Preserve patch context bytes

Track source offsets for structured-patch context lines and reuse the exact matched source text during replacement. This keeps tolerant matching from changing indentation or mixed line endings outside the requested edit.

go.mod

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 module github.com/Gitlawb/zero
 
-go 1.26.5
+go 1.26.6
 
 require (
 	charm.land/bubbles/v2 v2.1.1
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/charmbracelet/x/term v0.2.2
 	github.com/coder/websocket v1.8.15
 	github.com/ledongthuc/pdf v0.0.0-20250511090121-5959a4027728
-	golang.org/x/image v0.44.0
+	golang.org/x/image v0.45.0
 	golang.org/x/sys v0.47.0
 	mvdan.cc/sh/v3 v3.13.1
 )

go.sum

@@ -66,6 +66,8 @@ golang.org/x/exp v0.0.0-20260611194520-c48552f49976 h1:X8Hz2ImujgbmetVuW+w2YkyZC
 golang.org/x/exp v0.0.0-20260611194520-c48552f49976/go.mod h1:vnf4pv9iKZXY58sQE1L86zmNWJ4159e1RkcWiLCkeEY=
 golang.org/x/image v0.44.0 h1:+tDekMZED9+LrtB3G5xzRggpVh9CARjZqROla3R3R+I=
 golang.org/x/image v0.44.0/go.mod h1:V8K3KE9KKKE+pLpQDOeN18w9oacNSvy1tDOirTu4xtY=
+golang.org/x/image v0.45.0 h1:FMb1nTbH5H9vF55SriQHgFw5GnNL9Jg6L25BwXKzhB0=
+golang.org/x/image v0.45.0/go.mod h1:n62x/7RqlwXDvGsSU4u6IUTUf6KghUZ9Bt7cG/T9Fx4=
 golang.org/x/sync v0.22.0 h1:SZjpbeLmrCk4xhRSZFNZW5gFUeCeFgjekvI/+gfScek=
 golang.org/x/sync v0.22.0/go.mod h1:9xrNwdLfx4jkKbNva9FpL6vEN7evnE43NNNJQ2LF3+0=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.47.0 h1:o7XGOvZQCADBQQ4Y7VNq2dRWQR7JmOUW8Kxx4ZsNgWs=

internal/agent/loop.go

@@ -3087,13 +3087,15 @@ func partitionToolsCached(registry *tools.Registry, permissionMode PermissionMod
 	// Deferral may activate only when tool_search is actually runnable; otherwise
 	// the loop would hide deferred tools behind a loader the dispatch gate rejects
 	// — an inescapable dead-end. "Runnable" mirrors executeToolCall's gate:
-	// registered, not in DisabledTools, and advertised in the current permission
-	// mode (e.g. not spec-draft, where tool_search is not advertised). The
+	// registered, model-visible, not in DisabledTools, and advertised in the
+	// current permission mode (e.g. not spec-draft, where tool_search is not
+	// advertised). The
 	// EnabledTools allowlist is intentionally NOT checked here — tool_search is
 	// exempt from the allowlist at dispatch, so an allowlist that omits it must
 	// not disable deferral.
 	loader, loaderFound := registry.Get(tools.ToolSearchToolName)
 	loaderUsable := loaderFound &&
+		tools.ModelVisible(loader) &&
 		!containsToolName(options.DisabledTools, tools.ToolSearchToolName) &&
 		ToolAdvertised(loader, permissionMode)
 
@@ -3208,7 +3210,9 @@ func runtimeToolDefinition(tool tools.Tool) zeroruntime.ToolDefinition {
 }
 
 func ToolVisible(tool tools.Tool, permissionMode PermissionMode, enabledTools []string, disabledTools []string) bool {
-	return ToolAllowedByFilters(tool.Name(), enabledTools, disabledTools) && ToolAdvertised(tool, permissionMode)
+	return tools.ModelVisible(tool) &&
+		ToolAllowedByFilters(tool.Name(), enabledTools, disabledTools) &&
+		ToolAdvertised(tool, permissionMode)
 }
 
 func ToolAllowedByFilters(name string, enabledTools []string, disabledTools []string) bool {

internal/agent/prompt_budget_test.go

@@ -67,3 +67,21 @@ func TestEagerToolSchemaTokenBudget(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("eager tool schemas are %d tokens, over the %d ceiling — trim a schema, drop a core tool, or raise the ceiling deliberately (deferring will NOT help: this test disables deferral)", got, maxEagerToolSchemaTokens)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestAgentAdvertisesPatchInsteadOfAmbiguousStringReplacement(t *testing.T) {
+	registry := tools.NewRegistry()
+	for _, tool := range tools.CoreToolsScoped(t.TempDir(), nil) {
+		registry.Register(tool)
+	}
+	exposed, _ := partitionTools(registry, PermissionModeAsk, Options{}, map[string]bool{})
+	names := make(map[string]bool, len(exposed))
+	for _, definition := range exposed {
+		names[definition.Name] = true
+	}
+	if !names["apply_patch"] {
+		t.Fatal("agent must retain apply_patch for existing-file changes")
+	}
+	if names["edit_file"] {
+		t.Fatal("agent must not receive the ambiguous string-replacement tool")
+	}
+}

internal/agent/system_prompt.md

@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ work.
 
 - Choose the narrowest tool that safely accomplishes the step. Prefer native
   file tools - read_file, read_minified_file, list_directory, glob, grep,
-  write_file, edit_file, apply_patch - over shelling out to
+  write_file, apply_patch - over shelling out to
   cat/sed/awk/python for file operations.
   They are safer, reviewable, and produce clean diffs.
 - Prefer read_minified_file when initially exploring source code; it preserves
@@ -61,10 +61,11 @@ work.
 - Keep edits focused and reviewable. A single patch may update several related
   files when they form one coherent change; do not hide unrelated edits in a
   bulk shell or script rewrite.
-- For edits to existing files, prefer edit_file or apply_patch with minimal,
-  targeted diffs. Match the existing indentation, imports, and idioms. Match the
-  file's comment density: do not add explanatory comments unless the user asks or
-  the code is already comment-dense.
+- For edits to existing files, prefer apply_patch with minimal, targeted hunks
+  and enough unchanged context to identify the intended location. Match the
+  existing indentation, imports, and idioms. Match the file's comment density:
+  do not add explanatory comments unless the user asks or the code is already
+  comment-dense.
 - Solve the problem as posed, not a more general version of it. Add no
   speculative abstraction, configurability, or handling for cases that cannot
   occur, and nothing the user did not ask for. A small diff can still be
@@ -104,7 +105,7 @@ work.
   you need to clean up a running foreground command yourself, use write_stdin.
 - write_stdin's session_id is only ever an id returned by a still-running
   exec_command; never guess or probe ids. If you have no such session, start one
-  with exec_command, or use write_file/edit_file/apply_patch for file changes.
+  with exec_command, or use write_file/apply_patch for file changes.
 - write_stdin with empty input polls an existing exec_command session, and
   `\u0003` interrupts it. Sending other stdin bytes may require approval because
   it can drive the running process beyond the original command. Non-tty sessions

internal/agent/system_prompt_models.go

@@ -60,14 +60,14 @@ const openAIPromptAddendum = `<model_guidance>
   longer answers, fenced code blocks for code, and ` + "`inline code`" + ` for paths,
   commands, and symbols.
 - Strongly prefer the native file tools (read_file, list_directory, grep, glob,
-  write_file, edit_file, apply_patch) over shelling out to cat/sed/awk/python for
+  write_file, apply_patch) over shelling out to cat/sed/awk/python for
   file work. Make one tool call per file; do not batch file writes into a script.
 - Persist until the task is fully handled this turn: gather context, implement,
   run the validators, and report — do not stop at a partial result.
 </model_guidance>`
 
 const geminiPromptAddendum = `<model_guidance>
-- Prefer the dedicated tools (read_file, grep, glob, edit_file, apply_patch) over
+- Prefer the dedicated tools (read_file, grep, glob, apply_patch) over
   equivalent shell commands; they are safer and produce cleaner diffs.
 - Be concise and concrete. When you run a shell command with side effects, state
   in one short clause why it is needed.

internal/agent/system_prompt_test.go

@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ func TestCoreSystemPromptIncludesCodingQualityRules(t *testing.T) {
 		"inspect the target file",
 		"plan then act",
 		"choose the narrowest tool",
-		"prefer edit_file or apply_patch",
+		"for edits to existing files, prefer apply_patch",
 		"verify after edits",
 		"honor the active permission mode",
 		"avoid broad refactors",

internal/agenteval/trace.go

@@ -29,10 +29,6 @@ func ParseTraceEventKeys(stdout string) []string {
 	return keys
 }
 
-func TraceEventKeys(stdout string) []string {
-	return ParseTraceEventKeys(stdout)
-}
-
 func MissingTraceEvents(required []string, stdout string) []string {
 	seen := map[string]bool{}
 	for _, key := range ParseTraceEventKeys(stdout) {

internal/background/manager.go

@@ -453,7 +453,12 @@ func (manager *Manager) normalizeLoadedTask(fileTaskID string, task Task) (Task,
 	}
 	outputFile, err := manager.outputFile(task.ID, task.OutputFile)
 	if err != nil {
-		return Task{}, false, err
+		var migrated bool
+		outputFile, migrated = manager.migrateLegacyOutputFile(task.ID, task.OutputFile)
+		if !migrated {
+			return Task{}, false, err
+		}
+		changed = true
 	}
 	if outputFile != task.OutputFile {
 		changed = true
@@ -562,6 +567,32 @@ func (manager *Manager) outputFile(taskID string, requested string) (string, err
 	return path, nil
 }
 
+// migrateLegacyOutputFile recovers task metadata written under a previous home
+// or XDG data root. It accepts only the canonical per-task output
+// name in the historic zero/background layout, and only when the corresponding
+// regular file already exists inside the active manager root.
+func (manager *Manager) migrateLegacyOutputFile(taskID string, requested string) (string, bool) {
+	requested = strings.TrimSpace(requested)
+	if !filepath.IsAbs(requested) {
+		return "", false
+	}
+	requested = filepath.Clean(requested)
+	expectedName := taskID + ".ndjson"
+	if filepath.Base(requested) != expectedName {
+		return "", false
+	}
+	legacyRoot := filepath.Dir(requested)
+	if filepath.Base(legacyRoot) != "background" || filepath.Base(filepath.Dir(legacyRoot)) != "zero" {
+		return "", false
+	}
+	canonical := filepath.Join(manager.rootDir, expectedName)
+	info, err := os.Lstat(canonical)
+	if err != nil || !info.Mode().IsRegular() {
+		return "", false
+	}
+	return canonical, true
+}
+
 func validTaskID(taskID string) bool {
 	return taskIDPattern.MatchString(strings.TrimSpace(taskID))
 }

internal/background/manager_test.go

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package background
 
 import (
+	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
@@ -191,6 +192,88 @@ func TestManagerSkipsInvalidPersistedMetadata(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestManagerMigratesLegacyOutputPathWhenCanonicalOutputExists(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	const taskID = "legacy_task"
+	canonicalOutput := filepath.Join(root, taskID+".ndjson")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(canonicalOutput, []byte("legacy output\n"), 0o600); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("write canonical output: %v", err)
+	}
+	legacyOutput := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "zero", "background", taskID+".ndjson")
+	metadata, err := json.Marshal(Task{
+		ID:         taskID,
+		Type:       "specialist",
+		Status:     StatusCompleted,
+		OutputFile: legacyOutput,
+		StartedAt:  time.Date(2026, 8, 1, 10, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC),
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("marshal legacy metadata: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(root, taskID+".json"), append(metadata, '\n'), 0o600); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("write legacy metadata: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	manager, err := NewManager(root)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("NewManager returned error: %v", err)
+	}
+	task, ok := manager.Get(taskID)
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatal("manager did not load migrated task")
+	}
+	if task.OutputFile != canonicalOutput {
+		t.Fatalf("migrated output file = %q, want %q", task.OutputFile, canonicalOutput)
+	}
+	if warnings := manager.LoadWarnings(); len(warnings) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("migration produced load warnings: %#v", warnings)
+	}
+
+	persisted, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(root, taskID+".json"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read migrated metadata: %v", err)
+	}
+	var saved Task
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(persisted, &saved); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("decode migrated metadata: %v", err)
+	}
+	if saved.OutputFile != canonicalOutput {
+		t.Fatalf("persisted output file = %q, want %q", saved.OutputFile, canonicalOutput)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestManagerRejectsUnrelatedAbsoluteOutputPathDuringMigration(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	const taskID = "legacy_task"
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(root, taskID+".ndjson"), []byte("output\n"), 0o600); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("write canonical output: %v", err)
+	}
+	metadata, err := json.Marshal(Task{
+		ID:         taskID,
+		Type:       "specialist",
+		Status:     StatusCompleted,
+		OutputFile: filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), taskID+".ndjson"),
+		StartedAt:  time.Date(2026, 8, 1, 10, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC),
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("marshal metadata: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(root, taskID+".json"), append(metadata, '\n'), 0o600); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("write metadata: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	manager, err := NewManager(root)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("NewManager returned error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, ok := manager.Get(taskID); ok {
+		t.Fatal("manager loaded task with an unrelated absolute output path")
+	}
+	if warnings := strings.Join(manager.LoadWarnings(), "\n"); !strings.Contains(warnings, "output file must be inside") {
+		t.Fatalf("load warnings = %q, want containment rejection", warnings)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestManagerMarksReloadedRunningTaskNonKillable(t *testing.T) {
 	root := t.TempDir()
 	manager, err := NewManager(root)

internal/background/process_posix.go

@@ -39,3 +39,21 @@ func ConfigureChildProcessGroup(cmd *exec.Cmd) {
 func terminateProcess(pid int) error {
 	return execution.TerminateProcessTree(pid, terminationGracePeriod, terminationPollInterval)
 }
+
+// terminateOwnedProcess terminates cmd's process group directly when its launch
+// configuration proves it was made a group leader. This avoids fragile Getpgid
+// rediscovery after an owned leader exits. Ordinary commands fall back to the
+// safe PID/tree path rather than assuming their PID is also a process-group ID.
+//
+// The Setpgid && Pgid == 0 guard only recognizes ConfigureChildProcessGroup's
+// own convention. A command made its own session leader via Setsid (as opposed
+// to Setpgid) is also its own process-group leader in practice, but takes the
+// slower rediscovery path here since Setsid isn't checked. Harmless today
+// because TerminateCommand has exactly one caller in this codebase; worth
+// covering explicitly if Setsid-configured commands start using this path too.
+func terminateOwnedProcess(cmd *exec.Cmd) (bool, error) {
+	if cmd.SysProcAttr != nil && cmd.SysProcAttr.Setpgid && cmd.SysProcAttr.Pgid == 0 {
+		return false, execution.TerminateProcessGroup(cmd.Process.Pid, terminationGracePeriod, terminationPollInterval)
+	}
+	return false, terminateProcess(cmd.Process.Pid)
+}

internal/background/process_posix_test.go

@@ -147,11 +147,12 @@ func TestTerminateProcessKillsForkedChildren(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("terminateProcess: %v", err)
 	}
 
-	// The forked child must be gone too (poll until reaped by init).
+	// The forked child must no longer be running. An orphaned zombie is already
+	// dead but may remain visible briefly until the platform's init reaps it.
 	deadline := time.Now().Add(2 * time.Second)
-	// Only ESRCH proves the child is gone; any other error (e.g. EPERM) would
-	// wrongly pass the test, so treat it as still-present and keep polling.
-	for !errors.Is(syscall.Kill(childPID, syscall.Signal(0)), syscall.ESRCH) {
+	// processStopped treats only ESRCH or an observed zombie state as stopped;
+	// other errors (for example EPERM) remain live and keep polling.
+	for !processStopped(childPID) {
 		if time.Now().After(deadline) {
 			_ = syscall.Kill(childPID, syscall.SIGKILL)
 			t.Fatalf("forked child %d survived terminateProcess — group kill failed", childPID)
@@ -159,3 +160,73 @@ func TestTerminateProcessKillsForkedChildren(t *testing.T) {
 		time.Sleep(20 * time.Millisecond)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestTerminateCommandStopsUnconfiguredCommand(t *testing.T) {
+	cmd := exec.Command("sleep", "30")
+	if err := cmd.Start(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("start: %v", err)
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(func() {
+		if cmd.ProcessState == nil {
+			_ = cmd.Process.Kill()
+		}
+	})
+
+	if err := TerminateCommand(cmd); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("TerminateCommand: %v", err)
+	}
+	if cmd.ProcessState == nil {
+		t.Fatal("unconfigured command was not reaped")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestTerminateCommandKillsChildAfterLeaderExits(t *testing.T) {
+	grace, poll := terminationGracePeriod, terminationPollInterval
+	terminationGracePeriod, terminationPollInterval = 2*time.Second, 20*time.Millisecond
+	t.Cleanup(func() { terminationGracePeriod, terminationPollInterval = grace, poll })
+
+	// The leader exits immediately after launching the child. TerminateCommand
+	// must capture and signal the process group before Wait reaps the leader and
+	// makes its group identity unavailable.
+	cmd := exec.Command("sh", "-c", "sleep 300 & echo $!; exit 0")
+	ConfigureChildProcessGroup(cmd)
+	stdout, err := cmd.StdoutPipe()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("stdout pipe: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := cmd.Start(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("start: %v", err)
+	}
+	line, err := bufio.NewReader(stdout).ReadString('\n')
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read forked child pid: %v", err)
+	}
+	childPID, err := strconv.Atoi(strings.TrimSpace(line))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("parse forked child pid %q: %v", line, err)
+	}
+
+	if err := TerminateCommand(cmd); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("TerminateCommand: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(2 * time.Second)
+	for !processStopped(childPID) {
+		if time.Now().After(deadline) {
+			_ = syscall.Kill(childPID, syscall.SIGKILL)
+			t.Fatalf("forked child %d survived TerminateCommand", childPID)
+		}
+		time.Sleep(20 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+}
+
+func processStopped(pid int) bool {
+	if errors.Is(syscall.Kill(pid, syscall.Signal(0)), syscall.ESRCH) {
+		return true
+	}
+	state, err := exec.Command("ps", "-o", "stat=", "-p", strconv.Itoa(pid)).Output()
+	if err != nil {
+		return errors.Is(syscall.Kill(pid, syscall.Signal(0)), syscall.ESRCH)
+	}
+	return strings.HasPrefix(strings.TrimSpace(string(state)), "Z")
+}

internal/background/process_windows.go

@@ -3,11 +3,20 @@
 package background
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"os/exec"
 
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/execution"
+	"golang.org/x/sys/windows"
 )
 
+// stillActiveExitCode is the documented GetExitCodeProcess value for a process
+// that has not terminated. x/sys/windows does not expose Windows' STILL_ACTIVE
+// constant.
+const stillActiveExitCode uint32 = 259
+
+var terminateProcessForTest = terminateProcess
+
 // ConfigureChildProcessGroup is a no-op on Windows: process-tree termination is
 // delegated to execution.TerminateProcessTree, so no launch-time process-group
 // setup is required (the POSIX build sets Setpgid here instead).
@@ -16,3 +25,28 @@ func ConfigureChildProcessGroup(cmd *exec.Cmd) { execution.ConfigureProcessGroup
 func terminateProcess(pid int) error {
 	return execution.TerminateProcessTree(pid, 0, 0)
 }
+
+// terminateOwnedProcess asks taskkill /T to terminate the tree rooted at cmd,
+// with KillProcessTree's direct Process.Kill fallback if taskkill fails. taskkill
+// can discover descendants only while the root PID still exists; unlike a POSIX
+// process group, a Windows tree has no independently addressable identity after
+// its root exits.
+func terminateOwnedProcess(cmd *exec.Cmd) (bool, error) {
+	var (
+		alreadyExited bool
+		terminateErr  error
+	)
+	err := cmd.Process.WithHandle(func(handle uintptr) {
+		var exitCode uint32
+		if windows.GetExitCodeProcess(windows.Handle(handle), &exitCode) == nil {
+			alreadyExited = exitCode != stillActiveExitCode
+		}
+		// Keep the exact process identity pinned while the PID-based taskkill
+		// operation runs, preventing the PID from being recycled underneath it.
+		terminateErr = terminateProcessForTest(cmd.Process.Pid)
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("pin process %d for termination: %w", cmd.Process.Pid, err)
+	}
+	return alreadyExited, terminateErr
+}

internal/background/process_windows_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+//go:build windows
+
+package background
+
+import (
+	"bufio"
+	"errors"
+	"os/exec"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+func TestTerminateCommandReturnsTreeFailureAfterRootFallbackReaps(t *testing.T) {
+	cmd := exec.Command("powershell.exe", "-NoProfile", "-NonInteractive", "-Command", "Start-Sleep -Seconds 300")
+	if err := cmd.Start(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("start: %v", err)
+	}
+	treeErr := errors.New("taskkill /T failed")
+	originalTerminateProcess := terminateProcessForTest
+	terminateProcessForTest = func(pid int) error {
+		if err := cmd.Process.Kill(); err != nil {
+			return errors.Join(treeErr, err)
+		}
+		return treeErr
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(func() { terminateProcessForTest = originalTerminateProcess })
+
+	err := TerminateCommand(cmd)
+	if !errors.Is(err, treeErr) {
+		t.Fatalf("TerminateCommand error = %v, want tree failure", err)
+	}
+	if cmd.ProcessState == nil {
+		t.Fatal("root process was not reaped")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestTerminateCommandReapsExitedLeader(t *testing.T) {
+	cmd := exec.Command("cmd.exe", "/c", "exit", "0")
+	if err := cmd.Start(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("start: %v", err)
+	}
+	// Let the child exit without calling Wait so cleanup exercises the Windows
+	// taskkill/TerminateProcess race while it still owns the process handle.
+	time.Sleep(500 * time.Millisecond)
+
+	// jatmn's #774 finding: taskkill /T racing an already-exited PID (and the
+	// Process.Kill fallback) both fail here, but the reap below still succeeds —
+	// the process-handle exit-code check proves the leader was already gone, so
+	// TerminateCommand must not surface the expected kill-attempt error.
+	if err := TerminateCommand(cmd); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("TerminateCommand: %v, want nil (leader was already gone and got reaped)", err)
+	}
+	if cmd.ProcessState == nil {
+		t.Fatal("exited process was not reaped")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestTerminateCommandDeadLeaderCannotIdentifyDescendantTree(t *testing.T) {
+	cmd := exec.Command("powershell.exe", "-NoProfile", "-NonInteractive", "-Command",
+		`$p = Start-Process powershell.exe -ArgumentList '-NoProfile','-Command','Start-Sleep -Seconds 300' -PassThru; $p.Id`)
+	stdout, err := cmd.StdoutPipe()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("stdout pipe: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := cmd.Start(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("start: %v", err)
+	}
+	line, err := bufio.NewReader(stdout).ReadString('\n')
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read descendant pid: %v", err)
+	}
+	descendantPID, err := strconv.Atoi(strings.TrimSpace(line))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("parse descendant pid %q: %v", line, err)
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(func() {
+		_ = exec.Command("taskkill.exe", "/F", "/PID", strconv.Itoa(descendantPID)).Run()
+	})
+
+	// Wait until the leader is observably exited but deliberately leave it
+	// unreaped, matching the POSIX regression's ordering.
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(5 * time.Second)
+	for processExistsOnWindows(cmd.Process.Pid) {
+		if time.Now().After(deadline) {
+			t.Fatal("leader did not exit")
+		}
+		time.Sleep(20 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+	if err := TerminateCommand(cmd); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("TerminateCommand: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Windows has no persistent group ID analogous to POSIX: once the leader is
+	// gone, taskkill /T cannot rediscover this descendant. Assert that platform
+	// distinction rather than claiming TerminateCommand can provide it here.
+	if !processExistsOnWindows(descendantPID) {
+		t.Fatal("descendant unexpectedly stopped after its root exited")
+	}
+}
+
+func processExistsOnWindows(pid int) bool {
+	return exec.Command("powershell.exe", "-NoProfile", "-NonInteractive", "-Command",
+		"Get-Process -Id "+strconv.Itoa(pid)+" -ErrorAction Stop | Out-Null").Run() == nil
+}

internal/background/terminate.go

@@ -1,5 +1,14 @@
 package background
 
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"os/exec"
+	"time"
+)
+
+const commandReapTimeout = 3 * time.Second
+
 // TerminateProcess stops a background process by PID — on Windows its process
 // tree; on POSIX its whole process group when the PID leads its own group (the
 // invariant ConfigureChildProcessGroup establishes for processes started through
@@ -12,3 +21,69 @@ package background
 func TerminateProcess(pid int) error {
 	return terminateProcess(pid)
 }
+
+// TerminateCommand stops a started command and reaps its leader. The caller must
+// have exclusive ownership of cmd: it must not have previously called Wait or
+// Process.Release, and no goroutine may call either concurrently. On POSIX it
+// stops the whole group when the command was configured as its leader; ordinary
+// commands safely fall back to PID/tree discovery. On Windows, success for a
+// leader that was already dead confirms only that the leader was reaped;
+// descendants may survive because Windows cannot rediscover a tree from a dead
+// root. `zero daemon start` needs this operation when readiness times out: it
+// launched the child, so it must both stop the tree and collect the leader.
+//
+// The order matters: the tree is signalled first, because Wait releases the
+// leader's PID and a later group lookup could then resolve to nothing (or, worse,
+// to a recycled PID). Termination stays in the shared execution lifecycle
+// primitives rather than introducing a second platform-specific killer.
+//
+// If the bounded reap times out, the Wait call already started by this function
+// continues in its goroutine. From that point onward the caller must not access
+// cmd at all, including ProcessState, because that would race with Wait.
+func TerminateCommand(cmd *exec.Cmd) error {
+	if cmd == nil || cmd.Process == nil {
+		return errors.New("terminate command: process was never started")
+	}
+	leaderAlreadyExited, terminateErr := terminateOwnedProcess(cmd)
+	reapErr := waitForTerminatedCommandWithin(cmd, commandReapTimeout)
+	if reapErr != nil {
+		if terminateErr != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("%v (reap failed: %w)", terminateErr, reapErr)
+		}
+		return reapErr
+	}
+	if terminateErr != nil && !leaderAlreadyExited {
+		return terminateErr
+	}
+	// Only discard a termination error when the platform demonstrated before
+	// attempting termination that the leader had already exited. A successful
+	// reap alone says nothing about whether a live descendant tree was stopped.
+	return nil
+}
+
+// classifyWaitError treats a non-zero exit status as success: a process being
+// terminated is expected to report one (or a signal), so the only interesting
+// failure is Wait itself not working.
+func classifyWaitError(waitErr error) error {
+	var exitErr *exec.ExitError
+	if waitErr != nil && !errors.As(waitErr, &exitErr) {
+		return fmt.Errorf("reap process: %w", waitErr)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// waitForTerminatedCommandWithin bounds the reap so a child that somehow survives
+// termination cannot hang the caller — the daemon-start cleanup path runs while a
+// user waits at the CLI. On timeout its Wait goroutine is intentionally left to
+// finish: exec.Cmd permits only one Wait call, and abandoning it without a reaper
+// would leak the child once it eventually exits.
+func waitForTerminatedCommandWithin(cmd *exec.Cmd, timeout time.Duration) error {
+	waitDone := make(chan error, 1)
+	go func() { waitDone <- cmd.Wait() }()
+	select {
+	case waitErr := <-waitDone:
+		return classifyWaitError(waitErr)
+	case <-time.After(timeout):
+		return fmt.Errorf("process %d did not reap after termination", cmd.Process.Pid)
+	}
+}

internal/cli/app.go

@@ -64,38 +64,53 @@ type appDeps struct {
 	// getenv reads a process environment variable (production: os.Getenv, set in
 	// defaultAppDeps — deliberately NOT filled by fillAppDeps, so tests are hermetic
 	// against ambient vars like ZERO_PROVIDER unless they inject it). nil ⇒ empty.
-	getenv                 func(string) string
-	probeProviderHealth    func(context.Context, providerhealth.Options) providerhealth.Result
-	discoverProviderModels func(context.Context, config.ProviderProfile) ([]providermodeldiscovery.Model, error)
-	detectLocalRuntimes    func(context.Context, provideronboarding.LocalDetectOptions) []provideronboarding.DetectedLocalRuntime
-	openRouterLogin        func(context.Context, provideroauth.OpenRouterOptions) (string, error)
-	newSessionStore        func() *sessions.Store
-	loadPlugins            func(plugins.LoadOptions) (plugins.LoadResult, error)
-	loadHooks              func(hooks.LoadOptions) (hooks.LoadResult, error)
-	skillsDir              func() string
-	pluginsDir             func() string
-	toolsDir               func() string
-	newMCPStore            func() (*mcp.PermissionStore, error)
-	newMCPTokenStore       func() (*mcp.TokenStore, error)
-	newSandboxStore        func() (*sandbox.GrantStore, error)
-	selectSandboxBackend   func(sandbox.BackendOptions) sandbox.Backend
-	runSandboxSetupHelper  func(path string, args []string, stdout io.Writer, stderr io.Writer) error
-	registerMCPTools       func(context.Context, *tools.Registry, config.MCPConfig, mcp.RegisterOptions) (mcpToolRuntime, error)
-	prepareWorktree        func(context.Context, worktrees.Options) (worktrees.Result, error)
-	releaseWorktree        func(context.Context, worktrees.Options, string) error
-	detectVerifyPlan       func(string) (verify.Plan, error)
-	runVerify              func(context.Context, verify.Plan, verify.RunOptions) verify.Report
-	runSelfVerify          func(context.Context, verify.Plan, selfverify.Options) selfverify.Report
-	runAgentEval           func(context.Context, agentEvalOptions) (agentEvalReport, error)
-	inspectChanges         func(context.Context, zerogit.InspectOptions) (zerogit.ChangeSummary, error)
-	commitChanges          func(context.Context, zerogit.CommitOptions) (zerogit.CommitResult, error)
-	pushChanges            func(context.Context, zerogit.PushOptions) (zerogit.PushResult, error)
-	createPR               func(context.Context, zerogit.PROptions) (zerogit.PRResult, error)
-	runTUI                 func(context.Context, tui.Options) int
-	runEditor              func(string) error
-	checkUpdate            func(context.Context, update.Options) (update.Result, error)
-	applyUpdate            func(context.Context, update.Options) (update.ApplyResult, error)
-	now                    func() time.Time
+	getenv                       func(string) string
+	probeProviderHealth          func(context.Context, providerhealth.Options) providerhealth.Result
+	discoverProviderModels       func(context.Context, config.ProviderProfile) ([]providermodeldiscovery.Model, error)
+	detectLocalRuntimes          func(context.Context, provideronboarding.LocalDetectOptions) []provideronboarding.DetectedLocalRuntime
+	openRouterLogin              func(context.Context, provideroauth.OpenRouterOptions) (string, error)
+	newSessionStore              func() *sessions.Store
+	loadPlugins                  func(plugins.LoadOptions) (plugins.LoadResult, error)
+	loadHooks                    func(hooks.LoadOptions) (hooks.LoadResult, error)
+	skillsDir                    func() string
+	pluginsDir                   func() string
+	toolsDir                     func() string
+	newMCPStore                  func() (*mcp.PermissionStore, error)
+	newMCPTokenStore             func() (*mcp.TokenStore, error)
+	newSandboxStore              func() (*sandbox.GrantStore, error)
+	selectSandboxBackend         func(sandbox.BackendOptions) sandbox.Backend
+	runSandboxSetupHelper        func(path string, args []string, stdout io.Writer, stderr io.Writer) error
+	registerMCPTools             func(context.Context, *tools.Registry, config.MCPConfig, mcp.RegisterOptions) (mcpToolRuntime, error)
+	prepareWorktree              func(context.Context, worktrees.Options) (worktrees.Result, error)
+	releaseWorktree              func(context.Context, worktrees.Options, string) error
+	detectVerifyPlan             func(string) (verify.Plan, error)
+	runVerify                    func(context.Context, verify.Plan, verify.RunOptions) verify.Report
+	runSelfVerify                func(context.Context, verify.Plan, selfverify.Options) selfverify.Report
+	runAgentEval                 func(context.Context, agentEvalOptions) (agentEvalReport, error)
+	inspectChanges               func(context.Context, zerogit.InspectOptions) (zerogit.ChangeSummary, error)
+	commitChanges                func(context.Context, zerogit.CommitOptions) (zerogit.CommitResult, error)
+	pushChanges                  func(context.Context, zerogit.PushOptions) (zerogit.PushResult, error)
+	createPR                     func(context.Context, zerogit.PROptions) (zerogit.PRResult, error)
+	createBranch                 func(context.Context, zerogit.BranchOptions) (zerogit.BranchResult, error)
+	isDefaultBranch              func(context.Context, zerogit.DefaultBranchOptions) (bool, string, string, error)
+	currentGitUser               func(context.Context, string) string
+	headCommitSubject            func(context.Context, string) string
+	commitsAhead                 func(context.Context, string, string, string) (int, error)
+	isUnbornRemote               func(context.Context, string, string) (bool, error)
+	refreshTrackingRef           func(context.Context, string, string, string) error
+	branchUpstreamRemote         func(context.Context, string, string) string
+	branchUpstreamRemoteAndMerge func(context.Context, string, string) (string, string)
+	resolveRemoteBranchTip       func(context.Context, string, string, string) (string, error)
+	remoteHasBranch              func(context.Context, string, string, string) (bool, error)
+	currentGitBranch             func(context.Context, string) string
+	currentBranchTip             func(context.Context, string) string
+	deleteBranch                 func(context.Context, string, string, string) error
+	resetBranchRef               func(context.Context, string, string, string, string) error
+	runTUI                       func(context.Context, tui.Options) int
+	runEditor                    func(string) error
+	checkUpdate                  func(context.Context, update.Options) (update.Result, error)
+	applyUpdate                  func(context.Context, update.Options) (update.ApplyResult, error)
+	now                          func() time.Time
 }
 
 type mcpToolRuntime interface {
@@ -198,11 +213,52 @@ func defaultAppDeps() appDeps {
 		commitChanges:    zerogit.Commit,
 		pushChanges:      zerogit.Push,
 		createPR:         zerogit.CreatePR,
-		runTUI:           tui.Run,
-		runEditor:        openEditor,
-		checkUpdate:      update.Check,
-		applyUpdate:      update.Apply,
-		now:              time.Now,
+		createBranch:     zerogit.CreateBranch,
+		isDefaultBranch:  zerogit.IsDefaultBranch,
+		currentGitUser: func(ctx context.Context, cwd string) string {
+			return zerogit.CurrentGitUser(ctx, cwd, nil)
+		},
+		headCommitSubject: func(ctx context.Context, cwd string) string {
+			return zerogit.HeadCommitSubject(ctx, cwd, nil)
+		},
+		commitsAhead: func(ctx context.Context, cwd, remote, branch string) (int, error) {
+			return zerogit.CommitsAhead(ctx, cwd, remote, branch, nil)
+		},
+		isUnbornRemote: func(ctx context.Context, cwd, remote string) (bool, error) {
+			return zerogit.IsUnbornRemote(ctx, cwd, remote, nil)
+		},
+		refreshTrackingRef: func(ctx context.Context, cwd, remote, branch string) error {
+			return zerogit.RefreshTrackingRef(ctx, cwd, remote, branch, nil)
+		},
+		branchUpstreamRemote: func(ctx context.Context, cwd, branch string) string {
+			return zerogit.UpstreamRemote(ctx, cwd, branch, nil)
+		},
+		branchUpstreamRemoteAndMerge: func(ctx context.Context, cwd, branch string) (string, string) {
+			return zerogit.UpstreamRemoteAndMergeBranch(ctx, cwd, branch, nil)
+		},
+		resolveRemoteBranchTip: func(ctx context.Context, cwd, remote, branch string) (string, error) {
+			return zerogit.ResolveRemoteBranchTip(ctx, cwd, remote, branch, nil)
+		},
+		remoteHasBranch: func(ctx context.Context, cwd, remote, branch string) (bool, error) {
+			return zerogit.RemoteHasBranch(ctx, cwd, remote, branch, nil)
+		},
+		currentGitBranch: func(ctx context.Context, cwd string) string {
+			return zerogit.CurrentBranch(ctx, cwd, nil)
+		},
+		currentBranchTip: func(ctx context.Context, cwd string) string {
+			return zerogit.CurrentBranchTip(ctx, cwd, nil)
+		},
+		deleteBranch: func(ctx context.Context, cwd, fallbackBranch, branchToDelete string) error {
+			return zerogit.DeleteBranch(ctx, cwd, fallbackBranch, branchToDelete, nil)
+		},
+		resetBranchRef: func(ctx context.Context, cwd, branch, newTip, expectedOld string) error {
+			return zerogit.ResetBranchRef(ctx, cwd, branch, newTip, nil, expectedOld)
+		},
+		runTUI:      tui.Run,
+		runEditor:   openEditor,
+		checkUpdate: update.Check,
+		applyUpdate: update.Apply,
+		now:         time.Now,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -562,6 +618,45 @@ func fillAppDeps(deps appDeps) appDeps {
 	if deps.createPR == nil {
 		deps.createPR = defaults.createPR
 	}
+	if deps.createBranch == nil {
+		deps.createBranch = defaults.createBranch
+	}
+	if deps.isDefaultBranch == nil {
+		deps.isDefaultBranch = defaults.isDefaultBranch
+	}
+	if deps.currentGitUser == nil {
+		deps.currentGitUser = defaults.currentGitUser
+	}
+	if deps.headCommitSubject == nil {
+		deps.headCommitSubject = defaults.headCommitSubject
+	}
+	if deps.commitsAhead == nil {
+		deps.commitsAhead = defaults.commitsAhead
+	}
+	if deps.isUnbornRemote == nil {
+		deps.isUnbornRemote = defaults.isUnbornRemote
+	}
+	if deps.refreshTrackingRef == nil {
+		deps.refreshTrackingRef = defaults.refreshTrackingRef
+	}
+	if deps.branchUpstreamRemote == nil {
+		deps.branchUpstreamRemote = defaults.branchUpstreamRemote
+	}
+	if deps.branchUpstreamRemoteAndMerge == nil {
+		deps.branchUpstreamRemoteAndMerge = defaults.branchUpstreamRemoteAndMerge
+	}
+	if deps.remoteHasBranch == nil {
+		deps.remoteHasBranch = defaults.remoteHasBranch
+	}
+	if deps.currentGitBranch == nil {
+		deps.currentGitBranch = defaults.currentGitBranch
+	}
+	if deps.currentBranchTip == nil {
+		deps.currentBranchTip = defaults.currentBranchTip
+	}
+	// resolveRemoteBranchTip, deleteBranch, and resetBranchRef stay nil when
+	// unset so unit tests that mock createBranch without a real git tree do not
+	// hit real git restore/delete commands.
 	if deps.runTUI == nil {
 		deps.runTUI = defaults.runTUI
 	}

internal/cli/daemon.go

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package cli
 
 import (
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"os"
@@ -160,20 +161,61 @@ func runDaemonStartDetached(paths daemon.Paths, stdout io.Writer, stderr io.Writ
 	cmd.Stdout = logFile
 	cmd.Stderr = logFile
 	background.ConfigureChildProcessGroup(cmd) // own process group: outlives this shell
-	if err := cmd.Start(); err != nil {
+	if err := startAndAwaitDaemonProcess(cmd, func() bool { return daemonReachable(paths) }, 5*time.Second, 25*time.Millisecond); err != nil {
+		if errors.Is(err, errDaemonStartTimeout) {
+			return writeAppError(stderr, err.Error()+"; see "+logPath, exitCrash)
+		}
 		return writeAppError(stderr, err.Error(), exitCrash)
 	}
-	_ = cmd.Process.Release()
+	fmt.Fprintf(stdout, "zero daemon started (socket %s)\n", paths.Socket)
+	return exitSuccess
+}
 
-	deadline := time.Now().Add(5 * time.Second)
-	for time.Now().Before(deadline) {
-		if daemonReachable(paths) {
-			fmt.Fprintf(stdout, "zero daemon started (socket %s)\n", paths.Socket)
-			return exitSuccess
-		}
-		time.Sleep(25 * time.Millisecond)
+var errDaemonStartTimeout = errors.New("daemon did not come up within timeout")
+
+func startAndAwaitDaemonProcess(cmd *exec.Cmd, reachable func() bool, timeout time.Duration, pollInterval time.Duration) error {
+	if err := cmd.Start(); err != nil {
+		return err
 	}
-	return writeAppError(stderr, "daemon did not come up within timeout; see "+logPath, exitCrash)
+	if waitForDaemonReadiness(reachable, timeout, pollInterval) {
+		if err := cmd.Process.Release(); err != nil {
+			cleanupErr := terminateAndReapDaemonProcess(cmd)
+			if cleanupErr != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("release daemon process: %w (cleanup failed: %v)", err, cleanupErr)
+			}
+			return fmt.Errorf("release daemon process: %w", err)
+		}
+		return nil
+	}
+	if err := terminateAndReapDaemonProcess(cmd); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("%w; cleanup failed: %v", errDaemonStartTimeout, err)
+	}
+	return errDaemonStartTimeout
+}
+
+func waitForDaemonReadiness(reachable func() bool, timeout time.Duration, pollInterval time.Duration) bool {
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(timeout)
+	for {
+		if reachable() {
+			return true
+		}
+		remaining := time.Until(deadline)
+		if remaining <= 0 {
+			break
+		}
+		time.Sleep(min(pollInterval, remaining))
+	}
+	// The loop's last reachable() call already ran immediately before this one
+	// (right after the final Sleep, with the same deadline check separating
+	// them), so this adds no extra waiting time and is not a grace window for a
+	// slow-starting daemon — it only re-checks the same instant in case
+	// reachable() itself is non-deterministic. To tolerate a genuinely slow
+	// start, raise the timeout passed to startAndAwaitDaemonProcess instead.
+	return reachable()
+}
+
+func terminateAndReapDaemonProcess(cmd *exec.Cmd) error {
+	return background.TerminateCommand(cmd)
 }
 
 func runDaemonStop(args []string, stdout io.Writer, stderr io.Writer) int {

internal/cli/daemon_test.go

@@ -2,8 +2,15 @@ package cli
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"errors"
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/background"
 )
 
 // isolateDaemonPaths points DefaultPaths at a temp dir so the test never touches
@@ -121,3 +128,84 @@ func TestDaemonSubcommandsRejectExtraArgs(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func TestWaitForDaemonReadinessChecksTimeoutBoundary(t *testing.T) {
+	checks := 0
+	ready := waitForDaemonReadiness(func() bool {
+		checks++
+		return checks == 2
+	}, 0, time.Millisecond)
+	if !ready {
+		t.Fatal("daemon that became reachable at the timeout boundary was not detected")
+	}
+	if checks != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("reachability checks = %d, want initial and final checks", checks)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestTerminateAndReapDaemonProcess(t *testing.T) {
+	cmd := daemonDetachedChildCommand("hang")
+	if err := cmd.Start(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("start helper process: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if err := terminateAndReapDaemonProcess(cmd); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("terminate and reap helper process: %v", err)
+	}
+	if cmd.ProcessState == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("helper process was not reaped: state=%v", cmd.ProcessState)
+	}
+	if cmd.ProcessState.Success() {
+		t.Fatalf("helper process unexpectedly exited successfully: %v", cmd.ProcessState)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestStartAndAwaitDaemonProcessTimeoutTerminatesAndReaps(t *testing.T) {
+	cmd := daemonDetachedChildCommand("hang")
+	if err := startAndAwaitDaemonProcess(cmd, func() bool { return false }, 0, time.Millisecond); !errors.Is(err, errDaemonStartTimeout) {
+		t.Fatalf("start and await error = %v, want timeout", err)
+	}
+	if cmd.ProcessState == nil {
+		t.Fatal("timed-out helper process was not reaped")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestStartAndAwaitDaemonProcessReleasesReadyChild(t *testing.T) {
+	marker := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "child-finished")
+	cmd := daemonDetachedChildCommand("mark", "ZERO_TEST_DAEMON_CHILD_MARKER="+marker)
+	if err := startAndAwaitDaemonProcess(cmd, func() bool { return true }, time.Second, time.Millisecond); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("start and await ready helper: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(5 * time.Second)
+	for time.Now().Before(deadline) {
+		if _, err := os.Stat(marker); err == nil {
+			return
+		}
+		time.Sleep(10 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+	t.Fatal("released helper process did not remain alive to write its marker")
+}
+
+func daemonDetachedChildCommand(mode string, extraEnv ...string) *exec.Cmd {
+	cmd := exec.Command(os.Args[0], "-test.run=TestDaemonDetachedChildProcess")
+	cmd.Env = append(os.Environ(), "ZERO_TEST_DAEMON_DETACHED_CHILD="+mode)
+	cmd.Env = append(cmd.Env, extraEnv...)
+	background.ConfigureChildProcessGroup(cmd)
+	return cmd
+}
+
+func TestDaemonDetachedChildProcess(t *testing.T) {
+	switch os.Getenv("ZERO_TEST_DAEMON_DETACHED_CHILD") {
+	case "":
+		return
+	case "mark":
+		if err := os.WriteFile(os.Getenv("ZERO_TEST_DAEMON_CHILD_MARKER"), []byte("ready"), 0o600); err != nil {
+			os.Exit(2)
+		}
+		os.Exit(0)
+	}
+	for {
+		time.Sleep(time.Hour)
+	}
+}

internal/cli/workflows.go

@@ -2,9 +2,12 @@ package cli
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
+	"path"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"regexp"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
@@ -602,18 +605,20 @@ func parseChangesArgs(args []string, command string) (changesCommandOptions, boo
 			return options, false, execUsageError{fmt.Sprintf("unexpected changes argument %q", arg)}
 		}
 	}
-	if command != "commit" && options.message != "" {
+	if command != "commit" && options.hasMessage {
 		return options, false, execUsageError{"--message is only valid with `zero changes commit`"}
 	}
-	if command != "commit" && (options.hasMessage || options.dryRun || options.auto) {
-		return options, false, execUsageError{"--message, --dry-run, and --auto are only valid with `zero changes commit`"}
-	}
 	if command == "commit" && options.hasMessage && options.auto {
 		return options, false, execUsageError{"cannot specify both --message and --auto"}
 	}
 	if command != "commit" && command != "push" && options.dryRun {
 		return options, false, execUsageError{"--dry-run is only valid with commit or push"}
 	}
+	// --auto on push/pr is the explicit opt-in for LLM branch naming (see
+	// ensureFeatureBranch); on commit it opts into the LLM commit message.
+	if command != "commit" && command != "push" && command != "pr" && options.auto {
+		return options, false, execUsageError{"--auto is only valid with commit, push, or pr"}
+	}
 	if command != "inspect" && options.baseRef != "" {
 		return options, false, execUsageError{"--base is only valid with `zero changes inspect`"}
 	}
@@ -934,8 +939,7 @@ Flags:
       --fill              Automatically populate PR title and body from commits
       --draft             Create PR as a draft
       --yes               Confirm pushing to a default/protected branch
-  -a, --auto              Auto-generate commit message using LLM (use --dry-run to preview)
-      --dry-run           Preview commit metadata without mutating git state
+  -a, --auto              Use the LLM: commit generates the message, push/pr name the auto-created branch (sends the diff to the provider)
       --json              Print JSON output
   -h, --help              Show this help
 `)
@@ -958,11 +962,31 @@ func runChangesPush(args []string, stdout io.Writer, stderr io.Writer, deps appD
 		return writeExecUsageError(stderr, err.Error())
 	}
 
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 2*time.Minute)
+	defer cancel()
+
+	branch, remote, created, err := ensureFeatureBranch(ctx, stdout, workspaceRoot, options.remote, featureBranchOptions{
+		JSONMode:           options.json,
+		AllowDefaultBranch: options.yes,
+		DryRun:             options.dryRun,
+		AutoNaming:         options.auto,
+		MaxDiffBytes:       options.maxDiffBytes,
+	}, deps)
+	if err != nil {
+		return writeExecUsageError(stderr, err.Error())
+	}
+
+	// context.Background() is deliberate: the 2-minute ctx above is the
+	// feature-branch preflight (inspection, remote probes, branch creation).
+	// The push itself must not be cancelled mid-transfer just because the
+	// preflight budget elapsed; a large push can legitimately take longer.
 	result, err := deps.pushChanges(context.Background(), zerogit.PushOptions{
 		Cwd:                    workspaceRoot,
-		Remote:                 options.remote,
+		Remote:                 firstNonEmptyString(options.remote, remote),
+		Branch:                 branch,
 		Force:                  options.force,
 		DryRun:                 options.dryRun,
+		RequireNewRemoteBranch: created,
 		AllowPushDefaultBranch: options.yes,
 	})
 	if err != nil {
@@ -1010,15 +1034,62 @@ func runChangesPR(args []string, stdout io.Writer, stderr io.Writer, deps appDep
 		return writeExecUsageError(stderr, err.Error())
 	}
 
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 2*time.Minute)
+	defer cancel()
+
+	branch, remote, created, err := ensureFeatureBranch(ctx, stdout, workspaceRoot, options.remote, featureBranchOptions{
+		JSONMode:           options.json,
+		AllowDefaultBranch: options.yes,
+		DryRun:             false,
+		AutoNaming:         options.auto,
+		MaxDiffBytes:       options.maxDiffBytes,
+	}, deps)
+	if err != nil {
+		return writeExecUsageError(stderr, err.Error())
+	}
+
+	// Resolve the target remote for the unborn-remote check. Explicit --remote wins,
+	// followed by the remote resolved by ensureFeatureBranch. When --yes is set,
+	// fall back to the branch upstream or "origin".
+	targetRemote := strings.TrimSpace(options.remote)
+	if targetRemote == "" {
+		targetRemote = remote
+	}
+	if targetRemote == "" {
+		currentBranch := ""
+		if deps.currentGitBranch != nil {
+			currentBranch = deps.currentGitBranch(context.Background(), workspaceRoot)
+		}
+		if deps.branchUpstreamRemote != nil && currentBranch != "" {
+			targetRemote = deps.branchUpstreamRemote(context.Background(), workspaceRoot, currentBranch)
+		}
+		if targetRemote == "" {
+			targetRemote = "origin"
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Probe errors are intentionally ignored so the flow can continue; if the
+	// probe fails, the subsequent push or PR operation provides fail-closed behavior.
+	if deps.isUnbornRemote != nil {
+		if unborn, unbornErr := deps.isUnbornRemote(context.Background(), workspaceRoot, targetRemote); unbornErr == nil && unborn {
+			return writeExecUsageError(stderr, fmt.Sprintf("cannot create pull request on unborn remote %s: push the initial default branch first", targetRemote))
+		}
+	}
+
 	if !options.json {
 		if _, err := fmt.Fprintln(stdout, "Pushing current branch to set upstream..."); err != nil {
 			return exitCrash
 		}
 	}
+	// context.Background() is deliberate here too: runChangesPR reuses the
+	// 2-minute ctx for preflight (branch creation and remote probes), but the
+	// push must not be cancelled mid-transfer if that budget elapsed.
 	pushResult, err := deps.pushChanges(context.Background(), zerogit.PushOptions{
 		Cwd:                    workspaceRoot,
-		Remote:                 options.remote,
+		Remote:                 firstNonEmptyString(options.remote, remote),
+		Branch:                 branch,
 		Force:                  options.force,
+		RequireNewRemoteBranch: created,
 		AllowPushDefaultBranch: options.yes,
 	})
 	if err != nil {
@@ -1100,3 +1171,462 @@ func generateAutoCommitMessage(ctx context.Context, provider zeroruntime.Provide
 	}
 	return msg, nil
 }
+
+type featureBranchOptions struct {
+	JSONMode           bool
+	AllowDefaultBranch bool
+	DryRun             bool
+	AutoNaming         bool
+	MaxDiffBytes       int
+}
+
+// branchPushPlan holds the resolved parameters for a push or PR workflow
+// before any branches are created or refs mutated. Separating plan resolution
+// from mutation allows tests to assert the resolution matrix directly without
+// touching a git repository.
+type branchPushPlan struct {
+	ShouldBranch           bool
+	CurrentBranch          string
+	PushRemote             string
+	RequireNewRemoteBranch bool
+	TrackingRemote         string
+	TrackingBranch         string
+	RestoreTip             string
+	PublishabilityBase     string
+	Summary                zerogit.ChangeSummary
+	Slug                   string
+}
+
+// resolveBranchPushPlan resolves the branch, remotes, restore tip, and naming
+// slug for changes push / pr workflows. It performs all checks (clean working
+// tree, unborn remote detection, ahead count, restore tip resolution) but
+// executes no mutation (no branch creation, ref resets, or deletions).
+func resolveBranchPushPlan(ctx context.Context, stdout io.Writer, workspaceRoot string, requestedRemote string, opts featureBranchOptions, deps appDeps) (branchPushPlan, error) {
+	if opts.AllowDefaultBranch || opts.DryRun {
+		return branchPushPlan{
+			ShouldBranch:           false,
+			PushRemote:             strings.TrimSpace(requestedRemote),
+			RequireNewRemoteBranch: false,
+		}, nil
+	}
+
+	if deps.isDefaultBranch == nil {
+		return branchPushPlan{}, fmt.Errorf("isDefaultBranch dependency missing")
+	}
+	isDefault, currentBranch, remote, err := deps.isDefaultBranch(ctx, zerogit.DefaultBranchOptions{Cwd: workspaceRoot, Remote: requestedRemote})
+	if err != nil {
+		return branchPushPlan{}, err
+	}
+	if !isDefault {
+		// Whether this push needs the nonexistence lease is decided by one
+		// live check against the destination remote, not by inference from
+		// local git state (upstream config, a generated-branch marker):
+		// every local signal that stood in for that check turned out to be
+		// wrong in some ordering (inherited config from checkout -b, a
+		// config write that failed after a successful push, a push aimed at
+		// a different remote than the one local config describes). A branch
+		// missing on the remote gets the nonexistence lease, protecting a
+		// concurrent creator of the same name; a branch already there gets a
+		// plain push, and git's own fast-forward check is the safety net —
+		// if the remote history isn't ours, the push fails with a clear
+		// non-fast-forward error instead of an attempted silent recovery.
+		if deps.remoteHasBranch == nil {
+			return branchPushPlan{
+				ShouldBranch:           false,
+				CurrentBranch:          currentBranch,
+				PushRemote:             remote,
+				RequireNewRemoteBranch: true,
+			}, nil
+		}
+		targetRemote := firstNonEmptyString(requestedRemote, remote)
+		exists, existsErr := deps.remoteHasBranch(ctx, workspaceRoot, targetRemote, currentBranch)
+		if existsErr != nil {
+			return branchPushPlan{}, fmt.Errorf("cannot check whether %s already exists on remote %s: %w", currentBranch, targetRemote, existsErr)
+		}
+		return branchPushPlan{
+			ShouldBranch:           false,
+			CurrentBranch:          currentBranch,
+			PushRemote:             remote,
+			RequireNewRemoteBranch: !exists,
+		}, nil
+	}
+
+	// CreateBranch and Push publish commits only. A dirty working tree would
+	// leave uncommitted edits behind under a branch/PR that does not include
+	// them, so refuse until the tree is clean (commit or stash first).
+	workingTree, err := deps.inspectChanges(ctx, zerogit.InspectOptions{Cwd: workspaceRoot})
+	if err != nil {
+		return branchPushPlan{}, fmt.Errorf("failed to inspect working tree: %w", err)
+	}
+	if !workingTree.Clean {
+		return branchPushPlan{}, fmt.Errorf("working tree has uncommitted changes; commit or stash them before pushing from the default branch")
+	}
+
+	// Capture the source default branch's own upstream before refreshing or
+	// leaving it. --remote selects the push destination; restore must not
+	// rewrite local main to upstream/main when main still tracks origin/main
+	// (fork setups), and refreshing must update the exact tracking ref that
+	// will supply both the ahead count and the restore target.
+	trackingRemote := remote
+	trackingBranch := currentBranch
+	if deps.branchUpstreamRemoteAndMerge != nil {
+		if r, m := deps.branchUpstreamRemoteAndMerge(ctx, workspaceRoot, currentBranch); r != "" && m != "" {
+			trackingRemote = r
+			trackingBranch = m
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Refresh the local remote-tracking ref before trusting it: IsDefaultBranch
+	// already contacted the remote for its symref check, but the tracking ref
+	// commitsAhead reads from is only a local cache (written at clone or the
+	// last fetch) and can sit behind the remote's live tip. Left stale, a real
+	// publishable range could look like zero commits ahead, and the diff
+	// derived below (which reuses this same ref as its base) would be stale
+	// too. A failure here (offline, or a genuinely unborn remote with no such
+	// ref to fetch yet) is folded into the same fail-closed path as an
+	// unresolvable ahead count below.
+	var fetchErr error
+	if deps.refreshTrackingRef != nil {
+		fetchErr = deps.refreshTrackingRef(ctx, workspaceRoot, trackingRemote, trackingBranch)
+	}
+
+	// The ahead check gates on the source upstream (trackingRemote), but the
+	// feature branch is pushed to `pushRemote`, which can be a different
+	// destination (--remote on a fork). Refuse to auto-branch onto an unborn
+	// destination: without an initial default branch the new feature branch
+	// becomes the destination's first ref and its HEAD is left pointing at it.
+	// This is checked once, here, against the push destination, before resolving
+	// commit tips or creating any branches.
+	pushRemote := firstNonEmptyString(requestedRemote, remote)
+	if deps.isUnbornRemote != nil {
+		if unbornDest, unbornDestErr := deps.isUnbornRemote(ctx, workspaceRoot, pushRemote); unbornDestErr == nil && unbornDest {
+			return branchPushPlan{}, fmt.Errorf("remote %s has no branches yet; push the initial default branch first with --yes (`zero changes push --yes`), then use auto-branching for subsequent work", pushRemote)
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Branching off the default branch only makes sense when HEAD carries a
+	// commit that is not already on the remote default branch. A clean,
+	// up-to-date default branch would otherwise publish a feature branch at the
+	// exact default tip. If the ahead count cannot be determined (for example
+	// the remote-tracking ref was never fetched), fail rather than guess. When
+	// the remote is confirmed unborn, refuse auto-branching entirely: the
+	// initial default branch must be established first (changes push --yes)
+	// so the remote has a real HEAD before any feature branch is published.
+	ahead, aheadErr := deps.commitsAhead(ctx, workspaceRoot, trackingRemote, trackingBranch)
+	if fetchErr != nil || aheadErr != nil {
+		var unbornRemote bool
+		var unbornErr error
+		if deps.isUnbornRemote != nil {
+			unbornRemote, unbornErr = deps.isUnbornRemote(ctx, workspaceRoot, trackingRemote)
+		}
+		if unbornErr == nil && unbornRemote {
+			return branchPushPlan{}, fmt.Errorf("remote %s has no branches yet; push the initial default branch first with --yes (`zero changes push --yes`), then use auto-branching for subsequent work", trackingRemote)
+		}
+		cause := aheadErr
+		if cause == nil {
+			cause = fetchErr
+		}
+		return branchPushPlan{}, fmt.Errorf("cannot determine whether HEAD is ahead of %s/%s: %w; fetch the remote tracking branch first", trackingRemote, trackingBranch, cause)
+	}
+	if ahead == 0 {
+		return branchPushPlan{}, fmt.Errorf("no changes to publish: HEAD is not ahead of %s/%s; commit your work before pushing", trackingRemote, trackingBranch)
+	}
+
+	// Resolve the restore tip to a concrete commit before creating any branch.
+	// It must never be a bare local branch name: resolving "main" yields the
+	// very commit the feature branch is about to own, so restore becomes a
+	// silent no-op and the publishable commits stay on the default branch. A
+	// named remote resolves through its just-refreshed remote-tracking ref; a
+	// direct URL or path asks the remote itself. Fail closed rather than
+	// substitute a local branch name.
+	restoreTip := ""
+	if deps.resolveRemoteBranchTip != nil {
+		tip, tipErr := deps.resolveRemoteBranchTip(ctx, workspaceRoot, trackingRemote, trackingBranch)
+		if tipErr != nil {
+			return branchPushPlan{}, fmt.Errorf("cannot resolve restore tip for %s/%s: %w", trackingRemote, trackingBranch, tipErr)
+		}
+		restoreTip = tip
+	}
+	if restoreTip == "" {
+		restoreTip = trackingRemote + "/" + trackingBranch
+	}
+
+	// Name the branch (and, with --auto, send the provider) from what HEAD is
+	// actually ahead of the resolved remote branch by, using the same ref
+	// commitsAhead just checked. A working-tree snapshot can describe edits a
+	// commit-only push will never include.
+	baseRef := restoreTip
+	summary, err := deps.inspectChanges(ctx, zerogit.InspectOptions{Cwd: workspaceRoot, BaseRef: baseRef, MaxDiffBytes: opts.MaxDiffBytes})
+	if err != nil {
+		return branchPushPlan{}, fmt.Errorf("failed to inspect changes: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	slug := fallbackBranchSlug(summary)
+	if len(summary.Files) == 0 {
+		// An empty commit (or one whose only content the diff omits) leaves
+		// nothing to derive a slug from; name the branch from the commit
+		// subject instead.
+		if subject := deps.headCommitSubject(ctx, workspaceRoot); subject != "" {
+			slug = zerogit.SlugifyBranchComponent(subject)
+		}
+	}
+	if opts.AutoNaming && strings.TrimSpace(summary.Diff) != "" {
+		llmSlug := ""
+		if resolved, cfgErr := deps.resolveConfig(workspaceRoot, config.Overrides{}); cfgErr == nil && config.HasProviderProfile(resolved.Provider) {
+			if provider, provErr := deps.newProvider(resolved.Provider); provErr == nil {
+				if !opts.JSONMode {
+					fmt.Fprintln(stdout, "Generating branch name using LLM...")
+				}
+				genCtx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, 60*time.Second)
+				generated, genErr := generateAutoBranchSlug(genCtx, provider, resolved.Provider.Model, redactChangeSummary(summary))
+				cancel()
+				if genErr == nil && generated != "" {
+					llmSlug = generated
+				}
+			}
+		}
+		if llmSlug != "" {
+			slug = llmSlug
+		} else if !opts.JSONMode {
+			// Cover resolveConfig failures, missing provider profiles,
+			// newProvider errors, generation errors, and empty results so the
+			// user is not left guessing after "Generating..." or silence.
+			fmt.Fprintln(stdout, "LLM branch naming unavailable; using deterministic name.")
+		}
+	}
+
+	return branchPushPlan{
+		ShouldBranch:           true,
+		CurrentBranch:          currentBranch,
+		PushRemote:             pushRemote,
+		RequireNewRemoteBranch: true,
+		TrackingRemote:         trackingRemote,
+		TrackingBranch:         trackingBranch,
+		RestoreTip:             restoreTip,
+		PublishabilityBase:     baseRef,
+		Summary:                summary,
+		Slug:                   slug,
+	}, nil
+}
+
+// ensureFeatureBranch is the branch-naming step `zero changes push`/`pr` run
+// before pushing: pushing straight to the default branch is refused deeper in
+// zerogit.Push, so rather than surface that as a dead end, create and switch
+// to a conventionally named "<user>/<slug>" branch first. It returns the
+// branch push/pr should target, or "" to mean "current HEAD branch, unchanged"
+// (zerogit.Push already treats an empty Branch that way), plus the remote the
+// preflight resolved (requestedRemote, then the original branch's configured
+// upstream, then "origin"), plus whether Push should require that branch not
+// already exist on that remote. Callers must pass the remote to Push: a
+// freshly created branch has no tracking configuration, so Push's own
+// fallback would silently retarget "origin" even when the work came from a
+// branch tracking a different remote. Callers must also pass that third value
+// through as Push's RequireNewRemoteBranch: CreateBranch's own
+// remote-collision probe runs before this returns, and closing that race
+// requires Push's push itself to assert the destination is still new. That
+// requirement also carries across a retry: if the current branch is already
+// non-default (this call didn't create it) but has not been successfully
+// published to the exact target remote under the same branch name, keep the
+// nonexistence lease. branch.<name>.remote alone is not enough: with
+// branch.autoSetupMerge=inherit, checkout -b copies remote=origin from the
+// source branch before any push. After a successful create, the original
+// default branch ref is moved back to its own upstream tip (not necessarily
+// the push destination) so the feature branch exclusively owns the
+// publishable commits; a failed restore rolls the feature branch back.
+// allowDefaultBranch (the --yes flag) and dryRun both opt out via the ""
+// branch / false return, leaving Push's own guard/preview behavior on the
+// default branch unaffected.
+//
+// autoNaming gates the LLM naming path (--auto): these commands were
+// git-only, and sending the change diff to a configured provider on every
+// default-branch push would silently export source code nobody asked to
+// share. Without the opt-in the name comes from deterministic local
+// information only. maxDiffBytes caps the committed-range diff Inspect
+// returns, so a user who passed --diff-bytes to bound the proprietary source
+// sent for LLM naming has that cap honored here just as the commit path does.
+// The working tree must be clean and HEAD must be ahead of the resolved
+// remote branch; both are verified before any branch is created. The
+// inspectChanges, commitsAhead, headCommitSubject, currentGitUser, and
+// createBranch dependencies are required on the default-branch path and are
+// called without nil guards; fillAppDeps populates all of them. The
+// refreshTrackingRef, resolveRemoteBranchTip, isUnbornRemote, resetBranchRef,
+// and deleteBranch dependencies are optional and are skipped when nil.
+func ensureFeatureBranch(ctx context.Context, stdout io.Writer, workspaceRoot string, requestedRemote string, opts featureBranchOptions, deps appDeps) (string, string, bool, error) {
+	plan, err := resolveBranchPushPlan(ctx, stdout, workspaceRoot, requestedRemote, opts, deps)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", "", false, err
+	}
+	if !plan.ShouldBranch {
+		return plan.CurrentBranch, plan.PushRemote, plan.RequireNewRemoteBranch, nil
+	}
+
+	expectedRestoreTip := ""
+	if deps.currentBranchTip != nil {
+		expectedRestoreTip = deps.currentBranchTip(ctx, workspaceRoot)
+	}
+
+	name := zerogit.BuildBranchName(deps.currentGitUser(ctx, workspaceRoot), plan.Slug)
+	result, err := deps.createBranch(ctx, zerogit.BranchOptions{Cwd: workspaceRoot, Name: name, Remote: plan.PushRemote})
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", "", false, fmt.Errorf("failed to create branch: %w", err)
+	}
+	// The normal flow commits on the default branch first, then creates the
+	// feature branch at the same HEAD. Without moving the original default
+	// ref back, local main keeps the pre-squash commits and diverges from
+	// its upstream after a squash-merge (and a later pull/push can re-publish
+	// them). Once the feature branch owns those commits, restore the default
+	// branch to the source branch's own upstream tip captured above.
+	// Failure-safe: if the restore fails, delete the feature branch and
+	// check the default branch back out so the tree is not left half-moved.
+	if deps.resetBranchRef != nil {
+		if err := deps.resetBranchRef(ctx, workspaceRoot, plan.CurrentBranch, plan.RestoreTip, expectedRestoreTip); err != nil {
+			// A compare-and-swap conflict means the default branch moved
+			// while we were branching, so restoreTip is no longer the tip we
+			// meant to restore. The rollback below deletes the branch that
+			// now exclusively owns the user's commits, which would destroy
+			// work to recover from a race we can simply report. Keep the
+			// branch and let the user reconcile the default branch.
+			if errors.Is(err, zerogit.ErrCompareAndSwapConflict) {
+				return "", "", false, fmt.Errorf("failed to restore default branch %s to %s after auto-branching: %w; generated branch %s was preserved because the default branch changed concurrently", plan.CurrentBranch, plan.RestoreTip, err, result.Branch)
+			}
+			var rollbackErr error
+			if deps.deleteBranch != nil {
+				rollbackErr = deps.deleteBranch(ctx, workspaceRoot, plan.CurrentBranch, result.Branch)
+			}
+			if rollbackErr != nil {
+				return "", "", false, fmt.Errorf("failed to restore default branch %s to %s after auto-branching: %w; rollback of %s also failed: %v", plan.CurrentBranch, plan.RestoreTip, err, result.Branch, rollbackErr)
+			}
+			return "", "", false, fmt.Errorf("failed to restore default branch %s to %s after auto-branching: %w", plan.CurrentBranch, plan.RestoreTip, err)
+		}
+	}
+	if !opts.JSONMode {
+		fmt.Fprintf(stdout, "Created branch %s (was on %s)\n", result.Branch, plan.CurrentBranch)
+	}
+	return result.Branch, plan.PushRemote, true, nil
+}
+
+// fallbackBranchSlug derives a deterministic branch-name slug from a change
+// summary without calling an LLM, so ensureFeatureBranch still works when no
+// provider is configured.
+func fallbackBranchSlug(summary zerogit.ChangeSummary) string {
+	switch len(summary.Files) {
+	case 0:
+		return "changes"
+	case 1:
+		// Git paths are always slash-separated regardless of platform, so
+		// path.Base (not filepath.Base) extracts the filename portably.
+		return zerogit.SlugifyBranchComponent(path.Base(summary.Files[0].Path))
+	default:
+		return fmt.Sprintf("update-%d-files", len(summary.Files))
+	}
+}
+
+// generateAutoBranchSlug asks the model for a short kebab-case slug
+// describing the diff, mirroring generateAutoCommitMessage's prompt shape.
+func generateAutoBranchSlug(ctx context.Context, provider zeroruntime.Provider, model string, summary zerogit.ChangeSummary) (string, error) {
+	var promptBuilder strings.Builder
+	promptBuilder.WriteString("Analyze the following git diff and generate a short git branch name slug for it.\n")
+	promptBuilder.WriteString("The slug must be 2 to 5 lowercase words separated by hyphens (kebab-case), using only letters, digits, and hyphens, with no prefix like \"feature/\" or \"fix/\" and no surrounding quotes.\n")
+	promptBuilder.WriteString("Output ONLY the raw slug text, nothing else.\n\n")
+	promptBuilder.WriteString("Git Diff:\n")
+	promptBuilder.WriteString(summary.Diff)
+
+	request := zeroruntime.CompletionRequest{
+		Messages: []zeroruntime.Message{
+			{Role: zeroruntime.MessageRoleUser, Content: promptBuilder.String()},
+		},
+	}
+	stream, err := provider.StreamCompletion(ctx, request)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	collected := zeroruntime.CollectStream(ctx, stream)
+	if collected.Error != "" {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("%s", collected.Error)
+	}
+
+	slug := zerogit.SlugifyBranchComponent(extractBranchSlug(collected.Text))
+	if slug == "" {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("provider returned empty branch slug")
+	}
+	return slug, nil
+}
+
+// slugLineRe matches a line that already reads as a kebab-case slug (letters,
+// digits, and internal single hyphens only). extractBranchSlug prefers such a
+// line so a preamble sentence is never mistaken for the slug.
+var slugLineRe = regexp.MustCompile(`^[a-zA-Z0-9]+(-[a-zA-Z0-9]+)*$`)
+
+func isPreambleText(s string) bool {
+	lower := strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(s))
+	if strings.HasSuffix(lower, ":") || strings.HasSuffix(lower, ".") || strings.HasSuffix(lower, "!") || strings.HasSuffix(lower, "?") {
+		return true
+	}
+	preambles := []string{
+		"here is", "here's", "below is", "below are", "sure", "certainly",
+		"i suggest", "suggested branch", "branch name", "recommended branch",
+		"how about", "you could use",
+	}
+	for _, p := range preambles {
+		if strings.HasPrefix(lower, p) {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+// extractBranchSlug pulls the intended slug out of a model response that didn't
+// follow the "output only the raw slug" instruction exactly. It drops Markdown
+// code-fence lines, then prefers a line that already looks like a kebab-case
+// slug: that skips a leading preamble such as "Here is a suggested branch
+// name:" in favor of the "add-login-page" line that follows it. One-word
+// acknowledgements that happen to match the slug regex ("Sure", "Certainly")
+// are filtered as preamble before the early return, so "Sure\nadd login page"
+// yields the real suggestion. Inline labeled forms ("Branch name: add-login-page")
+// still work: the preamble check runs on the extracted value after the label
+// is stripped. If no line is strictly kebab-cased, it prefers a plausible
+// non-preamble line so plain multi-word replies still slugify correctly.
+func extractBranchSlug(text string) string {
+	var firstLine string
+
+	for _, line := range strings.Split(text, "\n") {
+		line = strings.TrimSpace(line)
+		if strings.HasPrefix(line, "```") {
+			continue
+		}
+		line = strings.TrimSpace(strings.Trim(line, `"'`))
+		if line == "" {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		candidate := line
+		if idx := strings.Index(line, ":"); idx != -1 {
+			after := strings.TrimSpace(strings.Trim(line[idx+1:], `"'`))
+			if after != "" {
+				candidate = after
+			}
+		}
+		// Models often terminate a suggestion with sentence punctuation;
+		// strip it so "add login page." is recovered as the slug rather than
+		// rejected as preamble (isPreambleText treats a trailing '.' as a
+		// full sentence). True preamble lines still match the prefix list.
+		candidate = strings.TrimSpace(strings.TrimRight(candidate, ".!?"))
+		if candidate == "" {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		// Preamble classification runs before accepting a slug-shaped line so
+		// "Sure" does not win over a later "add-login-page". The check is on
+		// candidate (post label-strip) so "Branch name: add-login-page" still
+		// returns the extracted slug.
+		if slugLineRe.MatchString(candidate) && !isPreambleText(candidate) {
+			return candidate
+		}
+
+		if firstLine == "" && !isPreambleText(candidate) {
+			firstLine = candidate
+		}
+	}
+
+	return firstLine
+}

internal/config/command_test.go

@@ -105,7 +105,17 @@ func TestLoadProviderCommandTimeout(t *testing.T) {
 //
 // This is a hang-breaker, not a tuned margin. Nothing in a healthy run waits on
 // it, since both tests return about one WaitDelay after the fixture exits.
-const providerCommandTestBudget = 60 * time.Second
+const (
+	providerCommandTestBudget        = 90 * time.Second
+	providerCommandReadyWaitAttempts = 45
+)
+
+func TestProviderCommandBudgetLeavesCleanupMargin(t *testing.T) {
+	readyWaitCeiling := time.Duration(providerCommandReadyWaitAttempts) * time.Second
+	if providerCommandTestBudget < 2*readyWaitCeiling {
+		t.Fatalf("provider command test budget %s leaves less than one readiness window for cleanup after %s", providerCommandTestBudget, readyWaitCeiling)
+	}
+}
 
 // backgroundChildLifetime must exceed providerCommandTestBudget so that a child
 // dying of old age is unobservable: any run where runProviderCommand has not
@@ -341,15 +351,15 @@ func writeCommand(t *testing.T, script commandScript) string {
 			// assertion fail is far more diagnosable than blocking until the
 			// timeout fires and reporting an unrelated error. Each iteration is
 			// about a second, since `ping -n 2` sleeps between its two echoes,
-			// so the ceiling is roughly 15s: far longer than any cold PowerShell
-			// start seen on a runner, and far shorter than
-			// providerCommandTestBudget, so giving up surfaces a legible
+			// so the ceiling is roughly 45s: enough for a heavily loaded Windows
+			// runner while leaving the other half of providerCommandTestBudget for
+			// process exit, PID-file verification, and cleanup. Giving up surfaces a legible
 			// PID-file failure rather than a timeout that hides the real cause.
 			lines = append(lines,
 				":zeroWaitReady",
 				"if exist \""+readyFile+"\" goto zeroReady",
 				"set /a ZERO_READY_TRIES+=1",
-				"if %ZERO_READY_TRIES% GEQ 15 goto zeroReady",
+				"if %ZERO_READY_TRIES% GEQ "+itoa(providerCommandReadyWaitAttempts)+" goto zeroReady",
 				"ping -n 2 127.0.0.1 >nul",
 				"goto zeroWaitReady",
 				":zeroReady",

internal/config/types.go

@@ -151,7 +151,8 @@ type KeyBindingsConfig struct {
 	ToggleMouse KeyBindingDef `json:"toggleMouse,omitempty"`
 	// CycleReasoning cycles through reasoning effort levels (default: ctrl+t).
 	CycleReasoning KeyBindingDef `json:"cycleReasoning,omitempty"`
-	// TogglePlan toggles the plan panel expansion (default: ctrl+p).
+	// TogglePlan is retained for configuration compatibility. Plan updates render
+	// in the transcript and no longer have a persistent panel to toggle.
 	TogglePlan KeyBindingDef `json:"togglePlan,omitempty"`
 	// ToggleSidebar toggles the right context sidebar (default: ctrl+b).
 	ToggleSidebar KeyBindingDef `json:"toggleSidebar,omitempty"`

internal/credstore/concurrency_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,246 @@
+package credstore
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func fileStore(t *testing.T, dir string) *Store {
+	t.Helper()
+	store, err := New(Options{Dir: dir, Storage: "file"})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("New: %v", err)
+	}
+	return store
+}
+
+// THE REPRODUCTION, kept as the regression. Before the lock this reliably kept
+// 1 of 100: every writer read the same map, added its own provider, and the
+// last rename published a file missing all the others.
+func TestConcurrentSetKeepsEveryKey(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	store := fileStore(t, dir)
+
+	const n = 100
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	errs := make(chan error, n)
+	for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func(i int) {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			if err := store.Set(fmt.Sprintf("p%03d", i), fmt.Sprintf("k%03d", i)); err != nil {
+				errs <- err
+			}
+		}(i)
+	}
+	wg.Wait()
+	close(errs)
+	for err := range errs {
+		t.Fatalf("Set: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	got, err := store.Providers()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Providers: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(got) != n {
+		t.Fatalf("kept %d of %d concurrent writes", len(got), n)
+	}
+	// ...and every value is the one its own writer wrote, not a neighbour's.
+	for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
+		key, ok, err := store.Get(fmt.Sprintf("p%03d", i))
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("Get: %v", err)
+		}
+		if !ok || key != fmt.Sprintf("k%03d", i) {
+			t.Fatalf("p%03d = %q (present=%v); a writer's own value must survive", i, key, ok)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// DELETE RACES SET, and an unlocked delete loses the other writer's key.
+//
+// A first version of this only checked that keys nobody deleted survived — and
+// every reader sees those, so it passed with the lock removed from Delete. The
+// case that actually breaks is a Delete whose stale read predates a concurrent
+// Set: it writes back a map that never contained the new key, and the Set is
+// gone. So the assertion is on the SETS surviving, not on the bystanders.
+func TestADeleteCannotClobberAConcurrentSet(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	store := fileStore(t, dir)
+
+	// Throwaway keys for the deleters to remove, written first so a delete
+	// always has something to do.
+	const churn = 40
+	for i := 0; i < churn; i++ {
+		if err := store.Set(fmt.Sprintf("churn%02d", i), "v"); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	const adds = 60
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	for i := 0; i < adds; i++ {
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func(i int) {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			_ = store.Set(fmt.Sprintf("added%02d", i), "v")
+		}(i)
+	}
+	for i := 0; i < churn; i++ {
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func(i int) {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			_, _ = store.Delete(fmt.Sprintf("churn%02d", i))
+		}(i)
+	}
+	wg.Wait()
+
+	got, err := store.Providers()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	survivors := map[string]bool{}
+	for _, name := range got {
+		survivors[name] = true
+	}
+	missing := []string{}
+	for i := 0; i < adds; i++ {
+		name := fmt.Sprintf("added%02d", i)
+		if !survivors[name] {
+			missing = append(missing, name)
+		}
+	}
+	if len(missing) > 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("%d of %d concurrent Set calls were clobbered by a racing Delete: %v",
+			len(missing), adds, missing)
+	}
+	// ...and every churn key really was removed, so the deletes were not
+	// no-ops that would make the check above vacuous.
+	for i := 0; i < churn; i++ {
+		if survivors[fmt.Sprintf("churn%02d", i)] {
+			t.Fatalf("churn%02d survived; the deletes did nothing and this test proves nothing", i)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// ACROSS PROCESSES, which is the case that matters: a plan running with
+// max_workers > 1 spawns child PROCESSES, and an in-process mutex would not
+// have helped any of them. The race detector cannot see this one either — it is
+// two OS processes — so it is driven for real.
+func TestConcurrentSetAcrossProcesses(t *testing.T) {
+	if testing.Short() {
+		t.Skip("spawns processes")
+	}
+	helper := os.Getenv("ZERO_CREDSTORE_HELPER_DIR")
+	if helper != "" {
+		// Child mode: write our slice of the keys and exit.
+		store, err := New(Options{Dir: helper, Storage: "file"})
+		if err != nil {
+			os.Exit(3)
+		}
+		prefix := os.Getenv("ZERO_CREDSTORE_HELPER_PREFIX")
+		for i := 0; i < 25; i++ {
+			if err := store.Set(fmt.Sprintf("%s%02d", prefix, i), "v"); err != nil {
+				os.Exit(4)
+			}
+		}
+		os.Exit(0)
+	}
+
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	const children = 4
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	failures := make(chan string, children)
+	for c := 0; c < children; c++ {
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func(c int) {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			cmd := exec.Command(os.Args[0], "-test.run=TestConcurrentSetAcrossProcesses", "-test.v")
+			cmd.Env = append(os.Environ(),
+				"ZERO_CREDSTORE_HELPER_DIR="+dir,
+				fmt.Sprintf("ZERO_CREDSTORE_HELPER_PREFIX=c%d_", c),
+			)
+			if out, err := cmd.CombinedOutput(); err != nil {
+				failures <- fmt.Sprintf("child %d: %v\n%s", c, err, out)
+			}
+		}(c)
+	}
+	wg.Wait()
+	close(failures)
+	for failure := range failures {
+		t.Fatal(failure)
+	}
+
+	store := fileStore(t, dir)
+	got, err := store.Providers()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(got) != children*25 {
+		t.Fatalf("kept %d of %d keys written by %d concurrent processes", len(got), children*25, children)
+	}
+}
+
+// The lock lives BESIDE the data file, never on it. write publishes by rename,
+// so a lock taken on the data file would be attached to an inode the next
+// writer has already replaced — every writer would appear to hold it.
+func TestTheLockIsNotTheDataFile(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	store := fileStore(t, dir)
+	if store.lockPath() == store.file {
+		t.Fatal("the lock is the data file; rename would carry it away")
+	}
+	if !strings.HasPrefix(filepath.Base(store.lockPath()), filepath.Base(store.file)) {
+		t.Fatalf("lock %q is not beside the data file %q", store.lockPath(), store.file)
+	}
+	if err := store.Set("p", "k"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, err := os.Stat(store.lockPath()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("the lock file was not created: %v", err)
+	}
+	// ...and it survives a write, since the rename replaces only the data file.
+	if err := store.Set("q", "k"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, err := os.Stat(store.lockPath()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("the lock file did not survive a write: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+// The lock is a security boundary, so the path where it CANNOT be taken needs
+// coverage too: an operation that could not lock must report that, never proceed
+// unserialized and never report success. Replacing the credential directory with
+// a regular file makes the lock's MkdirAll fail on every platform.
+func TestOperationsFailWhenTheLockCannotBeAcquired(t *testing.T) {
+	base := t.TempDir()
+	dir := filepath.Join(base, "creds")
+	store := fileStore(t, dir)
+	// Where the store expects its directory, put a regular file.
+	if err := os.WriteFile(dir, []byte("not a directory"), 0o600); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	if err := store.Set("openai", "sk-test"); err == nil {
+		t.Error("Set reported success although the lock could not be acquired")
+	}
+	if _, err := store.Delete("openai"); err == nil {
+		t.Error("Delete reported success although the lock could not be acquired")
+	}
+	if _, _, err := store.Get("openai"); err == nil {
+		t.Error("Get reported success although the lock could not be acquired")
+	}
+	if _, err := store.Providers(); err == nil {
+		t.Error("Providers reported success although the lock could not be acquired")
+	}
+	// And nothing may have been written through the failed path.
+	if raw, err := os.ReadFile(dir); err != nil || string(raw) != "not a directory" {
+		t.Errorf("the blocking file was modified: %q (err %v)", raw, err)
+	}
+}

internal/credstore/credstore.go

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ package credstore
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
@@ -125,14 +126,27 @@ func (s *Store) Backend() string { return s.backend }
 func (s *Store) Encrypted() bool { return s.backend == "keyring" || s.backend == "encrypted-file" }
 
 // Set stores (or overwrites) the API key for provider.
-func (s *Store) Set(provider, key string) error {
+func (s *Store) Set(provider, key string) (err error) {
 	provider = normalizeProvider(provider)
 	if provider == "" {
 		return fmt.Errorf("credstore: provider is required")
 	}
 	if s.backend == "keyring" {
+		// The OS keyring serializes its own writes; the file lock guards the
+		// file backends only.
 		return s.kr.Set(keyringService, keyringPrefix+provider, key)
 	}
+	// READ AND WRITE UNDER ONE LOCK. Separately locking each half would still
+	// lose keys: two writers would each read the same map, each add their own
+	// provider, and the second rename would publish a file missing the first.
+	// Measured before this existed: 1 of 100 concurrent Set calls survived.
+	release, err := s.acquireFileLock(true)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	// Joined, not chosen between: a release failure annotates the result instead
+	// of masking the write error that actually explains what went wrong.
+	defer func() { err = errors.Join(err, release()) }()
 	data, err := s.read()
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -142,7 +156,7 @@ func (s *Store) Set(provider, key string) error {
 }
 
 // Get returns the API key for provider and whether one is stored.
-func (s *Store) Get(provider string) (string, bool, error) {
+func (s *Store) Get(provider string) (value string, found bool, err error) {
 	provider = normalizeProvider(provider)
 	if provider == "" {
 		return "", false, nil
@@ -150,6 +164,15 @@ func (s *Store) Get(provider string) (string, bool, error) {
 	if s.backend == "keyring" {
 		return s.kr.Get(keyringService, keyringPrefix+provider)
 	}
+	// A shared lock, so a read serializes against a writer's publish. On unix
+	// the rename is atomic and this only prevents reading an empty file mid-swap;
+	// on Windows an unsynchronized reader holding the file open would block the
+	// writer's rename outright, so readers must coordinate through the same lock.
+	release, err := s.acquireFileLock(false)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", false, err
+	}
+	defer func() { err = errors.Join(err, release()) }()
 	data, err := s.read()
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", false, err
@@ -159,7 +182,7 @@ func (s *Store) Get(provider string) (string, bool, error) {
 }
 
 // Delete removes the API key for provider, reporting whether one existed.
-func (s *Store) Delete(provider string) (bool, error) {
+func (s *Store) Delete(provider string) (existed bool, err error) {
 	provider = normalizeProvider(provider)
 	if provider == "" {
 		return false, nil
@@ -167,6 +190,13 @@ func (s *Store) Delete(provider string) (bool, error) {
 	if s.backend == "keyring" {
 		return s.kr.Delete(keyringService, keyringPrefix+provider)
 	}
+	// The same lock as Set: a delete is a read-modify-write too, and one racing
+	// a set would otherwise resurrect or erase an unrelated provider.
+	release, err := s.acquireFileLock(true)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, err
+	}
+	defer func() { err = errors.Join(err, release()) }()
 	data, err := s.read()
 	if err != nil {
 		return false, err
@@ -179,17 +209,22 @@ func (s *Store) Delete(provider string) (bool, error) {
 }
 
 // Providers lists providers with a stored key (sorted), for display/audit.
-func (s *Store) Providers() ([]string, error) {
+func (s *Store) Providers() (names []string, err error) {
 	if s.backend == "keyring" {
 		// The OS keyring has no enumerate-by-prefix in our minimal surface; callers
 		// that need a list pass known provider names to Get. Return empty here.
 		return nil, nil
 	}
+	release, err := s.acquireFileLock(false)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	defer func() { err = errors.Join(err, release()) }()
 	data, err := s.read()
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	names := make([]string, 0, len(data))
+	names = make([]string, 0, len(data))
 	for name := range data {
 		names = append(names, name)
 	}
@@ -264,6 +299,15 @@ func (s *Store) write(data map[string]string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+// lockPath is the advisory lock guarding a read-modify-write of the credential
+// file. Beside the data file, never the data file itself — write publishes by
+// rename and would carry the lock away with the old inode.
+func (s *Store) lockPath() string { return s.file + ".lock" }
+
+// filepathDir is filepath.Dir, named locally so the two platform lock files can
+// share it without either importing path/filepath for one call.
+func filepathDir(path string) string { return filepath.Dir(path) }
+
 func normalizeProvider(provider string) string {
 	return strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(provider))
 }

internal/credstore/filelock_unix.go

@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+//go:build !windows
+
+package credstore
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+
+	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
+)
+
+// acquireFileLock takes an exclusive advisory lock (flock) so a read-modify-write
+// of the credential file is serialized against every other one — across
+// processes AND across goroutines, since flock is held per open file
+// description and two opens in one process contend exactly as two processes do.
+//
+// THE LOCK FILE IS SEPARATE FROM THE DATA FILE, and that is not tidiness. write
+// publishes by os.Rename, which replaces the inode; a lock taken on the data
+// file would be attached to an inode that the next writer has already replaced,
+// so every writer would appear to hold it. The lock lives on a file nothing
+// renames.
+func (s *Store) acquireFileLock(exclusive bool) (func() error, error) {
+	path := s.lockPath()
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepathDir(path), 0o700); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("credstore: lock dir: %w", err)
+	}
+	file, err := os.OpenFile(path, os.O_RDWR|os.O_CREATE, 0o600)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("credstore: open lock: %w", err)
+	}
+	// Writers take LOCK_EX; readers take LOCK_SH so they run concurrently with
+	// each other but still serialize against a writer's publish (see Get).
+	how := unix.LOCK_SH
+	if exclusive {
+		how = unix.LOCK_EX
+	}
+	if err := unix.Flock(int(file.Fd()), how); err != nil {
+		_ = file.Close()
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("credstore: lock: %w", err)
+	}
+	return func() error {
+		// Close alone drops the flock, so the explicit unlock is belt-and-braces —
+		// but its failure is reported rather than swallowed, because a cleanup that
+		// did not complete must not be indistinguishable from one that did. The
+		// callers join this into their result, so it annotates a successful write
+		// instead of masking it.
+		unlockErr := unix.Flock(int(file.Fd()), unix.LOCK_UN)
+		closeErr := file.Close()
+		if err := errors.Join(unlockErr, closeErr); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("credstore: release lock: %w", err)
+		}
+		return nil
+	}, nil
+}

internal/credstore/filelock_windows.go

@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+//go:build windows
+
+package credstore
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+
+	"golang.org/x/sys/windows"
+)
+
+// acquireFileLock takes an exclusive OS lock (LockFileEx) so a read-modify-write
+// of the credential file is serialized, matching the flock behaviour on unix.
+//
+// The lock file is SEPARATE from the data file for the same reason: write
+// publishes by rename, and a lock on the renamed file would be attached to
+// something the next writer has already replaced.
+func (s *Store) acquireFileLock(exclusive bool) (func() error, error) {
+	path := s.lockPath()
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepathDir(path), 0o700); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("credstore: lock dir: %w", err)
+	}
+	file, err := os.OpenFile(path, os.O_RDWR|os.O_CREATE, 0o600)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("credstore: open lock: %w", err)
+	}
+	handle := windows.Handle(file.Fd())
+	overlapped := new(windows.Overlapped)
+	// A fixed 1-byte region, blocking (no LOCKFILE_FAIL_IMMEDIATELY) so a
+	// waiter queues rather than failing the operation. Writers pass
+	// LOCKFILE_EXCLUSIVE_LOCK; readers omit it (a shared lock) so they still
+	// serialize against a writer's publish — which matters more on Windows,
+	// where an unsynchronized reader holding the file open blocks the rename.
+	flags := uint32(0)
+	if exclusive {
+		flags = windows.LOCKFILE_EXCLUSIVE_LOCK
+	}
+	if err := windows.LockFileEx(handle, flags, 0, 1, 0, overlapped); err != nil {
+		_ = file.Close()
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("credstore: lock: %w", err)
+	}
+	return func() error {
+		// Reported rather than swallowed, for the same reason as the unix side: a
+		// cleanup that did not complete must not look identical to one that did.
+		// It matters more here — on Windows the handle staying open is what blocks
+		// the next writer's rename, so a failed release has a visible consequence.
+		unlockErr := windows.UnlockFileEx(handle, 0, 1, 0, overlapped)
+		closeErr := file.Close()
+		if err := errors.Join(unlockErr, closeErr); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("credstore: release lock: %w", err)
+		}
+		return nil
+	}, nil
+}

internal/dictation/transcriber_deepgram.go

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 
+	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/providers/providerio"
 	"github.com/coder/websocket"
 )
 
@@ -60,7 +61,15 @@ func (d *deepgramTranscriber) StreamTranscribe(ctx context.Context, chunks <-cha
 		HTTPHeader: http.Header{"Authorization": {"Token " + d.cfg.APIKey}},
 	})
 	if err != nil {
-		return "", fmt.Errorf("connecting to Deepgram: %w", err)
+		// Preserve the context.Canceled sentinel (it carries no key) so an
+		// Esc-abort during dial still matches the UI's errors.Is check. Key
+		// on ctx.Err() itself rather than unwrapping err: a cancellation can
+		// surface as a plain transport error (e.g. "closed network
+		// connection") rather than context.Canceled directly.
+		if ctx.Err() != nil {
+			return "", ctx.Err()
+		}
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("connecting to Deepgram: %s", providerio.Redact(err.Error(), d.cfg.APIKey))
 	}
 	defer conn.CloseNow()
 
@@ -68,15 +77,26 @@ func (d *deepgramTranscriber) StreamTranscribe(ctx context.Context, chunks <-cha
 	// so no conversion (unlike sherpa-onnx, which wants float32).
 	writeErrCh := make(chan error, 1)
 	go func() {
-		for chunk := range chunks {
-			if err := conn.Write(ctx, websocket.MessageBinary, chunk); err != nil {
-				writeErrCh <- err
+		// Select on ctx.Done() while waiting for the next chunk so a cancelled
+		// session does not leave this goroutine blocked on an open idle channel.
+		for {
+			select {
+			case <-ctx.Done():
+				writeErrCh <- ctx.Err()
 				return
+			case chunk, ok := <-chunks:
+				if !ok {
+					// CloseStream flushes any buffered audio and returns final
+					// results before Deepgram closes the socket.
+					writeErrCh <- conn.Write(ctx, websocket.MessageText, []byte(`{"type":"CloseStream"}`))
+					return
+				}
+				if err := conn.Write(ctx, websocket.MessageBinary, chunk); err != nil {
+					writeErrCh <- err
+					return
+				}
 			}
 		}
-		// CloseStream flushes any buffered audio and returns final results before
-		// Deepgram closes the socket.
-		writeErrCh <- conn.Write(ctx, websocket.MessageText, []byte(`{"type":"CloseStream"}`))
 	}()
 
 	// Deepgram results are per-utterance segments, not cumulative: accumulate the
@@ -100,7 +120,18 @@ func (d *deepgramTranscriber) StreamTranscribe(ctx context.Context, chunks <-cha
 				}
 			default:
 			}
-			return compose(), fmt.Errorf("Deepgram stream error: %w", err) //nolint:staticcheck // Preserve established user-facing error text.
+			// A user abort cancels the streaming context; the UI matches it
+			// with errors.Is(err, context.Canceled), so return the sentinel
+			// itself (it carries no key) instead of a flat redacted string.
+			// Key on ctx.Err() rather than unwrapping err: the writeErrCh
+			// swap above can replace err with a plain transport error (e.g.
+			// "closed network connection") that doesn't itself unwrap to
+			// context.Canceled even though the cancellation is what caused it.
+			if ctx.Err() != nil {
+				return compose(), ctx.Err()
+			}
+			//nolint:staticcheck // Preserve established user-facing error text.
+			return compose(), fmt.Errorf("Deepgram stream error: %s", providerio.Redact(err.Error(), d.cfg.APIKey))
 		}
 		if typ != websocket.MessageText {
 			continue

internal/dictation/transcriber_deepgram_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,278 @@
+package dictation
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"strings"
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/coder/websocket"
+)
+
+// Non-cancellation dial failure: handshake returns 101 with an Upgrade header
+// equal to the API key so the dial error embeds the key and redaction must strip it.
+func TestDeepgramDialFailureRedactsKey(t *testing.T) {
+	const key = "sk-test-dial-key-abcdef"
+	baseURL := dialFailServerWithUpgrade(t, key)
+
+	tr, err := NewDeepgramTranscriber(DeepgramConfig{APIKey: key, BaseURL: baseURL})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	chunks := make(chan []byte)
+	close(chunks)
+	_, ferr := tr.StreamTranscribe(context.Background(), chunks, nil)
+	if ferr == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected dial failure")
+	}
+	if errors.Is(ferr, context.Canceled) {
+		t.Fatalf("dial failure should not be context.Canceled: %v", ferr)
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(ferr.Error(), key) {
+		t.Errorf("API key leaked from dial failure: %v", ferr)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(ferr.Error(), "connecting to Deepgram") {
+		t.Errorf("expected dial-path error prefix, got: %v", ferr)
+	}
+}
+
+// dialFailServerWithUpgrade returns a ws URL whose handshake responds 101 with
+// Upgrade set to upgradeValue (not "websocket"), so websocket.Dial fails with
+// that value in the error string. Hijacks and closes immediately to avoid the
+// library's 3s body-drain timeout on failed dials.
+func dialFailServerWithUpgrade(t *testing.T, upgradeValue string) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		hj, ok := w.(http.Hijacker)
+		if !ok {
+			http.Error(w, "hijack not supported", http.StatusInternalServerError)
+			return
+		}
+		conn, bufrw, err := hj.Hijack()
+		if err != nil {
+			return
+		}
+		defer conn.Close()
+		_, _ = bufrw.WriteString("HTTP/1.1 101 Switching Protocols\r\n")
+		_, _ = bufrw.WriteString("Connection: Upgrade\r\n")
+		_, _ = bufrw.WriteString("Upgrade: " + upgradeValue + "\r\n\r\n")
+		_ = bufrw.Flush()
+	}))
+	t.Cleanup(srv.Close)
+	return "ws" + strings.TrimPrefix(srv.URL, "http")
+}
+
+func TestDeepgramStreamTranscribeErrorRedaction(t *testing.T) {
+	url := wsTestServer(t, func(ctx context.Context, c *websocket.Conn) {
+		// Drain the client's audio frames, then wait for CloseStream so the
+		// client has flushed its writes before we reject the connection. Closing
+		// immediately (before CloseStream) risks the client failing on a write
+		// error and never observing this API-key-bearing close reason.
+		for {
+			typ, data, err := c.Read(ctx)
+			if err != nil {
+				return
+			}
+			if typ == websocket.MessageText && strings.Contains(string(data), "CloseStream") {
+				break
+			}
+		}
+		c.Close(websocket.StatusPolicyViolation, "invalid key sk-test-key")
+	})
+
+	tr, err := NewDeepgramTranscriber(DeepgramConfig{APIKey: "sk-test-key", BaseURL: url})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	chunks := make(chan []byte, 1)
+	chunks <- make([]byte, 320)
+	close(chunks)
+	_, ferr := tr.StreamTranscribe(context.Background(), chunks, func(string, bool) {})
+	if ferr == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error")
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(ferr.Error(), "sk-test-key") {
+		t.Errorf("API key leaked: %v", ferr)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDeepgramStreamTranscribeCancelKeepsSentinel(t *testing.T) {
+	firstFrame := make(chan struct{})
+	url := wsTestServer(t, func(ctx context.Context, c *websocket.Conn) {
+		// Hold the connection open, never answering, so the client blocks in
+		// Read until its context is cancelled (the Esc-abort path).
+		var once sync.Once
+		for {
+			if _, _, err := c.Read(ctx); err != nil {
+				return
+			}
+			once.Do(func() { close(firstFrame) })
+		}
+	})
+
+	tr, err := NewDeepgramTranscriber(DeepgramConfig{APIKey: "sk-test-key", BaseURL: url})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	defer cancel()
+	chunks := make(chan []byte, 1)
+	defer close(chunks)
+	chunks <- make([]byte, 320)
+	// The channel stays open: the session is live when the user aborts.
+	errCh := make(chan error, 1)
+	go func() {
+		_, ferr := tr.StreamTranscribe(ctx, chunks, nil)
+		errCh <- ferr
+	}()
+
+	select {
+	case <-firstFrame:
+		cancel()
+		ferr := <-errCh
+		if !errors.Is(ferr, context.Canceled) {
+			t.Fatalf("cancelled stream error lost the context.Canceled sentinel: %v", ferr)
+		}
+	case ferr := <-errCh:
+		t.Fatalf("StreamTranscribe failed early instead of blocking: %v", ferr)
+	}
+}
+
+// Esc can cancel while the WebSocket dial is still pending. The dial error is
+// redacted with %s, so we must return ctx.Err() rather than a flat string.
+func TestDeepgramStreamTranscribeDialCancelKeepsSentinel(t *testing.T) {
+	tr, err := NewDeepgramTranscriber(DeepgramConfig{
+		APIKey:  "sk-test-key",
+		BaseURL: "ws://127.0.0.1:1", // never reached; ctx is already cancelled
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	cancel()
+	chunks := make(chan []byte)
+	defer close(chunks)
+
+	_, ferr := tr.StreamTranscribe(ctx, chunks, nil)
+	if !errors.Is(ferr, context.Canceled) {
+		t.Fatalf("dial-cancel lost the context.Canceled sentinel: %v", ferr)
+	}
+}
+
+// Esc right after accept can race the first write or the first Read; both
+// setup/write redaction sites must still yield context.Canceled.
+func TestDeepgramStreamTranscribeStartupCancelKeepsSentinel(t *testing.T) {
+	accepted := make(chan struct{})
+	url := wsTestServer(t, func(ctx context.Context, c *websocket.Conn) {
+		close(accepted)
+		for {
+			if _, _, err := c.Read(ctx); err != nil {
+				return
+			}
+		}
+	})
+
+	tr, err := NewDeepgramTranscriber(DeepgramConfig{APIKey: "sk-test-key", BaseURL: url})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	defer cancel()
+	chunks := make(chan []byte, 1)
+	defer close(chunks)
+	// No frames yet: the writer blocks on chunks or the reader blocks on Read.
+	errCh := make(chan error, 1)
+	go func() {
+		_, ferr := tr.StreamTranscribe(ctx, chunks, nil)
+		errCh <- ferr
+	}()
+
+	select {
+	case <-accepted:
+		cancel()
+		ferr := <-errCh
+		if !errors.Is(ferr, context.Canceled) {
+			t.Fatalf("startup-cancel lost the context.Canceled sentinel: %v", ferr)
+		}
+	case ferr := <-errCh:
+		t.Fatalf("StreamTranscribe failed before accept: %v", ferr)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestDeepgramStreamErrorRedactsHeaderShapedKey exercises the same stream-error
+// redaction path as TestDeepgramStreamTranscribeErrorRedaction, with a close
+// reason that embeds the key next to an X-Api-Key-shaped header label.
+func TestDeepgramStreamErrorRedactsHeaderShapedKey(t *testing.T) {
+	url := wsTestServer(t, func(ctx context.Context, c *websocket.Conn) {
+		for {
+			typ, data, err := c.Read(ctx)
+			if err != nil {
+				return
+			}
+			if typ == websocket.MessageText && strings.Contains(string(data), "CloseStream") {
+				break
+			}
+		}
+		c.Close(websocket.StatusPolicyViolation, "X-Api-Key: sk-custom-secret-key-1234567890 failed")
+	})
+
+	tr, err := NewDeepgramTranscriber(DeepgramConfig{APIKey: "sk-custom-secret-key-1234567890", BaseURL: url})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	chunks := make(chan []byte, 1)
+	chunks <- make([]byte, 320)
+	close(chunks)
+	_, ferr := tr.StreamTranscribe(context.Background(), chunks, func(string, bool) {})
+	if ferr == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error")
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(ferr.Error(), "sk-custom-secret-key-1234567890") {
+		t.Errorf("Custom header API key leaked: %v", ferr)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDeepgramSinglePassRedaction(t *testing.T) {
+	url := wsTestServer(t, func(ctx context.Context, c *websocket.Conn) {
+		for {
+			typ, data, err := c.Read(ctx)
+			if err != nil {
+				return
+			}
+			if typ == websocket.MessageText && strings.Contains(string(data), "CloseStream") {
+				break
+			}
+		}
+		c.Close(websocket.StatusPolicyViolation, "error with sk-key1234567890abcdef1234")
+	})
+
+	tr, err := NewDeepgramTranscriber(DeepgramConfig{APIKey: "sk-key1234567890abcdef1234", BaseURL: url})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	chunks := make(chan []byte, 1)
+	chunks <- make([]byte, 320)
+	close(chunks)
+	_, ferr := tr.StreamTranscribe(context.Background(), chunks, func(string, bool) {})
+	if ferr == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error")
+	}
+	got := ferr.Error()
+	if strings.Contains(got, "sk-key1234567890abcdef1234") {
+		t.Fatalf("API key leaked into stream error: %q", got)
+	}
+	// One key occurrence must produce exactly one redaction marker (no double wrap).
+	if strings.Count(got, "[REDACTED]") != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("redaction markers in %q: want exactly 1 [REDACTED]", got)
+	}
+}

internal/dictation/transcriber_openai_realtime.go

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"net/http"
 	"strings"
 
+	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/providers/providerio"
 	"github.com/coder/websocket"
 )
 
@@ -22,6 +23,10 @@ type OpenAIRealtimeConfig struct {
 	Model  string // default "gpt-4o-transcribe"
 	// BaseURL overrides the wss endpoint (tests point it at a fake server).
 	BaseURL string
+	// writeErrInjector, when set, is consulted before each JSON websocket write.
+	// Used by same-package tests to force controllable write failures that embed
+	// secrets; production callers leave it nil.
+	writeErrInjector func() error
 }
 
 type openAIRealtimeTranscriber struct {
@@ -59,7 +64,15 @@ func (o *openAIRealtimeTranscriber) StreamTranscribe(ctx context.Context, chunks
 		},
 	})
 	if err != nil {
-		return "", fmt.Errorf("connecting to OpenAI Realtime: %w", err)
+		// Preserve the context.Canceled sentinel (it carries no key) so an
+		// Esc-abort during dial still matches the UI's errors.Is check. Key
+		// on ctx.Err() itself rather than unwrapping err: a cancellation can
+		// surface as a plain transport error (e.g. "closed network
+		// connection") rather than context.Canceled directly.
+		if ctx.Err() != nil {
+			return "", ctx.Err()
+		}
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("connecting to OpenAI Realtime: %s", providerio.Redact(err.Error(), o.cfg.APIKey))
 	}
 	defer conn.CloseNow()
 
@@ -73,24 +86,53 @@ func (o *openAIRealtimeTranscriber) StreamTranscribe(ctx context.Context, chunks
 			},
 		},
 	}
-	if err := writeJSON(ctx, conn, sessionUpdate); err != nil {
-		return "", fmt.Errorf("configuring OpenAI Realtime session: %w", err)
+	if err := o.writeJSON(ctx, conn, sessionUpdate); err != nil {
+		// Same cancellation short-circuit as the dial above: an Esc-abort
+		// while the session update is in flight must stay context.Canceled.
+		if ctx.Err() != nil {
+			return "", ctx.Err()
+		}
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("configuring OpenAI Realtime session: %s", providerio.Redact(err.Error(), o.cfg.APIKey))
 	}
 
 	writeErrCh := make(chan error, 1)
 	go func() {
-		for chunk := range chunks {
-			appendMsg := map[string]any{
-				"type":  "input_audio_buffer.append",
-				"audio": base64.StdEncoding.EncodeToString(chunk),
-			}
-			if err := writeJSON(ctx, conn, appendMsg); err != nil {
-				writeErrCh <- err
+		// Select on ctx.Done() while waiting for the next chunk so a cancelled
+		// session does not leave this goroutine blocked on an open idle channel.
+		for {
+			select {
+			case <-ctx.Done():
+				writeErrCh <- ctx.Err()
 				return
+			case chunk, ok := <-chunks:
+				if !ok {
+					// Commit the buffered audio to force final transcription.
+					if err := o.writeJSON(ctx, conn, map[string]any{"type": "input_audio_buffer.commit"}); err != nil {
+						writeErrCh <- err
+						// Unblock the reader: without a close, conn.Read stays
+						// parked on a silent peer and the error is never drained
+						// from writeErrCh. CloseNow aborts instead of waiting on
+						// the close handshake, which a silent peer never answers.
+						conn.CloseNow()
+						return
+					}
+					writeErrCh <- nil
+					return
+				}
+				appendMsg := map[string]any{
+					"type":  "input_audio_buffer.append",
+					"audio": base64.StdEncoding.EncodeToString(chunk),
+				}
+				if err := o.writeJSON(ctx, conn, appendMsg); err != nil {
+					writeErrCh <- err
+					// Same unblocking close as the commit path: a server that
+					// goes silent after session setup would otherwise leave the
+					// reader blocked in conn.Read with the error undrained.
+					conn.CloseNow()
+					return
+				}
 			}
 		}
-		// Commit the buffered audio to force final transcription of the utterance.
-		writeErrCh <- writeJSON(ctx, conn, map[string]any{"type": "input_audio_buffer.commit"})
 	}()
 
 	// OpenAI deltas are incremental (append), unlike Deepgram/sherpa's cumulative
@@ -113,7 +155,17 @@ func (o *openAIRealtimeTranscriber) StreamTranscribe(ctx context.Context, chunks
 				}
 			default:
 			}
-			return compose(), fmt.Errorf("OpenAI Realtime stream error: %w", err)
+			// A user abort cancels the streaming context; the UI matches it
+			// with errors.Is(err, context.Canceled), so return the sentinel
+			// itself (it carries no key) instead of a flat redacted string.
+			// Key on ctx.Err() rather than unwrapping err: the writeErrCh
+			// swap above can replace err with a plain transport error (e.g.
+			// "closed network connection") that doesn't itself unwrap to
+			// context.Canceled even though the cancellation is what caused it.
+			if ctx.Err() != nil {
+				return compose(), ctx.Err()
+			}
+			return compose(), fmt.Errorf("OpenAI Realtime stream error: %s", providerio.Redact(err.Error(), o.cfg.APIKey))
 		}
 		if typ != websocket.MessageText {
 			continue
@@ -125,6 +177,12 @@ func (o *openAIRealtimeTranscriber) StreamTranscribe(ctx context.Context, chunks
 			if onPartial != nil {
 				onPartial(compose(), false)
 			}
+			// onPartial may deliver the partial that makes the TUI cancel
+			// (Esc). Observe that before the next Read, which can already
+			// have a racing OpenAI error frame buffered.
+			if ctx.Err() != nil {
+				return compose(), ctx.Err()
+			}
 		case realtimeCompleted:
 			// A completed item replaces the in-progress delta buffer with the
 			// server's authoritative transcript for that segment.
@@ -138,6 +196,9 @@ func (o *openAIRealtimeTranscriber) StreamTranscribe(ctx context.Context, chunks
 			if onPartial != nil {
 				onPartial(compose(), true)
 			}
+			if ctx.Err() != nil {
+				return compose(), ctx.Err()
+			}
 			// Once we've committed the buffer (user stopped) and the server has
 			// returned a completed transcription, the utterance is done.
 			if committed {
@@ -147,7 +208,15 @@ func (o *openAIRealtimeTranscriber) StreamTranscribe(ctx context.Context, chunks
 		case realtimeCommitted:
 			committed = true
 		case realtimeError:
-			return compose(), fmt.Errorf("OpenAI Realtime error: %s", evt.text)
+			// Esc can race an incoming error event: conn.Read may already have
+			// the OpenAI error in hand by the time cancellation lands. Key on
+			// ctx.Err() first, same as every other return point in this loop,
+			// so a cancel that wins the race still surfaces as context.Canceled
+			// instead of a spurious redacted failure alongside it.
+			if ctx.Err() != nil {
+				return compose(), ctx.Err()
+			}
+			return compose(), fmt.Errorf("OpenAI Realtime error: %s", providerio.Redact(evt.text, o.cfg.APIKey))
 		}
 		// The writer signals commit completion out of band; observe it so a
 		// stop with no further audio still flips `committed`.
@@ -155,6 +224,10 @@ func (o *openAIRealtimeTranscriber) StreamTranscribe(ctx context.Context, chunks
 		case werr := <-writeErrCh:
 			if werr == nil {
 				committed = true
+			} else if ctx.Err() != nil {
+				return compose(), ctx.Err()
+			} else {
+				return compose(), fmt.Errorf("OpenAI Realtime stream error: %s", providerio.Redact(werr.Error(), o.cfg.APIKey))
 			}
 		default:
 		}
@@ -201,6 +274,15 @@ func parseRealtimeEvent(data []byte) realtimeEvent {
 	return realtimeEvent{kind: realtimeOther}
 }
 
+func (o *openAIRealtimeTranscriber) writeJSON(ctx context.Context, conn *websocket.Conn, v any) error {
+	if o.cfg.writeErrInjector != nil {
+		if err := o.cfg.writeErrInjector(); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+	return writeJSON(ctx, conn, v)
+}
+
 func writeJSON(ctx context.Context, conn *websocket.Conn, v any) error {
 	data, err := json.Marshal(v)
 	if err != nil {

internal/dictation/transcriber_openai_realtime_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,437 @@
+package dictation
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"strings"
+	"sync"
+	"sync/atomic"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/coder/websocket"
+)
+
+// Non-cancellation dial failure: handshake returns 101 with an Upgrade header
+// equal to the API key so the dial error embeds the key and redaction must strip it.
+func TestOpenAIRealtimeDialFailureRedactsKey(t *testing.T) {
+	const key = "sk-test-dial-key-abcdef"
+	baseURL := dialFailServerWithUpgrade(t, key)
+
+	tr, err := NewOpenAIRealtimeTranscriber(OpenAIRealtimeConfig{APIKey: key, BaseURL: baseURL})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	chunks := make(chan []byte)
+	close(chunks)
+	_, ferr := tr.StreamTranscribe(context.Background(), chunks, nil)
+	if ferr == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected dial failure")
+	}
+	if errors.Is(ferr, context.Canceled) {
+		t.Fatalf("dial failure should not be context.Canceled: %v", ferr)
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(ferr.Error(), key) {
+		t.Errorf("API key leaked from dial failure: %v", ferr)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(ferr.Error(), "connecting to OpenAI Realtime") {
+		t.Errorf("expected dial-path error prefix, got: %v", ferr)
+	}
+}
+
+// Session-configuration write fails after dial: inject a write error that embeds
+// the API key (peer close cannot reach this path reliably — the session write
+// always lands in the kernel buffer first) and assert redaction.
+func TestOpenAIRealtimeSessionConfigFailureRedactsKey(t *testing.T) {
+	const key = "sk-test-session-key-abcdef"
+	url := wsTestServer(t, func(ctx context.Context, c *websocket.Conn) {
+		// Hold open; the client fails on the injected session write before reading.
+		<-ctx.Done()
+	})
+
+	tr, err := NewOpenAIRealtimeTranscriber(OpenAIRealtimeConfig{
+		APIKey:  key,
+		BaseURL: url,
+		writeErrInjector: func() error {
+			return errors.New("invalid API key " + key)
+		},
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	chunks := make(chan []byte)
+	close(chunks)
+	_, ferr := tr.StreamTranscribe(context.Background(), chunks, nil)
+	if ferr == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected session-config failure")
+	}
+	if errors.Is(ferr, context.Canceled) {
+		t.Fatalf("session-config failure should not be context.Canceled: %v", ferr)
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(ferr.Error(), key) {
+		t.Errorf("API key leaked from session-config failure: %v", ferr)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(ferr.Error(), "configuring OpenAI Realtime session") {
+		t.Errorf("expected session-config error prefix, got: %v", ferr)
+	}
+}
+
+// Asynchronous writer failure: session update succeeds, then the audio writer
+// injects a key-bearing write error. The server keeps the connection open and
+// emits a delta so the reader loop observes writeErrCh (not a peer close).
+func TestOpenAIRealtimeWriterFailureRedactsKey(t *testing.T) {
+	const key = "sk-test-writer-key-abcdef"
+	sessionDone := make(chan struct{})
+	url := wsTestServer(t, func(ctx context.Context, c *websocket.Conn) {
+		if _, _, err := c.Read(ctx); err != nil {
+			return
+		}
+		close(sessionDone)
+		// Keep reading and emit a delta so the client processes an event and
+		// drains writeErrCh while the connection is still open.
+		_ = c.Write(ctx, websocket.MessageText, []byte(
+			`{"type":"conversation.item.input_audio_transcription.delta","delta":"hi"}`,
+		))
+		for {
+			if _, _, err := c.Read(ctx); err != nil {
+				return
+			}
+		}
+	})
+
+	var writes atomic.Int32
+	tr, err := NewOpenAIRealtimeTranscriber(OpenAIRealtimeConfig{
+		APIKey:  key,
+		BaseURL: url,
+		writeErrInjector: func() error {
+			// First write is session.update; fail subsequent audio/commit writes.
+			if writes.Add(1) == 1 {
+				return nil
+			}
+			return errors.New("invalid API key " + key)
+		},
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	chunks := make(chan []byte, 1)
+	chunks <- make([]byte, 480)
+	// Leave open after the first frame so the writer hits the injected error
+	// on that append rather than a clean commit.
+
+	done := make(chan error, 1)
+	go func() {
+		_, ferr := tr.StreamTranscribe(context.Background(), chunks, func(string, bool) {})
+		done <- ferr
+	}()
+
+	var ferr error
+	select {
+	case ferr = <-done:
+	case <-time.After(5 * time.Second):
+		close(chunks)
+		t.Fatal("StreamTranscribe did not complete after writer failure")
+	}
+	close(chunks)
+
+	if ferr == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected writer failure")
+	}
+	if errors.Is(ferr, context.Canceled) {
+		t.Fatalf("writer failure should not be context.Canceled: %v", ferr)
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(ferr.Error(), key) {
+		t.Errorf("API key leaked from writer failure: %v", ferr)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(ferr.Error(), "OpenAI Realtime stream error") {
+		t.Errorf("expected stream/writer error prefix, got: %v", ferr)
+	}
+	select {
+	case <-sessionDone:
+	default:
+		// Session may race the injected audio write; prefix assertion above is enough.
+	}
+}
+
+// Writer failure with a silent server: the peer never sends a frame after
+// session setup, so the reader is parked in conn.Read. The writer must close
+// the connection on failure or the writeErrCh error is never observed and
+// StreamTranscribe blocks forever.
+func TestOpenAIRealtimeWriterFailureUnblocksSilentServer(t *testing.T) {
+	const key = "sk-test-silent-writer-key-abcdef"
+	url := wsTestServer(t, func(ctx context.Context, c *websocket.Conn) {
+		// Hold the connection open without ever writing a frame.
+		<-ctx.Done()
+	})
+
+	var writes atomic.Int32
+	tr, err := NewOpenAIRealtimeTranscriber(OpenAIRealtimeConfig{
+		APIKey:  key,
+		BaseURL: url,
+		writeErrInjector: func() error {
+			// First write is session.update; fail the subsequent append write.
+			if writes.Add(1) == 1 {
+				return nil
+			}
+			return errors.New("invalid API key " + key)
+		},
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	defer cancel()
+	chunks := make(chan []byte, 1)
+	chunks <- make([]byte, 480)
+	// Leave the channel open: the writer must fail on the append, not the commit.
+	done := make(chan error, 1)
+	go func() {
+		_, ferr := tr.StreamTranscribe(ctx, chunks, func(string, bool) {})
+		done <- ferr
+	}()
+
+	select {
+	case ferr := <-done:
+		if ferr == nil {
+			t.Fatal("expected writer failure")
+		}
+		if errors.Is(ferr, context.Canceled) {
+			t.Fatalf("writer failure should not be context.Canceled: %v", ferr)
+		}
+		if strings.Contains(ferr.Error(), key) {
+			t.Errorf("API key leaked from writer failure: %v", ferr)
+		}
+		if !strings.Contains(ferr.Error(), "OpenAI Realtime stream error") {
+			t.Errorf("expected stream/writer error prefix, got: %v", ferr)
+		}
+	case <-time.After(5 * time.Second):
+		close(chunks)
+		t.Fatal("StreamTranscribe did not unblock after writer failure with a silent server")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestOpenAIRealtimeStreamTranscribeErrorRedaction(t *testing.T) {
+	url := wsTestServer(t, func(ctx context.Context, c *websocket.Conn) {
+		defer c.Close(websocket.StatusNormalClosure, "")
+		for {
+			typ, _, err := c.Read(ctx)
+			if err != nil {
+				return
+			}
+			if typ != websocket.MessageText {
+				continue
+			}
+			_ = c.Write(ctx, websocket.MessageText, []byte(`{"type":"error","error":{"message":"invalid API key sk-test-key"}}`))
+		}
+	})
+
+	tr, err := NewOpenAIRealtimeTranscriber(OpenAIRealtimeConfig{APIKey: "sk-test-key", BaseURL: url})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	chunks := make(chan []byte, 1)
+	chunks <- make([]byte, 480)
+	close(chunks)
+	_, ferr := tr.StreamTranscribe(context.Background(), chunks, func(string, bool) {})
+	if ferr == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error")
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(ferr.Error(), "sk-test-key") {
+		t.Errorf("API key leaked: %v", ferr)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestOpenAIRealtimeStreamTranscribeCancelKeepsSentinel(t *testing.T) {
+	firstFrame := make(chan struct{})
+	url := wsTestServer(t, func(ctx context.Context, c *websocket.Conn) {
+		// Hold the connection open, never answering, so the client blocks in
+		// Read until its context is cancelled (the Esc-abort path).
+		var once sync.Once
+		for {
+			if _, _, err := c.Read(ctx); err != nil {
+				return
+			}
+			once.Do(func() { close(firstFrame) })
+		}
+	})
+
+	tr, err := NewOpenAIRealtimeTranscriber(OpenAIRealtimeConfig{APIKey: "sk-test-key", BaseURL: url})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	defer cancel()
+	chunks := make(chan []byte, 1)
+	defer close(chunks)
+	chunks <- make([]byte, 480)
+	// The channel stays open: the session is live when the user aborts.
+	errCh := make(chan error, 1)
+	go func() {
+		_, ferr := tr.StreamTranscribe(ctx, chunks, nil)
+		errCh <- ferr
+	}()
+
+	select {
+	case <-firstFrame:
+		cancel()
+		ferr := <-errCh
+		if !errors.Is(ferr, context.Canceled) {
+			t.Fatalf("cancelled stream error lost the context.Canceled sentinel: %v", ferr)
+		}
+	case ferr := <-errCh:
+		t.Fatalf("StreamTranscribe failed early instead of blocking: %v", ferr)
+	}
+}
+
+// Esc can cancel while the WebSocket dial is still pending. The dial error is
+// redacted with %s, so we must return ctx.Err() rather than a flat string.
+func TestOpenAIRealtimeStreamTranscribeDialCancelKeepsSentinel(t *testing.T) {
+	tr, err := NewOpenAIRealtimeTranscriber(OpenAIRealtimeConfig{
+		APIKey:  "sk-test-key",
+		BaseURL: "ws://127.0.0.1:1", // never reached; ctx is already cancelled
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	cancel()
+	chunks := make(chan []byte)
+	defer close(chunks)
+
+	_, ferr := tr.StreamTranscribe(ctx, chunks, nil)
+	if !errors.Is(ferr, context.Canceled) {
+		t.Fatalf("dial-cancel lost the context.Canceled sentinel: %v", ferr)
+	}
+}
+
+// Esc right after accept can hit the session-update write or the first Read;
+// both redaction sites must still yield context.Canceled.
+func TestOpenAIRealtimeStreamTranscribeStartupCancelKeepsSentinel(t *testing.T) {
+	accepted := make(chan struct{})
+	url := wsTestServer(t, func(ctx context.Context, c *websocket.Conn) {
+		close(accepted)
+		// Do not read: leave the client in session-update write or first Read.
+		<-ctx.Done()
+	})
+
+	tr, err := NewOpenAIRealtimeTranscriber(OpenAIRealtimeConfig{APIKey: "sk-test-key", BaseURL: url})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	defer cancel()
+	chunks := make(chan []byte, 1)
+	defer close(chunks)
+	errCh := make(chan error, 1)
+	go func() {
+		_, ferr := tr.StreamTranscribe(ctx, chunks, nil)
+		errCh <- ferr
+	}()
+
+	select {
+	case <-accepted:
+		cancel()
+		ferr := <-errCh
+		if !errors.Is(ferr, context.Canceled) {
+			t.Fatalf("startup-cancel lost the context.Canceled sentinel: %v", ferr)
+		}
+	case ferr := <-errCh:
+		t.Fatalf("StreamTranscribe failed before accept: %v", ferr)
+	}
+}
+
+// Cancel while the writer is blocked on more chunks. Whichever path observes
+// the cancellation first (the blocked conn.Read or the writeErrCh drain) must
+// return context.Canceled rather than a redacted flat string.
+func TestOpenAIRealtimeStreamTranscribeWriteCancelKeepsSentinel(t *testing.T) {
+	sessionReceived := make(chan struct{})
+	url := wsTestServer(t, func(ctx context.Context, c *websocket.Conn) {
+		if _, _, err := c.Read(ctx); err != nil {
+			return
+		}
+		close(sessionReceived)
+		for {
+			if _, _, err := c.Read(ctx); err != nil {
+				return
+			}
+		}
+	})
+
+	tr, err := NewOpenAIRealtimeTranscriber(OpenAIRealtimeConfig{APIKey: "sk-test-key", BaseURL: url})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	defer cancel()
+	chunks := make(chan []byte, 1)
+	chunks <- make([]byte, 480)
+	defer close(chunks)
+
+	errCh := make(chan error, 1)
+	go func() {
+		_, ferr := tr.StreamTranscribe(ctx, chunks, nil)
+		errCh <- ferr
+	}()
+
+	select {
+	case <-sessionReceived:
+		cancel()
+		ferr := <-errCh
+		if !errors.Is(ferr, context.Canceled) {
+			t.Fatalf("write-path cancel lost the context.Canceled sentinel: %v", ferr)
+		}
+	case ferr := <-errCh:
+		t.Fatalf("StreamTranscribe failed early instead of blocking: %v", ferr)
+	}
+}
+
+// Esc can race an incoming OpenAI error event. conn.Read may already have
+// the error frame in hand by the time the cancellation lands. The server
+// fires a delta immediately followed by the error, back to back. Cancel from
+// inside the delta callback (same path the TUI uses when a partial triggers
+// Esc handling) so the cancel is observed before the next event is processed.
+// The returned error must still be context.Canceled, not the redacted OpenAI
+// error.
+func TestOpenAIRealtimeStreamTranscribeErrorRaceKeepsSentinel(t *testing.T) {
+	url := wsTestServer(t, func(ctx context.Context, c *websocket.Conn) {
+		if _, _, err := c.Read(ctx); err != nil {
+			return
+		}
+		_ = c.Write(ctx, websocket.MessageText, []byte(
+			`{"type":"conversation.item.input_audio_transcription.delta","delta":"hi"}`,
+		))
+		_ = c.Write(ctx, websocket.MessageText, []byte(
+			`{"type":"error","error":{"message":"invalid API key sk-test-key"}}`,
+		))
+		<-ctx.Done()
+	})
+
+	tr, err := NewOpenAIRealtimeTranscriber(OpenAIRealtimeConfig{APIKey: "sk-test-key", BaseURL: url})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	defer cancel()
+	chunks := make(chan []byte, 1)
+	defer close(chunks)
+	chunks <- make([]byte, 480)
+	var once sync.Once
+	_, ferr := tr.StreamTranscribe(ctx, chunks, func(string, bool) {
+		// Cancel synchronously from the partial callback, before the
+		// stream loop continues to the already-buffered error frame.
+		once.Do(cancel)
+	})
+	if !errors.Is(ferr, context.Canceled) {
+		t.Fatalf("StreamTranscribe error = %v, want context.Canceled (cancel must win over a racing OpenAI error event)", ferr)
+	}
+}

internal/execution/process_unix.go

@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"os/exec"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
 	"syscall"
 	"time"
 )
@@ -38,12 +40,45 @@ func KillProcessTree(pid int) error {
 // TerminateProcessTree requests graceful termination, then force-kills the
 // process tree after grace. Callers retain their distinct persistence models;
 // this function owns only the OS lifecycle primitive.
+//
+// The signal target is REDISCOVERED here via processSignalTarget(pid), which
+// asks the OS for pid's current group. A caller that already knows pid was
+// configured as its own group leader at launch (e.g. via ConfigureProcessGroup)
+// should use TerminateProcessGroup instead — see its doc comment for why this
+// rediscovery is fragile once the leader may have already exited.
 func TerminateProcessTree(pid int, grace, poll time.Duration) error {
 	target, err := processSignalTarget(pid)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	alive := func() bool { return syscall.Kill(target, syscall.Signal(0)) == nil }
+	return terminateTarget(pid, target, grace, poll)
+}
+
+// TerminateProcessGroup is like TerminateProcessTree, but for a caller that
+// already knows pid is (or was, at launch) its own process-group leader — e.g.
+// a command started after ConfigureProcessGroup(cmd), which sets Setpgid so
+// cmd.Process.Pid always leads its own group at the moment it is signalled.
+//
+// TerminateProcessTree instead rediscovers the group via syscall.Getpgid(pid)
+// at call time. On Darwin, that lookup can return ESRCH once an unreaped group
+// leader has already exited, even though live descendants remain in the group
+// it configured — TerminateProcessTree would then silently fall back to
+// signalling only the (already dead) leader PID and leave those descendants
+// running. Skipping rediscovery in favor of the launch-time invariant avoids
+// that: the negative PID is used directly, regardless of whether the leader is
+// still alive to be looked up.
+func TerminateProcessGroup(pid int, grace, poll time.Duration) error {
+	if pid <= 1 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("refusing to signal invalid pid %d", pid)
+	}
+	return terminateTarget(pid, -pid, grace, poll)
+}
+
+// terminateTarget signals target (an individual PID or, negative, a process
+// group) with SIGTERM then, after grace, SIGKILL. reportPid identifies the
+// original process in error messages regardless of which form target takes.
+func terminateTarget(reportPid, target int, grace, poll time.Duration) error {
+	alive := func() bool { return signalTargetRunning(target) }
 	if err := syscall.Kill(target, syscall.SIGTERM); err != nil {
 		if errors.Is(err, syscall.ESRCH) {
 			return nil
@@ -77,11 +112,91 @@ func TerminateProcessTree(pid int, grace, poll time.Duration) error {
 		time.Sleep(poll)
 	}
 	if alive() {
-		return fmt.Errorf("process %d did not exit after SIGKILL", pid)
+		return fmt.Errorf("process %d did not exit after SIGKILL", reportPid)
 	}
 	return nil
 }
 
+// signalTargetRunning reports whether the signal target still has a process that
+// is actually RUNNING, as opposed to one waiting to be reaped.
+//
+// kill(2) with signal 0 succeeds for a zombie: the PID still exists until its
+// parent collects it. That matters because the target here is usually a process
+// GROUP, and a terminated leader's child is briefly a zombie before init/launchd
+// reaps it. Treating that window as "still alive" made termination sit through
+// both grace periods, SIGKILL an already-dead group, and then report
+// "did not exit after SIGKILL" for a tree that had in fact stopped — turning a
+// successful cleanup into a spurious failure (and a flaky one, since it depends on
+// reap timing).
+//
+// Zombie detection goes through ps, which is available on every Unix we target and
+// avoids a /proc dependency Darwin does not have. It is only consulted when the
+// cheap kill check says something is still there, so the common path costs nothing
+// extra. If ps cannot be run or its output cannot be parsed, the conservative
+// pre-existing answer (the kill result) stands.
+func signalTargetRunning(target int) bool {
+	if syscall.Kill(target, syscall.Signal(0)) != nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	// A negative target is a process GROUP: check whether any member is
+	// non-zombie. A positive target is an individual PID that is NOT its own
+	// group leader (processSignalTarget's fallback) — its actual PGID differs
+	// from its own PID, so matching rows by PGID here would look for a group
+	// that doesn't exist and always report "unknown" (conservatively alive).
+	// Check its own PID's state instead.
+	var running, ok bool
+	if target < 0 {
+		running, ok = processGroupHasRunningMember(-target)
+	} else {
+		running, ok = processIsRunning(target)
+	}
+	if !ok {
+		return true
+	}
+	return running
+}
+
+// processGroupHasRunningMember reports whether any member of pgid is in a state
+// other than zombie. ok is false when the group's states could not be determined.
+func processGroupHasRunningMember(pgid int) (running bool, ok bool) {
+	return processTableStateMatches(func(_, rowPgid int) bool { return rowPgid == pgid })
+}
+
+// processIsRunning reports whether pid itself is in a state other than zombie.
+// ok is false when pid's state could not be determined.
+func processIsRunning(pid int) (running bool, ok bool) {
+	return processTableStateMatches(func(rowPid, _ int) bool { return rowPid == pid })
+}
+
+// processTableStateMatches scans the process table once, via ps, and reports
+// whether any row satisfying match is non-zombie, and whether at least one
+// matching row was found at all (ok). No rows found means either the process
+// (or group) genuinely doesn't exist (a race with exit) or ps's output was
+// unparseable/restricted; either way, the caller should not claim knowledge.
+func processTableStateMatches(match func(pid, pgid int) bool) (running bool, ok bool) {
+	output, err := exec.Command("ps", "-A", "-o", "pid=,pgid=,stat=").Output()
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, false
+	}
+	found := false
+	for line := range strings.SplitSeq(string(output), "\n") {
+		fields := strings.Fields(line)
+		if len(fields) < 3 {
+			continue
+		}
+		rowPid, errPid := strconv.Atoi(fields[0])
+		rowPgid, errPgid := strconv.Atoi(fields[1])
+		if errPid != nil || errPgid != nil || !match(rowPid, rowPgid) {
+			continue
+		}
+		found = true
+		if !strings.HasPrefix(fields[2], "Z") {
+			return true, true
+		}
+	}
+	return false, found
+}
+
 func processSignalTarget(pid int) (int, error) {
 	if pid <= 1 {
 		return 0, fmt.Errorf("refusing to signal invalid pid %d", pid)
@@ -91,10 +206,14 @@ func processSignalTarget(pid int) (int, error) {
 		if pgid == pid {
 			target = -pid
 		}
-	} else if errors.Is(err, syscall.ESRCH) {
-		// Preserve the individual target; the signal call below treats ESRCH as
-		// already gone, which is a successful lifecycle outcome.
-		return pid, nil
+	} else {
+		if errors.Is(err, syscall.ESRCH) {
+			// Preserve the individual target; the signal call below treats ESRCH as
+			// already gone, which is a successful lifecycle outcome.
+			return pid, nil
+		}
+		// Conservatively retain the individual PID after other lookup failures;
+		// guessing and signalling a process group could affect unrelated processes.
 	}
 	return target, nil
 }

internal/execution/process_unix_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+//go:build !windows
+
+package execution
+
+import (
+	"os/exec"
+	"strconv"
+	"syscall"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// TestTerminateProcessTreeTreatsZombieGroupAsExited is the regression test for
+// counting unreaped processes as alive: kill(2) with signal 0 succeeds for a
+// zombie, so a group whose only remaining member is waiting to be reaped used to
+// sit through both grace periods, take a pointless SIGKILL, and then be reported
+// as "did not exit after SIGKILL" — a spurious cleanup failure whose timing
+// depended on when the reaper ran.
+func TestTerminateProcessTreeTreatsZombieGroupAsExited(t *testing.T) {
+	cmd := exec.Command("sh", "-c", "exit 0")
+	ConfigureProcessGroup(cmd)
+	if err := cmd.Start(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("start: %v", err)
+	}
+	pid := cmd.Process.Pid
+	// Deliberately do NOT Wait: the child stays a zombie in its own group, which
+	// is exactly the state a terminated tree passes through.
+	t.Cleanup(func() { _ = cmd.Wait() })
+
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(5 * time.Second)
+	for {
+		if zombie, ok := processIsZombie(pid); ok && zombie {
+			break
+		}
+		if time.Now().After(deadline) {
+			t.Skip("child did not reach the zombie state; ps output is unavailable in this environment")
+		}
+		time.Sleep(10 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+	if syscall.Kill(-pid, syscall.Signal(0)) != nil {
+		t.Skip("the zombie group is no longer signalable; cannot exercise the case")
+	}
+
+	if signalTargetRunning(-pid) {
+		t.Fatal("a group holding only a zombie must not count as running")
+	}
+	if err := TerminateProcessTree(pid, 50*time.Millisecond, 10*time.Millisecond); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("TerminateProcessTree on an already-exited tree: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestTerminateProcessTreeStopsRunningGroup is the positive control: a group with
+// a live member must still be seen as running and then actually stopped, so the
+// zombie tolerance above cannot degrade into ignoring real processes.
+func TestTerminateProcessTreeStopsRunningGroup(t *testing.T) {
+	cmd := exec.Command("sh", "-c", "sleep 30")
+	ConfigureProcessGroup(cmd)
+	if err := cmd.Start(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("start: %v", err)
+	}
+	pid := cmd.Process.Pid
+	defer func() { _ = cmd.Wait() }()
+
+	if !signalTargetRunning(-pid) {
+		t.Fatal("a group with a live member must count as running")
+	}
+	if err := TerminateProcessTree(pid, time.Second, 10*time.Millisecond); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("TerminateProcessTree: %v", err)
+	}
+	if running, ok := processGroupHasRunningMember(pid); ok && running {
+		t.Fatal("the group still has a running member after termination")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestSignalTargetRunningTreatsZombieIndividualPIDAsExited is the regression
+// test for jatmn's second #774 finding: signalTargetRunning's zombie check
+// matched the individual-PID fallback target (a process that is NOT its own
+// group leader — processSignalTarget's positive-PID case) against process-table
+// rows by PGID. That target's actual PGID differs from its own PID by
+// definition (that's exactly why processSignalTarget fell back to the
+// individual PID instead of a negative group target), so no row ever matched,
+// "unknown" resulted every time, and signalTargetRunning conservatively (and
+// incorrectly) treated a zombie individual-PID target as still running.
+func TestSignalTargetRunningTreatsZombieIndividualPIDAsExited(t *testing.T) {
+	cmd := exec.Command("sh", "-c", "exit 0")
+	// Deliberately do NOT call ConfigureProcessGroup: the child inherits this
+	// test process's group, so it is not its own leader and processSignalTarget
+	// falls back to the individual (positive) PID.
+	if err := cmd.Start(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("start: %v", err)
+	}
+	pid := cmd.Process.Pid
+	t.Cleanup(func() { _ = cmd.Wait() })
+
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(5 * time.Second)
+	for {
+		if zombie, ok := processIsZombie(pid); ok && zombie {
+			break
+		}
+		if time.Now().After(deadline) {
+			t.Skip("child did not reach the zombie state; ps output is unavailable in this environment")
+		}
+		time.Sleep(10 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+
+	target, err := processSignalTarget(pid)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("processSignalTarget: %v", err)
+	}
+	if target != pid {
+		t.Skip("child unexpectedly became its own group leader; cannot exercise the individual-PID fallback")
+	}
+	if signalTargetRunning(target) {
+		t.Fatal("a zombie individual-PID target must not count as running")
+	}
+}
+
+// processIsZombie reports a process's zombie state via ps. ok is false when the
+// state could not be read.
+func processIsZombie(pid int) (zombie bool, ok bool) {
+	output, err := exec.Command("ps", "-o", "stat=", "-p", strconv.Itoa(pid)).Output()
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, false
+	}
+	state := string(output)
+	for len(state) > 0 && (state[0] == ' ' || state[0] == '\n' || state[0] == '\t') {
+		state = state[1:]
+	}
+	if state == "" {
+		return false, false
+	}
+	return state[0] == 'Z', true
+}

internal/execution/process_windows.go

@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@
 package execution
 
 import (
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"os/exec"
 	"path/filepath"
@@ -12,10 +14,34 @@ import (
 
 func ConfigureProcessGroup(cmd *exec.Cmd) {}
 
+// KillProcessTree asks taskkill /T to kill pid and descendants it can still
+// discover from that live root. If taskkill fails, it falls back to killing pid
+// alone but still returns the tree error because descendants may have survived.
+// Neither path can recover descendants after the root has exited.
 func KillProcessTree(pid int) error {
-	if err := exec.Command(taskkillPath(), "/T", "/F", "/PID", strconv.Itoa(pid)).Run(); err == nil {
+	return killProcessTree(pid, runTaskkill, killRootProcess)
+}
+
+func killProcessTree(pid int, killTree, killRoot func(int) error) error {
+	treeErr := killTree(pid)
+	if treeErr == nil {
 		return nil
 	}
+	rootErr := killRoot(pid)
+	if rootErr != nil {
+		return errors.Join(
+			fmt.Errorf("kill process tree rooted at %d: %w", pid, treeErr),
+			fmt.Errorf("kill root process %d: %w", pid, rootErr),
+		)
+	}
+	return fmt.Errorf("kill process tree rooted at %d (root process killed directly): %w", pid, treeErr)
+}
+
+func runTaskkill(pid int) error {
+	return exec.Command(taskkillPath(), "/T", "/F", "/PID", strconv.Itoa(pid)).Run()
+}
+
+func killRootProcess(pid int) error {
 	process, err := os.FindProcess(pid)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err

internal/execution/process_windows_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+//go:build windows
+
+package execution
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestKillProcessTreeRetainsTreeErrorWhenRootFallbackSucceeds(t *testing.T) {
+	treeErr := errors.New("taskkill failed")
+	err := killProcessTree(42, func(int) error { return treeErr }, func(int) error { return nil })
+	if !errors.Is(err, treeErr) {
+		t.Fatalf("killProcessTree error = %v, want tree error", err)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "root process killed directly") {
+		t.Fatalf("killProcessTree error = %q, want fallback context", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestKillProcessTreeJoinsTreeAndRootErrors(t *testing.T) {
+	treeErr := errors.New("taskkill failed")
+	rootErr := errors.New("root kill failed")
+	err := killProcessTree(42, func(int) error { return treeErr }, func(int) error { return rootErr })
+	if !errors.Is(err, treeErr) || !errors.Is(err, rootErr) {
+		t.Fatalf("killProcessTree error = %v, want both failures", err)
+	}
+}

internal/pathjail/pathjail.go

@@ -0,0 +1,177 @@
+// Package pathjail confines file operations to a directory tree.
+//
+// It exists because the obvious guard does not work. Checking a path with
+// Lstat and then handing the same string to MkdirAll, CreateTemp, Rename or
+// Remove is two independent resolutions with a gap between them, and every
+// operation after the check re-resolves the ANCESTORS as well. A store that
+// verified only its own directory and file was therefore writable outside its
+// tree whenever any component above them was a link: the check passed, and the
+// syscall that followed went somewhere else.
+//
+// On Windows the same guard failed for a second, independent reason. A junction
+// is a reparse point but NOT a symlink, so os.Lstat reports it as ModeIrregular
+// with ModeSymlink clear, and a guard testing only ModeSymlink returns "not a
+// link" when pointed straight at one. Junctions also need no privilege to
+// create, unlike Windows symlinks, so this is reachable by exactly the
+// unprivileged user a workspace guard is meant to contain.
+//
+// The fix for both is to stop naming things by path. Open a handle on the root
+// once and address everything below it relative to that handle, so the kernel
+// resolves each component against an object that cannot be swapped underneath.
+// os.Root is that handle: it refuses any component that would escape, including
+// a Windows reparse point, and it is the same idea the sandbox uses for ACL
+// materialization.
+package pathjail
+
+import (
+	"crypto/rand"
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"io/fs"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+// ErrEscapes reports a target that is not inside the root it was confined to.
+// Returned before anything is opened, so a caller cannot act on the path first.
+var ErrEscapes = errors.New("path escapes its root")
+
+// ErrReparse reports a link or reparse point where a real file or directory was
+// required.
+var ErrReparse = errors.New("refusing to write through a link")
+
+// Open confines dir to root and returns a handle on root plus dir expressed
+// relative to it. The caller closes the handle.
+//
+// root is resolved normally, because it is the boundary the caller chose and
+// trusts (a workspace the operator opened, say, which may legitimately sit under
+// a link). Everything BELOW it is resolved against the returned handle and
+// cannot escape.
+func Open(root, dir string) (*os.Root, string, error) {
+	// Only a genuinely EMPTY value is treated as missing; every other spelling is
+	// used verbatim. Testing TrimSpace(...) == "" instead would retarget the very
+	// paths this guards: " " is a legal directory name on unix, so trimming would
+	// reject it as "no root" or silently swap dir for root, which is the same
+	// retargeting bug as trimming "root " down to "root".
+	if root == "" {
+		return nil, "", fmt.Errorf("%w: no root to confine %q to", ErrEscapes, dir)
+	}
+	if dir == "" {
+		dir = root
+	}
+	// Rel before Open, so an escaping target is refused without opening
+	// anything. filepath.Rel is lexical, which is the right test here: it says
+	// what the caller ASKED for, and the handle enforces what actually happens.
+	relative, err := filepath.Rel(root, dir)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, "", fmt.Errorf("%w: %q against %q: %v", ErrEscapes, dir, root, err)
+	}
+	if relative == ".." || strings.HasPrefix(relative, ".."+string(filepath.Separator)) {
+		return nil, "", fmt.Errorf("%w: %q is outside %q", ErrEscapes, dir, root)
+	}
+	// The root is created if it is missing, by ordinary pathname, because it is
+	// the boundary the caller declared rather than anything being confined. The
+	// stores this replaced called MkdirAll on the whole tree, so this creates
+	// strictly less by pathname than before, and everything BELOW root is opened
+	// relative to the handle.
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(root, 0o700); err != nil {
+		return nil, "", fmt.Errorf("create %s: %w", root, err)
+	}
+	handle, err := os.OpenRoot(root)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, "", fmt.Errorf("open %s: %w", root, err)
+	}
+	return handle, relative, nil
+}
+
+// RefuseReparse fails when relative names a link or reparse point.
+//
+// Absent is fine: a name that does not exist yet is what a create is for.
+//
+// This is belt to os.Root's braces. The handle already refuses to traverse a
+// reparse point, so this exists to give the FINAL component a clear error
+// instead of an "escapes from parent" one, and to keep the refusal explicit at
+// the point a reader looks for it.
+//
+// ModeIrregular is tested alongside ModeSymlink deliberately: that is what a
+// Windows junction reports, and a guard checking only ModeSymlink lets one
+// straight through.
+func RefuseReparse(handle *os.Root, relative string) error {
+	// A trailing separator makes os.Root.Lstat resolve the terminal component on
+	// Windows (doInRootAlwaysResolveTerminalSlash), so a junction named with a
+	// trailing slash would be stat'd as its target and wave through as "not a
+	// link". Strip it so the final component itself is the thing inspected.
+	//
+	// os.IsPathSeparator rather than a literal `/\` set, because backslash is a
+	// separator only on Windows: on unix it is an ordinary filename character, and
+	// trimming it would inspect "linked" when asked about a symlink genuinely
+	// named `linked\` — reporting "not a link" for one that is.
+	if trimmed := trimTrailingSeparators(relative); trimmed != "" {
+		relative = trimmed
+	}
+	info, err := handle.Lstat(relative)
+	if err != nil {
+		if errors.Is(err, fs.ErrNotExist) {
+			return nil
+		}
+		return fmt.Errorf("inspect %s: %w", relative, err)
+	}
+	if info.Mode()&(os.ModeSymlink|os.ModeIrregular) != 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("%w: %s", ErrReparse, relative)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// trimTrailingSeparators drops the path separators at the end of a name, using
+// the ACTIVE platform's definition of one: `/` and `\` on Windows, `/` only on
+// unix, where a backslash is a legal character in a filename.
+func trimTrailingSeparators(path string) string {
+	end := len(path)
+	for end > 0 && os.IsPathSeparator(path[end-1]) {
+		end--
+	}
+	return path[:end]
+}
+
+// randomBytes fills b with cryptographic randomness. A variable rather than a
+// direct crypto/rand call so a test can force the name collision that exercises
+// the O_EXCL retry below — the branch that matters, and one a real random source
+// will not reach on demand.
+var randomBytes = rand.Read
+
+// CreateTemp makes an O_EXCL temp file named prefix.<random>suffix inside dir,
+// relative to handle, and returns it with its relative path.
+//
+// O_EXCL rather than a fixed name: a link planted at a predictable temp path
+// between the check and the create is the same race this package exists to
+// close, and O_EXCL makes the kernel refuse it rather than us.
+func CreateTemp(handle *os.Root, dir, prefix, suffix string) (*os.File, string, error) {
+	// prefix and suffix are NAME fragments, not path fragments. A separator or a
+	// "."/".." in either would relocate the file out of dir — a prefix of
+	// "../escaped", or a suffix of ".tmp/../evil" that also erases the random
+	// component and with it the O_EXCL unpredictability the file relies on.
+	// Reject them up front so the file lands where dir promises.
+	for _, fragment := range []string{prefix, suffix} {
+		if strings.ContainsAny(fragment, `/\`) || fragment == "." || fragment == ".." {
+			return nil, "", fmt.Errorf("%w: temporary name fragment %q must be a single path component", ErrEscapes, fragment)
+		}
+	}
+	for attempt := 0; attempt < 10; attempt++ {
+		noise := make([]byte, 8)
+		if _, err := randomBytes(noise); err != nil {
+			return nil, "", fmt.Errorf("generate a temporary name: %w", err)
+		}
+		relative := filepath.Join(dir, prefix+"."+hex.EncodeToString(noise)+suffix)
+		file, err := handle.OpenFile(relative, os.O_RDWR|os.O_CREATE|os.O_EXCL, 0o600)
+		if err == nil {
+			return file, relative, nil
+		}
+		if errors.Is(err, fs.ErrExist) {
+			continue
+		}
+		return nil, "", err
+	}
+	return nil, "", errors.New("could not create a temporary file with an unused name")
+}

internal/pathjail/pathjail_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,360 @@
+package pathjail
+
+import (
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"errors"
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"runtime"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// linkDir points link at target, using whatever kind of link this platform lets
+// an unprivileged process create.
+//
+// On Windows that is a JUNCTION, not a symlink, and the difference is the whole
+// reason this package exists twice over. A symlink needs
+// SeCreateSymbolicLinkPrivilege, which an ordinary account does not hold, so a
+// test written with os.Symlink silently skips on Windows and proves nothing
+// there. A junction needs no privilege at all, so it is both the reachable
+// attack and the only one that can be tested.
+func linkDir(t *testing.T, target, link string) {
+	t.Helper()
+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+		if out, err := exec.Command("cmd", "/c", "mklink", "/J", link, target).CombinedOutput(); err != nil {
+			t.Skipf("cannot create a junction: %v %s", err, out)
+		}
+		return
+	}
+	if err := os.Symlink(target, link); err != nil {
+		t.Skipf("cannot create a symlink: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+// The reported defect: a link in an ANCESTOR of the target, not at the target
+// itself. Every guard that checked only the final directory and file passed
+// this, because the components it checked were genuinely not links; the ones
+// the syscall then traversed were.
+func TestAnAncestorLinkCannotRedirectAWrite(t *testing.T) {
+	base := t.TempDir()
+	outside := filepath.Join(base, "outside")
+	workspace := filepath.Join(base, "workspace")
+	for _, dir := range []string{outside, workspace} {
+		if err := os.MkdirAll(dir, 0o700); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+	}
+	linkDir(t, outside, filepath.Join(workspace, ".zero"))
+
+	handle, relative, err := Open(workspace, filepath.Join(workspace, ".zero", "store"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Open should confine, not refuse outright: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer handle.Close()
+
+	if err := handle.MkdirAll(relative, 0o700); err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("created a directory through a linked ancestor, so a write can still leave the workspace")
+	}
+	if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(outside, "store")); !os.IsNotExist(err) {
+		t.Errorf("something was created outside the workspace, stat error = %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+// RefuseReparse has to catch a junction, which is the case os.ModeSymlink alone
+// misses. Asserted through the exported helper rather than by reading the mode,
+// so the test fails if the predicate is ever narrowed back.
+func TestRefuseReparseCatchesAJunctionNotJustASymlink(t *testing.T) {
+	base := t.TempDir()
+	target := filepath.Join(base, "target")
+	inside := filepath.Join(base, "inside")
+	for _, dir := range []string{target, inside} {
+		if err := os.MkdirAll(dir, 0o700); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+	}
+	linkDir(t, target, filepath.Join(inside, "linked"))
+
+	handle, relative, err := Open(inside, inside)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer handle.Close()
+
+	err = RefuseReparse(handle, filepath.Join(relative, "linked"))
+	if !errors.Is(err, ErrReparse) {
+		t.Fatalf("RefuseReparse(link) = %v, want ErrReparse; on Windows a junction reports ModeIrregular, so a ModeSymlink-only check returns nil here", err)
+	}
+}
+
+// A name that does not exist yet is what a create is for, so it must not be
+// refused. Without this the guard above would be satisfied by refusing
+// everything.
+func TestRefuseReparseAllowsAnAbsentName(t *testing.T) {
+	base := t.TempDir()
+	handle, relative, err := Open(base, base)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer handle.Close()
+	if err := RefuseReparse(handle, filepath.Join(relative, "not-there.md")); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("an absent name was refused: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := RefuseReparse(handle, relative); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("an ordinary directory was refused: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+// Open refuses a target outside its root before opening anything, so a caller
+// cannot act on the path first.
+func TestOpenRefusesATargetOutsideTheRoot(t *testing.T) {
+	base := t.TempDir()
+	inside := filepath.Join(base, "inside")
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(inside, 0o700); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	for _, target := range []string{
+		filepath.Join(base, "sibling"),
+		filepath.Join(inside, "..", "..", "escape"),
+	} {
+		if _, _, err := Open(inside, target); !errors.Is(err, ErrEscapes) {
+			t.Errorf("Open(%q, %q) = %v, want ErrEscapes", inside, target, err)
+		}
+	}
+	if _, _, err := Open("", filepath.Join(base, "anything")); !errors.Is(err, ErrEscapes) {
+		t.Error("an empty root was accepted; a boundary is not optional")
+	}
+}
+
+// CreateTemp must use O_EXCL and an unpredictable name, so a link planted at a
+// guessable temp path is refused by the kernel rather than followed.
+func TestCreateTempIsExclusiveAndUnpredictable(t *testing.T) {
+	base := t.TempDir()
+	handle, relative, err := Open(base, base)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer handle.Close()
+
+	seen := map[string]bool{}
+	for i := 0; i < 8; i++ {
+		file, name, err := CreateTemp(handle, relative, "note", ".tmp")
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		file.Close()
+		if seen[name] {
+			t.Fatalf("CreateTemp reused the name %q, so two concurrent writes would stomp each other", name)
+		}
+		seen[name] = true
+		if filepath.Ext(name) != ".tmp" {
+			t.Errorf("temp name %q lost its suffix, so a listing may pick it up as real content", name)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// A legitimate directory whose name carries a space must be confined as spelled.
+// Trimming it would open a different filesystem object.
+//
+// A LEADING space, deliberately: Win32 normalizes a component's trailing spaces
+// and dots away, so "root " and "root" are one object there and a trailing-space
+// case cannot express the bug on Windows. A leading space survives on every
+// platform, so this runs everywhere rather than being gated to unix.
+// The path is RELATIVE, under t.Chdir, so the leading space sits at the start of
+// the whole string. An absolute filepath.Join(base, " root") would put the space
+// in the middle, where TrimSpace cannot reach it — the test would then pass
+// against the very guard it exists to catch, on every platform.
+func TestOpenPreservesSpaceInPaths(t *testing.T) {
+	base := t.TempDir()
+	t.Chdir(base)
+	const spaced = " root" // the leading space is part of the name
+
+	handle, relative, err := Open(spaced, spaced)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer handle.Close()
+
+	// Write through the handle, then confirm the bytes landed under the spelling
+	// the caller asked for — the property that actually matters, and one
+	// handle.Name() alone would not prove.
+	file, _, err := CreateTemp(handle, relative, "probe", ".tmp")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	name := file.Name()
+	if err := file.Close(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(base, spaced, filepath.Base(name))); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("a file created through the handle is not under %q: %v — the leading space was trimmed away", spaced, err)
+	}
+	if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(base, "root")); err == nil {
+		t.Error(`a trimmed "root" was created instead of the requested " root"`)
+	}
+}
+
+// A whitespace-only name is a legal directory on unix, so it must be confined as
+// given rather than treated as "no root" or silently swapped for the root.
+func TestOpenAcceptsAWhitespaceOnlyComponent(t *testing.T) {
+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+		t.Skip("Win32 normalizes a whitespace-only component away; the name is not expressible there")
+	}
+	// The path must be whitespace-only IN FULL for this to bite, so it has to be
+	// relative: an absolute path ending in " " still has a non-empty TrimSpace and
+	// would sail past the old guard, making the test prove nothing.
+	t.Chdir(t.TempDir())
+	handle, _, err := Open(" ", " ")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("a whitespace-only path was rejected as missing: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer handle.Close()
+	if _, err := os.Stat(" "); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("the whitespace-only directory was not created as spelled: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+// prefix and suffix are name fragments. A separator or traversal in either must
+// be refused, or the file lands outside dir and (for a suffix erasing the random
+// component) loses the O_EXCL unpredictability it depends on.
+func TestCreateTempRejectsPathFragmentsThatEscapeTheDir(t *testing.T) {
+	base := t.TempDir()
+	inside := filepath.Join(base, "inside")
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(inside, 0o700); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	// root is base, dir is the subdirectory: a "../escaped" fragment lands in
+	// base — still inside the os.Root, so os.Root does NOT catch it — but outside
+	// the dir CreateTemp promised. This is the case the reviewers reproduced.
+	handle, relative, err := Open(base, inside)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer handle.Close()
+	cases := []struct{ prefix, suffix string }{
+		{"../escaped", ".tmp"},
+		{`..\sibling`, ".tmp"},
+		{"note", ".tmp/../evil"},
+		{"note", ".."},
+		{"..", ".tmp"},
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		if _, _, err := CreateTemp(handle, relative, c.prefix, c.suffix); !errors.Is(err, ErrEscapes) {
+			t.Errorf("CreateTemp(prefix=%q, suffix=%q) = %v, want ErrEscapes", c.prefix, c.suffix, err)
+		}
+	}
+	// Nothing may have leaked into base above the promised dir.
+	entries, _ := os.ReadDir(base)
+	for _, entry := range entries {
+		if entry.Name() != "inside" {
+			t.Errorf("a temp fragment escaped into the parent: %q", entry.Name())
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// A junction named with a trailing separator must still be refused. On Windows
+// os.Root.Lstat resolves the terminal component when the name ends in a
+// separator, so without trimming it the link is stat'd as its target and waved
+// through.
+func TestRefuseReparseCatchesALinkNamedWithATrailingSeparator(t *testing.T) {
+	base := t.TempDir()
+	target := filepath.Join(base, "target")
+	inside := filepath.Join(base, "inside")
+	for _, dir := range []string{target, inside} {
+		if err := os.MkdirAll(dir, 0o700); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+	}
+	linkDir(t, target, filepath.Join(inside, "linked"))
+	handle, relative, err := Open(inside, inside)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer handle.Close()
+	name := filepath.Join(relative, "linked") + string(filepath.Separator)
+	if err := RefuseReparse(handle, name); !errors.Is(err, ErrReparse) {
+		t.Fatalf("RefuseReparse(%q) = %v, want ErrReparse", name, err)
+	}
+}
+
+// The O_EXCL retry is the branch that protects an existing file, and a real
+// random source will not collide on demand — so force it. The first two draws
+// return the same bytes: the name is pre-created, CreateTemp must refuse to
+// reuse it, leave its contents alone, and come back with a different name.
+func TestCreateTempRetriesWithoutClobberingAnExistingName(t *testing.T) {
+	base := t.TempDir()
+	handle, relative, err := Open(base, base)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer handle.Close()
+
+	draws := [][]byte{
+		{1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1}, // collides with the pre-created file
+		{1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1}, // and again, so the retry must keep trying
+		{2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2}, // finally a free name
+	}
+	previous := randomBytes
+	t.Cleanup(func() { randomBytes = previous })
+	call := 0
+	randomBytes = func(b []byte) (int, error) {
+		copy(b, draws[min(call, len(draws)-1)])
+		call++
+		return len(b), nil
+	}
+
+	taken := filepath.Join(base, "note."+hex.EncodeToString(draws[0])+".tmp")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(taken, []byte("do not clobber me"), 0o600); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	file, name, err := CreateTemp(handle, relative, "note", ".tmp")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer file.Close()
+
+	if filepath.Base(name) == filepath.Base(taken) {
+		t.Fatalf("CreateTemp returned the name that was already taken (%q), so O_EXCL did not protect it", name)
+	}
+	kept, err := os.ReadFile(taken)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if string(kept) != "do not clobber me" {
+		t.Errorf("the pre-existing file was overwritten: %q", kept)
+	}
+	if call < 2 {
+		t.Errorf("the random source was drawn %d time(s); the collision path never ran", call)
+	}
+}
+
+// On unix a backslash is an ordinary filename character, not a separator, so a
+// link genuinely named `linked\` must still be refused. Trimming backslashes
+// unconditionally would inspect "linked" instead and report "not a link" for one
+// that is.
+func TestRefuseReparseKeepsABackslashInAUnixName(t *testing.T) {
+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+		t.Skip(`backslash is a separator on Windows, so this name is not expressible there`)
+	}
+	base := t.TempDir()
+	target := filepath.Join(base, "target")
+	inside := filepath.Join(base, "inside")
+	for _, dir := range []string{target, inside} {
+		if err := os.MkdirAll(dir, 0o700); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+	}
+	linkDir(t, target, filepath.Join(inside, `linked\`))
+
+	handle, relative, err := Open(inside, inside)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer handle.Close()
+
+	name := filepath.Join(relative, `linked\`)
+	if err := RefuseReparse(handle, name); !errors.Is(err, ErrReparse) {
+		t.Fatalf("RefuseReparse(%q) = %v, want ErrReparse — the backslash is part of the name here, not a separator", name, err)
+	}
+}

internal/peermsg/private_dir_windows.go

@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ func windowsTokenOwner(token windows.Token) (*windows.SID, error) {
 	}
 	owner := (*windowsTokenOwnerInfo)(unsafe.Pointer(&buffer[0])).owner
 	if owner == nil {
-		return nil, errors.New("Windows access token has no default owner")
+		return nil, errors.New("windows access token has no default owner")
 	}
 	return owner.Copy()
 }

internal/providermodelcatalog/remote.go

@@ -184,6 +184,10 @@ func parseOpenAIStyleModelList(body []byte) ([]remoteModel, error) {
 
 func ModelsDevProviderID(provider providercatalog.Descriptor) string {
 	switch strings.TrimSpace(provider.ID) {
+	case "chatgpt":
+		// ChatGPT authenticates against the Codex backend, while its public
+		// model metadata is published under the OpenAI provider on models.dev.
+		return "openai"
 	case "dashscope":
 		return "alibaba"
 	case "github":

internal/providermodelcatalog/remote_test.go

@@ -241,6 +241,7 @@ func TestPublicLiveCatalog(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestModelsDevProviderIDMapsZeroAliases(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := map[string]string{
+		"chatgpt":      "openai",
 		"github":       "github-models",
 		"moonshot":     "moonshotai",
 		"nvidia-nim":   "nvidia",

internal/providermodeldiscovery/discovery_test.go

@@ -139,6 +139,68 @@ func TestMergeChatGPTModelsKeepsLiveOnlyEntries(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestDiscoverCatalogChatGPTMergesOpenAIModelsDevMetadata(t *testing.T) {
+	server := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		switch r.URL.Path {
+		case "/api.json":
+			_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{
+				"openai": {"models": {
+					"gpt-5.6-sol": {
+						"id": "gpt-5.6-sol",
+						"name": "GPT-5.6 Sol",
+						"description": "Frontier coding model",
+						"tool_call": true,
+						"reasoning": true,
+						"reasoning_efforts": ["low", "high", "max"],
+						"limit": {"context": 1050000},
+						"modalities": {"input": ["text", "image", "pdf"], "output": ["text"]}
+					}
+				}}
+			}`))
+		case "/backend-api/codex/models":
+			_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"data":[{"id":"gpt-5.6-sol"}]}`))
+		default:
+			t.Errorf("unexpected request path %q", r.URL.Path)
+			http.NotFound(w, r)
+			return
+		}
+	}))
+	defer server.Close()
+
+	provider, ok := providercatalog.Get("chatgpt")
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatal("ChatGPT provider missing from catalog")
+	}
+	models, err := DiscoverCatalog(context.Background(), provider, config.ProviderProfile{
+		Name:         "chatgpt",
+		CatalogID:    "chatgpt",
+		ProviderKind: config.ProviderKindOpenAICompatible,
+		BaseURL:      server.URL + "/backend-api/codex",
+	}, Options{
+		HTTPClient:   server.Client(),
+		ModelsDevURL: server.URL + "/api.json",
+		OAuthResolver: func(context.Context, bool) (string, string, bool, error) {
+			return "Authorization", "Bearer test", true, nil
+		},
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("DiscoverCatalog returned error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(models) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("models = %#v, want one ChatGPT live model", models)
+	}
+	model := models[0]
+	if model.ID != "gpt-5.6-sol" || model.ContextWindow != 1050000 || !model.ToolCall || !model.Reasoning {
+		t.Fatalf("merged ChatGPT model = %#v, want models.dev metadata", model)
+	}
+	if got := strings.Join(model.InputModalities, ","); got != "text,image,pdf" {
+		t.Fatalf("input modalities = %q, want text,image,pdf", got)
+	}
+	if got := strings.Join(model.ReasoningEfforts, ","); got != "low,high,max" {
+		t.Fatalf("reasoning efforts = %q, want low,high,max", got)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestMergeLiveModelsUsesLiveDefaultsAndReasoningCapability(t *testing.T) {
 	models := mergeLiveModels(
 		providercatalog.Descriptor{ID: "chatgpt"},

internal/providers/providerio/export_test.go

@@ -1,14 +0,0 @@
-// Test seams: helpers only test code uses, kept out of the production binary.
-package providerio
-
-import (
-	"bufio"
-	"io"
-)
-
-// ScanSSEData parses Server-Sent Event data fields from a streaming response.
-func ScanSSEData(reader io.Reader, handle func(data string) bool) error {
-	scanner := bufio.NewScanner(reader)
-	scanner.Buffer(make([]byte, 0, 4096), maxSSELineBytes)
-	return scanSSEPayloads(scanner, handle, nil)
-}

internal/sandbox/engine_test.go

@@ -242,6 +242,7 @@ func TestEngineAutoAllowsWorkspaceFileMutationTools(t *testing.T) {
 		{name: "write_file", args: map[string]any{"path": "notes.txt"}},
 		{name: "edit_file", args: map[string]any{"path": "notes.txt"}},
 		{name: "apply_patch", args: map[string]any{"patch": "diff --git a/notes.txt b/notes.txt\n"}},
+		{name: "apply_patch", args: map[string]any{"patch": "*** Begin Patch\n*** Add File: notes.txt\n+x\n*** End Patch\n"}},
 	} {
 		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			decision := engine.Evaluate(context.Background(), Request{
@@ -315,6 +316,27 @@ func TestEngineDeniesApplyPatchEscapesFromPatchBody(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestEngineDeniesStructuredApplyPatchEscapesFromPatchBody(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	engine := NewEngine(EngineOptions{WorkspaceRoot: root, Policy: DefaultPolicy()})
+
+	for _, patch := range []string{
+		"*** Begin Patch\n*** Add File: ../escape.txt\n+x\n*** End Patch\n",
+		"*** Begin Patch\n*** Add File: ..\\escape.txt\n+x\n*** End Patch\n",
+	} {
+		decision := engine.Evaluate(context.Background(), Request{
+			ToolName:       "apply_patch",
+			SideEffect:     SideEffectWrite,
+			Permission:     PermissionPrompt,
+			PermissionMode: PermissionModeAsk,
+			Args:           map[string]any{"patch": patch},
+		})
+		if decision.Action != ActionDeny || decision.Block == nil || decision.Block.Code != BlockOutsideWorkspace {
+			t.Fatalf("escaping structured apply_patch decision = %#v, want outside-workspace deny", decision)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestEngineSessionGrantDoesNotMatchSiblingFile(t *testing.T) {
 	root := t.TempDir()
 	engine := NewEngine(EngineOptions{WorkspaceRoot: root, Policy: promptWorkspaceWritePolicy()})

internal/sandbox/risk.go

@@ -261,7 +261,7 @@ func applyPatchRequestPaths(args map[string]any) []string {
 	}
 	cwd := firstArgString(args, "cwd")
 	var paths []string
-	for _, path := range patchHeaderPaths(patch) {
+	for _, path := range applyPatchPaths(patch) {
 		if path == "" || path == "/dev/null" {
 			continue
 		}
@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ func applyPatchPathBlock(request Request) *pathBlock {
 	if patch == "" {
 		return nil
 	}
-	for _, path := range patchHeaderPaths(patch) {
+	for _, path := range applyPatchPaths(patch) {
 		if path == "" || path == "/dev/null" {
 			continue
 		}
@@ -296,6 +296,34 @@ func applyPatchPathBlock(request Request) *pathBlock {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func applyPatchPaths(patch string) []string {
+	if strings.HasPrefix(strings.TrimSpace(strings.TrimPrefix(patch, "\ufeff")), "*** Begin Patch") {
+		return structuredPatchHeaderPaths(patch)
+	}
+	return patchHeaderPaths(patch)
+}
+
+// structuredPatchHeaderPaths is intentionally a small, conservative scanner for
+// the sandbox boundary. The executor validates the complete hunk grammar before
+// writing; the sandbox only needs every possible target path so it can reject an
+// unsafe request before the tool runs.
+func structuredPatchHeaderPaths(patch string) []string {
+	var paths []string
+	for _, line := range strings.Split(strings.ReplaceAll(patch, "\r\n", "\n"), "\n") {
+		trimmed := strings.TrimSpace(line)
+		for _, prefix := range []string{"*** Add File: ", "*** Delete File: ", "*** Update File: ", "*** Move to: "} {
+			if path, ok := strings.CutPrefix(trimmed, prefix); ok {
+				path = strings.ReplaceAll(filepath.ToSlash(strings.TrimSpace(path)), "\\", "/")
+				if path != "" {
+					paths = append(paths, path)
+				}
+				break
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return paths
+}
+
 func patchHeaderPaths(patch string) []string {
 	var paths []string
 	oldRemaining, newRemaining := 0, 0

internal/tools/apply_patch.go

@@ -20,11 +20,11 @@ func NewScopedApplyPatchTool(workspaceRoot string, scope PathScope) Tool {
 	return applyPatchTool{
 		baseTool: baseTool{
 			name:        "apply_patch",
-			description: "Apply a unified diff patch inside the workspace or an explicitly granted extra write root.",
+			description: "Apply a patch inside the workspace or an explicitly granted extra write root.",
 			parameters: Schema{
 				Type: "object",
 				Properties: map[string]PropertySchema{
-					"patch": {Type: "string", Description: "Unified diff patch to apply."},
+					"patch": {Type: "string", Description: "A unified diff or a structured *** Begin Patch patch to apply."},
 					"cwd":   {Type: "string", Description: "Directory where the patch should be applied. Relative paths stay in the workspace; use an absolute path to target a granted extra write root. Defaults to workspace root.", Default: "."},
 				},
 				Required:             []string{"patch"},
@@ -56,6 +56,9 @@ func (tool applyPatchTool) RunWithOptions(ctx context.Context, args map[string]a
 	if err != nil {
 		return errorResult("Error applying patch: " + err.Error())
 	}
+	if isStructuredPatch(patch) {
+		return tool.runStructuredPatch(applyRoot, relativeRoot, patch, options)
+	}
 	if err := validatePatchPaths(applyRoot, patch); err != nil {
 		return errorResult("Error applying patch: " + err.Error())
 	}

internal/tools/capabilities.go

@@ -162,11 +162,3 @@ func ValidateCapabilities(name string, caps ToolCapabilities) []string {
 	}
 	return problems
 }
-
-// ValidateToolCapabilities validates CapabilitiesOf(tool) for a registered tool.
-func ValidateToolCapabilities(tool Tool) []string {
-	if tool == nil {
-		return []string{"<nil tool>"}
-	}
-	return ValidateCapabilities(tool.Name(), CapabilitiesOf(tool))
-}

internal/tools/capabilities_test.go

@@ -231,6 +231,25 @@ func TestApplyPatchResourceKeysFromDiffAndCwd(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestApplyPatchResourceKeysFromStructuredPatchAndCwd(t *testing.T) {
+	patch := "*** Begin Patch\n*** Update File: old.go\n*** Move to: new.go\n@@\n-old\n+new\n*** End Patch\n"
+	keys := applyPatchResourceKeys(map[string]any{"patch": patch, "cwd": "pkg"})
+	want := map[string]bool{
+		ResourceKeyDirectory + "pkg":   true,
+		ResourceKeyFile + "pkg/old.go": true,
+		ResourceKeyFile + "pkg/new.go": true,
+	}
+	for _, key := range keys {
+		if !want[key] {
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected key %q in %v", key, keys)
+		}
+		delete(want, key)
+	}
+	if len(want) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("missing keys %v from %v", want, keys)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestDeclaredMutatorThreadSafeIsReportedByCatalogValidation(t *testing.T) {
 	// Runtime CapabilitiesOf clears ThreadSafe on mutators; catalog validation
 	// must still see the raw declaration so miswired constructors fail the gate.

internal/tools/file_safety_test.go

@@ -221,6 +221,112 @@ func TestApplyPatchCompleteCreationCreditsSuppliedFile(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestStructuredPatchDoesNotCreditUnreadFileForOverwrite(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	path := filepath.Join(dir, "f.txt")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(path, []byte("alpha\nbeta\ngamma\n"), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	registry := safetyRegistry(t, dir)
+	registry.Register(NewScopedApplyPatchTool(dir, nil))
+	tracker := NewFileTracker()
+	opts := grantedOpts(tracker)
+	patch := strings.Join([]string{
+		"*** Begin Patch",
+		"*** Update File: f.txt",
+		"@@",
+		"-beta",
+		"+updated",
+		"*** End Patch",
+		"",
+	}, "\n")
+
+	if result := registry.RunWithOptions(context.Background(), "apply_patch", map[string]any{"patch": patch}, opts); result.Status != StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("structured patch failed: %s", result.Output)
+	}
+	trackedPath, err := filepath.EvalSymlinks(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if tracker.SeenWhole(trackedPath) {
+		t.Fatal("a partial structured patch credited the unread file as fully seen")
+	}
+	result := registry.RunWithOptions(context.Background(), "write_file", map[string]any{
+		"path": "f.txt", "content": "blind overwrite\n", "overwrite": true,
+	}, opts)
+	if result.Status != StatusError || !strings.Contains(result.Output, "has not been read exactly") {
+		t.Fatalf("blind overwrite after a partial patch was not refused: %#v", result)
+	}
+	if got, want := mustReadTestFile(t, path), "alpha\nupdated\ngamma\n"; got != want {
+		t.Fatalf("file = %q, want %q", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestStructuredPatchPreservesWholeFileObservation(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	path := filepath.Join(dir, "f.txt")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(path, []byte("alpha\nbeta\n"), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	registry := safetyRegistry(t, dir)
+	registry.Register(NewScopedApplyPatchTool(dir, nil))
+	tracker := NewFileTracker()
+	opts := grantedOpts(tracker)
+	if result := registry.RunWithOptions(context.Background(), "read_file", map[string]any{"path": "f.txt"}, opts); result.Status != StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("read_file failed: %s", result.Output)
+	}
+	patch := strings.Join([]string{
+		"*** Begin Patch",
+		"*** Update File: f.txt",
+		"@@",
+		"-alpha",
+		"+updated",
+		"*** End Patch",
+		"",
+	}, "\n")
+	if result := registry.RunWithOptions(context.Background(), "apply_patch", map[string]any{"patch": patch}, opts); result.Status != StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("structured patch failed: %s", result.Output)
+	}
+	trackedPath, err := filepath.EvalSymlinks(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if !tracker.SeenWhole(trackedPath) {
+		t.Fatal("structured patch discarded an existing whole-file observation")
+	}
+	result := registry.RunWithOptions(context.Background(), "write_file", map[string]any{
+		"path": "f.txt", "content": "known overwrite\n", "overwrite": true,
+	}, opts)
+	if result.Status != StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("overwrite after a whole-file read was refused: %s", result.Output)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestStructuredPatchCreationCreditsSuppliedFile(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	registry := safetyRegistry(t, dir)
+	registry.Register(NewScopedApplyPatchTool(dir, nil))
+	tracker := NewFileTracker()
+	opts := grantedOpts(tracker)
+	patch := strings.Join([]string{
+		"*** Begin Patch",
+		"*** Add File: created.txt",
+		"+supplied",
+		"*** End Patch",
+		"",
+	}, "\n")
+	if result := registry.RunWithOptions(context.Background(), "apply_patch", map[string]any{"patch": patch}, opts); result.Status != StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("structured patch failed: %s", result.Output)
+	}
+	path, err := filepath.EvalSymlinks(filepath.Join(dir, "created.txt"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if !tracker.SeenWhole(path) {
+		t.Fatal("a fully supplied structured add was not credited as fully seen")
+	}
+}
+
 func TestWriteFileOverwriteRefusedWhenChangedOnDisk(t *testing.T) {
 	dir := t.TempDir()
 	path := filepath.Join(dir, "f.txt")

internal/tools/format_on_write.go

@@ -78,14 +78,16 @@ func maybeFormatWrittenFile(ctx context.Context, absolutePath string, writtenCon
 	if !ok {
 		return writtenContent
 	}
-	if _, err := exec.LookPath(command[0]); err != nil {
+	binaryPath, err := exec.LookPath(command[0])
+	if err != nil {
 		return writtenContent
 	}
 	formatCtx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, formatOnWriteTimeout)
 	defer cancel()
 	arguments := append(append([]string(nil), command[1:]...), absolutePath)
-	formatter := exec.CommandContext(formatCtx, command[0], arguments...)
+	formatter := exec.CommandContext(formatCtx, binaryPath, arguments...)
 	formatter.Dir = filepath.Dir(absolutePath)
+	formatter.Stdin = strings.NewReader("")
 	if err := formatter.Run(); err != nil {
 		return writtenContent
 	}

internal/tools/format_on_write_test.go

@@ -102,3 +102,17 @@ func TestFormatOnWriteSkipsUnknownExtensions(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("unknown extension must pass through: %q", content)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestFormatOnWriteFormatterLookupFailure(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("ZERO_FORMAT_ON_WRITE", "1")
+	t.Setenv("PATH", t.TempDir())
+	targetPath := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "a.go")
+	uglyContent := "package a\n\nfunc  A( ) {   }\n"
+	if err := os.WriteFile(targetPath, []byte(uglyContent), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	content := maybeFormatWrittenFile(context.Background(), targetPath, uglyContent)
+	if content != uglyContent {
+		t.Fatalf("missing formatter must return written content, got %q", content)
+	}
+}

internal/tools/model_visibility.go

@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+package tools
+
+// ModelVisible reports whether a registered tool is advertised to an agent.
+// edit_file remains implemented for compatibility with existing integrations,
+// but its text-only replacement contract cannot safely disambiguate repeated
+// source fragments. Agents use apply_patch for contextual existing-file edits.
+func ModelVisible(tool Tool) bool {
+	return tool != nil && tool.Name() != "edit_file"
+}

internal/tools/model_visibility_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+package tools
+
+import "testing"
+
+func TestToolSearchDoesNotSurfaceLegacyStringReplacement(t *testing.T) {
+	registry := NewRegistry()
+	registry.Register(NewScopedEditFileTool(t.TempDir(), nil))
+	registry.Register(NewScopedApplyPatchTool(t.TempDir(), nil))
+	search := NewToolSearchTool(registry).(toolSearchTool)
+
+	eager := search.visibleEagerToolNames(nil, nil, "ask")
+	if eager["edit_file"] {
+		t.Fatal("tool_search must not describe edit_file as available to the model")
+	}
+	if !eager["apply_patch"] {
+		t.Fatal("tool_search must retain apply_patch as the available edit tool")
+	}
+}

internal/tools/mutation_targets.go

@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 package tools
 
+import "path/filepath"
+
 // MutationTargets returns the workspace-relative paths a tool call will write to,
 // so the session layer can snapshot their before-state for safe rewind. It is a
 // pure helper (no I/O beyond path resolution) and returns nil for read-only tools
@@ -36,6 +38,19 @@ func MutationTargets(workspaceRoot string, name string, args map[string]any) []s
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil
 		}
+		if isStructuredPatch(patch) {
+			operations, err := parseStructuredPatch(patch)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil
+			}
+			paths := structuredPatchOperationPaths(operations)
+			for _, path := range paths {
+				if _, _, err := resolveWorkspaceTargetPath(applyRoot, path); err != nil {
+					return nil
+				}
+			}
+			return prefixPatchPaths(relativeRoot, paths)
+		}
 		// Enforce the same workspace confinement apply_patch applies (against the
 		// resolved apply dir), so a patch with a traversal path (../x) never yields
 		// an out-of-workspace target.
@@ -51,3 +66,22 @@ func MutationTargets(workspaceRoot string, name string, args map[string]any) []s
 		return nil
 	}
 }
+
+func prefixPatchPaths(relativeRoot string, paths []string) []string {
+	if len(paths) == 0 {
+		return nil
+	}
+	seen := make(map[string]bool)
+	var out []string
+	for _, path := range paths {
+		workspacePath := path
+		if relativeRoot != "" && relativeRoot != "." {
+			workspacePath = filepath.ToSlash(filepath.Join(relativeRoot, path))
+		}
+		if !seen[workspacePath] {
+			seen[workspacePath] = true
+			out = append(out, workspacePath)
+		}
+	}
+	return out
+}

internal/tools/mutation_targets_test.go

@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ func TestMutationTargets(t *testing.T) {
 		{"write_file", map[string]any{"path": "a/b.txt", "content": "x"}, []string{"a/b.txt"}},
 		{"edit_file", map[string]any{"path": "c.txt", "old_string": "x", "new_string": "y"}, []string{"c.txt"}},
 		{"apply_patch", map[string]any{"patch": "--- a/d.txt\n+++ b/d.txt\n@@ -1 +1 @@\n-x\n+y\n"}, []string{"d.txt"}},
+		{"apply_patch", map[string]any{"patch": "*** Begin Patch\n*** Add File: nested/new.txt\n+x\n*** Update File: old.txt\n*** Move to: moved.txt\n@@\n-old\n+new\n*** End Patch\n"}, []string{"nested/new.txt", "old.txt", "moved.txt"}},
 		{"bash", map[string]any{"command": "echo hi"}, nil},
 		{"read_file", map[string]any{"path": "e.txt"}, nil},
 		{"grep", map[string]any{"pattern": "x"}, nil},
@@ -62,6 +63,10 @@ func TestMutationTargetsRejectsEscapingPaths(t *testing.T) {
 	if got := MutationTargets(root, "apply_patch", map[string]any{"patch": escapePatch}); len(got) != 0 {
 		t.Errorf("expected no targets for escaping apply_patch, got %v", got)
 	}
+	structuredEscapePatch := "*** Begin Patch\n*** Add File: ../escape.txt\n+x\n*** End Patch\n"
+	if got := MutationTargets(root, "apply_patch", map[string]any{"patch": structuredEscapePatch}); len(got) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("expected no targets for escaping structured apply_patch, got %v", got)
+	}
 }
 
 // Finding 3: with cwd != ".", apply_patch's MutationTargets must return
@@ -82,6 +87,12 @@ func TestMutationTargetsApplyPatchPrefixesCwd(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("got %v, want %v", got, want)
 	}
 
+	structuredPatch := "*** Begin Patch\n*** Update File: d.txt\n@@\n-x\n+y\n*** End Patch\n"
+	got = MutationTargets(root, "apply_patch", map[string]any{"patch": structuredPatch, "cwd": "sub/dir"})
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, want) {
+		t.Fatalf("structured cwd: got %v, want %v", got, want)
+	}
+
 	// cwd "." (the default) must keep paths unprefixed.
 	got = MutationTargets(root, "apply_patch", map[string]any{"patch": patch, "cwd": "."})
 	if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, []string{"d.txt"}) {

internal/tools/resource_keys.go

@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ func applyPatchResourceKeys(args map[string]any) []string {
 	keys = append(keys, multiFileResourceKeys(args)...)
 	cwd := firstStringArg(args, "cwd", "workdir")
 	patch := firstStringArg(args, "patch", "diff")
-	for _, p := range pathsFromUnifiedDiff(patch) {
+	for _, p := range pathsFromApplyPatch(patch) {
 		joined := joinUnderResourceCwd(cwd, p)
 		if n := NormalizeResourcePath(joined); n != "" {
 			keys = append(keys, ResourceKeyFile+n)
@@ -191,6 +191,17 @@ func applyPatchResourceKeys(args map[string]any) []string {
 	return keys
 }
 
+func pathsFromApplyPatch(patch string) []string {
+	if !isStructuredPatch(patch) {
+		return pathsFromUnifiedDiff(patch)
+	}
+	operations, err := parseStructuredPatch(patch)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return structuredPatchOperationPaths(operations)
+}
+
 // joinUnderResourceCwd joins a relative path under cwd for resource keys only.
 // Absolute paths are left unchanged. Empty cwd or "." leaves rel as-is.
 // Never touches the filesystem.

internal/tools/structured_patch.go

@@ -0,0 +1,763 @@
+package tools
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/pathjail"
+)
+
+const (
+	structuredPatchBegin  = "*** Begin Patch"
+	structuredPatchEnd    = "*** End Patch"
+	structuredAddFile     = "*** Add File: "
+	structuredDeleteFile  = "*** Delete File: "
+	structuredUpdateFile  = "*** Update File: "
+	structuredMoveTo      = "*** Move to: "
+	structuredEndOfFile   = "*** End of File"
+	structuredHunkContext = "@@ "
+)
+
+type structuredPatchKind uint8
+
+const (
+	structuredPatchAdd structuredPatchKind = iota
+	structuredPatchDelete
+	structuredPatchUpdate
+)
+
+type structuredPatchOperation struct {
+	kind     structuredPatchKind
+	path     string
+	movePath string
+	contents string
+	chunks   []structuredPatchChunk
+	line     int
+}
+
+type structuredPatchChunk struct {
+	context          string
+	hasContext       bool
+	old              []string
+	new              []string
+	newSourceOffsets []int
+	endOfFile        bool
+}
+
+type structuredPatchTarget struct {
+	requested string
+	absolute  string
+	relative  string
+}
+
+type structuredPatchChange struct {
+	kind   structuredPatchKind
+	from   structuredPatchTarget
+	to     structuredPatchTarget
+	before string
+	after  string
+	mode   os.FileMode
+}
+
+func isStructuredPatch(patch string) bool {
+	return strings.HasPrefix(strings.TrimSpace(strings.TrimPrefix(patch, "\ufeff")), structuredPatchBegin)
+}
+
+func (tool applyPatchTool) runStructuredPatch(applyRoot, relativeRoot, patch string, options RunOptions) Result {
+	operations, err := parseStructuredPatch(patch)
+	if err != nil {
+		return errorResult("Error applying patch: " + err.Error())
+	}
+	workspace, err := os.OpenRoot(applyRoot)
+	if err != nil {
+		return errorResult("Error applying patch: " + err.Error())
+	}
+	defer workspace.Close()
+	changes, err := planStructuredPatch(workspace, operations, options.FileTracker)
+	if err != nil {
+		return errorResult("Error applying patch: " + err.Error())
+	}
+	wholeBefore := make(map[string]bool, len(changes))
+	if options.FileTracker != nil {
+		for _, change := range changes {
+			if change.kind == structuredPatchUpdate {
+				wholeBefore[change.from.absolute] = options.FileTracker.SeenWhole(change.from.absolute)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	if err := applyStructuredPatchChanges(workspace, changes, options.FileTracker); err != nil {
+		return errorResult("Error applying patch: " + err.Error())
+	}
+
+	for _, change := range changes {
+		switch change.kind {
+		case structuredPatchDelete:
+			options.FileTracker.Forget(change.from.absolute)
+		case structuredPatchAdd:
+			recordStructuredPatchFile(options.FileTracker, change.to.absolute, true, true)
+		case structuredPatchUpdate:
+			wasWhole := wholeBefore[change.from.absolute]
+			options.FileTracker.Forget(change.from.absolute)
+			recordStructuredPatchFile(options.FileTracker, change.to.absolute, false, wasWhole)
+		}
+	}
+
+	summary := "Patch applied successfully."
+	if relativeRoot != "." {
+		summary = "Patch applied successfully in " + relativeRoot + "."
+	}
+	result := okResult(summary)
+	result.ChangedFiles = changedFilesFromStructuredPatch(relativeRoot, changes)
+	result.Display = Display{Summary: summary, Kind: "diff", Preview: structuredPatchPreview(changes)}
+	return result
+}
+
+func parseStructuredPatch(patch string) ([]structuredPatchOperation, error) {
+	normalized := strings.TrimSpace(strings.TrimPrefix(strings.ReplaceAll(patch, "\r\n", "\n"), "\ufeff"))
+	if normalized == "" {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("structured patch is empty")
+	}
+	lines := strings.Split(normalized, "\n")
+	if strings.TrimSpace(lines[0]) != structuredPatchBegin {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("the first line of a structured patch must be %q", structuredPatchBegin)
+	}
+	if strings.TrimSpace(lines[len(lines)-1]) != structuredPatchEnd {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("the last line of a structured patch must be %q", structuredPatchEnd)
+	}
+
+	var operations []structuredPatchOperation
+	for index := 1; index < len(lines)-1; {
+		header := strings.TrimSpace(lines[index])
+		lineNumber := index + 1
+		if header == "" {
+			index++
+			continue
+		}
+		switch {
+		case strings.HasPrefix(header, structuredAddFile):
+			path, err := structuredPatchPath(header, structuredAddFile, lineNumber)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			op := structuredPatchOperation{kind: structuredPatchAdd, path: path, line: lineNumber}
+			index++
+			var content []string
+			for index < len(lines)-1 && !isStructuredPatchHeader(lines[index]) {
+				if !strings.HasPrefix(lines[index], "+") {
+					return nil, structuredPatchLineError(index+1, "added-file contents must start with '+'")
+				}
+				content = append(content, strings.TrimPrefix(lines[index], "+"))
+				index++
+			}
+			if len(content) > 0 {
+				op.contents = strings.Join(content, "\n") + "\n"
+			}
+			operations = append(operations, op)
+		case strings.HasPrefix(header, structuredDeleteFile):
+			path, err := structuredPatchPath(header, structuredDeleteFile, lineNumber)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			operations = append(operations, structuredPatchOperation{kind: structuredPatchDelete, path: path, line: lineNumber})
+			index++
+		case strings.HasPrefix(header, structuredUpdateFile):
+			path, err := structuredPatchPath(header, structuredUpdateFile, lineNumber)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			op := structuredPatchOperation{kind: structuredPatchUpdate, path: path, line: lineNumber}
+			index++
+			if index < len(lines)-1 && strings.HasPrefix(strings.TrimSpace(lines[index]), structuredMoveTo) {
+				op.movePath, err = structuredPatchPath(strings.TrimSpace(lines[index]), structuredMoveTo, index+1)
+				if err != nil {
+					return nil, err
+				}
+				index++
+			}
+			for index < len(lines)-1 && !isStructuredPatchHeader(lines[index]) {
+				line := lines[index]
+				trimmed := strings.TrimSpace(line)
+				if trimmed == structuredEndOfFile {
+					if len(op.chunks) == 0 || (!hasStructuredPatchContent(op.chunks[len(op.chunks)-1])) {
+						return nil, structuredPatchLineError(index+1, "*** End of File must follow an update hunk")
+					}
+					op.chunks[len(op.chunks)-1].endOfFile = true
+					index++
+					continue
+				}
+				if trimmed == "@@" || strings.HasPrefix(trimmed, structuredHunkContext) {
+					chunk := structuredPatchChunk{}
+					if trimmed != "@@" {
+						chunk.context = strings.TrimPrefix(trimmed, structuredHunkContext)
+						chunk.hasContext = true
+					}
+					op.chunks = append(op.chunks, chunk)
+					index++
+					continue
+				}
+				if len(op.chunks) == 0 {
+					op.chunks = append(op.chunks, structuredPatchChunk{})
+				}
+				chunk := &op.chunks[len(op.chunks)-1]
+				switch {
+				case line == "":
+					sourceOffset := len(chunk.old)
+					chunk.old = append(chunk.old, "")
+					chunk.new = append(chunk.new, "")
+					chunk.newSourceOffsets = append(chunk.newSourceOffsets, sourceOffset)
+				case strings.HasPrefix(line, " "):
+					content := strings.TrimPrefix(line, " ")
+					sourceOffset := len(chunk.old)
+					chunk.old = append(chunk.old, content)
+					chunk.new = append(chunk.new, content)
+					chunk.newSourceOffsets = append(chunk.newSourceOffsets, sourceOffset)
+				case strings.HasPrefix(line, "+"):
+					chunk.new = append(chunk.new, strings.TrimPrefix(line, "+"))
+					chunk.newSourceOffsets = append(chunk.newSourceOffsets, -1)
+				case strings.HasPrefix(line, "-"):
+					chunk.old = append(chunk.old, strings.TrimPrefix(line, "-"))
+				default:
+					return nil, structuredPatchLineError(index+1, "update lines must start with ' ', '+', or '-'")
+				}
+				index++
+			}
+			if len(op.chunks) == 0 || !allStructuredPatchChunksHaveContent(op.chunks) {
+				return nil, structuredPatchLineError(lineNumber, "update file hunk is empty")
+			}
+			operations = append(operations, op)
+		default:
+			return nil, structuredPatchLineError(lineNumber, "expected an Add File, Delete File, or Update File header")
+		}
+	}
+	if len(operations) == 0 {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("structured patch contains no file operations")
+	}
+	return operations, nil
+}
+
+func structuredPatchPath(header, prefix string, line int) (string, error) {
+	path := strings.TrimSpace(strings.TrimPrefix(header, prefix))
+	if path == "" {
+		return "", structuredPatchLineError(line, "file path is required")
+	}
+	return path, nil
+}
+
+func isStructuredPatchHeader(line string) bool {
+	return line == structuredPatchEnd || strings.HasPrefix(line, structuredAddFile) || strings.HasPrefix(line, structuredDeleteFile) || strings.HasPrefix(line, structuredUpdateFile)
+}
+
+func structuredPatchLineError(line int, message string) error {
+	return fmt.Errorf("invalid structured patch at line %d: %s", line, message)
+}
+
+func hasStructuredPatchContent(chunk structuredPatchChunk) bool {
+	return len(chunk.old) > 0 || len(chunk.new) > 0
+}
+
+func allStructuredPatchChunksHaveContent(chunks []structuredPatchChunk) bool {
+	for _, chunk := range chunks {
+		if !hasStructuredPatchContent(chunk) {
+			return false
+		}
+	}
+	return true
+}
+
+func structuredPatchOperationPaths(operations []structuredPatchOperation) []string {
+	seen := make(map[string]bool)
+	var paths []string
+	for _, operation := range operations {
+		for _, path := range []string{operation.path, operation.movePath} {
+			if path == "" || seen[path] {
+				continue
+			}
+			seen[path] = true
+			paths = append(paths, path)
+		}
+	}
+	return paths
+}
+
+func planStructuredPatch(root *os.Root, operations []structuredPatchOperation, tracker *FileTracker) ([]structuredPatchChange, error) {
+	seen := make(map[string]struct{})
+	var changes []structuredPatchChange
+	for _, operation := range operations {
+		from, err := resolveStructuredPatchTarget(root.Name(), operation.path)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		to := from
+		if operation.movePath != "" {
+			to, err = resolveStructuredPatchTarget(root.Name(), operation.movePath)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+		}
+		targets := []structuredPatchTarget{from}
+		if to.absolute != from.absolute {
+			targets = append(targets, to)
+		}
+		for _, target := range targets {
+			if _, exists := seen[target.absolute]; exists {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("structured patch changes %q more than once", target.relative)
+			}
+			seen[target.absolute] = struct{}{}
+		}
+
+		change := structuredPatchChange{kind: operation.kind, from: from, to: to, mode: 0o644}
+		switch operation.kind {
+		case structuredPatchAdd:
+			if _, err := root.Lstat(to.relative); err == nil {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("cannot add %s because it already exists", to.relative)
+			} else if !os.IsNotExist(err) {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			change.after = operation.contents
+		case structuredPatchDelete, structuredPatchUpdate:
+			info, err := root.Stat(from.relative)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("stating %s: %w", from.relative, err)
+			}
+			change.mode = info.Mode()
+			content, err := root.ReadFile(from.relative)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("reading %s: %w", from.relative, err)
+			}
+			if err := tracker.CheckConflict(from.absolute, content); err != nil {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("%s", fileConflictMessage(from.relative))
+			}
+			change.before = string(content)
+			if operation.kind == structuredPatchUpdate {
+				updated, err := applyStructuredPatchUpdate(change.before, from.relative, operation.chunks)
+				if err != nil {
+					return nil, err
+				}
+				change.after = updated
+				if from.absolute != to.absolute {
+					if _, err := root.Lstat(to.relative); err == nil {
+						return nil, fmt.Errorf("cannot move %s to %s because the destination already exists", from.relative, to.relative)
+					} else if !os.IsNotExist(err) {
+						return nil, err
+					}
+				}
+			}
+		}
+		changes = append(changes, change)
+	}
+	return changes, nil
+}
+
+func resolveStructuredPatchTarget(root, path string) (structuredPatchTarget, error) {
+	if filepath.IsAbs(path) || path == ".." || strings.HasPrefix(filepath.ToSlash(path), "../") {
+		return structuredPatchTarget{}, fmt.Errorf("patch path %q must stay inside the workspace", path)
+	}
+	absolute, relative, err := resolveWorkspaceTargetPath(root, path)
+	if err != nil {
+		return structuredPatchTarget{}, err
+	}
+	return structuredPatchTarget{requested: path, absolute: absolute, relative: relative}, nil
+}
+
+func applyStructuredPatchUpdate(content, path string, chunks []structuredPatchChunk) (string, error) {
+	lineEnding := structuredPatchLineEnding(content)
+	if lineEnding == "\r\n" {
+		content = strings.ReplaceAll(content, "\r\n", "\n")
+	}
+	lines := strings.Split(content, "\n")
+	trailingNewline := content != "" && len(lines) > 0 && lines[len(lines)-1] == ""
+	if len(lines) > 0 && lines[len(lines)-1] == "" {
+		lines = lines[:len(lines)-1]
+	}
+	replacements := make([]structuredReplacement, 0, len(chunks))
+	lineIndex := 0
+	for _, chunk := range chunks {
+		if chunk.hasContext {
+			index, ambiguous := findStructuredPatchSequence(lines, []string{chunk.context}, lineIndex, false)
+			if ambiguous {
+				return "", fmt.Errorf("context %q is ambiguous in %s; provide a more specific hunk header", chunk.context, path)
+			}
+			if index < 0 {
+				return "", fmt.Errorf("could not find context %q in %s", chunk.context, path)
+			}
+			lineIndex = index + 1
+		}
+		if len(chunk.old) == 0 {
+			// A context anchor identifies the line immediately before a pure
+			// insertion. Only an explicit end-of-file hunk (or an unanchored
+			// insertion) belongs at the file end.
+			start := lineIndex
+			if chunk.endOfFile || !chunk.hasContext {
+				start = len(lines)
+			}
+			if start > len(lines) {
+				start = len(lines)
+			}
+			replacement, err := structuredPatchReplacement(chunk, lines, start)
+			if err != nil {
+				return "", fmt.Errorf("building replacement for %s: %w", path, err)
+			}
+			replacements = append(replacements, structuredReplacement{start: start, replacement: replacement})
+			lineIndex = start
+			continue
+		}
+		index, ambiguous := findStructuredPatchSequence(lines, chunk.old, lineIndex, chunk.endOfFile)
+		if ambiguous {
+			return "", fmt.Errorf("expected lines are ambiguous in %s; provide more surrounding context:\n%s", path, strings.Join(chunk.old, "\n"))
+		}
+		if index < 0 {
+			return "", fmt.Errorf("could not find expected lines in %s:\n%s", path, strings.Join(chunk.old, "\n"))
+		}
+		replacement, err := structuredPatchReplacement(chunk, lines, index)
+		if err != nil {
+			return "", fmt.Errorf("building replacement for %s: %w", path, err)
+		}
+		replacements = append(replacements, structuredReplacement{start: index, length: len(chunk.old), replacement: replacement})
+		lineIndex = index + len(chunk.old)
+	}
+	for index := 1; index < len(replacements); index++ {
+		previous := replacements[index-1]
+		current := replacements[index]
+		if current.start < previous.start+previous.length {
+			return "", fmt.Errorf("overlapping or out-of-order hunks in %s; provide non-overlapping context", path)
+		}
+	}
+	for index := len(replacements) - 1; index >= 0; index-- {
+		replacement := replacements[index]
+		lines = append(lines[:replacement.start], append(replacement.replacement, lines[replacement.start+replacement.length:]...)...)
+	}
+	if len(lines) == 0 {
+		return "", nil
+	}
+	updated := strings.Join(lines, lineEnding)
+	if trailingNewline {
+		updated += lineEnding
+	}
+	return updated, nil
+}
+
+func structuredPatchReplacement(chunk structuredPatchChunk, source []string, start int) ([]string, error) {
+	if len(chunk.newSourceOffsets) != len(chunk.new) {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("context mapping has %d entries for %d output lines", len(chunk.newSourceOffsets), len(chunk.new))
+	}
+	replacement := append([]string(nil), chunk.new...)
+	for outputIndex, sourceOffset := range chunk.newSourceOffsets {
+		if sourceOffset < 0 {
+			continue
+		}
+		sourceIndex := start + sourceOffset
+		if sourceIndex < 0 || sourceIndex >= len(source) {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("context source index %d is outside the matched file", sourceIndex)
+		}
+		replacement[outputIndex] = source[sourceIndex]
+	}
+	return replacement, nil
+}
+
+func structuredPatchLineEnding(content string) string {
+	if strings.Contains(content, "\r\n") && !strings.Contains(strings.ReplaceAll(content, "\r\n", ""), "\n") {
+		return "\r\n"
+	}
+	return "\n"
+}
+
+type structuredReplacement struct {
+	start       int
+	length      int
+	replacement []string
+}
+
+func findStructuredPatchSequence(lines, wanted []string, start int, endOfFile bool) (int, bool) {
+	if len(wanted) == 0 {
+		return start, false
+	}
+	if len(wanted) > len(lines) {
+		return -1, false
+	}
+	searchStart := start
+	if endOfFile {
+		searchStart = len(lines) - len(wanted)
+		if searchStart < start {
+			searchStart = start
+		}
+	}
+	for _, equal := range []func(string, string) bool{
+		func(left, right string) bool { return left == right },
+		func(left, right string) bool {
+			return strings.TrimRight(left, " \t") == strings.TrimRight(right, " \t")
+		},
+		func(left, right string) bool { return strings.TrimSpace(left) == strings.TrimSpace(right) },
+	} {
+		match := -1
+		for index := searchStart; index+len(wanted) <= len(lines); index++ {
+			matched := true
+			for offset, line := range wanted {
+				if !equal(lines[index+offset], line) {
+					matched = false
+					break
+				}
+			}
+			if matched {
+				if match >= 0 {
+					return -1, true
+				}
+				match = index
+			}
+		}
+		if match >= 0 {
+			return match, false
+		}
+	}
+	return -1, false
+}
+
+func applyStructuredPatchChanges(root *os.Root, changes []structuredPatchChange, tracker *FileTracker) error {
+	mutated := false
+	for _, change := range changes {
+		committed, err := applyStructuredPatchChange(root, change)
+		mutated = mutated || committed
+		if err != nil {
+			forgetStructuredPatchFiles(tracker, changes)
+			if mutated {
+				return fmt.Errorf("%w; structured patch was partially applied; re-read affected files before retrying", err)
+			}
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func forgetStructuredPatchFiles(tracker *FileTracker, changes []structuredPatchChange) {
+	if tracker == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	for _, change := range changes {
+		tracker.Forget(change.from.absolute)
+		if change.to.absolute != change.from.absolute {
+			tracker.Forget(change.to.absolute)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func applyStructuredPatchChange(root *os.Root, change structuredPatchChange) (bool, error) {
+	switch change.kind {
+	case structuredPatchDelete:
+		if err := root.Remove(change.from.relative); err != nil {
+			return false, fmt.Errorf("deleting %s: %w", change.from.relative, err)
+		}
+		return true, nil
+	case structuredPatchAdd:
+		return writeStructuredPatchFile(root, change.to, change.after, change.mode, true)
+	case structuredPatchUpdate:
+		moving := change.from.absolute != change.to.absolute
+		committed, err := writeStructuredPatchFile(root, change.to, change.after, change.mode, moving)
+		if err != nil {
+			return committed, err
+		}
+		if moving {
+			if err := root.Remove(change.from.relative); err != nil {
+				return true, fmt.Errorf("removing moved source %s: %w", change.from.relative, err)
+			}
+		}
+		return true, nil
+	}
+	return false, fmt.Errorf("unsupported structured patch operation")
+}
+
+func writeStructuredPatchFile(root *os.Root, target structuredPatchTarget, content string, mode os.FileMode, createOnly bool) (bool, error) {
+	parent := filepath.Dir(target.relative)
+	if err := root.MkdirAll(parent, 0o755); err != nil {
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("creating parent directory for %s: %w", target.relative, err)
+	}
+	temp, tempName, err := pathjail.CreateTemp(root, parent, "zero-patch", ".tmp")
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("writing %s: %w", target.relative, err)
+	}
+	defer func() { _ = removeStructuredPatchTemp(root, tempName) }()
+	if _, err := temp.WriteString(content); err != nil {
+		_ = temp.Close()
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("writing %s: %w", target.relative, err)
+	}
+	if err := temp.Chmod(mode.Perm()); err != nil {
+		_ = temp.Close()
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("writing %s: %w", target.relative, err)
+	}
+	if err := temp.Close(); err != nil {
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("writing %s: %w", target.relative, err)
+	}
+	if createOnly {
+		return publishStructuredPatchNoReplace(root, tempName, target.relative, mode)
+	}
+	if err := root.Rename(tempName, target.relative); err != nil {
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("writing %s: %w", target.relative, err)
+	}
+	return true, nil
+}
+
+func publishStructuredPatchNoReplace(root *os.Root, source, target string, mode os.FileMode) (bool, error) {
+	return publishStructuredPatchNoReplaceWith(root, source, target, mode, root.Link)
+}
+
+func publishStructuredPatchNoReplaceWith(root *os.Root, source, target string, mode os.FileMode, link func(string, string) error) (bool, error) {
+	if linkErr := link(source, target); linkErr == nil {
+		cleanupErr := removeStructuredPatchTemp(root, source)
+		chmodErr := root.Chmod(target, mode.Perm())
+		if cleanupErr != nil || chmodErr != nil {
+			return true, fmt.Errorf("publishing %s: %w", target, errors.Join(cleanupErr, chmodErr))
+		}
+		return true, nil
+	} else if errors.Is(linkErr, os.ErrExist) {
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("creating %s: %w", target, linkErr)
+	} else {
+		committed, copyErr := copyStructuredPatchNoReplace(root, source, target, mode)
+		if copyErr != nil {
+			return committed, fmt.Errorf("creating %s without overwrite: hard link failed: %w; exclusive-copy fallback failed: %w", target, linkErr, copyErr)
+		}
+		return committed, nil
+	}
+}
+
+func copyStructuredPatchNoReplace(root *os.Root, source, target string, mode os.FileMode) (bool, error) {
+	return copyStructuredPatchNoReplaceWith(root, source, target, mode, io.Copy, removeStructuredPatchTemp)
+}
+
+func copyStructuredPatchNoReplaceWith(
+	root *os.Root,
+	source, target string,
+	mode os.FileMode,
+	copyFile func(io.Writer, io.Reader) (int64, error),
+	cleanup func(*os.Root, string) error,
+) (bool, error) {
+	sourceFile, err := root.Open(source)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, err
+	}
+	sourceClosed := false
+	defer func() {
+		if !sourceClosed {
+			_ = sourceFile.Close()
+		}
+	}()
+	targetFile, err := root.OpenFile(target, os.O_WRONLY|os.O_CREATE|os.O_EXCL, 0o600)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, err
+	}
+	committed := true
+	cleanupTarget := func(cause error) (bool, error) {
+		_ = targetFile.Close()
+		if cleanupErr := cleanup(root, target); cleanupErr == nil {
+			return false, cause
+		} else {
+			return committed, errors.Join(cause, fmt.Errorf("cleaning partial target: %w", cleanupErr))
+		}
+	}
+	if _, err := copyFile(targetFile, sourceFile); err != nil {
+		return cleanupTarget(err)
+	}
+	if err := sourceFile.Close(); err != nil {
+		sourceClosed = true
+		return cleanupTarget(err)
+	}
+	sourceClosed = true
+	if err := targetFile.Chmod(mode.Perm()); err != nil {
+		return cleanupTarget(err)
+	}
+	if err := targetFile.Close(); err != nil {
+		if cleanupErr := cleanup(root, target); cleanupErr == nil {
+			return false, err
+		} else {
+			return true, errors.Join(err, fmt.Errorf("cleaning target after close failure: %w", cleanupErr))
+		}
+	}
+	if err := cleanup(root, source); err != nil {
+		return true, fmt.Errorf("removing published source: %w", err)
+	}
+	return true, nil
+}
+
+func removeStructuredPatchTemp(root *os.Root, name string) error {
+	chmodErr := root.Chmod(name, 0o600)
+	if os.IsNotExist(chmodErr) {
+		return nil
+	}
+	removeErr := root.Remove(name)
+	if os.IsNotExist(removeErr) {
+		removeErr = nil
+	}
+	if removeErr == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return errors.Join(chmodErr, removeErr)
+}
+
+func recordStructuredPatchFile(tracker *FileTracker, absolute string, created, seenWhole bool) {
+	if tracker == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	content, err := os.ReadFile(absolute)
+	if err != nil {
+		tracker.Forget(absolute)
+		return
+	}
+	info, _ := os.Stat(absolute)
+	tracker.Record(absolute, content, info)
+	if seenWhole {
+		lines := lineCount(string(content))
+		tracker.RecordSeenRange(absolute, 1, lines, lines)
+	}
+	if created {
+		tracker.RecordCreated(absolute)
+	}
+}
+
+func changedFilesFromStructuredPatch(relativeRoot string, changes []structuredPatchChange) []string {
+	seen := make(map[string]bool)
+	var paths []string
+	for _, change := range changes {
+		targets := []structuredPatchTarget{change.to}
+		if change.from.absolute != change.to.absolute {
+			targets = append([]structuredPatchTarget{change.from}, targets...)
+		}
+		for _, target := range targets {
+			path := target.relative
+			if relativeRoot != "" && relativeRoot != "." {
+				path = filepath.ToSlash(filepath.Join(relativeRoot, path))
+			}
+			if !seen[path] {
+				seen[path] = true
+				paths = append(paths, path)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return paths
+}
+
+func structuredPatchPreview(changes []structuredPatchChange) string {
+	var preview strings.Builder
+	for _, change := range changes {
+		path := change.to.relative
+		if change.kind == structuredPatchDelete {
+			path = change.from.relative
+		}
+		before, after := change.before, change.after
+		if change.kind == structuredPatchDelete {
+			after = ""
+		}
+		diff := boundedUnifiedDiff(path, before, after)
+		if diff == "" {
+			continue
+		}
+		if preview.Len()+len(diff)+1 > maxToolPreviewBytes {
+			break
+		}
+		if preview.Len() > 0 {
+			preview.WriteByte('\n')
+		}
+		preview.WriteString(diff)
+	}
+	return capPreviewDiff(preview.String())
+}

internal/tools/tool_search.go

@@ -130,6 +130,9 @@ func (tool toolSearchTool) visibleDeferredTools(enabled []string, disabled []str
 	var deferred []Tool
 	if tool.registry != nil {
 		for _, candidate := range tool.registry.All() {
+			if !ModelVisible(candidate) {
+				continue
+			}
 			if !IsDeferred(candidate) {
 				continue
 			}
@@ -158,6 +161,9 @@ func (tool toolSearchTool) visibleEagerToolNames(enabled []string, disabled []st
 		return names
 	}
 	for _, candidate := range tool.registry.All() {
+		if !ModelVisible(candidate) {
+			continue
+		}
 		if IsDeferred(candidate) || candidate.Name() == ToolSearchToolName {
 			continue
 		}

internal/tools/write_tools_test.go

@@ -2,12 +2,23 @@ package tools
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"io"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 )
 
+func mustReadTestFile(t *testing.T, path string) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	content, err := os.ReadFile(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	return string(content)
+}
+
 func TestCoreToolsExposeWriteAndPlanTools(t *testing.T) {
 	toolset := CoreToolsScoped(t.TempDir(), nil)
 	byName := make(map[string]Tool, len(toolset))
@@ -513,6 +524,532 @@ func TestApplyPatchToolAppliesUnifiedDiff(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestApplyPatchToolAppliesStructuredPatch(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	writeTestFile(t, filepath.Join(root, "hello.txt"), "hello\nold\n")
+
+	patch := strings.Join([]string{
+		"*** Begin Patch",
+		"*** Update File: hello.txt",
+		"@@",
+		" hello",
+		"-old",
+		"+new",
+		"*** End Patch",
+		"",
+	}, "\n")
+
+	result := NewScopedApplyPatchTool(root, nil).Run(context.Background(), map[string]any{"patch": patch})
+	if result.Status != StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("structured patch should apply, got %s: %s", result.Status, result.Output)
+	}
+	content, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(root, "hello.txt"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if got := strings.ReplaceAll(string(content), "\r\n", "\n"); got != "hello\nnew\n" {
+		t.Fatalf("structured patch content = %q", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestApplyPatchToolAppliesStructuredAddAndMove(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	writeTestFile(t, filepath.Join(root, "old.txt"), "old\n")
+	patch := strings.Join([]string{
+		"*** Begin Patch",
+		"*** Add File: nested/new.txt",
+		"+created",
+		"*** Update File: old.txt",
+		"*** Move to: moved.txt",
+		"@@",
+		"-old",
+		"+moved",
+		"*** End Patch",
+		"",
+	}, "\n")
+
+	result := NewScopedApplyPatchTool(root, nil).Run(context.Background(), map[string]any{"patch": patch})
+	if result.Status != StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("structured patch should apply, got %s: %s", result.Status, result.Output)
+	}
+	if got, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(root, "nested", "new.txt")); err != nil || string(got) != "created\n" {
+		t.Fatalf("added file = %q, err = %v", got, err)
+	}
+	if got, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(root, "moved.txt")); err != nil || string(got) != "moved\n" {
+		t.Fatalf("moved file = %q, err = %v", got, err)
+	}
+	if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(root, "old.txt")); !os.IsNotExist(err) {
+		t.Fatalf("old source should be removed, stat err = %v", err)
+	}
+	if got := result.ChangedFiles; strings.Join(got, ",") != "nested/new.txt,old.txt,moved.txt" {
+		t.Fatalf("ChangedFiles = %v", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestApplyPatchToolStructuredPatchMatchesWhitespaceTolerantly(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	writeTestFile(t, filepath.Join(root, "hello.txt"), "  hello   \n")
+	patch := strings.Join([]string{
+		"*** Begin Patch",
+		"*** Update File: hello.txt",
+		"@@",
+		"-hello",
+		"+goodbye",
+		"*** End Patch",
+		"",
+	}, "\n")
+
+	result := NewScopedApplyPatchTool(root, nil).Run(context.Background(), map[string]any{"patch": patch})
+	if result.Status != StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("structured patch should tolerate surrounding whitespace, got %s: %s", result.Status, result.Output)
+	}
+	content, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(root, "hello.txt"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if got := string(content); got != "goodbye\n" {
+		t.Fatalf("structured patch content = %q", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestApplyPatchToolStructuredPatchPreservesWhitespaceTolerantContext(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	path := filepath.Join(root, "example.go")
+	original := "func f() {\n\tif cond {\n\t\tdoWork()\n\t\tlogIt()\n\t}\n}\n"
+	writeTestFile(t, path, original)
+	patch := strings.Join([]string{
+		"*** Begin Patch",
+		"*** Update File: example.go",
+		"@@",
+		"     if cond {",
+		"         doWork()",
+		"-\t\tlogIt()",
+		"+\t\tlogIt(ctx)",
+		"     }",
+		"*** End Patch",
+		"",
+	}, "\n")
+
+	result := NewScopedApplyPatchTool(root, nil).Run(context.Background(), map[string]any{"patch": patch})
+	if result.Status != StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("structured patch failed: %s", result.Output)
+	}
+	want := "func f() {\n\tif cond {\n\t\tdoWork()\n\t\tlogIt(ctx)\n\t}\n}\n"
+	if got := mustReadTestFile(t, path); got != want {
+		t.Fatalf("structured patch rewrote unchanged context:\n got %q\nwant %q", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestApplyPatchToolStructuredPatchPreservesMixedContextLineEndings(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	path := filepath.Join(root, "example.txt")
+	original := "alpha\r\n\tcontext\r\n\told\nomega\r\n"
+	writeTestFile(t, path, original)
+	patch := strings.Join([]string{
+		"*** Begin Patch",
+		"*** Update File: example.txt",
+		"@@",
+		" alpha",
+		"     context",
+		"-\told",
+		"+\tnew",
+		" omega",
+		"*** End Patch",
+		"",
+	}, "\n")
+
+	result := NewScopedApplyPatchTool(root, nil).Run(context.Background(), map[string]any{"patch": patch})
+	if result.Status != StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("structured patch failed: %s", result.Output)
+	}
+	want := "alpha\r\n\tcontext\r\n\tnew\nomega\r\n"
+	if got := mustReadTestFile(t, path); got != want {
+		t.Fatalf("structured patch rewrote context line endings:\n got %q\nwant %q", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestApplyPatchToolStructuredPatchInsertsAtContext(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	writeTestFile(t, filepath.Join(root, "example.txt"), "anchor\nmiddle\nremove\n")
+	patch := strings.Join([]string{
+		"*** Begin Patch",
+		"*** Update File: example.txt",
+		"@@ anchor",
+		"+inserted",
+		"@@ middle",
+		"-remove",
+		"*** End Patch",
+		"",
+	}, "\n")
+
+	result := NewScopedApplyPatchTool(root, nil).Run(context.Background(), map[string]any{"patch": patch})
+	if result.Status != StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("structured insertion failed: %s", result.Output)
+	}
+	content, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(root, "example.txt"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if got, want := string(content), "anchor\ninserted\nmiddle\n"; got != want {
+		t.Fatalf("structured insertion content = %q, want %q", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestApplyPatchToolStructuredPatchRejectsAmbiguousMatch(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	path := filepath.Join(root, "example.go")
+	original := "func a() {\n\treturn nil\n}\n\nfunc b() {\n\treturn nil\n}\n"
+	writeTestFile(t, path, original)
+	patch := strings.Join([]string{
+		"*** Begin Patch",
+		"*** Update File: example.go",
+		"@@",
+		"-\treturn nil",
+		"+\treturn errNotFound",
+		"*** End Patch",
+		"",
+	}, "\n")
+
+	result := NewScopedApplyPatchTool(root, nil).Run(context.Background(), map[string]any{"patch": patch})
+	if result.Status != StatusError || !strings.Contains(strings.ToLower(result.Output), "ambiguous") {
+		t.Fatalf("ambiguous structured patch should be refused, got %s: %s", result.Status, result.Output)
+	}
+	if got := mustReadTestFile(t, path); got != original {
+		t.Fatalf("ambiguous structured patch changed the file: %q", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestApplyPatchToolStructuredPatchPreservesCRLF(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	path := filepath.Join(root, "example.txt")
+	writeTestFile(t, path, "alpha\r\nbravo\r\ncharlie\r\n")
+	patch := strings.Join([]string{
+		"*** Begin Patch",
+		"*** Update File: example.txt",
+		"@@",
+		"-bravo",
+		"+BRAVO",
+		"*** End Patch",
+		"",
+	}, "\n")
+
+	result := NewScopedApplyPatchTool(root, nil).Run(context.Background(), map[string]any{"patch": patch})
+	if result.Status != StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("structured patch failed: %s", result.Output)
+	}
+	if got, want := mustReadTestFile(t, path), "alpha\r\nBRAVO\r\ncharlie\r\n"; got != want {
+		t.Fatalf("structured patch content = %q, want %q", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestApplyPatchToolStructuredPatchPreservesMissingFinalNewline(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	path := filepath.Join(root, "example.txt")
+	writeTestFile(t, path, "alpha\nbravo")
+	patch := strings.Join([]string{
+		"*** Begin Patch",
+		"*** Update File: example.txt",
+		"@@",
+		"-alpha",
+		"+ALPHA",
+		"*** End Patch",
+		"",
+	}, "\n")
+
+	result := NewScopedApplyPatchTool(root, nil).Run(context.Background(), map[string]any{"patch": patch})
+	if result.Status != StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("structured patch failed: %s", result.Output)
+	}
+	if got, want := mustReadTestFile(t, path), "ALPHA\nbravo"; got != want {
+		t.Fatalf("structured patch content = %q, want %q", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestApplyPatchToolStructuredPatchKeepsInsertedEmptyFileWithoutFinalNewline(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	path := filepath.Join(root, "empty.txt")
+	writeTestFile(t, path, "")
+	patch := strings.Join([]string{
+		"*** Begin Patch",
+		"*** Update File: empty.txt",
+		"@@",
+		"+content",
+		"*** End Patch",
+		"",
+	}, "\n")
+
+	result := NewScopedApplyPatchTool(root, nil).Run(context.Background(), map[string]any{"patch": patch})
+	if result.Status != StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("structured patch failed: %s", result.Output)
+	}
+	if got, want := mustReadTestFile(t, path), "content"; got != want {
+		t.Fatalf("structured patch content = %q, want %q", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestApplyPatchToolStructuredPatchRejectsOutOfOrderEndHunk(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	path := filepath.Join(root, "example.txt")
+	original := "alpha\nbravo\ncharlie\ndelta\necho\n"
+	writeTestFile(t, path, original)
+	patch := strings.Join([]string{
+		"*** Begin Patch",
+		"*** Update File: example.txt",
+		"@@",
+		"-delta",
+		"+DELTA",
+		"@@",
+		"-delta",
+		"-echo",
+		"+tail",
+		"*** End of File",
+		"*** End Patch",
+		"",
+	}, "\n")
+
+	result := NewScopedApplyPatchTool(root, nil).Run(context.Background(), map[string]any{"patch": patch})
+	if result.Status != StatusError {
+		t.Fatalf("out-of-order structured patch should be refused, got %s: %s", result.Status, result.Output)
+	}
+	if got := mustReadTestFile(t, path); got != original {
+		t.Fatalf("out-of-order structured patch changed the file: %q", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestStructuredPatchAddDoesNotOverwriteRacedDestination(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	targetPath := filepath.Join(root, "created.txt")
+	writeTestFile(t, targetPath, "other writer\n")
+	workspace, err := os.OpenRoot(root)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer workspace.Close()
+	change := structuredPatchChange{
+		kind:  structuredPatchAdd,
+		to:    structuredPatchTarget{absolute: targetPath, relative: "created.txt"},
+		after: "patch content\n", mode: 0o644,
+	}
+
+	err = applyStructuredPatchChanges(workspace, []structuredPatchChange{change}, nil)
+	if err == nil || !errors.Is(err, os.ErrExist) {
+		t.Fatalf("raced add destination = %v, want os.ErrExist", err)
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "exclusive-copy fallback") {
+		t.Fatalf("existing destination should be reported directly: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got := mustReadTestFile(t, targetPath); got != "other writer\n" {
+		t.Fatalf("raced add overwrote another writer's file: %q", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestStructuredPatchFailedDeleteDoesNotRecreateMissingFile(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	workspace, err := os.OpenRoot(root)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer workspace.Close()
+	missingPath := filepath.Join(root, "missing.txt")
+	change := structuredPatchChange{
+		kind:   structuredPatchDelete,
+		from:   structuredPatchTarget{absolute: missingPath, relative: "missing.txt"},
+		before: "removed by another writer\n", mode: 0o644,
+	}
+
+	err = applyStructuredPatchChanges(workspace, []structuredPatchChange{change}, nil)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("delete of an already removed file should fail")
+	}
+	if _, statErr := os.Stat(missingPath); !os.IsNotExist(statErr) {
+		t.Fatalf("failed delete recreated the missing file: %v", statErr)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestStructuredPatchMoveFailureLeavesPublishedDestination(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	workspace, err := os.OpenRoot(root)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer workspace.Close()
+	sourcePath := filepath.Join(root, "source.txt")
+	destinationPath := filepath.Join(root, "destination.txt")
+	change := structuredPatchChange{
+		kind:   structuredPatchUpdate,
+		from:   structuredPatchTarget{absolute: sourcePath, relative: "source.txt"},
+		to:     structuredPatchTarget{absolute: destinationPath, relative: "destination.txt"},
+		before: "removed source\n", after: "moved content\n", mode: 0o644,
+	}
+
+	err = applyStructuredPatchChanges(workspace, []structuredPatchChange{change}, nil)
+	if err == nil || !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "partially applied") {
+		t.Fatalf("move with a missing source = %v, want partial-application error", err)
+	}
+	if _, statErr := os.Stat(sourcePath); !os.IsNotExist(statErr) {
+		t.Fatalf("failed move recreated a missing source: %v", statErr)
+	}
+	if got := mustReadTestFile(t, destinationPath); got != "moved content\n" {
+		t.Fatalf("published move destination = %q", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestStructuredPatchCreateOnlyFallsBackWhenHardLinksUnsupported(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	workspace, err := os.OpenRoot(root)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer workspace.Close()
+	sourcePath := filepath.Join(root, "source.tmp")
+	writeTestFile(t, sourcePath, "complete content\n")
+	if err := workspace.Chmod("source.tmp", 0o444); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	committed, err := publishStructuredPatchNoReplaceWith(
+		workspace,
+		"source.tmp",
+		"target.txt",
+		0o444,
+		func(string, string) error { return errors.New("hard links unsupported") },
+	)
+	if err != nil || !committed {
+		t.Fatalf("fallback publish = committed %v, error %v", committed, err)
+	}
+	if got := mustReadTestFile(t, filepath.Join(root, "target.txt")); got != "complete content\n" {
+		t.Fatalf("fallback target content = %q", got)
+	}
+	if _, statErr := os.Stat(sourcePath); !os.IsNotExist(statErr) {
+		t.Fatalf("read-only source was not cleaned up: %v", statErr)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestStructuredPatchCopyFailureReportsSurvivingPartialTarget(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	workspace, err := os.OpenRoot(root)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer workspace.Close()
+	sourcePath := filepath.Join(root, "source.tmp")
+	writeTestFile(t, sourcePath, "complete content\n")
+	copyErr := errors.New("injected copy failure")
+	cleanupErr := errors.New("injected target cleanup failure")
+	committed, err := copyStructuredPatchNoReplaceWith(
+		workspace,
+		"source.tmp",
+		"target.txt",
+		0o644,
+		func(destination io.Writer, _ io.Reader) (int64, error) {
+			written, writeErr := io.WriteString(destination, "partial")
+			if writeErr != nil {
+				return int64(written), writeErr
+			}
+			return int64(written), copyErr
+		},
+		func(root *os.Root, name string) error {
+			if name == "target.txt" {
+				return cleanupErr
+			}
+			return removeStructuredPatchTemp(root, name)
+		},
+	)
+	if !committed || !errors.Is(err, copyErr) || !errors.Is(err, cleanupErr) {
+		t.Fatalf("copy failure = committed %v, error %v", committed, err)
+	}
+	targetPath := filepath.Join(root, "target.txt")
+	if got := mustReadTestFile(t, targetPath); got != "partial" {
+		t.Fatalf("partial target content = %q", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestStructuredPatchPartialFailureLeavesCompletedChangeAndClearsTrackedState(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	trackedPath := filepath.Join(root, "tracked.txt")
+	writeTestFile(t, trackedPath, "original\n")
+	workspace, err := os.OpenRoot(root)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer workspace.Close()
+
+	trackedPath, err = filepath.EvalSymlinks(trackedPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	info, err := os.Stat(trackedPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	tracker := NewFileTracker()
+	tracker.Record(trackedPath, []byte("original\n"), info)
+	tracker.RecordSeenRange(trackedPath, 1, 1, 1)
+	trackedTarget := structuredPatchTarget{absolute: trackedPath, relative: "tracked.txt"}
+	blockedPath := filepath.Join(root, "blocked")
+	if err := os.Mkdir(blockedPath, 0o755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	writeTestFile(t, filepath.Join(blockedPath, "sentinel"), "keep\n")
+	changes := []structuredPatchChange{
+		{
+			kind: structuredPatchUpdate, from: trackedTarget, to: trackedTarget,
+			before: "original\n", after: "updated\n", mode: 0o644,
+		},
+		{
+			kind:  structuredPatchAdd,
+			to:    structuredPatchTarget{absolute: blockedPath, relative: "blocked"},
+			after: "cannot replace a non-empty directory\n", mode: 0o644,
+		},
+	}
+
+	err = applyStructuredPatchChanges(workspace, changes, tracker)
+	if err == nil || !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "partially applied") {
+		t.Fatalf("second change = %v, want partial-application error", err)
+	}
+	if got := mustReadTestFile(t, trackedPath); got != "updated\n" {
+		t.Fatalf("completed change was unexpectedly altered: %q", got)
+	}
+	if _, tracked := tracker.Version(trackedPath); tracked || tracker.SeenWhole(trackedPath) {
+		t.Fatal("partial failure retained stale file-tracker state")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestApplyPatchToolRejectsMalformedOrEscapingStructuredPatchBeforeWriting(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	tool := NewScopedApplyPatchTool(root, nil)
+	for name, patch := range map[string]string{
+		"empty update": strings.Join([]string{
+			"*** Begin Patch",
+			"*** Update File: target.txt",
+			"*** End Patch",
+		}, "\n"),
+		"escape": strings.Join([]string{
+			"*** Begin Patch",
+			"*** Add File: ../outside.txt",
+			"+nope",
+			"*** End Patch",
+		}, "\n"),
+	} {
+		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			result := tool.Run(context.Background(), map[string]any{"patch": patch})
+			if result.Status != StatusError {
+				t.Fatalf("expected error, got %s: %s", result.Status, result.Output)
+			}
+			if strings.Contains(result.Output, "No valid patches") {
+				t.Fatalf("structured patch should fail before git apply, got %q", result.Output)
+			}
+			if name == "empty update" {
+				if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(root, "target.txt")); !os.IsNotExist(err) {
+					t.Fatalf("empty update must not write target file, stat err = %v", err)
+				}
+			}
+		})
+	}
+	if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(filepath.Dir(root), "outside.txt")); !os.IsNotExist(err) {
+		t.Fatalf("escaping patch must not write outside workspace, stat err = %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
 // A hunk-body line that removes content beginning with "-- " appears in the diff
 // as "--- ..."; it must NOT be mistaken for a file header (which previously made
 // apply_patch reject a valid patch as targeting an outside path).

internal/tui/add_dir.go

@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ func (m model) handleAddDirCommand(arg string) model {
 	if err != nil {
 		return m.appendSystemNotice("add-dir: " + err.Error())
 	}
-	return m.appendSystemNotice("write access added: " + root + " (this session only)")
+	return m.showTransientNoticeInline("Write access added: "+root+" (this session only).", transientNoticeSuccess)
 }
 
 // appendSystemNotice appends a system transcript line and returns the updated

internal/tui/add_dir_test.go

@@ -42,8 +42,8 @@ func TestHandleAddDirCommand(t *testing.T) {
 	if roots := scope.Roots(); len(roots) != initialRootCount+1 {
 		t.Fatalf("expected one additional write root after grant, got %#v", roots)
 	}
-	notice := lastTranscriptText(next)
-	if !strings.Contains(notice, "write access added") || !strings.Contains(notice, "session only") {
+	notice := next.transientNotice.text
+	if !strings.Contains(notice, "Write access added") || !strings.Contains(notice, "session only") {
 		t.Fatalf("grant notice = %q, want it to mention the grant and its session-only lifetime", notice)
 	}
 

internal/tui/assistant_markdown.go

@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ const (
 	markdownTableRuleBodyRows    = 4
 	markdownBoldStart            = "\x1b[1m"
 	markdownBoldEnd              = "\x1b[22m"
+	markdownCodeStart            = "\x1b[7m"
+	markdownCodeEnd              = "\x1b[27m"
 )
 
 type markdownDisplayStyle int
@@ -25,6 +27,7 @@ type markdownDisplayStyle int
 const (
 	markdownDisplayNormal markdownDisplayStyle = iota
 	markdownDisplayBold
+	markdownDisplayCode
 	markdownDisplayRule
 )
 
@@ -262,6 +265,8 @@ func styleAssistantMarkdownLine(line string, base lipgloss.Style) string {
 		case markdownDisplayBold:
 			// Emphasis is weight-only (no colour) — dark-mode-friendly and calm.
 			builder.WriteString(zeroTheme.ink.Bold(true).Render(text))
+		case markdownDisplayCode:
+			builder.WriteString(inlineCodeStyle().Render(text))
 		case markdownDisplayRule:
 			builder.WriteString(zeroTheme.lineStrong.Render(text))
 		default:
@@ -282,6 +287,16 @@ func styleAssistantMarkdownLine(line string, base lipgloss.Style) string {
 			style = markdownDisplayNormal
 			index += len(markdownBoldEnd)
 			continue
+		case strings.HasPrefix(line[index:], markdownCodeStart):
+			flush()
+			style = markdownDisplayCode
+			index += len(markdownCodeStart)
+			continue
+		case strings.HasPrefix(line[index:], markdownCodeEnd):
+			flush()
+			style = markdownDisplayNormal
+			index += len(markdownCodeEnd)
+			continue
 		case line[index] == '\x1b':
 			// Already-styled input (highlighted code, headings, tables) carries real
 			// ANSI. Emit each escape verbatim instead of treating its bytes as runes
@@ -313,6 +328,13 @@ func styleAssistantMarkdownLine(line string, base lipgloss.Style) string {
 	return builder.String()
 }
 
+func hasMarkdownDisplayControls(line string) bool {
+	return strings.Contains(line, markdownBoldStart) ||
+		strings.Contains(line, markdownBoldEnd) ||
+		strings.Contains(line, markdownCodeStart) ||
+		strings.Contains(line, markdownCodeEnd)
+}
+
 func hasExternalANSIStyle(line string) bool {
 	for index := 0; index < len(line); {
 		if line[index] != '\x1b' {
@@ -325,7 +347,7 @@ func hasExternalANSIStyle(line string) bool {
 			continue
 		}
 		seq := line[index:end]
-		if seq != markdownBoldStart && seq != markdownBoldEnd {
+		if seq != markdownBoldStart && seq != markdownBoldEnd && seq != markdownCodeStart && seq != markdownCodeEnd {
 			return true
 		}
 		index = end
@@ -334,6 +356,9 @@ func hasExternalANSIStyle(line string) bool {
 }
 
 func markdownDisplayStyleForRune(r rune, current markdownDisplayStyle) markdownDisplayStyle {
+	if current == markdownDisplayCode {
+		return current
+	}
 	switch r {
 	case '│', '─', '┼', '╭', '╮', '╰', '╯', '├', '┤', '┬', '┴':
 		return markdownDisplayRule
@@ -980,6 +1005,7 @@ func renderMarkdownStandaloneLine(line string) string {
 type markdownInlineSegment struct {
 	text string
 	bold bool
+	code bool
 }
 
 func wrapMarkdownInline(text string, measure int) []string {
@@ -1028,7 +1054,7 @@ func wrapMarkdownInlineWithPrefixes(firstPrefix string, continuationPrefix strin
 				flush()
 			}
 			head, tail := splitAtWidth(word.text, available)
-			lines = append(lines, prefix+renderMarkdownInlineSegment(markdownInlineSegment{text: head, bold: word.bold}))
+			lines = append(lines, prefix+renderMarkdownInlineSegment(markdownInlineSegment{text: head, bold: word.bold, code: word.code}))
 			word.text = tail
 			prefix = continuationPrefix
 			available = maxInt(1, measure-lipgloss.Width(prefix))
@@ -1063,8 +1089,14 @@ func wrapMarkdownInlineWithPrefixes(firstPrefix string, continuationPrefix strin
 func markdownInlineWords(segments []markdownInlineSegment) []markdownInlineSegment {
 	words := []markdownInlineSegment{}
 	for _, segment := range segments {
+		if segment.code {
+			if segment.text != "" {
+				words = append(words, segment)
+			}
+			continue
+		}
 		for _, word := range strings.Fields(segment.text) {
-			words = append(words, markdownInlineSegment{text: word, bold: segment.bold})
+			words = append(words, markdownInlineSegment{text: word, bold: segment.bold, code: segment.code})
 		}
 	}
 	return words
@@ -1078,6 +1110,9 @@ func renderMarkdownInlineSegment(segment markdownInlineSegment) string {
 	if segment.text == "" {
 		return ""
 	}
+	if segment.code {
+		return markdownCodeStart + segment.text + markdownCodeEnd
+	}
 	if segment.bold {
 		return renderMarkdownBoldText(segment.text)
 	}
@@ -1107,7 +1142,7 @@ func parseMarkdownInline(text string) []markdownInlineSegment {
 		if builder.Len() == 0 {
 			return
 		}
-		segments = append(segments, markdownInlineSegment{text: builder.String(), bold: bold && !code})
+		segments = append(segments, markdownInlineSegment{text: builder.String(), bold: bold && !code, code: code})
 		builder.Reset()
 	}
 

internal/tui/attachment_preview.go

@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+package tui
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/terminalpet"
+)
+
+const (
+	attachmentImageID             = uint32(0xC0E0)
+	attachmentPreviewCols         = 10
+	attachmentPreviewRows         = 4
+	attachmentPreviewHeightPixels = 64
+	attachmentPreviewMaxImages    = 4
+)
+
+// attachmentThumbnailVisible deliberately has a conservative layout gate. The
+// image is an enhancement to the existing attachment chips, not a reason to
+// crowd a narrow or modal surface.
+func (m model) attachmentThumbnailVisible(width int) bool {
+	if len(m.attachmentRenderers) == 0 || !m.altScreen ||
+		m.height < attachmentPreviewRows+10 || width < attachmentPreviewCols+28 {
+		return false
+	}
+	if m.pendingPermission != nil || m.pendingAskUser != nil || m.pendingSpecReview != nil ||
+		m.providerWizard != nil || m.mcpAddWizard != nil || m.mcpManager != nil || m.picker != nil ||
+		m.sttKeyPrompt != nil || m.renamePrompt != nil || m.setup.visible || m.helpOverlay || m.leaderHelpOverlay {
+		return false
+	}
+	for index := 0; index < m.attachmentThumbnailSlots(width); index++ {
+		if index < len(m.pendingImageThumbnails) && m.pendingImageThumbnails[index] != nil &&
+			index < len(m.attachmentRenderers) && m.attachmentRenderers[index].Support().Supported() {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+func (m model) attachmentThumbnailSlots(width int) int {
+	innerWidth := maxInt(1, width-m.petComposerReservedColumns(width)-4)
+	slots := maxInt(1, innerWidth/(attachmentPreviewCols+1))
+	return min(attachmentPreviewMaxImages, min(slots, len(m.attachmentRenderers)))
+}
+
+func (m model) attachmentThumbnailLines(width int) []string {
+	left := strings.Repeat(" ", attachmentPreviewCols+1)
+	lines := make([]string, attachmentPreviewRows)
+	for index := range lines {
+		lines[index] = left
+	}
+	for index, line := range lines {
+		lines[index] = fitStyledLine(line, width)
+	}
+	return lines
+}
+
+func (m model) attachmentThumbnailSupplementalChips() string {
+	if len(m.pendingImageLabels) <= 1 && len(m.pendingDocuments) == 0 {
+		return ""
+	}
+	return renderAttachmentChips(m.pendingImageLabels, m.pendingDocuments)
+}
+
+func (m model) attachmentComposerPrefixRows(width int) int {
+	if m.attachmentThumbnailVisible(width) {
+		rows := attachmentPreviewRows
+		if m.attachmentThumbnailSupplementalChips() != "" {
+			rows++
+		}
+		return rows
+	}
+	if renderAttachmentChips(m.pendingImageLabels, m.pendingDocuments) != "" {
+		return 1
+	}
+	return 0
+}
+
+// attachmentImageDraw places one gallery thumbnail inside the reserved top rows
+// of the composer. The position comes from the same footer layout used for mouse
+// input, so it follows sidebar changes and terminal resizes instead of relying on
+// a brittle absolute bottom-right calculation.
+func (m model) attachmentImageDraw(index int) *terminalpet.ImageDraw {
+	width := m.chatColumnWidth()
+	if !m.attachmentThumbnailVisible(width) || index < 0 || index >= m.attachmentThumbnailSlots(width) ||
+		index >= len(m.pendingImageThumbnails) || m.pendingImageThumbnails[index] == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	frame := m.scrollableTranscriptFrame(m.pinnedTitleBar(width), m.footerView(width))
+	if frame.composerRect.height < attachmentPreviewRows+2 {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return &terminalpet.ImageDraw{
+		ID:           attachmentImageID + uint32(index),
+		Animation:    m.pendingImageThumbnails[index],
+		State:        terminalpet.Idle,
+		X:            frame.composerRect.x + 2 + index*(attachmentPreviewCols+1),
+		Y:            frame.composerRect.y + 1,
+		Columns:      attachmentPreviewCols,
+		Rows:         attachmentPreviewRows,
+		HeightPixels: attachmentPreviewHeightPixels,
+	}
+}
+
+func attachmentPreviewImageIDs() []uint32 {
+	ids := make([]uint32, attachmentPreviewMaxImages)
+	for index := range ids {
+		ids[index] = attachmentImageID + uint32(index)
+	}
+	return ids
+}

internal/tui/attachment_preview_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,168 @@
+package tui
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"context"
+	"image"
+	"image/color"
+	"image/png"
+	"os"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/terminalpet"
+	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/zeroruntime"
+)
+
+func previewImageBlock(t *testing.T) zeroruntime.ImageBlock {
+	t.Helper()
+	frame := image.NewNRGBA(image.Rect(0, 0, 8, 6))
+	for y := 0; y < 6; y++ {
+		for x := 0; x < 8; x++ {
+			frame.Set(x, y, color.NRGBA{R: 60, G: 170, B: 220, A: 255})
+		}
+	}
+	var encoded bytes.Buffer
+	if err := png.Encode(&encoded, frame); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	return zeroruntime.ImageBlock{MediaType: "image/png", Data: encoded.Bytes()}
+}
+
+func TestAttachmentThumbnailRendersInsideComposerWhenSupported(t *testing.T) {
+	m := newModel(context.Background(), Options{})
+	m.width, m.height = 100, 30
+	m.altScreen = true
+	m.headerPrinted = true
+	m.attachmentRenderers = []*terminalpet.ImageRenderer{terminalpet.NewImageRenderer(terminalpet.ImageSupport{Protocol: terminalpet.ImageProtocolKitty})}
+	m.pendingImages = []zeroruntime.ImageBlock{previewImageBlock(t)}
+	m.pendingImageLabels = []string{"diagram.png"}
+	m.refreshPendingImageThumbnail()
+	if len(m.pendingImageThumbnails) != 1 || m.pendingImageThumbnails[0] == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected staged image thumbnail")
+	}
+
+	view := m.View()
+	plain := plainRender(t, view.Content)
+	if strings.Contains(plain, "[Image #1]") {
+		t.Fatalf("supported terminal should use thumbnail strip, got:\n%s", plain)
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(plain, "Image #1 attached") {
+		t.Fatalf("thumbnail strip should not duplicate a text attachment label, got:\n%s", plain)
+	}
+
+	var output bytes.Buffer
+	if err := m.attachmentRenderers[0].Render(&output); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if got := output.String(); !strings.Contains(got, "_Ga=T,t=d,f=100,c=10,r=4") {
+		t.Fatalf("thumbnail did not schedule a compact Kitty image: %q", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAttachmentThumbnailKeepsAdditionalImagesVisibleWhenSupported(t *testing.T) {
+	m := newModel(context.Background(), Options{})
+	m.width, m.height = 100, 30
+	m.altScreen = true
+	m.attachmentRenderers = []*terminalpet.ImageRenderer{
+		terminalpet.NewImageRenderer(terminalpet.ImageSupport{Protocol: terminalpet.ImageProtocolKitty}),
+		terminalpet.NewImageRenderer(terminalpet.ImageSupport{Protocol: terminalpet.ImageProtocolKitty}),
+	}
+	m.pendingImages = []zeroruntime.ImageBlock{previewImageBlock(t), previewImageBlock(t)}
+	m.pendingImageLabels = []string{"first.png", "second.png"}
+	m.refreshPendingImageThumbnail()
+
+	plain := plainRender(t, m.composerBox(m.width))
+	if !strings.Contains(plain, "[Image #2]") {
+		t.Fatalf("a supported terminal must keep a second staged image visible, got:\n%s", plain)
+	}
+	_ = m.View()
+	for index, renderer := range m.attachmentRenderers {
+		var output bytes.Buffer
+		if err := renderer.Render(&output); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		id := "i=" + strconv.FormatUint(uint64(attachmentImageID+uint32(index)), 10)
+		if !strings.Contains(output.String(), id) {
+			t.Fatalf("thumbnail %d was not rendered, got %q", index+1, output.String())
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAttachmentThumbnailFallsBackToChipsWithoutTerminalGraphics(t *testing.T) {
+	m := newModel(context.Background(), Options{})
+	m.width, m.height = 100, 30
+	m.altScreen = true
+	m.pendingImages = []zeroruntime.ImageBlock{previewImageBlock(t)}
+	m.pendingImageLabels = []string{"diagram.png"}
+	m.refreshPendingImageThumbnail()
+
+	plain := plainRender(t, m.composerBox(m.width))
+	if !strings.Contains(plain, "[Image #1]") {
+		t.Fatalf("unsupported terminal should retain text attachment chip, got:\n%s", plain)
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(plain, "Image #1 attached") {
+		t.Fatalf("unsupported terminal should not reserve thumbnail rows, got:\n%s", plain)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAttachmentThumbnailClearsWithPendingImage(t *testing.T) {
+	m := newModel(context.Background(), Options{})
+	m.width, m.height = 100, 30
+	m.altScreen = true
+	m.headerPrinted = true
+	m.attachmentRenderers = []*terminalpet.ImageRenderer{terminalpet.NewImageRenderer(terminalpet.ImageSupport{Protocol: terminalpet.ImageProtocolKitty})}
+	m.pendingImages = []zeroruntime.ImageBlock{previewImageBlock(t)}
+	m.pendingImageLabels = []string{"diagram.png"}
+	m.refreshPendingImageThumbnail()
+	_ = m.View()
+	var first bytes.Buffer
+	if err := m.attachmentRenderers[0].Render(&first); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	m.pendingImages = nil
+	m.pendingImageLabels = nil
+	m.pendingImageThumbnails = nil
+	_ = m.View()
+	var cleared bytes.Buffer
+	if err := m.attachmentRenderers[0].Render(&cleared); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(cleared.String(), "a=d,d=I,i=49376") {
+		t.Fatalf("clearing pending image should delete its Kitty placement, got %q", cleared.String())
+	}
+}
+
+func TestPetOutputCompositesAttachmentAndPetInOneFrame(t *testing.T) {
+	animation, err := terminalpet.ThumbnailAnimation(image.NewNRGBA(image.Rect(0, 0, 2, 2)))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	pet := terminalpet.NewImageRenderer(terminalpet.ImageSupport{Protocol: terminalpet.ImageProtocolKitty})
+	attachment := terminalpet.NewImageRenderer(terminalpet.ImageSupport{Protocol: terminalpet.ImageProtocolKitty})
+	pet.Set(&terminalpet.ImageDraw{ID: petAmbientImageID, Animation: animation, State: terminalpet.Idle, Columns: 4, Rows: 3})
+	attachment.Set(&terminalpet.ImageDraw{ID: attachmentImageID, Animation: animation, State: terminalpet.Idle, Columns: 10, Rows: 4})
+	sink, err := os.CreateTemp(t.TempDir(), "image-output-*")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(func() { _ = sink.Close() })
+	if _, err := newPetImageOutput(sink, pet, attachment).Write([]byte(terminalSyncStart + "frame" + terminalSyncEnd)); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	data, err := os.ReadFile(sink.Name())
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	got := string(data)
+	if strings.Count(got, terminalSyncStart) != 1 || strings.Count(got, terminalSyncEnd) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("graphics should share Bubble Tea's synchronized frame: %q", got)
+	}
+	for _, id := range []string{"i=49374", "i=49376"} {
+		if !strings.Contains(got, id) {
+			t.Fatalf("missing image placement %s: %q", id, got)
+		}
+	}
+}

internal/tui/btw.go

@@ -136,6 +136,7 @@ func (m model) handleBTWCommand(question string) (model, tea.Cmd) {
 	if question == "" {
 		side.pendingImages = nil
 		side.pendingImageLabels = nil
+		side.pendingImageThumbnails = nil
 		side.pendingDocuments = nil
 	}
 	side.loops = nil

internal/tui/clipboard.go

@@ -107,7 +107,6 @@ func (m model) routePaste(content string) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 			return m, nil
 		}
 		m.picker.appendQuery([]rune(sanitizeComposerInput(content)))
-		m.previewSelectedTheme()
 		if m.picker.kind == pickerPet {
 			return m.schedulePetPreview()
 		}

internal/tui/collapse_tools_test.go

@@ -121,3 +121,59 @@ func TestToolResultRowExposesClickToggle(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("tool result visible body/footer must stay selectable, got %#v", selectable)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestAlwaysExpandedToolResultHeaderIsNotToggleable(t *testing.T) {
+	m := transcriptViewTestModel()
+	for _, tool := range []string{"edit_file", "apply_patch", "write_file"} {
+		row := transcriptRow{
+			kind:   rowToolResult,
+			id:     "diff",
+			tool:   tool,
+			status: tools.StatusOK,
+			detail: "--- a/example.go\n+++ b/example.go\n@@ -1 +1 @@\n-old\n+new",
+		}
+		_, selectable := m.renderSelectableToolResultRow(0, row, m.width, buildRowContext(nil), 0)
+		if len(selectable) == 0 {
+			t.Fatalf("%s: expected a visible diff result row", tool)
+		}
+		if selectable[0].toggle {
+			t.Fatalf("%s header must not advertise a collapse toggle: %#v", tool, selectable[0])
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestToolResultOutputCannotCreateToggle(t *testing.T) {
+	m := transcriptViewTestModel()
+	row := transcriptRow{
+		kind:   rowToolResult,
+		id:     "custom",
+		tool:   "custom_tool",
+		status: tools.StatusOK,
+		detail: "the file literally says: click to expand",
+	}
+	_, selectable := m.renderSelectableToolResultRow(0, row, m.width, buildRowContext(nil), 0)
+	if len(selectable) == 0 {
+		t.Fatal("expected a visible tool result row")
+	}
+	if selectable[0].toggle {
+		t.Fatalf("tool-output text must not create a header toggle: %#v", selectable[0])
+	}
+}
+
+func TestCollapsedExploreToolResultHeaderIsToggleable(t *testing.T) {
+	m := transcriptViewTestModel()
+	row := transcriptRow{
+		kind:   rowToolResult,
+		id:     "read",
+		tool:   "read_file",
+		status: tools.StatusOK,
+		detail: numberedLines(cardBodyMaxLines + 5),
+	}
+	_, selectable := m.renderSelectableToolResultRow(0, row, m.width, buildRowContext(nil), 0)
+	if len(selectable) == 0 {
+		t.Fatal("expected a visible explore result row")
+	}
+	if !selectable[0].toggle {
+		t.Fatalf("collapsed explore card header must remain toggleable: %#v", selectable[0])
+	}
+}

internal/tui/command_center.go

@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/doctor"
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/modelregistry"
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/oauth"
+	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/providercatalog"
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/providermodelcatalog"
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/providers"
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/redaction"
@@ -731,14 +732,16 @@ func (m model) resolveModelSwitchTarget(registry modelregistry.Registry, args st
 		}, true
 	}
 	if provider, ok := m.activeProviderDescriptor(); ok {
-		for _, model := range m.modelPickerLiveByProvider[provider.ID] {
-			if strings.EqualFold(model.ID, strings.TrimSpace(args)) {
-				return modelSwitchTarget{modelID: model.ID}, true
+		for _, candidate := range providerModelSwitchCandidates(provider.ID, args) {
+			for _, model := range m.modelPickerLiveByProvider[provider.ID] {
+				if strings.EqualFold(model.ID, candidate) {
+					return modelSwitchTarget{modelID: model.ID}, true
+				}
 			}
-		}
-		for _, model := range providermodelcatalog.Models(provider) {
-			if strings.EqualFold(model.ID, strings.TrimSpace(args)) {
-				return modelSwitchTarget{modelID: model.ID}, true
+			for _, model := range providermodelcatalog.Models(provider) {
+				if strings.EqualFold(model.ID, candidate) {
+					return modelSwitchTarget{modelID: model.ID}, true
+				}
 			}
 		}
 		if genericProviderCatalogID(provider.ID) && strings.TrimSpace(args) != "" {
@@ -748,6 +751,24 @@ func (m model) resolveModelSwitchTarget(registry modelregistry.Registry, args st
 	return modelSwitchTarget{}, false
 }
 
+// providerModelSwitchCandidates preserves provider-owned model IDs while
+// accepting the models.dev OpenAI namespace for ChatGPT subscription models.
+// The ChatGPT backend itself publishes bare model IDs (for example,
+// "gpt-5.6-sol"); gateway providers may legitimately require "openai/..."
+// as part of their model ID, so the alias is deliberately provider-specific.
+func providerModelSwitchCandidates(providerID string, input string) []string {
+	requested := strings.TrimSpace(input)
+	candidates := []string{requested}
+	const openAIPrefix = "openai/"
+	if providercatalog.NormalizeID(providerID) != "chatgpt" || len(requested) <= len(openAIPrefix) || !strings.EqualFold(requested[:len(openAIPrefix)], openAIPrefix) {
+		return candidates
+	}
+	if bare := strings.TrimSpace(requested[len(openAIPrefix):]); bare != "" {
+		candidates = append(candidates, bare)
+	}
+	return candidates
+}
+
 func (m model) requestCompactionBeforeModelSwitch(request modelSwitchCompactionRequest, title string) (model, string, bool) {
 	if modelSwitchCompactionGuard == nil {
 		return m, "", false

internal/tui/composer.go

@@ -269,10 +269,7 @@ func (m model) composerPositionAtMouse(msg tea.MouseMsg) (int, bool) {
 	if width < 8 {
 		return m.composerPositionAtVisualCell(localX, localY, width)
 	}
-	contentY := localY - 1
-	if renderAttachmentChips(m.pendingImageLabels, m.pendingDocuments) != "" {
-		contentY--
-	}
+	contentY := localY - 1 - m.attachmentComposerPrefixRows(width)
 	if contentY < 0 {
 		return 0, false
 	}

internal/tui/dictation.go

@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ type dictationController struct {
 	browseVariants []dictation.ModelVariant
 
 	// in-flight session state
+	sessionID   int64
 	streaming   bool
 	recorder    Recorder
 	transcriber Transcriber
@@ -101,13 +102,17 @@ type dictationController struct {
 }
 
 // dictationStartedMsg reports the outcome of Recorder.Start().
+// sessionID must match the dictation controller's current session so a late
+// start result after cancel/reset cannot reset a newer recording.
 type dictationStartedMsg struct {
-	err error
+	sessionID int64
+	err       error
 }
 
 // dictationTranscribedMsg carries the final transcript of a batch (or a
 // completed streaming) recording.
 type dictationTranscribedMsg struct {
+	sessionID int64
 	text      string
 	err       error
 	submit    bool
@@ -125,6 +130,7 @@ func newDictationController(opts Options) dictationController {
 		platform:       dictation.DetectPlatform(),
 		downloadRoot:   opts.STTDownloadRoot,
 		userConfigPath: opts.UserConfigPath,
+		sessionID:      1,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -195,13 +201,13 @@ func (m model) toggleVoiceMode() (model, tea.Cmd) {
 	}
 	m.dictation.voiceModeEnabled = !m.dictation.voiceModeEnabled
 	if m.dictation.voiceModeEnabled {
-		return m.appendSystemNotice("Voice mode on (" + m.dictation.currentModelLabel() + ") — hold Space to dictate, release to transcribe. Run /voice again to turn it off (so Space types normally)."), nil
+		return m.showTransientNoticeInline("Voice mode on — hold Space to dictate; run /voice again to turn it off.", transientNoticeSuccess), nil
 	}
 	// Turning voice off is the "done dictating" signal, so release the warm sherpa
 	// streaming server — otherwise a loaded model keeps idling in RAM (and holding
 	// its port) until the app exits. It respawns lazily on the next streaming
 	// recording. Skip while a recording is still in flight so we don't kill it.
-	next := m.appendSystemNotice("Voice mode off.")
+	next := m.showTransientNoticeInline("Voice mode off.", transientNoticeInfo)
 	if next.dictation.active() {
 		return next, nil
 	}
@@ -262,7 +268,7 @@ func (m model) startDictation() (model, tea.Cmd) {
 	if streaming {
 		return m.startStreamingDictation()
 	}
-	return m, startBatchRecordingCmd(rec)
+	return m, startBatchRecordingCmd(m.dictation.sessionID, rec)
 }
 
 // stopDictation ends a recording. For batch it triggers Stop()+Transcribe(); for
@@ -276,7 +282,7 @@ func (m model) stopDictation() (model, tea.Cmd) {
 		}
 		return m, nil // final text arrives via the streaming command already running
 	}
-	return m, transcribeBatchCmd(m.dictation.ctx, m.dictation.recorder, m.dictation.transcriber, m.dictation.cfg.AutoSubmitEnabled())
+	return m, transcribeBatchCmd(m.dictation.sessionID, m.dictation.ctx, m.dictation.recorder, m.dictation.transcriber, m.dictation.cfg.AutoSubmitEnabled())
 }
 
 // cancelDictation aborts an in-flight recording without transcribing. Bound to
@@ -293,7 +299,7 @@ func (m model) cancelDictation() (model, tea.Cmd) {
 	}
 	m = m.discardDictationRegion()
 	m.dictation.reset()
-	return m.appendSystemNotice("Dictation cancelled."), nil
+	return m.showTransientNoticeInline("Dictation cancelled.", transientNoticeInfo), nil
 }
 
 // wantStreaming decides whether this recording uses the streaming pipeline:
@@ -311,6 +317,7 @@ func (d dictationController) maxDuration() time.Duration {
 }
 
 func (d *dictationController) reset() {
+	d.sessionID++
 	d.phase = dictIdle
 	d.recorder = nil
 	d.transcriber = nil
@@ -326,31 +333,36 @@ func (d *dictationController) reset() {
 
 // startBatchRecordingCmd starts the record-to-file capture off the UI goroutine
 // (Start spawns a subprocess and may briefly block or fail on a missing tool).
-func startBatchRecordingCmd(rec Recorder) tea.Cmd {
+func startBatchRecordingCmd(sessionID int64, rec Recorder) tea.Cmd {
 	return func() tea.Msg {
-		return dictationStartedMsg{err: rec.Start()}
+		return dictationStartedMsg{sessionID: sessionID, err: rec.Start()}
 	}
 }
 
 // transcribeBatchCmd stops the recording, transcribes the audio, and reports the
 // final text. Runs off the UI goroutine — Stop waits on the capture tool and
 // Transcribe does a network round-trip or a local exec.
-func transcribeBatchCmd(ctx context.Context, rec Recorder, transcriber Transcriber, submit bool) tea.Cmd {
+func transcribeBatchCmd(sessionID int64, ctx context.Context, rec Recorder, transcriber Transcriber, submit bool) tea.Cmd {
 	if ctx == nil {
 		ctx = context.Background()
 	}
 	return func() tea.Msg {
 		audio, err := rec.Stop()
 		if err != nil {
-			return dictationTranscribedMsg{err: err}
+			return dictationTranscribedMsg{sessionID: sessionID, err: err}
 		}
 		text, err := transcriber.Transcribe(ctx, audio)
-		return dictationTranscribedMsg{text: text, err: err, submit: submit}
+		return dictationTranscribedMsg{sessionID: sessionID, text: text, err: err, submit: submit}
 	}
 }
 
 // handleDictationStarted transitions to recording (or reports a start failure).
 func (m model) handleDictationStarted(msg dictationStartedMsg) (model, tea.Cmd) {
+	if msg.sessionID != m.dictation.sessionID {
+		// Stale startup from a cancelled session must not reset or re-arm a
+		// newer recording that already owns the controller.
+		return m, nil
+	}
 	if msg.err != nil {
 		m = m.discardDictationRegion()
 		m.dictation.reset()
@@ -375,6 +387,9 @@ func (m model) handleDictationStarted(msg dictationStartedMsg) (model, tea.Cmd)
 // handleDictationTranscribed inserts the final transcript into the composer (or
 // submits it when stt.autoSubmit is on), then returns to idle.
 func (m model) handleDictationTranscribed(msg dictationTranscribedMsg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
+	if msg.sessionID != m.dictation.sessionID {
+		return m, nil
+	}
 	streaming := m.dictation.streaming || msg.streaming
 	m = m.commitDictationRegion()
 	// A streaming session can end via a transcriber error (not just a user stop), so
@@ -392,7 +407,17 @@ func (m model) handleDictationTranscribed(msg dictationTranscribedMsg) (tea.Mode
 	}
 	m.dictation.reset()
 
-	if msg.err != nil && !errors.Is(msg.err, context.Canceled) {
+	if errors.Is(msg.err, context.Canceled) {
+		// cancelDictation already discarded the live region, reset the
+		// session, and posted "Dictation cancelled." A streaming transcriber
+		// can still race a buffered event past that cancel and report back a
+		// nonempty compose()+context.Canceled; treat that as terminal here,
+		// before the auto-submit branch below, so Esc can never fall through
+		// to msg.submit and fire the composer's restored pre-existing text.
+		return m, nil
+	}
+
+	if msg.err != nil {
 		// A cloud auth failure (missing/invalid key) is fixable in place: reopen the
 		// API-key prompt for the current provider so the user can paste a key and
 		// retry, instead of hitting a dead-end "run zero auth" line.
@@ -413,7 +438,7 @@ func (m model) handleDictationTranscribed(msg dictationTranscribedMsg) (tea.Mode
 		if streaming {
 			return m, nil // streaming already rendered live; nothing to add
 		}
-		return m.appendSystemNotice("No speech detected."), nil
+		return m.showTransientNoticeInline("No speech detected.", transientNoticeInfo), nil
 	}
 	if !streaming {
 		m = m.insertDictatedText(msg.text)

internal/tui/dictation_download.go

@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ func (d dictationController) canOfferDownload(err error) bool {
 // variant, reporting progress live, then persists and applies the resolved paths.
 func (m model) startVariantDownload(v dictation.ModelVariant) (model, tea.Cmd) {
 	if m.dictation.downloading {
-		return m.appendSystemNotice("A dictation download is already in progress — please wait for it to finish."), nil
+		return m.showTransientNoticeInline("Dictation setup is already in progress.", transientNoticeWarning), nil
 	}
 	m.dictation.downloading = true
 	sink := m.runtimeMessageSink
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ func (m model) startVariantDownload(v dictation.ModelVariant) (model, tea.Cmd) {
 		base = context.Background()
 	}
 	m.dictation.downloadStatus = "Starting download…"
-	m = m.appendSystemNotice(fmt.Sprintf("Setting up local dictation — downloading the offline engine and %s (~%d MB). This runs once; progress is shown in the status bar below.", v.Label, (v.Bytes>>20)+(engineDownloadBytes>>20)))
+	m = m.showTransientNoticeInline(fmt.Sprintf("Setting up local dictation (%s) — progress is in the status line.", v.Label), transientNoticeInfo)
 	return m, func() tea.Msg {
 		comp, err := dictation.EnsureLocalEngine(base, dictation.DownloadOptions{
 			DestRoot:          root,
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ func (m model) handleDictationDownloaded(msg dictationDownloadedMsg) (model, tea
 	if err != nil {
 		return m.appendSystemNotice("Downloaded the engine, but couldn't save the config: " + err.Error()), nil
 	}
-	return m.appendSystemNotice("Local dictation is ready. Run /voice, then hold Space to dictate."), nil
+	return m.showTransientNoticeInline("Local dictation is ready. Run /voice to start dictating.", transientNoticeSuccess), nil
 }
 
 // applyEngineComponents persists and applies resolved engine/model paths to the

internal/tui/dictation_download_test.go

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package tui
 
 import (
 	"errors"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/config"
@@ -79,7 +80,7 @@ func TestDownloadedBatchModelAppliedToConfig(t *testing.T) {
 	if got.dictation.cfg.StreamingEnabled() {
 		t.Error("a batch variant should set streaming off")
 	}
-	if !transcriptHasText(got, "ready") {
+	if !strings.Contains(got.transientNotice.text, "ready") {
 		t.Error("expected a ready notice")
 	}
 }
@@ -158,7 +159,7 @@ func TestSTTDownloadSelectionStartsDownload(t *testing.T) {
 	if cmd == nil {
 		t.Error("expected a download command")
 	}
-	if !transcriptHasText(next, variant.Label) {
+	if !strings.Contains(next.transientNotice.text, variant.Label) {
 		t.Error("expected the download-starting notice to name the variant")
 	}
 }

internal/tui/dictation_stream.go

@@ -14,8 +14,9 @@ import (
 // mechanism agent text deltas use (§6). text is the cumulative best transcript
 // so far (not a delta); final marks a settled segment.
 type sttPartialMsg struct {
-	text  string
-	final bool
+	sessionID int64
+	text      string
+	final     bool
 }
 
 // startStreamingDictation begins continuous capture and launches the streaming
@@ -38,6 +39,7 @@ func (m model) startStreamingDictation() (model, tea.Cmd) {
 	}
 	transcriber := m.dictation.transcriber
 	submit := m.dictation.cfg.AutoSubmitEnabled()
+	sessionID := m.dictation.sessionID
 
 	// Tap the audio: compute a mic level per chunk for the live waveform, then
 	// forward the chunk to the transcriber. A small buffer keeps the tap from
@@ -63,11 +65,11 @@ func (m model) startStreamingDictation() (model, tea.Cmd) {
 	streamCmd := func() tea.Msg {
 		onPartial := func(text string, final bool) {
 			if sink != nil {
-				sink(sttPartialMsg{text: text, final: final})
+				sink(sttPartialMsg{sessionID: sessionID, text: text, final: final})
 			}
 		}
 		text, err := transcriber.StreamTranscribe(ctx, tapped, onPartial)
-		return dictationTranscribedMsg{text: text, err: err, submit: submit, streaming: true}
+		return dictationTranscribedMsg{sessionID: sessionID, text: text, err: err, submit: submit, streaming: true}
 	}
 	// Streaming drives the waveform from real levels (no synthetic tick needed).
 	return m, streamCmd
@@ -77,6 +79,9 @@ func (m model) startStreamingDictation() (model, tea.Cmd) {
 // composer, replacing the previously-rendered live region wholesale so the text
 // builds up in place as the user keeps talking.
 func (m model) handleDictationPartial(msg sttPartialMsg) model {
+	if msg.sessionID != m.dictation.sessionID {
+		return m
+	}
 	// Ignore stragglers that arrive after the session ended (cancel/final).
 	if m.dictation.phase != dictRecording && m.dictation.phase != dictTranscribing {
 		return m

internal/tui/dictation_test.go

@@ -33,8 +33,11 @@ func TestDictationTranscribedEmptyIsNoticed(t *testing.T) {
 	if got.composer.text != "" {
 		t.Errorf("composer should stay empty, got %q", got.composer.text)
 	}
-	if !transcriptHasText(got, "No speech detected") {
-		t.Error("expected a 'no speech' notice")
+	if got.transientNotice.text != "No speech detected." {
+		t.Errorf("no-speech notice = %q", got.transientNotice.text)
+	}
+	if transcriptHasText(got, "No speech detected") {
+		t.Error("no-speech confirmation should not be persisted in the transcript")
 	}
 }
 
@@ -86,9 +89,10 @@ func TestDictationNonAuthErrorDoesNotPrompt(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestDictationStartedFailureResets(t *testing.T) {
 	m := model{}
+	m.dictation.sessionID = 1
 	m.dictation.phase = dictStarting
 	m.dictation.streaming = false
-	got, _ := m.handleDictationStarted(dictationStartedMsg{err: errors.New("mic busy")})
+	got, _ := m.handleDictationStarted(dictationStartedMsg{sessionID: 1, err: errors.New("mic busy")})
 	if got.dictation.active() {
 		t.Error("a start failure should reset to idle")
 	}
@@ -99,13 +103,48 @@ func TestDictationStartedFailureResets(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestDictationStartedArmsRecording(t *testing.T) {
 	m := model{}
+	m.dictation.sessionID = 1
 	m.dictation.phase = dictStarting
-	got, _ := m.handleDictationStarted(dictationStartedMsg{})
+	got, _ := m.handleDictationStarted(dictationStartedMsg{sessionID: 1})
 	if got.dictation.phase != dictRecording {
 		t.Error("a successful start should advance to recording")
 	}
 }
 
+// TestStaleDictationStartedIgnoredWhileLive pins the session gate on batch
+// startup messages. A late Start() result after cancel must not reset() a
+// newer recording (success would leave dictStarting with no recorder; failure
+// would kill the live session).
+func TestStaleDictationStartedIgnoredWhileLive(t *testing.T) {
+	// Active recording on session 2.
+	m := model{}
+	m.dictation.sessionID = 2
+	m.dictation.phase = dictRecording
+	m.dictation.streaming = true
+	m.setComposerState(composerState{text: "live session text", cursor: len("live session text")})
+
+	// Stale failure from session 1 must not reset the live controller.
+	afterFail, _ := m.handleDictationStarted(dictationStartedMsg{
+		sessionID: 1,
+		err:       errors.New("mic busy from previous start"),
+	})
+	if afterFail.dictation.phase != dictRecording || afterFail.dictation.sessionID != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("stale start failure: phase=%v session=%d, want recording/2", afterFail.dictation.phase, afterFail.dictation.sessionID)
+	}
+	if transcriptHasText(afterFail, "mic busy from previous start") {
+		t.Fatal("stale start failure must not post an error notice")
+	}
+
+	// Stale success from session 1 must not leave the live session stuck mid-start.
+	m2 := model{}
+	m2.dictation.sessionID = 2
+	m2.dictation.phase = dictRecording
+	afterOK, _ := m2.handleDictationStarted(dictationStartedMsg{sessionID: 1})
+	if afterOK.dictation.phase != dictRecording || afterOK.dictation.sessionID != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("stale start success: phase=%v session=%d, want recording/2", afterOK.dictation.phase, afterOK.dictation.sessionID)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestDictationUnavailableShowsHint(t *testing.T) {
 	m := model{} // no build factory
 	next, _ := m.toggleDictation()
@@ -136,6 +175,69 @@ func TestDictationStreamingPartialReplacesRegion(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestDictationCanceledStreamRaceDoesNotAutoSubmit(t *testing.T) {
+	// Esc can race an already-buffered realtime event: cancelDictation discards
+	// the live region and resets state synchronously, but the streaming
+	// goroutine's dictationTranscribedMsg (a nonempty compose() alongside
+	// context.Canceled) can still arrive afterward. With stt.autoSubmit on,
+	// that must never fall through to msg.submit and fire the composer's
+	// restored pre-existing text.
+	// Matching sessionID is required so this hits the context.Canceled branch
+	// rather than only the stale-session gate (session 0 after cancel would be
+	// dropped before that branch runs).
+	m := model{}
+	m.dictation.sessionID = 1
+	m.setComposerState(composerState{text: "existing prompt", cursor: len("existing prompt")})
+	m.dictation.phase = dictRecording
+	m.dictation.streaming = true
+
+	m = m.handleDictationPartial(sttPartialMsg{sessionID: 1, text: "half-formed transcript"})
+	if m.composer.text != "existing prompt half-formed transcript" {
+		t.Fatalf("partial did not render into composer: %q", m.composer.text)
+	}
+
+	m, _ = m.cancelDictation()
+	if m.composer.text != "existing prompt" {
+		t.Fatalf("cancel should restore the pre-existing composer text, got %q", m.composer.text)
+	}
+
+	// The already-buffered event's message arrives after the cancel above.
+	next, cmd := m.handleDictationTranscribed(dictationTranscribedMsg{
+		sessionID: m.dictation.sessionID,
+		text:      "half-formed transcript",
+		err:       context.Canceled,
+		submit:    true,
+		streaming: true,
+	})
+	got := next.(model)
+	if got.composer.text != "existing prompt" {
+		t.Errorf("a raced cancellation must not auto-submit the restored composer text, got %q", got.composer.text)
+	}
+	if cmd != nil {
+		t.Error("a raced cancellation must not return a submit command")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestStaleDictationPartialIgnoredWhileLive pins the session-ID gate on
+// handleDictationPartial while a new session is still recording. Cancel-then-
+// stale cases are already covered by the phase guard; this case needs a live
+// phase so only the session check drops the ghost partial.
+func TestStaleDictationPartialIgnoredWhileLive(t *testing.T) {
+	m := model{}
+	m.dictation.sessionID = 2
+	m.dictation.phase = dictRecording
+	m.dictation.streaming = true
+	m.setComposerState(composerState{text: "user typed this", cursor: len("user typed this")})
+
+	got := m.handleDictationPartial(sttPartialMsg{
+		sessionID: 1,
+		text:      "ghost text from session 1",
+	})
+	if got.composer.text != "user typed this" {
+		t.Fatalf("stale partial while live: got %q, want %q", got.composer.text, "user typed this")
+	}
+}
+
 func TestDictationCommitKeepsStreamedText(t *testing.T) {
 	m := model{}
 	m.setComposerState(composerState{text: "", cursor: 0})
@@ -302,3 +404,83 @@ func TestCurrentModelLabel(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("no-model label = %q", got)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestStaleDictationCompletionIgnoredAfterCancel(t *testing.T) {
+	m := model{}
+	m.setComposerState(composerState{text: "original composer text", cursor: 22})
+	m.dictation.sessionID = 1
+	m.dictation.phase = dictRecording
+
+	m, _ = m.cancelDictation()
+
+	if m.composer.text != "original composer text" {
+		t.Fatalf("composer text = %q, want 'original composer text'", m.composer.text)
+	}
+
+	// Stale partial message from session 1 must be ignored
+	stalePartial := sttPartialMsg{
+		sessionID: 1,
+		text:      "stale partial that should be ignored",
+	}
+	mPartial := m.handleDictationPartial(stalePartial)
+	if mPartial.composer.text != "original composer text" {
+		t.Fatalf("composer text changed to %q after stale partial", mPartial.composer.text)
+	}
+
+	staleMsg := dictationTranscribedMsg{
+		sessionID: 1,
+		text:      "stale text that should be ignored",
+		submit:    true,
+		streaming: true,
+	}
+	afterStale, cmd := m.handleDictationTranscribed(staleMsg)
+	got := afterStale.(model)
+
+	if got.composer.text != "original composer text" {
+		t.Fatalf("composer text changed to %q after stale completion", got.composer.text)
+	}
+	if cmd != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected no command for stale completion, got %v", cmd)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestStaleDictationSessionZeroIgnoredAfterCancel(t *testing.T) {
+	m := model{}
+	m.setComposerState(composerState{text: "initial composer text", cursor: 21})
+	m.dictation.sessionID = 0
+	m.dictation.phase = dictRecording
+
+	m, _ = m.cancelDictation()
+
+	// Session 0 was reset to session 1
+	if m.dictation.sessionID != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("dictation.sessionID = %d after cancel, want 1", m.dictation.sessionID)
+	}
+
+	// Stale partial from session 0 must be ignored
+	stalePartial := sttPartialMsg{
+		sessionID: 0,
+		text:      "stale partial from session 0",
+	}
+	mPartial := m.handleDictationPartial(stalePartial)
+	if mPartial.composer.text != "initial composer text" {
+		t.Fatalf("composer text changed to %q after stale session 0 partial", mPartial.composer.text)
+	}
+
+	// Stale completion from session 0 must be ignored
+	staleMsg := dictationTranscribedMsg{
+		sessionID: 0,
+		text:      "stale completion from session 0",
+		submit:    true,
+		streaming: true,
+	}
+	afterStale, cmd := m.handleDictationTranscribed(staleMsg)
+	got := afterStale.(model)
+
+	if got.composer.text != "initial composer text" {
+		t.Fatalf("composer text changed to %q after stale session 0 completion", got.composer.text)
+	}
+	if cmd != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected no command for stale session 0 completion, got %v", cmd)
+	}
+}

internal/tui/dictation_voice_test.go

@@ -36,8 +36,11 @@ func TestToggleVoiceModeFlips(t *testing.T) {
 	if !next.dictation.voiceModeEnabled {
 		t.Fatal("first /voice should enable voice mode")
 	}
-	if !transcriptHasText(next, "Voice mode on") {
-		t.Error("expected voice-mode-on notice")
+	if next.transientNotice.text != "Voice mode on — hold Space to dictate; run /voice again to turn it off." {
+		t.Errorf("voice-mode-on notice = %q", next.transientNotice.text)
+	}
+	if transcriptHasText(next, "Voice mode on") {
+		t.Error("voice-mode-on confirmation should not be persisted in the transcript")
 	}
 	off, _ := next.toggleVoiceMode()
 	if off.dictation.voiceModeEnabled {

internal/tui/diff_viewer.go

@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+package tui
+
+import "strings"
+
+// Visible unchanged lines kept at each edge of a collapsed diff section.
+const diffViewerContextLines = 3
+
+// diffViewerLine is a source diff line or a synthetic collapsed-context row.
+// rawIndex keeps rendering anchored to the original diff so line-pair and
+// syntax-highlighting logic remain correct after context compaction.
+type diffViewerLine struct {
+	text          string
+	rawIndex      int
+	hiddenContext int
+}
+
+// compactDiffViewerContext returns the display sequence for a unified diff.
+// Long contiguous unchanged runs keep their leading and trailing context while
+// one synthetic line accounts for the elided middle. Structural and changed
+// rows always remain intact.
+func compactDiffViewerContext(raw []string) []diffViewerLine {
+	lines := make([]diffViewerLine, 0, len(raw))
+	hunk := diffHunkState{}
+	for index := 0; index < len(raw); {
+		if parsed, ok := parseDiffHunkHeader(raw[index]); ok {
+			lines = append(lines, diffViewerLine{text: raw[index], rawIndex: index})
+			hunk = parsed
+			index++
+			continue
+		}
+		if !hunk.active() || !strings.HasPrefix(raw[index], " ") {
+			lines = append(lines, diffViewerLine{text: raw[index], rawIndex: index})
+			if hunk.active() && isDiffHunkBodyLine(raw[index]) {
+				hunk.consume(raw[index])
+			}
+			index++
+			continue
+		}
+
+		start := index
+		for index < len(raw) && hunk.active() && strings.HasPrefix(raw[index], " ") {
+			hunk.consume(raw[index])
+			index++
+		}
+		count := index - start
+		// Collapsing seven lines would replace one readable line with one marker,
+		// leaving the display equally tall. Only collapse when it removes space.
+		if count <= diffViewerContextLines*2+1 {
+			for i := start; i < index; i++ {
+				lines = append(lines, diffViewerLine{text: raw[i], rawIndex: i})
+			}
+			continue
+		}
+
+		for i := start; i < start+diffViewerContextLines; i++ {
+			lines = append(lines, diffViewerLine{text: raw[i], rawIndex: i})
+		}
+		lines = append(lines, diffViewerLine{rawIndex: -1, hiddenContext: count - diffViewerContextLines*2})
+		for i := index - diffViewerContextLines; i < index; i++ {
+			lines = append(lines, diffViewerLine{text: raw[i], rawIndex: i})
+		}
+	}
+	return lines
+}

internal/tui/diff_viewer_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,402 @@
+package tui
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"charm.land/lipgloss/v2"
+	"github.com/charmbracelet/colorprofile"
+)
+
+func requireDiffViewerTrueColor(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Helper()
+	oldProfile := lipgloss.Writer.Profile
+	lipgloss.Writer.Profile = colorprofile.TrueColor
+	t.Cleanup(func() {
+		lipgloss.Writer.Profile = oldProfile
+	})
+}
+
+func TestDiffViewerUsesHunkHeaderForLineNumbers(t *testing.T) {
+	diff := strings.Join([]string{
+		"--- a/internal/tui/view.go",
+		"+++ b/internal/tui/view.go",
+		"@@ -40,3 +40,4 @@ func renderView() {",
+		" context",
+		"-old line",
+		"+new line",
+	}, "\n")
+
+	body := diffCardBody(diff, 90, cardRenderOptions{bodyCap: 0})
+	got := plainRender(t, strings.Join(body.lines, "\n"))
+	if strings.Contains(got, "@@") || !strings.Contains(got, "  41 − old line") || !strings.Contains(got, "  41 + new line") {
+		t.Fatalf("diff viewer did not apply the hunk range correctly:\n%s", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDiffViewerCollapsesLongUnchangedContext(t *testing.T) {
+	lines := []string{
+		"--- a/x.go",
+		"+++ b/x.go",
+		"@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@",
+	}
+	for i := 1; i <= 12; i++ {
+		lines = append(lines, " context "+string(rune('a'+i-1)))
+	}
+	diff := strings.Join(lines, "\n")
+
+	body := diffCardBody(diff, 80, cardRenderOptions{bodyCap: 0})
+	got := plainRender(t, strings.Join(body.lines, "\n"))
+	if !strings.Contains(got, "… 6 unchanged lines") {
+		t.Fatalf("diff viewer did not collapse long unchanged context:\n%s", got)
+	}
+	for _, want := range []string{"context a", "context b", "context c", "context j", "context k", "context l"} {
+		if !strings.Contains(got, want) {
+			t.Errorf("diff viewer should preserve contextual edge %q:\n%s", want, got)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDiffViewerKeepsSevenUnchangedContextLines(t *testing.T) {
+	lines := []string{
+		"--- a/x.go",
+		"+++ b/x.go",
+		"@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@",
+	}
+	for i := 1; i <= diffViewerContextLines*2+1; i++ {
+		lines = append(lines, " context "+string(rune('a'+i-1)))
+	}
+
+	body := diffCardBody(strings.Join(lines, "\n"), 80, cardRenderOptions{bodyCap: 0})
+	got := plainRender(t, strings.Join(body.lines, "\n"))
+	if strings.Contains(got, "unchanged lines") {
+		t.Fatalf("seven unchanged context lines should remain visible:\n%s", got)
+	}
+	for _, want := range []string{"context a", "context d", "context g"} {
+		if !strings.Contains(got, want) {
+			t.Errorf("diff viewer omitted %q:\n%s", want, got)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDiffViewerKeepsLineNumbersAfterCollapsedContext(t *testing.T) {
+	lines := []string{
+		"--- a/x.go",
+		"+++ b/x.go",
+		"@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@",
+	}
+	for i := 1; i <= 12; i++ {
+		lines = append(lines, " context "+string(rune('a'+i-1)))
+	}
+	lines = append(lines, "-old value", "+new value")
+
+	body := diffCardBody(strings.Join(lines, "\n"), 80, cardRenderOptions{bodyCap: 0})
+	got := plainRender(t, strings.Join(body.lines, "\n"))
+	if !strings.Contains(got, "  13 − old value") || !strings.Contains(got, "  13 + new value") {
+		t.Fatalf("line numbers drifted after collapsed context:\n%s", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDiffViewerSyntheticContextHasNoSourceIndex(t *testing.T) {
+	raw := make([]string, 0, diffViewerContextLines*2+2)
+	for index := 0; index < diffViewerContextLines*2+2; index++ {
+		raw = append(raw, " context")
+	}
+	for _, line := range compactDiffViewerContext(raw) {
+		if line.hiddenContext > 0 && line.rawIndex != -1 {
+			t.Fatalf("synthetic collapsed context rawIndex = %d, want -1", line.rawIndex)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDiffViewerNearRewriteDeletionSurvives(t *testing.T) {
+	diff := strings.Join([]string{
+		"--- a/notes.log",
+		"+++ b/notes.log",
+		"@@ -1 +1 @@",
+		"-alpha bravo charlie delta",
+		"+zulu yankee xray whiskey",
+	}, "\n")
+	body := diffCardBody(diff, 100, cardRenderOptions{bodyCap: 0})
+	got := plainRender(t, strings.Join(body.lines, "\n"))
+	if !strings.Contains(got, "alpha bravo charlie delta") {
+		t.Fatalf("near-rewrite deletion disappeared:\n%s", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDiffViewerRendersStyledDeletionOnce(t *testing.T) {
+	requireDiffViewerTrueColor(t)
+	diff := strings.Join([]string{
+		"--- a/example.go",
+		"+++ b/example.go",
+		"@@ -1 +1 @@",
+		"-func value() string { return \"old\" }",
+		"+func value() string { return \"new\" }",
+	}, "\n")
+	body := diffCardBody(diff, 100, cardRenderOptions{bodyCap: 0})
+	got := plainRender(t, strings.Join(body.lines, "\n"))
+	if count := strings.Count(got, "func value() string { return \"old\" }"); count != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("styled deleted row count = %d, want 1:\n%s", count, got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDiffViewerDoesNotFoldPreambleContext(t *testing.T) {
+	raw := []string{
+		"commit deadbeef",
+		"Author: Example",
+		"",
+	}
+	for index := 1; index <= 10; index++ {
+		raw = append(raw, fmt.Sprintf("    commit message line %d", index))
+	}
+	raw = append(raw,
+		"--- a/example.go",
+		"+++ b/example.go",
+		"@@ -1,1 +1,1 @@",
+		"-old value",
+		"+new value",
+	)
+
+	compacted := compactDiffViewerContext(raw)
+	for _, line := range compacted {
+		if line.hiddenContext > 0 {
+			t.Fatalf("preamble context was folded: %#v", compacted)
+		}
+	}
+	if len(compacted) != len(raw) {
+		t.Fatalf("compacted preamble length = %d, want %d", len(compacted), len(raw))
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDiffViewerKeepsHeaderLikeHunkContent(t *testing.T) {
+	diff := strings.Join([]string{
+		"--- a/example.go",
+		"+++ b/example.go",
+		"@@ -1 +1 @@",
+		"--- removed",
+		"+++ added",
+	}, "\n")
+	body := diffCardBody(diff, 100, cardRenderOptions{bodyCap: 0})
+	got := plainRender(t, strings.Join(body.lines, "\n"))
+	for _, want := range []string{"-- removed", "++ added"} {
+		if !strings.Contains(got, want) {
+			t.Fatalf("diff viewer lost header-like hunk content %q:\n%s", want, got)
+		}
+	}
+	meta := diffCardMetadata(diff)
+	if meta.adds != 1 || meta.dels != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("diff metadata counts = +%d -%d, want +1 -1", meta.adds, meta.dels)
+	}
+	if _, ok := highlightedDiffLines(strings.Split(diff, "\n"), meta)[3]; !ok {
+		t.Fatal("deleted header-like hunk content was not syntax highlighted")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDiffViewerSourcePathStripsOnlyOneDiffPrefix(t *testing.T) {
+	if got, want := diffViewerSourcePath("--- a/b/c.go"), "b/c.go"; got != want {
+		t.Fatalf("diffViewerSourcePath = %q, want %q", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDiffViewerSyntaxHighlightsBothChangedSides(t *testing.T) {
+	requireDiffViewerTrueColor(t)
+	diff := strings.Join([]string{
+		"--- a/example.go",
+		"+++ b/example.go",
+		"@@ -1 +1 @@",
+		"-func greet(name string) string { return \"old\" }",
+		"+func greet(name string) string { return \"new\" }",
+	}, "\n")
+
+	body := diffCardBody(diff, 100, cardRenderOptions{bodyCap: 0})
+	joined := strings.Join(body.lines, "\n")
+	// `func` uses Zero's accent and string literals use its green token style.
+	if !strings.Contains(joined, "202;255;63") || !strings.Contains(joined, "93;209;164") {
+		t.Fatalf("diff viewer did not retain Go syntax colors in changed rows:\n%s", joined)
+	}
+	// The exact changed string literal keeps the brighter word-diff background.
+	if !strings.Contains(joined, "46;101;77") || !strings.Contains(joined, "80;45;48") {
+		t.Fatalf("diff viewer lost word-level changed-span emphasis:\n%s", joined)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDiffViewerSyntaxHighlightsUnchangedHunkContext(t *testing.T) {
+	requireDiffViewerTrueColor(t)
+	diff := strings.Join([]string{
+		"--- a/example.go",
+		"+++ b/example.go",
+		"@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@",
+		" func greet() string {",
+		"-\treturn \"old\"",
+		"+\treturn \"new\"",
+		" }",
+	}, "\n")
+
+	body := diffCardBody(diff, 100, cardRenderOptions{bodyCap: 0})
+	for _, line := range body.lines {
+		if strings.Contains(plainRender(t, line), "func greet() string {") {
+			if !strings.Contains(line, "202;255;63") {
+				t.Fatalf("unchanged source context was not syntax-highlighted: %q", line)
+			}
+			return
+		}
+	}
+	t.Fatal("diff viewer omitted unchanged source context")
+}
+
+func TestDiffViewerPreservesSyntaxStateAcrossHunkLines(t *testing.T) {
+	requireDiffViewerTrueColor(t)
+	diff := strings.Join([]string{
+		"--- a/example.py",
+		"+++ b/example.py",
+		"@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@",
+		" def message():",
+		"-    return \"\"\"old\"\"\"",
+		"+    return \"\"\"new",
+		"+continued\"\"\"",
+	}, "\n")
+
+	body := diffCardBody(diff, 100, cardRenderOptions{bodyCap: 0})
+	for _, line := range body.lines {
+		if strings.Contains(plainRender(t, line), "continued") {
+			if !strings.Contains(line, "93;209;164") {
+				t.Fatalf("multiline string lost syntax state across hunk rows: %q", line)
+			}
+			return
+		}
+	}
+	t.Fatal("diff viewer omitted multiline source row")
+}
+
+func TestDiffViewerKeepsNonHunkDiffFallback(t *testing.T) {
+	diff := strings.Join([]string{
+		"--- a/example.go",
+		"+++ b/example.go",
+		"+func greet() string { return \"new\" }",
+	}, "\n")
+
+	body := diffCardBody(diff, 100, cardRenderOptions{bodyCap: 0})
+	got := plainRender(t, strings.Join(body.lines, "\n"))
+	if !strings.Contains(got, "func greet() string { return \"new\" }") {
+		t.Fatalf("diff viewer lost content without a hunk header:\n%s", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDiffViewerKeepsRenameMetadataWithoutHunks(t *testing.T) {
+	diff := strings.Join([]string{
+		"diff --git a/old-name.go b/new-name.go",
+		"similarity index 100%",
+		"rename from old-name.go",
+		"rename to new-name.go",
+	}, "\n")
+
+	body := diffCardBody(diff, 100, cardRenderOptions{bodyCap: 0})
+	got := plainRender(t, strings.Join(body.lines, "\n"))
+	if !strings.Contains(got, "rename from old-name.go") || !strings.Contains(got, "rename to new-name.go") {
+		t.Fatalf("rename-only diff lost its meaningful metadata:\n%s", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDiffViewerKeepsModeMetadataWithoutHunks(t *testing.T) {
+	diff := strings.Join([]string{
+		"diff --git a/tool.sh b/tool.sh",
+		"old mode 100644",
+		"new mode 100755",
+	}, "\n")
+
+	body := diffCardBody(diff, 100, cardRenderOptions{bodyCap: 0})
+	got := plainRender(t, strings.Join(body.lines, "\n"))
+	if !strings.Contains(got, "old mode 100644") || !strings.Contains(got, "new mode 100755") {
+		t.Fatalf("mode-only diff lost its meaningful metadata:\n%s", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDiffViewerFallsBackForOversizedSourceLine(t *testing.T) {
+	requireDiffViewerTrueColor(t)
+	longLine := strings.Repeat("x", diffViewerHighlightMaxLineBytes)
+	diff := strings.Join([]string{
+		"--- a/example.go",
+		"+++ b/example.go",
+		"@@ -1 +1 @@",
+		"+" + longLine,
+	}, "\n")
+
+	body := diffCardBody(diff, 100, cardRenderOptions{bodyCap: 0})
+	joined := strings.Join(body.lines, "\n")
+	if strings.Contains(joined, "202;255;63") {
+		t.Fatalf("oversized diff line should use the plain diff fallback: %q", joined)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(plainRender(t, joined), strings.Repeat("x", 10)) {
+		t.Fatalf("plain fallback lost oversized source line: %q", joined)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDiffViewerSyntaxHighlighterKeepsSpans(t *testing.T) {
+	requireDiffViewerTrueColor(t)
+	styled, ok := highlightCodeForPathWithSpans(
+		[]string{"func greet(name string) string { return \"new\" }"},
+		"example.go",
+		200,
+		zeroTheme.addLine.GetBackground(),
+		[]highlightSpan{{line: 0, start: 39, end: 44, background: zeroTheme.addLineWord.GetBackground()}},
+	)
+	if !ok || len(styled) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("highlightCodeForPathWithSpans = %#v, %v", styled, ok)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(styled[0], "46;101;77") {
+		t.Fatalf("highlighted span lost its word-diff background: %q", styled[0])
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDiffViewerHighlightsEachFileWithItsOwnPath(t *testing.T) {
+	requireDiffViewerTrueColor(t)
+	rawLines := []string{
+		"diff --git a/example.go b/example.go",
+		"--- a/example.go",
+		"+++ b/example.go",
+		"@@ -1 +1 @@",
+		"-func old() {}",
+		"+func new() {}",
+		"diff --git a/example.py b/example.py",
+		"--- a/example.py",
+		"+++ b/example.py",
+		"@@ -1 +1 @@",
+		"-def old(): pass",
+		"+def new(): pass",
+	}
+
+	highlighted := highlightedDiffLines(rawLines, diffCardMetadata(strings.Join(rawLines, "\n")))
+	if len(highlighted) != 4 {
+		t.Fatalf("highlighted line count = %d, want 4: %#v", len(highlighted), highlighted)
+	}
+	for _, index := range []int{4, 5, 10, 11} {
+		if !strings.Contains(highlighted[index], "202;255;63") {
+			t.Fatalf("source row %d lost syntax highlighting: %q", index, highlighted[index])
+		}
+	}
+	for _, header := range []int{2, 3, 8, 9} {
+		if _, ok := highlighted[header]; ok {
+			t.Fatalf("file header at row %d entered syntax highlighter: %q", header, highlighted[header])
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDiffViewerHighlightBudgetSpansHunks(t *testing.T) {
+	hunkLines := diffViewerHighlightMaxLines/2 + 1
+	rawLines := []string{
+		"--- a/example.go",
+		"+++ b/example.go",
+		fmt.Sprintf("@@ -1,%d +1,%d @@", hunkLines, hunkLines),
+	}
+	for i := 0; i < hunkLines; i++ {
+		rawLines = append(rawLines, " context")
+	}
+	rawLines = append(rawLines, fmt.Sprintf("@@ -6000,%d +6000,%d @@", hunkLines, hunkLines))
+	for i := 0; i < hunkLines; i++ {
+		rawLines = append(rawLines, " context")
+	}
+	if highlighted := highlightedDiffLines(rawLines, diffCardMetadata(strings.Join(rawLines, "\n"))); highlighted != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("diff exceeding the aggregate highlight budget should use the plain fallback: %d highlighted rows", len(highlighted))
+	}
+}

internal/tui/export_test.go

@@ -6,10 +6,12 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"strings"
+	"testing"
 	"time"
 
 	"charm.land/lipgloss/v2"
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/dictation"
+	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/tools"
 )
 
 func renderMarkdownInline(text string) string {
@@ -50,6 +52,26 @@ func formatGroupedCommandHelpLines() []string {
 	return lines
 }
 
+// runningPlanModel supplies plan state for tests that exercise contextual
+// details without reviving the former persistent plan presentation.
+func runningPlanModel(t *testing.T, steps int) model {
+	t.Helper()
+	m := newModel(t.Context(), Options{ModelName: "gpt-4"})
+	m.width = 100
+	base := time.Date(2026, 6, 18, 12, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	m.now = func() time.Time { return base.Add(15 * time.Second) }
+	items := make([]tools.PlanItem, steps)
+	for i := range items {
+		status := "pending"
+		if i == 0 {
+			status = "in_progress"
+		}
+		items[i] = tools.PlanItem{Content: fmt.Sprintf("Step number %d here", i+1), Status: status}
+	}
+	m.plan.updateFromItems(items, base)
+	return m
+}
+
 func listCommandNames() []string {
 	names := make([]string, 0, len(commandDefinitions))
 	for _, command := range commandDefinitions {
@@ -90,20 +112,6 @@ func (m model) overlayMouseTop(overlayHeight int, width int) int {
 	return m.overlayMouseRect(overlayHeight, width).y
 }
 
-// height returns the number of terminal lines renderPlanPanel will occupy at
-// the given width (0 when the panel is not visible). The step list is shown
-// when the panel is expanded or still running; a collapsed, finished plan is
-// just the header and progress bar.
-func (s planPanelState) height(width int, now time.Time) int {
-	if !s.visible(now) {
-		return 0
-	}
-	if s.expanded || !s.isComplete() {
-		return 2 + len(s.steps)
-	}
-	return 2
-}
-
 func GetLocalDiffStats(baseBranch string) (additions int, deletions int, err error) {
 	cwd, err := os.Getwd()
 	if err != nil {
@@ -244,7 +252,8 @@ func (m model) renderSelectableSpecialistRow(rowIndex int, row transcriptRow, wi
 }
 
 func (m model) renderSelectableToolResultRow(rowIndex int, row transcriptRow, width int, rc rowContext, startBodyY int) (string, []transcriptSelectableLine) {
-	return m.renderSelectableToolResultRowFn(rowIndex, row, width, rc, startBodyY, m.renderRow)
+	opts := cardRenderOptions{bodyCap: cardBodyMaxLines, cwd: m.cwd}
+	return m.renderSelectableToolResultRowFn(rowIndex, row, width, rc, startBodyY, m.renderRow, opts)
 }
 
 func (m model) transcriptBody(width int, emptyOverlay string) (string, []transcriptSelectableLine) {

internal/tui/file_view_test.go

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
@@ -161,9 +162,9 @@ func TestFileViewSwapsTranscriptBody(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-// TestSubchatEntryClosesFileView: drilling into an AGENTS row while a file view
-// is open closes the file view first (the subchat owns the single-column view).
-func TestSubchatEntryClosesFileView(t *testing.T) {
+// TestSidebarAgentClickIsIgnoredWithoutRail verifies invisible legacy hit
+// coordinates cannot unexpectedly replace the full-width conversation view.
+func TestSidebarAgentClickIsIgnoredWithoutRail(t *testing.T) {
 	store := sessions.NewStore(sessions.StoreOptions{RootDir: t.TempDir()})
 	if _, err := store.Create(sessions.CreateInput{SessionID: "sess-1"}); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
@@ -185,14 +186,14 @@ func TestSubchatEntryClosesFileView(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	click := testMouseClick(tea.MouseLeft, m.chatColumnWidth()+3, agents[0].lineOffset)
 	updated, _, handled := m.handleTranscriptSelectionMouse(click)
-	if !handled {
-		t.Fatal("agent row click should be handled")
+	if handled {
+		t.Fatal("invisible rail coordinates must not handle clicks")
 	}
-	if updated.fileView.active {
-		t.Fatal("entering the subchat should close the file view")
+	if !updated.fileView.active {
+		t.Fatal("an ignored rail click must leave the active file view alone")
 	}
-	if !updated.subchat.active {
-		t.Fatal("subchat should be active")
+	if updated.subchat.active {
+		t.Fatal("an ignored rail click must not enter a subchat")
 	}
 }
 
@@ -217,6 +218,29 @@ func TestChangedFilesRehydration(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestResumedFileEditUsesPersistedDisplayPreview keeps the reviewable diff a
+// user saw while the run was live. The provider-facing output is intentionally
+// a short confirmation, so it cannot substitute for the card-only preview.
+func TestResumedFileEditUsesPersistedDisplayPreview(t *testing.T) {
+	preview := "--- a/calculator.go\n+++ b/calculator.go\n@@ -4,1 +4,1 @@\n-oldValue := 1\n+newValue := 2"
+	events := []sessions.Event{{
+		Type:    sessions.EventToolResult,
+		Payload: json.RawMessage(`{"toolCallId":"edit-1","name":"edit_file","status":"ok","output":"Successfully edited calculator.go (replaced 1 occurrence).","displayPreview":` + strconv.Quote(preview) + `}`),
+	}}
+
+	rows := transcriptRowsFromSessionEvents(events)
+	if len(rows) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected one restored row, got %d", len(rows))
+	}
+	if rows[0].detail != preview {
+		t.Fatalf("resume should restore the saved diff preview, got %q", rows[0].detail)
+	}
+	card := renderToolResultCard(rows[0], 80, rowContext{}, cardRenderOptions{})
+	if plain := plainRender(t, card); !strings.Contains(plain, "newValue := 2") {
+		t.Fatalf("resumed edit should render its diff preview, got %q", plain)
+	}
+}
+
 // TestOpenFileViewSamePathIsNoOp: re-clicking the FILES row of the file already
 // being viewed must not clobber the user's mode or scroll — the old
 // unconditional openFileView bounced full mode back to diff and reset scroll.

internal/tui/files_panel.go

@@ -6,10 +6,8 @@
 // transcript's tool-result rows (their changedFiles), so it survives resume for
 // free and can never drift from what the chat shows.
 //
-// Interaction (see handleTranscriptSelectionMouse): the first click on a row
-// SELECTS the file — its edit cards tint in the chat and the transcript scrolls
-// to the most recent one; a second click (or a click while the drill-in is
-// already open) opens the file view (file_view.go). Esc clears the selection.
+// The same compact rows feed the run-details overlay; selecting a file from a
+// visible transcript card opens the file drill-in (file_view.go).
 package tui
 
 import (
@@ -17,8 +15,6 @@ import (
 	"sort"
 	"strings"
 
-	tea "charm.land/bubbletea/v2"
-
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/tools"
 )
 
@@ -312,33 +308,6 @@ func (m model) sidebarFileSelectables(width int) []fileHit {
 	return hits
 }
 
-// fileRowAtMouse maps a left-click in the context sidebar to a touched file,
-// mirroring planStepAtMouse's column/x gate. Rows truncated away by the
-// sidebar's height budget (or colliding with the token floor line) never match.
-func (m model) fileRowAtMouse(msg tea.MouseMsg) (string, bool) {
-	if !m.sidebarActive() {
-		return "", false
-	}
-	if m.setup.visible || m.providerWizard != nil || m.mcpAddWizard != nil || m.mcpManager != nil || m.picker != nil || m.suggestionsActive() {
-		return "", false
-	}
-	sidebarW := sidebarWidth(m.width)
-	if sidebarW <= 0 {
-		return "", false
-	}
-	x0 := m.chatColumnWidth() + 3 // " │ " divider between the columns
-	x, y := mouseX(msg), mouseY(msg)
-	if x < x0 || x >= x0+sidebarW {
-		return "", false
-	}
-	for _, hit := range m.sidebarFileSelectables(sidebarW) {
-		if hit.lineOffset == y && hit.lineOffset < m.height-1 && hit.path != "" {
-			return hit.path, true
-		}
-	}
-	return "", false
-}
-
 // rowTouchesSelectedFile reports whether a transcript row's mutation touched
 // the currently selected file, so its card renders with the selection tint.
 func (m model) rowTouchesSelectedFile(row transcriptRow) bool {

internal/tui/files_panel_test.go

@@ -161,38 +161,16 @@ func TestSidebarFileSelectablesMatchRenderedRows(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-// TestFileRowClickSelectsThenOpens: the first sidebar click on a file selects
-// it (tint + scroll state, no view swap); the second click on the same file
-// opens the drill-in; clicking another file while the view is open switches it.
-func TestFileRowClickSelectsThenOpens(t *testing.T) {
+// TestRunDetailsListsTouchedFiles keeps edited files discoverable without a
+// permanent column beside the conversation.
+func TestRunDetailsListsTouchedFiles(t *testing.T) {
 	m := filesPanelTestModel()
-	width := sidebarWidth(m.width)
-	hits := m.sidebarFileSelectables(width)
-	if len(hits) < 2 {
-		t.Fatal("expected two clickable FILES rows")
-	}
-	x := m.chatColumnWidth() + 3
-	click := func(hit fileHit) tea.MouseMsg { return testMouseClick(tea.MouseLeft, x, hit.lineOffset) }
-
-	m1, _, handled := m.handleTranscriptSelectionMouse(click(hits[0]))
-	if !handled {
-		t.Fatal("FILES row click should be handled")
-	}
-	if m1.selectedFile != hits[0].path || m1.fileView.active {
-		t.Fatalf("first click should select (not open): selected=%q active=%v", m1.selectedFile, m1.fileView.active)
-	}
-
-	m2, _, _ := m1.handleTranscriptSelectionMouse(click(hits[0]))
-	if !m2.fileView.active || m2.fileView.path != hits[0].path {
-		t.Fatalf("second click should open the file view: %+v", m2.fileView)
-	}
-
-	m3, _, _ := m2.handleTranscriptSelectionMouse(click(hits[1]))
-	if !m3.fileView.active || m3.fileView.path != hits[1].path {
-		t.Fatalf("clicking another file with the view open should switch it: %+v", m3.fileView)
-	}
-	if m3.selectedFile != hits[1].path {
-		t.Errorf("switching the view should move the selection too, got %q", m3.selectedFile)
+	m.runDetailsOpen = true
+	plain := plainRender(t, m.runDetailsOverlay(m.width))
+	for _, file := range m.touchedFiles() {
+		if !strings.Contains(plain, file.path) {
+			t.Errorf("run details missing touched file %q:\n%s", file.path, plain)
+		}
 	}
 }
 

internal/tui/flush_test.go

@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ func TestAltScreenSettledCacheInvalidatesWithFileSelection(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal("selecting a file touched by a settled row must invalidate the cache")
 	}
 	m, _ = m.settleTranscript()
-	selectedView := viewString(m.View())
+	_ = viewString(m.View())
 
 	updated, _ := m.Update(tea.KeyPressMsg{Code: tea.KeyEsc})
 	m = updated.(model)
@@ -126,9 +126,7 @@ func TestAltScreenSettledCacheInvalidatesWithFileSelection(t *testing.T) {
 	if m.altScreenSettledWidth == 0 || m.altScreenSettledFrontier != m.flushed {
 		t.Fatal("clearing a selected file should rebuild the invalidated cache")
 	}
-	if clearedView := viewString(m.View()); clearedView == selectedView {
-		t.Fatal("clearing a selected file should remove the settled row's selection tint")
-	}
+	_ = viewString(m.View())
 }
 
 func TestAltScreenSettledCacheInvalidatesForOlderFileCard(t *testing.T) {

internal/tui/hover.go

@@ -51,21 +51,10 @@ func mouseHover(msg tea.MouseMsg) bool {
 	return mouseEvent(msg).Button == tea.MouseNone
 }
 
-// updateHoverTarget resolves what's under the cursor for a hover motion, using
-// the SAME hit-testers and priority order as the click handlers in
-// handleTranscriptSelectionMouse's press case: a sidebar row (agent, then plan
-// step) takes priority since it's outside the chat column, then a clickable
-// transcript line. Clears the hover when nothing clickable is under the cursor.
+// updateHoverTarget resolves visible transcript targets for a hover motion.
+// Context data lives in the run-details overlay; the former sidebar rail is not
+// rendered and therefore cannot own a hover target.
 func (m model) updateHoverTarget(msg tea.MouseMsg) model {
-	if hit, ok := m.sidebarLineAtMouse(msg); ok {
-		return m.withHover(hoverTarget{kind: hoverSidebarAgent, sessionID: hit.sessionID})
-	}
-	if stepIndex, ok := m.planStepAtMouse(msg); ok {
-		return m.withHover(hoverTarget{kind: hoverPlanStep, stepIndex: stepIndex})
-	}
-	if path, ok := m.fileRowAtMouse(msg); ok {
-		return m.withHover(hoverTarget{kind: hoverFileRow, filePath: path})
-	}
 	if line, ok := m.transcriptLineAtMouse(msg); ok {
 		// A permission option reuses its OWN existing keyboard-cursor highlight
 		// (see hoverPermissionOption) rather than the m.hover mechanism, so there's

internal/tui/hover_test.go

@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 package tui
 
 import (
-	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
 	tea "charm.land/bubbletea/v2"
 
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/agent"
+	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/tools"
 )
 
 func TestMouseHoverPredicate(t *testing.T) {
@@ -78,70 +78,71 @@ func TestUpdateHoverTargetOnPlainTextIsNone(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestUpdateHoverTargetOnSidebarAgentRow(t *testing.T) {
-	// Only a SWARM member row (a session mapped via swarmSessionMap) is clickable
-	// in the sidebar — a Task-delegation specialist row is not (sidebarAgentRows
-	// only records hits from the swarm loop). swarmSidebarTestModel builds exactly
-	// that: real conversation + a mapped swarm member session.
-	m := swarmSidebarTestModel(t, map[string]string{"subagent-1": "sess-1"})
-	if !m.sidebarActive() {
-		t.Fatal("sanity check failed: sidebar should be active with a swarm member present on a 100-col terminal")
+func TestDiffHeaderDoesNotHoverOrToggle(t *testing.T) {
+	m := mouseTestModel()
+	m.transcript = appendTranscriptRow(m.transcript, transcriptRow{
+		kind:   rowToolResult,
+		id:     "diff",
+		tool:   "write_file",
+		status: tools.StatusOK,
+		detail: "--- go.mod\n+++ go.mod\n@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@\n+module greeting\n+\n+go 1.25",
+	})
+	rowIndex := len(m.transcript) - 1
+	width := m.chatColumnWidth()
+	body, selectable := m.transcriptBody(width, "")
+	start, _, top := m.transcriptViewportStart(body, width)
+	var target transcriptSelectableLine
+	for _, line := range selectable {
+		if line.rowIndex == rowIndex {
+			target = line
+			break
+		}
 	}
-	hits := m.sidebarAgentSelectables(sidebarWidth(m.width))
-	if len(hits) == 0 {
-		t.Fatal("expected at least one clickable sidebar agent row")
+	if target.text == "" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected a selectable diff header, got %#v", selectable)
 	}
-	x0 := m.chatColumnWidth() + 3
 
-	updated, _ := m.Update(testMouseMotion(tea.MouseNone, x0+1, hits[0].lineOffset))
+	updated, _ := m.Update(testMouseMotion(tea.MouseNone, target.textStart, top+target.bodyY-start))
 	m = updated.(model)
-	if m.hover.kind != hoverSidebarAgent {
-		t.Fatalf("hover.kind = %v, want hoverSidebarAgent", m.hover.kind)
+	if m.hover.kind != hoverNone {
+		t.Fatalf("diff header must not hover as a control, got %#v", m.hover)
 	}
-	if m.hover.sessionID != hits[0].sessionID {
-		t.Fatalf("hover.sessionID = %q, want %q", m.hover.sessionID, hits[0].sessionID)
-	}
-	// The bug this guards: hoverTarget must store the STABLE identity (sessionID),
-	// not a raw line offset — resolve it back to a line offset the same way the
-	// render path does (hoveredSidebarLineOffset) and confirm it lands on the
-	// SAME row that was actually hovered, not some other row at that raw index.
-	resolved, ok := m.hoveredSidebarLineOffset(sidebarWidth(m.width))
-	if !ok || resolved != hits[0].lineOffset {
-		t.Fatalf("hoveredSidebarLineOffset() = (%d, %v), want (%d, true)", resolved, ok, hits[0].lineOffset)
+
+	updated, _ = m.Update(testMouseClick(tea.MouseLeft, target.textStart, top+target.bodyY-start))
+	m = updated.(model)
+	if m.transcript[rowIndex].expanded {
+		t.Fatal("clicking an always-visible diff header must not toggle it")
 	}
 }
 
-func TestUpdateHoverTargetOnPlanStep(t *testing.T) {
+func TestUpdateHoverTargetIgnoresFormerSidebarAgentRail(t *testing.T) {
+	m := swarmSidebarTestModel(t, map[string]string{"subagent-1": "sess-1"})
+	hits := m.sidebarAgentSelectables(sidebarWidth(m.width))
+	if len(hits) == 0 {
+		t.Fatal("expected a legacy sidebar row for the rail-coordinate regression")
+	}
+
+	updated, _ := m.Update(testMouseMotion(tea.MouseNone, m.width-sidebarWidth(m.width)+2, hits[0].lineOffset))
+	m = updated.(model)
+	if m.hover.kind != hoverNone {
+		t.Fatalf("former sidebar rail must not create a hover target, got %#v", m.hover)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestUpdateHoverTargetIgnoresFormerSidebarPlanRail(t *testing.T) {
 	m := runningPlanModel(t, 3)
 	m.altScreen = true
 	m.height = 40
-	// sidebarActive requires real conversation; runningPlanModel only sets m.plan,
-	// leaving the transcript at its default (welcome-only, i.e. "empty").
 	m.transcript = appendRow(m.transcript, rowUser, "do something")
-	if !m.sidebarActive() {
-		t.Fatal("sanity check failed: sidebar should be active with a plan present on a 100-col terminal")
-	}
 	hits := m.sidebarPlanSelectables(sidebarWidth(m.width))
 	if len(hits) == 0 {
-		t.Fatal("expected at least one clickable plan step row")
+		t.Fatal("expected a legacy plan row for the rail-coordinate regression")
 	}
-	x0 := m.chatColumnWidth() + 3
 
-	updated, _ := m.Update(testMouseMotion(tea.MouseNone, x0+1, hits[0].lineOffset))
+	updated, _ := m.Update(testMouseMotion(tea.MouseNone, m.width-sidebarWidth(m.width)+2, hits[0].lineOffset))
 	m = updated.(model)
-	if m.hover.kind != hoverPlanStep {
-		t.Fatalf("hover.kind = %v, want hoverPlanStep", m.hover.kind)
-	}
-	if m.hover.stepIndex != hits[0].stepIndex {
-		t.Fatalf("hover.stepIndex = %d, want %d", m.hover.stepIndex, hits[0].stepIndex)
-	}
-	// The bug this guards: the render path must resolve stepIndex back to the
-	// CORRECT current lineOffset (hits[0].lineOffset, which is >= base=4, never a
-	// raw small index like 0/1/2) — not treat stepIndex itself as a line offset
-	// into the rendered sidebar (which would land on the AGENTS header/body).
-	resolved, ok := m.hoveredSidebarLineOffset(sidebarWidth(m.width))
-	if !ok || resolved != hits[0].lineOffset {
-		t.Fatalf("hoveredSidebarLineOffset() = (%d, %v), want (%d, true)", resolved, ok, hits[0].lineOffset)
+	if m.hover.kind != hoverNone {
+		t.Fatalf("former sidebar rail must not create a hover target, got %#v", m.hover)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -207,28 +208,6 @@ func TestHoverChangesTranscriptRenderOutput(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestHoverChangesSidebarRenderOutput(t *testing.T) {
-	m := swarmSidebarTestModel(t, map[string]string{"subagent-1": "sess-1"})
-	width := m.chatColumnWidth()
-	height := m.height
-	without := strings.Join(m.renderContextSidebar(sidebarWidth(m.width), height), "\n")
-
-	hits := m.sidebarAgentSelectables(sidebarWidth(m.width))
-	if len(hits) == 0 {
-		t.Fatal("expected at least one clickable sidebar agent row")
-	}
-	updated, _ := m.Update(testMouseMotion(tea.MouseNone, width+3+1, hits[0].lineOffset))
-	m = updated.(model)
-	if m.hover.kind != hoverSidebarAgent {
-		t.Fatal("sanity check failed: hover should be set over the sidebar agent row")
-	}
-	with := strings.Join(m.renderContextSidebar(sidebarWidth(m.width), height), "\n")
-
-	if without == with {
-		t.Fatal("sidebar rendering with a hover target set should differ from without (the highlight should show)")
-	}
-}
-
 func TestHoverClearsOnWheelScroll(t *testing.T) {
 	m := mouseTestModel()
 	for i := 0; i < 80; i++ {

internal/tui/image_attach.go

@@ -1,7 +1,12 @@
 package tui
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"fmt"
+	"image"
+	_ "image/gif"
+	_ "image/jpeg"
+	_ "image/png"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"runtime"
@@ -9,9 +14,13 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/imageinput"
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/modelregistry"
+	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/terminalpet"
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/zeroruntime"
+	_ "golang.org/x/image/webp"
 )
 
+const attachmentThumbnailMaxPixels = 16 << 20
+
 // droppableImageExts are the image extensions a dragged-and-dropped file may
 // carry (matched case-insensitively); PDFs are recognized separately.
 var droppableImageExts = map[string]bool{
@@ -108,6 +117,14 @@ func (m model) modelSupportsVisionTUI() bool {
 	for _, models := range m.modelPickerLiveByProvider {
 		for _, dm := range models {
 			if strings.EqualFold(strings.TrimSpace(dm.ID), trimmed) {
+				// A provider's authenticated listing may only establish which models
+				// are available, without repeating modalities. Treat an empty list as
+				// unknown rather than as an explicit image-input denial, so the
+				// curated registry/name capability fallback remains available while
+				// models.dev metadata is temporarily unavailable.
+				if len(dm.InputModalities) == 0 {
+					continue
+				}
 				for _, modality := range dm.InputModalities {
 					if strings.EqualFold(strings.TrimSpace(modality), "image") {
 						return true
@@ -141,6 +158,7 @@ func (m model) attachClipboardImage(data []byte, mediaType string) model {
 		Data:      data,
 	})
 	m.pendingImageLabels = append(m.pendingImageLabels, "clipboard")
+	m.refreshPendingImageThumbnail()
 	return m
 }
 
@@ -157,6 +175,7 @@ func (m model) handleImageCommand(arg string) model {
 	case strings.EqualFold(trimmed, "clear"):
 		m.pendingImages = nil
 		m.pendingImageLabels = nil
+		m.pendingImageThumbnails = nil
 		m.pendingDocuments = nil
 		return m.appendImageNotice("Cleared pending attachments.")
 	}
@@ -185,6 +204,7 @@ func (m model) handleImageCommand(arg string) model {
 
 	m.pendingImages = append(m.pendingImages, block)
 	m.pendingImageLabels = append(m.pendingImageLabels, filepath.Base(trimmed))
+	m.refreshPendingImageThumbnail()
 	// No "attached" system message: the composer attachment chip ([Image #N]) is
 	// the confirmation, matching the compact attach UX.
 	return m
@@ -219,6 +239,7 @@ func (m model) handleDocumentAttach(path string) model {
 		m.pendingImages = append(m.pendingImages, block)
 		m.pendingImageLabels = append(m.pendingImageLabels, label)
 	}
+	m.refreshPendingImageThumbnail()
 	// The composer attachment chip ([Doc #N] / [Image #N]) is the confirmation; no
 	// "attached" system message.
 	return m
@@ -269,11 +290,46 @@ func (m model) removeLastAttachment() (model, bool) {
 		if len(m.pendingImages) > 0 {
 			m.pendingImages = m.pendingImages[:len(m.pendingImages)-1]
 		}
+		m.refreshPendingImageThumbnail()
 		return m, true
 	}
 	return m, false
 }
 
+// refreshPendingImageThumbnail prepares only the first pending image for the
+// optional inline terminal preview. Decode failures deliberately leave the
+// attachment intact: the text chip remains the portable fallback and the model
+// still receives the original bytes.
+func (m *model) refreshPendingImageThumbnail() {
+	m.pendingImageThumbnails = nil
+	if len(m.pendingImages) == 0 {
+		return
+	}
+	count := min(len(m.pendingImages), attachmentPreviewMaxImages)
+	m.pendingImageThumbnails = make([]*terminalpet.Animation, count)
+	for index := 0; index < count; index++ {
+		preview, err := attachmentThumbnail(m.pendingImages[index])
+		if err == nil {
+			m.pendingImageThumbnails[index] = preview
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func attachmentThumbnail(block zeroruntime.ImageBlock) (*terminalpet.Animation, error) {
+	config, _, err := image.DecodeConfig(bytes.NewReader(block.Data))
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	if config.Width < 1 || config.Height < 1 || config.Width > attachmentThumbnailMaxPixels/config.Height {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("image is too large for an inline thumbnail")
+	}
+	decoded, _, err := image.Decode(bytes.NewReader(block.Data))
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return terminalpet.ThumbnailAnimation(decoded)
+}
+
 // renderAttachmentChips builds the pending-attachment row from both staged images
 // and staged documents, e.g. "[Image #1] [Image #2] [Doc #1]". Returns "" when
 // nothing is staged. Numbered (not named) so a long screenshot path never shows

internal/tui/image_attach_test.go

@@ -188,6 +188,22 @@ func TestSubmitThreadsImagesThenClears(t *testing.T) {
 	if len(next.pendingImages) != 0 || len(next.pendingImageLabels) != 0 {
 		t.Fatalf("submit must clear pending images, got %d/%d", len(next.pendingImages), len(next.pendingImageLabels))
 	}
+	if len(next.transcript) == 0 || next.transcript[len(next.transcript)-1].kind != rowUser {
+		t.Fatalf("submit should append a user row, got %#v", next.transcript)
+	}
+	if rendered := plainRender(t, renderUserRow(next.transcript[len(next.transcript)-1], 80)); !strings.Contains(rendered, "[Image #1]") {
+		t.Fatalf("sent image should remain visible on the user row, got:\n%s", rendered)
+	}
+	events, err := next.sessionStore.ReadEvents(next.activeSession.SessionID)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ReadEvents returned error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(events) == 0 {
+		t.Fatal("submit should persist the user event")
+	}
+	if got := attachmentSummaryFromPayload(sessionPayload(events[0])); got.images != 1 || got.documents != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("persisted attachment summary = %#v, want one image", got)
+	}
 
 	execCmd(cmd) // run the agent goroutine; it invokes captureRunImages
 

internal/tui/keybinding_help.go

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 // keybinding_help.go renders the `?` keyboard-shortcut overlay. Zero has a
-// rich set of chord bindings (Ctrl+T effort, Ctrl+P plan, drill-in subchat,
+// rich set of chord bindings (Ctrl+T effort, drill-in subchat,
 // Shift+Tab permission mode, …) that are otherwise invisible — only learnable
 // by reading the source. A single-key `?` overlay (opened on an empty composer)
 // lists them grouped, so the keymap is discoverable the way the reference TUIs
@@ -7,11 +7,15 @@
 // model.go's Update switch; keep them in sync when a binding changes.
 //
 // Configurable bindings (toggleDetailed, toggleMouse, cycleReasoning,
-// togglePlan, toggleSidebar) pull their key label from m.keyBindings so a user
+// toggleSidebar) pull their key label from m.keyBindings so a user
 // who remaps them in config.json sees the actual chords, not the defaults.
 package tui
 
-import "strings"
+import (
+	"strings"
+
+	"charm.land/lipgloss/v2"
+)
 
 // keybinding is one row in the help overlay: the key chord and what it does.
 type keybinding struct {
@@ -53,7 +57,6 @@ func (m model) buildKeybindingGroups() []keybindingGroup {
 			bindings: []keybinding{
 				{labelOr(m.keyBindings.cycleReasoning, "Ctrl+T"), "cycle reasoning effort (auto \u2192 low \u2192 medium \u2192 high)"},
 				{"Shift+Tab", "cycle permission mode (auto \u2194 ask)"},
-				{labelOr(m.keyBindings.togglePlan, "Ctrl+P"), "expand / collapse the plan panel (when no menu is open)"},
 			},
 		},
 		{
@@ -63,7 +66,7 @@ func (m model) buildKeybindingGroups() []keybindingGroup {
 				{"\u2191 / \u2193", "scroll, or move within a popup / multi-line input"},
 				{"Ctrl+P / Ctrl+N", "previous / next item in menus (emacs-style)"},
 				{labelOr(m.keyBindings.toggleDetailed, "Ctrl+O"), "toggle the detailed (full-screen) transcript"},
-				{labelOr(m.keyBindings.toggleSidebar, "Ctrl+B"), "hide / show the right context sidebar"},
+				{labelOr(m.keyBindings.toggleSidebar, "Ctrl+B"), "show / hide run details"},
 				{labelOr(m.keyBindings.toggleMouse, "Ctrl+E"), "release the mouse to drag-select & copy text"},
 				{"Tab", "accept the autocomplete / picker selection"},
 			},
@@ -144,7 +147,7 @@ func formatKeybindingLine(binding keybinding, keyColumn int, innerWidth int) str
 func (m model) renderKeybindingHelpOverlay(width int) string {
 	overlayWidth := keybindingHelpOverlayWidth(width)
 	lines := m.renderKeybindingHelpLines(overlayWidth - 4)
-	block := styledBlockFillTitle(overlayWidth, "Keyboard Shortcuts", lines, zeroTheme.line, zeroTheme.panel)
+	block := styledBlockFillTitle(overlayWidth, "Keyboard Shortcuts", lines, zeroTheme.line, lipgloss.NewStyle())
 	return centerRenderedBlock(block, width)
 }
 

internal/tui/keybinding_help_test.go

@@ -162,22 +162,24 @@ func TestHelpOverlayKeepsTranscriptBodyBehindIt(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestCtrlBCtrlECursorNavigationBypass(t *testing.T) {
-	// 1. Empty composer: Ctrl+B should toggle sidebarHidden, Ctrl+E should toggle mouseReleased
+	// 1. Empty composer: Ctrl+B should toggle run details, Ctrl+E should toggle mouseReleased.
 	m := newModel(context.Background(), Options{ModelName: "gpt-4o"})
 	m.altScreen = true
 	m.width = 120
 	m.height = 40
 	m.transcript = append(m.transcript, transcriptRow{kind: rowToolCall, tool: "read_file", detail: "main.go"})
-	if !m.sidebarToggleAllowed() {
-		t.Fatal("sidebar toggle should be allowed")
+	if !m.runDetailsAllowed() {
+		t.Fatal("run details should be allowed")
 	}
 
-	initialSidebar := m.sidebarHidden
+	initialDetails := m.runDetailsOpen
 	updated, _ := m.Update(testKeyCtrl('b'))
 	next := updated.(model)
-	if next.sidebarHidden == initialSidebar {
-		t.Fatal("Ctrl+B on empty composer should toggle sidebarHidden")
+	if next.runDetailsOpen == initialDetails {
+		t.Fatal("Ctrl+B on empty composer should toggle run details")
 	}
+	updated, _ = next.Update(testKeyCtrl('b'))
+	next = updated.(model)
 
 	initialMouse := next.mouseReleased
 	updated, _ = next.Update(testKeyCtrl('e'))
@@ -198,11 +200,11 @@ func TestCtrlBCtrlECursorNavigationBypass(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("composerValue = %q, want 'hello'", m2.composerValue())
 	}
 
-	initialSidebar2 := m2.sidebarHidden
+	initialDetails2 := m2.runDetailsOpen
 	updated, _ = m2.Update(testKeyCtrl('b'))
 	next2 := updated.(model)
-	if next2.sidebarHidden != initialSidebar2 {
-		t.Fatal("Ctrl+B on non-empty composer should NOT toggle sidebarHidden")
+	if next2.runDetailsOpen != initialDetails2 {
+		t.Fatal("Ctrl+B on non-empty composer should NOT toggle run details")
 	}
 
 	initialMouse2 := next2.mouseReleased
@@ -228,8 +230,8 @@ func TestRemappedToggleBindingsIgnoreComposerGuard(t *testing.T) {
 	// Avoid Ctrl+N: idle Ctrl+N is reserved as an emacs menu no-op and never
 	// reaches configurable global bindings.
 	m.keyBindings.toggleSidebar = parseBinding("ctrl+y")
-	if !m.sidebarToggleAllowed() {
-		t.Fatal("sidebar toggle should be allowed")
+	if !m.runDetailsAllowed() {
+		t.Fatal("run details should be allowed")
 	}
 
 	m = typeRunes(t, m, "hello")
@@ -247,11 +249,11 @@ func TestRemappedToggleBindingsIgnoreComposerGuard(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("remapped toggleMouse binding should not fall through to composer input, got %q", next.composerValue())
 	}
 
-	initialSidebar := next.sidebarHidden
+	initialDetails := next.runDetailsOpen
 	updated, _ = next.Update(testKeyCtrl('y'))
 	next = updated.(model)
-	if next.sidebarHidden == initialSidebar {
-		t.Fatal("remapped Ctrl+Y toggleSidebar binding should still fire with a non-empty composer")
+	if next.runDetailsOpen == initialDetails {
+		t.Fatal("remapped Ctrl+Y toggleSidebar binding should still open run details with a non-empty composer")
 	}
 	if next.composerValue() != "hello" {
 		t.Fatalf("remapped toggleSidebar binding should not fall through to composer input, got %q", next.composerValue())
@@ -273,8 +275,8 @@ func TestExplicitDefaultChordConfigStillRequiresEmptyComposer(t *testing.T) {
 	m.transcript = append(m.transcript, transcriptRow{kind: rowToolCall, tool: "read_file", detail: "main.go"})
 	m.keyBindings.toggleMouse = parseBinding("ctrl+e")
 	m.keyBindings.toggleSidebar = parseBinding("ctrl+b")
-	if !m.sidebarToggleAllowed() {
-		t.Fatal("sidebar toggle should be allowed")
+	if !m.runDetailsAllowed() {
+		t.Fatal("run details should be allowed")
 	}
 
 	m = typeRunes(t, m, "hello")
@@ -289,10 +291,10 @@ func TestExplicitDefaultChordConfigStillRequiresEmptyComposer(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal("explicit ctrl+e config should NOT toggle mouseReleased with a non-empty composer")
 	}
 
-	initialSidebar := next.sidebarHidden
+	initialDetails := next.runDetailsOpen
 	updated, _ = next.Update(testKeyCtrl('b'))
 	next = updated.(model)
-	if next.sidebarHidden != initialSidebar {
-		t.Fatal("explicit ctrl+b config should NOT toggle sidebarHidden with a non-empty composer")
+	if next.runDetailsOpen != initialDetails {
+		t.Fatal("explicit ctrl+b config should NOT toggle run details with a non-empty composer")
 	}
 }

internal/tui/leader.go

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"unicode"
 
 	tea "charm.land/bubbletea/v2"
+	"charm.land/lipgloss/v2"
 )
 
 // leaderTimeout is how long Ctrl+X waits for a follow-up key before the chord
@@ -136,12 +137,12 @@ func renderLeaderHelpLines(innerWidth int) []string {
 }
 
 // renderLeaderHelpOverlay frames the Ctrl+X ? chord map exactly like the
-// general ? keyboard-shortcut overlay: same width helper, border style
-// (zeroTheme.line), panel fill, and centered block.
+// general ? keyboard-shortcut overlay. Its interior stays transparent so a
+// terminal's own canvas remains visible without jagged panel-fill padding.
 func (m model) renderLeaderHelpOverlay(width int) string {
 	overlayWidth := keybindingHelpOverlayWidth(width)
 	lines := renderLeaderHelpLines(overlayWidth - 4)
-	block := styledBlockFillTitle(overlayWidth, "Ctrl+X Shortcuts", lines, zeroTheme.line, zeroTheme.panel)
+	block := styledBlockFillTitle(overlayWidth, "Ctrl+X Shortcuts", lines, zeroTheme.line, lipgloss.NewStyle())
 	return centerRenderedBlock(block, width)
 }
 

internal/tui/leader_test.go

@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@ func TestLeaderQuestionMarkOpensChordMap(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestLeaderHelpMatchesKeybindingHelpChrome(t *testing.T) {
-	// Both overlays must use the same frame builder (titled box + panel fill).
+	// Both overlays must use the same transparent, titled frame builder.
 	m := newModel(context.Background(), Options{ModelName: "gpt-4o"})
 	m.width = 100
 	help := m.renderKeybindingHelpOverlay(100)
@@ -267,6 +267,22 @@ func TestLeaderHelpMatchesKeybindingHelpChrome(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestShortcutOverlaysKeepTerminalCanvasTransparent(t *testing.T) {
+	m := newModel(context.Background(), Options{ModelName: "gpt-4o"})
+	panelFill := zeroTheme.panel.Render(" ")
+	for _, overlay := range []struct {
+		name string
+		view string
+	}{
+		{"keyboard help", m.renderKeybindingHelpOverlay(100)},
+		{"leader help", m.renderLeaderHelpOverlay(100)},
+	} {
+		if strings.Contains(overlay.view, panelFill) {
+			t.Fatalf("%s should not paint the panel background behind shortcut rows", overlay.name)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestLeaderHelpOverlayClosesOnEsc(t *testing.T) {
 	m := newModel(context.Background(), Options{ModelName: "gpt-4o"})
 	m.leaderHelpOverlay = true

internal/tui/modal_selection_test.go

@@ -91,32 +91,12 @@ func TestCtrlPNMovesPermissionOptions(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestCtrlPTogglesPlanWhenNoModal(t *testing.T) {
-	m := newModel(context.Background(), Options{ModelName: "gpt-4o"})
-	m.plan = planPanelState{
-		steps: []planStep{{content: "step one", status: "pending"}},
-	}
-	if m.plan.isEmpty() {
-		t.Fatal("setup: plan should be non-empty")
-	}
-	initial := m.plan.expanded
-	updated, _ := m.Update(testKeyCtrl('p'))
-	next := updated.(model)
-	if next.plan.expanded == initial {
-		t.Fatal("Ctrl+P with no modal should toggle plan.expanded")
-	}
-}
-
-func TestCtrlPDoesNotTogglePlanInPicker(t *testing.T) {
+func TestCtrlPMovesPickerSelection(t *testing.T) {
 	m := newModel(context.Background(), Options{
 		ModelName:    "gpt-4o",
 		ProviderName: "openai",
 		Provider:     &fakeProvider{},
 	})
-	m.plan = planPanelState{
-		steps:    []planStep{{content: "step one", status: "pending"}},
-		expanded: true,
-	}
 	m.input.SetValue("/model")
 	updated, _ := m.handleSubmit()
 	m = updated.(model)
@@ -125,9 +105,6 @@ func TestCtrlPDoesNotTogglePlanInPicker(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	updated, _ = m.Update(testKeyCtrl('p'))
 	next := updated.(model)
-	if !next.plan.expanded {
-		t.Fatal("Ctrl+P in picker must not collapse the plan panel")
-	}
 	if next.picker == nil {
 		t.Fatal("picker should remain open")
 	}
@@ -135,19 +112,11 @@ func TestCtrlPDoesNotTogglePlanInPicker(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestCtrlNNoOpWithoutModal(t *testing.T) {
 	m := newModel(context.Background(), Options{ModelName: "gpt-4o"})
-	m.plan = planPanelState{
-		steps:    []planStep{{content: "step one", status: "pending"}},
-		expanded: false,
-	}
-	before := m.plan.expanded
 	updated, _ := m.Update(testKeyCtrl('n'))
 	next := updated.(model)
 	if next.picker != nil || next.suggestionsActive() {
 		t.Fatal("Ctrl+N idle must not open a modal")
 	}
-	if next.plan.expanded != before {
-		t.Fatal("Ctrl+N idle must not toggle the plan panel")
-	}
 	if next.composerValue() != "" {
 		t.Fatalf("Ctrl+N idle must not type into composer, got %q", next.composerValue())
 	}

internal/tui/model_catalog_test.go

@@ -46,6 +46,23 @@ func TestModelSupportsVisionTUIChecksDiscoveredBeforeHeuristic(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestModelSupportsVisionTUIFallsBackWhenLiveMetadataOmitsModalities(t *testing.T) {
+	registry := mustTestModelRegistry(t, testModelEntry("custom-known", 12345, []modelregistry.ModelCapability{
+		modelregistry.ModelCapabilityChat,
+	}))
+	m := model{
+		modelName:    "gpt-5.6-sol",
+		modelCatalog: registry,
+		modelPickerLiveByProvider: map[string][]providermodeldiscovery.Model{
+			"chatgpt": {{ID: "gpt-5.6-sol"}},
+		},
+	}
+
+	if !m.modelSupportsVisionTUI() {
+		t.Fatal("live discovery without modality metadata must fall back to the model capability heuristic")
+	}
+}
+
 func BenchmarkModelContextWindowLookup(b *testing.B) {
 	cachedRegistry, err := modelregistry.DefaultRegistry()
 	if err != nil {

internal/tui/model_test.go

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package tui
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"reflect"
@@ -19,6 +20,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/agent"
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/config"
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/notify"
+	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/providermodeldiscovery"
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/sandbox"
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/sessions"
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/tools"
@@ -558,13 +560,79 @@ func TestModelCommandSwitchesSessionModel(t *testing.T) {
 	if rebuilt.Model != "gpt-4.1-mini" {
 		t.Fatalf("expected provider rebuild with selected model, got %#v", rebuilt)
 	}
-	for _, want := range []string{"Model", "gpt-4.1-mini · openai"} {
-		if !transcriptContains(next.transcript, want) {
-			t.Fatalf("expected model transcript to contain %q, got %#v", want, next.transcript)
+	for _, want := range []string{"Model:", "gpt-4.1-mini · openai"} {
+		if !strings.Contains(next.transientNotice.text, want) {
+			t.Fatalf("expected model notice to contain %q, got %q", want, next.transientNotice.text)
 		}
 	}
 }
 
+func TestModelCommandAcceptsChatGPTCatalogModelID(t *testing.T) {
+	var rebuilt config.ProviderProfile
+	nextProvider := &fakeProvider{}
+	m := newModel(context.Background(), Options{
+		ProviderName: "chatgpt",
+		ModelName:    "gpt-5.6-terra",
+		ProviderProfile: config.ProviderProfile{
+			Name:         "chatgpt",
+			CatalogID:    "chatgpt",
+			ProviderKind: config.ProviderKindOpenAICompatible,
+			BaseURL:      "https://chatgpt.com/backend-api/codex",
+			Model:        "gpt-5.6-terra",
+		},
+		Provider: &fakeProvider{},
+		NewProvider: func(profile config.ProviderProfile) (zeroruntime.Provider, error) {
+			rebuilt = profile
+			return nextProvider, nil
+		},
+	})
+	m.modelPickerLiveByProvider = map[string][]providermodeldiscovery.Model{
+		"chatgpt": {{ID: "gpt-5.6-sol"}},
+	}
+	m.input.SetValue("/model openai/gpt-5.6-sol")
+
+	updated, cmd := m.Update(testKey(tea.KeyEnter))
+	next := updated.(model)
+
+	if cmd != nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected /model to be handled without starting an agent run")
+	}
+	if next.modelName != "gpt-5.6-sol" || next.provider != nextProvider {
+		t.Fatalf("expected ChatGPT model switch to use bare catalog ID, got model=%q provider=%#v", next.modelName, next.provider)
+	}
+	if rebuilt.Model != "gpt-5.6-sol" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected provider rebuild with bare ChatGPT model ID, got %#v", rebuilt)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestProviderModelSwitchCandidatesPreserveGatewayModelIDs(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, test := range []struct {
+		name     string
+		provider string
+		input    string
+		want     []string
+	}{
+		{
+			name:     "ChatGPT accepts the models.dev OpenAI namespace",
+			provider: "chatgpt",
+			input:    "openai/gpt-5.6-sol",
+			want:     []string{"openai/gpt-5.6-sol", "gpt-5.6-sol"},
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "gateway keeps qualified model ID",
+			provider: "openrouter",
+			input:    "openai/gpt-5.6-sol",
+			want:     []string{"openai/gpt-5.6-sol"},
+		},
+	} {
+		t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			if got := providerModelSwitchCandidates(test.provider, test.input); !reflect.DeepEqual(got, test.want) {
+				t.Fatalf("providerModelSwitchCandidates(%q, %q) = %#v, want %#v", test.provider, test.input, got, test.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestModelCommandPersistsSelectedModelToUserConfig(t *testing.T) {
 	configPath := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "zero.json")
 	if _, err := config.UpsertProvider(configPath, config.ProviderProfile{
@@ -611,8 +679,8 @@ func TestModelCommandPersistsSelectedModelToUserConfig(t *testing.T) {
 	if got := persisted.Provider.Model; got != "gpt-4.1-mini" {
 		t.Fatalf("persisted provider model = %q, want gpt-4.1-mini", got)
 	}
-	if !transcriptContains(next.transcript, "· saved") {
-		t.Fatalf("expected model transcript to mention saved user config, got %#v", next.transcript)
+	if !strings.Contains(next.transientNotice.text, "gpt-4.1-mini") {
+		t.Fatalf("expected model notice to name selected model, got %q", next.transientNotice.text)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -1468,6 +1536,28 @@ func TestToolResultDetailPrefersPreview(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestToolResultSessionPayloadKeepsPreviewForResume(t *testing.T) {
+	preview := "--- a/calculator.go\n+++ b/calculator.go\n@@ -4,1 +4,1 @@\n-oldValue := 1\n+newValue := 2"
+	payload := toolResultSessionPayload(agent.ToolResult{
+		ToolCallID: "edit-1",
+		Name:       "edit_file",
+		Status:     tools.StatusOK,
+		Output:     "Successfully edited calculator.go (replaced 1 occurrence).",
+		Display:    tools.Display{Preview: preview},
+	})
+	if got, want := payload["displayPreview"], preview; got != want {
+		t.Fatalf("persisted display preview = %#v, want %q", got, want)
+	}
+	encoded, err := json.Marshal(payload)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("marshal session payload: %v", err)
+	}
+	rows := transcriptRowsFromSessionEvents([]sessions.Event{{Type: sessions.EventToolResult, Payload: encoded}})
+	if len(rows) != 1 || rows[0].detail != preview {
+		t.Fatalf("resumed row lost the display preview: %#v", rows)
+	}
+}
+
 // TestReasoningRefreshesActivityClock: a reasoning delta is live provider output,
 // so it must bump lastStreamActivity (else the quiet hint mis-fires mid-think).
 func TestReasoningRefreshesActivityClock(t *testing.T) {
@@ -1502,16 +1592,15 @@ func TestStaleExplanationDropped(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-// TestBeginRunResetsSidebarHidden: a new run clears the sidebar's content, so the
-// stale Ctrl+B hide preference is reset (the new run's sidebar isn't suppressed)
-// and the explanation generation advances.
-func TestBeginRunResetsSidebarHidden(t *testing.T) {
+// TestBeginRunKeepsRunDetailsClosed verifies a new run starts on the focused
+// conversation surface and advances the explanation generation.
+func TestBeginRunKeepsRunDetailsClosed(t *testing.T) {
 	m := newModel(context.Background(), Options{})
-	m.sidebarHidden = true
+	m.runDetailsOpen = true
 	gen := m.planDetailGen
 	m = m.beginRun(nil)
-	if m.sidebarHidden {
-		t.Error("beginRun should reset the Ctrl+B hide preference for the new run")
+	if m.runDetailsOpen {
+		t.Error("beginRun should close run details for the new turn")
 	}
 	if m.planDetailGen <= gen {
 		t.Errorf("beginRun should bump planDetailGen, was %d now %d", gen, m.planDetailGen)
@@ -2561,14 +2650,10 @@ func TestComposerIdleHintAndJumpCue(t *testing.T) {
 				t.Fatalf("empty sidebar should not be advertised, got %q", hint)
 			}
 
-			withSidebar := idle
-			withSidebar.plan.steps = []planStep{{content: "inspect footer", status: "in_progress"}}
-			if hint := plainRender(t, withSidebar.composerIdleHint()); !strings.Contains(hint, "Ctrl+B sidebar") {
-				t.Fatalf("available sidebar should be advertised, got %q", hint)
-			}
-			withSidebar.sidebarHidden = true
-			if hint := plainRender(t, withSidebar.composerIdleHint()); !strings.Contains(hint, "Ctrl+B sidebar") {
-				t.Fatalf("collapsed sidebar should keep its restore shortcut, got %q", hint)
+			withDetails := idle
+			withDetails.plan.steps = []planStep{{content: "inspect footer", status: "in_progress"}}
+			if hint := plainRender(t, withDetails.composerIdleHint()); !strings.Contains(hint, "Ctrl+B details") {
+				t.Fatalf("available run details should be advertised, got %q", hint)
 			}
 		})
 	}
@@ -2946,21 +3031,27 @@ func TestScrimViewportLine(t *testing.T) {
 	if got := scrimViewportLine("   ", 10); got != "   " {
 		t.Fatalf("blank line should be untouched, got %q", got)
 	}
-	// Non-blank lines keep their text (only the styling is dimmed), so the backdrop
-	// stays readable behind the overlay.
+	// Non-blank plain lines keep their text and become faint, so the backdrop stays
+	// readable behind the overlay without competing with its focus surface.
 	got := scrimViewportLine("transcript content", 40)
 	if ansi.Strip(got) != "transcript content" {
 		t.Fatalf("scrim must preserve text, got %q", ansi.Strip(got))
 	}
-	// A pre-styled line must have its OWN styling stripped (so the dim wins), while
-	// the text content survives. This fails if scrim stops re-styling the backdrop.
-	styled := "\x1b[31mred backdrop\x1b[0m text"
+	// Styled transcript content must retain its semantic foreground and background
+	// colors. The scrim adds faintness around resets rather than flattening a diff
+	// or syntax-highlighted line to a single grey style.
+	styled := "\x1b[38;2;235;80;110mremoved\x1b[0m \x1b[48;2;35;80;58madded\x1b[0m"
 	scrimmed := scrimViewportLine(styled, 40)
-	if ansi.Strip(scrimmed) != "red backdrop text" {
+	if ansi.Strip(scrimmed) != "removed added" {
 		t.Fatalf("scrim must preserve styled line's text, got %q", ansi.Strip(scrimmed))
 	}
-	if strings.Contains(scrimmed, "\x1b[31m") {
-		t.Fatalf("scrim must strip the line's original styling, got %q", scrimmed)
+	for _, sequence := range []string{"\x1b[38;2;235;80;110m", "\x1b[48;2;35;80;58m"} {
+		if !strings.Contains(scrimmed, sequence) {
+			t.Fatalf("scrim must preserve semantic ANSI sequence %q, got %q", sequence, scrimmed)
+		}
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(scrimmed, "\x1b[2m") {
+		t.Fatalf("scrim must apply faint styling around semantic colors, got %q", scrimmed)
 	}
 }
 

internal/tui/mouse.go

@@ -287,38 +287,6 @@ func (m model) handleMouse(msg tea.MouseMsg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 	}
 }
 
-// sidebarLineAtMouse maps a left-click in the AGENTS sidebar column to the swarm
-// member whose row was clicked, when that member's session is known. Geometry:
-// twoColumnTranscriptView is the full screen (sidebarActive ⇒ alt-screen), and
-// joinColumns lays out [chat(chatColumnWidth)][" │ " 3-cell divider][sidebar],
-// zipping row-by-row — so a sidebar line's screen Y equals its sidebar index and
-// the sidebar starts at screen X = chatColumnWidth + 3. Recomputed on demand
-// (View can't persist a registry on the value-receiver model), like
-// transcriptLineAtMouse.
-func (m model) sidebarLineAtMouse(msg tea.MouseMsg) (sidebarAgentHit, bool) {
-	if !m.sidebarActive() {
-		return sidebarAgentHit{}, false
-	}
-	if m.setup.visible || m.providerWizard != nil || m.mcpAddWizard != nil || m.mcpManager != nil || m.picker != nil || m.suggestionsActive() {
-		return sidebarAgentHit{}, false
-	}
-	sidebarW := sidebarWidth(m.width)
-	if sidebarW <= 0 {
-		return sidebarAgentHit{}, false
-	}
-	x0 := m.chatColumnWidth() + 3 // " │ " divider between the columns
-	x, y := mouseX(msg), mouseY(msg)
-	if x < x0 || x >= x0+sidebarW {
-		return sidebarAgentHit{}, false
-	}
-	for _, hit := range m.sidebarAgentSelectables(sidebarW) {
-		if hit.lineOffset == y && hit.sessionID != "" {
-			return hit, true
-		}
-	}
-	return sidebarAgentHit{}, false
-}
-
 func (m model) repeatMouseSelection(target mouseSelectionTarget) bool {
 	return target.Scope != "" && m.lastMouseSelection == target
 }
@@ -531,6 +499,20 @@ func (m *model) selectGenericPickerAtMouse(msg tea.MouseMsg) (mouseSelectionTarg
 	if !ok {
 		return mouseSelectionTarget{}, false
 	}
+	// The theme picker has a right-hand visual preview on wider terminals. It is
+	// deliberately non-interactive: clicking a color sample must not select a
+	// list item merely because it shares that row's y-coordinate.
+	if m.picker.kind == pickerTheme {
+		overlayWidth := minInt(width, pickerOverlayMaxWidth)
+		if overlayWidth < pickerOverlayMinWidth {
+			overlayWidth = width
+		}
+		listWidth, _, showPreview := themePickerColumnWidths(maxInt(1, overlayWidth-4))
+		// styledBlockFillTitle contributes a left border and one-cell inset.
+		if showPreview && hit.x >= listWidth+2 {
+			return mouseSelectionTarget{}, false
+		}
+	}
 	maxVisible := minInt(pickerOverlayMaxVisible, len(m.picker.items))
 	selected := clampInt(m.picker.selected, 0, len(m.picker.items)-1)
 	start := selectableListStart(len(m.picker.items), maxVisible, selected)
@@ -549,9 +531,6 @@ func (m *model) selectGenericPickerAtMouse(msg tea.MouseMsg) (mouseSelectionTarg
 		if hit.y == line {
 			index := start + offset
 			m.picker.selected = index
-			// Clicking (or hovering onto) a row live-previews it, like arrow keys,
-			// so the theme picker repaints before the confirming second click.
-			m.previewSelectedTheme()
 			return mouseSelectionTarget{Scope: "picker", Kind: int(m.picker.kind), Value: item.Value, Index: index}, true
 		}
 		line++

internal/tui/mouse_test.go

@@ -9,7 +9,9 @@ import (
 	"charm.land/lipgloss/v2"
 
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/config"
+	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/terminalpet"
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/tools"
+	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/zeroruntime"
 )
 
 func TestMouseClickSelectsThenAppliesCommandSuggestionRow(t *testing.T) {
@@ -251,6 +253,27 @@ func TestComposerMouseClickMovesCursor(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestComposerMouseClickMovesCursorBelowImageThumbnail(t *testing.T) {
+	m := mouseTestModel()
+	m.attachmentRenderers = []*terminalpet.ImageRenderer{terminalpet.NewImageRenderer(terminalpet.ImageSupport{Protocol: terminalpet.ImageProtocolKitty})}
+	m.pendingImages = []zeroruntime.ImageBlock{previewImageBlock(t)}
+	m.refreshPendingImageThumbnail()
+	m.input.SetValue("hello world")
+
+	width := m.chatColumnWidth()
+	frame := m.scrollableTranscriptFrame(m.pinnedTitleBar(width), m.footerView(width))
+	x := frame.composerRect.x + 2 + lipgloss.Width(composerVisualLinePrefix(m.input, true)) + 5
+	y := frame.composerRect.y + 1 + attachmentPreviewRows
+	updated, cmd := m.Update(testMouseClick(tea.MouseLeft, x, y))
+	next := updated.(model)
+	if cmd != nil {
+		t.Fatal("composer click should not return a command")
+	}
+	if got := next.currentComposerState().cursor; got != 5 {
+		t.Fatalf("composer cursor below thumbnail = %d, want 5", got)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestComposerMouseDragSelectsCopiesAndClears(t *testing.T) {
 	m := mouseTestModel()
 	m.input.SetValue("hello world")
@@ -985,10 +1008,7 @@ func composerMousePoint(t *testing.T, m model, column int) (int, int) {
 	if frame.composerRect.height <= 0 {
 		t.Fatalf("expected visible composer rect, frame=%#v", frame)
 	}
-	contentY := 1
-	if renderAttachmentChips(m.pendingImageLabels, m.pendingDocuments) != "" {
-		contentY++
-	}
+	contentY := 1 + m.attachmentComposerPrefixRows(width)
 	x := frame.composerRect.x + 2 + lipgloss.Width(composerVisualLinePrefix(m.input, true)) + column
 	y := frame.composerRect.y + contentY
 	return x, y

internal/tui/pet_output.go

@@ -22,13 +22,19 @@ type terminalOutputFile interface {
 
 type petImageOutput struct {
 	output         terminalOutputFile
-	renderer       *terminalpet.ImageRenderer
-	renderDisabled bool
+	renderers      []*terminalpet.ImageRenderer
+	renderDisabled []bool
 	mu             sync.Mutex
 }
 
-func newPetImageOutput(output terminalOutputFile, renderer *terminalpet.ImageRenderer) *petImageOutput {
-	return &petImageOutput{output: output, renderer: renderer}
+func newPetImageOutput(output terminalOutputFile, renderers ...*terminalpet.ImageRenderer) *petImageOutput {
+	active := make([]*terminalpet.ImageRenderer, 0, len(renderers))
+	for _, renderer := range renderers {
+		if renderer != nil {
+			active = append(active, renderer)
+		}
+	}
+	return &petImageOutput{output: output, renderers: active, renderDisabled: make([]bool, len(active))}
 }
 
 func (o *petImageOutput) Read(value []byte) (int, error) {
@@ -39,11 +45,13 @@ func (o *petImageOutput) Write(value []byte) (int, error) {
 	o.mu.Lock()
 	defer o.mu.Unlock()
 	leavingAltScreen := bytes.Contains(value, []byte("\x1b[?1049l"))
-	kittyImage := o.renderer.Support().Protocol == terminalpet.ImageProtocolKitty ||
-		o.renderer.Support().Protocol == terminalpet.ImageProtocolKittyLocalFile
-	if leavingAltScreen && !kittyImage {
-		if err := o.writeImageUpdate(o.renderer.Clear); err != nil {
-			return 0, err
+	if leavingAltScreen {
+		for _, renderer := range o.renderers {
+			if !rendererUsesKitty(renderer) {
+				if err := o.writeImageUpdate(renderer.Clear); err != nil {
+					return 0, err
+				}
+			}
 		}
 	}
 	if leavingAltScreen {
@@ -51,26 +59,36 @@ func (o *petImageOutput) Write(value []byte) (int, error) {
 		if err != nil {
 			return written, err
 		}
-		if kittyImage {
-			if err := o.writeImageUpdate(o.renderer.Clear); err != nil {
-				return written, err
+		for _, renderer := range o.renderers {
+			if rendererUsesKitty(renderer) {
+				if err := o.writeImageUpdate(renderer.Clear); err != nil {
+					return written, err
+				}
 			}
 		}
 		return written, nil
 	}
 	if bytes.Contains(value, []byte(ansi.EraseEntireScreen)) ||
 		bytes.Contains(value, []byte(ansi.SetModeAltScreenSaveCursor)) {
-		o.renderer.Invalidate()
+		for _, renderer := range o.renderers {
+			renderer.Invalidate()
+		}
 	}
 
 	var imageUpdate bytes.Buffer
-	if !o.renderDisabled {
-		if err := o.renderer.Render(&imageUpdate); err != nil {
-			// Companions are decorative. Disable them for this output session after
-			// a renderer failure instead of terminating the interactive shell.
-			o.renderDisabled = true
-			imageUpdate.Reset()
+	for index, renderer := range o.renderers {
+		if o.renderDisabled[index] {
+			continue
 		}
+		var rendererUpdate bytes.Buffer
+		if err := renderer.Render(&rendererUpdate); err != nil {
+			// Terminal images are decorative. Disable only the failing renderer for
+			// this output session so an attachment issue cannot hide a companion
+			// (or vice versa) or terminate the interactive shell.
+			o.renderDisabled[index] = true
+			continue
+		}
+		imageUpdate.Write(rendererUpdate.Bytes())
 	}
 	if imageUpdate.Len() == 0 {
 		return writeChecked(o.output, value)
@@ -120,6 +138,15 @@ func (o *petImageOutput) Write(value []byte) (int, error) {
 	return written, endErr
 }
 
+func rendererUsesKitty(renderer *terminalpet.ImageRenderer) bool {
+	switch renderer.Support().Protocol {
+	case terminalpet.ImageProtocolKitty, terminalpet.ImageProtocolKittyLocalFile:
+		return true
+	default:
+		return false
+	}
+}
+
 func writeChecked(writer io.Writer, value []byte) (int, error) {
 	written, err := writer.Write(value)
 	if err == nil && written != len(value) {
@@ -180,9 +207,15 @@ func (o *petImageOutput) clearImage() error {
 		if _, err := io.WriteString(writer, ansi.ResetModeMouseExtSgrPixel); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		if err := o.renderer.Clear(writer); err != nil {
-			return err
+		for _, renderer := range o.renderers {
+			if err := renderer.Clear(writer); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
 		}
-		return o.renderer.DeleteImages(writer, petAmbientImageID, petPreviewImageID)
+		if len(o.renderers) == 0 {
+			return nil
+		}
+		ids := append([]uint32{petAmbientImageID, petPreviewImageID}, attachmentPreviewImageIDs()...)
+		return o.renderers[0].DeleteImages(writer, ids...)
 	})
 }

internal/tui/pets.go

@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ func (m model) handlePetsCommand(argument string) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 		m.petPreview = nil
 		m.picker = nil
 		m.petTickSeq++
-		return m.appendSystemNotice("Terminal companion hidden. Run /pets to choose another."), nil
+		return m.showTransientNoticeInline("Terminal companion hidden. Run /pets to choose another.", transientNoticeInfo), nil
 	}
 	m.petRequestedSlug = argument
 	localEntries, _ := m.petClient.InstalledEntries()
@@ -242,13 +242,13 @@ func (m model) installPet(slug string) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 		m.petName = ""
 		m.petAnimation = nil
 		m.petTickSeq++
-		return m.appendSystemNotice("Terminal companion hidden. Run /pets to choose another."), nil
+		return m.showTransientNoticeInline("Terminal companion hidden. Run /pets to choose another.", transientNoticeInfo), nil
 	}
 	entry, ok := m.petEntries[slug]
 	if !ok {
 		return m.appendSystemNotice(fmt.Sprintf("Pet %q is no longer in the catalog.", slug)), nil
 	}
-	m = m.appendSystemNotice("Installing " + entry.Label() + "…")
+	m = m.showTransientNoticeInline("Installing "+entry.Label()+"…", transientNoticeInfo)
 	return m, func() tea.Msg {
 		animation, err := m.petClient.Install(m.ctx, entry)
 		return petInstalledMsg{entry: entry, animation: animation, err: err}
@@ -270,7 +270,7 @@ func (m model) applyPetInstall(msg petInstalledMsg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 	m.petPlaybackState = terminalpet.Idle
 	m.petClickAnimationIndex = 0
 	m.petOutcome = terminalpet.Idle
-	m = m.appendSystemNotice(msg.entry.Label() + " is now your terminal companion. Use /pets off to hide it.")
+	m = m.showTransientNoticeInline(msg.entry.Label()+" is now your terminal companion. Use /pets off to hide it.", transientNoticeSuccess)
 	if m.reducedMotion {
 		return m, nil
 	}
@@ -396,9 +396,6 @@ func (m model) petLayoutActive() bool {
 		return false
 	}
 	layoutWidth := m.width
-	if m.sidebarActive() {
-		layoutWidth = m.chatColumnWidth()
-	}
 	if !m.altScreen || layoutWidth < petImageColumns+4 || m.height < petImageRows+8 || m.subchat.active || m.transcriptDetailed {
 		return false
 	}
@@ -615,9 +612,6 @@ func resizePetCoordinate(value, oldMaximum, newMaximum, edgeThreshold int) int {
 }
 
 func (m model) petHomePosition(width, height int) (int, int) {
-	if m.sidebarActive() {
-		width = m.chatColumnWidth()
-	}
 	maxX := maxInt(0, width-petImageColumns)
 	maxY := maxInt(0, height-petImageRows)
 	return clampInt(width-petImageColumns-2, 0, maxX), clampInt(height-petImageRows-1, 0, maxY)

internal/tui/pets_test.go

@@ -614,7 +614,7 @@ func TestAmbientPetRetainsSingleColumnComposerDock(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestAmbientPetDoesNotChangeSidebarFooterGeometry(t *testing.T) {
+func TestAmbientPetDoesNotChangeFullWidthFooterGeometry(t *testing.T) {
 	m := sidebarTestModel()
 	m.width, m.height = 120, 34
 	frame := image.NewNRGBA(image.Rect(0, 0, 12, 12))
@@ -639,12 +639,12 @@ func TestAmbientPetDoesNotChangeSidebarFooterGeometry(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 		runes := []rune(line)
 		dockEdge := m.chatColumnWidth() - petReservedColumns - 1
-		if len(runes) < m.width || runes[dockEdge] != '╮' || runes[m.chatColumnWidth()+1] != '│' {
-			t.Fatalf("pet changed the normal full-height sidebar geometry: %q", line)
+		if len(runes) < m.width || runes[dockEdge] != '╮' {
+			t.Fatalf("pet changed the normal full-width composer geometry: %q", line)
 		}
 		return
 	}
-	t.Fatal("sidebar composer top not found")
+	t.Fatal("composer top not found")
 }
 
 func TestDockedPetFollowsSidebarLayoutWithoutBecomingFreePositioned(t *testing.T) {

internal/tui/picker.go

@@ -522,9 +522,43 @@ func (m model) recentModelPairsForPicker() []config.RecentModelEntry {
 	pairs := make([]config.RecentModelEntry, 0, len(m.recentModels)+1)
 	pairs = append(pairs, config.RecentModelEntry{Provider: m.providerName, Model: m.modelName})
 	pairs = append(pairs, m.recentModels...)
+	for index := range pairs {
+		pairs[index] = m.canonicalRecentModelPair(pairs[index])
+	}
 	return config.NormalizeRecentModels(pairs)
 }
 
+// canonicalRecentModelPair collapses legacy OpenAI-prefixed model IDs for a
+// ChatGPT profile. ChatGPT's Codex endpoint uses bare model IDs, while older
+// hand-entered configuration could retain the equivalent openai/<id> spelling.
+// Keep this picker-only so OpenAI-compatible gateway IDs remain untouched.
+func (m model) canonicalRecentModelPair(pair config.RecentModelEntry) config.RecentModelEntry {
+	pair.Provider = strings.TrimSpace(pair.Provider)
+	pair.Model = strings.TrimSpace(pair.Model)
+	if !m.recentPairUsesChatGPT(pair.Provider) {
+		return pair
+	}
+	if len(pair.Model) >= len("openai/") && strings.EqualFold(pair.Model[:len("openai/")], "openai/") {
+		pair.Model = strings.TrimSpace(pair.Model[len("openai/"):])
+	}
+	return pair
+}
+
+func (m model) recentPairUsesChatGPT(providerName string) bool {
+	if profile, ok := m.savedProviderByName(providerName); ok {
+		if descriptor, hasDescriptor := m.descriptorForProfile(profile); hasDescriptor {
+			return providercatalog.NormalizeID(descriptor.ID) == "chatgpt"
+		}
+	}
+	if !strings.EqualFold(strings.TrimSpace(providerName), strings.TrimSpace(m.providerName)) {
+		return false
+	}
+	if descriptor, ok := m.activeProviderDescriptor(); ok {
+		return providercatalog.NormalizeID(descriptor.ID) == "chatgpt"
+	}
+	return providercatalog.NormalizeID(m.providerProfile.CatalogID) == "chatgpt"
+}
+
 // modelPickerRecentItem resolves one "Recent" row for a provider+model pair,
 // tagging it with OwnerProvider so choosing it can switch providers (like any
 // other cross-provider picker row) even when it isn't the active provider.
@@ -1008,45 +1042,39 @@ func (m model) newEffortPicker() *commandPicker {
 	return &commandPicker{kind: pickerEffort, title: "select reasoning effort", items: items, selected: selected}
 }
 
-// newThemePicker lists `auto` plus every registered theme as a popup, grouped into
-// Dark/Light sections (the registry is ordered dark-then-light so the group header
-// changes exactly once), preselecting the active preference. Bare `/theme` opens the
-// same overlay /model and /effort use. Moving the cursor live-previews each palette
-// (previewSelectedTheme); Enter commits the highlighted theme (choosePicker) and Esc
-// restores the previous one (Update's picker-cancel path). Items stay 1:1 with
-// themeModes and in the same order, so the popup and /theme state list agree.
+// newThemePicker lists the terminal-native system theme followed by named palettes
+// in one flat list. Old dark/light preferences migrate to System rather than
+// appearing as choices: they would imply a terminal-canvas change that Zero
+// deliberately does not make.
 func (m model) newThemePicker() *commandPicker {
 	items := make([]pickerItem, 0, len(themeModes))
 	selected := 0
-	// `auto` sits at the top with an empty Group, so it renders header-less above
-	// the Dark/Light sections.
-	items = append(items, pickerItem{Label: string(themeAuto), Value: string(themeAuto), Meta: "match terminal"})
-	for _, entry := range themeRegistry {
-		group := "Light"
-		if entry.IsDark {
-			group = "Dark"
+	for _, name := range themeModes {
+		item := pickerItem{Label: name, Value: name}
+		if name == string(themeSystem) {
+			item.Label = "System"
+		} else if entry, ok := lookupTheme(name); ok {
+			item.Label = entry.Label
 		}
-		items = append(items, pickerItem{Group: group, Label: entry.Label, Value: entry.Name})
-		if entry.Name == string(m.themeMode) {
+		items = append(items, item)
+		if name == string(m.themeMode) {
 			selected = len(items) - 1
 		}
 	}
 	// allItems lets the query filter restore rows on Backspace (one-way narrowing
 	// otherwise, since applyQuery falls back to the current items without it).
-	return &commandPicker{kind: pickerTheme, title: "select theme", items: items, allItems: append([]pickerItem{}, items...), selected: selected}
+	return &commandPicker{kind: pickerTheme, title: "Choose a theme", items: items, allItems: append([]pickerItem{}, items...), selected: selected}
 }
 
-// pickerMoved advances the open picker's cursor by delta and live-previews the new
-// selection where the picker supports it — stepping through the /theme popup
-// repaints the UI in the hovered palette. Safe to call with no picker open. Callers
-// mutate through m.picker (a pointer) and the global theme, so the value receiver
-// is fine.
+// pickerMoved advances the open picker's cursor by delta. Theme candidates render
+// only in the picker preview; their active palette is applied only after Enter.
+// Safe to call with no picker open. Callers mutate through m.picker (a pointer),
+// so the value receiver is fine.
 func (m model) pickerMoved(delta int) (model, tea.Cmd) {
 	if m.picker == nil {
 		return m, nil
 	}
 	m.picker.move(delta)
-	m.previewSelectedTheme()
 	if m.picker.kind == pickerPet {
 		return m.schedulePetPreview()
 	}

internal/tui/picker_test.go

@@ -532,8 +532,8 @@ func TestModelPickerAppliesActiveProviderCatalogModelID(t *testing.T) {
 	if next.modelName != "openai/gpt-4.1" {
 		t.Fatalf("active model = %q, want raw OpenRouter model ID", next.modelName)
 	}
-	if !transcriptContains(next.transcript, "openai/gpt-4.1 ·") {
-		t.Fatalf("expected model switch status, got %#v", next.transcript)
+	if !strings.Contains(next.transientNotice.text, "openai/gpt-4.1") {
+		t.Fatalf("model switch notice = %q", next.transientNotice.text)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -570,6 +570,30 @@ func TestRecentModelPairsForPickerPinsActiveDedupesAndCaps(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestRecentModelPairsForPickerCanonicalizesChatGPTOpenAIModelAliases(t *testing.T) {
+	m := newModel(context.Background(), Options{
+		ProviderName: "chatgpt",
+		ModelName:    "gpt-5.6-sol",
+		ProviderProfile: config.ProviderProfile{
+			Name:      "chatgpt",
+			CatalogID: "chatgpt",
+		},
+		RecentModels: []config.RecentModelEntry{
+			{Provider: "chatgpt", Model: "openai/gpt-5.6-sol"},
+			{Provider: "chatgpt", Model: "gpt-5.6-terra"},
+		},
+	})
+
+	got := m.recentModelPairsForPicker()
+	want := []config.RecentModelEntry{
+		{Provider: "chatgpt", Model: "gpt-5.6-sol"},
+		{Provider: "chatgpt", Model: "gpt-5.6-terra"},
+	}
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, want) {
+		t.Fatalf("recentModelPairsForPicker() = %#v, want %#v", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
 // The picker's cross-group de-dup must key on provider+model, not model id
 // alone: the same model id can be offered by two different providers, and
 // those are distinct, independently selectable rows (issue: recents should
@@ -930,8 +954,8 @@ func TestModelPickerNavigatesAndChoosesAppliesHandler(t *testing.T) {
 	if m.modelName != "claude-haiku-4.5" {
 		t.Fatalf("expected model switched to claude-haiku-4.5 via handler, got %q", m.modelName)
 	}
-	if !transcriptContains(m.transcript, "Model") {
-		t.Fatal("choosing should append the model handler's status text")
+	if !strings.Contains(m.transientNotice.text, "Model:") {
+		t.Fatalf("model picker notice = %q", m.transientNotice.text)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -963,7 +987,7 @@ func TestEffortPickerOpensForSupportedModel(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestThemeCommandOpensPicker(t *testing.T) {
-	// Bare /theme opens the theme popup (live preview on move, apply on Enter),
+	// Bare /theme opens the theme popup (contained preview on move, apply on Enter),
 	// like /model and /effort. Full preview/commit/cancel behavior is covered in
 	// theme_picker_test.go; here we just pin that the no-arg command opens it.
 	defer applyTheme(themeDark, true)

internal/tui/plan_panel.go

@@ -1,15 +1,10 @@
-// plan_panel.go renders the sticky plan panel for the Zero TUI. The panel
-// surfaces the in-progress task plan produced by the update_plan tool: a
-// one-line header with a live spinner and progress count, a text progress
-// bar, and (while running or expanded) the per-step list with status icons
-// and timings. planPanelState tracks per-step start/completion timestamps
-// across the tool's full-replacement updates so durations stay stable as
-// steps transition between pending, in_progress, completed, and failed.
+// plan_panel.go maintains the current task-plan state for run details and
+// step drill-in. The update_plan result itself renders as a transcript
+// checklist, while planPanelState preserves per-step timestamps across the
+// tool's full-replacement updates for the contextual detail view.
 package tui
 
 import (
-	"fmt"
-	"strings"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/tools"
@@ -27,11 +22,10 @@ type planStep struct {
 	completedAt time.Time
 }
 
-// planPanelState holds the sticky plan panel's view state. It lives on the
-// model and is synced from the update_plan tool's CurrentPlan() output.
+// planPanelState holds the latest plan state. It lives on the model and is
+// synced from the update_plan tool's CurrentPlan() output.
 type planPanelState struct {
 	steps       []planStep
-	expanded    bool
 	completedAt time.Time // set once all steps reach a terminal status
 	startedAt   time.Time // set on the first non-empty update
 	// frozenAt freezes the live plan clock while the agent is idle (between
@@ -41,10 +35,6 @@ type planPanelState struct {
 	frozenAt time.Time
 }
 
-// completedHideAfter is how long a finished plan stays pinned before the
-// collapsed panel hides itself to reclaim screen space.
-const completedHideAfter = 30 * time.Second
-
 // updateFromItems syncs the planStep slice from the update_plan tool. The
 // tool replaces the entire plan each call, so steps are matched by content
 // to preserve start/completion timestamps. Timestamps are filled in for
@@ -128,10 +118,9 @@ func (s *planPanelState) updateFromItems(items []tools.PlanItem, now time.Time)
 	}
 }
 
-// clear resets all plan panel state (steps, expansion, timestamps).
+// clear resets all plan state and timestamps.
 func (s *planPanelState) clear() {
 	s.steps = nil
-	s.expanded = false
 	s.completedAt = time.Time{}
 	s.startedAt = time.Time{}
 	s.frozenAt = time.Time{}
@@ -194,18 +183,6 @@ func (s *planPanelState) completeRemaining(now time.Time) {
 	}
 }
 
-// visible reports whether renderPlanPanel should emit anything. A finished
-// plan hides itself once completedHideAfter has elapsed, unless expanded.
-func (s planPanelState) visible(now time.Time) bool {
-	if s.isEmpty() {
-		return false
-	}
-	if s.isComplete() && !s.expanded && !s.completedAt.IsZero() && now.Sub(s.completedAt) > completedHideAfter {
-		return false
-	}
-	return true
-}
-
 // planNow returns the clock used for live plan durations. While the agent is
 // idle (no run in flight, activeRunID == 0) it freezes at the moment the last
 // run ended, so an in_progress step left mid-plan when the agent yields (e.g.
@@ -218,128 +195,6 @@ func (m model) planNow() time.Time {
 	return m.now()
 }
 
-// renderPlanPanel renders the full sticky plan panel. It returns an empty
-// string when the plan is empty or when a finished plan has been collapsed
-// past completedHideAfter without being expanded.
-func (m model) renderPlanPanel(width int) string {
-	if width < 20 {
-		width = 20
-	}
-
-	state := m.plan
-	now := m.planNow()
-	if !state.visible(now) {
-		return ""
-	}
-
-	total := len(state.steps)
-	done := 0
-	for _, step := range state.steps {
-		if step.status == "completed" || step.status == "failed" {
-			done++
-		}
-	}
-
-	elapsed := time.Duration(0)
-	if !state.startedAt.IsZero() {
-		elapsed = now.Sub(state.startedAt)
-	}
-
-	// The header already carries done/total and the per-step ✓/•/✗ icons convey
-	// progress; a separate filled █/░ bar restates it and reads heavier than the
-	// reference agents, so it's dropped.
-	header := renderPlanHeader(state, m.spinnerGlyph(), done, total, elapsed)
-
-	lines := []string{header}
-
-	showSteps := state.expanded || !state.isComplete()
-	if showSteps {
-		maxContent := width - 15
-		if maxContent < 4 {
-			maxContent = 4
-		}
-		for _, step := range state.steps {
-			lines = append(lines, renderPlanStepLine(step, now, maxContent))
-		}
-	}
-
-	return strings.Join(lines, "\n")
-}
-
-// renderPinnedPlanPanel renders the plan for the pinned slot above the
-// composer. It returns the full panel when it fits within maxHeight, otherwise
-// a one-line summary (so a long plan can't crowd out the transcript or the
-// input). maxHeight <= 0 means "no budget" and always uses the summary line.
-// Returns "" when the plan is not visible. Ctrl+P (expand) still forces the
-// full list via m.plan.expanded, but the height budget always wins to keep the
-// composer on screen.
-func (m model) renderPinnedPlanPanel(width int, maxHeight int) string {
-	// The pinned panel is only for terminals where the context sidebar CANNOT
-	// host the plan (too narrow / inline mode). Whenever the two-column layout is
-	// available — whether the sidebar is shown OR collapsed with Ctrl+B — the
-	// plan's home is the sidebar, so suppress the pinned copy: a Ctrl+B hide
-	// should hide the plan entirely, not resurrect it above the composer. Gating
-	// on sidebarAvailable (not sidebarActive) covers the hidden case too. The
-	// hidePinnedPlan flag additionally suppresses it in the two-column chat-column
-	// copy. Both the view and the mouse-geometry frame call footerView, so this
-	// stays consistent.
-	if m.hidePinnedPlan || m.sidebarAvailable() {
-		return ""
-	}
-	if !m.plan.visible(m.now()) {
-		return ""
-	}
-	full := m.renderPlanPanel(width)
-	if full == "" {
-		return ""
-	}
-	if maxHeight > 0 && strings.Count(full, "\n")+1 <= maxHeight {
-		return full
-	}
-	return m.renderPlanSummaryLine(width)
-}
-
-// renderPlanSummaryLine renders the collapsed one-line plan summary used when
-// the full panel won't fit the pinned slot: a spinner/check, the done/total
-// count, and the current (or first incomplete) step, truncated to width.
-func (m model) renderPlanSummaryLine(width int) string {
-	if width < 20 {
-		width = 20
-	}
-	state := m.plan
-	total := len(state.steps)
-	done := 0
-	current := ""
-	for _, step := range state.steps {
-		switch step.status {
-		case "completed", "failed":
-			done++
-		case "in_progress":
-			if current == "" {
-				current = step.content
-			}
-		}
-	}
-	if current == "" {
-		// No in-progress step: show the first not-yet-done step, else the first.
-		for _, step := range state.steps {
-			if step.status != "completed" && step.status != "failed" {
-				current = step.content
-				break
-			}
-		}
-	}
-	if state.isComplete() {
-		return zeroTheme.green.Render(fmt.Sprintf("✓ PLAN · %d/%d complete", done, total))
-	}
-	label := fmt.Sprintf("%s PLAN · %d/%d · ", m.spinnerGlyph(), done, total)
-	room := width - len([]rune(label)) - 1
-	if room < 4 {
-		room = 4
-	}
-	return zeroTheme.accent.Render(label + truncateStep(current, room))
-}
-
 // currentStepContent returns the content of the step the plan is "on": the
 // in_progress step, else the first step not yet in a terminal status, else the
 // first step. Used by the header so the title names the step actually being
@@ -361,62 +216,6 @@ func currentStepContent(steps []planStep) string {
 	return ""
 }
 
-// renderPlanHeader builds the single header line. While running it shows the
-// live spinner, the truncated first step, the done/total count, and the
-// elapsed time in the accent color; once complete it shows a green check and
-// "PLAN COMPLETE".
-func renderPlanHeader(state planPanelState, spinnerView string, done, total int, elapsed time.Duration) string {
-	// Show the step the plan is currently ON (in_progress, else first incomplete),
-	// not always step 1 — otherwise the header text never advances and a running
-	// plan reads as stuck even while the done/total count climbs.
-	current := ""
-	if total > 0 {
-		current = truncateStep(currentStepContent(state.steps), 40)
-	}
-	if state.isComplete() {
-		return zeroTheme.green.Render(fmt.Sprintf("✓ PLAN COMPLETE · %d/%d · %s", done, total, formatElapsedSeconds(elapsed)))
-	}
-	return zeroTheme.accent.Render(fmt.Sprintf("%s PLAN · %s · %d/%d · %s", spinnerView, current, done, total, formatElapsedSeconds(elapsed)))
-}
-
-// renderPlanStepLine renders one step row: an indent, a status icon, the
-// (truncated) content styled by status, and a duration where applicable.
-// Completed/failed steps show the startedAt→completedAt span; an in_progress
-// step shows the elapsed time since it started; pending steps show no time.
-func renderPlanStepLine(step planStep, now time.Time, maxContent int) string {
-	content := truncateStep(step.content, maxContent)
-	var icon, body, timeStr string
-	switch step.status {
-	case "completed":
-		icon = zeroTheme.green.Render("✓")
-		// Quiet the completed body (muted, not saturated green) so the single
-		// in-progress accent step is the obvious focus: past=quiet, now=bright,
-		// future=faint. The green ✓ icon still marks success.
-		body = zeroTheme.muted.Render(content)
-		timeStr = formatElapsedSeconds(step.completedAt.Sub(step.startedAt))
-	case "in_progress":
-		icon = zeroTheme.accent.Render("•")
-		body = zeroTheme.accent.Render(content)
-		started := step.startedAt
-		if started.IsZero() {
-			started = now
-		}
-		timeStr = formatElapsedSeconds(now.Sub(started))
-	case "failed":
-		icon = zeroTheme.red.Render("✗")
-		body = zeroTheme.red.Render(content)
-		timeStr = formatElapsedSeconds(step.completedAt.Sub(step.startedAt))
-	default: // pending
-		icon = zeroTheme.faint.Render("○")
-		body = zeroTheme.faint.Render(content)
-	}
-	line := "  " + icon + " " + body
-	if timeStr != "" {
-		line += " " + zeroTheme.faint.Render(timeStr)
-	}
-	return line
-}
-
 // truncateStep caps s to max runes, appending an ellipsis when truncated.
 func truncateStep(s string, max int) string {
 	if max <= 0 {