diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index d038b612b6..6ec9c673fb 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -11,3 +11,5 @@ DASHBOARD_PORT=4444
 # Set to true in a production build only when the surface is ready to expose.
 # VITE_CODEUX_FEATURE_NODES=true
 # VITE_CODEUX_FEATURE_CUSTOM_DASHBOARDS=true
+# VITE_CODEUX_FEATURE_CHAT_NODES_WORKFLOW_QUICK_ACTION=true
+# VITE_CODEUX_FEATURE_CHAT_CUSTOM_DASHBOARD_QUICK_ACTION=true
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/BrowserPage.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/BrowserPage.tsx
index 6b8030e753..713690fb31 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/BrowserPage.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/BrowserPage.tsx
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ import { CollapsiblePanel } from "./components/ui/CollapsiblePanel.js";
 import { PageContainer } from "./components/layout/PageContainer.js";
 import { PageHeader } from "./components/layout/PageHeader.js";
 import { getSafeUrl } from "./lib/safe-url.js";
+import { AvantgardeSelect } from "./components/ui/AvantgardeSelect.js";
 
 const PREVIEW_MESSAGE_TYPE = "sprint-preview:state";
 const PREVIEW_NAVIGATION_TYPE = "sprint-preview:navigate";
@@ -1015,7 +1016,7 @@ export const BrowserPage: FunctionComponent = () => {
                 <p className="mt-1 text-xs leading-relaxed text-slate-500 dark:text-slate-400">
                   Override Docker access for {visibleSelectedSession?.sprintName || "the selected preview container"}.
                 </p>
-                <select
+                <AvantgardeSelect
                   id="preview-container-docker-access"
                   aria-label="Selected container Docker access policy"
                   value={visibleSelectedSession?.dockerAccessOverride === null || visibleSelectedSession?.dockerAccessOverride === undefined
@@ -1023,16 +1024,16 @@ export const BrowserPage: FunctionComponent = () => {
                     : visibleSelectedSession.dockerAccessOverride ? "enabled" : "disabled"}
                   disabled={!visibleSelectedSession || savingDockerAccessScope !== null}
                   aria-busy={savingDockerAccessScope === "session"}
-                  onChange={(event) => {
-                    const value = (event.currentTarget as HTMLSelectElement).value;
+                  onChange={(value) => {
                     void handleSetSessionDockerAccess(value === "inherit" ? null : value === "enabled");
                   }}
-                  className="mt-3 h-10 w-full rounded-xl border border-black/[0.1] bg-white px-3 text-sm font-semibold text-slate-700 outline-none transition focus:border-signal-500 focus:ring-2 focus:ring-signal-500/20 disabled:cursor-not-allowed disabled:opacity-60 dark:border-white/[0.1] dark:bg-slate-900 dark:text-slate-200"
-                >
-                  <option value="inherit">Use project default ({projectDockerAccessEnabled ? "enabled" : "disabled"})</option>
-                  <option value="enabled">Enable for this container</option>
-                  <option value="disabled">Disable for this container</option>
-                </select>
+                  className="mt-3 w-full"
+                  options={[
+                    { value: "inherit", label: `Use project default (${projectDockerAccessEnabled ? "enabled" : "disabled"})` },
+                    { value: "enabled", label: "Enable for this container" },
+                    { value: "disabled", label: "Disable for this container" },
+                  ]}
+                />
               </div>
 
               <div className="flex gap-2 rounded-2xl border border-status-amber/30 bg-status-amber/10 px-3 py-3 text-xs leading-relaxed text-amber-900 dark:text-amber-200" role="note">
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/FileBrowserPage.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/FileBrowserPage.tsx
index 8ca58aba04..867c91bd45 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/FileBrowserPage.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/FileBrowserPage.tsx
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ import { FileTree } from "./components/file-browser/FileTree.js";
 import { FileViewer } from "./components/file-browser/FileViewer.js";
 import { ChangesList } from "./components/file-browser/ChangesList.js";
 import { DiffViewer } from "./components/file-browser/DiffViewer.js";
+import { AvantgardeSelect } from "./components/ui/AvantgardeSelect.js";
 
 type BrowserMode = "files" | "changes";
 type FileBrowserAction = "rebuild" | "stop";
@@ -726,22 +727,18 @@ const LaunchPanel: FunctionComponent<LaunchPanelProps> = ({
 
       <div class="flex w-full flex-col items-stretch gap-2 sm:flex-row">
         <label class="sr-only" htmlFor="file-browser-launch-sprint">Sprint to browse</label>
-        <select
+        <AvantgardeSelect
           id="file-browser-launch-sprint"
           value={launchSprintId}
-          onChange={(event) => onLaunchSprintChange((event.currentTarget as HTMLSelectElement).value)}
+          onChange={onLaunchSprintChange}
           disabled={launching}
           aria-describedby={launchDisabledReason ? "file-browser-launch-status" : undefined}
           title={launching ? "The file browser container is starting." : "Choose the sprint to browse"}
-          class="h-11 flex-1 rounded-2xl border border-black/[0.08] bg-white/85 px-4 text-sm font-medium text-slate-700 outline-none transition focus:border-signal-500/40 disabled:cursor-not-allowed disabled:border-black/[0.06] disabled:bg-black/[0.03] disabled:text-slate-400 disabled:opacity-100 dark:border-white/[0.08] dark:bg-white/[0.04] dark:text-slate-200 dark:disabled:bg-white/[0.02] dark:disabled:text-slate-500"
-        >
-          {sprints.length === 0 && <option value="">No sprints available</option>}
-          {sprints.map((sprint) => (
-            <option key={sprint.id} value={sprint.id}>
-              {sprint.name}
-            </option>
-          ))}
-        </select>
+          className="flex-1"
+          options={sprints.length === 0
+            ? [{ value: "", label: "No sprints available" }]
+            : sprints.map((sprint) => ({ value: sprint.id, label: sprint.name }))}
+        />
         <button
           type="button"
           onClick={onLaunch}
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/KnowledgePage.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/KnowledgePage.tsx
index 560439e47e..04c2c48f24 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/KnowledgePage.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/KnowledgePage.tsx
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import { useProjectData } from "./context/project-data.js";
 import { listEmbeddingModels } from "./lib/memory-api.js";
 import { fetchAgentPresets } from "./lib/agent-preset-api.js";
 import type { AgentPreset, Source } from "./types.js";
+import { AvantgardeSelect } from "./components/ui/AvantgardeSelect.js";
 import {
   fetchKnowledgeDocuments,
   addPastedDocument,
@@ -423,14 +424,16 @@ const KnowledgeSearchBox: FunctionComponent<{ projectId: string; agentPresets: A
             className="w-full rounded-xl border border-black/[0.08] bg-white/70 py-2.5 pl-9 pr-3 text-sm text-slate-700 outline-none focus:border-signal-500/40 dark:border-white/[0.08] dark:bg-white/[0.04] dark:text-slate-200"
           />
         </div>
-        <select
+        <AvantgardeSelect
           value={agentId}
-          onChange={(e) => setAgentId((e.target as HTMLSelectElement).value)}
-          className="rounded-xl border border-black/[0.08] bg-white/70 px-3 py-2.5 text-sm font-semibold text-slate-600 outline-none dark:border-white/[0.08] dark:bg-white/[0.04] dark:text-slate-300"
-        >
-          <option value="">Whole library</option>
-          {agentPresets.map((preset) => <option key={preset.id} value={preset.id}>{preset.name}'s docs</option>)}
-        </select>
+          onChange={setAgentId}
+          className="min-w-[12rem]"
+          aria-label="Knowledge owner"
+          options={[
+            { value: "", label: "Whole library" },
+            ...agentPresets.map((preset) => ({ value: preset.id, label: `${preset.name}'s docs` })),
+          ]}
+        />
         <button type="button" onClick={run} disabled={searching || !query.trim()} className="inline-flex items-center gap-2 rounded-xl bg-signal-500/90 px-4 py-2.5 text-sm font-bold text-white hover:bg-signal-400 disabled:opacity-50 dark:text-void-900">
           {searching ? <Loader2 className="h-4 w-4 animate-spin" /> : <Search className="h-4 w-4" strokeWidth={2.5} />}
           Search
@@ -616,15 +619,12 @@ const ProjectKnowledgeModal: FunctionComponent<{
   return (
     <ModalShell title="Import from project" onClose={onClose}>
       <div className="flex flex-col gap-4">
-        <select
+        <AvantgardeSelect
           value={sourceProjectId}
-          onChange={(e) => setSourceProjectId((e.target as HTMLSelectElement).value)}
-          className="rounded-xl border border-black/[0.08] bg-white/70 px-3 py-2.5 text-sm font-semibold text-slate-600 outline-none dark:border-white/[0.08] dark:bg-white/[0.04] dark:text-slate-300"
-        >
-          {sourceProjects.map((project) => (
-            <option key={project.id} value={project.id}>{project.name}</option>
-          ))}
-        </select>
+          onChange={setSourceProjectId}
+          aria-label="Project to import knowledge from"
+          options={sourceProjects.map((project) => ({ value: project.id, label: project.name }))}
+        />
 
         <div className="flex max-h-72 flex-col gap-2 overflow-y-auto rounded-2xl border border-black/[0.06] bg-black/[0.02] p-2 dark:border-white/[0.06] dark:bg-white/[0.02]">
           {loadingDocs ? (
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/LiveSessionPage.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/LiveSessionPage.tsx
index a300449074..011799600b 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/LiveSessionPage.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/LiveSessionPage.tsx
@@ -467,7 +467,7 @@ export const LiveSessionPage: FunctionComponent = () => {
                             </div>
                         </div>
                     ) : (
-                        taskCardItems.map(({ key, task, phase, taskTiming, events, invocations, ciPresentation, isRerunning, isForceCompleting, forceCompleteError, dispatchInfo }) => (
+                        taskCardItems.map(({ key, task, phase, taskTiming, events, invocations, ciPresentation, humanIntervention, isRerunning, isForceCompleting, forceCompleteError, dispatchInfo }) => (
                             <LiveTaskCard
                                 key={key}
                                 task={task}
@@ -477,6 +477,7 @@ export const LiveSessionPage: FunctionComponent = () => {
                                 events={events}
                                 invocations={invocations}
                                 ciPresentation={ciPresentation}
+                                humanIntervention={humanIntervention}
                                 onRerun={handleRerun}
                                 onEdit={handleEditTask}
                                 onForceComplete={handleForceCompleteTask}
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/SchedulerPage.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/SchedulerPage.tsx
index 7048d64f4d..0b1fe1378e 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/SchedulerPage.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/SchedulerPage.tsx
@@ -979,14 +979,15 @@ export const SchedulerPage: FunctionComponent = () => {
             {targetType === "memory_remediation" && (
               <label className="block">
                 <span className="text-[10px] font-bold uppercase tracking-[0.14em] text-slate-400">Long-term remediation mode</span>
-                <select
+                <AvantgardeSelect
                   value={memoryRemediationMode}
-                  onChange={(event) => setMemoryRemediationMode(event.currentTarget.value === "ai" ? "ai" : "deterministic")}
-                  className={`mt-2 min-h-[44px] w-full ${SCHEDULER_FIELD_CLASS}`}
-                >
-                  <option value="deterministic">Deterministic cleanup</option>
-                  <option value="ai">AI-routed review</option>
-                </select>
+                  onChange={(value) => setMemoryRemediationMode(value === "ai" ? "ai" : "deterministic")}
+                  className="mt-2 w-full"
+                  options={[
+                    { value: "deterministic", label: "Deterministic cleanup" },
+                    { value: "ai", label: "AI-routed review" },
+                  ]}
+                />
                 <p className="mt-2 text-xs leading-relaxed text-slate-400">
                   Runs project-scoped long-term memory cleanup for CI-failure memories and exact duplicates. AI mode reviews candidates through the Remediation route.
                 </p>
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/SettingsPage.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/SettingsPage.tsx
index 16d53f5016..91673e3737 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/SettingsPage.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/SettingsPage.tsx
@@ -557,7 +557,7 @@ export const SettingsPage: FunctionComponent = () => {
           aria-label="Settings category panel"
           aria-busy={activeSaving || loading || resettingProject ? "true" : undefined}
           data-motion-contract="enterExit"
-          className="flex min-w-0 flex-col gap-5 lg:col-start-2 lg:row-start-2"
+          className="flex min-w-0 self-start flex-col justify-start gap-5 lg:col-start-2 lg:row-start-2"
         >
           <div className="flex flex-col gap-3">
             {loading ? (
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/LiveTaskCard.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/LiveTaskCard.tsx
index b4b0526b73..420eaeddcf 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/LiveTaskCard.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/LiveTaskCard.tsx
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ import { MARKDOWN_PROSE_CLASS } from "./ui/MarkdownEditorField.js";
 import { TaskStagePills } from "./SprintStatsDeck.js";
 import { RuntimeEventFeed } from "./RuntimeEventFeed.js";
 import { renderMarkdown } from "../../lib/markdown.js";
-import type { Subtask, ExecutionRuntimeEventSummary, ExecutionInvocationRecord } from "../../types.js";
+import type { Subtask, ExecutionAttentionItemSummary, ExecutionRuntimeEventSummary, ExecutionInvocationRecord } from "../../types.js";
 import {
     getTaskCfg,
 } from "../lib/live-session-config.js";
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ export interface LiveTaskCardProps {
     events?: ExecutionRuntimeEventSummary[];
     invocations?: ExecutionInvocationRecord[];
     ciPresentation?: CiStatusPresentation | null;
+    humanIntervention?: ExecutionAttentionItemSummary | null;
     onRerun: (id: string, options?: RerunOptions) => void;
     onEdit: (task: Subtask) => void;
     onForceComplete: (task: Subtask) => void;
@@ -73,6 +74,7 @@ const LiveTaskCard: FunctionComponent<LiveTaskCardProps> = memo(({
     events,
     invocations = [],
     ciPresentation = null,
+    humanIntervention = null,
     onRerun,
     onEdit,
     onForceComplete,
@@ -292,6 +294,7 @@ const LiveTaskCard: FunctionComponent<LiveTaskCardProps> = memo(({
                                     status={taskPhase}
                                     review={task.latestReview}
                                     ciPresentation={ciPresentation}
+                                    humanIntervention={humanIntervention}
                                     compact
                                     align="right"
                                 />
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/TasksList.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/TasksList.tsx
index 7e19888300..8c49c1aac4 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/TasksList.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/TasksList.tsx
@@ -6,7 +6,12 @@ import { SprintStreamRow } from "./ui/SprintStreamRow.js";
 import { FilterStrip } from "./ui/FilterStrip.js";
 import { SkeletonRow } from "./layout/SkeletonLoader.js";
 import { EmptyState } from "./ui/EmptyState.js";
-import { deriveActiveSprintIds, filterTasksToActiveSprints } from "../lib/overview-streams.js";
+import {
+    deriveActiveSprintIds,
+    deriveOverviewTaskHumanInterventions,
+    deriveOverviewTaskCiPresentations,
+    filterTasksToActiveSprints,
+} from "../lib/overview-streams.js";
 import { useOverviewStreamActions } from "../hooks/use-overview-stream-actions.js";
 import { useListReorder } from "../lib/motion/use-list-reorder.js";
 import { useProgressiveList } from "../hooks/use-progressive-list.js";
@@ -35,6 +40,14 @@ export const TasksList: FunctionComponent<{ pageData: ReturnType<typeof import("
     const sprintById = useMemo(() => new Map(sprints.map((sprint) => [sprint.id, sprint])), [sprints]);
     const activeSprintIds = useMemo(() => deriveActiveSprintIds(sprints), [sprints]);
     const activeTasks = useMemo(() => filterTasksToActiveSprints(tasks, activeSprintIds), [tasks, activeSprintIds]);
+    const taskCiPresentations = useMemo(
+        () => deriveOverviewTaskCiPresentations(activeTasks, execution),
+        [activeTasks, execution],
+    );
+    const taskHumanInterventions = useMemo(
+        () => deriveOverviewTaskHumanInterventions(activeTasks, execution),
+        [activeTasks, execution],
+    );
 
     const filteredTasks = useMemo(() => activeTasks.filter(task => {
         if (activeFilter === "All Tasks") return true;
@@ -131,6 +144,8 @@ export const TasksList: FunctionComponent<{ pageData: ReturnType<typeof import("
                                 <TaskRow
                                     task={task}
                                     state={streamActions.getTaskState(task)}
+                                    ciPresentation={taskCiPresentations.get(task.recordId) ?? null}
+                                    humanIntervention={taskHumanInterventions.get(task.recordId) ?? null}
                                     onPlayStop={() => streamActions.playStopTask(task)}
                                 />
                             </div>
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/browser/LaunchContainerPanel.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/browser/LaunchContainerPanel.tsx
index ca6f689c98..2a051239a3 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/browser/LaunchContainerPanel.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/browser/LaunchContainerPanel.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import type { FunctionComponent } from "preact";
 import { Play, Loader2 } from "lucide-preact";
 import type { Sprint } from "../../types.js";
+import { AvantgardeSelect } from "../ui/AvantgardeSelect.js";
 import { buildInteractionTransition } from "../../lib/motion/tokens.js";
 
 interface LaunchContainerPanelProps {
@@ -64,27 +65,19 @@ export const LaunchContainerPanel: FunctionComponent<LaunchContainerPanelProps>
           {statusMessage}
         </div>
         <label htmlFor="launch-container-sprint" className="sr-only">Sprint to preview</label>
-        <select
+        <AvantgardeSelect
           id="launch-container-sprint"
           value={launchSprintId}
-          onChange={(event) => onLaunchSprintChange((event.currentTarget as HTMLSelectElement).value)}
+          onChange={onLaunchSprintChange}
           disabled={selectUnavailable}
-          aria-disabled={selectUnavailable}
           aria-busy={launchBusy}
           aria-describedby="launch-container-status"
           title={selectUnavailable ? statusMessage : "Choose the sprint to preview"}
-          className={`w-full rounded-2xl border border-black/[0.08] bg-white/85 px-3 py-2.5 text-sm text-slate-700 outline-none transition focus:border-signal-500/40 dark:border-white/[0.08] dark:bg-white/[0.05] dark:text-slate-200 ${
-            selectUnavailable ? "cursor-not-allowed opacity-50" : ""
-          }`}
-          style={{ transition: controlTransition }}
-        >
-          {sprints.length === 0 && <option value="">No sprints available</option>}
-          {sprints.map((sprint) => (
-            <option key={sprint.id} value={sprint.id}>
-              {sprint.name}
-            </option>
-          ))}
-        </select>
+          className="w-full"
+          options={sprints.length === 0
+            ? [{ value: "", label: "No sprints available" }]
+            : sprints.map((sprint) => ({ value: sprint.id, label: sprint.name }))}
+        />
 
         <button
           type="button"
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/chat/__tests__/ChatPage.accessibility.test.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/chat/__tests__/ChatPage.accessibility.test.tsx
index f5cc0ce5f0..96feb9efdd 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/chat/__tests__/ChatPage.accessibility.test.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/chat/__tests__/ChatPage.accessibility.test.tsx
@@ -534,7 +534,7 @@ describe('ChatPage Accessibility', () => {
     expect(window.location.search).not.toContain("draft=");
   });
 
-  it('presents and dispatches the full eligible 3D chat quick action set without changing the composer', async () => {
+  it('presents and dispatches the default eligible 3D chat quick action set without changing the composer', async () => {
     const user = userEvent.setup();
     mocks.reducedMotion.value = true;
     const handleSend = vi.fn(() => Promise.resolve());
@@ -564,7 +564,7 @@ describe('ChatPage Accessibility', () => {
     const labels = [
       "Create Web App", "Create Desktop App", "Create Onlineshop", "Create Portfolio", "Create Game",
       "Status Report", "Sprint Progress", "What’s Failing?", "Plan Next Steps",
-      "Add Nodes Workflow", "Add Dashboard", "Create Skill", "List Skills",
+      "Create Skill", "List Skills",
     ];
     expect(screen.getByRole("group", { name: "Project quick actions" })).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.getByRole("group", { name: "Create quick actions" })).toBeInTheDocument();
@@ -573,6 +573,8 @@ describe('ChatPage Accessibility', () => {
     expect(document.querySelector("[data-quick-action-group='insight']")).toHaveClass("md:flex", "md:flex-wrap");
     expect(document.querySelector("[data-quick-action-group='workflow']")).toHaveClass("md:flex", "md:flex-wrap");
     labels.forEach((label) => expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: label })).toBeInTheDocument());
+    expect(screen.queryByRole("button", { name: "Add Nodes Workflow" })).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByRole("button", { name: "Add Dashboard" })).not.toBeInTheDocument();
     const iconTiles = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll<HTMLElement>("[data-quick-action-icon]"));
     expect(iconTiles).toHaveLength(labels.length);
     expect(new Set(iconTiles.map((tile) => tile.className))).toHaveLength(labels.length);
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/chat/cinematic/CinematicStage.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/chat/cinematic/CinematicStage.tsx
index e3e2134606..4cf1f772c9 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/chat/cinematic/CinematicStage.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/chat/cinematic/CinematicStage.tsx
@@ -181,13 +181,16 @@ const AgentSpeechBubble: FunctionComponent<{
   const segments = parseBubbleSegments(message.bodyMarkdown || "");
 
   return (
-    <div ref={ref} className="relative flex min-h-0 justify-start">
+    <div ref={ref} className="relative ml-auto flex min-h-0 w-full max-w-[620px] justify-end lg:max-w-[560px] xl:max-w-[620px] 2xl:max-w-[680px]">
       {/* Tail — points left toward the bot on desktop */}
       <span
         aria-hidden="true"
         className="absolute -left-1.5 top-7 hidden h-3.5 w-3.5 rotate-45 border-b border-l border-signal-500/25 bg-white/95 dark:bg-void-800/95 md:block"
       />
-      <div className="flex min-h-0 w-full max-w-[720px] flex-col rounded-3xl rounded-tl-lg border border-signal-500/25 bg-white/95 p-5 shadow-[0_12px_48px_rgba(0,224,160,0.10),0_4px_24px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06)] backdrop-blur-md dark:bg-void-800/95 dark:shadow-[0_12px_48px_rgba(0,224,160,0.08),0_8px_32px_rgba(0,0,0,0.35)] lg:max-w-[680px] xl:max-w-[780px] 2xl:max-w-[880px]">
+      <div
+        data-testid="cinematic-agent-reply"
+        className="flex min-h-0 w-full max-w-[620px] flex-col rounded-3xl rounded-tl-lg border border-signal-500/25 bg-white/95 p-5 shadow-[0_12px_48px_rgba(0,224,160,0.10),0_4px_24px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06)] backdrop-blur-md dark:bg-void-800/95 dark:shadow-[0_12px_48px_rgba(0,224,160,0.08),0_8px_32px_rgba(0,0,0,0.35)] lg:max-w-[560px] xl:max-w-[620px] 2xl:max-w-[680px]"
+      >
         <div className="mb-2 flex shrink-0 items-center gap-2 text-[10px] font-bold uppercase tracking-[0.14em] text-slate-400 dark:text-slate-500">
           <span className="text-signal-600 dark:text-signal-400">{agentName}</span>
           {createdAtLabel && <span className="font-mono font-normal tracking-normal">{createdAtLabel}</span>}
@@ -207,7 +210,7 @@ const AgentSpeechBubble: FunctionComponent<{
               !widgetData.suppressBodyMarkdown && (
                 <div
                   key={index}
-                  className={`${BUBBLE_MARKDOWN_CLASSES} prose-base text-[15px] leading-8 lg:text-base lg:leading-8 xl:text-[17px] xl:leading-9 2xl:text-lg 2xl:leading-9`}
+                  className={`${BUBBLE_MARKDOWN_CLASSES} prose-sm text-[12px] leading-5 xl:text-[13px] xl:leading-6`}
                   dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: renderMarkdown(segment.markdown) }}
                 />
               )
@@ -572,8 +575,11 @@ export const CinematicStage: FunctionComponent<CinematicStageProps> = ({
   };
 
   const activeTool = useCinematicWorkTool({
-    active: Boolean(matchingInvocationFeedback),
-    activityKey: matchingInvocationFeedback?.id ?? "inactive-project-manager-invocation",
+    active: runtimeBusy,
+    activityKey: activityState.foregroundCue?.id
+      ?? matchingInvocationFeedback?.id
+      ?? selectedThread?.id
+      ?? "active-project-manager-reply",
     reducedMotion,
   });
 
@@ -799,7 +805,7 @@ export const CinematicStage: FunctionComponent<CinematicStageProps> = ({
              it. History lives one click away in Threads. ── */}
       <div
         data-testid="cinematic-exchange"
-        className="absolute inset-x-0 bottom-32 top-[48%] z-20 flex min-h-0 flex-col justify-end px-4 pb-2 pt-3 md:inset-y-0 md:bottom-0 md:left-auto md:right-0 md:top-0 md:w-[46%] md:justify-end md:px-6 md:py-0 md:pb-36 md:pt-4 lg:w-[44%] lg:px-8 lg:pt-6 xl:w-[46%] xl:px-10 xl:pt-8 2xl:w-[48%] 2xl:justify-center 2xl:px-12 2xl:pb-32 2xl:pt-12"
+        className="absolute inset-x-0 bottom-32 top-[48%] z-20 flex min-h-0 flex-col justify-end px-4 pb-2 pt-3 md:inset-y-0 md:bottom-0 md:left-auto md:right-0 md:top-0 md:w-[42%] md:justify-end md:px-6 md:py-0 md:pb-36 md:pt-4 lg:w-[40%] lg:px-8 lg:pt-6 xl:w-[42%] xl:px-10 xl:pt-8 2xl:w-[42%] 2xl:justify-center 2xl:px-12 2xl:pb-32 2xl:pt-12"
       >
         <div
           ref={exchangeLogRef}
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/chat/cinematic/StageActivityStrip.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/chat/cinematic/StageActivityStrip.tsx
index 60c85dc575..8f7ab18bad 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/chat/cinematic/StageActivityStrip.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/chat/cinematic/StageActivityStrip.tsx
@@ -37,7 +37,10 @@ export const StageActivityStrip: FunctionComponent<StageActivityStripProps> = ({
   if (!primaryCue) return null;
 
   return (
-    <div className="pointer-events-none absolute left-1/2 -top-1 z-20 w-[min(78vw,280px)] -translate-x-1/2 md:top-24 md:w-[208px] md:-translate-x-[163%] lg:top-24 xl:top-24 xl:-translate-x-[165%] 2xl:-translate-x-[195%]">
+    <div
+      data-testid="cinematic-thinking-bubble"
+      className="pointer-events-none absolute left-1/2 -top-1 z-20 w-[min(78vw,280px)] -translate-x-1/2 md:-top-14 md:w-[220px] lg:-top-16"
+    >
       <div
         role="status"
         aria-live="polite"
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/custom-dashboards/CustomDashboardCredentialSlotsPanel.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/custom-dashboards/CustomDashboardCredentialSlotsPanel.tsx
index 15ee2f707a..6945aedcda 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/custom-dashboards/CustomDashboardCredentialSlotsPanel.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/custom-dashboards/CustomDashboardCredentialSlotsPanel.tsx
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import type {
   CustomDashboardCredentialSlotReview,
 } from "../../lib/custom-dashboard-api.js";
 import { writeSettingsNavigationState } from "../../lib/settings-navigation-state.js";
+import { AvantgardeSelect } from "../ui/AvantgardeSelect.js";
 
 interface CustomDashboardCredentialSlotsPanelProps {
   projectId: string;
@@ -85,7 +86,7 @@ export const CustomDashboardCredentialSlotsPanel: FunctionComponent<CustomDashbo
 }) => {
   const [selectedCredentialBySlot, setSelectedCredentialBySlot] = useState<Record<string, string>>({});
   const actionRefs = useRef<Record<string, HTMLButtonElement | null>>({});
-  const selectRefs = useRef<Record<string, HTMLSelectElement | null>>({});
+  const selectRefs = useRef<Record<string, HTMLButtonElement | null>>({});
 
   useEffect(() => {
     setSelectedCredentialBySlot({});
@@ -246,22 +247,22 @@ export const CustomDashboardCredentialSlotsPanel: FunctionComponent<CustomDashbo
               <div className="mt-3 grid min-w-0 gap-2 sm:grid-cols-[minmax(0,1fr)_auto]">
                 <label className="min-w-0 text-xs font-bold text-slate-600 dark:text-slate-300">
                   Compatible credential
-                  <select
-                    ref={(element) => { selectRefs.current[slot.slotId] = element; }}
+                  <AvantgardeSelect
+                    triggerRef={(element) => { selectRefs.current[slot.slotId] = element; }}
                     aria-label={`Compatible credential for ${slot.label}`}
                     value={selectedCredentialId}
                     disabled={saving || options.length === 0 || !backendReady(health)}
-                    onInput={(event) => setSelectedCredentialBySlot((currentSelections) => ({
+                    onChange={(value) => setSelectedCredentialBySlot((currentSelections) => ({
                       ...currentSelections,
-                      [slot.slotId]: event.currentTarget.value,
+                      [slot.slotId]: value,
                     }))}
-                    className="mt-1 min-h-10 w-full min-w-0 rounded-xl border border-black/[0.09] bg-white px-3 text-sm text-slate-800 outline-none focus:border-signal-500 focus:ring-2 focus:ring-signal-500/25 disabled:opacity-60 dark:border-white/[0.09] dark:bg-void-800 dark:text-white"
-                  >
-                    <option value="">Choose compatible metadata…</option>
-                    {options.map((credential) => (
-                      <option key={credential.id} value={credential.id}>{credential.name} · {credential.kind}</option>
-                    ))}
-                  </select>
+                    className="mt-1 w-full min-w-0"
+                    placeholder="Choose compatible metadata…"
+                    options={[
+                      { value: "", label: "Choose compatible metadata…" },
+                      ...options.map((credential) => ({ value: credential.id, label: `${credential.name} · ${credential.kind}` })),
+                    ]}
+                  />
                 </label>
                 <button
                   ref={(element) => { actionRefs.current[slot.slotId] = element; }}
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/custom-dashboards/__tests__/CustomDashboardsPage.test.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/custom-dashboards/__tests__/CustomDashboardsPage.test.tsx
index a348ebda0f..f8d46da23f 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/custom-dashboards/__tests__/CustomDashboardsPage.test.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/custom-dashboards/__tests__/CustomDashboardsPage.test.tsx
@@ -442,12 +442,13 @@ describe("CustomDashboardsPage", () => {
     expect(panel).toHaveTextContent("Optional");
     expect(panel).toHaveTextContent("need attention before the next revision is publication-ready");
 
-    const select = screen.getByRole("combobox", { name: "Compatible credential for Deployment API" });
-    expect(select).toHaveTextContent("Compatible Key");
-    expect(select).toHaveTextContent("Replacement Key");
-    expect(select).not.toHaveTextContent("Wrong Kind");
-    expect(select).not.toHaveTextContent("Read Only");
-    expect(select).not.toHaveTextContent("Inactive Key");
+    const select = screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Compatible credential for Deployment API" });
+    fireEvent.click(select);
+    expect(screen.getByRole("option", { name: /Compatible Key/ })).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByRole("option", { name: /Replacement Key/ })).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByRole("option", { name: /Wrong Kind/ })).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByRole("option", { name: /Read Only/ })).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByRole("option", { name: /Inactive Key/ })).not.toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 
   it("binds, replaces, and unbinds with the latest revision while restoring action focus", async () => {
@@ -465,11 +466,10 @@ describe("CustomDashboardsPage", () => {
     renderPage();
 
     await openCredentialPanel();
-    const select = await screen.findByRole("combobox", { name: "Compatible credential for Deployment API" });
+    const select = await screen.findByRole("button", { name: "Compatible credential for Deployment API" });
     select.focus();
     fireEvent.keyDown(select, { key: "ArrowDown" });
-    expect(document.activeElement).toBe(select);
-    fireEvent.input(select, { target: { value: compatibleCredential.id } });
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("option", { name: /Compatible Key/ }));
     expect(select).toHaveValue(compatibleCredential.id);
     const bindButton = screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Bind credential for Deployment API" });
     await waitFor(() => expect(bindButton).toBeEnabled());
@@ -484,7 +484,8 @@ describe("CustomDashboardsPage", () => {
     await screen.findByText("Compatible binding");
     await waitFor(() => expect(document.activeElement).toBe(select));
 
-    fireEvent.input(select, { target: { value: replacementCredential.id } });
+    fireEvent.click(select);
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("option", { name: /Replacement Key/ }));
     await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Replace binding for Deployment API" })).toBeEnabled());
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Replace binding for Deployment API" }));
     await waitFor(() => expect(bindCustomDashboardCredential).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith(
@@ -525,7 +526,7 @@ describe("CustomDashboardsPage", () => {
     expect(await screen.findByText("Secure credential custody is unavailable.")).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.getByText("Local key custody is offline.")).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.getAllByRole("link", { name: "Manage credentials in Settings" })[0]).toHaveAttribute("href", "/config");
-    expect(screen.getByRole("combobox", { name: "Compatible credential for Deployment API" })).toBeDisabled();
+    expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Compatible credential for Deployment API" })).toBeDisabled();
   });
 
   it("cancels stale credential metadata requests when the selected dashboard changes", async () => {
@@ -567,8 +568,9 @@ describe("CustomDashboardsPage", () => {
     renderPage();
 
     await openCredentialPanel();
-    const select = await screen.findByRole("combobox", { name: "Compatible credential for Deployment API" });
-    fireEvent.input(select, { target: { value: compatibleCredential.id } });
+    const select = await screen.findByRole("button", { name: "Compatible credential for Deployment API" });
+    fireEvent.click(select);
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("option", { name: /Compatible Key/ }));
     await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Bind credential for Deployment API" })).toBeEnabled());
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Bind credential for Deployment API" }));
 
@@ -603,8 +605,9 @@ describe("CustomDashboardsPage", () => {
     await openCredentialPanel();
     fireEvent.click(await screen.findByRole("button", { name: "Validate" }));
     await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Publish" })).toBeEnabled());
-    const select = screen.getByRole("combobox", { name: "Compatible credential for Deployment API" });
-    fireEvent.input(select, { target: { value: compatibleCredential.id } });
+    const select = screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Compatible credential for Deployment API" });
+    fireEvent.click(select);
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("option", { name: /Compatible Key/ }));
     await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Bind credential for Deployment API" })).toBeEnabled());
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Bind credential for Deployment API" }));
     expect(await screen.findByText("Credential capability policy denied this binding.")).toBeInTheDocument();
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/memory/AddMemoryModal.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/memory/AddMemoryModal.tsx
index e53dd54b02..2563587987 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/memory/AddMemoryModal.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/memory/AddMemoryModal.tsx
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import type { MemoryScope, MemoryCategory } from "../../memory-types.js";
 import { FieldWrapper } from "../forms/FieldWrapper.js";
 import { CheckCircle2, Loader2 } from "lucide-preact";
 import { useInteractionTokens } from "../../lib/motion/index.js";
+import { AvantgardeSelect } from "../ui/AvantgardeSelect.js";
 
 const CATEGORIES: MemoryCategory[] = ["architecture", "codebase", "context", "preferences", "patterns", "decision", "error", "learning"];
 
@@ -137,14 +138,12 @@ export const AddMemoryModal: FunctionComponent<{
                 <div className="flex flex-col sm:flex-row items-start sm:items-center gap-3 w-full">
                     <div className="w-full sm:flex-1">
                         <FieldWrapper label="Category" htmlFor="memory-category">
-                            <select id="memory-category" value={category} onChange={e => setCategory((e.target as HTMLSelectElement).value as MemoryCategory)}
-                                className="w-full px-3 py-2 rounded-lg text-xs font-medium cursor-pointer
-                                           bg-black/[0.03] dark:bg-white/[0.03] hover:bg-black/[0.05] dark:hover:bg-white/[0.05] transition-colors duration-200
-                                           border border-black/[0.06] dark:border-white/[0.06]
-                                           text-slate-700 dark:text-slate-300
-                                           focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-signal-500 focus-visible:ring-offset-2 dark:focus-visible:ring-offset-void-800">
-                                {CATEGORIES.map(c => <option key={c} value={c}>{c}</option>)}
-                            </select>
+                            <AvantgardeSelect
+                                id="memory-category"
+                                value={category}
+                                onChange={(value) => setCategory(value as MemoryCategory)}
+                                options={CATEGORIES.map((value) => ({ value, label: value }))}
+                            />
                         </FieldWrapper>
                     </div>
                     <div className="w-full sm:w-auto flex items-center gap-2">
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/memory/MemoryFilters.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/memory/MemoryFilters.tsx
index 9f4679672b..8b3d038c11 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/memory/MemoryFilters.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/memory/MemoryFilters.tsx
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import { useInteractionTokens } from "../../lib/motion/index.js";
 import type { MemoryStats } from "../../lib/memory-api.js";
 import type { MemoryScope } from "../../memory-types.js";
 import type { SprintRecord, AgentPreset } from "../../types.js";
+import { AvantgardeSelect } from "../ui/AvantgardeSelect.js";
 
 type MemTier = "short_term" | "long_term" | "skills";
 const TIER_TABS: { key: MemTier; label: string; scope: MemoryScope }[] = [
@@ -196,23 +197,23 @@ export const MemoryFilters: FunctionComponent<{
                 {showSprintFilter && (
                     <div className="flex min-w-0 flex-[1_1_12rem] flex-col gap-1 sm:max-w-[18rem]">
                         <label htmlFor="sprint-selector" className="sr-only">Filter by Sprint</label>
-                        <select
+                        <AvantgardeSelect
                             id="sprint-selector"
                             aria-label="Filter memory by Sprint"
                             aria-describedby="sprint-selector-status"
                             title="Filter memory by Sprint"
                             value={selectedSprintId ?? ""}
-                            onChange={(e) => handleSprintChange((e.target as HTMLSelectElement).value)}
-                            style={controlTransitionStyle}
-                            className="h-9 w-full min-w-0 max-w-full truncate rounded-lg border border-black/[0.08] bg-white/70 px-3 text-[11px] font-mono font-bold text-slate-600 transition-[background-color,border-color,box-shadow,color] motion-reduce:duration-0 cursor-pointer hover:bg-white dark:border-white/[0.08] dark:bg-white/[0.04] dark:text-slate-300 dark:hover:bg-white/[0.08]
-                                       focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-signal-500 focus-visible:ring-offset-2 disabled:cursor-not-allowed disabled:opacity-50 dark:focus-visible:ring-offset-void-900">
-                            <option value="">All Sprints</option>
-                            {sprints.map(s => (
-                                <option key={s.id} value={s.id}>
-                                    Sprint {s.number ?? "?"} — {s.name || s.goal?.slice(0, 40) || s.id.slice(0, 8)}
-                                </option>
-                            ))}
-                        </select>
+                            onChange={handleSprintChange}
+                            variant="card"
+                            className="w-full min-w-0"
+                            options={[
+                                { value: "", label: "All Sprints" },
+                                ...sprints.map((s) => ({
+                                    value: s.id,
+                                    label: `Sprint ${s.number ?? "?"} — ${s.name || s.goal?.slice(0, 40) || s.id.slice(0, 8)}`,
+                                })),
+                            ]}
+                        />
                         <span id="sprint-selector-status" className="min-w-0 text-[10px] font-semibold leading-snug text-slate-400">
                             {sprintLabel}
                         </span>
@@ -222,21 +223,20 @@ export const MemoryFilters: FunctionComponent<{
                 {showAgentFilter && (
                     <div className="flex min-w-0 flex-[1_1_12rem] flex-col gap-1 sm:max-w-[18rem]">
                         <label htmlFor="agent-selector" className="sr-only">Filter by Agent Preset</label>
-                        <select
+                        <AvantgardeSelect
                             id="agent-selector"
                             aria-label="Filter memory by Agent Preset"
                             aria-describedby="agent-selector-status"
                             title="Filter memory by Agent Preset"
                             value={selectedAgentPresetId ?? ""}
-                            onChange={(e) => handleAgentChange((e.target as HTMLSelectElement).value)}
-                            style={controlTransitionStyle}
-                            className="h-9 w-full min-w-0 max-w-full truncate rounded-lg border border-black/[0.08] bg-white/70 px-3 text-[11px] font-mono font-bold text-slate-600 transition-[background-color,border-color,box-shadow,color] motion-reduce:duration-0 cursor-pointer hover:bg-white dark:border-white/[0.08] dark:bg-white/[0.04] dark:text-slate-300 dark:hover:bg-white/[0.08]
-                                       focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-signal-500 focus-visible:ring-offset-2 disabled:cursor-not-allowed disabled:opacity-50 dark:focus-visible:ring-offset-void-900">
-                            <option value="">All Agents</option>
-                            {agentPresets.map(a => (
-                                <option key={a.id} value={a.id}>{a.name}</option>
-                            ))}
-                        </select>
+                            onChange={handleAgentChange}
+                            variant="card"
+                            className="w-full min-w-0"
+                            options={[
+                                { value: "", label: "All Agents" },
+                                ...agentPresets.map((agent) => ({ value: agent.id, label: agent.name })),
+                            ]}
+                        />
                         <span id="agent-selector-status" className="min-w-0 text-[10px] font-semibold leading-snug text-slate-400">
                             {agentLabel}
                         </span>
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/memory/ModelBrowser.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/memory/ModelBrowser.tsx
index 9f559e4fee..7bbe84d0d6 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/memory/ModelBrowser.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/memory/ModelBrowser.tsx
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import { useInteractionTokens } from "../../lib/motion/index.js";
 import { useConfirmDialog } from "../../hooks/use-confirm-dialog.js";
 import { ConfirmDialog } from "../ui/ConfirmDialog.js";
 import { ModelCard } from "./ModelCard.js";
+import { AvantgardeSelect } from "../ui/AvantgardeSelect.js";
 
 interface ModelBrowserProps {
   models: EmbeddingModelWithStatus[];
@@ -559,28 +560,46 @@ export const ModelBrowser: FunctionComponent<ModelBrowserProps> = ({
             </div>
             <label className="min-w-0 text-[10px] font-bold uppercase tracking-[0.14em] text-slate-500 dark:text-slate-400">
               Install state
-              <select value={installFilter} onChange={(event) => setInstallFilter(event.currentTarget.value as InstallFilter)} className={`${formFieldClass(false)} mt-1.5 w-full min-w-0 normal-case tracking-normal`}>
-                <option value="all">All states</option>
-                <option value="available">Available</option>
-                <option value="downloaded">Downloaded</option>
-                <option value="downloading">Downloading</option>
-                <option value="unavailable">Unavailable</option>
-              </select>
+              <AvantgardeSelect
+                value={installFilter}
+                onChange={(value) => setInstallFilter(value as InstallFilter)}
+                className="mt-1.5 w-full min-w-0"
+                variant="card"
+                options={[
+                  { value: "all", label: "All states" },
+                  { value: "available", label: "Available" },
+                  { value: "downloaded", label: "Downloaded" },
+                  { value: "downloading", label: "Downloading" },
+                  { value: "unavailable", label: "Unavailable" },
+                ]}
+              />
             </label>
             <label className="min-w-0 text-[10px] font-bold uppercase tracking-[0.14em] text-slate-500 dark:text-slate-400">
               Language
-              <select value={languageFilter} onChange={(event) => setLanguageFilter(event.currentTarget.value)} className={`${formFieldClass(false)} mt-1.5 w-full min-w-0 normal-case tracking-normal`}>
-                <option value="all">All languages</option>
-                {languageOptions.map((language) => <option key={language} value={language}>{language}</option>)}
-              </select>
+              <AvantgardeSelect
+                value={languageFilter}
+                onChange={setLanguageFilter}
+                className="mt-1.5 w-full min-w-0"
+                variant="card"
+                options={[
+                  { value: "all", label: "All languages" },
+                  ...languageOptions.map((language) => ({ value: language, label: language })),
+                ]}
+              />
             </label>
             <label className="min-w-0 text-[10px] font-bold uppercase tracking-[0.14em] text-slate-500 dark:text-slate-400">
               Source
-              <select value={sourceFilter} onChange={(event) => setSourceFilter(event.currentTarget.value as SourceFilter)} className={`${formFieldClass(false)} mt-1.5 w-full min-w-0 normal-case tracking-normal`}>
-                <option value="all">All sources</option>
-                <option value="built_in">Built-in</option>
-                <option value="custom">Custom</option>
-              </select>
+              <AvantgardeSelect
+                value={sourceFilter}
+                onChange={(value) => setSourceFilter(value as SourceFilter)}
+                className="mt-1.5 w-full min-w-0"
+                variant="card"
+                options={[
+                  { value: "all", label: "All sources" },
+                  { value: "built_in", label: "Built-in" },
+                  { value: "custom", label: "Custom" },
+                ]}
+              />
             </label>
           </div>
 
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/memory/__tests__/MemoryFilters.accessibility.test.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/memory/__tests__/MemoryFilters.accessibility.test.tsx
index 6cf60c260e..da84167dc8 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/memory/__tests__/MemoryFilters.accessibility.test.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/memory/__tests__/MemoryFilters.accessibility.test.tsx
@@ -57,8 +57,8 @@ describe("MemoryFilters Accessibility", () => {
             />
         );
 
-        expect(getByRole("combobox", { name: "Filter memory by Sprint" })).toBeInTheDocument();
-        expect(getByRole("combobox", { name: "Filter memory by Agent Preset" })).toBeInTheDocument();
+        expect(getByRole("button", { name: "Filter memory by Sprint" })).toBeInTheDocument();
+        expect(getByRole("button", { name: "Filter memory by Agent Preset" })).toBeInTheDocument();
     });
 
     test("select changes expose selected sprint and agent feedback", async () => {
@@ -81,11 +81,13 @@ describe("MemoryFilters Accessibility", () => {
             />
         );
 
-        await user.selectOptions(getByRole("combobox", { name: "Filter memory by Sprint" }), "2");
+        await user.click(getByRole("button", { name: "Filter memory by Sprint" }));
+        await user.click(getByRole("option", { name: /Sprint 2/ }));
         expect(selectedSprintIdSignal.value).toBe("2");
         expect(getByText("Sprint filter set to Sprint 2.")).toBeInTheDocument();
 
-        await user.selectOptions(getByRole("combobox", { name: "Filter memory by Agent Preset" }), "agent2");
+        await user.click(getByRole("button", { name: "Filter memory by Agent Preset" }));
+        await user.click(getByRole("option", { name: "Agent 2" }));
         expect(selectedAgentPresetIdSignal.value).toBe("agent2");
         expect(getByText("Agent filter set to Agent 2.")).toBeInTheDocument();
         expect(getByText("Short Term: showing 7 memories of 17 memories · Sprint 2 · Agent 2")).toBeInTheDocument();
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/memory/__tests__/ModelBrowser.test.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/memory/__tests__/ModelBrowser.test.tsx
index 931fd53570..c5a642626f 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/memory/__tests__/ModelBrowser.test.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/memory/__tests__/ModelBrowser.test.tsx
@@ -134,12 +134,15 @@ describe("ModelBrowser", () => {
       ],
     });
 
-    await user.selectOptions(screen.getByLabelText("Install state"), "downloaded");
+    await user.click(screen.getByLabelText("Install state"));
+    await user.click(screen.getByRole("option", { name: "Downloaded" }));
     expect(screen.queryByText("BGE Small EN")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.getByText("Acme Custom Embed")).toBeInTheDocument();
 
-    await user.selectOptions(screen.getByLabelText("Language"), "French");
-    await user.selectOptions(screen.getByLabelText("Source"), "built_in");
+    await user.click(screen.getByLabelText("Language"));
+    await user.click(screen.getByRole("option", { name: "French" }));
+    await user.click(screen.getByLabelText("Source"));
+    await user.click(screen.getByRole("option", { name: "Built-in" }));
     expect(screen.getByText("No embedding models match this view.")).toBeInTheDocument();
 
     await user.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Show all models" }));
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/nodes/NodeFlowInspector.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/nodes/NodeFlowInspector.tsx
index 98beaa5ab9..d5e09c5f31 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/nodes/NodeFlowInspector.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/nodes/NodeFlowInspector.tsx
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import {
 } from "../../lib/node-flow-view-models.js";
 import { NodeWidgetField } from "./NodeWidgetField.js";
 import { NodeCredentialPicker, type CredentialSelectionResult } from "./NodeCredentialPicker.js";
+import { AvantgardeSelect } from "../ui/AvantgardeSelect.js";
 
 export type CredentialBindingSaveStatus = "saving" | "saved" | "conflict" | "policy-denied" | "error";
 
@@ -197,18 +198,18 @@ export const NodeFlowInspector: FunctionComponent<NodeFlowInspectorProps> = ({
       <section className="flex flex-col gap-3 border-t border-black/[0.06] pt-4 dark:border-white/[0.06]" aria-labelledby="node-agent-attachments-heading" aria-busy={attachmentsLoading || attaching}>
         <h3 id="node-agent-attachments-heading" className="text-xs font-bold uppercase tracking-[0.16em] text-slate-500 dark:text-slate-400">Agent Attachments</h3>
         <div className="flex gap-2">
-          <select
+          <AvantgardeSelect
             aria-label="Agent preset"
-            className={inputClass}
+            className="min-w-0 flex-1"
             value={attachAgentId}
             disabled={attachmentsLoading || attaching}
-            onChange={(event) => onAttachAgentIdChange(event.currentTarget.value)}
-          >
-            <option value="">Select agent</option>
-            {agents.map((agent) => (
-              <option key={agent.id} value={agent.id}>{agent.name}</option>
-            ))}
-          </select>
+            onChange={onAttachAgentIdChange}
+            placeholder="Select agent"
+            options={[
+              { value: "", label: "Select agent" },
+              ...agents.map((agent) => ({ value: agent.id, label: agent.name })),
+            ]}
+          />
           <button
             type="button"
             aria-label="Attach node flow to agent"
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/nodes/NodeInspector.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/nodes/NodeInspector.tsx
index b82e6b5282..386ce4f4b3 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/nodes/NodeInspector.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/nodes/NodeInspector.tsx
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import type {
   NodeCanvasValidationIssue,
 } from "../../lib/nodes-canvas-state.js";
 import { Input } from "../ui/Input.js";
-import { Select } from "../ui/Select.js";
+import { AvantgardeSelect } from "../ui/AvantgardeSelect.js";
 import { Toggle } from "../ui/Toggle.js";
 import { Button } from "../ui/Button.js";
 import { NodePortList } from "./NodePortList.js";
@@ -100,18 +100,17 @@ const ConfigFieldControl: FunctionComponent<{
     return (
       <div className="flex flex-col gap-1.5">
         {commonLabel}
-        <Select
+        <AvantgardeSelect
           id={inputId}
           value={configValueAsString(field.value)}
-          errorText={issue?.message}
+          invalid={Boolean(issue)}
           aria-invalid={issue ? "true" : undefined}
           aria-required={field.required ? "true" : undefined}
-          onChange={(event) => onNodeConfigChange(nodeId, field.id, event.currentTarget.value)}
-        >
-          {(field.options ?? []).map((option) => (
-            <option key={option} value={option}>{option}</option>
-          ))}
-        </Select>
+          aria-errormessage={issue ? `${inputId}-error` : undefined}
+          onChange={(value) => onNodeConfigChange(nodeId, field.id, value)}
+          options={(field.options ?? []).map((value) => ({ value, label: value }))}
+        />
+        {issue ? <p id={`${inputId}-error`} role="alert" className="text-xs text-status-red">{issue.message}</p> : null}
       </div>
     );
   }
@@ -281,33 +280,31 @@ export const NodeInspector: FunctionComponent<NodeInspectorProps> = ({
         {selectedNode.kind === "agent" || selectedNode.metadata.agentIntent !== undefined ? (
           <div className="flex flex-col gap-1.5">
             <label className={FIELD_LABEL_CLASS} htmlFor={`node-agent-intent-${selectedNode.id}`}>Agent intent</label>
-            <Select
+            <AvantgardeSelect
               id={`node-agent-intent-${selectedNode.id}`}
               value={selectedNode.metadata.agentIntent ?? "implement"}
-              errorText={agentIntentIssue?.message}
+              invalid={Boolean(agentIntentIssue)}
               aria-invalid={agentIntentIssue ? "true" : undefined}
-              onChange={(event) => updateMetadata({ agentIntent: event.currentTarget.value as NodeCanvasNodeMetadata["agentIntent"] })}
-            >
-              {AGENT_INTENTS.map((intent) => (
-                <option key={intent} value={intent}>{intent}</option>
-              ))}
-            </Select>
+              aria-errormessage={agentIntentIssue ? `node-agent-intent-${selectedNode.id}-error` : undefined}
+              onChange={(value) => updateMetadata({ agentIntent: value as NodeCanvasNodeMetadata["agentIntent"] })}
+              options={AGENT_INTENTS.map((value) => ({ value, label: value }))}
+            />
+            {agentIntentIssue ? <p id={`node-agent-intent-${selectedNode.id}-error`} role="alert" className="text-xs text-status-red">{agentIntentIssue.message}</p> : null}
           </div>
         ) : null}
         {selectedNode.kind === "task" || selectedNode.metadata.taskIntent !== undefined ? (
           <div className="flex flex-col gap-1.5">
             <label className={FIELD_LABEL_CLASS} htmlFor={`node-task-intent-${selectedNode.id}`}>Task intent</label>
-            <Select
+            <AvantgardeSelect
               id={`node-task-intent-${selectedNode.id}`}
               value={selectedNode.metadata.taskIntent ?? "feature"}
-              errorText={taskIntentIssue?.message}
+              invalid={Boolean(taskIntentIssue)}
               aria-invalid={taskIntentIssue ? "true" : undefined}
-              onChange={(event) => updateMetadata({ taskIntent: event.currentTarget.value as NodeCanvasNodeMetadata["taskIntent"] })}
-            >
-              {TASK_INTENTS.map((intent) => (
-                <option key={intent} value={intent}>{intent}</option>
-              ))}
-            </Select>
+              aria-errormessage={taskIntentIssue ? `node-task-intent-${selectedNode.id}-error` : undefined}
+              onChange={(value) => updateMetadata({ taskIntent: value as NodeCanvasNodeMetadata["taskIntent"] })}
+              options={TASK_INTENTS.map((value) => ({ value, label: value }))}
+            />
+            {taskIntentIssue ? <p id={`node-task-intent-${selectedNode.id}-error`} role="alert" className="text-xs text-status-red">{taskIntentIssue.message}</p> : null}
           </div>
         ) : null}
       </section>
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/nodes/NodeWidgetField.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/nodes/NodeWidgetField.tsx
index bc0493a369..159a7338b5 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/nodes/NodeWidgetField.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/nodes/NodeWidgetField.tsx
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { useEffect, useMemo, useState } from "preact/hooks";
 import { Plus, Trash2 } from "lucide-preact";
 import type { NodeFlowJsonObject, NodeFlowJsonValue, NodeWidgetField as NodeWidgetFieldContract } from "../../types.js";
 import { getWidgetFieldDefaultValue } from "../../lib/node-flow-view-models.js";
+import { AvantgardeSelect } from "../ui/AvantgardeSelect.js";
 
 interface NodeWidgetFieldProps {
   field: NodeWidgetFieldContract;
@@ -85,22 +86,19 @@ export const NodeWidgetField: FunctionComponent<NodeWidgetFieldProps> = ({
 
     if (field.type === "select") {
       return (
-        <select
+        <AvantgardeSelect
           id={`node-widget-${field.id}`}
-          className={fieldBaseClass}
           value={String(resolvedValue)}
           aria-describedby={errorId}
-          onChange={(event) => {
-            const selected = field.options?.find((option) => String(option.value) === event.currentTarget.value);
-            onChange(field.id, selected?.value ?? event.currentTarget.value);
+          onChange={(value) => {
+            const selected = field.options?.find((option) => String(option.value) === value);
+            onChange(field.id, selected?.value ?? value);
           }}
-        >
-          {(field.options ?? []).map((option) => (
-            <option key={`${field.id}-${String(option.value)}`} value={String(option.value)}>
-              {option.label}
-            </option>
-          ))}
-        </select>
+          options={(field.options ?? []).map((option) => ({
+            value: String(option.value),
+            label: option.label,
+          }))}
+        />
       );
     }
 
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/settings/AutomationCredentialManager.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/settings/AutomationCredentialManager.tsx
index 5214473d94..5cba3ebe16 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/settings/AutomationCredentialManager.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/settings/AutomationCredentialManager.tsx
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ import {
 } from "../../lib/automation-credential-api.js";
 import { useConfirmDialog } from "../../hooks/use-confirm-dialog.js";
 import { ConfirmDialog } from "../ui/ConfirmDialog.js";
+import { AvantgardeSelect } from "../ui/AvantgardeSelect.js";
 
 interface ProjectOption {
   id: string;
@@ -382,7 +383,20 @@ export const AutomationCredentialManager: FunctionComponent<AutomationCredential
         <div className="mt-4 grid gap-4 lg:grid-cols-3">
           <label className="min-w-0 text-xs font-bold text-slate-700 dark:text-slate-200">Name<input aria-label="Credential name" value={name} onInput={(event) => setName(event.currentTarget.value)} maxLength={128} disabled={!backendReady || busyAction !== null} className={inputClassName} /></label>
           <label className="min-w-0 text-xs font-bold text-slate-700 dark:text-slate-200">Kind<input aria-label="Credential kind" value={kind} onInput={(event) => setKind(event.currentTarget.value)} placeholder="api-token" maxLength={128} disabled={!backendReady || busyAction !== null} className={inputClassName} /></label>
-          <label className="min-w-0 text-xs font-bold text-slate-700 dark:text-slate-200">Scope<select aria-label="Credential scope" value={scope} onChange={(event) => setScope(event.currentTarget.value as AutomationCredentialScope)} disabled={!backendReady || busyAction !== null} className={inputClassName}><option value="project">Project-owned</option><option value="global">Global with allowlist</option></select></label>
+          <label className="min-w-0 text-xs font-bold text-slate-700 dark:text-slate-200">
+            Scope
+            <AvantgardeSelect
+              aria-label="Credential scope"
+              value={scope}
+              onChange={(value) => setScope(value as AutomationCredentialScope)}
+              disabled={!backendReady || busyAction !== null}
+              className="mt-1.5"
+              options={[
+                { value: "project", label: "Project-owned" },
+                { value: "global", label: "Global with allowlist" },
+              ]}
+            />
+          </label>
           <label className="min-w-0 text-xs font-bold text-slate-700 dark:text-slate-200 lg:col-span-3">Secret value<span className="ml-1 font-medium text-slate-400">write-only</span><input aria-label="Secret value" type="password" autoComplete="new-password" value={value} onInput={(event) => setValue(event.currentTarget.value)} disabled={!backendReady || busyAction !== null} className={inputClassName} /></label>
         </div>
         <div className="mt-4"><CapabilityPicker legend="Capabilities" values={createCapabilities} onChange={setCreateCapabilities} disabled={!backendReady || busyAction !== null} /></div>
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/settings/SettingsFormFields.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/settings/SettingsFormFields.tsx
index 3f9f4a160c..72eb6f23cb 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/settings/SettingsFormFields.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/settings/SettingsFormFields.tsx
@@ -357,7 +357,7 @@ export const ToggleLinkedControlRow: FunctionComponent<{
   const describedBy = [descriptionId, disabledReasonId, ariaDescribedby].filter(Boolean).join(" ") || undefined;
 
   return (
-    <div className="flex min-w-0 w-full flex-col gap-3 rounded-[1rem] border border-[color:var(--border-hairline)] bg-[var(--fill-muted)] p-3 sm:flex-row sm:items-center sm:justify-between">
+    <div className="flex min-w-0 w-full flex-col gap-3 rounded-[1rem] border border-[color:var(--border-hairline)] bg-[var(--fill-muted)] p-3 sm:flex-row sm:items-start sm:justify-between">
       <div className="flex min-w-0 items-start gap-3">
         <Toggle
           value={enabled}
@@ -380,7 +380,7 @@ export const ToggleLinkedControlRow: FunctionComponent<{
           ) : null}
         </div>
       </div>
-      <div className="min-w-0 w-full sm:w-auto sm:min-w-[14rem]">
+      <div className="min-w-0 w-full self-start sm:w-auto sm:min-w-[14rem]">
         {children}
       </div>
     </div>
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/settings/__tests__/SettingsControls.test.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/settings/__tests__/SettingsControls.test.tsx
index b75cdf1a3c..4c236639c9 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/settings/__tests__/SettingsControls.test.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/settings/__tests__/SettingsControls.test.tsx
@@ -807,6 +807,10 @@ const createSystemSettings = (projectSettings: ProjectSettings): SystemSettings
     );
 
     const toggle = screen.getByRole("switch", { name: "Review completed tasks" });
+    const row = toggle.closest("div.rounded-\\[1rem\\]");
+    expect(row).toHaveClass("sm:items-start");
+    expect(row).not.toHaveClass("sm:items-center");
+    expect(row?.lastElementChild).toHaveClass("self-start");
     expect(toggle).toHaveAccessibleDescription("Runs QA after task completion.");
     await user.click(toggle);
     expect(onToggle).toHaveBeenCalledWith(true);
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/settings/panels/AIModelCatalogPanel.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/settings/panels/AIModelCatalogPanel.tsx
index 23b5692200..201dca39e9 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/settings/panels/AIModelCatalogPanel.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/settings/panels/AIModelCatalogPanel.tsx
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import { NumberInput, Row, SecretInput, SelectInput, TextInput, Toggle } from ".
 import { SectionCard, useSettingsDetailWorkspace } from "./SharedPanelComponents.js";
 import { useConfirmDialog } from "../../../hooks/use-confirm-dialog.js";
 import { ConfirmDialog } from "../../ui/ConfirmDialog.js";
+import { AvantgardeSelect } from "../../ui/AvantgardeSelect.js";
 import {
   getRecommendedSynthesisModel,
   getRecommendedVoice,
@@ -469,16 +470,32 @@ export const AIModelCatalogPanel: FunctionComponent<{ state: SettingsPageState }
             </label>
             <label className="flex min-h-11 items-center gap-2 rounded-xl border border-[color:var(--border-hairline)] bg-black/[0.025] px-3 text-[10px] font-bold uppercase tracking-[0.12em] text-slate-400 dark:bg-white/[0.035]">
               <span>Language</span>
-              <select aria-label="Filter speech models by language" value={catalogLanguage} onChange={(event) => setCatalogLanguage(event.currentTarget.value)} className="min-w-0 bg-transparent text-xs font-semibold normal-case tracking-normal text-slate-700 outline-none dark:text-slate-200">
-                <option value="all">All</option>
-                {catalogLanguageOptions.map(([code, label]) => <option key={code} value={code}>{label}</option>)}
-              </select>
+              <AvantgardeSelect
+                aria-label="Filter speech models by language"
+                value={catalogLanguage}
+                onChange={setCatalogLanguage}
+                variant="compact"
+                className="min-w-[7rem]"
+                options={[
+                  { value: "all", label: "All" },
+                  ...catalogLanguageOptions.map(([value, label]) => ({ value, label })),
+                ]}
+              />
             </label>
             <label className="flex min-h-11 items-center gap-2 rounded-xl border border-[color:var(--border-hairline)] bg-black/[0.025] px-3 text-[10px] font-bold uppercase tracking-[0.12em] text-slate-400 dark:bg-white/[0.035]">
               <span>Status</span>
-              <select aria-label="Filter speech models by install status" value={catalogInstallState} onChange={(event) => setCatalogInstallState(event.currentTarget.value)} className="bg-transparent text-xs font-semibold normal-case tracking-normal text-slate-700 outline-none dark:text-slate-200">
-                <option value="all">All</option><option value="installed">Installed</option><option value="available">Available</option>
-              </select>
+              <AvantgardeSelect
+                aria-label="Filter speech models by install status"
+                value={catalogInstallState}
+                onChange={setCatalogInstallState}
+                variant="compact"
+                className="min-w-[7rem]"
+                options={[
+                  { value: "all", label: "All" },
+                  { value: "installed", label: "Installed" },
+                  { value: "available", label: "Available" },
+                ]}
+              />
             </label>
           </div> : null}
         </div>
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/settings/panels/SettingsMemoryPanel.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/settings/panels/SettingsMemoryPanel.tsx
index c2b0cf6d12..69471d3c57 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/settings/panels/SettingsMemoryPanel.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/settings/panels/SettingsMemoryPanel.tsx
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import { SectionCard, getBadge as getBadgeHelper, getFieldBadge as getFieldBadge
 import { BookOpen, Brain, CalendarClock, Gauge } from "lucide-preact";
 import { fetchMemoryRemediationSchedule, saveMemoryRemediationSchedule } from "../../../lib/scheduler-api.js";
 import type { MemoryRemediationScheduleCadence } from "../../../types.js";
+import { AvantgardeSelect } from "../../ui/AvantgardeSelect.js";
 
   export const SettingsMemoryPanel: FunctionComponent<{ state: SettingsPageState }> = ({ state }) => {
   const {
@@ -139,22 +140,23 @@ import type { MemoryRemediationScheduleCadence } from "../../../types.js";
             />
           </Row>
           <Row label="Post-sprint remediation" description="Curate sprint memories after completion. AI mode uses the Remediation route and guardrail." badge={getFieldBadge("memory.remediationMode")} last>
-            <select
+            <AvantgardeSelect
+              aria-label="Post-sprint remediation"
               value={editableSettings.memory.remediationMode}
               disabled={!editableSettings.memory.enabled}
-              onChange={(event) => {
-                const value = (event.currentTarget as HTMLSelectElement).value as typeof editableSettings.memory.remediationMode;
+              onChange={(value) => {
                 updateEditableSettings((current) => ({
                   ...current,
-                  memory: { ...current.memory, remediationMode: value },
+                  memory: { ...current.memory, remediationMode: value as typeof editableSettings.memory.remediationMode },
                 }));
               }}
-              className="rounded-lg border border-slate-200 bg-white px-3 py-2 text-sm font-semibold text-slate-700 dark:border-white/10 dark:bg-void-900 dark:text-slate-100"
-            >
-              <option value="off">Off</option>
-              <option value="deterministic">Deterministic</option>
-              <option value="ai">AI remediation</option>
-            </select>
+              className="min-w-[12rem]"
+              options={[
+                { value: "off", label: "Off" },
+                { value: "deterministic", label: "Deterministic" },
+                { value: "ai", label: "AI remediation" },
+              ]}
+            />
           </Row>
         </SectionCard>
 
@@ -176,27 +178,31 @@ import type { MemoryRemediationScheduleCadence } from "../../../types.js";
           ) : (
             <>
               <Row label="Schedule cadence" description="Create or update the scheduler entry that runs project-scoped long-term memory remediation." badge={getFieldBadge("memory.remediationMode")}>
-                <select
+                <AvantgardeSelect
+                  aria-label="Schedule cadence"
                   value={scheduleCadence}
                   disabled={scheduleLoading || scheduleSaving || !editableSettings.memory.enabled}
-                  onChange={(event) => setScheduleCadence((event.currentTarget as HTMLSelectElement).value as MemoryRemediationScheduleCadence)}
-                  className="rounded-lg border border-slate-200 bg-white px-3 py-2 text-sm font-semibold text-slate-700 dark:border-white/10 dark:bg-void-900 dark:text-slate-100"
-                >
-                  <option value="off">Off</option>
-                  <option value="daily">Every day</option>
-                  <option value="weekly">Every week</option>
-                </select>
+                  onChange={(value) => setScheduleCadence(value as MemoryRemediationScheduleCadence)}
+                  className="min-w-[12rem]"
+                  options={[
+                    { value: "off", label: "Off" },
+                    { value: "daily", label: "Every day" },
+                    { value: "weekly", label: "Every week" },
+                  ]}
+                />
               </Row>
               <Row label="Remediation mode" description="Deterministic mode applies safe cleanup heuristics. AI mode routes candidates through the Remediation provider route." badge={getFieldBadge("memory.remediationMode")}>
-                <select
+                <AvantgardeSelect
+                  aria-label="Scheduled remediation mode"
                   value={scheduleMode}
                   disabled={scheduleLoading || scheduleSaving || !editableSettings.memory.enabled || scheduleCadence === "off"}
-                  onChange={(event) => setScheduleMode((event.currentTarget as HTMLSelectElement).value as "deterministic" | "ai")}
-                  className="rounded-lg border border-slate-200 bg-white px-3 py-2 text-sm font-semibold text-slate-700 dark:border-white/10 dark:bg-void-900 dark:text-slate-100"
-                >
-                  <option value="deterministic">Deterministic</option>
-                  <option value="ai">AI remediation</option>
-                </select>
+                  onChange={(value) => setScheduleMode(value as "deterministic" | "ai")}
+                  className="min-w-[12rem]"
+                  options={[
+                    { value: "deterministic", label: "Deterministic" },
+                    { value: "ai", label: "AI remediation" },
+                  ]}
+                />
               </Row>
               <Row label="Run time" description="The next scheduler occurrence is calculated in your local timezone." badge={getFieldBadge("memory.remediationMode")} last>
                 <div className="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-end gap-2">
@@ -316,21 +322,22 @@ import type { MemoryRemediationScheduleCadence } from "../../../types.js";
           ]}
         >
           <Row label="Embedding backend" description="Use downloaded in-app ONNX models or an external OpenAI-compatible embeddings API." badge={getFieldBadge("memory.embeddingProvider")}>
-            <select
+            <AvantgardeSelect
+              aria-label="Embedding backend"
               value={editableSettings.memory.embeddingProvider}
               disabled={!editableSettings.memory.enabled}
-              onChange={(event) => {
-                const value = (event.currentTarget as HTMLSelectElement).value as typeof editableSettings.memory.embeddingProvider;
+              onChange={(value) => {
                 updateEditableSettings((current) => ({
                   ...current,
-                  memory: { ...current.memory, embeddingProvider: value },
+                  memory: { ...current.memory, embeddingProvider: value as typeof editableSettings.memory.embeddingProvider },
                 }));
               }}
-              className="rounded-lg border border-slate-200 bg-white px-3 py-2 text-sm font-semibold text-slate-700 dark:border-white/10 dark:bg-void-900 dark:text-slate-100"
-            >
-              <option value="in_app">In-app models</option>
-              <option value="external_api">External API</option>
-            </select>
+              className="min-w-[12rem]"
+              options={[
+                { value: "in_app", label: "In-app models" },
+                { value: "external_api", label: "External API" },
+              ]}
+            />
           </Row>
           {editableSettings.memory.embeddingProvider === "external_api" && (
             <>
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/SprintCell.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/SprintCell.tsx
index 414e93008e..22ad5169af 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/SprintCell.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/SprintCell.tsx
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ const statusMap: Record<SprintStatus, {
   running: { ring: "border-status-green/45 shadow-[0_0_34px_rgba(0,171,132,0.28)]", accentHex: "#00AB84" },
   paused: { ring: "border-status-amber/45 shadow-[0_0_34px_rgba(245,158,11,0.24)]", accentHex: "#F59E0B" },
   completed: { ring: "border-slate-300/50 shadow-[0_0_24px_rgba(148,163,184,0.18)]", accentHex: "#94A3B8" },
-  failed: { ring: "border-status-red/55 shadow-[0_0_34px_rgba(227,0,15,0.3)]", accentHex: "#E3000F" },
+  failed: { ring: "", accentHex: "#E3000F" },
   cancelled: { ring: "border-slate-300/35 shadow-[0_0_24px_rgba(148,163,184,0.16)]", accentHex: "#94A3B8" },
   idle: { ring: "", accentHex: "#00E0A0" },
 };
@@ -169,6 +169,9 @@ export const SprintCell: FunctionComponent<SprintCellProps> = ({
     statusPresentation,
     humanIntervention,
   });
+  const galleryAttentionIndicatorState = attentionIndicatorState?.kind === "human"
+    ? attentionIndicatorState
+    : null;
   const animationClass = isCompleted ? "" : isEven ? "animate-organic" : "animate-organic-reverse";
   const controlFeedbackStyle = {
     transitionDuration: interactionTokens.controlFeedback.duration,
@@ -220,7 +223,7 @@ export const SprintCell: FunctionComponent<SprintCellProps> = ({
   return (
     <div
       ref={bubbleRef}
-      data-sprint-attention={attentionIndicatorState?.kind}
+      data-sprint-attention={galleryAttentionIndicatorState?.kind}
       data-sprint-kind={sprint.kind}
       onMouseEnter={handleHoverEnter}
       onMouseLeave={handleHoverLeave}
@@ -247,16 +250,9 @@ export const SprintCell: FunctionComponent<SprintCellProps> = ({
         </div>
       </div>
 
-      {attentionIndicatorState?.kind === "failure" && (
-        <div
-          data-sprint-attention-border
-          aria-hidden="true"
-          className="pointer-events-none absolute inset-0 z-[11] rounded-[1.75rem] border-2 border-status-red/70 shadow-[0_0_28px_rgba(227,0,15,0.24),inset_0_0_18px_rgba(227,0,15,0.08)] motion-reduce:shadow-none"
-        />
-      )}
-
       {state.ring && !isCompleted && (
         <div
+          data-sprint-status-ring={sprint.status}
           className={`absolute inset-0 pointer-events-none mix-blend-screen scale-[1.012] ${animationClass}`}
           style={{
             zIndex: 10,
@@ -305,12 +301,10 @@ export const SprintCell: FunctionComponent<SprintCellProps> = ({
             Rollback
           </div>
         )}
-        {attentionIndicatorState && (
+        {galleryAttentionIndicatorState && (
           <SprintAttentionIndicator
-            state={attentionIndicatorState}
-            className={attentionIndicatorState.kind === "human"
-              ? "absolute bottom-full left-1/2 z-[80] mb-[10px] -translate-x-1/2"
-              : "absolute left-1/2 top-4 -translate-x-1/2"}
+            state={galleryAttentionIndicatorState}
+            className="absolute bottom-full left-1/2 z-[80] mb-[10px] -translate-x-1/2"
           />
         )}
 
@@ -329,6 +323,7 @@ export const SprintCell: FunctionComponent<SprintCellProps> = ({
             status={sprint.status}
             review={sprint.latestReview}
             ciPresentation={ciStatus}
+            humanIntervention={humanIntervention}
             compact
             align="right"
           />
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/SprintIssueImportModal.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/SprintIssueImportModal.tsx
index 778eab6014..9c9b29dda2 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/SprintIssueImportModal.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/SprintIssueImportModal.tsx
@@ -674,48 +674,36 @@ export const SprintIssueImportModal: FunctionComponent<SprintIssueImportModalPro
               provider={providerMetadata}
               aria-label="State"
               value={filters.state}
-              onChange={(event) => updateFilters((current) => ({ ...current, state: (event.target as HTMLSelectElement).value as IssueFilters["state"] }))}
-            >
-              {STATE_OPTIONS.map((option) => (
-                <option key={option.value} value={option.value}>{option.label}</option>
-              ))}
-            </IssueImportSelect>
+              onChange={(value) => updateFilters((current) => ({ ...current, state: value as IssueFilters["state"] }))}
+              options={STATE_OPTIONS.map((option) => ({ value: option.value, label: option.label }))}
+            />
           </IssueImportField>
           <IssueImportField label="Sort">
             <IssueImportSelect
               provider={providerMetadata}
               aria-label="Sort"
               value={filters.sortField}
-              onChange={(event) => updateFilters((current) => ({ ...current, sortField: (event.target as HTMLSelectElement).value as IssueFilters["sortField"] }))}
-            >
-              {SORT_FIELD_OPTIONS.map((option) => (
-                <option key={option.value} value={option.value}>{option.label}</option>
-              ))}
-            </IssueImportSelect>
+              onChange={(value) => updateFilters((current) => ({ ...current, sortField: value as IssueFilters["sortField"] }))}
+              options={SORT_FIELD_OPTIONS.map((option) => ({ value: option.value, label: option.label }))}
+            />
           </IssueImportField>
           <IssueImportField label="Direction">
             <IssueImportSelect
               provider={providerMetadata}
               aria-label="Direction"
               value={filters.sortDirection}
-              onChange={(event) => updateFilters((current) => ({ ...current, sortDirection: (event.target as HTMLSelectElement).value as IssueFilters["sortDirection"] }))}
-            >
-              {SORT_DIRECTION_OPTIONS.map((option) => (
-                <option key={option.value} value={option.value}>{option.label}</option>
-              ))}
-            </IssueImportSelect>
+              onChange={(value) => updateFilters((current) => ({ ...current, sortDirection: value as IssueFilters["sortDirection"] }))}
+              options={SORT_DIRECTION_OPTIONS.map((option) => ({ value: option.value, label: option.label }))}
+            />
           </IssueImportField>
           <IssueImportField label="Limit">
             <IssueImportSelect
               provider={providerMetadata}
               aria-label="Limit"
               value={filters.limit}
-              onChange={(event) => updateFilters((current) => ({ ...current, limit: Number((event.target as HTMLSelectElement).value) }))}
-            >
-              {SEARCH_LIMITS.map((option) => (
-                <option key={option} value={option}>{option}</option>
-              ))}
-            </IssueImportSelect>
+              onChange={(value) => updateFilters((current) => ({ ...current, limit: Number(value) }))}
+              options={SEARCH_LIMITS.map((value) => ({ value: String(value), label: String(value) }))}
+            />
           </IssueImportField>
         </div>
 
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/SprintJiraImportModal.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/SprintJiraImportModal.tsx
index ef7884f659..0cf412a768 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/SprintJiraImportModal.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/SprintJiraImportModal.tsx
@@ -671,43 +671,26 @@ export const SprintJiraImportModal = ({
                   provider={JIRA_PROVIDER}
                   aria-label="Jira status"
                   value={getStatusSelectValue(statusSelection, jiraStatusNames, useCategoryStatusFallback)}
-                  onInput={(event) => {
-                    updateStatusSelection(parseStatusSelectValue(
-                      (event.target as HTMLSelectElement).value,
-                      jiraStatusNames,
-                      useCategoryStatusFallback,
-                    ));
-                  }}
-                  onChange={(event) => {
+                  onChange={(value) => {
                     updateStatusSelection(parseStatusSelectValue(
-                      (event.target as HTMLSelectElement).value,
+                      value,
                       jiraStatusNames,
                       useCategoryStatusFallback,
                     ));
                   }}
-                >
-                  {useCategoryStatusFallback ? (
-                    STATUS_OPTIONS.map((option) => (
-                      <option key={option.value} value={`category:${option.value}`}>
-                        {option.label}
-                      </option>
-                    ))
-                  ) : (
-                    <>
-                      <option value="all">All statuses</option>
-                      {statusLoadState === "loading" && jiraStatusNames.length === 0 && (
-                        <option value="loading" disabled>
-                          Loading Jira statuses...
-                        </option>
-                      )}
-                      {jiraStatusNames.map((statusName) => (
-                        <option key={statusName} value={`jira-status:${encodeURIComponent(statusName)}`}>
-                          {statusName}
-                        </option>
-                      ))}
-                    </>
-                  )}
-                </IssueImportSelect>
+                  options={useCategoryStatusFallback
+                    ? STATUS_OPTIONS.map((option) => ({ value: `category:${option.value}`, label: option.label }))
+                    : [
+                        { value: "all", label: "All statuses" },
+                        ...(statusLoadState === "loading" && jiraStatusNames.length === 0
+                          ? [{ value: "loading", label: "Loading Jira statuses...", disabled: true }]
+                          : []),
+                        ...jiraStatusNames.map((statusName) => ({
+                          value: `jira-status:${encodeURIComponent(statusName)}`,
+                          label: statusName,
+                        })),
+                      ]}
+                />
               </IssueImportField>
 
               <IssueImportField label="Sort field">
@@ -715,14 +698,9 @@ export const SprintJiraImportModal = ({
                   provider={JIRA_PROVIDER}
                   aria-label="Sort field"
                   value={sortField}
-                  onChange={(event) => setSortField((event.target as HTMLSelectElement).value as JiraSortField)}
-                >
-                  {SORT_FIELD_OPTIONS.map((option) => (
-                    <option key={option.value} value={option.value}>
-                      {option.label}
-                    </option>
-                  ))}
-                </IssueImportSelect>
+                  onChange={(value) => setSortField(value as JiraSortField)}
+                  options={SORT_FIELD_OPTIONS.map((option) => ({ value: option.value, label: option.label }))}
+                />
               </IssueImportField>
 
               <IssueImportField label="Sort direction">
@@ -730,14 +708,9 @@ export const SprintJiraImportModal = ({
                   provider={JIRA_PROVIDER}
                   aria-label="Sort direction"
                   value={sortDirection}
-                  onChange={(event) => setSortDirection((event.target as HTMLSelectElement).value as JiraSortDirection)}
-                >
-                  {SORT_DIRECTION_OPTIONS.map((option) => (
-                    <option key={option.value} value={option.value}>
-                      {option.label}
-                    </option>
-                  ))}
-                </IssueImportSelect>
+                  onChange={(value) => setSortDirection(value as JiraSortDirection)}
+                  options={SORT_DIRECTION_OPTIONS.map((option) => ({ value: option.value, label: option.label }))}
+                />
               </IssueImportField>
 
               <IssueImportField label="Limit" hint="Bounded to the Jira search endpoint limit.">
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/SprintLedgerRow.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/SprintLedgerRow.tsx
index 6f76d27d32..e38b95e78f 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/SprintLedgerRow.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/SprintLedgerRow.tsx
@@ -432,6 +432,7 @@ const SprintLedgerRowComponent: FunctionComponent<SprintLedgerRowProps> = ({
             status={sprint.status}
             review={sprint.latestReview}
             ciPresentation={ciStatus}
+            humanIntervention={humanIntervention}
             compact
             align="left"
           />
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/SprintProjectManagementImportModal.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/SprintProjectManagementImportModal.tsx
index b4524233a4..b7a7d4a227 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/SprintProjectManagementImportModal.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/SprintProjectManagementImportModal.tsx
@@ -455,12 +455,9 @@ export const SprintProjectManagementImportModal: FunctionComponent<SprintProject
                     provider={providerMetadata}
                     aria-label={`${providerMetadata.label} status`}
                     value={filters.status}
-                    onChange={(event) => updateFilters((current) => ({ ...current, status: (event.target as HTMLSelectElement).value as ProjectManagementFilters["status"] }))}
-                  >
-                    {STATUS_OPTIONS.map((option) => (
-                      <option key={option.value} value={option.value}>{option.label}</option>
-                    ))}
-                  </IssueImportSelect>
+                    onChange={(value) => updateFilters((current) => ({ ...current, status: value as ProjectManagementFilters["status"] }))}
+                    options={STATUS_OPTIONS.map((option) => ({ value: option.value, label: option.label }))}
+                  />
                 </IssueImportField>
               )}
 
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/__tests__/SprintCell.visual.test.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/__tests__/SprintCell.visual.test.tsx
index d6599b3b2f..a8ce6fb351 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/__tests__/SprintCell.visual.test.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/__tests__/SprintCell.visual.test.tsx
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ describe("SprintCell visuals", () => {
     expect(onPrimaryAction).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
-  it("renders a reduced-motion-safe failed execution indicator and full red attention border", () => {
+  it("uses the workflow widget for failed execution without a duplicate banner or outer red border", () => {
     const { container } = render(
       <SprintCell
         sprint={{ ...sprint, status: "failed" }}
@@ -154,15 +154,21 @@ describe("SprintCell visuals", () => {
       />,
     );
 
-    const cell = container.querySelector('[data-sprint-attention="failure"]');
-    const indicator = screen.getByRole("status", { name: "Sprint execution failed" });
-    const border = container.querySelector("[data-sprint-attention-border]");
+    const workflowTrigger = screen.getByRole("button", { name: /CI status: Coding failed.*Show workflow details/i });
 
-    expect(cell).toBeInTheDocument();
-    expect(indicator).toHaveAttribute("data-reduced-motion", "true");
-    expect(indicator.querySelector(".motion-reduce\\:animate-none")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByRole("status", { name: "Sprint execution failed" })).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByText("Execution failed")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(container.querySelector('[data-sprint-attention="failure"]')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(container.querySelector("[data-sprint-attention-border]")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(container.querySelector("[data-sprint-status-ring='failed']")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.queryByRole("status", { name: "Sprint waiting for human intervention" })).not.toBeInTheDocument();
-    expect(border).toHaveClass("border-2", "border-status-red/70", "motion-reduce:shadow-none");
+    expect(workflowTrigger.closest("[data-workflow-state]")).toHaveAttribute("data-workflow-state", "failed");
+    expect(workflowTrigger).toHaveTextContent("Coding failed");
+
+    fireEvent.click(workflowTrigger);
+    const workflowDetails = screen.getByRole("region", { name: "CI workflow details" });
+    expect(within(workflowDetails).getAllByText("Coding failed")).toHaveLength(2);
+    expect(within(workflowDetails).getByText("Workflow failed")).toBeVisible();
   });
 
   it("places a human-owned waiting cue 10px above the cell without a red border or duplicate badge", () => {
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/importer/IssueImportFields.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/importer/IssueImportFields.tsx
index 70184d707f..b5281ba9be 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/importer/IssueImportFields.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/sprints/importer/IssueImportFields.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import type { ComponentChildren, ComponentProps, FunctionComponent } from "preact";
 import type { IssueImportProviderMetadata } from "../../../lib/issue-import-view-models.js";
+import { AvantgardeSelect, type SelectOption } from "../../ui/AvantgardeSelect.js";
 
 interface IssueImportFilterSectionProps {
   title: string;
@@ -26,8 +27,17 @@ type IssueImportTextareaProps = ComponentProps<"textarea"> & {
   provider: IssueImportProviderMetadata;
 };
 
-type IssueImportSelectProps = ComponentProps<"select"> & {
+type IssueImportSelectProps = {
   provider: IssueImportProviderMetadata;
+  value: string | number;
+  options: SelectOption[];
+  onChange: (value: string) => void;
+  disabled?: boolean;
+  className?: string;
+  id?: string;
+  "aria-label"?: string;
+  "aria-labelledby"?: string;
+  "aria-describedby"?: string;
 };
 
 const normalizeClassName = (className: ComponentProps<"input">["className"]): string => (
@@ -43,15 +53,6 @@ export const issueImportInputClassName = (
   className,
 ].filter(Boolean).join(" ");
 
-export const issueImportSelectClassName = (
-  provider: IssueImportProviderMetadata,
-  className = "",
-): string => [
-  "min-h-11 w-full min-w-0 rounded-[1rem] border border-black/[0.07] bg-black/[0.025] px-3 text-xs font-bold uppercase tracking-[0.12em] text-slate-500 outline-none transition-colors focus:border-signal-500 focus-visible:ring-2 disabled:cursor-not-allowed disabled:opacity-50 dark:border-white/[0.08] dark:bg-white/[0.035] dark:text-slate-300",
-  provider.accent.focusRingClassName,
-  className,
-].filter(Boolean).join(" ");
-
 export const issueImportTextareaClassName = (
   provider: IssueImportProviderMetadata,
   className = "",
@@ -145,17 +146,21 @@ export const IssueImportNumberInput: FunctionComponent<IssueImportTextInputProps
 );
 
 export const IssueImportSelect: FunctionComponent<IssueImportSelectProps> = ({
-  provider,
+  provider: _provider,
+  value,
+  options,
+  onChange,
   className,
-  children,
   ...props
 }) => (
-  <select
+  <AvantgardeSelect
     {...props}
-    className={issueImportSelectClassName(provider, normalizeClassName(className))}
-  >
-    {children}
-  </select>
+    value={String(value)}
+    onChange={onChange}
+    options={options}
+    variant="card"
+    className={`w-full min-w-0 ${className ?? ""}`}
+  />
 );
 
 export const IssueImportTextarea: FunctionComponent<IssueImportTextareaProps> = ({
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/tasks/KanbanTaskCard.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/tasks/KanbanTaskCard.tsx
index 482fcd7d59..20b82b852c 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/tasks/KanbanTaskCard.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/tasks/KanbanTaskCard.tsx
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ export const KanbanTaskCard: FunctionComponent<{
   onDragStart?: (e: DragEvent) => void;
   onDragEnd?: (e: DragEvent) => void;
 }> = memo(({ viewModel, index = 0, onEdit, onDelete, agentPresetName, agentPresetAvatarConfig, isDragging = false, onDragStart, onDragEnd }) => {
-  const { task, humanizedCreatedAt, dependencyIndicators, selfReflectionRating, ciStatusPresentation, sessionId, sessionState, prUrl, liveRunningTime, liveStartedAt } = viewModel;
+  const { task, humanizedCreatedAt, dependencyIndicators, selfReflectionRating, ciStatusPresentation, humanIntervention, sessionId, sessionState, prUrl, liveRunningTime, liveStartedAt } = viewModel;
   const cardRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
   const pri = PRIORITY_CFG[task.priority];
   const statusLabel = STATUS_CFG[task.status].label;
@@ -200,6 +200,7 @@ export const KanbanTaskCard: FunctionComponent<{
           status={task.status}
           review={task.latestReview}
           ciPresentation={ciStatusPresentation ?? null}
+          humanIntervention={humanIntervention ?? null}
           compact
           align="right"
           className="min-w-0 max-w-full"
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/ui/AddTaskModal.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/ui/AddTaskModal.tsx
index 5a5950f525..c92d502640 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/ui/AddTaskModal.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/ui/AddTaskModal.tsx
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import { Button } from "./Button.js";
 import { Modal } from "./Modal.js";
 import { FieldWrapper } from "../forms/FieldWrapper.js";
 import { useReducedMotion } from "../../hooks/use-reduced-motion.js";
+import { AvantgardeSelect } from "./AvantgardeSelect.js";
 
 interface TaskDraft {
   sprintId: string;
@@ -238,22 +239,23 @@ export const AddTaskModal: FunctionComponent<AddTaskModalProps> = ({
             <ActionFeedbackRegion status={feedback.status} message={feedback.message} onDismiss={clearFeedback} clearError={clearError} autoDismiss={feedback.autoDismiss} retryAction={feedback.retryAction} retryLabel={feedback.retryLabel} />
             <div className="grid grid-cols-1 md:grid-cols-2 gap-5">
               <FieldWrapper label="Sprint" required error={validationErrors.sprintId} forceTouch={touched.sprintId} announceError={false}>
-                <select
+                <AvantgardeSelect
                   id="add-task-sprint"
                   value={sprintId}
-                  onInput={(event) => {
-                    setSprintId((event.target as HTMLSelectElement).value);
+                  onChange={(value) => {
+                    setSprintId(value);
                     if (feedback.status === "error") clearError();
                   }}
-                  className="mt-2.5 w-full rounded-2xl bg-black/[0.03] dark:bg-white/[0.03] border border-black/[0.08] dark:border-white/[0.08] px-4 py-3 text-sm font-semibold text-slate-700 dark:text-slate-300 focus:outline-none focus:border-signal-500 focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-signal-500"
+                  className="mt-2.5 w-full"
                   onBlur={() => setTouched(prev => ({ ...prev, sprintId: true }))}
-                  required
-                >
-                  <option value="" disabled>Select sprint</option>
-                  {sprints.map((sprint) => (
-                    <option key={sprint.id} value={sprint.id}>{sprint.name}</option>
-                  ))}
-                </select>
+                  aria-required="true"
+                  invalid={Boolean(validationErrors.sprintId && touched.sprintId)}
+                  placeholder="Select sprint"
+                  options={[
+                    { value: "", label: "Select sprint", disabled: true },
+                    ...sprints.map((sprint) => ({ value: sprint.id, label: sprint.name })),
+                  ]}
+                />
               </FieldWrapper>
 
               <FieldWrapper label="Title" required error={validationErrors.title} forceTouch={touched.title} announceError={false}>
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/ui/AvantgardeSelect.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/ui/AvantgardeSelect.tsx
index df2d418834..fd13f09137 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/ui/AvantgardeSelect.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/ui/AvantgardeSelect.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import type { FunctionComponent, ComponentChildren } from "preact";
+import type { FunctionComponent, ComponentChildren, Ref } from "preact";
 import { useCallback, useEffect, useId, useLayoutEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from "preact/hooks";
 import { createPortal } from "preact/compat";
 import { Check, ChevronDown } from "lucide-preact";
@@ -12,9 +12,10 @@ export interface SelectOption {
   value: string;
   label: string;
   icon?: ComponentChildren | (() => ComponentChildren);
+  disabled?: boolean;
 }
 
-interface AvantgardeSelectProps {
+export interface AvantgardeSelectProps {
   id?: string;
   value: string;
   onChange: (value: string) => void;
@@ -36,6 +37,9 @@ interface AvantgardeSelectProps {
   "aria-invalid"?: boolean | "false" | "true" | "grammar" | "spelling";
   "aria-errormessage"?: string;
   "aria-required"?: boolean | "false" | "true";
+  "aria-busy"?: boolean | "false" | "true";
+  title?: string;
+  triggerRef?: Ref<HTMLButtonElement>;
   onBlur?: (e: FocusEvent) => void;
 }
 
@@ -96,6 +100,9 @@ export const AvantgardeSelect: FunctionComponent<AvantgardeSelectProps> = ({
   "aria-invalid": ariaInvalid,
   "aria-errormessage": ariaErrorMessage,
   "aria-required": ariaRequired,
+  "aria-busy": ariaBusy,
+  title,
+  triggerRef: externalTriggerRef,
   onBlur,
 }) => {
   const [open, setOpen] = useState(false);
@@ -196,6 +203,11 @@ export const AvantgardeSelect: FunctionComponent<AvantgardeSelectProps> = ({
   useLayoutEffect(() => {
     if (!isRendered || !panelRef.current || !position) return;
 
+    if (typeof gsap.context !== "function") {
+      if (!open) setIsRendered(false);
+      return;
+    }
+
     const panel = panelRef.current;
     let ctx = gsap.context(() => {
       const isUp = position.direction === "up";
@@ -241,8 +253,9 @@ export const AvantgardeSelect: FunctionComponent<AvantgardeSelectProps> = ({
 
   useEffect(() => {
     if (open) {
-      const idx = options.findIndex(o => o.value === value);
-      setActiveIndex(idx >= 0 ? idx : 0);
+      const selectedIndex = options.findIndex(o => o.value === value && !o.disabled);
+      const firstEnabledIndex = options.findIndex(o => !o.disabled);
+      setActiveIndex(selectedIndex >= 0 ? selectedIndex : firstEnabledIndex);
     } else {
       setActiveIndex(-1);
       setFilter("");
@@ -300,6 +313,15 @@ export const AvantgardeSelect: FunctionComponent<AvantgardeSelectProps> = ({
     return [...matches, { value: trimmed, label: `Use "${trimmed}"` }];
   }, [options, searchable, allowCustomValue, filter, maxVisibleOptions]);
 
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!open) return;
+    setActiveIndex((currentIndex) => (
+      filteredOptions[currentIndex] && !filteredOptions[currentIndex].disabled
+        ? currentIndex
+        : filteredOptions.findIndex((option) => !option.disabled)
+    ));
+  }, [filteredOptions, open]);
+
   const onKeyDown = (e: KeyboardEvent) => {
     if (!open) return;
     // Don't intercept space if we are in the search input
@@ -318,22 +340,32 @@ export const AvantgardeSelect: FunctionComponent<AvantgardeSelectProps> = ({
       focusWithoutScroll(triggerRef.current);
       return;
     }
-    if (!filteredOptions.length) return;
+    if (!filteredOptions.some((option) => !option.disabled)) return;
+    const moveToEnabledOption = (offset: 1 | -1): void => {
+      let nextIndex = activeIndex;
+      for (let step = 0; step < filteredOptions.length; step += 1) {
+        nextIndex = (nextIndex + offset + filteredOptions.length) % filteredOptions.length;
+        if (!filteredOptions[nextIndex]?.disabled) {
+          setActiveIndex(nextIndex);
+          return;
+        }
+      }
+    };
     if (e.key === "ArrowDown") {
       e.preventDefault();
-      setActiveIndex(prev => (prev + 1) % filteredOptions.length);
+      moveToEnabledOption(1);
     } else if (e.key === "ArrowUp") {
       e.preventDefault();
-      setActiveIndex(prev => (prev - 1 + filteredOptions.length) % filteredOptions.length);
+      moveToEnabledOption(-1);
     } else if (e.key === "Home") {
       e.preventDefault();
-      setActiveIndex(0);
+      setActiveIndex(filteredOptions.findIndex((option) => !option.disabled));
     } else if (e.key === "End") {
       e.preventDefault();
-      setActiveIndex(filteredOptions.length - 1);
+      setActiveIndex(filteredOptions.map((option) => !option.disabled).lastIndexOf(true));
     } else if (e.key === "Enter" || e.key === " ") {
       e.preventDefault();
-      if (activeIndex >= 0 && activeIndex < filteredOptions.length) {
+      if (activeIndex >= 0 && activeIndex < filteredOptions.length && !filteredOptions[activeIndex].disabled) {
         onChange(filteredOptions[activeIndex].value);
         setOpen(false);
         focusWithoutScroll(triggerRef.current);
@@ -344,7 +376,8 @@ export const AvantgardeSelect: FunctionComponent<AvantgardeSelectProps> = ({
   const selected = options.find((o) => o.value === value);
   const selectId = id || generatedId;
   const listboxId = `${selectId}-listbox`;
-  const selectedOptionId = selected ? `select-option-${selected.value.replace(/\W/g, '-')}` : undefined;
+  const optionId = (optionValue: string): string => `${listboxId}-option-${optionValue.replace(/\W/g, '-') || "empty"}`;
+  const selectedOptionId = selected ? optionId(selected.value) : undefined;
 
   const activeOptionRef = useRef<HTMLButtonElement>(null);
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -409,7 +442,7 @@ export const AvantgardeSelect: FunctionComponent<AvantgardeSelectProps> = ({
             onKeyDown={onKeyDown}
             aria-label={ariaLabel}
             aria-labelledby={ariaLabelledby}
-            aria-activedescendant={activeIndex >= 0 && filteredOptions[activeIndex] ? `select-option-${filteredOptions[activeIndex].value.replace(/\W/g, '-')}` : undefined}
+            aria-activedescendant={activeIndex >= 0 && filteredOptions[activeIndex] ? optionId(filteredOptions[activeIndex].value) : undefined}
           >
             {searchable && (
               <div className="px-2 pt-1 pb-1.5 sticky -top-1.5 bg-white/[0.97] dark:bg-void-800/[0.97] z-20">
@@ -419,9 +452,11 @@ export const AvantgardeSelect: FunctionComponent<AvantgardeSelectProps> = ({
                   value={filter}
                   onInput={(e) => {
                     setFilter(e.currentTarget.value);
-                    setActiveIndex(0);
                   }}
-                  onKeyDown={onKeyDown as any}
+                  onKeyDown={(event) => {
+                    event.stopPropagation();
+                    onKeyDown(event);
+                  }}
                   className="w-full px-3 py-1.5 bg-black/[0.04] dark:bg-white/[0.04] border border-black/[0.06] dark:border-white/[0.06] rounded-lg text-xs focus:outline-none focus:ring-2 focus:ring-signal-500/30 text-slate-700 dark:text-slate-200"
                   ref={searchInputRef}
                 />
@@ -433,17 +468,22 @@ export const AvantgardeSelect: FunctionComponent<AvantgardeSelectProps> = ({
               return (
                 <button
                   key={option.value}
-                  id={`select-option-${option.value.replace(/\W/g, '-')}`}
+                  id={optionId(option.value)}
                   role="option"
                   aria-selected={isSelected}
+                  aria-disabled={option.disabled || undefined}
                   type="button"
                   ref={isFocused ? activeOptionRef : null}
                   onClick={() => {
+                    if (option.disabled) return;
                     onChange(option.value);
                     setOpen(false);
                     focusWithoutScroll(triggerRef.current);
                   }}
+                  disabled={option.disabled}
                   className={`flex w-full items-center gap-2.5 px-3.5 py-2.5 text-left text-sm transition-colors motion-reduce:duration-0 motion-reduce:ease-none ${
+                    option.disabled ? "cursor-not-allowed opacity-45 " : ""
+                  }${
                     isFocused ? "bg-signal-500/10 shadow-[inset_2px_0_0_0_var(--color-signal-500)] text-signal-600 dark:text-signal-300 z-10 relative" : ""
                   }${
                     isSelected
@@ -473,9 +513,17 @@ export const AvantgardeSelect: FunctionComponent<AvantgardeSelectProps> = ({
     <div className={`relative ${className}`}>
       <button
         id={id}
-        ref={triggerRef}
+        ref={(element) => {
+          triggerRef.current = element;
+          if (typeof externalTriggerRef === "function") {
+            externalTriggerRef(element);
+          } else if (externalTriggerRef) {
+            externalTriggerRef.current = element;
+          }
+        }}
         style={{ transitionProperty: "all", transitionDuration: tokens.controlFeedback.duration, transitionTimingFunction: tokens.controlFeedback.ease }}
         type="button"
+        value={value}
         onClick={() => !disabled && setOpen(!open)}
         onKeyDown={(e) => {
           if (!open && (e.key === "ArrowDown" || e.key === "ArrowUp" || e.key === " ")) {
@@ -498,6 +546,8 @@ export const AvantgardeSelect: FunctionComponent<AvantgardeSelectProps> = ({
         aria-describedby={ariaDescribedBy}
         aria-errormessage={ariaErrorMessage}
         aria-required={ariaRequired}
+        aria-busy={ariaBusy}
+        title={title}
       >
         {selected?.icon ? <span className="flex-shrink-0">{renderOptionIcon(selected.icon)}</span> : null}
         <span className="truncate">{selected?.label || placeholder}</span>
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/ui/TaskComposer.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/ui/TaskComposer.tsx
index ad2b3eb3cd..643943001c 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/ui/TaskComposer.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/ui/TaskComposer.tsx
@@ -176,18 +176,18 @@ export const TaskComposer: FunctionComponent<TaskComposerProps> = ({
           <main className="min-h-0 overflow-y-auto px-5 py-6 sm:px-6 lg:px-8">
             <div data-composer-stagger className="grid gap-4 sm:grid-cols-[minmax(0,1fr)_13rem]">
               <FieldWrapper label="Sprint" required error={state.sprintIdError} forceTouch={state.touchedFields.sprintId || state.hasAttemptedSubmit}>
-                <select
+                <AvantgardeSelect
                   value={state.sprintId}
-                  onInput={(event) => state.setSprintId((event.target as HTMLSelectElement).value)}
+                  onChange={state.setSprintId}
                   onBlur={() => state.setFieldTouched("sprintId")}
-                  className="w-full min-w-0 rounded-xl border border-black/[0.07] bg-white/55 px-3 py-2.5 text-sm font-semibold text-slate-700 outline-none transition-[border-color,box-shadow,background-color] placeholder:text-slate-300 focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-signal-500/50 dark:border-white/[0.08] dark:bg-white/[0.03] dark:text-slate-300"
-                  required
-                >
-                  <option value="" disabled>Select sprint</option>
-                  {sprints.map((sprint) => (
-                    <option key={sprint.id} value={sprint.id}>{sprint.name}</option>
-                  ))}
-                </select>
+                  aria-required="true"
+                  invalid={Boolean(state.sprintIdError && (state.touchedFields.sprintId || state.hasAttemptedSubmit))}
+                  placeholder="Select sprint"
+                  options={[
+                    { value: "", label: "Select sprint", disabled: true },
+                    ...sprints.map((sprint) => ({ value: sprint.id, label: sprint.name })),
+                  ]}
+                />
               </FieldWrapper>
 
               <fieldset className="rounded-[1.2rem] border border-black/[0.06] bg-black/[0.025] p-3 dark:border-white/[0.06] dark:bg-white/[0.03]">
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/ui/TaskRow.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/ui/TaskRow.tsx
index 6904e7ac2e..5879733bc4 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/ui/TaskRow.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/ui/TaskRow.tsx
@@ -5,14 +5,18 @@ import type { Task } from "../../types.js";
 import type { TaskStreamState } from "../../hooks/use-overview-stream-actions.js";
 import { WorkflowStatusBadge } from "./WorkflowStatusBadge.js";
 import { useInteractionTokens } from "../../lib/motion/tokens.js";
+import type { CiStatusPresentation } from "../../lib/ci-status-presentation.js";
+import type { ExecutionAttentionItemSummary } from "../../../types.js";
 
 interface TaskRowProps {
     task: Task;
     state?: TaskStreamState;
+    ciPresentation?: CiStatusPresentation | null;
+    humanIntervention?: ExecutionAttentionItemSummary | null;
     onPlayStop?: () => void;
 }
 
-export const TaskRow: FunctionComponent<TaskRowProps> = memo(({ task, state, onPlayStop }) => {
+export const TaskRow: FunctionComponent<TaskRowProps> = memo(({ task, state, ciPresentation = null, humanIntervention = null, onPlayStop }) => {
     const isRunning = state?.isRunning ?? task.status === "in_progress";
     const busy = state?.busy ?? false;
     const interactionTokens = useInteractionTokens();
@@ -52,6 +56,8 @@ export const TaskRow: FunctionComponent<TaskRowProps> = memo(({ task, state, onP
                         scope="task"
                         status={task.status}
                         review={task.latestReview}
+                        ciPresentation={ciPresentation}
+                        humanIntervention={humanIntervention}
                         compact
                         align="right"
                     />
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/components/ui/WorkflowStatusBadge.tsx b/dashboard/src/v2/components/ui/WorkflowStatusBadge.tsx
index 61be19b7cf..b42c56de3a 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/components/ui/WorkflowStatusBadge.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/components/ui/WorkflowStatusBadge.tsx
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import type { SprintReviewSummary } from "../../types.js";
 import type { CiStatusPresentation, CiWorkflowState } from "../../lib/ci-status-presentation.js";
 import {
   deriveWorkflowStatusPresentation,
+  type WorkflowHumanInterventionEvidence,
   type WorkflowStage,
   type WorkflowStageId,
 } from "../../lib/workflow-status-presentation.js";
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@ export interface WorkflowStatusBadgeProps {
   status: string;
   review?: SprintReviewSummary | null;
   ciPresentation?: CiStatusPresentation | null;
+  humanIntervention?: WorkflowHumanInterventionEvidence | null;
   compact?: boolean;
   align?: "left" | "right";
   className?: string;
@@ -289,6 +291,7 @@ export const WorkflowStatusBadge: FunctionComponent<WorkflowStatusBadgeProps> =
   status,
   review = null,
   ciPresentation = null,
+  humanIntervention = null,
   compact = false,
   align = "left",
   className = "",
@@ -313,7 +316,8 @@ export const WorkflowStatusBadge: FunctionComponent<WorkflowStatusBadgeProps> =
     status,
     review,
     ciPresentation: effectiveCiPresentation,
-  }), [effectiveCiPresentation, review, scope, status]);
+    humanIntervention,
+  }), [effectiveCiPresentation, humanIntervention, review, scope, status]);
   const MainIcon = presentation.tone === "qa_changes"
     ? PencilLine
     : presentation.state === "failed"
@@ -419,8 +423,9 @@ export const WorkflowStatusBadge: FunctionComponent<WorkflowStatusBadgeProps> =
   const handleBlur = (relatedTarget: EventTarget | null): void => {
     if (!(relatedTarget instanceof Node) || (!triggerRef.current?.contains(relatedTarget) && !overlayRef.current?.contains(relatedTarget))) scheduleClose();
   };
-  const ciAccessibleLabel = effectiveCiPresentation?.accessibleLabel ?? presentation.accessibleLabel;
-
+  const triggerStatusLabel = presentation.requiresHuman
+    ? presentation.label
+    : effectiveCiPresentation?.label ?? presentation.label;
   return (
     <span
       className={`relative inline-flex max-w-full items-center ${className}`}
@@ -428,6 +433,7 @@ export const WorkflowStatusBadge: FunctionComponent<WorkflowStatusBadgeProps> =
       data-workflow-tone={presentation.tone}
       data-ci-state={effectiveCiPresentation?.state ?? presentation.state}
       data-qa-state={currentReviewState ?? undefined}
+      data-human-needed={presentation.requiresHuman ? "true" : undefined}
       onMouseEnter={() => {
         pointerInsideRef.current = true;
         openOverlay();
@@ -442,7 +448,7 @@ export const WorkflowStatusBadge: FunctionComponent<WorkflowStatusBadgeProps> =
         type="button"
         aria-expanded={open}
         aria-controls={overlayId}
-        aria-label={`CI status: ${effectiveCiPresentation?.label ?? presentation.label}. ${ciAccessibleLabel} ${open ? "Hide" : "Show"} workflow details`}
+        aria-label={`CI status: ${triggerStatusLabel}. ${presentation.accessibleLabel} ${effectiveCiPresentation ? `CI evidence: ${effectiveCiPresentation.accessibleLabel} ` : ""}${open ? "Hide" : "Show"} workflow details`}
         onClick={() => openFromTrigger(triggerRef.current)}
         onFocus={() => openFromTrigger(triggerRef.current)}
         onBlur={(event) => handleBlur(event.relatedTarget)}
@@ -493,7 +499,7 @@ export const WorkflowStatusBadge: FunctionComponent<WorkflowStatusBadgeProps> =
           aria-label="CI workflow details"
           aria-describedby={review ? reviewHeadingId : undefined}
           tabIndex={-1}
-          className={`fixed z-[99999] grid max-h-[calc(100vh-1.5rem)] w-[min(52rem,calc(100vw-1.5rem))] gap-3 overflow-y-auto rounded-[1.65rem] border border-black/[0.08] bg-[#F9F8F4] p-3 shadow-[0_24px_70px_rgba(15,23,42,0.2)] motion-safe:animate-in motion-safe:fade-in motion-safe:zoom-in-95 dark:border-white/[0.09] dark:bg-void-900 ${review ? "md:grid-cols-[minmax(0,19rem)_2rem_minmax(0,1fr)] md:items-center" : "max-w-[20rem]"}`}
+          className={`fixed z-[99999] grid max-h-[calc(100vh-1.5rem)] w-[min(52rem,calc(100vw-1.5rem))] gap-3 overflow-y-auto motion-safe:animate-in motion-safe:fade-in motion-safe:zoom-in-95 ${review ? "md:grid-cols-[minmax(0,19rem)_2rem_minmax(0,1fr)] md:items-center" : "max-w-[20rem]"}`}
           style={{ top: coords.top, left: coords.left }}
           onMouseEnter={() => {
             pointerInsideRef.current = true;
@@ -516,6 +522,11 @@ export const WorkflowStatusBadge: FunctionComponent<WorkflowStatusBadgeProps> =
                 <MainIcon className={`h-4 w-4 ${presentation.state === "in_progress" && presentation.tone !== "qa_changes" ? "motion-safe:animate-spin motion-reduce:animate-none" : ""}`} strokeWidth={2.3} />
               </span>
             </div>
+            {presentation.requiresHuman && humanIntervention?.title && (
+              <p className="mb-3 rounded-xl border border-status-red/20 bg-status-red/[0.06] px-3 py-2 text-[11px] font-semibold leading-snug text-status-red">
+                {humanIntervention.title}
+              </p>
+            )}
             <ol className="grid">
               {presentation.stages.map((stage, index) => <WorkflowStageRow key={stage.id} stage={stage} isLast={index === presentation.stages.length - 1} />)}
             </ol>
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/lib/__tests__/cinematic-quick-actions.test.ts b/dashboard/src/v2/lib/__tests__/cinematic-quick-actions.test.ts
index 3dec0f73c9..5753fb86e3 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/lib/__tests__/cinematic-quick-actions.test.ts
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/lib/__tests__/cinematic-quick-actions.test.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import {
   buildCinematicQuickActions,
   isInitialProjectCreateAppQuickaction,
 } from "../cinematic-quick-actions.js";
+import type { DashboardFeatureFlagMap } from "../dashboard-feature-flags.js";
 
 const ALL_LABELS = [
   "Create Web App",
@@ -14,12 +15,18 @@ const ALL_LABELS = [
   "Sprint Progress",
   "What’s Failing?",
   "Plan Next Steps",
-  "Add Nodes Workflow",
-  "Add Dashboard",
   "Create Skill",
   "List Skills",
 ];
 
+const buildFeatureFlags = (overrides: Partial<DashboardFeatureFlagMap> = {}): DashboardFeatureFlagMap => ({
+  nodes: true,
+  "custom-dashboards": true,
+  "chat-nodes-workflow-quick-action": false,
+  "chat-custom-dashboard-quick-action": false,
+  ...overrides,
+});
+
 describe("cinematic quick action view model", () => {
   it("builds the complete catalog-driven action set for an eligible project", () => {
     const actions = buildCinematicQuickActions({
@@ -36,7 +43,7 @@ describe("cinematic quick action view model", () => {
       { appKind: "portfolio" },
       { appKind: "game" },
     ]);
-    expect(actions.filter(({ actionType }) => actionType === "send_prompt")).toHaveLength(8);
+    expect(actions.filter(({ actionType }) => actionType === "send_prompt")).toHaveLength(6);
     expect(new Set(actions.map(({ id }) => id))).toHaveLength(actions.length);
     expect(new Set(actions.map(({ zone }) => zone))).toEqual(new Set(["create", "insight", "workflow"]));
   });
@@ -64,4 +71,34 @@ describe("cinematic quick action view model", () => {
       canCreateInitialAppQuickactions: true,
     })).toEqual([]);
   });
+
+  it("shows gated workflow actions only when both action and surface flags are enabled", () => {
+    const build = (featureFlags: DashboardFeatureFlagMap) => buildCinematicQuickActions({
+      hasProject: true,
+      initialEligibilityLoaded: false,
+      canCreateInitialAppQuickactions: false,
+      featureFlags,
+    }).map(({ label }) => label);
+
+    expect(build(buildFeatureFlags())).not.toEqual(expect.arrayContaining([
+      "Add Nodes Workflow",
+      "Add Dashboard",
+    ]));
+    expect(build(buildFeatureFlags({
+      "chat-nodes-workflow-quick-action": true,
+      "chat-custom-dashboard-quick-action": true,
+    }))).toEqual(expect.arrayContaining([
+      "Add Nodes Workflow",
+      "Add Dashboard",
+    ]));
+    expect(build(buildFeatureFlags({
+      nodes: false,
+      "custom-dashboards": false,
+      "chat-nodes-workflow-quick-action": true,
+      "chat-custom-dashboard-quick-action": true,
+    }))).not.toEqual(expect.arrayContaining([
+      "Add Nodes Workflow",
+      "Add Dashboard",
+    ]));
+  });
 });
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/lib/cinematic-quick-actions.ts b/dashboard/src/v2/lib/cinematic-quick-actions.ts
index e9dadaed2d..8876278e44 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/lib/cinematic-quick-actions.ts
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/lib/cinematic-quick-actions.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 import type { DashboardCreateAppQuickactionKind } from "../types.js";
 import { CREATE_APP_QUICKACTION_CATALOG } from "../../../../src/domain/chat/create-app-quickaction-catalog.js";
+import {
+  isDashboardFeatureEnabled,
+  resolveDashboardFeatureFlags,
+  type DashboardFeatureFlagMap,
+  type DashboardFeatureId,
+} from "./dashboard-feature-flags.js";
 
 export type CinematicQuickActionZone = "create" | "insight" | "workflow";
 
@@ -27,7 +33,16 @@ const INITIAL_ONLY_APP_KINDS = new Set<DashboardCreateAppQuickactionKind>([
   "game",
 ]);
 
-const PROMPT_QUICK_ACTIONS = [
+type PromptQuickAction = {
+  id: string;
+  label: string;
+  zone: "insight" | "workflow";
+  prompt: string;
+  feature?: DashboardFeatureId;
+  requiredSurfaceFeature?: DashboardFeatureId;
+};
+
+const PROMPT_QUICK_ACTIONS: readonly PromptQuickAction[] = [
   {
     id: "status-report",
     label: "Status Report",
@@ -57,12 +72,16 @@ const PROMPT_QUICK_ACTIONS = [
     label: "Add Nodes Workflow",
     zone: "workflow",
     prompt: "Help me add a project-scoped Nodes workflow. Inspect the current project and propose the workflow before making changes.",
+    feature: "chat-nodes-workflow-quick-action",
+    requiredSurfaceFeature: "nodes",
   },
   {
     id: "add-dashboard",
     label: "Add Dashboard",
     zone: "workflow",
     prompt: "Help me add a project dashboard. Inspect the current project and propose the most useful dashboard configuration.",
+    feature: "chat-custom-dashboard-quick-action",
+    requiredSurfaceFeature: "custom-dashboards",
   },
   {
     id: "create-skill",
@@ -82,6 +101,7 @@ export interface CinematicQuickActionOptions {
   hasProject: boolean;
   initialEligibilityLoaded: boolean;
   canCreateInitialAppQuickactions: boolean;
+  featureFlags?: DashboardFeatureFlagMap;
 }
 
 export function isInitialProjectCreateAppQuickaction(kind: DashboardCreateAppQuickactionKind): boolean {
@@ -107,11 +127,17 @@ export function buildCinematicQuickActions(options: CinematicQuickActionOptions)
       animationDelay: `${index * 0.18}s`,
     }));
 
-  const promptActions: CinematicQuickAction[] = PROMPT_QUICK_ACTIONS.map((action, index) => ({
-    ...action,
-    actionType: "send_prompt",
-    animationDelay: `${(createActions.length + index) * 0.18}s`,
-  }));
+  const featureFlags = options.featureFlags ?? resolveDashboardFeatureFlags();
+  const promptActions: CinematicQuickAction[] = PROMPT_QUICK_ACTIONS
+    .filter((action) => (
+      (!action.feature || isDashboardFeatureEnabled(action.feature, featureFlags))
+      && (!action.requiredSurfaceFeature || isDashboardFeatureEnabled(action.requiredSurfaceFeature, featureFlags))
+    ))
+    .map(({ feature: _feature, requiredSurfaceFeature: _requiredSurfaceFeature, ...action }, index) => ({
+      ...action,
+      actionType: "send_prompt",
+      animationDelay: `${(createActions.length + index) * 0.18}s`,
+    }));
 
   return [...createActions, ...promptActions];
 }
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/lib/dashboard-feature-flags.ts b/dashboard/src/v2/lib/dashboard-feature-flags.ts
index 3e27e6550f..dd95b76340 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/lib/dashboard-feature-flags.ts
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/lib/dashboard-feature-flags.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,9 @@
-export const DASHBOARD_FEATURE_IDS = ["nodes", "custom-dashboards"] as const;
+export const DASHBOARD_FEATURE_IDS = [
+  "nodes",
+  "custom-dashboards",
+  "chat-nodes-workflow-quick-action",
+  "chat-custom-dashboard-quick-action",
+] as const;
 
 export type DashboardFeatureId = typeof DASHBOARD_FEATURE_IDS[number];
 
@@ -15,8 +20,15 @@ export interface DashboardFeatureFlagSource {
 export const DASHBOARD_FEATURE_ENV_KEYS: Record<DashboardFeatureId, string> = {
   nodes: "VITE_CODEUX_FEATURE_NODES",
   "custom-dashboards": "VITE_CODEUX_FEATURE_CUSTOM_DASHBOARDS",
+  "chat-nodes-workflow-quick-action": "VITE_CODEUX_FEATURE_CHAT_NODES_WORKFLOW_QUICK_ACTION",
+  "chat-custom-dashboard-quick-action": "VITE_CODEUX_FEATURE_CHAT_CUSTOM_DASHBOARD_QUICK_ACTION",
 };
 
+const DEVELOPMENT_DISCOVERY_FEATURES = new Set<DashboardFeatureId>([
+  "nodes",
+  "custom-dashboards",
+]);
+
 const ENABLED_VALUES = new Set(["1", "true", "yes", "on", "enabled"]);
 const DISABLED_VALUES = new Set(["0", "false", "no", "off", "disabled"]);
 
@@ -48,6 +60,8 @@ const readDashboardFeatureFlagSource = (): DashboardFeatureFlagSource => {
     values: {
       nodes: env[DASHBOARD_FEATURE_ENV_KEYS.nodes],
       "custom-dashboards": env[DASHBOARD_FEATURE_ENV_KEYS["custom-dashboards"]],
+      "chat-nodes-workflow-quick-action": env[DASHBOARD_FEATURE_ENV_KEYS["chat-nodes-workflow-quick-action"]],
+      "chat-custom-dashboard-quick-action": env[DASHBOARD_FEATURE_ENV_KEYS["chat-custom-dashboard-quick-action"]],
     },
     prerequisites: {
       nodeFlowBackend: env.VITE_CODEUX_NODE_FLOW_BACKEND,
@@ -59,18 +73,12 @@ const readDashboardFeatureFlagSource = (): DashboardFeatureFlagSource => {
 export const resolveDashboardFeatureFlags = (
   source: DashboardFeatureFlagSource = readDashboardFeatureFlagSource(),
 ): DashboardFeatureFlagMap => {
-  // Development is the feature-discovery environment: every flagged surface must
-  // remain reachable even when a checked-in/local env file disables it for a
-  // production bundle. Outside development, explicit values still control the
-  // feature and omitted values remain disabled by default.
-  if (source.devMode) {
-    return DASHBOARD_FEATURE_IDS.reduce<DashboardFeatureFlagMap>((flags, feature) => {
+  return DASHBOARD_FEATURE_IDS.reduce<DashboardFeatureFlagMap>((flags, feature) => {
+    if (source.devMode && DEVELOPMENT_DISCOVERY_FEATURES.has(feature)) {
       flags[feature] = true;
       return flags;
-    }, {} as DashboardFeatureFlagMap);
-  }
+    }
 
-  return DASHBOARD_FEATURE_IDS.reduce<DashboardFeatureFlagMap>((flags, feature) => {
     const explicitValue = parseDashboardFeatureFlagValue(source.values?.[feature]);
     if (feature === "nodes") {
       const backendReady = parseDashboardFeatureFlagValue(source.prerequisites?.nodeFlowBackend) === true;
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/lib/live-session-view-model.ts b/dashboard/src/v2/lib/live-session-view-model.ts
index ef747dc7ea..400782d637 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/lib/live-session-view-model.ts
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/lib/live-session-view-model.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import {
   deriveTaskCiStatusPresentation,
   type CiStatusPresentation,
 } from "./ci-status-presentation.js";
+import { findActiveTaskHumanIntervention } from "./workflow-status-presentation.js";
 
 export type LiveSessionTaskFilter = "All" | "Running" | "Completed" | "Failed" | "Pending";
 
@@ -63,6 +64,7 @@ export interface LiveSessionTaskCardItem {
   events: ExecutionRuntimeEventSummary[];
   invocations: ExecutionInvocationRecord[];
   ciPresentation: CiStatusPresentation | null;
+  humanIntervention: ExecutionAttentionItemSummary | null;
   isRerunning: boolean;
   isForceCompleting: boolean;
   forceCompleteError: string | null;
@@ -627,6 +629,12 @@ export function deriveLiveSessionTaskCardItems(input: LiveSessionTaskCardStateIn
       attentionItems: ciAttentionItems,
       sprintRunId: latestDispatch?.sprintRunId ?? null,
     });
+    const humanIntervention = findActiveTaskHumanIntervention(input.attentionItems ?? [], {
+      recordId: task.record_id,
+      taskKey: task.id,
+      sprintId: task.sprint_id,
+      dispatchId: latestDispatch?.id,
+    });
 
     return {
       key: taskRuntimeId,
@@ -636,6 +644,7 @@ export function deriveLiveSessionTaskCardItems(input: LiveSessionTaskCardStateIn
       events: taskEvents,
       invocations: taskInvocations,
       ciPresentation,
+      humanIntervention,
       isRerunning: input.rerunningIds.has(taskRuntimeId),
       isForceCompleting: input.forceCompletePendingIds.has(taskRuntimeId),
       forceCompleteError: input.forceCompleteErrorByTaskId.get(taskRuntimeId) || null,
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/lib/overview-streams.ts b/dashboard/src/v2/lib/overview-streams.ts
index 88150f2b87..2ff0a263a5 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/lib/overview-streams.ts
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/lib/overview-streams.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,53 @@
+import type { ExecutionAttentionItemSummary, ExecutionDashboardSnapshot, ExecutionTaskDispatchSummary, SubtaskMergeIndicator } from "../../types.js";
 import type { Sprint, Task } from "../types.js";
+import {
+  deriveTaskCiStatusPresentation,
+  type CiStatusPresentation,
+} from "./ci-status-presentation.js";
+import { findActiveTaskHumanIntervention } from "./workflow-status-presentation.js";
+
+const MERGE_INDICATORS = new Set<SubtaskMergeIndicator>([
+  "CI",
+  "AUTOMERGE",
+  "MERGED",
+  "MERGE_BLOCKED",
+  "MERGE_CONFLICT",
+  "PR_ONLY",
+  "QA_PENDING",
+]);
+
+const normalizeMergeIndicator = (value: string | null): SubtaskMergeIndicator | undefined => (
+  value && MERGE_INDICATORS.has(value as SubtaskMergeIndicator)
+    ? value as SubtaskMergeIndicator
+    : undefined
+);
+
+const dispatchRecency = (dispatch: ExecutionTaskDispatchSummary): string => (
+  dispatch.finishedAt
+  || dispatch.startedAt
+  || dispatch.claimedAt
+  || dispatch.queuedAt
+  || ""
+);
+
+const latestTaskDispatch = (
+  task: Task,
+  dispatches: readonly ExecutionTaskDispatchSummary[],
+): ExecutionTaskDispatchSummary | null => {
+  let latest: ExecutionTaskDispatchSummary | null = null;
+  for (const dispatch of dispatches) {
+    if (
+      dispatch.sprintId !== task.sprintId
+      || (dispatch.taskId !== task.recordId && dispatch.taskKey !== task.id)
+    ) {
+      continue;
+    }
+    if (!latest || dispatchRecency(dispatch).localeCompare(dispatchRecency(latest)) >= 0) {
+      latest = dispatch;
+    }
+  }
+  return latest;
+};
 
 /**
  * Derives active sprint IDs from a list of sprints.
@@ -17,3 +66,60 @@ export function filterTasksToActiveSprints(tasks: Task[], activeSprintIds: Set<s
   }
   return tasks.filter(task => activeSprintIds.has(task.sprintId));
 }
+
+/**
+ * Projects the same task CI/merge evidence used by the Tasks and Live surfaces
+ * into the compact Overview task rows. The execution snapshot is realtime, so
+ * this keeps the interactive workflow badge on the current PR/CI/merge stage
+ * instead of falling back to the persisted task lifecycle alone.
+ */
+export function deriveOverviewTaskCiPresentations(
+  tasks: readonly Task[],
+  execution: ExecutionDashboardSnapshot | undefined,
+): Map<string, CiStatusPresentation> {
+  const presentations = new Map<string, CiStatusPresentation>();
+  if (!execution) {
+    return presentations;
+  }
+
+  for (const task of tasks) {
+    const latestDispatch = latestTaskDispatch(task, execution.taskDispatches);
+    const presentation = deriveTaskCiStatusPresentation({
+      task: {
+        record_id: task.recordId,
+        id: task.id,
+        sprint_id: task.sprintId,
+        merge_indicator: normalizeMergeIndicator(task.mergeIndicator),
+        is_merged: task.isMerged,
+        pr_url: latestDispatch?.prUrl ?? undefined,
+      },
+      events: execution.recentEvents,
+      attentionItems: execution.attentionItems,
+    });
+    if (presentation) {
+      presentations.set(task.recordId, presentation);
+    }
+  }
+
+  return presentations;
+}
+
+export function deriveOverviewTaskHumanInterventions(
+  tasks: readonly Task[],
+  execution: ExecutionDashboardSnapshot | undefined,
+): Map<string, ExecutionAttentionItemSummary> {
+  const interventions = new Map<string, ExecutionAttentionItemSummary>();
+  if (!execution) return interventions;
+
+  for (const task of tasks) {
+    const latestDispatch = latestTaskDispatch(task, execution.taskDispatches);
+    const intervention = findActiveTaskHumanIntervention(execution.attentionItems, {
+      recordId: task.recordId,
+      taskKey: task.id,
+      sprintId: task.sprintId,
+      dispatchId: latestDispatch?.id,
+    });
+    if (intervention) interventions.set(task.recordId, intervention);
+  }
+  return interventions;
+}
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/lib/tasks/task-board-view-model.ts b/dashboard/src/v2/lib/tasks/task-board-view-model.ts
index 6ea0fd32c7..f9330c9016 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/lib/tasks/task-board-view-model.ts
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/lib/tasks/task-board-view-model.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import { buildLiveTaskEnrichmentMap, type LiveTaskEnrichment } from "./live-task
 import { buildTaskCardViewModel, type TaskCardViewModel } from "./task-card-view-model.js";
 import { STATUS_CFG } from "../tasks-constants.js";
 import { formatDuration } from "../format-duration.js";
+import { findActiveTaskHumanIntervention } from "../workflow-status-presentation.js";
 
 export interface TaskBoardViewModelOptions {
   tasks: Task[];
@@ -116,6 +117,7 @@ function attentionMatchesTaskRecord(item: ExecutionAttentionItemSummary, task: T
 
 interface TaskCiSource {
   presentation: CiStatusPresentation | null;
+  humanIntervention: ExecutionAttentionItemSummary | null;
   signature: string;
 }
 
@@ -136,6 +138,11 @@ function buildTaskCiSource(args: {
   };
   const events = args.events.filter((event) => eventMatchesTaskRecord(event, args.task));
   const attentionItems = args.attentionItems.filter((item) => attentionMatchesTaskRecord(item, args.task));
+  const humanIntervention = findActiveTaskHumanIntervention(args.attentionItems, {
+    recordId: args.task.recordId,
+    taskKey: args.task.id,
+    sprintId: args.task.sprintId,
+  });
   const presentation = deriveTaskCiStatusPresentation({
     task: evidence,
     events,
@@ -164,8 +171,15 @@ function buildTaskCiSource(args: {
       resolvedAt: item.resolvedAt,
       payload: item.payload,
     })).sort((left, right) => left.id.localeCompare(right.id)),
+    humanIntervention: humanIntervention ? {
+      id: humanIntervention.id,
+      ownerType: humanIntervention.ownerType,
+      status: humanIntervention.status,
+      assignedWorkerEndpointId: humanIntervention.assignedWorkerEndpointId,
+      updatedAt: humanIntervention.updatedAt,
+    } : null,
   });
-  return { presentation, signature };
+  return { presentation, humanIntervention, signature };
 }
 
 function buildTaskSignature(task: Task): string {
@@ -450,6 +464,7 @@ export function buildTaskBoardViewModel(options: TaskBoardViewModelOptions): Tas
       reusableViewModel ?? buildTaskCardViewModel(task, taskLookup, liveEnrichment, {
         taskPullRequestsEnabled,
         ciStatusPresentation: ciSource.presentation,
+        humanIntervention: ciSource.humanIntervention,
         ciStatusSourceSignature: ciSource.signature,
       })
     );
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/lib/tasks/task-card-view-model.ts b/dashboard/src/v2/lib/tasks/task-card-view-model.ts
index f8e449b8ea..6c6131a615 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/lib/tasks/task-card-view-model.ts
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/lib/tasks/task-card-view-model.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import type { ExecutionAttentionItemSummary } from "../../../types.js";
 import type { Task, TaskStatus, TaskExecutorType } from "../../types.js";
 import type { CiStatusPresentation } from "../ci-status-presentation.js";
 import { type LiveTaskEnrichment } from "./live-task-enrichment.js";
@@ -22,6 +23,7 @@ export interface TaskCardViewModel {
   dependencyActionLabel?: string;
   qaReviewLabel?: string;
   ciStatusPresentation?: CiStatusPresentation | null;
+  humanIntervention?: ExecutionAttentionItemSummary | null;
   ciStatusSourceSignature?: string;
   optimisticSavingLabel?: string | null;
   dragStateLabel?: string;
@@ -50,6 +52,7 @@ export interface TaskCardActionDescriptor {
 export interface TaskCardViewModelOptions {
   taskPullRequestsEnabled?: boolean;
   ciStatusPresentation?: CiStatusPresentation | null;
+  humanIntervention?: ExecutionAttentionItemSummary | null;
   ciStatusSourceSignature?: string;
 }
 
@@ -231,6 +234,7 @@ export function buildTaskCardViewModel(
     dependencyActionLabel: buildDependencyActionLabel(dependencyIndicators),
     qaReviewLabel: task.latestReview ? undefined : "QA no review",
     ciStatusPresentation: options.ciStatusPresentation ?? null,
+    humanIntervention: options.humanIntervention ?? null,
     ciStatusSourceSignature: options.ciStatusSourceSignature ?? "",
     optimisticSavingLabel: task.isOptimistic ? "Saving task changes" : null,
     dragStateLabel: task.isOptimistic
diff --git a/dashboard/src/v2/lib/workflow-status-presentation.ts b/dashboard/src/v2/lib/workflow-status-presentation.ts
index 68f76e14b2..bb6869d1b4 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/v2/lib/workflow-status-presentation.ts
+++ b/dashboard/src/v2/lib/workflow-status-presentation.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import type { SprintReviewSummary } from "../types.js";
+import type { ExecutionAttentionItemSummary } from "../../types.js";
 import type {
   CiStatusPresentation,
   CiWorkflowState,
@@ -20,20 +21,89 @@ export interface WorkflowStatusPresentation {
   tone: "pending" | "active" | "successful" | "failed" | "qa_changes";
   label: string;
   accessibleLabel: string;
+  requiresHuman: boolean;
   stages: [WorkflowStage, WorkflowStage, WorkflowStage, WorkflowStage, WorkflowStage, WorkflowStage];
 }
 
+export interface WorkflowHumanInterventionEvidence {
+  ownerType: string | null;
+  status?: string | null;
+  assignedWorkerEndpointId?: string | null;
+  title?: string | null;
+}
+
+export interface WorkflowTaskIdentity {
+  recordId?: string | null;
+  taskKey?: string | null;
+  sprintId?: string | null;
+  dispatchId?: string | null;
+}
+
 export interface WorkflowStatusPresentationInput {
   scope: "task" | "sprint";
   status: string;
   review?: SprintReviewSummary | null;
   ciPresentation?: CiStatusPresentation | null;
+  humanIntervention?: WorkflowHumanInterventionEvidence | null;
 }
 
 function normalizeStatus(value: string): string {
   return value.trim().toLowerCase().replaceAll("-", "_").replaceAll(" ", "_");
 }
 
+const ACTIVE_ATTENTION_STATUSES = new Set(["open", "claimed"]);
+const HUMAN_ATTENTION_OWNERS = new Set(["human", "user"]);
+
+/**
+ * Human-needed is intentionally narrower than generic attention: the item must
+ * still be active, explicitly human-owned, and explicitly unassigned. A
+ * sprint-run intervention summary is not sufficient evidence because that
+ * contract omits status/assignment and may be synthesized from lifecycle
+ * events such as a manual pause or runtime error.
+ */
+export function isActiveHumanIntervention(
+  intervention: WorkflowHumanInterventionEvidence | null | undefined,
+): boolean {
+  if (!intervention) return false;
+  const ownerType = normalizeStatus(intervention.ownerType ?? "");
+  const status = intervention.status == null ? null : normalizeStatus(intervention.status);
+  const hasExplicitWorkerAssignment = Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(
+    intervention,
+    "assignedWorkerEndpointId",
+  );
+  return HUMAN_ATTENTION_OWNERS.has(ownerType)
+    && status !== null
+    && ACTIVE_ATTENTION_STATUSES.has(status)
+    && hasExplicitWorkerAssignment
+    && intervention.assignedWorkerEndpointId === null;
+}
+
+function attentionTaskIds(item: ExecutionAttentionItemSummary): string[] {
+  const ids = [item.taskId];
+  for (const key of ["taskId", "taskKey"] as const) {
+    const value = item.payload?.[key];
+    if (typeof value === "string") ids.push(value);
+  }
+  return ids.flatMap((value) => value?.trim() ? [value.trim()] : []);
+}
+
+export function findActiveTaskHumanIntervention(
+  attentionItems: readonly ExecutionAttentionItemSummary[] | undefined,
+  identity: WorkflowTaskIdentity,
+): ExecutionAttentionItemSummary | null {
+  const taskIds = new Set(
+    [identity.recordId, identity.taskKey].flatMap((value) => value?.trim() ? [value.trim()] : []),
+  );
+  if (taskIds.size === 0 && !identity.dispatchId) return null;
+
+  return attentionItems?.find((item) => {
+    if (!isActiveHumanIntervention(item)) return false;
+    if (identity.sprintId && item.sprintId && item.sprintId !== identity.sprintId) return false;
+    if (identity.dispatchId && item.dispatchId === identity.dispatchId) return true;
+    return attentionTaskIds(item).some((taskId) => taskIds.has(taskId));
+  }) ?? null;
+}
+
 function fallbackCiStep(id: CiWorkflowStep["id"], workflowCompleted: boolean): CiWorkflowStep {
   const labels = workflowCompleted
     ? {
@@ -190,27 +260,31 @@ export function deriveWorkflowStatusPresentation(
   ] as WorkflowStatusPresentation["stages"];
   const failed = stages.some((stage) => stage.state === "failed");
   const active = stages.some((stage) => stage.state === "in_progress");
-  const state: CiWorkflowState = failed
+  const requiresHuman = isActiveHumanIntervention(input.humanIntervention);
+  const state: CiWorkflowState = requiresHuman || failed
     ? "failed"
     : active
       ? "in_progress"
       : stages[5].state === "successful"
         ? "successful"
         : "pending";
-  const label = displayLabel(stages);
+  const label = requiresHuman ? "Human needed" : displayLabel(stages);
   const qaChangesRequested = stages.some((stage) => (
     stage.id === "qa" && stage.state === "failed" && stage.statusLabel === "Changes requested"
   ));
   return {
     scope: input.scope,
     state,
-    tone: qaChangesRequested
+    tone: requiresHuman
+      ? "failed"
+      : qaChangesRequested
       ? "qa_changes"
       : state === "in_progress"
         ? "active"
         : state,
     label,
-    accessibleLabel: `${label}. ${stages.map((stage) => `${stage.label}: ${stage.statusLabel}`).join(". ")}.`,
+    accessibleLabel: `${label}. ${requiresHuman && input.humanIntervention?.title ? `${input.humanIntervention.title}. ` : ""}${stages.map((stage) => `${stage.label}: ${stage.statusLabel}`).join(". ")}.`,
+    requiresHuman,
     stages,
   };
 }
diff --git a/docs-web/architecture/card-ci-status-projection.md b/docs-web/architecture/card-ci-status-projection.md
index cb56b3137c..ab282ab03a 100644
--- a/docs-web/architecture/card-ci-status-projection.md
+++ b/docs-web/architecture/card-ci-status-projection.md
@@ -24,7 +24,9 @@ Review gating remains separate from CI failure presentation. A main-merge `revie
 
 The dashboard combines that evidence with lifecycle and latest-review state in one durable six-stage delivery flow on Task, Live, Sprint gallery, Sprint ledger, and Overview cards: **Coding**, **Pull request**, **QA**, **CI**, **Merge**, and **Completion**. CI evidence enriches the middle stages but is optional, so a Sprints refresh without historical gate events cannot unmount or flash away the badge. A durably completed workflow settles missing historical PR, checks, and merge projections as successful rather than showing contradictory pending stages. A newer successful observation replaces stale failure, while active matching CI attention restores the failure state.
 
-The bright interactive badge opens a circular rail with motion-safe animated dotted connectors. When a review exists, an animated chevron joins the workflow card to an adjacent review card. Requested changes use the blue pencil and **QA edits** treatment even when failed-check evidence also exists; red is reserved for actual provider/runtime and workflow failures. Live replaces its separate task lifecycle and QA badges, while Task, Sprint, and Overview surfaces keep their surrounding lifecycle context and replace the standalone QA/CI disclosures. While a sprint is running, the sprint badge stays on Coding and ignores child-task gate aggregation; each task badge continues showing its own PR, QA, CI, and Merge transitions.
+Active, task-matched human-only attention has presentation precedence over the ordinary lifecycle and gate summary: the trigger becomes red **Human needed** while its disclosure retains all six stages. Explicit attention-item evidence is required: status is `open` or `claimed`, owner is human/user, and worker assignment is explicitly empty. Cleared, machine-owned, worker-assigned, sibling-task, and sibling-sprint attention does not. Sprint-run summaries alone never qualify because they omit status and assignment and may come from generic pause/error events.
+
+The bright interactive badge opens one viewport-positioned interaction region without a visible outer card. Its opaque Delivery flow card contains the circular rail; a floating responsive arrow points to an independent opaque QA review card when a review exists. Requested changes use the blue pencil and **QA edits** treatment even when failed-check evidence also exists; red identifies actual provider/runtime/workflow failures and explicit **Human needed** intervention. Live replaces its separate task lifecycle and QA badges, while Task, Sprint, and Overview surfaces keep their surrounding lifecycle context and replace the standalone QA/CI disclosures. While a sprint is running, the sprint badge stays on Coding and ignores child-task gate aggregation unless active human-only intervention takes precedence; each task badge continues showing its own PR, QA, CI, and Merge transitions.
 
 The deterministic dashboard integration suite replays these outcomes across all four card renderings, including keyboard-only QA details, collapsed follow-up specifications, Escape focus restoration, unrelated-event isolation, and unchanged snapshot replay. It mocks runtime boundaries and does not invoke Docker, provider CLIs, Git hosting, or a live database.
 
diff --git a/docs-web/architecture/dashboard-architecture.md b/docs-web/architecture/dashboard-architecture.md
index d22a526ecd..a18fe1942e 100644
--- a/docs-web/architecture/dashboard-architecture.md
+++ b/docs-web/architecture/dashboard-architecture.md
@@ -156,6 +156,8 @@ Key tokens (defined in `styles.css`):
 
 Components prefer **design tokens over hardcoded values**. New components should reuse existing tokens rather than introducing one-offs.
 
+User-visible single-choice fields use the shared `AvantgardeSelect` trigger/listbox primitive instead of browser-native selects. This keeps option surfaces aligned with Warm Void in both themes while preserving labels, descriptions, disabled and busy states, keyboard navigation, compact layouts, and focus restoration. Disabled options remain visible but are skipped by pointer and keyboard selection. The older native Select wrapper is retained only for isolated compatibility tests and has no production callers.
+
 ## Accessibility
 
 - Every interactive element is keyboard-reachable.
diff --git a/docs-web/content/docs/architecture-card-ci-status-projection.mdx b/docs-web/content/docs/architecture-card-ci-status-projection.mdx
index f3fdda121d..daa1c7856c 100644
--- a/docs-web/content/docs/architecture-card-ci-status-projection.mdx
+++ b/docs-web/content/docs/architecture-card-ci-status-projection.mdx
@@ -24,7 +24,9 @@ Review gating remains separate from CI failure presentation. A main-merge `revie
 
 The dashboard combines that evidence with lifecycle and latest-review state in one durable six-stage delivery flow on Task, Live, Sprint gallery, Sprint ledger, and Overview cards: **Coding**, **Pull request**, **QA**, **CI**, **Merge**, and **Completion**. CI evidence enriches the middle stages but is optional, so a Sprints refresh without historical gate events cannot unmount or flash away the badge. A durably completed workflow settles missing historical PR, checks, and merge projections as successful rather than showing contradictory pending stages. A newer successful observation replaces stale failure, while active matching CI attention restores the failure state.
 
-The bright interactive badge opens a circular rail with motion-safe animated dotted connectors. When a review exists, an animated chevron joins the workflow card to an adjacent review card. Requested changes use the blue pencil and **QA edits** treatment even when failed-check evidence also exists; red is reserved for actual provider/runtime and workflow failures. Live replaces its separate task lifecycle and QA badges, while Task, Sprint, and Overview surfaces keep their surrounding lifecycle context and replace the standalone QA/CI disclosures. While a sprint is running, the sprint badge stays on Coding and ignores child-task gate aggregation; each task badge continues showing its own PR, QA, CI, and Merge transitions.
+Active, task-matched human-only attention has presentation precedence over the ordinary lifecycle and gate summary: the trigger becomes red **Human needed** while its disclosure retains all six stages. Explicit attention-item evidence is required: status is `open` or `claimed`, owner is human/user, and worker assignment is explicitly empty. Cleared, machine-owned, worker-assigned, sibling-task, and sibling-sprint attention does not. Sprint-run summaries alone never qualify because they omit status and assignment and may come from generic pause/error events.
+
+The bright interactive badge opens one viewport-positioned interaction region without a visible outer card. Its opaque Delivery flow card contains the circular rail; a floating responsive arrow points to an independent opaque QA review card when a review exists. Requested changes use the blue pencil and **QA edits** treatment even when failed-check evidence also exists; red identifies actual provider/runtime/workflow failures and explicit **Human needed** intervention. Live replaces its separate task lifecycle and QA badges, while Task, Sprint, and Overview surfaces keep their surrounding lifecycle context and replace the standalone QA/CI disclosures. While a sprint is running, the sprint badge stays on Coding and ignores child-task gate aggregation unless active human-only intervention takes precedence; each task badge continues showing its own PR, QA, CI, and Merge transitions.
 
 The deterministic dashboard integration suite replays these outcomes across all four card renderings, including keyboard-only QA details, collapsed follow-up specifications, Escape focus restoration, unrelated-event isolation, and unchanged snapshot replay. It mocks runtime boundaries and does not invoke Docker, provider CLIs, Git hosting, or a live database.
 
diff --git a/docs-web/content/docs/architecture-dashboard-architecture.mdx b/docs-web/content/docs/architecture-dashboard-architecture.mdx
index 7f96cb046b..079fb28f09 100644
--- a/docs-web/content/docs/architecture-dashboard-architecture.mdx
+++ b/docs-web/content/docs/architecture-dashboard-architecture.mdx
@@ -156,6 +156,8 @@ Key tokens (defined in `styles.css`):
 
 Components prefer **design tokens over hardcoded values**. New components should reuse existing tokens rather than introducing one-offs.
 
+User-visible single-choice fields use the shared `AvantgardeSelect` trigger/listbox primitive instead of browser-native selects. This keeps option surfaces aligned with Warm Void in both themes while preserving labels, descriptions, disabled and busy states, keyboard navigation, compact layouts, and focus restoration. Disabled options remain visible but are skipped by pointer and keyboard selection. The older native Select wrapper is retained only for isolated compatibility tests and has no production callers.
+
 ## Accessibility
 
 - Every interactive element is keyboard-reachable.
diff --git a/docs-web/content/docs/developer-feature-flags.mdx b/docs-web/content/docs/developer-feature-flags.mdx
index 32db0fa626..c0eeb79db6 100644
--- a/docs-web/content/docs/developer-feature-flags.mdx
+++ b/docs-web/content/docs/developer-feature-flags.mdx
@@ -4,20 +4,22 @@ Dashboard feature flags hide unfinished dashboard surfaces without deleting thei
 
 Flags live in `dashboard/src/v2/lib/dashboard-feature-flags.ts`. They are resolved at dashboard bundle time through Vite `import.meta.env` values:
 
-- Development and test builds enable all flagged unfinished features by default.
-- Production builds disable flagged unfinished features by default.
-- Explicit env values override the mode default.
+- Development builds always enable the `nodes` and `custom-dashboards` discovery surfaces so those in-progress pages remain available for local testing.
+- Production builds disable unfinished surfaces by default; explicit env values enable or disable them.
+- Cinematic quick-action flags default to disabled in every mode and require an explicit env opt-in. Their underlying surface flag must also be enabled.
 
-Supported values are `true`, `1`, `yes`, `on`, `enabled`, `false`, `0`, `no`, `off`, and `disabled`. Empty or unrecognized values fall back to the mode default.
+Supported values are `true`, `1`, `yes`, `on`, `enabled`, `false`, `0`, `no`, `off`, and `disabled`. Empty or unrecognized values fall back to the flag's documented default. Development mode intentionally overrides disabled values only for the two discovery surfaces.
 
 ## Current Flags
 
 | Feature | Env variable | Development default | Production default | Scope |
 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
-| `nodes` | `VITE_CODEUX_FEATURE_NODES` | enabled | disabled | Hides the unfinished `/nodes` surface from route registration, shared navigation, route prefetch, and the guided dashboard tour. |
+| `nodes` | `VITE_CODEUX_FEATURE_NODES` | enabled | disabled | Requires `VITE_CODEUX_NODE_FLOW_BACKEND` and `VITE_CODEUX_AUTOMATION_SECURITY` to also be enabled in production. |
 | `custom-dashboards` | `VITE_CODEUX_FEATURE_CUSTOM_DASHBOARDS` | enabled | disabled | Hides the unfinished `/custom-dashboards` surface from route registration, shared navigation, route prefetch, and the guided dashboard tour. |
+| `chat-nodes-workflow-quick-action` | `VITE_CODEUX_FEATURE_CHAT_NODES_WORKFLOW_QUICK_ACTION` | disabled | disabled | Shows **Add Nodes Workflow** only when this flag and `nodes` are both enabled. |
+| `chat-custom-dashboard-quick-action` | `VITE_CODEUX_FEATURE_CHAT_CUSTOM_DASHBOARD_QUICK_ACTION` | disabled | disabled | Shows **Add Dashboard** only when this flag and `custom-dashboards` are both enabled. |
 
-When a feature is disabled, its page module remains in source for local development and tests, but the route is not added to the TanStack route tree. Direct navigation falls through to the dashboard not-found route.
+When Nodes or either production prerequisite is disabled, its route is omitted from the route tree, navigation, and route prefetch. Development keeps the surface reachable for local integration testing. This discovery override does not expose either cinematic workflow quick action; each action remains hidden until its dedicated opt-in flag is enabled.
 
 ## Adding a Flag
 
@@ -26,5 +28,5 @@ When a feature is disabled, its page module remains in source for local developm
 3. Gate route registration in `dashboard/src/main.tsx`.
 4. Gate route prefetch entries in `dashboard/src/v2/router/route-prefetch.ts`.
 5. Gate guided tour steps or other entry points that reference the hidden surface.
-6. Add focused tests for default behavior, explicit overrides, and every hidden entry point.
+6. Choose whether the flag is a development discovery surface or a default-off capability, then add focused tests for mode defaults, explicit overrides, prerequisites, and every hidden entry point.
 7. Update this page and the matching canonical `docs/` page.
diff --git a/docs-web/content/docs/developer-settings-reference.mdx b/docs-web/content/docs/developer-settings-reference.mdx
index 7311a72b46..0566447c2f 100644
--- a/docs-web/content/docs/developer-settings-reference.mdx
+++ b/docs-web/content/docs/developer-settings-reference.mdx
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ Project and sprint settings own design guidance:
 }
 ```
 
-The backend catalog always includes `none`, the built-in `Code UX` styleguide, additional default styleguides, and a small tech-stack guidance catalog. Saved selections resolve to a known default or custom id; invalid ids fall back to `none`. `hideDefaultStyleguides` only affects presentation and does not remove backend defaults. Existing and imported projects inherit `none`; new local and new remote project initialization writes an explicit project override for the Code UX styleguide. Planning and Project Setup prompts resolve selected entries from effective project settings and omit inactive `none` catalog entries. Project Setup prompts also include a setup-only styling investigation notice whenever the styleguide selection is `none`, including when tech-stack guidance is also `none`.
+The backend catalog always includes `none`, the built-in `Code UX` styleguide, additional default styleguides, and a small tech-stack guidance catalog. Saved selections resolve to a known default or custom id; invalid ids fall back to `none`. `hideDefaultStyleguides` only affects presentation and does not remove backend defaults. Every imported, new local, and new remote project writes explicit `none` project overrides for both selections; create-time selected ids are normalized to `none`, while unrelated custom catalogs and visibility settings are preserved. Planning and Project Setup prompts resolve selected entries from effective project settings and omit inactive `none` catalog entries. Project Setup prompts also include a setup-only styling investigation notice whenever the styleguide selection is `none`, including when tech-stack guidance is also `none`.
 
 The dashboard Guidance panel manages this block through the normal settings save flows. System scope edits `system.defaults.designGuidance`; project scope edits the active project override. Built-in catalog entries can be selected but cannot be edited or deleted. Custom entries can be added, edited, and deleted; deleting a selected custom entry clears that selector back to `none`.
 
diff --git a/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-chat.mdx b/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-chat.mdx
index a3d3647244..07d88aa92b 100644
--- a/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-chat.mdx
+++ b/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-chat.mdx
@@ -17,17 +17,17 @@ Markdown links use the dashboard's theme-aware signal colors across thread messa
 
 While the Project Manager is genuinely idle, the 3D stage can show one short ambient cue at a time: a greeting, wink, curious glance, dance beat, or a text-labelled humming cue with decorative notes. Returning to the page produces a welcome-back cue only after the stage was hidden or idle for at least 30 seconds, so quick tab changes stay quiet. Sending, Project Manager work, errors, hidden pages, and reduced-motion mode stop these cue timers and the stage's continuous decorative drift. The static mood caption, connection status, and unrelated background-activity count remain visible and truthful. Ambient cue text is visible but is not repeatedly announced as a live status update.
 
-The 3D stage enters its Project Manager working state only while the selected thread awaits that agent's reply or a running `dashboard_reply`/`worker_reply` invocation belongs to the same resolved agent preset. Only the newest matching running invocation owns the foreground work tool and transient progress bubble. Other agents' replies and unrelated task, planning, QA, or CI invocations remain truthful background activity; they can keep a background thought cue and count visible, but they do not make the Project Manager show a thinking expression, work tool, active caption, progress bubble, or busy-only quick-action state. Sending a message keeps its separate routing state until the awaited reply or matching invocation is visible.
+The 3D stage enters its Project Manager working state only while the selected thread awaits that agent's reply or a running `dashboard_reply`/`worker_reply` invocation belongs to the same resolved agent preset. That authoritative busy state owns the foreground work tool, including the interval before an invocation record becomes visible; only the newest matching running invocation owns the transient transcript progress bubble. Other agents' replies and unrelated task, planning, QA, or CI invocations remain truthful background activity; they can keep a background thought cue and count visible, but they do not make the Project Manager show a thinking expression, work tool, active caption, progress bubble, or busy-only quick-action state. Sending a message keeps its separate routing state until the awaited reply or matching invocation is visible.
 
 The thought area turns known runtime fields into compact cues for container startup, provider work, planning, QA review, completion, and errors. Current stage cues come only from running records or the selected thread's awaited reply; old completed or failed invocations are not presented as live activity. A delegated-work cue stays visible while the Project Manager remains idle, and an active Project Manager cue takes precedence while retaining a count of other activity. The phase is shown directly without `Background` or provider-name prefixes. Its workplace-safe quote is keyed by stable agent, provider, phase, and runtime context and stays unchanged for at least twenty seconds. Delegated work uses 72 original agency and project-management jokes about coworker handoffs, meetings, scope creep, client feedback, and ticket rituals. The runtime shuffles the deck by context, uses every line before reshuffling, and avoids immediate repeats. Reduced-motion mode keeps the status text while stopping its decorative dots.
 
-For the full lifecycle of a matching running Project Manager reply invocation, including startup before its first transcript turn, the avatar rotates through five work tools every seven seconds: Power screwdriver (`screwdriver`), Jackhammer (`jackhammer`), Open-end wrench (`wrench`), Claw hammer (`hammer`), and Welding torch (`torch`). The matching invocation id chooses a deterministic initial tool, then rotation follows catalog order without immediately repeating; a replacement invocation starts its own deterministic sequence and terminal state removes the tool immediately. Awaited-thread fallback without a matching invocation and background work never equip a runtime-selected tool because invocation ownership is resolved before tool selection. Reduced motion keeps the initial tool static without a rotation timer. Maintainers can pin a valid catalog identifier with `/chat?stageTool=<identifier>` for design review, including while activity is inactive; missing or unsupported values leave normal runtime selection in place. Reduced-motion and WebGL fallback surfaces keep the visible tool label and accessible avatar description.
+For the full lifecycle of active Project Manager reply work, including an awaited selected-thread reply before its invocation is visible and startup before its first transcript turn, the avatar rotates through five work tools every seven seconds: Power screwdriver (`screwdriver`), Jackhammer (`jackhammer`), Open-end wrench (`wrench`), Claw hammer (`hammer`), and Welding torch (`torch`). The foreground activity id—normally the matching invocation id or selected thread id—chooses a deterministic initial tool, then rotation follows catalog order without immediately repeating; replacing that active reply context starts its own deterministic sequence and leaving the Project Manager busy state removes the tool immediately. Background work never equips a runtime-selected tool. Reduced motion keeps the initial tool static without a rotation timer. Maintainers can pin a valid catalog identifier with `/chat?stageTool=<identifier>` for design review, including while activity is inactive; missing or unsupported values leave normal runtime selection in place. Reduced-motion and WebGL fallback surfaces keep the visible tool label and accessible avatar description.
 
 While that matching invocation runs, the latest exchange also shows a transient progress bubble with an explicit **In progress** label, the latest non-empty persisted assistant update eligible for display, and a deduplicated tool count. Tool-call/result pairs with the same call id count once; reasoning, injected context, user prompts, raw tool payloads, and unknown internal turns are not used as the interim prose. Zero-message startup fetches the persisted transcript and shows **Preparing the first progress update…** with `0 tools used` until an eligible assistant turn exists.
 
-The bubble is a polite live status projection only. It does not create or persist a thread message and remains separate from the durable Threads transcript and final Project Manager reply. It refreshes when the running invocation's message count, last-message time, or general update time changes, including same-length telemetry rewrites. During a same-invocation refresh, or after a non-fatal transcript-fetch failure, the last accepted update and count stay visible; if no fetch has succeeded, the startup placeholder stays visible. Superseded requests are cancelled and late responses are ignored. The bubble and work tool clear on invocation replacement, completion, failure, disappearance, project change, a later thread selection, or loss of matching Project Manager ownership. The first-send handoff from a new conversation to the thread it creates is retained, but interim text cannot follow later navigation or duplicate the stored final reply. This behavior projects persisted invocation records; it does not promise backend streaming or message delivery.
+The bubble is a polite live status projection only. It does not create or persist a thread message and remains separate from the durable Threads transcript and final Project Manager reply. It refreshes when the running invocation's message count, last-message time, or general update time changes, including same-length telemetry rewrites. During a same-invocation refresh, or after a non-fatal transcript-fetch failure, the last accepted update and count stay visible; if no fetch has succeeded, the startup placeholder stays visible. Superseded requests are cancelled and late responses are ignored. The progress bubble clears on invocation replacement, completion, failure, disappearance, project change, a later thread selection, or loss of matching Project Manager ownership; the separate work tool remains present whenever the Project Manager busy state is still true. The first-send handoff from a new conversation to the thread it creates is retained, but interim text cannot follow later navigation or duplicate the stored final reply. This behavior projects persisted invocation records; it does not promise backend streaming or message delivery.
 
-On compact layouts, the latest exchange remains inside the stage above the composer and scrolls within that bounded region, so replies and active progress appear without moving the whole stage. The progress bubble is also height-bounded and scrolls long prose internally; long words wrap, while wide code and tables scroll horizontally. At wider breakpoints its maximum width is 680px on LG, 780px on XL, and 880px on 2XL; at 2XL it can reach 220px high with 17px/36px prose. The separate desktop thought bubble remains compact, shifts farther left at XL/2XL, and keeps visible spacing around its two-dot tail so it does not crowd the larger avatar or reply column. With motion enabled, the bubble animates on first appearance and eligible interim-message changes while the selected tool rotates every seven seconds. Reduced motion removes those transitions, tool rotation, and thought dots, but preserves the static tool label, **In progress**, interim or startup text, and tool count. Those visible labels remain the authoritative activity signal, including under the static SVG/WebGL-failure fallback.
+On compact layouts, the latest exchange remains inside the stage above the composer and scrolls within that bounded region, so replies and active progress appear without moving the whole stage. The durable reply is right-aligned in a narrower desktop column, capped between 560px and 680px at wider breakpoints, and uses compact 12–13px prose so it stays clear of the avatar. The progress bubble is also height-bounded and scrolls long prose internally; long words wrap, while wide code and tables scroll horizontally. At wider breakpoints its maximum width is 680px on LG, 780px on XL, and 880px on 2XL; at 2XL it can reach 220px high with 17px/36px prose. The separate desktop thought bubble remains compact and horizontally centered directly above the avatar, with visible spacing around its two-dot tail. With motion enabled, the progress bubble animates on first appearance and eligible interim-message changes while the selected tool rotates every seven seconds. Reduced motion removes those transitions, tool rotation, and thought dots, but preserves the static tool label, **In progress**, interim or startup text, and tool count. Those visible labels remain the authoritative activity signal, including under the static SVG/WebGL-failure fallback.
 
 When a text-to-speech model or API is active under **Settings -> AI Models**, 3D Chat reads new Project Manager replies aloud. A compact control dock beneath the avatar identity holds the microphone and agent mute/unmute buttons, outside the composer. Voice defaults on, shows synthesis activity, and can be muted immediately. The preference is remembered per project in the current browser; opening an existing thread does not replay its latest historical message. Long replies start with the first ready sentence while a bounded two-chunk lookahead is synthesized, then continue through every chunk in transcript order. Muting, changing threads or Chat mode, leaving the page, or starting another replay cancels pending speech and releases the active audio. If synthesis or browser playback fails, playback stops and the accessible voice or transcript status reports the error without hiding the written reply.
 
@@ -105,9 +105,9 @@ After you send a message, the thread transcript updates from the server's return
 
 While a reply or invocation container is active, the visible status line uses light deterministic humor instead of static `Initializing` or `Working` copy. These messages are keyed by the active agent, provider/model, and phase, and they remain stable for at least five seconds so live regions do not churn during rapid refreshes. The funny line is a UI adjunct only; it does not replace the actual agent reply, invocation status, or stored transcript.
 
-In 3D Chat, the complete idle set is the five create-app actions together with **Status Report**, **Sprint Progress**, **What’s Failing?**, **Plan Next Steps**, **Add Nodes Workflow**, **Add Dashboard**, **Create Skill**, and **List Skills**. The create-app buttons use the typed detached quicksprint path described above. The other eight buttons are normal chat actions: they immediately send their fixed informational or workflow prompt through the selected project's routed Thread and do not create detached app planning. Neither path inserts into, replaces, or clears text already in the composer.
+In 3D Chat, the default idle set is the five create-app actions together with **Status Report**, **Sprint Progress**, **What’s Failing?**, **Plan Next Steps**, **Create Skill**, and **List Skills**. The create-app buttons use the typed detached quicksprint path described above. The other six buttons are normal chat actions: they immediately send their fixed informational or workflow prompt through the selected project's routed Thread and do not create detached app planning. Neither path inserts into, replaces, or clears text already in the composer. **Add Nodes Workflow** and **Add Dashboard** are hidden by default; each requires both its dedicated quick-action feature flag and the corresponding Nodes or custom-dashboard surface flag.
 
-On desktop the controls are sorted into subtle **Create**, **Project pulse**, and **Workflows** clusters contained inside the left side of the stage. Each category wraps its small content-width chips together, keeping Sprint Progress and Plan Next Steps with Project pulse and keeping Add Dashboard, Create Skill, and List Skills with Workflows. Small offsets, extra whitespace, and gentle staggered drift keep the composition interesting without clipping controls or crowding the avatar. On mobile the controls retain the same category order in horizontally scrollable two-row groups. Neutral chip surfaces and distinct colored icon tiles make the actions easier to scan without giving every action the same green emphasis. Labels stay on one line. Every control is a keyboard-reachable button with a visible focus state, and Enter or Space activates it. Reduced-motion mode stops the quickaction floating animation (along with the stage's other decorative motion) without removing actions or status text. The whole group hides without a selected project and while chat is sending, working, or showing an error; all five create-app actions also remain hidden until initial-project eligibility has loaded and passed.
+On desktop the enabled controls are sorted into subtle **Create**, **Project pulse**, and **Workflows** clusters contained inside the left side of the stage. Each category wraps its small content-width chips together, keeping Sprint Progress and Plan Next Steps with Project pulse and keeping Create Skill and List Skills with Workflows. Small offsets, extra whitespace, and gentle staggered drift keep the composition interesting without clipping controls or crowding the avatar. On mobile the controls retain the same category order in horizontally scrollable two-row groups. Neutral chip surfaces and distinct colored icon tiles make the actions easier to scan without giving every action the same green emphasis. Labels stay on one line. Every control is a keyboard-reachable button with a visible focus state, and Enter or Space activates it. Reduced-motion mode stops the quickaction floating animation (along with the stage's other decorative motion) without removing actions or status text. The whole group hides without a selected project and while chat is sending, working, or showing an error; all five create-app actions also remain hidden until initial-project eligibility has loaded and passed.
 
 Planning messages can include a rich sprint status card. When Code UX can match the message to loaded live project data, the card is backed by the current task records and execution snapshot, so it updates as tasks move from queued to running, completed, failed, blocked, or quota-waiting. It shows the sprint key/name, request/task/run materialization, overall progress such as `0/7 · 0%`, queued task count, and a compact task list. If either task records or the execution snapshot are still loading, the chat keeps the generic planning status card until both live records are available for the active project.
 
diff --git a/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-live-session.mdx b/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-live-session.mdx
index b425369ec1..85c7938af3 100644
--- a/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-live-session.mdx
+++ b/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-live-session.mdx
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ Live task cards can show a compact 5-star self-reflection badge when the task sn
 
 ## Delivery workflow and QA review details
 
-Live task cards use one bright delivery workflow badge in place of the former task lifecycle, QA, and CI badges. The badge remains mounted throughout Coding → Pull request → QA → CI → Merge → Completion. Lifecycle and review state provide the durable base; persisted CI evidence enriches the middle stages when available.
+Live task cards use one bright delivery workflow badge in place of the former task lifecycle, QA, and CI badges. The badge remains mounted throughout Coding → Pull request → QA → CI → Merge → Completion. Lifecycle and review state provide the durable base; persisted CI evidence enriches the middle stages when available. Active task-matched human-only intervention changes the trigger to red **Human needed** while retaining the six-stage detail; resolved, worker-owned, system-owned, worker-assigned, and unrelated attention does not.
 
 | Presentation | Meaning |
 | --- | --- |
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ Live task cards use one bright delivery workflow badge in place of the former ta
 | Blue pencil, **QA edits** / **QA changes requested** | QA completed successfully and requested changes. This is an actionable review outcome, not a provider failure. |
 | Red X, **QA failed** | The QA provider run failed, errored, or was cancelled before returning a usable verdict. It does not mean QA requested code changes. |
 
-Hovering, focusing, or activating the badge opens an opaque, viewport-positioned workflow card, so content beneath it cannot bleed through. Six circles on the left are joined by animated dotted connectors to make the delivery sequence immediately scannable. When review data exists, an animated chevron links the workflow card to an adjacent opaque QA review card containing the outcome, summary, findings, fix instructions, target task key, reviewer, reviewed time, and generated follow-up tasks. `Escape` restores focus to the exact workflow or QA-chevron trigger that opened the surface. Reduced motion stops connector and chevron animation without removing state.
+Hovering, focusing, or activating the badge opens one viewport-positioned interaction region without a visible outer card. Its independent opaque Delivery flow card uses six circles joined by animated dotted connectors. When review data exists, a floating responsive arrow links it to an independent opaque QA review card containing the outcome, summary, findings, fix instructions, target task key, reviewer, reviewed time, and generated follow-up tasks. `Escape` restores focus to the exact workflow or QA trigger that opened the region. Reduced motion stops connector and arrow animation without removing state.
 
 Generated follow-up task specifications are collapsed initially, so long prompts do not dominate the review. Each **Follow-up task N** button exposes `aria-expanded` and can be toggled with the keyboard or touch. Expansion reveals the generated title, description, priority, dependency task keys (or **None**), and full Markdown prompt in a bounded scrolling area. The card uses one column on constrained screens, may split summary and findings on wider screens, clamps to the viewport, and scrolls vertically when needed. Reduced motion removes spinner, pulse, rotation, and transition movement without removing labels, borders, focus rings, expanded content, or state semantics.
 
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ The workflow badge summarizes the same six stages on Sprints, Tasks, Overview, a
 
 The four first-class workflow states are `pending`, `in_progress`, `successful`, and `failed`. Pending uses a neutral clock, `in_progress` is presented as running with the signal-colored progress treatment, `successful` uses a green check, and `failed` uses a red X. Failed wins over in progress, in progress wins over pending, and pending wins over successful when the overall badge is derived from the three steps.
 
-The red X is reserved for an actual provider/runtime or workflow failure. A requested-change verdict is blue, not red. A review blocker is not a CI failure: CI remains passed and Merge reads **Waiting for review**. A merge conflict belongs to Merge and remains distinct from **CI failed**.
+The red X identifies an actual provider/runtime or workflow failure, or explicit active **Human needed** intervention. A requested-change verdict is blue, not red. A review blocker is not a CI failure: CI remains passed and Merge reads **Waiting for review**. A merge conflict belongs to Merge and remains distinct from **CI failed**.
 
 The badge does not poll per card. Task feature-PR gates are persisted as `ci_gate_status` task-run events, and Live narrows them to the selected sprint and latest dispatch's sprint run before choosing the newest matching event by creation time and event ID. Unresolved CI repair attention is combined while `open` or `claimed`; persisted task merge metadata is durable fallback evidence.
 
diff --git a/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-overview.mdx b/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-overview.mdx
index a50f8736fc..730f281489 100644
--- a/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-overview.mdx
+++ b/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-overview.mdx
@@ -77,11 +77,11 @@ The Overview telemetry rail combines cross-project runtime health with selected-
 
 The Overview queue follows the same selected sprint scope as the Live page. If a sprint is selected in the top navigation, the queue shows only the active attention items returned by the selected-sprint live snapshot; unrelated sprint blockers are not reconstructed in the browser. Overview renders the queue read-only, so claim, resolve, and dismiss actions remain on the Live page.
 
-Overview active-stream task rows use the shared bright delivery workflow badge instead of a standalone QA badge. Open it to inspect Coding → Pull request → QA → CI → Merge → Completion. When a review exists, the animated chevron reveals the adjacent QA review card; requested edits stay blue, and reduced motion keeps every state visible while stopping connector and chevron animation.
+Overview active-stream task rows use the shared bright delivery workflow badge instead of a standalone QA badge. The badge combines each task's persisted lifecycle, review, and merge state with task-scoped realtime CI events and attention, matching the projection used on Tasks and Live. Open it to inspect the current Coding → Pull request → QA → CI → Merge → Completion stage. Active task-matched human-only attention appears as red **Human needed**; resolved, machine-owned, worker-assigned, and unrelated items do not override the stage. When a review exists, the responsive arrow floats between the independent workflow and QA cards; requested edits stay blue, and reduced motion keeps every state visible while stopping connector and arrow animation.
 
 ## Loading behavior
 
-Overview requests a compact active-sprint task feed instead of downloading historical task prompts, reviews, ratings, and CI evidence. The top-bar counters share that request, and the telemetry rail reuses the page's execution snapshot instead of issuing a duplicate Live request. Full task details still load when a workflow needs them, including the Tasks page and an opened global search.
+Overview requests a compact active-sprint task feed instead of downloading historical task prompts, reviews, and ratings. The top-bar counters share that request, while Active Streams and the telemetry rail reuse the page's realtime execution snapshot for current task-scoped CI/merge evidence instead of issuing a duplicate Live request. Full task details still load when a workflow needs them, including the Tasks page and an opened global search.
 
 The wide seven-day analytics snapshot refreshes every 30 seconds on Overview rather than on each execution heartbeat. The dedicated Stats page remains realtime for operators actively inspecting telemetry.
 
diff --git a/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-projects.mdx b/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-projects.mdx
index 70b5ebe341..fb946213cb 100644
--- a/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-projects.mdx
+++ b/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-projects.mdx
@@ -47,6 +47,8 @@ Click the dashed **Add Project** card to open the shared modal in local-import m
 
 Click **New Project** on the Projects page to initialize a new repository through the same modal. New project initialization does not scaffold application source files in the dashboard; it sends `new-local` or `new-remote` initialization data to the backend repository creation flow.
 
+Imported and newly initialized projects always start with Tech Stack Guidance and Styleguide set to **None** at project scope. This creation default is independent of system-level or caller-provided guidance selections; choose reusable guidance after creation from the top bar or Settings -> Guidance.
+
 New project creation always writes an explicit project techstack override. New local projects additionally receive `git.githubMode: LOCAL`; new remote projects do not. To set up a web app, desktop app, online shop, portfolio, or game in an eligible initial project, use the matching create-app quickaction in Chat Threads beside the composer. Those quickactions operate in the selected project, create a chat thread when needed, and launch the matching detached quicksprint without opening the new-project modal. All five disappear once the seed repository changes.
 
 Code UX persists whether a project was imported or initialized as a new local/remote repository. Initial-app quickactions are eligible only while a persisted new project is still a clean, one-commit seed containing exactly `README.md` and the Code UX `.gitignore`. Additional files, commits, setup artifacts, dirty state, missing checkouts, or inspection failures disable eligibility; imported and legacy projects are never inferred to be new from their source type or age.
@@ -67,7 +69,7 @@ On save, Code UX:
 
 1. Imports or initializes the repository through the backend project creation flow.
 2. Initialises `<repo>/.code-ux/` with project-local subdirectories (settings, sprints, agents, memory).
-3. Applies only the settings overrides appropriate to the source: local git mode for imported local projects, explicit techstack for new apps, and both for new local apps.
+3. Pins both reusable guidance selections to **None**, then applies source-specific overrides: local git mode for imported local projects, explicit project classification techstack for new apps, and both source-specific overrides for new local apps.
 4. Reads any external settings hints (Jules / Gemini / Codex / Claude / Qwen / OpenCode CLI auth) and pre-populates provider settings.
 
 For imported projects, setup techstack detection inspects dependency manifests, especially `package.json`, plus lockfiles and framework config files. When the detection is valid, Code UX adds the stack to the system catalog if needed and writes the project selection to `techstack.selectedTechstackId`. Invalid or empty detections are ignored without blocking other selected setup artifacts, so imported projects are not classified until evidence or an operator assigns them.
diff --git a/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-settings.mdx b/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-settings.mdx
index 333f0f2d4e..badf9d77f0 100644
--- a/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-settings.mdx
+++ b/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-settings.mdx
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ Switch scope with the selector at the top:
 
 The sticky command/status bar keeps the System/Project selector, project availability or inheritance context, active panel, and the Reset Project / Save Changes actions visible together while you scroll. Smart Find stays compact by showing only the search field until you type; active searches then show result status and match-preview chips while the exact category total remains available to assistive technology.
 
-On desktop, categories stay visible in the left rail. On smaller screens, the command bar shows one compact current-category button instead of the full rail. Open it to use the same Smart Find-filtered category list and match previews in a drawer. Arrow keys move between categories, Enter or Space selects one, and Escape closes the drawer and restores focus to the category button.
+On desktop, categories stay visible in the left rail and the active settings content starts at the top of the right workspace. Labels and linked controls within a setting row also align from the top when either side wraps onto multiple lines. On smaller screens, the command bar shows one compact current-category button instead of the full rail. Open it to use the same Smart Find-filtered category list and match previews in a drawer. Arrow keys move between categories, Enter or Space selects one, and Escape closes the drawer and restores focus to the category button.
 
 The last selected **System** or **Project** scope is remembered in the local database as part of system runtime settings. Changing only that selector is saved immediately and does not save unrelated draft edits in the active settings form.
 
diff --git a/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-sprints.mdx b/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-sprints.mdx
index 8bdf1ee790..c35d61c68d 100644
--- a/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-sprints.mdx
+++ b/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-sprints.mdx
@@ -16,9 +16,9 @@ Sprints are viewed either in a visual organic cell gallery or a dense ledger for
 
 ### Sprint attention indicators
 
-Failed execution keeps the red gallery-cell perimeter and pulsing exclamation indicator labelled **Sprint execution failed**. A sprint genuinely waiting on a person instead shows an amber person and visible `zZZ` cue labelled **Sprint waiting for human intervention**, positioned exactly 10px above the gallery cell without a red perimeter. Failure takes precedence if both states are available.
+Failed gallery cells rely on the interactive delivery workflow badge for their visible and accessible failure state. They do not add a duplicate **Execution failed** banner, red perimeter, or static outer failure ring. A sprint genuinely waiting on a person instead shows an amber person and visible `zZZ` cue labelled **Sprint waiting for human intervention**, positioned exactly 10px above the gallery cell without a red perimeter.
 
-When reduced motion is enabled, optional attention motion stops while the indicator, visible context, and semantic label remain. The waiting cue is limited to human-owned active intervention. Worker- and system-owned items—including merge conflicts a worker can resolve—do not show **Waiting for you**, a separate merge-conflict badge, or a human-attention border. Their operational state remains available through the interactive workflow details.
+When reduced motion is enabled, optional attention motion stops while the waiting indicator, visible context, and semantic label remain. The waiting cue is limited to human-owned active intervention. Worker- and system-owned items—including merge conflicts a worker can resolve—do not show **Waiting for you**, a separate merge-conflict badge, or a human-attention border. Failed and worker-owned operational state remains available through the interactive workflow details.
 
 ## Delivery workflow and QA review details
 
@@ -31,13 +31,13 @@ Sprint cells and ledger rows keep their sprint lifecycle status and use one brig
 | Blue pencil, **QA edits** / **QA changes requested** | QA completed successfully and requested changes. This is an actionable review outcome, not a provider failure. |
 | Red X, **QA failed** | The QA provider run failed, errored, or was cancelled before returning a usable verdict. It does not mean QA requested code changes. |
 
-Hovering, focusing, or activating the badge opens an opaque viewport-positioned workflow card with Coding → Pull request → QA → CI → Merge → Completion, preventing sprint content from bleeding through. Six circles are joined by motion-safe animated dotted connectors. When review data exists, an animated chevron links an adjacent opaque QA review card with the outcome, summary, findings, fix instructions, reviewer metadata, and collapsed follow-up specifications. `Escape` restores focus to the exact trigger that opened it.
+Hovering, focusing, or activating the badge opens one viewport-positioned interaction region without a visible outer card. The independent opaque Delivery flow card shows Coding → Pull request → QA → CI → Merge → Completion, and six circles are joined by motion-safe animated dotted connectors. When review data exists, a floating responsive arrow links an independent opaque QA review card with the outcome, summary, findings, fix instructions, reviewer metadata, and collapsed follow-up specifications. `Escape` restores focus to the exact trigger that opened it.
 
 Generated follow-up task specifications are collapsed initially, so long prompts do not dominate the review. Each **Follow-up task N** button exposes `aria-expanded` and can be toggled with the keyboard or touch. Expansion reveals the generated title, description, priority, dependency task keys (or **None**), and full Markdown prompt in a bounded scrolling area. The card uses one column on constrained screens, may split summary and findings on wider screens, clamps to the viewport, and scrolls vertically when needed. Reduced motion removes spinner, pulse, rotation, and transition movement without removing labels, borders, focus rings, expanded content, or state semantics.
 
 ## Six-stage delivery flow
 
-The workflow badge summarizes six stages shared by Sprints, Tasks, Overview, and Live:
+The workflow badge summarizes six stages shared by Sprints, Tasks, Overview, and Live. Sprint-run intervention summaries do not override this workflow trigger because they may represent a generic pause or runtime error; genuinely human-waiting sprints retain the separate amber waiting cue described above:
 
 1. **Coding** — waiting, active, paused, complete, or failed.
 2. **Pull request** — waiting, creating, missing, or ready.
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ The workflow badge summarizes six stages shared by Sprints, Tasks, Overview, and
 
 The four first-class workflow states are `pending`, `in_progress`, `successful`, and `failed`. Pending uses a neutral clock, `in_progress` is presented as running with the signal-colored progress treatment, `successful` uses a green check, and `failed` uses a red X. A sprint aggregates the newest state for each task workflow plus the final feature-to-default-branch merge workflow. Failed wins over in progress, in progress wins over pending, and pending wins over successful, both for each step and for the overall badge.
 
-The red X is reserved for an actual provider/runtime or workflow failure. Requested QA edits use the bright blue pencil treatment even when failed-check evidence is also present. A review blocker remains pending, and a merge conflict belongs to Merge rather than CI.
+The red X identifies an actual provider/runtime or workflow failure, or explicit active **Human needed** intervention. Requested QA edits use the bright blue pencil treatment even when failed-check evidence is also present. A review blocker remains pending, and a merge conflict belongs to Merge rather than CI.
 
 These badges do not poll per card. Task feature-PR gates are persisted as `ci_gate_status` task-run events, final feature-to-default-branch gates as `main_merge_gate_status` sprint-run events, and unresolved CI repair attention remains active while its item is `open` or `claimed`. For each task or main-merge entity, the projection selects the newest matching event by creation time and then event ID; the sprint presentation aggregates those latest entity states. Persisted task merge metadata is used only as durable fallback evidence when no matching event is available.
 
diff --git a/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-styleguides-and-tech-stacks.mdx b/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-styleguides-and-tech-stacks.mdx
index 2b1b3ec113..00664df69c 100644
--- a/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-styleguides-and-tech-stacks.mdx
+++ b/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-styleguides-and-tech-stacks.mdx
@@ -38,9 +38,9 @@ This does not delete built-in styleguides or clear the saved selection. If a hid
 
 ## Project Defaults
 
-Existing projects and imported local or Git projects default both guidance selections to **None**. They do not inherit the Code UX visual styleguide automatically.
+Every imported, new local, and new remote project starts with both guidance selections explicitly set to **None**. Project creation does not inherit system-level selections or accept a create-time selection for either catalog.
 
-New local and new remote projects get an explicit project override selecting the generic Code UX styleguide. Tech-stack guidance remains **None** unless the project creation flow or an operator selects one.
+Custom catalog entries and the default-styleguide visibility preference are preserved during creation. After adding the project, select reusable guidance from the top bar or Settings -> Guidance when the project needs it.
 
 ## Sprint Selector Actions
 
diff --git a/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-tasks.mdx b/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-tasks.mdx
index d899309f99..c96babf819 100644
--- a/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-tasks.mdx
+++ b/docs-web/content/docs/user-dashboard-tasks.mdx
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ When a worker reports a task-run self-reflection rating, the shared rating badge
 
 ## Delivery workflow and QA review details
 
-Task cards use the shared bright delivery workflow badge in place of the standalone QA and CI badges. The task lifecycle label remains visible beside it, while the badge itself always exposes Coding → Pull request → QA → CI → Merge → Completion. Lifecycle and review state keep the badge durable when CI evidence is absent or refreshing.
+Task cards use the shared bright delivery workflow badge in place of the standalone QA and CI badges. The task lifecycle label remains visible beside it, while the badge itself always exposes Coding → Pull request → QA → CI → Merge → Completion. Lifecycle and review state keep the badge durable when CI evidence is absent or refreshing. An open or claimed task-matched human/user intervention with no worker assignment takes precedence as a red **Human needed** trigger; clearing or handing the item to automation restores the ordinary workflow stage.
 
 | Presentation | Meaning |
 | --- | --- |
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ Task cards use the shared bright delivery workflow badge in place of the standal
 | Blue pencil, **QA edits** / **QA changes requested** | QA completed successfully and requested changes. This is an actionable review outcome, not a provider failure. |
 | Red X, **QA failed** | The QA provider run failed, errored, or was cancelled before returning a usable verdict. It does not mean QA requested code changes. |
 
-Hovering, focusing, or activating the badge opens an opaque, viewport-positioned workflow card. Six circles on the left are connected by motion-safe animated dots. When review data exists, an animated chevron reveals an adjacent opaque QA review card with the outcome, summary, findings, fix instructions, target task key, reviewer, reviewed time, and generated follow-up tasks. `Escape` closes the surface and restores focus to the exact workflow or QA-chevron trigger that opened it; outside pointer or touch input dismisses it.
+Hovering, focusing, or activating the badge opens one viewport-positioned interaction region without a visible outer card. Its opaque Delivery flow card contains six circles connected by motion-safe animated dots. When review data exists, a floating responsive arrow points to an independent opaque QA review card with the outcome, summary, findings, fix instructions, target task key, reviewer, reviewed time, and generated follow-up tasks. `Escape` closes the region and restores focus to the exact workflow or QA trigger that opened it; outside pointer or touch input dismisses it.
 
 Generated follow-up task specifications are collapsed initially, so long prompts do not dominate the review. Each **Follow-up task N** button exposes `aria-expanded` and can be toggled with the keyboard or touch. Expansion reveals the generated title, description, priority, dependency task keys (or **None**), and full Markdown prompt in a bounded scrolling area. The card uses one column on constrained screens, may split summary and findings on wider screens, clamps to the viewport, and scrolls vertically when needed. Reduced motion removes spinner, pulse, rotation, and transition movement without removing labels, borders, focus rings, expanded content, or state semantics.
 
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ The workflow badge summarizes six stages shared by Sprints, Tasks, Overview, and
 
 The four first-class workflow states are `pending`, `in_progress`, `successful`, and `failed`. Pending uses a neutral clock, `in_progress` is presented as running with the signal-colored progress treatment, `successful` uses a green check, and `failed` uses a red X. Failed wins over in progress, in progress wins over pending, and pending wins over successful when the overall badge is derived from the three steps.
 
-The red X is reserved for an actual provider/runtime or workflow failure. Requested QA edits use the bright blue pencil treatment, not failure red. A review blocker is not a CI failure: CI remains passed and Merge reads **Waiting for review**. A merge conflict belongs to Merge and remains distinct from **CI failed**.
+The red X identifies an actual provider/runtime or workflow failure, or explicit active **Human needed** intervention. Requested QA edits use the bright blue pencil treatment, not failure red. A review blocker is not a CI failure: CI remains passed and Merge reads **Waiting for review**. A merge conflict belongs to Merge and remains distinct from **CI failed**.
 
 These badges do not poll per card. Task feature-PR gates are persisted as `ci_gate_status` task-run events, and unresolved CI repair attention remains active while its item is `open` or `claimed`. The card projection selects the newest matching task event by creation time and then event ID, combines it with active attention, and uses persisted task merge metadata only as durable fallback evidence when no matching event is available.
 
diff --git a/docs-web/developer/feature-flags.md b/docs-web/developer/feature-flags.md
index 32db0fa626..c0eeb79db6 100644
--- a/docs-web/developer/feature-flags.md
+++ b/docs-web/developer/feature-flags.md
@@ -4,20 +4,22 @@ Dashboard feature flags hide unfinished dashboard surfaces without deleting thei
 
 Flags live in `dashboard/src/v2/lib/dashboard-feature-flags.ts`. They are resolved at dashboard bundle time through Vite `import.meta.env` values:
 
-- Development and test builds enable all flagged unfinished features by default.
-- Production builds disable flagged unfinished features by default.
-- Explicit env values override the mode default.
+- Development builds always enable the `nodes` and `custom-dashboards` discovery surfaces so those in-progress pages remain available for local testing.
+- Production builds disable unfinished surfaces by default; explicit env values enable or disable them.
+- Cinematic quick-action flags default to disabled in every mode and require an explicit env opt-in. Their underlying surface flag must also be enabled.
 
-Supported values are `true`, `1`, `yes`, `on`, `enabled`, `false`, `0`, `no`, `off`, and `disabled`. Empty or unrecognized values fall back to the mode default.
+Supported values are `true`, `1`, `yes`, `on`, `enabled`, `false`, `0`, `no`, `off`, and `disabled`. Empty or unrecognized values fall back to the flag's documented default. Development mode intentionally overrides disabled values only for the two discovery surfaces.
 
 ## Current Flags
 
 | Feature | Env variable | Development default | Production default | Scope |
 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
-| `nodes` | `VITE_CODEUX_FEATURE_NODES` | enabled | disabled | Hides the unfinished `/nodes` surface from route registration, shared navigation, route prefetch, and the guided dashboard tour. |
+| `nodes` | `VITE_CODEUX_FEATURE_NODES` | enabled | disabled | Requires `VITE_CODEUX_NODE_FLOW_BACKEND` and `VITE_CODEUX_AUTOMATION_SECURITY` to also be enabled in production. |
 | `custom-dashboards` | `VITE_CODEUX_FEATURE_CUSTOM_DASHBOARDS` | enabled | disabled | Hides the unfinished `/custom-dashboards` surface from route registration, shared navigation, route prefetch, and the guided dashboard tour. |
+| `chat-nodes-workflow-quick-action` | `VITE_CODEUX_FEATURE_CHAT_NODES_WORKFLOW_QUICK_ACTION` | disabled | disabled | Shows **Add Nodes Workflow** only when this flag and `nodes` are both enabled. |
+| `chat-custom-dashboard-quick-action` | `VITE_CODEUX_FEATURE_CHAT_CUSTOM_DASHBOARD_QUICK_ACTION` | disabled | disabled | Shows **Add Dashboard** only when this flag and `custom-dashboards` are both enabled. |
 
-When a feature is disabled, its page module remains in source for local development and tests, but the route is not added to the TanStack route tree. Direct navigation falls through to the dashboard not-found route.
+When Nodes or either production prerequisite is disabled, its route is omitted from the route tree, navigation, and route prefetch. Development keeps the surface reachable for local integration testing. This discovery override does not expose either cinematic workflow quick action; each action remains hidden until its dedicated opt-in flag is enabled.
 
 ## Adding a Flag
 
@@ -26,5 +28,5 @@ When a feature is disabled, its page module remains in source for local developm
 3. Gate route registration in `dashboard/src/main.tsx`.
 4. Gate route prefetch entries in `dashboard/src/v2/router/route-prefetch.ts`.
 5. Gate guided tour steps or other entry points that reference the hidden surface.
-6. Add focused tests for default behavior, explicit overrides, and every hidden entry point.
+6. Choose whether the flag is a development discovery surface or a default-off capability, then add focused tests for mode defaults, explicit overrides, prerequisites, and every hidden entry point.
 7. Update this page and the matching canonical `docs/` page.
diff --git a/docs-web/developer/settings-reference.md b/docs-web/developer/settings-reference.md
index 7311a72b46..0566447c2f 100644
--- a/docs-web/developer/settings-reference.md
+++ b/docs-web/developer/settings-reference.md
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ Project and sprint settings own design guidance:
 }
 ```
 
-The backend catalog always includes `none`, the built-in `Code UX` styleguide, additional default styleguides, and a small tech-stack guidance catalog. Saved selections resolve to a known default or custom id; invalid ids fall back to `none`. `hideDefaultStyleguides` only affects presentation and does not remove backend defaults. Existing and imported projects inherit `none`; new local and new remote project initialization writes an explicit project override for the Code UX styleguide. Planning and Project Setup prompts resolve selected entries from effective project settings and omit inactive `none` catalog entries. Project Setup prompts also include a setup-only styling investigation notice whenever the styleguide selection is `none`, including when tech-stack guidance is also `none`.
+The backend catalog always includes `none`, the built-in `Code UX` styleguide, additional default styleguides, and a small tech-stack guidance catalog. Saved selections resolve to a known default or custom id; invalid ids fall back to `none`. `hideDefaultStyleguides` only affects presentation and does not remove backend defaults. Every imported, new local, and new remote project writes explicit `none` project overrides for both selections; create-time selected ids are normalized to `none`, while unrelated custom catalogs and visibility settings are preserved. Planning and Project Setup prompts resolve selected entries from effective project settings and omit inactive `none` catalog entries. Project Setup prompts also include a setup-only styling investigation notice whenever the styleguide selection is `none`, including when tech-stack guidance is also `none`.
 
 The dashboard Guidance panel manages this block through the normal settings save flows. System scope edits `system.defaults.designGuidance`; project scope edits the active project override. Built-in catalog entries can be selected but cannot be edited or deleted. Custom entries can be added, edited, and deleted; deleting a selected custom entry clears that selector back to `none`.
 
diff --git a/docs-web/user/dashboard/chat.md b/docs-web/user/dashboard/chat.md
index a3d3647244..07d88aa92b 100644
--- a/docs-web/user/dashboard/chat.md
+++ b/docs-web/user/dashboard/chat.md
@@ -17,17 +17,17 @@ Markdown links use the dashboard's theme-aware signal colors across thread messa
 
 While the Project Manager is genuinely idle, the 3D stage can show one short ambient cue at a time: a greeting, wink, curious glance, dance beat, or a text-labelled humming cue with decorative notes. Returning to the page produces a welcome-back cue only after the stage was hidden or idle for at least 30 seconds, so quick tab changes stay quiet. Sending, Project Manager work, errors, hidden pages, and reduced-motion mode stop these cue timers and the stage's continuous decorative drift. The static mood caption, connection status, and unrelated background-activity count remain visible and truthful. Ambient cue text is visible but is not repeatedly announced as a live status update.
 
-The 3D stage enters its Project Manager working state only while the selected thread awaits that agent's reply or a running `dashboard_reply`/`worker_reply` invocation belongs to the same resolved agent preset. Only the newest matching running invocation owns the foreground work tool and transient progress bubble. Other agents' replies and unrelated task, planning, QA, or CI invocations remain truthful background activity; they can keep a background thought cue and count visible, but they do not make the Project Manager show a thinking expression, work tool, active caption, progress bubble, or busy-only quick-action state. Sending a message keeps its separate routing state until the awaited reply or matching invocation is visible.
+The 3D stage enters its Project Manager working state only while the selected thread awaits that agent's reply or a running `dashboard_reply`/`worker_reply` invocation belongs to the same resolved agent preset. That authoritative busy state owns the foreground work tool, including the interval before an invocation record becomes visible; only the newest matching running invocation owns the transient transcript progress bubble. Other agents' replies and unrelated task, planning, QA, or CI invocations remain truthful background activity; they can keep a background thought cue and count visible, but they do not make the Project Manager show a thinking expression, work tool, active caption, progress bubble, or busy-only quick-action state. Sending a message keeps its separate routing state until the awaited reply or matching invocation is visible.
 
 The thought area turns known runtime fields into compact cues for container startup, provider work, planning, QA review, completion, and errors. Current stage cues come only from running records or the selected thread's awaited reply; old completed or failed invocations are not presented as live activity. A delegated-work cue stays visible while the Project Manager remains idle, and an active Project Manager cue takes precedence while retaining a count of other activity. The phase is shown directly without `Background` or provider-name prefixes. Its workplace-safe quote is keyed by stable agent, provider, phase, and runtime context and stays unchanged for at least twenty seconds. Delegated work uses 72 original agency and project-management jokes about coworker handoffs, meetings, scope creep, client feedback, and ticket rituals. The runtime shuffles the deck by context, uses every line before reshuffling, and avoids immediate repeats. Reduced-motion mode keeps the status text while stopping its decorative dots.
 
-For the full lifecycle of a matching running Project Manager reply invocation, including startup before its first transcript turn, the avatar rotates through five work tools every seven seconds: Power screwdriver (`screwdriver`), Jackhammer (`jackhammer`), Open-end wrench (`wrench`), Claw hammer (`hammer`), and Welding torch (`torch`). The matching invocation id chooses a deterministic initial tool, then rotation follows catalog order without immediately repeating; a replacement invocation starts its own deterministic sequence and terminal state removes the tool immediately. Awaited-thread fallback without a matching invocation and background work never equip a runtime-selected tool because invocation ownership is resolved before tool selection. Reduced motion keeps the initial tool static without a rotation timer. Maintainers can pin a valid catalog identifier with `/chat?stageTool=<identifier>` for design review, including while activity is inactive; missing or unsupported values leave normal runtime selection in place. Reduced-motion and WebGL fallback surfaces keep the visible tool label and accessible avatar description.
+For the full lifecycle of active Project Manager reply work, including an awaited selected-thread reply before its invocation is visible and startup before its first transcript turn, the avatar rotates through five work tools every seven seconds: Power screwdriver (`screwdriver`), Jackhammer (`jackhammer`), Open-end wrench (`wrench`), Claw hammer (`hammer`), and Welding torch (`torch`). The foreground activity id—normally the matching invocation id or selected thread id—chooses a deterministic initial tool, then rotation follows catalog order without immediately repeating; replacing that active reply context starts its own deterministic sequence and leaving the Project Manager busy state removes the tool immediately. Background work never equips a runtime-selected tool. Reduced motion keeps the initial tool static without a rotation timer. Maintainers can pin a valid catalog identifier with `/chat?stageTool=<identifier>` for design review, including while activity is inactive; missing or unsupported values leave normal runtime selection in place. Reduced-motion and WebGL fallback surfaces keep the visible tool label and accessible avatar description.
 
 While that matching invocation runs, the latest exchange also shows a transient progress bubble with an explicit **In progress** label, the latest non-empty persisted assistant update eligible for display, and a deduplicated tool count. Tool-call/result pairs with the same call id count once; reasoning, injected context, user prompts, raw tool payloads, and unknown internal turns are not used as the interim prose. Zero-message startup fetches the persisted transcript and shows **Preparing the first progress update…** with `0 tools used` until an eligible assistant turn exists.
 
-The bubble is a polite live status projection only. It does not create or persist a thread message and remains separate from the durable Threads transcript and final Project Manager reply. It refreshes when the running invocation's message count, last-message time, or general update time changes, including same-length telemetry rewrites. During a same-invocation refresh, or after a non-fatal transcript-fetch failure, the last accepted update and count stay visible; if no fetch has succeeded, the startup placeholder stays visible. Superseded requests are cancelled and late responses are ignored. The bubble and work tool clear on invocation replacement, completion, failure, disappearance, project change, a later thread selection, or loss of matching Project Manager ownership. The first-send handoff from a new conversation to the thread it creates is retained, but interim text cannot follow later navigation or duplicate the stored final reply. This behavior projects persisted invocation records; it does not promise backend streaming or message delivery.
+The bubble is a polite live status projection only. It does not create or persist a thread message and remains separate from the durable Threads transcript and final Project Manager reply. It refreshes when the running invocation's message count, last-message time, or general update time changes, including same-length telemetry rewrites. During a same-invocation refresh, or after a non-fatal transcript-fetch failure, the last accepted update and count stay visible; if no fetch has succeeded, the startup placeholder stays visible. Superseded requests are cancelled and late responses are ignored. The progress bubble clears on invocation replacement, completion, failure, disappearance, project change, a later thread selection, or loss of matching Project Manager ownership; the separate work tool remains present whenever the Project Manager busy state is still true. The first-send handoff from a new conversation to the thread it creates is retained, but interim text cannot follow later navigation or duplicate the stored final reply. This behavior projects persisted invocation records; it does not promise backend streaming or message delivery.
 
-On compact layouts, the latest exchange remains inside the stage above the composer and scrolls within that bounded region, so replies and active progress appear without moving the whole stage. The progress bubble is also height-bounded and scrolls long prose internally; long words wrap, while wide code and tables scroll horizontally. At wider breakpoints its maximum width is 680px on LG, 780px on XL, and 880px on 2XL; at 2XL it can reach 220px high with 17px/36px prose. The separate desktop thought bubble remains compact, shifts farther left at XL/2XL, and keeps visible spacing around its two-dot tail so it does not crowd the larger avatar or reply column. With motion enabled, the bubble animates on first appearance and eligible interim-message changes while the selected tool rotates every seven seconds. Reduced motion removes those transitions, tool rotation, and thought dots, but preserves the static tool label, **In progress**, interim or startup text, and tool count. Those visible labels remain the authoritative activity signal, including under the static SVG/WebGL-failure fallback.
+On compact layouts, the latest exchange remains inside the stage above the composer and scrolls within that bounded region, so replies and active progress appear without moving the whole stage. The durable reply is right-aligned in a narrower desktop column, capped between 560px and 680px at wider breakpoints, and uses compact 12–13px prose so it stays clear of the avatar. The progress bubble is also height-bounded and scrolls long prose internally; long words wrap, while wide code and tables scroll horizontally. At wider breakpoints its maximum width is 680px on LG, 780px on XL, and 880px on 2XL; at 2XL it can reach 220px high with 17px/36px prose. The separate desktop thought bubble remains compact and horizontally centered directly above the avatar, with visible spacing around its two-dot tail. With motion enabled, the progress bubble animates on first appearance and eligible interim-message changes while the selected tool rotates every seven seconds. Reduced motion removes those transitions, tool rotation, and thought dots, but preserves the static tool label, **In progress**, interim or startup text, and tool count. Those visible labels remain the authoritative activity signal, including under the static SVG/WebGL-failure fallback.
 
 When a text-to-speech model or API is active under **Settings -> AI Models**, 3D Chat reads new Project Manager replies aloud. A compact control dock beneath the avatar identity holds the microphone and agent mute/unmute buttons, outside the composer. Voice defaults on, shows synthesis activity, and can be muted immediately. The preference is remembered per project in the current browser; opening an existing thread does not replay its latest historical message. Long replies start with the first ready sentence while a bounded two-chunk lookahead is synthesized, then continue through every chunk in transcript order. Muting, changing threads or Chat mode, leaving the page, or starting another replay cancels pending speech and releases the active audio. If synthesis or browser playback fails, playback stops and the accessible voice or transcript status reports the error without hiding the written reply.
 
@@ -105,9 +105,9 @@ After you send a message, the thread transcript updates from the server's return
 
 While a reply or invocation container is active, the visible status line uses light deterministic humor instead of static `Initializing` or `Working` copy. These messages are keyed by the active agent, provider/model, and phase, and they remain stable for at least five seconds so live regions do not churn during rapid refreshes. The funny line is a UI adjunct only; it does not replace the actual agent reply, invocation status, or stored transcript.
 
-In 3D Chat, the complete idle set is the five create-app actions together with **Status Report**, **Sprint Progress**, **What’s Failing?**, **Plan Next Steps**, **Add Nodes Workflow**, **Add Dashboard**, **Create Skill**, and **List Skills**. The create-app buttons use the typed detached quicksprint path described above. The other eight buttons are normal chat actions: they immediately send their fixed informational or workflow prompt through the selected project's routed Thread and do not create detached app planning. Neither path inserts into, replaces, or clears text already in the composer.
+In 3D Chat, the default idle set is the five create-app actions together with **Status Report**, **Sprint Progress**, **What’s Failing?**, **Plan Next Steps**, **Create Skill**, and **List Skills**. The create-app buttons use the typed detached quicksprint path described above. The other six buttons are normal chat actions: they immediately send their fixed informational or workflow prompt through the selected project's routed Thread and do not create detached app planning. Neither path inserts into, replaces, or clears text already in the composer. **Add Nodes Workflow** and **Add Dashboard** are hidden by default; each requires both its dedicated quick-action feature flag and the corresponding Nodes or custom-dashboard surface flag.
 
-On desktop the controls are sorted into subtle **Create**, **Project pulse**, and **Workflows** clusters contained inside the left side of the stage. Each category wraps its small content-width chips together, keeping Sprint Progress and Plan Next Steps with Project pulse and keeping Add Dashboard, Create Skill, and List Skills with Workflows. Small offsets, extra whitespace, and gentle staggered drift keep the composition interesting without clipping controls or crowding the avatar. On mobile the controls retain the same category order in horizontally scrollable two-row groups. Neutral chip surfaces and distinct colored icon tiles make the actions easier to scan without giving every action the same green emphasis. Labels stay on one line. Every control is a keyboard-reachable button with a visible focus state, and Enter or Space activates it. Reduced-motion mode stops the quickaction floating animation (along with the stage's other decorative motion) without removing actions or status text. The whole group hides without a selected project and while chat is sending, working, or showing an error; all five create-app actions also remain hidden until initial-project eligibility has loaded and passed.
+On desktop the enabled controls are sorted into subtle **Create**, **Project pulse**, and **Workflows** clusters contained inside the left side of the stage. Each category wraps its small content-width chips together, keeping Sprint Progress and Plan Next Steps with Project pulse and keeping Create Skill and List Skills with Workflows. Small offsets, extra whitespace, and gentle staggered drift keep the composition interesting without clipping controls or crowding the avatar. On mobile the controls retain the same category order in horizontally scrollable two-row groups. Neutral chip surfaces and distinct colored icon tiles make the actions easier to scan without giving every action the same green emphasis. Labels stay on one line. Every control is a keyboard-reachable button with a visible focus state, and Enter or Space activates it. Reduced-motion mode stops the quickaction floating animation (along with the stage's other decorative motion) without removing actions or status text. The whole group hides without a selected project and while chat is sending, working, or showing an error; all five create-app actions also remain hidden until initial-project eligibility has loaded and passed.
 
 Planning messages can include a rich sprint status card. When Code UX can match the message to loaded live project data, the card is backed by the current task records and execution snapshot, so it updates as tasks move from queued to running, completed, failed, blocked, or quota-waiting. It shows the sprint key/name, request/task/run materialization, overall progress such as `0/7 · 0%`, queued task count, and a compact task list. If either task records or the execution snapshot are still loading, the chat keeps the generic planning status card until both live records are available for the active project.
 
diff --git a/docs-web/user/dashboard/live-session.md b/docs-web/user/dashboard/live-session.md
index b425369ec1..85c7938af3 100644
--- a/docs-web/user/dashboard/live-session.md
+++ b/docs-web/user/dashboard/live-session.md
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ Live task cards can show a compact 5-star self-reflection badge when the task sn
 
 ## Delivery workflow and QA review details
 
-Live task cards use one bright delivery workflow badge in place of the former task lifecycle, QA, and CI badges. The badge remains mounted throughout Coding → Pull request → QA → CI → Merge → Completion. Lifecycle and review state provide the durable base; persisted CI evidence enriches the middle stages when available.
+Live task cards use one bright delivery workflow badge in place of the former task lifecycle, QA, and CI badges. The badge remains mounted throughout Coding → Pull request → QA → CI → Merge → Completion. Lifecycle and review state provide the durable base; persisted CI evidence enriches the middle stages when available. Active task-matched human-only intervention changes the trigger to red **Human needed** while retaining the six-stage detail; resolved, worker-owned, system-owned, worker-assigned, and unrelated attention does not.
 
 | Presentation | Meaning |
 | --- | --- |
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ Live task cards use one bright delivery workflow badge in place of the former ta
 | Blue pencil, **QA edits** / **QA changes requested** | QA completed successfully and requested changes. This is an actionable review outcome, not a provider failure. |
 | Red X, **QA failed** | The QA provider run failed, errored, or was cancelled before returning a usable verdict. It does not mean QA requested code changes. |
 
-Hovering, focusing, or activating the badge opens an opaque, viewport-positioned workflow card, so content beneath it cannot bleed through. Six circles on the left are joined by animated dotted connectors to make the delivery sequence immediately scannable. When review data exists, an animated chevron links the workflow card to an adjacent opaque QA review card containing the outcome, summary, findings, fix instructions, target task key, reviewer, reviewed time, and generated follow-up tasks. `Escape` restores focus to the exact workflow or QA-chevron trigger that opened the surface. Reduced motion stops connector and chevron animation without removing state.
+Hovering, focusing, or activating the badge opens one viewport-positioned interaction region without a visible outer card. Its independent opaque Delivery flow card uses six circles joined by animated dotted connectors. When review data exists, a floating responsive arrow links it to an independent opaque QA review card containing the outcome, summary, findings, fix instructions, target task key, reviewer, reviewed time, and generated follow-up tasks. `Escape` restores focus to the exact workflow or QA trigger that opened the region. Reduced motion stops connector and arrow animation without removing state.
 
 Generated follow-up task specifications are collapsed initially, so long prompts do not dominate the review. Each **Follow-up task N** button exposes `aria-expanded` and can be toggled with the keyboard or touch. Expansion reveals the generated title, description, priority, dependency task keys (or **None**), and full Markdown prompt in a bounded scrolling area. The card uses one column on constrained screens, may split summary and findings on wider screens, clamps to the viewport, and scrolls vertically when needed. Reduced motion removes spinner, pulse, rotation, and transition movement without removing labels, borders, focus rings, expanded content, or state semantics.
 
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ The workflow badge summarizes the same six stages on Sprints, Tasks, Overview, a
 
 The four first-class workflow states are `pending`, `in_progress`, `successful`, and `failed`. Pending uses a neutral clock, `in_progress` is presented as running with the signal-colored progress treatment, `successful` uses a green check, and `failed` uses a red X. Failed wins over in progress, in progress wins over pending, and pending wins over successful when the overall badge is derived from the three steps.
 
-The red X is reserved for an actual provider/runtime or workflow failure. A requested-change verdict is blue, not red. A review blocker is not a CI failure: CI remains passed and Merge reads **Waiting for review**. A merge conflict belongs to Merge and remains distinct from **CI failed**.
+The red X identifies an actual provider/runtime or workflow failure, or explicit active **Human needed** intervention. A requested-change verdict is blue, not red. A review blocker is not a CI failure: CI remains passed and Merge reads **Waiting for review**. A merge conflict belongs to Merge and remains distinct from **CI failed**.
 
 The badge does not poll per card. Task feature-PR gates are persisted as `ci_gate_status` task-run events, and Live narrows them to the selected sprint and latest dispatch's sprint run before choosing the newest matching event by creation time and event ID. Unresolved CI repair attention is combined while `open` or `claimed`; persisted task merge metadata is durable fallback evidence.
 
diff --git a/docs-web/user/dashboard/overview.md b/docs-web/user/dashboard/overview.md
index 19af9b77ba..d8ad367464 100644
--- a/docs-web/user/dashboard/overview.md
+++ b/docs-web/user/dashboard/overview.md
@@ -77,11 +77,11 @@ The Overview telemetry rail combines cross-project runtime health with selected-
 
 The Overview queue follows the same selected sprint scope as the Live page. If a sprint is selected in the top navigation, the queue shows only the active attention items returned by the selected-sprint live snapshot; unrelated sprint blockers are not reconstructed in the browser. Overview renders the queue read-only, so claim, resolve, and dismiss actions remain on the Live page.
 
-Overview active-stream task rows use the shared bright delivery workflow badge instead of a standalone QA badge. Open it to inspect Coding → Pull request → QA → CI → Merge → Completion. When a review exists, the animated chevron reveals the adjacent QA review card; requested edits stay blue, and reduced motion keeps every state visible while stopping connector and chevron animation.
+Overview active-stream task rows use the shared bright delivery workflow badge instead of a standalone QA badge. The badge combines each task's persisted lifecycle, review, and merge state with task-scoped realtime CI events and attention, matching the projection used on Tasks and Live. Open it to inspect the current Coding → Pull request → QA → CI → Merge → Completion stage. Active task-matched human-only attention appears as red **Human needed**; resolved, machine-owned, worker-assigned, and unrelated items do not override the stage. When a review exists, the responsive arrow floats between the independent workflow and QA cards; requested edits stay blue, and reduced motion keeps every state visible while stopping connector and arrow animation.
 
 ## Loading behavior
 
-Overview requests a compact active-sprint task feed instead of downloading historical task prompts, reviews, ratings, and CI evidence. The top-bar counters share that request, and the telemetry rail reuses the page's execution snapshot instead of issuing a duplicate Live request. Full task details still load when a workflow needs them, including the Tasks page and an opened global search.
+Overview requests a compact active-sprint task feed instead of downloading historical task prompts, reviews, and ratings. The top-bar counters share that request, while Active Streams and the telemetry rail reuse the page's realtime execution snapshot for current task-scoped CI/merge evidence instead of issuing a duplicate Live request. Full task details still load when a workflow needs them, including the Tasks page and an opened global search.
 
 The wide seven-day analytics snapshot refreshes every 30 seconds on Overview rather than on each execution heartbeat. The dedicated Stats page remains realtime for operators actively inspecting telemetry.
 
diff --git a/docs-web/user/dashboard/projects.md b/docs-web/user/dashboard/projects.md
index 91cec3f179..9245930a31 100644
--- a/docs-web/user/dashboard/projects.md
+++ b/docs-web/user/dashboard/projects.md
@@ -47,6 +47,8 @@ Click the dashed **Add Project** card to open the shared modal in local-import m
 
 Click **New Project** on the Projects page to initialize a new repository through the same modal. New project initialization does not scaffold application source files in the dashboard; it sends `new-local` or `new-remote` initialization data to the backend repository creation flow.
 
+Imported and newly initialized projects always start with Tech Stack Guidance and Styleguide set to **None** at project scope. This creation default is independent of system-level or caller-provided guidance selections; choose reusable guidance after creation from the top bar or Settings -> Guidance.
+
 New project creation always writes an explicit project techstack override. New local projects additionally receive `git.githubMode: LOCAL`; new remote projects do not. To set up a web app, desktop app, online shop, portfolio, or game in an eligible initial project, use the matching create-app quickaction in Chat Threads beside the composer. Those quickactions operate in the selected project, create a chat thread when needed, and launch the matching detached quicksprint without opening the new-project modal. All five disappear once the seed repository changes.
 
 Code UX persists whether a project was imported or initialized as a new local/remote repository. Initial-app quickactions are eligible only while a persisted new project is still a clean, one-commit seed containing exactly `README.md` and the Code UX `.gitignore`. Additional files, commits, setup artifacts, dirty state, missing checkouts, or inspection failures disable eligibility; imported and legacy projects are never inferred to be new from their source type or age.
@@ -67,7 +69,7 @@ On save, Code UX:
 
 1. Imports or initializes the repository through the backend project creation flow.
 2. Initialises `<repo>/.code-ux/` with project-local subdirectories (settings, sprints, agents, memory).
-3. Applies only the settings overrides appropriate to the source: local git mode for imported local projects, explicit techstack for new apps, and both for new local apps.
+3. Pins both reusable guidance selections to **None**, then applies source-specific overrides: local git mode for imported local projects, explicit project classification techstack for new apps, and both source-specific overrides for new local apps.
 4. Reads any external settings hints (Jules / Gemini / Codex / Claude / Qwen / OpenCode CLI auth) and pre-populates provider settings.
 
 For imported projects, setup techstack detection inspects dependency manifests, especially `package.json`, plus lockfiles and framework config files. When the detection is valid, Code UX adds the stack to the system catalog if needed and writes the project selection to `techstack.selectedTechstackId`. Invalid or empty detections are ignored without blocking other selected setup artifacts, so imported projects are not classified until evidence or an operator assigns them.
diff --git a/docs-web/user/dashboard/settings.md b/docs-web/user/dashboard/settings.md
index 44fefeb508..74f280e782 100644
--- a/docs-web/user/dashboard/settings.md
+++ b/docs-web/user/dashboard/settings.md
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ Switch scope with the selector at the top:
 
 The sticky command/status bar keeps the System/Project selector, project availability or inheritance context, active panel, and the Reset Project / Save Changes actions visible together while you scroll. Smart Find stays compact by showing only the search field until you type; active searches then show result status and match-preview chips while the exact category total remains available to assistive technology.
 
-On desktop, categories stay visible in the left rail. On smaller screens, the command bar shows one compact current-category button instead of the full rail. Open it to use the same Smart Find-filtered category list and match previews in a drawer. Arrow keys move between categories, Enter or Space selects one, and Escape closes the drawer and restores focus to the category button.
+On desktop, categories stay visible in the left rail and the active settings content starts at the top of the right workspace. Labels and linked controls within a setting row also align from the top when either side wraps onto multiple lines. On smaller screens, the command bar shows one compact current-category button instead of the full rail. Open it to use the same Smart Find-filtered category list and match previews in a drawer. Arrow keys move between categories, Enter or Space selects one, and Escape closes the drawer and restores focus to the category button.
 
 The last selected **System** or **Project** scope is remembered in the local database as part of system runtime settings. Changing only that selector is saved immediately and does not save unrelated draft edits in the active settings form.
 
diff --git a/docs-web/user/dashboard/sprints.md b/docs-web/user/dashboard/sprints.md
index 728639ef8f..b7fa41361c 100644
--- a/docs-web/user/dashboard/sprints.md
+++ b/docs-web/user/dashboard/sprints.md
@@ -16,9 +16,9 @@ Sprints are viewed either in a visual organic cell gallery or a dense ledger for
 
 ### Sprint attention indicators
 
-Failed execution keeps the red gallery-cell perimeter and pulsing exclamation indicator labelled **Sprint execution failed**. A sprint genuinely waiting on a person instead shows an amber person and visible `zZZ` cue labelled **Sprint waiting for human intervention**, positioned exactly 10px above the gallery cell without a red perimeter. Failure takes precedence if both states are available.
+Failed gallery cells rely on the interactive delivery workflow badge for their visible and accessible failure state. They do not add a duplicate **Execution failed** banner, red perimeter, or static outer failure ring. A sprint genuinely waiting on a person instead shows an amber person and visible `zZZ` cue labelled **Sprint waiting for human intervention**, positioned exactly 10px above the gallery cell without a red perimeter.
 
-When reduced motion is enabled, optional attention motion stops while the indicator, visible context, and semantic label remain. The waiting cue is limited to human-owned active intervention. Worker- and system-owned items—including merge conflicts a worker can resolve—do not show **Waiting for you**, a separate merge-conflict badge, or a human-attention border. Their operational state remains available through the interactive workflow details.
+When reduced motion is enabled, optional attention motion stops while the waiting indicator, visible context, and semantic label remain. The waiting cue is limited to human-owned active intervention. Worker- and system-owned items—including merge conflicts a worker can resolve—do not show **Waiting for you**, a separate merge-conflict badge, or a human-attention border. Failed and worker-owned operational state remains available through the interactive workflow details.
 
 ## Delivery workflow and QA review details
 
@@ -31,13 +31,13 @@ Sprint cells and ledger rows keep their sprint lifecycle status and use one brig
 | Blue pencil, **QA edits** / **QA changes requested** | QA completed successfully and requested changes. This is an actionable review outcome, not a provider failure. |
 | Red X, **QA failed** | The QA provider run failed, errored, or was cancelled before returning a usable verdict. It does not mean QA requested code changes. |
 
-Hovering, focusing, or activating the badge opens an opaque viewport-positioned workflow card with Coding → Pull request → QA → CI → Merge → Completion, preventing sprint content from bleeding through. Six circles are joined by motion-safe animated dotted connectors. When review data exists, an animated chevron links an adjacent opaque QA review card with the outcome, summary, findings, fix instructions, reviewer metadata, and collapsed follow-up specifications. `Escape` restores focus to the exact trigger that opened it.
+Hovering, focusing, or activating the badge opens one viewport-positioned interaction region without a visible outer card. The independent opaque Delivery flow card shows Coding → Pull request → QA → CI → Merge → Completion, and six circles are joined by motion-safe animated dotted connectors. When review data exists, a floating responsive arrow links an independent opaque QA review card with the outcome, summary, findings, fix instructions, reviewer metadata, and collapsed follow-up specifications. `Escape` restores focus to the exact trigger that opened it.
 
 Generated follow-up task specifications are collapsed initially, so long prompts do not dominate the review. Each **Follow-up task N** button exposes `aria-expanded` and can be toggled with the keyboard or touch. Expansion reveals the generated title, description, priority, dependency task keys (or **None**), and full Markdown prompt in a bounded scrolling area. The card uses one column on constrained screens, may split summary and findings on wider screens, clamps to the viewport, and scrolls vertically when needed. Reduced motion removes spinner, pulse, rotation, and transition movement without removing labels, borders, focus rings, expanded content, or state semantics.
 
 ## Six-stage delivery flow
 
-The workflow badge summarizes six stages shared by Sprints, Tasks, Overview, and Live:
+The workflow badge summarizes six stages shared by Sprints, Tasks, Overview, and Live. Sprint-run intervention summaries do not override this workflow trigger because they may represent a generic pause or runtime error; genuinely human-waiting sprints retain the separate amber waiting cue described above:
 
 1. **Coding** — waiting, active, paused, complete, or failed.
 2. **Pull request** — waiting, creating, missing, or ready.
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ The workflow badge summarizes six stages shared by Sprints, Tasks, Overview, and
 
 The four first-class workflow states are `pending`, `in_progress`, `successful`, and `failed`. Pending uses a neutral clock, `in_progress` is presented as running with the signal-colored progress treatment, `successful` uses a green check, and `failed` uses a red X. A sprint aggregates the newest state for each task workflow plus the final feature-to-default-branch merge workflow. Failed wins over in progress, in progress wins over pending, and pending wins over successful, both for each step and for the overall badge.
 
-The red X is reserved for an actual provider/runtime or workflow failure. Requested QA edits use the bright blue pencil treatment even when failed-check evidence is also present. A review blocker remains pending, and a merge conflict belongs to Merge rather than CI.
+The red X identifies an actual provider/runtime or workflow failure, or explicit active **Human needed** intervention. Requested QA edits use the bright blue pencil treatment even when failed-check evidence is also present. A review blocker remains pending, and a merge conflict belongs to Merge rather than CI.
 
 These badges do not poll per card. Task feature-PR gates are persisted as `ci_gate_status` task-run events, final feature-to-default-branch gates as `main_merge_gate_status` sprint-run events, and unresolved CI repair attention remains active while its item is `open` or `claimed`. For each task or main-merge entity, the projection selects the newest matching event by creation time and then event ID; the sprint presentation aggregates those latest entity states. Persisted task merge metadata is used only as durable fallback evidence when no matching event is available.
 
diff --git a/docs-web/user/dashboard/styleguides-and-tech-stacks.md b/docs-web/user/dashboard/styleguides-and-tech-stacks.md
index 7262adec46..4746730ded 100644
--- a/docs-web/user/dashboard/styleguides-and-tech-stacks.md
+++ b/docs-web/user/dashboard/styleguides-and-tech-stacks.md
@@ -38,9 +38,9 @@ This does not delete built-in styleguides or clear the saved selection. If a hid
 
 ## Project Defaults
 
-Existing projects and imported local or Git projects default both guidance selections to **None**. They do not inherit the Code UX visual styleguide automatically.
+Every imported, new local, and new remote project starts with both guidance selections explicitly set to **None**. Project creation does not inherit system-level selections or accept a create-time selection for either catalog.
 
-New local and new remote projects get an explicit project override selecting the generic Code UX styleguide. Tech-stack guidance remains **None** unless the project creation flow or an operator selects one.
+Custom catalog entries and the default-styleguide visibility preference are preserved during creation. After adding the project, select reusable guidance from the top bar or Settings -> Guidance when the project needs it.
 
 ## Sprint Selector Actions
 
diff --git a/docs-web/user/dashboard/tasks.md b/docs-web/user/dashboard/tasks.md
index d899309f99..c96babf819 100644
--- a/docs-web/user/dashboard/tasks.md
+++ b/docs-web/user/dashboard/tasks.md
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ When a worker reports a task-run self-reflection rating, the shared rating badge
 
 ## Delivery workflow and QA review details
 
-Task cards use the shared bright delivery workflow badge in place of the standalone QA and CI badges. The task lifecycle label remains visible beside it, while the badge itself always exposes Coding → Pull request → QA → CI → Merge → Completion. Lifecycle and review state keep the badge durable when CI evidence is absent or refreshing.
+Task cards use the shared bright delivery workflow badge in place of the standalone QA and CI badges. The task lifecycle label remains visible beside it, while the badge itself always exposes Coding → Pull request → QA → CI → Merge → Completion. Lifecycle and review state keep the badge durable when CI evidence is absent or refreshing. An open or claimed task-matched human/user intervention with no worker assignment takes precedence as a red **Human needed** trigger; clearing or handing the item to automation restores the ordinary workflow stage.
 
 | Presentation | Meaning |
 | --- | --- |
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ Task cards use the shared bright delivery workflow badge in place of the standal
 | Blue pencil, **QA edits** / **QA changes requested** | QA completed successfully and requested changes. This is an actionable review outcome, not a provider failure. |
 | Red X, **QA failed** | The QA provider run failed, errored, or was cancelled before returning a usable verdict. It does not mean QA requested code changes. |
 
-Hovering, focusing, or activating the badge opens an opaque, viewport-positioned workflow card. Six circles on the left are connected by motion-safe animated dots. When review data exists, an animated chevron reveals an adjacent opaque QA review card with the outcome, summary, findings, fix instructions, target task key, reviewer, reviewed time, and generated follow-up tasks. `Escape` closes the surface and restores focus to the exact workflow or QA-chevron trigger that opened it; outside pointer or touch input dismisses it.
+Hovering, focusing, or activating the badge opens one viewport-positioned interaction region without a visible outer card. Its opaque Delivery flow card contains six circles connected by motion-safe animated dots. When review data exists, a floating responsive arrow points to an independent opaque QA review card with the outcome, summary, findings, fix instructions, target task key, reviewer, reviewed time, and generated follow-up tasks. `Escape` closes the region and restores focus to the exact workflow or QA trigger that opened it; outside pointer or touch input dismisses it.
 
 Generated follow-up task specifications are collapsed initially, so long prompts do not dominate the review. Each **Follow-up task N** button exposes `aria-expanded` and can be toggled with the keyboard or touch. Expansion reveals the generated title, description, priority, dependency task keys (or **None**), and full Markdown prompt in a bounded scrolling area. The card uses one column on constrained screens, may split summary and findings on wider screens, clamps to the viewport, and scrolls vertically when needed. Reduced motion removes spinner, pulse, rotation, and transition movement without removing labels, borders, focus rings, expanded content, or state semantics.
 
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ The workflow badge summarizes six stages shared by Sprints, Tasks, Overview, and
 
 The four first-class workflow states are `pending`, `in_progress`, `successful`, and `failed`. Pending uses a neutral clock, `in_progress` is presented as running with the signal-colored progress treatment, `successful` uses a green check, and `failed` uses a red X. Failed wins over in progress, in progress wins over pending, and pending wins over successful when the overall badge is derived from the three steps.
 
-The red X is reserved for an actual provider/runtime or workflow failure. Requested QA edits use the bright blue pencil treatment, not failure red. A review blocker is not a CI failure: CI remains passed and Merge reads **Waiting for review**. A merge conflict belongs to Merge and remains distinct from **CI failed**.
+The red X identifies an actual provider/runtime or workflow failure, or explicit active **Human needed** intervention. Requested QA edits use the bright blue pencil treatment, not failure red. A review blocker is not a CI failure: CI remains passed and Merge reads **Waiting for review**. A merge conflict belongs to Merge and remains distinct from **CI failed**.
 
 These badges do not poll per card. Task feature-PR gates are persisted as `ci_gate_status` task-run events, and unresolved CI repair attention remains active while its item is `open` or `claimed`. The card projection selects the newest matching task event by creation time and then event ID, combines it with active attention, and uses persisted task merge metadata only as durable fallback evidence when no matching event is available.
 
diff --git a/docs/architecture/card-ci-status-projection.md b/docs/architecture/card-ci-status-projection.md
index ddb64fd89e..eed15322d7 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/card-ci-status-projection.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/card-ci-status-projection.md
@@ -31,7 +31,9 @@ A review-only `review_blocked` main-merge event does not produce a failed CI sta
 
 The dashboard expands this compact persisted state with project-scoped execution evidence at each page boundary, then combines it with lifecycle and latest-review state in a durable six-stage delivery projection: Coding, Pull request, QA, CI, Merge, and Completion. Tasks and Live derive task-scoped pull-request, checks, and merge steps; the Sprint gallery and ledger share the sprint-scoped aggregation. CI evidence enriches the middle stages but is optional, so a refresh that omits historical gate events cannot unmount or flash away the workflow badge. A durably completed workflow settles missing historical PR, checks, and merge projections as successful instead of displaying contradictory pending stages. Every stage uses outcome text in addition to its icon and tone.
 
-The shared `WorkflowStatusBadge` renders the six stages as a circular rail with motion-safe dotted connectors. When a review exists, an animated chevron joins the workflow card to an adjacent review card. Requested changes use the blue `QA edits` treatment even when failed-check evidence also exists; red is reserved for actual provider/runtime and workflow failures. Live replaces its separate task lifecycle and QA badges with this projection, while Task, Sprint, and Overview surfaces retain their surrounding lifecycle context and replace standalone QA/CI disclosures. A running sprint deliberately suppresses task-level gate aggregation so its badge remains on Coding instead of flipping as different child tasks enter PR, CI, or Merge; task cards continue showing those individual transitions.
+Active, task-matched human-only attention has presentation precedence over the ordinary lifecycle and gate summary: the trigger becomes red **Human needed** while its disclosure retains all six workflow stages. This predicate requires explicit attention-item evidence: status must be `open` or `claimed`, ownership must be `human`/`user`, and the worker-assignment field must be explicitly `null`. Resolved, dismissed, expired, worker-owned, system-owned, worker-assigned, sibling-task, and sibling-sprint attention never activates this override. Sprint-run intervention summaries do not qualify because they omit status and assignment and may be synthesized from lifecycle events such as manual pause or runtime error.
+
+The shared `WorkflowStatusBadge` renders the six stages as a circular rail with motion-safe dotted connectors. Its viewport-positioned interaction region has no outer visual card; the opaque Delivery flow card, floating responsive arrow, and optional opaque QA review card are independent siblings inside that one focus/hover/dismissal boundary. Requested changes use the blue `QA edits` treatment even when failed-check evidence also exists; red is reserved for actual provider/runtime/workflow failures and explicit **Human needed** intervention. Live replaces its separate task lifecycle and QA badges with this projection, while Task, Sprint, and Overview surfaces retain their surrounding lifecycle context and replace standalone QA/CI disclosures. A running sprint deliberately suppresses task-level gate aggregation so its badge remains on Coding instead of flipping as different child tasks enter PR, CI, or Merge; an active human-only intervention remains the higher-priority exception.
 
 Cross-surface integration coverage lives in `tests/dashboard/v2/qa-ci-card-status.integration.test.tsx`. Its deterministic fixture exercises pull-request creation, running checks, failure, recovery, active attention precedence, unrelated-event isolation, reconnect replay, and keyboard-only QA/CI disclosures across Task, Live, Sprint gallery, and Sprint ledger cards without Docker, provider CLIs, Git hosting, or a database.
 
diff --git a/docs/dashboard/dashboard-guide.md b/docs/dashboard/dashboard-guide.md
index 9708c9a99f..684b51598a 100644
--- a/docs/dashboard/dashboard-guide.md
+++ b/docs/dashboard/dashboard-guide.md
@@ -375,8 +375,9 @@ Legacy runtime:
 - Live attention resolve/dismiss dialogs are portaled to a viewport-fixed overlay, preserve viewport position after confirmation, use action-specific tones, and return focus without scrolling the page when the originating queue row disappears.
 - The Live attention queue, Invocation Feed, and Execution Runtime panels share a compact sidebar feed language with smaller type, subtle row backgrounds, bounded scroll regions, explicit empty states, and narrow colored left rails for status/severity distinction.
 - The Live page Git / CI / PR panel now uses compact status metric tiles plus state-specific iconography for PR and CI rows, including animated indicators for active CI states (`IN_PROGRESS`, `QUEUED`, `PENDING`, `QUOTA`) with reduced-motion fallback (`motion-reduce:animate-none`)
-- Live task cards, Sprint gallery/ledger entries, Task cards, and Overview active-stream rows use one bright delivery workflow badge. Its viewport-positioned card shows Coding → Pull request → QA → CI → Merge → Completion on a circular rail with motion-safe dotted connectors. Live uses it in place of the former lifecycle and QA badges; the other surfaces use it in place of standalone QA/CI disclosures. The badge remains mounted when a refreshed Sprints execution snapshot has no CI events, using lifecycle/review state as the durable base and enriching PR/CI/Merge when evidence returns.
-- When a persisted QA review exists, the workflow surface reveals an adjacent review card through an animated chevron. `changes_requested` keeps the bright blue pencil/`QA edits` treatment across the trigger, QA stage, connector, and review card; provider/runtime failures remain red. Hover, focus, activation, touch dismissal, exact-trigger focus restoration, collapsed follow-up specifications, and reduced-motion fallbacks share one contract.
+- Live task cards, Sprint gallery/ledger entries, Task cards, and Overview active-stream rows use one bright delivery workflow badge. Its viewport-positioned interaction region contains an independent Delivery flow card showing Coding → Pull request → QA → CI → Merge → Completion, plus a floating responsive arrow and independent QA card when review data exists; there is no duplicate outer overlay surface. Live uses it in place of the former lifecycle and QA badges; the other surfaces use it in place of standalone QA/CI disclosures. The badge remains mounted when a refreshed Sprints execution snapshot has no CI events, using lifecycle/review state as the durable base and enriching PR/CI/Merge when evidence returns.
+- Active task-matched human/user attention overrides the ordinary workflow summary with a red **Human needed** trigger only while the item is open/claimed and has no worker assignment. Resolved, dismissed, worker/system-owned, worker-assigned, and unrelated attention falls back to the normal lifecycle/QA/CI stage.
+- When a persisted QA review exists, a floating responsive arrow links the independent Delivery flow and review cards. `changes_requested` keeps the bright blue pencil/`QA edits` treatment across the trigger, QA stage, connector, and review card; provider/runtime failures and explicit active **Human needed** intervention use red. Hover, focus, activation, touch dismissal, exact-trigger focus restoration, collapsed follow-up specifications, and reduced-motion fallbacks share one contract.
 - Live telemetry and runtime panels expose loading, empty, reconnecting, disconnected, pending, warning, and error states through named regions, polite status/log live regions, and assertive alerts only for blocking disconnect/error states. Dense runtime strings such as branches, PR titles, workflow names, provider/model labels, connection keys, and event snippets wrap inside their panels to avoid page-level horizontal overflow.
 - The Sprint ledger keeps sorting, filtering, list-window changes, row selection, per-row menus, and bulk actions accessible with and without motion. Filtered select-all acts on the current filtered result set, selections are pruned when filters hide rows, rows expose stable `aria-selected`/`aria-busy` states with selected and pending badges, and each ledger action emits one concise live outcome with visible and selected counts. Pending bulk controls show a visible disabled reason, reference that reason with `aria-describedby`, suppress duplicate activation, and destructive bulk delete uses the shared hold-to-confirm dialog with a target-specific title and focus restoration to the delete trigger or ledger fallback.
 - Creating a new sprint automatically updates the active sprint selection to that new sprint
diff --git a/docs/dashboard/design-system-chat.md b/docs/dashboard/design-system-chat.md
index ee455410da..1171e9a460 100644
--- a/docs/dashboard/design-system-chat.md
+++ b/docs/dashboard/design-system-chat.md
@@ -53,13 +53,13 @@ The chat page opens in a cinematic "3D Chat" stage (`components/chat/cinematic/C
 - **Runtime activity cues**: the thought area classifies persisted invocation facts into container startup (no provider linkage or messages yet), provider work, planning, QA review, completion, or error. Only running records are eligible for the stage's current foreground/background display, so historical completion and failure rows do not look current. The compact status shows the phase directly, without `Background` or provider-name prefixes, and pairs it with a deterministic quote in an atomic polite live region. Copy is keyed by stable agent, provider, phase, and invocation/thread context and changes at most once per twenty-second bucket. Active delegated work draws from an original 72-line agency/project-management catalog covering delegation, meetings, scope creep, feedback rituals, tickets, and coworker handoffs. A seeded shuffled deck varies the order by runtime context, presents every line once before reshuffling, and prevents immediate repeats while remaining stable inside a display bucket. When Project Manager work and background work overlap, the Project Manager cue leads and a compact count of other active work remains visible. Reduced motion removes the animated activity dots without removing any status text.
 - **Alive by state, never faked**: `use-agent-mood.ts` maps real runtime state to expressions — `nod` while routing a send, `thinking` + a cloud thought bubble while a reply is being prepared (starting → working phases), `excited` for 2,600 ms when a reply lands, `sad` on errors, `curious` while the user types, and idle decay to `bored` after 90,000 ms then `sleepy` after 240,000 ms; engagement wakes it. When motion is allowed and the user is not engaged, a non-sleepy idle stage advances through wink, dance, labelled humming, curious, and greeting cues after 12,000 ms gaps, showing each for 2,800 ms. A welcome-back greeting requires at least 30,000 ms away or idle. The latest Project Manager reply may temporarily override only idle/listening presentation with a validated `agentEffect`; errors, message routing, and active Project Manager work retain precedence.
 - **Window-level gaze**: on the stage the avatar uses `pointerTracking="window"` — it watches the cursor anywhere on the page and releases back to idle drift ~3s after the mouse stops. Other surfaces (Agents page) keep the hover-only default.
-- **Latest exchange spotlight**: the stage shows only the current beat — the newest agent reply as one glass speech bubble (markdown + widgets; long replies scroll *inside* the bubble) plus up to two user messages sent after it. Only the newest running `dashboard_reply` or `worker_reply` invocation whose `agentPresetId` matches the resolved Project Manager preset may add an ephemeral progress bubble after that exchange. The bubble has a visible **In progress** label, the latest non-empty persisted assistant prose whose normalized kind is absent or `assistant`, and a deduplicated tool-call count. Reasoning, injected context, user turns, tool payloads, and unknown internal message kinds never become its prose; paired `tool_call`/`tool_result` turns share `toolCallId`, while providers without one fall back to the persisted message id. Before the first eligible assistant turn it shows a startup placeholder and `0 tools used`. This atomic polite status is a transient projection only: it is separate from the durable thread transcript and final reply, never persists a conversation message, and disappears before the stored final reply is staged so final text is not duplicated. On mobile, the latest exchange stays inside the stage above the composer and scrolls within that bounded region, so replies and active progress appear without scrolling the whole stage. A "Full conversation · N messages" link jumps to Threads for history. Quick actions use the open space beside the avatar while the bubble owns the right side. An empty idle thread shows a scripted greeting with suggestion chips that send directly without changing the composer.
-- **Invocation-feedback lifecycle**: zero-message startup still fetches the selected invocation transcript and renders the placeholder immediately. The feedback hook refetches when the selected invocation's `messageCount`, `lastMessageAt`, or `updatedAt` changes; all three are refresh keys because a persisted telemetry rewrite can change content or metadata without changing length. A same-invocation refresh keeps the last safe message and tool count visible while loading. A non-fatal transcript-fetch failure also keeps that last snapshot (or the startup placeholder when no snapshot exists) instead of turning background transcript availability into a stage failure. Invocation replacement or disappearance, terminal status, project change, resolved-preset change, and a later user-selected thread change clear the projection and work tool immediately. The first-send transition from `new-thread` to its newly created thread is the one retained context handoff. Superseded requests are aborted, and request generations reject late responses so stale project or invocation data cannot repopulate the stage.
-- **Progress-bubble scale and overflow**: the bubble animates on first appearance and eligible interim-message changes when motion is allowed. It remains height-bounded with its own vertical scrolling (`min(30vh, 280px)` on compact screens, `160px` at medium, `170px` at extra-large, and `220px` at 2XL); its maximum width is `720px` by default, `680px` at LG, `780px` at XL, and `880px` at 2XL. Progress prose scales from 14px/28px line height through 15–16px on large screens to 17px/36px at 2XL; long words wrap, while code blocks and tables scroll horizontally inside the bubble. The latest-exchange log keeps a four-unit gap between durable reply, pending user turns, and transient progress. The separate activity thought bubble stays compact (`208px` on desktop), moves farther left of the larger avatar at XL/2XL, and retains space between its card and two-dot tail so neither activity copy nor decoration crowds the avatar or progress surface.
+- **Latest exchange spotlight**: the stage shows only the current beat — the newest agent reply as one glass speech bubble (markdown + widgets; long replies scroll *inside* the bubble) plus up to two user messages sent after it. The durable reply bubble is right-aligned inside a narrower right-side column so it cannot cover the avatar; it is capped at 620px by default, 560px at LG, 620px at XL, and 680px at 2XL, with compact 12–13px prose. Only the newest running `dashboard_reply` or `worker_reply` invocation whose `agentPresetId` matches the resolved Project Manager preset may add an ephemeral progress bubble after that exchange. The progress bubble has a visible **In progress** label, the latest non-empty persisted assistant prose whose normalized kind is absent or `assistant`, and a deduplicated tool-call count. Reasoning, injected context, user turns, tool payloads, and unknown internal message kinds never become its prose; paired `tool_call`/`tool_result` turns share `toolCallId`, while providers without one fall back to the persisted message id. Before the first eligible assistant turn it shows a startup placeholder and `0 tools used`. This atomic polite status is a transient projection only: it is separate from the durable thread transcript and final reply, never persists a conversation message, and disappears before the stored final reply is staged so final text is not duplicated. On mobile, the latest exchange stays inside the stage above the composer and scrolls within that bounded region, so replies and active progress appear without scrolling the whole stage. A "Full conversation · N messages" link jumps to Threads for history. Quick actions use the open space beside the avatar while the bubble owns the right side. An empty idle thread shows a scripted greeting with suggestion chips that send directly without changing the composer.
+- **Invocation-feedback lifecycle**: zero-message startup still fetches the selected invocation transcript and renders the placeholder immediately. The feedback hook refetches when the selected invocation's `messageCount`, `lastMessageAt`, or `updatedAt` changes; all three are refresh keys because a persisted telemetry rewrite can change content or metadata without changing length. A same-invocation refresh keeps the last safe message and tool count visible while loading. A non-fatal transcript-fetch failure also keeps that last snapshot (or the startup placeholder when no snapshot exists) instead of turning background transcript availability into a stage failure. Invocation replacement or disappearance, terminal status, project change, resolved-preset change, and a later user-selected thread change clear the transcript projection immediately. The work tool follows the separate authoritative Project Manager busy state and remains present while an awaited reply or matching reply invocation is still active. The first-send transition from `new-thread` to its newly created thread is the one retained context handoff. Superseded requests are aborted, and request generations reject late responses so stale project or invocation data cannot repopulate the stage.
+- **Progress-bubble scale and overflow**: the progress bubble animates on first appearance and eligible interim-message changes when motion is allowed. It remains height-bounded with its own vertical scrolling (`min(30vh, 280px)` on compact screens, `160px` at medium, `170px` at extra-large, and `220px` at 2XL); its maximum width is `720px` by default, `680px` at LG, `780px` at XL, and `880px` at 2XL. Progress prose scales from 14px/28px line height through 15–16px on large screens to 17px/36px at 2XL; long words wrap, while code blocks and tables scroll horizontally inside the bubble. The latest-exchange log keeps a four-unit gap between durable reply, pending user turns, and transient progress. The separate activity thought bubble stays compact (`220px` on desktop), remains horizontally centered directly above the avatar, and retains space between its card and two-dot tail so neither activity copy nor decoration crowds the avatar or progress surface.
 - **Floating composer**: a bottom-center glass pill shared with the Threads data flow — Enter sends, first send auto-creates the thread, ArrowUp/Down recalls history.
 - **Expressions catalog**: the avatar vocabulary (SVG + WebGL, kept in sync) now includes `curious`, `thinking`, `excited`, `laughing`, `surprised`, `wink`, `dance`, and `proud` in addition to the original eight.
-- **Work tools**: for the full lifecycle of a matching running Project Manager reply invocation, including container startup before the first transcript turn, the bot pulls an animated 3D work tool from its toolbox beside itself. The exact `AgentSceneTool` identifiers are `screwdriver` (spinning bit), `jackhammer` (piston/chisel), `wrench` (ratcheting swing), `hammer` (tapping swing), and `torch` (flickering welding tip). The stage uses the selected invocation id as the activity key, derives a deterministic initial catalog position from it, and advances in catalog order every 7,000 ms without an immediate repeat; replacing the invocation restarts selection predictably and terminal state removes the tool immediately. Reduced motion keeps that invocation's initial tool static and starts no rotation timer. `?stageTool=<identifier>` pins a valid tool for design review even while runtime activity is inactive; an absent or unsupported value does not override normal selection. Awaited-thread fallback without a matching invocation and background project execution never equip a runtime-selected tool because invocation ownership is resolved before the work-tool hook is activated.
-- **Idle quick actions**: the complete eligible 13-action stage set is **Create Web App**, **Create Desktop App**, **Create Onlineshop**, **Create Portfolio**, **Create Game**, **Status Report**, **Sprint Progress**, **What’s Failing?**, **Plan Next Steps**, **Add Nodes Workflow**, **Add Dashboard**, **Create Skill**, and **List Skills**. Desktop sorts them into subtle **Create**, **Project pulse**, and **Workflows** clusters contained entirely within the left stage viewbox. Each category uses a compact wrapping cluster, so Sprint Progress and Plan Next Steps remain beside the other Project pulse controls while Add Dashboard, Create Skill, and List Skills remain beside the other Workflows controls. Content-width neutral chips use small horizontal/vertical offsets, generous gaps, and staggered gentle drift to avoid both full-width controls and a mechanically aligned matrix while maintaining a whitespace buffer before the avatar. Mobile keeps the same category order in orderly content-width two-row horizontal groups. Each chip has a distinct colored icon tile for recognition while its card surface and interaction states remain consistent. Labels stay on one line, every action is a native keyboard-reachable button with a visible focus ring, and the floating animation stops under reduced motion. The five create-app actions dispatch typed `create_app` metadata and launch detached `Plan & Start` quicksprints; the eight informational and workflow actions send their catalog prompt through normal project chat without inserting into, replacing, or clearing the composer draft. All five create-app actions remain hidden until initial-project eligibility has loaded and is true; the other eight project actions remain available whenever the stage is idle. The full group hides without a selected project and while sending, working, or showing an error.
+- **Work tools**: for the full lifecycle of active Project Manager reply work, including an awaited selected-thread reply before its invocation record is visible and container startup before the first transcript turn, the bot pulls an animated 3D work tool from its toolbox beside itself. The exact `AgentSceneTool` identifiers are `screwdriver` (spinning bit), `jackhammer` (piston/chisel), `wrench` (ratcheting swing), `hammer` (tapping swing), and `torch` (flickering welding tip). The stage uses the foreground activity cue id—normally the matching invocation id or selected thread id—as the activity key, derives a deterministic initial catalog position from it, and advances in catalog order every 7,000 ms without an immediate repeat; replacing the active reply context restarts selection predictably and leaving the Project Manager busy state removes the tool immediately. Reduced motion keeps that activity's initial tool static and starts no rotation timer. `?stageTool=<identifier>` pins a valid tool for design review even while runtime activity is inactive; an absent or unsupported value does not override normal selection. Background project execution never equips a runtime-selected tool because it does not activate the Project Manager busy state.
+- **Idle quick actions**: the default eligible 11-action stage set is **Create Web App**, **Create Desktop App**, **Create Onlineshop**, **Create Portfolio**, **Create Game**, **Status Report**, **Sprint Progress**, **What’s Failing?**, **Plan Next Steps**, **Create Skill**, and **List Skills**. **Add Nodes Workflow** and **Add Dashboard** remain registered but hidden by dedicated default-off dashboard feature flags; each also requires its underlying `nodes` or `custom-dashboards` surface flag. Desktop sorts enabled actions into subtle **Create**, **Project pulse**, and **Workflows** clusters contained entirely within the left stage viewbox. Each category uses a compact wrapping cluster, so Sprint Progress and Plan Next Steps remain beside the other Project pulse controls while Create Skill and List Skills remain together in Workflows. Content-width neutral chips use small horizontal/vertical offsets, generous gaps, and staggered gentle drift to avoid both full-width controls and a mechanically aligned matrix while maintaining a whitespace buffer before the avatar. Mobile keeps the same category order in orderly content-width two-row horizontal groups. Each chip has a distinct colored icon tile for recognition while its card surface and interaction states remain consistent. Labels stay on one line, every action is a native keyboard-reachable button with a visible focus ring, and the floating animation stops under reduced motion. The five create-app actions dispatch typed `create_app` metadata and launch detached `Plan & Start` quicksprints; the six default informational and workflow actions send their catalog prompt through normal project chat without inserting into, replacing, or clearing the composer draft. All five create-app actions remain hidden until initial-project eligibility has loaded and is true; enabled project actions remain available whenever the stage is idle. The full group hides without a selected project and while sending, working, or showing an error.
 - **Reduced motion and fallback**: either the resolved reduced-motion preference or explicit `fallbackMode` selects the static SVG bot instead of creating a WebGL context. Aurora, thinking dots, quick-action float, drift, pointer gaze, tool motion, progress-bubble entrance/update transitions, and response choreography stop. A selected work tool remains named in a visible static label and the fallback container's accessible image label. The thought bubble keeps its phase/quote text, the progress bubble keeps **In progress**, prose or startup placeholder, and the tool-count text, and these visible labels remain the authoritative activity signal. If WebGL renderer construction fails, the same SVG semantics apply. A response effect still exposes its validated semantic emotion and caption (or `Feeling <emotion>.`), so the reaction remains understandable without movement.
 
 ### Project Manager response-effect contract
diff --git a/docs/dashboard/design-system-overview.md b/docs/dashboard/design-system-overview.md
index ce6bc716e3..1582776487 100644
--- a/docs/dashboard/design-system-overview.md
+++ b/docs/dashboard/design-system-overview.md
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ The overview page acts as a centralized "Polished Operational Command Surface."
 - Overview pages must preserve a named route landmark and named operational regions for metric cards, primary work sections, and live telemetry. `HeaderStats` and `OverviewTelemetry` are the reference source areas for overview metric and telemetry semantics.
 - Loading metric decks use polite `role="status"` with `aria-busy`; loaded metric groups use named `region` containers. Avoid announcing decorative counters or background animation as separate content.
 - Overview telemetry distinguishes urgency: loading, empty, pending, running, and timeline updates are polite, while project/transport failures that block trust in the telemetry rail are alerts. Timeline feeds use a named `role="log"` so updates are discoverable without replacing the whole page context.
+- Active Streams feeds each task's persisted lifecycle, review, merge indicator, and task-scoped realtime CI events/attention into the shared workflow projection used by Tasks and Live. The interactive badge must therefore show the current Coding → Pull request → QA → CI → Merge → Completion stage rather than a lifecycle-only fallback, and evidence from another task must never leak into the row.
 - The selected-sprint attention queue in Overview must use the shared attention row presentation from the Live runtime surface. It should inherit status/severity tones, markdown summary rendering, and list semantics from that shared component, while omitting claim/resolve/dismiss actions.
 - Dense runtime labels such as project names, sprint keys, provider/model labels, branch names, workflow names, and event snippets must wrap inside their cards or rails. Do not rely on hover-only truncation for operational values.
 - The Warm Void visual language remains restrained: neutral glass surfaces for Overview structure, theme-specific signal utilities for primary active/focus/running states, and Ember/status tones only for intervention, warning, error, and destructive states. Stats uses a stricter solid-surface Warm Void variant for dense analytics and System administration; see [Stats & Analytics Design System](./design-system-stats.md).
diff --git a/docs/dashboard/design-system-settings.md b/docs/dashboard/design-system-settings.md
index 43650b9fbe..202fc660ac 100644
--- a/docs/dashboard/design-system-settings.md
+++ b/docs/dashboard/design-system-settings.md
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ This document defines the visual patterns and rules for the Settings workspace.
 *   Primary Settings actions use `--accent-action` with `--accent-on-solid`; light presets use a white foreground and dark presets use warm-void text where required for contrast. Do not invert actions to theme-neutral black/white slabs. Neutral buttons remain surface-toned, domain-colored Configure actions remain neutral except for their icon/hover detail, and destructive actions retain the status-red treatment.
 *   The System/Project selection is a database-backed runtime preference (`runtime.lastActiveScope`). Scope changes save that preference from the last saved system settings snapshot, so toggling the selector must not implicitly persist unrelated dirty form fields.
 *   The unified command/status bar must not use a long page-level card or pill background behind the scope controls. The child scope selector, context chips, and active-panel status own their tokenized borders, glass fills, focus rings, wrapping, and reduced-motion-safe saved/dirty cues.
-*   `SettingsPage` owns the unified sticky command/status bar at `top-16` and renders `SettingsContentPanels` with its reusable active-panel strip suppressed. `SettingsContentPanels` may still render that sticky strip by default when used outside the full Settings page. The desktop `SettingsCategoryRail` remains `lg:sticky lg:top-16`; page content starts below the unified bar so the rail, command/status bar, and active panel do not overlap.
+*   `SettingsPage` owns the unified sticky command/status bar at `top-16` and renders `SettingsContentPanels` with its reusable active-panel strip suppressed. `SettingsContentPanels` may still render that sticky strip by default when used outside the full Settings page. The desktop `SettingsCategoryRail` remains `lg:sticky lg:top-16`; page content starts below the unified bar so the rail, command/status bar, and active panel do not overlap. The right-side active category pane and shared toggle-linked control slots stay top-aligned instead of vertically centering against taller neighboring content.
 *   Below `lg`, the full category rail is replaced by `SettingsCategoryPicker` at the start of the command/status bar. Its compact trigger identifies the current category and active Smart Find match count, then opens the shared category rail in a focus-trapped drawer. The drawer retains filtered categories, match previews, arrow-key movement, selected/pending/disabled semantics, Escape-to-close, and focus restoration. Category selection closes the drawer; an unavailable category switch keeps the drawer open with the visible disabled reason.
 *   Save and background reload paths must preserve dirty drafts until the affected scope has actually saved or reset. If system settings save while project settings are dirty, project draft values remain mounted and are not replaced by an effective-settings refresh; failed project saves leave the draft visible for correction.
 *   Google Drive mount controls remain mounted with the scoped draft through save and reset. Helper copy identifies the fixed `/mnt/code-ux/google-drive` container path, Docker-only behavior, and read-only default without exposing the configured host path outside its editable field.
diff --git a/docs/dashboard/design-system-shared-primitives.md b/docs/dashboard/design-system-shared-primitives.md
index 78cc9d462b..7e22786a57 100644
--- a/docs/dashboard/design-system-shared-primitives.md
+++ b/docs/dashboard/design-system-shared-primitives.md
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ The goal is to ensure all primitives align with the signal-and-ember operational
 1.  **Buttons**: Should utilize `--elevation-raised` (for primary), `--accent-focus-ring`, and consistent proportional padding across all variants. Signal buttons use white foreground text in light mode and the existing dark foreground in dark mode to preserve contrast across the theme-specific signal colors. For responsive buttons containing dynamic text (e.g., pending states), avoid `whitespace-nowrap` as it causes horizontal overflow on mobile screens. Instead, apply `min-w-0` to the button, wrap the text in a `span` with `truncate min-w-0`, and add `shrink-0` to any adjacent icons. When implementing custom single-choice button groups, use standard ARIA radiogroup semantics by applying `role="radiogroup"` to the wrapper and `role="radio"` with `aria-checked` to the individual choice options.
     Button pending, success, and error overlays use `controlFeedback` and fixed feedback slots so the accessible name, visible label, and hit target do not change while icons or spinners appear. Pending buttons keep their original label visible and in the DOM, expose `aria-busy="true"`, suppress activation for native `disabled`, `aria-disabled`, pending states, and same-tick duplicate async clicks, and only pin inline width after a real measurement is available. Icon-only buttons keep fixed square dimensions. Controls that launch async work set native `disabled` or `aria-disabled`, expose `aria-busy` where the control itself is pending, and provide a nearby status message for disabled recovery. Native-disabled controls must stay inert; `aria-disabled` on shared controls is normalized to suppress activation. Use `disabledReason`, `title`, `aria-describedby`, or visible helper text when the operator needs a durable recovery reason; reason text must describe the control without becoming part of its accessible name.
 2.  **Cards**: Built on `--surface-glass`, bordered by `--border-hairline`, and grounded by `--elevation-base`. They should not be nested unless the inner element is explicitly a card.
-3.  **Inputs & Selects**: Inputs use `--fill-muted` and `--border-hairline`. Focus states should strictly use `--accent-focus-ring`. Error and valid states override the border but maintain the structural radius and use tokenized `controlFeedback` timing. Shared inputs reveal `errorText` after blur/focusout, explicit `forceValidation`, or a caller-provided invalid ARIA state, and route visible error copy through `inlineValidation`; helper text remains available until the error is active, then the active error owns both `aria-describedby` and `aria-errormessage`. When an invalid input or select receives focus for correction, ownership may temporarily return to helper text so the operator keeps recovery guidance; if the error condition remains on blur/focusout, the error reclaims `aria-describedby` and `aria-errormessage`. Selects follow the same helper/error ownership and suppress changes while native-disabled or `aria-disabled`. Shared select triggers expose stable `aria-expanded`, `aria-controls`, selected state, and disabled state while their overlays animate independently with `enterExit`.
+3.  **Inputs & Selects**: Inputs use `--fill-muted` and `--border-hairline`. Focus states should strictly use `--accent-focus-ring`. Error and valid states override the border but maintain the structural radius and use tokenized `controlFeedback` timing. Shared inputs reveal `errorText` after blur/focusout, explicit `forceValidation`, or a caller-provided invalid ARIA state, and route visible error copy through `inlineValidation`; helper text remains available until the error is active, then the active error owns both `aria-describedby` and `aria-errormessage`. When an invalid input or select receives focus for correction, ownership may temporarily return to helper text so the operator keeps recovery guidance; if the error condition remains on blur/focusout, the error reclaims `aria-describedby` and `aria-errormessage`. User-visible single-choice fields must use `AvantgardeSelect`; do not add native `<select>` controls or new production callers of the legacy `Select` wrapper because browser-rendered option surfaces do not reliably follow the Warm Void dark theme. Preserve the field's label/description/error wiring, selected value, disabled and busy states, keyboard path, compact sizing, and focus-restoration hook when migrating. `AvantgardeSelect` exposes a named select trigger with a controlled listbox, skips disabled options for pointer and keyboard selection, and keeps its trigger value available for form-state tests. The legacy native wrapper remains only as an isolated compatibility contract with its own tests. Shared select triggers expose stable `aria-expanded`, `aria-controls`, selected state, and disabled state while their overlays animate independently with `enterExit`.
 4.  **Tables**: Headers should use `--text-metadata`. Hover states for rows apply `--fill-muted-hover`. Borders between cells use `--border-hairline`. When using the custom `Table` primitive, provide the `mobileLabel` prop on `TableCell` elements to ensure visible column labels are communicated to assistive technology on mobile layouts. In sortable data tables, the parent `<th>` element must declare the `aria-sort` attribute ('ascending', 'descending', or 'none'). The internal sort `<button>` should include an explicit `aria-label` or visually hidden `.sr-only` text.
 5.  **EmptyStates & SectionHeaders**: Leverage `--text-metadata` to ensure textual consistency. Icons use `--surface-glass` for subtle emphasis without drawing primary attention away from calls to action. When displaying dynamic filter or table result counts (e.g., 'Showing 10 of 50'), apply `aria-live="polite"` directly to the text container so screen readers natively announce updates.
 6.  **FilterStrip**: Used for inline data filtering. It should use `--surface-glass` and `--border-hairline`. Focus states should strictly use `--accent-focus-ring`. Responsive layouts must ensure the strip can scroll horizontally or wrap elements cleanly without clipping controls.
diff --git a/docs/dashboard/design-system-sprints.md b/docs/dashboard/design-system-sprints.md
index 3ddad7e9fc..8a118df473 100644
--- a/docs/dashboard/design-system-sprints.md
+++ b/docs/dashboard/design-system-sprints.md
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@ This document outlines the design system for the Sprints page and related planni
 
 *   **Rollback identity:** Completed standard sprints expose **Rollback Sprint** in their action menu. The assessment modal explains whether the rollback can run automatically or requires an agent and provides an optional instruction textarea; any non-empty instruction forces the agent path. Rollback sprints use an orange gallery surface, border, badge, and ledger-row treatment with visible `Rollback` text, so color is not the only distinction. The orange identity does not replace normal status, progress, CI, review, or attention semantics.
 
-*   **Sprint Attention Indicator:** `SprintAttentionIndicator` gives gallery cells and ledger rows one attention-state contract derived from the effective sprint status presentation. Failed sprint execution takes precedence and uses a red-bordered outer treatment plus a pulsing exclamation indicator. In the gallery, an eligible human-owned intervention uses an amber person/`zZZ` waiting indicator exactly `10px` above the cell without adding an alarm border; worker- and system-owned attention, including worker-actionable merge conflicts, must not be presented as waiting for the user. Ledger rows retain their compact inline attention treatment.
-*   **Semantic Labels:** The indicator is a semantic status named `Sprint execution failed` or `Sprint waiting for human intervention`; its icon and decorative `zZZ` text are hidden from assistive technology. Do not replace these labels with color, border, animation, or icon-only meaning.
+*   **Sprint Attention Indicator:** Gallery cells reserve `SprintAttentionIndicator` for eligible human-owned intervention, using an amber person/`zZZ` waiting indicator exactly `10px` above the cell without adding an alarm border. A failed gallery cell does not add a second **Execution failed** banner, red perimeter, or static failure ring; the interactive workflow badge is its visible and accessible failure authority. Worker- and system-owned attention, including worker-actionable merge conflicts, must not be presented as waiting for the user. Ledger rows retain their compact inline attention treatment.
+*   **Semantic Labels:** The gallery waiting indicator is a semantic status named `Sprint waiting for human intervention`; its icon and decorative `zZZ` text are hidden from assistive technology. Failed gallery state remains available through the workflow trigger and its six-stage detail region. Ledger failure indicators retain the `Sprint execution failed` label. Do not replace these labels with color, animation, or icon-only meaning.
 *   **Motion And Density:** Attention animation uses the shared motion timing and `motion-safe`/`motion-reduce` contract. Reduced-motion mode removes optional pulse while keeping visible copy and semantic status mounted. The gallery reserves enough vertical wrap spacing for the external waiting indicator, and the ledger variant remains compact.
 *   **Gallery Cell Hierarchy:** The unified interactive workflow badge is the only lifecycle/workflow badge on the gallery cell; do not add a second hover-only `Completed`, `In work`, or `Merge conflict` label. Sprint keys use an unboxed blue monospace `IdCard` lockup with no pill background, border, or decorative magic icon. Task and completion metrics stay on the open cell surface with only a fine divider—never a nested glass card—while subtle highlights and low-amplitude lift add depth without competing with workflow state. Running cells mount `SprintAmbientWaves`, a clipped SVG composition of broad, softly blurred spectral bands instead of a literal water simulation. Its near-black deep-sea base and restrained blue, cyan, and violet palette provide a Material-inspired active state without lifecycle red/green. GSAP shifts three layers over independent 24–31 second cycles; the movement stays low-amplitude and reduced motion renders the same premium static frame.
 
diff --git a/docs/dashboard/design-system-tasks.md b/docs/dashboard/design-system-tasks.md
index 480d5fdeab..09765d51d0 100644
--- a/docs/dashboard/design-system-tasks.md
+++ b/docs/dashboard/design-system-tasks.md
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ Sprint scope, status, priority, and visible-card count form one named **Task boa
 
 *   **Unified Flow:** The shared `WorkflowStatusBadge` replaces separate QA and CI disclosures and exposes Coding → Pull request → QA → CI → Merge → Completion. Keep the compact task lifecycle label beside it. The badge stays mounted without CI evidence and is enriched when gate events arrive.
 *   **QA States:** Render pass with a green check, running with the signal progress treatment, completed `changes_requested` with the bright blue pencil-line **QA edits** treatment, and terminal provider/runtime failure with the red-X **QA failed** treatment. Requested changes are a valid completed QA verdict and remain distinct from provider failure and the task's lane status.
-*   **Accessible Workflow And Review Cards:** Hover, keyboard focus, or activation portals an opaque named workflow card to the viewport. Six circular nodes and motion-safe dotted connectors expose the full sequence. When a review exists, an animated chevron opens the adjacent opaque review card with outcome, summary, findings, fix instructions, target task key, reviewer, reviewed time, and generated follow-up specifications. Outside mouse/touch and pointer departure without contained focus dismiss the surface; `Escape` restores focus to the exact trigger that opened it.
+*   **Accessible Workflow And Review Cards:** Hover, keyboard focus, or activation portals one named interaction region to the viewport without a visible outer card. The independent opaque Delivery flow card uses six circular nodes and motion-safe dotted connectors; a floating responsive arrow points to the independent opaque review card when review data exists. Outside mouse/touch and pointer departure without contained focus dismiss the whole region; `Escape` restores focus to the exact trigger that opened it.
 *   **Collapsed Follow-Ups:** Generated specifications are collapsed initially. Each **Follow-up task N** control exposes `aria-expanded`/`aria-controls` and keyboard/touch activation. Expansion reveals title, description, priority, dependencies, and the complete Markdown prompt in bounded overflow. Responsive layout clamps to the viewport and changes from one column to an optional summary/findings split; reduced motion keeps static labels, borders, focus, and content while removing pulse, spin, rotation, and transitions.
 *   **Stage Semantics:** Coding, Pull request, QA, CI, Merge, and Completion use `pending`, `in_progress`, `successful`, and `failed`. The UI presents `in_progress` as running and `successful` with a green check. Failed > in-progress > pending > successful determines the aggregate badge, except requested QA edits intentionally use the bright blue treatment. Review blockers remain pending with **Waiting for review**, merge conflicts fail Merge, and provider/runtime failures remain distinct from requested changes.
 *   **View-Model Evidence:** `buildTaskBoardViewModel` derives the card from the newest matching persisted `ci_gate_status` event by creation time/event ID plus active open/claimed CI-repair attention. Durable merge metadata is fallback evidence only. Include the complete event/attention source signature so memoized cards update when evidence changes, while unrelated realtime traffic preserves mounted controls. Restart/reconnect snapshots rebuild the same state; newer recognized settled gate events and resolved attention remove stale failures.
diff --git a/docs/dashboard/feature-flags.md b/docs/dashboard/feature-flags.md
index 50bfefa59e..9bc250962e 100644
--- a/docs/dashboard/feature-flags.md
+++ b/docs/dashboard/feature-flags.md
@@ -4,11 +4,11 @@ Dashboard feature flags hide unfinished dashboard surfaces without deleting thei
 
 Flags live in `dashboard/src/v2/lib/dashboard-feature-flags.ts`. They are resolved at dashboard bundle time through Vite `import.meta.env` values:
 
-- Development builds always enable all flagged unfinished features so every in-progress surface remains available for local testing.
-- Production builds disable flagged unfinished features by default.
-- Explicit env values enable or disable features in production builds. Development mode intentionally overrides disabled values.
+- Development builds always enable the `nodes` and `custom-dashboards` discovery surfaces so those in-progress pages remain available for local testing.
+- Production builds disable unfinished surfaces by default; explicit env values enable or disable them.
+- Cinematic quick-action flags default to disabled in every mode and require an explicit env opt-in. Their underlying surface flag must also be enabled.
 
-Supported values are `true`, `1`, `yes`, `on`, `enabled`, `false`, `0`, `no`, `off`, and `disabled`. In production, empty or unrecognized values fall back to disabled. Development mode enables every registered feature regardless of these values.
+Supported values are `true`, `1`, `yes`, `on`, `enabled`, `false`, `0`, `no`, `off`, and `disabled`. Empty or unrecognized values fall back to the flag's documented default. Development mode intentionally overrides disabled values only for the two discovery surfaces.
 
 ## Current Flags
 
@@ -16,8 +16,10 @@ Supported values are `true`, `1`, `yes`, `on`, `enabled`, `false`, `0`, `no`, `o
 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
 | `nodes` | `VITE_CODEUX_FEATURE_NODES` | enabled | disabled | Requires `VITE_CODEUX_NODE_FLOW_BACKEND` and `VITE_CODEUX_AUTOMATION_SECURITY` to also be enabled in production. |
 | `custom-dashboards` | `VITE_CODEUX_FEATURE_CUSTOM_DASHBOARDS` | enabled | disabled | Hides the unfinished `/custom-dashboards` surface from route registration, shared navigation, route prefetch, and the guided dashboard tour. |
+| `chat-nodes-workflow-quick-action` | `VITE_CODEUX_FEATURE_CHAT_NODES_WORKFLOW_QUICK_ACTION` | disabled | disabled | Shows **Add Nodes Workflow** only when this flag and `nodes` are both enabled. |
+| `chat-custom-dashboard-quick-action` | `VITE_CODEUX_FEATURE_CHAT_CUSTOM_DASHBOARD_QUICK_ACTION` | disabled | disabled | Shows **Add Dashboard** only when this flag and `custom-dashboards` are both enabled. |
 
-When Nodes or either production prerequisite is disabled, its route is omitted from the route tree, navigation, and route prefetch. Development keeps the surface reachable for local integration testing.
+When Nodes or either production prerequisite is disabled, its route is omitted from the route tree, navigation, and route prefetch. Development keeps the surface reachable for local integration testing. This discovery override does not expose either cinematic workflow quick action; each action remains hidden until its dedicated opt-in flag is enabled.
 
 ## Adding a Flag
 
@@ -26,5 +28,5 @@ When Nodes or either production prerequisite is disabled, its route is omitted f
 3. Gate route registration in `dashboard/src/main.tsx`.
 4. Gate route prefetch entries in `dashboard/src/v2/router/route-prefetch.ts`.
 5. Gate guided tour steps or other entry points that reference the hidden surface.
-6. Add focused tests for the development visibility override, production defaults and explicit overrides, and every hidden entry point.
+6. Choose whether the flag is a development discovery surface or a default-off capability, then add focused tests for mode defaults, explicit overrides, prerequisites, and every hidden entry point.
 7. Update this page and the matching `docs-web/` page.
diff --git a/docs/dashboard/interaction-patterns.md b/docs/dashboard/interaction-patterns.md
index 534da304e3..a8b4340358 100644
--- a/docs/dashboard/interaction-patterns.md
+++ b/docs/dashboard/interaction-patterns.md
@@ -58,8 +58,8 @@ Current refined dashboard surfaces use the interaction contracts as follows:
 | Shared primitives (`Button`, `Select`, `DropdownMenu`, `ConfirmDialog`, `ActionFeedbackRegion`) | `controlFeedback`, `enterExit`, `expansionCollapse`, `inlineValidation`, `asyncFeedback` | Native `disabled` where possible; normalized `aria-disabled`; fixed feedback icon slots; `aria-busy` on pending controls or regions; status/alert live regions for async results. |
 | Quicksprint panel | `enterExit`, `listReveal`, `selectionMovement`, `expansionCollapse`, `controlFeedback`, `asyncFeedback` | Browse, edit, and configure phases announce through a shared polite status region; picker controls expose expanded/selected state; planning suppresses duplicate requests; destructive template removal uses confirmation; cancel/status copy remains visible under reduced motion. |
 | Sprint ledger | `controlFeedback`, `selectionMovement`, `listReorder`, `expansionCollapse`, `asyncFeedback` | Sort, filter, selection, and bulk-action changes are composed into one polite live-region message; selected and pending rows retain static badges; bulk delete uses `ConfirmDialog`; focus returns to the delete trigger or a ledger fallback after dialog teardown. |
-| Sprint attention indicators | `asyncFeedback` | Failed gallery cells and ledger rows keep a red outer border and an explicitly labelled failure status while the exclamation pulses; human-owned intervention keeps the same border plus a compact person/`zZZ` cue and labelled waiting status. Reduced motion removes pulse/bounce animation without removing either status. |
-| Delivery workflow badge | `controlFeedback`, `enterExit`, `expansionCollapse`, `asyncFeedback` | One bright interactive badge exposes Coding → Pull request → QA → CI → Merge → Completion on Live, Tasks, Sprints, and Overview. Opaque warm surfaces keep underlying card content from bleeding through. A circular rail and animated dotted connectors communicate sequence; reduced motion keeps the rail static. When review data exists, an animated chevron links the workflow card to an adjacent QA review card. QA edits retain the blue pencil treatment, while red remains reserved for provider/runtime or workflow failures. |
+| Sprint attention indicators | `asyncFeedback` | Failed gallery cells rely on the interactive workflow badge without a duplicate failure banner or outer alarm border. Human-owned gallery intervention uses a compact amber person/`zZZ` cue and labelled waiting status without a perimeter; compact ledger attention remains inline. Reduced motion removes optional pulse/bounce animation without removing status semantics. |
+| Delivery workflow badge | `controlFeedback`, `enterExit`, `expansionCollapse`, `asyncFeedback` | One bright interactive badge exposes Coding → Pull request → QA → CI → Merge → Completion on Live, Tasks, Sprints, and Overview. The interaction boundary has no visible outer card: the opaque Delivery flow card, floating responsive arrow, and optional opaque QA card remain independent siblings. Reduced motion keeps connectors and the arrow static. QA edits retain the blue pencil treatment; red identifies provider/runtime/workflow failure or explicit active human-only task attention as **Human needed**. Resolved, worker-actionable, and ambiguous sprint-run summaries fall back to the ordinary stage. |
 | Notification center and execution toasts | `enterExit`, `listReveal`, `listReorder`, `asyncFeedback` | The panel combines cross-project execution attention, startup readiness, and selected-project scheduler notices. Execution rows keep project/sprint/task context, structured Details, and server-supplied route targets; only new or timestamp-updated global execution records create toasts after initial hydration. Warning toasts use the bottom-right stack, while system errors remain in the persistent assertive error stack. |
 | Live runtime | `controlFeedback`, `enterExit`, `expansionCollapse`, `selectionMovement`, `listReveal`, `listReorder`, `asyncFeedback` | Reconnect, stale, refreshing, and recovering states keep the last runtime snapshot visible with polite live regions; disconnected transport and blocking errors are assertive; pending runtime actions remain focus-stable with `aria-disabled` plus activation suppression. Runtime force-complete and sprint pause/stop/delete controls require an explicit named confirmation before their side-effect handlers run. |
 | Browser preview, file, and diff workbench | `controlFeedback`, `enterExit`, `selectionMovement`, `listReveal`, `listReorder`, `asyncFeedback` | Preview launch/rebuild/stop/navigation/script/log operations expose visible async status; unavailable links remain keyboard reachable as disabled link controls with persistent reasons; stale iframe/log content remains mounted during refresh when useful content exists. |
diff --git a/docs/dashboard/project-initialization.md b/docs/dashboard/project-initialization.md
index ef25ba04ec..4655b00a25 100644
--- a/docs/dashboard/project-initialization.md
+++ b/docs/dashboard/project-initialization.md
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ Project Initialization runs a repository-specific setup pass through the `Projec
 - `New Project` reuses the same Add Project modal with the `new_project` source selected. The modal exposes `Local Repo` / `Remote Repo` init modes instead of setup scope controls.
 - Chat includes five initial-project create-app quickactions for the currently selected project: `Create Web App`, `Create Desktop App`, `Create Onlineshop` (the Online shop action), `Create Portfolio`, and `Create Game`. These controls post typed `create_app` metadata and launch the matching detached `Plan & Start` quicksprint; they do not open the new-project modal, create/import a Code UX project, or use the normal dashboard-reply route.
 - Project persistence records whether creation used `existing`, `new-local`, or `new-remote`. Imported and pre-migration projects default to `existing`; source type and creation time are never used to infer new-project provenance.
+- Imported, new local, and new remote projects all start with explicit `designGuidance.selectedTechStackId: none` and `designGuidance.selectedStyleguideId: none` project overrides. Create-time guidance selections are normalized to `none`; custom guidance catalogs and visibility preferences remain available for later operator selection.
 - All five create-app quickactions use `GET /api/projects/:projectId/initialization-state`, and the chat runtime repeats the same eligibility check before detached launch. Eligibility requires persisted `new-local` or `new-remote` provenance, the project directory as the repository root, a clean checkout with exactly one commit, and no root or tracked content except the initial Code UX `README.md` and `.gitignore`. The README must still match the generated `# <project name>` plus `Initialized with Code UX.` seed, and the only effective `.gitignore` entry may be `.code-ux/` (the no-trailing-slash `.code-ux` form is also accepted). Imported/legacy projects, dirty or ignored setup artifacts, altered seed content, extra files or commits, a missing checkout, and any inspection failure fail closed with eligibility disabled. After setup or any repository change, every create-app action disappears as soon as refreshed state no longer proves the initial seed.
 - The initialization-state dashboard resource listens to both project structure and dedicated git realtime scopes. Repository inspection remains outside project-list loading, so the project collection does not carry or compute git status payloads.
 - All `new_project` submissions, local or remote, include an explicit project `techstack` override. New local projects also include `git.githubMode: LOCAL`; new remote projects do not.
diff --git a/docs/dashboard/styleguides-and-tech-stacks.md b/docs/dashboard/styleguides-and-tech-stacks.md
index b396572e92..d576c4d1d1 100644
--- a/docs/dashboard/styleguides-and-tech-stacks.md
+++ b/docs/dashboard/styleguides-and-tech-stacks.md
@@ -47,13 +47,13 @@ The base `designGuidance` defaults are:
 - `hideDefaultStyleguides: false`
 - no custom entries
 
-Existing projects and imported local or Git projects inherit `none` unless an operator, setup flow, or sprint override changes them.
+Every imported, new local, and new remote project starts with explicit project overrides selecting `none` for both Tech Stack Guidance and Styleguide. This keeps project creation independent from system-level guidance selections and prevents create-time caller selections from silently applying reusable instructions before an operator reviews the project.
 
-New local and new remote project creation seeds an explicit project override for the generic Code UX styleguide, `code-ux-award-winning`. It does not automatically select tech-stack guidance unless the creation flow provides one. Caller-provided guidance overrides are preserved, with only a missing styleguide selection filled by the Code UX styleguide seed.
+Project creation preserves unrelated guidance fields, including custom catalog entries and `hideDefaultStyleguides`, while normalizing both selected ids to `none`. An operator can select guidance from the top navigation or Settings -> Guidance after the project has been added; sprint overrides can still change the effective selection for an individual sprint.
 
 ## Prompt Effects
 
-Planning and Project Setup resolve the effective project settings before building prompts. Selected non-`none` tech-stack and styleguide entries are added as a compact `Project Guidance` section. `None` selections do not inject catalog entry instructions, so imported projects do not receive Code UX styleguide instructions by default.
+Planning and Project Setup resolve the effective project settings before building prompts. Selected non-`none` tech-stack and styleguide entries are added as a compact `Project Guidance` section. `None` selections do not inject catalog entry instructions, so newly added projects do not receive reusable tech-stack or styleguide instructions by default.
 
 When the styleguide remains `none`, Project Setup still asks the setup agent to inspect the repository's existing styling, brand assets, design tokens, components, layouts, and interaction patterns before proposing a project-specific styleguide. This setup-only discovery notice is included even when tech-stack guidance is also `none`; Planning prompts continue to omit inactive `none` selections entirely.
 
diff --git a/docs/settings/configuration-and-storage.md b/docs/settings/configuration-and-storage.md
index 1bdc2d4267..50825a748d 100644
--- a/docs/settings/configuration-and-storage.md
+++ b/docs/settings/configuration-and-storage.md
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ Techstack settings are split across scopes:
 
 The built-in catalog always includes the Code UX Stack (`code-ux-internal`) with Preact, TanStack Router, GSAP, Three.js, and Lucide Icons. Catalog sanitization trims ids and labels, drops malformed or duplicate ids, preserves the built-in entry, and falls back `defaultTechstackId` to `code-ux-internal` if the saved default is missing or invalid. Project defaults intentionally keep `techstack.selectedTechstackId = null` and `techstack.applicationKind = null`; existing and imported projects therefore do not inherit the built-in stack automatically. New-project flows must apply a catalog default explicitly when they need one.
 
-Design guidance is an inheritable scoped setting under `designGuidance`. System defaults, project overrides, and sprint overrides all participate in the normal effective settings resolution, and source metadata reports whether a guidance field came from `system`, `project`, or `sprint`. The block stores selected tech-stack guidance, selected styleguide guidance, `hideDefaultStyleguides`, and custom tech stack/styleguide entries with stable `id`, `name`, `summary`, and `instructionMarkdown` fields. System defaults resolve both selections to `none`, so existing and imported projects receive no design styleguide by inheritance. New local and new remote project initialization writes an explicit project override selecting the built-in `Code UX` styleguide; imported local or Git projects remain at `none` until an operator or setup flow changes them. Planning prompts receive a compact `Project Guidance` section only for selected non-`none` entries, so generated tasks can reflect active guidance without duplicating inactive defaults. Project Setup prompts use the same selected-entry section and also include a setup-only styling investigation notice whenever the styleguide selection is `none`, including when tech-stack guidance is also `none`.
+Design guidance is an inheritable scoped setting under `designGuidance`. System defaults, project overrides, and sprint overrides all participate in the normal effective settings resolution, and source metadata reports whether a guidance field came from `system`, `project`, or `sprint`. The block stores selected tech-stack guidance, selected styleguide guidance, `hideDefaultStyleguides`, and custom tech stack/styleguide entries with stable `id`, `name`, `summary`, and `instructionMarkdown` fields. Every imported, new local, and new remote project writes explicit `none` project overrides for both selections, regardless of system or create-time selections; unrelated custom catalogs and visibility settings are preserved. Planning prompts receive a compact `Project Guidance` section only for selected non-`none` entries, so generated tasks can reflect guidance selected after creation without duplicating inactive defaults. Project Setup prompts use the same selected-entry section and also include a setup-only styling investigation notice whenever the styleguide selection is `none`, including when tech-stack guidance is also `none`.
 
 Google Drive host-directory settings are an inheritable scoped block under `googleDrive`. The block stores `enabled`, a trimmed `hostPath`, and `accessMode` (`read-only` or `read-write`). It defaults to disabled with an empty path and read-only access. Missing or invalid access modes sanitize to the disabled, read-only-safe state, and unknown nested fields are discarded. The block represents an already user-linked local directory and never stores Google credentials. For Docker execution, the shared provider-execution boundary resolves sprint-effective settings when a sprint is in scope and project-effective settings otherwise, validates that the resolved host source exists and is a directory once per invocation, and forwards the same typed mount through retries and session continuation. This applies consistently to dashboard Project Manager replies, dashboard replies, thread compaction, clarification replies, planning, project setup, task coding, QA follow-ups, CI repair, and merge repair. Docker maps the source for the daemon and exposes it at the fixed container-only path `/mnt/code-ux/google-drive` with the configured access mode. Disabled, empty, invalid, unavailable, non-directory, host-mode, and unscoped configurations produce no mount or prompt notice. Agent prompts name only the fixed container path, distinguish the Drive from the Git workspace, and add the notice at most once across retries and resumed prompts.
 
diff --git a/src/domain/projects/project-initializer.ts b/src/domain/projects/project-initializer.ts
index bc0599254d..7cab92fa4d 100644
--- a/src/domain/projects/project-initializer.ts
+++ b/src/domain/projects/project-initializer.ts
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ import { validateSafeRepoName, validateSafeClonePath, validateNonEmptyDir } from
 import type { CreateProjectInput, ProjectSummary } from "../../contracts/project-management-types.js";
 import { getHomeCodeUxPath } from "../../shared/config/code-ux-paths.js";
 import {
-  CODE_UX_AWARD_WINNING_STYLEGUIDE_ID,
   DEFAULT_DESIGN_GUIDANCE_SETTINGS,
+  DESIGN_GUIDANCE_NONE_ID,
 } from "../settings/design-guidance-catalog.js";
 
 function resolveCloneParentDir(cloneDir?: string): string {
@@ -42,7 +42,12 @@ function resolveNewLocalProjectDir(sourceRef: string, cloneDir?: string): { targ
   };
 }
 
-function withNewProjectDesignGuidance(input: CreateProjectInput): CreateProjectInput {
+/**
+ * Project creation always starts with both reusable guidance catalogs disabled.
+ * Keep unrelated catalog and visibility overrides, but do not let a caller's
+ * create-time selections bypass the explicit None baseline.
+ */
+function withProjectCreationDesignGuidance(input: CreateProjectInput): CreateProjectInput {
   const existingGuidance = input.settingsOverrides?.designGuidance;
   return {
     ...input,
@@ -51,7 +56,8 @@ function withNewProjectDesignGuidance(input: CreateProjectInput): CreateProjectI
       designGuidance: {
         ...DEFAULT_DESIGN_GUIDANCE_SETTINGS,
         ...existingGuidance,
-        selectedStyleguideId: existingGuidance?.selectedStyleguideId || CODE_UX_AWARD_WINNING_STYLEGUIDE_ID,
+        selectedTechStackId: DESIGN_GUIDANCE_NONE_ID,
+        selectedStyleguideId: DESIGN_GUIDANCE_NONE_ID,
       },
     },
   };
@@ -80,8 +86,8 @@ function withProjectManagerDashboardDefault(input: CreateProjectInput): CreatePr
   };
 }
 
-function withNewProjectDefaults(input: CreateProjectInput): CreateProjectInput {
-  return withProjectManagerDashboardDefault(withNewProjectDesignGuidance(input));
+function withProjectCreationDefaults(input: CreateProjectInput): CreateProjectInput {
+  return withProjectManagerDashboardDefault(withProjectCreationDesignGuidance(input));
 }
 
 export async function initializeProject(
@@ -101,7 +107,7 @@ export async function initializeProject(
     const safeSourceRef = validateSafeClonePath(targetDir, allowedRoot);
     validateNonEmptyDir(safeSourceRef, allowedRoot);
     await initLocalRepo(safeSourceRef, input.defaultBranch ?? "main", input.name);
-    return deps.createProject(withNewProjectDefaults({
+    return deps.createProject(withProjectCreationDefaults({
       ...input,
       sourceType: "local",
       sourceRef: safeSourceRef,
@@ -136,7 +142,7 @@ export async function initializeProject(
         defaultBranch: input.defaultBranch,
       });
     }
-    return deps.createProject(withNewProjectDefaults({
+    return deps.createProject(withProjectCreationDefaults({
       ...input,
       sourceType: "git",
       sourceRef: result.remoteUrl,
@@ -146,5 +152,5 @@ export async function initializeProject(
   }
 
   // "existing" or absent — original behavior
-  return deps.createProject(withProjectManagerDashboardDefault({ ...input, initMode: "existing" }));
+  return deps.createProject(withProjectCreationDefaults({ ...input, initMode: "existing" }));
 }
diff --git a/tests/backend/domain/projects/project-initializer.test.ts b/tests/backend/domain/projects/project-initializer.test.ts
index 8736d9f030..7ea990f38e 100644
--- a/tests/backend/domain/projects/project-initializer.test.ts
+++ b/tests/backend/domain/projects/project-initializer.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { beforeEach, describe, it, expect, vi } from "vitest";
 import { initializeProject } from "../../../../src/domain/projects/project-initializer.js";
-import { CODE_UX_AWARD_WINNING_STYLEGUIDE_ID } from "../../../../src/domain/settings/design-guidance-catalog.js";
+import { DESIGN_GUIDANCE_NONE_ID } from "../../../../src/domain/settings/design-guidance-catalog.js";
 
 vi.mock("../../../../src/infrastructure/git/local-repo-initializer.js", () => ({
   initLocalRepo: vi.fn(),
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ describe("initializeProject validation", () => {
     ).resolves.toBeTruthy();
   });
 
-  it("pins imported projects to the built-in Project manager dashboard reply fallback", async () => {
+  it("pins imported projects to None guidance and the built-in Project manager dashboard reply fallback", async () => {
     const createProject = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({});
     await initializeProject(
       { sourceRef: path.resolve(process.cwd(), "imported-repo"), name: "imported", sourceType: "local" },
@@ -40,6 +40,10 @@ describe("initializeProject validation", () => {
     expect(createProject).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({
       initMode: "existing",
       settingsOverrides: expect.objectContaining({
+        designGuidance: expect.objectContaining({
+          selectedTechStackId: DESIGN_GUIDANCE_NONE_ID,
+          selectedStyleguideId: DESIGN_GUIDANCE_NONE_ID,
+        }),
         agents: expect.objectContaining({
           routing: expect.objectContaining({
             dashboardReply: { agentPresetId: null },
@@ -88,7 +92,7 @@ describe("initializeProject validation", () => {
     }));
   });
 
-  it("seeds new local projects with the Code UX styleguide override", async () => {
+  it("starts new local projects with both guidance selections set to None", async () => {
     const createProject = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({});
     await initializeProject(
       { initMode: "new-local", sourceRef: "valid-local-repo", name: "valid", sourceType: "local" },
@@ -98,7 +102,8 @@ describe("initializeProject validation", () => {
     expect(createProject).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({
       settingsOverrides: expect.objectContaining({
         designGuidance: expect.objectContaining({
-          selectedStyleguideId: CODE_UX_AWARD_WINNING_STYLEGUIDE_ID,
+          selectedTechStackId: DESIGN_GUIDANCE_NONE_ID,
+          selectedStyleguideId: DESIGN_GUIDANCE_NONE_ID,
         }),
       }),
     }));
@@ -167,12 +172,59 @@ describe("initializeProject validation", () => {
       initMode: "new-remote",
       settingsOverrides: expect.objectContaining({
         designGuidance: expect.objectContaining({
-          selectedStyleguideId: CODE_UX_AWARD_WINNING_STYLEGUIDE_ID,
+          selectedTechStackId: DESIGN_GUIDANCE_NONE_ID,
+          selectedStyleguideId: DESIGN_GUIDANCE_NONE_ID,
         }),
       }),
     }));
   });
 
+  it("normalizes caller-provided guidance selections while preserving unrelated guidance fields", async () => {
+    const createProject = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({});
+    const customTechStack = {
+      id: "custom-stack",
+      name: "Custom Stack",
+      summary: "Custom stack summary",
+      instructionMarkdown: "Use the custom stack.",
+    };
+    const customStyleguide = {
+      id: "custom-styleguide",
+      name: "Custom Styleguide",
+      summary: "Custom styleguide summary",
+      instructionMarkdown: "Use the custom styleguide.",
+    };
+
+    await initializeProject(
+      {
+        sourceRef: path.resolve(process.cwd(), "imported-repo"),
+        name: "imported",
+        sourceType: "local",
+        settingsOverrides: {
+          designGuidance: {
+            selectedTechStackId: customTechStack.id,
+            selectedStyleguideId: customStyleguide.id,
+            hideDefaultStyleguides: true,
+            customTechStacks: [customTechStack],
+            customStyleguides: [customStyleguide],
+          },
+        },
+      },
+      { createProject, getGithubToken: vi.fn() }
+    );
+
+    expect(createProject).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({
+      settingsOverrides: expect.objectContaining({
+        designGuidance: {
+          selectedTechStackId: DESIGN_GUIDANCE_NONE_ID,
+          selectedStyleguideId: DESIGN_GUIDANCE_NONE_ID,
+          hideDefaultStyleguides: true,
+          customTechStacks: [customTechStack],
+          customStyleguides: [customStyleguide],
+        },
+      }),
+    }));
+  });
+
   it("resolves relative new remote clone dirs from the home directory", async () => {
     const createProject = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({});
     await initializeProject(
diff --git a/tests/dashboard/lib/dashboard-feature-flags.test.ts b/tests/dashboard/lib/dashboard-feature-flags.test.ts
index 8898fe080b..423fffffaf 100644
--- a/tests/dashboard/lib/dashboard-feature-flags.test.ts
+++ b/tests/dashboard/lib/dashboard-feature-flags.test.ts
@@ -5,17 +5,20 @@ import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
 import {
   parseDashboardFeatureFlagValue,
   resolveDashboardFeatureFlags,
+  type DashboardFeatureFlagMap,
 } from "../../../dashboard/src/v2/lib/dashboard-feature-flags.js";
 import { getPrimaryNavigationItems } from "../../../dashboard/src/v2/lib/navigation-items.js";
 import { canPrefetchRoute } from "../../../dashboard/src/v2/router/route-prefetch.js";
 
-const buildFeatureFlags = (overrides: Partial<Record<"nodes" | "custom-dashboards", boolean>> = {}) => ({
+const buildFeatureFlags = (overrides: Partial<DashboardFeatureFlagMap> = {}): DashboardFeatureFlagMap => ({
   nodes: true,
   "custom-dashboards": true,
+  "chat-nodes-workflow-quick-action": false,
+  "chat-custom-dashboard-quick-action": false,
   ...overrides,
 });
 
-const navigationLabels = (featureFlags: Record<"nodes" | "custom-dashboards", boolean>): string[] => (
+const navigationLabels = (featureFlags: DashboardFeatureFlagMap): string[] => (
   getPrimaryNavigationItems("EXPERT", { featureFlags }).map((item) => item.label)
 );
 
@@ -35,7 +38,7 @@ describe("dashboard feature flags", () => {
   });
 
   it("shows unfinished features by default in development mode", () => {
-    expect(resolveDashboardFeatureFlags({ devMode: true })).toEqual({ nodes: true, "custom-dashboards": true });
+    expect(resolveDashboardFeatureFlags({ devMode: true })).toEqual(buildFeatureFlags());
   });
 
   it("builds the watched dashboard with Vite development semantics", () => {
@@ -43,7 +46,10 @@ describe("dashboard feature flags", () => {
   });
 
   it("hides unfinished features by default outside development mode", () => {
-    expect(resolveDashboardFeatureFlags({ devMode: false })).toEqual({ nodes: false, "custom-dashboards": false });
+    expect(resolveDashboardFeatureFlags({ devMode: false })).toEqual(buildFeatureFlags({
+      nodes: false,
+      "custom-dashboards": false,
+    }));
   });
 
   it("keeps every flagged surface available in development despite disabled env values", () => {
@@ -52,16 +58,37 @@ describe("dashboard feature flags", () => {
       values: { nodes: "false", "custom-dashboards": "off" },
     });
 
-    expect(flags).toEqual({ nodes: true, "custom-dashboards": true });
+    expect(flags).toEqual(buildFeatureFlags());
     expect(navigationLabels(flags)).toEqual(expect.arrayContaining(["Nodes", "Dashboards"]));
     expect(canPrefetchRoute("/nodes", flags)).toBe(true);
     expect(canPrefetchRoute("/custom-dashboards", flags)).toBe(true);
   });
 
   it("honors explicit values outside development mode", () => {
-    expect(resolveDashboardFeatureFlags({ devMode: false, values: { nodes: "true", "custom-dashboards": "enabled" }, prerequisites: { nodeFlowBackend: "enabled", automationSecurity: "enabled" } })).toEqual({ nodes: true, "custom-dashboards": true });
+    expect(resolveDashboardFeatureFlags({ devMode: false, values: { nodes: "true", "custom-dashboards": "enabled" }, prerequisites: { nodeFlowBackend: "enabled", automationSecurity: "enabled" } })).toEqual(buildFeatureFlags());
     expect(resolveDashboardFeatureFlags({ devMode: false, values: { nodes: "true" }, prerequisites: { nodeFlowBackend: "enabled", automationSecurity: "off" } }).nodes).toBe(false);
-    expect(resolveDashboardFeatureFlags({ devMode: false, values: { nodes: "false", "custom-dashboards": "off" } })).toEqual({ nodes: false, "custom-dashboards": false });
+    expect(resolveDashboardFeatureFlags({ devMode: false, values: { nodes: "false", "custom-dashboards": "off" } })).toEqual(buildFeatureFlags({
+      nodes: false,
+      "custom-dashboards": false,
+    }));
+  });
+
+  it("keeps cinematic workflow actions disabled by default and allows explicit opt-in", () => {
+    expect(resolveDashboardFeatureFlags({ devMode: true })).toMatchObject({
+      "chat-nodes-workflow-quick-action": false,
+      "chat-custom-dashboard-quick-action": false,
+    });
+
+    expect(resolveDashboardFeatureFlags({
+      devMode: true,
+      values: {
+        "chat-nodes-workflow-quick-action": "enabled",
+        "chat-custom-dashboard-quick-action": "true",
+      },
+    })).toMatchObject({
+      "chat-nodes-workflow-quick-action": true,
+      "chat-custom-dashboard-quick-action": true,
+    });
   });
 
   it("filters Nodes from shared navigation and prefetch when disabled", () => {
diff --git a/tests/dashboard/lib/overview-streams.test.ts b/tests/dashboard/lib/overview-streams.test.ts
index c343dd92b3..a5c467f250 100644
--- a/tests/dashboard/lib/overview-streams.test.ts
+++ b/tests/dashboard/lib/overview-streams.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,12 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
-import { deriveActiveSprintIds, filterTasksToActiveSprints } from "../../../dashboard/src/v2/lib/overview-streams.js";
+import {
+  deriveActiveSprintIds,
+  deriveOverviewTaskCiPresentations,
+  deriveOverviewTaskHumanInterventions,
+  filterTasksToActiveSprints,
+} from "../../../dashboard/src/v2/lib/overview-streams.js";
 import type { Sprint, Task } from "../../../dashboard/src/v2/types.js";
+import type { ExecutionDashboardSnapshot } from "../../../dashboard/src/types.js";
 
 describe("overview-streams", () => {
   describe("deriveActiveSprintIds", () => {
@@ -53,4 +59,150 @@ describe("overview-streams", () => {
       expect(filtered).toHaveLength(0);
     });
   });
+
+  describe("deriveOverviewTaskCiPresentations", () => {
+    it("uses the latest matching task event without leaking another task's CI state", () => {
+      const task = {
+        id: "TASK-1",
+        recordId: "task-record-1",
+        sprintId: "sprint-1",
+        mergeIndicator: null,
+        isMerged: false,
+      } as Task;
+      const presentations = deriveOverviewTaskCiPresentations([task], {
+        taskDispatches: [],
+        attentionItems: [],
+        recentEvents: [{
+          id: "event-task-older",
+          eventType: "ci_gate_status",
+          sprintId: "sprint-1",
+          taskId: "task-record-1",
+          taskKey: "TASK-1",
+          createdAt: "2026-07-14T10:00:00.000Z",
+          payload: {
+            state: "pending_checks",
+            prNumber: 17,
+          },
+        }, {
+          id: "event-task-current",
+          eventType: "ci_gate_status",
+          sprintId: "sprint-1",
+          taskId: "task-record-1",
+          taskKey: "TASK-1",
+          createdAt: "2026-07-14T10:01:00.000Z",
+          payload: {
+            state: "ready_for_merge",
+            prNumber: 17,
+          },
+        }, {
+          id: "event-other-task",
+          eventType: "ci_gate_status",
+          sprintId: "sprint-1",
+          taskId: "task-record-2",
+          taskKey: "TASK-2",
+          createdAt: "2026-07-14T10:02:00.000Z",
+          payload: {
+            state: "blocked",
+            prNumber: 18,
+            hasFailedChecks: true,
+          },
+        }],
+      } as ExecutionDashboardSnapshot);
+
+      expect(presentations.get("task-record-1")).toMatchObject({
+        state: "pending",
+        steps: [
+          { id: "pull_request", state: "successful" },
+          { id: "checks", state: "successful", statusLabel: "Checks passed" },
+          { id: "merge", state: "pending", statusLabel: "Ready to merge" },
+        ],
+      });
+    });
+
+    it("projects active CI attention and task merge-indicator fallback independently", () => {
+      const attentionTask = {
+        id: "TASK-ATTENTION",
+        recordId: "task-record-attention",
+        sprintId: "sprint-1",
+        mergeIndicator: "CI",
+        isMerged: false,
+      } as Task;
+      const conflictTask = {
+        id: "TASK-CONFLICT",
+        recordId: "task-record-conflict",
+        sprintId: "sprint-1",
+        mergeIndicator: "MERGE_CONFLICT",
+        isMerged: false,
+      } as Task;
+      const presentations = deriveOverviewTaskCiPresentations([attentionTask, conflictTask], {
+        taskDispatches: [],
+        recentEvents: [],
+        attentionItems: [{
+          id: "attention-ci",
+          attentionType: "ci_fix_required",
+          status: "open",
+          sprintId: "sprint-1",
+          taskId: "task-record-attention",
+          sprintRunId: null,
+          payload: { taskId: "task-record-attention", prNumber: 17 },
+        }],
+      } as ExecutionDashboardSnapshot);
+
+      expect(presentations.get("task-record-attention")).toMatchObject({
+        state: "failed",
+        failureKind: "ci_checks",
+        steps: expect.arrayContaining([
+          expect.objectContaining({ id: "checks", state: "failed", statusLabel: "Checks failed" }),
+        ]),
+      });
+      expect(presentations.get("task-record-conflict")).toMatchObject({
+        state: "failed",
+        failureKind: "merge_conflict",
+        steps: expect.arrayContaining([
+          expect.objectContaining({ id: "merge", state: "failed", statusLabel: "Merge conflict" }),
+        ]),
+      });
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("deriveOverviewTaskHumanInterventions", () => {
+    it("selects only active human-only attention matched to the task", () => {
+      const task = {
+        id: "TASK-1",
+        recordId: "task-record-1",
+        sprintId: "sprint-1",
+      } as Task;
+      const baseAttention = {
+        id: "attention-human",
+        attentionType: "human_escalation_required",
+        status: "open",
+        ownerType: "human",
+        assignedWorkerEndpointId: null,
+        sprintId: "sprint-1",
+        taskId: "task-record-1",
+        sprintRunId: "run-1",
+        dispatchId: null,
+        payload: null,
+      };
+
+      const active = deriveOverviewTaskHumanInterventions([task], {
+        taskDispatches: [],
+        recentEvents: [],
+        attentionItems: [
+          { ...baseAttention, id: "resolved", status: "resolved" },
+          { ...baseAttention, id: "worker", ownerType: "worker" },
+          { ...baseAttention, id: "sibling", taskId: "task-record-2" },
+          baseAttention,
+        ],
+      } as ExecutionDashboardSnapshot);
+      expect(active.get("task-record-1")?.id).toBe("attention-human");
+
+      const notHumanOnly = deriveOverviewTaskHumanInterventions([task], {
+        taskDispatches: [],
+        recentEvents: [],
+        attentionItems: [{ ...baseAttention, assignedWorkerEndpointId: "worker-endpoint-1" }],
+      } as ExecutionDashboardSnapshot);
+      expect(notHumanOnly).toEqual(new Map());
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/tests/dashboard/v2/avantgarde-select.test.tsx b/tests/dashboard/v2/avantgarde-select.test.tsx
index e670edf858..8a50c7a9a3 100644
--- a/tests/dashboard/v2/avantgarde-select.test.tsx
+++ b/tests/dashboard/v2/avantgarde-select.test.tsx
@@ -227,6 +227,35 @@ describe("AvantgardeSelect", () => {
     expect(screen.queryByText("Anthropic")).toBeNull();
   });
 
+  it("keeps searchable keyboard selection on an enabled filtered option", async () => {
+    const onChange = vi.fn();
+    const options = [
+      { value: "blocked", label: "Alpha blocked", disabled: true },
+      { value: "ready", label: "Alpha ready" },
+      { value: "other", label: "Beta" },
+    ];
+    render(
+      <AvantgardeSelect
+        value=""
+        onChange={onChange}
+        options={options}
+        searchable
+        aria-label="Searchable state"
+      />
+    );
+
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Searchable state" }));
+    const search = await screen.findByPlaceholderText("Search...");
+    fireEvent.input(search, { target: { value: "Alpha" } });
+
+    const disabledOption = screen.getByRole("option", { name: "Alpha blocked" });
+    expect((disabledOption as HTMLButtonElement).disabled).toBe(true);
+    fireEvent.keyDown(search, { key: "Enter" });
+
+    expect(onChange).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+    expect(onChange).toHaveBeenCalledWith("ready");
+  });
+
   it("offers a custom-value option when nothing matches and allowCustomValue is set", () => {
     const onChange = vi.fn();
     const options = [{ value: "1", label: "Anthropic" }];
diff --git a/tests/dashboard/v2/browser-page-components.test.tsx b/tests/dashboard/v2/browser-page-components.test.tsx
index a440b4fff9..90e9ecd4c0 100644
--- a/tests/dashboard/v2/browser-page-components.test.tsx
+++ b/tests/dashboard/v2/browser-page-components.test.tsx
@@ -545,7 +545,7 @@ describe("LaunchContainerPanel", () => {
 
     expect(screen.getByText("Launching")).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.getByRole("status")).toHaveTextContent("Launching preview container for Sprint 1. Launch controls are temporarily unavailable and the selected sprint is preserved.");
-    expect(screen.getByRole("combobox")).toBeDisabled();
+    expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Sprint to preview" })).toBeDisabled();
     const button = screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Launching preview container" });
     expect(button).toBeDisabled();
     expect(button).toHaveAttribute("aria-busy", "true");
diff --git a/tests/dashboard/v2/browser-page.test.tsx b/tests/dashboard/v2/browser-page.test.tsx
index 15bb4bf4b1..29eda3ba45 100644
--- a/tests/dashboard/v2/browser-page.test.tsx
+++ b/tests/dashboard/v2/browser-page.test.tsx
@@ -869,7 +869,8 @@ describe("BrowserPage", () => {
     render(<BrowserPage />);
 
     expandPanel(/Docker Access/);
-    await user.selectOptions(screen.getByLabelText("Selected container Docker access policy"), "enabled");
+    await user.click(screen.getByLabelText("Selected container Docker access policy"));
+    await user.click(screen.getByRole("option", { name: "Enable for this container" }));
 
     expect(savePreviewDockerAccessOverride).toHaveBeenCalledWith("p1", "s1", "sess-1", true);
     expect(screen.getByText("Selected container Docker access saved. Rebuild the container to apply it.")).toBeInTheDocument();
diff --git a/tests/dashboard/v2/chat-page-shell.test.tsx b/tests/dashboard/v2/chat-page-shell.test.tsx
index 9ee034a0e3..f1052f7773 100644
--- a/tests/dashboard/v2/chat-page-shell.test.tsx
+++ b/tests/dashboard/v2/chat-page-shell.test.tsx
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@ describe("ChatPageShell", () => {
   });
 
   it("shows a clean planning label without background or provider prefixes", () => {
-    const { getByText, queryByText } = render(
+    const { getByTestId, getByText, queryByText } = render(
       <StageActivityStrip
         backgroundActivityCount={1}
         backgroundCue={{
@@ -262,6 +262,12 @@ describe("ChatPageShell", () => {
 
     expect(getByText("Planning in progress")).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(queryByText(/Background|Codex/)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(getByTestId("cinematic-thinking-bubble")).toHaveClass(
+      "left-1/2",
+      "-translate-x-1/2",
+      "md:-top-14",
+    );
+    expect(getByTestId("cinematic-thinking-bubble")).not.toHaveClass("md:-translate-x-[163%]");
   });
 
   it("renders create-app quickactions with accessible labels and disabled status text", () => {
@@ -351,7 +357,13 @@ describe("ChatPageShell", () => {
     expect(getByText("In progress")).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(getByText("0 tools used")).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(getByText("Preparing the first progress update…")).toBeInTheDocument();
-    expect(getByTestId("cinematic-exchange")).toHaveClass("top-[48%]", "bottom-32", "min-h-0");
+    expect(getByTestId("cinematic-exchange")).toHaveClass(
+      "top-[48%]",
+      "bottom-32",
+      "min-h-0",
+      "md:w-[42%]",
+      "lg:w-[40%]",
+    );
     expect(getByTestId("cinematic-exchange")).not.toHaveClass("top-full");
     const activityLabel = getByText(/Container starting/);
     expect(activityLabel).toBeInTheDocument();
@@ -359,6 +371,43 @@ describe("ChatPageShell", () => {
     expect(container.querySelector(".stage-thinking-dot")).toHaveClass("motion-reduce:animate-none");
   });
 
+  it("shows a work tool while an awaited reply is active before invocation feedback exists", () => {
+    const selectedThread = {
+      id: "thread-awaiting-reply",
+      title: "Awaiting reply",
+      messageCount: 1,
+      runtimeState: null,
+    } as ChatThread;
+    const view = render(
+      <CinematicStage
+        selectedProject={mockProject as Source}
+        selectedThread={selectedThread}
+        messages={[]}
+        threadMessagesLoading={false}
+        hasAwaitedReply
+        invocations={[]}
+        sending={false}
+        error={null}
+        input=""
+        setInput={vi.fn()}
+        onSpeechTranscript={vi.fn()}
+        handleSend={vi.fn(async () => undefined)}
+        handleCreateAppQuickaction={vi.fn(async () => undefined)}
+        initialEligibilityLoaded
+        canCreateInitialAppQuickactions={false}
+        navigateHistory={vi.fn(() => false)}
+        composerRef={{ current: null }}
+        activeConnection={null}
+        agentPreset={projectManagerPreset}
+        onOpenThreads={vi.fn()}
+      />,
+    );
+
+    expect(view.getByTestId("agent-avatar-scene")).toHaveAttribute("data-expression", "thinking");
+    expect(view.getByTestId("agent-avatar-scene").getAttribute("data-tool")).not.toBe("");
+    expect(view.queryByTestId("cinematic-invocation-progress")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
   it("projects changing interim assistant markdown and a deduplicated tool count", async () => {
     vi.mocked(fetchInvocationMessages)
       .mockResolvedValueOnce([
@@ -469,7 +518,7 @@ describe("ChatPageShell", () => {
       messageCount: 0,
     } as ChatThread));
     expect(view.queryByTestId("cinematic-invocation-progress")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
-    expect(view.getByTestId("agent-avatar-scene")).toHaveAttribute("data-tool", "");
+    expect(view.getByTestId("agent-avatar-scene").getAttribute("data-tool")).not.toBe("");
 
     view.rerender(stage(invocationRecord({ status: "completed" }), [finalMessage]));
 
@@ -477,6 +526,21 @@ describe("ChatPageShell", () => {
     expect(view.getByTestId("agent-avatar-scene")).toHaveAttribute("data-tool", "");
     expect(view.getAllByText("Final reply text.")).toHaveLength(1);
     expect(view.getByTestId("cinematic-exchange")).toContainElement(view.getByText("Final reply text."));
+    expect(view.getByTestId("cinematic-agent-reply")).toHaveClass(
+      "max-w-[620px]",
+      "lg:max-w-[560px]",
+      "2xl:max-w-[680px]",
+    );
+    expect(view.getByTestId("cinematic-agent-reply").parentElement).toHaveClass(
+      "ml-auto",
+      "justify-end",
+      "lg:max-w-[560px]",
+    );
+    expect(view.getByTestId("cinematic-agent-reply").querySelector(".prose")).toHaveClass(
+      "prose-sm",
+      "text-[12px]",
+      "leading-5",
+    );
   });
 
   it("keeps reduced-motion progress semantic, static, and safely rendered", () => {
diff --git a/tests/dashboard/v2/components/sprints/SprintIssueImportModal.test.tsx b/tests/dashboard/v2/components/sprints/SprintIssueImportModal.test.tsx
index 6aae776419..2072edec99 100644
--- a/tests/dashboard/v2/components/sprints/SprintIssueImportModal.test.tsx
+++ b/tests/dashboard/v2/components/sprints/SprintIssueImportModal.test.tsx
@@ -109,10 +109,14 @@ describe("SprintIssueImportModal", () => {
     fireEvent.change(screen.getByPlaceholderText("gitlab.com"), { target: { value: "gitlab.example.com" } });
     fireEvent.change(screen.getByPlaceholderText("owner/repository"), { target: { value: "acme/widgets" } });
     await user.type(screen.getByPlaceholderText("Title, body, or issue text"), "pipeline");
-    await user.selectOptions(screen.getByLabelText("State"), "closed");
-    await user.selectOptions(screen.getByLabelText("Limit"), "100");
-    await user.selectOptions(screen.getByLabelText("Sort"), "comments");
-    await user.selectOptions(screen.getByLabelText("Direction"), "asc");
+    await user.click(screen.getByLabelText("State"));
+    await user.click(screen.getByRole("option", { name: "Closed" }));
+    await user.click(screen.getByLabelText("Limit"));
+    await user.click(screen.getByRole("option", { name: "100" }));
+    await user.click(screen.getByLabelText("Sort"));
+    await user.click(screen.getByRole("option", { name: "Comments" }));
+    await user.click(screen.getByLabelText("Direction"));
+    await user.click(screen.getByRole("option", { name: "Oldest first" }));
 
     await user.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /advanced filters/i }));
     expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /advanced filters/i })).toHaveAttribute("aria-expanded", "true");
diff --git a/tests/dashboard/v2/components/sprints/SprintJiraImportModal.test.tsx b/tests/dashboard/v2/components/sprints/SprintJiraImportModal.test.tsx
index d37d478cea..e008200856 100644
--- a/tests/dashboard/v2/components/sprints/SprintJiraImportModal.test.tsx
+++ b/tests/dashboard/v2/components/sprints/SprintJiraImportModal.test.tsx
@@ -100,7 +100,9 @@ describe("SprintJiraImportModal", () => {
     expect(searchInput).not.toHaveProperty("statusNames");
 
     expect(screen.getByDisplayValue("OPS")).toBeInTheDocument();
-    expect(screen.getByRole("combobox", { name: "Jira status" })).toHaveDisplayValue("All statuses");
+    const statusSelect = screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Jira status" });
+    expect(statusSelect).toHaveTextContent("All statuses");
+    fireEvent.click(statusSelect);
     expect(screen.getByRole("option", { name: "Zu erledigen" })).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /^search$/i })).toBeEnabled();
     expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /import issues disabled until jira issues are selected/i })).toBeDisabled();
@@ -123,17 +125,12 @@ describe("SprintJiraImportModal", () => {
 
     render(<SprintJiraImportModal projectId="project-1" onClose={vi.fn()} onImport={vi.fn()} />);
 
-    await waitFor(() => {
-      expect(screen.getByRole("option", { name: "Zu erledigen" })).toBeInTheDocument();
-    });
-
-    const statusSelect = screen.getByRole("combobox", { name: "Jira status" }) as HTMLSelectElement;
-    statusSelect.value = "jira-status:Zu%20erledigen";
-    fireEvent.input(statusSelect);
-    fireEvent.change(statusSelect);
+    const statusSelect = await screen.findByRole("button", { name: "Jira status" });
+    fireEvent.click(statusSelect);
+    fireEvent.click(await screen.findByRole("option", { name: "Zu erledigen" }));
 
     await waitFor(() => {
-      expect(statusSelect).toHaveDisplayValue("Zu erledigen");
+      expect(statusSelect).toHaveTextContent("Zu erledigen");
     });
 
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /^search$/i }));
@@ -164,7 +161,9 @@ describe("SprintJiraImportModal", () => {
     });
 
     expect(screen.getByText(/Jira status endpoint unavailable/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
-    expect(screen.getByRole("combobox", { name: "Jira status" })).toHaveDisplayValue("Open");
+    const statusSelect = screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Jira status" });
+    expect(statusSelect).toHaveTextContent("Open");
+    fireEvent.click(statusSelect);
     expect(screen.getByRole("option", { name: "In Work" })).toBeInTheDocument();
 
     const searchInput = vi.mocked(searchJiraIssues).mock.calls.at(-1)?.[1];
@@ -206,16 +205,15 @@ describe("SprintJiraImportModal", () => {
     render(<SprintJiraImportModal projectId="project-1" onClose={vi.fn()} onImport={onImport} />);
 
     await waitFor(() => {
-      expect(screen.getByRole("combobox", { name: "Jira status" })).toHaveDisplayValue("Open");
+      expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Jira status" })).toHaveTextContent("Open");
     });
 
-    const statusSelect = screen.getByRole("combobox", { name: "Jira status" }) as HTMLSelectElement;
-    statusSelect.value = "category:in_progress";
-    fireEvent.input(statusSelect);
-    fireEvent.change(statusSelect);
+    const statusSelect = screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Jira status" });
+    fireEvent.click(statusSelect);
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("option", { name: "In Work" }));
 
     await waitFor(() => {
-      expect(statusSelect).toHaveDisplayValue("In Work");
+      expect(statusSelect).toHaveTextContent("In Work");
     });
 
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /^search$/i }));
diff --git a/tests/dashboard/v2/components/sprints/SprintProjectManagementImportModal.test.tsx b/tests/dashboard/v2/components/sprints/SprintProjectManagementImportModal.test.tsx
index c1ee3881cb..8072e5b8eb 100644
--- a/tests/dashboard/v2/components/sprints/SprintProjectManagementImportModal.test.tsx
+++ b/tests/dashboard/v2/components/sprints/SprintProjectManagementImportModal.test.tsx
@@ -155,7 +155,8 @@ describe("SprintProjectManagementImportModal", () => {
     fireEvent.input(screen.getByLabelText("Asana assignee"), { target: { value: "assignee-1" } });
     await user.type(screen.getByPlaceholderText("triage, backend"), "backend");
     await user.keyboard("{Enter}");
-    await user.selectOptions(screen.getByLabelText("Asana status"), "done");
+    await user.click(screen.getByLabelText("Asana status"));
+    await user.click(screen.getByRole("option", { name: "Done" }));
     fireEvent.input(screen.getByLabelText("Asana result limit"), { target: { value: "12" } });
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /^search asana$/i }));
 
@@ -189,7 +190,8 @@ describe("SprintProjectManagementImportModal", () => {
     await user.keyboard("{Enter}");
     await user.type(screen.getByPlaceholderText("LIN-42, issue-id"), "LIN-99");
     await user.keyboard("{Enter}");
-    await user.selectOptions(screen.getByLabelText("Linear status"), "in_progress");
+    await user.click(screen.getByLabelText("Linear status"));
+    await user.click(screen.getByRole("option", { name: "In Progress" }));
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /^search linear$/i }));
 
     await waitFor(() => {
diff --git a/tests/dashboard/v2/components/ui/WorkflowStatusBadge.test.tsx b/tests/dashboard/v2/components/ui/WorkflowStatusBadge.test.tsx
index 418917e773..1ad0a5d725 100644
--- a/tests/dashboard/v2/components/ui/WorkflowStatusBadge.test.tsx
+++ b/tests/dashboard/v2/components/ui/WorkflowStatusBadge.test.tsx
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { cleanup, fireEvent, render, screen, within } from "@testing-library/pre
 import { afterEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import type { CiStatusPresentation } from "../../../../../dashboard/src/v2/lib/ci-status-presentation.js";
 import { WorkflowStatusBadge } from "../../../../../dashboard/src/v2/components/ui/WorkflowStatusBadge.js";
+import type { ExecutionAttentionItemSummary } from "../../../../../dashboard/src/types.js";
 
 afterEach(cleanup);
 
@@ -29,6 +30,26 @@ const review = {
   finishedAt: "2026-07-14T08:00:00.000Z",
 } as const;
 
+const humanIntervention: ExecutionAttentionItemSummary = {
+  id: "attention-human",
+  sprintId: "sprint-1",
+  taskId: "task-1",
+  sprintRunId: "run-1",
+  dispatchId: "dispatch-1",
+  attentionType: "human_escalation_required",
+  severity: "high",
+  ownerType: "human",
+  status: "open",
+  assignedWorkerEndpointId: null,
+  title: "Operator decision required",
+  summaryMarkdown: "Choose the safe recovery path.",
+  payload: null,
+  openedAt: "2026-07-14T08:00:00.000Z",
+  claimedAt: null,
+  resolvedAt: null,
+  updatedAt: "2026-07-14T08:00:00.000Z",
+};
+
 describe("WorkflowStatusBadge", () => {
   it("renders the bright QA-edits trigger and reveals connected workflow and review cards", () => {
     const { container } = render(
@@ -54,6 +75,9 @@ describe("WorkflowStatusBadge", () => {
     expect(within(workflow).getByText("Completion")).toBeVisible();
     expect(screen.getByRole("region", { name: "QA Changes Requested" })).toHaveTextContent(review.summary);
     expect(container.querySelector('[data-qa-state="changes_requested"]')).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(workflow).not.toHaveClass("rounded-[1.65rem]", "border", "bg-[#F9F8F4]", "shadow-[0_24px_70px_rgba(15,23,42,0.2)]");
+    expect(within(workflow).getByRole("region", { name: "Workflow status card" })).toHaveClass("rounded-[1.4rem]", "border", "bg-white");
+    expect(workflow.querySelector(".workflow-status__chevron")).toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 
   it("remains interactive without a QA review or CI projection", () => {
@@ -75,4 +99,26 @@ describe("WorkflowStatusBadge", () => {
     expect(trigger.closest("[data-workflow-state]")).toHaveAttribute("data-ci-state", "in_progress");
     expect(trigger).not.toHaveAccessibleName(/CI failed/i);
   });
+
+  it("renders active human-only intervention as a red Human needed workflow", () => {
+    render(
+      <WorkflowStatusBadge
+        scope="task"
+        status="running"
+        ciPresentation={failedCi}
+        humanIntervention={humanIntervention}
+        compact
+      />,
+    );
+
+    const trigger = screen.getByRole("button", { name: /CI status: Human needed/i });
+    expect(trigger).toHaveTextContent("Human needed");
+    expect(trigger).toHaveClass("text-status-red");
+    expect(trigger.closest("[data-workflow-state]")).toHaveAttribute("data-human-needed", "true");
+
+    fireEvent.click(trigger);
+    const workflow = screen.getByRole("region", { name: "CI workflow details" });
+    expect(workflow.querySelectorAll("[data-workflow-stage]")).toHaveLength(6);
+    expect(within(workflow).getByText("Operator decision required")).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
 });
diff --git a/tests/dashboard/v2/file-browser-page.test.tsx b/tests/dashboard/v2/file-browser-page.test.tsx
index c2f5441112..985006a57d 100644
--- a/tests/dashboard/v2/file-browser-page.test.tsx
+++ b/tests/dashboard/v2/file-browser-page.test.tsx
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ describe("FileBrowserPage", () => {
     expect(screen.getByRole("heading", { level: 1, name: /Browse & Diff the Sprint Branch/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.getByRole("heading", { level: 2, name: /Launch the file browser/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /Open file browser/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
-    expect(screen.getByRole("combobox")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Sprint to browse" })).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /Refresh/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(pageRoot.innerHTML).not.toContain("#f5f1e8");
     expect(pageRoot.innerHTML).not.toContain("#f7f3ea");
diff --git a/tests/dashboard/v2/lib/workflow-status-presentation.test.ts b/tests/dashboard/v2/lib/workflow-status-presentation.test.ts
index dd7c72a5a3..7004fb842e 100644
--- a/tests/dashboard/v2/lib/workflow-status-presentation.test.ts
+++ b/tests/dashboard/v2/lib/workflow-status-presentation.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,30 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import type { CiStatusPresentation } from "../../../../dashboard/src/v2/lib/ci-status-presentation.js";
 import { deriveWorkflowStatusPresentation } from "../../../../dashboard/src/v2/lib/workflow-status-presentation.js";
+import type { ExecutionAttentionItemSummary } from "../../../../dashboard/src/types.js";
+
+const attention = (
+  overrides: Partial<ExecutionAttentionItemSummary> = {},
+): ExecutionAttentionItemSummary => ({
+  id: "attention-1",
+  sprintId: "sprint-1",
+  taskId: "task-record-1",
+  sprintRunId: "run-1",
+  dispatchId: "dispatch-1",
+  attentionType: "human_escalation_required",
+  severity: "high",
+  ownerType: "human",
+  status: "open",
+  assignedWorkerEndpointId: null,
+  title: "Operator decision required",
+  summaryMarkdown: "Choose the safe recovery path.",
+  payload: null,
+  openedAt: "2026-07-14T08:00:00.000Z",
+  claimedAt: null,
+  resolvedAt: null,
+  updatedAt: "2026-07-14T08:00:00.000Z",
+  ...overrides,
+});
 
 const successfulCi: CiStatusPresentation = {
   scope: "task",
@@ -111,4 +135,68 @@ describe("deriveWorkflowStatusPresentation", () => {
     expect(presentation).toMatchObject({ state: "in_progress", label: "Quota wait" });
     expect(presentation.stages[0].statusLabel).toBe("Quota wait");
   });
+
+  it("gives an active human-only intervention red Human needed precedence", () => {
+    const presentation = deriveWorkflowStatusPresentation({
+      scope: "task",
+      status: "running",
+      humanIntervention: attention(),
+    });
+
+    expect(presentation).toMatchObject({
+      state: "failed",
+      tone: "failed",
+      label: "Human needed",
+      requiresHuman: true,
+    });
+    expect(presentation.stages).toHaveLength(6);
+    expect(presentation.stages[0]).toMatchObject({ state: "in_progress", statusLabel: "Coding in progress" });
+    expect(presentation.accessibleLabel).toContain("Operator decision required");
+  });
+
+  it("falls back to the lifecycle after the human intervention is resolved", () => {
+    const presentation = deriveWorkflowStatusPresentation({
+      scope: "task",
+      status: "running",
+      humanIntervention: attention({ status: "resolved", resolvedAt: "2026-07-14T09:00:00.000Z" }),
+    });
+
+    expect(presentation).toMatchObject({
+      state: "in_progress",
+      tone: "active",
+      label: "Coding in progress",
+      requiresHuman: false,
+    });
+  });
+
+  it.each([
+    ["worker-owned", attention({ ownerType: "worker" })],
+    ["system-owned", attention({ ownerType: "system" })],
+    ["worker-assigned", attention({ assignedWorkerEndpointId: "worker-endpoint-1" })],
+  ])("does not classify %s attention as Human needed", (_label, humanIntervention) => {
+    const presentation = deriveWorkflowStatusPresentation({
+      scope: "task",
+      status: "running",
+      humanIntervention,
+    });
+
+    expect(presentation).toMatchObject({ label: "Coding in progress", requiresHuman: false });
+  });
+
+  it("does not treat an ambiguous sprint-run intervention summary as pure human attention", () => {
+    const presentation = deriveWorkflowStatusPresentation({
+      scope: "sprint",
+      status: "paused",
+      humanIntervention: {
+        ownerType: "human",
+        title: "Sprint paused",
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(presentation).toMatchObject({
+      label: "Coding paused",
+      state: "in_progress",
+      requiresHuman: false,
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/tests/dashboard/v2/live-page-status-regression.test.tsx b/tests/dashboard/v2/live-page-status-regression.test.tsx
index 50ac867400..3e110a3dee 100644
--- a/tests/dashboard/v2/live-page-status-regression.test.tsx
+++ b/tests/dashboard/v2/live-page-status-regression.test.tsx
@@ -336,6 +336,44 @@ describe("LiveSessionPage Status Regression", () => {
     expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /CI status: CI running/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 
+  it("forwards only active human-only task intervention to the Live workflow badge", () => {
+    const humanAttention = ciAttention({
+      attentionType: "human_escalation_required",
+      ownerType: "human",
+      title: "Operator decision required",
+      summaryMarkdown: "Choose the safe recovery path.",
+    });
+    vi.mocked(useDashboardRuntimeData).mockReturnValue(baseRuntimeData({
+      tasksWithLiveActivities: [liveTask()],
+      execution: liveExecution({ attentionItems: [humanAttention] }),
+    }));
+
+    const { rerender } = render(<LiveSessionPage />);
+    const humanNeeded = screen.getByRole("button", { name: /CI status: Human needed/i });
+    expect(humanNeeded).toHaveTextContent("Human needed");
+    expect(humanNeeded).toHaveClass("text-status-red");
+
+    vi.mocked(useDashboardRuntimeData).mockReturnValue(baseRuntimeData({
+      tasksWithLiveActivities: [liveTask()],
+      execution: liveExecution({
+        attentionItems: [{ ...humanAttention, status: "resolved", resolvedAt: "2026-07-13T10:03:00.000Z" }],
+      }),
+    }));
+    rerender(<LiveSessionPage />);
+    expect(screen.queryByRole("button", { name: /CI status: Human needed/i })).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /CI status: CI running/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
+
+    vi.mocked(useDashboardRuntimeData).mockReturnValue(baseRuntimeData({
+      tasksWithLiveActivities: [liveTask()],
+      execution: liveExecution({
+        attentionItems: [{ ...humanAttention, status: "open", resolvedAt: null, assignedWorkerEndpointId: "worker-endpoint-1" }],
+      }),
+    }));
+    rerender(<LiveSessionPage />);
+    expect(screen.queryByRole("button", { name: /CI status: Human needed/i })).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /CI status: CI running/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
   it("preserves QA disclosures, runtime feed, prompt disclosure, and task controls", async () => {
     vi.mocked(useDashboardRuntimeData).mockReturnValue(baseRuntimeData({
       tasksWithLiveActivities: [liveTask({
diff --git a/tests/dashboard/v2/memory-filters.test.tsx b/tests/dashboard/v2/memory-filters.test.tsx
index cc8b2c9fd8..5b79fba81f 100644
--- a/tests/dashboard/v2/memory-filters.test.tsx
+++ b/tests/dashboard/v2/memory-filters.test.tsx
@@ -149,20 +149,24 @@ describe("MemoryFilters", () => {
         const user = userEvent.setup();
         renderFilters();
 
-        const sprintSelect = screen.getByRole("combobox", { name: "Filter memory by Sprint" });
-        const agentSelect = screen.getByRole("combobox", { name: "Filter memory by Agent Preset" });
+        const sprintSelect = screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Filter memory by Sprint" });
+        const agentSelect = screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Filter memory by Agent Preset" });
 
-        await user.selectOptions(sprintSelect, "sprint-2");
-        await user.selectOptions(agentSelect, "agent-2");
+        await user.click(sprintSelect);
+        await user.click(screen.getByRole("option", { name: /Sprint 2/ }));
+        await user.click(agentSelect);
+        await user.click(screen.getByRole("option", { name: "Agent Two" }));
 
         expect(selectedSprintIdSignal.value).toBe("sprint-2");
         expect(selectedAgentPresetIdSignal.value).toBe("agent-2");
 
-        await user.selectOptions(sprintSelect, "");
+        await user.click(sprintSelect);
+        await user.click(screen.getByRole("option", { name: "All Sprints" }));
         expect(selectedSprintIdSignal.value).toBeUndefined();
         expect(screen.getByText("Sprint filter cleared.")).toBeInTheDocument();
 
-        await user.selectOptions(agentSelect, "");
+        await user.click(agentSelect);
+        await user.click(screen.getByRole("option", { name: "All Agents" }));
         expect(selectedAgentPresetIdSignal.value).toBeUndefined();
         expect(screen.getByText("Agent filter set to all agents.")).toBeInTheDocument();
     });
@@ -208,6 +212,6 @@ describe("MemoryFilters", () => {
 
         expect(activeTierSignal.value).toBe("long_term");
         expect(screen.queryByRole("combobox", { name: "Filter memory by Sprint" })).toBeNull();
-        expect(screen.getByRole("combobox", { name: "Filter memory by Agent Preset" })).toBeInTheDocument();
+        expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Filter memory by Agent Preset" })).toBeInTheDocument();
     });
 });
diff --git a/tests/dashboard/v2/nodes-inspector.test.tsx b/tests/dashboard/v2/nodes-inspector.test.tsx
index 6f0d9eb704..73bef176d3 100644
--- a/tests/dashboard/v2/nodes-inspector.test.tsx
+++ b/tests/dashboard/v2/nodes-inspector.test.tsx
@@ -94,7 +94,8 @@ describe("nodes inspector panels", () => {
 
     fireEvent.input(screen.getByLabelText("Label"), { target: { value: "Implementation Router" } });
     fireEvent.input(screen.getByLabelText("Description"), { target: { value: "Route by task type." } });
-    await user.selectOptions(screen.getByLabelText("Agent intent"), "review");
+    await user.click(screen.getByLabelText("Agent intent"));
+    await user.click(screen.getByRole("option", { name: "review" }));
     fireEvent.input(screen.getByLabelText("Agent preset"), { target: { value: "agent-preset-reviewer" } });
     await user.click(screen.getByRole("switch", { name: "Enabled" }));
 
diff --git a/tests/dashboard/v2/nodes-page.test.tsx b/tests/dashboard/v2/nodes-page.test.tsx
index fc99275375..29a71a4571 100644
--- a/tests/dashboard/v2/nodes-page.test.tsx
+++ b/tests/dashboard/v2/nodes-page.test.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /** @vitest-environment jsdom */
 /** @jsx h */
 import { h } from "preact";
-import { cleanup, render, screen, waitFor } from "@testing-library/preact";
+import { cleanup, fireEvent, render, screen, waitFor } from "@testing-library/preact";
 import userEvent from "@testing-library/user-event";
 import "@testing-library/jest-dom/vitest";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
@@ -126,9 +126,10 @@ describe("NodesPage governed workspace", () => {
     api.attachNodeFlowToAgent.mockImplementation(async () => { isAttached = true; return attachment; });
     render(<ProjectDataContext.Provider value={context as never}><NodesPage /></ProjectDataContext.Provider>);
 
-    const select = await screen.findByRole("combobox", { name: "Agent preset" });
+    const select = await screen.findByRole("button", { name: "Agent preset" });
     await waitFor(() => expect(select).toBeEnabled());
-    await user.selectOptions(select, "agent-1");
+    await user.click(select);
+    await user.click(screen.getByRole("option", { name: "Release Agent" }));
     const attachButton = screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Attach node flow to agent" });
     attachButton.focus();
     await user.keyboard("{Enter}");
@@ -176,6 +177,7 @@ describe("NodesPage governed workspace", () => {
 
     expect(await screen.findByText("Quality skill")).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.queryByText("Release skill")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Agent preset" }));
     expect(screen.getByRole("option", { name: "Quality Agent" })).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(firstAgentSignal?.aborted).toBe(true);
     expect(firstAttachmentSignal?.aborted).toBe(true);
@@ -193,6 +195,9 @@ describe("NodesPage governed workspace", () => {
     expect(await screen.findByRole("alert")).toHaveTextContent("Agent service unavailable");
     await user.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Retry attachments" }));
 
+    const select = await screen.findByRole("button", { name: "Agent preset" });
+    await waitFor(() => expect(select).toBeEnabled());
+    await user.click(select);
     expect(await screen.findByRole("option", { name: "Release Agent" })).toBeInTheDocument();
     await waitFor(() => expect(screen.queryByText("Agent service unavailable")).not.toBeInTheDocument());
   });
@@ -202,9 +207,10 @@ describe("NodesPage governed workspace", () => {
     api.attachNodeFlowToAgent.mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error("Attachment denied"));
     render(<ProjectDataContext.Provider value={context as never}><NodesPage /></ProjectDataContext.Provider>);
 
-    const select = await screen.findByRole("combobox", { name: "Agent preset" });
+    const select = await screen.findByRole("button", { name: "Agent preset" });
     await waitFor(() => expect(select).toBeEnabled());
-    await user.selectOptions(select, "agent-1");
+    await user.click(select);
+    await user.click(screen.getByRole("option", { name: "Release Agent" }));
     await user.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Attach node flow to agent" }));
 
     expect(await screen.findByRole("alert")).toHaveTextContent("Attachment denied");
diff --git a/tests/dashboard/v2/qa-ci-card-status.integration.test.tsx b/tests/dashboard/v2/qa-ci-card-status.integration.test.tsx
index 62430f4086..17f2e98fe3 100644
--- a/tests/dashboard/v2/qa-ci-card-status.integration.test.tsx
+++ b/tests/dashboard/v2/qa-ci-card-status.integration.test.tsx
@@ -271,6 +271,18 @@ function ciAttention(overrides: Partial<ExecutionAttentionItemSummary> = {}): Ex
   };
 }
 
+function humanAttention(overrides: Partial<ExecutionAttentionItemSummary> = {}): ExecutionAttentionItemSummary {
+  return ciAttention({
+    id: "attention-human-fixture",
+    attentionType: "human_escalation_required",
+    ownerType: "human",
+    title: "Operator decision required",
+    summaryMarkdown: "Choose the safe recovery path.",
+    payload: { projectId: PROJECT_ID, taskKey: TASK_KEY },
+    ...overrides,
+  });
+}
+
 interface SurfaceData {
   taskBoard: TaskBoardViewModel;
   taskViewModel: TaskCardViewModel;
@@ -618,6 +630,20 @@ describe("shared QA and CI card status integration", () => {
     }
   });
 
+  it("projects active human-only attention into both task and Live workflow badges", () => {
+    const data = buildSurfaceData(CI_HISTORY, [humanAttention()]);
+    expect(data.taskViewModel.humanIntervention?.id).toBe("attention-human-fixture");
+    expect(data.liveItem.humanIntervention?.id).toBe("attention-human-fixture");
+
+    render(<><TaskSurface data={data} /><LiveSurface data={data} /></>);
+    for (const [, surfaceLabel] of TASK_SURFACES) {
+      const surface = screen.getByRole("region", { name: surfaceLabel });
+      const trigger = within(surface).getByRole("button", { name: /CI status: Human needed/i });
+      expect(trigger).toHaveTextContent("Human needed");
+      expect(trigger).toHaveClass("text-status-red");
+    }
+  });
+
   it("preserves workflow disclosure and focus when an unchanged execution snapshot is replayed", async () => {
     const user = userEvent.setup();
     const first = buildSurfaceData(CI_HISTORY);
diff --git a/tests/dashboard/v2/settings-page-state.test.tsx b/tests/dashboard/v2/settings-page-state.test.tsx
index ccfc37886c..474fb408d6 100644
--- a/tests/dashboard/v2/settings-page-state.test.tsx
+++ b/tests/dashboard/v2/settings-page-state.test.tsx
@@ -366,7 +366,10 @@ describe("useSettingsPageState", () => {
 
     render(<SettingsPage />);
 
-    expect(screen.getByRole("region", { name: "Settings category panel" })).toHaveAttribute("aria-busy", "true");
+    const categoryPanel = screen.getByRole("region", { name: "Settings category panel" });
+    expect(categoryPanel).toHaveAttribute("aria-busy", "true");
+    expect(categoryPanel).toHaveClass("self-start", "justify-start");
+    expect(categoryPanel).not.toHaveClass("self-center", "justify-center");
     expect(screen.getByRole("status", { name: "Loading settings" })).toHaveTextContent("Loading settings.");
   });
 
diff --git a/tests/dashboard/v2/tasks-list.test.tsx b/tests/dashboard/v2/tasks-list.test.tsx
index 6509ff8d77..db36a8e471 100644
--- a/tests/dashboard/v2/tasks-list.test.tsx
+++ b/tests/dashboard/v2/tasks-list.test.tsx
@@ -327,6 +327,43 @@ const baseProps: any = {
         expect(progress.firstElementChild).toHaveStyle({ width: "7.5%" });
     });
 
+    it("projects realtime CI evidence into the active-stream workflow badge", async () => {
+        render(
+            <ProjectDataProvider initialData={null as any}>
+                <TasksList pageData={{
+                    ...pageData,
+                    execution: {
+                        ...pageData.execution,
+                        attentionItems: [],
+                        recentEvents: [{
+                            id: "event-ci-failed",
+                            eventType: "ci_gate_status",
+                            sprintId: "sprint-1",
+                            taskId: "task-record-1",
+                            taskKey: "task-1",
+                            createdAt: "2026-07-14T10:00:00.000Z",
+                            payload: {
+                                state: "blocked",
+                                prNumber: 42,
+                                hasFailedChecks: true,
+                            },
+                        }],
+                    },
+                }} />
+            </ProjectDataProvider>
+        );
+
+        const workflowButton = screen.getByRole("button", { name: /CI status: CI failed/i });
+        expect(workflowButton).toBeInTheDocument();
+        await act(async () => {
+            fireEvent.click(workflowButton);
+        });
+
+        const checksStage = document.querySelector('[data-workflow-stage="checks"]');
+        expect(checksStage).toHaveAttribute("data-workflow-stage-state", "failed");
+        expect(checksStage).toHaveTextContent("Checks failed");
+    });
+
     it("keeps the running sprint selector dot visible without raw pulse animation classes", () => {
         const sprint = {
             id: "sprint-running",