+///
+/// Route: GET /api/icons/{*path}
+/// - For `{collection}/{name}.svg` paths: serve cached SVG with aggressive caching
+/// - For all other paths: proxy to Bun's icon API (search, collections, JSON responses)
+pub async fn serve_icon_handler(
+    State(state): State<Arc<AppState>>,
+    Path(path): Path<String>,
+    Query(query): Query<HashMap<String, String>>,
+) -> Response {
+    // Check if this is a cacheable SVG request: {collection}/{name}.svg
+    if let Some((collection, name)) = parse_svg_path(&path) {
+        return serve_cached_svg(state, collection, name).await;
+    }
+
+    // Not an SVG request - proxy to Bun (with query string for search)
+    proxy_to_bun_icons(&path, &query, state).await
+}
+
+/// Parse path to extract collection and name if it matches {collection}/{name}.svg
+fn parse_svg_path(path: &str) -> Option<(&str, &str)> {
+    let parts: Vec<&str> = path.split('/').collect();
+    if parts.len() == 2 {
+        let collection = parts[0];
+        let filename = parts[1];
+        if let Some(name) = filename.strip_suffix(".svg")
+            && !collection.is_empty()
+            && !name.is_empty()
+        {
+            return Some((collection, name));
+        }
+    }
+    None
+}
+
+/// Serve an SVG icon with caching
+async fn serve_cached_svg(state: Arc<AppState>, collection: &str, name: &str) -> Response {
+    let cache_key = format!("{collection}:{name}");
+
+    // Check cache first
+    if let Some(svg) = state.icon_cache.get(&cache_key).await {
+        tracing::trace!(
+            collection = %collection,
+            name = %name,
+            "Icon cache hit"
+        );
+        return svg_response(&svg);
+    }
+
+    // Cache miss - fetch from Bun's icon API
+    let bun_path = format!("/api/icons/{collection}/{name}");
+    let forward_headers = HeaderMap::new();
+
+    match proxy::proxy_to_bun(&bun_path, state.clone(), forward_headers).await {
+        Ok((status, _headers, body)) if status.is_success() => {
+            // Parse JSON response from Bun
+            match serde_json::from_slice::<IconApiResponse>(&body) {
+                Ok(data) => {
+                    // Cache the SVG
+                    state.icon_cache.insert(cache_key, data.svg.clone()).await;
+
+                    tracing::debug!(
+                        collection = %collection,
+                        name = %name,
+                        "Icon cached"
+                    );
+
+                    svg_response(&data.svg)
+                }
+                Err(e) => {
+                    tracing::error!(
+                        error = %e,
+                        collection = %collection,
+                        name = %name,
+                        "Failed to parse icon response"
+                    );
+                    (StatusCode::INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR, "Invalid icon data").into_response()
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        Ok((status, _, _)) => {
+            tracing::debug!(
+                status = %status,
+                collection = %collection,
+                name = %name,
+                "Icon not found"
+            );
+            (status, "Icon not found").into_response()
+        }
+        Err(e) => {
+            tracing::error!(
+                error = %e,
+                collection = %collection,
+                name = %name,
+                "Failed to proxy icon request"
+            );
+            (StatusCode::BAD_GATEWAY, "Icon service unavailable").into_response()
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Proxy non-SVG icon requests to Bun
+async fn proxy_to_bun_icons(
+    path: &str,
+    query: &HashMap<String, String>,
+    state: Arc<AppState>,
+) -> Response {
+    let query_string = if query.is_empty() {
+        String::new()
+    } else {
+        let qs: Vec<String> = query
+            .iter()
+            .map(|(k, v)| format!("{}={}", urlencoding::encode(k), urlencoding::encode(v)))
+            .collect();
+        format!("?{}", qs.join("&"))
+    };
+    let bun_path = format!("/api/icons/{path}{query_string}");
+    let forward_headers = HeaderMap::new();
+
+    match proxy::proxy_to_bun(&bun_path, state, forward_headers).await {
+        Ok((status, headers, body)) => (status, headers, body).into_response(),
+        Err(e) => {
+            tracing::error!(error = %e, path = %path, "Failed to proxy icon request");
+            (StatusCode::BAD_GATEWAY, "Icon service unavailable").into_response()
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Build SVG response with aggressive cache headers
+fn svg_response(svg: &str) -> Response {
+    let mut headers = HeaderMap::new();
+    headers.insert(
+        header::CONTENT_TYPE,
+        HeaderValue::from_static("image/svg+xml"),
+    );
+    headers.insert(
+        header::CACHE_CONTROL,
+        HeaderValue::from_static("public, max-age=31536000, immutable"),
+    );
+
+    (StatusCode::OK, headers, svg.to_string()).into_response()
+}
diff --git a/src/handlers/mod.rs b/src/handlers/mod.rs
index e7711f9..91ecfab 100644
--- a/src/handlers/mod.rs
+++ b/src/handlers/mod.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 pub mod assets;
 pub mod auth;
 pub mod health;
+pub mod icons;
 pub mod media;
 pub mod projects;
 pub mod settings;
@@ -10,6 +11,7 @@ pub mod tags;
 pub use assets::*;
 pub use auth::*;
 pub use health::*;
+pub use icons::*;
 pub use media::*;
 pub use projects::*;
 pub use settings::*;
diff --git a/src/icon_cache.rs b/src/icon_cache.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..68afe45
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/icon_cache.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+//! Icon cache for serving SVG icons with aggressive HTTP caching
+//!
+//! Icons are immutable for a given identifier (e.g., "lucide:home" always returns
+//! the same SVG), so we can cache them with long TTLs and immutable HTTP headers.
+
+use moka::future::Cache;
+use std::{sync::Arc, time::Duration};
+
+/// Cache for rendered SVG icons
+pub struct IconCache {
+    cache: Cache<String, Arc<String>>,
+}
+
+impl IconCache {
+    /// Create a new icon cache
+    ///
+    /// Config: 10,000 max entries, 24-hour TTL
+    pub fn new() -> Self {
+        let cache = Cache::builder()
+            .max_capacity(10_000)
+            .time_to_live(Duration::from_secs(86400)) // 24 hours
+            .name("icon_cache")
+            .build();
+
+        Self { cache }
+    }
+
+    /// Get a cached SVG if it exists
+    pub async fn get(&self, identifier: &str) -> Option<Arc<String>> {
+        self.cache.get(identifier).await
+    }
+
+    /// Insert an SVG into the cache
+    pub async fn insert(&self, identifier: String, svg: String) {
+        self.cache.insert(identifier, Arc::new(svg)).await;
+    }
+}
+
+impl Default for IconCache {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Self::new()
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index 9b86e37..42ac859 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ mod github;
 mod handlers;
 mod health;
 mod http;
+mod icon_cache;
 mod media_processing;
 mod middleware;
 mod og;
diff --git a/src/routes.rs b/src/routes.rs
index 2b3204c..af8d4fd 100644
--- a/src/routes.rs
+++ b/src/routes.rs
@@ -84,8 +84,9 @@ pub fn api_routes() -> Router<Arc<AppState>> {
             "/settings",
             get(handlers::get_settings_handler).put(handlers::update_settings_handler),
         )
-        // Icon API - proxy to SvelteKit (authentication handled by SvelteKit)
-        .route("/icons/{*path}", get(handlers::proxy_icons_handler))
+        // Icon API - handles both cached SVG serving and JSON proxy
+        // SVG requests (e.g., /icons/lucide/star.svg) are cached; others proxy to Bun
+        .route("/icons/{*path}", get(handlers::serve_icon_handler))
         .fallback(api_404_and_method_handler)
 }
 
diff --git a/src/state.rs b/src/state.rs
index 744e375..b77b4c4 100644
--- a/src/state.rs
+++ b/src/state.rs
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ use std::sync::Arc;
 
 use crate::{
     auth::SessionManager, cache::IsrCache, health::HealthChecker, http::HttpClient,
-    tarpit::TarpitState,
+    icon_cache::IconCache, tarpit::TarpitState,
 };
 
 /// Application state shared across all handlers
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ pub struct AppState {
     pub pool: sqlx::PgPool,
     pub session_manager: Arc<SessionManager>,
     pub isr_cache: Arc<IsrCache>,
+    pub icon_cache: Arc<IconCache>,
 }
 
 /// Errors that can occur during proxying to Bun
diff --git a/web/src/lib/components/Icon.svelte b/web/src/lib/components/Icon.svelte
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8f41688
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/lib/components/Icon.svelte
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+<script lang="ts">
+  interface Props {
+    icon: string; // "collection:name" format, e.g., "lucide:home"
+    class?: string;
+    size?: string; // Tailwind size class, e.g., "size-4"
+  }
+
+  let { icon, class: className = "", size = "size-4" }: Props = $props();
+
+  let svg = $state<string | null>(null);
+  let loading = $state(true);
+  let error = $state(false);
+
+  // Validate and parse icon identifier into collection and name
+  const iconParts = $derived.by(() => {
+    const colonIndex = icon.indexOf(":");
+    if (
+      colonIndex === -1 ||
+      colonIndex === 0 ||
+      colonIndex === icon.length - 1
+    ) {
+      console.warn(
+        `Invalid icon identifier: "${icon}" (expected "collection:name" format)`,
+      );
+      return null;
+    }
+    return {
+      collection: icon.slice(0, colonIndex),
+      name: icon.slice(colonIndex + 1),
+    };
+  });
+
+  // Fetch icon when identifier changes
+  $effect(() => {
+    const parts = iconParts;
+    if (!parts) {
+      error = true;
+      loading = false;
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const url = `/api/icons/${parts.collection}/${parts.name}.svg`;
+    loading = true;
+    error = false;
+    svg = null;
+
+    fetch(url)
+      .then((res) => {
+        if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Icon not found: ${icon}`);
+        return res.text();
+      })
+      .then((svgText) => {
+        svg = svgText;
+        loading = false;
+      })
+      .catch(() => {
+        error = true;
+        loading = false;
+      });
+  });
+</script>
+
+{#if loading}
+  <!-- Shimmer placeholder - reserves space to prevent layout shift -->
+  <span
+    class="inline-block {size} animate-pulse rounded bg-zinc-200 dark:bg-zinc-700"
+    aria-hidden="true"
+  ></span>
+{:else if error}
+  <!-- Error fallback - subtle empty indicator -->
+  <span class="inline-block {size} rounded opacity-30" aria-hidden="true"
+  ></span>
+{:else if svg}
+  <!-- Render SVG inline - [&>svg]:size-full makes SVG fill container -->
+  <span
+    class="inline-flex items-center justify-center {size} {className} [&>svg]:size-full"
+    aria-hidden="true"
+  >
+    <!-- eslint-disable-next-line svelte/no-at-html-tags -- SVG from our API (trusted @iconify/json) -->
+    {@html svg}
+  </span>
+{/if}
diff --git a/web/src/lib/components/IconSprite.svelte b/web/src/lib/components/IconSprite.svelte
deleted file mode 100644
index 549f15d..0000000
--- a/web/src/lib/components/IconSprite.svelte
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,50 +0,0 @@
-<script lang="ts" module>
-  /**
-   * Convert icon identifier to valid HTML ID.
-   * "simple-icons:rust" → "icon-simple-icons-rust"
-   */
-  export function toSymbolId(identifier: string): string {
-    return `icon-${identifier.replace(/:/g, "-")}`;
-  }
-</script>
-
-<script lang="ts">
-  interface Props {
-    icons: Record<string, string>;
-  }
-
-  let { icons }: Props = $props();
-
-  /**
-   * Extract the inner content and viewBox from an SVG string.
-   * Input: '<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" ...>content</svg>'
-   * Output: { viewBox: "0 0 24 24", content: "content" }
-   */
-  function parseSvg(svg: string): { viewBox: string; content: string } {
-    // Extract viewBox attribute
-    const viewBoxMatch = svg.match(/viewBox=["']([^"']+)["']/);
-    const viewBox = viewBoxMatch?.[1] ?? "0 0 24 24";
-
-    // Extract content between <svg...> and </svg>
-    const contentMatch = svg.match(/<svg[^>]*>([\s\S]*)<\/svg>/);
-    const content = contentMatch?.[1] ?? "";
-
-    return { viewBox, content };
-  }
-</script>
-
-<!--
-  Hidden SVG sprite containing all icon definitions as symbols.
-  Icons are referenced elsewhere via <use href="#icon-{identifier}" />
--->
-<svg style="display: none;" aria-hidden="true">
-  <defs>
-    {#each Object.entries(icons) as [id, svg] (id)}
-      {@const parsed = parseSvg(svg)}
-      <symbol id={toSymbolId(id)} viewBox={parsed.viewBox}>
-        <!-- eslint-disable-next-line svelte/no-at-html-tags -->
-        {@html parsed.content}
-      </symbol>
-    {/each}
-  </defs>
-</svg>
diff --git a/web/src/lib/components/TagChip.svelte b/web/src/lib/components/TagChip.svelte
index afbfd47..34318b4 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/components/TagChip.svelte
+++ b/web/src/lib/components/TagChip.svelte
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 <script lang="ts">
   import { cn } from "$lib/utils";
-  import { toSymbolId } from "./IconSprite.svelte";
+  import Icon from "./Icon.svelte";
 
   interface Props {
     name: string;
@@ -20,11 +20,7 @@
 
 {#snippet iconAndName()}
   {#if icon}
-    <span class="size-4.25 sm:size-3.75">
-      <svg class="w-full h-full" aria-hidden="true">
-        <use href="#{toSymbolId(icon)}" />
-      </svg>
-    </span>
+    <Icon {icon} size="size-4.25 sm:size-3.75" />
   {/if}
   <span>{name}</span>
 {/snippet}
diff --git a/web/src/lib/server/icons.ts b/web/src/lib/server/icons.ts
index 6e39ed1..d7c210c 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/server/icons.ts
+++ b/web/src/lib/server/icons.ts
@@ -24,9 +24,6 @@ const PRE_CACHE_COLLECTIONS = [
   "feather",
 ];
 
-// Default fallback icon
-const DEFAULT_FALLBACK_ICON: IconIdentifier = "lucide:help-circle";
-
 /**
  * Parse icon identifier into collection and name
  */
@@ -143,134 +140,7 @@ function renderIconData(
 }
 
 /**
- * Render the default fallback icon (internal helper)
- */
-async function renderFallbackIcon(
-  options: IconRenderOptions,
-): Promise<string | null> {
-  const parsed = parseIdentifier(DEFAULT_FALLBACK_ICON);
-  if (!parsed) return null;
-
-  const iconSet = await loadCollection(parsed.collection);
-  if (!iconSet) return null;
-
-  const iconData = getIconData(iconSet, parsed.name);
-  if (!iconData) return null;
-
-  return renderIconData(iconData, options);
-}
-
-/**
- * Render multiple icons efficiently in a single batch.
- * Groups icons by collection, loads each collection once, then renders all icons.
- *
- * @param identifiers - Array of icon identifiers (e.g., ["lucide:home", "simple-icons:github"])
- * @param options - Render options applied to all icons
- * @returns Map of identifier to rendered SVG string (missing icons get fallback)
- */
-export async function renderIconsBatch(
-  identifiers: string[],
-  options: IconRenderOptions = {},
-): Promise<Map<string, string>> {
-  const results = new Map<string, string>();
-
-  if (identifiers.length === 0) {
-    return results;
-  }
-
-  // Parse and group by collection
-  const byCollection = new Map<
-    string,
-    { identifier: string; name: string }[]
-  >();
-  const invalidIdentifiers: string[] = [];
-
-  for (const identifier of identifiers) {
-    const parsed = parseIdentifier(identifier);
-    if (!parsed) {
-      invalidIdentifiers.push(identifier);
-      continue;
-    }
-
-    const group = byCollection.get(parsed.collection) || [];
-    group.push({ identifier, name: parsed.name });
-    byCollection.set(parsed.collection, group);
-  }
-
-  if (invalidIdentifiers.length > 0) {
-    logger.warn("Invalid icon identifiers in batch", {
-      identifiers: invalidIdentifiers,
-    });
-  }
-
-  // Load all needed collections in parallel
-  const collections = Array.from(byCollection.keys());
-  const loadedCollections = await Promise.all(
-    collections.map(async (collection) => ({
-      collection,
-      iconSet: await loadCollection(collection),
-    })),
-  );
-
-  // Build lookup map
-  const collectionMap = new Map<string, IconifyJSON>();
-  for (const { collection, iconSet } of loadedCollections) {
-    if (iconSet) {
-      collectionMap.set(collection, iconSet);
-    }
-  }
-
-  // Render all icons
-  const missingIcons: string[] = [];
-
-  for (const [collection, icons] of byCollection) {
-    const iconSet = collectionMap.get(collection);
-    if (!iconSet) {
-      missingIcons.push(...icons.map((i) => i.identifier));
-      continue;
-    }
-
-    for (const { identifier, name } of icons) {
-      const iconData = getIconData(iconSet, name);
-      if (!iconData) {
-        missingIcons.push(identifier);
-        continue;
-      }
-
-      try {
-        const svg = renderIconData(iconData, options);
-        results.set(identifier, svg);
-      } catch (error) {
-        logger.warn("Failed to render icon", {
-          identifier,
-          error: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error),
-        });
-        missingIcons.push(identifier);
-      }
-    }
-  }
-
-  // Add fallback for missing icons
-  if (missingIcons.length > 0) {
-    logger.warn("Icons not found in batch, using fallback", {
-      missing: missingIcons,
-      fallback: DEFAULT_FALLBACK_ICON,
-    });
-
-    // Render fallback icon once
-    const fallbackSvg = await renderFallbackIcon(options);
-    if (fallbackSvg) {
-      for (const identifier of missingIcons) {
-        results.set(identifier, fallbackSvg);
-      }
-    }
-  }
-
-  return results;
-}
-
-/**
- * Get single icon data (for API endpoint use only)
+ * Get single icon data (for API endpoint use - IconPicker)
  */
 export async function getIconForApi(identifier: string): Promise<{
   identifier: string;
diff --git a/web/src/lib/server/tag-icons.ts b/web/src/lib/server/tag-icons.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index bc14913..0000000
--- a/web/src/lib/server/tag-icons.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,37 +0,0 @@
-import { renderIconsBatch } from "./icons";
-import type { AdminTag } from "$lib/admin-types";
-
-/**
- * Collect and render icons from an array of tags.
- * Returns a record mapping icon identifiers to rendered SVG strings.
- *
- * @param tags - Array of tags to extract icons from
- * @returns Record of icon identifier to SVG string
- */
-export async function collectTagIcons(
-  tags: AdminTag[],
-): Promise<Record<string, string>> {
-  // Collect unique icon identifiers
-  const iconIds = new Set<string>();
-  for (const tag of tags) {
-    if (tag.icon) {
-      iconIds.add(tag.icon);
-    }
-  }
-
-  // Return early if no icons
-  if (iconIds.size === 0) {
-    return {};
-  }
-
-  // Batch render all icons
-  const iconsMap = await renderIconsBatch([...iconIds]);
-
-  // Convert Map to plain object for serialization
-  const icons: Record<string, string> = {};
-  for (const [id, svg] of iconsMap) {
-    icons[id] = svg;
-  }
-
-  return icons;
-}
diff --git a/web/src/routes/+page.server.ts b/web/src/routes/+page.server.ts
index aff28d0..66fd430 100644
--- a/web/src/routes/+page.server.ts
+++ b/web/src/routes/+page.server.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import type { PageServerLoad } from "./$types";
 import { apiFetch } from "$lib/api.server";
-import { renderIconsBatch } from "$lib/server/icons";
 import type { AdminProject } from "$lib/admin-types";
 
 export const load: PageServerLoad = async ({ fetch, parent }) => {
@@ -10,37 +9,8 @@ export const load: PageServerLoad = async ({ fetch, parent }) => {
 
   const projects = await apiFetch<AdminProject[]>("/api/projects", { fetch });
 
-  // Collect all unique icon identifiers for batch rendering
-  const iconIds = new Set<string>();
-
-  // Collect tag icons
-  for (const project of projects) {
-    for (const tag of project.tags) {
-      if (tag.icon) {
-        iconIds.add(tag.icon);
-      }
-    }
-  }
-
-  // Collect social link icons
-  for (const link of settings.socialLinks) {
-    if (link.icon) {
-      iconIds.add(link.icon);
-    }
-  }
-
-  // Batch render all icons (single size, CSS handles scaling)
-  const iconsMap = await renderIconsBatch([...iconIds]);
-
-  // Convert Map to plain object for serialization
-  const icons: Record<string, string> = {};
-  for (const [id, svg] of iconsMap) {
-    icons[id] = svg;
-  }
-
   return {
     projects,
-    icons,
-    socialLinksWithIcons: settings.socialLinks,
+    socialLinks: settings.socialLinks,
   };
 };
diff --git a/web/src/routes/+page.svelte b/web/src/routes/+page.svelte
index 1410cd6..5abb624 100644
--- a/web/src/routes/+page.svelte
+++ b/web/src/routes/+page.svelte
@@ -3,14 +3,14 @@
   import { page } from "$app/state";
   import ProjectCard from "$lib/components/ProjectCard.svelte";
   import DiscordProfileModal from "$lib/components/DiscordProfileModal.svelte";
-  import IconSprite, { toSymbolId } from "$lib/components/IconSprite.svelte";
+  import Icon from "$lib/components/Icon.svelte";
   import { telemetry } from "$lib/telemetry";
   import type { PageData } from "./$types";
   import MaterialSymbolsVpnKey from "~icons/material-symbols/vpn-key";
 
   let { data }: { data: PageData } = $props();
   const projects = $derived(data.projects);
-  const socialLinks = $derived(data.socialLinksWithIcons);
+  const socialLinks = $derived(data.socialLinks);
 
   // Filter visible social links
   const visibleSocialLinks = $derived(
@@ -26,9 +26,6 @@
   }
 </script>
 
-<!-- Icon sprite containing all unique icons for symbol references -->
-<IconSprite icons={data.icons} />
-
 <main class="page-main overflow-x-hidden font-schibsted">
   <div class="flex items-center flex-col pt-14">
     <div
@@ -63,11 +60,11 @@
                 onclick={() => trackSocialClick(link.value)}
                 class="flex items-center gap-x-1.5 px-1.5 py-1 rounded-sm bg-zinc-100 dark:bg-zinc-900 shadow-sm hover:bg-zinc-200 dark:hover:bg-zinc-800 transition-colors focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-zinc-400 dark:focus-visible:ring-zinc-500 cursor-pointer"
               >
-                <span class="size-4 text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-300">
-                  <svg class="w-full h-full" aria-hidden="true">
-                    <use href="#{toSymbolId(link.icon)}" />
-                  </svg>
-                </span>
+                <Icon
+                  icon={link.icon}
+                  size="size-4"
+                  class="text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-300"
+                />
                 <span
                   class="whitespace-nowrap text-sm text-zinc-800 dark:text-zinc-100"
                   >{link.label}</span
@@ -83,11 +80,11 @@
                   openDiscordModal(link.value);
                 }}
               >
-                <span class="size-4 text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-300">
-                  <svg class="w-full h-full" aria-hidden="true">
-                    <use href="#{toSymbolId(link.icon)}" />
-                  </svg>
-                </span>
+                <Icon
+                  icon={link.icon}
+                  size="size-4"
+                  class="text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-300"
+                />
                 <span
                   class="whitespace-nowrap text-sm text-zinc-800 dark:text-zinc-100"
                   >{link.label}</span
@@ -100,11 +97,11 @@
                 onclick={() => trackSocialClick(`mailto:${link.value}`)}
                 class="flex items-center gap-x-1.5 px-1.5 py-1 rounded-sm bg-zinc-100 dark:bg-zinc-900 shadow-sm hover:bg-zinc-200 dark:hover:bg-zinc-800 transition-colors focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-zinc-400 dark:focus-visible:ring-zinc-500 cursor-pointer"
               >
-                <span class="size-4.5 text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-300">
-                  <svg class="w-full h-full" aria-hidden="true">
-                    <use href="#{toSymbolId(link.icon)}" />
-                  </svg>
-                </span>
+                <Icon
+                  icon={link.icon}
+                  size="size-4.5"
+                  class="text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-300"
+                />
                 <span
                   class="whitespace-nowrap text-sm text-zinc-800 dark:text-zinc-100"
                   >{link.label}</span
diff --git a/web/src/routes/admin/projects/+page.server.ts b/web/src/routes/admin/projects/+page.server.ts
index 4e66b58..350dfd8 100644
--- a/web/src/routes/admin/projects/+page.server.ts
+++ b/web/src/routes/admin/projects/+page.server.ts
@@ -1,17 +1,11 @@
 import type { PageServerLoad } from "./$types";
 import { apiFetch } from "$lib/api.server";
-import { collectTagIcons } from "$lib/server/tag-icons";
 import type { AdminProject } from "$lib/admin-types";
 
 export const load: PageServerLoad = async ({ fetch }) => {
   const projects = await apiFetch<AdminProject[]>("/api/projects", { fetch });
 
-  // Collect all tag icons across all projects
-  const allTags = projects.flatMap((project) => project.tags);
-  const icons = await collectTagIcons(allTags);
-
   return {
     projects,
-    icons,
   };
 };
diff --git a/web/src/routes/admin/projects/+page.svelte b/web/src/routes/admin/projects/+page.svelte
index 4405e96..9f8a707 100644
--- a/web/src/routes/admin/projects/+page.svelte
+++ b/web/src/routes/admin/projects/+page.svelte
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
   import Button from "$lib/components/admin/Button.svelte";
   import Table from "$lib/components/admin/Table.svelte";
   import TagChip from "$lib/components/TagChip.svelte";
-  import IconSprite from "$lib/components/IconSprite.svelte";
   import { goto } from "$app/navigation";
   import type { PageData } from "./$types";
   import type { ProjectStatus } from "$lib/admin-types";
@@ -63,8 +62,6 @@
   <title>Projects | Admin</title>
 </svelte:head>
 
-<IconSprite icons={data.icons} />
-
 <div class="space-y-6">
   <!-- Header -->
   <div class="flex items-center justify-between">
diff --git a/web/src/routes/admin/projects/[id]/+page.server.ts b/web/src/routes/admin/projects/[id]/+page.server.ts
index 3807287..d51fb1e 100644
--- a/web/src/routes/admin/projects/[id]/+page.server.ts
+++ b/web/src/routes/admin/projects/[id]/+page.server.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,6 @@
 import type { PageServerLoad } from "./$types";
 import { apiFetch } from "$lib/api.server";
-import { collectTagIcons } from "$lib/server/tag-icons";
-import type {
-  AdminProject,
-  AdminTagWithCount,
-  AdminTag,
-} from "$lib/admin-types";
+import type { AdminProject, AdminTagWithCount } from "$lib/admin-types";
 
 export const load: PageServerLoad = async ({ params, fetch }) => {
   const { id } = params;
@@ -16,16 +11,8 @@ export const load: PageServerLoad = async ({ params, fetch }) => {
     apiFetch<AdminTagWithCount[]>("/api/tags", { fetch }),
   ]);
 
-  // Collect icons for sprite (from available tags + project tags)
-  const allTags: AdminTag[] = [...availableTags];
-  if (project) {
-    allTags.push(...project.tags);
-  }
-  const icons = await collectTagIcons(allTags);
-
   return {
     project,
     availableTags,
-    icons,
   };
 };
diff --git a/web/src/routes/admin/projects/[id]/+page.svelte b/web/src/routes/admin/projects/[id]/+page.svelte
index e572ba3..d27c715 100644
--- a/web/src/routes/admin/projects/[id]/+page.svelte
+++ b/web/src/routes/admin/projects/[id]/+page.svelte
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
   import { resolve } from "$app/paths";
   import ProjectForm from "$lib/components/admin/ProjectForm.svelte";
   import Modal from "$lib/components/admin/Modal.svelte";
-  import IconSprite from "$lib/components/IconSprite.svelte";
   import { updateAdminProject, deleteAdminProject } from "$lib/api";
   import type { UpdateProjectData, CreateProjectData } from "$lib/admin-types";
   import type { PageData } from "./$types";
@@ -61,8 +60,6 @@
   <title>Edit Project | Admin</title>
 </svelte:head>
 
-<IconSprite icons={data.icons} />
-
 <div class="max-w-3xl space-y-6">
   <!-- Header -->
   <div>
diff --git a/web/src/routes/admin/projects/new/+page.server.ts b/web/src/routes/admin/projects/new/+page.server.ts
index 18430f4..ce0454c 100644
--- a/web/src/routes/admin/projects/new/+page.server.ts
+++ b/web/src/routes/admin/projects/new/+page.server.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import type { PageServerLoad } from "./$types";
 import { apiFetch } from "$lib/api.server";
-import { collectTagIcons } from "$lib/server/tag-icons";
 import type { AdminTagWithCount } from "$lib/admin-types";
 
 export const load: PageServerLoad = async ({ fetch }) => {
@@ -8,11 +7,7 @@ export const load: PageServerLoad = async ({ fetch }) => {
     fetch,
   });
 
-  // Collect icons for sprite
-  const icons = await collectTagIcons(availableTags);
-
   return {
     availableTags,
-    icons,
   };
 };
diff --git a/web/src/routes/admin/projects/new/+page.svelte b/web/src/routes/admin/projects/new/+page.svelte
index 3df8af7..fa62d2b 100644
--- a/web/src/routes/admin/projects/new/+page.svelte
+++ b/web/src/routes/admin/projects/new/+page.svelte
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
   import { goto } from "$app/navigation";
   import { resolve } from "$app/paths";
   import ProjectForm from "$lib/components/admin/ProjectForm.svelte";
-  import IconSprite from "$lib/components/IconSprite.svelte";
   import { createAdminProject } from "$lib/api";
   import type { CreateProjectData } from "$lib/admin-types";
   import type { PageData } from "./$types";
@@ -19,8 +18,6 @@
   <title>New Project | Admin</title>
 </svelte:head>
 
-<IconSprite icons={data.icons} />
-
 <div class="max-w-3xl space-y-6">
   <!-- Header -->
   <div>
diff --git a/web/src/routes/admin/tags/+page.server.ts b/web/src/routes/admin/tags/+page.server.ts
index 62b6f45..b9d93e5 100644
--- a/web/src/routes/admin/tags/+page.server.ts
+++ b/web/src/routes/admin/tags/+page.server.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import type { PageServerLoad } from "./$types";
 import { apiFetch } from "$lib/api.server";
-import { collectTagIcons } from "$lib/server/tag-icons";
 import type { AdminTagWithCount } from "$lib/admin-types";
 
 export const load: PageServerLoad = async ({ fetch }) => {
@@ -9,11 +8,7 @@ export const load: PageServerLoad = async ({ fetch }) => {
   // Sort by project count descending (popularity)
   const sortedTags = [...tags].sort((a, b) => b.projectCount - a.projectCount);
 
-  // Collect icons for sprite
-  const icons = await collectTagIcons(sortedTags);
-
   return {
     tags: sortedTags,
-    icons,
   };
 };
diff --git a/web/src/routes/admin/tags/+page.svelte b/web/src/routes/admin/tags/+page.svelte
index 100e277..47b405a 100644
--- a/web/src/routes/admin/tags/+page.svelte
+++ b/web/src/routes/admin/tags/+page.svelte
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
   import ColorPicker from "$lib/components/admin/ColorPicker.svelte";
   import IconPicker from "$lib/components/admin/IconPicker.svelte";
   import TagChip from "$lib/components/TagChip.svelte";
-  import IconSprite from "$lib/components/IconSprite.svelte";
   import { createAdminTag, deleteAdminTag } from "$lib/api";
   import type { CreateTagData, AdminTagWithCount } from "$lib/admin-types";
   import type { PageData } from "./$types";
@@ -146,8 +145,6 @@
   <title>Tags | Admin</title>
 </svelte:head>
 
-<IconSprite icons={data.icons} />
-
 <div class="space-y-6">
   <!-- Header -->
   <div class="flex items-center justify-between">
diff --git a/web/src/routes/admin/tags/[slug]/+page.server.ts b/web/src/routes/admin/tags/[slug]/+page.server.ts
index 768dd81..4ba8e41 100644
--- a/web/src/routes/admin/tags/[slug]/+page.server.ts
+++ b/web/src/routes/admin/tags/[slug]/+page.server.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import type { PageServerLoad } from "./$types";
 import { apiFetch } from "$lib/api.server";
-import { renderIconsBatch } from "$lib/server/icons";
 import { error } from "@sveltejs/kit";
 import type { AdminTag, AdminProject } from "$lib/admin-types";
 
@@ -37,30 +36,9 @@ export const load: PageServerLoad = async ({ params, fetch }) => {
     // Non-fatal - just show empty related tags
   }
 
-  // Collect all unique icons
-  const iconIds = new Set<string>();
-  if (tagData.tag.icon) {
-    iconIds.add(tagData.tag.icon);
-  }
-  for (const tag of relatedTags) {
-    if (tag.icon) {
-      iconIds.add(tag.icon);
-    }
-  }
-
-  // Batch render all icons
-  const iconsMap = await renderIconsBatch([...iconIds]);
-
-  // Convert Map to plain object for serialization
-  const icons: Record<string, string> = {};
-  for (const [id, svg] of iconsMap) {
-    icons[id] = svg;
-  }
-
   return {
     tag: tagData.tag,
     projects: tagData.projects,
     relatedTags,
-    icons,
   };
 };
diff --git a/web/src/routes/admin/tags/[slug]/+page.svelte b/web/src/routes/admin/tags/[slug]/+page.svelte
index 45435a0..311329e 100644
--- a/web/src/routes/admin/tags/[slug]/+page.svelte
+++ b/web/src/routes/admin/tags/[slug]/+page.svelte
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
   import ColorPicker from "$lib/components/admin/ColorPicker.svelte";
   import IconPicker from "$lib/components/admin/IconPicker.svelte";
   import TagChip from "$lib/components/TagChip.svelte";
-  import IconSprite from "$lib/components/IconSprite.svelte";
+  import Icon from "$lib/components/Icon.svelte";
   import { updateAdminTag, deleteAdminTag } from "$lib/api";
   import { goto, invalidateAll } from "$app/navigation";
   import type { PageData } from "./$types";
@@ -28,49 +28,6 @@
   let color = $state<string | undefined>(data.tag.color);
   let saving = $state(false);
 
-  // Preview icon SVG - starts with server-rendered, updates on icon change
-  // svelte-ignore state_referenced_locally
-  let previewIconSvg = $state(
-    data.tag.icon ? (data.icons[data.tag.icon] ?? "") : "",
-  );
-  let iconLoadTimeout: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null;
-
-  // Watch for icon changes and fetch new preview
-  $effect(() => {
-    const currentIcon = icon;
-
-    // Clear pending timeout
-    if (iconLoadTimeout) {
-      clearTimeout(iconLoadTimeout);
-    }
-
-    if (!currentIcon) {
-      previewIconSvg = "";
-      return;
-    }
-
-    // Check if icon is already in sprite
-    if (data.icons[currentIcon]) {
-      previewIconSvg = data.icons[currentIcon];
-      return;
-    }
-
-    // Debounce icon fetching for new icons
-    iconLoadTimeout = setTimeout(async () => {
-      try {
-        const response = await fetch(
-          `/api/icons/${currentIcon.replace(":", "/")}`,
-        );
-        if (response.ok) {
-          const iconData = await response.json();
-          previewIconSvg = iconData.svg ?? "";
-        }
-      } catch {
-        // Keep existing preview on error
-      }
-    }, 200);
-  });
-
   // Delete state
   let deleteModalOpen = $state(false);
   let deleteConfirmReady = $state(false);
@@ -145,8 +102,6 @@
   <title>Edit {data.tag.name} | Tags | Admin</title>
 </svelte:head>
 
-<IconSprite icons={data.icons} />
-
 <div class="space-y-6 max-w-3xl">
   <!-- Back Link -->
   <a
@@ -193,7 +148,7 @@
       <ColorPicker bind:selectedColor={color} />
     </div>
 
-    <!-- Preview - rendered inline with dynamic icon SVG -->
+    <!-- Preview -->
     <div class="mt-6 pt-4 border-t border-admin-border">
       <span class="block text-sm font-medium text-admin-text mb-2">
         Preview
@@ -202,11 +157,8 @@
         class={tagBaseClasses}
         style="border-left-color: #{color || '06b6d4'}"
       >
-        {#if previewIconSvg}
-          <span class="size-4.25 sm:size-3.75 [&>svg]:w-full [&>svg]:h-full">
-            <!-- eslint-disable-next-line svelte/no-at-html-tags -->
-            {@html previewIconSvg}
-          </span>
+        {#if icon}
+          <Icon {icon} size="size-4.25 sm:size-3.75" />
         {/if}
         <span>{name || "Tag Name"}</span>
       </span>
diff --git a/web/src/routes/api/icons/[collection]/[name]/+server.ts b/web/src/routes/api/icons/[collection]/[name]/+server.ts
index ecb8a8a..1eaf36b 100644
--- a/web/src/routes/api/icons/[collection]/[name]/+server.ts
+++ b/web/src/routes/api/icons/[collection]/[name]/+server.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,8 @@
 import { json, error } from "@sveltejs/kit";
 import type { RequestHandler } from "./$types";
-import { requireAuth } from "$lib/server/auth";
 import { getIconForApi } from "$lib/server/icons";
 
 export const GET: RequestHandler = async (event) => {
-  // Require authentication
-  requireAuth(event);
-
   const { collection, name } = event.params;
   const identifier = `${collection}:${name}`;