diff --git a/locales/en/apgames.json b/locales/en/apgames.json
index f6d925c70..54b72be40 100644
--- a/locales/en/apgames.json
+++ b/locales/en/apgames.json
@@ -3208,7 +3208,7 @@
       "INITIAL_INSTRUCTIONS": "Click one of your pieces to select it.",
       "INITIAL_INSTRUCTIONS_PIE": "Click one of your pieces to select it, or use the pie rule to swap sides.",
       "NOT_ADJACENT": "A piece can only move to an adjacent empty cell.",
-      "NO_PASS": "You cannot pass in this game.",
+      "NO_PASS": "You cannot pass in this game. Swapping sides (the pie rule) is only available to the second player, right after the first move.",
       "PARTIAL": "Click an adjacent empty cell to move the selected piece there.",
       "PIE": "Use the pie rule and swap sides.",
       "PIE_UNAVAILABLE": "The pie rule can only be used by the second player right after the first move."
diff --git a/src/games/selfo.ts b/src/games/selfo.ts
index ed1b4f378..a09e40114 100644
--- a/src/games/selfo.ts
+++ b/src/games/selfo.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ export const gameApgamesEn = {
         INITIAL_INSTRUCTIONS: "Click one of your pieces to select it.",
         INITIAL_INSTRUCTIONS_PIE: "Click one of your pieces to select it, or use the pie rule to swap sides.",
         NOT_ADJACENT: "A piece can only move to an adjacent empty cell.",
-        NO_PASS: "You cannot pass in this game.",
+        NO_PASS: "You cannot pass in this game. Swapping sides (the pie rule) is only available to the second player, right after the first move.",
         PARTIAL: "Click an adjacent empty cell to move the selected piece there.",
         PIE: "Use the pie rule and swap sides.",
         PIE_UNAVAILABLE: "The pie rule can only be used by the second player right after the first move.",
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ export class SelfoGame extends GameBase {
             },
         ],
         categories: ["goal>connect", "mechanic>move", "mechanic>random>setup", "board>shape>hex", "board>connect>hex", "components>simple>1per"],
-        flags: ["experimental", "pie", "random-start", "custom-buttons"],
+        flags: ["experimental", "pie", "random-start"],
         variants: [
             { uid: "r2f5", group: "board" },
             { uid: "#board" },
@@ -341,15 +341,6 @@ export class SelfoGame extends GameBase {
         return !this.gameover && this.stack.length === 2 && this.currplayer === 2;
     }
 
-    /** The pie rule is offered as a button on the second player's first turn. */
-    public getButtons(): Array<{label: string; move: string}> {
-        if (this.isPieTurn()) {
-            // the button sends "pass" (like Asli's pie button), which is accepted as "pie"
-            return [{label: "apgames:buttons.swap", move: "pass"}];
-        }
-        return [];
-    }
-
     public moves(player?: playerid): string[] {
         if (this.gameover) { return []; }
         if (player === undefined) {
diff --git a/test/games/selfo.test.ts b/test/games/selfo.test.ts
index 098a589d8..14430ff61 100644
--- a/test/games/selfo.test.ts
+++ b/test/games/selfo.test.ts
@@ -179,16 +179,7 @@ describe("Selfo", () => {
             expect(game.validateMove("pie").valid).to.be.true;
         });
 
-        it("shows a pie button only on that turn", () => {
-            const game = new SelfoGame(undefined, ["r2f5"]);
-            expect(game.getButtons()).to.deep.equal([]);
-            game.move(firstMove(game));
-            expect(game.getButtons()).to.deep.equal([{label: "apgames:buttons.swap", move: "pass"}]);
-            game.move("pie");
-            expect(game.getButtons()).to.deep.equal([]);
-        });
-
-        it("accepts the pie button's pass and plays it as pie", () => {
+        it("plays the generic Pass button as pie on the pie turn", () => {
             const game = new SelfoGame(undefined, ["r2f5"]);
             expect(game.handleClick("", -1, -1, "_btn_pass").valid).to.be.false;
             game.move(firstMove(game));