Release v26.04.15.1 — Chat UI overhaul + silent gen fix

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

.forgejo/workflows/ci.yml

@@ -1,8 +1,12 @@
 # CI runs first; build only proceeds if all checks pass.
 #
-# Push to any branch: typecheck + lint + test
-# Push to dev:        gates + build :dev + :<sha>
-# Tag v* (release):   gates + build :latest + :<sha> + :<version>
+# Push to dev:       typecheck + lint + test + build :dev + :<sha>
+# Tag v* (release):  typecheck + lint + test + build :latest + :<sha> + :<version>
+#
+# 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 production image. Re-running CI 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.
@@ -11,6 +15,13 @@
 # PRs aren't triggered on purpose — this is a solo dev→main flow, so
 # gating on branch push is already enough.
 #
+# NOTE on the `if:` guards below: Forgejo Actions does not consistently
+# honor `on.push.branches` as a filter — merge commits landing on main
+# still trigger the workflow, producing redundant runs on the same SHA
+# that was already gated on dev. Every job therefore repeats the ref
+# check so main pushes trigger the workflow but every job skips
+# immediately (no runner time, no duplicate work).
+#
 # Required secrets (repo → Settings → Secrets → Actions):
 #   REGISTRY_USER   — your Forgejo username
 #   REGISTRY_TOKEN  — Forgejo PAT with write:packages scope
@@ -18,7 +29,7 @@ name: CI & Build
 
 on:
   push:
-    branches: [dev, main]
+    branches: [dev]
     tags: ["v*"]
     paths:
       - "src/**"
@@ -51,6 +62,8 @@ env:
 jobs:
   typecheck:
     name: TypeScript typecheck
+    # Skip on main merge-commit pushes — see workflow header comment.
+    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/dev' || startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/v')
     runs-on: ci-runner
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v6
@@ -77,6 +90,7 @@ jobs:
 
   lint:
     name: Python lint
+    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/dev' || startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/v')
     runs-on: ci-runner
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v6
@@ -88,6 +102,7 @@ jobs:
 
   test:
     name: Python tests
+    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/dev' || startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/v')
     runs-on: ci-runner
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v6
@@ -118,11 +133,10 @@ jobs:
     name: Build & push image
     needs: [typecheck, lint, test]
     # Build on dev branch pushes and version tag pushes only.
-    # main branch pushes run the gates for safety but do not build —
-    # the release tag (v*) is the sole trigger for a production image.
-    if: |
-      github.event_name == 'push' &&
-      (github.ref == 'refs/heads/dev' || startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/'))
+    # Mirrors the ref guard on the gate jobs above — main merge-commit
+    # pushes skip here too, so no production image is ever built from a
+    # raw main push (only from the v* tag the release creates).
+    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/dev' || startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/v')
     runs-on: ci-runner
     permissions:
       contents: read

alembic/versions/0039_add_rss_item_discussion_note.py

@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+"""Link rss_items to their discussion-summary note.
+
+Revision ID: 0039
+Revises: 0038
+Create Date: 2026-04-14
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import sqlalchemy as sa
+from alembic import op
+
+revision = "0039"
+down_revision = "0038"
+branch_labels = None
+depends_on = None
+
+
+def upgrade() -> None:
+    op.add_column(
+        "rss_items",
+        sa.Column("discussion_note_id", sa.BigInteger(), nullable=True),
+    )
+    op.create_foreign_key(
+        "fk_rss_items_discussion_note_id",
+        "rss_items",
+        "notes",
+        ["discussion_note_id"],
+        ["id"],
+        ondelete="SET NULL",
+    )
+
+
+def downgrade() -> None:
+    op.drop_constraint(
+        "fk_rss_items_discussion_note_id", "rss_items", type_="foreignkey"
+    )
+    op.drop_column("rss_items", "discussion_note_id")

docs/architecture.md

@@ -313,7 +313,7 @@ See [sso-oauth.md](sso-oauth.md) for provider-specific setup instructions.
 
 ### Tool Routing
 
-No separate intent router — the main model handles all tool routing directly via Ollama's structured tool-calling output. The model receives the full tool schema list and decides whether to call a tool or respond conversationally. A thinking-mode heuristic (`_should_think()`) detects complex prompts and enables extended reasoning.
+No separate intent router — the main model handles all tool routing directly via Ollama's structured tool-calling output. The model receives the full tool schema list and decides whether to call a tool or respond conversationally. Extended reasoning (`think=True`) is always on for qwen3-class models: content-based gating was tried but exposed tool-call template fragility on short tool-intent prompts.
 
 ### Tool Loop
 

frontend/src/api/client.ts

@@ -426,7 +426,9 @@ export async function deleteRssReaction(rssItemId: number): Promise<void> {
   return apiDelete(`/api/briefing/rss-reactions/${rssItemId}`);
 }
 
-export async function openArticleInChat(itemId: number): Promise<{ conversation_id: number }> {
+export async function openArticleInChat(
+  itemId: number,
+): Promise<{ conversation_id: number; assistant_message_id?: number; status?: string }> {
   return apiPost(`/api/chat/from-article/${itemId}`, {});
 }
 

frontend/src/assets/theme.css

@@ -54,6 +54,8 @@
   --page-max-width: 1200px;
   --page-padding-x: 1rem;
   --sidebar-width: 260px;
+  --chat-reading-width: min(1200px, 100%);
+  --chat-context-sidebar-width: 220px;
   --color-accent-warm: #b8860b;
   --color-accent-warm-light: #d4a017;
   --color-primary-solid: #7c3aed;

frontend/src/components/ChatInputBar.vue

@@ -1,8 +1,11 @@
 <script setup lang="ts">
-import { ref, computed, nextTick } from 'vue'
+import { ref, computed, nextTick, onMounted, onUnmounted } from 'vue'
 import { apiGet, transcribeAudio } from '@/api/client'
 import { useVoiceRecorder } from '@/composables/useVoiceRecorder'
 import { useSilenceDetector } from '@/composables/useSilenceDetector'
+import { useStreamingTts } from '@/composables/useStreamingTts'
+import { useVoiceAudio, setVoiceVolume } from '@/composables/useVoiceAudio'
+import { useListenMode } from '@/composables/useListenMode'
 import { useChatStore } from '@/stores/chat'
 import { useSettingsStore } from '@/stores/settings'
 import { useToastStore } from '@/stores/toast'
@@ -29,6 +32,32 @@ const emit = defineEmits<{
 const store = useChatStore()
 const settingsStore = useSettingsStore()
 const voiceEnabled = computed(() => settingsStore.voiceSttReady)
+const voiceTtsEnabled = computed(() => settingsStore.voiceTtsReady)
+
+// ── Streaming TTS (listen mode) ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+const listenMode = useListenMode()
+const audio = useVoiceAudio()
+const speakerPopoverOpen = ref(false)
+
+const tts = useStreamingTts({
+  streamingContent: computed(() => store.streamingContent),
+  streaming: computed(() => store.streaming),
+  enabled: computed(() => listenMode.value && voiceTtsEnabled.value),
+})
+
+function lastAssistantContent(): string {
+  const msgs = store.currentConversation?.messages ?? []
+  return [...msgs].reverse().find((m) => m.role === 'assistant')?.content ?? ''
+}
+
+function toggleListen() {
+  listenMode.value = !listenMode.value
+  if (listenMode.value) {
+    tts.speak(lastAssistantContent())
+  } else {
+    tts.stop()
+  }
+}
 
 // ── Core input ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 const messageInput = ref('')
@@ -114,6 +143,20 @@ const transcribingVoice = ref(false)
 const recorder = useVoiceRecorder()
 const silenceDetector = useSilenceDetector()
 
+// Live mic halo. A solid red disc sits behind the mic button and scales
+// with `silenceDetector.amplitude` (0..1 RMS, already amplified for
+// visibility). The button itself stays put so the mic icon is always
+// legible on top. 0.2 baseline breathes on silence; loud speech drives
+// the disc out to ~2.6× the button size with a softer radial fade.
+const micGlowStyle = computed(() => {
+  if (!recorder.recording.value) return { display: 'none' }
+  const pulse = 0.2 + Math.min(silenceDetector.amplitude.value, 1) * 0.8
+  return {
+    transform: `translate(-50%, -50%) scale(${1 + pulse * 1.6})`,
+    opacity: String(0.45 + pulse * 0.4),
+  }
+})
+
 async function toggleVoice() {
   if (transcribingVoice.value) return
   if (recorder.recording.value) {
@@ -159,6 +202,15 @@ async function stopRecording() {
   finally { transcribingVoice.value = false }
 }
 
+// ── Click-outside to dismiss speaker popover ──────────────────────────────────
+function onDocumentMousedown(e: MouseEvent) {
+  if (!speakerPopoverOpen.value) return
+  const target = e.target as HTMLElement | null
+  if (!target?.closest('.speaker-wrapper')) speakerPopoverOpen.value = false
+}
+onMounted(() => document.addEventListener('mousedown', onDocumentMousedown))
+onUnmounted(() => document.removeEventListener('mousedown', onDocumentMousedown))
+
 // ── Exposed interface ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 function focus() {
   inputEl.value?.focus()
@@ -230,23 +282,72 @@ defineExpose({ focus, prefill })
         class="input-textarea"
       ></textarea>
 
-      <!-- PTT mic -->
-      <button
-        v-if="voiceEnabled"
-        class="btn-icon btn-mic"
-        :class="{ 'mic-recording': recorder.recording.value, 'mic-transcribing': transcribingVoice }"
-        @click.prevent="toggleVoice"
-        :disabled="transcribingVoice || !store.chatReady"
-        :title="recorder.recording.value ? 'Click to stop (or wait for silence)' : 'Click to speak'"
-        :aria-label="recorder.recording.value ? 'Stop recording' : 'Start recording'"
-      >
+      <!-- Speaker / listen-mode popover -->
+      <div v-if="voiceTtsEnabled" class="speaker-wrapper">
+        <button
+          class="btn-icon btn-speaker"
+          :class="{ 'speaker-active': listenMode, 'speaker-busy': tts.speaking.value }"
+          @click="speakerPopoverOpen = !speakerPopoverOpen"
+          :title="listenMode ? 'Listen mode on' : 'Listen / volume'"
+          aria-label="Listen and volume settings"
+        >
+          <svg v-if="!tts.speaking.value" width="17" height="17" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="currentColor">
+            <path d="M3 9v6h4l5 5V4L7 9H3zm13.5 3c0-1.77-1.02-3.29-2.5-4.03v8.05c1.48-.73 2.5-2.25 2.5-4.02zM14 3.23v2.06c2.89.86 5 3.54 5 6.71s-2.11 5.85-5 6.71v2.06c4.01-.91 7-4.49 7-8.77s-2.99-7.86-7-8.77z"/>
+          </svg>
+          <svg v-else width="17" height="17" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="currentColor">
+            <path d="M18 12c0-1.77-1.02-3.29-2.5-4.03v2.21l2.45 2.45c.03-.2.05-.41.05-.63zm2.5 0c0 .94-.2 1.82-.54 2.64l1.51 1.51C21.8 14.82 22 13.43 22 12c0-4.28-2.99-7.86-7-8.77v2.06c2.89.86 5 3.54 5 6.71zM4.27 3L3 4.27 7.73 9H3v6h4l5 5v-6.73l4.25 4.25c-.67.52-1.42.93-2.25 1.18v2.06c1.38-.31 2.63-.95 3.69-1.81L19.73 21 21 19.73l-9-9L4.27 3zM12 4L9.91 6.09 12 8.18V4z"/>
+          </svg>
+        </button>
+        <div v-if="speakerPopoverOpen" class="speaker-popover">
+          <button
+            class="speaker-row speaker-row--toggle"
+            :class="{ 'speaker-row--active': listenMode }"
+            @click="toggleListen"
+          >
+            <span class="speaker-row-label">{{ listenMode ? 'Listening' : 'Read aloud' }}</span>
+            <span class="speaker-switch" :class="{ on: listenMode }"></span>
+          </button>
+          <div class="speaker-row">
+            <span class="speaker-row-label">Volume</span>
+            <input
+              type="range" min="0" max="1" step="0.05"
+              :value="audio.volume.value"
+              @input="setVoiceVolume(+($event.target as HTMLInputElement).value)"
+              class="speaker-volume-range"
+              aria-label="Volume"
+            />
+            <span class="speaker-volume-pct">{{ Math.round(audio.volume.value * 100) }}%</span>
+          </div>
+          <button
+            v-if="tts.speaking.value"
+            class="speaker-row speaker-row--stop"
+            @click="tts.stop()"
+          >
+            <svg width="12" height="12" viewBox="0 0 14 14" fill="currentColor"><rect width="14" height="14" rx="2"/></svg>
+            <span>Stop playback</span>
+          </button>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+
+      <!-- PTT mic (with live amplitude halo behind) -->
+      <div v-if="voiceEnabled" class="mic-wrapper">
+        <div class="mic-glow" :style="micGlowStyle" aria-hidden="true"></div>
+        <button
+          class="btn-icon btn-mic"
+          :class="{ 'mic-recording': recorder.recording.value, 'mic-transcribing': transcribingVoice }"
+          @click.prevent="toggleVoice"
+          :disabled="transcribingVoice || !store.chatReady"
+          :title="recorder.recording.value ? 'Click to stop (or wait for silence)' : 'Click to speak'"
+          :aria-label="recorder.recording.value ? 'Stop recording' : 'Start recording'"
+        >
         <svg v-if="!transcribingVoice" width="17" height="17" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="currentColor">
           <path d="M12 14c1.66 0 3-1.34 3-3V5c0-1.66-1.34-3-3-3S9 3.34 9 5v6c0 1.66 1.34 3 3 3zm-1-9c0-.55.45-1 1-1s1 .45 1 1v6c0 .55-.45 1-1 1s-1-.45-1-1V5zm6 6c0 2.76-2.24 5-5 5s-5-2.24-5-5H5c0 3.53 2.61 6.43 6 6.92V21h2v-3.08c3.39-.49 6-3.39 6-6.92h-2z"/>
         </svg>
         <svg v-else width="17" height="17" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="currentColor">
           <circle cx="12" cy="12" r="8" opacity="0.35"/><circle cx="12" cy="12" r="4"/>
         </svg>
-      </button>
+        </button>
+      </div>
 
       <!-- Abort (streaming) or Send -->
       <button
@@ -343,9 +444,50 @@ defineExpose({ focus, prefill })
 .btn-icon:hover { opacity: 1; }
 .btn-icon:disabled { opacity: 0.3; cursor: default; }
 
-.btn-mic.mic-recording { opacity: 1; color: #ef4444; }
+.btn-mic.mic-recording {
+  opacity: 1;
+  /* White icon sits on top of the red halo so it stays legible at any
+     pulse size. */
+  color: #fff;
+  position: relative;
+  z-index: 1;
+}
 .btn-mic.mic-transcribing { opacity: 0.5; }
 
+/* Mic wrapper + live amplitude halo. The glow is a filled red disc
+   absolutely positioned behind the button, scaled/faded by the
+   computed `micGlowStyle` so the user gets unmistakable feedback
+   that their voice is being picked up while the mic icon itself
+   stays put and readable on top. */
+.mic-wrapper {
+  position: relative;
+  display: inline-flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  justify-content: center;
+  flex-shrink: 0;
+}
+.mic-glow {
+  position: absolute;
+  top: 50%;
+  left: 50%;
+  width: 28px;
+  height: 28px;
+  border-radius: 50%;
+  background: radial-gradient(
+    circle,
+    rgba(239, 68, 68, 0.9) 0%,
+    rgba(239, 68, 68, 0.6) 55%,
+    rgba(239, 68, 68, 0) 100%
+  );
+  transform: translate(-50%, -50%) scale(1);
+  transform-origin: center;
+  pointer-events: none;
+  /* Smooth between amplitude samples (~100ms) so the pulse feels continuous
+     rather than stepping. */
+  transition: transform 0.12s ease-out, opacity 0.12s ease-out;
+  z-index: 0;
+}
+
 .note-picker-wrapper { position: relative; }
 .note-picker-dropdown {
   position: absolute;
@@ -418,4 +560,77 @@ defineExpose({ focus, prefill })
   flex-shrink: 0;
 }
 .btn-abort-inline:hover { border-color: #ef4444; color: #ef4444; }
+
+/* Speaker / listen-mode popover */
+.speaker-wrapper { position: relative; display: inline-flex; flex-shrink: 0; }
+.btn-speaker.speaker-active { opacity: 1; color: var(--color-primary); }
+.btn-speaker.speaker-busy { opacity: 1; color: #f59e0b; }
+.speaker-popover {
+  position: absolute;
+  bottom: calc(100% + 8px);
+  right: 0;
+  min-width: 220px;
+  background: var(--color-bg-card);
+  border: 1px solid var(--color-border);
+  border-radius: var(--radius-md);
+  box-shadow: 0 4px 16px var(--color-shadow);
+  padding: 0.35rem;
+  z-index: 30;
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  gap: 0.2rem;
+}
+.speaker-row {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 0.6rem;
+  padding: 0.45rem 0.6rem;
+  background: none;
+  border: none;
+  border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+  color: var(--color-text);
+  font-size: 0.85rem;
+  cursor: default;
+  text-align: left;
+  width: 100%;
+}
+.speaker-row--toggle { cursor: pointer; }
+.speaker-row--toggle:hover { background: var(--color-bg-secondary); }
+.speaker-row--active { color: var(--color-primary); }
+.speaker-row--stop {
+  cursor: pointer;
+  color: var(--color-text-muted);
+  justify-content: flex-start;
+}
+.speaker-row--stop:hover { color: #ef4444; background: var(--color-bg-secondary); }
+.speaker-row-label { flex: 1; }
+.speaker-volume-range { flex: 1; min-width: 0; }
+.speaker-volume-pct {
+  font-size: 0.75rem;
+  color: var(--color-text-muted);
+  min-width: 2.5rem;
+  text-align: right;
+}
+.speaker-switch {
+  position: relative;
+  width: 28px;
+  height: 16px;
+  border-radius: 9999px;
+  background: var(--color-border);
+  transition: background 0.15s;
+  flex-shrink: 0;
+}
+.speaker-switch::after {
+  content: '';
+  position: absolute;
+  top: 2px;
+  left: 2px;
+  width: 12px;
+  height: 12px;
+  border-radius: 50%;
+  background: var(--color-bg-card);
+  transition: transform 0.15s;
+}
+.speaker-switch.on { background: var(--color-primary); }
+.speaker-switch.on::after { transform: translateX(12px); }
 </style>

frontend/src/components/ChatPanel.vue

@@ -1,11 +1,6 @@
 <script setup lang="ts">
-import { ref, computed, watch, nextTick, onMounted } from 'vue'
+import { ref, computed, watch, nextTick, onMounted, onUnmounted } from 'vue'
 import { useChatStore } from '@/stores/chat'
-import { useSettingsStore } from '@/stores/settings'
-import { useStreamingTts } from '@/composables/useStreamingTts'
-import { useVoiceAudio, setVoiceVolume } from '@/composables/useVoiceAudio'
-import { useListenMode } from '@/composables/useListenMode'
-import { apiGet } from '@/api/client'
 import ChatMessage from '@/components/ChatMessage.vue'
 import ChatStreamingBubble from '@/components/ChatStreamingBubble.vue'
 import ChatInputBar from '@/components/ChatInputBar.vue'
@@ -34,33 +29,6 @@ const emit = defineEmits<{
 }>()
 
 const store = useChatStore()
-const settingsStore = useSettingsStore()
-
-// ── Voice / TTS ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-const voiceTtsEnabled = computed(() => settingsStore.voiceTtsReady)
-const listenMode = useListenMode()
-const audio = useVoiceAudio()
-const showVolumeSlider = ref(false)
-
-const tts = useStreamingTts({
-  streamingContent: computed(() => store.streamingContent),
-  streaming: computed(() => store.streaming),
-  enabled: computed(() => listenMode.value && voiceTtsEnabled.value),
-})
-
-function lastAssistantContent(): string {
-  const msgs = store.currentConversation?.messages ?? []
-  return [...msgs].reverse().find((m) => m.role === 'assistant')?.content ?? ''
-}
-
-function toggleListen() {
-  listenMode.value = !listenMode.value
-  if (listenMode.value) {
-    tts.speak(lastAssistantContent())
-  } else {
-    tts.stop()
-  }
-}
 
 // ── Scroll ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 const messagesEl = ref<HTMLElement | null>(null)
@@ -89,47 +57,6 @@ watch(() => store.streamingToolCalls, (calls) => {
 }, { deep: true })
 watch(() => store.streaming, (s) => { if (!s) _seenCalendarToolIdx.clear() })
 
-// ── RAG scope chip (full, non-briefing, non-workspace) ────────────────────────
-const projects = ref<{ id: number; title: string }[]>([])
-const scopeDropdownOpen = ref(false)
-const scopePulse = ref(false)
-
-const showScopeChip = computed(
-  () => props.variant === 'full' && !props.briefingMode && !props.projectId
-)
-
-const scopeLabel = computed(() => {
-  const id = store.ragProjectId
-  if (id === -1) return 'All notes'
-  if (id === null) return 'Orphan notes'
-  return projects.value.find((p) => p.id === id)?.title ?? `Project ${id}`
-})
-
-async function loadProjects() {
-  try {
-    const data = await apiGet<{ projects: { id: number; title: string }[] }>('/api/projects?status=active')
-    projects.value = data.projects ?? []
-  } catch {
-    projects.value = []
-  }
-}
-
-async function onScopeSelect(value: number | null) {
-  scopeDropdownOpen.value = false
-  const convId = store.currentConversation?.id
-  if (!convId) return
-  await store.updateRagScope(convId, value)
-  scopePulse.value = true
-  setTimeout(() => { scopePulse.value = false }, 600)
-}
-
-// Pulse when model-driven scope change fires
-watch(() => store.ragProjectId, () => {
-  if (!showScopeChip.value) return
-  scopePulse.value = true
-  setTimeout(() => { scopePulse.value = false }, 600)
-})
-
 // ── Note context (full variant — included / suggested / auto-injected notes) ──
 const includedNoteIds = ref<Set<number>>(new Set())
 const includedNotes = ref<{ id: number; title: string }[]>([])
@@ -190,11 +117,92 @@ function removeIncludedNote(noteId: number) {
   }
 }
 
-const hasContextSidebar = computed(
-  () => props.variant === 'full' && !props.briefingMode && !props.projectId &&
-    (autoInjectedNotes.value.length > 0 || includedNotes.value.length > 0 || suggestedNotes.value.length > 0)
+const contextCount = computed(
+  () => autoInjectedNotes.value.length + suggestedNotes.value.length + includedNotes.value.length
 )
 
+const hasContextData = computed(
+  () => props.variant === 'full' && !props.briefingMode && !props.projectId && contextCount.value > 0
+)
+
+// ── Narrow-viewport sidebar toggle ────────────────────────────────────────────
+const NARROW_BREAKPOINT = 1200
+const isNarrow = ref(typeof window !== 'undefined' && window.innerWidth < NARROW_BREAKPOINT)
+const sidebarOpen = ref(false)
+
+function onResize() {
+  isNarrow.value = window.innerWidth < NARROW_BREAKPOINT
+}
+onMounted(() => window.addEventListener('resize', onResize))
+onUnmounted(() => window.removeEventListener('resize', onResize))
+
+function toggleContextSidebar() {
+  sidebarOpen.value = !sidebarOpen.value
+}
+
+const hasContextSidebar = computed(() => hasContextData.value && sidebarOpen.value)
+
+// ── Collapsible sections (per-conversation, localStorage) ─────────────────────
+type SectionKey = 'auto' | 'suggested' | 'included'
+const collapsedSections = ref<Set<SectionKey>>(new Set())
+
+function storageKey(): string | null {
+  const id = store.currentConversation?.id
+  return id ? `fa_chat_ctx_collapsed_${id}` : null
+}
+
+function loadCollapsed() {
+  const key = storageKey()
+  if (!key) { collapsedSections.value = new Set(); return }
+  try {
+    const raw = localStorage.getItem(key)
+    if (!raw) { collapsedSections.value = new Set(); return }
+    const arr = JSON.parse(raw) as SectionKey[]
+    collapsedSections.value = new Set(arr)
+  } catch {
+    collapsedSections.value = new Set()
+  }
+}
+
+function saveCollapsed() {
+  const key = storageKey()
+  if (!key) return
+  try {
+    localStorage.setItem(key, JSON.stringify([...collapsedSections.value]))
+  } catch { /* ignore */ }
+}
+
+function toggleSection(key: SectionKey) {
+  const next = new Set(collapsedSections.value)
+  if (next.has(key)) next.delete(key)
+  else next.add(key)
+  collapsedSections.value = next
+  saveCollapsed()
+}
+
+watch(() => store.currentConversation?.id, () => loadCollapsed(), { immediate: true })
+
+// ── Empty-state (full variant, fresh/empty conversation) ─────────────────────
+const showEmptyState = computed(
+  () =>
+    props.variant === 'full'
+    && !props.briefingMode
+    && !props.projectId
+    && !store.streaming
+    && (store.currentConversation?.messages.length ?? 0) === 0
+)
+
+const recentConversations = computed(() => {
+  const currentId = store.currentConversation?.id
+  return store.conversations
+    .filter((c) => c.id !== currentId && c.message_count > 0)
+    .slice(0, 5)
+})
+
+function startVoiceMode() {
+  window.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent('voice:ptt-toggle'))
+}
+
 // ── Send ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 const inputBarRef = ref<InstanceType<typeof ChatInputBar> | null>(null)
 
@@ -271,8 +279,7 @@ async function handleSaveAsNote(messageId: number) {
 }
 
 // ── Lifecycle ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-onMounted(async () => {
-  if (showScopeChip.value) await loadProjects()
+onMounted(() => {
   if (props.autoFocus) nextTick(() => inputBarRef.value?.focus())
 })
 
@@ -306,13 +313,13 @@ function hasEarlierBriefingSlot(index: number): boolean {
   return false
 }
 
-defineExpose({ focus, prefill, send })
+defineExpose({ focus, prefill, send, contextCount, sidebarOpen, toggleContextSidebar, hasContextData })
 </script>
 
 <template>
   <!-- ═══════════════════════════════ FULL VARIANT ══════════════════════════════ -->
   <template v-if="variant === 'full'">
-    <div class="chat-body" :class="{ 'chat-body--has-sidebar': hasContextSidebar }">
+    <div class="chat-full">
       <!-- Message list -->
       <div ref="messagesEl" class="messages-container">
         <div class="messages-inner">
@@ -350,8 +357,27 @@ defineExpose({ focus, prefill, send })
               </button>
             </div>
           </template>
+          <div v-if="showEmptyState" class="chat-empty-state">
+            <h2 class="empty-greeting">What's on your mind?</h2>
+            <div v-if="recentConversations.length" class="empty-recent">
+              <div class="empty-section-label">Jump back in</div>
+              <router-link
+                v-for="conv in recentConversations"
+                :key="conv.id"
+                :to="`/chat/${conv.id}`"
+                class="empty-recent-item"
+              >
+                <span class="empty-recent-title">{{ conv.title || 'Untitled conversation' }}</span>
+                <span class="empty-recent-count">{{ conv.message_count }} msg</span>
+              </router-link>
+            </div>
+            <button class="empty-voice-btn" @click="startVoiceMode" title="Start in voice mode">
+              <span class="voice-icon">🎤</span>
+              <span>Start in voice mode</span>
+            </button>
+          </div>
           <p
-            v-if="!store.currentConversation?.messages.length && !store.streaming"
+            v-else-if="!store.currentConversation?.messages.length && !store.streaming"
             class="empty-msg"
           >Start a conversation.</p>
         </div>
@@ -360,114 +386,71 @@ defineExpose({ focus, prefill, send })
       <!-- Context sidebar (full, non-briefing, non-workspace) -->
       <aside v-if="hasContextSidebar" class="context-sidebar">
         <template v-if="autoInjectedNotes.length">
-          <div class="context-sidebar-header">Auto-included</div>
-          <div v-for="note in autoInjectedNotes" :key="note.id" class="context-note context-note-auto">
-            <router-link :to="`/notes/${note.id}`" class="context-note-name">{{ note.title }}</router-link>
-            <span
-              v-if="note.score != null"
-              class="context-note-score"
-              :class="{ 'score-high': note.score >= 0.75, 'score-medium': note.score >= 0.60 && note.score < 0.75, 'score-low': note.score < 0.60 }"
-            >{{ Math.round(note.score * 100) }}%</span>
-            <button class="context-note-remove" @click="excludeAutoNote(note.id)">&times;</button>
+          <button
+            class="context-sidebar-header"
+            :class="{ collapsed: collapsedSections.has('auto') }"
+            @click="toggleSection('auto')"
+          >
+            <svg class="chev" width="10" height="10" viewBox="0 0 10 10" fill="currentColor"><path d="M2 3l3 4 3-4z"/></svg>
+            <span>Auto-included</span>
+            <span class="section-count">{{ autoInjectedNotes.length }}</span>
+          </button>
+          <div v-show="!collapsedSections.has('auto')">
+            <div v-for="note in autoInjectedNotes" :key="note.id" class="context-note context-note-auto">
+              <span class="auto-pill" title="Auto-included by relevance">AUTO</span>
+              <router-link :to="`/notes/${note.id}`" class="context-note-name">{{ note.title }}</router-link>
+              <span
+                v-if="note.score != null"
+                class="context-note-score"
+                :class="{ 'score-high': note.score >= 0.75, 'score-medium': note.score >= 0.60 && note.score < 0.75, 'score-low': note.score < 0.60 }"
+              >{{ Math.round(note.score * 100) }}%</span>
+              <button class="context-note-remove" @click="excludeAutoNote(note.id)" title="Remove from context">&times;</button>
+            </div>
           </div>
         </template>
         <template v-if="suggestedNotes.length">
-          <div class="context-sidebar-header" :class="{ 'context-sidebar-header-gap': autoInjectedNotes.length }">Suggested</div>
-          <div v-for="note in suggestedNotes" :key="note.id" class="context-note context-note-suggested">
-            <router-link :to="`/notes/${note.id}`" class="context-note-name">{{ note.title }}</router-link>
-            <span
-              v-if="note.score != null"
-              class="context-note-score"
-              :class="{ 'score-high': note.score >= 0.75, 'score-medium': note.score >= 0.60 && note.score < 0.75, 'score-low': note.score < 0.60 }"
-            >{{ Math.round(note.score * 100) }}%</span>
-            <button class="context-note-add" @click="includeNote(note)" title="Add to context">+</button>
+          <button
+            class="context-sidebar-header"
+            :class="{ collapsed: collapsedSections.has('suggested'), 'context-sidebar-header-gap': autoInjectedNotes.length }"
+            @click="toggleSection('suggested')"
+          >
+            <svg class="chev" width="10" height="10" viewBox="0 0 10 10" fill="currentColor"><path d="M2 3l3 4 3-4z"/></svg>
+            <span>Suggested</span>
+            <span class="section-count">{{ suggestedNotes.length }}</span>
+          </button>
+          <div v-show="!collapsedSections.has('suggested')">
+            <div v-for="note in suggestedNotes" :key="note.id" class="context-note context-note-suggested">
+              <router-link :to="`/notes/${note.id}`" class="context-note-name">{{ note.title }}</router-link>
+              <span
+                v-if="note.score != null"
+                class="context-note-score"
+                :class="{ 'score-high': note.score >= 0.75, 'score-medium': note.score >= 0.60 && note.score < 0.75, 'score-low': note.score < 0.60 }"
+              >{{ Math.round(note.score * 100) }}%</span>
+              <button class="context-note-add" @click="includeNote(note)" title="Add to context">+</button>
+            </div>
           </div>
         </template>
         <template v-if="includedNotes.length">
-          <div class="context-sidebar-header" :class="{ 'context-sidebar-header-gap': autoInjectedNotes.length || suggestedNotes.length }">In Context</div>
-          <div v-for="note in includedNotes" :key="note.id" class="context-note context-note-included">
-            <router-link :to="`/notes/${note.id}`" class="context-note-name">{{ note.title }}</router-link>
-            <button class="context-note-remove" @click="removeIncludedNote(note.id)">&times;</button>
+          <button
+            class="context-sidebar-header"
+            :class="{ collapsed: collapsedSections.has('included'), 'context-sidebar-header-gap': autoInjectedNotes.length || suggestedNotes.length }"
+            @click="toggleSection('included')"
+          >
+            <svg class="chev" width="10" height="10" viewBox="0 0 10 10" fill="currentColor"><path d="M2 3l3 4 3-4z"/></svg>
+            <span>In Context</span>
+            <span class="section-count">{{ includedNotes.length }}</span>
+          </button>
+          <div v-show="!collapsedSections.has('included')">
+            <div v-for="note in includedNotes" :key="note.id" class="context-note context-note-included">
+              <router-link :to="`/notes/${note.id}`" class="context-note-name">{{ note.title }}</router-link>
+              <button class="context-note-remove" @click="removeIncludedNote(note.id)" title="Remove from context">&times;</button>
+            </div>
           </div>
         </template>
       </aside>
-    </div>
-
-    <!-- Input area (hidden when readOnly) -->
-    <div v-if="!readOnly" class="input-wrapper">
-      <!-- Scope chip -->
-      <div v-if="showScopeChip" class="scope-chip-row">
-        <div class="scope-chip-wrapper">
-          <button
-            class="scope-chip"
-            :class="{ pulse: scopePulse }"
-            @click="scopeDropdownOpen = !scopeDropdownOpen"
-            title="Change RAG scope"
-          >
-            <span class="scope-dot">⊙</span> {{ scopeLabel }}
-          </button>
-          <div v-if="scopeDropdownOpen" class="scope-dropdown">
-            <button class="scope-option" :class="{ active: store.ragProjectId === null }" @click="onScopeSelect(null)">Orphan notes only</button>
-            <button
-              v-for="p in projects"
-              :key="p.id"
-              class="scope-option"
-              :class="{ active: store.ragProjectId === p.id }"
-              @click="onScopeSelect(p.id)"
-            >{{ p.title }}</button>
-            <button class="scope-option" :class="{ active: store.ragProjectId === -1 }" @click="onScopeSelect(-1)">All notes</button>
-          </div>
-        </div>
-      </div>
-
-      <!-- Listen / volume controls -->
-      <div v-if="voiceTtsEnabled" class="voice-controls">
-        <div class="volume-wrapper">
-          <button
-            class="btn-voice"
-            :class="{ 'btn-voice--active': listenMode, 'btn-voice--busy': tts.speaking.value }"
-            @click="toggleListen"
-            :title="listenMode ? 'Stop auto-read' : 'Read responses aloud'"
-            aria-label="Toggle listen mode"
-          >
-            <svg v-if="!tts.speaking.value" width="17" height="17" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="currentColor">
-              <path d="M3 9v6h4l5 5V4L7 9H3zm13.5 3c0-1.77-1.02-3.29-2.5-4.03v8.05c1.48-.73 2.5-2.25 2.5-4.02zM14 3.23v2.06c2.89.86 5 3.54 5 6.71s-2.11 5.85-5 6.71v2.06c4.01-.91 7-4.49 7-8.77s-2.99-7.86-7-8.77z"/>
-            </svg>
-            <svg v-else width="17" height="17" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="currentColor">
-              <path d="M18 12c0-1.77-1.02-3.29-2.5-4.03v2.21l2.45 2.45c.03-.2.05-.41.05-.63zm2.5 0c0 .94-.2 1.82-.54 2.64l1.51 1.51C21.8 14.82 22 13.43 22 12c0-4.28-2.99-7.86-7-8.77v2.06c2.89.86 5 3.54 5 6.71zM4.27 3L3 4.27 7.73 9H3v6h4l5 5v-6.73l4.25 4.25c-.67.52-1.42.93-2.25 1.18v2.06c1.38-.31 2.63-.95 3.69-1.81L19.73 21 21 19.73l-9-9L4.27 3zM12 4L9.91 6.09 12 8.18V4z"/>
-            </svg>
-          </button>
-          <button
-            class="btn-voice btn-volume-icon"
-            @click="showVolumeSlider = !showVolumeSlider"
-            :title="`Volume: ${Math.round(audio.volume.value * 100)}%`"
-            aria-label="Volume"
-          >
-            <svg width="14" height="14" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="currentColor">
-              <path d="M3 9v6h4l5 5V4L7 9H3zm13.5 3c0-1.77-1.02-3.29-2.5-4.03v8.05c1.48-.73 2.5-2.25 2.5-4.02z"/>
-            </svg>
-          </button>
-          <div v-if="showVolumeSlider" class="volume-popup">
-            <input
-              type="range" min="0" max="1" step="0.05"
-              :value="audio.volume.value"
-              @input="setVoiceVolume(+($event.target as HTMLInputElement).value)"
-              class="volume-range"
-              aria-label="Volume"
-            />
-            <span class="volume-pct">{{ Math.round(audio.volume.value * 100) }}%</span>
-          </div>
-        </div>
-        <button
-          v-if="tts.speaking.value"
-          class="btn-voice"
-          @click="tts.stop()"
-          title="Stop playback"
-        >
-          <svg width="13" height="13" viewBox="0 0 14 14" fill="currentColor"><rect width="14" height="14" rx="2"/></svg>
-        </button>
-      </div>
 
+      <!-- Input area (hidden when readOnly) -->
+      <div v-if="!readOnly" class="input-wrapper">
       <!-- Unified input bar -->
       <ChatInputBar
         ref="inputBarRef"
@@ -476,6 +459,7 @@ defineExpose({ focus, prefill, send })
         @submit="onSubmit"
         @abort="store.cancelGeneration()"
       />
+      </div>
     </div>
   </template>
 
@@ -528,18 +512,31 @@ defineExpose({ focus, prefill, send })
 </template>
 
 <style scoped>
-/* ── Full variant layout ── */
-.chat-body {
+/* ── Full variant layout ──
+ * Single grid owns the reading column + context sidebar + input bar so
+ * messages and input bar share one centered reading track while the
+ * context sidebar spans the full height from header to bottom of view.
+ * Reading column is always centered (3-column grid: 1fr | content | 1fr).
+ * The context sidebar overlays the right gutter so it never shifts layout.
+ */
+.chat-full {
+  position: relative;
   flex: 1;
-  display: flex;
   min-height: 0;
+  display: grid;
+  grid-template-columns:
+    1fr
+    minmax(0, var(--chat-reading-width))
+    1fr;
+  grid-template-rows: minmax(0, 1fr) auto;
   overflow: hidden;
 }
 
 .messages-container {
-  flex: 1;
+  grid-column: 2;
+  grid-row: 1;
   overflow-y: auto;
-  padding: 1rem;
+  padding: 1rem 1rem 0.75rem;
   mask-image: linear-gradient(to bottom, transparent, black 20px, black calc(100% - 20px), transparent);
   -webkit-mask-image: linear-gradient(to bottom, transparent, black 20px, black calc(100% - 20px), transparent);
 }
@@ -558,31 +555,79 @@ defineExpose({ focus, prefill, send })
   opacity: 0.35;
 }
 
-/* Context sidebar */
+/* Context sidebar — overlays right gutter, never shifts reading column */
 .context-sidebar {
-  width: 200px;
-  min-width: 160px;
-  max-width: 220px;
+  position: absolute;
+  top: 0;
+  right: 0;
+  bottom: 0;
+  width: var(--chat-context-sidebar-width);
   border-left: 1px solid var(--color-border);
   padding: 0.75rem 0.5rem;
   overflow-y: auto;
   background: var(--color-bg-secondary);
   font-size: 0.78rem;
+  z-index: 2;
 }
 .context-sidebar-header {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 0.35rem;
+  width: 100%;
+  background: none;
+  border: none;
+  padding: 0.15rem 0.1rem;
+  font-family: inherit;
   font-size: 0.65rem;
   font-weight: 700;
   text-transform: uppercase;
   letter-spacing: 0.05em;
   color: var(--color-text-muted);
   margin-bottom: 0.35rem;
+  cursor: pointer;
+  text-align: left;
+}
+.context-sidebar-header:hover { color: var(--color-text); }
+.context-sidebar-header .chev {
+  transition: transform 0.15s ease;
+}
+.context-sidebar-header.collapsed .chev {
+  transform: rotate(-90deg);
+}
+.context-sidebar-header .section-count {
+  margin-left: auto;
+  color: var(--color-text-muted);
+  font-weight: 600;
+  background: var(--color-bg);
+  padding: 0.05rem 0.3rem;
+  border-radius: 8px;
 }
 .context-sidebar-header-gap { margin-top: 0.75rem; }
 .context-note {
   display: flex;
   align-items: center;
-  gap: 0.2rem;
+  gap: 0.25rem;
   margin-bottom: 0.25rem;
+  padding: 0.2rem 0.35rem;
+  border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+}
+.context-note-auto {
+  background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--color-text-muted) 8%, transparent);
+  opacity: 0.85;
+}
+.context-note-included {
+  background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--color-primary) 10%, transparent);
+  border-left: 2px solid var(--color-primary);
+}
+.auto-pill {
+  font-size: 0.55rem;
+  font-weight: 700;
+  letter-spacing: 0.05em;
+  padding: 0.05rem 0.3rem;
+  border-radius: 4px;
+  background: var(--color-bg);
+  color: var(--color-text-muted);
+  flex-shrink: 0;
 }
 .context-note-name {
   flex: 1;
@@ -616,8 +661,10 @@ defineExpose({ focus, prefill, send })
 .context-note-remove:hover { color: #ef4444; }
 .context-note-add:hover { color: var(--color-primary); }
 
-/* Input wrapper */
+/* Input wrapper — lives in the same reading column as messages */
 .input-wrapper {
+  grid-column: 2;
+  grid-row: 2;
   border-top: 1px solid var(--color-border);
   padding: 0.5rem 1rem 0.75rem;
   display: flex;
@@ -625,94 +672,6 @@ defineExpose({ focus, prefill, send })
   gap: 0.4rem;
 }
 
-/* Scope chip */
-.scope-chip-row { display: flex; }
-.scope-chip-wrapper { position: relative; }
-.scope-chip {
-  display: flex;
-  align-items: center;
-  gap: 0.3rem;
-  background: none;
-  border: 1px solid var(--color-border);
-  border-radius: 20px;
-  padding: 0.2rem 0.65rem;
-  font-size: 0.75rem;
-  color: var(--color-text-muted);
-  cursor: pointer;
-  transition: border-color 0.15s, color 0.15s;
-}
-.scope-chip:hover { border-color: var(--color-primary); color: var(--color-primary); }
-.scope-chip.pulse { animation: pulse-chip 0.6s ease; }
-@keyframes pulse-chip {
-  0%, 100% { border-color: var(--color-border); }
-  50% { border-color: var(--color-primary); color: var(--color-primary); box-shadow: 0 0 6px rgba(99,102,241,0.4); }
-}
-.scope-dot { font-size: 0.6rem; }
-.scope-dropdown {
-  position: absolute;
-  top: calc(100% + 4px);
-  left: 0;
-  min-width: 180px;
-  background: var(--color-bg-card);
-  border: 1px solid var(--color-border);
-  border-radius: var(--radius-md);
-  box-shadow: 0 4px 16px var(--color-shadow);
-  z-index: 20;
-  overflow: hidden;
-}
-.scope-option {
-  display: block;
-  width: 100%;
-  padding: 0.45rem 0.75rem;
-  text-align: left;
-  background: none;
-  border: none;
-  font-size: 0.85rem;
-  color: var(--color-text);
-  cursor: pointer;
-}
-.scope-option:hover { background: var(--color-bg-secondary); }
-.scope-option.active { color: var(--color-primary); font-weight: 600; }
-
-/* Voice controls */
-.voice-controls {
-  display: flex;
-  align-items: center;
-  gap: 0.2rem;
-}
-.volume-wrapper { position: relative; display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 0.1rem; }
-.btn-voice {
-  background: none;
-  border: none;
-  cursor: pointer;
-  color: var(--color-text-muted);
-  opacity: 0.65;
-  padding: 0.2rem;
-  display: flex;
-  align-items: center;
-  border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
-  transition: opacity 0.15s, color 0.15s;
-}
-.btn-voice:hover { opacity: 1; }
-.btn-voice--active { opacity: 1; color: var(--color-primary); }
-.btn-voice--busy { opacity: 1; color: #f59e0b; }
-.volume-popup {
-  position: absolute;
-  bottom: calc(100% + 8px);
-  left: 0;
-  background: var(--color-bg-card);
-  border: 1px solid var(--color-border);
-  border-radius: var(--radius-md);
-  padding: 0.5rem 0.75rem;
-  display: flex;
-  align-items: center;
-  gap: 0.5rem;
-  z-index: 20;
-  box-shadow: 0 4px 16px var(--color-shadow);
-}
-.volume-range { width: 80px; }
-.volume-pct { font-size: 0.75rem; color: var(--color-text-muted); white-space: nowrap; }
-
 /* Queued messages */
 .queued-message { opacity: 0.45; }
 .queued-bubble {
@@ -754,6 +713,108 @@ defineExpose({ focus, prefill, send })
   color: var(--color-accent-warm, #d4a017);
 }
 
+.chat-empty-state {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  align-items: stretch;
+  gap: 1.5rem;
+  padding: 3rem 1rem 2rem;
+  max-width: 520px;
+  margin: 0 auto;
+}
+
+.empty-greeting {
+  font-family: 'Fraunces', Georgia, serif;
+  font-style: italic;
+  font-weight: 400;
+  font-size: 1.75rem;
+  color: var(--color-accent-warm, #d4a017);
+  text-align: center;
+  margin: 0;
+}
+
+.empty-section-label {
+  font-size: 0.7rem;
+  font-weight: 600;
+  text-transform: uppercase;
+  letter-spacing: 0.08em;
+  color: var(--color-text-muted);
+  margin-bottom: 0.5rem;
+  padding-left: 0.25rem;
+}
+
+.empty-recent {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+}
+
+.empty-recent-item {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  justify-content: space-between;
+  gap: 0.75rem;
+  padding: 0.75rem 0.9rem;
+  border-radius: var(--radius-md, 10px);
+  border: 1px solid var(--color-border);
+  background: var(--color-bg-elevated, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.02));
+  color: var(--color-text);
+  text-decoration: none;
+  font-size: 0.9rem;
+  transition: border-color 0.15s ease, background 0.15s ease, transform 0.15s ease;
+}
+
+.empty-recent-item + .empty-recent-item {
+  margin-top: 0.4rem;
+}
+
+.empty-recent-item:hover {
+  border-color: var(--color-primary);
+  background: rgba(99, 102, 241, 0.05);
+  transform: translateX(2px);
+}
+
+.empty-recent-title {
+  overflow: hidden;
+  text-overflow: ellipsis;
+  white-space: nowrap;
+  flex: 1;
+  min-width: 0;
+}
+
+.empty-recent-count {
+  font-size: 0.7rem;
+  color: var(--color-text-muted);
+  font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;
+  flex-shrink: 0;
+}
+
+.empty-voice-btn {
+  display: inline-flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  justify-content: center;
+  gap: 0.6rem;
+  padding: 0.75rem 1.2rem;
+  border-radius: 999px;
+  border: 1px solid var(--color-border);
+  background: transparent;
+  color: var(--color-text);
+  font-size: 0.9rem;
+  cursor: pointer;
+  align-self: center;
+  transition: border-color 0.15s ease, background 0.15s ease, color 0.15s ease;
+}
+
+.empty-voice-btn:hover {
+  border-color: var(--color-primary);
+  background: linear-gradient(135deg, #6366f1, #4f46e5);
+  color: #fff;
+  box-shadow: 0 4px 16px rgba(99, 102, 241, 0.35);
+}
+
+.empty-voice-btn .voice-icon {
+  font-size: 1.05rem;
+}
+
 /* ── Widget variant ── */
 .widget-response {
   margin-top: 0.75rem;

frontend/src/composables/useSilenceDetector.ts

@@ -1,15 +1,54 @@
 import { ref, readonly } from 'vue'
 
 export interface SilenceDetectorOptions {
-  thresholdDb?: number       // default -40
-  silenceDurationMs?: number // default 1500
-  minRecordingMs?: number    // default 500
+  /**
+   * Absolute fallback silence threshold in dBFS, used during the first
+   * moments before any real speech has been observed. Once the session peak
+   * clears `dynamicArmDb` we switch to the dynamic threshold instead.
+   */
+  fallbackThresholdDb?: number // default -45
+  /** How many dB below the session peak counts as "silent" once armed. */
+  dropFromPeakDb?: number // default 15
+  /**
+   * Session peak must reach this level (dBFS) before dynamic thresholding
+   * kicks in. Until then the fallback threshold is used so we don't lock
+   * onto a noise-floor peak.
+   */
+  dynamicArmDb?: number // default -25
+  /** How long to wait at the start of recording before running silence checks. */
+  graceMs?: number // default 1500
+  silenceDurationMs?: number // default 2000
+  minRecordingMs?: number // default 500
 }
 
+/**
+ * Mic silence detector + live amplitude signal.
+ *
+ * Uses `getFloatTimeDomainData()` for honest linear RMS in [-1, 1] space,
+ * then derives dBFS for the silence threshold. The previous implementation
+ * ran RMS over `getByteFrequencyData` bytes — those bytes are already a
+ * dB-scaled quantity, so taking their RMS and re-log'ing it produced
+ * numbers that didn't line up with real dBFS and made any static threshold
+ * unpredictable.
+ *
+ * Silence threshold is dynamic: we track the session peak dBFS and treat
+ * "silent" as "current level is at least [dropFromPeakDb] below peak."
+ * This auto-calibrates to whatever mic and room the user is on. Until the
+ * peak climbs above [dynamicArmDb] we fall back to a conservative static
+ * threshold so a quiet room doesn't spin forever. A grace period at the
+ * start of the recording gives the user time to begin speaking before
+ * silence checks arm.
+ *
+ * `amplitude` is the raw linear RMS scaled ×5 and clamped to 1 so quiet
+ * speech still visibly moves UI that binds to it.
+ */
 export function useSilenceDetector(options: SilenceDetectorOptions = {}) {
   const {
-    thresholdDb = -40,
-    silenceDurationMs = 1500,
+    fallbackThresholdDb = -45,
+    dropFromPeakDb = 15,
+    dynamicArmDb = -25,
+    graceMs = 1500,
+    silenceDurationMs = 2000,
     minRecordingMs = 500,
   } = options
 
@@ -18,31 +57,43 @@ export function useSilenceDetector(options: SilenceDetectorOptions = {}) {
   let intervalId: ReturnType<typeof setInterval> | null = null
   let silenceMs = 0
   let startedAt = 0
+  let peakDb = -100
 
   function start(stream: MediaStream, onSilence: () => void): void {
     stop()
     audioCtx = new AudioContext()
     // Some browsers start AudioContext in "suspended" state — resume so
-    // getByteFrequencyData returns real values instead of all zeros.
+    // the analyser returns real values instead of all zeros.
     audioCtx.resume().catch(() => {})
     const source = audioCtx.createMediaStreamSource(stream)
     const analyser = audioCtx.createAnalyser()
-    analyser.fftSize = 256
+    analyser.fftSize = 1024
     source.connect(analyser)
 
-    const data = new Uint8Array(analyser.frequencyBinCount)
+    const samples = new Float32Array(analyser.fftSize)
     silenceMs = 0
     startedAt = Date.now()
+    peakDb = -100
 
     intervalId = setInterval(() => {
-      analyser.getByteFrequencyData(data)
-      const rms = Math.sqrt(data.reduce((s, v) => s + v * v, 0) / data.length) / 255
-      amplitude.value = rms
+      analyser.getFloatTimeDomainData(samples)
+      let sumSq = 0
+      for (let i = 0; i < samples.length; i++) sumSq += samples[i] * samples[i]
+      const rms = Math.sqrt(sumSq / samples.length)
+      amplitude.value = Math.min(rms * 5, 1)
 
-      const db = rms > 0 ? 20 * Math.log10(rms) : -100
-      if (db < thresholdDb) {
+      const db = rms > 1e-7 ? 20 * Math.log10(rms) : -100
+      if (db > peakDb) peakDb = db
+
+      const elapsed = Date.now() - startedAt
+      if (elapsed < graceMs) return
+
+      const threshold =
+        peakDb > dynamicArmDb ? peakDb - dropFromPeakDb : fallbackThresholdDb
+
+      if (db < threshold) {
         silenceMs += 100
-        if (silenceMs >= silenceDurationMs && Date.now() - startedAt >= minRecordingMs) {
+        if (silenceMs >= silenceDurationMs && elapsed >= minRecordingMs) {
           stop()
           onSilence()
         }
@@ -63,6 +114,7 @@ export function useSilenceDetector(options: SilenceDetectorOptions = {}) {
     }
     amplitude.value = 0
     silenceMs = 0
+    peakDb = -100
   }
 
   return { amplitude: readonly(amplitude), start, stop }

frontend/src/views/ChatView.vue

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 import { onMounted, onUnmounted, ref, computed, watch, nextTick } from "vue";
 import { useRoute, useRouter } from "vue-router";
 import { useChatStore } from "@/stores/chat";
+import { apiGet } from "@/api/client";
 import ChatPanel from "@/components/ChatPanel.vue";
 
 const route = useRoute();
@@ -10,6 +11,49 @@ const store = useChatStore();
 
 const summarizing = ref(false);
 const sidebarOpen = ref(false);
+const convSearchQuery = ref("");
+const headerKebabOpen = ref(false);
+const sidebarKebabOpen = ref(false);
+
+// ── RAG scope chip ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+const projects = ref<{ id: number; title: string }[]>([]);
+const scopeDropdownOpen = ref(false);
+const scopePulse = ref(false);
+
+const scopeLabel = computed(() => {
+  const id = store.ragProjectId;
+  if (id === -1) return "All notes";
+  if (id === null) return "Orphan notes";
+  return projects.value.find((p) => p.id === id)?.title ?? `Project ${id}`;
+});
+
+async function loadProjects() {
+  try {
+    const data = await apiGet<{ projects: { id: number; title: string }[] }>(
+      "/api/projects?status=active"
+    );
+    projects.value = data.projects ?? [];
+  } catch {
+    projects.value = [];
+  }
+}
+
+async function onScopeSelect(value: number | null) {
+  scopeDropdownOpen.value = false;
+  const id = store.currentConversation?.id;
+  if (!id) return;
+  await store.updateRagScope(id, value);
+  scopePulse.value = true;
+  setTimeout(() => { scopePulse.value = false; }, 600);
+}
+
+watch(
+  () => store.ragProjectId,
+  () => {
+    scopePulse.value = true;
+    setTimeout(() => { scopePulse.value = false; }, 600);
+  }
+);
 
 let prevConvId: number | null = null;
 
@@ -46,7 +90,12 @@ const groupedConversations = computed((): ConvGroup[] => {
   const buckets: Record<string, typeof store.conversations> = {};
   const order: string[] = [];
 
-  for (const conv of store.conversations) {
+  const q = convSearchQuery.value.trim().toLowerCase();
+  const filtered = q
+    ? store.conversations.filter((c) => (c.title || "").toLowerCase().includes(q))
+    : store.conversations;
+
+  for (const conv of filtered) {
     const d = new Date(conv.updated_at);
     let key: string;
     if (d >= startOfToday) {
@@ -69,6 +118,8 @@ const groupedConversations = computed((): ConvGroup[] => {
 
 onMounted(async () => {
   document.addEventListener("keydown", onGlobalKeydown);
+  document.addEventListener("mousedown", onDocumentMousedown);
+  loadProjects();
   await store.fetchConversations();
   if (convId.value) {
     if (store.currentConversation?.id !== convId.value) {
@@ -187,36 +238,35 @@ async function handleSummarize() {
   }
 }
 
-// ── Research modal ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-const showResearchModal = ref(false);
-const researchTopic = ref("");
 const chatPanelRef = ref<InstanceType<typeof ChatPanel> | null>(null);
 
-function toggleResearchModal() {
-  showResearchModal.value = !showResearchModal.value;
-  if (showResearchModal.value) {
-    researchTopic.value = "";
-    nextTick(() => {
-      const el = document.querySelector(".research-topic-input") as HTMLInputElement;
-      el?.focus();
-    });
-  }
+const contextCount = computed(() => chatPanelRef.value?.contextCount ?? 0);
+const contextSidebarOpen = computed(() => chatPanelRef.value?.sidebarOpen ?? false);
+function toggleContextSidebar() {
+  chatPanelRef.value?.toggleContextSidebar();
 }
 
-function submitResearch() {
-  const topic = researchTopic.value.trim();
-  if (!topic) return;
-  showResearchModal.value = false;
-  researchTopic.value = "";
-  // Prefill sends via ChatPanel — user sees it in the input, then it auto-submits
-  chatPanelRef.value?.send(`Research: ${topic}`);
+// ── Kebab dismissal ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+function onDocumentMousedown(e: MouseEvent) {
+  const target = e.target as HTMLElement | null;
+  if (headerKebabOpen.value && !target?.closest(".header-kebab-wrapper")) {
+    headerKebabOpen.value = false;
+  }
+  if (sidebarKebabOpen.value && !target?.closest(".sidebar-kebab-wrapper")) {
+    sidebarKebabOpen.value = false;
+  }
+  if (scopeDropdownOpen.value && !target?.closest(".scope-chip-wrapper")) {
+    scopeDropdownOpen.value = false;
+  }
 }
 
 // ── Keyboard ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 function onGlobalKeydown(e: KeyboardEvent) {
   if (e.key !== "Escape") return;
-  if (showResearchModal.value) {
-    showResearchModal.value = false;
+  if (headerKebabOpen.value || sidebarKebabOpen.value || scopeDropdownOpen.value) {
+    headerKebabOpen.value = false;
+    sidebarKebabOpen.value = false;
+    scopeDropdownOpen.value = false;
     return;
   }
   if (sidebarOpen.value) {
@@ -228,6 +278,7 @@ function onGlobalKeydown(e: KeyboardEvent) {
 
 onUnmounted(() => {
   document.removeEventListener("keydown", onGlobalKeydown);
+  document.removeEventListener("mousedown", onDocumentMousedown);
   if (prevConvId) {
     const conv = store.conversations.find((c) => c.id === prevConvId);
     if (conv && conv.message_count === 0) {
@@ -246,13 +297,35 @@ onUnmounted(() => {
     ></div>
     <aside class="chat-sidebar" :class="{ open: sidebarOpen }">
       <div class="sidebar-top-bar">
-        <button class="btn-new-conv" @click="newConversation">+ New Chat</button>
-        <button
-          class="btn-select-mode"
-          :class="{ active: selectMode }"
-          @click="toggleSelectMode"
-          title="Select conversations"
-        >Select</button>
+        <button class="btn-new-conv btn-new-conv--full" @click="newConversation">+ New Chat</button>
+        <div class="sidebar-search-row">
+          <input
+            v-model="convSearchQuery"
+            class="conv-search-input"
+            type="search"
+            placeholder="Search conversations…"
+            aria-label="Search conversations"
+          />
+          <div class="sidebar-kebab-wrapper">
+            <button
+              class="btn-kebab"
+              :class="{ active: sidebarKebabOpen }"
+              @click="sidebarKebabOpen = !sidebarKebabOpen"
+              aria-label="List actions"
+              title="List actions"
+            >
+              <svg width="18" height="18" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="currentColor">
+                <circle cx="12" cy="5" r="1.75"/><circle cx="12" cy="12" r="1.75"/><circle cx="12" cy="19" r="1.75"/>
+              </svg>
+            </button>
+            <div v-if="sidebarKebabOpen" class="kebab-menu">
+              <button
+                class="kebab-item"
+                @click="sidebarKebabOpen = false; toggleSelectMode()"
+              >{{ selectMode ? "Exit select mode" : "Select conversations" }}</button>
+            </div>
+          </div>
+        </div>
       </div>
 
       <div v-if="selectMode" class="bulk-bar">
@@ -304,6 +377,10 @@ onUnmounted(() => {
         <p v-if="!store.conversations.length" class="empty-msg">
           No conversations yet
         </p>
+        <p
+          v-else-if="convSearchQuery && !groupedConversations.length"
+          class="empty-msg"
+        >No matches for “{{ convSearchQuery }}”</p>
       </div>
     </aside>
 
@@ -319,40 +396,68 @@ onUnmounted(() => {
           </button>
           <h2>{{ store.currentConversation.title || "New Chat" }}</h2>
 
-          <!-- Research modal trigger -->
-          <div class="research-wrapper">
+          <div class="scope-chip-wrapper">
             <button
-              class="btn-attach"
-              @click="toggleResearchModal"
-              :disabled="store.streaming || !store.chatReady"
-              title="Research a topic"
+              class="scope-chip"
+              :class="{ pulse: scopePulse }"
+              @click="scopeDropdownOpen = !scopeDropdownOpen"
+              title="Change RAG scope"
             >
-              <svg width="18" height="18" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round">
-                <circle cx="11" cy="11" r="8"/><line x1="21" y1="21" x2="16.65" y2="16.65"/>
-              </svg>
+              <span class="scope-dot">⊙</span> {{ scopeLabel }}
             </button>
-            <div v-if="showResearchModal" class="research-modal">
-              <div class="research-modal-header">Research topic</div>
-              <input
-                class="research-topic-input"
-                v-model="researchTopic"
-                placeholder="e.g. quantum computing"
-                @keydown.enter="submitResearch"
-                @keydown.escape="showResearchModal = false"
-              />
-              <div class="research-modal-actions">
-                <button class="btn-research-cancel" @click="showResearchModal = false">Cancel</button>
-                <button class="btn-research-go" @click="submitResearch" :disabled="!researchTopic.trim()">Go</button>
-              </div>
+            <div v-if="scopeDropdownOpen" class="scope-dropdown">
+              <button
+                class="scope-option"
+                :class="{ active: store.ragProjectId === null }"
+                @click="onScopeSelect(null)"
+              >Orphan notes only</button>
+              <button
+                v-for="p in projects"
+                :key="p.id"
+                class="scope-option"
+                :class="{ active: store.ragProjectId === p.id }"
+                @click="onScopeSelect(p.id)"
+              >{{ p.title }}</button>
+              <button
+                class="scope-option"
+                :class="{ active: store.ragProjectId === -1 }"
+                @click="onScopeSelect(-1)"
+              >All notes</button>
             </div>
           </div>
 
           <button
-            v-if="store.currentConversation.messages.length"
-            class="btn-summarize"
-            @click="handleSummarize"
-            :disabled="summarizing || store.streaming"
-          >{{ summarizing ? "Summarizing..." : "Summarize as Note" }}</button>
+            v-if="contextCount > 0"
+            class="btn-context-toggle"
+            :class="{ active: contextSidebarOpen }"
+            @click="toggleContextSidebar"
+            :title="contextSidebarOpen ? 'Hide context panel' : 'Show context panel'"
+          >
+            <span class="context-icon">📎</span>
+            <span class="context-label">Context</span>
+            <span class="context-count-badge">{{ contextCount }}</span>
+          </button>
+
+          <div class="header-kebab-wrapper">
+            <button
+              class="btn-kebab"
+              :class="{ active: headerKebabOpen }"
+              @click="headerKebabOpen = !headerKebabOpen"
+              aria-label="Conversation actions"
+              title="Conversation actions"
+            >
+              <svg width="18" height="18" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="currentColor">
+                <circle cx="12" cy="5" r="1.75"/><circle cx="12" cy="12" r="1.75"/><circle cx="12" cy="19" r="1.75"/>
+              </svg>
+            </button>
+            <div v-if="headerKebabOpen" class="kebab-menu kebab-menu--right">
+              <button
+                class="kebab-item"
+                :disabled="!store.currentConversation.messages.length || summarizing || store.streaming"
+                @click="headerKebabOpen = false; handleSummarize()"
+              >{{ summarizing ? "Summarizing…" : "Summarize as Note" }}</button>
+            </div>
+          </div>
         </div>
 
         <ChatPanel
@@ -397,12 +502,12 @@ onUnmounted(() => {
 
 .sidebar-top-bar {
   display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
   gap: 0.5rem;
   padding: 0.75rem;
 }
 
 .btn-new-conv {
-  flex: 1;
   padding: 0.5rem;
   background: var(--color-primary);
   color: #fff;
@@ -412,23 +517,31 @@ onUnmounted(() => {
   font-size: 0.9rem;
   transition: box-shadow 0.15s, opacity 0.15s;
 }
+.btn-new-conv--full { width: 100%; }
 .btn-new-conv:hover {
   opacity: 0.9;
   box-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(129, 140, 248, 0.35);
 }
 
-.btn-select-mode {
-  background: none;
+.sidebar-search-row {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 0.35rem;
+}
+.conv-search-input {
+  flex: 1;
+  min-width: 0;
+  padding: 0.4rem 0.6rem;
   border: 1px solid var(--color-border);
   border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
-  color: var(--color-text-muted);
-  font-size: 0.82rem;
-  padding: 0.4rem 0.6rem;
-  cursor: pointer;
-  white-space: nowrap;
+  background: var(--color-bg);
+  color: var(--color-text);
+  font-size: 0.85rem;
+  outline: none;
+  font-family: inherit;
 }
-.btn-select-mode:hover,
-.btn-select-mode.active { border-color: var(--color-primary); color: var(--color-primary); }
+.conv-search-input:focus { border-color: var(--color-primary); }
+.conv-search-input::placeholder { color: var(--color-text-muted); }
 
 .bulk-bar {
   display: flex;
@@ -522,12 +635,12 @@ onUnmounted(() => {
   overflow: hidden;
 }
 
-/* ChatPanel fills the remaining space in chat-main */
+/* ChatPanel fills the remaining space in chat-main. Layout (grid vs
+ * flex) is owned by ChatPanel's own .chat-full root — don't force a
+ * display here or it overrides the grid. */
 .chat-panel-fill {
   flex: 1;
   min-height: 0;
-  display: flex;
-  flex-direction: column;
 }
 
 .chat-header {
@@ -548,87 +661,138 @@ onUnmounted(() => {
   min-width: 0;
 }
 
-.btn-summarize {
-  padding: 0.3rem 0.75rem;
-  background: var(--color-bg-secondary);
-  color: var(--color-text);
-  border: 1px solid var(--color-border);
-  border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
-  cursor: pointer;
-  font-size: 0.85rem;
-  white-space: nowrap;
-}
-.btn-summarize:hover:not(:disabled) {
-  background: var(--color-primary); color: #fff; border-color: var(--color-primary);
-}
-.btn-summarize:disabled { opacity: 0.6; cursor: default; }
-
-.btn-attach {
+/* Kebab button + dropdown menu — shared by header and sidebar */
+.btn-kebab {
   background: none;
   border: none;
   cursor: pointer;
   color: var(--color-text-muted);
-  opacity: 0.6;
-  padding: 0.2rem;
+  padding: 0.25rem;
   display: flex;
   align-items: center;
+  justify-content: center;
+  border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+  flex-shrink: 0;
 }
-.btn-attach:hover { opacity: 1; }
-.btn-attach:disabled { opacity: 0.25; cursor: default; }
+.btn-kebab:hover { color: var(--color-text); background: var(--color-bg-secondary); }
+.btn-kebab.active { color: var(--color-primary); }
 
-.research-wrapper { position: relative; }
-.research-modal {
+.header-kebab-wrapper,
+.sidebar-kebab-wrapper {
+  position: relative;
+}
+
+/* RAG scope chip (header) */
+.scope-chip-wrapper { position: relative; flex-shrink: 0; }
+.scope-chip {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 0.3rem;
+  background: none;
+  border: 1px solid var(--color-border);
+  border-radius: 20px;
+  padding: 0.2rem 0.65rem;
+  font-size: 0.75rem;
+  color: var(--color-text-muted);
+  cursor: pointer;
+  transition: border-color 0.15s, color 0.15s;
+}
+.scope-chip:hover { border-color: var(--color-primary); color: var(--color-primary); }
+.scope-chip.pulse { animation: pulse-chip 0.6s ease; }
+@keyframes pulse-chip {
+  0%, 100% { border-color: var(--color-border); }
+  50% {
+    border-color: var(--color-primary);
+    color: var(--color-primary);
+    box-shadow: 0 0 6px rgba(99, 102, 241, 0.4);
+  }
+}
+.scope-dot { font-size: 0.6rem; }
+.scope-dropdown {
   position: absolute;
-  top: calc(100% + 8px);
+  top: calc(100% + 4px);
   right: 0;
+  min-width: 200px;
+  background: var(--color-bg-card);
+  border: 1px solid var(--color-border);
+  border-radius: var(--radius-md);
+  box-shadow: 0 4px 16px var(--color-shadow);
+  z-index: 20;
+  overflow: hidden;
+}
+.scope-option {
+  display: block;
+  width: 100%;
+  padding: 0.45rem 0.75rem;
+  text-align: left;
+  background: none;
+  border: none;
+  font-size: 0.85rem;
+  color: var(--color-text);
+  cursor: pointer;
+}
+.scope-option:hover { background: var(--color-bg-secondary); }
+.scope-option.active { color: var(--color-primary); font-weight: 600; }
+
+/* Context toggle button (header) */
+.btn-context-toggle {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 0.3rem;
+  background: none;
+  border: 1px solid var(--color-border);
+  border-radius: 20px;
+  padding: 0.2rem 0.55rem;
+  font-size: 0.75rem;
+  color: var(--color-text-muted);
+  cursor: pointer;
+  flex-shrink: 0;
+  transition: border-color 0.15s, color 0.15s, background 0.15s;
+  font-family: inherit;
+}
+.btn-context-toggle:hover { border-color: var(--color-primary); color: var(--color-primary); }
+.btn-context-toggle.active {
+  background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--color-primary) 10%, transparent);
+  border-color: var(--color-primary);
+  color: var(--color-primary);
+}
+.context-icon { font-size: 0.85rem; line-height: 1; }
+.context-count-badge {
+  font-size: 0.65rem;
+  font-weight: 700;
+  background: var(--color-bg);
+  padding: 0.05rem 0.35rem;
+  border-radius: 8px;
+  color: var(--color-text);
+}
+
+.kebab-menu {
+  position: absolute;
+  top: calc(100% + 4px);
+  left: 0;
+  min-width: 180px;
   background: var(--color-bg-card);
   border: 1px solid var(--color-border);
   border-radius: var(--radius-md);
   box-shadow: 0 4px 20px var(--color-shadow);
-  padding: 0.75rem;
-  min-width: 280px;
+  padding: 0.25rem;
   z-index: 20;
 }
-.research-modal-header {
-  font-size: 0.8rem;
-  font-weight: 600;
-  color: var(--color-text-muted);
-  margin-bottom: 0.5rem;
-  text-transform: uppercase;
-  letter-spacing: 0.05em;
-}
-.research-topic-input {
+.kebab-menu--right { left: auto; right: 0; }
+.kebab-item {
+  display: block;
   width: 100%;
-  padding: 0.45rem 0.65rem;
-  border: 1px solid var(--color-border);
-  border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
-  background: var(--color-bg);
+  text-align: left;
+  background: none;
+  border: none;
   color: var(--color-text);
-  font-size: 0.9rem;
-  outline: none;
-  font-family: inherit;
-  box-sizing: border-box;
+  font-size: 0.85rem;
+  padding: 0.45rem 0.65rem;
+  border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+  cursor: pointer;
 }
-.research-topic-input:focus { border-color: var(--color-primary); }
-.research-modal-actions {
-  display: flex;
-  gap: 0.5rem;
-  margin-top: 0.5rem;
-  justify-content: flex-end;
-}
-.btn-research-cancel {
-  background: none; border: 1px solid var(--color-border);
-  border-radius: var(--radius-sm); padding: 0.3rem 0.65rem;
-  font-size: 0.85rem; cursor: pointer; color: var(--color-text-muted);
-}
-.btn-research-cancel:hover { border-color: var(--color-text-muted); }
-.btn-research-go {
-  background: var(--color-primary); color: #fff; border: none;
-  border-radius: var(--radius-sm); padding: 0.3rem 0.75rem;
-  font-size: 0.85rem; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 600;
-}
-.btn-research-go:disabled { opacity: 0.4; cursor: default; }
-.btn-research-go:not(:disabled):hover { opacity: 0.9; }
+.kebab-item:hover:not(:disabled) { background: var(--color-bg-secondary); color: var(--color-primary); }
+.kebab-item:disabled { opacity: 0.4; cursor: default; }
 
 .no-conversation {
   flex: 1;

src/fabledassistant/models/rss_feed.py

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 from datetime import datetime, timezone
 
-from sqlalchemy import ARRAY, DateTime, ForeignKey, Index, Integer, Text, UniqueConstraint
+from sqlalchemy import ARRAY, BigInteger, DateTime, ForeignKey, Index, Integer, Text, UniqueConstraint
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Mapped, mapped_column, relationship
 
 from fabledassistant.models import Base
@@ -66,6 +66,13 @@ class RssItem(Base):
     classified_at: Mapped[datetime | None] = mapped_column(
         DateTime(timezone=True), nullable=True
     )
+    # Note persisting the first-click discussion summary. Set by the article
+    # discussion pipeline once the seeded chat completes its first assistant
+    # reply; links back into RAG so re-discussing the same article lands the
+    # prior summary in context.
+    discussion_note_id: Mapped[int | None] = mapped_column(
+        BigInteger, ForeignKey("notes.id", ondelete="SET NULL"), nullable=True
+    )
 
     feed: Mapped["RssFeed"] = relationship(back_populates="items")
 

src/fabledassistant/routes/briefing.py

@@ -532,54 +532,21 @@ async def discuss_article(item_id: int):
     if get_buffer(conv_id) is not None:
         return jsonify({"error": "Generation already in progress"}), 409
 
-    # Three-layer cache: context_prepared (post-map-reduce) → content_full
-    # (raw trafilatura) → fresh fetch. Only the first miss pays the fetch
-    # cost; only a large uncached article pays the map-reduce cost. Repeat
-    # clicks on the same article skip straight to the chat turn.
-    from fabledassistant.services.article_context import prepare_article_context
-    from fabledassistant.services.rss import get_or_fetch_full_article
+    # Shared helper handles the three-layer cache (context_prepared →
+    # content_full → fresh fetch), writes the synthetic read_article tool
+    # exchange and the conversational seed user prompt into the conversation.
+    # The /news from-article route calls the same helper so behavior stays
+    # byte-identical across entry points.
+    from fabledassistant.services.article_context import (
+        EmptyArticleError,
+        seed_article_discussion,
+    )
 
     model = await get_setting(uid, "default_model", "") or ""
-
-    if item.context_prepared:
-        article_content = item.context_prepared
-    else:
-        raw_body = await get_or_fetch_full_article(item) or item.content or ""
-        article_content = await prepare_article_context(
-            item.title or "", item.url, raw_body, model,
-        )
-        if article_content:
-            async with async_session() as session:
-                fresh = await session.get(RssItem, item.id)
-                if fresh is not None:
-                    fresh.context_prepared = article_content
-                    await session.commit()
-
-    # Store synthetic assistant message with read_article tool result
-    synthetic_tool_calls = [{
-        "function": "read_article",
-        "arguments": {"url": item.url},
-        "result": {
-            "success": True,
-            "type": "article_content",
-            "url": item.url,
-            "content": article_content,
-            "truncated": False,
-        },
-    }]
-    await add_message(conv_id, "assistant", "", status="complete", tool_calls=synthetic_tool_calls)
-
-    # Conversational seed — invites a real discussion rather than asking for
-    # a one-shot summary. The model sees the article context in the tool
-    # result above and responds to this user turn as the start of an ongoing
-    # conversation the user will steer with follow-ups.
-    discuss_prompt = (
-        "I want to talk about this article. Start with a substantive summary "
-        "of what it's arguing and the key evidence it uses, then tell me what "
-        "stood out to you or seems worth pushing back on. I'll ask follow-ups "
-        "from there."
-    )
-    await add_message(conv_id, "user", discuss_prompt)
+    try:
+        discuss_prompt = await seed_article_discussion(conv_id, item, model)
+    except EmptyArticleError as e:
+        return jsonify({"error": str(e)}), 422
 
     # Reload conversation with fresh messages to build history
     conv = await get_conversation(uid, conv_id)

src/fabledassistant/routes/chat.py

@@ -510,47 +510,78 @@ async def delete_model_route():
 @chat_bp.route("/from-article/<int:item_id>", methods=["POST"])
 @login_required
 async def create_conversation_from_article(item_id: int):
-    """Create a chat conversation seeded with an RSS article's content."""
+    """Create a chat conversation seeded for article discussion and auto-run.
+
+    Mirrors the briefing ``discuss_article`` route: creates a fresh
+    conversation, stages the shared synthetic read_article exchange + seed
+    prompt, then kicks off generation so the client lands on an in-flight
+    stream. The Flutter and web chat screens reconnect to the running buffer
+    on mount.
+    """
     from sqlalchemy import select as _select
     from fabledassistant.models import async_session as _async_session
-    from fabledassistant.models.conversation import Message
     from fabledassistant.models.rss_feed import RssItem, RssFeed
+    from fabledassistant.services.article_context import (
+        EmptyArticleError,
+        seed_article_discussion,
+    )
 
     uid = get_current_user_id()
 
     async with _async_session() as session:
         result = await session.execute(
-            _select(RssItem, RssFeed.title.label("feed_title"))
+            _select(RssItem)
             .join(RssFeed, RssItem.feed_id == RssFeed.id)
             .where(RssItem.id == item_id, RssFeed.user_id == uid)
         )
-        row = result.first()
+        item = result.scalars().first()
 
-    if row is None:
+    if item is None:
         return jsonify({"error": "Article not found"}), 404
 
-    item, feed_title = row
-
     conv_title = (item.title or "Article discussion")[:80]
     conv = await create_conversation(uid, title=conv_title, conversation_type="chat")
 
-    from fabledassistant.services.rss import _fetch_full_article
-    source = feed_title or "News"
-    content_body = (await _fetch_full_article(item.url) if item.url else None) or (item.content or "").strip()
-    seeded_text = f"**{source}**\n\n**{item.title}**"
-    if content_body:
-        seeded_text += f"\n\n{content_body}"
-    if item.url:
-        seeded_text += f"\n\nSource: {item.url}"
+    model = await get_setting(uid, "default_model", "") or Config.OLLAMA_MODEL
+    try:
+        discuss_prompt = await seed_article_discussion(conv.id, item, model)
+    except EmptyArticleError as e:
+        # Roll back the empty conversation so the user doesn't end up with a
+        # phantom entry in their chat list.
+        try:
+            await delete_conversation(uid, conv.id)
+        except Exception:
+            logger.warning("Failed to clean up empty article conversation %s", conv.id)
+        return jsonify({"error": str(e)}), 422
 
-    async with _async_session() as session:
-        msg = Message(
-            conversation_id=conv.id,
-            role="assistant",
-            content=seeded_text,
-            msg_metadata={"rss_item_ids": [item_id]},
-        )
-        session.add(msg)
-        await session.commit()
+    # Reload conversation so we see the two messages the helper just added.
+    conv = await get_conversation(uid, conv.id)
+    assert conv is not None
 
-    return jsonify({"conversation_id": conv.id}), 201
+    history: list[dict] = []
+    for msg in conv.messages:
+        if msg.role == "system":
+            continue
+        msg_dict: dict = {"role": msg.role, "content": msg.content or ""}
+        if msg.tool_calls:
+            msg_dict["tool_calls"] = [
+                {"function": {"name": tc["function"], "arguments": tc["arguments"]}}
+                for tc in msg.tool_calls
+            ]
+            history.append(msg_dict)
+            for tc in msg.tool_calls:
+                history.append({"role": "tool", "content": json.dumps(tc.get("result", {}))})
+        else:
+            history.append(msg_dict)
+
+    assistant_msg = await add_message(conv.id, "assistant", "", status="generating")
+    buf = create_buffer(conv.id, assistant_msg.id)
+    asyncio.create_task(run_generation(
+        buf, history, model, uid, conv.id, conv.title or "", discuss_prompt,
+    ))
+
+    return jsonify({
+        "conversation_id": conv.id,
+        "assistant_message_id": assistant_msg.id,
+        "status": "generating",
+    }), 202

src/fabledassistant/services/article_context.py

@@ -1,15 +1,21 @@
 """Prepare article bodies as conversation-ready context.
 
-Used by the briefing ``discuss-article`` flow. A raw trafilatura extraction
-is often too large to drop whole into a chat history without eating the
-context window, so this module runs a map-reduce step over oversized
-articles and returns a compact, structured context that still preserves the
-article's meaning across sections.
+Used by the briefing ``discuss-article`` flow and the ``/news`` discuss button.
+A raw trafilatura extraction is often too large to drop whole into a chat
+history without eating the context window, so this module runs a map-reduce
+step over oversized articles and returns a compact, structured context that
+still preserves the article's meaning across sections.
 
 Small articles pass through unchanged — map-reduce only fires when the raw
 body exceeds CHAR_BUDGET. The output is cached on ``rss_items.context_prepared``
 by the caller, so repeat discuss-clicks on the same article skip this work
 entirely.
+
+The module also owns ``seed_article_discussion``, the shared routine that
+stages a synthetic ``read_article`` tool exchange plus a conversational seed
+prompt into a conversation. Both the briefing and ``/news`` entry points call
+it so the two flows stay byte-identical — the only thing that differs between
+them is whether the conversation already existed or was freshly created.
 """
 
 from __future__ import annotations
@@ -18,6 +24,9 @@ import asyncio
 import logging
 import re
 
+from fabledassistant.models import async_session
+from fabledassistant.models.rss_feed import RssItem
+from fabledassistant.services.chat import add_message
 from fabledassistant.services.llm import generate_completion
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -159,3 +168,103 @@ async def prepare_article_context(
         for i, summary in enumerate(summaries)
     ]
     return header + "\n\n".join(parts)
+
+
+# Conversational seed prompt for article discussions. Kept here so both the
+# briefing and /news entry points use the exact same wording. See
+# feedback_discuss_prompt_style memory: numbered checklists produce
+# assignment-completion responses; this conversational seed opens a dialogue.
+ARTICLE_DISCUSS_SEED = (
+    "I want to talk about this article. Start with a substantive summary "
+    "of what it's arguing and the key evidence it uses, then tell me what "
+    "stood out to you or seems worth pushing back on. I'll ask follow-ups "
+    "from there."
+)
+
+
+class EmptyArticleError(Exception):
+    """Raised when an article has no extractable body text.
+
+    Callers (the briefing and /news discuss routes) map this to a 422 so the
+    user sees a clear error instead of a hallucinated summary built from an
+    empty synthetic tool result.
+    """
+
+
+async def seed_article_discussion(
+    conv_id: int,
+    item: RssItem,
+    model: str,
+) -> str:
+    """Stage the synthetic read_article tool exchange + conversational seed.
+
+    Used by both the briefing ``discuss_article`` route and the ``/news``
+    ``from-article`` conversation creator. Handles the three-layer cache
+    (``context_prepared`` → ``content_full`` → fresh fetch) and inserts two
+    messages into ``conv_id``:
+
+    1. An assistant message with a synthetic ``read_article`` tool_call whose
+       ``result.content`` carries the prepared article context. The message
+       also carries ``msg_metadata={"rss_item_id": ...}`` so the post-generation
+       hook in ``generation_task.py`` can locate it and persist the first
+       reply as a discussion-summary Note.
+    2. A user message with the shared conversational seed prompt.
+
+    Returns the seed prompt string so callers can pass it to ``run_generation``
+    as ``user_content``.
+    """
+    # Avoid circulars: rss helper imports article_context indirectly nowhere,
+    # but keep this local for symmetry with the route-level imports it
+    # replaces.
+    from fabledassistant.services.rss import get_or_fetch_full_article
+
+    if item.context_prepared:
+        article_content = item.context_prepared
+    else:
+        raw_body = await get_or_fetch_full_article(item) or item.content or ""
+        if not raw_body.strip():
+            # Hard-fail rather than stage an empty synthetic tool result.
+            # An empty `content` field silently tells the model "the article
+            # has nothing in it" and it confabulates from RAG/history. Better
+            # to surface a clean error to the user.
+            logger.warning(
+                "Article discussion aborted: empty body for rss_item %s (%s)",
+                item.id, item.url,
+            )
+            raise EmptyArticleError(
+                "Couldn't extract any readable text from this article."
+            )
+        article_content = await prepare_article_context(
+            item.title or "", item.url, raw_body, model,
+        )
+        if not article_content.strip():
+            raise EmptyArticleError(
+                "Couldn't extract any readable text from this article."
+            )
+        async with async_session() as session:
+            fresh = await session.get(RssItem, item.id)
+            if fresh is not None:
+                fresh.context_prepared = article_content
+                await session.commit()
+
+    synthetic_tool_calls = [{
+        "function": "read_article",
+        "arguments": {"url": item.url},
+        "result": {
+            "success": True,
+            "type": "article_content",
+            "url": item.url,
+            "content": article_content,
+            "truncated": False,
+        },
+    }]
+    await add_message(
+        conv_id,
+        "assistant",
+        "",
+        status="complete",
+        tool_calls=synthetic_tool_calls,
+        msg_metadata={"rss_item_id": item.id, "article_seed": True},
+    )
+    await add_message(conv_id, "user", ARTICLE_DISCUSS_SEED)
+    return ARTICLE_DISCUSS_SEED

src/fabledassistant/services/chat.py

@@ -187,6 +187,7 @@ async def add_message(
     context_note_id: int | None = None,
     status: str | None = None,
     tool_calls: list | None = None,
+    msg_metadata: dict | None = None,
 ) -> Message:
     async with async_session() as session:
         kwargs: dict = dict(
@@ -199,6 +200,8 @@ async def add_message(
             kwargs["status"] = status
         if tool_calls is not None:
             kwargs["tool_calls"] = tool_calls
+        if msg_metadata is not None:
+            kwargs["msg_metadata"] = msg_metadata
         msg = Message(**kwargs)
         session.add(msg)
         # Touch conversation updated_at

src/fabledassistant/services/generation_task.py

@@ -36,71 +36,84 @@ _TOOL_CALL_MARKER = re.compile(r"^\s*\[TOOL_CALLS\]\s*", re.IGNORECASE)
 
 DB_FLUSH_INTERVAL = 5.0  # seconds between partial DB flushes
 
-# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-# Thinking decision
-# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-#
-# `_should_think` is the single source of truth for whether a qwen3-class
-# model should engage chain-of-thought for a given request. Frontend callers
-# should NOT hardcode think=True — leave it False and let the classifier
-# decide from message content. An explicit think_requested=True still acts
-# as an override for callers (e.g. a future UI toggle or MCP client) that
-# want to force extended reasoning regardless of content.
-#
-# Why gate it: on qwen3:14b, thinking adds 5–20s of latency before the first
-# visible content token, and most conversational messages do not benefit.
-# Gating by content keeps quick chats fast while preserving reasoning depth
-# for prompts that actually need it.
-#
-# Models that don't support extended reasoning (e.g. llama3, mistral) simply
-# ignore the `think` parameter in the Ollama chat request, so the decision
-# here is harmless on non-thinking models.
 
+async def _maybe_save_article_discussion_note(
+    user_id: int, conv_id: int, reply_content: str,
+) -> None:
+    """Persist a seeded article-discussion's first reply as a Note.
 
-# Keywords that strongly suggest the user wants reasoning / analysis. Matched
-# case-insensitively as whole-ish phrases.
-_THINK_KEYWORDS: tuple[str, ...] = (
-    "why", "how does", "how do i", "how would", "how should",
-    "explain", "analyze", "analyse", "compare", "contrast",
-    "design", "architect", "architecture", "plan out", "strategize",
-    "debug", "diagnose", "troubleshoot", "root cause",
-    "review", "critique", "evaluate", "trade-off", "tradeoff", "trade off",
-    "pros and cons", "step by step", "walk me through",
-    "prove", "derive", "figure out", "work through",
-    "discuss",  # covers briefing /discuss-article + /discuss-topic entry points
-)
+    Fires after ``run_generation`` completes. Looks for a synthetic
+    read_article seed message on the conversation; if found AND the linked
+    ``rss_items`` row has no ``discussion_note_id`` yet, saves ``reply_content``
+    as a Note, tags it, and writes the backlink. Subsequent discuss clicks on
+    the same article are a no-op (already linked).
 
-# Messages shorter than this and without any think-keyword are treated as
-# simple/conversational and skip the thinking phase.
-_SHORT_MESSAGE_CHARS = 80
-
-# Messages longer than this are treated as substantive regardless of keywords.
-_LONG_MESSAGE_CHARS = 400
-
-
-def _should_think(user_content: str, think_requested: bool) -> bool:
-    """Return whether extended thinking should be used for this request.
-
-    ``think_requested`` acts as an explicit override: if True, thinking is
-    forced on regardless of content. If False (the default), the decision is
-    made by inspecting the message: long or keyword-bearing messages get
-    thinking; short conversational messages skip it.
+    Failures are logged and swallowed — the chat UI should never break because
+    Note persistence hit a snag.
     """
-    if think_requested:
-        return True
-    text = (user_content or "").strip()
-    if not text:
-        return False
-    if len(text) >= _LONG_MESSAGE_CHARS:
-        return True
-    lowered = text.lower()
-    if any(kw in lowered for kw in _THINK_KEYWORDS):
-        return True
-    if len(text) < _SHORT_MESSAGE_CHARS:
-        return False
-    # Medium-length message with no obvious reasoning cue: default off.
-    return False
+    try:
+        if not reply_content or not reply_content.strip():
+            return
+        from sqlalchemy import select as _select
+        from fabledassistant.models.conversation import Message as _Message
+        from fabledassistant.models.rss_feed import RssItem as _RssItem
+        from fabledassistant.services.notes import create_note
 
+        async with async_session() as session:
+            result = await session.execute(
+                _select(_Message)
+                .where(_Message.conversation_id == conv_id)
+                .order_by(_Message.id.asc())
+            )
+            messages = result.scalars().all()
+            seed_meta = None
+            for m in messages:
+                meta = m.msg_metadata or {}
+                if meta.get("article_seed") and meta.get("rss_item_id"):
+                    seed_meta = meta
+                    break
+            if seed_meta is None:
+                return
+            item_id = int(seed_meta["rss_item_id"])
+            item = await session.get(_RssItem, item_id)
+            if item is None or item.discussion_note_id is not None:
+                return
+            article_title = (item.title or "Untitled article").strip()
+            article_url = item.url
+            article_topics = list(item.topics or [])
+
+        note_title = f"Article: {article_title}"[:200]
+        body_parts = [f"**Source:** {article_url}"] if article_url else []
+        body_parts.append(reply_content.strip())
+        note_body = "\n\n".join(body_parts)
+        tags = ["article-summary"] + [t for t in article_topics if t]
+        note = await create_note(
+            user_id=user_id,
+            title=note_title,
+            body=note_body,
+            tags=tags,
+            entity_meta={
+                "source": "article_discussion",
+                "rss_item_id": item_id,
+                "url": article_url,
+                "conversation_id": conv_id,
+            },
+        )
+
+        async with async_session() as session:
+            fresh = await session.get(_RssItem, item_id)
+            if fresh is not None and fresh.discussion_note_id is None:
+                fresh.discussion_note_id = note.id
+                await session.commit()
+        logger.info(
+            "Saved article-discussion summary as note %d for rss_item %d (conv %d)",
+            note.id, item_id, conv_id,
+        )
+    except Exception:
+        logger.warning(
+            "Failed to persist article-discussion note for conv %d",
+            conv_id, exc_info=True,
+        )
 
 # Human-readable labels for each tool, shown in the status indicator
 _TOOL_LABELS: dict[str, str] = {
@@ -289,11 +302,12 @@ async def run_generation(
     # Emit context event
     buf.append_event("context", {"context": context_meta})
 
-    # `_should_think` is authoritative — frontend callers pass think=False by
-    # default and let this classifier decide based on message content. An
-    # explicit think=True still forces on as an override.
+    # Always think on qwen3-class models: reasoning mode is the only reliable
+    # path for the tool-call template. Content-based gating was tried in 87fcaa6
+    # but exposed silent-generation failures on short tool-intent prompts, since
+    # the classifier had no way to tell that "create a task" needs a tool call.
     think_requested = think
-    think = _should_think(user_content, think_requested)
+    think = True
 
     t_start = time.monotonic()
     timing: dict = {
@@ -331,6 +345,14 @@ async def run_generation(
             buf.append_event("status", {"status": "Generating response..." if _round == 0 else "Composing response..."})
             t_stream = time.monotonic()
 
+            approx_msg_chars = sum(len(str(m.get("content", ""))) for m in messages)
+            round_content_start = len(buf.content_so_far)
+            round_output_tokens_start = timing.get("output_tokens") or 0
+            round_prompt_tokens_start = timing.get("prompt_tokens") or 0
+            logger.info(
+                "CTX_DIAG round_start conv=%d round=%d num_ctx=%d msgs=%d approx_chars=%d think=%s",
+                conv_id, _round, num_ctx, len(messages), approx_msg_chars, think,
+            )
             async for chunk in _stream_with_retry(messages, model, tools, think, num_ctx=num_ctx):
                 if buf.cancel_event.is_set():
                     cancelled = True
@@ -429,6 +451,21 @@ async def run_generation(
                         all_tool_calls.append(tool_record)
                         buf.append_event("tool_call", {"tool_call": tool_record})
 
+            round_content_added = len(buf.content_so_far) - round_content_start
+            round_output_tokens_added = (timing.get("output_tokens") or 0) - round_output_tokens_start
+            round_prompt_tokens = (timing.get("prompt_tokens") or 0) - round_prompt_tokens_start
+            headroom = num_ctx - round_prompt_tokens if round_prompt_tokens else None
+            is_silent = (
+                not round_tool_calls
+                and round_content_added == 0
+                and round_output_tokens_added > 0
+            )
+            logger.info(
+                "CTX_DIAG round_end conv=%d round=%d think=%s prompt_tokens=%d output_tokens=%d headroom=%s content_added=%d tool_calls=%d silent=%s",
+                conv_id, _round, think, round_prompt_tokens, round_output_tokens_added,
+                headroom, round_content_added, len(round_tool_calls), is_silent,
+            )
+
             timing["generation_ms"] = int((time.monotonic() - t_stream) * 1000)
 
             if cancelled:
@@ -463,6 +500,29 @@ async def run_generation(
         # Strip model artifacts from final content
         buf.content_so_far = _TOOL_CALL_MARKER.sub("", buf.content_so_far)
 
+        # Silent-generation safety net: the model burned output tokens but
+        # nothing landed in content or tool_calls (seen with qwen3:14b when
+        # its tool-call emission doesn't parse). Show a visible fallback so
+        # the user isn't staring at an empty bubble.
+        if (
+            not cancelled
+            and not buf.content_so_far.strip()
+            and not all_tool_calls
+            and (timing.get("output_tokens") or 0) > 0
+        ):
+            logger.warning(
+                "Silent generation for conv %d: output_tokens=%s but empty content "
+                "and no tool calls (model=%s)",
+                conv_id, timing.get("output_tokens"), model,
+            )
+            fallback = (
+                "I wasn't able to produce a usable response — the model generated "
+                "tokens that couldn't be parsed as content or a tool call. "
+                "Please try rephrasing, or try again."
+            )
+            buf.content_so_far = fallback
+            buf.append_event("chunk", {"chunk": fallback})
+
         # Final save
         logger.info("Generation complete for conv %d: content_length=%d, tool_calls=%d",
                      conv_id, len(buf.content_so_far), len(all_tool_calls))
@@ -526,6 +586,18 @@ async def run_generation(
         msg_count = len(non_system)
         should_gen_title = not conv_title or (msg_count > 0 and msg_count % 10 == 0)
 
+        # Persist article-discussion seed conversations as a Note on their
+        # first assistant reply. This makes "Discuss" summaries part of RAG
+        # so the knowledge base stops being amnesiac about articles the user
+        # has already engaged with. The hook detects a seeded conversation by
+        # finding a synthetic read_article assistant message whose
+        # msg_metadata carries ``article_seed: True`` and whose rss_items row
+        # has no discussion_note_id yet. Fire-and-forget so the done event
+        # lands immediately.
+        asyncio.create_task(_maybe_save_article_discussion_note(
+            user_id, conv_id, buf.content_so_far,
+        ))
+
         if should_gen_title:
             # Feed the title model the *raw* conversation turns only — never
             # the post-build_context ``messages`` list. ``build_context``

src/fabledassistant/services/llm.py

@@ -265,20 +265,31 @@ async def stream_chat_with_tools(
         ) as resp:
             await _raise_ollama_error(resp, model)
             accumulated_tool_calls: list[dict] = []
+            # Silent-generation diagnostic: if Ollama reports non-zero eval_count
+            # but we never yielded any thinking/content/tool_calls, something
+            # in the frames isn't landing in a field we read. Capture the last
+            # few frames so we can see what Ollama actually sent.
+            yielded_anything = False
+            recent_frames: list[str] = []
             async for line in resp.aiter_lines():
                 if not line.strip():
                     continue
+                if len(recent_frames) >= 5:
+                    recent_frames.pop(0)
+                recent_frames.append(line[:500])
                 data = json.loads(line)
                 msg = data.get("message", {})
 
                 # Thinking chunks (qwen3 chain-of-thought, only when think=True)
                 thinking = msg.get("thinking", "")
                 if thinking:
+                    yielded_anything = True
                     yield ChatChunk(type="thinking", content=thinking)
 
                 # Content chunks
                 chunk = msg.get("content", "")
                 if chunk:
+                    yielded_anything = True
                     yield ChatChunk(type="content", content=chunk)
 
                 # Collect tool calls from any message (some models
@@ -294,13 +305,21 @@ async def stream_chat_with_tools(
                             len(accumulated_tool_calls),
                             json.dumps(accumulated_tool_calls)[:500],
                         )
+                        yielded_anything = True
                         yield ChatChunk(type="tool_calls", tool_calls=accumulated_tool_calls)
                     else:
                         logger.debug("Ollama done with no tool calls")
+                    eval_count = data.get("eval_count") or 0
+                    if not yielded_anything and eval_count > 0:
+                        logger.warning(
+                            "Ollama silent generation: model=%s eval_count=%d but no "
+                            "thinking/content/tool_calls were yielded. Last frames: %s",
+                            model, eval_count, recent_frames,
+                        )
                     yield ChatChunk(
                         type="done",
                         prompt_tokens=data.get("prompt_eval_count"),
-                        output_tokens=data.get("eval_count"),
+                        output_tokens=eval_count,
                     )
                     break
 
@@ -724,18 +743,27 @@ async def build_context(
     orphan_only = rag_project_id is None
     effective_project_id = rag_project_id if (rag_project_id is not None and rag_project_id != -1) else None
 
-    try:
-        from fabledassistant.services.embeddings import semantic_search_notes
-        for score, note in await semantic_search_notes(
-            user_id, user_message, exclude_ids=search_exclude or None, limit=8,
-            project_id=effective_project_id,
-            orphan_only=orphan_only,
-        ):
-            found_scored.append((score, note))
-    except Exception:
-        logger.warning("Semantic note search failed, falling back to keyword search", exc_info=True)
+    # Skip RAG auto-injection on the first turn of a seeded article discussion.
+    # The article body is already the sole context the user wants — pulling in
+    # unrelated orphan notes tricks the model into summarizing those instead.
+    # Follow-up turns keep RAG on because by then the user's own messages drive
+    # the query rather than the generic seed prompt.
+    from fabledassistant.services.article_context import ARTICLE_DISCUSS_SEED
+    _skip_rag_for_article_seed = user_message.strip() == ARTICLE_DISCUSS_SEED
 
-    if not found_scored:
+    if not _skip_rag_for_article_seed:
+        try:
+            from fabledassistant.services.embeddings import semantic_search_notes
+            for score, note in await semantic_search_notes(
+                user_id, user_message, exclude_ids=search_exclude or None, limit=8,
+                project_id=effective_project_id,
+                orphan_only=orphan_only,
+            ):
+                found_scored.append((score, note))
+        except Exception:
+            logger.warning("Semantic note search failed, falling back to keyword search", exc_info=True)
+
+    if not found_scored and not _skip_rag_for_article_seed:
         keywords = _extract_keywords(user_message)
         if keywords:
             try:

tests/test_should_think.py

@@ -1,127 +0,0 @@
-"""Tests for the `_should_think` classifier.
-
-`_should_think` decides whether qwen3-class models should engage chain-of-
-thought for a given chat turn. It is the single source of truth: frontend
-callers pass `think_requested=False` by default and defer to this function,
-while explicit `think_requested=True` acts as an override for curated
-analytical entry points.
-
-These tests lock in the content-based behavior so future tweaks don't
-silently regress the short / long / keyword boundaries.
-"""
-
-import pytest
-
-from fabledassistant.services.generation_task import (
-    _LONG_MESSAGE_CHARS,
-    _SHORT_MESSAGE_CHARS,
-    _should_think,
-)
-
-
-class TestExplicitOverride:
-    def test_override_forces_on_for_empty(self):
-        assert _should_think("", think_requested=True) is True
-
-    def test_override_forces_on_for_short_greeting(self):
-        assert _should_think("hi", think_requested=True) is True
-
-    def test_override_forces_on_for_medium_no_keyword(self):
-        text = "just checking in on the status of things for the week"
-        assert _should_think(text, think_requested=True) is True
-
-
-class TestEmptyAndWhitespace:
-    def test_empty_string_off(self):
-        assert _should_think("", think_requested=False) is False
-
-    def test_none_content_off(self):
-        # _should_think defensively handles None content from upstream callers
-        assert _should_think(None, think_requested=False) is False  # type: ignore[arg-type]
-
-    def test_whitespace_only_off(self):
-        assert _should_think("   \n\t  ", think_requested=False) is False
-
-
-class TestShortMessages:
-    def test_short_greeting_off(self):
-        assert _should_think("hi", think_requested=False) is False
-
-    def test_short_thanks_off(self):
-        assert _should_think("thanks!", think_requested=False) is False
-
-    def test_short_acknowledgement_off(self):
-        assert _should_think("ok sounds good", think_requested=False) is False
-
-    def test_just_below_short_threshold_off(self):
-        text = "a" * (_SHORT_MESSAGE_CHARS - 1)
-        assert _should_think(text, think_requested=False) is False
-
-
-class TestLongMessages:
-    def test_at_long_threshold_on(self):
-        text = "a" * _LONG_MESSAGE_CHARS
-        assert _should_think(text, think_requested=False) is True
-
-    def test_well_above_long_threshold_on(self):
-        text = "x" * (_LONG_MESSAGE_CHARS * 3)
-        assert _should_think(text, think_requested=False) is True
-
-
-class TestMediumMessages:
-    def test_medium_no_keyword_off(self):
-        # Between the short and long thresholds with no reasoning cue.
-        text = "a" * ((_SHORT_MESSAGE_CHARS + _LONG_MESSAGE_CHARS) // 2)
-        assert _should_think(text, think_requested=False) is False
-
-
-class TestKeywordTriggers:
-    @pytest.mark.parametrize(
-        "text",
-        [
-            "why is this failing",
-            "how does caching work here",
-            "how do i configure this",
-            "explain the retry logic",
-            "analyze the latency breakdown",
-            "compare gemma3 vs qwen3 for tool use",
-            "please design the schema for X",
-            "debug this error",
-            "troubleshoot the connection issue",
-            "root cause the outage",
-            "review this PR",
-            "critique my approach",
-            "walk me through the flow",
-            "step by step instructions please",
-            "pros and cons of each option",
-            "help me figure out what's wrong",
-            "discuss this article",  # covers briefing /discuss entry points
-        ],
-    )
-    def test_keyword_forces_on(self, text):
-        assert _should_think(text, think_requested=False) is True
-
-    def test_keyword_case_insensitive(self):
-        assert _should_think("WHY does this break?", think_requested=False) is True
-
-    def test_keyword_in_longer_sentence(self):
-        text = "hey quick one — can you explain what caching does for qwen3"
-        assert _should_think(text, think_requested=False) is True
-
-
-class TestNonTriggers:
-    """Messages that look chatty and should NOT trigger thinking."""
-
-    @pytest.mark.parametrize(
-        "text",
-        [
-            "hey",
-            "yep",
-            "no worries",
-            "got it, thanks",
-            "good morning",
-            "remind me later",  # no reasoning keyword, short
-        ],
-    )
-    def test_chatty_messages_off(self, text):
-        assert _should_think(text, think_requested=False) is False