Merge pull request 'Release v26.04.16.1 — Silero VAD voice detection' (#26) from dev into main

Use VadHandler from the vad package (Silero VAD v5 ONNX) for speech
detection instead of amplitude thresholds. VAD runs its own PCM
stream while the file recorder captures AAC-LC for Whisper. Grace
period starts on speech-start, auto-stop on speech-end after grace.
No-speech guard shows error on manual stop without detected speech.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

.forgejo/workflows/ci.yml

@@ -1,6 +1,12 @@
-# CI runs only on release tags.
+# CI runs first; build only proceeds if all checks pass.
 #
-# Tag v*:  analyze + test → build APK → attach to Forgejo Release
+# Push to dev:       flutter analyze + flutter test
+# Tag v* (release):  gates + signed APK build + attach to Forgejo Release
+#
+# main pushes are NOT gated here: a merge to main only happens after
+# dev has already passed CI, and the release tag is the sole trigger
+# for a signed APK build. Re-running analyze+test on the merge commit
+# just burns runner time without changing the outcome.
 #
 # To cut a release:
 #   Create a release via the Forgejo UI on main with a v* tag name.
@@ -11,19 +17,39 @@
 # commands directly instead.
 #
 # Required secrets (repo → Settings → Secrets → Actions):
-#   RELEASE_TOKEN  — Forgejo PAT with write:repository scope
+#   RELEASE_TOKEN                   — Forgejo PAT with write:repository scope
+#   RELEASE_KEYSTORE_BASE64         — base64 of the signing keystore
+#   RELEASE_KEYSTORE_PASSWORD       — keystore + key password
+#   RELEASE_KEY_ALIAS               — key alias within the keystore
 name: CI & Build
 
 on:
   push:
+    branches: [dev]
     tags: ["v*"]
 
+# Cancel older runs on the same branch when a newer push lands. Tag runs
+# are never cancelled so a release build can't kill itself mid-flight.
+concurrency:
+  group: ci-${{ github.ref }}
+  cancel-in-progress: ${{ !startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/') }}
+
+# Least-privilege default. The build job upgrades to contents: write
+# so it can attach the APK to a Forgejo release.
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
 jobs:
   analyze:
     name: Analyze & test
-    runs-on: py3.12-node22
+    runs-on: ci-runner
     container:
-      image: ghcr.io/cirruslabs/flutter:stable
+      # Pinned to a specific Flutter version for reproducible builds.
+      # Floating :stable means a random Flutter minor bump could change
+      # analyzer output or break the build without any commit landing.
+      # Bump this line (and verify locally with `flutter --version`)
+      # when you intentionally want a newer Flutter.
+      image: ghcr.io/cirruslabs/flutter:3.41.6
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
         run: |
@@ -42,9 +68,14 @@ jobs:
   build:
     name: Build release APK
     needs: [analyze]
-    runs-on: py3.12-node22
+    # Only tag pushes produce a signed release build. dev pushes
+    # run the gates above and stop there.
+    if: startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/')
+    runs-on: ci-runner
     container:
-      image: ghcr.io/cirruslabs/flutter:stable
+      image: ghcr.io/cirruslabs/flutter:3.41.6
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
         run: |
@@ -74,57 +105,12 @@ jobs:
             --build-name="$BUILD_NAME" \
             --build-number="$BUILD_NUMBER"
 
-      - name: Set artifact name
-        id: artifact
-        run: |
-          echo "name=fabledapp-${{ github.ref_name }}-${{ github.sha }}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-
-      - name: Upload artifact to Forgejo
-        env:
-          RELEASE_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.RELEASE_TOKEN }}
-          APK: build/app/outputs/flutter-apk/app-release.apk
-          API: https://git.fabledsword.com/api/v1/repos/bvandeusen/FabledApp
-          ARTIFACT_NAME: ${{ steps.artifact.outputs.name }}
-        run: |
-          # Upload the APK as a workflow artifact via the Forgejo API.
-          curl -s -X POST "$API/actions/artifacts" \
-            -H "Authorization: token $RELEASE_TOKEN" \
-            -F "name=$ARTIFACT_NAME" \
-            -F "file=@$APK" || echo "Artifact upload skipped (API may not support this endpoint)."
-
       - name: Publish Forgejo release
+        # Release-publish logic lives in a shell script so it's
+        # testable locally (bash -x scripts/publish_apk_release.sh
+        # with env vars set) instead of trapped in YAML.
         env:
           RELEASE_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.RELEASE_TOKEN }}
           TAG: ${{ github.ref_name }}
-          API: https://git.fabledsword.com/api/v1/repos/bvandeusen/FabledApp
-        run: |
-          # Look for an existing release (created via the UI or a prior run).
-          EXISTING=$(curl -s \
-            "$API/releases/tags/$TAG" \
-            -H "Authorization: token $RELEASE_TOKEN")
-
-          RELEASE_ID=$(echo "$EXISTING" | grep -oE '"id":[[:space:]]*[0-9]+' | head -1 | grep -oE '[0-9]+')
-
-          if [ -n "$RELEASE_ID" ]; then
-            echo "Found existing release $TAG (id $RELEASE_ID), attaching APK..."
-          else
-            echo "No existing release found, creating $TAG..."
-            RESPONSE=$(curl -s -X POST "$API/releases" \
-              -H "Authorization: token $RELEASE_TOKEN" \
-              -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-              -d "{\"tag_name\": \"$TAG\", \"name\": \"$TAG\", \"body\": \"\"}")
-            RELEASE_ID=$(echo "$RESPONSE" | grep -oE '"id":[[:space:]]*[0-9]+' | head -1 | grep -oE '[0-9]+')
-            if [ -z "$RELEASE_ID" ]; then
-              echo "Failed to create release. API response:"
-              echo "$RESPONSE"
-              exit 1
-            fi
-            echo "Release created with id $RELEASE_ID."
-          fi
-
-          curl -s -X POST "$API/releases/$RELEASE_ID/assets" \
-            -H "Authorization: token $RELEASE_TOKEN" \
-            -F "attachment=@build/app/outputs/flutter-apk/app-release.apk"
-
-          echo "Done — $TAG is live at:"
-          echo "https://git.fabledsword.com/bvandeusen/FabledApp/releases/tag/$TAG"
+          APK: build/app/outputs/flutter-apk/app-release.apk
+        run: bash scripts/publish_apk_release.sh

lib/app.dart

@@ -5,10 +5,10 @@ import 'package:go_router/go_router.dart';
 import 'package:flutter_timezone/flutter_timezone.dart';
 
 import 'core/constants.dart';
-import 'core/exceptions.dart';
 import 'core/theme.dart';
 import 'providers/api_client_provider.dart';
 import 'providers/auth_provider.dart';
+import 'core/exceptions.dart';
 import 'providers/capture_queue_provider.dart';
 import 'providers/capture_work_queue_provider.dart';
 import 'providers/briefing_provider.dart';
@@ -16,10 +16,8 @@ import 'providers/calendar_provider.dart';
 import 'providers/chat_provider.dart';
 import 'providers/knowledge_provider.dart';
 import 'providers/news_provider.dart';
-import 'providers/notes_provider.dart';
 import 'providers/settings_provider.dart';
 import 'providers/update_provider.dart';
-import 'providers/tasks_provider.dart';
 import 'screens/auth/login_screen.dart';
 import 'screens/briefing/briefing_screen.dart';
 import 'screens/knowledge/knowledge_screen.dart';
@@ -161,20 +159,20 @@ final routerProvider = Provider<GoRouter>((ref) {
             path: Routes.conversations,
             builder: (_, _) => const ConversationsTabScreen(),
           ),
+          GoRoute(
+            path: Routes.projects,
+            builder: (_, _) => const ProjectsScreen(),
+          ),
+          GoRoute(
+            path: Routes.news,
+            builder: (_, _) => const NewsScreen(),
+          ),
+          GoRoute(
+            path: Routes.calendar,
+            builder: (_, _) => const CalendarScreen(),
+          ),
         ],
       ),
-      GoRoute(
-        path: Routes.projects,
-        builder: (_, _) => const ProjectsScreen(),
-      ),
-      GoRoute(
-        path: Routes.news,
-        builder: (_, _) => const NewsScreen(),
-      ),
-      GoRoute(
-        path: Routes.calendar,
-        builder: (_, _) => const CalendarScreen(),
-      ),
     ],
   );
 });
@@ -192,10 +190,13 @@ class _ShellState extends ConsumerState<_Shell> with WidgetsBindingObserver {
     Routes.briefing,
     Routes.knowledge,
     Routes.conversations,
+    Routes.projects,
+    Routes.news,
+    Routes.calendar,
   ];
 
   // Minimum gap between app-resume refreshes to avoid hammering the server.
-  static const _resumeCooldown = Duration(minutes: 5);
+  static const _resumeCooldown = Duration(seconds: 30);
   DateTime? _lastResumeRefresh;
   int? _prevTabIndex;
 
@@ -238,13 +239,13 @@ class _ShellState extends ConsumerState<_Shell> with WidgetsBindingObserver {
   /// Refresh every major data provider. Safe to call speculatively —
   /// providers that aren't currently watched are already disposed.
   void _refreshAll() {
-    ref.invalidate(conversationsProvider);
-    ref.invalidate(calendarProvider);
-    ref.invalidate(newsProvider);
-    // Notifier (not AsyncNotifier) — needs explicit refresh call.
+    ref.read(conversationsProvider.notifier).refresh();
+    ref.read(calendarProvider.notifier).refresh();
+    ref.read(newsProvider.notifier).refresh();
     ref.read(knowledgeProvider.notifier).refresh();
-    // briefingProvider is an AsyncNotifier family; invalidating the family
-    // is safe even if no conversation is open.
+    // briefingProvider is an AsyncNotifier family; invalidating is safe
+    // even if no conversation is open — it doesn't cause flicker since
+    // the briefing screen isn't a list view.
     ref.invalidate(briefingProvider);
   }
 
@@ -256,7 +257,11 @@ class _ShellState extends ConsumerState<_Shell> with WidgetsBindingObserver {
       case 1:
         ref.read(knowledgeProvider.notifier).refresh();
       case 2:
-        ref.invalidate(conversationsProvider);
+        ref.read(conversationsProvider.notifier).refresh();
+      case 4:
+        ref.read(newsProvider.notifier).refresh();
+      case 5:
+        ref.read(calendarProvider.notifier).refresh();
     }
   }
 
@@ -273,11 +278,6 @@ class _ShellState extends ConsumerState<_Shell> with WidgetsBindingObserver {
     for (var i = 0; i < _tabs.length; i++) {
       if (location.startsWith(_tabs[i])) return i;
     }
-    if (location.startsWith(Routes.projects) ||
-        location.startsWith(Routes.news) ||
-        location.startsWith(Routes.calendar)) {
-      return 3;
-    }
     return 0;
   }
 
@@ -396,7 +396,7 @@ class _ShellState extends ConsumerState<_Shell> with WidgetsBindingObserver {
     final index = _tabIndex(location);
 
     // Refresh the incoming tab's data when switching between shell tabs.
-    if (_prevTabIndex != null && _prevTabIndex != index && index < 3) {
+    if (_prevTabIndex != null && _prevTabIndex != index) {
       WidgetsBinding.instance.addPostFrameCallback((_) => _refreshTab(index));
     }
     _prevTabIndex = index;
@@ -415,13 +415,7 @@ class _ShellState extends ConsumerState<_Shell> with WidgetsBindingObserver {
                   children: [
                     NavigationRail(
                       selectedIndex: index,
-                      onDestinationSelected: (i) {
-                        if (i == 3) {
-                          _showMoreSheet(context);
-                        } else {
-                          context.go(_tabs[i]);
-                        }
-                      },
+                      onDestinationSelected: (i) => context.go(_tabs[i]),
                       labelType: NavigationRailLabelType.all,
                       destinations: const [
                         NavigationRailDestination(
@@ -440,9 +434,19 @@ class _ShellState extends ConsumerState<_Shell> with WidgetsBindingObserver {
                           label: Text('Chat'),
                         ),
                         NavigationRailDestination(
-                          icon: Icon(Icons.more_horiz_outlined),
-                          selectedIcon: Icon(Icons.more_horiz),
-                          label: Text('More'),
+                          icon: Icon(Icons.folder_outlined),
+                          selectedIcon: Icon(Icons.folder),
+                          label: Text('Projects'),
+                        ),
+                        NavigationRailDestination(
+                          icon: Icon(Icons.newspaper_outlined),
+                          selectedIcon: Icon(Icons.newspaper),
+                          label: Text('News'),
+                        ),
+                        NavigationRailDestination(
+                          icon: Icon(Icons.calendar_month_outlined),
+                          selectedIcon: Icon(Icons.calendar_month),
+                          label: Text('Calendar'),
                         ),
                       ],
                     ),
@@ -471,7 +475,7 @@ class _ShellState extends ConsumerState<_Shell> with WidgetsBindingObserver {
         ],
       ),
       bottomNavigationBar: NavigationBar(
-        selectedIndex: index,
+        selectedIndex: index >= 3 ? 3 : index,
         onDestinationSelected: (i) {
           if (i == 3) {
             _showMoreSheet(context);
@@ -541,27 +545,19 @@ class _QuickCaptureBarState extends ConsumerState<_QuickCaptureBar> {
     if (!mounted) return;
     final queue = ref.read(captureQueueProvider);
     if (queue.isEmpty) return;
-    final api = ref.read(quickCaptureApiProvider);
     for (final text in List<String>.from(queue)) {
       if (!mounted) break;
       try {
-        final result = await api.capture(text);
-        // Dequeue before the mounted check — SharedPreferences doesn't need
-        // the widget alive, and skipping this would leave a ghost item.
+        final conv =
+            await ref.read(conversationsProvider.notifier).create('');
+        final chatRepo = ref.read(chatRepositoryProvider);
+        await chatRepo.sendMessage(conv.id, text);
+        chatRepo.streamGeneration(conv.id).drain<void>().ignore();
         await ref.read(captureQueueProvider.notifier).dequeue(text);
-        if (!mounted) break;
-        switch (result.type) {
-          case 'note':
-            ref.invalidate(notesProvider);
-          case 'task':
-          case 'todo':
-            ref.invalidate(tasksProvider);
-        }
       } on NetworkException {
         break;
       } catch (_) {
-        // Server error or unexpected failure — drop from queue to prevent
-        // ghost items that can never be cleared.
+        // Server error — drop from queue to prevent ghost items.
         await ref.read(captureQueueProvider.notifier).dequeue(text);
       }
     }
@@ -663,6 +659,7 @@ class _QuickCaptureBarState extends ConsumerState<_QuickCaptureBar> {
                 VoiceMicButton(
                   mode: ref.watch(voiceProvider).mode,
                   voiceModeActive: ref.watch(voiceProvider).voiceModeActive,
+                  amplitude: ref.watch(voiceProvider).amplitude,
                   onTap: _toggleCaptureMic,
                 ),
                 IconButton(

lib/core/theme.dart

@@ -3,21 +3,21 @@ import 'package:google_fonts/google_fonts.dart';
 
 // ── Colour constants ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
-const _darkBackground    = Color(0xFF111113);
-const _darkSurface       = Color(0xFF18181C);
-const _darkSurfaceVar    = Color(0xFF1E1E24);
-const _darkPrimary       = Color(0xFF6366F1);
-const _darkOnSurface     = Color(0xFFE8E8F0);
+const _darkBackground    = Color(0xFF0F0F14);
+const _darkSurface       = Color(0xFF16161F);
+const _darkSurfaceVar    = Color(0xFF1A1A24);
+const _darkPrimary       = Color(0xFF7C3AED);
+const _darkOnSurface     = Color(0xFFE4E4F0);
 const _darkOnSurfaceVar  = Color(0xFF8888A8);
-const _darkOutline       = Color(0xFF2E2E3A);
+const _darkOutline       = Color(0xFF2A2A3A);
 
-const _lightBackground   = Color(0xFFF4F4F8);
+const _lightBackground   = Color(0xFFF5F5FB);
 const _lightSurface      = Color(0xFFFFFFFF);
-const _lightSurfaceVar   = Color(0xFFF0F0F5);
-const _lightPrimary      = Color(0xFF4F46E5);
-const _lightOnSurface    = Color(0xFF18181C);
-const _lightOnSurfaceVar = Color(0xFF6B6B88);
-const _lightOutline      = Color(0xFFD4D4E4);
+const _lightSurfaceVar   = Color(0xFFF0F0F8);
+const _lightPrimary      = Color(0xFF7C3AED);
+const _lightOnSurface    = Color(0xFF1A1A1A);
+const _lightOnSurfaceVar = Color(0xFF666666);
+const _lightOutline      = Color(0xFFDDDDE8);
 
 // ── Typography ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ ThemeData fabledDarkTheme() {
     brightness:          Brightness.dark,
     primary:             _darkPrimary,
     onPrimary:           Colors.white,
-    primaryContainer:    const Color(0xFF3730A3),
+    primaryContainer:    const Color(0xFF5B21B6),
     onPrimaryContainer:  _darkOnSurface,
     secondary:           _darkPrimary,
     onSecondary:         Colors.white,
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ ThemeData fabledLightTheme() {
     brightness:          Brightness.light,
     primary:             _lightPrimary,
     onPrimary:           Colors.white,
-    primaryContainer:    const Color(0xFFE0E0FF),
+    primaryContainer:    const Color(0xFFEDE5FF),
     onPrimaryContainer:  _lightOnSurface,
     secondary:           _lightPrimary,
     onSecondary:         Colors.white,
@@ -218,15 +218,15 @@ class GradientButton extends StatelessWidget {
               : const LinearGradient(
                   begin: Alignment.topLeft,
                   end: Alignment.bottomRight,
-                  colors: [Color(0xFF6366F1), Color(0xFF4F46E5)],
+                  colors: [Color(0xFF7C3AED), Color(0xFF5B21B6)],
                 ),
-          color: disabled ? const Color(0xFF6366F1) : null,
+          color: disabled ? const Color(0xFF7C3AED) : null,
           borderRadius: BorderRadius.circular(12),
           boxShadow: disabled
               ? null
               : [
                   BoxShadow(
-                    color: const Color(0xFF6366F1).withValues(alpha: 0.35),
+                    color: const Color(0xFF7C3AED).withValues(alpha: 0.45),
                     blurRadius: 8,
                     offset: const Offset(0, 3),
                   ),

lib/data/api/chat_api.dart

@@ -18,6 +18,15 @@ class ChatStatusUpdate extends ChatStreamEvent {
   ChatStatusUpdate(this.status);
 }
 
+/// A single tool call fired during generation. Mirrors the `tool_call` SSE
+/// event emitted by `generation_task.py` and the `tool_calls` array persisted
+/// on the assistant Message row — same shape either way so the UI can render
+/// live chips during streaming and re-render them from storage after reload.
+class ChatToolCall extends ChatStreamEvent {
+  final Map<String, dynamic> toolCall;
+  ChatToolCall(this.toolCall);
+}
+
 class ChatApi {
   final Dio _dio;
   const ChatApi(this._dio);
@@ -136,6 +145,14 @@ class ChatApi {
               } catch (_) {
                 // Ignore malformed status events
               }
+            } else if (currentEvent == 'tool_call') {
+              try {
+                final obj = json.decode(data) as Map<String, dynamic>;
+                final tc = obj['tool_call'];
+                if (tc is Map<String, dynamic>) yield ChatToolCall(tc);
+              } catch (_) {
+                // Ignore malformed tool_call events
+              }
             }
           } else if (line.isEmpty) {
             currentEvent = ''; // blank line = SSE event separator

lib/data/api/voice_api.dart

@@ -15,8 +15,9 @@ class VoiceStatus {
     required this.tts,
   });
 
-  /// True only when voice is enabled AND both STT and TTS are ready.
-  bool get fullyAvailable => enabled && stt && tts;
+  /// True when voice is enabled and at least STT is ready.
+  /// TTS is optional — voice mode works without it (STT-only).
+  bool get fullyAvailable => enabled && stt;
 
   factory VoiceStatus.fromJson(Map<String, dynamic> json) => VoiceStatus(
         enabled: json['enabled'] as bool? ?? false,
@@ -40,16 +41,20 @@ class VoiceApi {
   }
 
   /// POST WebM/Opus audio bytes and return the transcript string.
+  /// [context] is optional recent conversation text passed as initial_prompt
+  /// to Whisper, reducing mishearings of domain-specific words.
   /// Returns empty string on empty or error response.
-  Future<String> transcribe(Uint8List audioBytes) async {
+  Future<String> transcribe(Uint8List audioBytes, {String? context}) async {
     try {
-      final formData = FormData.fromMap({
+      final fields = <String, dynamic>{
         'audio': MultipartFile.fromBytes(
           audioBytes,
           filename: 'audio.m4a',
           contentType: DioMediaType('audio', 'mp4'),
         ),
-      });
+        if (context != null && context.isNotEmpty) 'context': context,
+      };
+      final formData = FormData.fromMap(fields);
       final response = await _dio.post(
         '/api/voice/transcribe',
         data: formData,

lib/data/models/calendar_event.dart

@@ -28,9 +28,9 @@ class CalendarEvent {
   factory CalendarEvent.fromJson(Map<String, dynamic> json) => CalendarEvent(
         id: json['id'] as int,
         title: json['title'] as String? ?? '',
-        startDt: DateTime.parse(json['start_dt'] as String),
+        startDt: DateTime.parse(json['start_dt'] as String).toLocal(),
         endDt: json['end_dt'] != null
-            ? DateTime.parse(json['end_dt'] as String)
+            ? DateTime.parse(json['end_dt'] as String).toLocal()
             : null,
         allDay: json['all_day'] as bool? ?? false,
         description: json['description'] as String? ?? '',

lib/data/models/knowledge_item.dart

@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ class KnowledgeItem {
         id: json['id'] as int,
         noteType: json['note_type'] as String? ?? 'note',
         title: json['title'] as String? ?? '',
-        body: json['body'] as String? ?? '',
+        body: (json['snippet'] ?? json['body']) as String? ?? '',
         tags: (json['tags'] as List<dynamic>?)
                 ?.map((e) => e as String)
                 .toList() ??

lib/data/models/message.dart

@@ -8,6 +8,11 @@ class Message {
   final String status; // "complete" | "generating"
   final DateTime? createdAt;
   final Map<String, dynamic>? metadata;
+  // Tool invocations attached to this message. Each entry matches the shape
+  // persisted by the backend (`function`, `arguments`, `result`, `status`) so
+  // the UI can render the same chips whether they arrive live over SSE or
+  // from a reload.
+  final List<Map<String, dynamic>>? toolCalls;
 
   const Message({
     this.id,
@@ -17,21 +22,39 @@ class Message {
     this.status = 'complete',
     this.createdAt,
     this.metadata,
+    this.toolCalls,
   });
 
-  factory Message.fromJson(Map<String, dynamic> json) => Message(
-        id: json['id'] as int?,
-        conversationId: json['conversation_id'] as int,
-        role: json['role'] == 'user' ? MessageRole.user : MessageRole.assistant,
-        content: json['content'] as String,
-        status: json['status'] as String? ?? 'complete',
-        createdAt: json['created_at'] != null
-            ? DateTime.parse(json['created_at'] as String)
-            : null,
-        metadata: json['metadata'] as Map<String, dynamic>?,
-      );
+  factory Message.fromJson(Map<String, dynamic> json) {
+    final rawCalls = json['tool_calls'];
+    List<Map<String, dynamic>>? parsedCalls;
+    if (rawCalls is List) {
+      parsedCalls = [
+        for (final tc in rawCalls)
+          if (tc is Map<String, dynamic>) tc,
+      ];
+      if (parsedCalls.isEmpty) parsedCalls = null;
+    }
+    return Message(
+      id: json['id'] as int?,
+      conversationId: json['conversation_id'] as int,
+      role: json['role'] == 'user' ? MessageRole.user : MessageRole.assistant,
+      content: json['content'] as String,
+      status: json['status'] as String? ?? 'complete',
+      createdAt: json['created_at'] != null
+          ? DateTime.parse(json['created_at'] as String)
+          : null,
+      metadata: json['metadata'] as Map<String, dynamic>?,
+      toolCalls: parsedCalls,
+    );
+  }
 
-  Message copyWith({String? content, String? status}) => Message(
+  Message copyWith({
+    String? content,
+    String? status,
+    List<Map<String, dynamic>>? toolCalls,
+  }) =>
+      Message(
         id: id,
         conversationId: conversationId,
         role: role,
@@ -39,5 +62,6 @@ class Message {
         status: status ?? this.status,
         createdAt: createdAt,
         metadata: metadata,
+        toolCalls: toolCalls ?? this.toolCalls,
       );
 }

lib/data/repositories/chat_repository.dart

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import '../api/chat_api.dart';
-export '../api/chat_api.dart' show ChatStreamEvent, ChatTextChunk, ChatStatusUpdate;
+export '../api/chat_api.dart'
+    show ChatStreamEvent, ChatTextChunk, ChatStatusUpdate, ChatToolCall;
 import '../models/conversation.dart';
 import '../models/message.dart';
 

lib/data/repositories/voice_repository.dart

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ class VoiceRepository {
   const VoiceRepository(this._api);
 
   Future<VoiceStatus> checkStatus() => _api.checkStatus();
-  Future<String> transcribe(Uint8List audioBytes) => _api.transcribe(audioBytes);
+  Future<String> transcribe(Uint8List audioBytes, {String? context}) =>
+      _api.transcribe(audioBytes, context: context);
   Future<Uint8List> synthesise(String text) => _api.synthesise(text);
 }

lib/providers/briefing_provider.dart

@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+import 'dart:async';
+
 import 'package:flutter_riverpod/flutter_riverpod.dart';
 
 import '../data/api/chat_api.dart';
@@ -49,6 +51,40 @@ class BriefingNotifier extends AsyncNotifier<BriefingConversation> {
     await future;
   }
 
+  /// Re-fetch the current briefing conversation and unfreeze a stuck
+  /// streaming state if the server-side message is already complete.
+  ///
+  /// Same role as MessagesNotifier.refresh() in chat_provider: when an SSE
+  /// socket dies silently (mobile network handoff, app backgrounded mid-stream,
+  /// reverse proxy dropping idle sockets) the send loop never observes close
+  /// and [isBriefingStreamingProvider] stays stuck true. This is the manual
+  /// recovery path hit by pull-to-refresh, the AppBar refresh button, and the
+  /// lifecycle-resume hook.
+  Future<void> refreshMessages() async {
+    final current = state.value;
+    if (current == null) {
+      ref.invalidateSelf();
+      return;
+    }
+    try {
+      final fresh = await ref.read(briefingApiProvider).getToday();
+      state = AsyncData(fresh);
+      final messages = fresh.messages;
+      Message? lastAssistant;
+      for (var i = messages.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
+        if (messages[i].role == MessageRole.assistant) {
+          lastAssistant = messages[i];
+          break;
+        }
+      }
+      if (lastAssistant != null && lastAssistant.status != 'generating') {
+        ref.read(isBriefingStreamingProvider.notifier).state = false;
+      }
+    } catch (_) {
+      // Network hiccup — keep existing state; user can retry.
+    }
+  }
+
   /// Inject a news article as context and trigger generation.
   ///
   /// Mirrors sendReply() but calls the /discuss endpoint instead of
@@ -77,26 +113,106 @@ class BriefingNotifier extends AsyncNotifier<BriefingConversation> {
       rethrow;
     }
 
-    // SSE stream (best-effort)
-    bool streamedContent = false;
+    final streamedContent = await _consumeStream(chatApi.streamGeneration(convId));
+    await _pollUntilComplete(convId, streamedContent);
+  }
+
+  /// Send a reply to today's briefing conversation.
+  ///
+  /// Mirrors MessagesNotifier.sendMessage() in chat_provider with the same
+  /// stall-watchdog pattern:
+  ///   1. Optimistic UI update
+  ///   2. POST message to chat endpoint
+  ///   3. SSE stream with per-event timeout (stall watchdog)
+  ///   4. Poll until complete
+  Future<void> sendReply(String content) async {
+    final conv = state.value;
+    if (conv == null) return;
+    final convId = conv.id;
+    final chatApi = ref.read(chatApiProvider);
+
+    final previous = conv.messages;
+    final userMsg = Message(
+      conversationId: convId,
+      role: MessageRole.user,
+      content: content,
+    );
+    final placeholder = Message(
+      conversationId: convId,
+      role: MessageRole.assistant,
+      content: '',
+      status: 'generating',
+    );
+    state = AsyncData(conv.copyWith(messages: [...previous, userMsg, placeholder]));
+    ref.read(isBriefingStreamingProvider.notifier).state = true;
+
     try {
-      await for (final event in chatApi.streamGeneration(convId)) {
-        if (event is! ChatTextChunk) continue;
-        streamedContent = true;
+      await chatApi.sendMessage(convId, content);
+    } catch (e) {
+      state = AsyncData(conv.copyWith(messages: previous));
+      ref.read(isBriefingStreamingProvider.notifier).state = false;
+      rethrow;
+    }
+
+    final streamedContent = await _consumeStream(chatApi.streamGeneration(convId));
+    await _pollUntilComplete(convId, streamedContent);
+  }
+
+  /// Consume an SSE stream into the current briefing conversation state.
+  ///
+  /// Uses a StreamIterator with a per-event timeout as a stall watchdog —
+  /// same rationale as MessagesNotifier.sendMessage() in chat_provider.dart.
+  /// Mobile networks occasionally drop SSE sockets silently: the TCP
+  /// connection is half-closed, Dio never sees the close, and `await for`
+  /// hangs forever with [isBriefingStreamingProvider] stuck true. If no event
+  /// arrives within the watchdog window we bail out and let the polling pass
+  /// below reconcile state from the server.
+  ///
+  /// Returns whether any text content was actually streamed (the polling
+  /// pass uses this to decide whether it's safe to overwrite with a possibly
+  /// empty server-side row).
+  Future<bool> _consumeStream(Stream<ChatStreamEvent> stream) async {
+    const stallTimeout = Duration(seconds: 45);
+    bool streamedContent = false;
+    final iter = StreamIterator(stream);
+    try {
+      while (await iter.moveNext().timeout(stallTimeout)) {
+        final event = iter.current;
         final current = state.value;
         if (current == null) break;
         final msgs = current.messages;
         if (msgs.isEmpty) continue;
-        final updated =
-            msgs.last.copyWith(content: msgs.last.content + event.text);
-        state = AsyncData(current.copyWith(
-            messages: [...msgs.sublist(0, msgs.length - 1), updated]));
+        if (event is ChatTextChunk) {
+          streamedContent = true;
+          final updated =
+              msgs.last.copyWith(content: msgs.last.content + event.text);
+          state = AsyncData(current.copyWith(
+              messages: [...msgs.sublist(0, msgs.length - 1), updated]));
+        } else if (event is ChatToolCall) {
+          final last = msgs.last;
+          if (last.role != MessageRole.assistant) continue;
+          final nextCalls = [...?last.toolCalls, event.toolCall];
+          final updated = last.copyWith(toolCalls: nextCalls);
+          state = AsyncData(current.copyWith(
+              messages: [...msgs.sublist(0, msgs.length - 1), updated]));
+        }
       }
+    } on TimeoutException {
+      // Stall watchdog — no SSE event for stallTimeout. Fall through to
+      // polling so the UI eventually unfreezes even if the socket is dead.
     } catch (_) {
-      // Fall through to polling.
+      // SSE failed — fall through to polling.
+    } finally {
+      await iter.cancel();
     }
+    return streamedContent;
+  }
 
-    // Poll until complete (max 20 attempts, 2s apart)
+  /// Poll /api/briefing messages until the last assistant row is complete,
+  /// same reconcile pattern as MessagesNotifier.sendMessage(). Always clears
+  /// [isBriefingStreamingProvider] at the end so the input can't stay locked.
+  Future<void> _pollUntilComplete(int convId, bool streamedContent) async {
+    final briefingApi = ref.read(briefingApiProvider);
     try {
       for (var attempt = 0; attempt < 20; attempt++) {
         if (attempt > 0) await Future.delayed(const Duration(seconds: 2));
@@ -128,93 +244,4 @@ class BriefingNotifier extends AsyncNotifier<BriefingConversation> {
       ref.read(isBriefingStreamingProvider.notifier).state = false;
     }
   }
-
-  /// Send a reply to today's briefing conversation.
-  ///
-  /// Mirrors MessagesNotifier.sendMessage():
-  ///   1. Optimistic UI update
-  ///   2. POST message to chat endpoint
-  ///   3. SSE stream (best-effort)
-  ///   4. Poll until complete
-  Future<void> sendReply(String content) async {
-    final conv = state.value;
-    if (conv == null) return;
-    final convId = conv.id;
-    final chatApi = ref.read(chatApiProvider);
-
-    final previous = conv.messages;
-    final userMsg = Message(
-      conversationId: convId,
-      role: MessageRole.user,
-      content: content,
-    );
-    final placeholder = Message(
-      conversationId: convId,
-      role: MessageRole.assistant,
-      content: '',
-      status: 'generating',
-    );
-    state = AsyncData(conv.copyWith(messages: [...previous, userMsg, placeholder]));
-    ref.read(isBriefingStreamingProvider.notifier).state = true;
-
-    try {
-      await chatApi.sendMessage(convId, content);
-    } catch (e) {
-      state = AsyncData(conv.copyWith(messages: previous));
-      ref.read(isBriefingStreamingProvider.notifier).state = false;
-      rethrow;
-    }
-
-    // SSE stream (best-effort)
-    bool streamedContent = false;
-    try {
-      await for (final event in chatApi.streamGeneration(convId)) {
-        if (event is! ChatTextChunk) continue;
-        streamedContent = true;
-        final current = state.value;
-        if (current == null) break;
-        final msgs = current.messages;
-        if (msgs.isEmpty) continue;
-        final updated =
-            msgs.last.copyWith(content: msgs.last.content + event.text);
-        state = AsyncData(current.copyWith(
-            messages: [...msgs.sublist(0, msgs.length - 1), updated]));
-      }
-    } catch (_) {
-      // Fall through to polling.
-    }
-
-    // Poll until complete (max 20 attempts, 2s apart)
-    try {
-      for (var attempt = 0; attempt < 20; attempt++) {
-        if (attempt > 0) await Future.delayed(const Duration(seconds: 2));
-        final fresh = await ref.read(briefingApiProvider).getMessages(convId);
-        final done = fresh.any(
-          (m) => m.role == MessageRole.assistant && m.status != 'generating',
-        );
-        final hasContent = fresh.any(
-          (m) => m.role == MessageRole.assistant && m.content.isNotEmpty,
-        );
-        final current = state.value;
-        if (current != null && (!streamedContent || done || hasContent)) {
-          state = AsyncData(current.copyWith(messages: fresh));
-        }
-        if (done) break;
-      }
-    } catch (_) {
-      // Clear the generating placeholder so UI doesn't spin forever.
-      final current = state.value;
-      if (current != null) {
-        final msgs = current.messages;
-        if (msgs.isNotEmpty && msgs.last.status == 'generating') {
-          state = AsyncData(current.copyWith(messages: [
-            ...msgs.sublist(0, msgs.length - 1),
-            msgs.last.copyWith(status: 'complete'),
-          ]));
-        }
-      }
-    } finally {
-      ref.read(isBriefingStreamingProvider.notifier).state = false;
-    }
-  }
 }

lib/providers/calendar_provider.dart

@@ -56,6 +56,17 @@ class CalendarNotifier extends AsyncNotifier<CalendarState> {
     );
   }
 
+  /// Re-fetch events for the current range without clearing state (no flicker).
+  Future<void> refresh() async {
+    final current = state.value;
+    if (current == null) return;
+    final events = await ref.read(eventsApiProvider).getEvents(
+      current.loadedRange.start,
+      current.loadedRange.end,
+    );
+    state = AsyncData(current.copyWith(eventsByDay: _groupByDay(events)));
+  }
+
   /// Synchronously updates selectedDay and focusedMonth. No API call.
   void selectDay(DateTime day) {
     final current = state.value;

lib/providers/capture_work_queue_provider.dart

@@ -3,8 +3,7 @@ import 'package:flutter_riverpod/flutter_riverpod.dart';
 import '../core/exceptions.dart';
 import 'api_client_provider.dart';
 import 'capture_queue_provider.dart';
-import 'notes_provider.dart';
-import 'tasks_provider.dart';
+import 'chat_provider.dart';
 
 /// Outcome of a single capture attempt — consumed by the UI for snackbars.
 class CaptureResult {
@@ -25,7 +24,6 @@ class _CaptureResultNotifier extends Notifier<CaptureResult?> {
 }
 
 /// In-memory sequential work queue for quick captures.
-/// Separate from [captureQueueProvider] (which is the offline persistence queue).
 final captureWorkQueueProvider =
     NotifierProvider<CaptureWorkQueueNotifier, List<String>>(
   CaptureWorkQueueNotifier.new,
@@ -52,31 +50,24 @@ class CaptureWorkQueueNotifier extends Notifier<List<String>> {
         // Signal "no result yet" so the same result value can re-trigger watch.
         ref.read(captureResultProvider.notifier).state = null;
         try {
-          final api = ref.read(quickCaptureApiProvider);
-          final result = await api.capture(text);
+          // Create a new conversation, add it to the conversations list, then
+          // send the message and kick off generation in the background.
+          final conv =
+              await ref.read(conversationsProvider.notifier).create('');
+          final chatRepo = ref.read(chatRepositoryProvider);
+          await chatRepo.sendMessage(conv.id, text);
+          // Fire-and-forget: drain the SSE stream so the server generates a
+          // response (creating notes/tasks/etc.) without blocking the UI.
+          chatRepo.streamGeneration(conv.id).drain<void>().ignore();
 
-          // Dequeue on success.
           state = state.length > 1 ? state.sublist(1) : [];
-
-          // Invalidate content providers so lists refresh.
-          switch (result.type) {
-            case 'note':
-              ref.invalidate(notesProvider);
-            case 'task':
-            case 'todo':
-              ref.invalidate(tasksProvider);
-          }
-
-          // Publish result for snackbar.
-          final msg = result.message.isNotEmpty
-              ? result.message
-              : '${_typeLabel(result.type)} created: ${result.title}';
-          ref.read(captureResultProvider.notifier).state = CaptureResult(msg);
+          ref.read(captureResultProvider.notifier).state =
+              const CaptureResult('Sent to Fabled.');
         } on NetworkException catch (_) {
           // Persist to offline queue and stop draining — still offline.
           await ref.read(captureQueueProvider.notifier).enqueue(text);
           state = state.length > 1 ? state.sublist(1) : [];
-          ref.read(captureResultProvider.notifier).state = CaptureResult(
+          ref.read(captureResultProvider.notifier).state = const CaptureResult(
             "You're offline — capture saved and will retry automatically.",
           );
           break;
@@ -86,20 +77,13 @@ class CaptureWorkQueueNotifier extends Notifier<List<String>> {
               CaptureResult(e.message, isError: true);
         } catch (_) {
           state = state.length > 1 ? state.sublist(1) : [];
-          ref.read(captureResultProvider.notifier).state =
-              CaptureResult('Capture failed. Please try again.', isError: true);
+          ref.read(captureResultProvider.notifier).state = const CaptureResult(
+              'Failed to send. Please try again.',
+              isError: true);
         }
       }
     } finally {
       _running = false;
     }
   }
-
-  String _typeLabel(String type) => switch (type) {
-        'note' => 'Note',
-        'task' => 'Task',
-        'event' => 'Event',
-        'todo' => 'To-do',
-        _ => type,
-      };
 }

lib/providers/chat_provider.dart

@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+import 'dart:async';
+
 import 'package:flutter_riverpod/flutter_riverpod.dart';
 
 import '../data/models/conversation.dart';
@@ -58,6 +60,12 @@ class ConversationsNotifier extends AsyncNotifier<List<Conversation>> {
     ]);
   }
 
+  /// Re-fetch conversations without clearing the current list (no flicker).
+  Future<void> refresh() async {
+    final fresh = await ref.read(chatRepositoryProvider).getConversations();
+    state = AsyncData(fresh);
+  }
+
   // Called after a message is sent to patch the server-generated title
   // in-place without triggering a full reload or loading state.
   void patchConversation(Conversation updated) {
@@ -86,6 +94,144 @@ class MessagesNotifier extends AsyncNotifier<List<Message>> {
     return messages;
   }
 
+  /// Re-fetch messages without clearing the current list (no flicker).
+  ///
+  /// Also unfreezes the UI if streaming state got stuck true — this happens
+  /// when an SSE connection dies silently (mobile network handoff, app
+  /// backgrounded mid-stream, reverse proxy dropping idle sockets) and the
+  /// send loop never observes a close. If the server-side message is already
+  /// done, we clear `isStreamingProvider` so the input unlocks.
+  Future<void> refresh() async {
+    final (_, messages) =
+        await ref.read(chatRepositoryProvider).getMessages(_convId);
+    state = AsyncData(messages);
+    Message? lastAssistant;
+    for (var i = messages.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
+      if (messages[i].role == MessageRole.assistant) {
+        lastAssistant = messages[i];
+        break;
+      }
+    }
+    if (lastAssistant != null && lastAssistant.status != 'generating') {
+      ref.read(isStreamingProvider(_convId).notifier).state = false;
+      ref.read(streamingStatusProvider(_convId).notifier).state = '';
+    }
+  }
+
+  /// Attach to an already-running generation for this conversation.
+  ///
+  /// Used when the chat screen lands on a conversation that was started by
+  /// something other than a direct user message — e.g. the /news discuss
+  /// button, which creates a conversation on the backend and auto-kicks a
+  /// generation before navigating. Without this the stream runs to
+  /// completion invisibly and the screen only shows the final persisted
+  /// message after a manual refresh.
+  ///
+  /// Safe to call unconditionally on screen init: no-ops when there is no
+  /// generating assistant message. Mirrors the web chat store's
+  /// reconnectIfGenerating() helper.
+  Future<void> attachToGeneration() async {
+    final convId = _convId;
+    final repo = ref.read(chatRepositoryProvider);
+
+    // Make sure we're looking at fresh server state before deciding whether
+    // to attach. The provider's build() fetches once; if the conversation
+    // was seeded via a POST that happened between build() and this call the
+    // generating placeholder won't be in our in-memory list yet.
+    try {
+      final (_, fresh) = await repo.getMessages(convId);
+      state = AsyncData(fresh);
+    } catch (_) {
+      // If we can't load messages we can't attach either — bail cleanly.
+      return;
+    }
+
+    if (ref.read(isStreamingProvider(convId))) return;
+    final msgs = state.value ?? const <Message>[];
+    final hasGeneratingAssistant = msgs.any(
+      (m) => m.role == MessageRole.assistant && m.status == 'generating',
+    );
+    if (!hasGeneratingAssistant) return;
+
+    ref.read(isStreamingProvider(convId).notifier).state = true;
+
+    const stallTimeout = Duration(seconds: 45);
+    bool streamedContent = false;
+    final iter = StreamIterator(repo.streamGeneration(convId));
+    try {
+      while (await iter.moveNext().timeout(stallTimeout)) {
+        final event = iter.current;
+        if (event is ChatTextChunk) {
+          streamedContent = true;
+          ref.read(streamingStatusProvider(convId).notifier).state = '';
+          final cur = state.requireValue;
+          if (cur.isEmpty) continue;
+          // Route text chunks into the generating assistant message. The
+          // last message is usually the placeholder, but tool-call fan-in
+          // means we can't rely on that universally.
+          final idx = _findGeneratingAssistantIndex(cur);
+          if (idx < 0) continue;
+          final updated = cur[idx].copyWith(content: cur[idx].content + event.text);
+          state = AsyncData([
+            ...cur.sublist(0, idx),
+            updated,
+            ...cur.sublist(idx + 1),
+          ]);
+        } else if (event is ChatStatusUpdate) {
+          ref.read(streamingStatusProvider(convId).notifier).state = event.status;
+        } else if (event is ChatToolCall) {
+          final cur = state.requireValue;
+          if (cur.isEmpty) continue;
+          final idx = _findGeneratingAssistantIndex(cur);
+          if (idx < 0) continue;
+          final nextCalls = [...?cur[idx].toolCalls, event.toolCall];
+          final updated = cur[idx].copyWith(toolCalls: nextCalls);
+          state = AsyncData([
+            ...cur.sublist(0, idx),
+            updated,
+            ...cur.sublist(idx + 1),
+          ]);
+        }
+      }
+    } on TimeoutException {
+      // Stall — fall through to polling.
+    } catch (_) {
+      // Stream failed — fall through to polling.
+    } finally {
+      await iter.cancel();
+    }
+
+    try {
+      for (var attempt = 0; attempt < 20; attempt++) {
+        if (attempt > 0) await Future.delayed(const Duration(seconds: 2));
+        final (_, fresh) = await repo.getMessages(convId);
+        final done = fresh.any(
+          (m) => m.role == MessageRole.assistant && m.status != 'generating',
+        );
+        final polledHasContent = fresh.any(
+          (m) => m.role == MessageRole.assistant && m.content.isNotEmpty,
+        );
+        if (!streamedContent || done || polledHasContent) {
+          state = AsyncData(fresh);
+        }
+        if (done) break;
+      }
+    } catch (_) {
+      // Give up silently — user can pull-to-refresh.
+    } finally {
+      ref.read(isStreamingProvider(convId).notifier).state = false;
+      ref.read(streamingStatusProvider(convId).notifier).state = '';
+    }
+  }
+
+  int _findGeneratingAssistantIndex(List<Message> msgs) {
+    for (var i = msgs.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
+      final m = msgs[i];
+      if (m.role == MessageRole.assistant && m.status == 'generating') return i;
+    }
+    return -1;
+  }
+
   Future<void> sendMessage(String content) async {
     final convId = _convId;
     final repo = ref.read(chatRepositoryProvider);
@@ -116,9 +262,19 @@ class MessagesNotifier extends AsyncNotifier<List<Message>> {
     }
 
     // ── Step 2: Stream the response (best effort — silent on failure). ──
+    //
+    // We use a StreamIterator with a per-event timeout as a stall watchdog.
+    // Mobile networks occasionally drop SSE sockets silently: the TCP
+    // connection is half-closed, Dio never sees the close, and `await for`
+    // hangs forever with `isStreaming=true`, freezing the input. If no
+    // event arrives within the watchdog window we bail out and let the
+    // polling pass below reconcile state from the server.
+    const stallTimeout = Duration(seconds: 45);
     bool streamedContent = false;
+    final iter = StreamIterator(repo.streamGeneration(convId));
     try {
-      await for (final event in repo.streamGeneration(convId)) {
+      while (await iter.moveNext().timeout(stallTimeout)) {
+        final event = iter.current;
         if (event is ChatTextChunk) {
           streamedContent = true;
           ref.read(streamingStatusProvider(convId).notifier).state = '';
@@ -130,10 +286,27 @@ class MessagesNotifier extends AsyncNotifier<List<Message>> {
         } else if (event is ChatStatusUpdate) {
           ref.read(streamingStatusProvider(convId).notifier).state =
               event.status;
+        } else if (event is ChatToolCall) {
+          // Append the tool call to the in-flight assistant message so the
+          // chip appears live. The reload pass at the end of this function
+          // will overwrite with the persisted version, which carries the
+          // same shape — no de-dup needed.
+          final msgs = state.requireValue;
+          if (msgs.isEmpty) continue;
+          final last = msgs.last;
+          if (last.role != MessageRole.assistant) continue;
+          final nextCalls = [...?last.toolCalls, event.toolCall];
+          final updated = last.copyWith(toolCalls: nextCalls);
+          state = AsyncData([...msgs.sublist(0, msgs.length - 1), updated]);
         }
       }
+    } on TimeoutException {
+      // Stall watchdog — no SSE event for stallTimeout. Fall through to
+      // polling so the UI eventually unfreezes even if the socket is dead.
     } catch (_) {
       // SSE failed — fall through to the polling reload below.
+    } finally {
+      await iter.cancel();
     }
 
     // ── Step 3: Poll the API until we have a completed assistant response.

lib/providers/knowledge_provider.dart

@@ -115,12 +115,43 @@ class KnowledgeNotifier extends Notifier<KnowledgeState> {
   }
 
   Future<void> refresh() async {
-    state = KnowledgeState(
-      noteType: state.noteType,
-      activeTags: state.activeTags,
-      searchQuery: state.searchQuery,
-    );
-    await _fetchFromScratch();
+    // Keep current items visible during re-fetch (no flicker).
+    try {
+      if (state.noteType == 'task') {
+        final tasks = await ref.read(tasksApiProvider).getAll();
+        final items = {
+          for (final t in tasks) t.id: KnowledgeItem.fromTask(t),
+        };
+        state = state.copyWith(
+          ids: tasks.map((t) => t.id).toList(),
+          items: items,
+          totalIds: tasks.length,
+          hasMore: false,
+        );
+        await _loadCounts();
+        return;
+      }
+
+      final (ids, total) = await _repo.fetchIds(
+        noteType: state.noteType,
+        tags: state.activeTags,
+        q: state.searchQuery,
+        limit: 50,
+        offset: 0,
+      );
+      // Hydrate the new IDs
+      final batch = await _repo.fetchBatch(ids);
+      final freshItems = {for (final item in batch) item.id: item};
+      state = state.copyWith(
+        ids: ids,
+        items: freshItems,
+        totalIds: total,
+        hasMore: ids.length < total,
+      );
+      await Future.wait([_loadCounts(), _loadTags()]);
+    } catch (_) {
+      // Silent — stale data is better than an error on refresh
+    }
   }
 
   // ── Scroll-triggered loaders ─────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -215,6 +246,9 @@ class KnowledgeNotifier extends Notifier<KnowledgeState> {
         isLoadingIds: false,
         hasMore: combined.length < total,
       );
+      // Hydrate the newly fetched IDs immediately — the user is
+      // already at the scroll bottom so _onScroll won't re-fire.
+      await hydrateNext();
     } catch (_) {
       state = state.copyWith(isLoadingIds: false);
     }

lib/providers/news_provider.dart

@@ -71,6 +71,25 @@ class NewsNotifier extends AsyncNotifier<NewsState> {
     );
   }
 
+  /// Re-fetch the first page without clearing state (no flicker).
+  Future<void> refresh() async {
+    final current = state.value;
+    final items = await ref.read(newsApiProvider).getNewsItems(
+          days: 90,
+          limit: _limit,
+          offset: 0,
+          feedId: current?.selectedFeedId,
+        );
+    state = AsyncData(NewsState(
+      items: items,
+      offset: items.length,
+      hasMore: items.length == _limit,
+      loadingMore: false,
+      selectedFeedId: current?.selectedFeedId,
+      reactions: {for (final item in items) item.id: item.reaction},
+    ));
+  }
+
   Future<void> loadMore() async {
     final current = state.value;
     if (current == null || current.loadingMore || !current.hasMore) return;

lib/providers/projects_provider.dart

@@ -15,6 +15,12 @@ class ProjectsNotifier extends AsyncNotifier<List<Project>> {
         .getAll(sort: 'updated_at', order: 'desc');
   }
 
+  Future<void> refresh() async {
+    final fresh = await ref.read(projectsRepositoryProvider)
+        .getAll(sort: 'updated_at', order: 'desc');
+    state = AsyncData(fresh);
+  }
+
   Future<Project> create({
     required String title,
     String? description,

lib/providers/tasks_provider.dart

@@ -17,6 +17,11 @@ class TasksNotifier extends AsyncNotifier<List<Task>> {
     return ref.watch(tasksRepositoryProvider).getAll();
   }
 
+  Future<void> refresh() async {
+    final fresh = await ref.read(tasksRepositoryProvider).getAll();
+    state = AsyncData(fresh);
+  }
+
   Future<Task> create({
     required String title,
     String? description,

lib/providers/voice_provider.dart

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import 'package:just_audio/just_audio.dart';
 import 'package:path_provider/path_provider.dart';
 import 'package:permission_handler/permission_handler.dart';
 import 'package:record/record.dart';
+import 'package:vad/vad.dart';
 
 import 'api_client_provider.dart';
 
@@ -59,22 +60,29 @@ class VoiceState {
   final VoiceMode mode;
   final bool voiceModeActive;
   final bool available;
+  /// Normalized mic amplitude 0.0–1.0 while recording. Drives the live
+  /// pulse on VoiceMicButton so the user has obvious feedback that audio
+  /// is actually being picked up.
+  final double amplitude;
 
   const VoiceState({
     this.mode = VoiceMode.idle,
     this.voiceModeActive = false,
     this.available = true,
+    this.amplitude = 0.0,
   });
 
   VoiceState copyWith({
     VoiceMode? mode,
     bool? voiceModeActive,
     bool? available,
+    double? amplitude,
   }) =>
       VoiceState(
         mode: mode ?? this.mode,
         voiceModeActive: voiceModeActive ?? this.voiceModeActive,
         available: available ?? this.available,
+        amplitude: amplitude ?? this.amplitude,
       );
 }
 
@@ -91,12 +99,13 @@ class VoiceNotifier extends Notifier<VoiceState> {
   AudioPlayer? _player;
   StreamSubscription<Amplitude>? _amplitudeSubscription;
 
-  // Recording / silence detection
-  int _recordingStartMs = 0;
-  int _silenceMs = 0;
-  static const _silenceThresholdDb = -40.0;
-  static const _silenceDurationMs = 1500;
-  static const _minRecordingMs = 300;
+  // VAD-based speech detection
+  VadHandler? _vadHandler;
+  StreamSubscription<void>? _vadSpeechStartSub;
+  StreamSubscription<List<double>>? _vadSpeechEndSub;
+  bool _speechDetected = false;
+  int _speechStartMs = 0;
+  static const _vadGraceMs = 1500;
 
   // Voice mode callbacks
   Future<void> Function(String transcript)? _onTranscript;
@@ -108,6 +117,13 @@ class VoiceNotifier extends Notifier<VoiceState> {
   int _lastSeenLength = 0;
   bool _streamComplete = false;
 
+  // Last complete assistant response — passed to Whisper as initial_prompt
+  // to reduce STT mishearings of domain-specific words.
+  String _lastAssistantContent = '';
+
+  // Empty transcript counter — show feedback after consecutive blanks
+  int _emptyTranscriptCount = 0;
+
   // TTS playback queue
   final _ttsQueue = Queue<Uint8List>();
   bool _ttsPlaying = false;
@@ -116,7 +132,6 @@ class VoiceNotifier extends Notifier<VoiceState> {
 
   @override
   VoiceState build() {
-    _recorder = AudioRecorder();
     _player = AudioPlayer();
     ref.onDispose(() {
       _amplitudeSubscription?.cancel();
@@ -138,36 +153,45 @@ class VoiceNotifier extends Notifier<VoiceState> {
     required void Function(String message) onError,
   }) async {
     if (state.voiceModeActive) {
+      if (state.mode == VoiceMode.recording && !_speechDetected) {
+        onError('No speech detected');
+      }
       exitVoiceMode();
       return;
     }
 
-    // Check server availability
+    // Check server availability — STT is required, TTS is optional.
     try {
       final status = await ref.read(voiceRepositoryProvider).checkStatus();
-      if (!status.fullyAvailable) {
-        onError('Voice not available on this server');
+      if (!status.enabled || !status.stt) {
+        onError('Speech-to-text not available on this server');
         return;
       }
+      // Downgrade to STT-only when TTS is unavailable
+      if (!status.tts) enableTts = false;
     } catch (_) {
-      onError('Voice not available on this server');
+      onError('Could not reach voice service');
       return;
     }
 
     // Check microphone permission
-    final permStatus = await Permission.microphone.request();
-    if (permStatus == PermissionStatus.denied ||
-        permStatus == PermissionStatus.permanentlyDenied) {
+    var permStatus = await Permission.microphone.request();
+    if (permStatus == PermissionStatus.permanentlyDenied) {
+      onError('Microphone blocked — opening settings');
+      final opened = await openAppSettings();
+      if (!opened) return;
+      // Re-check after user returns from settings
+      permStatus = await Permission.microphone.status;
+    }
+    if (!permStatus.isGranted) {
       onError('Microphone permission required');
-      if (permStatus == PermissionStatus.permanentlyDenied) {
-        await openAppSettings();
-      }
       return;
     }
 
     _onTranscript = onTranscript;
     _onError = onError;
     _enableTts = enableTts;
+    _emptyTranscriptCount = 0;
     _tempDir = await getTemporaryDirectory();
 
     state = state.copyWith(voiceModeActive: true, available: true);
@@ -179,12 +203,14 @@ class VoiceNotifier extends Notifier<VoiceState> {
     _amplitudeSubscription?.cancel();
     _amplitudeSubscription = null;
     _recorder?.stop();
+    _stopVad();
     _player?.stop();
     _ttsQueue.clear();
     _ttsPlaying = false;
     _sentenceBuffer = '';
     _lastSeenLength = 0;
     _streamComplete = false;
+    _speechDetected = false;
     _onTranscript = null;
     _onError = null;
     state = const VoiceState();
@@ -205,6 +231,7 @@ class VoiceNotifier extends Notifier<VoiceState> {
     _dispatchSentences(flush: isComplete);
 
     if (isComplete) {
+      _lastAssistantContent = fullContent;
       _streamComplete = true;
       _checkRestartListening();
     }
@@ -215,17 +242,24 @@ class VoiceNotifier extends Notifier<VoiceState> {
   Future<void> _startListening() async {
     if (!state.voiceModeActive) return;
 
-    _silenceMs = 0;
-    _recordingStartMs = DateTime.now().millisecondsSinceEpoch;
+    _speechDetected = false;
+    _speechStartMs = 0;
     state = state.copyWith(mode: VoiceMode.recording);
 
     final dir = _tempDir ?? await getTemporaryDirectory();
-    // AAC/M4A is reliably supported on Android (unlike WebM/Opus which can
-    // produce OGG bytes in a .webm file, confusing server-side decoders).
     final path =
         '${dir.path}/voice_rec_${DateTime.now().millisecondsSinceEpoch}.m4a';
 
     try {
+      _recorder?.dispose();
+      _recorder = AudioRecorder();
+
+      if (!await _recorder!.hasPermission()) {
+        _onError?.call('Microphone permission was revoked');
+        exitVoiceMode();
+        return;
+      }
+
       await _recorder!.start(
         const RecordConfig(encoder: AudioEncoder.aacLc, sampleRate: 16000),
         path: path,
@@ -235,33 +269,52 @@ class VoiceNotifier extends Notifier<VoiceState> {
       _amplitudeSubscription = _recorder!
           .onAmplitudeChanged(const Duration(milliseconds: 200))
           .listen(_onAmplitude);
+
+      // VAD for speech detection — uses its own AudioRecorder internally
+      await _stopVad();
+      _vadHandler = VadHandler.create();
+      _vadSpeechStartSub = _vadHandler!.onSpeechStart.listen((_) {
+        if (!_speechDetected) {
+          _speechDetected = true;
+          _speechStartMs = DateTime.now().millisecondsSinceEpoch;
+        }
+      });
+      _vadSpeechEndSub = _vadHandler!.onSpeechEnd.listen((_) {
+        if (!state.voiceModeActive) return;
+        final now = DateTime.now().millisecondsSinceEpoch;
+        final sinceStart = _speechStartMs > 0 ? now - _speechStartMs : 0;
+        if (_speechDetected && sinceStart >= _vadGraceMs) {
+          _amplitudeSubscription?.cancel();
+          _amplitudeSubscription = null;
+          _stopVad();
+          _handleSilence();
+        }
+      });
+      await _vadHandler!.startListening(model: 'v5');
     } catch (e) {
-      _onError?.call('Microphone error: could not start recording');
+      _onError?.call('Microphone error: $e');
       exitVoiceMode();
     }
   }
 
+  Future<void> _stopVad() async {
+    await _vadSpeechStartSub?.cancel();
+    _vadSpeechStartSub = null;
+    await _vadSpeechEndSub?.cancel();
+    _vadSpeechEndSub = null;
+    if (_vadHandler != null) {
+      await _vadHandler!.dispose();
+      _vadHandler = null;
+    }
+  }
+
   void _onAmplitude(Amplitude event) {
     if (!state.voiceModeActive) return;
-
-    final elapsed =
-        DateTime.now().millisecondsSinceEpoch - _recordingStartMs;
-    if (elapsed < _minRecordingMs) return;
-
     final db = event.current;
-    // Guard against NaN / ±Infinity which can arrive on some Android devices
-    // when the recorder is initialising. Treat invalid readings as silence.
-    final isSilent = db.isNaN || db.isInfinite || db < _silenceThresholdDb;
-
-    if (isSilent) {
-      _silenceMs += 200;
-      if (_silenceMs >= _silenceDurationMs) {
-        _amplitudeSubscription?.cancel();
-        _amplitudeSubscription = null;
-        _handleSilence();
-      }
-    } else {
-      _silenceMs = 0;
+    if (db.isNaN || db.isInfinite) return;
+    final norm = ((db + 60.0) / 60.0).clamp(0.0, 1.0);
+    if ((norm - state.amplitude).abs() > 0.02) {
+      state = state.copyWith(amplitude: norm);
     }
   }
 
@@ -278,16 +331,24 @@ class VoiceNotifier extends Notifier<VoiceState> {
 
       if (!state.voiceModeActive) return;
 
-      final transcript =
-          await ref.read(voiceRepositoryProvider).transcribe(bytes);
+      final transcript = await ref.read(voiceRepositoryProvider).transcribe(
+            bytes,
+            context: _lastAssistantContent.isNotEmpty ? _lastAssistantContent : null,
+          );
 
       if (!state.voiceModeActive) return;
 
       if (transcript.isEmpty) {
-        // Empty transcript — restart silently
+        _emptyTranscriptCount++;
+        if (_emptyTranscriptCount >= 3) {
+          _onError?.call('No speech detected — tap the mic to try again');
+          exitVoiceMode();
+          return;
+        }
         await _startListening();
         return;
       }
+      _emptyTranscriptCount = 0;
 
       // Reset TTS state for this new turn
       _sentenceBuffer = '';

lib/screens/briefing/briefing_screen.dart

@@ -41,7 +41,14 @@ class _BriefingScreenState extends ConsumerState<BriefingScreen>
 
   @override
   void didChangeAppLifecycleState(AppLifecycleState state) {
+    final wasBackground = !_appInForeground;
     _appInForeground = state == AppLifecycleState.resumed;
+    // On resume, force a message refresh. This also unfreezes a stuck
+    // streaming state if the SSE socket died while the app was backgrounded
+    // — silentRefresh won't do that because it guards on isStreaming.
+    if (_appInForeground && wasBackground && mounted) {
+      ref.read(briefingProvider.notifier).refreshMessages();
+    }
   }
 
   void _pollSilently() {
@@ -51,6 +58,18 @@ class _BriefingScreenState extends ConsumerState<BriefingScreen>
     ref.read(briefingProvider.notifier).silentRefresh();
   }
 
+  Future<void> _pullToRefresh() async {
+    try {
+      await ref.read(briefingProvider.notifier).refreshMessages();
+    } catch (_) {
+      if (mounted) {
+        ScaffoldMessenger.of(context).showSnackBar(
+          const SnackBar(content: Text('Could not refresh.')),
+        );
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   @override
   void dispose() {
     _pollTimer?.cancel();
@@ -247,12 +266,18 @@ class _BriefingScreenState extends ConsumerState<BriefingScreen>
           ),
         ),
         data: (conv) {
-          return Column(
+          final isWide = MediaQuery.of(context).size.width >= 600;
+          Widget body = Column(
             children: [
               Expanded(
-                child: CustomScrollView(
-                  controller: _scrollController,
-                  slivers: [
+                child: RefreshIndicator(
+                  onRefresh: _pullToRefresh,
+                  child: CustomScrollView(
+                    controller: _scrollController,
+                    // AlwaysScrollable so pull-to-refresh fires even when
+                    // the briefing is empty or shorter than the viewport.
+                    physics: const AlwaysScrollableScrollPhysics(),
+                    slivers: [
                     if (conv.messages.isEmpty)
                       SliverFillRemaining(
                         child: Center(
@@ -293,7 +318,8 @@ class _BriefingScreenState extends ConsumerState<BriefingScreen>
                           },
                         ),
                       ),
-                  ],
+                    ],
+                  ),
                 ),
               ),
 
@@ -351,6 +377,7 @@ class _BriefingScreenState extends ConsumerState<BriefingScreen>
                       VoiceMicButton(
                         mode: voiceState.mode,
                         voiceModeActive: voiceState.voiceModeActive,
+                        amplitude: voiceState.amplitude,
                         onTap: _toggleVoiceMode,
                       ),
                       const SizedBox(width: 6),
@@ -366,6 +393,15 @@ class _BriefingScreenState extends ConsumerState<BriefingScreen>
               ),
             ],
           );
+          if (isWide) {
+            body = Center(
+              child: ConstrainedBox(
+                constraints: const BoxConstraints(maxWidth: 700),
+                child: body,
+              ),
+            );
+          }
+          return body;
         },
       ),
     );
@@ -462,7 +498,7 @@ class _GradientSendButton extends StatelessWidget {
             : const LinearGradient(
                 begin: Alignment.topLeft,
                 end: Alignment.bottomRight,
-                colors: [Color(0xFF6366F1), Color(0xFF4F46E5)],
+                colors: [Color(0xFF7C3AED), Color(0xFF5B21B6)],
               ),
         color: disabled ? scheme.onSurface.withValues(alpha: 0.12) : null,
         borderRadius: BorderRadius.circular(10),

lib/screens/calendar/calendar_screen.dart

@@ -67,10 +67,13 @@ class CalendarScreen extends ConsumerWidget {
             ),
             const Divider(height: 1),
             Expanded(
-              child: _AgendaList(
-                events:
-                    cal.eventsByDay[dateOnly(cal.selectedDay)] ?? [],
-                notifier: notifier,
+              child: RefreshIndicator(
+                onRefresh: () => ref.read(calendarProvider.notifier).refresh(),
+                child: _AgendaList(
+                  events:
+                      cal.eventsByDay[dateOnly(cal.selectedDay)] ?? [],
+                  notifier: notifier,
+                ),
               ),
             ),
           ],
@@ -106,7 +109,12 @@ class _AgendaList extends StatelessWidget {
   @override
   Widget build(BuildContext context) {
     if (events.isEmpty) {
-      return const Center(child: Text('No events'));
+      return ListView(
+        children: const [
+          SizedBox(height: 80),
+          Center(child: Text('No events')),
+        ],
+      );
     }
     return ListView.builder(
       padding: const EdgeInsets.symmetric(vertical: 8),

lib/screens/calendar/event_form_sheet.dart

@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ class _EventFormSheetState extends ConsumerState<EventFormSheet> {
     '#EF4444',
     '#F59E0B',
     '#10B981',
-    '#6366F1',
+    '#7C3AED',
     '#8B5CF6',
     '#EC4899',
   ];
@@ -143,19 +143,19 @@ class _EventFormSheetState extends ConsumerState<EventFormSheet> {
   Future<void> _delete() async {
     final confirmed = await showDialog<bool>(
       context: context,
-      builder: (_) => AlertDialog(
+      builder: (dialogContext) => AlertDialog(
         title: const Text('Delete this event?'),
         actions: [
           TextButton(
-            onPressed: () => Navigator.of(context).pop(false),
+            onPressed: () => Navigator.pop(dialogContext, false),
             child: const Text('Cancel'),
           ),
           TextButton(
-            onPressed: () => Navigator.of(context).pop(true),
+            onPressed: () => Navigator.pop(dialogContext, true),
             child: Text(
               'Delete',
-              style:
-                  TextStyle(color: Theme.of(context).colorScheme.error),
+              style: TextStyle(
+                  color: Theme.of(dialogContext).colorScheme.error),
             ),
           ),
         ],

lib/screens/chat/chat_screen.dart

@@ -16,12 +16,56 @@ class ChatScreen extends ConsumerStatefulWidget {
   ConsumerState<ChatScreen> createState() => _ChatScreenState();
 }
 
-class _ChatScreenState extends ConsumerState<ChatScreen> {
+class _ChatScreenState extends ConsumerState<ChatScreen>
+    with WidgetsBindingObserver {
   final _controller = TextEditingController();
   final _scrollController = ScrollController();
+  bool _refreshing = false;
+
+  Future<void> _refreshMessages() async {
+    if (_refreshing) return;
+    setState(() => _refreshing = true);
+    try {
+      await ref
+          .read(messagesProvider(widget.conversationId).notifier)
+          .refresh();
+    } catch (_) {
+      if (mounted) {
+        ScaffoldMessenger.of(context).showSnackBar(
+          const SnackBar(content: Text('Could not refresh messages.')),
+        );
+      }
+    } finally {
+      if (mounted) setState(() => _refreshing = false);
+    }
+  }
+
+  @override
+  void initState() {
+    super.initState();
+    WidgetsBinding.instance.addObserver(this);
+    // If we land on a conversation whose last assistant message is already
+    // mid-stream (e.g. the /news discuss button creates a conv and
+    // auto-kicks generation), attach to the running stream so the user sees
+    // live tokens instead of a frozen placeholder.
+    WidgetsBinding.instance.addPostFrameCallback((_) {
+      if (!mounted) return;
+      ref
+          .read(messagesProvider(widget.conversationId).notifier)
+          .attachToGeneration();
+    });
+  }
+
+  @override
+  void didChangeAppLifecycleState(AppLifecycleState state) {
+    if (state == AppLifecycleState.resumed) {
+      ref.read(messagesProvider(widget.conversationId).notifier).refresh();
+    }
+  }
 
   @override
   void dispose() {
+    WidgetsBinding.instance.removeObserver(this);
     _controller.dispose();
     _scrollController.dispose();
     // Exit voice mode if the user navigates away mid-session.
@@ -121,6 +165,19 @@ class _ChatScreenState extends ConsumerState<ChatScreen> {
     return Scaffold(
       appBar: AppBar(
         title: Text(convTitle?.isNotEmpty == true ? convTitle! : 'Chat'),
+        actions: [
+          IconButton(
+            tooltip: 'Refresh',
+            onPressed: _refreshing ? null : _refreshMessages,
+            icon: _refreshing
+                ? const SizedBox(
+                    width: 18,
+                    height: 18,
+                    child: CircularProgressIndicator(strokeWidth: 2),
+                  )
+                : const Icon(Icons.refresh),
+          ),
+        ],
       ),
       body: Column(
         children: [
@@ -132,22 +189,32 @@ class _ChatScreenState extends ConsumerState<ChatScreen> {
                 child: Text('Could not load messages.'),
               ),
               data: (messages) {
-                if (messages.isEmpty) {
-                  return const Center(
-                      child: Text('Send a message to start.'));
-                }
-                return ListView.builder(
-                  controller: _scrollController,
-                  padding: const EdgeInsets.symmetric(
-                      horizontal: 8, vertical: 12),
-                  itemCount: messages.length,
-                  itemBuilder: (context, i) => ChatMessageBubble(
-                    message: messages[i],
-                    streamingStatus: (i == messages.length - 1 &&
-                            messages[i].status == 'generating')
-                        ? streamingStatus
-                        : '',
-                  ),
+                return RefreshIndicator(
+                  onRefresh: _refreshMessages,
+                  child: messages.isEmpty
+                      ? ListView(
+                          // Needs to be scrollable for RefreshIndicator to
+                          // fire on empty state — plain Center won't work.
+                          physics: const AlwaysScrollableScrollPhysics(),
+                          children: const [
+                            SizedBox(height: 240),
+                            Center(child: Text('Send a message to start.')),
+                          ],
+                        )
+                      : ListView.builder(
+                          controller: _scrollController,
+                          physics: const AlwaysScrollableScrollPhysics(),
+                          padding: const EdgeInsets.symmetric(
+                              horizontal: 8, vertical: 12),
+                          itemCount: messages.length,
+                          itemBuilder: (context, i) => ChatMessageBubble(
+                            message: messages[i],
+                            streamingStatus: (i == messages.length - 1 &&
+                                    messages[i].status == 'generating')
+                                ? streamingStatus
+                                : '',
+                          ),
+                        ),
                 );
               },
             ),
@@ -200,6 +267,7 @@ class _ChatScreenState extends ConsumerState<ChatScreen> {
                   VoiceMicButton(
                     mode: voiceState.mode,
                     voiceModeActive: voiceState.voiceModeActive,
+                    amplitude: voiceState.amplitude,
                     onTap: _toggleVoiceMode,
                   ),
                   const SizedBox(width: 6),

lib/screens/chat/conversations_tab_screen.dart

@@ -4,30 +4,79 @@ import 'package:go_router/go_router.dart';
 
 import '../../core/constants.dart';
 import '../../providers/chat_provider.dart';
+import 'chat_screen.dart';
 
-class ConversationsTabScreen extends ConsumerWidget {
+class ConversationsTabScreen extends ConsumerStatefulWidget {
   const ConversationsTabScreen({super.key});
 
   @override
-  Widget build(BuildContext context, WidgetRef ref) {
+  ConsumerState<ConversationsTabScreen> createState() =>
+      _ConversationsTabScreenState();
+}
+
+class _ConversationsTabScreenState
+    extends ConsumerState<ConversationsTabScreen> {
+  int? _selectedConvId;
+
+  Future<void> _createConversation() async {
+    final conv =
+        await ref.read(conversationsProvider.notifier).create('');
+    if (!mounted) return;
+    final isWide = MediaQuery.of(context).size.width >= 600;
+    if (isWide) {
+      setState(() => _selectedConvId = conv.id);
+    } else {
+      context.push(Routes.chat.replaceFirst(':id', '${conv.id}'));
+    }
+  }
+
+  void _openConversation(int id) {
+    final isWide = MediaQuery.of(context).size.width >= 600;
+    if (isWide) {
+      setState(() => _selectedConvId = id);
+    } else {
+      context.push(Routes.chat.replaceFirst(':id', '$id'));
+    }
+  }
+
+  Future<void> _confirmDelete(int id, String title) async {
+    final ok = await showDialog<bool>(
+      context: context,
+      builder: (dialogContext) => AlertDialog(
+        title: const Text('Delete conversation?'),
+        content: Text('"$title" will be permanently deleted.'),
+        actions: [
+          TextButton(
+              onPressed: () => Navigator.pop(dialogContext, false),
+              child: const Text('Cancel')),
+          FilledButton(
+              onPressed: () => Navigator.pop(dialogContext, true),
+              child: const Text('Delete')),
+        ],
+      ),
+    );
+    if (ok == true) {
+      await ref.read(conversationsProvider.notifier).delete(id);
+      if (_selectedConvId == id) {
+        setState(() => _selectedConvId = null);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  @override
+  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
+    final isWide = MediaQuery.of(context).size.width >= 600;
     final theme = Theme.of(context);
     final convsAsync = ref.watch(conversationsProvider);
 
-    return Scaffold(
+    final listPanel = Scaffold(
       appBar: AppBar(
         title: Text('Chat', style: theme.textTheme.titleLarge),
         actions: [
           IconButton(
             icon: const Icon(Icons.add),
             tooltip: 'New conversation',
-            onPressed: () async {
-              final conv = await ref
-                  .read(conversationsProvider.notifier)
-                  .create('');
-              if (context.mounted) {
-                context.push(Routes.chat.replaceFirst(':id', '${conv.id}'));
-              }
-            },
+            onPressed: _createConversation,
           ),
         ],
       ),
@@ -49,26 +98,20 @@ class ConversationsTabScreen extends ConsumerWidget {
                   FilledButton.icon(
                     icon: const Icon(Icons.add),
                     label: const Text('Start a conversation'),
-                    onPressed: () async {
-                      final conv = await ref
-                          .read(conversationsProvider.notifier)
-                          .create('');
-                      if (context.mounted) {
-                        context.push(
-                            Routes.chat.replaceFirst(':id', '${conv.id}'));
-                      }
-                    },
+                    onPressed: _createConversation,
                   ),
                 ],
               ),
             );
           }
           return RefreshIndicator(
-            onRefresh: () async => ref.invalidate(conversationsProvider),
+            onRefresh: () =>
+                ref.read(conversationsProvider.notifier).refresh(),
             child: ListView.builder(
               itemCount: convs.length,
               itemBuilder: (ctx, i) {
                 final c = convs[i];
+                final selected = isWide && c.id == _selectedConvId;
                 return ListTile(
                   leading: const Icon(Icons.chat_bubble_outline),
                   title: Text(
@@ -79,13 +122,12 @@ class ConversationsTabScreen extends ConsumerWidget {
                     _relativeTime(c.updatedAt),
                     style: theme.textTheme.labelSmall,
                   ),
+                  selected: selected,
                   trailing: IconButton(
                     icon: const Icon(Icons.delete_outline),
-                    onPressed: () =>
-                        _confirmDelete(context, ref, c.id, c.title),
+                    onPressed: () => _confirmDelete(c.id, c.title),
                   ),
-                  onTap: () =>
-                      ctx.push(Routes.chat.replaceFirst(':id', '${c.id}')),
+                  onTap: () => _openConversation(c.id),
                 );
               },
             ),
@@ -93,28 +135,38 @@ class ConversationsTabScreen extends ConsumerWidget {
         },
       ),
     );
-  }
 
-  Future<void> _confirmDelete(
-      BuildContext context, WidgetRef ref, int id, String title) async {
-    final ok = await showDialog<bool>(
-      context: context,
-      builder: (_) => AlertDialog(
-        title: const Text('Delete conversation?'),
-        content: Text('"$title" will be permanently deleted.'),
-        actions: [
-          TextButton(
-              onPressed: () => Navigator.pop(context, false),
-              child: const Text('Cancel')),
-          FilledButton(
-              onPressed: () => Navigator.pop(context, true),
-              child: const Text('Delete')),
-        ],
-      ),
+    if (!isWide) return listPanel;
+
+    return Row(
+      children: [
+        SizedBox(
+          width: 320,
+          child: listPanel,
+        ),
+        const VerticalDivider(width: 1),
+        Expanded(
+          child: _selectedConvId != null
+              ? ChatScreen(
+                  key: ValueKey(_selectedConvId),
+                  conversationId: _selectedConvId!,
+                )
+              : Center(
+                  child: Column(
+                    mainAxisSize: MainAxisSize.min,
+                    children: [
+                      Icon(Icons.chat_bubble_outline,
+                          size: 48,
+                          color: theme.colorScheme.onSurfaceVariant),
+                      const SizedBox(height: 16),
+                      Text('Select a conversation',
+                          style: theme.textTheme.titleMedium),
+                    ],
+                  ),
+                ),
+        ),
+      ],
     );
-    if (ok == true) {
-      await ref.read(conversationsProvider.notifier).delete(id);
-    }
   }
 }
 

lib/screens/knowledge/knowledge_screen.dart

@@ -186,18 +186,57 @@ class _KnowledgeScreenState extends ConsumerState<KnowledgeScreen>
     }
     return RefreshIndicator(
       onRefresh: () => ref.read(knowledgeProvider.notifier).refresh(),
-      child: ListView.separated(
-        controller: _scrollController,
-        itemCount: items.length + (state.isLoadingBatch ? 1 : 0),
-        separatorBuilder: (_, _) => const Divider(height: 1),
-        itemBuilder: (_, i) {
-          if (i >= items.length) {
-            return const Padding(
-              padding: EdgeInsets.all(16),
-              child: Center(child: CircularProgressIndicator()),
+      child: LayoutBuilder(
+        builder: (context, constraints) {
+          final cols = constraints.maxWidth >= 900
+              ? 3
+              : constraints.maxWidth >= 600
+                  ? 2
+                  : 1;
+          if (cols == 1) {
+            return ListView.separated(
+              controller: _scrollController,
+              itemCount: items.length + (state.isLoadingBatch ? 1 : 0),
+              separatorBuilder: (_, _) => const Divider(height: 1),
+              itemBuilder: (_, i) {
+                if (i >= items.length) {
+                  return const Padding(
+                    padding: EdgeInsets.all(16),
+                    child: Center(child: CircularProgressIndicator()),
+                  );
+                }
+                return KnowledgeItemCard(item: items[i]);
+              },
             );
           }
-          return KnowledgeItemCard(item: items[i]);
+          return CustomScrollView(
+            controller: _scrollController,
+            slivers: [
+              SliverPadding(
+                padding: const EdgeInsets.all(8),
+                sliver: SliverGrid(
+                  gridDelegate: SliverGridDelegateWithFixedCrossAxisCount(
+                    crossAxisCount: cols,
+                    crossAxisSpacing: 8,
+                    mainAxisSpacing: 8,
+                    childAspectRatio: 1.8,
+                  ),
+                  delegate: SliverChildBuilderDelegate(
+                    (_, i) {
+                      if (i >= items.length) {
+                        return const Center(
+                            child: CircularProgressIndicator());
+                      }
+                      return KnowledgeItemCard(item: items[i])
+                          .buildGridCard(context);
+                    },
+                    childCount:
+                        items.length + (state.isLoadingBatch ? 1 : 0),
+                  ),
+                ),
+              ),
+            ],
+          );
         },
       ),
     );

lib/screens/library/project_tasks_screen.dart

@@ -55,11 +55,11 @@ class _ProjectTasksScreenState extends ConsumerState<ProjectTasksScreen> {
   }
 
   Color _parseColor(String? hex) {
-    if (hex == null || hex.isEmpty) return const Color(0xFF6366F1);
+    if (hex == null || hex.isEmpty) return const Color(0xFF7C3AED);
     try {
       return Color(int.parse(hex.replaceFirst('#', '0xFF')));
     } catch (_) {
-      return const Color(0xFF6366F1);
+      return const Color(0xFF7C3AED);
     }
   }
 
@@ -151,8 +151,10 @@ class _ProjectTasksScreenState extends ConsumerState<ProjectTasksScreen> {
     return RefreshIndicator(
       onRefresh: () async {
         setState(() => _pendingStatus.clear());
-        ref.invalidate(projectTasksProvider(widget.projectId));
-        ref.invalidate(projectMilestonesProvider(widget.projectId));
+        await Future.wait([
+          ref.refresh(projectTasksProvider(widget.projectId).future),
+          ref.refresh(projectMilestonesProvider(widget.projectId).future),
+        ]);
       },
       child: CustomScrollView(
         slivers: [

lib/screens/news/news_screen.dart

@@ -50,6 +50,34 @@ class _NewsScreenState extends ConsumerState<NewsScreen> {
     }
   }
 
+  Widget _buildNewsItem(NewsState news, int i, {int cols = 1}) {
+    if (i >= news.items.length) {
+      if (!news.hasMore) return const SizedBox.shrink();
+      return Padding(
+        padding: const EdgeInsets.symmetric(vertical: 8),
+        child: Center(
+          child: news.loadingMore
+              ? const CircularProgressIndicator()
+              : FilledButton.tonal(
+                  onPressed: _loadMore,
+                  child: const Text('Load more'),
+                ),
+        ),
+      );
+    }
+    final item = news.items[i];
+    return NewsCard(
+      item: RssItemMeta.fromNewsItem(item),
+      reaction: news.reactions[item.id],
+      snippetMaxLines: cols > 1 ? 5 : 2,
+      onReaction: (itemId, reaction) =>
+          ref.read(newsProvider.notifier).toggleReaction(itemId, reaction),
+      onDiscuss: _openingChat.contains(item.id)
+          ? null
+          : () => _handleDiscuss(item.id),
+    );
+  }
+
   @override
   Widget build(BuildContext context) {
     final newsAsync = ref.watch(newsProvider);
@@ -96,37 +124,61 @@ class _NewsScreenState extends ConsumerState<NewsScreen> {
             ),
             const Divider(height: 1),
             Expanded(
-              child: ListView.builder(
-                padding:
-                    const EdgeInsets.symmetric(horizontal: 8, vertical: 8),
-                itemCount: news.items.length + 1,
-                itemBuilder: (_, i) {
-                  if (i == news.items.length) {
-                    if (!news.hasMore) return const SizedBox.shrink();
-                    return Padding(
-                      padding: const EdgeInsets.symmetric(vertical: 8),
-                      child: Center(
-                        child: news.loadingMore
-                            ? const CircularProgressIndicator()
-                            : FilledButton.tonal(
-                                onPressed: _loadMore,
-                                child: const Text('Load more'),
+              child: RefreshIndicator(
+                onRefresh: () => ref.read(newsProvider.notifier).refresh(),
+                child: LayoutBuilder(
+                  builder: (context, constraints) {
+                    final cols = constraints.maxWidth >= 900
+                        ? 3
+                        : constraints.maxWidth >= 600
+                            ? 2
+                            : 1;
+                    if (cols == 1) {
+                      return ListView.builder(
+                        padding: const EdgeInsets.symmetric(
+                            horizontal: 8, vertical: 8),
+                        itemCount: news.items.length + 1,
+                        itemBuilder: (_, i) =>
+                            _buildNewsItem(news, i),
+                      );
+                    }
+                    return CustomScrollView(
+                      slivers: [
+                        SliverPadding(
+                          padding: const EdgeInsets.all(8),
+                          sliver: SliverGrid(
+                            gridDelegate:
+                                SliverGridDelegateWithFixedCrossAxisCount(
+                              crossAxisCount: cols,
+                              crossAxisSpacing: 8,
+                              mainAxisSpacing: 8,
+                              childAspectRatio: 1.6,
+                            ),
+                            delegate: SliverChildBuilderDelegate(
+                              (_, i) => _buildNewsItem(news, i, cols: cols),
+                              childCount: news.items.length,
+                            ),
+                          ),
+                        ),
+                        if (news.hasMore)
+                          SliverToBoxAdapter(
+                            child: Padding(
+                              padding:
+                                  const EdgeInsets.symmetric(vertical: 12),
+                              child: Center(
+                                child: news.loadingMore
+                                    ? const CircularProgressIndicator()
+                                    : FilledButton.tonal(
+                                        onPressed: _loadMore,
+                                        child: const Text('Load more'),
+                                      ),
                               ),
-                      ),
+                            ),
+                          ),
+                      ],
                     );
-                  }
-                  final item = news.items[i];
-                  return NewsCard(
-                    item: RssItemMeta.fromNewsItem(item),
-                    reaction: news.reactions[item.id],
-                    onReaction: (itemId, reaction) => ref
-                        .read(newsProvider.notifier)
-                        .toggleReaction(itemId, reaction),
-                    onDiscuss: _openingChat.contains(item.id)
-                        ? null
-                        : () => _handleDiscuss(item.id),
-                  );
-                },
+                  },
+                ),
               ),
             ),
           ],

lib/screens/projects/projects_screen.dart

@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ class ProjectsScreen extends ConsumerWidget {
         data: (projects) => projects.isEmpty
             ? const Center(child: Text('No projects yet.'))
             : RefreshIndicator(
-                onRefresh: () async => ref.invalidate(projectsProvider),
+                onRefresh: () => ref.read(projectsProvider.notifier).refresh(),
                 child: ListView.separated(
                   itemCount: projects.length,
                   separatorBuilder: (_, _) => const Divider(height: 1),

lib/widgets/chat_message_bubble.dart

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
 import 'package:flutter_markdown_plus/flutter_markdown_plus.dart';
 
 import '../data/models/message.dart';
+import 'tool_call_chip.dart';
 
 class ChatMessageBubble extends StatelessWidget {
   final Message message;
@@ -19,6 +20,12 @@ class ChatMessageBubble extends StatelessWidget {
     final isUser = message.role == MessageRole.user;
     final scheme = Theme.of(context).colorScheme;
     final isGenerating = message.status == 'generating';
+    final toolCalls = message.toolCalls ?? const [];
+
+    // An assistant bubble with no text, no tool calls, and still generating
+    // falls back to the spinner+status "waiting for the first token" view.
+    final showSpinnerOnly =
+        isGenerating && message.content.isEmpty && toolCalls.isEmpty;
 
     return Align(
       alignment: isUser ? Alignment.centerRight : Alignment.centerLeft,
@@ -29,7 +36,6 @@ class ChatMessageBubble extends StatelessWidget {
         margin: const EdgeInsets.symmetric(vertical: 4, horizontal: 4),
         decoration: isUser
             ? BoxDecoration(
-                // Ghost style: transparent bg, thin border
                 color: Colors.transparent,
                 border: Border.all(
                   color: scheme.primary.withValues(alpha: 0.35),
@@ -43,7 +49,6 @@ class ChatMessageBubble extends StatelessWidget {
                 ),
               )
             : BoxDecoration(
-                // Assistant: elevated surface + left accent border
                 color: scheme.surfaceContainerHighest,
                 border: Border(
                   left: BorderSide(color: scheme.primary, width: 2),
@@ -57,46 +62,102 @@ class ChatMessageBubble extends StatelessWidget {
               ),
         child: Padding(
           padding: const EdgeInsets.symmetric(horizontal: 12, vertical: 8),
-          child: isGenerating && message.content.isEmpty
-              ? Row(
+          child: showSpinnerOnly
+              ? _buildSpinner(scheme)
+              : Column(
+                  crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.start,
                   mainAxisSize: MainAxisSize.min,
                   children: [
-                    SizedBox(
-                      width: 16,
-                      height: 16,
-                      child: CircularProgressIndicator(
-                        strokeWidth: 2,
-                        color: scheme.onSurfaceVariant,
+                    // Accumulated tool-call chips: visible both during
+                    // streaming (fed live over SSE) and after reload (from
+                    // the persisted message.tool_calls array).
+                    if (toolCalls.isNotEmpty) ...[
+                      Wrap(
+                        spacing: 6,
+                        runSpacing: 6,
+                        children: [
+                          for (final tc in toolCalls) ToolCallChip(toolCall: tc),
+                        ],
                       ),
-                    ),
-                    if (streamingStatus.isNotEmpty) ...[
-                      const SizedBox(width: 8),
-                      Flexible(
-                        child: Text(
-                          streamingStatus,
-                          style: TextStyle(
-                            fontSize: 12,
-                            color: scheme.onSurfaceVariant,
-                            fontStyle: FontStyle.italic,
+                      const SizedBox(height: 6),
+                    ],
+                    // Rolling status line — shows backend stage text
+                    // ("Creating note", "Searching calendar") while the
+                    // model is between tool rounds or just before the
+                    // first token. Stays above any already-streamed text
+                    // so the user can see what's happening mid-turn.
+                    if (isGenerating && streamingStatus.isNotEmpty) ...[
+                      Row(
+                        mainAxisSize: MainAxisSize.min,
+                        children: [
+                          SizedBox(
+                            width: 12,
+                            height: 12,
+                            child: CircularProgressIndicator(
+                              strokeWidth: 1.5,
+                              color: scheme.onSurfaceVariant,
+                            ),
+                          ),
+                          const SizedBox(width: 6),
+                          Flexible(
+                            child: Text(
+                              streamingStatus,
+                              style: TextStyle(
+                                fontSize: 11,
+                                color: scheme.onSurfaceVariant,
+                                fontStyle: FontStyle.italic,
+                              ),
+                            ),
+                          ),
+                        ],
+                      ),
+                      const SizedBox(height: 6),
+                    ],
+                    if (message.content.isNotEmpty)
+                      MarkdownBody(
+                        data: message.content,
+                        styleSheet: MarkdownStyleSheet(
+                          p: TextStyle(
+                            color: isUser
+                                ? scheme.onSurface.withValues(alpha: 0.75)
+                                : scheme.onSurface,
+                            fontSize: 14,
                           ),
                         ),
                       ),
-                    ],
                   ],
-                )
-              : MarkdownBody(
-                  data: message.content.isEmpty ? '…' : message.content,
-                  styleSheet: MarkdownStyleSheet(
-                    p: TextStyle(
-                      color: isUser
-                          ? scheme.onSurface.withValues(alpha: 0.75)
-                          : scheme.onSurface,
-                      fontSize: 14,
-                    ),
-                  ),
                 ),
         ),
       ),
     );
   }
+
+  Widget _buildSpinner(ColorScheme scheme) {
+    return Row(
+      mainAxisSize: MainAxisSize.min,
+      children: [
+        SizedBox(
+          width: 16,
+          height: 16,
+          child: CircularProgressIndicator(
+            strokeWidth: 2,
+            color: scheme.onSurfaceVariant,
+          ),
+        ),
+        if (streamingStatus.isNotEmpty) ...[
+          const SizedBox(width: 8),
+          Flexible(
+            child: Text(
+              streamingStatus,
+              style: TextStyle(
+                fontSize: 12,
+                color: scheme.onSurfaceVariant,
+                fontStyle: FontStyle.italic,
+              ),
+            ),
+          ),
+        ],
+      ],
+    );
+  }
 }

lib/widgets/knowledge_item_card.dart

@@ -27,12 +27,24 @@ class KnowledgeItemCard extends StatelessWidget {
 
   String? get _subtitle {
     if (item.noteType == 'task') {
+      if (item.body.trim().isNotEmpty) {
+        final preview = item.body.trim().replaceAll('\n', ' ');
+        return preview.length > 200 ? '${preview.substring(0, 200)}…' : preview;
+      }
       if (item.dueDate != null) return 'Due ${item.dueDate}';
       return item.status;
     }
     if (item.body.trim().isEmpty) return null;
     final preview = item.body.trim().replaceAll('\n', ' ');
-    return preview.length > 120 ? '${preview.substring(0, 120)}…' : preview;
+    return preview.length > 200 ? '${preview.substring(0, 200)}…' : preview;
+  }
+
+  void _onTap(BuildContext context) {
+    if (item.noteType == 'task') {
+      context.push('/tasks/${item.id}/edit');
+    } else {
+      context.push('/notes/${item.id}');
+    }
   }
 
   @override
@@ -53,13 +65,64 @@ class KnowledgeItemCard extends StatelessWidget {
             )
           : null,
       trailing: item.tags.isNotEmpty ? _TagChips(tags: item.tags) : null,
-      onTap: () {
-        if (item.noteType == 'task') {
-          context.push('/tasks/${item.id}/edit');
-        } else {
-          context.push('/notes/${item.id}');
-        }
-      },
+      onTap: () => _onTap(context),
+    );
+  }
+
+  Widget buildGridCard(BuildContext context) {
+    final scheme = Theme.of(context).colorScheme;
+    final textTheme = Theme.of(context).textTheme;
+    return Card(
+      elevation: 0,
+      shape: RoundedRectangleBorder(
+        borderRadius: BorderRadius.circular(10),
+        side: BorderSide(color: scheme.outlineVariant),
+      ),
+      child: InkWell(
+        borderRadius: BorderRadius.circular(10),
+        onTap: () => _onTap(context),
+        child: Padding(
+          padding: const EdgeInsets.all(12),
+          child: Column(
+            crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.start,
+            children: [
+              Row(
+                children: [
+                  Icon(_icon, size: 18, color: _statusColor(context)),
+                  const SizedBox(width: 8),
+                  Expanded(
+                    child: Text(
+                      item.title.isEmpty ? '(untitled)' : item.title,
+                      maxLines: 2,
+                      overflow: TextOverflow.ellipsis,
+                      style: textTheme.titleSmall
+                          ?.copyWith(fontWeight: FontWeight.w600),
+                    ),
+                  ),
+                ],
+              ),
+              if (_subtitle != null) ...[
+                const SizedBox(height: 8),
+                Expanded(
+                  child: Text(
+                    _subtitle!,
+                    overflow: TextOverflow.ellipsis,
+                    maxLines: 4,
+                    style: textTheme.bodySmall?.copyWith(
+                      color: scheme.onSurfaceVariant,
+                      height: 1.4,
+                    ),
+                  ),
+                ),
+              ],
+              if (item.tags.isNotEmpty) ...[
+                const Spacer(),
+                _TagChips(tags: item.tags),
+              ],
+            ],
+          ),
+        ),
+      ),
     );
   }
 }

lib/widgets/news_card.dart

@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ class NewsCard extends StatelessWidget {
   final String? reaction; // 'up' | 'down' | null
   final void Function(int itemId, String reaction) onReaction;
   final VoidCallback? onDiscuss;
+  final int snippetMaxLines;
 
   const NewsCard({
     super.key,
@@ -61,6 +62,7 @@ class NewsCard extends StatelessWidget {
     required this.reaction,
     required this.onReaction,
     this.onDiscuss,
+    this.snippetMaxLines = 2,
   });
 
   Future<void> _openUrl() async {
@@ -113,16 +115,20 @@ class NewsCard extends StatelessWidget {
               ],
             ),
             const SizedBox(height: 4),
-            // Title — tappable if URL present
+            // Title — tappable if URL present. Text stays in onSurface for
+            // contrast; the primary-colored underline carries the "this is a
+            // link" signal without tanking readability.
             GestureDetector(
               onTap: item.url.isNotEmpty ? _openUrl : null,
               child: Text(
                 item.title,
-                style: textTheme.bodyMedium?.copyWith(
+                style: textTheme.titleSmall?.copyWith(
                   fontWeight: FontWeight.w600,
-                  color: item.url.isNotEmpty ? scheme.primary : scheme.onSurface,
+                  color: scheme.onSurface,
+                  height: 1.3,
                   decoration: item.url.isNotEmpty ? TextDecoration.underline : null,
-                  decorationColor: scheme.primary,
+                  decorationColor: scheme.primary.withValues(alpha: 0.7),
+                  decorationThickness: 1.5,
                 ),
               ),
             ),
@@ -131,7 +137,7 @@ class NewsCard extends StatelessWidget {
               const SizedBox(height: 4),
               Text(
                 item.snippet,
-                maxLines: 2,
+                maxLines: snippetMaxLines,
                 overflow: TextOverflow.ellipsis,
                 style: textTheme.bodySmall?.copyWith(
                   color: scheme.onSurfaceVariant,

lib/widgets/tool_call_chip.dart

@@ -0,0 +1,181 @@
+import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
+import 'package:go_router/go_router.dart';
+
+import '../core/constants.dart';
+
+/// Human-readable labels for each backend tool. Kept in sync with
+/// `_TOOL_LABELS` in `fabledassistant/services/generation_task.py` so the
+/// mobile chips use the same wording as the web ToolCallCard status pills.
+const Map<String, String> _toolLabels = {
+  'create_note': 'Created note',
+  'update_note': 'Updated note',
+  'delete_note': 'Deleted note',
+  'create_task': 'Created task',
+  'update_task': 'Updated task',
+  'delete_task': 'Deleted task',
+  'read_note': 'Read note',
+  'list_notes': 'Listed notes',
+  'list_tasks': 'Searched tasks',
+  'search_notes': 'Searched notes',
+  'create_event': 'Created event',
+  'list_events': 'Searched calendar',
+  'search_events': 'Searched calendar',
+  'update_event': 'Updated event',
+  'delete_event': 'Removed event',
+  'list_calendars': 'Listed calendars',
+  'search_web': 'Searched the web',
+  'research_topic': 'Researched topic',
+  'search_images': 'Searched images',
+  'create_project': 'Created project',
+  'update_project': 'Updated project',
+  'list_projects': 'Listed projects',
+  'get_project': 'Read project',
+  'search_projects': 'Searched projects',
+  'create_milestone': 'Created milestone',
+  'update_milestone': 'Updated milestone',
+  'list_milestones': 'Listed milestones',
+  'set_rag_scope': 'Changed knowledge scope',
+  'calculate': 'Calculated',
+  'read_article': 'Read article',
+  'get_profile': 'Read profile',
+  'update_profile': 'Updated profile',
+  'update_person': 'Updated person',
+  'update_place': 'Updated place',
+  'add_task_log': 'Logged task progress',
+};
+
+IconData _iconFor(String fn) {
+  if (fn.contains('note')) return Icons.sticky_note_2_outlined;
+  if (fn.contains('task')) return Icons.check_circle_outline;
+  if (fn.contains('event') || fn.contains('calendar')) {
+    return Icons.event_outlined;
+  }
+  if (fn.contains('project')) return Icons.folder_outlined;
+  if (fn.contains('milestone')) return Icons.flag_outlined;
+  if (fn.contains('web') || fn.contains('research') || fn.contains('article')) {
+    return Icons.public;
+  }
+  if (fn.contains('image')) return Icons.image_outlined;
+  if (fn.contains('person') || fn.contains('profile')) {
+    return Icons.person_outline;
+  }
+  if (fn.contains('place')) return Icons.place_outlined;
+  if (fn.contains('rag') || fn.contains('scope')) return Icons.tune;
+  if (fn.contains('calculate')) return Icons.calculate_outlined;
+  return Icons.auto_awesome;
+}
+
+/// Pull the destination route for this tool call from its `result` payload,
+/// if the tool produced something we can navigate to. Returns `null` for
+/// read-only / no-target tools so the chip stays visible but non-tappable.
+///
+/// Backend tool results use the shape:
+///   `{success, type: "note"|"task"|"event"|"project"|..., data: {id, ...}}`
+/// which is defined alongside each tool handler (see
+/// `services/tools/notes.py`, `calendar.py`, etc.).
+String? _routeForToolCall(Map<String, dynamic> tc) {
+  final result = tc['result'];
+  if (result is! Map<String, dynamic>) return null;
+  if (result['success'] != true) return null;
+  final type = result['type'] as String?;
+  final data = result['data'];
+  if (type == null || data is! Map<String, dynamic>) return null;
+  final id = data['id'];
+  if (id is! int) return null;
+  switch (type) {
+    case 'note':
+      return Routes.noteDetail.replaceFirst(':id', '$id');
+    case 'task':
+      return Routes.taskEdit.replaceFirst(':id', '$id');
+    case 'event':
+    case 'event_updated':
+      // No single-event route on mobile — fall back to the calendar.
+      return Routes.calendar;
+    case 'project':
+      return Routes.projectTasks.replaceFirst(':id', '$id');
+    default:
+      return null;
+  }
+}
+
+/// Small status pill rendered inside an assistant message bubble for each
+/// tool invocation. Mirrors the web app's ToolCallCard header at a glance —
+/// icon + label + success/error tint — and, when the tool produced a
+/// navigable entity (note, task, event, project), tapping the chip opens it.
+class ToolCallChip extends StatelessWidget {
+  final Map<String, dynamic> toolCall;
+  const ToolCallChip({super.key, required this.toolCall});
+
+  @override
+  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
+    final scheme = Theme.of(context).colorScheme;
+    final function = (toolCall['function'] as String?) ?? 'tool';
+    final status = (toolCall['status'] as String?) ?? 'success';
+    final isError = status == 'error';
+    final label = _toolLabels[function] ?? function;
+
+    final route = isError ? null : _routeForToolCall(toolCall);
+
+    final bg = isError
+        ? scheme.errorContainer.withValues(alpha: 0.55)
+        : scheme.primary.withValues(alpha: 0.12);
+    final fg = isError ? scheme.onErrorContainer : scheme.primary;
+
+    // Pull the entity title from the result payload so the chip can show
+    // "Created note: Grocery List" instead of a generic label. Falls back
+    // to the generic label when the tool didn't return a titled entity.
+    String? entityTitle;
+    final result = toolCall['result'];
+    if (result is Map<String, dynamic>) {
+      final data = result['data'];
+      if (data is Map<String, dynamic>) {
+        final t = data['title'];
+        if (t is String && t.isNotEmpty) entityTitle = t;
+      }
+    }
+    final displayText =
+        entityTitle != null ? '$label: $entityTitle' : label;
+
+    final chip = Container(
+      padding: const EdgeInsets.symmetric(horizontal: 8, vertical: 4),
+      decoration: BoxDecoration(
+        color: bg,
+        borderRadius: BorderRadius.circular(10),
+        border: Border.all(color: fg.withValues(alpha: 0.35), width: 0.5),
+      ),
+      child: Row(
+        mainAxisSize: MainAxisSize.min,
+        children: [
+          Icon(_iconFor(function), size: 13, color: fg),
+          const SizedBox(width: 5),
+          Flexible(
+            child: Text(
+              displayText,
+              style: TextStyle(
+                fontSize: 11,
+                color: fg,
+                fontWeight: FontWeight.w500,
+              ),
+              overflow: TextOverflow.ellipsis,
+            ),
+          ),
+          if (route != null) ...[
+            const SizedBox(width: 4),
+            Icon(Icons.arrow_forward, size: 11, color: fg),
+          ],
+        ],
+      ),
+    );
+
+    if (route == null) return chip;
+    return Material(
+      color: Colors.transparent,
+      borderRadius: BorderRadius.circular(10),
+      child: InkWell(
+        borderRadius: BorderRadius.circular(10),
+        onTap: () => context.push(route),
+        child: chip,
+      ),
+    );
+  }
+}

lib/widgets/voice_mic_button.dart

@@ -5,51 +5,29 @@ import '../providers/voice_provider.dart';
 /// Animated mic button that reflects the current [VoiceMode].
 ///
 /// - idle: muted background, mic_none icon
-/// - recording: red with pulsing shadow ring
+/// - recording: red, pulses with live [amplitude] for real-time feedback
 /// - transcribing: indigo with spinner
 /// - playing: indigo with volume_up icon
-class VoiceMicButton extends StatefulWidget {
+class VoiceMicButton extends StatelessWidget {
   final VoiceMode mode;
   final bool voiceModeActive;
+  /// Live mic amplitude 0.0–1.0 while recording. Drives the button scale
+  /// and glow so the user has obvious feedback that audio is being picked
+  /// up. Ignored when not in [VoiceMode.recording].
+  final double amplitude;
   final VoidCallback? onTap;
 
   const VoiceMicButton({
     super.key,
     required this.mode,
     required this.voiceModeActive,
+    this.amplitude = 0.0,
     this.onTap,
   });
 
-  @override
-  State<VoiceMicButton> createState() => _VoiceMicButtonState();
-}
-
-class _VoiceMicButtonState extends State<VoiceMicButton>
-    with SingleTickerProviderStateMixin {
-  late AnimationController _pulseController;
-  late Animation<double> _pulseAnimation;
-
-  @override
-  void initState() {
-    super.initState();
-    _pulseController = AnimationController(
-      vsync: this,
-      duration: const Duration(milliseconds: 900),
-    )..repeat(reverse: true);
-    _pulseAnimation = Tween<double>(begin: 1.0, end: 1.25).animate(
-      CurvedAnimation(parent: _pulseController, curve: Curves.easeInOut),
-    );
-  }
-
-  @override
-  void dispose() {
-    _pulseController.dispose();
-    super.dispose();
-  }
-
   Color _bgColor(BuildContext context) {
     final cs = Theme.of(context).colorScheme;
-    return switch (widget.mode) {
+    return switch (mode) {
       VoiceMode.recording => const Color(0xFFEF4444),
       VoiceMode.transcribing || VoiceMode.playing => cs.primary,
       VoiceMode.idle => cs.surfaceContainerHighest,
@@ -58,11 +36,10 @@ class _VoiceMicButtonState extends State<VoiceMicButton>
 
   Widget _icon(BuildContext context) {
     final cs = Theme.of(context).colorScheme;
-    final iconColor = widget.mode == VoiceMode.idle
-        ? cs.onSurfaceVariant
-        : Colors.white;
+    final iconColor =
+        mode == VoiceMode.idle ? cs.onSurfaceVariant : Colors.white;
 
-    return switch (widget.mode) {
+    return switch (mode) {
       VoiceMode.transcribing => SizedBox(
           width: 18,
           height: 18,
@@ -78,14 +55,14 @@ class _VoiceMicButtonState extends State<VoiceMicButton>
 
   @override
   Widget build(BuildContext context) {
-    final isRecording = widget.mode == VoiceMode.recording;
+    final isRecording = mode == VoiceMode.recording;
 
     final button = Material(
       color: _bgColor(context),
       shape: const CircleBorder(),
       child: InkWell(
         customBorder: const CircleBorder(),
-        onTap: widget.onTap,
+        onTap: onTap,
         child: SizedBox(
           width: 40,
           height: 40,
@@ -96,22 +73,30 @@ class _VoiceMicButtonState extends State<VoiceMicButton>
 
     if (!isRecording) return button;
 
-    return AnimatedBuilder(
-      animation: _pulseAnimation,
-      builder: (_, child) => Container(
-        decoration: BoxDecoration(
-          shape: BoxShape.circle,
-          boxShadow: [
-            BoxShadow(
-              color: const Color(0xFFEF4444).withValues(alpha: 0.35),
-              blurRadius: 8 * _pulseAnimation.value,
-              spreadRadius: 2 * _pulseAnimation.value,
-            ),
-          ],
-        ),
-        child: child,
+    // Base pulse so silence still breathes (0.1 floor), scale + glow climb
+    // linearly with live amplitude.
+    final amp = amplitude.clamp(0.0, 1.0);
+    final pulse = 0.1 + amp * 0.9;
+
+    return AnimatedContainer(
+      duration: const Duration(milliseconds: 120),
+      curve: Curves.easeOut,
+      decoration: BoxDecoration(
+        shape: BoxShape.circle,
+        boxShadow: [
+          BoxShadow(
+            color: const Color(0xFFEF4444).withValues(alpha: 0.2 + pulse * 0.3),
+            blurRadius: 6 + pulse * 14,
+            spreadRadius: 1 + pulse * 5,
+          ),
+        ],
+      ),
+      child: AnimatedScale(
+        scale: 1.0 + pulse * 0.18,
+        duration: const Duration(milliseconds: 120),
+        curve: Curves.easeOut,
+        child: button,
       ),
-      child: button,
     );
   }
 }

pubspec.lock

@@ -804,10 +804,10 @@ packages:
     dependency: "direct main"
     description:
       name: record
-      sha256: "2e3d56d196abcd69f1046339b75e5f3855b2406fc087e5991f6703f188aa03a6"
+      sha256: d5b6b334f3ab02460db6544e08583c942dbf23e3504bf1e14fd4cbe3d9409277
       url: "https://pub.dev"
     source: hosted
-    version: "5.2.1"
+    version: "6.2.0"
   record_android:
     dependency: transitive
     description:
@@ -816,22 +816,30 @@ packages:
       url: "https://pub.dev"
     source: hosted
     version: "1.5.1"
-  record_darwin:
+  record_ios:
     dependency: transitive
     description:
-      name: record_darwin
-      sha256: e487eccb19d82a9a39cd0126945cfc47b9986e0df211734e2788c95e3f63c82c
+      name: record_ios
+      sha256: "8df7c136131bd05efc19256af29b2ba6ccc000ccc2c80d4b6b6d7a8d21a3b5a9"
       url: "https://pub.dev"
     source: hosted
-    version: "1.2.2"
+    version: "1.2.0"
   record_linux:
-    dependency: "direct overridden"
+    dependency: transitive
     description:
       name: record_linux
       sha256: c31a35cc158cd666fc6395f7f56fc054f31685571684be6b97670a27649ce5c7
       url: "https://pub.dev"
     source: hosted
     version: "1.3.0"
+  record_macos:
+    dependency: transitive
+    description:
+      name: record_macos
+      sha256: "084902e63fc9c0c224c29203d6c75f0bdf9b6a40536c9d916393c8f4c4256488"
+      url: "https://pub.dev"
+    source: hosted
+    version: "1.2.1"
   record_platform_interface:
     dependency: transitive
     description:
@@ -1165,6 +1173,14 @@ packages:
       url: "https://pub.dev"
     source: hosted
     version: "4.5.3"
+  vad:
+    dependency: "direct main"
+    description:
+      name: vad
+      sha256: ef6c8b12c5af7a6a519ff5684f074b8a2ac00c434705f544af379ea77bccd258
+      url: "https://pub.dev"
+    source: hosted
+    version: "0.0.7+1"
   vector_math:
     dependency: transitive
     description:

pubspec.yaml

@@ -28,13 +28,11 @@ dependencies:
   google_fonts: ^8.0.2
   flutter_timezone: ^5.0.2
   url_launcher: ^6.3.1
-  record: ^5.0.0
+  record: ^6.2.0
+  vad: ^0.0.7
   just_audio: ^0.9.39
   table_calendar: ^3.1.2
 
-dependency_overrides:
-  record_linux: ^1.3.0
-
 dev_dependencies:
   flutter_test:
     sdk: flutter

scripts/publish_apk_release.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+#
+# Publish a signed release APK to Forgejo.
+#
+# Finds the release matching $TAG (creating it if the CI job got here
+# before the UI did), then attaches the APK as a release asset.
+#
+# Required env:
+#   RELEASE_TOKEN  — Forgejo PAT with write:repository scope
+#   TAG            — release tag (e.g. v26.04.11)
+#   APK            — path to the built APK
+#
+# Optional env:
+#   FORGEJO_API    — defaults to the FabledApp repo API root
+#
+# Exits non-zero if the release can't be created or the asset upload
+# fails. Designed to be testable locally:
+#   RELEASE_TOKEN=... TAG=v0.0.1 APK=/tmp/test.apk bash -x scripts/publish_apk_release.sh
+set -euo pipefail
+
+: "${RELEASE_TOKEN:?RELEASE_TOKEN not set}"
+: "${TAG:?TAG not set}"
+: "${APK:?APK not set}"
+
+if [ ! -f "$APK" ]; then
+  echo "APK not found at $APK" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+API="${FORGEJO_API:-https://git.fabledsword.com/api/v1/repos/bvandeusen/FabledApp}"
+
+# jq isn't in the cirruslabs Flutter image, so we parse JSON with grep.
+# Fragile but bounded: we only care about the first "id": <n> field,
+# which is always the release id in Forgejo's responses for these
+# endpoints. If Forgejo ever adds a preceding id field, revisit.
+extract_id() {
+  echo "$1" | grep -oE '"id"[[:space:]]*:[[:space:]]*[0-9]+' | head -1 | grep -oE '[0-9]+'
+}
+
+# Look for an existing release (created via the UI or a prior run).
+# curl -f turns 4xx/5xx into non-zero so we can distinguish "not found"
+# (no release yet) from "auth broken" (real failure).
+existing=$(curl -fsS -H "Authorization: token $RELEASE_TOKEN" \
+  "$API/releases/tags/$TAG" 2>/dev/null || true)
+
+release_id=$(extract_id "$existing")
+
+if [ -z "$release_id" ]; then
+  echo "No existing release for $TAG — creating one..."
+  response=$(curl -fsS -X POST \
+    -H "Authorization: token $RELEASE_TOKEN" \
+    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
+    -d "{\"tag_name\": \"$TAG\", \"name\": \"$TAG\", \"body\": \"\"}" \
+    "$API/releases")
+  release_id=$(extract_id "$response")
+  if [ -z "$release_id" ]; then
+    echo "Failed to create release. API response:" >&2
+    echo "$response" >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+  echo "Created release $TAG (id=$release_id)."
+else
+  echo "Found existing release $TAG (id=$release_id). Attaching APK..."
+fi
+
+curl -fsS -X POST \
+  -H "Authorization: token $RELEASE_TOKEN" \
+  -F "attachment=@$APK" \
+  "$API/releases/$release_id/assets" > /dev/null
+
+echo "Done — $TAG is live at:"
+echo "https://git.fabledsword.com/bvandeusen/FabledApp/releases/tag/$TAG"

test/widget_test.dart

@@ -209,8 +209,8 @@ void main() {
       final event = CalendarEvent.fromJson(json);
       expect(event.id, equals(10));
       expect(event.title, equals('Team meeting'));
-      expect(event.startDt, equals(DateTime.parse('2026-04-07T09:00:00+00:00')));
-      expect(event.endDt, equals(DateTime.parse('2026-04-07T10:00:00+00:00')));
+      expect(event.startDt, equals(DateTime.parse('2026-04-07T09:00:00+00:00').toLocal()));
+      expect(event.endDt, equals(DateTime.parse('2026-04-07T10:00:00+00:00').toLocal()));
       expect(event.allDay, isFalse);
       expect(event.description, equals('Weekly sync'));
       expect(event.location, equals('Room 4'));