diff --git a/__tests__/components/ArticleCard.test.tsx b/__tests__/components/ArticleCard.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..458eb11
--- /dev/null
+++ b/__tests__/components/ArticleCard.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest'
+import { render, screen } from '@testing-library/react'
+import ArticleCard from '@/components/article/ArticleCard'
+import type { Article } from '@/lib/types'
+
+const mockArticle: Article = {
+  id: '1',
+  title: 'Frieren Season 2 Officially Announced',
+  slug: 'frieren-season-2-announced',
+  status: 'published',
+  content: null,
+  excerpt: 'The beloved series returns.',
+  featured_image: null,
+  published_at: '2026-05-28T00:00:00Z',
+  is_featured: false,
+  seo_title: null,
+  seo_description: null,
+  category: { id: '1', name: 'Anime', slug: 'anime', description: null },
+  tags: [],
+}
+
+describe('ArticleCard', () => {
+  it('renders the article title', () => {
+    render(<ArticleCard article={mockArticle} />)
+    expect(screen.getByText('Frieren Season 2 Officially Announced')).toBeInTheDocument()
+  })
+
+  it('renders the category name', () => {
+    render(<ArticleCard article={mockArticle} />)
+    expect(screen.getByText('Anime')).toBeInTheDocument()
+  })
+
+  it('links to the correct article URL', () => {
+    render(<ArticleCard article={mockArticle} />)
+    const link = screen.getByRole('link')
+    expect(link).toHaveAttribute('href', '/anime/frieren-season-2-announced')
+  })
+
+  it('renders the Read -> CTA', () => {
+    render(<ArticleCard article={mockArticle} />)
+    expect(screen.getByText('Read →')).toBeInTheDocument()
+  })
+})
diff --git a/components/article/ArticleCard.tsx b/components/article/ArticleCard.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..11fb3b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/article/ArticleCard.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+import Image from 'next/image'
+import Link from 'next/link'
+import { getAssetUrl } from '@/lib/directus'
+import type { Article } from '@/lib/types'
+
+interface Props {
+  article: Article
+}
+
+export default function ArticleCard({ article }: Props) {
+  const href = `/${article.category.slug}/${article.slug}`
+
+  return (
+    <Link
+      href={href}
+      className="group block bg-bg-card border border-border rounded-md overflow-hidden hover:border-[#3a4560] transition-colors"
+    >
+      <div className="relative aspect-video bg-bg-elevated overflow-hidden">
+        {article.featured_image ? (
+          <Image
+            src={getAssetUrl(article.featured_image, { width: 640, quality: 80 })}
+            alt={article.title}
+            fill
+            className="object-cover"
+            sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, (max-width: 1200px) 50vw, 33vw"
+          />
+        ) : (
+          <div className="w-full h-full bg-bg-elevated" />
+        )}
+      </div>
+      <div className="p-3">
+        <p className="text-[10px] font-semibold text-text-muted uppercase tracking-widest mb-1.5">
+          {article.category.name}
+        </p>
+        <h3 className="text-sm font-semibold text-text-primary leading-snug mb-3 line-clamp-2 group-hover:text-accent transition-colors">
+          {article.title}
+        </h3>
+        <span className="text-xs font-semibold text-accent">Read →</span>
+      </div>
+    </Link>
+  )
+}
diff --git a/lib/directus.ts b/lib/directus.ts
index 0e70e3d..54096f6 100644
--- a/lib/directus.ts
+++ b/lib/directus.ts
@@ -8,12 +8,19 @@ import {
 } from '@directus/sdk'
 import type { Article, Category, SiteSettings } from './types'
 
-const directus = createDirectus(process.env.DIRECTUS_URL!)
-  .with(staticToken(process.env.DIRECTUS_TOKEN!))
-  .with(rest())
+let _client: ReturnType<typeof createDirectus> | null = null
+
+function getClient() {
+  if (!_client) {
+    _client = createDirectus(process.env.DIRECTUS_URL!)
+      .with(staticToken(process.env.DIRECTUS_TOKEN!))
+      .with(rest())
+  }
+  return _client
+}
 
 export async function getAllCategories(): Promise<Category[]> {
-  return directus.request(
+  return getClient().request(
     readItems('categories', {
       fields: ['id', 'name', 'slug', 'description'],
       sort: ['name'],
@@ -22,7 +29,7 @@ export async function getAllCategories(): Promise<Category[]> {
 }
 
 export async function getCategoryBySlug(slug: string): Promise<Category | null> {
-  const results = await directus.request(
+  const results = await getClient().request(
     readItems('categories', {
       fields: ['id', 'name', 'slug', 'description'],
       filter: { slug: { _eq: slug } },
@@ -42,7 +49,7 @@ export async function getArticles(options: {
   if (categorySlug) {
     filter['category'] = { slug: { _eq: categorySlug } }
   }
-  return directus.request(
+  return getClient().request(
     readItems('articles', {
       fields: [
         'id', 'title', 'slug', 'status', 'excerpt', 'featured_image',
@@ -58,7 +65,7 @@ export async function getArticles(options: {
 }
 
 export async function getArticleBySlug(slug: string): Promise<Article | null> {
-  const results = await directus.request(
+  const results = await getClient().request(
     readItems('articles', {
       fields: [
         'id', 'title', 'slug', 'status', 'content', 'excerpt',
@@ -79,7 +86,7 @@ export async function getArticlePathById(id: string): Promise<{
   category: { slug: string }
 } | null> {
   try {
-    return await directus.request(
+    return await getClient().request(
       readItem('articles', id, {
         fields: ['slug', 'category.slug'],
       })
@@ -93,7 +100,7 @@ export async function getRelatedArticles(
   categorySlug: string,
   excludeSlug: string,
 ): Promise<Article[]> {
-  return directus.request(
+  return getClient().request(
     readItems('articles', {
       fields: [
         'id', 'title', 'slug', 'excerpt', 'featured_image',
@@ -111,7 +118,7 @@ export async function getRelatedArticles(
 }
 
 export async function getSiteSettings(): Promise<SiteSettings> {
-  return directus.request(
+  return getClient().request(
     readSingleton('site_settings', {
       fields: [
         'id', 'site_name',
@@ -125,7 +132,7 @@ export async function getSiteSettings(): Promise<SiteSettings> {
 }
 
 export async function searchArticles(query: string): Promise<Article[]> {
-  return directus.request(
+  return getClient().request(
     readItems('articles', {
       fields: ['id', 'title', 'slug', 'category.slug', 'category.name'],
       search: query,