Always-visible is not the same as always-in-the-way: the overlay is inset:0 at 50% black, so gating it on hover left every touch device with the artwork it is editing permanently darkened. It is only a hint — .cover-art-edit carries the click, so tapping the art always worked — while the × really is the only route to its action and stays. The chip borrows the remove button's size, disc and alpha. Also corrects the claim that no tier can render as a touch device: no committed one does, which is a choice about projects rather than a limit.