diff --git a/ui-tui/src/__tests__/details.test.ts b/ui-tui/src/__tests__/details.test.ts
index a2babd15d..56b82087e 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/__tests__/details.test.ts
+++ b/ui-tui/src/__tests__/details.test.ts
@@ -90,4 +90,13 @@ describe('sectionMode', () => {
     expect(sectionMode('activity', 'expanded', { activity: 'collapsed' })).toBe('collapsed')
     expect(sectionMode('tools', 'collapsed', { tools: 'expanded' })).toBe('expanded')
   })
+
+  it('lets per-section overrides escape the global hidden mode', () => {
+    // Regression for the case where global details_mode: hidden used to
+    // short-circuit the entire accordion and prevent overrides from
+    // surfacing — `sections.tools: expanded` must still resolve to expanded.
+    expect(sectionMode('tools', 'hidden', { tools: 'expanded' })).toBe('expanded')
+    expect(sectionMode('thinking', 'hidden', { thinking: 'collapsed' })).toBe('collapsed')
+    expect(sectionMode('activity', 'hidden', { activity: 'expanded' })).toBe('expanded')
+  })
 })
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/app/slash/commands/core.ts b/ui-tui/src/app/slash/commands/core.ts
index 95a26bcc1..efea1c112 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/app/slash/commands/core.ts
+++ b/ui-tui/src/app/slash/commands/core.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { NO_CONFIRM_DESTRUCTIVE } from '../../../config/env.js'
 import { dailyFortune, randomFortune } from '../../../content/fortunes.js'
 import { HOTKEYS } from '../../../content/hotkeys.js'
-import { isSectionName, nextDetailsMode, parseDetailsMode, SECTION_NAMES } from '../../../domain/details.js'
+import { SECTION_NAMES, isSectionName, nextDetailsMode, parseDetailsMode } from '../../../domain/details.js'
 import type {
   ConfigGetValueResponse,
   ConfigSetResponse,
@@ -62,7 +62,10 @@ export const coreCommands: SlashCommand[] = [
         {
           rows: [
             ['/details [hidden|collapsed|expanded|cycle]', 'set global agent detail visibility mode'],
-            ['/details <section> [hidden|collapsed|expanded|reset]', 'override one section (thinking/tools/subagents/activity)'],
+            [
+              '/details <section> [hidden|collapsed|expanded|reset]',
+              'override one section (thinking/tools/subagents/activity)'
+            ],
             ['/fortune [random|daily]', 'show a random or daily local fortune']
           ],
           title: 'TUI'
@@ -159,8 +162,7 @@ export const coreCommands: SlashCommand[] = [
             const mode = parseDetailsMode(r?.value) ?? ui.detailsMode
             patchUiState({ detailsMode: mode })
 
-            const overrides = SECTION_NAMES
-              .filter(s => ui.sections[s])
+            const overrides = SECTION_NAMES.filter(s => ui.sections[s])
               .map(s => `${s}=${ui.sections[s]}`)
               .join(' ')
 
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/app/useMainApp.ts b/ui-tui/src/app/useMainApp.ts
index 7b742478e..d2e5494a9 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/app/useMainApp.ts
+++ b/ui-tui/src/app/useMainApp.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from 'react'
 
 import { STARTUP_RESUME_ID } from '../config/env.js'
 import { MAX_HISTORY, WHEEL_SCROLL_STEP } from '../config/limits.js'
+import { SECTION_NAMES, sectionMode } from '../domain/details.js'
 import { attachedImageNotice, imageTokenMeta } from '../domain/messages.js'
 import { fmtCwdBranch, shortCwd } from '../domain/paths.js'
 import { type GatewayClient } from '../gatewayClient.js'
@@ -630,11 +631,15 @@ export function useMainApp(gw: GatewayClient) {
 
   const hasReasoning = Boolean(turn.reasoning.trim())
 
-  const showProgressArea =
-    ui.detailsMode === 'hidden'
-      ? turn.activity.some(item => item.tone !== 'info')
-      : Boolean(
-          ui.busy ||
+  // Per-section overrides win over the global mode — when every section is
+  // resolved to hidden, the only thing ToolTrail will surface is the
+  // floating-alert backstop (errors/warnings).  Mirror that so we don't
+  // render an empty wrapper Box above the streaming area in quiet mode.
+  const anyPanelVisible = SECTION_NAMES.some(s => sectionMode(s, ui.detailsMode, ui.sections) !== 'hidden')
+
+  const showProgressArea = anyPanelVisible
+    ? Boolean(
+        ui.busy ||
           turn.outcome ||
           turn.streamPendingTools.length ||
           turn.streamSegments.length ||
@@ -643,7 +648,8 @@ export function useMainApp(gw: GatewayClient) {
           turn.turnTrail.length ||
           hasReasoning ||
           turn.activity.length
-        )
+      )
+    : turn.activity.some(item => item.tone !== 'info')
 
   const appActions = useMemo(
     () => ({
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/components/messageLine.tsx b/ui-tui/src/components/messageLine.tsx
index 524c0f572..f2c0241ff 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/components/messageLine.tsx
+++ b/ui-tui/src/components/messageLine.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { Ansi, Box, NoSelect, Text } from '@hermes/ink'
 import { memo } from 'react'
 
+import { SECTION_NAMES, sectionMode } from '../domain/details.js'
 import { LONG_MSG } from '../config/limits.js'
 import { userDisplay } from '../domain/messages.js'
 import { ROLE } from '../domain/roles.js'
@@ -21,11 +22,16 @@ export const MessageLine = memo(function MessageLine({
   t
 }: MessageLineProps) {
   if (msg.kind === 'trail' && msg.tools?.length) {
-    return detailsMode === 'hidden' ? null : (
+    // Per-section overrides win over the global mode, so don't pre-empt on
+    // `detailsMode === 'hidden'` — only skip when EVERY section is hidden,
+    // matching ToolTrail's own internal short-circuit.
+    const anyVisible = SECTION_NAMES.some(s => sectionMode(s, detailsMode, sections) !== 'hidden')
+
+    return anyVisible ? (
       <Box flexDirection="column" marginTop={1}>
         <ToolTrail detailsMode={detailsMode} sections={sections} t={t} trail={msg.tools} />
       </Box>
-    )
+    ) : null
   }
 
   if (msg.role === 'tool') {
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/components/thinking.tsx b/ui-tui/src/components/thinking.tsx
index fb4e9687e..da8b3d396 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/components/thinking.tsx
+++ b/ui-tui/src/components/thinking.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { Box, NoSelect, Text } from '@hermes/ink'
-import { memo, type ReactNode, useEffect, useMemo, useState } from 'react'
+import { memo, useEffect, useMemo, useState, type ReactNode } from 'react'
 import spinners, { type BrailleSpinnerName } from 'unicode-animations'
 
 import { THINKING_COT_MAX } from '../config/limits.js'
@@ -874,18 +874,22 @@ export const ToolTrail = memo(function ToolTrail({
   const delegateGroups = groups.filter(g => g.label.startsWith('Delegate Task'))
   const inlineDelegateKey = hasSubagents && delegateGroups.length === 1 ? delegateGroups[0]!.key : null
 
-  // ── Hidden: errors/warnings only ──────────────────────────────
+  // ── Backstop: floating alerts when every panel is hidden ─────────
   //
-  // When the global details_mode is 'hidden' (or all sections are individually
-  // hidden), the accordion collapses entirely.  Errors/warnings still float
-  // as inline alerts UNLESS the activity section is explicitly hidden — that
-  // override means "I don't want to see meta at all", so respect it.
+  // Per-section overrides win over the global details_mode (they're computed
+  // by sectionMode), so we only collapse to nothing when EVERY section is
+  // resolved to hidden — that way `details_mode: hidden` + `sections.tools:
+  // expanded` still renders the tools panel.  When all panels are hidden
+  // AND ambient errors/warnings exist, surface them as a compact inline
+  // backstop so quiet-mode users aren't blind to failures.
 
-  if (detailsMode === 'hidden') {
-    if (visible.activity === 'hidden') {
-      return null
-    }
+  const allHidden =
+    visible.thinking === 'hidden' &&
+    visible.tools === 'hidden' &&
+    visible.subagents === 'hidden' &&
+    visible.activity === 'hidden'
 
+  if (allHidden) {
     const alerts = activity.filter(i => i.tone !== 'info').slice(-2)
 
     return alerts.length ? (
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/domain/details.ts b/ui-tui/src/domain/details.ts
index 752d44a75..75f25a3aa 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/domain/details.ts
+++ b/ui-tui/src/domain/details.ts
@@ -17,10 +17,12 @@ const THINKING_FALLBACK: Record<string, DetailsMode> = {
   truncated: 'collapsed'
 }
 
-const norm = (v: unknown) => String(v ?? '').trim().toLowerCase()
+const norm = (v: unknown) =>
+  String(v ?? '')
+    .trim()
+    .toLowerCase()
 
-export const parseDetailsMode = (v: unknown): DetailsMode | null =>
-  MODES.find(m => m === norm(v)) ?? null
+export const parseDetailsMode = (v: unknown): DetailsMode | null => MODES.find(m => m === norm(v)) ?? null
 
 export const isSectionName = (v: unknown): v is SectionName =>
   typeof v === 'string' && (SECTION_NAMES as readonly string[]).includes(v)
@@ -42,11 +44,7 @@ export const resolveSections = (raw: unknown): SectionVisibility =>
 
 // Effective mode for one section: explicit override → SECTION_DEFAULTS → global.
 // Single source of truth for "is this section open by default / rendered at all".
-export const sectionMode = (
-  name: SectionName,
-  global: DetailsMode,
-  sections?: SectionVisibility
-): DetailsMode => sections?.[name] ?? SECTION_DEFAULTS[name] ?? global
+export const sectionMode = (name: SectionName, global: DetailsMode, sections?: SectionVisibility): DetailsMode =>
+  sections?.[name] ?? SECTION_DEFAULTS[name] ?? global
 
-export const nextDetailsMode = (m: DetailsMode): DetailsMode =>
-  MODES[(MODES.indexOf(m) + 1) % MODES.length]!
+export const nextDetailsMode = (m: DetailsMode): DetailsMode => MODES[(MODES.indexOf(m) + 1) % MODES.length]!