diff --git a/tui_gateway/server.py b/tui_gateway/server.py
index dfc158076..32bac4ffa 100644
--- a/tui_gateway/server.py
+++ b/tui_gateway/server.py
@@ -455,18 +455,22 @@ def _write_config_key(key_path: str, value):
     _save_cfg(cfg)
 
 
-# Legacy configs stored display.tui_statusbar as a bool. Coerce both bool and
-# string forms to the string enum so rollouts don't require a manual migration.
+# Legacy configs stored display.tui_statusbar as a bool; a short-lived
+# intermediate wrote 'on'. Both forms map to 'top' — the inline position
+# above the input where the bar originally lived — so users don't need to
+# migrate by hand.
 def _coerce_statusbar(raw) -> str:
     if raw is True:
-        return "on"
+        return "top"
     if raw is False:
         return "off"
     if isinstance(raw, str):
         s = raw.strip().lower()
-        if s in {"on", "off", "bottom", "top"}:
+        if s == "on":
+            return "top"
+        if s in {"off", "top", "bottom"}:
             return s
-    return "on"
+    return "top"
 
 
 def _load_reasoning_config() -> dict | None:
@@ -2533,10 +2537,12 @@ def _(rid, params: dict) -> dict:
         raw = str(value or "").strip().lower()
         cfg0 = _load_cfg()
         d0 = cfg0.get("display") if isinstance(cfg0.get("display"), dict) else {}
-        current = _coerce_statusbar(d0.get("tui_statusbar", "on"))
+        current = _coerce_statusbar(d0.get("tui_statusbar", "top"))
         if raw in ("", "toggle"):
-            nv = "on" if current == "off" else "off"
-        elif raw in ("on", "off", "bottom", "top"):
+            nv = "top" if current == "off" else "off"
+        elif raw == "on":
+            nv = "top"
+        elif raw in ("off", "top", "bottom"):
             nv = raw
         else:
             return _err(rid, 4002, f"unknown statusbar value: {value}")
@@ -2659,7 +2665,7 @@ def _(rid, params: dict) -> dict:
         on = bool(_load_cfg().get("display", {}).get("tui_compact", False))
         return _ok(rid, {"value": "on" if on else "off"})
     if key == "statusbar":
-        raw = _load_cfg().get("display", {}).get("tui_statusbar", "on")
+        raw = _load_cfg().get("display", {}).get("tui_statusbar", "top")
         return _ok(rid, {"value": _coerce_statusbar(raw)})
     if key == "mtime":
         cfg_path = _hermes_home / "config.yaml"
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/__tests__/useConfigSync.test.ts b/ui-tui/src/__tests__/useConfigSync.test.ts
index 09b21b14c..b5b25ddd8 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/__tests__/useConfigSync.test.ts
+++ b/ui-tui/src/__tests__/useConfigSync.test.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,16 @@ describe('applyDisplay', () => {
     expect(s.streaming).toBe(false)
   })
 
+  it('coerces legacy true + "on" alias to top', () => {
+    const setBell = vi.fn()
+
+    applyDisplay({ config: { display: { tui_statusbar: true as unknown as 'on' } } }, setBell)
+    expect($uiState.get().statusBar).toBe('top')
+
+    applyDisplay({ config: { display: { tui_statusbar: 'on' } } }, setBell)
+    expect($uiState.get().statusBar).toBe('top')
+  })
+
   it('applies v1 parity defaults when display fields are missing', () => {
     const setBell = vi.fn()
 
@@ -50,7 +60,7 @@ describe('applyDisplay', () => {
     expect(s.inlineDiffs).toBe(true)
     expect(s.showCost).toBe(false)
     expect(s.showReasoning).toBe(false)
-    expect(s.statusBar).toBe('on')
+    expect(s.statusBar).toBe('top')
     expect(s.streaming).toBe(true)
   })
 
@@ -77,22 +87,22 @@ describe('applyDisplay', () => {
 })
 
 describe('normalizeStatusBar', () => {
-  it('maps legacy bool to on/off', () => {
-    expect(normalizeStatusBar(true)).toBe('on')
+  it('maps legacy bool + on alias to top/off', () => {
+    expect(normalizeStatusBar(true)).toBe('top')
     expect(normalizeStatusBar(false)).toBe('off')
+    expect(normalizeStatusBar('on')).toBe('top')
   })
 
-  it('passes through the new string enum', () => {
-    expect(normalizeStatusBar('on')).toBe('on')
+  it('passes through the canonical enum', () => {
     expect(normalizeStatusBar('off')).toBe('off')
-    expect(normalizeStatusBar('bottom')).toBe('bottom')
     expect(normalizeStatusBar('top')).toBe('top')
+    expect(normalizeStatusBar('bottom')).toBe('bottom')
   })
 
-  it('defaults missing/unknown values to on', () => {
-    expect(normalizeStatusBar(undefined)).toBe('on')
-    expect(normalizeStatusBar(null)).toBe('on')
-    expect(normalizeStatusBar('sideways')).toBe('on')
-    expect(normalizeStatusBar(42)).toBe('on')
+  it('defaults missing/unknown values to top', () => {
+    expect(normalizeStatusBar(undefined)).toBe('top')
+    expect(normalizeStatusBar(null)).toBe('top')
+    expect(normalizeStatusBar('sideways')).toBe('top')
+    expect(normalizeStatusBar(42)).toBe('top')
   })
 })
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/app/interfaces.ts b/ui-tui/src/app/interfaces.ts
index e44cdc060..c1c427739 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/app/interfaces.ts
+++ b/ui-tui/src/app/interfaces.ts
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ export interface StateSetter<T> {
   (value: SetStateAction<T>): void
 }
 
-export type StatusBarMode = 'bottom' | 'off' | 'on' | 'top'
+export type StatusBarMode = 'bottom' | 'off' | 'top'
 
 export interface SelectionApi {
   clearSelection: () => void
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/app/slash/commands/core.ts b/ui-tui/src/app/slash/commands/core.ts
index 13672c0d1..a418e28ac 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/app/slash/commands/core.ts
+++ b/ui-tui/src/app/slash/commands/core.ts
@@ -8,10 +8,10 @@ import type {
   SessionSteerResponse,
   SessionUndoResponse
 } from '../../../gatewayTypes.js'
-import type { StatusBarMode } from '../../interfaces.js'
 import { writeOsc52Clipboard } from '../../../lib/osc52.js'
 import { configureDetectedTerminalKeybindings, configureTerminalKeybindings } from '../../../lib/terminalSetup.js'
 import type { DetailsMode, Msg, PanelSection } from '../../../types.js'
+import type { StatusBarMode } from '../../interfaces.js'
 import { patchOverlayState } from '../../overlayStore.js'
 import { patchUiState } from '../../uiStore.js'
 import type { SlashCommand } from '../types.js'
@@ -306,24 +306,28 @@ export const coreCommands: SlashCommand[] = [
 
   {
     aliases: ['sb'],
-    help: 'status bar position (on|off|bottom|top)',
+    help: 'status bar position (on|off|top|bottom)',
     name: 'statusbar',
     run: (arg, ctx) => {
       const mode = arg.trim().toLowerCase()
       const current = ctx.ui.statusBar
-      // No-arg / `toggle` flips visibility while preserving the last
-      // explicit position: off → on (inline default), any-visible → off.
+
+      // 'on' is a legacy alias for 'top' — the inline position above the
+      // input where the bar originally lived. No-arg / `toggle` flips
+      // visibility and defaults to 'top' when reappearing.
       const next: null | StatusBarMode =
         mode === '' || mode === 'toggle'
           ? current === 'off'
-            ? 'on'
+            ? 'top'
             : 'off'
-          : mode === 'on' || mode === 'off' || mode === 'bottom' || mode === 'top'
-            ? mode
-            : null
+          : mode === 'on' || mode === 'top'
+            ? 'top'
+            : mode === 'off' || mode === 'bottom'
+              ? mode
+              : null
 
       if (next === null) {
-        return ctx.transcript.sys('usage: /statusbar [on|off|bottom|top|toggle]')
+        return ctx.transcript.sys('usage: /statusbar [on|off|top|bottom|toggle]')
       }
 
       patchUiState({ statusBar: next })
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/app/uiStore.ts b/ui-tui/src/app/uiStore.ts
index 761c2d074..fcf2e5d88 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/app/uiStore.ts
+++ b/ui-tui/src/app/uiStore.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ const buildUiState = (): UiState => ({
   showReasoning: false,
   sid: null,
   status: 'summoning hermes…',
-  statusBar: 'on',
+  statusBar: 'top',
   streaming: true,
   theme: DEFAULT_THEME,
   usage: ZERO
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/app/useConfigSync.ts b/ui-tui/src/app/useConfigSync.ts
index ac363e4dd..a8f64c3a5 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/app/useConfigSync.ts
+++ b/ui-tui/src/app/useConfigSync.ts
@@ -14,17 +14,18 @@ import type { StatusBarMode } from './interfaces.js'
 import { turnController } from './turnController.js'
 import { patchUiState } from './uiStore.js'
 
-const STATUSBAR_MODES = new Set<StatusBarMode>(['bottom', 'off', 'on', 'top'])
+const STATUSBAR_MODES = new Set<StatusBarMode>(['bottom', 'off', 'top'])
 
-// Legacy configs stored tui_statusbar as a bool; new configs write a string
-// ('on' | 'off' | 'bottom' | 'top'). Coerce both shapes so existing users
-// keep their preference without manual migration.
+// Legacy configs stored tui_statusbar as a bool; the short-lived 4-mode
+// variant wrote 'on'. Both map to 'top' (inline above the input) — the
+// original feature's default — so users keep their preference without
+// manual migration.
 export const normalizeStatusBar = (raw: unknown): StatusBarMode => {
   if (raw === false) return 'off'
-  if (raw === true || raw == null) return 'on'
+  if (raw === true || raw == null || raw === 'on') return 'top'
   if (typeof raw === 'string' && STATUSBAR_MODES.has(raw as StatusBarMode)) return raw as StatusBarMode
 
-  return 'on'
+  return 'top'
 }
 
 const MTIME_POLL_MS = 5000
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/components/appLayout.tsx b/ui-tui/src/components/appLayout.tsx
index 517a65c6e..d2607bad2 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/components/appLayout.tsx
+++ b/ui-tui/src/components/appLayout.tsx
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ const ComposerPane = memo(function ComposerPane({
       )}
 
       <Box flexDirection="column" position="relative">
-        <StatusRulePane at="on" composer={composer} status={status} />
+        <StatusRulePane at="top" composer={composer} status={status} />
 
         <FloatingOverlays
           cols={composer.cols}
@@ -261,7 +261,7 @@ const StatusRulePane = memo(function StatusRulePane({
   at,
   composer,
   status
-}: Pick<AppLayoutProps, 'composer' | 'status'> & { at: 'bottom' | 'on' | 'top' }) {
+}: Pick<AppLayoutProps, 'composer' | 'status'> & { at: 'bottom' | 'top' }) {
   const ui = useStore($uiState)
 
   if (ui.statusBar !== at) {
@@ -300,8 +300,6 @@ export const AppLayout = memo(function AppLayout({
   return (
     <AlternateScreen mouseTracking={mouseTracking}>
       <Box flexDirection="column" flexGrow={1}>
-        {!overlay.agents && <StatusRulePane at="top" composer={composer} status={status} />}
-
         <Box flexDirection="row" flexGrow={1}>
           {overlay.agents ? (
             <AgentsOverlayPane />