diff --git a/backend/tasks/__init__.py b/backend/tasks/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9a218ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/tasks/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+# Notification tasks package
diff --git a/backend/tasks/notifications.py b/backend/tasks/notifications.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f9aa7cf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/tasks/notifications.py
@@ -0,0 +1,289 @@
+"""Celery task: send batched email digests to followers.
+
+Queries new content (posts + technique pages) published since each user's
+last digest, groups by followed creator, composes HTML via the email service,
+sends, and logs successful deliveries in EmailDigestLog.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import json
+import logging
+import time
+from datetime import datetime, timezone
+
+import jwt
+from sqlalchemy import create_engine, func, select
+from sqlalchemy.orm import Session, sessionmaker
+
+from config import get_settings
+from models import (
+    Creator,
+    CreatorFollow,
+    EmailDigestLog,
+    Post,
+    SourceVideo,
+    TechniquePage,
+    TechniquePageVideo,
+    User,
+)
+from services.email import compose_digest_html, is_smtp_configured, send_email
+from worker import celery_app
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+# ── Sync DB (same pattern as pipeline/stages.py) ────────────────────────────
+
+_engine = None
+_SessionLocal = None
+
+
+def _get_sync_engine():
+    global _engine
+    if _engine is None:
+        settings = get_settings()
+        url = settings.database_url.replace(
+            "postgresql+asyncpg://", "postgresql+psycopg2://"
+        )
+        _engine = create_engine(url, pool_pre_ping=True, pool_size=2, max_overflow=3)
+    return _engine
+
+
+def _get_sync_session() -> Session:
+    global _SessionLocal
+    if _SessionLocal is None:
+        _SessionLocal = sessionmaker(bind=_get_sync_engine())
+    return _SessionLocal()
+
+
+# ── Unsubscribe token helpers ────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+_UNSUB_TOKEN_MAX_AGE = 30 * 24 * 3600  # 30 days in seconds
+
+
+def generate_unsubscribe_token(user_id: str, secret_key: str) -> str:
+    """Create a signed JWT encoding the user_id for unsubscribe links."""
+    payload = {
+        "sub": str(user_id),
+        "purpose": "unsubscribe",
+        "iat": datetime.now(timezone.utc),
+    }
+    return jwt.encode(payload, secret_key, algorithm="HS256")
+
+
+def verify_unsubscribe_token(token: str, secret_key: str) -> str | None:
+    """Decode and verify an unsubscribe token.
+
+    Returns user_id string on success, None on failure/expiry.
+    """
+    try:
+        payload = jwt.decode(
+            token,
+            secret_key,
+            algorithms=["HS256"],
+            options={"require": ["sub", "purpose", "iat"]},
+        )
+        if payload.get("purpose") != "unsubscribe":
+            return None
+        # Check age manually (PyJWT exp claim would also work, but we
+        # want the max-age to be configurable without re-signing)
+        iat = payload.get("iat", 0)
+        if isinstance(iat, datetime):
+            iat = iat.timestamp()
+        age = time.time() - iat
+        if age > _UNSUB_TOKEN_MAX_AGE:
+            return None
+        return payload["sub"]
+    except (jwt.InvalidTokenError, KeyError):
+        return None
+
+
+# ── Main digest task ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+
+@celery_app.task(name="tasks.notifications.send_digest_emails", bind=True)
+def send_digest_emails(self):
+    """Query new content per followed creator and send digest emails.
+
+    Runs as a Celery Beat scheduled task (daily at 09:00 UTC).
+    Graceful no-op when SMTP is not configured.
+    """
+    settings = get_settings()
+
+    if not is_smtp_configured(settings):
+        logger.warning(
+            "send_digest_emails: SMTP not configured, skipping digest run"
+        )
+        return {"skipped": True, "reason": "smtp_not_configured"}
+
+    session = _get_sync_session()
+    sent_count = 0
+    error_count = 0
+    skipped_count = 0
+
+    try:
+        logger.info("send_digest_emails: starting digest run")
+
+        # Find users with email digests enabled
+        users = session.execute(
+            select(User).where(
+                User.notification_preferences["email_digests"].as_boolean() == True,  # noqa: E712
+                User.is_active == True,  # noqa: E712
+            )
+        ).scalars().all()
+
+        logger.info("send_digest_emails: found %d eligible users", len(users))
+
+        for user in users:
+            try:
+                _process_user_digest(session, user, settings)
+                sent_count += 1
+            except _NoNewContent:
+                skipped_count += 1
+            except Exception:
+                error_count += 1
+                logger.exception(
+                    "send_digest_emails: error processing digest for user_id=%s",
+                    user.id,
+                )
+
+        logger.info(
+            "send_digest_emails: complete — sent=%d skipped=%d errors=%d",
+            sent_count,
+            skipped_count,
+            error_count,
+        )
+        return {
+            "sent": sent_count,
+            "skipped": skipped_count,
+            "errors": error_count,
+        }
+
+    finally:
+        session.close()
+
+
+class _NoNewContent(Exception):
+    """Sentinel raised when a user has no new content to digest."""
+
+
+def _process_user_digest(session: Session, user: User, settings) -> None:
+    """Build and send a digest email for one user. Raises _NoNewContent if empty."""
+    # Last digest timestamp (or epoch if never sent)
+    last_digest_row = session.execute(
+        select(func.max(EmailDigestLog.digest_sent_at)).where(
+            EmailDigestLog.user_id == user.id
+        )
+    ).scalar()
+    last_digest_at = last_digest_row or datetime(2000, 1, 1)
+
+    # Get followed creator IDs
+    followed_creator_ids = session.execute(
+        select(CreatorFollow.creator_id).where(CreatorFollow.user_id == user.id)
+    ).scalars().all()
+
+    if not followed_creator_ids:
+        raise _NoNewContent()
+
+    # Collect new content per creator
+    creator_content_groups: list[dict] = []
+    content_summary_items: list[dict] = []
+
+    for creator_id in followed_creator_ids:
+        # Get creator name
+        creator = session.execute(
+            select(Creator).where(Creator.id == creator_id)
+        ).scalar_one_or_none()
+        if not creator:
+            continue
+
+        # New published posts
+        new_posts = session.execute(
+            select(Post).where(
+                Post.creator_id == creator_id,
+                Post.is_published == True,  # noqa: E712
+                Post.created_at > last_digest_at,
+            )
+        ).scalars().all()
+
+        # New technique pages (via TechniquePageVideo → SourceVideo for creator match)
+        # TechniquePage has creator_id directly, so we can query that
+        new_technique_pages = session.execute(
+            select(TechniquePage).where(
+                TechniquePage.creator_id == creator_id,
+                TechniquePage.created_at > last_digest_at,
+            )
+        ).scalars().all()
+
+        if not new_posts and not new_technique_pages:
+            continue
+
+        base_url = f"http://localhost:8096"  # TODO: make configurable via settings
+
+        group = {
+            "creator_name": creator.name,
+            "posts": [
+                {
+                    "title": p.title,
+                    "url": f"{base_url}/creators/{creator.slug}/posts/{p.id}",
+                }
+                for p in new_posts
+            ],
+            "technique_pages": [
+                {
+                    "title": tp.title,
+                    "url": f"{base_url}/techniques/{tp.slug}",
+                }
+                for tp in new_technique_pages
+            ],
+        }
+        creator_content_groups.append(group)
+
+        # Track for content_summary log
+        for p in new_posts:
+            content_summary_items.append(
+                {"type": "post", "id": str(p.id), "title": p.title}
+            )
+        for tp in new_technique_pages:
+            content_summary_items.append(
+                {"type": "technique_page", "id": str(tp.id), "title": tp.title}
+            )
+
+    if not creator_content_groups:
+        raise _NoNewContent()
+
+    # Generate signed unsubscribe URL
+    token = generate_unsubscribe_token(str(user.id), settings.app_secret_key)
+    unsubscribe_url = f"{base_url}/api/v1/notifications/unsubscribe?token={token}"
+
+    # Compose and send
+    html = compose_digest_html(
+        user_display_name=user.display_name,
+        creator_content_groups=creator_content_groups,
+        unsubscribe_url=unsubscribe_url,
+    )
+
+    subject = "Chrysopedia Digest — New content from creators you follow"
+    success = send_email(user.email, subject, html, settings)
+
+    if success:
+        # Log successful send (deduplication anchor)
+        log_entry = EmailDigestLog(
+            user_id=user.id,
+            content_summary={"items": content_summary_items},
+        )
+        session.add(log_entry)
+        session.commit()
+        logger.info(
+            "send_digest_emails: sent digest to user_id=%s (%d creators, %d items)",
+            user.id,
+            len(creator_content_groups),
+            len(content_summary_items),
+        )
+    else:
+        logger.error(
+            "send_digest_emails: failed to send digest to user_id=%s email=%s",
+            user.id,
+            user.email,
+        )
+        raise RuntimeError(f"Email send failed for user {user.id}")
diff --git a/backend/worker.py b/backend/worker.py
index 7eea336..1a0fb76 100644
--- a/backend/worker.py
+++ b/backend/worker.py
@@ -2,9 +2,11 @@
 
 Usage:
     celery -A worker worker --loglevel=info
+    celery -A worker worker --beat --loglevel=info  (with Beat scheduler)
 """
 
 from celery import Celery
+from celery.schedules import crontab
 
 from config import get_settings
 
@@ -30,3 +32,13 @@ celery_app.conf.update(
 # Import pipeline.stages so that @celery_app.task decorators register tasks.
 # This import must come after celery_app is defined.
 import pipeline.stages  # noqa: E402, F401
+import tasks.notifications  # noqa: E402, F401
+
+# ── Celery Beat schedule ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+celery_app.conf.beat_schedule = {
+    "send-digest-emails": {
+        "task": "tasks.notifications.send_digest_emails",
+        "schedule": crontab(hour=9, minute=0),  # daily at 09:00 UTC
+    },
+}
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 5d16c98..c349d97 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ services:
       QDRANT_URL: http://chrysopedia-qdrant:6333
       EMBEDDING_API_URL: http://chrysopedia-ollama:11434/v1
       PROMPTS_PATH: /prompts
-    command: ["celery", "-A", "worker", "worker", "--loglevel=info", "--concurrency=1"]
+    command: ["celery", "-A", "worker", "worker", "--beat", "--loglevel=info", "--concurrency=1"]
     healthcheck:
       test: ["CMD-SHELL", "celery -A worker inspect ping --timeout=5 2>/dev/null | grep -q pong || exit 1"]
       interval: 30s