diff --git a/frontend/src/shell/AppShell.session-mgmt.test.tsx b/frontend/src/shell/AppShell.session-mgmt.test.tsx
index 224fb0b7..a8a18185 100644
--- a/frontend/src/shell/AppShell.session-mgmt.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/shell/AppShell.session-mgmt.test.tsx
@@ -86,11 +86,15 @@ test("WIP icon toggles the Model activity panel and shows the streamed text", as
   server.use(http.post("http://localhost:8787/sessions/:id/resume", () => new HttpResponse(null, { status: 204 })));
   await userEvent.click(await screen.findByText("Attiva uno")); // opens docs panel
   await userEvent.click(await screen.findByRole("button", { name: /resume/i })); // active session
-  act(() => { useSessionStore.getState().applyEvent({ type: "text_delta", text: "Looking at dim_patient." }); });
-  // Model activity hidden until the WIP icon is clicked
-  expect(screen.queryByText(/Looking at dim_patient/)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+  act(() => { useSessionStore.getState().applyEvent({ type: "text_delta", text: "FIRSTLINE alpha bravo charlie delta echo foxtrot golf hotel india juliet kilo" }); });
+  // The verbose stream stays in the (closed) left panel: its START is not shown centrally
+  // (the central working indicator shows only a short tail of last words, by design).
+  expect(screen.queryByRole("heading", { name: /model activity/i })).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+  expect(screen.queryByText(/FIRSTLINE/)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
   await userEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /model activity/i }));
-  expect(await screen.findByText(/Looking at dim_patient/)).toBeInTheDocument();
+  // Panel open: the full streamed text is visible inside it.
+  expect(await screen.findByRole("heading", { name: /model activity/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
+  expect(screen.getByText(/FIRSTLINE/)).toBeInTheDocument();
 });
 
 test("renaming a group reassigns its members via setSessionGroup", async () => {
diff --git a/frontend/src/shell/AppShell.tsx b/frontend/src/shell/AppShell.tsx
index eadbf652..afb01de7 100644
--- a/frontend/src/shell/AppShell.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/shell/AppShell.tsx
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ export function AppShell() {
           <div className="mx-auto flex max-w-3xl flex-col gap-6">
             {activeSessionId ? (
               <>
-                <CentralStatus />
+                <CentralStatus working={working} />
                 <WidgetHost sessionId={activeSessionId} />
               </>
             ) : (
diff --git a/frontend/src/shell/CentralStatus.test.tsx b/frontend/src/shell/CentralStatus.test.tsx
index b72f8dfe..61c5e151 100644
--- a/frontend/src/shell/CentralStatus.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/shell/CentralStatus.test.tsx
@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@ import { CentralStatus } from "./CentralStatus";
 
 beforeEach(() => useSessionStore.getState().resetSession());
 
-test("renders nothing when there is no user entry and no step messages", () => {
-  const { container } = render(<CentralStatus />);
+test("renders nothing when not working and there is no user entry or step messages", () => {
+  const { container } = render(<CentralStatus working={false} />);
   expect(container).toBeEmptyDOMElement();
 });
 
@@ -14,7 +14,22 @@ test("echoes the last user entry and the step messages", () => {
   const st = useSessionStore.getState();
   st.setLastUserEntry({ kind: "input", text: "how many patients?" });
   st.applyEvent({ type: "info", level: "info", text: "Searching the schema…" });
-  render(<CentralStatus />);
+  render(<CentralStatus working={false} />);
   expect(screen.getByText("how many patients?")).toBeInTheDocument();
   expect(screen.getByText("Searching the schema…")).toBeInTheDocument();
 });
+
+test("shows a working indicator with elapsed time and the model-stream tail while working", () => {
+  useSessionStore.getState().applyEvent({ type: "text_delta", text: "Reading the schema for dim_patient" });
+  render(<CentralStatus working />);
+  // elapsed time (e.g. "0s")
+  expect(screen.getByText(/\d+s/)).toBeInTheDocument();
+  // a short tail of the model's current output
+  expect(screen.getByText(/Reading the schema for dim_patient/)).toBeInTheDocument();
+});
+
+test("no working indicator when not working, even with a transcript", () => {
+  useSessionStore.getState().applyEvent({ type: "text_delta", text: "background narration" });
+  render(<CentralStatus working={false} />);
+  expect(screen.queryByText(/\d+s/)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+});
diff --git a/frontend/src/shell/CentralStatus.tsx b/frontend/src/shell/CentralStatus.tsx
index ffc7dcc4..7d24b9b5 100644
--- a/frontend/src/shell/CentralStatus.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/shell/CentralStatus.tsx
@@ -1,11 +1,40 @@
+import { useEffect, useReducer, useState } from "react";
 import { useSessionStore } from "../store/sessionStore";
 
-/** The minimal central view: the user's last input/choice + the gate's curated
- *  messages for the current step. The verbose model stream lives in the left panel. */
-export function CentralStatus() {
+/** Last few words of a string — a compact "what the model is doing now" tail. */
+function lastWords(s: string, n = 8): string {
+  const w = s.trim().split(/\s+/).filter(Boolean);
+  return w.slice(-n).join(" ");
+}
+
+/** The minimal central view: the user's last input/choice, a live "working" indicator
+ *  (elapsed time + a short tail of the model stream) while the model is busy, and the
+ *  gate's curated messages for the current step. The full verbose stream lives in the
+ *  left Model-activity panel. */
+export function CentralStatus({ working }: { working: boolean }) {
   const lastUserEntry = useSessionStore((s) => s.lastUserEntry);
   const stepMessages = useSessionStore((s) => s.stepMessages);
-  if (!lastUserEntry && stepMessages.length === 0) return null;
+  const transcript = useSessionStore((s) => s.transcript);
+
+  const [startedAt, setStartedAt] = useState<number | null>(null);
+  const [, tick] = useReducer((x: number) => x + 1, 0);
+
+  // Start the per-step timer when work begins; tick once a second so the elapsed
+  // display updates; clear it when work stops.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!working) {
+      setStartedAt(null);
+      return;
+    }
+    setStartedAt((prev) => prev ?? Date.now());
+    const id = setInterval(tick, 1000);
+    return () => clearInterval(id);
+  }, [working]);
+
+  if (!working && !lastUserEntry && stepMessages.length === 0) return null;
+
+  const elapsed = startedAt ? Math.max(0, Math.floor((Date.now() - startedAt) / 1000)) : 0;
+  const tail = lastWords(transcript.at(-1)?.text ?? "");
 
   return (
     <div className="flex flex-col gap-3">
@@ -17,6 +46,16 @@ export function CentralStatus() {
           <p className="mt-0.5 text-sm text-foreground">{lastUserEntry.text}</p>
         </div>
       )}
+
+      {working && (
+        <div className="flex min-w-0 items-center gap-2 text-sm text-muted-foreground">
+          <span className="size-1.5 shrink-0 animate-pulse rounded-full bg-primary" aria-hidden />
+          <span className="shrink-0 tabular-nums">{elapsed}s</span>
+          {tail && <span className="min-w-0 truncate text-muted-foreground/70">· {tail}</span>}
+          <span className="sr-only">ThothII is working</span>
+        </div>
+      )}
+
       {stepMessages.map((m, i) => (
         <p
           key={i}