diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/AgentChat/ChatInput/toolbar/ToolbarActions.tsx b/frontend/src/app/pages/AgentChat/ChatInput/toolbar/ToolbarActions.tsx
index 7138ae55..fc8be109 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/pages/AgentChat/ChatInput/toolbar/ToolbarActions.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/AgentChat/ChatInput/toolbar/ToolbarActions.tsx
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ import StopIcon from '@mui/icons-material/Stop';
 import AttachFileIcon from '@mui/icons-material/AttachFile';
 import AdsClickIcon from '@mui/icons-material/AdsClick';
 import LanguageIcon from '@mui/icons-material/Language';
+import MicNoneOutlinedIcon from '@mui/icons-material/MicNoneOutlined';
+import { useVoice } from '@/shared/voice/VoiceDictationContext';
 import { useElementSelection } from '@/app/components/editor/ElementSelectionContext';
 import { ClaudeTokens } from '@/shared/styles/claudeTokens';
 import { ComposerPlusMenu, ActiveTogglePills, PlusMenuItem } from './ComposerPlusMenu';
@@ -49,6 +51,7 @@ export const ToolbarActions: React.FC<Props> = ({
       elementSelection.setSelectMode(true);
     }
   };
+  const { state: voiceState, toggle: voiceToggle } = useVoice();
   const plusItems: PlusMenuItem[] = [];
   plusItems.push({
     key: 'attach',
@@ -56,6 +59,15 @@ export const ToolbarActions: React.FC<Props> = ({
     icon: <AttachFileIcon sx={{ fontSize: 17 }} />,
     onSelect: () => generalFileInputRef.current?.click(),
   });
+  // A menu click can't be held, so this entry always toggles regardless of the hold-to-talk setting.
+  plusItems.push({
+    key: 'dictate',
+    label: voiceState === 'recording' ? 'Stop dictation' : 'Dictate',
+    icon: <MicNoneOutlinedIcon sx={{ fontSize: 17 }} />,
+    toggle: true,
+    active: voiceState === 'recording',
+    onSelect: voiceToggle,
+  });
   if (onToggleWebSearch) {
     plusItems.push({
       key: 'web',
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/AgentChat/shell/BrowserAgentInlineFeed.tsx b/frontend/src/app/pages/AgentChat/shell/BrowserAgentInlineFeed.tsx
index 86d50750..afa393b0 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/pages/AgentChat/shell/BrowserAgentInlineFeed.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/AgentChat/shell/BrowserAgentInlineFeed.tsx
@@ -219,7 +219,12 @@ const BrowserAgentInlineFeed: React.FC<Props> = ({ parentSessionId, browserId })
       const entries: FeedEntry[] = [];
       for (const msg of session.messages) {
         const entry = formatMessage(msg);
-        if (entry) entries.push(entry);
+        if (!entry) continue;
+        // Retries emit the same status line back-to-back ("Picking up what I learned..." x4); one
+        // row carries the information, the repeats were pure noise in the transcript.
+        const prev = entries[entries.length - 1];
+        if (prev && prev.type === entry.type && prev.text === entry.text) continue;
+        entries.push(entry);
       }
       return { session, entries };
     });
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/AgentChat/tool-bubbles/DefaultToolBubble.tsx b/frontend/src/app/pages/AgentChat/tool-bubbles/DefaultToolBubble.tsx
index 0d5574e3..74918d16 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/pages/AgentChat/tool-bubbles/DefaultToolBubble.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/AgentChat/tool-bubbles/DefaultToolBubble.tsx
@@ -80,7 +80,9 @@ export const DefaultToolBubble: React.FC<DefaultToolBubbleProps> = ({
           bgcolor: mcpCompact ? 'transparent' : c.bg.elevated,
           border: mcpCompact ? 'none' : `1px solid ${
             isPending || isStreaming
-              ? c.accent.primary
+              // Half-strength accent: still clearly "working", but a saturated user accent (greens
+              // especially) at full strength read as a loud alarm ring around a routine tool call.
+              ? c.accent.primary + '66'
               : isDenied
                 ? c.status.error + '60'
                 : c.border.subtle
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/cards/WindowControls.tsx b/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/cards/WindowControls.tsx
index b1caf31e..634e381e 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/cards/WindowControls.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/cards/WindowControls.tsx
@@ -76,10 +76,12 @@ function WindowControls({ onClose, onMinimize, onTile, tiled, fullscreen, noTile
           onPointerDown={stop}
           sx={{
             display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', justifyContent: 'center',
-            width: 22, height: 22, p: 0, border: 'none', borderRadius: '6px',
-            background: 'transparent', color: 'inherit', opacity: 0.65, cursor: 'pointer',
-            transition: 'opacity 120ms, background 120ms',
-            '&:hover': { opacity: 1, background: 'rgba(136,136,136,0.18)' },
+            width: 24, height: 24, p: 0, border: 'none', borderRadius: '7px',
+            // Neutral chip at rest so it reads on ANY ground (the fullscreen chat wash is dark, the
+            // browser chrome is light); hover goes explicit white-on-dark so it can never disappear.
+            background: 'rgba(128,128,128,0.28)', color: 'inherit', opacity: 0.9, cursor: 'pointer',
+            transition: 'opacity 120ms, background 120ms, color 120ms',
+            '&:hover': { opacity: 1, background: 'rgba(0,0,0,0.5)', color: '#fff' },
           }}
         >
           <FullscreenExitRoundedIcon sx={{ fontSize: 16 }} />