diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/background-view/LiveAgentPanel.test.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/background-view/LiveAgentPanel.test.tsx
index 5402f50bf..8f89f874a 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/background-view/LiveAgentPanel.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/background-view/LiveAgentPanel.test.tsx
@@ -156,7 +156,10 @@ describe('<LiveAgentPanel />', () => {
     expect(frame).toContain('5s');
   });
 
-  it('marks foreground agents with the [in turn] prefix', () => {
+  it('does NOT surface a flavor marker on foreground agents', () => {
+    // Foreground vs background distinction stays with BackgroundTasksDialog
+    // (where cancel semantics differ); the panel reads as a glance roster
+    // and the marker added more confusion than signal.
     const { lastFrame } = renderPanel({
       entries: [
         agentEntry({
@@ -167,7 +170,10 @@ describe('<LiveAgentPanel />', () => {
         }),
       ],
     });
-    expect(lastFrame() ?? '').toContain('[in turn]');
+    const frame = lastFrame() ?? '';
+    expect(frame).not.toContain('[in turn]');
+    expect(frame).toContain('editor');
+    expect(frame).toContain('tighten import order');
   });
 
   it('windows from the tail when entries exceed maxRows', () => {
@@ -190,8 +196,11 @@ describe('<LiveAgentPanel />', () => {
     ];
     const { lastFrame } = renderPanel({ entries, maxRows: 2 });
     const frame = lastFrame() ?? '';
-    // `more above` callout flagged with the dropped count.
+    // `more above` callout flagged with the dropped count and points
+    // at the dialog (the only surface where the user can scroll
+    // through the full roster + take action).
     expect(frame).toContain('1 more above');
+    expect(frame).toContain('to view all');
     // Tail window keeps the newest two rows.
     expect(frame).toContain('mid-agent');
     expect(frame).toContain('fresh-agent');
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/background-view/LiveAgentPanel.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/background-view/LiveAgentPanel.tsx
index 691f4c40a..47601b884 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/background-view/LiveAgentPanel.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/background-view/LiveAgentPanel.tsx
@@ -237,9 +237,17 @@ export const LiveAgentPanel: React.FC<LiveAgentPanelProps> = ({
       </Box>
       {overflow > 0 && (
         <Box>
+          {/*
+            The panel is read-only (no keyboard focus — that would
+            steal input from the composer), so when the roster
+            overflows the row budget we point users at the dialog
+            that DOES support selection / scroll / cancel / resume.
+            Same keystroke the footer pill uses, kept in sync so
+            users only have to learn one thing.
+          */}
           <Text
             color={theme.text.secondary}
-          >{`  ^ ${overflow} more above`}</Text>
+          >{`  ^ ${overflow} more above (↓ to view all)`}</Text>
         </Box>
       )}
       {visible.map((entry) => (
@@ -255,7 +263,13 @@ const AgentRow: React.FC<{ entry: AgentDialogEntry; now: number }> = ({
 }) => {
   const { glyph, color } = statusIcon(entry);
   const label = descriptionWithoutPrefix(entry);
-  const flavorPrefix = entry.flavor === 'foreground' ? '[in turn] ' : '';
+  // Note: foreground vs background is intentionally not surfaced here.
+  // Earlier iterations prefixed foreground rows with `[in turn]` (the
+  // BackgroundTasksDialog convention), but in the panel context the
+  // marker reads as cryptic — the foreground / background distinction
+  // matters in the dialog (where cancel semantics differ) but the
+  // glance roster just needs identity + intent + cost. Keep the
+  // dialog as the place that surfaces the flavor distinction.
   const activity = activityLabel(entry);
   const elapsed = elapsedLabel(entry, now);
   const showType =
@@ -296,7 +310,7 @@ const AgentRow: React.FC<{ entry: AgentDialogEntry; now: number }> = ({
               <Text color={theme.text.secondary}>{': '}</Text>
             </>
           )}
-          <Text color={theme.text.secondary}>{`${flavorPrefix}${label}`}</Text>
+          <Text color={theme.text.secondary}>{label}</Text>
           {activity && (
             <Text color={theme.text.secondary}>{` (${activity})`}</Text>
           )}
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/layouts/DefaultAppLayout.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/layouts/DefaultAppLayout.tsx
index 124ceef0a..aa59ee12b 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/layouts/DefaultAppLayout.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/layouts/DefaultAppLayout.tsx
@@ -115,9 +115,16 @@ export const DefaultAppLayout: React.FC = () => {
         open (auth / permission / background tasks / etc.) so the modal
         surface doesn't compete with the live roster, and the panel's
         own internal self-hide handles the empty-roster case.
+
+        Panel uses `terminalWidth`, not `mainAreaWidth` — `mainAreaWidth`
+        is hard-capped at 100 cols (intended for markdown / code blocks
+        where soft-wrap matters), which on wider terminals leaves a
+        large empty gutter to the right of an already-truncating row.
+        Live progress lines have nothing to soft-wrap, so the panel
+        wants the full terminal width.
       */}
       {!isAgentTab && !uiState.dialogsVisible && (
-        <LiveAgentPanel width={uiState.mainAreaWidth} />
+        <LiveAgentPanel width={uiState.terminalWidth} />
       )}
     </Box>
   );