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+# Priority Console upgrade: compact cards and agent Chat
+
+Status: owner-approved, high-priority development requirement. Not implemented.
+These UI slices should lead the next development cycle after explicit owner resume.
+They do not override runtime safety gates or the current manual fleet pause.
+
+## Compact cards and detail modal
+
+Make card-based views a scanning layer rather than full-document readers. Apply
+a shared collapsed-height/max-height policy across data types, with consistent
+heights within each grid/view and responsive size variants. Do not squeeze tables,
+charts or conversations into an arbitrary universal card height.
+
+Show title, state, accountable agent, a two/three-line summary and important
+blockers or decisions. Clamp overflowing ordinary content with an explicit
+View details action. Critical warnings must remain identifiable and accessible;
+provide a concise warning summary and full detail rather than clipping it silently.
+Retain sensible quick actions such as approve/reject on collapsed cards, using
+existing evidence/revision/preview confirmation and authority checks.
+
+Clicking the card's detail affordance opens an accessible modal with complete
+content, evidence, linked conversations/tasks and contextual actions. Nested
+action buttons must not accidentally open the modal or trigger another mutation.
+Modal content may scroll. Preserve underlying view/filter/scroll and unsent input;
+support keyboard access, focus containment/restoration, Escape, labelled headings,
+mobile full-screen details and explicit stale/deleted-record states. Refresh must
+not replace unsaved edits or apply an action against an obsolete revision.
+
+Start with Work and Needs Your Attention, then cover remaining card-based views
+with the same pattern. Do not replace specialist views or create duplicate data.
+
+## Conversational Chat view
+
+Add Chat immediately below Overview in the sidebar. Default to the highest-level
+approved project coordinator, currently Session Manager, not a permanently
+hard-coded identity. Show an empty/explanatory state if none is configured; never
+create or activate an agent to satisfy the screen.
+
+Provide a familiar chronological message stream, composer and selector for every
+activated fleet identity. Persistently show Talking to…, identity, role, runtime
+availability and a distinct visual accent. Colour is supplementary: labels,
+avatars/initials and accessible contrast must also distinguish participants.
+
+Combine durable owner exchanges and publishable inter-agent exchanges involving
+the selected agent, preserving sender, recipient, thread/context and causal links.
+Clearly distinguish direct owner conversation from collapsible routine fleet
+traffic; replying must explicitly target the selected agent or named thread and
+never silently broadcast. Do not claim every harness transcript is available.
+Reuse existing owner-agent-chat/messages and formal Conversations audit view,
+not a parallel conversation database. Include links to tasks, approvals, images
+and supporting evidence. No private chain-of-thought or indiscriminate terminal,
+secret or private-file exposure.
+
+Stream publishable replies/progress only when the adapter supports it; otherwise
+show honest durable-message updates. Expose queued/delivered/being-handled/failed
+outcomes accurately: acknowledgement alone does not mean work is done. Preserve
+drafts per recipient, history on navigation/reload, reconnect deduplication and
+an explicit send destination. New arrivals must not force-scroll a user reading
+history. Keep the composer usable on mobile and by keyboard.
+
+Messages can be saved while paused without waking an agent. Future wake-on-message
+requires separately qualified reservations, budget, authority and owner-approved
+policy. Casual chat does not bypass an explicit approval or grant new authority.
+Use clearly labelled demo fixtures with no live APIs, not private fleet history.
+
+## Acceptance and delivery
+
+Use realistic long content, many senders, agent switches, interrupted delivery,
+stale records and pending owner decisions. Inspect desktop/mobile/keyboard flows
+in an actual browser and retain screenshots. Prove bounded collapsed layout,
+complete details, action correctness, focus restoration, preserved filters/drafts,
+safe refresh, accurate chat attribution and no launch on paused send.
+
+Existing backlog proposals remain authoritative. New high-priority slices cover
+compact cards/details, Chat presentation and independent browser qualification.
+Runtime wake safety remains a prerequisite for execution, not a reason to delay
+safe read-only/chat-intake UI development.
diff --git a/docs/TODO.md b/docs/TODO.md
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 # TORCH remaining work
 
+## Priority UI cycle: compact cards and agent Chat
+
+Owner-approved [Console UI spec](CONSOLE_CHAT_AND_COMPACT_CARDS_SPEC.md).
+Prioritize these after explicit owner resume, ahead of broad company expansion:
+`TASK-console-compact-details`, `TASK-console-agent-chat-ui` and
+`TASK-console-chat-cards-qualification`. Extend the existing high-priority
+`TASK-owner-agent-chat`; do not duplicate messaging or bypass paused wake policy.
+Proposals remain unassigned. Fleet startup is not authorized by this addition.
+
 ## Adaptive software company upgrade (owner-approved, 2026-10-01)
 
 The [integration plan](ADAPTIVE_COMPANY_INTEGRATION_PLAN.md) records scope,