diff --git a/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/ai-runtime.md b/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/ai-runtime.md
index 192e2214f..4bf3eb3cb 100644
--- a/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/ai-runtime.md
+++ b/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/ai-runtime.md
@@ -177,11 +177,14 @@ runtime cost control, and shared AI transport surfaces.
    frontend rendering. Compacted no-whitespace internal prelude text attached
    to a leaked tool invocation is part of that same artifact and must be
    suppressed or retracted from the current stream segment instead of rendered
-   as assistant prose. Completed tool rows in the drawer may show compact tool
-   name, action summary, status, and an explicit details affordance, but raw
-   tool input/output JSON must not render in the default transcript. Token
-   accounting and other provider metadata remain runtime/accounting data, not
-   normal transcript prose.
+   as assistant prose. Drawer-level loading/progress status must not duplicate
+   transcript output once assistant content, governed tool progress, approvals,
+   questions, errors, or restored tool evidence are already visible; progress
+   stays in the transcript row that owns the active turn. Completed tool rows
+   in the drawer may show compact tool name, action summary, status, and an
+   explicit details affordance, but raw tool input/output JSON must not render
+   in the default transcript. Token accounting and other provider metadata
+   remain runtime/accounting data, not normal transcript prose.
 4. Add or change Patrol, alert-analysis, or remediation transport through `internal/api/ai_handlers.go`, `internal/api/ai_intelligence_handlers.go`, and `frontend-modern/src/api/patrol.ts`
    Provider preflight diagnostics returned from `internal/api/ai_handlers.go`
    must reuse the Patrol runtime failure classifier in `internal/ai/` and
diff --git a/frontend-modern/src/components/AI/Chat/__tests__/AIChat.test.tsx b/frontend-modern/src/components/AI/Chat/__tests__/AIChat.test.tsx
index 73c321177..a75fb419f 100644
--- a/frontend-modern/src/components/AI/Chat/__tests__/AIChat.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend-modern/src/components/AI/Chat/__tests__/AIChat.test.tsx
@@ -518,7 +518,8 @@ describe('AIChat', () => {
         id: 'assistant-error-openrouter',
         role: 'assistant',
         content: '',
-        error: 'The AI provider rejected the credentials. Check your AI provider API key in Settings.',
+        error:
+          'The AI provider rejected the credentials. Check your AI provider API key in Settings.',
         timestamp: new Date('2026-06-05T10:00:00Z'),
         model: 'openrouter:deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro',
       };
@@ -2925,6 +2926,7 @@ describe('AIChat', () => {
       ]);
       renderChat();
       expect(screen.queryByText('Running get nodes...')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+      expect(screen.queryByText('Thinking...')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
     });
 
     it('does not duplicate status in the footer when assistant content is streaming', () => {
@@ -2943,6 +2945,23 @@ describe('AIChat', () => {
       expect(screen.queryByText('Thinking...')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
     });
 
+    it('does not fall back to thinking when loading outlives visible assistant content', () => {
+      mockChat.isLoading.mockReturnValue(true);
+      mockChat.messages.mockReturnValue([
+        {
+          id: 'msg-1',
+          role: 'assistant' as const,
+          content: 'UI_PARITY_OK',
+          timestamp: new Date(),
+          isStreaming: false,
+          streamEvents: [{ type: 'content', content: 'UI_PARITY_OK' }],
+        },
+      ]);
+      renderChat();
+      expect(screen.queryByText('Thinking...')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+      expect(screen.queryByText('Generating response...')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    });
+
     it('keeps queued follow-up status without duplicating active assistant streaming status', () => {
       mockChat.isLoading.mockReturnValue(true);
       mockChat.queuedFollowUpCount.mockReturnValue(1);
diff --git a/frontend-modern/src/components/AI/Chat/index.tsx b/frontend-modern/src/components/AI/Chat/index.tsx
index 006f05e67..172705ae5 100644
--- a/frontend-modern/src/components/AI/Chat/index.tsx
+++ b/frontend-modern/src/components/AI/Chat/index.tsx
@@ -227,9 +227,8 @@ const findProviderReadinessAlternative = (args: {
     });
 
   const candidate =
-    sortedCandidates.find(
-      ({ model }) => normalizeComparableModelKey(model.id) === selectedKey,
-    ) || sortedCandidates[0];
+    sortedCandidates.find(({ model }) => normalizeComparableModelKey(model.id) === selectedKey) ||
+    sortedCandidates[0];
   if (!candidate) return null;
 
   return {
@@ -1059,6 +1058,36 @@ export const AIChat: Component<AIChatProps> = (props) => {
     }),
   );
 
+  const assistantHasVisibleTranscriptOutput = (message: ChatMessage) => {
+    if (message.role !== 'assistant') return false;
+    if ((message.content || '').trim() || message.error) return true;
+    if (
+      message.pendingTools?.length ||
+      message.pendingApprovals?.length ||
+      message.pendingQuestions?.length ||
+      message.toolCalls?.length
+    ) {
+      return true;
+    }
+
+    return (message.streamEvents || []).some((event) => {
+      switch (event.type) {
+        case 'content':
+          return !!event.content?.trim();
+        case 'tool':
+          return !!event.tool;
+        case 'pending_tool':
+          return !!event.pendingTool;
+        case 'approval':
+          return !!event.approval;
+        case 'question':
+          return !!event.question;
+        default:
+          return false;
+      }
+    });
+  };
+
   // Compute current status for display
   const currentStatus = createMemo(() => {
     if (!chat.isLoading()) return null;
@@ -1071,6 +1100,11 @@ export const AIChat: Component<AIChatProps> = (props) => {
       return null;
     }
 
+    const lastAssistant = [...messages].reverse().find((message) => message.role === 'assistant');
+    if (lastAssistant && assistantHasVisibleTranscriptOutput(lastAssistant)) {
+      return null;
+    }
+
     const lastMessage = messages[messages.length - 1];
 
     if (!lastMessage || lastMessage.role !== 'assistant') {