docs: Self review of doc pages

docs/hq/self-hosted-instances.md

@@ -19,54 +19,57 @@ buying in order to build it.
 
 ```mermaid
 flowchart LR
-    A["Buy in HQ"] --> B["Placeholder instance<br/>awaiting_link, no licence"]
-    B --> C["Install Vantage<br/>get its instance UUID"]
-    C --> D["Paste the UUID<br/>claim-link"]
-    D --> E["Licence issued<br/>bound to that UUID"]
+    A["Buy in Vantage HQ"] --> B["Placeholder instance<br/>no licence yet"]
+    B --> C["Install Vantage<br/>find its instance ID"]
+    C --> D["Paste your install's ID"]
+    D --> E["Licence issued<br/>for that instance"]
 ```
 
-1. **Overview → Buy self-hosted**, choose tier, term and configuration.
-2. Complete checkout. HQ creates a **placeholder** instance in state
-   `awaiting_link` with no licence attached.
+1. On **Overview**, choose **License my own install**, or **Buy a plan** if you
+   already have an instance. Pick **Self-hosted**, then your tier, billing cycle
+   and configuration.
+2. Complete checkout. Vantage HQ creates a **placeholder** instance, waiting to
+   be linked, with no licence yet.
 3. [Install Vantage](../getting-started/self-hosted-install.md) if you have not
-   already, and find its instance UUID at **Settings → Licence**.
-4. Back in HQ, open the placeholder and paste the UUID.
-5. The licence is issued, bound to that UUID. Download it and paste it into your
-   install.
+   already, and find its instance ID on the **Licence** page.
+4. Back in Vantage HQ, open the placeholder and paste that ID.
+5. The licence is issued. Download it and paste it into your install.
 
-:::info Why there is a placeholder at all
-A licence binds to an instance UUID, and at the moment of payment that UUID may
-not exist yet. Issuing early would mean issuing to nothing; refusing to sell
-until you had installed would be the wrong order. The placeholder holds the
-purchase until there is something to bind to.
+:::info Why there is a placeholder
+A licence is issued to one instance, and at the moment you pay, that install may
+not exist yet. The placeholder holds your purchase until it does.
 :::
 
-## Linking an existing install
+## Linking an install you already have
 
-If the install already exists, **Link an instance** takes the UUID directly. A
-UUID already claimed by another account is refused with a conflict.
+If the install exists before the purchase, the flow is the same: buy, then open
+the placeholder from **Overview**, choose **Link install** and paste its instance
+ID. An ID already claimed by another account is refused.
+
+For a Free licence there is no placeholder step. See
+[Claim a Free licence](../getting-started/claim-free-licence.md).
 
 ## Relinking
 
-Rebuilding the host produces a new instance UUID, and the old licence no longer
-matches. **Relink** moves the licence to the new UUID and reissues.
+Rebuilding the host gives you a new instance ID, which your old licence does not
+match. **Relink** moves the licence across and reissues it.
 
 The number of relinks per term is capped, and the portal shows how many you have
-left. This is not meant to obstruct disaster recovery if you have exhausted
-them for a real reason, ask support.
+left. If you have used them all for a genuine reason, ask support.
 
 ## Installing the licence
 
-Paste it at **Settings → Licence** in your install. The instance verifies the
-signature and checks that the UUID matches its own.
+Paste it on the **Licence** page in your install. It confirms the licence was
+issued to that instance before applying it.
 
-Pasting works even while the current licence is expired that endpoint is
-exempt from the licence check, because it is the route out of degraded mode.
+Pasting works even while your current licence has expired, because that is how
+you get out of degraded mode.
 
 ## Keeping it current
 
-Your install does not fetch licences. When a licence is reissued renewal,
-configuration change, relink download the new one from HQ and paste it in.
+Your install never downloads a licence by itself. Whenever one is reissued, on
+renewal, on a configuration change or after a relink, download it from Vantage
+HQ and paste it in.
 
 :::warning Nothing reminds your install
 The control plane knows only what its licence says. Expiry emails come from HQ,