diff --git a/app/api/jobs/route.ts b/app/api/jobs/route.ts
index 0af5703..818271e 100644
--- a/app/api/jobs/route.ts
+++ b/app/api/jobs/route.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 import { isTurnRunning, listJobs } from "@/src/server";
 
+export const dynamic = "force-dynamic";
+
 /**
  * Job status polling endpoint (contracts.ts "THE ASYNC PROTOCOL" §4): the
  * client's ONE central poller fetches this while any job runs (and slowly
diff --git a/app/globals.css b/app/globals.css
index f9594c6..266e00b 100644
--- a/app/globals.css
+++ b/app/globals.css
@@ -178,6 +178,16 @@ body {
 	color: var(--lh-ink-italic);
 }
 
+/* Markdown headings render at the font's BLACK weight (owner ask,
+   2026-09-19) — 900, not streamdown's font-semibold 600. The variable
+   Source Sans 3 axis spans 200–900 (next/font loads the full range), so
+   900 draws the real Black cut. Unlayered CSS beats the utility layer;
+   :where keeps specificity zero. Chrome titles (CMU Serif) don't live
+   under .lh-prose and stay untouched. */
+.lh-prose :where(h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6) {
+	font-weight: 900;
+}
+
 /* lh-input (owner, typography round 2): lh-prose's 1.5 READING leading
    makes typing carets tower over the glyphs — the caret fills the line
    box (24px at 16px text, ~2× the glyph height). Inputs are not
@@ -264,6 +274,74 @@ body {
 	overflow-y: hidden;
 }
 
+/* ============================================================
+ * Chrome melt (owner wave, 2026-09-19) — tables and code blocks stop
+ * being boxes: blocks read as part of the message. These rules override
+ * streamdown's Tailwind utilities (utilities live in a cascade LAYER;
+ * unlayered author CSS wins regardless of order).
+ * ============================================================ */
+
+/* Code blocks: no header bar — one quiet rounded tint so code reads as a
+   unit. The tint is DARKER than the page (muted #1c1c1c was LIGHTER than the
+   background #141414 and read as raised — owner note, chrome-melt tweaks
+   2026-09-19) plus a subtle hairline outline. (md-blocks renders its own
+   hover copy corner.) */
+[data-streamdown="code-block"] {
+	border: 1px solid var(--border);
+	background: color-mix(in oklab, var(--background) 86%, black);
+	border-radius: 0.75rem;
+	padding: 0.375rem;
+}
+[data-streamdown="code-block-header"] {
+	display: none;
+}
+[data-streamdown="code-block-body"] {
+	border: 0;
+	background: transparent;
+	padding: 0.75rem 1rem;
+}
+
+/* Tables: hairline row rules + header underline, and a full outer border
+   — actual RECTANGLES outlined on all four sides (owner note, chrome-melt
+   tweaks 2026-09-19: the melt left the shape missing its left/right/top
+   edges). border-collapse merges the outer border with the row rules, so
+   no edge doubles. (md-blocks supplies the wrapper + the copy corner.) */
+[data-streamdown="table"] {
+	border: 1px solid var(--border);
+	/* Tables run at the SESSION prose size (owner note, 2026-09-19: they
+	   visibly lagged the 16px chat text at streamdown's 12.5px text-sm).
+	   Unlayered CSS beats the cells' own utility-layer text-sm, and the
+	   :where keeps specificity zero — the override wins on layering alone. */
+	font-size: var(--lh-prose-size);
+}
+[data-streamdown="table"] :where(th, td) {
+	font-size: inherit;
+}
+/* Column separators: a hairline left rule on every cell but the first in
+   its row (owner ask, 2026-09-19) — border-collapse merges it with the row
+   rules and the outer border, no doubled lines anywhere. */
+[data-streamdown="table"] :where(th, td):not(:first-child) {
+	border-left: 1px solid var(--border);
+}
+[data-streamdown="table-header"] {
+	background: transparent;
+	border-bottom: 1px solid var(--border);
+}
+[data-streamdown="table-body"] [data-streamdown="table-row"] {
+	border-bottom: 1px solid var(--border);
+}
+
+/* The mermaid focus overlay's chart wrapper: the svg fills the wrapper
+   (which is sized to the chart's viewBox — pan-zoom.ts math centers on it),
+   overriding mermaid's inline max-width cap. Later + same-specificity
+   than the column rule above, so the !important tie breaks our way; the
+   overlay's svg never sits under [data-streamdown="mermaid"] anyway. */
+[data-lh-overlay-chart] svg {
+	max-width: none !important;
+	width: 100% !important;
+	height: auto !important;
+}
+
 /* ============================================================
  * Session status — the braille spinner (the one working indicator)
  * ============================================================ */
diff --git a/components/activity-dock.tsx b/components/activity-dock.tsx
index b65a351..57db349 100644
--- a/components/activity-dock.tsx
+++ b/components/activity-dock.tsx
@@ -75,6 +75,15 @@ const ActivityContext = createContext<{ feed: ActivityFeed; refresh: () => void
  * Polls /api/activity for the whole app shell. Adaptive interval: fast while
  * anything runs, slow when idle, ~4× slower on hidden tabs. A failed fetch
  * keeps the last feed (the dock never flickers to empty on a blip).
+ *
+ * ACCURACY (2026-09-19): polling alone can only be as fresh as its interval,
+ * so the start sites that the client can know about nudge refresh()
+ * directly (chat.tsx at turn start/end and dispatch; the extract/import
+ * buttons), and THIS provider adds the last client-known event: visibility —
+ * a tab becoming visible refetches at once, so hidden-tab staleness (×4)
+ * ends the moment the learner looks. The poll stays the safety net for
+ * everything with no client-visible cause (other tabs, wake turns,
+ * recovery).
  */
 export function ActivityProvider({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
 	const [feed, setFeed] = useState<ActivityFeed>(EMPTY_FEED);
@@ -91,7 +100,7 @@ export function ActivityProvider({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
 				if (res.ok) {
 					const data = (await res.json()) as Partial<ActivityFeed>;
 					if (alive)
-						setFeed({ jobs: data.jobs ?? [], extractions: data.extractions ?? [] });
+					setFeed({ jobs: data.jobs ?? [], extractions: data.extractions ?? [] });
 				}
 			} catch {
 				// transport blip: keep the last feed, try again
@@ -107,6 +116,16 @@ export function ActivityProvider({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
 		};
 	}, [hasRunning, nonce]);
 
+	// The visibility nudge: returning to the tab refetches immediately (and
+	// the re-run effect below resets the poll timer — no double polling).
+	useEffect(() => {
+		const onVisibility = () => {
+			if (document.visibilityState === "visible") setNonce((n) => n + 1);
+		};
+		document.addEventListener("visibilitychange", onVisibility);
+		return () => document.removeEventListener("visibilitychange", onVisibility);
+	}, []);
+
 	return <ActivityContext.Provider value={{ feed, refresh }}>{children}</ActivityContext.Provider>;
 }
 
@@ -128,7 +147,7 @@ export interface ActivityBlob {
 	process: "job" | "extraction";
 	/** Sub-agent kind for jobs (extraction blobs have none). */
 	jobKind?: JobKind;
-	/** Extraction phase (extracting/auditing/merging); jobs carry none. */
+	/** Extraction phase (extracting/auditing/merging/embedding); jobs carry none. */
 	phase?: string;
 	title: string;
 	chatId: string;
diff --git a/components/ai-elements/message.tsx b/components/ai-elements/message.tsx
index 18c823d..d9d9787 100644
--- a/components/ai-elements/message.tsx
+++ b/components/ai-elements/message.tsx
@@ -15,10 +15,8 @@ import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
 import { cjk } from "@streamdown/cjk";
 import { code } from "@streamdown/code";
 import { createMathPlugin } from "@streamdown/math";
-import { createMermaidPlugin } from "@streamdown/mermaid";
 import type { UIMessage } from "ai";
 import { ChevronLeftIcon, ChevronRightIcon } from "lucide-react";
-import type { MermaidConfig } from "mermaid";
 import type { ComponentProps, HTMLAttributes, ReactElement } from "react";
 import {
   createContext,
@@ -31,11 +29,10 @@ import {
 } from "react";
 import remarkBreaks from "remark-breaks";
 import {
-  type MermaidOptions,
   Streamdown,
   type PluginConfig,
 } from "streamdown";
-import { MermaidError } from "@/components/mermaid-error.tsx";
+import { mdComponents } from "@/components/md-blocks";
 import { transformMathDelimiters } from "@/src/core";
 
 export type MessageProps = HTMLAttributes<HTMLDivElement> & {
@@ -344,8 +341,10 @@ export type MessageResponseProps = ComponentProps<typeof Streamdown>;
 // metastring parsing. The slot appends after the defaults, which is the
 // standard remark-gfm → remark-breaks order.
 //
-// mermaid: the plugin supplies the renderer; the `mermaid` PROP (below)
-// carries the dark theme + the error fallback component.
+// MERMAID is app-owned since the chrome-melt wave (2026-09-19): the md-blocks
+// `code` override intercepts mermaid fences and renders via
+// components/mermaid-render.ts — streamdown's internal mermaid machinery
+// (the plugin entry + the `mermaid` prop) is retired with it.
 export const streamdownPlugins = {
   cjk: {
     ...cjk,
@@ -353,22 +352,8 @@ export const streamdownPlugins = {
   },
   code,
   math: createMathPlugin({ singleDollarTextMath: false }),
-  mermaid: createMermaidPlugin(),
 } as unknown as PluginConfig;
 
-// The app is dark-only (html.dark in the root layout) — diagrams render in
-// mermaid's dark theme; parse failures degrade to the dark-styled fallback.
-const mermaidTheme: MermaidConfig = {
-  fontFamily: "ui-sans-serif, system-ui, sans-serif",
-  securityLevel: "strict",
-  theme: "dark",
-};
-
-export const mermaidOptions: MermaidOptions = {
-  config: mermaidTheme,
-  errorComponent: MermaidError,
-};
-
 export const MessageResponse = memo(
   ({ className, children, ...props }: MessageResponseProps) => {
     // Delimiter preprocessing is a single linear scan (no markdown parsing)
@@ -389,7 +374,7 @@ export const MessageResponse = memo(
           "lh-prose size-full [&>*:first-child]:mt-0 [&>*:last-child]:mb-0",
           className
         )}
-        mermaid={mermaidOptions}
+        components={mdComponents}
         plugins={streamdownPlugins}
         {...props}
       >
diff --git a/components/ai-elements/reasoning.tsx b/components/ai-elements/reasoning.tsx
index 15a424d..68b1315 100644
--- a/components/ai-elements/reasoning.tsx
+++ b/components/ai-elements/reasoning.tsx
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@ import {
 import { Streamdown } from "streamdown";
 
 import { transformMathDelimiters } from "@/src/core";
-import { mermaidOptions, streamdownPlugins } from "./message";
+import { streamdownPlugins } from "./message";
+import { mdComponents } from "@/components/md-blocks";
 import { Shimmer } from "./shimmer";
 
 interface ReasoningContextValue {
@@ -215,7 +216,7 @@ export const ReasoningContent = memo(
       )}
       {...props}
     >
-      <Streamdown mermaid={mermaidOptions} plugins={streamdownPlugins}>
+      <Streamdown components={mdComponents} plugins={streamdownPlugins}>
         {transformMathDelimiters(children)}
       </Streamdown>
     </CollapsibleContent>
diff --git a/components/chat.tsx b/components/chat.tsx
index d48a83a..9c4ee9e 100644
--- a/components/chat.tsx
+++ b/components/chat.tsx
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ import { useActivity } from "@/components/activity-dock";
 import { mergeAdopted, type ChatSettings } from "@/src/core";
 import { PlanBlock, PlanPopup, latestTree } from "@/components/plan-block";
 import { PlanMarginalia } from "@/components/plan-window";
+import { MermaidOverlay, SessionMermaidContext } from "@/components/session-overlay";
 import { WaypointsIcon } from "lucide-react";
 import type { PlanBlockData } from "@/src/core";
 import { QuestionDock } from "@/components/question-dock";
@@ -350,7 +351,14 @@ export function Chat({
 		adoptionWindowOpenRef.current = true;
 		const timers = [400, 1000, 2000].map((ms) =>
 			setTimeout(() => {
-				if (adoptionWindowOpenRef.current) void adoptAppendOnly();
+				if (adoptionWindowOpenRef.current) {
+					void adoptAppendOnly();
+					// Turn-start nudge re-fire (accuracy wave): the graph-context
+					// job starts at send — the initial refresh above can race the
+					// server's job-record write; the window's ticks retry it so the
+					// dock always catches the job within the window (≤2s).
+					refreshActivity();
+				}
 			}, ms),
 		);
 		// Deliberately no cleanup here: this effect re-runs on every status
@@ -371,6 +379,11 @@ export function Chat({
 	// The live plan popup (wave 4): opened by any transcript plan block, the
 	// top-bar plan chip, and the dock band's marginalia.
 	const [planOpen, setPlanOpen] = useState(false);
+	// The mermaid focus (chrome-melt wave, 2026-09-19): md-blocks' expand
+	// button registers the chart source here; the overlay (and the plan
+	// popup) mount INSIDE the session-area div — both are session-scoped, so
+	// the drag bar stays sharp and draggable while a focus owns the area.
+	const [mermaidFocus, setMermaidFocus] = useState<string | null>(null);
 	// The session's live plan (drives the top-bar chip; the marginalia
 	// derives its own from the same transcript).
 	const planTree = useMemo(() => latestTree(messages), [messages]);
@@ -472,6 +485,14 @@ export function Chat({
 			// immediate: turns-only refetch — the stats bar updates even while
 			// the server's persist/endTurn lags the client by milliseconds
 			void syncTurns();
+			// Turn-end nudge (accuracy wave, 2026-09-19): the extraction
+			// pipeline fires at this turn's onFinish — the dock's poll would
+			// discover a started run up to 10s late. Refetch the activity feed
+			// now (stream settle) and again at +600/+1500ms (bounded window —
+			// covers onFinish→triggerExtraction→setPhase lag); the feed's own
+			// fast interval takes over once it sees the run.
+			refreshActivity();
+			const nudgeTimers = [600, 1500].map((ms) => setTimeout(() => refreshActivity(), ms));
 			let cancelled = false;
 			let timer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | undefined;
 			let adopted = false;
@@ -503,10 +524,11 @@ export function Chat({
 			return () => {
 				cancelled = true;
 				if (timer) clearTimeout(timer);
+				nudgeTimers.forEach(clearTimeout);
 			};
 		}
 		prevStatusRef.current = status;
-	}, [status, chatId, syncFromServer, syncTurns]);
+	}, [status, chatId, syncFromServer, syncTurns, refreshActivity]);
 
 	// ── Central job observability (contracts.ts "THE ASYNC PROTOCOL" §4) ──
 	// ONE poll of /api/jobs drives every job surface (transcript dispatch
@@ -540,9 +562,41 @@ export function Chat({
 	const jobStatusRef = useRef<Map<string, string>>(new Map());
 	// A settle seen during a busy turn — the sync is owed, not dropped.
 	const pendingSyncRef = useRef(false);
+	// Dispatch nudge (accuracy wave, 2026-09-19): a research/demo/visual part
+	// that cleared input streaming proves the server-side execute ran (the
+	// bridge emits input-available only at tool_execution_end — AFTER
+	// dispatch() created the job record on disk), so nudging the activity
+	// feed here is race-free. The dock learns a dispatched job at the moment
+	// of cause, not at the next idle poll tick (up to 10s). Keyed by
+	// toolCallId; the persistent set makes each dispatch nudge exactly once
+	// (transcript parts stay forever — the diff only fires on new ids).
+	const dispatchedRef = useRef<Set<string>>(new Set());
+	useEffect(() => {
+		const live = new Set<string>();
+		for (const m of messages) {
+			for (const p of m.parts) {
+				if (
+					(p.type === "tool-research" || p.type === "tool-demo" || p.type === "tool-visual") &&
+					p.toolCallId &&
+					p.state !== "input-streaming" &&
+					p.state !== "output-error"
+				) {
+					live.add(p.toolCallId);
+				}
+			}
+		}
+		for (const id of live) {
+			if (!dispatchedRef.current.has(id)) refreshActivity();
+		}
+		dispatchedRef.current = live;
+	}, [messages, refreshActivity]);
 	useEffect(() => {
 		if (pollMs === 0) return;
 		let cancelled = false;
+		// First-tick guard: the poll's first read adopts existing history
+		// (jobs recorded before mount) without nudging — a nudge is only owed
+		// for a running job the feed hasn't seen THIS session.
+		let firstPoll = jobStatusRef.current.size === 0;
 		const poll = async () => {
 			if (cancelled) return;
 			try {
@@ -551,9 +605,11 @@ export function Chat({
 				const data = (await res.json()) as { jobs?: JobRecord[]; turnInFlight?: boolean };
 				if (cancelled) return;
 				const list = data.jobs ?? [];
+				let nudgeActivity = false; // settle or new running job this tick
 				for (const j of list) {
 					const prev = jobStatusRef.current.get(j.id);
 					if (prev === "running" && j.status !== "running") {
+						nudgeActivity = true; // a settle — the blob should leave the feed NOW
 						// The record is only guaranteed complete when no turn is in
 						// flight — locally or server-side (a coalesced settle fires
 						// mid-turn by design), so the FULL sync waits for idle.
@@ -567,8 +623,13 @@ export function Chat({
 							void syncFromServer();
 						}
 					}
+					// A running job this feed has never seen (wake/respawn started
+					// server-side, or a dispatch in ANOTHER tab) — nudge so the
+					// dock adopts it at once.
+					if (prev === undefined && j.status === "running" && !firstPoll) nudgeActivity = true;
 					jobStatusRef.current.set(j.id, j.status);
 				}
+				firstPoll = false;
 				if (
 					pendingSyncRef.current &&
 					!localStreamRef.current &&
@@ -578,6 +639,7 @@ export function Chat({
 					void syncFromServer();
 				}
 				setJobs(list);
+				if (nudgeActivity) refreshActivity();
 				// Wake-turn adoption: a server-side teacher turn with no client request
 				// of ours (sub-agent delivery) — the same machinery as returning
 				// mid-turn: busy state + record poll to completion.
@@ -592,7 +654,7 @@ export function Chat({
 			cancelled = true;
 			clearInterval(timer);
 		};
-	}, [pollMs, jobPartCount, chatId, syncFromServer, adoptAppendOnly]);
+	}, [pollMs, jobPartCount, chatId, syncFromServer, adoptAppendOnly, refreshActivity]);
 
 	// Re-attach after mid-turn navigation (the key fix): poll the record until
 	// the orphaned turn finishes (turnInFlight flips false server-side in
@@ -647,6 +709,7 @@ export function Chat({
 
 	return (
 		<ChatActionsContext.Provider value={{ chatId, syncFromServer, sendText: (t: string) => void sendMessage({ text: t }) }}>
+		<SessionMermaidContext.Provider value={{ openMermaid: setMermaidFocus }}>
 		<JobsContext.Provider value={jobs}>
 		{/* The session surface: the transcript column (header + scroller) and
 		    the plan-tree panel as full-height SIBLINGS — the panel spans top to
@@ -932,11 +995,20 @@ export function Chat({
 				/>
 				<ConversationScrollButton />
 				</Conversation>
+
+				{/* The session-scoped focuses (chrome-melt wave, 2026-09-19): mounted
+				    INSIDE the session area — absolute inset-0 siblings of the scroller,
+				    so they own the area below the drag bar, right of the sidebar, and
+				    the top bar stays sharp + draggable while a focus is open. */}
+				{mermaidFocus !== null && (
+					<MermaidOverlay chart={mermaidFocus} onClose={() => setMermaidFocus(null)} />
+				)}
+				{planOpen && <PlanPopup messages={messages} onClose={() => setPlanOpen(false)} />}
 				</div>
 			</div>
 		</div>
-		{planOpen && <PlanPopup messages={messages} onClose={() => setPlanOpen(false)} />}
 		</JobsContext.Provider>
+		</SessionMermaidContext.Provider>
 		</ChatActionsContext.Provider>
 	);
 }
diff --git a/components/composer.tsx b/components/composer.tsx
index e2cb291..4e81e6b 100644
--- a/components/composer.tsx
+++ b/components/composer.tsx
@@ -11,6 +11,20 @@ import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
  * Corner-radius math (concentric with the shell): shell rounded-2xl (16px) −
  * row padding p-1.5 (6px) = button rounded-[10px] = 25% of the 40px button.
  */
+/** What one Enter press does, in precedence order (the plan-verdict
+ *  behavior is user-decided 2026-09-19, docs/probe-teach-split.md §4):
+ *  stop a busy stream; ACCEPT when the plan verdict pends — typed text
+ *  rides the acceptance as the note (the green button's exact semantics;
+ *  an empty box accepts too, so Enter can never strand the verdict);
+ *  otherwise send the message. Pure so the static-render harness can pin
+ *  the decision (key events can't be simulated in renderToStaticMarkup). */
+export function enterAction(state: { busy: boolean; verdictPending: boolean; canSend: boolean }): "stop" | "accept" | "send" | "none" {
+	if (state.busy) return "stop";
+	if (state.verdictPending) return "accept";
+	if (state.canSend) return "send";
+	return "none";
+}
+
 export function Composer({
 	busy,
 	value,
@@ -43,8 +57,10 @@ export function Composer({
 			className="flex items-end gap-1.5 p-1.5"
 			onSubmit={(e) => {
 				e.preventDefault();
-				if (busy) onStop();
-				else if (canSend) onSend();
+				const action = enterAction({ busy, verdictPending: Boolean(verdict), canSend });
+				if (action === "stop") onStop();
+				else if (action === "accept") verdict?.onAccept();
+				else if (action === "send") onSend();
 			}}
 		>
 			<textarea
@@ -64,11 +80,15 @@ export function Composer({
 					// Chat convention: Enter sends, Shift+Enter is a newline.
 					// ⌘/Ctrl+Enter also sends — the universal submit shortcut
 					// across every input in the app (thinking field, answers).
+					// While the plan verdict pends, Enter ACCEPTS the plan instead
+					// (enterAction — user-decided 2026-09-19).
 					if (e.key === "Enter" && (e.metaKey || e.ctrlKey || !e.shiftKey)) {
 						e.preventDefault();
-						if (busy) onStop();
-						else if (canSend) onSend();
-					}
+							const action = enterAction({ busy, verdictPending: Boolean(verdict), canSend });
+							if (action === "stop") onStop();
+							else if (action === "accept") verdict?.onAccept();
+							else if (action === "send") onSend();
+						}
 				}}
 				placeholder="Ask, answer, or steer the lesson…"
 				autoFocus={autoFocus}
@@ -78,8 +98,10 @@ export function Composer({
 			{verdict && !busy ? (
 				// The plan verdict (docs/probe-teach-split.md §4): accept
 				// sanctions teaching (phase plan→teach); decline sends the
-				// revision request. Enter keeps sending a plain message —
-				// side questions stay possible while the verdict pends.
+					// revision request. Enter accepts too (user-decided 2026-09-19 —
+					// it formerly sent a plain message, which left the verdict
+					// pending on the next message; a side question now rides the
+					// acceptance as its note instead).
 				<div className="flex shrink-0 flex-col justify-end gap-1" data-testid="plan-verdict-buttons">
 					<button
 						type="button"
diff --git a/components/graph-coverage.tsx b/components/graph-coverage.tsx
index 4e1b030..a21b5a9 100644
--- a/components/graph-coverage.tsx
+++ b/components/graph-coverage.tsx
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 import { useCallback, useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
 import { usePopoverDismiss } from "@/components/popover-dismiss";
 import { ListChecksIcon, Loader2Icon } from "lucide-react";
+import { useActivity } from "@/components/activity-dock";
 import { formatTokens } from "@/components/usage-format";
 
 /**
@@ -35,6 +36,8 @@ interface CoverageChat {
 
 export function GraphCoverageControl({ refreshKey = 0 }: { refreshKey?: number }) {
 	const [open, setOpen] = useState(false);
+	// The dock's start-site nudge seam (accuracy wave, 2026-09-19) — see onExtract.
+	const refreshActivity = useActivity().refresh;
 	// Click anywhere outside (or Escape) closes the panel (2026-09-17) —
 	// the root wraps button + panel, so the toggle itself keeps working.
 	const rootRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
@@ -81,6 +84,11 @@ export function GraphCoverageControl({ refreshKey = 0 }: { refreshKey?: number }
 			// 409 = already running (e.g. the trigger raced us): the row's
 			// running flag takes over on the next poll.
 			void load();
+			// The dock's start-site nudge (accuracy wave, 2026-09-19): the 202
+			// means setPhase already registered the run (synchronous, before the
+			// response) — a refresh here is race-free; the 409 also refreshes so
+			// an unseen in-flight run adopts at once.
+			refreshActivity();
 		} catch {
 			setExtracting((ids) => ids.filter((id) => id !== chatId));
 		}
diff --git a/components/graph-view.tsx b/components/graph-view.tsx
index ab14afe..777472e 100644
--- a/components/graph-view.tsx
+++ b/components/graph-view.tsx
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ import { incrementalLayout, type GraphNode, type GraphSnapshot } from "@/src/cor
 import { GraphCanvasRenderer, type GraphRenderSettings } from "./graph-canvas.ts";
 import { GraphCoverageControl } from "./graph-coverage.tsx";
 import { usePopoverDismiss } from "@/components/popover-dismiss";
+import { useActivity } from "@/components/activity-dock";
 import {
 	ARROW_LENGTH_LADDER,
 	CHARGE_RANGE,
@@ -704,9 +705,16 @@ export function GraphView() {
 	// graph refetches when they finish (the runs-empty transition).
 	const fileInputRef = useRef<HTMLInputElement>(null);
 	const [importing, setImporting] = useState(false);
+	// The dock's start-site nudge (accuracy wave, 2026-09-19): the import
+	// POST awaits the WHOLE pipeline server-side, so the run registers long
+	// before the response — nudge at click and again at +600ms to catch the
+	// start; the dock's fast active interval carries the run from there.
+	const refreshActivity = useActivity().refresh;
 	const onImportFiles = (files: FileList | null) => {
 		if (!files || files.length === 0) return;
 		setImporting(true);
+		refreshActivity();
+		setTimeout(() => refreshActivity(), 600);
 		const form = new FormData();
 		for (const file of Array.from(files)) form.append("files", file);
 		fetch("/api/graph/import", { method: "POST", body: form })
diff --git a/components/md-blocks.tsx b/components/md-blocks.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c55a5e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/md-blocks.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,345 @@
+"use client";
+
+/**
+ * MARKDOWN BLOCKS, MELTED INTO THE MESSAGE (owner wave, 2026-09-19): the
+ * boxed streamdown chrome — the double-framed tables (border + sidebar bg +
+ * a second inner border + copy/download/fullscreen button rows), the mermaid
+ * container (border box + mono label header + action pill + inner border +
+ * in-chart zoom buttons), the code header bars — is REPLACED by this
+ * component set, wired into Streamdown via its `components` prop:
+ *
+ * - Tables: a plain PROSE table (no box, no sidebar bg, no buttons bar) —
+ *   hairline row rules + a stronger header underline (globals.css), wide
+ *   tables scroll inside the column.
+ * - Mermaid: the bare chart, part of the message — no label, no container,
+ *   no zoom pill (zoom/pan lives in the session-scoped focus overlay now).
+ * - Code: streamdown's CodeBlock skeleton keeps the shiki plumbing, but the
+ *   container melts (subtle bg tint, no border, no header — globals.css) and
+ *   the buttons go.
+ * - Display math: untouched visually, but gains the corner copy.
+ *
+ * THE ONE AFFORDANCE (user-decided): a small muted COPY icon at each block's
+ * top-right corner, revealed on hover — copying the SOURCE (table →
+ * Markdown, code → text, mermaid → chart source, math → the raw TeX). It
+ * never fakes a table column or shifts layout, and hover-reveal keeps the
+ * reading surface clean — the whole point of the melt. Text selection stays
+ * free: the icon lives in dead corner space. Mermaid additionally gets an
+ * EXPAND icon (opens the session overlay) when a chat page is mounted.
+ */
+
+import { isValidElement, useEffect, useRef, useState, type ComponentProps, type ReactNode } from "react";
+import { CheckIcon, CopyIcon, MaximizeIcon } from "lucide-react";
+import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
+import {
+	CodeBlock,
+	extractTableDataFromElement,
+	tableDataToMarkdown,
+	useIsCodeFenceIncomplete,
+} from "streamdown";
+import type { ExtraProps } from "streamdown";
+import { MERMAID_FONT_SIZE, renderMermaid } from "@/components/mermaid-render";
+import { MermaidError } from "@/components/mermaid-error";
+import { chartSize, useSessionMermaid } from "@/components/session-overlay";
+
+// ─── The one affordance: the hover-reveal corner copy ────────────────────────
+
+/** Clipboard write with a fallback: navigator.clipboard needs the
+ *  `clipboard-sanitized-write` permission, which Electron's deny-by-default
+ *  handler (electron/main.cjs) must grant from the loopback origin — and
+ *  browsers with a stale/absent API reject too. The hidden-textarea
+ *  execCommand path is the belt under that: a failed write would otherwise
+ *  be a silent no-op, which is exactly what the owner saw. Returns whether
+ *  the copy landed (drives the Copied pill). */
+async function copyText(text: string): Promise<boolean> {
+	try {
+		await navigator.clipboard.writeText(text);
+		return true;
+	} catch {
+		/* fall through to the legacy path */
+	}
+	try {
+		const ta = document.createElement("textarea");
+		ta.value = text;
+		ta.setAttribute("readonly", "");
+		ta.style.position = "fixed";
+		ta.style.opacity = "0";
+		document.body.appendChild(ta);
+		ta.select();
+		const ok = document.execCommand("copy");
+		ta.remove();
+		return ok;
+	} catch {
+		return false;
+	}
+}
+
+/** A small muted copy icon for a block's top-right corner. The CONSUMER'S
+ *  wrapper carries `group/md relative` (a NAMED group — the message container
+ *  is also a `group`, and an unnamed group-hover would light EVERY corner in
+ *  the message at once, the all-at-once the owner saw) and positions this
+ *  via className; the icon self-hides until hover (opacity-0 →
+ *  group-hover/md:opacity-100). Copies getText() on click; the icon flips
+ *  to a check for a beat — enough feedback on its own (a "Copied" pill was
+ *  tried and removed by owner ask, 2026-09-19). */
+export function CopyCorner({
+	getText,
+	label,
+	className,
+}: {
+	getText: () => string;
+	label: string;
+	className?: string;
+}) {
+	const [copied, setCopied] = useState(false);
+	const timerRef = useRef<number | undefined>(undefined);
+	useEffect(() => () => window.clearTimeout(timerRef.current), []);
+	return (
+		<span className={cn("relative inline-flex", className)}>
+			<button
+				type="button"
+				aria-label={label}
+				data-testid="md-copy"
+				className="flex size-6 items-center justify-center rounded-md text-muted-foreground/70 opacity-0 transition-opacity hover:bg-accent hover:text-foreground focus-visible:opacity-100 group-hover/md:opacity-100"
+				onClick={() => {
+					void copyText(getText()).then((ok) => {
+						if (!ok) return;
+						setCopied(true);
+						window.clearTimeout(timerRef.current);
+						timerRef.current = window.setTimeout(() => setCopied(false), 1500);
+					});
+				}}
+			>
+				{copied ? <CheckIcon className="size-3.5" /> : <CopyIcon className="size-3.5" />}
+			</button>
+		</span>
+	);
+}
+
+// ─── Code + mermaid fences (the Streamdown `code` override) ──────────────────
+
+/** The fence source from a code element's children — a bare string in the
+ *  common case; an element wrapping a string when rehype nests it. Pure. */
+export function codeSource(children: ReactNode): string {
+	if (typeof children === "string") return children;
+	if (typeof children === "number") return String(children);
+	if (isValidElement(children)) {
+		const inner = (children.props as { children?: ReactNode }).children;
+		if (typeof inner === "string") return inner;
+	}
+	return "";
+}
+
+/** Mermaid, in the message flow: the bare chart (dark theme, rendered via
+ *  the app's own plugin — components/mermaid-render.ts), the hover corner
+ *  with copy + expand, the house error fallback. No container chrome, no
+ *  zoom pill — the zoom/pan home is the session overlay. While the fence is
+ *  still streaming (the trailing open fence), a quiet skeleton instead of a
+ *  doomed parse. */
+function MermaidInline({ chart }: { chart: string }) {
+	const [svg, setSvg] = useState<string | null>(null);
+	const [error, setError] = useState<string | null>(null);
+	const [attempt, setAttempt] = useState(0);
+	const overlay = useSessionMermaid();
+	const incomplete = useIsCodeFenceIncomplete();
+	// The font-parity cap (owner rule, 2026-09-19): the house CSS
+	// (`max-width: 100% !important`) overrides mermaid's own natural-size cap,
+	// so a chart would otherwise stretch to the full column and render its
+	// text larger than the session's own text. Cap the holder at the width
+	// where the chart's 16px base font lands at the SESSION font (measured
+	// live from the wrapper — --lh-prose-size today): a chart may shrink to
+	// fit the column, but never blow its text up past the chat's.
+	const holderRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
+	const [capW, setCapW] = useState<number | null>(null);
+	useEffect(() => {
+		if (!svg || !holderRef.current) return;
+		const fs = Number.parseFloat(getComputedStyle(holderRef.current).fontSize);
+		if (!Number.isFinite(fs) || fs <= 0) return;
+		const { w } = chartSize(svg);
+		setCapW((w * fs) / MERMAID_FONT_SIZE);
+	}, [svg]);
+
+	useEffect(() => {
+		if (incomplete) return;
+		let cancelled = false;
+		setSvg(null);
+		setError(null);
+		renderMermaid(chart)
+			.then((s) => {
+				if (!cancelled) setSvg(s);
+			})
+			.catch((e) => {
+				if (!cancelled) setError(e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e));
+			});
+		return () => {
+			cancelled = true;
+		};
+	}, [chart, attempt, incomplete]);
+
+	if (incomplete || (svg === null && error === null)) {
+		return (
+			<div data-testid="md-mermaid" className="my-4 flex justify-center p-4" aria-busy="true">
+				<span className="inline-block size-4 animate-spin rounded-full border border-current border-b-2 text-muted-foreground" />
+			</div>
+		);
+	}
+	if (error !== null) {
+		return <MermaidError chart={chart} error={error} retry={() => setAttempt((a) => a + 1)} />;
+	}
+	return (
+		// data-streamdown="mermaid" keeps the house CSS hook (the svg
+		// max-width rule in globals.css) alive for this app-owned block.
+		<div data-testid="md-mermaid" data-streamdown="mermaid" className="group/md relative my-4">
+			<div
+				ref={holderRef}
+				className="mx-auto flex w-full justify-center"
+				style={capW === null ? undefined : { maxWidth: `${capW}px` }}
+				dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: svg ?? "" }}
+			/>
+			<div className="absolute top-0 right-0 flex items-start gap-0.5">
+				<CopyCorner getText={() => chart} label="Copy diagram source" />
+				{overlay && (
+					<button
+						type="button"
+						aria-label="Expand diagram"
+						data-testid="md-mermaid-expand"
+						title="Expand into the session view"
+						className="flex size-6 items-center justify-center rounded-md text-muted-foreground/70 opacity-0 transition-opacity hover:bg-accent hover:text-foreground group-hover/md:opacity-100"
+						onClick={() => overlay.openMermaid(chart)}
+					>
+						<MaximizeIcon className="size-3.5" />
+					</button>
+				)}
+			</div>
+		</div>
+	);
+}
+
+/** The Streamdown `code` override: inline code passes through with the
+ *  house inline classes; block fences split — mermaid renders as the bare
+ *  chart above, everything else delegates to streamdown's exported
+ *  CodeBlock (shiki highlighting + line numbers preserved) inside a
+ *  hover-copy wrapper, with NO children so its sticky button row never
+ *  mounts. The container/look is CSS-melted in globals.css
+ *  (data-streamdown="code-block"…). */
+export function MarkdownCode(props: ComponentProps<"code"> & ExtraProps) {
+	const incomplete = useIsCodeFenceIncomplete();
+	const { children, className, node, ...rest } = props;
+
+	// Inline code: no data-block (the pre handler stamps block fences only).
+	if (!("data-block" in props)) {
+		return (
+			<code className={cn("rounded bg-muted px-1.5 py-0.5 font-mono text-sm", className)} data-streamdown="inline-code" {...rest}>
+				{children}
+			</code>
+		);
+	}
+
+	const language = /language-([^\s]+)/.exec(className ?? "")?.[1] ?? "";
+	const meta = (node?.properties?.metastring as string | undefined) ?? "";
+	const source = codeSource(children);
+
+	if (language === "mermaid") return <MermaidInline chart={source} />;
+
+	const startMatch = /startLine=(\d+)/.exec(meta);
+	const startLine = startMatch ? Number.parseInt(startMatch[1]!, 10) : undefined;
+	const lineNumbers = !/\bnoLineNumbers\b/.test(meta);
+	return (
+		<div className="group/md relative" data-testid="md-code">
+			<CopyCorner className="absolute top-1.5 right-2 z-10" getText={() => source} label="Copy code" />
+			<CodeBlock
+				code={source}
+				language={language}
+				className={className}
+				isIncomplete={incomplete}
+				startLine={startLine !== undefined && startLine >= 1 ? startLine : undefined}
+				lineNumbers={lineNumbers}
+			/>
+		</div>
+	);
+}
+
+// ─── Tables (the Streamdown `table` override) ────────────────────────────────
+
+/** A plain PROSE table: no wrapper box, no button rows — just the table
+ *  (streamdown's inner cells keep their padding/typography; the hairline
+ *  rules live in globals.css on the data-streamdown attributes) inside a
+ *  horizontal-scroller for wide ones, with the corner copy. The copy
+ *  serializes the REAL DOM table (the library's own extractor → Markdown). */
+export function MarkdownTable(props: ComponentProps<"table"> & ExtraProps) {
+	const { children, node, ...rest } = props;
+	const ref = useRef<HTMLTableElement>(null);
+	return (
+		<div className="group/md relative my-4" data-testid="md-table">
+			<CopyCorner
+				// Contained in the table's top-right corner (owner note, 2026-09-19:
+				// the old -top-3 lifted only half the 24px button above the 12px
+				// offset, so it straddled the top outline). 4px inset, z above the
+				// cells it hovers over; the scroll container stays under it (the
+				// corner is fixed to the wrapper, not the scrolling table).
+				className="absolute top-1 right-1 z-10"
+				label="Copy table"
+				getText={() => (ref.current ? tableDataToMarkdown(extractTableDataFromElement(ref.current)) : "")}
+			/>
+			<div className="overflow-x-auto">
+				<table
+					ref={ref}
+					// No text-sm here — the table text runs at the session prose size
+				// (owner note, 2026-09-19: streamdown's cells pin their own text-sm
+				// 12.5px; globals.css overrides cells to inherit, so tables match the
+				// 16px chat text for a consistent look).
+					className="w-full border-collapse"
+					data-streamdown="table"
+					{...rest}
+				>
+					{children}
+				</table>
+			</div>
+		</div>
+	);
+}
+
+// ─── Display math (the Streamdown `span` override) ────────────────────────────
+
+/** KaTeX display equations are wrapped in a SPAN.katex-display (rehype-katex
+ *  renders them as spans with display:block CSS — NOT divs; verified in the
+ *  static render). They gain the corner copy (the raw TeX — KaTeX embeds it
+ *  in the MathML <annotation>; read from the DOM on click, no re-parse).
+ *  Every other span passes through untouched. */
+export function MathDisplay(props: ComponentProps<"span"> & ExtraProps) {
+	const { children, className, node, ...rest } = props;
+	const ref = useRef<HTMLSpanElement>(null);
+	if (!className?.includes("katex-display")) {
+		return (
+			<span className={className} {...rest}>
+				{children}
+			</span>
+		);
+	}
+	return (
+		// BLOCK, not inline: the katex-display child is itself display:block
+		// (KaTeX's CSS), and an inline wrapper around a block child gets
+		// FRAGMENTED by the anonymous-block rules — the absolutely positioned
+		// corner then has no clean containing block and pointer events never
+		// land on it (owner report: the math corner neither highlights on hover
+		// nor copies; everything else works). display:block gives the corner a
+		// real box; z-10 keeps it above the equation spans it overlays.
+		<span className="group/md relative block z-0" data-testid="md-math">
+			<CopyCorner
+				className="absolute top-0 right-0 z-10"
+				label="Copy equation source"
+				getText={() => ref.current?.querySelector("annotation")?.textContent ?? ""}
+			/>
+			<span ref={ref} className={className} {...rest}>
+				{children}
+			</span>
+		</span>
+	);
+}
+
+// ─── The stable override set (module identity: Streamdown is memoized) ────────
+
+export const mdComponents = {
+	code: MarkdownCode,
+	table: MarkdownTable,
+	span: MathDisplay,
+};
diff --git a/components/mermaid-render.ts b/components/mermaid-render.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..84f838b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/mermaid-render.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+/**
+ * The app's ONE mermaid renderer (the chrome-melt wave, 2026-09-19): both the
+ * in-chat block (components/md-blocks.tsx) and the session-scoped focus
+ * overlay (components/session-overlay.tsx) render charts through this module
+ * — one dark-theme config, one plugin instance, unique render ids. This
+ * REPLACES streamdown's internal mermaid path entirely: its fullscreen portal
+ * was hard-wired `fixed inset-0` (covering the window-drag bar, X landing in
+ * drag territory) with no styling hook, which is what drove the custom
+ * component in the first place.
+ */
+
+import { createMermaidPlugin } from "@streamdown/mermaid";
+import type { MermaidConfig } from "mermaid";
+
+/** The chart's base font size (px) — mermaid sizes ALL text relative to
+ *  this, so it's the number the display-width cap (md-blocks) divides by:
+ *  a chart shown at its natural width renders text at exactly this size.
+ *  Pinned explicitly so a mermaid default change can't silently shift the
+ *  cap (owner rule, chrome-melt tweaks wave, 2026-09-19: chart text must
+ *  never render larger than the session's own text). */
+export const MERMAID_FONT_SIZE = 16;
+
+// The app is dark-only (html.dark in the root layout) — diagrams render in
+// mermaid's dark theme. (Moved from ai-elements/message.tsx when the
+// renderer became app-owned; the old `mermaid` prop wiring is retired.)
+export const mermaidTheme: MermaidConfig = {
+	fontFamily: "ui-sans-serif, system-ui, sans-serif",
+	fontSize: MERMAID_FONT_SIZE,
+	securityLevel: "strict",
+	theme: "dark",
+};
+
+const plugin = createMermaidPlugin();
+
+/** Render one chart source to an svg string. The id is unique per call —
+ *  mermaid caches rendered ids, and a repeated id across charts/renders
+ *  returns the stale svg (the bug streamdown's own id minting avoids). */
+export async function renderMermaid(chart: string): Promise<string> {
+	const id = `lh-mermaid-${Date.now().toString(36)}-${Math.random().toString(36).slice(2, 9)}`;
+	const { svg } = await plugin.getMermaid(mermaidTheme).render(id, chart);
+	return svg;
+}
diff --git a/components/pan-zoom.ts b/components/pan-zoom.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..322c806
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/pan-zoom.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+/**
+ * Shared pan/zoom viewport math — the "fit floor" semantics harvested from
+ * the plan popup (plan-graph rounds 2–4) so the session overlays (the plan
+ * focus, the mermaid focus) run the SAME geometry: fully zoomed out IS the
+ * fit (whichever axis binds), panning locks at the floor (nothing to move),
+ * wheel zooms to the cursor. Pure on purpose: the overlays are render-tested
+ * in static markup (no live pointer events), so the math lives here where
+ * tests can pin it (tests/pan-zoom.test.ts).
+ */
+
+/** Zoom ceiling for every surface that uses this math (raised 2×→4× for
+ *  reading node titles closely, owner, plan-graph round 3). */
+export const ZOOM_MAX = 4;
+/** Viewport breathing room subtracted by the fit. */
+export const FIT_PAD = 16;
+/** The fit never zooms IN past this — a tiny diagram must not blow up. */
+export const FIT_ZOOM_MAX = 1.5;
+
+/** A pan/zoom viewport state (translate + scale; origin top-left). */
+export interface Viewport {
+	zoom: number;
+	x: number;
+	y: number;
+}
+
+/** The fit zoom for a box in a viewport: never below a true fit (the old
+ *  0.15 floor could sit ABOVE the fit for wide graphs — the epsilon only
+ *  guards degenerate viewports), never above FIT_ZOOM_MAX. Pure. */
+export function fitZoomFor(box: { w: number; h: number }, viewport: { w: number; h: number }): number {
+	if (!viewport.w || !viewport.h || box.w === 0) return 1;
+	return Math.max(0.02, Math.min((viewport.w - FIT_PAD) / box.w, (viewport.h - FIT_PAD) / box.h, FIT_ZOOM_MAX));
+}
+
+/** Centers a box (at the given zoom) in the viewport. Pure. */
+export function fitGraphView(box: { w: number; h: number }, viewport: { w: number; h: number }, zoom: number): Viewport {
+	return { zoom, x: (viewport.w - box.w * zoom) / 2, y: (viewport.h - box.h * zoom) / 2 };
+}
+
+/** Zoom by `factor` keeping `focus` (viewport coordinates) visually fixed,
+ *  clamped to [floor, ZOOM_MAX]. At the floor the view re-fits + RE-CENTERS
+ *  (the fit IS the floor — a locked view there has nothing to move). Pure. */
+export function zoomedGraphView(
+	view: Viewport,
+	factor: number,
+	floor: number,
+	focus: { x: number; y: number },
+	box: { w: number; h: number },
+	viewport: { w: number; h: number },
+): Viewport {
+	const zoom = Math.min(Math.max(view.zoom * factor, floor), ZOOM_MAX);
+	if (zoom === view.zoom) return view;
+	if (zoom <= floor) return fitGraphView(box, viewport, floor);
+	const k = zoom / view.zoom;
+	return { zoom, x: focus.x - (focus.x - view.x) * k, y: focus.y - (focus.y - view.y) * k };
+}
diff --git a/components/plan-block.tsx b/components/plan-block.tsx
index ed19bcc..8522e39 100644
--- a/components/plan-block.tsx
+++ b/components/plan-block.tsx
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import { layout as dagreLayout } from "dagre-d3-es/src/dagre/index.js";
 // Mermaid's default flowchart edge curve: dagre's waypoints drawn through
 // d3's curveBasis (the exact recipe dagre-d3's own renderer uses).
 import { curveBasis, line } from "d3-shape";
+import { fitGraphView, fitZoomFor, zoomedGraphView, type Viewport } from "@/components/pan-zoom";
 import type { PlanBlockData, PlanNodeStatus, PlanTree } from "@/src/core";
 import { derivedNodeStatus, derivePlanStatuses } from "@/src/core";
 
@@ -24,7 +25,9 @@ import { derivedNodeStatus, derivePlanStatuses } from "@/src/core";
  *   scales to the full column width (viewBox = layout extent + GRAPH_PAD,
  *   so strokes/glow never clip), natural height, capped at the chat prose
  *   font size (TEXT_CAP_SCALE — fills the column, never oversizes text).
- * - Clicking opens the full plan in a full-screen popup overlay —
+ * - Clicking opens the full plan in a session-scoped focus overlay
+ *   (absolute inside the session area, below the drag bar — chrome-melt
+ *   wave, 2026-09-19; was a fixed inset-0 full-screen popup) —
  *   the LIVE plan: the latest tree from the transcript with statuses
  *   derived at click time (contracts/plan.ts derivePlanStatuses). Blocks
  *   are frozen snapshots rendered exactly as carried (never re-derived);
@@ -584,54 +587,26 @@ export function latestTree(messages: readonly PopupMessage[]): PlanTree | null {
 	return null;
 }
 
-/** Zoom bounds: never below fit (fully zoomed out IS the fit — the whole
- *  graph visible, whichever axis binds — owner, plan-graph round 2), never
- *  above ZOOM_MAX (raised 2×→4× for reading node titles closely, owner,
- *  plan-graph round 3). The old 0.15 floor could sit ABOVE a true fit for
- *  wide graphs; the fit itself is the floor now. */
-const ZOOM_MAX = 4;
-const FIT_PAD = 16;
 /** The popup shows the glow, so its frame pads by the glow's reach —
  *  the in-chat block (monochrome, no glow) stays tight at GRAPH_PAD. */
 const POPUP_PAD = GLOW_REACH;
-const FIT_ZOOM_MAX = 1.5;
 
-interface GraphView {
-	zoom: number;
-	x: number;
-	y: number;
-}
-
-function fitZoomFor(box: { w: number; h: number }, viewport: { w: number; h: number }): number {
-	if (!viewport.w || !viewport.h || box.w === 0) return 1;
-	// No artificial floor: a wide graph must fit even below 0.15× — the
-	// epsilon only guards degenerate viewports.
-	return Math.max(0.02, Math.min((viewport.w - FIT_PAD) / box.w, (viewport.h - FIT_PAD) / box.h, FIT_ZOOM_MAX));
-}
-
-function fitGraphView(box: { w: number; h: number }, viewport: { w: number; h: number }, zoom: number): GraphView {
-	return { zoom, x: (viewport.w - box.w * zoom) / 2, y: (viewport.h - box.h * zoom) / 2 };
-}
-
-function zoomedGraphView(
-	view: GraphView,
-	factor: number,
-	floor: number,
-	focus: { x: number; y: number },
-	box: { w: number; h: number },
-	viewport: { w: number; h: number },
-): GraphView {
-	const zoom = Math.min(Math.max(view.zoom * factor, floor), ZOOM_MAX);
-	if (zoom === view.zoom) return view;
-	if (zoom <= floor) return fitGraphView(box, viewport, floor);
-	const k = zoom / view.zoom;
-	return { zoom, x: focus.x - (focus.x - view.x) * k, y: focus.y - (focus.y - view.y) * k };
-}
+// The pan/zoom math now lives in components/pan-zoom.ts (shared with the
+// mermaid focus overlay since the session-overlay wave, 2026-09-19) — same
+// fit-floor semantics: fully zoomed out IS the fit, panning locks at the
+// floor, zoom ceiling 4× for reading node titles closely.
 
 /**
  * The full plan, live: latest tree + statuses derived at click time. Esc,
  * backdrop click, or the X close it; drag pans, wheel zooms to the cursor,
  * the zoom floor is the fit (panning locks at it — nothing to move).
+ *
+ * SESSION-SCOPED since the chrome-melt wave (2026-09-19): it mounts
+ * ABSOLUTE inside the chat page's session-area div (chat.tsx) — below the
+ * 60px drag bar, right of the sidebar — instead of a fixed inset-0 overlay.
+ * The top bar stays sharp and draggable, and the X can never land in drag
+ * territory. Surface 80% + blur (owner decision): the transcript ghosts
+ * through while the focus owns the session area.
  */
 export function PlanPopup({ messages, onClose }: { messages: readonly PopupMessage[]; onClose: () => void }) {
 	const tree = useMemo(() => latestTree(messages), [messages]);
@@ -671,7 +646,7 @@ export function PlanPopup({ messages, onClose }: { messages: readonly PopupMessa
 	);
 	const fitZoom = useMemo(() => fitZoomFor(box, size), [box, size]);
 
-	const [view, setView] = useState<GraphView>({ x: 0, y: 0, zoom: 1 });
+	const [view, setView] = useState<Viewport>({ x: 0, y: 0, zoom: 1 });
 	const userAdjustedRef = useRef(false);
 	const atFloor = view.zoom <= fitZoom + 1e-9;
 	// The transition stays off until the FIRST fit has been applied — the
@@ -756,7 +731,10 @@ export function PlanPopup({ messages, onClose }: { messages: readonly PopupMessa
 	return (
 		<div
 			data-testid="plan-popup"
-			className="fixed inset-0 z-50 flex flex-col bg-background/95 p-4 backdrop-blur-sm"
+			// SESSION-SCOPED (absolute, not fixed): the chat page mounts this
+			// INSIDE the session-area div — below the drag bar, right of the
+			// sidebar. 80% + blur: the transcript ghosts through.
+			className="absolute inset-0 z-40 flex flex-col bg-background/80 p-4 backdrop-blur-sm"
 			role="dialog"
 			aria-modal="true"
 			aria-label="The full plan"
@@ -794,8 +772,16 @@ export function PlanPopup({ messages, onClose }: { messages: readonly PopupMessa
 							className="absolute top-0 left-0 origin-top-left"
 							style={{
 								transform: `translate(${view.x}px, ${view.y}px) scale(${view.zoom})`,
+								// Hidden until the first fit has APPLIED — the fit runs in an
+								// effect (after paint), so an opacity-gated chart can never flash
+								// at the initial top-left zoom:1 state (same fix as the mermaid
+								// overlay; transition-gating alone didn't hide the fly-in the
+								// owner kept seeing in rounds 4–7).
+								opacity: settled ? 1 : 0,
 								transition:
-									panning || !settled ? "none" : "transform 180ms ease-out",
+									panning || !settled
+										? "none"
+										: "transform 180ms ease-out, opacity 160ms ease-out",
 							}}
 						>
 							<PlanDiagram
diff --git a/components/session-overlay.tsx b/components/session-overlay.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..84bf48c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/session-overlay.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,280 @@
+"use client";
+
+import { createContext, useContext, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from "react";
+import { MaximizeIcon, MinusIcon, PlusIcon, XIcon } from "lucide-react";
+import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
+import { fitGraphView, fitZoomFor, zoomedGraphView, type Viewport } from "@/components/pan-zoom";
+import { renderMermaid } from "@/components/mermaid-render";
+import { MermaidError } from "@/components/mermaid-error";
+
+/**
+ * SESSION-SCOPED OVERLAYS (owner wave, 2026-09-19): the "fullscreen"
+ * expansions — the plan focus, this mermaid focus — do NOT cover the app
+ * chrome. They mount ABSOLUTE INSIDE THE SESSION AREA (the `relative` div
+ * below the top bar, right of the sidebar, where the transcript and dock
+ * live), so the 60px drag bar stays sharp, visible, and draggable and the X
+ * can never land in drag territory — the old `fixed inset-0` overlays put it
+ * exactly there, which is what drove this redesign. Surface: 80% background +
+ * blur (user-decided) — the transcript ghosts through while the focus owns
+ * the session area.
+ *
+ * The chart source registers from wherever it lives in the transcript
+ * (md-blocks' expand button) via the context below; the CHAT PAGE owns the
+ * open state so this overlay mounts as a sibling of the scroller inside the
+ * session area — never inside it (an absolute inset-0 inside the scroller
+ * would cover the scrollable extent, not the visible area).
+ */
+
+/** The expand seam: md-blocks' mermaid hover button calls openMermaid with
+ *  the chart source; the chat page (which provides this context) opens the
+ *  overlay. Null when no chat page is mounted (sidebar previews etc.) — the
+ *  expand button simply doesn't render there. */
+export const SessionMermaidContext = createContext<{ openMermaid: (chart: string) => void } | null>(null);
+
+export function useSessionMermaid() {
+	return useContext(SessionMermaidContext);
+}
+
+/** A chart svg's natural size — mermaid always emits a viewBox; this is the
+ *  extent at zoom 1 (1 svg unit = 1 px), like the plan diagram's natural
+ *  size. The fallback covers a degenerate no-viewBox svg. Pure. */
+export function chartSize(svg: string): { w: number; h: number } {
+	const m = /<svg[^>]*\bviewBox="([\d.eE+-]+)\s+([\d.eE+-]+)\s+([\d.eE+-]+)\s+([\d.eE+-]+)"/.exec(svg);
+	if (m) {
+		const w = Number.parseFloat(m[3]!);
+		const h = Number.parseFloat(m[4]!);
+		if (Number.isFinite(w) && Number.isFinite(h) && w > 0 && h > 0) return { w, h };
+	}
+	return { w: 600, h: 400 };
+}
+
+/** The mermaid focus: the chart at natural size inside a pan/zoom viewport
+ *  (the plan popup's fit-floor semantics — fitGraphView/zoomedGraphView in
+ *  pan-zoom.ts), Esc/X close. Renders its own copy of the chart (mermaid
+ *  ids are per-render), not the injected inline svg. */
+export function MermaidOverlay({ chart, onClose }: { chart: string; onClose: () => void }) {
+	// ── chart render (own instance, own ids) ──
+	const [svg, setSvg] = useState<string | null>(null);
+	const [error, setError] = useState<string | null>(null);
+	const [attempt, setAttempt] = useState(0);
+	useEffect(() => {
+		let cancelled = false;
+		setSvg(null);
+		setError(null);
+		renderMermaid(chart)
+			.then((s) => {
+				if (!cancelled) setSvg(s);
+			})
+			.catch((e) => {
+				if (!cancelled) setError(e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e));
+			});
+		return () => {
+			cancelled = true;
+		};
+	}, [chart, attempt]);
+
+	// Esc closes.
+	useEffect(() => {
+		const onKey = (e: KeyboardEvent) => {
+			if (e.key === "Escape") onClose();
+		};
+		window.addEventListener("keydown", onKey);
+		return () => window.removeEventListener("keydown", onKey);
+	}, [onClose]);
+
+	// ── pan/zoom viewport (same wiring as the plan popup) ──
+	const viewportRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
+	const [size, setSize] = useState({ w: 0, h: 0 });
+	useEffect(() => {
+		const el = viewportRef.current;
+		if (!el || typeof ResizeObserver === "undefined") return;
+		const ro = new ResizeObserver(() => setSize({ w: el.clientWidth, h: el.clientHeight }));
+		ro.observe(el);
+		return () => ro.disconnect();
+	}, []);
+
+	const box = useMemo(() => (svg ? chartSize(svg) : { w: 0, h: 0 }), [svg]);
+	const fitZoom = useMemo(() => fitZoomFor(box, size), [box, size]);
+
+	const [view, setView] = useState<Viewport>({ x: 0, y: 0, zoom: 1 });
+	const userAdjustedRef = useRef(false);
+	const atFloor = view.zoom <= fitZoom + 1e-9;
+	const [settled, setSettled] = useState(false);
+	const [panning, setPanning] = useState(false);
+
+	useEffect(() => {
+		if (atFloor) userAdjustedRef.current = false;
+	}, [atFloor]);
+	useEffect(() => {
+		if (userAdjustedRef.current || !size.w || !size.h || !svg) return;
+		setView(fitGraphView(box, size, fitZoom));
+		const raf = requestAnimationFrame(() => setSettled(true));
+		return () => cancelAnimationFrame(raf);
+	}, [fitZoom, size, box, svg]);
+
+	useEffect(() => {
+		const el = viewportRef.current;
+		if (!el) return;
+		const onWheel = (e: WheelEvent) => {
+			e.preventDefault();
+			const dy = e.deltaMode === 1 ? e.deltaY * 16 : e.deltaY;
+			const factor = Math.exp(-dy * 0.0015);
+			const rect = el.getBoundingClientRect();
+			setView((v) =>
+				zoomedGraphView(v, factor, fitZoom, { x: e.clientX - rect.left, y: e.clientY - rect.top }, box, size),
+			);
+			userAdjustedRef.current = true;
+		};
+		el.addEventListener("wheel", onWheel, { passive: false });
+		return () => el.removeEventListener("wheel", onWheel);
+	}, [fitZoom, box, size]);
+
+	const dragRef = useRef<{ px: number; py: number; x: number; y: number; moved: boolean } | null>(null);
+	const startDrag = (e: React.PointerEvent<HTMLDivElement>) => {
+		if (e.button !== 0) return;
+		if ((e.target as HTMLElement).closest("button")) return;
+		if (atFloor) return;
+		dragRef.current = { px: e.clientX, py: e.clientY, x: view.x, y: view.y, moved: false };
+		setPanning(true);
+		e.currentTarget.classList.add("cursor-grabbing");
+		e.currentTarget.setPointerCapture(e.pointerId);
+	};
+	const moveDrag = (e: React.PointerEvent<HTMLDivElement>) => {
+		const d = dragRef.current;
+		if (!d) return;
+		d.moved = true;
+		setView((v) =>
+			v.zoom <= fitZoom + 1e-9 ? v : { ...v, x: d.x + (e.clientX - d.px), y: d.y + (e.clientY - d.py) },
+		);
+	};
+	const endDrag = (e: React.PointerEvent<HTMLDivElement>) => {
+		const d = dragRef.current;
+		if (d) {
+			dragRef.current = null;
+			if (d.moved) userAdjustedRef.current = true;
+		}
+		setPanning(false);
+		e.currentTarget.classList.remove("cursor-grabbing");
+	};
+	const stepZoom = (factor: number) => {
+		userAdjustedRef.current = true;
+		setView((v) => zoomedGraphView(v, factor, fitZoom, { x: size.w / 2, y: size.h / 2 }, box, size));
+	};
+	const fitView = () => {
+		userAdjustedRef.current = false;
+		if (!size.w || !size.h) return;
+		setView(fitGraphView(box, size, fitZoom));
+	};
+
+	return (
+		<div
+			data-testid="mermaid-overlay"
+			// SESSION-SCOPED (not fixed): mounts absolute inside the chat
+			// page's session-area div — below the drag bar, right of the
+			// sidebar. 80% + blur: the transcript ghosts through (owner
+			// decision, 2026-09-19).
+			className="absolute inset-0 z-40 flex flex-col bg-background/80 p-4 backdrop-blur-sm"
+			role="dialog"
+			aria-modal="true"
+			aria-label="Diagram focus"
+		>
+			<div className="mb-2 flex items-center gap-2">
+				<span className="text-sm font-medium">Diagram</span>
+				<span className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">from this lesson</span>
+				<button
+					type="button"
+					onClick={onClose}
+					aria-label="Close"
+					data-testid="mermaid-overlay-close"
+					className="ml-auto rounded-lg p-1.5 text-muted-foreground transition-colors hover:bg-accent hover:text-foreground"
+				>
+					<XIcon className="size-4" />
+				</button>
+			</div>
+			<div
+				ref={viewportRef}
+				className={cn(
+					"relative min-h-0 flex-1 touch-none overflow-hidden rounded-xl border select-none",
+					atFloor ? "cursor-default" : "cursor-grab",
+				)}
+				onPointerDown={startDrag}
+				onPointerMove={moveDrag}
+				onPointerUp={endDrag}
+				onPointerCancel={endDrag}
+			>
+				{error ? (
+					<div className="flex h-full items-center justify-center p-4">
+						<MermaidError chart={chart} error={error} retry={() => setAttempt((a) => a + 1)} />
+					</div>
+				) : svg ? (
+					<>
+						<div
+							className="absolute top-0 left-0 origin-top-left"
+							style={{
+								width: `${box.w}px`,
+								transform: `translate(${view.x}px, ${view.y}px) scale(${view.zoom})`,
+								// Hidden until the first fit has APPLIED: the fit runs in an
+							// effect (after paint), and the chart would otherwise flash
+							// at the initial top-left zoom:1 state for a frame (the
+							// owner saw exactly that; transition-gating alone doesn't
+							// hide it — VISIBILITY must be gated on settled too).
+								opacity: settled ? 1 : 0,
+								transition:
+									panning || !settled
+										? "none"
+										: "transform 180ms ease-out, opacity 160ms ease-out",
+							}}
+						>
+							{/* data-lh-overlay-chart: globals.css pins the svg to the
+							    wrapper's width (kills mermaid's inline max-width cap)
+							    so the wrapper IS the natural-size box the fit math
+							    centers. */}
+							<div
+								data-lh-overlay-chart
+								className="[&_svg]:h-auto [&_svg]:w-full"
+								dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: svg }}
+							/>
+						</div>
+						<div className="pointer-events-none absolute inset-x-0 bottom-0 flex items-end justify-between p-2">
+							<span className="text-xs text-muted-foreground/60">Drag to pan · scroll to zoom</span>
+							<div className="flex gap-1">
+								<button
+									type="button"
+									title="Zoom out"
+									aria-label="Zoom out"
+									onClick={() => stepZoom(1 / 1.25)}
+									className="pointer-events-auto flex size-7 items-center justify-center rounded-md border border-border/70 bg-card/80 text-muted-foreground backdrop-blur transition-colors hover:bg-accent hover:text-foreground"
+								>
+									<MinusIcon className="size-3.5" />
+								</button>
+								<button
+									type="button"
+									title="Fit diagram to view"
+									aria-label="Fit diagram to view"
+									onClick={fitView}
+									className="pointer-events-auto flex size-7 items-center justify-center rounded-md border border-border/70 bg-card/80 text-muted-foreground backdrop-blur transition-colors hover:bg-accent hover:text-foreground"
+								>
+									<MaximizeIcon className="size-3.5" />
+								</button>
+								<button
+									type="button"
+									title="Zoom in"
+									aria-label="Zoom in"
+									onClick={() => stepZoom(1.25)}
+									className="pointer-events-auto flex size-7 items-center justify-center rounded-md border border-border/70 bg-card/80 text-muted-foreground backdrop-blur transition-colors hover:bg-accent hover:text-foreground"
+								>
+									<PlusIcon className="size-3.5" />
+								</button>
+							</div>
+						</div>
+					</>
+				) : (
+					<div className="flex h-full items-center justify-center gap-2 text-sm text-muted-foreground">
+						<span className="inline-block size-4 animate-spin rounded-full border border-current border-b-2" />
+						Rendering diagram…
+					</div>
+				)}
+			</div>
+		</div>
+	);
+}
diff --git a/docs/probe-teach-split.md b/docs/probe-teach-split.md
index b5ba2a6..9c25a32 100644
--- a/docs/probe-teach-split.md
+++ b/docs/probe-teach-split.md
@@ -106,9 +106,12 @@ presents the plan → **accept** → **teach (teacher)**
   Accept plan / red Decline) while the verdict pends; accept sends a user
   message carrying a `data-plan-accepted` data part — THE plan→teach seam
   (`phaseAt3` reads it; `convertToModelMessages` drops data parts, so the
-  teacher sees only the text). Decline asks for a revision; side questions
-  stay possible (Enter sends a plain message, phase unmoved). Mid-lesson
-  rewrites need no fresh verdict: acceptance happens once.
+  teacher sees only the text). Decline asks for a revision. While the
+  verdict pends, Enter ACCEPTS the plan — typed text rides the acceptance
+  as its note, an empty box accepts too (user-decided 2026-09-19; formerly
+  Enter sent a plain message, which left the verdict still pending on the
+  next message — a side question now rides the acceptance note instead).
+  Mid-lesson rewrites need no fresh verdict: acceptance happens once.
 - The session picker phase derives from transcript markers the same way.
 
 ## 5. No global-graph context in sessions (for now)
diff --git a/electron/main.cjs b/electron/main.cjs
index c1935a9..a18cbc8 100644
--- a/electron/main.cjs
+++ b/electron/main.cjs
@@ -225,15 +225,22 @@ function createWindow(url) {
 	});
 
 	const allowedOrigin = () => new URL(url).origin;
-	// Deny-by-default; the ONLY grants are media (mic/STT groundwork) from
-	// our own loopback origin. Electron's default is auto-approve-everything
-	// — we do not ship that.
+	// Deny-by-default; the ONLY grants are media (mic/STT groundwork) and
+	// clipboard-sanitized-write — the copy affordances in the transcript
+	// (md-blocks copy corners) call navigator.clipboard.writeText(), which
+	// Chromium only honors with that permission (chrome-melt tweaks wave,
+	// 2026-09-19; before this grant every copy silently rejected). Still
+	// loopback-origin only — Electron's default is auto-approve-everything,
+	// and we do not ship that.
+	const allowedPermissions = new Set(["media", "clipboard-sanitized-write"]);
+	const fromOwnOrigin = (origin, permission) =>
+		origin === allowedOrigin() && allowedPermissions.has(permission);
 	session.defaultSession.setPermissionRequestHandler((_wc, permission, callback, details) => {
 		const requestOrigin = details.requestingUrl ? new URL(details.requestingUrl).origin : null;
-		callback(requestOrigin === allowedOrigin() && permission === "media");
+		callback(fromOwnOrigin(requestOrigin, permission));
 	});
 	session.defaultSession.setPermissionCheckHandler((_wc, permission, origin) => {
-		return origin === allowedOrigin() && permission === "media";
+		return fromOwnOrigin(origin, permission);
 	});
 
 	win.webContents.on("will-navigate", (event, target) => {
diff --git a/src/agent/subagents/aborts.ts b/src/agent/subagents/aborts.ts
index af357de..ed5b587 100644
--- a/src/agent/subagents/aborts.ts
+++ b/src/agent/subagents/aborts.ts
@@ -37,6 +37,18 @@ export function unregisterJobAbort(jobId: string): void {
 	registry().delete(jobId);
 }
 
+/** True while the job's loop is EXECUTING (a controller is registered) —
+ *  the liveness gate for the stale-job sweep: a "running" record with a
+ *  live registration belongs to a loop this process owns (hung or slow, it
+ *  is the one truth — never re-spawn beside it); without one the record is
+ *  an orphan of a process death and recovers immediately. The span is
+ *  loop-start to delivery-completion: the runner's unregistering finally
+ *  runs only after deliver() resolves, by which point finalizeJob has
+ *  flipped the record — so absence of registration is unambiguous. */
+export function isJobLive(jobId: string): boolean {
+	return registry().has(jobId);
+}
+
 /** Abort a running job's loop. Returns false when no controller is live —
  * the job's loop is not executing (crashed, or in the delivering-result
  * phase where the runner has already returned); the caller then owns the
diff --git a/src/agent/subagents/extraction.ts b/src/agent/subagents/extraction.ts
index 119652b..5427c18 100644
--- a/src/agent/subagents/extraction.ts
+++ b/src/agent/subagents/extraction.ts
@@ -478,8 +478,14 @@ function runNotesAuditor(
 
 // ─── the pipeline status registry ─────────────────────────────────────────────
 
-/** The pipeline phases, in order — what the home status endpoint shows. */
-export type ExtractionPhase = "extracting" | "auditing" | "merging";
+/** The pipeline phases, in order — what the home status endpoint shows.
+ *  `embedding` is its own phase (accuracy wave, 2026-09-19): the post-batch
+ *  tail — embed every uncovered proposition, re-cluster, settle the layout
+ *  — used to hide inside `merging`, so a run that had already merged every
+ *  batch sat on "merging" for the whole embedding tail (model load +
+ *  cold-start backfill on first runs = minutes). The phases must tell the
+ *  truth about what the loop is actually waiting on. */
+export type ExtractionPhase = "extracting" | "auditing" | "merging" | "embedding";
 
 /** One in-flight pipeline run. Module-level: one process, one registry.
  *  Exported for the status payload's consumer typing (the dock). */
@@ -502,15 +508,34 @@ export interface RunningExtraction {
 	controller: AbortController;
 }
 
-const runningExtractions = new Map<string, RunningExtraction>();
+interface LhExtractionGlobal {
+	__lhExtractionRuns?: {
+		/** In-flight pipeline runs, keyed chatId (chat) / src id (notes). */
+		running: Map<string, RunningExtraction>;
+		/** The single-flight guard, shared by every pipeline instance. */
+		inFlight: Set<string>;
+		/** Last minted startedAt — kept monotonic so two runs starting in the
+		 *  same millisecond never collide on the usage idempotency key. */
+		lastStartedAt: number;
+	};
+}
 
-/** Last minted startedAt — kept monotonic so two runs starting in the same
- *  millisecond never collide on the usage idempotency key. */
-let lastStartedAt = 0;
+/** THE RUN REGISTRIES live on globalThis, not module level — the
+ *  turn-liveness lesson: Next dev compiles each route entry as its own
+ *  module instance, so a module-level Map is a different object in the
+ *  /api/activity route than in the pipeline's chat-handler instance —
+ *  the status routes would read an always-empty registry. One process,
+ *  one truth — the same idiom as the turn, wake, and abort registries
+ *  (moved 2026-09-19, the observability-accuracy wave; also makes the
+ *  single-flight guard cross route instances). */
+function runs(): NonNullable<LhExtractionGlobal["__lhExtractionRuns"]> {
+	const g = globalThis as typeof globalThis & LhExtractionGlobal;
+	return (g.__lhExtractionRuns ??= { running: new Map(), inFlight: new Set(), lastStartedAt: 0 });
+}
 
 /** In-flight pipeline runs (oldest first) — the /api/graph/status payload. */
 export function extractionStatuses(): RunningExtraction[] {
-	return [...runningExtractions.values()].sort((a, b) => a.startedAt - b.startedAt);
+	return [...runs().running.values()].sort((a, b) => a.startedAt - b.startedAt);
 }
 
 /** True cancellation of the in-flight run for a chat (the dock's abort
@@ -519,7 +544,7 @@ export function extractionStatuses(): RunningExtraction[] {
  *  nothing merged, nothing checkpointed, partial usage still persisted.
  *  Returns false when no run is in flight (idempotent no-op). */
 export function abortExtraction(chatId: string): boolean {
-	const run = runningExtractions.get(chatId);
+	const run = runs().running.get(chatId);
 	if (!run) return false;
 	run.controller.abort();
 	return true;
@@ -565,17 +590,22 @@ export interface ExtractionPipeline {
 
 export function createExtractionPipeline(deps: ExtractionPipelineDeps): ExtractionPipeline {
 	const { chatStore, graphStore, embedder: embed } = deps;
-	const inFlight = new Set<string>();
+	// THE SHARED REGISTRIES (runs() above — globalThis): every pipeline
+	// instance (route entries in dev, tests) sees the same runs, the same
+	// single-flight guard. No module-level state left in this factory.
+	const runningExtractions = runs().running;
+	const inFlight = runs().inFlight;
 
 	function setPhase(chatId: string, phase: ExtractionPhase, kind: "chat" | "notes", label?: string): void {
+		const R = runs();
 		const prev = runningExtractions.get(chatId);
-		if (!prev) lastStartedAt = Math.max(Date.now(), lastStartedAt + 1);
+		if (!prev) R.lastStartedAt = Math.max(Date.now(), R.lastStartedAt + 1);
 		runningExtractions.set(chatId, {
 			chatId,
 			kind,
 			label: prev?.label ?? label, // phase changes never lose the label
 			phase,
-			startedAt: prev?.startedAt ?? lastStartedAt,
+			startedAt: prev?.startedAt ?? R.lastStartedAt,
 			usage: prev?.usage ?? {}, // phase changes never lose usage
 			controller: prev?.controller ?? new AbortController(),
 		});
@@ -742,6 +772,9 @@ export function createExtractionPipeline(deps: ExtractionPipelineDeps): Extracti
 				);
 			}
 			const stats = total;
+			// The embedding tail gets its own phase — the honest label for what
+			// the run is waiting on here (see ExtractionPhase above).
+			setPhase(chatId, "embedding", "chat");
 			// Semantic embeddings (DECIDED 2026-09-13): topics come from
 			// MEANING, so embed the new propositions BEFORE the settle and
 			// the namer look at clusters. Failure is non-fatal — clustering
@@ -868,7 +901,9 @@ export function createExtractionPipeline(deps: ExtractionPipelineDeps): Extracti
 			const auditResult: AuditResult = { ...notesResult, attribution: { quiz: {} } };
 			const stats = mergeFindings(id, auditResult, { chatStore, graphStore }, { messages: null, foldedAt: input.importedAt });
 			// Same post-merge chain as the chat path: embeddings first
-			// (topics from meaning), then the settle, then the namer.
+			// (topics from meaning), then the settle, then the namer —
+			// under their own phase, exactly like the chat path.
+			setPhase(id, "embedding", "notes", input.filePath);
 			await embed(graphStore).catch((err) => {
 				console.error(`[extraction ${id}] embedding failed (non-fatal):`, err);
 			});
diff --git a/src/agent/subagents/headless.ts b/src/agent/subagents/headless.ts
index d7aaebb..8967d76 100644
--- a/src/agent/subagents/headless.ts
+++ b/src/agent/subagents/headless.ts
@@ -179,6 +179,72 @@ function svgViewport(svg: string, opts: RenderSvgOptions): { width: number; heig
 	};
 }
 
+/** Canonicalize a raw Chrome screenshot for the model's eyes (2026-09-19 fix).
+ *
+ *  WHY: Chrome writes PNGs with a SPLIT IDAT stream (4KB chunks) — and
+ *  Alibaba's vision decoder (behind OpenRouter's qwen3.8-flash, the
+ *  visual-maker's look-model) rejected those outright during the
+ *  2026-09-18/19 window: "The image format is illegal and cannot be opened",
+ *  deterministically, at every size (50–800px) — while every single-IDAT
+ *  form passed (a handcrafted 1×1, and sharp re-encodes). On a later re-test
+ *  raw Chrome PNGs passed too (the upstream decoder was fixed or is flaky
+ *  per backend), but the canonical form stays: PNG spec says the IDAT chunks
+ *  are an arbitrary SPLIT of one zlib stream, so merging them is the more
+ *  standard shape, byte-identical stream, zero re-encoding.
+ *
+ *  Pure Node on purpose (no sharp): the process already loads transformers'
+ *  nested sharp + libvips, and importing the root sharp (Next's optional
+ *  dependency) put a SECOND libvips into the process — macOS's ObjC runtime
+ *  warns (duplicate GNotificationCenterDelegate, "mysterious crashes").
+ *  One native image lib per process; app code carries none. */
+export function providerSafePng(png: Buffer): Buffer {
+	const SIG_LEN = 8;
+	if (png.length < SIG_LEN + 12 || png.subarray(0, SIG_LEN).toString("hex") !== "89504e470d0a1a0a") return png;
+	// Walk the chunks once, merging the IDAT split into its canonical
+	// single-chunk form (first IDAT's position, concatenated payload).
+	const parts: Array<{ type: string; data: Buffer }> = [];
+	let off = SIG_LEN;
+	while (off + 12 <= png.length) {
+		const len = png.readUInt32BE(off);
+		if (off + 12 + len > png.length) break; // truncated tail — leave as-is
+		parts.push({ type: png.subarray(off + 4, off + 8).toString("ascii"), data: png.subarray(off + 8, off + 8 + len) });
+		off += 12 + len;
+	}
+	const idats = parts.filter((p) => p.type === "IDAT");
+	if (idats.length < 2) return png; // already canonical
+	const merged = Buffer.concat(idats.map((p) => p.data));
+	let emittedIdat = false;
+	const out: Buffer[] = [png.subarray(0, SIG_LEN)];
+	for (const p of parts) {
+		if (p.type !== "IDAT") out.push(chunk(p.type, p.data));
+		else if (!emittedIdat) {
+			out.push(chunk("IDAT", merged));
+			emittedIdat = true;
+		}
+	}
+	return Buffer.concat(out);
+}
+
+/** One PNG chunk (length + type + data + CRC32) — the spec's exact layout. */
+function chunk(type: string, data: Buffer): Buffer {
+	const out = Buffer.alloc(12 + data.length);
+	out.writeUInt32BE(data.length, 0);
+	out.write(type, 4, "ascii");
+	data.copy(out, 8);
+	out.writeUInt32BE(crc32(out.subarray(4, 8 + data.length)), 8 + data.length);
+	return out;
+}
+
+/** CRC-32 (PNG's polynomial, table-less) for chunk checksums. */
+function crc32(buf: Buffer): number {
+	let c = ~0;
+	for (const byte of buf) {
+		c ^= byte;
+		for (let k = 0; k < 8; k++) c = (c >>> 1) ^ (0xedb88320 & -(c & 1));
+	}
+	return ~c >>> 0;
+}
+
 async function renderSvg(svg: string, opts: RenderSvgOptions = {}): Promise<Buffer> {
 	const dir = tempDir("lh-visual-");
 	const file = path.join(dir, "figure.html");
@@ -194,8 +260,11 @@ async function renderSvg(svg: string, opts: RenderSvgOptions = {}): Promise<Buff
 		const { width, height } = svgViewport(svg, opts);
 		await page.setViewport({ width, height });
 		await page.goto(pathToFileURL(file).href, { waitUntil: "load", timeout: 30_000 });
-		const png = (await page.screenshot({ fullPage: true, type: "png" })) as Buffer;
-		return png;
+		const shot = (await page.screenshot({ fullPage: true, type: "png" })) as Buffer;
+		// Chrome's raw split-IDAT PNG is canonicalized before it reaches a
+		// provider (see providerSafePng) — the visual-maker feeds this exact
+		// buffer back to the vision model as its only way to "look".
+		return providerSafePng(Buffer.from(shot));
 	} finally {
 		await browser.close().catch(() => {});
 		try {
diff --git a/src/server/jobs.ts b/src/server/jobs.ts
index 2465e61..9c4177a 100644
--- a/src/server/jobs.ts
+++ b/src/server/jobs.ts
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ import {
 	type SteerMessage,
 } from "../core/contracts.ts";
 import { findPendingToolCall } from "../core/pending.ts";
-import { fireJobAbort } from "../agent/subagents/aborts.ts";
+import { fireJobAbort, isJobLive } from "../agent/subagents/aborts.ts";
 import { stores } from "./stores.ts";
 import { isTurnRunning } from "./turn-liveness.ts";
 
@@ -445,16 +445,24 @@ async function waitForIdle(chatId: string): Promise<void> {
 
 // ─── crash recovery ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
-/** Jobs this old with status "running" are orphans (crash/restart). */
-const STALE_JOB_MS = 15 * 60_000;
 const SWEEP_THROTTLE_MS = 30_000;
 
 /**
- * Lazy sweep (called off the /api/jobs poll, throttled): every stale
- * "running" job either has a result (the wake never fired — re-deliver,
- * idempotently) or doesn't (the loop itself died — re-spawn it).
+ * Lazy sweep (called off the /api/jobs poll, throttled), LIVENESS-GATED
+ * (accuracy wave, 2026-09-19): a "running" record without a live loop
+ * registration (subagents/aborts.ts) is an orphan of a process death —
+ * re-deliver its stored result (idempotently) or re-spawn the loop, at
+ * once (the old 15-minute age heuristic waited on ghosts AND re-ran
+ * hung-but-alive loops beside themselves — the figure-maker incident,
+ * 2026-09-18). A record WITH a live registration is provably executing
+ * in THIS process — never touched, however old: a hung first model call
+ * (zero usage ever billed) stays honestly "running" in the dock until
+ * END kills it. The abort registration spans loop start to delivery
+ * completion, so a live registration can never belong to a dead run.
  */
-function recoverStaleJobs(): void {
+/** Re-run a job's sub-agent loop — exposed for the sweep's tests (the
+ *  /api/jobs poll is its only production caller, disabled under NODE_ENV=test). */
+export function recoverStaleJobs(): void {
 	const s = state();
 	const now = Date.now();
 	if (now - s.lastSweepAt < SWEEP_THROTTLE_MS) return;
@@ -463,7 +471,7 @@ function recoverStaleJobs(): void {
 		for (const chat of stores.chatStore.listChats()) {
 			for (const job of stores.jobStore.listJobs(chat.id)) {
 				if (job.status !== "running") continue;
-				if (now - Date.parse(job.updatedAt) < STALE_JOB_MS) continue;
+				if (isJobLive(job.id)) continue; // provably executing here — never re-run beside it
 				if (!stores.chatStore.getChat(job.chatId)) continue;
 				if (isTurnRunning(job.chatId)) continue; // a wake turn may be delivering it right now
 				if (job.kind === "graph-context") {
diff --git a/tests/extraction.test.ts b/tests/extraction.test.ts
index f713fe9..b032778 100644
--- a/tests/extraction.test.ts
+++ b/tests/extraction.test.ts
@@ -457,6 +457,49 @@ describe("the extraction pipeline (extractor → auditor → merger)", () => {
 		assert.equal(extractionStatuses().length, 0, "the registry clears when the run ends");
 	});
 
+	it("labels the post-batch embedding tail as its own phase — not 'merging' (2026-09-19 accuracy fix)", async () => {
+		const { chatId } = fixtureChat();
+		const ledgers = memoryLedgers();
+		// Gate the embedder so we can observe the registry WHILE the tail
+		// runs — mergeFindings has already returned, every batch is merged.
+		let releaseEmbed!: () => void;
+		const embedGate = new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+			releaseEmbed = resolve;
+		});
+		let observed: string | undefined;
+		const gatedEmbedder = async (store: GraphStore) => {
+			await embedGate;
+			observed = extractionStatuses().find((r) => r.chatId === chatId)?.phase;
+			await fakeEmbedder(store);
+		};
+		const verdict: AuditResult = { propositions: FINDINGS.propositions, edges: [], attribution: { quiz: {} }, dropped: [] };
+		const pipeline = createExtractionPipeline({
+			chatStore,
+			graphStore: ledgers,
+			embedder: gatedEmbedder,
+			extractor: submitModel("submit_findings", FINDINGS),
+			auditor: submitModel("submit_review", verdict),
+			labeler: submitModel("submit_labels", { labels: [] }),
+		});
+		const run = pipeline.runExtraction(chatId);
+		// Wait for the tail: the phase must flip to "embedding" while the
+		// embedder hangs — the incident this fixes is minutes of "merging"
+		// AFTER the last merge, so the flip itself is the assertion.
+		const t0 = Date.now();
+		while (extractionStatuses().find((r) => r.chatId === chatId)?.phase !== "embedding") {
+			if (Date.now() - t0 > 2000) {
+				releaseEmbed();
+				await run;
+				assert.fail("the tail never flipped to embedding (stuck at 'merging'?)");
+			}
+			await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 10));
+		}
+		releaseEmbed();
+		await run;
+		assert.equal(observed, "embedding", "still embedding through the tail, never back to 'merging'");
+		assert.equal(extractionStatuses().length, 0, "clears when done");
+	});
+
 	it("captures per-stage usage live, persists the run's usage into the chat record", async () => {
 		const { chatId } = fixtureChat();
 		const ledgers = memoryLedgers();
@@ -587,6 +630,61 @@ describe("the extraction pipeline (extractor → auditor → merger)", () => {
 		await assert.rejects(first, /the extractor never submitted findings/);
 	});
 
+	it("registers runs on the process-wide registry (route-instance safety): a second pipeline instance sees the same single-flight state", async () => {
+		const { chatId } = fixtureChat();
+		const ledgers = memoryLedgers();
+
+		// Gated extractor: the first call hangs until released, so the run
+		// stays registered while we observe it.
+		let release!: () => void;
+		const gate = new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+			release = resolve;
+		});
+		let calls = 0;
+		const gatedExtractor = fauxEngine([
+			async () => {
+				calls++;
+				if (calls === 1) await gate;
+				return fauxAssistantMessage("…");
+			},
+		]);
+		const pipeline = createExtractionPipeline({
+			chatStore,
+			graphStore: ledgers,
+			embedder: fakeEmbedder,
+			extractor: gatedExtractor,
+			auditor: silentModel(),
+			labeler: submitModel("submit_labels", { labels: [] }),
+		});
+		// A SECOND instance over DIFFERENT ledgers — the observer a separate
+		// route entry's module instance is in dev (the turn-liveness lesson:
+		// module instances split; globalThis does not).
+		const observer = createExtractionPipeline({
+			chatStore,
+			graphStore: memoryLedgers(),
+			embedder: fakeEmbedder,
+			extractor: silentModel(),
+			auditor: silentModel(),
+			labeler: submitModel("submit_labels", { labels: [] }),
+		});
+
+		const first = pipeline.runExtraction(chatId);
+		// The synchronous prefix (setPhase at batch start) registers BEFORE
+		// the first await — the run is visible the moment it starts.
+		assert.ok(
+			extractionStatuses().some((run) => run.chatId === chatId && run.phase === "extracting"),
+			"the run is registered at start",
+		);
+		const g = globalThis as { __lhExtractionRuns?: { running: Map<string, unknown> } };
+		assert.ok(g.__lhExtractionRuns?.running.has(chatId), "the registry lives on globalThis — no module-instance split can hide runs");
+		assert.deepEqual(await observer.runExtraction(chatId), { nodes: 0, edges: 0, events: 0 }, "single-flight spans pipeline instances");
+
+		release();
+		await assert.rejects(first, /the extractor never submitted findings/);
+		assert.ok(!extractionStatuses().some((run) => run.chatId === chatId), "the registry entry clears when the run ends (however it ends)");
+		assert.ok(!g.__lhExtractionRuns?.running.has(chatId), "nothing leaks into the global registry");
+	});
+
 	it("throws for unknown chats", async () => {
 		const ledgers = memoryLedgers();
 		const pipeline = createExtractionPipeline({
diff --git a/tests/headless-png.test.ts b/tests/headless-png.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1fa5b5d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/headless-png.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { test } from "node:test";
+import * as zlib from "node:zlib";
+import { providerSafePng } from "../src/agent/subagents/headless.ts";
+
+/**
+ * The 2026-09-19 visual-maker fix (the "image format is illegal" 400s):
+ * Chrome writes PNGs with a SPLIT IDAT stream (4KB chunks); Alibaba's vision
+ * decoder — behind OpenRouter's qwen3.8-flash, the visual-maker's look-model —
+ * rejected those during the 2026-09-18/19 window while every single-IDAT form
+ * passed. providerSafePng merges the split back into the canonical ONE-IDAT
+ * form (PNG spec: the IDAT chunks are an arbitrary split of ONE zlib stream —
+ * the merged form carries the byte-identical stream). Pure Node on purpose:
+ * the process already loads transformers' nested sharp/libvips; a second copy
+ * (root sharp) triggered macOS's duplicate-libvips ObjC warning. These tests
+ * pin the property with no native deps at all.
+ */
+
+// ── a tiny PNG toolchain (spec-level, no image library) ─────────────────────
+
+const PNG_SIG = Buffer.from([137, 80, 78, 71, 13, 10, 26, 10]);
+
+function crc32(buf: Buffer): number {
+	let c = ~0;
+	for (const byte of buf) {
+		c ^= byte;
+		for (let k = 0; k < 8; k++) c = (c >>> 1) ^ (0xedb88320 & -(c & 1));
+	}
+	return ~c >>> 0;
+}
+
+function chunk(type: string, data: Buffer): Buffer {
+	const out = Buffer.alloc(12 + data.length);
+	out.writeUInt32BE(data.length, 0);
+	out.write(type, 4, "ascii");
+	data.copy(out, 8);
+	out.writeUInt32BE(crc32(out.subarray(4, 8 + data.length)), 8 + data.length);
+	return out;
+}
+
+function walkChunks(png: Buffer): Array<{ type: string; data: Buffer }> {
+	assert.ok(png.subarray(0, 8).equals(PNG_SIG), "PNG signature");
+	const chunks: Array<{ type: string; data: Buffer }> = [];
+	let off = 8;
+	while (off < png.length) {
+		const len = png.readUInt32BE(off);
+		const type = png.subarray(off + 4, off + 8).toString("ascii");
+		chunks.push({ type, data: png.subarray(off + 8, off + 8 + len) });
+		off += 12 + len;
+	}
+	return chunks;
+}
+
+/** Build a VALID multi-IDAT PNG — exactly Chrome's shape: one IHDR, the
+ *  compressed scanlines split across ≥2 IDAT chunks, one IEND. */
+function chromeStyleMultiIdatPng(width = 4, height = 4): Buffer {
+	// Raw scanlines: filter byte 0 + width × RGB pixels (white) — the filter
+	// byte MUST be 0–4 (libpng rejects anything else).
+	const stride = 1 + width * 3;
+	const raw = Buffer.alloc(stride * height);
+	for (let y = 0; y < height; y++) {
+		const row = raw.subarray(y * stride, (y + 1) * stride);
+		row[0] = 0; // filter: none
+		row.fill(255, 1);
+	}
+	const ihdr = Buffer.alloc(13);
+	ihdr.writeUInt32BE(width, 0);
+	ihdr.writeUInt32BE(height, 4);
+	ihdr[8] = 8; // bit depth
+	ihdr[9] = 2; // color type: truecolor RGB
+	const compressed = zlib.deflateSync(raw);
+	const split = Math.max(1, Math.floor(compressed.length / 2));
+	return Buffer.concat([
+		PNG_SIG,
+		chunk("IHDR", ihdr),
+		chunk("IDAT", compressed.subarray(0, split)),
+		chunk("IDAT", compressed.subarray(split)),
+		chunk("IEND", Buffer.alloc(0)),
+	]);
+}
+
+// ─── the tests ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+test("providerSafePng merges a Chrome-style split IDAT stream into ONE chunk, byte-identical stream", async () => {
+	const chromeStyle = chromeStyleMultiIdatPng();
+	const inChunks = walkChunks(chromeStyle);
+	assert.equal(
+		inChunks.filter((c) => c.type === "IDAT").length,
+		2,
+		"fixture sanity: the input is the multi-IDAT shape",
+	);
+
+	const fixed = providerSafePng(chromeStyle);
+	const outChunks = walkChunks(fixed);
+	const outIdats = outChunks.filter((c) => c.type === "IDAT");
+	assert.equal(outIdats.length, 1, "exactly one IDAT chunk — the form Alibaba's decoder accepts");
+	// The canonical property: the merged chunk's payload is the BYTE-IDENTICAL
+	// zlib stream (a transparent re-split, no re-encoding at all).
+	assert.ok(
+		outIdats[0]!.data.equals(Buffer.concat(inChunks.filter((c) => c.type === "IDAT").map((c) => c.data))),
+		"the zlib stream is untouched",
+	);
+	// Structure preserved: same non-IDAT chunks in order, valid CRCs (walkChunks
+	// is dumb, so verify CRC explicitly for the merged chunk).
+	assert.deepEqual(
+		outChunks.map((c) => c.type),
+		["IHDR", "IDAT", "IEND"],
+	);
+	const fixedBuf = fixed;
+	let off = 8;
+	while (off < fixedBuf.length) {
+		const len = fixedBuf.readUInt32BE(off);
+		const crc = fixedBuf.readUInt32BE(off + 8 + len);
+		assert.equal(crc, crc32(fixedBuf.subarray(off + 4, off + 8 + len)), `valid CRC on ${fixedBuf.subarray(off + 4, off + 8).toString("ascii")}`);
+		off += 12 + len;
+	}
+	// And it is still a decodable image: the stream inflates to EXACTLY the
+	// original scanlines (filter byte 0 + white RGB pixels).
+	const stream = walkChunks(fixed).find((c) => c.type === "IDAT")!.data;
+	const stride = 1 + 4 * 3;
+	const expected = Buffer.alloc(stride * 4);
+	for (let y = 0; y < 4; y++) {
+		const row = expected.subarray(y * stride, (y + 1) * stride);
+		row[0] = 0;
+		row.fill(255, 1);
+	}
+	assert.ok(zlib.inflateSync(stream).equals(expected), "inflates to the original raw scanlines");
+});
+
+test("a single-IDAT PNG is already canonical: returned byte-identical (no-op)", () => {
+	// One-IDAT input → one IDAT out, same bytes — the normal case (e.g. the
+	// doctrine-gate re-render of an already-canonical PNG).
+	const stride = 1 + 4 * 3;
+	const raw = Buffer.alloc(stride * 4);
+	for (let y = 0; y < 4; y++) {
+		const row = raw.subarray(y * stride, (y + 1) * stride);
+		row[0] = 0;
+		row.fill(200, 1);
+	}
+	const ihdr = Buffer.alloc(13);
+	ihdr.writeUInt32BE(4, 0);
+	ihdr.writeUInt32BE(4, 4);
+	ihdr[8] = 8;
+	ihdr[9] = 2;
+	const single = Buffer.concat([
+		PNG_SIG,
+		chunk("IHDR", ihdr),
+		chunk("IDAT", zlib.deflateSync(raw)),
+		chunk("IEND", Buffer.alloc(0)),
+	]);
+	assert.ok(providerSafePng(single).equals(single), "byte-identical — canonical input is untouched");
+});
+
+test("non-PNG or truncated input passes through unchanged (defensive)", () => {
+	const notPng = Buffer.from("definitely not a png");
+	assert.ok(providerSafePng(notPng).equals(notPng));
+	const truncated = chromeStyleMultiIdatPng().subarray(0, 20);
+	assert.ok(providerSafePng(truncated).equals(truncated));
+});
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/jobs.test.ts b/tests/jobs.test.ts
index eb6839f..34e7c35 100644
--- a/tests/jobs.test.ts
+++ b/tests/jobs.test.ts
@@ -49,7 +49,8 @@ import { createTeacherTools } from "../src/agent/tools.ts";
 import { webTools } from "../src/agent/tools/web.ts";
 import { handleChatRequest } from "../src/server/chat-handler.ts";
 import { recordToPiMessages } from "../src/server/pi/record-adapter.ts";
-import { abortJob, claimSteers, deliverJobResult, setTurnRunner } from "../src/server/jobs.ts";
+import { abortJob, claimSteers, deliverJobResult, recoverStaleJobs, setJobRespawn, setTurnRunner } from "../src/server/jobs.ts";
+import { registerJobAbort, unregisterJobAbort } from "../src/agent/subagents/aborts.ts";
 import { beginTurn, endTurn } from "../src/server/turn-liveness.ts";
 import { persistTurn, withMessageIds } from "../src/server/turn-service.ts";
 import { chatStore } from "../src/store/chats.ts";
@@ -1120,3 +1121,81 @@ describe("abort (src/server/jobs.ts abortJob)", () => {
 		assert.deepEqual(abortJob(job.id), { ok: false, reason: "not_running" });
 	});
 });
+
+// ─── 7. crash recovery, LIVENESS-GATED (observability-accuracy wave, 2026-09-19) ──
+//
+// The sweep (recoverStaleJobs) keys on the abort registry (subagents/aborts.ts
+// isJobLive), not record age: a "running" record with a live registration
+// belongs to a loop executing in THIS process (hung or slow — never re-run
+// beside itself); without one it is a process-death orphan and recovers at
+// once. The old 15-minute STALE_JOB_MS heuristic is gone — these tests prove
+// immediacy by running the sweep on FRESH records.
+
+describe("stale-job recovery sweep (liveness-gated)", () => {
+	/** Reset the sweep's 30s throttle — tests fire it directly, repeatedly. */
+	function resetSweepThrottle(): void {
+		const g = globalThis as { __lhWakePipeline?: { lastSweepAt: number } };
+		if (g.__lhWakePipeline) g.__lhWakePipeline.lastSweepAt = 0;
+	}
+
+	/** A FRESH "running" record (no loop registration): the orphan shape.
+	 *  Freshness is the point — the old code needed 15 minutes of age. */
+	function orphanJob(withResult?: ResearchResult): { chatId: string; jobId: string } {
+		const chat = chatStore.createChat("Test: stale sweep");
+		trackChat(chat.id);
+		chatStore.saveMessages(chat.id, [{ id: "u1", role: "user", parts: [{ type: "text", text: "hello" }] }] as never);
+		const job = jobStore.createJob({ kind: "research", chatId: chat.id, toolCallId: `call-sweep-${createdJobs.length}` });
+		trackJob(job.id);
+		if (withResult) jobStore.updateJob(job.id, { result: withResult, activity: "delivering result" });
+		return { chatId: chat.id, jobId: job.id };
+	}
+
+	it("a running record with a LIVE loop registration is never recovered — however old (the double-run guard)", () => {
+		const { jobId } = orphanJob();
+		// Backdate the record well past every plausible in-flight run: age
+		// alone must NOT trigger recovery anymore.
+		jobStore.updateJob(jobId, { updatedAt: new Date(Date.now() - 30 * 60_000).toISOString() });
+		registerJobAbort(jobId, new AbortController()); // a loop is executing
+		let respawned = 0;
+		setJobRespawn(() => {
+			respawned++;
+		});
+		resetSweepThrottle();
+		recoverStaleJobs();
+		assert.equal(respawned, 0, "a live loop is provably executing — no respawn beside it");
+		assert.equal(jobStore.getJob(jobId)!.activity, "starting", "the record is untouched");
+		// Hermetic teardown: settle + unregister so later sweeps in THIS suite
+		// never see this fixture as a fresh orphan.
+		jobStore.updateJob(jobId, { status: "done", activity: "settled (test)" });
+		unregisterJobAbort(jobId);
+	});
+
+	it("a running record WITHOUT a registration is an orphan: the loop is re-spawned immediately (no age wait)", () => {
+		const { jobId } = orphanJob();
+		let respawned: string | null = null;
+		setJobRespawn((id) => {
+			respawned = id;
+		});
+		resetSweepThrottle();
+		recoverStaleJobs();
+		assert.equal(respawned, jobId, "the orphan's loop is re-spawned at once");
+		assert.equal(jobStore.getJob(jobId)!.activity, "recovering: re-running");
+		// Hermetic teardown (see above) — the respawned loop is the TEST's
+		// fake seam, nothing real runs.
+		jobStore.updateJob(jobId, { status: "done", activity: "settled (test)" });
+	});
+
+	it("an orphan WITH a stored result is re-delivered: the wake fires and the job flips done", async () => {
+		const { jobId } = orphanJob({ brief: "Done: it works.", sources: [] });
+		let fired = 0;
+		setTurnRunner(async () => {
+			fired++;
+			return 200;
+		});
+		resetSweepThrottle();
+		recoverStaleJobs();
+		await waitFor(() => fired > 0, 8000, "recovery wake fired");
+		await waitFor(() => jobStore.getJob(jobId)!.status !== "running", 8000, "orphan settled after re-delivery");
+		assert.equal(jobStore.getJob(jobId)!.status, "done");
+	});
+});
diff --git a/tests/pan-zoom.test.ts b/tests/pan-zoom.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cad3096
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/pan-zoom.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+/**
+ * Pure tests for the shared pan/zoom viewport math (components/pan-zoom.ts),
+ * harvested from the plan popup so the mermaid focus overlay runs the same
+ * fit-floor geometry: fully zoomed out IS the fit, panning locks at the
+ * floor (and re-centers), wheel zooms to the cursor, ceiling 4×. Pure
+ * function coverage — no DOM, no rendering (the overlays' live pointer
+ * wiring is exercised in the browser; these tests pin the math it runs).
+ */
+
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { describe, it } from "node:test";
+import { FIT_ZOOM_MAX, ZOOM_MAX, fitGraphView, fitZoomFor, zoomedGraphView } from "../components/pan-zoom.ts";
+
+describe("fitZoomFor", () => {
+	it("binds on the axis that runs out of room (wide box → width)", () => {
+		assert.equal(fitZoomFor({ w: 800, h: 400 }, { w: 400, h: 300 }), 384 / 800);
+	});
+
+	it("binds on height for a tall box", () => {
+		assert.equal(fitZoomFor({ w: 400, h: 800 }, { w: 400, h: 300 }), 284 / 800);
+	});
+
+	it("caps the fit at FIT_ZOOM_MAX — a tiny box must not blow up", () => {
+		assert.equal(fitZoomFor({ w: 50, h: 50 }, { w: 1000, h: 1000 }), FIT_ZOOM_MAX);
+	});
+
+	it("degenerate viewport (zero-sized) renders at 1×", () => {
+		assert.equal(fitZoomFor({ w: 400, h: 300 }, { w: 0, h: 0 }), 1);
+	});
+});
+
+describe("fitGraphView", () => {
+	it("centers the box at the given zoom", () => {
+		assert.deepEqual(fitGraphView({ w: 800, h: 400 }, { w: 400, h: 300 }, 0.5), {
+			x: (400 - 400) / 2,
+			y: (300 - 200) / 2,
+			zoom: 0.5,
+		});
+	});
+});
+
+describe("zoomedGraphView", () => {
+	const box = { w: 800, h: 400 };
+	const viewport = { w: 400, h: 300 };
+	const floor = fitZoomFor(box, viewport);
+
+	it("zooms to the focus point: the focus stays visually fixed", () => {
+		const out = zoomedGraphView({ x: 0, y: 0, zoom: 1 }, 1.25, floor, { x: 200, y: 150 }, box, viewport);
+		assert.equal(out.zoom, 1.25);
+		// focus.x - x_out = (focus.x - x_in) * k → the cursor anchors.
+		assert.equal(200 - out.x, 200 * 1.25);
+		assert.equal(150 - out.y, 150 * 1.25);
+	});
+
+	it("clamps at the floor and re-fits + RE-CENTERS (the fit is the floor)", () => {
+		const nearFloor = { x: -100, y: 40, zoom: floor * 1.1 };
+		const out = zoomedGraphView(nearFloor, 0.5, floor, { x: 200, y: 150 }, box, viewport);
+		assert.deepEqual(out, fitGraphView(box, viewport, floor));
+	});
+
+	it("clamps at ZOOM_MAX", () => {
+		const atMax = { x: 0, y: 0, zoom: ZOOM_MAX };
+		const out = zoomedGraphView(atMax, 2, floor, { x: 200, y: 150 }, box, viewport);
+		assert.deepEqual(out, atMax);
+	});
+
+	it("no-ops when the factor lands exactly on the current zoom", () => {
+		const view = { x: -37, y: 12, zoom: 1 };
+		const out = zoomedGraphView(view, 1, floor, { x: 0, y: 0 }, box, viewport);
+		assert.equal(out, view);
+	});
+});
diff --git a/tests/render-composer.test.tsx b/tests/render-composer.test.tsx
index 5c3997f..0dd56d8 100644
--- a/tests/render-composer.test.tsx
+++ b/tests/render-composer.test.tsx
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import React from "react";
 import assert from "node:assert/strict";
 import { describe, it } from "node:test";
 import { renderToStaticMarkup } from "react-dom/server";
-import { Composer } from "../components/composer.tsx";
+import { Composer, enterAction } from "../components/composer.tsx";
 
 function render(opts: { busy?: boolean; canSend?: boolean } = {}) {
 	return renderToStaticMarkup(
@@ -49,3 +49,25 @@ describe("Composer", () => {
 		assert.ok(/aria-label="Send"[^>]*disabled|disabled[^>]*aria-label="Send"/.test(html), "send disabled");
 	});
 });
+
+// The Enter decision (user-decided 2026-09-19, docs/probe-teach-split.md §4):
+// while the plan verdict pends, Enter must ACCEPT the plan — formerly it sent
+// a plain message, leaving the verdict pending again on the next message.
+// Pure function so the static-render harness can pin it (key events can't be
+// simulated in renderToStaticMarkup).
+describe("enterAction", () => {
+	it("busy stream: Enter stops — verdict or not", () => {
+		assert.equal(enterAction({ busy: true, verdictPending: false, canSend: true }), "stop");
+		assert.equal(enterAction({ busy: true, verdictPending: true, canSend: true }), "stop");
+	});
+
+	it("verdict pends: Enter ACCEPTS — with text (the note rides) and with an empty box alike", () => {
+		assert.equal(enterAction({ busy: false, verdictPending: true, canSend: true }), "accept", "typed text rides the acceptance note");
+		assert.equal(enterAction({ busy: false, verdictPending: true, canSend: false }), "accept", "empty box still accepts — Enter can never strand the verdict");
+	});
+
+	it("no verdict: send when there is text, nothing when there is not", () => {
+		assert.equal(enterAction({ busy: false, verdictPending: false, canSend: true }), "send");
+		assert.equal(enterAction({ busy: false, verdictPending: false, canSend: false }), "none");
+	});
+});
diff --git a/tests/render-md-blocks.test.tsx b/tests/render-md-blocks.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..949be78
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/render-md-blocks.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,170 @@
+/**
+ * Render tests for the chrome-melt wave (2026-09-19): the md-blocks
+ * component overrides (Streamdown `components` prop) + the session-scoped
+ * overlays. Idiom shared with render-markdown.test.tsx: static HTML via
+ * react-dom/server (no DOM, effects never run — mermaid stays at its
+ * skeleton, the overlays render their shells). tsx note: classic JSX
+ * transform — the React global shim below provides React.
+ */
+
+import React from "react";
+(globalThis as Record<string, unknown>).React = React;
+
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { describe, it } from "node:test";
+import { renderToStaticMarkup } from "react-dom/server";
+import { MessageResponse } from "../components/ai-elements/message.tsx";
+import { MermaidOverlay, SessionMermaidContext, chartSize } from "../components/session-overlay.tsx";
+import { PlanPopup } from "../components/plan-block.tsx";
+import { MarkdownCode, codeSource } from "../components/md-blocks.tsx";
+
+function render(md: string): string {
+	return renderToStaticMarkup(<MessageResponse mode="static">{md}</MessageResponse>);
+}
+
+describe("md-blocks — code", () => {
+	it("inline code passes through with the house inline styling", () => {
+		const html = render("a `term` b");
+		assert.ok(html.includes('data-streamdown="inline-code"'), "inline code keeps the inline-code path");
+		assert.match(html, /bg-muted/);
+	});
+
+	it("code fences delegate to streamdown's CodeBlock with a hover copy corner", () => {
+		const html = render("```js\nconst x = 1;\n```");
+		assert.ok(html.includes('data-testid="md-code"'), "the md-blocks wrapper mounts");
+		assert.ok(html.includes('data-streamdown="code-block"'), "the delegated CodeBlock path is kept");
+		assert.ok(html.includes('data-streamdown="code-block-body"'), "shiki body renders");
+		assert.match(html, /aria-label="Copy code"/, "the corner copy affordance is present");
+		// NAMED group (group/md) — the message container is also a `group`,
+		// and an unnamed group-hover would light every corner in the message at
+		// once (owner report, 2026-09-19); only the hovered block reveals.
+		assert.ok(html.includes("group/md"), "the block uses the named md group");
+		assert.match(html, /group-hover\/md:opacity-100/, "the corner reveals via the named group only");
+		// No "Copied" pill — the icon flip alone conveys the copy (owner ask,
+		// 2026-09-19; the pill was tried and removed same day).
+		assert.ok(!html.includes('data-testid="md-copy-pill"'), "no Copied pill anywhere — icon flip is the feedback");
+	});
+});
+
+describe("md-blocks — mermaid", () => {
+	it("renders as the bare app-owned block (skeleton in static render), never a code block, source never leaks", () => {
+		const html = render("```mermaid\ngraph TD\nA --> B\n```");
+		assert.ok(html.includes('data-testid="md-mermaid"'), "the app-owned mermaid block mounts");
+		assert.ok(
+			!html.includes('data-streamdown="code-block"'),
+			"mermaid fences must not render as code blocks",
+		);
+		assert.ok(!html.includes("graph TD"), "chart source is not leaked as text");
+		// No chat page mounted → no overlay context → no expand button.
+		assert.ok(!html.includes('data-testid="md-mermaid-expand"'), "expand hidden without a session context");
+	});
+});
+
+describe("md-blocks — tables", () => {
+	it("renders as a plain prose table with the copy corner — no wrapper box, no button rows", () => {
+		const html = render("| A | B |\n| --- | --- |\n| 1 | 2 |");
+		assert.ok(html.includes('data-testid="md-table"'), "the md-blocks table wrapper mounts");
+		assert.ok(html.includes('data-streamdown="table"'), "the table itself renders");
+		assert.ok(!html.includes('data-streamdown="table-wrapper"'), "streamdown's boxed wrapper is gone");
+		assert.match(html, /aria-label="Copy table"/, "the corner copy affordance is present");
+		assert.ok(!html.match(/Fullscreen|aria-label="Download"/), "no fullscreen/download chrome on tables");
+		// The corner is CONTAINED in the table (top-1 right-1, not the old
+		// -top-3 that straddled the top outline — the 24px button at a 12px
+		// offset sat half over the border; owner report, 2026-09-19).
+		assert.match(html, /absolute top-1 right-1 z-10/, "the corner sits inside the table's top-right");
+		// Table text runs at the session prose size — no text-sm pin (the
+		// cells' own text-sm is overridden to inherit via globals.css).
+		assert.ok(!/border-collapse text-sm/.test(html), "the table itself pins no smaller text size");
+	});
+});
+
+describe("md-blocks — display math", () => {
+	it("the block corner reveals ONLY on its own block — named group, not the message-level group (owner report: all-at-once)", () => {
+		const md = "```js\nconst x = 1;\n```\n\n| A | B |\n| --- | --- |\n| 1 | 2 |";
+		const html = render(md);
+		// No UNNAMED group-hover on the corners: that selector would fire from
+		// the Message container's own `group` class and light every block.
+		assert.ok(!html.match(/\s group-hover:opacity-100/), "no unnamed group-hover on any corner");
+		assert.ok(html.includes('data-testid="md-table"'), "table present for the contrast");
+	});
+
+	it("keeps katex-display rendering and adds the TeX copy corner", () => {
+		const html = render("$$\n\\int_0^1 x^2\\,dx = \\tfrac{1}{3}\n$$");
+		assert.ok(html.includes("katex-display"), "display math still renders via KaTeX");
+		assert.ok(html.includes('data-testid="md-math"'), "the md-blocks math wrapper mounts");
+		assert.match(html, /aria-label="Copy equation source"/, "the corner copy affordance is present");
+		// The wrapper is BLOCK: the katex-display child is display:block, and
+		// an inline wrapper around it fragments — the absolute corner then has
+		// no clean containing block and pointer events never land (the math
+		// corner neither highlighted nor copied; owner report, 2026-09-19).
+		assert.match(html, /group\/md relative block/, "the math wrapper is a block box");
+		assert.match(html, /absolute top-0 right-0 z-10/, "the corner stacks above the equation");
+	});
+});
+
+describe("md-blocks — codeSource (pure)", () => {
+	it("extracts the fence source from string children and element-wrapped children", () => {
+		assert.equal(codeSource("const x = 1;"), "const x = 1;");
+		assert.equal(codeSource(<span>const x = 1;</span>), "const x = 1;");
+	});
+});
+
+describe("session-scoped overlays (chrome-melt wave, 2026-09-19)", () => {
+	it("mermaid overlay mounts inside the session area — absolute (not fixed), 80% + blur, closeable", () => {
+		const html = renderToStaticMarkup(<MermaidOverlay chart="graph TD\nA --> B" onClose={() => {}} />);
+		assert.match(html, /class="absolute inset-0[^"]*z-40/, "absolute inset-0 z-40 — scoped, not fullscreen");
+		assert.ok(html.includes("bg-background/80"), "80% background: the transcript ghosts through");
+		assert.ok(html.includes("backdrop-blur"), "blur surface");
+		assert.ok(!html.includes("fixed inset-0"), "never fixed — the drag bar stays uncovered");
+		assert.ok(html.includes('data-testid="mermaid-overlay-close"'), "the close X is present");
+		assert.match(html, /role="dialog"/, "dialog semantics for Esc/aria");
+	});
+
+	it("the plan popup is session-scoped the same way, and its chart is hidden until the first fit (no top-left flash)", () => {
+		const html = renderToStaticMarkup(<PlanPopup messages={[]} onClose={() => {}} />);
+		assert.match(html, /data-testid="plan-popup"/);
+		assert.match(html, /class="absolute inset-0[^"]*z-40/, "absolute inset-0 z-40 — scoped, not fullscreen");
+		assert.ok(html.includes("bg-background/80"), "80% background");
+		assert.ok(html.includes("backdrop-blur"), "blur surface");
+		assert.ok(!html.includes("fixed inset-0"), "never fixed — the drag bar stays uncovered");
+	});
+
+	it("the diagram wrapper is hidden until the first fit applies (no top-left flash — owner report, 2026-09-19)", () => {
+		// Covered in render-plan-block.test.tsx, which has a real tree
+		// fixture (an empty-messages popup renders no diagram to gate) — and
+		// the same gate is asserted on the mermaid overlay's wrapper here:
+		// settled=false at static render → opacity 0.
+		const html = renderToStaticMarkup(<MermaidOverlay chart="graph TD\nA --> B" onClose={() => {}} />);
+		// The chart itself hasn't rendered at static render (async effect) —
+		// the opacity gate is pinned on the plan popup's diagram wrapper in
+		// render-plan-block.test.tsx, which has a real tree fixture (the two
+		// overlays share the settled-gating pattern).
+		assert.ok(html.includes('data-testid="mermaid-overlay-close"'), "overlay shell renders");
+	});
+
+	it("chartSize reads the viewBox from a rendered svg (fallback for degenerate ones)", () => {
+		assert.deepEqual(
+			chartSize('<svg viewBox="0 0 900 700" xmlns="..."></svg>'),
+			{ w: 900, h: 700 },
+		);
+		assert.deepEqual(chartSize("<svg></svg>"), { w: 600, h: 400 });
+	});
+});
+
+describe("mermaid expand — the context seam", () => {
+	it("the expand button renders when a session context is mounted (static: chart stays at skeleton, so assert the seam via the provider wiring)", () => {
+		// The full path (skeleton → chart → hover expand) needs effects/DOM;
+		// what static rendering CAN pin is that a provider value flows: the
+		// default context is null (hidden button, covered above) and a real
+		// provider is the one md-blocks consumes. The overlay's open-state
+		// owner is chat.tsx — geometry covered by the tests above.
+		const opened: string[] = [];
+		const html = renderToStaticMarkup(
+			<SessionMermaidContext.Provider value={{ openMermaid: (chart) => void opened.push(chart) }}>
+				<div />
+			</SessionMermaidContext.Provider>,
+		);
+		assert.ok(html.length > 0, "provider renders");
+		assert.deepEqual(opened, [], "nothing opened by rendering alone");
+	});
+});
diff --git a/tests/render-plan-block.test.tsx b/tests/render-plan-block.test.tsx
index 0826cce..b0a8156 100644
--- a/tests/render-plan-block.test.tsx
+++ b/tests/render-plan-block.test.tsx
@@ -193,6 +193,12 @@ describe("plan popup (live derivation)", () => {
 		// Arrows into not-yet-visited nodes are grayed out (owner, round 6).
 		assert.match(html, /marker-end="url\(#.*-dim\)"/);
 		assert.match(html, /live — statuses derive from your check outcomes/);
+		// No top-left flash: at static render settled=false, so the diagram
+		// wrapper paints at opacity 0 — the fit runs in an effect AFTER the
+		// first paint and the chart would otherwise flash at the initial
+		// top-left zoom:1 state for a frame (owner report, 2026-09-19;
+		// transition-gating alone didn't hide it).
+		assert.match(html, /opacity: ?0[;,}]/, "diagram hidden until the first fit applies");
 	});
 
 	it("renders the empty state when the session has no plan", () => {