diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/SidebarV2.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/SidebarV2.tsx
index f918480e1a5..f84c54a3338 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/SidebarV2.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/SidebarV2.tsx
@@ -502,13 +502,17 @@ const SidebarV2Row = memo(function SidebarV2Row(props: {
       ? {
           label: "Working",
           icon: "working" as const,
-          className:
-            "animate-sidebar-working-text text-sky-600 motion-reduce:animate-none dark:text-sky-400",
+          // No shimmer: a label that animates forever is noise in a sidebar
+          // full of them (and repaints every vsync on high-refresh displays).
+          // Working is a background state, so it rests at the dim end of what
+          // the old pulse cycled through; only the thread you have open gets
+          // the label at full strength.
+          className: cn("text-sky-600 dark:text-sky-400", !props.isActive && "opacity-75"),
         }
       : status === "monitoring"
         ? {
-            // Steady label, no duty-cycled shimmer: monitoring is calm
-            // background presence, not active progress (monitoring-pill D6).
+            // Monitoring is calm background presence, not active progress
+            // (monitoring-pill D6), so it keeps the label at full strength.
             label: "Monitoring",
             icon: null,
             className: "text-sky-600 dark:text-sky-400",
diff --git a/apps/web/src/index.css b/apps/web/src/index.css
index 54b3b5c0ce6..3108ef2171b 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/index.css
+++ b/apps/web/src/index.css
@@ -146,7 +146,6 @@ html[data-mobile-composer-route-transition="true"]::view-transition-old(t3-mobil
      compositor updates discrete frames instead of every vsync. */
   --animate-status-pulse: status-pulse 2s infinite;
   --animate-status-ping: status-ping 2s infinite;
-  --animate-sidebar-working-text: sidebar-working-text 3.4s infinite;
   --color-warning-foreground: var(--warning-foreground);
   --color-warning: var(--warning);
   --color-success-foreground: var(--success-foreground);
@@ -223,21 +222,6 @@ html[data-mobile-composer-route-transition="true"]::view-transition-old(t3-mobil
       scale: 2;
     }
   }
-  @keyframes sidebar-working-text {
-    0%,
-    36% {
-      opacity: 1;
-      animation-timing-function: steps(10);
-    }
-    50%,
-    86% {
-      opacity: 0.75;
-      animation-timing-function: steps(10);
-    }
-    100% {
-      opacity: 1;
-    }
-  }
 }
 
 @layer base {