diff --git a/frontend/src/shell/AppShell.tsx b/frontend/src/shell/AppShell.tsx
index 5fbe99ac..74e68cb3 100644
--- a/frontend/src/shell/AppShell.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/shell/AppShell.tsx
@@ -1,13 +1,15 @@
 import { useSessionStream } from "../stream/useSessionStream";
+import { useSessionStore } from "../store/sessionStore";
 import { WidgetHost } from "./WidgetHost";
 import { Transcript } from "./Transcript";
 import { NavSessions } from "./NavSessions";
-import { NewSessionDialog } from "./NewSessionDialog";
 import { SettingsDialog } from "./SettingsDialog";
-import { SteerInput } from "./SteerInput";
+import { SteerInput, ComposerFooter } from "./SteerInput";
 import { WorkflowBar } from "./WorkflowBar";
+import { Button } from "../components/ui/button";
 import { Toaster } from "../components/ui/sonner";
-import { useState } from "react";
+import { closeSession } from "../api/sessions";
+import { useRef, useState } from "react";
 
 /**
  * The page is designed to live INSIDE the Omics Portal chrome (its left sidebar
@@ -17,9 +19,32 @@ import { useState } from "react";
  */
 export function AppShell() {
   const [activeSessionId, setActiveSessionId] = useState<string | null>(null);
+  const composerRef = useRef<HTMLInputElement>(null);
+
+  // The harness "holds the ball" whenever a session is live and no widget is
+  // waiting on the human; once a widget appears, input is back in the user's court.
+  const pendingWidget = useSessionStore((s) => s.pendingWidget);
+  const resetSession = useSessionStore((s) => s.resetSession);
+  const working = Boolean(activeSessionId) && !pendingWidget;
 
   useSessionStream(activeSessionId);
 
+  function startNewSession() {
+    resetSession();
+    setActiveSessionId(null);
+    requestAnimationFrame(() => composerRef.current?.focus());
+  }
+
+  async function stopSession() {
+    if (!activeSessionId) return;
+    try {
+      await closeSession(activeSessionId);
+    } finally {
+      resetSession();
+      setActiveSessionId(null);
+    }
+  }
+
   return (
     <div className="flex h-screen bg-background text-foreground">
       {/* Conversation column */}
@@ -45,28 +70,49 @@ export function AppShell() {
           </div>
         </main>
 
-        {activeSessionId && (
-          <div className="shrink-0 px-6 pb-6 pt-2">
-            <div className="mx-auto max-w-3xl">
-              <SteerInput sessionId={activeSessionId} />
+        {/* Sticky composer: the box stays pinned while the conversation scrolls above. */}
+        <div className="shrink-0 px-6 pb-6 pt-2">
+          <div className="mx-auto max-w-3xl">
+            <div className="rounded-2xl border border-input bg-card shadow-sm transition-colors focus-within:border-primary/40 focus-within:ring-3 focus-within:ring-ring/15">
+              <div className="px-2.5 py-2">
+                <SteerInput
+                  sessionId={activeSessionId}
+                  onSessionCreated={setActiveSessionId}
+                  onStop={stopSession}
+                  inputRef={composerRef}
+                />
+              </div>
+              <ComposerFooter />
             </div>
           </div>
-        )}
+        </div>
       </div>
 
       {/* Right session rail — symmetric to the portal's left sidebar */}
       <aside className="flex w-[280px] shrink-0 flex-col border-l border-border bg-sidebar">
-        <div className="px-4 pb-3 pt-5">
+        <div className="relative px-4 pb-3 pt-5 text-center">
+          {working && (
+            <WorkingSpinner className="absolute left-4 top-[1.35rem]" />
+          )}
           <h1 className="font-heading text-xl font-semibold leading-none tracking-tight text-foreground">
             Thoth<span className="text-primary">II</span>
           </h1>
           <p className="mt-1.5 text-[0.7rem] uppercase tracking-[0.14em] text-muted-foreground">
-            Datamart Builder with Human In The Loop
+            Datamart Builder with
+            <br />
+            Human In The Loop
           </p>
         </div>
 
         <div className="flex flex-col gap-2 px-4 pb-3">
-          <NewSessionDialog onCreated={setActiveSessionId} />
+          <Button
+            variant="default"
+            size="sm"
+            className="w-full"
+            onClick={startNewSession}
+          >
+            New session
+          </Button>
           <SettingsDialog />
         </div>
 
@@ -88,6 +134,22 @@ export function AppShell() {
   );
 }
 
+/** Brand-tinted spinner shown while the assistant/harness is working. */
+function WorkingSpinner({ className }: { className?: string }) {
+  return (
+    <svg
+      viewBox="0 0 24 24"
+      fill="none"
+      role="status"
+      aria-label="Assistant is working"
+      className={["size-4 animate-spin text-primary", className].filter(Boolean).join(" ")}
+    >
+      <circle cx="12" cy="12" r="9" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth="3" opacity="0.2" />
+      <path d="M21 12a9 9 0 0 0-9-9" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth="3" strokeLinecap="round" />
+    </svg>
+  );
+}
+
 function EmptyState() {
   return (
     <div className="flex min-h-[60vh] flex-col items-center justify-center text-center">
@@ -96,8 +158,8 @@ function EmptyState() {
       </span>
       <p className="mt-4 max-w-md text-balance text-[0.95rem] leading-relaxed text-muted-foreground">
         Build datamarts from your data warehouse through a guided,
-        human-in-the-loop workflow. Start a new question from the panel on the
-        right to begin a session.
+        human-in-the-loop workflow. Type your question in the box below to begin
+        a session.
       </p>
     </div>
   );
diff --git a/frontend/src/shell/NavSessions.tsx b/frontend/src/shell/NavSessions.tsx
index f35f288c..7300737e 100644
--- a/frontend/src/shell/NavSessions.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/shell/NavSessions.tsx
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ export function NavSessions({ activeSessionId, onSessionSelect }: Props) {
   if (sessions.length === 0) {
     return (
       <p className="px-1 py-6 text-center text-xs text-muted-foreground">
-        No sessions yet. Start with <span className="font-medium text-foreground">New question</span>.
+        No sessions yet. Start with <span className="font-medium text-foreground">New session</span>.
       </p>
     );
   }
diff --git a/frontend/src/shell/NewSessionDialog.tsx b/frontend/src/shell/NewSessionDialog.tsx
index 3a8053a0..512416e7 100644
--- a/frontend/src/shell/NewSessionDialog.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/shell/NewSessionDialog.tsx
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ export function NewSessionDialog({ onCreated }: Props) {
         className="w-full"
         onClick={() => setOpen(true)}
       >
-        New question
+        New session
       </Button>
       <DialogContent showCloseButton={false}>
         <DialogHeader>
diff --git a/frontend/src/shell/SteerInput.tsx b/frontend/src/shell/SteerInput.tsx
index 07d02fc2..a1690d7d 100644
--- a/frontend/src/shell/SteerInput.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/shell/SteerInput.tsx
@@ -1,21 +1,40 @@
 // frontend/src/shell/SteerInput.tsx
 import { useState } from "react";
-import { ArrowUpIcon } from "lucide-react";
-import { postSteer } from "../api/sessions";
-import { Button } from "../components/ui/button";
+import { CornerDownLeft, Mic } from "lucide-react";
+import { useQuery } from "@tanstack/react-query";
+import { postSteer, createSession } from "../api/sessions";
+import { getSettings } from "../api/settings";
 
 interface Props {
-  sessionId: string;
+  /** Active session, or null when no session has been started yet. */
+  sessionId: string | null;
+  /** Called with the new session id when the box starts a fresh session. */
+  onSessionCreated?: (id: string) => void;
+  /** Interrupt the running session, persisting its state. */
+  onStop?: () => void;
+  /** Lets the parent focus the composer (e.g. on "New session"). */
+  inputRef?: React.Ref<HTMLInputElement>;
 }
 
-export function SteerInput({ sessionId }: Props) {
+export function SteerInput({ sessionId, onSessionCreated, onStop, inputRef }: Props) {
   const [text, setText] = useState("");
+  const [busy, setBusy] = useState(false);
 
   async function submit() {
     const trimmed = text.trim();
-    if (!trimmed) return;
-    await postSteer(sessionId, trimmed);
-    setText("");
+    if (!trimmed || busy) return;
+    setBusy(true);
+    try {
+      if (sessionId) {
+        await postSteer(sessionId, trimmed);
+      } else {
+        const { id } = await createSession({ question: trimmed });
+        onSessionCreated?.(id);
+      }
+      setText("");
+    } finally {
+      setBusy(false);
+    }
   }
 
   function handleKeyDown(e: React.KeyboardEvent<HTMLInputElement>) {
@@ -26,24 +45,99 @@ export function SteerInput({ sessionId }: Props) {
   }
 
   return (
-    <div className="flex items-center gap-2 rounded-full border border-input bg-card px-2 py-1.5 shadow-sm transition-colors focus-within:border-primary/40 focus-within:ring-3 focus-within:ring-ring/15">
+    <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
+      {sessionId && (
+        <button
+          type="button"
+          onClick={onStop}
+          title="Stop & save session"
+          aria-label="Stop and save session"
+          className="grid size-7 shrink-0 place-items-center rounded-md border border-border text-primary transition-colors hover:bg-muted"
+        >
+          <span className="block size-2.5 rounded-full bg-primary" />
+        </button>
+      )}
       <input
+        ref={inputRef}
         type="text"
         value={text}
         onChange={(e) => setText(e.target.value)}
         onKeyDown={handleKeyDown}
-        placeholder="Free steering (!)…"
-        aria-label="Steering"
-        className="flex-1 bg-transparent px-2 text-sm outline-none placeholder:text-muted-foreground"
+        placeholder={sessionId ? "Free steering (!)…" : "Ask a question to start a new session…"}
+        aria-label={sessionId ? "Steering" : "New question"}
+        className="flex-1 bg-transparent px-1 text-sm outline-none placeholder:text-muted-foreground"
       />
-      <Button
-        size="icon-sm"
+      <button
+        type="button"
         onClick={submit}
-        disabled={!text.trim()}
+        disabled={!text.trim() || busy}
         aria-label="Send"
+        title="Send"
+        className="grid size-7 shrink-0 place-items-center rounded-md border border-border text-muted-foreground transition-colors hover:bg-muted hover:text-foreground disabled:pointer-events-none disabled:opacity-40"
       >
-        <ArrowUpIcon />
-      </Button>
+        <CornerDownLeft className="size-3.5" />
+      </button>
     </div>
   );
 }
+
+/**
+ * Status strip beneath the composer: voice input (inert for now), the active
+ * model + thinking level pulled from the global settings, and a context-usage
+ * gauge (placeholder until the backend reports token usage).
+ */
+export function ComposerFooter() {
+  const { data: settings } = useQuery({ queryKey: ["settings"], queryFn: getSettings });
+  const model = settings?.model?.trim() || "Default model";
+  const thinking = settings?.thinking?.trim() || "medium";
+
+  return (
+    <div className="flex items-center justify-between border-t border-border/60 px-3 py-1.5">
+      <button
+        type="button"
+        disabled
+        title="Voice input (coming soon)"
+        aria-label="Voice input (coming soon)"
+        className="grid size-6 place-items-center rounded-md text-muted-foreground/60"
+      >
+        <Mic className="size-4" />
+      </button>
+
+      <div className="flex items-center gap-2.5 text-[0.7rem] text-muted-foreground">
+        <span className="font-medium text-foreground/70">{model}</span>
+        <span className="size-1 rounded-full bg-border" aria-hidden />
+        <span className="capitalize">{thinking}</span>
+        <ContextGauge />
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  );
+}
+
+/** Circular context-usage gauge. `pct` in [0,1]; 0 renders an empty track. */
+function ContextGauge({ pct = 0 }: { pct?: number }) {
+  const r = 6;
+  const circ = 2 * Math.PI * r;
+  return (
+    <span
+      title="Context usage"
+      aria-label="Context usage"
+      className="inline-flex items-center"
+    >
+      <svg width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 16 16" className="opacity-80">
+        <circle cx="8" cy="8" r={r} fill="none" stroke="oklch(var(--border))" strokeWidth="2.25" />
+        <circle
+          cx="8"
+          cy="8"
+          r={r}
+          fill="none"
+          stroke="oklch(var(--primary))"
+          strokeWidth="2.25"
+          strokeLinecap="round"
+          strokeDasharray={circ}
+          strokeDashoffset={circ * (1 - Math.min(Math.max(pct, 0), 1))}
+          transform="rotate(-90 8 8)"
+        />
+      </svg>
+    </span>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/shell/f1-loop.test.tsx b/frontend/src/shell/f1-loop.test.tsx
index 5356b414..3e9eba7b 100644
--- a/frontend/src/shell/f1-loop.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/shell/f1-loop.test.tsx
@@ -30,13 +30,10 @@ test("F1: create session -> widget via SSE -> respond -> POST /response", async
   );
   render(<App />);
 
-  // Open the "Nuova domanda" dialog
-  await userEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /new/i }));
-
-  // Fill in the question and submit
-  const textarea = await screen.findByLabelText(/question/i);
-  await userEvent.type(textarea, "Quante vendite?");
-  await userEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /^create$/i }));
+  // Type the first question directly in the sticky composer and send it
+  const composer = screen.getByRole("textbox", { name: /new question/i });
+  await userEvent.type(composer, "Quante vendite?");
+  await userEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /send/i }));
 
   // Wait for the session to be created and SSE to connect
   await waitFor(() => expect(FakeEventSource.instances).toHaveLength(1));