diff --git a/frontend/src/shell/CentralStatus.test.tsx b/frontend/src/shell/CentralStatus.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b72f8dfe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/shell/CentralStatus.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+import { render, screen } from "@testing-library/react";
+import { beforeEach } from "vitest";
+import { useSessionStore } from "../store/sessionStore";
+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 />);
+  expect(container).toBeEmptyDOMElement();
+});
+
+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 />);
+  expect(screen.getByText("how many patients?")).toBeInTheDocument();
+  expect(screen.getByText("Searching the schema…")).toBeInTheDocument();
+});
diff --git a/frontend/src/shell/CentralStatus.tsx b/frontend/src/shell/CentralStatus.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ffc7dcc4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/shell/CentralStatus.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+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() {
+  const lastUserEntry = useSessionStore((s) => s.lastUserEntry);
+  const stepMessages = useSessionStore((s) => s.stepMessages);
+  if (!lastUserEntry && stepMessages.length === 0) return null;
+
+  return (
+    <div className="flex flex-col gap-3">
+      {lastUserEntry && (
+        <div className="rounded-lg border border-border/70 bg-card px-3 py-2">
+          <span className="text-[0.65rem] font-semibold uppercase tracking-wide text-muted-foreground">
+            {lastUserEntry.kind === "input" ? "You asked" : "You chose"}
+          </span>
+          <p className="mt-0.5 text-sm text-foreground">{lastUserEntry.text}</p>
+        </div>
+      )}
+      {stepMessages.map((m, i) => (
+        <p
+          key={i}
+          className={[
+            "text-sm",
+            m.level === "error" ? "text-destructive"
+              : m.level === "warning" ? "text-amber-600"
+              : "text-foreground/90",
+          ].join(" ")}
+        >
+          {m.text}
+        </p>
+      ))}
+    </div>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/shell/ModelActivityPanel.test.tsx b/frontend/src/shell/ModelActivityPanel.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8e0e0b1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/shell/ModelActivityPanel.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+import { render, screen } from "@testing-library/react";
+import userEvent from "@testing-library/user-event";
+import { beforeEach, vi } from "vitest";
+import { useSessionStore } from "../store/sessionStore";
+import { ModelActivityPanel } from "./ModelActivityPanel";
+
+beforeEach(() => useSessionStore.getState().resetSession());
+
+test("renders the streamed model transcript", () => {
+  useSessionStore.getState().applyEvent({ type: "text_delta", text: "Promoting table dim_patient." });
+  render(<ModelActivityPanel onClose={vi.fn()} />);
+  expect(screen.getByText(/Promoting table dim_patient/)).toBeInTheDocument();
+});
+
+test("close button calls onClose", async () => {
+  const onClose = vi.fn();
+  render(<ModelActivityPanel onClose={onClose} />);
+  await userEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /close/i }));
+  expect(onClose).toHaveBeenCalled();
+});
diff --git a/frontend/src/shell/ModelActivityPanel.tsx b/frontend/src/shell/ModelActivityPanel.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3052d324
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/shell/ModelActivityPanel.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+import { X } from "lucide-react";
+import { Transcript } from "./Transcript";
+import { Button } from "../components/ui/button";
+
+/** Left drawer showing the active session's streamed model text ("model activity"),
+ *  opened on demand from the work-in-progress icon. */
+export function ModelActivityPanel({ onClose }: { onClose: () => void }) {
+  return (
+    <aside className="flex w-[380px] shrink-0 flex-col border-r border-border bg-sidebar">
+      <div className="flex items-center justify-between border-b border-border/70 px-4 py-3">
+        <h2 className="font-heading text-sm font-semibold text-foreground">Model activity</h2>
+        <Button size="icon-sm" variant="ghost" aria-label="Close model activity" onClick={onClose}>
+          <X className="size-4" />
+        </Button>
+      </div>
+      <div className="flex-1 overflow-y-auto px-4 py-4">
+        <Transcript />
+      </div>
+    </aside>
+  );
+}