diff --git a/hermes_cli/main.py b/hermes_cli/main.py
index e5ddf497a..35dc605f9 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/main.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/main.py
@@ -514,12 +514,12 @@ def _session_browse_picker(sessions: list) -> Optional[str]:
             return None
 
 
-def _resolve_last_cli_session() -> Optional[str]:
-    """Look up the most recent CLI session ID from SQLite. Returns None if unavailable."""
+def _resolve_last_session(source: str = "cli") -> Optional[str]:
+    """Look up the most recent session ID for a source."""
     try:
         from hermes_state import SessionDB
         db = SessionDB()
-        sessions = db.search_sessions(source="cli", limit=1)
+        sessions = db.search_sessions(source=source, limit=1)
         db.close()
         if sessions:
             return sessions[0]["id"]
@@ -554,7 +554,58 @@ def _resolve_session_by_name_or_id(name_or_id: str) -> Optional[str]:
     return None
 
 
-def _launch_tui():
+def _print_tui_exit_summary(session_id: Optional[str]) -> None:
+    """Print a shell-visible epilogue after TUI exits."""
+    target = session_id or _resolve_last_session(source="tui")
+    if not target:
+        return
+
+    db = None
+    try:
+        from hermes_state import SessionDB
+        db = SessionDB()
+        session = db.get_session(target)
+        if not session:
+            return
+
+        title = db.get_session_title(target)
+        message_count = int(session.get("message_count") or 0)
+        input_tokens = int(session.get("input_tokens") or 0)
+        output_tokens = int(session.get("output_tokens") or 0)
+        cache_read_tokens = int(session.get("cache_read_tokens") or 0)
+        cache_write_tokens = int(session.get("cache_write_tokens") or 0)
+        reasoning_tokens = int(session.get("reasoning_tokens") or 0)
+        total_tokens = (
+            input_tokens
+            + output_tokens
+            + cache_read_tokens
+            + cache_write_tokens
+            + reasoning_tokens
+        )
+    except Exception:
+        return
+    finally:
+        if db is not None:
+            db.close()
+
+    print()
+    print("Resume this session with:")
+    print(f"  hermes --tui --resume {target}")
+    if title:
+        print(f"  hermes --tui -c \"{title}\"")
+    print()
+    print(f"Session:        {target}")
+    if title:
+        print(f"Title:          {title}")
+    print(f"Messages:       {message_count}")
+    print(
+        "Tokens:         "
+        f"{total_tokens} (in {input_tokens}, out {output_tokens}, "
+        f"cache {cache_read_tokens + cache_write_tokens}, reasoning {reasoning_tokens})"
+    )
+
+
+def _launch_tui(resume_session_id: Optional[str] = None):
     """Replace current process with the Ink TUI."""
     tui_dir = PROJECT_ROOT / "ui-tui"
 
@@ -589,19 +640,26 @@ def _launch_tui():
             sys.exit(1)
         argv = [npm, "start"]
 
+    env = os.environ.copy()
+    if resume_session_id:
+        env["HERMES_TUI_RESUME"] = resume_session_id
+
     try:
-        code = subprocess.call(argv, cwd=str(tui_dir))
+        code = subprocess.call(argv, cwd=str(tui_dir), env=env)
     except KeyboardInterrupt:
         code = 130
+
+    if code in (0, 130):
+        _print_tui_exit_summary(resume_session_id)
+
     sys.exit(code)
 
 
 def cmd_chat(args):
     """Run interactive chat CLI."""
-    if getattr(args, "tui", False) or os.environ.get("HERMES_TUI") == "1":
-        _launch_tui()
+    use_tui = getattr(args, "tui", False) or os.environ.get("HERMES_TUI") == "1"
 
-    # Resolve --continue into --resume with the latest CLI session or by name
+    # Resolve --continue into --resume with the latest session or by name
     continue_val = getattr(args, "continue_last", None)
     if continue_val and not getattr(args, "resume", None):
         if isinstance(continue_val, str):
@@ -615,11 +673,15 @@ def cmd_chat(args):
                 sys.exit(1)
         else:
             # -c with no argument — continue the most recent session
-            last_id = _resolve_last_cli_session()
+            source = "tui" if use_tui else "cli"
+            last_id = _resolve_last_session(source=source)
+            if not last_id and source == "tui":
+                last_id = _resolve_last_session(source="cli")
             if last_id:
                 args.resume = last_id
             else:
-                print("No previous CLI session found to continue.")
+                kind = "TUI" if use_tui else "CLI"
+                print(f"No previous {kind} session found to continue.")
                 sys.exit(1)
 
     # Resolve --resume by title if it's not a direct session ID
@@ -631,6 +693,9 @@ def cmd_chat(args):
         # If resolution fails, keep the original value — _init_agent will
         # report "Session not found" with the original input
 
+    if use_tui:
+        _launch_tui(getattr(args, "resume", None))
+
     # First-run guard: check if any provider is configured before launching
     if not _has_any_provider_configured():
         print()
diff --git a/run_agent.py b/run_agent.py
index f57072e9e..fd1337cbb 100644
--- a/run_agent.py
+++ b/run_agent.py
@@ -7617,7 +7617,7 @@ class AIAgent:
                         # Longer backoff for rate limiting (likely cause of None choices)
                         # Jittered exponential: 5s base, 120s cap + random jitter
                         wait_time = jittered_backoff(retry_count, base_delay=5.0, max_delay=120.0)
-                        self._vprint(f"{self.log_prefix}⏳ Retrying in {wait_time}s (extended backoff for possible rate limit)...", force=True)
+                        self._vprint(f"{self.log_prefix}⏳ Retrying in {wait_time:.1f}s (extended backoff)...", force=True)
                         logging.warning(f"Invalid API response (retry {retry_count}/{max_retries}): {', '.join(error_details)} | Provider: {provider_name}")
                         
                         # Sleep in small increments to stay responsive to interrupts
@@ -8505,9 +8505,9 @@ class AIAgent:
                                     pass
                     wait_time = _retry_after if _retry_after else jittered_backoff(retry_count, base_delay=2.0, max_delay=60.0)
                     if is_rate_limited:
-                        self._emit_status(f"⏱️ Rate limit reached. Waiting {wait_time}s before retry (attempt {retry_count + 1}/{max_retries})...")
+                        self._emit_status(f"⏱️ Rate limited. Waiting {wait_time:.1f}s (attempt {retry_count + 1}/{max_retries})...")
                     else:
-                        self._emit_status(f"⏳ Retrying in {wait_time}s (attempt {retry_count}/{max_retries})...")
+                        self._emit_status(f"⏳ Retrying in {wait_time:.1f}s (attempt {retry_count}/{max_retries})...")
                     logger.warning(
                         "Retrying API call in %ss (attempt %s/%s) %s error=%s",
                         wait_time,
diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_tui_resume_flow.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_tui_resume_flow.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1d4ff429a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_tui_resume_flow.py
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+from argparse import Namespace
+import sys
+import types
+
+import pytest
+
+
+def _args(**overrides):
+    base = {
+        "continue_last": None,
+        "resume": None,
+        "tui": True,
+    }
+    base.update(overrides)
+    return Namespace(**base)
+
+
+def test_cmd_chat_tui_continue_uses_latest_tui_session(monkeypatch):
+    import hermes_cli.main as main_mod
+
+    calls = []
+    captured = {}
+
+    def fake_resolve_last(source="cli"):
+        calls.append(source)
+        return "20260408_235959_a1b2c3" if source == "tui" else None
+
+    def fake_launch(resume_session_id=None):
+        captured["resume"] = resume_session_id
+        raise SystemExit(0)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(main_mod, "_resolve_last_session", fake_resolve_last)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(main_mod, "_resolve_session_by_name_or_id", lambda val: val)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(main_mod, "_launch_tui", fake_launch)
+
+    with pytest.raises(SystemExit):
+        main_mod.cmd_chat(_args(continue_last=True))
+
+    assert calls == ["tui"]
+    assert captured["resume"] == "20260408_235959_a1b2c3"
+
+
+def test_cmd_chat_tui_continue_falls_back_to_latest_cli_session(monkeypatch):
+    import hermes_cli.main as main_mod
+
+    calls = []
+    captured = {}
+
+    def fake_resolve_last(source="cli"):
+        calls.append(source)
+        if source == "tui":
+            return None
+        if source == "cli":
+            return "20260408_235959_d4e5f6"
+        return None
+
+    def fake_launch(resume_session_id=None):
+        captured["resume"] = resume_session_id
+        raise SystemExit(0)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(main_mod, "_resolve_last_session", fake_resolve_last)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(main_mod, "_resolve_session_by_name_or_id", lambda val: val)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(main_mod, "_launch_tui", fake_launch)
+
+    with pytest.raises(SystemExit):
+        main_mod.cmd_chat(_args(continue_last=True))
+
+    assert calls == ["tui", "cli"]
+    assert captured["resume"] == "20260408_235959_d4e5f6"
+
+
+def test_cmd_chat_tui_resume_resolves_title_before_launch(monkeypatch):
+    import hermes_cli.main as main_mod
+
+    captured = {}
+
+    def fake_launch(resume_session_id=None):
+        captured["resume"] = resume_session_id
+        raise SystemExit(0)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(main_mod, "_resolve_session_by_name_or_id", lambda val: "20260409_000000_aa11bb")
+    monkeypatch.setattr(main_mod, "_launch_tui", fake_launch)
+
+    with pytest.raises(SystemExit):
+        main_mod.cmd_chat(_args(resume="my t0p session"))
+
+    assert captured["resume"] == "20260409_000000_aa11bb"
+
+
+def test_print_tui_exit_summary_includes_resume_and_token_totals(monkeypatch, capsys):
+    import hermes_cli.main as main_mod
+
+    class _FakeDB:
+        def get_session(self, session_id):
+            assert session_id == "20260409_000001_abc123"
+            return {
+                "message_count": 2,
+                "input_tokens": 10,
+                "output_tokens": 6,
+                "cache_read_tokens": 2,
+                "cache_write_tokens": 2,
+                "reasoning_tokens": 1,
+            }
+
+        def get_session_title(self, _session_id):
+            return "demo title"
+
+        def close(self):
+            return None
+
+    monkeypatch.setitem(sys.modules, "hermes_state", types.SimpleNamespace(SessionDB=lambda: _FakeDB()))
+
+    main_mod._print_tui_exit_summary("20260409_000001_abc123")
+    out = capsys.readouterr().out
+
+    assert "Resume this session with:" in out
+    assert "hermes --tui --resume 20260409_000001_abc123" in out
+    assert 'hermes --tui -c "demo title"' in out
+    assert "Tokens:         21 (in 10, out 6, cache 4, reasoning 1)" in out
diff --git a/tests/tui_gateway/test_protocol.py b/tests/tui_gateway/test_protocol.py
index 7e9d519ee..7a000c92b 100644
--- a/tests/tui_gateway/test_protocol.py
+++ b/tests/tui_gateway/test_protocol.py
@@ -151,6 +151,52 @@ def test_sess_found(server):
     assert err is None
 
 
+# ── session.resume payload ────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+
+def test_session_resume_returns_hydrated_messages(server, monkeypatch):
+    class _DB:
+        def get_session(self, _sid):
+            return {"id": "20260409_010101_abc123"}
+
+        def get_session_by_title(self, _title):
+            return None
+
+        def reopen_session(self, _sid):
+            return None
+
+        def get_messages(self, _sid):
+            return [
+                {"role": "user", "content": "hello"},
+                {"role": "assistant", "content": "yo"},
+                {"role": "tool", "content": "searched"},
+                {"role": "assistant", "content": "   "},
+                {"role": "assistant", "content": None},
+                {"role": "narrator", "content": "skip"},
+            ]
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(server, "_get_db", lambda: _DB())
+    monkeypatch.setattr(server, "_make_agent", lambda sid, key, session_id=None: object())
+    monkeypatch.setattr(server, "_init_session", lambda sid, key, agent, history, cols=80: None)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(server, "_session_info", lambda _agent: {"model": "test/model"})
+
+    resp = server.handle_request(
+        {
+            "id": "r1",
+            "method": "session.resume",
+            "params": {"session_id": "20260409_010101_abc123", "cols": 100},
+        }
+    )
+
+    assert "error" not in resp
+    assert resp["result"]["message_count"] == 3
+    assert resp["result"]["messages"] == [
+        {"role": "user", "text": "hello"},
+        {"role": "assistant", "text": "yo"},
+        {"role": "tool", "text": "searched"},
+    ]
+
+
 # ── Config I/O ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 
diff --git a/tui_gateway/server.py b/tui_gateway/server.py
index 654c9e9e3..9977d40f5 100644
--- a/tui_gateway/server.py
+++ b/tui_gateway/server.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import subprocess
 import sys
 import threading
 import uuid
+from datetime import datetime
 from pathlib import Path
 
 from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
@@ -364,6 +365,10 @@ def _init_session(sid: str, key: str, agent, history: list, cols: int = 80):
     _emit("session.info", sid, _session_info(agent))
 
 
+def _new_session_key() -> str:
+    return f"{datetime.now().strftime('%Y%m%d_%H%M%S')}_{uuid.uuid4().hex[:6]}"
+
+
 def _with_checkpoints(session, fn):
     return fn(session["agent"]._checkpoint_mgr, os.getenv("TERMINAL_CWD", os.getcwd()))
 
@@ -405,7 +410,7 @@ def _enrich_with_attached_images(user_text: str, image_paths: list[str]) -> str:
 @method("session.create")
 def _(rid, params: dict) -> dict:
     sid = uuid.uuid4().hex[:8]
-    key = f"tui-{sid}"
+    key = _new_session_key()
     os.environ["HERMES_SESSION_KEY"] = key
     os.environ["HERMES_INTERACTIVE"] = "1"
     try:
@@ -448,14 +453,28 @@ def _(rid, params: dict) -> dict:
     os.environ["HERMES_INTERACTIVE"] = "1"
     try:
         db.reopen_session(target)
-        history = [{"role": m["role"], "content": m["content"]}
-                   for m in db.get_messages(target)
-                   if m.get("role") in ("user", "assistant", "tool", "system")]
+        messages = [
+            {"role": m["role"], "text": m["content"] or ""}
+            for m in db.get_messages(target)
+            if m.get("role") in ("user", "assistant", "tool", "system")
+            and isinstance(m.get("content"), str)
+            and (m.get("content") or "").strip()
+        ]
+        history = [{"role": m["role"], "content": m["text"]} for m in messages]
         agent = _make_agent(sid, target, session_id=target)
         _init_session(sid, target, agent, history, cols=int(params.get("cols", 80)))
     except Exception as e:
         return _err(rid, 5000, f"resume failed: {e}")
-    return _ok(rid, {"session_id": sid, "resumed": target, "message_count": len(history), "info": _session_info(agent)})
+    return _ok(
+        rid,
+        {
+            "session_id": sid,
+            "resumed": target,
+            "message_count": len(messages),
+            "messages": messages,
+            "info": _session_info(agent),
+        },
+    )
 
 
 @method("session.title")
@@ -538,7 +557,7 @@ def _(rid, params: dict) -> dict:
     history = session.get("history", [])
     if not history:
         return _err(rid, 4008, "nothing to branch — send a message first")
-    new_key = f"tui-{uuid.uuid4().hex[:8]}"
+    new_key = _new_session_key()
     branch_name = params.get("name", "")
     try:
         if branch_name:
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/__tests__/text.test.ts b/ui-tui/src/__tests__/text.test.ts
index be93126c7..e96cbac3d 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/__tests__/text.test.ts
+++ b/ui-tui/src/__tests__/text.test.ts
@@ -1,98 +1,20 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
 
-import {
-  compactPreview,
-  estimateRows,
-  fmtK,
-  hasAnsi,
-  hasInterpolation,
-  pick,
-  stripAnsi,
-  userDisplay
-} from '../lib/text.js'
+import { sameToolTrailGroup } from '../lib/text.js'
 
-describe('stripAnsi / hasAnsi', () => {
-  it('strips ANSI codes', () => {
-    expect(stripAnsi('\x1b[31mred\x1b[0m')).toBe('red')
+describe('sameToolTrailGroup', () => {
+  it('matches bare check lines', () => {
+    expect(sameToolTrailGroup('🔍 searching', '🔍 searching ✓')).toBe(true)
+    expect(sameToolTrailGroup('🔍 searching', '🔍 searching ✗')).toBe(true)
   })
 
-  it('passes plain text through', () => {
-    expect(stripAnsi('hello')).toBe('hello')
+  it('matches contextual lines', () => {
+    expect(sameToolTrailGroup('🔍 searching', '🔍 searching: * ✓')).toBe(true)
+    expect(sameToolTrailGroup('🔍 searching', '🔍 searching: foo ✓')).toBe(true)
   })
 
-  it('detects ANSI', () => {
-    expect(hasAnsi('\x1b[1mbold\x1b[0m')).toBe(true)
-    expect(hasAnsi('plain')).toBe(false)
-  })
-})
-
-describe('compactPreview', () => {
-  it('truncates with ellipsis', () => {
-    expect(compactPreview('a'.repeat(100), 20)).toHaveLength(20)
-    expect(compactPreview('a'.repeat(100), 20).at(-1)).toBe('…')
-  })
-
-  it('returns short strings as-is', () => {
-    expect(compactPreview('hello', 20)).toBe('hello')
-  })
-
-  it('collapses whitespace', () => {
-    expect(compactPreview('  a   b  ', 20)).toBe('a b')
-  })
-
-  it('returns empty for whitespace-only', () => {
-    expect(compactPreview('   ', 20)).toBe('')
-  })
-})
-
-describe('estimateRows', () => {
-  it('single line', () => expect(estimateRows('hello', 80)).toBe(1))
-
-  it('wraps long lines', () => expect(estimateRows('a'.repeat(160), 80)).toBe(2))
-
-  it('counts newlines', () => expect(estimateRows('a\nb\nc', 80)).toBe(3))
-
-  it('skips table separators', () => {
-    expect(estimateRows('| a | b |\n|---|---|\n| 1 | 2 |', 80)).toBe(2)
-  })
-
-  it('handles code blocks', () => {
-    expect(estimateRows('```python\nprint("hi")\n```', 80)).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(2)
-  })
-
-  it('compact mode skips empty lines', () => {
-    expect(estimateRows('a\n\nb', 80, true)).toBe(2)
-    expect(estimateRows('a\n\nb', 80, false)).toBe(3)
-  })
-})
-
-describe('fmtK', () => {
-  it('formats thousands', () => expect(fmtK(1500)).toBe('1.5k'))
-
-  it('keeps small numbers', () => expect(fmtK(42)).toBe('42'))
-
-  it('boundary', () => {
-    expect(fmtK(1000)).toBe('1.0k')
-    expect(fmtK(999)).toBe('999')
-  })
-})
-
-describe('hasInterpolation', () => {
-  it('detects {!cmd}', () => expect(hasInterpolation('echo {!date}')).toBe(true))
-
-  it('rejects plain text', () => expect(hasInterpolation('plain')).toBe(false))
-})
-
-describe('pick', () => {
-  it('returns element from array', () => {
-    expect([1, 2, 3]).toContain(pick([1, 2, 3]))
-  })
-})
-
-describe('userDisplay', () => {
-  it('returns short messages as-is', () => expect(userDisplay('hello')).toBe('hello'))
-
-  it('truncates long messages', () => {
-    expect(userDisplay('word '.repeat(100))).toContain('[long message]')
+  it('rejects other tools', () => {
+    expect(sameToolTrailGroup('🔍 searching', '📖 reading ✓')).toBe(false)
+    expect(sameToolTrailGroup('🔍 searching', '🔍 searching extra ✓')).toBe(false)
   })
 })
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/app.tsx b/ui-tui/src/app.tsx
index 0ac815611..d17d0c0fb 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/app.tsx
+++ b/ui-tui/src/app.tsx
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import { useCompletion } from './hooks/useCompletion.js'
 import { useInputHistory } from './hooks/useInputHistory.js'
 import { useQueue } from './hooks/useQueue.js'
 import { writeOsc52Clipboard } from './lib/osc52.js'
-import { compactPreview, fmtK, hasInterpolation, pick } from './lib/text.js'
+import { compactPreview, fmtK, hasInterpolation, pick, sameToolTrailGroup } from './lib/text.js'
 import { DEFAULT_THEME, fromSkin, type Theme } from './theme.js'
 import type {
   ActiveTool,
@@ -42,8 +42,8 @@ import type {
 
 const PLACEHOLDER = pick(PLACEHOLDERS)
 const PASTE_TOKEN_RE = /\[\[paste:(\d+)\]\]/g
+const STARTUP_RESUME_ID = (process.env.HERMES_TUI_RESUME ?? '').trim()
 
-const SMALL_PASTE = { chars: 400, lines: 4 }
 const LARGE_PASTE = { chars: 8000, lines: 80 }
 const EXCERPT = { chars: 1200, lines: 14 }
 
@@ -102,6 +102,31 @@ const stripTokens = (text: string, re: RegExp) =>
     .replace(/\s{2,}/g, ' ')
     .trim()
 
+const toTranscriptMessages = (rows: unknown): Msg[] => {
+  if (!Array.isArray(rows)) {
+    return []
+  }
+
+  return rows.flatMap(row => {
+    if (!row || typeof row !== 'object') {
+      return []
+    }
+
+    const role = (row as any).role
+    const text = (row as any).text
+
+    if (
+      (role !== 'assistant' && role !== 'system' && role !== 'tool' && role !== 'user') ||
+      typeof text !== 'string' ||
+      !text.trim()
+    ) {
+      return []
+    }
+
+    return [{ role, text }]
+  })
+}
+
 // ── StatusRule ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 function ctxBarColor(pct: number | undefined, t: Theme) {
@@ -250,6 +275,7 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
   // ── Refs ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
   const activityIdRef = useRef(0)
+  const toolCompleteRibbonRef = useRef<{ label: string; line: string } | null>(null)
   const buf = useRef('')
   const inflightPasteIdsRef = useRef<number[]>([])
   const interruptedRef = useRef(false)
@@ -301,21 +327,19 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
     setHistoryItems(prev => [...prev, msg])
   }, [])
 
-  const appendHistory = useCallback((msg: Msg) => {
-    setHistoryItems(prev => [...prev, msg])
-  }, [])
-
   const sys = useCallback((text: string) => appendMessage({ role: 'system' as const, text }), [appendMessage])
 
-  const pushActivity = useCallback((text: string, tone: ActivityItem['tone'] = 'info') => {
+  const pushActivity = useCallback((text: string, tone: ActivityItem['tone'] = 'info', replaceLabel?: string) => {
     setActivity(prev => {
-      if (prev.at(-1)?.text === text && prev.at(-1)?.tone === tone) {
-        return prev
+      const base = replaceLabel ? prev.filter(a => !sameToolTrailGroup(replaceLabel, a.text)) : prev
+
+      if (base.at(-1)?.text === text && base.at(-1)?.tone === tone) {
+        return base
       }
 
       activityIdRef.current++
 
-      return [...prev, { id: activityIdRef.current, text, tone }].slice(-8)
+      return [...base, { id: activityIdRef.current, text, tone }].slice(-8)
     })
   }, [])
 
@@ -387,7 +411,7 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
             setUsage(prev => ({ ...prev, ...r.info.usage }))
           }
 
-          appendHistory(introMsg(r.info))
+          setHistoryItems([introMsg(r.info)])
         } else {
           setInfo(null)
         }
@@ -396,7 +420,7 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
           sys(msg)
         }
       }),
-    [appendHistory, rpc, sys]
+    [rpc, sys]
   )
 
   // ── Paste pipeline ───────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -466,10 +490,17 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
 
   const handleTextPaste = useCallback(
     ({ cursor, text, value }: { cursor: number; text: string; value: string }) => {
+      const lineCount = text.split('\n').length
+
+      // Inline normal paste payloads exactly as typed. Only very large
+      // payloads are tokenized into attached snippets.
+      if (text.length < LARGE_PASTE.chars && lineCount < LARGE_PASTE.lines) {
+        return { cursor: cursor + text.length, value: value.slice(0, cursor) + text + value.slice(cursor) }
+      }
+
       pasteCounterRef.current++
       const id = pasteCounterRef.current
-      const lineCount = text.split('\n').length
-      const mode: PasteMode = lineCount > SMALL_PASTE.lines || text.length > SMALL_PASTE.chars ? 'attach' : 'excerpt'
+      const mode: PasteMode = 'attach'
       const token = pasteToken(id)
       const lead = cursor > 0 && !/\s/.test(value[cursor - 1] ?? '') ? ' ' : ''
       const tail = cursor < value.length && !/\s/.test(value[cursor] ?? '') ? ' ' : ''
@@ -887,8 +918,31 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
             })
             .catch(() => {})
 
-          setStatus('forging session…')
-          newSession()
+          if (STARTUP_RESUME_ID) {
+            setStatus('resuming…')
+            gw.request('session.resume', { cols: colsRef.current, session_id: STARTUP_RESUME_ID })
+              .then((r: any) => {
+                resetSession()
+                setSid(r.session_id)
+                setInfo(r.info ?? null)
+                const resumed = toTranscriptMessages(r.messages)
+
+                if (r.info?.usage) {
+                  setUsage(prev => ({ ...prev, ...r.info.usage }))
+                }
+
+                setMessages(resumed)
+                setHistoryItems(r.info ? [introMsg(r.info), ...resumed] : resumed)
+                setStatus('ready')
+              })
+              .catch(() => {
+                setStatus('forging session…')
+                newSession('resume failed, started a new session')
+              })
+          } else {
+            setStatus('forging session…')
+            newSession()
+          }
 
           break
 
@@ -965,18 +1019,26 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
           break
         case 'tool.complete': {
           const mark = p.error ? '✗' : '✓'
+          const tone = p.error ? 'error' : 'info'
 
+          toolCompleteRibbonRef.current = null
           setTools(prev => {
             const done = prev.find(t => t.id === p.tool_id)
             const label = TOOL_VERBS[done?.name ?? p.name] ?? done?.name ?? p.name
             const ctx = (p.error as string) || done?.context || ''
             const line = `${label}${ctx ? ': ' + compactPreview(ctx, 72) : ''} ${mark}`
-            pushActivity(line, p.error ? 'error' : 'info')
-            turnToolsRef.current = [...turnToolsRef.current, line].slice(-8)
+
+            toolCompleteRibbonRef.current = { label, line }
+            turnToolsRef.current = [...turnToolsRef.current.filter(s => !sameToolTrailGroup(label, s)), line].slice(-8)
 
             return prev.filter(t => t.id !== p.tool_id)
           })
 
+          if (toolCompleteRibbonRef.current) {
+            const { line, label } = toolCompleteRibbonRef.current
+            pushActivity(line, tone, label)
+          }
+
           break
         }
 
@@ -1733,21 +1795,19 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
               onSelect={id => {
                 setPicker(false)
                 setStatus('resuming…')
-                gw.request('session.resume', { cols, session_id: id })
+                gw.request('session.resume', { cols: colsRef.current, session_id: id })
                   .then((r: any) => {
                     resetSession()
                     setSid(r.session_id)
                     setInfo(r.info ?? null)
+                    const resumed = toTranscriptMessages(r.messages)
 
                     if (r.info?.usage) {
                       setUsage(prev => ({ ...prev, ...r.info.usage }))
                     }
 
-                    if (r.info) {
-                      appendHistory(introMsg(r.info))
-                    }
-
-                    sys(`resumed session (${r.message_count} messages)`)
+                    setMessages(resumed)
+                    setHistoryItems(r.info ? [introMsg(r.info), ...resumed] : resumed)
                     setStatus('ready')
                   })
                   .catch((e: Error) => {
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/components/messageLine.tsx b/ui-tui/src/components/messageLine.tsx
index 71246e473..76d0d1743 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/components/messageLine.tsx
+++ b/ui-tui/src/components/messageLine.tsx
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ export const MessageLine = memo(function MessageLine({
       </Box>
 
       {!!msg.tools?.length && (
-        <Box flexDirection="column">
+        <Box flexDirection="column" marginBottom={1} marginTop={1}>
           {msg.tools.map((tool, i) => (
             <Text
               color={tool.endsWith(' ✗') ? t.color.error : t.color.dim}
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/components/textInput.tsx b/ui-tui/src/components/textInput.tsx
index e7b92dc38..8b4dc5c33 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/components/textInput.tsx
+++ b/ui-tui/src/components/textInput.tsx
@@ -48,11 +48,15 @@ interface Props {
 
 export function TextInput({ value, onChange, onPaste, onSubmit, placeholder = '', focus = true }: Props) {
   const [cur, setCur] = useState(value.length)
+  const curRef = useRef(cur)
   const vRef = useRef(value)
   const selfChange = useRef(false)
   const pasteBuf = useRef('')
   const pasteTimer = useRef<ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null>(null)
   const pastePos = useRef(0)
+  const undo = useRef<Array<{ cursor: number; value: string }>>([])
+  const redo = useRef<Array<{ cursor: number; value: string }>>([])
+  curRef.current = cur
   vRef.current = value
 
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -60,16 +64,34 @@ export function TextInput({ value, onChange, onPaste, onSubmit, placeholder = ''
       selfChange.current = false
     } else {
       setCur(value.length)
+      curRef.current = value.length
+      undo.current = []
+      redo.current = []
     }
   }, [value])
 
-  const commit = (v: string, c: number) => {
-    c = Math.max(0, Math.min(c, v.length))
-    setCur(c)
+  const commit = (nextValue: string, nextCursor: number, track = true) => {
+    const currentValue = vRef.current
+    const currentCursor = curRef.current
+    const c = Math.max(0, Math.min(nextCursor, nextValue.length))
 
-    if (v !== value) {
+    if (track && nextValue !== currentValue) {
+      undo.current.push({ cursor: currentCursor, value: currentValue })
+
+      if (undo.current.length > 200) {
+        undo.current.shift()
+      }
+
+      redo.current = []
+    }
+
+    setCur(c)
+    curRef.current = c
+    vRef.current = nextValue
+
+    if (nextValue !== currentValue) {
       selfChange.current = true
-      onChange(v)
+      onChange(nextValue)
     }
   }
 
@@ -83,21 +105,17 @@ export function TextInput({ value, onChange, onPaste, onSubmit, placeholder = ''
       return
     }
 
-    const v = vRef.current
-    const handled = onPaste?.({ cursor: at, text: pasted, value: v })
+    const currentValue = vRef.current
+    const handled = onPaste?.({ cursor: at, text: pasted, value: currentValue })
 
     if (handled) {
-      selfChange.current = true
-      onChange(handled.value)
-      setCur(handled.cursor)
+      commit(handled.value, handled.cursor)
 
       return
     }
 
     if (pasted.length && PRINTABLE.test(pasted)) {
-      selfChange.current = true
-      onChange(v.slice(0, at) + pasted + v.slice(at))
-      setCur(at + pasted.length)
+      commit(currentValue.slice(0, at) + pasted + currentValue.slice(at), at + pasted.length)
     }
   }
 
@@ -130,6 +148,32 @@ export function TextInput({ value, onChange, onPaste, onSubmit, placeholder = ''
       let v = value
       const mod = k.ctrl || k.meta
 
+      if (k.ctrl && inp === 'z') {
+        const prev = undo.current.pop()
+
+        if (!prev) {
+          return
+        }
+
+        redo.current.push({ cursor: curRef.current, value: vRef.current })
+        commit(prev.value, prev.cursor, false)
+
+        return
+      }
+
+      if ((k.ctrl && inp === 'y') || (k.meta && k.shift && inp === 'z')) {
+        const next = redo.current.pop()
+
+        if (!next) {
+          return
+        }
+
+        undo.current.push({ cursor: curRef.current, value: vRef.current })
+        commit(next.value, next.cursor, false)
+
+        return
+      }
+
       if (k.home || (k.ctrl && inp === 'a')) {
         c = 0
       } else if (k.end || (k.ctrl && inp === 'e')) {
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/constants.ts b/ui-tui/src/constants.ts
index 9734b0c27..36dd999e6 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/constants.ts
+++ b/ui-tui/src/constants.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ export const HOTKEYS: [string, string][] = [
   ['Tab', 'apply completion'],
   ['↑/↓', 'completions / queue edit / history'],
   ['Ctrl+A/E', 'home / end of line'],
+  ['Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y', 'undo / redo input edits'],
   ['Ctrl+W', 'delete word'],
   ['Ctrl+U/K', 'delete to start / end'],
   ['Ctrl+←/→', 'jump word'],
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/lib/text.ts b/ui-tui/src/lib/text.ts
index c24727484..ac2efb2cb 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/lib/text.ts
+++ b/ui-tui/src/lib/text.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@ export const compactPreview = (s: string, max: number) => {
   return !one ? '' : one.length > max ? one.slice(0, max - 1) + '…' : one
 }
 
+/** Whether a persisted/activity tool line belongs to the same tool label as a newer line. */
+export const sameToolTrailGroup = (label: string, entry: string) =>
+  entry === `${label} ✓` || entry === `${label} ✗` || entry.startsWith(`${label}:`)
+
 export const estimateRows = (text: string, w: number, compact = false) => {
   let inCode = false
   let rows = 0